Daily Current Affairs and GK | 14 August 2021

Topic: Important Days

1. World Organ Donation Day: 13 August

• World Organ Donation Day is observed every year on August 13.
• It is observed to raise awareness about the importance of organ donation and to clear misconceptions related to donating organs.
• First organ transplant was carried out successfully in the year 1954 by Doctor Joseph Murray in the United States.
• The first organ donor was Ronald Lee Herrick, who donated his kidney to his brother.
• There are two types of organ donation: live donation and cadaver donation. Many people lose their lives because of the unavailability of organs.

Topic:  National News

2. Government notified Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules 2021.

• The Government has notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules 2021. It prohibits single-use plastic items by 2022.
• Single-use plastic items have created a menace for the environment. The manufacturing, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of several single-use plastics will be prohibited from 1^st July 2022.
• The thickness of single-use plastic will be increased from fifty microns to seventy-five microns from 30^th September 2021. The thickness will be increased to 120 microns from 31^st December 2021. 
• The government has taken several measures to eliminate the use of single-use plastics and effective implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules.
• The government is strengthening waste management infrastructure in the States and Union Territories through the Swachh Bharat Mission.

Topic: Banking System

3. License of Karnala Nagari Sahakari Bank Limited cancelled by RBI.

• License of Karnala Nagari Sahakari Bank Limited has been cancelled by RBI.
• RBI has directed Karnala Nagari Sahakari Bank to cease all its operations from 13 August 2021.
• RBI has requested the Commissioner for Cooperation and Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Maharashtra to issue an order for winding up the bank and appoint a liquidator for the bank.
• As per RBI, 95% of depositors will get full amounts of their deposits from Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation.
• On liquidation of the bank, every depositor would be given the right to get a deposit insurance claim up to a monetary ceiling of 5 lakh rupees.
• Karnala Nagari Sahakari Bank is based in Raigad, Maharashtra. Its license has been cancelled because of inadequate capital and earning prospects.

Topic: Defence

4. Indian Navy participated in U.S. Navy-led Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT) military exercise in Singapore.

• Indian Navy has participated in U.S. Navy-led Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT) military exercise in Singapore.
• SEACAT exercise also included navies of 20 other partner nations as well. The names of 20 partner nations are given in the table.

• SEACAT exercise aimed to foster enhanced cooperation between Southeast Asian countries to combat contingencies or illegal activities in the maritime domain.
• International Fusion Centre will serve as a centralized hub for crisis coordination and information sharing of suspicious vessels during the simulation.
• The exercise witnessed participation from close to 400 personnel and 10 ships.
• They include U.S. Navy’s littoral combat ship Tulsa, P-8A Poseidon aircraft from Task Force 72, along with personnel from Task Forces 73 and 76, and the Pacific and 7^th fleets.
• SEACAT started in 2002 as “Southeast Asia Cooperation Against Terrorism” and this is the 20^th edition of the exercise.

Topic: State News/ Manipur

5. Patriots' Day celebrated in Manipur to pay tribute to the heroes of the Anglo-Manipur War.

• In memory of the martyrs of the Anglo-Manipur War 1891, Patriots' Day has been celebrated on 13 August in Manipur.
• On this occasion, Governor of Manipur Shri Ganga Prasad Chaurasia inaugurated the Memorial Complex dedicated to the martyrs of the Anglo-Manipur War 1891 in Imphal.
• Patriots' Day celebration commenced with ‘Prabhat Phery’ in Imphal. Many events were organized at various locations of Imphal.
• On this day in 1891, Manipur prince Bir Tikendrajit and General Thangal were hanged in front of the public in the Imphal region.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Awards and Prizes

6. Union Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Investigation conferred to 152 police personnel.

• Ministry of Home Affairs announced the winners of the ‘Union Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Investigation’ for the year 2021.
• It has been given to 152 police personnel all over the country including 28 women police officers.
• Women Sub-Inspector Rita Debnath of Tripura Police is one of the women police officers to receive this award.
• Out of 152 police personnel, 15 are from CBI, 5 from NCB, and 5 from NIA, and eleven each are from Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra Police.

