CURRENT AFFAIRS MARCH 2019 -- ASPIRANTSZONE.COM
IMPORTANT
CURRENT AFFAIRS --- MARCH
2019
March 1, 2019
Central govt approves establishment
of new AIIMS in Haryana’s Manethi
The Centre has given approval to the establishment of new
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Manethi in Haryana’s Rewari
district at a cost of Rs. 1299 crore. The objective is to establish
the new AIIMS as Institutions of National Importance for providing quality
tertiary healthcare, medical education, nursing education and research in the
region.
The Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), a Central Sector Scheme, aims at correcting the imbalances
in the availability of affordable tertiary healthcare facilities in different
parts of the country. AIIMS in Haryana was announced in the Interim Budget Speech
for the year 2019-20.
Cabinet nod for Rs 1,450 cr to
purchase RBI stake in National Housing Bank
The Union Cabinet approved an
expenditure of Rs 1,450 crore for purchase of the Reserve Bank of India-held
shares in the National Housing Bank (NHB),
Finance Minister Arun Jaitleyannounced following a Cabinet meeting
in New Delhi. The RBI currently holds 100 per cent stake in the NHB. The National Housing Bank Act, 1987,
had been amended by the Finance Bill 2018 in order to transfer
the RBI’s stake in the NHB to the government.
Cabinet approves centre for
disability sports at Gwalior
The Union Cabinet approved the proposal for setting up of a Centre for
Disability Sports at Gwalior. To be registered under the Societies
Registration Act, the proposed Centre will entail an estimated cost
of Rs 170.99 crore and be completed in 5 years. The improved sports infrastructure created by
this Centre will ensure effective participation of persons with disabilities in
sports activities and also enable them to compete at national and international
levels.
Cabinet approves ordinance to set up
New Delhi International Arbitration Centre
The Union Cabinet approved promulgation of an ordinance for
establishing the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre (NDIAC) to
create an independent and autonomous regime for institutionalised arbitration. The government, “in view of the
urgency to make India a hub of institutionalised arbitration and
promote ‘ease of doing business'”, has decided to promulgate The New
Delhi International Arbitration Centre Ordinance, 2019.
Ministry of Tribal Affairs launches
schemes of Minimum Support Price for Minor Forest produces
Shri Jual Oram, Union Minister of Tribal Affairs launched the ambitious
scheme of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Van Dhan, the
scheme for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Minor Forest Produce Scheme (MFP) and
Development of Value Chain of MFPs at a National Workshop organized by Tribal
Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED) under Ministry
of Tribal Affairs. This
programme promotes enterprise and marketing skills in tribals. Van Dhan
schemeaims to take the share of the Minor Forest Produces to 70 to 80%. The
Prime Minister of India launched the Van Dhan Scheme in Bijapur
District of Chhattisgarh on 14th April, 2018.
MAHE – only private Indian
University featured in QS World Rankings
Manipal Academy of Higher Education achieved another milestone, as it became the
only private University in India to be featured in the QS World rankings in the
areas of Medicine and Pharmacy. This is the third consecutive year
that MAHE is the highest ranked private University in the country. Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) became
the only private University to be featured along with four Institutions in
Medicine and Pharmacy viz. AIIMS (Delhi), Jamia Hamdard (New Delhi) &
Banaras Hindu University (Uttar Pradesh).
Environment minister launches anthem
on ‘plastic-free India’ in 7 languages
Union Minister Harsh Vardhan launched
an anthem as a part of a campaign to make India plastic-free by 2022, and
stressed on strengthening plastic waste management and recycling ecosystem in
the country. The ”Plastic Waste-Free India” has been anthem,
prepared and produced by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Smriti Manch (PDUSM),
a non-profit organisation which claims to be working on various social and
environmental issues. The anthem has
been launched in 7 languages- Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil,
Telegu, Malyalam and Kannada.
Karnataka launches ambitious
‘Jalamrutha’ scheme
‘Jalamrutha’, an ambitious water conservation scheme was launched by
Karnataka chief minister, H D Kumaraswamy at a programme
organized by rural development and panchayat raj department at Dr B R
Ambedkar Bhavan in Bengaluru. On the occasion the CM also announced
the year 2019 as ‘Jalavarsha (year of water)’. This initiative by the government has
been taken in advance to obviate water-related problems which might grip the
humanity in future. The aim is to educate people of the value of water and the
need to conserve it in all the possible ways.
Haryana govt. announces Mukhyamantri
Parivar Samman Nidhi Yojana 2019
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal
Khattar announced the “Mukhyamantri
Parivar Samman Nidhi” scheme for farmers of the state
cultivating up to 5 acres of land and families having
income less than Rs. 15,000 per month. Under the scheme, each beneficiary family
would be eligible for a financial assistance of Rs. 6,000 every year and
each family will have to nominate a member to avail this benefit.
Signalchip unveils India’s first
semiconductor chips for 4G/5G connectivity
Bengaluru-based fabless semiconductor company, Signalchip, unveiled
India’s first semiconductor chips for 4G/LTE and 5G NR modems, which would
enable high-speed wireless communication. These chips put India into an elite
group of countries that own this widely used fundamental technology. The series of chips, code-named ‘Agumbe’
(a small village located in Shimoga district in Karnataka) are the result of
over eight years of research and development by Signalchip engineers.
AYUSH Minister lays foundation stone
for National Institute of Unani Medicine
AYUSH Minister Shripad Yesso Naik laid the foundation stone for National
Institute of Unani Medicine at Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. This
institute would be developed with an approximate cost of 300 crore rupees
on 10 acres of land. It would be one of the largestinstitutes of
Unani Medicine in Northern India.
The institute would cater to the needs of the masses and would have facilities
for quality research and education at postgraduate and PhD levels with a 200
bedded hospital.
BANKING
& FINANCE
Fraud-hit PNB ranks highest in
implementation of ‘reforms agenda’
Fraud-hit Punjab National
Bank has been ranked first among public sector banks in the
implementation of ‘reforms agenda’, followed by Bank of Baroda and State Bank
of India. The BCG-IBA report – EASE Reforms for Public Sector Banks measures
performance of each PSB. PNB with a
score of 78.4 out of 100 has been ranked first in the EASE (Enhanced
Access & Service Excellence)–index, followed by BoB, SBI,
Oriental Bank of Commerce, Canara Bank and Syndicate Bank.
IDBI Bank, LIC ink bancassurance
pact
IDBI Bank and Life Insurance
Corporation of India have signed a bancassurance
agreementunder which the lender will offer LIC’s insurance products at its
branches. IDBI Bank as a corporate agent
of LIC would get a window to provide LIC’s entire gamut of insurance offerings
to the bank’s 1.80-crore customer base spread over 1,800 branches across the
country.
BUSINESS
& ECONOMY
GDP growth in Q3 of 2018-19 pegged
at 6.6%
The economic growth of India slowed
to a low of 6.6 per cent in October to December periodof current fiscal year 2018-19. GDP at constant (2011-12)
prices in Q3 of 2018-19 is estimated at Rs 35 lakh crore, as against Rs 32.85
lakh crore in Q3 of 2017-18, showing a growth rate of 6.6 per cent, said
the Central Statistics Office (CSO) which operates under the
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
India to grow at 7.3% for next 2
years despite global slowdown: Moody’s(Headquarters:NEW YORK)
Even as the global economy will
further weaken in 2019 and 2020, India’s economy will grow at 7.3 per cent in both the calendar years as it is less exposed to
the global slowdown, the US-based rating agency said in its
quarterly Global Macro Outlook for 2019 and 2020. It said India and Indonesia are
poised to grow at a relatively stable pace, though below their respective
potential. The global economy weakened significantly in the fourth quarter of
2018 and will continue to weaken throughout 2019 and into 2020.
SPORTS
Gayle 1st batsman in the world to
smash 500 sixes in int’l cricket
Windies’ 39-year-old opener Chris
Gayle has become the first ever batsman to smash 500 sixes in international
cricket and the second batsman to slam 300 ODI sixes. Gayle smashed 14
sixes during his 97-ball 162-run knock against England in fourth ODI to reach
506 international sixes. He has hit 98 sixes in Tests, 305 in ODIs and 103 in
T20Is.
K.L. Rahul only Indian in top 10
batsmen in T20 rankings
K L Rahul was the lone Indian to
feature in the top 10 batting list in the latest ICC T20 International Players
Rankings released recently. Formerly
top-ranked Virat Kohli up two places to 17th and former captain Mahendra Singh
Dhoni up seven places to 56th have also gained among Indian batsmen. In the ICC Men’s T20 International
Team Rankings, India have retained their second
position. Australia have overtaken South Africa and England to reach third
place and to within two points of India. Pakistan lead the team
rankings with 135 points, 13 points ahead of India.
Dutee Chand clinches gold in Indian
Grand Prix-2
Asian Games silver medallist Dutee
Chand ran in 200m women’s race to win her second gold medal in
the Indian Grand Prix series 2019 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in
New Delhi.The timing will help Dutee improve her IAAF World Ranking in the
200m event. The silver medal went to
Anjali Devi of Haryana while Supriya Maddal of Andhra Pradesh bagged the bronze
medal.
British boxer James DeGale announces
retirement
Two-time world boxing
champion James DeGale announced his retirement 10 years after his
professional debut. DeGale beat Andre Dirrell for the vavant IBF super
middleweight title in 2015 in Boston, then successfully defended it three times
across the Atlantic.
AWARDS
Indian-Origin Woman who spied for UK
in WWII gets ‘Blue Plaque’ Honour
Britain’s World War II spy Noor
Inayat Khan was confirmed as the first
Indian-origin woman to be honoured with a Blue Plaque at
her former London home. The Blue Plaque scheme run by English Heritage honours
notable people who lived or worked in particular buildings across London. Major Indian figures to be honoured with Blue
Plaques in London include Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and B R Ambedkar,
who spent time in the city during the Indian national movement against
Britain’s colonial rule.
Bharti AXA General wins ‘Assocham
Non-Life Insurer of The Year Award’
Bharti AXA General Insurance has
been conferred with the ‘Non-Life Insurer of The Year Award 2019 by the
Assocham, one of the apex trade associations
of India. The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham)
honored Bharti AXA General Insurance with this recognition for its excellence
and contribution to the non-life insurance sector during the Insurance
Leaders Meet 2019 (Regulation, Disruption and Product Dynamics) and Excellence
Awards in Kolkata. ASSOCHAM Non-Life
Insurer of The Year Award is a testimony to the trust reposed in the
company by its customers, stakeholders and the industry as well. Extra info.:ASSOCHAM Headquarters: New
Delhi
Sir Alastair Cook Officially
Receives Knighthood At Buckingham Palace
Former England skipper Alastair Cook officially received the knighthood for his
services to cricket at an investiture ceremony in Buckingham Palace. He
is the first England cricketer to receive a knighthood since Sir Ian Botham in
2007. The 34-year-old retired from
international cricket last year and hit a memorable century in his final Test
match against India at The Oval.
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2ND MARCH 2019
India attends OIC meet for first
time
External affairs minister Sushma
Swaraj attended the inaugural plenary session of the 46th meeting of OIC’s
Council of Foreign Ministers in Abu Dhabi during March 1-2 at the
invitation of her UAE counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
She addressed the inaugural plenary session as a guest of honour. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
(OIC) meeting, which has the theme “50 years of Islamic
cooperation: the roadmap for prosperity and development” coinciding
with the organisation’s 50th anniversary, will discuss
challenges facing the Muslim world. Extra
info.: OIC Headquarters: Jeddah, Saudi
Arabia
Construction Technology India-2019
Expo-Cum-Conference held in Delhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will
inaugurate the Construction Technology India-2019 Expo-cum-Conference
in Delhi. The conference will identify proven, innovative and globally
established technologies for use in the Indian context. Proven technologies which are identified
during CTI – 2019 will be further invited to design and build lighthouse
projects of nearly one thousand housing units each at 6 States in
the country. These states are Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil
Nadu, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh.
India-Bangladesh joint military
exercise ‘Sampriti 2019’ starts in Tangail
As part of the ongoing India
Bangladesh defence cooperation, a joint military exercise Sampriti-2019 will
be conducted at Tangail, Bangladesh from 2nd March to 15
March. Exercise Sampriti-2019 is an important bilateral
defence cooperation endeavour between India and Bangladesh and
this will be the eighth edition of the exercise which is
hosted alternately by both countries. The
exercise is aimed to strengthen and broaden the aspects of interoperability and
cooperation between the Indian and Bangladesh Armies. The exercise will involve
tactical level operations in a counter insurgency and counter terrorism
environment under the UN mandate.
AIIB to provide USD 455 mn for
Andhra rural roads project
The Asian Infrastructure Investment
Bank (AIIB) will provide a loan of USD
455 million to finance the Andhra Pradesh Rural Roads Project,
which will connect about 3,300 habitations with a population of more than 250,
and benefit around two million people The
objective of the project is to improve road transport connectivity in
previously unserved communities by providing all-weather rural roads in
all 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh. Extra info.:
AIIB Headquarters: Beijing
AIIB Headquarters: Beijing
‘Mainamati Maitree Exercise 2019’
held between BSF and BGB in Tripura
Border Security Force (BSF) and
Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) concluded
a three-day ‘Mainamati Maitree Exercise 2019’ as a part of
‘Confidence Building Measures’ between the two border guards. The exercise was
named after a hill range situated 8 km west of Comilla township in Bangladesh,
which is home to an ancient Buddhist archaeological site in the region. The main objective of this exercise was to
plan and conduct anti-smuggling and anti-criminal activity related operations
with ultimate aim of achieving better joint operational efficiency and border
management in the area of responsibility of respective BSF and BGB Battalions participating
in the joint exercise.
7th Guiness Book of World Record
created by DEPwD in Bharuch, Gujarat
A National Conference on “Deendayal
Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS)” was inaugurated by the Union
Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot.The
“7th Guinness Book of World Record” has been created by the Department
of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), at Bharuch, Gujarat. ‘Modern Artificial Limbs (Legs)’ were
implanted on 260 Divyang jans within 8 hours in Gujarat. DEPwD has already
created 6 World Records in other categories.
NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission
partners with Adobe to enhance creativity in ATL Schools
Government think tank NITI
Aayog partnered with software major Adobe to develop creative skills and
spread digital literacy among school children in India. The Statement
of Intent (SOI) signed by NITI Aayog and Adobe as part of the Atal
Innovation Mission will open Digital Disha Programme across
100 schools under the Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL). The Digital Disha Programme, which is
expected to touch the lives of 1 million students by 2020, is aimed
at driving synergies in creative thinking and technology-based learning.
BANKING
& FINANCE
DCB Bank launches Open Banking for
gen-next banking solutions
DCB Bank announced the launch of its
Open Banking Platform, a significant step towards
creating a collaborative ecosystem with enterprises, fintechs and app
developers, and enhancing customer-service delivery. The Open Banking
Platform APIs will provide seamless integration of banking services by
improving the existing banking technology infrastructure and at the same time
meet the growing demand for innovative solutions from new-age customers. DCB Bank runs a global innovation programme DCB
Bank Innovation Carnival wherein it nurtures a strong relationship
with the fintech and startup ecosystem. The Open Banking Platform will further
strengthen this ecosystem and allow fintechs and startups to test their
innovations quickly and efficiently. Extra
info.: DCB Headquarters: Maharashtra
BUSINESS
& ECONOMY
DBS to operate as wholly-owned
subsidiary in India
Singaporean lender DBS is set to convert its India operations into a wholly-owned
subsidiary, and the transition will have no impact on the services and
benefits extended to existing customers. The Asian bank, which presently
operates 12 branches in the country as a franchise, incorporated locally
as DBS Bank India Ltd on March 1.
DBS, which was the first bank in India to launch digital-only
operations as Digibank in 2016, has already received approval from the Reserve
Bank of India for the wholly-owned subsidiary. The bank will be able to bring
its “product innovation and technology-led delivery model from across Asia. Extra info.:
DBS Headquarters: Singapore
DBS Headquarters: Singapore
Rice Knowledge Bank launched under
World-bank funded Assam Agribusiness & Rural Transformation (APART) project
‘Rice Knowledge Bank – Assam’, an agriculture web portal dedicated to enhancing knowledge
on rice production techniques and technologies, best production practices and
state agriculture facts, was launched as part of the World Bank funded
project- Assam Agri-business and Rural Transformation (APART). The portal is the result of efforts
of Assam Rural Infrastructure and Agricultural Services Society (ARIAS);
Assam Agricultural University (AAU); with technical assistance from International
Rice Research Institute (IRRI). Extra
info.: IRRI Headquarters: Los Banos,
Philippines
IFFCO Tokio launches India’s first
policy to protect bank locker
IFFCO Tokio General Insurance
Company announced the launch of Bank
Locker Protector Policy, which is the first policy in the
industry to protect the contents of a bank locker such as jewellery and other
valuables. The policy offers a cover against various risks including fire,
earthquake, burglary, holdup, infidelity by a bank staff or any act of
terrorism. Apart from jewellery and valuables, one can also insure important
documents kept in a locker as an add-on cover.
The policy offers seven options of sum insured ranging from Rs 3 lakh to
Rs 40 lakh and above. The premium rate is affordable with a cover of Rs 3 lakh
available at just Rs 300, which is less than Rs 1 per day.
ADB to lend $926 million for Mumbai
metro rail project
Marking its single largest infrastructure
loan ever, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $926
million loan agreement with India to operationalise two lines for
the Mumbai metro rail system. It aims to ease the distress of millions
of commuters each day and help provide a cleaner and less congested city. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development
Authority (MMRDA) will implement the project and once operational by
the end of 2022, an estimated 2 million passengers a day will use the two new
lines.
RBI constitutes task force under
Usha Thorat on offshore rupee markets
The RBI announced a task force headed by its
former deputy governor Usha Thorat to examine issues related
to offshore rupee markets and recommend policy measures to ensure stability of
the external value of the domestic currency. The eight-member task force will
assess the causes behind the development of the offshore rupee market and study
the effects of the offshore markets on the rupee exchange rate and market
liquidity in the domestic market. The
central bank further said the panel would be submitting its report by the end
of June 2019.
SPORTS
Shashank Shekhar wins 10 km race of
Nepal’s COAS Open Marathon and Run for Fun in Kathmandu
India’s Shashank Shekhar won
the 10 kilometre race of Nepal’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Open
Marathon and Run for Fun held in Kathmandu. Shekhar
of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Contingent at
Embassy of India in Kathmandu secured first position. RD Murgan also from CISF
got third place. A total nine CISF personnel participated in 10 KM race
category. The remaining seven personnel also successfully completed run and
received Certificate of Achievement.
APPOINTMENTS
BoB appoints Adhia as Non-Executive
Chairman
Former Finance Secretary Hasmukh
Adhia has been appointed as the Non-Executive Chairman of Bank of Baroda. Adhia
is an Indian Administrative Service (lAS) officer of the 1981 batch belonging
to Gujarat who served as Finance Secretary and Revenue Secretary. Adhia’s appointment as Non-Executive Chairman
is effective from March 1, and comes as a merger is underway between Bank of
Baroda, Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank.
Ravneet Gill takes charge as Yes
Bank MD-CEO
Ravneet Gill joined Yes Bank as its
Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). His tenure as approved by the Reserve Bank of
India is of 3 years. Ajai Kumar
has ceased to be an Interim MD and CEO. However, he continues as a
non-executive non-independent director on the board. With this, the bank’s new
composition of the board of directors has 10 members.
IMPORTANT DAYS
Zero Discrimination Day
Zero Discrimination Day is observed on March 1 and
it aims to address the issue of discrimination faced by people across the
world. The day further intend to achieve equality before law throughout all
member countries of the UN. The theme for
Zero Discrimination Day 2019 is ‘Act to change laws that
Discriminate’.
3RD MARCH
2019
Gram Samridhi Yojana: New scheme to
help unorganised food processing sector
India’s food processing ministry is working on a new scheme Gram Samridhi
Yojana to bolster the unorganised food processing sector concentrated
in rural areas. Gram Samridhi Yojana also aims to provide common facility
centres and business incubators in rural areas.
·
The Rs 3,000 crore scheme
funded by the World Bank and the Centre will help cottage
industry, farmer producers’ organisation and individual food processors to
increase capacity.
·
The maximum cap of subsidy to be
given to a unit will be Rs 10 lakh, apart from interest subsidy, if
they avail of loans. There is a provision for getting subsidy on bank interest
by 3% to 5%.
Every poor household in Tripura will
have LPG connection in 2019: Dharmendra Pradhan
Union Minister of Petroleum and
Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan said that Tripura is
country’s number one gas producing point and every poor household in
the state will have LPG connection in 2019.
·
ONGC
Tripura has recorded its highest ever
production at 4.96 MMSCMD (Million Metric Standard Cubic Meter Per
Day). The ONCG will fulfil all the energy requirement
of the state with regard to power plants, domestic industries, transportation
and domestic fuel.
