CLEAR
Toprankers-Info

+91 7676564400

Mobile App

Get it on Google Play
Current Affairs
Select Date
Tags:

Articles

Discussions
Prev12...3233343536...4950Next
Hindi

Important Current Affairs 31st August 2020

National

NITI Aayog Launches Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC)–Transport Initiative for Asia (TIA) India Component

• NITI Aayog virtually launched the India Component of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC)–Transport Initiative for Asia (TIA) on 27 August 2020.

• The NDC–TIA is a joint programme supported by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) to promote a comprehensive approach to decarbonize transport in India, Vietnam, and China.

Piyush Goyal Attends 8th East Asia Summit (Economic Ministers’ Meeting)

• 8th East Asia Summit Economic Ministers’ Meeting (EAS-EMM) was held virtually which was attended by Economic Ministers from the ten ASEAN Member States, Australia, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the Russian Federation and the United States.

• The Meeting was chaired by Tran Tuan Anh, Minister of Industry and Trade of Viet Nam. From Indian side it was attended by Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways and Minister of Commerce and Industry.

• During the meet discussions were held to accelerate economic growth, maintain supply chains and market stability, and strengthen the economic resilience of the EAS region post C-19.

CISF launches Pension Corner mobile app

• The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has introduced the Pension Corner mobile app. the Pension Corner app will help to fulfil the needs of all its retired personnel.

• The app has been made as part of an e-office initiative and has been introduced in the wake of the C-19 disease.

Banking and Economy

Reliance Retail to acquire Future Group's retail, wholesale businesses for Rs 24,713 crore

• Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL) announced on August 29, 200 that it is acquiring the retail, wholesale business, logistics and warehouse business of Future Group for Rs 24,713 crore.

• The announcement has come amid ongoing concerns on a slump sale basis for lumpsum aggregate consideration. Reliance Retail will be buying the businesses from the Future Group for Rs 24,713 crore, subject to adjustments as set out in the composite scheme of arrangement.

• The acquisition is a part of Future Group's decision of merging certain companies and carrying on the businesses into Future Enterprises Limited (FEL). Reliance Retail Ventures Limited is a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited.

•  Under the new acquisition agreement, Reliance Retail and Fashion Lifestyle Limited will be taking over the retail and wholesale undertaking of Future Group.

Obituary

‘Black Panther’ star Chadwick Boseman passes away at 43

• American actor Chadwick Boseman, who became a global icon for his role as Black Panther in the hit Marvel superhero franchise, has passed away after battling cancer since past four years from 2016.He was 43.

• Chadwick made his Marvel superhero debut as T’Challa/Black Panther in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, after which he became a household name.

• He made his big-screen debut in 2008 in the biopic The Express: The Ernie Davis Story where he played Floyd Little.

‘Scooby Doo’ Co-Creator Joe Ruby Passes Away at 87

• Joe Ruby, the co-creator of the cartoon series Scooby-Doo, has passed away due to natural cause. He was 87.

• Ruby, an American animator, television editor, writer, and producer, created the much-loved characters of beloved kids show Scooby-Doo, along with his creative partner Ken Spears.

• Together, the pair started their own production company Hanna-Barbera Productions and created other memorable cartoons as well.

Sports

India’s first: Joint champions in chess Olympiad

• India and Russia have been jointly annouced the winner of first-ever FIDE Online Chess Olympiad 2020. This was the first time FIDE was holding the Olympiad in an online format.

• India were initially declared to have lost the final round against Russia. Two Indian players (Nihal Sarin and Divya Deshmukh) were declared to have lost on time in the final round after an apparent loss of internet connection for them.

• After this, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich had made a decision to give gold medals of to both teams.

Lewis Hamilton wins F1 Belgian Grand Prix 2020

• Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain) has won the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix 2020 held on August 30, 2020. This was his 5th win of the season.

• Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-Finland) came second followed by Max Verstappen (Red Bull – Netherlands) at third place.

Appointments and Resignations

Banks Board Bureau recommends Dinesh Kumar Khara as next SBI chairman

• The Banks Board Bureau (BBB) recommended SBI’s senior-most managing director Dinesh Kumar Khara as the next chairman of the country’s largest lender.

• Khara will replace SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar, whose three-year term comes to an end on October 7.

Ranking

Amul (16th) becomes first Indian dairy company to be in Rabobank’s Global Top 20 list; Top- Nestle

• Amul, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) has been ranked 16th in the Rabobank’s Global Top 20 Dairy Companies list. Amul has achieved an annual turnover of $5.5 billion.

• Switzerland’s Nestle topped the list with a turnover of US $22.1 billion. Amul is the first Indian company to enter the top 20 ranking of Rabobank’s Global Top 20 Dairy Companies list.

Tags: Railway (NTPC), sbi, SSC, IBPS RRB
Read More
Read Less
Write new comment.

Important Current Affairs 30th August 2020

National

Assam Government to set up Skill University worth Rs 900 Crore at Darrang district

• The Assam Cabinet has approved the Assam Skill Development University Bill which allows for setting up a state-of-the-art skill University at Mangaldoi in Darrang district of Assam.

• The University at Mangaldoi will be the Centre of Excellence and first ever Skill University in north eastern states of the country. It will be spread over 100-bigha plot.

• The total cost of setting up the University is estimated at Rs 900 crore with financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank.

Kerala to set up India’s First International Women’s Trade Centre

• Biju Prabhakar, IAS, Secretary, Department of Social Justice, Women & Child Development announced that Kerala will set up India’s First International Women Trade Centre(IWTC) in accord with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations(UN) at Angamaly, Kochi, Kerala.

