$arihant IVIAY 2019 {50

#l Moguzine for
E

DEEP FOCUS I I
Growth of Science 6. I I
Technology in
Ancient Indiq I n
u fl
Romsqr Wetlunds )
in lndiq
Nqtionql e-Comrnerce
Policy 2OI9

Movement of Oceqn 1,

Wqter: The Oceqn Currents +, li

O MODET PAPERS O SOTUED PAPER$

UPSC Civil Services Pre. Exam CG PSG State Services
CLAT 2019 Pre Exam 2019 (Paper-2)
UGC NET 2019 (Paper-l) Alahabad High Court
FGlAssistant Grade Exam ARO Exam 2019
 itorial ...
Strength of lVlind is Exercise, not Rest
The Board exams are ou,er now. Generally students, wlto have appeared
for their Board
ex1nts, sits back and relnx t'or few months until the resrrlfs are iut. Aftei months of
studyitlg hard for yottr baards, which are crttcial for your career path, you clefiniteiy

The best way to utiltze this period is spend time witlt your
family or friends, going on a
tour to an unexplored place are always exciting. Ifyou have an interest towirdsi
particu.lar activity such as singing, playing a musical instrument, painting, swimming,
rock climbing etc, you may pursue it duriig your two-month breai. ,
Election Commission has notified for General Election 2019, which will commence
from April onwards. The role of youth in this electionwilt be decisive as this time
Millennial (born on or after. 2000) will franchise for the
first time!! This large group of
youth voters has made leaders answerable to them which wilt depend on tieir"
p erform an ce an d ac c o untab il ity.

Recently we all celebrated the festival of colour- Holi, which is tmlike other
festivals is
associated with Inspiration and Happiness in our lives. It represents the virious ups
and downs we face in life and how we overcome them by playingwith them.
A landmark World Happiness Report alsa released last month, which
focuses on how
happiness has evolved over the past couple ofyear;, with a
foius on ti, technologies,
social norms, conflicts.and ggvernment policies that have d'riven those changer. inr'
lr!?rt has more sigrtificance since it confirms haw the countries wittt highei GDp and
higher per capita income are not necessarily the happiest countries.
Goa's chief Minister and former (Jnion Defence Minister Manohar parrikar
has died on March 17, 2019. Termed as "The Real Common Man,'he was
known for his relentless service to pubric. The youth of Intlia has a lot to
take from a man of this stature. It is very important to understand that to
a.chieve anything requires faith and beli.ef in yourself; vision, hard work,
determination, dedication and strong sense iS responsibilities. Rementber
all things are passible for those who believe which Manohar parrikar
demonstrated ir.t his life.

33
What comes easy won't last long,
and what lasts'long won,t come easy.
,,
 5
Contents
Payal Jain

Sahani MAY 2019

Amit Verma
Amit Tyagi
Sanjay Sagar
Jagdish Negi sPOe tigtrt WI
Cover & Layout Bilat rlasnni World Happiness Report 2019
Type Setting Pradeep KLn'ar. Nitil Kumar Global Environment 0utlook 6 (GE0 6)
05 RE
08
Pradhan lVantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan Scheme 10
Anil Kumar Gupta National Common IVlobility Card 12
National Mineral Policy 2019 14 !
CUPPENT AFFAIPS
National Scenario
lnternational Scenario
lndia & World Scenario
'16

25
w
l.i$q!,sP

30
Economic Scenario ., ,
32
State Scenario 35
Science & Technology 38
Sports Events .
42
ln the News 45

Current Allairs 100 MC0s 51

General Studies FACTS 5B

DEEPFOCUS
Growth of Science & Technology in Ancient lndia 61 A landr
lVlovement of Ocean Water : The Ocean Currents 65 the star
Special Provision for Jammu & Kashmir 69 the Un
National e-Commerce Policy 2019 72 Solurio
Various Generations of Fighter Jets in lndia 76 countri
Ramsar Wetlands in lndia 80 themse
focuses
SOLVED PAPEPS happin,
CG PSC State Services Pre.Exam 2018 84 years, \"
Allahabad High Court ARO Exam 2018 norms.
92
have dr
Meerut (UP)
MODEL PNPERS As per -
UPSC Civll Services Pre. Exam (General Stuiirs 104 happie:
April 6 Jawahar Navodaya Class Vl Denma.
UGC NET 2019 (Paper 1
lJ
Entrance Test
holdins
CLAT 2019 llo
April 15 UP B.Ed Entrance Exam
' tnole cr
FCI Assistant Grade ll, lll and Junior Enginee: i-=== =,2 fi-rrther.
2l
April UPSC NDA/NA Exam 2018 (t) 136
Pakistar
UI May 26 Concept Map Rocks
o
+t June 21,22
CLAT 2019 t4J ranked
I 0e Dnl
i

o NTA UGC NET 2019 DO VOU KNOIIJ ?

o 24 &28

&2
June 1 RIMC Enlrance Exam HLEQ
146

148
Six l<let
* Incor
E u Sociai
c, June 2 UPSC tAS nr. i-r, lmportont Bills Possad in porliomcnt during ?i..i *
x
lrl June 25 & 26 RPSC RAS Main Exam
155
Cener

BACK(
Exom Spcciol
luty7 CTET (Juty) 201 9 The 7th
How to Solve Ouestions Related to ,Decisior ,.,:. -: ,- _ - ._ , - 158
Aug 18 UPSC CAPF Exam 2019
pubiishe,
whoiesor
importar

