Today's Current Affairs 29th August 2023

NATIONAL

India, Asian Development Bank to set up climate change and health hub in Delhi

• India is now all set to open a climate change and health hub in the national capital Delhi in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
• Earlier, India had bagged the first WHO Centre for Global Traditional Medicine. WHO Centre for Global Traditional Medicine was set up in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
• The new hub for climate change and health will facilitate knowledge sharing, promote partnerships and innovations, and also help countries beyond the G-20, especially developing countries.

Ministry of education unveils smart India hackathon 2023 

• The Ministry of Education and the All India Council of Technical Education have launched the sixth edition of the Smart India Hackathon 2023.
• Aim: To showcase the growing culture of innovation in India’s education sector.
• Objective: To bring together the creativity of India’s young minds with real-world challenges faced by various government departments.
• It has become a global model for hackathons and innovation frameworks, reflecting its dynamic evolution over time.

 BANKING AND ECONOMY

RBI approves merger of Akola Merchant Co-operative Bank

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved the merger of The Jalgaon Peoples Co-operative Bank and Akola Merchant Co-operative Bank. 
• The Akola Merchant Co-operative Bank branches would operate as branches of The Jalgaon Peoples Co-operative Bank. 

• The merger of Twin Cities Co-operative Urban Bank Ltd and Kranti Co-operative Urban Bank Ltd was also given the go-ahead by the central bank.

RBI enhances transactions limits for small value digital payments to ₹500

• RBI has announced to enhance transaction limits for small value digital payments in offline mode to ₹500 from the earlier cap of ₹200.
• Aim: To enable faster, more reliable, and contactless payments for everyday small value purchases, transit payments, and so on by eliminating the need for two-factor verification for small value transactions.
• This effectively means that transacting parties can carry out digital transactions amounting to ₹500 each in the offline mode.

 DAYS

National Sports Day is observed on 29th August 2023

• The National Sports Day in India is celebrated on 29 August every year. It is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand Singh.
• The day also serves as a reminder for all of us to recall the contributions, determination and extraordinary achievements of the athletes and their influence in shaping societies.
• The theme for this year's National Sports Day celebration is "Sports are an enabler to an inclusive and fit society".

SPORTS

Kunlavut and An Se-young make history at Badminton World Championships

• Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn became the first Thai to win the men's singles title at the World Championships 2023 and became the badminton world champion after a victory over Japan's Kodai Naraoka in Copenhagen.
• Earlier, world No. 1 An Se-young also became the first South Korean to win the women's singles gold at the World Championships 2023 after defeating Carolina Marin.
• She had knocked out Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Chen Yufei in straight games in the semi-finals

FIFA lifts ban on Sri Lanka Football Federation

• World governing body FIFA has lifted the ban on the Sri Lanka Football Federation (FFSL).
• The ban was imposed in January 2023 due to government interference in the federation’s affairs.
• In a letter dated August 28 by Fatma Samoura, the FIFA secretary General, it said that the FIFA bureau had decided on 27 August “to lift the suspension of the FFSL with immediate effect”.
• The FFSL has also agreed to hold fresh elections for its executive committee.