Current Affairs 10th August 2015

Current Affairs 10th August 2015 - Important Points

• Who has been honoured with PATWA 2015 award - Goa Tourism Minister Parulekar

• Who is awarded with IGNOU gold medal - Ajeet Kumar Saroj

• Name the drive launched to facilitate enrolment under Social Security Schemes - Suraksha Bandhan

• Which Australian cricketer announced retirement from International Cricket - Michael Clarke

• Which freedom fighter has passed away - Freedom fighter Kayyara Kinhanna Rai

• Name the initiative launched to honour families of martyrs - Param Tyag Chakra Initiative

• Who is awarded with Germany's Cross of Order of the Merit - Raghavendra Gadagkar

• School Nursery Yojana launched to - bring students closer to nature

• Name the app launched to aid digital literacy in Bihar - Disha

Current Affairs 10th August 2015 - Details

Who has been honoured with PATWA 2015 award - Goa Tourism Minister Parulekar

On 7th August 2015, Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) - Safari India South Asia Travel Award 2015 was awarded to Goa Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar and became the first tourism minister of Goa to receive this acclaimed award.

PATWA was established in 1998 at the Pacific Area Travel Association (PATA) Conference in Colombo, Sri Lank. It is a professional organization of travel writers.

Do You Know :

PATWA is an association of World Tourism Organization (WTO) and United Nations. It clings to the elementary principles of the the World Tourism Organization (WTO), the United Nations (UN), Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and United Nations Educational.

Spanning India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and South East Asia, Safari India is a regional tourism magazine.

Who is awarded with IGNOU gold medal - Ajeet Kumar Saroj

On 8th August 2015, Gold medal by the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) for topping in Diploma in Tourism Studies was awarded to Ajeet Kumar Saroj who is a 23-year-old culpable homicide convict lodged in Varanasi central jail.

Covering 20 districts, he is the one and only gold medalist from Varanasi region of IGNOU. In February 2012, Ajeet was lodged in jail and is serving an imprisonment of 10 years.

Before pursuing the Diploma in Tourism Studies, he has pursued four certificate courses from IGNOU which includes certificate course in NGO management, certificate course in human rights, certificate course in food and nutrition and certificate course in disaster management.

Do you Know :

IGNOU is the only university across the world with extensive programmes for education and training of prisioners. Fee waiver has been a significant factor in providing impetus to the rehabilitation of prisoners encouraging them to be productive members of society.

Name the drive launched to facilitate enrolment under Social Security Schemes - Suraksha Bandhan

On 9th August 2015, to facilitate enrolment under social security schemes Union Government in a Mission Mode through participating banks and insurance companies launched a drive named Suraksha Bandhan.

The schemes included are Atal Pension Yojana (APY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY).

The drive was launched in the atmosphere of Raksha Bandhan with an objective of taking forward the Government’s objective of creating a universal social security system in the country. During the drive, participating Banks supported by the participating Insurance Companies will work towards local outreach, awareness building and enrolment facilitation.

Jeevan Suraksha Gift Cheques, which will be available for purchase for 351 rupees in Bank branches by persons wishing to gift them to facilitate one year payment of premium for Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana by the recipient will support the drive.

The recipient of the gift cheque would deposit the instrument in his or her bank account for a realizable value of 342 rupees, out of which 12 rupees will be for one year subscription of PMSBY and 330 rupees for PMJJBY. The balance of 9 rupees will be retained by the issuing Bank as a service charge.

Which Australian cricketer announced retirement from International Cricket - Michael Clarke

On 8th August 2015, retirement from International Cricket after playing the ongoing Ashes series was declared by the Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke.

From 20 August to 24 August 2015, at the Oval, London, Clark will play his last test.

Which freedom fighter has passed away - Freedom fighter Kayyara Kinhanna Rai

On 9th August 2015, freedom fighter and remarkable Kannada poet Kayyara Kinhanna Rai died at the age of 101. He was a Indian independence activist, author, poet and journalist.

He was the cutting edge in the movement of merging the Kannada-speaking region of the Chandragiri river (Kasaragod district) with Karnataka to fulfill its semantic and development yearning after the 1957 States Re-organisation.

About Kayyar Kinhanna Rai

• He was born on 8th June 1915 in Kasaragod. He began his career as a secondary school teacher and later switched to journalism.
• Koraga, Aikyagana, Chethana, Punarnava and Shreemukha are some of his famous poems. Malayala Sahitya Charithre and Sahithya Drushti are some of his other important works.
• He had also served as the President of 67th Akhila Bharatha Kannada Sahitya Sammelana.
• He was awarded with Karnataka Ekikarana (Unification) Award (2007), National Award for Best Teacher (1969) and Karnataka Sahitya Academy Puraskar (1969).

Name the initiative launched to honour families of martyrs - Param Tyag Chakra Initiative

On 9th August 2015, the Alumni Association of Rajagiri School of Engineering and Technology innitiated the The Param Tyag Chakra initiative to honour family members of brave military men, who lost their lives while battling for the country.

A web platform has been launched by the Alumni Association of Rajagiri School of Engineering and Technology in association with the management to gather the info of their family members.

Anyone can join this initiative in various ways such as by channeling the support and identifying and referring such families.

Who is awarded with Germany's Cross of Order of the Merit - Raghavendra Gadagkar

On 7th August 2015, Germany's highest civilian honour Cross of Order of the Merit at the German Consulate in Bengaluru was awarded to Indian sociobiologist Raghavendra Gadagkar.

He was given the honour for his remarkable contribution for strengthening research corporation between India and Germany and in the field of behavioural ecology and sociobiology.

Gadagkar is presently serving as a professor at the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and has published more than 270 research papers and two books till now. He is also the president of the Indian National Science Academy.

Do You know :

• In 1951, Federal President Theodor Heuss instituted the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
• Federal Republic of Germany presents this award for outstanding achievements in political, volunteering, cultural, intellectual and economical fields.

School Nursery Yojana launched to - bring students closer to nature

On 10th August 2015, the School Nursery Yojana has been launched by the Union Government to bring students closer to nature. Children belonging to class VI to IX will be engaged in raising of saplings in nurseries created in schools.

Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi launched this Yojna with the theme to plant a tree for sustainable future and to make the nation clean and green.

About School Nursery Yojana

• 1000 schools will be covered in this yojna in its first phase and will extend to 5000 schools in 2016 and many more in the upcoming years.
• As part of practical exercise for biology classes and extra-curriculum activities, students will grow saplings.
• The nursery will be maintained by the school principals for at least five years.
• An amount of 25000 will be granted to each school for creation of the nursery with essential facilities.

Name the app launched to aid digital literacy in Bihar - Disha

On 10 August 2015, a new mobile app called ‘Disha’ was launched to aid digital literacy in Bihar by telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

The app will help people to learn about computers and Internet through self learning modules in Bihar. The app forsees offering the digital literacy to tribal and Dalit women in the State.

“Disha handbook” was also launched by telecom ministry which contains pictographic lessons on computers operations. “Digital Saksharta Abhiyan” was also initiated to promote digital literacy.