20th-22nd August, 2022

1. National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), along with the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and the Ministry of Jal Shakti, has organised ‘Yamuna Par Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ event at the water sports club in New Delhi.
2. Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh has released “Transforming India- Governance for Atmanirbhar Bharat” & “Adhigam” books, and ISTM’s Journal on ‘Research on Training and Governance’.
3. Union Ministry of Steel has extended the last date for receipt of applications under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Specialty Steel till 15 September, 2022.
4. Central Government has announced that 500 cities across India have declared as ‘Safai Mitra Surakshit Shehar’ to achieve adequacy in terms of institutional capacity, manpower and equipment norms.
5. Transasia Bio-Medicals has developed India’s first indigenously-developed RT-PCR kit for testing monkeypox in Andhra Pradesh Medtech Zone (AMTZ).
6. Pravasi Bhartiya Divas 2023 (17th edition) will be held at Indore, Madhya Pradesh in January.
7. Seven artefacts has been transferred back to India by Scotland as part of Scotland’s “largest-ever” repatriation of objects from a single collection.
8. Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda has launched the Phase-II of Grameen Udyami Project in Ranchi to promote skill development and entrepreneurship amongst the tribal youth, giving a boost to Skill India Mission.
9. The Bengaluru-based Central Power Research Institute (CPRI) has signed an MoU with the Chhattisgarh government for setting up a regional testing laboratory in Raipur district for transformers, energy meters, transformer oil, switch fuse unit and other electricity-related equipment.
10. Goa has become the first state in the country to become ‘Har Ghar Jal’ certified state.
11. Uttar Pradesh Defence and Aerospace Unit and Employment Promotion Policy-2022 has been approved to attract more investments in the defence and aerospace manufacturing sector in the state.
12. Punjab and Haryana have agreed to name the Chandigarh International Airport after Shaheed Bhagat Singh.
13. Jharkhand has become the first state in India to use the blockchain technology for seed distribution, in collaboration with blockchain tech company named
14. Indian Coast Guard has signed MOUs with eight banks to get customised banking services for its personnel deployed across the country.
15. India and Vietnam armies have conducted the VINBAX 2022 in Chandimandir, Haryana.
16. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has signed an MoU for establishing an office in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia for helping the latter in building defence capabilities.
17. India and Australia have conducted the Maritime Partnership exercise near Perth.
18. Union Cabinet has approved the signing of an MOU between India and France to support the International Transport Forum (ITF) activities on the Indian transport sector.
19. Border Security Force (BSF) has signed an MOU with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to ensure the safety and security of booking data under its air e-ticket service for the troops of India’s border guarding force.
20. Scotland has become the first country in the world to make period products free for all by passing the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act, 2022.
21. 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference will be held in Halifax, Canada from August 20 to 26.
22. Egypt has released a commemorative postage stamp to celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations with India that were established with Egypt’s recognition of the independence of India in 1947.
23. Promoter BRDN Investment Management, formerly Standard Life Investments, has divested its 5.58% stake in HDFC Asset Management Company (AMC) for Rs 2,300 crore approx.
24. Industry leader Ratan Tata has launched Goodfellows, a senior companionship start-up that provides companionship services to senior citizens.
25. Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) has launched the ‘IOB Rupay Select Card’, a special variant of debit cards that can be used for domestic and international payments.
26. Paytm has partnered with Samsung stores to provide Paytm payment services, including the Paytm Post-paid services on the stores across India.
27. Edelweiss Mutual Fund will launch India’s first gold and silver fund scheme. It will be called as Edelweiss Gold and Silver ETF Fund of Fund (FoF).
28. Mirae Asset Mutual Fund has launched two new funds based on electric vehicles and artificial intelligence.
29. Jammu & Kashmir Grameen Bank and NABARD have signed an MOU for promotion and financing of 700 Joint Liability Groups (JLGs) in the UT.
30. Aegon Life Insurance has launched #PlayForOurHeroes campaign that uses a game called ‘The Game of Life’ on the company website — to spread awareness about the importance of life insurance.
31. RBI has cancelled the licence of Deccan Urban Co-operative Bank in Karnataka.
32. SEBI has allowed the Alternative Investment Funds (AIF) and Venture Capital Funds (VCF) to invest in overseas companies.
33. Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has organized the first-ever hackathon named Bima Manthan 2022, with the theme of ‘Innovation in Insurance’.
34. Ashok Leyland has launched India’s first AC double-decker electric bus named ‘Switch EiV 22’ in Mumbai.
35. Central Govt has increased the windfall profit tax on export of diesel and cut the tax on domestic crude oil.
36. Airtel has reappointed Gopal Vittal as its MD and CEO for 5 years.
37. Mastercard has appointed Lakshay Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, and Chirag Shetty as its brand ambassadors.
38. The tenure of Dr V G Somani as the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has been extended by three months.
39. Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla was given an extension for a year.
40. August 12 – World Sanskrit Day
41. World Photography Day; Theme – Pandemic Lockdown through the lens
42. Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Prahlad Joshi has presented the Coal Minister Awards, 2021-22 in various categories.
43. The Maharashtra government has decided to allow those participating in dahi-handi to be eligible for government jobs under the 5% sports quota.
44. Manisha Kalyan has become the first Indian to play in UEFA Women’s Champions League for Apollon Ladies FC.
45. “Bibi: My Story” is the memoir of former Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
46. Narayan (Malayali novelist) has passed away.
47. Scientists from Israel have created world’s first synthetic embryo outside the womb using stem cells cultured in a petri dish.
48. “Madam Sir: The Story of Bihar’s First Lady IPS Officer” book has been authored by Manjari Jaruhar.
49. “Men Of Steel – Military Leadership of India”, a compilation of essays, has been brought out by Ajay Kumar Singh and Yash Mor.
50. “Indians at Herod’s Gate: A Jerusalem Tale” book has been authored by Navtej Sarna.
51. Senior Congress leader and former Jharkhand and Assam governor Syed Sibte Razi has passed away.
52. Former India Football Team Captain Samar ‘Badru’ Banerjee has passed away.

