Current Affairs (15 – 31 August 2021)
National
The Supreme Court has allowed women to appear in the National Defense Academy (NDA) exam which is scheduled to be held on September 5, 2021.
The Government of India has introduced a new registration mark for new vehicles under the Bharat Series (BH-Series).
Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement on 15 August, Indian Railways has floated a tender for 58 Vande Bharat train sets.
The Chief Justice of India (CJI), NV Ramana, will administer the oath of office to nine new judges, including three women, on August 31, 2021.
Kendrapara district of Odisha, which is surrounded by rivers, creeks, and water entrances, has become the only district in India where all three species of crocodiles, saltwater, gharial, and crocodile are found.
Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar chaired the 11th meeting of BRICS on August 27, 2021.
The Election Commission launched a new initiative on August 26, 2021, to reach out to new voters by sending them a personalized letter along with a voter ID card.
India’s NITI Aayog and World Resource Institute (WRI) jointly launched the ‘Forum for Decarbonizing Transport’ in India on August 23, 2021.
The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) notified the Liberalized Drone Rules, 2021 on August 26, 2021.
The Ministry of Jal Shakti launched the Sujalam campaign on August 25, 2021.
National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval hosted the inaugural meeting of IBSA National Security Advisors (NSA) through video conferencing on August 25, 2021.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the meeting of the 37th edition of Pragati (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation) on August 25, 2021.
According to Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist, World Health Organization (WHO), India is entering the COVID-19 pandemic phase, where low or moderate levels of transmission will continue.
India has named its operation to evacuate its civilians from war-torn Afghanistan as Operation Devi Shakti.
The Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu launched the “Vaccination India Programme” on August 24, 2021.
According to the committee of experts constituted under the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), the third Covid wave may peak by the end of October.
The central government is considering a ban on funding terrorism by both factions of the Hurriyat Conference under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
UN Security Council President and India’s Minister of External Affairs (EAM) S Jaishankar slammed China for its terroristic stand. He chaired the UNSC briefing on “threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts” on August 19, 2021.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of several projects in Somnath on 20 August.
External Affairs Minister (EAM), S Jaishankar announced the rollout of “Unite Aware” technology to help protect UN peacekeepers.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a medical alert on fake COVID-19 vaccines in India.
A Supreme Court (SC) bench headed by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana issued a formal notice to the government due to several petitions.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has announced a new category of visas for Afghans on August 17, 2021.
Addressing the nation on the 75th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced to provide fortified rice to the poor under various schemes.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his address on the 75th Independence Day celebrations, announced that Sainik Schools across India will now be open to female students as well.
Defense
The 5th edition of the India-Kazakhstan joint training exercise called KAZIND-21 is scheduled to be conducted from August 30 to September 11, 2021.
The Indian and Algerian navies conducted their first naval exercise off the coast of Algeria on August 29, 2021.
The navies of India and Germany conducted a joint exercise in the Gulf of Aden on 26 August 2021.
India and the Philippines conducted naval exercises in the South China Sea on August 23, 2021.
Military-Technical Forum ‘ARMY-2021’ in Moscow. India presented the indigenously built fighter aircraft at the International forum.
On August 21, 2021, Exercise Konkan 2021 was conducted between INS Tabar and HMS Westminster on the English Channel.
Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has developed advanced straw technology with an aim to protect Indian Air Force fighter jets from enemy missiles.
Defense Minister of India Rajnath Singh launched the 5th edition of the Defense India Start-up Challenge (DISC) on August 19, 2021.
The Indian Navy and the Vietnam People’s Navy conducted joint exercises in the South China Sea as part of maritime cooperation between the two countries.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), a public sector undertaking of the Ministry of Defence, has successfully ground-tested a civilian aircraft named ‘Hindustan-228’.
The Indian navy recently conducted the bilateral maritime exercise “Zair-al-Bahr” with Qatar.
