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Index TNPSCPortal.

IN’s

Important Days 01-02

Tamil Nadu 03-06

Current Affairs
National 06-27

International 27-32

Science & Tech 33-38

Defence 39-41 August – 2018


Economy 41-48

Schemes 49-50

First in India & World 51-55

Appointments/ Compiled by

Resignations 55-57 Sarala Dhavamanoharan


Awards 58

Sports 58-63

Deaths 63-64 © www.tnpscportal.in


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www.tnpscportal.in Current Affairs August 2018

TNPSC Monthly Current Affairs – August 2018


Important days:
1. Aug 1- Earth Overshoot Day 2018 was observed. It marks the date when we all have
consumed more from nature than our planet can renew in the entire year. The date of
Earth Overshoot Day is calculated from data of Global Footprint Network. Global
Footprint Network is an international research organization that is changing how the
world measures and manages its natural resources.
2. August 2- 141st birth anniversary of freedom fighter and designer (architect) of Indian
National Flag Pingali Venkayya was observed on August 2, 2018.
3. Aug 7 – National Handloom Day
4. Aug 8 - 76th anniversary of Quit India movement was observed this year. On this day
in 1942, Mahatma Gandhi (father of the nation) had gave clarion call of Do or Die to all
Indians to drive away Britishers from the country.
5. Aug 10 – World Bio Fuel day is observed every year to create awareness about the
importance of non-fossil fuels i.e. Green Fuels or Bio-fuels an alternative to
conventional fossil fuels. On this day in 1893, Sir Rudalph Diesel (inventor of the diesel
engine) for the first time successfully ran mechanical engine with Peanut Oil.
6. Aug 12- International Youth Day is observed every across the world to draw attention
to give set of cultural and legal issues surrounding youth. The theme for this year is
‘Safe Spaces for Youth’.
7. Aug 12 - The World Elephant Day is observed every year to create awareness of
urgent plight of African and Asian elephants. In India, cultural event Gaj Mahotsav
was organised by Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and Ministry of Environment, Forests
and Climate Change (MoEFCC) on this occasion of this day. The first International
Elephant Day was held on August 12, 2012.
8. August19- World Humanitarian Day (WHD) is observed every year to recognize work
of humanitarian personnel and those who have lost their lives. The campaign theme
for this year is #NotATarget.
9. August 20- World Mosquito Day is observed every year to raise awareness about the
causes of malaria. This day also marks the groundbreaking discovery of British doctor,

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Sir Ronald Ross found that female Anopheles mosquitoes transmit malaria between
humans in 1897.
10.Aug 23- The International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its
Abolition was observed across the world. The day designated by United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to memorialize the
transatlantic slave trade.
11.Aug 29 - National Sports Day 2018 was observed every year on this day to mark the
birth anniversary of the legendary hockey player Major Dhyan Chand who was born
on August 29, 1905. However, this year, the date has been postponed to September
25, 2018 in the wake of ongoing Asian Games 2018. Every year on Aug 29, the
President of India confers National sports and adventure awards including Arjuna and
Khel Ratna to celebrate the achievements of exceptional athletes in the country.

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Tamil Nadu:
1. Former TN CM and tallest Chief of DMK Dr. M. Karunanidhi ( 94) has passed away on
Aug 7, 2018 at Kauvery Hospitals Chennai after illness. He is 13 times Member of
Legislative assembly from 1957-2016. Except in the year 1984 he did not contest in the
legislative assembly election in his lifetime.
2. As per the National Disaster Managemnt Act 2005, every State has to have a State
Disaster Management Plan. The State government on Monday sanctioned the Tamil
Nadu State Disaster Management Perspective Plan 2018-2030. In line with that State
Disaster Management Commission chaired by Chief Minister Edappadi K.
Palaniswami was constituted by TN Govt. The members of the commission will be
Minister of Revenue and disaster management, Chief Secretary to Govt,
HomeMinistry, Finance, Revenue and disaster management department, Secretaries
of Higher education and school education. Commissioner of revenue administration,
Director of disaster management centre, Anna University, Head of the Department
(Civil Engineering), IIT.
3. The National Green Tribunal on Aug 28, appointed a three-member committee
headed by former Meghalaya High Court chief Justice Tarun Agrawal to decide on
Vedanta’s plea, challenging the closure of its Sterlite copper smelting plant in
Tuticorin. A bench headed by chairperson A K Goel had earlier named former Punjab
and Haryana High Court Chief Justice S J Vazifdar as head of the panel. However, he
expressed inability to accept the appointment stating personal reasons. “The matter
has been put up on receipt of a communication from Justice S J Vazifdar, former Chief
Justice of Punjab & Haryana High Court and former Judge of Bombay High Court dated
August 28 expressing inability to accept the appointment in terms of order dated
August 20 for personal reasons,” the bench noted. “All other terms of order dated
August 20 will remain,” the bench, also comprising Justices Jawad Rahim and S P
Wangdi, said. The committee will also include representatives from the Central
Pollution Control Board and the Ministry of Environment and Forests.The committee
should submit its report within 6 weeks.
4. 70 Students from Indian Institute of Industry Interaction Education and Research,
Kolathur, Chennai have developed world’s largest two wheeler. Its length is about

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6.8 m and height is about 1.2 m. 15 persons can sit in this bike. This sets a world record
of Guinness.
5. TN Chief Minister Edapaddi K. Palanisamy has flagged off a campaign “Plastic
Pollution Free Tamil Nadu “on Aug 23, 2018. He also appointed Actor and Social
Activist Vivek, Actors Surya, Karthik and actress Jyothika were appointed brand
ambassador of the campaign and carry forward the message of making the state
pollution-free. It may be recalled that the state govt had recently announced a ban on
use of plastic items, including non-biodegradable carry bags from Jan 1, 2019.
6. On behalf of Film Employees Federation of South India (FEFSI) , TN CM Edappadi K.
Palanisamy has opened the MGR Centenary Film Studio at Payyanur, Kanchipuram
which has a length of 110 feet, width of 100 feet and height of 56 feet in 15 acres of
land. Senior ministers and top film personalities also participated in the function.
7. The Madras high court directed state government to suspend within a week, the
Justice R. Raghupathi Commission of Inquiry, which was assigned the task of probing
alleged irregularities in the construction of the new secretariat building at Omandurar
Government estate, and stop all further allotment of funds and government facilities,
till the final disposal of the writ petitions. Justice R. Raghupathi has resigned from the
same.
8. A Vishaka committee constituted by Tamil Nadu DGP T K Rajendran to look into a
complaint of sexual harassment levelled against an inspector general-level officer by a
woman superintendent of police has recommended transfer of it to the CB-
CID. Following this, the DGP formed a committee comprising senior IPS officers --
additional directors general of police (ADGP) Seema Agarwal and Su Arunachalam
and deputy inspector-general of police (DIG) Thenmozhi. Two other members of the
panel are -- retired additional superintendent of police Saraswathi and administrative
officer in the DGP office Ramesh.
9. International Conference on Recent Advances in Food Processing Technology
(iCRAFPT) was held on 17.8.2018 at Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology,
Tanjore, Tamil Nadu.
10.Hero stones or nadukkal belongs to the Sangam age practice of Sati were found at
Vaniyambadi, Tamil Nadu. These hero stones were 4 feet height and 3.5 feet breadth.
These stones were also known as Sati Stones.

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11.Supreme Court ordered to pay a penalty of Rs .50000 each to the States like Tamil
Nadu, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand for not taking necessary action against the
regulation of noon meals schemes in schools by tracking it through online.
12.Former Governor of Tamil Nadu Bhisma Narayan Singh (Jharkhand) has passed away
recently. He is the Governor of TN from 1991-1993. Prior to that he is the Governor of
Assam from 1984-1989.
13.N-SIPI - NCAER State Investment Potential Index 2018 : New Delhi was ranked at the
top position, Tamil Nadu stands at second, Gujarat at third, Haryana at 4th and
Maharashtra at 5th position respectively.
14.Dr. Sheila Stephen was appointed as the first ever woman Vice-Chancellor of Tamil
Nadu Physical Education and Sports University.
15.Justice Vijaya Kamlesh Tahilramani of the Bombay High Court was appointed as the
Chief Justice of Madras High Court.
16.The farmers of Tirupur district has started a new website named happiy.com to sale
their products directly to customers through online. Through this we can buy fruits,
vegetables, seeds, insecticides and agri tools.
17.Students of VIT University has bagged the first prize in International level
Automation Competition held at China for making automatic conveyor equipment
and automatic equipments for human use. They were awarded a cash prize of 3000
China Yuan and mementos.
18.Pondicherry CM Thiru Narayanaswamy has announced that a Tamil chair will be set
up in the name of Former TN CM Thiru Kalaignar Karunanidhi at Pondicherry Central
University.
19.Sirpi Literary Award 2018 has been given to Poet Magudeswaran.
20.Good Governance Award of TN Govt were presented on 72nd Independence Day (15th
Aug) by TN CM Thiru Edappadi K.Palanisamy.
1. Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam Award – Actor Ajith Kumar’s Daksha Team , Space
Research Centre of Anna University, Chennai.
2. Kalpana Chawla Award – I. Muthukumari of Periya Kallar who saved her
daughter from Cheetah.

CM’s Good governance Award:

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1. Project Star 2.0 of Registeration department of TN for their speedy work


to the common people/public.
2. TN State Welfare Society – TAIE.
3. Civil Supplies and Consumer protection department
4. Pandit Gangadhar IPS officer from Dharmapuri Dist.
5. Kaveri Techno Groups
3. TN State Award for the best service provided to Physically challenged
persons:
1. Best Doctor Award – Dr. P.Senthil Kumar M.S . Ortho ( Tirupur)
2. Best Social Worker- Dr. Latha Rajendran
3. Best Trust Organization – Arivalayam
4. Best Private Sector Organization –Teddy Exports, Thirumangalam,
Madurai for providing highest employment to Physically challenged
persons.
5. Best District Co-operative Bank- Salem District Co-operative bank for
providing best service to physically challenged persons.
4. Award in the category of providing welfare/benefits to women:
1. Best Social Worker- M.Sivakumar ( Memorial organization of Indian
freedom fighters, Coimbatore)
2. Best Social Work organization – River- the power of Woman , Kilpauk ,
Chennai

National:
1. A MoU was signed between Common Service Center (CSC) and National Health
Accounts (NHA) to implement the Ayushman Bharat scheme through 3 lakh Common
Service Centers (CSCs) across the country. CSCs will help beneficiary to identify his
name in Health Ministry database and his entitlement for the scheme. It will also help
beneficiary to scan and upload his KYC documents for verification of his identity and
claim his entitlement. Ayushman Bharat-National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS)
aims cover over 10 crore poor vulnerable families (approximately 50 crore
beneficiaries) providing coverage of up to Rs. 5 lakh (per family per year) for secondary
and tertiary care hospitalization.

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2. The neelakurinji flower will bloom in the Anamalai hills near Munnar, Kerala after 12
years.Spread over 3,000 hectares of rolling hills, Munnar is home to this rarely
occurring neelakurinji flower plants.These plants take another 12 years for the seeds
to sprout again and grow up to 30 to 60 centimetres high.
3. Startup India Yatra began on July 30, 2018 in Raipur. The Startup India van will travel
to various cities of Chhattisgarh like Bilaspur, Korba, Koria, Surguja, Jashpur, Raigarh,
Balodabazar, Durg, Rajnandgaon, Balod, Dhamtari, Kanker, Kondagaon, Jagdalpur and
Dantewada. Startup India Yatra van is equipped with facilities for individuals and
startups to pitch their ideas. Students queued up in large numbers to register for the
first boot camp at Raipur. It will hold boot camps in the Government Engineering
colleges and Polytechnic Institutes.The boot camps will include presentations on
Startup India and Chhattisgarh Startup Policy followed by extensive ideation
workshops.
4. The Delhi government on July 31, 2018 approved a proposal of its Social Welfare
Department to do away with the requirement of linking the 12-digit Aadhaar
number with bank accounts to avail the benefits of welfare schemes including old
age, disability and widow pensions. The Social Welfare department will now remit all
the pensions stopped due to lack of Aadhaar linkage. The increased pension will be
remitted with effect from April 2018, to all beneficiaries who are getting the pension
on old rates so that beneficiaries are not penalised for system related reasons.
5. Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) and BSNL have signed an MoU for
extending benefits in customer services. BSNL will use the smart card services of
LMRC for collection of post-paid bills.
6. ‘Mobile Tihar’- a smartphone distribution scheme under the Sanchar Kranti Yojna
(SKY) was launched by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and actress Kangana
Ranaut in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. As a part of this scheme, 556 new mobile towers will
be set up in Chhattisgarh. The scheme has been launched to distribute smartphones to
women and students. It will benefit more than 50 Lakh people.
7. FOCAL(Forum of Cargo-Owners and Logistics-Operators)- a dedicated portal to
connect cargo owners and shippers with real time data on availability of vessels has
launched by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) on August 1,2018. It has
been designed and developed by IT Department and the Traffic Wing of IWAI. This

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would ensure direct interaction among the vessel operators, shippers and cargo
owners.
8. The foundation stone of the 2nd Phase of Construction of North East Institute of
Ayurveda & Homeopathy (NEIAH) at NEIAH Campus in Mawdiangdiang, Shillong was
laid by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH Shri Shripad
Yesso Naik. NEIAH is the hub for researches in Ayurveda and folk medicine for the
entire South East Asia. The institute will focus on cultivation and preservation of
valuable medicinal plants in the region and would promote and preserve the
traditional knowledge of folk medicine.
9. The policy framework to permit exploration and exploitation of unconventional
hydrocarbons such as Shale oil/gas, Coal Bed Methane (CBM) etc was approved by
the Union cabinet. With this policy, there will be complete shift from One
hydrocarbon Resource Type to Uniform Licensing Policy which is presently applicable
in Discovered Small Field (DSF) Policy and Hydrocarbon Exploration & Licensing Policy
(HELP).
10.The Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of
High Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2018 has passed by the Lok sabha. The Act enables
creation of commercial divisions in High Courts and commercial courts at district level
to adjudicate commercial disputes such as disputes related to contracts for provision
of goods and services and construction contracts. It replaces the ordinance
promulgated by President in May 2018 and amends Commercial Courts, Commercial
Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts Act, 2015. The amendment
is aimed at improving ease of doing business in India.
11.A tricolour logo for geographical indication (GI) certified products having a tagline
“Invaluable Treasures of Incredible India” printed below it has unveiled by the
Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) under Ministry of Commerce
and Industry. GI tag is name or sign used on certain products which correspond to
specific geographical location or origin. It is used for agricultural, natural and
manufactured goods having special quality and established reputation. From now on,
GI-registered goods will sport logo and tagline to make them more attractive. The
purpose of logo and tagline for GI selected is to increase awareness about intellectual
property rights (IPRs) and also and importance of GI products. In the open contest,

