Current Affairs - May 2019

Month All Type All

158 Current Affairs were found in Period - May 21 - 31, 2019 for Type - All

Appointments

1. AK Mittal has been appointed as New Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court, after recommendation made by SC Collegium.

2. Admiral Karambir Singh has been appointed as New (24th) Chief of Indian Navy. He replaced Admiral Sunil Lanba, who retired

as Navy Chief..

1. Air force Chief Birender Singh Dhanoa received baton of Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) from Outgoing Navy

Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba. BS Dhanoa will take over as new Chairman of COSC.

2. Also, Atul Kumar Jain appointed as as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) of Eastern Naval Command.

3. Indian-origin Person Anita Bhatia appointed as Deputy Executive Director in United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and

Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) for Resource Management, Sustainability and Partnerships.

4. James Marape elected as New prime minister of Oceanic Nation Papua New Guinea (PNG). His predecessor Peter O'Neill had

resigned recently.

5. Joko Widodo has been re-elected as president of Indonesia for his 2nd term, getting 55.5% of votes.

6. Misc. Appointments (May 2019) -

1. SK Ghotia Appointed as Chief of Indian Air Force's Training Command.

2. Godavarthi VenkataSrinivas appointed as Indian Ambassador to Senegal.

3. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation appointed Sanjay Ubale as its policy director for India.

4. Bombay Stock Exchange appointed Jayshree Vyas as its first independent woman director.

5. Flipkart-owned fashion e-commerce platform Myntra appointed Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma as its first ever official

brand ambassadors.

6. Rakesh Sharma (Bajaj Auto Executive Director) elected as VP (Vice President) of International Motorcycle Manufacturers

Association (based in Geneva).

7. Karnataka Bank appointed Balachandra YV and Gokuldas Pai as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Chief Business Officer

(CBO), respectively.

8. Subhash Chand has been appointed as next Ambassador of India to State of Eritrea (East Africa).

9. LIC Mutual Fund appointed Dinesh Pangtey as Its Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

10. Merchant service and UPI payments app BharatPe appointed Bollywood actor Salman Khan as its brand ambassador.

11. Ms. Padmaja has been appointed as next Indian Ambassador to Republic of Oceanic Nation Nauru. Its a very small nation

with area just 21 KM Square.

12. Jeffrey Rosen has been appointed as United States' New deputy attorney general, replacing Rod Rosenstein.

13. Radha Venkatraman appointed as New Indian Ambassador to Kingdom of Eswatini (Previously Called Swaziland).

14. IL&FS Engineering appointed Karim Raza Khan as CEO.

15. Pakistan appointed Mueenul Haq as its New Ambassador to India.

16. Alapan Bandyopadhyay appointed as new home secretary of West Bengal and Saurav Das become state's chief electoral

officer.

17. US-based retail chain Walmart appointed Suresh Kumar as Its chief technology officer and chief development officer. Also,

Sandeep Patil has been appointed as India Managing Director of Truecaller.

18. Supreme Court extended tenure of VK Jain as judicial member of National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission

(NCDRC).

19. Abhay Kumar has been appointed as new Indian Ambassador to Comoros (East Africa).

7. Muhammadu Buhari has been appointed as Nigeria's president for his second term.

8. Peter Mutharika has been re-elected as President of Malawi (East Africa).

9. President appointed Jharkhand HC Judge D N Patel as chief justice of Delhi high court. He will succeed Rajendra Menon, who is

scheduled to retire in June.

10. Sh. Narendra Modi Sworn In as Prime Minister of India, for his 2nd consecutive Term. Along with him, council of Union

ministers was also sworn in, consisting of 57 Members (24 Cabinet Ministers, 9 Ministers of State (Independent Charge) and 24

Ministers of State).

1. Cabinet Ministers - Rajnath Singh - DefenceAmit Shah - Home Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman - Finance; Corporate AffairsSubrahmanyam Jaishankar - External AffairsNitin Gadkari - Road Transport and Highways; Micro, Small and Medium EnterprisesDV Sadananda Gowda - Chemical and FertilizersRam Vilas Paswan - Consumer Affairs, Food and Public DistributionNarendra Singh Tomar - Agriculture and Farmers Welfare; Rural Development; Panchayati RajRavi Shankar Prasad - Law and Justice; Communications; Electronics and Information TechnologyHarsimrat Kaur Badal - Food Processing IndustriesThawarchand Gehlot - Social Justice and EmpowermentRamesh Pokhriyal Nishank - Human Resource DevelopmentArjun Munda - Tribal AffairsSmriti Irani - Women and Child Development; TextilesDr. Harsh Vardhan - Health and Family Welfare; Science and Technology; Earth SciencesPrakash Javdekar - Environment, Forest and Climate Change; Information and Broadcasting Piyush Goyal - Railways; Commerce and IndustriesDharmendra Pradhan - Petroleum and Natural Gas; Steel Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi - Minority AffairsPrahlad Joshi - Parliamentary Affairs; Coal; MinesMahendra Nath Pandey - Skill Development and EntrepreneurshipArvind Sawant - Heavy Industries and Public EnterpriseGiriraj Singh - Animal Husbandry, Dairying, and Fisheries Gajendra Singh Shekhawat - Jal Shakti (formed by merging Merging Water Resources and Drinking Water Ministries)

2. Ministers of State (Independent Charge) -Santosh Kumar Gangwar - Labour and EmploymentRao Inderjit Singh - Statistics and Programme Implementation; Planning Shripad Yesso Naik - Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH); MoS DefenceDr. Jitendra Singh - Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region; MoS PMO; Personnel, Public Grievances, andPensions; Department of Atomic Energy; Department of SpaceKiren Rijiju - Youth Affairs and Sports; MoS Minority AffairsPrahalad Singh Patel - Culture; TourismRaj Kumar Singh - Power; New and Renewable Energy; MoS Skill Development and EntrepreneurshipHardeep Singh Puri - Housing and Urban Affairs; Civil Aviation; MoS Commerce and IndustryMansukh L Mandaviya - Shipping; MoS Chemicals and Fertilizers

3. Ministers of State -Faggansingh Kulaste- SteelAshwini Kumar Choubey - Health and Family WelfareArjun Ram Meghwal - Parliamentary Affairs; Heavy Industries and Public EnterprisesGeneral (Retd) VK Singh - Road Transport and HighwaysKrishan Pal - Social Justice and EmpowermentDanve Raosaheb Dadarao - Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public DistributionG Kishan Reddy - Home AffairsParshottam Rupala - Agriculture and Farmers WelfareRamdas Athawale - Social Justice and EmpowermentSadhvi Niranjan Jyoti - Rural DevelopmentBabul Supriyo - Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Sanjeev Kumar Balyan - Animal Husbandry, Dairying, and FisheriesDhotre Sanjay Shamrao - Human Resource Development; Communications; Electronics and Information TechnologyAnurag Singh Thakur - Finance; Corporate AffairsAngadi Suresh Channabasappa - RailwaysNityanand Rai - Home AffairsRattan Lal Kataria - Jal Shakti; Social Justice and EmpowermentV Muraleedharan - External Affairs; Parliamentary AffairsRenuka Singh Saruta - Tribal AffairsSom Parkash - Commerce and IndustryRameswar Teli - Food Processing IndustriesPratap Chandra Sarangi - Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises; Animal Husbandry, Dairying and FisheriesKailash Choudhary - Agriculture and Farmers WelfareDebasree Chaudhuri - Women and Child Development

4. Facts about swearing-in Ceremony and Council of Ministers -

1. Oath of Office and Secrecy was administered by President Ram Nath Kovind.

2. Leaders of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Nations were

invited for swearing-in ceremony. BIMSTEC comprises Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar.

It does not Include Pakistan. Sooronbay Jeenbekov (President of Kyrgyzstan) and Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind

Jugnauth also attended the ceremony.

3. 17th Lok Sabha will have highest ever representation of women MPs, with 78 women MPs being elected.

4. Chandrani Murmu of Beeju Janta Dal from Odisha became Youngest ever women MP, at age of 25 Years. She won from

Keonjhar constituency.

5. UAE Capital Abu Dhabi celebrated PM Modi swearing-in by lighting up Adnoc tower in Indian tricolour.

6. Nirmala Sitharaman became first full-time female Finance Minister of India, replacing Arun Jaitley who opted out of

new Cabinet because of health issues. In 2017, she had also become first full-time female Defence Minister of India.

Earlier, Indira Gandhi had briefly taken additional charge of Finance and Defence ministries during her tenure as

Prime Minister.

7. Central government formed ‘Jal Shakti’ Ministry by Merging Water Resources and Drinking Water Ministries.

8. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar became first career diplomat to be appointed as External Affairs Minister of India.

11. Supreme Court reached its full sanctioned strength of 31 with appointment of 4 new judges - Aniruddha Bose, Surya Kant, A S

Bopanna, B R Gavai.

12. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed Indian Army officer Shailesh Tinaikar as new Commander of United Nations

Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

Top

Awards

1. 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival 2019 (France) -

1. Awards -

1. Mexican filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu served as jury president.

2. Palme d'Or (Best Film) - South Korean film Parasite, directed by Bong Joon-ho. He became first South Korean director

to win this award.

3. Grand Prix: Atlantics by Mati Diop

4. Best Director : Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne by Young Ahmed

5. Best Screenplay : Céline Sciamma for Portrait of a Lady on Fire

6. Best Actor: : Antonio Banderas for Pain and Glory

7. Best Actress : Emily Beecham for Little Joe

8. Jury Prize: (TIE)

1. Bacurau by Kleber Mendonça Filho

2. Juliano Dornelles Les Misérables by Ladj Ly

9. Camera d’Or : Our Mothers by Cesar Diaz

10. Honorary Palme d’Or - Alain Delon.

11. Palme d’Or for Short Film: The Distance Between Us and the Sky by Vasilis Kekatos

12. Indian cinematographer Modhura Palit received 2nd Angénieux “special encouragement” award during “Pierre

Angénieux ExcelLens in Cinematography” ceremony at Cannes Film Festival. This will allow Modhura the opportunity

to use most sophisticated Angénieux lenses on an upcoming project.

13. Indian filmmaker Achyutanand Dwivedi’s “Seed Mother”, won third prize in international section of Nespresso Talents

2019.

2. Former Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran will be honored by Japan’s Second Highest National Award called ‘The Order of

the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star’, for his contributions in strengthening strategic ties and enhancing mutual understanding

between India and Japan.

3. Former PepsiCo chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi (Indian Origin) presented with honorary degree by Yale University (USA), for

her achievements in business and for being a global role model.