GURRENTAFFAIRS
NATIONAL SCENARIO INDIA & WORLD SCENARIO
I NTERNATIONAL SCENARIO ECONOMIC SCENARIO
a
NATIONAL SCENARIO
PC Ghose Named as India's
First Lokpa!
Retired SuprEme Court judge and
member of the National Human fughts
Commission, Pinaki Chandra Ghose is
set to become India's first Lokpal, an
anti-corruption ombudsman. The
Selection Committee for Lokpal,
comprising Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, ChiefJustice of India Ranian
Gogoi and others cleared his name for the
post on March 17 , 2019.
The Lokpal Act, which was passed in 2013
after a nationwide anti-corruption
movement, provides for setting up of
Lokpal at the centre and Lokai.uktas in the
States to probe corruption compiaints.
PM Launched Development
Projects at Greater Noida
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
March 9, 20 19 visited Creater Noida in
16 COMPETITION ru FOCUS . N/ay 2019
STATE SCENARIO
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Uttar Pradesh, and launched various
development projects. At Pandit
Deendayal Upadhyaya Institute of
Archaeologv, the Prime Minister flagged
offthe Noida Ciry Centre - Noida
Electronic Ciry section of Metro through
video link. He also laid the foundatibn
stone of rwo 1320 M\f Thermal Power
Plants at Khurja in Uttar Pradesh and
Rurxar in Bihar.
The Prime Minister stated that the
country's biggest airport is being built in
Jewar, in Uttar Pradesh. Once completed,
Jewar airport will not only bring ease of
living but also will be economically
beneficial to Uttar Pradesh. He also
mcntioned abour rhe various airporrs
being built all around the country. He
added thar rhe Union Government is
committed towards providing air
connectivity to smaller cities through
LIDAN Yojana.
I
NationaI Scenario
ffi
SPORTS EVENTS
IN THE NEWS
Supreme Court Appointed
Mediators for Ayodhya Dispute
A five-judge Bench led by ChiefJustice of
India Ranjan Gogoi on March 9, 2019
appointed a panel of mediators to look
into a'permanent solution' or resolution
of Ramj anmabhoomi/Babri Masjid
dispute. The brief prof le of rhe mediarors is
as followr
Justice FMI Kalifulla
JusticeFMI Kalifuila retired as Supreme
Court judge in July 2016. He has served
asthe Chief Justice of Jammu and
Kashmir Hieh Court. He is credited with
setting up Iegal aid clinics across J&K
during his tenure as the Chief Justice.
Sriram Panchu
A senior advocare, Sriram Panchu, ser up
the Tamil Nadu Mediation and
Conciliation Centre in the Madras High
Snano NationaI Scenario
Court in 2015. k was India's first
court-annexed mediation centre. He has
been instrumental in making mediation a
part of India's legal sysrem.
Sri Sri Ravishankar
Sri Sri Ravishankar is a spiritua.l guru and
the founder of the Art of Living
organisation. A recipient of the Padma
Vibhushan, Mr. Ravishankar through his
Art of Living organisation, has mobilized
trauma and disasrer relieF in
conflict-affected regions such as Sri
Lanka, Haiti, Iraq. and Syria.
PM Modi Laid Foundation of
Kashi Vishwanath Temple
Corridor
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
March 8, 2019 laid the foundation stone
oFthe ambitious 'Kashi Vishwanath
Mandir Vistarikaran-Saundarayakaran
Yojana' (Kashi Vishwanath Tempie
Extension and Beautification Plan) that
would be rolled out in four phases. He
kick-started the proposed projecr by
pufting five bricks with the name of the
temple inscribed on it in the presence of
Chief Minister Yogi Adiryanath.
The 50-feet-wide Kashi Vishwanath
Corridor will connect the ancient shrine
and one of the 12 Jyotirlinga temples to
the famous Ghats of Varanasi. The main
temple, Kashi Vishwanath temple, which
I is located on the left bank of the hoiy
, river Ganga is surrounded by narrow and
ispute small, claustrophobic lanes.
rstice of The prime place of worship in the ciry,
r0i9 and perhaps the country, struggles to
Iook manage humongous crowds in its
rlution congested lanes during [estive rimes.
d which is literally round the year. Once
y'iators is compieted, the corridor will ease the
congestion and provide the pilgrims and
traveliers other amenities such as wider
and cleaner roads and lanes, better
!Preme iighdng with bright street lights, and
served clean drinking water.
i The museum is fifth in the series
:ed with 50th Raising Day Celebrations
SiK of CISF Held
tice. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
March 10, 2019 attended the 50th
Raising Day celebrations of Central
,. set uP Industrial Securiry Forces,(CISF), at
Indirapuram in Ghaziabad, Uttar
-. High Pradesh. The Prime Minister presented
che service medals for distinguighed and
meritorious services. Addressing the CISF
personnel, the Prime Minisrer
congratulated the f<rrces for its Golden
Jubilee.
He praised rhe role of CISF in
saFeguarding and protecting rhe viral
institutions of the country. Hailing the
role of CISF in securing the critical
infrastructure of the country, Prime
Minister stated that the force is also
involved in disaster response, ensuring
safety of women and manyother
activities. In this'context, Prime Minister
spoke about the disaster reliefoperarions
of CISF during.Kerala floods and also
during Nepal and Haiti earthquake.
'fw"ffi&
etrffi
Dictionary of Martyrs of
I ndia's Freedom Struggle
Lau nched
The Prime Minister Norendra Modi on
March 7,2019 reteased the Dictionary
of Martyrs of lndia's Freedom
Struggle, at on event in Loh Kalyan
Marg, New Delhi. The five:volume
dictionary contoins an account of the
martyrs from lndia's First War of
lndependence in 1857, to lndia's
lndependence in 1947.
The Dictionary includes the martyrs of
the Jallionwalo Bagh mossacre, the
non.cooperation movement, the Quit
lndia Movement, and those soldiers
of the Azad Hind Fauj, who ottained
martyrdom, among many others.
Prime Minister announ-ced thot this
was the first ottempt at compiting the
nomes of martyrs on this scale. He
appreciated oll those involued with
the compilation, and the effort
behind it. The Prime Minister asserted
that a nation that does not honour
and remember those who created, or
are an important part, of its history,
often does not have o secure future.
\Aay 2019
CURRENTAFFAIRS
Prime Minister Shram Yogi
Maan-dhan (PM-SYM)
Yojana Launched
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
March 5, 2019 launched the Pradhan
Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan
(PM-SYM) Yojana at Vastral in Gujarat.
He also distributed the PM-SYM pension
cards ro select beueficiaries. C)ver rwo
crore workers at three lakh Common
Service Centers across the counrry
witnessed the launch event through video
conlerence.
Terming it as a historic day, the Prime
Minister dedicated PM-SYM Yojana to
the forty rwo crore strong unorganized
sector workers in the country. He stated
that the scheme will assure a monthly
