ONE LINER OF THE DAY 31st Aug 2019

1.Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed the biggest-ever computer chip using carbon nanotubes (CNT), instead of silicon. The RV16XNano is a 16-bit processor that contains 14,000 transistors — electronic switches.Professor Norio Taniguchi coined the term nanotechnology.

2.FM announced following merger- Punjab National Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce & United Bank together (2nd Largest); Canara Bank and Syndicate Bank (4th Largest) ; Union Bank will be merged with Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank(5th Largest).Indian Bank will be merged with Allahabad Bank (7th Largest).

3.NTPC Ltd. announced incorporation of a subsidiary, NTPC Mining Ltd., paving the way for its foray into commercial coal mining. The state-run power firm also has plans to list the coal subsidiary on the stock exchanges.NTPC Ltd. incorporated under the Companies Act 1956.

4.According to data released by the Controller General of Accounts, India’s fiscal deficit in July was at 77.8 percent of its 2019-20 target. The gap between the government’s revenue and expenditure rose to Rs 5.47 lakh crore at the end of July.Girraj Prasad Gupta is present Controller General of Accounts.

5.As per the ‘Travel Time Report released by ,MoveInSync Technology Solutions, for 6 key cities of India namely, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Mumbai &Delhi-NCR,an avg. Indian spends 7% of their day in commuting to office averaging less than 3 min/Km.Tuesday had the fastest average 1-way commute time in Bengaluru.

6.REDD+ programme being carried out in the himalayan states jointly by Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) and International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) has been extended till July 2020.REDD+,Reducing Emissions from Deforestation & Forest Degradation.

7.InterGlobe Aviation Ltd. has appointed GE-Healthcare official Aditya Pande as its chief financial officer. He replaces Rohit Philip. He is a qualified chartered accountant & has over 27 years of finance leadership experience.IndiGo operates Airbus A320 Neo, A320 CEO & A321 aircraft.

8.The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) extended the timeline for the conversion of minimum detail Prepaid Payment Instruments to KYC-compliant PPIs from 18 months to 24 months. Payments Council of India (PCI) welcomed the move.Vishwas Patel, chairman, Payments Council of India.

9.NPCI has rationalised merchant discount rates for BHIM UPI transactions to promote digital payments. As per the latest notification, the Merchant discount rates (MDR) has been revised to 0.30% with a maximum cap of ₹100 per transaction.Dilip Asbe, MD and CEO, National Payments Corporation of India.

10.SBI accorded approval to allot 31,048 non-convertible, taxable, perpetual,subordinated, unsecured Basel-III-compliant bonds for inclusion in bank’s additional tier-I capital.Indian banking system implementing Basel-III standards in phases since April1,2013.Rajnish Kumar. Chairman, State Bank of India.

11.The Central Statistics Office (CSO) released the GDP numbers for April-June quarter, which showed India’s GDP expanded 5% in the quarter through June,the slowest pace in six and half years.Indian economy grew 5 percent year-on-year in 1st quarter of FY2020.Director General (ES), CSO -Tapas Kumar Sanyal.

12.The government’s Department of Biotechnology has joined hands with British charity, Cancer Research UK, to launch a research challenge for affordable approaches to cancer. The initiative will fund research projects totalling 10 million pounds over the next.It will be managed by DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 30th Aug 2019

1.Mumbai was ranked as 45th safest city on the Safe Cities Index (SCI), Delhi stood at the 52nd position, as per a report by Economist Intelligence Unit. Tokyo came at top while Singapore & Osaka were place 2nd & 3rd respectively.Safe Cities Index (SCI) 2019 ranks 60 countries worldwide.

2.Prakash Javadekar has handed over Rs 47,000 crore from Compensatory Afforestation Fund to various states, to be utilised for the compensatory afforestation, catchment area treatment, wildlife management, & improvement of wildlife habitat among others.Prakash Javadekar, also Min. for Information and Broadcasting.

3.MoS Hardeep S Puri launched Angikaar- a campaign for change management & e-Course on Vulnerability Atlas of India. e-course on Vulnerability Atlas is offered in collaboration of School of Planning & Architecture & Building Materials Tech Promotion CouncilAngikaar has been launched for social behaviour change

4.Abhishek Verma won the gold medal and Saurabh Chaudhary the bronze, in the men's 10m air pistol event of the World Cup at Rio de Janeiro. Elavenil Valarivan had won gold in the women's 10m air rifle event on the opening day.ISSF HQ: Munich, Germany; President: Vladimir Lisin.

5.DAY-NULM), a flagship mission under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has been conferred the prestigious SKOCH Governance Gold Award for its Portal for Affordable Credit & Interest Subvention Access (PAiSA) in a function held at Delhi.Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs: Hardeep Singh Puri.

6.RBI data shows that in FY19, banking sector reported 6,801 frauds involving a total Rs 71,542.93 crore as against 5,916 cases involving Rs 41,167.04 crore reported in 2017-18, up by a whopping 73.8%..Credit flows from banking sources rose 44% in FY19.

7.Wipro said it has expanded its strategic partnership with Google Cloud to accelerate cloud adoption and digital transformation for global enterprises. The software services exporter said it has a dedicated practice focused on Google Cloud Platform (GCP).Infosys partnered with Google Cloud for Cloud MSP.

8.Dindigul lock & Kandangi saree were given the GI tag by the Geographical Indications Registry in Chennai. The applications were made by Hardware & Steel Furniture Workers Industrial Co-operative Society Limited & Amarar Rajeev Gandhi Handloom Weavers.Dindigul is famously called the Lock City.

9.Mastercard, RBL Bank & Samsung India have announced the launch of Samsung Pay for RBL Bank’s credit card holders. It allows RBL Bank Mastercard credit card holders to make contactless mobile payments using their Samsung Pay-enabled phones.Mastercard HQ: New York; CEO: CEO: Ajaypal Singh Banga.

