Current Affairs 28 August 2020

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Current Affairs 28 August 2020

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1. Govt working on setting up a new air defence command by October
  • The Defence Ministry is working to restructure the armed forces to set up a new air defence command under the Indian Air Force (IAF) at Prayagraj by the second week of October 2020.
  • The Department of Military Affairs has hastened its work to prepare the structure of the command under an Air Force officer. Efforts are being made to announce the creation of the air defence command at Prayagraj on Air Force Day on October 8, 2020, as per government sources.
  • The main aim of setting up a new air defence command is to combine the resources of the three services under one command and activate it to protect the air space of the country.
Foot Notes:
Chief of the Air Staff: Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria
About Defence Ministry:
Headquarters: New Delhi
Founded: 15 August 1947
Officeholders: Rajnath Singh (Minister), Subhash Bhamre (Minister of State)

2. RBI announces special OMO of Rs 20,000 crore in two tranches
  • Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced a simultaneous purchase and sale of government securities (G-Secs) under open market operations (OMO) for an aggregate amount of Rs 20,000 crore in two equal tranches of Rs 10,000 crore on August 27, 2020 and September 03, 2020 on account of current and evolving liquidity and market conditions.
  • For the OMO held on August 27, the RBI bought longer-dated government securities maturing between 2024 to 2032 viz. 6.18%, 8.24%, 5.79% and 7.95% maturing on November 4, 2024, February 15, 2027, May 11, 2030 and August 28, 2032, respectively. On the other hand, it sold securities that mature between October and November, 2020.
  • The securities for the second tranche auction on September 03, 2020 will be announced separately.
Foot Notes:
About RBI:
Bank rate: 4.00%
Interest on reserves: 3.35% (market determined)
Headquarters: Mumbai
Governor: Shaktikanta Das
 
3. Shinzo Abe Will Resign as Japan’s Prime Minister, Citing His Worsening Health
  • Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has stepped down from his position due to his worsening health condition. The long-serving Prime Minister of Japan did not name a successor.
  • The Japanese Prime Minister has been suffering from ulcerative colitis for over a decade. The chronic condition was partly responsible for forcing him out of office after just a year during his previous term as prime minister in 2007.
  • According to Article 9 of Japan's Cabinet law, if a prime minister is prevented from discharging his functions, or the post is vacant, then a minister of state he has designated in advance will temporarily perform the role.
  • An extra session of Parliament is likely to be held from October. Elections must also be held for parliament's powerful lower house by late October 2021.
Foot Notes:
About Japan:
Prime Minister: Shinzō Abe
Capital: Tokyo
Currency: Japanese yen
 
4. National Sports Awards to be held virtually this year on 29th August due to Covid-19
  • President of India Ram Nath Kovind will confer the National Sports Awards 2020 through a virtual mode for the first-ever time on August 29, 2020. The President will be attending the awards ceremony through the NIC link from the President's house.
  • The National Sports Awards 2020 comprises a total of 74 awards in seven categories. Among the total award winners, 65 will be attending the ceremony from various locations while 9 will not be able to attend due to COVID-19 related reasons. While cricketer Rohit Sharma, Paralympian Mariappan Thangavelu, table tennis champion Manika Batra and wrestler Vinesh Phogat will be receiving the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award on the occasion.
Foot Notes:
About Khel Ratna award:
The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, officially known as Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in Sports and Games, is the highest sporting honour of the Republic of India. The award is named after Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India who served the office from 1984 to 1989.
Awarded for: Highest sports honour in India
Most recent winner: Deepa Malik; Bajrang Punia
 
