- National:
- On August 25, 2023, the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) celebrated its 40th Foundation Day. The event was inaugurated by Shri Devusinh Chauhan, the Hon’ble Minister of State for Communications, Government of India.
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired the 26th meeting of the Western Zonal Council in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The meeting was attended by the Chief Ministers of Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Goa, along with the Administrator of the Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
- The Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell at the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has announced the launch of the Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2023, which is now in its sixth edition.
- The Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell at the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has announced the launch of the Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2023, which is now in its sixth edition.
- Antler, an early-stage venture capital firm, has launched India’s first ONDC-centric venture platform called Antler ONDC. The platform is developed in collaboration with FIDE (Foundation for Interoperability in Digital Economy) and ONDC.
- On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared August 23 as National Space Day to commemorate the remarkable achievement of Chandrayaan-3’s landing on the moon. The day marks the successful touchdown of Chandrayaan-3 Vikram lander on the Moon.
- On August 26, 2023, the G-20 nations arrived at a consensus on cultural issues during the meeting of G-20 Culture Ministers in Varanasi. The consensus included the need to address the destruction of cultural heritage in situations of conflict, the curbing of illicit trafficking of artifacts.
- On August 26, 2023, the Ministry of Jal Shakti released the report on the sixth census on minor irrigation schemes. According to the report, there are 23.14 million minor irrigation schemes in India, out of which 21.93 million (94.8%) are Ground Water schemes and 1.21 million (5.2%) are Surface Water schemes.
- Banking:
- The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has launched the third edition of its UPI Safety Awareness Campaign, named “UPI Chalega”. The campaign aims to promote the ease, safety, and swiftness of using the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) for transactions.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently announced that it has raised the upper limit of an offline payment transaction to Rs 500 from the existing Rs 200. This move is aimed at promoting the use of UPI-Lite wallet in areas where internet connectivity is weak or not available.
- The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has recently approved several amendments to reinsurance regulations. These changes aim to boost the Indian reinsurance sector, attract more reinsurers to operate in India, and simplify the process of doing business.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the voluntary amalgamation of Akola Merchant Co-operative Bank Limited with Jalgaon Peoples Co-operative Bank Limited. The scheme will come into effect from August 28, 2023, and the branches of Akola Merchant Co-operative Bank will function as branches of Jalgaon Peoples Co-operative Bank from that date.
- The State Bank of India (SBI) has launched an Aadhaar-based enrolment for social security schemes. This new feature, unveiled by SBI Chairman Dinesh Khara, is available at the bank’s Customer Service Points (CSPs) and aims to simplify the process of enrolling in various social security schemes.
- Economy:
- Indian Oil Corporation, L&T, and ReNew have formed a joint venture called GH4India Private Ltd. to focus on green hydrogen projects . Each partner has invested 1 crore in the venture.
- The third High Level Dialogue (HLD) between India and the European Union (EU) was held on August 26, 2023, in New Delhi. The meeting was co-chaired by the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Textiles, Piyush Goyal, and the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Valdis Dombrovskis.
- The Indian Embassy in Bahrain has launched a new mobile app called EoIBh-Connect to facilitate online appointment booking for a range of consular and visa services. The app was introduced on August 20, 2023, and has since expanded its capabilities to allow users to schedule appointments with IVS Global, an outsourced agency for consular services.
- The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), India’s market regulator, has recently proposed that brokers and mutual funds should stop the use of unregistered financial influencers in advertising and marketing campaigns.
- World:
- American military has introduced an artificial intelligence robot for aerial combat. The XQ-58A Valkyrie is an experimental aircraft that is powered by a rocket engine and can fly a distance equal to the width of China.
- Sports:
- The Indian men’s 4x400m relay team made history by qualifying for the final of the World Championships for the first time. The team, comprising Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Amoj Jacob, Muhammed Ajmal Variyathodi, and Rajesh Ramesh, finished second in heat number one behind the USA with a time of 2:58.47.
- Simone Biles won her record 8th all-around title at the US Gymnastics Championships in San Jose, California, a full decade after her first national title. This victory cemented her dominant comeback to the top of the sport just weeks after Biles returned from a two-year break to focus on her mental health.
- Parul Chaudhary, an Indian athlete, set a new national record in the women’s 3000m steeplechase final at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary on Sunday, August 27th, 2023.
Questions:
Q.1 Which bank has been amalgamated with Jalgaon Peoples Co-operative Bank Limited?a. State Bank of India
b. Punjab National Bank
c. Akola Merchant Co-operative Bank Limited
d. HDFC Bank
Q.2 In which event did Parul Chaudhary set a new national record?
a. Women’s 100m hurdles
b. Women’s 3000m steeplechase
c. Women’s 5000m
d. Women’s 10000m
