NATIONAL NEWS

Karnataka Government to Provide 2 Percent Reservation

• The Karnataka government issued a final notification on 16 August 2022 to provide a 2 per cent reservation for national and international sportspersons in recruitment to the state police department.
• Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP,) Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) and Karnataka State Police Sports Promotion Board President, confirmed that the final notification regarding reservation for sportspersons would be released in another two days.
• Currently, the State provides reservation to sportsperson in the police and forest department on the lines of existing quota.
• Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai also felicitated 75 sports who have been selected under the ‘Amrit Kreeda Dattu’ scheme.

'Make India No. 1' Mission

• Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on 17 August 2022 launched the national mission to make India No. 1 at Delhi Talkatora Stadium.

• It will focus on health, education, agriculture and employment.

• He also added that opening schools, hospitals, providing employment to youths and equal rights to women needed to make India number one in world.

• He will travel across the country as part of the mission to encourage people to join the initiative and achieve its objectives.

StartUp Loan to TGP Bioplastics

• Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology Dr Jitendra Singh approved StartUp loan of Rs 1.15 crores to TGP Bioplastics for commercialising "compostable" plastic and also mitigate the usage of Single Use Plastics (SUP).

• The StartUp has come up with an alternative solution of Single Use Plastic (SUP) with the prototype of a compostable plastic material which breaks down as compost in soil without affecting the environment.

• The MoU was signed between Technology Development Board (TDB), a statutory body under DST and TGP Bioplastics Private Limited for manufacturing and commercialization of compostable plastics.
• The concept of compostable plastic will be scaled up with further government support for driving global action on plastic pollution.

Hyderabad International Airport to Use DigiYatra

• The GMR Hyderabad International Airport (GHIAL) is all set to roll out the Digital processing of passengers as a proof of concept through the DigiYatra platform from 18 August 2022 for three months.

• The Government of India's signature DigiYatra programme will facilitate paperless travel and avoid multiple identity checks at the airport enabling seamless and hassle-free travel.

• This technology will enable passengers paperless travel, and they will be able to use a face scan as a boarding pass.
• For the enrolment, the DigiYatra technical team has developed an exclusive mobile app, which passengers need to download to receive the benefits offered by the DigiYatra programme.
• The app's beta version was launched on 15 August by PM Narendra Modi is presently available at Playstore for Android platform.

National Security Strategies Conference 2022

• Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated a two-day National Security Strategies (NSS) Conference 2022 in New Delhi.

• On the first day of the Conference, discussions were held on various aspects of national security, including counter-terrorism, radicalisation, issues pertaining to crypto currencies, counter rogue drone technology and challenges posed by Maoist outfits.

• The Home Minister also inaugurated the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System.
• This system will help in quick and easy disposal of cases with the help of centralized finger print database.

BANKING

Bank of Baroda Launches Special FD Scheme

• The public sector lender Bank of Baroda has launched the ‘Baroda Tiranga National Scheme’ for a limited time period till 31 December 2022 to mark 75 years of Independence.

• It is a special Fixed Deposit scheme offering a higher interest rate.

• Under this, the Bank of Baroda will offer two tenors of 444 days and 555 days, where investors will get interest rates of 5.75% per annum for 444 days and 6 percent interest rates per annum for 555 days.

• The scheme opens on 16th August 2022 till 31st December 2022 and is applicable on retail deposits below Rs 2 crore.

Axis Bank Signs MoU with Food Corporation of India

• Axis Bank, India’s third largest private sector bank has signed an MoU with Food Corporation of India (FCI).

• The main objective is to provide “Ultima Salary Package”, a salary account with exclusive benefits and features to all its employees.

• With this MoU, the Bank has reinstated its commitment to offer holistic banking services to the employees of the Public Sector Undertakings (PSU) sector.

• The Bank will offer numerous benefits such as Personal Accidental cover of up to Rs.20 lakhs, Additional Education Grant up to Rs. 8 lakhs, Total Permanent Disability Cover benefit up to Rs. 20 lakhs, Permanent Partial disability cover of up to Rs.20 lakhs and Air Accident cover of Rs. 1 Crore.

RANKS, INDICES & REPORTS

Most Trusted Institutions

• According to a survey by Ipsos India, Defence forces, Resreve Bank of India and Prime Minister of India are the three most trusted institutions in the country.

• The Supreme Court of India came fourth and it was followed by the Central Bureau of Investigation CBI.

• Defence Forces with at least 2 in 3 (65 per cent of respondents) was ranked first, followed by Reserve Bank of India with 1 in 2 (50 per cent).
• Prime Minister of India as an institution was at the third spot with 49 per cent citizens having trust.
• The Survey was conducted by Ipsos India and interviewed 2950 adults including females.
• The institutions at the bottom of the list were politicians (16 per cent), political parties (17 per cent), community leaders (19 per cent) and religious leaders (21 per cent).

AWARDS & PRIZES

Blue Plaque Honour

• London home of Dadabhai Naoroji will get a ‘Blue Plaque’ honour that is reserved for notable personalities who have lived and worked in London.

• Naoroji was the first Asian who was elected as a Member of Parliament in Britain.
• The Blue Plaque by the English Heritage charity, honours the historic significance of particular buildings across London.
•  Naoroji’s plaque was unveiled to coincide with the 75th-anniversary celebrations of Indian Independence.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Badminton Players as Brand Ambassadors

• Badminton players Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty was appointed on board as brand ambassadors of Mastercard in India.
• As winners of the Thomas Cup 2022 and Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, these new ambassadors will partner with the company to spread awareness about safety, security and convenience of digital payments in India.
• This partnership, is in line with the efforts of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Digital India.
• Creating awareness about the convenience and safety of digital payments in India is a top priority for the firm.

Delhi HC Appoints Committee

• The Delhi High Court directed the setting up of a three-member Committee of Administrators (COA) to take over the affairs of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

• The members of the CoA will be assisted by Abhinav Bindra, Anju Bobby George and Bombayla Devi Laishram.

• The IOA is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the National Olympic Committee for India.

President of Kenya

• Kenyan Deputy President, William Ruto is elected as President of Kenya after he was declared the winner of the last presidential election over five-time contender Raila Odinga.

• Ruto received 50.49% of the vote.

• These elections had been hailed as a step forward for Kenyan democracy because the campaign was marked by political maturity.
• Politicians focused on economic issues, instead of the tribal mobilization that has been a feature of every Kenyan election since independence.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

First 3D-Printed Human Cornea in India

• Researchers in Hyderabad have successfully 3D-printed an artificial cornea (3D-printed Human Cornea) and placed it in a rabbit eye for the first time ever in India.

• A 3D-printed Human cornea made from human donor corneal tissue has been created by researchers from the L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI), Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad (IIT-H) and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB).

• It is entirely natural, free of synthetic ingredients and safe for patients to use.
• This hydrogel served as the foundation material for the 3D-printed Human Cornea.
• The 3D-printed Human Cornea is biocompatible, natural and free of animal byproducts because it is made of components derived from human corneal tissue.