Today's Current Affairs-15th August 2022

NATIONAL

India celebrated 76th Independence Day

• This year India is celebrating 76th Independence Day on 15th August 2022 to mark the country’s freedom from nearly two centuries of British colonial rule. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leading the celebrations from Red Fort in New Delhi and is addressing the nation from Red Fort in New Delhi. This is his ninth address as the prime minister. To celebrate the 75 years of Independence the Government of India has started an initiative called “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav”.
• On March 12, 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav” to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of independence that started a 75-week countdown to our anniversary of independence. This means that India will celebrate its 76th Independence Day on August 15, 2022, and mark the end of its 75 years of freedom.

INS Satpura to conduct 75-lap 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav Run' at San Diego

• Indian Naval Ship (INS) Satpura reached the San Diego Harbour North American Continent on 13th August to celebrate the 75 years of Independence of India. The INS Satpura conducted a 75 Lap Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav Run at the San Diego US Navy Base on the Independence Day of India. The ship hoisted the Indian Tricolour flag in the presence of the Indian diaspora and distinguished local dignitaries in the North American Continent on the historic occasion of 75 years of Independence of India.
• The arrival of INS Satpura to the San Diego US Navy Base is a historic event as it is the first time an Indian Naval Warship has reached the western coast of North America. This event demonstrates the capability and advancement of the Indian Navy after 75 years of Independence.
• Indian Naval Warship, INS Satpura, and P81 LRMRASW aircraft participated in one of the largest multilateral naval exercises, The Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii.
• On June 27, INS Satpura reached Hawaii for the multilateral naval exercises whereas P81 aircraft arrived on 22 July 2022.

About INS Satpura:

Launched: 4 June 2004

Construction started: 31 October 2002

Builder: Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders

Propulsion: boost turbines in CODOG configuration

Motto: Nishchay, Garv, Sahas; (Determination, Pride, Bravery)

Drinking water, millet mission among 16 big decisions taken by Odisha govt

• In a bid to give a big push to the traditional foodgrains production like millets and ensure better income for farmers, particularly the tribals, the State Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday approved a whopping 2,808.39 crore for six years from 2021-22 to 2026-27 for implementation of various programmes in the tribal areas.
• As 2023 has been declared as the ‘International Year of Millet’ and the Centre has given greater importance to it in 2022-23 budget, this move will go a long way in the promotion of the traditional crop in the State.
• The government had launched the Odisha Millets Mission in 2017 to revive and promote millets in farms and on plates. In the first phase of implementation in 2017-18, the programme was operational in 30 blocks across seven districts. In the second and third phases, the programme has been expanded to 84 blocks in 15 districts.

About Odisha:

Governor: Ganeshi Lal

Capital: Bhubaneswar

Chief Minister: Naveen Patnaik

Assam govt to construct 1,000 model Anganwadi centres, plans 15,000 units by 2026

• Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday remotely inaugurated nearly 1,000 Model Anganwadi Centres located across the state and said that he aims to have a total of 15,000 Anganwadis in the state.
• Addressing an event held at the RB Higher Secondary School playground under the Palasbari assembly constituency, the Chief Minister said, "These model Anganwadis would fulfill the hopes and aspirations of the parents from the remotest parts of the state. By 2026, he aims to have a total of 15,000 Anganwadis in the state."
• "Anganwadis are centres where the physical and mental foundations of a child is built. It prepares the child for their journey towards the higher education system," the Chief Minister said.

About Assam:

Capital: Dispur

Chief Minister: Himanta Biswa Sarma

Governor: Prof Jagdish Mukhi

 SPORTS

Durand Cup, oldest football tournament in Asia starts from August 16

• The oldest football tournament in Asia, Durand Cup is scheduled to start from August 16, 2022.The opening match will be played between FC Goa and Mohammedan SC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata.
• Durand Cup is one of the three major football tournaments in India, the other two being Indian Super League and Super Cup.This year the tournament is into its 131st edition which will feature 20 teams.The teams have been divided into four groups of five teams each.Of the 20 teams, 11 teams will be the clubs that play Indian Super League, five teams will be from I-League and four teams from the Armed forces.Indian Oil is the title sponsor of the tournament.
• For the first time in its history, the tournament is being held in multiple cities.West Bengal, Assam and Manipur are hosting the Durand Cup 2022.The matches will be played in Salt Lake Stadium (Kolkata, West Bengal), Naihati Stadium (Naihati, West Bengal), Kishore Bharati Stadium (Kolkata, West Bengal), Khuman Lampak Stadium (Imphal, Manipur) and Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium (Guwahati, Assam).

About Durand Cup:

Current champions: Goa; (1st title)

Founded: 1888; 134 years ago

Most successful team(s): Mohun Bagan; East Bengal; (16 titles each)

Number of teams: 20

Organising body: Durand Football Tournament Society

 OBITUARY

Indian-American journalist, Fox News host Uma Pemmaraju dies at 64

• An Indian American journalist, Uma Pemmaraju has passed away at the age of 64. She was a part of various shows such as The Fox Report, Fox News Live, Fox News Now, and Fox On Trends. She has been awarded many Emmy Awards in her career for investigative reporting and journalism.
• Pemmaraju paved the way for Indian American journalists in the field of investigative reporting by receiving many Emmy Awards over the span of her career. The Big Sisters Organization of America awarded her The Woman of Achievement Award. She also won the Texas AP Award and the Matrix Award from the Women in Communications for reporting. She was also featured as one of Spotlight Magazine’s “20 Intriguing Women of 1998.”

