Daily Current Affairs 🔽 March 30, 2019

1. The second joint logistics node of tri-services has become operational at naval base in Mumbai, Maharashtra to enhancing interoperability, improve maintenance of military assets…..In 2008, the first joint logistics node (JLN) consisting of the three services was set up at Andaman and Nicobar Islands…..The third joint logistics node will only be among Army and Air Force and is likely to set up at Guwahati,Assam…..Capital: Mumbai, Governor: C. Vidyasagar Rao, Chief Minister:  Devendra Fadnavis.
2. India and the US has signed an agreement to the Statement of Guiding Principles (SGP) on triangular cooperation for global development to facilitate with a framework to promote bilateral cooperation to meet the developmental ambitions of partner countries, particularly in Asia and Africa…..By Devyani Khobragade, Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs of India, and Mark Anthony White, Mission Director for the USAID in India.
3. Oxfam has found that the gender wage gap in India is highest among Asian nations, women are paid 34 percent less compared to men for performing the same job…..In India, the low participation of women in labour force is 27 percent which is the lowest among BRICS countries and among G20 countries.
4. Dhanbad, the coal capital of India scored 95.3 percent and become the number one city in terms of highest 4G availability in India by the report name ‘OpenSignal’s hottest city for 4G Availability’…..Ranchi which has 95% of 4G Availability, ranked second and Srinagar ranked third….Capital: Ranchi, Chief Minister:Raghubar Das.
5. Washington, DC hosted the 16th Meeting of the US-India Counter-terrorism Joint Working Group.
6. The Security Council of UN has passed the new Resolution 2462 which is intended to crack down on the financing of terrorist groups and ordering members to enforce laws against terror financing…..United Nations, Headquarters- New York, Secretary General: Antonio Guterres.
7. The single-use plastics are banned by the European Parliament…..i. This ban will be effective from 2021 in all EU member states……European Union, Headquarters:City of Brussels, Belgium, Founded: 1 November 1993, Maastricht, Netherlands.
8. Tesla has developed its ‘largest power storage system in Asia’ at Osaka train station in Japan…..It was Launched in partnership with Kintetsu, a railway operator in Japan’s Osaka…..Japan, Capital: Tokyo, Currency: Japanese yen, President: Shinzo Abe.
9. Reserve Bank of India received a huge response for introducing a $5-billion swap facility for the banks to facilitate permanent liquidity support……To ease the liquidity crunch, Reserve Bank of India will buy dollars from banks for three years and offer them rupees in return, which will bulk up the central bank’s foreign-exchange reserves while injecting cash into the banking system.
10. Reserve Bank of India set the average base rate to be charged by Non- Banking Financial Companies (NBFC) and Micro Finance institutions (MFI) at9.21% for the first quarter (April to June)…… RBI declares average base rates on the last working day of every quarter.
11. Current account deficit (CAD) of India has widened to 2.5% of GDP in the 3rd quarter of the current fiscal year primarily on account of a higher trade deficit though the foreign exchange reserves which continued to soar.
12. India’s fiscal deficit stood at 134.2% of the full-year revised budgeted estimate at the end of February 2019…..The fiscal deficit for April-February 2018-19 stood at Rs 8.51 lakh crore against the revised estimate (RE) of Rs 6.34 trillion for the entire year.
13. Dr. Rajendra Kumar Joshi, the founder and chairman of the RUJ Group has been conferred with the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award on 29th March, 2019. He was awarded by the Embassy of India in Switzerland…… The theme of 2019 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention was “Role of Indian Diaspora in building New India.”….. The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA) is the highest honour which is conferred on Non-resident Indians by the President of India for their significant contributions towards bringing honour and glory to India.
14. EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) winner Rita Moreno honoured with Peabody Career Achievement award…..The award is presented by Mercedes Benz in the 78th Annual Peabody Awards Ceremony, co sponsored by Coca-Cola Co…..she will have the “PEGOT” status.
15. GAIL India Ltd joined hand with Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) to cooperate in the development of solar power projects……BHEL will provide operation and maintenance services……GAIL is India's biggest natural gas company.
16.  United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) which publishes the Human Development Report (HDR), will release the HDR 2019 with its focus on inequality..... The report would be released around the last quarter of the year....
17. The people of the Nizamabad in Telangana will vote through Ballot Papers..... For the Lok Sabha Polls 2019 in the Nizamabad Lok Sabha seat, there are 185 candidates in contention. As one EVM can accommodate only 16 candidates and a maximum of 4 EVMs can be used in one polling booth.
18. IT services major Wipro has announced a partnership with IIT Kharagpur to undertake industry-focused applied research in the areas of 5G and artificial intelligence…..Wipro and IIT Kharagpur will jointly take up applied research projects on industry challenges related to the design, planning and operations of 5G networks.
19. The Ministry of Commerce and Industries has launched blockchain-based e-marketplace for coffee…..The blockchain technology will help in reducing the number of intermediaries between coffee growers and buyers and help farmers double their income.
20. The third edition of the biennial, bilateral exercise AUSINDEX 19 between India and Australia will be held in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
21. President Ram Nath Kovind has been conferred with the highest State honor of Bolivia, “Condor de Los Andes en el Grado de Gran Collar” during his visit to Bolivia. President of Bolivia Evo Morales awarded him.
22. India & Bolivia Sign 8 MoUs In Various Fields Including Culture, Mining, Space…..Bolivia Capital: Sucre, Currency: Bolivian boliviano.
23. Veteran journalist and academician Prafulla Rajguru passed away.

