NATIONAL:

First Mega Food Park was held in Telangana.

• The first Mega Food Park in Telangana was held at Lakkampally village in Nizamabad district. It was inaugurated by the Union Minister for Food Processing Harsimrat Kaur Badal. The food park was promoted by Smart Agro Food Park. The Smart Agro Mega Food Park was set up in 78 acres of land at a cost of Rs.108.95 crore.

The facilities in the park include a 5,000-tonne warehouse each for raw materials, finished goods, and commodities, 500-tonne deep freeze, Turmeric-Curcumin, Oleoresin Extraction unit of 5 tonnes a day, quality control lab and other related food processing facilities.

Aim:

Mega Food parks aimed to facilitate the doubling of farmer’s income by 2022. The scheme functions along with the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi which is a government initiative in which all small and marginal farmers will get up to Rs.6,000. Mega Food Parks will reduce post-harvest losses and hedge the farmer’s risk.

The Ministry aims to boost the food processing industry. If the agriculture sector grows exponentially, it will become a major contributor to double the farmer’s income and Make In India initiative of the government.

Benefits:

The Mega Food Park leveraged an additional investment of about Rs.250 crore in 22 food processing units. It generated a turnover of about Rs.14,000 crore. It is also expected that the Mega Food Parks will also provide 50,000 direct and indirect jobs and benefit about one lakh farmers.

Financial assistance:

The Mega Food Park Scheme is implemented to boost the food processing sector. The government provides financial assistance up to Rs.50 crore per Mega Food Park project.

India ranks 34th in World Travel Tourism Competitiveness Index.

• According to the reports, tourism in India is seeing an upward trend as India ranks 34th position on world travel and tourism competitiveness index. With this, India moves up six places up, and this has been driven by the rich natural and cultural resources, alongside strong price competitiveness.

The report stated, “India, which accounts for the majority of South Asia's T&T (travel and tourism) GDP, remains the sub-region's most competitive T&T economy, moving up six places to rank 34th globally. India showed the greatest percentage improvement to its overall Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) score, which has helped it become the only lower-middle income country in the top 35.”

AGREEMENTS AND MOU’S:

CBSE partners with Microsoft for capacity building of teachers for AI learning in schools.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has joined hands with Microsoft to conduct capacity building programmes for high school teachers and integrate cloud-powered technology in teaching.

Meant for teachers of classes eight to 10, the programme will be conducted in 10 cities across the country, starting September 11, 2019.

As part of the programme, at least 1,000 teachers nominated by the CBSE will undergo a three-day project-based training for practical, hands-on knowledge of Microsoft 365 tools such as OneNote, Flipgrid, Teams and Outlook.

"Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a strategic lever for economic growth across nations around the world. Through this initiative, we are empowering institutions, educators and students of India to acquire early education and skills in new technologies like AI and cloud to lead that growth in that rapidly changing world.

NATIONAL:

India ranks 34th in 2019 world travel and tourism competitiveness index

• According to the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) for the year 2019 released by the World Economic Forum(WEF). India ranked at the 34th spot from 6 places from the 2017 report (40th rank). The index topped by Spain It is followed by France and Germany in the second and third places.

Around 140 countries were ranked based on four sub-indexes. They are ranked mainly on the basis of

• Infrastructure

• Travel and Tourism policy enabling conditions

• Natural and cultural sources and

• Enabling environment.

India Africa Partnership in a Changing Global Order was held in New Delhi

• The India-Africa Partnership in a Changing Global Order on Priorities, Prospects and Challenges National Conference was held in New Delhi. The conference was composed by research organizations, Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS). It was organized by the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA). Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu addressed the conference.

• India confirmed and renewed its goal to achieve $5 trillion economy by 2024-25 as outlined in the economic survey-2019. The discussion included India's cooperation with Africa in every aspect including Trade, security, capacity building, maritime cooperation, and food security.

INTERNATIONAL:

Russia to conduct 2019 Exercise TSENTR

• Exercise TSENTR 2019 is a component of the annual exercises part of the Russian Armed Forces like an annual coaching cycle. Exercise TSENTR 2019 is conducted by the Central military commission of Russia. This year the exercise is planned to be held between 9-23 September at Donguz coaching ranges in Russia

Aim:

TSENTR 2019 aims to evolve drills and give practice to the participating armies in the fight against the scourge of international terrorism. It also aims to ensure military security in the strategic Central Asian region. The exercise will also focus on evaluating the preparedness of the level of the troop, the acquisition of the required skills and raising the level of interoperability and demonstrate the readiness of the participating armies.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY:

PNB approved its merger with OBC and United Bank of India

• Punjab National Bank's (PNB) board has decided to give its in-principle approval for the merger with the Oriental Bank of Commerce and United Bank of India. The move is a part of the announcement of a major bank merger by the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

• The directors of the Bank approved to commence the amalgamation process. The board also approved a capital infusion of up to Rs.18,000 crore from the government for preferential allotment of equity shares of the bank at a price determined in terms of SEBI (ICDR) Regulations. After the merger, PNB will be the country's second-largest PSB with Rs.18 lakh crore business. It will also be the second-largest branch network in India.

• Earlier, the government announced that the four major bank mergers. The merger of 10 public sector banks to be merged into four was announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. After the merger, there will now be 12 public sector banks after the latest round of consolidation of PSU banks

 IndiGo partners with SonyLIV to provide mobile inflight entertainment

• IndiGo announced its partnership with online video streaming service SonyLIV to offer passengers entertainment content at ₹25. The airline is expanding its footprint globally resulting in longer flights for its passengers calling for the need to provide entertainment content onboard. The airline has 50% of its new destinations in 2019 will be international ones.

• The passengers will have to download the app and the video content before they board their flight. IndiGo will provide a link to its flyers through which they avail the subscription. The flyers will have unlimited access to SonyLIV's premium content catalogue for the next 7 days.While the government has allowed airlines to provide in-flight internet connectivity as well as voice calls, IndiGo seems to have decided to not go down that route yet.

• Full-service carrier Air India provides its passengers pre-loaded entertainment content which can be viewed on screens mounted on seatbacks, while Vistara’s Vistara World App allows you to wirelessly stream content from your personal Android device. SpiceJet too announced its plans last year to provide in-flight WiFi but is yet to roll it out.

RBI makes it Mandatory for Banks to Link Retail Loans with External Benchmarks from October 1

• The Reserve Bank of India mandatory for banks to link all new floating-rate loans for housing, auto and MSMEs to an external benchmark like repo from October 1.

Industry and retail borrowers complaining that banks do not pass on the entire RBI's policy rate (repo rate).The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) observed that due to various reasons, the transmission of policy rate changes to the lending rate of banks under the current marginal cost of funds based lending rate (MCLR) framework .

• The banks to link all new floating rate personal or retail loans and floating rate loans to MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) toan external benchmark effective October 1, 2019.The Reserve Bank already reduced the repo or short-term lending rate by 110 basis points, but the banks have reportedly passed on only up to 40 bps to borrowers.

