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HIMACHAL NEWS

1.Karnataka woman languishing in mental hospital in Himachal for 2 years to return home soon Padma, a woman from Karnataka - who is illiterate and spoke only Kannad, has been in the Mental

Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre in Shimla for the past two years after her husband abandoned her in

June 2016 in Mysuru, and she unknowingly reached Himachal Pradesh, will finally return to Karnataka

and reunite with her family soon. A five-member team from Karnataka, headed by Dr Manju Prasad,

chief medical officer, Mysuru, has reached Shimla to complete the formalities of her return.

2.Himachal industry in limbo after no show from state Hundreds of small and medium enterprises in Himachal Pradesh are still waiting for full reimbursement of tax concessions in lieu of erstwhile financial incentive that was available to the industry for setting up units in the hill state. what is the issue : executives of industrial units had been promised a 10-year tax holiday before the GST regime. Before the GST regime, the Centre had granted 100% excise duty exemption to entrepreneurs for setting up industrial units in the hilly states — Himachal Pradesh, J&K, Uttarakhand and the northeastern states. The exemption was granted to a unit for 10 years from the day of commencement of production. Therefore, the industries, that had commenced production in 2010, now demand continuation of the same until 2020. The GST Council had decided to share 58% of the total amount due to the units while the state has to pay the balance (42 %). Main problem : The Himachal Pradesh government has, however, not made any progress in granting its share of 42% to the eligible industrial units. The investors are now worried at the loss of remaining 42%. Why state govt is reluctant to pay 42 % : Since the GST is a consumption-based levy and the state fails to yield any benefit from the manufacturing industry, the state government is reluctant to bear this financial burden. 3.554 dengue cases reported in Himachal "A total of 544 dengue cases were reported across the state till July 31, with Bilaspur district taking the lead at 282 cases. No death has been reported so far. Solan district reported 244 cases, the second highest in the state. Bilaspur is also taking the lead in scrub typhus in the state, a disease caused by the bite of an infected mite found in areas with heavy scrub vegetation. One patient suffering from scrub typhus died in Chamba district. "A total of 177 scrub typhus patients have tested positive in the state till July 31," the official said. Bilaspur reported 58 scrub typhus positive cases, while Shimla had 24. 4.Himachal youth falling prey to drug abuse The drug menace is scaling new heights in Himachal Pradesh. Blame it on porous borders, lack of political will, absence of awareness about the repercussions of drug abuse or the lure of easy money, the fact remains that the youth of the hill state — as in Punjab — are steadily fall prey to drug abuse and its harmful consequences. "Chitta" (a white powder drug) is an extract of opium laced with synthetic drugs. It is cheaper than heroin.

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The Magic Valley in the upper reaches of Malana, some 50 km from Kullu town, is known for cultivating the prized "Malana Cream" hashish, a purified resinous extract of cannabis. Officials say over 60 per cent of the poppy and cannabis produce in Himachal Pradesh is smuggled out to countries like Israel, Italy, Holland and some other European countries. The remaining finds its way to Nepal or to Indian states like Goa, Punjab and Delhi. In the past five years, over 70 foreigners, mainly Britons, Israelis, Dutch, Germans, Japanese and Italians, have been arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Easy availability of narcotics in McLeodganj and its surrounding areas in Kangra district and Karsol in Kullu district have turned the areas into an addicts' haven. 5.Himachal Pradesh drug menace: mere seizure will not help, frame policy, tells HC to govt NOTE : (Very imp for HPAS Mains as the same topic is given in syllabus ) State high court releases orders to state govt to frame a policy to curb drug menace in the state which is turning worse in the state day by day : The order said chapters like ‘ill-effects of use of Psychotropic Substances’ may be introduced in curriculum of the school going children and at least twice a month, there should be expert counseling on the matter in educational institutions. It also added that the Authorities of the Educational Institutions should make efforts to identify the victims of such drug abuse and provide them counseling so that they are dissuaded from such activity. “The government may also consider hiring services of some Research Agencies, who in turn may advise/recommend alternate use, especially medicinal use so that local residents, involved in illegal trade of cannabis are instead motivated to use cannabis plants for producing some medicines or other substance which can be used legally,” the order said. It underlined the need to amend the Panchayati Raj Act, wherein the office bearers should be made accountable if any wild growth of cannabis /or cultivation is noticed and also cash award should be awarded to the panchayats which are free from cannabis or psychotropic substances. The bench also added that informers will not only be awarded cash rewards but security as well. The order added, schools/colleges and shops nearby should be raided randomly so that no Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance is made easily available to the young generation. In its harsh observations the bench said ” we are unable to understand that how mighty state/union can succumb or express its helplessness to deal with the handful of drug paddlers, who under the patronage of certain influential people, be it in service or in political life, has been able to thrive at the cost of thousands of lives”. 6.Toxic discharge kills fish in Swan; Punjab to talk to Himachal pradesh Less than three months after a large number of fish in the Beas river were killed by leak of molasses from a sugar mill, toxic discharge of effluents allegedly by industries in Himachal Pradesh have killed fish in the Swan river. People in the Nangal sub-division of Punjab’s ropar district discovered dead fish in the swan & informed the pollution control board. swan river : A seasonal river, the flows 65 km across jaswan valley in UNA HP towards south until it merges into the Sutlej near Anandpur. 7.Section 144 to be imposed in Himachal's Jwalamukhi town The Himachal Pradesh authorities imposed Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code in Jawalamukhi town of the hill-state from August 11 to 22 to maintain law and order during Ashtami-Navratra festival.

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Thousands of pilgrims, mostly from adjoining Punjab state, visit the town in Kangra district to pay obeisance at the famous Jwalamukhi temple during Navratras. 8.Short film on Himachal jail reforms wins prize Shimla-based filmmaker Devkanya Lotheta's film "Behind the Bars" has won the first prize under the Short Film Award Scheme - 2018 of the National Human RightsCommission (NHRC). The award carries a jury certificate and a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh. The film, produced and directed by Lotheta, gives an insight into significant reforms undertaken by the Himachal Pradesh government in jails. It presents how inmates (prisoners ) were imparted vocational training to facilitate their rehabilitation after the completion of their sentence. The award will be given at a function in New Delhi on September 5. Her earlier work "No Women's Land" bagged various awards at film festivals in India and abroad. 9.Minjar fair ends in Himachal's Chamba town The eight-day-long Minjar fair concluded in Himachal Pradesh's Chamba town on the banks of the Ravi river with the immersion of 'minjars', which symbolises the blossoming of maize. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur led the 'shobha yatra' of Lord Raghuvir, the principal deity of Chamba. Thousands of locals wearing traditional dresses went in a procession from Akhand Chandi Palace to Manjri Garden on the Ravi bank where the 'minjar' (golden tassels) were immersed in flowing water. The fair opened with the hoisting of the 'minjar', depicting the silk tassels that glow like maize blossoms in the sun, flag at the Chowgan or the public promenade in the historic town. The locals, mainly farmers, gather at the historic Lakshmi Narayan and Raghuvira temples during the festival and offer holy 'minjars'. These are exchanged among friends and relatives before they are finally immersed in the river as an offering to Lord Varuna. Old-timers say the fair is associated with the monsoon, in which the farmers pray for heavy rains for good harvest. The fair is believed to have first started in the 10th century to mark the victory of then ruler Sahila Varma over the Kangra king, who presented blossoms of maize and paddy to Varma. Chamba town was founded at that time. Another folklore says that a sage at the Champavati temple on the Ravi bank performed a week-long 'yajna' that changed the river's course and enabled the people to visit the Hari Rai temple across the channel. During the fair, people put 'minjars' on their colourful costumes and pray for timely rain and bumper crop. The embroidery on the 'minjars' is done mostly by the Muslims in the town. 10.Himachal promoting cultivation of medicinal plants Himachal Pradesh is promoting the cultivation and conservation of medicinal plants by encouraging farmers to cultivate them. Under the National AYUSH Mission, the government is providing financial assistance for which farmer clusters have been set up. To get the benefit of the financial assistance, each cluster must have at least two hectares of land. A cluster can be of three adjoining villages of 15 km radius. Mortgaged land can also be used for cultivation of the medicinal plants.

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The National AYUSH Mission is providing financial assistance of Rs 100 lakh for the cultivation of 'atis', 'kuth', 'kutki', 'sugandhvala', 'ashwagandha', 'sarpgandha' and 'tulsi', besides Rs 40 lakh for the construction of two storage warehouses and two drying sheds. National Medicinal Plants Board has approved the establishment of a regional-cum-facilitation centre in Mandi district's Jogindernagar. The Centre will promote the cultivation and conservation of medicinal plants in five states and one Union Territory -- Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. Himachal Pradesh has unique geographical conditions and there are areas ranging from 200 to 7,000 metres high. Due to diverse climatic conditions in the area, numerous types of herbaceous plants are available here. Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Sirmaur, Kangra, Solan and Mandi districts fall under the sub-tropical Shivalik hills and about 160 species of medicinal plants are cultivated in this zone. Tribal districts like Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti, Kullu, some areas of Kangra and Shimla districts located at an altitude of over 2,500 meters produce useful medicinal plants. These plants include 'patis', 'batsnabh', 'atis', 'tragen', 'kirmala', 'ratanjot', 'kala jeera', 'kesar', 'somlata', 'jangli heeng' and 'khursani ajwain'.

11.HIMACHAL PRADESH TO INTRODUCE STATE-OF-THE-ART 3-D THEATRE IN KUFRI ZOO In order to maintain the condition of zoos in Himachal and to provide the public with the latest information about wildlife, the State Government has decided to introduce state-of-the-art 3-D theatre in Kufri zoo. 12.Fog, terrain compound mystery of missing IAF plane that crashed in HP’s Spiti Valley 50 years ago Sighting of a corpse ( dead body ) on the Dhakha glacier in Spiti valley, gives new hope to families of AN12 passengers missing since 1968, but retrieval of wreckage is a huge challenge Body of one of the victims of 1968 Indian Air Force plane crash was found at the Dhaka glacier base camp on The discovery of a soldier’s corpse and parts of the wreckage of the AN-12 transport plane at the 18000-foot-high Dhakha glacier has given new hope to relatives of the 102 people who were declared missing after the plane went off the radar on February 12, 1968.

13.WHEEL CHAIRS, SANITARY VENDING MACHINES AT HIMACHAL BUS STANDS Himachal Transport Minister Govind Singh Thakur said the Transport department would soon provide the facility of wheel chairs at all the bus stands of the State to facilitate the specially-abled, ailing and aged passengers. HRTC would also set up sanitary vending machines at Shimla, Mandi, Manali and Kangra bus stands to facilitate women and girl passengers. In addition, primary health kits would also be made available at bus stands for providing first aid to the passengers in case of any emergency. 14.HIMACHAL TARGETS TO DOUBLE FARMERS INCOME NOTE : This content below is important for answer writing related to agriculture sector in HPAS Taking a cue from the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, the Himachal Pradesh Government has set the target of doubling the income of farmers by the year 2022 by augmenting irrigation facilities and

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launching new schemes like ‘Jal se Krishi ko bal’, Flow Irrigation Scheme’, and ‘Solar Irrigation Scheme’. Under these schemes, Rs. 250, 150 and 200 crores have been sanctioned. Apart from this under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Irrigation Scheme, new units of 111 minor irrigation schemes have been set up and a sum of Rs. 338 crore has been sanctioned for it. First installment of Rs. 49 crore in form of central assistance has already been received. Simultaneously, a budget of Rs. 277 crore has been made for the development of small irrigation schemes in the state. The State Government has already sent the proposal of Rs. 800 crore to Central Government to strengthen the irrigation facilities and to repair old irrigation and drinking water sources. In addition to this, Government has reduced the current tariff of electricity for irrigation from Rs. 1 per unit to 75 paisa per unit, which will facilitate lakhs of farmers of the state. In view of increasing the income of farmers of the State, the Cabinet has approved the guidelines for the implementation of ‘Natural Farming-Khushal Kisan’ scheme. Under the scheme, the income of farmers will increase manifold through natural farming and a provision of Rs. 25 crores has been made for the implementation of this scheme. This scheme will give the new direction to natural agriculture and farmers will get encouraged to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers. State Agriculture University will prepare the package of practices for implementation of this scheme. Himachal Pradesh being the only state where 89.96 percent of the population lives in rural areas, therefore the dependency on agriculture and horticulture is much higher as compared to other states. Here Agriculture is the main occupation of the people which plays an important role in strengthening the economy of the State. There is a vast scope in agriculture and horticulture in the state, due to which 62 percent of states people get employment in the agriculture sector. It is the main source of income for people of State and about 10 percent domestic product of state comes from agriculture and related areas. To boost up the agriculture sector and many other new schemes have been proposed so that people get maximum employment in this area and at the same time their income. The State Government is making every possible effort to strengthen the economy with full commitment to double the income of farmers by 2022 as has been announced by the Prime Minister. To provide new direction to the agriculture in the State the State Government has taken a decision to bring additional area under fruit and vegetable production in the State. Presently JICA Crop Diversification Scheme has been implemented in five districts of the State. Now, the second phase of this scheme will be implemented in all the districts at a cost of Rs. 1000 crore. Under ‘YS Parmar Kisan Swarojgar Yojna’, Poly-houses will be constructed for the promotion of safe farming in the State. The budget of Rs. 23 crore has been made for this during the year 2018-19. For the protection of farmer’s crop from monkeys, wild animals, and stray cattles, a provision of 35 crores has been made. Under ‘Chief Minister’s Farm Protection Scheme’, farmers will be given 85 percent subsidy for solar fencing. Apart from this, the State government is trying to double the income of the farmers by expanding activities in various sectors of agriculture such as flower cultivation, bee-keeping, fisheries and dairy production. Mechanization of agriculture due to the shortage of manpower is the demand of time. Many farmers are unable to purchase farming equipments such as tractor, power wielder, power tiller due to its higher prices. For this, Government will set up ‘Agriculture Facilitation Centers’ and farmers will be able to get the necessary expensive equipment on rent. To establish these centers, the government will provide 40 percent subsidy on instruments costing up to 25 lakh to the farmers and youth entrepreneurs. To