10.Steel Users Federation of India has signed a MoU with the BSE to help the later launch futures trading in steel. They will work towards enlisting steel futures in both long and flat steel to help industry players hedge the risk on the exchange platform.BSE SME is India’s largest index with over 250 listed Companies

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 29th Aug 2019

1.PM Modi launched a nation-wide Fit India Movement on the occasion of National Sports Day. To commemorate the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, National Sports Day is celebrated across the country.Bajrang Punia & Deepa Malik to get Khel Ratna.

2.Direct Tax Code task force, headed by CBDT member Akilesh Ranjan has recommended five tax brackets of 5%, 10%, 20%, 30% and 35%, against the prevailing structure of 5%, 20% and 30%. Tax bracket of 35% for the super-rich is also argued for.Currently, income is taxed at 5% for income b/w ₹2.5- ₹5 lakh.

3.A committee led by a former high court judge Justice S P Garg has put forward to a bench headed by NGT Chairperson that the water bodies should be secured by constructing boundary walls and relevant entries in the revenue records.NGT Chairman: Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel.

4.Control Office Application (COA) system designed by ISRO has begun real-time monitoring of over 700 trains, fitted with GPS (Global Positioning System). The system will help track movement of trains even between two stations.RPF- a security force, estd by Railway Protection Force Act 1957.

5.Currently single-brand retail with more than 51% FDI needs to source 30% of its goods from within India, now this 30% can be calculated over the first 5 years of operation. Also, 100% FDI under automatic route in contract manufacturing announced.Minister of Railways and Commerce: Piyush Goyal.

6.India Ratings & Research has revised downward the country's gross domestic product (GDP) growth to 6.7% from an earlier estimate of 7.3% for the current fiscal due to weak consumption demand, monsoon and slowdown in manufacturing growth.Moody's predicted GDP growth forecast for 2019 at 6.2%.

7.Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated Vigyan Mela science fair being organised at the Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR). It showcased agricultural products developed by the Defence Research Development Organization.DIHAR is research unit of DRDO in Ladakh.

8.12th India Security Summit on the theme “Towards New National Cyber Security Strategy” was held where many issues were discussed such as protection of critical national infrastructure, emerging cyber threats: incidents, challenges and response.Minister of State for Home Affairs: G. Kishan Reddy.

9.MoU b/w Indian Navy (IN) & India Meteorological Department was signed at Naval Base, Kochi for the handing over of Cyclone Detection Radar (CDR) building by IMD to enable them to utilise within naval premises at Kochi for meteorological purposes.India Meteorological Dept. comes under Min. of Earth Sciences.

10.Sri Lankan mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis announced his retirement from all forms of the game. The 34-year old, last played in international cricket in 2015, took 288 wickets for his country across the three formats.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 28th Aug 2019

1.Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) has selected Pramod Agarwal, a 1991 batch IAS from Madhya Pradesh cadre as the next chairman of Coal India. He will take over after the present chairman A K Jha retires in January 2020.Its first chairman was Lieutenant General K S Garewal.

2.The Bimal Jalan panel of the Reserve Bank has recommended that the revised economic capital framework will be reviewed every five years. The RBI, Under the revised framework, decided to transfer 52,637 crore rupees excess provisions to the government.Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was established on April 1, 1935.

3.India, France and Australia, in a major strategic move, plans trilaterals that will help to rebalance China in the Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of growing Indo-French & Indo-Australia & Australia-France partnership across the vast region.France Capital- Paris, Australia Capital- Canberra.

4.Odisha's capital city Bhubaneswar became the first venue to get a provisional clearance for FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup India 2020. Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, will become the first to host a FIFA competition in Odisha.Ganeshi Lal is current governor of Odisha.

5.IRDAI nominated Sanjay Verma, DGM (Distn Dev) as the "Single Point of Contact on regulatory sandbox matters. Wherein financial technology firms can seek permission to experiment with innovative approaches for the growth of the sector.Subhash Chandra Khuntia , current IRDAI Chairman.

6.Delhi and District Cricket Association decided to rename Delhi's iconic Feroz Shah Kotla, the second-oldest cricket stadium in India, as Arun Jaitley Stadium in tribute to the former Union finance minister who passed away recently.Jaitley, was president of the DDCA from 1999 to 2013.

7.United States approved the USD 3.3 billion sale of anti-ballistic missiles to Japan.Japan will buy up to 73 of the Raytheon-made SM-3 Block IIA missiles, which are designed to be fired by the ship-board Aegis system to intercept incoming ballistic missile.Shinzo Abe current Prime Minister of Japan.

8.United States approved the USD 3.3 billion sale of anti-ballistic missiles to Japan.Japan will buy up to 73 of the Raytheon-made SM-3 Block IIA missiles, which are designed to be fired by the ship-board Aegis system to intercept incoming ballistic missile.Shinzo Abe current Prime Minister of Japan.

9.The Indian team created history by winning one gold, one silver and two bronze medals at the 45th WorldSkills Kazan 2019 competition, in Russia. It has been the country's best performance since it first participated at the event in 2007.S Aswatha Narayana won the gold medal in water technology.

10.Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya, the country’s first woman Director General of Police (DGP) passed away. She was 72. Born in Himachal Pradesh, Chaudhary was the country’s second woman IPS officer after Kiran Bedi.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 27th Aug 2019

1.India's economy will grow at a median rate of 6% during the first quarter of the current financial year ended 30 June, as per FICCI report. It pegged the annual median GDP growth forecast for 2019-20 at 6.9% (6.7% and 7.2%)As per report economy grew at 8.2% in April-June 2018-19.

