CURRENT AFFAIRS...

Sreedhar’s CCE CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE- AUGUST-2019

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CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE – AUGUST-2019 PERSONS IN NEWS

American actor, producer, and a professional wrestler, Dwayne Johnson, popularly known by his ring name “The Rock” has officially announced his retirement from WWE.

India's transsexual woman Naaz Joshi was crowned Miss World Diversity 2019. This event was held in Port Louis, Mauritius.

FIFA’s adjudicatory chamber of the independent ethics committee banned former Nigeria coach of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Samson Siasia for a lifetime.

Former Australian pace bowler Mitchell Johnson has been elected as an Honorary Life Member of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).

Lt General Anil Puri has become the first serving Lieutenant General-rank officer of the Indian Army to complete 1200 km of France’s oldest and toughest cycle competition.

The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) decided to rename Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium as Arun Jaitley Stadium in the memory of its former president of DDCA.

West Indies cricket player Cecil Wright with a career spanning 60 years announced his retirement from all forms of cricket at the age of 85.

Ajantha Mendis, the mystery spinner from Sri Lanka, has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.

APPOINTMENTS

Name of the Person Name of the Organization

Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri Ombudsman and ethics officer of the IFSG

Rakesh Asthana Additional charge of the Narcotics Control Bureau

Ravi Capoor Secretary of Ministry of Textiles

Guruprasad Mohapatra Secretary of DPIIT

Girraj Prasad Gupta Controller General of Accounts (CGA) in New Delhi

Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri 22nd Speaker of the Karnataka legislative assembly

Atish Dabholkar New director of Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP)

Siddhartha Mohanty MD and CEO of LIC Housing Finance

Debashis Chatterjee MD and CEO of MindTree

John Flint. Noel Quinn Interim CEO of HSBC

Ms. Madhumita Hazarika Bhagat

Next High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Cyprus

Kandikuppa Sreekant Chairman and MD of Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd

Rajesh Kumar Shrivastava New director (exploration) for Oil and Natural Gas Corporation

Dinesh Kumar Khara MD of SBI

Sandeep Kumar Gupta New Director of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC)

Chandrima Shaha 1st woman president of the Indian National Science Academy


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Shri Ghotu Ram Meena Next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Congo

Anurag Adlakha Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of YES Bank

Valentina Elangbam brand ambassador of Chief Minister's Green Manipur Mission

Alejandro Giammattei New president of Guatemala

Madan Lokur New Supreme Court (SC) judge of Fiji

P.T. Usha Member of the Asian Athletics Association’s (AAA) Athletes Commission

Harshad Pandurang Thakur Director of National Institute of Health and Family Welfare

VG Somani New Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) of Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO)

Ravi Shastri Head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team

Madhur Deora President of Paytm

Ravinder Takkar MD and CEO of Idea-Vodafone Ltd

L G Shavendra Silva 23rd Commander of the Sri Lankan Army

Russell Domingo New head coach of Bangladesh Men’s Cricket Team

Vikram Rathour Team India's new batting coach

Abdalla Hamdok New prime minister of Sudan

Ajay Kumar Bhalla New home secretary

Ms. Padmaja Next High Commissioner of India to the Cook Islands

Lionel Aingimea New President of Nauru

Pavan Kapoor Next Ambassador of India to the United Arab Emirates(UAE)

Pramod Agrawal Chairman and Managing Director of Coal India Limited (CIL)

Amit Nayyar New Paytm president

Pramod Chandra Mody Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)

Naresh Takkar MD and CEO of ICRA Ltd

P.K. Sinha Officer on Special Duty in the office of the Prime Minister

NATIONAL

Cabinet has approved the setting up of ISRO Technical Liaison Unit (ITLU) at Moscow in Russia. It will support the ongoing bilateral programmes in space technology.

Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel has launched Atal Community Innovation Centre (ACIC) in Delhi for encourage the spirit of innovation at the community level.

The 30th Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation (PRAGATI) platform was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.

Indian Army and Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) have launched a batch of 10 electric cars in New Dehli to ‘combat air pollution’.

The Center has approved a Kosi-Mechi river interlining project worth Rs 4,900 core in Bihar.

India contributed 5 million USD to the UN Palestine refugee agency and called for ensuring sustained financial support for the organization’s work.


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Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting Shri Prakash Javadekar launched the e-version of Rozgar Samachar with a view to make aspirants aware of job opportunities.

The Department of Heavy Industry has sanctioned 5,595 electric buses under the phase II of Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles (FAME) India scheme.

Union HRD Minister will launch ‘Samagra Shiksha-Jal Suraksha’ to create awareness about Water Conservation among all school students in the country.

The President Shri Ram Nath Kovind has hosted an ‘At Home’ reception for freedom fighters. It was hosted on the occasion of the 77th anniversary of Quit India Day (Aug 9).

The 14th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP14), will take place on September2019 at Greater Noida, India.

Rajnath Singh has approved the extension of Child Care Leave (CCL) benefits to single male service personnel and further, the minimum period of CCL has been reduced to 5 days.

A 3member committee was set up by the govt. to resolve dispute between the Indian Rail-ways and SAIL regarding issues related to the quantity and supply of high-quality steelrails.

The Army has launched Mission Reach Out was chaired by White Knight Corps Commander Lt Gen Paramjit Singh in Jammu.

Indian Railways has cancelled ‘Samjhauta Express’ train after Pakistan suspended operations on its side. It is running between Lahore and Attari.

Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force Ship is a missile destroyer "JS Sazanami", visited Kochi on a 2 day goodwill visit.

Railway Protection Force (RPF) launched a Special Drive with a Code Name "Operation Number Plate” to check and verify unauthorized parking in the railway premises.

Geographical Identity (GI) tag was given to the famous Panchamirtham, an offering of the Palani Dandayuthaswamy temple, in Tamil Nadu.

Under Swachh Bharat Mission, the DEPwD has launched a nationwide Hackathon called “San-Sadhan” for Divvying/ physically challenged people accessible toilets in New Delhi.

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs and GOI has amended the provisions relating to the issue of shares with Differential Voting Rights (DVRs) under the Companies Act, 2013.

Under NCTE the Union Minister of Human Resource Development inaugurated the International Conference titled “Journey of Teacher Education: Local to Global” in Delhi.

The Union HRD Minister launched the world’s biggest project for teacher training named National Initiative on School Teachers Head Holistic Advancement on August 22, 2019.

The IIT Kanpur has developed a kit in collaboration with the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to spread awareness about sexual abuse among children.

As a boost to the chemical industry in the country, Gujarat is to get the country’s first Central Institute of Chemical Engineering & Technology (CICET).

The Indian Railways’ 2nd luxury double-decker Uday (Utkrisht Double-decker Air-conditioned Yatri) Express is to be run between Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada.

DRDO handed over the design of Mobile Metallic Ramp (MMR) to the Indian Army at a ceremony held at DRDO Bhawan, New Delhi.

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri stated that the central government is committed to achieving its target of providing ‘Housing for all’ under PMAY in 2020.


