Daily GK Updates - 4th April, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.  Telangana tops in eLearning training for field staff :  Telangana state has ranked number one by reaching 20,000 field staff during 2018-19 in eLearning training. This is the second year in succession that the State got the distinction under the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). Dr MCR HRD Institute enrolled over 20, 000 field staff in different districts of the State to impart training on 12 soft skills modules and three domain-specific modules.

2. India signs an agreement to set agriculture institute in Malawi :  India signed an agreement with a development bank (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Consultancy Service) for setting up the India-Africa Institute of Agriculture and Rural Development (IAIARD) in Malawi. IAIARD will be a Pan-African Institute wherein trainees not only from Malawi but also from other African countries. The travel, logistics and training course expenses for students from other African countries will be borne by the Government of India for an initial period of three years.

3. Maitri Bridge over Indus in Leh opened to the public :  The longest suspension bridge (260-foot) over the Indus River at Choglamsar village in Leh was opened to the public. The bridge has been named 'Maitri Bridge', symbolising the excellent civil-military relations existing in the Leh-Ladakh region. It was constructed by the combat engineers (Sahas aur Yogyata Regiment) of the Fire and Fury Corps of the Indian Army in a record time of 40 days, ferrying almost 500 tons of equipment and construction material.

4. WhatsApp launches 'tipline' to tackle rumours ahead of elections : WhatsApp launched a new service in India named as 'tipline' to tackle rumours ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. It allows users to submit for review messages they think are misleading or carry unsubstantiated information, in the latest of a series of steps to curb misinformation on the messaging platform. Users can send suspicious messages to the 'tipline phone number' (+91-9643-000-888) to validate the authenticity of claims in those messages, which may be in the form of text, images or videos. The service will respond by classifying the said information as “true, false, misleading, disputed or out of scope and (may) include any other related information that is available.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 4th April: International Mine Awareness Day : International Mine Awareness Day (IMAD) is being organized across the world on 4th April to foster the establishment and development of national mine-action capacities in countries. The Theme for IMAD 2019 is “United Nations Promotes SDGs – Safe Ground – Safe Home”.On 8 December 2005, the General Assembly declared that 4 April of each year shall be observed as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.

2. UAE awards PM Modi with highest civilian honour for boosting ties :  United Arab Emirates (UAE) has conferred its highest civilian honour ‘Zayed Medal’ to PM Narendra Modi for his role in consolidating ties between the UAE and India.UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahya has conferred Mr. Modi the highest decoration awarded to kings, presidents and heads of states. The award came in appreciation of Narendra Modi's role in consolidating the long-standing friendship and joint strategic cooperation between the two countries.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1.  Mayuri Kango is now Google India industry head : Mayuri Kango has now joined Google India as its industry head. Earlier, Mayuri Kango Kango was the managing director of Performics Resultrix, part of the Publicis Group. She has also worked with Digitas as associate director, media and Zenith as chief digital officer. At the age of 15-years, Kango chose films over getting enrolled in IIT Kanpur and went on to make her acting debut with National Award-winning film ‘Naseem’.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1.RBI cuts repo rate by 25 basis points :  Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced its first Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Rates for 2019-20 in Mumbai. The Bi-monthly policy has been released based on the assessment of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) led by RBI Governor also decided to maintain the neutral monetary policy stance. The RBI reduced the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points to 6.0 per cent from 6.25 per cent with immediate effect.

2.  RBI sets WMA Limit for Government at Rs 75000 crore for H1 of 2019-20 : The Reserve Bank of India (consultation with the Government of India) has decided that the limits for Ways and Means Advances (WMA) for the first half (April- Sep 2019) of the financial year 2019-20 will be Rs 75000 crore. The Reserve Bank may trigger fresh floatation of market loans when the Government of India utilises 75% of the WMA limit. The Reserve Bank retains the flexibility to revise the limit at any time, in consultation with the Government of India.

SPORTS:

1. Pawan Munjal felicitated by Asian Tour for contribution to Golf in Asia :  Dr. Pawan Munjal, Chairman, Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, was felicitated by the Asian Tour with a Special Achievement Award for his contributions to Asian Golf. Dr. Munjal was presented with a special salver by leading Indian golfer Shiv Kapur, representing the players on the Asian Tour. Pawan Munjal Felicitated By Asian Tour For Contribution To Golf In Asia

2. Saurav Ghosal becomes first Indian male squash player to enter top 10 of PSA rankings :  India’s Saurav Ghosal has become the first Indian male squash player to enter the top 10 in the latest PSA world rankings. Before Saurav Ghosal, only two Indian women players (Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal) had made it to the top 10 in the world rankings. Egypt's world champion Ali Farag maintains his position at the top of the ladder.