www.gradeup.

co

1|Page
www.gradeup.co
Monthly Digest
August 2017
Dear readers,
This Monthly GK Digest is a complete docket of important news and events that occurred in a month of August 2017. We
have compiled important & expected questions, which can be asked in upcoming Banking interviews and all upcoming
Banking & Insurance exams.
Banking & Financial Awareness
1. Airtel Payments Bank has announced a strategic
partnership with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation
Limited (HPCL) to give further boost to digital payments
in the country and to add to customer convenience.
Note: Now, HPCL fuel stations (14,000) will act as
banking points for Airtel Payments Bank. All Airtel
Payments Bank customers would be able to access a
range of convenient banking services at these fuel
stations like opening new accounts, make cash deposits
and withdrawals facility, and transfer money.
2. The State Bank of India plans to raise Rs 2,000 crore by
allotting Basel-III compliant bonds to various investors
Note: The bonds will carry a coupon rate of 8.15% per
annum with a call option after 5 years or the anniversary
date thereafter.
3. As per recently released RBIs 3rd bi-monthly monetary
policy statement for FY 2017-18, the current repo rate --
6.0%.
Note: Repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility
(LAF) reduced by 25 basis points from 6.25 per cent to
6.0 per cent with immediate effect. The reverse repo rate
under the LAF stands adjusted to 5.75 per cent. The
marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate at
6.25 per cent.Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) remains
unchanged at 4%.
4. India has signed amount of loan pact with AIIB for Gujarat
road project -- USD 329 million.
Note: The objective of the project is to improve the rural
road connectivity and accessibility to more than one
thousand villages in all the 33 districts of the state
benefiting about 80 lakh people. The project will also
benefit the service providers such as public transport
operators, educational institutions, hospitals, local
markets, and traders.
5. The union Govt. has disinvested of paid up equity in
Hindustan Copper Limited through offer for Sale --
6.83%.
2|Page
Note: Govt. is likely to get approximately 400 crore
rupees from this disinvestment. The floor price was fixed
at 64.75 rupees per share and retail investors were
offered discount of 5% on the cut off price for the Non-
Retail Category. The retail portion of HCL got good
response from the retail investors and the revised offer
size of 1.26 crore shares also got fully subscribed.
6. India's foreign exchange reserves have surged by 1.536
billion US Dollars to touch a fresh lifetime high in the last
week of July 2017 -- 392.867 billion dollars.
Note: According to the RBI release, a major part of the
overall reserves rose by 1.609 billion dollars to 368.759
billion dollars. Foreign exchange reserves are reserve
assets held by a central bank in foreign currencies, used
to back liabilities on their own issued currency as well as
to influence monetary policy.
7. Samsung has launched its digital wallet app tied up with
State Bank of India to store higher variants of SBI debit
cards -- Samsung Pay.
Note: This collaboration turns the Samsung smartphones
into electronic card-holders and users can pay at point-of-
sale (PoS) terminals with just a tap on the cards stored in
Samsung Pay. Samsung Pay works on 2.5 million PoS card
machines across the country through its magnetic secure
transmission (MST) technology.
8. The Canara Bank has launched two digital products for
online payments -- Bharat QR and BBPS.
Note: The 'Bharat QR' is a mobile application, which
enables a merchant to accept payments as settlement for
sale of goods or services. The Bharat Bill Payment
System (BBPS) is an initiative of the RBI offers bill
payment services to the banks net banking customers
with network of agents.
9. The bank has partnered with digital payments company
Zeta to launch IDFC Bank Benefits -- IDFC Bank.
Note: The Zeta app offers employees a realtime view of
spends, reimbursement limits and claims. Employees can
www.gradeup.co
access the Benefits Card via the Zeta app on mobile or
web.
10. Who has introduced an online registration mechanism for
custodians of securities to make it convenient for them to
do business -- Securities and Exchange Board of
India(SEBI).
Note: New system will help custodian of securities to
complete registration and other regulatory filings with
SEBI much faster and in a cost-effective manner. All
applicants desirous of seeking registration as a Custodian
of Securities are now required to submit their
applications online only, through SEBI Intermediary
Portal.
11. India has ranked in 2017 Global Retirement Index (GRI)
published by French asset management company Natixis
Global-- 43rd position.
Note: The Global Retirement Index ranks 43 countries on
the basis of four factors, which are the material means to
live comfortably in retirement (Material Well-being),
access to quality financial services to help preserve
savings value and maximize income (Finances), access to
quality health services (Health), and a clean and safe
environment (Quality of Life).
12. A pilot project of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Development (NABARD) for digitization of Self Help
Groups (SHGs) -- e-Shakti.
Note:It was initiated to address certain concerns like
improving the quality of book keeping of SHGs and to
enable banks to take informed credit decisions about the
group through a Management Information System (MIS).
13. Who has been appointed as the Managing Director (MD)
of Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) for a period
of three years -- David Rasquinha.
Note: EXIM Bank commenced operations in 1982 under
the Export-Import Bank of India Act, 1981 and head office
in Mumbai.
14. An additional revenue of Rs. 540 crores in less than a year
through the flexi fare scheme -- Indian Railways.
Note: On 9th September 2016, the flexi fare scheme was
launched and applicable in Rajdhani, Shatabdi & Duronto
trains.It allows 10 % of the seats to be sold at the normal
fare and thereafter increasing it by 10% with every 10%
of berths sold with a ceiling of 50%.
15. According to the Official data, country's exports grew
3.9% in July this year to -- 22.5 billion dollars.
Note: Exports rose due to an increase in shipments of
petroleum, chemicals, and marine products. The
country's trade deficit widened to 11.4 billion dollars
during the month under review, from 7.8 billion dollars in
3|Page
July last year. Gold import spurted 95% (2.1 billion
dollars) and oil imports increased 15% in July.
16. Who has made Aadhar linkage mandatory for farmers
who wish to avail short-term crop loans in 2017-18--
Reserve Bank of India(RBI).
Note: RBI has also advised banks to make Aadhaar
linkage compulsory to ensure hassle-free benefits to
farmers under the Interest Subvention Scheme.Farmers
can avail of short-term crop loans of up to 3 lakh rupees
at subsidised interest rate of 7% that could go down to
4% on prompt repayment.
17. Telecommunications company has launched its mobile
wallet in partnership with MobiKwik to enable one-tap
bill payment for its over 100 million subscribers-- Bharat
Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL).
Note: This digital mobile wallet was launched at an event
by Telecommunications Minister Manoj Sinha.The app
will allow users to pay for online recharges, make bill
payments, shop, and book bus & train tickets.
18. Telecom regulator, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
(TRAI) raises penalty on telecom operators for poor
mobile service-- Rs 5 lakh.
Note: TRAI has raised the penalty on telecom operators
to 5 lakh rupees for poor mobile service quality like call
drop, availability of mobile towers, time taken for a call to
connect, and voice quality. Now, TRAI will measure call
drops on the basis of data collected on the performance of
telecom towers and not from area offices of telecom
companies.
19. The first regional centre of the New Development Bank
(NDB) set up by India and other BRICS nations has been
officially opened in -- South Africa.
Note: The idea for setting up NDB was proposed by India
at the 4th BRICS summit in 2012 held in New Delhi.The
New Development Bank (NDB), formerly referred to as
the BRICS Development Bank, is a multilateral
development bank established by the BRICS states
(Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) with an
initial authorised capital of the bank is USD 100 billion.
20. State Bank of India(SBI) accounts for over 27% of the
total amount owed to public sector banks by wilful
defaulters as many as 1,762 wilful defaulters owed SBI --
Rs 25,104 crore.
Note: According to the Finance Ministry data, total
outstanding loans due to PSU banks by wilful defaulters
amounted to Rs. 92,376 crores. The total outstanding
loans by wilful defaulters rose to Rd. 92,376 crore at the
end of financial year 2016-17, from Rs. 76,685 crores at
the end of last fiscal 2015-16.
www.gradeup.co
21. The union govt. has imposed a new penalty on Reliance
Industries Ltd (RIL) and its partners for producing less
than the targeted natural gas from eastern offshore KG-
D6 in 2015-16 -- Rs. 1,700 crores.
Note: Gas production was supposed to be 80 million
standard cubic meters per day (mmscmd ) but actual
production was only 35.33 mmscmd (2011-12), 20.88
mmscmd (2012-13) and 9.77 mmscmd (2013-14). The
output has continued to drop and is now below 4
mmscmd.
22. NABARD has conferred the best performance award for
2016-17 to the regional rural bank -- Karnataka Vikas
Grameen Bank.
Note: NABARD has conferred the best performance
award for 2015-16 and 2016-17 to Karnataka Vikas
Grameen Bank (KVGB) for its work in the field of credit-
linking joint liability groups (JLGs).
23. India has signed USD 24.64 million GEF grant agreement
with which international organization for ecosystems
service improvement project -- World Bank.
Note: The project is entirely be financed by the World
Bank out of its GEF Trust Fund.
24. RBI committee has recommended that banks should link
home loan rates to repo rate -- Tarun Ramadorai.
Note: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has appointed
committee on Household Finance has recommended that
banks should link their home loan rates to the RBIs repo
rate, the rate at which it lends to banks.
25. The NITI Aayog has launched Mentor India Campaign
from the city -- New Delhi.
Note: The campaign is a strategic nation building
initiative to engage leaders who can nurture and guide
students at more than 900 Atal Tinkering Labs.
26. The 17th meeting of the Financial Stability and
Development Council (FSDC) was held in the city-- New
Delhi.
Note: The Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has
chaired the 17th meeting of the Financial Stability and
Development Council (FSDC) in New Delhi.The Council
discussed the issues and challenges facing the Indian
economy and stressed the need to keep constant vigil to
manage any external and internal vulnerability.
27. GST is applicable on selling of space for advertisement in
print media if an agency buys space from the newspaper
and sells the same to clients on its own account -- 5%.
New Appointments
1. The new secretary general of the Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) -- Sanjaya
Baru.
Note: He will assume the charge from 1st
September,2017 and will succeed A Didar Singh. The
4|Page
Note: The GST rate will be 18% of the sale commission, if
the agency works as an agent of the newspaper on
commission basis. According to the Finance Ministry,
18% GST will be liable, if the advertisement agency
supplies any service other than selling of space for
advertisement and such supply is not a part of any
composite supply.
