NATIONAL
UPDATES:
1. Dilip Kumar Appointed as Officer on Special Duty in Office of Lokpal: Senior IAS officer Dilip Kumar was
appointed as the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the office of
Lokpal. Kumar, a 1995-batch IAS officer of Punjab cadre, is at present
joint secretary, National Human Rights Commission. He has been
appointed for a period of six months on additional charge basis or
till a new incumbent joins the post.
2. Environment Ministry Constitutes Committee to Implement
National Clean Air Programme: The
Union Environment Ministry has constituted a committee to implement
the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), which aims to reduce
particulate matter (PM) pollution by 20%-30% in at least 102 cities
by 2024. The committee will be chaired by the Secretary, Union
Environment Ministry. It would be headquartered in New Delhi.
3. Gujarat & Maharashtra celebrates its 60th foundation day: 1st
May: Today, the two
states Gujarat and Maharashtra are celebrating 60th
foundation day. In 1960, two western states Gujarat and Maharashtra were formed
from erstwhile Bombay state on this day.
4. All electric cars to have green number plates: The Union Government has asked state
transport departments to ensure that all battery-operated
vehicles (both existing and new) have green number plates immediately. In
August 2018, the road transport ministry had introduced the new number plate
for all battery-operated or electric vehicles (EVs). The transport ministry’s
missive to states is aimed at indicating that the government is serious about
pushing green mobility across the country.
5. Cyclone Fani: Centre releases advance SDRF funds to 4 states: Ministry of Home Affairs ordered an advance
release of Rs 1086 crore to four states from the State Disaster
Response Fund to deal with the preventive measures for cyclonic storm
'Fani'. Under this, the state of Andhra Pradesh will get Rs 200.25 crore while
Rs 340.87 crore has been given to Odisha. A total of Rs 309.37 crore and Rs
235.50 crore have been allotted to Tamil Nadu and West Bengal respectively. The
financial assistance has been released to their State Disaster Response Fund to
assist them in undertaking preventive and relief measures in response to the
cyclonic storm.
INTERNATIONAL
UPDATES:
1. Akihito 1st Japanese Emperor to Step Down From Throne in 200
Years: Akihito became the first
Japanese Emperor to step down from the throne in more than 200
years. His son, Crown Prince Naruhito, will ascend the
Chrysanthemum throne today and will become the 126th Emperor of Japan. A new
imperial era called Reiwa, which means order and harmony, has now begun. 30
April was the last day of the Heisei imperial era.
2. International Labour Day: 1st May: International Labour Day (also known as May Day or International
Workers' Day) is celebrated across the world on 1st of May every
year. It is a celebration of labourers and the working classes, promoted
by the international labour movement, anarchists, socialists, and communists. The
day marks the victory of the workers' movement for eight hours of work. It also
aims to pay tribute to workers sacrifices in achieving economic and social
rights all over the world. The theme of International Labour Day 2019
is “Sustainable Pension for all: The Role of Social Partners”.
3. European Union extends a ban on selling arms to Myanmar: The European Union (EU) has extended a ban
on selling arms to Myanmar and prolonged sanctions against high-ranking
officials till 30th April 2020 (due to Rohingya crisis). The sanctions include
an embargo on arms and equipment that can be used for internal repression, an
export ban on dual-use goods for use by the military and border guard police,
and export restrictions on equipment for monitoring communications that might
be used for internal repression.
OTHER
UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. G Sathiyan Becomes First Indian to Break Into Top-25 of ITTF
Rankings: India's G
Sathiyan has become the first Indian to break into
the top-25 of world rankings in Table Tennis. Sathiyan rose four
spots to be 24th in the latest ITTF rankings, following his
impressive sixth place finish in the Asia Cup in Yokohama.
2. Ajinkya Rahane becomes 1st Indian cricketer to join Hampshire: India Test vice-captain Ajinkya
Rahane (30-year) has become the first overseas player from India to join
Hampshire. Rahane will replace South Africa batsman Aiden Markram. He will play
in the County Championship throughout the months of May, June, and July
(subject to visa clearance).
