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Top Current Affairs of the Week (11 – 17 August 2019)

1. President approves Motor Vehicles Amendment Act, 2019

• President Ram Nath Kovind has given his assent to the Motor Vehicles (Amendment), Act 2019. • The Parliament (LS & RS) had also passed the bill in the recently concluded session. • The bill amends the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 to provide road safety. • The act aims to make Indian roads safer, reduce corruption and use technology to overhaul the country’s transportation system.

Some important features:

• The Bill proposes a scheme to allow cashless treatment of victims in a road accident during the golden hour. • The ‘golden hour’ is defined as the time period of up to one hour following a traumatic injury, during which the likelihood of preventing death through prompt medical care is the highest. • The Bill proposes to increase the minimum compensation for hit and run cases. • In case of death, the compensation has been raised from Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 2,00,000, and in case of grievous injury it will be from Rs. 12500 to Rs. 50,000. • The new law also allows the centre to ask manufacturers to recall vehicles in case of defects that cause harm to the environment. • The law has proposed stiffer penalties for traffic rule violations such as over-speeding, dangerous driving, driving under the influence of alcohol and other offences such as not wearing a helmet or driving without a licence.

2. Valentina Elangbam named as Green Ambassador of Manipur

• Valentina Elangbam (9-year) has been appointed as the brand ambassador for the Chief Minister's Green Manipur Mission. • The young child (from Manipur) was seen weeping profusely in a viral video after two trees that she had planted were cut down. • Kakching district's Valentina is a class 5 student of Amutombi Divine Life School in Hiyanglam Wabagai. • She had planted two Gulmohar trees when she was in class 1 near the bank of a river in her locality. • Valentina was inconsolably upset after the trees she had planted were cut down while the river- bank was being cleaned.

3. Mukhya Mantri Krishi Ashirwad Yojana’ in Jharkhand

• Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has launched the Jharkhand government’s ‘Mukhya Mantri Krishi Ashirwad Yojana’.

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• The objective of the ‘Chief Minister Krishi Aashirwad Yojana’ is to provide financial assistance to the farmers of Jharkhand and to help the farmers facing problems in agriculture due to loans. • The target of providing financial assistance of Rs. 3 thousand crores to 35 lakh farmers of the state are set. • In the first phase of this scheme, 15 lakh farmers of the state will be given the benefit of the scheme.

Agricultural land Rupees 1 acre or less agricultural land Rs 5,000 2 acres of agricultural land. Rs 10,000 3 acres of agricultural land. Rs 15,000 4 acres of agricultural land. Rs 20,000 5 acres of agricultural land. Rs 25,000

4. 12 August: International Youth Day

• The International Youth Day (IYD) is observed every year on 12th August (first in 2000) to draw attention to a given set of cultural and legal issues surrounding youth. • The theme for International Youth Day 2019 is “Transforming education”. • International Youth Day 2019 will examine how Governments, young people and youth-led and youth-focused organizations, as well as other stakeholders, are transforming education and how these efforts are contributing to the achievement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Note:

• On 17 December 1999, the International Youth Day (IYD) was instituted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) by passing resolution 54/120.

5. Bajrang Punia wins gold at Tbilisi Grand Prix

• India’s top wrestler Bajrang Punia has won the gold medal at Tbilisi Grand Prix in Tbilisi, Georgia. • He defeated Iran’s Peiman Bibyani by 2-0 in the 65 kg final of the men’s freestyle competition. • It is fourth gold of the season for Bajrang after standing atop the podium at Dan Kolov, Asian Championship and Ali Aliev tournament.

Note:

• Tbilisi Grand Prix of V. Balavadze and G. Kartozia is organised by the Georgian Wrestling Federation at the New Sports Palace, Georgia.

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6. , wins Rogers Open

• Spanish professional player Rafael Nadal has won the Men’s single Rogers Open • Canadian Bianca Andreescu (19-years) has won the Women’s Singles title at the (Tennis) 2019. • The (Canadian Open) presented by National Bank is a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. • It is the 139th edition (for the men) and the 128th (for the women) of the Canadian Open. • The women's event is taking place at the in and the men's event is being held at the IGA Stadium in .

