03-04 March 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

1. PM Modi inaugurates Ahmedabad Metro service today

Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has partially inaugurated the first phase of the 6.5 km-long Ahmedabad Metro train service in Gujarat.
PM Modi also laid the foundation stone of the 28.28 kilometres second phase of Ahmedabad Metro project and travel some distance on the phase-I stretch.
Total completion cost of Phase-II metro is estimated at Rs. 5,384.17 crores.
Ahmedabad Metro is an under the construction mass-transit rail system for the cities of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar in Gujarat, India.

Note:

It is being built by Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC) Limited, a Special Purpose Vehicle company constituted in 2018 to implement all metro projects in Gujarat.

2. PM Modi inaugurates ordnance factory in Amethi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated a factory to manufacture AK 203 rifles in Korwa area of Amethi.
These Rifles will help the security forces to tackle terrorists and Naxals.
The rifles will progressively replace the Army’s in-service INSAS and AK-47 rifles.
Around 7.5 lakh units of the latest version of AK-47 will be manufactured in the new unit.

3. Piyush Goyal & Fadnavis launches the second phase of Monorail in Mumbai

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal jointly inaugurated the second phase (11.28 kilometre) of Monorail in Mumbai, extended from Wadala to Jacob Circle.
With this, the entire 19.54 kilometres route (first phase-8.26 kilometre) of the country being implemented by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), is now functional.
The fare for the entire 17-station route has been fixed at Rs. 10, Rs. 20, RS. 30 and Rs. 40.
According to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, all the railway stations will be connected through skywalks and subways.
Now, The Mumbai Monorail became the sixth-largest monorail system in the world.

Note:

Mumbai Monorail is the first monorail in India since the Kundala Valley Railway and Patiala State Monorail Trainways were closed in the 1920s.
The project is implemented by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).

Important Days

4. World Wildlife Day being observed today

The World Wildlife Day has been observed across the world on 3rd March raise awareness of the world's wild fauna and flora.
The theme of World Wildlife Day 2019 is “Life Below Water: For people and planet”.
The day is celebrated and implemented by the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), in collaboration with other relevant United Nations organizations.

Note:

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 20th December 2013 proclaimed 3rd March as the World Wildlife Day.

5. Mahashivratri being celebrated with traditional fervour across the country

Today, ‘Mahashivratri’ festival is being celebrated across the country with religious fervor and gaiety.
Maha Shivratri is the most auspicious festival of devotees of ‘Lord Shiva’.
Thousands of devotees celebrate the festival by fasting and offering special prayers in the various temple.

Note:

‘Maha Shivaratri’ is an annual festival dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva and is particularly important in the Shaivism tradition of Hinduism.

Obituaries

6. Russian physicist and Nobel laureate Zhores Alferov passed away

Russian physicist and Nobel Prize laureate Zhores Alferov (88-years) passed away.
In 2000, Alferov received the Nobel Prize in Physics together with US scientists Jack Kilby and Herbert Kroemer, for developing semiconductor heterostructures used in high-speed-and optoelectronics.
He was elected a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1972, and a full member in 1979.

7. Former Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal Bharat Mohan Adhikari passes away

Former Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal and Senior leader of ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP), Bharat Mohan Adhikari (83-years) passed away in Kathmandu.
Mr Adhikari was very popular among the common people for introducing "Aafno Gaun Aafai Banau", development programme aimed at developing villages across the country by giving them the authority to select local projects on their own.
The scheme was launched in 1995 when he was Finance Minister in the Manmohan Adhikari government.

National Appointment

8. AN Jha replaces Shaktikanta Das as 15th Finance Commission Member

Former Finance Secretary Ajay Narayan Jha (1982-batch IAS officer of Manipur cadre) has joined as a member of the 15th Finance Commission.
Jha has been posted in place of Shaktikanta Das, resigned after being appointed the RBI Governor.
Mr. Jha was retired as a Finance Secretary to the central government.

Note:

The Fifteenth Finance Commission of India (XV-FC) is an Indian Finance Commission constituted in November 2017 and is to give recommendations for devolution of taxes and other fiscal matters for five fiscal years, commencing 1 April 2020.

9. Ex-Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia appointed non-executive chairman of BoB

Former Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia (1981-batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre) has been appointed as non-executive chairman of Bank of Baroda (BoB) for a period of three years.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved his appointment as the part-time non-official director as well as non-executive chairman on the board of Bank of Baroda.
Earlier, Mr. Adhia served as the Finance Secretary.

10. Maharashtra govt to appoint Lokpal in universities to resolve student grievances

Maharashtra Government has appointed ‘Lokpal’ in all universities except agricultural universities to resolve student grievances.
The appointment of the students' ombudsman would be made in the next two to three months.
Maharashtra would be the first state in the country to have such a Lokpal for universities.
The Lokpal will be a person related to the university and someone not below the rank of the retired district judge or a retired vice-chancellor.

Note:

A Lokpal is an anti-corruption authority or ombudsman who represents the public interest.
As of January 2019, and ever since the related Act of Parliament was passed in India, the Indian Government is yet to appoint a Lokpal.

Sports

11. CISF creates Guinness world record in a single-line bicycle parade

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has created a Guinness world record in a single line bicycle parade to mark the 50 years of the paramilitary force.
Personnel of the central force rode a total of one thousand 327 bicycles non-stop with a uniform distance between bicycles in a single line at the Yamuna Expressway in Noida.
The bicycle parade covered 3.2 km distance non-stop.
Earlier, this record was held by Hubballi bicycle club of India which had one thousand 235 bicycles in a single chain.
The CISF was raised in 1969 and has about one lakh 80 thousand personnel in its ranks.

12. Wrestler Bajrang Punia wins gold in Bulgaria

India's star wrestler Bajrang Punia has won a gold medal in 65-kilograms freestyle in Bulgaria.
Punia overpowered Jordan Oliver of USA 12-3 in the final.
This was Punia's 10th medal in as many international tournaments since the 2017 World Championships in Paris.
Earlier, Pooja Dhanda claimed gold in women's 59 kg while Sarita Mor won a silver in the same weight category.
In the men's freestyle events, Sandeep Tomar claimed silver in 61kg.

13. Roger Federer claims 100th ATP title of his career

Swiss great Roger Federer (37-years) has claimed the 100th ATP title of his career with after beating Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4 in the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Federer (20-time grand slam champion) is the second man, after American Jimmy Connors to claim 100 titles (record of 109).
Tsitsipas saw the end of an eight-match winning streak as he arrived in the Gulf with the Marseille title from last weekend.
Martina Navratilova holds the record having won 167 women's singles crowns during her career.

14. Shashank Shekhar wins 10 km race of Nepal's COAS Open Marathon

Shashank Shekhar has won the 10-kilometre race of Nepal's Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Open Marathon and Run for Fun held in Kathmandu.
Shekhar is the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Contingent at Embassy of India in Kathmandu.
RD Murgan (from CISF) got third place.
Large number of participants from other Diplomatic Missions, Nepal Army personnel and local people participated in the event, comprising 5 km, 10 km, 21 km and 42 km runs.