• This announcement was made during the webinar on “Scaling up Opportunities for MSME women Entrepreneurs in Kerala” organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry(FICCI) Kerala State Council.

International

World War II Spy Becomes First Indian-origin Woman to Get Memorial Plaque in London

• Britain’s World War II spy, Noor Inayat Khan, became the first Indian-origin woman to be honoured with a memorial Blue Plaque at her former family home in central London.

• The Blue Plaque scheme, run by the English Heritage charity, honours notable people and organisations who were connected with particular buildings across London.

Banking and Economy

SBI gets global recognition for HR initiative ‘Nayi Disha’

• State Bank of India (SBI) has got global recognition for its HR initiative ”Nayi Disha” which over the course of 1.5 years has touched more than 2.40 lakh employees.

• The bank has won three Brandon Hall Excellence Awards, also known as the Academy Awards of Learning & Development in three categories viz. Best Learning Program supporting a Change Transformation Business Strategy, Best Use of Blended Learning and Best Unique or Innovative Learning and Development Program.

• It recognizes the best organizations that have successfully deployed programs, strategies, modalities, processes, systems, and tools to achieve measurable results.

Awards

Punjab University wins prestigious Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy for second consecutive year

• The Panjab University has been conferred with the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad(MAKA) Trophy for the year 2019.

• This is the second consecutive year in a row that Panjab University has won this coveted trophy, which is given to overall top performing University in Inter-University Tournaments.

Obituary

Veteran Athletics coach Purshottam Rai passes away at 79

• The veteran athletics coach Purshottam Rai has passed away due to a cardiac arrest on 28 August 2020. He was 79.

• Rai was to be conferred the prestigious Dronacharya Award in the lifetime category on 29 August 2020, on the ocassion of the National Sports Day.

• Rai is known for providing coaching top athletes such as Olympian quarter miler Vandana Rao, hept athlete Pramila Aiyappa, Ashwini Nachappa, Murali Kuttan, MK Asha, EB Shyla, Rosa Kutty and GG Pramila.

Writer-journalist Gail Sheehy, author of bestselling book ‘Passages,’ passes away

• Gail Sheehy, the journalist, commentator and pop sociologist whose best-selling Passages helped millions navigate their lives from early adulthood to middle age and beyond, has died in Southampton, New York. She was 83.

• She has written nearly 17 books, the most prominent and influential was “Passages” (1976), which examined the predictable crises of adult life and how to use them as opportunities for creative change.

Former Supreme Court Judge Justice A.R. Lakshmanan passes away

• Former Supreme Court judge Justice, A.R. Lakshmanan passed away. He was born in Devakottai in Sivaganga district, Tamil Nadu on March 22, 1942.

• He was appointed as the supreme court judge on December 20, 2002 and retired on March 22, 2007.

•  Currently he was the sitting representative of Tamil Nadu in the Mullai Periyar Panel headed by Justice A.S.Anand.

Sports

Sri Lankan cricketer Tharanga Paranavitana retire from International Cricket

• Sri Lankan Opening batsman Nishad Tharanga Paranavitana announced retirement from all forms of International Cricket at the age of 38.

• He has represented Sri Lanka in 32 Test Matches scoring 1792 runs including two hundreds and 11 fifties.

Days

International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances : 30 August

• The International Day of the Disappeared is held on August 30 each year to draw attention towards increase in enforced or involuntary disappearances of individuals in various regions of the world, including arrest, detention and abduction unknown to their relatives and/or legal representatives.

• The day was adopted by UN General Assembly on 21 December 2010 and was first observed in 2011.

Tags: Railway (NTPC), SSC, RRB, RRB NTPC
Read More
Read Less
Write new comment.

Important Current Affairs 29th August 2020

National

New Air Defence Command to be announced by October

• The Defence Ministry is working to restructure the armed forces to set up a new air defence command under the Indian Air Force (IAF) at Prayagraj by the second week of October 2020.

• The Department of Military Affairs has hastened its work to prepare the structure of the command under an Air Force officer. Efforts are being made to announce the creation of the air defence command at Prayagraj on Air Force Day on October 8, 2020, as per government sources.

• The air defence command has been proposed to be set up alongside the Central Command Headquarters of the IAF that controls important air bases including Agra, Gwalior and Bareilly. This comes amid India’s ongoing tensions with China.

Chunauti- Next Generation start-up challenge contest launched by IT Minister

• “Chunauti”, a Next Generation Startup Challenge Contest has been launched by the Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad.

• The programme aims to identify around 300 startups working in identified areas and provide them seed fund of upto Rs. 25 Lakh and other facilities. The government has earmarked an amount worth Rs 95.03 crore over a period of 3 years for the programme.

• Under the contest, the Electronics and IT Ministry will invite startups in the following areas of work:

1. Edu-Tech, Agri-Tech & Fin-Tech Solutions for masses

2. Supply Chain, Logistics & Transportation Management

3. Infrastructure & Remote monitoring

4. Medical Healthcare, Diagnostic, Preventive & Psychological Care

5. Jobs & Skilling, Linguistic tools & technologies

Union Minister Piyush Goyal launches National GIS-enabled Land Bank system

• Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal e-launched the National GIS (Geographic Information System)-enabled Land Bank system (https://iis.ncog.gov.in/parks) for six states.

• The platform will provide a database of industrial areas/clusters across the country and will serve as a one-stop solution to the free and easy accessibility of all industrial information.

