Current Affairs March 2019 1 Current Affairs March 2019 Current Affairs — March 2019 This is a guide to provide you a precise summary and a huge collection of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) covering national and international current affairs for the month of March 2019. This guide will help you in preparing for Indian competitive examinations like Bank PO, Banking, Railway, IAS, PCS, UPSC, CAT, GATE, CDS, NDA, MCA, MBA, Engineering, IBPS, Clerical Grade and Officer Grade, etc. Audience Aspirants who are preparing for different competitive exams like Bank PO, Banking, Railway, IAS, PCS, UPSC, CAT, GATE, CDS, NDA, MCA, MBA, Engineering, IBPS, Clerical Grade, Officer Grade, etc. Even though you are not preparing for any exams but are willing to have news encapsulated in a roll, which you can walk through within 30 minutes, then we have put all the major points for the whole month in a precise and interesting way. Copyright & Disclaimer Copyright 2019 by Tutorials Point (I) Pvt. Ltd. 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If you discover any errors on our website or in this tutorial, please notify us at [email protected] 2 Current Affairs March 2019 Table of Contents CURRENT AFFAIRS — MARCH 2019 ...................................................................... 2 AUDIENCE ......................................................................................................... 2 COPYRIGHT & DISCLAIMER ................................................................................. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................... 3 APPOINTMENTS ................................................................................................. 4 AWARDS ........................................................................................................... 13 BILLS & ACTS ................................................................................................... 23 BOOKS & AUTHORS .......................................................................................... 25 COMMITTEES .................................................................................................... 27 DEATH .............................................................................................................. 29 DEFENCE .......................................................................................................... 31 BANKING AND FINANCE ................................................................................... 41 ENVIRONMENT ................................................................................................. 46 BUSINESS AND ECONOMY ................................................................................ 49 IMPORTANT DAYS ............................................................................................ 57 INTERNATIONAL .............................................................................................. 62 MISCELLANEOUS .............................................................................................. 69 NATIONAL ........................................................................................................ 71 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ............................................................................. 88 SPORTS ............................................................................................................ 95 REPORTS ........................................................................................................ 103 RESIGNATIONS .............................................................................................. 108 PERSONS IN NEWS ......................................................................................... 110 REGIONAL ...................................................................................................... 114 PLACES IN NEWS ............................................................................................ 122 3 Appointments Current Affairs March 2019 1. Shambhu S Kumaran appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Morocco Shambhu S Kumaran an Indian Foreign Service officer of the 1995 batch appointed as India’s next Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco. Presently, he is the Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Defence. He will succeed Dr. Kheya Bhattacharya. 2. Vice Admiral Karambir Singh is the next Chief of Indian Navy The government of India appointed Vice- Admiral Karambir Singh as next Chief of the Naval Staff with effect from May 31, 2019. Presently, he is the Flag Officer Commander-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) of the Eastern Naval Command. The present Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba retires on the same day when Karambir Singh take charge. Born on November 03, 1959, Vice Admiral Karambir Singh was commissioned on July 01, 1980 into the Executive Branch of the Indian Navy. Vice Admiral Karambir Singh is a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. 4 Current Affairs March 2019 3. Tata Coffee Appoints Chacko Purackal Thomas as MD and CEO Tata Coffee announced the appointment of Chacko Purackal Thomas as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. Presently, he works as the executive director and deputy CEO of the Tata Group firm Chacko Purackal Thomas will assume the charge from April 1, 2019 by replacing Sanjiv Sarin. 4. Goa Speaker Pramod Sawant sworn-in as new Chief Minister of Goa Pramod Sawant (45), former Speaker of Goa legislative Assembly and MLA from Sankhelim in North Goa was sworn-in as 13th Chief Minister of Goa. He succeeds Manohar Parrikar, who died on March 17 after a prolonged battle with advanced pancreatic cancer. Sudin alias Ramkrishna Dhavlikar of Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and Vijai Sardesai of Goa Forward Party were sworn in as Deputy Chief Ministers. Nine other leaders also took oaths as cabinet ministers. 5. Santosh Jha appointed as the next ambassador of India to the Republic of Uzbekistan Santosh Jha presently Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India, Washington appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Uzbekistan. Presently, Mr Jha is working as Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India, Washington DC USA. He is expected to take up the assignment shortly. 5 Current Affairs March 2019 6. Pinaki Chandra Ghose named as India’s first Lokpal Pinaki Chandra Ghose is likely to be India’s first anti- corruption ombudsman or Lokpal. He is the former Supreme Court judge and current member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The PM-led high- level selection committee made the decision to appoint Pinaki Chandra as India’s first Lokpal. Mr.Ghose was appointed as judge of the Calcutta High Court in 1997 and went on to become Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh before his elevation to the Supreme Court in 2013. The Lokpal Act was passed in 2013 after a nationwide anti-corruption movement. The act provides for setting up of Lokpal at the centre and Lokayuktas in the States to probe corruption complaints against top functionaries and public servants. A Lokpal is an anti-corruption authority or ombudsman, who represents the public interest. The Lokpal has jurisdiction over all Members of Parliament, central government employees, including the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers in cases of corruption. 7. S. Narasimha appointed as mediator to resolve disputes of cricket administration by SC Supreme Court appointed senior advocate P. S. Narasimha as the mediator for resolving various disputes related to cricket administration in the country. A bench of Justices S. A. Bobde and A. M. Sapre was informed by P. S. Narasimha that former apex court judge Justice (retd) D. K. Jain has assumed charge as the ombudsman of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The bench also asked P. S. Narasimha to look into the dispute relating to release of funds by the court-appointed committee of administrators to various cricket associations. About BCCI President – C. K. Khanna Headquarters – Mumbai 6 Current Affairs March 2019 8. M.R.Kumar takes charge as Chairman of LIC M.R.Kumar, the newly appointed chairman of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), took charge of his duties on 14th March. Mr.Kumar took over from Hemant Bhargava who had been the acting chairman since January 2019. Mr.Kumar had joined LIC as a direct recruit officer in 1983. The government had also named two MDs for LIC, Vipin Anand and T.C. Suseel Kumar. About LIC Founded: 1 September 1956 Headquarters: Mumbai, India Chairman: M.R.Kumar Estimated asset value: ₹2,529,390 crore It is an Indian state-owned insurance group and investment company It is the largest insurance company in India 9. Axis Bank names Rakesh Makhija as new Chairman Axis Bank appointed Rakesh Makhija as Non-Executive Chairman for a period of 3 years. He will take over from Sanjiv Misra when his term ends on July 17. Makhija is also the Chairman of the bank's Nomination and Remuneration Committee. About Axis