Current Affairs Pocket PDF - August 2017 by AffairsCloud

Current Affairs Weekly PDF
Current Affairs Pocket PDF - August 2017
INDIAN AFFAIRS
On July 31, 2107, Constitution 123rd Amendment Bill, 2017 for setting up of a National Commission for
Backward Classes was passed by Rajya Sabha after dropping an important clause.
A campaign to protect children from major childhood diseases like measles, mumps and rubella has been
started in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh from August 1, 2017. The campaign has been initiated
by Dharamshala Municipal Corporation Mayor Rajni Vyas.
The Supreme Court has imposed a ban on the use of five harmful heavy metals likelithium, antimony,
mercury, arsenic and lead in the manufacturing of firecrackers as they cause air and noise pollution.
The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has announced a package of Rs 2350 crore for relief, rehabilitation and
building flood mitigation infrastructure in the flood-affectedNorth-Eastern states including Assam on
1st August 2017.
The Union Government has proposed to establish an additional 14 new AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical
Science) in a phased manner in different States under Pradhan MantriSwasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has appointed an expert panel
committee that would study various issues relating to data protection in the country and will suggest a draft
data protection Bill. It is a 10 member panel and it is headed by Supreme court Judge (retired) Justice B N
Srikrishna.
On August 2, 2017, Lok Sabha passed two bills, CGST (Extension to Jammu and Kashmir) Bill, 2017 and
IGST (Extension to Jammu and Kashmir) Bill, 2017, extending Central Goods and Services Tax (GST) and
Integrated Goods and Services Tax (GST) to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
In an attempt to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in agriculture, Government launched AGRI
UDAAN- Food and Agribusiness Accelerator 2.0 programme in New Delhi on August 4, 2017. The
program will be run by ICAR-NAARM Technology Business Incubator (TBI), a-IDEA and Indian Institute of
Management Ahmadabads Center for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE).
The Bihar Government has informed that it has decided to compulsory retirement to the non-performing
teachers, head masters and education department officials above the age of 50 years announced on 3rd of
August 2017.The committee is headed by RK Mahajan.
On 3rd August 2017, Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation Shri Jayant Sinhainformed that the
Indian Government is encouraging to develop green airports, Airports Authority of India ( AAI )has
inaugurated installation of 1MWp solar power plant at Tirupathi and Vijaywada Airports.
The state government of Assam has decided to distribute 13 lakh Soil Health Cards among farmers.
The Yogi Adityanath cabinet in Uttar Pradesh has approved a proposal to rename the Mughalsarai railway
station near Varanasi after the Jan Sangh leader who died in 1968.
The centre has approved a proposal to rename the Mughalsarai railway station in Uttar Pradesh after RSS
ideologue DeenDayalUpadhyaya.
Union Home Ministry passed an order to merge the three-decade old National Crime Records
Bureau (NCRB) with Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD).
Sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and luxury cars, which became cheaper after the rollout of the goods and
services tax (GST) from July 1, 2017, may now cost more as the GST Council, has decided to raise cess on
them from 15% now to up to 25%.
Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH, Mr. Shripad Yesso Naik, informed that during the year
2016-17, central Government released Rs. 41711.849 lakhs fund to State/UT Governments under
National AYUSH Mission (NAM). Abbreviation AYUSH stands for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy,
Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy.
Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has become the first female actor ever to hoist the Indian National
Flag at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM),Australias annual celebration of film from India and
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the subcontinent. Aishwarya was also bestowed with Excellence in Global Cinema award at the film festival.
The 2030 Water Resources Group (2030WRG) will help the Maharashtra Government to raise $270 million
from the Green Climate Fund, which will be invested in integrated watershed programmes in the state
In a bid to eliminate measles and curb instances of rubella by 2020, Union Government has rolled out
the second phase of its measles-rubella (MR) vaccination campaign in the country.
The Centre has declared the entire Assam as a disturbed area under the Armed Forces (Special Powers)
Act, the AFSPA for three more months.
The Goa Legislative Assembly has passed a bill which regain coconut as a `tree, ensuring legal protection for
it on 8th of August 2017. The Assembly, on the last day of Monsoon session has passed the Goa, Daman and
Diu (Preservation of) Trees Act, 1984 to regulate felling of coconut trees and reclassify it as tree.
The Bombay High Court has accepted Maharashtra governments statement that it would not allow children
under the age of 14 years to participate in the Dahi Handi festival on 7th of august 2017.
Government will soon expand operation of Logistics Data Bank (LDB) project to Indias southern region. So
far, it had covered only the western logistics corridor..
On August 8, 2017, NITI Aayog announced partnership with six states (with three states for health sector
reforms and three states for education sector reforms) under its Sustainable Action for Transforming Human
Capital (SATH) initiative. NITI Aayog has selected Uttar Pradesh, Assam, and Karnataka to improve
healthcare delivery and key outcomes in these States.
Government has constituted a committee of joint secretaries for ensuring enhanced affordability, availability
and accessibility of drugs for the citizens announced on the parliament on 8th of August 2017.
On August 10, 2017, Union Government announced that it has set up institutional mechanisms including
a task force, an inter-ministerial synergy group and a steering committee to realise the full potential of textile
sector. National Mission for Clean Ganga has approved ten projects in Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar
Pradesh to the tune of about Rs 2,033 crore.
On August 9, 2017, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology PP Chaudhary said first
phase of National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC), set up to scan the countrys web traffic to detect cyber
security threats, has been made operational now.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a temporary ban on use of non-biodegradable plastic bags
which are less than 50 microns in Delhi.A bench is headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar.
The Uttar Pradesh Government has launched a new awareness drive called Namami Gange Jagriti
Yatra announced on 10th of August 2017. The drive will mainly focus on cleanliness along the banks of
Ganga river and maintain hygiene.
The Supreme Court has issued a set of directions including that insurance companies will not renew insurance
of a vehicle unless the owner provides pollution under control (PUC) certificate. It has been announced on
10th of August 2017.
On August 10, 2017, the Lok Sabha passed State Banks (Repeal and Amendment) Bill 2017 to repeal the SBI
(Subsidiary Banks) Act 1959, State Bank of Hyderabad Act 1956 and to further amend the State Bank of India
Act, 1955, following the merger of five associates with the parent State Bank of India.
As per Economic Survey 2016-17 Volume II, tabled in Parliament by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on
August 11, 2017, meeting the upper end of the 6.75-7.5 per cent GDP growth forecast for 2017-18 will be a
challenge.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Raohas initiated Rs2,000-crore project that seeks to modernise
and strengthen its network. It has been initiated to modernise the SriramSagar project and increase the area
served by this lifeline project.The project on the Godavari River has the capacity to boost water supply to
several districts in the State.
Government has fixed an ambitious target of installing 60 giga watt (GW) wind power capacity in the country
by 2022.Power Minister Piyush Goyal said, the current wind power installed capacity in the country is over
32.5 GW.
The Delhi Assembly has passed the Minimum Wages (Delhi) Amendment Bill 2017and the Delhi Netaji
Subhash University of Technology Bill 2017.In the amended bill, the penalty for violation of law had been
raised from the existing Rs 500 to Rs 50,000 and minimum imprisonment of 6 months increased to 3 years.
Code on Wages 2017 Bill that seeks to fix a national minimum wage was introduced in the Lok Sabha on
August 10, 2017. Introducing the Bill, Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said, Code on Wages Bill will
consolidate and amend the laws relating to wages and bonus.The Bill seeks to unite four laws the Payment
of Wages Act 1936, the Minimum Wages Act 1948, the Payment of Bonus Act 1965 and the Equal
Remuneration Act 1976.
The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has launched a new video of the National Anthem in sign
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language, featuring disabled and partially disabled children announced on 10th of August 2017..It is directed
by veteran filmmaker GovindNihalani. The 3-minute video features film star Amitabh Bachchan along with
physically challenged children performing the anthem in sign language with the Red Fort in the background.
To improve road safety in Hyderabad with the use of technology, the Government of Telangana, along
with World Resources Institute (WRI) India Ross Center, has announced the launch of Smart Streets Lab
program.
The 9 year old Kaamya Karthikeyan became the youngest person to reach the summit of the 6,153 metres-
high Mt Stok Kangri in Kashmir.Kaamya reached the peak by climbing 30 Km over a course of 3 days, with
an altitude gain of 2,750 metres.
Jharkhand Assembly passed the below two bills on August 12, 2017.Jharkhand Assembly Passes Religious
Freedom Bill, It also passed land acquisition 2013 amendment bill.
All state-run universities in Rajasthan will not observe a holiday on October 2 on the occasion of Gandhi
Jayanti this year announced on 11th of August 2017.
A Parliamentary Panel has suggested that 100 per cent pension should be given to the widow of the deceased
soldier. Standing Committee on Defence headed by Maj. General (Retired) B C Khanduri tabled its report in
Parliament. The report said after the death of a soldier, the pension of the spouse comes down to 60 per cent of
his pension.
Infusion Nurses Society (INS) is a global authority in infusion therapy has launched Indias first online course
on Infusion Therapy for nurses on 13th of August 2017.
Gabriel Chundan, the snake boat powered by oarsmen of Thuruthippuram Boat Clubhas won the 65th edition
of the prestigious Nehru Trophy held at the Punnamda Lake.
A three-day annual cultural festival named Fete de Puducherry organized by the Government of India begins
in Puducherry.Artistes from 11 states and the union territory of Puducherry will take part in Fete de
Puducherry.
Union home minister Rajnath Singh has launched a digital policing portal (www.digitalpolice.gov.in) on
21st of Aug 2017 making it possible to electronically apply and seek verification for tenants, domestic helps
and even passports.The initiative is a follow up of Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems Project
(CCTNS) or the crime and criminal tracking network system.
Karnataka Government has launched clouding seeding Project Varshadhari in Bengaluru under which
an aircraft will spray chemicals to induce rainfall.
The Supreme Court announced its judgement on the issue of instant triple talaq with majority of 3:2 .They
banned triple talaq, or instant divorce and termed as void or invalid.Triple talaq is a form of divorce in
Islam . It allowed any Muslim man to legally divorce his wife by stating the word talaq (the Arabic word for
divorce).
NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant has launched the Mentor India Campaign. It is a strategic nation building
initiative to engage leaders who can guide and mentor students at more than 900 Atal Tinkering Labs.It has
established across the country as a part of the Atal Innovation Mission on 23rdof August 2017.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports is going to establish National Sports Museum at Jawaharlal Nehru
Stadium, New Delhi. It will be first of its kind sports museum in India. The aim of the Museum is to
popularise the sports as a way of life within the country.
On 23rd August 2017 a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to be signed between India and Nepal for
new Mechi Bridge over Mechi River at Indo-Nepal border which is the ending point of Highway 02 in India
leading to Nepal.The estimated cost of construction of the bridge is Rs. 158.65 crore.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the renaming of the new Central Sector Scheme
SAMPADA (Scheme for Agro-Marine Processing and Development of Agro-Processing Clusters) .Pradhan
Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) covers for the period of 2016-20 coterminous with the 14th
Finance Commission cycle.
The Cabinet has approved a proposal for setting up of a Commission to examine the issue of sub-
categorization of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) under article 340 of the Constitution.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal of Ministry of Railways to close
the Bharat Wagon and Engineering Company Limited (BWEL). It is a Central Public Sector Enterprise
(CPSE) under Ministry of Railways.
The Union Cabinet has given in-principle approval for Public Sector Banks to amalgamate through an
Alternative Mechanism (AM). The decision regarding creating strong and competitive banks would be solely
based on commercial considerations.
On August 24, 2017 The Supreme Court (SC) ruled that privacy is a fundamental right because it is essential
to the right to life. Chief Justice JS Khehar informed that ruled privacy was part of the fundamental right to
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life and personal liberty guaranteed to all citizens under Article 21 of the Constitution.
Jats of Dholpur and Bharatpur districts have been given reservation under the Other Backward Class (OBC)
category in Rajasthan on August 24,2017. Jats residing in districts except for Dholpur and Bharatpur were
getting benefit of the OBC quota.
Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has launched door step enrolment facility with Common
Services Centers (CSCs) in Delhi. It is the facility available for the elderly, patients and others who cannot
travel the Aadhar centers.The van was flagged off by Law and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.
Telangana government launches 181 helpline for distressed women. Department of Women Development and
Child Welfare in collaboration with Hyderabad District Collectorate launched a Women Helpline 181 to help
and assist women in distress.
Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik has inaugurated grid connected roof top solar programme to
encourage the public participation to harness renewable energy.
Under this programme, the consumers can introduce small solar plants on their rooftops and consume
the generated solar power during day time. Excess power can be exported to the grid through their service
cable.
The Cabinet Committee has approved the renaming of the new Central Sector Scheme SAMPADA (Scheme
for Agro-Marine Processing and Development of Agro-Processing Clusters) as Pradhan Mantri Kisan
Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) for the period of 2016-20 coterminous with the 14th Finance Commission cycle.
The Main purpose of PMKSY is to supplement agriculture, modernize processing and decrease Agri-Waste.
Cabinet approves MoU between India & Nepal on Drug Demand Reduction and Prevention of Illicit
Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance
The government has raised the income limit defining creamy layer for OBC reservation by Rs two lakh per
annum. According to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley the government has hiked the creamy layer ceiling
for the Other Backward Classes to Rs 8 lakh per annum from the existing Rs 6 lakh for central government
jobs.
EPFO organizes Tiranga Yatra to Commemorate 75th anniversary of Quit India Movement in Mumbai.
The Tiranga Yatra is an opportunity to achieve Sankalp to Siddhi towards a New India.
Commerce and Industry Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman has constituted a Task Force on Artificial
Intelligence (AI) for Indias Economic Transformation. The task force will have the Chairperson Dr. V.
Kamakoti, IIT Madras.
India is deploying along its volatile border with Pakistan a smart Israel-developed fencing systemwhich is
having a quick response team mechanism that strikes when the CCTV-powered control room detects an
infiltration attempt.The BSF is implementing a project called the comprehensive integrated border
management system (CIBMS).
Odisha Government will soon launch Durgama Anchalare Malaria Nirakaran (DAMAN), a special
programme to prevent the spread of malaria in remote areas of Ganjam district.
The community health centres that have been identified are Patrapur, Adapada, Badagada, Dharakote and
Gallery.
The Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis has launched Namo Yuva Rojgar Kendra on 14
August 2017.Namo Yuva Rojgar Kendra is an initiative on the part of the state government to provide job
opportunities to the unemployed youth in Mumbai.
Prime Minister Narendra modi has launched a New India movement from 2017-2022, a Sankalp Se Siddhi
(Attainment through Resolve) Program was organized at Coimbatore.The New India Movement 2017-
2022 organized an India free of Poverty, Corruption, Terrorism, Communalism, Casteism, and Un-cleanliness.
The government has imposed a penalty of USD 264 million (about Rs 1,700 crore)on Reliance Industries Ltd
and its partners. The penalty has been imposed for producing less than the targeted natural gas from eastern
offshore KG-D6 fields in 2015-16.
The government has directed internet majors Google, Facebook, Whats App, Instagram, Microsoft and
Yahoo to immediately remove links of the dangerous online game Blue Whale Challenge. It leads to suicides
of children in India and other countries.The Blue Whale game was created by a 22-year-old Russian named
Philipp Budeikin.
The 6th session of India-Turkmenistan Inter-Governmental Commission (IGC) on Trade, Economic,
Scientific& Technological Cooperation was held in New Delhi on August 14, 2017.
Indira Canteen, aimed at serving food to poor at subsidized rates, was inaugurated in Bengaluru on August
