TODAY’S TOP NEWS: 21st AUGUST, 2022 (GPN):

NATIONAL NEWS:

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1. India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage crosses 209.63 crore mark

2. National Skill Development Corporation, NSDC in partnership with Seva Bharti and Yuva Vikas Society launches 2nd phase of Grameen Udyami Project to promote skill development and entrepreneurship amongst tribal youth.

3. Heavy rain lashes HP, Uttarakhand, JK; Locals and tourists advised to avoid travel.

4. Over one lakh villages have declared themselves as open defecation free (ODF) Plus. Jal Shakti Ministry said, these villages are sustaining their ODF status and have systems in place for managing solid and liquid waste.

5. PM Modi paid tributes to former PM Rajiv Gandhi on his 78th birth anniversary on August 20. Mr. Rajiv Gandhi served as the sixth Prime Minister of India from 1984-1989.

6. The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation, EPFO today released the provisional payroll data. It highlights that EPFO has added 18.36 lakh net members in June this year.

7. India has recorded 82 cases of the ‘Tomato Fever’ infection known to affect children under the age of five. First detected in Kerala on May 6, the flu is a rare viral disease that causes red-coloured rashes, skin irritation and dehydration.

8. *CHHATTISGARH* govt has decided to set up English medium colleges in every state district over the next three years. The institutes will be named as Swami Atmanand English Medium Model Colleges

9. *GOA* becomes first Har Ghar Jal Certified state; PM Modi says, 10 crore rural households provided piped water connection under Jal Jeevan Mission.

10. *GUJARAT* : Top international scholars, including American linguist Noam Chomsky, have urged Indian Supreme Court to free activist-journalist Teesta Setalvad and ex-DGP RB Sreekumar in the 2002 Gujarat riots case.

11. *HARYANA* : 30,225 animals in Haryana infected with lumpy skin disease; 211 dead.

12. *HIMACHAL PRADESH* : 16 people were killed while eight people were missing in incidents related to heavy rains during the last 24 hours.

Mandi, Kangra and Chamba districts are the most affected districts where maximum loss of life and property have been reported.

13. A collision between a private bus and an oil tanker in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district on Saturday left 13 passengers injured, officials said. According to officials, the accident took place at Sadwan in Nurpur sub-division.

14. *JHARKHAND* : Former Governor of Jharkhand, Syed Sibtey Razi passed away on Saturday in Lucknow. He was suffering from heart disease and was under treatment at King George’s Medical College.

15. *MANIPUR* : The 31st Manipuri Language Day was observed at Imphal and the CM N. Biren Singh and others paid respect to those who were involved in the movement for inclusion of the Manipuri Language in the 8th Schedule of India.

16. *PUNJAB* : The state govts of Punjab and Haryana have agreed to rename Chandigarh International Airport after freedom fighter Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann said.

17. *UTTAR KHAND* : Four people died and several others sustained injuries due to rain-related incidents in Uttarakhand as torrential rain hit parts of the state, forcing people to leave their damaged and flooded houses, officials said on Saturday. Ten people have been reported missing so far. CM Pushkar Singh Dhami inspected the affected areas.

18. *TAMIL NADU* Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) is planning to set up a centre for testing strategic electronics, and drones in the Kancheepuram district of Chennai.

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⚖️CRIME REPORT⚖️
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1. *DELHI* : The Central Bureau of Investigation, CBI, has lodged an FIR against Deputy CM of Delhi Manish Sisodia in the alleged violations of rules and procedural lapses in the new liquor policy.

2. I&B Minister and BJP leader Anurag Thakur along with MP Manoj Tiwari and Delhi BJP President Aadesh Gupta jointly addressing press conference in New Delhi over alleged involvement of Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia in Excise Policy Scam in national capital.

3. Delhi Police have bust an instant loan-cum-extortion racket amounting to over ₹500 crores and arrested 22 people from across the country in connection to it.

4. A 48-year-old garment trader based in Delhi’s Meena Bazaar has been arrested for alleged involvement in a terror funding operation. Police said Mohammad Yaseen allegedly funded banned groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and al-Badr via hawala transactions. The funds for terror were sent from South Africa

5. *MAHARASHTRA* Anti-Terrorism Squad has arrested a man from Shirdi in connection with the case of placing a bomb under the vehicle of Punjab Police sub-inspector Dilbagh Singh in Amritsar. The joint operation between the Squad and the Punjab Police led to his arrest. Earlier this week, Punjab Police arrested two people from Delhi.

