Current Affairs - August 31, 2020 Current Affairs

The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal addressed the Association of South East Asian Nation-India Business Council meet. Highlights During the meet, minister emphasized on 3Cs namely Cooperation, Collaboration and Commitment. He also highlighted to use full trade potential addressing concerns of members and businesses. It also agreed to review ASEAN-Trade in Goods.

Rafael fighter jets will be formally inducted into the Indian Air Force by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on September 10, 2020 at the Ambala airbase in Haryana. French Defence Minister Florence Partly will be invited for the induction ceremony.

Every year, India celebrates National Sports Day on August 29 to commemorate the birth anniversary of the legendary hockey player Dhyan Chand. He was born on August 29, 1905. About Dhyan Chand Dhyan Chand was known as "The Wizard" and had scored more than 1000 goals during his international career. He won three Olympic gold.

On August 28, 2020, the Government of India issued rules for administration in Jammu and Kashmir. It specifies the functions of Council of Ministers and Lieutenant Governor. Role of Lieutenant Governor The executive functions of Lieutenant Governor include public order, police, anti-corruption, All India Services. The critical issues that affect the peace of the Union.

On August 28, 2020, the United Nations announced that it will reduce the peace keeping forces in Lebanon for another year. Also, it will reduce the number of troops Highlights The UN Interim Force in Lebanon was established in 1978. It patrols the southern border of Lebanon known as Blue Line.

On August 28, 2020, the India-Singapore Defence Policy Dialogue was held in video conference. The countries agreed to discuss number of issues of bilateral defence engagements. They agreed to enhance the security partnership. Highlights The HADR agreement was signed between the countries during the dialogue. HADR is Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief. Defence Cooperation India.

The UAE Government launched AGRIOTA, a new technology driven agricultural commodity trading platform that will bridge the rural farmers from India and the gulf Food Industry Highlights The E-Market place allows the farmers to connect with the UAE food industry directly bypassing intermediaries. This optimizes the supply chain and ensures traceability creating value for all

"Chunauti", a Next Generation Startup Challenge Contest has been launched by the Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad. Around 300 start ups working in select areas are to be identified and provided with seed fund up to Rs 25 lakhs. Highlights The challenge is launched with a special focus on Tier-II towns. Chunauti is Challenge Hunt.

On August 28, 2020, the Punjab Government passed a resolution against the farm ordinances of the central government. Ordinances In June 2020, the Union Government of India had issued three ordinances as follows Farmers' Produce Ordinance, 2020 Farmers Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020 Essential Commodities Ordinance, 2020 Farmer Produce Ordinance, 2020.

The central government has decided to sell up to 15 percent stake in Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) through an offer for sale (OFS) on August 27-28, 2020. The floor price has been fixed at Rs 1,001 per share.

TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer has announced his resignation from the post, less than three months after his appointment. In an email to his employees, Mayer said that "It is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company."

The Government has extended the deadline to submit bids for Air India by two months till October 30, 2020 due to disrupted global economic activity in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.

On August 28, 2020, the Union Government sought a response from the Central Government on Public Interest Litigation seeking directions to frame guidelines in identifying minorities at state level. What does the PIL say? The National Commission for Minority Education Institution Act, 2004 does not identify minorities at state level. It identifies the minorities only.

The New Delhi Railway Station is the second busiest and the largest in India. It handles more than 4.5 lakh passengers per day. The station is to be redeveloped by the Rail Land Development Authority at Rs 6,500 crores. Highlights The Railway station is to be developed by taking bids from the private players.

Kerala is to set up its first International Women Trade Centre in terms of the United Nations Sustainable Development goals. This is first of its kind in India. Highlights The Centre will accelerate women entrepreneurship. It will provide a safe place away from home to start a business, expand and get their products marketed globally.