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winning logo was designed by Adri Chatterjee and winning tagline was coined by
Akancha Tripathi.
12.A biogas plant at the community kitchen of the Golden Temple has decided to install
by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC) in an effort to reduce
its carbon footprint. The move was aimed at making the religious shrine environment
friendly.
13.A proposal to set up 55 courts under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences
(POCSO) Act in the state was approved by Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje
on August 1, 2018. One such court is already operational in the state capital. Total 660
new posts would be created and filled in these courts. The Chief Minister stated that
each district would have at least one such court to deal with cases of crime against
children, especially rape and to ensure that accused are convicted at the earliest.
14.'Facial Recognition System' (FRS) is a 'powerful' tool is now equipped in Telangana
police that would help them prevent crime and identify criminals/suspects at
lightning speed. The tool will allow the police to identify potential offenders by
comparing a suspect's face with lakhs of digital photographs of people including
offenders, wanted and those missing stored in the central database of Crime and
Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS).
15.The Kerala government told the Supreme Court that the custom of barring the entry
of women between the age group of 10 to 50 years into the Sabarimala temple in
Kerala is not permissible under the Constitution on August 1, 2018. The government
argued that it is a Hindu temple and not a temple of a particular denomination. The
state government said that the celibate status of deity cannot be a ground for barring
the entry of women into the Sabarimala temple.
16.A bill provisioning death penalty or life imprisonment to those involved in piracy at
sea was approved by the Union Cabinet. The main objective of the anti-maritime
piracy bill is to have a domestic anti-piracy legislation to provide the necessary legal
framework within the country for the prosecution of those involved in piracy-related
crimes.
17.Kadaknath chicken meat from Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh has received
Geographical Indication (GI) tag from Chennai based Geographical Indication
Registry and Intellectual Property India. GI tag will ensure that no one else can use
name Kadaknath Chicken while selling any other black chicken. It will also enhances its
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commercial value that will translate into higher prices for producers mainly tribal
districts of Jhabua. Kadaknath chicken was awarded GI tag in “Meat Product, Poultry &
Poultry Meat” category. This breed of chicken is popular for its adaptability and
flavourful good-tasting black meat, which is believed to have medicinal properties. The
application for GI was made by Gramin Vikas Trust of Krishak Bharati Cooperative
(KRIBHCO) on behalf of tribals of Jhabua district who breed the variety.
18.The 123rd Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2017 has unanimously passed by two-
third of majority of Lok Sabha. The constitutional amendment bill seeks to grant
National Commission on Backward Classes (NCBC) constitutional status at par with
National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) and National Commission for
Scheduled Tribes (NCSTs).
19.A slew of directions to revamp judicial infrastructure and the quality of justice
administration in courts across the country was issued by the Supreme Court on
August 2, 2018. The apex court directed that professionally qualified court managers,
preferably with an MBA degree, shall be appointed in judicial districts to assist in court
administration. A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY
Chandrachud ruled that the strengthening of court infrastructure requires the
immediate attention in the form of planning, enhanced budgeting and structured
implementation.
20.A study involved 376 people, with and without malaria, from Papua, Indonesia and
Sabah, Malaysia revealed that the platelets found in the blood can kill up to 60 per
cent of the malaria parasites circulating in the bloodstream. The major malaria
parasite species which infect and kill humans are Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P.
malariae and P. knowlesi.
21.The State Energy Efficiency Index prepared by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)
categorises states as ‘Frontrunner’, ‘Achiever’, Contender’ and ‘Aspirant’. The index
examines states’ policies and regulations, financing mechanisms and institutional
capacity. As per the index Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab and
Rajasthan have emerged as the ‘front-runner’ states.
22.Mosquito Terminator on Wheels- a special mosquito terminator train to prevent
mosquito breeding along railway tracks was jointly launched Delhi division of
Northern Railway and South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) in New Delhi.
Indian Railways is also collaborating with three corporations in NCR Delhi to take
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requisite measures to prevent breeding of mosquitoes in railway colonies and railway


land. For this train, SDMC has provided high power sprayer and insecticide on truck
mounted power sprayer. It has been loaded on special kind of wagon, which will spray
insecticides during train movement to sanitise areas upto distance of 50-60 metres
along rail tracks on Ring Railway. It will cover distance of 150km in each cycle over by
moving at speed of 20 kmph.
23. The ‘horn not ok’ awareness campaign and ‘shaur nahin’ (no noise) mobile
application were launched in state capital Shimla by Himachal Pradesh Chief
Minister Jai Ram Thakur. ‘shaur nahin’ app will enable general public to report cases
of noise pollution. Complaints received through this app will be immediately made
available to concerned deputy commissioner, superintendent of police, sub-divisional
magistrate and sub-divisional police officer who can later respond with the action
taken report on the application itself. The ‘horn not ok’ awareness campaign aims to
spread awareness of unnecessary blowing horn as it creates unnecessary noise
pollution and is harmful to health. The first phase of campaign has been launched in
Shimla and Manali.
24.To set up the country’s first National Sports University in Imphal (west), Manipur,
the National Sports University Bill, 2018 has passed by Lok Sabha by voice vote. The
Bill replaces National Sports University Ordinance, 2018 promulgated by President in
May 2018 to protect interests of students who already have been enrolled in National
Sports University.
25.Centre has notified Supreme Court that it has withdrawn proposal for setting up
‘Social Media Communication Hub’. This comes after apex court had issued notice to
centre earlier and had termed Government’s proposal to monitor online data using
this hub akin to ‘creating a surveillance state’.
26.India was elected as President of the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting
Development (AIBD) for period of two years. AIDB is regional inter-governmental
organisation serving countries of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for
Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) in field of electronic media development.
27.The iconic Mughalsarai Railway Junction of Uttar Pradesh was renamed as Deen
Dayal Upadhyaya Junction Railway station on August 5, 2018. The Mughalsarai
station got a new name after Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik gave his assent to the

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proposal in June 2018 following the in-principle approval by the Union Government in
2017 to the state government’s proposal.
28.President Ram Nath Kovind has given assent (under Article 111) to Fugitive Economic
Offenders Bill, 2018 passed by Parliament. With this assent, this Bill becomes law that
will deter fugitive economic offenders to evade legal process in India and flee the
country.
29.Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2018 prescribing death penalty to those convicted of
raping girls below age of 12 years and making law against such sexual offences more
stringent has passed by Parliament. The Bill replaces the Criminal Law (Amendment)
Ordinance promulgated on April 2018.
30.Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill,
2018 to reverse effects of Supreme Court order concerning certain safeguards
against arrests under SC/ST law has unanimously passed by Lok Sabha. The Bill seeks
to amend the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities)
Act, 1989.
31.Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Third Amendment) Bill, 2017 that seeks to
provide constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes
(NCBC) has passed by Parliament. Now, the bill will be sent to President for his assent
(as per 368 of Constitution).
32.29 inhabited islands in Andaman and Nicobar has excluded from Restricted Area
Permit (RAP) regime under the Foreigners (Restricted Areas) Order, 1963 till
December 2022 by the Union Government. The lifting of RAP will allow foreigners to
visit these islands without prior permission from the government. This decision aims to
increase footfalls and promote tourism. Government is also planning to open 11 other
uninhabited islands to foreigners.
33.The government has extended e-visa facility for citizens of 165 countries at 25
airports and five seaports in order to promote tourism. A 24X7 toll free multi-lingual
tourist helpline has also been put in place as part of the efforts.
34.‘GoaMiles’- the app-based taxi service of Goa Tourism Development Corporation
was flagged off in Panaji by Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and Tourism
Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar on August 7,2018. The service is aimed at bringing about
transparency in fares for the customers and it would ensure that commuters are not

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cheated and at the same time would increase the earnings of taxi drivers by ‘two to
three’ times.
35.The Uttar Pradesh government has announced that it will appoint interns in every
block of the state for publicity of the welfare schemes of government. These interns
named as ‘Lok Kalyan Mitra’ will also provide feedback regarding implementation of
the welfare schemes.
36.The Delhi High Court on August 8, 2018 decriminalised begging in the national
capital, stating that the provisions penalising the act were unconstitutional and
deserved to be struck down. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C
Hari Shankar ruled that the consequences of this decision would be that the trial,
under the Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959 against people alleged to have
committed the offence of begging, will now be liable to be struck down.
37.To boost research in traditional medicine and streamline hospital care facilities in
the country a MoU with IIT Delhi has been signed by All India Institute of Ayurveda
(AIIA), a premier institute of Ayurveda under the AYUSH Ministry. Under this
partnership, projects developed will be given scientific validation to ancient medical
science and integrate it with technology. Under it, the faculties of IIT Delhi and AIIA
will work together in projects to look at ways to integrate technology with Ayurveda.
38.Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve in Himalayan state of Sikkim becomes the 11th
Biosphere Reserve from India. It was included in UNESCO designated World Network
of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR). It is one of the highest ecosystems in the world,
reaching elevations of 1, 220 metres above sea-level. It includes range of ecolines,
varying from sub-tropic to Arctic (tundra), as well as natural forests in different
biomes, that support an immensely rich diversity of forest types and habitats.
39.Delhi High Court has declared 25 sections of Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959
which have been extended to Delhi, as “unconstitutional”. The court’s order came on
PILs which had sought decriminalisation of begging in capital and beggar by
challenging provisions of the Bombay Prevention of Begging Act.
40.Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2018 has passed by Parliament to
replace Ordinance promulgated by President in May 2018. The Bill amends 1973 Act
to provide for supersession of Central Council with effect from May 18, 2018. The
Council will be reconstituted within 1 year.

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41.Union Cabinet has approved the extension of term of Commission till November
2018 to examine the issue of Sub-categorization of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in
Central List. The five member Commission headed by former Chief Justice of Delhi
High Court Justice (Retd) G. Rohini was constituted under article 340 of Constitution in
October, 2017 with approval of President.
42.Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2017 has passed by Lok Sabha by
voice vote to extend the facility of ‘proxy voting’ to overseas Indians, on the lines of
service voters. The Bill seeks to amend Representation of People Act (RPA), 1950 and
Representation of People Act (RPA), 1951 to allow for proxy voting and make certain
provisions of these Acts gender-neutral. The Bill replaces the term ‘wife’ with ‘spouse’
in both Acts. It replaces wife with spouse of a person holding service qualification to
vote. It amends RPA, 1951 to permit overseas voter to cast their vote in person or by
proxy in constituency where elections are being conducted.
43.Union Cabinet has given approval for raising of four additional battalions of National
Disaster Response Force (NDRF). The objective of raising four additional battalions is
to reduce response time keeping in view vast geographic area of the country. These
four battalions will initially be raised as two battalions in Indo-Tibetan Border Police
(ITBP) and one battalion each in Assam Rifles (ARs) and Border Security Force (BSF).
Later these four battalions will be converted into NDRF battalions.
44.Under Price Support Schemes (PSS), the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
(CCEA) has approved release of pulses to States/UTs at discounted rate to be utilized
for various Welfare Schemes. Under this approved Scheme, States/UT Governments
will be offered to lift 34.88 lakh MT of pulses at discounted rate over prevailing
wholesale market price of sourcing state on first come first serve basis. Government
will spend Rs. 5,237 crore for implementation of this Scheme.
45.The continuation and revision of Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Post Matric
Scholarship for Other Backward Classes Students for studying in India (PMS-OBC) has
approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). The revision in
PMS-OBC scheme aims to ensure effective implementation and better monitoring of
the schemes. Under revised PMS-OBC, annual parental income ceiling has been
increased from Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 1.5 lakh. Now onwards, 30% of funds will be
earmarked for girl students and 5% for students with disabilities. Disbursement of
scholarships will be now through Aadhaar seeded bank accounts.
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46. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2018 to bring relief to home
buyers and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) has passed by
Parliament. The Bill recognises home buyers as financial creditors in the real estate
project and giving them due representation in the Committee of Creditors (CoC), thus
providing significant relief to home buyers.
47. The Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2018 to help India become hub
for domestic and global arbitration for settling commercial disputes has passed by
the Lok Sabha. The Bill establishes ACI as an independent body for promotion of
arbitration, mediation, conciliation and other alternative dispute redressal
mechanisms. It seeks to amend e Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 which contains
provisions to deal with domestic and international arbitration and defines law for
conducting conciliation proceedings.
48.Operation Madad, - a major rescue and relief operation in flood-hit Kerala has
launched by Indian Navy. Indian Army also has launched Operation Sahyog to rescue
people in flood-hit Kerala. Both operations will support rescue and relief efforts of
civil administration and National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF). The Operation Madad
was launched to assist state administration and undertake disaster relief operations
due to unprecedented flooding in many parts of Kerala following incessant rainfall and
release of excess water from Idukki and other dams. Operation Sahyog - Indian Army
has deployed its men and machinery into disaster relief and rescue operations at
Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Idukki after incessant rain and landslides hit various
northern districts of the state. Karnataka and Kerala Sub area Headquartered at
Bangalore was controlling the “Operation Sahyog” in Kerala.
49.Union Government aims to create more employment opportunities for women and
announced 50% reservation for women in upcoming recruitment of 9500-10000
jawans for the Railway Protection Force (RPF). It was announced by Union Railways
Minister Piyush Goyal in Patna, Bihar. He also announced 13,00,00 jobs are also
coming up in Indian Railways in which there will be computer-based test and no
interviews.
50. Under Indian Housing Project in Plantation Areas in Sri Lanka, India has handed over
its first lot of houses (404 houses) built for Indian-origin people in Sri Lanka’s tea
plantation areas at Dunsinane Estate in Nuwara Eliya city. Under this project close to

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47,000 houses so far have been completed out of total 60,000. With grant of over US
$350 million, it is India’s largest assistance project in any country.
51.Union Civil Aviation Ministry has given in-principle approval to set up water
aerodromes in the country. To start with it has identified five states: Odisha, Gujarat,
Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Assam for development of water aerodromes. In
the first phase of the project, Chilka Lake (Odisha), Sabarmati River Front and Sardar
Sarovar Dam (Gujarat) have been identified for the development of such facilities.
52. Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has notified
rules for utilisation of more than Rs 66,000 crore afforestation funds by states/UTs
and for setting up authorities to monitor its use for afforestation and conservation.
The fund is accumulated amount which user agencies have been depositing as
compensation for diverting forest land for non-forest purposes such as setting up
industries or creating infrastructure, over the past 10 years.
53. Pune (Maharashtra) ranked first among 116 cities (with population of 1 million plus)
in Ease of Living Index released by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
Besides, two more Maharashtra cities — Navi Mumbai and Greater Mumbai — figure
in the second and third spots respectively. Chennai ranked 14th rank, Ahmedabad
23rd, Hyderabad 27th, Varanasi 33rd, Bengaluru 58th and Delhi 65th.Top 10 cities are
(rank order) are Pune, Navi Mumbai, Greater Mumbai, Tirupati, Chandigarh, Thane,
Raipur, Indore, Vijaywada and Bhopal. Rampur in Uttar Pradesh was ranked worst on
the scale and also Kohima and Patna on bottom two and three ranks while. Kolkata
was excluded from index, as West Bengal Government had refused to participate in
rankings.
54.Third Party Survey Report on Station Cleanliness was released by the Union Railway
Ministry. It ranked 407 railway stations including 75 A1 category stations, 332 A
category stations on basis of cleanliness performance. Jodhpur (Rajasthan) was ranked
first in survey A1 category stations, Marwar (Rajasthan) first in A category stations and
North Western Railway first among all Zonal Railways. This was third such audit cum
cleanliness survey conducted by Indian Railways to increase level of cleanliness under
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan by identifying unclean spots, improve cleanliness standards
and propel healthy competition among railway stations.
55.The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) on August 16,
2018 directed all the insurance companies to make a provision to cover mental
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illness also in insurance policies. Thus, all insurance companies were directed to
comply with the aforesaid provisions of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 with
immediate effect.
56.Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) has proposed to set up five-
member committee headed by IIT-Madras director Bhaskar Ramamurthy to suggest
changes to JEE (Advanced) in the wake of an inadequate number of candidates
qualifying entrance test this year.
57.The Unique Identity Authority of India (UIDAI) announced phased roll-out of face
recognition for carrying out Aadhaar authentication from September 15, 2018 as
additional security layer. The face authentication will be in addition to fingerprint or
iris scans for Aadhaar authentication. It also has announced new feature ‘Live Face
Photo’ which is live feed of person facial features whose 12-digit unique number
Aadhaar is submitted. In initial phase, telecom service providers (TSPs) will be first to
use face recognition to authenticate subscribers while issuing new SIM cards. This
move is aimed at curbing possibility of fingerprint cloning or spoofing and also seeks to
tighten security around the issuance and activation of mobile SIMs.
58.A new set of specified health warnings for all tobacco product packs has notified by
Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. In this regard, it has made amendments
in Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labeling) Rules, 2008. The
amended rules will be applicable w.e.f. 1st September 2018. Under it, Government has
released two separate set of images. The first set will be used on tobacco products
from September 1, 2018 for period of 1 year, whereas second set of images will be
used from September 1, 2019. Besides, images quit line number is also pertinent
feature of new warning. It mandates packaging to display “Quit Today Call” number
which is online on-call assistance facility launched for those people seeking support to
quit use of tobacco products.
59.The Centralized secretariat at Panchkula (Haryana) to tackle the drug menace has
been decided to set up by five northern states Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab,
Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Union territories of and Delhi and Chandigarh. It aims to
have mechanism for quick and proactive information exchange on drug trends, cases
registered and persons named, wanted or arrested. It will host monthly meeting of
special task forces and quarterly meetings at level of Home Secretaries to build inter-
agency trust to break and demolish the supply chains to tackle the drug menace. It was
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decided at in inter-State regional conference of Chief Ministers organised in


