Cabinet has approved an outlay of Rs.1.39 lakh crore for BharatNet, the government’s project for last-mile connectivity across 6.4 lakh villages in the country.

• According to government sources, the Cabinet, in its meeting, had approved the latest round of funds for the project. Giving the latest updates on the ongoing project, sources said around 1.94 lakh villages have been connected at present and rest of the villages are expected to be connected in the next 2.5 years.
• Cabinet has approved Rs. 1,39,579 crore fund for providing last-mile optical fibre-based connectivity to homes in all the villages of the country.
• BharatNet is one of the biggest rural telecom projects in the world, implemented in a phased manner to all 2.5 lakh gram panchayats (GPs) in the country for last-mile broadband connectivity.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on August 5 completed the Lunar-Orbit Insertion (LOI) to successfully put the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft into the moon’s orbit. The LOI manoeuvre was performed from ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru. LOI manoeuvre commenced at 7 p.m.

• “Chandrayaan-3 has been successfully inserted into the lunar orbit. A retro-burning at the Perilune was commanded from the Mission Operations Complex (MOX), ISTRAC, Bengaluru,” the space agency said.
• After the completion of the crucial manoeuvre, ISRO on its X social media platform posted “Chandrayaan-3 Mission: MOX, ISTRAC, this is Chandrayaan-3. I am feeling lunar gravity.”
• Following the success of the LOI, ISRO will carry out four orbit manoeuvres to make the spacecraft enter into its final orbit at a distance of about 100 km from the moon’s surface. The first of these manoeuvres is scheduled to take place at 11 pm IST on August 6.

Kuttikkanam, a picturesque hill station lying between Wagamon and Thekkady, will soon get a historical monument of its own with the State Archaeology department all set to declare the famed Kuttikkanam Palace, also known as Ammachi Kottaram, as a historical monument.

• E. Dineshan, director of the State Archaeology department, told that the department had verified the documents of the palace and it was found that it was eligible to be declared a monument as per the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act.
• “In the documents, we found that it was also called Ammachi Kottaram at one period. The palace was constructed around 1890. Some additions happened in the 1900s period. The available documents of the palace come from the 1892 period,” said Mr. Dineshan. 
• “To declare the palace a historical monument, we need to get its revenue details. The department has already sent a letter to the Idukki District Collector seeking these. We will then approach the government seeking to issue a notification for the declaration of the palace as a monument,” said Mr. Dineshan.

The Karnataka government on Saturday launched the Gruha Jyothi free power scheme, one of the five prominent guarantee schemes promised during elections, in Kalaburagi city.

• The government has said that about 2.14 crore households will get benefited from the Gruha Jyothi scheme. 
•  Around 1.41 crore have already registered for the scheme. 
• The scheme was implemented on July 1.

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman laid the foundation stone for an archeological museum in Adichanallur in the Thoothukudi district , the Ministry of Finance said.

• During her visit, the minister assessed the Adichanallur Parambu region, where removal work has been ongoing since around 2021.
• Adichanallur was one of the five archaeological sites declared to be developed as ‘Iconic Sites’ in the Union Budget 2020-21.
• It is an archaeological site located on the banks of river Thamirabarani in this district.
• ’The main objective of the museum would be to focus on establishing the significance of the archaeological sites identified as part of the cultural landscape of the Thamirabarani valley, not limiting to the site of Adichanallur.
• The museum will be built as a tribute to the history of Iron Age culture in southern India, in the context of Adichanallur

Renowned Telangana folk singer and balladeer Gaddar, known for his revolutionary songs during the 1980s and later during the Telangana statehood agitation, passed away in Hyderabad on Sunday, August 6, due to ill-health. He was 77. 

• Born as Gummadi Vittal Rao in Toopran, Medak district, the renowned folk singer and poet went on to become popular as ‘Gaddar’.
• The fiery singer and poet joined an engineering course in Hyderabad as a student but was drawn towards the revolutionary ideologies of the Dalit Panthers and the Naxalbari movement.
• During the 1980s, he led an underground life, including in the forests, working as a cultural activist, and toured places like Abujhmarh in Chhattisgarh and Odisha.

India has provided financial assistance of 45 crore rupees to support the island nation's unique digital identity project. The step is likely to play a pivotal role in the successful implementation of Sri Lanka's digitisation programme and will be propelled under the framework of Indian grant assistance.

• The President’s office in Colombo confirmed the receipt of the funds from the Indian government, marking a crucial milestone in the partnership between the two nations.
• High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay handed over the cheque to Chief of Presidential Staff, Sagala Ratnayaka and State Minister of Technology, Kanaka Herath at the President’s secretariat.
• The unique digital identity project holds immense promise for Sri Lanka, as it aims to revolutionize the country's administrative infrastructure and pave the way for more streamlined and efficient service delivery to its citizens.
• The generous financial aid from India underscores the unwavering commitment of the neighboring nation to support Sri Lanka's journey toward a digitally empowered future.

Ethiopia's government declared a six-month state of emergency on Friday in the country's second-largest region, Amhara, following days of clashes between the military and local Fano militiamen, giving it powers to impose curfews, restrict movement and ban gatherings.

• The fighting that broke out earlier this week has quickly become Ethiopia's most serious security crisis since a two-year civil war in Tigray region, which neighbours Amhara, ended in November. 
• Amhara's regional government requested additional help from federal authorities on Thursday to reimpose order.
• The unrest is the latest spasm of violence to hit the country, the second most populous in Africa after Nigeria, since Abiy took office in 2018. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for his peacemaking efforts with Eritrea.

Hiroshima Day marks a destructive historical event that took place in Hiroshima, Japan in 1945 during the World War II when USA dropped atomic bomb on the city. 

• Hiroshima and Nagasaki Day is observed to mark the devastation of the atomic bombing during World War II. 
• The horrors of ‘Little Boy’ on August 6th followed by ‘Fath Man’ on August 9th sparked global discussions on nuclear disarmament.
• This year we commemorate the 76th anniversary of this event.

History of Hiroshima Day: On August 6, 1945, the US dropped the nuclear weapon, ‘Little Boy’ on the Japanese city of Hiroshima around 8:15 a.m. Since then, the day is observed as an occasion to mourn the thousand deaths and pays tribute to the survivors and succeeding generations. 

Sports Authority of India (SAI) under the Umbrella Campaign 'Cheer4India' has launched a short movie series ‘Halla Bol’ on the journey of Asian Games bound athletes to motivate them for Hangzhou Asian Games and spread awareness about the upcoming Asian Games. The 19th Asian Games, they are scheduled to be held from 23 September to 8 October 2023 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.

• SAI said that a total of 12 short movies will be showcased in the coming weeks. SAI highlighted that the initiative will not only motivate the athletes heading to Asian Games, but also youngsters of the country to take up sports.
• Talking about the initiative in a tweet, Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur said that the Indian contingent is gearing up for the 19th edition of the Asian Games.
• He appealed to the nation to watch the Halla Bol series showcasing the inspiring journey of the country's talented athletes.
• Mr. Thakur added that these athletes are once again set on the mission to bring pride and laurel to the nation.  A similar movie series, 'Olympics ki Aasha,' was launched before the Tokyo Olympics.