6. *WEST BENGAL* : A special CBI court in West Bengal rejected Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Anubrata Mondal’s bail plea on Saturday in the alleged cattle smuggling scam case. The court extended his custody till August 24.

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💰FINANCE💰
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*USD ₹79.93*
💷 *GBP ₹94.55*

*BSE Sensex* *59,646.15 −651.85 (1.08%)*🔻

*NIFTY: 17,758.45 −198.05 (1.10%)*🔻

The mineral production in the country recorded 7.5% growth in June this year. The index of mineral production of mining and quarrying sector for June 2022 was at 113.4, which is 7.5 % higher as compared to the level in June last year.

××× 💃🕺ENTERTAINMENT×××

1. Actress Alia Bhatt, who got married to actor Ranbir Kapoor in April, said in an interview that she will add Kapoor to her name. “I don’t want to be the Bhatt while the Kapoors are travelling together. I don’t want to feel left out,” she added. However, the actress cleared that her screen name will remain Alia Bhatt.

2. Karan Johar, producer of the upcoming film ‘Brahmastra’ starring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, has said director Ayan Mukerji. Brahmastra’ is set to release on September 9.

3. Telugu actor Vijay Deverakonda, who’ll be seen in ‘Liger’, on Saturday tweeted, “When we’re correct, when we do our dharma, we don’t have to listen to anyone. Let’s fight.”

This comes after ‘#boycottLiger’ started trending on Twitter. Vijay recently spoke on cancel culture and the trend of boycotting Laal Singh Chaddha, saying, “When you…boycott, you’re not only affecting Aamir, you’re affecting thousands.”

4. Sonam Kapoor poses for Vogue cover during her pregnancy, pic goes viral. Sonam Kapoor, welcomed a baby boy on Saturday.

5. Actor Anil Kapoor tweeted a video of international film critic Clayton Davis praising Rajamouli’s ‘RRR’ and predicting its place in the Oscars nominations.

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⚔️⚓🛰️DEFENCE
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1. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said that the Government is committed to make the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) more empowered and responsive.

2. An Indian Air Force contingent is participating in Exercise Pitch Black 2022 in Australia being held from August 19 to 8th September in Darwin.

3. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh pays tribute to INA veteran Major Ishwar Lal Singh on August 19. Major Ishwar Lall Singh, a 92-year-old Singaporean veteran of the Indian National Army served under the leadership of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. He passed away on the 5th of August.

4. Indian Army’s 14-member ‘Snow Leopard Brigade’ completed a trek in Ladakh covering 213 km of unexplored terrain in 12 days.

“Trekking expedition from Rumtse to Nyoma through tough terrain with heights ranging from 14,000 feet to 18,000 feet,” tweeted Indian Army’s Northern Command. In July, an 11-member team trekked 162 km of rugged terrain in Himachal Pradesh.

5. Over 6.1 lakh AK-203 assault rifles costing over ₹5,000 crore will be manufactured by a Joint Venture, Indo-Russian Rifles Private Ltd (IRRPL), at Korwa, Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.

✈️INTERNATIONAL NEWS ××××××××××××××××××××××××

1. Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on 4-day visit to Australia to strengthen Indo-Australian ties

2. Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday visited the Shahid Behestti port at Chabahar in Iran to review the progress in the development of the port. Mr. Sonowal is on a three-day official visit to Iran and UAE.

3. India has strongly condemned the attack on Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu and expressed heartfelt condolences to the victims and families of this cowardly act of terrorism.

4. BIMSTEC Secretary General Tenzin Lekphell will visit India from 22nd to 25th August.

5. The 16th Foreign Office Consultations between India and Singapore were held in Singapore, August 19. The Consultations were co-chaired by Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Saurabh Kumar.

6. External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar will pay an official visit to Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina from 22nd to 27th of this month. This will be the first visit to the South American region by External Affairs Minister.

