Current_Affairs_for_Competitive_Exam_Con.pdf

Current Affairs April 2019
PDF Capsule

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Current Affairs PDF 2019
Current Affairs for Competitive Exam
Contents
INDIAN AFFAIRS..................................................................................................................................................................................................3
Cabinet Approvals..........................................................................................................................................................................................3
Schemes .............................................................................................................................................................................................................4
Launches & Inaugurations..........................................................................................................................................................................5
Festivals .............................................................................................................................................................................................................6
Other News Related to Indian Affairs....................................................................................................................................................6
STATE NEWS.......................................................................................................................................................................................................10
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS ...........................................................................................................................................................................17
VISITS.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................23
Indian Visits....................................................................................................................................................................................................23
Foreign Visits.................................................................................................................................................................................................23
BANKING & FINANCE......................................................................................................................................................................................26
RBI in News ....................................................................................................................................................................................................26
Technology in Banking ..............................................................................................................................................................................32
Other News Related to Banking & Finance........................................................................................................................................33
MoUs & AGREEMENTS IN NEWS................................................................................................................................................................45
COMMITTEES IN NEWS..................................................................................................................................................................................46
SUMMITS & CONFERENCES..........................................................................................................................................................................48
INDEX.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................52
Rankings ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................52
Reports.............................................................................................................................................................................................................55
BUSINESS & ECONOMY...................................................................................................................................................................................59
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS..........................................................................................................................................................................75
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS ........................................................................................................................................................................91
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS.......................................................................................................................................................................104
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY...........................................................................................................................................................................107
DEFENCE............................................................................................................................................................................................................120
ENVIRONMENT...............................................................................................................................................................................................124
SPORTS...............................................................................................................................................................................................................128
OBITUARY .........................................................................................................................................................................................................145
BOOKS & AUTHORS.......................................................................................................................................................................................151
IMPORTANT DAYS.........................................................................................................................................................................................153
STATIC INFORMATION FROM CURRENT AFFAIRS.........................................................................................................................164
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INDIAN AFFAIRS
Cabinet Approvals
Cabinet Approvals On April 15, 2019
On 15th April 2019, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval on
various proposals and schemes. The details of the cabinet approvals are stated as under:
Cabinet approves creation of a single post of Deputy Comptroller and Auditor General in the office of
Comptroller and Auditor General of India
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given its approval for the creation of 1
post of Deputy Comptroller & Auditor General (Coordination, Communication and Information System).
Key Points:
• The Ministry of Finance stated that the position in Pay Level-17 was created by abolishing 1 STS level
postin the Office of the Comptroller & Auditor General of India.
• At present, India’s top auditor has 5 posts for deputy CAGs. Their scope of work is inclusive of
government’s accounts, central revenue audit, defence and railways, commercial and reports of central,
communications and information systems.
• The official release notified that the Deputy Comptroller & Auditor General shall oversee the coordination
among State Audits, audit of telecommunication and coordinate the various Information Systems (IS)
initiatives within the Indian Audit & Accounts Department (IA&AD).
• The expenditure on account of creation of this post will be around Rs 21 lakh.
About current CAG:
• The CAG is mentioned in the Constitution of India under Article 148 – 151.
• The current CAG of India is Rajiv Mehrishi. He’s the 13th CAG of India and assumed office on 25
September 2017.
Cabinet approves the Continuation of Phase 4 of (GSLV) Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle
On 15th April, the Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given the approval for
ongoing GSLV continuation programme Phase-4 that consists of 5 GSLV rocket flights during 2021-2024.
Key Points:
• The GSLV Programme- Phase 4 will enable the launch of 2 tonne class of satellites for geo-imaging,
navigation, data delay communication and space sciences.
• The total fund requirement for the phase 4 programme is Rs 2,729.13 crore. This amount includes the
cost of 5 Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicles (GSLVs), addition of essential facility, programme
management, launch campaign and extra funds required to meet the scope of the programme.
• The ongoing GSLV programme will meet the launch requirement of satellites (at a frequency up to 2
satellite launches every year) for providing critical satellite navigation services, data relay
communication for supporting the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme, the next mission to Mars.
• It will also ensure the maximum participation (in terms of production) by the Indian industry.
• All the operational flights would be completed during the period 2021-24.
Paramount Impact on India:
The functional state of the ongoing GSLV programme i.e. the capability of the launch of 2-tonne class of satellites
has made India self-reliant in the field of communication & meteorological satellites, thus paving way to launch
of similar satellites for national requirements.
About GSLV Continuation Programme:
• The major outcome of the GSLV Continuation Programme for India is the mastering of the highly complex
‘Cryogenic Propulsion Technology‘. This is an important technology that aids to the launching of the
communication satellites to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). This has made way for the
development of a high thrust Cryogenic engine for the next generation launch vehicle i.e. GSLV Mk-lll.

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• On 19th December 2018, with the successful launch of GSLV-F11, (with the Cryogenic Upper Stage) GSLV
has successfully orbited 10 national satellites, thus establishing itself as a reliable launch vehicle for
aforementioned missions.
• First sanctioned in 2003, the GSLV Continuation Programme has completed 2 phases. Now the 3rd phase
is in progress and is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2020-21.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved extension of duration of New Urea Policy-2015
(from 1st of April, 2019) for existing gas-based urea unit
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given approval
for the proposal of the Department of fertilizers for extension of the duration of New Urea Policy-2015 for
existing gas-based area unit from April 1, 2019 until further orders.
Key Points:
• The prime objective of this policy is to promote energy efficiency in urea production, maximise
facilitation of operations and regular supply of urea to the farmers, and rationalizing subsidy burden on
the government.
• Presently, in India there are 31 urea units of which 28 units are gas-based and the rest 3 units use
naphtha as feedstock.
Cabinet approved the funds for implementing 10% EWS Quota
Recently, Rs. 4315.15 crores budget has been approved by Union Cabinet headed by PM Narendra Modi, to create
over 2 lakhs additional seats in 158 central education institutions. The additional seats were created over
next two years to implement 10 per cent Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) reservation.
Key highlights
i. According to senior officials of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), a total of 2,14,766
additional seats will be created out of which 1,19,983 seats will be created in 2019-20 and the remaining 95,783
seats in 2020-21.
ii. This step is taken in the backdrop of the 103rd Constitutional Amendment Act, which provides 10 percent
reservations to Economic Weaker Sections (EWS) in government jobs and educational institutions.
iii. To implement this 10 percent EWS quota, the government has asked all educational institutions to increase
their intake by 25 percent so that it would not result in the reduction of seats available to SC, ST, OBC and general
category.
Schemes
NITI Aayog & Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) ensures success of the FAME II Scheme
Under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles II (FAME II) scheme, the NITI Aayog and Rocky
Mountain Institute (RMI) have released a report titled ‘India’s Electric Mobility Transformation: Progress to
Date and Future Opportunities’. The report is based on opportunities for the automobile sector and
government.
i. The Indian and global non-profit organisation, Rocky Mountain Institute is focused on making effective use of
the resources by making a total expenditure of Rs. 10,000 crore from three years i.e. 2019 to 2022.
ii. In February 2019, the FAME II scheme was notified by the Union Cabinet. The objective of the scheme is to
enhance the government’s commitment to a clean mobility future with a major focus on electric automobiles.
iii. The FAME II is a vital part of the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan.
iv.The report under the scheme defines:
• the direct oil and carbon savings that the FAME II vehicles will bring.
• the FAME II incentivized vehicles and the other steps could encourage the Electric Vehicle (EV) market.
• In case the FAME II scheme is successful, EV sales penetration of 30% of private cars, 70% of
commercial cars, 40% of buses and 80% of two and three-wheelers by 2030, has been
approximated in India.

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v. The lifetime cumulative oil and carbon savings deployed through the FAME II scheme will be much smaller
than the ones deployed through electric automobiles which could amount to a total savings of 846 million tonnes
of carbon dioxide. The electric buses covered under FAME II scheme would be able to travel for 3.8 billion
vehicle kilometres (e-vkt) over their entire lifetime.
85% of Ujjwala beneficiaries still use solid fuels for Cooking
According to a new survey conducted by the Research Institute for Compassionate Economics (r.i.c.e), 85% of
the Ujjwala beneficiaries in rural Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan still use solid fuels for
cooking.
Key Points
i. Cooking with Solid fuels can lead to infant deaths and harm child development, heart and lung disease among
adults..
ii. Out of 85% of the surveyed households, 53% exclusively used the chulha, while 32% used both.
About Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana
♦ Launched in 2016, it is a scheme of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas. It aims to safeguard the health of
women & children by providing them with a clean cooking fuel. The scheme provides free LPG connections to
economically weaker families.
Launches & Inaugurations
Haryana CEO Rajeev Ranjan inaugurates Voter Park in Gurugram
On 11th April 2019, Haryana Chief Electoral Officer Rajeev Ranjan inaugurated India’s first-of-its-kind ‘Voter
Park’ in Vikas Sadan building complex, Gurugram, to raise voter awareness by instructing people about the
electoral process. At the park, voters will gain information about the polling process and the archives of elections
in the country.
i. A model of the electronic voting machine and VVPAT machine have been arranged in the park.
ii. There is a “Selfie Point” in the park,where people can snap selfies publicising the indelible ink mark on their
finger after casting their vote.
iii. An Election awareness song “Vote Ka Hai Adhikar, Suno Re Vote Ka Hai Adhikar“. was also launched in the
function. Swaty, a student of the Government Women College, Sector-14, Gurugram, has sung the song.
India’s First Foreign Interactive Bird Park launched by EsselWorld in Mumbai
On 11th April 2019, India’s first exotic Bird Park ‘EsselWorld Bird Park’ was launched by EsselWorld Leisure
Pvt. Ltd., the family entertainment arm of the $6-billion Essel Group in Mumbai.
Key Points:
i.The Park is spread over 1.4 acres of land and surrounded by flora and fauna.
ii. It is home to over 500 exotic birds from more than 60 species of flying, terrestrial and aquatic birds and has
200 species of special plants and trees for the birds.
iii. The star attractions at the Bird Park are the African Grey Parrot, Blue Gold Macaw, Cockatiel, Rainbow
Lorikeet, Toucan, Black Lory, Violet Turaco and many other varieties of bird.
iv. EsselWorld is the largest amusement park in the country and Water Kingdom is one of the largest Theme
Water Parks in Asia.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) launched Malaria Elimination Research Alliance (MERA)
On 26th April 2019, The Indian Council of Medical Research has launched the ‘Malaria Elimination Research
Alliance (MERA) India which is a conglomeration of partners working on malaria control in order to eliminate
the disease from India by 2030.
Key Points:
i. India has made impressive progress in malaria control over the past two decades. The disease has declined by
over 80 percent, 2.03 million cases in 2000 to 0.39 million in 2018, and malaria deaths by over 90 percent, 932

