Tag: latest Current Affairs

CURRENT AFFAIRS
24 August 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Tablighi Jamaat cases become a diplomatic headache. 

5 months after the government ordered all the members of the Tablighi Jamaat to present at their headquarters in New Delhi, the matter is becoming a diplomatic headache for the government. The action ordered in March by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). This has included more than 2.5k foreigners from the ultra-orthodox Islamic sect.  Furthermore, several countries have expressed their concern to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on the matter of continued custody of their nationals in India. The MEA has to coordinate several cases with real-time coordination with the MHA and the Bureau of Immigration as well.  The Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh Masud Bin Momen said that he had raised the issue of about 173 Bangladeshis still being held in India. He raised this issue at the time when he had met the Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla in Dhaka on 19 August. 

B) AG refuses consent for contempt action against Swara Bhasker.

The Attorney General of India, Mr. K.K. Venugopal has refused to give consent to a plea that was filed in order to initiate criminal contempt action against actor Swara Bhasker for scandalizing the Supreme Court. This plea was filed against her comments relating to the Ram Janmabhoomi.  She mentioned in her comment that the disputed verdict “appears to be a factual one” and her “perception”. If anyone wants to initiate a criminal contempt action in any case, then the prior consent of the Attorney General is required for the Supreme Court. The contempt plea was filed by a resident of Karnataka, M/s. Usha Shetty. She has now approached the Solicitor General of India, Mr. Tushar Mehta for his consent. The contempt plea is in relation to a public address by Ms. Swara Bhaskar in a meeting organized by Mumbai Collective by following the Judgment of the Supreme Court in the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute case. In the Judgment, the court handed over the disputed land to the Hindus in order to build a temple. On that Judgement, Swara Bhaskar said that we are living in a country where the Supreme Court of our country states that the demolition of Babri Masjid was unlawful and it also rewards the same people who brought down the mosque. 

C) MHA had warned of a plot to trigger blasts in Indian cities.

One day after an alleged terror suspect was arrested from Delhi, a team of Delhi police special cell unit seized a large number of explosives along with an ISIS flag from the house of Mohammad Mustakim Khan in Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh.  The Ministry of Home Affairs had warned of terror modules of religious fundamentalists, backed by Pakistan intelligence, to trigger blasts in one of the cities in India. The MHA has issued an alert to all States 2 days before the Independence day celebrations by acting on intelligence inputs that the members of some banned outfits had planned to cause IED blasts in Jammu & Kashmir, West Bengal and some other places in the north-east along the border of Indo-Myanmar and Indo-Bangladesh.

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) China has been administering the covid19 vaccine. 

China has been administering its COVID-19 vaccines that are made domestically to a broad range of people since the month of July. The number of persons who have been given the vaccine may soon be in the hundreds of thousands. These persons include medical workers, the armed forces, and employees of the companies who are working overseas on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects. China has 8 different types of vaccines that are going through clinical trials but none of them have been approved in the market. Authorities have given permission to administer the vaccines to the people including the medical workers, border officers, and the overseas employees. Vaccines are provided in 2 doses. The second dose is given after one month of the first shot.

B) Trump team releases an ad featuring Modi. 

The Trump campaign in order to specifically win the votes of Indian American voters has released footage of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump in which they were together approximately a year ago. The data shows that the Indian Americans mostly vote for the Democratic party. So the Republican party is trying harder to gain those voters who are likely to switch their decision based on the Modi-Trump relationship party has also been trying to pursue the Indian-American vote. In mid-July, the Chairman of Democratic National Committee (DNC) spoke at a virtual Indian Americans to draw the attention of the voters towards the battleground States. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris also sent out the greetings of the Independence Day during a Democratic event organized on August 15. 

 

SPORTS NEWS 

A) India stuns China, reaches quarters. 

