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CRED founder Kunal Shah joins Pine Labs Board
- Pine Labs, a merchant commerce platform, announced the appointment of Kunal Shah, to the company’s board.
- Pine Labs provides a range of financial services, including point-of-sale devices, merchant commerce, and financing.
- It has a presence in India, South East Asia, and the Middle East.
- Kunal is an entrepreneur, investor, pioneer of India’s fintech ecosystem, and also the founder of CRED.
RFID-based tracking system launched
- A verification kiosk integrated with a radio frequency identification device (RFID) based tracking system has been launched for porters and operators of mules and palanquin services along the 13-km track leading to the shrine of Mata Vaishnodevi in Trikuta hills.
- It will improve the verification of genuine operators and also strengthening overall security measures.
GRSE inks pact with RMSP
- Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE), a leading warship manufacturer signed an MoU with Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratisthan for the installation of a medical oxygen plant at the hospital premises.
- The defence PSU had also signed MoUs with Saroj Gupta Cancer Centre and Research Institute, and Bharat Sevashram Sangha Hospital, both in Kolkata, to set up two medical oxygen plants.
Maharashtra govt sets up IT award
- The Maharashtra government has set up an award in Rajiv Gandhi’s name to felicitate information technology (IT) organizations helping society.
- The award would be conferred on August 20, the late Congress leader’s birth anniversary, every year.
- The Maharashtra Information and Technology Corporation will be the nodal agency to decide the framework for screening organizations for the award.
Adventure tourism is recognized as Niche tourism
- The Ministry of Tourism has recognized adventure tourism as a niche tourism product to promote India as a 365 days destination and attract tourists with specific interests.
- A set of guidelines on safety and quality norms known as Basic Minimum Standards for Adventure Tourism Activities has also been formulated to boost adventure tourism in the country.
4.39cr fake ration cards cancelled so far
- States and Union Territories have cancelled 4.39 crore ineligible, duplicate, and fake ration cards since 2013, the Union government informed Loksabha on 10 August 2021.
- The Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) under the National Food Security Act 2013 (NFSA) is operated with joint responsibilities for the central and State/UT governments.
TikTok: World’s most downloaded app
- Chinese short-video platform TikTok has overtaken Facebook as the most downloaded social media app in the world.
- According to Nikkei Asia, a global survey of downloads in 2020 showed TikTok on top of the list of social media providers for the first time since the study was first conducted in 2018.
- TikTok’s parent company ByteDance launched the international version of the platform in 2017.
Indian cities will be submerged by 2100
- Several Indian coastal cities will be submerged by up to 2.7 feet by the end of the century, NASA has predicted.
- The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report was utilized by NASA to analyze changes in sea levels throughout the world.
- Kandla, Okha, Bhavnagar, Mumbai, Mormugao, Mangalore, Cochin, Paradip, Khidirpur, Visakhapatnam, Chennai, etc. are among the cities and towns.
Scientists develop soft robotic actuators
- Using porous carbon nanoparticles from waste onion peels, a team of scientists has developed soft robotic actuators with enhanced photomechanical capacity.
- The actuators can act as efficient traps for the illuminating low-power near-infrared light and can convert a control signal into mechanical motion.
- They have been developed by Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru.
Fit India Freedom Run 2.0 on 13th August
- Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports as part of the celebration of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav-India@75 is organizing Fit India Freedom Run 2.0 throughout the country.
- It will be launched on 13th August 2021 and conclude on 2 October 2021.
- Fit India Freedom Runs will be organized in 75 villages in each of the 744 districts and 30,000 educational institutions across the country.
August 7 to be marked as ‘Javelin Throw Day’
- The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has decided to name August 7 as ‘Javelin Throw Day’ in India to honor Neeraj Chopra’s first historic Olympic gold.
- Neeraj bagged the gold medal in men’s javelin throw at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on August 7, 2021.
- He is India’s second individual Olympic gold medallist after Abhinav Bindra.
- This is India’s first-ever gold medal in athletics.
RBI to penalise White Label ATM operators
- The Reserve Bank of India has proposed penalties for banks and White Label ATM operators if their ATMs are found to be lying without replenishment for more than ten hours to ensure customers and not inconvenienced.
- The regulator also directed banks and White Label ATM Operators to ensure a minimum duration of cashouts in ATMs.
- Cash-out will attract a flat penalty of Rs. 10,000 per ATM.
Nearly 0.7 pc of GDP spent on R&D
- Nearly 0.7% of the GDP was spent every year on research and development, including strengthening of science and technology infrastructure, during 2014-15 to 2018-19.
- This was informed by Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh.
- The Gross Expenditure on Research and Development has been consistently following an increasing trend and during the last 10 years it has increased by 3 times.
Yes Bank appoints Mahesh Ramamoorthy as CIO
- Yes Bank has appointed Mahesh Ramamoorthy as the Chief Information Officer.
- In this critical role, he will lead technology and digital transformation.
- In his previous role, he was leading the payments vertical for Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa at FIS Inc and has also been associated with Barclays Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Aviva Plc, DCB Bank, IDBI Bank, etc.
