14 august 2021 current affairs

1. CURRENT AFFAIRS
14 AUGUST 2021
Dr.A.PRABAHARAN
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2. Independence Day 2021: Five nations that celebrate
Independence Day on August 15
◦ Independence Day 2021: India will celebrate its 75th independence day
on August 15, 2021. India gained its independence after a long struggle
through the persistent efforts by the Indian freedom fighters who
forced the British Raj to finally leave India.
◦ The theme of India's 75th Independence Day is 'Nation first, always
first.'
◦ India's independence followed its partition and creation of Pakistan,
which celebrates its independence just a day before India, on August
14th.
◦ Bahrain, Congo, North Korea & South Korea & Liechtenstein celebrated
independence day
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3. Independence Day 2021: 5 Interesting Facts You Need
to Know!
◦ India will celebrate its 75th Independence Day on August 15, 2021.
◦ India attained freedom on August 15, 1947, after ending 200-years of British
rule.
◦ Prime Minister Narendra Modi will kick off grand celebrations on August 15,
2021, from Red Fort.
◦ All central ministries and concerned departments will present projects and
programmes to showcase India’s development, governance, progress and
policy, and technological reforms.
◦ This year’s celebration of 75 years of independence, India will launch year-long
celebrations of independence starting from August 2021, including from the
launch of a website with a Virtual Reality (VR) feature for the first time to the
Indian Army hoisting the tallest National Flag in J&K.
◦ The theme of India’s 75th Independence Day celebrations is ‘Nation First,
Always First’.
◦
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4. WHO: China forced team to drop lab-leak theory of
coronavirus
◦
According to a scientist from World health Organisation
(WHO), who led the group, Chinese researchers forced
the WHO-led team probing the origins of Covid to drop
the lab-leak theory.
◦ Scientist said this in the documentary, titled “The Virus
Mystery”.
◦ This theory of lab-leak was developed from
circumstantial evidence that, Wuhan Institute of
Virology (WIV) is close in proximity to early outbreak of
covid-19 pandemic.
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5. NTPC invites global EOI to set up project on Hydrogen Blending
◦ India’s largest integrated power generation company, NTPC Limited,
has invited global Expression of Interest (EoI) to establish a Pilot
Project on Hydrogen Blending with Natural Gas in India.
◦ Project on Hydrogen Blending with Natural Gas will be set up across
the City Gas Distribution (CGD) Network in India.
◦ EoI follows recent tenders initiated by NTPC REL for green hydrogen
fuelling station at Leh and the NTPC VidyutVyapar Nigam Limited
(NVVN) in order to procure Fuel Cell Buses.
◦ NTPC REL is also setting up a dedicated 1.25 MW Solar plant at Leh
to power the hydrogen fuelling station.
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6. BRICS Partnership for Strengthening Agro Biodiversity
for Food and Nutrition Security
◦ Ministers of Agriculture of the BRICS countries held virtual talks on the theme “BRICS
Partnership for Strengthening Agro Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition Security”.
◦ Implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development highlighted that
BRICS countries are well positioned to help in achieving the objectives of 2030 Sustainable
Development Goals of eradication of hunger and poverty.
◦ BRICS countries have set up a strong agricultural research base.
◦ It also acknowledged the sharing knowledge, transferring technologies from lab to land in
order to enhance productivity, especially in the backdrop of climate change, maintaining
agro biodiversity and ensuring sustainable use of natural resources.
◦ During the meeting, member countries discussed the Joint declaration of eleventh meeting
of BRICS and Action Plan for 2021-24 for agricultural cooperation of BRICS countries and
BRICS Agriculture Research Platform.
◦ Action Plan of 2021-24 will be endorsed by BRICS Working Group meeting for adoption in
BRICS meeting.
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7. Quad includes Taiwan Strait in talks
◦ The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) included Taiwan, after G7,
straight in talks on August 13, 2021.
◦ Taiwan further irritated China by publicly thanking the members of the
Quad for including peace and stability in Taiwan Strait during virtual
discussions on August 12.
◦ Biden administration is focusing and putting efforts towards developing
the Taiwan Strait as a friction point with China after decades.
◦ US has also successfully mentioned Taiwan Strait in its joint statements
with Japan and South Korea.
◦ Taiwan strait also found mention in the recent G-7 summit that was
also attended by PM Narendra Modi.
