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CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS
Women’s Equality Day
- Women’s Equality Day is celebrated in the United States on August 26 to commemorate the 1920 adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL
Harsh Vardhan inaugurates FSSAI’s National Food Laboratory in Ghaziabad
- Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan inaugurated FSSAI’s National Food Laboratory (NFL) in Ghaziabad on the occasion of 13th anniversary of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
- This national lab is a result of a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP), the first-of-its-kind in the food laboratory sector. It houses state-of-the-art collaborative training centres, namely, The Food Safety Solution Centre (FSSC) and the Centre for Microbiological Analysis Training (C-MAT).
- The NFL in Ghaziabad and Kolkata are the two premier referral laboratories under the direct administrative control of the apex food regulator, Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI). The laboratory in Kolkata is also being upgraded.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Ministry of Health and Family Welfare |
| Union Minister | Harsh Vardhan |
| Constituency | ChandniChowk, Delhi |
Govt to release Rs. 70,000 crore immediately to state-run banks
- The government will withdraw enhanced surcharge on long-term/short-term capital gains arising from transfer of equity shares/units. This will be applicable on both foreign and domestic investors. The finance minister said that on or after 1st October all notices, summons, orders issued by income tax department will be issued through a centralised computer system and will contain a unique document identification number. And old notices will be decided by 1st October or uploaded again through the new system.
- Also, from 1st October all income tax notices will be disposed offwithing 3 months from date of reply.
- The finance minister said that banks have agreed to effect timely rate cuts to pass on the benefits of RBI’s repo rate cuts to borrowers. Banks have agreed to reduce their Marginal Cost of Funds based Lending Rate (MCLR) reduction to benefit all borrowers, she said.
- The Reserve Bank of India has cut repo rate by 110 basis points since the start of this year. But banks have not yet passed much of the RBI’s rate cut to banks.
- Banks will also launch repo rate/external benchmark linked loan products. Under this mechanism, home and auto loans rates are directly linked to RBI’s repo rates. A few banks like SBI and Bank of Baroda have launched repo linked products. SBI chairman Rajnish Kumar earlier this week said that its repo rate-linked home loan product is getting good response from customers. It is the customers’ choice either to go with the new product or with the MCLR-linked home loan.
- Public sector banks will return of loan documents within 15 days of loan closure to bring in more efficiency.
- The finance minister also announced additional liquidity support of ₹20,000 crore to housing finance companies (HFCs) by the National Housing Bank (NHB).
- To boost the struggling auto sector, the government announced deferment of revision of one time registration fee on new vehicle purchase till June 2020.
- The finance minister also announced additional 15% depreciation on all vehicles acquired from now till 31st March 2020. This will benefit business establishments that purchase new vehicles.
- BS IV vehicles purchased till 31 March 2020 will remain operational for entire period of registrations.
- The finance minister also clarified that both electric vehicle and internal combustion Vehicles will continue to be registered.
SmritiIrani Launches Sustainable Fashion Project,’SU.RE’ In Mumbai
- The Union Minister for Textiles SmritiZubinIrani has inaugurated Project SU.RE(Sustainable Resolution), a joint project of CMAI(Clothing Manufacturers Association of India)& IMG Reliance(International Management Group, duringLakme Fashion Winter/Festive 2019) in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
- The aim of this initiative is to move towards sustainable fashion that contributes to a clean environment.
- It would help the Indian fashion industry to reduce carbon emissions, increase the efficiency of resources, combat waste and water management, and create positive social impact to achieve long-term sustainability targets.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Ministry of Women and Child Development & Ministry of Textiles |
| Union Minister | SmritiZubinIrani |
| Constituency | Amethi, Uttar Pradesh |
Central Vigilance Commission (CVC)constitutes panel to examine bank fraud
- The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has constituted Advisory Board for Banking Frauds (ABBF) headed by former Vigilance Commissioner T M Bhasin to examine bank fraud over Rs 50 crore and recommend action.
- The panel in its previous avatar called the Advisory Board on Bank, Commercial and Financial Frauds.
- ABBFhas been formed in consultation with the RBI and it will function as the first level of examination of all large fraud cases before recommendations or references are made to the investigative agencies by the respective Public Sector Banks.
