142compendium April2019

Compendium- April, 2019
National
International
Economics & Financial Awareness
Defence & Security - National/International
Appointments-National/International
Sports
Honours / Awards
Obituaries
Important Days
Compiled By
Sanjay Singh
National
National Institutional Ranking Framework 2019

 The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings have been released by the
Ministry of Human Resource Development. The
rankings list the best institutions and universities of
India.
 The NIRF ranking framework instituted in 2016
evaluates institutions on five broad generic groups
of parameters, including Teaching, Learning and
Resources, Research and Professional Practice,
Graduation Outcomes, Outreach and Inclusivity and Perception.
 Ranking of the Institutions
 The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras has topped the overall rankings of higher
education institutions and is followed by IISc Bangalore and IIT-Delhi ranked second and
third in the overall rankings.
 In the 2018 rankings, IISc Bangalore had topped the overall rankings.
 Of top 10 institutes in the overall ranking, seven are IITs.
 In the University Category, IISc Bangalore has been ranked one followed by Jawaharlal
Nehru University (JNU) and the Banaras Hindu University (BHU).
 Miranda House of the Delhi University has topped the college’s rankings followed by Hindu
College in Delhi and the Presidency College in Chennai.
 In the Engineering institutions category IIT-Madras topped the ranking followed
by Delhi and Eight of the top 10 engineering institutions are IITs.
 In the category of Management Institutions, top six ranks have been retained by Indian
Institutes of Management (IIMs). IIM Bangalore (IIM-B) has bagged the top spot. IIM
Ahmedabad (IIM-A) bagged the second spot and IIM Calcutta is on the third spot.
 Jamia Hamdard has been announced as the top varsity for Pharmacy.
 All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has been adjudged as the best medical
college.
 National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, have been adjudged as the best medical
college law school.
 A total of 3,127 institutions participated in the ranking process under overall rankings,
category-specific and domain-specific ranking and 4,867 applications for rankings were
made by the total applicant institutions under various categories and domains.
ITBP Soldiers Cast First Vote for 2019 Polls

 The first vote for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections was cast in Arunachal Pradesh by
service voters from a remote Indo-Tibetan Border Police
(ITBP) unit located in the eastern tip of the state of
Arunachal Pradesh.
 Votes through postal ballots have been cast from Lohitpur
for many constituencies in India and the ballot papers
have been dispatched.
 Who are Service Voters?
 Service voters are those who have service qualification
and include members of Armed Forces of the Union of
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India, members of Armed Police forces of the States serving outside that state and persons
employed under Government of India on posts outside India.
 They are provided with an option to cast the votes through postal ballots and send them to
the returning officer of the constituency.
 A service voter can also cast his vote through a proxy. The proxy can cast the vote on behalf
of the service personnel at the polling station.
 The proxy should be a registered voter of that constituency.
 In cases of close contests, service voters play a crucial and decisive role.
Utkal Divas observed on 1 April by govt.of Odisha

 The state of Odisha celebrates Odisha Divas or Utkala Divas every year on April 1st to
commemorate the state formation day.
 On this day 82 years ago, Orissa (now Odisha) was established as a province of British
India.
 In 1912, Bihar and Orissa had been separated from Bengal to form the Bihar and Orissa
Province.
 In 1936, Bihar and Orissa Province was itself split to form Bihar Province and Orissa
Province.
 On 1 April 1936, the new province Orissa came into being with Sir John Austin Hubback,
Indian Civil Servant ((ICS), as the Governor.
 Orissa was the first linguistic province in the country. After Independence, the area of
Orissa was almost doubled and the population was increased by a third with the addition of
24 former princely states.
 The name of the state was changed from Orissa to Odisha in2011.
Kandhamal Haldi (turmeric) gets Geographical Indications (GI) tag

 Odisha’s Kandhamal Haldi (turmeric) gets Geographical Indications (GI) tag .Kandhamal
Haldi (turmeric), famous for its healing properties.
 Turmeric is the main cash crop of tribal people in Kandhamal.
 Kandhamal Apex Spices Association for Marketing, based at the district headquarter town
of Phulbani, had moved for registration ‘Kandhamal Haldi’ which was accepted under sub-
section (1) of Section 13 of the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and
Protection) Act, 1999.
 Kandhamal in Odisha’s southern hinterland is famous for its turmeric cultivation, a spice
that enjoys its pride of place in an array of cuisines.
 Kandhamal Haldi has more oleoresin and volatile oil contents compared to other turmeric
varieties.
 Kandhamal Haldi gives strong aroma and has a high medicinal value.
 The product to acquire GI tag has to indicate that a product of a particular origin has a
certain quality or reputation or some other characteristics,which is essentially attributable
to its geographical origin.
WhatsApp Launches Tip Line to curb Fake News

 Social Media Platform WhatsApp has launched an India-focused fact-checking feature to
combat fake news and rumours starting with the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.
 Curbing Fake News
 Users can check the authenticity of the information or rumours received on the platform by
reporting the forward to the WhatsApp number +91-9643-000-888.
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 The response will indicate if the information is classified as ‘true’, ‘false’, ‘misleading’,
‘disputed’ or ‘out of scope’, and include any other related
information.
 Pictures, video links or texts in Hindi, Telugu, Bengali, Malayalam
and English will be reviewed by WhatsApp.
 This tip line feature has been developed by WhatsApp in
collaboration with India-based media skilling startup PROTO.
 The tip line feature will help to create a database of rumours to
study misinformation during elections as part of a research
project commissioned and assisted by WhatsApp.
 As more data flows in, WhatsApp will be able to identify the most susceptible or affected
issues, locations, languages, regions, etc. The verification reports Whatsapp sends back will
encourage the users to send more signals for analysis.
Veer Parivar App Launched

 On the occasion of the 54th Valour Day (Shaurya Diwas) of the Central Reserve Police Force
(CRPF), President Ram Nath Kovind launched ‘Veer Parivar App’, a mobile application for
families of CRPF personnel killed in the line of
duty.
 What is Veer Parivar App?
 The Veer Parivar App will act as an interface
between the CRPF authorities and the next of
kin of the slain personnel.
 The Veer Parivar App will be installed securely
on the phones of the slain personnel families
and will not be available in the app stores.
 The app will provide assistance to the families of the martyred CRPF personnel with regard
to issuance of ex gratia, pension benefits etc.
 The app will also provide all the necessary information regarding the welfare schemes
introduced for them by the government.
 The Android-based Veer Parivar App will provide assistance to the families on a real-time
basis and the CRPF authorities will respond to the issues raised by the members of the
families of the slain personnel.
Most Polluted city: Kanpur ranked 1 as the most polluted city

 According to ‘Political Leaders Position and Action on Air Quality in India 2014-2019’
report: Kanpur ranked 1 as the most polluted city
 The quality of air in Varanasi, Prime Minister Modi’s
2014 Lok Sabha constituency, is positioned 3rd on the
WHO’s (World Health Organisation) list of 15 most
polluted cities in the world, by the ‘Political Leaders
Position and Action on Air Quality in India 2014-
2019’ report, released by Climate Trends. Kanpur in
Uttar Pradesh is the most polluted city in the world
and is positioned 1 on the list.
 The most polluted cityi. The air quality index (AQI) in Varanasi reached a warning 490
(notified as ‘severe’) in 2017 and 384 (notified as ‘very poor’) in December 2018.
 ii. 14 of the 15 most polluted cities in the world (mentioned by World Health Organisation
(WHO) are in India. Out of them, 4 are in Uttar Pradesh.
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 iii. WHO’s report states that Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh is witnessing a rise in the number of
people suffering from allergies and respiratory problems due to huge amount of
construction in the city.
 iv. Faridabad in Haryana is in 2nd position after Kanpur, whereas Delhi is ranked 6th on the
list. Other than these, the list of the most polluted cities according to WHO include Gaya and
Patna in Bihar, Lucknow, Cities of Agra, Muzaffarpur, Srinagar, Gurugram, Jaipur, Patiala
and Jodhpur.
 (AQI) Air Quality Index ratings in India:
 As per pollution control authorities, An AQI between
1. 0 and 50 is considered “good”
2. 51 and 100 “satisfactory”
3. 101 and 200 “moderate”
4. 201 and 300 “poor”
5. 301 and 400 “very poor”
6. 401 and 500 “severe”
‘Politics of Jugaad: The Coalition Handbook’, released

 The “Politics of Jugaad: The Coalition Handbook” new book authored by journalist Saba
Naqvi examines possibility of coalition government after 2019 Lok
Sabha polls.
 About Book
 It examines coalition government history in India to project
possibility at the end of 2019 Lok Sabha election. It questions
whether ‘coalitions’ are inevitable even when they have been proved
unstable, or whether they hold promise of greater democratization in
our diverse nation. It also analyses possibilities of coalition formation
in different states and their chances of success and failure.
 It strikes perfect balance between argument and prose, and discusses
possible direction in politics and policy of India’s next coalition
government. It also elaborates nature of transformation in Indian
political parties and their role in contemporary times.
 About Author
 Saba Naqvi is one of India’s renowned journalists, best known author and political analyst.
Other books written by her include In Good Faith (2012), Capital Conquest (2015), and
Shades of Saffron (2018).
India’s First Foreign Interactive Bird Park launched by Essel World in Mumbai
 India’s first exotic Bird Park ‘EsselWorld Bird Park’ was launched by EsselWorld Leisure
Pvt. Ltd., the family entertainment arm of the $6-billion Essel Group in Mumbai on 11th
April 2019.
 EsselWorld Bird Park:
 The Park is spread over 1.4 acres of land and surrounded by flora and fauna.
 It is home to over 500 exotic birds from more than 60 species of flying, terrestrial and
aquatic birds and has 200 species of special plants and trees for the birds.
 The star attractions at the Bird Park are the African Grey Parrot, Blue Gold Macaw,
Cockatiel, Rainbow Lorikeet, Toucan, Black Lory, Violet Turaco and many other varieties of
bird.
 EsselWorld is the largest amusement park in the country and Water Kingdom is one of the
largest Theme Water Parks in Asia.
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India to host informal ministerial of WTO on May 13-14
 India is going to hold an informal ministerial of the World Trade Organization (WTO) for a
second time in just over a year, starting May 13.
 The two-day mini-ministerial is aimed at reaffirming commitment to preserving a rule-
based, multilateral trading system and will likely discuss
key issues such as reforms at WTO, special and differential
treatment to developing countries, e-commerce and certain
other topics relating to the Doha agenda.
 The move comes at a critical time when growing unilateral
protectionist policies by the US and some others, and a
trade war involving the world’s top two economies have put
to test the multilateral trading system represented by WTO.
 WTO this month trimmed its global trade growth projection for 2019 to the lowest level in
three years.
 World merchandise trade growth will ease to 2.6% this year and 3% next year, after
recording a 3% rise in 2018, it said.
 Separately, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), too, lowered its 2019 trade growth
forecast last week by a sharp 60 basis points to 3.4%, compared with the actual rise of 3.8%
in 2018, citing the impact of the trade war.
 New Delhi had organised such a meet of select nations in March last year.
 The US has already slapped tariff on its imports of steel and aluminium and hinted at more
such protectionist steps.
 It’s negotiating a trade deal with China and has announced its withdrawal of export
incentives on Indian exports worth an annual $5.6 billion.
 Recently, it sought a review of the “developing country” status at the WTO, claiming several
members -including China and India - that moved up fast on economic and social ladders
since the formation of the multilateral body in 1995 were still enjoying special and
preferential trade treatments by “self-designating” themselves as developing nations.
 In a separate paper presented at WTO, India, China and some others, however, have
rebutted US claims, asserting that in various key indicators, ranging from per capita income
and human development indices to agriculture, the gap between them and the rich nations
is too stark to miss.
Bamboo rice shows up in Odisha

 Nearly after four decades, Bamboo rice has shown up in Odisha. The state of Odisha had last
witnessed Bamboo rice in 1979.
 Harvesting Bamboo Rice
 The Forest Authorities of Chandaka-Dampara Wildlife Sanctuary in
Cuttack district have opened up the gates for the forest dwellers to
collect the Bamboo rice. Whenever the bamboo rice shows up, it would
be accompanied by the increase in the rat population which starts
running over the bamboo rice. Hence to avoid the menace the forest
authorities have allowed forest dwellers to harvest Bamboo rice.
 Further, the authorities are also planning to purchase bamboo rice from the forest dwellers
to germinate bamboo trees in other areas of the state.
 Bamboo Rice
 Bamboo rice grows out of a dying bamboo shoot. Bamboo rice looks like paddy rice and
tastes more like wheat. Bamboo rice is not commonly available as it takes many years for a
bamboo tree to flower.
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 Bamboo rice is believed to contain a low glycaemic index compared to other varieties and it
is good for diabetics. It’s rich in proteins and does not contain any fat. Bamboo rice is also
believed to be containing medicinal values.
India ranks 19th in Index of Cancer Preparedness

 According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), India's overall rank is 19th out of 28
countries, with a score of 64.9 in the 2019 Index of Cancer Preparedness (ICP).
 Index of Cancer Preparedness (ICP) -2019:
 Australia tops the ICP, followed by the Netherlands and Germany.
 Saudi Arabia, Romania, and Egypt are at the bottom in Index.
 The ICP explores the issue of cancer preparedness through three broad domains:
 policy and planning;
 care delivery;
 health systems and governance.
 India ranks 17th in cancer policy and planning, but it has a relatively high score of 80.8.
 India ranked first for research and third for tobacco control in ICP.
 In its delivery of cancer care, India ranks 20th with a score of 61.3.
 With a score of 40.3, India’s healthcare system ranks 25th in the index, above only Saudi
Arabia, Kenya, Egypt.
 Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally and is estimated to account for 9.6
million death in 2018.
 World Cancer Day is observed on 4th February every year.
India ranked 2nd-most targeted nation by hackers in 2018

 According to Akamai Technologies Report, India ranked as the 2nd-most targeted nation by
hackers in 2018 with 120 Crore Attacks
 The report by Akamai Technologies notifies that with more than 120 crore account
takeover attacks in 2018, India ranked second for hacking attempts in the world after the
US.
 According to a new edition of the “State of the internet/security” report, Akamai
Technologies, each of the attacks represented an attempt by a person or a computer to log
in to an account with a stolen or generated username and password. Canada ranks third for
attacks.
 By the report, the US registered 1,252 crore hacking attempts in 2018 while Canada
registered 102 crore.
 The hackers attacks targeted large media brands, retail, gaming and various other sectors.
 The research study stated that in the video media sector, in 2018, 3 of the largest credential
stuffing attacks skyrocketed from 133 million to 200 million.
Maitri Bridge: Longest Suspension Bridge