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The two day organized 9th session of India-Kenya Joint Trade Committee (JTC) was held on 19th – 20th August 2019 in New Delhi.

Zambia President Edgar Chagwa Lungu Arrived in New Delhi on a 3days visit (21 August) to India for to participate India and Zambia Business forum.

Discovery India and World Wildlife Fund India have partnered with the Forest Directorate, the government of West Bengal and local communities to preserve Sundarbans.

Union Government is planning to launch an E-Commerce Portal named Bharatcraft for MSME’s.

Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot will inaugurate this “Hunar Haat” at Jawahar Kala Kendra in Jaipur.

The Union Minister for Textiles Smriti Zubin Irani has inaugurated Project SU.RE (Sustainable Resolution) in Mumbai.

The Ministry of Home Affairs notified the opening of 137 mountain peaks for foreigners desirous of obtaining Mountaineering Visa for mountaineering and trekking.

Under the NMEICT, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) launched the National Digital Library of India project.

Amazon India launched Military Veterans Employment programme in order to create opportunities for military veterans and their spouses in partnership with DGR and AWPO.

American aerospace company Boeing has delivered its 11th C-17 Globemaster III Transport Aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF) in order to boost the airlift requirements.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan (Union Minister of Science and Technology) and Trivendra Singh Rawat (CM of Uttarakhand) have jointly inaugurated waste-plastics to diesel plant in Dehradun.

The Union Minister Prahlad Singh Patel has launched an integrated NOC online Application Processing System for National Monuments Authority in New Delhi.

India has become the first country in the world to issue Biometric Seafarer Identity Document (BSID), capturing the facial biometric data of seafarers.

On the occasion of National Sports Day, PM Narendra Modi has launched the Fit India Movement at the Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex in New Delhi.

Cabinet Approval was given for establishment of 75 additional Government Medical Colleges by 2021-22.

The Union Environment Ministry has transferred Rs 47,436 crore to 27 States for afforestation. The amount has been released from the Compensatory Afforestation Fund.

Union Human Resource Development Minister launched one of the world’s largest Integrated Online Junction for School Education ‘Shagun’ in New Delhi.

Air India, India’s national airline, will ban the usage of single-use plastic aboard its flights from October 2, 2019.

ADB President Mr. Takehiko Nakao met India’s PM Modi in New Delhi and committed over $12 billion in lending to India over the next 3 years in support of new flagship initiatives.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes has announced the creation of a five-member special cell "Startup Cell" for startups.

The first ever India-Ghana Foreign Office Consultations was held in New Delhi. List of important MoUs and agreements


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Signed Between Purpose of MOU and Agreements

IIT Madras and National Institute of Ocean Technology

To harness electricity from ocean waves

UNIDO and NISE To initiate a skill development programme for different levels of beneficiaries in the solar thermal energy sector

Chennai City FC and German sports goods supplier "uhlsport"

To support a sustainable growth of football education in India

National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU)

To work jointly to accelerate, expand and achieve the objective of National Solar Mission through training programmes

India and Maldives Training and Capacity Building Programme for Maldivian Civil Servants was operationalised

Army Welfare Housing Organization and Tata Realty & Housing

It enables the personnel of Indian Army to immediately take over dwelling units in 13 ‘Ready to Move in’ projects of the company

Department of Social Justice (DoSJ&E) and National AIDS Control Organization (NACO)

To enhance outreach on HIV/AIDS prevention

Microsoft and Indian School of Business (ISB)

To set up an AI Digital Lab to study issues that are relevant for business and public policy

India Meteorological Department (IMD) and Indian Navy

To hand over Cyclone Detection Radar (CDR) building to naval forces for meteorological purposes

Central TB Division of the Health Ministry and Wadhwani Institute

To explore the application of cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence technology in its fight against tuberculosis (TB)

List of Cabinet approved recently

Cabinet approved Reason

Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019

To address the issue of road safety and to improve the facilitation of the citizens while dealing with transport departments, The Act will amend the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2019

It provides a 330-day timeline for insolvency resolution process and specifies minimum payouts to operational creditors in any resolution plan

Right to Information (Amendment) Act, 2019

To empower the Centre to make rules to decide the tenure, salary, allowances and other terms of service of the Central and State Information Commissions

Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill 2019

It provides for special procedures to deal with terrorist activities, and empowered the government to designate individuals as terrorists on the grounds of terrorism

Introduction Of Chit Funds (Amendment) Bill, 2019

To reduce the regulatory or compliance burden of the registered Chit Funds Industry and protects the interests of the Chit subscribers

Finance Bill 2019 It gives effect to the financial proposals of the Central Government for the financial year 2019-20

Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill 2019

To increase the number of judges in the SC from the present 30 to 33, excluding the Chief Justice of India (CJI). It amends the


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Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956

Consumer Protection Bill, 2019 Which replaces the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 It seeks to establish authorities for timely and effective administration and settlement of consumer disputes

Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019

A transgender person as one whose gender does not match the gender assigned at birth and according to 2011 Census

National Institute of Design (Amendment) Bill, 2019

To declare the 4 NID in Andhra Pradesh, MP, Assam and Haryana as institutions of national importance

Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA) (Amendment) Bill 2019

To increases the threshold of annual passenger traffic for major airports from 15 lakh to over 35 lakh passengers. It amends the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India Act, 2008

National Medical Commission Bill, 2019

It aims mega reforms in the medical education sector and will replace the nearly 63-year-old Indian Medical Council Act

Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Act 2019

To make India hub of domestic and global arbitration for settling commercial disputes. It will amend Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996.

INTERNATIONAL

The tourism minister of Sri Lanka, “John Amaratunga” announced that Indian tourists are exempted from visa fees which range from $20 to $40 with effect from August 1, 2019.

To mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the Sikhism founder, a Nagar Kirtan (Sikh religious procession) was taken out for 1st time after Independence from Nanakana Sahib of Pakistan’s Punjab province to Attari village in Amritsar.

President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated exhibitions on Mahatma Gandhi and Khadi at the "Ebunjan Theatre" in the Gambia to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Gandhi.

The cabinet of Netherlands imposed a ban on Burqa or niqab in public places and health and education institutions. Anyone found guilty will have to pay a fine of Rs 28,000.

For the first time in 25 years, the United States (US) has labeled China as a currency manipulator.

Bangladesh signed a deal with Russia for the supply of uranium for its 2400 MW Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP).

The Pakistan National Security Council (NSC), chaired by the PM of Pakistan Imran Khan decided to downgrade diplomatic ties with India and suspend bilateral trade.

Iran has unveiled 3 precision-guided air-to-air missiles named the "Yasin", "Balaban" and "Ghaem" were developed jointly by the ministry and Sa Iran (Iran Electronics Industries).

Mr Piyush Goyal led a high-power delegation to explore the opportunities for enhancing trade and investment from India to the Far East region of Russia at Vladivostok, Russia.

A newly discovered Kajin Sara lake (5200 meters) in Manang district of Nepal is all set to record the world’s highest lake. It will replace the Tilicho Lake.