4. Indian artist Nalini Malani won 7th Barcelona-based Joan Miro Prize 2019, One of most prestigious contemporary art awards in

world. It recognises present-day work by artists who show same spirit of exploration and innovationthat characterised Spanish

painter and sculptor Joan Miro's work. The award carries a cash prize of of 70000 Euros (Rs 54.5 lakh approx).

5. Indian writer Annie Zaidi announced as winner of Nine Dots Prize 2019, which encourage innovative thinking to address

problems facing modern world. Entrants are asked to answer the given question in 3,000 words. Winner receives US$100,000 to

write a short book expanding on their ideas.

6. Industrial Awards (May 2019) -

1. Noted Padma Awardee cardiac surgeon Devi Prasad Shetty has been awarded 27th P.C. Chandra Puraskar, the annual

national award from P.C. Chandra Group at Biswa Bangla Convention Centre.

2. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment felicitated Legacy Accelerators, Antano and Harini with ‘Award for Honour’ for

their work to help people change trajectory of their lives and create a personal legacy in compressed time.

3. Bharti AXA Life Insurance conferred with FICCI Claims Excellence Award, for improving its individual claim settlement

ratio to 96.85% in 2017-18.

4. Hema Divakar, A doctor from Bengaluru won Global Asian of the Year 2018-19 award in UAE, In Service of Society and the

Nation’ category.

5. N Kumar, Vice-Chancellor of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University conferred lifetime recognition award by Confederation of

Horticulture Association of India.

7. Oman author Jokha Alharthi won ‘Man Booker International Prize 2019’ for her novel “Celestial Bodies”, becoming first Arabic-

language writer to win this prize. She will split prize money of 50,000 pound (USD 64,000) with her UK-based

translator, Marilyn Booth.

1. Celestial Bodies novel is story of three sisters Mayya, Asma, and Khawla. The novel, set in the Omani village of al-Awafi,

confronts Oman’s history of slavery, which was abolished in the country only in 1970.

2. This award will be renamed as ‘International Booker Prize’ soon as this is final year that award receives sponsorship from

investment firm ‘Man Group PLC’.

3. From June 2019, charitable foundation of Michael Moritz KBE and his wife Harriet Heyman, ‘Crankstart’ will be the new

supporter of Booker Prize and International Booker Prize.

4. Britain Hosted Man Booker International Prize is a counterpart to ‘Man Booker Prize’ that is awarded only for English-

language novels.

8. Professor Balram Bhargava, Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) jointly won 2019 Dr Lee Jong-wook

Memorial Prize for Public Health at 72nd World Health Assembly in Geneva (Switzerland). This award was established in 2008. It

consists of a sum of money under US$ 100 000.

9. Sri Lankan writer Guy Gunaratne won 2019’s Swansea University International Dylan Thomas Prize, with Prize of £30,000. He

won award for his debut novel ‘In Our Mad and Furious City’. His debut novel is a fictional account of 48 hours in a North London

housing estate after murder of a British soldier.

Top

Books

1. Department of Science and Technology released four popular science books published by Vigyan Prasar - Voyage to Antarctica�

(Felix Bast), Story of Consciousness (Govind Bhattacharya), �An Autobiography of Moon� (Ramesh Shishu) and Shambhu Nath De

- The Discovery of Cholera Toxin� (M S S Murthy).

2. Indian author Ruskin Bond released his new memoir set against the backdrop of the partition,titled Coming Round the

Mountain.

3. Nabaneeta Dev Sen's book on Naxal movement in West Bengal, published in Bengali in 1978, has now been translated in English.

Top

Committees

1. A High-Level Committee constituted by Govt. submitted its recommendations to Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on

bringing down India’s dependence on crude oil imports. It consisted of Eminent Scientists Anil Kakodkar and Sidharth Pradhan.

2. RBI constituted a Housing Finance Securitisation committee under Harsh Vardhan, to review existing state of mortgage

securitisation in India and suggest measures to develop market further.

1. Currently, mortgage securitisation market in India is dominated by direct assignments among a limited set of market

participants on account of various structural factors which impacts both demand and supply side and also several legal and

accounting issues.

3. RBI constituted a task force on secondary market development in corporate loans, headed by Canara Bank chairman T. N.

Manoharan. Objective is to make recommendations on required interventions for-Facilitating development of secondary market in

corporate loans.

1. Unlike Global presence of healthy corporate loan markets, where banks can sell their stressed assets easily. But in India,

banks sell their stressed loans to Asset Reconstruction Companies and sometimes to other banks, with no other formalised

mechanism.

2. Thus, A vibrant and deep secondary market for debt would increase efficiencies of debt market and would aid in resolution of

stressed assets.

Top

Days

1. 29 May - International Day of UN Peacekeepers. It is also known as World Digestive Health Day.

1. Malawian soldier Chancy Chitete has been honoured with United Nation’s highest peacekeeping award, dubbed as “Captain

Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage”. He is honoured for his brave and selfless action in Democratic Republic of

Congo (DRC).

1. In November 2018, he sacrificed his life while saving his fellow comrade ‘blue helmet’ during operation against local

armed group named Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).

2. This honour was established in 2014 and is named after Captain Mbaye Diagne of Senegal, who served with former UN

Mission in Rwanda (UNAMIR) and saved thousands of Rwandans from death in 1994 genocide.

2. Indian peacekeeper Late Jitender Kumar is also among 119 personnel to be honoured with this year’s prestigious UN medal

called Dag Hammarskjöld Medal for courage and sacrifice in line of duty.

1. The medal is named after Dag Hammarskjöld, who was second Secretary-General of United Nations. He died in a plane

crash in 1961 while en route to cease-fire negotiations during Congo Crisis.

2. Late Jitender Kumar laid down his while serving in the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission (UNOSM) in

the Central African country of Congo.

2. May 21 - World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.

1. Also, May 21, death anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi is observed as Anti-Terrorism Day in India.

3. May 22 - International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB), first observed by United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 1993.

2019 Theme is Our Biodiversity, Our Food, Our Health.

1. An awareness campaign was launched by Wildlife Crime Control Bureau of India (WCCB) and UN Environment, with name

Not all animals migrate by choice, to be displayed at major airports across India. It aims to o raise awareness on illegal

wildlife trade and garner public support for conservation and protection of wildlife.

1. It is launched amid rise in illegal wildlife trade. This campaign is an important step forward in creating much-needed

awareness and regaining public attention on wildlife trafficking which threatens very survival of these species.

2. Highly endangered Species covered In First Phase of campaign are Tiger, Star Tortoise, Pangolin and Tokay Gecko.

Second Phase will see more threatened species.

4. May 23 - World Tortoise Day. It is also known as UN International Day to End Obstetric Fistula.

5. May 24 - Commonwealth Day in India. It is globally observed on Second Monday of March. However, in some nations Including

India, it is observed on May 24. 2019 Theme is A Connected Commonwealth.

1. May 24 is Birth Anniversary of Queen Victoria, who was Queen of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20

June 1837 until her death. On 1 May 1876, she adopted additional title of Empress of India.

6. May 25 - International Missing Children's Day, being observed since 1983. May 25 is also observed as World Thryoid Day.

7. May 28 is the Birth Anniversary of Legendary freedom Fighter Swatantryaveer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. V D Savarkar is also

called as Veer Savarkar.

8. May 29 is observed as International Everest Day. On this day in 1953, Nepalese Tenzing Norgay and New Zealand's Edmund

Hillary climbed Mt. Everest, as first humans to achieve this feat.

9. May 30 is statehood day for Goa. On this day in 1987, Goa became 25th state of India. It was a Union Territory along with Daman

and Diu from December 1961 onwards when Goa was liberated from Portugese rule.

10. May 31 is Observed as No Tobacco Day, established by World Health Organization (WHO). 2019 Theme is tobacco and lung

health. On this occasion, Rajasthan government banned production, distribution, advertisement and sale of e-cigarettes in state.

Top

Defence

1. 8th Indo-Myanmar coordinated patrol (IMCOR) Joint Naval Exercise Held at Port Blair (Andaman and Nicobar)..

2. Assam Rifles and Indian Coast Guard signed a ‘Affiliation Charter’ between 3rd (Naga Hills) Battalion of Assam Rifles and Indian

Coast Guard (ICG) Ship ‘Shaurya’, to enhance co-operation among two armed forces.

3. Bhawana Kanth became first woman pilot of Indian Air Force (IAF) to qualify to undertake combat missions on a fighter jet. She

is from the first batch of women fighter pilots of IAF and joined fighter squadron in November 2017.

4. Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC) certified AN-32 Transport aircraft fleet of Indian Air Force, to fly

on blended aviation fuel containing up to 10 per cent bio-jet fuel. Indigenous bio-jet fuel was first produced by Indian Institute of

Petroleum Dehradun in 2013, but it could not be certified for commercial use on aircraft due to lack of test facilities in civil

aviation sector.

5. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) test fired AKASH-MK-1S missile from ITR , Chandipur (Odhisa), as

upgrade of existing AKASH missile with indigenous Seeker. AKASH Mk1S is a surface to air missile which can neutralize advanced

aerial targets.

6. First Rafale combat aircraft to be received by Indian Indian Airforce will be Inducted into ‘Golden Arrows’ 17 Squadron. Aircraft

is developed by Dassault Aviation (France) -

1. The Squadron will be shifted to Ambala in Haryana, from Bathinda (Punjab).

2. First Rafale will be handed to Indian Air Force in September 2019. After intensive testing, first batch will be inducted at

Ambala around May 2020.

3. Also, 3 women officers of Indian Air Force became part of India’s first all-women crew to fly a medium-lift helicopter Mi-17

V5. Womenn Officers Parul Bhardwaj,Aman Nidhi and Hina Jaiswal flew it for Battle Inoculation Training mission.

7. Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief B.S. Dhanoa visited Air Force Station in Bhisiana and Sarsawa to pay homage to the air warriors

who made supreme sacrifice during Operation Safed Sagar at Kargil.

1. On 28 May 1999, IAF lost a Mi-17 helicopter after attacking enemy in Drass sector (J&K). Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja laid

down his life.

2. IAF Chief paid tribute to Ajay Ahuja and other fallen heroes who lost their life 20 years back during Kargil war, by flying

‘missing man’ formation flypast in a Mig-21 aircraft.

8. Indian Air Force successfully fired BrahMos air version missile from its frontline Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft, with range of 300

KM.

1. IAF became first Air Force to successfully fire an air launched 2.8 Mach surface attack missile of this category on a sea target,

in Nov 17. This one was second such live launch of the weapon.

