[AUGUST Must] current affairs

  1.    Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi announced a new campaign “Start-up India, Stand up India” to encourage entrepreneurship among the youth of India.

  2.    The 1984-batch IPS officer, Mr. Karnal Singh has given an additional charge as the chief of Enforcement Directorate (ED) for a period of 3 months or until further orders for a regular appointment.

  3.    As per the recently released Red List of International Union For Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Asiatic Wild Ass has been classified as an endangered animal. The Asiatic Wild Ass is locally known as ghudkhar and found only in the Little Rann of Kutch in Gujarat.

  4.    IDBI Bank has signed an agreement with Mudra Bank for refinancing of loans given to small enterprises.

  5.    The ICICI Bank launched the ‘Smart Vault’, a fully automated state-of-the-art locker available 24×7, including weekends and post banking hours. 

  6.    The Union Cabinet gave its nod to a proposal to sign an agreement with UNESCO for establishment of a Centre for World Natural Heritage Management and Training for Asia-Pacific region at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

  7.    Ace Indian golfer Aditi Ashok (17) became the first woman and youngest player from India to won the prestigious Ladies British amateur stroke-play Championship 2015 at Leeds, United Kingdom.

  8.    The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has successfully launched India’s communication satellite GSAT-6 using its heavy rocket Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D6) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.

  9.    India and Slovak Republic have signed MoU on technical cooperation in railway Sector. 

  10.  The Railway Minister Mr. Suresh Prabhu launched a mobile-based application system   ”R-Mitra” to ensure women’s safety. The app works both online and offline in SMS mode by using the helpline number 56161. It is introduced by Eastern Railway in Kolkata.

  11.  The International Labour Organization (ILO) and FICCI signed the Phase II of MoU for cooperation in establishing a ‘National Coordination Centre for Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE) Training Services in India’. 

  12.  The Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law (RGSOIPL) at IIT Kharagpur has signed a MoU with the Law School of George Washington University (GWU) of USA for students and faculty exchange.

  13.  The 2015 Dhyan Chand Award winners are Romeo James (Hockey), Shiv Prakash Mishra (Tennis) and T.P.P. Nair (Volleyball). It carries a cash prize of Rs.500,000, a plaque and a scroll of honour.

  14.  The Cochin International Airport became the world’s first fully solar-powered airport. 

  15.  Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL), a unit of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

  16.  As per the Forbes’s ranking of the ‘World’s Highest-Paid Actors’ 2015, Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar are among the world’s top ten highest-paid actors.

  17.  The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has inked a pact with IIT-Kharagpur to undertake collaborative research to meet the futuristic defence technological needs of the country.

  18.  The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has signed two pacts with National Skill Development Fund (NSDF) and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) for skill development training in Eastern states and Bihar.

  19.  To strengthen cooperation in New and Renewable Energy Sector, a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between India and Mozambique during the official 5-day visit of President of Mozambique Mr. Filipe Nyusi to India. 

  20.  The Aadiperukku festival has been organised in Tamil Nadu.

  21.  The Union Telecom Minister Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad released an Rs.5 postal stamp in honour of Ashoka, the Great, the great Indian emperor of Mauryan dynasty.

  22.  Chief Minister of Gujarat Ms. Anandiben Patel ban on the use of plastic in the State.

  23.  India’s oldest organized retailer, Shoppers Stop has tied up with Snapdeal (online shopping portal) to retail their products online.

  24.  Dr. Girish Sahni has assumed charge as the next Director General of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and Secretary, Department of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR).

  25.  To curb black money generation, India approved pact with the Seychelles for exchange of information on taxes. 

  26.  Mr. Om Prakash Munjal was the founder and the current chairman of Hero Cycles, who died in Ludhiana recently.

  27.  Mr. Om Prakash Rawat, a former Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS officer, has been appointed as the new Election Commissioner of India. Mr. Nasim Zaidi is the current Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioner other than Mr. Om Prakash Rawat is Mr. Achal Kumar Jyoti.

  28.  The Kerala government inked pact with Adani groups for the construction of proposed Vizhinjam International Seaport project for Rs. 7,525 crore.

  29.  The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has been accredited by UN’s Green Climate Fund (GCF) as National Implementing Entity (NIE) for undertaking climate change.

  30.  The Temple of Baalshamin was an ancient temple in the city of Palmyra, Syria, dedicated to the Canaanite deity Baalshamin.

  31.  After the approval by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the African country, South Sudan became the 206th member of the Olympic family.

  32.  Axis bank has launched contactless debit, credit and multi-currency forex cards in partnership with Visa -the payments gateway company. Banks can process contactless transactions below Rs 2,000 without a personal identification number.

  33.  The Justice AP Shah Committee has recommended that the Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) must be granted relief on Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) for the period before April 1, 2015.

