Current Affairs Today 21st August 2019-Download in PDF

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Current Affairs Today – 21st August 2019

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

Wipro partners with IISc on robotics, 5G

• Wipro announced a strategic partnership with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to conduct advanced applied research in autonomous systems, robotics and 5G.
• They have jointly set up the Wipro IISc Research and Innovation Network (WIRIN), a hybrid industry-academia collaboration unit, which will drive idea discovery, research and innovation in technology and product design.
• They will focus on the research and development of cutting-edge technologies in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Visual Computing, Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and Vehicle-to-everything communication (V2X).

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Wipro: Wipro Limited is an Indian multinational corporation that provides information technology, consulting and business process services.In 2013; Wipro separated its non-IT businesses and formed the privately owned Wipro Enterprises.

• Founder: M.H. Hasham Premji
• Owner: Azim Premji
• CEO: Abidali Neemuchwala

NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

High-level meeting held between Indian, Sri Lankan Coast Guards over security concerns

• The Indian Coast Guard held a High-Level Meeting (HLM) with the Sri Lanka Coast Guard at Coast Guard Headquarters in New Delhi.
• The Indian side was led by Director General, Coast Guard K Natarajan, while the Sri Lankan delegation was headed by Rear Admiral Samantha Wimalathunge.
• During the meeting, both sides agreed to strengthen co-operation in addressing a spectrum of maritime issues concerning safety and security.

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Sri Lanka (Capital/Currency): Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte/Sri Lankan rupee

• President: Maithripala Sirisena

Zambian President arrives in New Delhi

• President of Zambia Edgar Chagwa Lungu arrived in New Delhi on a three-day visit to India.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now holding delegation-level talks with President of Zambia Edgar Chagwa Lungu.
• The bilateral talks are expected to review the entire gamut of bilateral relations and expected to cover issues of bilateral, regional and international interest.
• The discussion is likely to focus on cooperation in defence, security, geology and mineral resources, energy, health, education, infrastructure, culture, trade and investment-related issues.

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Zambia (Capital/Currency): Lusaka/Zambian kwacha

• President: Edgar Chagwa Lungu

President Ram Nath Kovind launches plantation drive as part of Van Mahotsav celebrations

• President Ram Nath Kovind planted a sapling of Maulsari in the Rashtrapati Bhavan Estate and launched a plantation drive as part of Van Mahotsav celebrations.
• The President met students and urged them to encourage fellow citizens to plant more trees and reaffirm the commitment to a greener and sustainable planet.
• The President’s Estate spread over 330 acres of harbours rich biodiversity.

HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launches Teachers Training Programme NISHTHA

• Human Resources Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched the Integrated Teachers Training Programme, NISHTHA National Initiative for School Head’s and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement, in New Delhi.
• AIM: to build the capacities of around 42 lakh participants covering all teachers and Heads of the school at the elementary level in all government school, faculty members of states councils of Educational Research and Training and other educational departments.

Union Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar says govt planning to set up ESI hospitals in every district of country

• Union Labour and Employment Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar said the government is planning to set up ESI hospitals in every district of the country.
• Currently there are more than 450 ESI hospitals across the country and plans are afoot to open it in the remaining districts too.
• He laid the foundation stone for a new OPD building and dedicating the ESI Medical College and Hospital to the nation, in Hyderabad.
• The construction of OPD Block has been taken up at an estimated cost of 124 crore rupees.

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ESI: Employees’ State Insurance is a self-financing social security and health insurance scheme for Indian workers. The fund is managed by the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation according to rules and regulations stipulated in the ESI Act 1948.

• Founded: 24 February 1952
• Headquarters: New Delhi, India

Thaawarchand Gehlot met Australian delegation for the cooperation in the Disability Sector

• The Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot met 5 member-Australian Delegation in New Delhi.
• The Australian Delegation was headed by Mr.Duncan Maskell, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne.
• The discussion included the issues relating to the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two countries and for the cooperation in the Disability Sector.

Centre released Rs.4432.10 crore to 3 states

• Union Minister Shri Amit Shah-led high-Level Committee (HLC) approved Rs.4432.10 crore to three States from National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
• Of the fund released by the Centre, Rs.3338.22 crore will be given to Odisha for Cyclone Fani, Rs.1029.39 crore to Karnataka for drought and Rs.64.49 crore to Himachal Pradesh.

2nd Uday Express to run between Visakhapatnam- Vijayawada

• Indian Railway’s 2nd double-decker Uday (Utkrisht Double-Decker Air Conditioned Yatri) Express will run between Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada.
• The train would consist of 9 double-decker coaches and 2 power cars.
• Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada Uday Express will have a seating capacity of 120 seats per coach. 50 passengers on upper deck, 48 on lower deck and 22 on the ends.
• The first Uday Express was a specially-designed air-conditioned chair car which started service between Coimbatore and Bangalore in June 2018.

