Latest Monthly Current Affairs PDF Download for August 2022

Current Affairs August 2022

The candidates should prepare the current affairs after dividing it into the following sub-headings as given below: 

• History and Art & Culture
• Polity and Governance
• Economy
• Environment
• Geography and Agriculture
• International News
• Science & Tech.
• Society
• Government Schemes
• Person in News and Awards
• Sports
• Others

Let us see the details of each of the above topics.

History and Art & Culture

Global Engagement Scheme

• Ministry: Ministry of Culture
• Aim: Promotion and dissemination of Indian Folk Arts and Culture outside India with the help of Cultural Agreements & Cultural Exchange Programme
• Indian festivals are organized outside India. Folk art is showcased along with cultural events such as exhibitions, dance, music, theatre, food fest, literary fest, film fest, yoga etc.
• Grant-in-aid is also provided to Indo-Foreign Friendship Cultural Societies
• Seven Zonal Cultural Centers (ZCCs) have been set up at Patiala, Nagpur, Udaipur, Prayagraj, Kolkata, Dimapur and Thanjavur to preserve and protect folk art and culture

UNESCO List of Important Endangered Heritage Observatories of the World

• 106-year-old astronomical observatory of Langat Singh College, Muzaffarpur, under Bhim Rao Ambedkar Bihar University (BRABU) was included in the UNESCO List of Important Endangered Heritage Observatories of the World
• The observatory was established in 1916

Bharat Rang Mahotsav

• 22nd Bharat Rang Mahotsav was inaugurated at Rabindra Natya Mandir in Mumbai
• It is a 5-day drama festival that has been organized by the Rabindra Natya Mandir in Mumbai
• It was organized to pay tribute to our freedom fighters

Traditional Knowledge Digital Library

• Traditional Knowledge Digital Library database access has been provided to users as well, besides patent offices
• About Traditional Knowledge Digital Library:
  
  • It was established in 2001 as a database of Indian traditional knowledge
  • Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Department of Indian Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy (ISM&H, now Ministry of AYUSH) has established this database
  • It contains information on Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa, and Yoga in English, German, French, Japanese, and Spanish

Polity and Governance

Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules 2011

• Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules 2011 were amended
• Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) (Third Amendment) Rules, 2022 led to exemption of garment or hosiery industry selling garment or hosiery items in loose or open
• The move is expected to promote ease of doing business and reduce compliance burden

Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022

Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022 have been notified to ensure environmentally sound management of waste batteries

• With this rules, Batteries (Management and Handling) Rules, 2001 will get replaced
• Types of batteries covered: Electric Vehicle batteries, portable batteries, automotive batteries and industrial batteries
• The concept of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) has been introduced. According to this, producers (including importers) of batteries are responsible for collection and recycling/refurbishment of waste batteries and use of recovered materials from wastes into new batteries
• A centralized online portal, for exchange of EPR certificates between producers and recyclers/refurbishers, will be set up
• Environmental compensation will be imposed for non-fulfilment of Extended Producer Responsibility. This is based on the Polluter Pays Principle

National Workshop on Localization of Sustainable Development Goals in Panchayats

• National Workshop on Localization of Sustainable Development Goals in Panchayats was inaugurated with a thematic approach on ‘Village with Self-Sufficient Infrastructure’
• The aim is to provide an opportunity for exchange of ideas and best practices that must be implemented in local governance and PRIs

Promotion of e-Lok Adalat

• Some of the steps taken by the Legal Services Authorities to promote e-Lok Adalats are:
  
  • Standard Operating Procedure for conduct of e-Lok Adalat
  • Technical training through System officers to the Court Staff
  • Whatsapp groups for litigants, advocates and respondents
• e-Lok Adalats are organized simultaneously with regular Lok Adalats
• The first e-Lok Adalat was held in Madhya Pradesh
• Lok Adalats are meant to cater to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism

Cooperatives on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) Portal

• Onboarding of cooperatives was done on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal
• The access to the GeM portal has been provided to the cooperative societies
• It will help in the expansion and marketing of the cooperative sector
• GeM portal helps in the procurement of goods and services that are needed by Central and State Government Departments/ Organizations/ Public Sector Undertakings. It was launched in 2016 and comes under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry

PESA Act

• The Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA Act) was enacted in 1996 for extending the provisions of Part IX of the Constitution to the Schedules Areas
• The Scheduled Areas are the ones that are referred to in Article 244(1)
• The Fifth Schedule of the Constitution is related to the administration and control of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes (other than Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram)
• The idea behind the PESA Act was to promote self-governance through Gram Sabhas (village assemblies) for people living in the Scheduled Areas
• The acknowledges the traditional rights of the tribal communities over natural resources
• Some of the areas where Gram Sabha plays a key role are:
  
  • Approval of developmental plans
  • Control over minor (non-timber) forest resources
  • Control over minor water bodies
  • Control over minor minerals
  • Management of local markets
  • Prevention of land alienation
  • Regulation of intoxicants
• After the enactment of PESA Act, central Ministry of Panchayati Raj circulated model PESA Rules. As of now, six states have notified these Rules

National Write-shop on Preparedness of Roadmap for Revamped National Panchayat Awards