International

Japanese PM Shinzo Abe steps down due to poor health

• Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe resigned from his position on August 28, 2020 due to his declining health. However, he did not name his successor while stepping down.

• The long-serving Japan's Prime Minister has been combating chronic disease named 'ulcerative colitis' for many years. He was set to retire in September 2021.

Banking and Economy

RBI to dissolve Banking Codes and Standards Board of India

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to dissolve the Banking Codes and Standards Board of India (BCSBI).

• BCSBI was set up by the Reserve Bank in February 2006 as an independent and autonomous body, assigned to formulate codes of conduct to be adopted by banks voluntarily for ensuring fair treatment of customers.

• BCSBI, in collaboration with the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), has evolved two codes – Code of Bank’s Commitment to Customers and the Code of Bank’s Commitment to Micro and Small Enterprises – which set minimum standards of banking practices for member banks to follow when they are dealing with individual customers and micro and small enterprises.

HDFC Bank & Adobe partners to enhance digital customer experiences

• HDFC Bank has announced a strategic partnership with Adobe to enhance the Digital Experiences of its Customers.

• The partnership is powered by Adobe Experience Cloud Solutions and will help HDFC Bank to deliver personalised digital experiences to existing as well as new customers, at anytime and anywhere.

• The Bank will use platforms like Data Management Platform in Adobe Audience Manager to develop a deep understanding of the customers.

Sports

Bryan brothers duo announces retirement from professional tennis

• The Bryan brothers, the most successful men’s doubles team in the history of tennis, have announced retirement with immediate effect on 27 August 2020, ending their 22-year professional careers.

• The American Bryan Brothers are identical twin brothers Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, both 42-years of age and have won more professional games, matches, tournaments and Grand Slams than any other men’s pairing..

• They held the World No. 1 doubles ranking jointly for 438 weeks

Days

National Sports Day

• Every year India observes the National Sports Day, (Rashtriya Khel Divas), on 29 August to mark the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, who is regarded as nation’s greatest hockey player of all time.

• The National Sports Day was celebrated for the first time in 2012.Major Dhyan Chand Singh won Olympics gold medals for India in the years 1928, 1932 and 1936. He has scored over 400 goals in his career, from 1926 to 1948.

• The day is used as a platform to launch various sports schemes as well as organise various sporting events and seminars to spread awareness about the importance of physical activities and sports in life.

International Day against Nuclear Tests

• The International Day against Nuclear Tests is held on August 29 since 2010. It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 2, 2009.

• The day aims to increase awareness about the effects of nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions and the need for their cessation as one of the means of achieving the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world.

Tags: Railway (NTPC), SSC, RRB, SBI Clerk
Read More
Read Less
Write new comment.

Important Current Affairs 27th August 2020

National

Tamil Nadu women top the list of MUDRA loan scheme beneficiaries

• Women of Tamil Nadu have topped the list of women borrowers under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) since its inception.

• More than 15 crore loans amounting to ₹4.78-lakh-crore have been disbursed to women borrowers under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY).

• As on March 31, 2020 women in Tamil Nadu had availed Rs. 58,227 crore loan from the scheme followed by West Bengal Rs. 55,232 crore, Karnataka Rs. 47,714 crore, Bihar Rs. 44,879 crore and Maharashtra Rs. 42,000 crore loan.

NITI Aayog releases report on Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2020

• NITI Aayog has released the report on Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2020 in partnership with the Institute of Competitiveness. The report evaluates the export preparedness and performance of Indian states.

• It aims to identify the challenges and opportunities; improve the effectiveness of government policies; and promote a facilitative regulatory framework.

• Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu occupied the top three ranks in the Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2020.

Tata Group to launch “Super App” for digital services

• Tata Group is launching a new app named “Super App” purported to bring together the country’s disparate sales sector to offer a range of consumer goods.

• The app will put the conglomerate in competition with giants of the region like Reliance Industries and global titans like Amazon.

• The app will offer food and grocery ordering, fashion and lifestyle, consumer electronics and consumer durables, insurance and financial services, education, healthcare and bill payments.

Banking and Economy

RBI predicts India’s growth at (-) 4.5% for 2020-21

• The Reserve Bank of India has projected the country’s growth rate at (-) 4.5 percent for 2020-2021. In an annual report released by the bank on August 25, 2020, the global growth rate has been projected between (-) 6.0 percent and (-) 7.6 percent.

• The report also informed that the expected headline inflation will remain elevated in the current year but is likely to ease in the second half of the fiscal. While mentioning that it is difficult to accurately assess the economic impact of C-19 pandemic as the dynamics have still been evolving.

• Reserve Bank of India in its report mentioned that it looks like that the decline in economic activity had reached its trough in the April-June quarter of 2020-2021 and has recovered thereafter at a gradual pace.

Summits and Mou’s

NeGD signs MoU with CSC E-Governance Services India Limited

• The National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY) has partnered with CSC (Common Service Center) e Governance Services India Limited.

•  The partnership aims to enable delivery of UMANG services to citizens through the network of 3.75 lakh CSCs.

Awards

NLCIL bags “Swachhta Hi Seva award” for transforming Neyveli Township

• The Government of India Navratna, NLC India Limited (NLCIL) has bagged the award for making an extremely valuable contribution in the implementation of the “Swachhta Hi Seva Programme”.

• Rakesh Kumar, CMD of NLCIL hailing the efforts of NLCIL in transforming the entire Neyveli into a plastic-free, clean and green campus, and announcing the “Swachhta Hi Seva 2019” Award.