 Indian Army built the longest suspension bridge over Indus river in Leh in just 40 days and
the bridge is named as Maitri Bridge.
 Maitri Bridge
 The bridge was constructed by the combat engineers of ‘Sahas aur
Yogyata’ regiment of ‘Fire and Fury Corps’ of the Indian Army.
 The bridge is 260-feet long.
 This cable suspension bridge is expected to give a major boost to
connectivity in remote areas in Ladakh.
 The bridge is constructed using around 500 tonnes of bridge equipment and construction
material.
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 Maitri Bridge has been dedicated to the people of India to commemorate the 20 th year of
Kargil Vijay Divas.
 The bridge is part of the central government plans to all-weather road connectivity in the
region.
IT company TCS deployed an integrated solution for 1.5 lakh India Post
 TCS company successfully deployed an integrated solution for India Post under which over
1.5 lakh post offices in the country were modernized.
 TCS is India's largest IT company.
 TCS on 22 April 2019 announced that it had deployed an integrated solution for India Post,
modernising over 1.5 lakh post offices in the country.
 The move, which caters to mail operations, finance and HR functions, created the world's
largest distributed e-postal network.
 This multi-year contract was for Rs. 1,100 crore.
EMISAT adds to India’s Defence Capability

 After the successful test of A-SAT through Mission Shakti, India’s defence capability has got
a further boost with the successful launch of the ElectroMagnetic Intelligence Satellite
(EMISAT).
 About EMISAT
 EMISAT was jointly developed by ISRO and DRDO, two frontline
research agencies of the country.
 EMISAT will allow India to intercept the radars by detecting the
electromagnetic rays from “enemy radar”.
 EMISAT will cater to India’s strategic defence needs by strengthening
the armed forces ability to intercept radar signals and gauge a variety of parameters and
understand various details.
 EMISAT will allow India to know what kind of radar is at work on the other side, based on
the spectrum and we will be able to read the distance between the radar and Indian assets
too.
 The satellite has been placed in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at an orbit about 700 km from
Earth as the objective is to detect low power radar signals. Such radars are typically used to
track by low-altitude air-borne vehicles, including aircraft and drones.
 The Ministry of Defence had initiated the development of the satellite under the project
titled Kautilya, which was first openly acknowledged in 2013-14. But the DRDO has since
maintained secrecy about the project.
 Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) announced that it has recorded cargo
movement of more than 200 million metric tonnes (MMT) at nine ports along the east and
west coasts, becoming the first Indian port operator to achieve the milestone.
 Tashigang, a Himachal Pradesh village at an altitude of 15,256 feet has now become the
highest polling station in the world.
 BSNL has received a licence from the Department of Telecommunications to provide
Internet and mobile services on flights.
 The Guwahati Railway Station has become the first ever railway station in the Indian
Railways to get an ISO certification from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for “providing
passenger amenities in a clean and green environment.”
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 Bharti Airtel and the FICCI Ladies Organisation launched a carrier agnostic safety app
named 'My Circle' to empower women in the event of any distress or panic situation.
 India's first-of-its-kind 'Voter Park' was inaugurated in Gurugram, Haryana, aimed at
increasing voter awareness and educating people about the electoral process.
 The Indian Council of Medical Research has launched the ‘Malaria Elimination Research
Alliance (MERA) India which is a conglomeration of partners working on malaria control in
order to eliminate the disease from India by 2030.
 Indu Malhotra part of panel to probe case against CJI; Former SC judge to hold inquiry into
conspiracy claims against CJI. Justice NV Ramana, part of three-member in-house inquiry
panel set up to examine the allegations of sexual harassment against the CJI recused himself
from it on April 25.
 Bilkis Bano case SC directs Gujarat Govt for compensation. Bilkis Bano had earlier refused
to accept the Rs 5 lakh as compensation and had sought exemplary compensation from the
state government in a plea before the Supreme Court.
 India ranked 140 in World Press Freedom Index 2019. As per the Index, one of the most
striking features of the current state of press freedom in India is violence against journalists
including police violence, attacks by Maoist fighters, criminal groups and corrupt
politicians.
 The Year 2019 marks 100 years of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, a "shameful scar" on
India-British relations.
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International
China hosts 2nd Belt and Road Forum

 Second Belt and Road Forum (BRF) was held in Beijing, China. It will serve as stocktaking
exercise for China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It saw
participation of 126 countries and 29 international organisations,
increase from 60 countries and international organisations seen in in
first edition of BRF 2017. India did not participate in this edition as well
as in first edition of BRF.
 BRF 2019
 Chinese President Xi Jinping’s chaired leaders’ roundtable, high-level
meeting and thematic forum in this edition of three day BRF event.
 New Focus: Unlike earlier, with sole focus on building infrastructure projects, BRI’s
broadened framework includes financial and humanitarian aid projects.
 New Entrant: European countries such as Italy (joined BRI in March 2019) and
Luxembourg have joined the project. Italy and China signed an MoU with deals worth 2.5
billion euros including working together to develop Italy’s port infrastructure, transport
and logistics. 13 EU member states are already part of BRI.
 Changed Funding model: China is proposing ‘third-party market cooperation’ under
which investments are shared between more than one nation. Initially funds were sought
from China-headed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and other financial
institutions.
 About Belt And Road Initiative
 The BRI, (or yi dai yi lu) also called “21st Century Silk Road” or China’s Marshall Plan was
announced by China in 2013.
 It is made of “belt” of overland routes and maritime “road”, with aim to connect Asia,
Europe and Africa, will impact countries comprising of half of world’s population.
 “The Belt” means Silk Road Economic Belt comprising of three overland routes which
connects China, Central Asia, Russia and Europe. It will connect China with Persian Gulf and
Mediterranean Sea via Central Asia and West Asia, and link China with Southeast Asia,
South Asia and Indian Ocean.
 “The Road” means 21st Century Maritime Silk Road which would provide impetus to trade
from China to Europe via South China Sea and Indian Ocean, and from China via South
China Sea towards South Pacific.
EU parliament approves ban on single-use plastics

 European Union legislators have overwhelmingly approved a ban on single-use plastic
items - including straws, forks, knives and cotton buds - to
counter pollution amid efforts to push manufacturers to step
up their recycling efforts.
 The measure has passed and will take effect in 2021, targets
the top 10 disposable plastic products that wash up on
European shores, provided that consumers have alternatives.
 The European Parliament votes by 560 to 35 in favour of
banning 10 single-use plastics.
 They include plates, balloon sticks, food and beverage containers made of expanded
polystyrene and all products made of oxo-degradable plastic.
 EU countries can choose their own methods of reducing the use of other single-use plastics
such as takeout containers and cups for beverages.
 They will also have to collect and recycle at least 90 percent of beverage bottles by 2029.
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 Tobacco companies will be required to cover the costs for public collection of cigarette
stubs, which are the second most littered single-use plastic item.
 The ban was approved at the European Parliament on Wednesday, with Lack of targets
criticised
 The EU recycles only a quarter of the 25 million tonnes of plastics waste it produces every
year.
 Marine litter has come under the spotlight because 85 % of it is plastic.
 Growing concerns about plastic pollution in oceans and stories of dead whales with plastic
in their stomachs, together with China's decision to stop processing waste have prompted
the bloc to take more drastic steps to tackle the issue.
 Environmentalist group Greenpeace welcomed the ban but criticised the lack of targets for
EU countries to follow on some plastics.
Ramayana Themed Stamp Released by Indonesia

 Indonesia has released a special commemorative stamp on the theme of Ramayana to mark
the 70th anniversary of the establishment of its diplomatic ties with India.
 About the Stamp
 The stamp is designed by renowned Indonesian sculptor Padmashri
Bapak Nyoman Nuarta.
 The stamp features a scene from Ramayana in which Jatayu
valiantly fought to save Sita.
 It is a specially signed version of the stamp will be on display at the
Philately Museum in Jakarta.
 India-Indonesia Bilateral Relations
 India and Indonesia have shared close cultural and commercial contacts spanning back to
two millennia. The Hindu, Buddhist and later Muslim faith travelled to Indonesia from the
shores of India. The Indonesian folk art and dramas portray great influence from the great
epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata.
 The shared culture, colonial history and post-independence goals of political sovereignty,
economic self-sufficiency and independent foreign policy had a unifying effect on the
bilateral relations.
 The foundation of the Non-Aligned Movement at the Asian-African Conference held in
Bandung in 1955 and the adoption of India’s ‘Look East Policy’ in 1991, provided avenues
for rapid development of bilateral relations in political, security, defence, commercial and
cultural fields. The diplomatic relations have further received uplift with the Act East policy.
2019 UNDP human development report to focus on inequality

 According to the UNDP-2019 Human Development Report (HDR), with its focus on
inequality, will be released around this year's last quarter, .
 The report will provide a comprehensive picture of the many forms of inequality that are
shaping the 21st century.
 The life and prospects faced by a newborn in a poor country or in a poor household are
radically different from those of wealthier children.
 In all societies, long-standing forms of inequality persist while gaps are opening in new
aspects of life.
 The report will use a framework that looks beyond income (considering inequalities in
health, education, tech and exposure to economic and climate-related shocks) and beyond
averages (painting a more accurate and timely picture of the state of inequality).
 It will also seek to look beyond today by taking a long-term view of inequality and by
identifying trends and making projections.
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 These inequalities will have lifetime consequences, particularly given the rapid
technological changes, which are likely to impact labour markets.
 This is just one example of why our analysis of inequality must go beyond income, beyond
averages and beyond today.
 The first HDR in 1990 shifted the economic growth-centric paradigm to the one that also
includes giving people opportunities and freedoms to live the lives they would value.
 As of March 9, the HDR Office's Statistical Advisory Panel, had brought together prominent
members from the statistical community and addressed many aspects of the statistical
production for the 2019 report on inequality.
NASA Spots 1st Molecule of the Universe

 The scientists have detected the first molecule to ever form from stray atoms in the
universe. The first such molecule was helium hydride, a
combination of helium and hydrogen. The discovery is a first step
in unlocking the mystery of the universe’s chemistry.
 About the Discovery
 The research was published in the journal Nature.
 The researchers used the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration’s (NASA’s) SOFIA, the world’s largest airborne
observatory, to detect helium hydride in NGC 7027, a planetary
nebula about 3,000 light-years away from Earth.
 SOFIA
 Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a Boeing 747SP jetliner
modified to carry a 106-inch diameter telescope.
 Scientists for long had held that around 100,000 years after the big bang, helium and
hydrogen combined to make a molecule called helium hydride for the first time. But
scientists could not find HeH+ in space and it was unproven. The discovery brought a long
search to a happy ending and eliminates doubts about our understanding of the underlying
chemistry of the early universe.
Mount Agung Volcano Erupts

 The active volcano of Indonesia Mount Agung has erupted again, spewing volcanic ash into
the sky to a height of 2km. Two other volcanoes popular with
tourists Mount Bromo in East Java and Mount Merapi in
Yogyakarta also continues to erupt.
 Mount Agung
 Mount Agung is an active volcano in Bali of Indonesia. Mount
Agung stratovolcano is the highest point on Bali; it dominates the
surrounding area, influencing the climate, especially rainfall
patterns. The most important temple on Bali, Pura Besakih, is
located high on the slopes of Mount Agung.
 Mount Bromo
 Mount Bromo is an active volcano and part of the Tengger massif, in East Java, Indonesia.
The name Bromo is derived from Javanese pronunciation of Brahma, the Hindu creator god.
 Mount Merapi
 Mount Merapi is an active volcano located on the border between Central Java and
Yogyakarta provinces, Indonesia. The word Merapi can be translated as the Mountain of
Fire. Meru means “mountain” and api means “fire”.
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"Reiwa": The new Japanese imperial era set to begin on 1 May 2019
 "Reiwa" will be the name of the new Japanese imperial era set to
begin on 1 May 2019, as was announced on 1 April 2019.
 Japan’s current era, Heisei, which began in 1989, will end with
Emperor Akihito's abdication.
 According to Japan times, Reiwa consists of two words "Rei" and
"Wa". While Rei means "good fortune", Wa can be translated
into "peace" and "harmony".
 The new imperial era will begin when Crown Prince Naruhito
takes oath as a new emperor.
 This is a long tradition in Japan that the ascension of a new
emperor to the Chrysanthemum Throne spurs a new era in the
nation, which is marked by a new name.
 Current era under Emperor Akihito is known as "Heisei".
 Emperor Akihito is slated to abdicate the throne a day before
Crown Prince Naruhito's ascension in May 2019.
 He will be the first Emperor in Japan to abdicate over two centuries.
Raavana-1 launched into Space

 Sri Lanka’s first satellite Raavana-1 was launched into space from NASA’s Flight Facility on
Virginia’s east shore.
 Raavana-1
 Raavana 1 weights around 1.05 kg and is 1000 cubic centimetres in
size.
 The minimum lifespan of the satellite is around one and a half years
and it is expected to be active for five years.
 Raavana 1 satellite was designed and built at the Kyushu Institute of
Technology in Japan by two Sri Lankan research engineers.
 Raavana 1 satellite’s camera mission is to capture images of Sri Lanka and its neighbouring
countries.
 The Raavana-1 is expected to orbit 400 kilometres away from the earth.
 The satellite will achieve an active attitude stabilization which ensures that the satellite’s
attitude is stable under the influence of external talks.
 The launch of Raavana-1 marks Sri Lanka’s entry into the global space age.
Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) takes first-ever picture of a black hole

 Scientific history was created when astronomers were successful in taking the first ever
image of a black hole as was disclosed on 10 April 2019.
 This iconic photo was taken by Event Horizon Telescope network of eight linked telescopes.
 The first-ever picture of a black hole was taken by Event Horizon Telescope (EHT).
 The black hole photographed is 500 million trillion km away.
 Prof Heino Falcke of Radboud University in the Netherlands was the proposer of this
experiment while 29-year-old woman computer scientist Katie Bouman led development of
a computer programme that made the breakthrough image possible.
Scientists Print First 3D Heart Using Patient’s Biological Materials

 Researchers from the Tel Aviv University, Israel have printed the world’s first 3D
vascularised engineered heart using a patient’s own cells and biological materials.
 Why this is significant?
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 The 3D Heart was made from human cells and patient-specific biological materials. During
the process, the patient-specific biological materials served as the bio-inks (substances
made of sugars and proteins that can be used for 3D printing of
complex tissue models).
 Even though people had managed to 3D-print the structure of a heart
in the past, but those attempts were not with cells or with blood
vessels. The heart produced by researchers is about the size of a
rabbit’s.
 Even though many challenges remain before fully working 3D printed
hearts would be available for transplant into patients. This successful demonstration
underlines the potential for engineering personalized tissue and organ replacement in the
future.
 The challenge now before the researchers is to teach the printed hearts “to behave” like
real ones. The cells are currently able to contract but do not yet have the ability to pump.
Then they can undertake transplantation into animal models. When successful, there will
be organ printers in the finest hospitals around the world, and these procedures will be
conducted routinely.
China builds world's first armed amphibious drone boat that can lead land assault
 China has built the world's first armed amphibious drone boat.
 It could be used in land assault operations and is capable of
forming a combat triad with aerial drones and other drone
ships.
 Built by Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group under China
Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), the drone ship,
named Marine Lizard, successfully passed delivery checks
and left factory on April 8 in Wuhan.
 In ship form, the 12-meter-long Marine Lizard is a trimaran
propelled by a diesel-powered hydrojet and can reach a maximum speed of 50 knots while
maintaining stealth.
 When approaching land, the amphibious drone ship can release four continuous track units
hidden under its belly, and travel at 20 kilometers an hour on land.
 The maximum land speed can be increased if larger track units are installed.
 The Marine Lizard's payloads include an electro-optical system and a radar system.
 In the weapon department, it is equipped with two machine guns and a vertical launching
system for anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles.
 This amphibious drone boat is suitable for island assault operations as a swarm of such
drone ships could lead an attack following a first wave of artillery and air strikes.
 Approaching land from the sea is a dangerous task, and the Marine Lizard can take
advantage of its unmanned nature to discover enemy positions and provide suppressive
fire as troops follow.
 The drone boat is also a great choice for coastal defence.
 it can remain dormant on an uninhabited island for up to eight months before engaging in
combat once it receives orders, according to the Hubei Daily report.
 Provided with world-class navigation by China's independently developed BeiDou
Navigation Satellite System, the Marine Lizard can cooperate with other battle units in an
integrated command system.
 The anonymous expert also pointed out the amphibious Marine Lizard can possibly form an
unmanned sea-land-air integrated combat system with aerial armed reconnaissance drones
and other drone ships, which can engage in combat with great efficiency and low risk of
casualties.
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 Having a maximum operation range of 1,200 kilometers, the Marine Lizard can be remotely
controlled via satellites.
 The drone is available for export, as it is developed with the needs of international clients in
mind.
Three-person Baby Boy Born in Greece

