Dear Aspirants,
General awareness section is the most important part of every competitive exam, it can help you score well in the exam if you are updated with all the current news. Banking Awareness, Static GK and the current news are the parts that make the GA section complete. It is important to know what is happening in and outside of India. GK updates are incorporated with the important news that made the headlines today. It is the complete bag of the important news that held all day long. One should have complete knowledge about the banking terms, current affairs news, etc. So, here is the GK update of 22nd August to help you prepare the Current affairs part. After reading this section, you can successfully attempt Current Affairs Quiz.
National News
1. Union HRD Minister launches NISHTHA
i. Union HRD Minister launched the training programme NISHTHA, (National Initiative for School Heads and Teachers Holistic Advancement) to improve Learning Outcomes at the Elementary level across the country. This is the largest teachers’ training programme of its kind in the world.
ii. NISHTHA to build capacities of 42 Lakh government teachers across the country. The basic objective of this massive training programme ‘NISHTHA’ is to motivate and equip teachers to encourage and foster critical thinking in students.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB Mains:
- Union HRD Minister: Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’.
2. “Op-Blue Freedom” flag off in Delhi
i. Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju and former India football captain Baichung Bhutia flagged off Op-Blue Freedom in Delhi. This is an initiative in which a group of armed forces veterans train sports enthusiasts in survival training and self-defence.
ii. Op-Blue Freedom is a nation-wide adaptive scuba diving programme for people with disabilities as well as the able-bodied. It comes under the parent project “Special Forces Adventures”.
3. Amazon’s largest campus in the world inaugurated in Hyderabad
i. Amazon has opened its largest campus in the world in Hyderabad. The campus covers 1.8 million square feet and can accommodate 15,000 workers.
ii. This is Amazon’s first owned-building outside of the US and and is also its largest tech base outside the Seattle headquarters, which has about 155,000 contract employees.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Clerk Mains:
- CEO of Amazon: Jeff Bezos; Headquarters: Seattle, United States.
4. 9th Session of India-Kenya Joint Trade Committee
i. The 9th Session of the India-Kenya Joint Trade Committee was held in New Delhi. The Joint Trade Committee reviewed the progress in cooperation in the power sector, renewable energy, petroleum and natural gas, civil aviation and agricultural research.
ii. The next session of the Joint Trade Committee meeting in Nairobi.
iii. The Indian delegation was led by Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways. The Kenyan delegation was led by Peter Munya, Minister of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives.
State News
5. Super 50 programme launched in Maharashtra
i. Maharashtra’s Tribal Development Department in association with the Pace Educational Trust launched an academic programme “Super 50”. The programme has been launched for young tribal students aspiring to be doctors and engineers.
ii. The Super 50 programme will mentor 50 most meritorious tribal students from the State and prepare them for engineering and medical exams.
iii. It will be a two-year residential programme, where the students will be provided hostel and mess facilities, a tablet, NCERT books and career counselling.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:
- CM of Maharashtra : Devendra Fadnavis; Governor: CH Vidyasagar Rao.
6. Karnataka tops the State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index
i. The State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index-SARAL was launched during the Review Planning and Monitoring (RPM) Meeting with States and State Power Utilities. Karnataka has topped the index which evaluates Indian states based on their attractiveness for rooftop development.
ii. SARAL currently captures five key aspects:
- Robustness of policy framework
- Implementation environment
- Investment climate
- Consumer experience
- Business ecosystem
iii. SARAL has been designed collaboratively by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF), Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and Ernst & Young (EY).
Economy News
7. RBI allows e-mandate for cards for recurring transactions
i. The Reserve Bank of India has permitted processing of e-mandate on credit and debit cards for recurring transactions (merchant payments). The maximum limit for such a transaction will be Rs 2,000.
ii. While processing the first transaction in e-mandate-based recurring transaction series, additional factor authentication (AFA) validation should be performed.
iii. As per the RBI circular, no charges should be levied or recovered from the card holder for availing the e-mandate facility on cards for recurring transactions. The direction is applicable for transactions performed using all types of cards—debit, credit and Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs), including wallets.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Clerk Mains:
- Governor of RBI: Shaktikant Das; Headquarters: Mumbai; Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.
Appointments
8. Ajay Kumar appointed as Defence Secretary
i. Ajay Kumar has been appointed as Defence Secretary. Ajay Kumar is currently serving as Secretary in Department of Defence Production. He will replace Sanjay Mitra, upon completion of his term.
ii. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved his appointments.