Please give your suggestion in the comment box:-

Daily Current Affairs 🔽 March 29, 2019

1. Interaction of India with ambassadors and High Commissioners of European and Oceania Countries in New Delhi….European Union, Capital: Brussels, President of Council: Donald Tusk.
2. Google has constituted an eight-member Advanced Technology External Advisory Council that will examine the ethical challenges related to artificial intelligence (AI).
3. Canada-India Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism and its Expert Sub-group was held in Ottawa.
4. The government has decided to infuse a capital of 5,042 crore rupees into state-owned Bank of Baroda ahead of the merger of two other public sector lenders Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank with Bank of Baroda which would be effective from 1st April 2019…..Bank of Baroda, Headquarters: Alkapuri, Vadodara, MD and CEO: S. Jayakumar, Tagline: India’s International Bank.
5. Tashigang at an altitude of 15,256 feet has now became the world’s highest polling station in the sleepy hamlet of Buddhist-dominated Lahaul-Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh…..Himachal Prades, Capital- Shimla, CM- Shri Jai Ram Thakur, Governor- Acharya Dev Vrat.
6. Rustom Irani appointed as Hitachi Payment Services (Tokio)’ Managing Director
7. Centre backed Power Finance Corporation (PFC) has become the India’s second largest Govt-owned Financial Firm after State Bank of India (SBI), based on market capitalization.
8. A hyper-local connectivity app called “Bhonga” has been developed by Mumbai-based Company Linkus Infratech, to connect users to their neighborhood people in the city even without an Internet connection….. “Bhonga” is a Marathi word which means megaphone or loudspeaker.
9. United Nations‘ weather agency, World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released its annual ‘State of the Global Climate Report’…..2018 was the fourth warmest year on record, and almost 1 degree C above from the period of 1850 to 1900…..World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Founded: 23 March 1950, Head: David Grimes, Parent organization: United Nations Economic and Social Council, Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
10. The Governor of Reserve Bank of India, Shaktikanta Das launched the book “Indian Fiscal Federalism” authored by Dr. Y.V. Reddy and G.R. Reddy.
11. Tripura ranks second place in India in terms of child marriages among girls between the age of 15 and 19 years, according to a report released by the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), Young Lives – an international study on childhood poverty……Tripura, Capital: Agartala, Governor: Kaptan Singh Solanki, Chief Minister: Biplab Kumar Deb.
12. NITI Aayog had organised a day-long FinTech Conclave 2019 in New Delhi. The objective of the conclave was to shape India’s continued ascendancy in FinTech, build the narrative for future strategy and policy efforts.
13. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will be issuing guidelines within two months for the fintech companies to test their new products on a small group of users before scaling up. This regulatory sandbox will help fintech companies to launch innovative products at a lower cost and in less time and enable fintech companies to conduct live or virtual testing of their new products and services.
14. Langkawi International Maritime & Aerospace Exhibition 2019 (LIMA 2019) is the fifteenth edition of the Maritime & Aerospace Exhibition. LIMA 2019 was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir bin Mohammed……Langkawi International Maritime & Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) provides a platform where industry stakeholders could engage and expand their networks towards forging new partnerships and business agreements.
15. Hyderabad-based pharma Laurus Labs partners with Global Fund for supply of AIDS drugs.