Chandigarh by Haryana government on issue of “Drug menace, challenges and
strategies”.
60.Re-Water Research Center to replenish and rejuvenate water resources has decided
to set up by Indian Instituted of Technology (IIT)-Kharagpur. IIT-Kharagpur will set up
an on-campus plant which will convert 1.35 million litre of sewage water from the
hostels to 1.2 million litre of potable water on daily basis. The purpose of this centre
will be to tackle challenge of resolving two burning issues faced by urban India –
sewage disposal and access to clean potable water. It will network with government
bodies to take up technology developed by it and process and meet the water
challenge faced by various cities. It will be seed-funded by two alumni members –
Aneesh Reddy & Aditya Choubey and named after them as Aditya Choubey Center for
Re-Water Research. The pilot plant is expected to be ready by March 2019.
61.To mark the country’s fight against malnutrition the Union Ministry of Women and
Child Development has announced to observe September 2018 as the National
Nutrition Month. It will be jointly organised by NITI Ayog, Ministries of Women and
Child Development (WCD), Health and Family Welfare, Panchayati Raj, Rural
Development, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Housing and Urban Affairs, Human
Resources Development (HRD), Information and Broadcasting, Consumer Affairs, Food
and Public Distribution, Tribal Affairs, Minority Affairs and AYUSH. The month-long
intensive campaign will be undertaken with an aim of reaching every household with
message of nutrition — ‘har ghar poshan tyohar’ (every house a celebration of
nutrition).
62.In order to improve the quality and standard of engineering education in the
country, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) will mentor at least five engineering
colleges located in its vicinity. The decision was taken during the 52nd Meeting of the
Council of IITs, which was held under the Chairmanship of Human Resource
Development Minister Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi on August 20, 2018.
63.The Madras High Court on August 20, 2018 ordered the Central Board of Secondary
Education to publicise in media that stringent action would be taken against
institutes not following the board's 'no homework' rule for class I and II students.
The high court had earlier directed the Centre to instruct the state governments to

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make sure that no school in the country prescribed homework for students studying in
Classes I and II.
64.The Supreme Court on August 21, 2018 ruled that the ‘None of The Above’ (NOTA)
option will not be applicable for voting in the Rajya Sabha elections. The bench held
that the NOTA option is meant only for universal adult suffrage and direct elections
and not for the polls held by the system of proportional representation by means of
the single transferable vote as done in the Rajya Sabha. The ruling was made by a
bench of Justices comprising CJI Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY
Chandrachud.
65.In Kerala, with flood water receding in many places, people have started returning to
their homes and begun cleaning operations. Though the rescue operation in state is
almost complete, Nelkiyampathy in Palakkad remains still isolated due to
landslides. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the government has also decided to
distribute cleaning kits. The cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister on August 21,
2018 decided to seek relief package worth Rs 2600 crore from the Centre.
66.Cyclone Warning Centre has been announced to set up in Thiruvananthapuram,
Kerala. The centre will be equipped with state- of-the-art infrastructure including
forecasting tools to provide daily weather alerts, issue weather warnings and coastal
warnings or bulletins (for fishermen, etc). It is expected to be functional within a
month and will cater to the needs of Kerala and Karnataka states. At present, IMD has
six cyclone warning centres, four along east coast at Chennai (Tamil Nadu),
Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), Bhubaneswar (Odisha) and Kolkata (West Bengal),
and two along west coast at Ahmedabad (Gujarat) and Mumbai (Maharashtra).
67.C-band Doppler weather radar is going to set up at Mangalore, Karnataka by Union
Ministry of Earth Sciences. It is proposed to provide now cast alerts for severe
weather, including thunderstorms triggered by heavy rain for the next 2-3 hours. This
radar will cover northern Kerala and Karnataka. Currently, there are two Doppler
radars in Kerala at Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, which cover central and southern
districts, respectively. It is expected to be installed by the end of next year. With
addition of this new radar, entire state will be covered for monitoring rainfall and
severe weather events.
68.National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has been designated as nodal authority to
curb online child pornography, sexual violence and rape videos by Union Ministry of
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Home Affairs (MHA). It also has been mandated to launch online portal for receiving
complaints and acting on them.
69.The state government of Chhattisgarh has decided to rename the state’s new capital
city Naya Raipur as Atal Nagar in the memory of former prime minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee. It will also be renaming few other places and institutions including Bilaspur
University and Rajnandgaon Medical College after Vajpayee. The Chhattisgarh
government has also decided to develop an Atal Memorial in an area of five acres at
the state’s new capital. It has also decided to install a statue of the former Prime
Minister in the state capital and district headquarters of all 27 districts. The decision
was taken during the state’s cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Raman Singh
on August 21, 2018.
70.A draft scheme for extending the affordable air travel programme- UDAN to
international circuits, with state governments identifying the routes for operation
has been unveiled by the Union Government. Under the scheme, a dedicated fund -
International Air Connectivity Fund (IACF)- has been proposed to be set up for
providing subsidy support. It will be created through the contributions of state
governments. The draft International Air Connectivity (IAC) scheme aims to increase
the international ticketing to 20 crore by 2027.
71.The UIDAI has directed the Aadhaar enrolment agencies in Kerala, including banks
and post offices, to facilitate retrieval of the 12-digit number and provide free
printouts to Aadhaar-holders who have lost their document in the flood-hit state.
The enrolment agencies can also help in the retrieval of Aadhaar numbers by visiting
the relief camps.
72.To curb adulteration for honey and its products, food safety standards has notified
by Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI). Honey products should comply with
18 parameters like that of sucrose content, glucose ratio, pollen count, foreign
oligosaccharides etc. These products should contain fixed maximum 5% limit for
sucrose, 10% for carviacallosa and honeydew honey. The moisture percentage should
be maximum 20% and pollen count should be 25,000 per gram. If product is sold as
honey then food ingredient, including food additives should not be added to it.
73.University Grants Commission (UGC) issued circular directing all varsities and higher
education institutions to ban sale of junk food on their campuses. This ban will help
will set new standards for healthy food, making students live better, learn better and
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reduce obesity levels. It will also help to prevent lifestyle diseases which have direct
link with excessive weight.
74.Kerala Heritage Rescue Initiative to assess damage to rich cultural and built heritage
sites in flood-devastated Kerala has been launched by a global monument
conservation body ICOMOS( International Council on Monuments and Sites).
75.Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated various projects in Junagadh district.
These included the Government Civil Hospital, a milk processing plant and some
buildings of the Junagadh Agriculture University. He dedicated nine new initiatives
worth over Rs 500 crore to the state.
76.The Union Government on August 21, 2018 permitted private retail chemists to sell
Oxytocin with effect from September 1, 2018.Earlier, through a notification dated
April 27, 2018, the government stated that the sale of Oxytocin through private retail
chemists would be banned from July 1, 2018. However, fearing shortage of Oxytocin in
the market, the government deleted the provisions of its April 27 notification stating
that the Oxytocin would be sold through government chemists only.
77.Kerala’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced on August 21,2018 that the
United Arab Emirates has promised assistance worth Rs 700 crore for the state’s
reconstruction. The Union Government has, however, decided to decline all offers of
financial help from foreign countries. The state has reportedly suffered damages worth
over Rs 20,000 crore, which includes damaged highways covering about 10,000
kilometres, damaged buildings, crops lost and shutdown of one of the state’s three
international airports - Cochin International Airport- following heavy flooding. The
state government has demanded a minimum of Rs 2000 crore to help with
rehabilitation and reconstruction work.
78.As part of its celebration of 86th Anniversary on 8 October 2018, Indian Air Force
(IAF) launched Trans-Himalayan Mountain Terrain Biking Expedition (THE MTB). The
expedition was started on 17 Aug 2018 from Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) in Ladakh for
Kibithu in Arunachal Pradesh. DBO and Kibithu are two forward most outposts of India
in North and in East with DBO being highest airfield in the world located altitude of
16614 feet. The aim of MTB expedition is to promote spirit of adventure among Air
Warriors to undertake daunting challenges and ‘Go Green’ initiative.
79.SPEEDEX contract -The Stores, Proactive, Efficient and Expeditious Despatch of Extra
Size/ Wt Consignment contract has formally launched by Indian Airforce. The
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contract aims to overcome delay in piecemeal dispatch of consignment and to move


operationally urgent stores by air and normal consignments by surface mode. This will
facilitate door to door pickup and delivery facility with fixed timelines, lesser than
speed post.
80.The Supreme Court has ruled that relatives of a husband should not be roped in
cases of matrimonial disputes and dowry deaths unless specific instances of their
involvement in the crime are made out. The bench also cautioned the courts to be
careful in proceeding against "distant relatives" of the husband in such cases.
81.As a tribute to the late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who passed away on
August 16, 2018, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on August 23, 2018
announced that the School of Management and Entrepreneurship will be renamed to
‘Atal Bihari Vajpayee School of Management and Entrepreneurship’.
82.The five-day International Colour Festival organised by the state Art, Culture and
Tourism departments in which artists would depict the state's image in their
canvases inaugurated by Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das on August 23, 2018.
During this festival, artists will travel to tourist spots and paint there, and those
paintings will be exhibited on the last day(August 27). The chief minister urged the
artists to depict the beauty of Jharkhand in their canvas and exhibit them in
international festivals.
83.Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat has said that Election Commission is ready for
hundred per cent use of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail machines (VVPAT). The
Election Commission has ordered 17.5 lakh VVPAT machines and received 10 lakh out
of them by now. He also added that the commission is trying to minimise failure rate
of VVPAT for future polls. The rest of VVPAT machines will be received by November
and the Commission is ready for 100 per cent use of VVPATs. The Chief election
commissioner also ruled out the possibility of holding simultaneous elections to the
state assemblies and Lok Sabha polls anytime soon.
84.The fourth Summit of Heads of State/Government of Bay of Bengal Initiative for
Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) will be held in
Kathmandu, Nepal on August 30-31, 2018. From India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi
is expected to participate in the summit. During the two-day Summit, leaders of
member states will review the progress achieved so far in the areas of cooperation
and provide guidance to the future work of the BIMSTEC. The group was formed in
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1997 and it brings together Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka Myanmar and
Thailand. Nepal is the current chair of BIMSTEC.
85.National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has written to Madhya Pradesh forest
department to revive its Cheetah Reintroduction Project to reintroduce Cheetahs in
Nauradehi sanctuary located in Sagar district of state. The ambitious project was
conceived in 2009 but had hit roadblock for want of funds. India’s last spotted Asiatic
cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) had died in Chhattisgarh in 1947.
86.The Election Commission held a meeting of all recognised national and state political
parties on various electoral reforms in New Delhi on August 27, 2018. The main
agenda for the meeting included discussion on the fidelity of electoral rolls. The ECI
invited the views of all parties on measures to improve the accuracy, transparency and
inclusivity of electoral rolls in view of the upcoming elections to the Lok Sabha and the
State Assemblies.
87.A Delhi court on August 27, 2018 acquitted two men, accused of hijacking a New
Delhi-Srinagar Air India flight and forcing it to land in Pakistan in 1981. The two
allegedly hijacked an Air India plane from New Delhi en route to Srinagar via Amritsar
and forced it to land in Lahore, Pakistan, where they were arrested and sentenced to
life imprisonment.
88.PM Narendra Modi will launch the second phase of the FAME India scheme on
September 7, 2018. The scheme offers incentives for mass adoption of electric
vehicles with an outlay of Rs 5,500 crore. The second phase of the scheme spanning
five years will offer a subsidy to all categories of electric vehicles, including two-
wheelers, three-wheelers and four-wheelers including taxis and electric buses that are
used in public transportation.
89.An online portal to enable easy, efficient and transparent booking of common carrier
capacity for natural gas transmission services under GAIL’s pipelines has launched by
the Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan. The online
portal is the first-of-its-kind in the natural gas sector of the country. The portal will be
the first step to facilitate gas trading on a hub or exchange-traded platform in India.
90.The Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) or regulations for civil use of Remotely Piloted
Aircraft System (RPAS) commonly known as drones was issued by the Directorate
General of Civil Aviation. The regulations were developed after extensive

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consultations among various stakeholders, and will be effective from December 1,


2018.
91.The corporate sports policy for Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) has unveiled
by the Union Minister of Steel, Chaudhary Birender Singh under the Ministry of
Steel in New Delhi. The policy will provide a framework for the promotion of sports by
Steel Ministry CPSEs. The Steel CPSEs will discharge their responsibility through
infrastructural and institutional support for talent spotting, scholarships, training and
coaching.
92.A MoU for the implementation of on Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya
Yojna (AB-PMJAY) signed between 29 States and Union Territories (UTs). This
announcement was made by Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, .J P
Nadda. These states have already started working on implementation of the scheme.
The pilot project has started in 16 States and UTs. Other states/UTs will also start
pilots before the pan-India launch of the scheme on September 25, 2018.
93.Punjab state Assembly unanimously passed Bills for an amendment to the Indian
Penal Code (IPC) and Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc) to make sacrilege of all
religious texts punishable with life imprisonment. The Code of Criminal Procedure
(Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018 inserts section 295AA stating that ''injuring, causing
any damage or sacrilege to Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Srimad Bhagwad Gita, Holy Quran
and Holy Bible with an intention to hurt the religious feeling of the people.'' The
amendment is under President’s assent.
94.The Punjab state assembly has passed the Police (Amendment) Bill 2018 that would
pave way for setting up of a State Security Commission for selection of the director
general of police (DGP).The bill seeks to amend the Punjab Police Act 2007, which was
enacted on February 5, 2008.
95.A 21-member science and technology council to advise Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on matters related to science, technology and innovations has constituted by
the Union Government. The council, named as Prime Minister's Science Technology
and Innovation Advisory Committee (PM-STIAC), will be headed by K Vijay Raghavan,
the principal scientific adviser to the Union Government. The panel will advise the
Prime Minister on all matters related to science, technology and innovation and
monitor the implementation of PM’s vision on the same.