National News

1. National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), along with the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and the Ministry of Jal Shakti, has organised ‘Yamuna Par Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ event at the water sports club in New Delhi.
   • An MoU was also signed between the NMCG and the Sahakar Bharati to achieve the vision of Arth Ganga.
   • The ‘Arth Ganga’ initiative can be promoted through tourism.
   • Director-General of NMCG – G Asok Kumar
2. Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh has released “Transforming India- Governance for Atmanirbhar Bharat” & “Adhigam” books, and ISTM’s Journal on ‘Research on Training and Governance’.
   • Dr Jitendra Singh is the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space.
3. Union Ministry of Steel has extended the last date for receipt of applications under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Specialty Steel till 15 September, 2022.
   • The application can be sent to the website https://plimos.meconlimited.co.in/.
   • PLI Scheme for Specialty Steel is being implemented from FY 2023-24 to FY 2029-30 with a budgetary outlay of ₹6,322 crore.
   • The ministry had chosen 5 categories of specialty steel which have been chosen in the PLI Scheme – including coated/plated steel products, high strength/wear resistant steel, specialty rails, alloy steel products and steel wires, and electrical steel.
4. Central Government has announced that 500 cities across India have declared as ‘Safai Mitra Surakshit Shehar’ to achieve adequacy in terms of institutional capacity, manpower and equipment norms.
5. Transasia Bio-Medicals has developed India’s first indigenously-developed RT-PCR kit for testing monkeypox in Andhra Pradesh Medtech Zone (AMTZ).
   • The kit was unveiled by Principal Scientific Adviser to the Centre Ajay Kumar Sood.
6. Pravasi Bhartiya Divas 2023 (17th edition) will be held at Indore, Madhya Pradesh in January.
   • Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated every year on 9th Januray to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community in the development of India.
   • It also commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India on 9th January 1915.
7. Seven artefacts has been transferred back to India by Scotland as part of Scotland’s “largest-ever” repatriation of objects from a single collection.
8. Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda has launched the Phase-II of Grameen Udyami Project in Ranchi to promote skill development and entrepreneurship amongst the tribal youth, giving a boost to Skill India Mission.
   • The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), in collaboration with Seva Bharti and Yuva Vikas Society, is implementing the mission.
   • A budget of Rs 85,000 crore has been sanctioned exclusively for tribal areas.
   • Rural Tribal Technical Training Program (also known as the Grameen Udyami) is a one-of-a-kind multiskilling project aims to train 450 tribal students in Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand.
   • The initiative is being carried out in six states: Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Gujarat.
   • Skill development training is provided in 5 fields, which are electrical and solar energy, agricultural mechanization, e-governance, plumbing, and two-wheeler repair and maintenance.
   • Grameen Udyami Yojana is implemented under Sansadiya Parisankul Yojana.
   • Further, Scheduled Tribe organizations called for a ‘Parliamentary ST Cluster Development Project’ has been initiated. Under this project, 49 clusters in 15 states of India have been selected by 40 tribal MPs of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

State News

1. The Bengaluru-based Central Power Research Institute (CPRI) has signed an MoU with the Chhattisgarh government for setting up a regional testing laboratory in Raipur district for transformers, energy meters, transformer oil, switch fuse unit and other electricity-related equipment.
   • Power companies will get a 20% rebate in the testing of equipment.
2. Goa has become the first state in the country to become ‘Har Ghar Jal’ certified state.
   • Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu has become first Har Ghar Jal certified Union Territory.
3. Uttar Pradesh Defence and Aerospace Unit and Employment Promotion Policy-2022 has been approved to attract more investments in the defence and aerospace manufacturing sector in the state.
   • The new policy provides for a capital subsidy of 7% or a maximum of Rs 500 crore in non-Bundelkhand region and 10% or a maximum of Rs 500 crore in the Bundelkhand region of the state.
4. Punjab and Haryana have agreed to name the Chandigarh International Airport after Shaheed Bhagat Singh.

