• Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has called for the integration of One District One Product, ODOP initiative with Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).
• The Minister said, Open Network for Digital Commerce would help in further expanding the frontiers of One District One Product by bringing buyers and sellers together.
• The Minister was speaking on the launch of One District One Product Gift Catalog and Storefront on GeM in New Delhi.
• He opined that the G20 summit which is set to take place in the country soon, is a great opportunity to showcase One District One Products.
• The Minister also called for the expansion of availability of genuine products to counter fake products in the market.

About One District One Product (ODOP)

• It was launched in January 2018, by the Uttar Pradesh Government, and due to its success, was later adopted by the Central Government.
• The ‘One District, One Product (ODOP) was later launched by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries in 2018, to help districts reach their full potential, foster economic and socio-cultural growth, and create employment opportunities, especially in rural areas.
• The initiative is carried out with the ‘Districts as Exports Hub’ initiative by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Department of Commerce.
• It is a centrally sponsored scheme to be shared by the central government and states in 60:40 contributions.

About the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC)

• The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) is a government-backed project which is aimed at enabling small merchants and mom-and-pop stores in parts of the country to access processes and technologies that are typically deployed by large e-commerce platforms.
• It is an initiative aiming at promoting open networks for all aspects of the exchange of goods and services over digital or electronic networks.
• ONDC is to be based on open-sourced methodology, using open specifications and open network protocols independent of any specific platform.
• ONDC is a private non-profit Section 8 company established by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) of the Government of India to develop open e-commerce.

• Iranian film “The Boarding House”, directed by Maryam Ebrahimvand, bagged the Best Feature Film Award in the International category while “Stoyan”, directed by Roberto Ruiz, was adjudged the Special Jury Feature Film during the 8th International Film Festival of Shimla.
• The closing ceremony of festival was presided over by former Director General of Film Divisions VS Kundu and 26 films were screened. Over 50 national and international directors participated in the festival and shared their experience with the audience at Gaiety Theatre. In total, 62 films — 27 international and 35 national, under the category of documentaries, animation, feature film, short films and music videos, were screened in the competitive section.
• In the international category, “Footsteps” by Hamed Bahrami was awarded the best short film, “Coffined at 15” by director Gayatri Kumar from the USA won the Special Jury Short Film and “Emergence: Out of the Shadows” by Vinay Giridhar from Canada won in the Special Jury Documentary category.
• “The First Ink-Memories” that make history by Director Shridhar KS and “Ripples Under the Skin” by director Farha Khatun were ranked the top two best documentaries in the national section while “15 Seconds A Lifetime” by Divya Hemant Kharnare bagged the Special Jury Documentary award.
• Sheer Qorma directed by Faraz Arif Ansari won the best short film award and Chabiwala – The Keysmith by Director Raja Ghosh won the Best Feature Film Award and Keel by Aaryan Harnot won the best film award in the state category.

• The 13th edition of India- USA Joint Special Forces Exercise VAJRA PRAHAR 2022 culminated at Bakloh , Chamba in Himachal Pradesh.
• Defence Ministry said, this exercise with the US Special Forces is significant in terms of security challenges faced by both Nations in the backdrop of the current global situation.
• The joint military exercise has further strengthened the traditional bond of friendship between the special forces of both Nations.
• This annual exercise is hosted alternatively between India and the United States.
• The 21-day joint training provided an opportunity for the Special Forces from both nations to train in Air Borne Operations, Special Operations and Counter Terrorism operations in a joint environment under United Nations Charter.
• Both contingents expressed immense satisfaction on the outcomes of the exercise, in terms of the standards achieved and sharing of best practices.

• Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Neeraj Chopra has won the javelin throw competition at the Lausanne Diamond League with a best throw of 89.08 metre.
• With his best throw at the event, Neeraj became the first Indian to clinch the prestigious Diamond League Meet title.
• Neeraj has thus qualified for the Diamond League Finals, which will take place in Zurich, Switzerland from September 7 and 8. He has also now qualified for the 2023 World Championships.

