• During the President Ram Nath Kovind’s visit to Gambia, India has promised to extend an assistance of USD 500,000 to The assistance will contribute in supporting the skill development and cottage industry projects in the West African country.

• Lok Sabha Speaker has announced that the Lower House will become paperless from the next session.

• Wing Commander Tarun Chaudhri has become the first Indian Air Force pilot to perform a wingsuit skydive jump.

• The postal department has decided to convert the India Post Payments Bank into a small finance bank.

• London has been named the world’s best city for students for the 2nd consecutive year,  on a new worldwide ranking. According to the rankings, India’s best student city is Bengaluru (81st). The QS Best Student Cities Ranking compiled by global education consultancy QS Quacquarelli Symonds highlights each city’s performance across different categories.

• DD News is awarded with “Champions of Empathy Award”for spreading awareness about  hepatitis.

• Australia all-rounder Ellyse Perry became the first cricketer of either gender to reach the rare milestone of scoring 1000 runs and taking 100 wickets in the T20 format.

• Delhi Public Library launched a mobile library bus service which aims to reach out to readers in Delhi. The 5 buses mobile library service was launched under the “Ghar Ghar Dastak Ghar Ghar Pustak” Scheme of the Delhi Public Library (DPL). 

• One Nation-One Ration Card scheme was launched on a pilot basis in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. Families who have food security cards can buy subsidized rice and wheat from any ration shop in these states. Their ration cards should be linked with Aadhar Number to avail this service.

• “One Nation One Ration Card”scheme to be rolled out in India from June 1, 2020. Note: Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution: Ram Vilas Paswan.

• The West Bengal Government has launched an awareness campaign ‘Save Green, Stay Clean’ for preserving the greenery and keeping the environment clean.

• According to the World Bank, India has been pushed to the 7th place in the global GDP rankings in 2018. In 2017, India had emerged as the 6th largest economy. The US remains the top economy.  India still remains the fastest-growing major economy in the world. Note: President of World Bank: David Malpass;  Headquarters: Washington DC, USA; Established: 1944. 

• Indian journalist Ravish Kumar has been awarded the 2019 Ramon Magsaysay Award for “harnessing journalism to give voice to the voiceless”. The Magsaysay award was started in 1957 and celebrates the memory and leadership example of the former Philippine president Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay.  Ramon Magsaysay Award is regarded as the Asian version of the Nobel Prize.

• The Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance,as part of its strategic commitment to improving global trade,is conducting India’s first national Time Release Study (TRS). The TRS is an internationally recognized tool advocated by the World Customs Organization to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of international trade flows.

• Maharashtra became the first state to adopt a digital fingerprint and iris scanning system to aid police investigations. The Automated Multi-modal Biometric Identification System (AMBIS) adopted by the Maharashtra Police will soon be replicated across the country, with the state government working with the National Crime Records Bureau in New Delhi to create standards to be used by other state police forces.

• Gujarat Chief Minister has launched the‘Vhali Dikri Yojna’. The scheme is for the welfare of the girl child. According to the scheme, the State Government will pay Rs.4,000 to every girl child at the time of admission to Standard 4th, Rs.6,000 at the time of taking admission to Standard IX, Rs.1 lakh at the time of taking admission for higher education at the age of 18 and another Rs.1 lakh at the time of marriage.It is a statewide cash incentive scheme for every girl child born in Gujarat.

• The State Bank of India’s (SBI) Shanghai branchis now connected toChina’s National Advance Payment System (CNAPS). SBI is the only Indian bank to have obtained the license to do business in local currency and also inducted to the CNAPS by the People’s Bank of China (PBOC).  Note: Chairperson of SBI: Rajnish Kumar; Headquarter: Mumbai; Founded: 1 July 1955.

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed “Bank of China”to offer regular banking services in the country. ‘Bank of China Limited’ has been included in the 2nd Schedule to the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. Note: RBI 25^th Governor: Shaktikant Das; Headquarters: Mumba. Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.

• Giriraj Prasad Gupta took over as the Controller General of Accounts (CGA).

• Bhasha Mukherjee, a 23-year-old Indian origin doctor was crowned Miss England 2019.

• Soccer body CONMEBOL suspended Lionel Messi from international matches for three months because of accusations of corruption at the latest Copa America.

• The Food and Nutrition Board, Ministry of Women and Child Development, organised several activities on the theme “Empower Parents, Enable Breastfeeding” during the World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) observed from 1st to 7th August 2019.

• A series of historical decisions which includes the scrapping of Article 370 & Art-35-A and the introduction of “J&K Reorganisation Bill 2019” were taken by the Government. Article 370 was providing special autonomous status to the Indian state “Jammu & Kashmir” which will be no longer applicable.

• India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shettyscripted a piece of history by breaching the‘Chinese Wall’ of reigning World champions Li Jun Hui and Liu Yu Chen, with a victory in the men’s doubles final of the Thailand Open badminton championship in Bangkok. This is the first-ever Indian men’s combination to win a BWF Super 500 title.

• The United States has officially labeled China a “currency manipulator”. The US has accused China of using yuan to gain “unfair competitive advantage” in trade.

• The Rajasthan Assembly passed Bills against mob lynching and honour killing. Now Rajasthan has become the 2nd state after Manipur which passed a law to curb lynching cases.

• NASA satellite uncovers ‘first nearby super-Earth’ planet named GJ 357 d. Scientists have characterised the first potentially habitable world outside our own solar system located about 31 light-years away.