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provide equipments like tillers, potter, weaver, a provision of Rs. 32 crore has been made by the government. Under the measure to reduce the cost of production, for balanced utilization of nutrients in the year 2018-19 all the farmers will be brought under soil health card scheme. For the establishment of pesticide plant provision of 50 percent investment subsidy has been made. Recently 13 research centers and eight science centers have been made functional to provide advanced and latest information on agriculture and horticulture to farmers. Connecting to the farmers through the WhatsApp application the Government has taken this positive initiative. This has led to the quick solution to the farmers. To redress the grievances of farmers on priority basis, agriculture departments tall free helpline number ‘1550’ has been made functional. 15.Government of Himachal Pradesh to approve white cement mining lease The government of Himachal Pradesh is to approve a mining lease for the set-up of a white cement plant. FCI Aravali Gypsum and Minerals India Ltd (FAGMIL), a central public sector undertaking (CPSU) under the administrative control of the Department of Fertilisers of India’s Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, has received a Letter of Intent (LoI) from the Himachal Pradesh government for the granting of the lease. To be built on a 108ha plot, the new white cement plant is expected to cater for demand in the northern Indian market. The lease is located near Village Nohra Dhar, Tehsil Sangrah in District Sirmour and will provided the limestone required in the production of white cement. The National Building Council for Cement and Building Materials has carried out a pre-feasibility study for the 1000tpd plant. It is expected that the works will generate 200 direct and 3000 indirect jobs. 16.Himachal issues directions for mock drills in schools, colleges ‘From now onwards, all mock drills in schools, colleges would be held after permission from

administration and consultation with NDMA’

Taking cognizance of death of a student during mock drill in Tamil Nadu, the Himachal Pradesh government has issued directions for holding of mock drills in schools and colleges of the state. And now onwards, the mock drills on disaster management would be held after permission and under the supervision of authorities of concerned districts. The directions were issued after glaring laxities was found during mock drill which was conducted on 13 July at Kovai Kalaimgal College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore. 17.Cabinet Clears 4 New NDRF Battalions for J-K, Himachal, Uttarakhand, Delhi-NCR The Union Cabinet gave the nod to raising of four new battalions of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) which will be based in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the national capital region (set up at an estimated cost of Rs 637 crore"). The aim is to reduce the response time, keeping in view the vast geographical area of the country. An NDRF battalion comprises a little over 1,000 personnel. The statement said these four battalions will initially be raised in the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (2 battalions) and one each in Border Security Force (BSF) and Assam Rifles. "Later, these battalions will be converted into NDRF battalions. The NDRF has 12 operational battalions at present. It is a specialised force that was raised in 2006 for specific tasks of relief and rescue during natural and man-made disasters or threatening situations. The operational battalions are located in Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, NCR (Ghaziabad), Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.

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18.Himachal governor sheds ( removes) colonial ‘His Excellency’ tag In a departure from the British-era practice, Himachal governor Acharya Devvrat has directed the state government to discontinue prefixing the phrase “His Excellency” or “Mahamhim” as a greeting while addressing him. Acharya Devvrat said “honourable” should be prefixed to his name instead of “His Excellency” and “The Governor” should be used on ceremonial occasions. In official documents and other communications, he should be addressed as “Governor ji”, according to a release issued by the Raj Bhawan. In 2012, then President Pranab Mukherjee had introduced a new protocol for greeting the constitutional head. He had directed that the salutation of “His Excellency” should be replaced with “Honourable President” and “Honourable Governor”. Devvrat took charge as the Himachal governor on August 12, 2015. After assuming office, he made many changes in the Raj Bhawan. In his initial decision, he ordered closure of the British-time bar that was housed in the Raj Bhawan. Devvrat, who is considered close to yoga guru Ramdev, also got a “yagyashala” (an enclosure within which a ritual sacrifice with a specific objective is performed) constructed at the Raj Bhawan. The governor, who is also the chancellor of government-run universities, had discontinued the use of colonial black gowns in convocations two years ago. Instead, he accentuated the use of traditional Himachali dress.

19.Punjab, Himachal revive shrine ropeway project

Punjab and Himachal Pradesh have revived a project to install a ropeway to connect Sri Anandpur Sahib,

the birthplace of the Khalsa in Rupnagar district, to the Naina Devi temple in the hill state.

20.Cops/policeman In Himachal's Una Distt Can't Carry more than Rs. 200 when posted in checkpoints : Una superintendent of police Diwakar Sharma said the decision was taken after he received complaints alleging that police personnel at check-points demanded bribes from pilgrims entering the hill-state. He issued a unique diktat (order) barring (restricting) on duty cops manning check-points to keep more than Rs. 200 with them. Una superintendent of police Diwakar Sharma said the decision was taken after he received complaints alleging that police personnel at check-points demanded bribes from pilgrims entering the hill-state. "If there is any urgency for a particular cop posted at any check-post to keep more than Rs.200 with him or her, then the police personnel will have to mention the exact amount in daily diary of the concerned police station,". 21.State gives conditional NOC for dams Even though Himachal has yielded to Centre’s demand of issuing NOC to pave the way for the setting up of Renuka, Lakhwar and Kishau dams to meet the growing water needs of Delhi but not without laying conditions to ensure its share of water under the agreement. 22 .four (4) per cent interim relief for Himachal employees, pensioners Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur announced four per cent interim relief to the employees and pensioners from July 1.

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Speaking during Independence Day celebrations organised in Indora town in Kangra district, he announced the ex-servicemen and their widows, who were not getting any pension, would now get a social security pension of Rs 3,000 per month. Earlier, they were getting Rs 500 a month. Thakur announced that the income limit for getting benefits of schemes being implemented by the state Sainik Kalyan Department would be increased from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 7 lakh. This would benefit nearly 5,000 ex-servicemen families in the state, a government statement said. The Chief Minister announced opening of a Public Works Department division and construction of Mini Secretariat at Indora. He announced enhancement of grant being provided to the kin of the person who die in attacks by wild animal from Rs 1.20 lakh to Rs 4 lakh and for those seriously injured from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh. He also announced to enhance the grant being given in case of death of milching cattle from Rs 10,000 to Rs 30,000. 23.Himachal Police participates in I-Day parade in Kashmir Srinagar: For the first time in Kashmir, a contingent of Himachal Pradesh (HP) Police participated in the Indian Independence Day parade at the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium ( Srinagar). As per officials, the 64-member contingent was invited by J&K Police to take part in the event in order to strengthen cooperation between the police of the two neighbouring states. Deputy Superintendent of Police Karan Guleria led the contingent from HP in the parade in Srinagar. 24.Ridge in Shimla to soon have Vajpayee statute, Himachal cabinet decides The soon to be ready Rohtang tunnel, which links the Lahaul valley with the rest of the world, should be named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Himachal Pradesh cabinet agreed at a meeting and decided to forward a request to the Centre in this regard. The state cabinet headed by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur also decided to erect a statue of the charismatic former prime minister in Shimla's Mall road or the Ridge as well as a memorial in Manali. Remembering the special attachment of Vajpayee with the people of Himachal Pradesh, the Cabinet passed a resolution that noted that the idea to construct the Rohtang tunnel connecting landlocked

hinterland of the Lahaul valley with rest of the world was in 1998 by Vajpayee. The project was announced by him on June 3, 2000. This project is nearing completion and would be the biggest gift of Vajpayee to the state. The cabinet also decided to erect Vajpayee's statue at the Ridge or Mall in Shimla and to construct a memorial at Manali. The statues of Mahatma Gandhi and late prime minister Indira Gandhi exist at the Ridge in Shimla. The cabinet also decided to re-name the 'Mukhya Mantri Adarsh Vidya Kendra Scheme' launched by the state government as 'Atal Adarsh Vidya Kendra' and 'Mukhya Mantri Aashirwad Scheme' as 'Atal Aashirwad scheme'. The state cabinet also decided to send a proposal to the union government to rename the Kol Dam project after Vajpayee. The cabinet in its resolution said that Vajpayee considered Himachal Pradesh as his second home and had a house at Prini in Kullu district. He loved to visit the state whenever he had time.

25. LS, RS to adopt HP’s e-Vidhan model

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Himachal’s e-Vidhan model will now be adopted and replicated by all state Assemblies, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in the country to make their functioning paperless and information available at the click of a mouse. A notification has been issued by the Secretary, Parliamentary Affairs, in the Centre to adopt and replicate the Himachal Vidhan Sabha’s model. In fact, IT officials from the HP Assembly imparted three-day training to the IT staff of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha last month in Parliament. Himachal Vidhan Sabha was the first in the country to go paperless with the launch of e-Vidhan project almost four years back, in addition to this, , Himachal has become the first state in the country to successfully launch e-constituency management project which will cover all 68 Assembly segments. Monitoring of all development projects and welfare schemes in each Assembly segment would now be possible at the click of a mouse. “Himachal has once again taken the lead by launching its e-constituency management project where 18 Assembly segments have already been linked to e-Vidhan. The concerned officials have to load details of every project and welfare scheme and the progress on it can be checked at the click of a mouse ( in desktop ) . All 68 Assembly segments would be linked to e-constituency project by the end of this year. Central govt had issued a notification where all state Assemblies as well as Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will adopt and implement Himachal’s e-Vidhan model. There is also a proposal to set up National e-Vidhan Academy at the Vidhan Sabha complex at Tapovan in Dharamsala. 26.Landslides, flash floods put policy under question Heavy rain, flash floods and vast devastation have put a question mark over the environmental policy of the state government. Several social organisations and NGOs like People’s Voice, Himalaya Niti, Himalaya Bachao Abhiyan and other environmental groups have condemned the policy, demanding stringent laws to deal with the large-scale destruction in the state. In the month of august , more than 30 persons have lost their lives because of flash floods and landslides. Deforestation, reckless cutting of hills, illegal mining, poor waste management, preservation and quality of forests, biodiversity loss and land/soil degradation have become a matter of concern for locals. Growing urbanisation, construction of big hotels, highways and power projects have added only aggravated the problem. Himachal is among five disaster-prone states in the country. The apathetic attitude of successive governments has taken a toll on the hill state. Despite the fact that Himachal falls in the seismic zone (V), the ban on high-rise buildings is being violated, not only by the public, but also government agencies. Despite the High Court and the NGT orders, illegal constructions are rampant in the state. The TCP Act, labour laws and environmental laws are defied by construction companies and industrial units for a quick buck. The government and law enforcing agencies have become a mute spectator and waiting for the orders of the court to take action. Cement plants and hydropower projects pose a threat to the existence of forest land and natural resources, disturbing the fragile eco-system. Residents in hundreds of villages in the state have been spending sleepless nights these days as cloudbursts and flash floods have been occurring frequently. In the past 10 years, over 40 cloudbursts and flash floods were reported from different parts of the state in which over 5,000 lives were lost and property worth Rs 5,000 crore damaged. Large-scale land erosion and flash floods have made the lives of people miserable. The forest cover is vanishing, leaving environmentalists worried.

27.HIMACHAL CM SIGNS MOU FOR LAKHWAR PROJECT

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Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur participated in the MoU signing ceremony for the construction of Rs. 4000 crore Lakhwar Multi Purpose Project (MPP) in the Upper Yamuna Basin at New Delhi. Chief Ministers of six States including Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, UP, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh signed the MoU in presence of Nitin Gadkari, ( Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation). The Lakhwar MPP envisages constriction of 204 metre high dam across river Yamuna with live storage capacity of 330 million cubic metre (MCM) and generation of 330 MW of power. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said Himachal Pradesh would receive 3.15 percent of water as its share and correspondingly contribute Rs. 8 crore as the States share to the water component of the project. He said that total three major storage projects are proposed to be constructed on the river Yamuna and its tributaries, Tons and Giri in the territories of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, namely Lakhwar MPP with 330 MCM live storage and 300 MW power generation on Tons river and Renukaji Project in Himachal Pradesh with 498 MCM live storage and 40 MW power generation on Giri river. 28. “No Horn” campaign launched in Shimla, Manali Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has launched an awareness campaign named “Horn Not Ok” along with a statewide mobile app “Shoor Nahin”. The Chief Minister said “the state is known for its salubrious climate and peaceful environment. He said blowing horns is not only causing unnecessary noise pollution but it is also harmful for health.