External Affairs Minister visited (August 11-13, 2019) Beijing, China for India-China Media Forum on cultural and people-to-people exchanges and signed 5 MoUs during the visit.


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India contributed $1 million to reform the UN Development system by contributing to the UN Special Purpose Trust Fund (SPTF) for the resident coordinator system.

Iceland commemorated the loss of 1st glacier "Okjokull", lost due to climate change. Pakistan Prime Minister Office has announced a 3-year extension of General Qamar

Javed Bajwa's tenure as Chief of Army Staff. External Affairs Minister of India has made a 2-day visit to Bangladesh (August 19-20,

2019) to review bilateral relations. Vice President Venkaiah Naidu went on a visit to 3-Nations Lithuania, Latvia and

Estonia from August 17-21, 2019 to enhance India’s bilateral ties with each of the three countries.

Pakistan has been placed on the blacklist of the Financial Action Task Force’s Asia Pacific Group.

External Affairs Minister of India has made a 2-day visit to Nepal (August 21-22, 2019) for participating 5th Joint Commission Meeting 2019 between India and Nepal.

Russia launched the world's first floating nuclear reactor. The vessel weighs 21,000 tons and has two reactors with a capacity of 35 megawatts each.

4th United States-India Maritime Security Dialogue was held in California, U.S. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched redevelopment project of the 200-year-old

Sri Krishna temple in Manama, Bahrain. PM Narendra Modi has launched the RuPay card, making the UAE the first country in

the Middle East to initiate the Indian indigenous system of electronic payment. India and France will jointly built and operate the world’s first space-based automatic

identification system (AIS) to track merchant ships on a real-time basis. Johnson and Johnson has been ordered to pay $572 million for Opioid addiction crisis

in the US. Indian High Commissioner to Madagascar Abhay Kumar and Antananarivo’s Mayor

Lalao Ravalomanana jointly inaugurated a restored commemorative plaque of the Mahatma Gandhi road in Antananarivo, Madagascar.

External Affairs Minister of India Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has paid a visit to two nations Russia and Hungary from August 25-28, 2019 to review bilateral relations.

The President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo stated that the government has chosen sparsely populated East Kalimantan province on forested Borneo island, known for orangutans for its new capital.

BANKING

India Post Payments Bank has decided to convert into a small finance bank. RBI has opened a new route to allow domestic banks directly sell their NPAs in

manufacturing and infrastructure sectors to investors abroad as part of the one-time settlement (OTS) on behalf of the borrowing company.

RBI has allowed Bank of China to offer regular banking services in India. SBI's Shanghai branch has connected to China's National Advance Payment System

(CNAPS) for the first time by an Indian Bank. Karnataka Bank has tied up with fintech company Finwizard Technology to offer wealth

management products and services through the bank’s KBL Mobile Plus app. Federal Bank has launched a digital facility for instant online opening of Demat

accounts for its customers. RBI will make available NEFT system on a 24x7 basis from December 2019 as per the

Payment System Vision 2021 document.


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ADB has approved USD 200 million loans for improving road infrastructure in 34 districts of Maharashtra to connect rural areas with markets and services.

The Task Force formed by RBI on Offshore Rupee Markets headed by Usha Thorat has recommended the extension of onshore market hours from 9 am - 5 pm to 9 am - 9 pm.

Jana Small Finance Bank has got the status of a Scheduled Bank. Indian Bank has entered into a corporate agency agreement with Cholamandalam MS

General Insurance Company Ltd. Business-Business payments startup company EnKash launched the country’s first

corporate credit card called ‘Freedom Card’ for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and startups.

RBL Bank, one of India’s fastest-growing private sector banks and Practo ,a digital healthcare platform have jointly launched co-branded health-focused credit card called “RBL Bank Practo Plus” powered by Mastercard.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved US $200 million loan for Road Infrastructure Improving project in Maharashtra’s 34 districts for better connecting rural areas with markets and services.

According to the National Payments Corporation of India ,Aadhaar enabled Payment System has crossed the milestone of over 200 million transactions during July 2019.

Denmark's third-largest bank, Jyske Bank, has launched the world's 1st negative interest rate home loan, where the charge is -0.5% a year.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked banks not to count failed transactions at ATMs due to technical reasons as part of "free ATM transactions" permitted every month.

The State Bank of India (SBI) has announced that it is planning to dilute stake in its credit card subsidiary, SBI Cards and Payment Services, through an initial public offering.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is looking to formalise policies to link loan rates to the repo rate.

The Reserve Bank of India has permitted processing of e-mandate on credit and debit cards for recurring transactions (merchant payments). The maximum limit for such a transaction will be Rs 2,000.

India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the timings of Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) transactions by an hour from 7 AM instead of 8 AM with effect from August 26, 2019, with the aim to increase the availability of the RTGS system.

Acko General Insurance, an insurtech company, has partnered with ZestMoney, a consumer lending fintech, to offer credit insurance

Balkan country Serbia becomes 73rd non-regional member of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) Sets Up 4-Member Panel To Examine Bank Frauds Above Rs 50 Crore.

The Reserve Bank of India has approved the transfer of record Rs 1.76 lakh crore dividend and surplus reserves to the government.

SIDBI partnered with Incuspaze soluctions Private Limited to open co-working space for MSMEs.

RBI has issued guidelines on Interest Subvention Scheme (ISS) for Kisan Credit Card (KCC) to Fisheries and Animal Husbandry farmers during the year 2018-19 and 2019-20.

Canara Bank has launched India’s first OTP facility for ATM withdrawals. The bank will activate OTP facility for cash withdrawals of 10, 000 or more in a day.


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Apex bank of the country, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) extended the banking license of Rupee Cooperative Bank Ltd till November 30, 2019.

The country’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India(RBI) has again extended the deadline for prepaid payment instruments (PPIs), including digital wallets, to do full KYC(Know your customer) by six months(till February 28, 2020).

In a bid to promote digital payments, an umbrella organisation for operating retail payments in India, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has rationalised merchant discount rates (MDR) for BHIM UPI (Unified Payment Interface) transactions.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

IIT-Hyderabad scientists have developed low-cost, environment-friendly solar cells by employing an off-the-shelf dye used to make kumkum or vermilion.

Researchers from China and USA have developed a new computer model to predict India’s air pollution levels.

The scientists from IIT-Kanpur have developed the world’s first robot hand for the rehabilitation of stroke patients.

The first potentially habitable world outside our own solar system of the super-earth ‘GJ 357 d’ has discovered by NASA’s Translating Exoplanets Survey Satellite (TESS).

Flipkart has launched ‘Samarth’ initiative for weavers, artisans and makers of handicrafts to sell the goods on the internet.

As a part of Digital India initiative and bring technology to farmers, the minister for Earth Science, Science and Technology Dr. Harsh Vardhan has launched a new mobile application ‘Meghdoot’ to help farmers in New Delhi.

ISRO Chairman-Dr. K Sivan has laid foundation stone for Space Situational Awareness Control Centre at Peenya in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

India test-fired a sophisticated all-weather & all-terrain 2 Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missiles (QRSAM) from Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, Odisha.

