Daily Current Affairs and GK | 25 August 2021

Topic: National News

1. India has now become the 2nd largest manufacturer of PPE kits.

• India is now the second-largest country in manufacturing PPE Kits.
• Once India was facing a shortage of personal protective equipment but now it has become the second-largest producer of PPE kits in the world.
• The country produces over 5 lakh Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) and over 104 lakh N-95 masks every day.
• The PPE industry is now becoming a Rs 7000 crore industry in India.
• PPEs are designed as protective gear, which helps to provide safety to the health of workers by minimizing exposure to any biological agent.
• The PPE equipment includes:
  • Goggles
  • Face-shield
  • Masks (Surgical/N-95)
  • Gloves (surgical/examination)
  • Coverall/gowns (with or without aprons)
  • Headcover
  • Shoe cover

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

2. Indian Naval Ship Airavat reached Indonesia to deliver Medical Supplies under Sagar Mission.

• INS Airavat, a large Landing Ship Tank of the Indian Navy, has reached Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta, Indonesia.
• The ship has come to deliver 10 Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) containers to the Government of Indonesia.
• After the delivery of the medical supplies to Indonesia, India will continue its Sagar mission with INS Airavat to deliver medical supplies to other friendly nations in the region.
• The primary role of INS Airavat is to carry out amphibious operations and also designed to perform HADR missions.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: New Developments

3. India's first indigenous motorised wheelchair vehicle developed by IIT Madras.

• India's first indigenous motorised wheelchair vehicle has been developed by IIT Madras.
• The vehicle is called NeoBolt. Its maximum speed is 25 kmph. It travels up to 25 km per charge.
• It is powered by a lithium-ion battery. It can be used on roads as well as on uneven terrains.
• India currently imports 2.5 lakh of the total three lakh wheelchairs sold in the country annually.
• Products with features comparable to NeoBolt are available in global market and are three to five time expensive.
• IIT Madras’s Centre for Rehabilitation Research and Device Development has developed the wheelchair. It has been commercialised through a startup called "Neo Motion".

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

4. Government to launch e-Shram portal on 26 August.

• On 26 August, Government will launch e-Shram portal which will be a National Database on Unorganized Workers.
• On 24 August, Minister for Labour and Employment, Shri Bhupender Yadav unveiled the logo for e-Shram portal.
• He said that the portal will be the national database of nation builders, the Shram Yogis. It will help take welfare schemes to their doorstep.
• He also said that e-Shram portal is another key step towards targeted delivery and last mile delivery, which has been major focus of government schemes.
• All trade Union leaders extended their full support for the successful launch and implementation of the e-shram portal.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

5. Assam government signed a pact with Microfinance Institutions for implementing Assam Micro Finance Incentive & Relief Scheme.

• The Finance Department of the Assam government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs) to implement the Assam Micro Finance Incentive and Relief Scheme (AMFIRS) 2021.
• Altogether 38 MFIs and banks inked MoU with the Assam government. It will remain in force till 31^st March 2023.
• Assam Micro Finance Incentive and Relief Scheme (AMFIRS) 2021 main objective is to ensure continuity of microfinance institutions for supporting economic activities of low-income households. The new scheme would involve Rs 12000 crore credit portfolio.
• There are 14 lakh microfinance borrowers in Assam. Around 26 lakh borrowers have taken loans worth Rs 12,500 crore from various MFIs.
• Under this MoU, relief will be given to all borrowers for loans from up to three lenders and for a loan amount of up to Rs 1.25 lakh only.
• Assam government has formed a committee to waive off microfinance loans of poor women. It will give relief to women who are not able to pay the loan amount.

Topic: National News

6. NITI Aayog and WRI launch ‘Forum for Decarbonizing Transport’ in India.

• NITI Aayog in collaboration with World Resources Institute (WRI) launched ‘Forum for Decarbonising Transport’ in India.
• It has been launched as part of the NDC-Transport Initiative for Asia (NDC-TIA) project. Its main aim is to bring down the GHG emissions in the transport sector.
• Through this forum, NITI Aayog along with other stakeholders will formulate strategies and develop business models to accelerate electric mobility in India.
• The main objective of this forum is to create a common platform for the development of uniform policies for reducing carbon emissions in the transport sector.