 A team of doctors from Greece and Spain have reported the birth of a baby using DNA from
three people. The baby boy has inherited the genetic material from
two women and a man.
 How did the new IVF method work?
 Doctors used an egg from the infertile mother, the father’s sperm and
another woman’s egg to conceive the baby boy. The doctors
transferred genetic material with chromosomes from the mother to
the egg of a donor whose own genetic material had been removed in
a process.
 A similar DNA switching technique was adopted in Mexico in 2016 to avoid transmission of
a mother’s hereditary illness to her child. But this case from Greece is unique owing to the
fact that for the first time an IVF (in vitro fertilization) technique using DNA from three
people has been deployed to allow a mother otherwise unable to conceive to have a child.
 In-vitro Fertilisation
 In-vitro Fertilization is an artificial reproduction technique wherein the process of
fertilization happens by extracting eggs, retrieving a sperm sample, and then manually
combining an egg and sperm in a laboratory set-up. The embryo(s) is then transferred to
the uterus.
World’s largest plane makes first test flight in Mojave Desert

 The world’s largest aircraft completed its first flight test, achieving a maximum speed of
189 miles per hour (302.4 km per hour).
 The plane developed by aerospace venture
Stratolaunchflew for 2.5 hours over the Mojave
Desert at altitudes up to 17,000 feet.
 It was set up by the late Microsoft co-founder
Paul Allen in 2011.
 The plane has a dual fuselage design and its
wingspan is greater than the length of an
American football field.
 As per the information provided on the Stratolaunch website, the test flight took off from
Mojave Air and Space Port in California at 6:58 am Pacific Time (7:28 pm India time).
 As part of the initial flight, the pilots evaluated aircraft performance and handling qualities
before landing successfully back at the Mojave Air and Space Port, Stratolaunch said in a
statement.
 The test team conducted standard aircraft testing exercise including a variety of flight
control manoeuvres to calibrate speed and test flight control systems
 What is the purpose of the world’s largest plane?
 The Stratolaunch aircraft is designed to act as a flying launch pad for satellites and put
payloads in orbit. With 117 meters wingspan and 73 meters nose-to-tail length, the
company describes its aircraft as the “world’s largest plane”.
 While it does have the largest wingspan, it does not have the longest nose-to-tail length.
 The mobile launch platform aims to enable airline-style access to space as its centre wing
can support multiple launch vehicles, weighing up to a total of 500,000 pounds.
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Israel’s Beresheet Mission Crashes on the Moon
 World’s first privately funded lunar Mission Beresheet crashed on the Moon. Beresheet
crashed during a landing attempt. It is said that the spacecraft had problems with its main
engine during its descent that left it unable to slow down in time before it smashed into the
lunar surface.
 About the Mission
 Beresheet (Hebrew for the first phrase from the Book of Genesis, “in the
beginning”) was an Israeli mission launched by a partnership between
nonprofit SpaceIL and government-owned aerospace company Israel
Aerospace Industries.
 Beresheet lander had carried a science instrument provided by NASA,
a retroreflector instrument scientists would have used to make precise
measurements of the distance between Earth and the moon.
 Beresheet mission’s design included risks. To make sure the spacecraft small enough to
piggyback with another spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket, the engineering team had to design
the craft without any backup systems.
 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and SpaceIL have announced that the team will
now start working on Beresheet 2.0.
Nepal's first ever satellite launched into space

 Nepals first satellite has been launched into space, which will soon start rotating around the
Earths orbit to collect information about the countrys topography and Earths magnetic
field.
 The NepaliSat-1 was launched from the Virginia-based station of the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration in the US.
 The satellite, developed by two Nepalis -- Abhas Maskey and Hariram Shrestha -- at Japan's
Kyushu Institute of Technology, bears the Nepal flag and the NAST logo.
 Similar satellites from Japan and Sri Lanka were also launched alongside NepaliSat-1.
 According to the NAST, the satellite is equipped with a 5MP camera to capture Nepal's
topography and a magnetometer to collect data related to the Earth's magnetic field.
 The satellite will first reach the International Space Station. It will then start rotating
around the earth after a month.
 The images and data will be sent by the satellite to the ground station at NAST, which is
currently under construction.
 The total cost from developing the satellite to launching it and constructing the ground
station was said to be 20 million Nepalese rupees ($179,915).
 A group of four engineering graduates were also working to launch another Nepali satellite
'Nepal PQ-1' in 2020.
Researchers in the Philippines have discovered a species of ancient human Homo

Luzonensis
 Researchers in the Philippines have discovered a species of ancient
human Homo Luzonensis which was previously unknown to
science.
 Homo Luzonensis
 Homo Luzonensis lived on the island of Luzon at least 50,000 to
67,000 years ago.
 The hominin was identified from a total of seven teeth and six small
bones and teeth from two adults and one child found in a cave on
the island of Luzon in the Philippines.
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 Homo Luzonensis is boasted as an eclectic mix of features comparable to different species
of hominins.
 Homo luzonensis curved finger and toe bones portray a clear difference between the newly
discovered species and most members of the Homo genus.
 The discovery could mean primitive human relatives left Africa and made it all the way to
South-East Asia, something not previously thought possible.
World's first-ever malaria vaccine launched in Africa's Malawi

 The world’s first-ever malaria vaccine was launched Malawi.
 The malaria vaccine was launched in a pilot project in Africa's Malawi on 22 April 2019.
 Called 'RTS,S' (trade name Mosquirix), is to date the only
vaccine that has demonstrated it can significantly reduce
malaria in children.
 Details:
 The project to develop this vaccine was undertaken by
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and funded by Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation.
 It is noted that the World Health Organization marks World Malaria Day, April 25, Malawi
has launched the pilot phase of Africa's first ever malaria vaccine.
 The WHO chose Malawi, alongside Ghana and Kenya, because of the high numbers of
malaria cases and treatment facilities. The pilot phase aims to vaccinate 360,000 children
per year, 120,000 of them in Malawi. But, while the vaccine is expected to save thousands of
lives, its effectiveness is limited.
 The mosquito-spread disease kills more than 430,000 people per year, most of them
African children.
 The vaccine is only helpful for children younger than 2 who receive four doses, at the ages
of 5 months, 6 months, 7 months and 22 months.
 Testing between 2009 and 2014 showed the vaccine reduces clinical malaria cases by 40
percent and severe malaria cases by 30 percent.
 But it also caused a 60 percent reduction in severe malaria anemia, the most common
reason children die from malaria.
 The pilot project will be launched in Ghana and Kenya next week.
 The WHO will use the results to inform policy advice before the vaccine is rolled-out in
other malaria-hit countries.
World’s only floating N-plant is ready for operations in Russia

 Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom) has stated its first-of-its-kind floating
nuclear power unit, called ‘Akademik Lomonosov’.
 It is now able for industrial operations after a series of a hit
assessments.
 Rosatom has the second biggest uranium reserves and has
greater than a third of the world’s enrichment marketplace.
 Its Headquarter located in Moscow,Russia.
 Bolivia has signed the framework agreement of the International Solar Alliance (ISA),
joining hands with India towards a common goal of sustainability. The ISA is an Indian
initiative that was jointly launched by Prime Minister Modi and former French President
Hollande on November 30, 2015, in Paris, on the sidelines of COP21, the UN Climate
Conference.
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 According to the UN's International Labour Organisation(ILO),Qatar is set to abolish its
controversial exit visa system for all foreign workers by the end of the year. Qatar has
introduced a series of labour reforms since its selection as the 2022 World Cup host, with
the event setting in motion a huge construction programme employing foreign workers.
 Tesla has developed its ‘largest power storage system in Asia’ at Osaka train station in
Japan to reduce energy demand and provide emergency backup power to trains in Japan.
 Google parent Alphabet has beaten Amazon to launch one of the first commercial drone
delivery businesses.
 London is the first city in the world to implement a 24-hour, seven day a week Ultra Low
Emission Zone (ULEZ), inside which vehicles will have to meet tough emissions standards
or face a charge.
 The UAE has announced that India will be the Guest of Honour country at the Abu Dhabi
International Book Fair, ADIBF 2019, to be held at the end of April 2019.
 UAE is set to host the world's foremost Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit to empower
global dialogue on the future of government, business and society. The inaugural 'AI
Everything', AIE will take place at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
 Google has opened its first African artificial intelligence (AI) centre in Ghana’s capital Accra,
one year after announcing the project.
 Volodymyr Zelenskiy, an actor and comedian has won a landslide victory in Ukraine’s
presidential election.
 For the year 2019, Sharjah, UAE has been declared as the World Book Capital Russia has
successfully tested the world's first floating nuclear power plant (NPP), Akademik
Lomonosov, a subsidiary of Rosatom nuclear corporation stated.
 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he would name a new
community in the Golan Heights after US President Donald Trump.
 Indonesia has released a special commemorative stamp on the theme of Ramayana to mark
the 70th anniversary of the establishment of its diplomatic ties with India.
 Iran and Pakistan have agreed to set up a joint border "reaction force" to combat the
attacks by militant groups on both sides their frontier.
 Zoologists at Trinity College Dublin have discovered two new bird species named as the
Wakatobi white-eye and the Wangi- Wangi white-eye in the Wakatobi Archipelago of
Sulawesi, Indonesia.
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Economics & Financial Awareness
The World’s Best Airports in 2019 are announced

 Mr Lee Seow Hiang, Chief Executive Officer of Changi Airport (right) receives the Skytrax
World’s Best Airport Award voted for by
international air travellers.
 The most prestigious accolades for the airport
industry, this is the seventh consecutive year that
Changi Airport Singapore has been voted the
world’s Best Airport in the largest, annual global
airport customer satisfaction survey.
 This is the first time in the history of the awards
that an airport has won this title for seven
consecutive years.
 Changi Airport was also the repeat winner of the award for the Best Airport Leisure
Amenities.
 The Skytrax World Airport Awards were held at Passenger Terminal EXPO in London,
United Kingdom on 27th March 2019.
 The World’s Top 10 Airports of 2019 are:
1. Singapore Changi Airport
2. Tokyo Haneda International Airport
3. Incheon International Airport
4. Hamad International Airport
5. Hong Kong International Airport
6. Chubu Centrair International Airport
7. Munich Airport
8. London Heathrow Airport
9. Narita International Airport
10. Zurich Airport
Suresh Mathur Committee to review MicroInsurance Framework

 The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) set up Suresh
Mathur Committee to review regulatory framework on micro
insurance, and to recommend measures to increase demand for
such products. It was formed because of less than desired offtake of
micro insurance products despite of their inherent benefits in the
country. India was seen to be an exciting market and a pioneer in
micro insurance sector in world, but its market penetration
remains low.
 Suresh Mathur Committee
 Composition: It is a 13-member panel chaired by IRDAI’s Executive
Director Suresh Mathur, and comprises of representatives from IRDAI, life, general and
health insurance companies in public and private sectors and NGOs.
 Its task is to suggest product designs with customer-friendly underwriting, such as easy
premium payment methods and simple claims settlement procedures.
 It will suggest about if there is any change in distribution structure, including mobile-based
and technology driven solutions and on creating effective awareness programmes.
 Their recommendations are to submitted within three month time frame.
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Branches of Vijaya, Dena Bank to operate as outlets of Bank of Baroda from April 1: RBI
 All branches of public sector lenders Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank will function as branches
of Bank of Baroda from April 1, 2019.
 State-owned Bank of Baroda's proposed merger with Dena and Vijaya Bank will be affected
from April 1.
 Consequently, all branches of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank will function as branches of Bank
of Baroda from April 1, 2019.
 Customers, including depositors of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank will be treated as customers
of Bank of Baroda with effect from April 1, 2019.
Lakshmi Vilas Bank is merging in Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd.

