Here are the top 5 news updates of August 6, 2021:
The history-making Indian women's hockey team's dream of securing its maiden Olympic medal remained unfulfilled as it lost 3-4 to Great Britain in a hard-fought bronze play-off but the stout-hearted side managed to record its best ever finish at the Games today. The team had already created history and surpassed all expectations by entering the semifinals of the Games for the first time. But the maiden Olympic medal remained out of bounds as world no.4 Great Britain, who were gold-winners in the 2016 Rio Games, came out on top in the pulsating encounter.
India's highest sporting honour Khel Ratna Award, which was named after former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, was today rechristened in the honour of hockey wizard Dhyan Chand following the admirable performance of both men's and women's hockey teams in the Tokyo Olympics. Making the announcement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had been getting many requests from citizens across India to name the Khel Ratna Award after Major Dhyan Chand. "Respecting their sentiment, the Khel Ratna Award will hereby be called the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award! Major Dhyan Chand was among India's foremost sportspersons who brought honour and pride for India. It is fitting that our nation's highest sporting honour will be named after him," he tweeted.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) today decided to keep benchmark interest rate unchanged at 4 per cent but maintained an accommodative stance as the economy is yet to recover from the impact of second COVID wave. This is the seventh time in a row that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) headed by RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das has maintained status quo. RBI had last revised its policy rate on May 22, 2020, in an off-policy cycle to perk up demand by cutting interest rate to a historic low.
Several leaders of opposition parties, including former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, today extended their solidarity to protesting farmers and joined their Kisan Sansad at the Jantar Mantar, saying the three "black" agri laws will have to be withdrawn. Leaders of 14 opposition parties met at Parliament House and then reached the nearby Jantar Mantar to participate in the Kisan Sansad, which began on July 22 to mark over seven months of the farmers' protests at Delhi's border points against the laws. "Today all opposition parties together decided to support the farmers and demand the withdrawal of the three farm laws," Gandhi said.
Equity benchmark Sensex dropped 215 points today, tracking losses in index heavyweights Reliance Industries, HDFC and SBI, after the Reserve Bank kept interest rates unchanged and maintained its accommodative stance. The 30-share index ended 215.12 points or 0.39 per cent lower at 54,277.72, while the broader NSE Nifty fell 56.40 points or 0.35 per cent to 16,238.20. Reliance Industries was the top laggard in the Sensex pack, shedding over 2 per cent, followed by UltraTech Cement, SBI, Tata Steel, HDFC and Axis Bank. On the other hand, IndusInd Bank, Bharti Airtel, Tech Mahindra, Maruti, NTPC and Bajaj Auto were among the gainers.
