Current Affairs: April 01, 2019
April 01, 2019
PSLV-C45 successfully launches EMISAT defence satellite, 28 others from Sriharikota space centre
ISRO launched a new variant of the Polar
Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from
Sriharikota today i.e., 1st April, carrying
electronic intelligence satellite, Emisat for
the Defence Research Development
Organisation (DRDO) and 28 other third-
party satellites. The 28 international
customer satellites -- 24 from the US, two from Lithuania and one each from Spain and
Switzerland -- weigh about 220 kg.
ISRO Chairman: K. Sivan
Odisha Diwas or Utkal Diwas: 1st April
Odisha is celebrating 84 years of its foundation.
The day is also known as ‘Utkal Divas.’ To
commemorate the sacrifices of people for the
formation of Odisha province in 1936, programmes
are being organized at various places across the
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Current Affairs: April 01, 2019
State.
Rajasthan Diwas: 30th March
Rajasthan Day is celebrated on 30th March every
year on which the state Rajasthan came into
existence as it was previously known as Rajputana.
On 30th March 1949, the state was formed.
Vijaya Bank, Dena Bank to merge with Bank of Baroda today (1st April, 2019)
Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank will merge with Bank
of Baroda (BoB) on 1st April to create the third-largest
lender of the country. The government-forced
merger, announced in September last year, creates the
third largest bank in the country after the State Bank
of India and HDFC Bank. The Reserve Bank had on
30th March said branches of Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank will function as Bank of Baroda outlets
from April following the amalgamation.
HQ: Vadodara, Gujarat
MD & CEO: PS Jayakumar
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Current Affairs: April 01, 2019
Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award conferred upon Dr. Rajendra Kumar Joshi
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, on behalf of the
President of India with a commendation letter and
a medal.
Jabir Patil receives BRICS award for ties with Arab countries
President of India Arabic Friendship
Foundation, Jabir Patil on 31st March was
conferred the BRICS organisation award for
excellent relationship with Arab countries.
Patil speaking to ANI said, “I am extremely
happy to receive an honour from BRICS
which is an international organization for the economic development of the BRICS countries."
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Current Affairs: April 01, 2019
India Open 2019 final: Viktor Axelsen and Ratchanok Intanon clinch Men’s and Women’s title
Viktor Axelsen beats Kidambi Srikanth in
straight games 21-7, 22-20 to lift the Men's
singles title. Srikanth did fight for a comeback in
the second game but was not enough. Ratchanok
Intanon beats He Bingjiao 21-15, 21-14 to win
the Women's singles title. Bingjiao never made a
comeback after she conceded the lead in the first game. Top stuff and great display of skills by
Intanon.
Miami Open: Roger Federer lifts 101th career Title
Roger Federer lifted the 101st title of his remarkable
career on 31st March in dominating style, beating ATP
Miami Open defending champion John Isner 6-1, 6-4.
Federer, who has skipped the whole clay court season
for the past two years, declared the triumph over the
big-serving American in just 63 minutes was an ideal
performance from which to launch a French Open bid.
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Current Affairs: April 01, 2019
South Korea wins Azlan Shah Hockey Cup by defeating India
On 30th March, India was defeated by South
Korea in the penalty shootout of the final of
Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2019. 17th Ranked
South Korea defeated World number 5, India to
won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup which was held
at Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh, Malaysia.
Lewis Hamilton wins Bahrain Grand Prix 2019
Five times world champion Lewis Hamilton won
the Bahrain Grand Prix for Mercedes on 31st March
after engine trouble dashed Charles Leclerc's hopes
of a first Formula One victory in only his second race
for Ferrari.
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Current Affairs: April 01, 2019
Zuzana Caputova becomes Slovakia's first female President
On 30th March 2019, lawyer Zuzana Caputova (45)
won Slovakia’s presidential election and become
Slovakia’s first female president. She will succeed
Andrej Kiska. She was honored with the Goldman
Environmental Award in 2016 for her strong and
resolute leadership regarding the Pezinok landfill
affair, Caputova.
Capital: Bratislava
Currency: Euro
Shanghai's Hongkou becomes world's 1st 5G district
China’s Shanghai claimed to have the world’s
first district with 5G coverage and a broadband
gigabit network. It has conducted trial runs of the
5G network. 5G base stations had been deployed
over the last three months to ensure full coverage
in Hongkou.
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Current Affairs: April 02, 2019
April 02, 2019
A ‘Hump-backed mahseer’, freshwater fish added in “Critically Endangered” list
The International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species
added hump-backed mahseer, also known as ‘Tor
remadevii’ or ‘tiger of water’ in critically
endangered species list. It is freshwater fish
endemic to the Western Ghats of South India and
only found in Kaveri River basins. Maximum length of fish will be 150 cm and a weight of 90
kg.
GRSE becomes 'first' Indian shipyard to deliver 100 warships
Garden Reach Ship Builders and Engineers
Ltd (GRSE), Kolkata has become the "first
Indian shipyard" to build and deliver 100
warships, the state-owned company said. 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, it said.
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Current Affairs: April 02, 2019
GST collection records Rs 1.06 lakh cr in March
GST collections scaled record high of Rs 1.06
lakh crore in March, up from Rs 97,247 crore
in the previous month, as compliance
improved amid increased number of returns
filed. The collection in March 2019, has been
highest since the introduction of GST and
also reflects a 15.6 percent growth over March 2018, collection of Rs 92,167 crore. Monthly
average of GST revenue during 2018-19, stood at Rs 98,114 crore which is 9.2 percent higher
than the previous fiscal.
Eight core industries show 2.1% growth in February 2019
The combined index of eight core industries stood at
125.8 in February 2019, which indicates a marginal
increase of 2.1 percent during the month. The eight
core industries, including coal, crude oil, natural gas,
refinery products, fertilizers, steel, cement and
electricity, are responsible for almost 41 percent of the
weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
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Current Affairs: April 02, 2019
Reliance MF and Google team up for voice-based fund service
Reliance Mutual Fund, one of the largest fund houses
in India and Google have joined hands to launch
India’s first voice-based mutual fund transaction
service. To start with, Google assistance will enable
investors to invest, get portfolio value and withdraw
from the fund through voice commands over Reliance
MF’s app on a smartphone. Over the next few
months, the service will cover the whole gamut of funds offered by the fund house, top officials
said.
Manu Sawhney takes charge as ICC Chief Executive
Media professional Manu Sawhney on 1st April
took charge as Chief Executive of the
International Cricket Council and will work
alongside Dave Richardson, who will step
down after the World Cup in July. Former
ESPN Star Sports MD Sawhney has already
been working alongside outgoing Chief Executive Richardson for the last six weeks to ensure a
smooth transition.
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Current Affairs: April 02, 2019
India finishes with 16 gold medals at Asian Airgun Championships
Indian shooters continued their dominance claiming
five gold medals on the final day of the Asian Airgun
Championships to sign off with a total of 25 medals in
Taoyuan, Taipei. India finished with 16 gold, five
silver and four bronze medals.
Ghosal becomes first Indian male to enter the top-10 in PSA rankings
Saurav Ghosal on 1st April became the first
Indian male squash player to enter the top 10 in
the latest PSA world rankings. Indian women
squash players -- Joshna Chinappa and Dipika
Pallikal -- had earlier reached top-10 in the
world rankings. Riding on his recent
performances, Ghosal has moved up two places to a career-high ranking of 10.
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Current Affairs: April 02, 2019
IPL 2019: Kings XI Punjab's Sam Curran claims first hat-trick of the season
Kings XI Punjab all-rounder Sam Curran
claimed the first hat-trick of the 2019 Indian
Premier League (IPL) on 1st April. Curran
achieved the feat against Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi
Capitals at the Punjab Cricket Association IS
Bindra Stadium in Mohali. The 20-year-old
dismissed Delhi Capitals' Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada and Sandeep Lamichhane to achieve
the feat. Curran's hat-trick is the 18th instance of a bowler registering a hat-trick in the IPL
history.
World Autism Awareness Day: 2nd April
Autism is a complex neurobehavioral
condition that includes impairments in social
interaction and developmental language and
communication skills combined with rigid,
repetitive behaviors. World Autism
Awareness Day is an internationally
recognized day on 2 April every year, encouraging Member States of the United Nations to take
measures to raise awareness about people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) throughout
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Current Affairs: April 02, 2019
the world.
Theme for 2019: "Assistive Technologies, Active Participation"
Reiwa: New era of Japan to begin from May 1
Japan's new imperial era beginning May 1 will
be called "Reiwa", announced Chief Cabinet
Secretary Yoshihide Suga on 1st April. 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".
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Current Affairs: April 03, 2019
April 03, 2019
AUSINDEX third edition kickstarts in Visakhapatnam
The Third iteration of India-Australia bilateral
exercise, AUSINDEX 19 will be held from 2nd
April to 16th April 2019 at Visakhapatnam. The
bilateral exercise will deepen defence and
strategic relationship between the two countries.
On Foundation Day, Odisha receives GI tag for 'Kandhamal Haldi'
'Kandhamal Haldi', a variety of turmeric
indigenous to southern Odisha, has earned the
Geographical indication (GI) tag from Intellectual
Property India, an organization functioning under
the auspices of the Union ministry of commerce &
industry. The recognition coincided with the state's
Foundation Day (Utkal Divas). Odisha, on April 1
1936, was carved out as a separate state in the then British India on a linguistic identity.
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Current Affairs: April 03, 2019
E-payments account for 25% of toll collection in India: NPCI
National Payments Corporation of India
(NPCI) on 2nd April said that e-toll collection
via Fastags now accounts for 25% of total toll
collected in India, and it hopes to increase
this number to 50%. From average daily
transactions of 30,000 in January 2017, NPCI
said their system - National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) - handles 8.62 lakh transactions
daily. NPCI said it is working towards getting state and city toll plazas to accept Fastags, apart
from the national highways toll network of 496 plus tolls points.
NPCI HQ: Mumbai
Chairman: Biswamohan Mahapatra
MD & CEO: Dilip Asbe
WhatsApp unveils 'Checkpoint Tipline' to tackle fake news
WhatsApp had unveiled its 'Checkpoint
Tipline', where people can check the
authenticity of information received as the
messaging giant looks to crack down on fake
news ahead of the general election in the
country. It added that starting 2nd April, people
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Current Affairs: April 03, 2019
in India can submit misinformation or rumors they receive to the Checkpoint Tipline on
WhatsApp (+91-9643-000-888).
