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19 March 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

19 March 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

1. Pramod Sawant sworn in as Goa Chief Minister

• BJP leader Pramod Sawant (46-years) was sworn-in as the new Chief Minister (11th) of Goa.
• Goa Governor Mridula Sinha administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr. Sawant.
• He succeeded Manohar Parrikar, who died on Sunday after a prolonged battle with advanced pancreatic cancer.
• Mr. Sawant (former Speaker) represents Sankhalim constituency in Goa Assembly.
• Sudin (alias Ramkrishna Dhavlikar) of Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and Vijai Sardesai of Goa Forward Party were sworn in as Deputy Chief Ministers.

Note:

• He obtained a Bachelor of Ayurveda, Medicine and Surgery degree from the Ganga Education Society's Ayurvedic Medical College in Kolhapur and a postgraduate degree of Master of Social Work from the Tilak Maharashtra University at Pune.
• Sawant's wife Sulakshana is a teacher of chemistry at the Shri Shantadurga Higher Secondary School in Bicholim.

2. Santosh Jha appointed new ambassador of India to Uzbekistan

• According to Ministry of External Affairs press release, Santosh Jha (Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer: the 1993 batch) has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Uzbekistan.
• Currently, Mr Santosh Jha is the Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India, Washington.

Note:

• An ambassador is usually accredited to another sovereign state as the resident representative of their own government-appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment.

Important Dates

3. “Recycling into the Future”: Global Recycling Day 2019

• Global Recycling Day 2019 was celebrated on 18th March 2019 to encourage the world to think ‘resource not waste”.
• The theme of the global recycling day 2019 was “Recycling into the future”.
• Global Recycling Day was created in 2018 to help recognize, and celebrate, the importance recycling plays in preserving our precious primary resources and securing the future of our planet.

Note:

• The Global Recycling Foundation was born in October 2018. 
• The Foundation, formed by the Bureau of International Recycling but run as an independent organisation, will promote and support the global recycling industry in its mission to showcase the crucial role of recycling in preserving our planet’s future.

National Affairs

4. 14th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership begins in New Delhi

• The three-day 14th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnerships have been started on in New Delhi.
• More than 31 ministers from 21 African countries and business delegates from 37 countries are participating in the event.
• The discussion revolved around two key themes: digital infrastructure and digital skills.
• It will pave the way for a whole range of cross-border project partnerships.

Note:

• The event is organised by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in association with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and EXIM Bank of India.

5. India and Afghanistan signed an MoU on digital education initiatives

• The Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Afghanistan government at Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) Madras to work on a digital education initiative
• This collaboration hopes to contribute to bilateral relations and beget mutual benefits for the two countries.

Banking and Finance

6. RBI approves Bandhan Bank’s acquisition of Gruh Finance

• Bandhan Bank had received no objection from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for the proposed acquisition of Gruh Finance.
• As per the agreement, Bandhan Bank must transfer a 14.9% stake to HDFC for merging Gruh with itself.
• Gruh Finance was taken over in January by Kolkata-based Bandhan Bank in a share-swap deal.
• The swap ratio for the amalgamation will be 568 shares of Bandhan Bank for every 1,000 shares of Gruh Finance.

Obituaries

7. Veteran Journalist Darryl D’Monte passes away

• Senior journalist and environmental activist Darryl D’Monte (74-years) passed away in Mumbai after a brief illness.
• He served as the resident editor of Mumbai editions of The Times of India and The Indian Express.
• He was the founder-president of the International Federation of Environmental Journalists (IFEJ) in Dresden, Germany, in 1993.
• Besides a career in journalism, he had a keen interest in environmental issues and took some initiatives for the cause.

8. Cyclone Idai hits Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe

• According to the UN and government officials, ‘Cyclone Idai’ has affected more than 1.5 million people in the three southern African countries Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi.
• Cyclone Idai’ killed nearly 150 people, left hundreds more missing and stranded tens of thousands who are cut off from roads and telephones in mainly poor, rural areas
• Hardest hit is Mozambique’s central port city of Beira where the airport is closed, electricity is out and many homes have been destroyed.

