Hello and welcome to exampundit. Here are the important Current Affairs Today 9th and 10th 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 – 9th and 10th August 2020
NEWS AT A GLANCE
- International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is observed on 9 August 2020. The day is observed by the United Nations (UN) and its member states.
- The International Biofuel Day (World Biofuel Day) is observed every year on August 10 to raise awareness about the importance of non-fossil fuels as an alternative to conventional fossil fuels and highlight the various efforts made by Government in the biofuel sector.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that it is planning to set up an Innovation Hub in order to promote innovation across the finance sector in India by leveraging on technology.
- National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) has launched business intelligence and analytics enabled omni-channel multi-branded loyalty platform, nth Rewards.
- Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) under Ministry of Tribal Affairs, has launched launched its own Virtual Office Network to Spearhead Tribal Socio-Economic Development on the occasion of its 33rd Foundation Day on August 6, 2020.
- The National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) will be organizing a first of its kind, online patriotic film festival from August 7 to August 21, 2020.
- The Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to launch a financing facility of Rs 1 lakh crore under Agriculture Infrastructural Fund on August 8.
- Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi today dedicated a Railway Museum at Hubballi in Karnataka through video conferencing.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated 2300-kilometre submarine optical fibre cable network between Chennai and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
- Indian Railways has decided to observe ‘Cleanliness Week’ starting from August 10 till August 15 in order to give the message of the importance and significance of cleanliness for the national transporter.
- The Andhra Pradesh government is all set to launch ‘YSR Cheyutha’ on August 12, 2020, to benefit the rural economy of the state amid hardships resulting due to Coronavirus pandemic.
- Gujarat Industrial Policy 2020 has been unveiled by the state that aims to provide an estimated Rs 40000 crores as subsidies to the industries within the next five years.
- Delhi government has launched a new electric vehicle policy that aims to boost the economy, creating jobs and reduce air pollution in the national capital.
- Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) will open the Silk Training cum Production Center in the tribal village of Chullyu in Arunachal Pradesh.
- Telangana Cabinet has sanctioned approval for the Growth in Dispersion (GRID) Policy to give incentives to IT companies that will set up their units.
- Sri Lanka’s former President Mahinda Rajapaksa took oath as the country’s Prime Minister on 9 August 2020, after his party secured a landslide victory in the parliamentary elections on 5 August, 2020.
- Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) said it has extended a USD 250-million (about Rs 1,870 crore) line of credit (LOC) to Mozambique for improving power supply quality in the country.
- According to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Mukesh Ambani, the Chairman of Reliance Industries, has become the fourth wealthiest person in the world.
- Serum Institute of India, Pune, and United States-based Novavax have signed an agreement for the development and commercialization of Novavax COVID-19 vaccine candidates in India and other low and middle- income countries.
- The Serum Institute of India (SII) has entered into a partnership with Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to accelerate the manufacture and delivery of COVID vaccine for India and the middle and low-income countries.
- Flipkart has signed an MoU with One District, One Product (ODOP) scheme of the Government of Uttar Pradesh.
- Private sector lender IndusInd Bank has acquired 7.82 percent stake in battery maker Eveready Industries by invoking pledged shares following loan default.
- PNB Housing Finance has announced the appointment of the former SBI Card head, Hardayal Prasad as its new managing director and chief executive officer.
- India will take part in the multilateral military “Russian Kavkaz 2020” strategic command-post exercise to be held in Astrakhan, Russia.
- The Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has announced that the Department of Military Affairs (DMA), Ministry of Defence (MoD) has prepared a list of 101 defence items for which there would be restriction on the import, beyond the timeline indicated against them.
- The Defence Minister of India will launch the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Saptah’ on August 10 to focus more on the vision of the government to shift to local manufacturing and ‘Make in India’.
- The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has suspended the title sponsorship deal with Chinese mobile phone company Vivo for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League.
- The Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), a GMR Group-led consortium, has developed a first-of-its-kind web portal named ‘AIR SUVIDHA’.
- Former Congress leader and eight-time parliamentarian from Telangana, Nandi Yellaiah passed away.
- Doris Buffett, a self-styled retail philanthropist who once declared that her billionaire younger brother, Warren Buffett, “loves to make money and I love to give it away,” has passed away.
NEWS IN DETAILS
IMPORTANT DAYS AND THEMES
International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is observed on 9 August
- International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is observed on 9 August 2020. The day is observed by the United Nations (UN) and its member states.
- The day marks the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in 1982.