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96.Google has partnered with Andhra Pradesh State FiberNet Ltd (APSFNL) to facilitate
Internet access to more than 12,000 villages, benefitting around 10 million people.
The tech giant also rebranded its 'Tez' as 'Google Pay' as part of its efforts to take the
digital payments app to more online and retail merchants across the country. Google,
through 'Google Station', provides Wi-Fi services in public locations in partnership with
various entities. Previously, Google had partnered RailTel to offer Wi-Fi access across
400 railway stations in India.
97.The Union Government is planning to launch India Post Payment Banks-IPPB at 650
places. The information was shared by Communications Minister Manoj Sinha. The
Minister said that savings accounts, current accounts, money transfer, enterprise and
merchant payments will be the highlights of the India Post Payment Banks. The
Minister also said that by December 2018, the IPPBs will provide doorstep banking at
rural areas and with the help of National Payment Corporation of India and RBI , IPPB
will give last mile connectivity to banking. The Minister also added that presently there
are 17 lakh postal saving accounts and efforts are on to give these saving accounts
holders to avail benefits of IPPB.
98.Arunachal Pradesh Re-Organisation of Districts (Amendment) Bill, 2018 for the
creation of three new districts, Pakke-Kesang, Lepa Rada and Shi Yomi in the state
has passed by voice vote in Arunachal Pradesh Legislative assembly. With addition of
these three new districts, state will have total 25 districts from earlier 22 districts.
99.Governor of Assam has extended application of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act,
1958 (AFSPA) in the entire state for six more months with immediate effect. This
decision was taken as precautionary measure to maintain law and order during
ongoing National Register of Citizens (NRC) update process during the ongoing
National Register of Citizens (NRC) update process.
100. The third edition of World’s biggest open innovation model Smart India
Hackathon 2019 (SIH-2019) has launched by the Union Ministry of Human Resource
Development (HRD). It aims to provide students with platform to solve some of
pressing problems faced by people in their daily lives. It also seeks to inculcate culture
of product innovation and mindset of problem-solving among young children.
101. India has inked $346 million loan agreement with Asian Development Bank
(ADB) to finance Karnataka State Highways Improvement III Project (KSHIP-III) for
improvement of over 400 km of state highways in Karnataka. This will help in
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enhancement of connectivity and access to economic centres across 12 districts in


Karnataka. KSHIP-lll project will upgrade about 419 kilometers of state highways to
two-and four-lane with paved shoulders. It will also reconstruct, widen, and
strengthen culverts and bridges.
102. Innovation Cell has established at AICTE premises in New Delhi by Union
Ministry of Human Resource Development. Its primary mandate is to encourage,
inspire and nurture young students by exposing them to new ideas and processes
resulting in innovative activities in their formative years fostered through network of
innovation clubs in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across the country.
103. National Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation
(REDD+) strategy for India has released by Union Ministry of Environment, Forest
and Climate Change (MoEFCC). It has been prepared by Indian Council of Forestry
Research & Education (ICFRE), Dehradun. It is one of tools to further supplement
India’s commitment to 2015 Paris agreement. It aims at achieve climate change
mitigation by incentivizing forest conservation. This strategy will soon be
communicated to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC).
104. Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARRIA) to
systematically rank education institutions and universities primarily on innovation
related indicators has introduced by Ministry of Human Resource Development
(HRD). ARRIA is named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. ARRIA aims
to promote culture of innovation and research in higher education. It will focus on
quality of innovations rather than quantity and measure the real impact created by
these innovations nationally and internationally.
105. To strengthen sewage water treatment infrastructure in Uttarakhand in an
effort to clean River Ganga under Clean Ganga Mission, Germany has announced to
provide soft loan of euro 120 million (Rs. 990 crore approximately) to India. German
development agency GIZ also has prepared ‘Ganga Box’ aimed to target schools-going
children and inform them about the river.
106. The fourth Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic
Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit was concluded in Kathmandu which began on Aug
30,2018 with the signing and adoption of the Kathmandu Declaration by all the seven
members. . The theme of the summit was ‘Towards a Peaceful Prosperous, and
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Sustainable Bay of Bengal Region’. The 18-point Kathmandu Declaration is expected to


enhance the effectiveness of BIMSTEC Secretariat by engaging it in various technical
and economic activities in the region. Current chair of BIMSTEC, Nepal PM KP Sharma
Oli gave a closing speech after handing over the Chairmanship of the next BIMSTEC
Summit to Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena. Hence, Sri Lanka will be
conducting the fifth summit of the BIMSTEC.
107. Pindara Thakur village under coveted Amethi parliamentary constituency of
Congress president Rahul Gandhi would go fully digital from September 1, 2018. The
villagers of Pindara Thakur would be linked with Wi Fi Chaupal and they would be able
to use 2 GB free data for the first 15 days and later avail the service at cheaper rates.
It would be digitally linked to the outside world in a formal ceremony on September 1,
2018 by Smriti Irani. Irani had fought the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Amethi but
had lost to Gandhi by over 1 lakh votes. Irani will also inaugurate the 'Digital India
Banking Service' at the head post office of Amethi in Amethi town to boost the
payment services in post offices.

International:
1. First ‘Nepal-India Think Tank’ Summit held in Kathmandu, Nepal on July 31, 2018 to
foster greater collaboration and knowledge-sharing among the think tanks of the
two countries. It was jointly organized by the Asian Institute of
Diplomacy and International Affairs and Nehru Memorial Museum Library. The summit
will be hosted alternatively in Nepal and India annually. It consisted of 4 sessions. They
are :1st session-Building innovative cooperation between Indo-Nepal think tanks,2nd
session- Bolstering bilateral economic ties for the shared prosperity,3rd session-
Managing security dilemma and 4th session- Redefining Nepal-India relations in 21st
century.
2. India and Germany signed an agreement on financial and technical cooperation. This
will focus on sustainable urban development and renewable energy in areas
of sanitation, solid waste management and promotion of urban mobility. This
cooperation will help reduce the greenhouse gases emission. 2018 marks 60 years of
bilateral development cooperation between India and Germany.

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3. The ceremonial Border Personnel Meeting (BPM) was held on August 1, 2018 on the
occasion of China's PLA Day at Chinese BPM hut of Chushul-Moldo meeting point in
Eastern Ladakh. The ceremonial BPM was marked by saluting of national flags by
delegation members. The Indian Army and its Chinese counterpart have expressed
mutual desire to maintain peace and improve relations at the functional-level along
the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
4. The US Congress passed a defence spending bill capping its security-related aid to
Pakistan at 150 Million dollars, significantly below the level of more than one billion
US dollars per year. The bill will now head to the White House for President Donald
Trump's assent.
5. The US on August 2, 2018 advised its citizens to reconsider their visit to Pakistan and
asked them not to travel to Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province due to
threat of possible terror attacks. In its latest travel advisory, the US State Department
also asked its citizens not to travel to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir area due to threat of
terrorism and potential threat of armed conflict between the two South Asian
neighbours.
6. Emmerson Mnangagwa won presidential election of Zimbabwe.
7. New plans to change law for organ and tissue donation has announced by United
Kingdom Government to address urgent need for organs within Indian-origin
communities in the country. This will be known as Max’s Law after Max Johnson, a 10-
year-old boy who was saved by a heart transplant. The amendment in existing law will
propose new system of consent for organ and tissue donation.
8. The third India-Nepal coordination meet was held on August 8, 2018 to discuss
border security. A seven-member delegation from Nepal, headed by Inspector General
of Nepal Armed Police Force Shailendra Khanal, arrived to take part in the three-day
meet. Issues related to security along the border and sharing of information on
criminals were discussed during the meet.
9. Pakistan and Russia have signed contract on admission of service members of
Pakistan in Russia’s Military Training Institutes at the conclusion of first meeting of
Russia-Pakistan Joint Military Consultative Committee (JMCC) held in Rawalpindi,
Pakistan. This agreement is considered as sign of further strengthening defence ties
between Russia and Paksitan. This will be for first time, Pakistani soldiers will undergo
training at Russian military institutes.
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10.Panini language laboratory was recently inaugurated at Mahatma Gandhi institute in


Mauritius by External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on the sidelines of 11th World
Hindi Conference held in Mauritius. It aims to promote reading and writing Hindi
amongst young generation and its further development.
11.Around 180 families, who were torn apart by the 1950-53 Korean War, will be
temporarily reunited in North Korea starting from August 20, 2018 briefly after 65
years. The move comes after the two Koreas renewed exchanges in 2018 following the
decades-long standoff over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes.
12.Kofi Annan (88), former UN Secretary-General passed away on August 18, 2018 after
a short illness. In 1997, Annan became the first African to take up the role of
Secretary General at the United Nations. He served two terms as the chief of United
Nations, from 1997 to 2006. He later served as the UN special envoy for Syria, leading
efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.
13.The indigenously developed light weight glide bomb Smart Anti Airfield Weapon
(SAAW) dropped from an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft has tested successfully by
DRDO. Total of three tests with eighth round of developmental trails with different
release conditions were conducted during 16 to 18 August 2018 and all the mission
objectives have been achieved.
14.Turkey has initiated a dispute complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO)
against the United States for imposing additional tariffs on steel and aluminium
imports from Turkey. US has doubled the tariffs in response to Turkey's rejection of a
request to release an American pastor detained for the past two years for alleged
involvement in an abortive military coup. Turkey has retaliated by imposing tariffs on
American products.
15.India and Japan resolved to expand their maritime cooperation and work together to
ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, which is witnessing growing
Chinese assertiveness. The two sides also firmed up a project in the area of
Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) and robotics, marking the start of first such bilateral
initiative. In their wide-ranging talks, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her
Japanese counterpart Itsunori Onodera also agreed to deepen the overall defence
cooperation between the two countries including in areas of co-development of
military platforms and weapons. The two ministers also exchange views on India's

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long-pending proposal to procure the US-2 ShinMaywa amphibious aircraft from Japan
for its Navy.
16.‘International Buddhist Conclave (IBC), 2018’ will inaugurate in Vigyan Bhawan, New
Delhi on August 23, 2018 by the President of India Ram Nath Kovind. During the
inaugural session, the Tourism Ministry will launch its website landofbuddha.in and a
new film showcasing the Buddhist sites in the country. The Conclave is being organised
by the Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the State Governments of
Maharashtra, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh from August 23-26, 2018 at New Delhi and
Ajanta (Maharashtra), followed by site visits to Rajgir, Nalanda and Bodhgaya (Bihar)
and Sarnath (Uttar Pradesh).
17.The thickest sea ice in the Arctic has started to break up, opening waters of North
Greenland that are normally frozen. The ice has broken up twice this year, due to
warm winds and heatwaves in the northern hemisphere. Scientists said it could prove
catastrophic for polar bears and seals, threatening their survival. The sea off the north
coast of Greenland had long been known as “the last ice area” as it was expected to be
the last place to remain frozen, given it had the oldest and thickest ice.
18.India and Singapore have signed Second Protocol amending Comprehensive
Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) in New Delhi. Its provisions will come into
effect on 14th September, 2018. It will help to boost bilateral trade between India and
Singapore.
19.The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Peace Mission 2018 was held in
Chebarkul, Russia. The exercise was aimed at enhancing cooperation between
member states to deal with growing threat of terrorism and extremism. Military
contingents of the all eight SCO member nations (China, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,
Kazakhstan, India and Pakistan) participated in this exercise. It was for first time since
independence, India and Pakistan simultaneously took part military exercise.
20.The security clearance of Qatar government’s state-funded English news broadcaster
Al Jazeera has revoked by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). It is believed
that main reason for this revocation is considered to be over documentary made by
Qatari channel on militancy in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), which Indian Government
viewed as “biased”. Al Jazeera has reportedly filed petition for reviewing this decision.
Al Jazeera has reportedly filed petition for reviewing this decision. Al Jazeera’s security
clearance was valid from December 3, 2010, and expired on May 29, 2018. Foreign
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channels need security clearance from MHA and broadcasting clearance from Union
Information and Broadcasting Ministry. It is to be noted that the role of MHA is limited
to matter related to security clearance. The decision on cancellation of broadcasting
licence of news channel is taken by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
21.The third edition of Indian Ocean Conference inaugurated by External Affairs
Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Min, Deputy
Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam was held in Hanoi, capital
city of Vietnam from 27-28 August 2018. Its theme was “Building Regional
Architectures”. It will see participation from around 35 countries and have speakers
from 25 countries.
22.Pakistan's new government has banned the discretionary use of state funds and
first-class air travel by officials and leaders, including the president and the prime
minister, as part of its austerity drive. The decisions were made at a Cabinet meeting,
chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan on August 24, 2018. After his victory in the July
25 general election, Khan decided not to use palatial Prime Minister House and instead
live in a small portion of it that was previously used as the residence by the military
secretary to the prime minister. Khan also decided to use only two vehicles and keep
two servants. He refused to use elaborate official protocol. The prime minister also
decided to stop using special plane for foreign visits or domestic travelling and use
business class. The discretionary allocation of funds by the prime minister and the
president and other officials was also stopped by the Cabinet.
23.To discuss the state of elections and democracy in the region, the fourth edition of
Asian electoral stakeholders forum (AESF-IV) was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The
theme of AESF-IV was ‘Advancing Election Transparency and Integrity: Promoting and
Defending Democracy Together‘. It was jointly organised by Election Commission of Sri
Lanka and Asian network for free elections (ANFREL). This was for first time AESF was
held in South Asia. It was attended by more than 250 delegates from 45 countries.
India was represented by Chief Electoral Officer of Maharashtra Ashwini Kumar and
NGO.
24.The first South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Agri Cooperative
Business Forum began in Kathmandu on August 28, 2018. The theme of three-day
Forum is the 'Organizing and Strengthening Family Farmers’ Cooperatives to attain the
Sustainable-Development-Goals-1 and 2 in South Asia'. The forum aims to bring
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together representatives both from government and non-governmental entities from


the member states of SAARC as well as from the regional and international
organisations.
25.The Chinese Government unveiled its plans to control the number of online games as
part of an effort to prevent myopia among children. The education ministry said in a
statement that the authorities will regulate and control the total number of internet
games, as well as the number of new titles. The plan is the latest move to tighten
government oversight over the country's fast-growing and highly popular video game
industry and a new blow to their stock market fortunes.

