Daily Current Affairs August 26

Dear Champions, as you all know that a lot of competitive exams have been notified consequently. Candidates have to prepare themselves according to the level of competition and expectation of  the Recruitment board. Regarding that one of the most important topic is Daily Current Affairs August 26. Current Affairs in the form of contemporary events of national & international play a crucial role in almost every competitive exams like Banking, Insurance, SSC, UPSC, TNPSC, Railway etc.

Current affairs are the most dynamic yet scoring among all sections and need to be prepared from the right source. Here, we cafunsta team, providing  Daily GK Updates, Current Affairs Questions, and Monthly  current affairs pdf.

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August 26 | Daily Current Affairs 2021

IMPORTANT DAYS – Daily Current Affairs August 26

1. International Dog Day is observed on which date?
A) 22 August
B) 23 August
C) 24 August
D) 25 August
E) 26 August
Answer: E) 26 August

• International Dog Day is celebrated every year on 26 August.
• The day is observed to celebrate all dogs, irrespective of their breed, shape, size, etc.
• It is also celebrated to encourage people to adopting dogs, instead of buying them from pet shops.

International Dog Day: History:

• International Dog Day was founded in 2004 by Colleen Paige, a Pet & Family Lifestyle Expert, Animal Rescue Advocate, Conservationist, Dog Trainer and Author. First International Dog Day was celebrated on 26 August 2004.
• The date 26 August was chosen because it was the date when Paige’s family adopted their first dog ‘Sheltie’, when he was 10 years old.
• Colleen Paige is also the founder of many such days like National Puppy Day, National Mutt Day, National Cat Day, and National Wildlife Day.

Women’s Equality Day:

• Women’s Equality Day is celebrated in the United States on August 26 annually to mark the achievements and advancements made by women in various fields.
• Women have struggled to be accepted as equals in society for decades and have actively protested against gender-based discrimination and fought for equal opportunities in all fields.
• The Nineteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1920, granted all American women the right to vote.
• The United States Congress formally recognised and designated August 26 as Women’s Equality Day in 1971, to mark the continuous efforts made by women to achieve equal status in society.

Women’s Equality Day 2021: History:

• Women’s Equality Day is a culmination of years of peaceful protests carried out by women for equal rights in terms of opportunity and social status.
• The first protest was conducted at the world’s first Women’s Rights Convention in 1848 in New York state.
• In 1971, United States Congress Representative Bella Abzug introduced the bill to commemorate August 26 as Women’s Equality Day, following the nation-wide ‘strike for equality’ protest demonstrated by women to mark the 50th anniversary of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment.
• In 1973 the United States Congress and Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States formally recognized August 26 as Women’s Equality Day.

SPORTS – Daily Current Affairs August 26

2. G Sathiyan win over Yevhen Pryshchepa of which country to claim the men’s singles title at the ITTF Czech International Open?
A) Zimbabwe
B) Iran
C) Ukraine
D) USA
E) Philippines
Answer: C) Ukraine

• Star Indian paddler G Sathiyan notched up a dominating 4-0 win over Yevhen Pryshchepa of Ukraine in the summit clash to claim the men’s singles title at the ITTF Czech International Open.
• The top seeded Indian, ranked 39 in the world, beat Yevhen 11-0 11-6 11-6 14-12 in the final. Earlier, Sathiyan had advanced to the final after his Swedish opponent Truls Moregardh retired hurt midway through the semifinal here.
• Last week, the 28-year-old had paired up with compatriot Manika Batra to win the mixed doubles title at the WTT Contender in Budapest.

OBITUARY – Daily Current Affairs August 21

3. Ted Dexter passed away. He was related to which sports?
A) Hockey
B) Volleyball
C) Cricket
D) Javelin throw
E) Baseball
Answer: C) Cricket

• Former England test captain Ted Dexter, one of the country’s greatest players, has died aged 86 after a recent illness.
• Dexter, nicknamed “Lord Ted”, was an aggressive batsman and part-time seam bowler who played 62 tests for England after making his debut in 1958 against New Zealand.
• He captained England and Sussex in the early 1960s.
• Dexter, who was England captain for 30 matches, “played the game with the same sense of adventure and fun that captures much of the story of his remarkable life,” the MCC added.
• Dexter scored 4,502 runs at an average of 47.89 during his test career and took 66 wickets at an average of 34.93.
• As a cricket administrator, Dexter became chairman of the England selectors between 1989 and 1993.
• He was later appointed president of MCC and awarded a CBE in 2001.
• Dexter also developed a test player ranking system that was formally adopted by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2003 and forms the basis of the governing body’s current test rankings.
• Former England captain Michael Vaughan also paid tribute to Dexter, who was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in June.

4. B V Nimbkar passed away. He won Padma Shri in which year?
A) 2003
B) 2004
C) 2005
D) 2007
E) 2006
Answer: E) 2006

• Noted agricultural scientist and recipient of Padma Shri award, B V Nimbkar, died at Phaltan in Maharashtra’s Satara district due to his age-related ailments.
• He was awarded with Padma Shri Award in 2006 for his contribution in the field of agriculture. He was also the recipient of prestigious Jamnalal Bajaj award.

5. Noted elocutionist of which state Gouri Ghosh passed away?
A) Karnataka
B) West Bengal
C) Nagaland
D) Arunachal Pradesh
E) Assam
Answer: B) West Bengal

• Noted elocutionist of West Bengal Gouri Ghosh passed away in Kolkata after prolonged illness.
• She was 83.
• Along with her husband Partho Ghosh, she formed an iconic pair and enthralled the audience for decades.
• She was associated with All India Radio, Kolkata for a long period.
• Gouri Ghosh had been awarded Kazi Sabyasachi Samman by the State Government in 2018.