IIT-Delhi scientists create
‘DotBook’, India’s first Braille laptop for visually-impaired
The alumnus and researchers at
the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi have
created a laptop for visually-impaired. In what they claim to be a first
in the country, the laptop has an interface in form of dots or Braile
instead of a visual one. The researchers have named it ‘DotBook’.
·
Instead of a screen, the laptop
displays embossed text in Braille through a touchpad. Users get to feel
everything a website has by touching the pad.
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
7th RCEP inter-sessional ministerial
meeting held in Cambodia
Commerce ministers of Regional
Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) countries including India
and China held a crucial meeting in Cambodia. The 16-member Regional
Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) bloc aims to cover among the issues
related to goods, services, investments, economic and technical cooperation,
competition and intellectual property rights. The meet saw bilateral
sessions and an opening ceremony attended by Prime Minister of Cambodia
Hun Sen.
·
Extra
info.:
Cambodia Capital: Phnom Penh
Currency: Riel
About RCEP: Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) and the 6 Asia-Pacific states with which ASEAN has existing free trade agreements (Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand).
Cambodia Capital: Phnom Penh
Currency: Riel
About RCEP: Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) and the 6 Asia-Pacific states with which ASEAN has existing free trade agreements (Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand).
SPORTS
Wrestler Bajrang Punia wins gold in
Bulgaria
India’s star wrestler Bajrang Punia has won a gold medal in 65 kilogram freestyle in
Bulgaria. The tournament, Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov was held in
Ruse, Bulgaria.
Pooja Dhanda wins gold in Bulgaria
Indian wrestler Pooja Dhanda claimed gold in the 59kg category in
Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov tournament held in Ruse, Bulgaria.
Roger Federer wins his 100th tour
title
Roger Federer made history at the Dubai Championship as
he defeated reigning champion Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4 to win his 100th tour-level
title. The 37-year-old is just the second player to accomplish this feat,
joining Jimmy Connors who has tour-level title 109 times.
APPOINTMENTS
Former Chief Justice of Gauhati HC
Ajit Singh appointed as first Lokayukta of Odisha
Former Chief Justice of Gauhati High
Court Ajit Singh is appointed as the first Lokayukta of Odisha. Odisha
Governor Ganeshi Lal has approved his name following the
recommendation of selection committee headed by Chief Minister Naveen
Patnaik.
·
Singh held the post of Chief Justice
of Gauhati High Court till his retirement last year.
AWARDS
Indian-American teen awarded for
invention to improve brain cancer treatment
Kavya Kopparapu, an Indian-American
teenager has been conferred with the 2019
National STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Education Award for
her ground-breaking invention designed to improve treatments for glioblastoma,
the deadliest form of brain cancer.
Tripura’s tribal musician Thanga
awarded first AB Vajpayee Life Time Achievement Award
Tripura’s Thanga Darlong, the last tribal musician to play Rosem a
bamboo made a flute-like musical instrument, was conferred the Atal
Behari Vajpayee Life Time Award during the 37th Agartala Book
Fair in Agartala. In January,
the 99-year old tribal musician and music guru was conferred with the
prestigious Padma Shri award for his contribution to the field of music.
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4TH MARCH 2019
Kumbh enters Guinness Book of World
Records
The Prayagraj Kumbh Mela 2019 has secured place in the Guinness Book of
World Recordsfor the largest crowd management, largest sanitation
drive and largest painting exercise of public sites.
PM Modi inaugurates ordnance factory
in Amethi
Indo-Russia Rifles Ltd. plant at
Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) Korwa in Amethi inaugurated
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 7, 50,000 units of AK-103 assault
rifles, the third generation of AK-47, will be produced at the OFB facility in
UP. The production of the assault rifles under joint venture between Russia’s
Kalashnikov Concern and OFB will be the biggest ever.
Cabinet approves ‘Pradhan Mantri
JI-VAN Yojana’
The Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN (Jaiv
Indhan- Vatavaran Anukool fasal awashesh Nivaran) Yojana was approved by the Union Cabinet for providing
financial support to Integrated Bioethanol Projects using
lignocellulosic biomass and other renewable feedstock. The Cabinet was chaired
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The JI-VAN Yojana will be supported with total financial outlay of Rs 1969.50 crore for the period from 2018-19 to 2023-24.m The scheme focuses to incentivise 2G Ethanol sector and support this nascent industry by creating a suitable ecosystem for setting up commercial projects and increasing Research and Development in the area.
The JI-VAN Yojana will be supported with total financial outlay of Rs 1969.50 crore for the period from 2018-19 to 2023-24.m The scheme focuses to incentivise 2G Ethanol sector and support this nascent industry by creating a suitable ecosystem for setting up commercial projects and increasing Research and Development in the area.
HRD Ministry launches Rs 250 Crore
scheme ‘STARS’ to fund Science Projects
The Union Human Resource Development
(HRD) Minister, Prakash Javadekar launched STARS – Scheme for
Translational and Advanced Research in Science to fund science
projects. The ministry has approved funds worth Rs 250 crore for
the scheme. These funds will be utilised to sponsor about 500 science projects. The project will be coordinated by the Indian
Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore.
Ayushman Bharat and Uber ink
partnership for providing free healthcare for drivers
A ride-sharing company has partnered
with the government’s flagship healthcare insurance scheme, Ayushman
Bharat, to facilitate free healthcare for several drivers associated with
the firm. The National Health Authority (NHA), the apex body
implementing the Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana
(AB-PMJAY) has inked an MoU with Uber.
Assam’s Hailakandi district has shot up to number one from the 52nd
position, among the aspirational districts of the country, a new report
released by the Niti Aayog said.
Himachal to set up 100 trout farms
Himachal Pradesh will develop 100
trout farms for production of carp fish this
year. It will provide employment to over 550 people. The government plans to
set up two trout hatcheries under the public-private partnership (PPP)
initiative to provide seeds. A smoked trout and fillet canning centre would
also be set up in the Kullu district.
Uttarakhand to set up centre of
excellence for Himalayan fibre
The Uttarakhand government has decided to set up a centre of excellence
for Himalayan fibre in Almora district of Kumaon. The centre of
excellence will be set up with support from the Northern India Textile
Research Association (NITRA)- Ghaziabad. NITRA, which comes under
the Union Ministry of Textile, will set up a training institute for
developing fibre products at the Centre.
CISF sets Guinness Record for
Longest Single Line Cycle Parade
The Central Industrial Security
Force (CISF) created the Guinness
World Record for ‘longest single line bicycle parade (moving)’ at the Yamuna
Expressway, Noida. CISF personnel rode 1,327 bicycles non-stop in a
single line, maintaining a uniform distance between the bicycles. The record was earlier held by Hubballi
Bicycle Club of India, with 1,235 bicycles in a single chain.
BANKING
& FINANCE
RBI imposes penalties on IDBI, Dena
Bank
The Reserve Bank has imposed a monetary
penalty of 2 crore on Dena Bank and 1 crore on IDBI Bank for non-compliance with various directions. Dena
Bank said the Reserve Bank has imposed a penalty of Rs 20
million on it for non-compliance with the directions. In a separate filing, IDBI Bank said
the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of 10 million on
the Bank for contravention of its regulatory directions on time-bound
implementation and strengthening of SWIFT related operational
controls.
RBI levies Rs 4-crore fine on
Karnataka Bank
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
levied a penalty of Rs 4 crore on Karnataka Bank for delayed implementation of four “Swift” related
operational controls. The Reserve Bank of India, in exercise of powers
conferred under Section 46 and 47A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 has
levied an aggregate penalty of Rs 40 million on the Bank for delayed
implementation of four of the Swift-related operational controls.
The Society for Worldwide Interbank
Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) system
is a messaging network used by banks and other financial institutions globally
to send and receive information, such as money transfer instructions.SWIFT
Headquarters:La Hulpe, Belgium
BUSINESS
& ECONOMY
India tops Global Consumer
Confidence Survey
The global consumer confidence in
India is at peak. This was revealed in the
latest Conference Board Global Consumer Confidence Survey, which is
conducted in collaboration with Nielsen. India had a Consumer
Confidence Index (CCI) score of 133 in the fourth quarter of 2018
edging past the Philippines (131) and Indonesia (127).
IDBI Bank gets govt nod to handle
import, export transactions with Iran
The IDBI Bank has received
government nod to handle import and export transactions with Iran, a move which would help in promoting two-way trade amid US
sanctions on the Persian Gulf nation. US President Donald Trump had
in May last year withdrawn from the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran, re-imposing
economic sanctions against the Persian Gulf nation.IDBI Bank has been
identified to route the payments. UCO Bank had in the previous round of
sanctions handled rupee payments.
SPORTS
Dhoni joins Sachin, Sourav, Dravid
in elite group
Former India captain Mahendra
Singh Dhoni has become only the fourth Indian batsman
to complete 13,000 runs in List A cricket. Dhoni has amassed
13,054 runs in 412 List A matches at an average of 50.79. The veteran wicketkeeper-batsman has joined
an elite club, comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid.
APPOINTMENTS
Macky Sall elected as Senegal’s
President for the second term
Senegalese President Macky Sall has won re-election without the need for a second
round of voting, giving him five more years in office. Sall, the incumbent
president ultimately received 58.27 percent of the vote.
·
Senegal has long been a democratic
example in West Africa where coups and clinging to power used to be all too
common. Senegal Capital: Dakar Currency: Franc
Bhagwan Lal Sahni appointed Chairman
of the National Commission for Backward Classes
Bhagwan Lal Sahni, a BJP leader from Bihar’s Muzaffarpur, has assumed charge
as the chairman of the newly constituted National Commission for
Backward Classes (NCBC). BJP leader and former Varanasi mayor
Kaushalendra Singh Patel, BJP national secretary and former MP Sudha Yadav from
Haryana, and Telangana BJP general secretary Achary Talloju have been appointed
as members of the commission. The NCBC
was given constitutional status by Parliament last year, after repealing the
National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993.
NCBC Headquarters: New Delhi
NCBC Headquarters: New Delhi
AN Jha replaces Shaktikanta Das as
15th Finance Commission Member
Ajay Narayan Jha joined the 15th Finance Commission as its
member. He joins in place of Shaktikanta Das who had resigned as a
member of the Commission after being appointed as governor, Reserve Bank of
India. Jha had also served as the secretary to the 14th Finance Commission
which was headed by former RBI Governor Y V Reddy.
Bezbaruah reappointed as Chairman of
Tea Board
The Commerce Ministry has
reappointed P K Bezbaruah as the chairman of Tea Board for a
period of three years. Bezbaruah, the owner of Bokahola Tea Company in
Assam, was earlier appointed as chairman of Tea Board as its first non-IAS
officer . Bezbaruah was also instrumental
in initiating a revamp of the old electronic auctioning system. The
Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore has been assigned to do the
task.
IMPORTANT
DAYS
World Hearing Day
World Hearing Day is a campaign held each year by Office of Prevention
of Blindness and Deafness of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Activities take place across the globe and an event is hosted at the World
Health Organization on March 3rd.
The campaign’s objective is to share information and promote actions
towards the prevention of hearing loss and improved hearing care. The theme of
the campaign for 2019 is “Check your hearing”.
World Wildlife Day
The Secretariat of the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), working in partnership to
facilitate the global celebration of the United Nations World Wildlife
Day 2019which is celebrated on 3 March.
The theme of the day is- ‘Life below water: for
people and planet’.
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5TH MARCH 2019
Modi launches ‘One Nation, One Card’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched
the “One Nation, One Card” programme to ensure seamless travel
across the country. The card can be used for payments across different
segments, including Metro, bus, suburban railways, toll, parking and retail
purchases. The Indigenous Automatic Fare
Collection System based on the “One Nation, One Card” model, for example the
National Common Mobility Card (NCMC), is the first of its
kind in India.
Delhi tops list of most polluted
cities in Greenpeace study
Delhi has topped the list of the most polluted cities in
the world in a recent study conducted by environment NGO Greenpeace
India. New Delhi was ranked first among 62 polluted
cities in the report, Global Air Pollution 2018. The report accompanies an extended online
interactive display of the world’s most polluted cities, allowing further
exploration of air quality across different regions and subregions in 2018.
ICICI Bank buys 9.9% in NBFC Kisan
Finance for Rs 18cr
ICICI Bank said it has acquired 9.9 per cent stake in
non-banking finance company Kisan Finance for cash
consideration of Rs 17.82 crore. The acquisition is expected to be over by the
end of March 2019.Kisan Rural Finance Ltd (Kisan Finance), was
incorporated in December 2017.
India collaborates with four nations
to protect Asian rhinos
India will collaborate with Bhutan,
Nepal, Indonesia and Malaysia to
increase the population of three species of Asian rhinos, including
the Greater one-horned rhinoceros found in the Indian sub-continent. The five
rhino range nations signed a declaration ‘The New Delhi Declaration on
Asian Rhinos 2019’ for the conservation and protection of the species
at the recently held Second Asian Rhino Range Countries meeting in New
Delhi.
GSI sets up 22 GPS stations across
country
The Geological Survey of India (GSI) launched 22 permanent global positioning system
(GPS) stations across India to identify seismically hazardous zones
and encourage mapping activities. The GSI has taken a stride to establish and
maintain a network of continuously operating 35 permanent GPS
stations in a phased manner. So far, 22 GPS permanent stations have been set up
and another 13 will be operational by March 2020. These stations are meant to delineate high
strain zones for earthquake probability, determine a seismic motion on faults
that may lead to a rupture and produce thematic maps with high positional
accuracy.
ISRO unveils ‘Young Scientist’
programme to train students in space science
State-run Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO) announced the launch of its Young
Scientist programme to train class 9 students in space technology and
its applications. ISRO has launched the special programme for school children ‘Yuva
Vigyani Karyakram’ (Young Scientist programme) to impart basic
knowledge on space technology, space science and applications to the young ones
to arouse their interest in space activities.
Tripura announces ‘Notun Disha’ to
assess academic level of school students
In a bid to improve the educational
status of Tripura, the state government announced ‘Notun
Disha’ (New Direction), an initiative aimed at assessing the academic level
of students between class III-VIII.
Notun Disha is aimed at making all students efficient and
capable in all subjects. It is necessary to know the current educational level
of students to fulfil this objective.
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
Historic Guinness World Record in
Yoga Made in Hong Kong
Taking the Yoga Day initiative of
Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the next level, the Overseas
President of BJP for Hong Kong & China, Sohan Goenka conducted
a Japan Auction House Guinness World Record in Yoga. The first of
its kind in the history of Hong Kong; beating the previous record of 387, more
than 1011 yoga practitioners attempted Virabathrasan (Warrior II Pose) for 3
minutes in one place and achieved the Guinness World Record at Sun Yat
Sen Memorial Park, Hong Kong.
BUSINESS
& ECONOMY
LIC Housing Finance partners with
India Mortgage Guarantee Corp
LIC Housing Finance (LICHFL) partnered with India Mortgage Guarantee
Corporation (IMGC)to offer home buyers enhanced loan eligibility and easy
loans. This strategic tie-up will help the LICHFL accommodate more home loan
borrowers and increase market penetration, besides combating NPAs .IMGC will
provide it with mortgage guarantee which is a kind of financial product that
compensates financial institutions for losses that may arise from a default on
a mortgage loan.
China sets 2019 GDP growth target at
6-6.5%
China lowered its economic growth target for this year to between 6 per cent and
6.5 per cent. Opening the annual session of China’s legislature,
Premier Li Keqiang laid out plans to fend off risks in the
economy and keep the nation’s jobless rate steady. Li nodded to the
“uncertainties of the China-US trade friction” that weigh on growth and the
negotiations for a resolution.
SPORTS
India’s doubles badminton coach Tan
Kim Her resigns
Malaysia’s Tan Kim Her has stepped
down from his post as India’s doubles badminton
coach. The 47-year-old put down his papers one-and-a-half years before his
contract with the Badminton Association of India (BAI) was to
end after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
APPOINTMENTS
Randhir Singh appointed coordination
committee chairman of 2022 Asian Games
Veteran Indian sports
administrator Randhir Singh has been appointed as the chairman of
the Coordination Committee of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games by
the General Assembly of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).
Sheikh Ahmad re-elected as President
of Olympic Council of Asia
Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah has been re-elected president of
the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) for an eighth term despite
being embroiled in a forgery case brought by Swiss investigators. The
long-serving Kuwaiti, a powerful ally of International Olympic
Committee (IOC) head Thomas Bach, was re-elected unanimously at the OCA
general assembly in Bangkok.
Anil Kumble reappointed as chairman
of the ICC Cricket Committee
Leg spin great Anil Kumble
has been reappointed as the chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee for
a final three year term. Kumble has been the chairman of the committee since
2012.
AWARDS
Indian Bank receives Best Bank Award
Public sector Indian Bank
has bagged the Best Bank Award from the Tamil Nadu governmentfor meeting
the needs of women’s self-help groups (SHGs). At a function in Salem recently,
Chief Minister of the state K Palaniswami handed over the
award to the executive director of the bank M K Bhattacharya. Indian Bank Headquarters: Chennai
TVS Motor wins international
sustainability award
TVS Motor Company recently bagged the ‘Green Era Award for
Sustainability’ at Lisbon in Portugal. The two-wheeler and
three-wheeler manufacturer also won the ‘Quality and Business
Excellence Award’ for its endeavour to create new benchmarks in
product quality.
IMPORTANT
DAYS
National Safety Day
National Safety Day is a Day which is used to make every people get safe
from many issues such as Financial Loss, Health problems and also any types of problems
in the life of the citizens. It is celebrated on the 4th March every
year in India by the National Safety Council of India. National Safety Day is used to build a
better knowledge in the minds of the people for getting every kind of security
when they are in the problem.
World Day of the Fight Against
Sexual Exploitation
March 4 is observed as World Day of
Fight Against Sexual Exploitation every
year since 2009, to create awareness against sexual exploitation, which
overwhelmingly involves women and children. The UNICEF estimates
that more than 3 million children worldwide are affected by prostitution.
World Civil Defence Day
World Civil Defence Day is
celebrated every year on 1st March to
bring attention of the world public about the importance of Civil protection
and to pay tributes to the efforts, sacrifices and accomplishments of all the
services responsible to fight against disasters. International Civil Defence Organisation
(ICDO) decided to celebrate this day in 1990. The theme of
World Civil Defence Day 2019 is “Children’s safety, our
responsibility”.
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6TH MARCH 2019
Rajnath Singh inaugurates smart
fencing project in Assam
Union Home Minister Rajnath
Singh inaugurated the BOLD-QIT (Border Electronically
Dominated QRT Interception Technique) under Comprehensive
Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS) on Indo-Bangladesh
border in Dhubri district of Assam.
‘Azaadi Ke Diwane’ museum inaugurated at Red
Fort
The ‘Azaadi ke Diwane’ museum dedicated to the unsung heroes of the country’s
freedom struggle was inaugurated at the Red Fort premises. The
Museum is built by theArchaeological Survey of India (ASI). The Museum
is part of Kranti Mandir Series to inspire the younger
generation and to let them know the cost of freedom that the great fighters
achieved by sacrificing their lives.
India Signs Loan Agreement with the
World Bank for USD 25.2 Million
The World Bank and the Government of
India has signed a USD 25.2
Million Loan Agreement to support Chhattisgarh Public
Financial Management and Accountability Program. The programs is the First Bank-Financed
State-Level Project in Chhattisgarh to support the State’s Reforms in
Expenditure Management, covering issues like Expenditure Planning, Investment
Management, Budget Execution, Public Procurement and Accountability.
World Bank to give Rs 2,200 cr for
Andhra healthcare project
The World Bank will provide Rs
2,200-crore loan to Andhra Pradesh for
a project aimed at strengthening the state’s overall healthcare systems. The
Central and state governments and the World Bank signed the loan
agreement for a $328-million project to improve the quality
and responsiveness of public health services and increasing access of
population to an expanded package of primary health services. The AP Health Systems Strengthening
Project (APHSSP) will be implemented in the state with a focus on
improved quality of care, improved responsiveness of public health services and
increased access to an expanded package of primary health services, said the
state government.
India has seven of the world’s 10
cities with worst air pollution
A new study now finds that India
accounts for seven of the world’s 10 cities with the worst air pollution. On
the other hand, Chinese cities have seen a marked improvement. According to the
study, Gurugram is the world’s most polluted city. The study
was conducted by Greenpeace and AirVisual, and found Gurugram had
an average air quality index of 135.8 in 2018 almost three times the level
which the US Environmental Protection Agency regards as
healthy. According to the study, the
problem is particularly pronounced in South Asia. Eighteen
of the world’s top 20 most populated cities are in India, Pakistan or
Bangladesh. These include major population centres of Lahore, Delhi
and Dhaka, which placed 10th, 11th and 17th respectively.