5. Marieke Lucas Rijneveld wins International Booker Prize for “The Discomfort of Evening”
  • Dutch Author Marieke Lucas Rijneveld won the 2020 International Booker Prize for the Literary fiction book ‘The Discomfort of Evening’. Rijneveld became the youngest author to win the prize at the age of 29.
  • The Booker Prize Foundation is a registered charity, it is responsible for the award of The Booker Prize for Fiction and for The International Booker Prize. The Book was first published in Dutch in 2018 and eventually translated into English by Michele Hutchison.
  • Under the rules of the prize, the award of 50,000-pound will be split equally between the author and translator Michele Hutchison, giving equal recognition to both.
Foot notes:
About International Booker Prize:
The International Booker Prize is an international literary award hosted in the United Kingdom. The introduction of the International Prize to complement the Man Booker Prize was announced in June 2004.
Awarded for: Best book in English translation
First awarded: 2005
 

 
6. Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana completes 6 years, benefits 40.35 crore people
  • The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana completed six years on August 28, 2020. The scheme was launched with an ambitious aim of banking the unbanked.
  • The Prime Minister highlighted that the high number of beneficiaries of this scheme are from rural areas and are women. The future of several families have become secure because of the scheme, the Prime Minister reiterated.
  • According to current data, 63.6 percent of the PM-JDY account holders are from rural areas while 36.4 percent are from urban areas. Besides this, over 55 percent PM-JDY account holders are women.
Foot Notes:
About Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana:
Launch year: 2014
Sector: Financial inclusion
Launched by (Prime Minister): Narendra Modi
Ministry: Ministry of Finance
 
7. Arunachal assembly passes resolution for inclusion of state in Sixth Schedule
  • Arunachal Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution for the entire state to be included in the Sixth Schedule of the constitution.
  • Chief Minister Pema Khandu said that the Sixth Schedule provides protection of tribal people's rights in the Northeast. Arunachal unfortunately is the only state left out without any protective provisions for its tribal communities under the Indian constitution.
  • "In absence of such protective mechanism, the tribals in Arunachal faces the danger of being alienated from their culture and land," Khandu said.
Foot Notes:
About Arunachal Pradesh:
Capital: Itanagar
Chief Minister: Pema Khandu
Governor: B. D. Mishra
 
8. Govt sets up expert panel to help DRDO for futuristic battles
  • G Satheesh Reddy, Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development (DDR&D), and Chairman of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has constituted the five-member committee under the chairmanship of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi director Valipe Ramagopal Rao to review charter of duties of 57 DRDO labs on the basis of current and futuristic defence and battlefield needs.
  • The panel also work towards the minimising the overlap of technologies they are working on at a time. The panel will submit its report within 45 days.
Foot Notes:
About DRDO:
Headquarters: New Delhi
Founded: 1958
Motto: बलस्य मूलं विज्ञानम्; "Strength's Origin is in Knowledge"
Chairman: Dr G. Satheesh Reddy

9. Steven Spielberg’s Father, Computer Pioneer Arnold Spielberg, Dies at 103
  • Arnold Spielberg a Pioneered computer designer & an innovative engineer passed away at the age of 103 in Los Angeles, California of natural causes. He along with Charles Propster designed(in late 1950s) the GE-225 mainframe computer, while he worked for General Electric.  He is the father of filmmaker Steven Spielberg. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on February 6, 1917.
  • The GE-225 mainframe computer enabled the researchers at Dartmouth College to develop the programming language BASIC, which led the rise of personal computers in the 1970s and ‘80s.
10. Army Chief General Released a Book Titled “National Security Challenges: Young Scholars’ Perspective” Authored by University students
  • General Manoj Mukund(MM) Naravane, Chief of Army Staff released a book titled, “National Security Challenges: Young Scholars’ Perspective” authored by university students, ranging from the undergraduate level to doctoral candidates. The book contains various themes pertaining to  national security. It aims to develop strategic thinking among the youth of this country. The book was published by Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), the Army think-tank.
  • The book is a tribute to Field Marshal Manekshaw, the strategist of 1971 Indo-Pakistan War, that resulted in the liberation of Bangladesh.
Foot Notes:
Chief of Indian Armed Forces: President of India
 
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