India has shocked China by winning a Pool A at the online Chess Olympiad held on 23 August. The juniors helped the team to pull off the memorable win because R. Praggnanandhaa and Divya Deshmukh took full points off. All the 4 boards which were featuring the seniors were drawn. Earlier, India has also beaten Georgia and Germany as well. Thus, India has won a total 8 of its 9 matches held in the league.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
23 August 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Bombay HC quashes FIRs against foreign Tablighis, says they were made “scapegoats”

The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court has quashed the FIRs against 29 foreign nationals who were accused of participating in the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Delhi without permission amid the Covid-19 pandemic. It said that the action against them was taken in order to make them scapegoats during a pandemic. The Government tries to find out that whenever there are any such calamity and the circumstances also show that there is a probability that these foreigners were guilty. These circumstances show that such action against present petitioners should not be taken. Justice TV Nalawade by slamming the media for carrying propaganda about the Tablighis has said that there was big propaganda in print media and electronic media against the foreigners who had come to Markaz Delhi. There was virtually persecution against these foreigners.

B) CBI visits Sushant Singh Rajput’s Bandra flat to recreate the death scene.

The members of the CBI team probing the actor Sushant Singh Rajput case visited the residence of the late actor in Bandra on 22 August along with forensic experts to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to his death. The actor was found dead at his flat on June 14. The team along with forensic experts reached the residence in the afternoon and his cook and flatmate also accompanied the team. Another CBI team has also visited the Cooper Hospital in the city on 22 August, where the autopsy on Sushant’s body had been performed. Another CBI team has also visited the Bandra police station to meet the Mumbai who had investigated the death of the actor. The Supreme Court on 20 August upheld the transfer of an FIR to the CBI which was lodged in Patna against actress Rhea Chakraborty and others for allegedly abetting the suicide of Sushant. 

C) Bloomsbury withdraws book on Delhi riots after backlash.

Bloomsbury India on 22 August withdrew the publication of their new book, Delhi Riots 2020: The Untold Story by following public opposition. The opposed the inauguration ceremony of the book because the company has invited BJP leader Kapil Mishra for the inauguration, who was the one who instigates the riots by giving an inflammatory speech. The publishing house in a statement said that the book was written on the riots held in Delhi in February 2020. But because of huge criticism on the launch program organized for the virtual launch of the book by Kapil Mishra. The publishing house has now decided to withdraw publication of the book. 

D) COVID Watch: Numbers and Developments

The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 30,26,847 at with the death toll at 56,642. Union Health Ministry said that  India has crossed a milestone of testing more than 10 lakh samples in a single day and this has taken the cumulative tests to more than 3.4 crores. The Ministry further said that with 10,23,836 tests done on 21 August, India has achieved its resolve to test 10 lakh samples daily. It further added that enhanced diagnostic lab network has also led to this achievement. At present, the country has a network of 1,511 labs, comprising 983 in the government sector and 528 private labs.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Pakistan puts Dawood, Masood Azhar, Hafiz Saeed, Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi on terror list

After decades of denial, Pakistan has added the names of Dawood Ibrahim, as well as 26/11, LeT operations chief Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi, and some leaders of the Taliban to its own list of terrorists and declared an assets freeze and travel ban as per the U.N. Security Council’s (UNSC) designations. This is the first time the Mumbai blasts mastermind has been acknowledged as a terrorist by Pakistan, albeit as a part of the UNSC list. The move is part of Pakistan’s commitment to the international Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which continues to scrutinize the country’s actions. 

B) Pompeo, Kushner likely to visit West Asia as the U.S. presses Arab-Israeli peace.

This administration of Trump will send 2 of its top officials to West Asia in a bid to capitalize on the momentum from the agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. This visit was taken in order to establish diplomatic relations. The Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to depart on 23 August for Israel, Bahrain, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Sudan. This information was received from the diplomats. They also spoke on the present condition of anonymity because the journey has neither been finalized nor publicly announced.