OBITUARY:

Author Kiran Nagarkar passed away on 5 September

• The Novelist Kiran Nagarkar passed away in hospital at the age of 77. He suffered from a massive brain hemorrhage. He was one of India’s greatest writers.

Nagarkar:

Nagarkar was born in Mumbai in 1942. He worked in journalism, advertising and education. He published his novel Saat Sakkam Trechalis in Marathi in 1974 at the age of thirty-two. He worked as  screenplay, journalist, a book author, and within the advertising trade.

Awards:

Nagarkar was distinguished with the HN Apte Award for the most effective first novel. He won Sahitya Akademi Award for his epic novel Cuckold, which he wrote in 1997, in 2001 and the Dalmia Award for communicative harmony through literature. He received a philanthropist grant award of a scholarship by the town of Munich.

SPORTS:

Anupama Swain won bronze in World Martial Arts Mastership Jiu Jitsu 2019

• Anupama Swain won a bronze medal in the recently concluded World Martial Arts Mastership Jiu-Jitsu 2019. The event was held in Chungju, South Korea.

• She qualified for 2022 Asian Games. She is the only Indian to participate in the championship.Jiu-Jitsu is a form of martial art and combat sport and it puts the entire focus on grappling with particular emphasis on ground fighting.

NATIONAL:

Pushpa Kolhi 1st Hindu woman police officer in Pak's Sindh province.

• Pushpa Kolhi has become the first Hindu woman to be inducted into Pakistan's Sindh Police after passing the provincial competitive examinations. Pushpa Kolhi has been posted as the Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) in Sindh. Earlier in January this year, Pakistani Hindu woman named Suman Pawan Bodani was appointed a judge to the civil and judicial magistrate.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS:

Paytm appoints former Google execs to head ad, cloud businesses.

• Noida-based fintech giant Paytm has appointed two former Google executives to head its advertising business and cloud offering respectively. Praveen Sharma has been appointed as Senior Vice President for the ad business, while Ankit Sinha has joined as Vice President of Paytm AI Cloud. The two will directly report to Paytm Founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma

Misbah-ul-Haq appointed Pakistan head coach and chief selector.

• Misbah-ul-Haq has been appointed the head coach and chairman of selectors of Pakistan, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced on Wednesday. The former Pakistan captain was picked as head coach for a period of three years by a five-member panel that included former captain Intikhab Alam among others. Meanwhile, Waqar Younis has been appointed Pakistan bowling coach for three years.

AT&T names WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey as President, COO.

• American telecom company AT&T on Tuesday announced that WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey will take over as its new President and COO. Stankey will continue as WarnerMedia CEO and take on the new position on October 1. AT&T had acquired Time Warner for $108 billion in June 2018. Stankey joined AT&T in 1985 and took the reins at WarnerMedia in 2018.

NATIONAL:

IGI gets Indias tallest ATC Tower

Union Minister of state for civil aviation Hardeep Singh Puri inaugurated a new air traffic control (ATC) tower at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi.

ATC tower:

The cost of the ATC tower is Rs.350 crore. The tower consists of three buildings: the aerodrome control tower, area approach control services building, and the administrative block. The tower is facilitated with modern air navigation systems and advanced automation systems. This will enhance safety and the capacity of air traffic operations.

The height of the ATC tower is 101.9 metres. The tower aims to reduce the pressure on controllers and provide relief to flyers from delays. The tower has over 45 workstations with better operational area visibility. The tower has multilayered security.

INTERNATIONAL:

Fourth South Asian Speakers Summit organised in Maldives

Fourth South Asian Speakers Summit on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) held in Male, the Maldives from September 1-2, jointly organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the People’s Majlis(the single legislative body of the Maldives). The summit attended by Secretary-General of the IPU, Martin Chungong and senior lawmakers from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

The Indian delegation was led by Om Birla, 17th Lok sabha speaker and the RajyaSabha’s Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh.

The Male declaration rejects Pakistan’s Kashmir issue concerns:  The Malé declaration ignored Pakistan delegate QasimSuri’s concern on bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh into Union Territories(UT), raised during the summit citing the reasons that the issue wasn’t part of the summit’s agenda.

The agenda for the summit was on equal pay, youth employment, nutrition, food security and delivering the Paris agreement on climate change.The summit hold discussions on the themes

• Promoting equality at work including equal remuneration and creating jobs for young people

• Achieving SDGs 2 and 3 – Nutrition and food security as drivers of maternal, child and adolescent health in the Asia-Pacific region

• Catalyzing the global agenda on climate change overcoming challenges and utilizing opportunities to strengthen the regional agenda for delivering on the Paris Agreement.

• The previous/3rd summit was held by the Parliament of Sri Lanka in 2018.

Iranian army introduces a new homegrown jet-propelled drone called Kian

• Iranian Army unveiled a high-precision jet-propelled drone called Kian.The capacity of carrying long-time surveillance missions and attack the targets far from the country’s borders.

The unmanned military drone developed in two models.It was developed by Iranian technicians of the Army

• The tensions between Iran and the United States President Donald Trump in 2018 withdrew the US from the Iran nuclear deal -2015 and reimposed sanctions on Iran.

• The new home-grown air defense system called Bavar-373.The US withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program reached in July 2015 Iran, the P5+1 (the 5 Permanent members of the United Nations Security Council-China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States + Germany) and the European Union.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY:

Cabinet approves Rs.9300 crore capital infusion for IDBI Bank

• The Cabinet has approved a capital infusion plan worth Rs.9,300 crore for IDBI Bank. The bank will get the amount from its parent, Life Insurance Corp. of India.

• The aim of the move is to help narrow IDBI's losses and boost its lending capacity. The Cabinet cleared the IDBI Bank recapitalization plan with one-time infusion assets by the administration and Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) and shares of IDBI Bank jumped as much as 10.84% after the declaration.

• IDBI Bank and recapitalization plan:

The fund infusion will empower IDBI Bank to come back to benefit and give the option of recovering its investment at an opportune time.

The government will provide a one-time recapitalization of Rs.4,557 crore to IDBI Bank and LIC will infuse Rs.4,743 crore. LIC has a 51% share in IDBI Bank where 49% is with the government.

In August 2018, LIC bought a 51% stake in IDBI Bank from the government and infused Rs. 21,000 crore into it to revive the lender.

AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS:

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to award PM Modi

 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundationhas announced the Global Goalkeeper Award 2019 for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The award recognizes his goal-oriented venture plan Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Along with PM Modi, 10 other individuals are to be awarded for their great work.

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan:

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan or the Clean India Mission was introduced as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on October 2 in 2014. The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan meant to make India the Open Defecation Free (ODF) by 2019. It ensures to provide sanitation facilities to all. The campaign will be completed by 2 October 2019 to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation:

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the largest private foundation in the world, is a private establishment founded in 2000. It is located in Seattle, Washington. The foundation is claimed by a very rich person donor Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his significant other Melinda Gates.

Global Goalkeeper Award 2019 is a special award of the foundation. It celebrates a political leader who has demonstrated their commitment to the Global Goals through impactful work in their country or/and globally.