16, 2017, by Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi who had the first breakfast at the canteen
in Jayanagar, said Indira Canteens would serve the migrants who came to Bengaluru with a dream to build
something.
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Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has launched a live Twitter wall for promoting Bharat Ke Veer portal
on the eve of the 71st Independence Day.On this occasion, Ministers of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram
Ahir and Kiren Rijiju contributed their one month salary for the portal.
Union Cabinet has approved a new Metro Rail Policy that seeks to enable realization of growing metro rail
aspirations of a large number of cities but in a responsible manner.
Cabinet approves creation of a single non-lapsable corpus fund for Secondary and Higher education and also
Cabinet approves MoU between India and Sweden on IPRs.
In series of approvals the cabinet approved completion of balance works of North Koel Reservoir Project,
closure of Andaman & Nicobar Islands Forest and Plantation vi. Development Corporation Limited
(ANIFPDCL), Port Blair, besides raising Rs.9020 cr for long term irrigation fund.
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved following
two proposals of Department of Investment and public Asset Management (DIPAM) for strategic
disinvestment:
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval
to the Scheme of providing Budgetary Support under Goods and Service Tax (GST) Regime for the eligible
industrial units located in State of Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and North Eastern
States including Sikkim.
The Finance Ministry and the World Bank has signed an agreement of $24.64 millionfrom the Global
Environment Facility (GEF) of the World Bank for ecosystem service improvement project.The projects
duration is for five years.
The OMCs( Oil Marketing Companies) and EESL( Energy Efficiency Services Ltd) was to ink Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU)on August 18,2017 for selling LED bulb for Rs 65, tube light for Rs 230 and ceiling
fan at Rs 1,150.The consumers able to buy these above appliances in mentioned petrol bunk.
The Prime Minister has interacted with Young Entrepreneurs at the Champions of
Change initiative organised by NITI Aayog at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra. The Prime Minister described the
Champions of Changeinitiative as one effort to bring together diverse strengths for the benefit of the nation
and society.
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Harsh Vardhan has launched the Harit
Diwali, Swasth Diwali campaign on 17th August 2017. About 800 children from schools of Delhi and NCR
have participated in the campaign.
The government has banned exports of gold jewellery, medallions and other articles above 22- carat purity in
a bid to check round stumbling of the precious metal.India is the worlds second-biggest gold consumer after
China. Imports now attract only 3% integrated GST.
Under project Navika Sagar Parikrama which will commence in September 2017, a team of women officers of
the Indian Navy would circumnavigate the globe on an Indian-built sail boat INSV Tarini. This is the first
ever Indian circumnavigation of the globe by an all-women crew.
The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC),in a joint initiative with the Northern Railway, launched
the mosquito terminator train at the New Delhi Railway station on 18th of Aug 2017.It is expected to cover
a distance of 70 kilometres a day.
SmritiI rani has inaugurated Jharkhands first textiles manufacturing and export unitOrient Craft Ltd.Irani
will also lay foundation stones of numerous companies under special make in Jharkhand drive, called
Momentum Jharkhand in Jamshedpur.
Government of Indias Street Lighting National programme (SLNP) has illuminated 50,000 KM of Indian
roads with installation of 30 lakh LED street lights across the country. With this milestone Energy Efficiency
Services Limitedhas become the worlds largest street light management company.
On November 13, 2017, Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry will be conducting National
Assessment Survey (NAS) for the students of class 3, 5, and 8for assessing various learning outcomes.
Government has doubled monthly child care allowance for women with disabilities. At present, the allowance
of Rs 1500 per month is given to differently-abled female employees for taking care of their newborn
child. This has been raised to Rs. 3000 per month.
To prevent adulteration and revenue leakage, the Assam government has decided that country liquor would
be grain-based, undergo chemical tests and be branded and make it mandatory for the bottles to sport a
hologram as in the case of IMFL.
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Delhi Metro has opened a facility to recycle the waste produced during its demolition and construction
work.The construction waste generated by DMRC is generally dumped at pre-designated sites identified and
approved by the government.
The Maharashtra platform is aimed at measures such as micro irrigation for cotton. The 2030 Water Resources
Group (2030WRG), a consortium of public and private sector entities under the International Finance
Corporation (IFC) will be raising up to $10 million to help about four lakh cotton farmers in Maharashtra.
Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has informed that the government has decided to offer 40 per cent
reservation for girls at 100 Navodaya-type schools and five higher education institutes. A panel formed
by The Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF), a government-funded agency, had recommended a
three-tier model to tackle educational backwardness among minorities, particularly the Muslims.
On August 21,2017 Swasth Bachche, Swasth Bharat Programme, was launched in Kochi.Union Minister for
Human Resource Development Shri. Prakash Javadekar unveil the Profile Card in a function held at Kendriya
Vidyalaya at KV NAD, Aluva (Kochi).The programme aims to make students, teachers and parents aware of
the importance of good health and fitness and encourage 60 minutes of play every day.
The National Mineral Policy, 2008 should be reviewed is mandatory and the panel suggest a new framework
will submit its report by October-end.The 29-member panel has headed by Mines Additional Secretary K
Rajeswara Rao.
On 25th Aug 2017 according to the Parliamentary panel no Genetically Modified (GM)crop should be
introduced in India unless the bio safety and socio- economic appeal is evaluated in a transparent process
and an accountability regime is put in place. The report of the committee, chaired by Congress leader Renuka
Chowdhury was presented to the Rajya Sabha chairman.
Minister of State Shri MJ Akbar made official visits to Ghana and Equatorial Guinea from August 14 to
August 18, 2017 to launch the Freedom@70 celebrations and to inaugurate FICCIs Namaskar Africa trade
show.
As per RBI panel there is a need to adopt a rights- based privacy framework in household finance announced
on 25th Aug 2017.The committee was headed by Tarun Ramadorai, a professor in financial economics at
Imperial College London, and had representatives from all financial regulators.
The fifth round of Foreign and Security Policy Consultations between India and the European Union were
held in New Delhi on 25th of Aug 2017.
Kerala government has begun e-waste disposal in its state schools. Under a programme aimed at clearing the
accumulated junk with about 12500 kg being disposed on a single day. It has been announced on 26th Aug
2017.
Defence Minister Arun Jaitley has launched BEMLs third Line Ultra Modern Metro Manufacturing
Facility announced on 26th Aug 2017. It has been launched to enhance the production of metro cars for the
forthcoming metro projects in India.
Assam forest department deployed around 10000 security and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF)
personnel, 20 elephants and 20 excavators to evict 1400 families that have been encroaching upon Amchang
Wildlife Sanctuary on the northeastern fringe of Guwahati. The sanctuary is spread over 78.64 sq km.
Supertech has received green nod for developing a sports-centric housing project in Greater Noida. It would
have an investment cost of Rs1,130 crore.
The first edition of Miss Transqueen India, a beauty pageant for transgenders, will take place in Gurugram on
22nd Aug 2017.Under this beauty peageant total 1500 participants fought it out to make it to the top 16.
Karnatakas Department of Tourism has announced Dasara Special Tour Packages announced on 28th of Aug
2017.
On August 26 2017 Defence minister Arun jaitley, inaugurates the 5.8-tonne category Light Combat
Helicopter(LCH) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited(HAL) design upgrade program (Hawk i) to our nation
at HAL(bengaluru)
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams which is the famous temple of Lord Venkateswara and of the richest Hindu
temple in India has deposited 2,780 kg of gold with State Bank of India under long term deposit
schemeannounced on 29th Aug 2017.
The Union Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) is going to launch Deep Ocean Mission by January 2018 to
encourage research activities in ocean science.India was ranked 15th in the number of research papers on
ocean science.
The Ministry of Textiles has organized Pan India camps in handlooms and handicrafts groups under the
initiative Hastkala Sahyog Shivir. The camps will be organized during 7th October to 17th October
2017.This initiative is dedicated to Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Garib Kalyan Varsh, the birth centenary year
of Pandit Deendayal Upadhayay.
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Union Cabinet approved the proposal of the Election Commission of India(ECI) to enter into Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the field of electoral management and administration with the
Election Management Bodies of other countries/International Agencies.
Cabinet approves MoU with Myanmar for the Conservation of Earthquake-Damaged Pagodas at Bagan.
Implementation of this project will strengthen Indias ties in culture and religion with Myanmar. This project
has religious significance as well as the touristic significance.
Cabinet approves promulgation of the Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to States) Ordinance, 2017.
The approval would allow to increase the maximum rate at which the Compensation Cess can be levied from
15% to 25%.
Cabinet apprised of jointly issue of postage stamps between India and Canada. India and Canada have
mutually agreed to jointly issue a set of two Commemorative Postage Stamps on India-Canada, on the
theme Diwali. The joint stamps will be released on 21st September, 2017.Diwali it is a cultural theme for
both the countries and also considering the large presence of Indian Diaspora in Canada.
Cabinet approves equivalence of posts in Central Public-Sector Undertakings (PSUs), Banks, Insurance
Institutions with Posts in Government so that the children of those serving in lower categories in PSUs and
other institutions can get the benefit of OBC reservations.
Narendra Modis visit in Rajasthan August 2017
He laid foundation stone and inaugurated national highway projects worth Rs 15,000 crore.
He dedicated 11 national highways to the nation. These highways cover a total length of 873 kms and
inaugurated a suspension bridge built across the Chambal river at Kota, making it the first 6-lane cable
suspended bridge in the Rajasthan. The bridge, 1.4 km in length, is constructed at a cost of Rs 278 crore at
Kota.
The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh has inaugurated the YUVA a skill development
programme. It is an initiative taken by Delhi Police under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana on 29th of
Aug 2017. Delhi Police has tied up with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Confederation
of Indian Industry(CII) to provide the job-linked skilling for selected youths.
The Uttar Pradesh cabinet has decided to close the process of holding interview for selection of candidates for
the government jobs in all the non-gazetted posts of Group B, C and D categories announced on 29th of Aug
2017.
On august 29,2017, The Geographical Indications Registry (GIR) has granted geographical indication
(GI) status to Gobindobhog rice, a speciality from Burdwan district of West Bengal. The state has applied for
GI status in the year 2015.
The Ministry of Railways has signed two MoUs with Switzerland on 31st of Aug 2017. It has been signed
between Ministry of Railways and Swiss Confederation.The first MoU is between Ministry of Railways and
Federal Department of the Environment, Transport and Communications of the Swiss Confederation for
technical cooperation in Rail Sector. The second MoU is between Konkan Railway Corporation Limited
(KRCL) and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich.
The Fourth Session of the India-Tanzania Joint Trade Committee meeting was held in New Delhi on 29th
Aug, 2017.The Indian delegation was led by Commerce and Industry (Independent Charge) Ms. Nirmala
Sitharaman. TheTanzanian delegation was led by the Industry, Trade and Investment Mr. Charles John
Mwijage.
Amazon has announced a partnership with the Akshaya Patra Foundation to implement the Karnataka
governments Ksheera Bhagya Scheme in Bengaluru on 30th Aug 2017. Under this
scheme schoolchildren would be provided a glass of milk each five days a week.
Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal has inaugurated a unit to process small onions in
Perambalur district in Tamil Nadu on 31st Aug 2017.
The Government of India has given scholarship for 20 Sri Lankan students to study Hindi at the Kendriya
Hindi Sansthan (Central Institute of Hindi) in Agra.The Government of India has sponsored their visit,
academic fees and local hospitality for one year in Agra.
The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) under the commerce and industry ministry will
release a new industrial policy by October.The new policy is expected to replace the United Progressive
Alliance governments National Manufacturing Policy (NMP) 2011, which sought to create 100 million jobs
by 2022.
On 30th august,2017, Central Statistics Office(CSO) published new series of gross State Domestic Product
(SDP) data with 2011-12 as the base year. According to it Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh were
the fastest expanding State economies in 2015-16. On per captia income Gujarat topped with
Rs.1,22,502.06followed by Maharashtra (1,21,514.50). Maharashtra remains the largest State economy, with
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its size estimated at 16,59,776.05 crores (16.6 lakh crore) at constant 2011-12 prices.
PLACES IN NEWS
Indias First Heli-taxi service launched by MoS for Civil Aviation Jayanth Sinha in Bengaluru. Kempegowda
International Airport (KIA) is the first airport and Bengaluru is the first city in the country with such a service.
Union Agriculture Ministry signed a memorandum of association (MoA) for setting up a regional centre of
the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh to develop high- yielding rice
varieties.
AadiPerukku is celebrated for the birth of the Tamil month of Aadi. This is the beginning of all the festivals
during the festival seasons. It is celebrated in a special way in temples like MangaduKamakshi Temple.
On August 3, 2017, Indias first private sector missile sub-systems manufacturing facility, a joint venture
between the $2.5 billion Kalyani Group and Israels Rafael Advanced Defence Systems Ltd., was inaugurated
near Hyderabad, Telangana.
The dawn of cruise tourism in India was inaugurated in Mumbai on 8th of August 2017.
There is the launch of three reports, Mumbai Port SoPs for cruise operations, Road map for Sea cruise
tourism and Cruise terminals in India.
Bangladesh will open a new diplomatic station in Chennai. It is likely to focus on medical tourism and
educational centres that drew thousands of Bangladesh citizens to India every year.
Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) under Ministry of Commerce and Industry has
approved two projects for development of industrial clusters at Hindupur and Bobbili in the respective
districts of Ananatapur and Vizianagaram of Andhra Pradesh. It comes under Modified Industrial
Infrastructure Up gradation Scheme (MIIUS).
Indias first railways disaster management village is expected to come up near Bengaluru by December 2018,
where situations like trains falling into rivers and coaches catching fire will be replicated and mock rescue
operations will be carried out in real time.
Vijaya Bank has disbursed loan sanction letters to beneficiaries who were trained at the Vijaya Bank Self
Employment Training Institute (VIBSETI) in Bhenslay Village, Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
The land of 19 acres of land which housed around 70 government office buildings in Chattisgarhs Raipur is
being converted into Indias first micro forest to create an oxy-zone.
Australian city Melbourne has topped the Global Liveability Rankings compiled by the Economist
Intelligence Unit (EIU) for seventh-straight year.
The first regional centre of the New Development Bank was officially opened in South Africa on 17thAugust
2017 by South African President Jacob Zuma and the banks Indian head K V Kamath. It was set up by India
and other BRICS nations.
Utrecht has opened the worlds largest bicycle parking garage. The parking lot is spread in an area of
over 17,100 sq m and three storeys.
Indias first museum will open in Amritsar Punjab, as India and Pakistan celebrate 70 years as independent
nations.It will have The Gallery of Hope, where visitors can scribble messages of love and peace.
On August 16,2017 , Union minister Jitendra Singh confirmed about the initiation of north eastern cultural
and information centre will be set up in Delhi.Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had allotted a land of
5341.75 sqm.(1.32 acre) at Sector-13, Dwarka, New Delhi, at a cost of approx Rs. 6 crore, to North Eastern
Council (NEC) for the purpose of construction of North Eastern Cultural and Information Centre.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has inaugurated Dr.Vishwanath Karad MIT World Peace University
(MITWPU) in MIT, Pune.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will inaugurate the countrys first Videsh Bhavan, incorporate all
Regional Passport Offices under one roof, at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC)in Mumbai.
The Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to set up an Eco-Park on over 34 acres of land retrieve from
encroachers in the states Rajouri district announced on 25th of Aug 2017.
Manipurs Nungthaang Tampak village has emerged as the 100% computer literate in the entire North
East announced on 24th August 2017.
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FOREIGN VISITS
Nepal PM Sher Bahadur Deuba on 5-day visit to India

