6th-8th August, 2022

1. Minister of Railway Ashwini Vaishnaw has dedicated the newly converted broad gauge railway line between Badi Sadri and Mawli Junction in Udaipur district, Rajasthan.
2. National Health Authority (NHA) has partnered with the Quality Council of India (QCI) to accredit and rate the Health Management Information System (HMIS) and Laboratory Information Management System (LMIS) solutions.
3. ISRO will launch its Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) named ‘AzaadiSAT’, which comprises of 75 payloads built by 750 young girl students from 75 rural government schools across India.
4. National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS), Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) have launched Experiential Learning for 21st Century Programme for Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) principals and teachers virtually.
5. Central Government has set the target to eliminate Kala-azar by 2023 from the country.
6. Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya has announced that the target of setting up 1.50 lakh Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Centres (AB- HWC) will become functional by December 2022.
7. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has unveiled the digital version of the One District-One Product (ODOP) gift catalogue during the Export Promotion Councils and Industry Associations meeting at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi.
8. Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar, has stressed on the completion of India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway – and its extension to Cambodia – to boost connectivity between the North-east India and South-East Asia.
9. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephonic conversation with Philippines’ new President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (17th PM).
10. Central Govt has launched a common registration facility in 11 states and UTs to enable homeless people, destitute, migrants and other eligible beneficiaries to apply for ration cards.
11. Ministry of Culture has launched the ‘Badhe Chalo’ Movement under Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav to instil a deeper sense of patriotism among the youth.
12. United Way Bengaluru (UWB), an NGO, has signed an MOU with the Women and Child Development Department of the Karnataka govt for strengthening Anganwadi centres in the state.
13. Larsen and Toubro (L&T) has signed an agreement with Gujarat government to invest Rs 7,000 crores to set up an IT and IT-enabled Services (ITeS) Park in Vadodara.
14. Andhra Pradesh has signed an MOU with National Institute for Smart Governance for developing an integrated land management system with advanced technology.
15. Arunachal Pradesh government has approved the naming of the under-construction Hollongi greenfield airport near Itanagar as “Donyi Polo Airport, Itanagar”.
16. Uttar Pradesh has launched ‘Panchamrut Yojana’ to achieve the goal of doubling farmers’ income through the introduction of cost-effective technical measures and promotion of co-cropping method.
17. Assam government has signed MOU with HCL, Walmart and Flipkart for various purposes, including skilling the youths, exporting local products and creating talent for e-commerce supply chain.
18. Tamil Nadu Forest Department has established a first-of-its-kind Urban Animal Rescue Centre at the Guindy National Park for helping injured and rescued wildlife for over a month now.
19. Uttarakhand will develop a “Modi circuit” at the Corbett Tiger Reserve.
20. Airports Authority of India has awarded a contract to Russian Scientific and Production Corporation ‘Radio technical Systems’ (RTS) for the delivery of instrument landing system (ILS)-734 at 24 Indian airports.
21. Indigenously developed Laser-Guided Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM) were successfully test-fired from Main Battle Tank (MBT) Arjun by DRDO and Indian Army.
22. First all-women crew conducted an independent maritime reconnaissance and surveillance mission in the north Arabian Sea onboard a Dornier 228 aircraft.
23. Indian Army has conducted the “Skylight” exercise for 5 days to test the operational readiness of its space-based assets.
24. India and the US will hold the 18th edition of “Yudh Abhyas” in Auli, Uttarakhand.
25. Ministry of MSME has signed two MoU with the Ministry of Tourism and the NSIC for the sharing of Udyam data.
