1) International Lefthanders Day: 13 August
•The International Left-Handers Day is observed on August 13 every year to celebrate the uniqueness and differences of the left-handers and raise awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of being left-handed in a predominantly right-handed world. Left-handers are likely to have better verbal skills than their right-handed counterparts, according to a 2019 study by Oxford University.
2) World Organ Donation Day: 13 August
•World Organ Donation Day is celebrated every year on August 13. The day is celebrated to raise awareness about the importance of organ donation and motivate people to donate organs after death. The day provides an opportunity to all to come ahead and pledge to donate their precious organs because one organ donor can save up to eight lives.
3) Indore declared India’s first ‘Water Plus’ certified city
•India’s cleanest city, Indore in Madhya Pradesh, has achieved another feat of being declared as the country’s first ‘water plus’ certified city, under the Swachh Survekshan 2021. Swachh Survekshan is an annual survey of cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation in cities and towns across India launched as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission.
4) LG Manoj Sinha inaugurates “Bungus Awaam Mela” in J&K
•Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha has inaugurated the Bungus Awaam Mela with grand arrangements for village games, exhilarating local performances, and other activities to celebrate the 75th year of Independence at Bungus valley in Kupwara district. While inaugurating the fair, the Lt Governor paid tributes to the great revolutionary, freedom fighter Khudiram Bose, on his death anniversary. He also remembered countless others who made sacrifices and invaluable contributions towards achieving the Independence of the country.
•To make the Bungus valley environmentally sustainable, the LG directed the Forests and Tourism Department to chart out a viable “Eco-Tourism” plan for the region and all other prominent beautiful grasslands and meadows in the UT. He also suggested for undertaking a feasibility study for starting a cable car in this trekker’s paradise.
5) Retail inflation eases to 5.59% in July
•Retail inflation eased to 5.59% in July mainly due to softening of food prices. The Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation was 6.26% in June and 6.73% in July 2020. Inflation in the food basket slowed down to 3.96% in July from 5.15% in the previous month.
•Earlier this month, the RBI pegged the CPI inflation at 5.7% during 2021-22 — 5.9% in the second quarter, 5.3% in third, and 5.8% in the fourth quarter of the fiscal, with risks broadly balanced.
6) Number Of Billionaires In India Dropped From 141 to 136
•In the pandemic-hit financial year of 2020-21, the number of billionaires in India dropped from 141 in FY20 to 136 in FY21, as per a statement issued by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Rajya Sabha. The count is based on the gross total income declared in the income tax returns. In FY 2018-19, the number of individuals with a gross total annual income of more than Rs 100 cr is 77.
•As per the information available with the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), there is no legislative or administrative definition of the term billionaire under direct taxes. Wealth tax has been abolished with effect from 01.04.2016 and, therefore, CBDT does not any more capture information about the complete wealth of an individual taxpayer.
7) Shakib Al Hasan, Stafanie Taylor voted ICC players of the month for July
•Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and West Indies skipper Stafanie Taylor were named the ICC Player of the Month for July in men’s and women’s categories respectively. Shakib, who was nominated alongside West Indies’ Hayden Walsh Jr and Australia’s Mitchell Marsh.
8) Indian Team Wins US Innovation Award
•SoftWorthy has been conferred the prestigious National Science Foundation Innovation-Corps (NSF I-Corps) Teams Award in the United States. SoftWorthy’s award-winning project focuses on developing state-of-the-art computational methods for ‘stochastic modelling, design simulation and sensitivity analysis of electronic devices like printed-circuit-boards (PCBs), which are critical for the growth of novel technological applications like driverless vehicles and energy-efficient smart buildings.
