1 Indian army will be stronger, American company got the second order of 73 thousand Sig Sauer 716 assault rifles
On August 28, India placed a second order of 73,000 SiG Sauer assault rifles from the US . Sig Sau has given this information. India has signed this deal for Rs 837 crore . The second purchase of rifles was approved by the Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh in December 2023. After its delivery, the Indian Army will have more than 1.45 lakh SiG-716 assault rifles. In 2018-19, India had ordered AK-203 rifles from Russia to meet the increasing need for rifles, but due to delay in getting them, India signed a deal with American firm Sig Sau in February 2019. Out of the 72,400 rifles that came in the first lot, 66,400 were given to the Army, 4,000 to the Air Force and 2,000 to the Navy. These will gradually replace the INSAS rifle. A budget of Rs 48 lakh crore has been presented in the Indian Parliament for the year 2024-25. In this, the maximum amount of about Rs 6 lakh 22 thousand crore has been kept for the defense sector. India’s defense budget is about 13 percent of the total budget.
2 India’s second nuclear submarine Arighat is ready
India’s second nuclear submarine Arighat is ready. It can be handed over to the Indian Navy on 29 August . Arighat was launched in 2017. Arighat is an upgraded version of INS Arihant . It weighs 6000 tons and has a missile attack range of up to 750 km. It was built at the Indian Navy’s Ship Building Center (SBC) in Visakhapatnam . Like Arihant, Arighat will also be equipped with K-15 missiles with a range of 750 km. The Indian Navy has built 3 nuclear submarines so far. One of these, Arihant, is commissioned, the second Arighat is about to be received and testing is going on on the third S3 . Nuclear missiles can be fired on enemy countries through these submarines. In 2009, for the first time, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s wife symbolically launched INS Arihant on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas. After this, it was included in the Navy fleet in 2016. In the next 5 years, the Indian Navy has launched two more submarines. Before launching them in 2009, India had kept the submarines hidden from the world. In 1990, the Indian government started the ATV i.e. Advanced Technology Vessel Program. Under this, the construction of these submarines started.
3 Satish Kumar became the first Dalit Chairman and CEO of Railway Board
On 27 August, Indian Railway Management Service Engineers (IRSME) officer Satish Kumar has been appointed as the new Chairman and CEO of the Railway Board . He is the first Dalit to become the Chairman of the Railway Board. Satish Kumar will replace Jaya Verma Sinha, the current CEO of the Railway Board . Jaya is retiring on 31 August. Satish Kumar is a 1986 batch Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME) officer. He joined the railways in March 1988. Satish Kumar has done BTech in Mechanical Engineering from Malaviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT), Jaipur . Along with this, he has also done PG Diploma in Operation Management and Cyber Law from Indira Gandhi National Open University. Satish is known for many reforms in the railways. Initially, he was appointed in Jhansi Division of Eastern Railway and Diesel Locomotive Works (BLW) in Varanasi. An important contribution of Satish Kumar is the Fog Safe Device developed by him . This device makes train operations safe in fog.
4 Cabinet approves 12 new projects worth Rs 28,602 crore, creation of 10 lakh new jobs
In an important decision, the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved 12 new projects under the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme (NICDP) . The estimated cost of completing these projects is Rs 28,602 crore . NICDP is expected to generate significant employment opportunities, with 10 lakh direct and 30 lakh indirect new jobs being created. These industrial areas will be located at Khurpiya in Uttarakhand , Rajpura -Patiala in Punjab , Dighi in Maharashtra , Palakkad in Kerala , Agra and Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh , Gaya in Bihar , Zaheerabad in Telangana , Orvakal and Kopparthi in Andhra Pradesh and Jodhpur – Pali in Rajasthan . These projects are expected to transform India’s industrial landscape, boost economic growth and global competitiveness. The main objective of NICDP is to create a strong network of industrial cities, thereby developing a strong industrial ecosystem. These projects will include multi-modal connectivity infrastructure that will ensure seamless movement of people, goods and services.
5 Cabinet: Approval to start 730 private FM radios in 234 new cities, promotion of local content in mother tongue
The Union Cabinet chaired by PM Modi has approved the proposal to conduct the third batch of ascending e-auction for 730 channels in 234 new cities under the Private FM Radio Phase III Policy with an estimated reserve price of Rs 784.87 crore. The Cabinet also approved the proposal to levy annual licence fee (ALF) of FM channels at 4% of gross revenue excluding Goods and Services Tax (GST). This will be applicable for 234 new cities/towns.
6 Cabinet approval for two new lines and one multi-tracking project in Indian Railways
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved three projects of the Ministry of Railways . Their total estimated cost is around Rs 6,456 crore . These projects have been targeted to be completed by 2028-29 . These three projects will help in providing connectivity, making travel easier, reducing logistics costs, reducing oil imports and reducing carbon emissions. Not only this, direct employment will also be generated for about 114 lakh man days during the construction of the projects. The new line proposal will provide direct connectivity and improve mobility, increasing efficiency and service reliability for Indian Railways. The multi-tracking proposal will ease operations and reduce congestion, leading to much-needed infrastructure development on the busiest sections of Indian Railways.
7 Northern Railway gave new names to eight railway stations of Lucknow division
Northern Railway has given new names to eight railway stations in Uttar Pradesh . The concerned officials have approved the changed names. These stations are of Lucknow Division . Among these , Kasimpur Halt will now be known as Jais City. Jais has been given the new name of Guru Gorakhnath Dham. Similarly, Mishrauli has been renamed as Maa Kalikal Dham. Bani station will now be known as Swami Paramhans and Nihalgarh as Maharaj Bijli Pasi. Akbarganj has been renamed as Maa Ahorva Bhavani Dham , Wazirganj Halt as Amar Shaheed Bhale Sultan and Fursatganj as Kapeshwar Nath Dham .
8 Senior IPS officer B. Srinivasan appointed as Director General of NSG
Senior Indian Police Service officer B. Srinivasan has been appointed Director General of the country’s anti-terror force – National Security Guard (NSG) . Mr. Srinivasan is a 1992 batch officer of Bihar cadre of the Indian Police Service. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the appointment of Srinivasan. He is currently the Director of Bihar Police Academy located in Rajgir.
9 Indian contingent wins one gold and four silver medals at 17th International Olympiad in Brazil
The Indian team of five students has won one gold and four silver medals at the 17th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics in Brazil . The competition was held from 17 to 26 August 2024 at Vasouras, Rio de Janeiro. Daksh Tayalia of Bengaluru has won the gold medal, while Ayush Kuthari and Sanidhya Saraf of Pune, Banibrata Maji of Hyderabad and Panini of Bihar have won silver medals. India finished eighth in the medal tally. India will host the next International Olympiad in Mumbai in August next year.
10 Paralympic Games got off to a grand start in Paris, the capital of France, 84 Indian para-athletes will compete
The Paralympic Games got off to a grand start in Paris , the capital of France . French President Emmanuel Macron declared the Games open during a colourful ceremony in Paris. A total of 4400 Paralympic athletes representing 167 countries marched from the Champs Elysees to Place de la Concorde. The Indian contingent was led by Tokyo 2020 gold medalist javelin thrower Sumit Antil and world record holder table tennis player Bhagyashree Jadhav . A total of 84 Indian para-athletes will compete in this edition of the Games . This is the largest contingent of Indian athletes in the history of the Paralympic Games. India will compete in 12 out of a total of 22 sports.