26. National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) and Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) have signed an MOU for developing entrepreneurial skills among the youth and identifying other aspects for mutual collaboration.
27. Indian Navy has signed an MOU with the Space Applications Centre (ISRO), Ahmedabad on data sharing and cooperation on Satellite based Naval Applications in Oceanology and Meteorology.
28. Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) has signed an MoU with the Bangladesh Roads and Highways Department in Dhaka for emergency ferrying of petroleum products to the north-eastern states of India through Bangladesh’s territory.
29. US space agency NASA has planned to launch two more mini helicopters to Mars to bring back Martian rocks and soil samples to Earth.
30. China has launched the Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Inventory Satellite (TECIS 1) on Long March 4B rocket.
31. South Korea has launched its first lunar orbiter named Danuri by Elon Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX in December.
32. China has launched a Reusable Experimental Satellite on a Long March 2F carrier rocket at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China’s Gobi Desert.
33. UN Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy, and Finance report has been released.
34. American ride-hailing giant Uber has sold its entire 78% stake in domestic food-delivery company Zomato to mop up Rs 3,088 crore ($390 million).
35. Amazon has partnered with Indian Railways for moving customer packages on 325 inter-city routes.
36. IRDAI has allowed insurers to buy more perpetual bonds issued by banks and permitted insurers to participate in the public listing of high-yielding InvITs (Investment Trusts).
37. Karnataka Bank has entered into a co-lending agreement with Yubi for co-lending via the Yubi Co. Lend, India’s co-lending platform.
38. Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) has signed an MoU with the Bangladesh Roads and Highways Department in Dhaka for emergency ferrying of petroleum products to the north-eastern states of India through Bangladesh’s territory.
39. AD Ports Group, the leading facilitator of global trade, logistics, and industry, has signed an MOU with Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd, India’s largest integrated ports and logistics company.
40. Max Life Insurance Company Ltd. has launched Max Life Smart Secure Easy Solution, a comprehensive 3-in-1 protection solution offering benefits of life, critical illness & disability and accidental cover.
41. Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) has secured the world’s biggest social loan at a $1.1 billion facility (around Rs 8,700 crore) to fund affordable residences.
42. SEBI has formed an FPI Advisory Committee (FAC), chaired by former Chief Economic Adviser KV Subramanian, to boost Foreign Portfolio Investors’ (FPI) investment in the country.
43. RBI has enabled Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) to accept inward cross-border payments.
44. RBI has announced that premature redemption under the Gold Monetisation Scheme will be payable in rupees, while on maturity the depositor may choose to opt for physical gold.
45. RBI’s monetary policy committee August 2022 –
46. Jagdeep Dhankhar (of National Democratic Alliance) has been elected as the 16th Vice President of India.
47. Justice Ranjit Vasantrao More has been appointed as the chairman of Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT).
48. Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba was given one-year extension in service by the government. This is his second extension on the post.
49. August 6 – Hiroshima Day (77th anniversary)
50. August 14 – Partition Horrors Remembrance Day (celebrated by University Grants Commission)
51. Sargam Koushal (from J&K) has won the Mrs India World (beauty pageant) 2022-23.
52. Fortune’s Global 500 list for 2022 –
53. French government has announced to confer the Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite (Knight of the Order of the Merit), on Kannan Sundaram for his contribution to the publishing collaboration between India and France.
54. Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama has been conferred with the ‘dPal rNgam Duston’ award — the highest civilian honour of Ladakh — for his immense contribution to humanity, especially towards the union territory.
55. “Through The Rear View Mirror” book is the autobiography of KRA Narasiah (author and historian).