About United States:

Capital: Washington, D.C.

President: Joe Biden

Currency: United States Dollar

Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, veteran stock investor, dies in Mumbai aged 62

• Veteran stock market investor, Rakesh Jhunjhunwala passed away at the age of 62. Often referred to as ‘India’s Warren Buffett’ and the Big Bull of Indian markets, Jhunjhunwala’s net worth was $5.8 billion. An investor with a Midas touch, Jhunjhunwala was the 48th richest man in the country.
• He was Born on July 5, 1960 in a Rajasthani family, Jhunjhunwala grew up in Bombay, where his father worked as a commissioner of Income Tax. He graduated from Sydenham College and thereafter enrolled at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.
• By September 2018, that capital had inflated to Rs 11,000 crore. His portfolio includes companies like Star Health, Titan, Rallis India, Escorts, Canara Bank, Indian Hotels Company, Agro Tech Foods, Nazara Technologies, Tata Motors.

Anshu Jain, former Deutsche Bank CEO, dies aged 59

• Anshu Jain, an Indian-born investment banker who rose to the role of co-CEO at Deutsche Bank, died last night after a long battle with cancer, his family announced in a statement Saturday. He was 59 years old.
• Jain, who most recently served as the president of Cantor Fitzgerald, earned an MBA at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and worked at several financial firms, including Merrill Lynch, before moving to Deutsche Bank. He served as co-CEO from 2012 to 2015.
• Jain stepped down from his role at Deutsche before his contract ended after the bank was beset by a string of regulatory issues.
• His other positions included a role as an advisor at fintech company SoFi from 2016 to 2017 and as a trustee of British charity Chance to Shine.

About Deutsche Bank:

Headquarters: Frankfurt, Germany

CEO: Christian Sewing (8 Apr 2018–)

Founded: 10 March 1870, Berlin, Germany

CFO: James von Moltke

IMPORTANT DAYS

Sri Aurobindo’s 150^th birth anniversary

• As India celebrates the 75th anniversary of its Independence, the day also happens to be the 150th birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo, once a renowned revolutionary, who later became a spiritual master. His life and teachings remain relevant to our turbulent times, and there is much to learn from the vast philosophical and political writings he has left behind.
• Aurobindo was born in 1872. He was only seven when his Anglophile father sent his three sons to England for their education — Aurobindo studied Classics Tripos at Cambridge.
• As an indomitable intellectual and an ardent nationalist, he published articles in the Bombay-based journal Indu Prakash attacking the extractive British and indolent Congressmen. Aurobindo’s pragmatic strategies to get rid of British rule marked him as “the Prophet of Indian Nationalism”. In 1893, a good 22 years before Gandhi, he had asked the elite Congressmen to cede the leadership of the independence struggle to the proletariat.

 BANKING AND ECONOMY

SBI to offer 6.1% interest rate on this FD tenure for 75 days

• The largest lender in the nation, State Bank of India (SBI) has introduced a unique term deposit programme called “Utsav Deposit Scheme”. This fixed deposit scheme has higher interest rates and is only available for a limited time. This programme is introduced on the occasion of the nation’s 76th year of Independence, celebrated as Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• SBI is offering an interest rate of 6.10% per annum on fixed deposits with a tenure of 1000 days. And senior citizens will be eligible to get an additional interest rate of 0.50% over and above the regular rate.
• SBI increased interest rates on fixed deposits maturing in 180 to 210 days from 4.40% to 4.55%.
• SBI increased interest rates from 5.30% to 5.45% for fixed deposits with maturities of one year to less than two years.
• The interest rate on deposits maturing in 2 years to less than 3 years has increased to 5.50% from 5.35%, while the interest rate on deposits maturing in 3 years to less than 5 years has increased from 5.45% to 5.60%.

About State Bank of India:

Chairperson: Dinesh Kumar Khara

Headquarters: Mumbai

Founded: 1 July 1955

Defence forces, RBI and Prime Minister's Office most trusted institutions, says survey

• Defence forces, RBI and Prime Minister of India are the three most trusted institutions in the country, according to a survey by Ipsos India. The Supreme Court of India came fourth and it was followed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
• Defence Forces with at least 2 in 3 (65 per cent of respondents) reposing faith in them was ranked first, followed by Reserve Bank of India with 1 in 2 (50 per cent). Prime Minister of India as an institution was at the third spot with 49 per cent citizens having trust in it, the survey said. Smack in the middle was the Parliament (33 per cent) ranked 7th, ranked 8th was the media (32 per cent) and placed 9th was the Election Commission of India (31 per cent), it said.
• The institutions at the bottom of the heap were politicians (16 per cent), political parties (17 per cent), community leaders (19 per cent) and religious leaders (21 per cent), it said, adding, these institutions have least credibility according to the opinions of the citizens across the cities and target groups polled.

About Reserve Bank of India (RBI):

Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata

Founder: British Raj

Jurisdiction: India

Governor: Shaktikanta Das