C) Protests intensify in Belarus

A huge crowd of protesters had swarmed the streets and thousands of workers have rallied outside industrial plants on 22 August in Belarus in order to criticize a police clampdown on demonstrations over a disputed election which extended the rule of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko which was going on from past 26 years. Since the morning, many women thanks started forming long lines of solidarity in various areas of Minsk, which is the capital of Belarus. Many people were dressed in white and carried flowers and portraits of loved ones who have been detained during protests that began shortly after Sunday’s vote, which they said was rigged. The human chains grew throughout the whole day by filling the main central squares and avenues as motorists honked in support. In many other cities of Belarus, thousands of factory workers rallied against the violence by the police. More than 50 news media websites have been blocked by the authorities in Belarus who were reporting about the protests. 

D) Canada’s conservatives vote wholly by mail for a new leader

The opposition Conservative Party of Canada is holding an entire mail-in ballot election for a new leader to carry it into the next general election. The results are going to be announced on 23 August. Over 269,000 party members are eligible to vote in the elections. The candidate is Peter MacKay. He was a Cabinet minister under former Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and Erin O’Toole.  He was also a longtime member of Parliament and Royal Canadian Air Force veteran who had finished his third in the 2017 leadership race.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
22 August 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) EC issues guidelines for the conduct of polls amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

For the Bihar Assembly elections, the Election Commission on 21 August has approved the guidelines for polls during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic by allowing public meetings and roadshows subject to the restrictions of social distancing and some other safety norms. The guidelines of the Election Commission made it mandatory to wear masks and gloves by voters, protective gear for polling staff, and limiting the number of people allowed for campaigning to 5, including the candidate.  Sanitizers would be kept at the entry and inside the booths as well. The electors who have tested positive for Covid-19 will cast their votes in the last hour of polling by following the preventive measures.

B) Nine dead in Telangana Srisailam power plant fire. 

9 bodies have been recovered from the fire-ravaged 6×150 MW Srisailam Left Bank underground hydel station in Telangana. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) confirmed this news. They said that a 39-member Fire Rescue and Disaster Management team was rushed to the Srisailam Dam. As per the information reaching Hyderabad, a short-circuit in the terminal panel of the fourth unit of the hydel station on the night of 20 August is said to be the immediate cause of the accident. But the authorities said that they would arrive at a conclusion only after finding out what exactly had happened there. 

C) COVID Watch: Numbers and Developments

The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 29,64,587 with the death toll at 55,851. India on Friday reported 68,898 new cases. On 21 August, the Haryana government has announced that all offices and shops in the state, except those selling essential items, will remain closed every Saturday and Sunday. This decision is in view of the increasing coronavirus outbreak. Meanwhile the Assembly Speaker of Punjab, Rana Singh has said that it is mandatory for the ministers to have their latest corona negative reports in hand for attending the assembly session which will begin on 28 August. 

D) Bloomsbury in controversy after inviting Kapil Mishra for Delhi Riots’ book inauguration. 

Publisher Bloomsbury was stuck in a controversy after it emerged that he has invited BJP leader and former Delhi MLA Kapil Mishra to be the chief guest for the launch of a book on the riots that had occurred in north-east Delhi in February this year. Kapil Mishra has been blamed for allegedly inciting the riots through an inflammatory speech. The book, titled Delhi Riots 2020: The Untold Story, and published by Bloomsbury India, is written by Monika Arora, Sonali Chitalkar, and Prerna Malhotra.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Will be an ally of light, not darkness, says Biden as he accepts Presidency nomination. 

Joe Biden who was a candidate for Democratic Presidential election said in a speech of his nomination acceptance that the country would overcome from this season of darkness. The current President of the USA has covered the whole of America in darkness for too long. Too much anger. Too much fear. Too much division. He further said that if the people will entrust him with the presidency, he will draw on the best of them and not the worst. He will become an ally of the light and not of the darkness. They will choose hope over fear, facts over fiction, and fairness over privilege.

