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 (2nd 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.