National News

1. Minister of Railway Ashwini Vaishnaw has dedicated the newly converted broad gauge railway line between Badi Sadri and Mawli Junction in Udaipur district, Rajasthan.
2. National Health Authority (NHA) has partnered with the Quality Council of India (QCI) to accredit and rate the Health Management Information System (HMIS) and Laboratory Information Management System (LMIS) solutions.
   • These solutions have been integrated with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).
   • The NABH will undertake the responsibility of accrediting and rating the ABDM-compliant solutions on various parameters.
3. ISRO will launch its Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) named ‘AzaadiSAT’, which comprises of 75 payloads built by 750 young girl students from 75 rural government schools across India.
   • The satellite aims to encourage scientific temper and create opportunities for young girls to choose space research as their career.
   • IN-SPACeIND and SpaceKidz India have signed an MoU for ‘AzaadiSAT’.
4. National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS), Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) have launched Experiential Learning for 21st Century Programme for Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) principals and teachers virtually.
   • Partners – TATA Trusts, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, and Mahatma Gandhi International School (MGIS)
   • It is an online programme for educatorse., teachers and principals to help them adapt classroom learning to real-life experiences.
5. Central Government has set the target to eliminate Kala-azar by 2023 from the country.
   • It was announced in the Lok Sabha by Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar.
   • World Health Organisation (WHO) Neglected Tropical Diseases Road map has the target set for Kala-azar elimination is 2030.
   • Kala-azar is a disease caused by infection with leishmania parasites.
6. Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya has announced that the target of setting up 1.50 lakh Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Centres (AB- HWC) will become functional by December 2022.
   • It was informed in the Rajya Sabha as a reply to a private member legislation namely the Right to Health Bill, 2021.
   • Out of the total target, 1,22,000 centres are already functional.
7. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has unveiled the digital version of the One District-One Product (ODOP) gift catalogue during the Export Promotion Councils and Industry Associations meeting at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi.
8. Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar, has stressed on the completion of India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway – and its extension to Cambodia – to boost connectivity between the North-east India and South-East Asia.
   • He also called for speeding up connectivity from the north east to Vietnam through Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.
   • He attended the ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held at Phnom Penh in Cambodia.

9. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephonic conversation with Philippines’ new President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (17th PM).
10. Central Govt has launched a common registration facility in 11 states and UTs to enable homeless people, destitute, migrants and other eligible beneficiaries to apply for ration cards.
    • ‘Common Registration Facility’ (My Ration-My Right) aimed at helping States and UTs in expeditiously identifying the eligible beneficiaries and issuing ration cards to such people so that they can avail their legal entitlement under the NFSA.
11. Ministry of Culture has launched the ‘Badhe Chalo’ Movement under Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav to instil a deeper sense of patriotism among the youth.
    • It is being held across 10 cities every day.

State News

1. United Way Bengaluru (UWB), an NGO, has signed an MOU with the Women and Child Development Department of the Karnataka govt for strengthening Anganwadi centres in the state.
2. Larsen and Toubro (L&T) has signed an agreement with Gujarat government to invest Rs 7,000 crores to set up an IT and IT-enabled Services (ITeS) Park in Vadodara.
   • L&T has proposed the creation of 10,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities in the coming five years.
3. Andhra Pradesh has signed an MOU with National Institute for Smart Governance for developing an integrated land management system with advanced technology.
4. Arunachal Pradesh government has approved the naming of the under-construction Hollongi greenfield airport near Itanagar as “Donyi Polo Airport, Itanagar”.
5. Uttar Pradesh has launched ‘Panchamrut Yojana’ to achieve the goal of doubling farmers’ income through the introduction of cost-effective technical measures and promotion of co-cropping method.
   • The state govt has also increased the sugarcane support price by Rs 350 in the last crushing season in advance, which included Rs 340 for normal and Rs 335 for species declared unsuitable.
6. Assam government has signed MOU with HCL, Walmart and Flipkart for various purposes, including skilling the youths, exporting local products and creating talent for e-commerce supply chain.
   • With HCL Technologies, the MOU aims to provide skills and facilitate the employability of class-12 passed youths.
   • An MOU with Walmart Vriddhi aims at the development of MSMEs in terms of showcasing and exporting their products.
   • Flipkart will provide opportunities to youth of the state in the Flipkart Supply Chain Operations Academy by training, certifying and creating a pool of e-commerce supply chain talent.
7. Tamil Nadu Forest Department has established a first-of-its-kind Urban Animal Rescue Centre at the Guindy National Park for helping injured and rescued wildlife for over a month now.
8. Uttarakhand will develop a “Modi circuit” at the Corbett Tiger Reserve.

