- Obituary:
- Kerala’s first tribal novelist and short story writer Narayan passed away at the age of 82 in Kochi. He was born in the Malayaraya community in Kadayathur hills in Thodupuzha taluk in 1940.
- International News
- Egypt releases a commemorative postage stamp to celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations between Egypt and India, which were established with Egypt's recognition of the independence of India on August 18,1947. The two nations became more close in 1950 and concluded a historic Friendship Treaty in 1955.
- Scotland museum signed a deal with the government of India to return seven stolen artifacts to India. The artifacts include a ceremonial Indo-Persian Talwar or sword believed to be of the 14th century and 11th century carved stone door jamb taken from a temple in Kanpur.
- Banking and Finance
- State bank of India (SBI) has sold the non-performing loan account of KSK Mahanadi Power company to Aditya Birla AMC for Rs 1,622 crore. KSK Mahanadi Power company has a total loan outstanding of Rs 3,815.04 crore towards SBI as of April 2022.
- Edelweiss Mutual Fund to launch Edelweiss Gold and Silver FOF, a fund of funds that will invest in a mix of gold and silver ETFs. The fund aims to maintain an equal allocation between Gold ETF and Silver ETF and rebalance it periodically. The Edelweiss Gold and Silver FOF will be launched on August 24.
- National News
- On August 15, the Indian Railways conducted a test run of its latest train called Super Vasuki. It is the heaviest and longest freight train with 3.5-km-long with six locos and 295 wagons.
- The Central government has awarded Geographical Indication (GI) tag to Mithila Makhana. With this move, growers will get the maximum price for their premium produce.
- According to a study conducted by ShareChat, Karnataka topped the list of chattiest states in India. Maharashtra held the second position, followed by Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Telangana.
- Industrialist Ratan Tata invests in a start-up called 'Goodfellows' that provides companionship to senior citizens by pairing them with young graduates in a bid to encourage intergenerational friendships.
- Madhya Pradesh’s city Mandla, which is a tribal-dominated region has become India’s first fully ‘functionally literate’ district.
- Appointments
- Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla is given a one-year extension in service till August 22,2023. This is the third extension in the post. Ajay Kumar Bhalla is a 1984 batch IAS Officer of Assam-Meghalaya Cadre. He was appointed as the Home Secretary in August 2019. His tenure was first extended from October 17, 2020, to August 22, 2021. The tenure was further extended by one more year on August 12 last year.
- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced the appointment of Indian philanthropist Ashish Dhawan, founder, and CEO of Convergence Foundation, to its board of trustees.
- Sports
- FIBA U-18 Women's Asian Basketball Championships will be held in Bengaluru from September 5-11. Eight teams in Division A will play their match at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. Division B comprising a similar number of teams will witness the action at the Kormangala indoor stadium.
- Manisha Kalyan becomes the first Indian Footballer to play at the UEFA Women's Champions League when she made her debut for Apollon Ladies FC in the European Club competition in Engomi, Cyprus.
- Science and Technology
- India develops its first indigenously-developed RT-PCR kit for testing monkeypox disease. The kit was developed by Transasia Bio-Medicals. The kit was unveiled by Ajay Kumar Sood Principal Scientific Adviser to the center.
- Important Days
- August 20 - Sadbhavna Diwas or Harmony Day
- This day marks the birth anniversary of India's sixth Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The day aims to promote peace, national integration, and communal harmony among all religions in the country. Harmony Day was first observed in 1992.
- August 20th – Akshay Urja Diwas 2022
- Akshay Urja Diwas or the Renewable Energy Day is observed on August 20 each year to raise awareness about the developments related to the adoption of renewable energy in India.
- August 20th – World Mosquito Day
- World Mosquito Day is observed on August 20 every year. We remember this day because of British Dr. Sir Ronald Ross who discovered in 1897 that female mosquitos transmit malaria to humans.
- Theme: 'Harness innovation to reduce the malaria disease burden and save lives.'
- NHPC signs MoU to develop two hydro projects in Nepal
- Assam government decided to come up with new litigation policies
- Rajasthan government to provide smartphones to women
- Indian Air Force to participate in Pitch Black Exercise in Australia
Question:
Q.1 Which country has released a commemorative postage stamp to mark 75 years of diplomatic relations with India?
a. Iran
b. UAE
c. Egypt
d. Australia
a. Iran
b. UAE
c. Egypt
d. Australia