2.RBI has decided to transfer 1.76 lakh crore rupees as dividend & surplus reserve to the govt. It includes over Rs 1,23000 cr of surplus for the year 2018-19 & 52,637 crore rupees of excess provisions identified as per revised Economic Capital FrameworkThe move is based on the recommendation of Bimal Jalan panel.

3.Amazon India announced the launch of a Military Veterans Employment programme to create opportunities for military veterans/their spouses across Amazon India's Fulfillment Centres, Sort Centres and Delivery Centres in the country.Amazon India has partnered with Director General of Resettlement.

4.Housing financier DHFL has appointed KK Mankeshwar & Co as its statutory auditor after resignation of auditors Deloitte Haskins & Sells and Chaturvedi & Shah in July. As per a BSE filing, the appointment of the new auditor comes into effect from 26 August.Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd HQ: Mumbai.

5.American aerospace major Boeing delivered the 11th C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft to the Indian Air Force, which is a long-haul aircraft can carry large combat equipment, troops and humanitarian aid across long distances in all weather conditions.Boeing's C-17 simulator training centre provides training to IAF.

6.Prabhakar Singh ,Director General, Central Public Works Department has been chosen for the ‘Eminent Engineer Award for the Year 2019’ by the Institution of Engineers (India) for his distinguished and exemplary Service in the field of Engineering & Tech.Engineer’s Day September 15 observed in memory of M Visvesvaraya.

7.7th Community Radio Sammelan to be held at New Delhi. The Sammelan, being organized by Ministry of I&B will have Union Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar presenting awards to Community Radio Stations for their achievements in broadcasting development.Theme of 2019 Sammelan: ‘Community Radio for SDGs’.

8.Tata AIG General Insurance will work with the Indian bank for sales training, product support and ensuring smooth operational processing of diverse range of general insurance policies benefiting the bank’s customersIndian Bank Headquarters: Chennai.CEO: Padmaja Chunduru.

9.Union Minister of Textiles Smriti Zubin Irani today laid the foundation stone of the Integrated Textiles Tourism Complex at Nongpoh, Ri Bhoi district. Under the ‘Samarth’ scheme, the government plans to skill 30,000 citizens.Meghalaya Capital: Shillong.Governor: Tathagata Roy.

10.Karnataka CM B S Yediyurappa allocated portfolios to 17 newly appointed Ministers and among them named 3 Deputy Chief Ministers- Mr Govind Karjol, Ashwath Narayan, Laxman Savadi. Naleen Kumar Kateel given charge as BJP State President.Kar'taka Governor: Vajubhai Vala; Capital: Bengaluru.

11.Education Department in Tamil Nadu has launched an exclusive 24-hour television channel for the school students launched by the state Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswamy.TN Governmor: Banwarilal Purohit.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 26th Aug 2019

1.PV Sindhu became the 1st Indian to win badminton World Championships gold by beating Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in Basel. It was Sindhu's 5th World Championships medal. She won a silver in 2016 Rio Olympic Games, a silver at Gold Coast Commonwealth GamesBAI announced a cash reward of ₹ 20 lakh for PV Sindhu.

2.The Central Vigilance Commission has constituted Advisory Board for Banking Frauds headed by former Vigilance Commissioner T M Bhasin to examine bank fraud over Rs 50 crore and recommend action.The ABBF is formed in consultation with the RBI.

3.PM Modi has announced to celebrate September as a month of nutrition to create awareness to fight malnutrition among children, particularly the girl child. In 2018, Gujarat launched a project, Poshan Abhiyan to eradicate malnutrition among children.PURNA project was also launched by Gujarat.

4.Government has proposed a set of guidelines to regulate & maintain quality and safety of the products & processes. Regulations will oversee the use and spread of hundreds of NAIP & NAP to prevent nanoparticle toxicity in humans & the environment.Dept of biotechnology (Min of Science &Tech) unveiled the Draft..

5.Komalika Bari became recurve cadet world champion at the World Archery Youth Championships in Madrid. She defeated Sonoda Waka of Japan in the final. Bari is the 2nd recurve cadet world champion (U-18) after Deepika Kumari who won the title in 2009..

6.A National Centre for Avian Ecotoxicology was inaugurated in Coimbatore. The centre would study the movement of environmental contaminants such as pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, etc & drugs via food chain & their harmful effects on birds.Min of Envi & Forest Prakash Javadekar inaugurated the centre..

7.PM Narendra Modi will attend the 45th edition of G7 Summit in Biarritz, France. He will address sessions on environment, climate, oceans & digital transformation. The summit will focus on fighting income and gender inequality & protecting biodiversity.First summit of G7was held at Rambouillet, France, in 1975.

8.PM Narendra Modi will attend the 45th edition of G7 Summit in Biarritz, France. He will address sessions on environment, climate, oceans & digital transformation. The summit will focus on fighting income and gender inequality & protecting biodiversity.First summit of G7was held at Rambouillet, France, in 1975.

9.Suzuki Ecstar rider Alex Rins has won the British Grand Prix by defeating the world champion Marc Marquez (Honda rider). He won the race for the first time since 2014. Maverick Vinales took the third position followed by Valentino Rossi.Rins pipped Marquez by a margin of 0.013 seconds.

10.Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has bagged two orders of Rs 2500 crore from NTPC for emission control equipment for thermal power plants. The orders involve supply and installation of flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) systems.BHEL ,current CEO: Nalin Singhal

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 25th Aug 2019

1.Bandhan Bank launched a co-branded credit card with Standard Chartered to offer a complete suite of services to customers. Standard Chartered bank will take the credit risk, Bandhan Bank will be responsible for identifying & issuing cards to its customers.Zarin Daruwala – CEO of Standard Chartered Bank.