Topic: National News

7. NITI Aayog released a handbook to guide EV charging infrastructure in India.

• NITI Aayog has released a handbook to guide state governments and local bodies to frame policies and norms towards setting up charging networks for electric vehicles.
• The handbook for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure establishment has been jointly developed by NITI Aayog, Ministry of Power, Department of Science and Technology, Bureau of Energy Efficiency, and World Resources Institute India.
• It has been launched to enhance charging infrastructure in India and to facilitate a rapid transition to electric mobility in the country.
• The handbook gives a systematic and holistic approach to implementing authorities and other stakeholders for setting up charging networks for electric vehicles.
• It resolves the common challenges in implementing electric vehicle charging networks.
• According to the International Energy Agency, about 30% of the new vehicle sales in India will be electric by 2030.

Topic: Sports

8. Shakib Al Hasan and Stafanie Taylor selected for ICC Players of the Month for July.

• Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has been named ICC Player of the Month for July in the men’s category.
• West Indies skipper Stafanie Taylor is selected for ICC Player of the Month for July in the women’s category.
• Shakib Al Hasan has been named for his contribution to all three formats of the game. He played a key role in Bangladesh’s win over Zimbabwe.
• In the four ODIs against Pakistan, Taylor scored 175 runs with a strike rate of 79.18 and took three wickets.
• ICC Player of the Month awards recognizes the best performances of both male and female cricketers across all forms of international cricket.
• The ICC Player of the Month award was formed in January 2021 by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Topic: National News

9. Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs launched ‘SonChiraiya’ brand.

• Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has launched the ‘SonChiraiya’ brand for marketing urban Self-Help Group (SHG) products.
• Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister launched the brand and logo. He said that the brand will help in making women financially empowered.
• Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) has trained urban poor women in different skills and promoted sustainable micro-enterprises.
• Around 5.7 lakh SHGs with 60 lakh members have been formed across the states for producing goods such as handicrafts, textiles, toys, eatables, etc.
• The ‘SonChiraiya’ brand is an important step towards increasing global access to the products made by urban SHG women.
• The government has also signed a Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with e-Commerce Portals for the promotion of Self-Help Group (SHG) products.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

10. “IndiGau” released by Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh.

• “IndiGau” has been released by Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh.
• “IndiGau” is India’s first Cattle Genomic Chip for the conservation of pure varieties of indigenous cattle breeds like Gir, Kankrej, Sahiwal, Ongole, etc.
• It is purely indigenous and the largest cattle chip in the world with 11,496 markers. Its number of markers is more than that placed on 777K Illumina chip of US & UK breeds.
• It is developed by scientists of the National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB), Hyderabad. NIAB is an autonomous institution under the aegis of the Department of Biotechnology.
• NIAB has signed a collaborative agreement with National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to further the use of this chip in generating phenotypic and genotypic correlations.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

11. Indian Bank and Paralympic Committee of India signed MoU to support athletes.

• Indian Bank and Paralympic Committee of India have signed an MoU to support athletes.
• The bank will provide financial support to Paralympic athletes to prepare for sporting events in the domestic arena as well as global platforms.
• The bank has signed an MoU to become one of the banking partners ahead of the Paralympic Games, Tokyo 2020. Paralympic Games, Tokyo 2020 are scheduled to start from 24 August 2021.

Topic: Agriculture 

12. One metric tonne of organic Manipur black rice exported to Europe for the first time.

• One metric tonne of organic Manipur black rice has been exported to Europe for the first time.
• The rice is popularly known as Chakhao. It is famous for its aroma and used for community feasts.
• It is also used to make Chakhao kheer. Chakhao rice got a Geographical Indication tag in May 2020.
• It is also used by traditional medical practitioners. Manipur CM N Biren Singh was present in the event for the flag-off of the shipment.
• He said organic ginger and pineapple are also being exported regularly by the Manipur Organic Mission Agency.