SPORTS:

Qatar unveils 2022 FIFA World Cup logo round the globe

• Qatar unveiled the logo for the 2022 World Cup. It will hosted by the Gulf emirate displaying it in public spaces in Doha and cities around the world.

• The design is a stylised Arabic white unisex shawl with maroon patterning. It displayed in a figure-of-eight symbolising infinity while creating a heart shape above the words FIFA.

 WORLD CUP Qatar 2022

• The logo is very elegant and showing local culture with the burgundy colour of the Qatari flag, Algerian hospitality worker Mourad Bencheikh.

NATIONAL:

Cultural event Namaste Pacific organised in New Delhi

High Commissions of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji jointly organised a cultural event, Namaste Pacific, The main aim is to showcase in India the culture of the Pacific countries.

Australian High Commissioner to India Harinder Sidhu highlighted the importance of people to people links between India and the countries in the Pacific region received a boost through an event like Namaste Pacific.

India became important country in the Pacific region. India is highly respected among the pacific country, and so an event like this is highly appropriate.

This is a natural gathering of countries that share a great deal together. This evening is one example of looking at the things that unite the countries of Indo-Pacific.

A curated menu including the national drink Kava from Fiji and dishes slow-cooked in an earth oven using heated rocks in a pit oven specially dug for the purpose at the New Zealand High Commission were among the cuisine showcased at the event.

Aaradhna, a multi-award-winning R & B and soul artist from New Zealand performed with her band. Aaradhna is part Indian and part Samoan and has to her credit four individual albums.

Traditional masks and artefacts from Papua New Guinea and Pacific Green furniture and other products from Fiji were also displayed.There was also a showcase of the International Solar Alliance and Pollinate Energy based in Australia, Nepal and India, and solar lanterns from Barefoot College in Rajasthan.The event saw the participation of members of the diplomatic community, government officials, business leaders, and cultural personalities.

Indian army to train women soldiers for military police

The Indian Army is all set to start coaching 100 women soldiers from December 2019. The aim is for the ultimate induction into the Corps of the military police. So far, the Indian military has 3.80% of its workforce as girls, the Air Force has 13.09% and the Navy has 6%.

Training:

The military plans to coach 100 soldiers every year for a cadre, The strength of every cadre is expected to be 1,700 until reviewed. The training time will be of 61 weeks which is the same as for male soldiers.

Role of military police:

Women will be inducted as Women military police to comprise 22% of the Corps of military police. Their role would vary from searching crime cases to helping the military-like medical, legal, academic, signals and engineering wings of the military.

It will also include:

♦ policing cantonments and armed forces institutions

♦ preventing the breach of rules and rules by soldiers

♦ maintaining the movement of soldiers

♦ to supply throughout peace and war

♦ handling prisoners of war

♦ increasing aid to civil police

Defence Ministry to conduct JNAQC in Visakhapatnam

Naval Quality Assurance Establishments is to host the Joint Naval Annual Quality Conclave (JNAQC) in Visakhapatnam on 5 September. It will be hosted under the charge of Director General Quality Assurance (DGQA), Ministry of Defence.

Theme:

The theme of the Conclave is Transformation of QA Paradigm: Opportunities and Challenges. The conclave will focus on Quality Challenges of Emerging Technologies which will provide insights on Management of Emerging Technologies in Indian Navy.

New Health Insurance Scheme AB-MGRSBY Launched In Rajasthan

Rajasthan state government launched a new health insurance scheme called Ayushman Bharat-Mahatma Gandhi Rajasthan Swasthya Bima Yojna (AB-MGRSBY) by integrating the Bhamashah Health Insurance Scheme(BSBY) of the State Government and Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna Scheme(AB-PMJAY) of the Central Government.

Ayushman Bharat-Mahatma Gandhi Rajasthan Swasthya Bima Yojna (AB-MGRSBY)  Scheme

Around 1.1 crore families will be covered under this Health Scheme. The sum insured now is Rs. 30000 for general diseases and Rs. 3 lakh per year for serious diseases.AB-PMJAY, which provides coverage of Rs5lakh per year.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS:

President Ram Nath Kovind appoints 5 new Governors

President appoints 5 Governors, Arif Mohammad Khan to be Kerala Governor, Tamilisai Soundarajan appointed Telangana Governor, Bandaru Dttatreya to be Governor Himachal Pradesh, Bhagat Singh Koshiyari and Kalraj Mishra also appointed Governors.   

Five new governors have been appointed on Sunday.

Arif Mohammed Khan has been appointed as Governor of Kerala, Kalraj Mishra will be  the Governor of Rajasthan. Bandaru Dattatreya has been appointed as Governor of Himachal Pradesh while Bhagat Singh Koshyari appointed as Governor of Maharashtra. Tamilisai Soundararajan has been appointed as Governor of Telangana.

President House in a Press Communique said that all the appointments will take effect from the dates they assume charge of their respective offices.

DAYS:

World Coconut Day observed on September 2nd.

World Coconut Day observed on September 2. Coconut Development Board (CDB) distribute its National Awards in various categories on the season of World Coconut Day celebration at Bhubaneswar, India. Coconut, the tree of life Sustains family well being is a theme by the Asian and Pacific Coconut Community for the World Coconut Day.

History of World Coconut Day

The Coconut Development Board celebrated the World Coconut Day at NEDFI Convention Centre, Guwahati, Assam. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi awards 15 people have exceeded in coconut farming, industry, and other coconut related activities. Assam is the next major coconut producing state in India; the CDB decided to hold the national-level function on occasion there this year. About 33,493 hectares in all seven NE states are under coconut cultivation, Assam alone is cultivating 20,368 hectares.Coconuts are members of the drupe family, and it is a fleshy fruit that has been planting in tropical regions for millions of years. On this day, Entire globe celebrates one of nature’s healthiest foods.

SPORTS:

Jinson betters own 1500m national record by winning silver in Berlin, qualifies for World Championships.

Johnson clocked 3 minute 35.24 seconds to finish second behind Joshua Thompson of United States at the Olympic Stadium here.

•With his own national record shattering effort, Jinson also qualified for the World Championships to be held in Doha from September 28 to October 6. The World Championships qualifying time is 3:36.00.

• “I was expecting to set new national record but did not expect to win the silver. I will now go to Colorado in USA for further training and then to Doha for World Championships,” Jinson said after the event.

•“I am very happy. But my ultimate aim is to do well in Tokyo 2020.”

• Jinson had won the 2018 Asian Games gold in 1500m with a time of 3:44.72.

• ISTAF Berlin is a part of the IAAF World Challenge meetings, the second tier of global one day athletics events. It is the penultimate leg of the IAAF World Challenge meetings this year.

NATIONAL:

Uttarakhand to set up a Special Tiger Force for Corbett Tiger Reserve

• The Uttarakhand government has determined to set up a Special Tiger Force for Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve. It will function as an abundantly required second layer of protection with the big cat. The force can have 85 posts.

• Special tiger force:

The STPF is effective in checking outlaw human intrusion into the reserve through villages situated on its fringes for  250 tigers at the reserve.

The need for such a force was being felt by life specialists and conservationists for an extended time with three-tier protection to tigers at reserves.

