Notes:
Indian shooter Kynan Chenai from Hyderabad has won a bronze in men’s trap event at the 7th Asian Championship Shotgun at Astana, Kazakhstan on August 8, 2017. It was his first international medal at the senior level. So far, India has won two golds and a bronze in the competition. Before Chenai, Indian shooter Ankur Mittal clinched the individual as well as the team gold medal in men’s double trap in the championship. Mittal shot 71 in the six-man final to finish at the top of the podium. With scores of Sangram Dahiya (43) and Mohammad Asab (34) added to Mittal’s final total, India managed to bag the top prize in the team event also.

Notes:
Prof Sanwar Lal Jat (62), the BJP MP from Ajmer and former Union minister, has passed away in New Delhi on August 9, 2017. He was member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly for five terms. He also served as Minister in the Rajasthan Government thrice. In 2014, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Ajmer. He served as Union Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation till July 2016.

Notes:
India’s first micro forest will be built in Raipur, Chattisgarh. Approximately, 19 acres of land which housed around 70 government office buildings will be converted into micro forest in order to create an oxy-zone. The micro forest will provide fresh air to Raipur which is the 7th most polluted city in the world. It will reportedly be open to the public in the next 8 months.

Notes:
The 2017 India – ASEAN Youth summit will be held in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh from August 14 to 19, 2017 with theme ‘Shared values, common destiny’. This event is being organized in collaboration with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat and the India Foundation. Over 100 delegates from 10 ASEAN countries – Brunei, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam – will participate in the summit. This forum will enhance people-to-people contacts between India and ASEAN countries.

Notes:
India shooter Shapath Bhardwaj (15) from Merrut has become the India’s youngest athlete to be named in the Union Government’s Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme. He is among 45 elite athletes, including Olympic medallists PV Sindhu, Sakshi Malik and Saina Nehwal, to be selected for the scheme. The TOP scheme elite athletes identification committee, which is chaired by ace shooter and Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, selected the athletes after evaluating their performance in relation to the international standard. The purpose of the TOP committee is to identify and support potential medal prospects for 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games under the TOP scheme.

Notes:
‘Rayichapalu’ has been officially declared as one of the rarest species of fish in the world by the researchers from the Marine Living Resources Department of Andhra University. The fish is a regular catch for fishermen in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. It is a colourful fish which is around 97mm in length and lives near the reefs. The researchers stated that this fish has a unique colour pattern with spectacular diamond shaped bands. Reportedly, it is the only fifth fish in this category of size. Now, the tiny colourful fish will have the scientific name ‘Pseudathias Vizagensis’, after the city where it was first discovered.

Notes:
Indian-origin actor Dev Patel will be honoured with the Asian Game Changer award for 2017 by the Asia Society for making a transformative and positive difference for the future of Asia and the world. He will be felicitated with the award at a ceremony to be held at the United Nations, New York, in November, 2017. The Asia Society has stated that Patel has turned his attention and star power to philanthropy. His “#lionheart” campaign raised over $2,50,000 in support of India’s millions of homeless children. The other honorees include Afghan rapper and activist Sonita Alizadeh, Cambodian environmental activist Leng Ouch, nonprofit organization Sesame Workshop, Japanese casual wear retailer UNIQLO founder Tadashi Yanai, Chinese musician and composer Wu Tong and Jean Liu (President of Chinese company Didi Chuxing).

Notes:
India has been ranked 43rd among 43 nations in the 2017 Global Retirement Index (GRI). The list is topped by Norway, followed by Switzerland, Iceland and Sweden. The multi-dimensional index is compiled by Natixis Global Asset Management with support from CoreData Research, a U.K.-based financial research firm. The index ranks 43 countries on the basis of four factors viz. material well-being, health, finances and quality of life. The purpose of the index is to provide a global benchmark for retirees and future retirees so that they can evaluate and compare the suitability of various nations, and plan their retirement according to their expectations and needs.

Notes:
The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is observed every year on August 9 to promote and protect the rights of the world’s indigenous population. This event also recognizes the achievements and contributions that indigenous people make to improve world issues such as environmental protection.

Notes:
The Keoladeo National Park (KNP) is located in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan. It is home to Nilgai, feral cattle, chital deer, wild boar, Indian porcupine, etc. The park is famous avifauna sanctuary that hosts thousands of birds, especially during the winter season. The reserve protects Bharatpur from frequent floods, provides grazing grounds for village cattle, and earlier was primarily used as a waterfowl hunting ground.