RBI approved to transfer 50,000 crore surplus to government
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will transfer ₹50,000 crore of its surplus money to the government, for the year ended June 30, 2018. The RBI follows July-June accounting year. The RBI had transferred a surplus of ₹30,659 crore to the government for the fiscal ended June 2017. During the tenure of former governor Raghuram Rajan, RBI transferred over ₹65,800 crore to the government for two consecutive years.
Entry Fee To Taj Mahal and Other Historical Monuments Increased
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) raised the entry fee to visit Taj Mahal from ₹1000 to ₹1100 for foreign tourists and from ₹40 to ₹50 for domestic tourists. Apart from this, visitors from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries will now pay Rs. 540, including Rs. 500 as toll tax to visit the monument. Earlier, the Archaeological Survey of India increased the entry fee for its protected monuments in 2016.
Nation observes 76th anniversary of Quit India movement
The Quit movement observes Gawalia Tank in Mumbai. The day is observed as August Kranti Day every year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also remembered the great women and men who took part in the Quit India Movement.
Tokyo to deploy facial recognition in the Summer Olympics 2020
The Summer Olympics of 2020 has been planned to happen in Tokyo. In Tokyo 2020 the athletes and the staff will be scanned by cutting-edge facial recognition technology. This is the first time facial recognition ever that is to be deployed for all the people involved in the Olympics at all venue. The electronics giant NEC has developed the technology in order to prevent fraudulent entry by people borrowing, stealing or faking an ID card. The technology will take only 0.3 seconds to match up a face with a pre-registered photo.
Largest museum of US to return 2 ancient sculptures to India
An eighth-century stone sculpture of Goddess Durga and a third century limestone sculpture ‘Head of a Male Deity’ will be returned to India by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the largest museum in the US. The stone sculpture of Durga Mahishasuramardini was donated to the museum in 2015. The limestone sculpture, donated in 1986, was part of Nagarjunakonda Site Museum’s excavated inventory.
Rashida Tlaib set to become 1st Muslim woman in US Congress
She (42-year-old) is the daughter of Palestinian immigrants and won a Democratic primary election to represent Michigan’s 13th district, securing 33.6 percent of the vote. Tlaib is set to replace John Conyers. She served in the Michigan state house from 2009 to 2014, and was also the first Muslim woman ever elected to the state’s legislature.
Apple gets patent for Face ID feature on Mac
After incorporating the facial recognition feature in iPhone X, Apple could be replacing its Touch ID in Mac by Face ID with gesture controls in the future. This patent suggests how body language more generally — head, torso and arm — could be used to signal intent to the Mac.
Nikhil Nanda has been appointed as the Chairman and MD of the Escorts company
Escorts, Farm and construction equipment maker, unanimously appointed Nikhil Nanda as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the company. He succeeded his late father Rajan Nanda. Nikhil is an alumnus of Wharton Business School, Philadelphia and has been a key member of the company’s board since 1997. Nikhil said Escorts will create products and solutions that will transform agriculture by empowering farmers with mechanised, precision-based autonomous technology and partner nation to build smart and safe infrastructure.
Israel launches fresh airstrikes on Gaza
Dozens of rockets were fired from the enclave into its territory. The rise of the issue comes after the Hamas leadership convened for a rare meeting in Gaza on Friday.
Former Chile president Bachelet named new UN human rights chief
UN (United Nations) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has chosen former two time Chilean President Michelle Bachelet to be new UN high commissioner for human rights. She would replace Jordan’s Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein. Bachelet who ranks among the world’s most powerful women in politics, also served in 2010 as the first director of UN Women, the UN agency promoting gender equality worldwide.
Government urged Citizens to stop using plastic national flags
The government has urged all citizens not to use the national flag made of plastic. During important events, the national flag made of plastic is used in place of paper flags. These plastic flags are not biodegradable and do not get decomposed for a long time and appropriate disposal of plastic national flag commensurate with the dignity of the flag. The Home Ministry has asked states and Union Territories to comply strictly with the flag code ‘Flag Code of India, 2002’ and ‘The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971′. The national flag represents hopes and aspirations of the people of India. And it must occupy a position of honour.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi to launch 650 branches of India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) on the 21st of this month
The event will take place at the capital’s Talkatora stadium. The government is planning to utilize 650 branches as controlling offices for servicing and monitoring post offices. These branches will be linked to IPPB by the end of this year. There are 370 million different types of accounts at post offices, which will be linked to IPPB gradually.
