Current Affairs Daily Digest – August 02 2019
1. Mohapatra takes charge as DG of India Meteorological Department
Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, 54, took charge as the Director General (DG) of India Meteorological Department (IMD), New Delhi. He was appointed as DG by the Ministry of Personnel on 4 June 2019.
He will replace K.J. Ramesh, who headed the weather department for over three years. IMD is to request the government to bring new technology for the weather forecasting and provide accurate information of weather.
2. Ministry of Finance to conduct Indias first national Time Release Study for efficient trade flow
The Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance plans to conduct India’s first national Time Release Study (TRS) between 1st and 7th August, 2019. The study is a part of the department’s strategic commitment to improve the global trade.
3. IMMUVAC , VPM1002: India’s 1st large-scale trial of two new TB vaccines launched
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) launched India’s first large-scale trial for two new tuberculosis (TB) vaccines named IMMUVAC and VPM1002.
These vaccines aim to prevent infection (pre-exposure) or prevent primary progression or reactivation of latent TB infection (post-exposure), all of which have critical role to play in India’s big fight against TB. Both vaccines have been manufactured by Indian pharmaceutical companies.
4. Parliament passes Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2019
Parliament passed Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2019 to provide stricter punishments for child sex abuse. It was first passed by Rajya Sabha on July 24, 2019 and then by Lok Sabha on August 1, 2019. The Bill amends Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), 2012 which provides legal framework to protect children from offences such as sexual assault, sexual harassment, and pornography.
5. Maharashtra: 1st state to adopt digital fingerprint and iris scanning system
Maharashtra became first state in the country to adopt an Automated Multi-modal Biometric Identification System (AMBIS) i.e. digital fingerprint and iris scanning system to help police investigations. This system will soon be replicated by police forces of other states in the country.
6. India drops to 7th largest economy in 2018, UK and France overtake
India’s economy has been pushed to the seventh spot in GDP rankings in 2018 with the UK and France overtaking the country, the latest World Bank data showed. India’s GDP was $2.73 trillion while that of UK was $2.83 trillion and France was $2.77 trillion. India had surpassed France and then the UK in 2017 to become the fifth-largest economy.
7. India-born doctor Bhasha Mukherjee crowned Miss England 2019
India-born doctor Bhasha Mukherjee was crowned Miss England 2019 at a ceremony in Newcastle. The 23-year-old moved to England with her parents at the age of nine and settled in Derby. Mukherjee holds two different medical degrees, one in medical sciences and the other in medicine and surgery.
8. Girraj Prasad Gupta takes over as the Controller General of Accounts
Girraj Prasad Gupta took over as Controller General of Accounts (CGA), Department of Expenditure, Union Ministry of Finance with effect from 1 August 2019.
He is 1983-batch Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) Officer. He is highly credited for his work in development and implementation of Public Financial Management System (PFMS), a backbone IT infrastructure for Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and other financial management modules in Central Government.
9. Ravish Kumar wins 2019 Ramon Magsaysay Award
Indian journalist Ravish Kumar (44) of NDTV news channel was chosen for 2019 Ramon Magsaysay Award. He has been given this prestigious award in recognition for harnessing journalism to give voice to voiceless. He is among 5 individuals who were chosen for this years’ award. The award will be presented to all recipients at a ceremony in Manila (Capital of Philippine) on 9 September 2019.
10. Cabinet approves signing UN Convention on Mediation
Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved signing of United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements (UNISA) resulting from mediation by India. It is scheduled to be signed in Singapore on 7th August, 2019 or at the United Nations.
11. Crisil cuts India’s GDP growth to 6.9% from 7.1% for FY20
Crisil cut the gross domestic product (GDP) growth estimate for India by 0.2 percentage points for FY20. The rating agency’s cut to 6.9 percent from 7.1 percent comes amidst slowing global growth and weak monsoon recorded in the country in June. Sluggish data for the first quarter was another contributing factor.
12. Lok Sabha passes amendments to Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code
Lok Sabha passed amendments to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, with the government asserting that the spirit behind the law is not to allow companies to die.
Rajya Sabha has already passed the Bill and with its passage in the lower house, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code is set to be amended. Responding to the debate on the bill, Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the liquidation of a company is not the sole agenda of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.
13. RBI slaps ₹1.5-cr penalty on Bank of India
Bank of India (BoI), said the Reserve Bank of India has asked it to pay a penalty of ₹1.5 crore on account of ‘non-compliance with RBI’s direction on frauds’ in Rotomac Group companies. In a stock exchange notice, BoI said the penalty is required to be paid within 14 days of receipt of RBI’s order, which was received via email dated August 1.
14. Aishwary wins gold at Sardar Sajjan Singh Sethi memorial shooting
In Shooting, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar clinched a yellow metal in Men’s Rifle 3 Positions (3P) at 12th Sardar Sajjan Singh Sethi Memorial Masters competition in New Delhi.
Having qualified at third position for the eight-man final with a modest qualifying score 1166, 18-year-old Aishwary from Madhya Pradesh was back in his elements in the finals as he posted a comfortable victory with a score of 459.9 and a classy 10.7 in the end.
15. Vinayak S Hiremath youngest doctor to be felicitated with ‘Pride of Nation Award’
Dr Vinayak S Hiremath, who is known for his exemplary work in the field of medicine and is the youngest doctor of Gulbarga, has been felicitated with the ‘Pride of the Nation Award’.
The ceremony was held at NCC auditorium parade grounds in New Delhi on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas. Dr Vinayak S Hiremath was given this honour by the Defence Minister of India, Rajnath Singh.
16. Electric Cars in India 2019: Indian army launches e-cars in Delhi to fight air pollution
The Indian Army launched e-cars for use of its officials in New Delhi on August 1. The e-car initiative has been launched in partnership with Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) in a joint venture of the Central PSU’s under the Ministry of Power. The e-car launch is in line with government policies on environmental protection.
17. Former cricketer Malcolm Nash passes away
Malcolm Nash, the Glamorgan bowler who entered cricket folklore when Garfield Sobers struck him for six sixes in an over, has died at the age of 74. Nash’s name was forever linked with that of Sobers after the West Indies star went on the attack during a County Championship match between Glamorgan and Nottinghamshire at Swansea in 1968.
18. BITSians’ Day to be celebrated across 100 locations on August 2
On the first Friday of August every year, BITSians’ Day is celebrated by the alumni and students of BITS Pilani at multiple locations across the world. BITSians will reunite for the 7th edition of BITSians’ Day on August 2, at more than 100 locations across the globe including new global locations like Vietnam, Israel, the Philippines and New Zealand.
19. Rare Assam tea variety auctioned for record ₹50,000 a kg
A rare variety of tea from Assam, Manohari Gold, was sold for ₹50,000 per kilogram at the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre. “The price that Manohari Gold has fetched is the highest for tea in a public auction,” claimed Dinesh Bihani, Secretary, Guwahati Tea Auction Buyers Association. Last year, a kilogram of Manohari Gold was sold for ₹39,001.