RANKING – Daily Current Affairs August 26

6. According to Economist Intelligence Unit, What is the rank of New Delhi in the list of safest city in the world?
A) 48th
B) 46th
C) 45th
D) 44th
E) 43th
Answer: A) 48th

Rank	City
1	Copenhagen
2	Toronto
3	Singapore
4	Sydney
5	Tokyo
48	New Delhi
50	Mumbai

 

• In a recent study conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the city of Copenhagen in Denmark has been termed as the safest city in the world.
• The EIU has been conducting this survey since 2015, and this is the first time that Copenhagen has topped the list.
• According to the study published by EIU, the second safest city in the world is Toronto, which is in Canada.
• The third position on this list was secured by Singapore, followed by Australia’s Sydney in the fourth position.
• This year, out of the 60 cities listed in the entire study, two cities from India also secured a spot.
• India’s capital New Delhi landed the 48th spot in the study while Mumbai secured the 50th spot.
• This year, the safest city in the United States is New York, which secured the 11th spot in the study.
• The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) conducts the survey to determine the safest city in the world every two years.
• During the last study in 2019, Tokyo reserved the top spot as the safest city in the world, followed by Singapore and Osaka at the second and third spots.

7. Which city has ranked first with most cameras installed per square miles, according to Forbes list?
A) Delhi
B) Shenzhen
C) Sydney
D) Singapore
E) Toronto
Answer: A) Delhi

Rank	City
1	Delhi, India
2	London, UK
3	Chennai, India
18	Mumbai, India

 

BANKING AND FINANCE – Daily Current Affairs August 26

8. Which SFB will provide its digital infrastructure and payments services to HCBL Co-operative Bank and Mysore Merchants Co-operative Bank under the bank sponsorship program?
A) Ujjivan Small Finance Bank.
B) Jana Small Finance Bank.
C) Equitas Small Finance Bank.
D) A U Small Finance Bank.
E) Capital Small Finance Bank.
Answer: B) Jana Small Finance Bank.

• Jana Small Finance Bank (Jana SFB) will provide its digital infrastructure and payments services to HCBL Co-operative Bank and Mysore Merchants Co-operative Bank under the bank sponsorship program.
• Under the bank sponsorship program, the RBI has permitted Core Banking Solution (CBS) to enable co-operative banks to issue ATM cards or ATM-cum debit cards to its customers in association with the sponsor bank.
• With this tie-up, HCBL Co-operative Bank and Mysore Merchants Co-operative Bank will be able to extend ATM, point of sale (PoS), and e-commerce services to its customers.
• This is for the first time that Jana SFB has tied up with a cooperative bank to provide IMPS services to facilitate seamless payment options to its customers
• Bengaluru-based Jana SFB was one of the 10 financial institutions which had received in-principle approval from the RBI for a small finance bank in 2015.
• The bank received its final banking license in April 2017.
• It commenced operations in July 2018.

9. The RBI has imposed a penalty of how much amount on The Baghat Urban Co-operative Bank Limited, Solan, for violation of certain norms, including, those related to NPA classification?
A) Rs 25 lakh
B) Rs 35 lakh
C) Rs 45 lakh
D) Rs 55 lakh
E) Rs 15 lakh
Answer: E) Rs 15 lakh

• The RBI said it has imposed a penalty of Rs 15 lakh on The Baghat Urban Co-operative Bank Limited, Solan, for violation of certain norms, including, those related to NPA classification.
• In another statement, the RBI said it has imposed a penalty of Rs 1 lakh on Delhi Nagrik Sehkari Bank Limited, New Delhi, for non-compliance with certain directions issued by the central bank.

SEBI slaps Rs 6 lakh fine on Capital First for disclosure lapses:

• Capital markets regulator Sebi imposed a penalty of Rs 6 lakh on Capital First Ltd for not disclosing encumbrance on shares of Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd (DCHL).
• Capital First (earlier known as Future Capital Holdings) merged with IDFC Bank in 2018 and the merged entity is called IDFC First Bank.

10. Which Bank becomes first Indian Bank to exclusively list USD 1 Billion AT1 dollar bonds in IFSC?
A) Kotak Mahindra Bank
B) IndusInd Bank
C) Punjab National Bank
D) HDFC Bank
E) Bank of Maharashtra
Answer: D) HDFC Bank

• In a first, HDFC Bank, India’s leading Private Bank, listed their 3.7% USD 1 Billion foreign currency AT1 bonds exclusively in GIFT IFSC.
• GSM, the primary market platform of India INX, has evoked significant interest since its establishment in 2018 and has more than USD 55+ Bn medium term notes established and over USD 28+ Bn of bond listings till date.

11. Which Bank Selects TCS BaNCS™ Cloud for Digital Claims Transformation in Short Term Insurance?
A) Citi Bank
B) Standard Chartered Bank
C) Standard Bank
D) Deutsche Bank
E) DBS Bank
Answer: C) Standard Bank

• Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS), leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, announced that Standard Bank’s short-term insurance business in South Africa has selected TCS BaNCS™ Cloud for Insurance to power its digital claims transformation and reaffirm its leadership in the region.
• TCS BaNCS Cloud for Insurance will be offered on a SaaS model on AWS Cloud and will help the insurer harmonize more than 60 products spread across four claims administration platforms, enabling faster and accurate claims processing.
• The solution will also integrate with 16 different downstream applications including the enterprise GL system, payment gateway, CRM, business intelligence solutions, as well as all other peripheral systems identified in Standard Bank Insurance’s technology roadmap.
• Combined with a cloud-first approach, a faster claims processing engine and high configurability, the solution will help Standard Bank Insurance improve operational efficiency and streamline claims management.

