AssamExam

Assam Current Affairs & GK – August 15-21, 2020

( Covers all important Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of August 15-21, 2020)

August 2020 Current Affairs Monthly PDF  |  Assam 2020 Yearbook  | July 2020 Quiz Monthly PDF

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August 15, 2020

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Arunachal Pradesh CM launches “Challenge Entrepreneurship Programme” to boost economy

• Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu launched the “Arunachal Pradesh Challenge Entrepreneurship Programme” to boost entrepreneurship among the people and to set up more industrial units in the state.
• State government’s scheme “Chief Minister Comprehensive Roads Plan 2019 to 2024” would strengthen and broaden the road infrastructure in the state.

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Itanagar selected for implementation of Central Govt’s Urban Forest scheme

• Arunachal Pradesh capital Itanagar has been selected for implementation of the ‘Nagar Van’ or Urban Forest scheme by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (EFCC).
• The ‘Nagar Van’ is a scheme being launched by the Union EFCC Ministry that envisages creating forests in 200 urban cities across the country on public-private-partnership basis. The Ministry would offer an initial grant of Rs 2 crore for fencing, maintenance and administrative costs of the earmarked land to be developed.
• There are only two urban cities in the state – Itanagar and Pasighat – the state capital has been selected for implementation of the scheme this year.

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Meghalaya CM launches ‘Restart Meghalaya Mission’ to revive State’s economy

• A ‘Restart Meghalaya Mission’ was launched by chief minister Conrad K Sangma on the Independence Day, to revive the State economy, which has been hit hard due to COVID-19 pandemic.
• This mission comprises a series of programs to support our farmers, and entrepreneurs and to build growth promoting basic infrastructure and services.
• The Mission was based on the recommendations of the Chief Minister’s Task Force on the Economy on short, medium and long term measures for reviving the State economy, which has been hit hard due to the pandemic.
• An amount of Rs 14,515 crore to be spent over the next three years for the Mission was also announced, out of which, Rs 7,839 crore has been earmarked for this year 2020-21.
• Six programmes under Restart Meghalaya Mission’ include agriculture and its allied sectors, promotion of well-being and livelihoods in rural area, providing a one-time grant support of upto Rs. 10,000 for any new small business loans of upto Rs. 50,000 for small businesses and entrepreneurs under Chief Minister’s Support programme. Close to 50,000 people are dependent on tourism for sustenance and livelihood in Meghalaya.

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PM Narendra Modi becomes longest-serving non-Congress Prime Minister

• PM Narendra Modi on August 13, 2020 became the longest-serving non-Congress Prime Minister of India surpassing Atal Bihari Vajpayee and also became the fourth-longest serving Prime Minister of the country. Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Manmohan Singh are the three longest-serving Prime Ministers in that order.
• The BJP in 2014 became the first party to win a majority in over three decades.

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Jharkhand Govt unveils new emblem

• Jharkhand Governor Draupdi Murmu unveiled the new emblem of the state in the presence of Chief Minister Hemant Soren. The new emblem reflects vision, renewed vigour and enthusiasm.
• The new emblem has the Ashoka emblem enclosed within concentric circles, state tribal dance celebration motifs, the Palash flower also known as the flame of the forest and elephants.
• The verdant green colour in the emblem symbolises the greenery of the state blessed with natural beauty and resources.
• Elephants symbolise the state’s grand past, strength, and collective wisdom and resolve to move forward while the Palash flower also reflects the state’s natural beauty.
• The blooming of the flower also indicates arrival of the spring season a harbinger of prosperity.

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Centre to receive Rs 57,128 crore from RBI as Financial Year 2020 surplus

• The Board of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved the transfer of Rs 57,128 crore as surplus to the Central government for the accounting year 2019-20, while deciding to maintain the Contingency Risk Buffer at 5.5 per cent.
• The Board reviewed the current economic situation, continued global and domestic challenges and the monetary, regulatory and other measures taken by the RBI to mitigate the economic impact of Covid-19 pandemic.
• In the last fiscal, the RBI approved a Rs 1,76,000 crore dividend payment to the government.
• The Reserve Bank decides on the amount of surplus or dividend transfer to the government based on its income during the period July 1 to June 30.
• RBI earns via interest income on account of open market operations (OMOs), foreign exchange (FX) gains, and writing back of excess risk provisions. While its liabilities include issuance of notes and deposits held.

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August 16, 2020 

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  Hyderabad FC signs Assam’s Halicharan Narzary for Indian Super League

• Start Footbal from Assam, Halicharan Narzary has been signed by Hyderabad FC for Indian Super League’s new season. The player has joined Hyderabad FC from Kerala Blasters.
• The midfielder has penned a two-year deal with the Hyderabad FC till the end of the 2021-22 season. Narzary has played at the top level for seven teams in the last decade, with four of them in the Indian Super League (ISL).

BIOGRAPHY – Halicharan Narzary

• Halicharan Narzary is from Kokrajhar in Assam.
• So far he has made a total of 59 appearances in the competition.
• Born in 1994, Narzary began his career in 2010 with AIFF’s developmental side Indian Arrows which plied trade in the I-League.
• He joined NorthEast for ISL’s third season in 2016 before turning out for I-League side Shivajians FC a year later.

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Manipur to set up 1st Medicinal and Aromatic Plant hub

• First Medicinal and Aromatic Plant (MAP) Hub will be set up at Sunushiphai area in Manipur’s Bishnupur District.
• State Health & Family Welfare Minister L Jayantakumar Singh led officials team have visited the proposed site of the MAP hub at Langjingmanbi Forest Reserve of Sunushiphai in Bishnupur district recently.
• Manipur State Medicinal Plant Board, MSMPB, will ink an Memorandum of Understanding with the LYS Agency Private Ltd. Kwakeithel, Imphal West District, to start the project.
• The project will consist of a Distillation Unit, Processing unit and a catchment area of 5 acres of land to grow different varieties of aromatic and medicinal plants of high value.

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PM Modi’s 10 major announcements on India’s Independence Day

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi made 10 major announcements on the occasion of Independence Day from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Delhi.
• PM announced the launch of the National Digital Health Mission scheme to revolutionise India’s health sector.
• This scheme will give health cards to every Indian, with immediate effect. Every Indian will be provided a health card. All test, disease, medicines that were prescribed including information of doctor, date of medication, medical reports will be contained in this one health card.
• Prime Minister Modi also informed of new National Cyber Security strategy has been prepared in the country, to counter the security threats and in cyber world.
• PM also said that three vaccines for the coronavirus are currently in the testing phase. After approval from the scientists, the stage is set for mass production of these vaccines in the country.
• National Cadet Corps (NCC) will be expanded, to be ensured across 173 border and coastal districts of the country. Nearly 1 lakh new NCC cadets will be given special training under this campaign.
• Selected Island, including Lakshadweep will also be connected by submarine optical fibre cable. Work is underway to introduce new development schemes in selected islands.
• Every village will be connected with optical fibres to provide Internet facility. All villages in India will be connected in the coming 1,000 days.
• PM Modi announced Project Lion for conservation of Asiatic Lions and Project Dolphin for the conservation of dolphins.
• To revolutionise the infrastructure in India, a plan has been prepared to connect whole India with Multi-model Connectivity Infrastructure. Investment of more than Rs 100 lakh crore is required for this purpose. Nearly 7,000 projects in different sectors have been identified.
• PM stressed on strengthening and expanding relations with the neighbouring countries. India’s neighbouring countries are to be linked with the partnership of security, development and trust.
• PM Modi announced a plan to eradicate pollution from the cities. A special campaign with a holistic approach is also being undertaken to reduce pollution in 100 selected cities.

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Himachal CM bestows civil services award to Rural Devt Director Lalit Jain

• Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur awarded the prestigious civil services award to Lalit Jain, Director, Rural Development and Panchayats, for his work for the self-help groups.
• Lalit Jain is a 2011 batch IAS officer who started his stint in Himachal Pradesh as Block Development Officer in Paragpur. He started a number of self-help groups to make pickles.
• As Deputy Commissioner of Sirmaur, he got a chance to work and improve the lives of the rural womenfolk. He started the pattal project for livelihood promotion among the women that became a huge success as pattals made by the women were used in the Janmanch programme.
• As the Director of Rural Development, Jain also continued with his focus on rural women through the state rural liveihood mission, the impact of which could be seen during the lockdown when women started making masks, PPE kits and sanitisers in various parts of the state.