• The Rajya Sabha has passed the Consumer Protection Bill, 2019. The bill will lead to setting up of a Central Consumer Protection Authority to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers as a class. The bill will replace the Consumer Protection Act, 1986. Note: Ram Vilas Paswan is the Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.

• To protect consumers’ interest,the Centre has proposed guidelines for e-commerce firms that entail a 14-day deadline to effect refund request, mandate e-tailers to display details of sellers supplying goods and services on their websites and moot the procedure to resolve consumer complaints. E-commerce firms also need to ensure that personally identifiable information of customers is protected.

• In its 3rd Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Committee meeting, the Reserve Bank of India has reduced the policy repo rate by 35 basis points(bps). The repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) was reduced from 75% to 5.40%. The reverse repo rate under the LAF stands revised to 5.15%. The marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate revised to 5.65%. RBI has also reduced the real GDP growth for 2019-20 from 7% to 6.9%.

• The Reserve Bank of India has decided to set up a “Central Payment Fraud Registry”. The registry will track frauds in the payment systems.

• Former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj passed away. She was the 1st full time woman external affairs minister of India. She was also the youngest cabinet minister at 25 when she joined the Haryana government in 1977 and the first woman chief minister of Delhi.

• August 6 marks the anniversary of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima during World War II. The horrific incident took place on August 6, 1945, when the United States dropped an atomic bomb named Little Boy, on the town of Hiroshima in Japan. This was the first time in the history of warfare when an atomic bomb was used against a nation.

• India celebrated National Handloom Day on 7th August.

• The Rajya Sabha has passed a Bill for more judges in Supreme Court. The bill proposed an increase in the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court from 30 to 33 judges.

• The Andhra Pradesh government will launch the Navodayam scheme. The scheme is a complete outreach programme for thousands of ailing Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the state.Minister of State for Higher Education Bhanwar Singh Bhati inaugurated the new higher education model, titled Resource Assistance for Colleges with Excellence (RACE) in Rajasthan.

• The Reserve Bank of India will make available the National Electronic Funds Transfer system on a 24×7 basis from December 2019 as per the Payment System Vision 2021 document. Presently, the transfer of funds via NEFT can only be done during banks’ working hours. The facility of electronic transfer of funds is available from 8 am to 7 pm on all working days, except the second and the fourth Saturday of the month.

• Serena Williams topped the List Of Highest-Paid Female Athletes 2019 published by Forbes.  Indian badminton player P.V. Sindhu came in tied for 13th, with Thai golfer Ariya Jutanugarn.

• Kandikuppa Sreekant assumed the charge of the chairman and managing director of Power Grid Corporation of India.

• India’s transsexual woman Naaz Joshi was crowned Miss World Diversity 2019. This event was held in Port Louis, Mauritius. This washer 3rd successive victory in the beauty pageant Miss World Diversity.

• The 77th anniversary of the August Kranti Din or Quit India Movement was observed on 8^th August. On 8^th Aug, 1942, Mahatma Gandhi gave a clarion call to end the British rule and launched the Quit India Movement.

• Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting has launched e-Rozgar Samachar. Rozgar Samachar is the corresponding version of Employment News (English). It has been launched with a view to make aspirants aware of job opportunities in government sector including public sector enterprises.

• The 66th National Film awards were announced. “Uttarakhand” was conferred the award for the Most Film Friendly State.

• Union HRD Minister will launch ‘Samagra Shiksha-Jal Suraksha’ to create awareness about Water Conservation among all school students in the country.

• Asian Development Bank (ADB)has approved a USD 200 million loan for improving road infrastructure in 34 districts of Maharashtra.  Note: President of ADB: Takehiko Nakao; Headquarters: Manila, Philippines.

• Manipur has topped the rankings in Breastfeeding and Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices in the country. Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar are at the bottom positions.

•  ISRO has announced its “Vikram Sarabhai Journalism Award in Space Science, Technology and Research” to recognize and reward journalists who have actively contributed towards the field of space science, applications, and research. Note: Dr Vikram Sarabhai is known as the father of Indian space programme. ISRO Director:  K. Sivan; Headquarters: Bengaluru; Established in:1969.

• The World Archery (WA) has suspended the Archery Association of India for violating its guidelines.  The AAI violated the WA’s guidelines by electing two parallel bodies.

• The Cricket Australia has announced new transgender inclusive policy.This policy will enable transgender players to play the game of cricket at the highest levels.

• United Nations observed 9th August as International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. Theme for year 2019: Indigenous Languages. Note: Secretary General of the United Nations: Antonio Guterres. 

• Japan commemorates the 9th August every year as the Nagasaki day. On August 9, 1945, the United States  dropped an atomic bomb, code named “Fat Man”, on Nagasaki, Japan. This happened 3 days after dropping an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

• The Virasat-e-Khalsa Museum in Punjab’s Anandpur Sahib town is all set to find a place in the Asia Book of Records for becoming the most visited museum in the Indian sub-continent in a single day.

• President has approved the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019. The bill amends the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

• Uttar Pradesh’s“Vriksharopan Mahakumbh”drive has created world record after planting more than 22 crore saplings. The drive was launched on the occasion of 77th anniversary of Quit India Movement. Another record of “largest distribution of saplings in the world” was created when 76823 saplings were distributed free in just 6 hours in Prayagraj.

• The Board Of Control For Cricket In India has agreed to come under the ambit of the National Anti-Doping Agency. Note: Director General of NADA: Navin Agarwal; CEO of BCCI: Rahul Johri.