2.Prime Minister Narendra Modi was honoured with the 'Order of Zayed', the UAE's highest civilian award in recognition of his pivotal role in building the strategic relationship between the two countries.The award is named after the founding father of the UAE.

3.NITI Aayog has prepared the second Round of Composite Water Management Index. It ranks various states for the reference year 2017-18. Gujarat holds on to its rank one followed by Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.Himachal Pradesh ranked No.1 in North Eastern & Himalayan state.

4.Government has decided to inject ₹ 70000 crore budgeted for the recapitalization of public sector banks in the current financial year, on an immediate basis. The move will release liquidity to the tune of ₹ 5 lakh crore into the banking system for lending.PSBs have mandated to return loan docs within 15 days of closure.

5.India & Bahrain have signed four agreements in the fields of Culture, Space, Solar alliance & the roll-out of RuPay card. Both countries have economic & trade relations for several centuries. Bahrain's investment in India amounts to 173 bn dollars via FDI.Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa - Prime Minister of Bahrain.

6.In Archery, the Indian team of Sukhbeer Singh, Sangampreet Singh Bisla and Tushar Phadtare clinched a bronze medal in the junior compound men's team event in the World Youth Championships in Madrid.Indians defeated Colombians in the final.

7.Union Bank of India has introduced the repo-linked lending rate for new home loan & vehicle loan borrowers to provide better interest rate transmission to customers. Home loans of ₹30 L to ₹75 L will be available at an interest rate of 8.25% for borrower.Vehicle loans will be available at an interest rate of 8.60%.

8.In football, Gokulam Kerala FC won the 129th Durand Cup, defeating heavyweights Mohun Bagan 2-1 at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. Gokulam Kerala became the first club from the state in 22 years to clinch the tournament.Rovers Cup & Kalinga Cup are associated with Football.

9.Former finance minister and a stalwart of the BJP, Arun Jaitley, passed away in New Delhi. He was 66. He was also served on the Atal Bihari Vajpayee cabinet. He served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha between 2009 and 2014.He was a lawyer by profession.

10.Nirmala Sitharaman announced the abolition of a tax surcharge on foreign portfolio investors & domestic investors. It will be applicable for this fiscal year. Approximate revenue implication for the FPIs & domestic investors will be around ₹ 1400 Cr.Revenue Secretary - Ajay Bhushan Pandey.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 24th Aug 2019

1.Moody's Investors Service cut India's GDP growth forecast for 2019 calendar year to 6.2% from the previous estimation of 6.8%. For 2020 calendar year, it reduced the estimate by a similar measure to 6.7%.ANZ slashed forecast for India’s GDP growth to 6.2% for 2019-20.

2.President Kovind inaugurated the first World Youth Conference on Kindness in New Delhi. It is organized with an aim to impart critical competencies in global youth & enable them to transform themselves & build long-lasting peace in their communities.International Youth Day – August 12.

3.India and France signed an agreement on behalf of the Indian Space Research Organisation & Paris-based National Centre for Space Studies for the establishment of a joint maritime domain awareness mission to detect and tackle threats emanating from the sea.Prime Minister of France - Edouard Philippe.

4.Government is planning to launch an e-commerce project called 'Bharatcraft' for micro small & medium enterprises, on the lines of platforms such as Alibaba. The proposed platform could generate a turnover of ₹ 10 trillion over the next few years.MSME sector currently contributes 29% to the country's GDP.

5.New Delhi is the 10th fastest growing prime market in the world on Knight Frank's Prime Global Cities Index. Delhi saw a 4.4% rise in weighted average of capital values. Bengaluru (2.8%) & Mumbai (0.8%) were ranked 15th and 30th on the list, respectively.Shishir Baijal is the CMD of Knight Frank India.

6.Union Minister Smriti Zubin Irani has launched a project named SU.RE (sustainable resolution) to move towards sustainable fashion that contributes to a clean environment. It involves 16 leading retail fashion brands, reflects the thought of Mahatma Gandhi.Combined industry value of 16 signatories is around ₹ 30000 Cr.

7.Vishnu P R from Thiruvananthapuram is selected to participate in the first-ever Youth Climate Summit. It is a platform for young leaders to showcase their solutions for climate change on a global stage. He is one of the 100 participants in the summit.He is the CEO of Change Can Change Climate Change (C5)Foundation.

8.The department of defence production has set itself a target of producing equipment worth ₹ 90,000 Crore in the financial year 2019-20. Exports worth ₹ 15000 crore have been envisaged from the total quantity of equipment produced.The production target set for FY20 is 12% higher than the FY 19.

9.Serbia became a non-regional member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Serbia adopted the Law on Confirmation of the Founding Act of the AIIB, deposited the instrument of accession & paid the 1st installment of its share in the bank's capital.AIIB began operation in January 2016 with 57 founding members.

10.Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has inducted a locally built air-defence system into the country's missile defence network named ‘Bavar-373’. It is the country's first domestically produced long-range missile defence system.Capital of Iran is Tehran; Currency – Rial.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 23rd Aug 2019

1.Min of HRD launched National Initiative for School Heads’ & Teachers’ Holistic Advancements (NISHTHA). It is aimed at training over 42 L teachers in India. He launched its website, training modules, primer booklet & mobile app built for the purpose.SPARC initiative was launched by the Ministry of HRD.

2.The power ministry has approved a proposal to declare ocean energy as renewable energy. Energy produced using tidal, wave and ocean thermal energy conversion will be considered as Renewable Energy. The decision would boost ocean energy in India.Minister of New and Renewable Energy - R K Singh.

3.HDFC Bank has promoted Srinivasan Vaidyanathan as Chief Financial Officer with immediate effect. He earlier held the position of Group Head (Finance) in the bank. He would replace Sashidhar Jagdishan who would continue to head the Finance function.Aditya Puri is the Managing Director of HDFC Bank.

