CURRENT AFFAIRS WEEKLY ONE LINERS: AUGUST 8 – 14, 2018

NATIONAL

• The government has set up a four-member Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by trade minister Suresh Prabhu to advise prime minister Narendra Modi on whether to continue with or withdraw from the 16-member Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations.
• The Telangana government has launched a Rs.5 lakh insurance programme for farmers in the state, touted to be the first of its kind, under which their families will get the amount irrespective of whether the death is natural or accidental.
• The National Green Tribunal has constituted a committee, to be headed by a former Allahabad High Court judge, for monitoring the rejuvenation project of Ganga from Haridwar to Unnao in Uttar Pradesh.
• The Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga RejuvenationShri Nitin Gadkari launched Bidder Information Management System (BIMS).
• Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar has flagged off the Goa Tourism Development Corporation’s app-based taxi service “GoaMiles” in Panaji.
• Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has integrated its MyCall and DND 2.0 apps on the Umang (Unified mobile application for new-age governance) platform for Android users.
• The 3rd India-Nepal Coordination meeting will be held in New Delhi. Our correspondent reports that a seven-member delegation from Nepal, headed by Inspector General of Nepal Armed Police Force Shailendra Khanal will take part in the three-day meeting.
• The Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve, Sikkim, one of the highest ecosystems in the world, has been added toUNESCO’s list of World Network of Biosphere Reserve (WNBR). The Khangchendzonga reserve will be India’s 11th internationally designated WNBR.
• Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Aviation Suresh Prabhu launched Niryat Mitra – mobile App in New Delhi. The app developed by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) is available both on Android and on IOS platforms.
• The Ministry of HRD has embarked on a major and new initiative Project called ‘Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds’ (SWAYAM). It will provide one integrated platform and portal for online courses.
• The NITI Aayog host an investors’ conference to attract investments for the development of eco-tourism on public private partnership (PPP) basis in Andaman & Nicobar, and Lakshadweep Islands.The Conference will be inaugurated by Shri. Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog.
• The President Ram Nath Kovind has inaugurated the ‘One District One Product’ Summit in Lucknow.The ‘One District One Product’ scheme will enhance skills of local people as well as increase the reach to products, which will in turn result in economic progress of artisans of Uttar Pradesh.
• The Haryana government  will launch the Ayushman Bharat-Haryana Health Protection Mission on August 15 to provide cashless healthcare facilities to beneficiaries at empanelled hospitals.
• The Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will launch adefence industrial corridor in Aligarh as part of the government’s efforts to develop specialised zones dedicated to defence production in the state.
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the continuation of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) beyond the 12th five year plan period.
• The Maharashtra government has expanded the scope of the loan waiver scheme by extending the benefits to every member of the farmer’s family in case of a separate loan account.Every person’s loan amount up to Rs 1.50 lakh will be waived.
• The Minister of State for Culture (Independent Charge) and Minister of State for Environment Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Mahesh Sharma inaugurated an exhibition entitled ‘Prathibandhit Sahitya mein Swatantrata Sangram’ (Freedom Movement through Proscribed Literature) in the premises of National Archives of India, in New Delhi.
• On the eve of Independence Day, the Rajasthan government will organise a human chain along the 650-km-long Pakistan border.It will be conducted under a programme, ”Shahadat ko Salam.”
• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has constituted a committee to ascertain whether sub-regional plans for protection of Natural Conservation Zones (NCZs) are in consonance with the regional plans prepared by the National Capital Planning Board.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman Dr K Sivan has announced that ISRO TV will go on air in a few months.
• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) and Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA), Government of India  for cooperation between the two Ministries.
• The Minister of state for Culture (I/C), Dr. Mahesh Sharma, has released 3 books at IGNCA, New Delhi.
• The books are ‘Jewellery’ by Dr. Gulab Kothari, ‘Ghats of Banaras’ by Dr. Sachidanand Joshi  and ‘Untold Story of Broadcasting’ by Dr. Gautam Chatterjee.
• The Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has released a vision document for a digital northeast that aims to improve people’s lives by capacity building of government staff and doubling BPO strength in the region. He Unveiled the plans under the ‘Digital North East: Vision 2022’.
• The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said the rollout of the Smart City projects will help New Delhi emerge as a world class city.The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has set an example before other aspiring Smart Cities in the country to follow.
• India’s second moon mission Chandrayaan-2 will now be launched in January 3, 2019 instead of later this year as the design was changed to enable it land on the lunar surface.
• The Union minister Jitendra Singh has announced that Jammu and Tripura will get the country’s first full-fledged Space Technology Research Centre.
• Smitha V Crishna of the Godrej Group, with wealth worth ₹37,570 crore, is the richest Indian woman.