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deaths in 2000 to 85 in 2018.
ii. The National Vector Borne Diseases Control Program (NVBDCP) of India has developed a comprehensive
framework to achieve the target of “Malaria free India by 2030” and for this reason the Malaria Elimination
Research Alliance (MERA) India established.
iii. This alliance is important to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It will facilitate trans-institutional
coordination around a shared research agenda which response to programmatic challenges and addresses gaps
in available tools as well as proactively contributes to targeted research.
Festivals
To spread peace and brotherhood, a music and poetry festival titled ‘Jashn-e-Ittihaad’ was held in New
Delhi
On 6th April 2019, a music and poetry festival titled ‘Jashn-e-Ittihaad’ was held at the Jamia Milia Islamia
central university in New Delhi to spread awareness about unity amongst the youth.
Key Points:
i. The festival was organized by Delhi-based entertainment company Question Associates Pvt Ltd.
ii. In this event, people enjoyed the soulful Hindi and Urdu poetry, music and performances that made them
feel good as well as spread awareness about unity and integrity.
iii. Some great poets like Irshad Kamil and Waseem Barelvi participated in this festival.
Around 5000 Konyak women dance to set a Guinness World Record at Mon, Nagaland
On 8th April 2019, in the programme organized at Mon (Nagaland) during the Aoleang Monyu
festival (usually held between 1st April to 3rd April every year) around 5000 Konyak Naga women in their
traditional attire attempted to set a Guinness World Record for the ‘Largest Traditional Konyak Dance’.
i.The festival is celebrated for the arrival of Spring and for a good upcoming harvest.
ii.The theme of the Aoleang Monyu festival aka Mini Hornbill festival was ‘Empowering women for cultural
heritage.‘
iii.Konyak Union in coordination with other organisations of the tribe, namely, Konyak Nyupuh Sheko Khong
(KNSK) and Konyak Students’ Union (KSU) organized the event.
iv.The objective of the event was to preserve the cultural heritage of the region and the people and
to promote tourism.
Additional Information:
♦ Mon is a district in Nagaland in the North Eastern India.
♦ The Konyak people, known mainly for their tradition of head hunting, are the largest of 17 officially
recognized tribes in Nagaland.
♦ The first 4 days of the Aoling festival are called:
• Hoi Lah Nyih,
• Yin Mok Pho Nyihand
• Mok Shek Nyih
• Lingnyu Nyih (is the 4th and the most important day of the Aoling festival as the tribals dance, sing and
feast to symbolize their victory as head-hunters).
Other News Related to Indian Affairs
COMCASA: First secure link between India, US navies set up
India and the US have structured the first reliable communication link between the Indian Navy & US Central
as well as Pacific Naval Commands under the COMCASA pact at New Delhi,India.
i. The Indo-US military-information sharing pact, COMCASA was signed at the 2+2 bilateral summit on 6th
September, 2018.
ii. By implementing the path-breaking agreement, COMCASA the US has initiated the Selective Availability Anti-

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Spoofing Module GPS System in some of C-130 and C-17 transport aircraft.
iii. US has given assurance of not disclosing India’s data with another country and without prior permission US
couldn’t access it.
Result of the COMCASA (Communications, Compatibility and Security Agreement) pact:
i. India will gain access to the US Naval intelligence other than just regulating joint operations in the future.
ii. It will further aid the militaries to work in a conducive and ‘interoperable’ environment, without which
previously India had to rely on less secure systems.
iii. Pact will Help in building an “interoperable” enviroment for militaries of both nations.
What is COMCASA?
It is one of the three foundational defence pacts required to be signed by a country willing to acquire high-tech
military hardware from the US.
The other 2 pacts are- a) LEMOA (Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement), b) BECA (Basic Exchange and
Cooperation Agreement)
Indian Army Constructs The Longest Suspension Bridge ‘Maitri’ Over River 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.
i. The combat engineers belonging to ‘Sahas aur Yogyata’ regiment of ‘Fire and Fury Corps’ of the Indian Army
undertook the construction of ‘Maitri’.
ii. 500 tonnes of bridge equipment and construction material was ferried to build this bridge.
iii. The bridge “Maitri” was inaugurated on 1st April, ’19 by Naik Phunchok Angdus (Retd.), an 89-year-old war
veteran along with war veterans of 1947-1948, 1962, 1971 and 1999 in the presence of Lt. Gen Yogesh Kumar
Joshi and General Officer Commanding ‘Fire and Fury Corps’.
iv. Since the term ‘Maitri’ symbolises friendship, the bridge has been named ‘Maitri bridge’ so as to symbolise the
excellent civil-military relations between the military personnel and the locals of the Leh-Ladakh region.
v. The bridge will provide connectivity to the remote areas of Ladakh and help residents of the largest villages in
Ladakh, namely, Choglamsar, Stok and Chuchot.
vi. This project is a part of the 25,000 crore projects allocated for the state of Jammu and Kashmir by the centre.
The other projects include the work for the ‘Zoji la tunnel’ and the all-weather road constructed in 2018 from
Manali to Ladakh via Zanskar in Kargil.
vii. Based on its geographic positioning, Leh-Ladakh is an already vital area. This is the reason why, in June 2018,
the Border Roads Organisation(BRO) had built a 35-metre long ‘Chamesahn’ bridge leading to the base of the
world’s highest battlefield, the Siachen Glacier(under ‘Project Himank’) which in turn had eliminated a major
issue of vehicular movement in this region.
Vice admiral Bimal Verma drops petition challenging Karambir Singh’s appointment as navy chief
Vice Admiral Bimal Verma has dropped the petition to challenge the appointment of Vice Admiral Karambir
Singh as the next Navy Chief. He will be seeking the “statutory remedy” of approaching the government first.
According to him, present government is ignoring seniority as the basis to appoint a Service Chief. He is six
months senior to Vice Admiral Karambir Singh.
Key points:
i. It was aftermath when Admiral Verma was asked to file a statutory complaint to the Defence Ministry by the
Armed Forces tribunal under the Navy Act.
ii. Admiral Verma asked the judges to order the government to address his concerns in a time-bound manner.
India and Sweden launches joint programme on solution for smart cities, clean tech
On 11th April 2019, India and Sweden inked a pact that will deal a range of challenges around smart cities and
clean technologies among others.The programme is co- sponsored by Indian Department of Science and
Technologies (DST) and Swedish agency Vinnova.

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i. Vinnova donate to Swedish participants upto 2,500,000 Swedish Krona (around Rs. 1.87 crore).From Indian
side, provide upto 50% per project to the Indian partners.
ii. Triple helix model of innovation that include participation of industry, academia and government is
implemented in this project.
India and the Netherlands agreed to improve the bilateral cooperation in various fields
On 12th April 2019, India was agreed to improve the bilateral cooperation with the Netherlands in various
fields, including political, economic scientific and cultural cooperation during the Foreign Office
Consultations in New Delhi.
Key Points:
i. A. Gitesh Sarma, the Secretary (West) in Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) led The Indian
delegation and Johanna (Yoka) Brandt, Secretary General in Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led the Dutch
delegation.
ii. They exchanged views on regional and multilateral issues, including cooperation at the United Nations and
other international fora.
iii. At the 25th edition of the CII-DST Tech Summit which will be held in New Delhi in October
2019, Netherlandswill participate as the partner country.
PCI urges media to do objective reporting on polls
On 9th April, 2019, PCI (Press Council of India) has issued some guidelines for media to do objective reporting on
election polls and warned it against the practice of paid news.
Key points
i. As per the guidelines, newspapers are not expected to indulge in unhealthy election campaigns, reports about
candidate or party during the election period.
ii. PCI has warned media to publish false statements unverified allegations associated with personal character
and conduct of any candidate.
Election Commission invokes Article 324 to defer PM Modi biopic
India’s Electoral Commission has issued an order to ban display of any biopic or publicity material during Manual
Code of Conduct, which could sub serve the purposes of any political entity or any individual entity connected to
it.
Key points
i. The ban was concerned with the biopic film on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
ii. Election Commission has invoked powers under Article 324 that prohibits display/exhibit any biopic/publicity
material when Model Code of Conduct is in force.
India join hands with Japan and UAE to set up two projects in Africa
On 15th April 2019, India joined hands with Japan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to implement two
projectsin Africa as it seeks to extend its footprint on the continent as a counter to China’s ambitious Belt and
Road Initiative (BRI).
Key Points:
i. India will build a cancer hospital in Kenya in collaboration with Japan and will to set up an information and
communications technology (ICT) center in Ethiopia in partnership with the UAE.
ii. Through this partnership, India has undertaken many projects like the ambitious Pan African e-network
project on tele-education and tele-medicine which provides “integrated” satellite, fiber optics and wireless
network between educational and medical institutes in Africa and India.
Ministry Of External Affairs Sets Up Indo-Pacific Wing
• Recently making a strategic move, India has set up an Indo-Pacific division in Ministry of External Affairs
(MEA). This division is the brainchild of current foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale. This new division is

