Top GKToday’s News Headlines-8 August 2020

Here are Top GKToday’s News Headlines for August 7, 2020

India

Conclave on Transformational Reforms in Higher Education under NEP held

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 7, 2020 gave the inaugural address at the Conclave on Transformational Reforms in Higher Education under National Education Policy. The conclave was organized by Ministry of Education along with the University Grants Commission (UGC).

G.C. Murmu appointed Comptroller and Auditor General of India

The Centre on August 6, 2020 appointed ex-Gujarat cadre IAS officer G.C. Murmu as Comptroller and Auditor General of India (C&AG) a day after he resigned as the Lieutenant-Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Murmu will take over as the C&AG from Rajiv Mehrishi, whose tenure has ended.

Professor Pradeep Kumar Joshi appointed new Chairman of UPSC

Educationist Professor Pradeep Kumar Joshi was on August 7, 2020 appointed as the chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), that conducts the civil services examination to select India’s bureaucrats and diplomats among others, officials said. Joshi is currently a member in the Commission.

Sixth National Handloom Day celebrated on August 7

The sixth National Handloom Day was celebrated on August 7, 2020 in memory of the Swadeshi Movement which was launched on the same day in 1905. Smriti Irani, India’s Union Minister of Textiles, urged people to use handmade items from their clothing to furnishings.

Winners of the AatmaNirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge announced

Winners of the AatmaNirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge across 8 categories launched by the government in July were announced on August 7, 2020. Winners in various categories are: Social: Chingari, Entertainment: CaptionPlus, E-learning: Disprz, Games: Hitwicket Superstars, Health: StepSetGo, Business: Zoho Invoice, Books & Expense, Office: Zoho Workplace and Cliq (jointly), News: Logically Check Fake News and Verify Facts

CM Arvind Kejriwal launches Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on August 7, 2020 launched ‘Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy’ under which his government will waive registration fee and road tax, and provide incentives for new EVs in the national capital. It will give incentive of up to Rs 30,000 for two-wheelers, autos and e-rickshaws while for cars, it will give incentive of up to Rs 1.5 lakh.

1^st ‘Kisan Rail’ train flagged off from Deolali in Nashik to Danapur in Bihar

Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar on August 7, 2020 flagged off the country’s first ‘Kisan Rail’ train from Deolali in Nashik to Danapur in Bihar. The weekly service that will depart from Deolali every Friday at 11 am and reach Danapur the next day at 6.45 pm.

Economy

Members of committee to recommend parameters for loan restructuring named

RBI has formed a five-member committee under the chairmanship of former ICICI Bank CEO KV Kamath to make recommendations on the financial parameters to be considered in the restructuring of loans impacted by the Covid 19 pandemic. Other members of the committee are former SBI executive Diwakar Gupta, current Canara Bank chairman TN Manoharan, consultant Ashvin Parekh and Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) CEO Sunil Mehta.

RBI provides additional liquidity of Rs 5,000 cr each for NABARD, NHB

The Reserve Bank of India on August 6, 2020 offered an additional special liquidity facility of Rs 5,000 crore each at its policy lending rate to NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) and NHB (National Housing Bank) to boost rural lending and affordable housing.

NCAER’s Business Confidence Index declines drastically in April-June quarter

Business sentiment across Indian industry fell to its lowest level in the first quarter of this fiscal since 1991, according to the National Council of Applied Economic Research’s (NCAER) Business Confidence Index (BCI). With a massive 62% decline from the year-ago level, the BCI stood at 46.4 points for April-June quarter, a release said on August 7, 2020.

Forex reserves hit an all-time high of $534.568 billion in week ended July 31

The country’s foreign exchange reserves hit an all-time high of $534.568 billion after surging by massive $11.938 billion in the week ended July 31, the RBI data showed. Foreign currency assets (FCA) were up by $10.347 billion to $490.829 billion. Gold reserves were up by $1.525 billion to $37.625 billion. The special drawing rights with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) rose by $12 million to $1.475 billion. The country’s reserve position with the IMF also increased by $54 million to $4.639 billion.

Exim Bank extends $250 mn LoC to Mozambique for improving power supply

Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) on August 7, 2020 said it has extended a USD 250-million (about Rs 1,870 crore) line of credit (LOC) to Mozambique for improving power supply quality in the country.

PM SVANidhi Scheme: Letter of Recommendation module launched

The government on August 7, 2020 launched Letter of Recommendation (LoR) module for PM SVANidhi Scheme. This module will help street vendors who do not have Identity Card and Certificate of Vending and are not in the surveyed list for availing benefits under the scheme. LoR can be obtained from the Urban Local Body and on receipt of the same the vendor can apply for loan under the scheme.

Serum Institute to tie up with GAVI, Gates Foundation for Covid19 vaccine supply

The Pune-based Serum Institute of India said it will partner with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and international vaccine alliance GAVI to manufacture and deliver 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses for India and other low- and middle-income nations as early as 2021. The institute said on August 7, 2020 it will get funding to support manufacturing for candidate vaccines from AstraZeneca and Novavax.

World

Sri Lanka: Ruling alliance wins 145/225 seats in parliamentary polls

The ruling Sri Lanka People’s Freedom Alliance (SLPFA) won 145 out of 225 seats in the parliamentary election held in Sri Lanka on August 5, 2020. The Sri Lanka People’s Party (SLPP) of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa is the leading party in SLPFA. In opposition, Samagi Jana Balawegaya won 54 seats while the rest accounted for 26 seats.

US govt. to ban TikTok, WeChat from operating within 45 days if not sold

President Donald Trump on August 6, 2020 signed an executive order that would ban Chinese apps TikTok and WeChat from operating in the US if they are not sold by their Chinese parent companies within in 45 days. While WeChat is owned by Tencent Holdings Ltd, TikTok is owned by ByteDance.

Twitter labels state-controlled media outlets, govt officials’ accounts

Twitter has announced it would not amplify tweets by state-controlled media outlets and label the accounts of government-linked media, and key government officials from the five permanent member countries of the UN Security Council: China, France, Russia, the UK and the US.

U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo holds talks with EAM S. Jaishankar

U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo spoke with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on August 6, 2020 to discuss a range of bilateral issues including, as per a U.S. State Department statement, “recent destabilizing actions in the region,” possibly a reference to Chinese aggression on the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Sports

India retains the right to host the 2021 T20 World Cup: ICC

India on August 7, 2020 retained the right to host the 2021 T20 World Cup while Australia will conduct this year’s postponed edition in 2022, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced after its board meeting.

Month: Current Affairs - August, 2020