pension of Rs.3000 for the enrolled
unorganized sector workers during their
old age. It is for the first time since
independence that such a scheme is
envisaged for the crores ofworkers
cngaged in rhe inFormal sector. PM
added.
The PM-SYM along with the healrh
coverage provided under 'Ayushman
Bharat' and life & disabiliry coverage
provided under 'Pradhan Mantri Jeevan
Jyoti Bima Yojana' and 'Pradhan Mantri
Suraksha Bima Yojana, will ensure
cornprehensive social securiry coverage
for qhe workers in the unorganized sector
ar rheir old agc.
Government Launched'Azaadi
Ke Diwane'Museum
fhe Minister of State for Culture
Dr. Mahesh Sharma inaugurated 'Azaadi
ke Diwane' museum at Red Fort. Delhi
on March 4, 2019. Created by
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the
museum within the Red Fort complex
pa1,s homage to all the unsung heroes of
freedom struggle of the nation, who
would have otherwise been merged awav
in forgetfulness.
inaugurated museums in the Red Fort
Complex - others being, Subhash
Chandra Bose and INA museum,
Yaad-e-Jallian museum, Museum on
1857 - India's first war oflndependence
and Drishyakala - Museum on Indian
Art.
. COMPETITION rru FOCUS 17
CURRENT RS
The'Azaadi ke Diwane' rnuseum talks
about the sacrifices ofgreat freedom
fighters. It pays tribute to the selfless
sacrifices of the revolutionaries, brave
female freedom fighters and valiant
children. The museum is a modenr
state-of-the-art, informative and
educational exhibition, involving
multi-sensory technologies to engage the
visitors.
National Policy on Software
Products - 2O1 9 Approved
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
February 28,2019 has approved the
National Policy on Sofrware Products -
2019 to develop India as a Sofrware
Product Nation.
The Sofrware product ecosystem is
characterized by innovarions.
Intellectual Properry (IP) creation and
large value addition increase in
productiviry, which has the potentiai to
significantly boost revenues and exports
in the sector, create substantive
employment and entrepreneurial
opportunities in the country.
lnirialiy, an ourlay of < ttOo crore is
involved to implement the programmes/
schemes envisaged under this policv over
the period of7 years. { 1500 crore is
divided into Sofrware Product
Development Fund (SPDF) and
Research & Innovation fund.
To achieae the uision of NPSP-2O19. rhe
Poliry has the followingfiae Missions :
* To promote the creation of a
sustainable Indian software product
industry, driven by intellectual properry
(lP), leading to a ten-[old increase in
India share of the Globai Software
product market by 2025.
* To nurture 10,000 technologr
startups in software product industry,
including 1000 such technology startups
in Tier-ll and Tier-lII towns & ciries
and generating direct and in-direct
employment for 3.5 million peopie by
2025.
* To create a talent pool for software
product industry through (i) up-skilling
of 1,000,000 IT professionals, (ii)
motivating 100,000 school and college
students and (iii) generating 10,000
specialized professionals that can provide
leadership.
18 COMPETITION rN FOCUS . ivlay 2019
'World's Largest Bhagavad
Gita Unveiled
A giant Bhogavad Gita, running into
670 pages and weighing about 8OO
kilograms, was unveiled on February
26, 2019 ot Delhi's ISKCON temple by
Prime Minister Narendro Modi. Dubbed
as the 'Astounding Bhagavad Gita',
the giant scripture meosures 2.8,2
metres and has been stated as the
"Iargest principle sacred text ever to
be printed," occording to ISCKON.
With an artistic touch of 18 exquisite
paintings and an innovotive elegant
layout, the booh has been printed in
Milan, ltaly, on YUPO synthetic paper
so os to make it untearable and
woterproof. PM Modi terined the
Bhagavad Gita as the "lorgest manual
for human beings" and claimed that
the holy boak has solutions to qll
problems one faces in tife.
Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN
Yojana Approved
The Cabinet Committee on Economic
Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on February 28,2019 has
approved the 'Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN
(Jaiv Indhan-Vatavaran Anukool fasal
awashesh Nivaran) Yojana' for providing
financial support to Integrated Bioethanol
Projects using lignocellulosic biomass and
ot her renewable feedstock.
The JI-VAN Yojana will be supported
with total financial outlay of ( 1969.50
crore for the period from 2018-19 to
2023-24. Out of scheme fund of
< 1969.5A crore, ( 1800 crore has been
allocated for supporting 12 Commercial
projects, { I 50 crorc has been allocated for
supporting 10 demonstration Projects and
remaining { 9.50 crore will be provided to
Centre for High Technology (CHT) as
administrative charges.
- National Scenario
Under rhis 1c, a::.
'l Commercial Scale
and 10 den:,::::::ron scale Second
GenerariLr:- lt, .rnanol Pro.iects will be
provide d : t,':-ii-::r'Gap Funding (VGF)
suPPori :: r,,, : :na-ies :
," Phase-I (2018-19 to2O22-23)
*'here!n sL\ .rrlmercial projects and flve
demonsrratic,: p:oiects will be supported.
* Phase-II \2020-21 to2O23-24)
lvhercin :.r-. :i :. :.rg six commercial
pro jecl. .:.i ::.. demonstration projects
u.ill be .;:::..lt..1.
Tlte S,)..',:, ;:.;; ;)tefollowing benefits-
o ^\leet:nS Gurverrrlert of India vision of
reducir.g rir.pon dependence by way of
subsiiru:r1s rossil fuels with Biofuels.
. .\i1... ::t rhe CHG emissions
i'qdu.:: ,:. :lrrrs rhrough progressive
blenciins srbsritution of fossil fuels.
' .{J;r....:r.: cnvironment concerns
causec .ri- ro burning of biomass/ crop
residue s anc ro improve health of
citizen..
n Impror ing iarmer income by providing
them rem-rerative income for their
othenvi-,e .-. -.te agriculture residues.
o Crearins rural & urban employment
opporruni-:ies in 2G Ethanol ptoj.cts arrd
Biomass srpplv chain.
" Conrriburing to Swacch Bharat
Mission L,r-supporting the aggregation of
non-food biofuel feedstocks such as waste
biomass and urban waste.
Report on VVPAT Submitted
The Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) on
March ll. 2019 submitted the
recommendarions o[an expert committee
on the Yoter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail
Oa"AI) slip verification to the Election
Commission.
The repon titied Random Sampling For
Testing of EVMs viaWPAT Slip
Veriffcation rvas handed over to Chief
Election Commissioner Sunil Arora anri
Election Commissioners Ashok Lavasa
and Sushil Chandra. The Commission
will examine the report to determine -.h.
course of action.
In view of demands from'r.arious pol:i--
parties to increase rhe percentage oi l:..
WPAT slip counted during electioni.
the Commission had engaged the iSI ::
analyse and scientifically examine rr=
issue of matching the slips rvith the
Electronic Voting Machine (EVNI
results.
 I

