ASSAM

Dispur extends maternity leave

The Assam government has extended maternity leave for its employees from 12 weeks to 26 weeks.
In a meeting chaired by chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal at Dispur, the state cabinet gave its nod to a proposal to amend the Assam Maternity Benefit Rules, 1965, to increase the period of maternity leave.
Dispur had framed the policy to fulfil expectations to boost industrialisation based on immense potential of the state’s bio-resources and core areas through better market prospects and suitable incentives.

INTERNATIONAL

Tower in Mauritius to be named after late PM Vajpayee

During the World Hindi Conference being held in Mauritius, the Mauritian PM Pravind Jugnauth announced that the cyber tower which Atal Ji had contributed to set up in Mauritius will henceforth be named as Atal Bihari Vajpayee tower.

A tribute was also paid to the late PM in the presence of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj at the conference.

Around 68 per cent of Mauritius’s population of nearly 1.3 million is of Indian descent.

· India sent INS sahyadri to Fiji to boost ties

Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sahyadri (F49) is the third and latest ship among the Shivalik Class of indigenously built stealth frigates and forms a part of the Eastern Fleet of Indian Navy.
INS Sahyadri ship celebrated the 72nd Independence Day of India in the Port of Suva, Fiji on August 15.
INS Sahyadri draws its name from the beautiful, age-defying Western Ghats(also known as Sahyadri ranges) stretching across 1,600 km along India’s western coast.

· Saudi to introduce free nap pods to the pilgrims of hajj

Saudi Arabiasuccessfully tested nap-pods. The nap-pods will be provided free of cost. The free nap pods will be rolled out in Saudi Arabia as a measure to modernise the centuries-old practice of Hajj. It aims at providing a place to rest for the pilgrims who cannot afford to book hotels on site during Hajj.
The pod is made up of fibreglass pod. It is of 3m long and 1m in height. It is also provided with a mattress, clean sheets, air conditioning and a large, well-lit mirror.
To reduce space, it can be lined up horizontally or stacked vertically.
The government has also introduced apps for on-the-spot translationand emergency medical care.

· Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General passed away

Kofi Annan, 80 years old, passed awaydue to illness. He is the first black African secretary-general of the United Nations.
He served two terms as secretary-general from January 1, 1997, to December 31, 2006. Kofi Annan and the UN were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001.

NATIONAL

· August 20: Sadbhavana Diwas

Sadbhavana Diwas or Harmony Day is celebrated on August 20 each year all over India to commemorate the birth anniversary of the former Prime Minister of India named Rajiv Gandhi.
Sadbhavana meaning – having good feelings for others.
On this day, Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award is presented to commemorate the contribution made by Rajiv Gandhi for promoting the communal hormony, peace and national integration.
Gopalkrishna Gandhi was declared as the winner of Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award for the year 2018. He is a retired IAS officer and was 22nd Governer of West Bengal served from 2004 to 2009.
This is the 24th edition of Rajiv Gandhi National Sadhavana Award.

· New Delhi to host shooting World Cup in 2020

New Delhi has been granted hosting rights of the Combined ISSF (International Shooting Sport Federation) World Cup, to be held before the 2020 Tokyo
India is scheduled to host the World Cup next year from February 20 to 28, which will offer Olympic quota places for Tokyo.

· Campaign against sexual abuse of children launched by Amnesty International India

The campaign ‘Our Safety, Our Rights’seeks to empower children to speak up and report sexual abuse without fear.
The children will engage in400 schools, across four Indian states, and through this campaign, an estimated 50,000 students, parents, teachers, and other key stakeholders will be sensitized on the issue of child sexual abuse.

The campaign will be taken up by schools in Amnesty International India’s Human Rights Education network in Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, and will engage with teachers, parents, communities, institutions and state authorities.

Successful Flight Tests of Smart Anti Airfield Weapon

Indigenously designed and developed guided bombs Smart Anti Airfield Weapon (SAAW) were successfully flight tested from IAF aircraft at Chandan range.

The weapon system was integrated with live warhead and has destroyed the targets with high precision.

The telemetry and tracking systems captured all the mission events.

This weapon is capable of destroying variety of ground targets using precision navigation.

A total of three tests with different release conditions were conducted during 16 to 18 August 2018 and all the mission objectives have been achieved.

Successful Flight Test of ATGM ‘HELINA’

Indigenously developed Helicopter launched Anti-Tank Guided Missile ‘HELINA’ has been successfully flight tested from Army Helicopter in the ranges of Pokhran.

The weapon system has been tested for its full range.

The ‘HELINA’ weapon system released smoothly from the launch platform has tracked the target all through its course and hit the target with high precision.

All the parameters have been monitored by the telemetry stations, tracking systems and the Helicopters.

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