Defence News

1. Airports Authority of India has awarded a contract to Russian Scientific and Production Corporation ‘Radio technical Systems’ (RTS) for the delivery of instrument landing system (ILS)-734 at 24 Indian airports.
   • Under the contract, RTS will manufacture and deliver 34 ILS sets to modernise the airports.
2. Indigenously developed Laser-Guided Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM) were successfully test-fired from Main Battle Tank (MBT) Arjun by DRDO and Indian Army.
   • ATGM was launched at KK Ranges with support of Armoured Corps Centre & School (ACC&S) Ahmednagar in Maharashtra.
3. First all-women crew conducted an independent maritime reconnaissance and surveillance mission in the north Arabian Sea onboard a Dornier 228 aircraft.
   • The members belonged to Indian Naval Air Squadron 314.
   • The aircraft was captained by Mission Commander Lt Commander Aanchal Sharma. Other members of the crew are Lt Shivangi, Lt Apurva Gite, Lt Pooja Panda and Sub Lt Pooja Shekhawat.
   • INAS 314 is a frontline naval air squadron that operates the state-of-the-art Dornier 228 maritime reconnaissance aircraft. The squadron is commanded by Commander SK Goyal.
4. Indian Army has conducted the “Skylight” exercise for 5 days to test the operational readiness of its space-based assets.
   • The types of satellite communication terminals tested during the exercise included static terminals, transportable vehicle-mounted terminals, man-portable and small form factor man-pack terminals.
5. India and the US will hold the 18th edition of “Yudh Abhyas” in Auli, Uttarakhand.
   • The last edition of the exercise took place in October 2021 in Alaska in the US.

Memorandum of Understanding

1. Ministry of MSME has signed two MoU with the Ministry of Tourism and the NSIC for the sharing of Udyam data.
   • On the occasion, the Digi Locker facility for Udyam Registration was also launched.
   • Around 1 crore micro small and medium enterprises have registered on the Udyam portal within a span of 25 months.
2. National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) and Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) have signed an MOU for developing entrepreneurial skills among the youth and identifying other aspects for mutual collaboration.
   • Through this partnership, the alliance will further enhance employment generation and create sustainable livelihood opportunities, giving a major boost to nano and micro-entrepreneurship advancement in the country.
3. Indian Navy has signed an MOU with the Space Applications Centre (ISRO), Ahmedabad on data sharing and cooperation on Satellite based Naval Applications in Oceanology and Meteorology.
4. Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) has signed an MoU with the Bangladesh Roads and Highways Department in Dhaka for emergency ferrying of petroleum products to the north-eastern states of India through Bangladesh’s territory.

International News

1. US space agency NASA has planned to launch two more mini helicopters to Mars to bring back Martian rocks and soil samples to Earth.
2. China has launched the Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Inventory Satellite (TECIS 1) on Long March 4B rocket.
3. South Korea has launched its first lunar orbiter named Danuri by Elon Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX in December.
   • Danuri – meaning “enjoy the Moon” – was carried on a Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida by Elon Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX.
   • South Korea has joined nine countries working on the Artemis project aimed at a lunar landing mission by 2024.
4. China has launched a Reusable Experimental Satellite on a Long March 2F carrier rocket at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China’s Gobi Desert.

Reports and Indices

1. UN Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy, and Finance report has been released.
   • In 2021, 84% of nearly $1 trillion of global investment in energy transition technologies was deployed in China, India, Japan and the United States and in Europe.
   • World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that in 2022, 345 million people will be acutely food insecure or at a high risk of food insecurity in 82 countries.
   • The number of chronically undernourished people had already grown by about 150 million since 2019, with up to 828 million people in 2021 affected by chronic hunger (long-term or persistent inability to meet food consumption requirements).

