Current Affairs - August 5, 2023 Current Affairs

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has acquired air-launched Israeli Spike Non-Line of Sight (NLOS) Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM) from Israel. These missiles have the capability to strike targets up to 50 km from a helicopter and 32 km from the ground. These NLOS missiles are planned to be integrated into the fleet of Russian-origin Mi-17V5 helicopters, manufactured by Kazan Helicopters. Notably, the Spike NLOS ATGM utilizes a fire-and-forget system, featuring lock-on before launch and automatic self-guidance functionalities.

The 'Shubhayatra' scheme aims to support and facilitate positive migration for first-time overseas emigrants from Kerala. 'Shubhayatra' offers a 'foreign employability skilling' soft loan to cover preparatory migration expenses for first-time emigrants from Kerala.

The three major ratings agencies, S&P Global, Fitch, and Moody’s, use a similar letter-based system to rank credit ratings from AAA to D, with AAA being the highest and D indicating payment defaults. In recent news, Fitch, one of the top-three global ratings agencies, downgraded the United States’ credit rating from AAA to AA+. The nations currently holding the prestigious AAA rating from all three major agencies are Australia, Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, and Switzerland.

The Statue of Unity, located in Gujarat, India, is currently the tallest statue in the world, standing at 182 meters (597 feet) in height.

The 'Naya Savera' scheme, also known as the 'Free Coaching and Allied' scheme, aims to provide specialized coaching to students from recognized minority communities for qualifying exams and competitive recruitment. The 'Naya Savera' scheme supports students from the Sikh, Jain, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, and Parsi minority communities.

As of August 2023, India has become the most populous country in the world with a population of 1.42 billion people. India's population exceeds China's population by roughly 30 million, making India the most populous country in the world.

The collaboration aims to develop a roadmap for integrating hydrogen blending in natural gas and establishing the infrastructure for their transmission through gas pipelines. Blended hydrogen can serve as a form of renewable energy storage, allowing for better grid management during peak demand periods.

Rajiv Gauba has been granted a one-year extension by the Central government, making him the longest-serving cabinet secretary in India's history. Rajiv Gauba's extension has been made possible by relaxing the All India Services (Death-Cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958, and Rule 56(d) of the Fundamental Rules.

Environmentalists and opposition parties are concerned about the threat to the livelihoods of local fishers and potential damage to the Ennore-Pulicat backwaters and Pulicat Lake due to the port expansion.

The Indian women's compound archery team secured a historic gold medal at the World Archery Championships held in Berlin, Germany. The triumphant team consisted of Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Parneet Kaur, and Aditi Gopichand Swami.

The implementation of import restrictions has been deferred until November 1, 2023. The move aims to promote domestic manufacturing of these products and reduce inbound shipments from countries like China and Korea.

SBI's highest-ever quarterly profit was attributed to improved asset quality and increased interest income. Despite SBI's remarkable results, its shares declined by nearly 3% due to some sequential indicators showing slight deterioration, including margins and net interest income.

Prime Minister Modi is set to virtually launch the redevelopment of 508 railway stations under the Amrit Bharat Scheme. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja Terminus, designated as a UNESCO world heritage site, has been allocated ₹1,813 crore for redevelopment under the scheme.

Rajasthan is the largest state in terms of area (8th in terms of population), covering over 342,239 sq. km. The capital of Rajasthan is Jaipur, also known as the "Pink City." India’s largest state in terms of population is Uttar Pradesh with a population of 199,812,341 (4th in terms of area).

N Vittal, a Padma Bhushan awardee and IAS officer was known for his significant contributions to the growth of the information technology sector in India. N Vittal, as the Secretary of the Department of Electronics and Chairman of the Telecom Commission, played a key role in boosting the software industry, establishing software technology parks, and initiating liberalization in the telecom sector, which led to the growth of the information technology sector in India.

The Child Welfare Committee (CWC) addresses issues concerning abandoned, orphaned, voluntarily relinquished, or lost children, and plays a role in their growth, protection, treatment, development, and rehabilitation, including handling adoption proceedings.

The MASI application aims to ensure effective and efficient monitoring of Child Care Institutions (CCIs) and their inspection process under the Juvenile Justice Act, of 2015.

The ban on Ketoprofen and Aceclofenac for animal use aims to protect vultures and other raptor species from negative health impacts caused by consuming treated carcasses. The prohibition of Ketoprofen and Aceclofenac for animal use is implemented under section 26A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, following the recommendation of the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB).

Alex Hales announced his retirement from international cricket at the age of 34. Alex Hales was a key figure in England's T20 World Cup victory in 2022, which is in the Twenty20 International (T20I) format.

The Nag ATGM and Helina (Dhruvastra) missiles were developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).