August 2021 Monthly Current Affairs Online Test English

Explanation

• Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal introduced the Inland Vessels Bill, 2021 in the Lok Sabha. It seeks to provide safety of navigation, protection of life and cargo and prevention of pollution that may be caused.
• It also seeks to bring in transparency in administration of inland water transportation, strengthen procedures governing inland vessels. inland waterways of 4000 km are operational in India.

Explanation

• The Mekong–Ganga Cooperation (MGC) is an intergovernmental cooperation among 6 nations namely – India, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. It was established in the year 2000 to boost diplomatic cooperation among these countries. Recently, the 11th Mekong–Ganga Cooperation (MGC) meeting was organized, and India was represented by the External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

Explanation

• Bhilar, a village in Maharashtra’s Satara district, was declared a ‘village of books’ by the State government in 2017. India’s second village of books, has been set up in the small Kerala village, Perumkulam, five kilometres from the Kottarakkara town in Kollam district.
• A library has been started in memory of Mahatma Gandhi, to promote readers from the village to read more books.

Explanation

• According to the third annual report on periodic labour force survey (PLFS), conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO) between July 2019–June 2020, the unemployment rate fell to 4.8% in 2019–20.
• The unemployment rate in 2018–19 was 5.8% and in 2017–18 was 6.1%. Labour indicators recorded an increase in 2019–20, as compared to previous years.

Explanation

• UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific, which is headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand has recently released a Global Survey on Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation. Under this evaluation 143 countries have been scored on 5 key indicators. India has scored 90.32 per cent for the year 2021 as against its score of 78.49 per cent in 2019. In terms of transparency, India scored 100 per cent in 2021.

Explanation

• National Broadcasting Day is celebrated in India on July 23 every year. On the same day in the year 1927, the first ever radio broadcast in the country was carried out from the Bombay Station. The first broadcast was done by a private organisation called the Indian Broadcasting Company. At present, Prasar Bharati is the National public service broadcasting agency.
• It comprises of Doordarshan Television Network and All India Radio. To commemorate this, the All–India Radio organized a symposium on “Creation of New India and Broadcasting Medium” in New Delhi.

Explanation

• India has sent a large contingent of 127 participants for the Tokyo Olympics 2021, who will be participating in 18 sport events. These include two alternate players and one reserve goalie in men’s and women’s hockey squads. In the previous Olympics of 2016, 117 athletes participated in 15 sporting events.

Explanation

• National Fish Farmers Day is celebrated in India on July 10, every year, to commemorate the two scientists: Dr K H Alikunhi and Dr. H.L. Chaudhury, who had invented ‘Induced breeding technology’ on this day in 1957. The Government has launched Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) for fish farmers. 2021 will mark 21st National Fish Farmers’ Day.

Explanation

• The first ever World Drowning Prevention Day (WDPD) is observed 25 July 2021, co–ordinated by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted the resolution on global drowning prevention on 28 April 2021.
• An estimated 236,000 people drown every year, and drowning is among the ten leading causes of death for children aged 5–14 years.

Explanation

• India’s weightlifter Mirabai Chanu has clinched the silver medal in the 49kg category and has opened the country’s medal account at the Tokyo Olympics 2021. She is the second India woman to bag a silver medal at the Olympics after PV Sindhu. Also, she became the first Indian woman weight lifter to win a silver at the Olympics.

Explanation

• A report on “Renewables Integration in India 2021” was jointly launched NITI Aayog and the International Energy Agency (IEA).
• The report is based on the outcome of three state workshops held with the Governments of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat to understand the specific energy transition challenges faced by these renewable–rich states. The report highlights that India’s power system requires identification of resources and advance technology initiatives.

Explanation

• ARMEX–21 is a major skiing expedition launched by the Indian Army from Karakoram Pass in Ladakh to Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand, covering around 1,500 km distance. This comes to close proximity with the LAC in Ladakh, Himachal, Garhwal and Kumaon sectors. The expedition comes amid border tensions between India and China. 

Explanation

• Lok Sabha has recently passed National Institutes of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management Bill, 2021. It has awarded the status of ‘Institutions of National Importance’ to NIFTEM (National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management) at Kundli in Haryana and IIFPT (Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology) at Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu.

Explanation

• Kandla Special Economic Zone (KASEZ) is the First Green SEZ to achieve the IGBC Green Cities Platinum Rating for Existing Cities, by CII’s Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).
• KASEZ was Asia’s first Export Processing Zone and it is considered as India’s largest multi–product functional SEZ. It is situated on the gulf of Kutch on the west coast of Gujarat at a distance of 9 Kms from Kandla port.

Explanation

• John Abraham, a veterinary doctor turned inventor, has received the patents for inventing biodiesel from slaughtered chicken waste. The biodiesel offers mileage of over 38 km per litre at around 40 per cent of the current price of diesel. It is also expected to lower the air pollution by half. The Indian Patent Office granted the patent for inventing ‘biodiesel produced from rendered chicken oil’.