Banking and Economy

1. American ride-hailing giant Uber has sold its entire 78% stake in domestic food-delivery company Zomato to mop up Rs 3,088 crore ($390 million).
2. Amazon has partnered with Indian Railways for moving customer packages on 325 inter-city routes.
3. IRDAI has allowed insurers to buy more perpetual bonds issued by banks and permitted insurers to participate in the public listing of high-yielding InvITs (Investment Trusts).
   • The aggregate value of AT1 (additional tier one) bonds held in a particular bank, at any point of time, shall not excess 10% of the total outstanding AT1 bonds of that particular bank.
   • IRDAI mentions that the public holding in the InvITs/REITs shall not be less than 30% of total outstanding units of the InvIT/REIT at the time of investment.
   • No insurer shall invest more than 20% of the outstanding of debt instruments in a single InvIT/REIT.
4. Karnataka Bank has entered into a co-lending agreement with Yubi for co-lending via the Yubi Co. Lend, India’s co-lending platform.
5. Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) has signed an MoU with the Bangladesh Roads and Highways Department in Dhaka for emergency ferrying of petroleum products to the north-eastern states of India through Bangladesh’s territory.
6. AD Ports Group, the leading facilitator of global trade, logistics, and industry, has signed an MOU with Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd, India’s largest integrated ports and logistics company.
   • Purpose – strategic joint investments in end-to-end logistics infrastructure and solutions, which include rail, maritime services, port operations, digital services, an industrial zone and the establishment of maritime academies in Tanzania.
7. Max Life Insurance Company Ltd. has launched Max Life Smart Secure Easy Solution, a comprehensive 3-in-1 protection solution offering benefits of life, critical illness & disability and accidental cover.
8. Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) has secured the world’s biggest social loan at a $1.1 billion facility (around Rs 8,700 crore) to fund affordable residences.
   

   • This is India’s largest social financing issuance, the largest social loan globally, the first social ECB loan out of India and the largest ECB loan deal from a Housing Finance Company/private NBFC in India.
9. SEBI has formed an FPI Advisory Committee (FAC), chaired by former Chief Economic Adviser KV Subramanian, to boost Foreign Portfolio Investors’ (FPI) investment in the country.
   • Total strength – 15 (including chairman)
10. RBI has enabled Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) to accept inward cross-border payments.
    • Implication – Now, NRIs can pay the utility bills for their families in India via BBPS directly.

    About BBPS – 

    • BBPS offers all recurring payments such as electricity, telecom, DTH, Gas, water bills, insurance, loan repayments, education fees, FasTag recharge, municipal taxes, housing society, subscription fees etc.
    • The payment modes options at BBPS are cash, cards (credit, debit & prepaid), IMPS, UPI, AEPS, internet banking & UPI, wallets.
    • National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has been authorized by the RBI as the Bharat Bill Payment Central Unit (BBPCU) for regulating the system.
11. RBI has announced that premature redemption under the Gold Monetisation Scheme will be payable in rupees, while on maturity the depositor may choose to opt for physical gold.
    • The Gold Monetisation Scheme (GMS) was launched in November 2015 to mobilise gold held by households and institutions and facilitate its use for productive purposes, and in the long run, reduce the country’s reliance on imports of the yellow metal.
    • As per the scheme, the Medium Term Government Deposit (MTGD) can be made for 5-7 years and Long Term Government Deposit (LTGD) for 12-15 years or for such a period as may be decided by the Centre from time to time.
12. RBI’s monetary policy committee August 2022 –

Appointments

1. Jagdeep Dhankhar (of National Democratic Alliance) has been elected as the 16th Vice President of India.
2. Justice Ranjit Vasantrao More has been appointed as the chairman of Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT).
3. Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba was given one-year extension in service by the government. This is his second extension on the post.

Important Days

1. August 6 – Hiroshima Day (77th anniversary)
2. August 14 – Partition Horrors Remembrance Day (celebrated by University Grants Commission)

Awards

1. Sargam Koushal (from J&K) has won the Mrs India World (beauty pageant) 2022-23.
2. Fortune’s Global 500 list for 2022 –
   • Top – Walmart, followed by Amazon
   • India’s top-ranked company – LIC (98th rank), Reliance Industries (104th rank)
3. French government has announced to confer the Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite (Knight of the Order of the Merit), on Kannan Sundaram for his contribution to the publishing collaboration between India and France.
   • Sundaram is the publisher of Kalachuvadu.
4. Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama has been conferred with the ‘dPal rNgam Duston’ award — the highest civilian honour of Ladakh — for his immense contribution to humanity, especially towards the union territory.
   • The award was conferred by Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh.

Miscellaneous

1. “Through The Rear View Mirror” book is the autobiography of KRA Narasiah (author and historian).

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