1) National Programme ‘Vidyarthi Vigyan Manthan 2020-21’ launched
•Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan has launched ‘Vidyarthi Vigyan Manthan, 2020-21’. It is a national programme which has been launched to popularize science among school students of Class 6th to 11th. The programme has been designed to identify the talent in the field of science and to promote the scientfic acumen among the students.
•Vidyarthi Vigyan Manthan (VVM) is an initiative of Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA) and Vigyan Prasar. The programme has been conceptualised to identify the bright minds with a scientific aptitude among the student community.
2) Andhra Pradesh government launches ‘E-Raksha Bandhan’
•Andhra Pradesh government has launched an innovative virtual cybercrime awareness programme named as ‘E-Raksha Bandhan’. The programme aims to create awareness among the public on Cyber crimes across the State. The month long online awareness programme would be organised by the Crime Investigation Department (CID), FM Radio, Cyber Crime Prevention Against Women and Children (CCPWC), Cyber Peace Foundation and other organisations.
•With this online awareness drive, state government aims to train as many as 1 lakh women, girls and the general public up to August 31. Hence, the ‘E-Raksha Bandhan’ will ensure the safety of women and children in cyberspace. State police and CID has also publicised a slogan “Let us make August a month of e-freedom and e-safety”.
3) MSME Minister launches Khadi’s Gift Box of Silk Mask
•Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Shri Nitin Gadkari has launched the Khadi’s Gift Box of Silk Mask. The Gift Box has been developed by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).
•The KVIC developed gift box comprises of four handcrafted silk masks in different colors and prints. These triple-layered silk masks are skin-friendly, washable, reusable as well as bio-degradable. The Khadi’s Gift Box has been launch to tap the foreign market and a large Indian population looking for reasonably priced gift items.
4) Mohamed Irfaan Ali named as President of Guyana
•Former Guyanese housing minister, Mohamed Irfaan Ali has been named as the President of the country. He is a member of the opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP). He succeeds David Arthur(A.) Granger.
•David A. Granger is a member of A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (ANPU-AFC). The PPP won 33 of the 65 seats in the National Assembly with 233,336 votes, while the APNU-AFC earned 31 seats with 217,920 votes.
5) A book titled “Siyasat Mein Sadasyata” authored by Vijay Kumar Choudhary
•Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar has released a book titled “Siyasat Mein Sadasyata” authored by Bihar Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Choudhary. The book is a compilation of the author’s views, three dozen articles on different important issues and his life journey. The book was published by Bihar Assembly Secretariat.
6) Nitin Gadkari approves “Khadi Agarbatti Aatmanirbhar Mission”
•Unique employment generation program “Khadi Agarbatti Aatmanirbhar Mission” has been approved by the Union Minister for MSME, Shri Nitin Gadkari. The programme has been proposed by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) to make India Aatmanirbhar in Agarbatti production.
•Under the scheme, Automatic Agarbatti making machines and powder mixing machines would be offered by KVIC to the artisans via the successful private Agarbatti manufacturers. KVIC will procure only locally made machines by Indian manufacturers which also seeks to encourage local production.
•The “Khadi Agarbatti Aatmanirbhar Mission” seeks to generate employment for unemployed and migrant workers in different parts of the nation while increasing the domestic Agarbatti production substantially. It will be launched in PPP mode and requires very less investment. It will support private Agarbatti manufacturers to increase Agarbatti production without any capital investment by them. KVIC will offer 25% subsidy on the cost of the machines and will recover the remaining 75% of the cost from the artisans in the form of easy monthly installments.
7) India withdraws from women’s world team Squash championship
•India has withdrawn from the women’s world team Squash championship scheduled in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 15th to 20th December, due to lack of preparation, time and match-readiness of its players. Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) has decided to withdraw from the championship.
8) Govt of India gave nod to IPL 2020 in UAE
•The Indian Government has provisionally granted permission for the 13th edition of Indian Premier League’s (IPL’s) 2020 to be rescheduled in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September 19 to November 10, 2020, due to COVID-19 outbreak. BCCI has also decided to host a Women’s T20 Challenge to be held from November 1 to 10 in UAE.