• Youth Affairs and Sports Ministry will organise- Meet the Champion initiative in 26 schools across the country on the occasion of National Sports Day.
• Few of the prominent athletes who will be the part of this initiative are Commonwealth Games and World Championships Gold Medalist Nikhat Zareen, Paralympics and CWG medalist Bhavina Patel, Tokyo Olympics and CWG medalist Manpreet Singh among others.
• Meet the Champions is a unique school visit campaign that was kicked off by Olympic Gold medallist Neeraj Chopra in December last year.
• It has reached various parts of the country over the past few months. During the school visit, the champion athlete shares their experiences, life lessons, and tips on how to eat right and also give an overall inspirational boost to school children.
• Sports Authority of India will also be celebrating this year’s National Sports Day, as part of the FIT INDIA campaign, with the theme of Sports as an enabler for an inclusive and fit society.

About National Sports Day

• India celebrates National Sports Day on 29th August to commemorate the birth anniversary of hockey legend, Major Dhyan Chand.
• The day is also dedicated to the nations’ sports heroes and champions, honoring their contribution and dedication towards bringing laurels to the country.
• With the aim to raise awareness about the values of sports: discipline, perseverance, sportsman spirit, teamwork, and to encourage public in large to take up sports and make it an integral part of their lives while emphasizing on the importance of being fit and healthy.

• As part of the Indian Navy’s long-range operational deployment, Indian Naval Ship, INS Sumedha visited Port Klang of Malaysia.
• The ship is on her return passage from Perth, Australia where she participated in the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations.
• Ministry of Defence in a statement said that INS Sumedha’s visit to Port Klang is aimed at strengthening bilateral ties, enhancing maritime cooperation and inter-operability between Indian and Royal Malaysian Navies.
• Both navies have been collaborating on various fronts and are playing a critical role in ensuring Maritime Security and Safety of global commons.
• During the port call at Port Klang, the crew of INS Sumedha would engage in professional interactions, subject matter expert exchanges, cross-deck visits and sports fixtures with personnel from the Royal Malaysian Navy.
• The ship will also be open for the visit of school children. INS Sumedha is also scheduled to participate in a Maritime Partnership Exercise with Royal Malaysian Navy Ships.
• INS Sumedha is an indigenously built Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel deployed for multiple roles independently and in support of Fleet Operations.

What is Port of Call?

• Port of call means an intermediate stop for a ship on its scheduled journey for cargo operationor taking on supplies or fuel.
• As Per the shipping Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) regulation a “port of call” can be defined as the port of a country where cargo or a passenger (cruise) ship halts to discharge or load the cargo or to embark or disembark passengers.

• Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah attended the first convocation of the National Forensic Science University (NFSU) in Gandhinagar.
• More than one thousand students were conferred master’s degrees during the ceremony.  He also laid the foundation stone for the new southern campus of the University.
• The minister also inaugurated the Training and Skill Development Centre, an International Guest house at NFSU, and three centres of Excellence in Cyber Security, DNA Forensic and Investigative and Forensic Psychology.

About National Forensic Science University (NFSU)

• National Forensic Sciences University, the erstwhile Gujarat Forensic Sciences University is the brain child of Govt of Gujarat.
• It was established by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri. Narendra Modiji, then Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2009 with a sole objective of creating professional experts in the field of Forensic sciences.
• The National Forensic Sciences University with the status of an Institution of National Importance is the world’s first and only University dedicated to Forensic, behavioral, cybersecurity, digital forensics, and allied Sciences.
• It was established by the Government of India through Act, 2020 (32 of 2020) with the objective of fulfilling the acute shortage against the increasing demand for forensic experts in the country and around the world.

• PM Modi dedicated India’s first earthquake memorial, named Smruti Van at Bhuj in Gujarat.
• Smruti Van is a unique memorial carrying the names of more than 12 thousand people who lost their lives in the devastating earthquake that struck here in January 2001.
• This novel memorial is spread across 470 acres of land and is built atop Bhujiyo hill.
• The earthquake simulator will provide real like experience of earthquake tremors to visitors.

