PM Modi sends ₹17,000 crore directly into bank accounts of farmers

• Under the sixth instalment of PM-Kisan scheme, ₹17,000 crore of PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi has been deposited into bank accounts of 8.5 crore farmers with a single click.

India puts ban on import of 101 items to boost 'self-reliance': Rajnath Singh

• Embargo on imports is planned to be progressively implemented between 2020 to 2024: Rajnath Singh
• India is now ready for the big push to the atma nirbhar or self-dependent initiative announced by PM Modi

'Bull everything' rally leaves investors wondering what to own

• Meanwhile, a 9% decline in the Dollar Index from its high this year has given another tailwind to gold while the S&P 500 is up 50% from its late March lows
• Plenty of investors believe the rallies are likely to continue as long as interest rates remain low

Vijaywada hotel fire updates: 10 die at covid facility

• As per the preliminary report, the reason of fire appears to be a short circuit said Krishna District Collector
• The hotel was taken on lease and run by Ramesh Hospitals, a pvt hospital where covid-19 patients were being treated

From guns to missiles: A list of 101 defence items banned for import by India

Rajnath Singh said the ministry has prepared a list of 101 items for which the embargo on imports is planned to be progressively implemented between 2020 and 2024

Best performing NPS Schemes for central, state government employees

• Here are the best performing pension fund managers under the Central Government Plan, State Government Plan, Tier I Equity Plan and Tier II Equity Plan
• NPS allows subscribers to change the pension fund manager

PM Modi launches ₹1 trillion agri infrastructure fund

• The fund was launched with ₹1,128 crore of new loans disbursed to over 2,200 cooperative societies. The prime minister also transferred ₹17,100 crore to farmers under the PM-Kisan direct income assistance scheme

After chillies, Railways to transport denim, dyes to Bangladesh from Gujarat

• Indian Railways will operate first ever parcel special train under Ahmedabad division for Bangladesh, which will be traversing 2110 km to reach Benapole in Bangladesh
• Western Railway had earlier sent a goods train with loaded wagons of onions for Bangladesh from Bhavnagar on 4 August 2020

Ahead of registering world's first covid vaccine, Russia reveals how it works

• Russia plans to register world's first covid vaccine on August 12
• The vaccine has been developed jointly by the Gamaleya Research Institute and the Russian Defence Ministry

Latest bank FD rates: SBI vs ICICI Bank vs HDFC Bank vs Bank of India

• ICICI Bank has revised fixed deposit rates with effect from 7 August
• Here are the latest interest rates on fixed deposits offered by SBI, HDFC Bank and Bank of India

India records biggest single-day spike of 64,399 covid-19 cases

• Recoveries rose to 14,80,885 according to the Union Health Ministry data
• The total number of deaths from covid-19 rose to 43,379

'Safety concerns red flagged by DGCA at Kozhikode airport were addressed'

'DGCA strictly ensures that these are complied with and rectified under all circumstances and this was done by the airport operator, the ministry of civil aviation said in a statement quoting Hardeep Singh Puri

Study finds high virus contamination of surfaces, air around covid patients

• The study published in nature supports the use of airborne isolation precautions while caring for covid-19 patients
• The study suggests that patients with higher acuity of illness or levels of care may be associated with increased levels of environmental contamination

Gold prices crash ₹1,000 per 10 gram in a day

• Despite the one-day slump, gold prices in India are up over 40% this year
• Silver also saw a big drop in prices

​​​​​​​Mukesh Ambani overtakes richest European to become world’s fourth-richest

• Reliance Industries' chairman is now worth $80.6 bn, after amassing $22 bn this year
• Bernard Arnault’s wealth is down as LVMH clients curb spending

UPSC rank holder Miss India finalist files FIR over her fake Instagram profiles

• Aishwarya Sheoran lodged a complaint after she found as many as 16 fake Instagram accounts having her images and details
• 23-year-old former Miss India finalist who recently shot to fame after securing 93rd rank in the civil services examination 2019

Gold price premium in India halve amid soaring domestic rates

• Dealers say that suspension of international flights has led to some supply issues in India
• India imports most of its gold requirement

Parag Parikh Long Term Equity Fund adds Indian Energy Exchange to portfolio

• As on July 31, Parag Parikh Long Term Equity Fund has 27.19% of its portfolio in overseas stocks.
• Top five holdings of the scheme are- Amazon (8.71%), Alphabet (7.52%), Persistent Systems (6.77%), ITC (6.03%) and HDFC Bank (5.88%).