Explanation

• The Agriculture Ministry has commenced the project of creating ‘Agristack’, which is a digital ecosystem of agriculture in the country. It aims to help the government in effective planning towards increasing the income of farmers and improving the efficiency of the agriculture sector.
• Recently, the Agriculture Ministry also announced that the Government is aiming to create a National Farmers Database using digitised land records, to provide personalised services to farmers.

Explanation

• The Tamil Nadu government has become the first in the country to launch free Covid–19 vaccination at private hospitals. The scheme is being funded by Corporate Social Responsibility funds of various companies. Under the scheme, 130 private hospitals have been identified to provide free Covid vaccines to the people.
• The Union government procures 75% of the vaccines produced and the remaining 25 percent is available for private hospitals, which is largely under–utilised.

Explanation

• “COVID BEEP” is India’s first indigenous, wireless physiological parameters monitoring system for COVID–19 patients, developed by ESIC Medical College Hyderabad in collaboration with Electronics Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL) and Department of Atomic Energy.
• A proposal has been recently submitted to Ministry of Labour & Employment for large scale deployment of the system.

Explanation

• Under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Maharashtra Bhushan Selection Committee selected Asha Bhosle for the prestigious Maharashtra Bhushan Award 2021. It was announced by Amit Deshmukh, the cultural affairs minister of Maharashtra. 
• Maharashtra Bhushan is the highest civilian award of Maharashtra. It is given for the outstanding achievement in the fields of literature, art, sport, science, social work, journalism and public administration. 
• It is presented annually by the Government of Maharashtra. It was first awarded in 1996. Purushottam Laxman Deshpande was the first person to won this award. Cash prize of Rs. 10 lakh, a memento and citation is given to the winner of the Maharashtra Bhushan Award.

Explanation

• The Ministry of Science and Technology is setting up a first–of–its–kind Centre of Excellence in the Northeast, at Kimin in Papum Pare district of Arunachal Pradesh.
• The project to establish the Centre for Bio–Resources and Sustainable Development as a Centre of Excellence was sanctioned by the Department of Biotechnology. The construction of the new building and other infrastructure

Explanation

• The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has taken up seven lithium exploration projects in Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir and Rajasthan.
• GSI is headquartered in Kolkata. The Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMDER) under Department Atomic Energy (DAE) has undertaken lithium exploration in Karnataka and Rajasthan. This is seen as a part of India’s energy security plans. ₹18,100 crore production–linked incentive (PLI) scheme was announced recently to make lithium–ion cells to promote e–mobility in India.

Explanation

• Malaysia has registered the world’s first affordable drug for treatment of hepatitis C. This has paved the way for accessible treatment to millions of people affected by the disease across the globe. The drug named ‘Ravidasvir’ has been approved to be used with an existing drug sofosbuvir.
• The new drug development was initiated by Malaysia’s Ministry of Health and has been developed by Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (Geneva–based Nonprofit drug organization) together with Pharco, an Egyptian generic drug manufacturer.

Explanation

• Jammu & Kashmir’s mountainous Kishtwar district has been affected by a cloud burst which is followed by a severe flash flood. The state’s Disaster Response Force has been swung into action, but the hilly region and difficult terrain are posing challenges in the rescue operations.

Explanation

• In 2011, the UN General assembly proclaimed July 30 as the International Day of Friendship. The decision was taken with an idea that this day will create a friendship bond between peoples of different cultures, countries and religions.
• The United Nations is an international organisation which was founded in 1945. It is headquartered in New York. The main aim of this organisation is to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation and act as a center for harmonising the actions of different nations. At present, 193 countries are the members of the United Nations (UN).

Explanation

• “World Day against Trafficking 2021” was observed on July 30 by the ‘United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’. The theme of 2021 was “Victims’ voices lead the way”.
• This theme was set to raise awareness about the importance of interacting with the survivors of human trafficking. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime is an international organisation or agency that was founded in 1997. It is headquartered in Vienna (Austria). Its parent organisation is United Nations Secretariat.

Explanation

• Indore is the India’s Cleanest city. It is now the first Indian city to be selected for the “International Clean Air Catalyst” Programme. The programme/project will run for 5 years with an aim to purify the air of the city. Indore Municipal Corporation and Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board will look after this project.
• The International Clean Air Catalyst programme is an initiative by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), WRI and the Environmental Defense Fund to expedite clean air solutions in cities.  The Headquarter of USAID is in Washington D.C. (USA). It was founded on 3 November 1961 by John F. Kennedy.

Explanation

• Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) Amendment Bill was introduced on July 29, 2021 in the Lok Sabha by Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of Civil Aviation. The Bill proposes to modify the definition of major airport under the AERA Act 2008. It paves the way for privatisation of a small loss–making airport by clubbing it with a larger airport. It will also help in accelerating the UDAN regional connectivity.