Complete winners list:

Events Winners Men’s Single Rafael Nadal Women’s Single Bianca Andreescu Men’s doubles & Women’s doubles Barbora Krejcikova & Kateřina Siniakova

7. Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman to be honoured with Vir Chakra

• Indian Air Force's (IAF) Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman (36-years) to be conferred with Vir Chakra on Independence Day. • The Vir Chakra is the third highest wartime gallantry award after the Param Vir Chakra and Maha Vir Chakra. • Wg Cdr Abhinandan had sustained injuries while ejecting from his MiG-21 Bison during the aerial combat between Indian and Pakistani air forces on February 27. • IAF Squadron Leader Minty Agarwal will also be honoured with Yudh Seva Medal for her role as a fighter controller during the 27th February aerial conflict between India and Pakistan. • Indian Army’s Sapper Prakash Jadhav of 1 Rashtriya Rifles (Mahar) will also be conferred Kirti Chakra (posthumously), for the role he played in an operation in Jammu and Kashmir. • Besides, eight Army personnel will also be conferred Shaurya Chakra, five of them posthumously.

8. Indian Army launches ‘Mission Reach Out’ in Jammu

• The Indian Army has launched ‘Mission Reach Out’ in Jammu to ensure necessities and essential services are available in the region. • A high-level Mission Reach Out conference to review the prevalent situation in the region was held in the Nagrota Military Station was chaired by White Knight Corps Commander Lt Gen Paramjit Singh.

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• The Corps commander lauded the absolute synergy between the Army, civil administration and other security establishments in maintaining peace, harmony and a conducive environment.

9. Two new UTs, in J&K, will come into effect on 31st October

• Two newly created Union Territories (Jammu &Kashmir and Ladakh) will officially come into existence on 31stOctober 2019 (birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel). • On 31st October, the President's assent to the newly passed Jammu and Kashmir Re- organisation Act comes into effect. • According to the new Act, UT J&K will have Assembly while Ladakh will be UT without a Legislature. • The Ladakh UT will have three districts that are Leh, Kargil and Ladakh while the rest 12 districts will remain with J&K UT. • Country's first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was instrumental in the merger of about 565 princely states into the Union of India following Independence. • On 6th August, the Parliament has given its nod to the J&K Re-organisation Bill turned the militancy-hit state in two separate administrative units as Union Territories. • Each UT will be governed by a separate Lieutenant Governor.

10. Mamata Banerjee inaugurates world's 1st museum on Sri Chaitanya

• West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has inaugurated the world’s first museum on Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu at Baghbazare in Kolkata. • The museum has been constructed by Baghbazar Gaudiya Mission. • The Chaitanya museum has paintings on one of the aspects of Lord Krishna's life known as ‘Vrindavan Leela’. • The museum will also showcase the lineage of six Goswamis who were great Vaishnava scholars.

Note:

• Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was the 16th-century Bengali Hindu mystic and saint and the chief proponent of the Gaudiya Vaishnavism tradition within Hinduism.

11. PM Modi's I-Day speech: India can be a $5 trillion economy in 5 years

• In his sixth consecutive Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation from Red Fort. • PM Modi spoke about issues like Article 370, Article 35A, criminalising triple talaq, welfare schemes for the farmers and announced the launch of a new ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ to provide potable water. • On the economic front, PM Modi expressed confidence that India will become a $5 trillion economy in the next five years. • He also stood up in support of industrialists, saying that wealth creators should not be eyed with suspicion and that they are country's wealth and should be respected.

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Appointment of a Chief of Defence Staff

• In a major decision for higher level military reforms and tri-service integration, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on I-day announced the appointment of a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) who will be above the three Service Chiefs. • The CDS will be a single-point military adviser to the government and synergise long term planning, procurements, training and logistics of the three Services. • The creation of a CDS to act as a single point military adviser to the Prime Minister on strategic issues was one of the key recommendations of the Kargil review committee on higher military reforms after the 1999 conflict. • The CDS is also one of the 99 recommendations made by the Lt. General D.B. Shekatkar (retd.) Committee which submitted its report in December 2016 • In the absence of a CDS, presently the senior most of the three Chiefs functions as the Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC). Currently Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa is the chairman of COSC.

12. Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2017-18 says 33% of India’s skilled youth jobless

The ‘Skill India’ initiative launched by Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi seem to be mere a buzzword as recent survey ‘Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2017-18’, conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), found that 33% of India’s skilled youth are jobless. Nearly a third of trained young men and more than a third of trained young women were unemployed.

Some of the key findings of the survey are as follows:

• Nationally, only 1.8% of the population reported receiving formal vocational/technical training in 2017-18. • 6% reported receiving informal vocational training (such as hereditary, self-learning, and on the job training). • This means 93% of the population did not receive any vocational/technical training from either formal or informal sources. • About 42% of the youth (15-29 years) who received formal technical training were not part of the labour force. • Among youth who did not receive such training, 62.3% were out of the labour force. • Across age groups, substantial shares of the women who received such training were out of the labour force. • Around 33% of the formally trained youth was unemployed in 2017-18. Nearly a third of trained young men and more than a third of trained young women were unemployed. • The unemployment rate among freshly trained youth, who completed training during the previous year, was even higher at 40%. • The PLFS collected data on fields of training, which are categorised under 22 heads. The bulk of the trainees were in the fields of electronics, IT/ ITeS sector, apparels, and mechanical engineering. • More than 80% of the trainees in the fields of agriculture & food processing, telecom, media & mass communication were men.

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• The fields of beauty & wellness, apparel, handicrafts, hospitality and healthcare were dominated by women.

13. returns to top spot in WTA rankings

• US and Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka returned to the world number one spot in the WTA rankings • The 21-year-old lost to in the quarter-finals of last week’s Rogers Cup but benefitted from the second round defeat of former number one and the failure of Karolina Pliskova to reach the semis in Toronto.

WTA rankings as of August 12

1. Naomi Osaka (JPN) 6,417 pts (+1) 2. Ashleigh Barty (AUS) 6,256 (-1) 3. Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 6,185 4. (ROU) 5,223 5. (NED) 5,120

14. I-Day awards: Kirti Chakra for soldier Prakash Jadhav

• The Kirti Chakra will be conferred on soldier Prakash Jadhav posthumously, who died in a gunfight with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir in 2018. It is third highest military honour awarded during peacetime. • Jadhav, a sapper with the Indian Army who succumbed to bullet injuries sustained in Kulgam district. • Two militants were also killed in the gunfight. Jadhav, who was 29, belonged to Karnataka. • Pilots of the five Mirage-2000 fighter jets who bombed a terror launch pad in Balakot in Pakistan in response to the Pulwama terrorist attack will be honoured with Vayu Sena medals.

15. ISRO Chairman Sivan gets A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Award

• Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) K. Sivan, awarded Tamil Nadu government’s Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Award. • under his leadership, the ISRO launched its Chandrayaan-2 mission. • A native of Kanniyakumari district, Mr. Sivan is known popularly known as the ‘Rocket Man’. • Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami handed over the State government’s Kalpana Chawla Award for Courage and Daring Enterprise to P. Ramyalakshmi, Assistant Director of Fisheries (Marine) posted in Cuddalore.

16. President Awards Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman and the Certificate of Honour for 2019

The President Ramnath Kovind awarded the Certificate of Honour to the following scholars of Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, Pali, Prakrit, Classical Kannada, Classical Telugu, Classical Malayalam and Classical Odiya for the year 2019.

