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Current Affairs 28 August 2020
Daily Current Affairs 28 August 2020: This post contains the latest current affairs for 28 August 2020 that are important for all competitive exams like Bank, SSC, IBPS, SBI exams. You can improve your general knowledge with our daily online current affairs. You can also read the daily current affairs on our mobile app.
National News
Ministry of Culture announces 7 new circles of Archaeological Survey of India, bringing total ASI circles across the country to 36
- The Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Shri Prahlad Singh Patel has announced 7 new circles of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
- Currently there were 29 ASI circles across the country. With the creation of 7 new circles, the total ASI circles have now become 36.
- The new circles have been created in Jabalpur-Madhya Pradesh, Trichy-Tamil Nadu, Jhansi and Meerut-Uttar Pradesh, Hampi-Karnataka, Raiganj- West Bengal and Rajkot-Gujarat.
Ministry of Social Justice launches Mental Health Rehabilitation helpline ‘KIRAN’
- The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has launched a 24×7 Mental Health Rehabilitation helpline number under the name ‘Kiran’ to assist people to cope with mental health issues, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The toll-free HELPLINE number 1800-599-0019 will operate through 25 Institutions in 13 languages.
- The helpline will provide callers support for early screening, first-aid, psychological support, distress management, mental well-being, preventing deviant behaviours, psychological crisis management among other things.
International News
WHO certifies African region as wild polio-free; Now Disease occurs only in Pakistan & Afghanistan
- The Africa Regional Certification Commission (ARCC) has declared the African Region of WHO as wild polio-free on 25 August 2020, after no cases were seen in last four years.
- ARCC is a group of 16 members appointed by the World Health Organization, for overseeing the eradication of the wild poliovirus from the African continent.
- Nigeria is the last African country to be declared free from wild polio
- With this historic milestone, five of the six WHO regions are now free of the wild poliovirus.
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As of now, only two countries globally continue to have wild poliovirus and they are Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Partnership
IIT Alumni Council partners with Russia to build world’s largest & fastest hybrid quantum computer
- With the objective to achieve the mission of Atma Nirbhar Bharat, the Indian Institute of Technology’s (IITs) Alumni Council has signed an agreement with Russian state-owned companies, Lomonosov Moscow State University and Russoft, to build the world’s largest and fastest hybrid quantum computer in India.
- The agreement aims to access and transfer key technologies from Russia to IIT Alumni Council such as critical modules in cryogenics, cryptography and modularised cloud management technology.
- These technologies will be used to support solutions for solving infrastructure challenges in areas such as healthcare, agriculture, transport and logistics, pollution and weather forecast.
- Quantum Computing is several million times faster than the largest supercomputer in India, and once operational it will make existing supercomputers obsolete.
Committee
Centre Forms 5-member Panel under IIT Delhi Director V. Ramagopal Rao to redefine DRDO Charter
- Dr G. Satheesh Reddy, the Chairman of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has constituted the five-member expert committee to redefine the role of the DRDO for the current and futuristic defence and battlefield scenarios.
- The main motive of constituting this elite panel is to
- Study and review the charter of duties of all 52 laboratories of DRDO and to redefine the same for both current and futuristic defence and battlefield scenarios.
- Reduce Indian military’s dependence on imports, in line with Prime minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” in the defence sector.
- Minimise the overlap of technologies amongst the laboratories.
- The committee will be headed by professor V. Ramagopal Rao, Director of IIT, Delhi.
- Other members of the panel are:
- S. Somnath, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre;
- Air Marshal Sandeep Singh, Deputy Chief of Air Staff;
- Dr. Samir V. Kamat, Director General-Naval Systems & Materials (NS & M) and
- Benjamin Lionel, Director, Instruments Research & Development Establishment of DRDO
Note: India is the second-largest arms importer in the world after Saudi Arabia.
Conference
Som Parkash addresses 5th virtual BRICS Industry Minister’s Meeting
- The Industry Ministers of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries held a meeting through video mode on 24 August 2020 to discuss ways to boost cooperation in areas including 5G and Artificial Intelligence.
- From India, the Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Shri Som Parkash, participated in the 5th edition of the Industry Ministers’ meeting.
- The meeting adopted a joint statement on cooperation in new industries, such as 5G, AI and the industrial Internet, among BRICS countries.
- It is also likely that BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting will be organised in early September 2020, which will be arranged by Russia, the current Chair of BRICS.
Banking News
Axis Bank introduces ‘Axis Liberty Savings Account’ for millennial customers
- The private sector lender Axis Bank has launched a new savings account called the ‘Axis Liberty Savings Account’, with focus on millennial customers.
- The product is aimed at salaried professionals under the age of 35, because they are digitally savvy, well-informed and are on the look-out for offers and deals which they compare before choosing.
Features of Axis Liberty Savings Account
- The account is characteristics by offering choice and flexibility of ‘balance vs spends’, where customer can either maintain a monthly average balance of Rs. 25000 or spend the Rs. 25000 every month using the Liberty Debit Card which comes with this account.
- The Liberty Debit Card will give 5% flat cashback across food, entertainment, shopping, and travel on weekends as well as quarterly gift voucher on spends
- A complimentary feature includes daily hospital cash cover of Rs. 20,000 for a year for hospitalization.
Books & Author
Book on renowned Cricket Coach Vasoo Paranjape titled ‘Cricket Drona’ to be released on September 2
- A book titled ”Cricket Drona” which is based on the life of one of India’s most respected cricket coaches, Vasoo Paranjape, is scheduled to be released on 2 September 2020.
- The book is published by Penguin.
- It has been co-authored by Paranjape’s son, former India player and current national selector Jatin along with cricket journalist Anand Vasu.
Award
29-Year-Old Dutch author Marieke Lucas Rijneveld becomes youngest to win International Booker Prize 2020
- The International Booker Prize 2020 has been won by Dutch author Marieke Lucas Rijneveld for her debut novel ‘The Discomfort of Evening’.
- The novel has been translated from Dutch to English by Michele Hutchison.
- The £50,000 prize ($66,000) will be split equally between the author and translator to give equal recognition to both.
- The 29-year-old Dutch writer Marieke Lucas Rijneveld is the youngest author to win the International Booker Prize
- The International Booker Prize is an international literary award given annually to a book translated to English and published in the UK or Ireland. The award money is divided between the author and the translator.
Obituary
TV Actress Sangeeta Srivastava passes away due to vasculitis
- Television actress Sangeeta Srivastava, who is popularly known for her character in Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon, has passed away.
- The actress died of an autoimmune disease called vasculitis.
- Apart from Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon. Sangeeta had also worked in shows such as Bhanwar and Thapki…Pyaar Ki.