2. DRDO also tested a 500 kg class Inertial Guided Bomb from Su-30 MKI Aircraft from Pokhran test range in Rajasthan.

Inertial Guided Weapons is a type of Precision guided munition (smart bomb) which is intended to precisely hit a specific

desired target so as to minimize collateral damage and increase fatality against intended targets.

9. Tech Mahindra signed its biggest defence order worth over Rs 300 crore with Indian Navy,As part of ‘Armed Forces Secure

Access Card’ (AFSAC) Project. Tech Mahindra will implement RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) based Access Control

System across all naval bases and ships.

Top

Economy

1. A government-appointed advisory group suggested issuance of 'Elephant Bonds' (25-year sovereign bonds) wherein people

declaring undisclosed income will have to mandatorily invest half of that amount in these securities, to be utilised only for

infrastructure projects. The 12-member group was set up by commerce ministry in September 2018.

1. Report also contains several other recommendations, inlduding lowering effective corporate tax rate, bringing down cost of

capital and simplifying regulatory and tax framework for foreign investment funds. These are aimed at increasing India's

exports of goods and services from USD 500 billion in 2018 to over USD 1000 billion in 2025.

2. After RBI recently released a draft framework for setting up a regulatory sandbox (RS) for fintech companies, SEBI and IRDAI

have also launched similar initiatives.

1. RS helps fintech players live test their products , before getting necessary regulatory approvals for a mass launch, saving time

and cost.

2. SEBI released its RS framework, to create an ecosystem that promotes innovation in securities market.

3. IRDAI also, in February 2019, recommended setting up a regulatory sandbox to test new digital and tech-based innovations,

before launching them in market. For IRDAI sandbox, applicant should have net worth of 10 lakh and a proven financial

record of at least 1 year.

3. As per SBI Ecowrap Report, Q4 quarter (Jan - Mar 2019) is expected to moderate to 6.1-5.9 %, which could pull down growth

rate for the entire fiscal 2018-19 to under 7 %. This may force RBI to cut upto 0.50 % cut in Monetary Policy rates.

4. Foreign direct investment (FDI) in services sector grew 36.5 % to USD 9.15 billion in 2018-19, according to Department for

Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). Increasing FDI inflows in services sector is vital as it contributes over 60 % to

gross domestic product. It accounts for about 18 % of total FDI India received between April 2000 and March 2019.

1. Overall FDI inflows declined for first time in the last six years in 2018-19, falling 1 per cent to USD 44.37.

5. German payments company Wirecard tied up with India's UTI Infrastructure Technology and Financial Services, to simplify

process of issuing PAN Cards. Wirecard's network of 15,000 retail agents in 350 cities would help collect and scan in documents

that people need to apply for a PAN card.

6. Government proposed to merge National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) with Central Statistics Office (CSO) under Ministry of

Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), to form National Statistical Office (NSO).

1. This skips any mention of National Statistical Commission (NSC), which oversees all statistical work done in India. This

order does not equate Secretary (Statistics and Programme Implementation) with Chief Statistician of India. Thus, It is being

widely perceived as a dent on autonomy of Indian statistical system.

2. NSSO was earlier an attached office of MoSPI, which gave it a legally distinct identity from ministry and NSC used to oversee

all aspects of statistical work. With merger of CSO and NSSO, autonomy of NSSO will be gone and NSC’s control over NSSO

will not be there.

3. In 2005, MoSPI notified setting up of NSC and proposed entity named National Statistical Organisation that will act as

executive wing of government for statistics and would act according to policies of NSC. NSO would be headed by an officer

called Chief Statistician of India and will also function as Secretary of (National Statistical) Commission.

7. Government, in consultation with RBI, has formulated scheme for issuing Sovereign Gold Bonds every month from June -

September 2019 as per Given calendar. Bonds will be sold through Scheduled Commercial banks, Stock Holding Corporation of

India Limited (SHCIL), designated post offices, and recognised stock exchanges - NSE and BSE.

1. S.No. Tranche Date of Subscription Date of Issuance

1 2019-20 Series I June 03-07, 2019 June 11, 2019 (Issue price to be INR 3196 per gram)

2 2019-20 Series II July 08–12, 2019 July 16, 2019

3 2019-20 Series III August 05-09, 2019 August 14, 2019

4 2019-20 Series IV September 09-13, 2019 September 17, 2019

2. Features -

1. Sl. No. Item Details

Eligibility The Bonds will be restricted for sale to resident individuals, HUFs, Trusts, Universities and CharitableInstitutions.

Denomination The Bonds will be denominated in multiples of gram(s) of gold with a basic unit of 1 gram.

Tenor The tenor of the Bond will be for a period of 8 years with exit option after 5th year to be exercised onthe interest payment dates.

Minimum size Minimum permissible investment will be 1 gram of gold.

Maximumlimit

The maximum limit of subscribed shall be 4 KG for individual, 4 Kg for HUF and 20 Kg for trusts.

Joint holder In case of joint holding, the investment limit of 4 KG will be applied to the first applicant only.

Issue pricePrice of Bond will be fixed in Indian Rupees on the basis of simple average of closing price of gold of999 purity. Issue price will be 50 per gram less for those who subscribe and Pay online. Cash Paymentof Max INR 20000 will be accepted.

Interest rate The investors will be compensated at a fixed rate of 2.50 per cent per annum payable semi-annually onthe nominal value.

Commission Commission for distribution of the bond shall be paid at the rate of 1% of the total subscriptionreceived. Receiving offices shall share at least 50% of commission with agents.

8. HDFC group overtook Tata group to emerge as India's most valuable by way of market capitalization, with combined market

value of five listed companies of HDFC group (HDFC, HDFC Bank, HDFC Life, HDFC Asset Management and Gruh Finance) at

11.66 lakh crores. TATA Group's 29 entities have combined m-cap of 11.64 lakh crores.

1. Also, Reliance Industries got past Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) as India’s biggest company by revenue. Reliance, in 2018-19,

reported a turnover of 6.23 lakh crores. IOC posted turnover of Rs 6.17 lakh crore for this period.

9. Indian GDP Growth Forecasts (May 2019) -

1. UN World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2019 Mid-year Update Predicted Indian GDP Growth rate to be 7.0 %

in 2019 and 7.1 % in 2020, down from earlier prediction of 7.6 % in FY 2019 and 7.4 in FY 20.

2. OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) predicted India's GDP to grow at 7.25% in FY19 and

7.5% in FY20.

3. As per India Ratings and Research Pvt. Ltd, India's GDP will expand by 6.9 % in 2018-19, marginally lower than Central

Statistics Office's advance estimate of 7 %.

4. FICCI Survey Predicted GDP Growth forecast at 7.10 % for Financial Year 2020 and 7.20 percent for FY 2021. For FY,

growth is estimated to be between 6.80 - 7.3 %.

10. Indian Overseas Bank launched ‘Bank on Wheels’ facility in 14 districts in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It will enable public, especially

senior citizens, to get conveniently get door-step banking facility.

11. Motilal Oswal Asset Management Company (AMC) launched its WhatsApp transaction platform for new as well as existing

investors, as first of its kind initiative by any fund house in India to do mutual fund transactions through WhatsApp.

12. Multilateral funding agency Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed an agreement to provide USD 750 million equivalent in

Indian rupee long-term financing to electrify railway tracks in India. It is part of a broad modernisation programme that will help

India's railway sector transition to electric power and away from dependence on fossil fuels.

13. National Small Industries Corporation Limited (NSIC) signed MOU with Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

(MSME) for 2019-20. It envisages provision of enhanced services by NSIC under its marketing, financial, technology and other

support services schemes for MSMEs in country.

14. PSB Corporation Bank launched ‘Corp SME Suvidha’, a product for GST-registered MSMEs, aimed at providing best products to

MSME sector.

15. RBI extended timings for customer transactions in Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system to 6:00 pm from 4:30 pm, to be

effective from 01st June 2019.

1. Fee for transfers between 8 am to 11 am is nil, from 11 am to 1 pm is Rs 2, and from 1 pm to 6 pm is Rs 5. Fee for transfers

after initial cut off of 6 pm will be Rs 10. Final cut off for inter-bank transactions will be 7:45 pm.

2. IDL reversal will take place between 7:45 pm and 8 pm.

16. RBI fixed investment limit at Rs 54,606.55 crore for foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) under the voluntary retention route (VRR),

which allows to park funds in both government securities as well as corporate debt, introduced on March 1, 2019.

1. Revised VRR scheme will have minimum retention period would be 3 years. During this period, FPIs shall maintain a

minimum of 75 % of allocated amount in India.

2. RBI had introduced a channel called VRR, to enable FPIs to invest in debt markets in India.

17. RBI released a draft circular titled ‘Liquidity Risk Management Framework for NBFCs and Core Investment Companies (CICs),

to help NBFCs deal with severe liquidity problems and to prevent re-occurrence of IL&FS type of debt crisis. Highlights are -

1. Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) regime will be Introduced in a phased manner, aimed at all deposit-taking NBFCs and non-

deposit taking shadow banks with an asset size of over INR 5000 crores. Shadow banks are non-bank financial

intermediaries that provide services similar to traditional commercial banks but are not subject to regulatory oversight.

2. LCR requirement would be binding on NBFCs from 1 April 2020 with minimum LCR of 60% that will be progressively

increased in equal steps till it reaches required level of 100% by April 1, 2024.

3. An NBFC shall maintain an adequate level of unencumbered (free from debt) High Quality Liquid Assets (HQLA) which

under a significantly severe liquidity stress scenario can be converted into cash so as to meet its liquidity needs for 30 days.

4. Contingency Funding Plan (CFP) should be formulated by NBFC for responding to severe disruptions which may affect

NBFC’s ability to fund some or all of its activities in a timely manner and at a reasonable cost.

18. RBI will allow large modern currency chests to increase service charges on cash deposited by non-chest bank branches from

existing rate of 5 per packet of 100 pieces to a higher rate subject to a maximum of 8 per packet. For this, only a currency chest

(CC) that fulfils minimum standards will be eligible to be classified as a large modern CC.

19. RBI will create a ‘Specialised Supervisory and Regulatory Cadre’, to strengthen supervision and regulation of commercial banks,

urban cooperative banks and Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs).

1. It has come after recent NBFC crisis such as large-scale defaults by IL&FS and failures by credit rating agencies to flag risks,

alleged lapses by auditors and divergence in asset quality by big banks.

2. RBI also told NBFCs with assets size of over Rs 5000 crore to appoint a chief risk officer to improve standards of their risk

management.