Scenario NationaI Scenario . CURREITTAFFAIRS

cial Scale GeneralElection 2019 Prime Minister Launched service providers and enffepreneurs. It
;nd Schedule Announced Development Projects in was inaugurated by Shaktikanta Das,
ts will be On March 10, 2019, rhe Election Ghaziabad Governor of RBI.
rg fl/GF) Commission of India announced the The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Conclave hosted more than 300
schedule For the counrry's upcoming I\4arch 8,20 l9 visired Chaziabad in representatives from the leading Financial
3) general parliamentary eiections, which Uttar Pradesh and launched various Institutions including HDFC Bank,
and five will see more than 800 million Indians development proiects. He unveiled the Induslnd, ICICI Bank, SBI Card, Tata
upported. head to the polls o fiLL 543 seats for the plaque to mark the inauguration of Civil Capital and FinTechs including Bank
r4) Lok Sabha the lower house of the Terminal of Hindon Airport. He then Bazaar, PhonePe, Capital Float, Zerodha,
ial -
lndian parliament. visited Sikandarpur and laid the l'}ay'l-M, MobiKwik. PayU. stare
projects foundation stone of Delhi-Ghaziabad- governments, MSMEs and industry
The upcoming collection wili select
members of parliament for the 17th Lok Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System. subject matter experts.
efts- The Indian FinTech industry is creating
Sabha. According to the announcement He also launched various other
avision of by India's Chief Election Commissioner, development projects and distributed cutting edge intellectual property assets in
way of Sunil fuora, the 201 9 general election certificates to the beneficiaries ofvarious India to carry forward the global digital
ruels.
will take piace across seven phases of Government schemes. The Prime economy while simultaneousiy enabling
5 voting beween April 11 and May 19. Minister also visited the Shaheed Sthal paperless access to finance for every
:ssive The tallying of final results will take place (New Bus Adda) Metro Station in lndian.
uels.
onMay 23. Ghaziabad and flagged off the metro rail
rrns from Shaheed Sthai Station to Dilshad Centre Banned Yasin Malik-led
Aside from Lok Sabha seats, the
-.sl crop Garden. He also took a ride in the metro. JKLF Under UAPA
)f upcoming election u'ill coincide with
Legislative Assembly electi<ins in the f'he Prime Minister stated that with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on
March 22, 2019 banned separatist Yasin
states of Ang[hra Pradesh, Arunachal new Civil Terminal in Hindon Airport,
providing Malik's Jammu and Kashrnir Liberation
Pradesh, Odisha, and Sikkim. people of Ghaziabad can take air travel to
helr Front (}KLF) under the anti-terror law,
lues, other cities from Ghaziabad itself, instead
of going to Delhi. Built at a cost of
Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act,
)yment 1967 (UA?A). f'he move comes days
:jects and
ffis xt fftrffifi t 30000 crore, the Delhi-Meerut RRTS
after the Centre banned Jamat-e-Islami
at system is the first ofsuch transport
XEsstim r$ & system in India. Once completed, it will
()eI-JErK) under Section 3(1) ofthe
at UAPA.
reduce the travel time berween Delhi and
:gation of
Meerur considerably. The J KLF was also banned under the
h as waste
same sections, which gives power to the
Sm$xsSxx*m Prime Minister Narendra Modi also
Centre to declare any association as
flaggedoffihe commercial run on
itted T0tal LOk $abha seats: s43 Lucknow Metro's North-South corridor unlawful by noti$,ing it in the Official
ISI) on Cazette.
Poll Seats Stateslt".lls rhrough video conference from Kanpur.

:ommittee Dat*s P*lling lnvolved The length of the North-South corridor

is 23 km. The prime minister also laid the
lndia Deployed Commando
udit Traii tt! Squad for Embassy in Baghdad
April 11 $1 foundation stone fbr Agra Metro Rail
: Election India has deployed an elite contingent of
project. The prime minister also laid the
April 18 s? lrl its commando-trained armed paramilitary
foundation stone for Agra Metro Rail
personnel to guard its embassy and
pling For April 23 1'15 14 project.
diplomatic staff in Baghdad in Iraq, a
ilip ?t
April2S s NlTl Aayog Organised FinTech war-ravaged country getting back to
r Chief
Conclave 2019 normai after defeating ISIS terrorists.
rora and IMay 6 51 I
About 45 multi-skilled troops from
lavasa NITI Aayog organised a day-long
lnay 12 ss ? FinTech Conclar-e at Dr. Ambedkar
Central Armed Police Force (CAPF), the
nission
CRPF, have raken charge oFthe embassy
mine the l\*ay 1$ 5g s International Center, New Delhi on
complex located in the Al Mansour area
March 24.2019. The objecrive was to
of the Iraqi capital on March 18,2019.
shape India's continued ascendancy in
s political
Simultaneous eif; cti0n$ f or Legisiativr FinTech, build the narrative fbr future The squad is led by a Depury
:e of the
Assemblies o{ Anelhra Prailesh, strateg,v and policy efforts, and to Commandant-rank officer of the Central
<:tions,
ArunaehaI Prad*sh, 0rli*lia and deliberate steps for comprehensive Resene Police Force (CR?F) and this is
re iSI to
Sikkim will tollow the s{:hedule financial inclusion. the second foreign assignment lbr the
re the
The Corrclave leatured ripresentatives paramilitarv as it similarly guards the
rhe 0{ the c0rrecpanding Parliament*ry
1{) from across the financial space - central Indian Embassy in Libva's capital ciry of
Constituencies KHK $3*$BAraphirs f ripoli.
ministries, regularors, bankers, startups!