Sports

9. Valtteri Bottas wins Australian F1 Grand Prix 2019

• Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas beat his world champion teammate Lewis Hamilton (2^nd place) to clinch the season-opening Australian Formula One Grand Prix 2019, held in Melbourne, Victoria.
• Bottas also claimed the extra point for the fastest lap in the race.
• While Red Bull’s Max Verstappen finished third.
• The 2019 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race that was held in Melbourne, Victoria.

10. Diksha Dagar becomes second Indian to win Ladies European Tour title

• Diksha Dagar has become only the second Indian woman to win on Ladies European Tour in golf after clinching the South African Open in Cape Town.
• Dagar follows Aditi Ashok, who in 2016 became the first Indian to win on the LET.
• She has been wearing hearing aids since the age of six.
• She also had a stellar Amateur career during which she represented India at the 2018 Asian Games and won the 2018 Singapore Amateur title.

11. India's Irfan KT qualifies for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

• India's Irfan KT qualified for next year's Tokyo Olympics.
• He made the cut after finishing fourth at the Asian Race-Walking Championship at Nomi in Japan.
• Irfan clocked 1 hour 20 minutes and 57 seconds in the 20-kilometre walk to attain the standard qualifying mark for the Olympics.
• He also ensured a berth in the upcoming International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championship in Doha that begins in September.

12. Gopi Thonakal qualifies for World Athletics Championships

• India's Asian champion Gopi Thonakal has qualified for the World Athletics Championships to be held in the Qatari capital Doha (Sep-Oct 2019).
• He achieved qualification after finishing 11th in the Seoul International Marathon, clocking his personal best time of 2 hours 13 minutes 39 seconds.
• The Seoul International Marathon is a world-class IAAF Gold label event.

13. Bengaluru FC crowned ISL champions for the first time

• Bengaluru FC won the 2018-19 edition of the Indian Super League which was also their maiden triumph defeating FC Goa 1-0 in the final.
• FC Goa's Ferran Corominas (16 goals) wins the Indian Super League (ISL) 2018-19 Golden Boot Award.
• Bengaluru FC goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu wins the Indian Super League (ISL) 2018-19 Golden Glove Award.
• Bengaluru FC is owned and operated by the Mumbai–based JSW Group and its managing director Sajjan Jindal.
• The Indian Super League (ISL) is the men's franchise-based association football league in India.

17-18 March 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

17-18 March 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

 1. Goa CM Manohar Parrikar passes away

• Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar (63-years) passed away in Panaji on 17^th March 2019 after a prolonged illness.
• Parrikar was diagnosed with a pancreatic ailment in February last year. Since then, he received treatment at various hospitals across Mumbai, New Delhi, Goa and the US.
• The popular leader would be remembered for his efforts in infrastructure and education development in the state and bringing the International Film Festival of India to Goa in 2004. for his role as the union defence minister and his dynamism.

Note:

• A six-time MLA and former Defence Minister, Mr Parrikar was born on 13th December 1955.
• He graduated from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai with a B.Tech degree in metallurgical engineering.
• Mr Parrikar was first elected to the Goa assembly in 1994.
• He served as Chief Minister of the state from 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.
• He served as a Rajya Sabha MP from November 2014 to September 2017.

Source: DD News

2. Veteran Comedian Chinmoy Roy passes away

• Veteran Bengali actor Chinmoy Roy (79-years) passed away last night.
• He was born on January 16, 1940, in Kumilla district in now in Bangladesh.
• He was famous for his comic roles in Bengali movies, though his versatility has allowed him to play a variety of roles.
• He was equally noticed along with big names like Soumitra Chatterjee and Rabi Ghosh in a classic comedy like 'Basanta Bilap' or in 'Dhonni Meye'.