7. India supplied the tenth batch of medical assistance to Afghanistan on 18 Aug consisting of 32 tons of essential medicines as a part of its ongoing humanitarian assistance.The consignment was handed over to the Indira Gandhi Hospital, Kabul.

8. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to visit India next month, a source said.

9. Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) nations – the United States, Australia, Japan and India are planning to curb China’s illegal fishing in the Indo-Pacific using satellite tracking technology connecting surveillance centres in Singapore and India.

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🌎 WORLD NEWS🌍
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1. 15 people were killed and nearly two dozen were hurt after a passenger bus hit emergency personnel working at the site of an earlier road accident in southern Turkey on Saturday

2. Senior Conservative Party MP Michael Gove on Saturday endorsed Rishi Sunak’s candidacy for the post of the UK’s Prime Minister.

3. Two more ships carrying agricultural products departed from Ukraine’s Chornomorsk port under the Black Sea grain export deal signed last month.

4. Every year, World Mosquito Day is observed on 20th August to raise awareness about the cause and prevention of diseases caused by mosquitos.

This day is marked to honour and acknowledge the British doctor Sir Ronald Ross. Sir Ronald Ross was the one who found out that female mosquitoes are responsible for causing malaria in the year 1897.

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🚣🚴🏇🏊 SPORTS
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2nd ODI🏏: India beat Zimbabwe by 5 wickets at Harare Sports Club; Take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.

Final Score:

ZIM 161 (38.1)
IND 167 (25.4)

2. Team India batter Deepak Hooda on Saturday created world record for most consecutive matches won by a player since debut in international cricket. India have won all their 16 matches in which Hooda has played so far. The previous world record was held by Romania’s Satvik Nadigotla (15 consecutive wins since debut)

3. Wrestler Antim Panghal has created history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Under-20 Wrestling World Championships.

The 17-year-old defeated Kazakhstan’s Altyn Shagayeva 8-0 in the final of the 53-kg category to achieve the feat. Antim had also won gold medal at the Asian Junior Championships earlier this year.

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*WEST BENGAL*
Capital : *KOLKATA*
*Districts* : 23
*Formed* : 26 Jan 1950
*Governor*:
La. Ganesan
*CM* : Mamata Banerjee (AITC)
*🥇Gold ₹53,375 @10gm 24 (Krt)*
🥈 *Silver ₹56,500@ Kg*
⛽ *Petrol ₹106.03/Ltr*
⛽ *Diesel ₹ 92.76/Ltr*

*LPG : ₹ 1,079.00 /14.2 Kg*
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FACTS ABOUT INDIA🇮🇳
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*Kerala* is a state on the southwestern Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956. The Chera Dynasty was the first prominent kingdom based in Kerala. there were two major princely states in Kerala- Travancore State and the Kingdom of Cochin. They united to form the state of Thiru-Kochi in 1949.

Kerala is also called *Parasurama Kshetram*
The name Kerala has an uncertain etymology. One popular theory derives “Kerala” from “Kera” (coconut tree in Malayalam) and “alam” is land, thus ” *land of coconuts”,* locals.The word Kerala is first recorded as Keralaputra in a 3rd-century BCE rock inscription left by the maurya emperor ashoka (274–237 BCE).

The production of pepper and natural rubber contributes significantly to the total national output. In the agricultural sector, coconut, tea, coffee, cashew and spices are important.
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🙏🏻 THOUGHT OF THE DAY 😇
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Nothing is particularly hard if you break it down into small jobs.
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*JOKE OF THE DAY*
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*Pappu* के हाथ में नया फोन देखकर
*Frnd बोला* : नया फोन कब खरीदा?📱
*Pappu* : नया नहीं, गर्लफ्रेंड का है!🤓
*Frnd* : गर्लफ्रेंड का फोन क्यूँ ले आया?😳
*Pappu* :रोज कहती थी, मेरा फोन नहीं उठाते..! आज मौका मिला, तो उठा लाया!!😜🤪🤣😂
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*😳Why❓❓❓*
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*The science behind Navratri Fasting: Why you are not allowed to eat onion and garlic*
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According to Ayurveda, foods can be divided into three categories:-

*A. Raajasic foods*
*B. Taamasic foods*

Rajas and Tamas are referred to things that are unripe, weak, resentful and destructive. During Navratri, people are supposed to denounce the worldly pleasure

*C. Saatvik foods :* Saatvik foods include fresh fruits, curd, rock salt, seasonal vegetables and subtle spices like coriander and black pepper.

