Why in News? The Union Government has Approved the Continuation of a police modernisation scheme for five years up to 2025-26 with a financial outlay of ₹26,275 crore. What is…
Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA Government hopes to increase around $83.8 billion (Rs 5.83 trillion rupees) from its latest round of airwaves auction in 2019. The Central government is planning…
More than 600 companies, including Walmart Inc, Target Corp, urged U.S. President Donald Trump to resolve the trade dispute with China that totally affects American businesses and consumers. More than…
CONTEXT: According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) World Investment Report 2019, India received foreign direct investments (FDI) worth USD 42 billion in 2018. India attracted…
CONTEXT: Mary Meeker’s 2019 Internet Trends Report said that the global internet users have touched 3.8 billion which is more than half of the world’s population. China was found to…
CONTEXT: Mount Sinabung volcano erupted in Sumatra Island of western Indonesia. A huge column of ash was blasted and spread 7 km high to southeast and south of crater. Mount…
CONTEXT Union Cabinet has approved the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Siddhi Scheme. It will cost over Rs.87,000 crore a year to the exchequer. The government has announced its decision to…
CONTEXT Sweden's teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg was awarded Amnesty International award for mobilising world public opinion on the looming peril of global warming. Thunberg, a fierce campaigner with a…
Context: India’s foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale said that India will enhance its commitment to Sri Lanka in the wake of the recent bomb attacks on churches and hotels that killed…
CONTEXT: Goa celebrated its statehood day on 30th May. It was on this day in 1987 Goa became the 25th state of the Indian Union. Before this, Goa, along with…
CONTEXT: The UN Security Council has extended an arms embargo and sanctions on South Sudan for a year, despite resistance from African countries, Russia and China. A US-drafted resolution was…
CONTEXT: Rivers worldwide are polluted with antibiotics that exceed environmental safety thresholds by up to 300 times, according to research. Scientists found one or more common antibiotics in two-thirds of…
International Commonwealth Day was observed in Commonwealth countries on 24 May. International Missing Children's Day is observed every year on 25 May.
Corporation Bank launched ‘Corp SME Suvidha’, a product for GST-registered MSMEs. The product has been designed as part of the bank’s efforts to provide the best products to the MSME…
The Reserve Bank of India allowed large modern currency chests to increase the service charges on cash deposited by non-chest bank branches from the existing rate of ₹5 per packet…
A government-appointed advisory group has suggested issuance of 'Elephant Bonds' wherein people declaring undisclosed income will have to mandatorily invest half of that amount in these securities. These recommendations are…
The Second Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Mass Media Forum is being held at Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan from 23-26 May, 2019. A Delegation from I&B Ministry comprising of Shri TVK Reddy and…
CONTEXT: Nahida Manzoor created history by becoming the first Kashmiri woman to successfully summit the World’s highest peak, Mount Everest. Nahida Manzoor went with her Sherpa Guide Nima Kancha. On…
Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been honoured with the Seoul Peace Prize. The South Korean government has awarded the Seoul Peace Prize for PM Modi in recognition of his…
Context: Union Minister of Textiles launched the India Size project in Mumbai. A first-of-its-kind project in the history of the country, India Size aims to arrive at a standard Indian…
CONTEXT : The British government is discussing how to tweak its proposed European Union divorce terms in a last-ditch attempt to get Parliament's backing for Prime Minister Theresa May's deal…
CONTEXT : An author from Oman has won the prestigious Man Booker International Prize for "Celestial Bodies", the story of three sisters of a desert country confronting its slave-owning past…
CONTEXT : Myanmar Navy Ship UMS King TabinShweHtee (773) and UMS Inlay (OPV-54) arrived Port Blair on 20 May 2019. The 8th Indo-Myanmar coordinated patrol (IMCOR) is being organised at…
A Nepalese Sherpa climber Kami Rita has scaled Mount Everest for 23rd time. He broke his own record for the most successful ascents of the world's highest peak. Rita is…
British Prime Minister Theresa May agreed to set a firm date for her resignation as Conservative Party leader to make way for a new leader in Downing Street by next…
S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping participate in a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. Trump is to meet with Xi…
TIJJANI Muhammad-Bande, a professor and former vice chancellor of Usman DanfodiyoUniversity, Sokoto, has been appointed the President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). He was the permanent representative of…
Iran stopped respecting limits on its nuclear activities agreed under a 2015 deal with major powers until they find a way to bypass renewed U.S. sanctions. The announcement came as…
Justice PR Ramachandra Menon was sworn in as Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court. Governor Anandiben Patel administered him the oath of office and secrecy at a function here…
Former world number one Roger Federer has returned to third in the ATP Men's rankings released on 6 May 2019. He replaced Alexander Zverev after he was knocked out of…
India has been re-elected as an observer to inter-governmental forum Arctic Council. The Arctic Council promotes cooperation, coordination and interaction among Arctic states on common issues, particularly on sustainable development…
In Mali, the president has named a new government after its predecessor resigned in April 2019. President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita announced the new executive of 37 members under Prime Minister…
Iran is likely to announce today that it is partially withdrawing from the nuclear deal it struck with world powers. The move comes a year after President Donald Trump pulled…
INS Ranjit, a Rajput class destroyer was decommissioned at a solemn grand ceremony at Naval Dockyard today at BACKGROUND: The Decommissioning Ceremony was graced by 16 officers and 10 sailors…
North Korea has fired several short range projectiles into the Sea of Japan. State media confirmed that North Korean leader gave the order of firing to increase the combat ability…
In 2029, a massive asteroid called 99942 Apophis will fly past earth at an approximate distance of 19,000 miles within the distance of some orbiting spacecraft. Apophis is named after…
The Geological Survey of India (GSI) North Eastern Region (NER) installed two geological display boards at two important sites -- Mawmluh cave and Therriaghat, Sobhar in East Khasi district in…
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law new measures that would enable the creation of a national network, able to operate separately from the rest of the world. The…
The Netherlands has emerged as the third largest foreign direct investor in India during 2017-18. The Netherlands was also the second largest destination for foreign investment by Indian companies, after…
The 14th edition of the annual Sino-Indian border trade opened at Nathu La in Sikkim on 1 May 2019. The bilateral border trade between the two countries is organised four…
The United Nations has called the new laws “draconian” while the US and several other countries had urged Brunei to halt its plans. Celebrities including George Clooney, Elton John and…
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah said on Sunday that Brunei has had a “de facto moratorium” on capital punishment for over two decades and “this will also be applied to cases under…
Chief Economic Advisor Krishnamurthy Subramanian has been included in the Advisory Council of the 15th Finance Commission as its member. The Advisory Council was set up in April 2018 to…
BSNL has become the first operator to start optical fiber-based high-speed broadband service in Pulwama with the launch of 'Bharat Fibre'. This is the first such FTTH (fiber-to-the-home) service deployment…
NIOS has signed a MoU with Indian Medical Association for imparting skill education in Paramedical Courses to the learners. The MoU is initially for period of three years for the…
US Air Force General Tod D. Wolters has been sworn in as the top military officer of the 29-nation NATO military alliance. The former pilot, who has served in Afghanistan…