f.lay 2019 . COMPETITION rru FOCUS 19

GURREI{TAFFAIRS
The CRPF commando contingent has
been armed with some of the best and
sophisticated weapons such as AK-series
assault rifles, Glock pistols and other
equipment required for an armoured
counter-terror shield.
llT Kharagpur to Adopt
Amazon Web Services
Programme
The Indian Institure oFTechnology
Kharagpur has announced on March 16,
2019 that the institute will adopt
Amazon'W'eb Services (A\flS) Educate
programme to help students gain cloud
computing skills including hands-on
experience in artificial intelligence (AI).
The AWS Educate programme is
Amazons global initiative to provide
students and educators with resources
needed to accelerate cloud-related
learning and to help power the workforce
oF tomorrow.
The programme offers. a robust set of
no-cost tools, resources and A\il'S
Promotional Credits for students and
educators to boost their cloud skills and
experience.
President !naugurated FINE
Event in Gandhinagar
The President of lndia Ram Nath Kovind
inaugurated the Festival of Innovation
and Entrepreneurship (FINE) in
Gandhinagar, Gujarat on March 15,
2019 . He also presented the 1Oth
Biennial National Grassroots Innovation
Awards.
The President stated that an innovative
idea in itself is nor enough. Ir is
important to ensure that a creative idea
gets the support it needs for its maturing,
diffusion and delivery on the ground.
Innovation itself is only the first of rwo
key drivers to ensure rhat any innovarion
becomes actionable.
The second key driver is
.n,r.p..n.,rrrhip. which n..$ ,o
supplemenr innovarion so as {o deliver
benefits to our fellow citizens.
'W'e
need
co build an ecosystem [or converting
innovations into enterprises. This
requires backing Ibr .rart-ups gnd lor
incubating voune innovator'
[,v
providing financial. mentorin![and poliry
support. t Dit,rbedi.n-. \1, i =r:- r:
20 COMPETITION rr'r FOCUS . N/ay 2019
lndia Grounded 737 l\4ax B The go.-ern;:-.-. -,... .,.:pointed five new
Ptanes After Ethiopian Crash
ln a late night decision, lndia's
aviation watchdog Director Genero[ of
Civil Aviotion (OeCfr on March 12,
20'19grounded ail Boeing 737 MAX 8
oircrof immediotely'. The move came
after Eurapeen aviation regulotor
the UK, Fronce, Germony,
EASA,
Australia and Singapore joined a
growing number of countries thot
have barred the aircraft from their
oirspace following the lotest crosh of
an Ethiopian Airlines plane.
These planes wi!.l be grounded till
a p pi o p ri ate modifi cati o ns a n d safety
measures are undertaken to ensure
their safe operotions.
First Workshop on lndia
Energy Modelling Forum Held
The NITI Aayog and the United States
Agency for International Development
(U$AID) on March 14,2019 organized
the first workshop on development of the
India Energy Modelling Forum (IEMF),
which has been envisaged as a
pan-stakeholder platform for debating
ideas, scenario-planning & discussing the
India's energy future.
The IEMF seeks to provide a platfbrm lor
leading experts and policy makers ro
study important energy and
environmental issues and ensure
induction of modelling and anaiysis in
informed decision making process. The
Forum airns to improve cooperation and
coordination between modeling teams,
the Government of India, knov'ledge
partners and think-tanla, buiid capaciry
oflndian institutions. and identifi. issues
for joint modeling activities and future
areas ofresearch.
The workshop featured eight expert
sessions which saw discussions around the
various aspects ofsctring up an
India-centric energy modelling platform.
)lationaI Scenario
Government Appointed Five
CBlJoint Directors
, -:.: Central Bureau of
]oint Direc,-,r:
Investigarl,-. ,--:, :.;cording to a
Personnel l' 1: :,,: ,,:der issued on
March11. I Ij r'-iofficersSampat
Meena. .i:u:.r. :i,;.sh Aggarwal, Vilas
Kumar Cr-,,::-:.' .rd DC lain are the
: ::::r appointed.
ones s.hc. :--.-.
Sampat -\i:r:-, .r.:Lurag and Rakesh
Agganr-al .-:- - -- batch officers of
Jharkhan.:. . :.;ra and Himachal
Prade'h -. .-:r :i.:JLri\ely, DCJain is a
1991 batc;. - ! .r-.icer of Rajasthan
cadre. ..'hr-. ',' -:s Choudhry is from the
Jammu ari -.,-,-.lrmir cadre. Of the five
officers. !f .. li e earlier worked in the
CBI as S,.l::: -:.nCent of Police or
Depur. I ,. :,rCcneral level officers.
Aahar 201 9 lnternational Food
Fair Concluded
-fhe
3+th .::::r,n oiA:rhar- a specialised
Internatic,r-., :-,oii and Hospitality event
of India T:.;. Promotion Organisation
and apcr r:c'rs:n- bodies, concluded on a
successF.rl ---,-r:. on Nlarch 12,2019.
Almost ;-l <50 paiticipants from India
and abroai erpressed their satisfaction
ov(r Il)c b..;ne.s response. ric-ups.
nerworkinc and.joint ventures in the fair.
Participa:: :. iiom China, Germany,
Honr Ko:g. Italv, Indonesia, Japan,
Russia. Srain. USA and UK are
particir-:;,rq in the er.ent.
88th Anniversary of the Dandi
March Celebrated
India ce t;::ated on March 12,2019 the
B8th annr-. rrsan' of the Dandi March
initiareci :. \lahatma Gandhi. Dandi
March. r r :i r Salt Satvagraha was an acr
of no,,. ic, .:-;e to protest against the Salr
tax imp.-.rJ 'ct the British gorernmenr
on the In.:trns. The 24-da1. march beqan
on \11r.. . -. ,lr-lu a: .: drrcct action
campaign c,: --t resistance and nonvioien:
protest ag;in,: the British salt monopol.'
and gar-e im;.;1,.1. to the ]ndian
indeper-rclenc. n.\ ement. \ Iahatma
Gandhi lcJ .i:r -n..us Dandi \larcr
fiom S abai n-,:. -i r-.hr.,.;:-. i r:.,\r metia b. : .
Dar-rdi a cois:.- '.:-l-'.. ::r Gujerat ' -r'
km) and sraire .1 ,ht l:-r:on1'. ic; Cli:-
 t

,cenaflo NationaI Scenario CURREI{TAFFAIRS

-tve icVlGlL App Unveiled by diameter and has 100 serrations on its PM Modi Launched Smart City
Election Commission edge, the { 20 coin will not have any Projects in Northeast
\-e new In order to empower citizens in the Lok. marks on its edge. But like the ( 10 coin, After inaugurating five integrated
reau of Sabha 20 l9 polls, thc Elcction it will be two-toned. \X/hile the outer ring Comrnand and Control Centres of Smart
a Commission (EC) has introduced will be 65% copper, 75o/o zinc and ]0 per Ciry Projects in Arunachal Pradesh,
)n cVIGIL app ar pan India level on nickel, the inner disc willbeT5o/o copper, Sikkim and Tripura, Prime Minister
.