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List of winner of Certificate of Honour

Sanskrit: (1) ShriSripadaSatyanarayanamurthy; (2) Shri Rajendra Nath Sarma; (3) Prof. Ramji Thakur; (4) Prof. Chand Kiran Saluja; (5) Dr. Shri Krishan Sharma; (6) Dr. V. Ramakrishna Bhatt; (7) Vidwan Janardana Hegde; ( 8) Dr. Kala Acharya; (9) Prof. (Dr.) Harekrishna Satapathy (10) Pandit Satya Dev Sharma; (11) Shri Banwari Lal Gaur; (12) Dr. V.S. Karunakaran; (13) Prof. Yugal Kishor Mishra; (14) Pandit Manudev Bhattacharya; (15) Shri Subuddhi Charan Goswami

Pali: Dr. Uma Shankar Vyas

Prakrit: Prof. Kamal Chand Sogani

Arabic: Prof. Faizanullah Farooqi; (2) Mohammad Iqbal Husain; (3) Dr. Mohd. Samiullah Khan

Persian: (1) Prof. Dr. Iraq Raza Zaidi; (2) Prof. Chander Shekhar; (3) Mohammad Sidiq Niazmand

Classical Kannada: Shri Hampa Nagarajaiah

Classical Telugu: Prof. RavvaSrihari

Classical Malayalam: Dr.C.P. Achuthan Unny

Classical Odia: Pandit Dr. Antaryami Mishra

Certificate of Honour: It is awarded to scholars aged 60 years and above. It carries a cash prize of Rs. 5,00,000.

Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman

In addition, the President also awarded the Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman to the following scholars of Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, Pali, Prakrit, Classical Kannada, Classical Telugu, Classical Malayalam and Classical Odiya for the year 2019:-

List of Winer

Sanskrit: (1) Dr. Ashok Thapliyal; (2) Prof. SujataTripathi; (3) Dr.Sanju Mishra; (4) Dr. Abhijit Hanmant Joshi; (5) Dr. Shara chchandra Dwivedi

Pali: Ms. AnomaShriramSakhare

Prakrit: Shri Ashish Kumar Jain

Arabic: Dr. Fauzan Ahmad

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Persian: ER.M. ShahbazAlam

Classical Kannada: (1) Shri G.B. Harisha; (2) Shri S. Karthik; (3) Dr. M. Byrappa

Classical Telugu: (1) Dr. Addanki Srinivas (2) Dr. V. Triveni; (3) Dr. D.K. Prabhakar

Classical Malayalam: (1) Dr. Rajeev R.R.; (2) Shri Santhosh Thottingal

Classical Odia: Dr. Subrat Kumar Prusty

17. Liverpool won UEFA Super Cup 2019 by Defeating Chelsea

• Champions League winners Liverpool won the UEFA Super Cup by defeating Chelsea by 5-4 in Istanbul, Turkey. • The Match ended in draw at 2-2 following extra-time. In Penalty shootout Liverpool won by 5-4 beating Chelsea. • This was Liverpool’s fourth victory in this competition. • The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the reigning champions of the two main European club competitions, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.

18. Andhra Pradesh Launched ‘Village Volunteer System’

• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S Jaganmohan Reddy has launched the state’s flagship program “Village Volunteers System”. • The aim of this program is to provide government services at doorsteps of people. • This was announced by the chief minister on the eve of independence day celebration in Vijayawada. • Each volunteer will be paid Rs 5,000 per month and the person has to ensure that benefits reach the people in the 50 households in the village.

19. National Tribal Festival “Aadi Mahotsav” begins in Leh- Ladakh

• National Tribal Festival ‘Aadi Mahotsav’ begins in Leh-Ladakh. • Tribal Affairs Ministry and Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) are jointly organizing a 9 - Day Aadi Mahotsav. • The theme of this celebration is “A celebration of the spirit of Tribal Craft, Culture and Commerce”. • 9 day Adi mahotsav will showcase traditional art and handicrafts and cultural heritage of the country.

20. India's foreign exchange reserves at new life-time high of $430.57 bn

• As per the latest data of Reserve Bank of India, country’s foreign exchange reserves surged by $1.620 billion to reach all time high at $430.572 billion. • Expressed in dollar terms, foreign currency assets include the effect of appreciation/depreciation of non-US units like the euro, pound and yen held in the reserves.

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• The country's gold reserves surged by $1.591 billion to $26.754 billion. • Special drawing rights with the International Monetary Fund were up by $6.7 million to $1.441 billion. • The country's reserve position with the fund rose by $7 million to $3.636 billion.

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