CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
PREFACE
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Basis your continuous demand for a Monthly PDF of most-trusted Current Affairs, the No.1 preparation platform OnlineTyari has come up the Current Affairs August 2018 PDF.
As we know Current Affairs, including related General Knowledge (GK), form a crucial component of any competitive exams including SSC, Banking, IAS|PCS and others. Now-a-days with increasing stagnancy in selecting questions from Static GK, the paper setters are harping on current affairs to increase the difficulty quotient of any paper. The lack of preparation for current affairs by the aspirants and candidates often is a main cause of their failure.
The Current Affairs August 2018 PDF covers the most important and exam-focused current affairs. The PDF has been designed basis the concept of complete Study Cycle, viz., Study ----> Revise ----> Test and thus has three parts: (i) Detailed Section-wise Current Affairs in bullet points; (ii) One Liners; and (iii) Current Affairs Questions with Explanation.
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CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
...... 1 Preface ...... 2 Topics of the Month ...... 9 Article 35A & 370: Should it be done away with? ...... 9 Criminalisation of Politics ...... 11 UN Security Council Reform: India and the Reality ...... 13 Swachh Survekshan 2019 launched ...... 14 National Biofuel Policy 2018 unveiled ...... 15 National ...... 17 Navlekha: Google unveils new platform for Indic language publishers ...... 17 Centre constitutes PM's Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council ...... 17 Rs. 164.95 cr sanctioned for Development of Heritage Circuit in Punjab, Tripura ...... 18 MoU signed with States for Construction of Lakhwar Multipurpose Project ...... 18 NETA: A mobile app to rate, review your political leaders ...... 19 NOTA cannot be permitted in Rajya Sabha polls: SC ...... 19 New Specific Health Warning on Tobacco Products Packs notified ...... 20 Northern states to set up joint secretariat to deal with drugs menace ...... 21 FSSAI constitutes B Sesikeran committee on food labelling standards ...... 21 PM announces immediate relief of Rs 500 cr to flood-hit Kerala ...... 21 UIDAI announces phased roll-out of facial recognition ...... 22 Centre proposes FAO to declare 2019 as International Year of Millets...... 22 Mahadayi River Tribunal recommends ‘Cauvery-like board’ ...... 22 North East Circuit-Imphal & Khongjom: First project under Swadesh Darshan Scheme inaugurated ...... 23 Centre releases ‘Digital North East Vision 2022’ ...... 24 RS passed SC & ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill, 2018 ...... 24 Cabinet approves changes in triple talaq bill ...... 25 Delhi High Court decriminalised begging in national capital ...... 25 National Handloom Day: August 7 ...... 25 Official Trailer of Film “Halkaa” released under aegis of Swachh Bharat Mission ...... 26 Bidder Information Management System launched ...... 26 Parliament passes Bill to give constitutional status to NCBC ...... 27 HRD Ministry approves norms against plagiarism ...... 27
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
Nationwide ‘State Energy Efficiency Preparedness Index’ released ...... 28 International ...... 29 EAM Sushma Swaraj inaugurates 3rd Indian Ocean Conference ...... 29 G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting in Salta held ...... 29 UK announces plans for 'no-deal' Brexit ...... 30 International Buddhist Conclave in New Delhi inaugurated ...... 30 Germany has the world’s largest current account surplus: IFO ...... 31 India-Japan Annual Defence Ministerial Dialogue held ...... 31 Turkey initiates dispute complaint with WTO against US...... 31 UN chief proposes options to protect Palestinians ...... 32 11th World Hindi Conference to begin in Mauritius ...... 32 Saudi Arabia tests Japan-inspired ‘nap pods’ for hajj ...... 33 US forms Iran Action Group post-nuclear deal policy ...... 33 Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea signed ...... 34 World Congress of Soil Science held in Rio de Janeiro ...... 34 International Youth Day: 12 August ...... 35 SCO Peace Mission Exercise 2018 to begin in Russia ...... 35 World Biofuel Day: 10 August ...... 35 South Sudan's Warring Leaders sign peace deal to share power ...... 36 India third Asian nation to get STA-1 status from US ...... 36 India completes 70 years in serving for UN Peacekeeping Mission ...... 37 India elected president of Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development ...... 37 Economy & Banking ...... 38 India's foodgrain output to touch all-time high of over 284 mn tonnes in 2017-18 ...... 38 Centre announces Regulations for Drones ...... 38 Injeti Srinivas Committee submits its report to MCA ...... 39 2nd Protocol Amending India – Singapore CECA Signed ...... 39 PSU banks plan closure of 70 overseas offices in FY18 ...... 40 India’s first ISTS connected Wind Power Project Commissioned ...... 40 Draft UDAN International Scheme unveiled ...... 40 ILO report flags wage inequality in India ...... 41 No ATM to be replenished with cash after 9 pm from 2018 ...... 41 Pune tops Ease of Living Index launched ...... 42
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
Third Party Survey Report on Station Cleanliness released ...... 42 Civil Aviation Ministry nods proposal for setting up of Water aerodrome ...... 42 All electronic vehicles to have Green Number Plate ...... 43 CSB develops three races of Silkworm Seed ...... 43 Parliamentary panel asks govt to contain rising food subsidy bill ...... 43 TRAI calls for zero telecom equipment imports by 2022 ...... 44 Science & Technology ...... 45 ISRO unveils plan of Gaganyaan programme ...... 45 Centre to implement O-SMART Scheme...... 45 Horizon 2020: India, EU join hands to develop next generation influenza vaccine ...... 46 Deadly African Swine Fever threatens Asia: FAO ...... 47 NASA spacecraft approaches asteroid Bennu ...... 47 China successfully sends twin navigation satellites into space ...... 48 FabCI: IIT Hyderabad launches exclusive incubator to boost chip design ...... 48 NASA tracks the rain behind Kerala floods ...... 48 Draft Policy for Prevention and Control of Hemoglobinopathies unveiled ...... 49 Cyclone Warning Centre to be set up in Thiruvananthapuram ...... 50 International scientists including Indians decode complex wheat genome ...... 50 Helium turns 150 on August 18, 2018 ...... 51 Mumbai gives India its first baby penguin ...... 51 Environment Ministry allows scientists to test land for LIGO ...... 52 Fall Armyworm: An Invasive pest threatening Asia's food security ...... 52 New drug mAb114 being used to treat patients with Ebola in Congo ...... 53 Centre unlocks over Rs 66000 crore green fund to increase country's forest cover ...... 53 India to launch Chandrayaan 2 in January 2019 ...... 54 Parker Solar Probe mission to 'touch the Sun’ launched ...... 55 CSIR’s new patented Clot buster, PEGylated Streptokinase unveiled ...... 56 Internet domain names in Indian languages soon ...... 56 Web Portal ‘PARIVESH’ launched for environmental clearance...... 56 Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve included in World Network of Biosphere Reserves ...... 57 Chinese scientists create first single-chromosome yeast ...... 57 Sports...... 58 National Sports Day: August 29 ...... 58
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Indian women win fifth carom World Cup ...... 58 Lalchand Rajput appointed head coach of Zimbabwe cricket team ...... 58 Jhulan Goswami announces her retirement from T20 Internationals ...... 59 Djokovic wins Cincinnati Open, becomes first ‘Career Golden Master’ ...... 59 Mitchell Johnson retires from all cricket ...... 59 India wins SAFF U-15 Women's championship ...... 59 India's Esow Alben wins silver at UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships ...... 59 Nihal Sarin becomes India’s 53rd Grandmaster ...... 60 Ramesh Powar named head coach of women's national cricket team ...... 60 Brooks Koepka wins 100th PGA Championship ...... 60 SC approves draft constitution of BCCI with some modifications ...... 60 Indian men's hockey team jumps one spot to 5th in FIH rankings ...... 61 Centre urges all States to enforce 2011 Sports Code ...... 61 Netherlands wins Women’s Hockey World Cup ...... 61 P V Sindhu wins Silver in World Badminton Championships ...... 62 Golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar grabbed his maiden European Tour title ...... 62 Lok Sabha passes National Sports University Bill, 2018...... 62 State ...... 63 Assam government extends AFSPA for another six months ...... 63 Arunachal passes bill for creation of 3 new districts ...... 63 Odisha launches 'Mu Hero, Mu Odisha' programme ...... 63 Punjab cabinet okays proposed amendments to police act ...... 64 New Chhattisgarh capital to be named Atal Nagar ...... 64 Punjab Okays new Bill on office of profit for MLAs ...... 64 Telangana CM launches insurance scheme for farmers ...... 65 Gowaris should get benefits as ST community: Bombay HC ...... 65 One District One Product Summit inaugurated ...... 65 Operation ‘Madad’ launched by Southern Naval Command ...... 66 Maharashtra announces special assistance of Rs 500 crore for OBC community ...... 66 President inaugurates ‘Festival of Democracy’ in Thiruvananthapuram ...... 66 Seven High Courts to get new Chief Justices ...... 66 Delhi South East District becomes first in country to launch 'E-Malkhanas' ...... 67 Telangana Govt, Tech Mahindra sign MoU to set up India's first Blockchain District ...... 67
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Person in News ...... 68 Kuldip Nayar, veteran journalist, passes away ...... 68 Former UN chief Kofi Annan passes away ...... 68 Satya S Tripathi appointed UN Assistant Secretary General...... 69 Emmerson Mnangagwa takes oath as Zimbabwe's President ...... 69 Dr G. Satheesh Reddy appointed Chairman of DRDO ...... 69 Scott Morrison becomes 30th Prime Minister of Australia ...... 70 Raveena Tandon becomes brand ambassador of Sanjay Gandhi National Park ...... 70 Governor of seven states appointed by President ...... 70 Imran Khan sworn-in as Pakistan's 22nd Prime Minister ...... 71 Paraguay: Mario Abdo Benítez sworn in as new President ...... 71 Former Indian Cricket team captain Ajit Wadekar DIED ...... 71 Chhattisgarh Governor Balramji Dass Tandon Dies At 90 ...... 72 Akshay Kumar Becomes Brand Ambassador for Road Safety Campaigns ...... 72 Justice Manjula Chellur sworn-in as APTEL Chairperson ...... 72 Veteran leader Somnath Chatterjee passes away ...... 72 Manigault Newman book “Unhinged” ...... 73 VS Naipaul: Nobel Prize winner novelist passes away ...... 73 Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces: President-elect of UN General Assembly ...... 73 Gitta Mittal becomes first woman CJ of J&K HC ...... 73 Michelle Bachelet appointed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights ...... 73 Union Culture Minister releases 3 books at IGNCA, New Delhi ...... 74 Harivansh Narayan Singh elected Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha ...... 74 Ivan Duque sworn in as Colombia's next president ...... 75 S Gurumurthy And Satish Marathe Appointed To RBI Board ...... 75 K Karunanidhi: Former TN Chief Minister passes away...... 75 Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee passes away ...... 76 Awards ...... 77 Gopalkrishna Gandhi conferred with Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award ...... 77 S.K. Arora bags WHO World No Tobacco Day 2018 Award ...... 77 Ang Lee to be honoured by Directors Guild of America ...... 78 Indian-origin mathematician Akshay Venkatesh gets prestigious Fields Medal ...... 78 Parliamentarians Award for period 2013-17 presented ...... 78
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Defence & Security ...... 80 Coast Guard offshore patrol vessel launched at L&T Shipyard in Chennai ...... 80 DAC clears procurement proposal worth Rs. 46,000 Crores ...... 80 Indo -Thailand Joint Exercise Maitree 2018 concludes ...... 81 Successful Flight Tests of Smart Anti Airfield Weapon ...... 81 Successful Flight Test of ATGM ‘HELINA’ ...... 81 Barak 8 defence system: Israeli Navy to procure Indo-Israel developed missile ...... 82 Hussainiwala Bridge dedicated to Nation ...... 82 Defence Industrial Corridor in Aligarh launched ...... 83 HAL tests rotary drone co-developed with IIT-K ...... 83 Questions for Practice ...... 84 One Liners of the Month ...... 92 National ...... 92 Banking ...... 95 International ...... 97 Sports ...... 99 Person in News ...... 102 General Knowledge ...... 104
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
TOPICS OF THE MONTH
ARTICLE 35A & 370: SHOULD IT BE DONE AWAY WITH?
Article 370 of the Indian constitution is an article that gives autonomous status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. However, it is notable that Art 370 lies in Part XXI of the constitution which makes it Temporary and Transitional.
Article 35A was incorporated into the Constitution in 1954 by an order of the then President Rajendra Prasad on the advice of the Jawaharlal Nehru Cabinet. It provides J&K Legislature to decide who all are ‘permanent residents’ of the State and confer on them special rights and privileges in public sector jobs, acquisition of property in the State, scholarships and other public aid and welfare.
Given the special status provided to Jammu and Kashmir didn’t result in successful integration of the state into India. Article 370 and Article 35A both have come in question.
ARTICLE 370
Maharaja Hari Singh, ruler of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir signed a legal document – Instrument of Accession with Gov of India on 26 Oct 1947. J& K acceded to Dominion of India.
It is still debatable whether Indian gov that time promised provisions under Art 370 or not.
The representatives to the J&K Constituent Assembly requested that only those provisions of the Indian Constitution that corresponded to the original Instrument of Accession should be applied to the State.
Accordingly, the Article 370 was incorporated into the Indian Constitution, which stipulated that the other articles of the Constitution that gave powers to the Central Government would be applied to Jammu and Kashmir only with the concurrence of the State’s constituent assembly.
This was a “temporary provision” in that its applicability was intended to last till the formulation and adoption of the State’s constitution.
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ART 35A
Article 35A of the Indian Constitution empowers the State Legislature of Jammu and Kashmir to define “permanent residents” of the state and provide special rights and privileges to those permanent residents.
This Article was added to the Constitution on 14 May, 1954 through a Presidential Order.
WHO ARE THE PERMANENT RESIDENTS UNDER J&K CONSTITUTION?
“All persons born or settled within the state before 1911 or after having lawfully acquired immovable property resident in the state for not less than ten years prior to that date. All emigrants from Jammu and Kashmir, including those who migrated to Pakistan, are considered state subjects. The descendants of emigrants are considered state subjects for two generations.”
This has given rise to peculiar possibilities whereby a Pakistani citizen can buy property and settle in Kashmir, a provision denied to many Indian citizens.
The rules discriminate against Kashmiri women by restricting their choice of partners in marriage. If the husband doesn’t hold a Permanent Resident Certificate, their children are denied subsequent rights.
It is important to point out the predicament of refugees who migrated to Jammu and Kashmir during partition. These “unfortunate” Indians have not being conferred “state subjects” under Article 6 of the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution, which prevents them from voting or contesting Assembly, municipality or panchayat-level elections, holding state jobs & acquiring property.
The non-State subjects, who are citizens of India and live in Jammu & Kashmir by virtue of Article 35A, are not entitled to the protection of:
• Article 14 (equality), • Article 15 (prohibition of discrimination on basis of religion, caste, race or place of birth), • Article 16 (Equality of opportunity in matters of public employment and reservations) • Article 19 and Article 21 (Free speech and the right to life and liberty)
SHOULD THEY BE ABOLISHED?
Article 35A was not added to the Constitution by following the procedure prescribed for amendment of the Constitution of India under Article 368.
Article 370 does not anywhere confer on the President legislative or executive powers so vast that he can amend the Constitution or perform the function of Parliament.
It has been brought about by the executive organ when actually the right of amendment of the Constitution lies with the legislative organ.
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Therefore, it is, allegedly, ultra vires the basic structure of the Constitution since it violates the Constitutional procedures established by law.
The Permanent Resident classification created by Article 35A suffers from the violation of Article 14, Equality before the Law. The refugees from West Pakistan during partition who are now Indian citizens & live in J&K should have the rights and privileges, same as permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir.
The industrial sector & whole private sector suffers due to the property ownership restrictions. Good doctors don’t come to the state for the same reason.
Children of non-state subjects do not get admission to state colleges.
WAY FORWARD
Various Historians have argued that questioning the validity of this Article (35A) has no bearing on the rights of state subjects. Nor can the Presidential Order of 1954 be questioned without questioning the validity of other provisions of the Indian constitution it extended to J&K.
In fact, any debate on the validity of Article 35A must necessarily include the larger debate over Article 370 which in the guise of “special status” has remained the biggest obstacle towards integrating the state with India and normalising its relationship with the rest of the country by way of being a discriminatory and oppressive provision.
It was meant, titled and appeared under “temporary provisions” of the Indian Constitution but in 2015, a division bench of J&K High Court subsequently interpreted it as a “permanent provision”.
It is imperative that the debate be held right now because Jammu and Kashmir is not just a political problem, it is also equally a security issue that has grave implications for India’s sovereignty, given the animus that defines our ties with Pakistan and the deterioration of bilateral relationship with China.
Both these countries have the resources, motivation and will to exploit India’s festering political wound.
A greater integration is simply not possible unless Jammu and Kashmir is considered as just another Indian state. The debate must start from that assumption.
The ultimate aim should be to build a unified and peaceful India built on the pillars of brotherhood, equality & development for all.
CRIMINALISATION OF POLITICS
The need for cleansing politics of criminal influence has been flagged once again. The primary sacrifice at the altar of criminalisation is that of governance, along with transparency and accountability.
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A HISTORY OF CRIMINALISATION OF POLITICS IN INDIA
• Booth capturing in India since 1957 has been a measure feature of the Indian elections. • Until the late 1960s, the re-election rates of incumbents were high. Hence goons were relatively assured of political favours after they helped a politician win the election. • As political competition increased, the uncertainty around re-election of incumbent candidates also increased. This led to the entry of criminals in politics in order to maximize control over their own survival and protection. • Indira Gandhi banning corporate financing of elections in 1969 which eliminated the most important legal source of campaign finance and pushed financing underground. • At the same time, the costs of contesting elections kept increasing due to a rising population, increasing political competition—the number of political parties increased from 55 in the 1952 general election to 464 in 2014—and the trend of giving freebies for votes. • This led parties to a competitive search for underground financing, and they played into the hands of criminals and racketeers who had the means to acquire and dispose of large amounts of cash without detection. • Thus, parties fielded tainted candidates because they could contest an election without becoming a burden on the party’s limited coffers. • Data from the last three general elections shows that the strategy was an electoral success as candidates with criminal cases were three times more likely to win than a “clean” candidate.
WHAT CAN BE DONE?
• Bringing greater transparency in campaign financing is going to make it less attractive for political parties to involve gangsters.
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• The Election Commission of India (ECI) should have the power to audit the financial accounts of political parties, or political parties’ finances should be brought under the right to information (RTI) law. • Broader governance will have to improve for voters to reduce the reliance on criminal politicians. • Fast-track courts are necessary because politicians are able to delay the judicial process and serve for decades before prosecution. • The Election Commission must take adequate measures to break the nexus between the criminals and the politicians. • The forms prescribed by the Election Commission for candidates disclosing their convictions, cases pending in courts and so on in their nomination papers is a step in the right direction if it applied properly.
UN SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM: INDIA AND THE REALITY
• The UN Security Council is the most important arm of the United Nations. Unlike General Assembly resolutions, Security Council can pass binding orders. • The 5 permanent members--US, China, France, Russia and UK-- have even more powers in the form of veto rights. • The permanent members of the Security Council were chosen to reflect the prevailing power balance in the world after World War 2. • This was done to give legitimacy to the UN to overcome the shortcomings of its predecessor League of Nations. But times have changed now, and the Security Council is no longer representative of the world order. • It is imperative that India takes its place as a permanent member of the Security Council to be able to better represent developing nations.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT FOR INDIA?
India can tackle human rights violations in neighbor countries SriLanka (After civil war crimes), Myanmar (Rohyiangya Muslims), Afghanistan (Gender inequality) with more authority and can bring them to notice of UNSC.
India can put its requirements and ask for more funds from UN contribution as part of Social and economic development of third world countries.
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Indian diaspora across will also benefits if any issues arise like unfair treatment to diplomats, racial attacks, providing equal opportunities in foreign countries.
As regional representation increases, India could represent other countries to stop western forces (USA, UK, France) from promoting their vested interests like Invasion of Iraq, bombing of Libya, non- recognition of Palestine state are few examples.
Indian Ocean can be declared as "Zone of Peace". This will stop China from deploying submarines in strategic locations engulfing India with its jingoistic "String of Pearls" policy.
PERCEPTIONS AND REALITY
UK and France are not any more global power and even their contribution to UN are decreasing. The present membership doesn’t reflect the changed geo-political reality.
It’s not that only India deserves to be a member; Brazil, Japan, Germany and South Africa also deserves to be on the board. Each other supports each other for the inclusion at UNSC.
However, India is opposed by China and Pakistan; Japan is opposed by China and South Korea; Germany by east European countries and South Africa by many African neighbours.
In the beginning of 2018 US representative said “the key to India becoming a permanent member of the UNSC is "not to touch the veto."” So it is clear that US, Russia and China are ready to reform the UNSC provided their veto power is not shared with new members. However, it would be like tiger without teeth.
Given the complexities involved in reforming the UN, India’s becoming a permanent member is a long shot.
SWACHH SURVEKSHAN 2019 LAUNCHED
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has launched Swachh Survekshan 2019. Central govt will launch this program under Swachh Bharat Mission to focus on sustainability and also encourage large scale participation of citizens.
SWACHH SURVEKSHAN 2019
• Fully digitized survey through online Management Information System (MIS). • The Survey indicators / questionnaire will be of total 5000 marks in comparison to 4000 marks last year.
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• Swachh Survekshan 2019 Rankings will be given on the basis of total marks scored by a city on the basis of the below mentioned parameters. • Data collection would be done from 4 broad sources – Service Level Progress, Direct Observation, Citizens Feedback, and Certification. After data collections, Swachh Surveskshan 2019 List of Cities would be prepared.
CERTIFICATION
This will include 2 components – Star Rating of Garbage Free Cities and Open Defecation Free Protocols. The Certification will be done on 2 different aspects:-
• Star Rating of Garbage Free Cities Star Rating Protocol has been released by MoHUA. Star Rating protocol will be based on 12 parameters. This will follow a SMART framework – Single Metric, Measurable, Achievable, Rigorous verification mechanism and Targeted towards outcomes. This will include components like cleanliness of drains & water bodies, plastic waste management, managing construction & demolition waste. Swachh Survekshan 2019 has allocated 20% weightage of total marks to Star Rating Certifications. Open Defecation Free Protocols – 5% weightage is being allotted to ODF certifications. • Citizen Feedback It is an essential component. People will be asked questions face to face or through outbound calls, 1969, Swachhta App, Swachh Manch and Swachh Surveskshan 2019 Portal.
WHAT IT WILL ACHIEVE?
This will increase the participation of general public in this Swachhta Mission. This survey will also promote healthy competition among towns and cities. These towns and cities would then be able to improve service delivery to citizens and will ensure cleaner cities for living.
NATIONAL BIOFUEL POLICY 2018 UNVEILED
The Government has unveiled a new National Biofuel Policy (2018) that incentivises biofuel generation through multiple measures. Major steps include encouragement of biofuel generation from excess crop production and setting apart Rs 5000 crores viability gap funding to
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establish second generation ethanol refineries. For providing specific fiscal incentives, the policy categorises biofuels into several groups:1G (First Generation), 2G, 3G, and bio-CNG.
The Policy widens the range of feedstocks that can be used for producing ethanol and allows the use of damaged grains that is unusable for food purposes for ethanol production. As per the policy, besides sugar molasses, beet, sorghum, corn, damaged grains etc. can be used for ethanol production. Following are the main features of the National Policy on Biofuels 2018.
MAIN FEATURES OF THE POLICY
Categorisation of Biofuels:
Biofuels will be categorised into ‘Basic Biofuels’ viz. First Generation (1G) bioethanol &biodiesel and ‘Advanced Biofuels’ – Second Generation (2G) ethanol, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) to drop-in fuels, Third Generation (3G) biofuels, bio-CNG etc. for providing appropriate financial and fiscal incentives under each category.
Expansion of the scope of raw materials for ethanol production:
The Policy expands the type of bio-raw materials for ethanol production by including Sugarcane Juice, Sugar containing materials like Sugar Beet, Sweet Sorghum, Starch containing materials like Corn, Cassava, Damaged food grains like wheat, broken rice, Rotten Potatoes etc. which are unusable for human consumption.
