National Current Affairs
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15 announced a ₹100 lakh crore ‘Gatishakti’ initiative to bring employment opportunities for the youth, help local manufacturers become globally competitive and aid in holistic infrastructure growth.
- Calling for ‘Sabka Prayas’ along with ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’ for building a new India, the prime minister also announced that rice provided under any scheme will be fortified by 2024.
- The government has decided to open all Sainik schools to girls.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared August 14 will be observed as ‘Partition Horrors Remembrance Day’ to acknowledge the pain undergone by Indians due to the partition of India in 1947.
- Ban on production of specific plastic goods from July 2022.
- ‘AL – Mohed AL – Hindi’ : Maiden bilateral naval exercise between India and Saudi Arabia
- GSLV-F10 fails to launch earth observation satellite into intended orbit
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the second phase of the Ujjwala gas connection scheme for the poor. Under Ujjwala 2.0 (Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana), migrant workers would no longer have to struggle to get address proof documents to get the gas connections.
International Current Affairs
- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said after fleeing the country that the Taliban had won, as the militants entered Kabul – nearly 20 years after they were ousted from power by a US-led invasion.
- A powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck southwestern Haiti on Saturday, killing at least 304 people.
- Indonesia’s most active volcano Mount Merapi erupted on August 16.
State Current Affairs
- Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi renamed the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna as Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award, the Maharashtra government announced Rajiv Gandhi Award for Excellence in Information Technology (IT).
- The award would be given before October 30. From next year, the award would be distributed on August 20.
- The Maharashtra IT Corporation Limited (MAHA-IT had been appointed the nodal agency to propose the award.
Economy Current Affairs
India’s industrial production rose by 13.6 % in June
- According to the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), the manufacturing sector’s output surged by 13 % in June 2021.
- The mining output climbed 23.1 % and power generation increased by 8.3 % in June.
Sports
- Bangladesh won T20 series against Australia.
- Lionel Messi has joined French giants Paris Saint-Germain on a two-year deal following his departure from FC Barcelona.
- Priya Gurjar, Parneet Kaur and Ridhu Senthilkumar combined to take the women’s team gold in the World youth archery championships.
- Unmukt Chand, who led India to Under-19 World Cup glory in 2012 but struggled to replicate the success at the senior level, announced his retirement from all forms of the game on the social media.
Environment
IPCC 6th assessment report
IPCC has recommended that countries strive to achieve net zero emissions — that is, no additional greenhouse gases were emitted — by 2050. In the most ambitious emissions pathway, the projection is that globe would reach the 1.5°C in the 2030s, overshoot to 1.6°C, with temperatures dropping back down to 1.4°C at the end of the century.
Impact on India
The report warns that with a 7,517 km coastline, India will face significant threats from rising seas. Across six Indian port cities — Chennai, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Surat and Visakhapatnam — 28.6 million people will be exposed to coastal flooding if sea levels rise 50cm.
Person/Places in News
- Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla gets one-year extension.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi become the first Indian Prime Minister to chair a United Nations Security Council open debate.
Also refer :
- Important Facts About National Flag Of India
- National Symbols of India
- Top 50 Science Questions From Previous Year UPSC Prelims