- The theme of 2020 International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples “COVID-19 and indigenous peoples’ resilience”.
World Biofuel Day observed 10 August
- The International Biofuel Day (World Biofuel Day) is observed every year on August 10 to raise awareness about the importance of non-fossil fuels as an alternative to conventional fossil fuels and highlight the various efforts made by Government in the biofuel sector.
- The Day is being observed by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas since 2015.
- The theme for 2020 World Biofuel Day is ‘Biofuels Towards Atmanirbhar Bharat’
BANKING & FINANCE
Reserve Bank of India to set up Innovation Hub for financial sector in India
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that it is planning to set up an Innovation Hub in order to promote innovation across the finance sector in India by leveraging on technology.
- The Innovation Hub will be promoting, supporting, and hand-hold cross thinking spanning national boundaries and regulatory permits.
- It will act as a centre for ideation and incubation of new capabilities which can be leveraged to create viable and innovative financial products or services to help achieve the broader objectives of efficient banking services, deepening financial inclusion, strengthening consumer protection, business continuity in times of emergency.
RBI:
- Governor: Shaktikanta Das
- Headquarters: Mumbai
- Subsidiaries: Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation, Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
NPCI launches loyalty platform ‘nth Rewards’
- National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) has launched business intelligence and analytics enabled omni-channel multi-branded loyalty platform, nth Rewards.
- It will allow users to earn points through various bank transactions and redeem them on various products, such as e-vouchers, donations, hotel and flight bookings.
- NPCI has created a comprehensive platform for the banks, which will enable them to retain and grow their customer base.
- This integration with the banking system will be secured with PCI-DSS compliance and APIs, with an onboarding time of 4 to 6 weeks.
Extra Shots:
NPCI
- Headquarters location: Mumbai
- Founded: 2008
- Type of business: Section 8 Company
- Founders: Reserve Bank of India, Indian Banks’ Association
NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS
TRIFED launched Virtual Office Network to Spearhead Tribal Socio-Economic Development
- Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) under Ministry of Tribal Affairs, has launched launched its own Virtual Office Network to Spearhead Tribal Socio-Economic Development on the occasion of its 33rd Foundation Day on August 6, 2020.
- TRIFED has doubled its efforts to offer its help and support the tribal people in employment and livelihood generation.
Highlights:
- The TRIFED Virtual office network has 81 online workstations and 100 additional converging State and agency workstations that will help the team of TRIFED warriors work with their partners across India on Mission-mode with an aim to bring the tribal people closer to mainstream development.
- It aims to gauge the level of employee engagement and streamline their efforts, an Employee Engagement and Work Distribution Matrix with Dashboard Links has also been launched.
- TRIFED has also launched other digital software with an aim to enable the States and regions to work seamlessly.
- The move is to promote tribal commerce and map and link its village-based tribal producers and artisans to national and international markets by setting up state of art e-platforms benchmarked to international standards.
NFDC organises first ever online patriotic film festival from August 7
- The National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) will be organizing a first of its kind, online patriotic film festival from August 7 to August 21, 2020.
- The virtual film festival will be a part of Independence Day Celebrations 2020 by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
- The festival will be showcasing Indian History that marks the bravery of the country’s freedom fighters and will aim at creating a festive and patriotic mood in the present times among the Indians across the world.
Extra Shots:
NFDC:
- Headquarters: Mumbai
- Key person: Anupama Chopra
- Founded: 1975, Mumbai
Agri-Infra Fund for providing Farm Credit launched by PM
- The Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to launch a financing facility of Rs 1 lakh crore under Agriculture Infrastructural Fund on August 8.
- This is part of the Rs 20 lakh crore stimulus package announced by the government during the COVID 19 Pandemic in the country.
- Under this program, Rs 1 lakh crore will be provided by banks and financial institutions as loans to primary Agri credit societies, farmer groups, farmer producer organizations, agri-entrepreneurs, startups and agri-tech players.
- Loans will be disbursed in four years under this scheme starting with Rs 10000 crore in the current year and Rs 30000 crore each in the next three years.
- All loans will have interest subvention facility of 3% per annum up to a limit of Rs 2 crores.
Piyush Goyal, Pralhad Joshi dedicate Railway Museum at Hubballi in Karnataka
- Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi today dedicated a Railway Museum at Hubballi in Karnataka through video conferencing.
- At Hubballi Museum, the artefacts are broadly arranged in three sections, at two cottages named Malaprabha and Ghataprabha and the outdoor section.
