CURRENT AFFAIRS WEEKLY ONE LINERS: AUGUST 8 – 14, 2018

NATIONAL

• The government has set up a four-member Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by trade minister Suresh Prabhu to advise prime minister Narendra Modi on whether to continue with or withdraw from the 16-member Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations.
• The Telangana government has launched a Rs.5 lakh insurance programme for farmers in the state, touted to be the first of its kind, under which their families will get the amount irrespective of whether the death is natural or accidental.
• The National Green Tribunal has constituted a committee, to be headed by a former Allahabad High Court judge, for monitoring the rejuvenation project of Ganga from Haridwar to Unnao in Uttar Pradesh.
• The Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari launched Bidder Information Management System (BIMS).
• Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar has flagged off the Goa Tourism Development Corporation’s app-based taxi service “GoaMiles” in Panaji.
• Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has integrated its MyCall and DND 2.0 apps on the Umang (Unified mobile application for new-age governance) platform for Android users.
• The 3rd India-Nepal Coordination meeting will be held in New Delhi. Our correspondent reports that a seven-member delegation from Nepal, headed by Inspector General of Nepal Armed Police Force Shailendra Khanal will take part in the three-day meeting.
• The Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve, Sikkim, one of the highest ecosystems in the world, has been added to UNESCO’s list of World Network of Biosphere Reserve (WNBR). The Khangchendzonga reserve will be India’s 11th internationally designated WNBR.
• Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Aviation Suresh Prabhu launched Niryat Mitra – mobile App in New Delhi. The app developed by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) is available both on Android and on IOS platforms.
• The Ministry of HRD has embarked on a major and new initiative Project called ‘Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds’ (SWAYAM). It will provide one integrated platform and portal for online courses.
• The NITI Aayog host an investors’ conference to attract investments for the development of eco-tourism on public private partnership (PPP) basis in Andaman & Nicobar, and Lakshadweep Islands.The Conference will be inaugurated by Shri. Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog.
• The President Ram Nath Kovind has inaugurated the ‘One District One Product’ Summit in Lucknow.The ‘One District One Product’ scheme will enhance skills of local people as well as increase the reach to products, which will in turn result in economic progress of artisans of Uttar Pradesh.
• The Haryana government  will launch the Ayushman Bharat-Haryana Health Protection Mission on August 15 to provide cashless healthcare facilities to beneficiaries at empanelled hospitals.
• The Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will launch a defence industrial corridor in Aligarh as part of the government’s efforts to develop specialised zones dedicated to defence production in the state.
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the continuation of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) beyond the 12th five year plan period.
• The Maharashtra government has expanded the scope of the loan waiver scheme by extending the benefits to every member of the farmer’s family in case of a separate loan account.Every person’s loan amount up to Rs 1.50 lakh will be waived.
• The Minister of State for Culture (Independent Charge) and Minister of State for Environment Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Mahesh Sharma inaugurated an exhibition entitled ‘Prathibandhit Sahitya mein Swatantrata Sangram’ (Freedom Movement through Proscribed Literature) in the premises of National Archives of India, in New Delhi.
• On the eve of Independence Day, the Rajasthan government will organise a human chain along the 650-km-long Pakistan border.It will be conducted under a programme, ”Shahadat ko Salam.”
• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has constituted a committee to ascertain whether sub-regional plans for protection of Natural Conservation Zones (NCZs) are in consonance with the regional plans prepared by the National Capital Planning Board.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman Dr K Sivan has announced that ISRO TV will go on air in a few months.
• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) and Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA), Government of India  for cooperation between the two Ministries.
• The Minister of state for Culture (I/C), Dr. Mahesh Sharma, has released 3 books at IGNCA, New Delhi.
• The books are ‘Jewellery’ by Dr. Gulab Kothari, ‘Ghats of Banaras’ by Dr. Sachidanand Joshi  and ‘Untold Story of Broadcasting’ by Dr. Gautam Chatterjee.
• The Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has released a vision document for a digital northeast that aims to improve people’s lives by capacity building of government staff and doubling BPO strength in the region. He Unveiled the plans under the ‘Digital North East: Vision 2022’.
• The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said the rollout of the Smart City projects will help New Delhi emerge as a world class city.The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has set an example before other aspiring Smart Cities in the country to follow.
• India’s second moon mission Chandrayaan-2 will now be launched in January 3, 2019 instead of later this year as the design was changed to enable it land on the lunar surface.
• The Union minister Jitendra Singh has announced that Jammu and Tripura will get the country’s first full-fledged Space Technology Research Centre.
• Smitha V Crishna of the Godrej Group, with wealth worth ₹37,570 crore, is the richest Indian woman.

INTERNATIONAL

• Google has officially released Android 9 Pie on the Google Pixel and will roll out the update to other phones throughout the year.
• Pacific Endeavor-2018, a communication exercise under the Multinational Communications Interoperability Program (MCIP) started in Kathmandu, Nepal
• Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called on the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to stay united against protectionism and brace multilateralism at the opening ceremony of the 51st ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Singapore.
• The communication exercise ‘Pacific Endeavor-2018 (PE-18)’ under the Multinational Communications Interoperability Program (MCIP) started in Kathmandu, Nepal.
• As part of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) initiatives, SCO Peace Mission Exercise is conducted biennially for SCO member states.The joint exercise for the year 2018 will be conducted by Central Military Commission of Russia from 22 August to 29 August 2018 at Chebarkul, Chelyabinsk, Russia.
• The Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met her South Korean counterpart Young-Moo Song and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties in security and strategic sphere
• Nasa is preparing to launch a $1.5 billion spacecraft designed to “touch” the sun, which will help scientists learn more about the scorching atmosphere of our favourite star, known as the corona.
• The embassy of Israel has opened a visa application centre in kolkata for tourists from West Bengal and the north eastern states. It aims to encourage more Indian travellers to visit Israel.
• The Axis Bank has become the first bank in the country to introduce Iris Scan Authentication feature for Aadhaar-based transactions through its micro ATM tablets.
• The Industrial production in India expanded at a five-month high in June with all three major sectors —manufacturing, mining and electricity — contributing to the recovery.
• The Nepal-India Literature Festival 2018 has begun in Birgunj, Nepal. Inaugurating the festival Chief Minister of Province 2 Mohammad Lalbabu Raut said that it will play an important role in further strengthening Indo-Nepal ties.