Rs 14,467 cr jewellery park to come
up in Navi Mumbai
An ultra-modern and high-tech gems
and jewellery park will be developed at a cost of Rs 14,467
crore on a 21-acre complex in Navi Mumbai. It is
likely to be ready by 2022. Union
Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu and Maharashtra Chief
Minister Devendra Fadnavis laid the foundation stone of the
proposed India Jewellery Park (IJP) in the presence of
Industry Minister Subhash Desai and Gem &
Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) Chairman P.K. Agarwal.
Aircraft spares production hub to
come up in Konkan: Prabhu
Civil Aviation Minister Suresh
Prabhu announced that an aircraft components manufacturing hub would
be set up in Maharashtra’s coastal Konkan region and would
boost employment opportunities for the local youth. Besides, he said that youth of both sexes
will be specially trained for getting suitable jobs in the aviation sector,
including the planned aircraft components hub, while inaugurating the Sindhudurg
Airport at Chipi with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Bharat Electronics launches SWAGAT-
Automatic Fare Collection Gating System
Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a defence public sector undertaking, presented SWAGAT –
the Automatic Fare Collection Gating System. Prime Minister Narendra
Modi launched the system as part of the inaugural of Phase I
of the Ahmedabad Metro. SWAGAT is
an initiative steered by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
(MoHUA) in collaboration with BEL and Centre for Development
of Advanced Computing (CDAC) with the support of Delhi Metro
Rail Corporation (DMRC), National Payment Corporation of India
(NPCI) and State Bank of India (SBI).
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
Kylie Jenner becomes world’s
youngest self-made billionaire
Kylie Jenner was named the youngest
self-made billionaire of all time by Forbes magazine.Jenner, 21, the half-sister of reality television stars Kim,
Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian, made it onto the annual Forbes list of
billionaires after debuting her Kylie Cosmetics online
in 2015 . Forbes said she was both
the world’s youngest billionaire and also the youngest self-made
billionaire ever. The richest person in the world
remained Amazon.com Inc Chief
Executive Officer Jeff Bezos, whose net worth increased to $131
billion from $112 billion in 2018.
Microsoft Corp co-founder Bill Gates remained in the No. 2 position
while Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg dropped three places to No. 8.
BUSINESS
& ECONOMY
SBI, Hitachi arm to roll out digital
payments platform
State Bank of India (SBI) and
Hitachi Payment Services Pvt Ltd,
a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd, launched their
merchant-acquiring joint venture, SBI Payment Services Pvt Ltd
(SBIPSPL), in Mumbai, for establishing a digital payments platform for
India and other countries in the region.
RBI to inject durable liquidity
worth Rs 12,500 cr
Based on an assessment of prevailing
liquidity conditions and also of the durable liquidity needs going
forward, the Reserve Bank has decided to conduct purchase
of Government securities under Open Market Operations for an
aggregate amount of Rs 125 billion through multi-security
auction using the multiple price method.
The financial sector has been facing liquidity crunch for more than four
months since theInfrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Ltd
(IL&FS) defaulted in its payment obligations, triggering
reluctance among lenders to lend to the NBFC sector.
World Bank-India ink $250-mn pact to
boost rural income
The World Bank and the Government of India signed a $250-million agreement
for the National Rural Economic Transformation Project (NRETP) focused
on promoting “women-owned and women-led” farm and non-farm enterprises.
Mumbai world’s 16th most costly
prime residential market: Report
Mumbai, the financial capital of the country, is the 16th
most expensive prime residential market in the world, a Knight
Frank report said. The Maharashtra capital is the only Indian city to
feature in the global top 20 list of expensive prime residential markets
recorded in The Wealth Report 2019.
Delhi (55th) and Bengaluru (56th) fared better than Mumbai with a
1.4 per cent and 1.1 per cent price appreciation, respectively, according to
the Knight Frank Prime International Residential Index. The Philippines’ capital Manila
topped the global list with the highest price appreciation of 11.1 per
cent last year, followed by Edinburgh (Scotland) in second position with 10.6
per cent rise. Singapore was the only
Asian city after Manila to feature in the top-ten list, with a price
appreciation of 9.1 per cent.
SPORTS
Srikanth 8th in BWF World rankings
India’s Kidambi Srikanth has been placed at the eighth spot in
the men’s singles list in the latest BWF world rankings release
recently. Kento Momota of Japan is at the top spot.
AWARDS
Indore bags Swachh Survekhshan Award
2019 for being the cleanest city
Indore in Madhya Pradesh bagged the
title of India’s cleanest city in
the central government’s cleanliness survey for the third consecutive
year. New Delhi Municipal Council area got the cleanest
small city award while Uttarakhand’s Gauchar was adjudged Best
Ganga Town in the survey. The
Swachh Survekshan Awards 2019 were conferred by President Ram
Nath Kovind at a brief ceremony in New Delhi. These
cleanliness awards are given by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban
Affairs.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
7TH MARCH 2019
CCEA approves investment approval
for 1320 megawatt Khurja Super Thermal Power Plant in Bulandshahar
The Cabinet Committee on Economic
Affairs, CCEA has approved the investment
approval for a 1320 megawatt Khurja Super Thermal Power Plant (STPP) in
Bulandshahar of Uttar Pradesh. Eleven thousand eight nine crore rupees
will be spent on the plant. Investment
approval for 1320 Mega Watt Buxar thermal Power Project in District
Buxar of Bihar was also approved. The project will be completed at an
estimated cost of ten thousand 439 crore rupees. The Buxar Thermal Power
Project will improve the deficit power scenario in Bihar and Eastern Region. It
will start yielding benefit from 2023-24.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh
inaugurates BOLD-QIT project in Assam
Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated
the project BOLD-QIT (Border Electronically Dominated QRT Interception
Technique) on India-Bangladesh border in Dhubri District of Assam. Border
Security Force, BSF is responsible for safeguarding of over four
thousand kilometer long International Border with Bangladesh. The implementation of this project will not
only help BSF to curb all types of cross border crimes but also provide respite
to the troops from round the clock human surveillance.
Rajnath Singh inaugurates CRPF
training centre in Jodhpur
Home Minister Rajnath Singh
inaugurated a training centre of the Central Reserve Police Force at Paladi
Khinchiyan village in Jodhpur. He inaugurated it remotely from New
Delhi. Spread over 175 acres, training can be provided to 1,600 security
personnel at the centre every year.
Smriti Irani inaugurates refurbished
Handloom Haat in Delhi
Textiles Minister Smriti Irani inaugurated the refurbished Handloom Haat at
Janpath in New Delhi. The main objective of the Haat is to provide
infrastructure support to handloom agencies to augment their sales of handloom
products and to showcase the exquisite variety of products produced all over
the country. These projects are being
set up in the building by National Institute of Fashion Technology,
NIFT which will help handloom sector in production of handloom
products as per market requirement in terms of trends, design and colour
forecast.
National Institute of Mental Health
Rehabilitation to be set up at Sehore in Madhya Pradesh
SmtShakuntala D. Gamlin, Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with
Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment laid the
foundation stone of the ‘National Institute of Mental Health
Rehabilitation’ at Sherpur Village in District Sehore,
Madhya Pradesh. This Institute will
be first of its kind in the country. The Central Government
has approved an outlay of Rs 180 crore for this project for an
initial period of three years.
96.5% of households in rural India
have access to toilet: NARSS
The National Annual Rural Sanitation
Survey, NARSS 2018-19 has found that 96.5
per cent of the households in rural India have access to a toilet. The
survey was conducted by an Independent Verification Agency under the World
Bank support project to the Swachh Bharat Mission
(Grameen). The survey also
re-confirmed the Open Defecation Free (ODF) status of over 90 per cent
of villages which were previously declared and verified as ODF by
various districts and States.
India signs Loan Agreement with the
World Bank for USD 96 Million for Uttarakhand Disaster Recovery Project
India signed a loan agreement with the World Bank
for 96 Million US dollars for additional financing of Uttarakhand
Disaster Recovery Project. The World Bank has been
supporting the State Government since 2014 to restore housing and rural
connectivity and to build the resilience of communities.The additional
financing of 96 million US dollars will further help in the reconstruction of
bridges, road and river bank protection works in the state.
Korea Exim Bank to give Rs 4,100 cr
loan for Vizag Metro
Korea Exim Bank has come forward to extend a Rs 4,100 crore
loan for Visakhapatnam Metro Rail project. A team of officials
from Korea Exim Bank called on Andhra Pradesh Chief
Secretary A.C. Punetha in Amaravati and discussed the loan
proposal and related issues.
Chennai Central Station to be
renamed after MGR
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced
that the Chennai Central Railway Station will be renamed after
former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MG Ramachandran, popularly known as
MGR. In Kancheepuram, the Prime Minister inaugurated a number of
developmental projects in roadways, railways, and energy sector. These projects
are meant to further strengthen the roadway and railway infrastructure in the
state paving way for better, faster and cheaper transportation for people in
Tamil Nadu.
HP to build Centre of Excellence for
3D printing in Andhra Pradesh
HP Inc India has signed a pact with with Andhra Pradesh
Innovation Society (APIS) and Andhra Pradesh Economic
Development Board (APEDB) to build a Center of Excellence
(CoE) that would 3D printing technology work. HP would bring in its
global 3D printing expertise to support various training programmes at the
CoE.
Google launches reading tutor app
‘Bolo’ for kids in India
Google launched a free app called
“Bolo” that parents can download to
help primary grade children improve their Hindi and English reading skills.
Launched in India first, the app is designed to work offline and comes with a
built-in reading buddy, “Diya“, who encourages, aids, explains, and
corrects the child, as they read aloud.
Hi-tech traffic management &
surveillance centre set up in Raipur
The Chhattisgarh government has set up a hi-tech ‘integrated command and
control centre’ in Raipur for better traffic management and
surveillance in the city. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel launched
the ‘Daksha‘ project under which the centre has been built. Set up
at a cost of Rs 157.70 crore as part of the Raipur
Smart City initiative, the project will take care of safety and security,
traffic management, public communication, and also to keep the city environment
green.
Janaushadhi Diwas being celebrated
across the country
Janaushadhi Diwas celebrated across the country on 7 March.
Prime Minister Narendra Modiaddressed five thousand Janaushadhi
stores across the country through video-conferencing on the occasion. He also
interacted with owners of Janaushadhi Kendras and beneficiaries of the scheme.
More than five thousand 50 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana
Kendras, PMBJP, are functional in 652 districts. The Janaushadhi Kendras are providing quality
medicine at the affordable price. He said the government’s aim is to open
Janaushadhi Kedras at block level by 2020.
BOOKS
& AUTHORS
Daaji’s new book on how to design
one’s destiny
Spiritual teacher Kamlesh
Patel, popularly known as Daaji, addresses key issues related to destiny
and how it shapes one’s life in his new book. In “Designing Destiny:
The Heartfulness Way”, the author provides practical wisdom on how to use
heartfulness practices to refine lifestyle and design destiny, including
destiny in the afterlife. In the book,
brought out by Westland Publications, Daaji shares how beliefs
determine the relative importance of fate and free will in people’s lives.
BUSINESS
& ECONOMY
Jio propels Mukesh Ambani to 13th
spot in Forbes’ billionaire list
The phenomenal growth of Reliance
Jio, backed by its ultra-cheap data plans that has transformed the telecom
scenario in India, has helped Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh
Ambani move six places up to rank 13th in US magazine Forbes’
“World’s Billionaire list 2019”. Others in the top-100 billionaires’
list include Wipro Chairman Azim Premji at rank 36th, followed by HCL
co-founder Shiv Nadar at 82nd spot and ArcelorMittal chairman Lakshmi Mittal at
91st position. Amazon founder Jeff
Bezos continued to remain the world’s richest man with a net worth of
$131 billion, followed by Bill Gates at $96.5 billion and Warren Buffett at
$82.5 billion.
SPORTS
Kyrgios beats Zverev to win Acapulco
title
Australian Nick Kyrgios stunned German second seed Alexander Zverev 6-3 6-4 to
win the Acapulco International in Mexico for his fifth
career ATP title.
APPOINTMENTS
Sanjeev Ranjan named Road Transport
Secretary & N N Sinha appointed as NHAI Chief
Senior IAS officer Sanjeev
Ranjan has been named secretary, Ministry of Road
Transport and Highways (MoRTH), as part of a top-level bureaucratic
reshuffle effected by the central government. Ranjan, a 1985-batch IAS officer
of Tripura cadre, is at present the chairman of National Highways Authority of
India. Nagendra Nath Sinha will
replace Ranjan as the new NHAI chief. Sinha is managing director,
National Highways and infrastructure Development Corporation. He will continue
to hold the additional charge of this post too.
Ajit Kumar Mohanty appointed
Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
The Ministry of Personnel has
notified the appointment of Ajit Kumar Mohanty as Director of Bhabha
Atomic Research Centre for the period of three years. Currently, he is
the Director, Physics Group in BARC and Director, Saha Institute Institute of
Nuclear Physics. The Bhabha Atomic
Research Centre (BARC) is India’s premier nuclear research facility
headquartered in Trombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Kaja Kallas appointed as the first
female prime minister of Estonia
Kaja Kallas was appointed as first
female Prime Minister of Estonia. She
is leader of country’s Reform Party. Her appointment comes
after her liberal Reform Party was declared victoriois in the elections against
centre-left Prime Minister Juri Ratas’s party.
Estonia Capital: Tallinn
Currency: Euro
Estonia Capital: Tallinn
Currency: Euro
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8TH MARCH 2019
India signs pact with Russia on
Chakra-3 attack submarine
Amid the ongoing tension with
Pakistan, India signed a $3.3 billion deal with Russia for
leasing the third nuclear-powered Akula class attack submarine. An
Inter Governmental Agreement (IGA) was signed between the two countries in New
Delhi. The submarine, to be called Chakra -3, will be delivered in 2025
for a 10-year period. India at the
moment operates Chakra-2 whose 10-year lease ending in 2022. INS Chakra is a
nuclear-powered submarine and unlike INS Arihant, the other nuclear submarine
in Indian navy fleet.
Government announces new Rs 20 coin
In a first, the government
has announced new Rs 20 coin which will be shaped like a 12-edged
polygon (dodecagon). The outside diameter of new Rs 20 coin will be
27mm (millimeters) and it will weigh 8.54 grams. Prime Minister Narendra
Modi released the new series of “visually impaired friendly
circulation” coins (Re 1, Rs 2, Rs 5, Rs 10 and Rs 20).Except for the Rs 20
coin, the rest of the denominations will be round in shape. The face of the coin will bear the Lion
Capitol of Ashoka Pillar with the legend “Satyamev Jayate” inscribed
below, flanked on the left periphery with the word “Bharat” in Hindi and
on the right periphery with the word “INDIA” in English.
Cabinet clears Rs 4,500 cr plan for
regional air connectivity
The Cabinet Committee on Economic
Affairs has given its approval for
extension of time and scope for revival and development of unserved and underserved
air strips of state governments, Airports Authority of India (AAI), civil
enclaves, central public sector undertakings (CPSUs), helipads and water
aerodromes at the total cost of Rs 4,500 crore with the
budgetary support of government of India.
Hardeep S Puri launches e-Dharti App
Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep
Puri launched e-Dharti app where all the three modules- Conversion,
Substitution and Mutation related to properties have been made online. The
payment system in Land and Development Office, L&DO has also been
completely digitized. The public can now
submit their applications online by visiting the L&DO website and are not
required to visit this office for submission of them and for follow up of their
applications. He also launched e-Dharti GeoPortal, through which
the lessee of the property will be able to see the basic details of property
along with map showing its location.
All trains coming to Delhi to be on
electric traction from December 2019: Piyush Goyal
All trains coming to Delhi will be
on electric traction by December 2019 said
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal. The move will cost the
government Rs 12,134 crore. Further, in the next 2.5 years,
all mail express trains and Rajdhani trains will have bio-toilets with air vacuum
cleaning system similar to that in airplanes.
MEA opens 500th Passport Seva Kendra
The countrys 500th Passport
Kendra has been made operational at Pratapgarh in Rajasthan.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in collaboration with the Department
of Posts, had in 2017 taken the initiative to open Passport Kendras at the
head post offices/post offices in the country, to be known as “Post
Office Passport Seva Kendras” (POPSK).
India’s February jobless rate
climbed to 7.2%: CMIE
The unemployment rate in India rose
to 7.2% in February 2019, the
highest since September 2016, and up from 5.9% in February 2018, according to
data compiled by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). The
unemployment rate has climbed despite a fall in the number of job seekers. The number of employed persons in India was
estimated at 400 million in February compared with 406 million a year ago.
Odisha CM launches ‘Mukhya Mantri
Karigar Sahayata’ scheme
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen
Patnaik launched the ‘Mukhya Mantri Karigar Sahayata’ scheme in Bhubaneswar. The
state government will provide Rs 800 monthly allowance to
craftsmen with over 10 years of experience and annual income below Rs 1
lakh under the‘Mukhya Mantri Karigar Sahayata’ scheme.
Delhi Government Launches ‘One
Delhi’ App
To ease the use of public transport
in the nation capital, the Delhi government launched a common mobility
app ‘One Delhi’ to allow users plan more efficiently their journey
with Delhi Metro and all city buses. The app was developed by Delhi
Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System, or DIMTS.
Assam sets up North East Skill
Centre in Guwahati
The Assam government in collaboration with the Singapore-based ITE
Education Services (ITEES) set up the North East Skill Centre
(NESC) in Guwahati. The NSESC will aim to provide better skill
training to thousands of unemployed youth of the state.
Ancient tribal language Gondi to be
taught in tribal districts of MP
In Madhya Pradesh, ancient tribal
language Gondi will be taught in tribal districts. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath has
decided to include Gondi in the primary education curriculum
of the state’s tribal-dominated districts.
Kummanam Rajasekharan resigns as
Mizoram Governor, Jagdish Mukhi given additional charge
Kummanam Rajasekharan, the Governor of Mizoram resigned from his office and
President Ram Nath Kovind has accepted the resignation.
President Kovind has given Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi additional
charge of Mizoram. Rajasekharan’s tenure as Mizoram Governor lasted
for less than 10 months.
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
Malaysia joins the International
Criminal Court
Malaysia has become a member of the
International Criminal Court. The
ICC is the world’s only permanent war crimes court and aims to prosecute the
worst abuses when national courts are unable or unwilling. Malaysia becomes the 124th member
of the court since its establishment in 2002.
International Criminal Court Headquarters: The Hague, Netherlands
BANKING
& FINANCE
Income tax exemption limit on
gratuity doubled to Rs 20 lakh
The labour ministry said that the income tax exemption limit on
gratuity has been doubled to Rs 20 lakh from the existing Rs 10 lakh,
a move that will benefit employees who are not covered by the Payment
of Gratuity Act, 1972. The ceiling
of gratuity amount under the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972, has
been raised from time to time keeping in view overall economic condition and
employers’ capacity to pay and the salary of employees, which have been
increased in private sector and in PSUs.
The latest enhancement of tax exemption limit on gratuity follows a
government notification issued on March 29, 2018, under which the ceiling was
increased from Rs 10 lakh to 20 lakh effective March 29, 2018.
BUSINESS
& ECONOMY
OECD cuts global economic growth
forecasts
The OECD cut forecasts again for the
global economy in 2019 and 2020,
following on from previous downgrades in November, as it warned that trade
disputes and uncertainty over Brexit would hit world commerce and
businesses. The Organisation for Economic Co-Operation &
Development forecast in its interim outlook report that the
world economy would grow 3.3 percent in 2019 and 3.4 percent in 2020.
AU Small Finance Bank partners with
Insurtech Firm Acko General Insurance
AU Small Finance Bank Ltd. , a Fortune India 500 company and one of India’s
fastest growing banks, announced its partnership with a new age insurtech
company, Acko General Insurance Limited. Partnering with Acko,
India’s first digital insurer, AU bank is now set to provide customized
insurance products to its customers. Based
on user behavior data, Acko’s solution is designed to offer contextual
insurance, enabling AU to deliver tailor-made policies that offer the right
coverage when the customer needs it. AU
Small Finance Bank Headquarters: Jaipur
Acko General Insurance Headquarters: Mumbai
Acko General Insurance Headquarters: Mumbai
Nasscom to develop IT corridor in
eastern China
Indian IT apex body Nasscom said
it has entered into a partnership with Xuzhou city in Jiangsu province to
develop an IT corridor in eastern China. The new corridor will
facilitate partnerships between Indian and Chinese firms as part of Nasscom’s
efforts to evangelise IT development in newer geographies. As the centre of the
Huai Hai economic zone, Xuzhou is an important national transportation hub.
APPOINTMENTS
Soumya Swaminathan named Chief
Scientist at WHO
Soumya Swaminathan, a Deputy Director-General of the World Health
Organisation has been named Chief Scientist of the WHO. As Deputy
Director-General Programmes (DDP), she was one of the three DDGs assisting WHO
Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
UNDP appoints Padma Lakshmi as
Goodwill Ambassador
Indian-American television
personality and food expert Padma Lakshmi has
been appointed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as
its newest Goodwill Ambassador, supporting the agency’s fight against
inequality and discrimination around the world.