• About Three Tier protection :

The First layer of protection is by beat level forest guards through regular patrols.

The second layer of protection is by STPF.

The third layer of protection comes from intelligence gathering mechanism within which forest, police and central intelligence agencies personnel work along to stop crimes like cooking of tigers.

INTERNATIONAL:

India raises the issue of global oil price volatility with Russia

• India raised the issue of global oil market price volatility with Russia that is hurting the interests of both consuming and producing nations. This was articulated by India’s oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan in a meeting with Russia’s energy minister Alexander Novak.

• India urging its long-time ally Russia to take into account the interest of energy-consuming nations during its engagement with the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec).

They play an important role in balancing global oil market both in terms of ensuring adequate supply as well as in having a responsible and reasonable price.

• Any production cut by Opec and its allies has a wide-ranging impact on energy markets, given that Opec accounts for around 40% of global production. It is expected to have a particular fallout on India due to Opec accounting for around 83% of the country’s total crude oil imports.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY:

Indian Oil to build 1GW electric vehicle battery plant

• State-run oil refiner Indian Oil Corporation Ltd will set up a 1 Giga Watt (GW) plant to make batteries used for running electric vehicles (EVs) in partnership with an overseas start-up using a non-lithium ion raw material.

• The move fits well with the government’s strategy to facilitate the adoption of EVs in the country’s energy basket, and cut the fuel import bill. It also supports a key element of the EVs industry batteries and their recharge.

• The more efficient, less complex, very advanced and more economical, if you are looking at the car alone.

• India-centric solution.India tied-up with one company manufactured 100 per cent indigenously . The raw material is easily available in this country, whose recycling technology is extremely mature and whose recycling industry is well established in this country.The elements are known since ages, the natural resources of that particular element in this country is abundantly available, unlike in the case of lithium. For lithium, you have to depend on imports, and that too from China, because all lithium reserves today are under the possession of China.The battery plant will be set up through a special purpose vehicle (SPV) formed by IOC and the overseas entity. The location of the plant is yet to be decided. The 25 MW or 50 MW to pick up in the country for e-vehicles and e-mobility.

MeitY partners with Google for Build for Digital India programme

• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) signed a statement of intent (SoI)with Google. The agreement aimed to implement Build for Digital India programme.

Aim:

The aim of the initiative is to motivate the college students across India to innovate and produce some good technology solutions for major social challenges of India.

• Build for Digital India:

♦ Build for Digital India programme will provide engineering students a platform to develop market-ready, technology-based solutions that address key social problems.

♦ Engineering students across the country can apply and join the programme. Through this programme they will be able to transform their bright ideas into real-world solutions.

♦ The programme provides online and offline learning opportunities on key technologies such as machine learning, cloud, and android.

♦ The opportunities will be offered through Google’s Developer Student Club network and other Google Developer networks.

♦ Under the programme mentorship sessions in product design, strategy and technology to the most promising products and prototypes will be offered by Google.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION:

Lt Gen Manoj Naravane took charge as VCAS

• Lieutenant General Manoj Mukund Naravane took charge of Vice Chief of the Army Staff in New Delhi on 1 September. He replaces Lieutenant General Devraj Anbu superannuated on August 31.

• General Manoj Mukund Naravane:

Naravane was earlier heading the Eastern Command of the Indian Army. He was active in Counter Insurgency environments, both in the North East and in J&K. Naravane was a part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka during Operation PAWAN.

• Lieutenant General Manoj was awarded the Sena Medal-Distinguished for command of his Battalion in J&K, the Vishisht Seva Medal for his services as the Inspector General Assam Rifles-North in Nagaland.

SPORTS:

Shooter Yashaswini Singh Deswal won gold at ISSF World Cup

• Shooter Yashaswini Singh Deswal won gold at ISSF World Cup 2019 at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.She became the world champion in the women’s 10m Air Pistol event. Yashaswini Singh Deswal defeated Olena Kostevyc, 2004 Athens Olympic champion, by finishing 1.9 points ahead of her. With this win, she has secured India's ninth Olympic quota in shooting.

Yashaswini Singh Deswal:

Yashaswini Singh Deswal is an Indian sport shooter. She is the daughter of SS Deswal who is an IPS officer. He is the deputy general of Indo-Tibetan Border Police. Her mother Saroj Deswal is the Chief Commissioner of Income Tax in Panchkula.

INTERNATIONAL:

Romania set the record for the largest win in Twenty 20 Internationals.

• Romania set the record for the largest win in Twenty20 Internationals after it defeated Turkey in the Romania Cup 2019. Romania scored 173 runs in the match. In the game, Sivakumar Periyalwar scored 105 off 40 deliveries.

Sivakumar Periyalwar:

Periyalwar, 31-year-old, is born in Tamil Nadu. He is an engineer by profession. He moved to Romania where he now works in a software company. He played in age-group cricket tournaments before shifting overseas after completing his studies.

At first, he played in age-group cricket tournaments. After that, he participated in Under-15, Under-22, and Under-25 tournaments and back to Romania in 2015. Then, he joined the Cluj Cricket Club.

AGREEMENTS AND MOU’S:

TamilNadu signs three agreements for healthcare collaborations in UK.

• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami signed three agreements for collaboration in the healthcare sector on the first day of his UK tour. The Chief Minister is on the first leg of his three-nation tour.

The three agreements, two were Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) and one was Statement of Intent. The one MoU was signed between the government of Tamil Nadu and International Skills Development Corporation The main aim is to develop the skills of the healthcare staff in the state. The MoU was between the government of Tamil Nadu and the King’s College London. King’s College London is looking to establish a branch of the college in Tamil Nadu.

Tamil Nadu’s Health Minister C Vijayabaskar and Health Secretary Dr Beela Rajesh signed a Statement of Intent with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to improve the standards to control the spread of communicable diseases like malaria and dengue. The delegation visited the Emergency Operations Centre of the London ambulance service NHS and its call centres to study the model of emergency response and dispatch of ambulances in London. The aim is to replicate the model in Tamil Nadu.

The Chief Minister visiting Suffolk to know more about the pricing strategy for renewable energy meet English Parliamentarians in London.

In his two-week tour, Edappadi Palaniswami will also travel to the US and Dubai to woo investors to Tamil Nadu. New York and California and meet the representatives from entrepreneurs from Tamil Nadu in the US and a few other industry leaders. He will also be a part of the Business Investors meet in Dubai, which is jointly organized by the Indian Embassy, the United Arab Emirates and the Business Leaders Forum. He is scheduled to return on September 10.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS:

PK Sinha is appointed as OSD in Prime Ministers Office.

• Former cabinet Secretary PK Sinha has been appointed as the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in Prime Minister's Office (PMO). He will replace Nripendra Misra who is the Principal Secretary of PMO. Sinha's place will be taken by Rajiv Gauba who was appointed as Cabinet Secretary.

Nripendra Misra:

Nripendra Misra 1967-batch retired IAS officer. He has relieved his position as a senior government official. Misra was the first senior-level appointment created by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014. He is an outstanding officer who has an excellent grasp of public policy associate degreed administration. Misra had retired as TRAI chairman.

