NATIONAL NEWS

National Seminar on ‘Introspection: Armed Forces Tribunal’

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate a National Seminar on ‘Introspection: Armed Forces Tribunal’ being organised by the Armed Forces Tribunal (Principal Bench) Bar Association in New Delhi.
• It is being conducted as a part of Raising Day celebrations of the Armed Forces Tribunal.
• The objective of the seminar is to analyse its working, suggest remedies for any shortcomings.
• It also aims at resolving the problems and difficulties faced by the litigants in course of availing speedy justice.
• The seminar is being organized to examine the functioning of the Armed Forces Tribunal, established to ensure the speedy and inexpensive justice to Ex-Servicemen, their families and War-Widows, besides the serving personnel of Armed Forces.

First ‘Har Ghar Jal’ Certified State and UT

• Goa has become the first 'Har Ghar Jal' certified State and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu the first Union Territory in the country.
• In this State and UT, people from all the villages have declared their village as Har Ghar Jal through a resolution passed by the Gram Sabha.
• All two lakh 63 thousand rural households of Goa and over 85 thousand of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu have access to safe drinking water through tap connection.
• Jal Jeevan Mission is a flagship programme of the Central Government which aims at making provision of potable tap water supply to every rural household of the country by 2024.
• All schools, Anganwadi centres, public institutions including Gram Panchayat buildings, healthcare centres and community centres and other government offices have now access to potable water through tap connection.

First Electric Double-Decker Bus in Mumbai

• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari launched Ashok Leyland Electric Double Decker Bus named ‘Switch EiV 22’ in Mumbai.
• As per Ashok Leyland, Switch EiV 22 is India's first and unique electric double-decker air-conditioned bus, which has been designed, developed and manufactured in India.
• The company informs that Switch EiV 22 is equipped with the latest technology, ultra-modern design, highest safety and best-in-class comfort features.
• The Minister also highlighted the need for import-substituting, cost-effective, pollution-free and indigenous products.
• Nitin Gadkari said 35 per cent of the pollution is because of diesel and petrol, and the introduction of these buses will reduce pollution.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

HAL to Open Office in Malaysia

• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has signed an MoU for establishing an office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
• The office in Malaysia will help HAL in tapping the new business opportunities for Fighter Lead-in Trainer (FLIT) LCA and other requirements of Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) like Su-30 MKM and Hawk upgrades.
• It will reinforce commitment of India in supporting the Malaysian Defence Forces and industry for sustainable aerospace and defence landscape in Malaysia.
• It will also help HAL expand its services in South East Asia.

4th India-Philippines Strategic Dialogue

• The 4th India-Philippines Strategic Dialogue was held in Manila, Philippines in which the two sides discussed Defence and Security Cooperation.
• They reviewed the multi-faceted relations between India and Philippines.
• The two sides also expressed their desire to advance bilateral relations and expand engagement in areas including agriculture, trade, pharmaceuticals, fintech, education, defence and security and people to people ties.
• They also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest as well as ASEAN-related matters.

BANKING

SBI Launches Its First Dedicated Branch for Start-Ups

• State Bank of India (SBI) has launched its first branch dedicated to start-ups in Koramangala, Bengaluru and Karnataka.

• It is to provide end-to-end financial and advisory services to startups.

• It will leverage the large presence of the bank in the market by bringing synergy among all the entities and various departments of the State Bank group to offer a one-stop solution to these corporates and startups starting from the formation of the entity till Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) and Follow-on Public Offers (FPOs) of the companies.
• It would be provided to all the requirements of the private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) funds and the Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs).

ECONOMY

Shiprocket Becomes India’s 106th Unicorn

• Shiprocket became the India’s 106th unicorn after raising $ 33.5 million in a funding round co-led by Temasek and Lightrock India.
• Shiprocket was valued at round $1.2 billion with the fresh round of funding.
• The term unicorn refers to a privately held startup company with a value of over $1 billion.

SPORTS

First Indian to Play in UEFA Women's Champions League

• Young striker Manisha Kalyan became the first Indian footballer to play at the UEFA Women's Champions League.

• Kalyan replaced Cyprus' Merilena Georgiou in the 60th minute at the Makareio Stadium, as Apollon Ladies FC beat Latvian top flight club SFK Riga 3-0 in their UWCL opener.

• She has become the fourth Indian woman footballer to sign for an overseas club.
• She was awarded the AIFF Women’s Footballer of the Year for the 2021-22 season.
• She had produced impressive performances for the national team and Gokulam Kerala in the Indian Women’s League.

RANKS, INDICES & REPORTS

Private Corporate Investment: Growth in 2021-22 and Outlook for 2022-2023

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has revealed the article titled ‘Private Corporate Investment: Growth in 2021-22 and Outlook for 2022-23’.
• Rajasthan accounted for the highest share in the total cost of projects sanctioned by banks and financial institutions in 2021-22, retaining the top place for two consecutive years, as per an article published in RBI bulletin.
• Rajasthan was followed by Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.
• The article uses data on investment intentions by the private corporate sector based on the phasing plans of their project proposals to arrive at the aggregate investment intentions and assess the outlook for investment activity in the near term.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

MD and CEO of Bajaj Electricals

• Consumer durable products maker Bajaj Electricals elevated its Executive Director Anuj Poddar to the role of managing director and chief executive officer.

• The company has also separated the post of chairman and managing director and its patron Shekhar Bajaj will continue as the executive chairman of the company.

• Bajaj Electricals has undertaken multiple initiatives, including strengthening of the leadership, streamlining of its corporate structure, etc.
• Bajaj Electricals, part of business conglomerate Bajaj Group, had a turnover of Rs, 4813 crore in FY22.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Humanitarian Day

• World Humanitarian Day is commemorated every year on 19 August.
• It is celebrated to pay tribute to humanitarian workers killed and injured in the course of their work.
• It is also to honor all aid and health workers who continue, despite the odds to provide life-saving support and protection to people most in need.
• The UN General Assembly designated this day as World Humanitarian Day in 2009 to honor the bombing.

World Photography Day

• World Photography Day is observed every year on 19 August.

• It pays tribute to the art of photography and also encourages those who are passionate about it to come together and share their work.

• The first durable color photograph was captured in 1861 while the first digital photograph was created in 1957, two decades earlier than the invention of the digital camera.
• The inception of this day dates back to 1837 when Frenchmen Joseph Nicephore Niepce and Louis Daguerre invented the ‘daguerreotype’ which was the world’s first-ever photographic process.