WORLD / INTERNATIONAL NEWS 1. France’s Parliament Signed Into Law a controversial Asylum and Immigration Bill -. The bill is designed to accelerate asylum procedures by cutting the maximum processing time from the current 120 days to 90 days after entering France. 2. NDA Act 2019 Passed, Capping US Aid To Pakistan To $150 million - The United States Congress has passed the National Defense Authorisation Act-2019 (NDAA-19) which capped ( maximum limit )its security-related aid to Pakistan to $150 million, significantly below the historic level of more than $ 1 billion to $750 million per year. - This year’s defence legislation removes certain conditions like action against Haqqani network or Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) as was the case in the past few years for disbursement of US aid to Pakistan. 3. Japan Pips China To Become World's 2nd Largest Stock Market - Japan has pipped ( left behind ) China as the world's number two stock market, according to a Bloomberg report. At one of the time, the Chinese market was worth $6.09 trillion next to Japan's $6.17 trillion. Both markets are ranked after the US which is the world's largest at just over $31 trillion. 4. ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meet Held In Singapore - Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong chaired the 51st ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting in Singapore. 5. UK Announces New Organ Donation Plan To Address Indian-Origin Shortages

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- The UK government has announced new plans to change the law for organ and tissue donation to address the urgent need for organs within the Indian-origin communities in the country. - The proposed new system of consent for organ and tissue donation is expected to come into effect in England in 2020, as part of a drive to help Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people desperately waiting for a life-saving transplant. 6. Saudi Arabia Freezes Trade Ties With Canada - Saudi Arabia has announced that it is freezing all new trade and investment with Canada over its interference in its internal affairs. 7. Google Releases 'Android 9 Pie' - Google's latest Android operating system update, Android 9 Pie, was officially released to customers following a beta testing period that started earlier this year. - Android Pie introduces a new gesture-based system interface that's similar to the interface of the iPhone X, with iPhone-like swipes for navigating through the operating system. 8. Nepal-India Literature Festival 2018 Begins in Birgunj -The festival is aimed at strengthening Indo-Nepal ties. - On this occasion, eminent writers from both the countries were also felicitated. Around 250 participants from India and Nepal attending the two-day festival. The event is organised by Nepal India Co-operation Forum. 9. 24th World Congress of Philosophy Held in Beijing - The 24th World Congress of Philosophy (WCP) was held in Beijing, China. It was organized by the International Federation of Philosophical Societies, and Peking University. - Its theme was “Learning To Be Human”. This was the first time that the quinquennial (once in five year) event was held in China. 10. US Forms ‘Iran Action Group’ For Post-Nuclear Deal Policy - US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo announced the formation of the Iran Action Group (IAG) to coordinate and run the country's policy towards Iran. - Pompeo has named Brian Hook, the State Department's director of policy planning, as the group’s head. The aim behind the formation of IAG is to change the Iranian regime's behaviour. 11. Qatar To Invest 15 billion in Turkey’s Financial Markets And Banks - Qatar King Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has pledged to make direct investment in Turkey and announced a 15-billion US dollar investment into the country’s financial markets and banks. - The announcement came after holding talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara. Turkey is currently grappling with a currency crisis and heightened tensions with the United States, its NATO ally. 12. Eleventh World Hindi Conference underway in Port Louis ,Mauritius - . At the beginning of the conference, a two-minute silence was observed to pay tribute to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

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13. Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan becomes the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan - Imran Khan, the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), secured 176 votes while his only rival and the Pakistan Muslim League-N (Nawaz) chief shahbaz Sharif got 96 votes 14. EAM Sushma Swaraj Inaugurates 'Panini Language Laboratory' in Mauritius - External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj inaugurated 'Panini Language Laboratory' at Mahatma Gandhi Institute (MGI) at Port Louis in Mauritius. - The Lab has been gifted by the Government of India and it will help MGI in the teaching of all Indian languages in Mauritius. ( Prime Minister of Mauritius -Pravind Kumar Jagnauth ) 15. Historic Esala Maha Perehera Festival Begins in Sri Lanka - In Sri Lanka, the ten-day festival of the historic Esala Maha Perehera began in Kandy with a grand procession. The procession set off from the biggest Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka- Sri Dalada Maligawa at an auspicious time. - The Esala Perahera is one of the oldest and grandest of all Buddhist festivals in Sri Lanka. 16.Forbes Released List Of Highest Paid Female Athletes: - The Top 3 Highest Paid Female Athletes On The List Are: 1. Serena Williams ($18.1 million), 2. Dane Caroline Wozniacki ($13 million)- her maiden grand slam title at Australian Open 2018, 3. Sloane Stephens ($11.2 million). -Indian badminton player P.V. Sindhu was at seventh place with earnings of $8.5 million. 17. EU Wind Survey Satellite 'Aeolus' Launched From French Guyana - A new European satellite named 'Aeolus' using advanced laser technology to track global winds and improve weather forecasts has been successfully put into orbit on a Vega rocket from French Guyana. - It is part of a European project to monitor environmental damage and help disaster relief. The "Aeolus" satellite has been named after the guardian of wind in Greek mythology that took place at the European spaceport in Kourou. ( -Aeolus is the fifth mission in ESA’s Earth Explorer series and also Arianespace's 50th launch for the European Space Agency. -Aeolus is part of the Copernicus project, a joint initiative of the European Union and the European Space Agency (ESA) to track environmental damage and aid disaster relief operations ). 18. World Bank Launches World's 1st Blockchain Bond - The World Bank launched ‘bond-i', the world’s first bond to be created, allocated, transferred and managed by using distributed ledger technology. ( Bond-I is a Blockchain Operated New Debt Instrument). 19. Treasurer Scott Morrison Elected New Prime Minister of Australia - Treasurer Scott Morrison has been elected the new Prime Minister of Australia after winning an internal vote of 45-40 against former Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton. - Morrison will take over the charge as PM from Malcolm Turnbull. 20. 4th Asian Electoral Stakeholders Forum Begins in Colombo , Sri Lanka.

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-it is held to discuss the state of elections and democracy in the region. The two-day forum is being held for the first time in South Asia with support from the Election Commission of Sri Lanka and the Asian network for free elections (ANFREL). - The AESF will be attended by more than 250 delegates from 45 countries. The theme is, ‘Advancing Election Transparency and Integrity: Promoting and Defending Democracy Together’. India is being represented by Chief Electoral Officer of Maharashtra Ashwini Kumar and an NGO. 21. The 8th India-Kenya Joint Trade Committee Meeting Held in Nairobi, Kenya - The meeting was co-chaired by Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu and Mr Peter Munya, Cabinet Secretary (Minister) for Industry, Trade and Cooperatives, Government of Kenya. 22. G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting Held in Salta ,Argentina - It took place as part of Sherpa Track for 2018 G20 Leaders’ Summit, which is to be hosted by Argentina by end of 2018. The G20 comprises of total 19 countries plus European Union (EU), representing 85% of global GDP, 80% of international trade, 65% of the world’s population. In 2008, the first G20 Leaders’ Summit was held in Washington DC, US. 23. 1st SAARC Agri Cooperative Business Forum Begins In Kathmandu - The First South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Agri Cooperative Business Forum has begun in Kathmandu, Nepal. 24. 4th BIMSTEC Summit 2018 held in Kathmandu -The main focus was on countering terrorism, enhancing regional connectivity and boosting trade. - The theme of the summit is 'Towards a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable Bay of Bengal region'. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with leaders of BIMSTEC countries on the sidelines of the summit. BIMSTEC group was formed in 1997 and it brings together Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand. The grouping accounts for 22 per cent of the global population. Nepal is the current chair of BIMSTEC. 25. 6th RCEP Ministerial Meeting Begins In Singapore - Union Minister of Commerce& Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, is leading the Indian delegation for the 6th RCEP Trade Ministers’ Meeting which has begun in Singapore. - The Minister will participate in the meeting consisting of 10 ASEAN countries and six ASEAN FTA partners namely, India, China, Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand. ASEAN stands for Association of Southeast Asian Nations( 10 members ). ASEAN is amongst the fastest growing markets in the world and presents substantial trade and investments opportunities for India. ASEAN has emerged as the second largest trade partner of India in 2017-18 with bilateral trade valued at US$ 81.33 billion, comprising 10.58% of India’s total trade with the world. 26. Joint cycling cum Trekking expedition by Indian Army & Royal Bhutan Army

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A joint Cycling cum Trekking Expedition of Indian Army and Royal Bhutan Army was conducted to commemorate “Fifty years of Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between India and Bhutan”. The expedition began on 31 July from Haa Dzong in Bhutan and was flagged-in at Thimpu on 07 August 2018. A total of seventeen personnel of both armies participated in the expedition which covered a total of 384 kms of distance across challenging mountainous terrain in both India and Bhutan.

NATIONAL NEWS

1. E-Aksharayan, Desktop Software Launched By IT Ministry - The objective is to enable editing and printing of text in scanned documents. - The software e-Aksharayan was launched in 7 Indian languages. They are namely: Hindi, Bangla, Malayalam, Gurmukhi, Tamil, Kannada & Assamese. 2. BEML And HEC Sign Pact to Manufacture Mining Equipment -Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML) and Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) have signed pact for making mining equipment. The mining products could be co-branded and will come under ‘Make in India’ initiative. 3. IWAI Launches Dedicated Portal FOCAL For Cargo Owners And Shippers - The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has launched a dedicated portal to connect cargo owners and shippers with real-time data on the availability of vessels. - The portal has been named as the Forum of Cargo Owners and Logistics Operators (FOCAL) . 4. Rajasthan - 1st State to Implement Biofuel Policy - Rajasthan has become the first State in the country to implement the national policy on biofuels unveiled by the Centre this year. The desert State will lay emphasis on increasing production of oilseeds and establish a Centre for Excellence in Udaipur to promote research in the fields of alternative fuels and energy resources. - The policy on biofuels seeks to help farmers dispose of their surplus stock in an economic manner and reduce the country’s oil import dependence. 5. India, Germany Sign Pact On Financial And Technical Cooperation focusing on sustainable urban development and renewable energy. 6. NITI Aayog Launches Global Mobility Hackathon 'Move Hack' - NITI Aayog has launched Move Hack, a global mobility hackathon to crowdsource solutions aimed at the future of mobility in India. Envisaged to be one of the largest hackathons globally, Move Hack is focused on 10 themes and structured over three legs: online, followed by Singapore leg, and the finals in New Delhi. - The winners will be announced during the Move Summit 2018, which is also organized by NITI Aayog in September 2018 in New Delhi. Awards for the hackathon include recognizing top 10 winners, with total prize of more than Rs. 2 crores.

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7. Logo and Tagline For Geographical Indications Launched - Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu launched a logo and tagline for Geographical Indications (GI) to increase awareness about intellectual property rights (IPRs) in the country. The slogan for the GI tag is- 'Invaluable Treasures of Incredible India'. - A GI product is primarily an agricultural, natural or a manufactured product (handicraft and industrial goods) originating from a definite geographical territory. ( eg- Kullu Shawl , Bengali Rassgula etc ).

8. India Elected President of Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD). - India has been elected as the President of AIBD for a period of two years. India got elected against Iran during voting which took place at the 44th annual gathering of AIBD in Colombo, Sri Lanka. -Broadcasters from 26 countries in the region including India are full members of the organization. 9. NHAI Signs MoU With SBI for Long Term Unsecured Loan of Rs 25000 Crore - The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) signed an MoU with the State Bank of India (SBI) for getting Long Term Unsecured Loan of Rs 25000 crore for 10 years with 3 years of moratorium on repayments. This is the SBI’s highest long-term unsecured loan to any entity. 10. Mughalsarai Junction Renamed As Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction - The iconic Mughalsarai Railway Junction in Uttar Pradesh has been renamed as Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction Railway station. BJP National President Amit Shah inaugurated the renamed station. A goods train with an all-woman crew was also flagged off. - A smart yard project was also launched on the occasion. The bi-weekly Ekatmata Express, train connecting Lucknow and Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction was also flagged off. 11. Government Approves 122 New Research Projects Under ‘IMPRINT-2’ Scheme - The government has approved 122 new research projects of 112 crore rupees under its Impacting Research Innovation and Technology ‘IMPRINT-2’ scheme. The initiative aims to advance research in energy, security and healthcare domains in the high education institutions. -( IMPRINT is the first of its kind government-supported initiative to address the major science and engineering challenges that India must address and champion to enable, empower and embolden the nation for inclusive growth and self-reliance ). 12. GST Council Announces Cashback For Digital Transactions - In the 29th meeting, GST council approves cash incentives to promote Digital transactions. Finance Ministry announces 20% Cashback upto Rs 100 for the Digital Transactions done via BHIM, Rupay or USSD mode. 13. Startup India Launches Academia Alliance Programme - Startup India has launched the Startup Academia Alliance programme, which is a unique mentorship opportunity between academic scholars and startups working in similar domains, to fulfill the Indian Government’s mission to promote the spirit of entrepreneurship in the country. 14. World’s 1st Thermal Battery Plant Inaugurated In Andhra Pradesh

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- The world's first-ever thermal battery plant was unveiled in Andhra Pradesh by the state’s Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. - Manufactured by the Bharat Energy Storage Technology Private Limited (BEST), the first-of-its-kind batteries will aim to boost renewable sources of energy production and reduce the dependence on non-renewable fossil fuel-based energy generation. 15. Parliament Passes Bill To Grant Constitutional Status To NCBC - The 123rd Constitutional Amendment Bill giving constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) has got Parliamentary assent. It will give the institution all powers to safeguard the rights of the socially and educationally backward classes and fulfils a long pending commitment of the central govt to the OBCs. - 123rd Constitutional Amendment Bill Explained: 1. It seeks to establish the NCBC under the constitution with authority to examine complaints and welfare measures regarding OBCs. NCBC will have a Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson and 3 other members of which at least one will be a woman. The provision for mandatory woman member will be made during framing of rules. NCBC will work as an autonomous institution with powers of a civil court. 16. Bidder Information Management System and Bhoomi Rashi-PFMS Linkage Portals Launched - Nitin Gadkari launched Bidder Information Management System (BIMS) and Bhoomi Rashi and PFMS linkage - two IT initiatives of the Road Transport & Highways Ministry. - BIMS is aimed at streamlining the process of pre-qualification of bidders for EPC Mode of contracts for National Highway works with enhanced transparency and objectivity. - Bhoomi Rashi, the portal developed by MoRTH and NIC, comprises the entire revenue data of the country, right down to 6.4 lakh villages. PFMS is a web-based online software application developed and implemented by the Office of Controller General of Accounts (CGA). 17. NITI Aayog’s International Conference on Sustainable Growth through Material Recycling: Policy Prescriptions” Inaugurated In New Delhi 18. NITI Aayog Identified 117 Districts As Aspirational Districts For RUSA Scheme - These districts have been selected on the basis of composite index which includes published data of deprivation enumerated under Socio-Economic Caste Census, Health &Nutrition, Education and Basic Infrastructure. - During the second phase of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), central assistance is provided for opening of new Model Degree Colleges(MDCs) in ‘Aspirational Districts’ identified by NITI Aayog and in unserved & underserved districts in North Eastern and the Himalayan States. ( Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), launched in 2013 aims at providing strategic funding to eligible state higher educational institutions ). 19. Italian Bike-Maker Benelli Signs MoU For Plant in Telangana - Italian motorcycle-maker Benelli signed an MoU with Telangana government and Adishwar Auto Ride International (AARI) for setting a manufacturing facility.