20. SEBI allowed Mutual funds to invest in exchange traded commodity derivatives, except those on sensitive commodities.

1. SEBI stated said that no mutual fund schemes can invest in physical goods except in 'gold' through Gold Exchange Traded

Funds (ETFs). ETCDs having gold as the underlying, shall also be considered as 'gold-related instrument' for Gold ETFs.

21. Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Foreign Portfolio Investors Regulations 2014 Panel headed by former RBI deputy

governor R Khan suggested significant changes to Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPI) Regulations.

1. It suggested liberalized investment cap, review of prohibited sectors for foreign investment for FPIs by permitting them for

off-market transactions and review of restriction on sovereign wealth funds for investment in corporate debt securities.

2. It removes ‘opaque structure’ definition for FPIs. They need to provide BO (Beneficial Ownership) details and those who fail

to provide BO details including on account of bearer shares cannot deal in SEBI.

3. FPIs will be allowed to invest up to applicable sectoral limit on an aggregate basis after adjusting for investments made

directly or indirectly under the FDI route.

22. Srei Equipment Finance tied up with Oriental Bank of Commerce to offer loans for purchase of equipment under a co-lending

arrangement. Also, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India partnered with IDFC FIRST Bank to provide financing solutions across

country.

23. State Bank of India (SBI) partnersed with FMCG arm of The Art of Living - Sri Sri Tattva. Under this, SBI YONO users can avail

discount of 15% on products offered by Sri Sri Tattva.

Top

International

1. Women in Business and Management: The business case for change report by United Nation’s (UN) International Labour

Organization (ILO) -

1. It states that Companies that improve gender diversity especially at top perform better and rake in higher profits (5 to 20 %

more profits).

2. Report results are eye-opening as it shows that companies should look at gender balance as a bottom-line issue and not just

as a human resources issue.

2. According to a recent research, China continues to use banned ozone depleting chemical called CFC-11 in violation of Montreal

Protocol, despite Being a Signatory to Montreal Protocol and agreeing to phase out production of harmful CFC-11 in 2010.

1. New findings by researchers confirmed that emissions of ozone layer harming gas are coming from eastern China, primarily

from its two heavily industrialised provinces namely Shandong province and Hebei province.

2. In years between 2008 and 2012, eastern China emitted an average of about 6,400 metric tonnes (MT) of CFC-11 per year.

This increased to an average of about 13,400 metric tonnes (MT) of CFC-11 per year in years between 2014 and 2017.

3. China has world’s largest polyurethane foam market which accounts for about 40 % of world’s total consumption. The

Chinese foam manufacturers have been using CFC-11 illegally to save on higher cost of alternatives like hydrochloro-

fluorocarbons named HCFC-141b, which is supposed to be phased out in China by 2026. New findings will add to

international pressure on Chinese government to curtail illegal use of CFC-11.

4. CFC-11 It is also called as freon-11, Trichlorofluoromethane or R-11, is one of a class of compounds called

chlorofluorocarbons that is responsible for destroying atmospheric ozone.

5. Montreal Protocol -

1. Its a legally binding international pact signed in 1987 to preserve degradation of atmospheric ozone layer that blocks

harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sun.

2. It prescribes that production of compounds that deplete ozone (03) such as halons, carbon tetrachloride, stratosphere-

chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and methyl chloroform-are to be phased out by 2000 (2005 for methyl chloroform).

3. According to analysis by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), women remain

considerably under-represented across STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) studies and careers.

1. According to UNESCO, globally only 29% of those in science research and development (R&D) are women, with a low 19% in

south and west Asia and high 48% in central Asia. Teachers and technologists must take up responsibility to break

misperception among women that STEM does not relate to world at large.

2. Microsoft taken up an initiative to encourage women to pursue careers in STEM and is working to get students and young

women excited about STEM subjects. Such initiatives help raise awareness about issues that cause girls to drop out of or lose

interest in STEM.

4. Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone will set up its first container terminal outside India in Myanmar at an estimated cost of

USD 290 million, at Yangon Port in Myanmar. The terminal will have a capacity to handle 0.80 million TEUs (twenty foot

equivalent unit) of containers, with capability to handle 3 vessels at a time.

5. As per UN World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2019 Mid-year Update -

1. Forecast for world economic growth downgraded to 2.7 % in FY 19 and 2.9 % in FY 20. Earlier, this prediction was 3 % for

both years. Global Growth rate was 3 % in FY 18.

2. UN predicted US to grow at 2.3 % and European Union at 1.5 %. Developing economies will expand at 4.1 %.

3. For India, Growth rate is expected to be 7.0 % in 2019 and 7.1 % in 2020, down from earlier prediction of 7.6 % in FY 2019

and 7.4 in FY 20.

4. Growth in China is projected to moderate from 6.6 % in 2018 to 6.3 % in 2019 and 6.2 % in 2020.

6. China delivered the first overhauled multi-role JF-17 Thunder fighter jet the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). In recent years, JF-17 has

become a mainstay of PAF when after US has restricted its sales of F-16 war planes post 1990 arms embargo imposed on Pakistan

under Pressler Amendment. Pakistan has over 100 JF-17 planes with more in pipeline.

1. JF17 is part of close China-Pakistan defence cooperation which China has become a major supplier of arms to Pakistan.

China is also currently building four new modern naval warships for Pakistan.

7. Facebook will launch its own cryptocurrency in early 2020, allowing users to make digital payments in a dozen countries. The

currency, dubbed Global Coin, would enable Facebook’s over 2.5 billion users to change international currencies into its digital

coins.

8. Google suspended all business with Chinese Telecom Equiment Maker Huawei, that includes transfer of hardware, software and

technical services and cancelled its Android license.

1. This came after US Commerce Department added Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and 70 affiliates to its “Entity List” thus,

banning it from buying parts and components from US companies without US government approval. It comes amid trade

war between US and China.

2. This implies that Huawei can no longer license Google’s proprietary Android operating system and other services that it

offers. Huawei is only able to use a public version of Google’s operating system through the Android Open Source Project.

3. Google apps such as Chrome, Gmail, YouTube and Google Play will cease to exist on the upcoming Huawei phones.

9. IMD World Competitiveness Rankings 2019 (63 Nations) -

1. India ranked 43rd, placed better than 44th rank in 2018.

2. Top 5 - Singapore (1), Hong Kong (2), US (3), Switzerland (4), UAE (5). Singapore grabbed top position for first time in nine

years.

3. Saudi Arabia named as biggest gainer in 2019 rankings, rising from 39th place in 2018 to 26 in 2019.

4. Bottom 3 - Venezuela (63), Mongolia (62), Argentina (61).

5. China Got Ranked 14th in List.

10. In a international competition ‘Elsevier Foundation-ISC3 Green and Sustainable Chemistry Challenge’, a project idea by Ankur

Patwardhan from Pune won second prize of €25,000. His project named ‘Butterfly attractant for pollination and ecosystem health’

is about relation between chemistry and ecosystem.

11. India Elected To Executive Board Of First UN-Habitat Assembly, at 1st session of UN-Habitat Assembly held at headquarters of

UN-Habitat in Nairobi (Kenya). Theme for UN-Habitat Assembly is "Innovation for Better Quality of Life in Cities and

Communities".

12. Indian Government banned Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh or Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen India or Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen

Hindustan and all its manifestations under clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 35 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967.

13. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) and Commonwealth Bank Australia (CBA) enabled

secondary market trading recorded on blockchain for bond-i (blockchain operated new debt instrument), making this first bond

whose issuance and trading are recorded using distributed ledger technologies.

1. It illustrates vast potential to enhance co-ordination of securities trading and management on blockchain – delivering a

verified, permanent record and instant reconciliation.

2. World Bank issued bond-i in August 2018, which was world’s first bond to be created, allocated, transferred and managed

through its life cycle using distributed ledger technology. CBA was sole arranger for the bond.

14. Ireland Citizens voted to ease constitutional restriction on country’s divorce law.

1. A 1995 referendum granted Irish couples right to divorce. Since then, mandated separation period was a hangover condition.

2. Now, Over 82 % of Ireland voters casted their ballot in favour of removing a provision that requires couples to live separately

for four out of previous five years before their marriage is dissolved. This makes present Irish divorce law as among most

restrictive in Europe.

15. Kids Right Index Issued by Kids Right Foundation in cooperation with Erasmus University, Rotterdam (The Netherlands) -

1. India ranks 117th position out of 181 countries.

2. Top 3 - Iceland (1), Portugal (2), Switzerland (3).

3. Bottom 3 - Afghanistan (181), Sierra Leon (180), Chad (179).

4. Countries are judged on five indicators - right to life, right to education, right to health, right to protection and enabling

environment for child rights.

5. Neighbours - China (105), Nepal (136), Pakistan (151), Bangladesh (108), Sri Lanka (143)

16. Nepal banned popular Chinese digital payment apps WeChat Pay and AliPay, stating payments from unregistered systems were

illegal and resulting in a loss of income to Nepal. Under Nepali laws, anyone found guilty of embezzling foreign exchange can be

sentenced to up to three years in jail.

17. OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) Predicted world economy would grow 3.3 % in 2019 and 3.4

% in 2020, representing cuts of 0.2 percentage points for 2019 and 0.1 percentage points for 2020, compared to OECD's last

forecasts in November 2018.

1. For India, OECD Predicted it grow at 7.25% in FY19 and 7.5% in FY20, due to higher domestic demand and improved

financial conditions. India has fastest growth among G20 economies.

18. PCT Humanity, a charity run by an Indian in the UAE, entered Guinness Book of World Records for Longest Line of Hunger

Relief Package, during holy month of Ramzan in Abu Dhabi. It is founded by Joginder Singh Salaria.

19. Pakistan successfully test-fired a land-based nuclear-capable ballistic missile named ‘Shaheen-II’, with range under 2000 km.

Shaheen missile series is named after a Falcon (bird) species that lives in Pakistan’s mountains.

20. Puerto Williams in Chile became world’s southernmost city after its status upgraded from hamlet to city. It took over the title

from Ushuaia in Argentina.

21. Russia launched nuclear-powered Arctic icebreaker named ‘Ural’ at Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg, aimed at tapping

commercial potential of Arctic Ocean. It is one of the trio which when completed will be largest and most powerful icebreakers in

world. Other two of trio are - Arktika (Arctic) and Sibir (Siberia).

22. Saudi Arabia Lifted ban on imorting fruits and vegetable from Kerala, which was put after Nipah virus attack last year.

