CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 14

1. Flying unauthorized drone in Dhaka banned

In Bangladesh, flying of drones without permission from the authority has been banned in Dhaka.

• Dhaka Metropolitan Police said that flying drone or any remote-controlled devices without authorization is a punishable offence as it creates panic among people.
• People in Dhaka are flying drones for the purposes of recreation or capturing a photo or unknown reasons without seeking permission from the due authorities which is illegal.

2. Air India first flight over North Pole from Delhi to San Francisco on August 15

Air India will soon become the first Indian airline to fly over the North Pole while connecting New Delhi and North America.

• The inaugural flight over the Polar region will take flight on the nation's Independence Day, August 15, 2019 and will fly from New Delhi to San Francisco.
• According to the airline, passengers will benefit from the reduced flight times, the airline by conserving fuel, reduce travel times, improve aircraft utility and reduce carbon emission.
• Currently, the route that the New Delhi to San Francisco flight takes goes over Bangladesh, Myanmar, China and Japan before crossing the Pacific Ocean to enter the United States of America.

3. Hardeep Singh Puri launches Swachh Survekshan 2020

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri launched the Swachh Survekshan 2020 (SS 2020).

• It is the fifth edition of the annual cleanliness survey conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
• Alongside, the Swachh Survekshan 2020 Toolkit, SBM Water PLUS Protocol and Toolkit, Swachh Nagar - an integrated waste management app and AI enabled mSBM App were also launched.
• The Swachh Survekshan 2020 Toolkit launched by the minister contains the detailed survey methodology and component indicators with scores to help cities to prepare themselves for the survey.
• SS 2020 will be conducted in January 2020.

4. Prakash Javadekar releases patriotic song ‘Watan’ in run up to Independence Day

Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar released a patriotic song ‘Watan’ in New Delhi in the run up to the Independence Day.

• The special song has been produced by Doordarshan
• The song highlights several path-breaking initiatives of the government including the determination and vision behind the recent successful launch of Chandrayaan 2.
• The song also pays tribute to the bravery and valour of the armed forces and the martyrs of the country.
• The song has been sung by famous Bollywood singer Javed Ali. It has been penned by lyricist Alok Shrivastav and music composed by Dushyant.

5. CBI should be given statutory status equal to CAG, says CJI

Chief Justice of India, Justice Ranjan Gogoi said Central Bureau of Investigation should be given statutory status equal to Comptroller and Auditor General.

• Justice Gogoi said, CBI is the premier federal investigating agency in the country and it has discharged its duty with honour and distinction during its more than five decades of existence.
• CAG: Rajiv Mehrishi
• CJI : Ranjan Gogoi
• CBI Director General : Rishi Kumar Shukla

6. Former PM Manmohan Singh files Rajya Sabha nomination from Rajasthan

Former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh filed nomination papers as a Congress candidate for the by-poll to Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan.

• Dr. Singh filed four sets of nomination papers in the chamber of Returning Officer in the Rajasthan Assembly.
• This seat fell vacant in June this year after demise of BJP Member Madan Lal Saini.
• Rajasthan Assembly has 200 seats but currently there are 198 MLAs and two seats are vacant.
• Congress has 100 MLAs and also enjoys the outside support of 12 out of 13 independents and the legislators of BSP.

7. Legislative Party of Sikkim Democratic Front merges with BJP

The legislative party of Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) merged itself with Bharatiya Janta Party.

• Out of 13, 10 MLAs of the SDF joined BJP in the presence of party general secretary Ram Madhav in New Delhi.
• Senior SDF leader Dorjee Tshering Lepcha said, they want to work under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the development of the state.

8. Global investors summit to be held in Srinagar from October 12

Jammu and Kashmir Administration will host a three-day Global Investors Summit from 12th October this year in Srinagar.

• The first-ever summit in the state will provide J&K with an opportunity to showcase its strengths, strategies and potential.
• The summit will also provide an opportunity to allay fears and apprehensions in the minds of outside trade and the business community.

9. Aadhaar-enabled payment system crosses 200 million transactions in July

The umbrella body for digital transactions, NPCI, said that Aadhaar enabled Payment System  crossed the milestone of over 200 million transactions during July this year.

• AePS is a bank led model which allows basic  banking transactions at point of sale.
• In July 2019, the transaction count of AePS stood at 220 million.
• AePS empowers a bank customer to use Aadhaar as identity to access respective Aadhaar enabled bank account and perform basic banking transactions like cash withdrawal, intrabank or interbank fund transfer and balance enquiry.

10. Women's cricket to be part of Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games Federation announced that women's T20 Cricket has been confirmed for inclusion at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022.

• Eight teams will compete across eight match days, as cricket returns to the Commonwealth Games for the first time since 1998.
• The 2022 Commonwealth Games will take place in England from 27th July to 7th August.