Nepals PM Sher Bahadur Deuba made his maiden visit to India as prime minister. India and Nepal signed eight
memorandums of understanding (MoUs)
1. Modalities for utilization of Indias housing grant component to support reconstruction of 50,000 houses:
2. Implementation of the grant component of Indias post-earthquake reconstruction package in the education
sector in Nepal.
3. Implementation of the grant component of Indias post-earthquake reconstruction package in the
cultural heritage sector in Nepal.
4. Implementation of the grant component of Indias post-earthquake reconstruction package in the health
sector in Nepal.
5. Implementation arrangement on cost sharing, schedules and safeguard issues for construction of Mechi Bridge
under ADBs SASEC Road Connectivity Programme (Tranche 2), funded by India:
6. 6.Drug demand reduction and prevention of illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and
precursor chemical and related matters.
7. Agreement on cooperation in the field of standardisation and conformity assessment.
8. An MoU was signed between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and the Institute of Chartered
Accountants of Nepal.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
World Bank has said that India is allowed to construct hydroelectric power facilities on tributaries of the
Jhelum and Chenab rivers with certain restrictions under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). World Banks
comments came as officials from India and Pakistan concluded the secretary-level talks over the IWT.
The United States has issued a ban prohibiting its citizens traveling to North Korea. The ban which comes into
effect from 1st of September. The new ban will remain in effect for one year, unless it is revoked sooner by US
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
A new representative body US- India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) is being set up to enhance
business relations between India and US.
Qatars Cabinet approved a draft law making permanent residency available to some non-citizens of the
country announced on 3rd of August 2017. Under the new law, Residency permits will be granted to children
of Qatari women married to foreigners.
On August 2nd 2017,The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has adopted a resolution to preventing
terrorists from acquired weapons, particularly small arms and light weapons.
The Minister for Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Shri Nitin Gadkari has said that the government is
keen on developing Chabahar Port in Iran and is hopeful of starting operations by 2018. The Indian
Government has allocated Rs 6 billion for the development of the port.
On August 7, 2017, at Eighth Mekong Ganga Cooperation Ministerial Meeting in Manila, Philippines, India
called for expanding the areas of cooperation among the member countries of the bloc to further deepen
mutually beneficial partnership and cooperation. Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh represented
India at this meeting.
India has ratified the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol announced on 9th of August 2017 that
commits countries to contain the emission of greenhouse gases, reaffirming its stand on climate action. India
has become the 80th country to accept the amendment relating to the second commitment period of the Kyoto
Protocol, the international emissions reduction treaty.
The Qatari government has announced that citizens belonging to 80 countries including India, Canada, US and
UK can now enter Qatar without the need of applying for a visa.The passport will have a minimum validity of
six months and a confirmed onward or return ticket.
The Bank of England has announced that it would not change the way its new plastic banknotes are
made. Some vegetarians and religious groups have concerned about trace amounts of animal fat used in their
production.
Dr Ruth Pfau, a German doctor popularly known as Pakistans Mother Teresa for dedicating her life
to eradicate leprosy in the country passed away on August 10, 2017 in Karachi.
African country, The Republic of Chad will release a limited edition Lord Krishna silver
coin on Janmashtami in commemoration of the 5,244th birth anniversary of the Hindu God.The price has been
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kept at Rs 25,555 per coin with free shipping within India.

UN World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared that in the last three years Somalia had not recorded any
case of polio disease and announcing the country polio free on 13th of August 2017.
Nepal and China has signed three pacts to boost their ties in power and energy sectors and undertake a
feasibility study to excavate natural gas and petroleum in the Himalayan country, including in the southern
Terai plains.
President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia put an end to Colombias 50-year conflict with FARC guerrillas as
the last truckloads of decommissioned weapons rolled away to be melted down finally over on August 15
2017 at Bogota.
Emma Stone has been named Hollywoods best-paid female actor in Forbes annual list of top earners.Emma
Stone has been named as this years highest-paid actress, taking in $26m in the last 12 months.
The United States named Pakistan-based Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation
The US and Japan have agreed to advance their multilateral security and defence cooperation with countries
like India, South Korea and Australia, amidst Chinas growing assertiveness in the Asia Pacific region.
Saudi Arabia is going to open up its border and airports for those attending the annual Haj
pilgrimage announced on 17th of August 2017.
Qatar has launched a new direct route between the countrys Hamad Port and Pakistans port of Karachi. It
will boost trade between the two countries.
Pakistani Nobel Prize winner MalalaYousafzai will study at Oxford University.The 20-year-old will study
philosophy, politics and economics. In April, she became the youngest-ever UN Messenger of Peace.
On August 18, 2017, China launched its first cyber court specialising in handling internet-related cases in the
e-commerce hub of Hangzhou amid a spike in the number of online disputes.The Hangzhou Internet Court in
Hangzhou, capital of east Chinas Zhejiang Province will handle cases such as online trade disputes and
copyright lawsuits.
India and US have established TWO-BY-TWO Ministerial Dialogue with an aim to elevate their strategic
consultations.
A team of civilian researchers led by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has discovered the wreckage of World
War II warship USS Indianapolis nearly after 72 years. It is 18000 feet (5.5 km) below the surface in the
Pacific Ocean. It has been announced on 18th of August 2017.
Qatar will build a stadium shaped like an Arabian cap for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.This symbolic design
embodies everything that unites us as Arabs and Muslims, and is a fitting tribute to the first FIFA World Cup
in the Middle East. Qatar is building at least eight air-conditioned stadiums for the tournament
Indian bananas, pomegranate, custard apple and okra will soon be available in Canada as the North American
country has allowed their import for the first time.
Typhoon Hato smashed into Hong Kong on 23rd of Aug 2017 with hurricane force winds and heavy rains in
the worst storm the city has seen for five years. Due to this cancellation of hundreds of flights and shutting
down the stock market.
Nepal launches worlds First Climate smart landscape management plan for snow leopard conservation
The International Military Music Festival Spasskaya Tower is the parade of the best military music bands of
Russia and other countries that takes place every year at Red Square in Moscow. Spasskaya Tower is
scheduled from 24 Aug to 03 Sep2017
The State Administration of Work Safety announced in a five-year plan that China will shut 6,000 non-coal
mines to reduce mining accidents and deaths by 2020.
According to Canadian Government Canadians who do not identify as male or female will be able to mark
X on their passports, instead of M or F from 31st August 2017.
The US has imposedstrong financial sanctions on Venezuela, barring banks from any new deals with the
government announced on 25th AUG 2017. The sanctions restrict trading of Venezuelan bonds sold by the
government in the American financial markets to raise money.
President Donald Trump has formally signed a presidential memo directing the Pentagon to ban transgender
people from joining the US military announced on 25th Aug 2017.
India and Germany has signed an agreement on technical cooperation under the Indo-German Energy
Programme Green Energy Corridors (IGEN-GEC) on 28th Aug 2017.
France holds migrant summit seeking European unity. The main focus of a summit of Europes big
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four continental powers is getting Europes migrant crisis under control. It is hosted on 28th of Aug 2017 by
French President Emmanuel Macron.
Union Finance Ministry has imposed a five year anti-dumping duty on Sodium Nitrite imports from
Chinaannounced on 26th of Aug 2017. It was imposed based on recommendations of Directorate General of
Antidumping and Allied Duties (DGAD).
Uber has announced a two new features namely In-app chat and multi-destination option in India
announced on 28th Aug 2017.
On August 29, 2017 International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) decided to open a low enriched Uranium
bank in Kazakhstan. The objective is to ensure the supply of nuclear fuel in the event of disruption due to
political or market problems.
Kenya passes worlds toughest plastic bag law. Those who are producing, selling or even using the non-
degradable bags now face four years in jail or a $40,000 (USD) /(31,000) fine in Kenya.
Harvey is one of the most destructive storms in US history thrashed Texas for the consecutive fifth day. It has
claimed 30 lives and left thousands homeless.
The Trump administration has given $ 225 million worth of conditional military assistance to Pakistan that the
country can access only if it takes more action against terror groups announced on 31st of Aug 2017.
SUMMITS & CONFERENCES

19th round of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Trade Negotiating Committee
(TNC) meetings and other related meetings were held from 17th to 28th July 2017 in Hyderabad, India.
The first meeting of the Japan-India Coordination Forum (JICF) for Development of North-Eastern
Region was held in New Delhi on 4th of August 2017.
On 1st and 2nd August 2017, Union Commerce Minister NirmalaSitharaman attended BRICS Trade Ministers
meeting in Shanghai, China. On the sidelines of this meeting she also held meeting with Chinese Minister of
Commerce Zhong Shan.
Southeast Asian foreign ministers and their counterparts from the U.S., China, Russia, Japan, the two Koreas
and other have arrived to the 50th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum (ARF)
meeting in Manila on Aug 5, 2017.
The 8th meeting of the Regional Technical Group of Confidence Building Measure on Trade, Commerce &
Investment Opportunities under the Heart of Asia Istanbul Process was hosted by Indiain New Delhi.
15th Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation
(BIMSTEC) Ministerial Meeting was held in Kathmandu, Nepal on August 11, 2017.
The India-Asean YouthSummitis begun in Bhopal. It is a 5 day long summit. The main focus is to bring the
participants to work for eradication of terrorism, poverty and drug menace. The summit with the theme
Shared Values, Common Destiny
Italy would be hosting the summit of Group of Seven Interior Ministers to discuss on security matters
in October 2017.The meeting is being organised at the request of Italys G-7 partners- Canada, France,
Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan and the United States.
India will host the next steering committee meeting of the proposed 1,814 kilometre-long Turkmenistan-
Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline. The meeting will be held in New Delhi.
A two day Chief Electoral Officers Conference of all States and Union Territories commenced in New
Delhi. It was inaugurated by Shri. A.K. Joti, Chief Election Commissioner of India and Shri. O.P. Rawat,
Election Commissioner of India.
On August 21, 2017,The Minister of State for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines
(Independent Charge) Shri Piyush Goyal addressing the 3- day 8th World Renewable Energy Technology
Congress in New Delhi.The theme of the conference is Renewable Energy: What Works.
On August 22,2017 the seventeenth Meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) was
held in New Delhi under the Chairmanship of the Union Minister of Finance, Shri Arun Jaitley.
The 9th meeting of Heads of Governments of SCO dealing with the prevention and elimination of emergency
situation, made by the Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh at Cholpon- Ata in Kyrgyz Republic on
24th August 2017.
First Synergy Conference on Defence Pension Organised by Defence Accounts Department held in New Delhi
The bilateral meeting between India and Uzbekistan held in New Delhi on 23rd August 2017.The Commerce
and Industries Minister, Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman ,Mr. Abdulaziz Kamilov, Minister of Foreign Affairs and
Mr. Elyor Ganiev, Minister of Foreign Trade held detailed discussions on deepening trade and economic ties
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between India and Uzbekistan.

The 10th India-European Union Counter Terrorism Dialogue was held at New Delhi on 30th Aug
2017.The Indian delegation was led by Shri Mahaveer Singhvi, Joint Secretary for Counter Terrorism at the
Ministry of External Affairs of India, while the European Unions delegation was led by Mr. Pawel
Herczynski, Director for Security Policy, European External Action Service.
RANKINGS & REPORTS

