Current Affairs April 2019 - Miscellaneous

Department of Revenue imposed anti-dumping duty up to USD 1559 per tonne on import of certain solar cell components (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate Sheet for Solar Module) from China, Malaysia, Saudia Arabia and Thailand for 5 years, to safeguard domestic players against cheap shipments.
Batman will become first Inductee of Comic-On Museum’s Character Hall of Fame, at 50^th Annual Comic-Con International in San Diego (USA) in July 2019.
China launched its first second generational data relay satellite named Tianlian II-01, from Long March-3B Carrier rocket. It will provide, data relay, transmission services, measurement and control for China’s manned spacecraft, satellites and carrier rockets.
Government extended deadline for linking PAN with biometric ID Aadhaar by 6 months till September 30, as 6^th extension for the same.
Apr 1 - Foundation Day of Reserve Bank of India (RBI). RBI was formed on 1 April 1935. Apr 1 is also observed as Utkal Divas, Foundation Day of Odisha (Formed in 1936).
AIFF President Praful Patel become first Indian to be elected a member of FIFA Executive Council for a four-year period.
US Senate confirmed David Bernhardt as secretary of Interior Department.
Cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been appointed as brand ambassador of Bus ticketing platform redBus.
Gursimran Singh appointed as Vice President of Delhi Hockey Association (DHA).
India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA) appointed Jitendra Chaddah as its Chairman.
N. Kashinath appointed as Member (Signal & Telecom) in Railway Board while V.P. Pathak appointed as Member (Materials Management) in Railway Board.
A K Singh, director at Life Sciences, DRDO has been honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award 2019 during 4^th APJ Abdul Kalam Innovation Conclave at Chandigarh University, Mohali.
Digital Sukoon founder, Sudhanshu Kumar honoured with Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Nobel Award by International Human Rights Council.
Mint’s Teena Thacker won Citi Journalistic Excellence Award. for her long story in Mint on Johnson and Johnson (J&J's) faulty hip implants in India.
India signed an agreement with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Consultancy Service (NABCONS) for setting up India-Africa Institute of Agriculture and Rural Development (IAIARD) in Malawi (East Africa) to enhance capacity in areas of agro-financing and entrepreneurship development for African countries.
A 40 million-year-old fossil of a whale-with-four-legs, webbed feet and hooves has been excavated by palaeontologists from marine sediments inland from Peru’s Pacific coast at Playa Media Luna. The whale belongs to a biological group of ancient sea mammals, termed as Archaeocetes. The 13 feet long mammal has been named as “Peregocetus pacificus”.
Book Kundan: Saigal’s Life & Music”, authored by Sharad Dutt has been released.
April 5 - National Maritime day in India. 2019 theme is “Indian Ocean- An Ocean of Opportunity”. It was first celebrated on 5^th April, 1964.
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) approved loans worth $280 million for its first two projects in Sri Lanka. A $200 million loan will improve housing conditions for low-income communities in Colombo while another loan of $80 million will be used to reduce risk and damage from landslides in Sri Lanka.
Pradeep Nandrajog will be appointed as new Chief Justice of Bombay High Court (Maharashtra). He is currently Chief Justice at Rajasthan High Court.
IT industry’s apex body Nasscom appointed Keshav Murugesh as its chairman for fiscal 2019-20. U.B. Pravin Rao is appointed as Vice Chairman for same term.
Chennai Central railway station has been renamed by Tamil Nadu Government as Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MG Ramachandran Central Railway Station, after its late Chief Minister and founder of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
Germany scientists at Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research stated that there is more Carbon dioxide (CO2) in our atmosphere than in past 3 million years. As per report, CO2 levels should not be higher than 280 ppm without human activity, but currently it’s 410 ppm and rising.
April 6 - United Nations’ (UN) International day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP).
Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan is appointed as Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court. He was first Chief Justice of Telangana High Court.
Apr 7 is also observed as International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Rwanda Genocide. It was against Tutsi community directed by members of Hutu majority government. About 85% of Rwandans were Hutus and Tutsi minority has long dominated the country. In 1959, Hutus overthrew the Tutsi monarchy.
Indian Navy and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) inked an MoU to undertake joint research and development of advanced technologies for Indian Navy.
Power Producer National Thermal Power Corporation signed term-loan agreement with Canara Bank to raise Rs 2,000 crores. Loan has a door to door tenure of 15 years.
Hockey India named Graham Reid (Australia) as the new chief coach of the India men's hockey team.