Explanation

• Anurag Thakur, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting has announced that a National Centre of Excellence for Animation, Visual effects, Gaming and Comics (CoE) will be set up in collaboration with IIT Bombay. The main objective of the CoE is creating a world–class talent pool in India.  Media and Entertainment sector is one of the largest growing sectors in India.

Explanation

• Deepak Tilak, the president of the Lokmanya Tilak Trust recently announced that Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla, chairman of Serum Institute of India (SII) will be honoured with the prestigious “Lokamanya Tilak Award 2021”. He will be awarded for his contribution towards the society by manufacturing Covisheild and hence helping in saving many lives during the coronavirus pandemic.
• Lokmanya Tilak National Award was started in 1983. The award is annually given on August 1, the death anniversary of Lokmanya Tilak.

Explanation

• On August 1, “Muslim Women Rights Day” was observed across the country for the first time. This day was observed to celebrate the enactment of the law against ‘Triple Talaq’ for completing its two years.  
• According to Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Minister of Minority Affairs, the Government enacted the law against Triple Talaq on 1st August, 2019 and this law made the social malpractice of Triple Talaq as a criminal offense.

Explanation

• P V Sindu is the first Indian woman to win two Olympic medals. She won her first Olympic medal, which was a silver medal, at Rio Olympics 2016. She won a bronze medal at Tokyo Olympics 2021 after defeating He Bing Jiao of China. PV Sindhu belongs to Hyderabad, Telangana.
• Her Personal coach is Park Tae Sang and the national coach of Badminton is Pullela Gopichand.  She got Padma Bhushan Award in 2020. She has been also awarded with Pamda Shri (2015), Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2016 and Arjuna Award in 2013.

Explanation

• Sanjeev Kishore has been appointed as the new General Manager of South Western Railway (SWR). Earlier, he served as Additional Member (Production Units) of Railway Board. South Western Railway is one of the 18 Railway zones in India. It is headquartered at Hubballi in Karnataka state. It was carved out from Southern Railways and South–Central Railways in 2003.

Explanation

• India ranks Fourth among the top 20 countries which is contributing to biological databases. Union Minister Jitendra Singh released the “Biotech–PRIDE Guidelines. The term PRIDE means “Promotion of Research and Innovation through Data Exchange”.
• It has been developed by Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology. These guidelines will enable exchange of information to promote research and innovation in different research groups across the country. The Indian Biological Data Center (IBDC) will initially implement these guidelines. Other existing datasets/data centers will connect to this IBDC called BioGrid.

Explanation

• The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has set up a committee after receiving the proposals from the government of Puducherry and Sri Lanka to start the passenger shipping between Karaikal Port (Puducherry) and Kankesanthurai Port (Sri Lanka). A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between India and Sri Lanka in 2011.

Explanation

• Anshuman Rath, the Zonal Deputy Commissioner of Bhubaneshwar Municipal Corporation (South–east zone) said that Bhubaneshwar has become the first city to achieve 100% Covid–19 Vaccination. 
• Bhubaneshwar Municipal Corporation made different categories of people who are above 18 years like front–line workers, health workers, 18–44 age group, people above 45 years of age. So, it achieved this target by July 31.

Explanation

• Nelliyode Vasudevan Namboothiri was a Kathakali artist. He belonged to Kerala. He was a scholar in Sanskrit and Hindu Puranas and was a recipient of several awards including Kendra Sangeet Natak Akademi, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi award, Kerala State Kathakali Prize etc.

Explanation

• Nikol Pashinyan, the chairman of the Civil Contract Party has been re–appointed as the Prime Minister of Armenia. He was first appointed as the Prime Minister in 2018. President Armen Srkissian approved Pashinyan’s candidacy for the post of Prime Minister of Armenia. 
• Armenia is a country in Asia. It lies in the mountainous Caucasus region between Asia and Europe. Yerevan is the capital of Armenia and Armenian dram is its currency.

Explanation

• Tony Abbott has been appointed as the special trade envoy of Australian Prime Minister for his visit to India. He has been appointed with a purpose to deepen trade and investment links that will help drive post–covid recovery.
• The main focus of the proposed meeting will be on the building of ‘secure and resilient supply chains’. Tony Abbott was the former Prime Minister of Australia. He was appointed as the 28th Prime Minister of Australia from 2013–2015.

Explanation

• The Indian men’s hockey team has claimed an Olympic medal after 41 years, beating Germany 5–4 to claim the bronze in the ongoing Olympic Games on 5th August, 2021.  It is India’s third hockey bronze medal in the history of the Olympics. The other two came in 1968 Mexico City and the 1972 Munich Games.

