25 April 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

1. World Malaria Day Being Observed Today

The ‘World Malaria Day. being observed every year across the world on 25th April to create awareness among the people about this vector-borne disease.
This year’s global theme for World Malaria Day is " Zero malaria starts with me ".
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) around four lakhs, people die of malaria every year in the world.
In India, every year close to one million people suffers from this disease.

Note:

Malaria caused by the falciparum parasite is the most serious and can lead to breathing problems, liver failure, and eventual death.

Source: UN.Org

National Appointments

2. Shri Rajendra Kumar Nayak took Over as CGDA

Shri Rajendra Kumar Nayak (Indian Defence Accounts Service - 1983 batch) took over as the 52nd Controller General of Defence Accounts.
Shri Nayak has held important assignments in the Defence Accounts Department and on deputation in the Government of India.
He was Additional Controller General of Defence Accounts, Defence Accounts Department, Ministry of Defence before taking over as the CGDA.

Note:

Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA) heads the Defence Accounts Department (DAD), which is one of the oldest government organisations in India. CGDA operates under the Ministry of Defence of India.
CGDA is the cadre controlling authority of the Indian Defence Accounts Service. This is an organised account cadre of Government of India.

Source: PIB

3. Uday Kumar Varma resigns from Assocham Secretary General Post

Uday Kumar Varma resigned from the post of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham) Secretary-General.
He had succeeded D S Rawat who held the position for nearly 14 years.
Currently, Assocham Deputy Secretary-General Saurabh Sanyal is the interim secretary general.
Mr. Verma retired from the post of Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on June 30, 2013.

Note:

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) is one of the apex trade associations of India.
The goal of this organisation is to promote both domestic and international trade and reduce trade barriers while fostering a conducive environment for the growth of trade and industry of India.

Source: Business Standard

National Affairs

4. IIM-Bangalore becomes only Indian institute to feature in QS EMBA Rankings 2019

The Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIM-B) has once again made a mark at the global level.
The institute's post-graduate programme in Enterprise Management (PGPEM) has secured the 12th rank in APAC listing and came 61st globally in the QS Executive MBA Rankings 2019.
Now, IIM-B has become the only B-school in India to be a part of top 100 B-Schools globally and top 16 in APAC, for the second consecutive year.

Note:

The QS Rankings identify the world’s top universities in individual subject areas so that students who know what subjects they are interested in can find suitable universities.
QS Executive MBA Rankings 2019 have been ranking B-schools based on certain parameters such as thought leadership, executive profile, diversity and career outcomes.

Source: The Indian Express

5. Jio races ahead of Airtel to become India's 2nd largest telecom company

Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio (from September 2016) is reportedly the second-largest telecom company in the country.
Jio overtaken Bharti Airtel in terms of customer base and now trails only Vodafone Idea.
According to a Times of India report, Jio presently has 306 million customers, Vodafone Idea continues to lead the industry with 387 million subscribers, Airtel has 284 million subscribers.

Source: BBC

Banking and Finance

6. Government raises authorised capital of Allahabad Bank to Rs 8,000 crore

According to Allahabad Bank, the government has increased its authorised capital by Rs 5,000 crore to Rs 8,000 crores.
The central government after consultation with the Reserve Bank of India has increased the authorised capital of the bank.
The increase in authorised capital will enable the bank to raise further fund up to a maximum ceiling of Rs 8,000 crore.

Note:

Every Company irrespective of size, type of business, category of business etc will have its share capital classified under various types in the financial statement.
It is the maximum amount of the capital for which shares can be issued by the Company to shareholders.
The Authorised capital is mentioned in the Memorandum of Association of the Company under the heading of “Capital Clause”.

Source: Business Standard

7. RBI sells entire stake in NHB, Nabard to govt for Rs 1,470 cr

The Reserve Bank has divested its entire stake in National Housing Bank (NHB) and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).
According to an RBI press release, it is based on the recommendation of the second Narasimham Committee.
The RBI sold the entire stake worth 20 crore rupees in NABARD and 1,450 crore rupees in NHB in the last quarter of 2018-19.
With this divestment, the government now holds a 100% stake in both these financial institutions.

Source: AIR News

8. RBI to buy Rs 25,000 crore of bonds in two instalments via OMO in May

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) plans to buy Rs 25,000 crore worth of bonds in two instalments from the secondary market in May.
The first such open market operations (OMO) for the fiscal year 2019-20, amounting to Rs 12,500 crore, will happen on 2^nd May 2019.
This is despite the central bank buying bonds worth Rs 3 trillion in the last fiscal year and infusing another about Rs 70,000 crore through two-dollar swaps.

Note:

The OMO plan is in continuation with the central bank’s practice in the last financial year. The RBI had spelt out how much of bonds it would purchase from the market through monthly calendars.
In the OMO, the central bank would be buying bonds maturing between 2020 and 2032, it said in its notification.

Source: Business Standard

International Affairs

9. The US records 695 cases of measles in 2019

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statement, The United States has recorded 695 cases of measles in 2019.
The high number of cases in 2019 is primarily the result of a few large outbreaks in Washington State and in New York that started late last year.
The resurgence of the once-eradicated, highly-contagious disease is linked to a growing anti-vaccine movement in richer nations which the World Health Organization has identified as a major global health threat.
Outbreaks in the United States have mostly been confined to tight-knit communities where vaccination rates are lower than the national average of more than 90 per cent.

Note:

The measles vaccines are among the most extensively studied medical products we have, and their safety has been firmly established over many years in some of the largest vaccine studies ever undertaken.

Source: AIR News

10. Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un hold first-ever talks in Vladivostok

Kim Jong-un (North Korean leader) and Vladimir Putin (Russian President) meet for their first summit talks in the Pacific port city of Vladivostok.
The two leaders will talk about the Korean peninsula's nuclear problem.
Mr Kim is believed to be seeking support after failing to reach an agreement with US President Trump on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme at Hanoi earlier this year.
The situation in the Korean peninsula had stabilised somewhat in recent months and Russia intends to help in any way possible to cement that positive trend.
Russia has previously been involved in talks to end North Korea's nuclear programme.

Source: CNN

11. Israel to name a town in Golan Heights after Donald Trump

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu says he intends to name a new settlement in the occupied Golan Heights after US President Donald Trump.
Netanyahu, who is on a trip to the region with his family for the week-long Jewish Passover holiday
Israel has also stated that in appreciation of the U.S. president, it intends to name a proposed train station near Jerusalem’s Western Wall after him.
All Israelis were deeply moved when President Trump made his historic decision to recognise Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

What are the Golan Heights?

The region is located about 60km south-west of the Syrian capital, Damascus, and covers about 1,200 sq km.
Israel seized most of the Golan Heights from Syria in the closing stages of the 1967 Middle East war and thwarted a Syrian attempt to retake the region during the 1973 war.
The move has not been recognised internationally.

Source: BBC

Sports

12. Indian Wrestlers bag 5 medals in Asian Championships

Indian wrestlers reaped a rich-harvest of five medals in men's freestyle events at Asian Championships in Xi'an, China.
Amit Dhankar (74 kilograms) and Vicky (92- kilogram) swelled the Indian medal tally with a silver each.
Vicky Rahul Aware (61 kilograms), Deepak Punia (86 kilogram) and Sumit (125 kilograms) swelled the Indian medal tally with a bronze each.
Bajrang Punia clinched a Gold medal in 65 kilograms men's freestyle yesterday.
Now, India's medal tally went up to one gold, three silver and four bronze.

Source: AIR News