1 PM Modi’s historic visit to Ukraine, four MoUs/Agreements signed
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi ‘s historic visit to Ukraine , the two countries signed four Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs)/Agreements to strengthen their bilateral ties. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a two-nation visit to Poland and Ukraine from 21-23 August 2024. Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Ukraine is the first visit by any Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine after the establishment of diplomatic relations with Ukraine in January 1992. Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Ukraine on a brief seven-hour official visit on 23 December after concluding his visit to Poland by a special train ‘ Rail Force One ‘. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his brief seven-hour visit to Ukraine in Kyiv . The two leaders discussed the war situation and bilateral relations and later issued a joint statement. Four agreements/MoUs were signed during PM Modi’s visit. These are –
- cooperation in agriculture and food industry;
- cooperation in the regulation of medical products;
- Indian humanitarian grant assistance for the implementation of high-impact community development projects; and
- Programme for Cultural Cooperation for the period 2024-2028.
2 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has approved the possible sale of combat systems and related equipment to India
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has approved the possible sale of anti-submarine sonobuoy warfare systems and related equipment to India for multi-purpose MH-60R Seahawk helicopters at an estimated cost of $52.8 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency issued the required certificate and notified the US Congress about this possible sale. The Biden administration notification said that the deal is in line with US foreign policy and national security objectives to help strengthen and improve bilateral strategic relations with India, America’s major defense partner. The notification said that India is an important country in the region of political stability, peace and economic progress in the Pacific and South Asia region. This proposed sale will strengthen India-US strategic and defense relations and will further improve India’s ability to conduct anti-submarine warfare operations through MH-60R helicopters. The Indian Navy inducted MH-60R helicopters into its fleet in March this year.
3 Space Zone India in collaboration with Martin Group launched India’s first reusable hybrid rocket Rumi-1 from Chennai
4 Union Cabinet approves Unified Pension Scheme for Government employees
The Union Cabinet has approved the Unified Pension Scheme for government employees, which provides for a fixed pension. Under this scheme, after completing 25 years of service, 50 percent of the basic salary of the last 12 months will be given as pension. Apart from this, the family pension after the death of the employee has been increased to 60 percent in the scheme. On retirement after a minimum of 10 years of service, a minimum pension of ten thousand rupees will be guaranteed. Dearness allowance will also be payable on the fixed pension, family pension and minimum pension, which will be based on the All India Consumer Price Index applicable to industrial workers. Apart from gratuity, a lump sum amount will also be paid on retirement. Shri Vaishnav said that about 23 lakh government employees will benefit from this scheme. This scheme will come into effect from April 1 next year.
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the continuation of three major schemes which have been merged into an integrated Central Sector Scheme ‘ Vigyan Dhara ‘ of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) . The scheme has three broad components:
- Institutional and human capacity building related to Science and Technology (S&T),
- Research & Development and
- Innovation, technology development and deployment.
The proposed outlay for implementation of the integrated scheme ‘Vigyan Dhara’ during the 15th Finance Commission period 2021-22 to 2025-26 is Rs 10,579.84 crore. Merging the three schemes into a single scheme will improve efficiency related to the use of funds and establish coordination between various sub-schemes/programmes. The primary objective of the ‘Vigyan Dhara’ scheme is to promote research, innovation and technology development along with capacity building in science and technology towards strengthening the ecosystem related to science, technology and innovation in the country. The implementation of this scheme will strengthen the science and technology infrastructure of the country by promoting fully equipped research and development laboratories in academic institutions.
6 Cabinet approves BioE3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment) Policy to promote high-performance biomanufacturing
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the proposal of the Department of Biotechnology for ‘ BioE3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment) Policy for promoting high performance biomanufacturing ’. The key features of the BioE3 Policy include innovation-driven support to R&D and entrepreneurship in thematic areas. It will accelerate technology development and commercialization by establishing biomanufacturing and bio-AI hubs and biofoundries. Along with prioritizing regenerative bioeconomy model of green growth, this policy will facilitate expansion of India’s skilled workforce and enhance job creation. Overall, this policy will further strengthen the Government’s initiatives such as ‘Net Zero’ carbon economy and ‘Lifestyles for Environment’ and will accelerate India’s path to ‘Green Growth’ by promoting ‘Circular Bioeconomy’.
