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1) Tashigang, a small Himachal Pradesh village has got the distinction of the highest polling station in the world. Tashigang is located at an altitude of 15,256 feet. Tashigang Polling Station: Tashigang polling station falls in Buddhist-dominated Lahaul-Spiti and forms part of the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, the second largest constituency in India. Tashigang is situated at about 29 km from the India-China border and the polling station covers two villages— Tashigang and Gete. The polling station has 48 voters, of which 30 are men and 18 women. Even though Tashigang has all necessary facilities like power and water supply but lacks mobile connectivity and election officials will use a satellite phone during polls on May 19. Initially, election officials had intended to set up the polling booth at Gete village but shifted it to Tashigang as the government school building there was not found safe. Earlier the tiny settlement of Hikkim in Himachal Pradesh positioned at an altitude of about 14,400 ft, was the highest polling station in the country.

2) Langkawi International Maritime & Aerospace Exhibition 2019 (LIMA 2019) is the fifteenth edition of the Maritime & Aerospace Exhibition. LIMA 2019 was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir bin Mohammed. Langkawi International Maritime & Aerospace Exhibition: Langkawi International Maritime & Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) provides a platform where industry stakeholders could engage and expand their networks towards forging new partnerships and business agreements. The insights from round tables and conferences, as well as business forums, offer access to invaluable information that enables businesses to stay ahead of the competition and seize new opportunities in the dynamic market of Asia Pacific. LIMA held biennially since its debut in 1991 is the largest show of its kind within the Asia Pacific region. Indian Presence in LIMA 2019: INS Kadmatt and India’s indigenous supersonic fighter jet Tejas are taking part in the LIMA 2019. INS Kadmatt is an indigenous stealth anti-submarine warfare corvette of the Indian Navy. INS Kadmatt s fitted with state-of-the-art weapons, sensors and machinery and is also designed to embark the seaking anti-submarine helicopter. India’s indigenous supersonic fighter jet Tejas has been manufactured indigenously at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) for the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy.

3) Hyderabad-based pharma Laurus Labs Limited has announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership agreement with Global Fund for a period of 3.5 years. The agreement gives Laurus Labs volume commitments for drugs from the Global Fund for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria: Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was created in 2002 to raise, manage and invest the world’s money to respond to three of the deadliest infectious diseases the world has ever known. The Global Fund was established with an objective to defeat these three diseases. AIDS, TB and malaria are all preventable and treatable. The tackling of these disease requires the commitment not only of world leaders and decision-makers but also of those working on the ground to help the men, women and children living with these diseases. The idea of Global fund was discussed in the G8 summit in Okinawa, Japan, in 2000 and the real commitment began to coalesce at the African Union summit in April 2001. The idea continued doing rounds at the United Nations General Assembly Special Session in 2001 and finally endorsed by the G8 at their summit in Genoa, Italy, in July 2001. The public sector contributions have constituted 95 per cent of all financing raised by the Global Fund and the remaining 5 per cent came from the private sector or other financing initiatives such as Product Red. Global Fund aims to attract, leverage and invest additional resources to end the epidemics of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria to support attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations.

4) Four indigenous Dhanush Howitzer guns were inducted to the Indian Army. The induction of Dhanush Howitzer guns gives major fire-power boost to the Indian Armed Forces. Dhanush Howitzers: Dhanush Long Range Artillery Guns are the first ever indigenous 155 mm x 45 calibre long-range artillery guns. Dhanush Long Range Artillery Guns are equipped with inertial navigation-based sighting system, auto-laying facility, on-board ballistic computation and an advanced day and night direct firing system. The self-propulsion unit on Dhanush allows the gun to negotiate and deploy itself in mountainous terrains with ease. Dhanush is also electronically upgraded to enhance firing accuracies, laying speeds of the existing gun and to provide compatibility with various kinds of ammunition as well. Dhanushhowitzer is an improved version of Bofors guns acquired by India between 1987 and 1991. Dhanush howitzer is a reverse-engineered upgraded variant of the original Bofors design. Dhanush reportedly has a new maximum effective range of 38 kilometers in salvo mode. Dhanush howitzer is capable of firing eight rounds per minutes and needs a crew of six to eight artillerymen. Dhanush makes outranged Pakistani artillery units more vulnerable to Indian counter-battery fire, while itself staying out of reach. Dhanush’s longer range and high rate of fire will also make it useful in tackling localised Pakistan Army’s offensives in sectors of the LoC where the terrain favours the Pakistani side.

5) State-owned Power Finance Corporation (PFC) has completed the acquisition of majority stake in REC Ltd by transferring Rs 14,500 crore to the government. The merger of both the entities is expected to be completed in the next fiscal year in consultation with the government. This acquisition and merger will make PFC second-largest government-owned financial player in the country based on the current market capital after State Bank of India (SBI) and also PFC will be the third-highest profit-making financial player in India. About the Acquisition: PFC paid Rs 14,500 crore to the Union government to buy a 52.63% stake in REC. This acquisition results in an $80-billion lending giant by assets and potentially helps in faster resolution of stressed assets in India’s power sector. The acquisition also helped the union government exceed its disinvestment target of Rs 80,000 crore for the fiscal year 2018-19. The consolidation will help in raising funds at competitive costs and lead to convergence of lending policies and rates. Further, it will also help in improving asset quality and impress upon state utilities to improve their performance. PFC taking over REC makes it a dominant player not only in the power sector but also in the entire financial market space. PFC’s strategic importance to the government will further increase upon completion of the acquisition as the combined entity will become the biggest non-bank finance entity in which the government holds a controlling stake. Since the PFC and REC have a robust presence in the consortium of lenders to power companies, the consolidation will help in the faster resolution of stressed assets.

6) NITI Aayog had organised a day-long FinTech Conclave 2019 in New Delhi. The objective of the conclave was to shape India’s continued ascendancy in FinTech, build the narrative for future strategy and policy efforts, and to deliberate steps for comprehensive financial inclusion. The conclave looked into various dimensions of the future of the FinTech, particularly the areas of: Digital Onboarding of Customers and Merchants for Financial Inclusion. Building Financial Products for Bharat. Emerging Areas of FinTech. Fast-tracking investment in FinTech industry. Financial Inclusion of MSMEs. FinTech in India: Fintech or financial technology companies use technology to provide financial services such as payments, peer-to-peer lending and crowdfunding, among others. India is one of the fastest growing fintech markets globally and it has been projected that $1 trillion, or 60% of retail and SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) credit, will be digitally disbursed by 2029. The Indian fintech ecosystem is the third largest in the world and attracts nearly $6 billion in investments since 2014. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is encouraging banks to explore the possibility of establishing new alliances with fintech firms to further drive the agenda of financial inclusion through innovation.

7) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will be issuing guidelines within two months for the fintech companies to test their new products on a small group of users before scaling up. This regulatory sandbox will help fintech companies to launch innovative products at a lower cost and in less time and enable fintech companies to conduct live or virtual testing of their new products and services. Sandbox: A Sandbox is a framework set up by a regulator that allows FinTech start-ups to conduct live experiments in a controlled environment under supervision. Benefits from Regulatory sandbox: Regulatory sandbox will provide a well-defined space for the companies to develop new products. Regulatory sandbox allows for experimenting with their products and fintech solutions. In case of failure, the consequences would be contained and the reasons will be analysed for betterment. Regulatory Sandbox’ would benefit FinTech companies by way of reduced time to launch innovative products at a lower cost. The RBI’s working group on FinTech and digital banking in 2017 had recommended that a regulatory sandbox/innovation hub be introduced within a well-defined space and duration to experiment with FinTech solutions, where the consequences of failure can be contained and reasons for failure analysed.

8) In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, the Election Commission of India has made the following observations: Electoral bonds, contrary to government claims, wreck transparency in political funding. Electoral bonds coupled with the removal of the cap on foreign funding invites foreign corporate powers to impact Indian politics. Electoral bonds would cause a “serious impact” on transparency in the funding of political parties. The Election Commission of India further criticises amendments made to various key statutes through the two consecutive Finance Acts of 2016 and 2017. What were the amendments made? The Finance Act of 2017 amends various laws, including the Representation of the People Act of 1951, the Income Tax Act and the Companies Act. The Finance Act of 2016 makes changes in the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act of 2010. The amendment to Representation of the People Act allows political parties to skip recording donations received by them through electoral bonds in their contribution reports to the ECI. The amendments introduced to the Income Tax Act allow anonymous donations. Donors to political parties are not required to provide their names, address or PAN if they have contributed less than Rs. 20,000. The Election Commission notes that many political parties have been reporting a major portion of the donations received as being less than the prescribed limit of Rs. 20,000. The Finance Act of 2016 allowed donations to be received from foreign companies having a majority stake in Indian companies. Observations by Election Commission: The Election Commission of India called these measures as a retrograde step and the ECI has no way to ascertain whether the donations were received illegally by the political party from government companies or foreign sources. The Election commission also expressed concerns that these amendments would pump in black money for political funding through shell companies and allow unchecked foreign funding of political parties in India which could lead to Indian politics being influenced by foreign companies.

9) World Theatre Day is observed annually on March 27 with an aim to generate awareness about the importance of theatre arts, how they played an important role in the field of entertainment and the changes that theatre brings in the life. Origin of World Theatre Day: World Theatre Day was initiated by the International Theatre Institute in 1962. On World Theatre Day, the International Theatre Institute circulates messages issued by global celebrities in more than 50 languages, based on the theme “Theatre and a Culture of Peace”. International Theatre Institute: International Theatre Institute is the world’s largest performing arts organization founded in 1948 by theatre and dance experts and UNESCO. The International Theatre Institute advances UNESCO’s goals of mutual understanding and peace and advocates for the protection and promotion of cultural expressions, regardless of age, gender, creed or ethnicity.

10) The Turing Award 2018 has been awarded for Geoffrey Hinton, Yann LeCun, and Yoshua Bengio who have kickstarted an AI revolution by studying the learning abilities of large artificial neural networks. The deep neural network uses layers of artificial neurons which mimics the structure of animal brains. Such AI is increasingly used in products that people use every day – from smart speakers to Facebook. This forms the backbone of Deep Learning. Deep Learning: Deep learning involves building computer programs which mimics the structure of animal brains, with many layers of artificial neurons used for processing the data. When the network of neurons digests data, each neuron has individual responses within each layer. These outputs are passed to the next layer until the network finally forms a decision or judgment about the input. This deep learning technology can be used to transcribe human speech or recognise a person’s face in different photographs. Turing Award: Turing Award is an annual prize given by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) for individuals who have contributed a lasting and major technical importance to the computer field. The Turing award is accompanied by a prize of US $1 million, with financial support provided by Google Turing Award is recognized as the highest distinction in computer science and is often referred to as the “Nobel Prize of computing”.

11) The Union Cabinet has approved the creation of six additional posts in the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT). The proposal involves the creation of three additional posts each for judicial members and technical members in the NCLAT. The creation of additional posts will help meet the mandate provided to NCLAT by the Finance Act 2017, the Companies Act 2013 and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016. National Company Law Appellate Tribunal: National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) was established under Section 410 of the Companies Act, 2013 for hearing appeals against the orders of National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). The current Chairperson of NCLAT is Hon’ble Justice Shri S.J. Mukhopadhaya, former Judge of the Supreme Court. NCLAT is the Appellate Tribunal for hearing appeals against the orders passed by NCLT under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC). NCLAT hears appeals against the orders passed by Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India. NCLAT is also the Appellate Tribunal to hear and dispose of appeals against any direction issued or decision made or order passed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) – as per the amendment brought to Section 410 of the Companies Act, 2013 by the Finance Act, 2017.

12) India and the African Union have signed an MoU to initiate and strengthen the cooperation in the health sector in a structured and organised manner by establishing the India-Africa health sciences collaborative platform. Following the deliberations at the first India-Africa Health Sciences Meet in 2016, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had taken up the mandate to initiate and strengthen the cooperation in the health sector in a structured and organized manner by establishing an India-Africa Health Sciences Collaborative Platform (IAHSP). The MoU signed aims to formalise this partnership by establishing a framework. The India-Africa Health Sciences Collaborative platform would focus on training and strengthening capacity of health professionals, researchers, regulators and industry staff, support research collaborations for developing preventive tools and improved diagnostics for diseases which are regional priorities in India and Africa. African Union. African Union: The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located in the continent of Africa. African Union was founded on 26 May 2001 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and launched on 9 July 2002 in South Africa. The African Union replaced the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), established on 25 May 1963. The African Union was established for accelerating the process of integration in the continent to enable it to play its rightful role in the global economy while addressing multifaceted social, economic and political problems compounded as they are by certain negative aspects of globalisation. All UN member states based in Africa and on African waters are members of the African Union.