Surplus food grains can be used for ethanol production:
During excess production, crop prices fall. Here, the Policy allows use of surplus food grains for production of ethanol with the approval of National Biofuel Coordination Committee.
Viability Gap Funding:
For the generation of Advanced Biofuels, the Policy proposes a viability gap funding scheme for 2G ethanol Bio refineries with Rs.5000 crore in 6 years. In addition to this, additional tax incentives, higher purchase price as compared to 1G biofuels will be given for 2G ethanol generation.
Supply chain for biodiesel production:
The Policy encourages setting up of supply chain mechanisms for biodiesel production from non- edible oilseeds, Used Cooking Oil, short gestation crops etc.
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NATIONAL
NAVLEKHA: GOOGLE UNVEILS NEW PLATFORM FOR INDIC LANGUAGE PUBLISHERS
• At the fourth ‘Google for India’ event, the internet search giant Google unveiled Project Navlekha , ‘a new way to write’ in Sanksrit. • The new initiative will bring India’s 135,000 Indic language publications online in a hassle-free manner. • It will allow local publishers who do not have websites to make their offline content fit for online publishing in less than a minute. • They can simply scan documents or PDFs and create instant web pages on the platform. • No expert digital knowledge is required in the process, claims Google. • Google will offer free hosting, a branded domain for the first three years, and AdSense (its ad platform) support so that publishers can start monetising their content immediately.
CENTRE CONSTITUTES PM'S SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION ADVISORY COUNCIL
.0The central government on Aug 28 constituted a new 21-member advisory panel on science, technology and innovation under the chairmanship of Principal Scientific Advisor, K Vijay Raghavan. The new council has 9 members and the prominent personalities include:
• Dr VK Saraswat, member of NITI Aayog • Dr AS Kiran Kumar, former chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation, • Maj Gen Madhuri Kanitkar, dean of Armed Forces Medical College, Pune. • Manjul Bhargava, professor at Princeton University and a Fields medal winner • Subhash Kak, a professor at Oklahoma State University, • Baba Kalyani the managing director of Bharat Forge,
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• The panel, called the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) will replace the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Prime Minister and to the Cabinet. • Significance: o The council will advise PM on science, technology, as well as innovation. o It will also coordinate implementation of PMs scientific vision. o It will also advise government on developing ‘Clusters of Excellence’ in science including city-based R&D clusters.
RS. 164.95 CR SANCTIONED FOR DEVELOPMENT OF HERITAGE CIRCUIT IN PUNJAB, TRIPURA
• The Ministry of Tourism (MOT) has sanctioned two new projects under Heritage and North East Circuits of Swadesh Dashan Scheme for Rs. 164.95 Crores in Punjab and Tripura. • Under Heritage Circuit in the state of Punjab, the project covers sites of Anandpur Sahib – Fatehgarh Sahib – Chamkaur Sahib – Ferozpur – Amritsar – Khatkar Kalan – Kalanour – Patiala at the cost of Rs. 99.95 crores. • Under North East Circuit in Tripura, the sites of Surma Cherra- Unakoti- Jampui Hills- Gunabati-Bhunaneshwari- Matabari- Neermahal- Boxanagar- Chotta khola- Pilak- Avangchaarra are covered with total project cost of Rs. 65 Crores. • MOT launched the Swadesh Darshan Scheme (Central Sector Scheme)– for integrated development of theme-based tourist circuits in the country in 2014-15. • There are various theme-based circuits have been identified: Buddhist, Coastal, Desert, Eco and Heritage and many more.
MOU SIGNED WITH STATES FOR CONSTRUCTION OF LAKHWAR MULTIPURPOSE PROJECT
• The Lakhwar project envisages construction of a 204-metre high concrete dam across the Yamuna near Lohari village in Dehradun district of Uttarakhand with a live storage capacity of 330.66 million cubic metre (MCM). • The Central government and six states of North India signed a MoU on August 28 for construction of Lakhwar multi-purpose project in the Upper Yamuna basin in Uttarakhand. • Highlights of Lakhwar Multipurpose Project: o The storage will provide irrigation to 33,780 hectares land and availability of 78.83 MCM water for domestic, drinking and industrial use in the six basin states.
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o The project, which is to be executed by Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (UJVL), will generate 300 MW of power. o Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi are the six Upper Yamuna Basin states. o Upper Yamuna refers to the stretch of the Yamuna from its origin to the Okhla Barrage in Delhi.
NETA: A MOBILE APP TO RATE, REVIEW YOUR POLITICAL LEADERS
• Former President Pranab Mukherjee on August 24, 2018 launched the National Electoral Transformation (NETA) mobile application. • Inspired by US’ approval system, the NETA app is a platform where voters can review and rate their elected representatives and hold them accountable as well. • The app was piloted during the February 2018 bypolls in Rajasthan's Ajmer and Alwar constituencies, the app was later used in Karnataka ahead of the assembly elections in May 2018. • NETA is the brainchild of 27-year-old entrepreneur and Wharton Graduate Pratham Mittal. It is available on Andriod and iOS and web in 16 languages to cater to a diverse user profile. • What is US’ approval system? o In the United States, presidential job approval ratings were introduced by George Gallup in the late 1930s (probably 1937) to gauge public support for the President of the United States during his term.
NOTA CANNOT BE PERMITTED IN RAJYA SABHA POLLS: SC
• The Supreme Court on Aug 21 scrapped the use of ‘None Of The Above’ (NOTA) option in the coming Rajya Sabha elections. • What SC said? o Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra held that the NOTA option is meant only for universal adult suffrage and direct elections and not polls held by the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote as done in the Rajya Sabha. o Earlier, Election Commission of India (ECI) has given the Rajya Sabha members the option to press the NOTA button in the Upper House polls. • Why not NOTA in Rajya Sabha? o MLAs could defy party whips and invalidate their votes by opting for NOTA.
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o There are chances of corruption as they can use NOTA option to gain from opposition parties.
NEW SPECIFIC HEALTH WARNING ON TOBACCO PRODUCTS PACKS NOTIFIED
• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has notified a new set of specified health warnings for all tobacco products on or after September 1 — to be displayed on the packets. • The new set of specified health warnings shall be- Mandatory display covering 85% on both sides of packets of cigarettes, bidis and chewing tobacco. It was first implemented in Arpil 2016 for 2 years. For the first time, packs come with the warning, “Tobacco causes painful death” written in white lettering on a red background. The words “Quit Today call 1800-11-2356” will appear in white on a black background. The health ministry had implemented 85% pictorial health warnings for 2 years from April 2016. All tobacco products manufactured or imported or packaged on or after 1st September, 2018 shall display Image -1 and those manufactured or imported or packaged on or after 1st September, 2019 shall display Image-2. Any person engaged directly or indirectly in the production, supply, import or distribution of cigarettes or any tobacco products shall ensure that all tobacco product packages shall have the specified health warnings exactly as prescribed. • Violation of the above-mentioned provision is a punishable offence with imprisonment or fine as prescribed in Section 20 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003.
Effect of 85% pictorial warning
A recent Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2016-17 released by the ministry revealed that 85% pictorial warnings on cigarettes, bidis and chewing tobacco packages manufactured and sold in India, have resulted in 92% of adults believing that smoking caused serious illness, and 96% saying that use of smokeless tobacco causes serious illness.
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
NORTHERN STATES TO SET UP JOINT SECRETARIAT TO DEAL WITH DRUGS MENACE
• The Chief Ministers of four Northern States on August 20, 2018 unanimously decided to set up a joint secretariat at Panchkula, Haryana for data and information sharing to effectively tackle the issue of drug menace in their respective states. • Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Uttrakhand have joined hands to fight the drug problem. • The states decided that there will be a meeting of all Chief Ministers every six months and an officer level meeting every three months, which will be rotationally chaired by the Chief Secretary or the Director General Police of the states concerned.
FSSAI CONSTITUTES B SESIKERAN COMMITTEE ON FOOD LABELLING STANDARDS
• Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has constituted three-member committee to look into draft food labelling and display regulations - Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations 2018. • The committee will be headed by B Sesikeran, former director of National Institute of Nutrition (NIN)and comprises of current NIN director Hemalatha and AIIMS’ endocrinologist Nikhil Tandon. • Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations Draft 2018: o FSSAI released its first draft in April 2018. o It had proposed mandatory red-label marking on such packaged food products which are high in fat, sugar and salt contents. o The front-of-the-pack red label mark was aimed to make consumers more aware about healthy and unhealthy food products. o But, Union Health Ministry had put on hold on the draft regulations, after industry stakeholders had expressed concerns, citing that it may have an adverse impact on evolving packaged food industry. o So address their concerns, FSSAI has decided to set up committee of experts with health and nutrition background to look into t draft regulations.
PM ANNOUNCES IMMEDIATE RELIEF OF RS 500 CR TO FLOOD-HIT KERALA
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced immediate financial assistance of Rs 500 crore for rain-battered Kerala, after reviewing the flood situation in the state. • PM also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh per person to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to those seriously injured from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund. • So far, 324 people have died in the floods and rain-related accidents. • Why Flood in Kerala: Probable Reasons
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o The state of Kerala has so far received 37.5% excess rainfall in just two and a half months since the southwest monsoon made landfall in May-end, whereas in the entire four-month monsoon period in 2013, the last time the state witnessed such heavy rains, the excess was 37%. o Some districts, such as Idukki, have received 83.5% excess rainfall. o The unusually short break between rains has exacerbated the problem — earlier, spells of heavy rain were interspersed with 4 or more dry days, but this time the breaks have not exceeded 2-3 days, causing the water to accumulate.
UIDAI ANNOUNCES PHASED ROLL-OUT OF FACIAL RECOGNITION
• The UIDAI has announced a phased roll-out of face recognition as a way of carrying out Aadhaar authentication from September 15, confirming the implementation of a new mode meant to combat fraud. • Telecom service providers (TSPs) will be the first to use face recognition to authenticate subscribers while issuing new SIM cards as an additional security layer. • As per the instructions, face authentication can be in addition to fingerprint or iris scans. • UIDAI also announced a new feature – ‘live face photo,’ which is a live feed of the person whose 12-digit unique number is submitted. • The telco will have to capture this and ensure the person submitting the Aadhaar number really owns it. • However, it’s a major privacy concern. The fact that facial recognition is being implemented without a privacy law in place is deeply problematic.
CENTRE PROPOSES FAO TO DECLARE 2019 AS INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF MILLETS
• India has proposed to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization to declare the year 2019 as international year of millets. • This will promote cultivation by amending cropping patterns of areas which are especially susceptible to climate change. • India has designated year 2018 as the National Year of Millets. • Millet is a common term to categorize small-seeded grasses that are often termed nutri- cereals or dryland-cereals. • The millets commonly grown in India include: bajra (pearl millet), jowar (sorghum), ragi (finger millet), barri(proso/common millet), jhangora (barnyard millet), kangni (foxtail/ Italian millet), kodra (kodo millet) etc.
MAHADAYI RIVER TRIBUNAL RECOMMENDS ‘CAUVERY-LIKE BOARD’
• The Mahadayi Water Tribunal has recommended that a board, called the Mahadayi Water Management Authority, be constituted on the lines on the Cauvery Management Board to ensure the river’s water is equitably used by Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra.
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• Water sharing model as per the Mahadayi Tribunal: o Karnataka: 5.4 tmcft of river water for drinking, irrigation and dam storage purposes. o Maharashtra: 1.33 tmcft o Goa: a maximum of 24 tmcft for 59 projects provided they adhere to certain ground rules. • The Tribunal, headed by Justice J. M. Panchal, has stated that demands by Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka for future use of the Mahadayi Waters aren’t ‘fully justified’ as there were ‘severe’ loopholes in the way the States had calculated their future demands. • The recommendation made by the Tribunal, ought to be adhered to until August 2048.
Mahaydai river
Mahadayi River or Mondovi, as it is called in Goa, actually originates from a cluster of 30 springs near Bhimgad in Karnataka.
The Mahadayi is essentially a rain-fed river that flows at its peak during monsoon months. The river flows 35 km through Karnataka and then 52 km through Goa, before flowing into the Arabian Sea.
The Mahadayi catchment area covers around 2,032 km and includes some parts of Maharashtra near the Maharashtra-Karnataka border region.
NORTH EAST CIRCUIT-IMPHAL & KHONGJOM: FIRST PROJECT UNDER SWADESH DARSHAN SCHEME INAUGURATED
• The first project under the central government's Swadesh Darshan Scheme, 'North East Circuit: Imphal and Khongjom', was inaugurated on 14 Aug 2018. • Kangla Fort o Kangla Fort is one of the most important historic and archaeological site of Manipur located in the heart of Imphal city. o It served as the seat of Manipur's power till 1891. • Khongjom War o In 1891 Manipuris fought with primitive weapons against the British. o Khongjom Day is observed every year on April 23. • Swadesh Darshan o 'Swadesh Darshan' is a flagship scheme of the Ministry of Tourism for the development of thematic circuits in the country in a planned and prioritised manner.
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o The scheme was launched in 2014-15 and the ministry has so far sanctioned 70 projects at a cost of Rs 5,708.88 crore. o Under this scheme, 13 thematic circuits have been identified for development. o They are Buddhist Circuit, North-East India Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Himalayan Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Desert Circuit, Eco Circuit, Wildlife Circuit, Tribal Circuit, Rural Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Ramayana Circuit and Heritage Circuit.
CENTRE RELEASES ‘DIGITAL NORTH EAST VISION 2022’
• Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad released the 'Vision Document' for a digital North East by 2022 that aims to enhance peoples' lives by capacity building of government staff and doubling BPO strength in the region. • The document identifies eight digital thrust areas: o Digital infrastructure, o Digital services, o Digital empowerment, o Promotion of electronics manufacturing, o Promotion of IT and IT enabled services including BPOs, o Digital payments, o Innovation & startups, o Cyber security.
RS PASSED SC & ST (PREVENTION OF ATROCITIES) AMENDMENT BILL, 2018
• The Rajya Sabha has passed the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill, 2018, which seeks to overturn a Supreme Court order that struck down the provision for immediate arrest of those booked under the Act. • What was SC judgement? o On March 20, the Supreme Court had ruled that to arrest those accused of an offence under the said act, an approval of the concerned senior SP will be required. o Further, a deputy SP may conduct a preliminary inquiry to find out if prima facie, a case can be made under the act. • What has changed now? o The new bill eliminates the need for approval for an arrest. o It also does away with the preliminary inquiry. Persons booked under the act cannot apply for anticipatory bail. • SC & ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill, 2018 o The Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act is popularly known as POA, the SC/ST Act, the Prevention of Atrocities Act, or simply the Atrocities Act. The SC/ST Act was enacted on September 9, 1989. The rules for the Act were notified on March 31, 1995. o According to the SC/ST Act, the protection is provided from social disabilities such as denial of access to certain places and to use customary passage, personal atrocities
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like forceful drinking or eating of inedible food sexual exploitation, injury etc, and atrocities affecting properties, malicious prosecution, political disabilities and economic exploitation.
CABINET APPROVES CHANGES IN TRIPLE TALAQ BILL
• The Union Cabinet has given its nod to changes in the legislative proposal against the practice of triple talaq by providing for the grant of bail by a magistrate against the accused. • The Muslim Women (Protection of rights on marriage) bill, 2017, which has already been passed by the Lok Sabha, is awaiting the nod of the Rajya Sabha. • What has been changed? o The Cabinet has approved the amendment that only a woman or her family members could lodge a complaint against a husband for practising instant talaq. o In the case of bail, only a magistrate would be able to grant bail to an offender.
DELHI HIGH COURT DECRIMINALISED BEGGING IN NATIONAL CAPITAL
• The Delhi High Court struck down a legal provision that criminalises begging in the national capital. • Currently, there is no central law on begging and destitution and most states have adopted the Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959, which criminalises beggary or have modelled their laws on it. • The law prescribes a penalty of three years of detention in beggar homes in case of first conviction for begging and the person can be ordered to be detained for 10 years in subsequent conviction. • The two petitions have challenged the Bombay Prevention of Begging Act.
NATIONAL HANDLOOM DAY: AUGUST 7
• National Handloom Day is observed on 7 August each year to honour the handloom weavers in India and to also celebrate the profession which is historically related from ancient to modern history. • It was launched in 2015. • August 7 is also the day when Swadeshi Movement was started in 1905. • ITS IMPORTANCE: 1. The handloom sector provides employment to 4.33 million people and is the second biggest source of employment in rural India. 2. Approximately 95 per cent of the world’s handwoven fabric is from India.
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
OFFICIAL TRAILER OF FILM “HALKAA” RELEASED UNDER AEGIS OF SWACHH BHARAT MISSION
• Under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), Bollywood movie “Halkaa’s trailer was released in partnership with New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). • Swachh Bharat Mission has a target to achieve open defecation free status for all cities and towns by 2nd October 2019. • It is expected that the film can contribute to the aim of achieving an Open Defecation Free India and accelerate the pace of achieving the Swachh Bharat Mission’s targets, through its powerful messaging. • Halkaa (Relief) is the story of an 8-year-old boy Pichku who aspires for a better quality of life. • The film is a unique take on the child (Pichku)’s heroism: the boy refuses to be part of the age-old practice of open defecation and decides to make a change for his betterment.
BIDDER INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM LAUNCHED
• The central government on 06 Aug launched an online management system to expedite land acquisition and the bidding process for road construction. • The Bidder Information Management System (BIMS) was launched by Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari. • Annual Awards for Excellence in National Highways Projects will be given also from this year to contractors doing quality work. • A new portal, Bhoomi Rashi was also launched which comprises the entire revenue data of the country, right down to 6.4 lakh villages.
Key Features of BIMS
The portal will work as a data base of information about bidders, covering basic details, civil works experience, cash accruals and network, annual turnover etc. It is estimated that BIMS portal will significantly reduce the procurement time for projects through an objective and transparent online evaluation system thereby leading to accelerated project implementation.
Key features of Bhoomi Rashi
Bhoomi Rashi portal has been instrumental in reducing the time taken for approval and publication of notifications pertaining to land acquisition. The portal, created for expediting the process of publication of notifications for LA, is now being fully utilized for issuing the notifications, and more than 900 notifications have been issued using the portal so far. Integration of Public Financial Management System (PFMS) with Bhoomi Rashi is one of the key functionalities to facilitate payment related to compensation for land acquisition to all the beneficiaries directly through the Bhoomi Rashi system. With integration of Bhoomi Rashi with PFMS, payment of Compensation by the Ministry to the beneficiaries will be just-in-time, and without any parking of funds.
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PARLIAMENT PASSES BILL TO GIVE CONSTITUTIONAL STATUS TO NCBC
• Parliament on 06 Aug passed a bill to provide constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes. • The 123rd Constitutional Amendment Bill provides constitutional status to NCBC. • It will give the institution all powers to safeguard the rights of the socially and educationally backward classes and fulfils a long pending commitment of the central govt to the OBCs. • Key provisions of 123rd Constitutional Amendment Bill
It inserts Article 338B to establish the NCBC under the constitution with authority to examine complaints and welfare measures regarding OBCs. Insert a new article 342-A which empowers the president to notify the list of socially and educationally backward classes of that state / union territory. NCBC will have a Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson and 3 other members of which at least one will be a woman The provision for mandatory woman member will be made during framing of rules. NCBC will work as an autonomous institution with powers of a civil court. It will investigate & monitor how safeguards provided to OBCs under Constitution and other laws are being implemented. It will inquire into specific complaints regarding violation of rights of OBCs. It will also advise and make recommendations on socio-economic development of such classes. Central and state govts will have to consult NCBC on all major policy matters affecting OBCs.
HRD MINISTRY APPROVES NORMS AGAINST PLAGIARISM
• The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) notified the UGC (Promotion of Academic Integrity and Prevention of Plagiarism in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2018. • The new regulations on plagiarism has been drafted by the University Grants Commission (UGC). • What Regulations Say? o Student researchers found guilty of plagiarism may lose their registration and teachers could lose their jobs. • Plagiarism standard for students o UP TO 10%: No penalty o BETWEEN 10 AND 40%: Students to submit a revised research paper within six months. o BETWEEN 40 AND 60%: Students to be debarred from submitting a revised paper for one year. o ABOVE 60%: A student’s registration for a programme will be cancelled. • Plagiarism standard for Teachers o BETWEEN 10 AND 40%: Teachers to be asked to withdraw the manuscript.
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o BETWEEN 40 AND 60%: Barred from supervising new masters, M.Phil, PhD students for two years and will also be denied the right to one annual increment. o ABOVE 60%: Faculty members to be suspended, even dismissed. • If any member of the academic community suspects plagiarism, he or she shall report it to the Departmental Academic Integrity Panel.
NATIONWIDE ‘STATE ENERGY EFFICIENCY PREPAREDNESS INDEX’ RELEASED
• As part of its commitment to create awareness about energy efficiency as a resource and also to develop an action plan for energy conservation initiatives, Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE), released the ‘State Energy Efficiency Preparedness Index’ • It will assess state policies and programmes aimed at improving energy efficiency across various sectors. • The nationwide Index, which is a joint effort of the NITI Aayog and BEE. • The dignitaries also released a set of Energy Conversation Guidelines for energy intensive industries that are covered under the Government’s Perform Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme. • Developed by the BEE, these will serve as a standard reference document for energy intensive industries and help them achieve high operational efficiency of energy consuming utilities thereby improving their energy performance. • The State Energy Efficiency Preparedness Index has 63 indicators across Building, Industry, Municipality, Transport, Agriculture and DISCOM with 4 cross-cutting indicators. • The Index examines states’ policies and regulations, financing mechanisms, institutional capacity, adoption of energy efficiency measures and energy savings achieved.
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
INTERNATIONAL
EAM SUSHMA SWARAJ INAUGURATES 3RD INDIAN OCEAN CONFERENCE
• The 3rd Indian Ocean Conference will be held on Aug 27 at Hanoi, Vietnam. • The theme of the two- day conference will focus on ‘Building Regional Architectures’, particularly with regards to trade and commerce, security and governance. • Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj will inaugurate the conference. She is on a two day visit to Vietnam and Cambodia - both are members of the ASEAN. • India has strong bilateral relation with Vietnam in areas of maritime and energy security. • India's Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is currently exploring oil in areas claimed by Vietnam in the South China Sea (SCS). SCS is a disputed zone between China and many ASEAN countries. • First Indian Ocean Conference was held in 2016 in Singapore.
G20 DIGITAL ECONOMY MINISTERIAL MEETING IN SALTA HELD
• The G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting was held in Salta, Argentina from 23 to 24 August, 2018. • The theme of the meeting was ‘Building consensus for fair and sustainable development‘. • Its three key issues for the agenda were future of work, infrastructure for development, and sustainable food future. • India was represented by Union Minister for Electronics and IT & Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad.
Group of Twenty (G20)
Group of Twenty (G20) is premier forum for international economic cooperation and decision- making.
It is a forum for governments and central bank governors from 20 major economies to focus on economic issues and other important development challenges.
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Its members include Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, India, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Turkey, South Africa, UK, US and EU.
UK ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR 'NO-DEAL' BREXIT
• The United Kingdom (UK) on August 24,2018 published 25 so-called technical notices advising companies and people how to prepare for any disruption that might arise from a disorderly Brexit where there is no deal with the European Union. • Some of the effects of the ‘no-deal’ Brexit o The free circulation of goods between the UK and EU will cease. o The tariffs could differ from those the EU applies to imports from outside the bloc. o Britons will have to pay more to make card payments in the European Union. o The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will take on the role of enforcement and supervision for the whole of the UK. o Under the European Union (Withdrawal) act, EU state aid rules will be transposed into UK domestic legislation. o A new UK nuclear safeguards regime will come into force run by Britain’s Office for Nuclear Regulation.
What is Brexit?
Brexit is the impending withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). In a referendum on 23 June 2016, a majority of British voters supported leaving the EU. On 29 March 2017, the UK government invoked Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. The United Kingdom is due to leave the EU on 29 March 2019 at 11 p.m.
