Current Affairs,August 2023

31st July, Current Affairs:

• World Sanskrit Day is observed today.
• India's gross domestic product (GDP) for the first quarter, i-e the April-June quarter of the ongoing financial year accelerated to 7.8 per cent.
• India's moon rover Pragyan has confirmed the presence of sulphur and other elements at the lunar south pole. The Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) instrument aboard Pragyan was instrumental in confirming the presence of sulphur.
• The Centre today appointed Jaya Verma Sinha as the CEO and Chairperson of the Railway Board, making her the first woman to ever hold that post in the Ministry of Railways' 105-year-old history.

29th July, Current Affairs:

• Today India observes National Sports Day, commemorating the birthday of Major Dhyan Chand. The recognition of this day was established in 2012, with the inaugural celebration occurring on August 29, 2012.
• Onam festival is celebrated today.
• Government has decided to reduce the price of domestic LPG cylinders by 200 rupees for all the consumers. Also beneficiaries of the government's Ujjwala Yojana will now get a reduction of Rs 400 per cylinder.
• Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari today launched the world's first 100 percent Ethanol-fueled car in New Delhi. This one world's first BS-VI (Stage-II), electrified flex-fuel vehicle has been launched which can function fully on ethanol-based fuel.

28th July, Current Affairs:

• Aditya-L1, India’s first space-based observatory to study the sun, will be launched on September 2, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced today. The spacecraft will be placed in a halo orbit around the Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the sun-earth system, which is about 1.5 million km from the earth. It is expected to take more than 120 days for the spacecraft to reach the L1.
• Neeraj Chopra won India's first-ever World Athletics C'ships gold medal in Men's Javelin at the World Athletics Championship 2023 in Budapest. Neeraj Chopra's second attempt in the final saw him launch the javelin to a distance of 88.17 meters, which remained the highest in the event.
• India’s men’s 4x400m relay team finished fifth in the final of the 2023 World Athletics Championships. India clocked in at 2:59:92s in the finals at Budapest, Hungary.

27th July, Current Affairs:

• Indore has been adjudged the best Smart City while Madhya Pradesh has been chosen as the top State for exemplary performance in the Smart Cities Mission. Surat and Agra are the second and third-place winners among cities, while Tamil Nadu is the second in the State category followed by Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh in the India Smart Cities Award Contest (ISAC), 2022.
• The Indian men's 4x400m relay team, consisting of Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Amoj Jacob, Muhammad Ajmal Variyathodi, and Rajesh Ramesh, made history at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. They shattered the Asian record by clocking 2 minutes and 59.05 seconds, qualifying for their maiden final round of the World Championships.
• In badminton, India's ace shuttler HS Prannoy had to settle for a bronze medal as he registered a loss to Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the semifinals of the ongoing Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships.
• Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa was re-elected for a second and final term.

26th July, Current Affairs:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that the site where Vikram Lander and Rover Pragyan landed on the Lunar surface will be named as Shiva Shakti point. Another site on the Moon where the Chandrayaan 2 lander crash landed will be known as Tiranga Point.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared August 23 as the National Space Day to commemorate the remarkable achievement of Chandrayaan-3's landing on the moon.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become the first Foreign Head of the Government to be awarded 'The Grand Cross of the Order of Honour' by the Greek government.

24th July, Current Affairs:

• The Indian Space Research Organisation's Pragyan rover was successfully deployed on the Moon on Thursday, after the successful soft landing of the Chandrayaan-3 mission. The Pragyan rover is the first of its kind to be deployed on the Moon's south pole. It is equipped with a variety of instruments, including a camera, a spectrometer, and a magnetometer. The rover will conduct experiments to study the Moon's surface, including its composition, mineralogy, and history.
• The 69th National Film Awards were announced at a press conference in New Delhi today. Alia Bhatt and Kriti Sanon share the Best Actress award for their performances in Gangubai Kathiawadi and Mimi. Allu Arjun was named Best Actor for the blockbuster Pushpa: The Rise. It is the first National Award for all three actors. Rocketry: The Nambi Effect was awarded Best Film. RRR won Best Popular Film award.
• Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas has successfully fired the ASTRA indigenous Beyond Visual Range air-to-air missile off the coast of Goa.
• World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen won his maiden World Cup crown after beating India's R Praggnanandhaa in the tie-breakers of the final in Baku.
• Indian shooter Amanpreet Singh won the gold medal in Men’s 25 metre standard pistol shooting event at the ISSF World Championship 2023 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