AWARDS
IGIA declared as ‘Best Airport’ in
2018 ASQ Awards
The Indira Gandhi International
(IGI) airport in New Delhi has
been adjudged as the best airport in the category of over
40 million passengers per annum (MPPA) in Asia Pacific by Airports
Council International (ACI) in the Airport Service Quality Programme for 2018.
OBITUARIES
Jerry Merryman, Co-Inventor of the
Pocket Calculator passes away
Jerry Merryman, a self-taught electrical engineer who helped design the first
pocket calculator, passed away in Dallas. He was 86. Merryman helped to
develop the calculator in the mid-1960s while he was working for American
technology company Texas Instruments (TI) alongside James Van
Tassel and his boss Jack Kilby co-creator of the first integrated circuit and
Nobel Prize winner.
IMPORTANT
DAYS
International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day (IWD) is
celebrated on March 8 every year. It is a focal
point in the movement for women’s rights. International Women’s Day is a
worldwide event that celebrates women’s achievements from the political to the
social while calling for gender equality.
The International Women’s Day 2019 campaign theme of “Think
Equal ,Build Smart,Innovate for change: BalanceForBetter” is a
call-to-action for driving gender balance across the world.
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9TH MARCH 2019
ISRO, French space agency seal
agreement on maritime security
National space agency ISRO and
its French counterpart The National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) sealed
an agreement to set up a joint maritime surveillance system in
the country in May. The two nations will explore putting up a constellation of
low-Earth orbiting satellites that will identify and track movement of ships
globally and in particular those moving in the Indian Ocean region where
France has its Reunion Islands. CNES
Headquarters: Paris, France
India, World Bank And
Representatives Of 5 States Signed Loan Agreement For DRIP
The World Bank, the Government of
India and representatives of 5
States of Government of India and Implementing Agencies signed in
New Delhi the Loan Agreement for Additional Financing of $137
Million for the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP).
World Bank Headquarters: Washington, D.C.
Membership: 189 countries
World Bank Headquarters: Washington, D.C.
Membership: 189 countries
India and ADB Sign $26 Million Loan
Agreement for Additional Financing to Assam Urban Project
The Asian Development Bank (ADB)
will provide a USD 26-million loan
as additional financing for improving drainage infrastructure in
Dibrugarh town of Assam under the ongoing Assam Urban
Infrastructure Investment Program. The ongoing loan of USD 51 million
under the programme is helping to improve water supply infrastructure in
Guwahati, and solid waste management and drainage infrastructure in Guwahati
and Dibrugarh cities of Assam. Asian
Development Bank Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines
President: Takehiko Nakao Membership: 67 countries
President: Takehiko Nakao Membership: 67 countries
7 crore LPG connections distributed
under Ujjwala Yojana in 34 months
LPG connections distributed under
the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana touched the 7 crore mark with Geeta Devi becoming the seventh crore beneficiary
of the scheme. Launched in 2016, the flagship scheme has achieved this
“milestone” in just 34 months. The
scheme was launched on May 1, 2016, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with
an initial target of five crores, which was later revised upward to eight
crores connections.
Uttarakhand CM launches free milk
scheme for anganwadi children
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra
Singh Rawat launched the Mukhyamantri Anchal Amrit Yojana in Dehradun,
under which 2.5 lakh children at 20,000 Anganwadi kendras in
the state will be given 100 ml milk twice a week for free.
WB CM announces new scheme ‘Yuvashree
Arpan’ for employment of youth
Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, West
Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced a grant of 1 lakh
to graduates of the state’s 214 polytechnics and Industrial Training
Institutes (ITI), to set up small businesses. The CM introduced the
scheme, Yuvashree Arpan, in Howrah district.
Kerala’s Marayoor Jaggery Gets
Geographical Indication Tag
The Marayoor Jaggery, the traditional and handmade product from
Idukki district of Kerala received the Geographical Indication
(GI) tag from the Central Government. It is dark brown in colour, high
in sweetness and iron, with less sodium content and insoluble impurities.
BANKING
& FINANCE
United Bank, HDFC Life sign
bancassurance deal
United Bank of India has signed a
bancassurance deal with private life insurer HDFC Life Insurance Company. Through this partnership, United Bank’s customers will
be able to take advantage of HDFC Life’s expertise in life insurance products,
distribution and customer service. The
corporate-agency partnership is significant as United Bank undertook a rigorous
selection process and evaluated 18 private life insurers to finally select HDFC
Life.
BUSINESS
& ECONOMY
IRDAI, NHA form joint working group
on Ayushman Bharat
Insurance Regulatory and Development
Authority of India (IRDAI) and National
Health Agency (NHA) will set up a joint working group for
better implementation of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya
Yojana (AB-PMJAY). The working group will do a comparative study of
packages and define standards for quality healthcare. The 11-member group will have representatives
from both IRDAI and NHA. Dinesh Arora, Deputy CEO of
NHA will chair the working group.
IRDAI Headquarters: Hyderabad
SPORTS
Iniyan becomes India’s 61st
Grandmaster
India got their 61st Grandmaster when 16-year-old P. Iniyan, hailing from
Erode, won at the ongoing Noisiel Open in France. Iniyan
defeated GM Sergey Fedorchuk of Ukraine in the sixth round to become the 61st
Grandmaster for India as he crossed the 2500-point in ELO ratings.
APPOINTMENTS
SC Garg named Finance Secretary
The Appointments Committee of
Cabinet has approved designating Subhash
Chandra Garg, IAS Secretary, Department of economics Affairs, Ministry of
Finance as Finance Secretary. Garg would replace Ajay Narayan Jha,
who got superannuated recently.
UN-founded University for Peace
confers Honorary Doctorate on Vice President Naidu
Vice President Venkaiah
Naidu was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate by the University for Peace founded
by the United Nations Organisations (UNO) for his contribution
“to the Rule of Law, democracy and sustainable development in India”.
AWARDS
Bhubaneswar’s Biju Patnaik
International Airport wins the prestigious ASQ award
The Biju Patnaik International
Airport (BPIA) in Bhubaneswar has
won the 2018 Airport Service Quality (ASQ) award as the
leading airport in size and region. The Airports Council International selected
BPIA for the prestigious award. The award is accorded on the basis of
independent survey amongst passengers on various parameters of security,
safety, experience, ambience, ease of availability and cleanliness, Hota
stated.
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10th MARCH 2019
Maharashtra government launches
‘Atal Aahar Yojna’ for construction workers
Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the
Maharashtra government launched a special scheme for construction
workers in the state. The scheme, “Atal Aahar Yojna,” will
provide good quality and hygienic food to construction workers at a highly
subsidised rate. In the first phase,
the target is to cover 20,000 workers and provide them with good quality food
at a nominal cost of Rs five.
Alok Srivastava to head committee on
Comprehensive Insurance Scheme for Advocates
The government set up a five member committee headed by Legal Affairs
Secretary Alok Srivastava to examine issues related to framing
of a structured scheme for providing insurance cover to advocates. The
committee would also suggest modalities for the implementation of such a scheme
and would submit its report within three months.
Businesses need to pay up to Rs. 20
for using Aadhaar services: UIDAI
Business organisations using Aadhaar
services will now have to pay Rs. 20 for each customer verification and 50 paise for authentication of
each transaction carried out by the entities, the Unique Identification
Authority of India (UIDAI) said. The gazette notification, the
Aadhaar (Pricing of Aadhaar Authentication Services) Regulations 2019,
however, exempts government entities and the Department of Posts from
authentication transaction charges.
AWARDS
India Bags First Prize at The
International ‘Golden City Gate Tourism Awards 2019’ at ITB, Berlin
The Ministry of Tourism has won the First Prize in the category of TV
Cinema Spot at the prestigious international Golden City Gate
Tourism Awards 2019. The awards were received by Tourism
Secretary Yogendra Tripathi at ITB, Berlin.
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11TH MARCH 2019
Japan announces Rs 22 lakh for
Kolkata museum
The Japanese government announced a donation of some Rs 22 lakh
($31,800) to the Rabindra Bharati Museum in Kolkata in a bid to
strengthen historical and cultural ties with India. To refurbish the Japan
Gallery of the museum, a MoU will be signed between the Consul General of Japan
in Kolkata, Masayuki Taga, and the Vice Chancellor of Rabindra Bharati
University, Sabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhury.
Supreme Court orders mediation to
settle Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri dispute in 8 weeks
The Supreme Court has referred the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid
land dispute case for mediation and has appointed former apex court
judge Justice (retd) F M I Kalifulla as chairperson of the
panel of mediators. A five-judge
Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said
the other members of the panel will be spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi
Shankar and senior advocate Sriram Panchu.
India’s data usage to grow at 73%
CAGR by 2022: Assocham-PwC Study
India’s data consumption is expected to grow at a compounded annual
growth rate (CAGR) of about 72.6 per cent to 10,96,58,793 million MB by
2022, according to a study. “With lower-than-ever data tariffs and
increasing number of smartphone penetration in the country, which is around 40
per cent as of 2017, it is safe to assume that the Video on Demand
(VoD) market will be a significant beneficiary of these developments.
Internet consumption is clearly on the rise in India,” according to the Assocham-PwC
study. Assocham Headquarters: New Delhi
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
116-year-old Japanese woman
officially named oldest person
A 116-year-old Japanese
woman has been honoured as the world’s oldest living person by Guinness
World Records. The global authority on records officially
recognised Kane Tanaka in a ceremony at the nursing home where
she lives in Fukuoka, in southwest Japan. She was born in January 1903. The previous oldest living person was another
Japanese woman, Chiyo Miyako, who passed away last July, aged 117.
BUSINESS
& ECONOMY
In a first, SBI links pricing of
loans, deposits to repo rate
In a first-of-its kind move that
will ensure faster monetary transmission, the nation’s largest lender State
Bank of India announced linking of its savings deposits rates and
short-term loans to the RBI’s repo rate. The new rates linked the
external benchmark rate of the repo rate, will be effective May 1. It will link the savings bank deposits,
with balance above Rs 1 lakh to the repo rate with current effective rate being
3.50 percent per annum, which is 2.75 percent below the present repo rate. The
bank has also linked all cash credit accounts and overdrafts with limits above
Rs 1 lakh to the repo rate plus a spread of 2.25 percent.
SPORTS
Kavinder Singh Bisht fetches gold at
Finland boxing tourney
Kavinder Singh Bisht struck gold while Shiva Thapa and three others claimed silver
medals to end a fine Indian campaign at the 38th GeeBee Boxing
Tournament in Helsinki, Finland.Signing off with silver medals were
three-time Asian medallist Shiva Thapa, rookie Govind Sahani, Commonwealth
Games bronze-medallist Mohammed Hussamuddin and Dinesh Dagar.
APPOINTMENTS
Ashu Khullar appointed as Citibank
India CEO
Citigroup has named Ashu Khullar as
the new India head after its current chief
executive officer Pramit Jhaveri steps down. Khullar is currently the head of
capital markets origination for the Asia-pacific region. Having joined Citi in
1988, he has worked across both developed and emerging markets in Europe,
Middle East Africa and India. Citibank
Headquarters: New York
Mohammad Shtayyeh named as
Palestinian PM
Mohammad Shtayyeh has been named as
Palestinian Prime Minister by
President of Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas. A member of
the West Bank’s dominant Fatah party is a long time ally of
Abbas. Capitals: Ramallah, East
Jerusalem
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12TH MARCH 2019
34th edition of AAHAR –
International Food and Hospitality fair-begins in New Delhi
The 34th edition of Aahar – the
International Food and Hospitality Fair commenced in New Delhi. The five-day fair, organised by India Trade
Promotion Organisation, ITPO, features wide range of food products,
machinery, food and beverages equipment, hospitality and decor solutions,
confectionery items from over 560 participants from India and foreign
countries. ITPO Headquarters: New
Delhi
Indo-Oman joint military exercise,
Al-Nagah-II, begins at Jabel Al Akhdar Mountains
Exercise Al Nagah III, third in the series of bilateral joint exercise between
India and Oman began at Jabel Al Akhdar Mountains in Oman. The exercise
will see both the armies exchanging expertise and experience in tactics, weapon
handling and firing, with an aim to enhance interoperability in
counterterrorist operations in semi urban mountainous terrain.
·
Oman
Capital: Muscat Currency: Omani
rial
Pinaka guided weapons system
successfully test fired
The indigenously developed Pinaka guided
rocket system was successfully test fired at Pokhran desert in
Rajasthan, in a boost to artillery capability of the Army. The weapon
system is equipped with state-of-the-art guidance kit comprising of an advanced
navigation and control system. DRDO
Headquarters: New Delhi
Dipa Karmakar gets Barbie modelled
after her
Gymnast Dipa Karmakar was honoured
by ‘Barbie’ in celebration of their 60th anniversary
and was presented a doll modelled after her. She was part of the ‘Shero’
program launched in 2015 by the company.
Dipa Karmakar was the first Indian female gymnast to ever compete in the
Olympic Games and the first Indian female artistic gymnast to win a gold medal
at a global event.
Arecanut gets its first GI tag for
‘Sirsi Supari’
Arecanut (also known as supari or
betel nut) is the latest entrant in the
list of agricultural produce with a GI (geographical indication) tag. The
Registrar of Geographical Indications, Government of India, accorded a GI
tag, ‘Sirsi Supari’, to arecanut grown in Sirsi, Siddpaur and
Yellapur taluks of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka.
The World Intellectual Property Organisation Headquarters:
Geneva, Switzerland
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
Saudi Arabia replaces India as
world’s largest arms importer
Saudi Arabia has now become the
largest importer of arms in the world,
having pushed Indiato the second spot, according
to the premier Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
(SIPRI). In its report on ‘Trends in International Arms
Transfers 2018’ released recently, the institute identified Saudi
Arabia, India, Egypt, Australia and Algeria as the 5 top arms
importing countries and the United States, Russia, France,
Germany and China as the 5 top arms exporting nations. for more than the last eight years,
India was the largest arms importer in the international market. Saudi Arabia Capital: Riyadh
Currency: Saudi riyal
Currency: Saudi riyal
BUSINESS
& ECONOMY
RBI set to become 10th largest
holder in gold
The Reserve Bank of India, which added 6.5 tonnes of gold to its reserves in January,
taking its total holding forming part of its foreign exchange reserves to 607
tonnes, is set to become the tenth largest holder of the
metal worldwide, displacing the Nerherlands.
According to data provided by the World Gold Council recently,
India’s share of gold held globally has been rising steadily to stand at 6.2
per cent at the end of 2018 and has gone up further in January.
APPOINTMENTS
C Lalsawta sworn in as the 1st
Lokayukta of Mizoram
Retired IAS officer C
Lalsawta was sworn-in as the first Chairman of the
newly-constituted Lokayukta in Mizoram. He was sworn-in at the
Raj Bhawan in Aizawl. State governor Jagdish Mukhi administered the oath of
office to Lalsawta.
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13TH MARCH 2019
4th Internet of Things India
Congress to be held in Bengaluru
The 4th IoT India Congress, an event which will see digital technology leaders
converge to discuss and explore business opportunities in mainstreaming Internet
of Things (IoT), will be held in Bengaluru in August 2019.
Sundarban Reserve Forest now a
Wetland of International Importance
The Sundarban Reserve Forest (SRF)
in India, located within the largest
mangrove forest in the world, the Sundarbans, is now a Wetland of
International Importance, making it the largest protected wetland in the
country. The wetland designation, India’s 27th, under the Ramsar
Convention, will help increase the visibility of the region on
international platforms as also enhance international co-operation
between India and Bangladesh in the wise use of the wetlands. Ramsar Convention is the only
international treaty focused on wetlands. The last Indian site that was
designated as a Wetland of International Importance was Gujarat’s Nalsarovar
Bird Sanctuary in 2012.
Erode turmeric gets GI tag after an
8-year process
After an eight-year-long
process, Erode turmeric (of Tamil Nadu) finally got a Geographical
Indication (GI) tag from the Geographical Indication Registry. The
Erode Manjal Vanigargal Matrum Kidangu Urimaiyalargal Sangham applied
for the GI tag in January, 2011, at the office of the Deputy Registrar of GI
Registry in Chennai.
Delhi Government sets-up High-level
Committee to reform Higher Education
The Delhi government’s Dialogue and
Development Commission (DDC),
a think-tank that advises the government on key issues, has set up a 17-member
high-level committee to“reform higher education” in the capital.
The committee, chaired by DDC vice-chairperson Jasmine Shah, will
“recommend goals, metrics, policies, and actionable plans for reforming Delhi’s
higher education system within a year”.
Experts from India and University of
Birmingham collaborate to tackle air pollution
Experts from the University
of Birmingham and policy makers and researchers from Indiaannounced
a collaboration to jointly develop strategies to resolve health, social and
economic issues linked to air pollution in Delhi.
Rahul Bajaj to step down as
Chairman, Non-Executive Director of Bajaj Finserv
Leading industrialist Rahul
Bajaj will step down as the Chairman and Non-Executive Director of Bajaj
Finserv. However, he will continue to serve the company as Chairman
Emeritus. Vice-Chairman Nanoo Pamnani will take over as the
new Chairman of Bajaj Finserv. Bajaj
Finserv Headquarters: Pune
GoDaddy partners with ICC as
official sponsor for Cricket World Cup 2019
Website hosting company GoDaddy announced
its partnership with International Cricket Council (ICC) as official
sponsor for the upcoming men’s cricket World Cup. The 2019 World Cup will be
held in the UK from May 30 to July 14. Under
the partnership, GoDaddy will get visibility on ground, perimeter of the
boundary, side screen, placards during the matches.
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
India extends USD 250 mn to Nepal
for reconstruction of infrastructures post earthquake
India has extended a grant assistance of up to USD
250 million to Nepal for the reconstruction of infrastructures in the
areas of housing, education, health and cultural heritage that was destroyed
during the devastating April 2015 earthquake which saw the death of over 9,000
people.
Pakistan made OIC body’s deputy
chair
Pakistan has been elected deputy chairman of the PUIC’s
general body on the first day of its four-day conference being
held in Rabat, Morocco. The Parliamentary Union of the OIC
Member States (PUIC) is composed of parliaments of member states of
the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. It was established in Iran on June 17,
1999, with its head office situatedin Tehran. Earlier this month, India’s External
Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj made history by becoming the first Indian
invitee to an OIC summit, when she delivered an address at the OIC foreign
ministers’ meeting in Abu Dhabi. OIC
Headquarters: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
BANKING
& FINANCE
Bank of Baroda launches
creche/daycare facility for children of employees
Bank of Baroda has become one of the first public sector
banks to launch a creche/child daycare facility for children of its
employees. After launching such a facility at its Mumbai corporate
office in Bandra Kurla Complex which houses some 1500-plus employees, the bank
intends to roll out more of them at its head office in Vadodara. This initiative is designed to help
employees save time and reduce stress of finding the right care for children in
the age group of 6 months to 6 years. Bank of Baroda will bear 60% of the cost
every month for each employee, while 40% will be taken care by the parents.
APPOINTMENTS
A K Misra appointed as Chairman of
ASRB
Veterinary Professor & former
Vice Chancellor of GB University of Agriculture & Technology Pantnagar,
Shri Aditya Kumar Misra has been appointed as the new Chairman of the
Agricultural Scientific Recruitment Board (ASRB). The Appointments
Committee of the Cabinet approved the Misra’s appointment, who will hold the
new post till 5th January, 2022.
Madhya Pradesh government appoints
former MoS ‘Computer Baba’ as head of river trust
The Congress government in Madhya
Pradesh has appointed self-styled godman Namdev Tyagi, also known as
Computer Baba, as chairman of a river trust in the State. The State
spiritual department passed the order of appointing Mr. Tyagi as head of the ‘Ma
Narmada, Ma Kshipra and Ma Mandakini Rivers Trust’ a few days back.
Makhija named new non-executive
chairman of Axis Bank
Axis Bank announced appointment of
Rakesh Makhija as its new non-executive, part-time, chairman. The appointment will be effective from July 18, 2019 till
July 17, 2022. The term of non-executive, part-time Chairman Sanjiv Misra “will
expire with effect from the close of business hours on July 17, 2019”.
AWARDS
Ex-RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan gets
Yashwantrao Chavan national award
Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
Governor Raghuram Rajan has been chosen for the ‘Yashwantrao Chavan
National Award 2018’ for his contribution towards economic
development. Rajan will be presented the award at a function on the occasion of 106th
birth anniversary of late Yashwantrao Chavan, who was the first chief
minister of Maharashtra.
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14TH MARCH 2019
India Smart Utility Week 2019
inaugurated by AK Bhalla
Conference and Exhibition on Smart
Energy, Smart Grid and Smart Cities India Smart Utility Week (ISUW
2019) organized by India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF) was
inaugurated by Shri AK Bhalla, Secretary, Ministry of Power,
Government of India in New Delhi.
