1) Hiroshima Day: 6th August
•Annually 6th of August marks the anniversary of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima during World War II. The horrific incident took place on August 6, 1945, when the United States dropped an atomic bomb named “Little Boy”, on the town of Hiroshima in Japan. This bomb attack was done with the motive to end the Second World War in 1945. This day is remembered to promote peace and spread awareness about the danger of nuclear energy and nuclear weapons. 2021 marks the 76th anniversary of the world’s first atomic bombing.
2) TRIFED celebrates its 34th Foundation Day
•Tribal Co-operative Marketing Federation of India (TRIFED) has celebrated its 34th foundation day on 6th August. TRIFED was founded to drive tribal development through marketing support for tribal products, both, handicrafts and Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP). TRIFED will celebrate this day in a special manner, with due publicity, to raise awareness among one and all regarding the issues related to trade in tribal areas, and the need to ensure a fair deal for the tribes in the commerce of their products. The proposed event shall also recognize the achievements and contributions that the tribes and people working for them have made in this regard.
3) India nuclear power capacity is expected to reach 22,480 MW by 2031
•India’s nuclear power capacity is expected to reach 22,480 Mega Watts by 2031 from the current 6,780 MegaWatts. There are presently 22 reactors with a total capacity of 6780 MW in operation and one reactor, KAPP-3 (700 MW) has been connected to the grid on January 10, 2021.
•Ten (10) nuclear power reactors with 8000 MW capacity (including 500 MW PFBR being implemented by Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited {BHAVINI}) are under construction. Additionally, the Government has accorded administrative approval and financial sanction of ten (10) indigenous Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) of 700 MW each to be set up in fleet mode.
4) West Bengal receives four SKOCH awards
•The government of West Bengal has received four SKOCH awards for its schemes under the Ease of Doing Business initiative. The State scheme ‘Silpasathi’-the online single window portal won the platinum award while the Auto-Renewal of Certificate of Enlistment through the online system for urban areas has received the gold award.
•Online issuance of trade licences in rural areas and the E-Nathikaran: the online system for registration, preparation and submission of deeds have won two silver awards. The state government will ensure that the ease of doing business in West Bengal continues to be one of the foremost in the country.
5) Germany becomes 5th country to sign ISA Framework Agreement
•Germany became the 5th country to sign the International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement after amendments to it entered into force on 8th January 2021, opening its Membership to all Member States of the United Nations. Ambassador of Germany to India Walter J. Lindner deposited signed copies of the International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement with the Ministry of External Affairs, the depositary of the Agreement.
•Membership to the ISA was earlier limited to 121 countries, which were partially or entirely located within the tropics. This didn’t allow major solar energy economies such as Germany to join the alliance that is being increasingly seen as a foreign policy tool. The initiative was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the India Africa Summit and a meeting of member countries ahead of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris in November 2015. The framework agreement of the International Solar Alliance opened for signatures in Marrakech, Morocco in November 2016.
6) India for implementing MoU with Bangladesh in disaster management
•India has emphasized the implementation of the recently-signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Bangladesh over disaster management, resilience and mitigation on a priority basis. Bangladesh has decided to accept the invitation to join the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). CDRI is a coalition of national governments, UN agencies, multilateral development banks and the private sector which aims to promote resilience of new and existing infrastructure to climate and disaster risks.
•In a letter written to Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr A K Abdul Momen, Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar urged Bangladesh to implement the recently concluded MoU in the field of disaster management, resilience and mitigation on a priority basis. He expressed the hope that these mechanisms will help the two countries to remain better prepared to face such challenges in the future.
7) Ebrahim Raisi sworn in as new President of Iran
•Ebrahim Raisi was officially sworn in as the new president of Iran on August 05, 2021. He won the 2021 Iranian presidential election in June, with 62 per cent of the vote. The 60-year-old Raisi succeeds Hassan Rouhani to begin his four-year term. He is also been the Chief Justice of Iran since March 2019.
•Raisi’s inauguration comes at a pivotal time, with Iran currently in indirect negotiations with the United States over how to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement. Raisi will also face the task of reviving his country’s economy, which has been battered in recent years by the previous US administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign of sanctions. Tensions in the region are also high following a string of maritime provocations blamed by the West on Tehran.
8) CBIC launches Compliance Information Portal (CIP)
•The Central Board for Indirect Taxes & Customs launched the Indian Customs Compliance Information Portal at www.cip.icegate.gov.in/CIP. This portal providing free access to information on all Customs procedures and regulatory compliance for nearly 12,000 Customs Tariff Items. The portal will provide complete knowledge of all import and export related requirements for all items.
•CIP is yet another facilitation tool developed by CBIC to empower our business as well as any interested person with up-to-date information on the legal and procedural requirements of Customs and Partner Government Agencies (FSSAI, AQIS, PQIS, Drug Controller etc.) for carrying out imports and exports. The portal would provide at the click of a button complete knowledge of all import and export related requirements for all items covered under the Customs Tariff thereby improving the ease of doing cross border trade.
9) Sebi allows payments banks to act as investment bankers
•Sebi has allowed payments banks to carry out the activities of investment bankers to provide easy access to investors to participate in public and rights issues by using various payment avenues, markets regulator. Non-scheduled payments banks, which have prior approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), will be eligible to act as a banker to an issue (BTI).
•This is subject to fulfilment of the conditions stipulated in the BTI rules. Further, payments banks registered as a BTI will also be permitted to act as self-certified syndicate banks, subject to the fulfilment of the criteria laid down by the Sebi in this regard from time to time.”The blocking/movement of funds from the investor to the issuer shall only be made through the savings account of the investor held with the payments bank.
•Bankers to an issue mean a scheduled bank or such other banking company as may be specified by Sebi carrying activities, including acceptance of application money, acceptance of allotment or call money, refund of application money and payment of dividend or interest warrants.
10) Khel Ratna Award renamed as Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award
•Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award will be renamed as Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The Prime Minister said the move was based on the numerous requests he received from across the nation. Dhyan Chand, whose birthday is celebrated as National Sports Day, won three Olympic golds for the country in Hockey.
11) Zoological Survey of India gets 1st female director in 100 years
•The Indian government approved the appointment of Dr Dhriti Banerjee as the director of the Zoological Survey of India. She is a prolific scientist, conducting research in zoogeography, taxonomy, morphology and molecular systematics. On the occasion of its centenary celebrations in 2016, Banerjee had co-authored the “The Glorious 100 Women’s Scientific Contribution in ZSI”, which chronicled the contributions of women scientists in the domain of animal-related groups.