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intended to give a coherent architecture to the policy, which was articulated by the PM Modi at
the Shangri-La Dialogue in 2018.
• Currently, this division will be headed by join secretary Vikram Doraiswami, for whom it will be an
additional charge apart from Bangladesh and Myanmar
Recently making a strategic move, India has set up an Indo-Pacific division in Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
This division is the brainchild of current foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale. This new division is intended to give a
coherent architecture to the policy, which was articulated by the PM Modi at the Shangri-La Dialogue in 2018.
Key Highlights
• Currently, this division will be headed by join secretary Vikram Doraiswami, for whom it will be an
additional charge apart from Bangladesh and Myanmar.
• The territorial divisions of External Affairs ministry are crucial for policy making, so the creation of an
Indo-Pacific division is a mammoth step by the government.
• The rationale behind this division is to integrate the Indian Ocean Rim Association
(IORA), ASEAN region and the QUAD to the Indo-Pacific table. Till now, it’s not clear whether the
different trilateral groupings in the Indo-Pacific region like the India-Japan-US, India-Australia-Indonesia
and India-Australia-Japan would be part of this division’s responsibility.
• This move by India has come after the US renamed its Pacific Command to the Indo-Pacific Command last
year as it seeks to give significance to its Indo-Pacific policy.
• India is also planning to lay down greater energy to the IORA because the heart of its Indo-Pacific policy
is deep-rooted in the Indian Ocean. This will also help in integrating the blue economy part of the Indian
policy with the security part which is a trilateral security apparatus among India, Sri-Lanka and the
Maldives.
LOC Trade between J&K and POJK has been suspended after MHA orders
On April 18, 2019, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued an order to suspend the LOC (Line of Control) trade
between Jammu & Kashmir and Pakistan occupied Jammu & Kashmir (POJK). The reason for the suspension is
due to an increase in terror funding, drug trade and fake currencies among other illegal activities by misusing
trade routes.
Key Highlights
i. The trade between J&K and POJK is allowed through two Trade Facilitation centers. First, one located
at Salamabad, Uri, district Baramulla and the second one located at Chakkan-da-Bagh, district Poonch.
ii. The trade across LOC is meant to facilitate the exchange of goods, 4 days in a week between local populations
across the LOC in J&K. The medium of exchange of goods is the barter system with zero duty on trade.
iii. Recent reports revealed that LOC trade is misused by unscrupulous and anti-national as a channel for hawala
money, drugs and weapons.
Union Territories and Twenty states join pan-India Single Emergency helpline Number ‘112’
On 19th April 2019, To get immediate assistance to the people who are in trouble, Union territories and Twenty
states have joined in a pan-India network of single emergency helpline number ‘112’, which is implemented by
central government’s Nirbhaya Fund( 2012 Delhi gangrape case).
i. Police (100), women(1090) and fire(101) helpline numbers are amalgamated in this and is similar to ‘911’ in
the US.
ii. Kerala, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan,
Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Nagaland, Gujarat, Telangana, Lakshadweep, Andaman, and Nicobar Islands, Dadar and
Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Jammu and Kashmir are the joined states and UTs.
iii. When a person activates the panic button on the mobile, it will trigger an emergency call to 112. Emergency
response Centre (ERC) can receive a panic call via voice call to 112, the ‘112’ mobile app or email requests on
state ERSS website. A long press of the ‘5’ or ‘9’ key will activate the panic call in normal case.
iv. The location of the victim is understood by using GPS. To send a panic call to the Emergency Response Centre,
a person can press the power key of a smartphone three times quickly.

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v. A total of Rs 321.69 crore has been assigned for this project, out of which Rs 278.66 crore has already been
issued to the States and the UTs from the Nirbhaya Fund.
Visual aids for disabled CBSE students from 2020
On 18th April 2019, The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) students will be allowed to
use magnifying glasses and portable video magnifiers during the Class X final examination from 2020.
Key points:
i. Also, Alternative-type questions will be provided in lieu of questions having visual inputs for visually
impaired candidates in social science subject.
ii. The board has directed all its affiliated schools to ensure that premises are disabled friendly by 2020 with all
the educational institutions, including hostels, libraries, and laboratories to have barrier-free access. Also, the
schools cannot deny admission to children with special needs in mainstream education.
iii. CBSE is a national level board of education in India for public and private schools, and is controlled by Union
Government and it follows only NCERT curriculum.
Union Ministry of Home Affairs distributed special kits ‘ SAECKs ‘ to states and union territories to collect
evidence on sexual assault cases
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has distributed around 3,120 special kits among states and union territories.
The kits are termed ‘SAECKs‘ (The Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kits) and are also called ‘rape
investigation kits’ that help to collect blood and semen samples for carrying out immediate effective medico-
legal investigations on sexual assault cases.
Key Points:
i. The kits consist of a set of test tubes and bottles, which indicates contents and specifications of the collected
evidence.
ii. The kits also contain directives on a collection of evidence from the crime scene, after which the kits would be
sent to the closest laboratory and the results would be declared within two months.
iii. The SAECK kits are obtained only with the financial support under the Central government’s ‘Nirbhaya
Fund‘, termed after the 2012 Delhi gang-rape victim.
iv. The Directorate of Forensic Sciences (DFSS) under the home ministry has issued 2 guidelines for sexual
assault cases:
• for investigators and prosecutors for collecting, storing and transporting forensic evidence
• For medical officers in dealing with the cases.
v. Currently, medical officers from states and union territories are being trained in dealing with sexual assault
cases by carrying out medico-legal procedures, evidence collection and handling of forensic material at Lok
Narayan Jai Prakash National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Sciences (LNJP NIC&FS) in Delhi.
STATE NEWS
84th Foundation Day of Odisha celebrated on 1st April
Odisha celebrates its Foundation day on 1st April every year to commemorate the sacrifices of people for the
formation of Odisha province in 1936. The Odisha Day is also known as “Utkal Divas”.
Key Points
i. Various cultural programmes highlighting the history and culture of Odisha are organized on this day.
ii. Earlier, Odisha was a part of Bihar, it became the first state to be formed on the linguistic basis in 1936.
Senior Tripura BJP leader Dilip Sarkar passed away
Dilip Sarkar, Senior Tripura Bhartiya Janta Party leader and five-time MLA,from Badharghat in Agartala
passed away on 1st April, 2019, at a private hospital in Delhi after prolonged acute liver illness. He was 61.He
hailed from Tripura.

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Dilip Sarkar was a former state PWD Minister in the Congress-Tripura Upajati Juba Samity (TUJS) alliance
government between 1988 and 1993.
Eminent dramatist and theatre organiser Kartik Chandra Rath passed away at the age of 70 in Odisha
Kartik Chandra Rath,a veteran dramatist, theatre organiser and Economics teacher passed away at the age
of 70 in Cuttack, Odisha due to heart attack.
i. He was born in 1949 in Odisha .From his childhood he acted in Odia dramas and he also wrote plays.
ii. 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.
List of awards Kartik Chandra Rath received:
♦ Kendriya Sangeet Natak Akademi Award,
♦ Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and
♦ Odisha Sahitya Akademi Award
Popular Play:
♦ ‘Mansara Phula’ which fetched him 17 awards in 1978.
♦ ‘Jibana Yajna’ won the best play award at the All India Drama Competition.
Telangana secured top spot in eLearning Training for Field Staff
Telangana has secured the first rank for the second year in a row in the e-Learning training programme of
Department of Personal and Training (DoPT), Government of India. The training is being imparted to achieve the
goal of “training for all”.
i. Over 20, 000 field staff in different districts of Telangana was imparted training on 12 soft skills
modules and 3 domain-specific modules on RTI, Office Procedures, and Finance & Accounts, by Dr MCR HRD
Institute.
ii. The institute is also mentoring other states to spread the Comprehensive Online Modified Modules on
Induction Training (COMMIT) Programme as a national mission.
“Sahulat”, a mobile app launched to facilitate elderly voters in Jammu
On 3rd April 2019, an Android-based application named “Sahulat” was launched to facilitate and to encourage
the elder voters for participating in the elections in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district.
Key Points:
i. District Election Officer of Rajouri, Mohammad Aijaz Asad launched the application for the voters who are 90
years old or above.
ii. The app has been developed by the district unit of the National Informatics Centre.
iii. Through this application, the voters can request for the facilities like the provision of a wheelchair, vehicle
for transportation and any helper who will assist them during casting of the vote.
Former Miss India runner up Sana Dua has been designated as the brand ambassador for elections in J&K
On 3rd April 2019, Femina Miss India 2017 runner up Sana Dua has been appointed as
the brand ambassador of Jammu and Kashmir election department for general polls.
Key Points:
i. She is an advocate and an enthusiastic social activist.
ii. She was born in 1993 in Assam in a Sikh family.
iii. Also, she has been engaged in promoting girl child education and in “Save Water” campaign.
T B N Radhakrishnan to be new Chief Justice of Calcutta
On 4th April, 2019, Justice Thottathil Bhaskaran Nair Radhakrishnan sworn-in as the new Chief Justice of
Calcutta High Court. He was transferred from Telangana high court to Calcutta High court. He
succeeded Biswanath Somadde.