4.The UAE will be the first Middle East country to launch the RuPay Card. The card is a first Indian domestic Debit and Credit Card payment network, with acceptance at ATMs, POS devices and e-commerce websites. It was launched in 2012.India has already launched the RuPay card in Singapore & Bhutan.

5.Prahlad Singh Patel launched the book titled- the Diary of Manu Gandhi’ in New Delhi. English translation of the book will help the entire world to understand the life of Mahatma Gandhi. The book has been edited and translated by Dr. Tridip Suhrud.The book originally has written in the Gujarati language.

6.Government-appointed Ajay Kumar Bhalla as new Home Secretary. He is currently serving as Officer on Special Duty in Home Ministry. He succeeds Rajiv Gauba who will move out as Cabinet Secretary. Earlier, he served as the Secretary in the Ministry of Power.Subash Chandra Garg is the present Power Secretary.

7.Bharti AXA Life Insurance has partnered with Akshaya Patra Foundation to support and contribute to the mid-day meal programme for government school children. Akshaya Patra is running a mid-day meal programme to mark its 13th foundation day.Akshaya Patra won BBC World Service Global Championship award.

8.Former opener Vikram Rathour will replace Sanjay Bangar as India's new batting coach while Bharath Arun and R. Sridhar were retained as bowling and fielding coachesTill2016, he was a senior national selector under Sandeep Patil's chairmanship.He has played six Tests and seven ODIs in 1996.

9.Russia launched an unmanned rocket carrying a life-size humanoid robot named Fedor (Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research) that will spend 10 days learning to assist astronauts on the International Space Station. It is first-ever sent by Russia.

10.Acc. to the State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index–SARAL released by Min of New & Renewable Energy, Karnataka has emerged as the best state for setting up a rooftop solar project Telangana, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh come next in the rankings.Jammu and Kashmir has been ranked last in the rankings.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 22nd Aug 2019

1.Conservationist Vivek Menon, head of Delhi-based conservation non-profit, Wildlife Trust of India awarded the prestigious Clark R Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Award for the year 2019. He co-founded TRAFFIC India with his mentor the late Ashok Kumar.18th meeting of Conference of Parties to CITES, held at Geneva.

2.Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved, Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba as Cabinet Secretary for two years. Ajay Kumar as Secretary, Defence who will replace Sanjay Mitra. Brij Kumar Agarwal has been appointed Secretary, Lokpal.Department of Personnel and Training issued the order.

3.RBI permitted processing of e-mandate on credit & debit cards for recurring transactions (merchant payments) with a cap of Rs 2,000. It is applicable for transactions performed using all types of cards - debit, credit & PPIs, including wallets.PPIs- Prepaid Payment Instruments.

4.RBI permitted processing of e-mandate on credit & debit cards for recurring transactions (merchant payments) with a cap of Rs 2,000. It is applicable for transactions performed using all types of cards - debit, credit & PPIs, including wallets.PPIs- Prepaid Payment Instruments.

5.BookMyForex.com, a marketplace for foreign exchange & remittances, partnered with YES Bank to launch a co-branded multi-currency forex travel card for Indian overseas travellers. It will offer zero margin or exact inter-bank rates 24x7 on forex card sales.Sudarshan Motwani, Founder and CEO, BookMyForex.com.

6.Acko General Insurance has partnered with ZestMoney, a consumer lending fintech, to offer credit insurance. It will help ZestMoney customers cover their monthly EMI payments during times of crisis.Vler Technologies Pvt Ltd -Subsidiary of Acko General Insurance.

7.Sri Lankan government has secured a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) amounting to 160 million U.S. dollars to modernize local railway operations and improve the efficiency of services provided by Sri Lanka Railways.Takehiko Nakao, ADB current president.

8.Agricultural Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha Limited (APICOL) signed an agreement with PRADAN a national-level NGO, for implementation of agriculture entrepreneurship promotion scheme in tribal selected blocks of the state.Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN).

9.Standard Chartered Bank and SAP Ariba announced a strategic collaboration to make the Bank’s financial supply chain solutions easily accessible to businesses in the Asia Pacific region through Ariba Network.Lisa Robins- Global Head Transaction Banking ,Standard Chartered

10.UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the day in order to strongly condemn continuing violence and acts of terrorism targeting individuals, including persons belonging to religious minorities, on the basis of or in the name of religion or belief.María Fernanda Espinosa Garces- current president of UNGA.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 21st Aug 2019

1.A government panel has recommended cutting the corporate tax rate to 25% from 30% for all companies & scrapping surcharges on tax payments. India has one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world with annual sales of up to Rs 400 crore.The government panel was headed by Akhilesh Ranjan.

2.PSBs are gearing up to introduce retail products, including housing and auto loans, on 'psbloansin59minutes' portal with a view to expand their retail loan business. Currently, the portal gives loans up to ₹ 1 Cr to MSMEs in just 59 mins/less than 1 hr.SBI decided to extend the loan up to ₹ 5 Cr via the portal.

3.Discovery & WWF India have partnered with Govt of West Bengal to help save the world’s only mangrove tiger habitat. Project CAT will solve several issues faced in the region. It includes building datasets on impacts of climate change on estuarine ecosystem.Project CAT is also being implemented at Manas Tiger Reserve.

4.Wipro tied-up with the IISc for advanced research & innovation in autonomous systems, robotics & 5G. It will focus on R & D in artificial intelligence, machine learning, visual computing, human-computer interaction and vehicle-to-everything communication.Chief Executive Officer of Wipro - Abidali Neemuchwala.

5.DBS Group Holdings is preparing to enter the local credit card market in India in 2020. This move highlights the bank’s efforts to tap growth outside its home market to offset weakness in the local economy.DBS set a target of reaching 5 mn customers in India by 2023.