12. Which payment company Gets Green Signal From RBI To Operate As An Account Aggregator?
A) NeoBank
B) PhonePe
C) Innoviti
D) LoanTap
E) Poonawalla Fincorp
Answer: B) PhonePe

• Indian digital payments and financial services company, PhonePe, owned by Walmart, said that it has got in-principle approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as an Account Aggregator (AA).
• Now, with the RBI’s green signal, and license, PhonePe will be able to launch its Account Aggregator platform which will further help the company to make a way for the free and instant exchange of financial data between Financial Information Providers (FIPs) and Financial Information Users (FIUs).

13. RBI Extends Scope Of Tokenisation To Laptops, Wearable Devices. In which year, the RBI had issued guidelines on Tokenisation?
A) 2013
B) 2014
C) 2015
D) 2017
E) 2019
Answer: E) 2019

• The Reserve Bank extended the scope of ‘tokenisation’ to several consumer devices, including laptops, desktops, wearables like wristwatches and bands, as well as Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
• Tokenisation, which aims at improving the safety and security of the payment system, refers to the replacement of actual card details with a unique alternate code called the ‘token’, which is unique for a combination of card, token requestor and identified device.
• The RBI had earlier permitted ‘tokenisation’ services, under which a unique alternate code is generated for transaction purposes, on mobile phones and tablets of cardholders.
• “On a review of the framework and keeping in view stakeholder feedback, it has been decided to extend the scope of tokenisation to include consumer devices — laptops, desktops, wearables (wristwatches, bands, etc.), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, etc,” the RBI said in a circular.
• The initiative is expected to make card transactions more safe, secure and convenient for the users, it added.
• In January, 2019 the RBI had issued guidelines on Tokenisation – Card transactions, permitting authorised card networks to offer card tokenisation services to any token requestor, subject to conditions.

RBI to buy govt bonds worth ₹25,000 crore under G-SAP 2.0:

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will conduct an open market purchase of government securities of ₹25,000 crore.
• This will be done under the G-sec Acquisition Programme (G-SAP 2.0).
• According to RBI governor Shaktikanta Das, these purchases are being done to support the market.
• He also said that G-SAP has been successful in anchoring yield expectations while eliciting keen response from market participants.
• In his statement after the Monetary Policy Committee meeting, Das had announced two auctions of ₹25,000 crore each under G-SAP 2.0.
• The first one was held on August 12.
• The central bank issued a statement in which it said that five government securities will be purchased.
• The result of the auctions will be announced on the same day.

What is G-SAP?

• The government raises money from the market to fund its fiscal deficit through dated securities and treasury bills.
• Under G-SAP, RBI commits to a specific amount of open market purchases of government securities with a view to enabling a stable and orderly evolution of the yield curve amidst comfortable liquidity conditions.
• G-SAP is running alongside RBI’s regular operations including Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF), open market operations (OMOs) and Operation Twist.

14. Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) provided the first approval under SIDBI Cluster Development Fund (SCDF) to the Government of which state?
A) Karnataka
B) West Bengal
C) Tamil Nadu
D) Arunachal Pradesh
E) Assam
Answer: C) Tamil Nadu

• Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) provided the first approval under SIDBI Cluster Development Fund (SCDF) to the Government of Tamil Nadu in a special event held at the State Assembly.
• In a press release, SIDBI, the financing and development bank for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), said that the project specific moderately priced loan assistance under SCDF will be extended by SIDBI to Tamil Nadu government to upgrade various existing MSME clusters and to develop new industrial infrastructural facilities in the State.

15. MeitY Start-up Hub and which payment company collaborate to support deep-tech start-ups?
A) NeoBank
B) PhonePe
C) Patym
D) LoanTap
E) Poonawalla Fincorp
Answer: C) Patym

• IPO-bound Paytm and MeitY Startup Hub (MSH), an initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), have come together to help scale deep-tech startups by providing access to platform, knowledge series, experts, resources, and a larger community of stakeholders.
• Both sides have now entered into a Memorandum of Understanding for this collaboration.
• The joint efforts of MSH and Paytm aim to create a vibrant ecosystem for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), and app-based start-ups built on the deep-tech platform technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud computing, etc., through support in terms of mentoring, technological assistance, go-to-market strategies.

16. Google has teamed up with which company to allow its users to book fixed deposits (FDs) through Google Pay?
A) NeoBank
B) PhonePe
C) Patym
D) Setu
E) Poonawalla Fincorp
Answer: D) Setu

• Google has teamed up with Setu, a fintech specialising in providing application programming interfaces (APIs), to allow its users to book fixed deposits (FDs) through Google Pay, a person with knowledge of the matter said on the condition of anonymity.
• In the initial roll-out, FDs of Equitas Small Finance Bank will be offered for up to one year.
• The maximum interest rate is 6.35%. Users will have to complete an Aadhaar-based KYC (know your customer) through a one-time password (OTP).
• Setu has already created a beta version for the API, which Mint has reviewed.
• A second person with knowledge of the matter confirmed the development.
• The beta version of the API offers FDs of various tenors including 7-29 days, 30-45 days, 46-90 days, 91-180 days, 181-364 days, and 365 days, with interest rates ranging from 3.5% for the shortest FD to 6.35% for the one-year FD.
• According to media reports, Google Pay has 150 million monthly active users in India.
• Small finance banks have aggressively teamed up with fintechs to offer high-interest savings accounts and fixed deposits.
• Equitas Small Finance Bank has partnered with fintechs such as NiYO and Freo (Moneytap) to offer its savings accounts with interest rates of 7% for balances more than ₹1 lakh.
• Under Reserve Bank of India rules, small finance banks have to lend at least 75% of their adjusted net bank credit to priority sectors compared with 40% for scheduled commercial banks.
• At least 50% of their portfolios must consist of loans up to ₹25 lakh.