Vikram Patel conferred with John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award
The Gairdner Foundation on 2nd April announced the
2019 Canada Gairdner Award laureates, recognizing
Boston-based Vikram Patel for his research career
raising the global profile of mental health problems.
Patel has been awarded the 2019 John Dirks Canada
Gairdner Global Health Award for his world-leading
research in global mental health.
India signs MoU with NABCONS to set up India-Africa agriculture, rural development institute in Malawi
India has signed a memorandum of understanding
(MoU) with the National Bank for Agriculture and
Rural Development Consultancy Service
(NABCONS) for setting up the India-Africa Institute
of Agriculture and Rural Development (IAIARD) in
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Current Affairs: April 03, 2019
Malawi, a landlocked country in southeastern Africa. Ministry of External Affairs signed on 2nd
April with NABCONS for setting up IAIARD, an attempt to complement the efforts of the
Government of India to enhance capacity in the areas of agro-financing and entrepreneurship
development for African countries.
India's first professional Kho-Kho league named ‘Ultimate Kho-Kho’ launched
The Kho-Kho Federation of India (KKFI) on
2nd April launched an ambitious franchise-
based league for the sport called Ultimate
Kho-Kho. The KKFI and Dabur India
Limited's vice-chairman Amit Burman -- in his
personal capacity -- will conduct the 21-day
IPL-style league, which will see eight franchise teams playing a total of 60 matches in a double
round-robin format.
Virat Kohli becomes third captain to lead IPL team in 100 matches
Indian skipper Virat Kohli on 2nd April
achieved yet another feat in his glittering career
as he became the third Indian to lead the side in
100 Indian Premier League (IPL) matches.
Dhoni led IPL teams in 162 matches and out of
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Current Affairs: April 03, 2019
them 148 were for CSK and rest for Rising Pune Supergiants. Gambhir captained in 129
matches, including 108 for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Former India opener also led Delhi
Daredevils (now rechristened Delhi Capitals) in 21 matches.
Bolivia Joins International Solar Alliance
During the state visit of the President Ram Nath
Kovind to Bolivia, Bolivia has signed the
framework agreement to join the International
Solar Alliance. International Solar Alliance (ISA)
aims to provide a common platform to address
the specific solar technology deployment needs
of the solar resource-rich countries located between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of
Capricorn.
Capital: Sucre and Currency: Bolivian boliviano
Algeria's President Bouteflika resigns
Algeria's ailing leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika
submitted his resignation with immediate effect, state
television said, ceding power in the face of massive
street protests after two decades at the helm.
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Currency: Algerian dinar
Tamil Director, J Mahendran passed away at the age of 79
On 2nd April 2019, Famous Tamil Director,
Screenwriter and actor, J. Mahendran passed away
following a brief hospitalization at the age of 79.
Mahendran was born on 25th July 1939 in
Ilayangudi, Madurai. His memorable work includes
Mullum Malarum, Johnny and Nenjathai Killadhey.
Eminent dramatist and theatre organizer Kartik Chandra Rath passed away at the age of 70 in Odisha
Kartik Chandra Rath, a veteran dramatist, theatre
organizer and Economics teacher passed away at the
age of 70 in Cuttack, Odisha due to heart attack. He
was born in 1949 in Odisha. From his childhood he
acted in Odia dramas and he also write plays. In 1963,
he wrote the first play titled ‘Ei Desha, Ei Maati’.In
order to popularise Odia theatre in the country, he formed Utkal Yuva Sanskrutika Sangh in
Cuttack.
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Current Affairs: April 04, 2019
April 04, 2019
Indian Army constructs the Longest Suspension Bridge ‘Maitri’ over Indus in Leh- Ladakh in just 40 days
The Indian Army has achieved a record-breaking feat
by constructing ‘Maitri’, the 260-feet longest suspension
bridge over the Indus river in the Leh-Ladakh region in
just 40 days. The combat engineers belonging to ‘Sahas
aur Yogyata’ regiment of ‘Fire and Fury Corps’ of the
Indian Army undertook the construction of ‘Maitri’.
ADB cuts India’s growth rate from 7.6% to 7.2% in 2019-20, as global risks to Brexit surge
As global risks from trade tensions to Brexit surge, the
ADB (Asia Development Bank) demoted growth
forecasts for India and Southeast Asia for 2019 by 40
basis points to 7.2% in fiscal year 2019-20.
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Current Affairs: April 04, 2019
RBI sets WMA Limit for Government at Rs 75000 crore for H1 of 2019-20
The Reserve Bank of India, in consultation with
the Government of India, has decided that the
limits for Ways and Means Advances (WMA) for
the first half of the financial year 2019-20 (April
2019 to September 2019) will be Rs 75000 crore.
Kotak Mahindra Bank becomes the First to charge on UPI transactions
Starting from 1st May, 2019, India’s private
sector bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank would
become the first lender to levy charges on peer-
to-peer (P2P) UPI transactions available across
all platforms, namely, Paytm, Google Pay,
PhonePe, Trucaller Pay among others. For
Kotak Mahindra Bank’s account holders, the first 30 peer-to-peer UPI fund transfer would be
free of cost.
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Current Affairs: April 04, 2019
CS Rajan appointed MD of IL&FS, Vineet Nayyar named Executive Vice-Chairman
A day after the former Vice-Chairman and
Managing Director of scandal hit Infrastructure
Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) Hari
Sankaran was arrested on fraud charges, the
company announced two new appointments on
April 3. Vineet Nayyar has been appointed as
Executive Vice-Chairman while CS Rajan has been named Managing Director. Rest of the new
board comprises of Bijay Kumar as the deputy managing director and GC Chaturvedi, Nand
Kishore, Malini Shankar and N Srinivasan as non-executive directors. IL&FS Chairman Uday
Kotak, who was roped in to put the troubled firm back on track, is presenting a status report on
where the company stands after six months.
International Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action: 4th April
The United Nations' International Day for
Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine
Action is observed on April 4 each year. This
day aims to raise awareness about
landmines and progress toward their https://examprep.talentsprint.com 3
Current Affairs: April 04, 2019
eradication.
2019 Theme: "United Nations Promotes SDGs – Safe Ground – Safe Home"
South Korea gets world's first 5G network
South Korea is launching the world’s first
commercial 5G mobile network this week, beating
the US, Japan and others to the punch. SK Telecom
will launch its service on 5th April alongside the
5G-enabled version of the Samsung Galaxy S10
and will claim to have the fastest speeds, widest
coverage and best security of any 5G operator.
US approves sale of 24 MH 60 Romeo Seahawk helicopters to India for $2.4 bn
The US has approved the sale of 24 multi-role
MH-60R Seahawk maritime helicopters to
India at an estimated cost of USD 2.6 billion, the
State Department has announced, boosting the
Indian Navy's anti-surface and anti-submarine
warfare operations as China expands its
presence in the Indian Ocean.
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Current Affairs: April 05, 2019
April 05, 2019
RBI’s First Bi-monthly Monetary Policy for 2019-20: Reduces Repo rate to 6%, GDP forecast to 7.2%
On 6th April 2019, Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s six-
member monetary policy committee chaired by RBI
Governor Shaktikanta Das released its 1st Bi-
Monthly Monetary Policy for 2019-20.
Present Key Rates are as follows:
Repo Rate 6%
Reverse Repo Rate 5.75%
Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) 4%
Statutory Liquidity ratio (SLR) 19.25%
Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) 6.25%
Bank Rate 6.25%
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Current Affairs: April 05, 2019
NCR to host country’s first geological history museum
India’s first Earth Museum, housing the country
unique geological history that chronicles rocks, pre-
human skulls and dinosaur fossils ranging in age
from 4000 million years old to recent times, will be set
up somewhere in the National Capital Region
(NCR).
Prevention of Blindness Week observed from 1st to 7th April 2019 in India
April 1 to 7 is observed as Prevention of Blindness
Week every year in India. It is observed to alert and
awaken the society towards various factors which
causes blindness.
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Current Affairs: April 05, 2019
Chatbot Making Startup Haptik was acquired by Reliance Jio Digital for Rs.700 Crore
Reliance Jio Digital, a subsidiary of Reliance
Industries acquired a chatbot making startup
firm Haptik for Rs.700 Crore. After this
acquisition, Reliance Jio Digital will now hold
87% stake in Haptik, while Existing investor
Times Internet which holds 70% stake will exit the
company.
UAE confers prestigious Zayed Medal on PM Modi
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has
conferred the prestigious Zayed Medal on
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the highest
decoration awarded to kings, presidents and
heads of states. The award comes in
appreciation of Prime Minister Modi’s role in
consolidating the long-standing friendship and joint strategic cooperation between the two
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Current Affairs: April 05, 2019
Indian football team rises two places to 101 in FIFA rankings
The Indian football team gained two places to
rise to 101 in the FIFA rankings issued on
Thursday. Overall, Belgium remained on top
with 1737 points, ahead of France (1734), Brazil
(1676), England (1647) and Croatia (1621).
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Current Affairs: April 06-08, 2019
April 06-08, 2019
Phayeng Village of Manipur becomes India's first carbon-positive settlement
A village is given the Carbon-Positive Tag if it
sequesters more carbon than it emits, slowing
the accumulation of greenhouse gases and
mitigating the effects of climate change. As
part of the carbon-positive village project,
Phayeng will receive a grant of Rs10 crore in
phases to facilitate afforestation in the catchment of river Maklang that flows along the village.
In a first, SEBI gives nod to Rs 10,000 crore ‘Airport Fund’
In perhaps a first for the country, markets
regulator SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of
India) has approved an ‘Airport’ specific fund.
‘Taking off to the Future Airport Fund’, which
can raise a capital of up to Rs 10,000 crore ($1.5
billion), has been approved by SEBI as a ‘Category
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Current Affairs: April 06-08, 2019
II Alternative Investment Fund’ (AIF). Chennai-based ‘Taking Off To The Future Investment
Management LLP’ is the sponsor and the investment manager of the fund.
David Malpass named World Bank President
David Malpass, US President Donald Trump's
nominee to lead the World Bank, won unanimous
approval from the institution's executive board on
5th April, continuing the 73-year tradition of an
American running the world's largest
development lender.