Onion and garlic are considered to be taamsic in nature and are said to invoke carnal energy in the body. Onions also produce heat in the body and thus are not allowed during the Navratri fast. Garlic along with onion is known as Rajogini, which means a substance that can make one lose grip over their instincts. This makes it difficult to differentiate between your desires and priorities.
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LEARN Sanskrit🙏🏻 =======================
*साध्वोः शीघ्रं मैत्री भवति।*
_saadhvoh sheeghran maitree bhavati_
(Good people become friends quickly).
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⁉️ WHY⁉️
*Chopping an onion make you cry?* 🧄🧅
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Onions produce the chemical irritant known as syn-propanethial- S-oxide. It stimulates the eyes’ lachrymal glands so they release tears.

The process goes as follows:

Lachrymatory-factor synthase is released into the air when we cut an onion. The synthase enzyme converts the amino acids sulfoxides of the onion into sulfenic acid. The unstable sulfenic acid rearranges itself into
Syn-propanethial-S-oxide gets into the air and comes in contact with our eyes. The lachrymal glands become irritated and produces the tears!
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💁🏻‍♂️ GK TODAY
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The currency of Russia is the Ruble.

1 Russian Ruble equals
1.34 Indian Rupee

The ruble sign (₽) is the currency sign

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IDIOMS & PHRASES
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Like a chicken with its head cut off– To act in a frenzied manner, crazily

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SYNONYMS & ANTONYMS
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Obtain : Access, Inherit

Obtain × Forfeit
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BORN TODAY💐🐣
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*PEMA KHANDU* (born 21 August 1979) is an Indian politician and the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh.
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🛕 VEDIK GYAN
According to Puranas

Onion and garlic came from the dead body of a murdered cow and therefore they are considered like eating meat. They break the non-vegetarian principle from the shastric point of view. Strict vegetarians don’t eat onion nor garlic. Since meat is tamasic, onions and garlic are also tamasic and rajasic food. They may have some medicinal value like even wine is used in medicines sometimes. Thus they are taboo for followers of Vedic culture.

“Once, in Satya Yuga the rishis were performing gomedha and asvamedha sacrifices for the welfare of the whole universe. A cow or a horse would be cut into pieces and placed in the fire. Afterwards the rishis would utter mantras and the same animal would come alive in a beautiful young body.

One time the rishi who was about to perform a gomedha sacrifice, his wife was pregnant. She had a very strong desire to eat and she had heard that if, during pregnancy one has a desire to eat and does not fullfill this, then the baby that will be born will always have saliva coming from its mouth.

Very strange, she desired strongly to eat meat, thus she decided to keep one piece of meat of the cow’s body that was offered in sacrifice. She hid it and was making a plan to eat it very soon. At that time the rishi was finishing the sacrifice and uttered all the mantras for the new young cow to come to life.

However when he saw the new cow, he noticed that there was a little part missing from her left side. He went into meditation and realized that his wife had taken away a piece of meat during the sacrifice. Now his wife also understood what happened and quickly threw the meat far away.

Due to the effect of the mantras uttered by the rishi there was now life in this piece of meat. Then the blood of this meat became red lentils, the bones became garlic and the meat became onions. Thus these foods are never taken by any Vaishnava situated in the mode of goodness as Vaishnavas should be because it is not considered by us as offerable due to its association as a non-vegetarian food.

“It is not vegetarian to eat onions and garlic. They have discovered 21 different types of slow poison in both.

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🧬 HEALTH CARE: HOME REMEDIES🩺
( *Note* : These home tips followed in villages/ancient traditions, it is up to you to use it or not🙏🏻)
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🍉 *Watermelon* and basil drinks are quite effective when it comes to hydration. Mineral-rich watermelon helps to balance your electrolyte. Packed with agnesium, potassium, and salt, watermelon is made up of 90% water, which helps your body maintain a fluid balance. While basil leaves are good for digestion, they help detoxify the body and promote a healthy gut.
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REGARDS,

SACHIN MURDESHWAR.✒️

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