B) Our policies on hate speech are uniformly applied : Facebook

Asserting that Facebook has tolerated toxic content by Indian politicians and failed to enforce its policies fairly, the company’s employees have asked the top management to review the handling of hate speech in India, the Wall Street Journal has reported. In a letter sent by members of the firm’s internal group for Muslim employees, staffers from India, the U.S., and the Middle East said Facebook’s policy enforcement process for high profile users needed to be more transparent and less susceptible to political influence, the WSJ report said.

C) ‘Shipments to China driving export recovery’. 

The improvement in the export numbers of India in the month of July was led by a 78% spike in shipments to China and other Asian countries.  These destinations constitute 16% of the overall export basket. The contraction in export rate narrowed to -10.2% in July from -60.2% in April when India was under a strict lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A contraction in shipments rate has improved to 50% in May and 30% in June. While July shipments to China jumped a full 78%, the same to Malaysia jumped 76%, Vietnam (43%), and Singapore (37%). East Asian economies constitute 16% of the total export basket.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
21 August 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Failing to speak up would’ve been a dereliction of duty, Prashant Bhushan tells SC.

The Supreme Court has given civil rights lawyer Prashant Bhushan 2 or 3 days in order to reflect on, and possibly modify, a statement he read out to the judges on 20 August in which he refused to apologize for his tweets. When the Attorney General urged the court not to punish him, Justice Arun Mishra replied that Mr. Prashant Bhushan might have done a lot of good work but he should not cross the line. We can be lenient but only in the case if a person seeks an apology in the real sense. Prashant Bhushan was convicted of contempt for 2 tweets. On 20 August, he read out a statement by saying that he has served it for 3 decades not as a courtier or a cheerleader but as a humble guard of its majesty. He said that his tweets were nothing but a small attempt to discharge what he considered to be his highest duty at that juncture in the history of our republic. He did not tweet in a fit of absent-mindedness. It will be insincere on his part to seek an apology for the tweets.  After a 2 -hour hearing, the Supreme Court has gave him 2-3 days in order to reconsider his statement.

B) If PM-CARES is not under RTI, how was it cleared for CSR donations, asks Chidambaram

Former Finance Minister of India, Mr. P. Chidambaram has accused the BJP on 20 August on PM cares fund. He said that BJP is trying to shield the PM-CARES fund from inspection because he has asked a lot of questions relating to the establishment of the fund. According to a report, Chidambaram pointed out that although the government claimed that PM CARES Fund was not a public authority under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, yet in March, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) had justified allowing donations to PM-CARES under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on the basis that it had been set up by the Central government. He asked that the fund has been set up by whom, who made the PM and 2 people its trustee etc. The Supreme Court on 19 August gave the Judgment that the PM-CARES fund does not require any auditing by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) because it is only a public charitable trust for voluntary donations. It does not get any kind of government support.

C) Kerala govt calls the all-party meeting to discuss the award of airport contract to Adani Group

The Government of Kerala on 20 August had called an urgent all-party meeting.  The meeting was to discuss the decision of the Union Cabinet to hand over the Thiruvananthapuram international airport to Adani Enterprises Ltd. (AEL) of the Adani Group. The bid to manage and operate the airport under a public-private partnership (PPP) framework for 50 years has won by the Adani Group. The decision of the center to give the rights of the Trivandrum airport to Adani comes when the privatization of the airport was under litigation. This was done as per the directions of the Supreme Court. Kerala has been opposing the privatization step. They had demanded that the management of the airport should be given to a special purpose vehicle in which the major stakeholder will be the state government. 