Explanation

• DefExpo–2022 is scheduled to be held from 11–13 March, 2022 in Gandhinagar (Gujarat). Ministry of Defence organises Military exhibitions in form of the Defence Expo and the Aero India every two years. DefExpo is basically the land and naval systems show of the Defence Ministry. The last edition of the DefExpo was held in Lucknow. Before 2014, It was used to be organised only in New Delhi.

Explanation

• Harpoon is an all–weather, over–the–horizon, anti–ship missile system. The United States of America has approved the sale of one Harpoon Joint Common Test Set (JCTS) along with the related equipment to India for an estimated cost of USD 82 million.
• This will help in improving India’s capability to meet current and future threats. The principal contractor of the deal will be Boeing Company which is headquartered in Chicago, USA.

Explanation

• On 6th August, 2021, a bill seeking to establish a central university in the Union Territory of Ladakh was passed in the Lok Sabha. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, in his brief statement about the Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2021, said that every year, around 7,000 students go out of Ladakh for education and with the establishment of the central university around 2,500 students will get the opportunity to study there. The Sindhu central university will be established at a cost of Rs 760 crore.

Explanation

• On 7th August, 2021 the Textile Ministry has celebrated the 7th National Handloom Day. On this day the handloom weaving community will be honoured for their contribution in the socio–economic development of India. Three Handloom Craft Villages at Mohpara Village, District Golaghat in Assam, Kovalam in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, and Kanihama, Budgam in Srinagar are being set up by the Ministry in collaboration with the respective State governments.

Explanation

• Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam programme was launched by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin in Samanapalli village in Krishnagiri on Thursday to deliver essential healthcare at the doorstep of the people. Under this scheme those above 45 years of age and others with infirmities will be screened through routine door–to–door check–ups and detect non–communicable diseases that are also seen to cause sudden mortalities and impact the quality of life.

Explanation

• The 8th Justice Ministers meet 2021 of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting was hosted by Tajikistan (2021 SCO Presidency). Union Minister for Law & Justice, Kiren Rijiju participated in the 8th Justice Ministers Meeting 2021 of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) held at Tajikistan virtually.
• The meeting was chaired by M K Ashuriyon, Minister of Justice of the Republic of Tajikistan. SCO is celebrating its 20th Anniversary under the slogan ‘20 years of SCO: Cooperation for Stability and Prosperity’. The next meeting will be held in Pakistan in 2022.

Explanation

• The Assembly of Tamil Nadu will witness its first ever paperless budget session, with P.T.R. Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, State Finance Minister set to present the revised budget for 2020–21 on 13th August. This will be Tamil Nadu’s first e–budget.

Explanation

• A bill seeking to abolish as many as nine appellate tribunals, including the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT), was approved by Parliament with the Rajya Sabha passing the proposed legislation on August 9, 2021. The Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2021, was approved by Lok Sabha on August 3.
• All cases pending before such tribunals or authorities will be transferred to the Commercial Court or High Court. The legislation also provides for uniform terms and conditions of service for chairperson and members of various tribunals.

Explanation

• India is ranked 122nd on a new Global Youth Development Index measuring the condition of young people across 181 countries, released by the Commonwealth Secretariat in London on 10th August. 
• Singapore ranked topmost while Niger came last. The index ranks countries between 0.00 (lowest) and 1.00 (highest) according to the developments in youth education, employment, health, equality and inclusion, peace and security, and political and civic participation. It looks at 27 indicators including literacy and voting to showcase the state of the world’s 1.8 billion people between the age of 15 and 29.

Explanation

• On 7th August, 2021 Rekha Sharma was reappointed as the Chairperson of the National Commission for Women for another 3–year term w.e.f. 07.08.2021, or till the age of 65 years or until further orders, whichever is the earliest.

Explanation

• Recently, Karnataka Bank has been empanelled by RBI to act as an ‘Agency Bank’ to facilitate transactions related to government businesses. As an empanelled Agency Bank, it is authorised to undertake government businesses such as revenue receipts and payments on behalf of the Centre and States, pension payments in respect of the same, collection of stamp duty charges and also any other item of work specifically advised by the RBI.

Explanation

• On 8August, 2021 Culture Minister G. Kishan Reddy has inaugurated an Exhibition on ‘Quit India Movement’ in New Delhi.
• As part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav being celebrated to mark 75th years of Independence, National Archives of India has organised the exhibition that will continue till November 8.

Explanation

• On 7th August, 2021 navies of India and UAE conducted exercise ‘Zayed Talwar 2021’ off the coast of Abu Dhabi. INS Kochi, with two integral Sea King MK 42B helicopters, deployed in the Persian Gulf, participated in the exercise.
• UAE participated with UAES AL – Dhafra, a Baynunah class guided missile corvette and one AS – 565B Panther helicopter. As part of the exercise, the ships undertook tactical manoeuvres, Over the Horizon Targeting, Search and Rescue and Electronic Warfare exercises to enhance interoperability and synergy between the two navies. Helicopters were extensively used all through the exercise ranging from Search and Rescue serial to passing of targeting data to ships for simulated missile engagement drills.