INTERNATIONAL BUDDHIST CONCLAVE IN NEW DELHI INAUGURATED
• President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the International Buddhist Conclave in New Delhi on 23 Aug. • The theme of the conclave is Buddha Path - The Living Heritage which aims to showcase Buddhist Heritage in India and boost tourism to the Buddhist sites in the country. • Ministerial level delegation from ASEAN countries will participate in the conclave along with delegates from 29 countries including US, UK, Germany, France and Russia. • This year Japan is the partnering country for the Buddhist conclave.
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GERMANY HAS THE WORLD’S LARGEST CURRENT ACCOUNT SURPLUS: IFO
• Germany is expected to set a $299 billion trade surplus this year, far more than its closest export rivals Japan and the Netherlands, according to research published by Munich-based economic research institute IFO. • IFO's report takes into account trade in goods, services and income from foreign assets. • Trade in goods is the main factor behind Germany's surplus at over €200 billion, while income from assets is also expected to add up to around €63 billion. • Other countries like USA has raised question on the current account surplus. US president Donald Trump has threatened to raise tariffs on German imported articles. • Nevertheless, Germany's surplus still exceeds the 6 percent amount deemed by the European Union and IMF as sustainable over the long term, given that one country's surplus is another's deficit and debt.
INDIA-JAPAN ANNUAL DEFENCE MINISTERIAL DIALOGUE HELD
• Japan and India held their annual defence Ministerial Meeting on 20 Aug 2018 in Delhi. Japan and India emphasised the significance of defence and security cooperation. • Both countries also emphasized that it is important for the two countries to further strengthen defence and security cooperation under the ‘Japan-lndia Special Strategic and Global Partnership’ that aligns Japan’s ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy’ with India’s ‘Act East Policy’ to work together in achieving common objectives. • Japan, India and US are looking to enhance their security cooperation deeper. Probably, to give it a regional organization structure. The trilateral Maritime Exercise MALABAR 2018 can be seen a step in this regard. • Indian Defence Minister Sitharaman briefed her counterpart Onodera on the setting up of two Defence Industry Corridors in India and invited participation of Japanese enterprises.
TURKEY INITIATES DISPUTE COMPLAINT WITH WTO AGAINST US
• Turkey has initiated a dispute complaint with the World Trade Organisation against additional tariffs imposed by the United States on Turkish steel and aluminium imports. • Previously, President Donald Trump imposed double tariffs on Turkish metal imports. • Why US has imposed double tariffs? o Turkey has put terrorism charges of a U.S. evangelical Christian pastor who has been living in Turkey for the last two decades. o He has become an unwitting flashpoint in the diplomatic rift between the two NATO allies. o Turkey is also a member of North Atlantic Treaty Organization. o Turkey has requested WTO dispute consultations with the United States concerning additional import duties imposed by the United States on steel and aluminium products.
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o Under dispute consultations, both sides have 60 days to seek a solution, then the issue can go to the WTO Dispute Settlement Body.
UN CHIEF PROPOSES OPTIONS TO PROTECT PALESTINIANS
• UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres presented a report which says that the protection of Palestinian civilians could be improved by the deployment of U.N.-mandated armed forces or unarmed observers. • He has mentioned 4 options which could be considered: o No.1: Armed U.N. peacekeepers or armed forces from a group of like-minded states operating under a United Nations mandate could be deployed to offer physical protection.This option, however, would need a Security Council mandate and the United States, a close ally of Israel, would likely wield its veto. o No.2: A U.N. or non-U.N. civilian observer mission could be deployed “with a specific mandate to report on protection and well-being issues and provide local mediation,” This would also require a mandate. o No.3: A third option could be expanding current U.N. programs and development and humanitarian aid to address the needs of Palestinian civilians more effectively and strengthen Palestinian institutions. o No.4: The final option could be to send additional U.N. human rights, coordination and political officers to boost monitoring and reporting on the situation and increase the U.N.’s visibility.
11TH WORLD HINDI CONFERENCE TO BEGIN IN MAURITIUS
• The 11th World Hindi Conference, an event aimed at expanding the reach of the Hindi language at a global level, began on August 18, 2018 in Port Louis, Mauritius. • The Conference with the theme "Hindi World and Indian Culture" was inaugurated by the Mauritius Prime Minister Praveen Kumar Jagannath. • This is also the first time that representatives from all 29 states and Union Territories of Delhi, Chandigarh and Puducherry will be attending the conference.
World Hindi Conference
World Hindi Conference was started in 1975 in Nagpur, Maharashtra to make the Hindi language a medium of service and knowledge and enable it to move forward with the time. The 10th Conference was held in Bhopal in 2015.
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
SAUDI ARABIA TESTS JAPAN-INSPIRED ‘NAP PODS’ FOR HAJJ
• Saudi Arabia plans to introduce capsule rooms in the western city of Mina for the upcoming six-day Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam. • These capsule rooms called ‘nap pods’ will be provided free by Saudi Arabia to hajj pilgrims and are part of new measures to modernise the centuries-old practice of hajj. • Each napper will have three hours of access to the pods, which are imported from Japan at cost of around $1,114 (1,000 euros) each. • Description of Nap Pods o They are made fibreglass and each pod is less than three metres long and just over one metre high. o It features a mattress, clean sheets, air conditioning and a large, well-lit mirror. o The pods can be lined up horizontally or stacked vertically to save on space. • Why nap pods? o According to the Pew research centre, the Islam is currently the world’s fastest- growing religion and the estimated Hajj pilgrims to Mecca and Mina this year would be around 2 million posing logistical challenges to Saudi Arabia government.
US FORMS IRAN ACTION GROUP POST-NUCLEAR DEAL POLICY
• Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, formed ‘Iran Action Group’ (IAG) to coordinate and run the country's policy towards Iran. • The dedicated group will be headed by Brian Hook, the Department of State's director of policy planning. He will have the formal title of the Special Representative for Iran. • The dedicated group has been formed following US President Donald Trump's unilateral withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018 and re-imposition of sanctions on Iran.
Iran Nuclear Deal
The Iran nuclear deal also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is an international agreement that exchanges halting of Iran's nuclear programme for international sanctions relief. The deal was signed on July 14, 2015 with P5+1 countries and the European Union (EU).
P5+1 countries comprises of permanent member of UN Security Council (UNSC) – China, France, Russia, the UK, and the United States – and Germany.
Under the agreement, it can have no more than 6,104 older-model centrifuges at two inspected sites, namely Arak heavy-water reactor and Fordow site.
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CONVENTION ON THE LEGAL STATUS OF THE CASPIAN SEA SIGNED
• The five littoral Caspian nations – Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan have agreed upon a legal framework for sharing the resources of Caspian Sea. • Why Caspian Sea is important? o The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed inland body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake. o It is an endorheic basin (a basin without outflows) located between Europe and Asia. o It is bounded by Kazakhstan to the northeast, Russia to the northwest, Azerbaijan to the west, Iran to the south, and Turkmenistan to the southeast. o It has huge oil reserve basin across and there is a dispute among the littoral nations over this. • Why there is a controversy? o Much controversy currently exists over the proposed Trans- Caspian oil and gas pipelines. o These projects would allow Western markets easier access to Kazakh oil and, potentially, Uzbek and Turkmen gas as well. o Russia officially opposes the project on environmental grounds. o However, analysts note that the pipelines would bypass Russia completely, thereby denying the country valuable transit fees, as well as destroying its current monopoly on westward-bound hydrocarbon exports from the region. o Recently, both Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan have expressed their support for the Trans-Caspian Pipeline.
WORLD CONGRESS OF SOIL SCIENCE HELD IN RIO DE JANEIRO
• The 21st World Congress of Soil Science was held in Rio De Janerio, Brazil. • The World Congress of Soil Science (WCSS) is a conference held every four years under the guidance of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS). • Purpose: ensure the advancement of soil science and its application and to handle the business of the society.
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INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY: 12 AUGUST
• August 12 is celebrated as International Youth Day by United Nations. • It is celebrated to draw awareness about legal and cultural issues surrounding the youth of today. • Theme for 2018: Safe Spaces for Youth • It was first observed on 12 Aug 2000. • According to UN: o There are currently 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 and 24 in the world. o This is the largest youth population ever. But 1 in 10 of the world’s children live in conflict zones and 24 million of them are out of school. o Political instability, labour market challenges and limited space for political and civic participation have led to increasing isolation of youth in societies.
SCO PEACE MISSION EXERCISE 2018 TO BEGIN IN RUSSIA
• As part of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) initiatives, SCO Peace Mission Exercise is conducted biennially for SCO member states. • The joint exercise for the year 2018 will be conducted by Central Military Commission of Russia from 22 August to 29 August 2018 at Chebarkul, Chelyabinsk, Russia. • This will be a historic occasion due to the maiden participation of India post becoming a full member of the SCO in June 2017. • About SCO o SCO came out of Shanghai Five group, founded on 26 April 1996 and is headquartered in Beijing, China. o Foudning Members: China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan. o India and Pakistan joined as full members on 9 June 2017 at a summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.
WORLD BIOFUEL DAY: 10 AUGUST
• Every year 10th August is observed as World Bio-Fuel Day in a bid to create awareness about non fossil-fuels (Green Fuels). • Why it is celebrated? o On this day in 1893, Sir Rudalph Diesel (inventor of the diesel engine) for the first time successfully ran mechanical engine with Peanut Oil. o His research experiment had predicted that vegetable oil is going to replace the fossil fuels in the next century to fuel different mechanical engines. o Thus to mark this extraordinary achievement, World Biofuel Day is observed every year on 10th August. • What is biofuel? o They are renewable, bio-degradable, sustainable and environment friendly fuel. It can be seen as alternative to conventional fossil fuels.
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o In case of India its promotion and encouragement can play important role in energy security and can help to reduce the import of fossil fuel and also save foreign exchange.
SOUTH SUDAN'S WARRING LEADERS SIGN PEACE DEAL TO SHARE POWER
• South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir and rebel opposition leader Riek Machar have signed a peace deal to share power in a transitional government, the latest effort to end a five-year civil war. • Kiir will head the government during the transitional period and Machar will return as First Vice President. • South Sudan Civil war o South Sudan is the world's newest nation, in the centre of Africa bordered by six countries. o It is rich in oil, but following decades of civil war it is also one of the least developed regions on earth. o Signs of friction within the governing SPLM party came in July when President Salva Kiir, an ethnic Dinka - the country's largest group, sacked his deputy Riek Machar, who is from the second largest community, the Nuer. o There was a coup attempt in 2013 and President Kiir accused Vice President Riek o Reik was sacked from the government and civil war broke out between the Dinka and Nuer communities.
INDIA THIRD ASIAN NATION TO GET STA-1 STATUS FROM US
• India has become the third Asian country to get the Strategic Trade Authorisation-1 (STA-1) status after Japan and South Korea. • India is the 37th country to be designated the STA-1 status by the United States. • It has significance as the Trump Administration made an exception for India, which is yet to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
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• Traditionally, the US has placed only those countries in the STA-1 list who are members of the four export control regimes: Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), Wassenaar Arrangement (WA), Australia Group (AG) and the NSG.
INDIA COMPLETES 70 YEARS IN SERVING FOR UN PEACEKEEPING MISSION
• India has completed 70 years in serving for UN Peacekeeping Mission. • India has been contributing to peacekeeping mission since 1948. • More than 200,000 Indians have served in 49 of the 71 peacekeeping missions established around the world since 1948. • Currently, there are around 6,700 uniformed peacekeepers from India, the vast majority of them in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in South Sudan. • India has also provided 15 Force Commanders to various missions, and was the first country to contribute to the Trust Fund on sexual exploitation and abuse, which was set up in 2016.
Peacekeeping Mission
The United Nations Charter gives the United Nations Security Council the power and responsibility to take collective action to maintain international peace and security.
For this reason, the international community usually looks to the Security Council to authorize peacekeeping operations through Chapter VII authorizations.
INDIA ELECTED PRESIDENT OF ASIA-PACIFIC INSTITUTE FOR BROADCASTING DEVELOPMENT
• The Asia-Pacific Institute of Broadcasting Development (AIBD) on August 3, 2018 elected Fayyaz Sheheryar, Director-General of All India Radio, as its new President. • This is the first time India has been elected for the position of president of AIBD. The elections were held at the 44th annual meeting of AIBD in Colombo.
About AIBD
AIBD is a unique regional inter-governmental organisation servicing countries of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) in the field of electronic media development. It was established in 1977 under the auspices of UNESCO.
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ECONOMY & BANKING
INDIA'S FOODGRAIN OUTPUT TO TOUCH ALL-TIME HIGH OF OVER 284 MN TONNES IN 2017-18
• India’s foodgrain production is estimated to grow to an all-time high of 284.83 million tonnes in the 2017-18 crop year ending June 2018. • The record output in wheat, rice, coarse cereals and pulses after a normal monsoon, according to the Agriculture Ministry. • Wheat output has been pegged at record 99.70 million tonnes, rice at 112.91 million tonnes and pulses at 25.23 million tonnes for the 2017-18 crop year, it said. • The foodgrain basket comprises of rice, wheat, coarse cereals and pulses. • In its fourth advance estimate released today, the ministry revised upward the total foodgrain production by little over 5.3 million tonnes from the previous projection of 279.51 million tonnes for the 2017-18 crop year. • It clearly shows that Indian agriculture is very much dependent on monsoon.
CENTRE ANNOUNCES REGULATIONS FOR DRONES
• The Central government has released a list of regulations for the commercial use of drones. • The regulations would enable the safe and commercial usage of drones starting from December 1. • Highlights
o The rules require the device, its owner and pilot to undergo a one-time registration process. o All remotely piloted aircraft systems – except nano drones and those owned by the National Technical Research Organisation, the Aviation Research Centre and the central intelligence agencies – have to be registered. o They will be provided a unique identification number. o Areas around airports, near international borders, Vijay Chowk in New Delhi, state secretariat buildings, strategic locations and vital and military installations are no-go areas for drones.
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o The regulations are intended to enable visual line-of-sight, daytime-only operations to a maximum altitude of 400 feet.
INJETI SRINIVAS COMMITTEE SUBMITS ITS REPORT TO MCA
• Srinivas Committee has submitted its final report on review the existing framework dealing with offence under the Companies Act, 2013. • The committee was formed in July 2018 under Inteji Srinivas, secretary of Ministry of Corporate Affairs. • Recommendations: o It recommended that the existing rigour of the law should continue for serious offences, covering six categories, whereas for lapses that are essentially technical or procedural in nature, mainly falling under two categories may be shifted to in-house adjudication process. o The Committee observed that this would serve the twin purposes promoting of ease of doing business and better corporate compliance. o It would also reduce the number of prosecutions filed in the Special Courts, which would, in turn, facilitate speedier disposal of serious offences and bring serious offenders to book. o The cross-cutting liability under section 447, which deals with corporate fraud, would continue to apply wherever fraud is found. o The main recommendations of the Committee are Restructuring of Corporate Offences to relieve Special Courts from adjudicating routine offences, De-clogging the NCLT and recommendations related to corporate compliance and corporate governance.
2ND PROTOCOL AMENDING INDIA – SINGAPORE CECA SIGNED
• India and Singapore on August 24, 2018 signed the "Second Protocol" amending the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) to boost trade ties between the two countries. • The protocol was signed by Joint Secretary of Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Rajneesh and Francis Chong, Senior Director, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Singapore. • Both sides agreed to expand the coverage of tariff concessions, liberalise the "Rules of Origin", rationalise "Product Specific Rules" and include provisions on "Certificate of Origin" and cooperation on its verification.
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• The provisions of the Second Protocol will come into effect on September 14, 2018. The CECA was signed on June 29, 2005 and its first review was concluded on October 1, 2007. • Singapore is the second largest trading partner of India within ASEAN and India is the largest trading partner of Singapore in South Asia, with a bilateral trade of $17.7 billion in 2017-18.
PSU BANKS PLAN CLOSURE OF 70 OVERSEAS OFFICES IN FY18
• Public sector banks are in the process of closing or rationalising about 70 overseas operations in the ongoing financial year as part of a capital conservation exercise. • According to data, 159 branches of public sector banks are operating in foreign countries, of which 41 branches were in losses in 2016-17. • SBI has the largest number of overseas branches (52), followed by Bank of Baroda (50) and Bank of India (29). • Why they are closing? o According to the banking sector agenda, approved at the PSB Manthan November last year, banks have to undertake rationalisation of overseas operations for cost efficiencies and synergies in overseas markets, based on competitive strength and viability, and a differentiated strategy to leverage banks’ competitive advantage.
INDIA’S FIRST ISTS CONNECTED WIND POWER PROJECT COMMISSIONED
• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) on August 24, 2018 said 126 MW wind power capacity, part of country's first inter-state transmission system (ISTS) auction, is commissioned in Bhuj, Gujarat. • The energy generated from this project is being purchased by Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. • This 126 MW ISTS project marks the beginning of capacity additions in wind power based on market discovered tariffs, in line with the Government's plan of having 175 GW renewable energy by 2022. • State-run Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd (SECI) had conducted India's first auction of wind power projects in February 2017 in which tariff of Rs 3.46 was discovered.
DRAFT UDAN INTERNATIONAL SCHEME UNVEILED
• The Central government has unveiled a draft scheme to broaden the affordable air travel programme UDAN to international circuits. • For this the state governments are identifying routes for operation. • Under this, state governments will be able to encourage tourism on preferred international air routes by offering subsidy to domestic airlines for a period of 3 years. • UDAN Domestic Scheme
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o Launched in 2016, the scheme UDAN envisages providing connectivity to un-served and under-served airports of the country through revival of existing air-strips and airports. o The scheme would be in operation for a period of 10 years. o Under this, fares are capped at Rs.2500 for 1 hour flight on a fixed wing aircraft in order to make air travel affordable. o However, there will be no capping on the UDAN International.
ILO REPORT FLAGS WAGE INEQUALITY IN INDIA
• According to International Labour Organisation's India Wage Report; Indian economy in the past two decades has seen an annual average GDP rate of 7 percent but low pay and inequality persist. • Major highlights of the report: o India's economic growth has resulted in fall in poverty, moderate change in employment patterns with a growing proportion of workers in services and industry. o However, a substantial proportion of workers (47%), continue to be employed in the agricultural sector o More than 51 percent of the people employed in India, as per 2011-12 data, were self- employed and as many as 62 percent of wage earners are employed as casual workers. o India was one of the first countries to introduce minimum wages through the Minimum Wages Act in 1948. But the report found that there exist challenges in providing a universal wage floor for all workers. o The International Labour Organization is a United Nations agency dealing with labour problems, particularly international labour standards, social protection, and work opportunities for all. o IT is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
NO ATM TO BE REPLENISHED WITH CASH AFTER 9 PM FROM 2018
• No ATM will be replenished with cash after 9 pm in cities and 6 pm in rural areas as per the new directive of Home Ministry. • The deadline for putting money in the ATMs located in Naxal-hit areas is 4 pm. • The new Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs) would come into effect from February 8, 2019 in view of the spurt in incidents of attacks on cash vans, cash vaults, ATM frauds and other internal frauds leading to increased sense of insecurity. • Why these Security Measures: o There are over 8,000 privately owned cash vans plying across the country, operated by non-bank private agencies, and they handle over Rs 15,000 crore daily on behalf of banks. o Every cash transportation shall be carried out only in secured cash vans fitted with GPS tracking device and it must be ensured that no cash van carries cash of more than Rs 5 crore per trip.
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o The cash van shall be provided with a small CCTV system with at least five days recording facility and three cameras installed in front, rear and inside of the cabin. o A security alarm with GSM based auto-dialer shall be provided with a motorised siren.
PUNE TOPS EASE OF LIVING INDEX LAUNCHED
• Pune has emerged as the number one city in the Ease of Living Index 2018 released by the government of India. • The Index was launched by Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry. • The survey was conducted in 111 cities of the country. • The parameters for Ease of Living Index were - Governance, social institutions, economic and physical infrastructure. • The Ease of Living Index help cities assess their liveability in relation to global and national benchmarks.
THIRD PARTY SURVEY REPORT ON STATION CLEANLINESS RELEASED
• Jodhpur railway station has been ranked cleanest station among A1 stations, a report on Station Cleanliness conducted by Quality Council of India (QCI). • Jaipur and Tirupati have been ranked second and third among the cleanest railway stations. • Marwar was ranked first among A stations. • The third cleanliness survey covered 407 stations, including 75 stations in A1 and 332 stations in A category stations. • In terms of Railway Zones, North Western Railway is the cleanest.
CIVIL AVIATION MINISTRY NODS PROPOSAL FOR SETTING UP OF WATER AERODROME
• The Civil Aviation Ministry has approved a proposal for setting up of water aerodrome in Chilika lake in Odisha. • The move comes as a part of the union ministry’s attempt to develop water aerodromes near locations of tourist and religious importance in the country with two other projects being Sardar Sarovar Dam and Sabarmati River Front in Gujarat. • The Airports Authority of India has already identified the sites in Odisha, Gujarat, Assam, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh where water aerodrome would be developed. • What is an aerodrome?
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o An aerodrome or airdrome is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither.
ALL ELECTRONIC VEHICLES TO HAVE GREEN NUMBER PLATE
• All Battery-Operated Vehicles shall now exhibit their registration mark in Yellow colour on Green background for transport vehicles. • For all other cases, the number plate will be in White colour on Green background. • Notification to this effect was issued on August 10, 2018. • The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has notified amendments to Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 to this effect.
CSB DEVELOPS THREE RACES OF SILKWORM SEED
• Central Silk Board (CSB) has recently developed three races of Silkworm seed to increase the silk production and farmer’s income. • These are: o Tropical Tasar Silkworm (BDR-10) race: This race will be of useful for farmers of Jharkhand, Chattishgarh, Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh. o Multivoltine x Bivoltine Mulberry hybrid (PM x FC2) race: This race will be of useful for farmers of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Maharashtra. o Eri Silkworm (C2) race: This race will be of useful for farmers of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. • About Central Silk Board o Central Silk Board is a statutory body, under the administrative control of the Ministry of Textiles. o It was Established in 1948 and is headquartered in Bangalore. o K. M. Hanumantharayappa is the chairman of Silk Board. • Mulberry silk, Tasar silk, Muga silk, and Eri silk are four natural silk found in India. Mulberry silk contributes to more than 80% of the silk produced in the country.
PARLIAMENTARY PANEL ASKS GOVT TO CONTAIN RISING FOOD SUBSIDY BILL
• A Parliamentary panel asked the government to make vigorous efforts to explore new avenues to contain the rising food subsidy bill which is pegged at Rs 1,38,123 crore for the current fiscal.
Food Subsidy Bill
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o As per the provisions of the food law, the government sells 5 kg of highly subsidised foodgrains per person, per month at a central issue price (CIP) of Rs 1-3 per kg via the public distribution system (PDS), known as ration shops. o The required foodgrains for the subsidised sale via PDS are purchased by state-run Food Corporation of India (FCI) at an economic cost, which includes MSP and other charges
Recommendations
o A careful relook at the widening gap between CIP and economic cost of wheat and rice vis-a-vis the increase in MSP of wheat and rice in order to contain, if not reduce the ever increasing food subsidy bill. o The panel noted that the minimum support price (MSP) of wheat and rice has been increased since 2004-05 but the CIP has not been revised since 2002. o The MSP of wheat has increased from Rs 630 per quintal in 2004-05 to Rs 1,735 per quintal in 2018-19. o Similarly, the MSP of paddy has increased from Rs 560 per quintal to Rs 1,550 per quintal in 2017-18. o The panel advised the government to rationalize the prices with MSP.
TRAI CALLS FOR ZERO TELECOM EQUIPMENT IMPORTS BY 2022
• The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on August 3, 2018 suggested that India should aim at net zero imports of telecommunications equipment by 2022. • The recommendations are aimed at enabling Indian telecom equipment manufacturing sector to transition from an import-dependent sector to a global hub of indigenous manufacturing. • What needs to be done? o Setting up of a Rs 1,000 crore Telecom Research and Development Fund (TRDF) for promoting research and innovation in the sector. o Telecom Equipment Manufacturing Council (TEMC), should identify and recommend specific areas of priorities. o Setting up of Telecom Entrepreneurship Promotion Fund(TEPF) and Telecom Manufacturing Promotion Fund(TMPF) should also be considered. • Status of Telecom Equipment Trade o As per available data, the export of telecom instruments stood at $1,201.7 million in 2017-18 while imports totalled $21,847.92 million.
