Current Affairs Today 2, 3 and 4th August 2020-Download in PDF

Hello and welcome to exampundit. Here are the important Current Affairs Today 2, 3 and 4th August 2020. These are important for the upcoming Exams. Candidates who were preparing for the examination can use these current affairs and also you can download the same as PDF.

Current Affairs Today – 2, 3 and 4th August 2020

NEWS AT A GLANCE

  1. The World Ranger Day is celebrated every year on 31 July.
  2. World Sanskrit Day, (also known as Sanskrit Diwas), is celebrated every year on Shraavanapoornima, that is the Poornima day of the Shraavana month in the Hindu calendar, which is also marked as Raksha Bandhan.
  3. World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated annually during the first week of August (1st – 7th Aug) in over 120 countries around the world
  4. The private sector lender, Kotak Mahindra Bank, has announced the launch of a two-month long campaign called ‘Kona Kona Umeed’
  5. More than 40 crore bank accounts have been opened under the government’s flagship financial inclusion drive Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), launched about six years ago by the Modi-government.
  6. ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund has announced the launch of ICICI Prudential Alpha Low Vol 30 ETF, an open-ended index exchange traded fund tracking Nifty Alpha Low Volatility 30 Index.
  7. Indian Market regulator, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is planning to set up a virtual museum of the securities market to highlight achievements and milestones in the Indian capital market.
  8. Three contract manufacturers for Apple iPhones and South Korea’s Samsung have applied for large-scale electronics manufacturing rights in India under a $6.5 billion incentive scheme.
  9. Four additional states, namely Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Nagaland and Uttarakhand have been to the One Nation One Ration Card scheme have been integrated with the ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ plan of the Central government.
  10. Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan launched ‘Vidyarthi Vigyan Manthan, 2020-21.
  11. Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Electronics, Communication, and IT Sanjay Dhotre inaugurated “Bharat Air Fibre Services” at Akola, Maharashtra.
  12. Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) approved a programme to benefit the artisans involved in the manufacturing of Agarbatti under ‘Gramodyog Vikas Yojana’ on 30th July 2020.
  13. Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Shri Nitin Gadkari has launched the Khadi’s Gift Box of Silk Mask.
  14. Goa Skill Development Minister Vishwajit P Rane on Monday announced the launch of online ITI admission process and student data management system.
  15. Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik has launched ‘Odisha Agni-Shama Seva’ online portal.
  16. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on the eve of Raksha Bandhan launched ‘E-Raksha Bandhan’, an online training programme on cybersecurity.
  17. Rajasthan’s Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot recently directed his officials to commence Indira Rasoi Yojana from 20Th August 2020.
  18. Uttarakhand will soon have a snow leopard conservation centre.
  19. In Manipur, government signed an Agreement with nine hospitals based in the State with an aim to implement Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (Aayushman Bharat) and Chief Minister’s Health Scheme (known as Chief Ministergi Hakshel gi Tengbang) fully.
  20. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has made a remarkable achievement by becoming the first country in the Arab World to produce nuclear energy, when the Unit 1 of the Barakah Nuclear Plant in Abu Dhabi, got operational on 31 July 2020.
  21. Enhancing their science and research collaboration, India and the United Kingdom have partnered to undertake five new research projects to tackle anti-microbial resistance that can be helpful in the global fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes.
  22. Former Guyanese housing minister, Mohamed Irfaan Ali has been named as the President of the country.
  23. Bangladesh will be constructing five more modern food storage systems in the country in addition to the three already under construction with financing support from the World Bank to enhance the storage capacity and improve the efficiency of grain storage.
  24. US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that bans federal agencies from hiring foreign workers especially those on H-1B visa on contracting or subcontracting.
  25. The National Digital Conference on ‘Easing Doing Business for Atmanirbhar Bharat’ was organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in partnership with the Department for Promotion of Investment and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on 30 July 2020.
  26. Apple world’s most valuable publicly listed company.
  27. The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) to supply mustard oil on 31st July 2020. The move is in line with “Aatmanirbhar.”
  28. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) with a joint effort of the health ministry and the AIIMS is planning to set up the National Clinical Registry (NCR) which will help country’s researchers and policymakers understand the efficacy of investigational therapies, adverse effects taking place and generate evidence for improving the treatment of Covid-19 patients.
  29. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved Sashidhar Jagdishan as the next chief executive officer of HDFC Bank
  30. Great Eastern Shipping Company Ltd has appointed former RBI Governor Urjit Patel as an additional and independent director for a term of five years.
  31. Jaideep Bhatnagar, an Indian Information Service Officer of 1986 batch, has taken over the charge as Director General, News Services Division of All India Radio.
  32. NewsAir Marshal V. R. Chaudhari took over as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Western Air Command of Indian Air Force
  33. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain) has won the Formula One British Grand Prix 2020 held on August 02, 2020. He came first, despite a puncture during the last lap.
  34. India has withdrawn from the women’s world team Squash championship scheduled in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 15th to 20th December, due to lack of preparation, time and match-readiness of its players.
  35. World Cup winner German footballer, Benedikt Howedes has retired from football.
  36. PL 2020 will be played from September 19 to November 10 in the UAE this year.
  37. Scientists from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), under Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, and Indian Institute of Science (IISc), have developed a model to scale up the novel tests using an adaptive strategy and the early phase of COVID-19 as an example.
  38. Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu bordering Gujarat has launched E-Gyan Mitra mobile app for online education.
  39. Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar has released a book titled “Siyasat Mein Sadasyata” authored by Bihar Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Choudhary.
  40. Kamal Rani Varun, the Indian politician and Cabinet Minister in the Government of Uttar Pradesh has passed away due to COVID-19. She was 62.
  41. Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey has announced his book, Greenlights, is to be published on Oct. 20.
  42. Rajya Sabha MP and former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh passed away. He was undergoing treatment in Singapore since past few months.
  43. Former Andhra Pradesh Minister, Pydikondala Manikyala Rao passed away due to COVID-19. He was born on November 1, 1961.
  44. Jubilant Generics Ltd has launched the covid-19 drug remdesivir under the ‘JUBI-R’ brand at ₹4,700 per vial in the Indian market.
  45. Two US astronauts, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, returned from the International Space Station (ISS) on 2 August 2020.