HQ: Washington, D.C., USA
Founded: 1944
Founders: John Maynard Keynes, Harry Dexter White
Praful Patel becomes the first Indian in FIFA Executive Council
Praful Patel, president of the All India Football
Federation (AIFF), has become the first Indian to
be elected as a member of the FIFA Executive
Council. Patel has got 38 votes out of the total 46
votes, which only shows how highly he is
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Current Affairs: April 06-08, 2019
HQ: Zürich, Switzerland
President: Gianni Infantino
NASSCOM names Keshav Murugesh as Chairman
On 5th April, NASSCOM (National Association
of Software and services companies), an IT
industry body has appointed Keshav Murugesh,
CEO of WNS Global Services Group as its
Chairman for 2019-20. This appointment of the
Nasscom Chairman and Vice Chairman is done
by the Executive Council.
Vikram Kirloskar named president of Confederation of Indian Industry(CII)
On 5th April, Chairman and Managing Director of
Kirloskar Systems Ltd, and Vice Chairman of Toyota
Kirloskar Motor, Vikram Kirloskar was appointed as
the president of the Confederation of Indian
Industry(CII) for the period 2019-20.
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Current Affairs: April 06-08, 2019
ESPN India Awards 2018
The Indian subsidiary of ESPN (Entertainment
and Sports Programming Network), ESPN
India (espn.in) declared the ESPN India
awards for 2018 in which PV Sindhu was
conferred with the sportsperson of year award
in female category and Neeraj Chopra was
conferred with the sportsperson of the year award in Male category.
The winners are follows:
Award Winner
Sportsperson of the Year (Male) Neeraj Chopra (Javelin throw)
Sportsperson of the Year (Female) PV Sindhu (Badminton)
Emerging Sportsperson of the Year Saurabh Chaudhary (Pistol Shooting)
Coach of the Year Jaspal Rana (Pistol Shooting)
Comeback of the Year Saina Nehwal (Badminton)
Match of the Year Amit Panghal (Boxing)
Team of the Year Women Table Tennis team
Differently-abled Athlete of the year Ekta Bhyan (Para-athletics)
Lifetime Achievement award Pradip Kumar ‘PK’ Banerjee (Football)
Moment of the Year Women’s 4*400m relay team
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Current Affairs: April 06-08, 2019
Shah Rukh Khan conferred with an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Law, London
On 4th April, Eminent Bollywood actor Shah Rukh
Khan was conferred with an honorary doctorate in
Philanthropy by the University of Law, London. He
was awarded for his efforts to give back to society.
Lin Dan, Tai Tzu-ying win Malaysia Open 2019
In Men’s Singles, Chinese badminton ace Lin Dan
clinched the Malaysia Open on 7th April after an
electric performance against countryman Chen Long
to claim his first major title in two years. In Women
Singles, Taiwanese badminton star Tai Tzu-ying beat
world No. 4 Akane Yamaguchi of Japan 21-16, 21-19
in two straight games, winning her first title of the
season to further consolidate her world No. 1 women's singles ranking.
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Current Affairs: April 06-08, 2019
World Health Day: 7th April
Universal health coverage is WHO’s number one
goal. Key to achieving it is ensuring that
everyone can obtain the care they need, when
they need it, right in the heart of the community.
Progress is being made in countries in all regions
of the world. But millions of people still have no
access at all to health care. Millions more are forced to choose between healthcare and other
daily expenses such as food, clothing and even a home.
2019 theme: ‘Universal health coverage: everyone, everywhere’
Israel's Beresheet enters lunar orbit, becomes 7th nation to achieve feat
Israel's spacecraft Beresheet has successfully
entered the moon's orbit after a month-and-a-half
in transit and will now adjust its orbit in order to
prepare for landing on the lunar surface on April
11. Beresheet was launched by Elon Musk's Space
X-owned Falcon 9 rocket on February 21.
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Current Affairs: April 06-08, 2019
Morocco –US Joint Exercise AFRICAN LION 2019 begins in Morocco
Morocco-US sponsored exercise ‘African Lion
2019’ takes place at Morocco. It is conducted from
March 16 to April 7, 2019. The annual Military
exercises materialize in the region of Agadir, Tifnit,
Tan-Tan, Tata and Ben Guerir with the
participation of thousands of military personnel.
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Current Affairs: April 09, 2019
April 09, 2019
‘Dhanush’ 1st indigenous long-range artillery gun inducted into Indian Army
Dhanush, the first indigenous long-range
artillery gun was inducted into the Indian
Army on 8th April. The 155mm calibre artillery
gun was manufactured by the Jabalpur-based
Gun Carriage Factory.
IIT-Madras tops in overall category in NIRF 2019 rankings
IIT-Madras rules the HRD ministry’s ranking of
higher education institutions across the country,
not only topping the overall category, but also
emerging numero uno in the first edition of the
Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation
Achievements (ARIIA).
IIT Madras topped the rankings while the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore bagged the
second rank followed by IIT Delhi.
Out of ten top institutes, seven are IITs. Jawaharlal Nehru University got the seventh rank
and Banaras Hindu University bagged the tenth spot. talentsprint.com/examprep 1
Current Affairs: April 09, 2019
Delhi University's Miranda House was ranked the best among colleges across the country,
while the varsity's St Stephen's College was ranked fourth.
AIIMS has been ranked first among medical sciences institutes and National Law School,
Bangalore has topped law colleges.
Biannual Army Commanders’ Conference held in New Delhi
The biannual Army Commanders’ Conference
began in New Delhi on 8th April. Defence Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman delivered her opening
address at the conference. During the conference,
important issues that are likely to be discussed
are the management of the extant security
dynamics, mitigation of future security threats
and enhancement of combat edge over potential adversaries.
India's GDP expected to expand 7.5% in 2019-20: World Bank
India's GDP growth is expected to accelerate
moderately to 7.5% in fiscal year 19-20, driven by
continued investment strengthening, particularly
private-improved export performance and resilient
consumption, the World Bank has said. talentsprint.com/examprep 2
Current Affairs: April 09, 2019
With $79 billion in 2018, India tops Global Remittances List: World Bank
India retained its position as the world's top
recipient of remittances with overseas Indians
sending a whopping $79 billion back home in
2018, the World Bank said in a report on 8th
April. India was followed by China ($67
billion), Mexico ($36 billion), the Philippines
($34 billion), and Egypt ($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.
RBI issues norms for banks to set up currency chests
The Reserve Bank of India 8th April came out with
guidelines for banks to set up new currency chests,
which include minimum area of 1,500 square feet for
strong room. "Area of the strong room/ vault of at
least 1,500 sq ft. For those situated in hilly/
inaccessible places, the strong room/ vault area of at
least 600 sq ft," the RBI said while specifying minimum standards for setting up new currency
chests. Besides, the new chests should have a processing capacity of 6.6 lakh pieces of banknotes
per day. For those situated in the hilly/ inaccessible places, capacity of 2.1 lakh pieces of
banknotes per day. Earlier, a RBI appointed committee had recommended that the apex bank
should encourage banks to open large currency chests with modern facilities and Chest Balance
Limit (CBL) of at least Rs 1,000 crore. talentsprint.com/examprep 3
Current Affairs: April 09, 2019
NTPC Ink Term-Loan Agreement of Rs.2,000 crore with Canara Bank
On 5th April, National Thermal Power
Corporation(NPTC) has signed a term- loan Pact
of Rs.2,000 crore with Canara Bank. The Loan
facility prolonged at an interest rate linked to 3-
Month MCLR of Bank. The lent amount would be
utilized to part finance company’s capital
expenditure.
Men's hockey team gets Graham Reid as coach
Australian Graham Reid's appointment as the men's
national team chief coach till the end of 2020 was
ratified on 8th April after Hockey India received
necessary clearance from the Sports Authority of
India (SAI). Reid's appointment was more or less
certain after Hockey India recommended his name to
the SAI last month. It has been learnt that Reid has been handed a term till the end of next year
but his tenure can be extended till 2022 FIH World Cup depending upon his performance.
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Current Affairs: April 09, 2019
London becomes first city to implement 24x7 pollution charge zone
London on 8th April (local time) became the
first city in the world to implement a special
Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) that
would charge an entry fee for older vehicles
if they do not meet the emission standards. In
an attempt to reduce air pollution and protect
public health, the ULEZ will be operational for 24 hours and seven days a week, according to a
statement by London mayor Sadiq Khan's office.
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Current Affairs: April 10, 2019
April 10, 2019
Govt meets fiscal deficit target of 3.4% for FY'19
The government has managed to meet the revised
fiscal deficit target of 3.4% of the GDP after it cut
last minute expenditure and rolled over fuel
subsidies to make up for the shortfall in tax
collection. The interim Budget presented in
February revised upward the fiscal deficit target to
3.4% from 3.3% of GDP estimated earlier for 2018-19.
India to grow at 7.3% in 2019 and 7.5% in 2020: IMF
India is projected to grow at 7.3% in 2019 and 7.5%
in 2020, supported by the continued recovery of
investment and robust consumption, thus remaining
the fastest growing major economy of the world,
according to the IMF. In 2018, India's growth rate
was 7.1%, as against China's 6.6%. In 2019, the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) projected a growth rate of 6.3% for China and 6.1% in
2020, according to the latest World Economic Outlook projections released ahead of the annual
spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
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Current Affairs: April 10, 2019
DBS Bank India launches the first edition of Hack2hire in Bengaluru
Through the initiative, it aims to hire over 100 of
the brightest minds in emerging technologies
such as Cloud Computing, AI, Machine Learning
and Big Data. The programme will focus on the
theme of ‘intelligent banking’. The initiative has
received over 2500 applications till date.
Hack2Hire Bengaluru will look to expand its scope and target to hire platform stability
Engineers, Mobile App Developers, Full Stack Developers, PaaS DevOps, DevOps Engineers,
QA Engineers, UI/UX Developers, Data analysts and Scrum Masters.
New MD & CEOs appointed for IOB and Canara Banks
According to the Department of Personnel
and Training (DoPT), the Appointments
Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved
the appointments following proposals from
the Department of Financial Services, under
the Union Ministry of Finance. The list is
as follows:
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Current Affairs: April 10, 2019
Karnam Sekar, MD and CEO of the erstwhile Dena Bank, will take over as MD and
CEO of Indian Overseas Bank from July 1.
R.A. Sankara Narayanan, MD and CEO, Vijaya Bank, as MD and CEO in Canara Bank
with effect from "taking over charge of the post on or after April 1, 2019 till his
superannuation.
Vikramjit Sing Sahney, SUN Group Chairman, elected as the President of ICC India
SUN Group Chairman Vikramjit Singh Sahney on
8th April elected as the new president of the
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) - India.
He said the chamber would work with the
government to promote India's external trade.
