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Current Affairs 20 August 2021
Daily Current Affairs 20 August 2021: This post contains the latest current affairs for 20 August 2021 that are important for all competitive exams like Bank, SSC, IBPS, SBI exams. You can also attempt our Current Affairs Quiz after reading our daily current affairs.
National
Govt organises Aarogya Dhara- 2.0 to mark the completion of 2 Cr treatments under AB-PMJAY
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had organized an event Aarogya Dhara- 2.0 to mark the completion of 2 Crore treatments under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) on August 18, 2021.
- The event was chaired by Shri Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare.
- Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) was launched in September 2018. The Scheme has now achieved the feat of more than 2 crore hospital admissions landmark and treatments worth approximately Rs 25,000 crore.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways notifies Electronic Monitoring and Enforcement of Road Safety
- Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued notification regarding Electronic Monitoring and Enforcement of Road Safety. This will be known as Rule 167A in the Central Motor Vehicles (Seventeenth Amendment) Rules, 2021.
- These rules specify the detailed provisions for placement of electronic enforcement devices (speed camera, closed-circuit television camera, speed gun, body wearable camera, dashboard camera, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), weigh-in machine (WIM) and any such technology).
- State Governments will be required to place electronic enforcement devices at high-risk and high-density corridors on National Highways and State Highways, and at critical junctions at least in major cities with more than one million population and also including the 132 cities mentioned in the gazette.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launches Defence India Startup Challenge- DISC 5.0
- Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh launched Defence India Startup Challenge (DISC) 5.0 under Innovations for Defence Excellence – Defence Innovation Organisation (iDEX-DIO) initiative, on August 19, 2021 in New Delhi.
- DISC is a platform wherein the Government, Services, think tanks, industry, startups and innovators can work together to help the defence & aerospace sectors reach full potential by creating a strong, modern & well-equipped military and an equally capable & self-reliant defence industry.
- The Ministry of Defence has earmarked Rs 1,000 crore for domestic procurement through iDEX initiative for the financial year 2021-2022.
- The Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence has approved a budgetary support of Rs. 498.80 crore for iDEX for the next 5 years from 2021-22 to 2025-26.
J&K Army organises 400 Km “JAZBAA-E- TIRANGA” Relay Marathon
- The Indian Army in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir organised a 400 Km “JAZBAA-E- TIRANGA” Relay Marathon recently.
- The marathon was flagged off and led by Major General Rajeev Puri, General Officer Commanding (GOC), Ace of Spades Division.
- Over 300 troops participated in the event, with each of them carrying the Indian Tricolour all along the Line of Control (LoC).
Centre approves Rs 77.45 crore for revival of North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited (NERAMAC)
- The Central Government has approved a revival package of Rs.77.45 crore for the revival of North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited (NERAMAC).
- NERAMAC is a central Public Section Enterprises under the administrative control of Ministry of Development of North Eastern Regional (MDoNER).
- The Rs.77.45 crore package comprise of Rs. 17 crore towards fund based support and Rs.60.45 crore towards non-fund based support.
- The revival of NERAMAC aims to ensure remunerative prices to the farmers and provide better farming facilities and training to the farmers of the North Eastern Region.
All-women team of three armed forces summits Mt Manirang in Himachal under ‘Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav’
- An ‘All Women Tri-Services Mountaineering Team’ successfully scaled Mt Manirang (21,625 ft) in Himachal Pradesh on August 15, 2021 and unfurled the national flag as a part of commemorative activities for ‘Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav’, to celebrate the 75 years of Independence.
- The 15-member expedition team was flagged off on August 01, 2021 from Air Force Station, New Delhi, by the Indian Air Force.
- The team was led by Wing Commander Bhavana Mehra of the Indian Air Force.
Conference
MoS Culture Arjun Ram Meghwal participates in 18th SCO Culture Ministers’ Meeting
- The Minister of State (MoS) for Culture, Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal addressed the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Culture Ministers Meeting on 18 August, 2021, through virtual mode.
- The meeting was hosted by Tajikistan, which holds the Chairship of SCO in 2021.
