VINTAGE

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF AUGUST 29^th, 2018

                                IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF AUGUST  29^th  , 2018

1. National Sports Day: 29 August 

i. The National Sports Day is celebrated on 29th August every year to mark the birthday of legendary hockey player Dhyan Chand. 
ii. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has greeted all sports enthusiasts and stated that this year has been great for the sporting fraternity, with the Indian athletes excelling in various tournaments including Asian Games 2018 and Commonwealth Games.

Life of Major Dhyan Chand in Brief: 

1. The legendary hockey player was born on 29 August 1905 in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. 
2. He is widely considered as the greatest field hockey player of all time.
3. He had started playing hockey only after joining the Army at the age of 16.
4. He was famously known as ‘The Wizard’ for his superb ball control and had scored more than 1000 goals during his international career. 

2. India And World Bank Sign 300 million dollar Loan Agreements 

i. The Central government and the World Bank have signed 300 million dollar loan agreements for India Energy Efficiency Scale up Programme. They signed 220 million dollar Loan Agreement and an 80 million Guarantee Agreement for the Efficiency Scale-Up Program. 

ii. The Program, to be implemented by the Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), will help scale-up the deployment of energy saving measures in residential and public sectors, strengthen EESL’s institutional capacity, and enhance its access to commercial financing. 

3. World Bank To Provide $250 million Loan To Rajasthan 

i. The Union Government, Rajasthan and the World Bank signed a USD 250 million Development Policy Loan (DPL) to support Rajasthan in improving the performance of its Electricity Distribution Sector under the State’s ‘24x7 Power for All’ program. 

ii. The loan from the World Bank’s International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), has a 3 year grace period and a maturity of 21 years.

4. Important Cabinet Approvals: 29th August 2018 

i. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the following set of approvals. The important Cabinet Approvals are given as follows-

ii. The Cabinet has approved- 

1.  Signing of MoU between India and Bulgaria in the field of tourism,
2. Apprised of the MoU between India and Republic of Korea on the cooperation in the field of railways.


5. 3rd Edition of World’s Biggest Open Innovation Model ‘Smart India Hackathon- 2019’ Launched 

i. The third edition of World’s Biggest Open Innovation Model - Smart India Hackathon 2019 - was launched by the Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi.
ii. MHRD, AICTE, Persistent Systems and i4c have joined hands to make a hat trick with their highly popular and innovative Smart India Hackathon initiative (SIH). 

iii. For the 1st time, Private industry/organisations and NGOs can also send their problem statements to students under SIH-2019. 

6. Government Constitutes New Science And Technology Council To Advise PM

i. The Union Government has constituted a 21-member science and technology council to advise Prime Minister Narendra Modi on matters related to science, technology and innovations. 

ii. The council will be headed by K Vijay Raghavan, the principal scientific adviser to the Union Government. The council has been named as Prime Minister's Science Technology and Innovation Advisory Committee (PM-STIAC).

7. 1st SAARC Agri Cooperative Business Forum Begins In Kathmandu 

i. The First South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Agri Cooperative Business Forum has begun in Kathmandu, Nepal. 

ii. The theme of three-day Forum is the ‘Organizing and Strengthening Family Farmers’ Cooperatives to attain the Sustainable-Development-Goals-1 and 2 in South Asia’. 

8. Satya S Tripathi Appointed Assistant Secretary-General & Head of New York Office of UNEP 

i. Veteran Indian development economist Satya S Tripathi has been appointed as the Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the New York Office of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) by UN Chief Antonio Guterres. He will replace Elliott Harris. 

ii. Tripathi has worked for the United Nations since 1998 in Europe, Asia and Africa on strategic assignments in sustainable development, human rights, democratic governance and legal affairs.
9. Asian Games 2018: Manjit Singh Wins Gold In 800m Race 

i. India's 28-year-old sprinter Manjit Singh won the gold medal in the men's 800m event at the 2018 Asian Games, securing the ninth gold for the country. 

ii. Another Indian sprinter Jinson Johnson, who is ranked first in Asia, won the silver at the event. Meanwhile, Dutee Chand secured herself a place in the women's 200m finals, while Hima Das was disqualified.