Topic: Important Days

7. World Water Week 2021: 23-27 Aug

• The 26th World Water Week is being organized from 23 to 27 August 2021.
• The theme of this year’s World Water Week is ‘Building Resilience Faster’.
• World Water Week 2021 is being observed to discuss issues such as the climate crisis, water scarcity, food security, health, biodiversity, and impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.
• It is organized every year by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). It was first celebrated as the Stockholm Water Symposium in 1991.
• Eshani Jha received the 2021 Stockholm Junior Water Prize for research on removing impurities from water.
• SDG Goal 6: "Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all".

Topic: National News

8. India’s evacuation mission from Afghanistan named “Operation Devi Shakti”.

• India's complex mission to evacuate its citizens from Afghanistan has been named "Operation Devi Shakti".
• India started its evacuation mission on August 16 by airlifting 40 Indians from Kabul to Delhi. Till now, India has evacuated over 800 people from Afghanistan.
• A humanitarian crisis has emerged after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan. Taliban have control over most of the districts of Afghanistan.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

9. Government launched Amrit Mahotsav App Innovation Challenge 2021.

• Amrit Mahotsav App Innovation Challenge 2021 has been launched by the Government for Indian entrepreneurs and start-ups.
• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched this Amrit Mahotsav App Innovation Challenge 2021.
• The challenge will identify the best Indian apps that have the potential to become world-class apps in their respective categories.
• It has been launched in 16 categories including Culture and Heritage, Health, Education, Social Media, Skills, News, Games, Agriculture, Business and Retail, Fintech, and Others.
• The government is promoting people to develop apps under the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat. The Government is aiming to make Indians one of the major “uploaders" of apps.
• Easy User Interface, Robustness, Security features, and Scalability & Interoperability will be the evaluation parameters of this challenge.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Reports and Indices

10. First edition of the North Eastern Region (NER) District SDG Index Report and Dashboard 2021–22 to be released on 26 August 2021.

• First edition of the North Eastern Region (NER) District SDG Index Report and Dashboard 2021–22 will be released on 26 August 2021.
• NITI Aayog and Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region will release the index and dashboard.
• The index will facilitate in identifying crucial gaps and inform interventions to fast track progress towards achieving the SDGs.
• United Nation Development Programme is providing technical support to North Eastern Region District SDG Index Report and Dashboard.
• The index is based on NITI Aayog’s SDG India Index. It assesses performance of the districts of the eight States of the North Eastern Region.

Topic: Defence

11. India signs deal with Russia for the procurement of 70,000 AK-203 assault rifles.

• India has signed deal with Russia for the procurement of 70,000 AK-203 assault rifles.
• Indian army is also trying to buy Kamov-226 helicopters. An agreement to procure 200 Ka-226T twin-engine utility helicopters was signed by India and Russia in 2015.
• 60 helicopters were to be directly imported by India and the rest 140 were to be manufactured by a Joint venture ‘India Russia Helicopters Limited’.
• AK-203 assault rifle is the latest and most advanced version of the AK-47 rifle. AK-203 assault rifle is expected to replace the Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) 5.56×45 mm assault rifle.
• INSAS assault rifles are not suitable for use at high altitude. AK-203 rifles have been tested under the conditions of extreme heat and cold.
• AK-203 are type of Kalashnikov rifles, which can work under extreme climatic conditions and are effective even in sand, soil and water.
• An Inter-Governmental Agreement was signed between India and Russia in February 2019 for production of AK-203 assault rifles.
• This led to the establishment of a rifle-manufacturing factory ‘Indo-Russia Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL)’ in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh.
• IRRPL owns license to produce 7.5 lakh AK-203 rifles, 70,000 of which are now being bought by India.

Topic: National News

12. Vaccinate India Programme launched by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu in Bengaluru.

• Vaccinate India Programme has been launched by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu in Bengaluru.
• Give India Foundation and Sustainable Goals Coordination Centre, Bengaluru are organizing the programme in association with Planning Department of the Karnataka government.
• The programme aims at educating the masses about the necessity to vaccinate and clear misconceptions.
• Vice President said that vaccine is the most effective shield against Covid 19.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Indian Polity

13. La. Ganesan appointed as the new Governor of Manipur.

• La Ganesan has been appointed as the new Governor of Manipur.
• He is a senior BJP leader from Tamil Nadu. He will be new Governor of Manipur with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office.
• The post became vacant following the retirement of Najma Heptulla, earlier this month.
• Dr. Heptulla had demitted office on August 10. Governor of Sikkim, Ganga Prasad was given additional charge of Manipur Governor on the same day.