Current Affairs (August – 2020)

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This post contains important current affairs of 13 August 2020. It includes all Major National, International, Business and Sports related current affairs of 13 August 2020. We have collected the latest current affairs and compiled them date wise. These current affairs are important for all competitive exams like bank, ssc, ibps, sbi exams. The GK current affairs will help you score more in these competitive exams. A brief explanation of every current affair is provided to further enhance your general knowledge. Once you have gone through these current affairs we would recommend to you to try 13 August 2020 Current affairs test.

World Organ Donation Day is observed on August 13
Organ Donation Day is observed every year on 13th of August. The aim of this day is to motivate normal human beings to pledge to donate organs after death, and to spread awareness about the importance of organ donation.

International Lefthanders Days is observed on August 13
International Left Handers Day is an international day observed annually on August 13 to celebrate the uniqueness and differences of the left handers. The day was first observed in 1976 by Dean R. Campbell, founder of the Lefthanders International, Inc.

Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Launches YSR Cheyutha For Women
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched YSR Cheyutha scheme from his camp office in Tadepalli. Through this scheme, the government will offer financial assistance to all the SC, ST, BC, Minorities women who are aged between 45-60. The state government had deposited Rs 18,750 directly into the bank accounts of every beneficiary. The YSR Congress party government had allotted Rs 4,700 crore in the budget, for the implementation of YSR Cheyutha scheme.

Himachal Pradesh govt launches Nutritional Immunity Boosting ‘Him Haldi Dudh’
Himachal Pradesh state government launched Nutritional Immunity Boosting ‘Him Haldi Dudh(Turmeric Latte)’ manufactured by MILKFED. On this occasion, Chief minister Jairam Thakur also disbursed incentives to the Milk Producers of Mandi, Shimla and Kullu district under the National Programme for Diary Development. Him Haldi Dudh has been developed by the Bio Technology Department of Punjabi University Patiala and has been patented. This drink is a Detox drink which has antihangover, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunity booster contents in it.

Assam to launch mega scheme for women’s financial empowerment
In a bid to financially empower women, the Assam government would provide Rs 830 per month each to 17 lakh poor families under the ambitious “Orunodoi” scheme, Finance and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced. “The “Orunodoi” would be the biggest scheme in Assam which would initially benefit at least 17 lakh families and the number would subsequently increase to 25 lakh, he added. However, Sarma clarified, that while selecting the beneficiaries, there would be economic criteria and “those who have certain movable and immovable assets including land, big houses, vehicles, electronic gadgets, and most government and semi-government employees, would be excluded”. A sum of Rs 280 crore has been earmarked for the new scheme.

Delhi government signed MoU with IIT-B for smog tower at Connaught Place
The Delhi government has signed an MoU with IIT-Bombay and Tata Projects Limited to construct a smog tower in Connaught Place. The smog tower is a 20-metre-high structure fitted with several air purifiers to clean the air. IIT-Bombay will be the technical consultant, NBCC will be the project management consultant and IIT-Delhi will also assist in the project. Drawings will be provided by the University of Minnesota. The MoU signed by the Delhi government is similar to the one done by the Central government and the project is expected to cost around 19 crore.

PM Modi launches ‘Transparent Taxation – Honoring the Honest’ platform
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Transparent Taxation – Honoring the Honest’. He stated it will strengthen the efforts of reforming and simplifying India’s tax system. The Prime Minister also unveiled the next phase of direct tax reforms aimed at easing compliance and rewarding honest taxpayers in a bid to rebuild Indian economy.

MoRTH allows sale and registration of electric vehicles without batteries
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has allowed registration of electric vehicles without pre-fitted batteries. In a letter to Transport Secretaries of all the States and UTs, the ministry has clarified that vehicles without batteries can be sold and registered based on the type approval certificate issued by the test agency. Further, that there is no need to specify the make/type or any other details of the battery for the purpose of registration. However, the prototype of the electrical vehicle, and the battery (regular battery or the swappable battery) is required to be type approved by the test agencies specified under Rule 126 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.