D) Covid watch: Numbers and Developments

The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 29,00,892 with the death toll at 54,966. Nearly one-third of the population of Delhi has been exposed to Covid-19. They have developed antibodies the details were according to a 2nd serological survey. Furthermore, the Punjab government has ordered a daily night curfew from 7 pm to 5 am and a weekend lockdown in the state, starting from 21 August. The emergency measures will be in place till August 31. It will include certain restrictions on public and private transport and a ban on all public gatherings. This ban on gatherings does not include weddings and funerals. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat who is a Union Minister of Jal Shakti was also infected from the coronavirus on 20 July. 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Kamala Harris formally accepts the VP nomination.

The first black woman and an Indian descent person, Kamala Harris who was nominated on a major political party ticket in the U.S. have accepted the nomination as Vice-President candidate of the Democratic Party. She said that her mother had taught her that providing services to others gives them purpose and meaning for our life.  On that day, her mother probably has not imagined that she would be standing before her mother by speaking the words that she had accepted the nomination for Vice President of the United States of America. 

B) India and China hold fresh talks

On 20 August, India and China had another round of talks on border. The aim was to break the pass along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). This was a step that needs to be taken to ensure complete disengagement. As far as 10 rounds of high-level talks had been held. This includes 5 rounds between the Corps Commanders and the conversations between the Special Representatives and the Foreign Ministers of both the countries as well. The Ministry of External Affairs of India has said that there is still some gaps that are remaining between both sides. The process of complete disengagement along the line of actual control is going on sincerely. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of China has said that both the countries have positively evaluated the progress on the front line forces and along the Line of Actual Control. 

C) India, Bangladesh to monitor projects

India and Bangladesh are going to set up a mechanism that will monitor the bilateral projects. This information was given by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on 20 August. This was announced when both the countries are agreed to jointly deal with killings on the border and also to jointly overcome the crisis caused because of the pandemic of the novel coronavirus. The mechanism of monitoring will assist in several ongoing projects that will complete on time. The project includes Rampal Maitree Power Plant, India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline, and rail links which will be completed by 2021.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
20 August 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

A) CBI shall probe Sushant Singh Rajput case, rules SC

The Supreme Court has approved the ongoing CBI investigation, recommended by the Bihar government, into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. The court invoked its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to order that any future FIRs registered in connection with the case, including those by the Mumbai Police, will be investigated by the central agency. Asserting that an impartial probe is the need of the hour, the court also asked the Mumbai Police to hand over to the CBI all the evidence it has collected so far. The court upheld the validity of the FIR registered by the Bihar Police on the complaint filed by Sushant’s father. At the same time, Justice Roy also said the Mumbai Police had jurisdiction in the case owing to the fact that certain incidents, including the death of the actor, had occurred in that city.

B) Prashant Bhushan asks SC to defer sentencing

Advocate Prashant Bhushan today asked the Supreme Court to defer the sentencing hearing in a Suo Motu criminal contempt case in which he was convicted on August 14. The sentencing hearing is scheduled before a 3 Judge Bench which will be led by Justice Arun Mishra on August 20. He was represented by advocate Kamini Jaiswal. He said that they will file a review petition against the Judgment dated August 14 within the period of 30 days as provided under Order 47 of the Supreme Court Rules of 2013. He said that his review petition should be treated as a first appeal against conviction when it will be filed.

C) Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments

The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 28,31,341 with the death toll at 53,979. India on Tuesday reported 64,531 new cases. Andhra Pradesh is fast becoming India’s latest problem state, recording 9,742 new coronavirus cases and 86 deaths today. With this, the state’s tally rose to 3,16,003 and the toll stood at 2,906. Meanwhile, former President Pranab Mukherjee’s health deteriorated as he developed a lung infection, the Army’s Research and Referral hospital in Delhi said. He was admitted to the hospital on August 10 for an operation to remove a clot in his brain. Also, the World Bank on 19 August indicated that it may further lower its growth projections for India and said critical reforms in areas such as health, labor, land, skills, and finance are needed if the country is to come out stronger from the Covid-19 crisis.

D) Union Cabinet gives nod for National Recruitment Agency.