23. Software major Infosys' consulting arm will buy 75 % stake in Starter N.V., a subsidiary of Dutch-based ABN AMRO Bank for Rs

999 crore ($144 million) in cash for strategic partnership in The Netherlands. ABN will hold remaining 25 %.

24. South African Saray Khumalo Summited Mount Everest, becoming first black African woman to scale Mount Everest.

25. Sri Lanka, India and Japan signed Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) to jointly develop East Container Terminal (ECT) at

Colombo Port in Sri Lanka.

1. East Container Terminal is located near China backed international financial city, popularly known as “Port City”.

2. Sri Lanka holds 51% stake in project and Japan and India will retain 49%.

3. It is estimated to cost between $500 - $700 million USD.

26. Sweden will host an international conference against anti-Semitism (discrimination against Jews) in memory of Holocaust in

October 2020, 20 years after Declaration of Stockholm International Forum on Holocaust and 75 years after liberation of

Auschwitz concentration camp.

1. Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was World War II genocide of European Jews Between 1941 and 1945. Six million Jews

were killed, around two-thirds of Europe's Jewish population.

27. UNESCO added Indian part of Kailash Mansarovar to its tentative list of World Heritage Sites, under mixed category - both as a

natural as well as a cultural heritage.

1. Kailash Mansarovar is expanded across an area of 6,836 sq km within India, flanked in east by Nepal and China on north.

2. Indian part is in Uttarakhand State, comprising four major watersheds – Panar-Saryu, Saryu-Ramganga, Gori-Kali and

Dhauli-Kali.

3. At present, UNESCO’s list includes 845 cultural Heritage sites across the world, out of which 29 are from India.

28. US Food and Drug Administration approved Swiss drugmaker Novartis’ $2.1-million (14.7-crore), one-time gene therapy

Zolgensma for treatment of a rare disease that afflicts infants, making it world’s most expensive drug.

29. US President Donald Trump announced tariffs on all goods coming from Mexico in a bid to curb illegal immigration. From 10th

June 2019, 5 % tariff would be imposed and slowly raised until Illegal Immigration problem is remedied.

30. US removed India and Switzerland from currency monitoring lists.

1. In May 2018, India was placed by US in its currency monitoring list of countries with potentially questionable foreign

exchange policies. Other five countries are Japan, China, Switzerland, Germany and South Korea.

2. The list now includes other countries like Italy, Japan, Singapore, China, Malaysia, Ireland, Vietnam, Germany and Korea.

3. US Govt stated that India has taken certain steps which address some of its major concerns over its currency practices and

macroeconomic policies.

4. Over past 2 years, US has been putting pressure on India by increasing tariffs on products like steel and aluminum, and also

removed India from US’s Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), that allowed Indian businesses certain trade benefits.

India attempts to reduce its trade surplus of over $20 billion with US.

31. USA and United Arab Emirates's mutual defence cooperation agreement (DCA) came into force, amid increasing tensions

between US and Iran.

32. USA's NASA unveiled schedule for its “Artemis” program, including eight scheduled launches and a mini-station in lunar orbit by

2024. It aims at taking astronauts to Moon for first time in past 50 years.

1. Artemis 1 is planned for 2020, as an uncrewed flight test mission around Moon. After Artemis 1, NASA is also targeting 2020

for launch of its powerful Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft (which will carry astronauts) together for the first time

from a modernized Kennedy Space Center in Florida, US.

2. Artemis 2 is next mission planned for 2022. It will orbit Earth’s satellite (moon) and will fly a different path than first test

flight. It will be a crewed mission and around Moon for first time in 50 years.

3. Artemis 3 will follow Artemis 2, as ‘Artemis’ 2024 Moon mission. It will return astronauts to lunar surface by 2024, including

first woman. So far only 12 humans (all American male) have walked on Moon.

4. Artemis is abbreviation for Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of Moon’s Interaction with the

Sun. It is named Artemis after Greek mythological Goddess of Moon and also twin sister to Apollo (namesake of Apollo

program which sent 12 American astronauts to Moon between 1969 and 1972).

33. United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched ‘Golden Card’ Permanent Residency Scheme, to woo wealthy individuals and exceptional

talents from all over world.

1. Expatriates in UAE are usually given limited duration residence permits under a sponsorship system.

2. Golden Card Programme is open to investors and ‘exceptional talents’, offering permanent residency and unprecedented

benefits to cardholders.

3. As part of this, first group of 6800 investors from over 70 countries with investments of about 100 Billion Dirhams (USD 27

billion), were given permanent residency.

34. United Nation General Assembly (UNGA) passed a non-binding resolution asking United Kingdom (UK) to return Chagos

Archipelago in Indian Ocean to Mauritius.

1. Earlier in Feb 19, International Court of Justice (ICJ) advised UK to return the Diego Garcia (Chagos Islands) to Mauritius as

rapidly as possible. It also ruled the UK’s decolonisation of the Indian Ocean islands was unlawful.

2. ICJ stated that decolonisation of Mauritius was not lawfully complete when it attained independence because Britain carved

away Chagos Archipelago in 1965 before granting independence to Mauritius in 1968.

3. Also, residents of Chagos Archipelago were forcibly removed and Chagos Archipelago was handed over to US. US established

its strategic Indian Ocean military base there. Both UK and US had opposed UN resolution which referred matter to ICJ

saying it was a bilateral matter with Mauritius. It was unlikely that UK would accept the ICJ advisory.

4. Chagos Archipelago is a group of seven atolls comprises of more than 60 islands in Indian Ocean, located about 500 km

south of Maldives. Since 18th century when the French first settled in islands, it had been part of Mauritius only. In 1801, all

of the islands of French colonial territory in region were ceded to British.

35. United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG)'s 10 Most Influential People in Healthcare Award received by Acharya

Balkrishna, MD of Patanjali Ayurved, in Geneva (Switzerland).

36. World Health Organisation (WHO) declared excessive mobile, video gaming as a disorder. Gaming disorder and gambling

disorder are officially placed in 11th revision of International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems

(ICD-11) list of “disorders due to addictive behaviours”.

1. WHO also recognised “burn-out” in its International Classification of Diseases (ICD). Burn-out syndrome is conceptualised

as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.

37. World Health Organizatio (WHO) launched its global strategy for control and prevention of snakebite envenoming, which affects

between 1.8 and 2.7 million people each year, claiming 81,000–138,000 lives and causing 400,000 cases of permanent disability.

Soumya Swaminathan is Indian Origin Chief Scientist at WHO, appointed in March 2019.

1. Aim of WHO’s strategy is to halve the numbers of deaths and cases of disability due to snakebite over next 12 years. The

programme proposed targets affected communities and their health systems, as well as aiming to ensure access to safe,

effective treatment through increased partnerships.

38. World Health Organization (WHO) declared Algeria and Argentina as malaria-free, with no recorded cases of indigenous

transmission of the disease since 2013 and 2010 respectively.

Top

Meetings

1. 10th National Science Film Festival of India (NSFFI) will be organised in Tripura in January - February 2020, to raise awareness

about science and environment through films.

2. 2nd Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Mass Media Forum held at Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan). It aims to strengthen exchange

and cooperation in field of mass media amongst SCO countries.

3. 72nd session of World Health Organisation (WHO)'s World Health Assembly held in Geneva (Switzerland), with theme

Universal Health Coverage: Leaving no one behind -

1. WHO appointed four new goodwill ambassadors for promoting global health - Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (former President of

Liberia), Cynthia Germanotaa (President of “Born This Way Foundation”), Alisson Becker (Brazilian Footballer), Natalia

Loewe Becker (doctor from Brazil).

2. Member states seek to cut snakebite deaths and disability by 50% by 2030. World Health Assembly member states voted to

officially establish April 14 as World Chagas Day.

3. WHO declared excessive Digital gaming as a disorder, along with burn-out Condittion. These are placed in 11th revision of

International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11).

4. China hosted a Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations (CDAC) in Beijing. As part of CDAC, Chinese Ministry of Education

and UNESCO organized a parallel panel on “Safeguarding the Diversity of Asian Civilizations“. Theme: for CDAC is “exchanges

and mutual learning among Asian civilizations and a community with a shared future”.

Top

National

1. Lok Sabha Election Results 2019 -

1. Results -

1. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) became largest party and won majority by winning 303 Seats (271 seats required for

majority). BJP led alliance NDA (National Democratic Alliance) won 352 Seats. Its biggest ever Victory for BJP.

2. After successive victories of Indian National Congress in 1980 and 1984, this is first time any party has won absolute

majorities on its own in two successive Lok Sabha elections.

3. The victory is even bigger than 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, where BJP won 282 seats and BJP alliance NDA won 336

Seats.

4. Indian National Congress second largest party in Lok Sabha Elections 2019, with 52 seats, up from 44 seats it won in

2014 Lok Sabha Elections.

5. Revolutionalry Leader Narendra Modi to be re-appointed as Prime Minister of India, for his 2nd consecutive term.

2. Other Facts About Lok Sabha Elections 2019 -

1. These elections were conducted to elect people’s representatives for 17th Lok Sabha.

2. Election Commission had banned exit polls from publishing results of exit polls during Lok sabha Elections 2019, in

exercise of powers under sub-section(1) of Section 126A of Representation of People Act 1951.

3. Elections for Legislative Assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha & Sikkim 2019 were also held

along with Lok sabha Elections 2019.

4. Noted Actor Sunny Deol and Former cricketer Gautam Gambhir Joined Bharatiya Janata Party, amid ongoing Lok

Sabha Elections 2019. Sunny Deol Won from Gurdaspur (Punjab), while Gautam Gambhir won from East Delhi.

5. General Elections 2019 had 90 Crore Eligible voters. Voter turnout was 67.10%, highest ever voter turnout ever in

history of general elections. Previous highest voter turnout of 66.44% was recorded in 2014. Election commission

launched a voters turnout app to enable the people of India to watch realtime voter turnout.

6. Election Commission as a first of its kind initiative reached out to over 150 community radio stations across country to

educate and inform voters ahead of general elections, through a A workshop was organised by India International

Institute for Democracy and Electoral Management (IIIDEM).

7. First vote of Lok Sabha elections 2019 was cast in Arunachal Pradesh by service voters from a remote Indo-Tibetan

Border Police (ITBP) unit in eastern tip of Arunachal Pradesh.

8. To raise awareness among young voters in Assam, Bongaigaon district administration in Assam developed a mobile

application, ‘Sankalp’ where users can check their electoral roll details in the app.