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( Established in 1911, Benelli is one of the oldest Italian motorcycle-manufacturer and has presence in over 60 countries such as America, Africa, Europe and Asia Pacific regions ). 20. TRAI Integrates Its Mobile App DND 2.0 & MyCall With UMANG Platform -Recognizing the importance of reaching out to the consumers and to safeguard their interests, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has now integrated its Mobile Apps namely DND 2.0 & MyCall with UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance) Platform. - UMANG is developed by National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). From now onwards, TRAI’s Mobile Apps namely DND 2.0 &MyCall shall also be available on Umang Platform. 21. Government, NABARD and NWDA Sign Revised MoA For Funding Of Projects Under PMKSY - The Union Ministry of Water Resources, the NABARD and the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) signed a revised Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for funding of central share of 99 prioritised irrigation projects under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY). - The funding will be done through the Long Term Irrigation Fund (LTIF). 22. 3rd India-Nepal Coordination Meeting Starts In New Delhi -A seven-member delegation from Nepal, headed by Inspector General of Nepal Armed Police Force Shailendra Khanal take part in the three-day meeting. 23. NGT Forms Panel To Monitor Rejuvenation Project Of Ganga - The National Green Tribunal 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. - Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court will nominate a former judge of Allahabad High Court to head the committee. 24. Goa Tourism’s App-Based Taxi Service Flagged Off - Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar flagged off the Goa Tourism Development Corporation’s app-based taxi service called ‘GOAMILES’ in Panaji. - It would ensure that commuters ( customers ) are not cheated as there would be transparency in fares for the customers. It will also ensure the increase in earnings of taxi drivers by “two to three” times. 25. Project 'SWAYAM' Launched By HRD Ministry - The Ministry of HRD has embarked on a major and new initiative Project called 'Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds' (SWAYAM), which will provide one integrated platform and portal for online courses. This covers all higher education subjects and skill sector courses. - The objective is to ensure that every student in the country has access to the best quality higher education at the affordable cost. 26. MoU Signed Between TRIFED And National Medicinal Plant Board - Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd. (TRIFED) under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs & National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Ministry of AYUSH have signed an MoU together.

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- The MoU aims to promote Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs) forest produced for livelihood development of tribal people . 27. Khangchendzonga Becomes 11th Biosphere Reserve To be Included in WNBR - The Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve (in Sikkim) has become the 11th Biosphere Reserve from India that has been included in the UNESCO designated World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR). -T he decision to include Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve in WNBR was taken at the 30th Session of International Coordinating Council (ICC) of Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme of UNESCO held at Palembang, Indonesia. 28. Commerce & Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu Launches Mobile App 'Niryat Mitra' - It provides wide range of information required to undertake international trade right from the policy provisions for export and import, applicable GST rate, available export incentives, tariff, preferential tariff, market access requirements – SPS and TBT measures. 29. President Ram Nath Kovind Inaugurates ‘One District One Product’ Summit in Lucknow, UP. -. The special emphasis was laid on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). - Under the ‘One District One Product’ scheme, the UP state government has set a goal of providing employment to 25 lakh people in five years through the financial assistance of Rs. 25,000 crores. 30. 'Prathibandhit Sahitya Mein Swatantrata Sangram' Inaugurated by Ministry of Culture - ‘Prathibandhit Sahitya mein Swatantrata Sangram’ (Freedom Movement through Proscribed Literature) inaugrated in the premises of National Archives of India, in New Delhi. - This exhibition of proscribed literature was from vast collection of poetry and prose that portrays the nationalistic fervour prevalent in the days of freedom struggle. ( The National Archives of India is an Attached Office under the Ministry of Culture. It was established on 11 March 1891 at Kolkata(Calcutta) as the Imperial Record Department. Following the transfer of the capital from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911, the present building of the National Archives of India was constructed in 1926 which was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. The transfer of all records from Calcutta to New Delhi was completed in 1937 ). 31. Santhali Becomes India’s 1st Tribal Language To Get Own Wikipedia Edition - Santhali (Santali), a tribal language primarily spoken in India, Bangladesh and Nepal, received global recognition when it got a Wikipedia edition in its own script. The language is been spoken by over 6.4 million people in the states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Assam. - Santhali, written in the Ol Chiki script currently has content of about 70,000 words. 32. IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad Released 'Digital North East Vision 2022' in Guwahati - The Document emphasizes leveraging digital technologies to transform the lives of people of the northeast and enhance the ease of living. 33. Government Provides Fund of Rs 66000 crore To Increase Country's Forest Cover - The fund is an accumulated amount of money, which user agencies have been depositing as compensation for diverting forest land for non-forest purposes, including industries and infrastructure, since the past 10 years.

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34. Israel Opens Visa Application Centre In Kolkata - Israel has opened a Visa Application Centre in Kolkata for tourists from West Bengal and the northeastern states to encourage more Indian travelers to visit that country. - Israel recently announced a reduction in visa fees to INR 1,100 rupees from its previous 1,700 charged from Indians. 35. Ease of Living Index 2018: Pune Tops, Rampur At Bottom (Of total 111 cities). - All the cities have been ranked on the basis of four parameters viz. institutional, social, economic and physical. - Top 3 cities in the list are: 1. Pune, 2. Navi Mumbai, 3. Greater Mumbai. -. Bottom 3 Cities in The List are: 1. Rampur, UP (111th), 2. Kohima (110th), 3. Patna (109th). 36. Rajnath Singh Inaugurates NDMC Smart City Projects - The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has rolled out the Smart City projects that will help New Delhi emerge as a world-class city. The projects are undertaken by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). 37. Chhattisgarh, 1st State To Provide Right To Skills’ Development To Youth 38. India’s 1st Genetic Bank For Wildlife Conservation Inaugurated In Hyderabad - National Wildlife Genetic Resource Bank (NWGRB) was inaugurated at Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology’s (CCMB) Laboratory of Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES) facility in Hyderabad, Telangana. - It is India’s first genetic resource bank where the genetic material will be stored for future which can be used in conservation of endangered and protected animals. 39. India’s 1st Women SWAT Team Inducted in Delhi Police - The Delhi Police inducted an all-woman Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team, consisting of 36 commandos – the first ever by any police force in India – for anti-terrorist operations. - The team will be deployed during the Independence Day celebrations. All 36 women from the north-eastern states, have been inducted into the squad after rigorous traing of 15 months. It is the brain child ofPolice commissioner Amulya Patnaik. 40. Bharti Axa Ties Up With Airtel Payments Bank To Offer Jeevan Jyoti Bima - Bharti Axa Life Insurance and Airtel Payments Bank entered into an alliance to offer the ‘Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana’ (PMJJBY), a government-backed life insurance scheme. With this, Airtel Payments Bank also becomes the first payments bank in India to offer the Government of India-backed life insurance scheme. 41. BSNL Launches VOIP Based WINGS Service - Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has launched BSNL WINGS ( a VOIP based service). In WINGS, there is no SIM or cable wiring as is a VOIP service through an app. The WINGS service offers unlimited free audio/video calling for one year. The service can be activated with a one-time fee of Rs. 1,099 (Rs 1,297 with GST). Calls can be made using any data connection such as wired broadband, Wi-Fi, 3G or 4G network of any any operator.

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42. Ministry of Railways Launches Digital Screens To Spread Awareness About Indian Railways Heritage - In the wake of Prime Minister’s vision for creating digital museums at stations using QR code, Ministry of Railway has made “digital screens” operational at 22 stations on this Independence Day as an innovative low-cost solution to spread awareness among public about the opulent heritage of Indian Railways. - The project aims at showcasing the legacy of Indian Railways through one to two-minute-long movie clips on digital LED screens at the entrance gate of railway stations and also at different comfort areas. 43. Ministry of Agriculture Proposes To UNFAO To Declare 2019 as ‘International Year of Millets’ -The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Radha Mohan Singh urged to Jose Graziano da Silva, the Director General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (UNFAO) to declare the upcoming year as the ‘International Year of Millets’. 44. Biggest Ever Rescue Operation In Flood-Affected Kerala: Important Highlights - The NDRF has the biggest ever relief and rescue operation in flood-affected Kerala. A total of 58 teams have been deputed to work in the state out of which 55 are working on the ground. This is the highest ever deployment of NDRF in a single state since its raising in 2006. 45. FSSAI Constitutes B Sesikeran Committee To Review Food Labelling Standards ( FSSAI- ‘food safety and standard authority of India’ has been established under Food Safety and Standards, 2006 ). 46. NOTA Option Not Applicable For Rajya Sabha Elections: Supreme Court - The Supreme Court ruled that the ‘None of The Above’ (NOTA) option will not be applicable for voting in the Rajya Sabha elections. The ruling was made by a bench of Justices comprising CJI Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud. - The bench held that the NOTA option is meant only for universal adult suffrage and direct elections and not for the polls held by the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote as done in the Rajya Sabha. 47. Ram Nath Kovind Appoints 7 New Governors: - The newly appointed Governors of 7 states are as follows- 1. Satya Pal Malik - Jammu & Kashmir (Replaced NN Vohra) 2. Tathagata Roy - Meghalaya (Replaced Ganga Prasad) 3. Lalji Tandon - Bihar (Replaced Satya Pal Malik) 4. Ganga Prasad - Sikkim (Replaced Shriniwas Patil) 5. Kaptan Singh Solanki -Tripura (Replaced Tathagata Roy) 6. Satyadev Narayan Arya - Haryana (Replaced Kaptan Singh Solanki) 7. Baby Rani Maurya - Uttarakhand (Replaced K K Paul). 48. Chhattisgarh Announces Renaming Of Naya Raipur To Atal Nagar - In a tribute to the late former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Chhattisgarh Cabinet approved the proposal to rename Naya Raipur as 'Atal Nagar'. Chief Minister Raman Singh made the announcement after a Cabinet meeting.

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- The Bilaspur University will be known as Atal Bihari Vajpayee University while the Narrow Gauge Line will be called Atal Path. The Central Park, which is being constructed beside collectorate, will be named as Atal Park. 49. President Kovind Inaugurates International Buddhist Conclave in New Delhi - President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the International Buddhist Conclave in New Delhi. The theme of the conclave is 'Buddha Path – The Living Heritage'. - The Ministerial level delegation from ASEAN countries will participate in the conclave along with delegates from 29 countries including US, UK, Germany, France and Russia. This year Japan is the partnering country for the Buddhist conclave. 50. Government Unveils Draft UDAN Scheme For International Routes - The Centre unveiled a draft scheme for extending the affordable air travel programme UDAN to international circuits, with state governments identifying the routes for operation. The draft International Air Connectivity (IAC) scheme envisages to increase the international ticketing to 20 crore by 2027. - According to the draft scheme, state governments will identify the routes to be connected, and airline operators will assess demand on the identified routes and submit proposals for providing connectivity. UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik) was launched in 2016 to make air travel affordable for people through subsidised ticket rates and to provide air connectivity to smaller towns. 51. NGT Appoints Justice S J Vazifdar As Chairman Of Panel To Decide Vedanta's Plea - The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has appointed former Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice S J Vazifdar as head of a three-member committee to decide mining company Vedanta's plea challenging closure of its Sterlite copper plant at Tuticorin. 52. Myanmar Media Group Inks MoU With Prasar Bharati - Prasar Bharati and Mizzima Media Group of Myanmar signed an MoU to realize cooperation and collaboration in broadcasting and content sharing. 53. India’s Largest Business Incubator Bhamashah Techno Hub Launched In Jaipur - The incubator will provide end-to-end support to startups, ranging from infrastructure, technology, angel funding, access to venture capitalists, mentorship, exposure to national and international organisations and experts and much more. 54. Former President Pranab Mukherjee Launches NETA App To Rate MPs and MLAs - Former President Pranab Mukherjee launched the National Electoral Transformation (NETA) mobile application to rate Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs). - 'Neta - Leaders' Report Card' App, the brainchild of 27-year-old entrepreneur Pratham Mittal, is a platform where voters can review and rate their elected representatives and hold them accountable as well. 55. India's 1st Biofuel-Powered Flight Lands In Delhi

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- In a Historic day for the country's aviation and energy sector, India's first biofuel-powered flight landed in Delhi, covering the distance between Dehradun & Delhi. The biofuel is developed by CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP), Dehradun. The flight test was successfully completed by SpiceJet. - The flight was powered with a blend of 75% air turbine fuel (ATF) and 25% biojet fuel. The advantage of using biojet fuel as compared to ATF is that it reduces carbon emissions and enhances fuel efficiency. 56. India Banking Conclave 2018 Held In New Delhi -The India Banking Conclave 2018 was organized by Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR). - Knowledge Partner of the conclave was NITI Aayog. The conclave focused on reforming the banking sector. 57. Centre Signs MoU With 6 States For Lakhwar Yamuna Basin Project - Union Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari signed an MoU with six states for the construction of the Lakhwar multi-purpose project in the upper Yamuna basin to deal with water crisis. - Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh (Yogi Adityanath), Rajasthan (Vasundhara Raje Scindia), Uttarakhand (Trivendra Singh Rawat), Himachal Pradesh (Jai Ram Thakur), Haryana (Manohar Lal Khattar) and Delhi (Arvind Kejriwal) signed the MoU. - Under the agreement, the 204-metres high project will be constructed near Uttarakhand's Lohari village with live storage capacity of 330.66 million cubic metres (MCM). The total project is worth Rs 3,966.51 crore. 5. 3rd Edition of World’s Biggest Open Innovation Model ‘Smart India Hackathon- 2019’ Launched - The third edition of World’s Biggest Open Innovation Model - Smart India Hackathon 2019 - was launched by the Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi. - MHRD, AICTE, Persistent Systems and i4c have joined hands to make a hat trick with their highly popular and innovative Smart India Hackathon initiative (SIH). - For the 1st time, Private industry/organisations and NGOs can also send their problem statements to students under SIH-2019. 3. Cabinet Approves Earth Sciences Ministry’s Umbrella Scheme ‘O-SMART’ -O-SMAR )-‘Ocean Services, Technology, Observations, Resources Modelling and Science’. - The CCEA approved the scheme for implementation during the period from 2017-18 to 2019-20 at an overall cost of Rs 1623 crore. The scheme covers a total of 16 sub-projects, which address ocean development activities such as services, technology, resources, observations and science. 58. MoU Signed Between Department of Biotechnology and International Energy Agency - The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology, and the International Energy Agency (IEA) signed an MoU on Enhancing Innovation for Clean Energy Transition. 59. Google Unveils New Platform Named 'Navlekha' For Indian Publishers - Project Navlekha has been launched to enable Indian publishers of regional languages to publish their content online, without facing the trouble of selling printed copies. -The official website of Navlekha can be easily interpreted by users. Users can also obtain help from experts to set up their publication website.