NEWS IN DETAILS

IMPORTANT DAYS AND THEMES

World Ranger Day observed on 31 July

  • The World Ranger Day is celebrated every year on 31 July.
  • Purpose of celebrating this day is to commemorate the Rangers killed or injured while on duty and to celebrate the work that Rangers do to protect the world’s natural and cultural heritage.
  • A Ranger is a person tasked with preserving and protecting parklands and natural protected areas. A Ranger typically refers to a forest ranger or a park ranger.
  • It was on this day in 1992 that International Ranger Federation (IRF) was founded.
  • The first World Ranger Day was observed in 2007, on the occasion of the 15th anniversary IRF.

Extra Shots:

International Ranger Federation (IRF)

  • Founded: 1992

World Sanskrit Day 2020 observed on 03 August

  • World Sanskrit Day, (also known as Sanskrit Diwas), is celebrated every year on Shraavanapoornima, that is the Poornima day of the Shraavana month in the Hindu calendar, which is also marked as Raksha Bandhan.
  • In 2020, this day is being observed on 3 August 2020.
  • The day commemorates the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit and aims to promote its revival and maintenance.
  • The Government of India decided to celebrate World Sanskrit Day in 1969, on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan that falls on the full moon day of the Hindu month of Shravana.

World Breastfeeding Week 2020

  • World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated annually during the first week of August (1st – 7th Aug) in over 120 countries around the world.
  • This global campaign was first organised by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF in 1992, in an attempt to raise awareness about the benefits of exclusively breastfeeding for the initial 6 months of a child’s life.
  • The theme of World Breastfeeding Week 2020 is “Support breastfeeding for a healthier planet”.

BANKING & FINANCE 

Kotak Mahindra Bank launches ‘Kona Kona Umeed’ Campaign

  • The private sector lender, Kotak Mahindra Bank, has announced the launch of a two-month long campaign called ‘Kona Kona Umeed’ with huge offers and discounts to lift up hope and optimism among its customers in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic.
  • Under this Kona Kona Umeed campaign, the bank will provide a range of offers and deals on its products including loans, savings accounts, current accounts, corporate salary accounts as well as Kotak debit cards, credit cards and digital payments.
  • Kotak has tied up with over 100 brands to provide exclusive deals to its customers in categories such as shopping, essentials, personal care, education, fitness, health & wellness, kids & parenting, entertainment, cyber care & security, among others.