U.S. spl Ops Forces hold exercise
with NSG in Hyderabad
The United States Special Forces
Group stationed in Japan is involved
in a joint exercise with India’s National Security Guard in Hyderabad,
aimed at enhancing the capabilities of the armed forces of the two countries. The Hyderabad-exercise would help build
interoperability and comradeship between the two forces and was designed to
enhance the capabilities of both Indian and U.S. armed forces.
Wipro opens third industrial IoT
centre in Kochi
IT major Wipro Ltd opened its centre of excellence for Industrial
Internet of Things (IIoT) in Kochi in Kerala. Using Artificial
Intelligence (AI), blockchain and robotics, the centre will develop proofs of
concept and market-ready IoT solutions.
The facility is Wipro’s third one dedicated to industrial IoT after one
each in Mountain View in California and Bengaluru.
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
Austrian capital Vienna named ‘most
liveable’ for 10th year
The Austrian capital Vienna
has topped Mercer’s index of most liveable cities for the 10th year in
a row, while Sydney has fallen out of the top ten. Being medium-sized, safe and
relatively green are some of the features it shares with second-placed Zurich.
Auckland, Munich and Vancouver came joint third. Austria Capital: Vienna Currency: Euro
BANKING
& FINANCE
SBI launches doorstep banking service
for senior citizens over 70
State Bank of India (SBI) has launched doorstep banking service for senior
citizens over 70 years of age and differently-abled customers.
Eligible customers can avail this service at a nominal fee of Rs. 100 per
transaction for financial transactions and Rs. 60 for
non-financial transactions.Doorstep banking services are available to KYC-
compliant account holders, with a valid mobile number registered with the bank
and residing within 5 kilometres radius from their home branch.
BUSINESS
& ECONOMY
Infosys to open digital centre in
Romania
Infosys would open a digital innovation centre at Bucharest
in Romania to develop software for clients based on cloud, big data,
artificial intelligence and machine learning. The $11-billion outsourcing firm
also tied up with the University of Bucharest and the University
Politehnica Bucharest for innovation and Romanian workforce
development, including joint training courses, scholarships and research. Romania Capital: Bucharest Currency: Romanian leu
SPORTS
Special Olympics World Games 2019
begins at Abu Dhabi in UAE
Special Olympics World Games 2019
begin at Abu Dhabi in UAE. The
event has already made history by welcoming a record-breaking 200
nations at the Games. Of the 200 nations, 195 will compete in the
Games and five will observe. More than 2,500 women will fly the flag for their
nation, with almost half of them performing in athletics competitions. Saudi
Arabia will send female athletes for the first time, with 14 women participating.
Indian Oil retain Gold Cup Hockey
crown
Indian Oil retained their Bombay Gold Cup Hockey crown after
fighting back from the brink to overcome Punjab and Sind Bank (PSB) 9-7 via the
penalty shootout in the summit clash in Mumbai.
APPOINTMENTS
MR Kumar appointed as LIC Chairman
The government appointed MR
Kumar as the Chairman of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC)and Vipin
Anand and TC Suseel Kumar as the managing directors (MDs). MD Hemant
Bhargava had been named interim chairman after VK Sharma’s retirement on
December 31, 2018. LIC’s executive board comprises of one chairman and four
managing directors. This is the first time
an interview for the top position of LIC was conducted by
the Banks Board Bureau (BBB), which so far selected top management
for public sector banks. Top executives for LIC were earlier appointed by a
panel of the finance ministry.
LIC Headquarters: Mumbai
Banks Board Bureau Chairperson: Bhanu Pratap Sharma
LIC Headquarters: Mumbai
Banks Board Bureau Chairperson: Bhanu Pratap Sharma
AWARDS
Army Chief Bipin Rawat receives PVSM
from Prez Kovind
Chief of Army Staff Bipin
Rawat was conferred with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal by
President Ramnath Kovind for distinguished services. The medal
was presented to Gen. Rawat at a Defence Investiture Ceremony held
in Rashtrapati Bhavan. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman were present on the occasion.
IMPORTANT
DAYS
World Kidney Day 2019
March 14 is observed as World Kidney
Day. The day is meant to raise
awareness about the importance of taking care of kidneys. Every year, World
Kidney Day is celebrated all across the globe, featuring awareness campaigns,
programs and discussions about the importance of kidneys.
·
The theme of World
Kidney Day 2019 is “Kidney health for everyone, everywhere.”
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15TH MARCH 2019
DRDO anti-tank missile test-fired
successfully
A man-portable anti-tank guided
missile (MPATGM) was successfully test-fired in
Rajasthandesert. The missile has been developed by the Defence
Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The indigenously
developed, low-weight missile operates on a “fire and forget” principle, which
means it does not require guidance after the launch. Extra info.:
DRDO Headquarter: New Delhi
DRDO Headquarter: New Delhi
India ranks 16th in terms of
impacted species in hotspots
India was ranked 16th in the world in terms of highest
number of impacted species in biodiversity-rich zones (also known as hotspots) due
to human actions. In India, 35 species affected on an average in
biodiversity-rich zones. Malaysia ranks first among countries
with highest number of impacted species (on an average 125 species).
IIT Roorkee ties up with ISRO for
space tech cell
The Indian Institute of Technology
(IIT) Roorkee in Uttarakhand said
it tied up with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to
set up a Space Technology Cell at its campus. The ISRO-IIT
Roorkee Space Technology Cell shall pursue advanced research in the areas of
relevance to the future technological and programmatic needs of the Indian
space programme.
SC appoints P.S. Narasimha as
mediator to resolve disputes of cricket administration in BCCI
The Supreme Court appointed senior advocate P.S. Narasimha,
who is assisting the apex court as an amicus curiae in the BCCI matter, as
mediator for resolving various disputes related to cricket administration in
the country.
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
AfDB commits $25 bn to fight against
climate change
The African Development Bank (AfDB) would provide 2.5 trillion shillings
($25 billion) over the next 5 years to help in the global fight against
climate change. The bank currently provides 34 per cent of its overall
lending portfolio to projects aiming to boost the fight against climate change. Extra info.: The African Development Bank President:
Akinwumi Adesina Headquarters:
Tunis, Tunisia
India awards 200 Golden Jubilee
Scholarships to Nepali students
The Embassy of India in Kathmandu awarded 200 Golden Jubilee Scholarships to
meritorious Nepali students for continuing their studies in
various undergraduate courses at different universities and colleges across
Nepal for the academic year 2018-19.
BANKING
& FINANCE
RBI names SBI, ICICI and HDFC as
systemically important banks
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) named State Bank of India (SBI), ICICI Bank
and HDFC Bankas Domestic Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs),
which in other words mean banks that are too big to fail. As per the norms,
these banks will have to set aside more capital for their continued operation.
RBI comes with the list every year since 2015. Inclusion in D-SIB indicates
that failure of any of these banks would have a cascading effect on Indian
financial system.
RBI categorises IDBI Bank as private
sector lender after LIC acquisition
IDBI Bank has been categorised as a
private sector lender following acquisition of
majority stake by Life Insurance Corporation. In January, LIC
completed the process of picking up a controlling 51 per cent
stake in the nearly crippled IDBI Bank.
IDBI Bank has been under the prompt corrective action framework of RBI
that bans it from corporate lending and branch expansions, salary hikes and
other regular activities.
RBI to swap $5 billion with banks to
aid system liquidity
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) offered a $5-billion swap facility to banks to
aid liquidity before the end of the financial year. The auction will happen on
March 26 and the buy/sell swap will run up to March 28, 2022, or for a
three-year duration. The swap
facility is part of its “liquidity management toolkit” and would be to meet the
durable liquidity needs of the system. The swap is in the nature of a simple
buy/sell foreign exchange swap from the Reserve Bank’s side. A bank shall sell
US dollars to the RBI and simultaneously agree to buy the same amount of US
dollars at the end of the swap period.
BUSINESS
& ECONOMY
TERI to set up incubation centre in
Odisha for biotech solutions
The Energy and Resources Institute
(TERI), one of country’s leading
think-tanks, will set up an industrial incubation facility of TERI-Deakin
Nanobiotechnology Research Centre, in Odisha.The facility will support
development of biotechnology solutions to address issues affecting agriculture,
environment and energy. Extra info.:
TERI Headquarters: New Delhi
TERI Headquarters: New Delhi
APPOINTMENTS
S S Mundra appointed as chairman of
Acuite Ratings
Acuite Ratings and Research said that former deputy RBI governor S S
Mundra has been appointed as non-executive chairman to its board with
immediate effect. In high four-decade long banking career, Mundra has served as
Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India and as Chairman and Managing Director
of Bank of Baroda. Extra info.: Acuite Rating CEO and Executive Director:
Sankar Chakraborti
Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant to head
transformative mobility mission
Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant
will head the National Mission on Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage,
which is being set up to promote clean and sustainable mobility initiatives in
the country. The Union Cabinet on March 7 had approved setting up of the National
Mission on Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage. The panel will also propose and recommend
policy guidelines and government interventions and possible strategies for
holistic, sustainable and transformative mobility and energy storage in India.
AWARDS
Indian social entrepreneur
Padmanaban Gopalan wins Commonwealth award
A social entrepreneur from Tamil
Nadu bagged the Commonwealth Youth Award for the Asian region from among
hundreds of nominations for his technology-based food rescue
organisation. Padmanaban Gopalan, founder of No Food Waste,
was named the winner of the award worth 3,000 pounds at a ceremony at the
Commonwealth Secretariat in London for his work towards achieving the
UN’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of Zero Hunger with his
innovative system of recovering excess food to distribute to those in need.
Seema Mehta bags ‘Nari Shakti
Puraskar’ award
Renowned Kathak dancer Seema
Mehta has been conferred the ‘Nari Shakti Puraskar’ awardfor her
contribution towards women empowerment over the last 15 years. She received the
award from President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi as
part of the Women’s Day celebrations.
OBITUARIES
Prominent Lingayat pontiff Maate
Mahadevi passes away
Prominent Lingayat pontiff and Basava Dharma Peetha President Maate
Mahadevi breathed her last at a private hospital. She was 74.
Installed as ‘Jagadguru‘ in the 1970s, Maate Mahadevi established
several educational and religious institutions and published several books.
IMPORTANT
DAYS
World Consumer Rights Day
World Consumer Rights Day is
celebrated every year on March 15. It
is a day marked to raise global awareness about consumer rights and needs.
Celebrating World Consumer Rights Day is a chance to demand that the rights of
all consumers are respected and protected, and to protest against market abuses
and social injustices which undermine those rights.
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16TH MARCH 2019
National convention of ‘War
Decorated India’ held in Chandigarh
The two-day national convention of
War Decorated India began at the Manekshaw Auditorium in Chandimandir, the headquarters of the Western Command in
Chandigarh.Some living gallantry award winners and relatives of the
deceased awardees attended the Convention. Chief of Staff Western Command Lt
General P.N. Bali addressed the convention.
Festival of Innovation and
Entrepreneurship inaugurated in Gandhinagar
President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated
the Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and also
presented the 10th Biennial National Grassroots Innovation Awards in
Gandhinagar. Mr. Prakash
Singh Raghuvanshi of Uttar Pradesh got life time achievement award for
his innovations in new varieties of agriculture crops. The first prize in
Veterinary, Herbal medication for coccidiosis received by Periyasami
Ramasami of Tamil Nadu.
ECI launches ‘Observers app’ for
important notifications, alerts, and urgent messages alert
The Election Commission launched a mobile application that will help poll
observers to submit reports timely. Over 1800 IAS, IPS and IRS officials,
officials of Central services will be deployed as observers in the upcoming Lok
Sabha election 2019 and State Assembly elections. Extra info.:
ECI Headquarters: New Delhi
ECI Headquarters: New Delhi
GI tag for Coorg Arabica Coffee,
four others
Geographical Indication (GI) tags have been granted to Coorg Arabica
Coffee, Wayanad Robusta Coffee, Chikmagalur Arabica Coffee, Araku Valley
Arabica Coffee and Bababudangiris Arabica Coffee, by the Geographical
Indications Registry.
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
4th UN Environment Assembly held in
Kenya
The fourth session
of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-4) took place in
Nairobi, Kenya, as agreed during UNEA-3 in December 2017. Under the
overall theme, ‘Innovative Solutions for Environmental
Challenges and Sustainable Consumption and Production,’.
BANKING
& FINANCE
SBI launches cardless ATM withdrawal
with YONO Cash
State Bank of India launched ‘YONO Cash’ for cardless withdrawal
of cash at over 16,500 SBI ATMs across the country. With this
facility, customers can initiate the cash withdrawal process on the YONO app
and set a six-digit YONO Cash pin for the transaction. This feature on YONO is
designed to help its users withdraw cash without a physical debit card. They will also get a six digit reference
number for the transaction on their registered mobile number via SMS. The cash
withdrawal has to be completed within the next 30 minutes at the nearest ATMs
using both PIN and the reference number received.
Bandhan Bank gets RBI approval for
acquisition of Gruh Finance
Bandhan Bank said it has received no objection from the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) for the proposed acquisition of Gruh
Finance. Gruh Finance, the affordable housing finance arm ofHDFC
Ltd, was taken over in January by Kolkata-based Bandhan Bank in
a share-swap deal. As part of the deal, Bandhan Bank has to transfer 14.9 per
cent stake to HDFC for merging Gruh with itself. The deal will allow Bandhan Bank’s promoter
Bandhan Financial Holdings to come down to about 61 per cent from about 82 per
cent, and HDFC to hold around 15 per cent in the merged entity from about 57 per
cent in Gruh. Extra info.: Gruh Finance Ltd. Headquarters: Ahmedabad
Aviva Life Insurance launches Wings
to empower women at the workplace
Aviva Life Insurance has announced the launch of ‘Wings’, a
specially designed mentorship program to empower the female workforce. The
program is an initiative of the SHE division of the company,
for mentoring all the women employees.
SPORTS
India to host FIFA U-17 Women’s
World Cup in 2020
India will host the U-17 Women’s
World Cup in 2020, International Football Federation
(FIFA) President Gianni Infantino announced in
the FIFA Council meeting in Miami, USA. This will be the
second FIFA tournament India will be hosting, after the U-17 Men’s World Cup in
2017. Besides the U-17 Women’s WC, India had also expressed interest in hosting
the U-20 Women’s World Cup. Extra
info.: FIFA Headquarters: Zurich,
Switzerland
World Fame 100: Virat Kohli only
Indian in top 10, MS Dhoni in 13th spot
This year’s ESPN World Fame
100 list, an annual list of the most famous athletes on the planet, placed
the Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo at the top spot,
followed by basketball player LeBron James and FC Barcelona captain Lionel
Messi. Indian cricket team captain Virat
Kohli and former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni were among eight Indian
cricketers who found a place in the list. Kohli bagged the seventh
position and is the only Indian athlete in the top 10, whereas Dhoni
is placed in the 13th spot.
Karnataka defeat Maharashtra to
clinch Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
Karnataka defeated Maharashtra to win their maiden Syed
Mushtaq Ali Trophy at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. It was a
dominating performance by Karnataka who remained unbeaten in the 2018-19
season. Agarwal remained not out on 85 off 57 balls while Karun Nair contributed
only 8 runs. Karnataka won the match by 8 wickets and 9 balls to spare. It is
their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title.
IMPORTANT
DAYS
World Sleep Day 2019
World Sleep Day is observed annually
on March 15 to celebrate the benefits of
good and healthy sleep. It is an event organised by the World Sleep Day
Committee of the World Sleep Society. The idea is to draw people’s
attention to the burden of sleep problems and to promote the prevention and
management of sleep disorders. The theme of
this year’s World Sleep Day is ‘Healthy Sleep, Healthy Aging’.
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17TH MARCH 2019
Guinea PM arrives in India to attend
conclave on ‘India-Africa Project Partnership’
Prime Minister of Republic of Guinea
Ibrahima Kassory Fofana arrived
on a ten-day visit to attend the 14th edition of CII-EXIM Bank conclave
on ‘India-Africa Project Partnership.’Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is
organising the conclave with the support of the Ministry of External
Affairs and Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Fofana will also be attending a programme in Vishakhapatnam from
March 21- 24. He will be emplaning for his country on March 25. Extra info.: Republic of Guinea Capital:
Conakry
Currency: Guinean franc
Currency: Guinean franc
Tata, Reliance and Airtel emerge
best Indian brands of 2019
Tata, Reliance and Airtel emerged as
the top three Indian brands of 2019,
according a report published by Interbrand, part of the Omnicom
Media Group, an advertising and public relations conglomerate. Tata continued
to hold the top position in the best Indian Brands
ranking as its brand value grew by 6%, mainly due to Tata
Consultancy Services (TCS). Knocking
its competitor Airtel off from the second spot, Reliance’s brand
value grew by 12%, bolstered by the success of Jio. Following Airtel at
number three, HDFC Bank, LIC, State Bank of India, Infosys, Mahindra, ICICI
Bank and Godrej rounded off the top 10 list.
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
Brazil hosted first BRICS Sherpa
Meeting
The first BRICS Sherpa meeting under
the Presidency of Brazil concluded
at Curitiba in Brazil. Secretary, Economic Relations in the Ministry
of External Affairs, T S Tirumurti led the Indian delegation
at the two-day meeting. Brazil has identified countering terrorism as one of
its priority areas for BRICS under its presidency.
SCO’s RATS Council Meeting held in
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
India, Pakistan and the other
members states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) will
take part in a joint anti-terrorism exercise to be held this
year by the grouping. The decision to hold the joint exercise ‘Sary-Arka-Antiterror
2019‘ was announced during the 34th meeting of the SCO’s Regional
Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) council held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The
SCO, in which China plays an influential role, is also comprised of Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.Extra info.:
SCO Headquarters: Beijing, China
SCO Headquarters: Beijing, China
Cyclone Idai hit the port city of
Beira
Cyclone Idai, which is carrying heavy rains and winds of up to 177 km/h
(106 mph), made landfall at the port city of Beira. The cyclone has
now moved west towards Zimbabwe. It follows a week of storms and heavy rains in
in Mozambique and Malawi that have killed more than 100 people and destroyed
thousands of homes.
SPORTS
Kohli, Bumrah retain no. 1 spot in
ODI rankings
Indian captain Virat Kohli and fast
bowler Jasprit Bumrah have retained their respective
number one positions in the ICC ODI player rankings. Kohli
and vice-captain Rohit Sharma, who are ranked one and two in the batsmen
rankings respectively while New Zealand’s former captain Ross Taylor has
managed to retain the third spot.In the list for bowlers led by Bumrah,
two formerly top-ranked players have made significant gains. New Zealand fast
bowler Trent Boult has moved up one place to second while South African
leg-spinner Imran Tahir has gained seven slots to reach the fourth place.
AWARDS
Manmohan Singh presents award to
Arun Jaitley for implementing GST
Former Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh presented the BusinessLine Changemaker Of The Year award to
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over successful implementation
of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Jaitley received the award on
behalf of the GST Council. The award was
also presented to the petitioners against Section 377 of the Indian
Penal Code, which criminalised homosexuality.
OBITUARIES
Goa CM Manohar Parrikar passes away
Goa Chief Minister Manohar
Gopalakrishna Prabhu Parrikar passed away in Panaji after a prolonged
illness. He was 63. He was diagnosed with a pancreatic ailment in February last
year. He served as Chief Minister of the state during October 2000 to February
2005; and March 2012 to November 2014. From November 2014 till March 2017, he
served as the Union Defence Minister. Mr Parrikar returned to Goa in March 2017
as the State Chief Minister.
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18TH MARCH 2019
WhatsApp, NASSCOM to impart digital literacy
In a bid to curb fake news during the general
elections, WhatsApp and NASSCOM Foundation came
together to impart digital literacy training. As
part of the partnership, WhatsApp and NASSCOM Foundation will train nearly
1,00,000 Indians to spot false information and provide tips and tricks to stay
safe on WhatsApp. The training will be
imparted by volunteers from NASSCOM Foundation who
will launch the“each one teach three” campaign that
mandates every volunteer to share their learnings with three more persons
leading to a network effect. Aspiring volunteers can register at www.mykartavya.nasscomfoundation.org. Extra info.: NASSCOM Headquarters: Noida, U.P.
BUSINESS &
ECONOMY
ICICI Lombard, Mobikwik to offer online fraud
protection policy
ICICI Lombard and Mobikwik announced a
strategic partnership to provide cyber-insurance cover. The
relationship aims to provide protection against unauthorised and fraudulent
transactions online, across bank accounts, debit & credit cards and mobile
wallets. MobiKwik users can avail the
commercial cyber-insurance policy underwritten by ICICI Lombard and enjoy the
benefit of stress-free and secured transactions. It can be availed atRs
99 per month and with a sum insured of Rs 50,000.
SPORTS
Diksha Dagar becomes youngest Indian woman to win on
Ladies European Tour
Diksha wrote her own piece of history
by becoming the youngest Indian woman to win on the Ladies
European Tour (LET) in Cape Town, South Africa. In 2016 Diksha
was given a place to play at India’s biggest women’s pro event, the Hero
Women’s Indian Open. It was her first appearance on the LET and the then
15-year-old from Haryana made the cut and finished as the top amateur.