Obituary

Former Congo President Pascal Lissouba passes away

• Former President of the Republic of Congo, Pascal Lissouba passed away. He served as the president from 1992 to 1997.

• He became the minister of agriculture in 1960 after Congo became an independent country.

Sports

James Anderson first-ever fast bowler to take 600 wickets in Test Cricket

• England's James Anderson has become the first-ever fast bowler to take 600 Test wickets. 38 year-old Anderson created history during England's third test match against Pakistan on August 25, 2020 in Southampton.

• He reached the milestone when he dismissed Pakistan's Azhar Ali and claimed his 600th Test wicket.

• Overall he is the 4th bowler to take 600 test wickets after 3 spinners Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, and Anil Kumble.

Indian Table Tennis star Poulomi Ghatak announced retirement

• Indian Table Tennis star, Poulomi Ghatak has announced retirement. The Kolkata-born athlete is a seven-time national champion, winning between 1998 and 2016.

• She had represented India at the Commonwealth Games in 2006 and Commonwealth championships between 2000 and 2008. She entered the Olympics in Sydney for the first time when she was 16.

Appointments and Resignations

Rajiv Srivastava Steps Down as MD & CEO of Indian Energy Exchange (IEX)

• Rajiv Srivastava, the Managing Director & CEO of Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) has resigned on August 24, 2020 from the board of the company with immediate effect, due to his personal reasons.

• The board of directors of the company have given Satyanarayan Goel the additional charge of Managing Director and CEO for an interim period.

Vinay Tonse becomes new MD and CEO of SBI Mutual Fund

• Vinay Tonse has been appointed as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of SBI Mutual Fund (MF).

• He will replace Ashwani Bhatia, who has been now appointed as the managing director (MD) of State Bank of India.

Tags: Railway (NTPC), SSC, IBPS RRB, SBI Clerk
Read More
Read Less
Write new comment.

Important Current Affairs 26th August 2020

National

GoI and AIIB sign MoU for $500 million for Mumbai Urban Transport Project-III

• The Government of India, the Government of Maharashtra, Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has signed a loan agreement for a $500 million Mumbai Urban Transport Project-III.

• The aim of the project is to improve the network capacity, service quality and safety of the suburban railway system in Mumbai.

20-year old Indian wins ‘World's Fastest Human Calculator' title

• India’s Neelakanta Bhanu Prakash has won the ‘World's Fastest Human Calculator' title. The 20-year-old won the first-ever gold for India in Mental Calculation World Championship at Mind Sports Olympiad (MSO) held in London recently.

• Neelakanta Bhanu Prakash belongs to Hyderabad and he is currently pursuing Mathematics (Hons.) at Delhi University's St Stephen College. He is the proud owner of four world records and 50 Limca records for being the fastest human calculator in the world.

• Prakash’s brain can reportedly calculate quicker than the speed of a calculator. He has broked the records once held by Math maestros like Scott Flansburg and Shakuntala Devi.

Kerala’s 1st-ever Dragonfly Festival

• WWF-India Kerala State Office is joining hands with the Society for Odonate Studies (SOS) and Thumbipuranam for the first-ever state “Dragonfly Festival” in Kerala, christened ‘Thumbimahotsavam 2020’.

• Dragonfly Festival, a series of events will be rolled out in the coming months to reach out to various sections of the society.

•  This is part of the National Dragonfly Festival organised by WWF India, Bombay Natural History Society and Indian Dragonfly Society in association with National Biodiversity Board, UN Environmental Programme, UN Development Programme and IUCN-CEC.

Banking and Economy

ICICI Bank uses satellite data to assess creditworthiness of farmers

• Private lender ICICI Bank makes use of satellite data, imagery from Earth observation satellites, to assess credit worthiness of farmers.

• ICICI Bank has become the 1st bank in India to use such a technique to measure an array of parameters related to the land, irrigation and crop patterns and use it in combination with demographic and financial parameters to make quick lending decisions for farmers.

Rs.8,594 cr to be disbursed to stressed NBFCs and HFCs

• The Finance Ministry said 24 proposals by stressed non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and housing finance companies (HFCs) worth ₹8,594 crore have been sanctioned under the special liquidity scheme.

• The scheme was announced in July, as part of the ₹20.97 lakh crore ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ package.

Centre announces Tax exemptions for businesses with annual turnover of up to Rs 40 lakh

• The Ministry of Finance has announced that the businesses with an annual turnover of up to Rs 40 lakh are now GST exempt. Earlier, this limit was Rs 20 lakh.

• The Ministry has also informed that those businesses with an annual turnover up to Rs 1.5 crore can opt for the Composition Scheme and pay only 1 percent tax.

Awards

Tomyas Award for Reshma Mohandas

• Reshma Mohandas, a nurse with the Government Medical College (MCH), Kottayam, has been selected for the Tomyas Award worth ₹1 lakh for the best nurse in Kerala.

• The award was instituted in memory of Treesa Ignatius, mother of Thomas Pavaratti, owner of Thrissur-based Tomyas Advertising Agency.

• The Award will be presented by Bobby Paul and Antio Paul, directors of Star Plastics, at Tomyas Garden, Peramangalam, on October 2.

Acquisitions and Mergers

CCI approves Siemens’ acquisition of C&S Electric

• Fair trade regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI) said it approved the proposed acquisition of C&S Electric by Siemens.

• As per a statement issued by Siemens in January, it had inked an agreement to acquire 99 per cent equity in New Delhi-based C&S Electric for around Rs 2,100 crore.