Business, Commerce, and Economy
Fintech services provider PayU is set to acquire Indian digital payments provider BillDesk for $4.7 billion.
The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has started a regular Jungle Tea Toy Train Safari on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway route.
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has proposed amendments to the liquidation process under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) to bring transparency.
One of India’s fastest-growing companies, PhonePe announced that it has received an insurance broking license issued by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) and will now operate as a direct insurance broker.
According to the Ministry of Finance, the number of bank accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) has increased to 43 crores, with total deposits of Rs 1.46 lakh crore.
According to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das, the RBI is set to start the trial program of its digital currency by December 2021.
IndianOil will build India’s first Green Hydrogen Plant at Mathura Refinery.
The Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman launched the fourth edition of the Public Sector Bank (PSB) reform agenda named ‘EASE 4.0’ for the financial year 2021-22.
NITI Aayog and a US-based tech giant, Cisco on August 26, 2021, launched the next phase of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP).
Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) launched a mobile app called “Anand Mobile App” for its agents and intermediaries to connect potential customers.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on August 25, 2021, approved the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) proposal for the investment of up to Rs 15,000 crore in Anchorage Infrastructure Investment Holding (AIIH) Limited.
NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) will launch the first edition of the North Eastern Region District Sustainable Development (NERDSD) Target Index Report and Dashboard 2021-22 on August 26, 2021.
According to the Ministry of Textiles, more than 1500 artisans have been benefitted by training in 63 Samarth Training Centers.
The Union Cabinet has approved the highest ever Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) for sugarcane farmers on August 25, 2021.
According to Anupriya Patel, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, India is likely to export USD 46 billion to ASEAN in the financial year 2022.
Ashoka and Hotel Samrat are among eight Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) properties listed in the National Monetization Pipeline (NMP) by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The Labor Ministry is all set to launch a National Database (NDUW) or e-SHARM portal for unorganized workers on August 26, 2021.
According to real estate consultant Cushman & Wakefield, India has overtaken the United States (US) to become the second most attractive manufacturing destination internationally.
The government launched a new geospatial planning portal named ‘Yuktdhara’ under Bhuvan. This new portal will help in facilitating new MGNREGA properties with the help of remote sensing as well as Geographic Information System-based data.
PayPal Holdings Inc. has launched crypto buying and selling in the United Kingdom.
According to the data released by the Ministry of Agriculture on August 22, 2021, the current monsoon season saw a marginal decline of 1.55 percent in the area under Kharif crops like paddy to 1,043.87 lakh hectares.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to launch an ambitious ‘Urte Stars Fund’ on August 21, 2021.
CRISIL Ratings has upgraded India Inc’s credit outlook to positive. This is currently a broad-based recovery for India Inc.
TCS Company has become the second Indian company to cross the market value of Rs 13 lakh crore as of August 17, 2021.
The Reserve Bank of India introduced the Financial Inclusion Index on August 17, 2021.
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) has started door-to-door delivery of ‘High-Speed Diesel’ with an aim to meet the growing demand.
Science and Technology
IIT Madras is in the process of developing an online platform called e-source which will be used to deal with electronic waste (e-waste).
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and IIT Roorkee in a joint venture have developed an app that can predict natural disasters.
The Union Ministry of AYUSH launched the Wi-Break app on August 29, 2021 from Vigyan Bhawan.
SpaceX launches a shipment of ants, avocados, human-sized robotic arms toward the International Space Station on August 29, 2021.
The web version of the e-GOPALA application was launched on August 28, 2021.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeITY) has launched India’s first ‘Quantum Computer Simulator (QSim) Toolkit’.
The Drug Controller General of India (DGCI) has given approval for Phase-2 and Phase-3 trials of India’s first mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine.
Indian Institute of Technology (Madras) has developed India’s first indigenous motorized wheelchair vehicle named Neobolt.
Sports
Indian boxers won six gold medals with nine silver and five bronze medals at the Asian Youth Championships.