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Key points
i. West Bengal Governor K N Tripathi has administered the oath of office to Justice T B N Radhakrishnan in a
ceremony at the Calcutta high court.
ii. He was earlier the Chief Justice of the High Court of Hyderabad for the states of Telangana and Andhra
Pradesh.
Eminent Tamil scholar and orator Silamboli Su. Chellappan passed away at the age of 91 in
Thiruvanmiyur, Tamil Nadu
On 6th April 2019, Veteran Tamil Scholar and orator Silamboli Su. Chellappan passed away at the age of 91
in Thiruvanmiyur, Tamil Nadu.
Posts he hold earlier:
i. He was designated as the director of Tamil Development.
ii. He was the founder-director of World Tamil Research Centre.
iii. He was given the title as Silamboli by the Tamil scholar R.P.Sethupillai.
Some of his famous books are:
♦ Silamboli, Silapathikara Sinthanaigal, Sanga Ilakiya Thaen
‘Chennai Central’ has been renamed as ‘Puratchi Thalaivar Dr M G Ramachandran Chennai Central’ after
Dr. ‘MG Ramachandran’
Chennai Central railway station has been renamed by the Tamil Nadu State Government as Puratchi Thalaivar
Dr MG Ramachandran Central Railway Station after its late Chief Minister and founder of the Chennai’s
ruling govt All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Dr. MG Ramachandran.
Facts about Dr. MG Ramachandran
i. Dr. Marudur Gopalan Ramachandran (17 Jan 1917-24 Dec 1987) aka MG Ramachandran or ‘Makkal
Thilagam’ (since he was a popular figure) was a veteran filmmaker, actor and politician. He served for 10 years
as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (1977-1987).
ii. MG Ramachandran’s autobiography was posthumously published in 2003 (in two volumes) under the
title ‘Naan Yaen Piranthaen (Why I was Born)’.
iii. His policies focused on economic growth and social welfare. He brought in many educational reforms, banned
liquor, upgraded the mid-day-meal scheme and worked for the preservation for the state’s cultural heritage.
iv. For his immense contribution to public service, M G Ramachandran was posthumously honoured with Bharat
Ratna, the highest civilian award, by the Government of India in 1988.
v. MG Ramachandran was also awarded with honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Madras and the
World University Arizona in 1974.
Justice Pradeep Nandrajog appointed as the Chief justice of Bombay High Court
On 31st March 2019, Justice Pradeep Nandrajog was sworn in as the Chief Justice of Bombay high Court.
Priorly, he was serving as the Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court.
i. His oath was administered by Maharashtra Governor CH Vidyasagarrao at Raj Bhavan,Mumbai.
ii. He succeeds Justice Naresh Patel, who retired from his services.
iii. Justice Nandrajog,61 , was enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1981.
On 4th April 2019 Nagaland observed 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Kohima
The Nagaland government with representatives from the UK and Japan on 4th April, 2019 observed the 75th
anniversary of the Battle of Kohima. The theme of their speech was ‘Remembrance, Reconciliation and
Rebirth’.
i. Presently the three great democracies, Japan, India and UK commit to stand together to work for peace,
prosperity and face current challenges.
ii. In September 2017, during the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe‘s visit to India, the “India-Japan Act East
Forum” was signed to foster the development of the North-Eastern region in all sectors. It also provides platform

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for India-Japan collaboration under the banner of India’s “Act East Policy” and Japan’s “Free and Open Indo-
Pacific Strategy”.
Senior Dubbing Artist C R Anandavally passed away at the age of 65
C R Anandavally, an eminent Dubbing artist of Malayalam films who let her voice to several heroines passed
away due to her prolonged illness at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram on 5th April, 2019.
Key points
i. Anandavally was born in Kollam, Kerala and made a remarkable presence in the film industry by dubbing for
actress Rajasri in the film ‘Devi Kanyakumari’, Poornima Jayaram for the film ‘Manjil Virinja Pookkal’.
ii. She was also conferred with the Kerala state award for best dubbing artist for Aadharam in 1992.
Kannada writer B. A. Sanadi passed away aged 86
On 31st March 2019, Kannada poet Dr. B A Sanadi passed away at the age of 86 years at his residence near
Herevatta region of Kumta Taluka.
Key Points:
i. He was born on 18th August 1933 at Shindalli village of Belagavi district, Karnataka.
ii. He was honoured with several awards including Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award, Kavyananda
PuraskaraAward, Shreshta Horanada Kannadiga Award, Kannada
Rajyotsava Awards, S.N.Bhoosanuramata Award, Goruru Sahitya Award, Gurunarayana Award,
and Pampa award.
SC Collegium recommends Justice Vikram Nath as First Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh HC
On 10th April 2019, Allahabad High Court judge, Justice Vikram Nath appointed as the first Chief Justice of
new Andhra Pradesh High Court at Amaravati by the collegium of Supreme Court containing Chief Justice of
India Ranjan Gogoi and justice S A Bobde and justice N V Ramana.
ii. The new high court for Andhra Pradesh was established on 1 January 2019, following its creation, the High
Court has been guarded by Acting Chief Justice Chagari Praveen Kumar.
The M3 version of EVMs to be used in Nizamabad Lok Sabha and Likely To Enter Guinness Book with
Record EVMs
On 11th April 2019, The Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency in Telangana may enter in the Guinness World
Records for the maximum number of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) of M3 version used in the polling
booth.
Key Points:
i. Total of 12 EVMs in each polling station was linked to one control unit in each of the 1,778 polling centers.
ii. It became the first constituency in the country to witness polling with EVMs for a large number of
candidates (185 candidates).
iii.This new version of EVMs was developed by the Electronics Corp of India Ltd (ECIL) and Bharat
Electronics Ltd (BEL).
iv. The Nizamabad constituency has a little over 15.53 lakh voters including 3.73 lakh farmers.
v. This new M3 version EVMs, came after 2013, with a maximum capacity of 384 candidates including NOTA,
have additional features like Tamper Detection and Self Diagnostics.
Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Fauji’ Director, Colonel Raj Kapoor, Passes Away
On 10th April 2019,the Actor-cum-Director, Colonel Raj Kapoor,87, has passed away at a Hospital in Delhi due to
age-related issues. He directed Shah Rukh Khan’s television debut, Fauji. He produced many serials and
appeared in full-length and ad films.
i. He published a novel “When Shiva Smiles“a few years ago. He also had written an essay in Samar Khan’s book
titled “SRK – 25 Years of a Life“.
ii. He acted in the movie LahuKe Do Rang (1979).

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An autobiography of noted social worker Sankurathri Chandrasekhar, named ‘Ashakiranam,’ released
On 11th April 2019, ‘Ashakiranam’ (A Ray of Hope), an autobiography of noted social worker Sankurathri
Chandrasekhar, was released by Religious scholar Chaganti Koteswara Rao.
Key Point:
i. The autobiography was translated into Telugu by Godavarthi Satyamurthy and reviewed by the writer and
literary critic Vadrevu Veeralakshmi Devi.
Writer, Orator and Former Kerala Additional Chief Secretary D Babu Paul Passes Away
On 13th April 2019, Former additional chief secretary and writer Dr.Daniel Babu Paul,77, has passed away at a
hospital in Thiruvananthapuram due to a heart ailment. He was the author of the first Malayalam Bible
Dictionary ‘Veda SabdaRathnakaran’. In 2001,he published the autobiography ‘Katha Ithuvare’.
i. Paul was a member Ombudsman for local self-government institutions of Kerala during 2000-2001 and he is a
member of Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB).
ii. He had also worked as the Vice Chancellor of Kerala University, Chairman, Transport Commissioner, Finance
Secretary and Cochin Port Trust.
Rongali Bihu festival celebrated in Assam
On 14th April 2019, Assam’s most awaited festival – the Rongali Bihu, also known as ‘Bohaag Bihu’ which marks
the beginning of the new Assamese calendar year started.
Key Points:
i. Assam celebrates major agricultural events as the festival of Bihu. In Assam, three Bihu festivals are
celebrated in a year called as Rongali Bihu or Bohag Bihu, Bhugali (Magh Bihu) and Kangali (Kati Bihu) for
marking the distinctive phase in the farming calendar.
ii. People celebrate this festival by performing traditional Bihu dance in the form of husori which is one of the
kinds of Bihu dance form in which a group of Bihu dancers visited households to perform the dance to seek
blessings from the elder.
iii. This festival is observed at almost the same time as Baisakhi in Punjab, Poila Baisakh in
Bengal, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu and Vishu in Kerala this year.
To ensure good menstrual health, Project Kannamma initiated by Rotary Club of Madras North
Project Kannamma is an initiative by Rotary Club of Madras North to provide biodegradable sanitary napkins
under the brand name, “Aavaram” to the girl students in government schools of Tamil Nadu.
Other Highlights of the Project:
i. This initiative was first started in August 2018, by giving free sanitary napkin to 82 students of a government
school in Uthandi of Tamil Nadu.
ii. The Irula Tribal Women’s Welfare Society (ITWWS) provided sanitary napkins to the students.
iii. ITWWS community women produce 1000 pads per day. They use Arunachalam Muruganantham
machines.
iv. The Sanitary napkins are prepared with natural raw materials like cotton and wood pulp. It cost only Rs
22which contains six packs.
v. Till present, 300 students from across government schools in and around Chennai have got free sanitary
napkins.
vi. This project is also providing a livelihood to the Irula Tribal Women. It can provide livelihood to 12 tribal
families if they are selling 15,000 pads per month.
Actor and former MP of Ramanathapuram: JK Ritheesh passed away due to cardiac arrest
On 13th April, 2019, 46 years old JK Ritheesh, actor and former Member of Parliament (MP)
of Ramanathapurampassed away due to cardiac arrest.
i. Until before his demise, JK Ritheesh was with AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) party,
which he joined in 2014 after quitting DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) party.