August 2020 Current Affairs Monthly PDF  |  Assam 2020 Yearbook  | July 2020 Quiz Monthly PDF

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August 17, 2020

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Assam boxer Lovlina Borgohain awarded Arjuna Award

• Cricketer Rohit Sharma along with four others – para-athlete Mariappan Thangavelu, table tennis champion Manika Batra, wrestler Vinesh Phogat and hockey player Rani Rampal have been selected for India’s highest sporting award – The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award.
• Assam boxer Lovlina Borgohain awarded Arjuna Award along with 26 other sportspersons. Lovlina is the first woman from Assam to qualify for the Olympics.
• She is thesecond boxer from the state to represent the country at the Olympics, only after Shiva Thapa.
• Lovlina won a gold medal at the 1st India Open International Boxing Tournament held in New Delhi and a silver medal at the 2nd India Open International Boxing Tournament held in Guwahati. She has won a bronze medal at the 2019 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships held in Ulan-Ude, Russia.
• Before Rohit, only three more Indian cricketers – Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli have received India’s highest sporting honour.

The selected sportspersons will receive the awards on August 29, the National Sports Day to commemorate the birth anniversary of hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand.

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Arunachal Pradesh CM launches Arunachal Pradesh Challenge Entrepreneurship Programme to boost economy

• On the occasion of the 74th Independence Day, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu launched the “Arunachal Pradesh Challenge Entrepreneurship Programme” to boost entrepreneurship among the people and to set up more industrial units in the state.
• CM Khandu said the state government’s scheme “Chief Minister Comprehensive Roads Plan 2019 to 2024” would strengthen and broaden the road infrastructure in the state.

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IISc scientists ‘make’ space bricks for lunar habitation

• Research teams from the premier Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore and the state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have developed a process to make bricks on the moon for habitation.
• The process involves extracting lunar soil and using bacteria and guar beans to harden it (soil) into brick-like structures for habitation on the moon.
• The making of space bricks brings biology and mechanical engineering together and using them to assemble structure for habitation on the moon’s surface.
• As guar gum is used instead of cement for structures, space bricks will also lower carbon footprint in the lunar atmosphere.
• Since micro-organisms produce minerals through metabolism, one bacterium called ‘sporosarcina pasteurii’ can be used to form calcium carbonate crystals through a metabolic pathway called the ureolytic cycle.
• The Indian space agency launched two unmanned missions to the moon in 2008 and 2019 as part of its inter-planetary exploration to study the earth’s natural satellite.

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Port land may be used for ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ projects

• The government proposes to use vast stretches of land with Indian ports to set up manufacturing facilities under the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ mission.
• Major ports of India have over 1 lakh hectares of land, vast stretches of which can be used for development of industrial clusters.
• Ministry of Shipping is evaluating surplus land with about a dozen major ports in India to evaluate whether it can be used for developing industrial clusters in these areas.
• Across the world, land near ports is used for building industrial infrastructure that meet both domestic needs and export requirements. Port-led development model should not only help India build capacities for self reliance but also service a vast export market.

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August 18, 2020

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Author Mousumi Kalita Sachdeva wins Gujarat Sahitya Academy award

• Delhi-based Assam author Mousumi Kalita Sachdeva was among the 350 writers from 80 countries was awarded the Gujarat Sahitya Academy Award on the occasion of 74th Independence Day.
• The award was given by Gujarat Sahitya Academy in collaboration with the global Literature Forum Motivational Strips.

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Nagaland launches “YellowChain” centralized e-commerce platform

• Chief Minister of Nagaland Neiphiu Rio launched the Yellow Chain, a single window e-commerce platform developed to promote local business and entrepreneurship in the State.
• Yellowchain is a single window e-commerce platform developed by Investment & Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN) to promote local business and entrepreneurship by creating opportunity and environment for small time retailers and aspiring entrepreneurs to expand their scope of business opportunities.
• Yellowchain is a dynamic, user friendly, easy to use interface designed to create a link between Entrepreneurs, retailers and Service Providers with the Citizens by providing integrated services on a wide range of economic activities.

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Tripura’s COVID19 death rate is highest in Northeast

• Tripura’s COVID19 death rate is 0.83% which is the highest among the Northeast states. Till now, Tripura has registered a total of 7,409 COVID19 positive cases and the number of deaths due to COVID19 infections in Tripura was 62.
• In Assam, the COVID19 death rate is 0.24% despite registering the highest number of positive cases in Northeast. Mizoram has zero death till now.
• Arunachal Pradesh’s death rate is 0.18% where 5 persons have died out of total 2,741 positive patients. The death rate in Manipur is 0.36% where 17 patients have died out of a total of 4,687 positive cases.
• In Meghalaya, death rate is 0.42% where 6 positive patients have died out of a total of 1,418 cases. Nagaland’s death rate is 0.23% where 8 patients have died out of a total of 3,455 cases.
• In Sikkim, death rate is 0.084% where only one person has died out of 1,187 positive patients.

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WWF (India) hosts Dragonfly Festival 2020 to underline need for conservation

• The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF India), in collaboration with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), launched Dragonfly Festival, 2020. The festival dedicated to dragonflies aims to create awareness for the conservation of these insects.
• The Festival, started in 2018, the festival focuses on creating a connection between the common man and the insects.
• In 2018, a dragonfly count was conducted by WWF India and BNHS and a total of 27 species were recorded in Delhi, five of which were rare sightings.
• The year-long festival will include a number of fun wildlife activities involving sessions with dragonfly experts, interactive webinars, prize winning competitions on photography, art, storytelling, quizzes, and other activities like citizen science projects on backyard counts, exploring the dragonflies across India and documenting their unique behaviour.

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Central Govt extends Partial Credit Guarantee Scheme for NBFCs with more flexibility

• The Central government has extended the Partial Credit Guarantee Scheme 2.0 (PCGS) for non-banking financial companies (NBFC) by three months and has allowed more flexibility to build up the portfolio.
• Central govt has decided that the ‘AA’ and ‘AA-‘ investment sub-portfolio under the scheme should not exceed 50 per cent, instead of the 25 per cent stipulated earlier, of the total portfolio of bonds or commercial papers purchased by public sector banks under the scheme.
• The PCGS 2.0, launched under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat economic package aimed to provide portfolio guarantee for purchase of bonds or commercial papers (CPs) with a rating of AA and below issued by NBFCs, HFCs and MFIs by public sector banks.
• PSBs have approved purchase of securities rated ‘AA/AA-‘ issued by 28 entities and securities rated below ‘AA-‘ issued by 62 entities, amounting to Rs 21,262 crore overall.

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China grants 1^st patent to indigenously developed Covid vaccine

• China has granted the first invention patent to a Covid-19 vaccine co-developed by biopharmaceutical firm CanSino Biologics Inc in the country.
• The vaccine is a recombinant adenovirus vaccine named Ad5-nCoV co-developed by CanSino with a team led by Chinese military infectious disease expert Chen Wei.
• Cansino applied for a patent with the National Intellectual Property Administration on March 18, 2020, three days after they launched phase one clinical trials on the candidate and received approval on August 11, 2020.
• CanSino has signed deals with Mexico to conduct late-stage clinical trials for Covid-19 vaccines CanSino has also reportedly been in talks with Russia, Brazil and Chile to launch a Phase III trial on Ad5-nCOV.