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. Bharti AXA Ties Up With Wishfin To Offer Policies Via WhatsApp: Bharti AXA
General Insurance, a private non-life insurer, has tied up
with financial marketplace Wishfin’s insurance arm Wishpolicy, to
offer two-wheeler insurance to customers via WhatsApp. This service
option is an instant and additional customer service option for policyholders,
apart from Bharti AXA General Insurance’s multiple channels, including its
network of branches, customer care and contact centre, dynamic portal, and
intelligent chatbot.
2. Paytm Launches Recurring Payments Service For Merchants: Paytm has launched a recurring payment
service for merchants that are working on a digital subscription model. The
move will allow the subscription-based businesses to collect payments from
their subscribers effortlessly. Recurring payments are an automatic
payment system wherein the merchants automatically charge their customers
for a specified service on a pre-arranged schedule.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1. Iraq Becomes India’s Top Oil Supplier in 2018-19: Iraq has become India’s top crude oil supplier for the second consecutive year, meeting more than one-fifth of the country’s oil needs in the 2018-19 fiscal year. According to data collected by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics, Iraq sold 46.61 million tonnes of crude oil to India during April 2018 and March 2019.
2. UDS Acquires Majority Stake In Matrix Business Services: Facilities management provider UDS has acquired
a majority stake in Matrix Business Services, which operates in the
business assurance and background verification segment. This acquisition
includes buying out the entire 19.77% stake of Kotak Mahindra Investments
and 2.67% of Mahindra & Mahindra Contech and the balance 52.56% from
other shareholders, mainly from all non-executive shareholders.
3. India Ratings & Research Lowers Growth Forecast For 2019-20 To
7.3%: India Ratings & Research (A Fitch Group
Company) has lowered the country’s growth forecast for the current
fiscal to 7.3%, from the earlier projection of 7.5 %. The agency has
listed three key reasons for lowering its projection. 1. Prediction of
lower-than-normal monsoon for 2019 and the continued agrarian distress. 2. The
loss of momentum in the industrial output growth, especially manufacturing and
electricity, is likely to hurt growth. 3. The slow progress in cases
referred to the National Company Law Tribunal under the Insolvency and
Bankruptcy Code, 2016, for resolution of the non-performing assets of the
banking sector becoming a long-drawn-out process.
4. SEBI Fines NSE Over Rs625 crore In Co-Location Scam: Markets regulator SEBI directed National Stock
Exchange to pay more than Rs625 crore in the case of misuse of its
co-location facility. SEBI has been probing alleged lapses in
high-frequency trading offered through NSE's co-location facility. The amount,
if considered with simple interest, would come to little less than Rs1,000
crore. If it involves a compound interest, the fine could amount to around Rs
1,300 crore.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Raheem Sterling named 2019 FWA footballer of the year: Raheem Sterling has been named the 2019
footballer of the year by the Football Writers' Association (FWA). The
Manchester City and England forward topped the poll of the 400-strong FWA
membership as a clear winner, with 62 percent of the votes.
2. Gaganjeet Bhullar wins 'Outstanding Achievement as a player' award: Indian golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar has won
the 'Outstanding Achievement as a player' award at the fourth edition of the
annual India Golf Industry Association (GIA) awards at the Delhi Golf Club.
Bhullar won the 2018 Fiji International, a European Tour event, and became the
youngest golfer on the Asian Tour to achieve nine career victories on tour. The
GIA awards were held along with the 8th India Golf & Turf Expo (IGTE),
South Asia’s largest golf trade show.
DEFENCE
1. Indian And French Navies Conduct Varuna 19.1 Bilateral Exercise
Off Goa Coast: The first part of
the Indo-French joint naval exercise, Varuna 19.1 was kicked off the
Goa coast. The 17th edition includes the participation of the French Navy’s
aircraft carrier FNS Charles de Gaulle, two destroyers, FNS Forbin and FNS
Provence, the frigate FNS Latouche-Treville, the tanker FNS Marne and a nuclear
submarine. The exercise will be conducted in two phases. The second
part, Varuna 19.2, is scheduled to be held at the end of May in
Djibouti. The bilateral naval exercise initiated in 1983 and christened as
‘Varuna’ in 2001, form a vital part of the Indo-French strategic partnership.
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