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ii. While in DMK, JK Ritheesh became an MP from Ramanathapuram during Lok Sabha Elections of 2009.
iii. As an actor, JK Ritheesh was last seen playing a role in RJ Balaji’s political satire named ‘LKG‘.
iv. He was born in Kandy, Sri Lanka, after which in 1976, Ritheesh migrated to Rameswaram.
v. His first film was Kaanal Neer (directed by Chinni Jayanth).
On 15th April, 2019: the 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. He then inspected a parade led by Shakti Singh, the Parade Commander Deputy Superintendent of Police,
in which contingents of state police, home guards, NCC cadets, Bharat Scouts and Guides participated.
i. Himachal Day or Himachal Pradesh Statehood Day is celebrated as a public holiday to commemorate
the creation of Himachal Pradesh.
ii. After the independence from British rule in 1947, Himachal Pradesh was created as a province on 15 April
1948.
iii. Before India’s independence, Himachal Pradesh was divided into regions, namely, Chamba, Mandi, Shimla etc,
after which in 1948, the state was declared as a union territory.
iv. The union territory was declared as a separate state again in 1970. On 25th January 1971, it became
the 18thstate of India with Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar as its first chief minister.
West Bengal celebrated Bengali New Year on 15th April
On 15th April 2019, Bengali New Year also known as Pahela Baishakh was celebrated in West Bengal and
among Bengali communities in Assam, Tripura and also in Bangladesh.
Key Points:
i. The festival usually falls on 14 April every year which marks the first day of the initial month of Baishakh of
the Bengali solar calendar.
ii. The 7th century King Shashanka of ancient Bengal started this Bengali era which was estimated to be in 594
AD in Gregorian calendar and it was later modified by Mughal emperor Akbar for the purpose of tax collection.
iii. On this day, the Bengali business community opens new books of accounts known as Halkhata to mark the
beginning of the new accounting year.
iv. In 2016, UNESCO declared this festival as “cultural heritage of humanity”.
MHA (the 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.
The Home Ministry’s approval came after a no objection notice from the Geographical Survey of India (GSI), the
Department of Post, the Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
ECI appointed Bihar Ex CEO AjayV Nayak as Special Observer for West Bengal
On 16th April 2019, Ajay V Nayak, The Election Commission has appointed Ajay V Nayak, ex-Bihar chief electoral
officer, as the Special Observer for West Bengal.The first phase polls held in April 11 in Cooch Behar and
Alipurpur constituencies. Polls in the remaining 40 constituencies will be held in six phases.
i. Earlier, The Election Commission of India has named Vivek Dubey, 1981 batch IPS officer, as the Special Police
Observer of West Bengal.
About 2019 Indian general election :
Total constituency: 545 (543 elected members + 2 Anglo Indian members nominated by President of India )
Election Period: 11 April to 19 May 2019
Vote counting Day : 23 May
Term Limits : 5 years

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Former Chief Secretary of Gujarat H K Khan passed away
On 20th April 2019, veteran IAS officer and former Chief Secretary of Gujarat H K Khan passed away.
Key Points:
i. He served as an IAS officer in the Gujarat cadre for nearly three decades and was the Chief Secretary of
Gujarat from 1990 to 1992.
ii. For his outstanding administrative skill he made an incredible contribution towards the growth of
Gujarat.
iii. After his retirement, he worked a trusted advisor to the state government as well as too many private
enterprises.
Sahitya Akademi honours Veteran authors from Chandigarh
On 20th April 2019, The Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi (CSA) honored veteran authors from Chandigarh at Punjab
Kala Bhawan. Former president of the National Sahitya Akademi Prof Vishwanath Prasad Tewari conferred
awards to the writers in different segments in English, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, and Sanskrit by presenting them a
citation, a shawl and a cash prize of Rs 51,000 each.
i. Five writers, Dr Chaman Ahuja (Urdu), Dr Om Prakash Vasishta (Punjabi), Professor Tejwant Singh
Gill (English), Dr Prasoon Prasad (Hindi) and Professor Virender Kumar Alankar (Sanskrit) were given the
award of recognition for their lifelong contribution in the field of literature.
ii. Other Awards are:
Best Book Award in English (Novel ) – Masha Kaur
Best Book Award in Hindi (Novel)- Shashi Prabha
Best Book Award (Poetry)-Amarjeet Amar
Best story -Pragya Sharda
Best children’s literature – Anita Surbhi
Best Translation – Jang Bahadur Goyal
Best children’s literature (Punjabi)-Daljit Kaur Saini
Best Book Award in Punjabi (Novel)- Narender Pal Singh Komal
Best Book Award in Punjabi (Poetry) -Subhash Sharma
Best Translation in Punjabi -Arvinder Johal
Best Book Award in Urdu (Poetry)- Professor S S Bhatti
Ex-Deputy Poll Commissioner selected as Special Observer for Tripura
On 22nd April 2019, Former deputy election commissioner Vinod Zutshi has been appointed as special observer
for Tripura. The Election Commission (EC) had postponed polling in the Tripura (East) Lok Sabha seat to the
third phase on 23rd April from 18th April, due to law and order situation.
Key Points:
i. He was one of the special observers appointed by the Election Commission (EC) to ascertain when the
assembly elections in Jammu and Kasmir can be held.
ii. Vinod Zutshi, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of 1982 batch, served as the Secretary, Ministry of
Tourism, Govt. of India from 2015 to 2017.
S Muthiah, Master chronicler of Madras, dies aged 89
On 20th April 2019, Renowned Journalist-writer Subbiah Muthiahpassed away at the age of 89 in Chennai due to
age-related illnesses. He was born in 1930 in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu and attended school in
Colombo.
Key Points:
i. In 1981, Muthiah published a book about heritage and history of Madras named ‘Madras Discovered’.And also
he was best known for the Book ‘Madras Rediscovered’. He was also the founder of the fortnightly
newspaper Madras Musings and Madras Book Club.

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ii. He was conferred the’ Most Excellent Order of the British Empire’ in 2002.
iii. He was noted for his popular column in The Hindu, called ‘Madras Miscellany’.
Calcutta Sports Journalists’ club annual awards 2019
On 23rd April 2019,Jhulan Goswami,former captain of India national women’s cricket team, awarded
the “Sportsperson of the Year” honor at the Calcutta Sports Journalists’ club (CSJC) annual awards function
2019 held at Kolkata, West Bengal while Sukumar Samajpati, former India winger and Sambaran Banerjee,
former national selector and Bengal’s Ranji Trophy winning captain honoured ‘Lifetime Achievement’ awards.
The other award winners:
Special award (bridge) – Shibnath De Sarkar and Pranab Bardhan
Special award (kabaddi) – Payel Chowdhury
Promising Sportsperson of the Year- NeelashSaha.
State awards:
Best cricketer – Tanusree Sarkar
Best footballer- Pritam Kotal
Best athlete- Lily Das
Best chess player- Utsab Chatterjee
Best TT player- Krittwika Sinha Roy.
Ace paddler Sharath Kamal wins sportsperson of year award 2019
On 27th April 2019, Sharath Kamal, Ace table tennis player was titled Sportsperson of the Year Award 2019 at
the annual awards and scholarships function organised by the Tamil Nadu Sports Journalists’ Association
(TNSJA) and the India Cements in Chennai. Stephen Fleming, CSK (Chennai Super Kings) coach, Mike Hussey,
and CSK CEO K S Viswanathan were present in the function.
i. Ten up-and-coming sportspersons were also given scholarships to the tune of Rs 3 lakh.
ii. TNSJA Lifetime Achievement awardees: Vijay Amritraj (Indian tennis player), V V Kumar ( former India leg-
spinner), R Gnanasekaran(Asian Games gold medallist (200m).
iii. Coach of the year: R B RAMESH (chess coach)
iv. India Cements -TNSJA Team of the year 2018-19: Tamil Nadu Women’s Football team.
v. India Cements -TNSJA Young Achiever of the year 2018-19 : P M Tabitha( athlete)
vi. India Cements -TNSJA Young Achiever of the year 2018-19: D.Gukesh (world’s second youngest Grand
Master).
Meghalaya Cabinet approved for the creation of Directorate of Dairy Development
On 29th April 2019, The Meghalaya Cabinet approved the proposal for the creation of a new Directorate of
Dairy Development to boost the milk production.
Key Points:
i. The state government had launched the Meghalaya Milk Mission and sanctioned Rs 215 crore through the
National Cooperative Development Corporation
ii. For creating the post of director, the government would spend additionally Rs 12 lakh a year.
iii. The Cabinet has also approved a proposal for enhancing the grant-in-aid to 15 secondary schools in the state.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Australia launched 7 Nation Military exercise in Indian Ocean
Australia is conducting 7 nation Indian Ocean military exercise along with Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia,
Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore. Australia sent 4 Naval Ships and one military aircraft along with
1000 security personnel making it one the biggest military exercise.

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Key Points
i. The exercise is aimed to counter the growing Chinese influence in the India Ocean.
ii. The Australian forces started the exercise from Sri Lanka and reached India on 26th March 2019. After India,
Australian forces moved to other participating nations and will return after two and half months.
Japan has unveiled its New Imperial Era name called “Reiwa”
Following the 1400 years old tradition, Japan’s government has unveiled an New Imperial Era
named “Reiwa” or “pursuing harmony” for soon-to-be Emperor Naruhito. The new era to begin on May 1 will
succeed the “Heisei” era (1989-2019) of Emperor Akihito.
Key Points
i. The term for the new era consists two characters Rei and Wa. Rei means “commands” or “order” and Wa
means “auspicious” or “good”.
ii. The names change occurs when a new emperor takes the throne.
Related Points:
• There have been four eras in Japan’s modern history viz. Meiji era (1868-1912), Taisho era (1912-
1926), Heisei era (1989-2019) and now Reiwa era.
• The Emperor of Japan is the head of the Imperial Family and the head of state of Japan.
• Presently, the Emperor of Japan is the only head of state in the world with the English title of “Emperor”.
To build disaster-resilient infrastructure in Asia, around $1.7 trillion needed per year: ADB
On 6th April 2019, According to a recent Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) report titled ‘Asian Development
Outlook 2019: Strengthening Disaster Resilience’, around 26 trillion dollars from 2016 to 2030, or 1.7
trillion dollars investment needed per year to build disaster-resilient infrastructure in Asia.
Key Points:
i. This is because Developing economies across Asia are among the most vulnerable to natural disasters and have
suffered damages of around 644 billion dollars since 2000.
ii. Of these, approx 507 billion dollars wasted for weather-related hazards while the remaining 137 billion
dollars wasted for geophysical hazards.
iii. Economic damage from tropical cyclones in not so wealthy countries which are the members of
the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) was forecast to be doubled or
trebled by 2100.
India, Sri Lanka agree to Strengthen Bond in Security and Defence Spheres
India and Sri Lanka have agreed to enhance collaboration in security and defence spheres in several fields,
including regional security, controlling drug smuggling and human trafficking.
i. Defence Secretary of India Sanjay Mitra and Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena‘s meeting
in Colomboresulted in this agreement.
ii. Sirisena requested to expand the number of trainers from India and Defence Secretary agreed to look into the
probability of intensifying training facilities.
London becomes first city to implement 24×7 pollution charge zone
On 8th April, 2019, London became the first city in the world to implement a Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ)
for 24×7 hours a week, inside which vehicles will have to meet tough emissions standards.
Key points:
i. This zone aims to reduce toxic air pollution and protect public health.
ii. Motorists who drive into the zone in a vehicle that does not meet the new emission standard will have to pay a
daily charge.