Indian Railways to enforce ban on single use plastic from October 2

• Ministry of Railways has directed all its units to enforce ban on single use plastic material, with less than 50 micron thickness from October 2nd this year.
• The move came in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clarion call to eliminate single use plastic in the country.
• The Railways has emphasised on making necessary arrangements to minimize generation of plastic waste and its eco- friendly disposal.
• All vendors and staff across will be encouraged to use reusable bags to reduce plastic footprint.
• A pledge will also be administered on 2nd october to cut use of plastics.

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Indian Railways: Indian Railways is India’s national railway system operated by the Ministry of Railways. It manages the fourth largest railway network in the world by size, with a route length of 67,368-kilometre and total track length of 121,407-kilometre as of March 2017.

• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Customer service: 139

STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS

Three committees set up for UT related issues by J&K govt

• The Jammu and Kashmir Government has set into motion a process to work out different modalities by constituting three high-level committees for the formal establishment of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
• These Committees will devise modalities for the functioning of proposed Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
• It will deal with financial matters and staff-related issues in both the proposed union territories.

Maharashtra Transport Minister launches live tracking system for MSRTC buses

• Maharashtra Transport Minister Diwakar Raote launched a tracking system for MSRTC buses which will allow people to have real-time information about their commute.
• The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation has over 18,000 buses in its fleet and carries more than 67 lakh passengers daily, he informed.
• GPS machines are being installed in all the buses.
• The cost of the project, including deployment of GPS machines, tracking software, and putting up screens to display information at bus stops, is 32 crore rupees.

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Maharashtra: Capital City (Mumbai) CM (Devendra Fadnavis) Governor (C. Vidyasagar Rao)

Karnataka Government categorised Nicotine as Class A poison

• Government of Karnataka amended the Karnataka Poisons (Possession and Sale) Rules 2015.
• He notified Nicotine as “Class A poison”.
• AIM: to strengthen the enforcement of the ban on production and sale of electronic cigarettes.

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Karnataka: Capital City (Bangalore) CM (B S Yediyurappa) Governor (Vajubhai Vala)

Chief Minister of Punjab launched “Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana”

• In a tribute to late former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 75th birth anniversary, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on launched his government’s flagship universal health insurance scheme ‘Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana’, benefitting nearly 46 lakh families.
• Punjab has become the first state in the country to offer medical insurance cover to the maximum number of its people.
• The scheme would entitle beneficiaries to avail annual cashless treatment up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year, including pre-existing diseases.
• The State Government had decided, a few months ago, to extend the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) to provide cashless health insurance cover of Rs five lakh per family per year to more 31 lakh families.

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Punjab: Capital City(Chandighar)  CM (Amarinder Singh)  Governor (VP Singh Badnore)

INTERNATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

Nepal to hold SAARC Foreign Ministers informal meeting

• Nepal plans to hold SAARC Foreign Ministers informal meeting on the sidelines of the 74th UN General Assembly (UNGA) session in September 2019.
• The aim is to prove the country’s role in creating an environment for the commencement of the regional summit.
• The 18th SAARC summit was held in Kathmandu, Nepal in 2014.
• India is the largest member of SAARC forum.
• The 19th SAARC summit was supposed to held in 2016. But the summit was canceled after India boycotted the meeting.
• India protested after the terror attack at the military base in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir on September 2016.

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SAARC: South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

• Member states: 8 members
• Headquarters: Kathmandu

Nepal (Capital/Currency): Kathmandu/ Nepalese rupee

• Prime Minister: KP Sharma Oli

Saudi Arabia allows women to travel abroad without permission from male guardian

• Saudi Arabia allowed women over the age of 21 to receive passports and travel abroad without permission from a male guardian.
• Saudi women were also granted the right to officially register childbirth, marriage or divorce and to be recognized as a guardian to children who are minors — same as men.

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Saudi Arabia (Capital/Currency): Riyadh/Riyal

• Prince: Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

AGREEMENTS AND MOU SIGNED

India, Zambia sign 6 MoUs following delegation level talks between PM Modi & Zambian President

• The visit of Zambia President Edgar Chagwa Lungu’s visit to India will further enhance the age-old relationship between the two countries.
• India and Zambia also signed six MoUs in several areas including geology, defence, arts and culture.

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Zambia (Capital/Currency): Lusaka/Zambian kwacha

• President: Edgar Chagwa Lungu

SMVDU signs MoU with NISE to achieve national solar mission

• A university based in Jammu and the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU).
• AIM: to work jointly to achieve the objective of the national solar mission through training programmes.

SPORTS CURRENT AFFAIRS

S Sreesanth’s ban to end in August 2020

• The Ombudsman of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has ordered that Indian pacer S Sreesanth’s ban for alleged spot-fixing will end in August 2020.

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BCCI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India is the national governing body for cricket in India. The board was formed in December 1928 as a society, registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act.