Explanation

• The Tokyo 2020 Games were declared closed by IOC chief Thomas Bach on August 8, 2021. The Olympic flag was passed to Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo for the 2024 Games at the Tokyo closing ceremony. The United States topped the tally with 39 gold medals, just one ahead of China. 
• Host Japan finished third with 27 golds followed by Great Britain with 22 and the Russian Olympic Committee, the team for Russian athletes after their country was banned for systematic doping, were fifth with 20. India finished 48th with 1 gold, 2 silver and 4 bronze medals.

Explanation

• Neeraj Chopra, who won the historic gold for India in athletics by throwing 87.58m at the men’s Javelin Throw final. Not only is this Independent India’s first gold in Athletics at the Olympics but also the only medal ever by an Indian from Athletics.

Explanation

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 12, 2021 released Rs 25 crore as seed money for 7,500 SHG members under the PMFME (PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises) scheme of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries and Rs 4.13 crore as funds to 75 FPOs. These SHGs are promoted under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY–NRLM).

Explanation

• World Lion Day is celebrated on August 10 every year in a bid to raise awareness on lions. The day also seeks to mobilise support for protection and conservation of Lion.
• As per World Wide Fund for animals (WWF), it only lives in grasslands and plains. India is home to majestic Asiatic Lion, who inhabit protected territory of Sasan–Gir National Park. According to WWF, lions were once found throughout Africa, Asia and Europe. But over the years, their numbers have reduced across these continents. Initiative to protect lion started in 2013 so the first World Lion Day was observed in 2013 itself. 

Explanation

• Karnataka has become the first state in the country to issue the order with regard to the implementation of National Education Policy–2020, State Higher Education Minister CN Ashwath Narayan claimed. The state government has issued an order on Saturday on the implementation of NEP–2020 with effect from the current academic year 2021–2022. 

Explanation

• Recently, four more wetlands from India have been recognized from the Ramsar Secretariat as Ramsar sites. These sites are Wadhwana and Thol from Gujarat and Sultanpur and Bhindawas from Haryana. 
• The number of Ramsar sites in India is 46 and the surface area covered by these sites is now 1,083,322 hectares. While Haryana gets its first Ramsar sites, Gujarat gets three more after Nalsarovar which was declared in 2012.

Explanation

• Nagaland has bagged seven prestigious national awards in the Van Dhan Vikas Yojana (VDVY) and Minimum Support Price (MSP) schemes for exemplary performance in various categories.
• The VDVY and MSP for Minor Forest Produce (MFP) scheme focus on farmers’ entrepreneurship programmes through processing, packaging, branding and marketing of locally available products, according to an official statement issued on Monday. Nagaland topped in three categories – Best Survey, Best Training and the greatest number of Van Dhan Vikas Clusters (VDVKCs) established. 

Explanation

• The Skytrax World Airport Award ranking 2021 was recently published in which Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi has emerged among world’s top–50 best airports in the 2021.
• Delhi Airport emerged as best airport in India for the third consecutive year. Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru have also found a rank among world’s 100 best airports. According to Skytrax 2021 world airport’s awards list, Delhi has been ranked at 45th position. Ranking has improved by five places as compared to number 50 in 2020. Delhi airport is first Indian airport to achieve this mark. Hyderabad has been ranked at 64th. Mumbai is at 65th number. Bengaluru is at 71st number.

Explanation

• International Youth Day is marked on August 12. The theme of the day this year has been decided as “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health”. The first International Youth Day was celebrated in 1999.

Explanation

• Kamlesh Kumar Pant, IAS has been appointed as the new chairman of National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) by the Appointments Committee of the Union Cabinet. Pant, formerly the Principal Secretary (Revenue) in the government of Himachal Pradesh and also the Financial Commisioner (Appeals) at Himachal Pradesh and the head of the Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board, has taken charge of NPPA with immediate effect.

Explanation

• Javelin Thrower Neeraj Chopra has finished at number 2nd rank in the World Athletics ranking after securing Gold Medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. Neeraj Chopra has been ranked second with his score of 1315. He is only behind German athlete Johannes Vetter who is having the score of 1396.

Explanation

• The International Left–Handers’ Day 2021 is celebrated every year on August 13. It is a way to acknowledge those who, unlike the majority of the population, are born left–handed. A considerable part of the population, almost 10–12% of the global population, consists of left–handers. There are people who are afraid of the left–side or left–handed people. This condition can take the form of a phobia and is known as Sinistrophobia.

Explanation

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared that August 14 will be observed as ‘Partition Horrors Remembrance Day’ to acknowledge the pain undergone by Indians due to the partition of India in 1947.