28. The Reserve Bank (RBI) has issued new denomination
banknotes in the Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series, bearing
signature of RBI Governor Urjit Patel-- Rs. 200 and Rs.
50.
Note: Initially, the new Rs 200 notes will be circulated by
select RBI offices, and some banks. The new
denomination Rs. 200 has the motif of Sanchi Stupa on
the reverse and its base colour is bright yellow. The base
colour of the note is bright yellow.
29. On the first set of data on tax collections, how many taxes
worth were collected in July from just 64.42% of the total
taxpayer base -- Rs 92,283 crore.
Note: Tax collections for July (first month) when a unified
Goods and Services Tax (GST) was implemented across
the country, are likely to further go up when all the tax
payers file returns.
30. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) confirmed in its annual
report that almost 99% of banned Rs 500 and Rs 1000
notes that were demonetised last November have
returned to the system.
Note: Out of 632.6 crore pieces of Rs 1,000 currency
notes in circulation, 8.9 crore have not been returned
post the note ban last November.The cost of printing of
currency notes more than doubled to Rs 7,965 crore in
2016-17 from Rs 3,421 crore in the previous year on
account of new currency printing.
31. The worlds first IAEA Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) Bank
has opened in the country -- Kazakhstan.
Note: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
has launched the worlds first IAEA Low Enriched
Uranium (LEU) bank at the Ulba Metallurgical Plant
(UMP) in Oskemen, Kazakhstan.
32. Who has signed a term loan agreement for Rs. 3,000
crores with ICICI Bank Ltd for partially funding its capital
expenditure -- National Thermal Power Corporation
Limited (NTPC).
Note: The loan which has a door-to-door tenure of 15
years will be utilised to part finance the capital
expenditure of NTPC. NTPC commissioned 3,845 mw
capacity and added 2,190 mw to its commercial capacity
during 2016-17.
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (FICCI) is an association of business
organizations in India.
2. Officially sworn-in as the 7th President of Iran -- Hassan
Rouhani.
www.gradeup.co
Note: Rouhani won re-election in May 2017, after
securing 57% of the votes and defeating his main
contender Ebrahim Raeisi.
3. Who has resigned as vice chairman of government think
tank NITI Aayog -- Arvind Panagariya.
Note: He has submitted a letter to PM Narendra Modi and
requested to be relieved by the end of this month. The
Union Government of India announced the formation of
NITI Aayog on 1st January 2015 and the Prime Minister
serves as the Ex-officio chairman.
4. Noted economist will be the new Vice-Chairman of NITI
Aayog -- Dr. Rajiv Kumar.
Note: Currently, Rajiv Kumar is a senior fellow at the
Centre for Policy Research, a non-governmental think
tank on public policy based out of New Delhi.
5. Who has been appointed as the Chief of the Indian Army's
Eastern Command -- Lt General Abhay Krishna.
Note: He succeeds Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi. Currently,
Krishna was serving as the Head of the Army's Jaipur-
based Southwestern Command.
6. The new Ambassador of India to the Republic of
Kazakhstan -- Prabhat Kumar.
7. New chairman of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) --
Dhirendra Swarup.
Note: Swarup was the former Chairman of the Pension
Funds Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).
The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) is an Indian stock
exchange located at Dalal Street, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai
Maharashtra
8. Newly elected Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea --
Peter ONeill.
Note: Peter ONeill is the leader of the Peoples National
Congress and represents the constituency of Ialibu-
Pangia.
9. New CMD of Small Industries Development Bank of India
(SIDBI) -- Mohammad Mustafa.
Note: Mohammad Mustafa has been appointed as the
new Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Small
Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) for a
period of 3 years. SIDBI is an independent financial
institution aimed to aid the growth and development of
micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSME) in
India and is headquartered in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
10. Who has been appointed brand ambassador for Swachh
Bharat Mission in UP-- Akshay Kumar.
Note: The chief minister Yogi Aditya Nath has announced
to make his upcoming movie Toilet Ek Prem Katha tax-
free in the state. The movie stresses on the importance of
5|Page
building toilets and ending open defecation in the
country.
11. The new Chief Justice of India (CJI) -- Justice Dipak Misra.
Note: He replaceed incumbent Justice J S Khehar. The Chief
Justice of India (CJI) is the head of the judiciary of India
and the Supreme Court of India.
12. Indian-American has been appointed as the Deputy
Comptroller for Minority Affairs of Nassau County, New
York -- Dilip Chauhan.
Note: Deputy Comptroller for Minority Affairs focuses on
increasing outreach to the minority communities in
Nassau County. The Comptrollers Office has been a driving
force in advocating for increased business opportunities
for Minority and Women Owned Enterprises (MWBEs) to
meet the Countys goals.
13. Who sworn in as the Vice President of India --
Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu.
Note: Naidu was elected as the Vice President by
defeating opposition candidate Gopal Krishna Gandhi
(Mahatma Gandhi's grandson). The Vice-President of India
is elected by an electoral college consisting of Elected and
nominated members of both house (Lok Sabha and Rajya
Sabha) of Parliament.
14. The union govt. has appointed lyricist as Chairman of the
Central Board of Film Certification(CBFC) -- Prasoon
Joshi.
Note: He has replaced former Chairman Pahlaj Nihalani.
There are 12 members in the new board, which include
Ms. Gautami Tadimalla, Narendra Kohli, Naresh Chandra
Lal, Vivek Agnihotri and Ms Vidya Balan.
15. Who has been re-elected as President of Kenya -- Uhuru
Kenyatta.
Note: Kenyatta got 54.27 % votes beating his rival Raifa
Odinga who got 44.74% of votes. Kenya is a country in
East Africa with coastline on the Indian Ocean.
16. Retired IAS officer has been appointed secretary to Vice
President M Venkaiah Naidu -- I V Subba Rao.
Note: He held several important posts in Andhra Pradesh
and later served the UNESCO. N Yuvaraj (IAS officer of
Andhra Pradesh cadre - 2006 batch), will be the private
secretary to Naidu.
17. Who has been appointed as Chairman and Managing
Director (CMD) of Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL) for a
period of five years-- Santosh Sharma.
Note: Hindustan Copper Ltd. is a Government-owned
corporation in the Central Public-Sector Enterprise under
the Ministry of Mines (India), Government of India.
18. The new MD & CEO of India Infrastructure Finance
Company Limited (IIFCL) -- Sankara Rao.
www.gradeup.co

Note: Currently, he is the Chief General Manager at IIFCL.
19. Who has resigned as managing director (MD) and Chief
executive officer(CEO) of Infosys Ltd.-- Dr. Vishal Sikka.
Note: The company's board has accepted his resignation
with immediate effect.
20. The President and Managing Director (MD) of General
Motors (GM) India -- Sanjiv Gupta.
Note: He will replace Kaher Kazem. General Motors
Company(GM) is an American multinational corporation
headquartered in Detroit, Michigan.
21. The Executive Director of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy
Board of India (IBBI) -- Mamta Suri.
Note: Earlier, Dr. Suri was serving as the Chief General
Manager of the Insurance Regulatory Development
Authority of India. IBBI is a regulator over the Insolvency
Professionals, Insolvency Professional Agencies and
Information Utilities.
22. Pakistans High Commissioner to India -- Sohail
Mahmood.
Note: He replaced Abdul Basit after his premature
retirement earlier this month.
23. Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed career
diplomat as Russia's new ambassador to India -- Nikolay
Kudashev.
Note: Currently, Nikolay Kudashev is the Deputy Director
General Secretariat of the Ministry of foreign Affairs of
Russia. Kudashevs appointment comes nearly seven
months after the death of Russia's previous ambassador to
India Alexander Kadakin.
24. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Rajya Sabha TV --
Shashi Shekhar Vempati.
Note: The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at public
broadcaster Prasar Bharati Shashi Shekhar Vempati has
been given the additional charge of CEO in Rajya Sabha TV
(RSTV).
25. The chairman of the technical committee for the 48th
International Film Festival of India (IFFI)-2017-- Nagesh
Kukunoor.
Note:The technical committee will have 12 members and
will be chaired by Nagesh Kukunoor.
26. The new Chairman of Railway Board -- Ashwani Lohani.
Note: Lohani, who is the Current Chairman and Managing
Director of Air India has a degree in mechanical
engineering and has also served as Delhis Divisional
Railway Manager.
27. The union govt. has appointed senior IAS officer as the
Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Air India --
Rajiv Bansal.
Note: Presently, Bansal is additional secretary and
financial adviser at the petroleum ministry. Air India is the
flag carrier airline of India, owned by Air India Limited and
operates a fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft serving 90
domestic and international destinations.
28. Who has appointment as non-official director/non-
executive chairman of Syndicate Bank for three years --
Mr. Ajay Vipin Nanavati.
Note: In 2015, the government had bifurcated the posts of
chairman and managing director in public sector banks.
29. The Director General (DG) Railway Protection Force --
Shri Dharmendra Kumar.
Note: Presently he is working in CISF as Additional DG.
The Railway Protection Force (RPF) is a security force of
India entrusted with protecting railway passengers,
passenger area and railway property of the Indian
Railways.
30. Indian Hotels Company Limited (runs the Taj chain of
hotels) has appointed India-born as its Managing Director
(MD) chief executive officer(CEO) -- Puneet Chhatwal.
Note: He will replace Rakesh Sarna who is stepping down
from 30th September,2017. Chhatwal attended Delhi
Public School (DPS) in Mathura Road, pursued a degree in
hotel management at IHM, Pusa Road.
31. The new non-executive Chairman of Infosys-- Nandan
Nilekani.
Note: The Infosys co-founder and the architect of Aadhaar
Nandan Nilekani has been appointed as the new non-
executive chairman of the board of directors of Infosys.

Important News India

1. Justice B N Srikrishna committee of experts under the
chairmanship of a former Judge of Supreme Court to study
and identify key data protection issues.
Note: The purpose to form the committee is to recognize
the importance of data protection and keeping personal
data of citizens secure and protected. The committee will
also suggest a draft Data Protection Bill.
2. The Union government has launched a portal to provide a
platform to sell agricultural produce -- e-RaKAM.