13) The Global Energy & CO2 Status Report released by the International Energy Agency (IEA) makes the following observations: China, the US and India together accounted for nearly 70 per cent of the rise in energy demand and energy demand worldwide grew by 2.3 per cent last year. The rise in energy demand was driven by a robust global economy and stronger heating and cooling needs in some regions. Natural gas was the fuel of choice and it witnessed the biggest gains accounting for 45 per cent of the rise in energy consumption. Gas demand growth was especially strong in the US and China. Demand for all fuels increased and nearly 70 per cent of the demand growth was met through fossil fuels. Solar and wind generation witnessed a double-digit pace, with solar alone increasing by 31 per cent. But this was not fast enough to meet higher electricity demand around the world which resulted in increased use of coal. Global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions increased by 1.7 per cent to 33 gigatonnes (Gt) in 2018. Coal use in power generation surpassed 10 Gt and accounted for a third of the total increase. Majority of coal-fired generation capacity was concentrated in Asia, with 12-year-old plants on average, decades short of average lifetimes of around 50 years. Electricity continued to position itself as a fuel of the future, with global electricity demand growing by four per cent in 2018 to more than 23,000 terawatt hours. China remains the leader in renewables, both for wind and solar, followed by Europe and the US. Energy intensity improved by 1.3 per cent last year which was half the rate witnessed in the period between 2014 and 2016. This third consecutive year of the slowdown was the result of weaker energy efficiency policy implementation and strong demand growth in more energy intensive economies. The findings are part of the IEA’s assessment of global energy consumption and energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for 2018. The report provides a high-level and up-to-date view of energy markets, including the latest available data for oil, natural gas, coal, wind, solar, nuclear power, electricity and energy efficiency.

14) The Multi-dimensional Poverty Index 2018 report prepared by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative makes the following observations about India: India has reduced its poverty rate drastically from 55% to 28% in 10 years, with 271 million people moving out of poverty between 2005-06 and 2015-16. India still had 364 million poor in 2015-16, the largest for any country, although it is down from 635 million in 2005-06. Poverty reduction among children, the poorest states, Scheduled Tribes, and Muslims was fastest. Of the 364 million people who were MPI poor in 2015-16, 156 million (34.6%) were children whereas in 2005-06 there were 292 million poor children in India. This represents a 47% decrease or 136 million fewer children growing up in multidimensional poverty. Even though poverty among Muslims and STs has been reduced poverty the most over the 10 years, these two groups still had the highest rates of poverty. 80% of ST members were poor in 2005-06 and 50% of them were still poor in 2015-16. While 60% of Muslims were poor in 2005-06, 31% of them were still poor in 2015-16. Bihar with more than half its population in poverty was the poorest state in 2015-16. The four poorest states Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh were still home to 196 million MPI poor people, which was over half of all the MPI poor people in India. Jharkhand had shown the greatest improvement, followed by Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Nagaland. Kerala, one of the least poor regions in 2006, reduced its MPI by around 92%. Global Findings: 3 billion People live in multidimensional poverty in the 105 developing countries and represents 23%, or nearly a quarter, of the population of these countries, are deprived in at least one-third of overlapping indicators in health, education, and living standards. Multidimensional poverty particularly acute in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia and these two regions account together for 83% (more than 1.1 billion) of all multidimensionally poor people in the world. Two-thirds of all multidimensionally poor people live in middle-income countries, with 889 million people in these countries experiencing deprivations in nutrition, schooling, and sanitation. The level of global child poverty is staggering, with children accounting for virtually half (49.9%) of the world’s poor. Over 665 million children live in multidimensional poverty. In 35 countries, at least half of all children are MPI poor and in South Sudan and Niger around 93% of all children are MPI poor. The MPI provides data about “who is poor” and “how they are poor”.

15) Scientists are worried over sustaining food production and productivity of major crops like wheat, paddy, and maize due to the increasing levels of carbon dioxide. Studies have shown that even though increased carbon dioxide levels stimulate wheat productivity, the consequent rise in temperatures would have a negative impact. There has been optimism in tropical countries like Greenland, Canada, Northern China and Europe where annual temperatures are currently well below the optimum range for the growth of wheat and an increase in temperature would be beneficial to them with a possibility of a hike in wheat productivity. Whereas in tropical countries like India there is heightened concern as it is already hot enough and further rises in temperature could prove disastrous. Study by Indian Institute of Technology- Kharagpur: The Indian Institute of Technology- Kharagpur explored the possibility of nutrient management as a way to sustain wheat productivity even at higher concentrations of carbon dioxide by creating an artificial carbon dioxide-rich environment and applied different levels of nitrogen to wheat crop along with the recommended dosage of fertilizers. The findings of the study are: Wheat yield and growth parameters improved with increasing levels of nitrogen application despite elevated carbon dioxide conditions and higher temperatures. Under ambient carbon dioxide concentration, increasing the dosage of nitrogen did not bring any improvement in growth and yield of the crop. Elevated carbon dioxide levels increased crop growth rate and the fraction of leaf biomass and leaf nitrogen, especially with the nitrogen management using chemical fertilizer. The study concludes that Wheat production under the elevated carbon dioxide environment in Eastern India might be maintained or improved through the normal and increased dose of nitrogen fertilizer application. However, there is a need for larger studies on the field with multi-location trials using different varieties, before any firm conclusion can be reached.

16) The Union Ministry for Health and Family Welfare has notified the Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules, 2019 with an aim to promote clinical research in the country. Features of the New Rules: The new rules reduce the time for approving applications to 30 days for drugs manufactured in India and 90 days for those developed outside the country. The new rules state that in case of no communication from Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), the application will be deemed to have been approved. The new rules will ensure patient safety, as they would be enlisted for trials with informed consent and the ethics committee will monitor the trials and decide on the amount of compensation in cases of adverse events. The new rules mandates that in case of injury to the clinical trial subject, medical management will be provided as long as required as per the opinion of the investigator or till such time it is established that the injury is not related to the clinical trial. Compensation in cases of death and permanent disability or other injuries to a trial subject will be decided by the Drug Controller General. The rules also waive off the requirement of a local clinical trial if the drug is approved and marketed in countries specified by the DCGI with the approval of government from time to time and certain other conditions. The DCGI has waived off the clinical trial for the drugs approved and marketed in the European Union, the UK, Australia, Canada, Japan and the US. The new rules aim to promote clinical research in India by providing for a predictable, transparent and effective regulation for clinical trials and by ensuring faster accessibility of new drugs to the Indian population.

17) The Pentagon has notified the US Congress that it has authorised the transfer of USD 1 billion to begin building a new wall along the US-Mexico border. This transfer of funds is first under the national emergency declared by President Trump to bypass Congress and build the border wall President Trump had pledged during his 2016 election campaign. Why President Trump is adamant on US-Mexico Border Wall despite opposition? US-Mexico Border Wall was on one of the key promises made by President Trump when he was campaigning to become president. With two years into the presidency, President Trump wants to deliver on his promise. This proposed border wall between US and Mexico is designed to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the US through the porous borders. At present, there is 650 miles of barrier along the border which is 1,900 miles long. Hence President Trump plans to build a 1,000-mile wall made out of steel to prevent people from crossing the US-Mexico border. Even though he had originally stated that Mexico would be forced to pay for the construction of the wall, the US is now forced to pay for the construction from its own pocket. Mexico has categorically rejected paying for the wall. The notification by the Pentagon states that USD 1 billion will go toward building nearly 92km of fencing, improving roads and other measures on the southern border.

18) Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India has successfully test-fired an anti-satellite (A-SAT) missile by shooting down a live satellite. The project named as Mission Shakti was led by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was aimed at strengthening India’s overall security. Key Facts about Mission Shakti: DRDO-developed A-SAT system successfully destroyed a live satellite in the Low Earth Orbit. India is only the fourth country after the U.S., Russia and China to have the A-SAT technology. The PM Narendra Modi in his address has made clear that the intent of DRDO’s “Mission Shakti” is to defend India’s space assets and not to start an arms race in space. The indigenous development of the A-SAT technology will have many spin-offs that India can exploit for civilian commercial use. The test was carried out from the Dr A.P.J Abdul Kalam Island launch complex off the coast of Odisha by the DRDO. Since the test was done in the lower atmosphere, whatever debris that is generated will decay and fall back onto the earth within weeks. Mission Shakti does not violate the 1967 Outer Space Treaty of which India is a signatory. The treaty prohibits only weapons of mass destruction in outer space, not ordinary weapons. The ASAT test was not directed against any country. India’s space capabilities neither threaten any country nor are they directed against anyone. But as an added advantage the capability achieved through the anti-satellite missile test provides credible deterrence against threats to our growing space-based assets from long-range missiles and proliferation in the types and numbers of missiles.

19) President Ram Nath Kovind has been honoured with Croatia’s highest civilian award the Grand Order of the King of Tomislav. The Indian President was honoured during his visit to Croatia to strengthen the bilateral ties. Croatia’s highest civilian award the Grand Order of the King of Tomislav is awarded to heads of state for their important contribution towards the development of state relations between Croatia and their respective countries. President Kovind is the first-ever Indian head of state to visit Croatia. Croatia: Croatia is located in the northwestern part of the Balkan Peninsula and its capital is Zagreb. Croatia was constituent of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia On 25 June 1991. Croatia is a republic governed under a parliamentary system is a member of the European Union (EU), the United Nations (UN), the Council of Europe, NATO, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the Union for the Mediterranean.

20) Social Media giant, Facebook has launched two new India-specific tools viz. “Candidate Connect” and “Share You Voted” to boost civic engagement on its platform during the Lok Sabha elections 2019 that commence in April. Both these tools will be made available in 12 local languages. Candidate Connect: Candidate Connect feature will provide contesting candidates to upload 20-second videos in which they can introduce themselves and highlight how they will address outstanding challenges in their constituencies if elected to office. It will also let them highlight their past achievements. Voters will be able to watch these videos of candidates contesting from their respective constituencies and also from other constituencies. Candidate Connect feature aims to provide an opportunity for candidates to engage with the electorate. Facebook is working with a third-party non-partisan organisation to receive candidate names for the initiative. Share You Voted: Share You Voted feature will provide people with polling information and enable them to announce and celebrate the fact that they have voted. Facebook will send out reminders to people on polling dates in their constituencies under ‘Share You Voted’ tag. On Election Day, people can show that they voted by uploading a picture. Facebook will aggregate these pictures from users and prepare a collage of friends and show it on the timelines of people connected to them in a video format. The Share You Vote feature is aimed at amplifying the voting spirit.

21) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has fined Punjab National Bank (PNB) Rs 2 crore for violation of compliance with regulatory directions regarding SWIFT operations. The RBI has toughened the stance against banks on all kind of regulatory norms post PNB fraud which put it to question the ability of the central bank. Earlier in March 2019, RBI had imposed a total monetary fine of Rs 8 crore on three banks- Karnataka Bank, United Bank of India and Karur Vysya Bank for not complying with the directions on Swift messaging software. What is SWIFT? SWIFT which stands for Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications is a messaging network that financial institutions use to securely transmit information and instructions through a standardized system of codes. Under SWIFT, each financial organization has a unique code which is used for sending and receiving payments. Suppose a customer of a Bank of America of New York Branch wants to send money to the ICICI bank account in Bengaluru, he can approach the Bank of America’s New York Branch with the account number of ICICI to which the money needs to be deposited and ICICI Banks Swift Code for the Bengaluru branch. Bank of America’s New York Branch will send the payment message to the ICICI Bengaluru branch over the secure SWIFT network. Once ICICI ‘s Bengaluru branch receives the SWIFT message about the incoming payment, it will clear and credit the money to the account. SWIFT code is used when the transfer between two banks happens internationally as we use IFSC codes for the domestic transfers i.e. financial transactions within the geographical territory of India.

22) Public sector Bank, Bank of Baroda has made an announcement about developing an agri-digital platform called ‘Baroda Kisan’ to provide solutions for all major agricultural requirements. About the Project: The project aims to provide a holistic approach towards solving agricultural plights by means of providing reliable and customised information, inputs for use, the convenience of renting farm equipment and market linkage for sale of agri-produces. Bank of Baroda has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Six companies viz. Skymet Weather Services, Weather Risk Management Services, BigHaat, Agrostar India, EM3 Agri Services and Poorti Agri Services for the project. The agri-digital platform will be executed by IT Centre of Excellence (ITCoE) of Bank of Baroda in partnership with IBM India. Baroda Kisan is aimed at digitization of digital services. Baroda Kisan initiative is part of the Bank of Baroda’s initiative to keep up with the use of technology in the field of agriculture. Baroda Kisan aims to provide a dedicated platform for farmers to ease their requirements.

23) The Career Pathways India survey released by LinkedIn highlights the following observations: One in three Indian professionals thinks they are career sleepwalking. They feel stagnant as they are on a treadmill going nowhere and 57 per cent are keen to consider switching careers to get their dream job- 51 per cent of professionals are held back due to fear of adverse impact on pay packets and designation. 73 per cent of today’s young professionals value their work only if they love it as a career choice, while 70 per cent value their work if it has a healthy work-life balance. 57 per cent value their job on the basis of money and 56 per cent of respondents say that whether a job provides learning and growth opportunities are also important. Younger professionals are more open to change as 61 per cent of them are open to considering changing jobs if it does not adhere to their career choice. 80 per cent of respondents believes that their current skill set allows them to pivot easily without compromising on their pay packet and designation and they are future-ready for the changing professional landscape. Today’s professionals want a lot more fulfilment from their jobs and careers and wish to be empowered to change roles and sectors. 62 per cent professionals had chosen their careers because it is something they have always wanted to do, 53 per cent chose their careers as it fulfils them, and only 38 per cent say they chose it because it makes them a lot of money. The report was based on a survey of 5,026 professionals across 11 cities. The survey notes that today’s generation is more inclined towards a fulfilling job that is, — a job that helps them learn and grow as a professional or a job that they love and excel in the field of their interest.

