1 Home Ministry approved the formation of 5 new districts in the Union Territory of Ladakh
The Home Ministry has approved the formation of 5 new districts in the Union Territory . Giving information about this historic decision in a post on the X platform, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah said that this decision will strengthen the administration in 5 new districts – Zanskar, Drass, Sham, Nubra and Changthang – so that local people can get the benefits of government schemes at their doorstep. After the formation of these five districts, now Ladakh will have a total of seven districts, including Leh and Kargil. Ladakh is a very large Union Territory in terms of area. At present, Ladakh has two districts – Leh and Kargil. It is one of the least populated areas of India.
2 Sri Krishna Gaman Path will be built in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh
On 26 August, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma announced the construction of Sri Krishna Gaman Path . The birthplace of Lord Krishna and the place where he received his education will be connected through a religious circuit. This work will be done jointly by the Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh governments . The Gaman Path of Lord Krishna will soon be developed as pilgrimage sites. Lord Krishna received his education in Sandipani of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh. Lord Parshuram gave him the Sudarshan Chakra in Janapav (MP) . The Lord fought a battle over the abduction of Rukmini in Amjhera near Dhar . The government is going to make such places tourist destinations. Ujjain has been identified via small villages via Bharatpur , Kota , Jhalawar .
3 Maharashtra is the first state to approve UPS
Maharashtra government cabinet meeting was held on 25 August . In this, CM Eknath Shinde has approved the implementation of Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) in the state . Maharashtra became the first state in the country to implement UPS . On 24 August, the central government announced the implementation of UPS by improving the New Pension Scheme (NPS). The Unified Pension Scheme will be implemented from 1 April 2025. UPS is a completely contributory funded scheme, in which employees will have to contribute 10% of basic salary + DA like NPS. The old pension scheme was an unfunded contributory scheme, in which employees did not have to make any kind of contribution. UPS includes the benefits of both OPS and NPS. UPS will be effective from March this year and all state government employees will get its benefit. The term of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly is ending in November and elections are likely to be held in October-November.
4 FSSAI withdrew its recently issued advisory
5 Singapore hosted the 2nd India-Singapore Ministerial Round Table (ISMR)
In a continued effort to broaden and deepen their strategic ties, the second India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISRM) meeting was held in Singapore on 26 August 2024. The first India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable was held in New Delhi on 17 September 2022. Four senior ministers from Singapore participated in the meeting. ISRM is a high-level forum that provides a mechanism for the two countries to discuss the entire gamut of relations and set the future agenda for bilateral relations.
6 Arun Agarwal appointed chairman of Texas Economic Development Corporation
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Dallas -based Indian-American entrepreneur Arun Agarwal as chairman of the board of directors of the Texas Economic Development Corporation (TEDC) . The role involves marketing Texas as a leading business destination domestically and globally. Agarwal’s appointment highlights Texas’ commitment to diversity and the growing influence of Indian-American leaders in key economic positions.
7 Tegbir Singh set a record for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro
5-year-old Tegbir Singh of Ropar , Punjab has set a new record for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro . Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav gave information on social media on August 26. Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest peak on the African continent . It is located in Tanzania at an altitude of more than 19,340 feet (5,895 meters) . Tegbir started his journey to Mount Kilimanjaro on August 18. After this, on August 23, he walked to the highest Uhuru of the mountain. Tegbir has equaled the record of Ognjen Zivkovic of Serbia on August 6, 2023. Ognjen had set a world record for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro at the age of 5.
8 India welcomes first civilian space tourist Gopichand Thotakura
India’s first civilian space tourist Gopichand Thotakura was given a warm welcome on his return to Delhi on August 26, 2024. Thotakura made history by joining the New Shepard-25 (NS-25) mission of Blue Origin , founded by Amazon ‘s Jeff Bezos , becoming the second Indian civilian to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma ‘s 1984 mission . His journey lasted about ten minutes, reaching a maximum altitude of 105 km. Thotakura’s visit is an important milestone as the first Indian space tourist. During the NS-25 mission, he and five other crew members enjoyed a brief but memorable spaceflight.
9 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un unveils new ‘suicide drone’
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently unveiled a new type of “ suicide drone ”, with state media reporting that he personally monitored the weapon’s demonstration test. These drones, designed to carry explosives and attack enemy targets like guided missiles, were demonstrated during a test conducted on August 24, 2024. The test was successful, with all the drones accurately identifying and destroying their designated targets after flying predetermined routes. Experts suggest that the technology behind these drones may be of Russian origin.
10 Asian Surfing Championship 2024: India won silver medal in team event
The Indian men’s surfing team won a historic silver medal at the 3rd Asian Surfing Championships 2024 held at Thulusdhoo, Maldives . Maldives is hosting the 3rd Asian Surfing Championships 2024 on Thulusdhoo Island from 17 to 27 August 2024. The 3rd Asian Surfing Championships is also a qualifying event for the 2026 Asian Games to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan . The surfing sport will be included in the Asian Games for the first time at the 2026 Asian Games . The 3rd Asian Surfing Championships 2024 saw more than 100 athletes from 20 countries participating in five events. These events included men’s and women’s open divisions, a junior category, and a team event called the ASF Maruhaba Cup. Japan won the gold and the Maruhaba Cup with 58.40 points . The Indian men’s team of Kamali P, Ajeesh Ali, Srikanth D and Sanjay Selvamani won the silver medal with a score of 24.13 . Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) won third place and the bronze medal with 23.93 points .
11 Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan joins Legends League Cricket after retiring from international cricket
Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan joined the Legends League Cricket after retiring from international cricket . He announced his retirement from international cricket on Saturday. Dhawan can now play in the T20 League in addition to the Indian Premier League. Dhawan has represented India in 34 Tests, 167 ODIs and 68 T20 matches in his cricket career so far and has scored a total of 12,286 runs in international cricket. The Legends League Cricket competition will be played in September.
12 Janmashtami 2024
According to the Hindu calendar , Janmashtami was celebrated on 26 August in the year 2024. According to the Vedic calendar, the Ashtami date of Krishna Paksha of Bhadrapada month will start on Sunday, August 25, 2024 at 3:39 pm. At the same time, it will end on Monday, August 26, 2024 at 2:19 pm. In such a situation, Janmashtami will be celebrated on 26 August. In Hinduism, the Ashtami date of Bhadrapada i.e. Bhado month is celebrated as Janmashtami. This day is celebrated as Shri Krishna Janmotsav. On this date, Vasudev and his wife gave birth to Shri Krishna in the prison of Mathura in the dark night in Rohini Nakshatra.
13 Senior Congress leader Vasantrao Chavan passes away at the age of 70
On 26 August, senior Congress leader and MP Vasant Chavan passed away due to prolonged illness. 70-year-old Vasant was an MP from Nanded Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra . In the Lok Sabha elections 2024, Chavan defeated BJP’s Prataprao Patil Chikhlikar by 5,28,894 votes. He was a Rajya Sabha member from Maharashtra from 25 April 2005 to 2 April 2006. He was elected Rajya Sabha member for the second time from 3 April 2006 to 2 April 2012. In 2009, he reached the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly for the first time by winning from Naigaon assembly seat. After joining Congress in 2014, he won the election again from Naigaon seat. He first became the Sarpanch of Naigaon village in 1978.
14 Former Lebanese Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss dies at the age of 94
Former Lebanese Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss has died at the age of 94. Prime Minister Najib Mikati has announced three days of official mourning. Al-Hoss was the Prime Minister of Lebanon four times.