Note: The e-RaKAM is a first of its kind initiative that
leverages technology to connect farmers of the smallest
villages to the biggest markets of the world through
internet.
3. Indian Army has developed a mobile app for soldiers to
track promotions and postings-- Humraaz app.

6|Page
www.gradeup.co
Note: With the help of this app soldiers can view their
monthly salary slips & the Form 16 and also download
them.The app will be launched in the second week of
August for prompt communication of information to junior
commissioner officers and other personnel.
4. The Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Madan B
Lokur has imposed a ban on the use of five harmful metals
in firecrackers as they cause enormous air pollution --
lithium, mercury, arsenic, antimony, lead metals.
Note: The order came after the Central Pollution Control
Board's (CPCB) Member Secretary told the top court that
standards on air pollution caused by the bursting of
firecrackers are yet to be laid down.
5. Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Narendra Singh
Tomar has launched Swachh Survekshan-2018 in -- New 12. The World Bank has allowed India to construct hydro-
Delhi.
Note: Mr. Tomar also released a comprehensive Survey
Tool Kit, explaining the methodology, weightages and new
features. This first Pan-India sanitation survey will start on
4th January next year.
6. Indias first private sector missile sub-systems
manufacturing facility has set up in the city -- Hyderabad.
Note:It has been established a line with the Make in India 13. Who has joined hands with the Indian Dental Association
initiative and Governments policy to encourage private
sector participation in defense product.
7. The committee has submitted report on
institutionalization of arbitration mechanism in India -- BN
Srikrishna committee.
Note: The committee has recommended for setting up an
Autonomous Body, Arbitration Promotion Council of India
(APCI) having representatives from all stakeholders for
grading arbitral institutions in India.
8. The union govt. has ordered state-run oil companies to
raise subsidised cooking gas (LPG) prices by four rupees
per cylinder every month to eliminate all the subsidies by -
- March 2018.
Note: Every household is entitled to 12 cylinders (14.2-kg
each) at subsidised rates in a year and any requirement
beyond that is to be purchased at market price.
9. Who has constituted a committee on fair market conduct,
which will be headed by former Lok Sabha secretary and
law secretary T K Viswanathan -- SEBI.
Note: The committee has been tasked with suggesting
improvements to the existing SEBI norms, including on
insider trading and Fraudulent and Unfair Trade practices 16. Union ministry has launched a 2017 Swachh Survekshan
(FUTP).
10. The 2nd programme of AGRI-UDAAN to promote
innovation and entrepreneurship in agriculture launched
in -- New Delhi.
7|Page
Note: It will mentor startups and help them connect with
potential investors. The program focuses on catalyzing
scale-up stage food and agribusiness startups through
rigorous mentoring, industry networking and investor
pitching.
11. The Union Ministry has launched a contest for designing a
logo for the 'Women of India Festival' to be held at Dilli
Haat in October 2017 -- Women and Child Development
Ministry.
Note: The event is organized and fully sponsored by the
Ministry as part of their major initiative of economic
empowerment of women. The Women of India Festival
offers the biggest selection of organic products prepared
or grown by women.
electric power facilities on tributaries of the Jhelum and
Chenab rivers under the Treaty -- Indus Waters Treaty.
Note: Earlier, Pakistan is opposed to the construction of
the Kishanganga and Ratle hydroelectric power plants
being built by India in Jammu and Kashmir. India is
permitted to construct hydroelectric power facilities on
these rivers subject to specified constraints.
(IDA) to start India's first digital initiative for prevention
and early detection of oral cancer -- Tata Memorial
Centre.
Note: Tata Memorial Centre and The Indian Dental
Association (IDA) together have launched a special course
on Oral Cancer on 27th last month. The day is celebrated
as the World Head and Neck Cancer Day to create
awareness and early detection of oral cancer.
14. The union Govt. has proposed to establish new AIIMS
under various phases of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya
Suraksha Yojana in different parts of the country -- 14.
Note: An additional 1,563 new beds will be added in the
existing capacity of AIIMS at Delhi and 73 existing medical
institutions are being upgraded by setting up of super
specialty blocks, trauma centres in the country.
15. Delhi Police's women safety mobile application via cab
aggregator Uber's application while travelling in taxis --
Himmat.
Note: In addition to the emergency button in the Uber app,
riders will now have one more touch point to access the
police helpline in case of an emergency.
(Gramin) -- Drinking Water and Sanitation ministry.
Note: All districts of the country will be ranked on the
basis of performance, sustainability and transparency
Under the Swachh Survekshan Gramin.
www.gradeup.co
17. A special event Dawn of cruise tourism in India has
launched in the city to promote cruise tourism in India --
Mumbai.
Note: This initiative has a potential revenue gains to all
stakeholders of close to Rs. 35000 crores.
18. NITI Aayog shortlisted Uttar Pradesh, Assam, and
Karnataka under its 'Sustainable Action for Transforming
Human Capital', SATH initiative to handhold them and
transform their health sector.
Note: To give major push to competitive, cooperative
federalism, the government think tank had invited all
states and Union Territories to participate in its SATH
initiative to transform Health and Education sectors.
19. Indias first micro forest being built in -- Chhattisgarh.
Note: Micro forest (land of 19 acres), housed around 70
government office buildings in Raipur (Chhattisgarh) is
being converted into Indias first micro forest to create an
oxy-zone.
20. Indian city to host the India ASEAN Youth summit 2017--
Bhopal.
Note: The India ASEAN Youth summit- 2017 held in
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) with theme Shared values,
common destiny.Over 175 delegations of youths from
Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei,
Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and India
will attend the Summit.
21. The NCERTs Web portal for supply of textbooks to schools
and individuals-- www.ncertbooks.ncert.gov.in.
Note: The portal will ensure better distribution of
textbooks across the country and address the concerns of
schools and parents, regarding unavailability of textbooks.
22. The union govt. has fixed an ambitious target of installing
60 giga watt (GW) wind power capacity in the country by
_--2022.
Note: The annual wind power capacity addition of around
5500 mega-watts is required to meet wind capacity target
of 60 GW.The current wind power installed capacity in the
country is over 32.5 GW.
23. The union govt. has set a target of providing skill training
to one crore people in next three years under -- Pradhan
Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana.
Note: The skill training will be provided through Pradhan
Mantri Kaushal Kendra(PMKK). The target is to set up five
hundred such Kendras in various parts of the country out
of which two hundred are functional. A separate national
skill certification board will be set up in the Ministry to
enable the ITIs to provide equivalence to class 10th and
12th at par with CBSE and ICSE.
8|Page
24. National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed an interim
ban on use of non-biodegradable plastic bags which are
less than 50 microns in the entire Delhi
Note: An environment compensation of Rs. 5,000 on
anyone found in posession of such banned plastic.The
tribunal directed Delhi government to seize the entire
stock of plastic within one week. The National Green
Tribunal (NGT) was established in 2010 by the National
Green Tribunal Act.
25. Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP)
under Ministry of Commerce and Industry has approved
two projects for development of industrial clusters in
Andhra Pradesh -- Hindupur and Bobbili.
Note: The objective of the above projects is to provide
quality and reliable infrastructure to industrial units
located in these clusters.
26. The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC)
and Google India jointly launched the Android Skill
Development Programme to impart mobile app
development training on the Android and Web platform
Note: It will also improve the quality of mobile app
development ecosystem in India. Now, NSDC would
introduce a specific course to create applications for the
mobile platform that can be used on smart phones and
tablets running on the Android operating system.
27. All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has
decided to close down those technical colleges which
recorded less than 30% admissions in the last five years.
Note: With over 27 lakh seats lying vacant in various
engineering colleges across the country, such colleges will
be closed down from next year.
28. The ministry will celebrate Sankalp to Siddhi- New India
Manthan in all the districts of the country from 19th to
30th of this month -- Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
ministry.
Note: This program will last for two and a half hours in
which the first video message of the Prime Minister to be
shown. A film will be shown on the efforts being made by
the government for agricultural development and the
resolution will be taken to free the country from poverty,
corruption, terrorism, communalism and casteism.
29. The nationwide campaign Gaj Yatra has been launched by
the Union Govt. to protect elephant.
30. The parliamentary panel B C Khanduri has recommended
100% pension to widow of deceased soldier.
Note: In the report, the panel has recommended the 100%
pension to widow of deceased soldier so that she can take
care of her family.
www.gradeup.co

31. Defence Ministry has approved delegation of Note: GeMSamvad will be a participative and
administrative and financial powers to the Border Roads collaborative approach with the industry for promoting
Organisation (BRO). Indian industry and entrepreneurship. The purchases
Note:BRO develops and maintains road networks in through GeM have been made mandatory by Union
Indias border areas and friendly neighbouring countries. Finance Ministry by adding Rule No 149 in the General
32. The Union govt. has directed internet majors Google, Financial Rules, 2017.
Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Microsoft, and Yahoo to 38. Dr. Harsh Vardhan has launched the Harit Diwali, Swasth
immediately remove links of the dangerous online game -- Diwali campaign in New Delhi.
Blue Whale Challenge. Note: As a part of the campaign, the Environment Ministry
Note: There are instances of children committing suicide will undertake various activities to create awareness
in India while playing this online game. The Blue Whale among various stakeholders and encourage people to
Challenge is a suicide game in which the player is given participate in combating air pollution.
certain tasks to complete for a period of 50 days and the 39. The historical annual Manimahesh Yatra is under way
final task leads to suicide. these days in -- Chamba district (Himachal Pradesh).
33. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has Note: Pilgrims are visiting Manimahesh to worship God
approved the proposal for the strategic disinvestment -- Shiva and Goddess Parvati. The famous sacred
Department of Investment and public Asset Manimahesh Lake is situated at nearly 14,000 feet height
Management (DIPAM). in Bharmour area. Every year this yatra begins on
Note: The department will set up an alternative Janamashtami and concludes after fifteen days on Radha
mechanism comprising of the Finance Minister, Minister Ashtami.
for Road Transport and Highways and Minister of 40. The Defence Acquisition Council meeting has cleared a
Administrative Department to decide on the matters proposal to procure AH-64 Apache attack helicopters for
relating to terms and conditions of the sale from the stage Army -- Six.
of inviting of Express of Interests till inviting of financial Note: The cost of Apaches (including associated
bid. equipment, spares, training, weapons and armaments) is
34. The union minister Rajnath Singh has launched the live about 4,168 crore rupees.The Council has also approved a
twitter wall for promoting Bharat Ke Veer portal. proposal to procure two gas turbine engines for Naval
Note: This portal facilitates online donation directly to the ships at a cost of 490 crore rupees.
families of CAPF Martyrs who have sacrificed their lives for 41. Textile Minister Smriti Irani has inaugurated "Second
the country in line of duty from January 2016. Groundbreaking ceremony at Jamshedpur in Jharkhand
35. JP Nadda has launched 15 medical outlets of AMRIT for laying foundation stones of 70 new companies.
Deendayal in Assam, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab through Note: The foundation stones for 70 companies were laid
Video Conference from Shimla. whose permissions have been granted after receiving the
Note: Mr Nadda has also inaugurated one outlet of AMRIT proposals few months ago. This is part of Jharkhand
Deendayal at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), government emphasis to boost manufacturing in the state.
Shimla.The purpose of AMRIT Deendayal programme is to 42. The union govt. has doubled the child care allowance for
provide different kind of medicines and equipments on women employees with disabilities to -- Rs. 3000 per
cheap rates to the patients. month.
36. Energy Efficiency Services Limited has signed an MoU with Note: Currently, the allowance of Rs. 1,500 per month is
oil marketing companies for distribution of UJALA Energy given to Divyang female employees for taking care of their
Efficient Appliances through-- Petrol Pumps. new born child. The decision to hike the allowance is
Note: In the first phase, distribution will commence from based on the recommendations of seventh central pay
Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. The consumer can commission.
purchase Energy efficient LED bulb at Rs. 70, tube light at 43. India has registered a growth of foreign tourist arrivals
Rs. 220 and 5 star rated ceiling fans at Rs. 1200. from January to July this year -- over 15%.
37. The Government eMarketplace (GeM) SPV and the Note: The highest number of tourists arrived from
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has signed a Bangladesh (20.12%), followed by the US (16.26%), the
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a GeM UK (10.88%) and France (3.01%).
Industry forum -- GeMSamvad.

9|Page
www.gradeup.co
44. Indias first museum on the Partition of the Indian Sub-
continent will open in the state -- Punjab.
Note: The museum will include newspaper clippings and
donated personal items meant to tell the story of how the
regions struggle for freedom from colonial rule turned
into one of its most violent episodes.
45. The National Highways Authority of India has launched a
mobile app for smooth functioning of electronic toll
collection --MyFASTag.
Note:The mobile apps will ease the process and will make
it possible to buy or recharge FASTags at the click of a
mobile button.
46. The board of oil and gas company has given 'in-principle'
approval to acquire government's 51.11 % stake in
Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd. in New Delhi -- Oil and
Natural Gas Corp (ONGC).
Note: The ONGC board also constituted a committee of
directors to examine various aspects of the acquisition and 54. Who planning to form a national registry of skilled people
to provide its recommendations to the board of
directors.Earlier, the union govt. had also approved the
sale of its 51.11% stake in oil refiner HPCL to India's
largest oil producer ONGC.
47. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has
signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the Malaysian
Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to 55. Arun Jaitley has launched BEMLs third Line Ultra-
jointly conduct capacity building exercises in the fields of
broadcasting and telecommunications regulation.
48. UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India) has
joined hands with CSC India for launching door step
enrolment facility in the national capital who cannot travel
the Aadhar centres.
Note: CSC India provides permit and monitors operations
of common service centres across India which are meant
to provide government services in rural area.
49. Venkaiah Naidu has officially launch the Sports Ministrys
National Sports Talent Search Portal at the Indira Gandhi
Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.
Note: The portal will provide a three-step simple process
for registration, profile creation and upload of
achievements. Around 1000 kids will be selected and they
will receive scholarships of Rs 5 lakh per year for eight
years.
50. The task force has been constituted by the Union
Government on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Indias
economic transformation -- V. Kamakoti task force
Note: The eighteen members panel, headed by Dr. V.
Kamakoti will comprise of experts, academics, researchers,
and industry leaders. It will explore possibilities to
leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) for development across 58. The ministry will launch Deep Ocean Mission by January
various fields.
51. The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI)
Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant has launched the Mentor India
Campaign in -- New Delhi.
Note: The campaign is a strategic nation building initiative
to engage leaders who can nurture and guide students at
10 | P a g e
more than 900 Atal Tinkering Labs. The labs are dedicated
workspaces where students from Class 6th to 12th learn
innovation skills and develop ideas that will go on to
transform India.
52. National Sports Museum to be established to popularize
the sports as a way of life within the country in -- New
Delhi.
Note: The Museum will show case Indias achievements in
sports and also focus on the traditional sports within the
country.The proposed Museum would go beyond the
classical approach of a collection of memorabilia to
become an interactive venue of interest for all age groups.
53. The union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has
inaugurated the countrys first Videsh Bhavan -- Bandra
Kurla Complex (BKC), Mumbai.
Note: The Videsh Bhavan in the city is the first integrated
office complex of the MEA established in any state of the
country. The facility will help in effective management of
the MEAs engagement with the Maharashtra government.
to help upgrade the large number of unskilled population
in the country -- Indian Society for Training and
Development (ISTD).
Note: ISTD has been appointed as the nodal agency for
assessment for testing and certification of skills for all
sectors and states.
Modern Metro Manufacturing Facility to enhance the
production of metro cars for the forthcoming metro
projects in India.
Note: He also inaugurated the indigenously designed and
developed biggest ever diesel excavator BE1800D and
crawler dozer BD475-1 and T-72 hull. It has been designed
for fitting into tanks, at Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) unit of
Bharath Earth Movers Limited.
56. Ministry of Textiles will organize a Pan India camps in
handlooms and handicrafts clusters, under the initiative
Hastkala Sahyog Shivir on 7-17th of October this year.
Note: This initiative is dedicated to Pandit Deendayal
Upadhyay Garib Kalyan Varsh, the birth centenary year of
Pandit Deendayal Upadhayay. These camps will be
organized in more than 200 handloom Block Level
Clusters and Weavers Service Centres in collaboration
with State Governments.
57. Scientists have developed carbon nanotubes over 50,000
times thinner than a human hair which can separate salt
from-- seawater.
Note: The team found that water permeability in carbon
nanotubes (CNTs) with diameters of 0.8 nanometre
significantly exceeds that of wider carbon nanotubes.
2018 to spur research activities in ocean science and
develop technology to harness ocean resources-- Ministry
of Earth Sciences (MoES).
Note: The proposed inter-ministerial and
interdisciplinary project aims to explore and harness
mineral resources beneath the ocean floor.
www.gradeup.co
59. The union govt. extended the deadline to furnish Aaadhar
to avail benefits of social welfare schemes till -- 31st
December 2017.
60. Rajnath Singh has inaugurated an initiative under
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana YUVA a skill
development program, by Delhi Police. 62. The union Govt. has approved increase in income criteria
Note: This initiative will connect with youth by upgrading
their skill as per their competencies. Now, the Delhi Police
has tied up with National Skill Development Corporation
(NSDC) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for
providing mass job linked skill training for selected youth.
61. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has
launched its navigation satellite IRNSS-1H from Satish
Dhavan Space Centre at Sriharikotta, on board the rocket
PSLV C39.
States News
1. The 2017 Aadi Perukku festival is celebrated in which
Indian state -- Tamil Nadu.
Note: The Aadi Perukku festival is being celebrated with
traditional gaiety to express gratitude to water bodies in
Tamil Nadu.The festival is celebrated on the 18th of Aadi
month in Tamil calendar year to express gratitude to
water bodies especially Cauvery river.
2. The union Govt. has approved establishment of Post
Graduate Institutes for Research in Yoga and
Naturopathy at -- Nagmangla(Karnataka) and
Jhajjar(Haryana).
Note: An autonomous Research body, Central Council for
Research in Yoga and Naturopathy (CCRYN) is working
under the Ministry of AYUSH as the apex body for
Research and Education in the field of Yoga and
Naturopathy.
3. Telangana state has tied up with Microsoft to use its AI-
based MINE platform to screen children for eye
problems.
Note:The Microsoft Intelligent Network for Eyecare
(MINE) is an artificial intelligence platform to reduce
avoidable blindness.
4. The Punjab govt. has initiated the process of inducting
Harmanpreet Kaur to the post of Deputy Superintendent
of Police (DSP) in the state police.
Note: The state Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has
directed the state Director General of Police (DGP) to
complete the necessary formalities for her appointment.
5. The Maharashtra government has constituted committee
on safety measures for women in IT sector -- Rashmi
Shukla committee.
Note:The committee will suggest measures that can be
undertaken to ensure safety of women working in the IT
sector.
6. The Maharashtra govt. has launched Aadhaar-
authenticated Direct Benefit Transfer portal
____MahaDBT.
11 | P a g e
Note: The satellite IRNSS-1H is a part of the indigenous
navigation system called NavIC. NavIC system is
equivalent to the GPS service, having footprint over the
whole of India and about 1500 kilometers from its borders
on all sides.
for creamy layer for excluding socially advanced persons
from the purview of reservation of other backward classes
(OBC) from six lakh rupees per annum to -- eight lakh
rupees per annum
Note: Now, more people to take advantage of reservation
benefits extended to the OBCs in government services and
in admission to Central educational institutions. The
income limit is based on increase in consumer price index.
Note: Now, Maharashtra state has become the first state
in India to launch such a system that will provide direct
benefits with Aadhaar authentication. The MahaDBT
portal is an Aadhaar-authenticated electronic mechanism
that will enable direct transfer of benefits for over 40
schemes currently implemented.
7. Jharkhand state Cabinet has approved Religious
Freedom Bill 2017 in which forceful or allurement
induced religious conversion will be a non-bailable
criminal offence.
Note: In the event of violation of section three, there will
be up to three years imprisonment or Rs. 50,000
penalties or both. If the crime involved a minor, woman
or person from SC or ST community then the prison term
would be up to four years and a penalty of one lakh
rupees.
8. The Uttar Pradesh state cabinet has decided to go
Digital by transforming all state-run offices into e-offices.