- Other highlights of the Museum are Galaxy of Rolling Stock, Theatre Coach, Suruchi Cafeteria, Toy Train, Memorabilia Shop, Ticket Printing Machine, Model train run and Children’s Activity Room.
- This Rail Museum is first of its kind in North Karnataka and second in South Western Railway after the historic Rail Museum at Mysuru.
Extra Shots:
Karnataka:
- Statehood Day: 1st November 1956
- Capital: Bengaluru
- Chief Minister: B. S. Yediyurappa
- Governor: Vajubhai Vala
- National Park: Anshi NP, Bandipur NP, Bannerghatta NP, Kudremukh NP, Rajiv Gandhi (Nagarahole) NP.
PM Modi inaugurates submarine Optical Fibre Cable connecting Chennai, Port Blair
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated 2300-kilometre submarine optical fibre cable network between Chennai and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This project is Union government’s commitment for Ease of living. Saying this project will boost tourism in the Islands.
- This cable project is running 2313 kilometre under-sea between Chennai and Portblair at the cost of rupees 1,224 Crore.
- Seven islands of Andaman and Nicobar Islands other than Portblair are connected namely Swaraj Dweep, Little Andaman, Car Nicobar, Kamorta, Great Nicobar, Long Island, and Rangat.
- This will boost digital services like tele-education, tele-health, e-governance services and toursim on the island.
Indian Railways to observe ‘Cleanliness Week’ from August 10
- Indian Railways has decided to observe ‘Cleanliness Week’ starting from August 10 till August 15 in order to give the message of the importance and significance of cleanliness for the national transporter.
- The Indian Railways has decided to launch a special cleanliness drive and also special focus will be provided to clean the tracks, station offices, colonies, worksites, the edge of stations and other areas near the premises of the railway stations, across the country.
STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS
Andhra Pradesh Gov’t to launch YSR Cheyutha
- The Andhra Pradesh government is all set to launch ‘YSR Cheyutha’ on August 12, 2020, to benefit the rural economy of the state amid hardships resulting due to Coronavirus pandemic.
- Andhra Pradesh state government, the initiative is intended to guide the state in an era of self-reliance by promoting the idea of entrepreneurship among women.
- Andhra Pradesh state government has already allocated Rs. 4,500 crore for the scheme.
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
Gujarat launches Industrial Policy 2020
- Gujarat Industrial Policy 2020 has been unveiled by the state that aims to provide an estimated Rs 40000 crores as subsidies to the industries within the next five years.
- The aim of this policy is to lease out government land to industrialists, provide incentives to private industrial parks and also provide relocation incentives to units intending to relocate in wake of COVID 19 Pandemic.
Extra Shots:
Gujarat:
- Capital: Gandhinagar
- Chief Minister: Vijay Rupani
- Governor: Acharya Devvrat
- State formed on: 1 May 1960
- Literacy Rate: 79.31%
- National Park: Vansda NP, Blackbuck NP, Gir Forest NP, Marine NP, Gulf of Kutch
Delhi government has launched a new electric vehicle policy
- Delhi government has launched a new electric vehicle policy that aims to boost the economy, creating jobs and reduce air pollution in the national capital.
- The government is aiming for registration of 5 lakh new EVs in the state in the next five years.
- There will be incentive up to Rs 30000 for two-wheelers, autos and e-rickshaws.
- Also, an incentive of Rs 1.5 lakhs will be provided under this new policy for cars.
Extra Shots:
Delhi
- Lt. Governor: Anil Baijal
- Chief Minister: Arvind Kejriwal
KVIC to set up Silk Training cum Production Center in A.P.
- Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) will open the Silk Training cum Production Center in the tribal village of Chullyu in Arunachal Pradesh.
- This would be the first Silk Training cum Production Center in the state. Machinery like handlooms, Charkha, Silk reeling machines and warping drums would be installed in the training cum production Center.
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
- Agency executive: Vinai Kumar Saxena (Chairperson)
- Parent agency: Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
- Type: Statutory corporation
Telangana launches GRID Policy for IT industry development
- Telangana Cabinet has sanctioned approval for the Growth in Dispersion (GRID) Policy to give incentives to IT companies that will set up their units.
- With a view to encouraging distributed development of the industry in all parts of the city, the Telangana Government has decided to incentivise the firms that set up their facilities in areas other than the Western part.