K T Irfan becomes first Indian athlete to qualify for
Tokyo Olympics
National record holder K.T. Irfan became
the first Indian from athletics to qualify for the next year’s Olympics while
finishing fourth in the 20 km event of the Asian Race Walking
Championships in Nomi, Japan. The Olympics qualification period for
all other athletics events will start from May 1 this year and will run till
June 29, 2020.No other Indian from athletics has so far qualified for Tokyo
Olympics. Two other Indians, Devinder Singh and
Valtteri Bottas wins Australia GP for Mercedes
Mercedes team Formula One (F1) driver Valtteri Bottas won
his first champion in the Australian Grand Prix held
in Melbourne. It was the fourth time in as many years that Hamilton has taken
pole position in Australia only to finish second.
Mukesh Ambani tops list of world’s richest sports
team owners
Reliance Industries chairman and Asia’s
richest man Mukesh Ambani recently topped Forbes’ The World’s
Richest Sports Team Owners 2019 list. With a total net worth of
about $50 billion, Ambani topped the list. He bought the IPL team Mumbai
Indians for over $100 million in 2008 through a RIL subsidiary. Former
Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer who own the Los Angeles Clippers team follows
Ambani at the second spot in the list. He purchased the basketball team for
about $2 billion after he retired from Microsoft.Red Bull energy drink company
founder Dietrich Mateschitz followed at number three spot. He owns Red Bull
Toro Rosso Honda, Formula One team Red Bull Racing and MLS club New York Red
Bulls.
APPOINTMENTS
Former SC Judge Pinaki Chandra Ghose Will Be India’s
1st Lokpal
Former Supreme Court judge, Pinaki Chandra
Ghose, is all set to become the first Lokpal of India.
The PM Narendra Modi-led selection committee chose
Ghose’s name from a panel of names recommended by an eight-member search
committee. Ghosh will preside over the Lokpal as chairman and will be
assisted by a panel of four judicial and four non-judicial members. The Lokpal
will look into allegations of corruption against public functionaries,
including the Prime Minister, and will be the first anti-corruption ombudsman
with an independent inquiry wing and prosecution wing.
Fashion designer Ritu Beri appointed cultural
ambassador of Uzbekistan in India
Indian fashion designer Ritu Beri has
been appointed as the Cultural and Tourism Ambassador of
Uzbekistan in India by the Ministry of Tourism of Uzbekistan. The
designer has been working towards bringing the two countries closer by using
the cultures from both the nations in her clothing collections. Beri who is the first Indian to be appointed
to this position aims to further deepen ties between the two countries through
her work going forward. Extra info.:
Uzbekistan Capital: Tashkent
Currency: Uzbekistani som
President: Shavkat Mirziyoyev
Uzbekistan Capital: Tashkent
Currency: Uzbekistani som
President: Shavkat Mirziyoyev
IMPORTANT DAYS
Global Recycling Day
The Global Recycling Foundation has
announced the second annual Global Recycling Day will
feature a “Recycling into the Future” theme. The
second annual event takes place March 18.The Global
Recycling Foundation was formed in October 2018 by the Bureau of
International Recycling (BIR), Brussels, in an effort to support the
promotion of recycling, and the recycling industry, across the world in order
to showcase its vital role in preserving the future of the planet. This
year’s event will focus on the importance and power of youth, innovation and
education in ensuring a brighter future for the world.
19th MARCH 2019
Africa-India joint field training
exercise (AFINDEX-19) starts in Pune
The inaugural Africa-India
Field Training Exercise-2019 for India and African nations
called AFINDEX-19 started with a grand opening ceremony at
Aundh Military Station, Pune. Contingents of the 17 African
Nations came together for the opening ceremony along with a contingent of
Maratha Light Infantry representing India.
The aim of the exercise is to practice the participating nations in
planning and conduct of Humanitarian Mine Assistance and Peace Keeping
Operations.
Maldives Sign Agreement With Exim
Bank To Finance Infrastructure Projects
Maldives finance ministry has signed an agreement with India’s
Export-Import bank (EXIM)for line of credit (LOC) of 800 million US
dollars to finance the new government’s infrastructure projects. The
agreement with EXIM Bank was signed in presence of External Affairs Sushma
Swaraj two-day visit to Male. The concessional loans will be used
to provide water and sewerage services on several islands. The external affairs minister also announced
the Indian government’s decision to renew the quota for essential commodities,
including river sand and stone aggregate for 3 years with effect on
April 1. Extra info.:
Maldives Capital: Male Currency: Maldivian rufiyaa
Maldives Capital: Male Currency: Maldivian rufiyaa
BANKING
& FINANCE
Net Direct Tax Collection Figure Has
Crossed The Rs 10 Lakh Crore Mark
The net direct tax collection figure
has crossed the Rs 10 lakh crore mark helped
by the fourth and final installment of tax payment. The net direct tax collection
during April-January of this fiscal stood at Rs 7.89 lakh crore as against Rs
12 lakh crore targeted for the entire fiscal of 2018-19.However, the GST
collection is expected to rise to Rs 7.61 lakh crore in the next fiscal.
SPORTS
Asian wrestling championship taken
away from India, to be now held in Thailand
The United World Wrestling (UWW) has
taken away the hosting rights from India for
the junior Asian Championship. It is the first sporting event to be
taken away from India after the denial of visas to Pakistan’s shooters last
month for the ISSF World Cup prompted the International Olympic Committee to
censure the Indian Olympic Association. The
UWW had asked all its affiliated federations to suspend all communication with
the Wrestling Federation of India. Extra
info.: UWW Headquarters:
Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland
Thailand Capital: Bangkok
Currency: Thai baht
Thailand Capital: Bangkok
Currency: Thai baht
Rajasthan Royals launches cricket
academy in UK
The Indian Premier League (IPL)
franchise Rajasthan Royals launched its first cricket academy in the UK. The
Star Cricket Academy based at Reed’s School in Surrey joined hands
with Rajasthan Royals to relaunch the facility as the ‘Rajasthan Royals
Academy’. It has a state-of-the-art
cricket centre named the Jarrett Centre with an indoor cricket
training facility run by former professional batsman Siddharth Lahiri, along
with his team of elite coaches.
APPOINTMENTS
Pramod Sawant sworn in as Goa CM
Former Speaker of Goa legislative
assembly and BJP MLA Pramod Sawant was sworn in as the 11th
Chief Minister of Goa. Vijai Sardesai from the Goa Forward Party and
Sudin Dhavalikar from Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, both alliance partners,
have been inducted as Deputy Chief Ministers.
AWARDS
C Prem Kumar Clinched Gollapudi
Srinivas award for his Tamil film ‘96’
C Prem Kumar’s 96, with Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha, has clinched this
year’s Gollapudi Srinivas Award. The prize money of Rs 1.5
lakhs will be handed over to the first-time director on August 12. The award,
which was first announced in 1997, went to Leslie Carvalho’s debut work. Since
then many first works have been honoured with the Gollapudi Srinivas trophy.
Shyamaprasad’s Agni Sakshi (Malayalam), Shonali’s Bose’s Amu (English), Aamir
Khan’s Taare Zameen Par (Hindi) and Gyan Correa’s The Good Road (Gujarati) are
some of the award winners.
Hindi Writer Leeladhar Jagudi Will
Be Honoured With The Vyas Samman 2018
Noted Hindi writer Leeladhar Jagudi will be conferred with the Vyas Samman 2018 for
his collection of poems ‘Jitne Log Utne Prem.’ Along with a
cash prize of Rs 4 lakh, he will be given a citation. The award was initiated
in 1991 by the KK Birla Foundation.
20TH MARCH 2019
Centre approved the name change of a
Nagaland village Old Mangkhi to Mungankhun
The Centre has given its consent for changing the name of
a village in Nagaland, taking to nearly two dozens the number of
name-change proposals, including those of towns and railway stations, to be
cleared in the past one year. The ODL Mangkhi village in Tuensang
district of the northeastern state will be known as Mungankhun
village. The central government has
given its ‘no-objection’ to renaming of 22 villages, towns and railway stations
across the country since December 2017.
Defence Ministry clears proposal to
buy 10 lakh ‘Made in India’ hand grenades for Army
Defence Ministry cleared a major project for the Indian Army for
the acquisition of 10 lakh ‘Made in India’ multi-mode hand grenades. The
new hand grenades will replace the existing inventory, HE-36 grenades
manufactured by the Ordnance Factory Board. The multi-mode grenades have been
developed by the DRDO.
ICF Chennai becomes worlds largest
rail coach manufacturer
Integral Coach Factory (ICF), the rail coach manufacturing factory at Chennai,
which became famous for manufacturing Train 18, has become the single largest
rail coach manufacturer in the world surpassing top Chinese
manufacturers. The manufacturing
facility of Indian Railways in Chennai manufactured 2,919 coaches from April
2018 to February 2019 against 2,600 coaches manufactured by top Chinese
manufacturers.ICF has set a target to manufacture 3,200 coaches in this
financial year 2019. Extra info.: Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, Tamil
Nadu, was established in 1952 and is owned and operated by the Indian Railways.
Mobile app developed by IIPHG, PHFI
to combat exam pressure
A mobile application to cope with exam related stress and anxiety for
students and their parents has been developed by Indian Institute of
Public Health Gandhinagar, Gujarat, (IIPHG)in collaboration with National
Mental Health Program, Department of Health and Family Welfare,
Government of Gujarat. The mobile application is called ‘Conquer Exam,
Be a Warrior.’ The app that has open
access reminds students to stay motivated. It enables students to share their
creative memorizing learning tips with others as they can write their success
stories and share funny school experiences.
Google unveils Cloud gaming service
Stadia
Google has unveiled its Cloud gaming service called Stadia at
the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco. Google
CEO Sundar Pichai introduced the Stadia service during a
special keynote at the GDC. The platform is essentially a Cloud-based
infrastructure where game developers would be able to design and write games to
run directly on the Internet giant’s hardware at data centres.
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
Kazakhstan President Nazarbayev
resigns after 30 yrs
Kazakhstan President Nursultan
Nazarbayev resigned from his position
after nearly 30 years in power. Nazarbayev, 78, who has led Kazakhstan since
its independence from the Soviet Union, announced his resignation. The Speaker of the upper house of
Parliament, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, would take over as acting
president for the remainder of his term. The announcement came weeks after
Nazarbayev sacked the Kazakhstan government, citing failures to improve the
economy. Extra info.: Kazakhstan Capital: Astana
Currency: Tenge
Currency: Tenge
BUSINESS
& ECONOMY
IBBI, SEBI sign MoU for better
implementation of IBC
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board
of India (IBBI) signed a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) with the Securities and Exchange Board
of India (SEBI) for effective implementation of the new
bankruptcy law. Executive Directors Anand Baiwar of the SEBI and
Ritesh Kavdia of the IBBI signed the pact which provides for sharing
information and resources.
·
Other areas of cooperation under the
MoU include cross-training of staff, effective utilisation of collective
resources as well as capacity building of insolvency professionals and financial
creditors.
·
Extra
info.:
IBBI Headquarters: New Delhi
Chairperson: M. S. Sahoo
SEBI Headquarters: Mumbai
Chairperson: Ajay Tyagi
IBBI Headquarters: New Delhi
Chairperson: M. S. Sahoo
SEBI Headquarters: Mumbai
Chairperson: Ajay Tyagi
·
APPOINTMENTS
Gauri Sawant Becomes India’s 1st
Transgender Election Ambassador
The Election Commission of India has appointed transgender social activist Gauri
Sawant, as one of the 12 election ambassadors from
Maharashtra. During 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha elections there was no record of
transgender voters. Following the Supreme Court order, transgenders got the
right to vote for the first time in 2014. In 2014, 918 voters were registered
in this third category. This number has doubled in five years and now it is
2,086. Gauri Sawant’s appointment
would help in more people from this category getting registered during the
final phase of voters enrollment. She would visit every transgender and inspire
them about the need for voting.
AWARDS
Raghu Karnad awarded
Windham-Campbell prize in the UK for his debut book
Journalist and writer Raghu Karnad won the $165,000 Windham-Campbell Prize in
the non-fiction category for his debut book, The Farthest Field: An
Indian Story Of The Second World War. Karnad is the second Indian to
receive the prestigious prize, since Jerry Pinto won it for his novel, Em And
The Big Hoom, in 2016.
·
American writer Rebecca Solnit is
the other awardee in the non-fiction category for the diverse body of work she
has produced over her career.
Mathematician Karen Uhlenbeck
becomes 1st Woman To Win Abel Prize
The Norwegian Academy of Science and
Letters named U.S
mathematician Karen Keskulla Uhlenbeck as the winner of the 2019
Abel Prize. Named after 19th Century Norwegian mathematician Niels
Henrik Abel, the prize is awarded to laureates who have made extraordinary
contributions to the field of mathematics. She is the first
woman to be awarded this top honor in mathematics, which will be
presented to her by His Majesty King Harald V at an award
ceremony in Oslo, Norway on May 21.
IMPORTANT
DAYS
World Sparrow Day
Every year March 20 is
observed as World Sparrow Day to raise awareness about the bird. The
need for marking this day was felt due to the tremendous decrease in its
population. The house sparrow is on the verge of extinction. This year the theme for
World Sparrow Day is I Love Sparrows. The theme has been inspired
by the hope that more and more of us will celebrate the relationship between
people and sparrows.
International Day Of Happiness
The International Day of Happiness is celebrated on March 20 every year
since 2013. The day was founded and materialised by United Nations special
advisor Jayme Illien to inspire and spread a global happiness
movement. The theme for
International Day of Happiness 2019 is Happier Together. The
day will also be promoted around the central theme – ‘Share Happiness
and be Part of Something Amazing’.
21ST MARCH 2019
Kazakhstan to rename country’s
capital Astana as Nursultan
Kazakhstan’s parliament voted to rename the country’s capital Astana
as Nursultan in honour of longtime ruler Nursultan Nazarbayev,
a day after he resigned as president. Astana is now officially renamed
Nursultan. Kazakhstan’s new interim president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed
renaming the capital. Astana replaced
Kazakhstan’s largest city Almaty as the capital in 1997.
BANKING
& FINANCE
SBI inks pact with Bank of China for
business opportunities
SBI has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU)
with Bank of China, third-largest bank in the world by capital size and one
of the major players in the Chinese banking sector, to enhance business
synergies between both the banks. This MoU will facilitate the clients of both
the banks to access banking products and services of each other, which will
lead to a mutually beneficial relationship.
Through this pact, both SBI and BoC will gain direct access to their
respective markets of operation. Both banks’ clients will be able to use the
vast combined network to expand their businesses abroad.
SPORTS
Deal signed to host T10 league for
five years in Abu Dhabi
The Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu
Dhabi will be the new home of T10
cricket for the next five years, starting with the 2019 season. Abu
Dhabi Cricket (ADC), in partnership with Abu Dhabi Sports Council
(ADSC) and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi
(DCT Abu Dhabi), has signed a five-year agreement with the organizers of
the T10 Cricket League.T10 was first introduced to the UAE in 2017.
The first match of the T10 League 2019 will be held on October 23.
India wins 368 medals at Special
Olympics World Summer Games
India returned with 368 medals, including 85 gold, at the Special
Olympics World Summer Games which was held at Abu Dhabi, UAE from
March 14 to 21. The Indian team of 284 athletes also clinched 154 silver and
129 bronze medals in its highly successful campaign at the prestigious event. Indian powerlifters bagged the maximum number
of medals — 20 gold, 33 silver and 43 bronze. Roller Skating earned India 49
medals — 13 gold, 20 silver and 16 bronze.
APPOINTMENTS
Sudin Dhavalikar, Vijay Sardesai
Appointed Goa Deputy CMs
Sudin Dhavalikar and Vijai Sardesai were appointed deputy chief ministers in the
BJP led government in Goa. The development came soon after Chief
Minister Pramod Sawant proved the majority of his two-day old
government in the state Assembly floor test without any hiccups.Dhavalikar and
Sardesai, who represent Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and Goa Forward
Party respectively, were sworn in as ministers along with
Sawant.
EC appoints Shailendra Handa &
Madhu Mahajan as Special Expenditure Observers
Election Commission has appointed two eminent former Civil Servants Shailendra
Handa and Ms. Madhu Mahajan as Special Expenditure Observers for the
upcoming Lok Sabha Elections. Shailendra Handa has been deployed in Maharashtra and
Madhu Mahajan has been deployed in Tamil Nadu. The Special Observers will supervise and
monitor the work being done by the electoral machinery.
AWARDS/
RECOGNITION
Political psychoanalyst Ashis Nandy
honoured with Hans Kilian Award
Sociologist and political
psychoanalyst Ashis Nandy was named recipient of Hans Kilian Award for
the year 2019. He was chosen for his efforts to adapt western
traditions of thought such as psychoanalysis to non-western context.He is
internationally renowned political psychologist, social theorist, and critic from
India.
Piyush Goyal among seven Indians in
‘World’s 100 Most Influential People in Climate Policy for 2019’
Union Ministers Piyush Goyal
and Dr Harsh Vardhan are among the 7 Indians who have been named in
the ‘World’s 100 Most Influential People in Climate Policy for 2019’ for
taking steps in order to combat climate change. Piyush Goyal has led the fast
track electrification of nearly 18,000 unelectrified villages while Harsh
Vardhan launched the anti-plastic bag campaign in Delhi and the “Green Shopper Campaign”,
which promotes business partnerships with manufacturing of environment-friendly
products Mukta Tilak, Jyoti Kirit
Parikh, Sunita Narain, Vandana Shiva, Upendra Tripathy & Varshini Prakash
were among other people.
IMPORTANT
DAYS
International Day for the
Elimination of Racial Discrimination
The International Day for the
Elimination of Racial Discrimination is
observed annually on 21 March. On that day, in 1960, police opened
fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville, South
Africa, against the apartheid pass laws. The theme of
this year is, “Mitigating and countering of rising nationalist populism
and extreme supremacist ideologies”.
International Day of Forests
The United Nations General Assembly
proclaimed 21 March the International Day of Forests (IDF) in 2012. The Day celebrates and raises awareness of
the importance of all types of forests. On each International Day of Forests,
countries are encouraged to undertake local, national and international efforts
to organize activities involving forests and trees, such as tree planting
campaigns. The theme for
each International Day of Forests is chosen by the Collaborative Partnership on
Forests. The theme for 2019 is Forests and Education.
22ND
MARCH 2019
India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol
(Ind-Indo Corpat) commences at Port Blair
33rd edition of India, Indonesia
Coordinated Patrol (Ind-Indo Corpat) commenced at Port Blair, Andaman &
Nicobar Islands. It aimed at consolidating
interoperability and strengthen existing bonds of friendship between India
and Indonesia. The joint patrolling
is conducted by navies of both countries near International Maritime Boundary
Line in an effort to keep Indian Ocean region (IOR) safe and secure for
commercial shipping and international trade.
·
Extra
info.: Indonesia Capital: Jakarta Currency: Rupiah
First Ever High-Level Dialogue On
Indo-Pacific Cooperation (HLD-IPC) Held In Jakarta
The first ever High-Level
Dialogue on Indo-Pacific Cooperation (HLD-IPC) was held in Jakarta, capital
of Indonesia. It was organized by Government of Indonesia and
saw participation of 18 countries Indo-Pacific region including India. It
was first forum for the 18 countries to discuss the concept of Indo-Pacific.
Its theme was‘Towards a Peaceful, Prosperous, and Inclusive
Region’.
CBSE Launches Shiksha Vani App
The Central Board of Secondary
Education (CBSE) launched a new podcast app ‘Shiksha
Vani’ earlier this week. This app will disseminate crucial information
to students and parents in a timely manner.
The CBSE board also mentioned that its first episode, on the evaluation
process of Class 10 and 12 board examinations, has been released on the
platform. This episode is helpful for all the students, as when the
examinations proceed, the episode helps students understand how their completed
papers will be evaluated.
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
Finland is the happiest nation,
India slips 7 spots, ranks 140th
Indians are not as happy in 2019 as
they were in 2018 and the country figures at 140th place,
seven spots down from last year, on UN World Happiness Report- 2019. The
list is topped by Finland for the second year in a row. The
report was released by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network
for the United Nations. Finland
has been ranked as the happiest country in the world for the second year in
succession. The Nordic nation is followed by Denmark, Norway, Iceland and The
Netherlands. Extra info.: Finland Capital: Helsinki Dialing
Currency: Euro
Currency: Euro
Chuddies enters Oxford English
Dictionary in its March update
The Indian word for underpants –
chuddies – has become the latest entry to the Oxford English Dictionary. Chuddies is one of the 650 words added to the Oxford
English Dictionaryas part of its effort to expand coverage of regional
vocabularies. Added in the quarterly March update, chuddies now joins the ranks
of pony bottles, jibbons and kitbasher, among others. Identifying it is an Indian English word in
origin, the entry for chuddies in the Oxford English Dictionary provides its
meaning: “Short trousers, shorts. Now usually: underwear; underpants.”