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UK launches Rs 29 crore fund to support scientists in India

• The UK government launched a 3 million pounds innovation challenge fund to support scientists in academia and industry to tackle Covid-19 and the threat to our environment.
• The initiative builds on the Indian and British Prime Ministers’ commitment to bring together the best minds from both countries under the UK-India Tech Partnership, to deliver high-skilled jobs and economic growth as well as to collaborate on some of the world’s biggest challenges.
• The 3-million pounds fund invites tech innovators with connections to the Artificial Intelligence-Data cluster in Karnataka and the Future Mobility cluster in Maharashtra to submit research and development proposals for tackling Covid-19 or which promote a greener planet. These grants are part of a wider initiative under the Tech Partnership known as “Tech Clusters”.
• The Indian and British Prime Ministers announced the formal creation of the UK-India Tech Partnership in April 2018.

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Ministry Of AYUSH launches awareness campaign to boost immunity

• The Ministry of AYUSH launched a three-month campaign called “Ayush for Immunity”, aimed at increasing awareness about affordable and easy practices that can be adopted for enhancing immunity and preventing any disease.
• Ministry of AYUSH Secretary Rajesh Kotecha elaborated on the theme of the event, which is accessible and affordable health for all, through Ayush solutions.
• There is a need for a behavioural change in people towards immunity enhancing steps, and highlighted the evidences which have established the positive role of traditional medicines and practices in enhancing immunity.
• A key objective of the event was to acquaint the people with valuable information about strengths of various Ayush-based solutions for enhancing immunity and preventing diseases.

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Youth and Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju launches nation-wide initiative of Fit India Youth Clubs

• Union Minister of Youth and Sports Kiren Rijiju launched a nation-wide initiative of Fit India Youth Clubs to promote fitness among every citizen on the occasion of Independence Day.
• The Fit India Youth Club which is a part of the Fit India Movement, endeavours to harness the power of youth to create mass awareness about the importance of fitness.
• Under this initiative, 75 lakh volunteers of Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan and National Service Scheme, along with Scouts and Guides, National Cadet Corps and other youth organizations will come together to register as Fit India Youth Clubs in every block in the country, under the aegis of a district unit.
• The clubs will organize and encourage schools and local bodies to organize one community fitness programme every quarter.

August 2020 Current Affairs Monthly PDF  |  Assam 2020 Yearbook  | July 2020 Quiz Monthly PDF

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August 19, 2020 

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E-lab at Assam Agricultural University in collaboration with European Commission agency

• Assam Agricultural UniversityVice Chancellor Ashok Kumar Bhattacharyya inaugurated e-lab, an e-learning facility at the university in Jorhat.
• The e-learning facility under AdaptNET programme was opened at the DBT- North East Centre for Agricultural Biotechnology (DBT-NECAB).

The DBT-North East Centre for Agricultural Biotechnology (DBT-NECAB)

• DBT-NECAB operates through AAU, established the e-learning laboratory as part of the AdaptNET-ERASMUS+ project, funded by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) of the European Commission.

AdaptNET

• AdaptNET has a partnership between four higher educational institutions in India and four institutes in Europe.
• It is a mission of “Strengthening education, research and innovation for climate smart crops in India”.
• 29 scientists from India were sent on a training to three European and one Indian institute to strengthen their competencies in climate smart agriculture and serve as ‘master trainers’ in the e-labs.

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Satya Pal Malik appointed as Governor of Meghalaya

• President of India Ram Nath Kovind has appointed Satya Pal Malik as the Governor of Meghalaya.
• Before that Malik was the Governor of Goa from November 2020 and Governor of Jammu & Kashmir from August 2018 to October 2019.

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Mysuru zoo received 3 cheetahs from South Africa

• Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Garden in Mysuru, Karnataka, got three cheetahs from South Africa’s Ann Van Dyke Cheetah centre under an animal exchange programme.
• The three cheetahs, including one male and two female African hunting cats and aged 14-16 months arrived after they were flown to Bengaluru from Johannesburg in an air freight carrier under the international animal exchange programme.
• The three cheetahs are kept in an enclosure under quarantine till they get acclimatized and adopt themselves to the Indian weather conditions.

FACTFILE – Mysore Zoo (Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens

• It is one of the oldest and most popular zoos in India, and is home to a whopping 1,450 species, including 168 from 25 countries the world over.
• The 128-year-old zoo, set up by then Mysore Maharaja Chamarajendra Wodeyar in 1892, is spread over 175 acres on the Musuru city’s outskirts.
• The zoo has recently exchanged animals with its counterparts in Czech Republic, Singapore and Sri Lanka.

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IISc Prof Biman Bagchi bags Joel Henry Hildebrand Award award

• Indian Institute Science (IISc) Bangalore Professor Biman Bagchi has been selected as the 2021 recipient of the Joel Henry Hildebrand Award in theoretical and experimental chemistry of liquids, sponsored by ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company.
• The American Chemic Society (ACS) national awards programme is designed to encourage the advancement of chemistry in all its branches and to support research in chemical science and industry.

BIOGRAPHY – Prof Biman Bagchi

• Prof Biman Bagchi is biophysical chemist, theoretical chemist and an Amrut Mody Professor at the solid state and structural chemistry lab in IISc.
• A chemistry graduate from Kolkata’s Presidency College in 1974, Bagchi obtained master’s degree in chemistry from Calcutta University in 1976 and went to the US where he did PhD from Brown University, Rhode Island in 1980.

FACTFILE – Joel Henry Hildebrand Award in the Theoretical and Experimental Chemistry of Liquids

• Research and Engineering Purpose: To recognize distinguished contributions to the understanding of the chemistry and physics of liquids
• The award consists of $5,000 and a certificate. Up to $1,000 in travel expenses to the meeting at which the award will be presented will be reimbursed.
• The award will be granted regardless of race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, presence of disabilities, and educational background.
• The award was established in 1980 in recognition of the scientific contributions of ACS Past President Joel H. Hildebrand. The ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Co. has sponsored the award since 1992.

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ADB approved a $1 billion funding for Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System project 

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a $1.049 billion funding for the 82 km long Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System project being implemented by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).
• The approval of approximately Rs 7,500 crore funding package by the ADB for the high-speed, high-capacity Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS reflects upon the funding agency’s trust in the project that promises to transform regional mobility besides giving push to polycentric economic development across the region.
• The loan will be used for financing civil works, tracks, station buildings, multi-modal hubs, maintenance depots, traction and power supply of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor.

FACTFILE – Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System

• Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System is an 82 km long, under-construction, semi-high speed rail corridor connecting Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut. It is one of the three rapid-rail corridors planned under Phase-I of Regional Rapid Transport System (RRTS) project of National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).
• With maximum speed of 160 km/h, the distance between Delhi and Meerut will be covered in around 62 min.
• The project will cost ₹30,274 crore and is expected to start operations by 2025.
• RRTS is a first of its kind project in India and it will use many state-of-the-art technologies for the first time, including ETCS Level-2 signalling systems and ballastless tracks suitable for 180 kmph speed.

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IIT Patna, Flipkart partner for joint research in AI and ML

• Ecommerce major Flipkart has inked an agreement with IIT-Patna to help create industry-focused applied research in the areas of artificial intelligence (AI), natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML).
• IIT-Patna will undertake a number of programmes such as joint research activities, writing research papers, organising seminars and internship/mentorship opportunities.
• The academic collaboration is expected to bring real-world industry exposure to students and scholars of IIT-Patna, and to provide an opportunity to the faculty members to work closely with Flipkart on research projects.
• The aim behind this collaboration is to create industry-focused applied research that could help reach e-commerce more consumers and sellers.

Test Series for Junior Admin Asst (Assam Secretariat) 2020

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August 20, 2020

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Union Govt approves to lease out Guwahati Airport to Adani Enterprises

• The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for leasing out Guwahati Airport, Jaipur Airport and Thiruvananthapuram Airport of Airports Authority of India (AAI) to the Adani Group.
• The Union Cabinet accorded its approval for leasing of the three airports for Operation, Management and Development to M/s Adani Enterprises Ltd.
• The Adani group was declared as the successful bidder in a global competitive bidding conducted by the Airports Authority of India for a period of 50 years.
• Airport Authority of India (AAI) will get an upfront amount of Rs 1,070 crore from handing over the airports to the private developer. The amount will be used for developing airports in smaller airports.
• The airports will be re-developed in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. Travellers will get better facilities and will also improve efficiency of airports.
• About a decade ago, Airports Authority of India’s airports in Delhi and Mumbai were leased on PPP mode for Operation, Management and Development about.