The Defence Ministry approved Indian Navy's proposal to acquire 10 Kamov-31 choppers from Russia at a cost of around Rs 3,600 crore. It will strengthen its capability against aerial threats…
UN agency for disaster reduction has commended the Indian Meteorological Department's almost pinpoint accuracy of early warnings that helped authorities conduct a well-targeted evacuation plan and minimize the loss of…
Bajirao, the last captive white tiger at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai suburb Borivali, died at the age of 18. The tiger had been suffering from chronic ankylosis…
King Maha Vajiralongkorn, Rama X of Thailand, was crowned on 4th May. King Vajiralongkorn is the tenth monarch of the Chakri dynasty, which has reigned since 1782. He ascended the…
North Korea has fired several short range projectiles into the Sea of Japan. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the drill yesterday. State media confirmed that North Korean leader gave…
Indian Space Research Organization is planning to send a probe to study the sun early next year. BACKGROUND: currently scientists are exploring possibilities to study more about Sun and the…
Researchers found cocaine in all samples of shrimp tested in a rural area of eastern England, they revealed on May 1, with ketamine also widespread. BACKGROUND: Scientists from King’s College…
The Asia-Pacific region is expected to power ahead growing at 5.7% this year but escalating trade tensions are a source of worry. The consumer and investor behaviour could be undermined…
A mock North Korea's Scud-B missile, center, and South Korean missiles are displayed at Korea War Memorial Museum in Seoul, South Korea. BACKGROUND: North Korea said on Thursday that it…
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu unveiled a postage stamp to commemorate the 750th birth anniversary of Sri Vedanta Desikan in New Delhi on May 2, 2019. BACKGROUND: Sri Vedanta Desikan…
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has successfully commissioned 2 motor pump set units for the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme in Telangana. Under the scheme, 89 cu.secs of water will be…
Diversification and desire for safe, liquid assets were main drivers of purchases, says WGC. BACKGROUND: Central banks across the globe are building up gold reserves with the first quarter of…
S. refuses to extend sanctions waiver to India on Iran oil import; OMCs stop placing orders from Iran. BACKGROUND: India has a “robust plan” to import oil from other countries,…
India’s second moon mission, Chandrayaan-2, will be historic for the scientific community as the country’s space agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), attempts to land a rover on the…
A rights body, comprising a retired Supreme Court judge and a former Assam police chief, has said the apex court’s remark on the detention of ‘foreigners’ in Assam was unfortunate…
Governments across the world are increasingly clamping down on press freedom by enacting new laws, according to a global network of journalists. BACKGROUND Vienna-based International Press Institute (IPI) said in…
A group of 25 influential American lawmakers has urged the US Trade Representative not to terminate the GSP programme with India after the expiry of the 60-day notice on Friday,…
External Affairs Ministry has said that India is prepared to deal with the impact of the end of waivers from US sanctions on import of oil from Iran. BACKGROUND: There…
Markets regulator SEBI directed National Stock Exchange to pay more than Rs625 crore in the case of misuse of its co-location facility. SEBI has been probing alleged lapses in high-frequency…
India Ratings & Research (A Fitch Group Company) has lowered the country’s growth forecast for the current fiscal to 7.3%, from the earlier projection of 7.5 %. The agency has…
The first part of the Indo-French joint naval exercise, Varuna 19.1 is being conducted off the Goa coast from 1-10 May 19. It includes the participation of the French Navy’s…
Directorate of Indian Defence University (IDU) is organizing a 2-day workshop on Space Warfare and Technology on 2-3 May,19 in New Delhi. It is being held for senior and middle-level…
The country's manufacturing sector performance eased to an eight-month low in April as new business growth moderated. The Nikkei India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index declined from 52.6 in March to…
Context: The Union Minister for Railways has announced the creation of new railway zone for Andra Pradesh, Southern Coast Railway Zone to be headquartered in Visakhapatnam. Under item 8 of…
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's (SIPRI) report said that India is the world’s 4th biggest military spender in 2018. The United States topped the list followed by China and Saudi…
As for May Day in India, the country witnessed the first celebration of Labour Day in 1923 in what was then Madras. BACKGROUND: May 1 is a metonym for International…
The New Zealand Open Badminton tournament began in Auckland on 30 April 2019. Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal will be aiming to win her second title this year. Parupalli Kashyap,…
Indian para-athletes secured a silver and two bronze medals at the Asian Road para-cycling championships at Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Divij Shah clinched silver while Asian Para Games bronze medallist Gurlal Singh…
CONTEXT: Indian Army signed a MoU with National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) Limited. BACKGROUND: The agreement is to build four underground tunnels along China and Pakistan borders for storage of…
CONTEXT: India has won 13 medals, including two gold, four silver and seven bronze at the Asian Boxing Championships. Boxer Amit Panghal picked up his second successive gold medal of…
CONTEXT: India wrapped up their campaign at the Asian Wrestling Championships at Xi'an, China, on a resounding note with 16 medals. Men's freestyle wrestlers bagged eight medals comprising one gold,…
CONTEXT: The Cyclone Fani in South East Bay of Bengal is expected to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm. India Meteorology Department said it will further intensify into a very…
CONTEXT: Indonesia announced its plans to move its capital away from Jakarta. BACKGROUND: President Joko Widodo’s government plans to establish a new Capital out of the crowded Java Island to…
CONTEXT: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' meeting in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek on 29 April 2019. She is on a three-day visit to…
CONTEXT: In Indonesia, at least 17 people have been killed and nine are missing after days of heavy rain triggered floods and landslides on the island of Sumatra. Some 12,000…
CONTEXT: India topped the standings at the International Shooting Sport Federation, ISSF World Cup on the final day in Beijing, bagging four medals- 3 Gold and a Silver. Anjum Moudgil…
CONTEXT: Hima Das was named in India's women 4x400m relay team for the World Relays to begin in Yokohama, Japan next month. Hima made the cut despite pulling out of…
CONTEXT: Scientists in Chile has recently found oldest single footprint at the paleo-archaeological site Pilauco (Osorno, Chile). BACKGROUND: It is a single footprint, discovered in Chile, dates back 15,600 years.…
CONTEXT: Scientists have discovered a new species of crab that swam the sea 95 million years ago. The small, pocket-size crab, named Callichimaera perplexa, was very different from its modern-day…
CONTEXT: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has launched the Malaria Elimination Research Alliance (MERA) India. It is a conglomeration of partners working on malaria control in order to…
CONTEXT: US President Donald Trump on April 26, 2019 rejected the United Nations' 2013 Arms Trade Treaty aimed at regulating the global arms trade. BACKGROUND: Trump announced to “unsign” the…
CONTEXT: Niti Aayog has agreed to the proposal of the Dental Council of India which had sought to allow dentists to practice as general physicians after a bridge course. The…
CONTEXT: The Central Works Public Department (CPWD) constituted an expert committee to formulate a design policy for building construction and infrastructure development. BACKGROUND: The committee has been set up under…
CONTEXT: April 29 is celebrated as International Dance Day annually. It aims to bring people together with a common language - dance. In 1982, the Dance Committee of International Theatre…
CONTEXT: The World Veterinary Day is observed on 28th April. It celebrates the contributions of veterinarians to the health of animals and society. The theme for 2019 is Value of…
