12 March 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

The Union Minister for Commerce and Industry ‘Suresh Prabhu’ has inaugurated the International Food and Hospitality fair ‘AAHAR’ (34th edition) at Pragati Maidan (Hall 7-12A) in New Delhi.
The five-day fair will feature a wide range of food products, machinery, hospitality and Decoration and Confectionery items from over 560 participants from India and abroad.
Around 20 countries, including the US, Russia, China, UK, Germany, Italy and Singapore will participate in the fair.
The fair will showcase new trends in food and beverage, hospitality, culinary technology, retail and new innovations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sheikh Hasian (Bangladesh Prime Minister) jointly unveiled e-plaques for development projects in Bangladesh (through video conference).
Both leaders unveiled e-plaques for the supply of buses and trucks, the inauguration of 36 community clinics, 11 water treatment plants, and extension of National Knowledge Network to Bangladesh.
The National Knowledge Network will connect scholars and research institutes in Bangladesh, to India and the world.
This is PM Modi's sixth video conference with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The new visa agreement between India and Maldives, providing a liberal visa policy for Maldivian citizens seeking medical treatment as well as education and business opportunities in India, came into force.
Under the agreement, Maldivian businessmen and tourists can stay in India for 90 days without a visa.
The main aim behind the move is to boost people-to-people ties between the two countries.
The agreement has come into effect after all formalities including information being provided to all immigration offices, border points and customs authorities have been completed.

Note:

A visa is a conditional authorization granted by a country to a foreigner, allowing them to enter, remain within, or to leave that country.

The Madhya Pradesh government has issued an ordinance raising reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) to 27% (present 14%).
The ordinance was sent to Madhya Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel for her assent on.
The ordinance could be issued before the Lok Sabha poll model code of conduct comes into effect.
Now, MP is possibly the only state in the country to have 27% quota for OBCs.

National Appointment

Former Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia (1981-batch Gujarat cadre officer) has been appointed as the Chancellor of Central University of Gujarat for five years term.
SA Bari is the current vice chancellor of the Central University of Gujarat.
Mr Adhia retired on 30^th November 2018.
Earlier, the Union government also nominated him as the Chairman of Bank of Baroda(BoB).

Note:

In 2009, Gujarat Central University was set up through an Act of Parliament in Gandhinagar, Gujarat,
The university includes 16 schools, 14 academic departments, and 2 other special centres.

The Jammu and Kashmir Governor administration has approved the appointment of ‘E Sreedharan’ (86-years) as the principal advisor to two mass rapid transit systems to be built in Jammu and Kashmir.
The governor administration has approved setting up of two MRTCs Jammu Mass Rapid Transit Corporation and the Srinagar Mass Rapid Transit Corporation for the two capital cities.
Sreedharan is a retired IES (IRSE) officer and is popularly known as the "Metro Man".
Sreedharan is known for changing the face of public transport in the country with his leadership of building the Konkan Railway and the Delhi Metro.

Punjab National Bank (PNB) has sanctioned loans worth Rs 689 crore to over 1,600 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
It has sanctioned it through the ‘psbloansin59minutes.com’ portal as part of its effort to promote such industries.
Under the Mudra Yojana, the bank has offered loan to over 2.69 lakh small entrepreneurs till February 14, 2019.
MSMEs through this portal can avail loans of up to Rs 1 crore in 59 minutes or less than an hour.

Note:

In November 2018, Prime Minister Modi announced the launch of the 59 minutes loan portal to enable easy access to credit for MSMEs.

BBC journalist ‘Priyanka Dubey’ has won the ‘Chameli Devi Jain Award-2018’ for an Outstanding Woman Journalist for the year 2018 at a function in Delhi.
She was chosen for her multi-faceted, investigative and interrogative reportage.
Priyanka Dubey works as a bilingual correspondent with the BBC at its Delhi bureau.

Note:

The Chameli Devi Jain Award named after the freedom fighter, Chameli Devi Jain who held demonstrations against the foreign goods on the call of Gandhi and got arrested.

Japanese woman, Kane Tanaka (116-years) 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.
The previous oldest living person was another Japanese woman, Chiyo Miyako (117-years) who passed away in July 2018.

Note:

Tanaka born in January 1903, Tanaka loves playing the board game 'Othello' and enjoys studying mathematics.

Former French football player ‘Zinedine Zidane’ (46-year) has been re-appointed as the coach of Spanish football club Real Madrid (highest-earning football club) till 2022.
He replaces Santiago Solari, who was sacked after less than five months in charge.
Real Madrid was the highest-earning football club in the world (annual revenue of € 750.9 million) in 2018.

Note:

Mumbai sailor Upamanyu Dutta bagged the bronze medal in the Laser Standard race for men in the Laser Asian Sailing Championship in Singapore.
Earlier, Upamanyu won the Euromed Championship in Malta.
Nethra Kumanan (from Chennai) achieved a creditable 4th position in the Laser Radial event for women.
The young sailor sailed superbly to gain India's first ever medal in the competitive single-handed Laser Standard category.

The 2019 SAFF (South Asian Football Federation) Women's Championship (5^th edition) was scheduled to be held from in Biratnagar. Nepal (from 12–22 March 2019).
The current SAFF members are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Pakistan Withdraws Participation in 2019 SAFF Women's Championship.