 Private sector lender Lakshmi Vilas Bank is merging in Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd.
 Lakshmi Vilas Bank Ltd (LVB) on 5 April 2019 announced that its board has approved a
merger with mortgage financier Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd in an all-stock deal.
 The merged entity, to be called Indiabulls Lakshmi Vilas Bank.
 It will be among the top eight private banks in India by size and profitability.
 LVB operated 569 branches and 1,046 ATMs across 19 states and one Union territory while
Indiabulls is involved in providing home loans, loan against property to retail customer
including MSMEs and businesses, lease-rental discounting and construction finance.
Govt suspends LoC trade with PoK

 The government has issued orders to suspend the Line of Control (LoC) trade between
Jammu & Kashmir and Pak Occupied Kashmir (PoK).
 Why did the government suspend LoC trade?
 The LoC trade was initiated to facilitate the exchange of goods of
common use between local populations across the LoC in Jammu &
Kashmir.
 On the contrary, the reports indicated that Cross LoC trade routes
were being misused by the Pakistan based elements for funnelling
illegal weapons, narcotics and fake currency etc.
 NIA probes also indicated that a significant number of trading agencies engaged in LoC
trade are operated by persons closely associated with banned terror organisations involved
in fueling terrorism/separatism.
 The notification by the Ministry of Home Affairs has stated that it has decided to suspend
LoC trade at Salamabad & Chakkan-da-Bagh in Jammu & Kashmir. Further, a stricter
regulatory and enforcement mechanism is being worked out & will be put in place in
consultation with various agencies and the issue of reopening of LoC trade will be revisited
thereafter.
TATA Steel to emerge as India’s largest steel producer for year 2018-19
 Tata Steel overtook JSW Steel Ltd. to emerge as India’s largest steel producer for year 2018-
19.
 Tata Steel Ltd.’s Indian steel output rose to a record in its latest financial year thanks to its
2018 acquisition of Bhushan Steel Ltd. assets, potentially making Tata the country’s biggest
producer.
 Production rose 35% to 16.79 million tons in the year ended 31 March 2019.
 Tata’s volumes are a tad higher than the 16.75 million tons targeted by JSW Steel Ltd.,
which was India’s biggest steel mill in the previous fiscal year.
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Saudi Aramco emerged as world’s most profitable company
 Saudi Aramco company has emerged as world’s most profitable company.
 Saudi Arabia’s giant oil company Saudi Aramco results were released by the Saudi
Government first time ever on 1 April 2019.
 The company generated $111.1 billion in net profits during 2018 and thus making it the
world’s most profitable company by far.
 It handily beat Apple ($59.5 billion in net profits in 2018).
 Saudi Aramco is by far the biggest energy company in the world, generating nearly $1
billion a day in revenues.
World’s first nationwide 5G mobile network was launched in South Korea

 The world’s first nationwide 5G mobile network was launched in South Korea.
 South Korea launched the world’s first nationwide 5G mobile networks on 3 April 2019,
two days earlier than the previously announced date of 5 April.
 Three top telecom providers - SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus - began their 5G services at 11
pm local time on this day.
India highest recipient of remittances at USD 79 billion in 2018: World Bank

 According to the World Bank report, India retained its
position as the world’s top recipient of remittances with its
diaspora sending a whopping USD 79 billion back home in
2018.
 India was followed by China (USD 67 billion), Mexico (USD
36 billion), the Philippines (USD 34 billion), and Egypt
(USD 29 billion), the global lender said.
 With this, India has retained its top spot on remittances, according to the latest edition of
the World Bank’s Migration and Development Brief.
 Over the last three years, India has registered a significant flow of remittances from USD
62.7 billion in 2016 to USD 65.3 billion 2017.
 Remittances grew by more than 14 % in India, where a flooding disaster in Kerala likely
boosted the financial help that migrants sent to families.
 In Pakistan, remittance growth was moderate (7% ), due to significant declines in inflows
from Saudi Arabia, its largest remittance source.
 In Bangladesh, remittances showed a brisk uptick in 2018 (15 %).
 According to the report, remittances to low-and middle-income countries reached a record
high of USD 529 billion in 2018, an increase of 9.6 % over the previous record high of USD
483 billion in 2017.
 Global remittances, which include flows to high-income countries, reached USD 689 billion
in 2018, up from USD 633 billion in 2017.
 The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a regional inter-governmental political and economic
bloc of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
IMF cuts India’s GDP growth forecast to 7.3% for F.Y-2020

 According to the latest World Economic Outlook report, India’s growth is projected to pick
up to 7.5% in F.Y-2021.
 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) trimmed its economic growth forecasts for India by
20 basis points (bps) each from its January predictions to 7.3% for F.Y-2020 and 7.5% for
the next fiscal.
 It has lowered 2019 global growth forecast by 20 basis points to 3.3%, the weakest since
2009 when the subprime crisis had flared up.
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 The Fund also reduced its 2019 trade growth forecast by a sharp 60 basis points to 3.4%,
compared with the actual rise of 3.8% in 2018.
 The IMF’s F.Y-2020 growth forecast for India is lower than the World Bank’s (7.5%) and the
Asian Development Bank’s (7.2%).
 However, at 7.1%, the IMF’s estimate of the country’s growth in 2018-19 was even 10 bps
higher than the second advance estimate by the Central Statistics Organisation.
 Global growth forecast :
 The IMF cut the global growth projection for 2019 to 3.3% from 3.5% projected in January,
citing risks from increasing trade tensions and tighter monetary policy by the Federal
Reserve.
 Higher trade policy uncertainty and concerns of escalation and retaliation would reduce
business investment, disrupt supply chains, and slow productivity growth.
 Global growth, which peaked at close to 4% in 2017, dropped to 3.6% in 2018, and is
projected to fall further to 3.3% in 2019.
Hong Kong's stock market overtakes Japan to be world's third largest

 Hong Kong's stock market has overtaken Japan to be the world’s third largest in value,
behind only the U.S. and mainland China.
 Hong Kong’s market cap was $5.78 trillion as of, compared
with $5.76 trillion for Japan.
 The Asian city’s Hang Seng Index climbed 17 % this year,when
it closed at its highest since June 15.
 Internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd. has been the main driver
with a 22% gain.
 Japan’s Topix Index advanced 8.3 5 in that period.
ETMONEY becomes India’s first comprehensive financial services app to integrate with
Unified Payment Interface (UPI)
 ETMONEY India’s largest app for financial services has integrated with UPI as a payment
method.
 The reason for this is to double its monthly user base by the end of 2019.
 This integration will simplify the mutual fund payment for millions of ETMONEY users.
 Now ETMONEY users can make payment easily by using UPI option on the payment page.
They can select different UPI-enabled apps like Google Pay, BHIM UPI, PhonePe among
others.
 They only have to enter valid UPI ID and can make the payment instantly within a few
seconds. In addition to this, ETMONEY users can use Netbanking and Debit Card for
payments.
 Recently ETMONEY app crossed the landmark of Rs. 2000 crores of money invested in
Mutual Funds via their platforms.
 By using ETMONEY app, investors from across 1,200 cities are adding more than Rs. 150
crores in new investment transaction value every month.
 UPI is an instant real-time payment system developed by National Payments Corporation of
India (NPCI) which facilitates inter-bank transactions.
 ETMONEY’s Headquarter located at Gurugram, Haryana
A quasi-cryptocurrency called as “Learning Coin,” launched by The World Bank and IMF
 Recently,Two international financial institutions the World Bank and the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) have launched a private blockchain and quasi-crypto currency called
as “Learning Coin” for better understanding of blockchain technology and the function of
crypto assets.
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 The asset will only be available for use within the IMF and the World Bank.
 It has no monetary value, means it is not a true cryptocurrency.
 After the testing period, the IMF and the World Bank may use blockchain technology to
create smart contracts, fight money laundering, and improve transparency.
IndusInd Bank receives NCLT approval for merger with Bharat Financial Inclusion
 Recently, National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved merger of private sector
lender IndusInd Bank with Bharat Financial Inclusion (BFIL), a microfinance company.
 The merger between Bharat Financial Inclusion (BFIL) and IndusInd Bank is likely to be
completed within 2-4 weeks.
 Post-merger, micro-finance firm Bharat Financial will become a subsidiary of the private
lender.
 The merger was announced on October 14, 2018.
 The country's largest micro-finance company reported a net profit of Rs 162.6 crore for the
quarter to December, compared with Rs 142.8 crore in the year ago period. Its gross loan
portfolio grew 34% year on year to Rs 11,466 crore.
 It announced improvement in cumulative collection efficiency to 99.8% for loans disbursed
after December 2016, which constitutes 89% of its loan portfolio.
 The company has written off loans worth Rs 17.7 crore in the December quarter helping it
to reduce gross non performing assets to 4.6% from 5.2% in the preceding quarter.
Microsoft hit the trillion-dollar value mark for the first time
 The global IT behemoth Microsoft Inc. hit the trillion-dollar valuation mark for the first
time ever.
 The company hit the trillion-dollar value mark on 25 April 2019, becoming the third
technology giant to reach the symbolic milestone.
 At its current levels, Microsoft is the world's most valuable company, ahead of Apple and
Amazon, which last year topped $1 trillion before slipping back.
 Net income rose 19% to $8.8 billion.
 The Reserve Bank has divested its entire stake in National Housing Bank (NHB) and the
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for Rs 1,450 crore and Rs
20 crore, respectively. With this, the government now holds 100 % stake in both these
financial institutions.
 The Finance Ministry has decided to keep the interest rate unchanged on small savings
schemes for the three-month period beginning April 1.
 The Reserve Bank set the average base rate to be charged from borrowers by non-banking
financial companies (NBFCs) and micro-finance institutions (MFIs) at 9.21% for the first
quarter of the next fiscal (April-June).
 IT major HCL Technologies completed acquisition of US-based Strong-Bridge Envision.
 Reliance Nippon Life Asset Management (RNAM) has joined hands with Google to enable
the customers of Reliance Mutual Fund to carry out voice-based financial transactions.
 Kotak Mahindra Bank becomes First Lender To Charge For UPI Use. The first 30 UPI fund
transfers will be free, after which a charge will be levied on all fund transfers from the bank
account.
 The Asian Development Bank downgraded economic growth forecasts for India, gross
domestic product in India will probably increase by 7.2 % in 2019, down from a December
forecast of 7.6%.
23 |
 The RBI in consultation with the government of India has set the limits for Ways and Means
Advances (WMA) for the first half of the financial year 2019-20 (April 2019 to September
2019) at Rs 75000 crore.
 SEBI has given approval to Paytm Money the investment and wealth management platform
of the mobile payments company to start offering broking services.
 Karnataka Bank has entered into an MoU with Bharti AXA Life Insurance Company to
distribute the latter’s life insurance products.
 In a bid to further improve the cash position of banks, RBI has tweaked Liquidity Coverage
Ratio (LCR) norms to provide an additional 2% window to lenders.
 The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved engineering and construction major
Larsen & Toubro’s (L&T’s) proposal to acquire up to 66.15% stake in Mindtree.
 NTPC has inked a term-loan agreement with Canara Bank to raise Rs 2,000 crore, which
would be used to part finance its capital expenditure.
 The RBI came out with guidelines for banks to set up new currency chests, which include a
minimum area of 1,500 square feet for strong room. The new chests should have a
processing a capacity of 6.6 lakh pieces of banknotes per day.
 Emirates Islamic has announced the launch of Chat Banking services for customers via
WhatsApp, marking a global first in the Islamic banking sector.
 The IMF cut its economic growth forecasts for India by 20 basis points each from its
January predictions to 7.3% for FY20 and 7.5% for the next fiscal.
 PAISALO Digital Limited signed the first co-origination loan agreement with SBI, the first
agreement of its kind in the country that SBI has signed.
 The government has retained the interest rate for General Provident Fund (GPF),
Contributory Provident Fund and other related schemes at 8% for the first quarter of the
current financial year.
 RBL Bank has partnered with credit profiler CreditVidya to improve the lender's customer
experience.
 The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has approved the merger of Tata
Teleservices with Bharti Airtel Ltd., subject to the condition that it furnishes a Rs 7200
crore bank guarantee.
 PayU, Digital payments security and payment facilitator has acquired Wibmo, a US-based
financial technology firm for USD 70 million (about Rs 484 crore) to assist the company
scale-up its business.
 The Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT), an arm of
Reserve Bank of India, has launched a 5G Use Cases Lab for banking and financial sector.
 Bandhan Bank has received approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI)for
the proposed scheme of amalgamation of Gruh Finance with the bank.
 IDBI Bank has launched 'NRI-Insta-Online' account opening process for NRIs residing in the
Financial Action Task Force (FATF) member countries.
 ADB committed to provide USD 3 billion in sovereign loans to India in 2018, the highest
level of assistance since sovereign operations began in the country in 1986.
 Canara Bank has successfully rolled out major new functionality to support EMV card
acquiring across its ATM network and Aadhaar Authentication, leveraging ACI’s UP Retail
Payments solution to achieve market firsts.
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 CRISIL Ltd, a diversified global analytics company, will transfer its rating business to its
proposed new wholly-owned subsidiary.
 Fincare Small Finance Bank (SFB) has been awarded the prestigious Celent Model Bank
2019 Award in the category of Financial Inclusion, for 'Redesigning Lending to Reach Small
Businesses'.
 Reliance retail has become the first Indian retail company to clock more than Rs 1 lakh
crore in annual revenues.
 SBI General Insurance has launched a product - cyber defence insurance to protect
businesses from financial and reputational losses due to cyber-attacks.
 The total deposits in Jan Dhan Account are set to cross Rs 1 lakh crore soon.
 The Reserve Bank of India has become the first central bank in the Asia-Pacific (APAC)
region to begin an explicit interest rate easing cycle.
 Kotak Mahindra Bank (Kotak) has launched the first debit card-based authentication
solution on NPCI’s (National Payments Corporation of India) e-Mandate (electronic
mandate) API (Application Program Interface) platform.
 National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved the merger of private sector lender
IndusInd Bank with Bharat Financial Inclusion (BFIL), a microfinance company.
 Markets regulator SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) has reduced the minimum
subscription requirement as well as defined trading lots for Real Estate Investment Trusts
(REITs) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs).
 BuyUcoin, second oldest Cryptocurrency Exchange in India, has introduced a new and
unique platform for wholesale cryptocurrency trading.
 State Bank of India (SBI) has launched India’s first ‘Green Car Loan’ (Electric Vehicle) to
encourage customers to buy electric vehicles.
 The Reserve Bank of India will shortly issue INR 20 denomination banknotes in the
Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series. Colour- Greenish Yellow, dimension -63 mm x 129 mm,
motif of Ellora Caves on the reverse.
25 |
Defence & Security - National/International
China spends four times more than India on defence: SIPRI

 China’s military expenditure is almost four times that of India, with the latter’s armed
forces also getting hobbled by a ballooning revenue
expenditure and pension bill.
 The US, of course, is the world’s largest spender on
defence, with a military expenditure almost equal to the
next eight countries combined.
 Latest data released by global think-tank Stockholm
International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) show the
total world military expenditure rose by 2.6% to $1,822
billion in 2018.
 The five biggest spenders in 2018 were--- the US ($649 billion), China ($250 billion), Saudi
Arabia ($67.6 billion), India ($66.5 billion) and France ($63.8 billion), which together
accounted for 60% of the global military spending.
 The $66.5 billion (Rs 4.6 lakh crore) military expenditure figure for India includes defence
pensions, which amount to one-fourth of the total.
 Of the remaining, two-thirds go in for the day-to-day running costs, salaries and the like for
maintaining the almost 15-lakh strong Indian armed forces.
 Overall, this leaves just about one-fourth of the $66.5 billion figure for military
modernisation and new weapon systems.
 Despite India being the world’s fourth largest defence spender by displacing even Russia
($61.4 billion), its armed forces continue to suffer from critical shortages on several fronts,
ranging from fighters and submarines to basic infantry weapons and night-fighting
capabilities.
 the Indian armed forces drastically need to slash their non-operational flab and manpower,
 The capital allocation for defence already stands at 32-33% of the total central government
capital expenditure.
 India also needs to build a strong defence-industrial base, shedding its strategically-
vulnerable position of being the world’s largest arms importer.
 China, which has registered a defence budget hike for the 24th consecutive year, of course,
wants to rival the US on the global stage as well as prevent its military intervention in the
Taiwan Strait and the contentious South China Sea.
 India, however, has no option but to be ready for its expansionist behaviour both along the
4,057-km Line of Actual Control as well as the Indian Ocean Region.
 But while China has undertaken rapid military modernisation, including manpower cuts in
the 2.3-million People’s Liberation Army, while also emerging as the world’s fifth largest
arms exporter, India has dragged its feet in both reforming its armed forces and boosting
indigenous defence production.
 China has reorganised the PLA into five theatre commands to bolster its offensive
capabilities as well as establish better command-and-control structures.
 Its western theatre command now handles the entire LAC with India instead of the earlier
Chengdu Military Region in the east and the Lanzhou Military Region towards the north.
 India, in turn, has over half-a-dozen separate Army and IAF commands for the “northern
land borders” with China, without any forward movement in establishing theatre
commands.
Indian Navy Ships to take part in Chinese International Fleet Review