  34.  An International Climate Variability and Predictability project office will be set up in Pune.

  35.  Union Minister of Rural Development, Mr. Birender Singh Chaudhary launched the web portal ‘SAMANVAY’ to monitor progress and implementation of the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) for development of Gram Panchayats.

  36.  The Bangladesh Novelist Zia Haider Rahman won the UK’s oldest literary award, James Tait Black Award 2015, for his debut novel “In the Light of What We Know”. 

  37.  The Malayalam actor Mr. Paravoor Bharathan (86) passed away due to prolonged illness at Kochi, Kerala. 

  38.  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) granted in-principle approval to 11 entities to set up Payments Banks. The key features of Payments banks are as follows:                                     a) the bank licence will allow companies to collect deposits (initially up to Rs. 1 lakh per individual).          b) Offer Internet banking, facilitate money transfers and sell insurance and mutual funds.

  39.  Ireland, which benefit from the presence of transnationals, is the leading exporter of computer and information services, followed by India. 

  40.  To provide soft loan for establishment of a Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), the Union Finance Minister Mr. Arun Jaitley has launched two funds by Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI). The Union Government will invest Rs 2,000-crore in India Aspiration Fund (IAF) and Rs. 10,000 crore in SIDBI Make In India Loan For Enterprises (SMILE) scheme.

  41.  Apollo Munich Health Insurance has introduced Dengue Care, the first exclusive over-the-counter health policy to cover dengue related expenses.

  42.  The Government of India (GoI) has approved the setting up of All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) for imparting MD and Ph.D level education in the traditional medicine at Sarita Vihar in New Delhi. 

  43.  The veteran actor-director Mr. Amol Palekar has been appointed as the chairman of India’s Oscar jury by Mumbai based Film Federation of India (FFI).

  44.  The Odisha government launched “State level Facilitation Cell (SLFC)” in order to clear investment proposals in 15-30 days.

  45.  The ISRO scientist, Ms. N. Valarmathi has conferred with the first Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Award 2015. The award is instituted by the Government of Tamil Nadu.

  46.  The 8th International Conference on “Indian Civil Aviation and Tourism” was held in New Delhi. The event was organized by Ministry of Civil Aviation and ASSOCHAM. 

  47.  To ensure fuel supplies for power stations and prevent nuclear proliferation, the world’s first International Controlled Bank of low-enriched Uranium will be hosted by the ex-Soviet nation, Kazakhstan.

  48.  The Government of India (GoI) has imposed anti-dumping duty on ‘flax’ (or linen) fabric imports from China and Hong Kong for a period of 5 years.

  49.  Taj Mahal, the symbol of true love and architectural brilliance, has become the first historical monument in the world to have its own Twitter account.

  50.  India has imposed definitive anti-dumping duty for period of 5 years on Potassium Carbonate imports from Taiwan and South Korea. 

  51.  Prof. Mustansir Barma won the 2015 Gujar Mal Modi Award for his commendable contribution in the field of Science and Technology.

  52.  The World Health Oraganistion (WHO) has officially declared India as Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus free country, i.e. mothers and newborns are free from tetanus at the time of birth. Before that, India was declared polio free country in 2014.

  53.  The CAMPA stands for Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority.

  54.  The Indian Army released Amar Chitra Katha and Aan Comics on inspirational stories of war heroes.

  55.  Mr. Raghav Chandra has been appointed as the Chairman of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

  56.  The notable Hindi litterateur Kashinath Singh has been chosen for the Uttar Pradesh’s highest literary award Bharat Bharti for the year 2014.

  57.  The 10-day-long Hindu festival, Onam is celebrated with a great enthusiasm throughout Kerala between August and September. It is celebrated to honour King Mahabali.

  58.  The public sector bank, Indian Bank launched a mobile application service ” IndPay”.

  59.  The 6th Joint Military Training Exercise “EXERCISE EKUVERIN – VI” will be conducted between the Indian Army and the Maldives National Defence Forces at Pangode Military Station, Trivandrum, Kerala from August 31 to September 13, 2015.

  60.  To provide single window access for students to apply for education loans and government scholarships, a web-based portal “Vidya Lakshmi  (www.vidyalakshmi.co.in)” has been launched by the Union Government.

  61.  Bangladesh became the first country to receive funds from the United Nations (UN) for its fast growing solar home systems. 

  62.  To make India Disabled-Friendly, the Accessible India Campaign (or Sugamya Bharat Abhiyaan) will soon launched by the Union Government. Campaign launched in 7 cities viz. New Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Assam, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Haryana.

  63.  Bharti Airtel became the first telecom operator in India to commercially launch its 4G high-speed data services in 296 towns across India.