As per ICT Facts and Figures 2017, released by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the
United Nations specialised agency for Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), India and
China are home to 39% of the 830 million young people worldwide who use the Internet.
India ranked 43rd position in 2017 Global Retirement Index (GRI). It is published by French asset
management company Natixis Global.The top three countries in 2017 GRI are Norway, Switzerland, and
Iceland.
According to the survey, almost all rural households in Kerala and Haryana had access to a toilet
report published on 9th of August 2017. The survey is released by the Ministry of Drinking Water and
Sanitation and was carried out by the Quality Council of India (QCI). Bihar and Uttar Pradesh has least access
to toilets compared to other states.
According to Asian Cities & Regions Outlook 2016 by Oxford Economics, Delhi will have the fastest growth
among all Asian cities with the economy growing almost 50 percent larger in 2021 than it was at the end of
last year.
On 29th august, 2017, BRICS Innovative Competitive Report 2017 was released by China Science and
Technology Exchange Centre. The report says India is expected to surpass China in innovation
competitiveness between 2025-2030. At present, China is the leading BRICS nation in innovation
competitiveness.
Forbes has released its list of the worlds 20 highest paid actors of 2017. Mark Wahlberg soared to the top of
the worlds highest paid actors on an annual Forbes magazine list. Wahlberg earned an estimated $68 million
in 2017. Three of Bollywoods biggest stars Shah Rukh Khan ($38 million), Salman Khan ($37 million) and
Akshay Kumar ($35.5 million) took the 8th, 9th and 10th places on the Forbes list, respectively.
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibabas Founder Jack Ma has become Asias richest person with net worth of
$38.3 billion.Jack Ma is currently ranked as the worlds 18th richest man.
According to a report by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), The island of Tuvalu
was the least visited country in 2016. The report said 2,000 people visited Tuvalu in 2016, while 1,000 people
visited the country in 2014.
BANKING & FINANCE
Reserve Bank announces its third bi-monthly policy review of current fiscal
Policy Repo Rate 6.00% Reduced by 25 basis points. Earlier it was 6.25%
Reverse Repo Rate 5.75% Reduced by 25 basis points. Earlier it was 6.00%
Marginal Standing Facility Rate 6.25% Reduced by 25 basis points. Earlier it was 6.50%
Bank Rate 6.25% Reduced by 25 basis points. Earlier it was 6.50%
Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) 4.00% Unchanged since 9th February 2013
Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) 20.00% Unchanged since 7th June 2017
As per a report by global financial services major UBS, Indian government is on track to achieving the fiscal
deficit target of 3.2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the current fiscal year.
Airtel Payments Bank; Indias first payments bank has announced a strategic partnership with Hindustan
Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) on 1st of August 2017.
Under which 14,000 HPCL fuel stations will act as banking points for Airtel Payments Bank.
SEBI has set up a committee on fair market conduct on 2nd of August 2017. It will suggest measures for
improving surveillance of the markets and strengthen rules for algo trades, among other norms. The panel is
headed by former law secretary T K Viswanathan.
The State Bank of India (SBI) and Samsung India has announced the availability of Samsung Pay for higher
variants of SBI debit card to advance Digital India initiativeon 1st of August 2017.
As per Japanese financial services firm Nomura, India along with ASEAN 5 countries (Indonesia, Malaysia,
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Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam) is more attractive Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) destination as
compared to other emerging markets. Nomura has dubbed as Asias tiger cubsand has said that Foreign
Direct Investment (FDI) flows to these nations are expected to surge to around USD 240 billion by 2025.
State Bank of India plans to raise Rs 2,000 crore by allotting Basel-III compliant bonds to various investors.
India signs loan agreement with AIIB for Financing of US$ 329 million for Gujarat Rural Roads Project.
On August 4, 2017, Finance Minister ArunJaitley launched a new Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) under the
name Bharat 22, comprising shares of 22 companies from 6 sectors of the economy. The ETF will feature four
banking stocks SBI, Axis Bank, Bank of Baroda and Indian Bank other than CPSEs such as Nalco,
ONGC, IOC, BPCL and Coal India.
Canara Bank has hit the international debt market with a benchmark dollar bond issue that will have a tenor of
5 years. Through this issue, Canara Bank will raise $400 million as part of its $2 billion medium-term note
programme. Bond sale will be drawn through London branch of Canara Bank.The bonds will be listed on
the Singapore Stock Exchange.
Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched a new service called Kotak Remit.This service is an Aadhaar-based
integrated outward forex remittance solution for both customers and non-customers.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has directed to companies which fail to disclose any
default on the payment of interest or repayment of principal to banks or financial institutions within a day.
During the week to July 28, the RBI showed data which refers the countrys foreign exchange reserves surged
by $1.536 billion to touch $392.867 billion, helped by rising in foreign currency assets (FCAs). In the
previous week, it had increased by $2.27 billion to $391.33 billion.
In a bid to emerge as a top consumer finance brand in the digital space, mobile wallet major MobiKwik has
entered into a strategic partnership with Bajaj Finance to transform itself into a financial services app from a
payments app at present.
Mastercard and PayPal have announced an extension of their partnership into Asia Pacific for making
MasterCard a clear payment option within PayPal.
PNB customers will have to pay charges for depositing cash above Rs 5,000 in a non-base branch even if it is
located in the same city. A customer will have to pay Re 1 per Rs 1,000 for above Rs 5,000 cash deposit or
part thereof with a minimum of Rs 25 per transaction.
The Department of Financial Services under Ministry of Finance has set up a committee to resolve the
pending issues of bank pensioners and retirees.
ICICI Bank has announced the launch of Instant Credit Card Service that will enable its savings account
customers to get a credit card instantly, in a completely digital and paperless manner. There is a credit limit of
up to Rs 4 lakh based on pre-checked bureau scores.
IDFC Bank has partnered with digital payments company Zeta, to launch IDFC Bank Benefits announced on
9th August 2017.IDFC Bank Benefitsis a payment solution for corporates that digitizes employee spends
and claims, making the process simple, real-time and paperless.
Punjab National Bank (PNB) has introduced a biometric attendance register in the place of the existing system
of signing attendance in the attendance register. The biometric attendance device will capture the attendance
along with the time of marking the attendance.
Markets regulator SEBI has introduced an online registration mechanism for custodians of securities to make
it convenient for them to do business on 10th of August 2017. The new system would help custodian of
securities to complete registration and other regulatory filings with SEBI much faster and in a cost-effective
manner.
This year, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will be transferring to the Government Rs 30,659 crore as
dividend. This amount is less than half the amount of Rs 65876 crore it transferred to Government last year.
On August 10, 2017; Canara Bank unveiled two new digital services for online payments. Bharat QR (Quick
Response) for payment settlement at merchant locations and Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS), an
integrated bill payment system for net banking customers.
Indian Bank has introduced two tier interest rate structures for saving bank accounts. It will offer 4% per
interest per annum for incremental balance over Rs 50 lakh and 3.50% per annum for balance up to Rs 50
lakh.
Flipkart has taken over the rein of the market by becoming the third most funded private company in the
world.Flipkarts total raised capital is now almost $7 billion which is higher than that raised by global giants
like online house rental aggregator Airbnb ($3.3 billion) and mobile phone maker Xiaomi ($1.4 billion). In
valuation, Flipkart stands at the 9th position with about $15 billion.
Indian messaging app Hike has acquired a Bangalore-based startup Creo. It is known
for releasing smartphones, media streaming dongles, and an operating system.
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StateBank of India (SBI) launched a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, SBI Gram
Seva.Under the initiative, SBI will adopt five villages each from 10 village panchayatswith each village
getting around Rs 2.40 crore over the next three years. The bank plans to adopt 100 gram panchayats in the
next three years.
City Union Bank is going to offer instant credit cards and customers can generate a credit card online.The
bank introduced the option of an instant credit card for free for its Net banking customers.The customer will
be allowed a credit limit of up to 80% of the deposit or a maximum of 3 lakh.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has made Aadhar linkage mandatory for farmers who wish to avail short-term
crop loans in 2017-18 on 16thAugust 2017.Under Interest Subvention Scheme, the banks are advised to make
Aadhar linkage mandatory for availing short-term crop loans in 2017-18.
State Bank of India held two-day Home Loan Utsav at its local head office in Bengaluru.The bank is offering
a 0.25% concession in interest rate from the fourth year of the home loan if it is availed at the SBI Utsav.
Private sector Karur Vysya Bank hasunveiled the Aadhaar Enrolment Centre in Chennai.
KVB is the first private sector bank to provide Aadhaar Enrolment Centre service in the country.
NSE has decided to introduce seamless corporate announcement filing mechanism for information related to
change in auditors, change in directors, and declaration of audit reports with unmodified opinion. This system
will be in effect from 17th August 2017.
Under the new scheme Shubh Aarambh Home Loans Axis Bank will waive 12 equated monthly installments
(EMIs) on regular repayments of loans of up to Rs 30 lakh.Customers also have the option to transfer existing
home loans to Axis Bank without additional cost.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will soon release Rs 50 denomination banknotes in the Mahatma Gandhi
(New) Series, having signature of Governor Urjit R. Patel. Dimension of the banknote will be 66 mm x 135
mm.
Countrys largest lender SBI accounts for over 27% of the total amount owed to public sector banks by wilful
defaulters announced on 20th August 2017.Total 1,762 wilful defaulters owed Rs 25,104 crore to State Bank
of India as on 31 March.Punjab National Bank (PNB) is next on the list with 1,120 wilful defaulters having
outstanding non-performing assets (NPAs) or bad loans of Rs12,278 crore.
State Bank of India (SBI) has announced waiver of up to 100% of processing fee on car loans, personal gold
loans and personal loans for the festive season.
The National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned a loan assistance of Rs
1,349.55 crore to the Rajasthan government announced on 20th Aug 2017.
The loan has been approved for creation of rural infrastructure in the state under the Rural Infrastructure
Development Fund (RIDF).
According to the Reserve Bank of Indias Report on Trend and Progress of Banking in India, 45 of the 56
RRBs earned profits without carrying any accumulated losses during 2015-16.Karnataka Vikas Grameena
Bank and Andhra Pragathi Grameena Bank recorded net profit of more than 150 crore during 2016-17.
Asia Index Private Ltd has announced the launch of S&P BSE Bharat 22 Index. It has been launched to track
the performance of state-run companies in which the central government has divested its stake.
DHFL Pramerica Life Insurance Company has signed on Kerala-based Dhanlaxmi Bank as its bancassurance
partner announced on 24th of Aug 2017.
The Reserve Bank of India has launched the Rs 200 notes from 25th August from select RBI offices and some
banks.The notes will be in the Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series, bearing signature of Governor Urjit
Patel.Dimension of the banknote will be 66 mm 146 mm.
HDFC Bank has launched an all-in-one offering, DigiPoS Machine that offers a complete suite of digital
payment solutions announced on 22nd of Aug 2017. With DigiPoS, a merchant can use as many as 12 various
digital payment options like UPI, Bharat QR, SMS Pay, PayZapp, Tap & Pay, EMIs in addition to
debit/credit card swiping.
According to the government norms the Banks importing gold and precious metals will have to pay 3% tax
under the GST which can be claimed as input tax credit.
The government has find a way to initiate insolvency resolution process to recover bad loans by giving
authorize to RBI through Banking Regulation (Amendment) Act. The banking sector is burdened with non-
performing assets (NPAs) of over Rs 8 lakh crore, of which Rs 6 lakh crore is with public sector banks
(PSBs).
The Insuranace Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has launched a Central Database
named Envoy of all Insurance Sales Persons in the country. Envoy covers POS, specified persons of
corporate agents, qualified persons of insurance brokers and authorised verifiers of web aggregators.
Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance Company (CHOICE) has launched with a Point-
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of-Sale Easy Bima Plan targeted at the mass-market segment.

Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ujjivan Financial Services Ltd, has
been included in the second scheduled to the RBI Act 1934 on 30th Aug 2017.This grants the Scheduled
Bank status to Ujjivan Small Finance Bank from the date of notification.
Solar energy services company Freyr Energy has tied up with Axis Bank announced on 31st Aug 2017. It
will offer term loans ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 50 lakh for tenures up to five years, for solar rooftop
installations in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Markets regulator SEBI has barred Orion Capital as well as Orion Broking and their
partners from the securities markets for 10 years announced on 29th of Aug 2017.
BUSINESS
The new bilateral Agreement on Trade Commerce and Transit between India and Bhutan came into force on
29th July 2017. The agreement was last renewed on 29th July 2006 for ten years.
Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev-led Herbal products manufacturer PatanjaliAyurved plans to team up with social
media site Facebook and search engine Google in a push to increase its digital presence for better online
marketing.
On August 4, 2017, Indian Railways signed its first Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC)
contract with L&T for large electrification projects. Including this contract, Railways Ministry has signed total
nine EPC contracts for electrification of railway lines at a cost of Rs. 2,800 crore.
Essar Ports has signed a 30-year concession agreement with the Government of Mozambique to develop a 20
million tons per annum (MTPA) coal terminal at Beira Portas part of a Public Private Partnership (PPP)
project.
Mauritius government-led Metro Express Limited has given an order to Larsen & Toubro (L&T) to design
and build an Integrated Light Rail-based Urban Transit System in the African island nation with an estimate
cost of Rs. 3,375-crore.
Government revises the base year of All-India Wholesale Price Index (WPI) from 2004-05 to 2011-12.The
new series has 697 items as compared to 676 items in old series.
Indian government has formulated National Trade Facilitation Action Plan (2017-20), a detailed action plan
with timelines for smooth implementation of WTOs Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). Recommendations
made by four working groups on legislative changes, time release study, outreach programme and
infrastructure augmentation have been included in this plan.
Indias leading FMCG Britannia Industries would set up its largest plant in Maharashtra in a food park at
Ranjangaon announced on 7th August 2017.
Bajaj Auto has announced a partnership with Triumph Motorcycles UK on 8th of August 2017. The aim of
this partnership is to deliver a range of outstanding mid-capacity motorcycles.
Flipkart is going to launch a programme under which the e-commerce major will provide financial assistance
to employees. It has been announced on 8th of August 2017. The programme will cover all national and
international sports and non-sports competitors recognized by the govt. authorities.
ONGC Videsh, the overseas arm of the state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp has planned to invest $150 million
in exploration to drill more wells in Colombia, Kazakhstan and Bangladesh.
Amazon has announced the launch of Virtual Customer Service (VCS) model on 9th of August 2017.It is an
initiative launched to create cost efficient employment prospects for skilled candidates seeking more flexible
work opportunities. VCS has currently been launched in Hyderabad, Pune, Coimbatore and Noida.
The Gujarat government has issued a tender for power developers to receive cheap coal. It is marked for the
state in return for selling coal-based power at less than Rs 2.82 a unit.The aim is to reduce the cost of fuel for
financially ailing distribution companiesand ensure effective distribution of domestic coal.
On August 8, 2017, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Google India launched Android
Skill Development Programme to impart mobile app development training on the Android and Web platform
and improve the quality of mobile app development ecosystem in India.
Softbank fund invests in Flipkart, becomes one of its largest shareholders
Flipkart Group (Flipkart), Indias leading e-commerce marketplace, has announced an investment a mix of
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primary and secondary capital from SoftBank Vision Fund (Vision Fund), the worlds largest technology-
focused investment fund. SoftBank Vision Fund is the $100-billion technology-focused fund floated by
Masayoshi Son.
The commerce ministry has started the process of shutting down over 100-year-old government procurement
arm Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D)- in this fiscal year.The public procurement of
goods and services is being managed by the ministrys e-market platform (GeM) since last year.
Facebook has launched Youtube competitor called Watch on 10th of August 2017. To help and keep up with
the shows one follow, Watch has a Watchlist so the latest episodes of the shows would be available.
The Multi Commodity Exchange Ltd (MCX) has received markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board
of India (SEBI)s approval to launch countrys first gold options contract. MCX has received the approval to
launch options on futures in gold contract from SEBI.
Facebook to monitor MSME growth in Odisha, launches SheMeansBusiness. Facebook has partnered with the
Odishas MSME department and Project Mission Shakti to train 25,000 entrepreneurs by the end of 2018.
Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) bought 1.9 million barrels of U.S. crude in its second import tender making it
the first Indian refiner to purchase Eagle Ford shale oil.IOC bought 950,000 barrels of light sweet Eagle Ford
shale oil and 950,000 barrels of heavy sour Mars crude for end-October delivery from trading firm.
Three Indian firms namely Hindustan Unilever, Asian Paints and BhartiAirtel are among Forbes list of
the worlds 100 most innovative companies.Salesforce.com has replaced Tesla Motors on the top
position. BhartiAirtel has entered the ranking at 78th position.
Indias Factory output fell to a four-year low and contracted by 0.1% in June 2017with poor performance of
manufacturing and mining sectors..Since June 2013 this is the lowest growth when the Index of Industrial
Production (IIP) contracted by 1%. In June 2016, it had grown 8%.
Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)-promoted India International Exchange (India INX) has got Securities and
Exchange Board of India (SEBIs) approval to launch Gold Options. India INX will launch trading in gold
options from August 30, 2017.
India and Mexico are planning to set up a CEO Forum to boost the trade ties. It has been announced on
15th of August 2017.
Nestle India has tied up with Amazon India for the launch of its new Nutritious range of Maggi Noodles.
On August 17, 2017, Rajasthan State Government and public sector oil firm Hindustan Petroleum Corporation
Limited (HPCL) inked an agreement to form a joint venture company for Barmer petroleum refinery and
petrochemical complex.
State-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) will invest about Rs 52,000 crore in expanding Paradip refinery in
Odisha and setting up petrochemical complex after the Odisha State Gvernment agreed to restore part of tax
incentives.
The Finance Ministry has imposed an anti-dumping duty on certain textured toughened tempered
glass which imports from China.Textured toughened tempered glass is used as a component in solar
photovoltaic panels and solar thermal applications.
On August 22,2017 The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has signed an agreement with
the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to strengthen the cooperation in the
fields of broadcasting and telecommunications regulation.
Indias exclusive rights to explore polymetallic nodules from seabed in Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB)
have been extended by five years by International Seabed Authority (ISA). India is the first country to have
received the status of a pioneer investor in 1987.
Airline Vistara and Persian Gulf carrier Qatar Airways have entered into an interline partnership. Under this
partnership they will provide through check-in facility to customers for seamless travel.The partnership is
effective from 22nd of August 2017.
India has granted US drug giant Pfizer a patent for its Prevenar 13. It is a vaccine that helps prevent cases
of pneumonia, one of the leading causes of deaths of children under five years of age. The company said the
patent is valid in India until 2026.
Airports Authority of India (AAI) has tied up with cab aggregators Ola and Uber to allow for cab bookings
from airport kiosks. It will provide option for passengers to hire these cabs at select aerodromes.
Andhra Pradeshs Eastern Power Distribution Company Ltd (EPDCL) and the Southern Power Distribution
Corporation of AP Ltd (SPDCL) have become the first state-owned distribution companies in India to accept
payments through Bharat QR. It is the worlds first interoperable quick response code acceptance solution
launched by the Reserve Bank of India.
Tata Power announced its joint venture company Adjaristsqali Georgia LLC (AGL) has synchronised 186
MW Shuakhevi Hydro Project in Georgia. AGL is a Tata Power joint venture with Norways Clean Energy
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Invest AS Norway (Clean Energy) and IFC InfraVentures (IFC), a member of the World Bank group.
Jet Airways, one of Indias premier international airlines, has announced a partnership with Airbnb on 24th of
Aug 2017.The partnership will allow Jet Airways to offer a wide spectrum of rapidly growing, global
hospitality choices to its guests from India.
The director general of foreign trade (DGFT) issued the notification withdrawing the facility given under a
free trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea signed in 2009 regarding gold, silver and their articles
announced on 26thAug 2017. To curb surging gold and silver imports from South Korea, the government has
decided to put these items in the restricted category.
The government has clarified that selling of space for advertisements in print media would attract 5 and 18%
Goods and Services Tax (GST). It depends on the terms of the contract between the newspaper, advertisement
agency and the client.
On 28th august ,2017 the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) which is under ministry of
commerce and industry has released the consolidated Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Policy on Monday
subsuming all the changes in rules and procedures notified by the government over the past year.For the
firsttime, the document included the start-upswhich can raise up to 100% of funds from foreign Venture
Capital Investors(FVCI).In Banking- Private Sector Automatic route up to 49%. Approval route beyond and
up to 74%.
The Indian Commodity Exchange (ICEX) has launched the worlds first diamond futures contracts. It is going
to be the first diamond exchange in the world announced on 28th of Aug 2017. It will provide exporters with a
hedging tool.
NTPC has signed a term loan agreement for Rs 3,000 crore with ICICI Bank for partially funding its capital
expenditure signed on 29th Aug 2017.The loan has a tenure of 15 years and it will be utilised to part finance
the capital expenditure of NTPC.
Unicity International has launched worlds first ever Genomeceutical (gene controlling) range of products to
India.Unicity International headquartered in Orem, Utah, United States.
On 30th august ,2017, Department of Investment and Public Asset Management(DIPAM) has approved a
100% disinvestment through strategic sale along with transfer of management control of Central Electronics
Ltd. (CEL).
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Reliance Industries Chairman MukeshAmbani has become Asias 2nd richest personannounced on 1st of
August 2017.Ambani Net worth is $35.2 billion.LiKa-shing is the richest man in Hong Kong with a business
empire that ranges from telecommunications to retail and port.
Former India hockey captain Dhanraj Pillay was honoured with the Bharat Gaurav by East Bengal Football
Club on its foundation day on 1st August 2017.
JK Rowling, the creator of Harry Potter tops the ranking of the highest paid author by Forbes with earnings of
72m ($95) this year announced on 4th of May 2017.
Veteran actress and national award winner Sharada has been selected for this years PremNazir. The award
will be presented to Sharada by Kerala state DevaswomMinisterKadakampallySurendran at a function at
Chirayankeezhu on August 15, 2017.
Firoz Merchant, an Indian businessman in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who has spent over USD 4
million to help free prisoners languishing in jails due to non-payment of debts, has been honoured with UAEs
prestigious Community Service Medal.
Indian-origin actor Dev Patel is to be honoured by a leading educational organisation for making a
transformative and positive difference for the future of Asia and the world.
He will be felicitated with the Asia Society 2017 Asia Game Changers Award at a ceremony to be held at the
United Nations, New York, in November.
The Hindu Playwright Award 2017 is awarded to GerishKhemani and Akshat Nigam for their play In Search
of DariyaSagar. The playwriting awards was organized by the newspaper The Hindu in Chennai.
Veteran journalist T J S George has bagged for the first Kesari Media Awardannounced on 11th of August
2017.It is instituted by the Kesari Memorial Journalist Trust.
African-American author Nora K. Jemisin, has won the Hugo Award for Best Novel 2017 for her work The
Obelisk Gate. The award was presented at the 75th World Science Fiction Convention in Helsinki,
Finland on August 11, 2017.
On August 14, 2017, President Ram Nath Kovind approved 112 Gallantry Awards to Armed Forces Personnel
and members of Paramilitary Forces which include 5 Kirti Chakras, 17 Shaurya Chakras, 85 Sena Medals
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(Gallantry), 3 Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry) and two Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry).
Corporation Bank has bagged the best performance awards for SHG-bank linkage programme for Karnataka
for 2015-16 and 2016-17 from National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).
Dr Nanda Kumar Jairam, CEO, Chairman and Group Medical Director, Columbia Asia Hospitals, India, has
been awarded the Healthcare Personality of the Year award by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce
and Industry (FICCI) is an attempt to recognise the contributions of those who have set benchmarks of
excellence in the healthcare space.
Five Indian-origin persons, including Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, have featured in Fortunes annual list
of 40 young and influential people in the field of business inspiring others with their work. The list also
includes Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg on the second spot.
Preethi Srinivasan, the former State under-19 cricket captain, who braved a debilitate accident to support those
suffering from spinal cord injuries like her was presented with the Kalpana Chawla Award for Courage and
Daring Enterprise.
According to a statement from the Chief Ministers Office the Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar
Rao has been selected for the prestigious Agriculture Leadership Award-
2017.A committee is headed by agriculture scientist MS Swaminathan has recommended the CMs name.
An Indian-origin boy, 12-year-old Rahul Doshi was crowned as the UKs Child Geniusin a popular
television quiz competition on 20 August 2017.Rahul Doshi won the Channel 4 show Child
Genius by defeating his opponent Ronan a 9 year old boy by 10-4 points in the programmes finale.
On August 22, 2017 Our Government announced the list of awardees of National Sports Awards 2017.
National Sports Awards are distributed every year to recognize excellence in sports. Notably Para Athelete
Shri Davindra and hockey player Sardar Singh has been chosen for Khel Ratna Awards for 2017.
Dronacharya Awards Winners
Name of the Awardee Fields
Late Dr. R. Gandhi Athletics
Mr. Heera Nand Kataria Kabaddi
Mr. G.S.S.V. Prasad Badminton (Lifetime)
Mr. Brij Bhushan Mohanty Boxing (Lifetime)
Mr. P.A. Raphel Hockey (Lifetime)
Mr. Sanjoy Chakraverthy Shooting (Lifetime)
Mr. Roshan Lal Wrestling (Lifetime
Dhyan Chand Award Winners
Mr. Bhupender Singh Athletics
Mr. Syed Shahid Hakim Football
Ms. Sumarai Tete Hockey
Arjuna Awards Winners
Ms. V.J. Surekha Archery
Ms. Khushbir Kaur Athletics
Mr. Arokia Rajiv Athletics
Ms. Prasanthi Singh Basketball
Sub. LaishramDebendro Singh Boxing
Mr. CheteshwarPujara Cricket
Ms. Harmanpreet Kaur Cricket
Ms. OinamBembem Devi Football
Mr. S.S.P. Chawrasia Golf
Mr. S.V. Sunil Hockey
Mr. Jasvir Singh Kabaddi
Mr. P. N. Prakash Shooting
Mr. A. Amalraj Table Tennis
Mr. SakethMyneni Tennis
Mr. SatyawartKadian Wrestling
Mr. Mariyappan Para-Athlete
Mr. Varun Singh Bhati Para-Athlete
On 24 August 2017 odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik granted the Biju Patnaik Award for Scientific
Excellence for the year 2016 to Prof Digambar Behera.
NRDC, the technology transfer and commercialisation arm of the Ministry of Science &
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Technology hasgrabbed two awards on 29th Aug 2017. The award ceremony was held in Stockholm, Sweden.
Lieke Martens has won the UEFA Womens Player of the Year award after her player-of-the-tournament
performance at UEFA Womens EURO 2017.The 2017-18 UEFA Champions League held in Monaco.
Union Minister of Textiles, Information, and Broadcasting Smriti Irani will present Women Transforming
India Awards 2017 a prestigious award to 12 incredible women winners at an event in New Delhi on 29th of
Aug 2017. The Winners are
1, Laxmi Agarwal, Uttar Pradesh.
2, Subasini Mistry, Hasnapukur, West Bengal
3, Safeena Husain, Mumbai, Maharashtra
4, Arunima Sinha, Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh
5, Kamal Kumbhar, Osmanabad, Maharashtra
6, Jamuna Tudu, Maturkham, Jharkhand:
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS
Appointee Designation- Organisation

Venkaiah Naidu 13th Vice-President of India
Sameer Garde Cisco president for India, Saarc region
Arvind Panagariya (resigns) NITI Aayog Vice Chairman
Lt.Gen. Abhay Krishna Eastern Naval Command chief
DhirendraSwarup BSE chairman
Christopher Wray Chief of FBI USA
Sanjay Baru Secretary General of FICCI
Peter ONeill (Re-Elected) Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea
Hassan Rouhani Irans president for a second term
Rahul Dravid Brand ambassador of InCred (financial services group)
Harmanpreet Kaur DSP by Punjab Government
Ushanath Banerjee AIFF-chairman of Transfers Dispute Committee
Air Marshal Hemant Narayan Bhagwat Air Officer-in-charge Administration of IAF
Prabhat Kumar Ambassador of India to the Republic of Kazakhstan
Mohammad Mustafa CMD Of SIDBI
Indian-Americans are Neil Chatterjee, Krishna Members of the Federal Energy Regulatory
R. Urs, and Vishal Amin. Commission (FERC).
Akshay Kumar Brand ambassador of Swachh Bharat Mission- Uttar
Pradesh
Gautam Kaushik CEO of PayBack India
Paul Kagame Wins the Rwanda Election forPresident
DarshanLal First Hindu to work in Pak govt
Economist Rajiv Kumar Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog
Senior bureaucrat S Aparna Executive Director -World Bank
Justice Dipak Misra 45th Cheif Justice of India
Indian-American Neil Chatterjee Chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
(FERC).
Indian-American Dilip Chauhan Deputy Comptroller to the minority affairs in Nassau
County
Hrithik Roshan Brand Ambassador Health and wellness startup cure.fi
Reenat Sandhu Next Ambassador of India to the Republic of San
Marino
Bollywood lyricist-screenwriter Prasoon Joshi Chairperson of CBFC
Uhuru Kenyatta Kenyas President (Re Elected)
Gaitri Issar Kumar Ambassador of India to the Grand Duchy Luxembourg
Vinay Dube CEO of Jet Airways
David Rasquinha Exim Bank MD
Dilip Asbe Acting chief executive of NPCI
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Lalit Modi (resigns) As the president Rajasthan Cricket Association

Milkha Singh WHO Goodwill Ambassador
VidyaBalan, Gautami CBFC board Members
Sandeep Gupta New India Head- Earthport
Gurdeep Singh Sappal (resigns) Rajya Sabha TV CEO
Santosh Sharma Chairman and Managing Director of HindustanCopper
Limited (HCL)
Sankara Rao IFCI Chief Executive Officer
I.V. SubbaRao Secretary to Vice President
P.B.Balaji Chief Financial Officer of Tata motors
Sohail Mahmood Pakistans new High Commissioner to India
Sanjiv Gupta President, MD of GM India
Vishal Sikka (resigns) MD & CEO of Infosys
U B PravinRao (Interim-Appointment ) MD & CEO of Infosys
Neymar Goodwill ambassador for Handicap International
Dr. (Ms.) Mamta Suri Executive Director, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board
of India (IBBI).
Nikolay Kudashev Russias New Envoy to India
Travis Sinniah First Tamil Navy chief of Sri Lanka after four decades
P R Seshadri MD and CEO KarurVysya Bank.
AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam Deputy chief minister of Tamilnadu
Ashwani Lohani Chairman of Railway Board
Nandan Nilekani Chairman of Infosys board
Rajiv Bansal Air India chief
Ajay Vipin Nanavati chairman of Syndicate Bank
Nachiket Mor (re appointed) RBIs central board for 4 years
Dharmendra Kumar Director General of RPF
Banmali Agrawala president, infrastructure, defence and aerospace- Tata
Sons
Roopa Purushothaman Chief Economist & Head of Policy Advocacy- Tata
Sons
Dipak Misra 45th Chief Justice of India
Mohammad Mustafa Chairman and Managing Director of SIDBI
Ashish Chauhan CEO of BSE for 5 Year
Dara Khosrowshahi Ubers new CEO
Dr. R.K. Raghavan High Commissioner of India to Cyprus
PV Sindhu Brand ambassador for Bridgestone India
Rajiv Gauba Union Home Secretary
Puneet Chhatwal MD and CEO of Indian Hotels
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