On August 30, 2021, Shooter Avani Lekhara has won India’s first gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
Discus thrower Yogesh Kathunia won a silver medal in the men’s F56 event at the 2020 Paralympics on 30 August.
The first batch of Indian athletes, including flag bearer Thangavelu Mariyappan, has left for the Tokyo Paralympics on August 18, 2021.
Important Days
National Small Industries Day is celebrated every year on 30 August.
The International Day Against Nuclear Testing is held every year on 29 August.
International Day to Commemorate the Slave Trade and Its Abolition is observed every year on 23 August.
World Mosquito Day 2021 is celebrated on 20 August.
Sanskrit week is being celebrated from 19 August to 25 August 2021.
World Humanitarian Day was celebrated on August 19, 2021.
Agreements and MoUs
Indian construction firm, AFCONS on August 26, 2021, signed a contract for the biggest ever infrastructure project in the Maldives.
India and the Maldives have signed an agreement with the Maldives on one of the major connectivity initiatives named “Greater Mail Connectivity Project”.
India and Russia signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) in October 2016 for four Krivak or Talwar-class stealth frigates, which are being built by Russia, likely to be delivered to India by 2023.
India and Russia have signed an agreement on 20 August 2021 to immediately purchase AK-103 rifles.
The Indian Navy and the Royal Australian Navy signed the document ‘Joint Guidance to Australia-Indian Naval Relations’ on August 18, 2021.
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Disaster Management between India and Bangladesh, which was signed in March 2021.
The United Kingdom (UK) has announced its target to begin negotiations for a trade deal with India by the end of 2021.
Books and Authors
Bimal Jalan wrote a book titled “ The India story”.
Shankar Acharya wrote a book titled “An economist as home and abroad”.
Appointments and Resignations
The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Shri Mansukh Mandaviya took over as the Chairman of the Stop TB Partnership Board on August 26, 2021.
Reserve Bank of India had appointed a committee headed by N. S. Vishwanathan to make suggestions on structure for urban cooperative banks.
NK Singh, chairman of the 15th Finance Commission, has been elected as the new President of the Institute for Economic Development (IEG) Society.
Shreekant T. has been appointed as the deputy election commissioner in the election commission of India.
Abhay Kumar Singh has been appointed as the Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Cooperation.
Nakul Chopra has been appointed as the CEO of the broadcast audience research council.
Government Initiatives
Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur launched the Fit India mobile application to mark the second anniversary of the Fit India Movement.
The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development has planned to organize and celebrate thematic Poshan Maah in September 2021.
The Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Smriti Irani addressed the first G20 Ministerial Conference on Women’s Empowerment on August 26, 2021.
The Government of Madhya Pradesh implemented the National Education Policy-2020 (NEP-2020) in the state on August 26, 2021.
Maharashtra government launched a special mission called “Mission Vatsalya” to help women who lost their husbands to COVID-19.
Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh launched the COVID-19 affected livelihood support scheme on August 23, 2021.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will inaugurate India’s first smog tower at Baba Kharak Singh Marg in Connaught Place (CP), Delhi. Smog Tower in CP was installed to improve the air quality within a radius of about 1 km.
NTPC Limited commissioned the biggest floating solar PV project in Visakhapatnam.
Assam Government has announced the COVID Relief Package for Helpers, Drivers, and Priests.
In order to increase the reach of Ayushman Bharat-Jan Arogya Yojana, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had launched Arogya Dhara 2.0 on 18 August 2021.
On August 19, 2021, the central government announced incentives for sugar mills.
The poor have so far demanded 2 crore hospitalizations under the Ayushman Bharat Mission.
The cabinet approved the ‘National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP)’ with a financial outlay of Rs 11,040 crore.
Chhattisgarh government launched ‘Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Bhumiless Mazdoor Nyay Yojana’. 6000 rupees will be provided to each of the 12 lakh landless laborers under this scheme.
The third series of Student Entrepreneurship Program 3.0 (SEP 3.0) was launched on August 16, 2021, for the young innovators of Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL).