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Science & Technology:


1. Scientists from National Brain Research Centre (NBRC) have successfully identified
molecular and cellular mechanisms by which Zika virus causes microcephaly. Babies
born with microcephaly have significantly smaller head size compared with normal
babies. Zika virus is vector borne disease transmitted primarily by Aedes aegypti
mosquitoes, which also transmits dengue. It can also spread through blood transfusion
and sexual contact.
2. NASA’s new planet hunting Spacecraft Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS)
has become operational and has started collecting data after its successful launch in
April 2018. TESS mission is led by Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Kavli
Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research. Now, the TESS spacecraft will firstly
scan patch of sky in southern hemisphere covering 2,300 degrees from south ecliptic
pole to near ecliptic plane.
3. Gaofen-11- an optical remote sensing satellite was successfully launched by China as
a part of its high-resolution Earth observation project. It is sub-meter resolution
optical satellite developed by China Academy of Space Technology (CAST). It was
launched on board of Long March 4B rocket from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in
northern Shanxi Province. It was overall 282nd flight mission by Long March carrier
rocket. Gaofen means “high resolution” in Chinese. It is ambitious space project of
China that aims to launch seven high-definition observation satellites before 2020.
4. Astronomers have detected a radioactive molecule in space, believed to be from a
stellar explosion that took place in the 17th century. The radioactive molecule is an
isotope of aluminium monofluoride. The radioactive molecule was spotted with the
Northern extended millimeter array and the Atacama Large Millimeter/ Sub millimeter
Array radio telescopes.
5. WOW (Wellness of Women) mobile application aimed at creating awareness on
preventive healthcare for women across the country has launched by FICCI Ladies
Organisation (FLO), the women’s wing of Federation of Indian Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (FICCI). It provides easy to use platform that allows users to
talk to doctors through video conferencing or connect with them via voice or email.
WOW app is backed by Chennai-based Apollo Hospitals Group that offers access to
renowned doctors and provides health tips.

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6. Move Hack –a global mobility hackathon to crowdsource solutions aimed at future


of mobility in India has launched by NITI Aayog. MoveHack aims to bring about
innovative, dynamic and scalable solutions to problems pertaining to mobility. It is
organized in partnership with Government of Singapore and is powered by Hacker
Earth. PwC is knowledge partner and NASSCOM is strategic partner. It is first platform
in the world that has enmeshed public transport, private transport, road safety,
multimodal connectivity and new age transport technologies such as zero emission
vehicles and intra city aerial transport spearheaded by Government.
7. “Digital Literacy Library” has launched by Social networking giant Facebook. The
library is resource for educators looking to address digital literacy and help these
young people build the skills. There are 18 interactive lessons and videos have been
developed in partnership with Youth and Media team at Berkman Klein Center for
Internet and Society at Harvard University for educators of youth aged 11 to 18. These
lessons are in English language and Facebook is planning to launch these in additional
45 languages soon.
8. India’s second mission to moon- Chandrayaan-2 has been postponed to January 2019
by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). This will be second time mission has
been postponed. The ambitious mission was earlier planned to be launched in April
2018 and was later fixed for October 2019. With this delay, India may lose fourth
position in the world for soft-landing on the moon to Israel as it too planning to launch
moon mission in December2018.
9. Two IT initiative Bidder Information Management System (BIMS) and Bhoomi Rashi
and PFMS linkage were launchedby Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highway
(MoRTH). BIMS portal aims at streamlining process of pre-qualification of bidders for
EPC Mode of contracts for National Highway works with enhanced transparency and
objectivity. Bhoomi Rashi portal has been developed by MoRTH and National
Informatics Centre (NIC). It comprises entire revenue data of country, right down to
6.4 lakh villages. The Bhoomi Rashi portal has been integrated with Public Financial
Management System (PFMS) to facilitate payment related to compensation for land
acquisition to all beneficiaries directly through Bhoomi Rashi system. It will make
payment of Compensation by MoRTH to beneficiaries in real time and without any
parking of funds.

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10.China successfully tested its first cutting-edge hypersonic “waverider” flight vehicle
(aircraft) Xingkong-2 (Starry Sky-2). The Xingkong-2 hypersonic waverider flight
vehicle was released in air from rocket after about 10 minutes. The test successfully
proved various parameters of flight vehicle, thus marking successful launch of
Xingkong-2 and first flight of Chinese waverider. The hypersonic waverider flight
vehicle was designed by state-run China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA)
in collaboration with China Aerospace.

11.Startup Academia Alliance programme to fulfill Government’s mission to promote


spirit of entrepreneurship in the country has launched by Startup India. The
programme aims to reduce gap between scientific research and its industrial
applications in order to increase efficacy of these technologies and widen their
impact. The first phase of the programme was kickstarted through partnering with The
Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Council on
Energy, Environment and Water and TERI School of Advanced Studies.
12.India has highest gender gap in mobile phone ownership amongst 18 comparable
countries and ranks among the lowest in women’s access to Internet according to
recent study released by LIRNEAsia. The study also included comparative research
done by ICT Africa in Africa and DIRSI in Latin America.
13.Earth is at the risk of entering an irreversible hothouse condition according to recent
study. Hothouse Earth climate will in long-term stabilise at global average of 4-5
degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial temperatures with sea level 10- 60 metres
higher than today. Currently, global average temperatures are just over 1 degree
Celsius above pre-industrial and rising at 0.17 degree Celsius per decade.
14.Chinese astronomers have discovered the most lithium-rich giant star ever known,
which could shed new light on the evolution of the universe. A research team, led by
astronomers from the National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC), made the
discovery with the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fibre Spectroscopic Telescope
(LAMOST). With 3,000 times more lithium than a normal star, it was found in the
direction of Ophiuchus, on the north side of the galactic disk, at a distance of 4,500
light years from Earth. The star has a mass almost 1.5 times our sun.
15.The TRAI Mobile Apps namely DND 2.0 and MyCall with UMANG Platform were
integrated by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on August 7, 2018.
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From now onwards, the DND 2.0 and MyCall mobile apps will also be available on
Umang Platform. This integration is part of the policy initiatives of TRAI that the
authority has been undertaking over the years to protect the interests of the
consumers to safeguard their interests.
16.The Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad
has released the Digital North East Vision 2022 in Guwahati, Assam. First electronics
manufacturing cluster in northeastern region was also inaugurated in Guwahati,
Assam. The vision document emphasizes on leveraging digital technologies to
transform lives of people of north east and enhance ease of living. It identifies eight
digital thrust areas namely, Digital Infrastructure, Digital services, Promotion of
Electronics Manufacturing, Digital empowerment, Promotion of IT and ITes including
BPOs, Digital Payments, Innovation & Startups and Cyber security.
17.NASA on August 21, 2018 said that scientists have found frozen water deposits in the
darkest and coldest parts of the Moon's polar regions. Scientists used data from
NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) instrument aboard the Chandrayaan-1
spacecraft, launched in 2008 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), to
identify three specific signatures that definitively prove there is water ice at the
surface of the Moon. Most of the newfound water ice lies in the shadows of craters
near the poles, where the warmest temperatures never reach above minus 156
degrees Celsius. Due to the very small tilt of the Moon's rotation axis, sunlight never
reaches these regions.
18.India has asked WhatsApp to set up a local entity in the country and find a
technological solution to trace the origin of fake messages. The information was
shared by the Union Minister of Electronics and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad after his
meeting with Whatsapp CEO Chris Daniels in New Delhi on August 21, 2018.
19.Facebook has removed 652 fake accounts for “coordinated inauthentic behaviour”
that originated in Iran and Russia and targeted people across multiple Internet
services in the Middle East, Latin America, Britain and the US. Facebook acted on
these accounts after FireEye, a global cybersecurity firm, gave it information in July
about “Liberty Front Press”, a network of Facebook pages as well as accounts on other
online services.
20.The maximum numbers of cyber-attacks on official Indian websites are from China,
US and Russia according to recent report by Indian Computer Emergency Response
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Team (CERT-In). It had analysed cyber-attacks from April-June 2018. The report was
forwarded to National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) and other security agencies.
21.NETA (National Electoral Transformation) mobile application that allows voters to
rate and review their political representatives has launched by former President
Pranab Mukherjee. It is first of its kind platform in India. The app is brainchild of 27-
year-old entrepreneur Pratham Mittal. The app aims to foster political accountability
and transparency among leaders. It is inspired by US’ approval system. This app was
piloted during February 2018 bypolls in Rajasthan’s Ajmer and Alwar constituencies. It
was later used in Karnataka ahead of the assembly elections in May 2018. The app in
its beta version has already seen over 1.5 crore voters rating and reviewing their local
leaders. The app is available on Andriod and iOS and web in 16 languages to cater to a
diverse user profile. It uses combination of Artificial Intelligence (AI), one-time
password (OTP) and Aadhaar numbers to ensure that voters who rate leaders are
genuine.
22.The 5G steering committee chaired by Stanford University’s Professor Emeritus AJ
Paulraj submitted its recommendations to the Department of Telecommunications
(DoT). It gave wide-ranging recommendations to drive India’s 5G adoption entailing
areas like spectrum policy, regulatory policy, standards and education. AJ Paulraj
committee gave has proposed promulgation of key norms on regulatory matters by
March 2019 in order to facilitate early deployment of 5G technology. It expects
commercial rollout of 5G in India by 2020. It noted that 5G technologies will start
entering service globally beginning 2019 and advance to full range of services by 2024.
It recommended that deployment of 5G in India should be classified into three phases
based on technologies and use cases.
23.NASA’s asteroid sampling spacecraft OSIRIS-Rex (Origins, Spectral Interpretation,
Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer) has captured first images of its
target asteroid Bennu and began its final approach towards it after almost two-year
journey. OSIRIS-Rex mission was launched in September 2016 for studying 101955
Bennu, a carbonaceous asteroid. The first glimpses of targeted asteroid were captured
by PolyCam camera OCAMS on board of OSIRIS-Rex from a distance of 2.1 million
kilometre. It will help to study Bennu’s size, shape, surface features, and
surroundings.

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24.Project Navlekha to make online content relevant for more Indian users especially in
local languages has unveiled by Google at fourth ‘Google for India’ event held in New
Delhi. Navlekha is word derived from Sanskrit meaning “a new way to write.” This
project aims to bring 135,000 local language publishers online by making web hosting
smooth and simple. It will allow local publishers who do not have websites to make
their offline content fit for online publishing in less than a minute.
25.Union Government and European Union (EU) have collaborated for research
programme named Horizon 2020 to develop Next Generation Influenza Vaccine to
protect citizens across the globe. Under this project, cost-effective and affordable
influenza vaccine will be developed. It aims at advancing the efficacy, safety, duration
of immunity, and reactivity against an increased breadth of influenza strains. For this
research programme, India’s Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and EU have
committed Euro 15 million (Rs. 240 crore).
26.IBM has partnered with Indian IT companies (Persistent Systems, Invest India,
Wipro, Capgemini and NASSCOM) for its ‘Call for Code’ initiative that aims to build
global solutions for disaster management. The initiative seeks to solve one of the
most pressing societal issues of preventing, responding to and recovering from natural
disasters. For this, IBM provide access to its cloud, data, Artificial Intelligence and
blockchain technologies, along with training and code to developers.
27.Bhuvan Ganga Mobile Application and Web Portal to aid flagship mission to Clean
Ganga has launched by Union Government. Bhuvan Ganga application will facilitate
public to upload pictures of pollution sources of the Ganga River for further action by
the authorities concerned. Bhuvan Ganga Portal: It is deployed as part of Indian Space
Research Organisation’s (ISRO’s) Bhuvan’s geoportal with all geospatial layers related
to Ganga River. It will be used as a tool to support decision making and planning for
the Clean Ganga Mission.
28.Chander Mohan, an Indian-American scientist has identified as many as 50 protein
biomarkers that can non-invasively detect inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a gut
disorder that leads to diarrhoea, abdominal cramps and weight loss. IBD occurs when
the body's immune system fights its intestinal cells. Two of the most common types
are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, both of which cause inflammation in the
digestive tract.

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Defence:
1. Interceptor Missile - an indigenously built Advanced Air Defence (AAD) was
successfully test fired from Abdul Kalam Island in Bhadrak district on August 2,
2018. It had successfully hit the target at a height of 20 kms in the sky. The test was
conducted to validate some improved features incorporated in the system of the
missile. The supersonic interceptor missile is a 7.5-meter long single stage solid
rocket propelled guided missile.
2. Fateh Mobin (Bright Conqueror) –the next generation short-range ballistic missile
capable of striking targets on land and sea has unveiled by Iran. Fateh-110 missile
is 100% domestically made in Iran. It was unveiled as part of Iran’s thrust to further
boost its defence capabilities at time of rising tensions with United States.
3. Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman approved procurement of six indigenously designed and
manufactured Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels (NGOPVs) for Indian
Navy. NGOPVs will be built in indigenous shipyards at approximate cost of Rs. 4941
crore. They will be fitted with state-of-the-art sensor suite with increased
endurance. These platforms will strengthen maritime security by undertaking a
multitude of operational roles both in blue water and littorals.
4. Maitree 2018 – the joint platoon level military exercise between India and
Thailand was conducted in Thailand from 6 to 19 August 2018. The Maitree 2018
immensely benefitted both armies from each other’s expertise and experience in
conduct of tactical level counter terrorist operations.
5. The biennial multinational air exercise - Pitch Black – 18 (PB-18) hosted by Royal
Australian Air Force (RAAF) concluded recently Darwin, Australia. In this edition of
exercise, Indian Air Force (IAF) for the first time participated with air assets and in
earlier exercises it had participated as observer. It was the largest Pitch Black ever
conducted by Australia. The objectives of this exercise were to foster closer
relationship between participating friendly forces and promote interoperability
through exchange.
6. (ATGM) ‘HELINA’ – the indigenously developed Helicopter launched Anti-Tank
Guided Missile was successfully flight tested from Indian Army Helicopter at
Pokhran range. HELINA is helicopter launched version known of NAG ATGM.

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HELINA is one of the most advanced Anti-Tank Weapons in the world. It works on
“fire and forget” principle and operates in Lock on Before Launch mode. It has
operational range of 7-10km (after air-launched). It is equipped with highly
advanced Imaging Infrared Radar (IIR) seeker along with integrated avionics.
7. Israeli Navy announced to procure multi-purpose Barak 8 missile defence system.
The system has been jointly developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and
India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It will be used by
Israeli Navy’s Sa’ar-6 corvettes to expand operational capabilities of Israeli navy. It
is an operational air and missile defense system used by Israeli Navy as well as by
Indian Navy and air forces.
8. The procurement of 111 utility helicopters for Indian Navy at cost of over Rs
21,000 crore has approved by Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The procurement of 111 utility helicopters
will be first project under Defence Ministry’s prestigious Strategic Partnership (SP)
Model that aims at providing significant fillip to Government’s ‘Make in India’
programme.
9. The procurement of 150 indigenously designed and developed 155 mm Advanced
Towed Artillery Gun Systems for Indian Army by DRDO at approximate cost of Rs
3,364.78 has approved by Defence Acquisition Council (DAC). Procurement of
indigenous artillery gun systems will provide major fillip to ‘Make in India’
programme of Government.
10.The procurement of 14 Vertically Launched Short Range Missile Systems has
approved by Defence Acquisition Council (DAC). VLS is advanced system for
holding and firing missiles on mobile naval platforms, such as surface ships and
submarines. These missile systems will help boost self-defence capability of ships
against anti-ship missiles. Of these, 10 systems will be indigenously developed and
remaining four will be imported.
11.The procurement 24 anti-submarine capable multi role helicopters to enhance
capability of Indian Navy at sea has approved by Defence Acquisition Council
(DAC). This approval will allow Government to sign contract US based aviation giant
Lockheed Martin for purchasing 24 MH-60R helicopters for Indian Navy. MH-60R
helicopters (or Seahawk multi-mission helicopters)are anti-submarine helicopters.
Buying them will replace British-built Sea King helicopters. This contract will be
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direct government-to-government (G2G) deal with United States worth


approximately $1.8 billion.
12.Vostok-2018 (East-2018) military exercise is going to conduct by Russia in central
and eastern Russian military districts from September 11 to 15, 2018. Vostok-
2018 will involve participation of units from Russian Army, Air Force and Navy.
China and Mongolia will also participate in Vostok 2018. Vostok-2018 exercise is
being conducted in response to aggressive and unfriendly attitudes towards Russia
by NATO and West countries. More than 300,000 troops, 36,000 tanks, armoured
personnel carriers, armoured infantry vehicles, over 1,000 military aircraft, two
naval fleets and all its airborne units will participate in this military exercise. It will
be biggest war games ever conducted by Russia since Zapad-81 (West-81) exercise
conducted by erstwhile Soviet Union in 1981 which had seen involvement about
100,000 to 150,000 troops.