• National Write-shop aims to provide an orientation on Revamped National Panchayat Awards application process to States/UTs officials
• Gram, Block, and District Panchayats will receive awards under the following categories:
  
  • Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar (for individual theme-wise performance)
  • Nanaji Deshmukh Sarvottam Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar (for aggregate performance under all the themes)
• Other awards include:
  
  • Gram Urja Swaraj Vishesh Panchayat Puraskar
  • Carbon Neutral Vishesh Panchayat Puraskar
  • Panchayat Kshamta Nirmaan Sarvottam Sansthan Puraskar
• More about Panchayats:
  
  • 73rd Constitution Amendment Act, 1992 came into force on 24th April, 1993
  • 24th April is celebrated as National Panchayati Raj Day

Economy

Infrastructure Projects in North-East

• It is mandatory for 55 non-exempted Central Ministries/Departments to spend a minimum of 10% of their Gross Budgetary Support (GBS) for Central Sector and Centrally Sponsored

Schemes in the North Eastern Region (NER)

• Air Connectivity:
  
  • Between 2016-17 and 2021-22, 28 projects have been completed and 15 projects are in progress
• Rail Connectivity:
  
  • 14 New Line Projects of length 1,181 km
  • 5 Doubling/Multi tracking Projects of length 728 km
• Road Connectivity:
  
  • 4 laning of Dimapur-Kohima Road in Nagaland
  • 4 laning of Nagaon bypass to Holongi in Arunachal Pradesh
  • Alternate two-lane Highway from Bagrakote to Pakyong in Sikkim
  • 2 laning of Aizawl-Tuipang NH-54 in Mizoram
  • 4 laning of Imphal-Moreh section of NH-39 in Manipur
• Waterway Connectivity:
  
  • Development of National Waterway-2: River Brahmaputra from Dhubri (Bangladesh Border) to Sadiya
  • Development of National Waterway-16: River Barak that connects Silchar, Karimganj and Badarpur in Cachar valley of Assam with Haldia and Kolkata ports through Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) Route
• Power Connectivity:
  
  • North Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project (NERPSIP) for Six States (Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura and Nagaland) for strengthening of the Intra-State
  • Transmission and Distribution Systems
  • Comprehensive Scheme for Strengthening of Transmission and Distribution System in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim
• Telecom Connectivity:
  
  • Mobile Services in uncovered villages in Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh
  • Mobile connectivity in Meghalaya and along National Highways on 4G Technology
  • Bharat Net and Wi-Fi Connectivity for Village Panchayats

Various Initiatives for Ease of Doing Business

• Udyam Registration (UR) Portal: for online, paperless and transparent MSME registration process
• MSME SAMBANDH Portal: for monitoring the implementation of Public Procurement Policy for micro and small enterprises
• MSME SAMADHAAN: for micro and small entrepreneurs who can register their cases related to delayed payments
• CHAMPIONS Portal: for speedy redressal of grievances

RBI’s Financial Inclusion Index (FI-Index)

• RBI’s financial inclusion index (FI-Index) tends to capture the extent of financial inclusion across the country
• The value has risen to 56.4 in March 2022 as compared to 53.9 in March 2021
• Details of banking, investments, insurance, postal, and pension sectors are incorporated
• Access has been given 35% weightage, Usage has been given 45% weightage, and Quality has been given 20% weightage

RBI’s Surveys on the State of Indian Economy

• Consumer Confidence Survey (CCS):
  
  • It is a survey across 19 cities
  • Responses on general economic situation, employment scenario, overall price situation and own income and spending are covered
  • It has two components: Current Situation Index (CSI) and the Future Expectations Index (FEI)
  • CSI has stayed in the negative region
  • FEI is in the positive region, but it is still below the pre-pandemic levels

Inflation Expectations Survey (IES):

• In the latest survey, households’ inflation perception for the current period has reduced by 0.8% to 9.3%

OBICUS Survey:

• Order Books, Inventories and Capacity Utilisation Survey
• It covers 765 manufacturing companies
• As per the latest survey CU is well above the pre-pandemic level. It suggests that India’s aggregate demand is recovering steadily

Industrial Outlook Survey (IOS):

• Industrial Outlook Survey (IOS) tracks the sentiments of the businessmen and businesswomen
• Businesses are expecting improvements as the period rolls on

Services and Infrastructure Outlook Survey (SIOS):

• Services and Infrastructure Outlook Survey (SIOS) measures the current and future view of Indian companies in the services and infrastructure sectors
• As per the latest survey companies in the services sector view a more optimistic situation as compared to the companies in the infrastructure sector

Bank Lending Survey (BLS):

• Bank Lending Survey (BLS) tries to measure the qualitative assessment and expectations of major scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) on credit parameters
• The assessment of loan demand in the 1st Quarter of FY 23 remained positive for the major sectors

Survey of Professional Forecasters (SPF):

• It is a survey of 42 professional forecasters
• Forecasting is done on macroeconomic indicators such as GDP growth rate and inflation
• Real GDP is expected to grow at 7.1% in FY 23 and at 6.3% in FY 24