Explanation

• The World Organ Donation Day is observed every year on August 13 to encourage people to donate their precious organs. Every year, about 5 lakh people die awaiting organ transplants due to non – availability of organs. There is a wide gap between the number of transplants awaited and the organs available.
• Organ donation is a process where an organ is transferred from the body of the one who is giving the organ (donor) to the one who needs the organ (recipient). The donor can be living or deceased. Organs that can be donated are kidney, lungs, heart, eye, liver, pancreas, cornea, small intestine, bone tissues, heart valves & veins.

Explanation

• Rajiv Gandhi served as the 6th Prime Minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the 1984 assassination of his mother, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, to become the youngest Indian Prime Minister at the age of 40. In 21st May 1991, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suicide bomber during an election rally in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu. His death anniversary is also observed as National Anti – Terrorism Day.

Explanation

• The World Bank has launched a new Cybersecurity Multi–Donor Trust Fund aimed at better defining and systematically rolling out the cybersecurity development agenda to help ensure a more substantial reflection of cybersecurity considerations across its programs and financing. Developed as an associated trust fund under the World Bank’s broader Digital Development Partnership Umbrella, the Cybersecurity Multi–Donor Trust Fund’s launch was made possible with donor contributions from Estonia, Germany, Japan, and the Netherlands.
• The new Cybersecurity Multi–Donor Trust Fund will help ensure that countries and their citizens can safely and securely take full advantage of the ongoing digital transformation and development.

Explanation

• Telangana has launched the Dalit Bandhu scheme at Salapalli village in Huzurnagar Assembly Constituency. CM K Chandrashekhar Rao has launched this scheme on a pilot basis by handing over certificates to the select beneficiaries sanctioning financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh each to take up their choice of income generation activity.
• Also, a separate Protection Fund will be created. Dalit Bandhu Samitis would be established at different levels – from village level to State level – and these would be entrusted with the responsibility of managing the dalit protection fund.

Explanation

• Dr K Sivan, Secretary, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) formally inaugurated the Health QUEST study (Health Quality Upgradation Enabled by Space Technology of ISRO) which will be undertaken by 20 private hospitals across India.
• Objective of the study is to strive towards reducing human errors and achieve zero defect and quality service in the emergency and intensive care units of hospitals. The study aims to upgrade the healthcare system standards in the country in line with the ISRO quality standards and best practices.

Explanation

• The Indian Navy has carried out joint drills with the Vietnamese Navy in the South China Sea as part of maritime cooperation between the two countries. INS Ranvijay and INS Kora undertook bilateral maritime exercises with Vietnam People’s Navy (VPN) frigate VPNS Ly Thai To (HQ–012). The bilateral interaction aims to consolidate the strong bond shared by the two navies and would be another step towards strengthening India–Vietnam defence relations.
• The sea phase included surface warfare exercises, weapon firing drills and helicopter operations. Regular interactions between the two navies over the years have enhanced their interoperability and adaptability.

Explanation

• Prime Minister Modi announced to provide fortified rice to poor under various schemes by the year 2024. This decision was taken in order to address the problem of malnutrition in India. Providing nutrition to every poor person India is a priority of the government.
• This decision was taken in the view that, malnutrition and lack of essential nutrients among poor women and poor children is a major hurdle in their development.

Explanation

• India has won 3 gold medals in Archery Championships. The Indian contingent won 15 medals at the World Archery Youth Championships. 
• The 2021 World Archery Youth Championships was held in Wroclaw in Poland. Out of the 15 medals, India has won three gold medals in the compound cadet women’s and men’s and mixed team events. The women’s team defeated Turkey 228–216 in the final match to win a gold medal.

Explanation

• Chairman of 15th Finance Commission, NK Singh, has been elected as the new president of Institute of Economic Growth (IEG) Society. He succeeded former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh who was the President of IEG since 1992. His name was recommended by Dr Manmohan Singh for the consideration of the IEG’s general assembly. 
• Manmohan Singh stepped down from this position for health concerns. It is an autonomous, multidisciplinary centre that is used for advanced research and training. It was founded by VKRV Rao in 1952, but became operational in 1958. It is located at University Enclave of University of Delhi, New Delhi.

Explanation

• On the occasion of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, the 75th year of Independence of India, MyGov under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and UN Women have come together to jointly launch the Amrit Mahotsav Shri Shakti Innovation Challenge 2021. The aim is to empower women to help them achieve their full potential. The winners will be awarded 5,00,000 each.

Explanation

• 6 August is observed as Hiroshima Day to acknowledge the massive devastation and human suffering brought by the dropping of nuclear bomb on Hiroshima in 1945. This year is the 76th anniversary of the atomic bombing. It was the first city to be attacked by a nuclear bomb. The US created two atomic bombs named ‘The Little Boy’ dropped in the city of Hiroshima and ‘The Fat Man’ in the city of Nagasaki on August 6 and 9 respectively.