 Indian Navy warships INS Kolkata and tanker INS Shakti will take part in the Chinese
international fleet review to be held at Qingdao on April 23.
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 The International Fleet Review is being held by China to commemorate the 70th
Anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army’s Navy. More than 60 countries are expected
to join the commemorative event on 23 April.
 International Fleet Review
 International Fleet Review is a parade of naval ships, aircraft and submarines, and is
organised by nations to promote goodwill, strengthen cooperation and showcase their
naval capabilities.
 International Fleet Review provides an ideal platform for the world’s
navies to showcase their prowess and indigenous ship designing and
shipbuilding capabilities in the global arena.
 India had conducted a similar International Fleet Review off
Visakhapatnam in 2016, which witnessed an overwhelming
participation of 50 navies with nearly 100 warships.
 INS Kolkata is an indigenously built stealth guided missile destroyer equipped with state-
of-the-art weapons and sensors to address threats in all dimensions of naval warfare
whereas INS Shakti is a fleet support ship. INS Shakti is one of the fleet ship capable
displacing over 27,000 tonnes and capable of carrying 15,000 tonnes of liquid cargo and
over 500 tonnes of solid cargo including victuals and ammunition.
 The participation of Indian Ships is aimed at projecting the Indian Navy’s indigenous
shipbuilding capability together with showcasing India’s strength in the waters and its
reach and sustainability.
India to purchase MH-60 'Romeo' Seahawk’ naval helicopter from US

 India will purchase MH-60 'Romeo' Seahawk naval helicopter of US, as was announced
during April 2019.
 India and the US agreed to a new defence agreement in which the US will sell 24 multi-role
MH-60 'Romeo' Seahawk helicopters to India at an estimated cost of $2.6 billion.
 The Lockheed Martin-built helicopters are designed for hunting submarines, targeting
ships, and conducting search-and-rescue operations at sea.
 The helicopters are currently deployed with the US Navy.
Varuna Naval Exercise 2019

 India and France will conduct their largest ever naval exercise ‘Varuna’ off Goa coast early
May.
 Varuna 2019
 India will deploy its aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya with its MiG-29K
fighters and French side would be represented by its aircraft carrier
FNS Charles de Gaulle with its Rafale-M naval jets.
 The exercise will also see participation of FNS Forbin, the FNS Provence
and the FNS Latouche Treville, a nuclear attack submarines, the FNS Amethyste, and the
tanker FNS Marne from France and diesel-electric submarine INS Shankul, guided-missile
destroyer INS Chennai, stealth frigate INS Tarkash and tanker INS Deepak, along with P-8I
long-range maritime patrol aircraft and Dornier-228 planes from India.
 Varuna is a top-level naval exercise, with intensive dual carrier task group operations and
anti-submarine warfare manoeuvres.
US designated Iranian armed corps as a foreign "terrorist organisation"

 The United States Government designated the Iranian armed corps as a foreign "terrorist
organisation".
 It was announced by President Donald Trump on 8 April 2019.
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 Iran’s elite Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a foreign "terrorist organisation".
 IRGC is Iran's most powerful security organisation and was set up to protect the country's
Shia clerical ruling system after its 1979 Islamic Revolution.
 This is the first time the US has formally labelled another country's military a "terrorist
group".
Indian peacekeeping Force in South Sudan Awarded UN Medal of Honour

 150 Indian peacekeepers serving with the UN Mission in South Sudan
(UNMISS) were honoured with medals of honour by the United Nations
for their dedicated service and sacrifice.
 United Nations Mission in South Sudan
 UNMISS is working to deter violence against civilians by providing a
safe and secure environment for South Sudanese people who have fled
violence and sought sanctuary at Protection of Civilian sites across the
country.
 UNMISS peacekeepers are also working to facilitate the safe delivery of humanitarian
assistance, such as food, clean water, shelter and healthcare, to the millions of displaced
people.
 UNMISS aims to provide a safe and supported environment so that these people can return
to their former homes and communities to live safely and with dignity.
 UNMISS also protects, monitors, investigates, and reports on human rights violations and
abuses with a strong focus on the most vulnerable, such as women and children and those
who are subjected to sexual and gender-based violence.
 UNMISS is committed to helping build durable peace in South Sudan. UNMISS is working as
a partner at a national and sub-national level with political, religious, traditional and
community leaders as well as at grassroots with communities and individuals across the
country to advance reconciliation efforts, to strengthen conflict resolution mechanisms and
build national cohesion as well as to engage in regional and international peace initiatives
Indian Coast Guard offshore patrol vessel ‘Veera’ commissioned by General Bipin Rawat
 Indian Coast Guard vessel Veera has been commissioned by General Bipin Rawat, Chief of
Army Staff in Eastern Naval Command in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
 Veera, the third in the series of the new generation Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) is
indigenously designed and built by Larsen & Toubro Ltd. at its shipbuilding facility at
Kattupali in Chennai.
 It is commanded by Commandant Girish Datt Raturi and managed by 12 officers and 94
men.
 The 98 metre long, 15 metre wide patrol vessel has a 3.6 metre draft and a range of 5,000
nautical miles.
 The vessel is fitted with a 30mm naval gun and will be fitted with 12.7mm Gun with FCS.
 The vessel is equipped with advanced technology navigation and communication
equipment, sensor and machinery.
 It is also equipped with an Integrated Bridge System (IBS), Integrated Platform
Management System (IPMS), Automated Power Management System (APMS) and High
Power External Fire Fighting System (HPEFS).
 The ship displaces approx 2200 tons (GRT) and is propelled by two 9100 KW diesel engines
to attain a maximum speed of 26 knots.
 The ship is designed to carry one twin-engine helicopter and four high-speed boats
including two inflatable boats for boarding operation, Search and Rescue, Law Enforcement
and Maritime Patrol.
28 |
 The ship is also capable of carrying limited pollution response equipment to contain oil spill
at sea.
 The commissioning of ICGS Veera will enhance the Indian Coast Guard’s operational
capability to discharge the multifarious maritime tasks.
 It will give a boost to the maritime protection of our vast coastline of Eastern Seaboard.
Indian Navy’s advanced guided missile destroyer,"Imphal"launched in Mumbai

 The Indian Navy launched guided missile destroyer Imphal, the third ship under Project 15-
B, at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders in Mumbai on April 20.
 It has been named after the Battle of Imphal and Kohima that were fought 75 years ago.
 Imphal has a length of 163 metres and 17.4 metres at the beam and a displacement of 7.300
tonnes, which are propelled by four gas turbines to achieve speeds in excess of 30 knots.
 Like the previously launched warships Vishakhapatnam and Marmugao, Imphal can also
carry and operate two multiple role helicopters.
 the enhanced stealth features have been achieved through the shaping of hull and use of
radar transparent deck fittings which make these ships difficult to detect.
 These ships are packed with the state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, including multi-
functional surveillance radars and vertically launched missile system for long distance
engagement of shore, sea-based and air targets.
 In 2011, the government had sanctioned four 15B ships at the cost of Rs 29,700 crores.
 The first ship of the project, guided-missile destroyer ‘Visakhapatnam’, was launched on
April 20 in 2015.
 The delivery of Visakhapatnam (2015) and Mormugao warships (2016) will start in April
2021 and will go on till 2024.
Bold Kurukshetra–2019
 Bold Kurukshetra–2019, Joint Military Exercise of India and Singapore was inaugurated at
Babina Cantonment of Jhansi. The joint exercise is aimed at developing
military technology, enhance the maritime security and bolster the
nations’ fight against terrorism.
 India-Singapore Defence Cooperation
 In November 2017, India and Singapore had entered into an official
agreement to strengthen defence ties between their respective armed
forces. As per the agreement, personnel from the Singapore Armed
Forces will receive training and undertake firing exercises along with the Indian Armed
Forces.
 Both India and Singapore have also agreed to step up intelligence and information sharing
in maritime security, especially in the field of counter-terrorism, and agreed to expand
collaboration on submarine safety and rescue.
GRSE becomes 'first' Indian shipyard to deliver 100 warships

 Garden Reach Ship Builders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE) became the "first Indian shipyard" to
build and deliver 100 warships.
 GRSE Chairman and Managing Director, Rear Admiral (Retd) V K Saxena, formally handed
over the 100th warship - 'IN LCU L-56' - to the Indian Navy.
 The 100th warship, a Landing Craft Utility (LCU), is the sixth of an order of eight such
vessels from the Navy.
 On March 27, GRSE had handed over its 99th warship, 'ICGS Priyadarshini' - an advanced
'Fast Patrol Vessel' -to the Indian Coast Guard.
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 In the last 59 years, the company has built around 780 platforms, including 100 warships to
the Navy, the Coast Guard, and the Mauritius Coast Guard.
 The third edition of the biennial, bilateral exercise AUSINDEX 19 between India and
Australia will be held in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
 India’s first indigenously designed and developed Dhanush artillery gun was inducted in
the Indian Army during a ceremony held at Ordnance Factory in Jabalpur, MP.
 The joint military exercise between Morocco and the US, “African Lion 2019,” kicked off in
southern Morocco.
 The Indian Navy and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) inked an MoU to
undertake joint research and development of advanced technologies for the Indian Navy.
 The sixth edition of the joint military training exercise between the Indian Army and the Sri
Lankan Army, Exercise Mitra Shakti concluded in Sri Lanka.
 India has successfully test-fired first indigenously designed and developed long-range sub-
sonic cruise missile 'Nirbhay' from a test range in Odisha. Strike range-1,000 km
 The Indian Navy undertook the second edition of the bilateral maritime exercise between
the Indian Navy and Vietnam Peoples’ Navy, (IN – VPN BILAT EX) at/ off Cam Ranh Bay,
Vietnam.
 The Indian Army has started the process of inducting women as jawans by starting their
online registration for recruitment in the corps of military police.
30 |
Appointments-National/International
Manu Sawhney takes charge as the new Chief Executive of the ICC
 Manu Sawhney assumed the charge as the new Chief Executive of the ICC on 1 April 2019.
 Manu Sawhney, the ex-CEO of Singapore Sports Hub and ex-
Managing Director of ESPN Star Sports.
 He replaced David Richardson of South Africa, who will
remain with the ICC until July 2019 to oversee the delivery of
World Cup.
 The International Cricket Council is the global governing
body of cricket.
 It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by
representatives from Australia, England and South Africa.
 It was renamed as the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current
name in 1989.
 Chairperson: Shashank Manohar
 Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Former Army Chief Dalbir Singh Suhag appointed High Commissioner to Seychelles
 Army General (Retd.) Dalbir Singh Suhag was appointed as High Commissioner of India to
Republic of Seychelles. His appointment comes at the time when
military ties between India and island nation have deepened in recent
times. Dalbir Singh Suhag was Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) i.e. Army
General from August 2014 to December 2016.
 Appointment of former defence personnel as envoy to countries is not
new. Previously, Indian Navy Chief Nirmal Kumar Verma had served
as high commissioner to Canada, and his successor Suresh Mehta was
high commissioner to New Zealand and former air chief N.A.K. Browne
was ambassador to Norway.
Zuzana Caputova won Slovakia Presidential Election

 Zuzana Caputova, a 45-year-old lawyer and anti-corruption campaigner, won 58.4% of the
votes in Saturday’s poll and will take office in June.
 Prior to her surprise entry into politics, Caputova was a civil
activist best known for blocking a planned landfill site in her
home town in 2016.
 She also played a role in anti-government protests that broke
out after the murder of the investigative journalist Jan Kuciak
and his fiancee, Martina Kusnirova.
 After topping the first round of voting two weeks ago, she
comfortably won the run-off against Maros Sefcovic, an EU
energy commissioner backed by the governing party Smer, an
ostensibly centre-left grouping that has increasingly used rightwing populist rhetoric over
recent years.
 Zuzana Caputova has won Slovakia’s presidential election, making her the country’s first
female head of state.
 Ms Caputova defeated high-profile diplomat Maros Sefcovic, nominated by the governing
party.
 She won 58% of the vote, with Mr Sefcovic trailing on 42%. Mr Sefcovic is the vice president
of the European Commission.
 Slovakia is a member of the European Union and NATO.
31 |
David Malpass elected as World Bank President

 Former Under Secretary of United States Treasury Department, David Malpass, appointed
as the 13th president of the World Bank Group.
 The Board looks forward to working with Mr. Malpass on the
implementation of the Forward Look and the capital package
agreement as articulated in the Sustainable Financing for
Sustainable Development Paper.
 On February 6, US President Donald Trump had nominated
Malpass for the candidature in the elections to appoint the next
president of the World Bank.
 Malpass, a former Wall Street economist, would aim to direct
loans to "those countries that are the poorest and most in need of financial resources."
 Malpass would be a "strong advocate for accountability" at the World Bank and would
support the government's aim of ensuring "that U.S. taxpayer dollars are spent effectively
and wisely."
 During his tenure as Under Secretary, Malpass represented the US in international settings,
including the G-7 and G-20 Deputy Finance Ministerial, World Bank-IMF Spring and Annual
Meetings, and meetings of the Financial Stability Board, the Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development, and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.
 He also played an instrumental role in advancing the Debt Transparency Initiative, adopted
by the World Bank and IMF, to increase public disclosure of debt and thereby reduce the
frequency and severity of debt crises.
 Malpass is scheduled to assume charge on April 6.
Jamia Gets Its First Woman Vice-Chancellor

 Professor Najma Akhtar was appointed as the vice-chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI),
making her the first woman to hold the charge.
 She has been appointed for a period of five years.
 The Delhi-based varsity had been functioning without a
vice-Chancellor after Talat Ahmad resigned from the post
last year to join as the head of Kashmir University.
 A widely acclaimed educationist, Professor Akhtar is also
the first lady vice chancellor of any central university in
Delhi.
 She is known for spearheading international educational administrators' course for senior
officials from 130 countries for more than 15 years at National Institute of Educational
Planning and Administration (NIEPA).
 A widely acclaimed educationist, Prof. Akhtar is a gold medalist from Aligarh Muslim
University (AMU) and completed her Ph.D. (Education) from Kurukshetra University.
 She held posts of faculty and Controller of Examinations and Admissions and Director,
Academic Programmes at AMU.
Mohammed Ishtaye sworn in as new Palestinian PM

 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas assigned his long-time ally Mohammed Shtayyeh to
form the new Palestinian government which will succeed the former consensus
government of Ramai Hamdallah.
 The 18th Palestinian government since the establishment of the Palestinian Authrity in
1995.
 According to the presidential decree, Ishtaye will serve as the Minister of Interior and
Minister of Waqf, or Religious Affairs, until two new ministers are named.
32 |
 The new government consists of 24 ministers.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni named as the brand ambassador of redBus

 Cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been appointed as the brand ambassador of Bus
ticketing platform redBus to strengthen the redBus brand.
 At present, Dhoni is the brand ambassador of sports firm Dream11, Colgate, MasterCard,
Orient Fans, Bharat Matrimony, Indigo Paints, SRMB Steel, and health supplement brand
Revital H.
 RedBus started its operation in 2006, works with over 2500 bus operator and have sold
more than 180 million bus tickets till date. It also a part of the MakeMyTrip group.
 Redbus was founded in August 2006.
 It’s headquarters is located at Bengaluru.
London School of Economics announces Amartya Sen Chairman