CONTEXT: World Day for Safety and Health at Work is a UN international day that is celebrated every April 28. It is an annual international campaign to promote safe, healthy…
CONTEXT: Fabio Fognini became the first Italian to win an ATP Masters 1000 title at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. He defeated Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 38…
CONTEXT: The government of India has revamped its high-level anti-hijack panel to include top officials of the Prime Minister’s Office, especially National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. He will be empowered…
CONTEXT: According to a Stanford study, global warming has caused the Indian economy to be 31% smaller than it would have been. The study shows how Earth's temperature changes have…
CONTEXT: Kotak Mahindra Bank launched a debit card-based authentication solution on NPCI’s e-Mandate API platform. With this, the bank has become the first Destination Bank to go live with Net…
CONTEXT: The Reserve Bank of India is the first central bank in the Asia-Pacific region to begin an explicit interest rate easing cycle buoyed by benign food inflation and easier…
CONTEXT: BuyUcoin, the second oldest Cryptocurrency Exchange in India, has announced the launch of a new and unique platform for wholesale cryptocurrency trading. The platform allows its users to trade…
CONTEXT: National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved the merger of IndusInd Bank with Bharat Financial Inclusion (BFIL). The merger will be completed within 2-4 weeks. Post-merger, BFIL will become a…
The United States secured the One-Day International (ODI) status. There will be 20 ODI nations after the end of the tournament, with the top four sides to join Scotland, the…
A Konkani translation of the Indian Constitution was released by the Mangaluru Bishop Peter Paul Saldanha. The translation has been done by Professor Stephen Quadros Permude, author of several books…
World Day For Animals In Laboratories (WDAIL) (also known as World Lab Animal Day) is observed every year on 24 April. International Girls in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Day…
CONTEXT: At the centre of this weight gain, the scientists discovered, was a molecule called NPY, which the brain produces naturally in response to stress to stimulate eating in humans…
CONTEXT: The Delhi High Court has struck down the decision of the Central government restricting the famously aromatic basmati rice production to only seven States in the Indo-Gangetic plains. The…
CONTEXT: Abusing a person with filthy language alone does not constitute the offence of criminal intimidation. The threat must be with intention to cause alarm to the complainant to cause…
CONTEXT: China’s President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan before a meeting in Beijing on April 28, 2019. He expressed hope that Pakistan and India can…
CONTEXT: A 500-year-old well, believed to have been built during the lifetime of the founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak Dev, has been discovered at the enclosure of a gurdwara on…
CONTEXT: The Southern peninsula division comprising all five States of the South India and the Union Territory of Puducherry, Goa and coastal Maharashtra recorded a deficiency of 31%. East and…
CONTEXT: Scientists have developed a process to 3D-print transparent and flexible electronic circuits, paving the way for improved wearable devices in the future. BACKGROUND: The electronics consists of a mesh…
CONTEXT: In a sign that platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp are emerging as new public square for criminal deception, a study has found that social media fraud increased 43% in…
CONTEXT: This record is an enormous contribution to the field of global climate studies. When the landmass that is now the Indian subcontinent slammed into Asia about 50 million years…
CONTEXT: Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, scriptwriter Salim Khan, and Helen were honoured with the prestigious Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Award on 25 April 2019. The award has been instituted by Master Deenanath…
CONTEXT: A floating nuclear power plant that is also known as 'Chernobyl on ice' is ready to begin supplying the electricity in Russia. The Akademik Lomonosov is reportedly destined to…
Context: The second largest Emperor penguin colony in the world has suffered a “catastrophic” breeding failure after nearly all chicks born over three years died as their icy Antarctic habitat…
CONTEXT: The Supreme Court directed the RBI to disclose information pertaining to its annual inspection report under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. A bench headed by Justice L Nageswara…
CONTEXT: The Commerce and Industry Ministry has proposed a host of measures such as tax incentives to promote budding entrepreneurs as part of the 'Startup India Vision 2024'. The vision…
CONTEXT: The UAE's biggest sewage treatment plant, Jebel Ali STP, built by Larsen and Toubro (L&T) has been inaugurated. The 3,75,000 cum/day Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) Jebel Ali (Phase 2)…
CONTEXT: Skyroot Aerospace, a Hyderabad startup, is gearing up to test-launch its 'Vikram' series of rockets to send satellites into space by mid-2021. The aerospace company is betting big on…
CONTEXT: Sri Lanka banned the use of drones and unmanned aircraft following the Easter bombings that killed over 350 people and injured more than 500. The ban will be in…
CONTEXT: Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un held first summit talks in Vladivostok. Its aim was to strengthen ties that date back to the Soviet Union's support…
CONTEXT: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recommended that the government should take necessary steps to include the regional language in the medicine labels. The aim is to curb…
CONTEXT: Mobikwik, digital financial services company collaborated with the Aegon Life Insurance. Aegon Life Insurance planned to launch a Rs 20 smart digital insurance product in order to protect its…
CONTEXT: Dawn editor and Columnist Cyril Almeida from Pakistan won the IPI’s (International Press Institute) World Press Freedom Hero award in 2019. He was awarded for his critical and tenacious…
CONTEXT: World Health Organisation (WHO) has released new guidelines on physical activity, sedentary and sleep for children under 5 years of age. It also issued its first-ever guidance for how…
CONTEXT: State Bank of India (SBI) launched ‘Green Car Loan’ to encourage customers to buy electric vehicles (EVs) in the country. The interest rates on the loan will be 20…
CONTEXT: Etihad Airways has become the 1st airline in the Gulf region to operate a flight EY484 without any plastics on board, in a bid to raise awareness about pollution…
CONTEXT: The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)'s BepiColombo mission has successfully completed a series of test. It has completed its near-Earth commissioning phase. It…
CONTEXT: The Ministry of Panchayati Raj made a presentation to the Chairman of 15th Finance Commission, Shri N.K. Singh, its Members and senior officials of the Commission. The Ministry has…
CONTEXT: The RBI would soon issue new Rs 20 notes in greenish-yellow colour. The banknote in the Mahatma Gandhi (New) series will have a motif of Ellora Caves on the…
CONTEXT: The smallest planet in our solar system, Mercury, has a massive solid inner core. Mercury has a solid inner core about 2,000 kilometers in diameter, making up about half…
CONTEXT: Money Loji, has launched its App, which offers quickest and the most secure loans to salaried professionals for an immediate requirement. It has flexible repayment options starting from 7…
CONTEXT: Rating agency ICRA has estimated 7-7.5 GW solar power capacity addition during the current financial year, which includes 1 GW of rooftop solar power. Solar capacity addition is estimated…
CONTEXT: A new Coast Guard vessel was commissioned by Chief Secretary, Government of Kerala Sri Tom Jose at Vizhinjam harbour, on 24 April 2019. Indian Coast Guard Ship C-441 is…
CONTEXT: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a new community in the Golan Heights would be named after US President Donald Trump. Israel has also stated it intends to name…
CONTEXT: Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) inked an agreement with Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research in order to support startups engaged in the export sector. Under the…
CONTEXT: The active volcano of Indonesia Mount Agung has erupted again to a height of 2km. Two other volcanoes popular with tourists Mount Bromo in East Java and Mount Merapi…