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Tripura celebrated the 112^th birth anniversary of last king Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya

• Tripura celebrated the 112th birth anniversary of Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya on august 12, 2020.
• Maharaja Bir Bikram was the last king of Tripura. After his death at the age of 39, Tripura merged with Indian Territory in October, 1949.
• State Govt had declared state holiday on the birthday of late Maharaja from last year.
• King Bikram (1908-47), who had ruled the state from 1923 to May 17, 1947, had decided to merge the then princely state of Tripura with the Indian Union by issuing a royal edict on April 28, 1947, appointing Barrister Girija Shankar Guha as his domain’s representative in the Constituent Assembly.

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Andhra Pradesh ties up with corporate majors to empower women

• The Andhra Pradesh government is entering into stage 2 partnership, as part of the YSR Cheyutha scheme, with major corporate players such as Reliance Retail, Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited and Allana group in its efforts to empower women in the state.
• The partnership aims to establish a productive business environment with end-to-end solutions comprising capital support, market linkages, skill enhancement, and technical support, thereby empowering women and ensuring sustainable income.
• Reliance Retail will support this initiative by assisting women beneficiaries in setting up Jio Mart Kirana stores that are digitally equipped and function as online stores.
• Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited will support the YSR Cheyutha initiative through an innovative connecting platform that will establish a direct linkage between the government and beneficiaries, enabling seamless implementation and monitoring.
• Allana group will support the Cheyutha beneficiaries in rearing buffalo, sheep, and goats and providing technical support on livestock rearing practices.
• YSR Cheyutha is a scheme that is specifically targeted towards the welfare of the women in the state. Financial assistance to the tune of Rs 18,750 will be given per beneficiary for the next four years to around 25 lakh women between the age group of 45-60 years, belonging to backward communities.

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Cabinet approves National Recruitment Agency, single entrance exam for government jobs

• The Union Cabinet approved setting up of a National Recruitment Agency (NRA) to carry out a national entrance exam for non-gazetted vacancies in both central government departments, and public sector banks. It will conduct a single entrance exam for tens of thousands of positions that the government advertises every year.
• The current recruitment model comprises several exams by different recruitment agencies. However, UPSC will continue to deal with top administrative exams, including the coveted the civil services exams.
• NRA will be a multi-agency body to encompass the first level test currently conducted by agencies like Staff Selection Commission (SSC), the Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) and the Institute of Banking Service Personnel (IBPS).
• Other recruitment agencies in the central government would adopt the central eligibility test (CET). CET will work as a screening test, and based on the CET score level, final selection for recruitment shall be made through separate specialised tier one and tier two exams, which shall be conducted by the respective recruitment agencies.

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Union Cabinet approves hike in fair price of sugarcane

• The Union Cabinet approved a hike in the fair and remunerative price (FRP) of sugarcane by Rs 10 to Rs 285 per quintal, for upcoming crushing season 2020-21 (October-September).
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its assent to the proposal in this regard by the Department of Food under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, on the recommendation of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
• The price has been fixed on the basis of a recovery rate of 10 per cent, while the farmers will get additional money at the rate of Rs 28.50 per quintal, if the recovery rate is one per cent higher, at 11 per cent.

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Centre rolls out Credit Guarantee Scheme for MSMEs

• The Union Ministry for MSMEs has launched the Credit Guarantee Scheme for Subordinate Debt for MSMEs, thereby operationalising the Rs 20,000 crore distressed assets fund.
• The Ministry has issued guidelines for the scheme which was announced under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat economic package.
• The scheme is applicable for those MSMEs whose accounts have been standard as of March 31, 2018 and have been in regular operations, either as standard accounts, or as NPA accounts during financial year 2018-19 and financial year 2019-20.
• Promoter(s) of the MSME unit will be given credit equal to 15 per cent of his/her stake (equity plus debt) or Rs 75 lakh whichever is lower.

August 2020 Current Affairs Monthly PDF  |  Assam 2020 Yearbook  | July 2020 Quiz Monthly PDF

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August 21, 2020 

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Lakhimpur bags title of Fastest Mover City in Northeast

• Assam’s Lakhimpurhas won the Fastest Mover City Award under population up to 25,000 in the Northeast zone category in Swachh Survekshan survey 2020 conducted by Union Housing & Urban Affairs Ministry.
• As per the survey, 4,324 urban local bodies (ULBs) have been declared ODF so far. A total of 1,319 cities have been certified ODF+ and 489 cities have been certified ODF++.

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Tezpur University generates electricity from solar power

• Tezpur University is prioritizing the use of renewable energy for generating electricity for its buildings and classrooms as a part of its sustainable campus initiatives.
• The University considers five thematic areas i.e. energy, water, waste, natural ecosystems and sustainable building for its mission towards sustainable campus.
• In order to develop Sustainable buildings (also known as green buildings), the University has installed 1000 kWp rooftop grid connected solar power plant under Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI) scheme for government buildings under RESCO (Renewable Energy Service Company) mode and has effectively replaced 24% of the monthly electricity consumption of the University during October 2018-July 2020 period.
• The University also reduces 1614 tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emission due to solar power generation during this period.
• Tezpur University is the first Academic Institution to initiate the installation of MW Scale Rooftop Grid connected Solar PV power plant in the North Eastern Region of the country.

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Indore remains India’s Cleanest city for the fourth time in Swachh Survekshan 2020

• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development announced the Swachh Survekshan awards, Indore city in Madhya Pradesh emerged as the cleanest city for the fourth time in a row in the category of more than one lakh population. Indore is followed by Surat city in Gujarat and Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra.
• The Swachh Survekshan monitors the performance of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, launched in 2014. The survey was conducted in 4,242 cities, 62 cantonment boards and 92 Ganga towns.
• In the category of less than one lakh population, Karad, Saswad and Lonavala cities in Maharashtra emerged victorious.
• Ahmedabad in Gujarat ranked first in the cleanest mega city category, while Chhattisgarh’s Ambikapur secured the cleanest smallest city tag. Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh won the award in the small city category.
• Chhattisgarh ranked first in the category of best performing states with more than a hundred urban local bodies, while Jharkhand emerged first in the less than one hundred category.

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OP Jindal Global University awarded coveted Jean Monnet Chair

• The European Union has awarded the OP Jindal Global University (JGU) with the Jean Monnet Chair. JGU thus became India’s only private university to be awarded the chair in 2020.
• The Jean Monnet Modules, Chairs and Centres of Excellence are awarded annually. These Chairs foster teaching and research excellence among university professors in areas connected to the European Union Studies.
• The JGU has received the coveted Jean Monnet Chair on ‘Multi-dimensional Approaches to the Understanding of the EU Data Protection Framework’.

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21 Crore Man-Days Employment Provided Under Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyaan

• Around 21 crore man-days employment has been provided under the Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyaan (GKRA) to the returnees of six states.
• GKRA is taking action on mission mode to provide employment to migrant workers who have returned to their native villages of six states namely Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
• Under the Abhiyaan, a large number of structures have been created including 77,974 water conservation structures, 2.33 lakh rural houses, 17,933 cattle sheds, 11,372 farm ponds, and 3,552 community sanitary complexes.
• The Abhiyaan was launched to boost employment and livelihood opportunities for migrant workers returning to villages and similarly affected citizens in the rural areas, in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

 

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Assam Current Affairs & GK – August 08-14, 2020

( Covers all important Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of August 08-14, 2020)

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August 08, 2020

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IIT Guwahati, Imperial College London develop nano-particle to boost LED performance

• Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG) and Imperial College London in the UK, have developed a tailored ‘meta-grid’ of nanoparticles that could make light-emitting diodes (LEDs) brighter, energy-efficient and durable.
• Meta-grid or metamaterial grid is a specifically patterned array of nanoparticles acting as metamaterials, capable of exhibiting extraordinary optical properties.
• The research team has developed a nanoparticle ‘meta-grid’, which needs to be placed at an appropriate location within the epoxy casing of the LEDs, for improving light output from LEDs.
• A meta-grid is a specially-designed, optimised, a two-dimensional array of specific nanoparticles, of size much smaller than the wavelength of light.
• With the continuous advancement in nanofabrication technology, it is now possible to fabricate metallic nanoparticles that have a very narrow spread.
• The research team has developed this novel scheme of boosting the transmission of light generated inside an LED chip across the LED-chip/encapsulant interface.
• The technique has revealed optimal design parameters for such meta-grids to produce greater light output over any narrow/broadband emission spectrum, besides boosting LEDs’ lifetime by eliminating heating of the chip from unwanted reflections within the chip.