Science and Technology

Indian Satellite ‘AstroSat’ Detects UV Light From Galaxy 9 Billion Light Years Away

• India’s first multi-wavelength satellite, AstroSat, has detected an extreme ultraviolet (UV) light from a galaxy, called AUDFs01.This galaxy is 9.3 billion light-years away from Earth, in the Hubble Extreme Deep field.

• AstroSat is India’s first multi-wavelength satellite, which has five unique X-ray and ultraviolet telescopes working in tandem.The discovery was made by an international team of astronomers led by Dr Kanak Saha, associate professor of astronomy at the Pune-based Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA).

• This research was published on August 24, 2020, by Nature Astronomy.

Obituary

Former Congo President Pascal Lissouba passes away

• Former President of the Republic of Congo, Pascal Lissouba passed away. He became the minister of agriculture in 1960 after Congo became an independent country.

•  He served as the president from 1992 to 1997. He served as the Prime minister under the Presidency of Alphonse Massamba Debat.

Appointments and Resignations

DRDO chief G Satheesh Reddy gets two-year extension

• Renowned Indian scientist, G Satheesh Reddy was given a two-year extension as the chairman of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

• He was appointed to the post in August 2018 for two years.

Days

Women's Equality Day

• This day commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which granted the women right to vote. In 1971, the U.S. Congress officially recognized August 26 as Women's Equality Day.

• A day which holds a lot of political significance in world history.

Tags: bank clerk, Railway (NTPC), SSC, IBPS RRB, SBI Clerk
Read More
Read Less
Write new comment.

Important Current Affairs 25th August 2020

National

Government launches 'Open API Service' in Aarogya Setu app

• An innovative feature ‘Open API Service’ has been introduced by Aarogya Setu to help the people, businesses and the economy in its efforts to return to normalcy.

• The newly launched service will help the organizations to get the health status of their employees as well as any other Aarogya Setu User without violating their data privacy.

• Aarogya Setu’s Open API Service addresses the fear/risk of C - 19 infections and enables organizations to verify the status of Aarogya Setu and integrate it into its various Work from Home features.

Nabard launches credit guarantee programme for NBFC-MFIs

• The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has launched dedicated debt and credit guarantee product named Structured Finance and Partial Guarantee Programme to NBFC-MFIs to ensure the unhindered flow of credit in rural areas hit by the C-19 pandemic.

• It will provide partial guarantee on pooled loans extended to small and mid-sized microfinance institutions (MFIs). Nabard has signed a pact with Vivriti Capital and Ujjivan Small Finance Bank for this.

India’s longest river ropeway inaugurated in Assam

• The longest river ropeway of India has been inaugurated in Assam. The ropeway is 1.8 Km long and connects Guwahati and North Guwahati over Brahmaputra river.

• The ropeway will be operated from Kachari Ghat in Guwahati to Dol Govinda temple in North Guwahati. The ropeway will allow passengers to witness the beautiful landscapes of Guwahati city, river Brahmaputra, and the Umananda Temple.

• It has been built at an estimated cost of Rs 56 crore and has as many as 58 CCTV cameras installed for round-the-clock monitoring of the ropeway service.

India to have its own vaccine portal soon: ICMR

• The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has announced that India will soon have its own dedicated vaccine portal. The portal is under development and will serve as a repository of data related to the vaccine development in the country.

• The portal will be launched by next week by the medical research body ICMR.

Banking and Economy

India and AIIB sign agreement for $500 million for Mumbai Urban Transport Project-III

• Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has signed a loan agreement (with Government of India, the Government of Maharashtra and Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation) for a $500 million Mumbai Urban Transport Project-III.

• The aim is to improve the network capacity, service quality and safety of the suburban railway system in Mumbai.

• With a population of 22.8 million (2011), Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) is the most populous metropolitan region in India and is expected to reach 29.3 million by 2031 and 32.1 million by 2041.

Sports

Bayern Munich wins UEFA Champions League 2019-20

• Bayern Munich overcame Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 to lift the UEFA Champions League 2019-20 trophy in Lisbon. Kingsley Coman scored the only goal in an entertaining affair between the league champions of Germany and France.

• Bayern lifted their sixth Champions League trophy and a first one since the 2012-13 season. The final was played in Lisbon, Portugal.

First female golfer from Germany Sophia Popov wins Women’s British Open

• World number 304 Sophia Popov became the first female golfer from Germany to capture a major title after winning the Women’s British Open by two strokes at Royal Troon in Scotland.

Books and Authors

A book titled “Gastric Cancer” released by Jitendra Singh

• Union Minister, Jitendra Singh has released a book on cancer named “Gastric Cancer” edited by Dr Ashok K. Vaid. Ashok K. Vaid is a Noted Oncologist and was awarded Padma Shri in 2009 for his outstanding work in the field of medicine.

• The book was launched during a special session organized during the 3-day virtual conference on Oncology. The book is published by Springer Healthcare Education.

Tags: Railway (NTPC), SSC, IBPS RRB, SBI Clerk
Read More
Read Less
Write new comment.

Important Current Affairs 24th August 2020

National

Nitin Gadkari launches mobile app ‘Harit Path’ to monitor plantation along national highways

• The Union Minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari has launched a mobile app called ‘Harit Path’ on 21 August 2020, via video conference while chairing a meeting to review ‘New Green Highways Policy (Plantation)’ and discuss use of new technologies in road construction.

• The app ‘Harit Path’ has been developed by the National Highways authority of India (NHAI) to monitor the plantation and transplantation of trees along the highways, through geo-tagging and web-based GIS enabled monitoring tools.

