1. Power minister launches e-certification programme to provide regulatory training
- Power Minister R K Singh has launched an e-certification programme, ‘reform and regulatory knowledge base for power sector’, to provide regulatory training.
- The Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy R K Singh launched ‘reform and regulatory knowledge base for power sector’, an e-certification programme to provide regulatory training to the practitioners from diverse backgrounds through virtual mode.
- R K Singh also launched a Regulatory Data Dashboard which is an e-compendium of data containing state-wise details of tariff and power discoms (distribution companies) performance, developed by IIT Kanpur. The Dashboard would assist in benchmarking the sector performance, over time and across the power sector utilities.
2. Labhanshu Sharma wins Bharat Kesari Wrestling Dangal for Uttarakhand
- Indian Wrestler Labhanshu Sharma won the Bharat Kesari Wrestling Dangal 2021 organised in Tamil Nadu. 20 years since the formation of Uttarakhand, Labhanshu has broken the drought and won the title of Bharat Kesari for the state.
- With 15 gold medals at the state level and 10 medals at the national level and 2 gold medals and 1 silver medal in the International Wrestling competitions; Labhanshu is already set to bring glory to the nation.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Governor of Uttarakhand: Baby Rani Maurya;
- The chief minister of Uttarakhand: Pushkar Singh Dhami.
3. India’s first Heart Failure Biobank starts at SCTIMST in Kerala
- The first Heart Failure Biobank in the country has come up at the National Centre for Advanced Research and Excellence in HF (CARE-HF) at the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Kerala.
- The Biobank is open to study genetic, metabolomics and proteomic markers of health outcomes in heart-failure patients.
- Biobanks are an important resource of collections of high-quality biological human samples that can be used to understand molecular pathways and to improve the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of heart failure.
- The biospecimens include blood, serum and tissue samples obtained during open-heart surgery and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and genomic DNA collected from heart-failure patients.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Kerala CM: Pinarayi Vijayan;
- Kerala Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan.
4. Suryoday Small Finance Bank opens ‘Health and Wellness Savings account
- Suryoday Small Finance Bank (SSFB) has launched a ‘Suryoday Health and Wellness Savings Account’ to help customers grow their wealth and also take care of their family’s health amid the covid-19 pandemic.
- The account offers an attractive interest rate and comes with three major benefits for a family of four — top-up health insurance of ₹25 lakh, annual healthcare package and on-call emergency ambulance medical care services.
- Complimentary top-up health insurance plan of ₹25 lakh with a deductible amount of ₹5 lakh.
- The top-up health insurance plan covers self and family (self, spouse, and up to 2 children) for hospitalisation/medical emergencies.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Suryoday Small Finance Bank MD and CEO: Baskar Babu Ramachandran;
5. SBI General partners with SahiPay to offer general insurance products
- SBI General Insurance, one of India’s leading General Insurance companies, announced a tie-up with Manipal Business Solutions to increase insurance penetration in the rural markets.
- SahiPay, the fastest growing tech-enabled financial inclusion platform of Manipal Business Solutions, provides digital and financial services to customers in semi-urban and rural India.
- This partnership will bring in a perfect blend for rural customers, with SBI General’s non-life product offerings and Manipal Business Solutions, along with the right understanding of the rural segment by both partners.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- SBI General Insurance Headquarters: Mumbai;
- SBI General Insurance Founded: 2009;
- SBI General Insurance CEO: Prakash Chandra Kandpal.
6. Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project in Bhutan gets Brunel Medal
- Bhutan’s India-assisted Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project was conferred with the Brunel Medal awarded by the London-based Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).
- The award was given as a mark of excellence in civil engineering within the industry and was handed over by the Indian envoy to Bhutan Ruchira Kamboj to the Chairman of Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project Authority, Lyonpo Loknath Sharma.
- One of the reasons the Mangdechhu project was awarded was because of its social and environmental credentials.
- The project will reduce 2.4 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year.
- Bhutan and India in the past have collectively resolved to increase the hydropower energy capacity of Bhutan to 12000 MW.