9. Rajiv Gauba appointed as Cabinet Secretary
i. Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba appointed as a Cabinet secretary for two years. He will replace P.K. Sinha, who was appointed Cabinet Secretary in 2015.
ii. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved his appointment.
Awards
10. JNU Professor Meeta Narain was conferred the ‘Pushkin Medal 2019’
i. JNU Professor Meeta Narain was conferred the ‘Pushkin Medal – 2019’. This award is the highest honour given to an Indian scholar by the Russian government.
ii. Pushkin Medal is given to a scholar of Russian language and literature for outstanding contribution to Russian studies abroad.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:
- President of Russia: Vladimir Putin; Capital city of Russia: Moscow.
Books and Authors
11. Culture Minister to launch book ‘ The Diary of Manu Gandhi’
i. Culture Minister will launch the book “The Diary of Manu Gandhi” at a function in New Delhi.
ii. The book has been brought out by National Archives of India, on the occasion of 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in collaboration with Oxford University Press. The first volume covers the period 1943-1944.
iii. The Diary of Manu Gandhi originally in Gujarati has been edited and translated by Dr Tridip Suhrud. Manu Gandhi (Mridula) was a grand niece of Mahatma Gandhi, and stayed with Gandhiji till his assassination.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB Mains:
- Union Culture Minister of India: Prahlad Singh Patel.
Science & Technology
12. Cerebras Systems reveals “world’s largest computer chip”
i. Artificial intelligence(AI) company Cerebras Systems has unveiled the world’s largest single silicon-based processor named Cerebras Wafer Scale Engine(WSE).
ii. This chip has 1.2 trillion transistors, the basic on-off electronic switches that are the building blocks of silicon chips.
iii. The rectangular shape chip measures 21.5cm sq (8.5in sq), comes with 400,000 AI (Artificial Intelligence) cores and 18 gigabytes of on-chip memory.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB Main 2019:
- CEO & Co-Founder of Cerebras Systems: Andrew Feldman; Established: 2016.
- Headquarters: California, USA.
Sports
13. Paytm retains title sponsorship of Indian cricket for 5 years
i. The Board of Control for Cricket in India has announced that mobile payments and e-commerce company “Paytm” has retained the title sponsorship rights. Paytm has retained the title sponsorship rights for all cricket matches, domestic and international, played in India for 5 years.
ii. Paytm has signed the deal for ₹326.80 crores which it will pay BCCI over a period ranging between 2019 and 2023.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:
- Paytm Founder: Vijay Shekhar Sharma; Parent Organization: One97 Communications.
14. Gold medal for India in World Police and Fire Games
i. B.N.S. Reddy beats Bruce Barrios of the U.S. in the men’s singles final to win the gold medal at the World Police and Fire Games.
ii. The tournament was held in Chengdu, China. In the doubles event, Reddy and Surinder Mohan Sharma lost to the pair of Sabandon Eduardo (Phi) and Helminen Risto (Fin) in the finals and bags the silver medal.
iii. B.N.S. Reddy is a former Additional Commissioner of Police and a current member of the BCCI’s Anti-Corruption Unit.
Important Days
15. World Photography Day 2019
i. World Photography Day is celebrated on 19 August every year. The day is celebrated so that people around the world can communicate their feelings and express themselves through the art of photography.
ii. World Photography Day is an annual, worldwide celebration of the art, craft, science and history of photography.
16. International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief: 22 August
i. United Nations observes 22 August every year as “International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief”.
ii. The day is observed to strongly condemn continuing violence and acts of terrorism targeting individuals, including persons belonging to religious minorities, on the basis of or in the name of religion or belief.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Clerk Mains:
- Headquarters of United Nations: New York; Secretary General of the United Nations: António Guterres.
17. International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism: 21 August
i. United Nations observes 21 August every year as International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.
ii. This year, the 2nd commemoration of the day will focus on the resilience of victims and their families, how they have coped and what they have done to transform their experiences to aid healing and recovery as well as become stronger and more united against terrorism.
iii. To observe the International Day, the United Nations Office of Counter Terrorism (UNOCT) and the Group of Friends of Victims of Terrorism will launch a photographic exhibition on August 21 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB PO Mains:
- Secretary General of the United Nations: António Guterres.
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