Population Projects India’s Population to be More Feminine by 2036

• The National Commission on Population under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare  (MoHFW) submitted the Report of the Technical group on population projections July 2020, titled “Population projections for India and States 2011- 2036”.

• The report projected that the India’s sex ratio of the total population (females per 1000 males) is expected to be more feminine in 2036 compared to the population as of 2011.

• Youth population (15-24 years) is expected to increase from 23.3 crores in 2011 to 25.2 crores in 2021 and then continue to decrease to 22.7 crores in 2036.

Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan Launches Online Registration and Renewal of Gold Hallmarking Centres

• Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan virtually launched an online system for registration and renewal of licence of gold assaying and hallmarking (A&H) centres. The online system can be accessed through the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) web portal – www.manakonline.in.

• The online mode of registration & renewal will help in ease of doing business for the jewellers and entrepreneurs who have established hallmarking centres or want to do so in future.

Banking and Economy

Axis Bank launches hiring initiative named ‘Gig-a-Opportunities’

• Axis Bank has launched a new initiative named ‘Gig-a-Opportunities’. The initiative aims to attract skilled talent that can work with the bank remotely, from anywhere in the country.

• This hiring model comprises two working patterns. One is the full-time permanent job and the second is based on the duration of a project and is temporary in nature.

Awards

Wing Commander Gajanand Yadava wins Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award 2019

• Wing Commander Gajanand Yadava has won the ‘Tenzing Norgey National Adventure Award 2019' in air adventure category. The Indian Air Force congratulated Yadava for the special award through a post on Twitter.

• Gajanand Yadava is a Parachute Jump Instructor. He is also a member of IAF's Skydiving Team `Akash Ganga`. He has undertaken more than 2900 jumps till date, stated the Indian Air Force in its post.

• The IAF also shared few glimpses of Gajanand Yadava skydiving and flying a parachute.

Anand Mahindra and Shantanu Narayen selected for 2020 Leadership Awards by USISP

• Anand Mahindra (Mahindra group Chairman) and Shantanu Narayen (Adobe Chairman and CEO) will be awarded the 2020 Leadership Awards by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF).

• They will be awarded during the third Annual Leadership Summit, titled ”US-India Week: Navigating New Challenges”, which will be held virtually from August 31, 2020 to September 03, 2020.

Acquisitions and Mergers

General insurance companies ICICI Lombard and Bharti AXA announces merger

• ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company and Bharti AXA General Insurance Company have announced the merger of their businesses.

•  The merger would result in an entity with a combined annual premium of Rs 16,447 crore and a market share of nearly 8.7%.

• After the merger, ICICI Lombard will become the third-largest non-life insurer in India.

Ranking

India ranked 57th in Digital Quality of Life Index 2020, Denmark tops

• India ranks among the lowest in the world in terms of Internet quality, according to a global research released by online privacy solutions provider SurfShark.

• In a global index on digital quality of life in 85 countries, India ranked 9th on the internet affordability indicator, and 15th on e-government.

• Overall, India ranked 57th on the Digital Quality of Life Index 2020.Scandinavian countries Denmark and Sweden topped the index, with Canada rounding up the top three.

Books and Authors

Book titled “Who painted my lust red?” authored by Sree Iyer launched

• A book titled “Who painted my lust red?” that has been authored by Sree Iyer has been launched. The book is something about when Bollywood meets Cricket meets Politicians.

• This is the second book in this series of Sree Iyer’s Money Trilogy series. The first book was “Who painted my money white?”

Tags: Railway (NTPC), Bank Jobs, SSC, RRB, SBI Clerk
Read More
Read Less
Write new comment.

Important Current Affairs 23rd August 2020

International

UAE connects first Arab nuclear plant to power grid

• The oil-rich United Arab Emirates announced that it has connected its Barakah nuclear power plant to the national grid in a first for the Arab world.

• The milestone follows the successful start-up of the plant’s first reactor at the end of last month and launches the UAE on the road to meeting 25% of its electricity needs from nuclear power.

Iran announces locally made ballistic and cruise missiles

• Iran displayed a surface-to-surface ballistic missile named martyr Qassem Soleimani, that Defence Minister Amir Hatami said had a range of 1,400 kilometres and a new cruise missile, ignoring U.S. demands that Tehran halt its missile programme.

• The missile has a range of 1,400 km and the cruise missile, called martyr Abu Mahdi, has a range of over 1,000 km.

Banking and Economy

RBI Releases NSFE 2020-25, Suggests Action Plan to Promote Financial Education

• The ‘National Strategy for Financial Education 2020-2025’ (NSFE), released by the RBI, has suggested a multi-stakeholder-led approach for creating a financially aware and empowered India.

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) came out with a ‘5-Core Actions’ approach for promoting financial education, which among other things include development of relevant content for school children and adults, community participation and collaboration among various stakeholders.

• The five Cs, outlined by the strategy paper, are: Content, Capacity, Community, Communication and Collaboration.

• Strengthening financial inclusion in the country has been one of the important developmental agendas of both the Government of India and the four financial sector regulators (RBI, SEBI, IRDAI and PFRDA).

World Bank sees higher GDP fall in India than 3.2% it projected for FY21

• The World Bank said it was likely to project a steeper contraction in India’s economy than the 3.2 per cent it had forecast for the current financial year, given the rising number of C-19-19 cases and the resultant regional C-19s.

• In its report on India Development Update, 2020, the Bank also warned that credit risks play out as firms and households find it more difficult to service their interest and repayment obligations in a slowing economy.