  64.  The Indian international goalkeeper, Ms. Aditi Chauhan has become the India’s first woman to play in West Ham United Ladies Football Club.

  65.  As per the NCRB Report, Madhya Pradesh has highest crime rate among the states. 

  66.  Himadri Station, established in 2008, is India’s first Arctic research station. It is located at Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway.

  67.  The ‘Desi Hoppers’ became the first Indian crew to won the ‘World of Dance’ championship in Los Angeles, California.

  68.  The Union Government has decided to set up Bank Board Bureau (BBB) for Public Sector Banks (PSBs).

  69.  The Union Finance Ministry launched India Aspiration Fund (IAF) to boost start-ups in India. LIC will be the partner and co-investor in the IAF.

  70.  The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) is an Indian government agency responsible for collecting and analysing crime data as defined by the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

  71.  The NASA’s spacecraft, Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) founded the presence of glowing neon gas on the moon’s atmosphere.

  72.  The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has officially recognized ‘Frisbee’ as an Olympic sport.

  73.   Mr. Rajiv Mehrishi has been appointed as Union Home Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs for a period of two years.

  74.  Mr. Ajit Kumar Seth has been appointed as the Chairman of the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB).

  75.  On August 31, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia and Trinidad and Tobago celebrate their Independence Day. On August 31, 1991 Kyrgyzstan became an independent nation after the break up of Soviet Union. Trinidad and Tobago got independence from the United Kingdom on August 15, 1962 and Malaysia got independence from the United Kingdom on August 31,1957.

  76.  India has gifted its former Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Ship Varaha to Sri Lanka. The patrol ship was in the service of the island nation since 2006 and it was rechristened ‘Sagara’ by Sri Lanka.

  77.  The state government of Himachal Pradesh launched RISHTA project, an efficient smart LED based street lighting project. The RISHTA project stands for Rajiv Gandhi Illuminating Scheme for Hill Town Advancement.

  78.  The 21st edition of the Delhi Book Fair 2015 has been launched at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. It is based on the theme of ‘Skill Development’, to offer people an idea about skill development.

  79.  The Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister, Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan has launched SAHAJ scheme for online release of new LPG connections for the consumers as parts of its consumer friendly initiative in New Delhi.

  80.  The Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi launched the digital version of epic “Ramcharitmanas”, as a set of digital CDs prepared by All India Radio (AIR). The great epic poem, Ramcharitmanas was composed by the 16th-century Indian bhakti poet Goswami Tulsidas ji in Awadhi language.

  81.  Maldives has highest GDP per capita (current prices) followed by Sri Lanka, Bhutan.

  82.  The Online property search portal, Housing.com has acquired Bengaluru-based HomeBuy360 (HB360) for $2 million or Rs 13 crore.

  83.  The second version of an open source web based tool, India Energy Security Scenarios 2047 calculator (IESS 2047) has been launched by the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog.

  84.  Kochi has become the first city in India to be a member of Beijing-headquartered World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) Council.

  85.  Tennis ace Ms. Sania Mirza has been conferred with Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award 2015. She became the second tennis player to receive the country’s highest sporting honour after Leander Paes.

  86.  The Netravali wildlife sanctuary is located in South Eastern Goa. Recently, here the new frog species “Netravali Leaping Frog (Indirana salelkari)” has been discovered.

  87.  Ghirmay Ghebreslassie (19) became the the first teenager to won the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, China. He is an Eritrean long distance runner who specialises in the marathon.

  88.  The Chengalikodan banana variety from Thrissur district of Kerala has been accorded Geographical Indication (GI) status by the Chennai based Central GI registry.

  89.  Saina Nehwal became the first Indian to win silver medal in the 2015 World Badminton Championship.

  90.  The Balbir Singh Senior Hockey Foundation has been launched in Mohali.

  91.  The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) has won the Esri Special Achievement in GIS Award 2015 for exemplary work in Dairy Geographical Information System. This institute was founded by Dr. Verghese Kurien in 1965 at Anand, Gujarat. He was the chief architect who made India the largest milk producer in the world and is best known as the “Father of the White Revolution” in India.

  92.  Tripura Legislative Assembly passed resolution on abolishing death penalty.

  93.  India’s leading car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki launched its first premium crossover “S-Cross” in India.

  94.  The Delhi government banned on the sale of all blood-thinning medicines viz. aspirin and ibuprofen without prescription in the national capital, as these pills causes harm to dengue patients.

  95.  Social Endeavour for Health And Telemedicine (SEHAT) venture with the Apollo Hospitals is expected to connect 60,000 Common Service Centres (CSCs) across the country to a common network and provide healthcare access to millions of citizens irrespective of geographical location or connectivity.