Please give your suggestion in the comment box:-

Daily Current Affairs 🔽 March 28, 2019

1. India and the African Union signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish an India-Africa health sciences collaborative platform which is aimed to strengthen the cooperation in the health sector…..The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located in the continent of Africa. African Union was founded on 26 May 2001.
2. Skytrax World Airport Awards named Singapore’s Changi Airport as the the world’s best aviation hub for the seventh time in a row, while Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, New Delhi climbed 8 places to rank at 59th Position…..Tokyo International Airport(Japan) was ranked at the second spot.
3. Adani Port and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ), a part of Gautam Adani-led Adani Group becomes the first Indian port operator to achieve a new record of handling 200 million tonnes (MT) cargo movement in 2018-19.
4. Yoshua Bengio (Canada), Geoffrey Hinton (Canada), and Yann LeCun (USA) conferred with Turing Award (named after British mathematician Alan M. Turing), the Nobel Prize of computing….. Annual award.
5. Nobel Prize recipient Amartya Sen honoured with Oxford University’s Bodley award.
6. Manu Gulati has been honoured with the Martha Farrell award for Excellence in Women’s Empowerment 2019 in the Most Promising Individual category.
7. The Indian Green Building Council(IGBC) awarded the Gold Rating to Vijayawada railway station, which is known as the busiest railway junctions in India for Green Measures.
8. Abhay Thakur appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Benin…..Capital: Porto-Novo, Currencies: CFA franc, West African CFA franc, President: Patrice Talon.
9. Vivek Gupta designated as Director of SAIL in Raw Materials and Logistics.
10. Retired Justice DK Jain, ombudsman of the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) has been appointed as BCCI’s ad-hoc Ethics Officer till a permanent appointment takes place.
11. An online insurance web aggregator, PolicyX.com has named Arjuna & Padmashree Awardee, cricketer Virender Sehwag as its brand ambassador.
12. Telangana government has launched a digital business networking portal for Micro,Small and Medium Enterprises MSMEs – Telangana State GlobalLinker.
13. International Olympics Committee (IOC) gave provisional green light for the inclusion of Breakdancing in the Paris Olympics 2024. Surfing, Skateboarding and sport climbing also got approval.
14. The Union Cabinet has approved the creation of six additional posts in the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT, 2013).

Please give your suggestion in the comment box:-

Daily Current Affairs 🔽 March 27, 2019

1. MoU between India and Morocco for cooperation on youth affairs.....MoU between India and Morocco to promote exchange of information and technical cooperation.....MoU on Antarctic Cooperation between India and Argentine.....MoU between India and Saudi Arabia for Cooperation in the field of Housing......MoU between India and Republic of Korea for startup cooperation.....Cabinet approves MoU between India and Indonesia on Combating illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs.
2. Union Cabinet approved the creation of additional posts of three Judicial Members and three Technical Members in the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT).
3. ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund launched ICICI Prudential Bharat Consumption Scheme to get advantage from the Indian consumption market, which is considered as one of the fastest growing consumption markets globally….. CEO:Nimesh Shah, Founded: 1993, Headquarters:Mumbai.
4. Bank of Baroda has signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with six firms namely Skymet Weather Services, Weather Risk Management Services, BigHaat, Agrostar India, EM3 Agri Services and Poorti Agri Services to develop “Baroda Kisan”. It will provide solutions for all major agricultural requirements through its holistic approach…. Establishment – 1908, Headquarters – Alkapuri, Vadodara   CEO – PS Jayakumar, Tagline – India’s International Bank.
5. In accordance with the International Energy Agency (IEA) Global Energy & CO2 status report, India’s energy demand has surpassed the global demand growth in 2018. India’s primary demand increased 4% in 2018 in comparison to energy consumption worldwide grew by 2.3%.
6. India and United States signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement for exchange of Country-by-Country (CbC) reports to check the tax evasions of Multinational Companies.
7. Azali Assoumani re-elected as the President of Comoros.
8. Veteran coach Veselin Matic to be designated as coach for Indian Men’s basketball team.
9. India has proved its capability of defending its outer space assets after Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has conducted a successful Anti-Satellite (ASAT) missile test “Mission Shakti” from the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island (earlier, Wheeler island) in Odisha. It took just 3 minute….. Mission Shakti is a joint programme of DRDO and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
10. The US Missile Defence Agency had successfully launched an anti-intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system, which was launched from the Marshall Islands shot down by two interceptors based in California.
11. Facebook launched two new tools called “Candidate Connect” and “Share You Voted”, specifically for Indian users to encourage civic engagement on its platform during the general elections 2019….. Founded: February 4, 2004, Headquarters: Menlo Park, California, U.S, Founder: Mark Zuckerberg.
12. IT company Infosys joined hands with Roland-Garros with a three-year partnership agreement to provide digital solution for French Open tennis tournament, also called Roland-Garros…..Infosys- CEO: Salil Parekh, Headquarters: Bengaluru, Founded: 7 July 1981.
13. Malayalam writer and poet Ashita passed away at aged 63 years.
14. Election Commission of India has appointed Sh K K Sharma as Special Central Police Observer for the States of West Bengal and Jharkhand and Sh Mrinal Kanti Das as Special Central Police Observer for States of Tripura and Mizoram.
15. Special Expenditure Observers for States of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Nagaland and Telangana, have been appointed by Election Commission of India.