Summits and Mou’s

Ministry of Tourism signed MoU with TAAI and FLO to promote tourism as sustainable livelihood model

• The Union Minister of State for Tourism (IC), Shri Prahlad Singh Patel, a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was virtually signed today by the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) and FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) with the Ministry of Tourism for women empowerment.

• The MoU provision will create awareness, along with state tourism departments and state tourism corporations and gives an opportunity to increase participation of women in the tourism sector.

Sports

5 Sportsperson to be awarded Khel Ratna 2020

• Five sportspersons will be awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2020 this year. These are:

1) Rohit Sharma– Cricketer (4th cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, and Virat Kohli to win this)

2) Vinesh Phogat– Wrestler

3) Manika Batra– Table Tennis player

4) Mariyappan Thangavelu– Para Athlete

5) Rani Rampal– Hockey Player

• They will receive the award on National Sports Day on August 29. This is for the first time that 5 players have been selected for this award.

• Apart from this 27 sportsperson have been selected for the ARJUNA AWARD 2020.

Appointments and Resignations

Ashwani Bhatia appointed MD of State Bank of India

• The government has appointed Ashwani Bhatia as the next managing director of India’s largest public sector bank State Bank of India (SBI).

• Bhatia is currently serving as the managing director (MD) and CEO of SBI Mutual Fund, and had been tipped to be a front runner for his new post through the selection process.

Days

International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition

• International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition is a UNESCO designated day held every year on August 23 to memorialize the transatlantic slave trade.

• It is a day to honour  the  memory  of  the  men  and  women  who,  in  Saint-Domingue  in  1791,  revolted  and  paved  the  way  for  the  end  of  slavery  and  dehumanization.

Books and Authors

Book titled ‘India Tomorrow: Conversations with the Next Generation of Political Leaders’, released

• The book titled “India Tomorrow: Conversations with the Next Generation of Political Leaders”, has been released recently. It is written by academicians Pradeep Chhibber and Harsh Shah and published by Oxford University Press (OUP)

• The book, which includes interviews of politicians below 50 years likes of Rahul Gandhi, Smriti Zubin Irani, Varun Gandhi, Omar Abdullah and Akhilesh Yadav, among others.

Tags: Railway (NTPC), SSC, RRB, SBI Clerk
Read More
Read Less
Write new comment.

Important Current Affairs 22nd August 2020

National

Santosh Gangwar launches official Logo of “Labour Bureau”

• Minister of State (I/C) for Labour and Employment, Santosh Gangwar has launched the official Logo of “Labour Bureau”.

• It displays the three goals that Labour Bureau aspires to achieve in producing quality data i.e. Accuracy, Validity and Reliability.

• It also indicates that the Labour Bureau is a data-based organization which deals in data pertaining to workers and work.

NPCI launches its subsidiary firm – NPCI International Payments Ltd (NIPL)

• National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has launched its wholly-owned subsidiary firm named NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL).

• Ritesh Shukla has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NIPL.

• NIPL will venture into newer international markets and co-create payment systems with participating nations.

• The primary focus of NIPL would be the internationalization of RuPay and UPI, along with a few more offerings of NPCI.

Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot launches ‘Indira Rasoi Yojana’

• Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on August 20, 2020, launched the ‘Indira Rasoi Yojana’ in order to provide quality nutritious food to poor people at just Rs. 8.

• The newly launched scheme will be rolled in 213 urban local bodies of the state which will include 10 locations each in the state capital’s c greater and heritage area.

• Under Indira Rasoi Yojana, fresh and nutritious food will be provided at Rs. 8 per plate.

Awards

‘Am I?’ wins 1st prize in Online Short Film Contest of I&B Ministry & NFDC

• Short film ‘Am I?’ has won the first prize in the Online Short Film Contest that was organized by Information and Broadcasting Ministry along with NFDC - National Film Development Corporation.

• The film has been directed by Abhijit Paul.

Obituary

Former Indian cricketer Gopala swamy Kasturirangan passes away

• Former Cricketer, Administrator and Pitch Curator, Gopala swamy Iyenger Kasturirangan passed away.

• He began his career in the 1948-49 season representing Mysore in the Ranji Trophy and retired from first-class cricket after the 1962-63 season.

• Kasturirangan was also the former BCCI Curator and Vice President of  Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).

Sports

INOX Group becomes sponsor of Indian team for Tokyo Olympics

• The governing body for the Olympic Movement in India, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and INOX Group has signed a sponsorship agreement to support Team India for Tokyo Olympics, which was rescheduled to be held from July 23 to August 8, 2021.

• The partnership agreement will further support team India’s promotions through the Group’s entertainment company, Inox Leisure Limited.

Appointments and Resignations

Rajiv Kumar appointed as new Election Commissioner

• Former finance secretary Rajiv Kumar has been appointed new election commissioner. He will replace Ashok Lavasa, who resigned earlier this week. Mr Kumar will take charge the day Mr Lavasa leaves his office on August 31.

•  Rajiv Kumar is a 1984-batch IAS officer from Jharkhand cadre. He was designated as finance secretary in July 2019 and during his tenure he played a major role in merging 10 public sector banks into four. He has also served as establishment officer (EO) in the personnel ministry.

Equatorial Guinea Re-elects Francisco Asue as PM of the country

• Francisco Asue has been reappointed as Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea.

• This is Asue’s third consecutive term as PM. He was first appointed as PM of Equatorial Guinea in 2016.

Days

International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief

• The second annual International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief is being observed on 22 August 22, 2020.

• The international day aims to remember the victims and survivors of evil acts on the basis of or in the name of religion or belief.