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BEL setup Solar-Powered Classrooms in 122 Karnataka Schools

• Govt of India enterprise Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has set up solar-powered smart classrooms in 122 government schools across the backward Yadgir district in Karnataka state.
• About 13,000 children studying in 122 government schools of Yadgir district will benefit from smart classrooms, powered by solar power and equipped with hi-tech facilities.
• With a total cost of Rs 3.8 crore, the smart classrooms offer visually attractive content to help students assimilate the information effectively. It also enables teachers to explain difficult concepts, thereby improve teaching and enhancing academic performance.
• The smart-class facilities include a 50-inch LED television, CPU with accessories, green board and LED lights charged with solar batteries
• The company is also installing hand-wash facilities costing Rs 1.02 crore in 100 state-run primary schools across the district to protect children and staff from coronavirus and maintain hygiene.

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Manoj Sinha takes oath as new Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir

• Former Union minister Manoj Sinha was administered the oath of the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Justice Gita Mittal in Raj Bhavan.
• Manoj Sinha  succeeds Girish Chandra Murmu who has now been appointed as the new Comptroller & Auditor General of India (CAG).
• Sinha was former Minister of State for Railways and later and later held an independent charge of Ministry of Communication. He has been a member of the BJP national council from 1989 to 1996. He was elected to the Lok Sabha a third term in the Lok Sabha elections in 2014.

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Banaras Hindu University -NHAI tie-up to improve road quality

• A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between Indian Institute of Technology in Banaras Hindu University (IIT-BHU) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for improving the quality of roads in India.
• This research work will be carried out under Nikhil Saboo, Assistant Professor /Civil Engineering department, as the principle investigator.
• This project is aimed at construction of durable and long-lasting roads in India. It will also help in reducing the lifecycle cost by delaying the need for frequent maintenance.
• The outcome of this project will be implemented through construction of test sections in collaboration with NHAI. This will also help to gain more confidence in adopting the developed technology for construction of durable roads in the country.

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Delhi CM launches Electric Vehicle Policy

• Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched a Electric Vehicle Policy, in a bid to reduce air pollution and boost the economy along with creating new jobs in the national capital.
• Under the Electric Vehicle Policy, Delhi Government will provide financial assistance to those buying electric vehicles. An assistance of Rs 30,000 will be given on the purchase of 2-wheelers, Rs 1.5 lakh on cars and Rs 30,000 on auto-rickshaws and e-rickshaws.
• A dedicated ‘EV Cell’ will be set up to implement the policy and additionally the government will soon form the ‘State Electric Vehicle Board’ in this regard.
• 200 charging stations will be set up in one year for the ease of e-vehicle users. There will be no registration fee, road tax under electric vehicle policy as well as low-interest loans for electric commercial vehicles.

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August 09, 2020

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Tripura’s 29% school students have no access to phone, cable TV for online classes

• Around Twenty nine per cent of school students in Tripura don’t have access to any sort of smart phone, cable TV network or such connectivity to attend online classes.
• The state government started experimental schooling like online classes, recorded videos etc streamed via local cable television channels, social media under ‘Ektu Khelo Ektu Padho’ project but the students of interior places of the state faced problems due to non-availability of internet devices and cable TVs.
• State Govt organised the survey, conducted among 3,22,297 students from all eight districts of Tripura during Ektu Khelo Ektu Padho classes, revealed 94,013 students didn’t have access to any sort of phone.
• Out of 3.2 lakh students, 1, 42,238 didn’t have access to any kind of television, rendering them unable to take the televised recorded lectures or live classes conducted by the state education department.

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Girish Chandra Murmu Murmu appointed as CAG of India

• Former Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor and retired IAS officer Girish Chandra Murmu was sworn in as the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India. He will have a tenure up to November 20, 2024.
• He is the 14th CAG of India and had server as the first Lt. Governor of UT of Jammu Kashmir.

FACTFILE – Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)

• The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India is constitutional position established by Article 148 of the Constitution of India, which audits all receipts and expenditure of the Govt of India and the state govts, including those of bodies and authorities substantially financed by the government.
• Various provisions of the CAG are mentioned in the Constitution of India under Article 148 – 151.
• CAG is also the external auditor of Government-owned corporations and conducts supplementary audit of non-banking company in which Union Government has at least 51 per cent of equity share.
• The reports of the CAG are laid in Parliament/ State Legislatures and taken into consideration by the Public Accounts Committees (PACs) and Committees on Public Undertakings (COPUs) in the Parliament and the state legislatures.
• CAG is also the head of the Indian Audit and Accounts Department and Indian Audit and Accounts Service.
• The CAG is ranked 9th and enjoys the same status as a judge of Supreme Court of India in Indian order of precedence.

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PM Modi inaugurates Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra in Delhi

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Rashtriya Swacchata Kendra in New Delhi.
• RashtriyaSwachhata Kendra, an interactive experience centre on the Swachh Bharat Mission was first announced by the Prime Minister on 10th April 2017, on the occasion of the Centenary Celebrations of Gandhiji’sChamparan Satyagraha.
• In the Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra, visitors will experience a unique 360 degree audio visual immersive show, which will narrate India’s Swachhata Story – a journey into the largest behaviour change campaign in the history of the world.
• It contains a series of interactive LED panels, hologram boxes, interactive games and much more, to tell the story of the work done to achieve Gandhiji’s vision of a Swachh Bharat.
• It will showcase three exhibits which are anecdotes from the journey of India from Satyagraha to Swachhagraha. The wall murals around the Kendra also chronicle the core elements of the Mission’s success.

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Proposals of stressed Financial Companies worth Rs 6,400 crore sanctioned under special liquidity scheme

• Union Finance Ministry informed that 15 proposals worth Rs 6,399 crore of stressed NBFCs and HFCs have been sanctioned under the special liquidity scheme announced as part of approximately Rs 21 lakh crore ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ package. Additionally 37 more applications seeking financing of up to Rs 11,037 crore are under process.
• The scheme permits both primary and secondary market purchases of debt and seeks to address the short term liquidity issues of non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and housing finance companies (HFCs).
• Any NBFC including microfinance institutions registered with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) under the RBI Act, 1934 (excluding those registered as Core Investment Companies) and any HFC registered with the National Housing Bank under the National Housing Bank Act, 1987 are eligible to raise funding from this facility.

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Boat ambulance service to be launched in Maharashtra

• The Maharashtra government has approved for launching a “boat ambulance-cum-mobile medical unit” service between Mumbai and Raigad, on an experimental basis.
• The boat ambulance will be a speedboat which can accommodate an ambulance to shift patients from Raigad or Ratnagiri requiring urgent medicare at hospitals in Mumbai.
• This will help slash the crucial two-three hours or the ‘golden hours’ which the patients from these areas spend travelling by road to Mumbai.
• Procurement of the requisite vessel, equipment, medical supplies, staff, etc and the operational expenses for the project are to done under the supervision of the National Health Mission.

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Mahinda Rajapaksa sworn in as Sri Lanka’s new PM

• Leader of Sri Lanka PodujanaPeramuna party Mahinda Rajapaksa took oath as Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister. Rajapaksa was sworn in as the prime minister of the country for the fourth time.

BIOGRAPHY – Mahendra Rajapaksa

• Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa is a Sri Lankan politician serving as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka and Minister of Finance since 2019.
• He previously served as President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015 and was Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2004 and 2018 to 2019.

