Daily Current Affairs and GK | 26 August 2020

1. Women's Equality Day: 26 August.

• Women's equality day is celebrated on 26 August each year in the US.
• In 1973, the US Congress designated August 26 as Women's Equality Day.
• The day also recognizes the efforts of women for complete equality within the society.
• The day is celebrated to commemorate the anniversary of the 19^th Amendment giving American women the right to vote. On August 26, 1920, the 19^th Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted.
• This constitutional amendment prohibits states and the federal government from denying United States citizens the right to vote on the basis of gender.
• Women had the right to vote by the 19^th Amendment to the US Constitution.

2. According to the CRISIL report, the average income of MGNREGA workers doubled during coronovirus lockdown.

• According to a recently released CRISIL report, the average income of MGNREGA workers during the coronovirus lockdown has doubled.
• The average income per month for unskilled workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act has increased to about Rs 1,000 per month during the first four months of the current financial year.
• The average wage per day has increased by 12% in this period.
• Many migrant workers have had to return to their villages during the Coronavirus lockdown.
• This trend has been seen most in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha and Gujarat, where work allocation has increased by more than 50% in the first four months.
• The government had allocated Rs 61,500 crore for the scheme under the Union Budget 2020-21, and the allocation was later increased to Rs 40,000 crore due to the epidemic to support the rural economy.
• Even after considering the revised allocation, more than 50% of the funds have been spent in the first four months of finance.
• MGNREGA:
  • It has been a major mechanism to provide employment to the rural labor force.
  • It was started in the year 2006.
  • Under this, there is a provision to provide at least 100 days of wage employment to every rural household in a financial year, whose adult members do unskilled manual work.
• CRISIL -It is an Indian analytical company that provides rating, research, risk and policy advisory services and is a subsidiary of US company S&P Global.

(Source: News on AIR)

3. Organization of 35^th National Eye Donation Fortnight.

• Recently the 35^th National Eye Donation Fortnight Celebrations is being organized by AIIMS, New Delhi and National Eye Bank.
• The ceremony will be held from 25 August to 8 September 2020.
• Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan, while addressing the function digitally, emphasized on creating awareness to reduce the demand and supply gap of corneal tissue as the only known cure for corneal blindness is corneal transplant.
• Corneal blindness is one of the leading causes of blindness in the world.
• According to World Health Organization report, about 5% of the world's population is blind due to corneal diseases alone.

(Source: News on AIR)

4. National traditional paddy cultivation festival was organized in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu.

• Recently, a national traditional paddy cultivation festival was held at Nagapattinam, the heartland of the Cauvery delta region in Tamil Nadu.
• The festival showcased more than 110 traditional paddy varieties.
• These included various lesser known paddy varieties in the Samba variety such as Kottaram Samba, Keerai Samba, etc.
• The initiative of popularizing traditional paddy varieties and farming practices by the farmers of the Cauvery Delta has been widely appreciated in the region.
• The cultural homeland and political base was formed by the Chola dynasty between the 9^th and 13^th century AD in the Cauvery River and its delta.
• The Cauvery Delta region is considered the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu.
• Recently the Tamil Nadu government declared the districts of Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Nagappattinam, Pudukottai, Cuddalore, Ariyalur, Karur and Tiruchirappalli as agricultural protected areas.

(Source: News on AIR)

5. 17^th meeting of the India-Vietnam Joint Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation held.

• Recently the 17^th meeting of the India-Vietnam Joint Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation was organized through video-conference.
• It was co-chaired by Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh.
• Key points of discussion during this meeting -
  • The two countries have agreed to add new momentum to economic and defense relations and explore closer cooperation in emerging areas such as civil nuclear energy, space, oceanography and new technologies.
  • Two MoUs were also signed during the meeting.
  • The two sides agreed to closely coordinate multilateral fora including at the United Nations Security Council, where both India and Vietnam would serve as non-permanent members in 2021.
  • At the same time, they also agreed to enhance cooperation and coordination at important regional forums under the ASEAN framework.
• Vietnam:
  • It is a South-East Asian country.
  • It is known for its beaches, rivers and Buddhist pagodas.
  • Its capital is Hanoi and the currency is Vietnamese dong.

(Source: News on AIR)

6. The Department of Agriculture of Jammu and Kashmir has created an e- auction portal to promote the trade of Kashmiri saffron.

• Recently the Department of Agriculture of Jammu and Kashmir has created an e-auction portal to promote the trade of Kashmir saffron.
• Under the auspices of the India International Kashmir Saffron Trading Center, the Department of Agriculture of Jammu and Kashmir has created a portal in association with NSE-IT.
• The sole purpose of this portal is to ensure buyers access to quality Kashmiri Saffron.
• Recently Kashmiri Saffron has been given GI tag.