- Other members of the panel are Madhusudan Prasad – former Urban Development Secretary, D K Pathak – former Director General of the Border Security Force and Suresh N Patel – former MD and CEO of Andhra Bank. The tenure of the Chairman and members would be for a period of two years from August 21, 2019
| USEFUL INFO |
| Chief Vigilance Commissioner | Sharad Kumar |
| Central Vigilance CommissionHeadquarters | New Delhi |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE
Bandhan Bank, StanChart tie up for co-branded credit cards
- Private lender Bandhan Bank forayed into the credit cards business in partnership with Standard Chartered Bank.
- Bandhan Bank, which got the universal banking license from RBI over five years back, would provide co-branded credit cards to its account holders only.
- Three variants of co-branded credit cards will be issued to the non-microcredit customers of Bandhan Bank. This is StanChart’s first co-branded card with another bank.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Bandhan Bank CEO | Chandra ShekharGhosh |
| Bandhan Bank Headquarters | Kolkata |
| Bandhan Bank Tagline | “AapkaBhala, SabkiBhalai” |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOUR
Gulbarga tur dal gets GI tag
- The ‘Gulbarga tur dal’ (Kalaburagi red gram), renowned for its superior quality the world over, received Geographical Indication (GI) tag from the government recently.
- Red gram is the main kharif crop in the Hyderabad Karnataka region. Of the total 9 lakh hectares of red gram cultivated across the State, around 3.7 lakh hectares of the crop is grown in Kalaburagi district alone.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Karnataka Capital | Bangalore |
| KarnatakaCM | B. S. Yediyurappa |
| Karnataka Governor | VajubaiRudubaiWala |
Modi conferred ‘The King Hamad Order of the Renaissance’ in Bahrain
- Indian Prime Minister NarendraModi was awarded ‘The King Hamad Order of the Renaissance’ by Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa in recognition of his efforts to strengthen bilateral ties between the two nations.
- India and Bahrain also signed four Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) in the field of culture, space, solar energy, and on the roll-out of RuPay card.
- For Rupay, the National Electronic Payments Network (BENEFIT) of Bahrain and the Indian National Payments Corporation (NPCI) has partnered for cooperation and link payment systems to facilitate payments between the two countries.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Bahrain Capital | Manama |
| Bahrain Currency | Bahraini dinar |
| Bahrain Prime Minister | Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa |
Dr Jitendra Singh presents ANUBHAV awards, 2019
- Jitendra Singh presented the ANUBHAV Awards 2019 in New Delhi at the Pre-Retirement counseling workshop function organized by the Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
- ANUBHAV Awards 2019 is the fourth edition of the annual award scheme launched by Prime Minister in 2015, instituted to encourage the retiree to submit his/her valuable experience/ suggestions through write-ups.
- Jitendra Singh is the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region and Minister of State for Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Departments of Atomic Energy and Space.
CPWD DG chosen for ‘Eminent Engineer Award- 2019’
- Director General of Central Public Works Department Prabhakar Singh has been chosen for the ‘Eminent Engineer Award for the Year 2019’ by the Institution of Engineers (India) for his distinguished and exemplary service in the field of engineering and technology.
- This Elite and Prestigious Award shall be conferred to him on the ‘Engineers Day’ on September 15.
- His enormous contributions and dedicated service to the nation as an Eminent Technocrat has been instrumental in transforming the Premier Engineering Organisation of the Central Government.
UAE honours PM Modi with highest civilian award
- Prime Minister NarendraModi was honoured with the ‘Order of Zayed’, the UAE’s highest civilian award, as a mark of appreciation for his efforts to boost bilateral ties between the two nations.
- The award has earlier been bestowed on several world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Queen Elizabeth II and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
- Prime Minister also launched the RuPay card in Abu, Dhabi, UAE, With this, UAE has become first country in the Middle East to initiate the Indian indigenous system of electronic payment.