FACTFILE – Sri Lanka

• Sri Lanka (Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka) is an island country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean southwest of the Bay of Bengal and southeast of the Arabian Sea.
• Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is its legislative capital, and Colombo is its largest city and centre of commerce.
• It is separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. Its geographic location and deep harbours made it of great strategic importance from the time of the ancient Silk Road through to the modern Maritime Silk Road.

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August 10, 2020

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Eminent Vaishnavite scholar and xatradhikar Narayan Chandra Goswami passes away

• Eminent Vaishnavite scholar and the xatradhikar of Majuli’s Natun Kamalabari Xatra, Narayan Chandra Goswami passed away at the age of 80, due to liver cirrhosis disease.
• Goswami was known for his work on the Brajawali language and neo-Vaishnavite traditions and Sattriya culture.
• He translated Ramayana from Sanskrit into Assamese.
• Goswami also edited the Kirtan Ghosa and Naam Ghosa written by Sanakarvdeva and Madhabdeva respectively.
• He was conferred with the honorary Doctor of Literature (D Lit) degree by Dibrugarh University in 2010. He has been appointed visiting professor of Dibrugarh University by the University authority.
• Narayan Chandra Goswami has been adorned the ‘Srimanta Sankardev Award’ by the Government of Assam in 2004.
• ‘Sattra Ratna’ title was awarded to the Sattradhikar by the Assam Sattra Mohasobha in 2005.
• He recieved the Sahitya Academy Award in 2012.

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PM Modi launches Agriculture Infrastructure Fund  of Rs 1 lakh crore

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a financing facility of Rs 1 lakh crore under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund for agri-entrepreneurs, startups, agri-tech players and farmer groups for post-harvest management and nurturing farm assets.
• The beneficiaries of the scheme will include farmers, PACS, Marketing Cooperative Societies, FPOs, SHGs, Joint Liability Groups, Multipurpose Cooperative Societies, agri-entrepreneurs, startups, and central/state agency or local body sponsored public-private Partnership Projects.
• PM Modi also released the sixth installment of Rs 17,100 crore to more than 8.55 crore farmer beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM KISAN) scheme.
• The fund would bring about the creation of post-harvest management infrastructures and community farming assets such as cold storage, collection centres and processing units.

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India bans import of 101 defence items for self-reliance

• The government of India will suspend the import of 101 defence items to boost indigenous production. The “embargoed items” include high technology weapon systems like artillery guns, assault rifles, corvettes, sonar systems, and transport aircraft.
• The embargo on imports is planned to be progressively implemented between 2020 to 2024. Between April 2015 and August 2020, India’s defence services had contracted around Rs 3.5 trillion worth of items that are now on the hold list. Around Rs 4 trillion worth of orders will now be placed with the domestic industry over the next five to seven years.

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Separate emission norms for agri, construction machinery proposed

• The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued a draft notification to amend the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 to separate the emission norms for agricultural machinery, including tractors, power tillers and combined harvesters along with those for construction equipment vehicles.
• It has also proposed to change the nomenclature of emission norms from Bharat Stage (CEV/TREM)-IV and Bharat Stage (CEV/TREM)-V to TREM Stage-IV and TREM Stage-V for agricultural tractors and other equipments and CEV Stage-IV and CEV Stage-V for construction equipment vehicles, to avoid any confusion, between the emission norms of other motor vehicles which have BS as the norm.
• Suggestions and comments from public and all the stakeholders are invited on the draft notification within 30 days.

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August 11, 2020

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Assam Cabinet nod for Private Educational Institutions

• Assam state cabinet also approved the Assam Non-Government Education Institutions (Regulation of Fees) Rules, 2020 that seeks to regulate the fee structure in private institutions. The Rules envisages formation of two committees – one fee regulatory committee and an appellate authority.
• The cabinet also decided to upgrade the Bajali subdivision to a full-fledged district with creation of 10 officer posts and 85 other posts.
• The Assam Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Scheme, 2020, which seeks to regularise the street vendors and organise them, was also approved.
• The State Cattle and Buffalo Breeding Policy, 2020 was also approved by the cabinet and a decision was also taken for implementation of ‘Uberization’ scheme of the ASTC.

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Gujarat CM announces ‘Mukhya Mantri Kisan Sahay Yojana’ to compensate farmers for crop damage

• Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani announced ‘Mukhya Mantri Kisan Sahay Yojana’ scheme under which more than 56 lakh farmers in the state facing crop damage due to natural calamities will get compensation without paying any premium.
• The state government has decided to implement a scheme where the entire state is covered and none of the farmers are devoid of its benefits like crop loss aid in situations of calamities during kharif season.
• The scheme covers drought and excess or unseasonal rain. In cases of drought, those tehsils having rainfall less than 10 inches or where there is a gap of more than four weeks between two rainy days, will be considered as calamity affected.
• The irregularity of rains is the biggest factor in economic loss to the farmers. The benefits of this scheme will be available only to those farmers who have carried out sowing in their fields.
• For those farmers with 33 per cent to 60 per cent crop damage, financial help of Rs 20,000 per hectare will be given for a maximum of 4 hectares while those farmers who have incurred more than 60 per cent crop loss will get compensation of Rs 25,000 per hectare up to a maximum of four hectares.

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Finance Minister launches online dashboard for National Infrastructure Pipeline

• Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched the National Infrastructure Pipeline’s online dashboard through video conferencing. The dashboard is envisaged as a one-stop solution for all the stakeholders looking for information on infrastructure projects.
• The dashboard is being hosted on the India Investment Grid (IIG) site indiainvestmentgrid.gov.in. IIG is an interactive and dynamic online platform that showcases updated and real-time investment opportunities in the country.
• The NIP will improve project preparation, attract investments, both domestic and foreign, into infrastructure.
• Out of the total expected capital expenditure of Rs 111 lakh crore, projects worth Rs 44 lakh crore are under implementation, while projects worth Rs 33 lakh crore are at a conceptual stage. Projects worth Rs 22 lakh crore are under development project identified and DPR prepared, but yet to draw-down funds and the balance projects worth Rs 11 lakh crore are unclassified.

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August 12, 2020

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Central Govt releases Rs 6000 crore to assist 14 states including Northeast

• The Central Govt has released the 5^th instalment of states share of revenue deficit grant amounting to over Rs 6,000 crore in an attempt to assist states effectively address the situation arising out of Covid-19.
• The grant had been released for 14 states – Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, and all northeastern states excluding Arunachal Pradesh.
• The government released Rs 6,195.08 crore to 14 states as the 5^th equated monthly instalment of the Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grant as per the recommendation of the 15^th Finance Commission (FC).
• The money has been released ahead of schedule and as a special dispensation to meet immediate funding needs of the state governments looking to restore economic activity and minimise losses to its citizens due to disruptions caused by lockdowns.

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IIT Kharagpur develops novel vegetable oil to keep heart healthy

• Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur have developed a vegetable oil powder to keep the heart healthy.
• The innovation involved tailoring vegetable oils through preparation of oil blends inherently endowed with natural antioxidants as well as well-balanced fatty acids.
• The team was led by Professor Hari Niwas Mishra from the Department of Agricultural and Food Engineering. The novelty is in its formulation of a nutritionally balanced polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) enriched with antioxidants and producing a synergistic vegetable oil blend.
• The PUFA-rich oil powder will find extensive use in replacing dairy fat in bakeries and confectionaries, believe researchers Monalisha Pattnaik and Dr. Mousumi Ghosh from the Food Chemistry and Technology Laboratory.
• The research team has already received several awards for this product including the Gandhian Young Technological Innovation (GYTI) Award, 2020. This work has been recognized for the Young Student Invention and best thesis work at IIT-Kharagpur.