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
ISRO UNVEILS PLAN OF GAGANYAAN PROGRAMME
• The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) recently unveiled the details of the Gaganyaan mission for manned space flight before 2022. • The Gaganyaan mission was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his 72nd Independence Day speech. • PM Modi announced that this manned space mission will take Indian astronauts to space on board 'Gaganyaan' by 2022. • India will become the fourth nation in the world to launch a Human Spaceflight Mission. So far, only the USA, Russia and China have launched human spaceflight missions. • Gaganyaan: o Prior to the actual launch of this manned mission by 2022, the ISRO will launch two unmanned Gaganyaan missions. o GSLV Mk-III launch vehicle, having the necessary payload capability for this mission, will be used to launch Gaganyaan. o The spacecraft will be placed in a low earth orbit of 300-400 km. o The spacecraft will comprise of a crew module and service module that constitute an orbital module. o It weighs approximately 7 tonnes, and will be carried by a rocket. o The mission will send a three-member crew to space for a period of five to seven days. o The crew will be selected by Indian Air Force (IAF) and ISRO jointly after which they will undergo training for two-three years. o The crew, while coming back to the Earth, could land in the Arabian Sea off the Gujarat coast or in the Bay of Bengal or even on land. o The programme is expected to be completed before 2022 with first unmanned flight within 30 months.
CENTRE TO IMPLEMENT O-SMART SCHEME
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on August 29, 2018 gave its approval for implementation of an umbrella scheme ‘Ocean Services, Technology, Observations, Resources Modelling and Science
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(O-SMART)’. The scheme covers a total of 16 sub-projects, which address ocean development activities such as services, technology, resources, observations and science. Benefits under the O-SMART Scheme:
• The implementation of the scheme will help address issues related to Sustainable Development Goal-14, which emphasises on the conservation of the oceans and marine resources. • The state-of-art early warning systems established under the scheme will help in effectively dealing with ocean disasters such as storm surges and tsunami. • Besides, the technologies developed under the scheme will help in harnessing the vast ocean resources of both living and non-living resources from seas across India.
Significance:
• India is aiming to create a blue economy for effective and efficient use of the vast ocean resources in a sustainable way, which would require a great deal of information on ocean science, development of technology and providing services. • Under the (O-SMART) scheme, the Ministry envisages the continuation of coastal research and marine biodiversity activities, which are important in the context of achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goal-14 to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. • The ocean advisory services and technologies being rendered and developed under the scheme will play a significant role in the development activities over dozen sectors, working in the marine environment including the coastal states of India, contributing significantly to the GDP.
HORIZON 2020: INDIA, EU JOIN HANDS TO DEVELOP NEXT GENERATION INFLUENZA VACCINE
• The European Union (EU) and India announced that they will engage together on research and innovation to develop a Next Generation Influenza Vaccine to protect citizens worldwide. • In total, EUR 30 million (or approximately INR 240 crs.) has been earmarked for research and innovation actions which aim at advancing the efficacy, safety, duration of immunity, and reactivity against an increased breadth of influenza strains. • Both the EU and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, have committed EUR 15 million each to fund this joint call. • The EU is funding this call under its programme
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for research and innovation 'Horizon 2020'. • This cooperation is another demonstration of the already robust cooperation between the EU and India based on the EU-India Science & Technology Cooperation Agreement concluded in 2001 and renewed in 2015 until 2020. • On the mobility grants known as Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCAs), which are part of Horizon 2020, India ranks first in terms of number of beneficiaries from third countries followed by China and the USA.
DEADLY AFRICAN SWINE FEVER THREATENS ASIA: FAO
• The Korean peninsula and Southeast Asia may be next to report outbreaks of African swine fever after the rapid onset of the deadly pig disease in China, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. • China has culled more than 24,000 pigs in four provinces to stop the disease from proliferating, the FAO said in a statement. The first outbreak was reported in early August.
African Swine Fever
African swine fever is not harmful to humans but causes haemorrhagic fever in domesticated pigs and wild boar that almost always ends in death within a few days.
There is no antidote or vaccine, and the only known method to prevent the disease from spreading is a mass cull of the infected livestock.
NASA SPACECRAFT APPROACHES ASTEROID BENNU
• NASA has released the first images from its OSIRIS-REx mission on August 24, 2018. • The mission launched in September, 2016, and, since then, has been traveling toward asteroid Bennu. • Now it’s in the final approach phase of the mission, which is due to arrive at the asteroid on December 3. • OSIRIS-Rex o Full form: Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer o OSIRIS-REx is NASA’s first mission to visit a near-Earth asteroid, survey the surface, collect a sample and deliver it back to Earth. o That asteroid sample is expected to return to Earth via free fall from space, until it reaches an altitude of 20.8 miles (33.5 km), when a first parachute will deploy.
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CHINA SUCCESSFULLY SENDS TWIN NAVIGATION SATELLITES INTO SPACE
• China on Aug 25 successfully sent twin BeiDou navigation satellites into space on a single carrier rocket. • The Long March-3B carrier rocket lifted off from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province. • Named after the Chinese term for the Big Dipper, the BeiDou system started serving China in 2000 and the Asia-Pacific region in 2012.
BeiDou Navigation Satellites
BeiDou is 2nd generation of Chinese homegrown navigational system seen as rival to US’s Global Positioning System (GPS). The first BeiDou satellite was sent into space in 2000.
The system became operational in December 2011, with constellation of 10 satellites providing services in China only. In December 2012, it began offering services to Asia Pacific Region. On its completion in 2020, it will provide services to global customers.
FABCI: IIT HYDERABAD LAUNCHES EXCLUSIVE INCUBATOR TO BOOST CHIP DESIGN
• Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad (IIT-H) has launched “Fabless Chip Design Incubator (FabCI)”, an exclusive incubator to boost chip design. • It is first of its kind in India that will focus on creating an ecosystem for start-ups in chip design. • Fabless Chip Design Incubator (FabCI) o FabCI is funded by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeITY). o FabCI’s purpose is to incubate at least 50 ‘Make-in-India’ chip design companies that can compete globally and generate Intellectual Property Rights. o It will also offer virtual support to non-Hyderabad start-ups which can join FabCI and leverage the offerings and participate remotely.
NASA TRACKS THE RAIN BEHIND KERALA FLOODS
• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) has released a video which is tracking monsoon rains behind Kerala floods. • The video is created using satellite data that provides an estimate of the intense rainfall over India in the past week and shows the spread of the severe flooding in the state of Kerala and parts of Karnataka. • According to Nasa statement, rainfall accumulations from August 13 to 20 showed two bands of heavy rain across India.
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o The first band appeared much broader and extends across the northern part of the peninsula with weekly rainfall totals ranging from over 5 inches towards the western half of the peninsula to as much as 14 inches over parts of the eastern half towards the Bay of Bengal. o The second band appeared more concentrated and intense and is closely aligned with the southwest coast of India and the Western Ghats where onshore flow was enhanced by an area of low pressure embedded within the general monsoon. • Although the extreme Himalayan topography is much more well-known, another contributing factor to the heavy rains along the southwest coast of India is the Western Ghats. • As a result, the Western Ghats are well positioned to enhance rainfall along the West Coast of India as they intercept the moisture laden air being drawn in off the warm waters of the northern Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea as part of the southwest monsoon circulation.
Instruments used to track
The Integrated Multi-satellite Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) is used to estimate precipitation from a combination of passive microwave sensors, including microwave sensor and infrared data.
GPM is the Global Precipitation Measurement mission core satellite and is a joint mission between Nasa and the Japan Aerospace Agency, JAXA.
DRAFT POLICY FOR PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF HEMOGLOBINOPATHIES UNVEILED
• The Centre has prepared a draft policy proposing compulsory genetic screening of all pregnant women to prevent inherited disorders such as thalassemia and sickle cell anaemia along with putting in place advanced facilities for comprehensive care of such patients. • Titled "Policy for Prevention and Control of Hemoglobinopathies Thalassemia, Sickle Cell Disease and variant Hemoglobins In India has been recently released. • The policy recognises that for prevention, the focus should be on creating awareness of these disorders in the community for better acceptance of carrier screening. • This is recommended for all pregnant mothers, based on automated red cell counts with confirmation by HPLC analysis for HB A2 and other hemoglobin variants. • Thalassemia and sickle cell diseases are two common genetic disorders that are chronic, life- restricting and require long and specialized treatment. • They cause severe distress and financial loss to the family and are a great drain on the health resources of the country. • According to the draft note, it is estimated that there are almost 3.6 to 3.9 crore carriers of - thalassemia in India, and about 10,000 to 15,000 babies with -thalassemia major are born each year. • The draft note has recommended creation of a hemoglobinopathy unit in government medical colleges, tertiary care facilities as well as in district level hospitals to carry out therapy as well as preventive activities.
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CYCLONE WARNING CENTRE TO BE SET UP IN THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
• The Union Ministry of Earth Sciences has announced it will set up a cyclone warning centre in Kerala to boost weather forecasting in the state with another Doppler radar. The new centre will be set up in Thiruvananthapuram. • Currently, there are two Doppler radars in the state, at Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, which cover the central and southern districts, respectively. • At present, India Meteorological Centre (IMD) has six cyclone warning centres: Chennai; Visakhapatnam; Bhubaneswar; Kolkata; Ahmedabad and Mumbai
Doppler radar
It is specifically radar used to figure out the speed of an object'. Doppler radar works using the knowledge that waves produced by an object will be squashed closer together if it's moving towards you, or spread further apart if it's moving away.
INTERNATIONAL SCIENTISTS INCLUDING INDIANS DECODE COMPLEX WHEAT GENOME
• A team of international researchers have decoded the wheat genome. The international team includes 18 scientists from India. Decoding the wheat genome had been considered insurmountable so far. • The information generated will help in identifying genes controlling complex agronomic traits such as yield, grain quality, resistance to diseases and pests, as well as tolerance to drought, heat, water logging and salinity. • The reference genome covers 94 per cent (14.5 Gb) of the entire wheat genome. • The bread wheat has a complex hexaploid genome which is 40 times larger than that of the rice genome and 5 times larger than the human genome. • Impact: o The availability of high quality reference genome would accelerate the breeding of climate-resilient wheat varieties to feed the ever-increasing world population and help address global food security.
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HELIUM TURNS 150 ON AUGUST 18, 2018
• The element Helium (He) was discovered by astronomers 150 years ago on August 18 in 1868 while studying the total solar eclipse from Guntur, a coastal district of Andhra Pradesh. • The Helium was discovered by a team of Madras Observatory led by Norman Robert Pogson. The Madras Observatory now houses the Nungambakkam Meteorological Observatory. • How it was discovered? o The aim of the astronomers was to study corona the outer layer of the sun, only visible during a total solar eclipse, and confirm a proposition put forth by Gustav Kirchoff and Robert Bunsen – that all materials radiate light of a characteristic colour when they are hot. o However, Pogson had a hunch that the bright yellow line they saw in the sun’s spectrum was not due to the presence of sodium, known for its yellow flame, in the sun’s atmosphere, but a hitherto unknown element. o This hunch was confirmed by Joseph Norman Lockyer, who also gave it the name of helium – as helios refers to the sun. o It was only in 1895, more than 25 years later, that helium was isolated in the lab by William Ramsey. o The story of discovery of Helium has been penned by Dr Biman Nath, an astrophysicist from Raman Research Institute, Bengaluru, in his book THE STORY OF HELIUM AND THE BIRTH OF ASTROPHYSICS.
About Helium
Helium is a chemical element with symbol He and atomic number 2. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas, the first in the noble gas group in the periodic table. Its boiling point is the lowest among all the elements. It is the only element to have been seen in the sun before it was known to exist on earth.
MUMBAI GIVES INDIA ITS FIRST BABY PENGUIN
• The first Humboldt penguin to be born in India, or as someone put it, ‘the freedom baby’ was born on August 15, 2018 in the Byculla Zoo, Mumbai. • The new born guest weighed 75 gm and was reported to be healthy. The average weight of a healthy newborn penguin is 60-80 gm.
About Humboldt Penguin
The Humboldt penguin (SPHENISCUS HUMBOLDTI) is a South American penguin that breeds in coastal Chile and Peru. It is also termed as Peruvian penguin, or patranca.
The penguin is named after the cold water current it swims in, which is itself named after Alexander von Humboldt, an explorer. The species is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN.
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ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY ALLOWS SCIENTISTS TO TEST LAND FOR LIGO
• The Environment Ministry has allowed scientists to test the suitability of land in Maharashtra’s Hingoli district to host the LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory) project. • First of its kind astronomical observatory, LIGO Project involves constructing a network of L-shaped arms, each 4 KM long, which can detect the ripples from cosmic explosion. • LIGO-India is a collaboration between the LIGO Laboratory (operated by Caltech and MIT) and three Institutes in India – the Raja Ramanna Center for Advanced Technology (Indore), the Institute for Plasma Research (Ahmedabad), and the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (Pune). • However, the construction of a LIGO site requires a flat surface for almost 100 KM. There are only three LIGO sites in the world and all three, viz., Hanford, Livingston, Caltech, are situated in the US. • In 2017, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Rainer Weiss, Kip Thorne and Barry C. Barish "for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves • Benefits: o LIGO-India will add to the existing network of detectors that identify sources of measurable gravitational waves such as black holes, neutron stars and supernovae. o LIGO-India will also bring considerable opportunities in cutting edge technology for the Indian industry, which may have many military applications. o Scientists have long believed that measurement of gravitational waves can help us better understand the structure of neutron stars, the location and distribution of black holes in space and the physical processes that occurred during the Big Bang.
FALL ARMYWORM: AN INVASIVE PEST THREATENING ASIA'S FOOD SECURITY
• According to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); an "invasive pest", recently detected in India that devours more than 80 different plant species including many staple crops, could threaten the food security and livelihoods of millions of small-scale farmers in Asia. • Fall Armyworm: o The invasive pest is called Fall Armyworm.
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
o Fall Armyworm could have a devastating impact on Asia's maize and rice producers - mostly small-scale farmers who depend on their crops for food and to make a living. o China is the second-largest maize-producing country in the world, and over 90 per cent of the world's rice is produced and consumed in the Asia-Pacific region. o Fall Armyworm, a pest which feeds on maize and other key crops, was first noticed in Shivamogga district in Karnataka in May this year. o The fear is that Fall Armyworm, which can fly 100 kilometres at night, could chomp through crops year-round, given the region's "favourable" climate. o It was first detected in Nigeria in January 2016. Two years later, it had spread to practically all of sub-Saharan Africa, with the exception of 10 mostly northern countries and territories.
NEW DRUG MAB114 BEING USED TO TREAT PATIENTS WITH EBOLA IN CONGO
• Doctors in Democratic Republic of Congo had started to use a novel treatment called mAb114 to treat patients with Ebola. It is developed in the United States. • The prototype drug is a so-called single monoclonal antibody - a protein that binds on to a specific target of the virus and triggers the body's immune system to destroy the invader. • In May, the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) said it was carrying out the first human trials of mAb114 to test it for safety and tolerance. • Ebola: o Ebola causes serious illness including vomiting, diarrhoea and in some cases internal and external bleeding. It is often fatal if untreated. o In the worst Ebola epidemic, the disease struck the West African states of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in 2013-15, killing more than 11 300 people. o Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is a rare and deadly disease most commonly affecting people and nonhuman primates (monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees). o Ebola virus was first discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Five Strains of Ebola Virus
It is caused by an infection with one of five known Ebola virus species, four of which can cause disease in people: Ebola virus (Zaire ebolavirus); Sudan virus (Sudan ebolavirus); Taï Forest virus (Taï Forest ebolavirus); Bundibugyo virus (Bundibugyo ebolavirus); and Reston virus (Reston ebolavirus) - known to cause disease in nonhuman primates and pigs, but not in people.
CENTRE UNLOCKS OVER RS 66000 CRORE GREEN FUND TO INCREASE COUNTRY'S FOREST COVER
• The Union Government has unlocked green funds worth over Rs 66,000 crore to increase the country’s forest cover.
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
• The fund is an accumulated amount of money, which user agencies have been depositing as compensation for diverting forest land for non-forest purposes, including industries and infrastructure, since the past 10 years. • Major Highlights: o The rules specify that 80 per cent of the green fund will be utilised by the states for green activities listed under 13 permissible activities. o The activities include plantation, assisted natural regeneration of forests, forest fire prevention, pest and disease control in forest, soil and moisture conservation works and improvement of wildlife habitat among others. o The remaining 20 percent will be used for 11 listed works to strengthen forest and wildlife protection related infrastructure. o The list includes third-party monitoring of works, forest certification, and development of certification standards and casual hiring of local people to assist forest department staff. • Forest Cover in India: o According to India State of Forest Report (SFR) 2017; India has about 7, 08,273 sq kms of forest, which is 21.53 percent of the geographical area of the country. o The Indian Government aims to increase the area under forest cover in the nation to at least 33 per cent. o Currently, 15 States and union territories have 33 per cent of their geographical area under forests. o However, in India’s north-east, forest cover showed a decrease in comparison to the assessment made in 2015.
INDIA TO LAUNCH CHANDRAYAAN 2 IN JANUARY 2019
• India will launch its second lunar mission on 3 January 2019 to land on moon with a lander and rover. • 800 Cr Lunar mission called Chandrayaan 2 comes after 10 years of Chandrayaan 1 mission launched in 2008. • Chandrayaan 2: o The 3,890-kg Chandrayaan-2, which will be launched onboard the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mk-3, will orbit around the moon and study its lunar conditions to collect data on its topography, mineralogy and exosphere.
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
o Chandrayaan-2, India's second mission to the Moon is a totally indigenous mission comprising of an Orbiter, Lander and Rover. After reaching the 100 km lunar orbit, the Lander housing the Rover will separate from the Orbiter. o The mission will carry a six-wheeled Rover which will move around the landing site in semi-autonomous mode as decided by the ground commands. o The lander has been named "Vikram" as a tribute to the pioneer of India's space programme and former ISRO chairman (1963-71), Vikram Sarabhai. o This is the first time India will have a rover landing on the moon nearly 50 years after American astronaut Neil Armstrong walked on the eerie lunar surface in 1969.
Chandrayaan 1
Chandrayaan-1 was India's first lunar probe. It was launched aboard PSLV-XL C11 by the Indian Space Research Organisation on 22 October 2008, and operated until August 2009. The mission included a lunar orbiter and an impactor.
PARKER SOLAR PROBE MISSION TO 'TOUCH THE SUN’ LAUNCHED
• US space agency NASA has launched its mission to send a satellite closer to the Sun than any before. • The Parker Solar Probe rocket lifted off from Florida, USA. • The probe is set to become the fastest-moving manmade object in history. • What will the probe do? o The probe aims to dip directly into our star's outer atmosphere, or corona. o Over the course of seven years, Parker will make 24 loops around our star to study the physics of the corona, the place where much of the important activity that affects the Earth seems to originate. o The probe will dip inside this tenuous atmosphere, sampling conditions, and getting to just 6.16 million km from the Sun's broiling "surface". • Its Importance: o The Sun is constantly bombarding the Earth with charged particles and magnetic fields. o This solar wind is responsible for generating the beautiful auroral lights that appear in polar skies, but there are some interactions that initiate much more troubling effects. o The biggest outbursts from the Sun will rattle the Earth's magnetic field. o In the process, communications may be disrupted, satellites can be knocked offline, and power grids will be vulnerable to electrical surges.
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
o Scientists try to forecast these "storms" and Parker promises new and valuable information to help them do that.
CSIR’S NEW PATENTED CLOT BUSTER, PEGYLATED STREPTOKINASE UNVEILED
• A novel biological entity developed by Dr. Girish Sahni and his team of inventors at CSIR- Institute of Microbial Technology (CSIR-IMTECH), Chandigarh is all set to revolutionize the treatment of ischemic strokes. • Ischemic Stroke: o Ischemic stroke is a condition caused by a dysfunction in the supply of blood to the brain due to emboli, thrombus or atherosclerosis occurring in cerebral arteries. o According to the American Stroke Association (ASA), brain strokes are the second leading cause of death in the world with a staggering 15 million people effected causing 11 million people either die or become permanently disabled. o Surprisingly, the prevalence of stroke is much higher in India than the West and about 87% of all strokes are ischemic strokes.
INTERNET DOMAIN NAMES IN INDIAN LANGUAGES SOON
• The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the non-profit corporation with the responsibility for Internet's Domain Name System (DNS) management worldwide, has been on the job to support domain names in numerous languages spoken in India. • Work is on for nine Indian scripts - Bengali, Devanagari, Gujarati, Gurmukhi, Kannada, Malayalam, Oriya, Tamil and Telugu. • The proposals for six scripts - Devanagari, Gujarati, Gurmukhi, Kannada, Oriya and Telugu - are already released for public comment.
WEB PORTAL ‘PARIVESH’ LAUNCHED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCE
• The Prime Minister Narendra Modi, launched PARIVESH on the occasion of World Biofuel Day on August 10, 2018. • PARIVESH stands for Pro-Active and Responsive facilitation by Interactive, Virtuous and Environmental Single-window Hub. • PARIVESH is a Single-Window Integrated Environmental Management System, developed in pursuance of the spirit of ‘Digital India’. • PARIVESH automates the entire process of submitting the application and tracking the status of such proposals at each stage of processing.
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KHANGCHENDZONGA BIOSPHERE RESERVE INCLUDED IN WORLD NETWORK OF BIOSPHERE RESERVES
• The Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve has become the 11th Biosphere Reserve from India that has been included in the UNESCO designated World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR). • The decision to include Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve in WNBR was taken at the 30th Session of International Coordinating Council (ICC) of Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme of UNESCO held at Indonesia's Palembang from July 23 to July 27. • It includes a range of ecolines, varying from sub-tropic to Arctic, as well as natural forests in different biomes that support an immensely rich diversity of forest types and habitats. • India has 18 Biosphere Reserves and with the inclusion of Khangchendzonga, the number of internationally designated WNBR has become 11. • 7 Biosphere Reserves is domestic Biosphere Reserves. • Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve in Sikkim is one of the highest ecosystems in the world, reaching elevations of 1, 220 metres above sea-level.
CHINESE SCIENTISTS CREATE FIRST SINGLE-CHROMOSOME YEAST
• Chinese scientists claimed to have created the first single-chromosome yeast while not affecting the majority of its functions. The paper was published on the website of journal NATURE. • The scientists managed to fit nearly all the genetic material of Brewer’s Yeast into just one chromosome while not affecting the majority of its functions. • CRISPR-Cas9 genome-editing used o The team used CRISPR-Cas9 genome-editing to create a single-chromosome yeast strain. Using this method, they first removed the DNA at the TELOMERES, the ends of chromosomes that protect them from degrading. o Then, they also snipped out the centromeres, sequences in the middle that are important to DNA replication • What would be Impact? o The breakthrough could help in furthering research related to aging and diseases in humans. o The research may also pave the way for new man-made species in the future. • What is Brewer’s Yeast? o Yeast is a type of eukaryote, which also includes humans, plants and animals. Brewer’s yeast, whose one-third genome is said to share ancestry with humans, has 16 chromosomes.
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
SPORTS
NATIONAL SPORTS DAY: AUGUST 29
• August 29, the birthday of hockey legend Major Dhyanchand, is celebrated as the National Sports Day. • Indian government also conducted the function to award the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and other sports awards.
Major Dhyan Chand:
The legendary hockey player was born on 29 August 1905 in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. He is widely considered as the greatest field hockey player of all time. He had started playing hockey only after joining the Army at the age of 16. He was famously known as ‘The Wizard’ for his superb ball control and had scored more than 1000 goals during his international career. He is mostly remembered for his extraordinary goal-scoring feats, in addition to earning 3 Olympic gold medals in field hockey in 1928 (Amsterdam), 1936 (Berlin).