Environment

American Bullfrog and Brown Tree Snake

• American Bullfrog and Brown Tree Snake are invasive species
• Between 1986 and 2020, they have cost the world nearly $16 billion through crop damage and power outages
• The frog has affected Europe
• The snake has affected Pacific islands, including Guam and the Mariana islands

Indian Oil and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) MoU

• Indian Oil and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) have signed a MoU for transcontinental relocation of ‘cheetah’ in its historical range in India
• Indian Oil, as a part of its CSR, is supporting the Project Cheetah
• Under the Project Cheetah, 8-10 Cheetahs will be brought in from Namibia and South Africa and will be introduced at Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh

Updated Nationally Determined Contribution

• Updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) are intended to increase India’s contribution to the global response against the threat of climate change
• Details of original NDC:
• Comprised of 8 goals with 3 of them having quantitative targets that were to be achieved up to 2030
• 40% of electric power installed capacity must be from non-fossil sources
• Reduction of emissions intensity of GDP by 33-35% compared to 2005 levels
• Creation of additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover
• Details of updated NDC:
  
  • 50% of electric power installed capacity must be from non-fossil sources
  • Reduction of emissions intensity of GDP by 45% compared to 2005 levels
• 10 Wetlands Designated as Ramsar Sites
• 10 more wetlands have been designated as Ramsar sites
• So far, 64 wetlands have been designated as Ramsar sites

Name of Wetland	Location
Koonthankulam Bird Sanctuary	Tamil Nadu
Satkosia Gorge	Odisha
Nanda Lake	Goa
Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve	Tamil Nadu
Ranganathituu BS	Karnataka
Vembannur Wetland Complex	Tamil Nadu
Vellode Bird Sanctuary	Tamil Nadu
Sirpur wetland	Madhya Pradesh
Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary	Tamil Nadu
Udhayamarthandapuram Bird Sanctuary	Tamil Nadu

Geography and Agriculture

Millets Conclave

• A 2-day millets conclave was organized at Raichur by the University of Agricultural Sciences and NABARD
• 2023 has been declared as the International Year of Millets by the United Nations General Assembly
• Details:
  
  • India is the major producer of millets in the world
  • Millet production requires less water
  • Startups and women can engage themselves in the production and marketing of millets-related products
• In order to increase the area under millet and nutritive-cereal in Karnataka, Raha Siri Yojana has been launched. The scheme intends to provide Rs 10,000 from DBT to the farmers engaged in millet production

Amendment in Export Policy for Wheat or Meslin Flour

• Export Policy for Wheat or Meslin Flour has received an approval for amendment in order to allow a restriction on the export of Wheat Flour
• The move is expected to keep a check on rising prices of wheat flour
• Russia and Ukraine conflict disrupted the global supply chain of wheat. Due to disruptions, the demand for Indian wheat increased, leading to an increase in the prices

Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of Sugarcane

• Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane for sugar season 2022-23 (October - September) has been set at Rs. 305/qtl
• FRP is calculated on the basis of A2 + FL cost of production of sugarcane (i.e actual paid out cost plus imputed value of family labour)
• In sugar production, India has overtaken Brazil in the current sugar season. India is now the largest producer and second largest exporter of sugar in the world
• Diammonium Phosphate (DAP)
• Coromandel International Ltd., has acquired 45% equity share in Baobab Mining and Chemicals Corporation (BMCC), a rock phosphate mining company based in Senegal
• The move has been made keeping in mind India’s dependence on raw material like rock phosphate and phosphoric acid
• What is Diammonium Phosphate (DAP)?
  
  • Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) is a fertilizer that contains both Nitrogen and Phosphorus, both of which are primary macro-nutrients and part of 18 essential plant nutrients
  • It is manufactured by reacting Ammonia with Phosphoric acid under controlled conditions in fertilizer plants
  • It is free-flowing and dust-free
  • The storage problems with DAP are negligible
  • DAP is almost water-soluble and leaves acid effect on soils because of ammonia (NH4)
• Utilisation of Agri-Infra Funds
• Andhra Pradesh has ranked first in the utilisation of agricultural infrastructure funds (Agri Infra Fund)
• It has laid great emphasis on the infrastructure development at the farm gate
• B. Srinivasa Rao, CEO of State Rythu Bazars, received the award for the best state in the nation in terms of utilising Agri Funds in the fiscal year 2021–22
• Indo-Israel Center of Excellence for Vegetables
• Foundation stone of Indo-Israel Center of Excellence for Vegetables was laid at Chandauli (Uttar Pradesh)
• The idea is to promote the development of Chandauli district and Purvanchal region
• Nursery of other agricultural produce including vegetables will be prepared at this Center of excellence
• Chandauli district is known as the rice bowl of UP
• Israeli experts under the India-Israel Action Plan (IIAP) are providing the technology for the Center
• Modernization of Food Grain Storage Infrastructure
• Hub & Spoke Model in Public Private Partnership (PPP) Mode has been proposed for modernization of food grain storage infrastructure
• Design, Build, Fund, Own & Operate (DBFOT) model has been considered under Hub and Spoke Model
• Hubs will have a dedicated railway siding and container depot facility
• Transportation from Spoke to Hub will be undertaken via roadways
• Transportation from Hub to Hub will be undertaken via railways
• Benefits:
  
