- National:
- India’s first Unmanned Aerial Systems (Drone) Common Testing Centre under the Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS) will be established in Tamil Nadu. The centre will be established over an area of about 2.3 acres at the SIPCOT Industrial Park, Vallam Vadagal near Sriperumbudur.
- The Director ate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has set up a four-member committee to provide suggestions for achieving gender equality in the aviation sector in India. The objective of this committee is to suggest steps that DGCA should take to bring gender equality in the aviation sector.
- On August 18, 2023, the Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy, Shri R. K. Singh dedicated to the nation a 660 MW Unit of Barh Super Thermal Power Project at Barh in Bihar. The 660 MW unit inaugurated is Unit #2 of Stage I of the project.
- The Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) has been officially renamed as the Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library (PMML) Society. The process for the name change began on June 15, 2023, and it was a “mere coincidence” that it got completed on the eve of Independence Day.
- Union Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri Parshottam Rupala unveiled the ‘A-HELP’ (Accredited Agent for Health and Extension of Livestock Production) programme along with an Infertility Camp on 14th August 2023 in the State of Gujarat.
- The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) Secretary Shri Alkesh Kumar Sharma launched the ‘Graphene-Aurora program’ at a function in Maker Village Kochi, Kerala.
- Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD 40.5 million loan for integrated early childhood development and maternal mental health in the northeastern state of Meghalaya. The state government is contributing USD 15.27 million to the project.
- The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the acquisition of a certain stake of IBS Software Pte Limited by Pelipper HoldCo SARL. The proposed combination relates to the acquisition of approximately 30% of the issued share capital on a fully diluted basis of IBS Software Pte Limited (Target) from Techware Singapore Holdings Pte. Ltd., a portfolio company of Blackstone Inc.
- Scientists at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) in Bengaluru have discovered a unique star named “HE 1005-1439” classified as a carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) star. This star appears to have formed through a combination of two different neutron-capture processes which were previously believed to occur in separate astrophysical environments.
- Goa has become the first state in India to provide free IVF treatment at a government hospital. On Monday, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant launched the facility, along with assisted reproductive technology (ART) and intrauterine insemination (IUI) at Goa Medical College (GMC), Bambolim
- The Ministry of Communications has introduced two reforms aimed at safeguarding the telecom ecosystem and enhancing customer protection. These reforms are the KYC Reforms and the Point of Sale (POS) registration Reform.
- The Central Water Commission has launched its in-house developed mobile application, “FloodWatch” to forecast flood situations for the next seven days on a real-time basis. The Chairman of the Central Water Commission, Kushvinder Vohra, launched the app in New Delhi on Thursday.
- President Droupadi Murmu launched the advanced stealth frigate INS Vindhyagiri in Kolkata. The launch of “Vindhyagiri” marks a move forward in enhancing India’s maritime capabilities. Vindhyagiri is also a step towards achieving the goal of Atmanirbhar Bharat through indigenous ship-building.
- Economy:
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued fresh guidelines to the Regulated Entities (REs) such as commercial & other banks, NBFCs and other lenders to ensure reasonableness and transparency in disclosure of penal interest
- The state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is investing Rs 1 lakh crore by the end of this decade in low-carbon energy opportunities, including renewables and green hydrogen as it looks to transform into a low-carbon energy player
- Sports:
- Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa defeated compatriot Arjun Erigaisi 5-4 via the sudden death tie-break to enter the semifinals of the FIDE World Cup chess tournament in Baku on Thursday (August 17).
- Indian wrestler Priya Malik won the gold medal in the women’s 76kg category at the 2023 U20 World Wrestling Championships in Jordan. She became the second Indian woman wrestler to win the U20 World Championships.
- The Indian men’s 10m air pistol team, comprising Shiva Narwal, Sarabjot Singh, and Arjun Singh Cheema, won a bronze medal at the ISSF World Championship 2023 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
- Books:
- Union Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, and Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman launched Kuwi and Desia books at Bhubaneswar.
- Obituary:
- Dr. Vallampadugai Srinivasa Raghavan Arunachalam, the former Director General of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Padma Awardee, passed away in California on Wednesday.
- Appointments:
- Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, a 1996-batch IAS officer from the Madhya Pradesh cadre, has been given additional charge as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA).
Questions:
Q.1 What is the new name of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML)?a. The Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library (PMML) Society
b. The Presidents’ Museum and Library (PML) Society
c. The Prime Ministers’ Memorial and Library (PMML) Society
d. The Presidents’ Memorial and Library (PML) Society
Q.2 Who has been given additional charge as the CEO of the National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA)?
a. Rajnath Singh
b. Narendra Modi
c. Amit Shah
d. Faiz Ahmed Kidwai