Source: UNI

 3. Former Minister Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy dead

• Former Member of Parliament and State minister Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy (68-years) passed away in Kadapa.
• He was the younger brother of former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR) and uncle of YSR Congress Party president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
• He won Pulivendula assembly constituency twice (in 1989 and 1994) and represented Kadapa Lok Sabha in the parliament twice
• In 2009, he was elected as MLC and given the portfolio of Agriculture after YSR passed away in Kiran Kumar Reddy cabinet.

Source: The Hindu

 Appointment

4. Former SC Judge Justice PC Ghose to be India's first Lokpal

• Former Supreme Court Judge Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose is set to be India's first anti-corruption ombudsman of India.
• His name was finalised and recommended by the Selection Committee comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and eminent jurist Mukul Rohatgi.
• Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, who is part of the committee, did not attend the meeting.
• His was among the top 10 names shortlisted by the Lokpal Search Committee.
• Justice Ghose's appointment has come nearly five years after the Lokpal Act was notified on January 16, 2014.
• The law provides for a Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in states to probe cases of corruption against public servants.

Note:

• Justice Ghose, 67, who is a member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) since June 2017, retired from the Supreme Court on May 27, 2017.
• He had assumed charge as Supreme Court judge on March 8, 2013.
• He is a former judge of the Calcutta High Court and former Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
• Born in Kolkata, Justice Ghose is son of Late Justice Sambhu Chandra Ghose, former Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court.

Source: The Economic Times

 Banking & Economy

5. SBI, ICICI, HDFC Bank to remain as Domestic Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs): RBI

• SBI, ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank continue to be in the Reserve Bank of India’s list of Domestic Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs) for 2018.
• The Reserve Bank of India released the list of Domestic Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs) on 14^th March 2019.
• As per the notification, SBI, ICICI Bank, and HDFC Bank continue to be identified as Domestic Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs), under the same bucketing structure as last year.

Note:

• D-SIBs are required to maintain higher capital as compared to other banks.
• The additional Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) requirement for D-SIBs has already been phased-in from April 1, 2016, and will become fully effective from April 1, 2019, the RBI said, releasing the list for 2018.
• The additional CET1 requirement will be in addition to the capital conservation buffer. “Current update is based on the data collected from banks as on March 31, 2018,” RBI said.

Source: RBI

6. J&K Bank to sell a stake in PNB Metlife for ₹ 185 cr

• Jammu and Kashmir Bank said it proposes to sell its stake in PNB Metlife India to private equity player Oman India Joint Investment Fund II for ₹ 185 crore.
• According to the J&K Bank, bank has executed share purchase agreement with Oman India Joint Investment Fund II for sale of 4.1 crore shares of PNB MetLife India Insurance Company Ltd.
• Jammu and Kashmir Bank holds 5 per cent stake in the insurance venture.

Note:

• PNB MetLife India Insurance is a joint venture between MetLife International Holdings Inc, Punjab National Bank, Jammu and Kashmir Bank, M Pallonji and Company Pvt Ltd and other private investors.
• The state-run Punjab National Bank holds 26 per cent stake in the venture, while the US-based MetLife has a 26 per cent stake.

 Source: The Hindu Businessline

7. Indian banks' deposits rose 9.8 per cent y/y in a fortnight to March 1: RBI

• According to the Reserve Bank of India's weekly statistical supplement data, Indian banks' loans rose 14.6 percent in the two weeks to March 1 from a year earlier, while deposits rose 9.8 percent.
• Outstanding loans rose by 891.1 billion rupees ($12.90 billion) to 95.29 trillion rupees in the two weeks to March 1.
• Bank deposits rose by 1.11 trillion rupees to 122.30 trillion rupees in the two weeks to March 1.