  • Using the efficiency of railways
  • Cost efficiency through bulk storage & movement

International News

India and ADB Loan Agreement

• India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a $96.3 million loan agreement
• Aim: Provision of safe drinking water and improvement of water supply and sanitation services in Himachal Pradesh
• The project intends to connect 75,800 households to the service and construct 48 groundwater wells, 80 surface water intake facilities, 109 water treatment plants, 117 pumping stations, and 3,000 km of water distribution pipelines
  

AL NAJAH-IV

• The 4th edition of India-Oman Joint Military Exercise ‘AL NAJAH-IV’ was held in Rajasthan at the Foreign Training Node of Mahajan Field Firing Ranges
• The exercise was focused on counter-terror cooperation, regional security operations, and peacekeeping operations under United Nations charter

Ex VINBAX 2022

• 3rd Edition of Vietnam-India Bilateral Army Exercise ‘Ex VINBAX 2022’ was conducted
• Theme: Employment and deployment of an Engineer Company and a Medical Team as part of United Nations Contingent for Peace Keeping Operations

Minerals Security Partnership

• Minerals Security Partnership is a US-led partnership that aims to secure supply chains of critical minerals. The idea behind this move is to reduce dependency on China, since China has acquired mines in Africa and also has the infrastructure for processing of rare Earth minerals
• Following countries are a part of the Minerals Security Partnership: the US, Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the European Commission
• The focus could be on Cobalt, Nickel, Lithium and the 17 “rare earth” minerals
• Some Rare Earth minerals such as Lanthanum, Cerium, Neodymium, Praseodymium and Samarium are available in India. Heavy RE elements (HREE) such as Dysprosium, Terbium, and Europium are not present in extractable quantity

UNSC Meet on Counterterrorism

• In October 2022, India will host diplomats and officials from the 15 countries that are a part of the UNSC (United Nations Security Council)
• India is chairing the CTC (Counter-Terrorism Committee). The focus will be on tackling challenges such as terrorism financing, cyberthreats (internet and social media), and use of drones (unmanned aerial systems)

Exercise Pitch Black

• Indian Air Force (IAF) will join the Exercise Pitch Black
• It is a biennial exercise hosted by the Australian Air Force
• 16 other nations will also join the exercise

Yudh Abhyas

• Military exercise Yudh Abhyas was conducted by The Indian Army and the US Army at Auli in Uttarakhand

India and France Contract

• International Transport Forum and the Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC), India and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, France have signed a contract to support the International Transport Forum (ITF) activities on the Indian Transport Sector
• Details:
  
  • New scientific results
  • New policy insights
  • Capacity building
  • Identification of technology options for decarbonization of transport sector

Exercise UDARASHAKTI

• Exercise UDARASHAKTI was held between the Indian Air Force and the Royal Malaysian Air Force at the Royal Malaysian Air Force Base Kuantan

Science & Tech.

RT-PCR kit for Testing Monkeypox Disease

• RT-PCR kit for testing monkeypox disease was developed indigenously by Transasia Bio-Medicals
• The kit expected to help in early detection and better management of the infection
• WHO has declared monkeypox as a public health emergency of international concern. It is a zoonotic disease (virus transmitted to humans from animals)

VL-SRSAM

• Vertical Launch Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) was flight tested by the DRDO and the Indian Navy
• Details:
  
  • The missile has been indigenously designed and developed by DRDO
  • These have indigenous Radio Frequency (RF) seeker

Cow-dung to Compressed Biogas Project

• Cowdung to Compressed Biogas Project, by HPCL, was started at Sanchore, Rajasthan
• This project falls under HPCL’s Waste to Energy portfolio
• The plant is expected to utilize 100 Tons per day of dung to produce biogas. The biogas thus produced, will be used as automotive fuel
• This project is under the GOBAR-Dhan scheme

Hybrid Electric Vehicles

• A hybrid electric vehicle uses one or more electric motor(s) and a petrol / diesel engine
• There are three categories of hybrid vehicles; namely, full, mild, and micro
• Advantages:
  
  • Fuel efficiency
  • Higher power
  • Lesser emissions
  • Lesser engine size and car weight leased to more mileage
• Challenges:
  
  • High vehicle cost
  • Battery and regenerative braking increase the cost

AlphaFold

• 3D structures of more than 200 million proteins have been predicted by DeepMind (owned by Google) using AlphaFold
• AlphaFold is an AI-based (Artificial Intelligence) prediction tool that is used to predict protein structure
• Protein sequences are fed as an input in AlphaFold and a 3D structure is obtained as an output
• Relevance:
  
  • Knowledge of protein structures and functions help in understanding human diseases
  • Less time consuming as compared to other techniques such as x-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, or cryogenic electron microscopy

Smart Biodegradable Biopolymer Nanocomposite

• A smart biodegradable biopolymer nanocomposite has been developed by the Scientists from the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST)
• The biopolymer can detect relative humidity and finds its application in packaging materials, especially for the food industry
• Guar Gum and Alginate (obtained from brown algae) were blended with carbon dots (nanomaterial) to prepare a nanocomposite film