Extra Shots:

Kotak Mahindra Bank

  • CEO: Uday Kotak
  • Headquarters: Mumbai
  • Founder: Uday Kotak
  • Founded: February 2003

Over 40 crore bank accounts opened under Jan Dhan Yojana

  • More than 40 crore bank accounts have been opened under the government’s flagship financial inclusion drive Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), launched about six years ago by the Modi-government.
  • As per the latest figure, there are 40.05 crore beneficiaries of this scheme and deposits in Jan Dhan bank accounts are in excess of Rs 1.30 lakh crore.
  • The achievement comes just ahead of the sixth anniversary of PMJDY launch.
  • The scheme was launched on August 28, 2014 with an aim to provide universal access to banking facilities to the people in the country.
  • Accounts opened under PMJDY are Basic Savings Bank Deposit (BSBD) accounts with additional features of RuPay debit card and overdraft.
  • There is no requirement of maintaining minimum balance in BSBD accounts.

ICICI Prudential MF launches ICICI Prudential Alpha Low Vol 30 ETF

  • ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund has announced the launch of ICICI Prudential Alpha Low Vol 30 ETF, an open-ended index exchange traded fund tracking Nifty Alpha Low Volatility 30 Index.
  • The ETF will track Nifty Alpha Low-Volatility 30 Index. The New Fund Offer opens on August 3 and closes on August 10.

Extra Shots:

ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund

  • CEO: Nimesh Shah
  • Headquarters: Mumbai
  • Founded: 1993

SEBI to set up virtual museum of securities market

  • Indian Market regulator, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is planning to set up a virtual museum of the securities market to highlight achievements and milestones in the Indian capital market.
  • SEBI has invited Expression of Interest (EoI) from agencies to develop the virtual museum.
  • The museum is intended to be a visual online organised collection of history of evolution, achievements and milestones in the Indian securities market over the decades in terms of market infrastructure, regulation and enforcement, among others.
  • The achievements will be told through photos, videos, articles, media clippings, an interactive display like quiz, paintings, drawings, diagrams, graphs, newspaper articles, transcripts of interviews and numerical databases, among others.
  • The virtual museum will engage the audience with creative content through various means like video, audio, chatbot, voice assistants, virtual reality, analytics, interactive and animated elements.

Extra Shots:

SEBI

  • Founded: 12 April 1992
  • Sector: Securities market
  • Jurisdiction: India
  • Headquarters: Mumbai
  • Type: Statutory corporation
  • Chairperson: Ajay Tyagi

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

3 lakh new jobs expected as Samsung, Apple apply for Made-in-India mobiles boost

  • Three contract manufacturers for Apple iPhones and South Korea’s Samsung have applied for large-scale electronics manufacturing rights in India under a $6.5 billion incentive scheme.
  • This announcement is made by the Electronics and Information Technology and Communications minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad.
  • The scheme will extend cash incentives of 4-6% for five years on incremental sales of goods manufactured in India with 2019-2020 as the base year.
  • Nearly two dozen Indian and international companies in the cellphone segment have applied for the scheme, which is expected to generate 300,000 direct jobs in the country.
  • Around nine lakh indirect jobs are also expected to be created.

NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ scheme extended to 4 more states, taking total states to 24

  • Four additional states, namely Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Nagaland and Uttarakhand have been to the One Nation One Ration Card scheme have been integrated with the ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ plan of the Central government.
  • With this, now a total of 24 States/UTs are connected under One Nation One Ration Card effective from 01 August 2020.
  • These 24 States/UTs includes: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
  • Now the beneficiaries will be eligible to receive foodgrains anywhere in these States/UTs through national portability of their ration cards.
  • The remaining States/UTs are targeted to be integrated into national portability by March 2021.

Dr Harsh Vardhan launches ‘Vidyarthi Vigyan Manthan 2020-21

  • Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan launched ‘Vidyarthi Vigyan Manthan, 2020-21.
  • This initiative is a national programme for popularizing science among school students of Class 6th to 11th.
  • It was designed to identify the bright minds with a scientific aptitude among the student community.
  • While launching the Vidhyarthi Vigyan Manthan, 2020-21, the Minister said, this is a platform to indentify the talent in the field of science and to promote the scientfic acumen among the students.
  • He said, students will help in creating the New India and this initiative will play leading role in it.