24) The European Parliament (EU) has passed the controversial EU copyrights law. The law is expected to give a fillip to the traditional media which was losing the game against the online platforms like Google, Twitter and Facebook. This copyright law is expected to aid the traditional media to gain some additional revenue. Why the law had become controversial? Article 11: The article is dubbed as “link tax”. It mandates Internet giants like Facebook and Google to pay news organisations to use their headlines on their platforms. Article 13: The article is dubbed as “upload filter”. It mandates online platforms like Facebook and YouTube to restrict users from sharing unlicensed copyrighted material. The article also makes the online platforms liable for copyright violations. Those backing the law argue that if properly implemented by member states the law would go a long way in safeguard quality journalism by combating misinformation and fake news. Those opposing the law fear that the law would lead to clamp down on the open internet and online censorship. Experts say that even though the two decade copyright law is improved it may lead to uncertainties and may hurt Europe’s creative and digital economies. The digital platforms are looking at the details of the law. So any conclusive arguments about the possible impacts would be too early at this stage.

25) The mega celebration of Cricket, Indian Premier League (IPL) witnessed its first ever Mankading in its history in the match of Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals. Rajasthan Royals opener Jos Buttler became the first victim of ‘Mankading’ in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Kings XI Punjab skipper Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed the Rajasthan Royals opener Jos Buttler through mankading. What is Mankading? Mankading is a kind of dismissal witnessed in the game of cricket. Mankading is the situation where a bowler run out a non-striker by hitting the bails before bowling when the non-striker is outside the crease, with no warning. Even though it is a legal way of dismissing the batsmen, it is considered as unethical and against the spirit of the game. Why does the name Mankading? The name Mankading is derived due to the fact that for the first time Indian bowler Vinoo Mankad had dismissed Bill Brown of Australia, by removing the bails when the latter was away from the crease during India’s tour of Australia in 1947. Hence the dismissal is named after the Indian Cricketer Vinoo Mankad.

26) Pakistan government has approved a proposal to establish a corridor which would allow Hindu pilgrims from India to visit Sharda Peeth in the region of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). Sharda Peeth Corridor will be the second corridor to be established after the Kartarpur Corridor which provides access to Gurudwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur in Pakistan. Sharda Peeth: Sharda Peeth is an abandoned Hindu temple and ancient centre of learning in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). The temple is dedicated to goddess Sharada, the Hindu goddess of learning. Sharada Temple is located at Sharada village and it is here river Kishanganga and two streams Madhmati and Sargun meets. Goddess Sharada is the Kuldevi of Kashmiri pandits. It is also one of the three famous tirthas, or holy sites, for Kashmiri Pandits, the other two being the Martand Sun Temple and the Amarnath Temple. Sharada Peeth is also revered as one of 18 Maha Shakti Peethas, or “Grand Shakti Peethas” which commemorates the location of fallen body parts of the Hindu deity Sati. Sharada Peeth is believed to be a foremost centre of learning Between the 6th and 12th centuries CE hosting scholars such as Kalhana, Adi Shankara, Vairostana, Kumarajiva, and Thonmi Sambhota. The temple is about 150 km from Muzaffarabad capital of PoK and 130 Km from Srinagar currently under the control of Pakistan.

27) The consortium of State-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Bharat PetroResources Ltd (BPRL), Urja Bharat Pte Ltd has acquired an oil block in Abu Dhabi, where the two will invest USD 170 million. About the Acquisition: Urja Bharat Pte Ltd has been awarded 100 per cent stake in the Abu Dhabi Onshore Block 1 Concession. Both IOC and BPRL hold 50 per cent each in Urja Bharat Pte Ltd. Urja Bharat Pte Ltd will make an investment of USD 170 million for the exploration activities and the concession is awarded for the period of four years effective from the date of March 24, 2019. Onshore Block 1 covers an area of 6,162 square kilometres around Ruwais field and includes already discovered but undeveloped fields. This Onshore Block 1 is located in the Al Dhafra region around Ruwais City and the refining complex, including the coastal region to the west. There are two existing undeveloped oil and gas fields in the area, named Ruwais and Mirfa, which will be appraised by the consortium. The acquisition of the oil block by the consortium of State-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Bharat PetroResources Ltd (BPRL), Urja Bharat Pte Ltd marks the entry of IOC as a joint operator in the highly prospective UAE region. The acquisition is consistent with its strategic objective of adding high-quality exploration and production (E&P) assets to its existing upstream portfolio.

28) The Indian Air Force (IAF) has formally inducted the Chinook heavy-lift helicopters made in the US. The Chinook helicopters ordered from Boeing in September 2015, were commissioned into the IAF’s 126 Helicopter Unit. Chinook Helicopters: Chinook is a multi-role, vertical-lift platform, twin-engine, tandem rotor which is used for transporting troops, artillery, equipment and fuel. Chinook would be deployed for humanitarian and disaster relief operations and in missions such as transportation of relief supplies and mass evacuation of refugees. The advanced multi-mission helicopter Chinook will provide the Indian armed forces with unmatched strategic airlift capability across the full spectrum of combat and humanitarian missions. Chinook helicopters can carry out military operations during the night too. Chinook helicopter gives India a tremendous capability, primarily in the inter-valley troop transfer since it eases the inter-valley troop transfer to take acclimatized troops from one valley to another valley. Chinook helicopters will give the IAF quantum leap in terms of ability to transport cargo to precarious high altitude locations.

29) The Global Energy Transition index 2019 report has been released by the World Economic Forum (WEF). The index compares the energy sectors of 115 countries and analyses their readiness for energy transition. The index benchmarks the countries energy systems based on an “energy triangle”, comprised of energy security and access, economic development and growth, environmental sustainability and how well they are set-up to succeed in the future. The index takes into account six individual indicators: capital and investment, regulation and political commitment, institutions and governance, institutions and innovative business environment, human capital and consumer participation, and energy system structure. Global Energy Transition Index 2019: Sweden has topped the index and is followed by Switzerland and Norway in the top three. China is ranked even lower than India in the 82nd position. The United Kingdom (UK) is ranked seventh and Singapore has been ranked thirteenth, while Germany, Japan and the US have bagged the seventeenth, eighteenth and the twenty-seventh place respectively. Among the Asian Countries, Malaysia is ranked highest at 31st, Sri Lanka is 60th, Bangladesh 90th and Nepal 93rd. The report states that the world’s transition to secure, affordable and sustainable energy has stagnated, with little or no progress achieved in the past five years. The index notes that continued use of coal for power generation in Asia, increasing commodity prices and slower-than-needed improvements in energy intensity have contributed to this year’s stagnation in performance. Even though more people across the globe have access to energy, this has been offset by reduced affordability and almost no progress in making energy systems environmentally sustainable. Where does India stand? India has moved up two places to rank 76th and the report states that India is amongst the countries with high pollution levels and has a relatively high CO2 intensity in its energy system. The report also acknowledges the significant strides made by India to improve energy access in recent years. India scores well in the area of regulation and political commitment towards energy transition. The report suggests a ground of optimism regarding India despite the current outdated energy system not being ready for the transition because an enabling environment is being built to support the future transition. India has ranked low in terms of system performance (ranking 97 and 86, respectively) and has been ranked considerably higher when it comes to readiness (45 and 61, respectively). India is the second best in the BRICS group of emerging economies, with Brazil being the best at 46th place globally. India is the only BRICS country to improve its rank since last year. The Index considers both the current state of the countries’ energy system and their structural readiness to adapt to future energy needs.

30) Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has opened the registration for recently launched Young Scientist Programme. The programme also referred to as “YUva VIgyani KAryakram” (Yuvika) is aimed at imparting basic knowledge on Space Technology, Space Science and Space Applications to the younger ones with the intent of arousing their interest in the emerging areas of Space activities. The Yuvika programme aims to catch them young by providing residential training of around two weeks duration during the summer holidays. Selection for the Programme: The selection for the programme is based on their performance from 8th Std marks. Those who have just finished 9th standard (in the academic year 2018-19) and waiting to join 10th standard (or those who have started 10th Std just now) are eligible for the programme and selection is based on both academic performance and extracurricular activities with special preference given to students from rural areas. Those interested can register through the link https://yuvika.isro.gov.in/yuvika/

31) Third Installment of the Joint Naval Exercise of India and Australia AUSINDEX will be held off the coast of Vishakhapatnam from April 2 to 16. The joint exercise will focus on anti-submarine warfare, as part of efforts to ramp up bilateral naval cooperation in the strategic Indian Ocean region. AUSINDEX 2019: AUSINDEX 2019 will be held off the coast of Vishakhapatnam from April 2 to 16. From the Australian side, HMAS Canberra (landing helicopter dock), Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment vessel, two frigates — HMAS Newcastle and HMAS Parramatta and P8I and P8 maritime patrol aircraft will be involved in the exercise. A Kilo-class submarine, land-based Hawk aircraft that will provide the air attack element for the exercise, a Kamorta class anti-submarine vessel, besides a stealth destroyer will lead the Indian deployment for the exercise. The exercise will feature the deployment of Australian personnel on Indian ships and vice versa. The area of the exercise will be within 200 miles of Vishakhapatnam. AUSINDEX 2019 will also witness the largest ever deployment of an Australian defence group to India, over 1000 Australian defence personnel will take part. To further strengthen the defence cooperation between India and Australia, Australia has also proposed logistics sharing pact with India.

32) Indian Navy’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Training Facility (NBCTF) at INS Shivaji was inaugurated by Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba. Abhedya: NBCTF Abhedya will help train personnel of naval ships fitted with nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) detection and protection systems. NBCTF Abhedya will provide realistic training to naval personnel in detection, protection against and decontamination of nuclear, biological and chemical agents. Abhedya will enhance the training capability of the Navy to deal with dangerous situations on warships, including an attack. Abhedya is the maiden NBC simulator of the Indian Navy. The facility will help to train personnel in tackling nuclear, biological or chemical attack. Abhedya means impenetrable in Sanskrit. It symbolizes the protective cover that is provided on Naval ships, which are fitted with nuclear, biological and chemical detection and protection systems. INS Shivaji: INS Shivaji is the Indian Navy’s premier technical training facility. INS Shivaji is celebrating 2019-20 as the ‘Platinum Jubilee Year’. The Institute, which was commissioned as HMIS Shivaji in 1945, trains personnel of the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard and several friendly foreign countries. To commemorate the platinum jubilee of INS Shivaji, the Chief of Naval Staff also launched INS Shivaji website on the Indian Navy’s Portal and released the platinum jubilee logo with the theme ‘Propelling the Indian Navy since 1945’.

33) Brazilian physicist and astronomer Marcelo Gleiser has been awarded the 2019 Templeton Prize for his work blending science and spirituality. Marcelo Gleiser contends that science and religion are not only compatible, but that science is spiritual. The two realms of science and spirituality are intertwined for him. For Marcelo Gleiser, science is one part of the tripod of human questioning, and that philosophy and religion have asked these same questions for far longer than science has existed. The answers those different disciplines yield may be starkly different, but they are parallel pursuits and science has its own way of connecting to the spiritual side. Templeton Prize: Templeton Prize awarded by the U.S.-based John Templeton Foundation honours a living person who has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life’s spiritual dimension whether through insight, discovery, or practical works. Templeton Prize was established in 1972 by the late Sir John Templeton. The Prize aims to honour outstanding individuals who have devoted their talents to expanding our vision of human purpose and ultimate reality. The Prize celebrates no particular faith tradition or notion of God, but rather the quest for progress in humanity’s efforts to comprehend the many and diverse manifestations of the Divine. The Prize is a monetary award in the amount of £1,100,000 sterling.

34) The government of UAE has launched the Lose to Win Programme to assist the overweight employees in shedding extra kilos and adopt a healthy lifestyle. About the Programme: The Programme has been initiated by the Ministry of Health and Prevention of UAE. The programme team comprises nutritionists and health educators from the Ministry. The programme encourages those struggling with weight issues to learn how to induce positive changes in their lifestyle. The programme involves adopting a healthy diet and engaging in physical activity. It aims to help employees to lose excessive weight within eight weeks. The programme also includes a workshop on healthy nutrition where the participants are briefed on essential topics, including how to read food labels as well as explaining the make-up of balanced diets. In the current edition, the programme focuses on the employees of the Ministry of Infrastructure Development.

35) A science teacher from rural Kenya, Peter Tabichi has won the prestigious Global Teacher Prize 2019 which honours the world’s best teacher. He was honoured for his achievements in a deprived school with crowded classes and a few textbooks. Peter Tabichi is a maths and physics teacher at Keriko secondary school in Pwani Village, in a remote part of Kenya’s Rift Valley. He gives away 80% of his income to help the poorest students at the poorly-equipped and overcrowded school who could not afford uniforms and books. Tabichi started a “talent nurturing club” and expanded the school’s science club, helping pupils design research projects of such quality that many now qualify for national and international competitions. His students have taken part in international science competitions and won an award from the Royal Society of Chemistry after harnessing local plant life to generate electricity. Swaroop Rawal, an Indian teacher at Lavad Primary School, Gujarat and various other schools, was also there in contention for the award. Global Teacher Prize: The Global Teacher Prize underlines the importance of educators and seeks to acknowledge the impacts of the very best teachers not only on their students but on the communities around them. The award was constituted in the year 2015 by the Varkey Foundation and the winners are awarded a US $1 million award. The prize is awarded by the Varkey Foundation under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai.