Hellfire R9X Missile

• Hellfire R9X missile is of US-origin
• It causes minimum collateral damage
• It is also called as the ‘Ninja Missile’ since it does not carry a warhead. Instead of a warhead it deploys razor-sharp blades at the terminal stage of its attack trajectory
• It cuts down the target using the kinetic energy of its propulsion

Society

School Innovation Council

• School Innovation Council is an initiative that has been undertaken by Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell (MIC)
• Aim: The council (consisting of teachers, students, and experts from industry and academia) will conduct activities for students and teachers on Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Schools can register themselves on the SIC portal

Cheerag Scheme

• “Chief Minister Equal Education Relief, Assistance and Grant (Cheerag)” scheme was launched in Haryana
• Details of the scheme:
  
  •  If the family income, of the parents of government school students, is less than INR 1.8 Lakhs, then these students can get enrolled in private schools from Class II to XII
  • Reimbursement of INR 700 per student from Classes II to V
  • Reimbursement of INR 900 per student from Classes VI to VIII
  • Reimbursement of INR 1,100 per student from Classes IX to XII
• Concerns over the scheme:
  
  • The scheme encourages private school rather than strengthening the government schools
  • The scheme does not address the issue of unfilled teacher vacancies in the government schools
• Official stand on the scheme:
  
  • The scheme is optional and not compulsory
  • The scheme is in place only till the time another scheme under the Right to Education (RTE) Act replaces it

Bal Aadhaar Initiative

• UIDAI has enrolled more than 79 lakh children in the 0-5 age group from April 2022 to July 2022
• By July 2022, 3.43 crore children in the age group of 0-5 years have been enrolled in the Bal Aadhaar Initiative
• Benefits:
  
  • Availing welfare schemes and welfare benefits
  • Digital photo identity
  • Bal Aadhaar is issued in blue color. Once a child attains the age of 5 years, he/she needs to provide his/her biometrics at an Aadhaar Seva Kendra to complete a process called mandatory biometric update (MBU). Once the process is complete, the child received a normal Aadhaar card

SMILE-75 Initiative

• SMILE-75 Initiative has been launched by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
• SMILE stands for Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise
• The initiative has identifies 75 Municipal Corporations that will engage in the rehabilitation of persons engaged in the act of begging

National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE)

• Central Sector Scheme
• Ministry involved: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA)
• Salient feature of the scheme:
  
  • Total mechanization of sanitation and cleaning operations
  • Providing sustainable livelihood to the sanitation workers
  • Enhancing occupational safety of the sanitation workers
  • Providing support for alternative livelihood, self-employment, and skilled wage employment
  • Promote behavioral changes amongst the citizens
  • Sanitation workers will be collectivized into SHGs and will be empowered to run sanitation enterprises
  • 500 cities will be considered for this phase of NAMASTE
  • Families of sanitation workers will be covered under the Ayushyaman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)

Government Schemes

One Herb, One Standard

• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy (Ministry of Ayush) and Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (Ministry of Health & Family Welfare) for promotion and facilitation of “One Herb, One Standard”
• Details:
  
  • Standardization of Traditional medicine
  • Exchange of information

Integrated Pensioners’ Portal

• Integrated Pensioners’ Portal will be developed by Department of Pension & Pensioners Welfare
• The aim is to link the Department of Pension & Pensioners Welfare portal Bhavishya and Pension Portals of various Banks, and enhance Ease of Living

One District – One Product (ODOP)

• Digital version of the ODOP gift catalogue was recently unveiled
• About ODOP:
  
  • The scheme aims to promote the ‘Districts as Exports Hub’
  • It is a centrally sponsored scheme
  • The scheme intends to select, brand, and promote One Product from each District of the country
  • The scheme aims to achieve balanced regional development and holistic socio-economic growth across all regions

SILK MARK

• SILK MARK EXPO was inaugurated. It was organized by Silk Mark Organization of India (SMOI) a Society, sponsored by Central Silk Board, Ministry of Textiles
• Aim of SILK MARK:
  
  • Generic promotion of silk 
  • Building brand equity of Indian Silk at home and abroad
  • Protecting the interests of consumer and all the stake holders of silk value chain including farmers, reelers, twisters manufacturers and traders
    SILK MARK is a Quality Assurance Label. It affirms the purity of silk

Grameen Udyami Project

• Second phase of Grameen Udyami Project was launched in Ranchi by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) in partnership with Seva Bharti and Yuva Vikas Society
• Aim: Provide multi-skills and functional skills to the youth to improve the local economy, increase employment opportunities, reduced forced migration, and conserve natural resources
• Training is provided to tribal students in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Gujarat
• Training is provided in job roles that are suitable for the economy:
  
  • Electrician & Solar PV Installation Technician
  • Plumbing & Masonry
  • 2-Wheeler Repair & Maintenance
  • IT/ITES with e-Governance
  • Farm Mechanization

Operation Yatri Suraksha

• Operation Yatri Suraksha is a month-long pan-India drive undertaken by the RPF (Railway Protection Force)
• Some of the steps include:
  
  • Train Escorting
  • Surveillance through CCTV
  • Surveillance on active criminals
  • Collection of intelligence about the criminals
  • Identifying black spots and crime prone trains/sections

