1) PM Narendra Modi, on the occasion of the 74th Independence Day unveiled the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) under which every Indian will get a health ID that will ease access to medical services. The NDHM, which comes under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), is expected to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency of health services in the country. Under the scheme each patient will be given an ID card on which confidential medical data, such as prescriptions, diagnostic reports and discharge summaries, will be stored.
2) Indian Army officer, Major Shweta Pandey, assisted Prime Minister Narendra Modi in unfurling the Indian tri-colour at the Red Fort on Saturday. Major Pandey was commissioned in the Army in 2012 from the OTA, Chennai. She is the first woman officer to carry the national flag and lead a first-ever tri-services Indian Armed Forces Contingent during Russia’s Victory Day Parade at Red Square in Moscow in June this year.
3) PM Modi has announced the launching of the Project Lion & Project Dolphin to conserve these endangered species population in the country using modern technology on the lines of Project Tiger and Project Elephant.
4) The Prime Minister also announced the Optic Fibre Linking of Lakshadweep Islands. The Lakshadweep Undersea project is to be completed in 1,000 days. It will help to boost communication between India and Lakshadweep. The Department of Telecommunications is to implement the project. The cable will boost internet speed up to 400 Giga Bytes per second.
5) Defence Minister Raj Nath Singh launched “SRIJAN”, an online portal to promote indigenization of Defence production. The portal is to display those items that are currently being imported by Indian Defence Industry. This will help domestic industries of the country to learn and focus more on these specific items.
6) MS Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket on Saturday, as he brought the curtain down on his illustrious 15-year career as an India cricketer.
7) Following MS Dhoni, Team India batsman Suresh Raina has also announced his retirement from international cricket.
8) Goa Shipyard Limited has signed an MoU with IIT, Goa on many areas including artificial intelligence and computational field dynamics.
9) Also an MoU on development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones was signed between Bengaluru-headquartered BEML and IIT Kanpur.
10) Indian Navy inks deal with Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority for setting up centre of excellence in UP defence corridor.
11) The Government of India has sent 58 tonnes of emergency humanitarian aid to the people affected by Beirut Explosion in Lebanon.
12) Union sports Minister Kiren Rijiju launched yet another nation-wide initiative, the Fit India Youth Club, on the occasion of the 74th Independence Day of the country.
13) US Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris has become the talk of the town following her pick by Joe Biden to take on Donald Trump-Mike Pence in the forthcoming presidential elections. Harris became the first Indian-origin and second African-American woman to join the Senate, winning the California seat vacated by Senator Barbara Boxer.