BANKING AND ECONOMY

• PayU India has announced entering into a strategic partnership with Reliance Money, leading NBFC brands in India, to offer instant app based personal loans, via LazyPay.
• The value of transactions made through mobile wallets touched a record Rs.14,632 crore in June, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data released showed, rising 4.2% from Rs.14,047 crore in May.
• The HSBC has launched a new digital platform to simplify capital raising process through capital markets by providing real-time access to information such as investors’ feedback, profiles, client orders and deal pricing.
• The RBI has decided to pay Rs 50,000 crore as dividend to government in line with the Union Budget provisions, helping the Centre stick to its fiscal roadmap.
• According to International Monetary Fund, India’s gross domestic product (GDP) is poised to grow by 7.3% in the 2018-19 fiscal and 7.5% in 2019-2020 on strengthening of investment and robust private consumption.The IMF announced that, the near-term macroeconomic outlook for India is broadly favourable.
• The Global technology platform and digital payments leader, PayPal, and HDFC Bank, the largest credit card issuer in India, have entered into a partnershipIt aims for safer, faster and more convenient payment experience for HDFC Bank cardholders and help drive incremental digital spend
• The State Bank of India (SBI) has launched the Multi-Option Payment Acceptance Device or MOPAD, a unified payment option that accepts multiple payment methods.
• The Exim Bank of India has signed a multilateral cooperation agreement with member development banks of BRICS to undertake “collaborative research” in distributed ledger/blockchain technology.
• The Bajaj Allianz General Insurance has entered into a bancassurance deal with Vijaya Bank. This corporate agency agreement will enable distribution of Bajaj Allianz General Insurance products through the bank’s network of 2,129 branches across the country.
• The DHFL Pramerica Life Insurance (DPLI), a private life insurer, has entered into a Bancassurance partnership with SVC Co-operative Bank Ltd.
• It aims for the distribution of specialised products to the SVC Co-operative Bank Ltd customers.
• The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has emerged as the top source of inward remittances, while Kerala has received the maximum funds sent from abroad, according to the Reserve Bank of India’s survey of inward remittances for 2016-17.
• India’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) is considered to be the most patriotic brand, according to a survey.SBI is followed by Tata Motors, Patanjali, Reliance Jio and BSNL. The survey conducted by UK-based online market research and data analytics firm YouGov.

APPOINTMENTS

RANKING

• The Global Innovation Index 2018 was launched in New Delhi by Ratan P Watal, Principal Adviser, NITI Aayog & Member Secretary of the Economic Advisory Council. The top three countries are Switzerland, Netherlands, Sweden.
• Pune has emerged as the easiest city to live in India according to the Ease of Living Index 2018 released by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• The BBC History magazine compiled a list of “100 women who changed the world”.Marie Curie, the pioneering scientist has topped a poll asking which woman has had the most significant impact on world history. She was the first person to win two Nobel prizes.
• The Railway Ministry has released the third party survey report on station cleanliness conducted by Quality Council of India (QCI).

AWARDS

• Indian-American high school student Avi Goel has won the world championship at the International Geography Bee’s junior varsity division held in Berlin, Germany.

SPORTS

• German professional footballer Mario Gomez has announced his retirement from the national team, saying that it is now time for the youngsters to step up in his shoes.
• The Indian Under-16 team stunned reigning Asian champions Iraq for the first time, courtesy a last-gasp goal by Bhuvenesh, to bring its campaign back on track at the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) Tournament in Amman, Jordon.
• The Javelin thrower star Neeraj Chopra will be India’s flag bearer in the opening ceremony of the upcoming Asian Games 2018. The Games will be held from August 18 to September 2 in the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang.
• Indian shuttler Ajay Jayaram had ended with a runner-up at the Vietnam Open after losing the final to Shesar Hiren Rhustavito of Indonesia. The event was held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
• Rafael Nadal claimed the 80th title of his career as he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece in straight sets to lift the Rogers Cup in Toroto.
• Spanish midfielder David Silva has joined compatriots Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique in retiring from international football.
• Indian golfer Viraj Madappa won his maiden title on the Asian Tour at Take Solutions Masters in Bengaluru. Now, he became the youngest Indian to win on the Asian Tour.
• James Anderson became the first player to take 100 wickets during day four of the second Test versus India.Anderson took the wicket of Murali Vijay in the second over of India’s second innings to reach the landmark. This was also his 550th Test wicket.
• Madurai Panthers won the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL 2018) title.

IMPORTANT DAYS

OBITUARY

• The Australian professional golfer Jarrod Lyle has passed away.
• The former Lok Sabha Speaker and veteran communist leader Somnath Chatterjee has passed away.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS WEEKLY ONE LINERS: AUGUST 8 – 14

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