36) The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Early Childhood Care Education (ECCE), and Yoga as skill subjects in the school curriculum for academic session 2019-20. AI will be introduced as an optional sixth subject for Class IX whereas ECCE and Yoga are being introduced as elective subjects at senior secondary level. Rationale behind Introduction: The circular of CBSE notes that AI in the past few years has gained geo-strategic importance and a large number of countries are striving to stay ahead with their policy initiatives to get their country ready. There is a huge requirement for yoga professionals and early childhood educators. Yoga will also teach a way of living that aims towards a healthy mind in a healthy body. Early Childhood Education prepares the students to teach children of nursery and kindergarten classes’ happy education or other systems of child-centric education. Central Board of Secondary Education: Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is a national level board of education in India for public and private schools and it is controlled and managed by Union Government of India. The genesis of the CBSE can be traced to UP Board of High School and Intermediate Education was the first Board set up in 1921. This board was expanded in 1929 as the ‘Board of High School and Intermediate Education, Rajputana. But later its jurisdiction was curtailed to Ajmer, Bhopal and Vindhya Pradesh. In 1952, the constitution of the Board was amended and the Board was given its present name ‘Central Board of Secondary Education’. The actual reconstitution took place in the year 1962. CBSE conducts the final exams for Class 10 and Class 12 every year, National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), Central Teacher Eligibility Test (twice a year) UGC’s National Eligibility Test (twice a year) and the entrance test for Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas.

37) Asian Rich List 2019 was released by India’s High Commissioner to the UK Ruchi Ghanashyam. The list is the compilation of the 101 wealthiest Asians in Britain and highlights exceptional entrepreneurial achievement over the last 12 months. The list was released at the Asian Business Awards. Asian Rich List 2019: London-based NRI industrial tycoons, the Hinduja family top the Asian Rich List 2019 for the sixth successive year with an estimated net worth of £25.2 billion. Hinduja family has witnessed an increase of over £3 billion over the previous year. Business tycoon Lakshmi Mittal and his son Aditya Mittal remained in second place, with £11.2 billion and their wealth was down by £2.8 billion from the previous year. S P Lohia (Petrochemicals) took third place with £5.8 billion. NRI entrepreneur Lord Swraj Paul and family are 17th in the list with a net worth £900 million. They have witnessed an increase of £100 million over the previous year. Hotelier Joginder Sanger and his son Girish Sanger stood at number 40 on the list with an estimated value of £300 million. The entries of the Asian Rich List 2019 have a combined wealth of more than £85.2 billion. The list was carefully prepared by a team of experts and it is the definitive guide to Asian wealth in Britain.

38) World Tuberculosis Day 2019 was observed on March 24th with the theme “It’s time”. World Tuberculosis Day is celebrated to raise awareness about the devastating consequences of TB and how to end the global epidemic of this lung disease. Tuberculosis: Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). Tuberculosis affects the lungs and can also infect other parts of the body. Early symptoms of TB include bad cough which lasts for 3 weeks or longer. It causes pain in the chest and one might also end up coughing blood in case of tuberculosis. The theme of World Tuberculosis Day 2019 “It’s time” draws attention towards the urgency to act on the commitments made by global leaders to build accountability regarding TB and increase access of prevention and treatment of TB. As part of World World Tuberculosis Day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has initiated “Find. Treat. All. #EndTB”, a joint initiative with Global Fund and Stop TB Partnership under which communities, civil society organisations, governments and health-care providers come together to ensure that no one is left behind and everyone gets equal and fair information about tuberculosis, its causes, symptoms and risk factors. Why March 24th was chosen as World Tuberculosis Day? March 24th is observed as World Tuberculosis Day because it was on March 24th 1882, TB bacterium was discovered by Dr Robert Koch. The discovery of TB bacterium marked the first step towards diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis.

39) Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Rome, endorsing the global infrastructure-building scheme of China. Despite the warnings and pressure from the US and the Europen Union, Italy has joined the china’s mega connectivity scheme and has become the first G7 country to do so. Italy is the thirteenth European Union country and also the first from Western Europe to join China’s Belt Road Initiative. Why did Italy join the initiative? Italy has stated that its participation in the initiative through a non-binding agreement was aimed to “rebalance an imbalance” in Sino-Italian trade. There are a lot of ‘Made in China’ coming into Italy and too little ‘Made in Italy’ that goes into China. Italy hopes for a substantial and gradual increase in exports to balance out the trade imbalances. The decision of Italy is seen as an attempt to address its financial woes which has onerous public debt. Italy fell into recession at the end of last year. The agreement is seen as a trade off wherein Italy needs investment and China has those to provide. The agreement will aid Italy to underpin and strengthen its business ties with China. The paper released by the EU’s diplomatic arm referred to Belt Road Initiative as a “systemic rival” and has threatened to tighten regulations on Chinese investment in Europe.

40) The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) backed by the US has defeated the Daesh [ISIS] by capturing the final shred of the territory of Baghouz in Syria. The forces have declared the end of the self-declared “caliphate” that once spanned a third of Iraq and Syria. Even though the U.S.-backed forces have retaken nearly all the small pockets in Syria that were still under ISIS control, it doesn’t mean the end of ISIS. Reports suggest that many ISIS fighters have blended in with the local population and moreover the ISIS’ ideology remains potent and continues to inspire attacks in Europe and Afghanistan. Even though it is unlikely that there is a command structure directing terrorist attacks around the globe there are local groups which identify themselves as ISIS. Timeline of ISIS: The chaos which followed the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, an al Qaeda offshoot established there and changed its name in 2006 to Islamic State in Iraq. As the Syrian Crisis began to unfold the group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi sent operatives to Syria for setting up a Syrian subsidiary. Baghdadi follows in 2013 and renamed the group as “The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant”. The group captured important cities like Fallujah, Tikrit and Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi renamed the group as Islamic State (IS) and declares a caliphate at Mosul in 2014. In 2014 United States started building a coalition against ISIS and started air strikes to stop its momentum. It also started to extend support to the Kurdish militia to fight against the ISIS. By 2016 the forces started recovering the territory captured by ISIS and the ISIS started facing catastrophic defeats. The capture of Baghouz and declaration of elimination of caliphate has come as a final nail in the coffin of ISIS.