lPat March 11, 2019 whereby citizens can 20o/o zinc and five percent nickel. Narendra Modi on March7,2019
1. Vilas record on their mobile any violation of Interestingly, it was nearly 10 years ago, announced that the projects will bring
re the the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and in March 2009 that the Reserve Bank of about a sea change in urban ameniries
send it to the election authorities For India had issued the first ? 10 coin. and will boost the development of cities.
:Sh
appropriate action. .He launched the faciliry for Gangtok and
oi By using rhe cVIGIL app, citizens can \ffi-W Namchi in Sikkim, and Pasighat and
r1 record on his Arrdroid mobile and Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh and
':in promprly ro election authorities report Cabinet Approved Plan Agartala in Tripura. Smart Ciry
is a
ln any violation of Model Code of Conduct, to Revive Stressed Command and Control Cenrres use
om the any incidenr of intimidation or ThermaI Ptants digital technology to integrate different
re five inducement within minutes of having The Cabinet on March 7,2019 service nerworks. They enable real-time
i in the witnessed them and without having to go approved a plan to revive some of collaboration among departments such as
L.lr to the office of the returning officer. the some stressed thermal power police, transpoftJ power, water,
plants and set up new coal-fired sanirarion, and public saFery utilities.
';t-icers. cVIGIL is a simple,
power plants to curb power deficit. Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar
Android-based-mobile app which is
I Food Power projects of 1,320 megawatts of Deb stated that t 1 1,370 crore would be
user-friendly and easy to operate. All that
capocity would be set up in Bihar and spent on the Smart Ciry Projects in
one has to do is to simply click a picture
:ialised Uttor Prodesh. Agartala. Under the Smart Ciry Projecrs,
or to take a video and briefly describe the
t:\' event While the Bihar power plant would people can enjoy free internet through a
activiry before uploading it on the
:.ation cost< 10,439 crore (S 1.49 billion), the large number of \Wi-Fi hotspots and other
cVIGIL mobile application.
c:d on a one in Uttar Pradesh would be built Facilities in new infrastructure.
with an investment of < 1'1,089 crore.
-9, Centre Approved < 1 2,O2O
The two power projects would start Cabinet Approved Setting Up
India crore for Surat Metro Project o perations from 2023-24.
.crion The central governrnent on March 10, of 50 New Kendriya Vidyalayas
15. 201 9 approved the 40 .35 kilometre Surat The Union cabinet has approved on
:he fair. Metro Raii project with two corridors. March 7, 2019 setting up of 50 new
The project would be completed in five Kendriya Vidyalayas urider Civil and
tf,n. years at an estimated cost of { 12,020.32 Defence sectors all over the counrry.
crore. It will provide affordable, reliable, According to a notification from Union
safe, secure and seamless transport system government, once the proposed Kendriya
in the urban agglomeration of the ciry. Vidyalayas (KVs) are fully functional they
Dandi ffi-wls will provide qualiry education to
Itwill reduce accidents, pollution, travel
approximately 5 0,000 students.
time, energy consumption and anti-social
li9 the Prime Minister Flagged-off These new schools will be set up in areas
incidents as well as regulate urban
larch Nagpur Metro that are hotbeds of left wing extremism,
expansion and land use for sustainable
)arrdi The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on as well as in places with hea.vy
development. The project will be
an act
].5 March 7,20 l9 flagged off the Nagpur deployment of Central Reserve Police
implemented by the Gujarat Metro Rail
rhe Salt Metro, through video conference from Force rroops or with high concentration
Corporation (GMRC) Ltd. It will be
:lment New Delhi. The 13.5 km long, Khapri- of railway employees. Currently. there are
financed mainly through equiry from the
--: began Sitabuldi section of the Nagpur Metro over 12,000 KVs across the country and
central government and the Gujarat
-:ion was inaugurated through the digital three abroad. According to KV
government on a 50 : 50 basis, and loans
onviolent unveiling of plaque. Addressing the authorities < I,579 .9 crores will be spent
from bilateral/multilateral agencies.
onopoiy gathering through video conference, in next five years on construction and
Government Announced Prime Minister congratulated the people staff salary for the 50 new KV.s-
ama {20 Coin of Nagpur for the second metro service in
larch Maharashtra. He had laid the foundation Cabinet Approved Three New
The Finance Ministry on March 7 - 2Ol9
;dabad to amounced a new coin for t 20 which
stone for the Nagpur Metro in 2014.The Delhi Metro Corridors
,. i390 riill be shaped like a27 mm 'dodecagon' Metro will provide a better, cost friendly The Centre on March 7 , 2019 gave an
L-rul and environment friendly means of 'in-principle' approval to three ofthe six
- a 12-sided polygon. Unlike the circular
transportation for the people in Nagpur. new Delhi Metro corridors under
10-rupee coin, which is also 27 mm in
Phase-IV of the network.