Note: e-office would commence from the state
secretariat from 1st October and by January next year all
the state government offices would be equipped with the
system.The Cabinet has also decided to spend around 57
crore rupees for purchase of computers and training of
the employees for the purpose.
9. Bihar Govt. has decided to compulsory retire non-
performing head masters, teachers, and education
department officials above the age of 50 years.
Note: Those teachers having failed thrice in the
assessment test would also be removed.The state
government is in process of identifying non-performing
institutions and all those responsible for poor show will
be given compulsory retirement. The government will
also go in for merger of two or more schools in the same
building in urban areas. The surplus teacher will be
relocated elsewhere for rationalisation.
10. The union minister of state for Civil Aviation Jayanth
Sinha has launched a service to provide air transit from
www.gradeup.co
Kempegowda International airport to Electronic City
within Bengaluru city -- Helitaxi service.
Note: The commercial operations will begin in another
couple of months.
11. The Maharashtra Govt. has launched two online
portals 'MahaDBT & MahaVASTU' to streamline the
process of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) __
Note: The portals were launched with an aim to bring in
more transparency in construction sector and to provide
direct benefits with 'Aadhaar' authentication. MahaDBT
portal is Aadhaar-authenticated electronic mechanism
that will enable direct transfer of benefits for over 40
schemes and DBT scheme,Aadhaar will be mandatory to
claim benefits through this portal. MahaVASTU portal is
an Online Building Permission Management System with
an electronic workflow for sanctioning building
approvals with full transparency.
12. Indias initiative to develop green airports, two airports
in Andhra Pradesh are going to go completely green --
Tirupati and Vijayawada.
Note:Airports Authority of India (AAI) has commenced
installation of 1MWp solar power plant at both the
airports. It has also completed installation of solar power
plants at 29 airports/locations with a total capacity of
12.84 MWp
13. The state govt. to provide land with record to landless
slum dwellers -- Odisha.
Note: According to the decision, 600 square feet land will
be provided in 112 Notified Area Councils while 450
square feet land would be provided in 107 municipal
areas.In corporation areas, government will provide
houses to the slum dwellers.
14. The Jammu and Kashmir govt. has announced to spend
around Rs 1 lakh Cr on development works with special
emphasis on education and road connectivity over the
next five years.
Note: The new projects are being taken up regularly
whereas old ones are being completed with expedited
urgency.
15. The UP govt. has launched awareness drive along banks
of river Ganga to maintain cleanliness.
Note: The Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath flagged off an
awareness drive the 'Namami Gange Jagriti Yatra in 25
districts situated on the banks of river Ganga for
maintaining the cleanliness and ever-flowing nature of
the river. Around one lakh Home guard volunteers will
organise public gathering and other awareness
programmes in the district under this project till the 6th
Sep 2017.
16. The Gujarat govt. has distributed NAMO e-tabs to college
students across the state.
Note: e-tablet which costs Rs 8000 is being distributed
to the students for one thousand Rupees only. The
Government will distribute e-tablets to 4 lakh students
during this year for which provision of Rs.300 crore has
been made. 21.5 lakh students have already registered
for this NAMO- e-TAB.
12 | P a g e
17. Bihar govt. has launched mobile therapy vans which
would provide basic medical assistance to elderly people,
widows and other section who requires social security.
Note: The vans equipped with basic medical apparatus
and accompanied by technical team would provide basic
medical care to elderly people, widows and disabled in
the districts. The van is an outcome of a joint project of
the World Bank and the Bihar government which is run
by Social Welfare department.
18. Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis has
launched an initiative providing job opportunities to
unemployed youth in Mumbai -- Namo Yuva Rojgar
Kendra.
Note: Under this Yuva Rojgar Kendra and Mumbaikars
can get fresh and healthy food as well as farm produce
procured directly from farmers.
19. The state assembly has passed Religious Freedom Bill
2017, which aims to stop the forced conversions in the
state -- Jharkhand.
Note: A person converting willingly will have to inform
the Deputy Commissioner about details such as time,
place and the person who administers the conversion
proceedings.
20. Chief Minister of Odisha 'Naveen Patnaik' has launched
Facebook's programme for women entrepreneurs in the
state -- She Means Business.
Note: The SheMeansBusiness programme has been
launched in 16 countries across the world including
India.The programme was launched in partnership with
Odishas micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME)
department and Project Mission Shakti.Around 25000
women entrepreneurs and Self-Help Group (SHG)
members will get training on digital marketing skills by
the end of 2018.
21. The Indian cities have been selected for the
implementation of a biodiversity conservation project
supported by Germany -- Kochi, Mangaluru, and
Panaji.
Note: These cities will receive support for the project,
which aims to support the implementation of National
Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans through the
mainstreaming of biodiversity objectives across city
regions. The projects primarily aims to achieve Aichi
Target 2.
22. The state government has launched Indira Canteen for
urban poor-- Karnataka.
Note: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has
launched the Indira Canteen scheme aimed at providing
food at low cost to the urban poor.The canteens are
loosely modelled on late Tamil Nadu chief minister J.
Jayalalithaas Amma Canteens.
23. Social education start-up Meghshala Trust has launched
offline mobile app on Google Play Store for Karnataka
teachers --Meghshala.
Note: The app empowers teachers with the necessary
tools and resources to create classroom learning
experiences. It is preloaded with over 2,500 of
www.gradeup.co
Meghashalas TeachKits, aligned to the Karnataka State
curriculum for science, maths, English and social studies
in Kannada, English, and Hindi.
24. Indias first-ever railways disaster management centre
will come up in the city -- Bengaluru.
Note: Indias first-ever railways disaster management
centre will come up near Bengaluru, Karnataka by 2018.
25. Indias first-ever aviation university Rajiv Gandhi
National Aviation University (RGNAU) will come up in
Uttar Pradesh.
Note: Indias first-ever aviation university will be
inaugurated at Fursatganj in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh.
26. New Delhi hosted the Chief Electoral Officers
Conference of all States and Union Territories.
Note: The Chief Electoral Officers Conference of all
States and Union Territories has been inaugurated by
Chief Election Commissioner Achal Kumar Joti and
Election Commissioner OP Rawat in New Delhi.
27. The Telangana govt. has launched an exclusive 247
helpline 181 for women.
Note: The helpline will respond to calls on dowry
harassment cases, stalking, domestic violence, sale of girl
child and immoral trafficking.
28. The Telangana govt. has decided to conduct a
comprehensive land survey in the state to address
disputes and litigations over maintenance of land records
and ownership.
Note: The survey would be done in 10,875 villages in the
state.The surveying personnel would stay put in the
villages for conducting the survey and they will update
land records online.
Important Day
1. The World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is observed every
year from -- 1st to 7th August.
Note: The week to focus attention on the important
aspect of promotion and support of breastfeeding. The
2017 theme is Sustaining Breastfeeding Together.
2. The National Handloom Day is celebrated in India -- 7th
August.
Note: The National Handloom Day is celebrated in India
on 7th to mark a 1905 movement that boycotted British
products in favour of the revival of domestic ones.
3. The International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples
is observed on --9th August.
Note:The day promote and protect the rights of the
worlds indigenous population.
4. The International Biodiesel Day (IBD) is celebrated every
year on --10th August.
Note: The Biodiesel is an alternative fuel which can be
used in place of fossil fuels. It is manufactured from
vegetable oils, recycled grease, algae, and animal fat.
5. The International Youth Day (IYD) is observed every year
on--12th August.
13 | P a g e
29. The state govt. has decided to build an Eco-Park on
thirty-four acres of land -- Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
Note: The park is a first-of-its-kind project in the region,
planned under the convergence of local resources and it
is expected to be completed by end of this year.The eco-
park will have a botanical garden, a cactus garden, a
cafeteria and other amenities
30. The state government has launched a new E-Waste
Disposal scheme in state schools -- Kerala.
Note: The E-waste includes old monitors, mouses,
keyboards and UPS, among other things that have been
lying unused since 2000 in the state.
31. The UP govt. has decided to end the process of holding
interview for selection of candidates for the government
jobs in all the non-gazetted posts of Group B, C and D
categories.
Note: The decision has been taken keeping in mind the
system followed by the Government of India. The state
government has decided to do away with interview in
the recruitment of non-gazetted officers from Class II to
IV.
32. The Gurugram city to host Digital Haryana Summit
(SHS).
Note: The Haryana government will organize Digital
Haryana Summit (DHS) in Gurugram on 15th September
2017. The purpose of the summit is to bring together
different stakeholders and develop a singular agenda for
the digital transformation of Haryana, in line with the
Digital India initiative.
33. The Karnataka govt. has tied up with tech giant
Microsoft to develop Indias first Farm Price Forecasting
Model.
Note: The 2017 theme is Youth Building Peace, which
recognizes the contributions of young people to
preventing conflict, supporting inclusion, social justice,
and sustainable peace.
6. The Parsi New Year is being celebrated across the world -
- Navroz.
Note: The day is dedicated to clean and purify the mind
and start a new year with love and peace. Parsis wear
traditional clothes and visit fire temple also known as
Agiary and offer milk, flowers, fruits, sandalwood to the
sacred fire.
7. The World Humanitarian Day (WHD) is observed every
year across the world on --19th August.
Note: The day provides an opportunity to celebrate the
spirit that inspires humanitarian work around the
globe.The theme of this year 2017 is #NotATarget.
8. The World Photography Day is observed every year
across the world on --19th August.
Note: On this day, camera persons take stock of the
different kind of photography that has come to the fore.
www.gradeup.co
On August 19 in 2010, World Photo Day hosted its first
global online gallery.
9. The 2017 World Mosquito Day (WMD) is observed on --
20th August.
Note: The World Mosquito Day (WMD) raise awareness
about the threat of malaria and other diseases
transmitted by one of the worlds deadliest killers the
mosquito.
10. The 413th birthday of 11th guru of Sikhs is being
celebrated with religious fervor--Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
Note: The Guru Granth Sahib (also called the Adi Granth
or Adi Guru Darbar) is more than just a scripture of the
Sikhs for the Sikhs treat this Granth as their living
perpetual Guru. Sri Guru Arjan Dev ji completed the Aad
Granth in 1604 and first Parkash was done at Sri
Harmandir Sahib.