BOOKS AND AUTHORS – Daily Current Affairs August 21

17. Who released the book ‘Prayagraj Kumbh’ focusing on Prayagraj Kumbh-2019?
A) Ram Nath Kovind
B) Narendra Modi
C) Rajeev Chandrasekhar
D) Venkaiah Naidu
E) Yogi Adityanath
Answer: E) Yogi Adityanath

• Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath released the book ‘Prayagraj Kumbh’ focusing on Prayagraj Kumbh-2019, saying this book would prove to be a milestone for researchers and inquisitors.
• This book has been published by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSR).

Kerala CM to release Dr Ellangovan’s book ‘Creating Value in Health Care’:

• ‘Creating Value in Health Care,’ a book written by Dr K. Ellangovan, Principal Secretary, Industries and Norka, Government of Kerala, will be released by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at a function at Mascot Hotel.
• Minister for Industries, Law and Coir P. Rajeeve will speak at the function. Prof Srinath Reddy, President, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), New Delhi, will introduce the book.
• Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, has written the foreword of the book.
• The author, a medical doctor himself, has given a detailed account of the problems and suggestions related to health sector in the book, which is significantly relevant in the pandemic period

Soha Ali Khan, Kunal Kemmu to co-author children book series:

• Penguin Random House India (PRHI) announced the acquisition of a series of picture books from actor-couple Soha Ali Khan and Kunal Kemmu.
• To be published under Penguin’s ‘Puffin’ imprint, the series, consisting of three picture books, is tentatively titled “Inni and Bobo”.
• The first book of the series will be released next year, they said.

K J Alphons presents his book ‘Accelerating India: 7 Years of Modi Government’ to PM:

• Former Union Minister, Shri K J Alphons has presented his book ‘Accelerating India: 7 Years of Modi Government’ to the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi.
• The Prime Minister said that he has made a commendable effort to encapsulate facets of India’s reform journey in his work, ‘Accelerating India.’

APPOINTMENTS – Daily Current Affairs August 26

18. Who takes charge as Stop TB Partnership Board chairman?
A) Ram Nath Kovind
B) Narendra Modi
C) Rajeev Chandrasekhar
D) Venkaiah Naidu
E) Mansukh Mandaviya
Answer: E) Mansukh Mandaviya

• Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya took charge as the Chairman of Stop TB Partnership Board.
• The Stop TB Partnership is a United Nations-hosted partnership program that aims to fight against tuberculosis collectively.

19. Who was appointed as director general of the country’s largest border guarding force BSF?
A) Vanoj Kumar Singh
B) Sathis Kumar Singh
C) Manoj Kumar Singh
D) Pankaj Kumar Singh
E) Lakshmanan Kumar Singh
Answer: D) Pankaj Kumar Singh

• Pankaj Kumar Singh, a 1988-batch Indian Police Service officer, was appointed as director general of the country’s largest border guarding force BSF.
• Singh is a Rajasthan cadre officer and is presently serving as the special director general (DG) of the force that guards over 6,300 kms of the Indian fronts with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
• He will take charge on August 31 after the retirement of IPS officer and ITBP DG S S Deswal, who is holding additional charge of the BSF DG after the tenure of Gujarat cadre officer Rakesh Asthana ended in July.
• The government also appointed 1988-batch IPS officers Sanjay Arora (Tamil Nadu cadre) and Balaji Srivastav (AGMUT cadre) as the new heads of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD), a government think tank on police subjects.

20. Carol Furtado will appoint as Interim CEO of which SFB?
A) Ujjivan Small Finance Bank.
B) Jana Small Finance Bank.
C) Equitas Small Finance Bank.
D) A U Small Finance Bank.
E) Capital Small Finance Bank.
Answer: A) Ujjivan Small Finance Bank.

• Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (SFB) announced the appointment of Carol Furtado as an ‘officer on special duty’ till September 30, and said she will take charge as the interim CEO from October.
• The move follows the resignation of the lender’s MD and CEO Nitin Chugh last week, who will stay with the bank till September 30.

21. Which organisation has appointed Ajay Kumar as Executive Director with effect from August 20, 2021?
A) IFSCA
B) ICAI
C) SIDBI
D) SEBI
E) RBI
Answer: E) RBI

• The Reserve Bank of India, said that the central bank has appointed Ajay Kumar as Executive Director with effect from August 20, 2021.
• The central bank in a press release said, “The Reserve Bank of India has appointed Ajay Kumar as Executive Director (ED) with effect from August 20, 2021. Prior to being promoted as ED, Ajay Kumar was heading the New Delhi Regional Office of the Bank as Regional Director.”
• Kumar, with a career spanning more than three decades, has served in foreign exchange, banking supervision, financial inclusion, currency management, and other areas in the Reserve Bank, the press release stated.
• Now, in RBI as an Executive Director, Ajay Kumar will be responsible for the departments of currency management, foreign exchange, and premises.

22. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved a how many year extension for Atul Kumar Goel, MD and CEO of UCO Bank?
A) 5
B) 4
C) 3
D) 2
E) 1
Answer: D) 2

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has accepted the proposal of the Department of Financial Services (DFS) to extend the tenure of three managing directors and chief executive officers (MDs and CEOs) and ten executive directors (EDs) of public sector banks.
• The ACC has approved the extension of tenure of S S Mallikarjuna Rao, MD and CEO of Punjab National Bank, until January 31, 2022, when he is due for superannuation.
• The appointments panel has also approved a two-year extension for Atul Kumar Goel, MD and CEO of UCO Bank as well as A S Rajeev, MD and CEO of Bank of Maharashtra.
• The ACC has also approved a two-year extension to Bank of Baroda ED Ajay K Khurana, ED of Canara Bank A Manimekhalai and P R Rajagopal, Bank of India ED. Terms of Sanjay Kumar and Vijay Dube (Punjab National Bank), Gopal Singh Gusain and Manas Ranjan Biswal (Union Bank of India), Vikramaditya Singh Khichi (Bank of Baroda), Shenoy Vishwanath Vittal (Indian Bank), and Alok Srivastava (Central Bank of India) as EDs have been approved for an extension until their age of superannuation.
• The DFS, in a letter to DoPT, had also suggested extending the term of Shanti Lal Jain, the former ED of Bank of Baroda for two years.
• However, earlier this month, Jain was appointed the MD and CEO of Indian Bank for a period of three years.

RBI okays Hitendra Dave as HSBC India head for three years starting Aug 24:

• HSBC India said the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the appointment of Hitendra Dave as the country head for three years, effective August 24.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY – Daily Current Affairs August 26

23. IBM partners which IIT to enhance industry relevant skills?
A) IIT Kanpur
B) IIT Madras
C) IIT Kharagpur
D) IIT Mumbai
E) IIT Bombay
Answer: B) IIT Madras

• IBM Corp said it will collaborate with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras to support their online BSc degree programme and augment select courses on the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) platform.
• IBM experts will co-offer a quantum computing course on the NPTEL Platform and augment select NPTEL courses such as data science and artificial intelligence (AI) with technical inputs that will help provide students with a current industry perspective, the company said.
• It will also conduct technical sessions for NPTEL partner colleges through local chapters and for the IIT Madras’s online BSc degree programme.
• These sessions will be free of cost and made available on the NPTEL and IIT Madras online platforms.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS – Daily Current Affairs August 26

24. Afcons inks pact for how much amount infra project in Maldives?
A) $230-million
B) $330-million
C) $530-million
D) $630-million
E) $730-million
Answer: C) $530-million

• Shapoorji Pallonji Group’s infrastructure arm Afcons has signed an agreement with the Republic of Maldives to construct the Male to Thilafushi Link project, popularly called Greater Male’ Connectivity Project (GMCP).
• The total contract value of the project is $530 million with a construction duration of 32 months.
• This is the largest-ever infrastructure project in the Maldives, funded by the Exim Bank of India.
• The project includes a 6.7 km bridge and causeway network connecting Male, Villingili, Gulhifalhu and Thilafushi islands.
• The new bridge includes three navigation bridges of 140 m main span across very deep channels between the four islands, 1.41 km of marine viaduct in deep water, 2.32 km marine viaduct in shallow water and land, and 2.96 km of at-grade roads.

NATIONAL AFFAIRS – Daily Current Affairs August 26

25. Which state launched the National Education Policy-2020 (NEP-2020) in the state and became the second state in the country to implement NEP-2020?
A) Karnataka
B) Odisha
C) Haryana
D) Madhya Pradesh
E) Assam
Answer: D) Madhya Pradesh

• Madhya Pradesh government launched the National Education Policy-2020 (NEP-2020) in the state and became the second state in the country to implement NEP-2020 after Karnataka.
• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Governor Mangubhai C Patel and Higher Education Minister Dr Mohan Yadav were present at the launch.
• The Central government launched NEP on July 29, 2020.
• On its first anniversary last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched SAFAL (sTRUCTURED Assessment For Analysing Learning), a competency-based assessment for grades 3, 5, and 8 introduced by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

26. Who chaired the 37th meeting of PRAGATI, the ICT based multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, involving the Centre and state governments?
A) Ram Nath Kovind
B) Narendra Modi
C) Rajeev Chandrasekhar
D) Venkaiah Naidu
E) Mansukh Mandaviya
Answer: B) Narendra Modi

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the 37th meeting of PRAGATI, the ICT based multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, involving the Centre and state governments.
• A PMO release said nine agenda items were taken for review during the meeting including eight projects and one scheme.
• Among the eight projects, three projects each were from the Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and two projects were from the Ministry of Power.
• These eight projects have a cumulative cost of Rs 1,26,000 crore concerning 14 states – Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttrakhand, Manipur and Delhi.
• In the previous 36 PRAGATI meetings, 292 projects having a total cost of 13.78 lakh crore, have been reviewed.

27. Which ministry signs MoU with Adani group for providing services at three airports?
A) Defence Ministry
B) Civil Aviation Ministry
C) Housing & Urban Affairs Ministry
D) Women & Child Development Ministry
E) Home Ministry
Answer: B) Civil Aviation Ministry

• The Civil Aviation Ministry signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Adani group for providing services, including customs, immigration and security, at the Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram airports.
• The Centre had in February 2019 privatised six major airports of the country — Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Mangaluru, Jaipur, Thiruvananthapuram and Guwahati — and through a competitive bidding process, the Adani group won the rights to run all of them for 50 years.
• The Adani group took charge of the Lucknow, Ahmedabad and Mangaluru airports in October and November last year.
• It is yet to take charge of the remaining airports.