To build out a more elaborate personal assistant for the Messenger users, Facebook has acquired an artificial
intelligence (AI) startupOzlo that specialises in understanding text-based conversations. However, there are no
details so far about the financial terms of the deal.
The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has approved the proposed merger between Bharti
Airtel and Telenor India announced on 3rd of August 2017.
Software services firm Infosys would acquire London-based firm Brilliant Basics for Rs 62.76 crore (7.5
million).
Online entertainment platform Netflix has announced that it has acquired Millarworld, a comic book
company. Netflix is the leading platform globally with 104 million members in over 190 countries.
The National Company Law Tribunal has approved the merger of Reliance Communications (RCom) and
Aircel announced on 15th August 2017. The merger will create a more competitive telecom company.
Microsoft has announced the acquisition of Cycle Computing on 21st of August 2017. It will help it easier for
Azure customers to use High Performance Computing (HPC) and other Big Computing capabilities in the
cloud and help them accelerate their movement to the cloud.
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The Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has given in-principle approval to acquire governments 51.11%
stake in Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd. ONGC currently owns 71.63% of MRPL while HPCL has 16.96%
stake in it.
The Ruias-run Essar Oil today announced the completion of sale of its India assets to the Russian government
controlled Rosneft-led consortium for $12.9 billion.The deal comes more than 10 months after it was
announced on October 15 last year on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Goa.
HCL Technologies has completed the acquisition of Urban Fulfilment Services, LLC on 25th Aug 2017.It will
be acquiring 100% stake in UFS, and that the total cash consideration for this transaction is up to USD 30
million.
Indias mobile operator Bharati Airtel tied up with US cyber security firm Symantec to provide cyber security
solutions in India. Recent wannacry and petraware ransom attacks poses a threat to Indias cyber security.
MoUs
Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi apprised of MOU between India and Spain on India-
Spain cooperation in renewable energy.
Union Cabinet has given its ex-post facto approval for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed
among India and various BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, China & South Africa) for establishment of
the BRICS Agriculture Research Platform (BRICS-ARP).
India and Somalia has signed an agreement on1st of August 2017. The agreement has been signed for transfer
of sentenced persons.
The Delhi Police has tied up with Uber for enhancing the women safety. Commuters can now access the Delhi
Polices women safety mobile application Himmat via cab aggregator Ubers application while travelling in
taxis.
Multi Commodity Exchange of India Limited (MCX) and Mahindra Agri Solutions Ltdhave signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide agriculture related price
information. This information would be available on their recently launched mobile application
MyAgriGuru which is available for free on Google play store.
ISRO and CSIR-NPL sign MoU for time and frequency traceability services. The MoU provides for time and
frequency traceability services to ISRO by CSIR-NPL.
On August 3rd 2017, Tata Memorial Centre has joined with the Indian Dental Association (IDA) to initiate
Indias first digital initiative for prevention and early detection of oral cancer.
Amazon India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)with the Telangana Department of
Handloom and Textiles on 8th of August 2017.The MoU is signed to educate, train and enable weavers and
artisans to directly sell their products to Amazon customers across the country.
Markets regulator SEBI has entered into a pact with its counterpart in Iran on 10th of August 2017.The
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and Securities & Exchange Organization (SEO) of Iran have
entered into a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for mutual cooperation and technical
assistance.
On August 14, 2017, a MoU was signed between Government eMarketplace (GeM) special-purpose vehicle
SPV and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), in the presence of Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce
& Industry Minister at Udyog Bhawan, New Delhi.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has signed a MoU with the International Vaccine
Institute (IVI) for collaborating on vaccine research and development.India will accomplish $5,00,000 (3.20
crore) annually for a stake in IVI. An amount approved during a Cabinet meeting in January.
Cabinet approves MoU on India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund. India and Israel
will make a contribution of four million US Dollars each for the Fund, annually for five years.
Cabinet approves MoU between India and Brazil for cooperation in the fields of Zebu Cattle Genomics and
Assisted Reproductive Technologies in cattle. An implementation committee shall be created with an equal
number of representatives of each party for determining the activities and developing work plans and for their
evaluation.
Karnataka Agriculture Department has signed a Memorandum of Understandingwith Microsoft
India to develop a first unique farm price forecasting model.
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SCHEMES
On August 20,2017 Assam state government is introducing a new Scheme called, Scheme for Compassionate
Family Pension (CFP) at GAUHATI.The scheme plans to offer the compassionate family pension instead of
job offers to family members due to some practical difficulties.
COMMITTEE
A high level committee headed by former Supreme Court Judge Justice B N Srikrishna set up to review the
Institutionalization of Arbitration Mechanism, has submitted its recommendations to Union Law ministry.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