INDIAN WOMEN WIN FIFTH CAROM WORLD CUP
• The Indian women outplayed Sri Lanka 3-0 in the team championship final of the fifth Carrom World Cup in Chuncheon, Korea. • Rashmi Kumari, Kajal Kumari and S Apporva helped India beat Sri Lanka without dropping a game for the women’s title.
LALCHAND RAJPUT APPOINTED HEAD COACH OF ZIMBABWE CRICKET TEAM
• Former India opener Lalchand Rajput has been appointed as the head coach of Zimbabwe's national team. • Rajput played two Tests and four ODIs for India and was a consistent performer for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy. • He was the cricket manager of the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Indian team which lifted the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007. • He was also the Indian team's cricket manager when it clinched the ODI series in Australia in 2008.
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
JHULAN GOSWAMI ANNOUNCES HER RETIREMENT FROM T20 INTERNATIONALS
• Veteran Indian women's team pacer Jhulan Goswami announced her retirement from T20 Internationals, effectively ruling her out for the ICC World T20 in West Indies in November 2018 • She played 68 T20 Internationals and took 56 wickets at an economy rate of 5.45. • The 35-year-old will only play ODIs (as India don't play Test cricket), in which format she is the world's highest wicket-taker with 200 scalps from 169 games.
DJOKOVIC WINS CINCINNATI OPEN, BECOMES FIRST ‘CAREER GOLDEN MASTER’
• Novak Djokovic became the first player to win all nine Masters 1,000 tournaments with victory over Roger Federer in Cincinnati Open Final. • He has become the first player ever to complete a Golden Masters—having won all nine ATP Masters 1000 events at least once in their career.
MITCHELL JOHNSON RETIRES FROM ALL CRICKET
• Former Australia fast bowler Mitchell Johnson has confirmed his retirement from all format of cricket. He played 73 Tests for Australia, claiming 313 wickets. • He also claimed 239 wickets in 153 one-day internationals, and 38 wickets in 30 T20 internationals for Australia.
INDIA WINS SAFF U-15 WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP
• Indian girls clinched the SAFF U-15 title after defeating defending champions Bangladesh by 1- 0 in the final played at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimpu. • Sunita Munda struck the lone goal in the final in the 67th minute. • Priyanka Devi was adjudged the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. • Coached by Firmin D'Souza, the Indian U-15 team scored 16 goals in four matches and conceded only one goal. • In 2017, Indian girls were runner-up after losing the final to Bangladesh.
INDIA'S ESOW ALBEN WINS SILVER AT UCI JUNIOR TRACK CYCLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
• Teen cyclist Esow Alben has scripted history by claiming India’s first ever medal, a silver at the UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships in Aigle, Switzerland.
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• The 17-year-old finished just 0.017 seconds behind gold medallist Czech Republic’s Jakub Stastny. • He became the world No. 1 in junior sprint category after a sensational run in the Asian Championships and victories in the 2018 Cottbuser Sprint Cup 2, GP Brno Track Cycling competitions.
NIHAL SARIN BECOMES INDIA’S 53RD GRANDMASTER
• 14 years Nihal Sarin became India’s 53rd grandmaster after winning at the Abu Dhabi Masters on Aug 14. • He is only the third grandmaster from Kerala after GN Gopal and SL Narayanan.
RAMESH POWAR NAMED HEAD COACH OF WOMEN'S NATIONAL CRICKET TEAM
• Former India spinner Ramesh Powar was named head coach of the women's national team on Monday, till the ICC World T20 scheduled to be held in November 2018. • Powar has played 31 ODIs and two Tests from 2004 to 2007, picking 34 wickets with a best of 54 in the 50-over format. • Note: As per the Supreme Court directive, only a Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) can appoint a full-time coach on a long-term basis.
BROOKS KOEPKA WINS 100TH PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
• American Brooks Koepka won his second major of 2018 by defeating Tiger Woods to claim the US PGA Championship. • Koepka became the first man since Woods in 2000 to win the US Open and US PGA in the same season.
SC APPROVES DRAFT CONSTITUTION OF BCCI WITH SOME MODIFICATIONS
• The Supreme Court has approved the draft Constitution for Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) with some modifications. • The apex court also granted membership to Saurashtra, Vadodara, Mumbai and Vidarbha cricket associations. • The court also restored full BCCI membership of Railways, Services and Association of Universities, which were cancelled on recommendations of the Supreme Court-appointed Lodha panel. • The court also asked the state cricket associations to adopt BCCI's constitution within a month of the order and intimate the SC-appointed Committee of Administrators (COA) regarding the same.
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
• The apex court also modified its earlier order on the 'One State, One Vote' policy for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) members. • The judgment restored the voting rights of the cricket associations of Gujarat and Maharashtra including Baroda, Saurashtra, Vidarbha and others. • What was Lodha Committee recommendations that has been altered? o The ‘One State, One Vote' policy was recommended by the R.M. Lodha Committee. The Lodha panel was formed in January 2015 in the wake of the justice Mukul Mudgal Committee report that called for reforms within the BCCI. o Some of the recommendations of the panel have led to disagreement between the Lodha committee and the BCCI. These recommendations were - one vote per state, one person-one post, age cap for office-bearers, and the cooling-off period.
INDIAN MEN'S HOCKEY TEAM JUMPS ONE SPOT TO 5TH IN FIH RANKINGS
• Indian Men’s Hockey Team was ranked 5th position in the latest FIH rankings release on Aug 7. Australia is currently the No.1 team in world rankings. • International Hockey Federation (FIH) also ranked the Indian Women’s Hockey Team at 9th position. • The Indian women's team is the ranked highest in Asia, ahead of the likes of Korea (10th), China (11th) and Japan (14th).
CENTRE URGES ALL STATES TO ENFORCE 2011 SPORTS CODE
• Sports Ministry has urged all states to enforce the 2011 Sports Code so that it is followed by the state federations who must ensure 'free and transparent' election process. • What is Sports Code 2011? o The National Sports Development Code was released in 2011. o It contains all guidelines issued by the Government of India from time to time to promote good governance in the management of sports development, including sporting excellence, in the country. o National Sports Federations (NSFs) availing of government grants was declared as public authorities and brought under purview of the Right to Information Act, 2005.
NETHERLANDS WINS WOMEN’S HOCKEY WORLD CUP
• Netherlands were crowned Women's Hockey World Cup winners for a record eighth time. • Netherland defeated Ireland by 6-0 in the finals. • Women’s Hockey World Cup 2018 was played in London from 21 July to 5 August. • Spain beat Australia 3-1 in the bronze-medal match to win Bronze medal. • Individual Awards o Player of the Tournament: Lidewij Welten (Netherlands) o Top Goal scorer: Kitty van Male (Netherlands)
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o Goalkeeper of the Tournament: Ayeisha McFerran (Ireland) o Young Player of the Tournament: Lucina von der Heyde (Argentina)
P V SINDHU WINS SILVER IN WORLD BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIPS
• PV Sindhu won silver medal at the BWF World Championships 2018. • She lost to Carolina Marin of Spain in the final by 21-19, 21-10. • BWF Wrold Championship 2018 was held in Nanjing, China. • This is Sindhu's second silver and fourth medal at the World level events.
GOLFER GAGANJEET BHULLAR GRABBED HIS MAIDEN EUROPEAN TOUR TITLE
• Indian golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar won his maiden European title by defeating Australian Anthony Quayle at the Fiji International. • It was Bhullar's first win on the European Tour, ninth Asian Tour title and 10th crown overall. • He now becomes the most successful Indian player on Asian Tour, overtaking the tally of eight tour wins by Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa.
LOK SABHA PASSES NATIONAL SPORTS UNIVERSITY BILL, 2018
• A Bill to establish a National Sports University in Manipur to promote sports education was passed by the Lok Sabha on August 3, 2018. • The National Sports University Bill, 2018, which seeks to replace an ordinance promulgated on May 31, was passed by a voice vote. • Main Provisions o The university, first of its kind, would be set up in Manipur at a cost of Rs 524 crore to promote sports coaching and research. o A sportsperson will be the university vice chancellor, while its academic council will also comprise sports personalities. o The proposed university would also function as the national training centre for select sports disciplines by adopting best international practices. o The Bill empowers the university to establish ‘Outlying Campuses’ throughout the country and also outside India. • In order to make the university a world-class institution, the Union Government has signed an agreement with two Australian universities — University of Canberra and Victoria University — for development of curriculum, research facilities and laboratories, among others.
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
STATE
ASSAM GOVERNMENT EXTENDS AFSPA FOR ANOTHER SIX MONTHS
The Assam government on Saturday announced that it had extended the implementation of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in the state for 6 more months. The Home and Political Department of Assam on February 28 declared the whole state a “disturbed area” under the 1958 Act. AFSPA in Assam:
• AFSPA was promulgated in Assam in November 1990 by the Centre and the entire state was declared a “disturbed area” as the activities of Ulfa were at their peak. • AFSPA is in how many states? • It is now in force in Jammu and Kashmir and six Northeast states — Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland.
ARUNACHAL PASSES BILL FOR CREATION OF 3 NEW DISTRICTS
The Arunachal Pradesh Assembly on Aug 29 passed a bill for the creation of three new districts. The proposed three states will be , Pakke-Kesang, Lepa Rada and Shi Yomi. The Three New Districts:
• The Pakke-Kessang district will be carved out of East Kameng district with five administrative units namely Pakke-Kessangn, Seijosa, Pijiriang, Passa Valley and Dissingn Passo with district headquarters at Lemmi. • The Lepa Rada district would be created by bifurcating the Lower Siang district with headquarters at Basar. • The Shi-Yomi district would be created by bifurcating the West Siang district with its headquarters at Tato.
ODISHA LAUNCHES 'MU HERO, MU ODISHA' PROGRAMME
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
• Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched ‘Mu Hero, Mu Odisha’ campaign aimed at identifying and recognising hidden talents. • ‘Mu Hero, Mu Odisha’ campaign will be a part of Biju Yuva Vahini, a voluntary programme that aims at promoting youths at grassroots level to be a part of various social and community engagement activities. • Under the campaign, six specially-decorated vehicles will cover all 314 blocks and 113 urban local bodies over a period of four months.
PUNJAB CABINET OKAYS PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO POLICE ACT
• The Punjab Cabinet has approved proposed amendments to the Punjab Police Act 2007, which would enable the setting up of a commission for selection of Director General of Police. • The Punjab Police Act 2007, enacted on February 5, 2008, did not provide for selection of DGP from the panel as prepared by UPSC. • Earlier this month, the state government had decided to amend Punjab Police Act 2007 to enable the constitution of a state police commission for appointment of DGP, while deciding to seek a review of the Supreme Court order of July 3, 2018, directing states to choose and appoint their DGP from a panel which will be constituted by the UPSC based on the concerned state government's proposals. • In its July 3, 2018 orders, the SC had directed states that "when they anticipate vacancy in the post of DG, they shall send their proposals to the Union Public Service Commission well in time, ie.at least three months prior to the date of retirement of the incumbent. The UPSC shall then prepare the panel as per the directions of the judgment reported in (2006) 8 SCC 1, out whom the state shall pick its DG."
NEW CHHATTISGARH CAPITAL TO BE NAMED ATAL NAGAR
• Chhattisgarh’s proposed capital, Naya Raipur, will now be named Atal Nagar after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. • Also Bilaspur University, the newly-built medical college in Rajnandgaon, the Marwa Thermal Power Plant in Janjgir-Champa district, and the under-construction expressway in Raipur will also be named after Vajpayee.
PUNJAB OKAYS NEW BILL ON OFFICE OF PROFIT FOR MLAS
• The Punjab cabinet on Tuesday paved the way for allowing MLAs to hold office of profit by amending the Punjab State Legislature (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1952, that prohibits elected representatives from doing so. • It will entitle MLAs to a compensatory allowance along with pay and perks of a legislator.
Constitutional Stand
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
Articles 102(1)(a) and 191(1)(a) of the Constitution bar an MP or MLA from holding an office of profit — a position that can yield some financial benefit.
It can attract disqualification from either House of Parliament, if he holds any office of profit under the Government of India or any state government, other than an office declared by Parliament by law that does not disqualify its holder.
Under the Representation of People Act too, holding an office of profit is ground for disqualification.
TELANGANA CM LAUNCHES INSURANCE SCHEME FOR FARMERS
• The Telangana government has launched Rs.5 lakh insurance programme for farmers in the state. • It is first of its kind, under which their families will get the amount irrespective of whether the death is natural or accidental. • However, the scheme is limited to farmers aged between 18 and 60 years. • The scheme is continuous, as eligible farmers will be added and those who become ineligible (after crossing 60 years) will be removed from it.
GOWARIS SHOULD GET BENEFITS AS ST COMMUNITY: BOMBAY HC
• The Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court has ruled that Gowari community in Maharashtra should get benefits under the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category. • The court pointed out that Gowaris were categorised as a tribe more than hundred years ago in the records of British India.
Who are Gowaris?
Gowaris are mainly located in Vidarbha in Maharashtra and have a population of about 15 lakh. Their current status in Maharashtra is as Special Backward Class (SBC). Central government treats them as OBCs.
ONE DISTRICT ONE PRODUCT SUMMIT INAUGURATED
• President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the 'One District One Product' Summit in Lucknow. • The summit was organised by the Uttar Pradesh government to give boost to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) in every district. • During the summit, with a tagline of 'Nayi Udaan, Nayi Pehchaan’, the President also distributed loan sanction papers worth Rs 1006 crore to 4,085 artisans from 75 districts. • Two MoU also signed with Amazon and Quality Control of India (QCI). Amazon will market the local product in these districts and QCI will ensure quality.
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
OPERATION ‘MADAD’ LAUNCHED BY SOUTHERN NAVAL COMMAND
• Southern Naval Commando, Kochi on August 10, 2018 launched the Operation ‘Madad’ to help Kerala state administration and undertaking disaster relief operations in the state. • Two teams with Gemini boats commenced rescue operations at Kalpetta, Wayanad and at Panmarum. • Kerala is reeling under unprecedented flood situation owing to incessant rainfall and release of excess water from Idukki and other dams. So far, in Kerala floods 29 people have died.
MAHARASHTRA ANNOUNCES SPECIAL ASSISTANCE OF RS 500 CRORE FOR OBC COMMUNITY
• Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced that Rs 500 crore will be given to the OBC Corporation in the next two budgets to provide employment opportunities to youths from the OBC community. • Maharasthtra government has also sent a recommendation to the Central government for honouring Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and his wife Savitribai Phule---the social reformers of the 19th Century--with Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award. • In Maharashtra, the OBCs enjoy 17 per cent quota at present.
PRESIDENT INAUGURATES ‘FESTIVAL OF DEMOCRACY’ IN THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
• Indian President Shri Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the ‘Festival of Democracy’ in Thiruvananthapuram on August 6, 2018 to mark the conclusion of the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Kerala legislative assembly. • Kerala legislative assembly has completed 60 years of its existence. • Kerala as a new state came into being in 1956 when Travancore-Cochin state was merged with Malabar district of Madras and Kasaragod taluk of South Canara district. • E M S Namboodiripad became the first non-congress Chief Minister after the state formation in 1957.
SEVEN HIGH COURTS TO GET NEW CHIEF JUSTICES
• The central government has notified the appointment of Justices Vineet Saran, Indira Banerjee and KM Joseph to the Supreme Court. • List of new High Court Judges: o Odisha - Justice KS Jhaveri o Madras – Justice VK Kamlesh Tahilramani o Patna - Justice MK Shah o Delhi - Justice Rajendra Menon o Kerala - Justice Hrishikesh Roy
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
o Jammu & Kashmir – Justice Gita Roy o Jharkhand – Justice Anirudha Bose • How High Court Judges are appointed? o India has 24 high courts at various states. Any person who has practiced at least 10 years as a lawyer is eligible to get appointed as Judge of High Court. o In case of initial appointment of a Chief Justice of a High Court, the provisions of Article 217 will have to be followed. In the case of Jammu & Kashmir High Court, appointment of Chief Justice shall be made in accordance with section 95 of the Constitution of Jammu & Kashmir. o Transfer of Chief Justice from one High Court to another will be governed by the provision of Article 222.
DELHI SOUTH EAST DISTRICT BECOMES FIRST IN COUNTRY TO LAUNCH 'E-MALKHANAS'
• Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik on August 3, 2018 launched the first “digital Malkhana” or “e-Malkhana” in Sarita Vihar Police Station of Southeast district. The initiative seeks to digitise record keeping in Delhi Police Stations. • With this, the South East district of Delhi became the first such district in the country to launch “e-Malkhana”. • What is “E-Malkhana”? o Malkhana is a storage facility in police stations where case properties are kept for safe custody, whereas “E-Malkhana” is a mix of both software and process re- engineering solution using modern day inventory management system. o The data of the case property is first entered in the E-Malkhana software. After which a picture of the object is uploaded alongside the diary entry number and the information is processed by the software. A unique barcode ID is generated by the software. The beta version of this upgrade is under test. o It is the brainchild of Additional DCP Hareshwar Swami (now has been transferred to Daman & Diu). • Why Significant? o Digitalising the Malkhanas will make the records easily available for a long time. o Also, items in the Malkhana can be kept safe, clean and undamaged.
TELANGANA GOVT, TECH MAHINDRA SIGN MOU TO SET UP INDIA'S FIRST BLOCKCHAIN DISTRICT
• The Information Technology, Electronics and Communication Department (ITE&C) of the Telangana government signed a MoU with Tech Mahindra to launch India’s first blockchain district in Telangana. • The MoU was signed during the during the International Blockchain Technology Conference in Hyderabad.
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PERSON IN NEWS
KULDIP NAYAR, VETERAN JOURNALIST, PASSES AWAY
• Kuldip Nayar, veteran journalist and former Rajya Sabha MP, passed away on August 23, 2018 at the age of 95. • He was a former editor of Indian Exxpress who staunchly opposed the Emergency imposed by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975. • In the 90s, Nayar served as High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom. He was nominated to Rajya Sabha in 1997. • In 2015, he was honoured with the Ramnath Goenka Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to journalism. • He authored 15 books including “Beyond the Lines”, “India after Nehru” and “Emergency Retold”.
FORMER UN CHIEF KOFI ANNAN PASSES AWAY
• Kofi Annan, the only black African to become UN secretary-general, has died. The 80-year-old passed away peacefully on Aug 18 after a short illness. • Kofi Annan Short Biography: o 1938: Born in Kumasi, Ghana o 1962: Starts working at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland o 1993: Becomes Head of UN Peacekeeping Operations o 1997: Appointed seventh Secretary- General of the United Nations o 2001: Wins Nobel Peace Prize o 2006: Steps down as Secretary-General after 10 years o 2012: Becomes UN/Arab League Joint Special Envoy on the Syrian crisis o 2016: Leads the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, Myanmar • His Contributions as UN Secretary General: o He was the chief architect of introducing Millennium Development Goals at UN. It was an ambitious set of priorities to meet by 2015, from halving extreme poverty rates to halting the spread of HIV/Aids. o Annan served two terms as UN chief from 1997 to 2006, and was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work in 2001.
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SATYA S TRIPATHI APPOINTED UN ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL
• United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on 27 Aug announced the appointment of Satya S. Tripathi of India as Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the New York Office of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). • Satya S Tripathi o Mr. Tripathi has since 2017 served as Senior Adviser on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at UNEP. o A development economist and lawyer with over 35 years of experience, Mr. Tripathi has worked for the United Nations since 1998 in Europe, Asia and Africa on strategic assignments in sustainable development, human rights, democratic governance and legal affairs. o Mr. Tripathi holds honours, bachelor’s and master’s degrees in commerce; and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in law from Berhampur University, India.
EMMERSON MNANGAGWA TAKES OATH AS ZIMBABWE'S PRESIDENT
• Emmerson Mnangagwa was officially sworn in as president of Zimbabwe on Aug 27, 2018. • It was a bitterly contested election that marked the country’s first vote since Robert Mugabe was ousted from power. • After he abdicated his seat, the presidential contest was between Nelson Chamisa and Emmerson Mnangagwa, the former belonged to Movement for Democratic Change party and latter belonged to Zanu-PF party. • Emmerson won the election on 30 July with 50.8% of the vote – just enough to meet the 50% threshold needed to avoid a run-off against Chamisa, who scored 44.3%.
DR G. SATHEESH REDDY APPOINTED CHAIRMAN OF DRDO
• The Centre appointed eminent missile scientist Dr. G. Satheesh Reddy as the Chairman of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). He replaced Dr. S. Christopher who stepped down in May 2018. • As head of the Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad, he is credited with the indigenous development of seeker technology, a critical component in
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missiles. • The seeker technology, which determines the accuracy of a missile, is a closely guarded secret. • DRDO was formed in 1958 with its headquarter at DRDO Bhavan, New Delhi. The Motto is बलय मलंू �व�ानम ् ("Strength's Origin is in Science“)
SCOTT MORRISON BECOMES 30TH PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA
• Scott Morrison has become Australia's new prime minister after Malcolm Turnbull was forced out by Liberal Party rivals in a bruising leadership contest. • Morrison, the treasurer, won an internal ballot 45-40 over former Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton - who had been Turnbull's most vocal threat. • Turnbull is the fourth Australian PM in a decade to be ousted by colleagues and Morrison is the 30th Prime Minister of Australia. • Why is Australian politics so turbulent? o The past decade has been marked by a series of leadership coups, with three other sitting prime ministers deposed by party rivals. Not a single leader in recent times has succeeded in serving a full term as prime minister, partly because elections come around so often - every three years - two years less than in the UK.
RAVEENA TANDON BECOMES BRAND AMBASSADOR OF SANJAY GANDHI NATIONAL PARK
• The Maharasthra government has appointed Bollywood actor Ravina Tandon as the brand ambassador of the city-based Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in Mumbai. • SGNP is a vast treasure of flora and fauna in Mumbai city and it also provides water to a major part of the city.
GOVERNOR OF SEVEN STATES APPOINTED BY PRESIDENT
• President Ram Nath Kovind on Aug 21 appointed seven new governors. • List of new governors appointed in 7 states: o Lalji Tandon – Bihar (senior BJP leader from Uttar Pradesh) o Bihar Satyadev Narayan Arya – Haryana (senior BJP leader from Bihar) o Baby Rani Maurya – Uttrakhand o Ganga Prasad – Sikkim
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o Tathagata Roy – Meghalaya o Kaptan Singh Solanki – Tripura o Satya Pal Malik – Jammu and Kashmir
Articles related to Governor
Article 153 of the Indian Constitution says that there shall be a Governor of each state. The 7th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1956 has facilitated the appointment of the same person as a governor for two or more states. Article 155 provides says that the Governor is appointed by the President of India for a period of five years.
IMRAN KHAN SWORN-IN AS PAKISTAN'S 22ND PRIME MINISTER
• Former Pakistan cricket team captain turned politician Imran Khan on August 18, 2018 was sworn-in as 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan. He was -in after he was elected leader of the National Assembly of Pakistan. • Imran Khan secured 176 votes while Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Shehbaz Sharif bagged 96 votes in the polling for the Leader of the House in in the 342-seat National Assembly on August 17, 2018. • Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party swept to power in July 25 election and won August 17 vote with the help of small parties. It now paves the way for him to form a coalition government.
PARAGUAY: MARIO ABDO BENÍTEZ SWORN IN AS NEW PRESIDENT
• Colorado Party’s Mario Abdo Benitez was sworn in on August 15, 2018 as the new President of Paraguay for a five-year term. • Benitez clinched the top spot after defeating his closest rival, Efrain Alegre from the liberal opposition alliance, by four percentage points in the nation’s elections, which were held in April 2018.
FORMER INDIAN CRICKET TEAM CAPTAIN AJIT WADEKAR DIED
• Former India Test captain Ajit Wadekar passed away at 77 on Aug 15 after a prolonged illness. • Wadekar made his debut in 1966 against the West Indies and went on to represent India in 37 Tests and two one-day internationals.
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• He was one of the few cricketers to represent the country as a Test player, captain, coach and also went on to become the chairman of selectors. • Wadekar was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1972. • He was a left-hand batsman and he went on to score 2,113 runs at an average of 31.07 in Tests.
CHHATTISGARH GOVERNOR BALRAMJI DASS TANDON DIES AT 90
• Chhattisgarh Governor Balramji Dass Tandon died at a hospital in Raipur on 14 Aug 2018. He was 90 years old. • He was one of the founder members of the Jansangh which later became the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He became the governor of Chhattisgarh in July 2014.