Spain’s Garbine Muguruza claimed Monterrey Open title
Spain’s Garbine Muguruza successfully defended
her Monterrey Open title on Sunday when Victoria
Azarenka retired injured from her first WTA singles
final in three years. Second seed Muguruza was
leading the match between the two former World No
1s 6-1, 3-1 when Azarenka decided she was unable to
continue because of an injury to her right leg.
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Current Affairs: April 10, 2019
World Homoeopathy Day: April 10
World Homeopathy Day is being observed
today to commemorate the birth anniversary of
the founder of Homeopathy, Dr Christian
Fredrich Samuel Hahnemann. On the
occasion, the Central Council for Research in
Homeopathy, CCRH, is organizing a two-day
convention in New Delhi. The council will take stock of the challenges faced and formulate
future strategies for the development of Homeopathy in the country. The theme of the
convention is linking research with education and clinical practice.
IMF cuts global growth estimate to 3.3%
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on 9th
April cut its global growth forecast to the lowest
level since the financial crisis, warning of
significant downside risks to the world economy
including trade tensions, pockets of political
instability, mounting debt levels and increasing
inequality. The IMF lowered its growth forecast for 2019 to 3.3 percent from the previous level
of 3.5 percent in its latest World Economic Outlook (WEO).
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Current Affairs: April 10, 2019
Algeria’s parliament appoints close associate of Bouteflika as interim president, Protests erupt
Algeria’s parliament on 9th April appointed its
upper house chairman Abdelkader Bensalah as
interim president following the resignation of
Abdelaziz Bouteflika after weeks of mass protests
against his rule. Protesters, who are demanding
sweeping democratic reforms, are opposed to
figures like Bensalah, a close associate of Bouteflika and his inner circle who dominated Algeria
for decades.
Capital: Algiers
Currency: Algerian dinar
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Current Affairs: April 11-12, 2019
April 11-12, 2019
India's population grew to 1.36 billion between 2010-2019: UN Report
India's population grew at an average annual
rate of 1.2% between 2010 and 2019 to 1.36
billion, more than double the annual growth
rate of China, according to a report by the
United Nations Population Fund. The
country's population in 2019 stood at 1.36
billion, growing from 942.2 million in 1994 and 541.5 million in 1969. In comparison, China's
population stood at 1.42 billion in 2019, growing from 1.23 billion in 1994 and 803.6 million in
1969. China's population grew at an average annual rate of 0.5% between 2010 and 2019, the
report said.
GoI clears procurement of 464 Russian tanks under the T-90 Project
The Cabinet Committee on Security has
cleared the procurement of 464 Russian tanks
under T-90 project in a deal worth over Rs
13,500 crore. The tanks would be given to the
Armoured Corps of the force which will be
furthered used by them for deployment along
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Current Affairs: April 11-12, 2019
the India-Pakistan border.
India and Singapore joint exercise ‘Bold Kurukshetra–2019’ started in Jhansi’s Babina
A three-day joint military exercise between
India and Singapore named ‘Bold
Kurukshetra–2019’ started in Jhansi’s Babina
Cantonment, Uttar Pradesh to strengthen
cooperation against terrorism, develop defence
technology and boost maritime security.
Govt retains interest rate for General Provident Fund at 8%
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 current financial year. The
interest rate on these funds was at 8% in January-
March quarter of 2018-19 and government kept it
unchanged for April to June for 2019-20.
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Current Affairs: April 11-12, 2019
Google unveils new Cloud Platform, Anthos
Google has launched a new open platform
named ‘Anthos’ to run and manage apps from
anywhere. It lets users run applications on the
public cloud or on existing on-premise
hardware investments.
Telugu poet K Siva Reddy selected for prestigious Saraswati Samman 2018
Telugu poet K Siva Reddy has been selected for the
prestigious Saraswati Samman, 2018 for his collection of
poetry titled Pakkaki Ottigilite. The award carries a cash
prize of 15 lakh rupees, a citation and a plaque. The
award, instituted by the KK Birla Foundation in 1991, is
given annually for an outstanding literary work written
in any Indian language and published during the last 10 years.
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Current Affairs: April 11-12, 2019
2 West Bengal govt schemes win UN awards
Two schemes of the government for skill
development and distribution of bi-cycles to
students have won the prestigious World Summit
on the Information Society (WSIS) awards of the
United Nations, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee
said on 11th April. The "Utkarsh Bangla" project
aims at creating a pool of skilled candidates who are industry ready, while under the "Sabooj
Sathi" scheme, bi-cycles are distributed to students between class IX and XII studying in
government run and government aided schools and madrashas of the state.
Rio Paralympics silver medalist Deepa Malik honoured with New Zealand Prime Minister’s Sir Edmund Hillary Fellowship for 2019
The 48-year-old, Rio Paralympics silver
medalist Deepa Malik has been honoured
with the New Zealand Prime Minister’s Sir
Edmund Hillary Fellowship for 2019 in
recognition of her “inspiring achievements”.
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Current Affairs: April 11-12, 2019
Shiv Das Meena appointee the CMD of National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC)
On 9th April, Additional Secretary of the Ministry
of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) Shiv
Das Meena has been appointed as the Chairman
cum Managing Director (CMD) of National
Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC).
Kohli & Mandhana named Wisden's Leading Cricketers
Indian captain Virat Kohli has been named the
'Leading Cricketer in the World' for the third
time in a row in this year's edition of Wisden
Cricketers' Almanack. Kohli, however, was the
sport's dominant figure in 2018, making 2735
international runs at 68.37 across all formats,
more than 700 more than his nearest challenger, England's Joe Root. Smriti Mandhana, is the
Leading Cricketer in the women's game, after racking up 1291 runs across limited-overs
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Current Affairs: April 11-12, 2019
formats, including 13 half-centuries, while Rashid Khan, the Afghanistan leg-spinner, is the
Leading Twenty-20 Cricketer for the second year in a row.
International Day of Human Space Flight: 12 April
It was on 12 April 1961 that Yuri Gagarin, a
Soviet citizen, carried out the first human space
flight, an historic event paving the way for
space exploration for the benefit of all
humanity. In 2011, the General Assembly,
recognising the 50th anniversary of the first ever
human spaceflight, declared 12 April as the International Day of Human Space Flight.
Haiti’s President Moise confirms Jean Michel Lapin as New PM
On 9th April, the acting Prime Minister of Haiti,
Jean Michel Lapin confirmed as the country’s new
Prime Minister by the President Jovenel Moise.
He succeeds Jean-Henry Ceant.
Capital: Port-au-Prince
Currency: Haitian gourde
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Current Affairs: April 13-15, 2019
April 13-15, 2019
Centenary of Jallianwala Bagh Massacre observed on 13th April 2019
On 13th April 2019, the 100th anniversary
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre also known as the
Amritsar massacre was observed. On 13th April
1919 a huge number of people gathered at
Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar to celebrate the
harvest festival of Baisakhi and to protest
against the Rowlatt Act. During the event, troops of the British Indian Army under the
command of Colonel Dyer opened fire at the people laying scores of people to rest.
RBI net buyer of dollar for 3rd month in a row, snaps up $825 m in February
The Reserve Bank of India has remained a net
buyer of the US dollar for the third consecutive
month in February, when it bought $825 million
from the spot market, according to the data from
the central bank. In the reporting month, the
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Current Affairs: April 13-15, 2019
central bank bought $2.086 billion and sold $1.261 billion in the spot market as the rupee was
under pressure.
RBI gives 12 years to LIC for reducing stake in IDBI Bank
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has given 12
years to Life Insurance Corp to reduce its stake in
IDBI Bank, accepting the life insurer’s argument
that it is a long-term investor in the struggling bank
which had nearly 30% of its advances as bad loans
in the December quarter. Two people aware of the
development said that RBI, which classified IDBI as
a private sector bank last month, has given LIC 12 years to cut its stake in the bank by 10%. “RBI
has stipulated that after 12 years LIC has to reduce stake in IDBI Bank by 10 per cent to 40
percent,” said a source in the direct knowledge. “LIC will take a view on how they are able to
divest it.”
Retail inflation inches up to 2.86% in March
Retail inflation saw a marginal rise of 2.86
percent in March this year on account of
increase in prices of food articles and fuel.
According to the data released by the Ministry
of Statistics and Programme Implementation,
the inflation based on the Consumer Price
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Current Affairs: April 13-15, 2019
Index was 2.57 percent in February this year. On a yearly basis, it was 4.28 percent in March
2018.
Order of St Andrew the Apostle: PM Narendra Modi conferred Russia’s highest state decoration
on 12th April, Russia has awarded its highest state
honour 'Order of St Andrew the Apostle' to PM
Narendra Modi for promoting bilateral special and
privileged strategic partnership.
Meena Kumari Maisnam clinches gold in Boxing World Cup
India finished with 5 medals in the Boxing
World Cup which concluded at Cologne,
Germany on 13th April. Meena Kumari
Maisnam continued her fine run to win gold
in the 54 kg.
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Current Affairs: April 13-15, 2019
Singapore Open: Momota and Tzu-ying are champions
Japan's Kento Momota withstood a barrage
of smashes from Indonesia's Anthony
Sinisuka Ginting to rally for a thrilling 10-
21, 21-19, 21-13 victory in the Singapore
Open final on 14th April. In the women's
final, Tai Tzu-ying claimed her second
Singapore Open title with a 21-19, 21-15 victory over Japan's Nozomi Okuhara.
Lewis Hamilton clinched Formula One’s 1000th race title
British racing driver, Lewis Hamilton has achieved
his 75th career victory in Formula One’s 1000th race
at the Chinese Grand Prix on 14th April, 2019. He has
delivered a crushing performance to win this title.
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Current Affairs: April 13-15, 2019
New Palestinian authority govt led by PM Mohammed Ishtayeh sworn in
President Mahmoud Abbas picked Mohammed
Ishtayeh as the Prime Minister, a move that is being
said to have deepened the internal Palestinian divide
at a time when prospects for a peace deal with Israel
are possibly at their lowest point ever.
World's largest plane Stratolaunch makes first test flight
The world's largest airplane -- a Stratolaunch
behemoth with two fuselages and six Boeing
747 engines -- made its first test flight on 13th
April in California. The mega jet carried out its
maiden voyage over the Mojave Desert.