The Government of India announced the MeitY-NASSCOM Start-up Women Entrepreneur Awards 2020-2021 on August 17, 2021.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced that his government will provide smart health cards under the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana.
International Affairs
The United Nations Security Council chaired by India passed a resolution on the situation in Afghanistan on August 30, 2021.
The United States announced an end to its 20-year-old war in Afghanistan before the August 31, 2021 deadline.
On August 26, 2021, the Cuban government announced to recognize and regulate cryptocurrencies for payments in the island nation.
Algeria has severed diplomatic ties with Morocco due to hostile actions following months of tension between the two countries.
The armies of China, Mongolia, Thailand, and Pakistan are set to participate in a multinational peacekeeping exercise titled “Shared Destiny-2021”.
According to a UNICEF report, there has been an 80% reduction in Covid-19 vaccinations in Afghanistan within the first week of the Taliban taking control of the country.
The World Bank has withheld funding for projects in Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country.
The world’s largest and tallest observation wheel, called Ain Dubai, will be opened in the United Arab Emirates on October 21, 2021.
Pakistan successfully conducted a test flight of Fatah-1 on August 24, 2021.
Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook, Amazon Inc. Chief Executive Andy Jesse, and Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Satya Nadella prepare to attend the White House cybersecurity meeting on August 24, 2021.
Tropical Storm Henry has made landfall near western Rhode Island on August 24, 2021.
Indian Naval Ship (INS) Shakti arrived in Sri Lanka on August 22, 2021, carrying 100 tonnes of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) to help Sri Lanka combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Egypt closed its main border crossing with the Gaza Strip on August 23, 2021, due to tensions with Hamas rulers.
Israel started antibody testing for children as young as three years old to get the exact number of unvaccinated youth who have developed antibodies against the Coronavirus.
The navies of India, the US, Australia, and Japan are all set to conduct the Malabar Naval Exercise from August 26, 2021.
USAID (United States Agency for International Development) and USDFC are sponsoring a loan portfolio of US$50 million to guarantee Kotak Mahindra Bank.
On August 20, 2021, China passed a new online privacy law aimed at preventing businesses from collecting any sensitive personal data.
The King of Malaysia has appointed Ismail Sabri Yacoub as Prime Minister of the country on August 20, 2021.
Facebook India has launched a new initiative called the “Small Business Loans Initiative” on August 20, 2021.
China’s national legislature formally endorsed the three-child policy mooted by the ruling Communist Party.
BRICS nations- Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa signed an agreement for cooperation in remote sensing satellite data sharing.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of trauma cases in Afghanistan has increased by more than three times.
Iran has increased its uranium enrichment to nearly weapons-grade, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog.
According to a laboratory study conducted in the US, the delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus cannot escape the antibodies produced by vaccination.
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, and the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson agreed to hold a virtual G7 meeting in Afghanistan.
China has issued new draft rules on anti-competitive practices by Internet companies. The new rules would prevent Internet companies from engaging in anti-competitive practices.
According to the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Goods Trade Barometer, global merchandise trade is continuing its strong recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sudoku’s godfather Maki Kaji passed away at the age of 69 on August 17, 2021, due to cancer of the bile duct.
The outbreak of a tropical depression was caused by the August 17, 2021 earthquake in southwest Haiti.
Social media giant, Facebook banned all content supporting the Taliban and its platforms after it designated the Taliban as a terrorist organization.
The US President, Joe Biden, noted that he stood by his decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan and blamed the leadership in Afghanistan for giving in to the Taliban without retaliation.
The Malaysian Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, resigned on August 16, 2021, after months of political turmoil in the country.
On August 15, 2021, a radical Islamist force called the Taliban entered Kabul after gaining control of much of the country following the withdrawal of American troops.
Ariel Henry took the oath as the new prime minister of Haiti.
Brisbane will host the summer Olympics games in 2032.
