Dear Readers, Daily Current Affairs News Updates about the National and International events were listed here. Read Current Affairs Today here and stay updated with current news. Candidates those who are preparing for IBPS/SBI/PO/Clerk exam and all other competitive exams can use this and try the Current Affairs Quiz to test your knowledge level.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS
World Breastfeeding Week
- World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from 1 to 7 August to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world.
- It commemorates the Innocenti Declaration signed in August 1990 by government policymakers, WHO, UNICEF and other organizations to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Theme 2019 | “Empower Parents, Enable Breastfeeding”. |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL
EAC-PM sets up task force on employment
- The Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) has set up a task force on employment.
- The task force is headed by NITI Aayog member Bibek Debroy.
- The task force will suggest ways to revive growth and employment to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The EAC-PM is an independent body to give advice on economic and related issues to the Government of India.
Amit Shah to Head Group of Ministers to Tackle Mob Lynching
- Union home minister Amit Shah will head a panel of ministers to combat mob lynchings in the country.
- He has replaced Rajiv Gauba as the head.
- An empowered Group of Ministers (GoM) constituted last year to suggest measures to combat lynchings will continue functioning.
- The other members of the GoM are external affairs minister S. Jaishankar, transport minister Nitin Gadkari, law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and social justice and empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot.
One Nation-one Ration Card scheme implemented on pilot basis in four States
- In a major boost to national food security government, launched the One Nation-One Ration Card scheme on a pilot basis in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
- Families who have food security cards can buy subsidized rice and wheat from any ration shop in these states. Their ration cards should be linked with Aadhar Number to avail this service.
- The white Ration Card holders in Telangana have been getting the portability facility, enabling them to buy their subsidized rice and other food grains from any Fair Price Shop in the state.
- The same facility can be utilized anywhere in Andhra Pradesh now through PoS machines under the One Nation One Ration Card scheme which has come into force in the two states.
- More than 56 lakh beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act in the state will be benefited from the facility. The same will be the case with consumers in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat which are identified for implementation of the pilot project.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE
West Bengal launches awareness campaign for preserving greenery and keeping environment clean
- The West Bengal Government has launched an awareness campaign for preserving the greenery and keeping the environment clean.
- The State Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched the campaign named as ‘Save Green, Stay Clean’ in Kolkata.
- The State Government will distribute more than 1 lakhs saplings throughout the state for spreading of greenery.
| USEFUL INFO |
| West Bengal Capital | Kolkata |
| West Bengal Chief Minister | Mamata Banerjee |
| West Bengal Governor | Jagdeep Dhankhar |
Noida gets its 1st ‘Pink Toilet’, 10 more to come up soon
- Noida got its first ‘Pink Toilet’ dedicated to women with facilities for sanitary napkins and baby care.
- The toilet, located in the Sector 50 market, was inaugurated by the Noida Authority.
- At least 10 more such toilets are expected to come up within the next two months.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Uttar Pradesh Capital | Lucknow |
| Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister | Yogi Adityanath |
| Uttar Pradesh Governor | Anandiben Patel |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE
SBI Shanghai becomes 1st Indian bank to link up with China payment system
- The State Bank of India’s Shanghai branch is now connected to China’s National Advance Payment System (CNAPS), becoming the first Indian Bank to operationalise.
- CNAPS is a real-time settlement services for all payments cleared in mainland China, as well as in all clearing banks in offshore yuan centers, such as Hong Kong.
- The CNAPS system is complemented by its international counterpart, the CIPS (China International Payments System or Cross-Border Inter-Bank Payment System), launched in 2015 with the aim of boosting international use of the Chinese currency, yuan.
- SBI is the only Indian Bank to have obtained the license to do business in local currency and also inducted to the CNAPS.
| USEFUL INFO |
| SBI Headquarters | Mumbai |
| SBI Tagline | The banker to every Indian |
| SBI Chairman | Rajnish Kumar |
Bharti Airtel looks to phase out 3G network across India by March
- Bharti Airtel will shut down its 3G network across India’s 22 telecom circles by March 2020, and increase its focus on providing 4G services, a top company official said.
- The company started the process last month, when it wound down the 3G network in the Kolkata circle. It, however, continues to provide 2G services for feature phone users.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOUR
Ravish Kumar wins 2019 Ramon Magsaysay Award for his ‘ethical journalism’
- Indian journalist Ravish Kumar was awarded this year’s Ramon Magsaysay Award, regarded as the Asian version of the Nobel Prize.
- Kumar, 44, who is NDTV India’s senior executive editor is one of India’s most influential TV journalists.
- Overall 5 people have been selected for the 2019 Ramon Magsaysay Award. The other four are: Ko Swe Win from Myanmar, Angkhana Neelapaijit from Thailand, Raymundo Pujante Cayabyab from Philippines and Kim Jong-Ki from South Korea.
- The award is the highest award given to Asian individuals and organizations and is named after former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay.
India-born doctor Bhasha Mukherjee crowned Miss England 2019
- India-born doctor Bhasha Mukherjee was crowned Miss England 2019 at a ceremony in Newcastle.
- The 23-year-old moved to England with her parents at the age of nine and settled in Derby.
- Mukherjee holds two different medical degrees, one in medical sciences and the other in medicine and surgery.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING
Water Stress Index
- India has been ranked as the 46th highest risk country in the world in the Water Stress Index 2019, formulated by London-based risk analytics firm Verisk Maplecroft.
- As per the index, 11 of 20 largest Indian cities face an ‘extreme risk’ of water stress while 7 of them are in the ‘high risk’ category.
- The Water Stress Index has taken into consideration the projected population growth trends to rank the cities facing the biggest threat to their water resources.
- It measures the water consumption rates of households, industries and farm sectors and the available resources in rivers, lakes and streams.
India slips to 7th position in global GDP ranking
- India has slipped one notch in the World Bank’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rankings in 2018, and is now the seventh-largest economy with the United Kingdom and France ahead of India, data from the international lending institution
- India is the seventh-largest economy (GDP of $2.72 trillion) with the UK ($2.82 trillion) and France ($2.77 trillion) ahead in the pecking order
- The top economies in the list include the US ($20.5 trillion), followed by China ($13.6 trillion), Japan ($4.9 trillion) and Germany ($3.9 trillion)
CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS
Pak pacer Wahab Riaz set to retire from Test cricket
- Pakistan’s 34-year-old pacer Wahab Riaz is reportedly set to retire from Test cricket.
- Riaz, who last played in the Test format against Australia in October 2018, has played 27 Test matches and picked 83 wickets.
- Former Pakistani cricketers like Wasim Akram, Ramiz Raja and Shoaib Akhtar had earlier criticised Mohammad Amir for announcing his retirement at the age of 27.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY
Cricketer Malcolm Nash passes away
- Former England county cricketer and coach Malcolm Nash, who is famous for being hit for six sixes in one over by West Indies batsman Garry Sobers, has died at the age of 74.
- The former cricketer played for Glamorgan and took the maximum number of wickets in 1969. Nash was known for his medium-pace seam bowling.