11. The 2017 International Day for the Remembrance of the
Slave Trade and its Abolition is observed on --23rd
August.
Honors & Award
1. Odisha Chief Minister has announced cash incentive of
Rs. 5 lakh each for two sprinters of the state, Dutee
Chand and Jauna Murmu after they qualified for the 22nd
World Athletics Championships in London.
Note: Dutee's for 100 m sprint (11.30 seconds) gives her
a current global ranking of 103. Murmu has also showed
impressive performance to entered the final in 400
metres hurdles in the Championships.
2. The sportsperson Dhanraj Pillay has been honored with
the East Bengal football clubs highest honour 'Bharat
Gaurav' Note: He represented the country in four
Olympics, World Cups, Champions Trophy, and Asian
Games. He played total 339 matches for India, scoring
170 goals.
3. Mukesh Ambani has become the Asias second richest
man according to the 2017 Bloomberg Billionaires Index
(BBI).
Note: Currently, Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma is the
richest person in Asia with a net worth of USD 43.2
billion.
4. Three-time National Award Winner Veteran actress has
been selected for this year's Prem Nazir Award --
Sharada.
Note: The award, carrying a purse of Rs 75,000, a
statuette and a citation.The award will be presented to
Sharada at a function at Chirayankeezhu (Kerala) on
15th August.
5. Legendary Indian athlete has been appointed WHO
Goodwill Ambassador for Physical Activity in South-East
Asia Region -- Milkha Singh.
Note: Milkha will promote WHO South-East Asia
Region's NCD Prevention and Control Action Plan which
seeks to reduce the level of insufficient physical activity
by 10% and NCDs by 25 % by 2025.An estimated 8.5
14 | P a g e
Note: The day pay tribute to all those who fought for
freedom, and, in their name, to continue teaching about
their story and the values therein.
12. The 2017 International Day against Nuclear Tests
(IDANT) is observed on -- 29th August.
Note: The International Day against Nuclear Tests
(IDANT) is observed every year on 29th August to raise
public awareness about the effects of global nuclear
weapon tests. The purpose of the day is to end nuclear
testing and to promote peace and security.
13. The National Sports day in India is celebrated every year
to mark the birthday of hockey player Dhyan Chand --
29th August.
Note: Dhyan Chand was an Indian field hockey player,
who is considered as one of the greatest field hockey
players of all time.
million people die due to NCDs every year in WHO South-
East Asia Region.
6. Veteran journalist and star of Mysore Columnist has
bagged for the first Kesari Media Award -- T J S George.
Note: The award consists of a purse of Rs 50,000, citation
and a statuette designed by renowned artist Bhatathiri.
The award instituted by the Kesari Memorial Journalist
Trust(KMJT).
7. Indian-origin personality will be honoured with the Asia
Game Changers Award- 2017--Dev Patel.
Note: He will be honoured by the Asia Society for making
a transformative and positive difference for the future of
Asia and the world.Patel has turned his attention and
star power to philanthropy.
8. The world's most liveable city named by Economist
Intelligence Unit (EIU) -- Melbourne (Australia).
Note: It was a record seventh time in a row from 2011 to
2017 in the top spot for Melbourne. Vienna once again
came second and Vancouver third.The Economist
Intelligence Unit's (EIU) Liveability Index ranks 140
cities each year on those topics, as well as stability,
culture, and environment.
9. K Chandrashekhar Rao has been selected for the
prestigious Agriculture Leadership Award-2017 for his
innovative services rendered to the welfare of farmers
and the farm sector.
Note: The Indian Council of Food and Agriculture (ICFA)
Committee headed by agriculture scientist MS
Swaminathan has recommended the CMs name. The
award will be presented on 5th September at Taj Palace
Hotel in New Delhi.
10. Indian-origin school boy Rahul Doshi has been crowned
as the UKs Child Genius in a popular television quiz
competition.
www.gradeup.co
Note: He won the Channel 4 show 'Child Genius' by
defeating his nine-year-old opponent Ronan 10-4 in the
programme's finale. Rahul has an IQ of 162, which is
believed to be higher than the likes of Albert Einstein and
Stephen Hawking.
11. The Biju Patnaik Award for Scientific Excellence-2016 --
Digambar Behera.
Note: The Biju Patnaik Award for Scientific Excellence
for the year 2016 to Prof Digambar Behera. The award
was instituted by Odisha Bigyan Academy (OBA) and is
given to any Odia scientist working anywhere in India or
abroad each year for his/her lifetime research
contributions in the field of science and technology.
Obituaries
1. Veteran congress leader and former union minister
passed away in Silchar, Assam -- Santosh Mohan Dev.
Note: He was Union Minister for Heavy Industries and
Public Enterprise in the first UPA government led by Dr
Manmohan Singh. Mr. Dev was elected as the Member of
Parliament from two different states in seven terms
(Silchar, Assam five times and Tripura twice).
2. The veteran molecular biologist and a vehement critic of
genetically modified crops, has passed away in
Hyderabad--Pushpa Bhargava.
Note: Mr. Bhargava was the Founder-Director of Centre
for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad.
Bhargava is a recipient of over 100 national &
international awards and the Legion d'Honneur in 1998
of France.
3. The veteran Karnataka BJP leader who credited with
building the party brick by brick in its early years in the
State passed away in Bengaluru -- BB Shivappa.
Note: Shivappa played an important role in the formation
of the first ever non-Congress government in Karnataka,
led by Ramakrishna Hegde in 1983.
4. Eminent Dhrupad singer passed away in Pune-- Ustad
Sayeeduddin Dagar.
Note: He had dedicated his life to keeping the Dhrupad
tradition alive.Dhrupad is a genre in Hindustani classical
music initially sung only in the temples, the singer facing
the Lord.
5. Noted actor who portrayed the role of Minister of Magic
Cornelius Fudge in four of the Harry Potter films passed
away in London, England --Robert Hard.
6. Former Union minister and BJP's Member of Parliament
from Ajmer passed away in New Delhi -- Prof Sanwar Lal
Jat.
15 | P a g e
12. Kolkatas transwoman has crowned the first Miss
TransQueen India in Gurugram, Haryana-- Nitasha
Biswas.
Note: Currently, Biswas is pursuing Masters in Business
Management in Kolkata, West Bengal. Miss Transsexual
Australia 2017 Laeticia Phylliscia Raveena had crowned
the first Miss TransQueen India.
13. Maneka Gandhi has conferred national awards to
Anganwadi workers for their exceptional achievements.
Note: A total of 51 Anganwadi workers from different
States and union territories will be conferred award for
2016-17. The award is given to the Anganwadi workers
nominated by the States and Union Territories. The
Award comprises of 25 thousand rupees cash and a
citation.
Note: Prof Sanwar Lal Jat was member of the Rajasthan
Legislative Assembly for five terms and also served as
Minister in the Rajasthan Government thrice.
7. Bollywood actor who made his Bollywood debut with
Bandit Queen passed away -- Sitaram Panchal.
8. Veteran poet and writer passed away due to illness --
Vijay Nambisan.
Note: In 1988, he became the first All India Poetry
Champion for his poem 'Madras Central' organised by the
Poetry Society of India and the British Council. He also
translated works of devotional poetry of Poonthanam and
Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri.
9. German-born Catholic Missionary Sister who devoted her
life to eradicating leprosy in Pakistan passed away in
Karachi, Pakistan -- Ruth Pfau.
Note: She was also known as Pakistan's Mother Teresa
and founder of Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre in Karachi.
Ruth Pfau was honoured with the country's two highest
civilian awards the Hilal-e-Imtiaz and the Hilal-e-
Pakistan.
10. Australia's former Olympic and world cycle champion
passed away --Stephen Wooldridge.
Note: He won gold for Australia in the 2004 Athens
Olympics, was also a four-time world champion in the
discipline and the 2002 Commonwealth Games champion.
He was inducted into the NSW Hall of Champions in 2015.
11. Veteran photographer passed away at a private hospital
in New Delhi -- S Paul.
Note: He joined The Indian Express in the 1960s and
retired from the newspaper in 1989. Paul received
recognition and fame as a professional photographer
when his pictures were selected for publication in three
www.gradeup.co
renowned British publications (Amateur Photographer,
Miniature Camera & Miniature Camera World).
12. The first woman doctor of Madhya Pradesh has passed
away in Indore -- Dr. Bhakti Yadav.
Note: Dr. Yadav had offered free treatment to patients for
last 68 years. She was awarded Padma Shri for her
exemplary services in the field of medicine in April 2017.
13. Noted Polish-US playwright and screenwriter passed
away -- Janusz Glowacki.
Note: Glowacki was the author of award-winning plays
The Fourth Sister and Antigone in New York.
14. Hollywood's one of the most successful comedians passed
away at his home in Las Vegas US-- Jerry Lewis.
Note: He was started out on New York's Borscht Belt
comedy circuit as a singer at the age of five. Jerry Lewis
was one of the most popular comic actors of the 1950s
and '60s.
15. Former Manipur Chief Minister and a member of the first
Lok Sabha, has passed away in Imphal, Manipur --
Rishang Keishing.
World News
1. The worlds longest pedestrian suspension bridge has
opened in the country -- Switzerland.
Note: The longest pedestrian suspension bridge 'Charles
Kuonen Suspension Bridge' has opened in Swiss Alpine
resort of Zermatt Matterhorn in south
Switzerland.According to the Zermatt Matterhorn's press
release, the steel bridge is 494 metres long and overtakes
the "Titan-RT" bridge in Germany as the world's longest
pedestrian suspension bridge.
2. International organization has released 2017 ICT Facts
and Figures report -- International Telecommunication
Union.
Note:According to the International Telecommunication
Union (ITU),830 million young people online worldwide,
320 million are in China and India.
3. Country to host the 15th meeting of the Foreign Ministers
of BIMSTEC countries --Nepal.
Note:The 15th meeting of the Foreign Ministers of
BIMSTEC countries will be held in Kathmandu, Nepal.
4. Israel launched the countrys first environmental
research satellite from a launch site in French Guiana___
VENS.
Note: It in a joint venture between the Israel Space
Agency (ISA) and its French counterpart CNES (Centre
National dEtudes Spatiales). The goal of the VENS
satellite is to obtain high-resolution photographs of
specific sites to track environmental issues such as
desertification, erosion, pollution, natural disasters, and
other phenomena linked to climate change.