CONTEXT: Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofAML) notified the excess reserves that RBI holds could be up to Rs.3 lakh crore ($43 billion) or 1.5% of the GDP (Gross Domestic…
CONTEXT: Malawi, the African Nation, is to undertake large scale pilot tests for the world's most advanced experimental malaria vaccine in a bid to prevent the disease. The RTS, S…
CONTEXT: The United States has recorded 695 cases of measles in 2019, the most of any year since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000. The high number of cases…
CONTEXT: RBI has exited the National Housing Bank (NHB) and the National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development (Nabard), by selling its entire stakes to government for Rs 1,450 crore…
CONTEXT: Agriculture prices are projected to fall 2.6% this year but are estimated to rebound in 2020 due to lower crop production and higher costs for energy and fertilisers. Agricultural…
CONTEXT: In a spectacular discovery, the XENON collaboration publicly announced the discovery that xenon-124, an isotope of the element Xenon, is fundamentally unstable. Its half-life is 1.8 × 1022 years:…
CONTEXT: A 6-member panel looking into the appropriate capital reserves the RBI should maintain is likely to submit its report by June. The committee, headed by former RBI governor Bimal…
CONTEXT: A RBI committee may recommend that all government payments to citizens should be made digitally. The move seeks to ensure higher adoption of digital payments among the masses. The…
CONTEXT: World Malaria Day is observed every year on 25 April, to spread awareness about malaria disease globally and to promote efforts to prevent malaria around the world. The theme…
CONTEXT: The National Panchayati Raj Day is celebrated every year in India on 24th April. The Constitution of India recognizes Panchayats as 'Institutions of self-government'. BACKGROUND: Due to the high…
CONTEXT: 2nd Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh Memorial International Hockey Tournament was held at Astro Turf Hockey Ground, Chandigarh from 15-25 April 2019. A Total of 16…
CONTEXT: In Shooting, India opened its medal account with gold each in 10 m Air Rifle Mixed Team and 10 m Air Pistol Mixed team events on the 3rd day…
CONTEXT: The number of complaints by bank customers to the RBI's banking ombudsman increased by 24.9% in the financial year 2017-18 as compared to the previous year. The major grounds…
CONTEXT: In a historic first, the Army began the process to induct women in the military police, nearly two years after Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat said women will be…
CONTEXT: The Centre has approved a Rs. 4.5 crore grant to two premier Hyderabad-based institutions for research into technology that involves growing animal cells in a laboratory to produce slaughter-free…
In Wrestling, India's Divya Kakran and Manju Kumari bagged bronze medals for the country in the women's competition of the Asian Championships in Xi'an, China. It was double delight for…
CONTEXT: Author Rana Dasgupta was awarded the Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize 2019 for his 2010 novel Solo. BACKGROUND: It is the second edition of the Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize. The…
CONTEXT: 5th Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Media Summit on Climate Action and Disaster Preparedness began in Kathmandu on 25 April 2019. The theme of the two-day summit is 'Media…
CONTEXT: The UN and the European Union (EU) have signed a joint framework aimed at strengthening partnership in counter-terrorism efforts. BACKGROUND: The framework was enacted on the occasion of the…
CONTEXT: In Egypt, archaeologists have uncovered an ancient tomb with mummies believed to date back about 2,000 years in the southern city of Aswan. The tomb is from the Greco-Roman…
CONTEXT: Zoologists from Trinity College with partners from Halu Oleo University (UHO) and Operation Wallacea, have discovered two new bird species in the Wakatobi Archipelago of Sulawesi, Indonesia. BACKGROUND: The…
CONTEXT: The Meghalaya government will invest Rs 378 crore in fish production for meeting a supply deficit of 15,000 metric tonnes. The state has been able to produce 12,000 MT…
CONTEXT: US envoy to India Kenneth I Juster launched a new initiative designed to help India's corporate sector in the fight against tuberculosis (TB). The initiative supports the Indian government's…
CONTEXT: IIT-Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) and Jindal Stainless have come together to introduce a 3-credit course on stainless steel and advanced ferrous alloys. This is a part of IIT-KGP's post-graduate curriculum for…
India's ace cueist Pankaj Advani defeated Ehsan Heydari Nezhad of Iran 6-4 to claim the inaugural Asian Snooker Tour title. Advani, a 21-time world snooker and billiards champion, beat Nezhad…
CONTEXT: India has 2.9 million children who have missed out on the first dose of measles vaccine between 2010 and 2017 despite over 80% of immunisationcoverage. India, with its large…
CONTEXT: Japanese scientists succeeded in creating the first-ever artificial crater on an asteroid. BACKGROUND: It is a step towards shedding light on how the solar system evolved. The crater from…
CONTEXT: World Intellectual Property Day is observed annually on 26th April. The theme for 2019 is Reach for Gold: IP and Sports. The event was established by the World Intellectual…
CONTEXT: Indian Army is planning to construct underground tunnels for storage of ammunition along the border with China and Pakistan and Public Sector Undertaking NHPC Limited is being roped in…
CONTEXT: SEBI has reduced the minimum subscription requirement as well as defined trading lots for Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs). REITs have to offer their…
CONTEXT: India registered about 8% growth in export of leather, leather products and footwear during 2018-19 and is aiming to achieve 9% to 10% growth during the current fiscal. In…
CONTEXT: The second dollar-rupee buy/sell auction saw healthy demand with the RBI getting 255 bids worth $18.65 billion compared with the notified amount of $5 billion. The cut-off premium was…
CONTEXT: Iranian lawmakers approved a Bill that labels U.S. military forces as terrorist. 173 out of 215 lawmakers at the Parliament session in Tehran voted for the new Bill. The…
CONTEXT: The Motor Vehicles Department’s Operation Night Riders began on 24 April 2019. It will keep tabs on 500 tourist omnibuses operating from key cities in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and…
CONTEXT: All India Radio, Publication Division and Children's Film Society of India were given Swacchta Pakhwada Awards-2019 in New Delhi on 23 April 2019. Secretary in the Information and Broadcasting…
CONTEXT: In J&K, under a unique Initiative under SVEEP, District Election Officer Kargil Baseer Ul Haq inaugurated the Campaign Sweep for voters education and awareness from TFC Kargil. Under the…
CONTEXT: West Bengal government's 'Utkarsh Bangla' scheme was awarded the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) award of the United Nations. Out of 1062 nominations in 18 categories from…
CONTEXT: The UAE Space Agency and Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) have announced 85 percent completion of the gulf nation’s ‘Hope Probe’ project. The probe is an ambitious dream…
CONTEXT: Pakistan Navy successfully test-fired an indigenous cruise missile in the Arabian Sea on 23 April 2019. BACKGROUND: According to Pakistani Navy, the missile accurately hit its target on land…
CONTEXT: The government extended the ban on import of milk and its products, including chocolates, from China. BACKGROUND: Food regulator FSSAI had recommended extending the ban until all labs at…
CONTEXT: The Supreme Court directed the Gujarat government to make a payment of ₹50 lakh as compensation to Bilkis Bano, who was gang-raped during the 2002 Gujarat riots. She was…
CONTEXT: State-owned Allahabad Bank said the government has increased its authorized capital by ₹5,000crore to ₹8,000 crore. The central government increased the authorized capital of the bank from ₹3,000 to…
CONTEXT: India will stop importing crude oil from Iran following the US move to end sanction waivers and will use alternate supply sources such as Saudi Arabia. The Trump administration…
CONTEXT: Around 3.10 crore small farmers have so far received the first tranche of Rs 2,000 each under the PM-Kisan scheme. 10 crore peasants have got the second installment as…
CONTEXT: The country's pharmaceutical exports rose by 11% to USD 19.2 billion in 2018-19, mainly driven by higher demand in regions such as North America and Europe. The pharma exports…
CONTEXT: The Supreme Court on April 23, 2019 constituted a three-judge panel headed by Justice SA Bobde, the senior-most judge in apex court after the Chief Justice of India (CJI),…