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Current Affairs: April 16, 2019
April 16, 2019
Union Cabinet decisions on 15th April
The Union Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra
Modi has given approval to the following:
Creation of one post of Deputy
Comptroller and Auditor General in the office of
the Comptroller and Auditor General of India
Continuation of Phase 4 of
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)
Cooperation Agreement between India and Denmark in the field of Renewable Energy
with a focus on Offshore Wind Energy
MoU between India and Bolivia on Cooperation in the field of Geology and Mineral
Resources
MoU between India and Cambodia on Cooperation in the field of Communications
MoU between India and Bolivia on Cooperation in the Field of Traditional Systems of
Medicine and Homoeopathy
MoU between India and the Republic of Korea in issuing jointly Postage Stamp
MoU between India and Brazilin the area of Biotechnology
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Current Affairs: April 16, 2019
Sub-sonic cruise missile 'Nirbhay' successfully test-fired
The Defence Research and Development
Organisation, DRDO, on 15th April
successfully test fired indigenously designed
and developed Long Range Sub-Sonic Cruise
Missile - Nirbhay from the Integrated Test
Range, Chandipur Odisha.
Chennai Central missed the chance of having the title of world’s longest railway station name by an alphabet
The Chennai Central Railway station in
Tamil Nadu, officially known as Puratchi
Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central
Railway Station with its 57-character count
missed the chance of having the title of
world’s longest railway station name by an
alphabet. The title was won by Llanfairpwll
railway station in Wales, also known for its 58 letters long name
‘Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch’. Although, the erstwhile
Chennai Central railway station which was renamed after the legendary actor-turned-politician
Dr. M.G. Ramachandran is still the longest railway station name in India.
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Current Affairs: April 16, 2019
The 4th Resilient Cities Asia-Pacific Congress 2019 started in New Delhi
On 15th April, the 4th Resilient Cities Asia-
Pacific Congress 2019 organised by the
International Council for Local Environmental
Initiatives (ICLEI) and co-hosted by South
Delhi Municipal Corporation started in New
Delhi. It will conclude on 17th April 2019.
WPI inflation rises to 3.18% in March
Wholesale price-based inflation rose for the
second consecutive month to 3.18 percent in March
on costlier food and fuel, government data released
on 15th April showed. The Wholesale Price Index
(WPI) based inflation was at 2.93 percent in
February. It was 2.74 percent in March 2018.
Inflation in food articles hardened with steep rise in prices of vegetables during March 2019.
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Current Affairs: April 16, 2019
India's exports rise 11% in March, 9% in FY'19
India's exports rose to a five-month high of 11
percent in March on account of higher growth mainly
in pharma, chemicals and engineering sectors,
marking the outbound shipments at USD 331 billion
for FY 2018-19 the highest ever, surpassing the earlier
peak of $314.4 billion achieved in 2013-14, official data
showed on 15th April.
ICC World Cup: Indian squad announced
India announced their 15-man squad for the
ICC World Cup to be played in England
from 30th of next month. Virat Kohli will
lead the team. The squad was announced by
the BCCI Acting Honorary Secretary
Amitabh Choudhary in Mumbai, with
Chairman of Selectors M.S.K. Prasad sharing
the dais.
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Current Affairs: April 16, 2019
Tiger Woods clinches his fifth Masters
Golfer Tiger Woods clinched his fifth Masters
and a 15th major title, ending 11-year wait for a
major title after overcoming career-threatening
back problems. There were raucous celebrations
around the 18th green as 43-year-old Woods
finished with a two-under-par 70 to win on 13
under, one clear of fellow Americans Dustin Johnson, Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka.
The IMF and World Bank launches “Learning Coin” to explore blockchain technologies
The two global financial agencies The
International Monetary Fund and the World
Bank want to gain insights into how blockchain
and cryptocurrencies work. To get a better
understanding of the subject, they launched a
private blockchain and quasi-cryptocurrency
called “Learning Coin”, the Financial Times
reports. The representatives of the World Bank and the IMF made it clear that the coin should
not be regarded as a true cryptocurrency as it would not have a monetary value. Also, the
“Learning Coin” will be accessible only within the two agencies as it is created to help the staff
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Current Affairs: April 16, 2019
become familiar with the distributed ledgers, look into possible use cases of smart contracts and
spot potential risks relating to money laundering and financing terrorism.
China develops world’s first armed amphibious drone boat ‘Marine Lizard’
The world’s first armed amphibious drone boat
(named ‘Marine Lizard‘and guided by China’s
BeiDou Navigation Satellite System) which could be
used in land and sea assault operations, has been
successfully tested by China. It also possesses the
capability of forming a combat triad with aerial
drones and other drone ships.
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Current Affairs: April 17, 2019
April 17, 2019
Union Ministry of Home Affairs gives approval for renaming ‘Durjanpur’ in MP as ‘Shivdham’
The Central Government has given its approval
for the proposal of the Madhya Pradesh State
Government, to change the name of a village in
Madhya Pradesh from ‘Durjanpur‘ to
‘Shivdham’. Durjanpur is situated in Katni
District of Madhya Pradesh.
AUSINDEX-19 Concludes
The Australian and Indian Navy have concluded
a two-week long bilateral maritime exercise code-
named AUSINDEX on 14 Apr 19. Personnel from
the Eastern Fleet bid farewell to Her Majesty's
Australian Ships Canberra, Newcastle, Parramatta
and Success with a promise to meet again.
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Current Affairs: April 17, 2019
72nd Himachal Day celebrated in Himachal Pradesh
The 72nd Himachal Day was celebrated in
Himachal Pradesh on the 15th of April, 2019. In
order to mark the red-lettered day, Governor
Acharya Devvrat unfurled the national flag at an
event on The Ridge Maidaan in Shimla.
IDBI Bank launches NRI-Insta Online, A paperless account opening facility for NRIs
IDBI Bank has launched ‘NRI-Insta Online’
account opening process for NRIs residing in
Financial Action Task Force (FATF) member
countries to open an account in the Bank
without visiting the branch or submitting
paper documents such as physical documents
as well as KYC proofs. This online facility is available in IDBI Bank’s website.
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Current Affairs: April 17, 2019
TikTok ban in India: Google adheres to Madras HC order, suspends access to app in country
After the Madras High Court refused to stay its
order banning the popular mobile app TikTok,
the government on 16th April asked Google and
Apple to comply with the court order and
remove the application. Reuters reported that
hours after Madras HC refused China-based
Bytedance Technology’s request to suspend the ban, Google blocked access to the app in India.
Mithali Raj named as Goodwill Ambassador of Street Child Cricket World Cup 2019
Mithali RajAce cricketer MithaliDorai 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 2019.Mithali
joins IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals and former
captain Sourav Ganguly in supporting the team.
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Current Affairs: April 17, 2019
Fincare Small Finance Bank won the Celent Model Bank 2019 Award
The Fincare Small Finance Bank (SFB) has been
honoured with the prestigious Celent Model Bank
2019 Award in Financial Inclusion category, for
‘Redesigning Lending to Reach Small Businesses’.
HQ; Bangalore
2019 Pulitzer Prize Announced
The Pulitzer Prize is an award for
achievements in newspaper, magazine and
online journalism, literature, and musical
composition in the United States. It was
established in 1917 by provisions in the will
of American (Hungarian-born) Joseph
Pulitzer who had made his fortune as a newspaper publisher and is administered by Columbia
University in New York City.
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Current Affairs: April 18, 2019
April 18, 2019
2nd edition of Indian Navy-Vietnam Peoples’ Navy Bilateral Exercise (IN – VPN BILAT EX) concludes
In the backdrop of the growing maritime
engagement between India and Vietnam, the
Indian Navy undertook the second edition of the
bilateral maritime exercise between Indian Navy
and Vietnam Peoples’ Navy at/ off Cam Ranh Bay,
Vietnam from 13 to 16 Apr 19.
Mahavir Janma Kalyanak celebrated across the world on April 17
On 17th April, Jain community celebrates
MahavirJayanti or Mahaveer Janma Kalyanak,
or the Birth Anniversary of Vardhamana
Mahavira in memory of Lord Mahavira.
Mahavir Jayanti is observed on the 13th day of
the bright half of the moon in the month of
Chaitra as per the Hindu Calendar. Mahavira, the 24th and the last, Tirthankara, spiritual
teacher in Jainism was born in Ahalyabhumi and belonged to the Ikshvaku dynasty.
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Current Affairs: April 18, 2019
Canara Bank becomes the first public sector bank in India to meet RBI’s EMV mandate
ACI Worldwide, a global provider of real time
electronic payment and banking solutions,
announced that 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. EMV stands for Europay, MasterCard,
Visa, the three Organizations that developed and established EMV as the global standard for
chip-based credit and debit transactions.
HQ: Bengaluru
MD & CEO: R.A. Sankara Narayanan
Tagline: Together We Can
Bandhan Bank gets approval from CCI to acquire Gruh Finance
On 16th April 2019, Kolkata-based Bandhan
Bank has received the approval of the
Competition Commission of India (CCI) for
the acquisition of Gruh Finance which is the
affordable housing finance arm of HDFC Ltd
in a share-swap deal.
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Current Affairs: April 18, 2019
HQ: Kolkata and MD & CEO: Chandra Shekhar Ghosh
Tagline: Aapka Bhala, Sabki Bhalai
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin formally appoints Benjamin Netanyahu as PM for 4th consecutive term
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Wednesday
formally handed Benjamin Netanyahu his letter of
appointment to start building a coalition
government following last week's general election.
The results from the 9 April 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.
Capital: Jerusalem and Currency: Israeli new shekel
Saudi Arabia to host G20 leaders' summit in November 2020
Saudi Arabia will host the annual G20 leaders'
summit on November 21-22, 2020, in its capital,
Riyadh, the Saudi press agency (SPA) said. The
G20 is made up of 19 of the world's biggest
economies, as well as the European Union. It
was formed in 1999 to discuss policy matters
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Current Affairs: April 18, 2019
and financial stability. Japan will host this year's G20 summit in Osaka, which will be held June
28-29, as well as ministerial meetings in eight cities.
Capital: Riyadh and Currency: Saudi Riyal
World Heritage Day or International Day for Monuments and Sites: 18 April
This year’s International Day for Monuments and
Sites offers the opportunity for National and
International Scientific Committees to raise awareness
about the relevance of rural landscapes, the challenges
that encompass their conservation, the benefits that
these efforts provide, and how rural landscapes are
intrinsically related with sustainable development. Theme for 2019 is Rural Landscapes.
World Haemophilia Day: 17 April
Every April 17 World Haemophilia Day is
recognized worldwide to increase awareness of
haemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders.
This is a critical effort since with increased
awareness comes better diagnosis and access to care
for the millions who remain without treatment.