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Google’s Wing launches its first Commercial drone delivery service in Australia
Alphabet, Google’s parent company, launched its first commercial drone service through its Wing subsidiary
in Canberra, Australia after the country’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), granted it regulatory
approval.
i. The drones will deliver coffee, food, and over-the-counter medicines directly to clients’ homes using a
connected smartphone app.
ii. In the primary stage, Wing is coupling with Australian retailers including Capital Chemist, Drummond Golf,
Pure Gelato, KickstartExpresso, Bakers Delight, Jasper + Myrtle, and Guzman Y Gomez.
iii. Drones will not be permitted to fly over main roads and it has a specific timetable.
British Government’s ‘white paper’ named ‘online harms’ draws focus to users’ (mostly children’s) safety
The British government has published an “online harms white paper” which is open for public consultation (till
July) focuses to make online social media platforms responsible to safeguard users, especially children. It is a
joint proposal from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Home Office.
i. Since all of the social media platforms use strong algorithms leading to echo-chambers, where a user is
bombarded with only blinkered content (according to the user’s web-browsing) instead of multi-directional
content (i.e. seeing a variety of voices and opinions), all of which can affect children’s brain; the white paper
proposes the compulsory ‘duty of care’ on various social media platforms for taking reasonable steps to
protect users (focusing on children) from getting harmed.
Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu headed to Fifth Term as Prime Minister
On 10th April, 2019, Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to head a historic 5th term as Israel’s prime minister with
close-to-complete unofficial election results giving his right-wing Likud and other nationalist and religious
parties a solid majority in parliament.
Key points
i. The results have dimmed hopes of a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
ii. With 97.4% of the vote counted, Likud and its traditional political allies were in command of a 65-55 majority
in parliament.
First-ever global coalition launched for clean cooling
The 1st ever of global coalition on clean and efficient cooling was launched at First Global Conference on
Synergies between the 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Key points
i. This coalition is aim to identify solutions and mobilise action to accelerate progress towards clean and efficient
cooling.
ii. Global Cool coalition was supported by the UN, Climate and Clean Air Coalition, the Kigali Cooling Efficiency
Program and Sustainable Energy for All.
India’s Haj Quota increased to 2 lakh by Saudi Arabia
On 19th April 2019, India’s Haj Quota has been increased by about 25,000, raising the number to 2 lakh from
1.75 lakh by Saudi Arabia.
Key Points:
i. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gave the assurance to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a
meeting in February.
ii. This will help the huge number of the pilgrim of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and Bihar to
embark pilgrimage this year.
Also, total 2,340 Muslim women from India will go for Haj without ‘Mehram’ or male companion.
iii. This year, the GST on Haj pilgrimage has been reduced from 18 percent to 5 percent which will ensure that
about Rs 113 crore will be saved by pilgrims during the 2019 Haj.

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Amartya Sen Chairs at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) for research on
inequality
On 19th April 2019, To honor the Indian Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, the London School of Economics and
Political Science (LSE) has created the Amartya Sen Chair in Inequality Studies. He was a Professor of
Economics at LSE from 1971-82.
.Key Points:
i. He will also serve as the director of the LSE International Inequalities Institute, focused on studying and
challenging some of the most pressing issues. The Institute is a living embodiment of the School’s enduring
commitment regarding the improvement of society through research, education and public engagement.
ii. The chair, along with Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity (AFSEE), will benefit from a
significant investment by Atlantic Philanthropies for harnessing the power of research and social change
initiatives to further global equity.
iii. He won the Nobel Prize in Economic sciences in 1998 and honoured with Bharat Ratna in 1999.
iv. He was born on 3rd November 1933 in Manikganj, Bangladesh.
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 Mohammad Fachir.
i. Indonesian sculptor Padmashri Bapak Nyoman Nuart designed the stamp and it features a scene from Hindu
epic Ramayana in which Jatayu valiantly fought to save Sita.
ii. A specially signed version of the stamp will be on display at the philately museum, jakarta.
India to be Guest of Honour country at 29th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair
On 24th April 2019, the 29th edition of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF) started and will
conclude on 30th April at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. India has been nominated as the “Guest of
Honour”country which reflects the strong relations between the leadership and the people of the UAE and India.
Key Points:
i. The fair will involve over 1000 participants from more than 50 countries and 30 publishing houses from India
are taking part in the fair. The fair aims to highlight the UAE’s rich heritage, showcase its authenticity, and
cultural.
ii. Navdeep Suri, Indian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched his book, “Inked in Blood
and Spirit of Freedom” which is the English translation of poem ‘Khooni Baisakhi’ on Jallianwala Bagh
massacre.
iii. Also, books on the life and struggle of Mahatma Gandhi is on display as a special focus as part of the 150th
birth anniversary celebrations.
Kazakhstan, under the chairmanship of its Prime Minister Askar Mamin sets up coordinating council to
attract investments
Kazakhstan under the chairmanship of it’s Prime Minister, Askar Mamin has set up Coordinating Council for
attracting foreign investments inclusive of investments from India.
Under Askar Mamin, a decision was taken to lay down the functions of Investment Ombudsman in order to
venture for new approaches to improve investment scenario in Kazakhstan by efficiently interacting with the
investors and providing solutions to current issues.
i. The requirement for such task is to increase the volume of investment in fixed assets in the medium term
to 30% of (Gross Domestic Product) GDP of the nation and the primary driver should be foreign direct
investment (FDI).
ii. The meeting chose the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) as a Unified Centre for the
coordination of work on investment and promotion (Regional Investment Hub).
iii. In the meeting, the government-owned a stake in Kazakh Invest, national joint stock company was decided

21 | P a g e
to be passed into confidential management of the AIFC.
iv. The AIFC platform presently has the necessary infrastructure, including the AIFC Court, International
Arbitration Centre, the AIFC Exchange, the Expat Centre. The AIFC was founded in 2018 with its headquarters in
Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. It’s governor is Kairat Kelimbetov.
Iran in collaboration with Pakistan have agreed to set up joint border ‘Reaction Force’ to fight terrorism
Iranian President Hassan Rohani and visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan have agreed for setting up a
joint border ‘Reaction Force‘ to combat the attacks by militant groups on both sides their frontier.
i. The Iran-Pakistan border encompasses the south-eastern Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchestan (the second
largest province of Iran with its capital Zahedan) where frequent attacks on Iran’s security forces have taken
place.
ii. Since Iran-Pakistan relations had gone downhill with both the nations accusing each other for not taking
enough steps to eradicate militants, they have decided to collaborate to form a joint quick reaction force by
increasing cooperation between border forces and intelligence agencies.
WHO issued Guidelines on Use of Screen for kids under 5
On 24th April 2019, With an aim to develop healthy youths, the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued
recommendations on the use of sedentary screen which includes watching television or videos and playing
computer games for children under 5-year-old. This is the first such guidelines which are released by the United
Nations Agency.
WHO Guidelines:
i. The recommendations suggest that infants less than one-year-old should not be exposed to electronic screens
at all and Children under 5 year should not be allowed more than one hour of “sedentary screen time” per day.
ii. The guideline underlines the significance of Healthy physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep habits in
early life that moulds them into an active adult.
iii. Parents must be assured that under 5 years old should be physically active get adequate sleep to help develop
good lifelong habits and prevent obesity and other diseases in later life.
iv.The guidelines are designed to reduce inactive behaviour and thereby overcome obesity, overweight, diabetes,
hypertension and some forms of cancer.
v. Kids between the age of 1 and 3 should spend 3 hours a day doing physical activity.
UAE based Etihad Airways becomes first major airline to operate plastic-free flight
Recently, 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.
i.Etihad Airways has pledged to reduce single-use plastic usage by 80 percent across the entire organization by
the end of 2022 and this EY484 flight is a part of this pledge.
IIM-Bangalore became only Indian institute to feature in QS EMBA Rankings 2019
On 23rd April 2019, The Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore’s (IIM-B) post-graduate programme in
Enterprise Management (PGPEM) has secured the 12th rank in APAC (Asia Pacific) listing and
came 61st globally in the QS Executive MBA Rankings 2019.
Key Points:
i. With this, it became the only Indian B-school to secure a place among the top 100 B-Schools across the world.
ii. This Ranking uses parameters such as leadership, executive profile, diversity, career outcomes, etc to mark the
world’s best universities.
iii. IIM-B also ranked first under the Management category in the National Institutional Ranking Framework
(NIRF) Rankings 2019.

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UN adopted resolution on Sexual-Violence condemning rape as a weapon of war
The German-sponsored resolution 2467 (2019), on sexual violence, was adopted by United Nations Security
Council (UNSC) condemning rape as a weapon of war after 13 out of 15 members have voted in favour of the
resolution while Russia and China abstain from voting.
i. The resolution was adopted only after language on a woman’s right to “reproductive health” was removed from
the draft to avert a veto by the anti-abortion US administration.
Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un hold first-ever talks in Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hold first-ever talks at the Eastern
Federal University Campus on Russky Island in the far eastern Russian Pacific port city of Vladivostok. The aim
of this meeting is to break the deadlock over North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme.
i. The meet was a part of Six-party talks on North Korean de-nuclearization, that started back in 2003 involving
China, Japan, Russia, the US along with North Korea and South Korea. The last round of such talks took place in
2007.
Qatar’s to abolish Exit Visa system by 2019: UN
On 26th April 2019, UN’s International Labour Organization (ILO) 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.
i. Qatar has launched labour reforms since its selection as the 2022 World Cup host, with the event set in motion
a huge construction plan employing foreign workers.
ii. In 2018, Qatar approved legislation to dismiss the sponsorship system or “kafala”, which claimed that
foreign workers obtain permission from their employers to leave the country.
iii. Qatar has introduced a monthly minimum wage of 750 riyals ($206) and agreed to work closely with the
International Labour Organization (ILO).
The BCIM Corridor Linking India And Myanmar Is No Longer Under The BRI Coverage Framework
• The report titled, ‘The Belt and Road Initiative Progress, Contributions and Prospects’ released by
the Leading Group for Promoting the Belt and Road Initiative had previously listed the BCIM as a BRI
project. But, owing to the fact that India had skipped the Belt and Road Forum (BRF), the Bangladesh-China-
India-Myanmar (BCIM) economic corridor ran the possibility to be excluded from the list of projects under
the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) umbrella.
• The BCIM corridor ranging 2800 km would provide linkage between Kunming in China’s Yunnan province
and Kolkata after passing though areas, namely, Mandalay (in Central Myanmar) and Dhaka before
proceeding to Kolkata
The report titled, ‘The Belt and Road Initiative Progress, Contributions and Prospects’ released by
the Leading Group for Promoting the Belt and Road Initiative had previously listed the BCIM as a BRI project.
But, owing to the fact that India had skipped the Belt and Road Forum (BRF), the Bangladesh-China-India-
Myanmar (BCIM) economic corridor ran the possibility to be excluded from the list of projects under the Belt and
Road Initiative (BRI) umbrella.
i. The BRI is a major initiative speared by China to reconstruct the ancient Silk Road connectivity across Eurasia
and Africa.
ii. This has come to limelight after a document attached with the Joint Communique of the Leaders’ Roundtable
of the BRF that concluded in Beijing, the website did not list the BCIM as a project under the BRI.
iii. South Asia is covered by 3 main undertakings, namely:
• the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC)
• the Nepal-China Trans-Himalayan Multi-dimensional Connectivity Network, inclusive of the Nepal-China
cross-border railway
• the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