CONTEXT: April 24 is observed as the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace every year. It was officially approved on 12 December 2018 through resolution A/RES/73/127. The day…
CONTEXT: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Centre to disburse funds allocated for various state governments to develop infrastructure and filling up vacancies in the subordinate judiciary. A bench…
CONTEXT: Weather-related advisories by the department to the farmers have resulted in the high yield of agricultural products across the country. Over 40 million farmers are benefiting from the advisories…
CONTEXT: India clinched one gold, one silver and bronze at the Asian Wrestling Championship in China's Xian on Tuesday. World number one Bajrang Punia logged 10 points in a row…
CONTEXT: In Bangladesh, all local government elections will be held through Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) from now on. Stating this the Secretary to the Election Commission of Bangladesh, Helaluddin Ahmed…
CONTEXT: Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev today said, Moscow has a chance of improving ties with Ukraine under the leadership of President-elect Volodymyr Zelensky. There is a chance for improving…
CONTEXT: India has been nominated as the “Guest of Honour” country at the 29th edition of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF) which begins today. BACKGROUND: Indian Ambassador to…
CONTEXT: China has successfully tested the world’s first armed amphibious drone boat. It could be used in land assault operations and is capable of forming a combat triad with aerial…
CONTEXT: The Indian Navy launched its third guided missile destroyer 'INS Imphal' as part of its Project 15B on 20 April 2019. The Navy had launched INS Vishakhapatnam, the first…
CONTEXT: A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket successfully launched a Cygnus spacecraft on 17 April 2019 carrying 3.5 metric tons of cargo bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The Antares…
CONTEXT: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched the Voter Turnout app on 19 April 2019. The mobile app is for the voters across the country to see the…
CONTEXT: Sri Lanka’s first satellite ‘Raavana-1’ was launched into space from NASA’s Flight Facility on 18 April 2019. ‘Raavana 1’ weights around 1.05 kg and the lifespan of the satellite…
CONTEXT: Saudi Arabia will host the annual G20 leaders' summit on 21-22 November 2020 in Riyadh. The G20 is made up of 19 of the world's biggest economies, as well…
CONTEXT: Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) partnered with M1Xchange Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS) platform for MSME bill discounting. BACKGROUND: TReDS is a digital platform to support micro, small and medium…
CONTEXT: A team led by Keshav Raghavan has been chosen by NASA to have their CubeSat flown into space on future missions of NASA. CubeSats are miniature satellites intended as…
CONTEXT: A National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut is all set to set a record for the longest spaceflight by a woman. NASA astronaut Christina Koch is going to…
CONTEXT: The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have together launched a private blockchain with a pseudo-token. The new token, called 'Learning Coin' and only accessible within the IMF…
CONTEXT: Canara Bank has successfully rolled out major new functionality to support EMV card acquiring across its ATM network and Aadhaar Authentication. It is the first public sector bank to…
CONTEXT: Bandhan Bank has received approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for the proposed scheme of acquiring of Gruh Finance. Bandhan Bank had, in January 2019, announced the…
CONTEXT: Nepal successfully launched its first satellite NepaliSat-1 into space from America on 18 April 2019. The satellite developed by the Nepalese scientists was launched from Virginia in the US,…
CONTEXT: ETMONEY has integrated Unified Payments Interface (UPI) as a payment option on the application. The company hopes to simplify the user journey through the app, especially for making payments…
CONTEXT: The income tax department proposed a change in the methodology for taxing multinational companies (MNCs). This includes digital firms, having permanent establishment in India by giving weightage to factors…
CONTEXT: The WHO has released new recommendations on 10 ways countries can use digital health technology, accessible via mobile phones, tablets and computers, to improve people’s health and essential services.…
CONTEXT: 20 states and UTs have so far joined a pan-India network of single emergency helpline number '112' on which immediate assistance can be sought by anyone in distress. The…
CONTEXT: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said Exim Bank has provided soft loans of USD 266.60 million to Rawanda for various projects. The funding is done in 3 separate…
CONTEXT: RBI proposed that fintech start-ups could set up a regulatory sandbox or live-testing of innovative products and services. This would be done in segments such as retail payments, money…
CONTEXT: Terra Drone Corporation and Terra Drone India signed a tripartite MoU with IIT-Hyderabad to co-establish Centre of Excellence for Unmanned Aerial Solutions (drones). Under the MoU, the Japanese company…
CONTEXT: Researchers have identified an eco-friendly solid that could replace the inefficient and polluting gases used in most refrigerators and air conditioners. When put under pressure, plastic crystals of neopentylglycol…
CONTEXT: Himachali Kala Zeera, Jeeraphool from Chhattisgarh and Kandhamal Haldi from Odisha are among the 14 products that have received Geographical Indication (GI) tag from the government for 2019. The…
CONTEXT: A site containing the 220-million-year-old fossilised remains of nearly a dozen dinosaurs has been discovered in western Argentina. There are almost ten different individuals, it's a mass of bones,…
CONTEXT: April 19 is observed as World Liver Day. This day is meant to raise awareness about liver and following a lifestyle which supports liver health. This day is observed…
CONTEXT: In the middle of China’s Gobi desert sits a Mars base simulator, the facilityis full of teenagers on a school trip. Surrounded by barren hills in northwestern Gansu province,…
CONTEXT: Mount Everest will get an eco-friendly toilet at a Chinese campsite 7,028m above sea level in an ongoing campaign to deal with the peak’s waste problem. BACKGROUND: Decades of…
CONTEXT: The government is targeting to raise about ₹1,500 crore from initial publicofferings (IPOs) of two railway companies, IRCTC and IRFC, by September 2019. Earlier in April 2019, the government…
CONTEXT: The issuances of government-fully serviced bonds (GoI-FSBs) rose to₹64,192 crore in the year ended March 2019 as compared to ₹15,095 crore during the last fiscal. These borrowings are estimated…
CONTEXT: India's fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry is likely to grow at aslower pace at 11-12% in 2019, almost 2% lower than that in 2018, as per a report.…
CONTEXT: RBI told the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) thatbanks had an obligation to mark bad loans as non-performing asset (NPA) after the default of 90 days. The banking…
CONTEXT: Saturn's largest moon Titan has small liquid lakes that run more than 100metres deep, perched atop hills and filled with methane. This was founded by scientists using data from…
CONTEXT: Scientists have captured the deepest radio images of the Sun, an advancethat may help reliably predict space weather and its possible effects on Earth. Sun's emission can change within…
CONTEXT: The Time 100 most influential people of 2019 includes lawyers ArundhatiKatju and Menaka Guruswamy. They were instrumental in the Supreme Court partly striking down Section377 of the Indian Penal…
CONTEXT: The 2nd edition of 'Indian Navy-Vietnam Peoples’ Navy Bilateral Exercise'(IN – VPN BILAT EX) off Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam from 13-16 April 2019. The exercise was undertaken as a…
CONTEXT: The government has suspended the LoC trade in Jammu and Kashmir. the Cross LoC trade routes are being misused by the Pakistan-based elements for funnelling illegal weapons, narcotics and…
CONTEXT: April 18 is annually observed as the International Day for Monuments andSites (IDMS), also known as World Heritage Day. This day is celebrated to remind the citizens about beautiful…
CONTEXT: The Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology(IDRBT) has launched a 5G Use Cases Lab for banking and financialsector. The 5G technology, along with blockchain, will be progressively…