6.Ankita Gulati has won the NCPEDP-Mphasis Universal Design Award 2019 for developing a multisensory kit which narrates the content in the raised picture when a visually impaired person touches it.Gulati is Founder of TouchVision (IIT Delhi incubated start-up).

7.Ankita Gulati has won the NCPEDP-Mphasis Universal Design Award 2019 for developing a multisensory kit which narrates the content in the raised picture when a visually impaired person touches it.Gulati is Founder of TouchVision (IIT Delhi incubated start-up).

8.An Indian para-swimming team comprising Gwalior resident Satendra Singh crossed the Catalina Channel in the US. Satendra Singh has become the first Asian swimmer to have crossed both English and Catalina channel.He was conferred with Vikram award in 2014.

9.Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and senior BJP leader, Babulal Gaur passed away in Bhopal. He was 89. He served as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister between 2004 and 2005 and represented Govindpura Assembly seat for 10 times.Present CM of Madhya Pradesh – Kamal Nath.

10.Researchers at IIT Hyderabad are collaborating with research institutions across the world to develop a device to detect heart diseases with high speed, sensitivity and reliability. The device can also be extended to the detection of other diseases.IIT-H has developed low-cost solar cells using 'kumkum dye’.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 20th Aug 2019

1.National Housing Bank has selected Jaishankar R. Padmanabhan for appointment to the post of Executive Director. He is currently Chief General Manager at India Infrastructure Finance Co Ltd (IIFCL).S.K. Hota - Managing Director, National Housing Bank.

2.Corporate affairs ministry said that the requirement for a DRR of 25% of the value of outstanding debentures issued by listed companies, NBFCs & HFCs has been removed. In the case of unlisted companies, the DRR requirement has been reduced to 10%.Debenture Redemption Reserve – DRR.

3.India is the world's largest emitter of anthropogenic sulphur dioxide. Acc. to NASA data released by Greenpeace, India has more than 15% of all anthropogenic sulphur dioxide hotspots in the world detected by the OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument) satellite.SO2 emission hotspots: Singrauli (MP), Neyveli &Chennai (TN),etc

4.India's junior women boxers clinched 12 medals at the third Nation's Cup in Vrbas, Serbia. The team won 4 gold,4 silver & 4 bronze medals and claimed the runners-up trophy. Tamanna clinched gold in 48 Kg category along with Ambeshori Devi in 57 Kg.Preeti Dahiya & Priyanka won gold in 60Kg & 66Kg respectively.

5.Paytm announced the promotion of its Chief Financial Officer Madhur Deora as the company's President. Deora served as Managing Director in Citigroup's investment banking business in New York, London and Mumbai. He joined Paytm in October 2016.Paytm does not levy any transaction fee on any payment method.

6.World Youth Chess Championship will be held in Mumbai in October. Over 400 young players from Russia, USA, France, Italy & Azerbaijan will participate in the event. India has won several gold, silver and bronze medals since it was introduced in 2004.World’s second youngest Grand Master - Praggnanandhaa R.

7.Rupay cards will be launched in UAE & Bahrain with the signing of MoUs during PM Modi’s visit to the two Gulf countries. He recently launched the card in Bhutan to strengthen India’s relationship in digital payments, trade & tourism with its neighbours.Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi - Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

8.Researchers at IIT Guwahati have developed two distinct and special membranes that can separate oil and water, even under harsh conditions. These membranes are super-water repellent in air and super oil-repellent in water.IIT-Guwahati topped in 'Top Universities in Asia Pacific region.

9.Vodafone Idea CEO Balesh Sharma has stepped down. He was the representative of Vodafone in the JV b/w Vodafone & Idea. Ravinder Takkar has been appointed as his successor with immediate effect. Takkar is a Board member of Vodafone Idea & Indus Towers.Ravinder was the CEO of Vodafone Romania for three years.

10.Veteran music director-composer Mohammed Zahur Khayyam Hashmi, best known for his music in classic films such as 'Umrao Jaan' & 'Kabhi Kabhi', passed away in Mumbai. He was 92. He won Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2007, 3 Filmfare Awards for Best Music.He was conferred with Padma Bhushan award.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 19th Aug 2019

1.World Humanitarian Day (WHD) is held every year on 19 August 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.2019 WHD campaign: #WomenHumanitarians.

2.A committee headed by NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant is expected to make its recommendations soon on how to jump-start India’s exports of mobile phones in particular and electronics in general.

3.Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned home after a successful two-day visit to Bhutan. The two countries signed various MoUs to diversify the friendship. The sectors include, space, education, science, technology and legal education.Bhutanese Prime Minister- Lotay Tshering.

4.The 5th Meeting of India-Nepal Joint Commission will be held in Kathmandu on 21- 22 August. It will review the overall state of bilateral relations and various areas of cooperation such as connectivity,economic partnership, trade & transit etc.

5.Top Indian sprinters Hima Das and Mohammad Anas won a gold each in 300m races at the Athleticky Mitink Reiter event in Czech Republic. This was Hima's sixth gold in 2019 in European races since last month.

6.The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has formed a committee to examine allegations of illegal sand mining in the Yamuna River. The panel consist of Delhi District Magistrate, Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and Central Pollution Control Board.NGT Chairperson justice Adarsh Kumar Goel.

7.The Dronacharya award (lifetime category) has been conferred on Merzban Patel by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sport. The awards ceremony is in New Delhi on August 29, hockey genius Dhyan Chand’s birthday.

8.Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a three-day visit to United Arab Emirates- UAE and Bahrain beginning 23rd of this month. He will first travel to UAE where he will meet the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.UAE is fourth-largest exporter of crude oil for India.

