Current Affairs in English – August 24 2022

August 24 , 2022

National Events:

NDTV & Adani Group:

• Adani Group said that it seeks to control a majority stake in the New Delhi Television Ltd ( NDTV ) .The Group has indirectly acquired a 29.18 % stake in NDTV , and offered to buy another 26 % from the open market .
• The move to take control of the media company’s major shareholder was without consent from the firm or its founders . NDTV 24×7 , NDTV India & NDTV Profit are 3 news channels of NDTV.

PNB Housing Finance Interim:

• PNB Housing Finance Interim CFO Kaushal Mithani resigned from the position . He was appointed as the interim CFO in April . PNB Housing Finance Limited ( PNB Housing ) is a registered housing finance company with National Housing Bank ( NHB ).
• It was incorporated under the Companies Act , 1956 and commenced its operations on 11 November 1988 . PNB Housing is promoted by Punjab National Bank ( PNB ).

National Conference of Labour Ministers of all States and Union Territories:

• PM Narendra Modi will address the National Conference of Labour Ministers of all States and Union Territories on 25 August 2022 . The two – day Conference is being organised by the Labour and Employment Ministry at Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.
• It will have four thematic sessions . These include integrating the e – Shram portal for onboarding social security schemes.

Vikram Duraiswami:

• Vikram Duraiswami , an Indian Foreign Service officer of the 1992 batch , has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom . He will succeed Gaitri Issar Kumar , who retired on 30 June 2022.
• Mr Doraiswami is presently the High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh . Pranay Kumar Verma has been appointed as India’s next High Commissioner to Bangladesh.

AIIMS:

• The government has approved a proposal to give specific names to all the AIIMS , based on regional heroes , freedom fighters , historical events or monuments of the area or their distinct geographical identity.
• Majority of the 23 All India Institute of Medical Sciences ( AIIMS ) have submitted a list of names . All the AIIMS are known by its generic name and distinguished only by their location.

Tomato flu:

• A new virus ‘ Tomato flu ‘ has been detected in India . 26 children aged up to ten years have ‘ Tomato flu ‘ , whereas , 82 kids below five years of age have been infected so far.
• Those infected with ‘ Tomato flu ‘ complain of symptoms like red blisters on the skin , joint pain and fever . The viral infection is rare and is in an endemic state . It currently does not threaten life.

NHA & Department of Social Justice and Empowerment:

• An MoU has been signed between National Health Authority ( NHA ) and Department of Social Justice and Empowerment. It has been signed to provide an inclusive and composite health package for transgender persons under Ayushman Bharat – PMJAY.
• Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment will fund Rs.5 lakh insurance cover per transgender beneficiary per annum.

Isha Outreach & Karnataka Government:

• The Karnataka government and ‘ Isha Outreach ‘ have signed an MoU . They will work together and achieve synergy between ‘ Cauvery Calling ‘ initiative and various government – based agroforestry promotion schemes in the districts which form part of the Cauvery basin.
• The districts are Kodagu , Mysuru , Mandya , Bengaluru rural , Chamarajnagar , Chikkamagaluru , Hassan , Ramanagara and Tumkuru.

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited:

• Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited commenced its Cowdung to Compressed Biogas Project at Sanchore , Rajasthan , in August 2022 . This will be HPCL’s first project under Waste to Energy portfolio.
• The plant is proposed to utilize 100 Tons per day of dung to produce biogas , which can be utilized as automotive fuel .The project is being developed under GOBAR – Dhan scheme.

Mastercard & BASIX:

• Mastercard announced its collaboration with livelihood promotion institution BASIX Social Enterprise Group to launch an agritech platform BASIX Farmers ‘ Market ( BFM ) to integrate farmers into the digital economy.
• The digital platform will address fundamental challenges for small farmers related to price discovery , market reach , payments , and credit access . Mastercard CEO : Michael Miebach.

VL – SRSAM:

• Defence Research and Development Organisation ( DRDO ) and Indian Navy successfully flight tested Vertical Launch Short Range Surface – to – Air Missile ( VL – SRSAM ) on 23 August 2022 .
• It was tested from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur off the coast of Odisha. This missile has been indigenously designed and developed by DRDO & is meant for neutralising various aerial threats at close ranges.

