CURRENT AFFAIRS: 8 AUGUST, 2021
• TOKYO OLYMPIC: INDIAN WINS GOLD
On Saturday, the 23-year-old made history when he won the men’s javelin throw final at Tokyo 2020, becoming only the second Indian to earn an individual Olympic gold. With his gold in the javelin final, Neeraj ended India’s 121-year drought for an athletics medal. With a best throw of 87.58 metres, Neeraj Chopra won gold in the men’s javelin throw final. After Abhinav Bindra, Neeraj Chopra is the first Indian to win a solo gold medal at the Olympics.
• TOKYO OLYMPIC: INDIAN WINS BRONZE
Wrestler Bajrang Punia won the bronze medal in the quarterfinals round of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on Saturday, completing his Olympic ambition by defeating Kazakhstan’s Daulet Niyazbekov. Bajrang, a former Asian Games gold medalist, controlled the match from start to finish, winning by an 8-0 tally. Bajrang triumphed due to technical superiority.
• NEW CONGRESS COMMITTEE HEAD ON BODO TERRITORIAL REGION
Bhupen Kumar Borah, head of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), has formed a committee, chaired by Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi, to assess organisational issues in the Bodo Territorial Region (BTR). Bobbeeta Sharma, the party’s Media department chairwoman, said on Sunday that the committee will look at methods to boost the party from the ground up, involving frontal organisations, cells, and departments.
• REWARDS FOR GOLD MEDAL WINNER NEERAJ CHOPRA
BYJU’S, an edtech company, has declared a cash prize of Rs 2 crore for India’s top javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who won a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday. Haryana m also promises him a 4 crore rs pay and a grade A job. Meanwhile Anand Mahindra has promised to give the medallist a XUV 700 model. Indigo Airlines has also offered him a year of free travel.
• DELHI CM LAUNCHES FREE FOOD PROGRAMME
On Sunday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal began a food distribution scheme for the capital’s homeless who are housed in government shelters. The effort to give free meals was begun in collaboration with the Akshaya Patra Foundation, a non-government organisation, from a sheltering home complex in Sarai Kale Khan. The Delhi government operates 209 night shelters around the city, with over 6,000 people receiving free cooked meals. As more people seek safety in shelter houses over the winter, the figure will rise to 12,000 people.
• LADAKH REMOVES NEED FOR INNER PERMIT LINE FOR NATIONALS
All Indian nationals wishing to enter protected regions of union territory no longer need an Inner Line Permit (ILP), according to the Ladakh Administration. According to the announcement, Indian citizens, including domestic visitors and local residents, are no longer need to get an Inner Line Permit in order to enter the protected regions. Foreign visitors’ stay restrictions in bordering areas like Nyoma and Nubra, as well as locations in Leh and Kargil districts, have been eased from seven to fifteen days.
• FIRST WOMEN DIRECTOR OF ZSI
The Indian government has accepted Dr. Dhriti Banerjee’s nomination as ZSI’s director. Banerjee, a prominent scientist who works in zoogeography, taxonomy, morphology, and molecular systematics, will take up the position within the next week. She has been the administrator of ZSI’s Digital Sequence Information Project from 2012.
• CABINET APPROVES NEW BILL TO RESTORE POWER OF STATES AND UT.
According to reports, the Union Cabinet has approved a Constitution amendment bill that will allow states and UTs to create their own OBC lists. The Supreme Court has denied the Centre’s request for a rehearing of the May 5 majority judgement, which found that the 102nd Constitution amendment removed states’ authority to designate Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) for the purpose of quotas in employment and education.