Economy/Banking:
1. Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2018 has passed by Lok Sabha to
bring relief to the home buyers and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
The Bill replaces ordinance promulgated in this regard and amends the Insolvency and
Bankruptcy Code, 2016. Insolvency is situation where individual or company is unable
to repay their outstanding debt.
2. A safeguard duty of 25% on import of solar cells (whether or not assembled in
modules or panels) from China and Malaysia has imposed by Union Government.
The decision by Union Government follows long deliberation by Directorate General of
Trade Remedies (DGTR), which recommended safeguard duty structure after
considering application by Indian solar cell manufacturers. The move is aimed at
helping domestic solar cell manufacturing sector. But it could affect existing projects
dependent on cheap imports and hike solar power tariffs in India since around 90% of
panels sector uses solar cells made in China and Malaysia.
3. The index of eight core industries (comprising of coal, crude oil, natural gas,
petroleum refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity) expanded to 7-
month high of 6.7% in June 2018 as per the data released by Union Ministry of

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Commerce and Industry. This was due to better performance by cement, refinery and
coal sectors of the index. The previous high was witnessed in November 2017 at 6.9%.
The growth rate in May 2018 was 4.3%. This growth in the core industry is considered
by two factors.One is that government investment in infrastructure projects is going
up, driving industries such as steel. The other is petroleum products are mainly
exported and drive to increase exports will be pushing this up.
4. The Supreme Court overruled its 21-year-old verdict and held that benefit of any
ambiguity in notification related to tax exemptions must be interpreted in favour of
the State. A five-judge Constitution bench said that benefit of ambiguity in exemption
notification of the government, which is subject to strict interpretation, cannot be
claimed by the assessee. In 1997, the apex court said that in case of any ambiguity in a
tax exemption provision or notification, it must be interpreted in favour the assessee
claiming the benefit of such exemptions. It, however, reiterated that if in the event of
ambiguity in a taxation liability statute, the benefit should go to the subject or
assessee.
5. StarAgri Finance signed an MoU with private lender Karur Vysya Bank to provide
financial assistance to commodity traders and farmers. Micro-lending would be
provided to traders and farmers in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and
Maharashtra.
6. The amendments of GST Laws were approved in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on August 1, 2018. It has 46 amendments. Amendments to
the Central GST law, Integrated GST law, and compensation Cess law are yet to be
tabled.
7. Investors’ Conference for the Holistic Development of Islands is going to host by NITI
Aayog at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in New Delhi on 10th August 2018. This
Conference will be inaugurated by Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog. It is expected to
gain investment for the sustainable development of eco-tourism projects in Andaman
& Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands.
8. The first extension of Concessional Financing Scheme (CFS) has approved for another
five years from 2018 to 2023 by Union Cabinet to support Indian Entities bidding for
strategically important infrastructure projects abroad. The Scheme is presently being
operated through EXIM Bank, which raises resources from market to provide
concessional finance.
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9. The acquisition of IDBI Bank’s controlling stake by Life Insurance Corporation of India
(LIC) as promoter in the bank was approved by the Union Cabinet on August 1,2018.
The Cabinet has also approved reduction in Government shareholding in IDBI Bank
Limited to below 50 percent by dilution. The acquisition will be done through
preferential allotment or open offer of equity and through relinquishment of
management control by the Government of India. The acquisition would help
financially strengthen the LIC and the bank as well as their subsidiaries which offer
financial products such as housing finance and mutual funds.
10.The Third Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement 2018-19 was released by the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on August 1, 2018. After assessing the current and
evolving macroeconomic situation in the economy, the six members Monetary Policy
Committee (MPC) decided to increase the policy Repo Rate under the Liquidity
Adjustment Facility (LAF) by 25 basis points to 6.50 percent. The Reverse Repo Rate
under the LAF stands adjusted to 6.25 per cent. The Marginal Standing Facility (MSF)
rate and the Bank Rate stand at 6.75 per cent.
11.A MoU was signed by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) with country’s
largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) for long term unsecured loan of Rs. 25,000
crore for 10 years with 3 years of moratorium on repayments. The loan sanctioned by
SBI is unsecured. It has no principal repayment liability for initial three years. But after
three years, repayment will be done in 14 equal half yearly installments. The total loan
tenure is 10 years. NHAI can repay or prepay it at any time without any prepayment
penalty. This is SBI’s highest long term unsecured loan to any entity and also largest
loan ever sanctioned to NHAI in one stroke by any institution.
12.The deadline on imposing import duty hike on 29 products, imported from United
States (US) has further extended by Union Finance Ministry by 45 days till September
18, 2018 from earlier August 4, 2018. This decision for extension of retaliatory
measures for another 45 days was taken based on suggestion of Union Commerce
Ministry.
13.The import duties on 328 textile products has doubled to 20% from existing rate of
10% under Section 159 of the Customs Act, 1962 by Government. The increase in
duties will give edge to domestic manufacturers as imported products are currently
cheaper. It will curb soaring imports from China and focus more on local value addition

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in labour-intensive sector. Earlier in July 2018, Government had doubled import duty
on over 50 textile products — including jackets, suits and carpets to 20%.
14.Journalist Swaminathan Gurumurthy and Sahakar Bharathi patron Satish Kashinath
Marathe were appointed as part-time non-official Directors on the Central Board of
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) by the Central Government on August 7, 2018 following
the approval from the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. With these latest
appointments, the total number of government appointed directors on the RBI board
comes to 10, the maximum permitted.
15.India is a source of growth for the global economy for the next few decades
according to International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF report also described the
Goods and Services Tax (GST) as a "milestone reform" in India's tax policy.
16.To decide on 16-member Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)
negotiations, a four-member Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Union Minister of
Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu has constituted by Union Government. It was
constituted to advise Prime Minister on whether to continue with or withdraw from
RCEP negotiations.
17.Multi Option Payment Acceptance Device (MOPAD) for digital payments
convenience of merchants and consumers has launched by SBI on all SBI PoS
terminals in a phased manner. It will allow customers to make payments through
cards, Bharat QR, UPI and SBI Buddy (e-wallet) on single Point–of–Sale (PoS) terminal.
It will help merchants to integrate different kinds of transaction through one PoS
machine, which will help in eliminate their operational inconvenience and streamline
cash flow. This multipurpose initiative will also enhance digital ecosystem and help
bank in driving economy towards a less-cash society.
18.A MoU on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was signed during Government
and Business Partnership Conclave held in New Delhi by NITI Aayog and
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). This partnership focuses on specific activities
that seek to develop vision and action agenda for businesses and industries to
contribute to SDGs, annual status reports and sector-specific best practise documents.
19.Niryat Mitra mobile application for exporters and importers of the country has
launched by the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The app provides wide
range of information required to undertake international trade right from policy
provisions for export and import, applicable GST rate, available export incentives,
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tariff, preferential tariff, market access requirements – SPS and TBT measures. The app
developed by Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), the largest exporters
organisation of the country. Presently, app has data of 87 countries. It is available both
on Android and on IOS platforms.
20.The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has transferred surplus (dividend) of Rs. 50,000 crore
to Government for year ended in June 2018, over 63% more than Rs 30,659 crore
which it transferred in 2017. Earlier in 2017, RBI had slashed surplus in the wake of
demonetisation as its expenditure shot up largely because of sharp rise in provisions
and cost of printing currency notes.
21.The International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its report has projected India’s GDP
growth 7.3% in the 2018-19 fiscal and 7.5% in 2019-2020. Current account deficit
(CAD) is projected to widen further to 2.6% of GDP on rising oil prices and strong
demand for imports.
22.The factory output measured in terms of Index of Industrial Production (IIP) had 7%
in June 2018 ie. five month high according to the data released by Central Statistics
Office (CSO). This was on account of higher output in mining, manufacturing and
power generation segments.
23.The Parliament's Committee on Estimates, headed by veteran BJP leader Murali
Manohar Joshi, looking into the issue of mounting non-performing assets (NPAs),
asked former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan to appear before it and brief it on the
matter of NPAs. Rajan was invited after former Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) Arvind
Subramanian praised him before the Parliamentary Committee for identifying the NPA
crisis and trying to resolve it.
24.A Draft Notification proposing amendments in Form No. 13, and Rules 28, 28AA,
28AB, 37G and 37H of the Income-tax Rules, 1962 has been uploaded on the website
of the Income Tax Department for comments from stakeholders and general public.
Income-tax Rules, 1962 (I.T.Rules) prescribe Form No.13 for filing an application for
seeking a certificate under Section 197 and/or under Section 206C (9) of the Income-
tax Act, 1961 (the Act) and for no deduction of tax; or deduction/collection of tax at
lower rate.
25.New Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs) for cash refilling of automated teller
machines (ATMs) has been issued by Union Home Ministry. It sets deadline of
replenishing cash in ATMs before 9 pm in cities and 6pm in rural areas. In case of
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Naxal-hit districts notified by central government, e deadline will be 4pm. Every cash
van must have one driver, two armed security guards, two ATM officers or custodians.
The cash van should not carry cash of more than Rs. 5 crore per trip. The cash van shall
be provided with small CCTV system with at least five days recording facility and three
cameras installed in front, rear and inside of cabin. The cash van shall be equipped
with hooter, fire extinguishers and emergency lights to ensure quick reaction in case of
attack. Every cash transportation operation should be carried out only in secured cash
vans fitted with GPS tracking device. During loading or unloading of cash, nature’s call,
tea or lunch break, at least one armed security guard should remain present with cash
van at all times.
26.India Banking Conclave (IBC) 2018 organised by Centre for Economic Policy Research
(CEPR) along with its knowledge partner and government Think Tank, NITI Aayog
was held in New Delhi from Aug 23-24, 2018. IBC 2018 aimed to serve as effective
platform for varied stakeholders connected to India’s banking and financial sectors.
27.Mukesh Ambani's telecom unit Reliance Jio was ranked as the top company globally
on Fortune's 'Change The World' list 2018 that ranked companies using the profit
motive to help the planet tackle social problems. Jio is ranked ahead of pharma giant
Merck and Bank of America. Chinese group Alibaba is ranked 5th on the list with food
and drug stores Kroger at 6th, industrial machinery firm ABB at 8th and network and
communications giant Hughes Network System at 10th.
28.Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has announced new measure to
make facial recognition mandatory for every authentication that requires Aadhaar. It
is being used to provide additional security layer and also make Aadhaar process more
inclusive. This process will be rolled out in phased manner and it will be initially
mandated for providers of SIM cards of telecom service providers (TSPs). The facial
recognition will come as additional feature along withregular authentication process
that includes identification of an individual based on fingerprints or eye scans.
29.Airport Authority of India (AAI) has allotted space to Tribal Cooperative Marketing
Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED) for opening of Tribes India outlets
at Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Udaipur (Rajasthan) and Kolkata (West Bengal) airports.
TRIFED is multi-State Cooperative Society under Ministry of Tribal Affairs. It was
established in August 1987 under Multi State Cooperative Societies Act 1984 (now
been replaced by Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002). It is headquartered in
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New Delhi. Tribes India Outlets will provide good opportunity to market tribal products
and help to promote tribes India as brand among target customers. Besides, AAI also
has offered TRIFED spaces at international airports at Dehradun (Uttarakhand),
Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Pune (Maharashtra), Goa, Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu),
Lucknow (UP), Amritsar (Punjab) and Gangtok (Sikkim) for setting up of Tribes India
Outlets.
30.NITI Aayog has released five Thematic Reports on Sustainable Development in Indian
Himalayan Region (IHR) recognizing uniqueness of Himalayas and challenges for
sustainable development. These reports list challenges in all defined five thematic
areas and discuss significance, challenges, ongoing actions and future roadmap.
31.National Logistics Portal is developing by the Union Ministry of Commerce and
Industry to ensure ease of trading in international and domestic markets. It will be
implemented in phases and will fulfil Central Government’s commitment to enhance
trade competitiveness, create jobs, boost India’s performance in global rankings and
pave way for India to become logistics hub. The portal will link all stakeholders of EXIM
(export and import), domestic trade and movement and all trade activities on single
platform.
32.Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) became first Indian company to cross Rs 8 lakh crore
($114 billion) market capitalisation. This record m-cap of RIL also bumped up Mukesh
Ambani’s (India’s richest man) wealth to over $48 billion (according to Bloomberg
Billionaires Index). M-cap is value of company that is traded on stock market,
calculated by multiplying total number of shares by present share price.
33.The G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting was held in Salta, Argentina from 23 to
24 August, 2018. The theme of the meeting was ‘Building consensus for fair and
sustainable development‘. It took place as part of Sherpa Track for 2018 G20 Leaders’
Summit, which is to be hosted by Argentina by end of 2018. India was represented by
Union Minister for Electronics and IT & Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad.
Participating G20 member nations agreed to promote policies that will contribute to
bridging all forms of digital divide with special attention to digital gender divide. Its
three key issues for the agenda were future of work, infrastructure for development,
and sustainable food future. The other focus areas which were also deliberated
included digital inclusion in particular gender divide, digital government, digital
infrastructure and measuring digital economy.
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34.MoveHack is global mobility hackathon event organized by NITI Aayog to


crowdsource solutions aimed at the future of mobility in India. Union Government’s
premier think tank NITI Aayog has made computer chip manufacturer NVIDIA its deep
learning technology partner to support its MoveHack event. Deep learning technology
is subset of machine learning (ML) in artificial intelligence (AI) that has networks
capable of learning unsupervised from data that is unstructured or unlabelled.
35.$250 million Development Policy Loan (DPL) agreement with World Bank has signed
by Central Government along with Government of Rajasthan for Electricity
Distribution Sector Reforms in Rajasthan. This loan was second in the series of two
operations planned for comprehensive turnaround of Rajasthan’s electricity
distribution sector. The loan will be provided by World Bank’s lending arm
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). It has maturity of 21
years and 3 -year grace period. The first loan was closed in March 2017.
36.$220 million Loan Agreement with World Bank has inked by Union Government
(Finance Ministry) to scale-up India’s Energy Efficiency Program. The loan will be
provided to EESL by World Bank through its lending arm International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). It has maturity of 19 years and 5-year grace
period. It also signed $80 million guarantee agreement with World Bank. The $80
million IBRD guarantee will partially cover re-payment risks to commercial lenders or
investors to enable EESL to raise funds for its program.
37.$245 million finance package to implement project for providing safe, sustainable
drinking water service to million people in three districts of West Bengal affected by
arsenic, fluoride, and salinity has approved by Asian Development Bank (ADB). This
project will play pivotal role in reducing burden of disease from arsenic and fluoride
while preserving groundwater and enhancing climate resilience. The project will
provide continuous potable water through metered connections to about 390,000
individual households in three districts of North 24 Parganas, Bankura and Purba
Medinipur. Through this project, potable water will be provided through bulk water
systems, consisting of intakes, water treatment plants and transmission mains that will
be connected to grid with existing and new systems in these three districts.