28. Which state govt launches mission Vatsalya for women who lost their husbands to COVID-19?
A) Maharashtra
B) Odisha
C) Haryana
D) Madhya Pradesh
E) Assam
Answer: A) Maharashtra

• Maharashtra’s Minister for Women and Child Development, Yashomati Thakur launched a scheme, ‘Mission Vatsalya’ for women who lost their husbands to COVID-19.
• Mission Vatsalya is aimed to serve around 18 benefits, schemes, services to such women from rural areas with impoverished backgrounds.

29. Which organisation hosted the second Meet & Mingle session on ‘Developing River Sensitive Cities’ on the Third Day of Stockholm World Water Week 2021?
A) NMCG
B) CCI
C) IOCL
D) BEL
E) NITI Aayog
Answer: A) NMCG

• National Mission for Clean Ganga hosted the second Meet & Mingle session on ‘Developing River Sensitive Cities’ on the Third Day of Stockholm World Water Week 2021.
• Prof. Mona Aiyer from CEPT University moderated the session.
• She started the session by welcoming all speakers and participants and explained that the session is planned for practitioners and other stakeholders with the aim of the mainstream river in city planning.

30. Which state to launch ‘Mera Kaam Mera Maan’ scheme to help unemployed youth enhance skills & employability?
A) Maharashtra
B) Odisha
C) Haryana
D) Punjab
E) Assam
Answer: D) Punjab

• The Punjab Cabinet led by Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh gave the go-ahead to an innovative new scheme – ‘Mera Kaam Mera Maan (MKMM), to facilitate the unemployed youth of the youth in honing their skills and enhancing their employability in their chosen field through free short-term skill training.
• The Cabinet decided to roll out the scheme from the current fiscal on a pilot basis for construction workers and their wards.
• A target of 30000 beneficiaries has been proposed, at a cost of Rs 90 crore, to be covered under this pilot project.
• It also authorized the Chief Minister to extend the scheme to other sections of the society as and when appropriate, besides empowering the Employment Generation, Skill Development and Training Minister to make any amendments in the scheme as required from time to time for its successful implementation.
• According to a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office, the scheme provides employment assistance allowance of Rs 2500 per month for a period of 12 months from the start of the training course under the short-term skill training programmes in the Punjab Skill Development Mission training centers.
• Notably, the Captain government’s flagship programme ‘Ghar Ghar Rozgar te Karobar Mission’ has so far facilitated gainful employment to approximately 17.61 lakh youth since April 1, 2017, including 7.02 lakh in private sector, 9.97 lakh self-employment ventures besides 62,743 government jobs.

31. Which state inaugurated the Mendipathar Facilitation Centre at Mendipathar Railway Station in North Garo Hills district?
A) Maharashtra
B) Odisha
C) Meghalaya
D) Punjab
E) Assam
Answer: C) Meghalaya

• Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma inaugurated the Mendipathar Facilitation Centre at Mendipathar Railway Station in North Garo Hills district.
• Inaugurating the centre, Sangma said that the facilitation centre will keep record of visitors to Garo Hills region and will enable the district administration to effectively monitor flow of visitors from outside the region.
• He said that since Mendipathar already has a rail link, the State Government is setting up the Rs 100 crore food park in Mendipathar.
• The Chief Minister also informed that the biggest feed mill of Northeast is also being set up here.
• The Chief Minister further added that Mendipathar has become the preferred destination for investment because it has all the necessary infrastructure and the facilities, particularly rail.

32. Which organisation and Cisco launched the next phase of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP)?
A) NMCG
B) CCI
C) IOCL
D) BEL
E) NITI Aayog
Answer: E) NITI Aayog

• The Niti Aayog and the US-based tech giant Cisco launched the next phase of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), according to an official statement.
• Titled ”WEP Nxt”, this next phase of Niti Aayog”s flagship platform will leverage Cisco”s technology and experience working with India”s start-up ecosystem to enable more women-owned businesses across the country, the statement added.
• The WEP is a first of its kind, unified access portal that brings together women from different parts of India to realise their entrepreneurial aspirations.
• WEP, initially launched by the Niti Aayog in 2017, is a unified portal that brings together women from diverse backgrounds and offers them access to a multitude of resources, support, and learning.

NITI Aayog Releases North Eastern Region District SDGIndex and Dashboard 2021–22:

• A milestone towards localising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was achieved with the release of the first edition of the North Eastern Region (NER) District SDG Index Report and Dashboard 2021–22 by NITI Aayog and Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (M/DoNER).
• The NER District SDG Index& Dashboard, a collaborative effort by NITI Aayog and Ministry of DoNER, with technical support from UNDP, is the first of its kind in the country as it focuses on the North Eastern Region, which is of critical significance to the country’s development trajectory.
• The Index measures the performance of the districts of the eight States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura on the Sustainable Development Goalsand their corresponding targets and ranks the districts based on the same.
• The index is based on NITI Aayog’s SDG India Index –the principal and official tool for monitoring progress on the SDGs at the national and State/ Union Territory levels and shares the common ethos of benchmarking performance and ranking on the SDGs to foster competition among the districts.
• The index offers insights into the social, economic, and environmental status of the region and its districts in their march towards achieving the SDGs.
• It is a unique policy tool which has immense potential to measure district level progress, highlight critical gaps, facilitate resource allocation, and will be a handy tool for policy makers in the eight North Eastern States, Ministry of DoNER and other Union Ministries.
• NITI Aayog Vice Chairperson, Dr Rajiv Kumar; Union Minister of Development of North Eastern Region, Shri G. Kishan Reddy; and Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region, Shri B.L.Verma, launched the report titled, North Eastern Region District SDG Index & Dashboard: Baseline Report 2021-22, in the presence ofShri Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog; Dr. Inder Jit Singh, Secretary, Ministry of DoNER; Ms Nadia Rasheed, Resident Representative (i/c), UNDP; and Ms Sanyukta Samaddar, Adviser(SDG), NITI Aayog.
• The launch was also attended virtually by Chief Secretaries, Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, and other senior State Governments officials of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura.
• Designed and developed by NITI Aayog in collaboration with Ministry of DoNERwith technical inputs from UNDP, the preparation of the index followed extensive consultations with all the eight Northeastern States –who are the primary stakeholders of this tool.