Scientists have developed an automated system that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to detect and capture fast radio bursts (FRBs) in real-time.

Iran has unveiled three precision-guided missiles ‘Yasin’, ‘Balaban’ and ‘Ghaem’. Researchers at ‘IIT-Guwahati’ have developed a portable device to detect bacteria

without cell culture or microbiological assays. IIT-Madras has partnered with National Institute of Ocean Technology to harness

electricity from ocean waves. SpaceX’s rocket Falcon 9 loaded with Israel’s AMOS-17 communication satellite has

successfully lifted off from a space centre in Florida. World’s largest parrot ‘Heracles inexpectatus’ that lived 19 million years ago has been

discovered in New Zealand. India’s first-of-its-kind clinical ecotoxicology facility was inaugurated at the All India

Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi. The Union Minister for Human Resource Development (MHRD) Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal

‘Nishank’ launched “Shagun” which is one of the world’s largest Integrated Online Junction for school education to improve the school education system.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched a year-long programmes and functions to commemorate the Birth centenary (100 years) of its founder and eminent space scientist Dr. Vikram Sarabhai.


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Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad and Dr. B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology (NIT) Jalandhar (Punjab) researchers have developed a process by which bone implant materials can be synthesized from eggshells which are dumped as waste.

For the first time, a team of Researchers led by Ramaprabhu Sundara at Indian Institute of Technology(IIT) Madras has fabricated a rechargeable iron ion battery designed using mild steel as the anode.

Astronomers from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Germany discovered a Super Massive Black Hole (SMBH) with a mass of 40 billion suns (40 billion solar masses).

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) develops Multimodal Robotic System called “GraspMan”.

Karnataka Government categorised Nicotine as “class A poison” Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) hands over Mobile Metallic

Ramp (MMR) design to the Indian army. Iran has unveiled new missile defence system "Bavar-373". Russia launched an unmanned rocket carrying a life-size humanoid robot named Fedor,

(Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research). Proposal to declare ocean energy as renewable energy was approved by R K Singh,

Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister. Intel launched its first artificial intelligence chip ‘Spring Hill’. All traffic signals across Hyderabad (Telangana) will be made dynamic and will change

with real-time traffic data from Google Maps. Russia launched world’s 1st floating nuclear reactor called Akademik Lomonosov. IIT-Guwahati (Assam), have developed a fully grown meat in their Biomaterial and

Tissue Engineering laboratory. A mobile app ‘IndTokyo’ was launched to help para-athletes to look up accessible places

in Tokyo during their visit to the city for the 2020 Paralympics Games. Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal has launched 'QR Code Scheme' on Himmat Plus app

for women safety and security. The Pakistan army successfully test-fired its 290km range surface to surface(SSM) name

“Ghaznavi” during its night training launch.

ECONOMY

Union Ministry of Finance imposed definitive anti-dumping duty on all imports of Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA) from South Korea and Thailand.

India is the 7th largest economy in the world at $2.73 trillion by World Bank data for 2018

Mukesh Ambani stated that Saudi Arabia’s most profitable oil company Saudi Aramco will buy 20 % stake of RIL’s oil and chemicals business for about $15 billion.

West Bengal is at the top for GDP growth rate recording 12.58 per cent during 2018-19. Consumer affairs ministry releases draft e-commerce norms for consumer protection. As per the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), India’s GDP to

grow at 6.2% in FY 2019-20, down from 6.8% in 2018-19. B2B payments startup EnKash launched the India’s first Corporate Credit card called

‘Freedom Card’ for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and startups. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) launched Digi Vyapari- Safal Vyapari to

accelerate usage of digital payments in the country. OYO Hotels partners with ACKO General Insurance will launch complimentary insurance

cover up to Rs.10 lakh for guests at its hotels across India.


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National Payments Corporation of India has announced that Aadhaar enabled Payment System has crossed the 200 million transactions during July 2019.

According to a recent report of Australia and New Zealand Bank Group (ANZ), India’s GDP growth expected to grow by 6.2 % in 2019 (FY-20).

The United States slashed the aid to cash-strapped Pakistan by nearly $440 million, bringing down its commitment to just $4.1 billion.

India’s flag carrier Air India became the country’s 1st airline to operate a commercial flight over the North Pole from Delhi to San Francisco.

The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) plans to launch a new scheme called “Supra” (Scientific and Useful Profound Research Advancement) to fund scientists.

Indian President launches plantation drive in New Delhi as part of Van Mahotsav celebrations.

Mahindra Finance to acquire up to 58.2% stake in Sri Lanka’s Ideal Finance for LKR 2 billion.

According to the report by Nomura, India’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth is set to slow further in the April-June quarter of 2019 to 5.7% year.

Insurtech Company Acko General Insurance has partnered with ZestMoney to offer credit card insurance to its (ZestMoney) customers.

The 225th meeting of Central Board of Trustees (CBT) held at Hyderabad, Telangana. Moody’s Investors Service reduced India’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth

forecast for 2019 calendar year to 6.2% from the previous estimation of 6.8%. Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan launched heritage postal stamp of Bandra station in

Mumbai, Maharashtra on the completion of 150 years of the railway station. A variety of tea grown in Arunachal Pradesh touched the record heights set by Assam

tea. 7 new species of insects that can walk or run on the surface of the water, discovered by

scientists of the ‘Zoological Survey of India’. The Indian Rupee fell sharply against the US dollar to its day's low of 72.25. Fintech startup based in Bangalore ‘MoneyTap’ provides lifetime credit of up to Rs.5

lakh Instantly. The Department of Revenue notified that 2% tax deduction at source (TDS) on cash

withdrawals of over Rs 1 crore will come into effect from September 1, 2019.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

East Bengal club will be awarded India’s first cricket World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev with its highest honour, Bharat Gaurav.

Ruhan Rajput, a renowned entrepreneur, co-founder and Director of Einfolge Technologies Pvt Ltd was awarded the prestigious Entrepreneur Award 2019.

Walmart Inc which acquired Flipkart in 2018($16 Bn) has topped the rankings in India for 2018 with Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV).

India’s transsexual woman Naaz Joshi has been crowned Miss World Diversity 2019 at Port Louis in Mauritius.

Former India cricketer and Bengal captain Arun Lal conferred with Karthik Bose Lifetime Achievement Award of the Cricket Association of Bengal’s (CAB’s) in Kolkata.

Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju conferred the National Youth Awards for 2016-17 on twenty individuals and three organisations.


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Actor Steve Coogan will be felicitated with the Charlie Chaplin Award by the British Academy’s Los Angeles branch, during the 2019 Britannia Awards.

ISRO announces Vikram Sarabhai Journalism Award 2019 to reward journalists who have actively contributed towards the field of space science, applications, and research. .

American tennis player Serena Williams tops the Forbes magazine’s highest paid women in Sports list 2019.

Barcelona Lionel Messi has been awarded UEFA’s Goal of the Season award 2018-19for his free-kick against Liverpool.