 Source: The Economic Times

 8. Fresh NPAs to moderate in FY'20: ICRA

• According to the ratings firm Icra; fresh NPAs in the banking sector are expected to moderate to 1.9 to 2.4 perc ent in FY'20.
• Icra expects gross NPAs of the banking sector to 8.3 lakh crore or 7.9 per cent for March 2020, as compared to estimated 9.2 per cent as of March 2019.
• Icra has revised the ratings outlook of four public sector banks from negative to stable including, Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra, Punjab National Bank and Oriental Bank of Commerce.
• It revised upward, the outlook for IDBI Bank from negative to ‘Rating watch with developing implications’.
• While the outlook for Punjab and Sind Bank was lowered from stable to negative.

Source: The Economic Times

 National Affairs

9. Expert panel to review OBC ‘creamy layer’ criteria after 26 years

• The Centre has constituted an expert committee to “revisit the criteria” for determining the “creamy layer” for OBCs which was laid down in 1993.
• After 26 years, ministry of social justice, on March 8, set up a panel headed by retired GOI secretary BP Sharma, with “terms of reference” which sound radical in their breadth and scope.
• The committee will “revisit the criteria evolved by the Prasad committee” and give recommendations for “redefining, simplifying and streamlining the concept of creamy layer” while keeping in view the SC’s observations in Indira Sawhney case.

Note:

• “Creamy layer” is the section of OBCs that is economically advanced and ineligible for Mandal reservations.
• Following the Supreme Court’s judgment on Mandal Commission, the exclusion norms for “creamy layer” were laid down by the DoPT’s office memorandum of 1993 based on the report of the Prasad committee.

Source: The Economic Times

Arts & Culture

10. 3^rd edition of Namaste Thailand festival held in New Delhi

• The 3rd edition of Namaste Thailand festival was held in New Delhi
• The festival aimed at strengthening bilateral ties and increasing cultural exchange between India and Thailand.
• Along with the traditional Thai cuisines, the Namaste Thailand festival featured a series of Thai craft activities which include mulberry paper mini umbrella making, fan painting, body paint, and button badge making.

Source: Business standard

Sports

11. Dominic Thiem beats Roger Federer to win Indian Wells title

• Australia's Dominic Thiem defeated Switzerland's Roger Federer in the men's singles final of the BNP Paribas Open in California.
• He defeated Federer 3-6,6-3,7-5 in the final.
• With this win he claim his first ATP Masters 1000 crown.
• With this win, Thiem is set to become fourth in the world rankings on Monday. It was his first win since September 2018.

Note:

• The Indian Wells Masters, also known as BNP Paribas Open and the WTA Indian Wells Open, is an annual tennis tournament held in early- and mid-March at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California, United States.

 Source: BBC Sports

12. Bianca Andreescu beat Angelique Kerber to win Indian Wells title

• Canadian teenager Bianca Andreescu stunned three-times Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber to win the BNP Paribas Open title.
• She defeated Angelique Kerber by 6-4 3-6 6-4 to win the title.
• With this win she won her first career title in Indian Wells on 17^th March 2019 held in California.
• She also became the youngest player since Serena Williams, who defeated Steffi Graf here back in 1999.

 Source: The Indian Express

13. Afghanistan win their first-ever Test match

• Afghanistan defeated Ireland by seven wickets to win their first-ever Test match in Dehradun.
• Shah scored a 122-ball 76, and Janat an unbeaten 129-ball 65* as Afghanistan notched up the 147-run target on the fourth morning within a session.
• It was their first every Test victory, in just their second Test.
• With this win Afghanistan became the newest ICC member to win a Test match.

Note:

• Earlier, Afghanistan had won the T20I series 2-0 and the ODI series was level at 2-2 with one game getting washed out.
• Afghanistan gained Test status in 2017.

