1) National Sports Day: 29 August
•The National Sports day is celebrated on 29th August every year to mark the birthday of legendary hockey player Major Dhyan Chand. To celebrate the day various programs are being conducted through the country.
•On this occasion, President Ram Nath Kovind will give away the sports Awards. A total of 29 players have been selected to receive the honours from President. The President will confer Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, Arjuna Award and Dronacharya Award at Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi.
2) Vice President Launches ‘National Sports Talent Search Portal’
•The vice president of India Venkaiah Naidu launched the National Sports Talent Search Portal, a government initiative to unearth sporting talent from every nook and corner of the country.
•Under the initiative, a child or his parents, teachers or coaches can upload his bio data or video on the portal. The Sports ministry will select talented players and impart training to them at Sports Authority India centres. The portal will also be available as an App enabling it to be downloaded on smart phones.
3) Government Imposes Anti-Dumping Duty on Sodium Nitrite Imports from China
•The Finance Ministry has imposed a five-year anti-dumping duty on Sodium Nitrite imports from China. Deepak Nitrite Ltd had filed the petition, which was also supported by Punjab Chemicals & Crop Protection Ltd, seeking sunset review investigations on Sodium Nitrite imports from China.
•There are two more producers of Sodium Nitrite in the country - National Fertilisers Ltd and Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers Limited.
4) India, Germany Sign Pact to Improve Grid Integration of Renewable Energy
•India and Germany signed an agreement on technical cooperation under the Indo-German Energy Programme – Green Energy Corridors (IGEN-GEC).
•The main objective of this program component is to improve the sector framework and conditions for grid integration of renewable energy.
5) Nitasha Biswas Crowned First Miss TransQueen India
•Nitasha Biswas, a transwoman from Kolkata was crowned the first Miss TransQueen India. The competition was held in Gurugram, Haryana. Biswas is currently pursuing Masters in Business Management in Kolkata, West Bengal.
•On the other hand, Manipur’s Loiloi was crowned the first runner-up. Biswas will now go to Thailand for Miss International Queen, while Loiloi will compete at Miss Transsexual Australia.
6) FIFA U-17 World Cup Logo for Kochi Venue
•Kerala Chief Minister Shri Pinarayi Vijayan launched the host city logo for Kochi, one of the venues of FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017. The logo represents and reflects Kochi's identity and will be a valuable tool in linking the local community in a global World Cup.
•The tournament will be hosted in the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium of the city. In October 2016, Kochi became the first Indian city to be officially declared as one of the venues for hosting the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