23 | P a g e
iv. For the 2nd time, India did not participate in the BRF since the CPEC passes through Pakistan occupied
Kashmir (PoK).
v. The BCIM corridor ranging 2800 km would provide linkage between Kunming in China’s Yunnan province and
Kolkata after passing though areas, namely, Mandalay (in Central Myanmar) and Dhaka before proceeding to
Kolkata.
vi. The BRI had got a high octane boost when Myanmar partnered with China to establish the CMEC, in
September 2018.
vii. The CMEC will run from Yunnan Province of China to Mandalay to Yangon (this was previously Myanmar’s
capital) before ending its path at the Kyaukpyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the Bay of Bengal. The CMEC
will possibly decrease Beijing’s trade and energy reliance on the Malacca straits (Malacca straits links the Indian
Ocean with the Pacific Ocean), thus threatening one of China’s major economic lifelines.
viii. In August 2018, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) opened a new centre in Yangon and
helped in the funding of some of the CMEC driven projects.
VISITS
Indian Visits
Prime Minister of Republic of Guinea visited India
Prime Minister of Guinea, Dr Ibrahima Kassory Fofana arrived in New Delhi along with his delegation on
16thMarch 2019 and met Indian President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President, Shri Venkaiah Naidu to
improve the bilateral ties between India and Guinea.
Key Points
i. Dr Ibrahima Kassory Fofana addressed the inaugural session of the 14th CII-EXIM Bank conclave on India-
Africa Project Partnership held New Delhi.
ii. India is one of the top trading partners of Guinea and India-Guinea bilateral ties was around 900 million US
Dollars in 2017-18.
Foreign Visits
Ram Nath Kovind’s 3-Day Visit To Bolivia
President Ram Nath Kovind was on a visit of Bolivia from 28th to 30th March, 2019. He reached Santa Cruz,
Bolivia on the second leg of his three nation visit to Croatia, Bolivia and Chile. This is the first visit by an Indian
President to Bolivia.
Ram Nath Kovind adressed the Bolivia-India Business Forum
• President Ram Nath Kovind addressed Bolivia-India Business Forum in Santa Cruz, Bolivia on March
29, 2019. Both the countries have committed to strengthen business ties.
• The forum delegated about the Indian companies of different sectors to connect with Bolivian Commerce
and Industry, to create new corridors of growth and prosperity. Both the countries agreed to complement
each other in the mutual quest for growth and prosperity.
India offered US $100 Million to Bolivia for Financial development
• India has offered US $100 million Line of Credit to Bolivia after Ram Nath Kovind held productive talks
with his Bolivian counterpart Evo Morales regarding a number of bilateral issues such as economy, space
and IT.
• Both the leaders have also committed to strengthen political and economic engagement. The amount will
be offered to enhance financing development projects.
India and Bolivia sign 8 MoUs in Various Fields
During Ram Nath Kovind’s visit to Bolivia, India and Bolivia have signed 8 MoUs. These MoUs were signed in
the fields of culture, mining, Visa waiver arrangement for diplomats, the exchange between diplomatic

24 | P a g e
academies, space, traditional medicine, establishment of Centre of Excellence in IT and Bi-Oceanic Railway
project.
India leverages its way to Bolivian Lithium Reserves
• India has gained its access to Bolivian Lithium reserves after signing a MoU in Bolivia for development
and industrial use of lithium which is a prime component used to power electric vehicles and cell
phones.
• Both the countries have collaborated to facilitate Bolivian supplies of lithium Carbonate to India and
foster joint ventures for lithium battery or cell production plants in India.
Bolivia joins International Solar Alliance
• Bolivia has signed the agreement to join the International Solar Alliance. The main motive behind this
is to establish a coalition of solar resource-rich countries to address the identified gaps in their energy
requirements through a common approach.
• India, with a target to produce 100 GW of solar energy by 2022, would account for a tenth of ISA’s goal.
India, Bolivia call for Finalisation of CCIT
• India and Bolivia have called for an early finalisation of Comprehensive Convention on International
Terrorism (CCIT) in the wake of growing threats and acts of terrorism across the world. Bolivian
President Evo Morales has strongly condemned Pulwama attack and denounced cross border terrorism.
• The Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism is a proposed treaty which intends to
criminalize all forms of international terrorism and their financiers and supporters.
President Ram Nath Kovind conferred with Highest State Honour of Bolivia
President of Bolivia, Evo Morales Ayma honoured Ram Nath Kovind with the highest State Honour of
Bolivia “Condor de Los Andes en el Grado de Gran Collar” in Santa Cruz.
President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the plaque of Mahatma Gandhi Hall
A Plaque of Mahatma Gandhi Hall was inaugurated by the President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind at the Gabriel
Rene Moreno University in Santa Cruz.
President Ram Nath Kovind meets Bolivian President, Evo Morales Ayma
On 29th March 2019, Ram Nath Kovind met his Bolivian Counterpart Evo Morales Ayma and discussed issues of
mutual interest and cooperation. Both the countries denounce terrorism and ensure that necessary steps will be
taken to weed out terrorism.
President met Indian Community in Bolivia
• On 30th March 2019, President Ram Nath Kovind met Indian Community at Santa Cruz in Bolivia and
praised the India diaspora for preserving India’s culture in Bolivia.
• President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind presented Punjab’s Phulkari embroidery to President of
Bolivia, Evo Morales Ayma during his second leg of visit to Bolivia.
President Ram Nath Kovind visit to Chile
President Shri Ram Nath Kovind, reached Santiago, Chile in the evening of 30th March, 2019. This was the final
leg of his visit to three nations – Croatia, Bolivia and Chile.
• Ram Nath Kovind addressed India-Chile Business Forum
• India and Chile agreed to strengthen global response to defeat terrorism
• Ram Nath Kovind visited Pablo Neruda Museum
• Ram Nath Kovind reviewed Guard of Honour
President Shri Ram Nath Kovind, reached Santiago, Chile in the evening of 30th March, 2019. This was the final
leg of his visit to three nations – Croatia, Bolivia and Chile.
Bilateral talks between India and Chile
• President Ram Nath Kovind held bilateral talks with his Chilean counterpart Sebastian Pinera at Santiago and
discussed issues of mutual interest. During bilateral talks, Chile announced that it will allow visa-free entry to
Indian nationals holding a valid visa of the United States of America.
• Both the countries agreed to promote both cultural and business ties between the two countries.

25 | P a g e
Ram Nath Kovind addressed India-Chile Business Forum
Ram Nath Kovind has addressed the India-Chile Business Forum in Santiago. Both the countries agreed to work
together to expand their trade basket and open new pathways for economic engagement in areas such as marine
research and other scientific exploration. India has been keen to strengthen its collaboration with Chile in the
space sector.
India and Chile signed 3 MoUs
• On 1st April, President Ram Nath Kovind discussed wide-ranging issues of mutual interest with his Chilean
counterpart Sebastian Pinera and both sides signed 3 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) in the fields
of mining, culture and empowerment of persons with disabilities.
• These MoUs will further enhance engagement in economic, social and cultural fields between the two
countries.
India and Chile agreed to strengthen global response to defeat terrorism
• As President Ram Nath Kovind held wide ranging discussions with his Chilean counterpart on matters of
mutual interest, including cooperation in defence sector, India and Chile have collaborated to work together
to enhance the global response to defeat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
• Both the countries have emphasized the need for stronger international partnership in countering terrorism
and extremism
Ram Nath Kovind addressed Students at University of Chile On Gandhi’s Life
• President Ram Nath Kovind has addressed students and faculty of the University of Chile in Santiago on the
topic of “Gandhi for the Young” during his speech,
• Ram Nath Kovind stated that Gandhi, also known as the ‘Father of the Nation’ in India, carried his concept of
universal love to teach how to live in harmony with nature. He stated everything about Gandhi’s struggle
during India’s freedom.
Ram Nath Kovind visited Pablo Neruda Museum
• President Ram Nath Kovind has visited Pablo Neruda Museum in Santiago that houses literary works and
art collections of Pablo Neruda, a renowned Chilean poet and writer.
• He appreciated literary and art collections of Chilean Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda. He has also gifted a
fountain pen to Museum in recognition of Neruda’s fondness for fountain pen.
Ram Nath Kovind paid Floral Tribute to Mahatma Gandhi in Chile
President Ram Nath Kovind has paid Floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Gandhi’s statue at Plaza de la India in
Santiago. It was to commemorate Gandhiji’s 150th birth anniversary. Ram Nath Kovind has also announced an
assistance of US $ 53,000 for the beautification of the area where Mahatma Gandhi’s statue is located.
Ram Nath Kovind reviewed Guard of Honour
Ram Nath Kovind has reviewed the Guard of Honour along with his Chilean counterpart, Sebastian Pinera by
the Guard commander at the Presidential Palace ‘La Moneda’in Santiago, Chile on 1st April, 2019.
Ram Nath Kovind visited Cape Town to address Indian Community
• Ram Nath Kovind arrived in Cape Town, South Africa on a transit halt after a three-nation tour on 2nd
April to address the Indian community here.
• He paid tribute to the Mahatma and his ideas of peace and non-violence on this occasion, as it was natural to
be reminded of the role South Africa played in his journey from Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi to Mahatma
Gandhi. He also paid tribute to Nelson Mandela at the Robin Island on 3rd April.