CONTEXT: NASA announced that SpaceX will fly its Double Asteroid Redirection Test(DART) planetary-defense mission. The total launch cost for NASA is estimated to be about $69 million. BACKGROUND DART -…
CONTEXT: Over 50 people were killed as rain, coupled with thunderstorm andlightning, hit several parts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat andMaharashtra overnight. The unseasonal rain and storm also caused damage…
CONTEXT: The RBI has put into circulation 50 rupees denomination banknotessigned by its Governor Shaktikanta Das. The design of these notes is similar in all respects to 50 banknotes inMahatma…
CONTEXT: Astronomers have discovered a third planet in the Kepler-47 system, securing the system’s title as the most interesting of the binary-star worlds. Using data from NASA’s Kepler space telescope,…
CONTEXT: In the wake of the Pulwama terror attack, the government has grantedemergency powers to the three services to procure weapons and military hardware. This would enhance their operational preparedness…
CONTEXT: BBC India launched an experimental interactive election chatbot in Hindiand English on Facebook's Messenger platform as part of a series of IndianGeneral Election-related content. The chatbot allows users to…
CONTEXT: For the first time, a 3-member team of women climbers from India, Nepal,and China set out to scale the world's highest peak, Mt Everest. This is being done to…
CONTEXT: April 17 is observed as the World Haemophilia Day every year. It was started in 1989 by the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH)which chose to bring the community together…
CONTEXT: The MHA approved a proposal to change the name of a village in MadhyaPradesh from 'Durjanpur' to 'Shivdham'. The move came after the Home Ministry got no objection from…
CONTEXT: International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket for Good in partnership withUNICEF announced #OneDay4Children, a tournament-wide campaign. It is focussed on bringing the world of cricket together as one team to…
CONTEXT: Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat commissioned the Indian CoastGuard Ship Veera at a ceremony held at Naval Jetty, Visakhapatnam. Veera, third in the series of offshore patrol…
CONTEXT: NASA's newest planet hunter has discovered its first Earth-size alien world. The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) spotted the planet, as well as a weird sub-Neptune world, circling the…
CONTEXT: Indian women's cricket team captain Mithali Raj has been named the goodwill ambassador of Team India at the Street Child Cricket World Cup (SCCWC). She, alongside Saurav Ganguly and…
CONTEXT: Ghana and Google have cooperated to open Africa’s first AI research laboratory, which, experts hope, will take on some of the region’s struggles. Africa has many challenges where the…
CONTEXT: ADB committed to provide $3 billion in sovereign loans to India in 2018,the highest level of assistance since sovereign operations began in thecountry in 1986. The Asian Development Bank…
CONTEXT: In Bangladesh, the historic Mujibnagar day is being observed on 17 April2019. The day marks the oath-taking ceremony of Bangladesh's first governmentin 1971 at Baidyanathtala in Meherpur. The day…
CONTEXT: Systematically important non-deposit taking NBFCs offering foreignexchange transactions on individual accounts will be eligible to obtainAuthorised Dealer (AD) Category-II licence from it. AD-Cat II means entities that are authorised…
CONTEXT: Satellite measurements by NASA researchers have verified the groundbased data which shows the Earth's surface has been warming globallyover the past 15 years. The team used measurements of the…
CONTEXT: India successfully test-fired its first Sub-sonic cruise missile, Nirbhay on 15 April 2019. The launch was conducted from a test range in Odisha at 11:44 am. The missile can…
CONTEXT: Indian Naval Ship Kozhikode was decommissioned in a grand ceremony conducted at Naval Jetty in Visakhapatnam. Vice Adm S N Ghormade, Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command was the…
CONTEXT: A major fire engulfed the medieval cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris, one of France's most famous landmarks. The 850-year-old Gothic building's spire and roof have collapsed but the main…
CONTEXT: WHO raised alarm over a 300% increase in the case of measles globally in the first quarter of 2019 compared with last year. So far this year, 170 countries…
CONTEXT: Bamboo rice has shown up in Odisha nearly after four decades. Odisha had last witnessed Bamboo rice in 1979. BACKGROUND: Bamboo rice is special rice that is grown out…
CONTEXT: India cut its trade deficit with China by the most in more than a decade. India's exports to China jumped 31% year-on-year to $17 billion in the financial year…
CONTEXT: India’s exports rose to a five-month high of 11% in March on account of higher growth mainly in pharma, chemicals and engineering sectors. It marked the outbound shipments at…
CONTEXT: Another Indian naval ship INS Magar reached Mozambique’s Beira city loaded with suitable relief material. The ship handed over 250 tonnes of rice and 500 kg of epidemic medicines…
State-run companies will have 12 months to monetise non-core assets identified by a ministerial panel, failing which the finance ministry may restrict budgetary allocations to the CPSEs. The Department of…
CONTEXT: Greenam Energy has set up its first floating solar power plant at Tuticorin. AM International Group Founder-Chairman Ashwin Muthiah laid the foundation stone for the power plant, which would…
CONTEXT: As part of a police welfare scheme, Mumbai Police is set to install over 100 sanitary pad vending machines and incinerators for women police officers across the city. Action…
CONTEXT: The Supreme Court has banned all mining activities along the Kaziranga National Park and catchment area of rivers originating in Karbi Anglong Hills in Assam. A bench comprising Justices…
CONTEXT: India finished with 5 medals in the Boxing World Cup which concluded at Cologne, Germany on 13 April 2019. Meena Kumari Maisnam won gold in the 54 kg category.…
CONTEXT: In motor racing, Lewis Hamilton won the Chinese Grand Prix for a record sixth time on 14 April 2019. He seized the overall lead from his Mercedes teammate Valtteri…
CONTEXT: Essel World launched an interactive bird park in Gorai recently. The first-of-its-kind rain forest-themed park spread across 1.4 acres is home to over 500 exotic birds from more than…
CONTEXT: Egypt unveiled the 4,300-year old tomb of a Fifth Dynasty nobleman adorned with colourful reliefs and well-preserved inscriptions a month after being discovered. The tomb is located south of…
CONTEXT: The only known female member of one of the world’s rarest and most endangered turtle species died on 13 April 2019. It was more than 90 years old. The…
CONTEXT: UAE is set to host the world’s foremost Artificial Intelligence, AI Summit toempower global dialogue on the future of government, business and society. The inaugural 'AI Everything', will take…
CONTEXT: The Madras High Court observed that the employees of RBI cannot bereferred to as 'government servants' while identifying their employmentstatus. The observation came after an RBI employee, E. Manoj…
PRELIMS: Aim of NUP Govt Schemes. MAINS: What are the limitations of New Urea Policy. How New Urea Policy Reduces Imports? Evaluate. CONTEXT: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved…
CONTEXT: All imported, as well as locally manufactured medical devices sold in Indiawill soon be required to clear specific safety and quality standards. BACKGROUND The move is aimed at preventing…
CONTEXT: India is joining hands with Japan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) toimplement two projects in Africa. India will build a cancer hospital in Kenya in collaboration with Japan.…
CONTEXT: Sea Defence Solutions stops the flow of plastic before it reaches the sea, with a system of barriers that can catch garbage to send to recyclers. Plastics that invade…
CONTEXT: Scientists have discovered a unique oil eating bacteria in the Mariana Trench. BACKGROUND In an expedition, organised by marine explorer and film director James Cameron, researchers collected samples from…
BACKGROUND: Spectrometer could be integrated with the camera of a typical cellphone. The device collects information about each individual pixel in an image to identify materials or detect specific…
CONTEXT: Scientists have found no major epigenetic differences in astronaut Scott Kelly, who spent a year in space aboard the International Space Station, and his twin brother, Mark Kelly, who…
CONTEXT: World Allergy Week 2019 was observed from 7 to 13 April 2019. The theme for World Allergy Week 2019 is “The Global Problem of Food Allergy”. World Allergy Week…