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Schemes:
1. Seva Bhoj Yojna - a new scheme to provide financial assistance on purchase of
specific food items by Charitable Religious Institutions (CRIs) for free distribution
among people was launched by Union Ministry of Culture. The scheme aims to
reimburse Central Government share of Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) and
Integrated Goods and Service Tax (IGST) to lessen financial burden of religious and
charitable institutions providing food, prasad, langar (Community Kitchen), Bhandara
free of cost without any discrimination to public and devotee.
2. Integrate to Innovate Programme (i2i programme) for startups in energy sector has
launched by Invest India under Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP)
in partnership with energy companies. i2i programme will provide opportunity for
startups for collaboration and conversation around valuable energy transitions by
bringing their ideas to life with guidance and support from corporates. The selected
startups will receive cash prize grant of up to Rs 5 lakh along with opportunity to pilot
their product with corporates.
3. Mukhyamantri Yuva Nestam -an unemployment allowance scheme to provide Rs
1000 per month unemployed youth in state has approved by Andhra Pradesh
Government. The allowance will directly credited in bank accounts of selected
beneficiary through biometric authentication in transparent manner. It will not be
applicable to those paying provident fund.
4. Ujjwala Yojana achieved its target of providing 5 crore free LPG connections to poor
families. It is pet project of PM Modi. The scheme was launched by the Prime Minister
on May 1, 2016, in Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh with a target to provide free LPG
connections to five crore poor households by March 31, 2019, with a budgetary
allocation of 8000 crore rupees. Ujjwala aims at bringing clean cooking fuel to poor
households, identified according to the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC). More
than 44 percent of Ujjwala beneficiaries are currently from SC/ST communities. The
government achieved this target nearly eight months ahead of schedule.
5. The Union Government has approved 122 new research project proposals worth Rs
112 crore for funding under its Impacting Research Innovation and Technology
‘IMPRINT-2’ scheme. The proposals were approved on August 4, 2018 at the IMPRINT
2 Apex Committee meeting held in New Delhi. The initiative aims to advance research

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in energy, healthcare, security and defence domains in the high education institutions.

6. Under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), the Union Government,
NABARD and National Water Development Agency (NWDA) have signed revised
Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for funding of central share of 99 prioritized
irrigation projects through Long Term Irrigation Fund (LTIF). The revised MoA will
enable Ministry of Water Resources to release Central Assistance to prioritized
projects under PMKSY as per requirements from time to time.
7. Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) has approved by the Cabinet
Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) to be continued beyond 12th Five Year Plan
period ((2012–2017)). For this, fund sharing pattern between centre and states will be
same (Thus, central government share will be Rs 54,900 crore and states’ share is Rs
30,034 crore. Initially targets of PMGSY were to be achieved by March 2022, however,
sunset date of achievement of PMGSY-I was pre-poned to March, 2019, with enhanced
fund allocation and changed funding pattern.
8. Maharashtra government has succeeded in efficiently implementing MUDRA
scheme, an ambitious scheme of the Centre. Over 80 Lakh persons have got
sanctioned loans under the scheme in the last three years. Maharashtra stands at the
fourth position in terms of availing and utilising the ‘Mudra’ loan scheme in the
country. Under this scheme almost 60 percent loan amount went to women who
started their small business.
9. Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, along
with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the widows’ home
‘Krishna Kutir’ at Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh on August 31, 2018. Krishna Kutir is a
special home for 1000 widows set up under its ‘Swadhar Greh Scheme’ of the Ministry.
It is the largest ever facility of its kind created by a government organisation. The
Vrindavan home will offer shelter and protection to the large number of helpless
widows of Vrindavan.

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First in State/ India/ International:


1. Rajasthan became first state in the country to implement National Policy on
Biofuels unveiled by Union Government in May 2018. Under this policy, State
Government will lay emphasis on increasing production of oilseeds and establish
Centre for Excellence in Udaipur to promote research in fields of alternative fuels
and energy resources.
2. The dragonfly festival is being organised from August 3 to September 1, 2018 at
World Wide Fund (WWF) auditorium, New Delhi. The aim is to spread awareness
about the role of Dragonflies in maintaining a healthy ecosystem.Festival includes
special events like ‘Be a scientist for a day’, ‘Date with a dragonfly’, etc. by WWF
India and Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).
3. The world’s first single-chromosome yeast has created by researchers from
China’s Centre for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences. Researchers had used
CRISPR-Cas9 genome-editing technology to create a single-chromosome yeast
strain. Firstly in this process, researchers had fused two chromosomes and then
joined product to another chromosome and repeated process in successive rounds
until there was only one chromosome left. The research had revealed that number
of chromosomes of eukaryote has no correlation with amount of genetic
information they possess.
4. An MoU with Tech Mahindra to launch India’s first Blockchain district was signed
by Telangana State Information Technology, Electronics and Communication
department (ITE&C). Blockchain district will be global talent hub which can help to
unlock value of blockchain technology in democratising data and solving big scale
world problems. It will provide an opportunity for blockchain ecosystem in India to
collaborate and work towards building a blockchain district in Telangana and
transforming India as the blockchain capital of the world.
5. Ajay Data becomes first Indian to get selected as a member of ccNSO (Country
Code Supporting Organisation) which is policy development body of
ICANN(Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) for ccTLD (country
code top-level domains) issues and represents all country code top level domain
operators from around the world. He has been selected for two-year term and will
take up position during ICANN 63 Meet in Spain in October 2018. He will be

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representing India at global level and will be also custodian of Asia, Australia and
Pacific Islands as member of ccNSO. He is founder & CEO of Data XGen Plus and
global leader in email linguistic services. He is creator of world’s first email address
mobile app and email solution for IDN (Internationalized Domain Names) Domains.
He was awarded Graham Bell Award for this innovation.
6. Under Project Shakti- Computer scientists from Indian Institute of Technology
(IIT), Madras have developed first of family of six industry-standard
microprocessors named RISECREEK. The initial batches of 300 chips have been
fabricated at Intel’s facility at Oregon, US for free to run Linux operating system.
7. Bharat Energy Storage Technology Private Limited (BEST) owned the world’s first-
ever thermal battery plant that was inaugurated in Amravati, Andhra Pradesh.
The thermal battery is based on alternative sources of energy production, and its
presence is expected to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. The plant will begin its
commercial operations from May 2019. BEST is planning to create a battery
capacity of 1000MW. This is expected to be upgraded to a 10GW capacity by 2025.
This plant is based on technology patented in India by Dr Patrick Glynn in 2016.
8. Iris Scan Authentication feature for Aadhaar-based transactions through its micro
ATM tablets has been introduced in the country by Axis Bank. Thus it becomes the
first bank in the country to introduce this facility. Axis Bank is presently running
pilot program of iris-based Aadhaar authentication for its customers at eight
branches in rural segment largely covering areas of Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and
Andhra Pradesh.
9. India’s first all-woman Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team for anti-
terrorist operations has inducted by Delhi Police. The all-woman SWAT team is the
brainchild of Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik. It comprises 36 women
commandos from northeastern states (13 members from Assam, 5 from Arunachal
Pradesh, 5 from Sikkim, 5 from Manipur, 4 from Meghalaya, 2 from Nagaland and 1
from Mizoram and Tripura each). The all-woman SWAT team was inducted after
rigorous training of around 15 months from specialists all across India and abroad.
They have undergone training to handle urban situations as well as jungle
operations.
10.India’s first genetic resource bank - National Wildlife Genetic Resource Bank was
inaugurated at Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology’s (CCMB) Laboratory of
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Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES) facility in Hyderabad, Telanagana.


The genetic material will be stored here for posterity which will further the cause of
conservation of endangered and protected animals.
11.Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) became the first public sector enterprise (PSU) to make
transaction on RXIL TReDS platform. TReDS is online electronic institutional
mechanism for facilitating the financing of trade receivables of micro, small and
medium enterprises (MSME) through multiple financiers. HAL executed its first
digitised invoice discounting transaction on RXIL TReDS platform by accepting digital
invoice uploaded by Nasik-based MSME (micro category) vendor Narendra Udyog. This
transaction was financed by Bank of Baroda.
12.“FabCI -Fabless Chip Design Incubator “, an exclusive incubator to boost chip design
has launched by Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad (IIT-H). FabCI’s purpose is
to incubate at least 50 ‘Make-in-India’ chip design companies that can compete
globally and generate Intellectual Property Rights. FabCI is funded by Ministry of
Electronics and Information Technology (MeITY) along with technology partners
Cadence Design Systems and Mentor Graphics. It is first of its kind in India that will
focus on creating an ecosystem for start-ups in chip design.
13.India’s first captive-born Humboldt Penguin named Freedom Baby died barely a
week after it was born at Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo (Byculla zoo) due
to new born anomalies like liver dysfunction and yolk sac retention. Humboldt
penguin is named after the cold water current (Humboldt current) it swims in. It is
native to South America and breeds in coastal Chile and Peru. It is categorized as
vulnerable under IUCN list. The penguin chick was born on 15th August 2018 to
penguin pair of Mr Molt (male) and Flipper (Female). It was named Freedom Baby as it
was born on Independence Day. It was born 40 days incubation period after Flipper,
oldest female in zoo’s penguin colony hatched single egg it had laid. It was the first
Humboldt Penguin to born in captivity in India. Byculla zoo had imported eight
Humboldt Penguins – later named as Dory, Donald, Daisy, Popeye, Olive, Bubble,
Flipper and Mr Molt – from a South Korea zoo in July 2016.
14.World’s first public blockchain bond named bond-i created, allocated, transferred
and managed by using blockchain technology has launched by the World Bank.
Bond-i is an acronym standing for Blockchain Offered New Debt Instrument and also
refers to tourist famous Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. Funds raised from this bond
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will go towards sustainable development initiatives. Bond-i is Ethereum blockchain


bond denominated in Australian dollars, making it Kangaroo bond (referring to foreign
bonds issued in Australia in local currency). World Bank had chosen Commonwealth
Bank of Australia (largest bank in Austria) was chosen as sole arranger for this bond.
The bond has two-year maturity and had raised Australian $100 million (US$73.16
million) after its issuance.
15.World’s first wind-sensing satellite named Aeolus has successfully launched into
orbit on board of Vega rocket from French Guyana by European Space Agency (ESA).
The satellite is Aeolus named after guardian of wind in Greek mythology. It will be
placed at altitude of 320km above the Earth. It is part of the Copernicus project, a joint
initiative of European Union (EU) and European Space Agency (ESA) to track
environmental damage and aid disaster relief operations. Aeolus satellite will provide
much-needed data to improve quality and accuracy of weather forecasting. It will help
to improve understanding of working of atmosphere dynamics and contribute to
climate change research.
16.India’s first inter-state transmission system (ISTS) auction of 126 MW wind power
capacity was commissioned in Bhuj, Gujarat. This auction was conducted by state-run
Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd (SECI) in February 2017. The first auction signifies
major shift from earlier regime of state-specific feed-in-Tariff (FiT) model to Pan-India,
market-driven mechanism. The energy generated from this project is being purchased
by Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. This was bid for projects to be
connected on ISTS wherein power generated from one state (renewable resource rich
state) can be transmitted to other renewable deficient states.
17.India’s first flight using biofuel will fly from Dehradun (capital of Uttarakhand) to
Delhi. India will be first developing nation to experiment biofuel test flight. SpiceJet
operated first such biofuel flight from Dehradun to Delhi using alternative
environment friendly fuel for 10 minutes over Dehradun. Based on the result of test
flight, second flight took off later to Delhi.The objective this biofuel flight is to make air
travel economical and bring some respite to airlines reeling under high fuel price
through use of alternate fuel. The first ever biofuel test flight was conducted by
SpiceJet on its turborporp Q-400 plane. Developed countries like Canada, Australia and
US have already conducted these test flights.

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18.India’s only aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya for the first time will be fitted with
marine hydraulic system to boost the air operations of the ship. INS Vikramaditya
design is based on Kiev-class aircraft carriers. It is 284 metres long and 60 metres high
(high as 20-storeyed building). It weighs 40,000 tonnes and is biggest and heaviest ship
in e Indian Navy. Its air wing consists of 30 MiG 29K fighter jets and six Kamov
helicopters. It is based at its home port at Karwar in Karnataka. Currently it is most
powerful aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy. It will be fitted with two marine hydraulic
systems whose technical terms go by “GS-1MF” and “GS-3”. GS-1MF hydraulic system
is used in helicopters, while GS-3 is used in aircraft. The system will be installed by
Technodinamika, a subsidiary of Russia’s Rostec State Corporation by May 2019.
19.One of India’s premier avian research institutes, the Bombay Natural History Society
(BNHS) will start operating its first regional centre or avifauna observatory on the
campus of Wetland Research and Training Centre near Chilika Lake (Asia’s largest
brackish water lagoon), Odisha. The avifauna observatory will carry out research on
avian disease by collecting samples and monitor Nalabana Bird Sanctuary.
20.India’s first first-ever environment friendly biofuel powered flight between
Dehradun and Delhi was propelled by blend of oil from jatropha seeds and
aviation turbine fuel. This plane had carried blend of 25% of bio jet fuel (derived
from jatropha seeds) and 75% of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) in one of the two
engines of plane, while other carried only ATF. This flight was technological
demonstration that bio jet fuel can be used in flights. The 43-minute flight was
operated by SpiceJet’s Bombardier Q-400 aircraft, with 20 officials and five crew
members on board.

Appointments/ Resignations:
1. C B Ananthakrishnan was appointed as the Director (Finance) of Hindustan
Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).
2. Justice Shripathi Ravindra Bhat was appointed as the acting chief justice of the
Delhi High Court on August 7, 2018. Justice Bhat will continue to hold the charge of
acting chief justice till Justice Rajendra Menon of the Patna High Court takes over as
the chief justice of the Delhi High Court in the coming days.
3. Chartered Accountant Swaminathan Gurumurthy and businessman Satish
Kashinath Marathe have been appointed as another non-official director on

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Central Board of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a period of 4 years. It has been
approved by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC). RBI’s business is
overseen by Central Board of Directors. It comprises RBI Governor, Deputy
Governors (maximum 4), four non-official Directors which are nominated by
Central Government (each Non-official director represents the local Boards located
in Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai representing 4 regions of India). 10 Non-
official Directors nominated by RBI itself (These are persons having expertise in
various segments of Indian Economy). Besides, there is one representative (usually
Financial Services Secretary) of Central Government nominated under Section 8 (1)
(d) of the RBI Act.
4. Rekha Sharma (54) was appointed as chairperson of the National Commission for
Women (NCW). It is apex national level organization of India the mandate of
protecting and promoting the interests of women.
5. Former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet (66) was appointed as next United
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. She was nominated by UN
Secretary General Antonio Guterres and her appointment was approved by UN
General Assembly.
6. Justice Manjula Chellur took oath as Chairperson of Appellate Tribunal for
Electricity (ATE), Ministry of Power. She has been appointed for a period of 3 years
or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
7. Senior bureaucrat Ashish Kumar Bhutani was appointed as the Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) by the Government
of India. PMFBY is farmers’ welfare scheme launched in 2016 to ensure faster
insurance services or reliefs to farmers. It was formulated in line with One Nation–
One Scheme theme by replacing earlier two schemes National Agricultural
Insurance Scheme (MNAIS) and Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme
(MNAIS) by incorporating their best features and removing their inherent
drawbacks (shortcomings).
8. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s 21 members-cabinet took the oath on
August 20, 2018. President Mamnoon Hussain administered the oath to the
nominated cabinet members, at a ceremony held at the President House in
Islamabad.