World Haemophilia Day was started in 1989 by the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH)
which chose to bring the community together on April 17 in honour of WFH founder Frank
Schnabel’s birthday.
2019 Theme: Outreach and Identification
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Current Affairs: April 19, 2019
April 19, 2019
Norway tops, India ranked 140th in World Press Freedom Index 2019
Reporters Without Borders has released World
Press Freedom Index 2019 in which Norway
topped the index in third consecutive year and
India drops down by two positions (138th rank
in 2018) to be ranked 140th out of 180 countries
in 2019.
HQ: Paris, France
Gangandeep Kang is the first Indian woman scientist to be elected Royal Society Fellow in 360 years
Fifty-one eminent scientists were elected as
Fellows of the Royal Society on April 16, along
with 10 new Foreign Members and one
Honorary Fellow for their exceptional
contributions to science. Among the 2019
intakes is Dr Gagandeep Kang, who is
purportedly the first woman scientist from India to have received this honour, while Mumbai-
born Padma Bhushan awardee Dr Yusuf Hamied was elected as Honorary Fellow.
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Current Affairs: April 19, 2019
Bajrang regains top spot in world wrestling rankings
India's Bajrang Punia has regained the world
number one spot in the men's 65-kilogram freestyle
category rankings. The rankings were released by
United World Wrestling recently.
Amit Mishra Becomes First Indian Bowler to Take 150 Wickets in IPL
Delhi Capitals leg-spinner Amit Mishra
complete his 150 wickets in the Indian Premier
League (IPL) and with it, he becomes the first
Indian bowler to achieve the feat. Playing in his
140th match, Mishra reached the landmark as
Mumbai Indians’ captain Rohit Sharma was his
victim.
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Current Affairs: April 19, 2019
Chandigarh to host Asian Billiards, Snooker Championships
Chandigarh will host the 18th Asian Billiards,
the 20th Under-21 Asian Snooker
Championship and the 3rd Ladies Asian
Snooker Championship from April 27 to May
3, officials of the Punjab Billiards and Snooker
Association (PBSA) said on 18thApril.
Sri Lanka’s 1st satellite ‘Raavana-1’ launched into space
On April 18, Sri Lanka has launched its first
satellite ‘Raavana-1’ weighing 1.05 kg into space
from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at
NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s
East Shore. The satellite is expected to orbit 400
km away from earth and will have the lifespan
of an estimated 1.5 years.
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Current Affairs: April 19, 2019
Nepal carried out its first satellite “NepaliSat-1” into space
Nepal has launched its first satellite “NepaliSat-
1″ into space. The satellite was launched in the
early morning (2:31 am) of Baishak 5, 2076 on 18th
April, 2019.
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Current Affairs: April 20, 2019
April 20, 2019
India and France to hold largest ever 'Varuna' naval exercise off Goa coast
Elevating their military ties, India and France are
all set to hold their largest ever naval exercise
earlier next month (May 2019), reports the Times
of India. The said exercise is expected to involve
aircraft carriers, destroyer ships, submarines and
fighter planes, thus making it a mega event to
happen in the history of the relationship between the two nations.
Saudi Arabia increases India's Haj Quota to 2 lakh
Saudi Arabia has issued a formal order
increasing the Haj quota of India to two lakhs
from one lakh seventy five-thousand. Official
sources said, the decision will ensure that all
the Haj applicants from big states like Uttar
Pradesh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and
Bihar can embark pilgrimage this year as their waiting lists have been cleared due to the
increase in quota.
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Current Affairs: April 20, 2019
India rebuilds Chhyoiphel Kundeling Monastery in Nepal
India has rebuild Chhyoiphel Kundeling
Monastery in Nepal. Shyalpa Tenzin
Rinpoche inaugurated newly reconstructed
Monastery at Lisankhu village in
Sindhupalchok district. The Monastery has
been reconstructed with Government of
India grant of 18.9 million Nepalese rupees.
Book on Jallianwala Bagh poem 'Khooni Vaisakhi' released in UAE
A book containing English translation of the 100-
year-old classic Punjabi poem about Jallianwala
Bagh massacre, 'Khooni Vaisakhi' has been
released in Abu Dhabi. The poem was translated
by Mr. Suri whose grandfather, revolutionary
poet and novelist Nanak Singh, a Jallianwala
Bagh survivor, wrote it after witnessing first-hand the events of April 13, 1919.
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Current Affairs: April 20, 2019
Deutsche Bank appoints Kaushik Shaparia as new India head
Deutsche Bank AG has appointed Kaushik Shaparia
as the chief country officer for India after its former
head Ravneet Singh Gill joined Yes Bank last
month.
150 Indian peacekeepers honoured with UN Medal for their service in UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS)
The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS)
awarded 150 Indian peacekeepers with Medals
of Honour for serving the mission with extreme
dedication and sacrifice. Colonel Amit Gupta
who commands a battalion of 850 soldiers in the
Upper Nile region, South Sudan was 1 among
the recipients of the Medal of Honour.
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Current Affairs: April 20, 2019
Yusuf Hamie, the chairman of Cipla, received UK Royal Society honour
On 18th April, Padma Bhushan awardee Yusuf
Hamied (82) who is the chairman of Cipla
pharmaceutical company was honoured in the
2019 list of new fellows of the UK’s Royal Society.
World Liver Day 2019: 19 April
World Liver Day 2019 is observed on April 19.
Liver is one of the most important organs in the
digestive system. Digesting food and flushing out
harmful toxins from the body are two of the
essential functions of the liver.
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Current Affairs: April 20, 2019
Israeli scientists create world's first 3D-printed heart using human cells
Israeli researchers have created an entire 3D-
printed heart made from human cells in what
they say is a world first. The heart doesn't beat
and is too small for use in people — it's only
about the size of a rabbit's heart.
Jerrie Cobb, NASA’s 1st female astronaut passed away aged 88
On 19th April 2019, pilot Jerrie Cobb, who NASA’s
first female astronaut candidate was passed away
at the age of 88 in Florida due to illness.
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Current Affairs: April 21-22, 2019
April 21-22, 2019
Indian Navy launches Guided missile destroyer 'Imphal'
The Indian Navy launched guided missile
destroyer Imphal at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders
in Mumbai on 20th April. Imphal is the third ship
to be launched under a project in which ships are
built to carry and operate two multiple role
helicopters.
India ranked 17th in the global startup ecosystem
India was ranked 17th position among 100
countries in the global startup ecosystem in
2018, from the 37th spot last year in the Startup
Ecosystem Ranking for 2019 as per the data
released by StartupBlink. USA, UK and
Canada are the top three countries ranked the
first, second and third respectively in terms of global rankings.
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Current Affairs: April 21-22, 2019
National Civil Services Day: April 21
National Civil Service Day is observed every
year on April 21. This year the focus is on
‘Evolving Strategies for Transforming
Aspirational Districts’ and the function is
organized by the Department of
Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances
and Pensions on which PM give “Prime Minister Award for Excellence in Public
Administration” to best civil servants. April 21 is observed as a National Civil Service Day
every year because on the same date in 1947, Home Minister Sardar Patel inaugurated the All
India Services and addressed the first batch of probationary officers at All India Administrative
Service Training School at Metcalfe House, New Delhi.
The Intellectual Property Rights Cell (IPR Cell) of Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) selected for the National Intellectual Property Award 2019
On 19th April, The Intellectual Property Rights
cell (IPR cell) of Kerala Agricultural
University (KAU) has been selected for the
National Intellectual Property Award 2019 for
its contributions in best facilitation for
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Current Affairs: April 21-22, 2019
registration of Geographical Indications and promotion of registered GI in the country.
International Mother Earth Day: 22 April
Mother Earth is a common expression for the
planet earth in a number of countries and
regions, which reflects the interdependence that
exists among human beings, other living species
and the planet we all inhabit. The Earth and its
ecosystems are our home. In order to achieve a
just balance among the economic, social, and environmental needs of present and future
generations, it is necessary to promote harmony with nature and the Earth. International
Mother Earth Day is celebrated to remind each of us that the Earth and its ecosystems provide
us with life and sustenance. 2019 Theme: “Mother Earth: Education and Climate Change”
World Creativity and Innovation Day: 21 April
Observed six days after Leonardo da
Vinci’s birthday and one day before
International Mother Earth Day, World
Creativity and Innovation Day (#WCID)
is well positioned to encourage creative
multidisciplinary thinking to help us
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Current Affairs: April 21-22, 2019
achieve the sustainable future we want.
Ukrainian comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy wins 2019 presidential election
Actor and comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy
has won the 2019 Ukrainian presidential
election after incumbent Petro Poroshenko
conceded defeat soon after the exit polls
emerged.
Capital: Kiev or Kyiv
Currency: Ukrainian hryvnia
Fabio Fognini becomes first Italian to clinch Monte Carlo Masters title in more than 50 years
Fabio Fognini beat Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-4 to win
the Monte Carlo Masters on 20th April, the first
Italian to triumph at the clay-court showpiece in
more than half a century. The 13th seed, based just
20 kilometres over the border in San Remo,
followed on from compatriot Nicola Pietrangeli,
who watched his record fall from the royal box at the Monte Carlo Country Club.
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Current Affairs: April 23, 2019
April 23, 2019
India ranks 19th out of 28 countries in Index of Cancer Preparedness (ICP)
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has
released the 2019 Index of Cancer
Preparedness (ICP) in which out of 28
countries India is in 19th position from the
top. The wide range of data indicates
variation of cancer preparedness of countries
i.e. methods to treat and prevent cancer.
Bhopal gas tragedy among the world's major industrial accidents of the 20th century: UN
The report titled 'The Safety and Health at the
Heart of the Future of Work - Building on 100
years of experience' said the Bhopal disaster was
among the world's "major industrial accidents
after 1919". The report released by the UN labour
agency International Labour Organization (ILO)
said that in 1984, at least 30 tons of methyl isocyanate gas, which was released from the Union
Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, affected over 600,000 workers and nearby inhabitants.
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Current Affairs: April 23, 2019
Kotak Bank launches debit card-based e-mandate on NPCI’s API platform
Kotak becomes the first Destination
Bank to go live with Net Banking and
Debit Card-based e-mandate
authentication, the bank said in a
statement adding that the capability will
enable its customers to create electronic mandates (similar to the erstwhile eNACH with
Aadhaar + OTP) via both the Debit Card and Net Banking channels.