Shri Sanjay Dhotre inaugurated Bharat Airfiber High-speed Broadband Service at Akola, Maharashtra

  • Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Electronics, Communication, and IT Sanjay Dhotre inaugurated “Bharat Air Fibre Services” at Akola, Maharashtra.
  • The service will give Wireless Internet Connections on demand to the residents of Akola & Washim district.
  • BSNL provides the Bharat Air Fibre Services through local business partners of BSNL from Akola & Washim District.

Bharat Air Fibre services:

  • BSNL has introduced the Bharat Air Fibre services as a part of Digital India initiates by the Government of India.
  • The move aims to provide Wireless Connectivity in the range of 20 Kms from the BSNL locations. This will connect the customers in remote places so that it will benefit as BSNL comes with the cheapest services with the support of Telecom Infrastructure Partners (TIPs).
  • These services will give the fastest internet connectivity in a quick time.
  • The services are different from other operators as BSNL is providing unlimited free voice calling.

GoI launched a programme for the benefit of artisans involved in manufacturing of Agarbatti under Gramodyog Vikas Yojana

  • Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) approved a programme to benefit the artisans involved in the manufacturing of Agarbatti under ‘Gramodyog Vikas Yojana’ on 30th July 2020. The aim is to develop the village industry.

Highlights:

  • As per the programme, four Pilot Projects will be started initially.
  • Each targeted cluster of artisans get support with about 50 Automatic Agarbatti making machines and 10 Mixing machines.
  • Over 200 Automatic Agarbatti making machines and 40 Mixing machines will be provided to the artisans.
  • This will also start the process of mitigating the gap between the indigenous ‘production and demand’ and will reduce the import of ‘Agarbatti’ in the country
  • The programme aims to enhance the production of ‘Agarbatti’ in the country and create sustainable employment for the traditional Artisans, by providing them regular employment and an increase in their wages.
  • The programme will give a boost to the domestic Agarbatti Industry in India.
  • It will also reduce imports of Agarbatti.

MSME Minister launches Khadi’s Gift Box of Silk Mask

  • Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Shri Nitin Gadkari has launched the Khadi’s Gift Box of Silk Mask.
  • The Gift Box has been developed by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).
  • The KVIC developed gift box comprises of four handcrafted silk masks in different colors and prints.
  • These triple-layered silk masks are skin-friendly, washable, reusable as well as bio-degradable.
  • The Khadi’s Gift Box has been launch to tap the foreign market and a large Indian population looking for reasonably priced gift items.

 STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS

Goa launches online ITI admissions, student data management system

  • Goa Skill Development Minister Vishwajit P Rane on Monday announced the launch of online ITI admission process and student data management system.
  • The new online admission process will allow pre-filing of trade preferences, instead of waiting on the day of the rounds, as done earlier.
  • the Goa government aims to bring the state one step closer to the Prime Minister’s vision of Digital India and Skill India.

Extra Shots:

Goa

  • Capital: Panaji
  • Governor: Satya Pal Malik
  • Chief Minister: Pramod Sawant

CM Naveen Patnaik launches ‘Odisha Agni-Shama Seva’ online portal

  • Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik has launched ‘Odisha Agni-Shama Seva’ online portal.
  • The portal will provide assistance in issuing fire safety certificates to different categories of buildings through online mode.
  • As many as eight services online will be provided through the portal.
  • Patnaik has directed Fire Services department to add other services before October 2, 2020.

Extra Shots:

Odisha:

  • Statehood Day: 1st April 1936
  • Capital: Bhubaneswar
  • Governor :Ganeshi Lal
  • Chief Minister: Naveen Patnaik

E-Raksha Bandhan launched in Andhra Pradesh

  • Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on the eve of Raksha Bandhan launched ‘E-Raksha Bandhan’, an online training programme on cybersecurity.
  • The programme is aimed at creating awareness among the public on cybercrimes across the State.
  • The Andhra Pradesh Police, Cyber Peace Foundation, Cyber Crime Prevention Against Women and Children (CCPWC), and other organisations for organizing, advertising and creating mass awareness about the month-long online awareness programme.
  • Through ‘E-Raksha Bandhan’ as many as 1 lakh women, girls and the general public would be trained.
  • The participants will be trained through Essay writing, debates, quiz, webinars, workshops, and slogan writing competitions which will be held every day on different topics from 11 a.m. to 12 noon daily, until 31st August.