• The day was adopted at the 73rd UN General Assembly on 28 May 2019 as proposed by Poland.

Tags: Railway (NTPC), SSC, RRB, SBI Clerk
Read More
Read Less
Write new comment.

Important Current Affairs 21st August 2020

National

Tribal Affairs Minister launches “Trifood Project” of TRIFED

• The tertiary processing centres of “Trifood Project” of TRIFED, Ministry of Tribal Affairs has been virtually launched by the Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda.

• The Trifood project has been launched in Raigad, Maharashtra and Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh. This project is expected to help in encouraging the tribal entrepreneurship.

• Two Minor Forest Produce (MFP) processing units will be set up in order to achieve the targets of the “Trifood Project”.

First rockets produced by private sector successfully test fired

• The Indian Army successfully test-fired the first ever privately manufactured Pinaka rockets recently from the firing range in Pokharan, which achieved the desired results by accurately hitting targets.

• The rockets have been manufactured by Economic Explosives Ltd (EEL) and are the first ammunition of its kind made by the private sector in India.

• Six Pinaka rockets were test fired as part of the final developmental trials.

• This development will enable Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to do away with its single source dependency on Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) for the rockets and also boost Make in India initiative.

International

Apple Becomes First U.S. Company to reach  $2 Trillion Market Cap

• Apple Inc. has become the first publicly traded U.S. company to reach a market capitalization of over $2 trillion, after its share price climbed above $467.77 on 19 August 2020.

• Apple is also the world’s only second company to hit $2 trillion in market cap.Before this, Oil Major Saudi Aramco was the world’s first and only publicly listed company to reach a $2 trillion market value in December 2019.

• Apple was also the first publicly traded U.S. company to reach a $1 trillion market cap.

India, Japan and Australia to launch Supply Chain Resilience Initiative to counter China

• India, Australia, and Japan have started the discussions for the launch of a trilateral Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) in order to reduce the dependency on China. The initiative which was first proposed by Japan might be executed.

• The officials have been working on the dates to hold the first meeting of the commerce and trade ministers of the three countries. Earlier, Japan through its Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry had approached India and had pressed on the urgency of taking the initiative forward.

• In the light of China’s aggressive moves in the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, the Indian government has decided to consider the proposal quite seriously. As per the sources, Tokyo was in favour of launching SCRI by November 2020.

Banking and Economy

Google launches ‘Kormo’ app in India to help people find jobs

• Google has launched its employment application named ‘Kormo Jobs’ in India. It would help millions of Indians to get entry-level jobs. Kormo Jobs will help to provide entry-level jobs to thousands of people, to help those who have lost their jobs during the pandemic and young professionals who are looking for jobs.

• Google had first launched the employment application in Bangladesh in 2018 and further expanded it to Indonesia in 2019.In 2019, Google had also tested this app in India but under the brand ‘Spot’ on Google Pay app, which saw more than 2 million verified jobs posted on the platform, including from companies like Zomato and Dunzo.

Appointments and Resignations

Luis Rodolfo Abinader sworn in as President of Dominican Republic

• Luis Rodolfo Abinader has been sworn in as 54th President of the Dominican Republic on 16 August 2020.

• The 53-year-old economist and businessman Abinader succeeds Danilo Medina, who served the country from 2012 to 2020.

Ranking

Swachh Survekshan 2020: Indore ranked 1st as cleanest city

• Indore city of Madhya Pradesh has been ranked as the cleanest city of India under the Swachh Survekshan 2020. It has won the Cleanest city tag for the fourth consecutive year.

• 2020 Swachh Survekshan is the 5th edition of the annual exercise and covered 4,242 cities.The results were announced on 20 August by the Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoUHA), Hardeep Singh Puri.

• Surat (Gujarat) and Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra) are the second and third most cleanest city, respectively in the ranking.

India ranked 1st in number of organic farmers, Sikkim 1st state to be fully organic

• India has been ranked first in the number of organic farmers and ninth in terms of area under organic farming.

• Sikkim has become the first state in the world to become fully organic. Other states including Uttarakhand and Tripura have also set similar sustainability targets.

• North-east India has traditionally been organic and the consumption of chemicals is far less than the rest of the country. The tribal and island territories are also being encouraged to take forward their organic methods.

Days

World Senior Citizen Day

• The World Senior Citizen Day is observed globally on 21st August every year. This day is celebrated to raise awareness about issues affecting older people, such as deterioration with age and the abuse of the elderly and support, honour and show appreciation to seniors and to recognize their achievements.

• The Day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly on December 14, 1990.

• The World Senior Citizen’s Day also recognises and acknowledges the contributions of older people to society.

International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism

• The International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism is a UN recognised day observed on August 21 to pay tribute to the individuals across the globe who have been attacked, injured, traumatized or lost their lives because of terrorist attacks.

• The day was designated by United Nations General Assembly in 2017 and first time the day was observed in 2018.

Tags: Railway (NTPC), SSC, RRB, SBI Clerk
Read More
Read Less
Write new comment.
Prev12...3233343536...4950Next
-logo
We at aim to provide most comprehensive content & test for practice which is carefully divided into various chapters and topics to help you focus on your weak areas.Our Practice mock test gives you unmatched analytics to help you realize your strong areas,time management and improvement areas.Our Short & Crisp notes on each topic will help you to quickly revise the topic along with the tips & tricks of the exams.
More About
-Info
-Info

Mobile App

Get it on Google Play
About Us Campus Ambassador Careers Contact Us Refund Policy

All Rights Reserved Top Rankers

User Policy
Disclaimer
Terms & Conditions