CURRENT AFFAIRS OF 18th AUGUST 2022

CURRENT AFFAIRS OF  18^th AUGUST 2022

1. The Indian Railways tested its heaviest and longest freight, Super Vasuki, a 3.5-km-long freight train with 295 loaded wagons carrying over 27,000 tonnes of coal between Korba in Chhattisgarh and Rajnandgaon in Nagpur on 15 August, 2022 as part of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations.
2. On 15 August, 2022 Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has launched new schemes on sanitation, nutrition and for well-being of farmers, labourers and soldiers.
3. Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan unveiled a 30-feet tall mural statue of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, at the Freedom Fighters’ Association Building in Vijayawada on 14 August, as part of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
4. 17 August marks the death anniversary of freedom fighter Madan Lal Dhingra.
5. As per the Ministry of Finance notification, those who pay income tax will not be allowed to enrol in the government’s social security scheme Atal Pension Yojana (APY) from 1 October, 2022.
6. The Odisha Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Chennai-based National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) for the protection of coastal areas from various natural calamities like flood, cyclone, soil erosion and high tide, etc.
7. On 17 August, 2022 State Bank of India (SBI) has launched its first state-of-the-art dedicated branch for start-ups in Koramangala, Bengaluru to facilitate and support them.
8. The Centre and the board of the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) has appointed Rajkiran Rai G as its Managing Director (MD) for the next five years.
9. Maharashtra Government on 17 August, 2022 announced a 3% rise in the dearness allowance (DA) payable to nearly 17 lakh government employees in Maharashtra.
10. Axis bank, India’s third largest private sector bank, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Food Corporation of India (FCI) to provide ‘Ultima Salary Package’, a salary account with exclusive benefits and features to all its employees.
11. The 9^th India-Thailand Joint Commission Meeting was held in Bangkok on 17 August, 2022.
12. Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat announced that more than Rs. 30,000 crore has been sanctioned for projects aimed at cleaning Ganga and its tributaries.
13. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on 16 August, 2022 handed over the new anti-personnel mine ‘Nipun’ and Future Infantry Soldier as a System (F-INSAS) to the Indian army.
14. Mastercard Inc., an American multinational financial services corporation, has appointed Badminton players Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty as brand ambassadors of Mastercard in India.
15. Amitabh Chaudhary, the former BCCI acting secretary and president of Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) has passed away.