Extra Shots:

Andhra Pradesh:

  • Capital: Amravati
  • Chief Minister: Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy
  • Governor:  Biswabhusan Harichandan
  • Literacy rate: 67.4%
  • National Park: Sri Venkateswara National Park, Sri Venkateswara National Park, Papikonda National Park

Rajasthan starts Indira Rasoi Yojana

  • Rajasthan’s Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot recently directed his officials to commence Indira Rasoi Yojana from 20Th August 2020.
  • Under this scheme, the needy and poor will get healthy and nutritious food at 8 Rs per plate.
  • The state government will spend 100 Crores per year on the scheme.
  • The Indira Rasoi Yojana named after former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, will run in 358 kitchens in 213 urban local bodies of the state.

Extra Shots:

Rajasthan

  • Statehood Day: 30 March 1949
  • Capital: Jaipur
  • Chief Minister: Ashok Gehlot
  • Governor: Kalraj Mishra

Uttarakhand to set up snow leopard conservation centre

  • Uttarakhand will soon have a snow leopard conservation centre.
  • The conservation centre will be set up in Uttarkashi forest division area.
  • The snow leopard conservation centre will be set up to promote winter tourism in the state.
  • The conservation of snow leopards and other wildlife will help promote winter tourism in the state.

Extra Shots:

Uttarakhand:

  • Statehood Day: 9th November 2000
  • Capital: Dehradun (Winter), Gairsain (Summer)
  • Chief Minister: Trivendra Singh Rawat
  • Governor: Baby Rani Maurya
  • National Park: Jim Corbett NP, Gangotri NP, Nanda Devi NP, Rajaji NP

Manipur Govt inks agreement with nine hospitals in state to implement PMJAY & CM’s Health Scheme

  • In Manipur, government signed an Agreement with nine hospitals based in the State with an aim to implement Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (Aayushman Bharat) and Chief Minister’s Health Scheme (known as Chief Ministergi Hakshel gi Tengbang) fully.
  • The agreement was signed between State Health Minister L. Jayentakumar and representatives of 7 public and 2 private hospitals of Manipur.
  • The State Health Minister said that the initiative will give benefits to the beneficiaries of these two schemes.

Extra Shots:

Manipur

  • Statehood Day: 21 January, 1972
  • Capital: Imphal
  • Governor: Najma Heptulla
  • Chief Minister: N. Biren Singh

 INTERNATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

UAE becomes first Arab country to produce nuclear energy

  • The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has made a remarkable achievement by becoming the first country in the Arab World to produce nuclear energy, when the Unit 1 of the Barakah Nuclear Plant in Abu Dhabi, got operational on 31 July 2020.
  • The plant is powered by South Korean technology and is situated in the Al Dhafrah region of Abu Dhabi.
  • It will produce 5.6 gigawatts of electricity and meet up to 25% of the UAE’s electricity needs.
  • The new plant is part of the UAE’s effort to become less reliant on oil and gas, which is the current source of the vast majority of its energy, and move towards sustainable energy sources.

Extra Shots:

UAE (Capital/Currency): Abu Dhabi/ United Arab Emirates dirham

  • President: Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan

India-UK collaborates for new 8 million pounds joint medicinal research

  • Enhancing their science and research collaboration, India and the United Kingdom have partnered to undertake five new research projects to tackle anti-microbial resistance that can be helpful in the global fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes.
  • The overall cost of the five projects is 8 million pounds.
  • They are planned to be executed in September 2020.
  • The UK will contribute 4 million pounds from the UK Research and Innovation Fund for International Collaboration, while India will also contribute 4 million pounds.

Extra Shots:

UK (Capital/Currency): London/ Pound sterling

  • Prime Minister: Boris Johnson

Mohamed Irfaan Ali named as President of Guyana

  • Former Guyanese housing minister, Mohamed Irfaan Ali has been named as the President of the country.
  • He is a member of the opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP). He succeeds David Arthur (A.) Granger.
  • David A. Granger is a member of A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (ANPU-AFC).
  • The PPP won 33 of the 65 seats in the National Assembly with 233,336 votes, while the APNU-AFC earned 31 seats with 217,920 votes.

Extra Shots:

Guyana (Capital/Currency): Georgetown/ Guyanese dollar

  • President: Irfaan Ali

Bangladesh to construct modern food storage system with USD 202 million World Bank financial support

  • Bangladesh will be constructing five more modern food storage systems in the country in addition to the three already under construction with financing support from the World Bank to enhance the storage capacity and improve the efficiency of grain storage.
  • The World Bank has approved a dollar 202 million additional financing for the modern food storage facilities project in Bangladesh.
  • The project will support construction of eight modern grain storage steel silo complexes for rice and wheat in eight districts.
  • It is in addition to the current construction work taking place in three districts of Bangladesh Ashuganj, Madhupur and Mymensingh.
  • The additional financing will support the construction of rice silos in Dhaka, Narayanganj and Barisal, and wheat silos in Chattogram and Maheshwar Pasha.