- The Brunel Medal is historically given to major projects and organisations across the world.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Bhutan Capital: Thimphu;
- Bhutan Prime minister: Lotay Tshering;
- Bhutan Currency: Bhutanese ngultrum.
7. 2nd IEEE International Conference on Range Technology by DRDO
- The 2nd Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) International Conference on Range Technology (ICORT-2021) is being held virtually.
- The conference has been organised by Integrated Test Range (ITR) Chandipur, a laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
- It was inaugurated by Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy. The event will host speakers from across the globe, who will present their technological achievements in multiple subjects related to Tests and Evaluation of defence systems.
- The conference will be a very effective platform for all the Range Technology enthusiasts to interact with each other and stay updated with recent developments in relevant fields.
8. Eurosport India appoints John Abraham as the MotoGP Brand Ambassador
- Eurosport India has appointed Bollywood superstar and MotoGP enthusiast, John Abraham, as the India Ambassador for their flagship Motorsport property, MotoGP™.
- John will be seen promoting MotoGP to a wider audience base in India as its face through Eurosport’s campaign – “MotoGP, Race Lagate Hai”.
9. Indigenously designed INS Vikrant leaves port for maiden sea trials
- India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, Vikrant set sail to begin its first sea trial. INS Vikrant was designed by the Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design (DND) and built at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL).
- This advanced warship is the first attempt by the two entities to build an aircraft carrier from the ground up.
- INS Vikrant has 75 per cent indigenous content and will be commissioned into the Eastern Naval Command. It will be commissioned into the Indian Navy by August 2022.
10. Neeraj Chopra wins Olympic gold medal in Javelin throw
- Neeraj Chopra has won a Gold medal for India in the javelin throw event at Tokyo Olympics. With a throw of 87.03 metres in his first attempt, Neeraj killed the competition.
- In his second he improved it to 87.58m and that turned out to be the golden throw. Except for Viteszalav Veslay of the Czech Republic who threw 86.67m none of his rivals including world champion Johannas Vetter fell by wayside.
- This is India’s 7th medal at Tokyo 2020, the best ever medal haul for India at a single edition of the Games. Neeraj Chopra’s Gold is also India’s second-ever individual Gold medal at the Olympics, after Abhinav Bindra in Shooting.
11. Tokyo Olympics 2020: Bajrang Punia wins Olympic wrestling bronze medal
- Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia has won the Olympic wrestling bronze medal match after 8-0 win over Daulet Niyazbekov of Kazakhstan in the men’s freestyle 65kg category.
- Punia became the sixth Indian wrestler to finish on the Olympic podium after KD Jadhav, Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt, Sakshi Malik and Ravi Kumar Dahiya. This became the second instance after the 2012 London Olympics when two Indian wrestlers won medals in the same Games.
12. National Handloom Day observed on 7th August
- India has marked the 7th National Handloom Day to showcase the legacy of the Indian handloom industry.
- The day is to commemorate the Swadeshi Movement and to celebrate our country’s rich fabrics and colourful weaves.
- The whole nation will mark the day to showcase the legacy of the Indian handloom industry and to honour the weavers across the country. It was first observed in 2015 by the Govt of India.
- National Handloom Day seeks to focus on the contribution of handloom to the socio-economic development of the country and also increase the income of weavers.
13. Ladakh launches ‘Pani Maah’ to raise awareness about clean water
- ‘Pani Maah’ or water month has been launched in Ladakh to inform villagers about the importance of clean water.
- The Ladakh government has also announced a reward of Rs 2.5 million for the first block in each district that achieves the status of ‘Har Ghar Jal’.
- ‘Pani Maah’ campaign will adopt a three-pronged approach — focussing on water quality testing, planning and strategizing water supply, and seamless functioning of Pani Sabha in villages.
- Only 11.75 per cent of rural households in Ladakh have access to tap water connections. The Pani Maah campaign is expected to expedite the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission in the union territory.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh: Radha Krishna Mathur.