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60. Indian Railways And GAIL Sign MoU For Use Of Natural Gas in Railway Workshops 61. NITI Aayog organizred “ MOVE: India’s 1st Global Mobility Summit 2018 - ‘Mobility Week’ from 31 August to 6 September 2018 inaugurated by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India. 62. HRD Ministry Introduces 'Atal Ranking' For Institutions - To promote a culture of innovation and research in higher education, the human resource development (HRD) ministry launched the Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA), Union minister Prakash Javadekar announced. - Named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the ARIIA "will rank educational institutions for innovation output based on all major indicators and parameters used globally". 63. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Achieves 5 Core Mark - Loksabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan handed over 5 croreth LPG connection under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) to Smt Takrdiran of Delhi in the Parliament House. The 5 crore feat has been achieved in the time period of over 2 years. - PM Modi launched Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) on 1st May 2016 and it is implemented by Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas through its Oil Marketing Companies. In the current year, considering the huge success of the Scheme, target was revised to 8 crores with budgetary allocation of Rs 12,800 crore. - Uttar Pradesh has got the maximum number of LPG connections (87 lakh) followed by West Bengal (67 lakh) and Bihar (61 lakh). 64. Mission Solar Charkha to Generate Direct Employment to One Lakh Persons

Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has launched the Mission Solar Charkha for implementation of 50 Solar Charkha Clusters across the country with a budget of Rs.550 crore for the year 2018-19 and 2019-20. The scheme will generate direct employment to nearly one lakh persons. Solar Charkha Units have been classified as village industries. 65. Startup India Yatra begins in Chhattisgarh

The Startup India Yatra was launched on July 30th in Raipur. Students queued up in large numbers to register for the first boot camp at Raipur. 66. The Walled City of Jaipur is the next proposed site for UNESCO World Heritage recognition

There are a total of 37 World Heritage sites in India at Present. 67. Cabinet approves Re-structuring of the Agricultural Scientists' Recruitment Board (ASRB) The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the proposal for restructuring of Agricultural Scientists'Recruitment Board (ASRB). The ASRB will now be a 4 Member body instead of 3 Members. It will have a Chairperson and 3 Members. ASRB would be for a period of three years or till attainment of 65 years of age, whichever is earlier.

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68. Government (Ministry of Culture ) launches the scheme Seva Bhoj Yojna

The scheme envisages to reimburse the Central Government share of Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) and Integrated Goods and Service Tax (IGST)so as to lessen the financial burden of such as Religious / Charitable Institutions who provide Food/Prasad/Langar (Community Kitchen)/Bhandara free of cost without any discrimination to Public/Devotees. 69. SAATHI Initiative Launched

Ministry of Textiles and Ministry of Power have joined hands under the initiative SAATHI(Sustainable and Accelerated Adoption of efficient Textile technologies to Help Small Industries) in order to sustain and accelerate the adoption of energy efficient textile technologies in the power loom sector and cost savings due to use of such technology. 70. Paryatan Parv’ to be organized nationwide from 16th to 27th September, 2018

objective - Drawing focus on the benefits of tourism, showcasing the cultural diversity of the country and reinforcing the principle of “Tourism for All”. 71. Bermuda Triangle mystery 'solved,' scientists claim

British scientists believe 100ft ‘rogue’ waves could be the reason why so many boats have been sunk in the mysterious Bermuda Triangle (Also known as the Devil’s Triangle).

72. Delhi replaces Gujarat to top 'most investor-friendly' destination list

Delhi is followed by Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and West Bengal. 73. Gurugram India’s most polluted city among 62 cities in the country surveyed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), with air quality index (AQI) crossing the 300 mark. 74. Hardeep S Puri( minister ) Launches official Trailer Of Film “Halkaa” Under the Aegis Swachh Bharat Mission

“Halkaa” (Relief) is the story of an 8-year-old boy Pichku who aspires for a better quality of life. The boy refuses to be part of the age-old practice of open defecation. 75. President of India inaugurates ‘Festival of Democracy’ in Thiruvananthapuram

The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the ‘Festival of Democracy’ in Thiruvananthapuram on August 6, 2018 to mark the conclusion of the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Kerala legislative assembly. 76. Bihar Chief Ministe Nitish Kumar launches 'Mukhyamantri Kanya Utthan Yojana' scheme which promises to provide Rs 54,100 from the birth of a girl child till she graduates.

77. Suresh Prabhu to inaugurate rubber meet on Aug 30 at Kochi Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, will inaugurate the fourth edition of the India Rubber Meet (IRM 2018) in Kochi on August 30. 78. Cabinet approves joint issue of postage stamp between India and South Africa

theme, "20 Years of Strategic Partnership between India and South Africa".

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The joint stamps were released in June 2018. The Postage Stamp depicts image of Deendayal Upadhyaya and Oliver Reginald Tambo of South Africa. 79. FSSAI launches RUCO initiative to collect, convert used cooking oil into biofuel The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) launched RUCO (Repurpose Used Cooking Oil), an initiative that will enable collection and conversion of used cooking oil to bio-diesel. 80. Rajasthan to observe September as 'month of nutrition' 15. International Conference on Recent Advances in Food Processing Technology

Held at at Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology, Thanjavur in Tamilnadu. 81. Vietnam to host Indian Ocean conference at Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. The theme of the two- day conference will focus on ‘Building Regional Architectures’. 82. Vasundhara Raje opens country's biggest techno-hub in Jaipur Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has inaugurated the Bhamashah Techno Hub in Jhalana Industrial Area of Jaipur. She said the country's biggest centre equipped with the ultra-modern technology will help around 700 entrepreneurs to work under one roof and realise their dreams. 83. TN CM inaugurates India's tallest Film Studio

MGR Centenary Film Studio, the tallest such structure in the country, was inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami. The 56 feet tall, 110 metres long and 100 feet wide studio was constructed using funds collected by the Federation of Film Employees Union of South India (FEFSI), at Paiyanur. 84. INS Teg (Indian ship ) provides Assistance to MV Vela (Norwegian ship ) in the Gulf of Aden (piracy infested waters). 85. AFSPA extended for 6 months in Assam

The Assam government has extended application of the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) in the state for six more months with immediate effect. The Act gives special rights and immunity to security forces in carrying out various operations in "disturbed" areas. 86. 'Gold' first Bollywood film to release in Saudi Arabia

Akshay Kumar-fronted "Gold" has become the first Bollywood film ever to release in Saudi Arabia. This sports film is only the second movie after Rajinikanth's hit social drama, "Kaala" to hit the theatres in the Soudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has recently lifted the ban on Movie theatres.

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ECONOMY / Banking News/ Business News

( NOTE: bank specific news are important for banking exams only ) 1. Apple Becomes 1st US-Based Company With Market Value of $1 trillion -Apple Inc. became the first US-based company with a market value of $1 trillion, four decades after it was co-founded by Steve Jobs in a Silicon Valley garage. 2. PayU, Reliance Money Announced Strategic Partnership For Instant ap based Loan via ’Lazypay’. - The loan amount will start from as low as Rs. 100 and will extend up to Rs. 1,00,000 with a duration varying from 15 days to 24 months. 3. Mobile Wallet Transactions Hit Record Rs14,632 crore in June: RBI Data 4. PayPal, HDFC Bank Partner to Offer Seamless Payment Experiences - PayPal, a digital payments platform has announced its strategic partnership with and HDFC Bank to offer safer, faster and convenient payment experiences for the bank's cardholders. 5. HSBC Launched Online Platform 'MyDeal' To Raise Funds Via Capital Markets - Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) has launched a new digital platform 'MyDeal' 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 platform contains all the information relating to a client's capital markets transaction and is updated on real-time basis. 6. Axis Bank Introduced 1st of Its Kind Iris Authentication for Aadhaar-Based Transactions - 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. - This is being run as a pilot project in 8 branches of rural Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. 7. Bajaj Allianz General Insurance And Vijaya Bank Entered Into Bancassurance Deal - 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. - Under this strategic tie-up, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance will offer personal lines of insurance products such as health, personal accident, home, motor and travel along with a commercial line of insurance products. 8. Exim Bank Signs MoU With BRICS Development Banks - 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.

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- The MoU signed by Exim Bank Managing Director David Rasquinha was an outcome of the discussions the member development banks had during their annual meeting, with the objective of strengthening the cooperation under the BRICS Interbank Cooperation Mechanism. 9. SBI Ranked As India’s Most Patriotic Brand: Survey - Country’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) is considered to be the most patriotic brand, according to a survey conducted by UK-based online market research and data analytics firm YouGov, followed by Tata Motors, Patanjali, Reliance Jio and BSNL. - The survey, which covered 152 brands across 11 categories, is based on data collected online by YouGov Omnibus among 1,193 respondents in the country using its panel of an online representation of India. 10. PhonePe To Facilitate Convenient Payments On IRCTC App - PhonePe announced entering into a partnership with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to facilitate convenient, fast and secure payments through PhonePe on the IRCTC Rail connect Android app. - The partnership will enable PhonePe’s 100 million-plus users to now pay directly from their bank accounts using UPI, credit and debit cards and also the PhonePe wallet for their travel bookings. 11. Paytm Partners With Alibaba - Digital payments firm Paytm has partnered with China's Alibaba to launch AI-based cloud computing platform 'Paytm AI Cloud'. - The platform will offer business-centric apps to developers, startups and enterprises that need cloud-computing solutions including customer engagement and easy-to-integrate payments. It will process and store all consumer data locally in servers located only in India. 12. RIL 1st Indian Company To Cross Rs 8 Trillion Market Capital - The Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) became the first Indian company to cross Rs 8 trillion market capitalization after its shares surged nearly 37% in 2018. 13. HAL Becomes 1st PSU To Transact On TReDS: RXIL - The Receivables Exchange of India (RXIL) announced that Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has become the first public sector enterprise to make a transaction on the "TReDS platform". - According to the NSE-SIDBI joint venture, TReDS is an online electronic institutional mechanism for facilitating the financing of trade receivables of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) through multiple financiers. 14. Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Launches Overdraft Facility For MSEs - Ujjivan Small Finance Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ujjivan Financial Services Ltd, has launched an overdraft (OD) facility for micro and small enterprise (MSE) customers across its branches nationally. - The facility is an add-on product to the existing MSE term loans offered by the bank. The OD facility is offered to all MSEs with a turnover of Rs 50 lakh or more, at a competitive rate of interest. - This interest rate is for one year, with a credit limit between a minimum of Rs 11 lakh to a maximum of Rs 50 lakh, which can be renewed annually.

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15. Tez Rebranded As Google Pay To Offer Instant Bank Loans - Alphabet Inc’s Google has partnered with four Indian banks to grant consumer loans online, as the fight for a $1 trillion digital finance market intensifies. The U.S. search giant has teamed with HDFC Bank Ltd., ICICI Bank Ltd., Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. and Federal Bank Ltd. to offer instant, pre-approved loans to customers. - California-based company re-branded its made-in-India Tez app as 'Google Pay' -- the catch-all label for its payments services. Google has claimed that it has 2.2 crore monthly active users on Google Pay. 16. DBS Named World's Best Bank In Nod To Its Digital Innovation - DBS Bank has been named the world's best bank by Global Finance magazine, in a reflection of its ability to invest in digital innovation while still maintaining stable operations for its customers. - DBS is the first Asian bank to receive the accolade from the New York-based publication, which last year gave the title to ING Bank. 17. PNB Gets Top Rank In Digital Transaction - Punjab National Bank (PNB) has announced that the Department of Financial Services report has rated it as number one state-owned bank in terms of digital transactions. The bank is also rated as the sixth overall amongst all banks in India for digital performance. - The bank is rated as ‘Good’ by the government with a score of 71 which is the highest category of performance. 18. FDI In Country Rises 23% To About 13 billion dollars In 1st Quarter - According to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion data, Foreign Direct Investment, FDI in India rose 23% to 12.8 billion dollars during the April to June quarter of this fiscal. The foreign fund inflows in April-June 2017-18 stood at 10.4 billion dollars. - Key sectors that received maximum foreign investment during the first quarter of the current fiscal include services 2.4 billion dollars, trading 1.62 billion dollars and telecommunications 1.59 billion dollars. 19. Idea Cellular Completes Merger With Vodafone - Idea Cellular Ltd has announced that it has completed its merger with Vodafone India Ltd (VIL) and Vodafone Mobile Services Ltd (VMSL) after getting approval from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). - Consequent to the merger of Vodafone Mobile Services with the company, the board has allotted 3,89,39,27,522 equity shares of Rs. 10 each to VIL (the shareholder of VMSL). 20. India’s Economic Growth Rate To Grow At 7.4% in 2018-19: RBI. Business

21. Cabinet okay 51% stake for LIC in IDBI

The Union Cabinet gave its approval to the government’s decision to reduce its stake in IDBI Bank below 50%, with Life Insurance Corporation raising stake in the bank to 51%.

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22. France’s IDEMIA gets NPCI stamp for RuPay cards

French company IDEMIA, a global leader in augmented identity, has become the first company to be given the certification to manufacture and personalise RuPay chip contact and contactless cards on the qSPARC v2 platform. The qSPARC is a dual interface open loop payment specification, with the option of loading multiple payment applications on a single card. The certification is issued by the National Payments Corporation of India, after testing all payment scenarios.

23. SBI in top 53 banks in the world

Public sector State Bank of India (SBI) has reached 53rd position in the category of world’s top banks.

24. UAE top source of inward remittances in 2016-17: RBI

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. UAE’s share in total remittances was 26.9%, followed by the United States (22.9%), Saudi Arabia (11.6%), Qatar (6.5%) and Kuwait (5.5%). According to the survey, 82% of the total remittances received by India originated from eight countries — UAE, the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, the United Kingdom and Malaysia. Among destinations, Kerala has the highest share with 19%, followed by Maharashtra (16.7%), Karnataka (15%), Tamil Nadu (8%) and Delhi (5.9%).

25. ICICI Bank announces partnership with Manchester United ( Footbal Club ) ICICI Bank, India’s private sector bank, has agreed to a multi-year partnership with Manchester United, bringing a range of competitive co-branded credit and debit card to the club’s 35 million Indian followers. The Bank will be offering fans of the club two types of credit card – Manchester United Platinum Credit Card and Signature Credit Card.