- The main deliberations held during the meeting was on the development of cultural and humanitarian cooperation, prospects for cooperation in the field of culture within the SCO, including in the post-pandemic period and importance of cultural cooperation within the SCO, which has enormous potential for strengthening inter-state understanding.
Apps & Services
India launches UNITE Aware Platform in collaboration with UN
- India has launched a tech platform named “UNITE Aware”, in collaboration with the UN, for improving the safety and security of the UN peacekeepers.
- The platform was launched in the presence of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at the UN headquarters. The launch of the UNITE AWARE platform came as India assumed the Presidency of the 15-nation UN Security Council for the month of August.
- India has contributed USD 1.64 million for UNITE Aware. UNITE Aware platform will provide terrain-related information to the United Nations military personnel (Blue Helmets) in the line of duty.
- India has developed the technology platform in partnership with the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Operational Support.
Banking & Economy
Ind-Ra projects India’s GDP growth for FY22 at 9.4%
- India Ratings (Ind-Ra) has projected the GDP growth rate for India for FY22 at 9.4%.
- Earlier Indi-Ra had projected the rate at between 9.1-9.6%.
RBI to launch PRISM platform to strengthen compliance by supervised entities
- The Reserve Bank of India will launch “Platform for Regulated Entities for Integrated Supervision and Monitoring (PRISM)”, a web-based platform via which the entities that are supervised by the RBI may submit various compliances to the RBI.
- RBI regulates and supervises various entities in India. The PRISM platform will help RBI in having a ‘continuous supervision’ approach for early identification of risks and conduct of supervisory actions.
- PRISM will have various functionalities like- inspection; compliance; incident functionality for cybersecurity; complaints; and returns functionalities), with built-in remediation workflows, time tracking, notifications and alerts, management information system (MIS) reports and dashboards.
Nitin Chugh resigns as MD & CEO of Ujjivan Small Finance Bank
- Nitin Chugh has announced his retirement from the post of managing director and chief executive officer (MD & CEO) of Ujjivan Small Finance Bank w.e.f September 30, 2021.
- He cited personal reasons for his retirement. From September 30, 2021, he will also cease to be a member of the board of directors of Ujjivan Small Finance Bank.
Books
Major General Rajpal Punia Pens ‘Operation Khukri’ to reveal untold story of Indian Army’s brave mission in Africa
- A new book titled ‘Operation Khukri’, on one of Indian Army’s most successful UN Peacekeeping missions, in the jungles of Sierra Leone in 2000, has been released recently.
- The book has been written by Major General Rajpal Punia, who led the Indian Peace Keeping Force in the West African country as a Major. It has been co-authored by his daughter, Damini.
- The book is published by Penguin Random House India and will soon be republished in Hindi by Rajkamal Prakashan.
Days
Akshay Urja Diwas 2020: 20 August
- Akshay Urja Diwas (Renewable Energy Day) is observed every year on 20 August since 2004 to raise awareness about the developments and adoption of renewable energy in India.
- The Akshay Urja Day was initiated by the Indian Ministry for New & Renewable Energy Sources in 2004.
- The energy such as Biogas, Solar Energy, Wind energy, hydroelectrical power are few example of Akshay Urja.
- The main motive of Akshya urja Diwas is to make people aware that they have to think about the renewable energy (Akshya Urja) apart from tradition energy.
Sadbhavana Diwas: 20 August
- Every year India observes Sadbhavana Diwas on August 20 to commemorate the birth anniversary of late erstwhile Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi.
- ‘Sadbhavana’ means goodwill and bonafide.
- August 20, 2021 marks the 77th birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi who was the youngest Prime Minister of India at the age of 40.
- The day aims to promote National Integration and Communal Harmony among people of all relgions, languages and regions and stop violence.
World Mosquito Day: 20 August
- World Mosquito Day is observed on 20 August annually to raise awareness about the causes of malaria and how it can be prevented.
- The day also commemorates the discovery made by British doctor Sir Ronald Ross in 1897 that female mosquitoes transmit malaria between humans.
- In 1902. Ross won Nobel Prize for Medicine becoming the first British person to receive the award.