BANKING
& FINANCE
BoB-Dena-Vijaya Bank to be injected
with Rs 5K cr
The Bank of Baroda may get Rs 5,000
capital infusion from the Finance
Ministry ahead of its united operations as a merged entity along with
the Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank from April 1.In February, the
government approved Rs 48,239-crore recap bonds in 12 PSBs. The merger will
create India’s third largest bank with a total business of over Rs 14.82 lakh
crore.
BUSINESS
& ECONOMY
Fitch slashes India growth forecast
from 7 pc to 6.8 pc
Global rating agency Fitch has
cut its India’s economic growth forecast to 6.8 per cent for 2019-20 from
the earlier estimate of 7 per cent due to weak momentum in manufacturing and
agriculture. However, it said India economic growth forecast is expected to be 7.1
per cent in 2020-21. On a global
level, Fitch said while China and other emerging markets are a key source of
weaker demand, there is no onset of a global recession. Extra info.:
Fitch Headquarters: New York
Fitch Headquarters: New York
India one of world’s fastest growing
large economies: IMF
India has been one of the fastest
growing large economies in the world,
the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said. India has of
course been one of the world’s fastest growing large economies of late, with
growth averaging about 7 per cent over the past five years. Extra info.: IMF Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United
States Membership: 189 countries
SPORTS
India lose Jr. Davis and Fed Cup
hosting rights, to be held in Bangkok now
After the Balakot air strikes,
Pakistan’s air space was shut down and it has resulted in Indialosing
the hosting rights of the junior Davis Cup and Fed Cup. A total of 16
Davis Cup team were to travel to India for the annual competition. The junior Davis
Cup was to be held from April 8-13 while the Fed Cup matches were scheduled
from April 15-20. Both the competitions
will now be held in Bangkok, Thailand.
Blossom-themed Olympic torch
unveiled for Tokyo 2020 Games
The torch design for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic
and Paralympic Games was unveiled exactly a year
before the flame is due to arrive in Japan from Greece. The theme of
the pink gold torch centres on ‘sakura’ or cherry blossom in Japan, which
arrives every spring to much fanfare, and it was designed with input from
children from the areas most severely damaged by the 2011 earthquake and
tsunami. The theme of the Tokyo Games is
reconstruction from the 2011 disaster and the torch relay will begin in Miyagi
prefecture another area deeply affected on March 20 next year.
Chennai City crowned I-League
champions
Chennai City FC was officially crowned the I-League champion in
front of representatives of other clubs and bigwigs of All India
Football Federation (AIFF) at a function in Chennai. I-League
CEO Sunando Dhar praised Rohit Ramesh, the owner of Chennai City, for the brand
of football his team had dished out in the tournament.
OBITUARIES
Renowned Indian artist Haku Shah
passes away
Renowned Indian artist Haku Shah, best known for his themes of tribal and folk art,
passed away following a cardiac arrest at his home in Ahmedabad. He was 85. Fondly known as “Haku bhai”, the
award-winning artist also set up the first of its kind Crafts Village –
Shilpgram in Udaipur in Rajasthan in the 1980s.
Kannada Actor L.V. Sharada passes
away
Acclaimed actor of
yesteryears L V Sharada who played an iconic role in the
award-winning movie Phaniyamma passed away in Bengaluru. She entered the
Kannada filmdom through ‘Vamsha Vruksha’ (1971) and won the state award for best
actress in her debut role ‘Kathyayini’. She was78. This apart, Sharada had acted in several
other movies, including Adi Shankaracharya, Madhwacharya, Ondu Premada Kathe
and Nakkala Rajakumari.
IMPORTANT
DAYS
World Water Day
World Water Day is celebrated every year on March 22. The
idea behind observing this day is focusing on the importance of water and need
to conserve it. The World Water Day theme2019 is “Leaving
no one behind”. World Water Day was
first observed in 1993 by United Nations General Assembly. This year is 26th
World Water Day.
23RD MARCH 2019
ADB To Invest $50 million In Solar
Power Project Developer Avaada
Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it has inked an agreement to invest USD 50
million in solar energy project developer Avaada Energy Pvt
Ltd to help the company scale up rapidly. The investment will come
equally from ADB’s Ordinary Capital Resources and Leading
Asia’s Private Infrastructure Fund (LEAP).
The project will contribute to the strategy of the government to
increase the share of renewable energy generation capacity from about 20 per
cent in 2018 to 40 per cent by 2030. LEAP is a funding
arrangement provided by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) which
is administered by ADB. Extra
info.:
ADB Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines President: Takehiko Nakao
ADB Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines President: Takehiko Nakao
Xiaomi Launches Mi Pay, UPI-Based
Payments App in India
Xiaomi launched Mi Pay, its very own Unified Payments Interface (UPI) based
payments service in India. The app is already available in China and was first
introduced in India last December in beta mode.
The Chinese electronics company partnered with National Payments
Corporation of India (NPCI) who approved it and ICICI Bank to
launch the app in India.
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
Nepal: India-funded Siddheshwar
Education Public Campus inaugurated
The campus building for Siddheshwar
Education Public Campus in Bamti Bhandar of Ramechhap district was
inaugurated in a public function organised jointly by the District Coordination
Committee and Campus Management Committee. The new infrastructure constructed
with the Indian Government’s grant assistance of NRs 35.50 million. The newly built infrastructure will not only
boost the learning environment of students but also enhance access to education
for the needy, poor and marginalised students of Ramechhap district and
adjoining area.
BOOKS
& AUTHORS
Book ‘The Great Disappointment: How
Narendra Modi Squandered a Unique Opportunity to Transform the Indian Economy’
written by Salman Anees Soz released
The Great Disappointment: How
Narendra Modi Squandered a Unique Opportunity to Transform the Indian Economy” attempts to answer the overarching question of whether
or not the Modi government transformed India’s economy and what the next
government’s agenda should look like.
Written by economic and political commentator Salman Anees Soz,
the book is also a critical assessment of five years of the brand of economics
Modi has championed, often referred to as ‘Modinomics’. It was published
by Penguin Random House India.
BUSINESS
& ECONOMY
In a 1st, SpiceJet Joins
International Air Transport Association
SpiceJet has joined global airlines’
grouping IATA as a member, becoming
the first Indian low-cost carrier to get the membership. The
International Air Transport Association (IATA)represents more than 290
airlines, including Air India, Jet Airways and Vistara. The
membership would help SpiceJet, which has ambitious expansion plans, to have
codeshares and agreements with other carriers.
Extra info.: IATA
Headquarters: Montreal, Canada
APPOINTMENTS
Aamir Khan Appointed as PhonePe’s
Brand Ambassador
PhonePe, India’s fastest growing payments platform announced
appointed of Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan as its brand Ambassador. PhonePe
is also an official co-presenting sponsor for the television broadcast of VIVO
IPL 2019, and will be launching a series of new TV ads featuring Aamir Khan
during this season. TV ads and his mass
appeal as a national icon will help PhonePe create awareness about the benefits
of digital payments for users across India.
Vice Admiral Karambir Singh
appointed as next Navy Chief
Vice Admiral Karambir Singh will be the next Chief of Naval Staff. He
will be appointed after Admiral Sunil Lanba, who retires in May this year,
vacates office. He is serving as the Flag Officer Commanding in Chief of the
Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam.
Commissioned into the Indian Navy in July 1980, the officer earned his
wings as a helicopter pilot in 1982. In his 36-year-old career, the officer has
commanded an Indian Coast Guard Ship, a Naval Missile Corvette as well as
Guided Missile Destroyers.
IMPORTANT
DAYS
Martyr’s Day
Martyrs day in India is celebrated
to pay homage to the victims who fought for the freedom, welfare and progress
of the India and sacrificed their lives. On 23 March, India
marks Martyrs’ Day in the memories of three freedom
fighters Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev, who were hanged to
death on this day in Lahore Central Jail in 1931.
The day is also known as Shaheed Diwas.
World Tuberculosis Day
World TB Day, which is observed on 24 March every year,
is designed to raise public awareness regarding the epidemic of TB
(tuberculosis) and efforts of eliminating the disease. The date marks the day
in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch announced that he had discovered
the bacterium that causes TB, which opened the way towards diagnosing and
curing this disease. The theme for World TB Day 2019 will
be ‘It’s TIME’.
24TH MARCH 2019
Italy becomes first G7 nation to
join China’s BRI
Despite a warning by United
States, Italy joined China’s signature foreign policy Belt and Road
initiative (BRI), making it the first G7 country to
officially do so. China and Italy also a Memorandum of Understanding in this
regard. Already, China has signed BRI cooperation agreements with over 40
countries. Facing the third recession in
a decade, Italy has defended its action saying that Chinese investment is good
for their country. Extra info.: The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI),
also known as the One Belt One Road (OBOR) or the Silk
Road Economic Belt and the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road,
is a development strategy adopted by the Chinese government involving
infrastructure development and investments in 152 countries and international
organizations in Europe, Asia, Middle East, Latin America and Africa.
Facebook Announces Artificial
Intelligence for Social Good Summit
With a vision to leverage the power
of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to deliver social good,Facebook has
announced its inaugural ‘AI for India Summit’ focused on discussing
inclusive growth and solutions to the most enduring social challenges. The
one-day summit will be held on 26 March in Bangalore. The Summit will bring together key
representatives from the AI community in India such as policy makers,
start-ups, and the developer community.
BOOKS
& AUTHORS
Book ‘Every Vote Counts’ authored by
Navin Chawla released
Former Chief Election Commissioner
of India Navin Chawla’s latest book ‘Every Vote Counts’, was
launched at New Delhi’s Taj Mahal Hotel on Man Singh Road. Navin Chawla’s book
was launched by former Vice President of India, Hamid Ansari. The book published by HarperCollins
India. Every Vote Counts is a fascinating, informative account that
gives us a kaleidoscopic view of how the electoral machinery works in the world
s largest democracy.
SPORTS
Raina becomes first player to score
5,000 IPL runs
Suresh Raina added another feather to his illustrious cap in
Chennai as the Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) batsman became the first in
the Indian Premier League (IPL) history to amass 5,000 runs. The Uttar
Pardesh cricketer also has 35 fifties in the league beside a century, averaging
34.27. Raina is followed by India
skipper Virat Kohli, who has 4,954 runs from 164 games, containing four
hundreds and 34 fifties.
China wins 2019 badminton Asia mixed
team trophy
China won the 2019 badminton Asia
mixed team championships by
defeating Japan 3-2 in the final in Hong Kong. China took the lead
1-0 after He Jiting and Du Yue overcame Japanese pair Yuta Watanabe and Arisa
Higashino in the mixed doubles. In the
women’s doubles, Li Yinhui and Du Fu sealed the win for China by beating Ayako
Sakuramoto and Yukiko Takahata.
Former world number 6 badminton
player Joachim Persson banned over match-fixing
Denmark’s Joachim Persson has been banned for 18 months for
offences linked to betting and match-fixing. The 36-year-old former world
number six was found guilty of “four violations of the code of conduct in
relation to betting, wagering and irregular match results”. The violations include failing to disclose
details of an approach and not cooperating fully with investigations conducted
by the Badminton World Federation.
Extra info.:
Badminton World Federation Headquarters: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Badminton World Federation Headquarters: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
25TH
MARCH 2019
India ranks 76th on WEF Global
Energy Transition Index
India has moved up two places to rank 76th on
a global energy transition index. This annual list, compiled by Geneva-based
World Economic Forum (WEF). The report, released by the WEF, said
India is amongst the countries with high pollution levels and has a relatively
high CO2 intensity in its energy system.
India is also the second best in the BRICS block of emerging economies,
with Brazil being the best at 46th place globally. However, India is the only
amongst the five economies to improve its rank since last year. Extra info.:
WEF Headquarters: Cologny, Switzerland
WEF Headquarters: Cologny, Switzerland
Delhi IGI Airport becomes the 12th
busiest in the world as per ACI report
The nation capital’s Indira
Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has now become the world’s
12th busiest airport, moving up four places from the 16th spot in 2017.
According to the preliminary world airport traffic rankings for 2018
released by the Airports Council International (ACI) , it over took
mega-hubs like Frankfurt, Dallas Forth Worth, Guangzhou and Istanbul Ataturk
airports. India became the world’s
third-largest aviation market in terms of passenger throughput, behind the US
and China, in 2018. The ACI’s World Airport Traffic Forecasts also
predicts the country will represent the third largest aviation market in terms
of passenger throughput after the US and China by 2020.
NITI Aayog’s FinTech Conclave held
in New Delhi
NITI Aayog has organized a day-long FinTech Conclave at
Dr. Ambedkar International Center, New Delhi. The Conclave was
inaugurated by RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das. The objective of the
conference is to shape India’s continued ascendancy in FinTech, build the
narrative for future strategy and policy efforts, and to deliberate steps for
comprehensive financial inclusion.
Yarn bank set up to help weavers in
crisis
A yarn bank has been set up at the Mysore Powerloom Silk
Manufacturers Cooperative Society on Avenue Road to benefit the
state’s weavers. The bank, regardless of
the price rise in the open market and the menace of middlemen, ensures a steady
supply of yarn to the weavers from southern Karnataka. The bank will purchase
yarn at the wholesale rate from producers with a corpus instituted by the
Centre and a special purpose vehicle (SPV).
BUSINESS
& ECONOMY
Naresh Goyal steps down as Jet
Airways Chairman
Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal stepped down, paving way for lenders to bail out the
financially troubled airline he set up 25 years ago. The airline has over one
billion dollars in debt and has to repay money to banks, lessors of planes and
suppliers besides clearing pending salaries to its pilots. The board meeting held in Mumbai also decided
on ways to procure interim funding.
For housing finance companies, FY20
looks as bad as FY19: Icra report
The liquidity crisis has crimped
credit growth for housing finance companies (HFCs) and is
unlikely to improve much in FY20, even as the weak external environment will
put a pressure on asset quality, warns a report. HFCs are expected to report a 13-15% credit
growth in FY19, which will inch up to 14-16% in next fiscal year, ratings
agency Icra has said in a weekend report.
Extra info.: Investment
Information and Credit Rating Agency of India Limited (ICRA) Headquarters:
Gurugram, India
World’s largest e-waste recycling
hub opens in Dubai
The world’s largest e-waste
recycling facility has opened in Dubai. Located
at the Dubai Industrial Park, the 280,000 square feet plant will process Waste
Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), IT asset disposition
(ITAD), refrigerant gas and specialised waste. The facility will utilise
state-of-the-art reclamation technology, which surpasses the European Union’s
standards for e-waste. The 120 million dirhams ($5 million) project is backed
by the Swiss Government Export Finance Agency.
SPORTS
Saina Nehwal named as TSJA sports
person of the year
Badminton ace Saina Nehwal
walked away with the Sportsperson of the Year award at the
annual Telangana Sports Journalists Association (TSJA) Awards
held at The Park. PV Sindhu was named the Outstanding Performer of the
Year (female), Pullela Gopichandwas awarded the Coach
of the Year and the Indian badminton team was named
the Team of the Year, while the Badminton Association of
Telangana was awarded the Association of the Year.
APPOINTMENTS
Govindaraj re-elected BFI president
K. Govindaraj was unanimously re-elected as president of
the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) at its annual
general-body meeting in Bengaluru. Chander Mukhi Sharma was re-elected
secretary-general. A new six-team
women’s league would be held inside the next three months, declared Govindaraj. Extra info.: Basketball Federation of India Headquarters:
New Delhi
AWARDS
Kenyan science teacher Peter Tabichi
wins 2019 Global Teacher Prize
A science teacher from rural Kenya,
who gives away most of his salary to support poorer pupils, has won a $1m prize
(£760,000) for the world’s best teacher. Peter Tabichi, a member of
the Franciscan religious order, won the 2019 Global Teacher Prize. The award, announced in a ceremony in
Dubai, recognises the “exceptional” teacher’s commitment to pupils in a remote
part of Kenya’s Rift Valley.
OBITUARIES
Noted folk artist Vinjamuri
Anasuyadevi passes away
Noted folk artist, music director
and writer Vinjamuri Anasuya Devi passed
away at Houston in the U.S. at the age of 99. A recipient of Kala Prapoorna
award, she got her first gramophone record at the age of 8 years. She composed and sang the famous patriotic
song Jaya Jaya Jaya Priya Bharathi written by her uncle
Devulapally Krishna Shastry. Her book Bhava Geetalu, a compilation
of folk songs, was released in Chennai last year.
Social activist Ghulam Nabi Rathar
passes away
Ghulam Nabi Rathar, 62, of Manigam Kangan, a social activist, passed away
after brief illness. Rather, a retired horticultural officer, was ex-chairman
of Shaheen Public High School Mamigam and owner of Alamdar Public school Wussan
Kangan.
IMPORTANT
DAYS
World Meteorological Day
World Meteorological Day takes place
every year on 23 March and commemorates
the coming into force on 23 March 1950 of the Convention establishing the
World Meteorological Organization. It showcases the essential
contribution of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services to the safety
and wellbeing of society and is celebrated with activities around the world. The theme for this year is “The
Sun, the Earth and the Weather”
26TH
MARCH 2019
Indian-Sri Lankan Joint Military
Exercise MITRASHAKTI–VI Begins
In a bid to further cement the
relationship between armies of both the nations, a contingent of Indian
Army left for Sri Lanka to participate in 6th edition of joint military
exercise “Mitra Shakti”, involving practicing tactical level operations in
an international Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorist environment under UN
mandate. Exercise Mitra Shakti-VI will
go a long way in further cementing relationship between both the nations and
will act as a catalyst in bringing bonhomie at grassroots levels amongst both
the armies.Extra info.:
Sri Lanka Capitals: Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
Currency: Sri Lankan rupee
Sri Lanka Capitals: Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
Currency: Sri Lankan rupee
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
INS Kadmatt at Langkawi, Malaysia to
Participate in LIMA-19
Indian Navy‘s frontline anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvette INS
Kadmatt reached atLangkawi in Malaysia, on a seven-day official
visit, to participate in Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace
(LIMA) Exhibition. The ship would be participating in numerous
activities planned as part of LIMA 19 during the seven days at Langkawi,
including the International Fleet Review (IFR) by the Prime
Minister of Malaysia, maritime and air demonstration, Sea Exercises with 29
other participating navies, cultural exchange programmes, cross visits to
ships, sporting events. Malaysia Capital: Kuala Lumpur
Currency: Malaysian ringgit
Currency: Malaysian ringgit
Norway gets world’s first wireless
charging station for taxis
Norway’s capital Oslo will
become the first city in the world to install wireless charging systems for
electric taxis, hoping to make recharging quick and efficient enough to
speed the takeup of non-polluting cabs. From 2023 onward all taxis in Oslo will
have to be zero emission and Norway wants all new cars to be zero emission by
2025. Extra info.:
Norway Capital: Oslo
Currency: Norwegian krone
Norway Capital: Oslo
Currency: Norwegian krone
BANKING
& FINANCE
RBI slaps Rs 2 crore penalty on PNB
The RBI has slapped a penalty of Rs
2 crore on Punjab National Bank (PNB) for
non-compliance of regulatory directions with regard to SWIFT operations.
SWIFT is a global messaging software used for transactions by financial
entities. Earlier this year, the Reserve Bank had imposed penalties worth
Rs 71 crore on 36 public, private and foreign banks for non-compliance with
various directions on time-bound implementation and strengthening of SWIFT
operations. However, the list did not include PNB.
BUSINESS
& ECONOMY
RBI appoints five-member committee
to deepen digital payments
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor
Shaktikanta Das has said that the central bank
of the country has appointed 5-member committee under the
chairmanship of Nandan Nilekani to further deepen
digital payments and enhance financial inclusion through Fintech. The objective of the conclave is to shape
India’s continued ascendancy in FinTech, build the narrative for future
strategy and policy efforts, and to deliberate steps for comprehensive
financial inclusion.
IMPORTANT
DAYS
International Day of Remembrance of
the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
Every year on 25 March, the
International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic
Slave Trade offers the opportunity to honour and remember those who
suffered and died at the hands of the brutal slavery system. The International
Day also aims to raise awareness about the dangers of racism and prejudice.
Facebook launches tools to boost
election engagement
Social-networking site Facebook
launched 2 new India-specific tools “Candidate Connect” and “Share You Voted” to
boost civic engagement on its platform during the general elections that
commence in April. While “Candidate
Connect” will help people learn more about candidates, the “Share You Voted”
will provide people with polling information and enable them to announce and
celebrate their vote.
Vijaywada Railway Station Gets ‘Gold
Rating’ For Green Measures
Vijayawada railway station, one of the busiest railway junctions in the country, has
received Gold Rating by the Indian Green Building Council. Council
Chairman Meka Vijaya Sai presented the gold rating shield to Divisional Railway
Manager R Dhananjayulu.The station boasts of 100 per cent LED lighting,five
star rated fans, pumps and motors and solar water heating systems.