NITI Aayog launched 4th edition of Women Transforming India (WTI) Awards, theme for this year is ‘Women and Entrepreneurship’.

The Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) announced 4th edition of National Entrepreneurship Awards 2019.

Indresh Tripathi, a MIG police station in-charge in Indore will be conferred with the National Award for his excellent services at the national level.

Priyam Chatterjee becomes first Indian chef to be awarded the ”Chevalier de l”Ordre du Merite Agricoleto” by the govt of France.

Veteran journalist and consulting editor at India Today TV Rajdeep Sardesai awarded the prestigious 2019 Prem Bhatia Award for political reporting.

President Ram Nath Kovind, who is also the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, has approved 132 Awards to Armed Forces Personnel and members of Paramilitary Forces.

Tamil Nadu government has awarded ISRO Chairman K. Sivan with its Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Award.

Vice President Ramnath Kovind awarded Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman awards to scholars of various languages.

All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is among the 19 sportspersons nominated for Arjuna Award by the 12-Member award selection committee.

Wrestler Bajrang Punia and Paralympics Medalist Deepa Malik have been nominated for India’s highest sporting honour, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna.

Scarlett Johansson tops Forbes' list of the highest-paid actresses, earning $56 million. The United Arab Emirates will honour the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with

the "Order of Zayed", the highest civilian award of the country. A biographical documentary "100 Years of Chrysostum" will receive Guinness Award in

the category of longest documentary. Mumbai Man Chinmay Prabhu creates 2nd time world record for solving Pyraminx

puzzles while riding a bicycle in 1 hour and 7 minutes. Ravinder Takkar appointed as the new MD and CEO of Vodafone Idea replacing Balesh

Sharma. Prasar Bharati will introduce 2 awards namely ‘Neelum Sharma Tejaswini award’ &

‘Achyutananda Sahoo Award’ in honor of Neelum Sharma. Navneeth Murali, an Indian-American teenager from New Jersey, America, has won the

2019 South Asian Spelling Bee contest and earned a grand cash prize of USD 3,000. IIT-Delhi, Ankita Gulati was awarded the NCPEDP-Mphasis Universal Design Award

2019 for developing a multisensory kit named TouchVision.


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According to Forbes magazine’s Worlds Highest-Paid Actors Of 2019 list Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar ranked in the 4th position on the list with worth $65million.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) today conferred its highest civilian award 'Order of Zayed' on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

4th Edition of ANUBHAV awards for 2019 presented by MoS (PP) Dr Jitendra Singh in New Delhi.

Prabhakar Singh, Director General, Central Public Works Department has been chosen for the ‘Eminent Engineer Award for the Year 2019’.

Dr. Jitendra Singh presents 35 Smart Policing Awards at the Homeland Security 2019 conference in New Delhi.

Journalists from Reuters, BBC got top prizes for Excellence in Journalism for 2019 at the Kalinga-FCC Awards held in New Delhi.

American singer and song writer Taylor Swift has topped Forbes magazine’s ‘highest-paid woman in music’ category for the year 2019 with earnings of $185 million (Rs1300 crore).

Wing Commander Shalija Dhami of the Indian Air Force (IAF), became the first-ever female officer to be appointed as flight commander (second in command) of a flying unit.

Five girls from Noida, Uttar Pradesh of team “Tech Witches” were awarded Bronze medal at the 2019 ‘Technovation challenge’, the world’s largest technology and entrepreneurship programme for girls held in San Francisco, United States(US).

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi confers Yoga Awards 2019 to the winners of PM’s Award for Outstanding Contribution for Promotion and Development of Yoga at New Delhi.

For the 2nd time, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) wins the Best Navratna award in manufacturing category at Dun & Bradstreet PSU Awards 2019.

SURVEYS

The co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates with $106 Billion, became the second richest person in the world again by Bloomberg Billionaire Index.

Manipur has topped the rankings in Breastfeeding and Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices in the country.

Walmart acquired Flipkart was ranked first place as the best workplace in India for 2019, by LinkedIn’s list.

India state of Forest report estimated that 29,964 elephants in the country as per the 2017 census which is a bit high compared to the 2012 elephant census having 29,576 elephants.

Odisha government released a Draft Agricultural Policy 2019, to strengthen the social and economic well-being of the farmers, sharecroppers and landless labourers.

Sachin Pilot stated that Rajasthan is the 1st state in the country to implement Biofuel policy rules-2019.

An analysis of the unit-level data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2017-18, 33% Of India’s Skilled Youth Are Jobless.

As per the Henley Passport Index for the year 2019 India slips 5 spots at 86th position of 189 countries.

The 24th Meeting of Western Zonal Council was held in Panaji, Goa, chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.


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English-language monthly magazine ‘Euromoney’ has named DBS bank as the ‘World’s Best Bank’ and is the only bank in the world to concurrently hold three global best bank awards.

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Report for 2018, India failed to comply with the multiple requirements prescribed in Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS).

The rating agency India Ratings & Research (Ind-Ra) downgraded India’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth to a six year low of 6.7% FY20 (Fiscal year 2020).

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of India registered a growth of 5% in April to June quarter of 2019-20 from 8% of 2018-19 quarter.

Digital payments in India have grown with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.7% in the number of non-cash transactions.

India has been pushed to the seventh place in the global GDP rankings in 2018 with the UK and France forging ahead to the fifth and sixth spots by the World Bank.

STATE AFFAIRS

The Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee launched an awareness campaign‘Save Green, Stay Clean’ for preserving the greenery and keeping the environment clean in Kolkata.

Maharashtra became the first state to adopt a digital fingerprint and iris scanning system to aid police investigations.

Mohali traffic police in Punjab have launched India’s first wireless 3-D Smart Traffic Signal System called Intelights for Intelligent Traffic Timer Control to regulate traffic signals with smart bird’s eye view using wireless sensor system.

Haryana Government started 'Mukhya Mantri Parivar Samridhi Yojna’, Rs 6000 per year will be given to each family for providing social security.

Aamir Khan launches Mission Shakti sports initiative by Maharashtra minister Sudhir Mungantiwar to train athletes from Chandrapur and Gadchiroli.

Rajasthan Assembly passed Bills against mob lynching and honour killing, with life imprisonment and a fine up to Rs 5 lakh, to curb honour killing also has a provision of the death penalty for the convict.

Rajasthan government launches new higher education model named Resource Assistance for Colleges with Excellence (RACE).

Andhra Pradesh government will launch the Navodayam scheme, for thousands of ailing Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

The Uttar Pradesh government has extended the MoU with the Netherlands for another 5 years till 2024.

Bengaluru based Housing startup ‘Grexter Living’ which is a co-living provider, has acquired i2Stay.

Uttar Pradesh ‘Vriksharopan Mahakumbh’ drive has created world record after planting More than 22 crore saplings, occasion of 77th anniversary of Quit India Movement.

Uttarakhand has been declared as the Most Film-Friendly State at 66th National Film Awards.

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu launched Mukhya Mantri Krishi Ashirwad Yojana in Jharkhand.