The all-new Jeep Compass SUV has been finally launched in India with prices starting at a very
competitive Rs. 14.95 lakh for the entry-level Sport petrol and goes up to Rs. 20.65 lakh (ex-showroom) for
the range-topping diesel.
Scientists in the U.S. (Researchers at Nemours Childrens Hospital and the University of Central Florida
(UCF)) have found a method to use curcumin, the bioactive component of turmeric, to treat cancer in children.
The Union Government has launched a portal, e-RashtriyaKisanAgriMandi(e-RaKAM) on 1st of August
2017. The e-RaKAM is a first-of-its-kind initiativethat leverages technology to connect farmers of the
smallest villages to the biggest markets of the world through internet and e-RaKAMcentres.
The Indian Army has developed a mobile application app Humraazthrough which serving soldiers can track
their details like postings and promotions.
An international team of scientists have discovered a way to successfully freed embryos of a piece of faulty
DNA that causes deadly heart disease in families.
Indian Railways have launched to provide the buy tickets now and pay later service for any Express
trains announced on 3rd of August 2017.Through this service a passenger can book a ticket five days prior to
the journey with a service charge of 3.5% and pay it in the next 14 days.
Maharashtra Government has launched two online portals MahaDBT and MahaVASTU to ease the process of
direct benefit transfer (DBT).It is the first state in the country to launch such a system that will provide direct
benefits with Aadhaar authentication.
Two satellites have been launched by Israel that is one dedicated to monitoring the effects of climate change
on vegetation were successfully launched into orbit. The satellites were launched from Korou, in French
Guiana, at 10:56 PM (local time) on 3th of August 2017.
NASAs Curiosity rover which found evidence that ancient Mars had the fair conditions to support microbial
life has marked five years of exploring the red planet. The Mountain found in the middle of the crater about
long ago lakes on Mars.
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi have tested a new antibiotic drug-delivery
system that improves the efficacy of drugs thereby reducing the dosage used for treating bacterial infections.A
peptide called sushi-peptide, which has not been approved for clinical use, bound to gold nanoparticles was
able to kill coli and Salmonella typhi more efficiently at lower dosages.
Indian Institute of Science (IISc)researchers from Bengaluru have developed a highly sensitive, low cost
nanometre-scale carbon monoxide (CO) sensor with possible applications in environmental pollution
monitoring.
NASAs Hubble Space Telescope has discovered the strongest evidence for a stratosphere on an enormous
planet outside our solar system, WASP-121b.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to launch a full-fledged niche Earth observation
(EO) satellite called the Hyperspectral Imaging Satellite orHySIS using a critical chip called optical imaging
detector array it has developed. ISRO first tried it out in an 83-kg IMS-1 experimental satellite in May 2008.
Upendra Kushwaha, Minister of State, Ministry of Human Resource Development has launched the NCERTs
Web portal for supply of textbooks to schools and individuals in New Delhi on 9th of Aug 2017. The portal
will ensure better distribution of textbooks across the country.
Oxford University Press (OUP) has launched online dictionaries in Tamil and Gujarati as part of its special
focus on Indian languages. The Oxford Global Languages (OGL) initiative began in September 2015.
BitBay is one of the top ten cryptocurrency trading platforms in the world. It has launched a platform for trade
and exchange of digital currencies such as bitcoin, litecoin, ether, Lisk, monero, dash and gamecredits. The
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company will also work towards creating awareness about digital currencies.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has lined up over 21 rocket launchesand will be putting
over 70 satellites in space over the next five years. ISROs plan to launch 21 rockets in coming years is a part
of the Rs 8,658.74 croresanctioned by the Indian Government to build and launch about 31 rockets,
including 15 PSLVs, 13 GSLVs and three GSLV MK-III.
Engineers at Purdue University in the US have designed and tested a micropropulsion system. It is used liquid
water as the propellant for orbital maneuvering of tiny satellites called CubeSats.CubeSats are miniature
satellites that weigh about 2 kilograms.
As per new study published in The Astrophysical Journal, researchers have found that the TRAPPIST-1 star is
between 5.4 and 9.8 billion years. This is up to twice as old as our own solar system, which formed some 4.5
billion years ago.
On August 15, 2017, According to the global leader in broadband testing Ookla declared that Norway has the
fastest mobile Internet (has speed of 52.6 megabits per second) in the world. The Netherlands and
Hungary are ranked number two and three on the list of the worlds fastest mobile networks.
Scientists have been successful in developing a plant-based Zika vaccine that could be more effective and
economical to produce than other Zika medicines.According to the researchers, experiments
of immunisation on mice have showed a 100% success in triggering antibody and cellular immune
response to protect against multiple Zika virus strains
On August 21, 2017 Google has announced the final version of Android 8.0, now known to be called
Oreo.Android O is much more streamlined than Nougat with various OS optimisations. According to Google,
devices boot twice as fast and all apps run faster and smoother by default.
A team of Scientists from USA has discovered an inexpensive prevention technique against Sepsis in new
born babies. The team was led by US-based Indian Doctor Pinaki Panigrahi.
Microsoft has introduced Project Brainwave. It is a deep learning acceleration platform that will enable
faster system processes with ultra-low latency.The Project Brainwave uses the massive field-programmable
gate array (FPGA) infrastructure.
Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education(MSBSHSE)set up portals to help
students to prepare for competitive exams on their own.An online question bank will be created for students
attempting the competitive tests, which can be accessed for free.
On August 14, 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a website, http://gallantryawards.gov.in to
honour all the gallantry award winners since Independence.
After the successful launch of the countrys first indigenously developed robot BRABO in April 2017, TAL
Manufacturing, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Motors, has launched Robo Whiz
ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund has launched a new website called PlanYourGoal.com on 16th of August
2017. It has been launched to help users plan their investments according to their future financial goals.
Space X has successfully launched Hewlett Packard Enterprises (HPE) Spaceborne Computer towards the
International Space Station using Falcon 9 rocket.The launch is a part of HPEs joint experiment with NASA.
Scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati have developed a 3D cardiac tissue patch using
silk protein membranes seeded with heart muscle cells.
A new species of a 100-million- year-old damselfly discovered in Myanmar has been named in honour of
famed British broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough.The species, belonging to a group more
commonly known as shadowdamsels, has been named Mesosticta davidattenboroughi.
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has capped the prices of orthopaedic knee implants.
The cobalt chromium knee implant, available at over Rs 1,58,000 at hospitals, will now be available for a
ceiling price of Rs 54,720.
Tata Power has become the first power utility to introduce a QR code based bill payments system in
India announced on 17th of August 2017.
FASTag vehicles set to be operational at all toll plazas from 1st of September. The Centre has made
arrangements for their online and offline sale. In order to enable the availability of FASTags for Electronic
Toll Collection, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has taken two steps in consultation with
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
Stanford scientists have developed a low-cost and highly sensitive blood test that may quickly detect cancer
growth and spread.
Ridesharing app Uber has announced a new feature called Uber for Business in India with an aim to give
organizations a more efficient way to manage their business travel and improve employees experience.
State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) went digital by launching a bespoke mobile wallet (mobile
payment App)on 17th of August 2017.The wallet has been developed and issued by MobiKwik on behalf of
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BSNL.
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has launched two mobile Apps, MyFASTag and
FASTag Partner on August 17 2017.These mobile apps will be useful for Electronic Toll Collection (ETC).
Scientists have developed an artificial womb has been successfully tested to save premature babies. It has
been developed by researchers from the University of Western Australia and Tohoku University Hospital in
Japan.
Bengaluru-based social education start-up Meghshala Trust has launched Meghshala (School on the Cloud)
offline mobile app on Google Play Store for the Android platform.It is supported by Tata Trusts.The app
empowers teachers with the necessary tools and resources to create classroom learning experiences.
NASA has launched TDRS-M satellite on 18th of August 2017. It is the latest in a series of
satellites.It aimed at ensuring astronauts at the International Space Station can communicate with Earth.
Scientists have found a potential new state of matter that may help explain phenomena like
superconductivity.The high-magnetic-field state of the heavy fermions superconductor CeRhIn5revealed a
state in which the materials electrons aligned in such a way to apparently reduce the symmetry of the original
crystal.
UK Scientists have developed the worlds smallest surgical robot with low-cost technology. It
is used in mobile phones and space industries. The robot named Versius, mimics the human arm.
In Indapur, about 140 kilometres from Pune, the Pathan family celebrated the birth of a new family member
Vijay, the countrys first calf delivered by a surrogate cow through In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF)
technology carried out in a mobile laboratory.
Google is launching its public Wi-Fi program at railway stations and other locations such as universities
in Indonesia on August 23 2017.
The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has decided to facilitate its electronic platform ENIT(Electronic NSE
Interface for Trading Members) for faster processing and online reporting by brokers to the bourse related to
bulk/ block trades. It is effective from September 8.
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has given an approval to Spice Digital
Ltd. for processing bill payments under the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) as a Bharat Bill Payment
Operating Unit (BBPOU) announced on 26th Aug 2017.
NASA rocket mission is set to create white artificial clouds that will glow in the night sky. It has been created
tostudy disturbances in the upper atmosphere that interfere with communication and technology
systems.The artificial clouds will be visible to residents of the Republic of the Marshall Islands during two
rocket flights to occur between 29th August and 9th September.
Scientists from CSIRs National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST),
Thiruvananthapuram have been able to turn waste into wealth and have produced ethanol from discarded
cotton-stalks by using a combination of chemical and biological techniques.
The Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu has launched the National Sports Talent Search Portal at the
Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. It is a government initiative to bring sporting talent from every
nook and corner of the country announced on 28th Aug 2017.
Researchers from Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), Bombay and Indore, have jointly developed a
biosensor to detect kidney disorders in less than eight minutes.Tests have revealed the accuracy of the
biosensor to be more than 97%.It can help make rapid and accurate point-of-care diagnostic test for kidney
disorders.
The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) of the Ministry of Earth
Sciences hasinaugurated the Ocean Forecasting System for Comoros, Madagascar, and Mozambique.
Drug pricing regulator NPPA has tied up with National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). It will help
athletes tounderstand medicines that could contain prohibited substances in sports through its app Pharma Jan
Samadhan.
Researchers of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati has successfully created an implantable
bioartificial pancreas model grown within a 3D silk scaffold.The pancreas which encapsulates insulin-
producing cells, is capable of naturally producing insulin in a sustained manner.
YouTube has announced and introduced some major design changes in its iconic logo for its desktop and
mobile apps. It has been changed for the first time in 12 years. In the new logo, YouTube is simply brought
about in black text with its iconic red play button.
United States has approved the first gene therapy in the nation on 30th of Aug 2017. It is a treatment that uses
a patients own immune cells to fight childhood leukaemia.
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DEFENCE
Sri Lankan Navy has commissioned an India-built state-of-the-art Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel
(AOPV) announced on 5th of August 2017. Sri Lankan President and Armed Forces commander-in-chief
MaithripalaSirisena commissioned the new patrol vessel SLNS Sayurala at a ceremony at the Eastern
Container Terminal of the Port of Colombo.
A 66-member Indian Navy band has joined the historic Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in the
UK announced on 5th of August 2017. Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo will join for this years musical event
where they will mark the 70thyear of Indias Independence.
China has formally launched its first overseas naval facility in Djibouti, an East African nation. The event
marked the 90th anniversary of the Chinese military.
The Indian Army has been evicted from a multi-nation tank competition in Tank Biathlon Russia 2017
at Russia due to their T-90 main battle tanks had technical problems at the Alabino ranges in the Moscow
region.
On August 12, 2017, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra
Pradhan commissioned Indian Coast Guard ship Shaurya in Goa. ICGS Shaurya is the fifth in the series of
six 105-metre offshore patrol vessels (OPVs).
India and Russia will hold a major bilateral military exercise in October 2017 involving their armies, navies
and the air forces for the first time to further ramp up defense ties. The exercise Indra, which will be held
in Russia from 19th to 29th October 2017, will primarily focus on achieving coordination between forces of
the two countries in a tri- services integrated theater command scenario.
Despite growing tensions with China, the Indian Navy would join the Chinese Navy in the maiden
International Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise (IMMSAREX) to be chaired by Bangladesh at the Indian
Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) in November 2017
On August 17, 2017, Indias Defence acquisition council (DAC) gave the green light to a proposal to buy six
Apache AH64E attack helicopters for the army from the United States. The six Apache AH64E attack
helicopters along with weapons systems from American giant Boeing at a cost of Rs 4,168 crore will be
Indian Armys first fleet of attack choppers.
Central Government has approved a nearly Rs 32,000 crore definitive five-year action programme for the
Indian Coast Guard to enhance its capability in maintaining vigil on coastal waters.
On August 20 2017,The Ministry of Defence has decided to delegate administrative and financial powers to
the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to overcome delays in the construction of strategic roads along the
India-China border.
On August 21, 2017 Dr. Jagdish Mukhi, Lieutenant Governor, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, commissioned
IN LCU L52 into the Indian Navy at Port Blair. IN LCU L52 is the second Landing Craft Utility (LCU) Mk-
IV class .This ship has been designed and built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Kolkata.
The Ulchi-Freedom Guardian is a military drill which sees the US and South Korea join forces in a string of
exercises.The annual drill involves huge land, air and sea exercises, with tens of thousands of troops involved
from both countries.
A student of Chennais SRM University, Dacharla Panduranga Rohith developed a Nano Missile on 21
August 2017 recognised by World Records of India.This 1 cm nano missile can fly by burning the red
phosphorus, and hit the target of three metres distance.
Defence Minister Arun Jaitley handed over the Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM) jointly
developed by India and Israel, to the Indian Navy at Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) at Kanchanbagh,
Hyderabad. It is designed as a BVR missile with a range of 110 Km in head-on mode and 20 Km in tail-chase
mode. BVR missiles are the latest in air to air combat.
Varuna Indian Coast Guard Ship which was part of the First Training Squadron of the Navy was
decommissioned.ICGS Varuna was fourth of its series, known as Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) and built by
Mazagaon Dock, Mumbai.
American Navys amphibious dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor arrived in Goa on 24th Aug 2017 as part
of defense cooperation between the two countries. It is the American Ship USS Pearl Harbor first visit to
India.
On 30th august, 2017Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved implementation of the first phase of
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recommendations of Shekatkar Committee. This committee was formed to recommend measures to enhance
combat capability and rebalancing Defence Expenditure of the Armed Forces with an aim to increase teeth to
tail ratio.
ENVIRONMENT
As per two different studies, using entirely different methods published in the journal Nature Climate Change,
the global temperature is likely to rise more than 2 degrees Celsius by the end of this century.
An international team of astronomers has found that the Suns core rotates nearly four times faster than its
surface. These low-frequency waves, called g-modes, revealed that the solar core is rotating some four times
faster than the solar surface.
The Archaeological Survey of India has declared all ASI protected Monuments and Archaeological Sites as
Polythene Free Zone announced on 4th of August 2017. The move follows a recommendation by
the Ministry of Culture that suggested prohibition on the use of polythene.
Research conducted on a tree found in the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden in West
Bengal has revealed two new species of Cycas to the world. Research based on morphological and anatomical
characters of this tree led to the discovery of new species of Cycas pschannae and, later, Cycas dharmrajii in
the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Scientists have identified a new type of barred snakes, now the total number of European grass snakes species
to four.The grass snake is among the most common and widespread snakes in Europe and these non-toxic
reptiles which can reach a length of up to one meter.
Vizags Rayichapalu is declared one of the rarest fish in the world by researchers from the Marine Living
Resources Department of Andhra University. Ranguchapulu is a colourful fish which is around 97mm in
length and lives near the reefs.
Canada based researchers have discovered fossils of a new species of arrow-shaped marine animals.Theyhas
translucent bodies and it makes them difficult to spot.
Anthropologists in Kenya have discovered a 13 million year-old baby ape skull that reveals what the common
ancestor of all living humans and apes would have looked like. According to the study published
in Nature roughly the size of a lemon, the skull belongs to a newly identified species of early ape
named Nyanzapithecusalesi.
The largest volcanic region on Earth, with nearly 100 volcanoes, has been discovered 2 km below the surface
of the vast ice sheet in west Antarctica.These newly discovered volcanoes range in height from 100 to 3,850
metres, with the highest almost as tall as Switzerlands 3,970 meters Eiger Mountain.
On analysing data collected by National Aeronautics and Space Administrations (NASAs) Orbiting Carbon
Observatory-2 (OCO-2) satellite, which measures level of carbon dioxide in atmosphere, scientists have found
that the monster El Nino of 2014-16 caused over 3 billion tonnes of carbon to get released into the
atmosphere, pushing carbon dioxide concentration to record levels.
Aeroplanes may be ejecting significant amounts of black carbon (BC).Climate researchers from multiple
institutions in India including from the Indian Institute of Science and ISROs Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre,
made a study about BC a pollutant known to aggravate breathing disorders, upset the monsoon and quicken
glacier melt. Black Carbon may also be depleting the ozone layer.
US-based Rice University researchers have found a new tectonic plate in the eastern Pacific Ocean off
Ecuadors coast. It is named after a Colombian island, the Malpelo plate is the 57th plate to be discovered and
the first in nearly a decade.
According to preliminary results from the first-ever synchronised all-India Elephant Population
Estimation released by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change on World Elephant Day
(August 12, 2017), India is home to 27,312 Asian elephant population.Karnataka has the highest number of
elephants (6,049), followed by Assam (5,719) and Kerala (3,054).
Union Agriculture Ministry in its recent report to a parliamentary committee has revealed that extreme
weather events are costing India $9-10 billion annually and climate change is projected to impact agricultural
productivity with increasing severity from 2020 to the end of the century.
As per National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a large near-Earth sized asteroid
named Asteroid Florence will pass safely by our planet on September 1, 2017 at a distance of about seven
million kilometres.
Scientists have discovered two new species of earthworm in the Western Ghats mountain ranges in Kerala on
19th of August 2017.These new species belong to the ancient family
Moniligastridae.The findings were published in the Journal Zoo Keys in August 2017.
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Indian scientists have discovered Nasikabatrachus Bhupathi, a new species of frogthat has a snout-shaped
nose, just like a pig in Westen Ghats.
As per the latest research by scientists from Japan, delicate mosses found on rocks and trees in cities around
the world can be used to measure the impact of atmospheric change and could prove a low-cost way to
monitor urban pollution.
SPORTS
According to the latest ICC Test Rankings RavindraJadeja maintained his top positionin the bowlers
list while India skipper ViratKohli remained stayed at fifth place in the batting charts released on 1st of
August 2017. The batting list is being topped by Australia captain Steve Smith.
Paris will host the 2024 Summer OlympicsGames. Los Angeles will host the 2028 Summer Olympics after
reaching a deal with Olympic organizers, the Los Angeles Times reported on 31st of July 2017.
Indian Super League Club FC Goa has confirmed the signing of Moroccan International Ahmed Jahouh on a
one year loan deal from FUS Rabat of Morocco.
Neymar has become the most expensive player in football history after completing his blockbuster transfer
to Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona for 222 million euros ($262 million).Neymar had signed a five-year
contract to PSG until June 2022.
DevendraJhajharia has become the first paralympian to be recommended for Indias highest sporting
honour the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna along with celebrated former hockey captain Sardar Singh.
Indian doubles pair of JoshnaChinappa and Dipika Pallikal Karthik bagged for a bronze medal at the WSF
World Doubles Squash Championship in Manchester England.
On August 5, 2015, Boxer Vijender Singh of India defeated Chinas ZulpikarMaimaitialito win the unified
WBO Asia Pacific and Oriental Super Middleweight title in Mumbai. This was Vijender Singhs ninth
successive win in his professional career.
Ukrainian former professional boxer WladimirKlitschko has announced his retirement from boxing at the age
of 41.
Usain Bolt has finished third in his final individual event at the 16th World Athletics Championships - London
6th of August 2017.Justin Gatlin from USA has received gold and Bolt had to settle for Bronze in 100 m
Final. American Christian Coleman took silver with 9.94 having beaten Bolt in the semi-finals.
Indias ManjuKumari clinched the bronze medal in womens 59kg category of the Junior World Wrestling
Championship in Tampere, Finland.
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has beaten Bengaluru Hockey Association (BHA) by 4-2 in the
final in 91st All-India MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup hockey tournament held in Chennai on 6th of August
2017. ONGC has also defeated Indian Railways in the semi-finals.
Indian shooter Ankur Mittal has won the individual as well as the team gold medal in Mens double trap at the
7th Asian Shotgun Championship held in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Kerala High Court ordered Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to lift the life ban imposed on
Cricketer Sreesanth in the wake of the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal.
In the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings, Ravindra Jadeja has been ranked as World No.
1 all-rounder after eclipsing Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh.
Trap shooter and Olympian Kynan Chenai won the bronze medal in the Mens Trap, at the ongoing 7th Asian
Championship Shotgun, being held at Astana, Kazakhstan.Kynan first shot 116 out of 125 to qualify for the
six-man final round in third position and then held on to it till the end of the finals.
India shooter Shapath Bhardwaj, aged 15, has become the countrys youngest athlete to figure in the
governments Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme. The Sports Ministry has launched the TOPS with the
aim of supporting medal prospects for Olympics.
Real Madrid, a professional football club of Spain, has won the 2017 UEFA Super Cup football tournament
by defeating Manchester United in the final by 2-1. UEFA awards 2.2 million to the runners-up and
3.2 million to the winners of the Super Cup..
Davinder Singh Kang has become the first Indian to qualify for the final round of the javelin throw World
Championships.The IAAF World Athletics Championships is going on in London.
According to the previous FIFA rankings, India dropped one step to be placed 97th in the latest edition of the
FIFA rankings issued on 10th of August 2017.Brazil has gained the top spot from Germany.
Maheshwari Chauhan has won an individual bronze medal at the 7th Asian Championship Shotgun in Astana,
Kazakhstan.She becomes the first Indian to win a medal in womens skeet at the top international level in
Astana, Kazakhstan.
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India beat SL Test Series 2017, Clinch Series 3-0/India claimed their first ever 3-0 series win overseas.
The eight-member Olympic Task Force, constituted to plan a roadmap to improve Indias performance in
Olympics submitted an extensive final report titled Preparation of 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic
Games to the Sports Secretary, Injeti Srinivas on August 11, 2017.
India finished their campaign at the 7th Asian Shotgun Championship. The pair of Mairaj Ahmad
Khan and RashmmiRathore bagged a gold medal in the skeet mixed team event on the concluding day on
13th of august 2017.
Tennis Player Rafael Nadal return to the number one spot in ATP ranking after 3 years.
He returned to No.1 spot after Roger Federer pulled out of the Cincinnati Masters due to an injury.
India Mens Hockey team has defeated world No. 4 Netherlands by 2-1 to win the series.
Led by Manpreet Singh, the team featured nine players from the junior team, but they still managed to beat an
experienced Netherlands squad through goals from Gurjant (4th minute) and Mandeep (51).
Alexander Zverev beats Roger Federer by 6-3, 6-4 points in the Rogers Cup final on 13th of August 2017.He
has posted his 10th consecutive victory and fifth tournament title this year.
India has won 10 medals, including two gold medals in the 6th Golden Glove womens Boxing Tournament at
Vojvodina, Serbia. Jyoti has won Gold in 51 kgcategory, and Vanlal haritpuii bagged it in 60 kgcategory.
2017 IAAF World Championships was the 16th edition of the IAAF World Championships, and was held in
London from 4th to 13th August 2017.The U.S. topped 2017 IAAF World Championships claiming 30 total
medals. Kenya finished a distant second with 11 total medals.
Real Madrid won the Spanish Super Cup for the 10th time with a 2-0 win over Barcelona.TheSpanish Super
Cup held at Santiago Bernabeu on 16th of August 2017 and Real Madrid has won by 5-1 on aggregate points.
On the 7th World Dwarf Gamesthe 21-member Indian contingenthold a record of 37 medals. It was held in
Toronto, Canada. India had won 15 gold, 10 silver and 12 bronze medals in the World Dwarf Games.
Young Indian shuttlerLakshyaSen has won the Bulgaria Open International Series title on 16th of August
2017.He has defeated Croatias ZvonimirDurkinjak in the Mens singles final in Sofia, Bulgaria.
India captain Virat Kohli continues to top the ICC One-Day International rankings.It has been announced on
18th of Aug 2017.Kohli who has a 12-point lead over second placed Aussie opener David Warner, will look
to enhance their position.
American Tennis Player Serena Williams has topped the Forbes list of highest paid female athletes of 2017
with $27 million in earnings between June 2016 and June 2017.
Australia, playing for the first time at the rebranded FIBA Asia Cup, became the first Oceanic team to be
crowned champions of Asia. Australia has beaten Iran in final held on 20th August 2017.
Indias junior para-athlete Rinku Hooda won a silver medal in the Javelin Throw F46 at the first World Para
Athletics Junior Championships.World Para Athletics Junior Championships held in Nottwil, Switzerland.
Western & Southern Open 2017 (Cincinnati Masters)-United States-Winners list
1 Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov won his first Mens singles Masters 1000 title
2 Garbine Muguruza of Spain won womens singles
3 Frenchmen Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut won Mens Cincinnati Doubles
4 Chan Yung-jan and Martina Hingis captured womens double
A total of 220 athletes from 33 countries will take part in the International Shooting Sport Federation
(ISSF) Junior World Cup Shotgun event at Porpetto in Italy. A 23-member Indian squad will take part in the
competition. Notably Shapath Bharadwaj from india won a bronze medal in the double trap event while
Lakshay Sheoran and Manisha Keer combined to win a bronze in the mixed team trap competition at the ISSF
Junior Shotgun World Cup.
Abu Dhabi Chess Festival Committee has conducted the 24th chess annual event, which consists of numerous
FIDE registered tournaments. It was conducting in Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the UAE from 13th to 23rd
of August, 2017.GM Amin Bassem of Egypt is winner, Briton GM Nigel Short was runner-up and GM Aryan
Chopra from India finished third in Masters Tournament.
Former England captain Wayne Rooneyannounced his retirement from international football on Wednesday,
ending a 14-year careerin which he became the countrys top goalscorer with 53 goals.
According to the World Table Tennis governing body announced the 2018 ITTF Team World Cup will be
held in London from February 22 to 25 in 2018.The International Table Tennis Federation
(ITTF) has awarded the hosting rights for the event.
Cristiano Ronaldo was named UEFA Player of the Season for 20162017 on 25thAugust 2017. After a
campaign which saw the Portuguese superstar help Real Madrid to the La Liga and Champions League
double.It was the third time that Ronaldo had won the award which was presented on the sidelines of the
Champions League group stage draw.
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Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Vijay Goel has announced that the first edition of Rural
Games or Gramin Khel Mahotsav will be started from Delhi announced on 26th Aug 2017.It will take place
between 28th August to 3rd September 2017.
Barcelona and Argentina star Lionel Messi became the first player to pass 350 goals in La Liga
historyannounced on 27th of Aug 2017. Messi, who has played 384 league matches, is now 66 goals ahead
from Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Indian U-15 football team defeated Nepal to win the SAFF U-15 Championships in Kathmandu on 27th of
Aug 2017.India beat Nepal by 2-1 in the final and the match took place at ANFA Complex, Lalitpur in Nepal.
Winners of 23rd BWF World Campionship-2017-Glasgow (Scotland)
Event Gold Winners Silver Medalists
Men's Singles Viktor Axelsen (Denmark) Lin Dan (China)
Women's Singles Nozomi Okuhara (Japan) P. V. Sindhu (India)
Men's Doubles Chinese pair Liu Cheng and Zhang Nan Indonesian pair Mohammad Ahsan and
Rian Agung Saputro
Women's Doubles Chinese pair Chen Qingchen and Jia Japanese pair Yuki Fukushima
Yifan andSayaka Hirota
Mixed Doubles Indonesian pair Tontowi Ahmad and Chinese pair Zheng Siwei and Chen
Liliyana Natsir Qingchen
On August 29,2017, without winning any medal India ended its campaign in 14th World Wrestling
Championships (WWC) 2017 held at Paris, France. This is the second successive World Championship that
Indian wrestlers have returned empty-handed (previous one was at Budapest, Hungary).
Kerala Chief Minister Shri Pinarayi Vijayan has launched the host city logo for Kochi. This time Kochi is
selected as one of the venues of FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 announced on 29th Aug 2017.The logo
represents and reflects Kochis identity and will be a valuable tool in linking the local community in a global
World Cup.
Lewis Hamilton wins Belgian Grand Prix in F1 title race
OBITUARY
Eminent Dhrupad singer UstadSayeeduddinDagar passes away at 78
Senior Congress leader and former Union minister Santosh Mohan Dev has passed away in Silchar, Assam on
2nd of August 2017. He was 83.
Sam Shepard, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and Oscar-nominated actor passed away on 27th July
2017. Shepard was from Fort Sheridan, Illinois U.S.
Dr P M Bhargava, an eminent scientist and founder-director for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB)
passed away on 1st of August 2017.
An India international hockey player, Jyoti Gupta a 20-year-old has committed suicide on 2nd of August
2017.Jyoti hails from Sonepat and had represented India in the South Asian Games in 2016.
English actor, Robert Hardy, famous for his role as Cornelius Fudge in Harry Potter, passed away on August
3, 2017.
Ex-MP Vishvjit P Singh passed away. He had represented Maharashtra for two consecutive terms from April
1982 to April 1988 and April 1988 to April 1994.
BJP MP from Ajmer and Former Union Minister Ajmer Sanwar Lal Jat passed away
Former West Bengal minister Gyan Singh Sohanpal passed away
Acclaimed Bollywood actor Sitaram Panchal passed away
Poet, Writer Vijay Nambisan passed away. He became the first All India Poetry Champion in 1988.
Veteran sports journalist Ted Corbett passed away in Huntingdon, the UK. He was 82.
South African Bodybuilder SifisoThabete passed away
Israeli Holocaust survivor Yisrael Kristal died at the age of 113 on 11th of August of 2017. Israel Kristal
passed away in his hometown of Haifa.
Joe Bolognais renowned for his comedy style; actor-screenwriter has passed away on August 14 2017 at the
age of 82.
Actor Shanmuga sundaram, who has appeared in a number of Tamil movies in character and supporting roles,
died in the city on 15th August 2017.
Former Advocate General of Kerala MK Damodaran passes away
Veteran photographer S Paul passed away.Hewas born in Jhang in Pakistan in 1929. He moved to India after
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partition and his family shifted to Shimla.

