1) Nation observes 79th anniversary of Quit India movement
•The 79th anniversary of the August Kranti Din or Quit India Movement, which is considered as one of the important milestones in the history of the freedom struggle of our country, is being observed on 8 August 2021. On 8 Aug 1942, Mahatma Gandhi gave a clarion call to end British rule and launched the Quit India Movement at the session of the All-India Congress Committee in Mumbai.
•After the failure of Cripps Mission, Gandhiji gave the call to “Do or Die” in his Quit India speech delivered at the Gowalia Tank Maidan in Mumbai. The grateful country is paying homage to the freedom fighters and remembering the supreme sacrifices of the martyrs during the freedom struggle.
2) International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples: 9 August
•United Nations observes the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on 09th August every year. The day is being observed to protect the rights of the world’s indigenous population and recognize the achievements and contributions that indigenous people make to improve world issues such as environmental protection. The theme for 2021 is “Leaving no one behind: Indigenous peoples and the call for a new social contract.”
•The day was recognised by the General Assembly of the United Nations in December 1994. The date to marks the day of the inaugural session of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations at the United Nations in 1982.
3) Nagasaki Day: 9th August
•Japan commemorates the 9th of August every year as Nagasaki day. On August 9, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. It was code-named “Fat Man” due to the design of the bomb as it had a wide, round shape. This happened 3 days after dropping an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
•An area of about 5 square miles was completely obliterated and around 65,000 people were killed in the bombing. Nagasaki and Hiroshima continue to feel the impact of the destructive bombing even today.
4) India-UAE Navy undertakes bilateral exercise ‘Zayed Talwar 2021’
•The Indian Navy and UAE Navy conducted the bilateral naval exercise ‘Zayed Talwar 2021’ on August 07, 2021, off the coast of Abu Dhabi. The main objective of the ‘Zayed Talwar 2021’ naval exercise was to enhance interoperability and synergy between the two navies.
•Indian Navy participated with INS Kochi, with two integral Sea King MK 42B helicopters, deployed in the Persian Gulf. From UAE, UAES AL – Dhafra, a Baynunah class guided missile corvette and one AS – 565B Panther helicopter took part in the exercise.
5) Karnataka becomes first state to issue order implementing NEP-2020
•Karnataka has become the first state in the country to issue the order with regard to the implementation of the National Education Policy-2020. The state government has issued an order on the implementation of NEP-2020 with effect from the current academic year 2021-2022.
6) Indian Railways Launches Rail Madad: A Unified Customer Care Solution
•Indian Railways has launched an integrated one-stop solution “Rail Madad” in which the national transporter has merged a number of existing helplines that were used for various purposes into one. The Railway ministry toll-free number 139 can be used for all kinds of enquiries and making complaints and the helpline facility is available round-the-clock in 12 languages.
7) GoI approves 1-year extension to Rajiv Gauba’s term as Cabinet Secretary
•The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has extended the term of service of Rajiv Gauba, as the Cabinet Secretary of India, for a further period of one year. Gauba, a 1982-batch IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre, was appointed to the top bureaucratic post of the country in August 2019 for two years. His term of service was to end on August 30, 2021. Prior to this, Mr Gauba was Union Home Secretary from August 2017 to August 2019.
8) Ministry for Social Justice launches ‘PM-DAKSH’ Portal and Mobile App
•The Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Dr Virendra Kumar has unveiled a portal and mobile application named ‘PM-DAKSH’, which aims to make the skill development schemes accessible to the target groups. The ‘PM-DAKSH’ stands for Pradhan Mantri Dakshta Aur Kushalta Sampann Hitgrahi (PM-DAKSH) Yojana. The portal can be accessed at: http://pmdaksh.dosje.gov.in.
•The platform has been developed by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, in collaboration with National E-Governance Division (NeGD), under the Department Of Electronics And Information Technology. The training programs will be implemented through Government Training Institutes, Sector Skill Councils constituted by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and other credible institutions.
9) Haryana govt signs MoU with Walmart Vriddhi to help MSMEs
•The Haryana government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ‘Walmart Vriddhi’ and ‘Haqdarshak’ to create a pathway for Indian MSMEs’ products to move to the international markets. The MoU was signed in the presence of Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, Vikas Gupta, MSME Department Director-General, the Indian government, Nitin Dutt from Walmart Vriddhi, and Aniket Doegar (CEO of Haqdarshak).
•To promote MSMEs apart from large industries, many important concessions have been given to investors in ‘Haryana Enterprises and Employment Policy-2020’. This move will bring a big opportunity for the MSME sector, as their products will be displayed in 24 countries and will be available in 10,500 stores under 48 banners.
10) A book titled “The Year That Wasn’t – The Diary of a 14-Year-Old” released
•Veteran actor Shabana Azmi has launched the book titled “The Year That Wasn’t – The Diary of a 14-Year-Old”, which is penned by Kolkata girl Brisha Jain. The book was written by a 14-year-old girl, which chronicles the lockdown days seen through her eyes as the Covid-19 pandemic spreading last year.
•The book handholds readers through a journey – the hopeful beginning of a new decade, the confusion triggered by a pandemic, lockdown travails, coping with the whole new world of online schooling, a new digital divide, the vaccine race, the waning of the pandemic’s severity and it’s a resurgence.