Extra Shots:

Bangladesh (Capital/Currency): Dhaka/Taka

  • Prime Minister: Sheikh Hasina
  • Official Language: Bengali

US Impose restrictions on H1B Visa

  • US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that bans federal agencies from hiring foreign workers especially those on H-1B visa on contracting or subcontracting.
  • This new restriction took effect from June 24.
  • Also, they announced the company will outsource 20 per cent of its technology jobs to companies based in foreign countries.
  • Through this new announcement, the US was going to witness another 200 American workers losing their jobs over the next five year.

SUMMITS AND CONFERENCES

Piyush Goyal Inaugurates National Digital Conference on “Easing Doing Business for Atmanirbhar Bharat”

  • The National Digital Conference on ‘Easing Doing Business for Atmanirbhar Bharat’ was organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in partnership with the Department for Promotion of Investment and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on 30 July 2020.
  • The event was inaugurated by the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal, who was the Chief Guest at the event and delivered the inaugural address.

The Conference deliberated on a range of issues like:

  • Major regulatory reforms undertaken by the government across various indicators of doing business,
  • Assess their on-ground implementation,
  • Disseminate best practices from various states,
  • Crucial policy issues requiring redressal and,
  • Identify a sustainable action plan for improving the business environment across sectors and states.

RANKS AND INDICES

Apple becomes world’s most valuable company

  • Apple world’s most valuable publicly listed company.
  • The company has shown a great recovery from its low-point in March during the pandemic.
  • Amid the current pandemic when everywhere there is a surge for electronic devices for working online, the company saw increased demand for its devices
  • Its total revenue for Q3 hit $59.7 billion, which is 11 per cent higher from the last financial year.

Extra Shots:

Apple

  • Founded: 1 April 1976, Cupertino, California, United States
  • CEO: Tim Cook
  • Headquarters: Cupertino, California, United States
  • Founders: Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Ronald Wayne

 AGREEMENTS AND MOU SIGNED

KVIC and ITBP sign MoU to supply Khadi Mustard Oil now

  • The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) to supply mustard oil on 31st July 2020. The move is in line with “Aatmanirbhar.”

Highlights:

  • The MoU was signed by Shri VK Nagar, Director, KVIC and Shri Rama Kant Sharma, DIG, ITBP in presence of KVIC Chairman, Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena.
  • The KVIC and ITBP have signed the MoU for a period of one year and it will be renewed further.
  • The move By GoI is to encourage local products in a bid to support the “Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan” initiated by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
  • GoI also made it mandatory to sell only “Swadeshi” products through the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) canteens across India.
  • ITBP is the nodal agency appointed by MHA for the procurement of provisions on behalf of all paramilitary forces.
  • The ITBP is expected to place an order for a supply of 1200 quintals of high quality kacchi ghani mustard oil which will be supplied by KVIC through its Prime Ministers Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) units in a month’s time.
  • The MoU aims to provide the best quality oil to the jawans guarding our borders, that too, on time will be our top priority.

Extra Shots:

KVIC

  • Founded: 1956
  • Purpose: To plan, promote, facilitate, organise and assist in the establishment and development of khadi and village industries
  • Headquarters: Mumbai
  • Chairperson: Vinai Kumar Saxena
  • Parent agency: Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
  • Type: Statutory corporation

ITBP

  • General nature: Federal law enforcement
  • Headquarters location: New Delhi
  • Motto: Shaurya – Dridhata – Karm Nishtha
  • Operations jurisdiction: IN
  • Governing body: Ministry of Home Affairs (India)
  • Founder: Government of India

ICMR and AIIMS to keep track of hospitalized patients of COVID-19

  • The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) with a joint effort of the health ministry and the AIIMS is planning to set up the National Clinical Registry (NCR) which will help country’s researchers and policymakers understand the efficacy of investigational therapies, adverse effects taking place and generate evidence for improving the treatment of Covid-19 patients.
  • The main idea behind this establishment is to generate and collect a piece of logical evidence for improving the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

Extra Shots:

ICMR

  • Headquarters: New Delhi
  • Secretary & Director General: Dr. Shriram Bhargava
  • Leader: Balram Bhargava
  • Founder: Government of India
  • Founded: 1911
  • Subsidiary: RMRIMS Agamkuan, Patna, Bihar

APPOINTMENTS IN NEWS

RBI approved the appointment of Sashidhar Jagdishan as the CEO of HDFC Bank

  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved Sashidhar Jagdishan as the next chief executive officer of HDFC Bank.He is currently additional director and head of finance, human resources, at the bank.
  • He will take over from Aditya Puri who will step down as the bank’s longest serving CEO ever since he took charge 26 years ago.
  • Puri is set to retire by October this year.

Extra Shots:

HDFC Shots:

  • CEO: Aditya Puri
  • Headquarters: Mumbai
  • Founded: August 1994, India
  • Parent organization: Housing Development Finance Corporation

Great Eastern Shipping appoints Urjit Patel as additional director

  • Great Eastern Shipping Company Ltd has appointed former RBI Governor Urjit Patel as an additional and independent director for a term of five years.
  • Patel served as the 24th governor of the Reserve Bank of India from September 2016 to December 2018.

Jaideep Bhatnagar takes over as Director General of AIR News

  • Jaideep Bhatnagar, an Indian Information Service Officer of 1986 batch, has taken over the charge as Director General, News Services Division of All India Radio.
  • Bhatnagar had earlier served in various positions in Prasar Bharati including as its West Asia Correspondent and in the Press Information Bureau.
  • He replaces Ms. Ira Joshi, who superannuated as Principal Director General, AIR News on 31st of last month.

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AIR

  • Motto: Bahujanahitaya Bahujanasukhaya / बहुजनहिताय बहुजनसुखाय
  • Founder: Government of India
  • Founded: 1930, India
  • Headquarters location: New Delhi
  • Owner: Prasar Bharati

DEFENCE CURRENT AFFAIRS

Air Marshal V R Chaudhari takes over as chief of IAF’s Western Air Command

  • NewsAir Marshal V. R. Chaudhari took over as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Western Air Command of Indian Air Force today.
  • The Air Marshal took over command from Air Marshal B Suresh.
  • Air Marshal V. R. Chaudhari was commissioned into fighter stream of the IAF in 1982 as a Fighter Pilot.

SPORTS CURRENT AFFAIRS

Lewis Hamilton wins British Grand Prix 2020

  • Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain) has won the Formula One British Grand Prix 2020 held on August 02, 2020. He came first, despite a puncture during the last lap.
  • Max Verstappen ended up second in this F1 race while Charles Leclerc came third.
  • This is the third win for Hamilton in this season of F1 races.

India withdraws from women’s world team Squash championship

  • India has withdrawn from the women’s world team Squash championship scheduled in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 15th to 20th December, due to lack of preparation, time and match-readiness of its players.
  • Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) has decided to withdraw from the championship.

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Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI)

  • President: Debendranath Sarangi
  • Sport: Squash
  • Regional affiliation: Asian Squash Federation
  • Coach: Cyrus Poncha
  • Secretary: K.Rajendiran
  • Location: Chennai

Benedikt Howedes retires from soccer

  • World Cup winner German footballer, Benedikt Howedes has retired from football.
  • He was part of the 2014 world-cup winning Germany team.
  • He was one of the 3 players who had played every minute for the team in the tournament.
  • Benedikt Howedes has played 44 times for German National Team from 2011-17.
  • In September 2007, German Football Association honoured him with the Fritz Walter Medal, under-19 Gold Medal which is given to the best youth players.

IPL Cricket – 2020 to begin from Sept 19 in UAE

  • PL 2020 will be played from September 19 to November 10 in the UAE this year.
  • The decision to this effect was taken at a virtual meeting of IPL Governing Council last night.
  • The matches will be played in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi subject to necessary clearances from the Government of India.
  • The final will be played on 10th November this year.
  • The 53-day tournament will witness 10-afternoon matches starting at 3:30 PM Indian time while the evening matches will start at 7:30 PM

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UAE (Capital/Currency): Abu Dhabi/ United Arab Emirates dirham

  • President: Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY CURRENT AFFAIRS

JNCASR scientists devise an adaptive model to estimate critical resources in pandemic

  • Scientists from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), under Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, and Indian Institute of Science (IISc), have developed a model to scale up the novel tests using an adaptive strategy and the early phase of COVID-19 as an example.

