• Keralalites across the globe is celebrating "Thiruonam" , the 10th and the most auspicious day of Onam, the biggest cultural festival of the State. Onam, the harvest festival of Kerala, symbolises prosperity, secularism,and harmony. Keralites celebrate the festival welcoming the visit of the righteous and mythical king Mahabali,in the memory of good old days.
• Onam is associated with  onasadya,pookkalam, onakodi,ujyallattam , pulikalli, vallamkalli and family together.Kerala is in full Onam festive mode with all streets, and markets being crowded. As one more Thiruonam is being celebrated in all its cultural and traditional glory instilling the minds with hope and togetherness, a year long wait also begins for the festival, with lots of good memories. This is Mayusha  Akshavani News from Thiruvananthapuram.

• The Maharashtra Government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Germany's professional association football league, 'Bundesliga', to build a football team for players under the age of 14.
• The agreement was signed by Ranjit Singh Deol, Principal Secretary, Department of School Education and Sports, and Mrs Julia Farr, representative of the Bundesliga, on behalf of the Government of Maharashtra. It will help young footballers to develop their skills and potentially compete at a high level.

• The National Sports Day in India is celebrated on 29 August every year. It is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand Singh. The first National Sports Day was celebrated on August 29, 2012 and hence this year marks the 12th anniversary of Rashtriya Khel Divas. The theme for Sports day is  "Sports are an enabler to an inclusive and fit society".

• Foreign direct investment (FDI) into India declined 34% to $10.94 billion during April-June period this fiscal year, according to government data. FDI inflows stood at $16.59 billion during April-June 2022-23, the data from Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) showed.
• According to the data, FDI dipped from countries including Mauritius, Singapore, the US and the UAE during April-June 2023-24. Inflows dipped in segments including computer hardware and software, trading, automobile and pharma.

• A chapter on the national war memorial has been included in the Class 7 NCERT curriculum for the academic year 2023-24. The chapter, titled "The National War Memorial", will be part of the Social Science syllabus for the class. The chapter will introduce students to the National War Memorial, its history, and its significance. It will also discuss the sacrifices made by the Indian armed forces in the service of the nation.
• The inclusion of this chapter in the NCERT curriculum is a step towards inculcating a sense of patriotism and national pride among young people. It will also help them to learn about the history of India's armed forces and the sacrifices made by its soldiers.

• IDFC First Bank secures title sponsorship rights for all BCCI matches, domestic and international, for the next three years. The bank will pay Rs 4.2 crore per match for the sponsorship. The decision comes after Mastercard Inc. exited its role as the title sponsor for the Indian cricket team. The BCCI had opened the invitation to tender for the sponsorship rights, with a base price of Rs 2.4 crore per match. IDFC First Bank emerged as the winner against the only other bidder, OTT service SonyLIV, which had bid Rs 2.7 crore per match.
• The agreement covers 56 matches over three years, including 15 ODIs, 15 test matches, and 26 T20 matches. Previously, Mastercard was paying Rs 3.8 crore per match for the title sponsorship rights.
• IDFC First Bank's sponsorship includes international matches, domestic cricket events like Irani Trophy, Duleep Trophy, and Ranji Trophy organized by the BCCI, and junior cricket matches (Under 19 and Under 23) held in India. The partnership begins with the upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia next month.

• India and Bangladesh held the fifth Annual Defence Dialogue on 28 August 2023 in Dhaka. The Annual Defence Dialogue between India and Bangladesh is the highest institutionalized interactive mechanism between both the countries. In the dialogue, both the countries highlighted its significance in chartering the future course of the relations between the two Armed Forces.

• The Embassy of India in Bahrain hosted an open house session under the guidance of Ambassador Designate Vinod Kurian Jacob. The event marked the introduction of the novel mobile application, EoIBh-Connect, designed to facilitate online appointment booking for a spectrum of consular and visa services, accessible through both the Indian Embassy at Manama, Bahrain.
• Having made its debut on August 20, 2023, the app has swiftly broadened its capabilities, now enabling users to conveniently schedule appointments with IVS Global. This unified approach directs users to the appropriate service provider based on their chosen service, simplifying the process.

• India defeated Thailand 7-2 in the final to win the inaugural Women’s Asian Hockey 5s World Cup Qualifier and seal their berth in the next year’s World Cup.
• Mariana Kujur (2nd, 8th minutes) and Jyoti (10th, 27th) scored a brace for India, while Monika Dipi Toppo (7th), skipper Navjot Kaur (23rd) and Mahima Choudhary (29th) were the other goal scorers. For Thailand, Kunjira Inpa (5th) and Sanpoung Kornkanok (5th) were on target. India, thus, qualified for the inaugural edition of the Hockey 5s World Cup to be held in Muscat from January 24-27 next year.

• Jayanta Mahapatra, one of India’s best known English poets, passed away in Cuttack. The legendary poet has left an imprint in the Indian English poetry with his writings spanning over 50 years. He was conferred Sahitya Akademi Award for his poem Relationship in 1981, a rare recognition for an Indian English writer. He was awarded Padma Shri in 2015.

Download Daily GK PDF of 29 August 2023