5. The city hosted the 2017 meeting of BRICS Trade
Ministers -- Shanghai.
16 | P a g e
Note: Keishing served as Chief Minister of Manipur from
(1980 to 1988) and (1994 to 1997). Raishang joined
Congress under Jawaharlal Nehru and his political career
spanned over 70 years.
16. Oldest Indian cinematographer passed away in Kolkata,
West Bengal-- Ramanda Sengupta.
Note: He worked with legends like Jean Renoir, Ritwik
Ghatak, and Mrinal Sen. In 1946, the first film as a full-
time cinematographer was in Purbaraag directed by
Ardhendu Mukherjee.
17. The well-known comic and character actor, has passed
away in California, United States -- Jay Thomas.
Note: Jay played obnoxious TV talk show host Jerry Gold
on Murphy Brown from 1989 until 1998.
18. The well-known climate awareness activist former
Marshall Islands foreign has passed away in Majuro,
Marshall Islands -- Tony de Brum.
19. India's oldest football Olympian passed away at his
residence in Bengaluru -- Ahmed Khan.
Note: Ahmed was part of the famous 'barefoot' football
squad that made its debut in Olympic football at the 1948
London Games.
6. United States has officially informed the United Nations
(UN) that it will withdraw from the Paris Climate
Agreement ___
Note: According to the US state department, Washington
intends to withdraw from the 2015 Paris climate
agreement, but would continue to participate in UN
climate change meetings during the withdrawal process.
In June 2017, President Donald Trump announced his
decision to withdraw from the Paris deal. Earlier, Former
US President Barack Obama had pledged as part of the
Paris accord to cut US greenhouse gas emissions by as
much as 28% from 2005 levels by 2025 to help slow
global warming.
7. India and the country have signed a bilateral agreement
for the transfer of sentenced prisoners -- Somalia.
Note: The agreement was signed between External
Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Foreign Minister of
the Federal Republic of Somalia Yusuf Garaad Omar.The
agreement will help Indian inmates imprisoned in
Somalia or vice versa be near their families while serving
the remainder of their sentence and also facilitate their
social rehabilitation.
8. The 8th edition of Global Entrepreneurship Summit
(GES)-2017 will be hosted by -- India.
Note: The GES brings together investors and
entrepreneurs from around the world to create new
opportunities for collaboration.
9. The country has announced scrapping of visa
requirements for visitors from 80 countries including
India to host the Football World Cup 2022 -- Qatar.
www.gradeup.co
Note: Citizens of 33 mostly European countries can enter
without a visa for 90 days in single or multiple trips
during a 180-day period. Americans, Britons, Canadians
and citizens of 44 other countries can enter visa-free for
an initial 30 days on single or multiple trips, and can
extend that for a further 30 days.
10. The country who has ratified the second commitment
period of the Kyoto Protocol that commits countries to
contain the emission of greenhouse gases, reaffirming its
stand on climate action-- India.
Note: India deposited its Instrument of Acceptance of the
Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol under the UN
Convention on Climate Change.Now, India has become the
80th country to accept the amendment relating to the
second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, the
international emissions reduction treaty.
11. The External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has
participated in the two days 15th BIMSTEC Ministerial
Meeting in --Nepal.
Note: During the meeting of foreign ministers of the Bay
of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and
Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), countries will review
the progress in identified fourteen areas of cooperation
and discuss ways to accelerate cooperation. The BIMSTEC
(Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand,
Bhutan, and Nepal) states are among the countries
dependent on the Bay of Bengal.
12. Who has commissioned an India-built state-of-the-art
Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV) to boost its
search and rescue capabilities -- Sri Lankan Navy.
Note: The new patrol vessel is named as SLNS
Sayurala.It is the largest vessel built by an Indian ship
builder for a foreign navy to date.
13. India and US will co-host the Global Entrepreneurship
Summit from 28th to 30th November this year at --
Hyderabad.
Note: The Summit is an unique opportunity for bringing
together entrepreneurs and start-ups with global leaders.
Mr. Modi during his meeting with Trump in Washington
in June had invited Ivanka (US President Donald Trumps
daughter) for the Summit.
14. The UN health agency, World Health Organisation (WHO)
has declared the country free of polio. -- Somalia
Note: According to the UN health agency, it had not
recorded any case of polio disease in Somalia in the last
three years. Somalia recorded the last case of polio in
2014 in the central part of the country.
15. The Oxford University Press has launched online
dictionaries in the Indian languages -- Tamil and
Gujarati.
Note: The launch is a part of Oxford Global Languages
initiative with an aim to build dictionaries and
lexicographical resources for around 100 of the worlds
languages and to make them available online. Earlier, the
Hindi online dictionary was launched in 2016.
16. The ISRO and NASA are jointly working on the mission to
co-develop and launch a dual frequency (L & S Band)
17 | P a g e
synthetic aperture radar satellite by 2021 -- NASA-ISRO
Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR).
Note: In this joint mission, NASA will be responsible for
design and development of L-band SAR, 12m un-furlable
antenna, GPS system and data recorder. It is the first big
collaboration between NASA and ISRO.
17. Italy will host a summit of Group of Seven (G-7) Interior
Ministers centered on security issues in the fall.
Note: Italy currently holds the rotating helm of the G-7
industrialized nations.The group consists of seven major
advanced economies including Canada, France, Germany,
Italy, Japan, United Kingdom and the United States.
18. According to global leader in broadband testing Ookla,
the fastest mobile Internet in the world -- Norway.
Note: Average internet connection speed of Norwegians'
mobile phones has increased by 69% during the last year
and has speed of 52.6 megabits per second.The
Netherlands and Hungary are ranked number two and
three on the list of the world's fastest mobile networks,
19. Nepal and China have signed three pacts to further boost
their ties in -- Power and energy sectors.
Note: The pacts were signed to undertake a feasibility
study to excavate natural gas and petroleum in the
Himalayan country.The agreements signed will cover
economic and technological cooperation, oil and gas
resources exploration, and promotion of investment.
20. According to Rice University scientist, a microplate
discovered off the west coast of Ecuador adds another
piece to Earths tectonic puzzle-- Malpelo.
Note: The Malpelo Plate, named for an island and an
underwater ridge it contains.
21. The country has launched its first cyber court specializing
in handling Internet-related cases in the e-commerce hub
of Hangzhou -- China.
Note: The Hangzhou Internet Court in Hangzhou will
handle cases such as online trade disputes and copyright
lawsuits. The cases handled by the court will be tried
online.
22. The United States (US) and South Korean forces has
begun joint drills in the South -- Ulchi Freedom
Guardian.
Note: 17,500 US soldiers and about 50,000 South Korean
troops are participating in the drill. This year's drills will
center on war games to confirm arrangements to
coordinate their command systems by using computers.
23. The country will chair the IONS maiden International
Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise-2017--
Bangladesh.
Note: The International Maritime Search and Rescue
Exercise will be chaired by Bangladesh at the Indian
www.gradeup.co
Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) in the Bay of Bengal in
November 2017.
24. Google has launched the latest version of its mobile
operating system -- Android Oreo.
Note: The Oreo boasts of a two times faster boot speed,
autofill option, and a longer battery life.The new update
comes with a Picture-in-Picture feature that allows the
user to see two apps simultaneously. There is also a
Notification Dots option, which when pressed pops out
the notification at a glance without having to open the
app.
25. British scientists have developed the worlds smallest
surgical robot which could transform daily operations for
tens of thousands of patients -- Versius.
Note: The robot Versius mimics the human arm and can
be used to carry out a wide range of laparoscopic
procedures like hernia repairs, colorectal operations, and
prostate and ear, nose, and throat surgery.The robot is
controlled by a surgeon at a console guided by a 3D
screen in the operating theatre.
26. US-based Indian doctor has discovered an inexpensive
prevention technique against sepsis -- Dr. Pinaki
Panigrahi.
Note: His team found that feeding babies with probiotic
bacteria dramatically reduces the risk of sepsis in new
borns. This is a breakthrough study and going to be an
inexpensive treatment that could possibly save hundreds
of thousands of newborns from a top killer Sepsis.
27. Indian scientists have discovered a new species of frog
that has a snout-shaped nose, just like a pig in West Ghats
--Nasikabatrachus bhupathi.
Note: Soiled-dwelling species Nasikabatrachus bhupathi
discovered by scientists from the Centre for Cellular and
Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad. It has been
named after the Indian herpetologist S. Bhupathy.
28. Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has
signed the MoU with the Institute of Chartered
Accountants of Nepal (ICAN) to establish mutual co-
operation for the advancement of accounting knowledge.
Note: ICAI has a membership base of over 5,000
members in Nepal
29. A two-day meeting of Heads of Governments of Shanghai
Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States has
begun in --Kyrgyz Republic.
Note: Rajnath Singh (Home Minister) is leading the
Indian delegation which includes senior officers from
Home and External Affairs Ministries and National
Disaster Management Authority.
Sports News
1. Indian shuttler has won the mens singles Lagos
International 2017 -- Rahul Yadav Chittaboina.
18 | P a g e
30. Who has announced a deep learning acceleration
platform 'Project Brainwave' for real-time artificial
intelligence (AI) --Microsoft.
Note: Real-time AI is becoming increasingly important as
cloud infrastructures process live data streams, whether
they be search queries, videos, sensor streams, or
interactions with users.The 'Project Brainwave' uses the
massive field-programmable gate array (FPGA)
infrastructure that Microsoft has been deploying over the
past few years.
31. A internet based software has been launched by the
Election Commission of India in Assam -- Eronet.
Note: Eronet is useful for various activities relating to
electoral roll such as the inclusion of name, deletion,
name correction, transfer of name including providing the
new photo identity cards.
32. Who has imposed the world's toughest law against plastic
bags in the country to reduce plastic pollution -- Kenya.
Note: The law punishes Kenyans producing, selling or
using plastic bags with a maximum fine of over Rs. 25
lakhs or a four-year jail term.It took Kenya three attempts
over ten years to pass the ban which critics say could cut
80,000 jobs.
33. A group of 20 students of the country have been
sponsored by Government of India (GoI) to study Hindi at
the Central Institute of Hindi in Agra --Sri Lankan.