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Defence procurement proposals of Rs 8,722.38 crore approved

• The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved procurement proposals totalling Rs 8,722.38 crore, including for 106 Basic Trainer Aircraft worth over Rs 7,600 crore.
• The DAC approved the procurement of 106 such aircraft from HAL to address the basic training requirements of the Indian Air Force. Post-certification, 70 aircraft will be initially procured from HAL and another 36 after operationalisation of the HTT-40 fleet in the IAF.
• To improve the fire power of the Indian Navy, the DAC approved the procurement of an upgraded version of the Super Rapid Gun Mount (SRGM), which is fitted as the main gun onboard Navy and Indian Coast Guard ships, from Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited.
• The upgraded version of the SRGM has the enhanced capability to perform against fast manoeuvring targets like missiles and Fast Attack Craft and increased maximum engagement range.
• The DAC approved procurement of 125 mm APFSDS (Armour Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot) ammunition for the Army as a ‘Design and Development Case’.

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Himachal Pradesh to compensate flower growers

• The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet decided to compensate flower growers for losses incurred during the lockdown. The government has also decided to recruit 2,322 people in the Irrigation and Public Health department.
• The Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown thereafter have resulted in cumulative losses of Rs 15.77 crore to the floriculturists from March to May 2020 due to non-transportation of flowers.
• The state cabinet approved the guidelines for providing financial assistance or relief amounting to Rs 4 crore.
• In order to ensure smooth operationalization of National Ambulance Services 108, it has decided to make payments over and above the provisions of concession agreements as a special interim measure and stopgap arrangement to employees of GVK-EMRI by enhancing the take home salary of its employees.
• The Cabinet approved the amendment of the Himachal Pradesh War Awards Act, 1972 for enhancing the grant of War Jagirs from Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000 annually for all those eligible.

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Russia announces world’s first Covid-19 vaccine ‘Sputnik V’

• Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a coronavirus vaccine, touted as the world’s first such vaccine. The registration of the vaccine lays ground for mass inoculation even as the final stages of clinical trials to test safety and efficacy continue.
• Russia dubbed its newly launched vaccine against coronavirus “Sputnik V” after the Soviet satellite.
• The vaccine underwent the necessary tests. However, the vaccine’s registration is conditional and trials will continue while production gets underway.
• WHO and Russian health authorities are discussing the process for possible WHO pre-qualification for its newly approved COVID-19 vaccine.
• The coronavirus vaccine is developed jointly by Gamaleya Research Institute and the Russian Defence Ministry.

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FACTFILE – Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology

• The Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology is a Russian medical research institute which is headquartered in Moscow and is currently under the purview of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.
• The institute was founded in 1891 by Felix Blyumental and was named after the prominent Russian scientist Nikolay Gamaleya, a pioneer in microbiology and vaccine research in Russia.
• The institute is developing a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 in collaboration with the 48th Central Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense and the Vector Institute of the Rospotrebnadzor.

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Israel shares AI based medical equipment, technology with AIIMS to tackle COVID19

• The embassy of Israel and private Israeli companies gave medical equipments and Artificial Intelligence based technologies to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to fight COVID-19.
• The technologies include contactless monitoring applications, advanced medical management systems, and AI-based solutions such as AI assistant robots that can help medical teams perform various tasks remotely.
• Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs initiated a mission, and located the most advanced medical equipment that has been developed in Israel using cutting edge technologies to fight Covid-19. The most useful products were collected, some equipment was contributed, and some purchased with special funds allocated by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabi Ashkenazi.

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Google develops Android phone-based earthquake detection tool

• Google announced an Android-based earthquake detection feature that will alert smartphone users when the earth is about to shake.
• The Android phone will become a mini seismometer, joining millions of other Android phones out there to form the world’s largest earthquake detection network.
• All smartphones come with tiny accelerometers that can sense signals that indicate an earthquake might be happening.
• If the phone detects something that it thinks may be an earthquake, it sends a signal to their earthquake detection server, along with location of where the shaking occurred. The server then combines information from many phones to figure out if an earthquake is happening.
• The company has collaborated with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to send earthquake alerts, powered by ‘ShakeAlert’, directly to Android devices in California.
• The ‘ShakeAlert’ system uses signals from more than 700 seismometers installed across the state by USGS, Cal OES, University of California Berkeley, and the California Institute of Technology.

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Govt launched National Portal “SURAKHSYA” on Human Elephant conflict

• India is committed to the cause of saving Elephants and other animals and is working towards robust, practical and cost effective solutions to end the Human Animal Conflict.
• To manage conflicts and avoid loss of valuable lives of both the humans & elephants, it is important to strengthen the human-elephant coexistence, the Enviornment Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar released a booklet on “Best practices of Human-Elephant Conflict Management in India” on eve of World Elephant Day.
• The booklet is a pictorial guide of a variety of management inventions successfully adopted by the elephant range states and serves as a reference manual for adoption of the best possible site specific mitigation measures that can be adopted to reduce human – elephant conflict.
• The National Portal on human elephant conflict called “Surakhsya” for collection of real time information & also for managing the conflicts on a real time basis will help to set the data collection protocols, data transmission pipelines and data visualization tools to enable policy-makers to leverage HEC data for policy formulation and for preparation of Action Plans for mitigation of conflicts. 

FACTFILE – World Elephant Day

• World Elephant Day is celebrated on August 12 is an international annual event, dedicated to the preservation and protection of the world’s elephants. 
• The goal of World Elephant Day is to create awareness on elephant conservation, and to share knowledge and positive solutions for the better protection and management of wild and captive elephants.

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Walter Martos sworn in as new Prime Minister of Peru

• Walter Roger Martos Ruiz was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Peru to replace Pedro Cateriano.
• The new President of the Council of Ministers had served as Defense Ministerand is a retired Army General.
• Martos has a Master’s degree in Management and Development with special mention in Business Management and Administration and a PhD in Management and Development from the Army’s Scientific and Technological Institute.
• He also served as the Army Chief of Staff and the Armed Forces Chief of Staff.

FACTFILE – Peru

• Peru (Republic of Peru) is a country in western South America.
• It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the west by the Pacific Ocean.
• Peru is the 19th largest country in the world, and the third largest in South America.
• Lima is the capital and largest city

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August 13, 2020

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Assam Govt to launch “Orunodoi” scheme for women’s financial empowerment

• The Assam government would provide Rs 830 per month each to 17 lakh poor families under the ambitious “Orunodoi” scheme.
• Under the new scheme, district-wise selection of beneficiaries would begin from August 17, 2020 and the beneficiaries would start receiving the amount in the bank account of a female family member on the first day of every month, starting from October 2020.
• The scheme mains to empower women while contributing to economic development. While selecting the beneficiaries, there would be economic criteria and those who have certain movable and immovable assets including land, big houses, vehicles, electronic gadgets, and most government and semi-government employees, would be excluded.
• A sum of Rs 280 crore has been earmarked for the new scheme which would mean an additional annual income of Rs 10,000 to the poor households to meet their various needs.
• The beneficiary should be a permanent resident of Assam and their composite household income should be less than Rs two lakh per annum.
• Priority would be given to households with widows, divorced, unmarried or separated women, and disabled persons.

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Ganga Prasad Prasin appointed as vice chancellor of Tripura University

• Ganga Prasad Prasin is the new vice chancellor of the Tripura University. He is currently working as the Dean in the Department of School of Social Sciences at Manipur Central University. Before that he was a professor of Benares Hindu University.
• Previous VC, Professor Dharurkar, who joined in the University in 2018, has resigned from his post as corruption charges were raised against him.

FACTFILE – Tripura University

• Higher education in Tripura has its beginning with Maharaja Bir Bikram College (MBB), the first degree college in the state, established in 1947, and affiliate to Calcutta University (CU).
• This was followed by Ramkrishna Mahabhidyalay in 1950, Belonia College in 1964 and Ramthakur College in 1967.
• A post-graduate wing of CU, named Calcutta University Post graduate Centre (CUPGC), established in 1985. And in the same place, Tripura University was established through the Tripura University Act, in 1987.

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Ordnance Factory makes bullet-resistant jackets for TN Police

• The first batch of bullet-resistant jackets made by the Ordnance Clothing Factory, Avadi, was handed over to the Tamil Nadu Police. The bullet-resistant jackets were completely designed and fabricated by Ordnance Clothing Factory Avadi.
• The unit has the capacity to design and produce different variants of bullet resistant jackets. The jackets supplied to Tamil Nadu Police has special features like high density water repellence, flame retardance and provide protection from bullets fired from hand guns, pistols, AK-47 rifles and others.