Explanation

• Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and former Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh passed away in Lucknow at the age of 89 on August 21, 2021. Kalyan Singh became the chief minister of the state for the first time in 1991. He was at the helm of the affairs in the state when the Babri masjid was demolished in 1992. He was CM from 24 June 1991 – 6 December 1992 and from 21 September 1997 – 12 November 1999.

Explanation

• External Affairs Minister (EAM), S Jaishankar, announced the rollout of “UNITE Aware” tech to help protect UN peacekeepers. He made this announcement at the UN headquarters in New York while he was chairing UN Security Council open debate on “Technology and Peacekeeping”.
• UNITE AWARE is a mobile tech platform developed by India to provide terrain–related information to the UN peacekeepers so as to ensure their safety. India has spent 1.64 million USD for this project.

Explanation

• Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) signed an agreement for cooperation in remote sensing satellite data sharing. The pact inked enables building a virtual constellation of specified remote sensing satellites of BRICS space agencies and their respective ground stations will receive the data. The agreement was signed under India’s BRICS Chairship.

Explanation

• IIT Madras is collaborating with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Government of India, on pavement engineering and intelligent transportation systems.
• This includes research on novel pavement materials & technologies, hydrogen cell transportation, automatic vehicle classification, novel toll systems, incident management systems, traveller information systems, FastTAG data analytics and traffic simulations besides transportation safety. IIT Madras will train 8 to 10 students including MoRTH’s nominated officers in the field of Highway Engineering.

Explanation

• For making available high quality and high–speed internet access to the States of North Eastern Region of the country, Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) has signed an Agreement with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited for hiring of 10 Gbps International Bandwidth for Internet Connectivity to Agartala from Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited BSCCL Bangladesh through Cox Bazar and Kuakata.
• Under the Agreement, USOF will provide financial support to BSNL for a period of three years for hiring the International Bandwidth. The availability of high–speed internet access will help the citizens in accessing various e–services such as e–governance, e–education, e–health, e–commerce, e–banking, etc.

Explanation

• India has pitched its indigenously built fighter aircraft LCA Tejas, Anti–Tank Guided Missiles, Arjun Main Battle Tank (MK1A) at the International Military–Technical Forum “ARMY–2021” which is being held in the Moscow region.
• DRDO is participating in the International Military–Technical Forum “ARMY–2021” at Kubinka, Moscow from Aug.22–28. DRDO is the part of India’s pavilion where advanced defence technologies and systems will be displayed along with Indian Defence Industries namely Goa Shipyard Limited, Ordnance Factories and Bharat Earth Movers Limited etc.

Explanation

• ICICI Bank Germany has announced the launch of a digital and instant Blocked Account for students aspiring to study in Germany. A Blocked Account is a special type of account wherein students are required to keep a certain amount of money in order to get a Balance Confirmation Certificate (BCC). This account is mandatory for getting a student Visa in Germany.
• This account offers students a complimentary Current Account that the students can use in Germany. It also comes with a VISA debit card which can be used anywhere in the world.

Explanation

• New York Congresswoman Caroline Maloney re–introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives to posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to Mahatma Gandhi. He has been awarded for his contributions made through his methods of non–violence. He would become the first Indian to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, which is the highest civilian award in the US.

Explanation

• Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has virtually inaugurated the Centre for Research and Innovation in Artificial Intelligence set up at the Indian Institute of Technology–Hyderabad. He also inaugurated the first Academic Building of the Department of Materials Science & Metallurgical Engineering, High–Performance Computing Centre and High–Resolution Electron Microscopy Facility. 
• Centre for Research and Innovation in Artificial Intelligence is being set up in collaboration with Japan International Cooperation Agency–JICA. The University has an agreement with Honeywell Technology Solutions for setting up the lab.

Explanation

• India ranks second in terms of crypto adoption worldwide behind Vietnam, according to the 2021 Global Crypto Adoption Index by blockchain data platform Chainalysis. A report by US–based research platform Finder released this month corroborated that the top five countries in terms of crypto adoption were all from Asia.
• The company surveyed 47,000 users worldwide and 30% of those surveyed in India said they owned cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin is the most popular coin in India, followed by Ripple, Ethereum and Bitcoin Cash, according to the report.

Explanation

• The World Senior Citizen Day is celebrated to raise awareness about issues affecting older people and support, honour and show appreciation to seniors and to recognize their achievements.
• The day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly on December 14, 1990.

Explanation

• Former Indian Footballer O. Chandrasekharan passed away in Kochi on August 24, 2021 at the age of 86.
• Chandrasekharan was part of the Indian team that participated in the 1960 Rome and the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He was also a member of the Indian team that won the gold in 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta and the silver medal in Asian Cup in Tel Aviv the same year. He captained the Maharashtra team that won the 1963 Santosh Trophy.