AKSHAY KUMAR BECOMES BRAND AMBASSADOR FOR ROAD SAFETY CAMPAIGNS
• Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar has become the brand ambassador of Road Saftey Campaign. • A road safety ad campaign was launched to promote road safety. • India has the second largest road network in the world with over 3 million km of roads of which 60% are paved.
JUSTICE MANJULA CHELLUR SWORN-IN AS APTEL CHAIRPERSON
• Former Chief Justice of Bombay High Court, Justice Manjula Chellur has been appointed as the Chairperson of the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) for a period of three years. • Justice Chellur: • She was the first female judge of Karnataka High Court, and was also the first woman to be appointed as the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court. • She will now be taking over APTEL, which has been without a full-time Chairperson for eight months now, since the retirement of Justice (Retd.) Ranjana P. Desai on November 30, 2017.
VETERAN LEADER SOMNATH CHATTERJEE PASSES AWAY
• Former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee passed away at the age of 89 in Kolakata. • Born on July 25, 1929, Somnath Chatterjee was an Indian politician who had been associated with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) from 1968 to 2008. • He served as the speaker of the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2009. • He had won the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award in 1996. • It was on his initiative that proceedings of the Zero Hour were telecast live from July 5, 2004.
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MANIGAULT NEWMAN BOOK “UNHINGED”
• Omarosa Manigault Newman’s new book Unhinged: An Insiders Account of the Trump White House. • This book is a detailed account of her interactions with President Donald Trump and his other controversial remarks.
VS NAIPAUL: NOBEL PRIZE WINNER NOVELIST PASSES AWAY
• The British writer and Nobel Prize winner for Literature, Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul died at his home in London at the age of 85. • In addition to the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2001, VS Naipaul also won the Booker Prize in 1971. • He received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth in 1989. • He received Booker Prize in 1971 for the book IN A FREE STATE. • He received Nobel Prize 2001 for the book HALF A LIFE.
MARIA FERNANDA ESPINOSA GARCES: PRESIDENT-ELECT OF UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
• The United Nations (UN) General Assembly has picked Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces, Ecuador's minister for foreign affairs and human mobility, to be its next president. • She will succeed Slovakia's Miroslav Lajcak and preside over the 73rd session starting from September. • Since 1945, the Assembly has elected only three women as presidents: o Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit of India (1953) o Angie Brooks of Liberia (1969) o Sheikha Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa of Bahrain (2006).
GITTA MITTAL BECOMES FIRST WOMAN CJ OF J&K HC
• Justice Gita Mittal was sworn in as the first woman Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Aug 11. • Justice Mittal earlier served as a Delhi High Court judge for 14 years, out of which 15 months were as the acting Chief Justice.
MICHELLE BACHELET APPOINTED UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
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• The former president of Chile Michelle Bachelet was appointed the chairperson of UN Human Rights Commission. Her appointment was approved by the 193-member UN General Assembly. • She replaced Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, who was the first Asian and Arab to be appointed to the this prestigious UN post. • Michelle Bachelet was the first woman to be elected as President of Chile. She was the first ever Executive Director of the UN gender equality office, UN-Women.
About OHCHR
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is headquartered in Geneva. It was founded on December 20, 1993 in wake of World Conference on Human Rights.
UNION CULTURE MINISTER RELEASES 3 BOOKS AT IGNCA, NEW DELHI
• Union Culture Minister has released 3 books at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts: • JEWELLERY by Dr. Gulab Kothari o Jewellery making has been a traditional occupation with a finer classification of those who make it in Gold, Silver, Diamond, Pearl, Artificial etc. But in recent times it is also being studied as a specialized stream of knowledge. This is the most significant book for our upcoming generation. • GHATS OF BANARAS’ by Dr. Sachidanand Joshi o The Book “Ghats of Banaras” is derived out of the similar documentation conducted recently at Varanasi. These Ghats situated at the bank of river Ganga in a semi-circular shape (ardhachandrakar), give a spectacular view of the city. • UNTOLD STORY OF BROADCASTING’ by Dr. Gautam Chatterjee o It is about behind-the-scenes developments during the quit India movement. It gives an authentic account of the secret broadcast which took place during the movement led by shri Ram Manohar Lohia.
HARIVANSH NARAYAN SINGH ELECTED DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF RAJYA SABHA
• The National Democratic Alliance’s candidate Harivansh Narayan Singh of the Janata Dal(United) was on Thursday elected as the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha as he defeated opposition’s BK Hariprasad by 20 votes. • The Deputy Chairman is a constitutional position created under Article 89 of the Constitution, which specifies that Rajya Sabha shall choose one of its MPs to be the Deputy Chairman as often as the position becomes vacant. • The office becomes vacant either by resignation or removal from office or when the Rajya Sabha member’s term gets over. • The last Deputy Chair of Rajya Sabha was Prof P J Kurien, whose tenure in Rajya Sabha ended on July 1.
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IVAN DUQUE SWORN IN AS COLOMBIA'S NEXT PRESIDENT
• Colombia's President-elect Ivan Duque has been sworn in as the country's 60th president. • Duque, a 42-year-old former senator, defeated left-leaning candidate, Gustavo Petro, in a presidential runoff in June with 54 percent of the vote. • Former president Santos had a peace deal with FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia). Santos received Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in 2016. • However, Duque has always criticized the peace deal and there is a concern that he might undermine the peace process and prompt many former rebel members to join other armed groups.
S GURUMURTHY AND SATISH MARATHE APPOINTED TO RBI BOARD
• The government has appointed Swaminathan Gurumurthy and Satish Kashinath Marathe as as part-time non-official directors on the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) board. • The Cabinet's Appointments Committee approved their appointment following a proposal from the Department of Financial Services. • Gurumurthy, an economist and chartered accountant by profession, is also the co-convenor of RSS-affiliated Swadeshi Jagran Manch. • He is also the editor of Tamil political weekly Thuglak. • Marathe, on the other hand, began his banking career with Bank of India, he then went on to become chairman of The United Western Bank Ltd. • He is also the founder of Sahakar Bharati, an NGO that supports co-operatives in India. • With these two appointments, RBI's board now has 10 government-appointed members.
K KARUNANIDHI: FORMER TN CHIEF MINISTER PASSES AWAY
• K Karunanidhi passed away on 07 Aug 2018 in Chennai. He was one of the leading politician and considered as one of the finest statesman. • K Karunanidhi’s Life Sketch and his achievements: • AN OVERVIEW OF HIS ACHIEVEMENTS: 1. Karunanidhi brought a law giving women the rights to claim share in their ancestral property, equal to men, even before India passed a law at the centre. 2. Through the first class public insurance scheme 'Kalaignar Kaapittu Thittam', he helped poor on a massive scale. 3. People used to call him Kalaignar (Scholar of Arts). 4. He was the longest serving president of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Party. 5. Karunanidhi launched the first graduate scheme, under which free education was to be provided for the first graduate from a family irrespective of the gender. 6. He was first one to bring proper waste management system in Tamil Nadu. 7. Karunanidhi practiced atheism and never involved religion in order to win elections. 8. Like his mentor Annadurai, Karunanidhi used his writing skills to further the ideology of the Dravidian movement through Tamil cinema.
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FORMER PRIME MINISTER ATAL BIHARI VAJPAYEE PASSES AWAY
• Former Prime Minister and BJP patriarch Atal Bihari Vajpayee died on August 16, 2018 at Delhi's AIIMS hospital at 5.05 pm. He was 93. • Under his prime ministership India conducted the second nuclear test under the codename ‘Operation Shakti’ on 11 May 1998. Since then, 11 May is celebrated as National Technology Day. • His was the government when hijacking of Indian Airlines IC 814 took place and also attack on parliament took place in 13 December 2001. • He is known for his economic reforms measures like Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yoajana (2000) and Telecommunication reforms among others. • Vajpayee was the first prime minister outside of the Congress to complete a full term, from 1998 to 2004. Before that, he became prime minister in May 1996 but remained in office for only 13 days. • He was the first Prime Minister after Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru to be in the office of prime minister for three times. • He was jailed for 23 days for participating in Quit India movement protests in 1942. Years later, he went to jail in 1975 for protesting against the Emergency imposed by the Indira Gandhi-led Congress government. • After the Emergency, Vajpayee became the External Affairs Minister in the Morarji Desai government between 1977 and 1979. • Vajpayee won his first election to the Lok Sabha in 1957 from Balrampur. He was elected to the parliament nine times since and twice to the Rajya Sabha. • In 1977, as the Minister of External Affairs, Vajpayee became the first person to deliver a speech in Hindi at the UN Assembly. • He was awarded India’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna in 2015 and his birth date 25 December is observed as Good Governance Day in India.
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AWARDS
GOPALKRISHNA GANDHI CONFERRED WITH RAJIV GANDHI NATIONAL SADBHAVANA AWARD
• Former West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi was honoured with the 2018 Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavna Award for promoting communal harmony and peace. • Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana is given for outstanding contribution towards promotion of communal harmony, national integration and peace. • The award was instituted by All India Congress Committee in 1992 to commemorate the lasting contribution made by the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. • It carries a citation and a cash award of Rs. ten lakhs. It is given on 20 August, the birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi, which is celebrated as Sadbhavna Diwas (Harmony Day). • In 2017, it was given to Mohammad Azharuddin (former Indian cricketer) and M Gopala Krishna (retired IAS officer).
S.K. ARORA BAGS WHO WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY 2018 AWARD
• Delhi government's additional director of health, SK Arora was awarded with the prestigious WHO World No Tobacco Day 2017 Award for his extraordinary contribution towards tobacco control. • Every year, the World Health Organization recognizes individuals or organisations alike in each of the six WHO regions for their accomplishments in the area of tobacco control. • National Health Policy 2017 o The National Health Policy 2017 of the Government of India has set targets of relative reduction in tobacco prevalence by:15 per cent by 2020, and 30 per cent by 2025. • Delhi’s Achievement: o Delhi has already achieved these targets before 2017. o Tobacco prevalence in Delhi has come down by 6.5 per cent in the past six years which is more than the rest of India average figures. o According to Global Adult Tobacco Survey-2 (GATS 2, 2016-17), the prevalence of tobacco use has reduced by 27 per cent in Delhi as compared to 17 per cent for the rest of India average.
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ANG LEE TO BE HONOURED BY DIRECTORS GUILD OF AMERICA
• Oscar-winning director Ang Lee will be one of the recipients of the annual Directors Guild of America (DGA) honours at its ceremony. • The event will be held at the DGA Theatre in New York City on October 18. • The DGA Honours recognises individuals and institutions that have made distinguished contributions to American culture through the world of film and television, and recognises the diversity of achievement. • Ang Lee had received Oscar for the best director for the movie Life of Pi in 2013.
INDIAN-ORIGIN MATHEMATICIAN AKSHAY VENKATESH GETS PRESTIGIOUS FIELDS MEDAL
• India-origin mathematician Akshay Venkatesh was awarded the prestigious Fields medal on August 2, 2018. Fields Medal is also considered as Nobel Prize of mathematics. • New Delhi-born Venkatesh, 36, who is currently teaching at Stanford University. • The Fields Medal Committee recognised Venkatesh “for his synthesis of analytic number theory, homogeneous dynamics, topology, and representation theory, which has resolved long-standing problems in areas such as the equi-distribution of arithmetic objects.”
About Fields Medal
The Fields medal is awarded once in four years to the most promising mathematicians under the age of 40.
The prize was inaugurated in 1932 at the request of Canadian mathematician John Charles Fields, who ran the 1924 Mathematics Congress in Toronto.
Each winner receives a 15,000 Canadian-dollar cash prize. At least two, and preferably four people, are always honoured in the award ceremony.
PARLIAMENTARIANS AWARD FOR PERIOD 2013-17 PRESENTED
• Among those who received the awards include Najma Heptullah, Hukmdev Narayan Yadav, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Dinesh Trivedi and Bhartruhari Mahtab.
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• Dr Najma Heptulla: She is former Rajya Sabha MP and was selected for this award for the year 2013. • Hukumdev Narayan Yadav: He is Lok Sabha MP and was selected for this award for the year for 2014 • Ghulam Nabi Azad: He is Rajya Sabha and was selected for this award for the year for 2015 • Dinesh Trivedi: He is Lok Sabha MP and was selected for 2016. • Bhartruhari Mahatab: He is Lok Sabha MP and was selected for 2017
What is Outstanding Parliamentarian Award?
The Outstanding Parliamentarian Award is an award given by the Indian Parliamentary Group to an outstanding sitting Member of the Indian Parliament for overall contribution in the Indian Parliament. It was instituted in 1992 by Shivraj Patil, who was the Speaker of Lok Sabha from 1991 to 1996.
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
DEFENCE & SECURITY
COAST GUARD OFFSHORE PATROL VESSEL LAUNCHED AT L&T SHIPYARD IN CHENNAI
• An offshore patrol vessel (OPV) of the Indian Coast Guard was launched at Kattupalli 28 km from Chennai. • This is the second OPV of the seven OPVs commissioned to the L&T shipyard and is expected to be inducted into service in September. • This vessel will be used for patrol, surveillance and anti-terrorist and anti-smuggling operations in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), is fitted with a 30-mm automatic gun with fire control system (FCS) and two 12.7-mm guns with FCS and will be manned by a total of 102 crew members including 14 officers.
What is Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)?
An exclusive economic zone is a sea zone prescribed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea over which a state has special rights regarding the exploration and use of marine resources, including energy production from water and wind.
DAC CLEARS PROCUREMENT PROPOSAL WORTH RS. 46,000 CRORES
• The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on Aug 25 approved major projects worth about Rs 46,000 crore, including Naval utility and anti-submarine capable helicopters and Advanced Towed Artillery Gun Systems for the army. • Defence Acquisition Council is chaired by Defence Minister. • For Navy: o The DAC approved the procurement of 111 utility helicopters for the navy at a cost of over Rs 21,000 crore. o This is the first project under the MoD’s Strategic Partnership (SP) model that aims at indigenous manufacturing of major defence platforms by an Indian Strategic Partner in collaboration with a foreign manufacturer. o The model looks at promoting India as a manufacturing hub for defence equipment, establishing an industrial and R&D ecosystem, capable of meeting the future defence requirements. The DAC also approved the procurement of 24 anti-submarine capable multi-role helicopters. • For Army: o The procurement of 150 indigenously designed and developed 155mm Advanced Towed Artillery Gun Systems at a cost of Rs 3,364.78 crore.
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o These guns have been designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation and will be manufactured by production agencies, as nominated by DRDO. o The procurement of 14 Vertically Launched Short Range Missile Systems was also cleared by the DAC. Of these, 10 systems will be indigenously developed.
INDO -THAILAND JOINT EXERCISE MAITREE 2018 CONCLUDES
• Exercise Maitree 2018, a two-week joint military exercise between Indian Army and Royal Thai army concluded was concluded on Aug 19. The exercise was started on 6 August 2018 in Thailand. • The Maitree series of bilateral exercises has been one of the major defence cooperation initiatives between India and Thailand. It is an annual event. In 2017, it was held in Himachal Pradesh.
SUCCESSFUL FLIGHT TESTS OF SMART ANTI AIRFIELD WEAPON
• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully tested indigenously developed light weight glide bomb Smart Anti Airfield Weapon (SAAW). • Total of three tests with eighth round of developmental trails with different release conditions were conducted during 16 to 18 August 2018. • SAAW: o SAAW project is India’s first fully indigenous anti-airfield weapon project sanctioned by Government in September 2013. o It was indigenously developed by state-run DRDO in collaboration with IAF and the Research Centre Imarat (RCI). o It is a long-range lightweight high precision-guided anti-airfield weapon. o It is 120 kg smart weapon capable of engaging ground targets with high precision up to range of 100 km. o It is designed for deep penetration with high degree of precision and is armed with high-explosive warhead, which is usually very difficult to achieve with simple gravity bombs. o It can be integrated into varied types of multi role fighter jets of IAF such as MiG, Sukhoi Su-30 and ground attack SEPECAT Jaguar.
SUCCESSFUL FLIGHT TEST OF ATGM ‘HELINA’
• Indigenously developed helicopter launched anti-tank guided missile HELINA has been successfully flight tested from Army helicopter in the ranges of Pokhran. • HELINA: o HELINA is helicopter launched version known of NAG ATGM, designed and developed indigenously for Indian Army under integrated guided missile development programme.
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o It is manufactured by India’s sole missile producer, state-owned Bharat Dynamics Limited. o HELINA is one of the most advanced Anti-Tank Weapons in the world. It works on “fire and forget” principle and operates in Lock on Before Launch Mode. o It has operational range of 7-10km.
BARAK 8 DEFENCE SYSTEM: ISRAELI NAVY TO PROCURE INDO- ISRAEL DEVELOPED MISSILE
• Israeli Navy has announced to procure multi-purpose Barak 8 missile defence system, jointly developed by India and Israel. • It will be used by Israeli Navy’s Sa’ar-6 corvettes to expand its operational capabilities of Israeli navy. • Barak 8 Missile: o It has been jointly developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). o It is an operational air and missile defense system used by Israeli Navy as well as by Indian Navy and air forces. o The missile is about 4.5 meters long, 0.225 meters in diameter and weighs 275 kg including 60 kg warhead. o The missile provides broad aerial and point defence against wide range of threats to marine arena from the air, sea or land. o The Barak 8 missile system can operate by night as well as by day in addition to all weather conditions.
HUSSAINIWALA BRIDGE DEDICATED TO NATION
• Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Aug 13 dedicated strategically important historic bridge at Hussainiwala, Punjab to the nation. • The 250-feet-long bridge, which was destroyed during 1971 Indo-Pak war, will connect Ferozpur with Hussainiwala barrage. • The bridge will help people living in 10 villages of Hussainiwala Enclave near Pakistan border, and also facilitate better movement of army vehicles.
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• Hussainiwala is the birth place of many Indian freedom fighters including Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru. • There is also a Memorial Hussainiwala Shaheed Smarak in Hussainiwala built in the memory of these three freedom fighters.
DEFENCE INDUSTRIAL CORRIDOR IN ALIGARH LAUNCHED
• Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched a defence industrial corridor in Aligarh on August 11, 2018. • The corridor was launched as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Make in India’, which envisages making India a defence manufacturing hub. • The government has announced two corridors, one in Tamil Nadu and the other in Uttar Pradesh. For the corridor in UP, six nodal points have been identified, viz Agra, Aligarh, Lucknow, Kanpur, Chitrakoot and Jhansi.
HAL TESTS ROTARY DRONE CO-DEVELOPED WITH IIT-K
• A rotary drone co-developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and IIT-Kanpur was recently flown for the first time in Bengaluru. • The 10-minute flight of the helicopter- like RUAV (Rotary Wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) was powered by a 2- stroke petrol engine. • Characteristic feature of RUAV o It weighs 10-kg o It can carry a 2.5-kg payload or instrument. o It can operate for an hour and travel 8-10 km. • The RUAV is the first outcome of HAL’s R&D tie-ups with academic institutions such as IITs of Madras, Roorkee, Kharagpur, Bombay, Kanpur and the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.
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QUESTIONS FOR PRACTICE
1. Which biosphere reserve is not part of Explanation: First-time lawmaker UNESCO’s World Network of Harivansh Narayan Singh from Nitish Biosphere Reserves? Kumar's Janata Dal United won the battle a) Gulf of Mannar (Tamil Nadu) against the opposition candidate, b) Nanda Devi (Uttarakhand) Congress' BK Hariprasad. The government c) Khangchendzonga (Sikkim) had 125 votes against opposition's 105 in a d) Manas (Assam) house where the majority mark was 119.
Explanation: Option (d) is incorrect. 4. When is International Day of the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve has World’s Indigenous People observed? been included in the World Network of a) August 8 Biosphere Reserves in July 2018. It is the b) August 7 11th Biosphere reserve to be included from c) August 9 India. The decision taken at the 30th d) August 10 Session of International Coordinating Council (ICC) of Man and Biosphere (MAB) Explanation: The UN observed the Programme of UNESCO held at International Day of the World’s Palembang, Indonesia. Indigenous People on August 9, 2018 with the theme Indigenous peoples’ migration 2. Which Union Ministry has launched and movement. Moreover, the year 2019 mobile app Niryat Mitra? will be observed as the International Year a) Finance of Indigenous Languages. b) Commerce 5. In which year was ‘Flag Code of India’ c) Agriculture came into effect? d) Science & Technology a) 2002 Explanation: Union Minister of Commerce b) 2003 & Industry and Aviation Suresh Prabhu c) 2004 launched Niryat Mitra – mobile App in d) 2005 New Delhi. The app has been developed by the Federation of Indian Export Explanation: Union Home Ministry ahead Organisations (FIEO). Presently the app of Independence Day celebrations on Aug comes with the data of 87 countries. 15 has issued advisory to not use National Flag made of plastic. Rather National Flag 3. Who has been elected as Deputy made of paper should be use in Chairman of Rajya Sabha? compliance to ‘Flag Code of India 2002’. a) BK Hariprasad 6. Who has been nominated by UN b) Harivansh Narayan Singh Secretary General as next High c) Chandra Shekhar Commissioner for Human Rights? d) Sanjay Singh a) Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein b) Juan Manuel Santos
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c) Pranab Mukherjee a) Swaminathan Gurumurthy d) Michelle Bachelet b) Satish Marathe c) Subramanian Swamy Explanation: The UN Secretary-General d) Both (a) and (b) António Guterres nominated Michelle Bachelet for the next UN High Explanation: The Appointment Committee Commissioner for Human Rights. Her of Cabinet (ACC) appointed Swaminathan name now goes forward for consideration Gurumurthy and Satish Kashinath Marathe and approval by the 193-member UN as part-time non-official directors on the General Assembly. Bachelet was the first Reserve Bank of India (RBI) board. woman to be elected as President of Chile. 10. Name the Indian-American nominated 7. Which High Court has decriminalized by US President as member of Privacy begging in the state? and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. a) Bombay a) Ashok Amritraj b) Delhi b) Aditya Bamzai c) Kolkata c) Jay Chandrasekhar d) Madras d) Param Gill
Explanation: Criminalising begging is a Explanation: US President Donald Trump wrong approach to deal with the has nominated Aditya Bamzai, a underlying causes of the problem, the prominent Indian-American law professor Delhi High Court quashed provisions in the and legal expert as member of the Privacy law that made begging a punishable and Civil Liberties Oversight Board for the offence. The act of begging in the national remainder of a six-year term expiring on Capital was made a criminal offence after January, 29, 2020. Aditya Bamzai is a the Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, professor at University of Virginia’s School 1959, was extended to Delhi by a Central of Law. Privacy and Civil Liberties government amendment in 1960. Oversight Board is an independent agency that protects privacy and civil liberties in 8. Who was sworn-in as the President of the country. Colombia? a) Juan Manuel Santos 11. Where was ‘One District One Product’ b) Carlos Homes Summit held? c) Ivan Duque a) New Delhi d) David Luna Sanchez b) Thiruvananthapuram c) Lucknow Explanation: Colombia's President-elect d) Ranchi Ivan Duque has been sworn in as the country's 60th president. He replaced Explanation: President Ram Nath Kovind Juan Manuel Santos. Colombia Capital is inaugurated the 'One District One Bogota and currency is Colombian Peso. Product' Summit in Lucknow. The summit has been organised by the Uttar Pradesh 9. Who has been appointed part-time government to promote traditional non-official directors on the RBI industries and spur local trade. board?
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12. Where was the ‘Prathibandhit Sahitya Commission of Russia from 22 August to mein Swatantrata Sangram’ Exhibition 29 August 2018 at Chebarkul, Chelyabinsk, inaugurated? Russia. a) National Archives of India, Delhi 15. What is name of web portal launched b) Asiatic Society, Kolkata for quicker environmental clearance to c) Auroville Foundation, Tamil Nadu projects? d) National Gallery of Modern Arts, Delhi a) PRAVESH Explanation: The Minister of State for b) PARIVESH Culture (Independent Charge) and c) PARIHAAR Minister of State for Environment Forest d) AASAAN and Climate Change, Dr. Mahesh Sharma inaugurated an exhibition entitled Explanation: The Prime Minister Narendra ‘Prathibandhit Sahitya mein Swatantrata Modi, launched PARIVESH (Pro-Active and Sangram’ (Freedom Movement through Responsive facilitation by Interactive, Proscribed Literature). The exhibition was Virtuous and Environmental Single- inaugurated in the premises of National window Hub) on the occasion of World Archives of India, in New Delhi. Biofuel Day on August 10, 2018.