May 2019 . COMPETITION rru FOCUS 21


CURRENTAFFAIRS
The government approved the
Tughlakabad-Aerocity (20.20 km),
Janakpuri West-RK Ashram (28.92 km)
arrd Mukundpur-Maujpur (12.5 4 km)
sections. This will add to the existing 350
kmJong Delhi Metro network.
The lines wili have 17 underground and
29 elevated stations with 25 stations
between Janakpuri and RK Ashram, 15
berween Aerocity and Tughlakabad and
six berween Maujpur and Mukundpur.
The total ouday for the project will be
< 24,945.65 crore in an equal sharing
pattern with the Delhi government.
PM Modi Launched Projects at
Kalaburagi and Kancheepuram
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
March 6, 2019 launched key
development projects at Kalaburagi in
Karnataka and Kancheepuiam in f'amil
Nadu. At Kalaburagi in Karnataka, the
Prime Minister dedicated the ESIC
Hospitai and Medical College, Bengaluru
to the nation, through the unveiling of
the plaque.
At Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu, the
Prime Minisrer launched various
National Highway proiects, including rhe
foundation stone for the four laning of
NH-45C from Vikravandi to Thanjavur
and the six laning of Karaipettai -
'Walajapet
section of NH-4.
He dedicated the 5 MMTPA capaciry
Ennore LNG Terminal to the nation.
The LNG terminal will help in meeting
the LNG demand in Tamil Nadu and
neighboring States. He also dedicated rhe
electrificarion of Erode- Karur-
firuchchirapalli and Salem-Karui-
Dindigul railway lines to the nation.
lRDAI, NHA Formed Joint
Working Group on Ayushman
Bharat
A joint working group (|W'G) comprising
senior oflicials from IRDAI and National
Health Authority (NHA) has been
formed on March 6,2019 to recorhmend
measures to help improve the
implementation of the Centre's
-\nrshman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan
-{ros.'a Yo jana (,1-&Pit{}AYl or the
::..:l-,i lns-;rance scheme for the poor.
NHA
Ta: . , -n.lern-he r Sroup. ri'ith
Depur,' CEO Dinesh .{.rora as the chair
22 COMPETITION rH FOCUS . May 2019
and IRDAI Executive l)irector Suresh
Mathur as the co-chair, would submit a
repoft on various aspects pertaining to
network hospitals' managementi data
standardisation and exchange; fraud
abuse and control; and common IT
infrastructure for health insurance claims
management.
Y;ffiWH
Google Launched Boto App
to Help Chitdren Read
Google hos launched a speech-based
reoding-tutor app called Bolo on
March 6,2019 for Android-based
Smartphone to help children in rural
tndia with their reading shi{ls. With
the reach of the mobile phones rising
in lndia, Google would be looking to
use the app to expand its presence in
the country. The app is aimed at
hetping hids who are unoble to go to
schools or hove no occess to it.
The Bolo app can be downloaded for
free from the Goagle's Play Store. The
opp con also worh offiine and does
not require an octive internet
connection. Designed for Primary
grode children, Bolo Android app
helps ta improve both English and
Hindi reading shitts of hids by
encouroging them to read otoud. The
app also gives instant feedback.
Governrnent and World Bank
Signed S 250 Million for
NRETP Project
The World Bank and the Gbvernment of
India signed on March 5,2019 in New
Delhi a $ 250 Million Agreement for the
National Rural Economic
Transformation Project (NRETP) rvhich
wiil help women in rural households shift
fO a n(w Bqilcr.l;. j"l.l ril crolrt,miu
initiatives by developing viable enterprise
for farm and non-farm products. A Key
Focus of the Project will be to promote
j,t
NationaI Scenario
wolnen-o\ln.. -: : .'lrnlen-led farm and
non-farm cali.::: ,;ross value chains;
:a-.
enable tirc;-r'. lt : - :5usinesses that help
them ;cc;.s :-:- ::-- -. :llarkets and.
ner*'ork.i :.i,a :::-.:: ::a employment.
Tratrsfor;-l,,.-,.,-: , :. tct (NRETP) is an
adtlirioni. :::-.-: --:.: ;o the $500 million
Nariclna, F.i-:-, :-,.[hoods Project
(NRfP .rr-j:r'.;- r, rhe \7or1d Bank in
Juir'20i i I:.. );F.l.P rvhich is currently
being inp -:-..:.:.d across 13 statesr l62
cii.trict. ::,- '-= .'lucks. has so far
mobiliz,J " , . :::.rtr 8.8 million women
fiom poo: :-.,.- i,c,useholds into 750,000
s.lt-lr.l[. -,-. iHC").
These SHt,' :.ii e been further federated
into 48.-,.,r, \
:iiage Organizations and
2900 Clusi;: Gram Panchayat-level
p.{:lg131ron). \\-hile these 13 states will
continue :. b. supported under the new
projecr siqr-i.J iodav, 125 new districts
rvill 'oe a.1t1.i :iom u.ithin these states.
PM Modi Ftagged Off
Ahmedabad Metro
Prirne \linr.rcr Narendra Modi on
Marcl-r +. ii-r 19 inaugulated the first
phase oi rL. -\hmedabad N4etro train
serr.ici'. P\l -\1odi also took the ride of
the train ',i ith Gujarat Chief Minister
Vijar. Ruprni also interacted with
chiidren.
The flrsr rhase of tl're Ahmedabad metro
is 40 km iong; 6.5 km is under ground
and the lc:raining stretch is elevate-d. It
has tr.o ;orridors - one lrorn Vastral to
Thaltcj Gam and the other l:rom Gyaspur
depot te. \lotera stadium in Ahmedabad.
Tl.re Union Cabinet has also given
appro., al ibr tire Phase-2 of Ahmedabad
Metro R.Lrl Project in February 2019.
Phase-l *i1i be just over 28 km long.
One Nation, One Card
Launched in Ahmedabad
Prime \lini,ster Narendra ]vlodi launched
on N4arch +. 2019 'One Nation, One
Card tbr LrJnsport mobilirv at a ruttctin'
in Ahmedabad. The Indigenous
Automatic Fare Collection Svstem bas:l
cil O,ta il-;i,,,, -,rc.laro l"focleL ,',.
National Cornnon \{obilitv Card
(NCN'IC) is the fiist of its kirrd in 1n;:.
India's First IndiqenoLLslr- I)evelopci
Payment Eco-svstem fbr transport
 t
cenario NationaI Scenario CURRENTAFFAIRS
i
rm and consisting of NCMC Card, SWEEKAR Smart lndia Hackathon 2019 private entities such as banks, telcos and
chains; (Swachalit Kiraya: Automatic Fare fintech firms. The Ordinance also gives a
lnaugurated
rat help Collection System) and SWAGAT child an option ro exit from the Aadhaar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
(Swachalit Gate) is based on NCMC on attaining 18 years ofage.
March 2, 201 9 inaugurated Smart India
:nt. Standards. Hackathon in New Delhi. Smart India The amendments proposed are the same as
These are bank issued iards on Debit/ Hackathon 2019 is a nationwide those contaihed in the Bill passed by the
1S an Credit/Prepaid card product platform. initiative to provide students a platform Lok Sabha on January this year. The
million The customer may use this single card for to solve some of pressing problems we arnendment also provides for civil
:t payments across all segments including face in our daily lives, and thus inculcate penalties for violations ofAadhaar Act and
lank in metro. bus, suburban railways, toll, a culture ofproduct innovation and a provisions by entities in the Aadhaar
rrrently parking, smart ciry and retail. The stored mindset of problem solving. ecosystem. [t permits the enrities to
:s, 162 value on card supports offline transaction perform authentication only when they are
In SIH 20 1 9, the students would also have
: .across all travel needs with minimal ' the opportuniry to work on challenges compliant with the standards'of privacy
i\'omen financial risk to involved stakeholders. and security specified by the Authoriry
-;0,000 faced within the private sector
The service area feature of this card organisations and create world class
supports operator speciffc applications PM Launched Development
solutions for some of the top companies in
derated r.g. monthly passes, season tickets etc. the world, thus helping the Private sector
Projects in Kanyakumari
s and hire the best minds from across the nation. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
.-el Prayagraj Kumbh Made lt to March 1, 2019 ilaggedoff the Tejas
:s rvill the Guinness World Records Express between Madurai and Chennai.
he new Prayagral Kumbh Mela 2019 has been Thjs will provide faster connectiviry
;-rricts placed in the Guinness \World Records in berween the rwo cities. The first Tejas
three sectors. It includes largest traffic
PM Dedicated the IV Express was introduced between
iates.
and crowd management plan, the biggest lndo-Russian Rifles Mumbai-Karmali.
painting exercise ofpublic sites under lndio has signed o deal with a
He also laid the foundation stone fbr the
paint my ciry scheme and biggest Russion firm to manufocture 7,50,000 restoration of Pamban Bridge providing
sanitation and waste disposal mechanism. AK-203 rifles, the latest derivative of
-ar
the legendary AK-47 rifles. lt is the rail link between the main land and the
rlst A three member team from Guinness island of Rameswaram. The new bridge
flrst lndo-Russian collaboration
;ain I7orldRecords has given this status on between lndian Ordnonce Board and will be built parallel to the present bridge
:le of March 3, 2019. Five bathing festivals of RusSio due to which the ordnance that is 104 years old. Once the new bridge'
ilster the Kumbh have concluded successfuliy factory at Amethi's Korwa was set up is completed, it will replace the old one.
with more than 22 crore pilgrims taking a on March 3, 2019.
holy dip. The new joint venture will produce Cabinet Approved Setting Up
J metro Kalaihnihov ossoult rifles of the of a New Railway Zone
round 'Jai Gange' Theme Painting newest 200 series and eventually The Union Cabinet, chaired by the
.red. It Created Guinness World Record reoch fult localisation of production. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
tral to During the eight hours with numerous The defence production corridor ond February 28,2019 has approved setting
Cvaspur pair ofhands and an unparalleled Kalashnihov rifle AK-203 next up of a Railway Zone at Vishakhapatnam
determination to create a Guinness generotion rifle witl hetp lndia. The and a new division with headquarter at
redabad.
record on Mtrch 2, 2019 by creating the AK-2A3 fiansfer of technology would Rayagada by reorganizing the existing
:11 be completely indigenous.
world's quickest handprint painting with South Central Railway and East Coast
edabad
7,664 pxdcipants. The record was the Railway.
:019.
second consecutive one for PMA during Setting up of the new Railway Zone will
ong.
the Kumbh fulela. bring optimaliry with reeaid to size and
The first Guinness record was created by scale of railway operations and also to
I the Prayagraj Mela Authoriry (PMA) for meet the persistent demand and
,:rrnched parading the iargest number of buses in aspirations ofthe people ofthe area.
t)ne the world, with a fleet of 503 buses
runction running acrobs a stretch of 3.2 kilometre. J&K Reservation (Amendment)
The earlier record for the largest number Cabinet Cleared Voluntary Use Ordinance, 2O1 9 Approved
:r based ofpeople gathering to create a handprint of Aadhaar as lD Proof .
The Union Government on February 28,
painting was made in Yeouido Hangang The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime 2019 has approved the proposal of
-l Parkin South Korea's Seoui on April i 5, Minister Narendia Modi on March 1, Jammu &Kashmir Covernment to issue
: India. 'The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation
2018. During the previous record, a 2019 approved the promulgation of an
(Amendment) Ordinance, 2019' by the
-.p.d goup of 4,575 had participated in the Ordinance to allow voluntary submission
President of India.
- artemPt. ofAadhaar as identiry prooffor use by