 The London School of Economics and Political Science, has announced a Chair in the name
of renowned India-born economist Amartya Sen.
 The Nobel laureate served as a professor in the economics department at the institute from
1971-82.
 The person holding the position would also serve in the capacity as the Director of the
International Inequalities Institute at LSE.
 The department facilitates interdisciplinary work on topics around inequality.
 The institute aims to acknowledge one of the world’s greatest thinkers on social equity by
naming the chair after Amartya Sen.
 LSE looks to appoint a person with outstanding credentials to hold the position as the
department delivers benefits to the people all across the world.
 In the year 1998, Amartya Sen won the Nobel Prize in the field of Economics.
 He also won National Humanities Medal in the year 2012.
 Amartya Sen’s main areas of work include welfare economics, social choice theory,
development economics, political philosophy and economic theory.
Netanyahu formally named next Israeli PM

 Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has formally handed Benjamin Netanyahu his letter of
appointment to start building a coalition
government following last week's general election.
 Out of total 120-seat parliament, 65 MPs
recommended him.
 Only 45 members supported his main rivals from
the Blue and White alliance led by ex-military chief
Benny Gantz, with the 10 members of the Arab
parties recommending nobody.
 He now has 28 days to form a government, with a
possible extension of a further two weeks.
 The results from the April 9 election put Netanyahu on course to become Israel's longest-
serving prime minister later this year, surpassing the state's founding father David Ben-
Gurion.
 The 69-year-old's first task will be to reconcile divergent demands from his likely coalition
partners.
 They include ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties and the strongly secular Yisrael Beitenu of
former defence minister Avigdor Lieberman.
 Netanyahu's outgoing government was seen as the most right-wing in Israel's history, and
the next is expected to be similar if not further to the right.
33 |
Ukraine elects a TV star and political neophyte Volodymyr Zelenskya as its president
 Mr Zelensky, the comedian-cum-candidate trounced the
incumbent, Petro Poroshenko, in the presidential run-off
election on April 21st.
 He racked up a stunning 73% of the vote against the
president’s 24%.
 Despite having no political experience and only a vague
policy platform, voters entrusted him with the helm of a
country that needs radical reform and is still enmeshed in a
simmering war with Russia.
 He is best known for playing a schoolteacher , becomes president in a popular TV series
called “Servant of the People”.
 Mr Zelensky entered his election-night festivities to the theme song from the show he has
made a reality.
CJ Justice heading this committee issue: Just.S.A. Bobde heading the committee
 A three-member committee of the Supreme Court judges was formed on 23 April 2019 to
look into the allegations of raised by a former employee against Chief Justice of India
Ranjan Gogoi.
 Justice S.A. Bobde, presently the second most senior
judge in the Supreme Court is heading the 3-member
committee of judges to look into sexual allegations
leveled against CJI Ranjan Gogoi.
 The other two members of the committee are Justice
N.V. Ramana and Justice Indira Banerjee.
 However, a day later Justice N.V. Ramana opted out of
this committee.
Swedish Academy names literature professor Mats Malm as new head

 The Swedish Academy had named a literature professor Mats Malm as its new permanent
secretary, after a #MeToo scandal in late 2017 threw the institution into turmoil.
 The Swedish Academy awards the Nobel Literature Prize every year.
 Mats Malm is a professor of literary theory at the University of Gothenburg.
 Malm, 54, only joined the Academy four months ago.
 He takes over from Anders Olsson, who has been serving as head of the Academy since June
2018 after the previous secretary, Sara Danius, was forced to step down amid a scandal
sparked by Frenchman Jean-Claude Arnault, an influential figure on Stockholm’s cultural
scene.
 Arnault, who is married to a then-member of the Academy who later resigned, was accused
and later convicted of rape.
 The 18-member Academy was split on how to handle its ties to Arnault.
 Ugly public disputes ensued, several members quit, and the body was in such disarray that
it ended up postponing the 2018 Nobel Literature Prize for the first time in 70 years.
 The Academy plans to announce the winner of the 2018 award together with this year’s
winner.
 Executive Director of ICICI Bank, Vijay Chandok has been appointed as MD and CEO of ICICI
Securities, a subsidiary of ICICI bank. He will succeed Shilpa Naval Kumar.
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 Rajan Anandan, vice president for Google India and South East Asia, and essentially heading
Google in India, is leaving the company after an eight-year stint.
 Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has resigned from the post with immediate effect.
 The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres announced the appointment of Nicholas
Koumjian of the United States as the head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for
Myanmar.
 Chicago has created history by electing an African-American woman as its mayor for the
first time. Lightfoot will take over office from Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
 Vipin Anand has taken charge as Managing Director of Life Insurance Corporation of India.
 CS Rajan has been appointed Managing Director while Vineet Nayyar named as Executive
Vice-Chairman of Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS).
 Praful Patel, president of All India Football Federation (AIFF), has become the first Indian to
be elected as a member of FIFA Executive Council.
 SUN Group Chairman Vikramjit Singh Sahney elected as the new president of International
Chamber of Commerce (ICC) - India.
 Algeria’s parliament appointed Abdelkader Bensalah as the new interim president of the
country. Replaced Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
 Justice Vikram Nath, the senior most judge of Allahabad High Court, was appointed as the
first Chief Justice of the newly-constituted Andhra Pradesh High Court.
 In a bureaucratic reshuffle, the Centre has appointed Gargi Kaul as Secretary, Defence
Finance.
 President Jovenel Moise announced that Jean Michel Lapin will be the new prime minister
of Haiti. It is French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.
 Mali’s Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga has resigned along with his whole
government.
 Twitter has appointed Manish Maheshwari as the Managing Director of its India operations.
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Sports
India tops Medals Tally at ISSF World Cup Rifle/ Pistol 2019 held in China
 India finished top of medal tally at ISSF World Cup Rifle/ Pistol 2019 edition held in Beijing,
China. Even after drawing a blank on final day India
still topped the chart for second consecutive ISSF
World Cup, third time in last two years. In last
edition of Shooting World Cup held in New Delhi,
India jointly topped standings with Hungary.
 ISSF World Cup Rifle 2019
 With its four medals (3 gold and 1 silver medals)
India topped medals tally ahead of hosts China (2
gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze), who won five medals in total.
 With this win India has now secured a total of five 2020 Tokyo Olympic quotas places.
 Teenage pair of Saurabh Chaudhary and Manu Bhaker won gold in 10m Air Pistol Mixed
Team Pistol event.
 Anjum Moudgil and young Divyansh Singh Panwar won gold in 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team
competition.
 Divyansh Singh Panwar won India’s first individual medal by winning silver in men’s 10m
Air Rifle.
 India’s third gold was won by Abhishek Verma in men’s 10m Air Pistol event.
Graham Reid appointed the new chief coach of Indian men’s Hockey team
 Graham Reid was appointed the new chief coach of Indian men’s Hockey team.
 Hockey India (HI) on 8 April 2019 named Australia's Graham Reid as the new chief coach of
the Indian men's hockey team.
 He was part of the silver-medal winning Australian team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
 The post was lying vacant since Harendra Singh was removed from the post after India’s
dismal performance in 2019 FIH Hockey World Cup in January 2019.
 About HI:
 Hockey India is the governing body of Hockey in India.
 It was formed after Indian Hockey Federation was dismissed in 2008 by IOA.
 Present President of HI is Mohammad Mushtaq Ahmed.
 It was founded in 2009.
 The organisation has been sponsored by Government of India.
 Headquarters: New Delhi, India
FIFA ban former Brazilian football president Jose Maria Marin for life
 Former Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) president Jose Maria Marin has been
banned for life from all football activities by FIFA as he had breached the art. 27 (Bribery)
of the FIFA Code of Ethics.
 Details:
 Earlier,in August 2018, Marin who led Brazil’s organising committee for the 2014 World
Cup, was sentenced to four years in prison for racketeering, money laundering and wire
fraud.
 He became the first person to be imprisoned as the result of the US investigation into
corruption at world football’s governing body.
36 |
 During US investigation, he was found to have taken bribes in exchange for the media and
marketing rights to various tournaments which also include the Copa America.
 In 2017, Marin took $6.6 million in bribes. He was ordered by federal court to forfeit $3.3
million and pay $1.2 million as fine.
 The FIFA ethics committee also imposed a 1 million Swiss franc fine.
 The Headquarter of FIFA is located at Zurich, Switzerland
 Present President: Gianni Infantino
Mithali Raj named as Goodwill Ambassador of Street Child Cricket World Cup 2019
 Ace cricketer Mithali Dorai Raj, Captain of the Indian women’s cricket team, has been
named as the goodwill ambassador of the Indian
team for the Street Child Cricket World Cup (SCCWC)
2019.
 Mithali joins IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals and
former captain Sourav Ganguly in supporting the
team.
 This is the first cricket world cup for street-
connected children and final will be played at Lord’s
in London on May 7.
 The tournament is being organised by Street Child United (SCU), a UK based organization.
 In the tournament, there are 10 gender equal national teams .i.e., boys and girls will play
together.
Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year for 2018

 The Wisden has named Virat Kohli as the Leading Cricketer of the Year for 2018.
 Wisden Cricketer of the Year
 Indian Skipper Virat Kohli is joined by Tammy Beaumont, Jos
Buttler, Sam Curran and Rory Burns.
 Indian player Smriti Mandhana bagged the Women’s Leading
Cricketer of the Year.
 Rashid Khan of Afghanistan bagged the Leading T20 Cricketer of
the Year.
 Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year
 Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year represent a tradition that dates back in Wisden to
1889. This makes Wisden’s oldest individual award in cricket. The selection is at the will of
the editor. The editor chooses cricketers based n their “influence on the previous English
season”.
Services lift Santosh Trophy Football; beat Punjab 1-nil in final

