• The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and the Government of India (GoI) signed a headquarters agreement in New Delhi.
• The agreement will enable the status of an ‘Independent and International Legal Entity’ for CDRI.
• The agreement was signed by Amit Prothi, Director General, CDRI and Noor Rahman Sheikh, Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, and will enable the institution to pursue functions internationally with all rights, immunities, and privileges, as per the United Nations (Privileges & Immunities) Act, 1947.

About

• The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) is a partnership of national governments, UN agencies and programmes, multilateral development banks and financing mechanisms, the private sector, and knowledge institutions that aims to promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks in support of sustainable development.
• CDRI promotes rapid development of resilient infrastructure to respond to the Sustainable Development Goals’ imperatives of expanding universal access to basic services, enabling prosperity and decent work.

The following are CDRI’s strategic priorities: 

• Technical Support and Capacity-building: This includes disaster response and recovery support; innovation, institutional and community capacity-building assistance; and standards and certification.
• Research and Knowledge Management: This includes collaborative research; global flagship reports; and a global database of infrastructure and sector resilience.
• Advocacy and Partnerships: This includes global events and initiatives; marketplace of knowledge financing and implementation agencies; and dissemination of knowledge products.

• Minister of Steel Jyotiraditya Scindia will inaugurate the 13th edition of International Conference and Exhibition by the Indian Institute of Metals at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi 26th August 2022.
• According to the Ministry of Steel that the conference aims at identifying long-term measures to promote circular economy to minimize dependency on extraction of natural virgin ore and prepare recommendations and approaches for the metal industry to evolve environmentally friendly, cost-effective, energy-efficient strategies, policies, and practices.
• The theme of this year’s conference is “Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy in Mineral and Metal Sectors.”

What is the circular economy?

• The circular economy is a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible. In this way, the life cycle of products is extended.
• In practice, it implies reducing waste to a minimum. When a product reaches the end of its life, its materials are kept within the economy wherever possible. These can be productively used again and again, thereby creating further value.
• This is a departure from the traditional, linear economic model, which is based on a take-make-consume-throw away pattern. This model relies on large quantities of cheap, easily accessible materials and energy.

• Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment signed a Memorandum of Understanding with National Health Authority for providing comprehensive medical package to transgender people.
• Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dr. Virendra Kumar and Health Minister Manshukh Mandaviya were present during the MoU signing which was held in Delhi.
• The Social Justice and Empowerment Minister said all health benefits which include general health provisions as well as gender re-affirmation surgery shall be available for transgender persons in the health benefits package under Ayushman Bharat Yojana.
• Under this initiative, each transgender person shall receive a medical cover of 5 lakh rupees per year.
• The Comprehensive package would cover all aspects of transition-related healthcare for Transgender persons.
• It shall also provide coverage of hormone therapy, and gender reaffirmation surgery.

Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019

• The Bill defines a transgender person as one whose gender does not match the gender assigned at birth. It includes transmen and trans-women, persons with intersex variations, gender-queers, and persons with socio-cultural identities, such as kinnar and hijra.
• A transgender person may make an application to the District Magistrate for a certificate of identity, indicating the gender as ‘transgender’.
• It calls for establishing a National Council for Transgender persons (NCT).
• The Bill prohibits discrimination against a transgender person, including denial of service or unfair treatment in relation to Education, Employment, Healthcare, Movement, Reside, Rent, public or private office, and access a Govt or private establishment.
• The Act has a provision that provides transgender with the right of residence with parents and immediate family members.
• It states the offences against Transgender persons will attract jail of 6 months to 2 years and
• Bill also seeks to provide rights of health facilities to transgender persons including separate HIV surveillance centres, and sex reassignment surgeries. Govt shall review the medical curriculum and provide medical insurance.

• Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal and Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways V K Singh witnessed signing of tripartite agreement for swift development of modern Multi Modal Logistics Parks MMLP under Bharatmala Pariyojna across the country.
• The objective of the agreement is to centralize freight consolidation and reduce logistics cost from 14 per cent to less than 10 per cent of GDP at par with International Standards.
• The tripartite agreement was signed by National Highways Logistics Management Limited NHLML, Inland Waterways Authority of India IWAI and Rail Vikas Nigam Limited RVNL.
• MMLP will be a freight handling facility with rail and road accessibility, comprising of container terminals, cargo terminals (bulk, break-bulk), warehouses, cold storage, facilities for mechanised material handling and value-added services such as customs clearance with bonded storage yards, quarantine zones, testing facilities and warehousing management services etc. along with other associated facilities.

• A total of 81 films will be screened during the three-day International Film Festival of Shimla commencing at Gaiety theatre on August 26.
• As many as 27 films would be screened in the international category besides 34 Indian films, four Himachali films and 15 national award-winning films during the eighth edition of the festival.
• Bollywood actress Divya Dutta will be celebrity guest and screening of her transgender-based film Sheer Korma starring Shabana Azmi, Divya Dutta and Swara Bhaskar in lead roles will be presided over by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, said Festival Director Pushp Raj Thakur.
• Documentary, animation, feature and short films from Canada, America, Lebanon, Spain, Iran, Taiwan, Brazil, Iceland, Singapore, Mexico, Australia, Greece, Belgium, Denmark and Russia will be screened in the film festival.
• Fifty film directors from across the country and abroad will participate in the festival. This time a film exhibition is also being organised by the National Film Archives of India, Pune, depicting and deliberating the history and growth of cinema in India.

HISTORY

• Gaiety Theatre was opened on 30 May 1887, to a design by the English architect Henry Irwin.
• It is an example of the Gothic Revival style of architecture, derived from British Victorian examples.
• It was once part of the large Town Hall Complex. It had a capacity of more than 300 people.
• Initially, it was a five-story building with a theatre, ballroom, armoury, police office, bar, and galleries.
• After nearly two decades from its date of establishment, it was found that the building was structurally unsafe.
• It was partially demolished, but the Gaiety Theatre remains untouched.

• Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur today inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 10 developmental projects worth about Rs 35 crore in the Shimla (Rural) Assembly
• He presided over the ‘Pragatisheel Himachal: Sathapna Ke 75 Varsh’programme at Baloh Dhami in the constituency.
• Thakur, while addressing a public meeting on the occasion, recalled the infamous carnage that took place at Dhami about 82 years ago for the freedom of the nation and for securing a separate identity for Himachal Pradesh.

HISTORY

• Dhami’s history took a new turn with the advent of the British, who promised the rulers of Dhami as well as 19 other hill states restoration of their territories if they assisted them in defeating the Gurkhas in the Anglo-Gurkha War. The Gurkhas were expelled.
• Eventually the British granted Dhami with a “Sanad” in September, 1815, recognising it as an independent state by conferring lands upon its legitimate chief “from generation to generation and with all internal rights” provided Dhami fulfilled certain conditions.
• Dhami proved its loyalty to the British in 1857 when the Gurkhas’ held a mutiny against the British at Jutogh.
• Soon the small hill state of Dhami acquired a big chapter in Himachal’s history. Coming under British paramountcy, Dhami had to fulfil certain conditions which upset the traditional economy and lives of the hill folk.
• Being near the summer capital of Shimla, demands on Dhami were increasing for the supply of free and forced labour, fuel especially of the prized oak wood, fruits and vegetables, recruits to the British army, expenses for routine shikar expeditions, enhanced revenue, etc. — all for the upkeep of the British bara log at Shimla.
• The brewing discontent due to such atrocities led to resentment against the autocratic Rana, and demand for social reform, under the banner of praja mandals.
• The Dhami Praja Mandal led a crowd of more than 2,000 at Halog on July 16, 1939, to represent their demands to the Dhami Rana. In the melee that ensued, guns were fired by Dhami state leaving two dead in the incident called Dhami goli kand.

• Google Doodle celebrated physicist and meteorologist Anna Mani’s 104th birth anniversary with a special graphic.
• She was one of the country’s first female scientists.
• Her life’s work and research made it possible for India to make accurate weather forecasts and laid the groundwork for the nation to harness renewable energy.

About

• Anna Mani was born on August 23 in 1918 in Kerala (known as Travancore then). She was an avid reader and by the age of 12, Mani had read almost every book at her public library!
• After high school, she did her Intermediate Science course at Women’s Christian College (WCC) and went on to complete a Bachelor of Science with honours in physics and chemistry from Presidency College, Madras.
• After graduation, she taught at WCC for a year and won a scholarship for post-graduate studies at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Here, under the guidance of Nobel Laureate Sir C V Raman, she studied spectroscopy, specializing in diamonds and rubies.
• Between 1942 and 1945, she published five papers, completed her PhD dissertation, and began a graduate program at Imperial College, London, where she learned to specialize in meteorological instrumentation.
• She began working for the India Meteorological Department upon her return to India in 1948, where she helped the country design and manufacture its own weather instruments.
• She performed so well that by 1953, she became head of the division. Under her leadership, more than 100 weather instrument designs were simplified and standardised for production.
• Mani later became Deputy Director General of India Meteorological Department, and held several key positions in the United Nations World Meteorological Organisation.
• In 1987, she won the INSA KR Ramanathan Medal for her noteworthy contributions to science.
• After her retirement, she was appointed as a Trustee of the Raman Research Institute in Bangalore.

• India secured the third rank in medal tally at the 15th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA).
• India held the third position jointly with Singapore with students winning three gold and two silver medals.
• The 15th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) 2022 held in Kutaisi, Georgia, from 14 to 21 August, 2022.

 Details of the Individual performance are given below:

• There were 209 students from 37 main and 6 guest teams participating in this year’s IOAA.
• In addition, 24 students from 6 countries participated in the online mode.
• This year’s competition was originally scheduled to be held in Kyiv, Ukraine; it was shifted to Kutaisi, Georgia in March 2022 due to the war in Ukraine.

• Internaut Day is being celebrated around the world today to mark the invention of the World Wide Web.
• An “internaut” is a person who possesses a thorough knowledge of how to use the Internet and its history.
• August 23 marks the day when the World Wide Web was opened to the public back in the year 1991 for the first time by WWW inventor Tim Berners Lee as he allowed its access, CERN announced that internet would be free to everyone and there would be no fee for its use.
• Lee, an English computer scientist had invented the World Wide Web in 1989, while working at the CERN.
• He had initially proposed an information management system on 12th of March in the year 1989 and thereafter was able to implement the first successful world wide web communication through the Internet around November in the same year.
• He also devised and implemented the first Web browser and Web server and helped foster the Web’s subsequent rapid development.
• In 1990, with  Robert Cailliau, the British scientist prepared  ‘hypertext project’  which was called ‘WorldWideWeb.’
• In 1991, Tim published a short summary of WWW and internet was made accessible to the public.
• The British genius was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his pioneering work in the year 2004.
• Presently, he is a Professorial Fellow of Computer Science at the University of Oxford and a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

• Vikram Doraiswami has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom.
• Doraiswami is presently the High Commissioner of India to the Bangladesh.
• The External Affairs Ministry of India in a statement said that he is expected to take up the assignment shortly.
• Doraiswami is an Indian Foreign Service officer of the 1992 batch. Earlier, the ministry had announced the appointment of Mr. Pranay Kumar Verma, an IFS officer of 1994 batch as India’s next High Commissioner to Bangladesh.
• He is currently serving as India’s Ambassador to Vietnam.