Person in News and Awards

49th Chief Justice of India

• Justice Uday Umesh Lalit has taken oath as the 49th Chief Justice of India

UEFA Best Player Awards

• Karim Benzema was named as the UEFA men’s player of the year
• Alexia Putellas was named as the UEFA women’s player of the year
• Carlo Ancelotti and Sarina Wiegman won coach awards
  

DRDO Chairman

• Scientist Samir V Kamat was appointed as Secretary of the Department of Defence Research and Development and Chairman of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)

Executive Director for India at IMF

• Former Chief Economic Adviser, KV Subramanian, has been named as the Executive Director for India at the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Pulitzer Prize 2022

• Fahmida Azim has been selected for Pulitzer Prize 2022

UNESCO Peace Prize 2022

• Former German chancellor Angela Merkel has been awarded the UNESCO Peace Prize 2022
  

International Astronomy & Astrophysics Olympiad

• India placed 3rd (in the medal tally) at the 15th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA)
• India secured 3 golds and 2 silvers
• The 15th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) 2022 was held in Kutaisi, Georgia

Name	Medal
Raghav Goyal	Gold
Md Sahil Akhtar	Gold
Mehul Borad	Gold
Malay Kedia	Silver
Atharva Nilesh Mahajan	Silver

Rashtriya Puruskar Portal

• A common Rashtriya Puruskar Portal has been launched by the Government
• With this move, the Government aims to bring together all the Awards of the various Ministries/Departments/Agencies of the Government of India under one platform
• Every citizen or organisation can nominate individuals/ organizations for various Awards instituted by the Government of India

Principal Director General of Press Information Bureau (PIB)

• Satyendra Prakash has been appointed as the Principal Director General of Press Information Bureau (PIB)

World Bank’s New Country Director for India

• Auguste Tano Kouamé has been appointed as the World Bank’s Country Director for India

Distinguished Indologist for 2021 Award

• Jeffrey Armstrong has received the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Distinguished Indologist for 2021 award

DG of ITBP

• Dr. Sujoy Lal Thaosen has assumed the additional responsibility of Director General of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police

Vice President of India

• Shri Jagdeep Dhankar has been elected as the Vice President of India

Central Vigilance Commissioner

• Suresh N. Patel was appointed as the Central Vigilance Commissioner

Aarya Walvekar

• Aarya Walvekar was crowned as Miss India USA in 2022

Nallathamby Kalaiselvi

• Nallathamby Kalaiselvi has been appointed as the first woman director general of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research

Rishabh Pant

• Rishabh Pant has been appointed as the State Brand Ambassador of Uttarakhand

NATGRID CEO

• IAS officer of the Nagaland cadre, Piyush Goyal has been appointed as the new CEO of NATGRID (National Intelligence Grid)

Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) Awards 2022

Category	Winners
Best Film	83
Best Director	Shoojit Sircar (Sardar Udham) and Aparna Sen (The Rapist)
Best Actor	Ranveer Singh (83)
Best Actress	Shefali Shah (Jalsa)
Best Series	Mumbai Diaries 26/11
Best Actor in a Series	Mohit Raina (Mumbai Diaries 26/11)
Best Actress in a Series	Sakshi Tanwar (Mai)
Best Indie Film	Jaggi
Best Film from the Subcontinent	Joyland
Lifetime Achievement Award	Kapil Dev
Disruptor in Cinema Award	Vaani Kapoor (Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui)
Equality in Cinema Award	Jalsa
Leadership in Cinema Award	Abhishek Bachchan

New MD of NaBFID

• Rajkiran Rai G has been named as the MD (Managing Director) of the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID)

Sports

Lausanne Diamond League

• Neeraj Chopra won Lausanne Diamond League with 89.08 m throw

Judo World Championships

• Linthoi Chanambam won India’s first-ever gold medal in Judo World Championships
  
• She won the medal in Women’s 57 kg category at the World Judo Cadet (U18) Championships
  

14th Asian U-18 Championship

• Indian men’s volleyball team won a bronze medal at the 14th Asian U-18 Championship in Tehran, Iran

28th Abu Dhabi Masters Chess Tournament

• Arjun Erigaisi has won the 28th Abu Dhabi Masters Chess Tournament

FTX Crypto Cup

• Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa defeated Magnus Carlsen in the FTX Crypto Cup, held in Miami

71st Inter Service Aquatics Championship

• 71st Inter Service Aquatics Championship, 2022, were held at Command Swimming Pool, Headquarters Eastern Naval Command, Visakhapatnam
• It is conducted under the aegis of the Services Sports Control Board
• 2 teams from the Army, 1 team from the Navy, and 1 team from the Air Force were fielded

Dahi-Handi

• Dahi-Handi was recognized as the official sport of Maharashtra
• Maharashtra will organize a Pro – Dahi-Handi competition

Sports under Skill India Initiative

• Under the National Skill Development Mission (NSDM), Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) is implemented by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE)
• Skill development is also provided in the field of sports such as Fitness Trainer, Community Sports Coach, Unarmed Self-Defence Instructor, Personal Fitness Trainer, Group Fitness Trainer, etc.
• A Sports, Physical Education, Fitness & Leisure Skills Council (SPEFL-SC) was formed for the purpose of sports development under the Skill India Initiative

