8th edition of TiECon Kerala on October

NATIONAL NEWS

8th edition of TiECon Kerala on October

• The eighth edition of TiECon Kerala, one of the largest conferences on entrepreneurship in the state will be held in Kochi on October 4 and 5.
• The conference to be participated by more than 1,500 delegates will be held at Hotel Le Meridian, Kundanoor.
• Organised by Kerala chapter of Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), a not-for-profit organisation based in Silicon Valley, the event focuses on promoting entrepreneurship in the state.

FACTS

Chief Minister of Kerala- Pinarayi Vijayan

Governor of Kerala-Sathasivam

Capital-Kochi

Hyderabad CAI EXPO 2019 showcases best of innovations, new product line up

• The Business Line-CAI EXPO (Construction, Architecture and Interior Expo) 2019, the construction and design event has attracted over 65 companies and services providers to participate.
• The three-day event is happening at Hitex Exhibition Centre during August 16-18.

India's forex reserves at new life-time high of $430.57 bn

• India's foreign exchange reserves surged by $1.620 billion to $430.572 billion in the week to 9 August on rise in foreign currency assets, according to the latest RBI data released.
• In the previous reporting week ended on 2 August, the reserves had declined by $697.2 million to $428.952 billion.

National Tribal Festival “Aadi Mahotsav” begins in Leh- Ladakh

• Tribal Affairs Ministry and Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) are jointly organizing a 9 - Day Aadi Mahotsav (National Tribal Festival), in Leh- Ladakh.
• A theme of “A celebration of the spirit of Tribal Craft, Culture and Commerce” Adi Mahotsav will be inaugurated by the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Mr. Satya Pal Malik.
• 9-day Adi Mahotsav will showcase traditional art and handicrafts and cultural heritage of the country.

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu to inaugurate Mukhya Mantri Krishi Ashirwad Yojana in Jharkhand

• Vice President Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate Mukhya Mantri Krishi Ashirwad Yojana, aimed at benefitting over 13.5 lakh farmers.
• The scheme has been launched by Chief Minister Raghubar Das for welfare and financial upliftment of farmers.
• Around Rs 442 crore has been allocated to be directly transferred into the bank accounts of beneficiaries in the first phase of the scheme.
• Under the scheme, farmers holding land of an acre or less would be eligible for receiving Rs 5,000 and farmers with five acres of land would be eligible to receive Rs 25,000 in two fixed installments.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Huawei launches its own operating system Harmony OS

• Huawei Technologies unveiled its much-anticipated in-house operating system Harmony OS, marking the Chinese tech giant’s arguably biggest push to build its own software ecosystem.
• The move is also expected to offset the influence of the US government’s restrictions over the use of Google’s Android operating system in smartphones and other hardware.

BANKING

ADB Provides $200 Million to Upgrade Rural Roads in Maharashtra State

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a loan of $200 million to upgrade rural roads to all-weather standards in 34 districts of India’s Maharashtra State to better connect rural areas with markets and services.
• The upgraded roads under the ADB project will boost links between local residents, productive agricultural land, and economic centers across the state,

APPOINTMENT

Harshad Pandurang Thakur appointed NIHFW Director

• Harshad Pandurang Thakur has been appointed as the Director of National Institute of Health and Family Welfare
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, appointed him for a period of five years.
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal for appointment of Harshad Pandurang Thakur, Professor, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai to the post of Director, National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW) on direct recruitment basis for a period of 05 years.

Ravi Shastri reappointed as head coach, to continue till T20 World Cup 2021

• Former India cricketer Ravi Shastri has been appointed as the coach of the Indian cricket team for second successive term.
• Three-member Cricket Advisory Committee- Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy- made the announcement.
• Shastri's new tenure has been extended till T20 World Cup, to be held in 2021 in Australia.

OBITUARY

Renowned Bangladeshi novelist Rizia Rahman passes away

• Renowned Bangladeshi novelist and the Ekushey Padak winning author Rizia Rahman passed away today in Dhaka at the age of 79.
• She wrote in all genres of creative work including short stories, poems, essays and children's fiction but she was renowned for her novels.
• Bong Theke Bangla, Rokter Okshor and Ghar-Bhanga-Ghar are among some of his more well-known novels.
• She received the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1978 and was awarded Ekushey Padak this year.