9. Election Commission decided to not use Ballot papers in Nizamabad parliamentary constituency of Telangana, where

record 185 candidates were in contention. EC used M3 EVMs in Lok Sabha Polls, built by Electronics Corporation of

India Limited. All the EVMs would be connected to a single control unit and a VVPAT. M3 EVMs are 3rd generation

EVMs, that can keep data of 384 candidates.

10. Along with EVMs, Voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) or verifiable paper record (VPR) were also used. Its a

method of providing feedback to voters using a ballotless voting system, designed to allow voters to verify that their

vote was cast correctly, to detect possible election fraud or malfunction.

11. 25 years old Chandrani Murmu became Youngest to become a Member of Parliament. She won Keonjhar (Odisha) Lok

Sabha Seat, on Biju Janata Dal (BJD) ticket.

2. Andhra Pradesh Assembly Elections 2019 -

1. Andhra Pradesh Assembly Elections held on 11th April 2019, to constitute 15th Legislative Assembly. These elections were

held concurrently with Indian general elections 2019.

2. YSR Congress won record 151 seats out of 175 seats, leaving past earlier winner telugu desam party, who this time got only 23

seats.

3. Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy will be appointed as new Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.

3. Architectural heritage of Orchha town (Madhya Pradesh) has been included in tentative list of United Nations Educational,

Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO’s) World Heritage Sites List.

1. Any heritage site is first included on tentative list. Afterwards, another proposal is sent to UNESCO for its final addition in

heritage sites. Orcha Town is located in Niwari district of Madhya Pradesh’s Bundelkhand region. It was built in 16th century

during the reign of Bundela dynasty by its King Rudra Pratap Singh.

2. It is the only place in India where Lord Ram is worshipped as a king (not in God form) with a dedicated temple in his name

called Sri Ram Raja Mandir. Its famous for its two elevated minaret popularly called as Saavan and Bhadon, and its four

palaces named as Raj Mahal, Jahangir Palace, Rai Praveen Mahal and Sheesh Mahal.

3. There are 37 Indian heritage sites on UNESCO World Heritage list.

4. Arunachal Pradesh Assembly Elections 2019 -

1. Arunachal Pradesh Assembly Elections held on 11th April 2019, concurrently with Indian general elections 2019.

2. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won majority by winning 41 out of 60 legislative assembly seats.

3. Pema Khandu will be appointed as Chief Minister of Arunchal Pradesh for his 2nd term.

5. As per Central Statistics Office (CSO) Data, India’s GDP grew at 5.8% in January-March quarter of FY 2018-19, Lowest in last 20

Quarters (Lowest Since Q4 of 2014). It has also dragged down full year growth of FY2018-19 to a five-year low of 6.8%.

1. Unemployment rate in India rose to 45-year high of 6.1% in 2017-18. Rate of urban unemployment stood at 7.8 %, while rate

for rural India was 5.3 %.

2. Quarter wise GDP growth in FY 2018-19 - Q4(5.8), Q3 (6.6 %), Q2 (7%), Q1 (8%). Q1 and Q2 Growth Rates have been revised

from 8.2 & 7.1 % Respectively.

3. Full-year growth in value added terms was lower at 6.6%, compared with 6.9% in FY18.

4. China’s economy, in comparison, grew 6.4% in Q4. However, for full year 2018-19, India still remains fastest-growing major

economy in world.

6. Cabinet Approvals (May 31, 2019) -

1. General Approvals -

1. Approved a new Central Sector Scheme, aimed at empowering approx 5 crore farmers across India, by providing

pension cover to them. Central Government would spend INR 10774 crores for 3 years as its contribution (matching

share) for providing social security cover as envisaged under scheme. Features -

1. Entry age 18 - 40 years with minimum fixed pension of INR 3000 on attaining age of 60 years.

2. Equal Contributions will be made by beneficiary farmer Central Government (INR 100, on attaining age of 29

years).

1. After Pension receiving subscriber’s death, spouse of beneficiary shall receive 50% of pension.

2. Farmers can also opt to allow his / her monthly contribution to Scheme to be made from benefits drawn

from Pradhan Mantri KisanSAmman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme directly, which entitles Farmers to receive

INR 6000 Annually.

3. Its first such Farmers' Pension Scheme since Independence.

2. Approved an initiative which pertains to controlling Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Brucellosis to support

livestock rearing farmers. It has outlay of INR 13343 crores to fully control these diseases amongst livestock in 5 years.

1. In case of FMD, scheme envisages vaccination coverage to 30 crore bovines (cows-bulls and buffaloes) and 20

crore sheep/goat and 1 crore pigs at six months’ interval along with primary vaccination in bovine calves, while

Brucellosis control programme shall extend to cover 100% vaccination coverage of 3.6 crore female calves.

3. Approved Extending Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN)'s Coverage to Include all land holding eligible

farmer families.

1. Revised Scheme will cover over 2 crore more farmers, increasing coverage of PM-KISAN to around 14.5 crore

beneficiaries, Expenditure for Central Govt is estimated to be INR 87,217 crores for 2019-20.

2. PM-KISAN provides income support of INR 6000 farmer families with cultivable land holding upto 2 hectare

across country (This Land holding criteris now removed, to include all farmers). Amount is released in three 4-

monthly instalments of INR 2000 each over.

4. Approved a new scheme that offers pension coverage to the trading community, to benefit traders.

1. Under this, all shopkeepers, retail traders and self-employed persons are assured a minimum monthly pension of

INR 3000 month after attaining age of 60 years.

2. All concerned with GST turnover below 1.5 crore and age between 18-40 years are eigible. Government and

subscriber will make matching contributions.

7. Committee led by Dr. Kasturirangan submitted Draft National Educational Policy to HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal. Existing

National Policy on Education 1986 (modified in 1992) required changes to meet contemporary and futuristic needs of our large

youth population. Draft National Education Policy 2019 is built on pillars of Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability and

Accountability. Major recommendations -

1. In School Education

1. Major reconfiguration with Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) as integral part of school education is

proposed. It also recommends Extension of Right to Education Act 2009 to cover children of ages 3 to 18.

2. A 5+3+3+4 curricular and pedagogical structure based on cognitive and socio-emotional developmental stages of

children -

1. Foundational Stage (age 3-8 yrs): 3 years of pre-primary plus Grades 1-2;

2. Preparatory Stage (8-11 years): Grades 3-5;

3. Middle Stage (11-14 years): Grades 6-8;

4. Secondary Stage (14-18 years): Grades 9-12.

3. It proposes massive transformation in Teacher Education by shutting down sub-standard teacher education

institutions and moving all teacher education programmes into large multidisciplinary universities/colleges. 4-year

integrated stage-specific B.Ed. programme will be minimum degree qualification for teachers.

2. In higher education, restructuring of HEIs with three types is proposed -

1. Type 1 - Focused on world-class research and high quality teaching.

2. Type 2 - Focused on high quality teaching across disciplines with significant contribution to research.

3. Type 3: High quality teaching focused on undergraduate education.

4. This will be driven by two Missions - Mission Nalanda & Mission Takshashila.

5. There will be re-structuring of Undergraduate programs (e.g. BSc, BA, BCom, BVoc) of 3 or 4 years duration and

having multiple exit and entry options.

6. Admission to all undergraduate programmes of public Higher Education Institutions will be through a process of

assessment through NTA (National Testing Agency).

3. Establishing a new Body called Rashtriya Shiksha Ayog is proposed, to enable a holistic implementation of all educational

initiatives, and to coordinate between Centre and States.

4. National Research Foundation, an apex body is proposed for creating a strong research culture and building research

capacity across higher education.

5. 4 functions of Standard setting, Funding, Accreditation and Regulation to be separated and conducted by independent

bodies - National Higher Education Regulatory Authority as only regulator for all higher education including professional

education.

6. Creation of accreditation eco-system led by revamped NAAC, Professional Standard Setting Bodies for each area of

professional education and UGC to transform to Higher Education Grants Commission (HEGC).

7. Private and public institutions will be treated on par and education will remain a ‘not for profit’ activity.

8. Contemporary sculptor Anish Kapoor topped first edition of Hurun India Art List, With sales estimated at INR 168.25 crores. He

is followed by artists Akbar Padamsee and Krishen Khanna, whose works were sold for 45.84 crore and 9.48 crores respectively.

1. Hurun Research Institute ranked top 50 Indian artists alive based on sales of their works at public auction over last year.

9. Delhi HC ruled that United Nations Organization is not ‘State’ in terms of Article 12 of Indian Constitution and thus it is not

amenable to its jurisdiction under Article 226.

1. HC judgment adjudicated petition filed by a former UNO employee, concerning immunity enjoyed by UNO under United

Nations (Privileges and Immunities) Act 1947. Petitioner was found guilty of misconduct in a Procurement Task Force.

2. He was sentenced to 8 years of imprisonment by a US Federal Court and was deported to India in May 2014. He claims that

due process was not followed in his case.

3. In November 2018, petitioner sought permission of External Affairs Ministry to initiate legal action against UNO under

section 86 of Civil Procedure Code 1908, which says that a foreign State may be sued in any Court once consent of Central

government is obtained.

4. MEA stated that consent of Government was not required as it UNO was not foreign State.

5. MEA stated that UNO and its officials under UN (Privileges and Immunities) Act 1947, enjoy immunity from every legal

process except any particular case where it has clearly waived its immunity. The same became subject matter of this petition.

10. Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare released Second Advanced Estimate (2018-19) of Area and

Production of various Horticulture Crops. Horticulture Production is estimated to be 314.87 Million Tonnes, 1.01% higher than

2017-18.

Total Horticulture 2017-182018-19

(Second Advanced Estimate)

Area

(Million Ha)25.43 25.61

Production

(Million Tonnes)

300.64 314.87

11. Department of Biotechnology (DBT) under Ministry of Science and Technology and Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) signed

MoU for supporting a joint collaborative research programmes in area of Cancer.

12. Food safety regulator FSSAI permitted small organic producers, having an annual turnover of over Rs 12 lakh, to sell their

produce directly to end consumers without certification till April 2020, but will not be able to use 'Jaivik Bharat logo' on their

products. Similar relaxation has been given to 'aggregators' having an annual turnover of Rs 50 lakh.//

13. General Conferences (May 21 - 31, 2019)

1. 2019 China-India IT and DT Industry Cooperation Forum held in Guizhou (China). Objective is to create a new chapter in

India-China cooperation in the new era of the digital transition.

2. SWIFT India and South Asia Conference held in Mumbai, organized by SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial

Telecommunication) with theme Digitisation in transition: The future of innovation and cyber security.