The Department of IT, Biotechnology (BT) and Science & Technology (ST) of Karnataka government launched E-Step, an initiative to empower student start-ups.


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Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik dedicates ‘The Rath’, a steel monument, to the people in Bhubaneswar.

AP CM Jaganmohan Reddy launched ‘Village Volunteer System’ to provide doorstep governance to people involving 2.8Lakh volunteers.

The chief minister of Odisha Shri Naveen Patnaik, launched online revenue payment system Providing people, an easier way to make their land revenue payments-online.

The Chhattisgarh State Government Increases Reservation for Sc from 12% to 13% and Obc from 14% to 27% in State Jobs and Education.

The Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik announced the “Mo Sarkar” initiative for transparency in governance.

The Manipur Governor inaugurated the project ‘Development of North East Circuit: Imphal & Khongjom’ implemented under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme of Ministry of Tourism.

The Odisha Wetland Authority has approved implementation of an integrated management plan of lakes "Chilika and Ansupa".

Manipur CM launching the "School Fagadaba" (Make education better) scheme to improve the infrastructure of government schools in the state.

The Punjab State has announced to bring around 4500 journalists into the ambit of its recently launched flagship universal health insurance scheme “Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana” (SSBY)

The chief minister of Punjab has launched a universal health insurance scheme "Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana" benefiting nearly 46 lakh families.

As per the SARAL Index Karnataka got the top spot with SARAL score of 78.8 as the best state for setting up a rooftop solar project.

The CM of Haryana increased the family income limit of households from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 per month to qualify as Below Poverty Line (BPL) beneficiary.

Gujarat topped the NITI Aayog Report on ‘Composite Water Management Index2019 (CWMI 2.0).

Rajasthan tops in flagship free medicine scheme secured the first rank among the 16 states in India by the National Health Mission (NHM).

According to marine experts of National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) Blue Waves at Beaches of Chennai, Tamil Nadu are bad for fishes.

Karnataka CM appoints 3 Deputy CMs and allocates 14 ministers, the deputy CMs are Mudhol Govind Karjol (68), Dr. C.N. Ashwath Narayan (51) and Lakshman Savadi (59).

Tamil Nadu govt. launches “Kalvi Tholaikkatchi” (Education TV) channel for school students and also 40 ‘Amma’ Patrol Vehicles for security of women and children in public places.

Odisha extended the benefits of the Direct Cash Benefit “Mamata” scheme to the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) meant for women for another 5 years till 2024.

India has granted Geographical Indication (GI) tag to the state of Tamil Nadu for Dindigul lock and Karaikudi Kandangi sarees.

The citizens of Indore (Madhya Pradesh) become number one in Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA), a campaign for water conservation and water security after they got the top spot in Swachhata Abhiyan continuously since the last 3 years.

Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) sets up India’s 1st FinTech centre of excellence-“Fin Blue” in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.


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The Union Minister of Home Affairs, Amit Shah has flagged off the first fleet of eco-friendly e-buses (electric buses) in Ahmedabad, Gujarat to make the city cleaner & greener.

Odisha CM, Naveen Patnaik conferred the Biju Patnaik Awards for Sports, Bravery and State Award for Social Service for the year 2018.

Transport Minister of Delhi Kailash Gehlot stated that the Delhi Cabinet has approved free travel for women in Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses and cluster buses from October 29, 2019.

A 10 week Special campaign to tackle Dengue and Chikungunya was launched by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in New Delhi. The campaign titled “10 Weeks, 10 AM 10 minute every Sunday, War against Dengue”.

SEMINARS AND MEETINGS

Seminars and Meetings Place Theme/Tagline

52nd ASEAN summit Bangkok

4th South Asian Speaker's Summit

Male Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

15th India-US Defence Policy Group meeting, 2019

Washington, United States

8th RCEP Inter-Sessional Ministerial Meeting 2019

Beijing, China

The ScooNews Global Educators Fest (SGEF)

Udaipur Education for Sustainability: Moving on from Conformity to Creativity'

5th edition of International Army Scout Masters Competition(IASMC)

Jaisalmer

7th meeting of India Bangladesh home minister level talks

New Delhi

SCO exercise “Tsentr (centre) 2019”

Orenburg, Russia

3rd International Electric Vehicle (EV) Conclave

Manesar, Haryana

5th edition of the Eastern Economic Forum

Vladivostok, Russia

3-day Global Investors Summit 2019

Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir(J&K)

Naval exercise MILAN 2020 Visakhapatnam

5th Meeting of BRICS Minister of Environment

Sao Paulo, Brazil Partnership on Urban Environmental Sustainability Initiative (PUESI)

14th Edition of KONKAN-19 Bilateral Exercise between the Indian Navy and Royal Navy of Britain

United Kingdom (UK)

Journey of Teacher New Delhi


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Education: Local to Global of NCTE

28th BASIC Ministerial Meeting 2019 on Climate Change

Sao Paulo, Brazil

5th meeting of India-Nepal Joint Commission

Kathmandu, Nepal

The 8th edition of Hand-in-Hand (HiH)Military exercise 2019 between India, China

Meghalaya

9th Session of India-Kenya Joint Trade Committee

New Delhi

The World Economic Forum (WEF) 2019

New Delhi Innovating for India: Strengthening South Asia, Impacting the World

SAARC Foreign Ministers’ informal meeting

Nepal

Two-day National Conference on Varmam Science

Chennai, Tamil Nadu

First World Youth Conference on Kindness

Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: Gandhi for the Contemporary World

225th meeting of Central Board of Trustees (CBT)

Hyderabad, Telangana

India and the United States held a bilateral 2+2 Intersessional meeting

Monterey, California

4th edition of Internet of Things (IoT) India Congress 2019

Bengaluru, Karnataka Mainstreaming the Internet of Things

The 45th G7 Summit 2019 Biarritz, France

The air forces of China and Pakistan began joint exercise ‘Shaheen-VIII’

Chinese city of Holton

The 2019 Indo Pacific Chiefs of Defence (CHOD) Conference

Bangkok, Thailand Collaboration in a free and Open Indo - Pacific

7th 'Community Radio Sammelan'

New Delhi ‘Community Radio for SDGs’

Digital Governance Tech Summit 2019

New Delhi

PLACES IN NEWS

A two-year UK-India joint initiative, the “Innovation for Clean Air” (IfCA) was launched in Bengaluru to test interventions related to equality and support India’s transition to EV (electric vehicles) integration.


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Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in collaboration with Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) will work together to promote the pashmina products at the high-level market for the proper value of this fine product of pashmina (Lena-Ladakhi).

The health minister of Madhya Pradesh, Tulsi Ram Silawat released Madhya Pradesh Action Plan for Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance (MP-SAPCAR) in Bhopal.

The Uttar Pradesh (UP) government has extended the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Netherlands for another 5 years till 2024.

The Andhra Pradesh government will launch the Navodayam scheme to provide a lifeline to stressed MSMEs by ensuring that all eligible units are permitted for the one-time restructuring of accounts up to March 31, 2020.

Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Sachin Pilot stated that Rajasthan is the 1st state in the country that released biofuel rules-2019.

9 day long National tribal festival “Aadi Mahotsav” started in Leh-Ladakh with theme of “A celebration of the spirit of Tribal Craft, Culture and Commerce”.

Under the Prime Minister’s project of Digital India, the Banjari village of Katni district becomes the 1st village in Madhya Pradesh (MP) to become an integral part of the digital map of the country.

The Uttarakhand government has decided to form a Special Tiger Force for Corbett Tiger Reserve. The STPF will be effective in checking illegal human intrusion into the reserve through villages located on its fringes.

Chief Minister of Meghalaya launched the ‘Walk to Work’ campaign as a part of Fit India Movement which has been launched in the country by the Prime Minister.

SPORTS

Australia all-rounder Ellyse Perry became the first cricketer of either gender to reach the rare milestone of scoring 1000 runs and taking 100 wickets in the T20 format.

Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar clinched a yellow metal in Men's Rifle 3 Positions (3P) at XII Sardar Sajjan Singh Sethi Memorial Masters shooting competition held in New Delhi.

Four football players named Kursanbek Sheratov, Vladimir Verevkin and Iliaz Alimov (all Kyrgyzstan), and Abdulaziz Mahkamov (Tajikistan) have been banned for life by AFC (Asian Football Confederation) for match-fixing at the AFC Cup in the year of 2017 and 2018.

The Magomed Salam Umakhanov Memorial International Boxing Tournament 2019 was held in Kaspiysk, Russia. India got 6 medals (2 golds, 1silver, and 3 bronze). Indian Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) defeated Italy’s Assunta Canfora and Neeraj (57kg) defeated Russia’s Malika Shakhidova to clinched gold medals.

Satwiksairaj and Chirag Shetty created history to become the first Indian doubles pair to win a Super 500 title in Thailand Open held in Bangkok. Chou Tien-chen (Taiwan) and Chen Yufei (China) won Men’s and Women’s single titles respectively.

Hungarian Grand prix won by Lewis Hamilton while Max Verstappen. Vinesh Phogat won her 3rd consecutive gold in women’s 53kg defeated Roksana

(Poland) in the Poland Open Wrestling Tournament in Warsaw, Poland. Steve Smith (Former Australian captain) has overtaken Virat Kohli to become the 2nd

fastest batsman to score 25 test centuries against England. The chart is topped by Australian cricketer, Sir Don Bradman.

Indian men’s 20km race walk team win upgraded bronze after finished 4th in the IAAF World Race Walking Cup held back in 2012 at Saransk, Russia.


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Bangalore will host the 10th AASF (Asia Swimming Federation) Asian Age Group Championships 2019. The 9th AASF Asian Age Group Championships was held in Uzbekistan in 2017.

Germany’s cancer researcher Fiona Kolbinger became the first woman to win cycling’s Transcontinental Race 2019 from Bulgaria to France (more than 2,485 miles).

The Washington Open (Citi Open) 2019 was held in United States. Nick Kyrgios (Australia), Jessica Pegula (America) are won Men and Women’s singles titles respectively.

The World Archery (WA) has suspended the Archery Association of India (AAI) due to the internal factionalism (dispute and disagreements within the body).

National sports awards to athletes and coaches will be decided by a 12 member panel include M.C. Mary Kom and former Indian football team captain Bhaichung Bhutia. The committee is headed by retired Supreme Court Judge, Justice Mukundakam Sharma.

Indian Wrestler Bajrang Punia won gold in 65kg men’s freestyle competition at Tbilisi Grand Prix 2019 against Iran’s Peiman Bibyani, was held Tbilisi, Georgia.

Indian motorsport rider, Aishwarya Pissay (Bengaluru) became the first woman from India as well as the first Indian to win the FIM (Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme) Bajas World cup 2019, was held in Hungary.

2019 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Senior Championships, officially YONEX BWF World Senior Badminton Championships Katowice 2019 held in Poland. Ajith Haridas and Vijay Lancy of India won the men’s doubles 40-plus title.

Indian junior shuttlers won 6 medals (3 gold,1 silver, and 2 bronze) at the Bulgarian Junior International Championships 2019 held in Bulgaria.

2019 Rogers Cup/ Canadian open presented by National Bank of Canada was held in Canada.

Rafael Nadal (Spain) wins the Men’s Singles title by defeating Medvedev (Russia).

Bianca Andreescu (Canada) wins Women’s single title by defeating Serena Williams.

Women’s T20 cricket, beach volleyball and Para-table tennis are the 3 new sports which are including in the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2022, held in Birmingham.

India’s U-19 cricket team wins U-19 Tri-series 2019 by beating Bangladesh.

American Artistic gymnast Simone Arianne Biles became the first woman in the world to make a “triple-double” floor exercise landing at the 2019 US Gymnastics Championships held at Missouri, US.

India won the T20 Physical Disability (PD) World Cricket Series 2019 by defeating England held at Worcester, England.

Wrestler Deepak Punia won gold in 86-kg junior freestyle category by beating Alik Shebzukhov (Russia) at the Junior World Championships 2019 held at Tallinn, Estonia.

Vicky Chahar (92kg) defeated Batmagnai Eenkhtuvshin to get bronze medal.

The Indian Army team won the title of 5th edition of ‘International Army Scout Masters Competition 2019’ held in Jaisalmer Military Station, Rajasthan.

Liverpool FC won the 44th UEFA Super Cup 2019 by beating Chelsea at Istanbul, Turkey.


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Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) headed by Kapil Dev, former Indian cricketer, unanimously re-appointed Ravi Shastri as the head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team for 2 years, ending with the 2021 T20 (Twenty 20) World Cup in India.

18th edition of World Police and Fire Games (WPFG) 2019, held at Chengdu in China. Ashish Kapoor (AIG in Vigilance Bureau) of Punjab has clinched 2 gold for India in both singles and doubles Tennis events.

CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) have won 10 medals (5 Gold, 3 Silver & 2 Bronze medals) for India. Manjit won a gold medal in wrestling (86kg category).

WPFG-2021: World Police and Fire Games 2021 will be held in Rotterdam, Netherlands. WPFG-2023: Winnipeg, Canada

The 2019 World Youth chess championship is to be held in Mumbai.

The 28-member Advisory Committee under the chairmanship of sports minister Kiren Rijiju was formed for Fit India Movement which aims to encourage people to inculcate physical activity and sports in their everyday lives.

According to the CEO of BCCI Rahul Johri, Paytm will continue as the title sponsor of the Indian cricket board’s domestic and international matches till 2023.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) suspended the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) of India for 6 months with effect from August 20, 2019.

India won 2 golds and 1 bronze in World Archery Youth Championships held in Madrid, Spain. Raginee Markoo and Singh Sukhbeer won India’s first gold medal and the second gold was earned by Komalika Bari.

Total 2019 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships was held in Basel, Switzerland.

PV Sindhu wins women’s singles title by defeating Nozomi Okuhara (Japan).