Agriculture and Rural Development

1. Jharkhand has become the first state in India to use the blockchain technology for seed distribution, in collaboration with blockchain tech company named
   • Purpose – for reducing pilferage and getting rid of spurious seeds that the farmers receive under various government schemes including the seed exchange scheme

Defence News

1. Indian Coast Guard has signed MOUs with eight banks to get customised banking services for its personnel deployed across the country.
   • Banks – IDFC First bank, ICICI, Axis, HDFC, Yes Bank, Punjab National Bank, Bank of Baroda, and Kotak Mahindra Bank
   • ICG has also signed MOUs with Byju’s, Edaura, and Drishti educational institutes for the capacity building of its personnel.
   • ICG D-G – VS Pathania
2. India and Vietnam armies have conducted the VINBAX 2022 in Chandimandir, Haryana.
   • Theme – Employment and deployment of an Engineer Company and a Medical Team as part of United Nations Contingent for Peacekeeping Operations
3. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has signed an MoU for establishing an office in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia for helping the latter in building defence capabilities.
4. India and Australia have conducted the Maritime Partnership exercise near Perth.
   • INS Sumedha and HMAS Anzac (Australia) participated in the exercise.

Memorandum of Understanding

1. Union Cabinet has approved the signing of an MOU between India and France to support the International Transport Forum (ITF) activities on the Indian transport sector.
   • Both nations will work to identify the technology solutions for decarbonisation of transport sector in India.
   • Signatories to the MOU – Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, France and the Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC), India
2. Border Security Force (BSF) has signed an MOU with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to ensure the safety and security of booking data under its air e-ticket service for the troops of India’s border guarding force.
   • Director-General of BSF – Pankaj Kumar Singh
   • BSF Motto – जीवन पर्यन्त कर्तव्य (meaning Life, Effort, Duty)

International News

1. Scotland has become the first country in the world to make period products free for all by passing the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act, 2022.
   • Purpose – to end “period poverty”
   • Period poverty is when those on low incomes can’t afford, or access, suitable period products.
2. 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference will be held in Halifax, Canada from August 20 to 26.
   • An Indian Parliamentary Delegation led by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will attend the conference.
   • During the Conference, eight Workshops will be held on various subjects.
   • Om Birla will participate as a panellist in Workshop ‘C’ titled “A People’s Parliament: Accessibility through Innovation”.
3. Egypt has released a commemorative postage stamp to celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations with India that were established with Egypt’s recognition of the independence of India in 1947.