At a Cabinet meeting on 19 August, the Central government approved the setting up of a National Recruitment Agency (NRA), first proposed in the Union Budget 2020. The NRA will conduct a Common Eligibility Test (CET) for selection to non-gazetted posts in the central government and public sector banks. There will be a single entrance examination or CET for all non-gazetted posts — Group B and C posts. Candidates who qualify through this Common Entrance Test (CET) can apply to any of the recruitment agencies for a higher level of examination. The score will be valid for three years, during which the candidate can apply for jobs in different sectors depending upon his/her aptitude and preferences. Explaining the role of the NRA, DoPT Secretary C. Chandramouli said that Railways, Banks, and SSC examinations will be brought under the newly formed agency.

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A) Millions of women lost access to contraception, safe abortion due to Covid-19: Marie Stopes study

A multi-country study by the NGO Marie Stopes International (MSI) has found that millions of women have lost access to contraceptives and safe abortions as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. In its study, MSI says that during January-June 2020, due to the restrictions and disruptions triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, 1.9 million fewer women were served by its programs, which could potentially lead to 1.5 million additional unsafe abortions, 900,000 additional unintended pregnancies, and 3,100 additional maternal deaths. The report further says that in India alone, lockdown restrictions have led to 1.3 million fewer women having access to MSI’s services.

B) Harley-Davidson may exit India.

Roughly after 10 years of its entry, Harley-Davidson Inc. is looking to wind down its assembly operations in the country as a result of weak sales and a lack of visibility for future demand. The makers of the iconic motorcycle of the United States has sent out tentacles to a few automakers through consultants. This was done for a possible outsourcing arrangement by using its leased assembly facility at Bawal in Haryana. Last month, Harley- Davidson in a statement that was accompanying their second-quarter results has said that the company is evaluating some plans in order to exit those international markets where the sales and profits do not support the continued investment in the future.

C) UAE connects first Arab nuclear plant to the power grid

On 19 July, United Arab Emirates announced that it has connected its Barakah nuclear power plant to the national grid which is a new first for the Arab world.This milestone is following the successful start-up of the 1st reactor of the plant at the end of last month. This willhelp in meeting 25% of the electricity needs ofUAE from nuclear power.Tge CEO of Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation has said that the safe and successful connection of Unit 1 to the grid was the key moment when they begin to deliver on their mission to power the growth of  nation by supplying clean electricity. There has been substantial oil and gas reserves in United Arab Emirates, but itis having a population of 10 million, someet their demands, UnitedArab Emirates has made huge investments in thedevelopment of clean alternatives, including solar energy.

D) Pakistan rejects any possibility of diplomatic ties with Israel.

The Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has  rejected any kindof possibility of establishing diplomatic relations with Israel. He said that they have a very clear policy on Israel. As per Jinnah, Pakistan cannot accept Israel unless the Palestine people will get all their rights and independence. Both the countries do not have any diplomatic relations and moreover their aircrafts are also not allowed to use of each other’s airspace. His comments came out because of the recent peace overtures between Israel and United Arab Emirates. Furthermore, he also rejected any kind of relationship of Pakistan with Saudi Arabia which were under stress because of the Kashmir issue.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
19 August 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

A) PM-CARES funds need not be credited to NDRF: SC

On 18 August, the apex Court held that the money received into the PM-CARES Fund need not be credited to the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) in order to fight against Covid-19. The court also held that there is no statutory prohibition on individuals to make voluntary contributions to NDRFunder Section 46(1)(b) of the Disaster Management Act of 2005. The judgment, read out by Justice Bhushan, found no reason to modify the National Disaster Management Plan. The judgment was in response to a PIL filed by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), represented by senior advocate Dushyant Dave and advocate Prashant Bhushan. The government took the stand that PM-CARES was a “public charitable trust” to which “anyone can contribute”. It is a “misconception” that contributions received by a public trust such as PM-CARES could be transferred to a statutory fund such as the NDRF, the government maintained in the Supreme Court.