London (UK) is first city in world to implement an always on Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), inside which vehicles will have to meet tough emissions standards or face a charge. It aims to reduce toxic air pollution and protect public health.
World Economic Forum in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) held in Jordan (Dead Sea).
Google parent Alphabet launched its commercial drone delivery businesses, making its first delivery in Canberra (Australia).
General Electric (US) in association with IIT Madras has established India’s first ‘Cold Spray’ SMART (Surface Modification and Additive Research Technologies) Laboratory, making IIT-M only academic institution with High-Pressure Cold Spray (HPCS) facility in India.
Telugu poet K Siva Reddy will be conferred Saraswati Samman, 2018, for his collection of poems titled Pakkaki Ottigilite (Turning Aside While Lying Down).
The award, instituted by KK Birla Foundation, is given annually for an outstanding literary work written in any official Indian language and published during the preceding 10 years. It is the highest recognition in the field of Indian literature and carries a cash purse of Rs 15 lakh, apart from a citation and a plaque.
National Green Tribunal Monday formed a committee to look into the alleged erosion of Yamuna floodplain due to movement of heavy vehicles in Haryana's Sonipat district.
Guwahati Railway Station became first ever Indian railway station to get an ISO certification from National Green Tribunal (NGT) for providing passenger amenities in a clean and green environment. ISO Certificate received by Guwahati Railway Station is ISO-14001, which is for Environment Management System as per international norms which were upgraded in 2015.
Apr 10- World Homeopathy Day. It marks birth aniversary of Dr Samuel Hahnemann who discovered Homeopathy in 1796. 2019 theme is Linking Education and Clinical Practice with Research: Advancing Scientific Collaborations.
Payments Platform Google Pay partnered with Bullion refiner MMTC-PAMP India to initiate buying and selling of gold. Through this, Google Pay users will be able to buy 99.99 percent 24-karat gold for any value, which will be stored on behalf of the user in secure vaults by MMTC-PAMP.
An image of a little girl crying, as she and her mother have been taken into custody by US border officials in Texas won World Press Photo of the Year 2018. It has been taken by photographer John Moore in June 2018. Dutch-Swedish photographer Pieter Ten Hoopen won “World Press Photo Story of the Year Award” for image of 2018 mass-migrant caravan to the US border.
Apr 12 - International Day of Human Space Flight. It marks first human space flight by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in 1961. It was proclaimed by UN General Assembly in 2011. The day is also observed as ‘Cosmonautics Day’ in Russia and some other countries.
Digital payments security and payment facilitator PayU acquired Wibmo, a US-based financial technology firm for USD 70 million (about Rs 484 crores). Wibmo will continue to operate and serve all of its clients as a wholly-owned subsidiary of PayU.
India and Sweden launched a joint programme that will work towards addressing a range of challenges around smart cities and clean technologie, co-funded by Indian Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Swedish agency Vinnova.
PAISALO Digital Limited signed first co-origination loan agreement with State Bank of India, as first such agreement by SBI. Loans between 10,000 to 2 lakh are available under this arrangement.
April 14^th is Birth Anniversary of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar. He campaigned against social discrimination towards the untouchables (Dalits). He was independent India's first law and justice minister, architect of the Constitution of India. His Birth anniversary is observed as Social Justice Day, announced in 2018. Note that UN World Day of Social Justice is observed on Feb 20.
RailWire Wi-Fi by RailTel is now live at 1600 railway stations across country, with Santacruz railway station in Mumbai becoming the 1600^th.RailWire It envisages extending broadband and application services to the public. RailTel.
Hong Kong’s equity market overtook Japan to be world’s third largest in value, behind U.S. and mainland China. Hong Kong Equity market cap was $5.78 trillion, ahead of Japan’s market cap of $5.76 trillion.
My Circle App was launched by Bharti Airtel in collaboration with FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO). It enables women to send SOS alerts to any five of their family or friends in 13 languages, as they face any problem or panic situation. SOS alert will send user’s location over SMS to five contacts.
World’s first privately funded lunar Mission Beresheet crash landed on Moon. It had problems with main engine during its descent that left it unable to slow down in time before it smashed into lunar surface. Beresheet was an Israeli mission launched by a partnership between nonprofit SpaceIL and government-owned aerospace company Israel Aerospace Industries.
India’s first exotic Bird Park ‘EsselWorld Bird Park’ launched by EsselWorld Leisure Pvt. Ltd. in Mumbai. 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.