(Source: News on AIR)

7. RBI released its annual report 2019-20.

• Recently RBI has released its annual report 2019-20.
• The Reserve Bank of India has projected India's growth rate for 2020-21 at -4.5 percent.
• While the global growth rate is estimated between -6.0 percent and -7.6 percent.
• Also, the RBI has predicted headline inflation to increase in the current quarter, but is likely to decrease in the second half of the financial year.
• The RBI has said in the report that this is happening due to the acute shortage of private consumption, especially in transport services, hospitality, entertainment and cultural activities.

(Source: News on AIR)

8. Army Chief awarded COAS Unit Award to 51 Special Action Groups of National Security Guards.

• Recently, Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Narwane has awarded COAS Unit Award to 51 Special Action Groups of National Security Guards.
• The award has been given to the group for its outstanding contribution in the fight against terrorism.
• The group derives 100% of its workforce from the Indian Army.
• It has established itself as a prestigious Counter Terrorist Force and has won several gallantry awards including three Ashoka Chakras.
• The most memorable of the group's various operations was Operation Black Tornado, which killed eight terrorists during the Mumbai terror attack in November 2008 and freed 600 hostages, including many foreign nationals.
• The 51 Special Action Groups have made their way into the most prestigious counter-terrorism groups in the world.
• National Security Guard:
  • It is an anti-terrorism unit under the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs.
  • On 15 October 1984, after Operation Blue Star, Golden Temple Attack and Indira Gandhi's assassination, it was founded to counter terrorist activities.

(Source: News on AIR)

9. World Health Organization declares Africa polio free.

• Recently the World Health Organization has declared Africa polio free.
• This was announced by Dr Matshidiso Moeti, Regional Director of Africa of WHO.
• Africa has finally succeeded in its decades-long campaign to eradicate the disease worldwide.
• There has been no polio case on the continent for the last four years.
• In this way, poliovirus along with smallpox has now been eradicated in Africa.
• Polio:
  • It is also called poliomyelitis.
  • It is a disability and fatal disease caused by poliovirus.
  • The virus spreads from one person to another and can infect a person's spinal cord, causing paralysis.

(Source: News on AIR)

10. The aircraft carrier Virat will be dismantled in Alang, Gujarat.

• The aircraft carrier Virat will soon be shipped to the ship breaking yard in Alang, Gujarat.
• Several attempts were made by the Navy to convert the carrier into a museum or other means, but all failed.
• The government informed Parliament in July last year that it had been decided to dissolve the carrier.
• It has been sold by the Metal Scrap Trading Corporation Limited to Shri Ram Green Ship Recycling Industries of Gujarat in an e-auction.
• In 2017, it was de-commissioned at Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.
• The iconic warship has the distinction of acting as the longest warship.
• It was first commissioned by the British Royal in 1959 as HMS Hermes.
• It was deployed for the Peace Mission in Sri Lanka in 1988 and the Kargil War in 1999.

(Source: The Hindu)

11. The Covid-19 pandemic has reached Odisha's tribal community, Bonda.

• The recent Covid-19 pandemic has reached Bonda, a tribal community living in the mountain ranges of Malkangiri district in Odisha.
• Four members of this community have been found positive for Covid-19.
• They have been separated from the rest of the community.
• Bonda:
  • Odisha is a tribal community living in the mountain ranges of the Malkangiri district.
  • They are a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTGs).
  • They have a population of about 7,000.
  • Bonda people are often motivated to do bonded labor through marriage.
  • The Bonda tribe is also known as Remo Bonda or Bondo. Remo is a language spoken by them.

(Source: The Hindu)

12. India's longest river ropeway was inaugurated on the Brahmaputra in Guwahati.

• Recently India's longest river ropeway on Brahmaputra was inaugurated in Guwahati, Assam.
• It will be the longest river ropeway in the country connecting the two banks of the Brahmaputra.
• This 1.8 km ropeway will reduce travel time between northern Guwahati and the central part of the city.
• The ropeway will be operated from kachari Ghat in Guwahati and Dol Govinda Temple in northern Guwahati.
• Brahmaputra River-
  • It originates from the Himalayan Lake Mansarovar in Tibet and flows into the Bay of Bengal through flowing in to Tibet, India and Bangladesh.
  • Teesta River, Lohit, Debang, Kameng, etc. are its tributaries.

(Source: Indian Express)

13. Scientists at Andhra University spotted the rare fish golden Mahseer at Sileru River.

• Recently, a team of researchers from the Zoology Department of Andhra University spotted a rare fish named Golden Mahseer on the upper side of the Sileru River.
• The scientific name of this fish is Tor.
• This fish is listed under endangered category by IUCN.
• The golden Mahseer is commonly found in the Himalayan region in rivers running through the cooler climes of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Nepal and Bhutan.
• But it is a rare occurrence in this part of the country.

(Source: The Hindu)