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8. India’s chronic disease burden fuelled Covid waves
◦
As per researchers from India and California, high levels of chronic diseases like diabetes and
hypertension in India has fuelled the brutal coronavirus waves.
◦ Findings from large-scale studies of Covid-19 highlighted that, patients from southern district of
Madurai had higher risk of dying as compared to those in China, Europe, South Korea and U.S.
◦ India also faced an escalating non-communicable disease crisis because middle-class population
in India is expanding and leading sedentary and affluent lifestyle.
◦ Affluent lifestyle in India makes them susceptible to ailments like diabetes and heart disease
that results in almost two-thirds of all deaths across the country.
◦ Existing conditions of diabetes and heart disease have allowed the coronavirus to do more
damage, increasing the cases and fatalities. It is also fuelling near collapse of health system in
India.
◦ It also finds that; hypertension and diabetes actually predict acquisition of Covid-19. If India had
half the diabetes and hypertension cases that it currently has, second wave would have
impacted on a lesser side.
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9. NDMC launches ‘Cleancity app’
◦
New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) launched “Cleancity app” on August 13, 2021.
◦ It is a mobile driven application launched to help residents to register complaints for
picking up garbage in that area.
◦ It was launched by North Delhi Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh ahead of the 75th Independence
Day.
◦ This app will provide citizens to look after GPS location of garbage-lifting vehicles, register
their complaints and give suggestions in order to improve the services.
◦ This facility can be availed by the residents of Civil Lines Zone, Keshavpuram Zone and
Rohini Zone.
◦ To mark the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ and 75th year of Independence, NDMC also
administered pledge to all municipal school students through online mode in order to
discourage use of plastic, and make others to stop using single-use plastic.
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10. Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021
◦ Environment Ministry notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules,
2021 on August 13, 2021.
◦ These new rules prohibit specific single-use plastic items with “low utility and
high littering potential by the year 2022.
◦ Under it, manufacture of a range of plastic products will be banned.
◦ These plastic products comprise of ear buds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for
balloons, candy sticks, plastic flags, ice-cream sticks, thermocol for decoration,
cups plates, cups, glasses as well as cutlery like knives, spoons, forks, trays,
straws, wrapping or packing films, invitation cards and cigarette packets as well as
PVC banners of less than 100 microns
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11. Centre launched ‘SonChiraiya’ to market products of
SHGs
◦ Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched a brand and logo called
`SonChiraiya’. It was launched to market the products of urban self-help groups (SHGs)
◦ This brand and logo was launched in line with government’s priority area of helping women
to become financially empowered and live a dignified life.
◦ On the occasion, ministry noted that, Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban
Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) launched under the aegis of MoHUA has been focussing on
equipping the urban poor women with adequate skills and opportunities in order to enable
them to promote sustainable micro enterprises.
◦ DAY-NULM mobilises women from urban poor households to from and join SHGs & their
federations in order to create a support system for them.
◦ MoHUA highlighted that, more than 5.7 lakh SHGs have been formed across states/UTs
comprising of 60 lakh members.
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12. National Vehicle Scrappage Policy launched
◦ The National Vehicle Scrappage Policy is also dubbed as “voluntary vehicle-fleet
modernisation programme”.
◦ This programme aims to modernise India’s “vehicular population”.
◦ It also seeks to remove unfit vehicles from roads in an environment-friendly and scientific
manner.
◦ It is in line with India’s goal for 21st century to achieve a clean, congestion-free and
convenient mobility.
◦ It seeks to create a viable circular economy and bring value for all stakeholders.
◦ Under the policy, vehicles will be scientifically tested through authorised and automated
centres before it is finally scrapped.
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13. Four more Indian wetlands added to Ramsar list
◦
Four more wetlands from India have been added to the Ramsar list and have been
recognized as wetlands of global importance in accordance with the Ramsar Convention.
◦ India is home to more than a dozen of threatened and near threatened bird species.
◦ Four sites that have been included are:
◦ Thol from Gujarat
◦ Wadhwana from Gujarat,
◦ Sultanpur from Haryana and
◦ Bhindawas from Haryana.
◦ These sites are home to endangered Egyptian Vulture, Sociable Lapwing, Saker Falcon, and
near threatened Dalmatian Pelica
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