Please give your suggestion in the comment box:-

Daily Current Affairs 🔽 March 26, 2019

1. Langkawi International Maritime Aero Expo (LIMA-2019) is being commenced at Langkawi, Malaysia.Indian Air force is participating for the first time to enhance the relationship between the two services….. Capital : Kuala Lumpur, Currency : Ringgit, Prime Minister : Mahathir Bin Mohammed.
2. World’s largest e-waste recycling hub opened at the Dubai Industrial Park, Dubai.
3. MITRASHAKTI – VI, a Joint training exercise between Indian and Sri Lanka Army held in Diyatalawa in Sri Lanka….. The previous exercise (MITRASHAKTI – V) was held at Pune….. Capitals: Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte,  Currency: Sri Lankan rupee, Prime minister: Ranil Wickremesinghe, President: Maithripala Sirisena.
4. RBI slaps Rs 2 crore penalty on PNB for violation of SWIFT norms….. Society for World Wide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) is a network which enables the financial institutions worldwide to send and receive information about the financial transactions in a secure manner….. The misuse of SWIFT messaging software has lead to the massive Rs.14000 Cr fraud in the PNB which attracted the penalty.
5. The Tech Giant Apple has partnered with Goldman Sachs and Mastercard to launch a new credit card called Apple Card….. The partnership with Goldman Sachs and Mastercard will help Apple for payment handling and processing.
6. Shambhu S Kumaran appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Morocco.
7. Karur Vysya Bank appointed N S Srinath as Non-Executive Independent Chairman for a period of 3 years…. Headquarter : Karur, MD and CEO : P R Seshadri.
8. Ministry of Textiles has started Yarn bank, a first of its kind in Karnataka, to help thousand of weavers at the Mysore Powerloom Silk Manufacturers Cooperative Society by ensuring steady supply of silk yarn and zari.
9. For the first time in the world, researchers at the GRAPES-3 muon telescope facility in Ooty have measured a thundercloud’s electrical potential…. This measure will help to navigate aircraft and to prevent short circuits in aeroplanes….. The Thunderstorms can reach voltages ten times greater.
10. An international team of researchers from the Australian Antarctic Program has discovered a network of lakes beneath Totten Glacier, the largest glacier in East Antarctica during their 160-day expedition.
11. The Seamaster 2019 ITTF Challenge Plus commonly called Oman Open table tennis held in Muscat, Oman. Indian players G Sathyan and Archana Kamath excelled in the tournament.
12. Indian Premier League (IPL) witnessed its first ever Mankading in its history in the match of Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals. Rajasthan Royals opener Jos Buttler became the first victim of ‘Mankading’ in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL)....
13. Pakistan government has approved a proposal to establish a corridor which would allow Hindu pilgrims from India to visit Sharda Peeth in the region of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
14. Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Bharat PetroResources Ltd (BPRL), Urja Bharat Pte Ltd has acquired an oil block in Abu Dhabi, where the two will invest USD 170 million..... Both IOC and BPRL hold 50 per cent each in Urja Bharat Pte Ltd.
15. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has formally inducted the Chinook heavy-lift helicopters made in the US.
16. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has opened the registration for recently launched Young Scientist Programme. The programme also referred to as “YUva VIgyani KAryakram” (Yuvika) is aimed at imparting basic knowledge on Space Technology.
17. Indian Navy’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Training Facility (NBCTF) at INS Shivaji, Lonavla in Mumbai  was inaugurated by Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba…..NBCTF Abhedya will help train personnel of naval ships fitted with nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) detection and protection….. theme of the logo of technical training establishment is “Propelling the Indian Navy since 1945”.