B) Government jobs only for locals, says Madhya Pradesh CM

On 18 August, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced that government jobs in the State would now be reserved for people from the state only. In a video message, he described this decision as an important decision and told that they are going to make the required provisions for the same. He also said that the resources of Madhya Pradesh are only for the children of Madhya Pradesh. Their aim is to include the State’s talent in its development. Former Chief Minister Kamal Nath said that Chouhan had, in fact, acted in accordance with the decisions of the previous Congress government.

 

C) Ashok Lavasa resigns as Election Commissioner

The current Election Commissioner of India, Ashok Lavasa has submitted his resignation to the President, asking to be decided by 31 August. He was appointed as a vice-president at the Asian Development Bank, which was announced in July, and therefore, his resignation was expected. He was a retired IAS officer of the batch of 1980, he had been appointed as an Election Commissioner in 2018 and there were high chances that he can to become the Chief Election Commissioner when the present Chief Election Commissioner, CEC Sunil Arora retires in April 2021. But in July, the Manila-headquartered ADB announced that Ashok Lavasa had been appointed the VP for the private sector and public-private partnerships. His departure from the Election Commission now means that EC Sushil Chandra is next in line for the post of CEC.

D) COVID Watch: Numbers and Developments

The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 27,52,727 with the death toll at 52,865. Union Home Minister Amit Shah was on Monday night admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi. He had tested negative on August 14. He was complaining of fatigue and body aches for the last 3to 4 days. He was tested negative for Covid-19. He is now been admitted to AIIMS for COVID care. Meanwhile, the Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said that India has begun negotiations with 13 more countries to establish air bubble arrangements for international flight services. The countries are Australia, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria, Bahrain, Israel, Kenya, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A) Pakistan gets approval for phase 3 trials of a covid19 vaccine.

The drug watchdog of Pakistan has approved the phase-III clinical trial of a Covid-19 vaccine which was developed in collaboration with a Chinese company. As per a statement released from the National Institute of Health (NIH), the vaccine has obtained formal approval from the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) for phase-III clinical trial of a vaccine developed by CanSinoBio, which is a Chinese biopharma major, and Beijing Institute of Biotechnology China (BIB).

B) Curbs on China FDI hit GM car plant sale.

The ongoing tensions with China at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) could impact the decision of the Indian government on a major U.S.-China auto plant deal in Maharashtra, with thousands of jobs on the line. The deal by the United States owned General Motor India (GMI) to sell its car manufacturing plant in an Industrial Area, near Pune, to Great Wall Motors (GWM) which is a Chinese company is waiting to get clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs. However, no clearances have been granted for Chinese FDI in the past few months, complicating matters for the U.S. company, which wants that India should exit with this deal. The MEA and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry did not comment on the status of the application

SPORTS NEWS

A) Rohit Sharma, VineshPhogat, Manika Batra, M Thangavelu recommended for Khel Ratna Award.

This year, Indian Cricketer Rohit Sharma,  woman wrestler VineshPhogat, Paddler Manika Batra, and Rio Paralympic gold-winning high jumper MariappanThangaveluwere among the 4 athletes who were recommended for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, which is the highest sporting honor of the Country. The selection was done by a 12-member selection committee of the Sports Ministry.

B) Dream 11 wins IPL title sponsorship rights.

Dream11, a fantasy sports application, has bagged the title sponsorship rights for the IPL’s 2020 edition for ₹222 crores. The Chairman of IPL, Brijesh Patel has confirmed that Dream11 was finalized after evaluating the 3 bids that were submitted during the prescribed window earlier on18 July. Dream11, which has been a BCCI and IPL partner for a couple of years now, also has a minority investment by Chinese firm Tencent Holdings.BCCI was forced to invite EoIs for IPL title sponsorship rights after Vivo India pulled out barely six weeks before the start of the tournament.