Current Affairs (August – 2020)

Dear Readers,

This post contains important current affairs of 18 & 19 August 2020. It includes all Major National, International, Business and Sports related current affairs of 18 & 19 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 18 & 19 August 2020 Current affairs test.

World Photography Day is observed on 19 August
World Photography Day is observed on 19 August annually to raise awareness about the importance of photography.

World Humanitarian Day is observed on 19 August
World Humanitarian Day is observed annually on 19 August around the world to pay tribute to aid workers who risk their lives in humanitarian service. This day also honour the work of women in crises throughout the world.

MP govt to provide poor people Rs. one per kg wheat, rice, salt from Sept 1
In Madhya Pradesh, all poor people of the state, who have not received ration from the Public Distribution System so far, will now get one rupee per kg wheat, rice and salt from September 1. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan gave this information while interacting with the new beneficiaries of the public distribution system through video conferencing.

MP: ‘Ek Sankalp – Bujurgo ke naam’ campaign proves to be boon for senior citizens amid corona pandemic
In Madhya Pradesh, a unique campaign ‘Ek Sankalp – Bujurgo ke naam’ i.e. ‘a commitment for elders’ is being run by the Chhatarpur Police in the midst of corona infection in the state. Renowned social worker Anna Hazare has also praised this campaign being run specifically for the elderly and helpless people. This unique campaign is proving to be a boon for the elderly people living alone in homes during the global pandemic COVID-19. In this campaign, the police are taking care of the elderly people from the food to their health.

Gujarat govt allows more than 70 storey skyscrapers in five big cities
In Gujarat, the five big cities Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot and Gandhinagar can now have tall buildings with a height of 70 storey or more. The Gujarat government said, Dubai and Singapore like skyscrapers and iconic structures will be permitted in five cities of the state. The ceiling of construction till now was 22 to 23 storey buildings. The Government said that vertical development is necessary to ensure optimum use of land in the cities. It said that allowing taller buildings will bring down land cost and people will have access to affordable houses.

New Electronics Manufacturing Policy announced in UP
In a bid to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of achieving ZERO import of electronics goods, Uttar Pradesh government has announced it’s Electronics Manufacturing Policy 2020. The policy aims at inviting investment of 40 thousand Crore rupees in next five years and generate four lakh direct employment.

Five-day online IMPACT training concludes under Samagra Shiksha in J&K
Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the five-day online IMPACT training of Grade II and III teachers concluded under Samagra Shiksha yesterday. AIR, Jammu Correspondent reports that about 400 teachers from two zones of district Doda attended the online programme. The training was conducted through DIET using JKKN platform and ten Resource Persons facilitated by five Course Education Mentors (CEMs) and Pratham Facilitators (PFs) conducted the technical sessions.

Lieutenant Governor inaugurates motorable bridge in Ladakh
Ladakh Lieutenant Governor R. K. Mathur inaugurated a 60- metre span double lane motorable bridge over river Indus at Choglamsar. After dedicating the bridge to the public, Mr Mathur said that Infrastructure development in Ladakh is on top priority. He also said that the provision of Special Development Package by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to develop infrastructure, education and health sectors on priority in Ladakh.

LS Speaker Om Birla attends inaugural ceremony of 5th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla today attended the inaugural ceremony of the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament (5WCSP). The two day Conference is being organized jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Geneva and the Parliament of Austria with the support of the United Nations (UN). This is the first time that an international Parliamentary Conference of such a magnitude is being organised in Virtual mode. Members of Parliament Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Meenakashi Lekhi, both will also be attending the Conference.

Hardeep Singh Puri reviews progress of PM SVANidhi Scheme
Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri yesterday reviewed the implementation status and progress of PM SVANidhi Scheme with State Urban Development Ministers, Chief Secretaries, Municipal Commissioners, Directors General of Police and other senior officials of different States and UTs.

Rail Bicycle introduced to quickly travel on rail tracks for inspections
Indian Railways has introduced an innovative system to ensure passenger security in the country. Recently, the national transporter introduced a novel mechanism, Rail Bicycle to quickly travel on rail tracks for inspections, monitoring, and urgent repairs. The Railway Ministry said, during monsoon seasons, sometimes the situation becomes very difficult, causing unwanted detention of train services. With the help of Rail Bicycle, any emergency location can be easily reached for urgent repairs.

Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan presides over online orientation workshop organised by FSSAI
Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan today presided over an online orientation workshop organised by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) as part of its Eat Right Challenge. He also launched FSSAI’s ‘Eat Right India’ Handbook and the website to help various stakeholders scale up ‘Eat Right India’ initiatives across the country. The ‘Eat Right India’ movement initiated by FSSAI has been creating awareness among the people about safe, healthy and sustainable dietary habits.

Cabinet clears proposal for leasing out Jaipur, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram airports through PPP
The Cabinet which met under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister on Wednesday also approved a proposal for leasing out three airports of Airports Authority of India through Public Private Partnership. Briefing media, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said, the three airports are Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram.

Drone based surveillance system introduced for Railway Security
Indian Railways have introduced Drone based surveillance system for Railway security. Railway Ministry said, Railway Protection Force, RPF has planned extensive use of drones for the purpose of Railway security. Nine drones have been procured by RPF so far at a cost of around 32 lakh at South Eastern Railway, Central Railway, Modern Coaching Factory, Raebareli and South Western Railway.

