Today's Current Affairs 7th August 2023

INTERNATIONAL

India imposes anti-dumping duty on optical fibre imports from China, Korea and Indonesia

• Based on the recommendations of the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), the revenue department has imposed an anti-dumping duty on Dispersion Unshifted Single-Mode Optical Fiber (SMOF) imports from China, South Korea and Indonesia.
• As reported by the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), the domestic optical fiber industry has experienced detrimental consequences due to the surge of inexpensive and substandard imports from these nations. In response to these challenges, the Finance Ministry has introduced anti-dumping duties on specific optical fiber imports originating from these countries, aiming to address the adverse impacts on the domestic industry resulting from the influx of such dumped imports.

NATIONAL

Prime Minister launches Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in 13 railway stations

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS) via video link to initiate the rejuvenation of 13 railway stations across the country.
• The Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS) aims to transform and revitalize 1,309 railway stations across the nation, enhancing the overall passenger experience and making them world-class travel hubs.
• As part of this initiative, work on 508 stations in various States commenced, with an investment of ₹25,000 crore. In the State, 13 railway stations will receive a modern makeover with an investment of ₹303 crore.

A special art exhibition titled "Together We Art" begins at Bihar Museum, Patna

• On 7 August 2023, a special art exhibition dedicated to the G-20 member countries in Bihar titled "Together We Art" will open at the Bihar Museum in Patna.
• The exhibition will run for two months starting today and will end on 7th October 2023. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will inaugurated the exhibition.
• The event is organised by the Union Ministry of Art and Culture as part of India's chairmanship of G-20 countries. A total of 29 countries including India are participating in the exhibition, To mark the foundation day, the Bihar Museum Biennial 2023 will also begin, which will run for five months

Bihar constitutes 'Rhino Task Force' to revive rhino conservation in Valmiki Tiger Reserve

• The Bihar government set up a 'Rhino Task Force' to propose measures to restart the rhino conservation plan in 'Valmiki Tiger Reserve' (VTR) located in West Champaran district.
• The VTR has seen a significant increase in the tiger population, prompting state wildlife officials to focus on reviving the rhino population in the region.
• At present, VTR has only one rhino, while Patna Zoo has 14 rhinos. With the formation of a 'rhino task force', officials aim to bring more rhinos back into the reserve.
• Valmiki Tiger Reserve has been selected as a potential site under the National Rhino Conservation Plan. This national level scheme allows rhinos to be introduced into Valmiki Tiger Reserve from other reserves across the country to boost their conservation.

SPORTS

Prarthana Thombare clinches women's tennis doubles title in Barcelona, Spain

• Prarthana Thombare has clinched the doubles title at the women's tennis hardcourt event in Barcelona, Spain. The Asian Games bronze medallist, combined with Russian Anastasia Tikhonova, edged out France’s Estelle Cascino and Latvia’s Diana Marcinkevica 3-6, 6-1, 10-7 in the final. It is the second title of the year and 26th overall for Prarthana, who bagged bronze with Sania Mirza in 2014 at Incheon.
• Siddhant Banthia and Sai Karteek Reddy won their second title this season in ITF men’s event in Astana, Kazakhstan. They defeated Estonia’s Daniil Glinka and Karl Kiur Saar 7-5, 6-7, 10-4 to lift the trophy in the hard-court event. It is the first crown for both the players who had triumphed in their first appearance as a team in an event in Jakarta in June.

SAI launched short movie series ‘Halla Bol’ Under ‘Cheer4India’ Campaign

• Sports Authority of India (SAI) under the Umbrella Campaign ‘Cheer4India’ has launched a short movie series ‘Halla Bol’ on the journey of Asian Games bound athletes to motivate them for Hangzhou Asian Games and spread awareness about the upcoming Asian Games.
• In the upcoming weeks, SAI has ambitious plans to release a total of 12 short films. This initiative aims to not only motivate athletes participating in the Asian Games 2023 but also to encourage the youth of the nation to embrace sports and pursue a career in the field. The first episode in the series was also unveiled which gave a glimpse onto the life of star Indian athlete Neeraj Chopra. The first video featuring Neeraj Chopra instantly became a hit on social media and has amassed massive views. The series is expected to rake in huge popularity as it focusses on the successful journey of athletes.

OBITURY

Telangana folk singer Gaddar passes away at 77,

• Renowned folk singer and activist Gaddar, who had been battling severe heart disease, passed away at the age of 74. He had been undergoing treatment at the Apollo Hospital in Hyderabad for the past 10 days following a cardiac arrest.
• Gaddar, also known as Gummadi Vittal Rao, gained popularity primarily through his stage name. He earned the title of the people’s singer due to his songs that brought attention to various issues faced by the common people. Additionally, he showcased his acting skills in a few films, including “Maa Bhoomi” and “Rangula Kala”.

 IMPORTANT DAYS

National Handloom Day: India

• National Handloom Day is observed across India on August 7 every year. The primary goal of celebrating Handloom Day is to promote the handloom and to recognise the efforts as well as skills of the community of weavers engaged in the sector.
• History - The National Handloom Day was first observed in 2015 which was inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The day was initiated with the objective of spreading awareness about the importance of the handloom sector.
• August 7 was chosen for celebrating National Handloom Day to commemorate the launch of the Swadeshi Movement on the same day in 1905 in Calcutta (now Kolkata). The movement was then led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal and Lala Lajpat Rai.
• The Swadeshi Movement was initiated to improve the usage of India-made goods which prominently involved handlooms. This movement also played a major role in Independence of the country during British Rule.

National Javelin Day: India

• August 7 is celebrated as National Javelin Day in India. The Athletics Federation of India, the apex body for the athletics in India, took the decision to celebrate August 7 as the National Javelin Day to commemorate Neeraj Chopra's historic gold medal during the Tokyo Olympics.
• It was on August 7 2021, that Chopra hurled javelin at a distance of 87.58m during the men's Javelin Throw final of the Tokyo Games to win the gold medal. Chopra scripted history as it was India's first-ever gold medal in Track and Field events in Olympics. With the gold medal at Tokyo, Chopra also became the second individual gold medalist from India after Abhinav Bindra's gold-medal winning performance at the 2008 Beijing Games.

PM Narendra Modi participated in 9th National Handloom Day celebration today in New Delhi

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the 9th National Handloom Day celebration today Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, Delhi. During the programme, Mr Modi also launch the e-portal of 'Bhartiya Vastra evam Shilp Kosh'- a Repository of Textiles and Crafts that has been developed by the National Institute of Fashion Technology NIFT.
• In a tweet, Mr Modi underlined the significance of the occasion in reinforcing the nation's dedication to promote indigenous textiles and handlooms in line with the 'Vocal For Local' initiative
• The programmel was attended by over 3000 handloom and khadi weavers, artisans and stakeholders from the textile and MSME sectors. It bring together handloom clusters across India, NIFT campuses,