NATIONAL NEWS
NITI Aayog, WRI launch forum for decarbonisation of transport sectorNITI Aayog and World Resources Institute (WRI), India, jointly launched the ‘Forum for Decarbonizing Transport’ in India as part of the NDC-Transport Initiative for Asia (NDC-TIA) project.
- The project aims at bringing down the peak level of GHG emissions (transport sector) in Asia (in line with a well below 2-degree pathway), resulting in problems like congestion and air pollution.
- The Forum has been launched under the NDC-Transport Initiative for Asia (NDC-TIA) project. The NDC Transport Initiative for Asia (TIA 2020-2023) is a joint programme of seven organizations that will engage China, India, and Vietnam in promoting a comprehensive approach to decarbonizing transport in their respective countries.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
5th edition of Indo-Kazakhstan joint training exercise to be conducted from Aug 30As part of military diplomacy and to strengthen the growing strategic relation with Kazakhstan, the fifth edition of Indo- Kazakhstan Joint Training Exercise, KAZIND-21 will be conducted at Aisha Bibi in Kazakhstan, from August 30 to September 11.
- The exercise is a joint training between both the Armies, which will boost the bilateral relations between India and Kazakhstan.
India is among four South Asian countries where children are most at risk of the impacts of climate change threatening their health, education, and protection, according to a new UNICEF report.
- ‘The Climate Crisis Is a Child Rights Crisis: Introducing the Children’s Climate Risk Index’ [CCRI] is UNICEF’s first focussed on children. It ranks countries based on children’s exposure to climate and environmental shocks such as cyclones and heatwaves, as well as their vulnerability to those shocks based on their access to essential services.
- Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and India are among four South Asian countries where children are at extremely high risk of the impacts of the climate crisis, with a ranking of 14th, 15th, 25th and 26th respectively.India’s neighbours Nepal is ranked 51st and Sri Lanka 61st. Bhutan is ranked 111th, with children at relatively lower risk.
- Approximately 1 billion children live in one of the 33 countries classified as “extremely high-risk”, including the four South Asian countries.It is estimated that more than 600 million Indians will face ‘acute water shortages’ in the coming years, while at the same time flash flooding is to increase significantly in the majority of India’s urban areas once the global temperature increase rises above 2° Celsius.
The Economist Intelligence Unit has published its 2021 Safe Cities Index, ranking 60 major global cities across 76 indicators based on digital, health, infrastructure, environmental and personal security. Copenhagen tops the rankings this year with a score of 82.4 out of 100.It waa followed by Toronto and Singapore.
- New Delhi and Mumbai have found a place in the index. 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.
- Yangon is at the bottom of the index, as least safe city, with a score of 39.5.
BANKING & FINANCE
Nabard's loans rise 25.2% to reach Rs 6 trn in FY21The total loans and advances extended by NABARD during 2020-21 registered a growth of 25.2 per cent year-on-year to reach Rs 6 lakh crore, with half of it going into production and investment, the bank said in its annual report.
- The report said NABARD earned Rs 34,671.2 crore income during 2020-21, or a 6.1 per cent increase over the preceding year. Its profit before tax in 2020-21 was Rs 6,081.4 crore, against Rs 5,234.3 crore in the year-ago period.
- NABARD also said its balance sheet size reached Rs 6.57 lakh crore as on March 31, 2021, most of which is on account of non-idle (earning) assets that, in turn, helped create private and public investments at the ground level.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
CCEA approves FDI proposal of Rs 15000 cr investment by Anchorage Infrastructure Investments Holdings LtdThe Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the FDI proposal for an investment of upto 15 thousand crore rupees by Anchorage Infrastructure Investment Holding Limited.
- The investment will be a major boost to the infrastructure, construction and also to the Airport sector.
- It will also be a significant boost to the recently announced National Monetisation Pipeline, as it will help fund leasing out of state-owned infrastructure assets which involves handling assets like roads, railways, airports, sports stadiums, power transmission lines and gas pipelines to private operators.
SPORTS
Princepal Singh becomes first Indian to be part of NBA championship rosterYoung cager Princepal Singh became the first Indian to be part of an NBA title winning team when his side Sacramento Kings clinched the 2021 NBA Summer League crown. The 6-foot-9 forward made history by being the first Indian to be part of a championship roster at any level of the NBA.
- The Kings dominated the championship game against the Boston Celtics, clinching the title with a 100-67 win.
- The win also made the Kings the only franchise to win multiple Summer League titles, having previously clinched it in 2014.
Javelin thrower Tek Chand will be India's flag-bearer during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Paralympics 2020 as Thangavelu Mariyappan was quarantined after he came in close contact with a COVID-19 positive person on the flight to Tokyo.
- The Paralympic Games is scheduled to be held between August 24 and September 5 and the opening ceremony of the event will take place on August 24.
- The event is all set to begin after a year-long delay due to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Just like the Olympics, the event will be marked by strict virus rules.