Bangladesh to get largest ever dollar 3.1 billion loan package from Japan
Japan has signed its largest ever loan package worth dollar 1 billion for Bangladesh. The embassy of Japan stated that the loan under its Official Development Assistance (ODA) will be given for seven projects of Bangladesh under concessional terms. The loan will cover the construction of Jamuna railway bridge in parallel to the existing Bangabandhu Bridge, expansion of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Projects and Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar Highway improvement project among the seven projects. The loan carries an interest rate of 0.65 percent with a repayment period of 30 years including initial 10 years as grace period.

Federal Bank chooses Fiserv to support launch of first independent credit card
Private sector lender Federal Bank has chosen global provider of payments and financial services technology solutions Fiserv to enable digitisation of the bank’s end-to‑end card issuance and processing cycle, and support the launch of its credit card. The bank will also outsource associated operational processes to Fiserv, it stated.

RBI to implement system-based asset classification in urban co-operative banks
RBI has decided to implement system-based asset classification in urban co-operative banks (UCBs), prescribing a timeline based on their asset size. The central bank stated this move is aimed at improving the efficiency, transparency and integrity of the asset classification process. System-based asset classification means asset classification (downgrading as well as upgrading) carried out by the core banking solution / computerised systems of the bank in an automated manner on an ongoing basis, based on the relevant RBI instructions/guidelines. The RBI stated UCBs having total assets of 2,000 crore or above as on March 31, 2020, have to implement system-based asset classification with effect from June 30, 2021.

Sudha Murthy, ITC’s Sivakumar bag Gramodaya awards
Sudha Murty, Chairperson of Infosys Foundation and Sivakumar Surampudi, Group Head of Agri and IT Businesses of ITC Ltd, are among the winners of the Gramodaya
Bandhu Mitra Puraskaras. Instituted by Gramodaya Chamber of Commerce and Technology (GCOT), a not-forprofit organisation founded by the alumni of Osmania University, the awards recognises “Yeoman service rendered by individuals and institutions to provide succour and uplift the vast majority of our population dependent on agriculture and allied activities for livelihood”. The awards were constituted to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

S S Mundra appointed as non-executive chairman of Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd
Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd stated that former deputy RBI governor Subhash Sheoratan Mundra has been appointed as non-executive chairman of the company with immediate effect. Mundra had joined the board of Indiabulls Housing Finance in 2018 as an independent director. The appointment comes after Sameer Gehlaut stepped down as the executive chairman of Indiabulls Housing Finance. Gehlaut has taken up the position of chief executive officer of another listed company promoted by him – Indiabulls Ventures Ltd.

BharatPe appoints Suhail Sameer as Group President
BharatPe has appointed Suhail Sameer as Group President. Sameer along with CEO & Co-Founder Ashneer Grover will have the overall responsibility for building the organization, merchant network, business, and revenue. He is the first Group President at BharatPe and will have all the CXOs report into him.

Indian Spacetech Startup Skyroot Aerospace Successfully Test-Fires Rocket Engine
Aerospace startup Skyroot Aerospace has successfully test fired an upper-stage rocket engine, becoming the first Indian private company to demonstrate the capability to build a homegrown rocket engine. The 3-D printed rocket engine – Raman, named after Nobel laureate CV Raman – has fewer moving parts and weighs less than half of conventional rocket engines with a similar capacity.

Veteran sports journalist GK Menon passes away
Veteran sports journalist GK Menon passed away. He was 93. He worked with the Indian Express and The Times of India and ended his freelance career in the early 1990s. Menon played cricket at the club level and also was an active member of the Shivaji Park Gymkhana in Dadar, central Mumbai.

Singer and Actor Trini Lopez passes away
Trini Lopez, the singer whose hits included “If I Had a Hammer” and “Lemon Tree,” has passed away at 83 of complications due to COVID-19. After receiving a Grammy nomination in 1963, he went on to star in a variety-show special for NBC and act in 1965’sMarriage on the Rocks and 1967’s The Dirty Dozen.