Please give your suggestion in the comment box:-

Daily Current Affairs 🔽 March 25, 2019

1. NITI Aayog has organized a FinTech Conclave at Dr. Ambedkar International Center, New Delhi…..The Conclave was inaugurated by RBI Governor, Shaktikanta Das…..Financial technology, popularly known as FinTech, is the new technology and innovation to make financial services more accessible for the common people. Mobile banking, internet banking, digital payment are examples of Financial technologies.
2. India ranks 76th (among 115 countries) on a global energy transition index which was compiled by Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF), based on their energy system performance and affordability….. The top three performers are Sweden, followed by Switzerland and Norway…..India improved its rank by two points from last year (2018) higher than China (82nd)….. In the BRICS block of emerging economies, After Brazil (rank 46th) India ranked second best…..WEF 1971 Cologny, Swizerland, Klaus Schwab.
3. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has appointed 5-member committee under the chairmanship of Nandan Nilekani to strengthen digital payments….It will provide recommendations in 3 months.
4. Lalit Kala Akademi (LKA) announced 15 winners of the 60th Annual Academy Awards. All the awardees will be honoured with a plaque, a shawl and prize money of Rs 1 lakh….The Lalit Kala Akademi or National Academy of Art is India’s national academy of fine arts. It is an autonomous organisation, established in New Delhi in 1954 by Government of India.
5. Peter Tabichi, a Kenyan math and physics teacher and a member of the Franciscan religious order has been conferred with the prestigious $1 million Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize for 2019 at a ceremony in Dubai…..Peter Tabichi gives away 80 per cent of his monthly income to the poor.
6. K. Govindaraj has been unanimously re-elected as president of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) at its annual general-body meeting.
7. Naresh Goyal, the founder of Jet Airways (India) Ltd, has resigned from the board of the troubled airline after a meeting with the airlines board of directors.
8. For over two lakhs Divyang voters, Election Commission comes up with a mobile application  called PWD app in Maharashtra…..This mobile app provides information such as the location of voting booth as well as provide special facilities such as wheelchairs, ramps and transport from home for registered Divyang voters…..Maharashtra, Capital: Mumbai, Governor: Vidyasagar Rao,  Chief Minister:Devendra Fadnavis.
9. US-based e-commerce platform eBay has partnered with Google to offer Google Pay as a form of payment option in its new “managed payments” plan.
10. Oslo, the capital city of Norway will become the world’s first city to install wireless, induction-based charging stations for its fleet of electric taxis with an aim to have a zero-emission cab system by the year 2023…..Finland’s utility company ‘Fortum’ will collaborate with U.S. company Momentum Dynamics.
11. 2019 Badminton Asia mixed team trophy clinched by China….The 2nd edition of Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships aka Tong Yun Kai Cup 2019 was held in Queen Elizabeth Stadium, Hong Kong.
12. Bangladeshi singer Shahnaz Rahmatullah passed away at aged 67 years.
13. The government of UAE has launched the Lose to Win Programme to assist the overweight employees in shedding extra kilos and adopt a healthy lifestyle.
14. London-based NRI industrial tycoons, the Hinduja family top the Asian Rich List 2019 for the sixth successive year..... Asian Rich List 2019 was released by India’s High Commissioner to the UK Ruchi Ghanashyam.
15. Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Rome, endorsing the global infrastructure-building scheme of China…..There are a lot of ‘Made in China’ coming into Italy and too little ‘Made in Italy’ that goes into China.

Please give your suggestion in the comment box:-