- He released postage stamps on Mahatma Gandhi to commemorate his 150th birth anniversary.
| USEFUL INFO |
| UAE Capital | Abu Dhabi |
| UAE Currency | Dirham |
| UAE PM | Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed al-Maktoum |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHOR
Book Titled “Flawed: The Rise and Fall of India’s Diamond Mogul NiravModi” by Pavan C Lall to Be Launched
- The story depicting the details of the fugitive diamantaireNiravModi in the form of a book titled, “Flawed: The Rise and Fall of India’s Diamond Mogul NiravModi” will hit the stands on August 31, 2019.
- The book has been written by journalist-author Pavan C Lall.
- 48-year-old Modi is currently lodged in a prison in London and is wanted in India in connection with the nearly USD 2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud.
Big Billion Startup: A book on the untold Flipkart story
- The story of how the IIT graduates Sachin Bansal and BinnyBansal founded and built the e-commerce start-up Flipkart and turned it into a multi-billion-dollar powerhouse in few years as India’s biggest online market has come out in the form of a book.
- The book titled ‘Big Billion Startup – The Untold Flipkart Story’ has been penned by journalist MihirDalal.
- The book has been published by Pan Macmillan India and will be released in October 2019.
- Mihir is a journalist at Livemint and this is his first book based on extraordinary research, extensive interviews and deep access to key characters in the Flipkart story revealing how the Bansals built and sold India’s largest internet company.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING
Gujarat ranked first in composite water management index
- The report was released by Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and NitiAayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar.
- Gujarat (continues) to hold on to its rank one in the reference year (2017-18), followed by Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
- Union Territories have first time submitted their data and Puducherry has been declared as the top ranker.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Gujarat Capital | Gandhinagar |
| Gujarat CM | Vijay Rupani |
| Gujarat Governor | AcharyaDevVrat |
Scarlett Johansson Tops Forbes List of the Highest-paid Actresses Second Year in a Row
- “Lucy” star Scarlett Johansson has topped the “Forbes” list of the highest-paid actresses for the second time, beating names like Sofia Vergara, Reese Witherpoon and Nicole Kidman among others.
- According to “forbes.com”, Johansson earned top spot with an earning of $56 million (approxRs 402.01 crore).
- The second spot is taken by Sophia Veragara, who has $44.1 million (approxRs 316.58 crore), at the third position is Reese witherspoon with $35 million.
- Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Aniston have secured the fourth and fifth position in the list with $34 million (approxRs 244.07 crore) and $28 million (approxRs 201 crore) respectively.
‘Statue of Unity’, Mumbai’s Soho House among Time’s 100 greatest places in the world
- The 597-ft tall ‘Statue of Unity’ in Gujarat and Mumbai’s Soho House have been featured by the Time magazine in its second annual list of the 2019 World’s greatest places, a compilation of 100 new and newly “noteworthy destinations to experience right now”
- Mumbai’s chic Soho House is located in an 11-storey building overlooking the Arabian Sea. It houses a library, a cinema with 34 seats and a rooftop bar and pool.
- The Time list also includes Zakouma National Park in Chad, Red Sea Mountain Trail in Egypt, Newseum in Washington, The Shed in New York City, the Geosea Geothermal Sea Baths in Iceland, Six Senses Hotel in Bhutan that offer guests the opportunity to take guided journeys through the mountains of the Himalayan kingdom, Leopard Hill in Mara Naboisho Conservancy, Kenya and the Pohoiki in Isaac Hale Beach Park in Hawaii.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS
PV Sindhu Beats NozomiOkuharato Win Historic World Championships Gold
- PV Sindhu produced a dominating performance to outclass third seeded NozomiOkuhara from Japan to win a gold medal in the World Championships 2019.
- In the process, the fifth seeded PVSindhu bettered her 2017, 2018 appearances in the World Championships final and became the first Indian to win the marquee tournament.
Gokulam Kerala beat MohunBagan 2-1 to win Durand Cup
- Gokulam Kerala defeated MohunBagan 2–1 to win their maiden Durand Cup finals at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
- The 2019 Durand Cup was the 129th edition of the oldest football tournament in Asia since its foundation in 1888.
Spain’s Alex Rins wins British Grand Prix
- Suzuki Ecstar rider Alex Rins won the MotoGP Grand Prix of Britain
- Rinspipped the Marc Marquez by a margin of 0.013 seconds to take his second win of the MotoGP season.