Overall Results and Findings:

• Out of the 103 districts considered for ranking, 64 districts belonged to the Front Runner category while 39 districts were in the Performer category in the composite score and ranking of districts.
• All districts in Sikkim and Tripura fall in the Front Runner category and there are no districts in the Aspirant or Achiever categories.

Top-10 Districts	75.87	East Sikkim [SK]
	75.73	Gomati, North Tripura [TR]
	75.67	West Tripura [TR]
	74.87	Serchhip [MZ]
	74.80	South Sikkim [SK]
	73.47	Unakoti [TR]
	72.87	Lunglei [MZ]
	72.60	Dhalai [TR], Sepahijala [TR]
	72.40	South Tripura [TR]
	72.27	Kolasib [MZ]

 

Bottom-10 Districts	59.07	Longleng [NL]
	58.60	Shi Yomi [AR]
	58.27	East Kameng [AR], Phek [NL]
	57.40	Kamle [AR]
	56.87	North Garo Hills [ML]
	55.93	Mon [NL]
	55.87	Tuensang [NL]
	55.60	Kra Daadi [AR]
	54.53	Zunheboto [NL]
	53.00	Kiphire [NL]

 

33. Who launches e-Shram portal for unorganised sector workers?
A) Ram Nath Kovind
B) Narendra Modi
C) Bhupendra Yadav
D) Venkaiah Naidu
E) Mansukh Mandaviya
Answer: C) Bhupendra Yadav

• Labour and Employment Minister Bhupendra Yadav launched e-Shram portal – National Database on Unorganized Workers in New Delhi.
• The portal will maintain a database of workers in the country’s unorganised sector and facilitate better implementation of various Social Security Schemes for their welfare.
• All trade union leaders have welcomed the move and extended their full support for the successful launch and implementation of the e-shram portal.

34. Centre approves IBA’s proposal to increase family pension to how many % of last salary drawn?
A) 20
B) 10
C) 40
D) 50
E) 30
Answer: E) 30

• The Central Government has approved to increase the family pension of bank employees to 30 per cent of last salary drawn.
• This move would make family pension go up to as much as 30,000 rupees to 35,000 rupees per family of bank employees.
• This proposal was given by the Indian Banks’ Association’s proposal in order to provide relief to families of Bank Employees.
• This was announced by the Secretary, Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, at a press meet addressed by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Mumbai.
• Secretary Debashish Panda informed that in continuation of the 11th bi-partite settlement on wage revision of public sector bank employees, which was signed by the IBA with the unions on 11th November last year, there was a proposal for enhancement of family pension and also the employers’ contribution under the National Pension Scheme.

35. Who hosted the inaugural meeting of the IBSA National Security Advisers through video conferencing?
A) Ram Nath Kovind
B) Narendra Modi
C) Ajit Doval
D) Anupriya Patel
E) Subhas Sarkar
Answer: C) Ajit Doval

• National Security Adviser Ajit Doval hosted the inaugural meeting of the IBSA National Security Advisers through video conferencing.
• During the meeting, discussions were held on maritime security, fight against terrorism and transnational organized crime, and cyber security.
• Participants agreed that terrorism, in particular, cross-border terrorism undertaken through state sponsorship, continues to be the most potent threat to global peace and security and must be fought through united efforts.
• They also agreed to enhance cooperation in intelligence sharing, exchange of best practices amongst concerned national agencies and capacity building.
• The meeting was convened as part of the preparatory process for the next IBSA Summit of Leaders which is scheduled to take place during India’s Chairship of IBSA.
• The theme for India’s Chairship under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “Democracy for Demography and Development”.

36. DGCA lifts ban on Boeing ____ Max aircraft after two-and-half years?
A) 732
B) 733
C) 734
D) 735
E) 737
Answer: E) 737

• India’s air safety regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), said it had cleared Boeing Co’s 737 MAX aircraft to fly with immediate effect.
• With this, the country’s air safety regulator ended its nearly two-and-a-half-years of regulatory grounding in a key travel market for Boeing.
• DGCA had banned Boeing 737 MAX operations in India since March 2019 after two fatal accidents.
• Aircraft manufacturer Boeing has been modifying the 737 Max plane since March 2019 so that various countries’ regulators, including the DGCA, permit its passenger flight operations again.

37. Ministry of Education’s innovation cell, which organisation and Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) have jointly launched the MANTHAN 2021 hackathon?
A) NMCG
B) CCI
C) AICTE
D) BEL
E) NITI Aayog
Answer: C) AICTE

• Ministry of Education’s innovation cell, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) have jointly launched the MANTHAN 2021 hackathon, a unique national initiative to identify innovative concepts and technology solutions for addressing the security challenges of the 21st century faced by the intelligence agencies.
• MANTHAN 2021 will have two phases.
• In the first phase, participants would submit their concepts against the problem statements which they wish to solve on the portal.
• These submitted ideas will be evaluated by group of experts in the field and only the innovative ideas will be selected for the Grand Finale or 2nd round scheduled from 28 November 2021.
• During the grand finale, selected participants are expected to build the solution to demonstrate their concepts and prove to the juries that their ideas are technically feasible and more importantly implementable.
• Best ideas will be declared winners.