Cyber defence insurance launched by SBI General Insurance
SBI General Insurance has launched its new
product on 22nd April– cyber defence insurance to
protect businesses from financial and reputational
losses due to cyber attacks.
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Current Affairs: April 23, 2019
Asian Athletics Championships: Gomathi Marimuthu, Tejinderpal Singh win Gold
Unheralded half miler Gomathi Marimuthu
and shot putter Tejinderpal Singh Toor
clinched a gold each to share the limelight as
India bagged five medals on the second day of
Asian Athletics Championships on 22nd April.
Services team bags the 6th Santosh Trophy Football Tournament title against Punjab
With a second-half strike by Bikash Thapa at the
Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana, Services won
their 6th Santosh Trophy Football Tournament
title with a 1-0 victory over Punjab.
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Current Affairs: April 23, 2019
World Book and Copyright Day: 23 April
World Book Day, also known as World Book
and Copyright Day, or International Day of
the Book, is an annual event organized by the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to promote
reading, publishing, and copyright. The
World Book Capital for 2019 is the city of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
Amartya Sen Chair in London School of Economics
Amartya Sen, whose term as chancellor of
Nalanda University was not renewed, is having a
chair named after him at the London School of
Economics. The LSE will shortly start
interviewing candidates for the newly created
“Amartya Sen Chair in Inequality Studies” who
will also serve as its director of the International Inequalities Institute (III).
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Current Affairs: April 24, 2019
April 24, 2019
Yogendra Puranik scripts history; becomes first Indian to win an election in Japan
Yogendra Puranik, a 41-year-old Indian-origin
Japanese, has been elected to Tokyo's Edogawa
Ward assembly. Importantly, Yogendra aka Yogi
has become the first Indian to win an election in
Japan. Yogendra secured 6,477 votes, the fifth
highest of the 2,26,561 valid ballots cast, in the
April 21 poll, part of unified local elections held across Japan, the Asahi Shimbun reported.
BEML joined hands with Syndicate Bank for financing Earth Moving and Construction Equipment
On 22nd April, Syndicate Bank and BEML Limited
have signed an agreement for financing Earth
Moving and Construction Equipment which is
manufactured by BEML. Also, it will facilitate the
availability of loans and address the growing
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Current Affairs: April 24, 2019
demand for higher capacity equipment in the Mining Industry.
India Post collaborates with TCS to digitize 1.5 lakh post offices & creating world’s largest EPostal network by deploying largest SAP implementation
India Post in collaboration with India’s leading tech
giant, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), has helped
in digitizing 1.5 lakh post offices in India, thus
creating World’s Biggest EPostal Network and the
largest SAP implementations worldwide.
Former Dena Bank MD Karnam Sekar appointed as IOB's new MD & CEO
Former Dena Bank MD Karnam Sekar is set to
take over as the new Managing Director and CEO
of Indian Overseas Bank from July 1, 2019. He will
take over from R Subramaniakumar, who was
instrumental in taking measures to turn around the
bank, which has been reporting losses due to high
NPA.
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Current Affairs: April 24, 2019
Rajendra Kumar Nayak took over as CGDA
Rajendra Kumar Nayak took over as the 52nd
Controller General of Defence Accounts on April
22, 2019. He is from the Indian Defence Accounts
Service of 1983 batch. During the career span of
more than 35 years, Shri Nayak has held important
assignments in the Defence Accounts Department
and on deputation in the Government of India. He
has vast and varied experience in handling Finance, Personnel, and Pay & Budget matters of
Ministry of Defence.
Bajrang Punia reclaims gold at Asian Wrestling Championship
India clinched one gold, one silver and bronze
at the Asian Wrestling Championship in
China's Xian on 23rd April. World number one
Bajrang Punia logged 10 points in a row in the
gold medal bout to reclaim his Asian
Championship crown. He defeated
Kazakhstan's Sayatbek Okassov 12-7 in a nail-biting 65 kg men's freestyle final. It is Bajrang's
second gold at this championship, having won one in 2017. Another Indian Parveen Rana, lost
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Current Affairs: April 24, 2019
to Bahman Mohammad Teymouri of Iran in the final 0-3 in 79 kg category securing a silver
medal. In 97 kg category, Satywart Kadian, picked a bronze medal defeating Haobin Gao of
China by 8-2.
Asian Athletics Championships: Heptathlete Swapna Barman, 4x400m mixed relay team win silver; bronze for Sanjivani Jadhav
Asian Games gold medallist heptathlete
Swapna Barman and the 4x400m mixed
relay team clinched a silver each, while
Sanjivani Jadhav won a bronze in
10000m race on the third day of the
Asian Athletics Championships here on
23rd April.
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Current Affairs: April 25, 2019
April 25, 2019
National Panchayati Raj Diwas: 24th April
The National Panchayati Raj Diwas (Day) is
celebrated every year in India on 24th April.
This day marks the passing of the
Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 that
came into force with effect from 24 April
1993. The enactment of the 73rd Amendment
Act had led a defining moment in the history of India which helped in decentralization of
political power to the grassroots level.
Indonesia releases Ramayana stamp
On 23 April 2019, Indonesia released a special
stamp on the theme of Ramayana at the 70th
anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties
between India and Indonesia event in the presence
of India’ Ambassador Pradeep Kumar Rawat and
Indonesia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abdurrahman
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Current Affairs: April 25, 2019
Mohammad Fachir to mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties with India.
Capital: Jakarta
Currency: Indonesian Rupiah
RBI becomes the first APAC (Asia-Pacific) central bank to begin interest rate easing cycle: Fitch
The Fitch ratings notified that the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) becomes the first central
bank in the Asia-Pacific region (APAC) to
begin an interest rate easing cycle floated by
benign food inflation and easier global
financial condition.
IndusInd Bank receives NCLT approval for merger with Bharat Financial Inclusion
The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT)
approved merger of private sector lender
IndusInd Bank with Bharat Financial Inclusion
(BFIL), a microfinance company. Last year,
IndusInd Bank had received ‘No Objection’ from
Reserve Bank of India, National Stock Exchange
and Bombay Stock Exchange.
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Current Affairs: April 25, 2019
HQ: Mumbai
MD & CEO: Romesh Sobti
RBI sells entire stake in NHB, Nabard to govt for Rs 1,470 cr
The Reserve Bank has exited the National Housing
Bank (NHB) and the National Bank for Agriculture
& Rural Development (Nabard), by selling its
entire stakes to government for Rs 1,450 crore and
Rs 20 crore, respectively, making them fully
government-owned now. The central bank has sold
its stake in NHB on March 19, while it sold the stake in Nabard on February 26, the bank said in
a statement Wednesday. "With this divestment, the government now holds a 100% stake in both
these financial institutions," RBI said in a statement.
Asian Athletics C’hips: India bag four medals on final day; finish fourth
India bagged four medals, including Gold, on the
final day of the Asian Athletics Championships
at Doha in Qatar on 24th April. PU Chitra
successfully defended her Women's 1,500 metres
Gold she had won in 2017, while Ajay Kumar
Saroj in Men's 1,500 metres and the Women's
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Current Affairs: April 25, 2019
4x400 metres relay team clinched silver each. Sprinter Dutee Chand added a bronze in
Women's 200 metres race. India ended at the fourth spot in the medals tally with 3 Gold, 7
Silver and 7 Bronze. Bahrain topped the table with 11 Gold, 7 Silver and 4 Bronze. China was
second with 10 Gold, 13 Silver and 7 Bronze, while Japan was third with 5 Gold, 4 Silver and 9
Bronze.
World Malaria Day: 25th April
Every year on 25 April, people around the globe
observe World Malaria Day to raise awareness and
funds for the treatment and prevention of the
disease. This year, the theme for the day is “Zero
malaria starts with me” and it is being hosted by the
World Health Organisation (WHO).
World’s first Malaria vaccine launched in Malawi
The world’s first malaria vaccine RTS,S is also
known as Mosquirix has launched in Malawi, one
of three countries in Africa in a landmark pilot
programme coordinated by the World Health
Organisation (WHO). The other two African
countries are Ghana and Kenya.
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Current Affairs: April 26, 2019
April 26, 2019
SBI launches India’s First ‘Green Car Loan’ at Lower Interest Rates and Zero Processing Fee
In a first India’s largest bank State Bank of
India (SBI) has launched ‘Green Car Loan’ to
encourage customers to buy electric vehicles
(EVs) in the country, reports CNBC. To boost
the struggling EV market in the country, the
interest rates on the loan will be 20 basis
points (0.2 percent) lower than SBI’s existing auto loans.
‘Plaints to RBI ombudsman increased 25% in FY18’
The number of complaints by bank customers to the
Reserve Bank of India’s banking ombudsman
increased by 24.9% in the financial year 2017-18 as
compared to the previous year, the banking regulator
said on 25th April. The major grounds of complaints
received during the year were non-observance of fair
practices code (22.1%), ATM and debit card issues (15.1%), credit card issues (7.7%), failure to
meet commitments (6.8%), mobile and electronic banking (5.2%), the central bank said. A
customer can approach the RBI’s ombusdman if the bank fails to resolve customer complaints in
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Current Affairs: April 26, 2019
one month. The 21 offices of the banking ombudsman received 1,63,590 complaints in the year
2017-18.
Rana Dasgupta bags 2019 Tagore Literary Prize
The second edition of Rabindranath Tagore Literary
Prize was awarded to author Rana Dasgupta for his
2010 novel Solo, a tale of estrangement and the
ultimate failure of material existence. An amount of
$10,000, a Tagore statue and a certificate for
contribution to literature was given to Dasgupta, as
per the organisers of the award ceremony.
The Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize for social achievement was awarded to Yohei
Sasakawa, the World Health Organization Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination,
for "his incredible efforts to uproot leprosy and great contribution to world peace".
The Prize was also awarded to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen as "a beacon of democracy,''
the organisers said.
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Current Affairs: April 26, 2019
Former Army Chief Dalbir Suhag appointed Indian Envoy to Seychelles
Former Army chief Dalbir Singh Suhag has
been appointed as India's next high
commissioner to Seychelles, a country which is
of strategic importance to India in the Indian
Ocean region. "He is expected to take up the
assignment shortly," the Ministry of External
Affairs said while making the announcement. General (retired) Suhag was the Army chief from
July 31, 2014, to December 31, 2016. He was also part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF)
in Sri Lanka in 1987.
