Current Affairs Daily Digest – August 19 2020
1. Satya Pal Malik appointed as Governor of Meghalaya
Satya Pal Malik was appointed as the Governor of Meghalaya. He replaced Tathagata Roy. Mr Malik served as Governor of Goa previously. With his transfer, the Governor of Maharashtra Bagat Singh Koshyari is to discharge the functions of Governor of Goa.
2. Rohit Sharma appointed Oakley’s brand ambassador in India
Sports eyewear brand “Oakley” has appointed Indian cricketer, Rohit Sharma as its brand ambassador for a period of two years in India. As a part of the partnership, Sharma will be sporting Oakley eyewear equipped with patented Prizm technology created specifically for sports lenses.
3. Delhi Police signs MoU with All India Institute of Ayurveda
Delhi Police has signed an Memorandum of understanding (MoU) with All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), an autonomous Institute under Ministry of AYUSH. The MoU will offer Ayurveda Preventive and Promotive health services in the residential colonies of Delhi Police through a mobile unit named ‘Dhanwantari Rath’ and Police Wellness Centres.
4. Computer scientist Russell Kirsch passes away
Computer scientist Russell Kirsch who invented the “pixel” and scanned the world’s first digital photograph, passed away. He created a small, 2-by-2-inch black-and-white digital image of his son, which was among the first images ever scanned into a computer. Pixels are the digital dots that are used to display photos, video and more on phone as well as computer screens.
5. IIT Madras Tops Atal Rankings (ARIIA) 2020
The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras has retained the top position in the ‘Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements,’ (ARIIA) 2020 for being the best centrally funded institution in India. The 2020 ‘Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA),’ was released by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, in presence of Union Minister of Education, Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank,’ in a virtual event on 18 August 2020.
6. Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2020
The National Sports Awards selection committee have recommended four sportspersons for India’s highest sporting honour, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2020. Indian cricketer, Rohit Sharma and wrestler Vinesh Phogat are among the four sportspersons. Apart from Rohit and Vinesh, table tennis player Manika Batra and Paralympian M Thangavelu are the other two names. In a first, this year’s National Sports Awards ceremony is likely to be held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
7. Fino Payments Bank launches “Jan BachatKhata”
Fino Payments Bank has launched Jan BachatKhata (JBK), which is an Aadhaar Authentication based digital savings account that brings neo-banking experience to consumers.
Under the JBK, customers can transact at a Fino branch or merchant point with fingerprint and OTP combination, while at non-Fino points they need Aadhaar authentication.
8. Reliance Retail acquires majority stake in Netmeds for Rs 620 crores
Reliance Retail has acquired a majority equity stake in ‘Netmeds’ for approximately Rs 620 crores. The announcement was made by the Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) through a statement on August 18, 2020.
RIL announced that its subsidiary Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL) has acquired a majority stake in Vitalic Health Pvt. Ltd and its subsidiaries, which are collectively known as ‘Netmeds’ for approximately Rs 620 crores.
9. Ashok Lavasa resigns as Election Commissioner, to join as Vice President of ADB
Ashok Lavasa has resigned from his position as Election Commissioner on August 18, 2020, to join as the Vice- President of the Phillippines-based Asian Development Bank (ADB). Mr. Lavasa will be joining his new position in September 2020.
10. Scientists found that the Dwarf planet Ceres is now an Ocean world
Researchers have stated that Ceres looks like an “Ocean World”. Teh scientist stated after analyzing the data collected by NASA’s Dawn spacecraft. The dwarf planet Ceres lies in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and is also the largest object in that belt.
11. “India ranks among lowest in terms of Internet quality”
India ranks among the lowest in the world in terms of Internet quality, according to a global research released by online privacy solutions provider SurfShark.
As per the “Digital Quality of Life Index 2020”, which researches on the quality of a digital wellbeing in 85 countries (81% of the global population), in terms of e-infrastructure, India occupies 79th place, ranking below countries including Guatemala and Sri Lanka.
12. Bharti AXA Life, SBM Bank India enter into bancassurance partnership
Bharti AXA Life Insurance has entered into bancassurance partnership with SBM Bank India for distribution of life insurance products through the latter’s network.
Under this agreement, Bharti AXA Life Insurance will offer its entire suite of life insurance products, including protection, health, savings and investment plans, to the customers of SBM Private Wealth, the retail banking arm of SBM Bank India.
13. Flipkart signs pact with IIT-Patna
Walmart-owned Flipkart said it has inked an agreement with IIT-Patna to help create industry-focused applied research in the areas of artificial intelligence (AI), natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML). As part of the MoU, IIT-Patna will undertake a number of programmes such as joint research activities, writing research papers, organising seminars and internship/mentorship opportunities, according to a statement.
14. World Humanitarian Day 19 August
On World Humanitarian Day (WHD) August 19, the world commemorates humanitarian workers killed and injured in the course of their work, and we honour all aid and health workers who continue, despite the odds, to provide life-saving support and protection to people most in need.
RealLifeHeroes – A global campaign that celebrates humanitarians – a “thank you” to the people who have committed their lives to helping others.
15. World Photography Day – 19 August
World Photography Day is celebrated every year on August 19. It is a day to recognise the importance of photography in our world. Pictures are a way to preserve memories, to capture a fleeting moment in time. In fact, it is said that a picture is worth a thousand words.