Banking and Economy

1. Promoter BRDN Investment Management, formerly Standard Life Investments, has divested its 5.58% stake in HDFC Asset Management Company (AMC) for Rs 2,300 crore approx.
2. Industry leader Ratan Tata has launched Goodfellows, a senior companionship start-up that provides companionship services to senior citizens.
   • The start-up will now be operational in Mumbai with Pune, Chennai and Bangalore as the next target cities.
   • The startup is designed to pair senior citizens with young graduates to form meaningful friendships. It provides all the services that a grandkid would do.
3. Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) has launched the ‘IOB Rupay Select Card’, a special variant of debit cards that can be used for domestic and international payments.
   • The card is designed to cater to high net-worth individual (HNI) customers with add on freebies in various facilities including airport lounges, gyms, spa and clubs.
4. Paytm has partnered with Samsung stores to provide Paytm payment services, including the Paytm Post-paid services on the stores across India.
   • Paytm will provide credit limit of up to Rs 60,000 per month through its post-paid. It will also give customers an option to avail personal loan of up to Rs 2 lakh through financial institution partners of Paytm.
5. Edelweiss Mutual Fund will launch India’s first gold and silver fund scheme. It will be called as Edelweiss Gold and Silver ETF Fund of Fund (FoF).
   • India’s first gold fund, Nippon India ETF Gold BeES, was launched in March 2007, while silver-based mutual funds were first introduced in January 2022. ICICI Prudential Silver ETF was the first silver-based fund in India.
   • The fund’s managers for the scheme are Bhavesh Jain and Bharat Lahoti.
   • The scheme will invest in units of gold and silver ETFs managed by other fund houses or Edelweiss.
6. Mirae Asset Mutual Fund has launched two new funds based on electric vehicles and artificial intelligence.
   • The funds are Mirae Asset Global Electric & Autonomous Vehicles ETFs Fund of Fund and Mirae Asset Global X Artificial Intelligence and Technology ETF Fund of Fund.
   • Both the funds will be managed by Siddharth Srivastava, Head – ETF Products, Mirae Asset Investment Managers (India) Pvt Ltd.
   • CEO of Mirae Asset Investment Managers (India) Pvt Ltd – Swarup Mohanty
7. Jammu & Kashmir Grameen Bank and NABARD have signed an MOU for promotion and financing of 700 Joint Liability Groups (JLGs) in the UT.
   • During the last financial year, both entities have successfully financed 500 JLGs.
   • According to RBI, a Joint Liability Group (JLG) is an informal group comprising of 4-10 individuals coming together for the purpose of availing bank loan on individual basis or through group mechanism against mutual guarantee.
   • Generally, the members of a JLG would engage in a similar or different types of economic activity.
8. Aegon Life Insurance has launched #PlayForOurHeroes campaign that uses a game called ‘The Game of Life’ on the company website — to spread awareness about the importance of life insurance.
   • The company will donate amount earned through this campaign to the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund (AFFDF).
9. RBI has cancelled the licence of Deccan Urban Co-operative Bank in Karnataka.
10. SEBI has allowed the Alternative Investment Funds (AIF) and Venture Capital Funds (VCF) to invest in overseas companies.
    • Earlier, the AIFs and VCFs could only invest in overseas companies which have an Indian connection.
    • Now, investment can be made in any country, which is either a signatory to the Multilateral Memorandum of Understanding of International Organization of Security Commission (IOSCO) or a signatory to the bilateral MOU with SEBI.
    • No investment can be made in an FATF’s recognized country.
11. Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has organized the first-ever hackathon named Bima Manthan 2022, with the theme of ‘Innovation in Insurance’.
    • Purpose – to develop technology-driven innovative solutions for automated death claim settlement, curtail miss-selling, and other areas of the insurance ecosystem, with an aim to protect the interest of policyholders
12. Ashok Leyland has launched India’s first AC double-decker electric bus named ‘Switch EiV 22’ in Mumbai.
    • It will be operated by Bombay Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) from September.
13. Central Govt has increased the windfall profit tax on export of diesel and cut the tax on domestic crude oil.
    • The windfall profit tax on the export of diesel is increased to Rs 7 per litre from Rs 5 a litre and Rs 2 a litre tax on ATF exports.
    • The tax on domestically produced crude oil has been reduced to Rs 13,000 per tonne from Rs 17,750.

Appointments

1. Airtel has reappointed Gopal Vittal as its MD and CEO for 5 years.
2. Mastercard has appointed Lakshay Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, and Chirag Shetty as its brand ambassadors.
   • All of them are badminton players.
3. The tenure of Dr V G Somani as the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has been extended by three months.
4. Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla was given an extension for a year.

Important Days

1. August 12 – World Sanskrit Day
2. August 19 ­–
   • World Photography Day; Theme – Pandemic Lockdown through the lens
   • World Humanitarian Day; Theme – ‘It takes a village’

Awards

1. Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Prahlad Joshi has presented the Coal Minister Awards, 2021-22 in various categories.

• Coal India Ltd.’s subsidiaries in India –

• As of 11th Aug, 2022, CIL’s production stood at 224 million ton (MT), representing a strong growth of 24%.

Sports

1. The Maharashtra government has decided to allow those participating in dahi-handi to be eligible for government jobs under the 5% sports quota.
2. Manisha Kalyan has become the first Indian to play in UEFA Women’s Champions League for Apollon Ladies FC.
   • She is a substitute for Marilena Georgious.
   • Apollon Ladies are Women’s Club champions of

Miscellaneous

1. “Bibi: My Story” is the memoir of former Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
   • Memoir are autobiographical in nature.
2. Narayan (Malayali novelist) has passed away.
   • Kocharethi is his most famous work.
3. Scientists from Israel have created world’s first synthetic embryo outside the womb using stem cells cultured in a petri dish.
   • The study was published in the journal Cell.
4. “Madam Sir: The Story of Bihar’s First Lady IPS Officer” book has been authored by Manjari Jaruhar.
5. “Men Of Steel – Military Leadership of India”, a compilation of essays, has been brought out by Ajay Kumar Singh and Yash Mor.
6. “Indians at Herod’s Gate: A Jerusalem Tale” book has been authored by Navtej Sarna.
7. Senior Congress leader and former Jharkhand and Assam governor Syed Sibte Razi has passed away.
8. Former India Football Team Captain Samar ‘Badru’ Banerjee has passed away.

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