BRIEF SCORES: Ireland: 172 and 288 lose to Afghanistan: 314

Source: The Indian Express

14. India finishes second in medal tally at Asian Youth C'ships

• India finishes second in medal tally at Asian Youth Athletics Championship in Hong Kong.
• India won total of 26 medals including 8 gold, 9 silver and 9 bronze medals.
• China topped the overall medals tally with 31 medals that included 12 gold, 11 silver and eight bronze medals.
• Japan finished third with 20 medals that included 6 Gold, 8 Silver and 6 bronze.

 Source: DD News

16 March 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

16 March 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

1. India to host U-17 Women's Football World Cup in 2020

• India will host the Under-17 Women's Football World Cup in 2020.
• This was announced by the President of International Football Federation (FIFA) Gianni Infantino after the council meeting in Miami, USA on 15^th March 2019.
• The tournament in India will be the seventh edition and the second to be held in Asia after Jordan in 2016.
• This will be the second FIFA tournament India will be hosting, after the U-17 Men's World Cup in 2017.

Note:

• The 2018 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup was held in Uruguay from 13 November to 1 December 2018.
• Spain won their first title, beating Mexico 2–1 in the Final.

Source: DD News

2. Karnataka lifts maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

• Karnataka defeated Maharashtra to win their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on 14^th March 2019.
• With the win, Karnataka set a record of most number of wins in a row by an Indian domestic team as they won 14 T20 matches to lift the coveted T20 trophy.
• Karnataka also equalled Indian Premier League outfit Kolkata Knight Riders’ record of 14 consecutive wins.

Brief scores: Maharashtra 155/4 (Naushad Shaikh 69 not out, Rahul Tripathi 30, Abhimanyu Mithun 2/24) lost to Karnataka 159/2 (Mayank Agarwal 85 not out, Rohan Kadam 60).

Source: business standard

3. JP Duminy to retire from ODIs after ICC World Cup 2019

• South African all-rounder JP Duminy announced that he would retire from ODIs after the ICC World Cup in England.
• However, he will continue to be available for South Africa in T20 Internationals.
• The 34-year-old made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in 2004 and has played 193 matches in the format.

Source: The Hindu

4. SC lifts life ban on Sreesanth, asks BCCI to take a fresh decision

• The Supreme Court has set aside the life ban imposed on cricketer Sreesanth by BCCI over his involvement in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal.
• The apex court directed BCCI to hear Sreesanth and take a fresh decision on the quantum of punishment within three months.
• However, it added that its order shall have no effect on criminal proceedings pending against Sreesanth.

Note:

• S Sreesanth, the tainted Indian fast bowler, was charged with the crime of spot-fixing during the 2013 edition of the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) when he represented the Rajasthan Royals (RR).
• Thereafter, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) slapped the 36-year-old with a lifetime ban and ever since he has been training hard with all his might to prove himself innocent.

Source: newsinshort

 Awards

5. Swati Shingade bags the first prize of DD Mahila Kisan Award

• Swati Shingade of Pune, Maharashtra has bagged the first prize of DD Mahila Kisan Award for 2018-19.
• The award was presented by Prasar Bharati Chairman A. Surya Prakash to Ms Shingade at a grand finale event organised by DD Kisan Channel in New Delhi.
• Speaking on the occasion, Mr Surya Prakash said, the Kisan Channel has provided a platform to the women farmers and the aim of the channel is to make aware the people about the various schemes of the government.

Source: DD News

6. Manmohan Singh presents an award to Arun Jaitley for implementing GST

• Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presented the BusinessLine Changemaker Of The Year award to Union Minister Arun Jaitley for successfully introducing 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.

Source: newsinshort

7. Kent RO receives the Best Domestic Water Purifier Award 2019

• One of the leading brands in the water purifier industry, Kent RO Systems Pvt. Ltd. has been bestowed with the Best Domestic Water Purifier Award 2018-19 for its RO+UV+UF technology at the Water Digest Water Awards.
• Water Digest Water Awards backed by the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and UNESCO.
• Kent has become the first choice when people think of a water purifier and winning awards like these just reflect on the kind of quality that we intend to provide to our users.