PK Sinha :

Pradeep Kumar Sinha is the 1977 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre. He is the 31st cabinet Secretaryof India. Before this appointment, he served as the Power Secretary of India.

Rating Agency ICRA terminates CEO Naresh Takkar.

• ICRA Ltd ousted its Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer Naresh Takkar. ICRA terminated the employment of Takkar with immediate effect over allegations of misconduct at the credit rating agency under Takkar. This is the first time a top official of a rating agency has been fired by the company’s board. ICRA Founded  - 1991 Headquarters  - Gurugram, India.

IndiGo appoints GE Healthcare official Aditya Pande as its new CFO.

• InterGlobe Aviation Ltd operates the country's largest airline IndiGo appointed GE-Healthcare official Aditya Pande as its chief financial officer. He replaces Rohit Philip leaves the company on 16 September.

Aditya’s decision to join the IndiGo team and welcome him to the Company.IndiGo chief executive officer Ronojoy Dutta said in a statement.

His enormous and varied experience and understanding of the complexities of the various businesses he has worked will be invaluable to our future plans Dutta added.Aditya Pande, a qualified chartered accountant has over 27 years of finance leadership experience.He is currently the chief financial officer at GE Healthcare.

Pande previously served GE Healthcare as it's group chief financial officer of South Asia division.

InterGlobe Aviation

Parent company: Interglobe Aviation Ltd

Headquarters: Gurugram

AWARDS:

DAY NULM bagged SKOCH Governance Gold Award for the year 2019.

• Deendayan Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), a flagship mission under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs conferred the prestigious SKOCH Governance Gold Award for its Portal for Affordable Credit and Interest Subvention Access (PAiSA)in a function held at the Constitution Club of India.

Deendayan Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM)

Launched in November 2018. PAiSAis a centralized IT platform which simplifies and streamlines release of interest subvention under the Mission. It offers end to end online solution for processing, payment, monitoring and tracking of interest subvention claims from banks on a monthly basis. They claim for subvention are uploaded by banks through their CBS (Core Banking Solution) in respect of the beneficiaries of the Self Employment Programme . It is verified and approved by the ULB and State concerned. The approved claim amount gets credited directly to the beneficiary’s loan account through DBT mode.SMS is also sent to the beneficiary’s mobile number intimating the credit of subvention amount. The portal has beendesigned and developed through the Allahabad Bank. There are 28 States/UTs and 74 Banks including 21 Public Sector, 18 Private and 35 Regional Rural Banks have been on board on the portal. Till now approximately 1.50 lakh beneficiaries have been paid Rs. 27 Cr (approx.) as interest subvention through PAiSA.

NATIONAL:

Mumbai ranks 45th and Delhi 52nd in 2019 Worlds Safe Cities Index.

• Mumbai ranked as the 45th safest city on the Safe Cities Index (SCI). Delhi got at the 52nd position. The report was released by the Economist Intelligence Unit

The cities in the Asia-Pacific (Apac) region made up six of the top-10 safest cities with Tokyo taking the top spot.Tokyo, Apac cities dominated the SCI 2019. Singapore and Osaka got second and third while Sydney and Melbourne made it to the top-10 cities list.Hong Kong dropped out of this group since 2017.Seoul joined the top-10 cities' league taking eighth place with Copenhagen.

Safe Cities Index (SCI)

The Safe Cities Index (SCI) 2019 ranks 60 countries worldwide across five continents and measures the multi-faceted nature of urban safety with indicators categorised as digital, infrastructure, health and personal security.

The Tokyo, Singapore and Osaka to rank within the top-three cities in the Index. The region hosts some of the lowest-scoring cities in the world, with Yangon, Karachi, and Dhaka close to the bottom of the list.

The cities perform well across the categories of health security, infrastructure security and personal security their North American counterparts generally fare better in digital security, accounting for seven of the top-10 cities in this category.

AGREEMENTS AND MOUS:

GeM signs MoU with SIDBI to enable the growth of MSMEs.

• Government e-Marketplace (GeM), Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and trade has signed an MoU with Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI). It aims to benefit Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), ladies entrepreneurs, Self facilitate teams (SHGs), ladies Self facilitate teams and varied loan beneficiaries under MUDRA and Stand-up schemes. The MoU was signed in Delhi.

MoU Special steps:

The MoU will strengthen capability building through GeM-specific coaching programs of personnel from partner agencies. Special services through networking, workshops, promoting events, awards and recognition of MSMEs with special concentrate on SHGs, ladies entrepreneurs, artisans, NGOs.

GeM MOU with SIDBI:

The MoU of GeM with SIDBI is towards its growing partnership with money establishments to alter the growth of MSMEs and Start-ups within the country. GeM needs to empower through the payments by auto-debiting GeM Pool Account. The MoU signed with SIDBI will help to promote GeM's special initiatives like Womaniya and Start-up Runway.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS:

Union Government appoints nine pvt sector experts as joint secretaries.

• The Union government appointed nineprivate sector specialists in various fields as joint secretaries in various ministries under its lateral recruitment policy. The appointments were cleared by the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The nine joint secretaries from among the private sector experts appointed for a period of three years or till further orders.

The appointments were cleared by the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The nine joint secretaries from among the private sector experts have been appointed for a period of three years or till further orders.They have been deputed to various ministries in Level 14 of the pay matrix as per the Seventh Central Pay Commission . They adding their appointments will be effective from the day they assume charges.

Dignitaries appointed are

Those who were appointed are: Kakoli Ghosh (Ministry of Agriculture), Amber Dubey (Civil Aviation), Arun Goel (Commerce), Rajeev Saksena (Economic Affairs), Sujit Kumar Bajpayee (Environment, Forests).

 The others are Saurabh Mishra (Financial Services), Dinesh Dayanand Jagdale (New and Renewable Energy), Suman Prasad Singh (Road Transport and Highways) and Bhushan Kumar (Shipping).

 The posts of joint secretaries are manned by officers of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Forest Service (IFoS)) and Indian Revenue Service (IRS) among others who are selected through a three-phased rigorous selection process undertaken by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension had invited applications for the posts of joint secretary-rank officers through lateral entry mode in June last year. The lateral entry mode, which relates to the appointment of specialists from the private sector in government organizations, is considered as an ambitious step of the Modi government to bring in fresh talent in bureaucracy.

AWARDS:

Aswatha Narayana won gold in he World Skills competition.

• Aswatha Narayana bagged a gold medal in the World Skills competition 2019 in Kazan, Russia. The event was held from 23-27 August. He won by beating 9 other competitors in the event. Along with him Lufeng Zeng from China also won Gold. He set a record by winning the title as this is the first time that an Indian contingent was participating in the tournament.

The other participants are from countries such as Iran, Belarus, Vietnam, Korea, Germany, Brazil, Russia and South Africa.

Narayana participated in the world skills tournament in the skill water technology.

Aswatha Narayana:

Aswatha Narayana is a B Tech graduate in Applied electronics from CV Raman Engineering College of Bhubaneswar. He had his first experience in a technical competition in 2017. He won a state-level automated robotics competition organized by International Institute of Information Technology, Bhubaneswar. In that event, he built a robot at a cost of Rs.950.