9.Clean energy firm ReNew Power announced the appointment of D Muthukumaran as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Prior to joining ReNew Power, Muthukumaran was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Aditya Birla PE Advisors Private Ltd.Sumant Sinha -Founder of ReNew Power.

10.Russian Daniil Medvedev defeated David Goffin 7-6(3), 6-4 securing his first ATP Masters 1000 title at Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati. Madison Keys beat Svetlana Kuznetsova to lift maiden Cincinnati Open (women) title.

11.World Photography Day is an annual, worldwide celebration of the art, craft, science and history of photography. It aims to inspire photographers across the planet to share a single photo with a simple purpose.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 18th Aug 2019

1.Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has constituted a Committee under the Chairmanship of Director General (Acquisition) to review the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016 and Defence Procurement Manual (DPM) 2009.Apart from DG (Acquisition), 11 members are part of committee.

2.Aviation Ministry has formed a committee to rationalise additional taxes that airlines have to pay while uplifting Air Turbine Fuel (ATF) at airports across India. Currently, they have to pay charges such as 'throughput charges' & 'into plane charges'ATF accounts for almost 40% of any airline's total expenditure.

3.Deepa Malik will receive Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award along with Bajrang Punia. Ravindra Jadeja is among 19 sportspersons who have been nominated for Arjuna award. Khel Ratna is given for most outstanding performance by a sportsperson over 4 year period.

4.Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ inaugurated an international conference on teacher education in New Delhi. Event is being organized by the National Council of Teacher Education as part of silver jubilee celebration of its establishment in 1995.Ministry to launch world's biggest project for teacher training.

5.Vice Prez ccompanied by a high-level delegation to visit the first ever high level visit to the three Baltic countries. The visit takes place in the context of increasing political engagement, as well as intensified trade and commercial ties.Lithuania Capital: Vilnius; Currency: Euro.

6.Bangladesh Cricket Board appointed former South African Coach Russel Domingo as the Head Coach for the national cricket team. Domingo has served as the Head Coach for South Africa’s T20 side in 2012.He succeeds Steve Rhodes.

7.Researchers of the Rajiv Gandhi University have discovered 5 new fish species in various districts of the state. The scientific names of the newly-discovered fish species are Mystus prabini, found in Sinkin & Dibang rivers in Lower Dibang Valley district.Arunachal Capital: Itanagar; Chief minister: Pema Khandu

8.U.S. actor Peter Fonda, the star of the classic 1969 road movie Easy Rider, died recently, aged 79, from respiratory failure due to lung cancer. Fonda was the brother of U.S. activist and actor Jane Fonda, and the son of actor Henry Fonda.

9.The waiver will be offered using the 'fresh start' provisions of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. Govt held discussions with the MFIs to select the criteria for the proposed waiver for small distressed borrowers from Economically weak section.Corporate Affairs Secretary: Injeti Srinivas.

10.Banking & finance, government and critical infrastructure were among the most targeted sectors in India by cybercriminals in 2018-19, as per tech major Cisco. Also, about 26% of these overall attacks cost organisations in the country upwards of $5 mn each.CISCO CEO: Chuck Robbins; Headquarters: San Jose, California, US

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 17th Aug 2019

1.Asian and Commonwealth Games gold-medallist wrestler Bajrang Punia got nominated for the country's highest sporting honour — the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award. His name was finalised panel comprising likes of Bhaichung Bhutia & M C Mary Kom among others.He is a two-time medallist at the world championships.

2.Skill development ministry announced an association with the Tata Trust to build a Rs 300 crore modern training and skill development centre at Sion in Central Mumbai. Govt. will provide four acres in National Skill Training Institute located there.Transforming the skill landscape tagline of NSDC.

3.Aadi Mahotsav, the national tribal festival, started at Polo Ground in Leh-Ladakh. The 9-day event was inaugurated by the J & K Governor, Satya Pal Malik. The theme of the festival is - A celebration of the spirit of Tribal Craft, Culture and Commerce.Arjun Munda-Union Minister of Tribal Affairs.

4.Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) is investing around ₹83,000 crore in 25 major projects to boost oil and gas production. The firm produced 24.23 million tonnes of crude oil in 2018-19 and 25.81 billion cubic metres of natural gas from its domestic fields.ONGC ,Chairman and Managing director-Shashi Shanker.

5.Nagaland State Police Department got its first Laboratory-cum-Training Centre for Prevention of Cyber Crime against Women and Children. Police personnel will be trained in specific topics relating to cybercrimes.RN Ravi is present Governor of Nagaland.

6.At its trustees' meet EPFO is likely to appoint next week asset management firms HSBC AMC, UTI AMC & SBI Mutual Fund as its fund managers for a 3-year term. Before, 2008 SBI was the sole fund manager for the retirement fund body since its inception in 1952.Central Provident Fund Commissioner – Sunil Barthwal.

7.Vinod Dham, developer of Intel's Pentium micro-processor and technology mentor, has taken part in a Rs 11.4 crore ($1.6 million) funding round in Orbo, a maker of artificial intelligence-based image enhancement software.

8.The Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) slashed its forecast for India's economic growth to 6.2% in the financial year ending next March from a previous estimate of 6.5%, warning it would be tough for authorities to engineer a turnaround.RBI has cut its benchmark repo rate by 110 basis points this year.

9.Leading sugar firm Bajaj Hindusthan’s independent director Madhav Laxman Apte has resigned on health ground. Bajaj Hindusthan Sugar has 14 mills in Uttar Pradesh with cane crushing capacity of 1.36 lakh tonne per day.Bajaj Auto’s Qute Quadricycle got launched in India on April 18.

10.Incumbent Ravi Shastri re-appointed head coach of the Indian men's team by the Kapil Dev-led Cricket Advisory Committee, a decision that was expected.He has been reappointed for a two-year period, ending with the 2021 T20 World Cup in India.This will be Shastri's fourth stint with the national team.