Capital: Victoria and Currency: Seychellois Rupee
Shooting: India bag two gold at ISSF World Cup
In Shooting, India opened its medal account
with gold each in 10 metres Air Rifle Mixed
Team and 10 metres Air Pistol Mixed team
events on the third day of ISSF World Cup in
Beijing on the 25th of April. Young shooters
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Current Affairs: April 26, 2019
Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary took the top spot in the 10 metres Air Pistol Mixed
Team event after Anjum Moudgil and Divyansh Singh Panwar opened the country's gold
account in the 10 metres Air Rifle Mixed Team event.
Pankaj Advani wins inaugural Asian Snooker Tour title
India's ace cueist Pankaj Advani defeated Ehsan
Heydari Nezhad of Iran 6-4 to claim the
inaugural Asian Snooker Tour title on 25th
April. Advani, a 21-time world snooker and
billiards champion, beat Nezhad 52-40, 66(58)-0,
1-63(62), 78-4, 35-47, 0-51, 47-35, 38-39, 53(49)-35,
51(50)-20 in the final.
Ajinkya Rahane becomes first Indian to sign-up for English county side Hampshire
Ajinkya Rahane on 25th April became the first
overseas player from India to sign-up for
Hampshire and he will feature in County
Championship matches throughout May, June and
the start of July, subject to visa clearance. The 30-
year-old Indian will replace South Africa batsman
Aiden Markram, who will end his stint with
Hampshire at the conclusion of the Royal London One-Day Cup group-stage to join his national
side ahead of the World Cup, the County club said.
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Current Affairs: April 26, 2019
World Intellectual Property Day: 26th April
Every April 26, we celebrate World
Intellectual Property Day to learn about the
role that intellectual property (IP) rights play
in encouraging innovation and creativity.
This year’s theme is “Reach for Gold: IP and
Sports.”
WIPO HQ: Geneva, Switzerland
International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day: 26th April
An explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant
in 1986 spread a radioactive cloud over large parts of
the Soviet Union, now the territories of Belarus,
Ukraine and the Russian Federation. Nearly 8.4
million people in the three countries were exposed to
the radiation. On 8 December 2016 the United
Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution
designating 26 April as International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day.
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Current Affairs: April 26, 2019
The World Immunization Week 2019 observed from 24-30th April carrying the theme “Protected Together: Vaccines Work”
The World Immunisation Week 2019 celebrates
‘Vaccine Heroes’ worldwide ranging from
parents and community members to health
workers and innovators who help to ensure that
we are protected via the power of vaccines. The
last week of April every year is observed as
World Immunisation Week in order to promote
the use of vaccines for the protection of people of all age-groups against disease.
Russia successfully tests World’s First Floating Nuclear Power Plant named ‘Akademik Lomonosov’
The 70 MW ‘Akademik Lomonosov’, world’s
first floating nuclear power plant successfully
tested by Rosenergoatom, operator subsidiary
of Rosatom, state owned atomic energy
cooperation of Russia. The ship was named
after famous academician Mikhail
Lomonosov.
Capital: Moscow
Currency: Russian Ruble
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Current Affairs: April 26, 2019
Etihad becomes first major airline to operate plastic-free
Etihad Airways, UAE based flag carrier, has
become the first major airline in the Gulf region
to operate a flight without any single-use
plastics on board. The objective is to raise
awareness about pollution on Earth Day. The
flight named EY484, first flight without use of
plastics landed in Brisbane, Australia on April 22, Earth Day.
Capital: Abu Dhabi
Currency: UAE Dirham
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Current Affairs: April 27-29, 2019
April 27-29, 2019
RBI to issue new Rs 20 denomination banknotes
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will issue new Rs
20 denomination banknotes having a base colour of
greenish -yellow with size of ‘63 X 129 mm’. The first
Rs 20 notes were issued in the Mahatma Gandhi
Series in August 2001. The new note will have a motif
of ‘Ellora caves’ on the dorsal side.
Finance Ministry approves EPF interest rate hike to 8.65% for 2018-19
The Department of Financial Services, a wing of the
Ministry of Finance, has approved an Employee’s
Provident Fund (EPF) interest rate hike of 10 basis
point to 8.65 percent for 2018-19, as decided by the
retirement fund body Employee’s Provident Fund
Organisation (EPFO). This move will benefit more
than 6 crores formal sector workers. Earlier in 2017-18, the interest rate on EPF was 8.55 percent.
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Current Affairs: April 27-29, 2019
IRDAI constitutes Suresh Mathur Committee to review regulatory framework on micro-insurance
The Insurance Regulatory and Development
Authority of India (IRDAI) set up a 13-
member committee in order to review
regulatory framework on micro insurance, and
suggest the steps to be taken to raise demand
for such products in India by recommending
product designs with customer-friendly underwriting, example, easy premium payment
methods and simple claims settlement procedures.
Canara Bank and its life insurance partner Canara HSBC OBC Life launched ’Webassurance’
Canara Bank and its life insurance partner Canara
HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance
launched ’Webassurance’ to enable its customers
to purchase life insurance in a convenient and
hassle-free way.
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Current Affairs: April 27-29, 2019
Gaganjeet Bhullar bags Outstanding Achievement as Player Award at GIA Awards
The Golf Industry Association (GIA) Award
ceremony was held in Delhi alongside the 8th
India Golf & Turf Expo (IGTE) in the national
capital and the Kapurthala-born star golfer was
bestowed with the Outstanding Achievement as
a Player Award at a ceremony at the Delhi Golf
Club. The 31-year-old golfer from Punjab had won the Fiji International and a European Tour
event last year.
Ex-South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis receives Ikhamanga Award 2019
Former South African cricketer, Jacques Kallis has
been honoured with the Order of Ikhamanga in the
Silver Division for his contribution to cricket and
for putting South Africa on the global sporting map
by Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa
during the National Orders ceremony at the Sefako
Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Pretoria, South Africa.
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Current Affairs: April 27-29, 2019
ISSF World Cup: India wins 3 Gold, 1 Silver
India topped the standings at the
International Shooting Sport Federation,
ISSF World Cup after the final day in Beijing
on 28th April, bagging four medals comprising
3 Gold and a Silver. For
India, Anjum Moudgil and young Divyansh Singh Panwar started the medal hunt with a
gold in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team competition.
The teenaged pair of Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary won another yellow metal in
the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team Pistol event.
Divyansh then won India's first individual medal by clinching a silver in the men's 10m Air
Rifle. Abhishek Verma won India's third gold in men's 10m Air Pistol event.
Japan's Kento Momota, Yamaguchi win titles in Badminton Asia Ch'ship
World number one Kento Momota retained his
Badminton Asia Championships title in
Shanghai on 27th April. He defeated Shi Yuqi of
China 21-12, 11-11, 21-18. There was more joy for
Japan at Wuhan, as Yamaguchi, a silver medallist
two years ago, won the women's crown with an
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Current Affairs: April 27-29, 2019
emphatic victory over home player He Bingjiao 21-19, 21-9.
Kvitova earns maiden Stuttgart title with win over Kontaveit
World number three Petra Kvitova beat Estonian
Anett Kontaveit 6-3 7-6(2) to win Stuttgart's Porsche
Grand Prix on Sunday (April 28) for her second title
of the year as she prepares for next month's French
Open. Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion,
broke her opponent to go 4-2 up in the first set and
served out the set a little later on the quick indoor clay courts in Stuttgart, Germany.
Australia’s Claire Polosak became the first female umpire to stand in men’s ODI
The 31-year-old, Australia’s Claire Polosak
became the first woman umpire to stand in a men’s
ODI in the final match of ICC World Cricket
League 2 on April 27. Previously, she stood in 15
women’s ODIs matches, the first one played
between Australia and South Afica in November
2016.
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Current Affairs: April 27-29, 2019
Bottas wins Azerbaijan Grand Prix title
Valtteri Bottas won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on
Sunday (April 28) to retake the Formula One world
championship lead from team mate Lewis Hamilton
after a stunning fourth successive one-two finish for
Mercedes.
Qatar’s to abolish Exit Visa or Kafala system by 2019: UN
UN’s International Labour Organization
announced that Qatar is set to abolish its exit
visa system for all foreign workers by the end of
2019. The country was committed to labour
reform following an Amnesty International
report that the 2022 World Cup host was failing
to stop widespread labour abuse.
Capital: Doha
Currency: Qatari Riyal
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Current Affairs: April 27-29, 2019
World Day for Safety and Health at Work: 28 April
The World Day for Safety and Health at Work is
an annual international campaign to promote safe,
healthy and decent work. It is held on 28 April and
has been observed by the International Labour
Organization (ILO) since 2003.
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Current Affairs: April 30, 2019
April 30, 2019
Nirmala Sitharaman attends SCO Defence Ministers' conclave at Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
attended the Shanghai Co-operation
Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers'
conclave at Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan. During the
conclave, ways to further boost defence and
security cooperation among the member
countries in the wake of evolving security challenges in the region were discussed.
Air Marshal Rakesh K S Bhadauria appointed as new Vice Chief of Air Staff
On May 1, Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh
Bhadauria will take over as Vice Chief of Indian Air
Force, after superannuation of incumbent Air Marshal
Anil Khosla. The VCAS is second-highest ranking
Officer in Indian Air Force (IAF). It is a three-star
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Current Affairs: April 30, 2019
appointment and is held by an Air Officer of the rank of Air Marshal.
Isac Doru appointed as AIFF technical director
All India Football Federation (AIFF) on 29th April
appointed Isac Doru as its new technical director.
Doru was selected from a list of over 60 candidates
who had applied for the post. The 56-year-old comes
with a rich experience of almost 29 years in
international football across several countries
including France, Japan, USA, Romania, Saudi
Arabia, and Qatar amongst others.
Raheem Sterling named 2019 FWA footballer of the year
Raheem Sterling has been named the 2019 footballer
of the year by the Football Writers' Association
(FWA). The Manchester City and England forward
topped the poll of the 400-strong FWA membership
as a clear winner, with 62 percent of the votes.
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Current Affairs: April 30, 2019
International Jazz Day: 30 April
International Jazz Day is intended to raise
awareness in the international community of the
virtues of jazz as an educational tool, and a force
for peace, unity, dialogue and enhanced
cooperation among people. Many governments,
civil society organizations, educational
institutions, and private citizens currently engaged in the promotion of jazz music will embrace
the opportunity to foster greater appreciation not only for the music but also for the
contribution it can make to building more inclusive societies.
International Dance Day: 29 April
International Dance Day, also called Dance Day
was observed on 29th April entire the world to
attract the attention of the wider public to the art
of dance. The theme for this year is “Dance and
Spirituality”.
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