38. Which state launched ‘Care Companion’ programme (CCP) in sub-divisional hospitals (SDHs), under which family members will be given training in basic medical skills?
A) Maharashtra
B) Odisha
C) Haryana
D) Punjab
E) Assam
Answer: D) Punjab

• TO ENGAGE families of patients in helping them recover faster, the Punjab government launched ‘Care Companion’ programme (CCP) in sub-divisional hospitals (SDHs), under which family members will be given training in basic medical skills.

39. Who virtually chairs 2nd BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting?
A) Ram Nath Kovind
B) Narendra Modi
C) Ajit Doval
D) Nirmala Sitharaman
E) Subhas Sarkar
Answer: D) Nirmala Sitharaman

• Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman virtually chaired the second meeting of BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) along with Governor Reserve Bank of India, Shri Shaktikanta Das under Indian BRICS Chairship here.
• This meeting is scheduled ahead of the BRICS Leaders’ Summit 2021 to discuss and finalise key outcomes of BRICS finance agenda this year.
• Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa were in attendance.
• During the meeting, the FMCBGs endorsed the BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Statement on Global Economic Outlook and Responding to COVID-19 Crisis with an annexure on snapshot of policy experiences of BRICS in dealing with the economic impact of the pandemic.
• Smt. Sitharaman, as the chair, remarked that India attaches great significance to presenting this Statement before the global community since it unanimously voices the view of BRICS countries on the critical aspects underpinning current international policy conversations on post pandemic recovery.
• A “Technical Report on Social Infrastructure: Financing and Use of Digital Technologies” was also endorsed.
• This report is a unique exercise towards collaborative knowledge sharing between BRICS economies on social infrastructure, including on how BRICS governments have leveraged digital technologies to enhance access and improve service delivery, especially in the health and education sectors.
• The BRICS Finance Ministers also welcomed the conclusion of negotiations on the text of Cooperation and Mutual Administrative Assistance (CMAA) in Customs matters, along with deliberating progress made on other custom related matters.
• Governor RBI Shri Shaktikanta Das chaired the discussions on Central Bank issues and their outcomes in the meeting, which included Financial Inclusion, Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) and Information Security Cooperation.
• Smt. Sitharaman and Shri Das appreciated the BRICS members for their cooperation and support to the Indian Chair in preparation as well as finalisation of the significant and relevant deliverables of BRICS Finance.

40. Centre in collaboratin with Union Territory Ladakh is organizing a mega-tourism event named ___?
A) “Ladakh: New Begin, New Goals”
B) “Ladakh: New Policy, New Goals”
C) “Ladakh: New Vlog, New Goals”
D) “Ladakh: New Start, New Goals”
E) “Ladakh: New End, New Goals”
Answer: D) “Ladakh: New Start, New Goals”

• Centre in collaboratin with Union Territory Ladakh is organizing a mega-tourism event “Ladakh: New Start, New Goals”.
• The objective of the 3-Day mega event from 26th to 28th of this month, is to promote Ladakh as a tourist destination with focus on aspects of adventure, culture and responsible tourism.
• Tourism ministry has been promoting Ladakh in domestic and in international markets through various campaigns and initiatives like Dekho Apna Desh.
• To take the campaign further wider, Ladakh: New Start, New Goals event organized to provide indigenous product knowledge to the industry stakeholders.
• The event also will be a platform to local stakeholders for interaction with the Tour Operators / buyers from the rest of the country.
• As part of the event, a B2B session was inaugurated by LAHDC Leh CEC Tashi Gyaltson.
• While Tourism, Culture Minister G. Kishan Reddy slated to participate virtually in the inaugural, Ladakh Lieutenant Governor RK Mathur alongwith local elected representatives, tourism officials and foreign ambassadors to India participate physically.
• During the event “A Tourism Vision for Ladakh” a document focussing on overall development of the Ladakh would be unveiled.
• The three days’ event will include activities like exhibition, panel discussions, stake holder’s meetings, technical tours, cultural evening to showcase tourism facilities and tourism products and potential of Ladakh.

41. Anamalai Tiger Reserve is situated in which state?
A) Maharashtra
B) Odisha
C) Tamil Nadu
D) Punjab
E) Assam
Answer: C) Tamil Nadu

• Anamalai Tiger Reserve located at Pollachi near Coimbatore, one of the largest landscapes in the south of Palghat Gap with 4000 sq km of protected area, and the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in the Nilgiris, a bio-diversity hotspot of the Western Ghats have now earned a global elite tag in tiger conservation.
• It is the Conservation Assured Tiger Standards (CATS) status, a conservation tool for best practices and standards to manage tigers.
• Only 14 reserves made the cut including Parambikulam in Kerala, Bandipur in Karnataka, and Manas, Kaziranga and Orang in Assam, for the accreditation exercise by India’s National Tiger Conservation Authority under CATS.
• Well-known reserves like Corbett, Ranthambore and Bandhavgarh did not get the tag.

T.N. renames development policy council:

• The Tamil Nadu government renamed the State Development Policy Council as the State Planning Commission.
• The government issued an order making the change with immediate effect.
• In 2020, consequent to the abolition of plan, non-plan distinction, orders were issued replacing the State Planning Commission, which was constituted in 1971, with the State Development Policy Council (SDPC).

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