Daily Current Affairs- 28 August 2024

Daily Current Affairs- 28th August 2024

INTERNATIONAL

2 Agreements signed for India - US Defence Cooperation

• India and the United States of America (USA) have signed two new defence agreements—a Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA) and a Memorandum of Agreement regarding the Assignment of Liaison, during Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's official visit to the USA from 23 to 26 August 2024. 

Youngest Asian to conquer Mt Kilimanjaro

• Five-year-old Teghbir Singh from Ropar in Punjab has become the youngest ever from Asia to scale the 5,895-metre Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa located in Tanzania. 

NATIONAL

Nirmala Sitharaman Inaugurates GST Bhawan at Udaipur

• Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated the GST Bhawan, an Official complex of CGST, Udaipur Commissionerate under Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), at Udaipur, Rajasthan. 

SCIENCE & TEHNOLOGY

Bharat Biotech unveils affordable oral cholera vaccine, Hillchol

• Vaccine maker Bharat Biotech International Ltd on Tuesday (August 27, 2024) launched Hillchol (BBV131), a novel single-strain oral cholera vaccine (OCV) it has developed under licence from Hilleman Laboratories (funded by Merck, USA and Wellcome Trust, UK). 

SPORTS

U17 World Wrestling Championships 2024

• The young Indian women's wrestlers produced a stellar performance at the U17 World Wrestling Championships 2024, winning the team title and breaking the Japanese dominance in the championship. The Indian women's contingent won 8 out of the 10 medals outshining the male wrestlers. 

APPOINTMENS & RESIGNATIONS

NASSCOM announces SAP Labs India MD Sindhu Gangadharan as Chairperson

• IT industry body NASSCOM on Monday announced the appointment of SAP Labs India Managing Director Sindhu Gangadharan as its chairperson with immediate effect.
• Gangadharan takes the chair from Rajesh Nambiar, who has been appointed president-designate for NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Service Companies). 

Senior IPS officer B. Srinivasan Appointed as DG of NSG

• The Appointment Committee of the Union Cabinet, in a meeting held in New Delhi on 27 August 2024, has approved the appointment of senior Indian Police Officer (IPS) B Srinivasan as the new Director General of the elite counter-terrorism force National Security Guard. 

SUMMITS & MOUs

REC inks MoU with JNPA for financing projects

• Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) Limited, Maharatna PSU under the Ministry of Power and a leading NBFC, signed an MoU with Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) for financing up to Rs 45,000 crore for various upcoming projects of JNPA, which includes the development of the deepwater Vadhavan Port. 

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Jana Small Finance Bank Sweeps 4 Awards at ICC Emerging Asia Banking Conclave

• Jana Small Finance Bank was honoured with the titles of Best Small Finance Bank, India, Best Performance on Profitability (Runners-up), Best Performance on Asset Quality, and Best Performance on Risk Management. This quadruple win underscores the bank's exceptional performance across key metrics and its dedication to providing innovative financial solutions. 

BANKING & ECONOMY

RBI to launch Unified Lending Interface to transform lending space

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will launch the Unified Lending Interface (ULI) nationwide in due course, aiming to transform India’s lending sector, similar to how the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) revolutionised the payments ecosystem.
• The new platform will provide lenders consent-based digital access to customer’s financial and non-financial data — including land records — stored in various silos to help them extend frictionless credit, especially to farmers and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).