Mumbai local train update: Maintenance mega block on Central Railway lines today

• Indian Railways'Central Railway zone would operate mega block on suburban rail network today on account of maintenance work
• According to Indian Railways maintenance mega blocks are essential for infrastructure upkeep and safety

Flying to India from abroad? Check out the new international travel rules here

• The new international travel rules are applicable from 8 August
• Last month, India formed bilateral air bubbles with US, UAE, France and Germany to operate special international flights with certain restrictions

Barclays being probed by UK privacy watchdog on accusations of spying on staff

• The ICO said on Sunday a formal probe was ongoing but it could not say when the investigation would conclude
• In 2017, Barclays faced widespread criticism when it rolled out a system known as OccupEye, which tracked how long people spent at their desks

China uses tech as tool of repression to monitor citizens: US commission

• The Chinese government monitored every corner of Beijing by state-of-the-art surveillance cameras
• Beijing uses a system called the Integrated Joint Operations Platform (IJOP), which has the ability to audit entire populations

West Bengal allows international charter flights to land in Kolkata

• The restrictions on Vande Bharat Mission flights will, however, continue
• A clearance from the Indian missions in the originating countries or the Ministry of External Affairs will be required, Bengal said

Covid-19 vaccine may be only partially effective, warns Fauci

• Public health measures will still be needed to keep coronavirus pandemic under control, Dr. Anthony Fauci said
• The novel coronavirus has infected nearly 5 million people in the United States and killed more than 160,000

Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal tests Covid-19 positive, admitted to AIIMS

• Covid-19 positive Arjun Ram Meghwal is admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)
• The minister said that he is fine but has admitted himself to AIIMS on medical advice

I'm doing well, hope to recover in a day or two: Sanjay Dutt tweets

• I’m currently under medical observation and my COVID-19 report is negative: Sanjay Dutt
• The actor was hospitalised Lilavati Hospital due to breathing problems

India may need stimulus on demand side as growth begins to pick up: Panagariya

Panagariya pointed out that even with the current level of intervention, India is staring at debt-to-GDP ratio rising from 72% to about 85% at least by the end of the current year

'Plane shook violently, it all went dark', recall survivors of Kozhikode crash

• Passengers of that ill-fated Air India Express flight expressed their horrific ordeal of the crash as the plane broke into two pieces and fell off
• Low visibility, wet runway, low cloud base, all leading to very poor braking action is what looks like led to crash

We will one day be the third largest economy: S Jaishankar

The comments come in the middle of a major chill in ties with tensions running high over Chinese intrusions into Indian territory

New income tax regime vs old: Find out which works better for you?

Here is a do-it-yourself exercise to compute and decide which income tax regime lets you pay lower taxes

Air India plane tragedy: How did flight crash while landing on table-top runway

• The Air India flight veered off the runway and plunged into a valley while landing in heavy rains, the official said
• At least 18 people died and many were severely injured in Kerala on Friday after Dubai-Kozhikode Air India flight overshot the runway

Kerala fears another covid-19 cluster forming around Air India crash and rescue

• A passenger killed in the crash tested positive for covid-19 raising fears of transmission
• Kerala health minister KK Shailaja has asked those who helped in rescue operations to go into voluntary isolation before they are tested

PM Narendra Modi launches week-long cleanliness drive to free India of garbage

• He also stressed that Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has been a great support in fight against coronavirus
• Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra, an interactive centre on Swachh Bharat Mission

AIE flight crash: Two warnings on table top runway in past decade went unheeded

• The runway at Kozhikode, where the latest crash took place, doesn’t have an adequate safety mechanism, especially in wet conditions with a tailwind, a DGCA member told top bureaucrats in 2011
• A ground arrestor system should be installed at table top airports to bring any skidding aircraft to a halt

Moderate to heavy rains likely in Delhi for four days from Sunday

• IMD has forecast heavy to moderate rainfall in the national capital for four days starting from Sunday
• During this period, southwesterly winds from the Arabian Sea and easterly winds from the Bay of Bengal will reach Haryana and Delhi-NCR

'COVID-19 gives us opportunity, we can turn worst time into best time': Mahindra

• Let me stress that growth continues to be our goal, Anand Mahindra said
• The last couple of years have been tough for the whole world and we are no exception, he added

'Only property of Sushant I have': Rhea shares late actor's note of 'gratitude'

The actress shared a picture of a note which she claims was written by the late actor expressing his gratitude for certain things in his life, including her and her family members