Appointments /resignations 1. PepsiCo's Indra Nooyi To Step Down As CEO - PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi will step down in October after serving for 12 years as the top boss at the global beverage giant, PepsiCo. Indian-origin Indra Nooyi was the first ever woman to be appointed the CEO at PepsiCo, in the year 2006. - She will be succeeded by company President Ramon Laguarta, who has held the post since 2017. She will remain chairman till 2019. 2. Emmerson Mnangagwa Wins Zimbabwe's presidential election - Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa narrowly won the country’s landmark election in Zimbabwe. He become president for 3rd time.

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3. Nikhil Nanda Appointed As Chairman And MD of Escorts (Farm and construction equipment maker) 4. Ajay Data, 1st Indian To Become Member in ICANN 5. S Gopakumar Appointed Director and General Manager in UIIC (United India Insurance Company ). 6. Harivansh Narayan Singh Elected Deputy Chairperson of Rajya Sabha - NDA candidate Harivansh Narayan Singh was elected the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman with 125 votes. The Opposition candidate BK Hariprasad managed to get 105 votes. - Mr Singh is an MP from the Janata Dal (United) and a Parliamentarian from Bihar and a former journalist. 7. Ivan Duque Sworn In As Colombia’s Next President 8. Chile's Michelle Bachelet To Be Next UN Human Rights Chief - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has chosen former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet to be the UN’s new human rights chief. Bachelet would be succeeding Jordanian diplomat Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein. Bachelet’s name will now go forward for consideration and approval by the 193-member UN General Assembly. 9. Rajendra Menon Sworn In As Chief Justice of Delhi HC - Justice Rajendra Menon was sworn in as the new Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court by Lt Governor Anil Baijal at a ceremony held at the Raj Niwas in New Delhi. 10. Justice Manjula Chellur is New Chairperson of Appellate Tribunal for Electricity - Prior to this, Smt. Justice Manjula Chellur was Chief Justice of Bombay High Court. She was the first woman Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court. 11. K S Srinivas Appointed Chairman of Marine Products Export Development Authority - IAS officer K S Srinivas has taken over as Chairman of Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA). 12. Ibrahim Boubacar Keita Re-Elected Mali President 13. Mario Abdo Benitez Sworn In As New President Of Paraguay 14. Infosys CFO MD Ranganath Resigns - Infosys Chief Financial Officer MD Ranganath, a veteran of nearly two decades at India’s second-largest software services company, has abruptly stepped down from his position, marking the second CFO departure at Infosys in three years. 15. SS Mundra Appointed Independent Director of Indiabulls Housing Finance - Subhash Sheoratan Mundra has been appointed as Independent Director on the Board of Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd (IBHFL) for a period of three years. He was former Deputy Governor of RBI.

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16. Arun Jaitley Resumes Charge As Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister - Union Minister Arun Jaitley is back as the Finance Minister after a three-month interval to recuperate from a kidney transplant surgery. - In Mr Jaitley's absence, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal was holding the additional charge of the Finance and Corporate Affairs portfolio. 17. U K Varma Appointed Assocham Secretary General - Industry chamber Assocham appointed former bureaucrat Uday Kumar Varma as its new Secretary General. He succeeds DS Rawat who held the position for nearly 14 years.obituary 18. G. Satheesh Reddy Appointed New DRDO Chairman - The Centre appointed renowned scientist, Dr G Satheesh Reddy, as Chairman of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Secretary in Department of Defence Research & Development (DDR&D). - The topmost post of the DRDO was lying vacant when the then chief Dr S Christopher stepped down. Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra was then given additional charge of the organisation. 19. Satya S Tripathi Appointed Assistant Secretary-General & Head of New York Office of UNEP - He will replace Elliott Harris. UNEP was founded as a result of United Nations Conference on Human Environment in June 1972. It is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. 20. Balesh Sharma Appointed Vodafone Idea's 1st CEO - Balesh Sharma takes over as Vodafone Idea's first CEO. He was the Chief Operating Officer of Vodafone India and a member of its executive committee. - Sharma holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering and MBA (Marketing and Finance) from the University of Rajasthan. 21. Government Constitutes New Science And Technology Council To Advise PM - The Union Government has constituted a 21-member science and technology council to advise Prime Minister Narendra Modi on matters related to science, technology and innovations. - The council will be headed by K Vijay Raghavan, the principal scientific adviser to the Union Government. The council has been named as Prime Minister's Science Technology and Innovation Advisory Committee (PM-STIAC). 22. Supreme Court To Get 3 Serving Women Judges For 1st Time - The Supreme Court will have three serving women judges for the first time, after the Centre cleared the elevation of Madras High Court Chief Justice Indira Banerjee. - The other two judges are R Banumathi, appointed in August 2014, and Indu Malhotra, appointed in April 2018. Notably, SC will have a total of 22 male judges including two new male appointees.

23. Kumar Mangalam Birla, Y.C. Deveshwar appointed non-official directors in Air India It is perhaps for the first time that big industrialists like them have been named on the board of a public sector enterprise.

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The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the appointment of Mr. Birla and Mr. Deveshwar as non-official independent directors in Air India for a period of three years.

24. GST Council sets up committee to look at MSME grievances To address the issues, challenges and concerns of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

(MSME), the apex decision making body of GST Council in its 29th meeting has decided to

create a sub-committee headed by MoS Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla to look into various issues

and submit a report. The committee will consist of Manish Sisodia, Sushil Modi, Himanta Biswa Sarma, Thomas

Isaac and Manpreet Badal. 25. PNB scam: Govt dismisses Usha Ananthasubramanian from service

Ananthasubramanian is the former CEO & managing director of scam hit Punjab National Bank. Ananthasubramanian was named in a CBI charge-sheet in the Rs 14,000 crore PNB fraud. She was to superannuate on 13 August from the post of MD & CEO Allahabad Bank but has been dismissed from the service. 26. Rekha Sharma appointed chairperson of NCW

NCW member Rekha Sharma, who recently stoked a controversy by suggesting abolition of confessions in churches, has been appointed as the chairperson of the National Commission for Women. Sharma, 54, was earlier a member of the Commission and was holding the additional charge of chairperson after Lalitha Kumaramangalam demitted office in September last year. 27. TRAI chairman R.S. Sharma gets two year extension till September 2020. TRAI - Telecom Regulatory Authority of India 28. Dr. R. G Anand appointed Member, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights

The Government of India has appointed Dr. R. G Anand as Member, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights with effect from 13th July 2018. 29. Jammu and Kashmir gets first woman Chief Justice

Justice Gita Mittal took oath as the first woman Chief Justice of Jammu And Kashmir High Court. Mittal had been previously appointed as the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court on April 14, 2017. 30. Justice M R Shah sworn in as Chief Justice of Patna HC

Justice Mukesh R Shah was t sworn in as the Chief Justice of Patna High Court in Patna.. 31. Akshay Kumar Becomes Brand Ambassador for Road Safety Campaigns

Shri Nitin Gadkari launched three short films for generating public awareness towards road safety. Film actor Shri Akshay Kumar has featured in these films, which are directed by Shri R.Balki. 32. Anandiben Patel given additional charge as governor of Chhattisgarh following the death of Balramji Dass Tandon.

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33. Ramesh Powar Appointed Head Coach Of Indian Women's Team

Former India off-spinner Ramesh Powar was officially appointed head coach of the India women's team, until ICC World Twenty20. 34. Senior diplomat D Bala Venkatesh Varma appointed Ambassador to Russia He is currently serving as Indian envoy in Spain. He will succeed Pankaj Saran who has been appointed deputy National Security Advisor.

35.The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has handed a 10-year ban to Nasir Jamshed - for his involvement in the spot-fixing row during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2016-17 season.

36. Satya Tripathi appointed Assistant Secretary-General & Head of New York Office of UNEP

AWARDS AND HONOURS 1. Gopalkrishna Gandhi to Get 24th Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award - it is for his contribution in promoting communal harmony, peace and goodwill. Gopalkrishna Gandhi is a former governor of West Bengal. - The award contains a citation and a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh. The award is presented on the birthday anniversary of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. 2. Indian-Origin Mathematician Akshay Venkatesh Wins Prestigious Fields Medal - Akshay Venkatesh, a renowned Indian-Australian mathematician, is one of four winners of mathematics’ prestigious Fields medal, known as the Nobel prize for math. New Delhi-born Venkatesh, 36, who is currently teaching at Stanford University. - Each winner receives a 15,000 Canadian-dollar cash prize. The other three winners are: Caucher Birkar, a Cambridge University professor of Iranian Kurdish origin; Germany’s Peter Scholze, who teaches at the University of Bonn and Alessio Figalli, an Italian mathematician at ETH Zurich. ( The Fields medals are awarded every four years to the most promising mathematicians under the age of 40. The prize was inaugurated in 1932 at the request of Canadian mathematician John Charles Fields, who ran the 1924 Mathematics Congress in Toronto) . 3. President Gives Away Outstanding Parliamentarian Awards - President Ram Nath Kovind presented the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award for the years 2013-2017, in New Delhi. The Outstanding Parliamentarian Award was presented to the Best Parliamentarians from 2013 to 2017 for their remarkable contributions. - Winners of the award are listed below: 1. Dr Najma Heptullah (for year 2013), 2. Hukum Dev Narayan (for year 2014),

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3. Ghulam Nabi Azad (for year 2015), 4. Dinesh Trivedi (for year 2016), 5. Bhartruhari Mahtab (for year 2017). 4. Indian-American Avi Goel Wins International Geography Bee World Championship -i t was held in Berlin, Germany. 14-year old Avi is a tenth grader at Silver Creek High School in Evergreen, San Jose, California. 5. 2018 Albany Medical Center Prize Awarded To 3 US Scientists - Three US scientists James Allison, Carl June and Steven Rosenberg were declared winners 2018 Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research. Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research: It is United States’ second-highest value prize in medicine and biomedical research, awarded by the Albany Medical Center. It was established in 2000. 6. Independence Day Gallantry Awards Announced: - The President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces has approved 131 Gallantry Awards to Armed Forces Personnel and members of Paramilitary Forces which include one Kirti Chakra, 20 Shaurya Chakras, three Bar to Sena Medals (Gallantry), 93 Sena Medals (Gallantry), 11 Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry) and three Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry). 7. S K Arora Awarded WHO World No Tobacco Day 2017 Award - Delhi government’s additional director of health, SK Arora was awarded prestigious World Health Organization (WHO) World No Tobacco Day 2017 Award for his extraordinary contribution towards tobacco control. It is awarded every year by WHO to individuals or organisations alike in each of six WHO regions for their accomplishments in the area of tobacco control. 8. General Dalbir Singh Suhag Awarded US ‘Legion of Merit’ 2018 - The United States government has awarded the Legion of Merit (Degree of Commander) to General Dalbir Singh Suhag (Retired), of the Indian Army, for exceptionally meritorious service as chief of the Army staff, Indian Army. The award was presented to General Suhag at Pentagon, Washington DC, in the presence of his family members and the Indian Military Attache to the United States of America. 9. David Beckham To Receive 2018 UEFA President's Award - Former England captain David Beckham will receive the UEFA President's Award for his contribution to football and promoting the sport in "every corner of the planet". - David Beckham will become the third Englishman to receive the UEFA President's Award. Sir Bobby Robson (2002) and Sir Bobby Charlton (2008) are the previous English winners. 10. Asia Society To Honour PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi As 'Game Changer of The Year' - PepsiCo's India-born CEO Indra Nooyi will be honoured with the Game Changer of the Year award by a global cultural organisation Asia Society in recognition of her business achievements, humanitarian record and advocacy for women and girls around the world. - The 2018 Asia Game Changer Awards will be given in October to individuals and institutions.

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Sports News 1. Dustin Johnson Won 2018 RBC Canadian Open Golf Title - He is currently in world number one position. 2. Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra Wins Gold Medal at Savo Games in Finland - He made a throw of 85.69 metres and won the gold medal. 3. World Junior Squash Championships 2018 Concludes in Chennai -India finished in 11th position. 4. Gaganjeet Bhullar Wins His Maiden European Tour Title - Indian Golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar grabbed his maiden European Tour title at the Fiji International in Natadola Bay. It was Bhullar’s first win on the European Tour, ninth Asian Tour title and 10th crown overall. He now becomes the most successful Indian player on Asian Tour, overtaking the total of eight tour wins by Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa. 5. Netherlands Wins Women's Hockey World Cup 2018, ( venue- London, England) . Winner- Netherland for record 8th time Runner up - Ireland. Kitty van Male- top scorer of tournament with 8 goals third-place -Spain ( won the match for third place by beating Australia) India finished the tournament at the 8th spot. 6. World Badminton Championships 2018 Concludes: - The 2018 BWF World Championships is a badminton tournament which was held at Nanjing Youth Olympic Games Sports Park Arena in Nanjing, China. - Ace Indian shuttler P V Sindhu won the silver medal in a major tournament final as she went down tamely to Carolina Marin in the World Championships’ women’s singles title. 7. India Women Win Blitz Gold in Asian Nations Cup Chess Tourney - The Indian women chess team at the Asian Nations Cup 2018 clinched the gold in the Blitz event held in Iran. It's India's first gold-medal finish at the event since 2014. They also won silver and bronze in the Rapid and Classical categories, respectively. - While India (1st) finished with 21.5 points, Vietnam (2nd) settled for silver with 18.5 and China (3rd) bagged bronze with 17.5. 8. Germany's Mario Gomez Retires From International Football -Veteran German striker Mario Gomez announced his retirement from international football. - The former Bayern Munich star represented his country at the FIFA World Cup in 2010 and 2018 and the Euro Cup in 2008 and 2012. 9. Indian U-20 and U-16 Team Wins Titles in Football - India’s under-20 team won over Argentina under-20 in the final group stage match of the COTIF Cup held in Valencia’s Els Arcs Stadium. India was playing in the tournament for the first time.