APPOINTMENTS
Abhay Kumar Singh appointed as Joint Secretary jn Ministry Of CooperationAbhay Kumar Singh has been appointed as joint secretary in the Ministry of Cooperation which was recently formed with an aim to strengthen the cooperative movement in the country, according to a Personnel Ministry order issued.
- Among other appointments, Vijaya Lakshmi Nadendla, a 1995-batch IAS officer of the Bihar cadre, and Priya Ranjan, a 1998-batch Indian Forest Service officer of the Rajasthan cadre, have been appointed as joint secretaries in the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
- Pramod Kumar Meherda, a 1997-batch IAS officer of the Odisha cadre, has been appointed as managing director in National Food Security Mission (NFSM) under the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare with additional charge of the post of secretary, Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB).
- Kavita Garg, a 1999-batch Indian Defence Accounts Service officer has been named as joint secretary in the Ministry of AYUSH.
- Kavita Singh, a 2004-batch IAS officer of the Punjab cadre, was appointed as joint secretary in Cabinet Secretariat by temporarily upgrading the post of director held by the officer to be further adjustable against a regular vacancy.
- Vibhu Nayar, a 1990-batch IAS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, was named as executive director, India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) under the Department of Commerce.
- The ACC also cleared the appointment of Madnesh Kumar Mishra, a 1990-batch Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) officer as joint secretary in the Ministry of Culture and Dinesh Kumar, a 2004-batch lAS officer of the Nagaland cadre as joint secretary in Department of Defence.
- Appointments of Sanjay Kumar, a 1995-batch Indian Audit and Accounts Service officer, as additional FA and joint secretary, Ministry of Defence (Finance); Vedveer Arya, a 1997-batch Indian Defence Accounts Service officer, as additional FA and joint secretary in the Ministry of Defence (Finance) and Peeyush Kumar, a 1997-batch lAS officer as joint secretary, Department of Economic Affairs have also been cleared.
- Sreekanth T, a 2004-batch lAS officer, was appointed as Deputy Election Commissioner, Election Commission of India, while Shailendra Singh, a 1997-batch IFoS officer was named as Deputy Director General (DDG), UIDAI headquarters in New Delhi under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
AWARDS
Sri Basava International Award for seer of Bhalki HiremathKarnataka government has selected Sri Basavaliga Pattaddevaru, senior seer of Bhalki Hiremath, for the prestigious Sri Basava International Award. Minister for Kannada and Culture V. Sunil Kumar will present the award at Ravindra Kalakshetra in Bengaluru.
- The septuagenarian seer has spent over five decades in the Lingayat religious institution in the Bidar district.
- The centre was set up in 2003 when an abandoned baby from Ujani village near Aurad in Bidar district was adopted. The seer moved the court to adopt the child. The Central and State governments later recognised the centre as an authorised Central adoption resource agency.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Centre launched e-Shram portal – National Database on Unorganized WorkersThe government launched e-Shram portal – National Database on Unorganized Workers (NDUW). Unveiling the logo for the E-Shram portal, Labour and Employment Minister Bhupender Yadav said that targeted identification of the unorganized workers was a much-needed step.
- He said the portal will be the national database of nation builders, the ‘Shram Yogis’, and help take welfare schemes to their doorstep.
- Mr Yadav said targeted delivery and last-mile delivery has been a major focus of the schemes of the government and the E-Shram portal is another key step towards that.
OBITUARIES
Former Indian Footballer O Chandrasekharan passes awayFormer Indian Footballer O Chandrasekharan passed away in Kochi. He was 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 Santhosh Trophy.
Comedian Sean Lock, best known for starring in British comedy panel show "8 Out of 10 Cats," has died. He was 58.
- He was one of Britain’s finest comedians, his boundless creativity, lightning wit and the absurdist brilliance of his work, marked him out as a unique voice in British comedy.
- In the year 2000, Sean Lock had won the gong at the British Comedy Awards for the best live stand-up performance.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
Last book of author Subhadra Sen Gupta releasedThe last book of author Subhadra Sen Gupta, who lost her life to COVID-19 in May 2021, was released by Puffin Books, the children's imprint of Penguin Books.
- The book is titled 'Let's Go Time Travelling Again' and has illustrations by Tapas Guha, a well-known illustrator for children.
- Subhadra was the winner of Sahitya Akademi's 2015 Bal Sahitya Puraskar and wrote over 40 books. Her book, 'Mystery of the House of Pigeons', was adapted into a television series for Doordarshan as 'Khoj Khazana Khojher'. Most of her books are in the genres of historical fiction and non-fiction, but she also wrote travelogues, comic strips, and detective and ghost stories.
A book titled has ‘Address Book: A Publishing Memoir in the time of COVID’ has been written by Indian feminist writer and publisher Ritu Menon.
- The book has been published under the imprint ‘Women Unlimited’, a non-profit trust, and an associate of ‘Kali for Women’, first Indian publishing house dedicated to publishing on and for women.
IMPORTANT DAYS
World Entrepreneurs’ Day 2021Every year, August 21 is celebrated as the World Entrepreneurs’ Day.
- The purpose of the World Entrepreneurs’ Day is to create awareness for entrepreneurship, innovation and leadership throughout the world.
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