11.Veteran Bollywood actress Vidya Sinha, known for her role in Basu Chatterjee's film "Rajnigandha" (1974), passed away after a brief lung-cum-heart ailment. She was born in Mumbai on November 15, 1947, to film producer Rana Pratap Singh.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 16th Aug 2019

1.K. Sivan, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), was awarded the Tamil Nadu government’s Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Award. Kalpana Chawla Award for Courage and Daring Enterprise to P. Ramyalakshmi was also handed.Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), HQs -Bengaluru.

2.Former India opener and national selector VB Chandrasekhar passed away in Chennai on following a massive cardiac arrest. Chandrasekhar played 7 ODIs between 1988 and 1990, scoring only 88 runs.Chandrasekhar made his first-class debut at the age of 25.

3.Moody’s Investors Service has downgraded Indiabulls Housing Finance’s (IBH) long-term corporate family rating to ‘Ba2’ from ‘Ba1’ in the backdrop of renewed pressure on the cost and availability of funds for some finance companies in India.Sameer Gehlaut -Executive Chairman of the Indiabulls group.

4.Indian captain Virat Kohli has become the first batsman to score 20,000 international runs in a single decade, the incredible stat providing another reflection of his greatness.He has scored 20,018 in the ongoing decade.Kohli made his Test and T20 Internationals debut in 2010.

5.The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved new oral three-drug regimen for the extensively-drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), estimated to have a mortality rate of 60 per cent.Tuberculosis caused about 1.6 million deaths globally in 2017.

6.Central govt. has selected 6 cities to be developed as City Knowledge & Innovation Clusters integrating scientific research & expertise at institutions with various industries existing within the particular city/state. Bhubaneswar,Chandigarh are among them.It also includes Pune, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad & Jodhpur.

7.Former Axis Bank chief Dharmesh Mehta along with clutch of investors have acquired 100 per cent equity stake of IDFC Securities Ltd from IDFC FHCL. It came after the previous buyer TCG Group and IDFC decided to call off their pact to sell IDFC Securities.IDFC First Bank ,CEO: V. Vaidyanathan.

8.Acc. to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), global land and sea temperature recordings from 2019's 7th month compared with its 140-year data set, stretching back to 1880, it was the Hottest Month Ever Recorded on Earth.It was 0.03 C warmer than the previous record, set in July 2016..

9.Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed an agreement to invest $23 million in non-convertible debentures being issued by GRIL to help the company rapidly scale up its construction of roads and highways in India.GR Infraprojects Limited (GRIL),Incorporated in 1995.

10.Air India became 1st in the world to operate flights over the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean as well as the Polar region. With the new route, the distance between New Delhi & San Francisco has come down from 12 K km to 8 K km.Air India's Boeing 777 in 2007 travelled over the polar region.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 15th Aug 2019

1.India’s first Space Science Museum has opened in Hyderabad. It exhibits scale models of Launch vehicles GSLV Mark III, GSLV Mark II & PSLV, Chandrayaan-1, Mars Orbiter spacecraft, APPLE, Aryabhata, Bhaskara, Rohini RS-1& a model of the ISS.It is a collaborative effort b/w ISRO & BM Birla Science Centre.

2.Govt has reconstituted Inter-State Council & Standing Committee of the Inter-State Council. Modi is the Chairman of the Council. CMs of all States & 6 Union Ministers including Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah & Nirmala Sitharaman are the members of the Council.Amit Shah - Chairman of the Standing Committee.

3.P.T. Usha has been appointed as a member of the Asian Athletics Association’s Athletes Commission. She will be one of the 6 members of the AAA Athletes Commission, to be headed by Andrey Abduvaliyev of Uzbekistan.AAA Secretary-General (newly appointed) - A Shuggumarran.

4.The centre launched the country's largest sanitation survey Swachh Survekshan Grameen-2019. The aim of this survey is to engage rural communities in improvement of the sanitation status of their districts and states through an intensive campaign.Jal Shakti Minister - Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

5.Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who had shot down a Pakistani F-16 near the Line of Control (LoC) in February resulting in his capture and subsequent release by Islamabad, will be conferred with the Vir Chakra.Vir Chakra is the third highest wartime military award in India.

6.Priyam Chatterjee became the first Indian chef to be awarded the 'Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite Agricoleto' by the government of France to recognize his contribution towards reinventing the gastronomic scene in India.He is famous in making West Bengal’s foods with a French twist.

7.IIT Kharagpur researchers have developed a low-cost diagnostic device to perform pathological tests by using blood. The device requires a paper strip-based kit integrated with a smartphone to enable analytics & readout functions & an LED light for imaging.CARE4U App was developed by IIT Kharagpur for elderly people.

8.Govt appointed VG Somani as Drug Controller General of India. DCGI heads the Indian drug regulatory body CDSCO, whose functions include ensuring the quality of drugs and cosmetics sold in the country, approval of new drugs and regulating clinical trials.Somani is currently Joint Drugs Controller of India.

9.Govt constituted high-level panel has recommended a green channel route for automatic approval of certain combinations. Under the Competition Act, combinations (mergers and acquisitions) beyond a certain threshold require clearance from the CCI.Competition Law Review Committee is chaired by Injeti Srinivas.

10.Football player José Luis Brown has died at 62. He scored Argentina's opening goal in their win against West Germany in the 1986 World Cup final. He played 36 times for Argentina's football team.He was known by his nickname ‘Tata’.

11.The Nation celebrates 73rd Independence Day. PM Narendra Modi hoisted the national flag at the ramparts of the historic Red Fort in Delhi.He announced 'Jal Jeevan' mission to make drinking water available to all households.Govt will invest ₹ 100 Lakh Crore in infrastructure building.