41) World Meteorological Day 2019 was observed on March 23 with the theme “The Sun, the Earth and the weather”. The theme recognises the critical role the Earth’s nearest star plays in what transpires on the planet. The energy from the Sun is taken up by all life forms to perform their biological functions. The Solar energy also regulates global climate, which, in turn, influences local weather conditions and the same energy is also absorbed by the oceans which carry it around the planet, creating further conditions for diverse marine life to exist. World Meteorological Day: World Meteorological Day is observed on March 23rd every year to commemorate the coming into force of the Convention establishing the World Meteorological Organization on 23 March 1950. The World Meteorological Day showcases the essential contribution of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services to the safety and wellbeing of society and is celebrated with activities around the world. WMO provides world leadership and expertise for international cooperation in the delivery and use of high-quality, authoritative weather, climate, hydrological and related environmental services by its Members, for the improvement of the well-being of societies of all nations.

42) The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued guidelines to media on various issue related to elections like exit polls, publication of results etc. Guidelines of Election Commission: Section 126A of the Representation of People Act 1951 prohibits the conduct of exit poll and dissemination of its results the hour fixed for the commencement of poll in the first phase and half an hour after the time fixed for the close of poll for the last phase in all the states. The advisory by the election commission states that exit polls can only be telecast after the final phase of polling for the Lok Sabha elections ends on May 19. The advisory on exit polls is also applicable for Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim. The ECI has asked the TV, radio channels, cable networks, websites and social media platforms to ensure that the contents of programmes telecast during the 48-hour period before the end of polls in each phase do not contain any material, including views or appeals by participants that may be construed as promoting or prejudicing the prospect of any particular party or candidate as per the Section 126 of Representation of People Act 1951. The advisory warns that any violation by broadcasters will be reported to the News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) by the Election Commission and will be dealt with by the NBSA under its regulations. The news broadcasters are advised not to air any final or definite results until they are formally announced by the Election Commission. Further, such results should be carried with a disclaimer that they are “unofficial or incomplete or partial results or projections which should not be taken as final results. The Election Commission has asked the political parties to not criticise other countries, or make any verbal attack on any community or religion, use defamatory or obscene remarks or incite violence during the broadcast time allocated in public broadcasting agencies.

43) In it’s Global Economic Outlook report, Fitch Ratings has cut India’s economic growth forecast for the next financial year 2019-20 starting from April 1 to 6.8 per cent from its previous estimate of 7 per cent, on the account of weaker than expected momentum in the economy. GDP Forecasts: Even though Fitch Ratings has reduced the GDP forecasts for India, it sees Indian GDP growth to hold up reasonably well, at 6.8 per cent, followed by 7.1 per cent in 2021-22. India’s GDP growth for the financial year 2019-20 was reduced to 7.2 per cent from 7.8 per cent earlier in December 2018. Further, the growth forecasts for 2020-21 and 2021-22 was reduced to 7 per cent from 7.3 per cent and 7.1 per cent from 7.3 per cent, respectively. Fitch Ratings observes that Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has adopted a more dovish monetary policy stance and cut interest rates by 0.25 percentage at its February 2019 and it expects another 25 bps cut in 2019, amid protracted below-target inflation and easier global monetary conditions than previously envisaged. Fitch notes that benign oil price outlook and expectations of accelerating food prices in the coming months should support rural households’ income and consumption.

44) Bihar Diwas was celebrated on March 22nd across the state to commemorate the day when Bihar was carved out of the Bengal Presidency in the year 1912. March 22nd 2019 was the 107th foundation day of the state. Bihar and Bengal Presidency: The British East India Company emerged victorious in the Battle of Buxar fought against the combined army of Mir Qasim, the Nawab of Bengal; the Nawab of Awadh; and the Mughal King Shah Alam II. After the Battle, Mughals, as well as the Nawabs of Bengal, lost the effective control over the territories which constituted the province of Bengal, which currently comprises Bangladesh, and the Indian states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha. The British East India Company was accorded the diwani rights to administer the collection and management of revenues of the province of Bengal. In 1911 when the capital of then British India was shifted to Delhi, the Bengal Presidency was split into four sabhas Bengal, Orissa, Bihar and Assam. Bihar Diwas: The government of Bihar which was looking for a commemorative event in Bihar’s history that could become the state’s official day of celebration, chose March 22nd the day Bihar was carved out of Bengal Presidency as Bihar Diwas. Bihar Diwas was first celebrated on a large-scale in 2010. Bihar Diwas was the brainchild of then chief minister Nitish Kumar.

45) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has deferred the implementation of new accounting rules, Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS) for banks till further notice. This is the second extension provided by the RBI. Earlier in April 2018, RBI had postponed the implementation of Ind AS by the banks by one year. RBI has reasoned that since the legislative amendments recommended by the RBI are under consideration of the government it has been decided to defer the implementation of Ind AS till further notice. Indian Accounting Standards: Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS) is a set of accounting norms developed by Indian authorities, which converge with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) and Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) shall not be required to apply Ind AS and shall continue to comply with the existing Accounting Standards. This delay in the implementation of Ind AS will give banks more time to prepare for the expected credit-loss model. Fitch Ratings estimated that India’s state-run lenders would have had to increase provisions by as much as 1.1 trillion rupees ($16 billion) in the fiscal first quarter ending June 30 if the rules had gone ahead. This huge capital requirement would have forced public sector lenders to raise substantial amounts of extra capital, beyond the estimated 1.9 trillion rupee infusion already committed by the government.

46) 28 countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, with the biggest shares of the money being earmarked for Yemen and Iraq. World Food Programme: World Food Programme is a leading humanitarian organization saving lives and changing lives, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. In the 1960 Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Conference, there were calls for setting up a multilateral food aid programme. In line these demands, the World Food Programme was established in 1961 by the FAO and the United Nations General Assembly. The Food for Work programmes of the World Food Programme promotes environmental and economic stability and agricultural production. The World Food Programme strives to eradicate hunger and malnutrition, with the ultimate goal to eliminate the need for food aid itself. The objectives of the World Food Programme are: Save lives and protect livelihoods in emergencies. Support food security and nutrition and (re)build livelihoods in fragile settings and following emergencies. Reduce risk and enable people, communities and countries to meet their own food and nutrition needs. Reduce under-nutrition and break the inter-generational cycle of hunger. Zero Hunger in 2030. World Food Programme also aims to fight micronutrient deficiencies, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, and combat disease, including HIV and AIDS.

47) Researchers from Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M), Gyan Data (an IIT-M incubated company) together with experts from ESPNcricinfo have launched Superstats, a new metrics to analyse the game of cricket. Superstats: Superstats comprises of three metrics: Luck Index, Forecaster, and Smart Stats. Superstats which is based on data science also ventures into new territories such as luck and forecasting to give a context to every event in a game during this IPL season. Taking into account score-cards i.e. ball by ball database of all IPL matches played in India in the last ten years, researchers have developed an algorithm based on machine learning system. This algorithm processes accurate, fast data and quantifies impact of luck and analyzes the real value of a player’s performance in real-time. Superstats will provide the viewers with a new experience wherein where match information, analysis and projection are backed with data science.