He then participated and won second in DrishTI, an Online Contest in Circuit Design & Digital Signal Processing held by Texas Instruments in 2017. In 2018, he won the State Skill Competition and then he participated in National Skill Competition which enabled him to participate in the World Skill Competition 2019.

Indian participants:

The other Indians who participated in the event are Pranav Nutalapati, Sanjoy Pramanik, and Shweta Ratanpura.

Other winners:

♦ Pranav Nutalapati won a silver medal in web technologies

♦ Sanjoy Pramanik won bronze medals in Jewellery

♦ Shweta Ratanpura won bronze medals in graphic design technology

World Skills Competition:

The World Skills Competition is a biennial event. More than 1,300 competitors from all over the world participated in the event. It gives youth the chance to compete, experience, and learn how to become an outstanding performer in their skill of choice. India has been participating in this event since 2007.

NATIONAL:

Tamil Nadu 150-year-old Dindigul locks and Kandangi sarees secure GI tag.

• The Geographical Indication Registry of India finally gave Geographical Indication (GI) tag to the state of Tamil Nadu for Dindigul lock and Karaikudi Kandangi sarees.

The handmade Dindigul locks are known for their traditional design, superior quality. They are manufactured in more than 3,125 units in Dindigul District of Tamil Nadu and they are concentrated in the villages of Nagal Nagar, Nallampatti, Kodaiparailpatti, Kammalapatti, and Yagappan Patti. The manufacturing unit is 150 years old. It is introduced by the Sankaralinga Acharya brothers.

There are around 50 types of locks manufactured by the industry. Each lock has its own special unique name such as Mango Lock, Almirah Lock, Export Lock, and In 2013.

An application filed by the Dindigul Lock, Hardware and Steel Furniture Workers Co-operative Society Ltd. These Sarees are the symbol of entire Karaikudi taluk of Sivaganga district. The hand-woven Kandangi sarees are characterized by brilliant color large contrast borders. These sarees have a tradition of 150 years. Rajiv Gandhi Handloom Weavers Co-operative Manufacturing & Sales Society Limited had applied for a tag for these sarees in 2013. The GI tagging help rural artisans & highly skilled weavers, who possess unique knowledge of traditional practices and methods. They can make & market their products domestically and internationally.

AGREEMENTS AND MOU’S:

Indian Navy signs MoU with IMD.

•  Indian Navy (IN) signed a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) with India Meteorological Department (IMD) at naval Base in Kochi, Kerala. The MoU aims to handle the Cyclone Detection radar (CDR) building by IMD to the IN.

The MoU was signed by the flag officer RJ Nadkarni, AVSM, VSM, Chief of employees, Southern naval service Command (SNC) and Dr. D Pradhan, further Director General of Meteorology.

History of CDR Building:

The CDR building was constructed during 1983–86 within the naval Base having associated with S-band Cyclone Detection radar that restricted. The ability to operate buildings by IMD is from 1987-2017 to produce weather support for civil aviation at the Kochi aerodrome.

But IMD commenced in operation a replacement of Doppler radio detection and ranging (DWR) at Mundamveli in  Kochi because the S-band microwave radar had become obsolete in 2017.

The CDR building had been lying vacant for a few years. Now to support  IN, IMD has agreed to hand over the building permanently for meteorological purposes. The building will be utilized by the Indian military Naval.

DAYS:

International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances is observed on 30 August.

• The International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances is observed on 30 August every year. The Day was established by the international organization General Assembly resolution.

Aim:

The International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances aims to lift awareness on enforced or involuntary disappearances that occur with arrest, detention, abduction or deprivation of the State with support by a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or by concealment of the fate.

Enforced disappearance became a global issue as it was not restricted to a particular region of the world. It is also concerned to stop the rising issues concerning the ill-treatment, harassment, and intimidation of witnesses of disappearances or relatives of persons who have disappeared.

History:

The UN General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution because of its concern to the increased enforced or involuntary disappearances in various regions of the world. The reason for the disappearances included arrest, detention, and abduction.  The Assembly adopted the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. It then decided to declare 30 August the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. The day was first observed in 2011.

National sports day was celebrated on 29 August.

• The National Sports Day is celebrated nation-wide on 29 August 2019. The Day is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand. 2019 National Sports Day marked the 114th birth anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand.

Aim:

The Day aims to raise awareness about staying fit and healthy. The Day spreads awareness on the importance of sports and daily activities in every individual's life.

Dhyan Chand:

Dhyan Chand is popularly known as the Wizard of Indian Hockey. He secured over 400 goals in 22 years during the period 1926 to 1948. He is regarded as India's greatest hockey player ever. Under his leadership, the Indian Hockey team achieved several victories. He led India into 3 Olympic gold medals in 1928, 1932 and 1936.

AWARDS:

National sports day award winners awarded on 29 August.

• President Ram Nath Kovind presented the National Sports Day Awards 2019 on the National Sports Day which was observed on 29 August.

Awardees:

The list of National Sports Day Award winners 2019 is given below:

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award:

Deepa Malik (Para-Athletics), Bajrang Punia (Wrestling).

Arjuna Award:

Anjum Moudgil (Shooting), Bhamidipati Sai Praneeth (Badminton), Tajinder Pal Singh Toor (Athletics), Pramod Bhagat (Para sports-badminton), Harmeet Rajul Desai (Table tennis), Pooja Dhanda (Wrestling), Fouaad Mirza (Equestrian), Simran Singh Shergill (Polo), Poonam Yadav (Cricket), Swapna Burman (Athletics), Sundar Singh Gurjar (Para sports-athletics) and Gaurav Singh Gill (Motorsports), Ravindra Jadeja (Cricket), Mohammed Anas (Athletics), Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (Football), Sonia Lather (Boxing), Chinglensana Singh Kangujam (Hockey), S Bhaskaran (Bodybuilding), Ajay Thakur (Kabaddi).

Dhyan Chand Award:

Manoj Kumar (wrestling), Nitten Kirrtane (tennis) and Manuel Fredricks (hockey), C Lalremsanga (archery), Arup Basak (table tennis).

Dronacharya Award (lifetime category):

Sanjay Bhardwaj (cricket), Rambir Singh Khokar (kabaddi) and Mezban Patel (hockey).

Dronacharya Award:

Mohinder Singh Dhillon (athletics), Sandeep Gupta (table tennis) and Vimal Kumar (badminton).

Prestigious award to Sattriya danseuse.

• Noted Sattriya danseuse and scholar Dr Anwesa Mahanta chosen for the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Yuva Pratibha Samman for her contributions to the Sattriya tradition.

Sayanacharya Ghanakanta Bora, a Sangeet Natak Akademi and Padma Shri awardee, Anwesha extensively in India also overseas, including the USA, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, New Zealand, France, England, Northern Ireland, Malaysia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. The academic presentations in various institutions of higher learning and research.

She was also awarded Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar by Sangeet Natak Akademi. Currently, Dr. Anwesa is the Director of Kalpavriksha that imparts training in Sattriya dance, music and theatre.