Explanation

• The Assam government has signed a memorandum of understanding with 37 microfinance lenders for implementation of the Assam Microfinance Incentive and Relief Scheme (AMFIRS), 2021.
• The scheme is aimed at providing financial relief to the microfinance borrowers in Assam to help them continue maintaining good credit discipline in COVOD–19 times.

Explanation

• President Ram Nath Kovind on 22nd August appointed senior BJP leader from Tamil Nadu La Ganesan as the new governor of Manipur. The post of the governor had fallen vacant after the retirement of Najma Heptulla earlier this month. Heptulla had demitted office on August 10 and on the same day the temporary charge was given to Sikkim Governor Ganga Prasad.

Explanation

• The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has designed a motorised wheelchair that can be used on roads as well as on uneven terrain. ‘ ‘Neobolt’ is a battery–operated vehicle capable of travelling at a speed of 25km/h and move up to 25 km per charge.  The vehicle has been commercialised through a start–up named NeoMotion.

Explanation

• Maharashtra government launched a special mission called “Mission Vatsalya” in order to help women who lost their husbands to COVID–19. Mission Vatsalya will provide several services and some 18 benefits under one roof to those women. It been designed for widows, with special focus on widows coming from rural areas, poor backgrounds and deprived sections.
• Under this mission, schemes like Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana and Gharkul Yojana will benefit those for women. This mission is being implemented by women and child development (WCD) Department. Officers from WCD department, child development project officers, Anganwadi workers and local unit officers are visiting homes these women to provide them services.

Explanation

• Ministry of Jal Shakti started the SUJALAM campaign on August 25, 2021. SUJALAM Campaign is a 100 days campaign launched as a part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations. This campaign seeks to create more Open Defecation Free (ODF) Plus villages by undertaking waste water management across villages in India.
• During the campaign, ten lakh Soak–pits will be created. Efforts under the campaign would be directed towards achieving the Open Defecation Free (ODF) plus status for villages in an accelerated manner.

Explanation

• Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman today unveiled the fourth edition of the Public Sector Bank (PSB) Reforms Agenda ‘EASE 4.0’ for 2021–22 – tech–enabled, simplified, and collaborative banking.
• She unveiled the annual report for the PSB Reforms Agenda EASE 3.0 for 2020–21 and participated in the awards ceremony to felicitate best performing banks on EASE 3.0 Banking Reforms Index.
• State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda and Union Bank of India have won the awards for best performing banks for PSB Reforms EASE 3.0 based on the EASE index. Indian Bank won the award for the best improvement from the baseline performance. SBI, BoB, Union Bank of India, Punjab National Bank and Canara Bank won the top awards in different themes of the PSB Reforms Agenda EASE 3.0.

Explanation

• India has emerged as the second most sought after manufacturing destination across the world. According to Cushman & Wakefield’s 2021 World Manufacturing Danger Index, India has surpassed the United States as the world’s second most desired manufacturing destination. 
• This year, India and the United States traded second and third place, respectively, putting India one rank higher than last year’s rankings, when India was ranked third.

Explanation

• WhatsApp has partnered with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) to enable users to book vaccination appointments through its platform. Users can now book vaccination slots by sending ‘Book Slot’ to MyGov Corona Helpdesk bot on WhatsApp. The messaging service recently added a feature to enable users to download their vaccination certificate from WhatsApp.

Explanation

• Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya took over charge as the Chairperson of Stop TB Partnership Board. The Minister will hold the responsibility with immediate effect until 2024. He will lead the efforts of the Stop TB Partnership Secretariat, partners, and the TB community at large, towards reaching the UN TB targets by 2022, a milestone moment in the effort to end TB by 2030.

Explanation

• ‘Payments Infrastructure Development Fund’ scheme is the initiative of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). It was launched with a corpus of Rs 345 crore, with an aim to create 30 lakh new touch points every year for digital payments in tier–3 to tier–6 centres.
• Reserve Bank has recently extended the scheme for encouraging deployment of Point of Sale (PoS) infrastructure to street vendors covered under the PM SVANidhi programme in tier 1 and 2 centres.

Explanation

• Denmark’s capital city, Copenhagen, has been named as the world’s safest city from among 60 global cities, in Safe Cities Index 2021, released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Copenhagen scored 82.4 out of 100. Yangon is at the bottom of the index with a score of 39.5. New Delhi is placed at 48th position with a score of 56.1, while Mumbai is at 50th place with a score of 54.4.
• The Index was first released in the year 2015. In 2021, cities are ranked based on 76 indicators of security across five broad pillars, which are digital, health, infrastructure, personal and environmental.

Explanation

• A ‘Durga Fighter’ force comprising 32 female staff has been constituted to combat Naxalism in the Naxal–affected Sukma district. The idea behind an all–women force is to promote gender equality. They will be trained for commando duty for a month. Asha Sen will be the captain of Durga Fighter.