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- Also, the under-16 team of India defeated under-16 champions team of Iraq by 1-0 in the West Asian Football Federation Cup in Amman, Jordon. 10. Rafael Nadal Lifts Rogers Cup 2018 - 17-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal clinched his fourth Canadian Masters 1000 title at the Rogers Cup in Toronto. He defeated Greek teenager Stefanos Tsitsipas. 11. Viraj Madappa Becomes Youngest Indian Golfer To Win Asian Tour Title - Indian golfer Viraj Madappa became the youngest Indian to win on the Asian Tour, He is 20 years old. - Earlier this record was held by Gaganjeet Bhullar, when he was 21 years and three months old. 12. Indian women’s team fast bowler Jhulan Goswami Announces Her Retirement From T20 Internationals - The 35-year-old will only play ODIs. In ODIs, she is the world’s highest wicket-taker with 200 scalps from 169 games. 13. India Wins SAFF U-15 Championship Defeating Bangladesh - India defeated Bangladesh in the final of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Under-15 Women’s Championship in Thimpu, Bhutan. - This is the second edition of the Championship. Bangladesh had won the inaugural edition last year, beating India, 1-0 in the final played at Dhaka. 14. Teen Cyclist Esow Alben Claimed India’s 1st Ever Medal - Teen cyclist Esow Alben has created history by claiming India’s first ever medal – a silver- at the UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships in Aigle, Switzerland. - The 17-year-old from Andaman and Nicobar finished just 0.017 seconds behind gold medallist Stastny in the thrilling photo-finish of a race. 15. Australian cricketer Mitchell Johnson Announces Retirement From All Forms of Cricket 16. Novak Djokovic Wins Western and Southern Open 2018 - Novak Djokovic (Serbia) beat Roger Federer (Switzerland) in straight sets, high-profile championship match at the 2018 Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati. - With this win, Djokovic became the first men's tennis player in history to win all nine Masters 1,000 tournaments after finishing as the runner-up in Cincinnati five different times. 17. Japan Wins 1st Ever Title at FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup France 2018 - Japan defeated Spain Women's National Team at the final taking down the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup title for the first time in Japanese football history. 18. North Korea To Host Asian Youth Weightlifting Championships - The 2019 Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships will be held in the North Korean capital Pyongyang, a signal that the secretive country may be coming in from the sporting cold. 19.fourteen years old Nihal Sarin Becomes 53rd Chess Grandmaster From India

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- International Master Nihal Sarin became the 53rd Grandmaster of India despite losing his final round game to Richard Rapport of Hungary in the ninth and final round of Abu Dhabi Masters. 20. Teenage Saudi gamer wins FIFA eWorld Cup An 18-year old Saudi national has been crowned champion of the FIFA eWorld Cup Grand Final, taking home the competition’s $250,000 prize. The gamer, Mosaad Aldossary, won 4-0 on aggregate against Belgium’s Stefano Pinna in the two-legged final.

Asian Games 2018

1. Neeraj Chopra India’s Flag Bearer At Asian Games 2018 Opening Ceremony - Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will be the flag bearer for the Indian contingent at the opening ceremony of the Asian Games 2018. The 20-year-old has won a gold medal in World Junior Championships, Asian Championships, South Asian Games and Commonwealth Games in his career so far. - The Haryana athlete equalled the national record when he recorded a throw of 82.23m at the 2016 South Asian Games. 2. Asian Games 2018 begin in Indonesia - This year's Asian Games, also known as Jakarta Palembang 2018, has started from 18th August to 02nd September in the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang. It is the second time when Jakarta is hosting the sports games after 1962. - A total of 572 Indian athletes will be participating in the event in 36 different sports categories. The contingent will be led by Chef de Mission Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. 3. Asian Games 2018: Wrestler Bajrang Punia Wins 1st Gold For India - It was a mixed day for India on Day two of the 18th Asian Games in Indonesia. A dominating Bajrang Punia opened India’s gold medal account by defeating Japan’s Daichi Takatani in the final of Men’s Freestyle 65 kg. category. - India opened its medal account with a bronze by Apurvi Chandela and Ravi Kumar in rifle mixed team shooting event. 4. Saurabh Chaudhary Wins 10m Air Pistol Gold - 16-Year-Old Saurabh Chaudhary became only the fifth Indian shooter to claim a gold in the Asian Games history, beating a field of multiple world and Olympic champions in the 10m air pistol finals in Indonesia - Another Indian making his international debut, 29-year-old Abhishek Verma, shot 219.3 to secure bronze. 5. Vinesh Phogat, 1st Indian Woman Wrestler To Bag Gold At Asian Games - India got its second Gold medal at the 18th Asian Games in Indonesia when Vinesh Phogat defeated Japan’s Yuki Irie in the final of freestyle 50 kg category in Women’s Wrestling.

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- With this victory, Vinesh created history as she is the first Indian woman wrestler to win gold in the Asian Games. 6. Rahi Sarnobat 1st Indian Female Shooter To Win Asiad Gold - Shooter Rahi Sarnobat won the women's 25m Pistol event at Asian Games 2018 in Indonesia. With this, she becomes the first ever Indian female shooter to win gold in the history of Asian Games. - Manu Bhaker who had won gold at Commonwealth Games 2018, finished sixth in the event. India has now two gold medals in shooting at the Asiad 2018. 7. India Wins 2nd Gold In Rowing In Asian Games History - Indian rowers Sawarn Singh, Dattu Bhokanal, Om Prakash and Sukhmeet Singh won the men's Quadruple Sculls to win India's fifth gold medal at the Asian Games 2018. - The medal is only the second ever gold medal for India in the rowing competition in Asian Games history. 8. Bopanna, Sharan Win Tennis Maiden Doubles Gold - Top seeds Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan notched up their maiden men’s tennis doubles gold medal at the Asian Games, in Palembang, Indonesia. Bopanna and Sharan defeated Aleksander Bublik and Denis Yevseyev of Kazakhstan. - India have claimed the men’s doubles gold on four occasions at the Games, the last pair being Somdev Devvarman and Sanam Singh in the 2010 Guangzhou edition. 9. Tejender Pal Singh Toor Wins Historic Gold in Shot Pul - India's Tejinder Pal Singh Toor wins the Gold medal in Men's Shot Put final at the 18th Asian Games in Indonesia. He brought India its seventh gold medal with an Asian Games record throw of 20.75 meters in Jakarta. - Tajinder is the first Indian to win the men's shot put gold at the Asian Games since Bahadur Singh Sagoo, who had thrown a best of 19.03m to win the gold in Busan in 2002. It's the eighth men's shot put gold for India in Asian Games history. 10. Hima, Anas & Dutee Win Athletics Silvers - - 18-year-old Hima Das won the Silver medal in 400-meter race in ongoing Asian Games 2018, Indonesia. Hima clocked 50.79 seconds to complete her race. - Dutee Chand also bagged silver medal in women's 100 meter race. Dutee clocked 11.32 seconds to complete her race. Muhammed Anas won Silver medal in Men's 400m race. Anas clocked 45.69 seconds to complete his race. 11. Asian Games 2018: Neeraj Chopra Wins India 1st Javelin Gold in Asiad History - Neeraj Chopra became the first-ever Indian javelin thrower to win a gold medal at the Asian Games. The 20-year-old junior world record holder hurled the javelin to a distance of 88.06m to bag the Asiad gold. - Notably, Neeraj had also become the first Indian to bag gold in the javelin throw at the Commonwealth Games earlier this year.

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12. Asian Games 2018: PV Sindhu Wins India's 1st Asian Games Silver In Badminton - World number three PV Sindhu lost to world number one Tai Tzu-ying (Taiwan) in the women's singles final to bag India's first-ever silver medal in badminton at Asian Games. - Sindhu, playing in her fifth final of 2018, lost the match with a scoreline of 13-21, 16-21. 13. Arpinder Singh Wins Gold In Triple Jump - Arpinder Singh ended India's 48-year long wait for a gold in triple jump at the Asian Games with an effort of 16.77m. India's last Asian Games gold medal in men's triple jump had come in 1970 from Mohinder Singh Gill. - Arpinder, who has been without a medal in multi-sporting events since winning a bronze in the 2014 Commonwealth Games, produced his best jump of 16.77m in his third attempt. 14. Swapna Barman, 1st Indian Heptathlete To Win Gold In Asian Games - Swapna Barman created history by becoming the first Indian heptathlete to win an Asian Games gold in Indonesia, a feat she achieved despite a toothache. - The 21-year-old Barman logged 6026 points from the seven events competed for two days. En route to the title, she won the high jump (1003 points) and javelin throw (872 points) events and finished second-best in shot put (707 points) and long jump (865 points). 15. Women’s 4x400m Relay Team Wins Gold - India won gold in the women's 4X400 metre event. - The Indian quartet of Hima Das, Raju Poovamma, Saritaben Laxmanbhai Gayakwad and Vismaya Koroth registered a time of 3 minutes and 28.72 seconds to finish at the top of the podium. India clinched the silver medal in the men's 4X400 metre event. 16. Asian Games 2018: Jinson Johnson Wins Gold in Men’s 1500m Event - India’s Jinson Johnson claimed the gold medal in the men’s 1500m event in the Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta, Indonesia. Manjit Singh, 800m champion, however, finished fourth. - Johnson clocked 3:44.72 sec to claim the top honours ahead of Iran’s Amir Moradi, who turned in a timing of 3:45.62sec, his season’s best effort. Johnson earlier won a silver in the 800m event. 17. Asian Games 2018: Manjit Singh Wins Gold In 800m Race - India's 28-year-old sprinter Manjit Singh won the gold medal in the men's 800m event at the 2018 Asian Games, securing the ninth gold for the country. - Another Indian sprinter Jinson Johnson, who is ranked first in Asia, won the silver at the event. Meanwhile, Dutee Chand secured herself a place in the women's 200m finals, while Hima Das was disqualified.

Deaths / Obituaries 1. DMK Chief M Karunanidhi Passes Away - He was the 94-year-old veteran leader of Tamil Nadu. - He started as a screenwriter in Tamil film industry and was Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for five-term.

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2. Australian Professional Golfer Jarrod Lyle Passes Away 3. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee Passes Away - Former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee passed away. - Chatterjee was the Speaker of the Lower House from 2004-09 when Manmohan Singh-led UPA- 1 (United Progressive Alliance) was in power. 4. VS Naipaul: Nobel Prize Winner Dies At 85 - Nobel Prize-winning British author V S Naipaul has died at the age of 85. - Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul who was born in Trinidad wrote more than 30 books and won the Nobel Literature Prize in 2001. 5. Chhattisgarh Governor Balramji Das Tandon Passes Away 6. US Singer Aretha Franklin (“Queen of Soul”) Passes Away at 76 7. Former UN chief and Nobel laureate Kofi Annan Passes Away - He was the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations, served at the UN from 1997 to 2006. - Annan was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with the UN in 2001 "for their work for a better organized and more peaceful world". 8. Israeli Journalist And Peace Activist Uri Avnery Passes Away 9. Veteran Journalist Kuldip Nayar Passes Away - His famous autobiography was "Beyond The Lines". He was also the High Commissioner of India to the U.K. and nominated member of the Rajya Sabha. 10. US Senator John McCain Passes Away At 81 - US Senator John McCain, a celebrated Vietnam war hero, passed away after losing a battle to brain cancer. 11. Legendary India Captain Ajit Wadekar Passes Away At 77 - Former India cricket captain Ajit Wadekar (aggressive batsman), who led the team to path-breaking Test wins in England and the West Indies, passed away after prolonged illness. He was also the country's first ODI captain. 12. Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee has passes Away - Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has passed away aged 93 in Delhi. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was three times Prime Minister of India. First Term: May 1996, Second Term: 1998-1999 and Third Term: 1999-2004. - A member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Vajpayee served as the eleventh Prime Minister of India. He headed the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in the Indian Parliament, and became the first Prime Minister unaffiliated with the Indian National Congress to complete a full five-year term in office. 13. Asian Games gold medallist Hakam Singh passes away

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Singh won gold in 20 km race walk event during the 1978 Asiad at Bangkok. He was a Dhyan Chand awardee and had also served as Havaldar in the 6 Sikh regiment. 14. Former MP Chennupati Vidya dies of heart attack Former member of Lok Sabha, Chennupati Vidya died of heart attack due to age-related ailments. Vidya (84) was elected to the Parliament as a Congress candidate from Vijayawada constituency in 1980 and in 1989. 15. former Union minister Senior Congress leader Gurudas Kamat dies at 63 He served in the UPA 2 government as MoS Ministry of Home Affairs and MoS Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. 16. Veteran screenwriter Jalees Sherwani passes away

17. Escorts Group chairman Rajan Nanda dead 18. Anant Bajaj of Bajaj Electricals passes away at 41 Anant Bajaj, business magnate and the only son of Bajaj Electricals Chairman Shekhar Bajaj

passed away. 19. Noted Malayalam film director Haridas passes away

20. Former cricketer Gopal Bose passes away

Former Bengal cricketer Gopal Bose who also played a single ODI (against England ) for India has passed away in London. 68. South Indian actor-politician Harikrishna dies in car crash

DAYS AND THEMES

1. National Handloom Day: 7 August 2.International Day of The World's Indigenous Peoples: 9 August - theme : ‘Indigenous peoples’ migration and movement’. 3. World Biofuel Day -10th August 2018 - - On the occasion, PM of India, Narendra Modi unveiled a Booklet on “National Policy on Biofuels 2018”, and launched “Pro-Active and Responsive facilitation by Interactive and Virtuous Environmental Single window Hub”[PARIVESH].

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4. International Youth Day: 12 August - The Theme for IYD 2018 is: “Safe space for Youth”. - World Elephant Day (Celebrates Environment Ministry )- 12 aug 5. World Humanitarian Day: 19 August - The campaign launched on World Humanitarian Day is "#NotATarget". - The day was designated by the UN General Assembly to commemorate the 19 August 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq. World Photography Day: 19 August 6. National Sports Day: 29 August - The National Sports Day is celebrated on 29th August every year to mark the birthday of legendary hockey player Dhyan Chand. - Prime Minister Narendra Modi has greeted all sports enthusiasts and stated that this year has been great for the sporting fraternity, with the Indian athletes excelling in various tournaments including Asian Games 2018 and Commonwealth Games. Life of Major Dhyan Chand in Brief: 1. The legendary hockey player was born on 29 August 1905 in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. 2. He is widely considered as the greatest field hockey player of all time. 3. He had started playing hockey only after joining the Army at the age of 16. 4. He was famously known as ‘The Wizard’ for his superb ball control and had scored more than 1000 goals during his international career.