  96.  The first Sunhak Peace Prize 2015 was awarded to President of Kiribati Islands Mr. Anote Tong and noted Indian agricultural scientist Dr. Modadugu Vijay Gupta.

  97.  Ms. Suhasini Haidar, the diplomatic and strategic affairs editor at The Hindu, won the Prem Bhatia Memorial Award for the Best Political Reporting-2015.

  98.  The Government of India (GoI) and the World Bank signed the financing agreement for the assistance of National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project- I & II

  99.  The Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award 2014-15 has been conferred by the President Mr. Pranab Mukherjee to the following recipients viz. ITBP officer Mr. Jot Singh (Mountaineering), Ms. Arunima Sinha (Mountaineering), Wg. Cdr. Paramveer Singh (Aqua Sport), Lt. Col Satyendra Verma (Sky diving) and Col. Satish Chander Sharma (Mountaineering) at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi

  100.               Infosys has launched three new-age IT services viz. design thinking, platforms and knowledge-based IT, through an umbrella offering called Aikido.

  101.               To empower gram panchayats, the Telangana Chief Minister Mr. K. Chandrasekhar Rao launched a flagship programme “Grama Jyothi” at Gangadevipally, a village in Warangal district.

  102.               India’s largest private sector bank, ICICI Bank, launched ‘Saral-Rural Housing Loan’ at base rate of 9.70 % for borrowers from the rural areas.

  103.               The global electronics manufacturing giant, Taiwan-based Foxconn Technology Group signed an MoU with the state government of Maharashtra

  104.               India hosted the 10th World Hindi Conference in Bhopal on September 10-12, 2015. The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Hindi Jagat: Vistar avm sambhavnai (the world of Hindi: expansion and possibilities)’. The 1st World Hindi Conference was held in Nagpur in 1975. The last conference was held in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2012.

  105.               In context of recently launched scheme “Suraksha Bandhan”, a Jeevan Suraksha Gift Cheque 351 was available in bank branches.

  106.               The Larsen and Toubro (L&T) has become the first Indian private firm to get license from Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to manufacture Lakshya.

  107.               The Tourism Minister of Goa, Mr. Dilip Parulekar won the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) – Safari India South Asia Travel Award in the category for ‘Best Innovated Tourism Minister’ for the year 2015.

  108.               To boost the trade and commerce in seafood sector, the Government of India (GoI) will organise the ‘India International Seafood’ show in Chennai on January, 2016.

  109.               The Direct Benefit Transfer on LPG (DBTL) or Pahal Scheme has been acknowledged by the Guinness Book of World Records for being the largest cash transfer program (households).Till date, 13.9 crore LPG consumers have joined the PAHAL scheme. 

  110.               The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a poly-herbal medicine “Lukoskin” for the treatment of leucoderma (white patches on skin). 

  111.               The Kannada poet and freedom fighter Mr. Kayyara Kinhanna Rai (101) passed away at Badiyadkka in Kasaragod district, Kerala.

  112.               The Indian socio-biologist Mr.Raghavendra Gadagkar bestowed with Germany’s highest civilian honour “the Cross of Order of the Merit” for contribution in the field of behavioural ecology and sociobiology.

  113.               To aid digital literacy in Bihar, the Telecom Minister Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad has launched a mobile app ”Disha” in Bihar. 

  114.               The Union Minority Affairs Minister Dr. Najma Heptullah has launched an ambitious scheme “Nai Manzil” for minorities.

  115.               The US-based online taxi aggregator, Uber cabs tied up with Airtel to set up WiFi hotspots in each of its cabs. Mumbai will be the first city in India to enjoy free high-speed internet from Uber, powered by Airtel 4G.

  116.               As per recently released data by US Department of Agriculture (DoA), India is the world’s largest exporter of beef in FY-2015.

  117.               The country’s largest lender, the State Bank of India (SBI) launched a mobile wallet app “SBI Buddy” in collaboration with Accenture and MasterCard.

  118.               The Maharashtra government has declared the northern part of Thane Creek as a flamingo sanctuary under Section 18 of the Wildlife (Protection Act), 1972,

  119.               The Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh has become the first district in India to have highest number of e-toilets (461) in its schools. 

  120.               The Swachh Bharat Ranking of 476 cities has released by the Ministry of Urban Development.

  121.               Former Indian Cricketer Saurav Ganguly appointed as the social ambassador of Beverage Maker Coca Cola India and signed a 3-year contract till 2017.

  122.               As per section 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code, the Rajasthan high court banned “Santhara” or a religious fast to death practised by followers of Jainism.

  123.               Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) commissioned the 500 MW Unit-13 of Vindhyachal Super Thermal Power Station (STPS), Stage-V of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) in Vindhyanagar in Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh.

                                                             :)