Finance Min. releases ₹ 9871 cr to 17 states
- The Finance Ministry has released the fifth monthly instalment of revenue deficit grant of ₹9,871 cr to 17 states.
- The Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grant is provided to the states under Article 275 of the Constitution.
- The grants are released as per the recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission in monthly instalments to meet the gap in revenue accounts of the states post-devolution.
RattanIndia to make an investment in Matternet
- RattanIndia Enterprises Ltd. will make a strategic investment in the US-based urban drone logistics platform Matternet.
- With this investment, REL has forayed into the deep-tech Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) industry.
- Matternet provides technology for on-demand, autonomous aerial delivery for healthcare and logistics sectors and has corporations like Boeing as investors.
RBL gets accredited as an Agency Bank to RBI
- RBL Bank has been empanelled by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as an ‘Agency Bank’ to conduct banking business for the central and state governments.
- The authorization will enable RBL Bank to handle a broad range of transactions related to government business, such as distributing subsidies, pension payments, collecting central and state taxes including income tax, excise duties, etc.
Delhi has overcome the Delta variant
- Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain has informed that Delhi has already overcome the Delta variant of coronavirus detected in over 80% of Covid samples sent for genome sequencing during the second wave.
- The first serosurvey conducted in June-end 2020 found Covid antibodies in 22.6% of the samples.
- The January 2021 round of the survey found antibodies in 56.13% of people screened.
L&T to sell its hydro unit to Renew Power
- Larsen & Toubro Ltd. (L&T) has announced the divestment of 100% stake in the 3 x 33 MW (99 MW) run of the river hydroelectric power plant to Renew Power Services Private Ltd for 985 cr rupees.
- It is owned by its subsidiary L&T Uttaranchal Hydropower Limited (LTUHPL).
- The transaction is expected to close before 30 September 2201.
Ridley Scott to be awarded a prize
- Legendary British director and producer Ridley Scott will receive the Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker award at the 78th Venice International Film Festival.
- He is known for films like “Gladiator” and “Blade Runner”.
- The festival will be held from September 1-11, 2021.
- The award is dedicated to a personality who has made a particularly original contribution to the contemporary film industry.
Veteran film actress Jane Withers passes away
- Veteran film actress Jane Withers passed away in August 2021.
- Withers was also known as Josephine the Plumber from TV commercials in the 1960s and ’70s.
- After a series of minor roles as a child actress, Withers was cast by Twentieth Century-Fox in the 1934 Bright Eyes.
- Her most notable credits were Giant (1956) and Captain Newman, M.D. (1963).
Indian team wins US Innovation Award
- A project led by an Indian team has been conferred the prestigious National Science Foundation Innovation-Corps (NSF I-Corps) Teams Award in the United States.
- Saurabh Kewlani was a part of the project, who serves in a leadership role at SoftWorthy.
- SoftWorthy is the US startup whose team has been presented with the award by NSF, in recognition of an innovation.
Over 8,700 Atal Tinkering Labs set up
- A total of 8,706 Atal Tinkering Labs have been set up in schools across the country and 60% of these are government schools with programme coverage extended to 90% of the districts.
- The target is to establish 10,000 ATLs across India.
- The government has set up the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) at NITI Aayog with the objective to foster curiosity and innovation among young minds.
Raj govt to provide loan to street vendors
- The Rajasthan government has introduced a scheme to provide interest-free loan up to Rs 50,000 to street vendors, people in the age group of 18-40 years working in the service sector and unemployed of urban areas hit by the Covid-19-induced financial crisis.
- The Indira Gandhi Urban Credit Card Scheme will be applicable for one year and loans can be sanctioned till March 31, 2022.
Two NE governors have given additional charge
- Arunachal Pradesh Governor Brigadier BD Mishra (retd) has been given an additional charge of Mizoram.
- Sikkim Governor Ganga Prasad has been given the additional charge of Manipur.
- Mishra will discharge the functions of governor of Mizoram Hari Babu Kambhampati, in addition to his own duties, during the latter’s absence on leave.
SIDBI, FCDO UK launch a challenge
- Small Industries Development Bank of India and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK, have launched a challenge fund to allocate funds based on competition.
- The ‘Swavalamban Challenge Fund (SCF)’ is a support mechanism to allocate funds for specific purposes using competition among organisations.
- SIDBI is India’s principal financial institution engaged in the promotion of MSMEs.
RBI notifies hike in collateral-free loans
- The RBI has notified the enhancement of collateral-free loans to self-help groups (SHGs) from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).
- The DAY-NRLM promotes poverty reduction through building strong institutions for the poor.
- For loans to SHGs up to Rs 10 lakh, no collateral and no margin will be charged.
UNICEF India, Facebook launched an initiative
- UNICEF India and Facebook have launched a one-year joint initiative to end violence against children with a special focus on online safety.
- The partnership seeks to create a safe environment for children online and offline.
- It aims to improve children’s resilience and capacity to access the digital world safely as well as enhance the skills of communities and frontline workers.