BOOKS AND AUTHORS

1.Shane Warne's Autobiography 'No Spin' To Come Out In October 2. Pens '281 And Beyond' – Autobiography of VVS Laxman. -The title has been borrowed from the Laxman’s fabulous series-turning innings of 281 against Australia at the Eden Gardens in 2001. 3. Dr. Mahesh Sharma (Minister of state for Culture ) Released 3 Books At IGNCA, New Delhi - The Authors of the books are as follows: 1. ‘Jewellery’ was written by Dr Gulab Kothari. 2. ‘Ghats of Banaras’ was written by Dr Sachidanand Joshi and 3. ‘Untold Story of Broadcasting’ was written by Dr Gautam Chatterjee. 4. 'Atal Ji Ne Kaha', A book On AB Vajpayee Launched - "Atal Ji Ne Kaha" is the latest of the books on the BJP patriarch and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee launched with a message -Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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- The book is Authored and compiled by Brijendra Rehi. Mr Rehi is noted Doordarshan producer, and senior journalist. The book has been published by Darpan Publication. 5. Book ‘Bebak Baat’ authored by Shri Vijay Goyal

RANKS AND REPORTS

1. Fortune 500 List of World's Largest Companies Released - The Top 3 companies on the list are: 1. Walmart (the USA), 2. State Grid (China), 3. Sinopec Group (China). 3 Indian companies have been listed in Fortune’s 500 list 2018 of world biggest corporations. - Indian Oil Corporation (IOC ) ranked 137th - RIL ranked 148th. -ONGC ranked 197th 2. India's GDP Growth To Rise To 7.5% This Fiscal: Morgan Stanley 3. Smitha V. Crishna Tops List of India’s Wealthiest Women - she is third-generation heir of the Godrej family, ranks first with an estimated wealth of Rs37,570 crore. Ms. Smitha owns one-fifth of the Godrej Group. - Roshni Nadar, CEO and executive director at HCL, ranks second in the list with an estimated wealth of Rs30,200 crore. She also heads the Shiv Nadar Foundation. The chairperson of the Times Group, Indu Jain, ranks third in the list. Her wealth is estimated at Rs26,240 crore. 4. India Rating Lowers FY19 Growth Forecast to 7.2% - India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has revised down its FY19 economic growth forecast to 7.2% from 7.4% earlier. 5. EIU Releases Global Liveability Index 2018: Vienna tops, Delhi Stands 112th - The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released the Global Liveability Index 2018, the ranking of 140 global cities based on their living conditions. The EIU is part of UK magazine ‘The Economist’ and provides forecasting and advisory services through research and analysis. - Delhi was ranked at 112th position and Mumbai fetched 117th spot. Austria’s capital Vienna has been ranked as the world’s most liveable city, displacing Australian city of Melbourne. - The Top three cities on the list are: 1. Vienna, 2. Melbourne, 3. Osaka. 6. Forbes’ List Of World’s Highest-Paid Actors 2018: George Clooney Tops, Akshay Kumar Ranks 7th - Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan have made it to the Forbes’ list of World’s Highest-Paid Actors 2018, which was topped by George Clooney. Akshay and Salman made it to spot seven and nine, respectively.

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- Top 3 on Forbes’ list of the world’s best-paid male actors 2018: 1. George Clooney: $239m 2. Dwayne Johnson: $124m 3. Robert Downey Jr: $81m. 7. Kempegowda International karnatka -2nd Fastest Growing Airport In The World - Only Tokyo's Haneda International is ahead KIA's growth. The report was published by RoutesOnline, a company focussing on the quality and standards of aviation globally. New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport is placed sixth. 8. India To Grow At 7.5% In 2018, 2019: Moody's Report 9.UN E-Government Index: India Ranks 96th, Denmark Tops - India has jumped 22 places to 96th rank to break into the top 100 of the United Nation’s E-Government Development Index (EGDI) 2018. Denmark, with an index value of 0.9150, topped the 2018 E-Government Development Survey. - The E-Government survey is released by the United Nations in every two years. The 2018 edition was titled as 'Gearing E-Government to Support Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies'. India, which was ranked 118 in 2014, jumped 11 places to be ranked 96 in 2018. 10. BBC's ‘Women Who Changed The World’ List: Marie Curie Tops, Mother Teresa 20th - BBC History Magazine conducted a reader's poll of 100 women who changed the world. In this poll, Marie Curie has been voted the woman who made the most significant impact on world history. - Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel prize in physics, first female professor at the University of Paris, and the first person to win Nobel prize twice ( physics and chemistry in 1903 & 1911 respectively). - Top 3 from the BBC History Magazine's '100 Women Who Changed The World': 1. Marie Curie, 2. Rosa Parks, 3. Emmeline Pankhurst. 11. Global Innovation Index, GII- 2018 Launched In India - - India’s rank on the Global Innovation Index (GII) has improved from 60 in 2017 to 57 in 2018. India has been consistently climbing the GII ranking for the past two years. 12. Scarlett Johansson is the highest paid actress with USD 40.5 million: Forbes Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson has become the best-paid actress in the world, according to Forbes magazine.

SCI-TECH NEWS

1. Google Launches Video Q&A App Cameos Aimed At Celebrities -Google has launched a new video-based Q&A app called 'Cameos' on the App Store, which allows people to answer questions about themselves, then share those answers directly on Google. - The app is aimed at celebrities and other public figures, who are often the subject of people’s Google searches.

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2. India To Launch 2nd Lunar Mission 'Chandrayaan-2' on January 3, 2019 - India will launch its second lunar mission “Chandrayaan-2” on January 3, 2019, to land on the moon with a lander and rover. According to Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman K. Sivan, ISRO is aiming to launch the mission but the window to land on the lunar surface is open till March 2019. - The 800-crore rupees is the cost of lunar mission named “Chandrayaan-2”. The 3,890-kg Chandrayaan-2, which will be launched onboard the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk-3, will orbit around the moon and study its lunar conditions to collect data on its topography, mineralogy and exosphere. 3. Nasa Launches Parker Solar Probe To ‘Touch Sun’ - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) blasted off a $1.5 billion spacecraft toward the Sun on a historic mission to protect the Earth by unveiling the mysteries of dangerous solar storms. All You Need To Know About The 'Parker Solar Probe' - NASA’s 'Parker Solar Probe' - the first-ever mission to "touch" the Sun. The spacecraft, about the size of a small car, will travel directly into the Sun's atmosphere about 4 million miles from the surface. - Parker Solar Probe launched aboard a Delta IV-Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral, the USA. -It is the first space craft to be named after a living person - astrophysicist Eugene Parker, 91, who first described solar wind in 1958. 4. World's 1st Hindi-Speaking Robot 'Rashmi' - Ranchi-based software developer Ranjit Srivastava is developing the world's first Hindi-speaking humanoid robot, claimed to cost just Rs50,000 so far. - Named Rashmi, the Artificial Intelligence ( AI) -powered robot can also speak Bhojpuri, Marathi, and English, and is equipped with facial expressions and recognition systems. He was inspired to create Rashmi after seeing Hong Kong-made humanoid 'Sophia' in 2016. 5. Chandrayaan-2 Lander To Be Named ‘Vikram’ After Sarabhai - The lander on the Chandrayaan-2 mission, which is scheduled to be launched in January 2019 will be named ‘Vikram’ after Vikram Sarabhai, the father of Indian space programme. - This mission, unlike Chandrayaan-1 which only orbited the Moon, involves a Lander soft-landing on the lunar surface and unloading a Rover to study and take measurements from the Moon, while the orbiter will go around the Earth’s satellite. 6. ISRO To Outsource Production Of PSLVs and SSLVs To Private Industries - The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will outsource the production of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLVs) and Small Satellite Launch Vehicles (SSLVs) to private Industries. The Indian Space agency Chairman K Sivan made this announcement. - The ISRO will launch Gaganyaan, India’s first manned mission to outer space in 2020. As per the announcement, the Indian Air Force will identify six persons who can be trained to be astronauts. 7. ISRO To Send 1st Indian Into Space By 2022 - India’s first Indian human mission will be launched by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) by 2022. This was stated by the Union Minister of State (I/C) Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh.

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- The programme will make India the fourth nation in the world to launch a Human Spaceflight Mission. So far, only the USA, Russia and China have launched human spaceflight missions. PM Modi had earlier announced `Gaganyaan — India's maiden human spaceflight programme'.

DEFENCE NEWS 1. DAC Approves Procurement for Services Amounting To Rs46,000 Crores - The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Smt Nirmala Sitharaman accorded approval for procurement for the Services amounting to approximately Rs. 46,000 crores. - The DAC in a landmark decision approved procurement of 111 Utility Helicopters for the Indian Navy at a cost of over Rs. 21,000 crores. - This is the first project under the MoD’s prestigious Strategic Partnership (SP) Model that aims at providing the significant fillip to the Government’s ‘Make in India’ programme. 2. INS Vikramaditya To Get Upgrade For Its Air Wing From Russia - For the first time, India's only aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya will be fitted with a marine hydraulic system to boost the air operations of the ship. Hydraulics technology uses fluid pressure to power machines. - Technodinamika, a subsidiary of Russia's Rostec State Corporation, will install the system in the Indian Navy ship by May 2019. The GS-1MF hydraulic system is used in helicopters, while GS-3 is used in aircraft. ( INS Vikramaditya is 284 metres long and 60 metres high that's about as high as a 20-storeyed building. The ship weighs 40,000 tonnes and is the biggest and heaviest ship in the Indian Navy ). 3. Exercise SCO Peace Mission 2018 Started In Russia - Exercise Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Peace Mission 2018, the latest in 'Peace Mission' series formally started at Chebarkul, Russia. All the 8 member nations will participate in this exercise. - The SCO Peace Mission Exercise is one of the major defence cooperation initiatives amongst SCO nations and will be a landmark event in the history of SCO defence cooperation. ( The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an eight-member multilateral organization, established on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai, China by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Pakistan also became the full member of SCO along with India, taking its membership to 8. After the expansion of membership, SCO represents approximately 42% of the world’s population, 20% of its GDP and 22% of the landmass ). 4. Indo-Thailand Joint Exercise 'Maitree 2018' Begins in Thailand - Exercise 'Maitree' is a joint military exercise between the Indian Army and Royal Thai Army which is running on in Thailand. It is a platoon level exercise which comprises of infantry component.

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- The exercise will emphasize to hone the tactical and technical skills in joint counter insurgency and counter-terrorist operations in the rural and urban scenario under UN mandate. 5. Pacific Endeavor-2018 Under MCIP Starts in Kathmandu - Pacific Endeavor-2018, a communication exercise under the Multinational Communications Interoperability Program (MCIP) started in Kathmandu, Nepal. The basic objective of 12 day exercise is to develop common communications operating procedures to enable military forces in the Asia Pacific region to collectively work in the wake of disaster. - Around 270 personnel from 20 Asia-Pacific Countries are participating in the exercise, which is jointly organised by the Nepali Army and United States Pacific Command. 6. . India Successfully Tests Anti-Tank Guided Missile ‘HELINA’ - India successfully flight tested the indigenously developed helicopter launched Anti-Tank Guided Missile ‘HELINA’ from Pokhran in Rajasthan. The weapon system tested for its full range was released smoothly from the launch platform. The missile hit the target with high precision. - The indigenously designed and developed guided bombs Smart Anti Airfield Weapon (SAAW) was also successfully flight tested from IAF aircraft at Chandan range in Jaisalmer. 7. 1st Ever IAF-RMAF Joint Air Exercise Begins In Malaysia - The first-ever joint air exercise involving the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) commenced at Subang Air Base in Malaysia. 8. Iran Unveils 1st Domestic Fighter Jet 'Kowsar' - Iran unveiled its first domestic fighter jet named 'KOWSAR' with President Hassan Rouhani. - The new "Kowsar" is a fourth-generation fighter shown at the National Defence Industry exhibition in Tehran. It was "100-percent indigenously made" for the first time. 9. Indian Naval Ship Sahyadri Reaches Australia For Exercise KAKADU 2018 - Exercise KAKADU, which started in 1993, is the premier multilateral regional maritime engagement exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and supported by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). - The exercise is held biennially in Darwin and the Northern Australian Exercise Areas (NAXA). Exercise KAKADU derives its name from Kakadu National Park, which is in Australia. 10. Ballistic Missile Interceptor AAD Successfully Flight Tested - Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted the successful test of the Ballistic Missile Interceptor Advanced Area Defence (AAD) from Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha. The endo-atmospheric missile, capable of intercepting incoming targets at an altitude of 15 to 25 kms was launched against multiple simulated targets of 1500 km class ballistic missile. - All the mission objectives were successfully met. 11. Defence Minister Launches Defence India Startup Challenge in Bengaluru, Karnataka. - Recognising the first set of incubators for these challenges the ministry has also signed an MoU with 5 incubators. IIM Ahmedabad, IIT Mumbai, Forge IIT Madras, and IT hub who will work in tandem to provide solutions for defence requirements in Airforce, Navy and for Army.

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-. Raksha Mantri also launched SPARK (support for prototype and research Kickstart) in defence, framework for IDEX partners, and promotion of start ups under Make II procedure. 12. Defence Industrial Corridor Launched in Aligarh, UP - The move is part of the government’s efforts to develop specialised zones dedicated to defence production in the state. -Another defence corridor was also launched in Tamil Nadu. 13. Conclusion: Exercise Pitch Black 2018 Ex Pitch Black a biennial multi-national large force employment warfare exercise was hosted by Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) from 24 Jul 18 to 18 Aug 18 in Darwin, Australia. Indian Air Force had earlier participated in the exercise as observers and this was for the first time that IAF participated with air assets in the Exercise Pitch Black (PB-18). With participation of 16 nations and more than 140 aircraft, the current edition was the largest Pitch Black ever conducted by Australia. 23. INS Khanjar visits Yangon, Myanmar INS Khanjar a Missile Corvette of Indian Navy was on a three-day visit to Yangon, Myanmar to undertake operational turn around (OTR) and as part of goodwill visit from 18 to 20 Aug 18. 24. Operation 'Madad' by Southern Naval Command

Operation “Madad” has been launched by the Southern Naval Command (SNC) at Kochi since 09 Aug 2018 for assisting the state administration and undertaking disaster relief operations due to the heavy flooding experienced in many parts of Kerala, owing to incessant rainfall and release of excess water from Idukki and other dams.