IIT Madras retains number-one position in list of top innovative educational institutes in India
Indian Institute of Technology, Madras has retained its number-one position in the list of top innovative educational institutes in India for the second consecutive year. The premier institute has been ranked number-one in the ‘Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements,’ released by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, in presence of Union Minister of Education, Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank,’ in a virtual event.

DRDO develops UV disinfection tower for sanitising coronavirus-prone areas
Defence Research and Development Organisation, DRDO has developed an equipment named UV blaster which is a Ultra Violet based area sanitiser. Designed and developed by Laser Science and Technology Centre, LASTEC, the Delhi based premier laboratory of DRDO, the equipment is useful for high tech surfaces like electronic equipment, computers and other gadgets in laboratories and offices that are not suitable for disinfection with chemical methods.

PM Modi to inaugurate First World Solar Technology Summit to be held on Sept 8
The First World Solar Technology Summit will be organized by International Solar Alliance, ISA on a virtual platform on 8th of September. Sharing details of the summit, President of the ISA Assembly and New and Renewable Energy Minister R. K. Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver the inaugural address of the First World Solar Technology Summit and it will be graced by Ministers from member countries from across all ISA regions.

Govt launches e-portal on tribal health & nutrition
Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda inaugurated the e-portal on tribal health and nutrition named ‘Swasthya’. The portal provides all health and nutrition related information of the tribal population of India on a single platform. Swasthya will also curate innovative practices, case studies, and best practices collected from different parts of India to facilitate the exchange of evidence, expertise and experiences.

EAM Dr S Jaishankar speaks to Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Mohammed Haneef Atmar
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar today spoke to Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Mohammed Haneef Atmar. Both Ministers discussed recent developments in Afghanistan and the bilateral cooperation. Dr Jaishankar said, both of them reaffirmed development partnership and connectivity linkages.

Israel, UAE inaugurate direct phone links after normalisation of relations
Israel and UAE have inaugurated direct telephone services between the two countries following their agreement to normalise relations. The countries’ foreign ministers called each other and exchanged greetings following the historic peace accord.

FM Nirmala Sitharaman holds bilateral meeting with UAE counterpart Obaid Al Tayer
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman yesterday held a bilateral meeting with Minister of State for Financial Affairs of UAE Obaid Al Tayer through video conferencing. Both leaders expressed respect for the long-standing relationship between India and UAE and the need to take it further in mutually beneficial ways.

US expands sanctions on Chinese company Huawei
The United States Administration has expanded sanctions on the Chinese company Huawei, which are aimed at further restricting the tech giant’s access to computer chips and other technologies. The US Commerce Department has blacklisted 38 Huawei subsidiaries around the world, saying the company is using international subsidiaries to circumvent sanctions that prevent technology exports from the US.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar holds talks with his UAE counterpart; Invites further investments in key sectors
External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar yesterday held extensive talks with his counterpart from the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan covering a range of areas including ways to further boost strategic ties and the situation in the neighbourhood of both countries. The virtual talks were held as part of the 13th Session of the India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting on Trade, Economic and Technical Cooperation.

SBI waives off SMS charges for all savings accounts
State Bank of India, SBI has waived off SMS charges in addition to its penalty waiver on non-maintenance of minimum balance for all its Savings Accounts. SBI has over 44 crore savings accounts. The public sector bank informed that the waiver of such charges is applicable for all kinds of savings accounts including those with cheque or Internet Banking facilities.

JCI & NSC inks MoU to provide certified good quality seeds to jute farmers in year 2021-22
A Memorandum of Understanding, MoU to provide certified good quality seeds to jute farmers in the year 2021-22 was signed between Jute Corporation of India and National Seeds Corporation. Minister of Textiles Smriti Irani and Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar witnessed the MoU signing ceremony through virtual mode. Speaking on the occasion, Smriti Irani said, there is a special provision for jute and jute textile products in the National Technical Textiles Mission which was announced in February this year.

Ashok Lavasa resigns as Election Commissioner; to join ADB as Vice President
Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa resigned from his post to join the Philippines-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) as vice-president next month. Mr. Lavasa has submitted his resignation to President Ram Nath Kovind and has requested to be relieved by the end of this month. Last month, the ADB had announced his appointment to the post.

Rakesh Asthana appointed as DG of Border Security Force
An Indian Police Service Officer belonging to 1984 batch of Gujarat cadre Rakesh Asthana has been appointed as the Director General of Border Security Force, BSF. According to a Personnel Ministry order issued today, he will be in the post up to 31st July, 2021, the date of his superannuation. Mr Asthana is presently working as the Director General of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, BCAS. He will continue to hold the additional charge of DG, Narcotics Control Bureau.

V.S.K. Kaumudi appointed as Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the Home Ministry
IPS officer belonging to 1986 batch of Andhra Pradesh cadre, V. S. K. Kaumudi will be Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the Home Ministry. He is presently working as DG, Bureau of Police research and Development. He will be in the post till 30th November, 2022, the date of his superannuation.

Dream11 wins IPL 2020 title sponsorship rights with bid of Rs 222 crore
Fantasy gaming platform Dream11 has won the IPL title sponsorship rights with a bid of 222 crore rupees. IPL Chairman Brijesh Patel has informed that the deal will be valid for four and a half months, ending December 2020. Dream11 will replace VIVO after the Chinese mobile phone maker suspended its deal owing to a border stand-off between India and China. The company, however, had been under BCCI’s scanner after it was linked to the fake T20 league held in Punjab but was live-streamed as a game in Sri Lanka. Questions regarding investment of Chinese company Tencent in Dream11 have also affected its credibility.