Source: business standard

8. Padmanaban Gopalan wins the Commonwealth Youth Award for The Asian Region

• A social entrepreneur from Tamil Nadu, Padmanaban Gopalan, founder of No Food Waste, was named the winner of the Commonwealth Youth Award for the Asian region worth 3,000 Pounds at a ceremony at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London.
• His initiative runs a geo-mapping platform, which allows users to drop food at located “hunger spots” and has so far recovered over 650,000 meals across 14 cities and the platform has been used by over 12,000 volunteers.

Source: business standard

Banking & Economy

9. 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.

About the program

• The new initiative has been aimed to empower the women in Aviva to fulfil their professional and personal goals.
• Effective practice of mentoring at the workplace helps women ideate about what they will become, giving them a clearer picture of their future and their growth prospects.

Note:

• Aviva Life Insurance is a joint venture between Dabur Invest and Aviva International Holdings, a UK-based insurance group, whose association with India goes back to 1834.

Source: The Economic Times

10. SBI Yono App to allow cardless withdrawals

• The State Bank of India has launched the YONO Cash service for its customers which will allow them to withdraw cash from ATMs without their debit cards.
• A part of SBI's digital banking platform, You Only Need One (YONO), the cardless cash withdrawal service will be available across 16,500 ATMs of the bank in the country.
• Such SBI ATMs will be called YONO Cash Point.

How to withdraw cash using YONO Cash service:

• SBI customers can use the YONO app on their smartphones to withdraw cash from SBI ATMs, or YONO Cash Points, without using their debit and credit cards.
• After installing the YONO app on their phones, SBI account holders will have to set a 6-digit YONO PIN for withdrawing cash.
• Once a request for withdrawing cash is placed, a 6-digit code will be sent to the user's phone via SMS, which will then have to be entered into a YONO Cash Point.

Note:

• On 3 December 2018, SBI appointed Swapna as the brand ambassador for its digital app 'YONO' (You only need one).
• YONO’ is the first digital banking platform which offers customized products to customers.
• SBI has tied up with 60 e-commerce players to provide more facility other than banking services.

Source: business today 

 Appointment

11. Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant to head transformative mobility panel

• 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 terms of reference of the mission include ensuring implementation and compliance of the decisions and recommendations of the steering committee.

Source: The Economic Times

12. SC appoints PS Narasimha as a mediator to resolve disputes of admin in BCCI

• The Supreme Court (SC) has appointed senior advocate P S Narasimha as a mediator for resolving various disputes related to cricket administration in the country.
• Narasimha is assisting the apex court as an amicus curiae in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) matter.
• According to the SC bench, the game must go on, asking Narasimha to act as a mediator in the cricket administration disputes.

Source: The Hindu

National Affairs

13. IIT Kharagpur to adopt Amazon Web Services Educate programme

• According to the top official of the institute; the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur will adopt Amazon Web Services (AWS) Educate programme to help students gain cloud computing skills including hands-on experience in artificial intelligence (AI).

About AWS Educate programme

• The AWS Educate programme is Amazons global initiative to provide students and educators with resources needed to accelerate cloud-related learning and to help power the workforce of tomorrow.
• The programme offers a robust set of no-cost tools, resources and AWS Promotional Credits for students and educators to boost their cloud skills and experience.

Source: Business standard

International Affairs

14. Vienna placed at the top position in the Mercer’s Quality of Living Survey 2019

• The Austrian capital Vienna topped the new Mercer Quality of Living Survey.
• Thirteen out of the world’s 20 best places to live are in Europe.
• Zurich, Switzerland's biggest city, came in second place for overall quality of living, followed by Auckland, Munich and Vancouver in joint third place.
• Luxembourg was named as the safest city in the world, followed by Helsinki in Finland and the Swiss cities of Basel, Bern and Zurich.

Note:

• Mercer's annual index ranks 231 cities around the world on factors including political stability, crime, personal freedoms, healthcare, education, housing, recreation and public transport.