7 Postal Department launched Deen Dayal Sparsh Yojana to promote philately
The Department of Posts under the Union Ministry of Communications has launched the Deen Dayal SPARSH Scheme to promote research and scholarship in philately among students of the country . Announcing the scheme, Krishna Kumar Yadav, Postmaster General, North Gujarat Region, Ahmedabad, said that the aim of this scholarship is to inculcate a passion for philately in children from a young age . Krishna Kumar Yadav was speaking at the closing ceremony of ‘ The Ideal and Great Stamps ‘ painting exhibition organised in Ahmedabad from 21 to 23 August 2024. Philately refers to the collection and study of postage stamps . As a hobby, philately involves collecting, acquiring, arranging, cataloguing, storing, displaying and maintaining them or related products in thematic areas. Deen Dayal SPARSH (Scholarship for Promoting Aptitude and Research in Stamps as a Hobby) Scheme is an all India scheme open to students of classes VI, VII, VIII and IX of a recognised school. Only those students will be selected for the scholarship who are members of a philately club or have a philately deposit account. 920 scholarships will be awarded at the all-India level to students who take up philately as a hobby. Each postal circle will award a maximum of 40 scholarships to 10 students each from classes VI, VII, VIII and IX. The scholarship amount is Rs 6000 per annum, and it will be paid quarterly. The selection for the scholarship will be done for one year, and students can apply the next year subject to fulfilling the terms and conditions of the scheme.
On August 24, the Supreme Court said that if a person belonging to a Scheduled Caste or Tribe is insulted without naming his caste , then this case will not be a crime under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989. A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Mishra gave this verdict while granting anticipatory bail to Shajan Scaria, editor of an online Malayalam news channel . Scaria was booked under sections 3(1)(R) and 3(1)(U) of the 1989 Act. He was accused of calling Kunnathunad CPM MLA PV Srinijan, who belongs to the SC community , a mafia don . In this case, the trial court and the Kerala High Court had refused to grant him pre-arrest bail. The bench said that the intention to insult is the same as described by many scholars for marginalized castes. It is not a simple insult or threat which is considered as an insult and which has been sought to be made punishable under the 1989 Act.
9 First case of polio detected in Gaza after 25 years, UN warns
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees has warned that delays in humanitarian aid in Gaza could put children at risk of polio . The agency’s commissioner-general, Philippe Lazzarini , stressed on social media that Gaza has inadequate facilities to maintain proper temperatures for vaccines. The Palestinian Health Ministry said polio drops were tested on a 10-month-old child in Gaza. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced that the UN plans to launch a two-phase vaccination campaign at the end of the month to vaccinate more than 640,000 children under the age of 10 in Gaza. Meanwhile, Hamas has called on the UN for a ceasefire to make vaccination efforts a success. The World Health Organization has said that Gaza was polio-free for 25 years before the conflict began in October last year.
10 Bandhan Bank launches Avani Savings Account for women customers
Kolkata -based Indian private sector bank Bandhan Bank has launched Avani, a special savings account for women customers on 22 August 2023. The bank launched two new products on the eve of its 9th foundation day, which is on 23 August- Avani and a customer loyalty product called Bandhan Bank’s Delight . Bandhan Bank is a women-centric bank and 73% of its customers are women. Bandhan Bank’s Avani product is an attempt by the bank to mobilize deposits from the public. Recently, Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das urged banks to mobilize domestic savings by offering innovative and attractive products.
On 24 August, Team India opener Shikhar Dhawan announced his retirement from all three formats of international cricket . He informed about this by posting a video on social media. Shikhar first joined the ODI team against Australia in 2010. He played his last ODI against Bangladesh in 2022, since then he has not got a place in Team India. Shikhar made his T20 debut against Sri Lanka in 2011 and got a place in the Test team in 2013. Dhawan scored 2315 runs in 34 Tests at an average of 40.61. He scored 7436 runs in 167 ODIs at an average of 44.11. In 68 T20 matches, he has scored 1759 runs at an average of 27.92.
12 Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli honoured with 26th CEAT Cricket Awards
Indian men’s cricket team captain Rohit Sharma was awarded the 26th CEAT International Cricketer of the Year award at a ceremony held in Mumbai on 21 August 2024. The CEAT Cricket Award is considered one of the most prestigious awards in cricket in India. The award honors the exceptional performance of cricketers around the world. The CEAT Cricket Award was started in 1995-96 and is sponsored by CEAT Tires, a company of the RP Goenka Group . The 26th CEAT Award takes into account the performance of the players during the 2023-24 cricket season. Virat Kohli , who performed brilliantly in One Day International (ODI), was awarded the Best ODI Batsman of the Year award. Former Indian cricket captain and coach of the Indian men’s cricket team Rahul Dravid was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award . At the same time, Mohammed Shami, who took the most wickets in the 2023 Cricket World Cup, was declared the ‘ODI Bowler of the Year’. Indian women’s cricket team’s star batsman Smriti Mandhana has been selected as the ‘ Women’s Indian Batsman of the Year ‘ for the year 2023-24 during the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards. Apart from this , Deepti Sharma was selected as the ‘ Women’s Indian Bowler of the Year ‘.
13 India qualified for the Asian Surfing Championship and made it to the surfing event of the Asian Games for the first time
India has secured its place for the first time in the surfing event for the upcoming Asian Games by qualifying in the Asian Surfing Championship in Maldives . Now Indian players will be able to challenge in surfing in the Asian Games to be held in Japan in the year 2026. In surfing, eight Indian players made a strong presence in four categories. Kishore Kumar reached the semi-finals in Under-18 . Harish Muthu became the first Indian to reach the quarter-finals.