1) Dr. Harsh Vardhan chairs ‘Aarogya Manthan’ 2.0
•Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare chaired ‘Aarogya Manthan’ 2.0 celebrating the 2nd Anniversary of Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). During the event, he also presented awards to the winners of the Ayushman Bharat PMJAY Start-up Grand Challenge to support the implementation of PM-JAY.
•The Union Health Minister launched the AB PMJAY Joint Certification Programme. This programme will develop the skills and knowledge of relevant stakeholders in medical audit and health insurance for accurate and efficient processing of claims and prevention and detection of fraud and abuse. The “AB PMJAY Anti-Fraud Framework: Practitioners’ Guidebook” was also released and will serve as a useful tool for the States as it is a repository of the anti-fraud guidelines, techniques, advisories along with legal remedies/course of action presently available under applicable Indian laws.
2) Bah Ndaw named Mali’s interim president
•Mali’s former defence minister, Bah Ndaw has been named as Interim President of the country’s new transition government. On 19th August 2020, Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita announced his resignation with immediate effect following a military mutiny in the Republic of Mali.
•Colonel Assimi Goita, the leader of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP) which overthrew Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, was appointed vice president.
3) Indian Navy conducts Passage Exercise with Royal Australian Navy
•The Indian Navy (IN) has commenced a Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in the East Indian Ocean Region. The exercise would involve participation of HMAS Hobart from the Australian side and Indian Naval Ships Sahyadri and Karmuk.
•The Passage Exercise is aimed at enhancing interoperability, improving understanding and imbibing best practices from each other. The exercise will also involve advanced surface and anti-air exercises including weapon firings, seamanship exercises, naval manoeuvres and Cross Deck Flying Operations. PASSEXs are regularly conducted by IN with units of friendly foreign navies, whilst visiting each other’s ports or during a rendezvous at sea.
4) Simanchala Dash appointed as advisor to IMF Executive Director
•The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has approved the proposal to appoint Simanchala Dash as an advisor to Executive Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington. He has been appointed for a period of three years.
5) Google Pay, Visa partner for card-based payments with tokenisation
•Google Pay has partnered with VISA for the rollout of tokenization across its platform that will enable users to safely transact with their debit or credit cards. Through tokenization, Google Pay users can make payment by using the debit or credit card without physically sharing their credit or debit card details through a secure digital token attached to their phone.
6) ITBP ties up with Uttarakhand govt to promote adventure tourism
•The Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to promote adventure sports activities at Tehri Lake in the state.
7) CCI approves acquisition of 100% equity shares of Medlife by API Holdings
•The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the acquisition of 100% equity shares of Medlife International Private Limited (“Medlife”) by API Holdings Private Limited (“API Holdings”). It also approved the acquisition of up to 19.59% equity share capital of API Holdings by Medlife’s shareholders under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002.
•API is a private company, incorporated in 2019. API directly or through its subsidiaries carries out various business activities including wholesale sale and distribution of drugs; transportation and delivery services primarily focused on pharmaceutical sector; owning technology and intellectual property for developing e- commerce platforms. Medlife is primarily a healthcare company engaged in the wholesale sale and distribution of drugs.
8) A book titled “Voices of Dissent” authored by Romila Thapar
•A new book titled “Voices of Dissent” authored by Historian Romila Thapar will be jointly published by Penguin Random House India and Seagull Books. The book is set to publish in October 2020. The book is a historical essay that explores dissent, including its articulation and public response to its forms, with a focus on the recent protest in India against the citizenship law and the National Register of Citizens.
9) A book titled “Kitchens of Gratitude” authored by Chef Vikas Khanna
•Star chef Vikas Khanna has authored a book titled “Kitchens of Gratitude” in which he has written about his Feed India initiative. Feed India initiative is one of the largest food drives in the world, serving meals to the underprivileged. The book will be released in 2021. He will also be honoured with the 2020 Asia Game Changer Award in October.