All Things EV:

• HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company has launched ‘ All Things EV , ‘ a one – stop – solution portal for electric vehicles ( EV ) . Aim : to facilitate & accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles by addressing the needs of current and future EV owners.
• This platform has a roadmap with features like slot booking at charging stations , roadside assistance , RTO services & the creation of an EV community.

Miniopterus phillipsi:

• A team of researchers has found a new species of long – fingered bats in India and Sri Lanka .This new species has been named ‘ Miniopterus phillipsi ‘.
• The long – fingered bats belong to the family Miniopterus & are a part of a large group comprising at least 40 species worldwide.
• Earlier , a new species of thick – thumbed bats named ‘ Glischropus meghalayanus ‘ was also discovered in Meghalaya.

ICAS:

• The fourth edition of the ‘ India Clean Air Summit ‘ ( ICAS ) began on 23 August 2022 in Bengaluru .It has been organised by Centre for Air Pollution Studies and the Centre for Study of Science , Technology and Policy.
• In this 4 day summit , global experts will discuss an integrated approach to resolve air pollution and climate change . Theme : ” The Right to Life : Citizens at the Centre of Science “.

Jharkhand government & British High Commission:

• The Jharkhand government on 23 August 2022 signed a pact with the British High Commission . The pact was signed to award the ‘ Chevening Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Scholarship ‘ to five meritorious students belonging to backward classes in the state.
• This scholarship will offer full financial support to pursue a one – year master’s in the UK . British High Commissioner to India : Alex Ellis.

Paraguay & India:

• External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar ” M inaugurated the newly opened Indian Embassy in Asuncion on 23 August 2022 during his official visit to Paraguay , He also unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi in Paraguay on 21 August.
• Mr Jaishankar is the first Indian Foreign Minister to visit Paraguay . India & Paraguay have completed 60th anniversary of establishment of their diplomatic relations.

Liberalised remittance scheme:

• Remittance by Indians under the liberalised remittance scheme jumped 64.75 per cent to over $ 6.04 billion from $ 3.67 billion in the first quarter of fiscal 2023 , shows RBI data.
• Amount remitted in Q1 of FY23 is higher than that in Q4 of FY22 , where outward remittance under LRS was $ 5.8 billion . International travel contributed $ 2.92 billion of the $ 6.04 billion remitted under LRS in Q1FY23.

Xylitol:

• Researchers at IIT Guwahati have developed an ultrasound – assisted fermentation method to produce a safe sugar substitute called ” Xylitol ” from bagasse , the residue left after crushing of sugarcane.
• The new method overcomes operational limitations of chemical methods of synthesis . The research has been published in Bioresource Technology and Ultrasonics Sonochemistry journals.

Tamil Nadu Events:

Footwear and leather sector:

• The Tamil Nadu government has signed five MoUs for an investment worth Rs 2,250 crore in the footwear and leather sector , in August 2022. Chief Minister M K Stalin also unveiled the ‘ Tamil Nadu Footwear and Leather Products Policy 2022’.
• The policy is aimed at attracting Rs 20,000 crore investment in the leather sector by 2025 and in creating employment opportunities to 2 lakh people.

International Events:

UN Security Council:

• India will host diplomats of the 15 – nation UN Security Council in October 2022 for a special meeting on counter – terrorism .India’s tenure at the Council will end in December 2022.
• Current members of the Security Council are Albania , Brazil , Gabon , Ghana , India , Ireland , Kenya , Mexico , Norway and the UAE , along with five permanent members China , France , Russia , the UK and the US.

Internaut Day : 23 August:

• ‘ Internaut Day ‘ is celebrated on 23 August every year to mark the invention of the World Wide Web . An ‘ internaut ‘ is a person who possesses a thorough knowledge of how to use the Internet & its history.
• August 23 marks the day when the World Wide Web was opened to the public back in the year 1991 for the first time by WWW inventor Tim Berners Lee . Lee invented the World Wide Web in 1989.