Current Affairs Daily Digest – August 18 2020
1. 13th Session of the India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting
The 13th Session of the India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting on Trade, Economic and Technical Cooperation was held to review the continuing growth of broad based cooperation between the two countries.
The session was co-chaired by Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India and Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates.
2. GP Garg becomes SEBI’s new executive director
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has appointed GP Garg as executive director (ED). Prior to this, he was Chief General Manager in Sebi and has handled several assignments since joining in January 1994. He has been closely associated with Sebi’s initiatives on financial literacy and investor education in the country.
3. MPEDA launches Quality Control Lab in Porbandar
Quality Control Lab has been set up by the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) in Porbandar, Gujarat. The Quality Control Lab will offer tests for seafood processors as well as exporters to confirm to product safety as per international regulatory requirements.
4. Google partners CWC for flood forecasting initiative
Google and Central Water Commission(CWC) of India have launched the flood forecasting initiatives across India for the past several months. The Central Water Commission is the first governmental partner of Google to measure water levels on an hourly basis using around 1000 stream gauges across India.
5. UK launches £3 Million Innovation Challenge Fund in India
An “Innovation Challenge Fund” of £3 Million has been launched by the government of United Kingdom (UK) in India. The newly launched fund aims to support research and development (R&D) proposals to address the challenges posed to the economy and the environment, by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, the fund will help scientists in academia and industry to address the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.
6. Chhattisgarh government to launch “Padhai Tuhar Para” scheme
Chhattisgarh government has announced to launch a student centric scheme named as “Padhai Tuhar Para”. The scheme will enable the school students to study with the help of community in their localities and villages, in view of the suspension of classes due to coronavirus outbreak.
7. Ministry of Tribal Affairs launches “Swasthya” & “ALEKH”
Ministry of Tribal Affairs has launched the Tribal Health and Nutrition Portal “Swasthya” and e-newsletter on health and nutrition “ALEKH”. The ministry has also announced the opening of National Overseas Portal and National Tribal Fellowship Portal.
8. Filmmaker Nishikant Kamat passes away
Director-actor Nishikant Kamat passed away. He made his directorial debut in 2005 with Marathi movie Dombivali Fast, which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Marathi.
Nishikant had directed some popular Bollywood movies like Force, Drishyam and Madaari.
9. MCX to launch India’s first bullion index named “Bulldex”
Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) will launch India’s first bullion index named “Bulldex”, on August 24, 2020. Bullions, viz. gold and silver are already being traded as individual commodities on the country’s premier commodity exchange. With gold and silver as underlying, Bulldex will have a market lot size of 50 and be cash-settled futures contract. MCX had tested bullion index futures trade in mock trading exercises in July.
10. Rakesh Asthana becomes new DG of BSF
Government of India has appointed Rakesh Asthana as the new director-general of the Border Security Force (BSF). Currently, DG Indo-Tibet Border Police (ITBP) chief S S Deswal was holding the additional charge of BSF since March this year.
Asthana is currently heading the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) with an additional charge of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), will assume full-time charge of the border guarding force deployed at the approximately 2,280 km long border with Pakistan.
11. IPL Title Sponsor 2020: Dream11 wins IPL title sponsorship for Rs 222 crores
Dream11 has won IPL 2020 title sponsorship bid for Rs 222 crores. This was announced by IPL Chairman Brijesh Patel on August 18, 2020. Dream11, the fantasy sports platform won the IPL Title rights by outbidding the IPL Title Sponsor favourites Tata Sons and educational platforms Byju’s and Unacademy.
12. New Coronavirus Strain with 10-times the infection rate detected in Malaysia
Malaysia has detected a strain of new Coronavirus which is ten times more infectious. The mutation called DG14G was earlier seen in other parts of the world.
The mutation has been found in at least three of the 45 cases in a cluster. It started from a restaurant owner who had returned from India and breached his 14-day home quarantine. He has since been sentenced to five months in prison and fined.
13. PM Narendra Modi to inaugurate first World Solar Technology Summit on Sept 8
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the first World Solar Technology Summit that will be held on September 8, 2020. The summit is being organised by the International Solar Alliance (ISA) on a virtual platform.
The first World Solar Technology Summit will focus on state-of-the-art technologies and next-generation technologies that will help boost efforts towards harnessing solar energy more efficiently. This was announced by Renewable Energy Minister RK Singh on August 17, 2020.