3. Tokyo (Japan) hosted 2nd Urban 20 Summit, After successful first U20 Summit in Buenos Aires (Argentina).

4. Indian music label T-Series became first YouTube channel Globally to reach 10 Crore subscribers, beating its competitor

PewDiePies.

5. Delhi Lt. Governor Anil Baijal inaugurated Sahara Naval Hostel for ‘Veer Naris’ in New Delhi. It addresses need towards

rehabilitation of Naval ‘Veer Naris’ and provide them a safe environment to help them rebuild their lives.

6. As First Such move, Chennai environmentalist Abdul Ghani, known as ‘Green Man of India’, launched a tree ambulance

service to provide first-aid service to trees.

7. ISRO Chairman K Sivan flagged off shipment of India's largest liquid hydrogen storage tank (120 kilo liters capacity) at VRV

Asia Pacific's manufacturing plant at Sri City in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. VRV Asia Pacific manufactured storage

tank with a Liquid Nitrogen (LIN) shield, in collaboration with Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR. Liquid hydrogen

is used as fuel for satellite launch vehicles.

8. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare organized orientation workshop for Population Research Centres (PRCs) in New

Delhi.

9. US President Donald Trump became first foreign leader to meet Japan’s newly crowned emperor, Emperor Naruhito at

Japan's Imperial Palace.

10. Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline meeting held in Ashgabat (Turkmenistan). It is expected to

be completed by 2022 in Pakistan.

11. 5th Smart Cities India 2019 expo held at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, including Transport India, Solar India, Buildings

India and Water India expos.

12. Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu called for protecting and promoting indigenous Ongole cattle breed, which has become

popular Globally. Ongole cattle breed is known for its toughness, high milk yield, tolerance to tropical heat and disease

resistance.

14. Government Declared Indore's Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar airport as an international airport, Inpursuance of Passport (Entry into

India) Rules 1950. Indore Airport is bestowed Worlds Standardization Certification by the United Kingdom, and is busiest airport

in Central India.

15. Government constituted a Tribunal for adjudicating ban on Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

1. LTTE has been banned in India since 1991, after assassination of former PM Rajiv Gandhi by LTTE. In May 2019, Ministry of

Home Affairs extended ban on LTTE in India for further period of 5 years.

2. To examine whether or not there is sufficient cause for declaring LTTE as an unlawful association, Government has

constituted Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal.

16. IIT Guwahati signed MoU with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to set up a Joint Space Technology Cell (STC), as

first such in North-East region. It aims to cater to socio-economic needs of Northeast and contribute towards research activities of

various ISRO projects across India.

17. Karnataka cabinet approved a cloud seeding programme, to be implemented in June 2019, following reports that there would be

deficit rainfall in state.

18. Maharashtra Govt promulgated Maharashtra State Reservation for SEBC Amendment and Validation Ordinance 2019, to provide

reservation benefits in admissions to Social and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBCs) in medical education in state. Earlier,

Bombay HC had put a stay on 16% quota offered by state to its Maratha community under SEBC category for admission in 2019’s

postgraduate medical courses.

1. This ordinance makes way for 16% reservation for students from Maratha community in current academic year itself.

19. Maharashtra government proposed Maharashtra Land Titling Act, as s single-window mechanism for authenticating land titles.

It is seen as a pilot for a national rollout of online land title records with government. State will set up Land Titling Authority,

which will ensure that all information related to an immovable property is accessible at one place.

20. Meghalaya CM Conrad K Sangma launched a new project to boost the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants, called Aroma

Mission.

1. He also inaugurated Processing Unit of Essential Oil at Byrwa village in Ri Bhoi District. A MoU has been signed between

Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants-CIMAP and the MBDA (Meghalaya Basin Development Authority) for

collaborative work on medicinal and aromatic plants.

21. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) will set up a Centre of Excellence in Internet of Things in

Visakhapatnam in association with Nasscom.

22. Odisha Assembly Elections 2019 -

1. Odisha Assembly Elections held in April 2019, concurrently with Indian general elections 2019.

2. Naveen Patnaik Led Biju Janata Dal won majority by winning 112 out of 146 seats. BJP won 23 seats and Indian National

Congress won 9 Seats.

3. Naveen Patnaik to be CM of Odisha for his 5th Consecutive Term.

23. Over 25 States missed deadline for submitting their action plans on systematic disposal of plastic waste to As Per Central

Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Deadline was April 30, set by National Green Tribunal. These states will pay a fine as

environment compensation of 1 crore Per Month each.

24. Punjab government made it mandatory for all online food aggregators to ensure that food supplied by them should compulsorily

have hygiene rating as per Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) guidelines.

25. Sikkim Assembly Elections 2019 -

1. Sikkim Assembly Elections held in April 2019, concurrently with Indian general elections 2019.

2. Sikkim Krantikari Morcha won majority by winning 17 out of 32 seats. It has ended Sikkim Democratic Front's 25 year long

rule, led by Pawan Chamling.

3. Prem Singh Tamang, better known as P. S. Golay, will be appointed as New Chief Minister of Sikkim. Prior to forming his

own party SKM, he was a key member of Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) Party.

26. SpiceJet became fourth Indian airline to have a 100 aircraft in its fleet, after induction of a Boeing 737. Other three domestic

airline with 100 Aircraft fleet are Air India, Jet Airways (Non-Functioning) and IndiGo.

27. Telangana government will set up country’s first ‘Blockchain district’ to create an ecosystem for all the start-ups and institutes

working in space. District would focus on banking, financial services and insurance; pharma and healthcare; logistics and supply

chain; and government sectors.

Top

Persons

1. Priyanka Mohite from Satara (Maharashtra) became first Indian woman to scale Mount Makalu, the fifth-highest mountain in

world (8,481 metres). Earlier, in May 2018, Priyanka managed to scale Mount Lhotse, which is fourth highest mountain in the

world.

1. Mt Makalu is located in Mahalangur Himalayas, 19 km south-east of Mount Everest. First climb on Makalu was made by an

American team led by Riley Keegan in 1954.

2. Visits to India (May 21 - 31, 2019)

1. John Bailey, President of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (popularly known as Oscar Academy) Visited India. He

also E-launched Hindi translation of Academy Publication “Digital Dilemma”, in Delhi.

3. Obituaries (May 2019) -

1. Master Hirannaiah - Noted Veteran Kannada cinema, theatre actor.

2. B Subhashan - Former Madras and Kerala High Court Chief Justice.

3. Maramraju Satyanarayana Rao - Noted writer and academician from Telangana.

4. Seymour Nurse - Noted West Indian batsman, from Barbados.

5. Eranholi Moosa - Noted Folk singer From Kerala.

6. Derek Sippy - Former Indian Billiards player.

7. NR Madhava Menon - Noted pioneer of Indian legal education. He is considered as ‘Father of Modern Legal Education’.

8. Kirpal Singh - First chronicler of Partition. He started building an archive in 1954.

9. Baidyanath Mishra - Noted economist.

10. Mrinal Mukherjee - Noted Bengali film and TV actor.

11. Thopil Mohammed Meeran - Noted Sahitya Akademi awardee Tamil writer. He won Sahitya Akademi Award in 1997, for his

novel Saaivu Naarkkaali (The Reclining Chair).

12. YC Deveshwar - Padma Bhushan awardee and ITC's Non-Executive Chairman.

13. Nebburu Narayana Hegde - Noted Yakshagana ‘bhagawatha’ (singer).

14. Hiralal Yadav - Padma Shri awardee Bhojpuri folk singer.

15. Bob Hawke - former Prime Minister of Australia.

16. MB Balakrishnan - Indian Swimmer. He was South Asian Games Gold medalist in 50m backstroke.

17. Ieoh Ming Pei - Noted Chinese-US architect. He wes Conferred Noted Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1983.Presidential Medal

of Freedom (one of highest civilian awards of US) Was given to him in 1992.

18. Rallapalli Venkata Narasimha Rao - Noted Telugu actor.

19. Sammy Shore - Noted American actor and stand-up comedian. She co-founded The Comedy Store.

20. Shivappa Shetty - Former Indian Origin FIFA Panel Referee.

21. Niki Lauda - Former Austrian Three-time Formula One World champion.

22. Vijaya Mulay - Noted filmmaker and film historian. She is best known for her film, ‘Ek Anek Aur Ekta’.

23. Kenneth Binyavanga Wainaina - Noted Kenyan author, journalist and 2002 winner of Caine Prize for African Writing.

24. Veeru Devgan - Bollywood’s Noted stunt and action choreographer. He is also father of Noted Actor Ajay Devgn.

25. Murray Gell-Mann - Noted American physicist. He received 1969 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the theory of

elementary particles.

26. Surya Prakash - Noted painter from Hyderabad.

27. Prem Tinsulanonda - Former Prime Minister of Thailand.

28. Kalpana Dash - Odisha's first woman mountaineer. She passed away near Balcony area world's highest peak Mount Everest.

29. India’s only orangutan named Binny Passed Away at age of 41 Years.

30. Carmine Caridi - Noted American Actor, known for roles in The Godfather franchise.

31. Benu Mishra - Noted Artist from Assam.

4. Persons Resigned / Retired (May 2019) -

1. B.V.P. Rao resigned as Archery Association of India (AAI) President.

2. Bhushan Patil resigned as President at Paytm.

3. Noted Spanish Footballer Player Xavi Hernandez retired from professional football.

4. Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast) retired from Professional football.

5. Germany’s Double Olympic biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier announced her retirement.

6. British PM Theresa May announced her resignation, amid Brexit Pressure and complexities.

7. Peter O’Neill resigned as Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea.

8. Austria's parliament removed Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, after a political scandal caused by a secret video, which ended

coalition.

Top

Science

1. An exoplanet smaller than Neptune with its own atmosphere has been discovered in Neptunian Desert, in a research led by

University of Warwick (England).

1. Named NGTS-4b (also called 'The Forbidden Planet'), its a planet smaller than Neptune but three times the size of Earth. It

is the first exoplanet of its kind to have been found in the Neptunian Desert.

2. Neptunian Desert is the region close to stars where no Neptune-sized planets are found. This area receives strong irradiation

from star, meaning planets do not retain their gaseous atmosphere as they evaporate leaving just a rocky core. However

NGTS-4b still has its atmosphere of gas.

2. ISRO inaugurated its new commercial arm called NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), registered in March 2019 by Department of

Space (DoS) as its second commercial entity called NSIL, under ISRO. First commercial venture of DoS was Antrix Corporation

Limited, set up in 1992 to market ISRO products and services.

1. NSIL was incorporated for commercially utilising research and development (R&D) activities carried out by ISRO, with

authorised share capital worth Rs.100 crore and initial paid up capital of Rs.10 crore.