The coveted Kelucharan Mohapatra National Award instituted by Srijan, an acclaimed institution of Odissi in memory of its founder guru, is offered to both senior and young scholars and practitioners to mark the 25th anniversary of Srijan.

Sports:

V K Vismaya won gold in womens 400m held at MJS athletics Czech Republic.

• Indian sprinter V K Vismaya won a best timing of 52.12s and won the gold medal in the women's 400m run at the International Athletic Meeting Josef Seckr Memorial (MJS) in Brno, Czech Republic.

The 22-year-old Indian won the yellow metal, while compatriots Poovamma Machettira and Subha Venkatesan finished second and third with timings of 53.47s and Sudha 53.67s respectively.

Vismaya scored a personal best of 52.48 at Nove Mesto and Metuj (CZE) along with the quartermilers  in Europe .Hima Das recently won six gold medals in European races.

International Athletic Meeting

Headquarters : Monaco

Membership: 215 member federations

President: Sebastian Coe.

NATIONAL:

Rajnath Singh inaugurated 26th Ladakhi Kisan Jawan Vigyan Mela in Leh.

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated 26th Ladakhi Kisan Jawan Vigyan Mela in Leh on 29 August. The Mela was organized by Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR).

The Ministry of Defence has asked DIHAR to work on the challenges in High Altitude Region (HAR- failure) in the coming 3 years. It is expected that DIHAR should turn the failure into JEET (Victory).

DIHAR:

The Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR) is a constituent laboratory of Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO). DIHAR was set up in 1962 in Leh. It is located at an altitude of 3,500 m above the Mean Sea Level (MSL). The institute has core competence in cold arid agro-animal technology.

The institute aims to meet fresh food requirement of the soldiers at high altitude cold desert condition. It is also responsible to make the region reasonably green. The research stations of the institute are located at Ranbirpura, Ladakh; Partapur, Siachen Sector; Base Laboratory in Chandigarh and the world’s highest terrestrial R&D Centre at Changla, Ladakh.

The twelfth India Security Summit was held in New Delhi.

• The 12th India Security Summit was held in New Delhi on 29 August. The theme of the summit is the New National Cyber Security Strategy. The summit focused on several problems including the protection of important national infrastructure, rising cyber threats like incidents, challenges, and responsibilities.

Organized by:

The summit was organized by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM). It is officially supported by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

Cybersecurity:

Cybersecurity is the technique of computer protecting knowledge from unauthorized access or attacks. Cybersecurity activities are to safeguard the usability, responsibility, integrity, and safety of the network.

India is the third-largest user of the web and also the cybercrime has augmented in manifold within recent years.

Cyber‘s New schemes:

The Ministry of Home Affairs launched a new scheme named Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to combat cybercrime in the country. The Cyber Swachhta Kendra is also a new scheme of the Government towards Digital India under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

India Launches Worlds First Ever Facial Biometric Data Based Seafarer Identity Document.

• India became the first country in the world to issue Biometric Seafarer Identity Document (BSID),capturing the facial biometric data of seafarers. Shri Mansukh Mandaviya, MoS (I/C) Shipping and Chemical & Fertilizers launched the project in New Delhi. He also handed over the new BSID cards to five Indian seafarers.

The new facial biometric technology is a marked improvement over the two finger or iris based biometric data, with modern security features.  It will make the identification of the SID holder more reliable and efficient, while protecting their dignity and privacy.  India made a presentation on this technology at ILO.

The country is moving ahead rapidly under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The shipping sector is seeing major developments  in the areas of coastal shipping, inland waterways and other maritime activities.The generation of employment in the sector, which  is evident in the growing number of Indian seafarers in the international shipping industry. The total number of Indian seafarers who were employed on Indian or foreign flag vessels increased from 154349 in 2017 to 208799 this year, showing an unprecedented increase of 35%. 

The development is very significant against the backdrop of the increase in seafaring activities . The new document will give a foolproof identification to our seafarers which will facilitate their movement, provide ease of getting jobs and help in identifying them from any location in the world.

The International Labour Organisation on BSID. India ratified the Convention in October 2015.The BSID introduces modern security features.  It will have a biometric chip embedded in it. The security of the BSID card  is ensured at various levels and through different methods. At the time of data capturing the live face is cross matched through passport photo using a face matching software.

The card two optical security features- Micro prints/micro texts and Unique Guilloche pattern. A software has been developed for capturing the facial biometrics and its authentication through the public key infrastructure.

A record of each SID issued will be maintained in a national database and its related information will be internationally accessible.

The BSID project has been taken up in collaboration with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), Mumbai. The Government notified the Merchant Shipping (Seafarers Biometric Identification Document) Rules in  2016. The issuance of SID involves the collection of biometric and demographic details of the seafarers, their verification and then issuance of the card  to them.

The nine data collection centers have been setup  at Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Noida, Goa, New Mangalore, Kochi, Vizag & Kandla for issue of BSID.  Every Indian seafarer who possesses a valid Continuous Discharge Certificate issued by Govt. of India will be eligible for issue of a BSID.

The total number of existing Indian seafarers who will be required to be issued BSIDs is around 3,50,000 . All the existing seafarers will be given BSID within the next 2 years. After this, it is estimated that around 15000 new seafarers will be issued BSIDs annually.

Indo Pacific 2019 Chiefs of Defence Conference was held in Thailand.

• Indo Pacific  2019 Chiefs of Defence Conference was held in Thailand on 26 August. The conference was held during the 3 day-visit of Air Chief Marshal and Chairman Chiefs of employees Committee, Birender Singh Dhanoa to Thailand.

Aim & Theme:

The conference was aimed to strengthen the bilateral defence relations between the two countries. The theme for the conference was Collaboration during a free and Open Indo - Pacific. The conference shed its light on the common challenges faced by the nations.

The bilateral defence relationship with Thailand has gained a momentum that resulted in India's Look/ Act East Policy together at political, economic and cultural levels. The participation of the Indian Chairman COSC would increasing defence cooperation with an Asian country for bigger interaction and cooperation in the future.

India and Thailand relation:

The India-Thailand defence Cooperation has been initiated in 2003. It started with seven primary areas of focus to strengthen cooperation between countries.

The focus on primary areas was re-enforced in a joint statement issued throughout Thai Prime Minister’s official visit to India on January 2012. Both countries have the firm of diplomatic relations in 2017. India is the natural partner of Siam for regional cooperative security initiatives.

Shri Amit Shah presides over 49th Foundation Day of BPRD as Chief Guest.

• Union Minister of Home Affairs, Shri Amit Shah presided over the 49th Foundation Day of Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) as Chief Guest in New Delhi. Minister of State Shri G. Kishan Reddy.

The organization contributing in research and development and modernization of police forces. The main aim is to maintain the relevance of an institution for 50 years.

The maintenance of internal peace and a stable law and order system are essential requirements for achieving Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision to make India a 5 trillion dollar economy.

He emphasized on institutionalizing efficient systems and best policing practices so that they become a part of nature to all law enforcement officials. This can only be achieved through meticulous training, here the role of BPRD becomes essential.