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Punjab CM launches ‘Smart Connect Scheme’, gives smartphones to students

• The Punjab government launch Rs 92 crore ‘Punjab Smart Connect Scheme’ accross the state. Simultaneous distribution of phones was done at 26 places by various Ministers, legislators and others.
• The scheme, for which Rs 100 crore was allocated in the state budget for 2017-18, will benefit 174,015 Class XII students of government schools in the first phase, to be completed by November.
• This initiative will bridge a major divide that was obstructing these students from affordable access to digital education.

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Andhra Pradesh launches Rs 17,000 crore ‘YSR Cheyuta’ scheme to promote women entrepreneurs

• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy rolled out Rs 17,000 crore scheme ‘YSR Cheyuta’ for promoting entrepreneurship among women in the state.
• The scheme aims to give freedom to eligible women to use the amount deposited in their unencumbered accounts for any purpose of their choice.
• The govt would provide marketing and technical assistance to women and the banks would provide loans.
• About 23 lakh women in the age group between 45-60 years, from the SC/ST, backward classes and minority communities would get an incentive of Rs 18,750 per annum aggregating to Rs 75,000 in four years.
• Andhra government had recently signed MoUs with industries like Proctor and Gamble, Anand Milk Union Limited (AMUL), Hindustan Unilevel Limited (HUL) and India Tobacco Limited (ITC) to strengthen the rural economy where the scheme beneficiaries could be stakeholders.

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NITI Aayog, Dell Technologies launch 2^nd student entrepreneurship programme

• Dell Technologies in association with NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) announced the second Student Entrepreneurship Programme (SEP 2.0) that would mentor eight teams to foray into the world of innovation and entrepreneurship.
• The virtual SEP 2.0 will help students receive support and guidance to manufacture fully-functional, market-ready products along with patenting their ideas/processes.
• The first edition of the Student Entrepreneurship Programme (SEP 1.0) helped top 6 innovations of the Atal Tinkering Marathon transform their innovative prototypes into functioning, scaled go-to-market products across six crucial themes having broader social impact.
• The SEP 2.0 will allow student innovators to work closely with Dell volunteers and avail mentorship to create a test bed for their innovation and collect customer feedback.

FACTFILE – Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs)

• AIM is establishing ATLs in schools across India with a vision to cultivate one million children in India as neoteric innovators.
• It is aimed at disrupting the Indian education system, creating a paradigm shift where children as young as 12 years of age are being introduced to the world of technology innovation.
• It’s objectives are to foster curiosity, creativity and imagination in young minds; and inculcate skills such as design mindset, computational thinking, adaptive learning, physical computing etc.
• AIM provides grant-in-aid of Rs. 20 Lakh to each school that includes a one-time establishment cost of Rs. 10 lakh and operational expenses of Rs. 10 lakh for a maximum period of 5 years to each ATL.
• ATL is a work space where young minds can give shape to their ideas through hands on do-it-yourself mode; and learn innovation skills.

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August 14, 2020 

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Rajiv Gandhi University in Arunachal ranked India’s 2nd best central university

• Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU), the only central university of Arunachal Pradesh, has secured the second spot among all other central universities in India, according to the rankings released by the Union Ministry of Education.
• RGU secured the second position with 83% in the grading of performance of central universities by the Ministry of Education while Jamia Millia Islamia topped the rankings with a score of 90 percent.
• RGU is closely followed by Jawaharlal Nehru University and Aligarh Muslim University with 82 and 78 percent respectively.
• The scoring/grading was based on an evaluation of 17 key parameters fixed under a tri-partite Memorandum of Understanding which the RGU, like other central universities had signed in 2019-20 with the Ministry of Education.
• The objective of the MoU was to access and facilitate the performance of the Central University on selected key parameters against the targets so as to incrementally improve the performance of the University.

FACTFILE – Rajiv Gandhi University

• Rajiv Gandhi University, formerly known as Arunachal University, is the oldest university in Arunachal Pradesh.
• The foundation stone for the university was laid in 1984 by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The university was renamed as Rajiv Gandhi University in 2005.
• In May 2020, this year after the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports selected it to establish a centre of sports science education and research under MYAS scheme of National Centre of Sports Sciences and Research (NCSSR). The sports science education and research center, once established would be the first of its kind in the northeast and 6th in the entire country.

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Indian Navy sets up New Innovation and Indigenisation Unit

• Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched a Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO). This organisation will put in place dedicated structures for the end-users to interact with the academia and the industry to foster innovation and indigenisation for self-reliance in defence, in keeping with the vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
• The NIIO is a three-tiered organisation. The Naval Technology Acceleration Council (N-TAC) will bring together the twin aspects of innovation and indigenisation and provide apex level directives.
• A working group under the N-TAC will implement the projects. A Technology Development Acceleration Cell (TDAC) has also been created for the induction of emerging disruptive technology in an accelerated time frame.
• The Indian Navy already has a functional Directorate of Indigenisation and the new structures will build upon the ongoing indigenisation initiatives, as well as focus on innovation.

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PM unveils ‘Transparent Taxation – Honoring the Honest’ faceless income tax scrutiny, taxpayer charter

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a faceless tax scrutiny programme to honour honest income tax payers in the country.
• Launching the platform ‘Transparent Taxation – Honoring the Honest’, PM Modi said the department will start faceless appeals from September 25, 2020.

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NITI Aayog selects Oracle Cloud to transform Aspirational Districts

• Niti Aayog has selected Oracle to help it modernise vital IT infrastructure in 112 most backward districts as part of its Aspirational Districts Programme.
• These 112 districts constitute 28 per cent of population and the new cloud solution aims to aid district magistrates to improve overall performance and transform the quality of life of citizens.
• Oracle Autonomous Database, the world’s first and only true autonomous database, is at the heart of data management in this programme. Being self-driving, self-securing and self-repairing it requires a minimal IT team and resources to support it.
• The Oracle Cloud solution incorporates
  • Oracle Content Experience to ensure data and reports are easily accessible.
  • Detailed reporting for the District Magistrates to track their district’s progress real-time, via insights generated with Oracle Analytics Cloud service.
  • Key Performance Indicator tracking by citizens to check how their districts are faring, made available by the use of Oracle Application Express (APEX), a low-code development platform that’s at the heart of this reporting process.
  • Oracle Cloud is also able to integrate and track projects undertaken by District Magistrates to improve their rating.

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Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launches Swachh Bharat Mission Academy

• Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launched the ‘Swachh Bharat Mission Academy’, an IVR-based training course with modules on Open Defecation Free (ODF) Plus programme.
• The ODF Plus is an extension of the ODF programme under the Swachch Bharat Mission. Its objective is to sustain the ODF programme and to take up Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM).
• The SBM Academy was launched as part of the ongoing week-long behaviour change campaign ‘Gandagi Mukt Bharat’. The SBM Academy course has four chapters, each with four audio lessons and a multiple-choice quiz at the end of the chapter.

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Reliance Foundation launches W-GDP Women Connect Challenge

• Reliance Foundation has forged a new partnership with US Agency for International Development and Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) to bridge the gender digital divide in India.
• The partnership was announced at a W-GDP event hosted by Deputy Secretary of State of the United States Stephen Biegun and with special guest, Ivanka Trump, Advisor to the President of the United States, and Deputy USAID Administrator Bonnie Glick.
• The W-GDP Fund was created to source and scale the most innovative programmes to advance women’s economic empowerment. The W-GDP Women’s Connect Challenge supports private sector-led approaches that close the gender digital divide, expands business opportunities, and empowers women.
• W-GDP will partner with the Reliance Foundation to create an India-specific expression of the WCC and incorporate the lessons of previous W-GDP WCC Rounds.
• W-GDP seeks to reach 50 million women in the developing world by 2025 by focusing on three pillars women prospering in the workforce, women succeeding as entrepreneurs, and women enabled in the economy.

 

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