Current Affairs – August 27, 2020 [Morning Headlines]

Here are the Current Affairs Morning Headlines of August 27, 2020 by GKToday:

NITI Aayog to launch NDC – TIA India Component

India Component of the National Determined Contributions – Transport Initiative for Asia (NDC-TIA) is to be virtually launched by NITI Aayog today. The NDC-TIA India Component will establish a multi-stakeholder dialogue platform for promoting green transport in the country and provide technical assistance in reducing GHG emissions.

MGNREGA workers’ average income doubles amid pandemic

A CRISIL report stated that the average income of the MGNREGA workers has nearly doubled to around Rs.1,000 per month during the first four months of the current fiscal. The April-June of this fiscal witnessed a 12% increase in average per day wages because of the large-scale migrant exodus caused by the pandemic-led lockdown.

e-PPO integrated with Digi Locker to ease living of government pensioners

The Department of Pensions and Pensioners’ Welfare (DoPPW) has integrated electronic Pension Payment Order (e-PPO) generated via PFMS application of Controller General of Accounts with Digi Locker to enhance Ease of Living of Central Government Civil Pensioners. This is to enable pensioners to obtain latest hard copy of their PPO from their Digital Locker account.

7 new circles of ASI announced

Ministry of Culture announced 7 new circles of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal and Gujarat. The new circles are Trichy, Raiganj, Rajkot, Jabalpur, Jhansi and Meerut. These add to the earlier 29 ASI circles in the country.

General government debt estimated to reach record 91% of GDP this fiscal

A brokerage report estimates that the combined debt of central and state governments are likely to reach a record high 91% of GDP this fiscal. The debt is likely to be at 80% by FY30 and is unlikely to fall to the targeted 60% by FY40 deadline without further harming economic growth.

ICRA: Road projects execution this fiscal likely range at 9,000-9,200 km

ICRA estimates almost a 10% drop in execution of road projects because of pandemic, as they are likely to range between 9,000 and 9,200 km. The rating firm noted that January-March, the key working season for road contractors, saw a little progress because of the lockdown.

BRICS industry ministers discussed 5G, AI

Industry Ministers of BRICS countries met virtually to discuss ways to enhance cooperation in the areas of 5G, Artificial Intelligence and industrial internet. This meeting comes ahead of the proposed foreign ministers’ meet in the early September this year.

Month: Current Affairs - August, 2020