The Daily Brief – 10th August 2018

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India’s largest bank State Bank of India (SBI) has launched its Multi Option Payment Acceptance Device (MOPAD) which aims at providing digital convenience to customers and ease of doing business for merchants at the same time. SBI will roll-out this new initiative on all SBI PoS terminals in a phased manner. It will allow customers to make payments through cards, Bharat QR, UPI and SBI Buddy (e-wallet) on single Point–of–Sale (PoS) terminal. This multipurpose initiative will also enhance digital ecosystem and help bank in driving economy towards a less-cash society.
Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry has launched Niryat Mitra mobile application developed by Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), the largest exporter’s organisation of the country, for exporters and importers of the country. The app provides wide range of information required to undertake international trade right from policy provisions for export and import, applicable GS T rate, available export incentives, tariff, preferential tariff, market access requirements – SPS and TBT measures. FIEO is apex and largest trade promotion organisation jointly established in 1965 by Ministry of Commerce and private trade and industry.
An agreement on admission of service members of Pakistan in Russia’s Military Training Institutes has been signed by Pakistan and Russia at conclusion of first meeting of Russia-Pakistan Joint Military Consultative Committee (JMCC), the highest forum of defence collaboration between both countries held in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. This will be the first time Pakistani soldiers will undergo training at Russian military institutes. Russia and Pakistan had defence cooperation agreement in 2014. Both countries also have initiative military exercise DRUZBA (Friendship) in 2016.
The Supreme Court on August 8, 2018 approved the draft Constitution of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and granted full permanent membership to the Railways, the Tri-Services, and Association of Indian Universities. A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, comprising justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, asked the Registrar General of Tamil Nadu Societies to bring on record the approved BCCI constitution within four weeks. It directed the state cricket associations to adopt the BCCI constitution within 30. The apex court also modified its earlier order on the ‘One State, One Vote’ policy for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) members. The judgment restored the voting rights of the cricket associations of Gujarat and Maharashtra including Baroda, Saurashtra, Vidarbha and others.
India observed the 76th anniversary of Quit India movement on August 8, 2018. On this day in 1942, father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi gave the famous clarion call of ‘Do or Die’ to all Indians to drive the British away from the country. The movement, also known as the August Kranti Diwas, was launched at the Bombay session of the All-India Congress Committee (AICC), at the height of the Second World War. The movement was a civil disobedience movement for immediate self-rule by Indians and against sending Indians to fight on behalf of Britain in World War II.
The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd. (TRIFED) under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs on August 9, 2018 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Ministry of AYUSH with an aim to promote Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs) forest produce for livelihood development of tribal people through the promotion of primary level value addition to MAPs produce from forest area at grassroots level. The MoU will help in generating employment and skill upgradation of tribal people and will prove to be beneficial for them.
The Union Sports Minister, Rajyavardhan Rathore announced on August 6, 2018 that a games period will be made mandatory in all schools from 2019 onwards with an aim to highlight the need to teach the importance of playing sports to the school children. Along with this, the Minister said that the Ministry of Education will ensure a 50 per cent reduction in the syllabus. The Sports Minister also unveiled the Webb Ellis Cup on the occasion, which invites India’s participation in the Rugby World Cup 2019 which will be held in Japan.
The Central Government on August 7, 2018 appointed journalist Swaminathan Gurumurthy and Sahakar Bharathi patron Satish Kashinath Marathe as part-time non-official Directors on the Central Board of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) following the approval from the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet for a four year term. The appointments were made under Section 8(1)(c) of the RBI Act, 1934. With these latest appointments, the total number of government appointed directorson the RBI board comes to 10, the maximum permitted.
India’s Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve, one of the highest ecosystems in the world, has been added to UNESCO’s list of World Network of Biosphere Reserve (WNBR) in its 30th session, which was held from July 23-27, 2018 at Palembang, Indonesia. The Khangchendzonga reserve will be India’s 11th internationally designated WNBR. The reserve includes a range of ecoclines varying from subtropical to arctic, as well as vast natural forests in different biomes that support an immensely rich diversity of forest types and habitats resulting in high species diversity and endemism.