Navy chief commissions ABHEDYA at
INS Shivaji in Lonavala
Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sunil
Lanba commissioned a state-of-the-art “Nuclear, Biological,
Chemical Training Facility – ABHEDYA”, at INS Shivaji in Lonavla. The
ceremony was attended by a host of dignitaries, including VAdm AK Chawla,
FOC-in-C Southern Naval Command, VAdm GS Pabby, Chief of Materiel and Cmde BB
Nagpal CMD, GSL.This unique facility will assist Indian Navy in providing
realistic simulation of Nuclear, Chemical & Biological warfare to its
personnel during their NBC damage control training, which till now was limited
to theoretical training largely.
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
Bangladesh celebrates 49th
Independence Day
Bangladesh celebrated the 49th
Independence Day amid tight security. The day
was celebrated with parades and paying of respects at Jatiyo Smriti Soudho,
national memorial at Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka. On March 26, Bangladesh commemorates the
declaration of independence on late hours of March 25, 1971.
AWARDS
President Kovind receives Croatia’s
highest civilian order
President Ram Nath Kovind
received Croatia’s highest civilian order, the Grand Order of the King of
Tomislav, during his official visit to the nation. The civilian order is
awarded to heads of state for their contribution towards the strengthening of
ties between the European nation and their respective country, amongst other
things, according to Kumar. Kovind, who
is the first Indian President to visit Croatia, is currently on a
three-country trip from March 25 to April 4.
Extra info.: Croatia Capital:
Zagreb Currency: Croatian kuna
IMPORTANT
DAYS
International Day of Remembrance of
the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
Every year on 25 March, the
International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the
Transatlantic Slave Trade offers the opportunity to honour and
remember those who suffered and died at the hands of the brutal slavery system.
The International Day also aims to raise awareness about the dangers of racism
and prejudice.
27TH MARCH 2019
Railways to run 100 summer special
trains
The Indian Railways said that 100 summer special trains would
be run to handle extra rush of passengers during this season. These special
trains will be run from March 28. A superfast weekly special train
between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Gorakhpur will
make a total of 26 round trips between the two stations every Friday from April
12 to July 5. The Indian Railways will also run weekly special trains from the Lokmanya
Tilak Terminus to Manduadih, from Pune to Gorakhpur and from Pune
to Manduadih.
Ooty’s muon detection facility
measures potential of thundercloud
For the first time in the world,
researchers at the GRAPES-3 muon telescope facility in Ootyhave
measured the electrical potential, size and height of a thundercloud that
passed overhead on December 1, 2014. At 1.3 gigavolts (GV), this cloud had 10
times higher potential than the previous record in a cloud.
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
Bangladesh celebrates 49th
Independence Day
Bangladesh celebrated the 49th
Independence Day amid tight security. The day
was celebrated with parades and paying of respects at Jatiyo Smriti Soudho, national
memorial at Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka. On March 26, Bangladesh
commemorates the declaration of independence on late hours of March 25, 1971.
SPORTS
Manu Bhaker-Saurabh Chaudhary bag
Gold medal in 10m Air Pistol Mixed event at Asian Airgun C’ship
In Shooting, Manu Bhaker and
Saurabh Chaudhary have bagged a Gold medal in
the 10-metre Air Pistol Mixed team event at the 12th
Asian Airgun Championship at Taoyuan in Taipei.
·
The pair made it to the Final after
smashing the world record in the qualification. 17-year-old Manu and
16-year-old Saurabh shot a combined score of 784, breaking the record set by
Russians Vitalina Batsarashkina and Artem Chernousov at the European
Championships.
28TH MARCH
2019
India tests its 1st anti-satellite missile
system, codenamed Mission Shakti
India successfully conducted an anti-satellite
(A-SAT) missile test, becoming the fourthcountry to do so
by successfully destroying a low earth orbit satellite in
space by using a missile which covered a distance of 300 km to
engage the target. The US, Russia and Chinaare the only other
country to have tested an A-SAT weapon previously. Mission Shakti operation was a
difficult target to achieve and was completed successfully within 3
minutes of launch. Singapore
airport named world’s best, New Delhi’s IGI up 8 notches at 59th . Singapore’s
Changi Airport has been crowned the world’s best aviation hub for
the seventhtime in a row, while New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi
International (IGI) Airport featured at number 59, according to the Skytrax
World Airport Awards. The list has been compiled by the UK-based
Skytrax, a consultancy firm which runs an airline and airport review and
ranking site, featuring 100 airports.
Hyper local connectivity app
launched in Mumbai
The Mumbai-based company Linkus
Infratech has launched a hyper-local
connectivity app called “Bhonga” to connect users to people in
their neighbourhood in the city even without an Internet connection. “Bhonga”
is a word in Marathi language that translates to meaning megaphone or
loudspeaker. Focusing on security and
anonymity, the app only shares location coordinates from where a post
originates and it supports voice notes as well as photos. Once the app is
downloaded, it automatically lists the user as part of the locality within the
radius of one kilometre.
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
India, African Union ink MoU on
health sciences cooperation
The Indian Council of Medical
Research and the African Union (AU) signed
a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which formalised the India-Africa
Health Sciences Collaborative Platform (IAHSP) by establishing a
framework. The IAHSP was established
after the first India-Africa Health Sciences Meet in 2016 in New Delhi. The
IAHSP strengthens cooperation in the health sector in a structured and
organized manner.
India, Russia to open military
chopper repair centre by late 2019
A new centre to repair Russian
helicopters of Mi-17V-5 type will
be operational in Chandigarh by the end of 2019, according to
Russian Helicopters Deputy Director General Igor Chechikov. He highlighted the possibility of
extending the capabilities of this centre in the future, provided the Indian
side is “interested”.
Tesla builds its ‘largest energy
storage system in Asia’
In a bid to reduce energy demand and
provide emergency backup power to trains in Japan, Tesla has claimed to
develop its largest power storage system in Asia. It has installed a
bank of 42 Powerpacks at a train station in Japan’s Osaka that can provide
sufficient backup power to safely move a train and its passengers to the
nearest station in the event of a power outage. In the event of a grid
outage, this Osaka Powerpack installation is designed to provide emergency
backup power to safely move a train and its passengers to the nearest
station.
BANKING
& FINANCE
BoB to develop agri-digital platform
‘Baroda Kisan’, inks MoUs with 6 firms
Public sector lender Bank of
Baroda said it will develop an agri-digital platform called
‘Baroda Kisan’ in order to provide solutions for all major agricultural
requirements. Six companies Skymet Weather Services, Weather Risk Management
Services, BigHaat, Agrostar India, EM3 Agri Services and Poorti Agri Services
have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the bank for this project. The agri-digital platform will be executed by
IT Centre of Excellence (ITCoE) of Bank of Baroda in
partnership with IBM India.
Bank of Baroda to get Rs 5,042 cr
capital infusion
Ahead of its merged entity
operation, Bank of Baroda will receive Rs 5,042 crore fund infusionfrom
the government. The Ministry of Finance has conveyed its
decision to infuse the capital in Bank of Baroda. The infusion
will be by way of preferential allotment of equity shares (special
securities/bonds) of the bank during FY 2018-19 as government’s
investment. The merged entity also involving Vijaya Bank and Dena
Bank will start operation from April 1.
BUSINESS
& ECONOMY
Infosys arm to buy 75% stake in
Dutch bank subsidiary
Global software major Infosys said
its consulting arm would buy 75 per cent equity stake in Starter
N.V., a subsidiary of the Dutch-based ABN AMRO Bank for Rs
999 crore ($144 million) in cash for strategic partnership in The
Netherlands. The Amsterdam
headquartered third largest Dutch bank ABN will hold
the remaining 25 per cent of the shareholding in Stater.
SPORTS
31-year-old Hopman Cup replaced by
new ATP Cup
The city of Perth in Western
Australia (WA) will no longer play host to
the Hopman Cup.Instead, the mixed tournament format will be
replaced with an all men’s event called the ATP (Association of Tennis
Professionals) Cup. Played across
three cities, Perth will join Sydney and Brisbane as the hosts of the new
competition which is set to feature 100 of the world’s top male players.
APPOINTMENTS
ECI appoints special expenditure
observers for AP, Arunachal, Gujarat, Karnataka, Nagaland, Telangana
Election Commission appointed 2 former civil servants Gopal
Mukherjee and D.D. Goel as special expenditure observers for the
upcoming Lok Sabha Elections. While Mr. Gopal Mukherjee ex-IRS, former Member
of CBDT has been deployed in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and Mr D.D.Goel
ex-IRS, former DGIT been deployed in Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. Further, the Commission has decided to give
additional charge of Gujarat and Karnataka to Shailendra Handa and Madhu
Mahajan, respectively.
BCCI Ombudsman Justice D.K.Jain to
serve as ad-hoc Ethics Officer
Supreme Court-appointed BCCI
Ombudsman Justice D K Jain (retd) will
now serve as the Ethics Officer of the Indian cricket board on
an ad-hoc basis. According to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI),
provisions in its constitution require an Ethics Officer to be appointed to
determine and decide issues related to conflict of interest.
29TH
MARCH 2019
1,000
railway stations in India are now Wi-Fi enabled
RailTel Corporation of India Ltd, a Mini
Ratna CPSU under the Ministry of Railways, has
successfully completed work of turning 1000 railway stations across
the country into Free Wi-Fi zone. RailTel started
the project in January 2016 from Mumbai Central station in Maharashtra. It was
the first station to have the fast and free RailWire Wi-Fi and in a span of two
years and three months. The Reay Road
station of the suburban line of Central Railways in Mumbai is the 1000th station
to go live with Wi-Fi.
Telangana govt launches digital portal for MSMEs
The Telangana Governmet launched a MSME
networking portal, Telangana State Global Linker in Hyderabad to
digitise over 2.3 million MSMEs of the state. The solution aims to address key
challenges faced by MSMEs with the core objective of making their business
growth simpler, more profitable and enjoyable.
Telangana State GlobalLinker will provide MSMEs , a digital profile
(including an online product catalogue an eCommerce store); access to global
networking opportunities to find buyers and suppliers; economies of scale on a
wide range of business services; access to industry news, articles and
discussions.
Assam CEO Mukesh Sahu launches Enajori initiative in
Guwahati
Assam Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Sahu
launched the Enajori initiative in Guwahati. It is a special
initiative for persons with disabilities with an aim
that ‘No Voter to be Left behind’. It is a joint
initiative of CEO Assam and Social Welfare Department with
an objective to make Lok Sabha Elections accessible to Persons with Disability,
PwD voters.
At 15,256 ft, Tashigang in Himachal Pradesh is
world’s highest polling station
Tucked away deep in trans-Himalayas, Tashigang,
a small Himachal Pradesh village at an altitude of 15,256 feet, is now
the highest polling station in the world. The
polling station falls in Buddhist-dominated Lahaul-Spiti, one of the 17
assembly segments that form the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, the second largest
constituency in India.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
N.K. Singh authored book ‘Indian Fiscal Federalism’
launched
The Chairman of 15th Finance Commission of India, N.K.
Singh launched the book “Indian Fiscal Federalism”. The book has
been written by Dr. Y. V. Reddy, former Governor of RBI and Chairman of the
14th Finance Commission of India along with Dr. G. R. Reddy, Advisor (Finance)
to the Government of Telangana.
BUSINESS &
ECONOMY
PolicyX.com introduces
legendary cricketer ‘Virender Sehwag’ as its Brand Ambassador
PolicyX.com –
An online insurance web aggregator has roped in legendary cricketer Virender
Sehwag as it’s Brand Ambassador. By signing him, PolicyX.com has
launched its biggest marketing campaign, spread across the insurance products
basket of term insurance, health insurance, life insurance, car insurance and
others. Claims to be one of the leading
and trusted online insurance web aggregators, the company have come out with
the face of the organization for the first time.
Dhanbad best city for 4G availability in India: Study
In terms of 4G availability, Dhanbad in Jharkhand has
topped the list of 50 cities in India, London-based wireless coverage
mapping company OpenSignal said. Ranchi, capital of
Jharkhand, came second after scoring 95 per cent in 4G availability. Srinagar
came third with a score of 94.9 per cent.
In Opensignal’s latest “India Mobile Network Experience” report,
the company found Jio’s national 4G availability score was a remarkable 96.7
per cent – over 20 per centage points ahead of its main rivals.
Reliance Jio to acquire Haptik in deal worth over Rs
200 Cr
Reliance Jio is reportedly acquiring
Mumbai-based Haptik one of the world’s largest
conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms for over Rs
200 crore. Founded by Vaish and
Rajdev, Haptik focuses on key customer engagement use cases such as customer
support, feedback, order status and live chat and has processed more than a
billion interactions till date.
SPORTS
Aussie football legend Tim Cahill officially retires
After four World Cups, an illustrious club career and having
risen to the rank of Australian sporting icon, Tim Cahill has
officially quit professional football. In
November, the 39-year-old announced he will no longer represent Australia at an
international level even though he continued to play for Jamshedpur FC in the
Indian Super League.
AWARDS
Nobel laureate Amartya Sen honoured with Oxford
University’s Bodley Medal
Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen has
been awarded the prestigious Bodley Medal, the highest honour bestowed
by the University of Oxford‘s world-famous Bodleian
Libraries. The Medal is awarded to individuals who have made
outstanding contributions to the fields in which the Bodleian is active,
including literature, culture, science and communication.
Turing Award Won by 3 Pioneers in Artificial
Intelligence
The 2018 Turing Award, known as the “Nobel Prize of
computing,” has been given to Yoshua Bengio,
Geoffrey Hinton, and Yann LeCun sometimes called the ‘godfathers
of AI’, for their work developing the AI subfield of deep learning. The
trio believed in the potential of AI and brought to the world the innovations
such as neural networks, self-driving cars, facial recognition. Initiated in
1966, this annual award is named after British mathematician Alan
M. Turing, whose work laid the foundation for computer science and
artificial intelligence.
Delhi govt school teacher Manu Gulati gets Martha
Farrell Award 2019
Manu Gulati, a Delhi government school
teacher, has been conferred the Martha Farrell award 2019 for
promoting gender quality and women’s empowerment. Gulati has been instrumental
in helping young girls in receiving formal school education. She has also been
working with boys and girls at government schools in sensitising them about
gender neutrality.
Indian origin scientist awarded
RUJ Group’s founder and chairman, Dr. Rajendra
Kumar Joshi, has been awarded with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award for
his contributions in the field of science, education and medicine, promoting
the honour and prestige of India. Dr. Joshi, who belongs to Rajasthan, is a
scientist of Indian origin and is based in Switzerland.
·
The theme of 2019
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention was ‘Role of Indian
Diaspora in building New India.’
30TH
MARCH 2019
India to be guest country at Paris
Book Fair 2020
In a bid to strengthen Indo-French
ties, India has been designated as the guest of honour at the Paris
Book Fair in 2020, while France will be the guest
country at the New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF) in 2022. The
announcement was made by the nodal agency – National Book Trust (NBT). The designation of India as the guest
country was declared in the joint statement signed by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron during the latter’s visit to India in
March 2018.
Small savings schemes: Govt keeps
interest rates unchanged for Apr-June qtr
The government has kept the interest rates on small savings schemes,
including NSC and PPF, unchanged for the April-June
quarter. Public Provident Fund (PPF) and National
Savings Certificate (NSC) will continue to carry an annual interest
rate of 8 per cent, while Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) will
give a yield of 7.7 per cent and mature in 112 months.
The interest rate for the
five-year Senior Citizens Savings Scheme has been retained
at 8.7per cent. The interest on the senior citizens’ scheme is paid
quarterly. Interest on savings deposits has been retained
at 4 per cent annually.
The girl child savings scheme Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana account
will offer 8.5 per centrate during the first quarter of the next fiscal.Term
deposits of 1-5 years will fetch interest rate in the range of 7-7.8
per cent, to be paid quarterly, while the five-year recurring deposit
is pegged at 7.3 per cent.
BUSINESS
& ECONOMY
GAIL, BHEL tie up for development of
solar power projects
Maharatna public sector units GAIL
India Ltd and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) have inked a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the development of
solar power projects. The MoU is
aimed at building a closer strategic partnership between the two state-owned
companies for jointly pursuing commercial solar power projects through
participation in tariff and viability gap funding based competitive bidding
process. India has set a target to
achieve 100 GW of solar power by 2022 so that all citizens can
have round-the-clock access to uninterrupted electricity.
Five varieties of Indian coffee get
GI certification
5 varieties of Indian coffee have
been awarded Geographical Indication (GI),
a move that will enhance their visibility globally and allow growers to get the
right value. While Coorg Arabica coffee is grown
specifically in Kodagu district of Karnataka, Wayanaad Robusta coffee is
from Wayanad district in east Kerala, Chikmagalur Arabica coffee from
Chikmagalur district in Deccan plateau of Karnataka, Araku Valley
Arabica coffee from hilly tracks of Visakhapatnam district in Andhra
Pradesh and Odisha region, and Bababudangiris Arabica coffee from
central portion of Chikmagalur district.
The Monsooned Malabar Robusta Coffee, a unique specialty coffee from
India, was given GI certification earlier
SPORTS
Manu Bhaker, Saurabh Chaudhary
clinch gold at Asian Airgun C’ship
Young pistol shooters Manu
Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary picked up their second gold
medals each as India continued their domination at the 12th
Asian Airgun Championships in Taoyuan, Taipei. Manu won the 10m Air Pistol women’s event
on day three of competitions, while Saurabh bagged a team gold in the men’s
event. Abhishek Verma also won individual silver in the men’s 10m Air
Pistol.
Indonesia to host Asean School Games
2019 in July
Students from Southeast Asian
countries and regions will compete at the 2019 Asean School Games in
July in Indonesia’s Semarang city. Students will take part in
athletics, badminton, basketball, swimming, lawn tennis, table tennis,
volleyball, sepak takraw and Indonesia’s traditional martial art of Pencak
Silat. The 2019 Asean School Games is
scheduled to be held from July 17 to 25.
Extra info.: Indonesia
Capital: Jakarta Currency: Indonesian rupiah
IMPORTANT
DAYS
World Piano day
A travelling piano placed in a
transparent cargo van, voyaged through New York City, making stops at various
locations, and inviting people to play it as a special way to mark the annualWorld
Piano Day on 30 March. In 2015,
German pianist, Nils Frahm declared the 88th day of a year as
the World Piano Day, as modern standard pianos have 88 keys.
31ST
MARCH 2019
Govt extends date of linking PAN
with Aadhaar number by till Sep 30
The government extended the deadline
for linking PAN with biometric ID Aadhaar by 6 months till September 30. This is the sixth time the government has extended the
deadline for individuals to link their Permanent Account Number (PAN) to
Aadhaar. In June last year, the
government had said that PAN has to be linked with the biometric ID by March
31.
EC comes up with PWD app for over
two lakhs Divyang voters in Maharashtra
In Maharashtra, Election Commission has come up with a mobile application called ‘PWD’ for
making voting easier and implement the poll body’s slogan of Accessible
Elections for over two lakhs Divyang voters across the state. The app would facilitate Divyang voters special
facilities including wheelchairs, ramps and transport from home at polling
booths during the Lok Sabha elections.
RBI sets NBFC-MFIs’ average base
rate at 9.21% for Apr-Jun
The Reserve Bank set the average base rate to be
charged from borrowers by non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and
micro-finance institutions (MFIs) at 9.21 per cent
for the first quarter of the next fiscal.
The applicable average base rate to be charged by Non-Banking Financial
Company Micro Finance Institutions (NBFC-MFIs) to their borrowers for the
quarter beginning April 01, 2019 will be 9.21 per cent.
BUSINESS
& ECONOMY
PFC Becomes India’s 2nd Largest
State-Owned Financial Firm
After acquiring a majority stake in
REC Ltd (formerly Rural Electrification Corporation Limited), center
backed Power Finance Corporation (PFC) become India’s second largest
Govt-owned Financial Firm after State Bank of India (SBI), based on
market capitalization.PFC has bought the 52.63% controlling stake in REC
through Rs 14,500 crore deal with Union government.
SPORTS
South Korea wins 2019 Sultan Azlan
Shah Cup defeating India in final
South Korea stunned favourites India 4-2 in the shoot-out to lift the Azlan Shah
Cup hockey title after the five-time champions conceded an equaliser
in the final quarter of the summit clash in Ipoh, Malaysia. Hosts Malaysia finished third after
beating Canada 4-2 in the third-fourth place classification match.
Axelsen beats Srikanth to win India
Open 2019
Viktor Axelsen dashed Indian hopes with a 21-7, 22-20 win over Kidambi Srikanth at
the India Open 2019 final in New Delhi. In women’s singles,
Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon created history by becoming the first women’s
singles shuttler to win the title three times, when she beat the third seed He
Bingjiao.
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