Note: Government of India has sponsored their visit,
academic fees, and local hospitality for one year in
Agra.Hindi is the most popular foreign language in Sri
Lanka and is being taught in almost 80 institutions all
over the island.
34. President of Swiss Confederation arrived in New Delhi on
a three-day visit to India -- Ms. Doris Leuthard.
Note: India and Switzerland enjoy robust economic ties,
with Switzerland being seventh largest trading partner
and eleventh largest foreign investor for India. It will
provide an opportunity to both sides for holding wide-
ranging discussions on bilateral, global and regional
issues of mutual interest.
35. Two-day Indian Ocean Conference 2017 being organized
by India Foundation in Temple Trees in -- Colombo.
Note: The theme of this years conference is Peace,
Progress and Prosperity and will involve participants
from more than 35 countries.This will be second IOC
conference (first edition-Sep16 in Singapore).
36. The 2017 International Military Music Festival
Spasskaya Tower has started in --Moscow, Russia.
Note: Music Festival is a mega event, where military
musicians represent the variety of national, artistic and
military traditions of the world.
Note: He won the mens singles title by defeating his
compatriot Karan Rajan Rajarajan by 21-15 21-13 in the
www.gradeup.co
summit clash at the 2017 Lagos International Badminton
Classics in Lagos, Nigeria.
2. The world's most expensive footballer, with Paris Saint-
Germain signing him for a five-year deal from Barcelona
for a fee of Rs. 1,680 crores -- Neymar.
Note: Earlier, Paul Pogba (Manchester United) was the
most expensive player. Neymar scored 105 goals in 186
Barcelona appearances, will earn Rs. 6.5 crore-a-week
before tax.
3. Who formally announced its bid for the 2028 Summer
Olympics after agreeing on a deal with the Olympic
organizers -- Los Angeles (United States).
Note: Now, this deal with Olympic organizers paves the
way for Paris to host the Summer Olympics in 2024.The
2020 Summer Olympics will be hosted by Tokyo,
Japan.Earlier, Los Angeles hosted Olympics in 1984.
4. Manju Kumari has won the bronze medal in the 59kg
category Junior World Wrestling Championship in
Tampere, Finland.
5. Veer Dev Gulia bagged a bronze medal on the
competition at Tampere in Finland.
Note: In the Men's 74 kg freestyle category, Gulia
finished third after beating Yamasaki Yajuro of Japan, 8-5
in the bronze medal play-off bout. Gulia had made it to
the play-off despite losing in the quarterfinals as his last-
eight stage opponent Isa Shapiev of Uzbekistan reached
the gold medal round.
6. The ten days grand event World Athletics Championships
will begin in -- London.
Note: 25 Indian athletes are taking part in this event.
India has taken part in every championship since the first
one in 1983.Legendary long jumper Anju Bobby George's
bronze in Paris 2003 has been the lone medal at this
global stage.
7. The country is hosting the FIBA Asia Championship-2017
-- Lebanon.
Note: Asias biggest basketball tournament, the FIBA Asia
Cup has started in Beirut, Lebanon.
8. The team has won the All-India MCC-Murugappa Gold
Cup hockey tournament-2017--Oil and Natural Gas
Corporation (ONGC).
Note:The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has
won the 91st edition of All-India MCC-Murugappa Gold
Cup hockey tournament at Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
9. Indian shooter has won a bronze in men's trap event at
the 7th Asian Championship Shotgun at Astana,
Kazakhstan -- Kynan Chenai.
Note: Kynan first shot 116 out of 125 to qualify for the
six men final round in third sport and then held on to the
position till the end of the finals.
10. Olympic Champion has won the men's 400 meters event
and retained his title in World Athletics Championships,
London --Wayde Van Niekerk (South African).
Note: Niekerk, clocked 43.98 seconds to finish at the top
of podium. Steve Gardiner (Bahamas) finished second in
the event while Abdalelah Haroun (Qatar) claimed the
Bronze.
19 | P a g e
11. The Indian pair have won bronze in mixed team trap
event in Asian Shotgun Shooting Championship in
Astana, Kazakhstan -- Kynan Chenai & Shreyasi Singh.
Note: They defeated Lebanon shooters 40-38. Kynan
Chenai had won bronze in men's trap event.
12. Olympic gold medallist has won the men's 3,000 metres
steeplechase at the IAAF World Athletics Championships
in London -- Conseslus Kipruto.
Note: The Kenyan clocked eight minutes and 14.12
seconds to continue his in-form performance in the event
after the Rio Olympic Games last year.
13. India's shooter bagged a bronze medal at the Asian
Shotgun Championship in Kazakhstan -- Maheshwari
Chauhan.
Note: Maheshwari also led India to the team silver,
alongside compatriots Rashmmi Rathore and Saniya
Sheikh.
14. The team has won the UEFA Super Cup football
tournament-2017-- Real Madrid.
Note: Real Madrid has won the 2017 UEFA Super Cup
football tournament by defeating Manchester United in
the final by 2-1 at the Philip II Arena in Skopje,
Macedonia.It is their 4th UEFA Super Cup title.
15. Indian pair has won gold in the skeet mixed team event
at the 7th Asian Championship Shotgun --Mairaj Ahmad
Khan and Rashmmi Rathore.
16. Legendary sprinter retires from the Athletics world --
Usain Bolt.
Note: Running the final race of his career, after taking the
baton from his Jamaican teammate Yohan Blake, suffered
cramps on his left hamstring as he tried, in vain, to chase
down his rivals in the men's 4x100m relay race in the
World Athletics Championships in London. Britain won
the gold in 37.47 seconds while United States (38.01) and
Japan took the silver and bronze respectively.
17. Alexander Zverev has won fifth Rogers Cup
championship.
Note: He defeated Swiss Roger Federer in straight set 6-
3, 6-4 at the Rogers Cup final to claim his second Masters
1000 title in Montreal, Canada. The events alternate from
year to year between the cities of Montreal and Toronto.
18. Real Madrid star has been banned for five-match by the
Spanish football federation after pushing the referee
following his red card -- Cristiano Ronaldo.
Note: Ronaldo received an automatic one-match ban and
an extra four games for his reaction towards referee
Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea. He has also been fined
USD 4,500.
19. Real Madrid has won the 2017 Spanish Super Cup beat
their rivals Barcelona 2-0 at a joyous Santiago Bernabeu.
Note: Real Madrid football club is a professional football
club based in Madrid, Spain founded on 6th March 1902
as Madrid Football Club.The Spanish Super Cup is a
Spanish football championship contested by the winners
of La Liga and the Copa del Rey.
www.gradeup.co
20. India player continued to be the world's top-ranked
One-day International (ODI) batsman in the latest ICC
ODI rankings_--Virat Kohli.
Note: Other Indian batsmen in the top-15 are former
skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni(12th), Shikhar Dhawan
(13th) and vice-captain Rohit Sharma(14th). As for the
ICC ODI Team Rankings, India team are currently at
number three.
21. Young Indian shuttler clinched the Bulgaria Open
International Series title in Sofia, Bulgaria -- Lakshya
Sen.
Note: He defeated second seed Zvonimir Durkinjak
(Croatia) 18-21 21-12 21-17 in a 57-minute match.
22. Shapath Bharadwaj has won a bronze medal in the
double trap event at the ISSF Junior Shotgun World Cup
in Porpetto, Italy.
Note: Lakshay Sheoran and Manisha Keer combined to
win a bronze in the mixed team trap competition. He shot
a 48 in the final to finish behind gold-medal winning
Briton James Dedman and silver medalist Finland's Miki
Ylonen.
23. Dhyan Chand Award will be given to Bhupender
Singh(Athletics), Syed Shahid Hakim(Football) and
Sumarai Tete(Hockey) for their life time contribution to -
- Sports development.
Note: The awardees will receive their awards from
President Ram Nath Kovind in a special function at the
Rashtrapati Bhawan on 29th of August.
24. Para Athlete and Hockey player have been selected for
this year's Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award_-- Sardar
Singh & Devendra.
Note: Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award is given for the
spectacular performance in the field of sports by a
sportsperson over a period of four years.
25. The 58th edition of Subroto Cup International Football
Tournament held in --New Delhi.
Note: A total of 99 teams from India and abroad are
participating across three categories in this edition of
famous inter-school football tournament. Teams from
Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, Afghanistan and Singapore
are participating in this edition.Football carnival will be
played in three categories Sub-Junior boys (Under-14),
Junior Girls (Under-17), Junior Boys (Under-17).
-----------------0-----------------
20 | P a g e
26. British racing driver has won the 2017 Belgian Grand
Prix of Formula One (F1) at Circuit de Spa-
Francorchamps Stavelot, Belgium--Lewis Hamilton.
Note: Hamilton is the only driver to have won at least
one Grand Prix in every season he has competed in.The
Belgian Grand Prix is an automobile race, part of the
Formula One World Championship.
27. International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has
announced the 2018 ITTF Team World Cup will be held
in London from ---22nd to 25th February.
Note: The Team World Cup is ITTFs second most
prestigious tournament after the World
Championships.The 2018 Team World Cup will be staged
at the iconic Copper Box Arena in Londons Queen
Elizabeth Olympic Park.
28. India lifted the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF)
Under-15 football Championship title at Kathmandu,
Nepal.
Note: Six nations participated in the tournament where
each of the sides was divided into two pools comprising
three teams each.
29. Nozomi Okuhara defeated ace shuttler PV Sindhu to
claim the 2017 BWF World Championships at the
Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland
Note: Sindhu lost to her Japanese rival Okuhara 19-21
22-20 20-22. Sindhu became only the second Indian to
win a silver medal after Saina Nehwal had achieved the
feat in the last edition at Jakarta in 2015.
30. Sri Lankan head for cricket team selection has resigned
from his post along with other members following defeat
against India in both test and ODI series -- Sanath
Jayasurya.
Note: The team had to face a whitewash in test series
against India and face the same prospect in ODIs with
India leading by 3-0.
31. Marathon runner has clinched silver medal in the
womens 10,000-metre at the 29th World University
Games in Taipei, Taiwan -- Sanjivani Jadhav.
Note: Earlier, she won a bronze in the 5000 metres at the
Asian Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar in July
2017
www.gradeup.co

21 | P a g e