 The Services lifted the Santosh Trophy, beating Punjab 1-nil in the final at Ludhiana.
 In the first half, both the teams were goal-less. In the second half, Services scored the lone
goal and held on till the final whistle.
 In the semi-finals earlier, eight-time champions Punjab had defeated five-time winners Goa
2-1 to enter their 15th final.
 Services beat Karnataka 4-3 in the semis via a penalty shootout to book a place in the title
clash for the 11th time.
 Services emerged the winner of the 2018-19 Santosh Trophy, with Bikash Thapa's 61st-
minute strike deciding the contest. Services beat Punjab the last time these two teams met
in the final of this tounament at Guru Nanakstadium, securing the trophy in 2014-15 with a
5-4 shootout victory.
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 This is the sixth time Services has won the Santosh Trophy, finishing runner-up on five of
the 11 occasions it has reached the final.
 Incidentally, the last time Services played in the Santosh Trophy final was in 2015, at the
same venue and against the same venue and against the same opposition.
 The 2018–19 Santosh Trophy was the 73rd edition of the Santosh Trophy.
 It is the premier competition in India for teams representing their regional and state
football associations under the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the sport's governing
body in India.
 The tournament was started in 1941 and is named after the president of the Indian Football
Association (West Bengal's football association) at the time.
 The Santosh Trophy is also known as National Football Championship.
Asian Wrestling Championships: Bajrang Punia claims gold with tough win in final
 Bajrang Punia logged 10 points in a row in the gold medal bout to reclaim his Asian
Championship crown
 Punia defeated Kazakhstan's Sayatbek Okassov 12-7 in a
nail-biting 65kg men's freestyle final
 Bajrang sounded a warning to his opponents that he will
be a strong medal contender at the 2020 Olympics
 Details:
 World number one Bajrang Punia logged 10 points in a
row in the gold medal bout to reclaim his Asian Championship crown, defeating
Kazakhstan's Sayatbek Okassov 12-7 in a nail-biting 65kg men's freestyle final here on
Tuesday.
 The CWG and Asian Games champion was trailing 2-7 with just 60 seconds to go for the
final bell but the unperturbed Indian produced three gut wrench moves and an exposure
move to take eight points after he began the attack with a two-point take down.
 The Kazkah was visibly tired while Bajrang showed immense stamina and brain under
pressure to emerge triumphant.
 It is Bajrang's second gold at this championship, having won one in 2017. Overall, it was the
fifth medal for the Indian in this tournament.
 With this performance, Bajrang yet again sounded a warning to his opponents that he will
be a strong medal contender at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
 On his way to the final, Bajrang had conceded just one point.
 He defeated Uzbekistan's Sirojiddin Khasanov 12-1 in the semi-final before winning by
technical superiority against Charles Fern of Sri Lanka. He beat Peyman Biabani of Iran 6-0.
 Another Indian in the gold medal contention is Parveen Rana, who entered the final in 79kg
category after a 3-2 win over Kazakhstan's Galymzhan Usserbayev.
 He will face Bahman Mohammad Teymouri of Iran in his gold-medal bout.
 Rana had defeated Yuta Abe of Japan and Mongolia's Tugs Erdene Denzensharav.
 In the 57kg weight division, Ravi Kumar entered the bronze medal play-off round after
winning his repechage against Chia Tso Liu of Taipei 4-0.
 Ravi will be up against Yuki Takahashi of Japan.
 Satywart Kadian, too, reached the bronze medal round in 97kg.
 Kadian lost to Batzul Ulziisaikhan in his quarterfinal bout but went on to make the cut after
his Mongolian rival reached the final.
 Meanwhile, Rajneesh bowed out of the tournament early in 70kg category.
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Asian Boxing championships: Amit Panghal continues golden run; Pooja on top among
women
 Amit Panghal (52kg) picked up his second successive gold medal of the year, while Pooja
Rani (81kg) finished on top among the women to bring a
fine end to India’s phenomenal campaign in the Asian
Boxing Championships in Bangkok.
 India ended the event with 13 medals -two gold, four silver
and seven bronze medals - in the tournament which was
held simultaneously for men and women for the first time.
 Panghal, who won the Asian Games gold medal last year,
defeated Korea’s Kim Inkyu in a unanimous decision.
 He came into the tournament on the back of a gold at the
Strandja Memorial Tournament in February in Bulgaria.
 The 28-year-old Pooja, a silver-medallist at the event in 2012, struck gold among the
women by defeating China’s Wang Lina.
 The Haryana-pugilist took to boxing against the wishes of her father, who relented after a
six months of pleadings by the boxer and her coaches in Bhiwani.
 She also has an Asian Games bronze medal, which she claimed in 2014.
 However, national champion Deepak Singh (49kg), Kavinder Singh Bisht (56kg) and Ashish
Kumar (75kg) signed off with silver medals among the men after contrsating losses.
 In the women’s draw, national champion Simrajit Kaur (64kg) ended with a silver medal.
 The previous best by Indian men at this tournament was in 2009, when the team won a
gold, two silver and four bronze and they equalled that performance this year.
 Shiva Thapa (60kg), Ashish (69kg) and Satish Kumar (+91kg) claimed bronze medals
among the men this time.
 This was Panghal’s maiden international competition since moving up to 52kg from the
49kg division earlier this year. Panghal had won a bronze in the 2015 edition of the event.
 The Indian was a clear winner in the opening round but Mirzahmedov came back strongly
in the second.
 In the women’s finals, national champion Simranjit squared off against China’s reigning
world champion Dou Dan, before Pooja fought it out with Lina.
 Kaur took the ring first and lost in a unanimous decision to Dan. The Indian had her oments,
especially in the second round, but was no match to Dan’s counter-attacks.
 Rani was in action in the last Indian bout of the day and was grit personified in her battle
against Lina.
 She started rather slow but picked up momentum as the bout progressed to fetch a split
verdict from the judges.
 Settling for bronze medals among the women were veteran former champion L Sarita Devi
(60kg), last edition’s silver-medallist Manisha (54kg), former junior world champion Nikhat
Zareen (51kg) and world silver-medallist Sonia Chahal (57kg).
Sundaram Ravi named among 22 match officials for World Cup 2019
 Umpire Sundaram Ravi was the only Indian umpire to be named for the league stage of the
ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 beginning on May 30.
 The opening match between hosts England and South Africa at The Oval will see three
World Cup winners officiating.
 Three World Cup winners and one Indian umpire in Sundaram Ravi were named among the
22 match officials for the league stage of the mega event beginning on May 30 in the United
Kingdom.
 Sixteen umpires and six match referees have been finalised for the 48-match tournament,
the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced.
39 |
 Ravi once again will be the only Indian officiating in the tournament.
 He had recently received a barrage of criticism, including from India captain Virat Kohli, for
failing to spot a no-ball from Sri Lanka pacer Lasith Malinga in an IPL game last month.
 The opening match between hosts England and South Africa at The Oval will see three
World Cup winners officiating.
 David Boon will be the match referee, Kumar Dharmasena one of the two on-field umpires
and Paul Reiffel the third umpire.
 Bruce Oxenford will be the other on-field umpire and Joel Wilson the fourth official for the
match.
 Boon was a member of the Allan Border-led Australia side that won their first title in 1987.
 Dharmasena was part of Arjuna Ranatunga’s champion team of 1996 and Reiffel was a
World Cup winner for Australia under Steve Waugh in 1999.
 Others officiating during the tournament will be: Chris Broad, Jeff Crowe, Andy Pycroft,
Ranjan Madugalle, Richie Richardson (all match referees); Aleem Dar, Marais Erasmus,
Chris Gaffaney, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Ruchira
Palliyaguruge, Rod Tucker, Michael Gough, Paul Wilson and Ravi (all umpires).
 Madugalle, the most experienced match referee, will be officiating in his sixth World Cup,
while it will be the fourth for Broad and Crowe.
 Umpire Dar will be officiating in his fifth World Cup and it will be the fourth and last for
Gould, who has announced his retirement after the tournament.
 Gould, 61, who was England’s wicketkeeper in the 1983 World Cup, has officiated in 74
Tests, 135 ODIs and 37 T20Is
Bajrang Punia became First Indian Wrestler to fight at New York’s Iconic Madison
Square Garden
 The 25 years old Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia became the first Indian wrestler to fight at
New York’s iconic Madison Square Garden on 27th April 2019.
 Bajrang Punia: Brief History
 He won the gold medal at the 65kg men’s freestyle wrestling at the recent Asian
Championships.
 He is the first Indian wrestler to be invited by the American governing body and will take
part in the “Grapple at the Garden - Beat the Streets” fight night, which will be held on 6th
May 2019.
 He also won eight gold medals from his previous nine international tournaments including
last year’s Commonwealth and Asian Games and presently holds World No.1 title in the 65-
kg weight category.
 South Korea defeated India in the penalty shootout in the final of Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
2019.
 The 2019 India Open, officially the YONEX-SUNRISE India Open 2019, was a badminton
tournament which took place at in New Delhi, India. Viktor Axelsen of Denmark defeated
India’s Srikanth Kidambi to win in men’s singles category while Ratchanok Intanon of
Thailand won in Women’s singles category.
 The Miami Open held at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Roger Federer
(Switzerland) defeated John Isner (United States) in Men’s Singles category and Ashleigh
Barty (Australia) won in Women’s Singles.
 Lewis Hamilton won Bahrain Grand Prix 2019 title by beating Valtteri Bottas of Finland
who secured the second position.
40 |
 Saurav Ghosal became the first Indian male squash player to enter the top 10 in latest
Professional Squash Association (PSA) world rankings.
 The 2019 Malaysia Open is a badminton tournament which takes place at Axiata Arena in
Malaysia. Lin Dan of China won in Men's Singles category (defeated Chen Long of China).
Tai Tzu-ying of Chinese Taipei won in Women's singles (defeated Japan's Akane
Yamaguchi).
 Hockey India named Graham Reid as the new chief coach of the India men's hockey team.
 The All India Tennis Association (AITA) has signed an MoU with Serbian Tennis Federation
(STF) to train Indian junior players under world-renowned Serbian coaches.
 Ethiopian athletes Gelete Burka (women’s race) and Abrha Milaw (men’s race) won the 43rd
edition of the Paris Marathon.
 Famous Golfer Tiger Woods completed one of the sport's great all-time comebacks to end
an 11-year major title drought at the Masters by claiming a fifth Green Jacket.
 In motor racing, Lewis Hamilton won the Chinese Grand Prix for a record sixth time.
 Meena Kumari Maisnam (from Manipur) claimed the Gold medal at the Boxing World Cup
in the 54 kg category at Cologne, Germany.
 Former junior national champion Harsheel Dani rallied from a game down against Mads
Christophersen of Denmark to clinch the Dutch International badminton title in The Hague,
Netherlands.
 India's Bajrang Punia has regained the world number one spot in the men's 65-
kilogramfreestyle category rankings.
 Winners of Singapore Open 2019: Men's Singles: winner- Kento Momota (Japan). Women's
Singles: winner-Tai Tzu-ying (Chinese Taipei).
 Fabio Fognini became the first Italian to win an ATP Masters 1000 title at the Rolex Monte-
Carlo Masters. He defeated Dusan Lajovic.
 World number one Bajrang Punia won gold at Asian Wrestling Championship in China's
Xian.
 Asian Athletics Championships 2019 held at Doha in Qatar. India -fourth, Bahrain-First
 Tejinder Pal Singh Toor (Shot put), Gomathi Marimuthu(800 metres) and P. U. Chitra(1500
metres) won gold Asian Athletics Championships 2019 for India.
 Indonesian Eni Nuraeni was named by Asian Athletic Association (AAA) as the best athletic
coach in Asia for the short-haul run category in 2019.
41 |
Honours / Awards
UAE awards PM Narendra Modi with highest civilian honour for boosting ties
 United Arab Emirates (UAE) has conferred its highest civilian honour - Zayed Medal - on
Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his role in consolidating
ties between the UAE and India.
 The Order of Zayed is awarded to Heads of Government/Head
of State for their international relations with UAE.
 The 'Order of Zayed' is the highest civil decoration instituted
by the UAE.
 It consists of a collar cantered by a medallion bearing the
name 'Zayed' - the founding father of the United Arab Emirates.
 In the past, this award has been conferred to the likes of Russian President Vladimir Putin,
then US President George W Bush, Nicholas Sarkozy when he was President of France,
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Chinese President Xi Jinping and the UK's Queen
Elizabeth II.
 This also comes at a time when both countries are engaged to see if Prime Minister Modi
will travel to Abu Dhabi on April 20 for the opening of Abu Dhabi's first-ever temple BAPS
Hindu Mandir.
Goldman Environmental Prize 2019

 Six grassroots environmental activists from around the world received prestigious
Goldman Environmental Prize 2019. They were honored at award
ceremony held at San Francisco Opera House in California, US where Al
Gore former US Vice President and environmental activist presented
keynote address.
 Goldman Environmental Prize 2019 winners
 Linda Garcia of US, rallied local communities to successfully prevent
construction of North America’s largest oil export terminal in
Vancouver, Washington.
 Ana Colovic Lesoska of North Macedonia, led seven-year campaign to cut off international
funding for two large hydropower plants project from being built in Mavrovo National Park
(country’s largest national park).
 Bayarjargal Agvaantseren of Mongolia, who led the fight to create 1.8 million-acre Tost
Tosonbumba Nature Reserve (in South Gobi Desert) which is a critical habitat for
vulnerable snow leopard. She persuaded Mongolian government to prohibit all mining
within reserve.
 Alfred Brownell of Liberia, an environmental activist and human rights lawyer who
stopped destruction of Liberia’s tropical forests by palm oil plantation developers.
 Jacqueline Evans of the Cook Islands, led five year campaign to protect Islands’ stunning
marine biodiversity and for conservation and sustainable management of all of Cook
Islands’ ocean territory and creation of 15 marine protected areas.
 Alberto Curamil of Chile, a jailed indigenous activist who organized his Mapuche
community to protest construction of hydroelectric projects on sacred Cautín River in Chile.
 Goldman Environmental Prize
 It is an annual award established in 1989 by U.S. philanthropists Richard and Rhoda
Goldman. It is also known as Green Nobel Prize and awards Cash prize of $200,000.
 It is awarded by Goldman Environmental Foundation, headquartered in San Francisco,
California.
42 |
 It honors grassroots environmentalists, who risk their lives to protect environment and
empower those people who are most vulnerable to lose from industrial projects.
 It honors grassroots environmental heroes from world’s six inhabited continental regions
of Europe, Asia, North America, Africa, Islands & Island Nations and South & Central
America. Final winners are selected from nominations made by environmental
organisations and others.
 Generally winners are announced every April to coincide with Earth Day (22 April).
 Indians Received Awards in Past
 Prafulla Samantara: He had led historic 12-year legal battle that affirmed indigenous
Dongria Kondh’s land rights and protected Niyamgiri Hills from a massive, open-pit
aluminum ore mine.
 Medha Patkar: She is known for Narmada Bachao Andolan.
 C. Mehta: He had single-handedly won numerous landmark judgments from supreme
court, like introducing lead-free gasoline to India and reducing industrial pollution fouling
the Ganges and eroding the Taj Mahal.
 Rasheeda Bi and Champ Devi Shukla: They are Bhopal activists who ignited international
campaign to seek justice for disaster survivors, demanded cleanup and compensation for
affected individuals 1984 Union Carbide gas leak.
 Ramesh Agrawal: He had organized villagers to demand RTI about industrial development
projects and succeeded in shutting down one of largest proposed coal mines in
Chhattisgarh.
Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo to receive 2019 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano
Press Freedom Prize 2019
 Reuters journalists, Kyaw Soe Oo and Wa Lone have been selected for UNESCO/Guillermo
Cano Press Freedom Prize 2019 for recognizing their commitment, courage and resistance
to freedom of expression.
 Currently, they are serving seven-year prison sentence in Myanmar since 12 December
2017 under the Official Secrets Act for illegally collecting, classified military records that
revealed extrajudicial assassinations of Rohingya Muslims by the army in Rakhine State,
while working for the Reuters.
 The UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize will be given on May 2 as part of
the observance of World Press Freedom Day (3 May) in Ethiopia.
 What is UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize ?
 The award is a tribute to Colombian journalist Guillermo Cano Isaza. On 17 December 1986,
he was killed in front of the offices of his newspaper El Espectador in Bogota, Colombia.
 The prize honours an institution or person who has made a notable contribution to the
defence and promotion of press freedom.
 The Prize was founded on the initiative of UNESCO’s Executive Board and is awarded by the
DG of the Organization, on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, on 3 May.
 Reuters :
 Reuters is a Parent organization sponsored by Thomson Reuters Corporation
 Its Headquarters located at Canary Wharf, London, United Kingdom
 It was founded on October 1851 by Paul Reuter.
Three Indians included in Time’s 100 Most Influential People List 2019
 Three Indians Menaka Guruswamy, Arundhati Katju and Mukesh Ambani have featured
into TIME 100 Most Influential People list of 2019. Global prominent names that have
featured in this list included US President Donald Trump, China President Xi Jinping,
43 |
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, Pope Francis, golfer Tiger Woods and Facebook
founder Mark Zuckerberg.
 Mukesh Ambani: He is Chairman and largest shareholder of Reliance
Industries Limited (RIL), a Fortune Global 500 company. It is most
valuable Indian company in terms of its market value.
 Menaka Guruswamy and Arundhati Katju: They are Indian women
lawyers who lead the legal battle to strike down colonial era’s Section
377 of Indian Penal Code (IPC), which criminalized gay sex. In
September 2018, Supreme Court in unanimous decision partly struck
down IPC Section 377, thus removing ban imposed on consensual gay sex and affirming
human rights of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) community.
 Time 100 most influential list
 It is list of 100 most influential people in world released annually by US-based ‘Time’ news
magazine. It was first published in 1999. Its entrants are recognized for changing world,
regardless of consequences of their actions. The list has now become highly publicized
event, as appearance on list is seen as global honor.
2019 Pulitzer Prizes

 The winners of the 2019 Pulitzer Prizes have been announced. The winners in the category
of Letters, Drama and Music are listed below:
 Fiction: The Overstory, by Richard Powers (W.W. Norton).
 Drama: Fairview, by Jackie Sibblies Drury.
 History: Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom, by David W. Blight
(Simon & Schuster).
 Biography: The New Negro: The Life of Alain Locke, by Jeffrey C.
Stewart (Oxford University Press).
 Poetry: Be With, by Forrest Gander (New Directions).
 General Nonfiction: Amity and Prosperity: One Family and the Fracturing of America, by
Eliza Griswold (Farrar, Straus and Giroux).
 Music: Prism, by Ellen Reid.
 The Pulitzer Prize is awarded for achievements in newspaper, magazine and online
journalism, literature, and musical composition in the United States. Established in 1917 by
provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer who had made his fortune as a newspaper
publisher, the awards are administered by Columbia University in New York City.
 Prizes are awarded yearly in twenty-one categories. In twenty of the categories, each
winner receives a certificate and a US$15,000 cash award and the winner in the public
service category of the journalism competition is awarded a gold medal.
Narendra Modi to get Russia’s highest civilian award

 Russia will confer its highest civilian award, the “Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the
First,” on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his work on bilateral ties.
 The Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First is awarded to prominent government and
public figures, prominent representatives of science, culture, art and various sectors of the
economy for “exceptional services that contribute to the prosperity, greatness and glory of
Russia.
 It was first awarded by former Russian Tsar ‘Peter the Great’ in 1698 and subsequently
discontinued. In 1998, former President Boris Yeltsin reinstated the honour by a
presidential decree.
 Previous recipients include Chinese President Xi Jinping, and presidents of Azerbaijan and
Kazakhstan, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.
44 |
 According to established practice, an international award such as this one is only
announced once the recipient’s government indicates its acceptance.
Gagandeep Kang awarded Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS), UK

 Gagandeep Kang becomes first Indian woman scientist to be awarded
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS), United Kingdom.
 Gagandeep Kang
 She is a clinician scientist, who is well known for her key role in
development of Rotavac. She currently appointed as executive director
of Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI),
Faridabad, which is an autonomous institute of Department of
Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology.
 In 2016, she was conferred prestigious Infosys Prize in Life Sciences for her contributions
in understanding natural history of rotavirus and other infectious diseases.
 She is also first Indian and first woman to edit Manson’s Textbook of Tropical Medicine.
Author Rana Dasgupta awarded Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize 2019