NMCG asked SBI to make arrangements to donate to the CGF from ATMs
The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) asked the State Bank of India (SBI) to make it possible to donate to the Clean Ganga Fund (CGF) from ATMs. It is aimed at making the donation easier for the public to participate in the efforts. NMCG, an affiliate of the Union Water Resources Ministry, government’s Rs.20,000 crore and CGF, a separate corpus made up corporates and individuals donations, holds Rs.250 crore for the commitment to clean the Ganga. Corporations such as the Shipping Corporation of India, Indorama Corporation, IndusInd Bank, Yes Bank, the Hinduja Group, Arcelor Mittal, Bajaj Electricals, Amer Maritime, HCL, and Reliance Industries are part of the project.
Oscar Academy is adding a New Category for Popular Films
The new Oscar will be awarded for “Outstanding Achievement in Popular Film” and will be introduced this coming year, at the 91st Oscars. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the Oscars, has added a new category after 17 years to recognise popular films. The last category to be added was ‘Best Animated Feature Film’. ♦ President of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – John Bailey
PayU and Reliance Money announced Strategic Partnership For Instant Loan
For instant app-based personal loans via LazyPay – India’s best pay later option PayU and Reliance Money started to provide loan amount start from as low as Rs. 100 and will extend up to Rs. 1,00,000 with a duration varying from 15 days to 24 months. About PayU PayU is a fintech company that provides payment solutions to online merchants. The company was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Hoofddorp, Netherlands. About Reliance Money Reliance Securities is a broking arm of Reliance Capital. It is one of India’s largest retail broking houses with over 7 lakh customers and a pan-India presence at more than 1700 locations. Headquarters: Mumbai.
Government introduced four GST amendment Bills
The government introduced four Bills to amend the Goods and Services Tax (GST) laws in order to make the return forms simpler and raise the turnover threshold for availing composition scheme to Rs. 1.5 crore. The four amendment Bills are the Central GST (Amendment) Bill, the Integrated GST (Amendment) Bill, the GST (Compensation to States) Amendment Bill and the Union Territory GST (Amendment) Bill. Initially, the Bill was aimed to help the MSME sector and small traders.
Indian U-20 And U-16 Team Won title in football
India’s under-20 team won over Argentina under-20 in the final group stage match of the COTIF Cup held in Valencia’s Els Arcs Stadium. India was playing this tournament for the first time. Under-16 team, India defeated under-16 champions team of Iraq by 1-0 in the West Asian Football Federation Cup in Amman, Jordan.
An invasive agriculture pest Fall Armyworm is found in Karnataka
The Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) discovered an invasive agricultural pest Fall Armyworm ( Spodoptera frugiperda ) in Karnataka. Shivamogga’s University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences Entomologists C.M. Kalleshwara Swamy and Sharanabasappa suspected the unusual happening in maize crops in Shivamogga this year. A major maize pest in North America, the Fall Armyworm arrived in Africa in 2016. It has threatened the continent’s maize crop, a staple which feeds 300 million people. The pest feeds on around 100 different crops, such as vegetables, rice, and sugarcane and it spreads in no time. The Karnataka finding is the first report of the pest in Asia.
S Gopakumar appointed as Director and General Manager In UIIC
Gopakumar was serving GIC Housing Finance Ltd as its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. United India Insurance Company (wholly owned by the Government of India) is the 2nd Largest General Insurance company with a premium of Rs.16000+ Crore in India. The Gross Domestic Premium for the Financial Year 2017-18 is above Rs.17300 crores.
Union Government, NABARD And NWDA sign Revised MoA For Funding Of Projects Under PMKSY
Around 99 prioritized irrigation projects are signed under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY). The funding is done through the Long Term Irrigation Fund (LTIF). The revised MoA will enable the Ministry of Water Resources to release Central Assistance to prioritize projects under PMKSY as per the requirements from time to time.
Technology to be used to tackle corruption in Home Guards, Karnataka
Roopa D, Inspector-General of Police, Home Guards and Civil Defence, announced that the department is to introduce technologies such as biometric and automated duty rotation systems in the Home Guards organisation in Karnataka. It is to wipe out corruption in the department. It has been decided that the Home Guards will have attendance on the biometric system installed on tabs so that attendance could be taken in the parade grounds. The same biometric method would be used while training Home Guards.
TRAI integrates Its Mobile App DND 2.0 & MyCall With UMANG Platform
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) MyCall is a user-friendly application for Crowdsourced Voice Call Quality Monitoring. DND (Do Not Disturb) Services App enables smartphone users to register their mobile number under DND and report spam messages or calls to avoid Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC)/Telemarketing Calls/SMS. UMANG is developed by National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
IKEA opened its first store in India
IKEA, Swedish home furnishings major, opened its first store in Hyderabad, India. IKEA has already been sourcing for the past three decades in India. It will be opening its other branches in Mumbai, Bengaluru and National Capital Region. The store is of 400,000 sq. ft located at the heart of city’s IT hub. IKEA in Hyderabad employs 950 people directly, half of them women, and 1,500 indirectly in services and expects to host close to 7 million visitors each year.