Dr Balaji Tambe passes away
- Dr Balaji Tambe, a well-known spiritual leader who was also an Ayurveda doctor and proponent of Yoga, passed away in August 2021.
- He was the founder of ”Atmasantulana Village”, a holistic healing centre near Lonavala.
- He had also written several books on spirituality, Yoga and Ayurveda.
- One of his books is AYURVEDIC GARBHA SANSKAR: The Art and Science of Pregnancy.
DCGI approves study on the mixing of vaccines
- The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has given its approval for conducting a study on the mixing of Covaxin and Covishield Covid-19 vaccines in India.
- The study will be conducted by the Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore.
- The trial will involve 300 healthy volunteers.
- The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has revealed that the combination of both vaccines is safe.
Punjab announces increased money for athletes
- With a view to further promote sports in the state, the Punjab government has increased the cash award money for the Olympic medalists.
- Neeraj Chopra would be honoured with an increased amount of ₹2.51 crore instead of ₹2 crore which was announced earlier.
- 11 state players, who were part of the Indian hockey team will get ₹2.51 crore each from the earlier Rs 1 crore.
India breaks two records in Archery C’ship
- Indian compound archery girls and the mixed team broke two junior world records at the World Archery Youth Championship in Poland on 10 August 2021.
- Priya Gurjar, Parneet Kaur, Ridhu Varshini Senthilkumar combined to shoot 2,067 out of possible 2,160 in the Cadet Compound girls team category to clinch the top spot of the qualification round.
- The previous record was held by the USA at 2,045.
Guinea confirms the first case of Marburg disease
- Guinea has confirmed a case of Marburg disease.
- It was first recorded in West Africa and is related to Ebola.
- The virus, which is carried by bats and has a fatality rate of up to 88 percent, was found in samples taken from a patient who died on 2 August 2021 in southern Gueckedou prefecture.
- Like Covid-19, It also passed from animal hosts to humans.
976 Gram Panchayats adopted by MPs
- 976 Gram Panchayats have been adopted by Members of Parliament for the development under Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, SAGY till 3 August 2021 since 2018.
- The Gram Panchayats identified under SAGY will prepare a Village Development Plan which is a roadmap for the holistic development of the Gram Panchayats.
- There is no provision of financial assistance.
The target of achieving 175 GW energy capacity set
- The government has set a target of achieving 175 GigaWatt of renewable energy capacity excluding large hydro by December 2022.
- A total of 98.44 GigaWatt of renewable energy capacity has been cumulatively installed in the country as of 30 June 2021.
- This includes 1.49 GigaWatt of off-grid and decentralized capacity.
- Projects of 50.35 GW capacity are under various stages of implementation.
Esala Ruwan Weerakoon on a visit to India
- Secretary-General of SAARC Esala Ruwan Weerakoon met External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar on 10 August 2021 during his week-long visit to India.
- The visit has been initiated to explore the means to strengthen regional cooperation including COVID-19 management.
- The SAARC is a regional alliance comprising Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India.
NCGG collaborates with IIM Indore
- The National Center for Good Governance (NCGG) and the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore inked an MoU, aimed at reforming public administration in the country in view of the changing public sector scenario.
- This collaboration emphasizes helping the Indian government adopt the finest practices in public administration, and helps the states in upgrading their Good Governance Index.
NCPCR data on minority schools in India
- A new study by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR ) found that Muslim minority schools account for 22.75 percent of religious minority schools.
- The study also found that the Christian community has a share of 71.96 percent of the total religious minority schools in India, and the Sikh community contributes a share of 1.54 percent to the religious minority schools.
National webinar on Use of Technology held
- Ministry of Education and University Grants Commission organized a National Webinar on the Use of Technology in Education on 10 August 2021.
- Union Minister of Communications and Electronics & IT Ashwini Vaishnaw delivered the inaugural address in the Webinar.
- The Ministry of Education (MoE) is organizing a series of theme-based webinars on various aspects of National Education Policy, 2020.
BSE aims at 60 SME listing in 2021-22
- The Bombay Stock Exchange has decided to aim at listing some 60 companies on the SME platform in the fiscal year 2021-22 backed by the ongoing bull run in the market and relaxation in eligibility criteria.
- The criteria of track record of profit has been reduced to one year infusing momentum that would lead to a jump of 50 per cent in listing on the platform.
SEBI merges debt securities rules
- To ease the compliance burden on listed entities, Sebi has merged rules pertaining to the issuance of debt securities into a single regulation.
- The regulator merged ILDS (Issue and Listing of Debt Securities) rules and NCRPS (Non-Convertible Redeemable Preference Shares) rules into a single regulation to be called — Sebi (Issue and Listing of Non-Convertible Securities) Regulations.
India INX to allow trading in foreign stocks
- The India International Exchange (India INX) has decided to facilitate buying and selling of shares of foreign stocks, including major US-listed companies, through its platform.
- It has proposed to offer stocks from the US, Canada, the UK, Europe, Australia, and Japan.
- India INX would add international stocks to trading via its wholly-owned subsidiary India INX Global Access IFSC Ltd.