World's 3 best cities for quality of living

• Vienna, Austria,
• Zurich, Switzerland,
• Vancouver, Canada, Munich, Germany, Auckland, New Zealand

World's 3 worst cities for quality of living

• Baghdad, Iraq,
• Bangui, Central African Republic and
• Sana'a, Yemen

Summit & Conferences

15. First BRICS Sherpa meeting under the Presidency of Brazil concludes successfully

• The first BRICS Sherpa meeting under the Presidency of Brazil concluded yesterday 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.
• During the meeting, India conveyed its support for the priority areas set out by Brazil, particularly to take forward BRICS cooperation on counter-terrorism in a meaningful and concrete manner with BRICS member countries.

Note:

• Brazil will host next 11^th edition of the BRICS summit in 2019
• The BRICS chairmanship does not only include the hosting of the 2019 BRICS Summit, but also the hosting of numerous smaller ministerial, business and civil society meetings.
• The 10^th edition of the BRICS Summit was held in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Source: DD News

15 March 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

15 March 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

1. World Consumer Rights Day being observed today

• The World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated globally on 15th March to promote basic rights of all consumers.
• The theme for this year is ‘Trusted Smart Products’.
• The first World Consumer Rights Day was observed in 1983 and become an important occasion for mobilizing citizen action.
• In India. we also observe the National Consumer Day on the 24th of December every year.

2. 15^th March: The world sleep day

• The world sleep day 2019 observed on 15th March to celebrate healthy sleep and draw attention towards its related issues including medicine, education and social aspects.
• The theme for this year is 'Healthy Sleep, Healthy Aging'.
• The day is observed annually on the Friday before the March Equinox on the Earth.

Honours & Awards

3. President of India presents Gallantry Awards

• The President Shri Ram Nath Kovind conferred three Kirti Chakras and fifteen Shaurya Chakras to Armed Forces at the Defence Investiture Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
• Two Kirti Chakras (Ysepoyvrahma Pal Singh & Rajendra Kumar Nain) and one Shaurya Chakra (Dhanawadera vindrababan) were given posthumously.
• The President also conferred fifteen Param VishishtSeva Medals, one Uttam Yudh Seva Medals and twenty-five AtiVishisht Seva Medals to senior officers of the Armed Forces for distinguished service of an exceptional order.

4. WEF recognised Naresh Lokesh as Young Global Leader for 2019

• According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), Andhra Pradesh IT minister ‘Nara Lokesh’ has been recognised as the Young Global Leader,
• The list has 127 of the world's most promising social activists, business leaders, public servants, artists and technologists under the age of 40.
• The individuals are expected to take part in the five year-programme that will help them to identify new ways to learn new ideas.

National Affairs

5. President of India inaugurates festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Gandhinagar

• The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (FINE) in Gandhinagar.
• The aim of this festival of innovation and entrepreneurship is to provide a platform for new innovators for building linkages with potential stakeholders.
• FINE is an initiative to recognise, respect, showcase, reward innovations and foster supportive ecosystem for innovators.
• Mr Kovind presented the 10th Biennial National Grassroots Innovation Awards on the occasion.
• Prakash Singh Raghuvanshi (Uttar Pradesh) has been awarded lifetime achievement award for his innovations in new varieties of agriculture crops.
• The first prize in Veterinary, Herbal medication for coccidiosis was presented to Periyasami Ramasami of Salem, Tamil Nadu.

6. Areca nut gets ‘Sirsi supari’ geographical indication tag

• Arecanut (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 areca nut grown in Sirsi, Siddpaur of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka.
• The World Intellectual Property Organisation defines GI as a search sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities due to that origin.

Note:

• ‘Sirsi Supari’ is unique in taste from areca nuts grown in other parts of the country due to the differences in the chemical composition of different areca nuts.