 The Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize 2019 was awarded to author Rana Dasgupta for
his 2010 novel “Solo” which is a tale of estrangement and the ultimate failure of material
existence.
 It is the second edition of the Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize.
 Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize aims to revive poetry and books that can change lives.
 An amount of $10,000, a Tagore statue and a certificate for contribution to literature will be
given to the awardee.
 Indian Poets, novelists and Playwrights writing in officially recognized languages or dialect
of the Indian subcontinent, including English.
 ABOUT RABINDRANATH TAGORE LITERARY AWARD:
 Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize is like no other. Naturally, creativity and artful writing
have to be there, but our compass is another: revival of poetry and books that can change
lives.
 It is an annual cultural event whose purpose is to reconcile international and Indian writers
and artists, to bridge cultural differences, promote peace and education.
Saraswati Samman 2018

 Telugu poet K Siva Reddy has been selected for the prestigious Saraswati Samman, 2018.
He has been awarded for his work Pakkaki Ottigilite which is a collection
of poetry.
 K Siva Reddy was born in 1943 in a farmer’s family in Andhra Pradesh’s
Guntur. He is considered as the most renowned modern poets in Telugu.
Siva Reddy has also published critical essays on poetry.
 Pakkaki Ottigilite was published in 2016. It is an anthology of 104 poems
in blank verse. It captures the responses of the poet over the years to
social change, the evolution of his own self and his dynamic relationship with the world.
 Saraswati Samman Awards
 Saraswati Samman Award was instituted by the KK Birla Foundation in the year 1991. It is
given annually for an outstanding literary work written in any official Indian language and
published during the preceding 10 years. It carries a cash purse of Rs 15 lakh, apart from a
citation and a plaque.
 Other popular literary awards constituted by the Birla Foundation are Vyas Samman (for
Hindi) and Bihari Puraskar (for Hindi and Rajasthani writers of Rajasthan).
45 |
India’s Education Technology Start-Up Bags Global Tech Prize

 India’s education technology startup ‘Dost Education’ has bagged a $25,000 Next Billion
Edtech Prize 2019 along with two other winners from Tanzania and Egypt. Ubongo
(Tanzania) and PraxiLabs (Egypt) were the other two winners.
 Dost Education
 Dost Education was awarded for its ability to empower parents to take
charge of their child’s early education by creating short, friendly audio
content that is sent to them via their mobile phones.
 The software, audio content, and tool kits of Dost Education makes it
easy fun and addictive for parents to boost their child’s early
development, so low-income families need no longer send their children to primary school
behind and without a chance to catch up.
 Next Billion Edtech Prize 2019
 Next Billion Edtech Prize 2019 is awarded by the UK-based Varkey Foundation. The award
recognises the most innovative technology destined to have a radical impact on education
in low income and emerging world countries.
 The award also highlights technology’s potential to tackle the problems that have proven
too difficult for successive generations of politicians to solve.
 Swiss-based NRI scientist Dr Rajendra Joshi has been conferred with the Pravasi Bhartiya
Samman Award by the President Kovind.
 Dr. Pawan Munjal, Chairman, Hero MotoCorp, the world's largest manufacturer of
motorcycles and scooters, was felicitated by the Asian Tour with a Special Achievement
Award for his contributions to Asian Golf.
 The Gairdner Foundation announced the 2019 Canada Gairdner Award laureates,
recognizing Goa and Boston-based Vikram Patel for his research career raising the global
profile of mental health problems.
 Tata Steel has been named as the ‘Global Slag Company of the Year’ at the 14th Global Slag
Conference and Exhibition 2019.
 VP Naidu conferred President’s Certificate of Honour and Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman
Awards at New Delhi.
 The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) was awarded the distinction of “Public Water
Agency of the Year” by Global Water Intelligence at the Global Water Summit in London.
 Indian Oil Corporation has bagged the prestigious 'AIMA Managing India Award 2019 for
outstanding PSU of the year.'
 Two schemes of the West Bengal government for skill development- “Utkarsh Bangla” and
distribution of bicycles to students “Sabooj Sathi” have won the prestigious World Summit
on the Information Society (WSIS) awards of the United Nations.
 Dr. A K Singh, director at Life Sciences, DRDO has been honoured with Lifetime
Achievement Award 2019 during 4th APJ Abdul Kalam Innovation Conclave at Chandigarh
University, Mohali.
 An image of a little girl crying, clicked by John Moore, won the prestigious World Press
Photo of the Year award.
 Prominent scientist and businessman Yusuf Hamied is among a host of Indian-origin
experts honoured in the 2019 list of new fellows of the UK's Royal Society.
46 |
 Sunil Kumar Gautam, Special Commissioner of Police (Operations) was honoured with
‘Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant Award‘ for his book titled ‘Samvidhan Kavya‘.
 The Intellectual Property Rights Cell (IPR Cell) of Kerala Agricultural University (KAU)has
been selected for the National Intellectual Property Award 2019.
 Indian-American scientist and social activist Sree Sreenath has been inducted into the
prestigious Cleveland International Hall of fame.
 Dr. Benny Antony has been honoured with the National Intellectual Property Award, 2019
in the category of Top Individual for Patents and Commercialization.
 The prestigious Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Award 2019 was awarded to National
Award-winning filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, popular scriptwriter Salim Khan and
dancing diva Helen.
 Dawn editor and Columnist Cyril Almeida from Pakistan has won the IPI’s (International
Press Institute) World Press Freedom Hero award in 2019.
 MadaMasr, an Egyptian news site, won Free Media Pioneer Award 2019 of the IPI and
International Media Support (IMS).
47 |
Obituaries
US Judge and Civil Rights Icon Damon J. Keith Dies at 96 age

 Former US Judge Damon J Keith, a grandson of slaves and icon in civil rights movement died
in Detroit at the age of 96. He was born in 1922. He even being a
grandson of enslaved people, later became sixth African American in
U.S. history to serve on federal court of appeals.
 Lifetime Achievements
 He never retired and died incumbent in office.
 He served for more than 50 years in federal courts, and even at age of
94 he heard cases about four times in one year at 6 th US Circuit Court of
Appeals (or circuit courts are intermediate appellate courts of US federal court system) in
Cincinnati, Ohio and issued dissent in voting rights case.
 During his time as judge he made series of landmark decisions that changed social and legal
landscape of US. Some of them are-
 He rejected government’s claim of having authority to conduct electronic surveillance
without a warrant on anyone it considered as national security threat.
 Stopping Illegal Government Wiretaps: As a federal judge he gave judgement in
warrantless wiretapping case against Richard Nixon and Attorney General John Mitchell in
1971. He rejected government’s claim of having authority to conduct electronic surveillance
without a warrant on anyone it considered as national security threat. Nixon
administration which was in middle of social turmoil over Vietnam War, later sued Keith
personally in famous “the Keith case”.
 Secret Deportation Hearings: One year after 9/11 attacks, while serving on federal court
of appeals, he gave judgement against Bush administrations conducting deportation
hearings of terrorism suspects in secret using blanket national security justification, in
which he coined iconic phrase “democracies die behind closed doors”.
Renowned Space scientist SK Shivakumar passed away

 Former Director of Indian Space Research Organisation Satellite Centre (ISAC), SK
Shivakumar died at the age of 66 in Bengaluru. He hailed from Mysuru, Karnataka.
 SK Shivakumari. He was part of the team which had developed telemetry system for India’s
first moon mission Chandrayan – I.
 He served as the project director for India’s first indigenous Deep Space Network Antenna
at Byalalu. He also led the team of 2,500 engineers which contributed to ISRO’s Mangalyaan
Mission.
 He contributed in several missions like Bhaskara, INSAT, IRS-1B and IRS-1C. He also served
as the director of ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC).
 He was Padma shree awardee and also honoured with Karnataka Rajyotsava award (2008).
 ISRO's headquarter is located at Bengaluru, Karnataka.
 Presently its Chairman is Dr. K. Sivan.
Former India’s ace footballer ‘Asian Pele’, Pungam Kannan passed away
 Pungam Kannan, former India’s ace footballer passed away at the age of 80 after suffering
from prolonged illness.
 He was also facing huge financial crisis before his death.
 Brief history:
 P. Kannan was born in Vandavasi, Tamil Nadu.
48 |
 The esteemed German coach, Dettmar Cramer had given Kannan the title of ‘Pele of Asia’ in
1968 when he was invited by the AIFF (All India Football Federation) to conduct 2-week
coaching in Mumbai.
 The ace footballer played 14 matches for India, represented Universal RC for 4 years in the
Chennai Football Association (CFA) senior division league.
 Kannan was part of Mohun Bagan (8 years) as well as East Bengal (2 years) and won the
Santosh Trophy for West Bengal two times simultaneously from 1971 to73 and also turned
out to be the top-scorer.
 He represented India at the 1966 Bangkok Asian Games and the 1968 Merdeka Cup before
leaving the pitch in 1982.
 Kannan also worked for Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Southern Railway but
did not get any pension from the companies during his financially turbulent times.
Sri Lanka attacks death toll rises to 290, about 500 wounded
 In a terrible bomb blast the death toll sharply rose to 290 from a series of eight blasts on
churches and luxury hotels across Sri Lanka.
 More than 500 people were wounded in the blasts.
 Eight coordinated explosions targeted Easter
worshippers and high end hotels popular with
international guests.
 The blasts targeted St Anthony's Church in Colombo,
St Sebastian's Church in the western coastal town of
Negombo and another church in the eastern town of
Batticaloa as the Easter Sunday mass were in
progress.
 Three explosions were reported from the five-star hotels - the Shangri-La, the Cinnamon
Grand and the Kingsbury.
 Foreigners and locals who were injured in hotel blasts were admitted to the Colombo
General Hospital.
 There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but police claimed, 24 people from the
minority Muslim community were arrested and declined to give further details.
 The government will not disclose the details of the suspects involved in the attacks to
prevent them from getting publicity.
 The blasts - one of the deadliest attacks in the country's history - shattered a decade of
peace in the island nation since the end of the brutal civil war with the LTTE.
 Former Ethiopian president Negasso Gidada has died in Germany where he was undergoing
medical treatment for an unspecified illness. The 75 year old Negasso was president
between 1995 and 2001.
 Kartik Chandra Rath, a veteran dramatist, theatre organiser, and Economics teacher passed
away at the age of 70.
 Biologist Sydney Brenner who helped decipher the genetic code and jointly won the 2002
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, passed away.
 Kerala Congress (M) chairman K. M. Mani, the longest-serving legislator in the State’s
history, is no more.
 Renowned Hindi poet Pradeep Choubey passed away of a cardiac arrest.
 Scotland all-rounder Con de Lange who had been diagnosed with a brain tumour has
passed away at the age of 38.
49 |
 America's first female astronaut candidate, pilot Jerrie Cobb passed away in Florida at the
age of 88 following a brief illness.
 Eminent Bengali folk singer Amar Paul passed away following a cardiac arrest.
 One of the most well-known paranormal investigators, Lorraine Warren passed away at the
age of 92.
 Chennai's famed chronicler, cartographer, and journalist S. Muthiah, 89, passed away due to
age-related ailments.
 Veteran lady mountaineer Rama Sengupta Paul passed away at the age of 66 due to cardiac
arrest.
50 |
Important Days
 April 6 : International Day of Sport for Development and Peace

 Theme 2019 : #Sport4SDGs
 April 7 : World Health Day [WHO]
 Theme 2019 : Universal health Coverage: Everyone, Everywhere
 April 13 : Jallianwala Bagh Massacre Day
 Theme 2019 : No Theme
 April 18 : World Heritage Day
 Theme 2019 : Rural Landscapes
 April 22 : International Mother Earth Day
 Theme 2019 : Protect Our Species
 April 23 : World Book and Copyright Day
 April 26 : World Intellectual Property Day [WIPO]
 Theme 2019 : Reach for Gold: IP and Sports
 April 29 : International Dance Day
Source of Information
 http://pib.nic.in
 http://india.gov.in
 http://www.ibef.org
 http://thehindu.com
 http://jagranjosh.com
 http://gktoday.in
Compiled By
Sanjay Singh
51 |

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Compendium- April, 2019

National Institutional Ranking Framework 2019

ITBP Soldiers Cast First Vote for 2019 Polls

Utkal Divas observed on 1 April by govt.of Odisha

Kandhamal Haldi (turmeric) gets Geographical Indications (GI) tag

WhatsApp Launches Tip Line to curb Fake News

Veer Parivar App Launched

Most Polluted city: Kanpur ranked 1 as the most polluted city

‘Politics of Jugaad: The Coalition Handbook’, released

Bamboo rice shows up in Odisha

India ranks 19th in Index of Cancer Preparedness

India ranked 2nd-most targeted nation by hackers in 2018

Maitri Bridge: Longest Suspension Bridge

EMISAT adds to India’s Defence Capability

China hosts 2nd Belt and Road Forum

EU parliament approves ban on single-use plastics

Ramayana Themed Stamp Released by Indonesia

2019 UNDP human development report to focus on inequality

NASA Spots 1st Molecule of the Universe

Mount Agung Volcano Erupts

Raavana-1 launched into Space

Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) takes first-ever picture of a black hole

Scientists Print First 3D Heart Using Patient’s Biological Materials

Three-person Baby Boy Born in Greece

World’s largest plane makes first test flight in Mojave Desert

Nepal's first ever satellite launched into space

Researchers in the Philippines have discovered a species of ancient human Homo

World's first-ever malaria vaccine launched in Africa's Malawi

World’s only floating N-plant is ready for operations in Russia

The World’s Best Airports in 2019 are announced

Suresh Mathur Committee to review MicroInsurance Framework

Lakshmi Vilas Bank is merging in Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd.

Govt suspends LoC trade with PoK

World’s first nationwide 5G mobile network was launched in South Korea

India highest recipient of remittances at USD 79 billion in 2018: World Bank

IMF cuts India’s GDP growth forecast to 7.3% for F.Y-2020

Hong Kong's stock market overtakes Japan to be world's third largest

China spends four times more than India on defence: SIPRI

Indian Navy Ships to take part in Chinese International Fleet Review

India to purchase MH-60 'Romeo' Seahawk’ naval helicopter from US

Varuna Naval Exercise 2019

US designated Iranian armed corps as a foreign "terrorist organisation"

Indian peacekeeping Force in South Sudan Awarded UN Medal of Honour

Indian Navy’s advanced guided missile destroyer,"Imphal"launched in Mumbai

GRSE becomes 'first' Indian shipyard to deliver 100 warships

Zuzana Caputova won Slovakia Presidential Election

David Malpass elected as World Bank President

Jamia Gets Its First Woman Vice-Chancellor

Mohammed Ishtaye sworn in as new Palestinian PM

Mahendra Singh Dhoni named as the brand ambassador of redBus

London School of Economics announces Amartya Sen Chairman

Netanyahu formally named next Israeli PM

Swedish Academy names literature professor Mats Malm as new head

Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year for 2018

Services lift Santosh Trophy Football; beat Punjab 1-nil in final

Goldman Environmental Prize 2019

2019 Pulitzer Prizes

Narendra Modi to get Russia’s highest civilian award