23rd July, Current Affairs:

• India's moon mission Chandrayaan-3 has made a successful soft landing near the moon's South Pole. India has become the first nation to land near the Moon's South Pole. The ₹ 600 crore Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on July 14 on board Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM-3) rocket, and took 41 days to reach its destination.
• Bharat Ratna Awardee, Legendary Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has been declared as the National Icon of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to create awareness among voters and encourage their participation in the electoral process.
• Srettha Thavisin is elected as the new Prime Minister of Thailand.

22nd July, Current Affairs:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Johannesburg in South Africa this evening to attend the 15th BRICS Summit.
• Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa registered a stunning victory over world number 3 Fabiano Caruana in the semi-finals of the ongoing FIDE World Cup chess tournament in Baku, Azerbaijan. He is now set to face Magnus Carlsen in the final of the tournament. With the win on Monday, Praggnanandhaa became only the second Indian player following legendary player Viswanathan Anand to enter the summit clash of the tournament. He defeated Caruana 3.5-2.5 via the tie-break in the semifinals.

20th July, Current Affairs:

• The Luna-25 probe, Russia's first Moon mission in almost 50 years, has crashed on the Moon after an incident during pre-landing manoeuvres today.
• Spain beat England 1-0 to become World Champions in the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023.
• With Four Gold and One Silver Medals, India has secured Second Rank at the 16th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) in Chorzów, Poland.

18th July, Current Affairs:

• The death count from the monsoon rains in Himachal Pradesh climbed to 74. The state has been hit by 113 landslides in the 55 days since the monsoon began, causing losses of ₹ 2,491 crore to the Public Works Department (PWD) and ₹ 1,000 crore to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
• Mohit Kumar became U20 world champion in the men's 61kg freestyle wrestling category at the U20 World Wrestling Championships in Jordan. This was India's first gold at the ongoing edition.
• The government has taken decisions to make biometric verification of mobile SIM card dealers mandatory and discontinue the bulk connection mechanism.

16th July, Current Affairs:

• Indian Space Research Organisation is planning its next launch of the Aditya L1 satellite this month. It will be the first space-based Indian mission to study the Sun.
• Nation pays homage to Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his death anniversary.
• Parsi community is celebrating New Year i.e. Navroz today.

15th July, Current Affairs:

• India celebrates the 77th Independence Day today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoist the National Flag and address the people from the ramparts of Red Fort in New Delhi.
• A total of 954 Police personnel have been awarded Police Medals on the occasion of Independence Day. Police Medal for Distinguished Service has been awarded to 82 and the Police Medal for Meritorious Service to 642 personnel.

14th July, Current Affairs:

• At least 41 people died in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh, as heavy rains continued to pound the state.
• The Ministry of Defence has announced that it will replace the Microsoft Windows operating system (OS) with an indigenously developed Maya OS by the end of this year. The move is aimed at improving the security of the ministry’s computer systems against malware and ransomware attacks.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation - ISRO successfully conducted a fresh orbit reduction maneuver of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft today, bringing it closer to the Moon’s surface.

12th July, Current Affairs:

• Senator Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar today picked as Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister to govern the country and oversee general elections later this year.
• President Droupadi Murmu has granted assent to the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023 (DPDP Bill) after it was passed by both Houses of Parliament.
• India edged past Malaysia 4-3 in the final match of the Asian Champions Trophy 2023 at Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium. India now have four Asian Champions Trophy titles and that makes them the most successful team in the history of the tournament.