13. What is the name of operation 16. The colour of number plate of all launched by Southern Naval Command battery-operated vehicles will now be to tackle Kerala Floods? a) Yellow a) Operation Sahayta b) Green b) Operation Evacuate c) Orange c) Operation Madad d) Blue d) Operation Floods Explanation: All Battery-Operated Vehicles Explanation: With heavy rains and floods shall now exhibit their registration mark in wreaking havoc in Kerala, the Southern Yellow colour on Green background for Naval Command, Kochi has launched transport vehicles. For all other cases, the Operation Madad with all available number plate will be in White colour on resources at its disposal. Green background. Notification to this effect was issued on August 10, 2018. 14. Where will the Exercise SCO Peace Mission 2018 begin in August? 17. Which of the following races of a) China Silkworm seed was developed by b) Russia Central Silk Board? c) Kazakhstan a) Tropical Tasar Silkworm (BDR-10) d) Tajikistan b) Multivoltine x Bivoltine Mulberry hybrid (PM x FC2) Explanation: As part of Shanghai c) Eri Silkworm (C2) Cooperation Organization (SCO) d) All of these initiatives, SCO Peace Mission Exercise is conducted biennially for SCO member Explanation: Central Silk Board (CSB) has states. The joint exercise for the year 2018 developed Tropical Tasar Silkworm (BDR- will be conducted by Central Military 10) race, Multivoltine x Bivoltine Mulberry
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hybrid (PM x FC2) race and Eri Silkworm II. It aimed to distribute LPG (C2) race. connections to 5 crore BPL households by March 2019. 18. Where was the defence industrial III. Its tagline is Swachh Indhan, corridor launched on August 11, 2018? Behtar Jeevan. a) Lucknow b) Dadri Choose the correct option c) Aligarh a) I and II d) Allahabad b) II and III Explanation: Defence Minister Nirmala c) I and III Sitharaman and Uttar Pradesh Chief d) All of the above Minister Yogi Adityanath launched a defence industrial corridor in Aligarh on Explanation: The Statement I is incorrect August 11, 2018. The government has because Balia is a district in Uttar Pradesh announced two corridors, one in Tamil and not Bihar. Hence, correct answer is Nadu and the other in Uttar Pradesh. For (b). Besides these provisions, under the the corridor in UP, six nodal points have scheme a subsidy of Rs 1600 is provided to been identified, viz Agra, Aligarh, state-owned fuel retailers for every free Lucknow, Kanpur, Chitrakoot and Jhansi. LPG gas connection.
19. Who won the fifth European title by 21. Which of the following countries is not winning 3000-m steeplechase? part of trilateral partnership formed to a) Mahiedine Mekhissi of France push infrastructure in Indo-Pacific b) Harald Schmid of Germany region? c) Roger Black of Britain a) Australia d) Mo Farah of Britain b) United States c) Singapore Explanation: Frenchman Mahiedine d) Japan Mekhissi joined the trio of German Harald Schmid and British pair Roger Black and Explanation: A new pact between Mo Farah as the sole athletes to have won Australia, the US and Japan to jointly five outdoor golds on the continental invest in infrastructure in Indo-Pacific was stage. He achieved the feat after winning signed in Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste. the 3000-m steeplechase in European The cooperation would build track event. infrastructure, address development challenges, increase productivity and 20. Recently the target of distributing 5 promote economic growth in the region. crore cooking gas connections under Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana was 22. In which State India’s first Blockchain achieved. In this context, consider the district will come up? following statements: a) Telangana I. It was launched on May 1, 2016 in b) Andhra Pradesh Balia district of Bihar. c) Kerala d) Karnataka
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Explanation: The Information Technology, The new regulations on plagiarism has Electronics and Communication been drafted by the University Grants Department (ITE&C) of the Telangana Commission (UGC). As per new regulation, government signed a MoU with Tech student researchers found guilty of Mahindra to launch India’s first blockchain plagiarism may lose their registration and district in Telangana. The MoU was signed teachers could lose their jobs. during the during the International Blockchain Technology Conference in 25. With which academic institution the Hyderabad. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has jointly developed the Rotary Wing 23. By which year the Telecom Regulatory Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (RUAV)? Authority of India (TRAI) has a) IIT-Kharagpur recommended to achieve net zero b) IIT-Kanpur imports of telecommunications c) IIT-Roorkee equipment? d) IISc-Bangalore a) 2024 Explanation: A rotary drone co-developed b) 2022 by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and c) 2023 IIT-Kanpur was recently flown for the first d) 2021 time in Bengaluru. The 10-minute flight of Explanation: The Telecom Regulatory the helicopter-like RUAV (Rotary Wing Authority of India (TRAI) on August 3, 2018 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) was powered suggested that India should aim at net by a 2-stroke petrol engine. Weighing 10- zero imports of telecommunications kg, it can carry a 2.5-kg payload or equipment by 2022. For this, it instrument and can operate for an hour recommended to set up Rs 1,000 crore and travel 8-10 km. Telecom Research and Development Fund (TRDF) for promoting research and 26. Which district has become first in innovation in the sector. country to launch 'E-Malkhanas' to digitize record keeping in police 24. Which of the following has drafted a stations? new regulation on plagiarism in higher a) South East District, Delhi educational institutions in India? b) Thane District, Maharashtra a) All India Council of Technical c) Raipur District, Chhattisgarh Education (AICTE) d) Jodhpur District, Rajasthan b) National Assessment and Explanation: Delhi Police Commissioner Accreditation Council (NAAC) Amulya Patnaik on August 3, 2018 c) University Grants Commission (UGC) launched the first “digital Malkhana” or d) National Institute of Educational “e-Malkhana” in Sarita Vihar Police Station Planning and Administration (NIEPA) of Southeast district. The initiative seeks Explanation: The Union Ministry of Human to digitise record keeping in Delhi Police Resource Development (HRD) notified the Stations. With this, the South East district UGC (Promotion of Academic Integrity of Delhi became the first such district in and Prevention of Plagiarism in Higher the country to launch “e- Education Institutions) Regulations, 2018. Malkhana”.Malkhana is a storage facility in
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police stations where case properties are Pacific Institute for Broadcasting kept for safe custody. Development (AIBD)? a) Sri Lanka 27. The scientists of which country have b) India created the first single-chromosome c) China yeast? d) Japan a) Australia b) Germany Explanation: The Asia-Pacific Institute of c) USA Broadcasting Development (AIBD) on d) China August 3, 2018 elected Fayyaz Sheheryar, Director-General of All India Radio, as its Explanation: Chinese scientists claimed to new President. This is the first time India have created the first single-chromosome has been elected for the position of yeast while not affecting the majority of president of AIBD. The elections were held its functions. The scientists managed to fit at the 44th annual meeting of AIBD in nearly all the genetic material of Brewer’s Colombo. Yeast into just one chromosome while not affecting the majority of its functions. 30. Kudlip Nayar, who died recently, was a Brewer’s yeast, whose one-third genome famous is said to share ancestry with humans, has a) Journalist 16 chromosomes. b) Cricketer c) Classical Singer 28. With which country’s universities the d) Film Director Centre has signed an agreement to make proposed Sports University in Explanation: Kuldip Nayar, veteran Manipur a world-class university? journalist and former Rajya Sabha MP, a) Germany passed away on August 23, 2018. He was b) United States 95. A former editor at The Indian Express, c) Australia Nayar fought fiercely for press freedom, d) China especially during Emergency. In 2015, he was honoured with the Ramnath Goenka Explanation: A Bill to establish a National Lifetime Achievement Award. He authored Sports University in Manipur to promote 15 books including “Beyond the Lines”, sports education was passed by the Lok “India after Nehru” and “Emergency Sabha on August 3, 2018. In order to make Retold”. the university a world-class institution, the Union Government has signed an 31. What is the name of new app agreement with two Australian launched to rate and review your universities — University of Canberra and political leaders? Victoria University — for development of a) Rajneta curriculum, research facilities and b) Neta laboratories, among others. c) Sansad d) Apka Neta 29. Which country was elected as the president of Kuala-Lumpur based Asia- Explanation: Former President Pranab Mukherjee on August 24, 2018 launched
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the National Electoral Transformation September 14, 2018. The CECA was signed (NETA) mobile application, a platform on June 29, 2005 and its first review was where voters can review and rate their concluded on October 1, 2007. elected representatives and hold them accountable as well. App is the brainchild 34. Which organisation launched the of 27-year-old entrepreneur Pratham ‘Speedex’ Contract to overcome the Mittal. delay in piece meal dispatch of consignment? 32. Which Union Ministry is developing a a) Indian Army National Logistics Portal to make India b) Indian Railways a logistics hub? c) Indian Air Force a) Ministry of Finance d) Indian Post b) Ministry of Commerce c) Ministry of Corporate Affairs Explanation: The Stores, Proactive, Efficient and Expeditious Despatch of d) Ministry of Civil Aviation Extra Size/ Wt Consignment (SPEEDEX) Explanation: The Department of contract was formally launched on Commerce recently stated that it is in the August24, 2018 by Air Marshal RKS Shera, process of developing National Logistics Air Officer-in-charge Maintenance. Aim of Portal to ensure ease of trading in the the contract is to overcome the delay in international and domestic markets. The piece meal dispatch of consignment and portal will link all the stakeholders of to move operationally urgent stores by air export-import, domestic trade and all and normal consignments by surface trade activities on a single platform. mode. India's logistics sector is highly defragmented and the aim is to reduce 35. Where was India’s first inter-state the logistics cost from the present 14 transmission system (ISTS) connected percent of GDP to less than 10 percent by Wind Power Project Commissioned? 2022. a) Muppandal, Tamil Nadu b) Jaisalmer, Rajasthan 33. With which country India recently c) Bhuj, Gujarat signed amended Comprehensive d) Damanjodi, Gujarat Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA)? Explanation: The Ministry of New and a) Thailand Renewable Energy (MNRE) on August 24, b) Sri Lanka 2018 said 126 MW wind power capacity, part of country's first inter-state c) Singapore transmission system (ISTS) auction, is d) Indonesia commissioned in Bhuj, Gujarat. The energy Explanation: India and Singapore on generated from this project is being August 24, 2018 signed the "Second purchased by Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand Protocol" amending the Comprehensive and Uttar Pradesh. Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) to boost trade ties between the two 36. Who has become the new Prime countries. The provisions of the Second Minister of Australia? Protocol will come into effect on a) Malcolm Turnbull
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b) Scott Morrison and Sukhmeet Singh won the Gold in c) Peter Dutton men’s Quadruple Sculls event after d) Tony Abbott clocking 6:17.13. This was India’s 5th Gold medal at the ongoing 18th Asian Games in Explanation: Scott Morrison has become Jakarta, Indonesia. Australia's new prime minister after Malcolm Turnbull was forced out by party 38. Which Indian cricketer has announced rivals in a bruising leadership contest. her retirement from T20 Turnbull is the fourth Australian PM in a Internationals? decade to be ousted by colleagues and a) Mithali Raj Morrison is the 30th Prime Minister of b) Harmanpreet Kaur Australia. c) Jhulan Goswami d) Poonam Yadav 37. Which country’s rowing team has won the Gold in men’s Quadruple Sculls at Explanation: Veteran Indian women's the 18th Asian Games? team pacer Jhulan Goswami announced a) Thailand her retirement from T20 Internationals, b) India effectively ruling her out for the ICC World c) China T20 in West Indies in November 2018. She d) Indonesia played 68 T20 Internationals and took 56 wickets at an economy rate of 5.45. She is Explanation: Indian rowing team of the world's highest wicket-taker in ODIs Sawarn Singh, Dattu Bhoknal, Om Prakash with 200 scalps from 169 games.
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ONE LINERS OF THE MONTH
NATIONAL
• Water aerodromes will construct in • The Ministry of Road Transport has Chilika Lake in - Odisha. issued an advisory to states to • The Internet Corporation for accept Driving Licence in Assigned Names and Numbers 'electronic form' presented (ICANN) will provide domain names through - in India, including this number of DigiLocker or mParivahan. scheduled languages - 22. • The Mobile App developed by the • ‘One District One Product’ Summit Federation of Indian Export started on August 10, 2018 in - Organisations (FIEO) - Niryat Mitra. Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. • Recently, This High Court struck • An exhibition entitled down a legal provision that ‘Prathibandhit Sahitya mein criminalises begging in city - Delhi Swatantrata Sangram’ organized in High Court. - New Delhi. • An all-women expedition to this • Disaster relief Operation “Madad” mountain (6593Mt/21631 ft) in launched in many parts of – Kerala. Himachal Pradesh started - Mt. • A Single-Window Integrated Manirang. Environmental • The government withdrew the Management System – Financial Resolution and Deposit PARIVESH (Pro-Active Insurance (FRDI) bill which contain and Responsive facilitation this controversial provision for by Interactive,Virtuous financial institution - “bail-in”. and Environmental Single- • Chinese consulate is set to organize window Hub). a three-day Chinese film festival in - • For transport vehicles, All Battery Kolkata. Operated Vehicles shall now • On August 6, 2018, ‘Festival of exhibit their registration mark in - Democracy’ celebrated by - Kerala. Yellow colour on Green • To promote the spirit of background. entrepreneurship in the country, • A defence industrial corridor in this Startup India launched this city of Uttar Pradesh - Aligarh. mentorship program - Startup • Under revised Academia Alliance programme. ‘Post Matric Scholarship • To give constitutional status to the for OBC Students for studying in National Commission for Backward India’, Annual parental income will Classes, this is the constitutional be - Rs. 1.5 lakh. amendment - 123rd.
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• Government has approved this no. to this caste as Scheduled Tribes of new research projects under community - Govari. ‘IMPRINT-2’ scheme - 122. • No. of Gallantry award winner in • Under Project Shakti, first of a 2018 - 131. family of six industry-standard • 92th All India Marathi Sahitya microprocessors, named Summit will be held in this city - ‘RISECREEK, have developed by Yavatmal. Indian computer scientists from • NITI commissioned this Mobility the – IIT Madras. Peach Competition, aimed at • In Kerala, there is flood situation in providing an opportunity for 13 districts out of - 14. introducing entrepreneurship to • UIDAI will introduce this new their industry ideas examiners - feature as an additional method of Peach to Move. authentication in September - • There will be a 'Global Mobility facial recognition. Summit' on September 7 and 8 in • This state government will observe city - New Delhi. 'September 2018' month as • AYUSH Ministry has been "Month of Nutrition" - Rajasthan. designated as the National • During 17th to 19th August 2018, Medicines Vigilance Center International Conference on (NPVCC) under the new Scheme for Recent Advances in Food monitoring of drug safety issues - Processing Technology (iCRAFPT) All India Institute of Ayurveda organized at - (New Delhi). Thanjavur (Tamilnadu). • Between these states, there is a • The first Humboldt penguin born in debate regarding water dispute India, which was born on August 'Mahadai' river - Karnataka, Goa 15, in the city – Mumbai (Byculla and Maharashtra. zoo). • This year this state’s police have • These states to maintain water got highest number of President's level of the Mullaperiyar Dam to Medal - Uttar Pradesh (77 medals). 139 feet, ordered by Supreme • Top City in 'Ease of Living Index' - Court - Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Pune (Maharashtra). • India’s LIGO Project will be set up • Firstly Under the 'Swadesh in - Dudhala (Hingoli district, Darshan' scheme, these cities will Maharashtra). be developed through 'North East • The State Government of Circuit' - Imphal and Khongjom. Telangana gave Rs. 5 lakhs life • Indian Army launched campaign cover to every farmer under the from Uttarakhand to capture the scheme - Rythu Bima. third highest peak in India on • In August, the Bombay High Court August 13 – Mt 'Kamate' (7756 m). ruled in favor of people belonging • The Centre has granted this much amount to increase the country’s
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forest cover - more than 66,000 DAC has approved the purchase crore rupees. proposal of this no. of helicopters • India’s second lunar mission - GSLV- for the Indian Navy - 111. F10 / Chandrayaan-2 (3,890 kg). • Mobile app launched to review • This state government has political representatives - 'Neta' expanded the scope of the loan App. waiver scheme by extending the • As a single window for online benefits to every member of the trading in international and farmer's family in case of a domestic markets, this Ministry has separate loan account - developed 'National Logistics Maharashtra. Portal' (NLP) - Ministry of • Scientist developed new Commerce & Industry. ‘PEGylated Streptokinase’ Clot • ISTS connected India’s first wind buster used for Ischemic stroke at - power project - Bhuj (Gujarat). CSIR-Institute of Microbial • UIDAI has announced a new Technology (CSIR-IMTECH), measure that makes this feature Chandigarh. mandatory for every • The 250-feet-long bridge, which authentication that requires was destroyed during 1971 Indo-Pak Aadhaar - facial recognition. war, at Hussainiwala border in - • For publication of various kinds of Punjab. Sanskar Geet of Indian culture • India's rover to be sent to the compiled by AIR, All India Radio moon – Vikram. signed a MoU with with - Sahitya • On 1 lakh square feet land, India's Academy. largest business incubator- • This state government has Bhamashah Techno Hub was succeeded in efficiently launched in - Jaipur, Rajasthan. implementing MUDRA scheme by • Initially, The BIS will set new sanctioning loans over 80 Lakh standards to measure quality of persons - Maharashtra. services offered to consumers in – • The Tourism Ministry has organized 12 champion sectors. 'International Buddhist Conclave • This institute launched 'Fabless 2018' in - New Delhi. Chip Design Incubator (FabCI)' - IIT • The proposed 'policy for Hyderabad (IIT-H). prevention and control of • This state government is going to hemoglobinopathy' is regarding organize 'Krishi Kumbh with - Thalassemia and sickle cell International Conference' on anemia. October 26 - Uttar Pradesh (in • This High Court directed to set up Lucknow). Special Investigation Team (SIT) in • For the first time under the all 13 districts to investigate the strategic partnership with Ministry rape and murder case of minors - of Defence under ‘Make in India’, Uttarakhand.
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• Center for Economic Policy and MLAs to hold several new Research (CEPR) organized 'India categories of the offices of profit - Banking Conclave 2018' in - New Punjab. Delhi. • Ministry of Health and Family • The International Air Connectivity Welfare amended 'Cigarette and (IAC) scheme will extend this Tobacco Products (Packaging and scheme of the Government of India Labeling) Regulations' inducted in – Ude Desh Ka Har Nagarik year – 2008. (UDAN). • Northern states decided to form a • The Supreme Court said that None joint secretariat to effectively curb of the Above Option (NOTA) will the use of Drugs at - Panchkula, not applicable as a ballot option in - Haryana. Rajya Saha polls. • As per the new rules of the Home • In Kerala, Union Ministry of Earth Ministry, the cash will not be filled Sciences is proposing to set up a in the ATM machine in the city at Cyclone Warning Centre in - night after - 9 PM. Thiruvananthapuram. • This country has created Guided • The New capital city of 'Smart Anti Airfield Weapon' Chhattisgarh - Atal Nagar. (SAAW) bomb - India. • This state Cabinet approved the bill for enactment of a law to enable BANKING
• This technology company launched of India (SBI) and is under watch - an easy mobile ERP application Jet Airways. 'Vyapari' app for MSMEs and • Goa’s own app-based taxi service – business communities of India - Goamiles. logo Infosoft. • According IMF, In the 2019-2020 • This e-commerce company signed a fiscal year India is projected to MoU with the Uttar Pradesh clock an economic growth of - 7.5%. Government for the convenience • This much branches of India Post of MSME Industries - Amazon Payments Bank (IPPB) will launch India. on the 21 August - 650. • A business unit of Godrej & Boyce • The government appointed these has signed an agreement with persons as part-time directors on British company GKN Aerospace to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) manufacture specialised helicopter board for a four year term - S fuel tanks - Godrej Aerospace. Gurumurthy and Satish Marathe. • This Airlines is part of the stressed • The Competition Commission has account in the books of State Bank approved this company's
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acquisition of 51.8% stake in drug program interface) platform of firm Merck Ltd - Procter & Gamble. Apollo Hospitals designed by - • New Director and General Manager Microsoft India. of United India Insurance Company • Multi Commodity Exchange of - S. Gopakumar. India (MCX) has signed a MoU with • According to Sydney-based CAPA, this Association to set up bullion Indian carriers have placed total of spot exchange - India Bullion and this no. of aircraft purchase orders; Jewellers Association (IBJA). will require a whopping USD 50 • This Indian subsidiary of a foreign billion of financing – 1,055. company has activated the Unified • Prime Minister will launch the India Payments Interface (UPI) for all its Post Payment Bank (IPPB) on - registered members - Walmart August 21. India. • This FMCG company has signed an • Government removed Punjab agreement with Vijaykant Dairy and National Bank (PNB) and Allahabad Food Products Ltd (VDFPL) and its Bank’s former Managing Director - group company to acquire 'Adityaa Usha Ananta subramanian. Milk' brand ice cream and frozen • An upgraded version of the Unified desserts - Hindustan Unilever Payment Interface (UPI) "UPI 2.0" Ltd (HUL). was launched by - National • JD Sports Fashion, leading multi Payment Corporation of India brand retailer of sports fashion of (NPCI). this country, opened its offshore • On August 14, 2018, this much technology development (Global record decline occurred in Indian In-house Centre) centre at rupee - 70.07 per dollar. Hyderabad- Europe. • To finance clean energy projects in • An agreement worth Rs 8000 crore India, Rural Electrification has been signed in the 'India Corporation has inked EUR 200 International Jewelery Exhibition million loan agreement with (IIJS)' organized at - Mumbai. German bank - KfW. • According to the changes made by • This company has tied up with the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) Paisabazaar.com to provide SME for the migration of the companies industries with swipe-machine- listed in the SME Forum, the based or PoS-based loans - minimum turnover of the company NeoGrowth. should be – Min. Rs 100 corers. • Infosys Limited will open a • This PSU became the first PSU to software development center with run digitally Invoice discount an investment of around Rs 1 billion transaction on the Trades platform in state - West Bengal. in India - Hindustan Aeronautics • This company has created a Limited (HAL). headset that can read your • AI-powered Cardiovascular Disease thoughts and answer questions Risk Score API (application
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
without a single word - MIT Media Chennai for MSME's top official Lab. and promoters - Yes bank. • This bank introduced the Aadhar- • In order to create awareness based iris authentication system among the SME enterprises in the for the first time in the country - state, this state government inked Axis Bank. an agreement with BSE and NSE - • India-based Dean of Harvard West Bengal. Business School will step down as • Adani Green Energy has acquired Executive Director of Tata Sons 100% stake of this firm from its from the Board of Directors in Group firm, Which was September 18 - Nitin Noharia. incorporated for investment in • This state Agency is constructing international renewable businesses the Mumbai-Bengaluru Industrial - Adani Global Pte Ltd. (AGEPteL). Corridor on the NH-4 route - • The Government of India has fixed Karnataka Small Scale Industries this much amount for the current Association (KSSIA). financial year to implement • This private company entered the schemes under micro, small and 'Trailed Vehicle' business to medium enterprises (MSME) sector develop combat vehicles for the - Rs. 1,000 crores. Indian Army - Ashok Leyland. • After the bank failed to invoke one • According to RBI, Indian banks lost that was issued for Aircel Group, this much amount to theft and The telecom department has online fraud in FY18 - Rs 109.75 blacklisted bank guarantees issued crore. by - Standard Chartered. • This private bank introduced the 6th edition of Knowledge Series in INTERNATIONAL
• Theme of International Youth Day 13 countries by Govt. of India to - 2018 - Safe Spaces for Youth. 4,000 US dollar per case. • Israel has opened a visa application • President Nicholas Maduro of this centre in this Indian city for tourists country was attacked by Drone in – Kolkata, West Bengal. August 18 - Venezuela. • Shanghai Cooperation • China’s first cutting-edge Organization (SCO) Peace Mission hypersonic aircraft which could 2018 Exercise is conducted in carry nuclear warheads - Xingkong- Country - Russia. 2 or Starry Sky-2. • The new amount of financial • Pakistan have launched a week- assistance for Indian women long anti-polio campaign touted as deserted by their NRI husbands in a - Final Push.