About

• National Centre for Seismology under Ministry of Earth Sciences is the nodal agency of Government of India (GoI), for monitoring earthquakes in and around the country.
• A total of ~59% of the land mass of India (covering all states of India) is prone to earthquakes of different intensities. As per the seismic zoning map of the country, the total area is classified into four seismic zones. Zone V is seismically the most active region, while zone II is the least. Approximately, ~ 11% area of the country falls in zone V, ~18% in zone IV, ~ 30% in zone III and remaining in zone II.
• Seismic Zonation map of the country (state wise) given by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has categorised into several seismic zones (Zone II to Zone V).

• Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana PMJDY, the National Mission for Financial Inclusion completed eight years of successful implementation, August 28th.
• More than 46.25 crore beneficiaries banked under PMJDY since inception, amounting to over one lakh 73 thousand crore rupees. PMJDY Accounts grew three-fold from 14.72 crore in March 2015 to 46.25 crore as on the 10th of this month.
• 56 percent Jan-Dhan account holders are women and 67 percent of Jan Dhan accounts are in rural and semi-urban areas. 31.94 crore RuPay cards have been issued to PMJDY account holders.
• On the occasion 8th Anniversary of PMJDY, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that financial inclusion is a major step towards inclusive growth which ensures the overall economic development of marginalised sections of society. She said the continuation of PMJDY beyond 2018 saw a marked shift in approach to meet the challenges and requirements of the emerging financial inclusion landscape in the country.
• The Minister said, the underlying pillars of PMJDY, namely, Banking the Unbanked, Securing the Unsecured, and Funding the Unfunded have made it possible to adopt multi-stakeholders collaborative approach while leveraging technology for serving the unserved and underserved areas as well.
• She said financial inclusion needs policy-led intervention based on an architecture linked to suitable financial products, information, and communication technologies, and data infrastructure.
• PMJDY has become the foundation stone for the government’s people-centric economic initiatives.

About Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)

• The PMJDY was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address in 2014.
• Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) was launched by Narendra Modi on 28th August 2014
• Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) is National Mission for Financial Inclusion to ensure access to financial services, namely, Banking/ Savings & Deposit Accounts, Remittance, Credit, Insurance, Pension in an affordable manner.

Objectives:

• Ensure access of financial products & services at an affordable cost
• Use of technology to lower cost & widen reach

Basic tenets of the scheme

• Banking the unbanked – Opening of basic savings bank deposit (BSBD) account with minimal paperwork, relaxed KYC, e-KYC, account opening in camp mode, zero balance & zero charges
• Securing the unsecured – Issuance of Indigenous Debit cards for cash withdrawals & payments at merchant locations, with free accident insurance coverage of Rs. 2 lakh
• Funding the unfunded – Other financial products like micro-insurance, overdraft for consumption, micro-pension & micro-credit

• National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority, NPPA will celebrate its Silver Jubilee in New Delhi.
• On the occasion, Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya will launch Integrated Pharmaceutical Database Management System 2.0, an integrated responsive cloud-based application.
• It will provide a single window for submissions of various forms as mandated under Drug Price Control Order, 2013.
• It will also enable paperless functioning of NPPA and facilitate the stakeholders to connect with National Pharma Pricing Regulator from across the country.

About National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority, NPPA

• The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority was set up as an attached office of the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals (now Department of Pharmaceuticals since July, 2008) on 29th August 1997.
• It has been entrusted inter-alia, with the following functions
• To implement and enforce the provisions of the Drugs Price Control Order (DPCO), 1995/2013 in accordance with the powers delegated to it.
• To undertake and/or sponsor relevant studies in respect of pricing of drugs/formulations.
• To monitor the availability of drugs, identify shortages, if any, and to take remedial steps.
• To collect/maintain data on production, exports and imports, market share of individual companies, profitability of companies etc. for bulk drugs and formulations.
• To deal with all legal matters arising out of the decisions of the Authority.
• To render advice to the Central Government on changes/revisions in the drug policy.
• To render assistance to the Central Government in the parliamentary matters relating to the drug pricing.