7. MoHUA partners with Microsoft for Swachh Bharat e-Learning Portal

• Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has partnered with Microsoft India to use the platform Project Sangam of Microsoft on its Swachh Bharat e-Learning Portal.
• Now MoHUA has trained more than 110,000 municipal functionaries on best sanitation practices across 4,000 plus cities in India.
• With this partnership, the MoHUA has increased the features on the Swachh Bharat e-Learning Portal.

Defence

8. U.S. Special Forces hold an exercise with NSG in Hyderabad

• The United States Special Forces Group stationed in Japan involved in a joint exercise with India's National Security Guard (NSG) in Hyderabad.
• The US forces are from the 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group stationed out of Okinawa in Japan.
• The overall aim of the program was to enhance professionalism and the ability to operate together during times of crisis.

International Affairs

9. Google shuts down instant messaging app 'Allo'

• Google Allo instant messaging mobile app finally shutting down.
• The ‘Allo app’ uses phone numbers as identifiers, and allows users to exchange messages, files, voice notes and images.
• Google Allo (launched in 2016) was an instant messaging mobile app by Google for the Android and iOS mobile operating systems, with a web client available on Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera.

10. WHO launches new global influenza strategy

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a Global Influenza Strategy for 2019-2030 to protect all people from the threat of influenza.
• The objective of the strategy is to prevent seasonal influenza, control the spread of influenza from animals to humans, and prepare for the next influenza pandemic.’
• Vaccination is especially important for people at higher risk of serious influenza complications and for health care workers.

Note:

• WHO recommends annual influenza vaccination as the most effective way to prevent ‘influenza’.
• Influenza is an infectious disease caused by an influenza virus.

Banking and Finance

11. RBI categorises IDBI Bank as private sector lender

• As per RBI notification, IDBI Bank has been categorized as ‘a private sector lender’ following the acquisition of majority stake by Life Insurance Corporation (LIC).
• Earlier (In January 2019), LIC completed the process of picking up a controlling 51% stake in the nearly crippled IDBI Bank.
• IDBI Bank has been categorized as a ‘private sector bank’ with effect from 21^st January 2019.
• 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.
• The bank's gross non-performing assets (NPAs) shot up to 29.67 per cent of gross advances as at December 31, 2018 against 24.72 per cent in the year-ago period.

Sports

12. Dipa Karmakar qualifies for vault finals in Artistic Gymnastics World Cup

• India's Dipa Karmakar (25-year) has made it to the Vault Finals after finishing third in the qualifying round of the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup at Baku in Azerbaijan.
• The, who had finished fourth in the event at the 2016 Rio Olympics, performed a higher difficulty Hand front 540 vault for the first time in the competition.
• Dipa had claimed a bronze at the vault event of the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Cottbus, Germany in November 2018.

13. Kento Momota wins All England Championships 2019 title

• Japan’s Kento Momota beat Viktor Axelsen in 1 hour 21 minutes to win the men's singles title All England Championships 2019 title at Arena Birmingham in England.
• Chen Yufei (China) beat Tai Tzu-ying (Taiwan) to win the women's singles title All England Championships 2019 title.
• Only the top 32 in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings qualify for the tournament.

List of Winners of All England Open Badminton Championships 2019

S. No.	Events	Winners	Runner Up
1.	Men’s Singles	Kento Momota (Japan)	Viktor Axelsen (Denmark)
2.	Women’s Singles	Chen Yufei (China)	Tai Tzu-ying (Taiwan)
3.	Men’s Doubles	Mohammad Ahsan & Hendra Setiawan (Indonesia)	Aaron Chia & Soh Wooi Yik (Malaysia)
4.	Women’s Doubles	Chen Qingchen & Jia Yifan (China)	Mayu Matsumoto & Wakana Nagahara (Japan)
5.	Mixed Doubles	Zheng Siwei & Huang Yaqiong (China)	Yuta Watanabe & Arisa Higashino (Japan)