Current Affairs in English – August 16 2022

National Events:

Sri Aurobindo’s 150th birth anniversary : 15 August:

15 August 2022 marked 150th birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo . He was an Indian nationalist , philosopher , poet , and a yoga guru . He was born in 1872 in Kolkata .
He published articles in the Bombay – based journal Indu Prakash . His main literary works are ‘ The Life Divine ‘ , ‘ Synthesis of Yoga ‘ , and ‘ Savitri : A Legend and a Symbol :’.

Golden Joint:

The golden joint of the world’s highest railway bridge over River Chenab was inaugurated in August 2022 .
For the first time ever since independence , Srinagar will be linked to the rest of India after the overarch deck on the world’s highest single – arch railway bridge over River Chenab will be launched .
The world’s highest railway bridge will be 35 meters higher than the Eiffel Tower .

Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s death anniversary : 16 August:

16 August 2022 marked the 4th death anniversary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee . He served as the Prime Minister of India for three terms .
Vajpayee first took charge as Prime Minister of India for a short period in 1996 , followed by a second and a third term between 1998-2004 .
He was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan in 1992 . He was also honoured with the Bharat Ratna in 2015 .

Death anniversary of Ramkrishna Paramhansa : 16 August:

16 August 2022 marked the 136th death anniversary of Ramkrishna Paramhansa . He was one of the most prominent religious figures of India during the 19th century . He was an influential yogi and mystic and founder of the Ramakrishna Order .
He passed away in 1886 . After his death , his chief disciple Swami Vivekananda popularized his ideas , and founded the Ramakrishna Math.

AIFF & FIFA:

The global football governing body FIFA has suspended the All India Football Federation ( AIFF ) due to undue influence from third parties .
The suspension will be lifted once an order to set up a committee of administrators to assume the powers of the AIFF Executive Committee has been repealed .
AIFF was founded in 1935 and is . headquartered in Delhi . It got FIFA affiliation in 1948 .

Nawroz festival:

The Parsi New Year i.e. the festival of Navroz or Nowroz falls between July and August . For 2022 , it was observed on 16 August .
Though celebrated in March globally , Navroz arrives 200 days later in India and is celebrated in the month of August as the Parsis here follow the Shahenshahi calendar .
Navroz is named after the Persian king , Jamshed , who created the Shahenshahi calendar .

MCLR:

The mandate to link lending rates to an external benchmark have led to immediate spikes in interest rate paid by borrowers , making it by far the most effective transmission tool , RBI said in its research paper .
It also added that the previous marginal cost of lending rate ( MCLR ) regime was as less satisfactory as the previous ones like base rate and benchmark prime lending rate .

IRDAI:

Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India ( IRDAI ) is organizing its first hackathon ” Bima Manthan 2022 ” with the theme ‘ Innovation in Insurance ‘.
The hackathon invites participants to identify & develop solutions that have the potential to make the insurance available to every individual in a seamless and swift manner with the use of technology . IRDAI Chairman : Debasish Panda.

Gallantry awards:

President Droupadi Murmu has approved 107 gallantry awards to armed forces and CAPF personnel .
The awards include three Kirti Chakra , 13 Shaurya Chakras , two bar to Sena Medals ( gallantry ) , 81 Sena Medals ( gallantry ) , one Nao Sena Medal ( gallantry ) and seven Vayu Sena Medals ( gallantry ) .
Shaurya Chakras have been awarded to army personnel including two posthumously .

Indian Film Festival:

The 13th Indian Film Festival of Melbourne began on August 12 and will conclude on Aug 30 , 2022 . ‘ 83 ‘ was awarded the Best Film .
Shoojit Sircar and Aparna Sen won Best Director for ‘ Sardar Udham ‘ and ‘ The Rapist ‘ , respectively . Ranveer Singh won Best Actor for ’83 ‘. Shefali Shah won Best Actress for Jalsa. ‘Mumbai Diaries 26/11 ‘ won Best Series .
Mohit Raina won Best Actor in Series for Mumbai Diaries 26/11 . Kapil Dev was presented Lifetime Achievement Award . Joyland ‘ won Best Film from the Subcontinent . Abhishek Bachchan won ‘ Leadership in Cinema Award’. Sakshi Tanwar won Best Actress in a Series for ‘ Mai’.

Mission Millets 2017:

Odisha State Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has approved Rs 2808.39 crore for the promotion of millets in the tribal areas of the state .
The grant has been provided for six years ( 2021-22 to 2026-27 financial years ) . The Odisha Millets Mission was launched by Government of Odisha in 2017 to revive millets in farms and on plates .

IISS:

Kolkata will hold the 23rd edition of India International Seafood Show ( IISS ) from February 15-17 , 2023 . It will be organised by the Marine Products Export Development Authority ( MPEDA ) , in association with the Seafood Exporters Association of India ( SEAI ) .
It will provide an ideal platform for interaction between Indian exporters and overseas importers of the country’s marine products.

‘Adopt an Anganwadi’:

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on 14 August 2022 rolled out nearly 1,000 model Anganwadi centres constructed across the state .
He also launched the ‘ Adopt an Anganwadi ‘ portal , aimed at providing philanthropists , NGOs , and citizens concerned with a platform through which they can contribute to the welfare of the society by adopting full or partial expenses of an Anganwadi centre .

International Events:

Omicron Vaccine:

The UK has become the first country to authorise a Covid – 19 vaccine for the Omicron variant .
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority – which was the first in the world to approve an original Covid – 19 jab – has granted conditional authorisation to the vaccine.
It targets both the original strain of the virus . It is authorised for use in people aged 18 and over .

Sports Events:

Durand Cup:

The oldest football tournament in Asia , Durand Cup is scheduled to start from August 16 , 2022 . The opening match will be played between FC Goa and Mohammedan SC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata .
Durand Cup is one of the three major football tournaments in India , the other two being Indian Super League and Super Cup . The tournament is in its 131st edition .