Launch:
- Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister of Law & Justice, Communications and Electronics & Information Technology, launched “Swadeshi Microprocessor Challenge- Innovate Solutions for Aatmanirbhar Bharat”, on 18 Aug 2020. This will start from 18 Aug 2020 & culminates in June 2021.
Under the aegis of Microprocessor Development Programme of Ministry of Electronics and IT, IIT Madras and CDAC have developed two microprocessors named SHAKTI (32 bit) and VEGA (64 bit) respectively using Open Source Architecture. “Swadeshi Microprocessor Challenge- Innovate Solutions for Aatmanirbhar Bharat” seeks to invite innovators, startups and students to use these microprocessors to develop various technology products.
Ranking:
The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras retained its position as the top “innovative educational institution” in the country for the second consecutive year in ARIIA-2020 ranking.
Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements-2020, released by Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu on 18 Aug 2020, The University of Hyderabad has been ranked 10th in the prestigious Institutes of National Importance and central universities category in the Union Education Ministry’s.
Shri Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister will announce the results of Swachh Survekshan 2020, on 20th of August, 2020. This is the fifth edition of the annual cleanliness survey of the country. A total of 129 awards will be handed over to the top performing cities and states in the programme, titled “Swachh Mahotsav”. Swachh Survekshan 2020 is the World’s largest cleanliness survey which ranked a total of 4,242 cities, 62 Cantonment Boards and 92 Ganga Towns and saw an unprecedented participation of 1.87 crore citizens. The event is being organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India.
Appointments:
- Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa, resigned on 18 Aug 2020 to join the Philippines-based Asian Development Bank (ADB). He will join next month as vice-president in ADB. The ADB had announced Lavasa’s appointment on July 15.
- Satya Pal Malik is appointed as Governor of Meghalaya, replacing Tathagata Roy. Tathagata Roy completed his five-year tenure.
Technology:
- Scientists of “Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS)“, Bengaluru, fabricated invisible shield for electromagnetic interference. The invisible shield can be used in various military stealth applications. Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru, have fabricated these transparent and flexible EMI shields made of metal meshes using the crack templating method via spray coating which is pioneered in their laboratory.
- Microsoft will end support for Internet Explorer 11 across its Microsoft 365 apps and services on August 17th, 2021.
Microsoft is also ending support for Internet Explorer 11 with the Microsoft Teams web app later this year, on November 30th.
Others:
- The Union Home Ministry has approved the renaming of Manduadih railway station in Uttar Pradesh as ‘Banaras’ on 17 Aug 2020.
- The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced 18 Aug 2020 that Dream 11 as the official sponsors for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. Dream11 won the IPL 2020 title sponsorship rights with a bid of Rs 222 crore.
- According to a global research released by online privacy solutions provider SurfShark.
As per the “Digital Quality of Life Index 2020”, which researches on the quality of a digital wellbeing in 85 countries (81% of the global population), in terms of e-infrastructure, India occupies 79th place. - The Asian Boxing Championship, which was to be held in India in November-December, has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The tournament will now happen in 2021. The decision was taken at the Asian Boxing Confederation’s (ASBC) Executive Committee meeting held online on 17 Aug 2020.
- Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha announced committee for economic revival of Jammu and Kashmir on 17 Aug 2020. Committee which will be headed by advisor to the Lt Governor, Kewal Kumar Sharma, and consist of financial commissioner, finance department, commissioner secretary, industries and commerce department, secretary, tourism and chairman J&K Bank. Committee would work out modalities for the economic revival and propose measures for extending much needed support to the business community.