Top GKToday’s News Headlines-1 August 2020
August 1, 2020
Here are Top GKToday’s News Headlines for August 1, 2020
India
August 1 to be as “Muslim Women Rights Day”: Minority Affairs Minister
Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on July 31, 2020 said that August 1 will be celebrated as “Muslim Women Rights Day” as it was the day from which the social evil of Triple Talaq was made a criminal offence.
Punjab: 21 die after drinking spurious liquor in three districts
21 people died after consuming spurious liquor in three districts of Punjab — Amritsar, Batala and Tarn Taran — since July 29, 2020.
Bureaucrat Hardik Shah appointed PM’s new Private Secretary
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has picked a Gujarat cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Hardik Shah to be his new Private Secretary (PS) in place of Rajiv Topno, who has earlier been appointed as Senior Advisor to the Executive Director of the World Bank in Washington DC.
Gadkari opens refurbished upstream carriageway of Mahatma Gandhi Setu in Bihar
Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and MSMEs Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the refurbished upstream carriageway of Mahatma Gandhi bridge over river Ganga through video conference in Bihar on July 31, 2020.
Tribal Affairs Ministry wins SKOCH Gold Award for IT-enabled scholarship schemes
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs on July 30, 2020 received SKOCH Gold Award for its “Empowerment of Tribals through IT enabled Scholarship Schemes” project of Scholarship Division of the Ministry. During 2019-20, under 5 Scholarship schemes, about Rs. 2500 Cr were directly transferred to student’s Bank accounts through DBT to approximately 30 lakh students in 31 States and UTs.
Economy
15th Finance Commission’s High-Level Group on Agricultural Exports submits report
The High-Level Group (HLEG) on Agricultural Exports set up by the Fifteenth Finance Commission to recommend measurable performance incentives for States to encourage agricultural exports and to promote crops to enable high import substitution, submitted its report to the Commission on July 31, 2020. The report has called for creation of a state led export plan in which the private sector should play an anchor role.
13.92% increase in sowing area coverage of kharif crops till July 31
As on July 31, 2020, Kharif crops have been sown on 882.18 lakh ha area against 774.38 lakh ha area during the corresponding period of 2019, thus, increase in area coverage by 13.92%. The increase was seen in Rice, Pulses, Coarse Cereals, Oilseeds, Sugarcane, Cotton. All Kharif crops except Jute & Mesta saw an increase.
Fiscal deficit at 83.2% of budget estimates in Q1
The country’s fiscal deficit during the first quarter of this fiscal widened to Rs 6.62 trillion or 83.2% of the budget estimates. Fiscal deficit during the corresponding period of April-June 2019-20 was 61.4% of the budget estimates. The fiscal deficit for 2020-21 was pegged at Rs 7.96 trillion or 3.5% of the GDP in the Budget.
Retail inflation for industrial workers marginally eases to 5.06% in June
Retail inflation for industrial workers, measured in terms of CPI-IW (Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers), eased to 5.06% in June 2020 from 8.59% in the same month of 2019, mainly due to lower prices of certain food items and kerosene oil. It was recorded at 5.10% in May 2020.
Eight core industries output down fourth month in a row, shrinks 15% in June
Contracting for the fourth consecutive month, the output of eight core infrastructure industries shrank by 15% in June. The eight are: coal, crude oil, natural gas, steel, cement. Electricity, fertilsers and refinery products. The eight core sectors had expanded by 1.2% in June 2019.
Reliance Power to build and operate 718 MW power plant in Bangladesh
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on July 31, 2020 signed a $200 million financing deal with the Reliance Bangladesh LNG and Power Limited (RBLPL) to build and operate 718 megawatt combined-cycle gas-fired power plant in Bangladesh.
Import of colour TV sets moved from ‘Free’ to ‘Restricted’ category: DGFT
The government has announced restrictions on import of colour television sets, a move that is likely to push local manufacturing of television while also reducing imports from other countries, including China and Vietnam. “Import policy of colour television sets is amended from ‘Free’ to ‘Restricted’,” the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification issued on July 30, 2020.
Flipkart’s Samarth programme helps artisans sell their products online
Walmart-owned Flipkart on July 31, 2020 said it supports over six lakh artisans, weavers and craftsmen across the country through its Samarth programme under which it has partnered with NGOs to help artisans use the online marketplace to sell their products.
World
Australia to make Google and Facebook pay for news content
The Australian government said on July 31, 2020 it plans to give Google and Facebook three months to negotiate with Australian media businesses fair pay for news content. In case of no agreement, arbitrators would be appointed to make a binding decision.
China celebrates completion of its BeiDou Navigation Satellite System
China is celebrating the completion of its BeiDou Navigation Satellite System that could rival the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS). President Xi Jinping officially commissioned the system in Beijing on July 31, 2020. The 55th and final geostationary satellite in the constellation launched June 23.
Taiwan: 1st democratically elected President Lee Teng-hui dies
Lee Teng-hui, Taiwan’s first democratically elected President of Taiwan (1996-2000) died at the age of 97 at Taipei on July 30, 2020. The government of Taiwan, formally the Republic of China, was established in 1949 by Chiang Kai-shek, after his Nationalist forces lost control of the mainland to Mao Zedong’s Communists and fled to the island.
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Month: Current Affairs - August, 2020