The changing role of police to maintain the stability of the British empire, Sardar Patel brought forth a new paradigm for Indian police system after independence. Today the primary objective of the police is to serve people and protect their rights.He made police modernization in a changing era filled with new challenges. The 34,800 police personnel who laid their lives in the line of duty to keep India safe from internal security threats.

The police reforms is a continuously evolving, never-ending process with changing society and newer challenges. He also differentiated between police reforms and reforms in policing, and urged BPRD to take lead in the latter field, involving a paradigm shift in the approach to policing. The internal security of the country is directly proportional to high quality research and inputs for policy formulation.

He made a countrywide consultative process to make changes in IPC and CrPC and encouraged BPRD to play a leadership role. The main aim is to create skilled manpower needed to tackle complex cases requiring advanced forensic science capabilities. The growing gap between demand and supply of forensic science skills in the country.

The job of prisons should be not to punish but to deter and reform. The approach of prisons should be to create good citizens. Shri Shah expounded on the need for old systems to adapt with changing times and revamp policing techniques to meet the needs of the day. He also urged BPRD to be more proactive and expand its area of operations.

The main focus is on the concept of training the trainers, and urged police to develop domain expertise.

AGREEMENTS AND MOUS:

SIDBI partners with Incuspaze for coworking space for MSMEs.

• The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) partnered with Incuspaze Solutions Private Limited (Incuspaze) to open a coworking space, designed for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(MSMEs) and startups. This coworking space called @Workspaze is located in Connaught Place, New Delhi.

 The initiative that intends to be a market-maker for its segment is only 50 meters away from Barakhamba Metro Station.

The entrepreneurs who are at the initial stage of their entrepreneurship journey. During the first 18 months of entrepreneurship journey, an enterprise may face several challenges. At SIDBI we want to handhold entrepreneurs during this period so that they have a smooth ride in their venture. Our aim is to expand the scope of @Workspaze even in other key cities of the country. We have already started work on a similar arrangement in Mumbai,” said Mohammad Mustafa, IAS, Chairman and Managing Director of SIDBI, in a statement.

The fully furnished office space is equipped with training and conference room, fast-speed internet, reception, refreshment, recreational area, housekeeping facilities

Under this arrangement, an MSME accelerator programme is proposed to be started shortly by SIDBI for the MSMEs and startups who will set up their offices.

Our ideologies with SIDBI to facilitate a hassle-free coworking environment for MSMEs and provide resources to build strong connections with other industries to create ideas and develop business. We look forward to a long and fruitful association.

IIT Guwahati signs MoU with RD Grow Green India for safer drinking water.

• Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with RD Grow Green India Pvt. Ltd. The Technology Transfer Signing Ceremony held at the IIT Guwahati campus between T G Sitharam, Director IIT Guwahati and Rajeev Saikia, MD, RD Grow Green India Pvt. Ltd.

The drinking water contamination is a major problem in most of the states including Assam. This "chemical-free" treatment technique might be useful to the citizens in rural and urban areas. The initiative made by the team from IIT Guwahati resulted in one of the successful incubation of a company within IIT Guwahati (RD Grow Green India Pvt Ltd) taken the challenge to supply contaminant-free drinking water in the Assam state presently using the technology.

The technology is based on the 'Apparatus and Method for Removal of Fluoride, Iron, Arsenic and Microorganisms from Contaminated Drinking Water' by Prof. Mihir Kumar Purkait, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Guwahati.

Mihir Kumar Purkait, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Guwahati applied potential generates the coagulant species in situ as the sacrificial metal anode (aluminium or iron) dissolves. The hydrogen is simultaneously evolved at the cathode. Coagulant species aggregate the suspended particles or precipitate and adsorb dissolved contaminants. The tiny bubbles of hydrogen and oxygen that are formed during electrolysis of water, collide with air bubbles which compel to float the pollutant particles. The choice of electrode material depends on various criteria such as low-cost, low-oxidation potential, inertness towards the system under consideration. The aluminium to be very effective and successful in iron, arsenic and fluoride removal at favorable operating conditions. The technology is equally effective for the treatment of industrial effluent including oily wastewater.

RD Grow Green India Pvt. Ltd. is an incubating company at the Technology Incubation Centre in IIT Guwahatiand is working on this project for the treatment of contaminated drinking water and industrial effluent as well.

The company is capable of handling Arsenic, Iron and Fluoride contamination of Assam in collaboration with the state government in an appropriate manner.

The application is time-proven state-of-art-appropriate technology in every process control unit further makes the All-In-One Packaged Water Treatment Plant.

DAYS:

International Day against Nuclear Tests is observed on 29 August.

• The International Day against Nuclear Tests is observed across the world on 29 August. The day aims to provoke the world organization, youth networks, and the media against nuclear testing. The day highlights the importance to ban nuclear tests as a valuable step towards achieving a safer world. Poisoned groundwater, cancer, leukemia, radioactive are caused by the toxic legacies of nuclear testing.

History:

UN General Assembly (UNGA) after the 64 sessions of the world organization meeting declared 29 August asInternational Day against Nuclear Tests. It unanimously adopted resolution 64/35 on Dec 2, 2009. The inaugural commemoration of the International Day against Nuclear Tests was marked in 2010.

Kazakhstan initiated the resolution with the support of a large number of sponsors to commemorate the closure of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test site on 29 August 1991.

Nuclear Test:

Nuclear weapons testing began on 16 July 1945. So far, nearly 2,000 test has taken place. The countries that have tested the nuclear weapons so far are USA, USR, UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, and North Korea.

AWARDS:

President conferred the Tenzing Norgay National Journey Awards.

• Government has declared the Tenzing Norgay National Journey Awards 2018. The awards are conferred by President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi on 29 August. The award recognizes the achievements of persons in the fields of adventure.

The award is given in four categories:

♦ Land journey

♦ Water journey

♦ Air journey ♦ Life Time accomplishment

Jury:

The National Selection Committee headed by Smt. Upma Chawdhry, IAS, Secretary, Department of Youth Affairs selected the awardees. The committee was constituted with expert members from the field of adventure.

Tenzing Norgay National Journeys Award:

The Tenzing Norgay National Journey Awards is the highest national recognition for outstanding achievements within the field of the journey toward the land, ocean, and air. The award is given each year to the achievements of persons within the fields of the journey. The award also aims to encourage children and develop the spirit of endurance, risk-taking, cooperative cooperation and fast, prepared and effective reflexes in difficult things.

Prize: The awardee will receive statuettes, certificates and award cash of Rs.5 lakh.

Tenzing Norgay: Tenzing Norgay was a Nepali-Indian Sherpa mountaineer. Norgay and Edmund Hillary were the first two individuals known to reach the summit of Mount Everest on 29 May 1953. Indian government instituted the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards to honour him.

Awardees:

The awardees of the Tenzing Norgay National Journeys Awards 2018 are:

Land Adventure: Aparna Kumar, Dipankar Ghosh, Manikandan K

Water Adventure: Prabhat Raju Koli

Air Adventure: Rameshwar Jangra and Sherpa

Life Time Achievement: Wangchuk.