The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to develop Kannauj as a perfume tourism destination. In order to give impetus to the perfume industry, the state government has decided to hold the international perfume fair in Kannauj in December.

The first phase of the perfume park being set up in the district will be completed by November 15.

A meeting of the officers of the various government departments, entrepreneurs and artisans was held under additional chief secretary, MEME and export promotion, UP, Navneet Sehgal in Kannauj on Wednesday.

The Indian Olympic Association has co-opted Adille Sumariwalla as the President of the association till fresh elections are held.

• The erstwhile President of the IOA, Dr. Narinder Dhruv Batra, resigned from the post of President, IOA on July 18 due to personal reasons .
• Batra had ceased to be President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) when the Delhi High Court, on May 25, struck down the post of ‘Life member’ in Hockey India, courtesy which he had contested the IOA elections and won back in 2017. 
• Batra’s IOC membership was linked to the IOA presidency but his resignation from FIH had come as surprise since in May he had said that he wants to focus on his job FIH. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the ceremony to commemorate 40 years of Suzuki's establishment in India, the company informed on Twitter. The inauguration ceremony will be part of the Prime Minister's Gujarat trip from 27 August to 28 August.

• The inauguration ceremony will be part of Prime Minister's visit to Gujarat
• The Prime Minister will attend multiple events in Ahmedabad, Bhuj and Gandhinagar

The 8th India International MSME Start-up Expo & Summit 2022 was officially opened by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in New Delhi.

The 8th India International MSME Start-up Expo and Summit 2022 gives SMEs, startups, business, industry, and service providers a much-needed platform to discover new prospects, connect with buyers and sellers, and exchange information about federal, state, and local programmes, among other things.

The National Sports Day (NSD) is celebrated every year in India on 29th of August to mark the birth anniversary of legendary hockey player Major Dhyan Chand, who was known as ‘The Wizard’ or ‘The Magician’ of hockey for his superb ball control.

• The legendary hockey player was born on 29 August 1905 in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. 

• He is widely considered as the greatest field hockey player of all time. He had started playing hockey only after joining the Army at the age of 16.

• He won gold medals in Olympics for India in the years 1928, 1934 and 1936.

• He scored over 400 goals in his career, from 1926 to 1948. It is believed that after India defeated Germany in the 1936 Olympics final by 8-1, Adolf Hitler offered him a senior post in the German Army, to which Chand refused.

Recently, the Ministry of Jal Shakti unveiled a new initiative named ‘Arth Ganga’ under the Namami Gange program with an aim to boost economic activities along the banks of river Ganga.

• Zero Budget Natural Farming is its first level, which includes chemical free farming for 10 km on both banks of the river and promotion of cow dung as manure through Govardhan Yojana. This will open the way for ‘Per Drop, More Income’ and ‘Gobar Dhan’ for the farmers.

• The second phase is monetization and reuse of sludge and waste water, which seeks to reuse treated water for irrigation, industries and revenue generation for urban local bodies (ULBs).

• Arth Ganga will also include opportunities for livelihood generation by creating haats where people can sell local produce, medicinal plants and Ayurveda.

• Fourth is to increase public participation by increasing coordination among the stakeholders associated with the river.

• The fifth model seeks to promote cultural heritage and tourism in and around the Ganges through boat tours, adventure sports and yoga activities.

• The final model seeks to promote institutional building by empowering local administration for better water governance.

The Indian Coast Guard recently conducted its biennial National Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise SAREX 22 off the Chennai coast.

• The objective of this exercise is to avoid accidents at sea and save lives by conducting rescue operations. During this, 24 observers from 16 countries participated in the exercise organized under the theme ‘Capacity Building Towards Maritime Security’.

• This was the 10th exercise conducted by the Coast Guard. During this exercise, new technology like remote controlled lifebuoys were demonstrated over the Bay of Bengal.

Environment Ministry has recently notified Battery Waste Management Rules 2022 for eco-friendly disposal of defective batteries. These rules will replace the Battery (Management and Handling) Rules, 2001.

• These regulations cover all types of batteries such as electric vehicle batteries, portable batteries, automotive batteries and industrial batteries.
• Based on the concept of Extended Manufacturer Responsibility (EPR), battery manufacturers (including importers) are responsible for the collection and recycling/renewal of waste batteries and the use of waste materials in new batteries.
• The EPR mandates the collection of all waste batteries and sends them for recycling/renewal, and prohibits their disposal in landfills and incineration.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the iconic ‘Atal Bridge’ over the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad city of Gujarat. Its name was declared as Atal Bridge on 25 December on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

• This bridge is built on the banks of the Sabarmati Riverfront on Sabarmati River which flows through the city of Ahmedabad.
• Equipped with attractive design and LED lights, this bridge is about 300 meters long and 14 meters wide.
• 2,600 metric tons of steel pipe has been used in the construction of this bridge and the railing is made of glass and steel.
• The total cost of construction of this bridge is Rs 74.29 lakh crore.

During the 38th Ministerial Meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission, the two countries finalized a draft of a Memorandum of Understanding to share the waters of the Kushiyara River on an interim basis.

• In this meeting, the two countries discussed many issues of mutual interest, including river water sharing of rivers, sharing of flood data, focus on river pollution, joint study on sedimentation management, river bank protection between the two countries. tasks etc.
• All aspects of issues related to Ganga, Teesta, Manu, Muhuri, Khowai, Gumti, Dharla, Dudhkumar etc. other rivers were also discussed during this meeting.
• Meanwhile, both sides welcomed the finalization of the design of Feni River Water Harvesting Site and its technical infrastructure to meet the drinking water requirements of Sabroom Town, Tripura. 

The 50th All Manipur Shumang Leela Festival 2021-2022 began at Iboyama Shumang Leela Shanglen in Palace Compound, Imphal.

• Shumang Leela is a traditional form of theatre in Manipur and the roles of female artists are all played by male actors and male characters are played by female artists in case of female theatre groups. The activities are done in the open air.

• During the festival, the Governor also distributed medals to the winners of the 49th All Manipur Shumang Leela Mahotsav 2020-21.

The 13th edition of India-US Joint Special Forces Exercise Vajra Prahar recently concluded in Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh. Earlier, its 12th edition was held in October 2021 at Joint Base Lewis Mc Cord in Washington, USA.

• During this 21-day joint training, the special forces of both the countries underwent training in special operations, air operations and counter-terrorism operations in a joint environment under the United Nations Charter.

• The exercise was conducted in two phases. The first phase included combat adaptation and tactical level special mission training exercises. Under the second phase, 48 hours of verification of training received by both the parties has been included in the first phase.

On the directions of the Supreme Court, Noida’s famous Twin Towers (Apex (32 floors) and Cyan (29 floors)) were blown up and demolished.

• This twin tower was built by Supertech.
• This matter was going on in the court for the last 9 years, after which the Supreme Court had said in its decision that the construction of this tower is illegal and the company will demolish it at its own expense under the supervision of the Noida Authority.
• In the early 2000s, real estate company Supertech Limited started a housing project named ‘Emerald Court’. Noida Authority allotted land to Supertech for this project on 23 November 2004.
• Initially, the builder was to build 14 9-storey towers under the approval of the Noida Authority. Its lease was finalized in March 2005. Later the company changed the plan and built 15 11-storey towers. The plan was later revised again and the builder was allowed to build up to 40 floors in each tower.
• Subsequently, in 2012, residents of Supertech Emerald Court Society filed a petition in the Allahabad High Court calling the building illegal. The petitioners argued that Supertech Group violated norms to sell more flats and increase its profit margin.