3. Institute of Aerospace Medicine (Indian Air Force) and Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO) signed an agreement on the

selection of crew and training for Gaganyaan Programme.

1. Gaganyaan Programme was announced by PM Narendra Modi in August 2018, with 10,000 crores Budget. It is scheduled to

be launched in December 2021. ISRO has set up Human Spaceflight Centre at its headquarters in Bengaluru in Jan 2019.

Under this, a three-member crew will spend a minimum of seven days in space and a human-rated GSLV Mk-lll will be used

to carry orbital module.

4. Scientists found one billion-year-old fungi in Canada's Arctic. In Fossilized fungi, researchers found presence of chitin, a unique

substance that is found on cell walls of fungi. Specimen was then age dated using precise measurements of radioactive isotope

ratios within sample.

1. Previous oldest fossil fungi on record dated back to middle Paleozoic, about 460 million years old.

2. This changes our view on when plants and animals could have existed on Earth. Previous estimates are that first land plants

existed around 470 million years ago and animals around 580 to 500 million years ago.

5. Scientists identified a new species of wasp from genus Kudakrumia in Goa. The wasp is dubbed as Kudakrumia rangnekari,

named after researcher Parag Rangnekar. The Kudakrumia is a genus of primitive wasps that was previously known only from Sri

Lanka.

6. USA Space Exploration Firm SpaceX launched first batch of 60 small satellites into low-Earth orbit, as part of Starlink internet

service venture by SpaceX Founder Eon Musk.

1. Each satellite weighs about 500 pounds (227 kg), making them heaviest payload carried by SpaceX to date, as Initial phase of

a planned constellation capable of beaming signals for high-speed internet service from space to paying customers around

globe.

2. Constellation will become operational once over 800 satellites will be activated, which will require at least 12 launches

carrying similar payloads. These satellites are part of a planned 12,000 satellite megaconstellation with aim to provide high-

speed internet service from space to customers around globe.

Top

Sports

1. 2nd India Open International Boxing Tournament held in Guwahati (Assam) -

1. India won 57 medals including 12 Gold, 18 Silver and 27 Bronze.

2. ISSF World Cup 2019 (3rd Leg - Munich (Germany)) (Rifle / Pistol) -

1. India Ranked at top. Indian Medalists -

1. S.No Name of the Shooter Event Name Medal won

1. Saurabh Chaudhary(World Record) 10 metre air pistol Gold

2. Apurvi Chandela 10 metre air rifle Gold

3. Rahi Sarnobat 25 metre pistol Gold

4. Divyansh Singh Panwar & Anjum Moudgil 10 metre air rifle(Mixed Team) Gold

5. Saurabh Chaudhary & Manu Bhaker 10 metre air pistol(Mixed Team) Gold

6. Apurvi Chandela & Deepak Kumar (sport shooter) 10 metre air rifle(Mixed Team) Silver

2. In Munich, India’s Saurabh Chaudhary won 10m Air Pistol Gold beating his own World Record. He scored 246.3

bettering his previous best of 245 points that was set in New Delhi World Cup Shooting in February 2019.

3. In Previous 2 Legs of ISSF World Cup in New Delhi and Beijing, India had won 6 Gold and 1 Silver Medals. Now India

is at top with total 13 Medals - 3 in Leg 1 in New Delhi, 4 in Leg 2 in Bejing and 6 in Leg 3 in Munich. India is currently

at top of Medal Tally.

4. Indian Medallists also got Olympic Quota for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

5. Upcoming assignments under ISSF World cup 2019 will be in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Final is to be decided.

2. Medal Tally -

1. Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total

1 India 11 2 0 13

2 China 5 11 12 28

3 United States 5 4 1 10

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total

4 Russia 3 5 3 11

5 Hungary 3 1 1 5

3. India's Mahesh Mangaonkar won Sekisui Open Squash Title in Kriens (Switzerland), as his 2nd Sekisui Open title. He beat

Bernat Jaume of Spain.

4. Indian men's compound team won bronze Medal in Archery World Cup 2019 in Antalya, Turkey. Team consisted of Abhishek

Verma, Rajat Chauhan and Aman Saini.

5. International Cricket Council (ICC) launched criiio campaign on eve of Men’s World Cup 2019 to be held in England & Wales. It

aims to bring together people playing cricket globally and to celebrate diversity of cricket.

6. Laver Cup became an official part of the ATP Tour. Its an international indoor hard court men's tennis tournament between two

teams: Team Europe and Team World.

7. Mercedes Racer Lewis Hamilton (UK) won Monaco Grand Prix 2019 -

1. Formula 1 Season 2019 -

Round Grand Prix Winner date

1 Australian Grand Prix Valtteri Bottas (Finland) 17 March

2 Bahrain Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 31 March

3 Chinese Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 14 April

4 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Valtteri Bottas (Finland) 28 April

5 Spanish Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 12 May

6 Monaco Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 26 May

7 Canadian Grand Prix 9 June

8 French Grand Prix 23 June

9 Austrian Grand Prix 30 June

10 British Grand Prix 14 July

11 German Grand Prix 28 July

12 Hungarian Grand Prix 4 August

13 Belgian Grand Prix 1 September

14 Italian Grand Prix 8 September

15 Singapore Grand Prix 22 September

16 Russian Grand Prix 29 September

17 Japanese Grand Prix 13 October

18 Mexican Grand Prix 27 October

19 United States Grand Prix 3 November

20 Brazilian Grand Prix 17 November

21 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 1 December

8. Misc. Sports Events (May 19) -

1. Jaipur will host 8th Asian Youth Women Handball Championships in August 2019.

2. India’s Apurvi Chandela became world number 1 in women’s 10m air rifle event, as per latest rankings by International

Shooting Sport Federation.

3. Hockey India nominated Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and Chinglensana Singh

Kangujam, Akashdeep Singh and Deepika for Arjuna Award. Also, National Shooting Federation recommended Heena Sidhu

and Ankur Mittal for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.

4. Indian Wrestler Bajrang Punia (Current World number one in 65 kg Category) won gold medal in 2019 Ali Aliyev Wrestling

Tournament in Kaspiisk (Russia), after defeating Viktor Rassadin.

5. West Indies' players John Campbell and Shai Hope created record for Highest Opening Wicket Partnership by making first-

ever 350 plus run stand (365 Runs), against Ireland.

6. FIFA introduced 2 new award categories - Women’s goalkeeper of year and women’s team of the year, to promote women’s

football.

7. US President Donald Trump awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, country’s highest civilian honour to Noted US golfer

Tiger Woods.

8. Retirement Bound Jamaican Cricketer Chris Gayle has been named Vice-Captain of West Indies Cricket Team for ICC World

Cup 2019, to be hosted by England and Wales.

9. Indian Dairy Brand Amul announced to sponsor Afghanistan team in upcoming Cricket World Cup 2019 in England and

Wales.

10. India's Esha Singh and Akull Kumar won silver medal in International Shooting Competition of Hannover (Germany).

11. Inaugural edition of world’s first exclusive women’s cricket magazine named as ‘Criczone’ released in India. Its a one stop

solution for providing updates from world of women’s cricket.

12. Golfer Mukesh Kumar won TATA Steel PGTI Players Championship in Panchkula (Haryana).

13. 17th edition of India’s prestigious international motorsport event, Desert Storm Rally 2019 held in Rajasthan.

14. Team from the Georgia Institute of Technology, including an Indian American student Shiv Chopra, won "Hearthstone

Collegiate Championship,” part of first-ever ESPN Collegiate Esports Championship.

15. Japan's Yosuke Asaji won Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup 2019 at the Sobu Country Club. India's Rahil Gangjee finished tied 39th

while Viraj Madappa ended tied 53rd.

16. Pakistan Female Cricketer Sana Mir became most successful women's ODI spinner in Female Cricket history, after she took

147 wickets.

17. International Army Scout Masters Competition as a part of International Army Games will be organised under aegis of

Konark Corps at Jaisalmer (Rajasthan) in August 2019. It will witness participation of Mechanised Infantry Scout Teams of 8

countries including Russia.

18. Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced that for first time, an all-female referee team will take charge of a Men’s

Continental Club Cup clash (Cambodia vs Myanmar). Female referees are Japanese , namely Naomi Teshirogi, Makoto

Bozano and Yoshimi Yamashita.

19. For first time in ICC Cricket world cup history, each participating team at upcoming ICC World Cup 2019 will have a

dedicated anti-corruption officer attached with it, aimed at delivering a corruption-free tournament.

1. Also, Former Indian cricketers Sourav Ganguly and Sanjay Manjrekar along with Harsha Bhogle inducted into ICC

commentary panel from India for World Cup 2019.

20. China will host Asian Cup Football tournament in 2023, after South Korea withdrew its bid to host the games.

21. Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) tied up with IT Firm HCL, to improve Squash Sport in India.

22. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) appointed India's Wasim Jaffer as batting coach for game development of its high

performance academy in Dhaka. Jaffer has exceptional stats in Domestic Cricket.

23. ISSF Shotgun World Cup 2019 3rd leg held in Changwon (South Korea). First two were held in Acapulco (Mexico) and Al Ain

(UAE). No Indian Player could get a medal at the event. Shagun Chowdhary emerged best-placed Indian at 34th position at

women's trap shooting qualifiers.

24. French side Lyon beat Barcelona FC win their fourth consecutive Women’s Champions League Football title.

25. India's Anirudh and Niki won 2019 ITF mens Futures tennis title in Uganda, defeating Simon Carr and Ryan James Storrie.

26. FIFA droped its plans to expand 2022 World Cup to include 48 teams, to be hosted in Qatar. It ensures that first 48-team

World Cup will be the one awarded to US, Mexico and Canada in 2026.

27. Argentine Footballer Lionel Messi became first to win Europe's Golden Shoe award for three straight years, given for scoring

Maximum Goals in an year. Messi scored 36 Goals fo Barcelona FC.

28. FIFA confirmed lifetime ban for ex-Brazil football chief Marco Polo Del Nero.

29. Chelsea FC Won 2018–19 UEFA Europa League Football Title, by defeating Arsenal FC.

9. Sethu FC beat Manipur Police SC to win 3rd edition of Indian Women's League Football Title 2019.

10. Sudirman Cup Badminton 2019 (Nanning, China) -

1. China beaten Japan in men’s doubles, women’s singles and men’s singles, winning by 3-0.

2. It was China's 11th Sudirman Cup title.

3. Sudirman Cup was established in 1989 and is biennial international badminton championship.

Top

Read Important Ones