CONTEXT: A new global rule mandated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for national governments to introduce electronic information exchange between ships and ports took effect from 8 April 2019.…
CONTEXT: A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). They will map, validate and protect smaller…
CONTEXT: The nation is paying homage to martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh massacre on its hundredth anniversary on 13 April, 2019. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu will release a Commemorative Coin…
CONTEXT: Reserve Bank of India has issued guidelines for banks to set up new currency chests. These guidelines include a minimum area of 1,500 square feet for strong room and…
CONTEXT: Retail inflation rose to 2.86% in March this year due to increase in prices of food articles and fuel. Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation reported that the inflation…
CONTEXT: SpaceX carried out its first commercial launch with its Falcon Heavy rocket which took a Saudi satellite in orbit. The launch took place in Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA. The…
CONTEXT: Russia will confer the Order of St Andrew the Apostle on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The award is being given for Mr. Modi’s exceptional services in promoting special and…
CONTEXT: India and ASEAN have vowed to strengthen ties by deepening cooperation in the maritime sector and boosting connectivity. The two sides met at the 21st ASEAN-India Senior Officials’ Meeting…
CONTEXT: US lawmakers introduced new legislation in the House of Representatives to strengthen US-India strategic partnership. This will allow the US-India partnership to flourish in line with the US’s security…
CONTEXT: Hong Kong beat Japan to become the world's third-largest stock market. It is now only behind the US and mainland China. Hong Kong’s market cap was $5.78 trillion compared…
Context: Delay in UK exit from Brexit strained the entire continent and the mighty British empire. Reason for division of communities: Highlighted divisions between the constituent nations of the United…
CONTEXT: European Union leaders and Britain, agreed to a Brexit extension that will allow the U.K. to delay its EU departure date until Halloween. BACKGROUND: Britain didn't leave the EU…
CONTEXT: The Bengal government has won the UN's World Summit on Information Socity (wsis) Award for this scheme. BACKGROUND: The 2 schemes are the Utkarsh Bangla and Sabooj Sathi projects…
CONTEXT: By 2050, India will likely stare at a pile of a new category of electronic waste, namely solar e-waste, as per a study made public on 11 April 2019.…
CONTEXT: SpaceX has carried out its first commercial launch with its Falcon Heavy rocket tasked with placing a Saudi satellite in orbit. The rocket exerts 5.1 million pounds of thrust…
CONTEXT: India and the Netherlands discussed ways to strengthen bilateral political and economic ties, including boosting cooperation at the United Nations. BACKGROUND: The two countries held Foreign Office Consultations with…
CONTEXT: A national symposium on evidence synthesis began in Delhi on 11 April 2019. BACKGROUND: Its focus was on making science and synthesised knowledge the bedrock of all societal and…
CONTEXT: Foreign investment of Indian companies grew 18% to USD 2.69 billion in March as compared to the year-ago period, according to an RBI data. BACKGROUND: The domestic firms made…
CONTEXT: India will be the Guest of Honour country at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, ADIBF 2019, to be held from 24th to 30th of this month. BACKGROUND: The…
CONTEXT: According to the 'Political Leaders Position and Action on Air Quality in India 2014-2019' report, the air quality in Varanasi is ranked third on the WHO's list of 15…
CONTEXT: India and Sweden launched a joint programme that will work towards addressing a range of challenges around smart cities and clean technologies among others. BACKGROUND The programme was co-funded…
CONTEXT: The River Periyar in Kerala is witnessing decolorization. The water turned pitch black in one stream, it was milky near the Pathalam regulator-cum-bridge. The Pollution Control Board (PCB) has…
Vice President Venkaiah Naidu conferred President’s Certificate of Honour and Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman Awards at New Delhi. BACKGROUND The award of the Certificate of Honour was introduced in the…
CONTEXT: India has built a 25-bed maternity hospital in Nepal. It has been built under the Government of India's Small Development Projects Scheme. The Hospital will provide quality maternity and…
CONTEXT: The death toll from the cyclone Idai is now above 1,000. Mozambique has reported 602 deaths while 59 people have died in Malawi. Cyclone Idai smashed into the coast…
Context: India’s population grew at an average annual rate of 1.2% between 2010-2019 to 1.36 billion, according to a report by the United Nations Population Fund. India’s population in 2019…
CONTEXT: The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) was awarded the distinction of 'Public Water Agency of the Year'. It was awarded by the Global Water Intelligence at the Global…
CONTEXT: The UK government introduced the world’s first framework designed to hold internet companies accountable for the safety of those using their services. The Online Harms whitepaper is a joint…
India's education tech startup 'Dost Education' bagged a $25,000 tech prize along with 2 other winners from Tanzania and Egypt. The Next Billion Edtech Prize 2019 recognises the most innovative…
CONTEXT: The government has cleared the procurement of 464 T-90 tanks from Russia in a deal worth over Rs 13,500 crore, despite the tensions with Pakistan. Under the new deal,…
CONTEXT: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) constituted a Central Monitoring Committee to ensure the implementation of action plan meant for reducing pollution stretches across the country. It will undertake a…
Justice Vikram Nath, seniormost judge of the Allahabad High Court, has been appointed Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court. He succeeds acting CJ Justice C. Praveen Kumar. In…
PFS joined hands with the US-India Clean Energy Finance (USICEF) to leverage funds for solar projects in India. It is an innovative facility which can contribute in achieving India's distributed…
Context: London became the first city in the world to implement a special Ultra Low Emission Zone that would charge an entry fee for older vehicles if they do not…
Context: The World Economic Forum in the Middle East and North Africa took place at Jordan’s Dead Sea on April 6 and 7, 2019. The forum assembled more than 1,000…
Context: Scientists have discovered a new state of physical matter in which atoms can exist as both solid and liquid simultaneously. Until now, the atoms in physical material existed typically…
Context The first ever photograph of a black hole was released on 10 April 2019. Scientists working in the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration presented their observations at 6:30 PM…
Context China's lunar rover Yutu-2 traveled 170.92 meters on the far side of the Moon, as per the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration…
CONTEXT: Dogs can pick out blood samples from people with cancer with 97%accuracy, as per a study. Dogs have smell receptors 10,000 times more accurate than humans', making them highly…
CONTEXT: India and Sri Lanka have agreed to increase cooperation in security and defense spheres in several areas. The cooperation areas include regional security, curbing drug smuggling and human trafficking.…
CONTEXT: The Indian Army received the first batch of six 'Dhanush' artillery guns from the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB). The guns were handed over by Saurabh Kumar, Director General, Ordnance…
CONTEXT: The National Green Tribunal formed a committee to look into the alleged erosion of Yamuna floodplain in Haryana's Sonipat district. The joint report may be furnished within 1 month…
CONTEXT: Isaak Hayik became the world's oldest player to take part in a professional game at the age of 73. He set the record by playing as a goalkeeper for…
CONTEXT: Avaada Energy Pvt Ltd raised ₹1,000 crore from investors such as the Asian Development Bank on 9 April 2019. The equity raised is for financing Avaada Energy’s 2.4 gigawatt…
CONTEXT: Iran has threatened to retaliate for the decision, and shortly after it was announced foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called on President Hassan Rouhani to include Mideast-based US forces…