Dick Gregory was a comedian who played a prominent role in the 1960s civil rights movement after
becoming one of the first black comics to perform for white audiences.
US comedian Jerry Lewis passed away.
Former Manipur CM Rishang Keishing passes way
New Zealands oldest cricketer Tom Pritchard dies aged 100
Brian Aldiss, the grand old man of science fiction has died at the age of 92. He was from United Kingdom.
Indias oldest cinematographer Ramanda Sengupta has passed away in Kolkata on 23rd of August 2017.
Jay Thomas, Murphy Brown and Cheers Actor, Dies at 69
Tony de Brum, champion of Paris climate agreement, dies aged 72
Legendary footballer and Olympian Ahmed Khan dead at 90.Khan represented India in two Olympic Games
1948 in London and 1952 in Helsinki Finland apart from two Asian Games in Delhi and 1954 in Manila
BOOKS & AUTHORS

The worlds shortest woman Jyoti Amge has presented a 51-feet high book at a programme on 6th of August
2017. The book KadveVachan is written by Jain saint Acharya TarunSagarMaharaj. It was unveiled by her in
the presence of BJP state president Ashok Parnami.
Award-winning Santal author Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, who has written the acclaimed novel The
Mysterious Ailment of Rupi Baskey (2014) and a collection of stories, The Adivasi Will Not Dance (2015).
The book has been released recently.
I am HIV positive, so what? book from Manipur bodybuilder Pradipkumar Singhs inspirational fight to
overcome HIV. The book was released at the Press Club of India in New Delhi on August 18,2017.
Former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan has penned a book titled I Do What I Do: On Reform, Rhetoric and
Resolve.The book will be launched on 4th of September.
IMPORTANT DAYS
The Non-cooperation movement was launched on 1st August 1920 by the Indian National Congress
(INC) under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. It signified a new chapter in the history of Indian freedom
struggle.
World breastfeeding week 2017 is being celebrated from 1st to 7th August 2017 with the theme Sustaining
Breastfeeding Together.
Japan has observed the 72nd anniversary of the atomic bomb attack in Hiroshima on 6th of August 2017.
National Handloom Day is being observed on 7th August 2017 to encourage people to use hand-made loom in
the country. It is celebrated every year due to its significance in Indias history, as Swadeshi Movement was
launched in 1905 on this day.
The resolution 49/214 of 23 December 1994, the United Nations General Assembly has decided that
the International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples will be observed on 9th August every year. This
years celebration of International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples marks the 10th anniversary of the
UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The nation is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Quit India Movement on 9th of August 2017. This
years theme is Sankalp se Siddhi- the attainment through resolve.
The second round of National Deworming Day (NDD) is observed between 10th of August to 23rd August in
33 States and Union Territories to tackle worm Infections, targeting more than 11 crore children. The NDD
program was launched in 2015.
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas celebrated the World Biofuel Day 2017 on 10thof August 2017 to
create awareness about non fossil-fuels such as biodiesel, ethanol, biogas, etc.
The International Youth Day was observed on 12 August 2017 across the world.The 2017 International Youth
day Theme is Youth Building Peace.
Union Environment, Forest and ClimateChange Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhanhaslaunched Gaj Yatra on
12th of August 2017.The goal of World Elephant Day is to create awareness about the plight of elephants and
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to share knowledge and positive solutions for the better care and management of captive and wild elephants.
International Left-Handers Day is being observed on 13th August. International Left-Handers Day is
designated by Lefthanders International. It was first observed on the 13th of August, in the year 1976.
Organ Donation Day is observed every year on 13th of August. The aim of this day is to motivate people to
donate organs after death, and to spread awareness about the importance of organ donation.
Pakistan on 14th of August celebrated its Independence Day. Pakistan hoisted a 400-feet high national flag,
the largest in its history at the Attari-Wagah border to mark its 70th Independence Day.
The Social Security day is being observed on 14th of August 2017.
India on 15th of Augustmarked its 71st Independence Day with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the
celebrations in the national capital of India New Delhi.In his speech, PM Modi said the nation needs to come
together to lead a new India, where there is no casteism, communalism, corruption and terrorism.
World Humanitarian Day (WHD) is observed every year on 19thAugust to pay tribute to aid workers who risk
their lives in humanitarian service, and to rally support for people affected by crises around the
world.The theme for WHD 2017 will be #NotATarget.
World Photography day is observed on 19th August across the world. It aims to inspire photographers across
the planet to share a single photo with a simple purpose and to share their world with the world.
The birthday of Shri Rajiv Gandhi is celebrated on 20th August every year. It is called Sadbhavana Diwas.
The Sadbhavana Diwas 2017 is the 73rd birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi.
The International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition was observed across the
world on 23rd August 2017.
On August 29 2017 Prime Minister Narendra Modi tribute to the legendary hockey player Major Dhyan
Chand, and congratulated all sportspersons on the occasion of National Sports Day.
He also launched National Sports Talent Search Portal.It will give essential direction and support to
youngsters to pursue their ambition in sports.
The International Day against Nuclear Tests is observed on 29th August. It was established on 2ndDecember
2009 at the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly by the resolution 64/35.
On August 30th each year, The United Nations (UN) observes the International Day of the Victims of
Enforced Disappearances. On this day organizations such as the UN and Amnesty International play an active
role in raising awareness that enforced disappearance is a crime and should not be used as a tool to deal with
situations of conflict.
On 30th august every year small industry day is celebrated by ministry of Micro, Small &Medium
Enterprises(MSME).
STATIC GK August 2017
Turkmenistan: UK
Capital: Ashgabat Capital : London
Currency: Turkmenistan manat Currency :pound sterling
Current President: Gurbanguly
Berdimuhamedow Prime minister : Theresa may
Monarch :Elizabeth II
World Bank Tanzania

Formation: July 1945 Capital: Dodoma
HQ: Washington D.C. U.S. President: John Mangufuli
President: Jim Yong Kim Currency: Tanzanian Shilling
ADB
Formation:24 November 1966. Srilanka
Headquarters:Mandaluyong, Metro Capital: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
Manila, Philippines (Administrative)
President:TakehikoNakao Colombo (Commercial)
President: Maithripala Sirisena
PM: Ranil Wickremesinghe
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Bangladesh Venezuela
Capital: Dhaka Capital: Caracas
Currency: Taka President: Nicolas Maduro
PM: Sheikh Hasina Currency: Bolivar fuerte
Vijaya Bank: Germany

Founded in: 1931 Capital: Berlin
Headquarters: Bengaluru President: Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Current Managing Director and CEO: Kishore Chancellor: Angela Merkel
Sansi
North Korea France

Capital: Pyongyang Capital: Paris
Currency: North Korean Won President: Emmanuel Macron
Supreme Leader: Kim Jong-un PM: Edouard Philippe
Qatar China
Capital: Doha Capital: Beijing
Prime Minister: Abdullah Bin Hamad Bin Currency: Renminbi
Khalifa Al Thani President: Xi Jinping
Currency: Riyal (QAR)
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Iran Formed 8 August 1967
Capital: Tehran Secretariat Jakartaa
President: Hassan Rouhani Motto One Vision, One Identity, One
Vice President: EshaqJahangiri Community
Chairman Rodrigo Duterte
BANK OF ENGLAND :- Secretary General Le Luong Minh
Headquarters:Threadneedle Street
London,England
Established:27 July 1694 Uzberkistan
Governor:Mark Carney Capital: Tashkent
President: Shavkat Mirziyoyev
The Republic of Chad: Prime Minister: Abdulla Oripov
Capital: NDjamena Currency: Uzbekistani Som
Currency: Central African CFA franc
Current President: Idriss Deby SBI:
Headquarters :Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Somalia Chairman: Arundhati Bhattacharya
Capital: Mogadishu Tagline of SBI:With you all the way Pure
President: Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed banking nothing else,The nations bank on us
Prime Minister: Hassan Ali Khayre
Kotak Mahindra Bank
Nepal Founded 1985 Headquarters Mumbai,
Capital: Kathmandu India
President: Bidhya Devi Bhandari The executive vice chairman & MD Uday
PM: Sher Bahadur Deuba Kotak
Colombia PNB
Capital : Bogota HQ: New Delhi
Currency : Colombian peso Founded on 19th May 1894
Tagline: The name you can Bank upon
Saudi Arabia MD& CEO: Sunil Mehta
Capital: Riyadh
Currency: Saudi Riyal SEBI
Formed: 12th April 1988
Canada HQ: Mumbai Maharashtra
Capital: Ottawa Chairman: Ajay tyagi
Currency: Canadian Dollar
PM: Justin Trudeau
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Georgia
Capital: Tbilisi
Canara Bank: President: Giorgi Margvelashvili
Founded in: 1906 PM: Giorgi Kvirikashvili
Headquarters: Bengaluru Currency: Georgian Iari
Indian Bank South Korea
Tagline : You Tech-Friendly Bank Capital : Seoul
Founded on 15th August 1907 President: Moon Jae-in
HQ: Chennai India Currency:South Korean Won
MD&CEO: Kishore Kumar Kharat.
Apps Launched by ICICI Bank
City Union Bank iMobile Pockets and EazyPay
Founded: 1904
HQ: Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu BSE
MD&CEO: Dr. N. Kamakodi Founded on 9thJuly 1875
MD & CEO: Ashishkumar Chauhan
Karur Vysya Bank
Founded: 1916 FICCI
HQ: Karur, Tamil Nadu India Formation: 1927
Chairman: B. Swaminathan President: Pankaj Patel
Headquarters: New Delhi, India
NSE
The National Stock Exchange of India Papua New Guinea :
Limited (NSE) is the leading stock Capital: Port Moresby
exchange of India, located in Mumbai Currency: Papua New Guinean kina
Founded on 1992
MD&CEO: VikramLimaye Iran:
Capital: Tehran
Axis Bank Currency: Rial
Axis Bank Ltd is the third largest of the President: Hassan Rouhani
private-sector banks in India offering a
comprehensive suite of financial products. AIFF :
The bank has its head office in Mumbai and Founded: 23 june 1937.
Registered office in Ahmedabad. President: Praful Patel.
Founded: 1993
MD & CEO: Shikha Sharma
Kazakhstan:
Chairman: SanjivMisra
Capital : Astana
NABARD Currency :Tenge (KZT)
HQ: Mumbai Maharashtra President :Nursultan Nazarbayev
Established: 12 July 1982 Prime Minister :Bakhytzhan Sagintayev
HDFC
Rwanda:
Headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Capital: Kigali
Founded on 1994
Currency: Rwandan franc
MD: Aditya Puri
President: Paul Kagame
Apps of Axis Bank

SAN MARINO :-
Asha Home Loan
Capital :City of San Marino
Kisan Card
Currency :Euro
LIME App
Official Language :Italian
Mexico
Capital: Mexico City CBFC :-
President: Enrique Pena Nieto CBFC: Central Board of Film censor
Currency: Peso Formation: 1952
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Headquarters:Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Cyprus

CEO: AnuragSrivastava. Capital: Nicosia
Somalia
Luxembourg Capital: Mogadishu
Capital: Luxembourg City Currency: Somali shilling (SOS)
Prime Minister: Xavier Bettel President: Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed
Deputy Prime Minister: Etienne Schneider Prime Minister:Hassan Ali Khayre
Currency: Euro.
Israel :
Exim Bank: Capital : Jerusalem .
Founded in: 1982 President: Reuven Rivlin .
Headquarters: Mumbai Prime Minister: Benjamin Netanyahu.
Currency: New Shekel.
Russia
Capital: Moscow
President:Vladimir Putin Norway
Prime Minister:Dmitry Medvedev Capital: Oslo
Currency:Russian Ruble PM: Erna Solberg
Currency: Norwegian Krone
KarurVysya Bank
Karur Vysya Bank founded on 1916.
HQ: Karur, Tamil Nadu India Serbia
Chairman: B. Swaminathan Capital: Belgrade
President: AleksandarVucic
Prime Minister: Ana Brnabic
Currency: Serbian Dinar
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Nepal PM Sher Bahadur Deuba on 5-day visit to India

kept at Rs 25,555 per coin with free shipping within India.

SUMMITS & CONFERENCES

between India and Uzbekistan.

RANKINGS & REPORTS

BANKING & FINANCE

of-Sale Easy Bima Plan targeted at the mass-market segment.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS

Appointee Designation- Organisation

Lalit Modi (resigns) As the president Rajasthan Cricket Association

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

partition and his family shifted to Shimla.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

STATIC GK August 2017

World Bank Tanzania

Vijaya Bank: Germany

North Korea France

Apps of Axis Bank

Headquarters:Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Cyprus

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