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
• Khangchendzonga Biosphere • This country sent a proposal to Reserve of this Indian state has UNFAO to declare 2019 as been included in the UNESCO 'International Year for Millets' - designated World Network of India. Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) - • Qatar announced to invest USD 15 Sikkim. billion in the financial market and • During 31 July-07 August 2018, India banks - Turkey. was conducted A joint Cycling cum • India and this country to Trekking Expedition with - Bhutan. commemorate 25th anniversary of • The 3rd India-Nepal Coordination maritime bilateral exercise – meeting held in - New Delhi. Singapore. • This Arab country was freezing all • 12th century’s stolen Bronze statue new trade and investment relations of Buddha returned to India by - with Canada - Saudi Arabia. Scotland Yard (UK). • This African country’s President • 'Fall Armyworm' pest is found in Salva Kiir and rebel opposition this state of India in May-18 and it leader Riek Machar have signed a has been found in Asia for the first peace deal to share power in a time - Karnataka (Shivamogga transitional government - South district). Sudan. • Five countries signed by Iran, • This European country proposed Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia and new system of consent for organ Turkmenistan signed convention to and tissue donation to help black, give legal status to the sea - Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) Caspian Sea. people – United Kingdom. • During August 12-17, 'World Soil • UN Secretary-General Antonio Science Council (WCSS) 2018' Guterres presented four options organized at - Rio de Janeiro, aimed at boosting the protection Brazil. of Palestinians in - Israeli-occupied • US banned the use of technology territories. from companies like Huawei and • The 'Barak 8' missile system ZTE and other communication developed by this/these country technology companies of the will be procured by the Israel Navy - country - China. India and Israel. • India government sanctioned 470 • The 11th World Hindi Conference million Nepalese rupees for Terai organized in - Mauritius. road project in this country under • First Global Robotics Olympics the 'Postal Highway' project – organized in - Mexico City Nepal. (Mexico). • In August, 'mab114' Drug • During hajj pilgrimage, Saudi Arabia developed in the United States to provide ‘Nap pod’ room which was treat Ebola outbreaks in the designed by - Japan. country - Congo.
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
• According to a study by British Literature Festival bagan in – scientists, the use mosquito net Thimphu, Bhutan. with this pesticide helps to prevent • The world's first 4D printing for malaria - Pyrethroid. ceramics have successfully • NASA launched the Sun-chasing developed by researchers from the spacecraft - Parker Solar Probe. - City University of Hong Kong. • The researchers of this • These four countries gave 20 organization developed new clust recommendations for the safety of buster called 'PEGylated the Indian Ocean region - India, Streptokinase' - CSIR-Institute of Australia, Japan and America. Microbial Technology (CSIR- • NASA track Kerala flood situation IMTECH), Chandigarh. with the help of this satellite - GPM • China's navigation satellite system - (Global Preparation Measurement BeiDou. Mission Core Satellite). • On 25th August, Prasar Bharati • After the 1953 war, these signed a MoU with Mizzima Media neighboring Asian countries Group of - Myanmar. decided to close 10 border posts - • The Comprehensive Economic North Korea and South Korea. Cooperation Agreement (CECA) • The current account surplus of this between these two countries country is set to remain the world's which singed on June 29, 2005 is largest with $299 billion in 2018 - the first comprehensive agreement Germany. on trade, goods and services for • India and -----’s Defense Ministerial India - India and Singapore. Annual dialogue concluded in Delhi • This country announced its first on August 20, 2018 – Japan. contingency plan for giving • Based on the information received technical advice to 25 sectors to from this Indian satellite, NASA has exit the European Union without confirmed the water ice on the the agreement - UK. moon - Chandrayaan-1. • US has imposed this much percent • Ecuador announced new rules to tariffs on USD 106 billion worth of stop the migrations of this 279 Chinese goods - 25%. nationals entering without • On 23 August, Western Japan faced passport - Venezuela. strong winds and torrential rain as • With this country, India conducted it hit by - Typhoon Cimaron. a military exercise on 'Maitri 2018' • On 23 august, The four-day ninth during the 6-19 August 2018 - edition of Mountain Echoes Thailand.
SPORTS
• Asian Games 2018 to be held in – • Barcelona's new team captain - Jakarta, Indonesia. Lionel Messi (Argentina).
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
• This sprinter joined an elite band of • Host of ‘Rugby World Cup 2019’ – athletes as the sole athletes to Japan. have won five outdoor golds of • This Romanian player won the European title - Mahiedine women's singles title of 2018 Mekhissi (France). Silicon Valley Classic women's • The Supreme Court granted full tennis tournament - Mihaela membership to these cricket Buzărnescu. associations - • Svetlana Kuznetsova of this Saurashtra, Vadodara, Mumbai an country won the women's singles d Vidarbha. title of 2018 City Open Women's • In 2018 Pan Pacific men and Tennis Championships in women's international swimming Washington, DC - Russia. championship in Japan, women’s • Women's Hockey World Cup 2018 800 meters Gold winner in winner - Netherlands. freestyle style - • 2018 BWF world championship Katie Liddesky (American). winner in Woman single’s group - • In 2018 Pan Pacific men and Carolina Marin (Spain). women's international swimming • This Indian Golfer win ‘2018 Fiji championship, men’s 1500 meters International’ in Natadola Bay - Gold winner in freestyle style - Gaganjeet Bhullar. Jordan Wilimowski (USA). • ‘2018 FA Community Shield’ • 400-meter Hurdles world champion Football championship winner - Nicholas Bett (28-year-old) of this Manchester City. country died in an accident – • In the 'Asian Games 2018', these Kenya. Indian shooter won the bronze • In August-18, position of Indian medal in the 10m air rifle mixed Women’s hockey team on FIH’s doubles category - Apurvi World Ranking – Ninth. Chandela and Ravi Kumar. • In August-18, position of Indian • Winner of 'SAFF Under-15 Women's men’s hockey team on FIH’s World Championship' football Ranking - fifth. tournament in Bhutan – India. • In August-18, First place on FIH’s • The 18th edition of the Asian World Ranking – Australia. Games officially started in – Jakarta • This country's goalkeeper, Isam El (Indonesia). Hadri, who was recognized as the • This Indian cyclist has scripted oldest player in the worldcup, history by claiming India's first ever announced his retirement from medal (silver) at the UCI Junior international football - Egypt. Track Cycling World Championships • 2018 World Cup hockey in Aigle, Switzerland - Esow Alben tournament Final won by – • 2018 UCI Junior Track Cycling World Holland. Championships gold medalist - Jakub Stastny (Czech Republic).
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
• The 3rd 'Indian Classic Junior Open • Winner of Men's Single in the 2018 Squash' tournament was played in European Athletics Championships city - Mumbai. - Coyne Narrat (Belgium). • Gary Stead was appointed as the • The Indian shot-put player has won new coach of this country's 'Black a gold medal with a new Asian Caps' cricket team - New Zealand. record - Tejinder Pal Singh. • Winner of the '2018 Abu Dhabi • New Chief Coach of National Men's Masters' Chess Championship - Cricket Team of Zimbabwe - Nihal Sarin (India). Lalchand Rajput. • This Spanish midfielder, known as • In Asian Games 2018, this team 'Spanish Lionel Messi', announced won the gold medal in men's his retirement from international quadruple sculls - Indian team. football - David Silva. • In Asian Games 2018, This country • Indian women's cricket team's new won the gold medal by defeating chief coach - Ramesh Powar. India in women's Kabaddi final – • In Canada, this Romanian player Iran. won the women's singles title of • In Asian Games 2018, bronze medal '2018 Rogers Cup' tennis won by this Indian shooter in 10m tournament - Simona Halep. air pistol - Hina Siddhu. • This country's tennis player Rafael • This Indian woman cricketer retired Nadal won the men's singles title from international T20 cricket - of 2018 Rogers Cup tournament - Jhulan Goswami. Spain. • In the Asian Games 2018, The • This football club won 'Spanish Indian men's Kabaddi team won Super Football Cup' tournament the - Bronze Medal. record 13 times - Barcelona. • In Tennis, This Indian pair clinched • This country's golfer Brooks the Gold in Men's Doubles Tennis Coepka became the winner of the at the 18th Asian Games in 100th PGA Championship – USA. Indonesia – Rohan Bopanna and • Organizer of '2020 Olympic' – Divij Sharan. Japan. • In the Asian Games 2018, The • Vietnam Open Badminton Men's Indian Women's Kabaddi team won Singles Final winner – Shesar Hiren - Silver Medal. Rhustavito (Indonesia). • In Asian Games 2018, India won this • Vietnam Open Badminton Men's many medals in sanda format of Singles Final India's runner-up – the Wushu Sport - Four Bronze. Ajay Jayaram. • The India-England Test Series with • Winner of Indonesia Open men's Five matches is playing in - England singles championship - Nikki (at Nottingham). Punacha. • By winning gold medal In the Men's 10m air pistol event, India's fifth shooter to win gold in the
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
history of Asian Games - Saurabh • First Indian woman wrestler who Chaudhary. won a gold medal in Asian Games - • By winning Bronze medal in Asian Vineesh Phogat. Games 2018, it is India's first medal • Gold medalist in the 10 meter air of the men's team in this event - pistol in the Asian Games 2018 - Sepak takraw (OR kick volleyball). Saurabh Chaudhary. • This Japanese player won women's • For the first time in history, this 50m Butterfly and 100m freestyle Tennis player has earned the gold medal in the 2018 Asian ‘Career Golden Masters’ - Novak Games - Rikko Iki. Djokovic (Serbia). • India's wicketkeeper become the • This Indian won the first gold fourth wicketkeeper from India to medal in 'Asian Games 2018' in score five catches in his First Test wrestling - Bajrang Punia. at Nottingham - Rishabh Pant. • In August-18, bowler Mitchell • By defeating Simona Halep from Johnson of this country announced Romania, this player from Holland his retirement from all forms of won Cincinnati Open 2018 - Kiki cricket – Australia. Burtons. PERSON IN NEWS
• British Author of “A House for Mr • Author of ‘Untold Story of Biswas” died - V.S. Naipaul. Broadcasting’ - • President of the 73rd UN General Dr. Gautam Chatterjee. Assembly - Maria Fernanda • The New Deputy chairman of Rajya Espinosa Garces (Spain). Sabha - Harivansh Narayan Singh. • First-ever woman Chief Justice of • Ivan Duque sworn in as 60th the Jammu and Kashmir High Court President of – Colombia. - Justice Gita Mittal. • Person has been nominated by • Book titled "Hindsight & All the Donald Trump to be a member of Things I Can't See in Front of Me" the Privacy and Civil Liberties by - Justin Timberlake. Oversight Board - Aditya Bamzai. • Current United Nations Secretary- • Former Tamil Nadu chief minister General - António Guterres. and DMK patriarch passed away at • The next United Nations High the age of 94 - M Karunanidhi. Commissioner for Human Rights - • US food and beverage giant, Michelle Bachelet (Chile). Pepsico's Indian-origin CEO - Indra • Author of ‘Jewellery’ - Nooyi. Dr. Gulab Kothari. • Director of Bollywood film • Author of ‘Ghats of Banaras’ - “Halkaa” under the aegis of the Dr. Sachidanand Joshi. Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) - Nila Madhab Panda.
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
• Current President of South Sudan - • The Kirti Chakra 2018 winner - Salva Kiir. Sepoy Verma Pal Singh • Current President of Sudan - Omar (posthumous), Rajput Regiment of al-Bashir. the Indian Army. • Head of Committee of the FSSAI to • This lady judge is the President of review the draft 'Food Labeling the Appellate Tribunal for and Display Regulation' - B. Electricity under the Ministry of Sesation. Power - Justice Manjula Chellur. • Former UN General Secretary of • This veteran dramatist, who was United Nations, who formed the linked to Vijaya Mehta's 'Rangayan' United Nations Development theater, died in Mumbai - Jaywant Group (UNDG) in 1997, passed Nadkarni (93 years old). away - Kofi Annan. • Speaker of the Lok Sabha from • Pakistan's 22th Prime Minister - 2004 to 2009 - Somnath Imran Khan. Chatterjee. • The head of Iran Action Group • New Chief Justice of Patna High (IAG) by America - Brian Hook. Court - Justice Mukesh R Shah. • The new President of Paraguay - • Current Governor of Bihar - Satya Mario Abdo Benitez. Pal Malik. • In 1987 she became the first • Author of ‘Unhinged: An Insider woman voted into the Rock and Account of the Trump White Roll Hall of Fame - Aretha Franklin. House’ - Omarosa Manigault • This Taiwanese filmmaker has Newman. announced the 2018’s "Directors • New chairman of the Defence Guild of America" award - Ang Lee. Research & Development • European aviation major Airbus’s Organization (DRDO) of India - Dr. India unit head - Anand E Stanley. G. Satish Reddy. • In 1971, India won the first Test • This veteran Marathi comedian series overseas led by this person passed away in Mumbai - Vijay who died in Mumbai recently - Ajit Chavan. Wadekar. • This Senior journalist, writer and • India's 20km Racewalking gold human rights activist passed away medalist in 1978 Bangkok Asian in Delhi on August 22, 2018 - Games Championship, passed away Kuldeep Nayar. at Sangrur-Punjab - Hukam Singh. • The name of new Australian Prime • This State’s Governor Balram Das Minister - Scott Morrison. Tandon passed away on 14th • Former personal secretary to August 2018 - Chhattisgarh. former PM Indira Gandhi and • The actor has been appointed as Senior Congress leader passed the brand ambassador for road away in New Delhi in august - R K safety campaign - Akshay Kumar. Dhawan.
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
• This experienced writer and • The title of the autobiography journalist died on 23 August in New written by Australian spinner Shane Delhi - Kuldeep Nayyar. Warne - 'No Spin'. • Brand ambassador of Sanjay • Winner of the 'Rajiv Gandhi Gandhi National Park of Mumbai - National Sadbhavna Award 2018' - Ravina Tandon. Gopalkrishna Gandhi. • Najim Sethi, the head of the cricket • The Supreme Court has restored board of this country, resigned the honour of this Army veteran from his post on August 20 - led the Operation Blue Star in 1984 Pakistan. and award him a rank of Lieutenant • After 1984, the political person Colonel post-retirement - Major appointed as Governor of Jammu (now retd) Kunwar Ambreshwar and Kashmir - Satyapal Malik. Singh. • First Muslim woman to become a • 'WHO World No Tobacco Day 2018' member of the Australian Award Winner - S. K. Arora (Health Parliament - Mehrun Farooqi. Department, Government of Delhi).
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
• John Postel established Internet Imperial Records Department in Corporation for Assigned Names the year - 1891. and Numbers (ICANN) in Los • Headquarters of the Shanghai Angeles (US) in year - 1998. Cooperation Organization (SCO) - • International Youth Day - August Beijing, China. 12. • Berlin is the capital of – Germany. • First 'International Youth Year' – • European championship was held 1985. for the first time in this year - 2018. • Israel's National Currency - Israeli • United Nations Human Rights New Shekel. Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, • First Asian Games was played in Switzerland, established in the year 1951 at - New Delhi (India). - 2006. • United Nations Organization (UN) • World Biofuel Day - 10 August. located in Manhattan (USA) • Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana established in year - 1945 (24 (PMGSY) in India was started in October). the year - 2000. • Total Members of United Nations • In India, the 'Motor Vehicles Act' General Assembly (UNGA) – 193. was enforced in year - 1988. • National Archives of India (NAI) • The goods and services tax (GST) was established in Kolkata as an was introduced in India on dated - 1 July 2017.
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
• The world's first country to • In India, 'Startup India' launched in implement goods and services tax year - 2016. (GST) - France. • The Energy and Resources Institute • Headquarters of the Board of (TERI) established in year - 1974. Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) • ‘Clean India’ campaign launched on which established in 1928 - date - 02 October 2014. Mumbai (Maharashtra). • In India, the 'Scheduled Castes and • Establishment year of Federation Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of of Indian Export Atrocities) Act' was enacted in year Organisations (FIEO) – 1965. - 1989. • The Man and Biosphere (MAB) • National Backward Class Program was launched by UNESCO Commission (NCBC) established in in year - 1971. year – 1993. • Headquarters of UN Educational, • In India, the 'Sports Code' was Scientific and Cultural Organization announced in year - 2011. (UNESCO) - Paris, France • National Currency of Saudi Arabia - (Established: November 16, 1945). Saudi Riyal. • This RBI’s committee introduced • The capital of Saudi Arabia - the concept of ‘Payments Bank’ for Riyadh. small businesses and low income • The capital of Canada – Ottawa. families - Nachiket More • At the time of World War II, the Committee. name of the Atom bomb, which • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was bombed on Hiroshima city in established in the year - 1934. Japan - Little Boy. • Capital of Colombia – Bogotá. • Impacting Research Innovation and • Colombia's National Currency - Technology (IMPRINT) is the Colombian Peso. initiative of this Ministry of • National Handloom Day in India - Government of India - Ministry of August 7. Human Resource Development. • Swadeshi Movement started in • The capital of South Sudan - Zuba. India on dated - 7 August 1905. • The National Currency of South • The first Everest expedition with all Sudan - South Sudanese Pound. women team headed by Babendri • The national currency of Britain Pal was conducted in – 1993. (Great Britain / UK) - Pound • Capital of Nepal – Kathmandu. Sterling. • Headquarters of the International • Headquarter of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) - Lausanne Hockey Federation (FIH) - Lausanne (Switzerland). (Switzerland). • Capital of Bhutan – Thimphu. • Headquarter of the World • National Currency for Bhutan - Badminton Federation (BWF) - Bhutani Ngultrum. Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
• Football Association Football • Defence Research & Development Shield (FA Community Shield) is the Organization (DRDO) established in annual football tournament played year – 1958. in Britain since - 1908. • Chairman of the Defence • Full form of ATM - Automated Acquisition Council (DAC) of India - Teller Machine. Defence Minister. • On 3-6 June 1984, under the • Solar Energy Corporation of India leadership of this Prime Minister, Limited (SECI) established in year - Operation Blue Star was conducted 2011. - Indira Gandhi. • Capital of Singapore - Singapore (a • Capital of Ecuador - Quito. city, capital and nation). • National currency of Thailand - Thai • Number of countries in the Baht. European Union – 28. • The first Asian Games was • The establishment year of the organized in 1951 at - Delhi (India). European Union - 1993 (1 • India's indigenously designed November). lightweight 'glide' bomb - Smart • First Asian Games - New Delhi Anti Airfield Weapon (SAAW). (1951). • India’s Defence Research and • China's national currency – Development Organization (DRDO) Renminbi. establish in year – 1958. • During the period of Prime Minister • Japanese National Currency - Indira Gandhi, the Emergency in Japanese Yen. the country during - 25 June 1975 to • Headquarters of the World Trade 21 March 1977. Organization (WTO) - Geneva • Australian capital city - Canberra. (Switzerland). • The world's smallest continent and • The first Asian Games were the world's largest island – organized in 1951 at - New Delhi Australia. (India). • Capital of Australia – Canberra. • ISRO’s first moon mission - • Indira Gandhi was the ……. PM of Chandrayaan-1 (22 October 2008). India – 3rd. • A continent, a nation and an island • First Asian Games was held in – in the world - Australia. New Delhi (1951). • Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana • All India Radio (AIR) founded in Award establish in year - 1992. year – 1930. • Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) • Currency of China – Renminbi. established in year – 1947. • Currency of Bhutan - Indian rupee, • Capital of Myanmar - Naypyidaw. Bhutanese ngultrum. • National currency of Myanmar - • First International Buddhist Burmese kyat. Conclave – 2004. • Asian Games started in year - 1951 (New Delhi).
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
• Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) (NIN) in Tamil Nadu as ‘Beri-Beri established in the year - 1875 (9th Enquiry Unit’ laboratory - July). Sir Robert McCarrison. • India's first demutualized • Unique Identification Authority of electronic exchange - National India (UIDAI) established in the Stock Exchange (NSE) (1992). year - 2009. • First Asian Games was organized in • World Humanism Day - 19th 1951 at - New Delhi (India). August. • UK (Great Britain / UK) is the group • South Asian Football Federation of - England, Scotland, Wales and (SAFF) established in the year – Northern Ireland. 1997. • Britain's national currency - Pound • United Nations Organization (UN) Sterling. located in Manhattan (New York • GPM (Global Weather City, USA) established in the year - Management Mission Center 1945 (24 October). Satellite) is a joint mission of – • Missile system, that strikes the NASA (US) and JAXA (Japan). areal object form ground, jointly • In the Indian Constitution, there developed by Israel and India - are statutory provisions of the Barack missile. Governor in Articles - 153 to 167. • Indian Institute of Food Processing • UDAN, India Government's Technology (IIFPT) at Thanjavur, Regional Connection Scheme Tamil Nadu established in the year - (RCS), was started in year – 2017. 1967. • In India, 'None of The Above' • On August 18, in 1868, helium was (NOTA) option is being given in the discovered by astronomer - poll since - 2013. Norman Robert Pogson (Joseph • Headquarter of International Labor Norman Lockyer gave name). Organization (ILO) - Geneva, • In 1895, Helium was isolated in the Switzerland. lab by - William Ramsey. • Won is the currency of these East • First World Hindi Conference - Asian countries - North Korea and Nagpur (1975). South Korea. • Official name of 2015 Iran nuclear • Seoul is the capital of - South Deal - Joint Comprehensive Plan of Korea. Action (JCPOA). • Chhattisgarh State was formed by • First Asian Games - New Delhi separating Madhya Pradesh in year (India, 1951). – 2000. • National currency of Pakistan - • Food Security and Standards Pakistanis Rupee. Authority of India (FSSAI) • Mullaperiyar Dam is in state - established in year – 2011. Kerala (Idukki district). • In 1918, this person started National Institute of Nutrition
CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 2018
• The full form of LIGO - Laser India for the promotion of tourism Interferometer Gravitational-Wave was started in year - 2014-15. Observatory. • Established in 1999, the • The 'UN Food and Agriculture autonomous, statutory body Organization (UNFAO)' established regulates the insurance and in the year - 1945. reinsurance industries in India - • Archaeological Survey of India Indian Insurance Regulatory and (ASI) established in the year - 1861. Development Authority (IRDA), • Rome (Italy) based United Nations Hyderabad. Food and Agriculture Organization • Highest mountain peak in India - (UN FAO) established in the year - Kanchenjunga (8586 m). 1945. • Establishment year of the • The UN Convention on the Law of International Olympic Committee the Sea was signed in year - 1982. (IOC) located in Lausanne • First World Congress of Soil (Switzerland) - 1894. Science (WCSS) - 1927 (Washington • The Vietnam Open (Badminton) is DC). an international tournament played • International Union of Soil Sciences in Vietnam since year - 1996. (IUSS) established in the year - • ISRO, established on August 15, 1924. 1969, replaced this agency - Indian • In the United Nations Security National Committee for Space Council (UNSC), these nations have Research (INCOSPAR). the right to 'veto' - America, • First satellite of Indian Space Russia, China, Britain and France. Research Organization (ISRO) - • Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Aryabhatt (19 April 1975). Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and • The first country which sent Homeopathy (AYUSH) was formed spacecraft in the first attempt to in year - 2014 (9th November). the planet Mars - India (Mars • World Health Organization (WHO) Orbiter Mission). establishment year - 1948. • National Aeronautics and Space • Emergency was imposed from 25 Administration (NASA) established June 1975 to 21 March 1977 in India in Year - 1958 (July 29). during the period of the prime • The first company in India with minister - Indira Gandhi. exclusive license for Novel • Establishment year of Kirti Chakra Biological Entity (NBE) and Shaurya Chakra - 1952. thrombolytic protein for ischemic • PRASAD and Swadesh Darshan stroke - Epygen Biotech Pvt. Ltd., Scheme of the Government of Mumbai.