Commonwealth Games 2022

Name	Sport	Medal
Sanket Sagar	Weightlifting (55 kg)	Silver
Vijay Kumar Yadav	Judo	Bronze
Shushila Devi Likmabam	Judo	Silver
Achinta Sheuli	Weightlifting (73 kg)	Gold
Mirabai Chanu	Weightlifting (49 kg)	Gold
Bindiyarani Devi	Weightlifting (55 kg)	Silver
Jeremy Lalrinnunga	Weightlifting (67 kg)	Gold
Vikas Thakur	Weightlifting	Silver
G. Sathiyan, Harmeet Desai, Sharat Kamal, and Sanil Shetty	Table Tennis	Gold
Lovely Choubey, Pinki Singh, Nayanmoni Saikia, and Rupa Rani Tirkey	Lawn Bowls	Gold
Harjinder Kaur	Weightlifting (71 kg)	Bronze
Lovepreet Singh	Weightlifting (109 kg)	Bronze
Tejaswin Shankar	High Jump	Bronze
Gurdeep Singh	Weightlifting	Bronze
Bajrang Puniya	Wrestling (65 kg)	Gold
Anshu Malik	Wrestling (57 kg)	Silver
Sakshi Malik	Wrestling (62 kg)	Gold
Sudhir	Para Powerlifting	Gold
M. Sreeshankar	Long Jump	Silver
Deepak Punia	Wrestling	Gold
Divya	Wrestling (68 kg)	Bronze
Mohit Grewal	Wrestling (125 kg)	Bronze
Priyanka Goswami	Race Walking	Silver
Avinash Sable	Steeplechase	Silver
Naveen Kumar	Freestyle Wrestling (74 kg)	Gold
Vinesh Phogat	Wrestling (53 kg)	Gold
Ravi Dahiya	Freestyle Wrestling (57 kg)	Gold
Pooja Gehlot	Wrestling (50 kg)	Bronze
Jaismine	Boxing (60 kg)	Bronze
Sunil Bahadur, Navneet Singh, Chandan Kumar Singh and Dinesh Kumar	Lawn Bowl (Men)	Silver
Saurav Ghosal	Squash	Bronze
Tulika Maan	Judo	Silver
Indian Men's Hockey Team	Hockey	Silver
Sharath Kamal	Table Tennis	Gold
Chirag Shetty and Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy	Men's Doubles Badminton	Gold
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran	Singles Table Tennis	Bronze
Lakshya Sen	Badminton	Gold
P V Sindhu	Badminton	Gold
Sharath Kamal and Sreeja Akula	Mixed Doubles Table Tennis	Gold
Srikanth Kidambi	Badminton	Bronze
Women's cricket team	Cricket	Silver
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand	Badminton Doubles	Bronze
Sagar Ahlawat	Boxing	Silver
Eldhose Paul	Men’s Triple Jump	Gold
Nitu Ghangas	Boxing	Gold
Amit Panghal	Flyweight Boxing	Gold
Bhavina Patel	Table Tennis	Gold
Naveen Malik	Wrestling	Gold
Nikhat Zareen	Boxing	Gold

Paris Olympics 2024

• The official slogan of Paris Olympics 2024 has been unveiled as “Games Wide Open”
• 2024 Summer Olympics have been scheduled from 26th July to 11th August 2024

Women’s Euro 2022

• In the Women’s European Championship, England have won by defeating Germany
• F1 Hungarian Grand Prix 2022 
• Max Verstappen has won the Formula One (F1) 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix

4th ONGC Para Games 2022

• 4th ONGC Para Games 2022 were inaugurated in Thyagaraj Sports Complex in New Delhi
• The games were organized by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC)
• 275 Persons with Disabilities (PwD) – employees of eight central oil and gas public enterprises participated in the games

India’s 75th Grandmaster

• V Pranav became India’s 75th Grandmaster

Footballer of the Year

• Sunil Chhetri has been named as the 2021-22 All India Football Federation (AIFF) Men’s Footballer of the Year
• Manisha Kalyan has been named the 2021-22 All India Football Federation (AIFF) Women’s Footballer of the Year
• First Khelo India Women’s Hockey League (U-16)
• First Khelo India Women’s Hockey League Under-16 was held from 16th August to 23rd August at Major Dhyanchand Stadium in New Delhi

Others

International Dog Day

• International Dog Day was celebrated on 26th August

Women’s Equality Day 2022

• Women’s Equality Day 2022 was celebrated on 26th August
• Theme: Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow

NIFT’s 18th Campus

• NIFT’s 18th campus was started in Daman

World Water Week 2022

• World Water Week 2022 was held from 23rd August to 1st September
• It has been organized since 1991 by Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI)
• Theme for 2022: Seeing the unseen: The value of water

International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition

• International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition was celebrated on 23rd August
• Theme for 2022: Decolonisation