Extra Shots:
Telangana
- Statehood day:2 June 2014
- Capital:Hyderabad
- Chief Minister: Kalvakuntla Chandrashekhar Rao
- Governor: Tamilisai Soundararajan
- Literacy Rate: 66.46%
INTERNATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS
Mahinda Rajapaksa takes oath as Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister for 4th Time
- Sri Lanka’s former President Mahinda Rajapaksa took oath as the country’s Prime Minister on 9 August 2020, after his party secured a landslide victory in the parliamentary elections on 5 August, 2020.
- This this the fourth time that the 74-year-old Sri Lanka People’s Party (SLPP) leader has been appointed as the PM of Sri Lanka.
- Prior to this, Mahinda Rajapaksa was first elected prime minister in 2004 and again appointed for brief periods in 2018 and 2019.
Extra Shots:
Sri Lanka (Capital/Currency): Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte/Sri Lankan Rupee
- President: Gotabaya Rajapaksa
- Prime Minister: Mahinda Rajapaksa
Exim Bank extends USD 250 million line of credit to Mozambique
- Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) said it has extended a USD 250-million (about Rs 1,870 crore) line of credit (LOC) to Mozambique for improving power supply quality in the country.
- Exim Bank has now in place 264 LOCs, covering 62 countries across regions including Africa, Asia, and Latin America, with credit commitments of around USD 25.98 billion, available for financing exports from India.
Extra Shots:
Mozambique (Capital/Currency): Maputo/ Mozambican metical
- President: Filipe Nyusi
RANKS AND INDICES
Mukesh Ambani now Fourth-Richest Person in the World
- According to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Mukesh Ambani, the Chairman of Reliance Industries, has become the fourth wealthiest person in the world.
- Ambani is now worth $ 80.6 billion after adding $22 billion in 2020.
The list of Top 10 People is:
S No. | Person | Net Worth | Country |
| 1 | Jeff Bezos | $187 | US |
| 2 | Bill Gates | $121 | US |
| 3 | Mark Zuckerberg | $102 | US |
| 4 | Mukesh Ambani | $80.6 | India |
| 5 | Bernard Arnault | $80.2 | France |
| 6 | Warren Buffett | $79.2 | US |
| 7 | Steve Ballmer | $76.4 | US |
| 8 | Larry Page | $71.3 | US |
| 9 | Sergey Brin | $69.1 | US |
| 10 | Elon R Musk | $68.7 | US |
Extra Shots:
Bloomberg
- CEO: Michael Bloomberg
- Founded: 1 October 1981, New York, New York, United States
- Founders: Michael Bloomberg, Thomas Secunda, Charles Zegar, Duncan MacMillan
- Parent organization: Bloomberg Inc.
AGREEMENTS AND MOU SIGNED
Serum Institute of India signs agreement with Novavax
- Serum Institute of India, Pune, and United States-based Novavax have signed an agreement for the development and commercialization of Novavax COVID-19 vaccine candidates in India and other low and middle- income countries.
- The agreement signed between both the firms is expected to support a minimum of 1 billion doses of NVX-CoV2373 for India and other low and middle- income countries.
Extra Shots:
Novavax
- CEO: Stanley C. Erck
- Headquarters: Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States
- Founded: 1987
Serum Institute signs landmark deal to manufacture up to 100 million doses of COVID vaccine for India
- The Serum Institute of India (SII) has entered into a partnership with Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to accelerate the manufacture and delivery of COVID vaccine for India and the middle and low-income countries.
- Under the new partnership, the institute plans to get up to 100 million doses of the COVID vaccine ready for delivery.
Flipkart partners with the U.P. Government
- Flipkart has signed an MoU with One District, One Product (ODOP) scheme of the Government of Uttar Pradesh.
- The MoU will bring the artisans, weavers and craftsmen under the ODOP scheme into the scope of the “Flipkart Samarth” initiative.
- This will provide artisans, weavers and craftsmen under the ODOP scheme a momentum to expand their business online as they face social and economic challenges.
- The Flipkart Samarth initiative will offer various services to artisans, weavers and craftsmen such as training, dedicated space in Flipkart’s fulfilment centres, constant seller support along with cataloguing guidance and visibility on the platform.
- With help of this, these under-served communities from UP will get a push to showcase their specialized products and crafts to millions of customers across the country.
Extra Shots:
Flipkart
- Founded: October 2007, Bengaluru
- CEO: Kalyan Krishnamurthy
- Founders: Sachin Bansal, Binny Bansal
- Parent organization: Walmart
ACQUISITION & MERGER
IndusInd Bank acquires 7.82% stake in Eveready by invoking pledged shares
- Private sector lender IndusInd Bank has acquired 7.82 percent stake in battery maker Eveready Industries by invoking pledged shares following loan default.