CONTEXT: Chinese badminton ace Lin Dan clinched the Malaysia Open in Kuala Lumpur on 7 April 2019. After an electric performance, he beat countryman Chen Long 9-21, 21-7, 21-11. The…
CONTEXT: Justice Pradeep Nandrajog was sworn in as Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court on 7 April 2019. He was earlier Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court. He…
CONTEXT: Eminent Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan conferred with an honorary doctorate in Philanthropy by the University of Law, London. He was awarded this for his efforts to give back…
CONTEXT: Chinese scientists have discovered a possible "death switch" mechanism in plant's immune system that triggers infected cells to self-destruct, thus limiting the spread of the disease and keeping other…
CONTEXT: Foreign ministers from Group of Seven (G7) countries have called for a greater role for women in solving conflicts, saying that peace settlements with female involvement were more likely…
CONTEXT: Justice T B N Radhakrishnan was sworn-in as the new Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court on 4 April 2019. West Bengal Governor K N Tripathi administered the oath…
CONTEXT: RBI provided additional 2% liquidity window to the lenders by tweaking liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) norms. The LCR indicates the proportion of highly liquid assets held by banks to…
CONTEXT: Senior US Treasury official David Malpass has been selected as President of the World Bank. The World Bank's executive board unanimously selected 63-year-old Malpass as the bank's 13th President…
CONTEXT: US and China are close to striking a monumental trade deal in the next four weeks. The progress has been made on the China-US economic agreement. Negotiators from both…
CONTEXT: The yoga is gaining popularity across the world as it helps in reducing mental stress and in the treatment of several serious ailments. Non-communicable diseases are a deeply disturbing…
CONTEXT: Election Commission has removed Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary Anil Chandra Punetha and appointed LV Subrahmanyam in his place. The Commission stated this in a communication to the Andhra Pradesh…
CONTEXT : Traditional new year festivities are being celebrated in several parts of the country today. Festivals of Chaitra Sukladi, Ugadi, Gudi Padava, Cheti Chand, Navreh and Sajibu Cheiraoba are…
Context: India today said Pakistan has not addressed the concerns raised by it over the Kartarpur corridor. Briefing media in New Delhi, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India…
Indian Army built the longest suspension bridge over Indus river in Leh in just 40 days and the bridge is named as Maitri Bridge.... Maitri Bridge The bridge was constructed…
Context: Brunei today introduced harsh new sharia laws that make adultery and homsexuality punishable by stoning to death. The new measures also cover a range of other crimes, including punishment…
Context: Niti Aayog's Chief Executive Officer Amitabh Kant has said that the government and the Reserve Bank will have to bring in a new set of regulations to ensure that…
Context: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cut its repo rate under liquidity adjustment facility (LAF), or the rate at which it lends to banks, by 25 basis points…
Context: The United Arab Emirates has conferred the prestigious Zayed Medal on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the highest decoration awarded to kings, presidents and heads of states. The award comes…
CONTEXT: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has sought closer working relations with the Interpol to widen the scope of its fight against corruption in the sport. The cooperation was discussed…
CONTEXT: Phenomenon indicates that climate change is affecting even remote spots, says scientist The world’s southernmost coral reef has been hit by bleaching this summer, Australian scientists said on Wednesday,…
CONTEXT: The government and the Reserve Bank will have to bring in a new set of regulations to ensure that borrowers repay their debt in time following the Supreme Court…
CONTEXT: South Korea will launch the world's first fully-fledged 5G mobile networks on Friday. The transformational leap already has superpowers sparring for control of innovation that could potentially change the…
CONTEXT: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has directed operators to submit before it all tariff plans that they offer to select segments of customers at the end of…
CONTEXT: A global report has found that life expectancy of children born today will be shortened by 20 months on average, growing up in current high levels of air pollution.…
Context: Pakistan could be blacklisted by the Financial Action Task Force, FATF due to insufficient physical actions on the ground against banned terror groups to block the flow of funds…
CONTEXT: More than 113 million people across 53 countries experienced acute hunger last year because of wars and climate disasters. United Nations body, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in…
CONTEXT: Sri Lankan government on Tuesday rejected concerns raised over the proposed oil refinery project in Hambantota. Minister of Development strategies and International trade Malik Samarawickrema told Parliament that the…
CONTEXT: The Trump administration has approved the sale of 24 multi-role MH-60 Romeo Seahawk helicopters to India at an estimated cost of 2.4 billion US dollars, the State Department has…
CONTEXT: India and Chile have signed three MoUs for cooperation in the fields of mining, culture and empowerment of persons with disabilities. The agreements, which were signed during President Ram…
CONTEXT: India signed an agreement with a development bank for setting up India-Africa Institute of Agriculture and Rural Development (IAIARD) in Malawi. It has signed an MoU with National Bank…
CONTEXT: The Indian Space Research Organization, ISRO, launched India’s latest satellite EMISAT and 28 other smaller satellites of international customers this morning with textbook precision. The ISRO Telemetry Tracking and…
CONTEXT: A strong 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Ecuador today. According to the US Geological Survey there were no immediate reports of damage or tsunami warning. The…
CONTEXT: The UAE government will issue equivalency to all Indian degrees that match the set criteria, a move that comes as a huge relief for expats having difficulty in…
CONTEXT: India and Chile have agreed to work together to strengthen the global response to defeat and destroy terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. President Ram Nath Kovind who…
CONTEXT: President Ram Nath Kovind visited Pablo Neruda Museum at Santiago in Chile today. The President will meet Indian business community and interact with Indian community later today. During his…
CONTEXT: The Supreme Court today voiced unhappiness over the inaction in a case relating to detention of foreigners in Assam and directed the state Chief Secretary to appear before it…
CONTEXT: The Supreme Court today asked 21 Opposition leaders to file within a week their reply on the Election Commission's affidavit on their plea regarding VVPAT slips in Lok Sabha…
CONTEXT: The Centre has set up a tribunal to adjudicate if there exists sufficient cause to ban the Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir (JeL) and the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front-Yasin…
CONTEXT: Election Commission has approved a request of the Rural Development Ministry to revise the wages under the MGNREGA scheme from April 1. The wages paid under the Mahatma Gandhi…
On March 22 of every year, World observes World Water Day, the theme of which, this year, is “Leaving no one behind”, with the motto - 'Whoever you are, wherever…
TOPIC: General studies 2: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests. Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests,…
The Union Cabinet recently approved the National Mineral Policy, 2019 (NMP 2019). This policy aims to ensure effective regulation and sustainable development of the mining sector. Key Features of the…
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has said that although China blocked banning JeM chief Masood Azhar, India has a worldwide support on the issue of terror. The Minister asserted that…
CONTEXT: The Arab League has pledged $100 million per month to the Palestinian Authority (PA) to make up for funds withheld by Israel. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the Arab…
CONTEXT: The Trump administration on April 25, 2019 initiated its first move towards extending protection for giraffes under the Endangered Species Act. The decision comes after legal pressure from environmental…