• Founded: December 1928
• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Chief Exec: Rahul Johri
• Presidents: Vinod Rai (interim), C.K. Khanna
• Women’s coach: W. V. Raman
• Men’s coach: Ravi Shastri
• Ombudsman: D.K.Jain

Madhya Pradesh para swimmer Satendra Singh Lohia crosses America’s Catalina Channel

• Divyang Satendra Singh Lohia from Madhya Pradesh has become the first Asian swimmer to cross the Catalina Channel of America.
• Satendra holds the Asian record of crossing both the English and Catalina channels.
• Gwalior born Satendra led the Indian Para Relay team along with five team mates and crossed the Catalina Channel in 11 hours 34 minutes.
• At that time, the water temperature was around 13 degrees Celsius.

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Madhya Pradesh: Capital City (Bhopal) CM(Kamal Nath) Governor(Lalji Tandon)

Indian men’s hockey team win Olympic Test event beating New Zealand 5-0 in Tokyo

• Indian men’s hockey team won the Olympic Test event beating New Zealand 5-0 in Tokyo, Japan.
• Captain Harmanpreet Singh, Shamsher Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Gursahibjit Singh and Mandeep Singh scored one goal each for India at the Oi Hockey Stadium.

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Japan (Capital/Currency): Tokyo/ Japanese yen

• Prime Minister: Shinzō Abe

DEFENCE CURRENT AFFAIRS

ISRO Chairman: targeting at launching Small Satellite Launch vehicle by December

• Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman Dr.K Sivan has informed that they are targeting at launching Small Satellite Launch vehicle by December.
• This new space vehicle of ISRO is designed to inject small satellites weighing up to 500 Kilograms in low earth orbit.
• This is a new programme to be launched by ISRO to enable commercial use of small satellites at minimum cost and manpower.

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ISRO: The Indian Space Research Organisation is the space agency of the Government of India.

• Founded: 15 August 1969
• Headquarters: Bengaluru
• Founder: Vikram Sarabhai
• Director: Kailasavadivoo Sivan
• Subsidiary: Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre

DRDO delivered the new Mobile Metallic Ramp to Army

• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) delivered the design of the newly innovated Mobile Metallic Ramp (MMR) to the Indian Army at a ceremony held at DRDO Bhawan, New Delhi.
• The design of MMR was handed over by Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO, Dr. G Satheesh Reddy to Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS), Lt Gen Devraj Anbu.
• The MMR will reduce the Strategic Mobility time of mobilizing Armoured Fighting Vehicles.
• The MMR was designed and developed by DRDO’s Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES).

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DRDO: The Defence Research and Development Organisation is an agency of the Government of India, charged with the military’s research and development.

• Founded: 1958
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Motto: बलस्य मूलं विज्ञानम्; “Strength’s Origin is in Science” (Sanskrit)
• Chairman: Dr G. Satheesh Reddy

CISF makes the nation proud by winning 5 Gold, 3 Silver and 2 Bronze Medals in World Police and Fire Games at Chengdu, China

• The World Police and Fire Games-2019 was held from 08-18 August, 2019 at Chengdu, China wherein CISF sports personnel represented India in different sporting events and won ten (10) medals.
• CISF achieved five (05) Gold, three (03) Silver & two (02) Bronze medals in this International Event.

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CISF: The Central Industrial Security Force is a Central Armed Police Force in India. It was set up under an Act of the Parliament of India on 10 March 1969 with a strength of 2,800. CISF was subsequently made an armed force of the Republic of India by another Act of Parliament passed on 15 June 1983.

• Founded: 1969
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Motto: Protection and Security

AWARDS

Indian-American teen wins South Asian Spelling Bee competition 2019

• Navneeth Murali, an Indian-American teenager from New Jersey, has won the 2019 South Asian Spelling Bee contest.
• The prize money for this contest is USD 3,000.
• The South Asian Spelling Bee (SASB) is an annual spelling bee platform in the US for children of South Asian descent.
• The competition is open to any student at or below the age of 14.

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USA (Capital/Currency): Washington, D.C./United States Dollar

• President: Donald Trump

IIT-Delhi start-up wins NCPEDP-Mphasis Universal Design Award 2019

• IIT-Delhi, Ankita Gulati was awarded the NCPEDP-Mphasis Universal Design Award 2019 for developing a multisensory kit named TouchVision.
• IIT-Delhi-incubated start-up working on the design and development of inclusive learning resources for visually impaired people.
• TouchVision aims at digital inclusion for 253 million persons with visual impairment globally.

OBITURIES

Senior BJP leader Babulal Gaur passes away

• In Madhya Pradesh, former Chief Minister of the state Babulal Gaur died in Bhopal.
• He was 89-year-old.
• Babulal Gaur served as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh from August 2004 to November 2005 and represented Govindpura Assembly seat for 10 times.

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