11th July, Current Affairs:

• Parliament today passed the Central Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and Integrated Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2023. The Lok Sabha passed the bills without discussion with voice vote.
• The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 and the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill 2023 were today introduced in the Lok Sabha. Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 will replace the Indian Penal Code 1860, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha, 2023 will replace the Criminal Procedure Act, 1898 and Bharatiya Sakshya Bill, 2023 will replace the Indian Evidence Act, 1872.
• The multilateral naval exercise Malabar 2023 begin at Sydney in Australia.

10th July, Current Affairs:

• Lok Sabha on Thursday defeated the no-confidence motion brought by Congress.
• World Lion Day is being celebrated today.
• India finished seventh in the overall medals tally with 26 medals - 11 gold, five silver and 10 bronze. China claimed the pole position with 103 gold medals.
• Reserve Bank of India has kept the key interest rate unchanged for third time in a row at 6.5 percent.
• Parliament has passed the Pharmacy (Amendment) Bill, 2023 with the Rajya Sabha approving it today. The bill will amend the Pharmacy Act, 1948.

8th July, Current Affairs:

• Popular Telugu singer Gaddar passed away in Hyderabad today. He was 74. He is known as a people’s warship. G Vithal Rao, popularly known as Gaddar, played a key role in the Telangana movement through his songs.
• Neeraj Chopra to lead Indian team in World Athletics Championships beginning on August 19 in Budapest, Hungary, with the country fielding a 28-member team.

7th July, Current Affairs:

• National Handloom Day is observed today in India.
• Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni has appointed former Prime minister Hun Sen's son - Hun Manet- as the new prime minister of the country.
• Prarthana Thombare has clinched the doubles title at the women’s tennis hardcourt event in Barcelona, Spain.

6th July, Current Affairs:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi today laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of 508 railway stations at a cost of over 24 thousand 470 crore rupees under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme across the country through video conferencing.
• Aditi Swami created history on Saturday by becoming the first-ever Indian to clinch the individual World Title at the World Archery Championships final in Berlin. 17-year-old Aditi, became the senior world champion when she defeated Andrea Becerra of Mexico, 149-147 in the summit clash of the compound women's event. India's Ojas Deotale also created history when he defeated Lukasz Przybylski of Poland 150-149 in a thrilling final to become the new world champion in Men's Individual compound event.

4th July, Current Affairs:

• 17-year-old Grandmaster D Gukesh has surpassed Viswanathan Anand, in the live world rankings by the International Chess Federation (FIDE). This achievement came after Gukesh's victory over Misratdin Iskandarov of Azerbaijan in a second-round match at the World Cup. His latest gain of 2.5 rating points elevated his live rating to 2755.9, surpassing Anand's rating of 2754.0.
• Asia's oldest football tournament Durand Cup begins today. A total of 43 matches will be played across four venues in Assam and West Bengal, which include Guwahati, Kokrajhar and Kolkata.

3rd July, Current Affairs:

• Asia's oldest football tournament Durand Cup will begin today. A total of 43 matches will be played across four venues in Assam and West Bengal.
• Lok Sabha has taken up the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill 2023 for consideration and passing.
• The Centre has imposed restrictions on the import of laptops, tablets, and personal computers today with immediate effect. The government stated that the import of these items would be allowed against a valid licence for restricted imports.
• 7th Men's Asian Champions Trophy begins in Chennai.

2nd July, Current Affairs:

• Parliament has passed the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2023. The Bill seeks to amend the Cinematograph Act, 1952 under which the certificate issued by the Central Board of Film Certification was valid for 10 years. Now, the certificate will be perpetually valid.
• Parliament passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill with Rajya Sabha approving it today. Lok Sabha has already passed the Bill. The Bill will encourage the private sector in the exploration of critical and deep-seated minerals.

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