Daily Current Affairs and GK | 6 August 2021

Topic: Important days

1. Hiroshima Day: 6 August

• Hiroshima Day is observed every year on August 6 to raise awareness about the disastrous effects of an atom bomb.
• This day reminds us about the need for “peace politics” to avoid world wars and destruction.
• Hiroshima Day 2021 marks the 76^th anniversary of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
• On 6^th August 1945, the United States had dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. The nuclear bomb which was dropped on Hiroshima city was named 'Little Boy'.
• The nuclear bomb blasts took the lives of thousands and caused massive structural damage.
• Three days later, on 9^th August 1945, another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki.

Topic: National News

2. Uttarakhand CM launched India's first earthquake early warning mobile app.

• Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami launched an earthquake early warning mobile app developed by IIT Roorkee.
• It has been named ‘Uttarakhand Bhookamp Alert’ and it is India’s first earthquake early warning mobile application.
• It has been developed under a project sponsored by the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA).
• It can also give detail about the location of people trapped inside a structure. It is a real-time earthquake information system.
• It can issue a warning before the significant tremors and also provides information about the timing of the occurrence of an earthquake.

Topic: Sports

3. Indian wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya wins silver medal in men's 57kg freestyle wrestling.

• Indian wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya has won a silver medal in men's 57kg freestyle wrestling after losing the final to Russian wrestler Zavur Uguev.
• This is India’s fifth medal at the Tokyo Olympics. This is also the second silver medal at Tokyo Olympics.
• Ravi Kumar is the fifth Indian wrestler after KD Jadhav, Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt, and Sakshi Malik to win the medal at Olympics.
• Ravi had reached the finals after defeating Kazakhstan's Nurislam Sanayev.
• Ravi Kumar Dahiya had won a bronze medal at the 2019 World Wrestling Championships.

Topic: Books and Authors

4. Navy veteran Manan Bhatt wrote a book on Balakot Air Strike and Pulwama terror attack.

• Navy veteran Manan Bhatt has written a book on Balakot Air Strike and Pulwama terror attack.
• The book is titled "Balakot Air Strike: How India Avenged Pulwama". It is published by Garuda Prakashan.
• It examines events surrounding the February 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing attack and India’s retaliation in the form of Balakot airstrikes twelve days later.
• The book provides a detailed account of the terror attack on the CRPF bus in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir on February 14.
• It also provides a detailed account of the airstrikes carried by Indian Air Force fighter jets. On February 26, 2019, Indian Air Force fighter jets crossed the Line of Control and destroyed terror launch pads in Balakot in Pakistan.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

5. Assam Government inked an MoU with NABARD to execute development projects.

• Assam Government, Assam Infrastructure Financing Authority, and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development signed an MoU to execute development projects in the state.
• Under this MoU, Rs.13200 crore will be used for infrastructural development in rural and semi-urban areas across the state.
• The MoU will also boost other sectors of the state and bring a paradigm shift in the development of the state.
• Assam Chief Minister said that over the next three years engineering colleges, medical colleges, universities, schools, stadiums, tourism centres, and cold storage would be built in the state.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

6. Cabinet approved continuation of Samagra Shiksha Scheme till 2026.

• The Union Cabinet has approved the continuation of the Samagra Shiksha Scheme for the next five years. Now, Scheme will continue till March 31, 2026.
• ‘Samagra Shiksha Scheme 2’ will cover 1.16 million schools, 156 million students, and 5.7 million teachers.
• In the revised Samagra Shiksha Scheme, there is a provision of training Anganwadi workers, sanitary pad vending machines in all girls' hostels, and up-gradation of all Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalyas.
• Under this scheme, all financial assistance will be provided through DBT mode.
• The revised scheme has a provision of up to Rs 500 per child for Teaching Learning Materials (TLM), indigenous toys and games, play-based activities.
• Specific training modules will be created by NCERT under the NISHTHA program to train secondary teachers and primary teachers.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

7. Parliament passed Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas Bill, 2021.

• The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Bill, 2021 has been passed by the Parliament.
• It has provision for the constitution of a commission for better coordination, research, identification, and resolution of problems related to air quality in the NCR and adjoining areas.
• A representative from the agriculture sector will be also the part of Air Quality Commission.
• In this bill, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh are considered as the adjoining areas. Any source of air pollution in these regions can impact the air quality in the NCR.
• Contravention of provisions of the Bill will be punishable with imprisonment of up to five years, or a fine of up to one crore rupees, or both. Under this bill, there is no provision of penalties for farmers.

Topic: International News

8. Germany signed International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement.

• Germany became the 5^th country to sign International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement after amendments.
• Walter J. Lindner, Ambassador of Germany to India, deposited signed copies of the International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement.
• Denmark is the first country to ratify International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement (ISA FA) after amendments came into force.
• International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement was amended so that any UN member countries can join the group. Now, countries outside the tropics can also join this group.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Appointments

9. Justice V M Kanade appointed as Lokayukta of Maharashtra.

• Retired high court judge V M Kanade has been appointed as the new Lokayukta of Maharashtra.
• He has been appointed by Governor B S Koshyari on the advice of chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.
• The seat was vacant for the last one year. Justice M L Tahaliyani had completed his tenure in August 2020.
• Lokayukta was first established in the State of Maharashtra in 1971. It was established under the Maharashtra Lokayukta and Upa-Lokayuktas Act, 1971.
• The Lokpal is responsible for enquiring into corruption charges at the national level while the Lokayukta enquire the corruption charges at the state level.

Topic: Biotechnology and Diseases

10. Government launched a decentralised biomedical waste incinerator in Bihar.

• Principal Scientific Adviser Prof. K. Vijay Raghavan inaugurated a decentralized biomedical waste incinerator in Buxar, Bihar.
• The decentralized biomedical waste incinerator technology was developed by Ganesh Engineering Works.
• The technology was selected through the Biomedical Waste Treatment Innovation Challenge launched in June 2020 by the waste to Wealth Mission.
• It can handle 50 kg of biomedical waste made of cotton, plastic, or similar materials per hour. It requires an area of two square meter area and 0.6 kWh electricity.
• The problem associated with the handling and disposal of biomedical waste has increased after the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Bio-medical waste means any waste, which is generated during the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of human beings or animals or in research activities.
• Bio-medical wastes are managed through the Biomedical Waste Management Rules 2016.

Topic: Defence

11. India’s first indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier began sea trials off the coast of Kochi.

• India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) ‘Vikrant’ began sea trials off the coast of Kochi.
• It has been designed by the Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design (DND) and built at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL).
• INS Vikrant has 75 percent indigenous content and will be commissioned into the Eastern Naval Command.
• It will be commissioned into the Indian Navy by August 2022.

(Source: News on AIR)