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9. President Ram Nath Kovind appointed Governors of seven states by exercising his
authority under Article 156. Satya Pal Malik was transferred to Jammu and Kashmir
(J&K) who is former Governor of Bihar. Tathagata Roy was transferred as new
Governor of Meghalaya. He was earlier the Governor of Tripura. Baby Rani Maurya
has been made the new Governor of Uttarakhand. Satyadev Narayan Arya was
appointed as the new Governor of Haryana. Kaptan Singh Solanki was appointed as
new Governor of Tripura. Prior to this, he was Governor of Haryana. Ganga Prasad
was appointed as the new Governor of Sikkim. He is former Governor of Meghalaya.
Lal Ji Tandon has been appointed as new Governor of Bihar.
10.Bollywood actor Raveena Tandon has appointed as the brand ambassador of
Mumbai city-based Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) by Maharashtra
Government. It was formerly known as Borivali National Park (renamed to present
name in 1996, after Sanjay Gandhi, eldest son of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi).
11.Dr. G Satheesh Reddy was appointed as Secretary of Department of Defence R&D
(DDR&D) and Chairman of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC). He is well known for his significant
contributions to indigenous design, development, deployment of diversified missiles
and strategic systems, guided weapons, avionics technologies and for sustained efforts
in advancement of aerospace technologies & industries in India.
12.Ganga Prasad was sworn in as the 16th Governor of Sikkim at a function held at Raj
Bhawan in Gangtok on August 26, 2018. He succeeds Shriniwas Patil as the 16th
Governor of Sikkim.
13.Indian development economist and environment expert Satya S. Tripathi was
appointed as assistant secretary general of United Nation s and will head New
York office of UN Environment Programme (UNEP). He was appointed by UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
14.The Election Commission of India (ECI) nominated senior IAS officer Anand Kumar as
the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Rajasthan replacing Ashwini Bhagat on August 30,
2018

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Awards:
1. The Prestigious World Health Organization (WHO) World No Tobacco Day 2017
Award was awarded to Delhi government’s additional director of health, SK Arora
for his extraordinary contribution towards tobacco control. He was presented the
award by Henk Bekedam, WHO India country head in New Delhi. World No Tobacco
Day is observed around the world every year on 31 May.
2. 2018 Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award was conferred to former West Bengal
Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi. He was presented award in New Delhi on occasion of
74th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. He is grandson of Father
of Nation Mahatma Gandhi. He is retired IAS officer (Tamil Nadu cadre) and also had
served as diplomat. He was 22nd Governor of West Bengal serving from 2004 to 2009.
3. General Dalbir Singh Suhag (Retired) of Indian Army has been awarded Legion of
Merit (Degree of Commander) by United States Government for his exceptionally
meritorious service as Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) from August 2014 to December
2016. With this, he becomes second Indian to get this award, first being General
Rajendrasinghji Jadeja in 1946.

Sports:
1. Under the Swachh Bharat Mission Programme of Ministry of Drinking Water &
Sanitation, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports is celebrating Swachhta Pakhwada
from August 1 to 15, 2018. The Ministry aims to make all five SAI Stadia namely
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, Indira Gandhi
Stadium Complex, Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range and Dr. SPM Swimming Pool
Complex as “Plastic Free Zone”.
2. World Junior Squash Championships 2018 was held in Chennai from 18th to
29th July 2018. Egypt national junior squash team defeated England 2-0 in the final
and emerged as the 2018 World Junior Squash Champions. India finished in 11th
position.
3. Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes, United Kingdom wins 6th Hungarian Formula 1
Grand Prix. This is the 67th career victory for Lewis Hamilton. Daniel Ricciardo of
Red Bull of Australia was named as the Driver of the Day by Formula One for

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finishing at fourth position after starting from the 12th position. Formula One’s
next race is the Belgian Grand Prix. It will be held on 26th August 2018.
4. Boat racing team is set to be added to Indian contingent for next month's Asian
Games in Indonesia following Delhi High Court orders. The orders came on July 30
on a petition filed by one of the athletes in the boat racing squad, Abhay Singh
against Indian Olympic Association's (IOA) decision to not send a team of the water
sport.
5. A new policy for promotion of railway sportspersons has approved by the Union
Minister of Railways, Piyush Goyal. Under the new policy, the railway
sportspersons who have won a position or medal in the Olympics and all those
sportspersons and coaches who have been awarded the Padma Shri will be
promoted as officers. The railway sportspersons, who are winners of any of the
awards like Arjuna/Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, would also be entitled to the
promotion.
6. Olympic champion Carolina Marin of Spain won this title by defeating India’s P V
Sindhu. With this victory, Marin became the first woman shuttler to win the world
championships thrice. She had earlier won the title in 2014 (Copenhagen) and 2015
(Jakarta). P V Sindhu won silver medal in women’s singles category at the World
Championships 2018 of Badminton held at Nanjing, China. It makes Sindhu only
Indian to have four world championships podium finishes. Earlier she had won two
bronze medals at 2013 (Guangzhou) and 2014 (Copenhagen) editions. Women’s
doubles: Japanese pair of Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara won the title by
defeating another Japanese pair of Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota. Kento
Momota of Japan won the title (gold medal) by defeating China’s Shi Yuqi in Men’s
singles category. With this victory, he became the first Japanese man to win the
Championships. Chinese pair of Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen won the Men’s doubles
title by defeating Japanese pair of Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda. Chinese pair
of Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong won the Mixed doubles title by defeating
another Chinese pair of Wang Yilü and Huang Dongping.
7. Tokyo 2020 will be first Olympics to use facial recognition technology to increase
security around all venues. The facial recognition technology will use IC chips
within identification cards to automatically verify the identity of those entering
over 40 sporting venues. This system will help to prevent fraudulent entry by
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people borrowing, stealing or faking an ID card. The technology takes only 0.3
seconds to match up face with pre-registered photo, making it world’s fastest such
system.
8. World Champion weightlifter Mirabai Chanu pulled out of the Asian Games after
failing to recover from a lower back injury. Her absence from the upcoming Asian
Games comes as a huge setback for India, as she was considered as one of the
strongest contenders for a gold medal in the event.
9. The games period will be made mandatory in all schools from 2019 onwards. This
announcement was made by Union Sports Minister, Rajyavardhan Rathore on
August 6, 2018 Along with this, the Minister said that the Ministry of Education will
ensure a 50 per cent reduction in the syllabus.
10.India’s first gold medal won by Wrestler Bajrang Punia in the men’s freestyle 65 kg
final event by defeated Japan’s Takatani Daichi at the 18th edition of the Asian
Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia. It was Bajrang’s maiden gold medal and overall
second medal in Asian Games after he had earlier won silver medal in 2014 Asian
Games (Incheon, South Korea) in the men’s freestyle 61 kg category.
11.Apurvi Chandela and Ravi Kumar were first Indian athletes to win medals in 2018
Asian Games. Both had won bronze medal in mixed team rifle shooting event.
12.India’s first medal was won by shooter Deepak Kumar, who won much-deserved
silver in the men’s 10m air rifle finals event.
13.Two –time CWG champion Vinesh Phogat defeated Japan’s IrieYuki in the women’s
free style 50kg final to become the first Indian Woman wrestler to win gold at the
Asian games .She bagged her second Asiad medal. Indian has won two gold medals at
2018Asiad so far.

14.Rishabh Pant became fourth Indian wicket-keeper to take five catches on Test debut
during the second day of the third Test against England and joins club of other Indian
wicket-keepers who have taken five catches on Test debut. Pant became India’s
291st Test player. It also makes him Pant first Asian wicket-keeper and third in the
world to take five catches in an innings on Test debut. Other two international wicket-
keepers who achieved this feat are B Taber (vs South Africa, 1966) and J MacLean ( vs
Brisbane, 1978).Other Indian Wicket Keepers are Naren Tamhane (vs Pakistan in
1955), Kiran More (vs England in 1986) and Naman Ojha (vs Sri Lanka in 2015).
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15.Saurabh Choudhary won gold in 10m Air Pistol event with Asiad record, while
Abhishek Verma bagged bronze. India’s Sanjeev Rajput, on the other hand, claimed
the silver by finishing second in the finals of the 50m rifle 3 positions men’s event on
the 3 day of 2018 Asian Games.
16.Teen cyclist Esow Alben has created history by claiming India's first ever medal - a
silver- at the UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships in Aigle, Switzerland. He
put enormous pressure on Czech Republic's Jakub Stastny in the final sprint before
settling for the silver medal. Esow finished just 0.017 seconds behind gold medalist
Stastny in the thrilling photo-finish of a race.

17.Indian shooter Rahi Sarnobat winning the 4th gold in the finals of women’s 25m
pistol event on 4th day of Asian Games 2018. With the feat, she became the first
Indian woman to win a gold medal in shooting at the Asian Games.
18.Asian Games gold medalist athlete Hakam Singh (64) passed away on August 14,
2018 at a private hospital in Sangrur, Punjab. He had been ailing for some time and
was undergoing treatment for liver and kidney ailments.
19.India won four bronze medals in Wushu sporting event (all in Sanda style) at Jakarta-
Palembang 2018 Asian Games held in Indonesia. Four bronze medals winners are
Roshibina Devi in 60kg category, Santosh Kumar in56kg category, Surya Bhanu Partap
Singh in 60kg category, Narender Grewal in65kg category. He had earlier won bronze
in Sanda 60kg in 2014 Asian Games. Wushu is Chinese Kung-fu. It was India’s best
performance so far in Wushu in Asian Games as in Incheon games in 2014, India had
won just two bronze medals.
20.Shardul Vihan (15), Young Indian shooter won silver in the finals of the men’s double
trap event. It is India’s 17th Asiad medal on Day 5 of Asian Games 2018. Ankita Raina
won bronze in tennis women’s singles event. Indian tennis duo of Rohan Bopanna
and Divij Sharan has entered the finals of their event, assuring India of a silver medal.
21.Veteran India pacer Jhulan Goswami on Thursday announced her retirement from
T20 Internationals with immediate effect. Goswami, a veteran of 10 Tests and 169
ODIs, is currently the leading wicket-taker in the women’s ODI format and also the first
woman cricketer to take 200 ODI wickets. In 2010, she received the Arjuna Award and
two years later, became only the second woman cricketer to be conferred the Padma
Shri, after Diana Edulji. She won the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Women’s
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Cricketer of the Year award in 2007, the first Indian player to win it. She represented
India in 68 T20Is, picking up 56 wickets which included a five-wicket haul against
Australia in 2012. Goswami's memorable Test performance came against England at
Taunton in 2006, where she took five wickets in each innings to finish with match
figures of 10 for 78 to help India to a famous series victory.
22.Shot-putter Tejinder Pal Singh Toor (24) won Gold medal in men’s shot put final at
2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian GamesAsian Games held in Indonesia. He finished
first in men’s shot put final and set new record at 20.75 m in his fifth attempt. It was
India’s first Gold medal in Athletics event in this edition of Asian Games.
23.Indian tennis pair of Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan won gold medal in Men’s
Doubles tennis at 2018 Asian Games by defeating Kazakhstan’s Aleksandar Bublik
and Denis Yevseyv pair. It is second time Indonesia hosting Asian Games. For first,
it was held in Jakarta in 1962. Trio of Bhin Bhin (bird of paradise), Kaka (one horned
rhino) and Atung (deer) are mascots of 2018 Asian Games. These three mascots
represent east, west and centre of country and they have dress traditional to each
locality. It is 18th edition of Asian Games hosted by Indonesia. It was held from
August 18 to September 2, 2018 in two cities – Jakarta (capital of Indonesia) and
Palembang (capital of Indonesia’s province of South Sumatra).
24.India's medal account opened on Day 9 of the 18th Asian Games with star shuttler
Saina Nehwal winning a historic bronze after losing to World No.1 Tai Tzu Ying of
Chinese Taipei in women's singles semifinals. Nehwal with her bronze medal became
the only second singles player and the first female one to win an Asiad bronze after
Syed Modi, who had won a bronze in 1982. In another first, India's PV Sindhu defeated
Japan's Akane Yamaguchi in their semifinal clash to become the first-ever badminton
player to reach the final of Asian Games in either singles or doubles. Sindhu will now
face World No.1 Tai Tzu Ying in the final.
25.At the 10th day of 18th Asian Games, women's singles gold medal match between
PV Sindhu and Tai Tzu Yin, Sindhu had to settle for silver after she lost to Yin in
straight sets. Despite the loss, Sindhu became the first badminton player to win
silver in Asian Games.
26.India’s Arpinder Singh (25) won gold medal in Men’s Triple Jump event at 2018
Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games. With this, Arpinder Singh became first Indian in
48 years to win gold in men’s triple jump at the Asian Games. India’s last Asian
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Games gold medal in men’s triple jump had come in 1970 from Mohinder Singh
Gill. Ruslan Kurbanov of Uzbekistan won silver medal. Shuo Cao of China was third
and won bronze.
27.Indian athlete Swapna Barman (21) won gold medal in women’s Heptathlon
Athletics event at 18th edition of Asian Games held in Jakarta-Palembang in
Indonesia. With this, she became first Indian to win gold medal in heptathlete
event in Asian Games. Qingling Wang from China won silver medal and Yuki
Yamasaki of Japan won bronze medal.
28.India's gold medal account on Day 12 of the 18th Asian Games opened with Jinson
Johnson, who with a time of 3:44:72 finished first in the men's 1500m final.
Johnson, who had won the silver in 800m, took the gold this time, while Manjit
Singh, who had won the gold in 800m, finished fourth. India's second gold of the
day came through the Indian women's relay team who clinched the top position in
the women's 4x400 relay finals. Hima Das gave India the lead at first and the other
three racers - MR Poovamma, SL Gayakwad and V Koroth- maintained it right till
the end. India took the first place with a timing of 3:28:72.
29.Defending champion Nitu, Haryana boxer (48kg) claimed her second successive
gold at the world youth boxing championships with a gritty performance in the
final in Budapest on August 30, 2018 by defeating Thailand's Nillada Meekoon.

Deaths:
1. Jalees Sherwani (70), who had penned lyrics for several of Salman Khan hit films such
as Dabangg, Wanted and Tere Naam, passed away on August 1, 2018.
2. Umbayee (68) a noted ghazal singer and composer from Kerala, passed away on
August 1, 2018 at a private hospital at nearby Aluva due to some ailments.
3. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee (89) passed away following multi-
organ failure in Kolkata, West Bengal. He was Speaker of Lok Sabha (House of the
People) in first five-year term (2004-2009) of United Progressive Alliance Government.
He was born in 1929 in Tezpur, Assam.
4. Veteran Marathi actor Vijay Chavan (63), known for his comic roles, passed away at
a hospital in Mumbai on August 24, 2018 after a prolonged illness. 'Moru Chi Mavshi'
is one of his famous plays in which he was appreciated for portraying a woman.

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5. Former Indian Cricketer, Bengal opener and captain Gopal Bose (71) passed away at
Birmingham on August 26, 2018. Bose passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest at a
Birmingham hospital.
6. US senator John McCain (81), a celebrated Vietnam War hero, passed away on
August 25, 2018 after losing a battle to brain cancer.

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