- The bank invoked pledge on 56,83,320 shares which constituted 7.82 percent of paid-up equity share capital of Eveready Industries.
Extra Shots:
IndusInd Bank
- CEO: Sumant Kathpalia
- Headquarters: Pune
- Owner: Hinduja Group
- Founder: S. P. Hinduja
- Subsidiaries: IndusInd Fin
APPOINTMENTS IN NEWS
Hardayal Prasad becomes new MD & CEO of PNB Housing Finance
- PNB Housing Finance has announced the appointment of the former SBI Card head, Hardayal Prasad as its new managing director and chief executive officer.
- Prasad will take over from, Neeraj Vyas the current interim managing director and chief executive officer of the company, will step down from the position on August 10.
- Prasad is experienced in banking, international operations at SBI and SBI Cards and Payment Services (SBI Card).
Extra Shots:
PNB Housing Finance
- Headquarters: New Delhi
- Parent organization: Punjab National Bank
DEFENCE CURRENT AFFAIRS
India to participate in Kavkaz 2020 exercise in Russia
- India will take part in the multilateral military “Russian Kavkaz 2020” strategic command-post exercise to be held in Astrakhan, Russia.
- The Indian contingent includes 150 Army personnel and a smaller number of personnel from the Navy and Air Force.
- The invitation for participation to Kavkaz 2020, also referred to as Caucasus-2020, has been extended to at least 18 countries including China, Iran, Pakistan and Turkey apart from other Central Asian Republics part of the SCO.
Extra Shots:
Russia (Capital/Currency): Moscow/ Russian Rouble
- President: Vladimir Putin
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announces import ban on 101 defence items
- The Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has announced that the Department of Military Affairs (DMA), Ministry of Defence (MoD) has prepared a list of 101 defence items for which there would be restriction on the import, beyond the timeline indicated against them.
- This step has been taken to boost indigenisation of defence production in India and push the country towards becoming Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
- The embargo on imports is planned to be progressively implemented between 2020 and 2024.
Defence minister to launch ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Saptah’
- The Defence Minister of India will launch the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Saptah’ on August 10 to focus more on the vision of the government to shift to local manufacturing and ‘Make in India’.
- The aim of this is to emphasize the importance of domestic defence production in the country.
SPORTS CURRENT AFFAIRS
BCCI officially suspends title sponsorship deal with Vivo for IPL 2020
- The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has suspended the title sponsorship deal with Chinese mobile phone company Vivo for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League.
- VIVO had won the IPL title sponsorship for five years from 2018 to 2022 for a reported sum of 2190 crore rupees.
Extra Shots:
BCCI:
- President: Sourav Ganguly
- Secretary: Jay Shah
- Headquarters: Mumbai
- Vice president(s): vacant
- Founded: December 1928
- Sponsors: BYJU’S, Paytm, Nike, Dream11, Hyundai Motor Company, Ambuja Cements
VIVO
- Parent organization: BBK Electronics
- Founded: 2009, Dongguan, China
- Founders: Duan Yongping, Shen Wei
WEB PORTALS & APP IN NEWS
Delhi Airport Launches Online Portal ‘AIR SUVIDHA’ for India-bound International Passengers
- The Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), a GMR Group-led consortium, has developed a first-of-its-kind web portal named ‘AIR SUVIDHA’.
- This portal is meant for India-bound international arriving flyers, to enable them to fill the mandatory self- declaration form. Eligible passengers can also apply online for exemption from mandatory institution quarantine process.
- This facility is going to help hundreds of AP bound passengers.
- The AIR SUVIDHA portal will make traveling contactless as the passengers won’t have to fill physical copies of self-declaration and quarantine exemption forms when they arrive in India.
Extra Shots:
Delhi International Airport Limited
- Founded: 2006
- Parent organization: GMR Airports Limited
OBITUARY
Former MP Nandi Yellaiah passes away
- Former Congress leader and eight-time parliamentarian from Telangana, Nandi Yellaiah passed away.
- He was was first elected to the Lok Sabha from Siddipet in 1979.
- He was elected to Lok Sabha six times and Rajya Sabha twice from 2002 to 2014.
Doris Buffet, Warren Buffet’s philanthropist sister, passes away at 92
- Doris Buffett, a self-styled retail philanthropist who once declared that her billionaire younger brother, Warren Buffett, “loves to make money and I love to give it away,” has passed away.
- She was 92.
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