Current Affairs Daily Digest – August 22 2019
1. Dr.Ajay Kumar is appointed as Defence Secretary in the Ministry of Defence
Ajay Kumar was on Wednesday appointed the new Defence Secretary. He will replace Sanjay Mitra whose term ends on August 23, according to the Prime Minister-headed Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
Subash Chandra, IAS (of 1986 batch), Special Secretary, Department of Defence, is the new Secretary, Department of Defence Production. He will take over from Ajay Kumar, IAS (1985 batch).
2. JNU Professor Meeta Narain conferred the Pushkin Medal 2019
JNU Professor Meeta Narain conferred the ‘Pushkin Medal – 2019’. It is the highest honour given to an Indian scholar by the Russian government.
Pushkin Medal is given to a scholar of Russian language and literature. It is given for outstanding contribution to Russian studies.
‘Pushkin Medal – 2019’.
Medal of Pushkin is a state decoration of the Russian Federation. It is awarded to its citizens for achievements in the arts and culture, education, humanities, and literature. It is named in honor of Russian author and poet Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin.
3. CISF win 10 medals ‘World Police and Fire Games’ 2019 in China
CISF sports personnel have won 10 medals, including five gold, at the recently-concluded ‘World Police and Fire Games’ in China’s southwestern Sichuan province.
The ‘World Police and Fire Games-2019’, an Olympic-style competition with 10,000 athletes representing law enforcement, fire-fighters and officers from corrections, probation, border protection, immigration and customs from over 70 countries competing in more than 60 sports, were held from August 8 to 18 in Chengdu city.
4. 22 August: International Day for Victims of Acts of Violence based on Religion or Belief
August 22 was designated as the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief in a May 28 meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The international day aims to honour the victims and survivors of heinous acts who often remain forgotten.
5. ‘SARAL’- State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index launched by Power Minister
SARAL has been designed collaboratively by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF), Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and Ernst & Young (EY). It was launched during the Review Planning and Monitoring (RPM) Meeting with States and State Power Utilities. SARAL currently captures five key aspects – i. robustness of policy framework, ii. implementation environment, iii. investment climate, iv. consumer experience and v. business ecosystem.
6. Rajiv Gauba appointed next Cabinet Secretary for two years
Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba was on Wednesday appointed as the next Cabinet Secretary for a tenure of two years.
Gauba, a 1982-batch IAS officer of the Jharkhand cadre, will initially join as the Officer on Special Duty in the Cabinet Secretariat, before he takes over the charge of the country’s top bureaucratic from the incumbent P K Sinha.
“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Rajiv Gauba, IAS (JH:1982) as Cabinet Secretary with a tenure of two years from 30.08.2019 or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
7. Conservationist Vivek Menon wins Clark Bavin Award
Conservationist Vivek Menon, head of Delhi-based conservation non-profit, Wildlife Trust of India was awarded the prestigious Clark R Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Award for the year 2019 on August 20 in Geneva.
Menon was presented the award by Ivonne Higuero, the secretary general of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The eighteenth meeting of Conference of Parties to CITES is currently being held at Geneva.
8. Madras Day observed on August 22
It is celebrated on 22 August every year, 22 August 1639 being the widely agreed date for the purchase of the village of Madraspatnam or Chennapatnam by East India Company factors Andrew Cogan and Francis Day from Damarla Venkatadri Nayaka, the viceroy of the Vijayanagar Empire.
9. RBI allows e-mandates on cards for recurring transactions
The Reserve Bank on Wednesday permitted processing of e-mandate on credit and debit cards for recurring transactions (merchant payments) with a cap of Rs 2,000.
The RBI has been receiving requests from industry stakeholders to allow processing of e-mandate on cards for recurring transactions with Additional Factor of Authentication (AFA) during e-mandate registration and first transaction.
10. BookMyForex ties up with YES Bank, Visa to launch forex card
BookMyForex.com, the world’s first and largest marketplace for foreign exchange and remittances, announces the launch of a co-branded Multi-Currency Forex Travel-card in partnership with YES Bank and Visa to offer a seamless experience to Indian overseas travellers.
Customers will now be able to buy Forex Travel Cards at the click of a button on the BookMyForex platform and get free doorstep delivery across major cities in India. Further, to promote the sale of forex travel cards over forex currency notes, BookMyForex will offer zero margin or exact inter-bank rates 24×7 on Forex card sales.
11. Standard Chartered partners with SAP Ariba for financial supply chain solutions
Standard Chartered Bank and SAP Ariba announced a strategic collaboration to make the Bank’s financial supply chain solutions easily accessible to businesses in the Asia Pacific region through Ariba Network, the world’s largest digital business network connecting more than 4.2 million companies in 190 countries.
12. Israel, South Korea conclude talks on Free Trade Agreement
Israel-South Korean trade stood at $2.5 billion last year, and Netanyahu said that this agreement will “double the volume of trade” between the two countries.
The tariff free regime does not extend to Israeli goods made beyond the Green Line – as is the case with Israeli Free Trade Agreements with others, such as the EU and the US. Cohen, however, has said – and his ministry has put the obligation in writing to the Yesha Council – that the government will completely indemnify Israeli manufacturers in Judea and Samaria if tariffs are imposed on their products.