26 | P a g e
BANKING & FINANCE
RBI in News
RBI sets WMA Limit for Government at Rs 75000 crore for the first half of the FY 2019-20
• The Reserve Bank of India has set the limits for Ways and Means Advances (WMA) to Rs. 75000 crore for
the first half of the financial year 2019-20 (April 2019 to September 2019).
• As and when the government of India utilises 75% of the WMA limit, the central bank would activate fresh
floatation of market loans.
• The rate of interest issued on the Ways and Means Advances (WMA) will be Repo Rate while the overdraft
will exceed the Repo Rate by flat 2%. The WMA needs to be vacated after 90 days.
• What is Ways and Means advances (WMA)?
Ways and Means advances, guided under Section 17(5) of the RBI Act, 1934 are temporary loan facilities or
overdrafts that are extended to the government (both central and the state) by the central bank of India
The Reserve Bank of India has set the limits for Ways and Means Advances (WMA) to Rs. 75000 crore for the
first half of the financial year 2019-20.
• As and when the government of India utilises 75% of the WMA limit, the central bank would activate
fresh floatation of market loans.
• The rate of interest issued on the Ways and Means Advances (WMA) will be Repo Rate while the
overdraft will exceed the Repo Rate by flat 2%. The WMA needs to be vacated after 90 days.
• Based on an objective framework, the RBI retains the flexibility to alter the WMA limit in future after
consultation with the Indian Government.
What is Ways and Means advances (WMA)?
Ways and Means advances, guided under Section 17(5) of the RBI Act, 1934 are temporary loan facilities or
overdrafts that are extended to the government (both central and the state) by the central bank of India.
i. The WMA helps the government to sail through the times of temporary discrepancies in the cash flow of the
expenditure and receipts.
ii. The WMA scheme was introduced in 1997.
iii. There are 2 types of WMA. The RBI has limits for WMA for each individual state. This limit is in multiples of
the minimum balance that the RBI needs to maintain with that state. The 2 types of WMA are listed as follows:
• Normal WMA: Normal WMA are clean advances.
• Special WMA: Special WMA are secured advances that are provided against the collateral of the central
government’s securities held by the state government.
What is Repo Rate?
Repo Rate is the rate that the RBI sets for lending money to commercial banks during the shortage of funds or
cash crunch. It is used by the Reserve Bank of India to keep a check on inflation.
First Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement for 2019-20-RBI cuts repo rate by 25 basis points
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.
KeyPoints:
i. RBI has reduced 0.25 basis points in the Policy Rates under liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) with
immediate effect.The Change in Policy rates are as follows:
Policy Rates 1st Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy 2019-
2020(Apr-2019)
6th Bi-Monthly Monetary
Policy(Feb 2019)
Repo Rate 6.00 % 6.25%
Reverse Repo Rate 5.75 % 6.00%
Marginal Standing 6.25 % 6.50%

27 | P a g e
Facility Rate
Bank Rate 6.25 % 6.50%
Reserve Ratios 1st Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy 2019-
2020(Apr 2019)
6th Bi-Monthly Monetary
Policy(Feb 2019)
Cash Reserve
Ratio(CRR)
4% 4%
Statutory Liquidity
Ratio(SLR)
19.25% 19.25%
ii. RBI projected the GDP growth forecast of India for the current fiscal to 7.2% from the earlier estimate of 7.4
per cent.
iii. RBI has estimated the retail inflation forecast between 3.2% and 3.4% for the H1FY20.
iv. The objective of the amendment is to achieve the medium-term target for the inflation of the CPI (Consumer
Price Index) by 4% (within a band of ‘+2’ or ‘-2’ i.e. 2% and 6%). The expectation for the CPI inflation for first
half of FY 20 is between 2.9% and 3% while for the second half, it is estimated from 3.5% to 3.8%. For
the last quarter of FY19 (January to March) CPI inflation revised at 2.4%.
v. The Monetary Policy Committee points out the grave fact that domestic economy is facing a decline and the
output gap remains negative. To improve upon this, the domestic growth impulses should be strengthened by
encouraging private investments.
vi. The inflation path in the 2019-20 is shaped by multitude of factors. They are as follows:
– The low food inflation during January-February will have an impact on the near-term inflation overview.
– A reduction in the fuel group inflation during February will have a bearing.
– The CPI inflation including food and fuel in February was lower than approximated, which again impacts the
near-term inflation outlook.
– The price of international crude oil has surged by around 10% since the last policy.
RBI makes NPA divergence rule easier for banks
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has altered the bad loan divergence rule for banks which aims at improving
transparency in asset classification and preventing under-reporting of bad loans.
Key Points
i. The RBI brought leniency in its rule on 1st April, 2019 by asking banks to disclose bad loan divergences in their
financial statements.
Condition: Additional provisioning if divergence exceeds 10% of profit prior to provision and contingencies.
ii. Earlier banks were able to make suitable disclosures only when:
Mandated provisioning by the RBI exceeded 15% of the net profits after taxfor the reference period.
RBI thus improved upon the additional provisioning requirements.
iii. As per RBI, disclosures have to be made:
Condition: Additional gross NPAs if material divergence exceeds 15% of the reported gross NPAs for the
reference period.
Fitch kept India’s rating unchanged at BBB- with Stable outlook
On 4th April 2019, Fitch Rating affirms India’s sovereign rating at the lowest investment grade of BBB-with a
stable outlook. The growth rate of India forecasted by Fitch is 6.8% in financial year 2019-20 and 7.1% in FY
2020-21.
Key Points
i. According to Fitch, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) regulations has been eased and there is reduction in red
tape but still there are some difficulties in doing business in India due to which India’s rating is not upgraded.
ii. Since 2006, this is the 13th year in a row that India is getting “BBB” ranking from Fitch. On August 1, 2006,
Fitch had upgraded the India’s rating from “BB+” to “BBB”.

28 | P a g e
RBI alters LCR norms to enhance cash position of banks
RBI has altered the LCR (Liquidity Coverage Ratio) norms to offer an additional 2% window to lenders. The
central bank has brought in this alteration in order to improve the cash position of banks by harmonising
liquidity requirements and giving away extra money to lenders.
i. For computing the liquidity coverage ratio systematically, banks are allowed to consider an extra 2% of
government securities within the compulsory SLR requirement as the Facility to Avail Liquidity for Liquidity
Coverage Ratio (FALLCR).
ii. For ensuring the bank’s ability to meet short-term contract, the amount of highly liquid assets acquired by
banks is termed as LCR.
iii. The Central Bank has lengthened the deadline for joining the floating interest rates on home, personal, auto
and MSEs (Micro and Small Enterprises) loans to external benchmarks.
iv. As the growth of credit is taking a faster pace than deposit growth, banks are facing a resource crunch. So
much so that at the sector level, banks have been unshipping extra government bonds to fund for the loan
demands.
v. Since mid-September, banks have sold 2 percentage points of their additional bond holdings. Currently the
investment to deposit ratio in government bonds is 27.5%, while the compulsory requirement is 19.25%.
vi. In order to improve the process of undertaking foreign-exchange transactions, the non-banking financial
companies and non-deposit holding companies (NBFCs-NDSI) in the category of Investment and Credit
Companies (ICCs) will be eligible to apply for Authorised Dealer Category II licence.
Reserve Bank of India gave some guidelines for banks to set up new currency chests
On 8th April 2019, The Reserve Bank of India gave some guidelines for banks to set up new currency chests,
including a minimum area of 1,500 square feet for strong room and should have a processing capacity of 6.6
lakh pieces of banknotes per day.
Key Points:
i. The guidelines are based upon the recommendations of the “Committee on Currency Movement”
(CCM) chaired by DK Mohanty, which was constituted by RBI in 2016.
ii. In this guideline, those who situated in the hilly areas should have a processing capacity of 2.1 lakh pieces of
banknotes per day.
iii. The new chests shall maintain Chest Balance Limit (CBL) of Rs 10 billion or Rs 1,000 crore.
RBI grants 12 years to LIC for reducing stake in IDBI Bank
Life Insurance Corporation(LIC), the largest insurance company in India, got 12 years from RBI for cut down
stake in IDBI Bank.LIC is the lender’s major shareholder, and it has a 51 per cent stake in the Bank. It means that
no obligation to sell its stake in the following years or would probably spend higher money to keep its stake in
any future fund raising by the bank.
i. Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) claimed that LIC can take up to 15 percent stake in
any bank,which can stretch up to 30 percent as per the board approval.But the insurance regulator has
authorised LIC to hold up to 51 percent in IDBI Bank in 2018.
ii. After 12 years LIC has to decrease stake in IDBI Bank by 10 per cent to 40 per cent.
RBI Permitted Reinsurance Brokers to Open Foreign Currency Accounts
On 11th April 2019, The Reserve Bank of India sanctioned reinsurance brokers to initiate non-interest bearing
foreign currency accounts with banks for undertaking transactions. The Insurance Regulatory and Development
Authority of India (IRDA) had issued notification and following this the RBI declared Foreign Exchange
Management (Foreign Currency Accounts by a resident person in India) Regulations, 2015 – Opening of Foreign
Currency Accounts by Re-insurance and Composite Insurance brokers.
i. For undertaking transactions in the ordinary course of their business, reinsurance and composite insurance
brokers enrolled with IRDAI may start and manage non-interest bearing foreign currency accounts with a bank
in India.

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