Kento Momota (Japan) wins Men’s Singles by defeating Anders Antonsen (Denmark).

Lt Gen Anil Puri becomes 1st serving general to complete France’s oldest Marathon (1200 km) cycling event.

The Gokulam Kerala (FC) defeated Mohun Bagan team in 2019 Durand cup (129th edition) held in Kolkata.

Marcus Joseph (Gokulam Kerala FC)- Golden Boot and Golden Ball award for top goal scoring and best player category respectively.

CK Ubaid (Gokulam Kerala FC)- Golden Glove award for outstanding. Alex Rins (Spain) of Suzuki motors won the 2019 GoPro British Grand Prix MotoGP race

at Silverstone circuit, United Kingdom (UK). Honda’s Marc Marquez stands at second. 12th edition of 2019 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Para-Badminton World

Championships was held in Basel, Switzerland. China topped the list of the medal with a total of 13 medals (7 Gold, 3 Silver & 3 Bronze), followed by Indonesia with 10 medals (4 Gold, 2 Silver & 4 Bronze) and India with 12 medals (3 Gold, 4 Silver & 5 Bronze).

Kalinga Stadium (Bhubaneswar) will be host upcoming Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2020.

The 45th Edition of the World Skills International Competition for the year 2019, was held at Kazan, Russia, inaugurated by the Dmitry Medvedev (PM of Russia). India finished 13th out of 63 countries with 1 Gold, 1 Silver and 2 Bronze medals along with


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15 Medallions of Excellence. S Aswatha Narayana won a Gold in Water Technology was also awarded as ‘Best of Nation ’in the Indian competitors.

Ashish Kasodekar (Pune) becoming the 1st Indian to complete the 555 kms long 10th edition of ‘La Ultra The High’ marathon 2019 held in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).

Saidan Secondary School of Mizoram won the Subroto Cup International Football tournament title 2019 by defeating Unique Model Academy, Manipur in the U-14 boys’ category in New Delhi.

SPECIAL DAYS

DATE SPECIAL DAY THEME

1st -7th August World breastfeeding week Empower parents, Enable Breastfeeding

6th August Hiroshima Day

7th August 5th National Handloom day

9th August Nagasaki Day

International Day of the World’s Indigenous People 2019

Indigenous Languages

10th August World Biofuel Day Production of Biodiesel from Used Cooking Oil (UCO)

12th August International Youth Day Transforming education

World elephant day

13th August World organ donation day

International Left-Handers Day

15th August 73rd Independence Day of India

19th August World photography day

World Humanitarian Day

20th August Sadbhavana Divas(75th birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi)

21st August World Senior Citizen Day

22nd August International Day for Victims of Acts of Violence based on Religion or Belief

23rd August International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition

Remember Slavery: The Power of the Arts for Justice

26th August Women’s Equality Day

29th August National Sports Day

The International Day against Nuclear Tests (IDANT)

30th August International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances


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BOOKS AND AUTHORS

Name of the Book Author Speaks About

Tools and Weapons: The Promise and The Peril of

the Digital Age

Brad Smith and Carol Ann Browne

The book depicts the biggest stories of Microsoft

Super Century-What India Must Do To Rise by

2050 Raghav Bahl

The Book of gutsy Women

Hilary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton

To honour famous women personalities

Resurgent India Bimal Jalan

About key priorities implemented by the new government in the national interest, irrespective of the political agenda of the party that comes to power

Listening, Learning & Leading

M.Venkaiah Naidu

This book is based on Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu’s two years in office. The book captures glimpses of the Vice President’s 330 public engagements across the country during this period.

Lessons Life Taught Me, Unknowingly

Anupam Kher Veteran actor Anupam Kher’s autobiography

Sridevi: Girl Woman Superstar

Satyarth Nayak

The book recalled the life and times of the legendary actor Sridevi. The book also talks about her innings after her big-screen comeback in 2012 with “English Vinglish” film.

Kashmir’s untold story: Declassified

Iqbal Chand Malhotra & Maroof Raza

The book portrays the time of political and geographical consolidations of Jammu & Kashmir(J&K), beginning from the era of Maharaja Gulab Singh till the present day.

Exam Warriors Narendra Modi

Big Billion Startup: The Untold Flipkart Story

Mihir Dalal

This book recounting the story of how Binny Bansal and Sachin Bansal (both-former founders of Flipkart) built e-commerce giant Flipkart.

“Obama: The Call of History”

Peter Baker It gives an in-depth account of Obama’s years in office. It has been published by Penguin India.


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OBITUARIES

Name of the Person Field/Importance

Malcolm Nash Former Cricketer

V. G. Siddhartha Hegde Famous Industrialist and Owner of Cafe Coffee Day

Harold ‘Hal’ Prince A Broadway director and producer

Steve Sawyer Greenpeace warrior and founder of Global Wind Energy Council

Karpuri Devi Madhubani painting and Sujni artist

Devadas Kanakala Veteran Telugu Actor

Situ Mallick National Bravery Award winner

D.A. Pennebaker Eminent Oscar-winning documentary maker

Kanti Bhatt Veteran Gujarati journalist, author and columnist

Anant Setalvad Veteran cricket commentator of All India Radio

YG Rajalakshmi Parthasarathy

Noted educationalist, journalist and social worker

Jean Arasanayagam Renowned Srilankan poet and fiction writer

Sushma Swaraj Former External Affairs Minister

Toni Morrison Nobel laureate and beloved author

Jennifer Chandran Former Fisheries Minister from Tamil Nadu

Harley Race Famous American professional wrestler

J Om Prakash Veteran Bollywood Director

Takis

A Greek artist known for his kinetic sculptures, that made use of technology, motion, and light and were displayed in art galleries and museums around the world

Dayanidhi Nayak Freedom Fighter

David Berman Singer-songwriter

Dorothy Olsen A pioneering pilot in World War II

Jose Luis Brown Former Argentina football player

DJ Arafat Ivory Coast music star

Vidya Sinha Veteran Bollywood actress

Madan Mani Dixit Nepal’s veteran Journalist

VB Chandrasekhar Former Indian cricketer

Damodar Ganesh Bapat A noted social worker and Padma Shri award winner

Rizia Rahman Bangladeshi novelist

Jagannath Mishra Former Bihar Chief Minister

Neelum Sharma Doordarshan Anchor and Nari Shakti Award Winner

Peter Fonda Hollywood actor

Richard Williams Triple Oscar-winning and triple BAFTA-winning animator

Ranjit Guru Veteran Odisha based journalist and columnist

Niranjan Singh Tasneem Eminent Punjabi writer and Sahitya Akademi (1999) award winner

Mohammed Zahur Hashmi Veteran music composer

Babulal Gaur Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh


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Noel Kelman Naval war hero and Kirti Chakra awardee Commander

Rajnish Kumar Babbi Congress (MLA) from the Mukerian assembly seat in Punjab.

Navnitbhai Shah Socialist leader and former MLA of Palghar.

Nimu Bhowmik Veteran Bengali actor

Nicolas Leoz Former South American football chief

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