World Photography Day

• World Photography Day was celebrated on 19th August

World Humanitarian Day

• World Humanitarian Day was celebrated on 19th August

IREDA and MAHAPREIT MoU

• Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA) has signed a MoU with Mahatma Phule Renewable Energy and Infrastructure Technology Ltd. (MAHAPREIT)
• As per the provisions of the MoU, IREDA will offer financing facilities to MAHAPREIT for the Renewable Energy projects. These projects will be implemented for state utilities, local bodies and the infrastructure of Renewable Energy Parks

20th Edition of BioAsia 2023

• 20th Edition of BioAsia 2023 will be hosted by the Government of Telangana
• The event is expected to be held on 24th to 26th February 2023
• Theme: Advancing for ONE: Shaping the next generation of humanised healthcare

Internaut Day

• Internaut Day was celebrated on 23rd August

Ocean Sailing Expedition to Mauritius

• An ocean sailing expedition was flagged off from Goa to Port Louis, Mauritius
• Distance covered was nearly 2,500 nm (4,500 km) one way
• Currently, Indian Navy has six ocean-going Indian Naval Sailing Vessels (INSVs): Mhadei, Tarini, Bulbul, Hariyal, Kadalpura, and Neelkanth

Udyam Portal

• Udyam Portal has recorded 1 crore registrations
• About Udyam Portal:
  
  • Udyam Portal, developed by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, is meant to facilitate MSME registration
  • The registration process is online, paperless, and is based on self-declaration
  • The idea behind the portal is to enhance Ease of Doing Business

NIESBUD and HUL MoU

• National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) and Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that aims to develop entrepreneurial skills among the youth
• The idea behind the MoU is to boost nano and micro-entrepreneurship advancement

World Lung Cancer Day

• World Lung Cancer Day is observed on 1st August
• The day is observed to raise awareness about the causes and treatment of lung cancer

Laser-Guided Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM)

• Laser-Guided Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM) were successfully test-fired from Main Battle Tank (MBT) Arjun
• These are indigenously developed by the DRDO
• Details:
  
  • Missiles can destroy the targets at two different ranges
  • High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) warhead to defeat Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA) protected armoured vehicles

Space Applications Centre (ISRO) and Indian Navy MoU

• Indian Navy and Space Applications Centre (ISRO) have signed a MoU on data sharing and cooperation on Satellite based Naval Applications in Oceanology and Meteorology
• Aim:
  • Common platform for mutual cooperation
  • Sharing of non-confidential observational data
  • Use of SAC (Space Applications Centre) generated weather products
  • Processing of satellite data

80th Anniversary of the August Kranti Din or Quit India Movement

• 80th anniversary of the August Kranti Din or Quit India Movement was observed on 8 August 2022

National Handloom Day

• National Handloom Day was celebrated on 7th August
• Theme: Handloom, an Indian legacy

Nagasaki Day

• 9th August is commemorated as Nagasaki Day in Japan
• On 9th August 1945, the US had dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki

International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples

• International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is celebrated on 9th August
• Theme: The Role of Indigenous Women in the Preservation and Transmission of Traditional Knowledge

World Biofuel Day

• World Biofuel Day was observed on 10th August

World Lion Day

• World Lion Day is observed on 10th August

World Elephant Day

• 12th August is celebrated as World Elephant Day

International Youth Day

• 12th August is celebrated as International Youth Day

World Organ Donation Day

• World Organ Donation Day was observed on 13th August
• Theme: Let’s pledge to donate organs and save lives

World Sanskrit Diwas 2022

• World Sanskrit Day or World Sanskrit Diwas 2022 was celebrated on 12th August

Hooghly Cochin Shipyard Limited (HCSL)

• A new State-of-the-Art ship building facility of Hooghly Cochin Shipyard Limited at Nazirgunge, Howrah came into operation on 16th August
• Benefits:
  
  • Production of high technology greener vessels
  • Promote water transport connectivity in the Northeastern region
  • Generate employment
  • Development of MSME’s and Ancillaries

Public Systems Lab (PSL)

• Public Systems Lab (PSL) was inaugurated at IIT Delhi
• The aim of the PSL is to contribute to public food procurement and distribution

ONGC and ExxonMobil Heads of Agreement (HoA)

• Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has signed a Heads of Agreement (HoA) with ExxonMobil
• The agreement aims to work on Deepwater exploration in East and West coasts of India
• Areas in focus:
  
  • East: Krishna Godavari and Cauvery Basins
  • West: Kutch-Mumbai Region

Har Ghar Jal Certified State and UT

• Goa has become India’s first ‘Har Ghar Jal’ Certified State
• Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu has become India’s first ‘Har Ghar Jal’ Certified UT
• A resolution passed by the Gram Sabhas of all the villages have declared their area as ‘Har Ghar Jal’
• About Jal Jeevan Mission:
  • It was announced on 15th August, 2019
  • The intention behind the mission is to provide potable tap water supply in adequate quantity, of prescribed quality, and on regular and long-term basis to every rural household of the country by 2024

Bima Manthan 2022

• Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) held its inaugural hackathon, known as Bima Manthan 2022
• The topic of the hackathon was: Innovation in Insurance

Current Affairs 2022

The competitive exams asks any questions from the current affairs of last one year. The candidates need to prepare the current affairs of last one year so that they can answer the questions asked from the current affairs of previous months. The candiates can follow the links given below to prepare the current affairs of previous months.

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