1) World Gujarati Language Day 2022: 24 August
•World Gujarati Language Day 2022 is celebrated every year on 24 August. This day is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of the great writer of Gujarat ‘Veer Narmad’. ‘Gujarati Diwas’ is celebrated because the poet Narmad was considered to be the creator of the Gujarati language. He has made Gujarati literature international.
2) Defence Minister Hold Meetings In Tashkent
•Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Tashkent on Tuesday to attend the SCO Defence Ministers Meeting, which is to take place on August 24. Minister Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with Uzbekistan counterpart Lt Gen Bakhodir Kurbanov. During the Annual Meeting, the SCO Member States will discuss defence cooperation and it is expected that a joint communique will be issued after the deliberations. Rajnath Singh’s address at the meeting is slated to be held on August 24, 2022.
3) India Successfully Fight-Tests VL-SRSAM in Chandipur
•The Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM), was successfully flight tested by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) for Naval warships and the Indian Navy. The VL-SRSAM flight test was carried out from Chandipur Coast, in Odisha. The flight was successfully conducted from an Indian Naval ship against a high-speed unmanned aerial target for demonstration of vertical launching capability. The VL-SRSAM is equipped with Indigenous Radio Frequency (RF) seeker. The VL-SRSAM is designed by three facilities of the DRDO for the Indian Naval Warships.
•It is designed and developed for the neutralization of various aerial threats at close ranges including sea-skimming targets. The Defence Ministry of India Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, the Indian Navy, and the industry for the successful flight testing of VL-SRSAM.
4) DRDO And Indian Navy Test Indigenous VL-SRSAM Missile
•Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Navy successfully flight-tested the indigenously designed and developed Vertical Launch Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur off the coast of Odisha. The flight test was carried out from a naval ship against a high-speed unmanned aerial target for demonstration of vertical launch capability.
5) Rajesh Verma named as Secretary to President Droupadi Murmu
•Odisha cadre 1987-batch IAS officer, Rajesh Verma has been appointed as the Secretary to President Droupadi Murmu. He replaces the incumbent Kapil Dev Tripathi, a 1980-batch IAS officer. He is currently serving as Secretary of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs & has also served as principal secretary to Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik. In the past, Verma has also served as the Principal Secretary to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Principal Secretary of Energy Department, Government of Odisha.
6) Chhattisgarh government to set up 300 rural industrial parks in the state
•The Chhattisgarh government will set up rural industrial parks in the state. In the first year of the project, there will be 300 such parks. This move aimed to strengthen the rural economy and make the “gauthan” (cattle shed) a centre of livelihood. The project will be launched on Gandhi Jayanti, October 2. The first such park in Chhattisgarh came up in Kulgaon, Kanker district, which has been named Gandhi Gram.
7) UP government to build India’s first education township
•The Uttar Pradesh government is planning to build an education township in the state. As per the Yogi Adityanath government, the education township will be developed on the idea of ‘Single Entry, Multiple Exit’. The move will provide high-quality education to the youth and equip them with a variety of professional skills in a single place. Besides, it will provide accommodation and many other facilities to both students and teachers.
8) 23rd Central Zonal Council meeting presided over by Amit Shah in Bhopal
•23rd Central Zonal Council Meeting: Union Home Minister Amit Shah led the 23rd Central Zonal Council Meeting in Bhopal. Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, and Pushkar Singh Dhami, the chief minister of Uttarakhand, attended the meeting. Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, and Bhupesh Baghel, the chief minister of Chhattisgarh, participated virtually due to poor weather.
9) U.K’s Growth -11% In 2020 Worst In 300 Years
•Britain’s economy shrank by a record-breaking 11% in 2020, earlier which was sought to be -9.9%, new figures by the Office of National Statistics show, highlighting the impact of Covid-19 restrictions, employment uncertainty and reduced demand, with limited growth in the final quarter narrowly avoiding a double-dip recession.
10) Leading Economists Expects Q1 GDP Growth At 13-15.7%
•Leading economists have pencilled in a high 13-15.7 per cent uptick in the economy in the first quarter of 2022-23 with an upward bias. Soumya Kanti Ghosh, the group chief economic adviser at State Bank of India, said he expects the GDP to clip past 15.7 per cent in the first quarter with more chances of the final numbers printing in higher, while Aditi Nayar, the chief economist at the rating agency ICRA, said the economy will grow much lower at 13 per cent in the June quarter. The national statistical office will announce the first quarter GDP numbers later next week.
11) Vikram Doraiswami appointed to UK as India’s High Commissioner
•Vikram K. Doraiswami, a seasoned diplomat appointed as India’s new High Commissioner to the United Kingdom which is seen as a significant position given the two nations’ expanding strategic alliance. Vikram K. Doraiswami is Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh currently. He is an Indian Foreign Service officer from the 1992 batch. At May 1994, Vikram K. Doraiswami was appointed Third Secretary in the Indian High Commission in Hong Kong after completing his in-service training in New Delhi between 1992 and 1993.
12) South Korea and the United States Began their Largest Joint Military Drills
•South Korea and the United States began their largest joint military drills in years with a resumption of field training. This year, the annual summertime exercise has been renamed ‘Ulchi Freedom Shield’ and it is scheduled to end on 1st September 2022. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has vowed to normalize the combined exercises and boost deterrence against the North. South Korea has separately started or launched the four-day Ulchi Civil Defence Drills, which is specially designed to boost the government readiness for the first time after the Coronavirus pandemic occurred.
•The government aims to improve the preparedness of the country to match the changing war pattern with the help of these civil and military exercises. These military exercises will also help in preparing the country against the threats against key facilities such as chip factories and supply chains.
13) Sajith Sivanandan Appointed as the Head of Disney+Hotstar
•Sajith Sivanandan has been appointed as the executive vice-president and head of Disney+Hotstar. Disney’s International Content and Operations is India’s largest streaming service and Sajith Sivanandan has previously worked with Google. Sajith Sivanandan will be reporting to Chairman of Disney’s International Content and Operations Group, Rebecca Campbell, and President of Disney Star, K. Madhavan. He will start working with Disney+Hotstar in October with a dual reporting line of Disney Star.