Highlights:

  • The new model can be utilized to estimate the key aspects of medical inventory requirements which are required to scale up both the testing capabilities and the critical care facilities.
  • The model is extremely relevant for COVID-19, as the disease character and the behavioral patterns of the people change.
  • The model reduces errors by letting one understand the range of variation of the predicted infections.
  • This new approach allows for planning of requirements for critical resources such as ICUs, Personal protective e equipment (PPEs) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The new model is designed for simplicity of interpretation, and adaptability over time.

WEB PORTALS & APP IN NEWS

DNHDD launches E-Gyan Mitra mobile app for online education

  • Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu bordering Gujarat has launched E-Gyan Mitra mobile app for online education.
  • the E-Gyan Mitra app launched by the Education Department of Daman Administration is becoming popular among the students and parents.

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Dadra and Nagar Haveli

  • Capital: Silvassa
  • Governor: Shri Praful Patel (Administrator)

Daman and Diu

  • Capital: Daman
  • Governor: Shri Praful Patel (Administrator)

BOOKS & AUTHORS

A book titled “Siyasat Mein Sadasyata” authored by Vijay Kumar Choudhary

  • Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar has released a book titled “Siyasat Mein Sadasyata” authored by Bihar Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Choudhary.
  • The book is a compilation of the author’s views, three dozen articles on different important issues and his life journey.
  • The book was published by Bihar Assembly Secretariat.
  • The book has described various other important activities of assembly like successful completion of 6th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region among others.

OBITUARY

UP Cabinet Minister Kamal Rani Varun passes away of Covid-19 at 62

  • Kamal Rani Varun, the Indian politician and Cabinet Minister in the Government of Uttar Pradesh has passed away due to COVID-19. She was 62.
  • Kamal Rani was the minister of technical education in the state government.
  • Kamal Rani Varun had also served as an MP twice. Once in the Eleventh Lok Sabha and then Twelfth Lok Sabha.

Matthew McConaughey announces first memoir Greenlights

  • Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey has announced his book, Greenlights, is to be published on Oct. 20.
  • In the diaries, the 50-year-old actor recorded “anything that turned me on, turned me off, made me laugh, made me cry, made me question or kept me up at night.”

Rajya Sabha MP & former SP leader Amar Singh passes away

  • Rajya Sabha MP and former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh passed away.
  • He was undergoing treatment in Singapore since past few months.
  • Amar Singh was the general secretary of the Samajwadi Party and was later expelled from the party by chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on February 2, 2010.
  • He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in year 2016 with support from Samajwadi Party and was reinstated as one of the general secretaries of the party in October 2016.

Former AP Minister P Manikyala Rao passes away

  • Former Andhra Pradesh Minister, Pydikondala Manikyala Rao passed away due to COVID-19. He was born on November 1, 1961.
  • He was a Senior BJP leader.
  • Rao was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Thadepalligudem of West Godavari district (May 2014 – May 2019) and served as the Endowment Minister in Chandrababu Naidu’s cabinet between 2014-2018.

MISCELLANEOUS

Jubilant Generics launches remdesivir under ‘JUBI-R’ brand

  • Jubilant Generics Ltd has launched the covid-19 drug remdesivir under the ‘JUBI-R’ brand at ₹4,700 per vial in the Indian market.
  • The entire treatment, which requires six vials of the drug, will cost ₹28,200.
  • The subsidiary of Jubilant Life Sciences Ltd will make the drug available to more than 1,000 hospitals and will also provide a 24-hour helpline to enhance access to the drug during the pandemic.

NASA Astronauts returns safely after successful Demo-2 mission

  • Two US astronauts, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, returned from the International Space Station (ISS) on 2 August 2020.
  • The Crew Dragon was designed and operated by Space-X. It is being used for this flight test can stay in orbit about 110 days.

NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 Mission:

  • NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 test flight was the first crewed flight to launch from the US since 2011.
  • The Demo-2 mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
  • The Commercial Crew Program of NASA has worked with several American aerospace industry companies with an aim to facilitate the development of US human spaceflight systems since 2010.
  • It aimed to develop reliable and cost-effective access to and from the ISS.
  • The demo-2 mission is the final flight test that intended to validate its different components, like the spacecraft Crew Dragon, operations capabilities, the launch vehicle Falcon 9, and the launch pad LC-39A.

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NASA