tVay 2019 . COMPETITION rru FOCUS 23

CURRENTAFFAIRS
It provides for amendments in the
Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act,
2004 to bringing persons residirig in the
areas adjoining International Border
within the ambir oFreservation at par
with persons living in areas adjoining
Actual Line of Control (ALoC).
Once the Ordinance is issued, it would
pave the way would pave the way for
bringing persons residing in the areas
adjoining International Border within the
ambit of Reservation at par with persons
living in areas adjoining Actual Line of
Conrrol.
Homeopathy Central Council
(Amendment) Ordinance, 201 9
Approved
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
February 28,2019 has approved the draft
Homoeopathy Central Council
(Amendment) Ordinance, 2019 which
seehs to extend the period for
reconsdtution of the Central Council
from existing period oFone year to two
years.
With this the tenure of the Board of
Governors may be extended for a further
period of one year with affbct from
May 17,2019 for exercising the powers
and performing the functions of the
Central Council of Homoeopathy.
National Youth Parliament
Awards Conferred
The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi on
February 27 , 2019 conFerred rhe
National Youth Parliament Festival
Awards 2019 and distributed the
certificates to the winners. He also
launched the Khelo India App at the
event.
Congratulating the panicipants and
winners of the National Youth
Pailiament Festival 2019, Prime Minister
appreciated their energy and devotion.
He stated that the festival represents the
image of a New India. He asked the
youth to connect with the vision of New
India. He added that the youth of the
country should be prepared to play a
bigger role for the development of the
nation and the sociery.
National Youth Parliamenr Festival 2019
has been jointly organised by National
24 COMPETITION rru FOCUS . lVay 2019
Service Scheme and Nehru Yuva Kendra
Sangathan under the aegis of Ministry of
Youth Affairs and Sports on the theme of
'Be the Voice of New India and Find
solutions and Contribute to Policy'.
\ffi
'l nternationat Digitat
Health Symposium'
Anupriya Patel, Minister of State for
Health and Family Welfare
i n a u gu rated' I nte rn ati
Health Symposium',on February 27,
2019 in New Delhi. The Digital Health
Symposium follows the two-day
Gtobol Digital Health Partnership
(GDUP) summit and allows wide
engagement with innovators, clinical
leaders, academia, researchers,
h e alth ca r e establish m e nts,
g ove rn m e nt re p r ese ntatives,
international and national technical
experts, entrepreneurs and the
research community.
She olso inaugurated' the exhibition
on Digital Health as part af the
Symposium, where participont
countries olong with various
Government Ministries, stotes ond
other staheholders showcosed hey
i n n ov ati o n s, i m p le m e ntati o n
experiences and innovative Digital
Heolth lnterventions.
lhe Symposium provided a forum to
learn from hey globol leaders in the
field of .digitaL health and innovation.
This was an opportunity for countries
to showcase key innovations ond
share experiences of implementing
digital health interventions for health
systems strengthening and Universal
Health Coveroge.
Government Inaugurated the
Aviation Conclave 2019 Held
Union Minister of Commerce, Industry
and Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu have
inaugurated the Aviation Conclave 2019
NationaI Scenario
with an overarching theme of 'Flying for
Al1' on Februa ry 27 , 2019 . He stated that
to achieve growth in the sector, rhere
must be a clarity in policy dynamics, a
sync beneen the 'Macro' and the 'Micro'
and explained that it will mean clear
long-term strategy with immediate
actionable plans.
l-he minister outlined roadmap for
aircraft manufacturing, aircraft leasing
and financing fbr long rerm asset
crearion, cargo policv and flnanciai
on al D i g itol sen.ices, optirnization of resource
urili>arion u ith rechnology input as some
olthe areas of high importance for the
ar.iation sector. He also stressed the
importance of Drones which offer a
opportur.riry for the aviation
,;:::;,Ot.,o
IAF Conducted Balakot
Air Strike
The indian Air Force launched airstrike
on terror camps and launch pads across
the T.ine oi Control in Pakistan-occupied
Kashmir ar 3.30 am on February 26,
2019. The Indian Air Force stated that
1,000 kg of bombs were dropped on ]aish
bases across the LoC by muitiple jets,
including rhe IAF's Mirage 2000. The
European Union, Australia, and France
among others backed India and called out
Pakistan to stop providing safe havens to
tefror grouPs.
T'he pre-dawn attack air strike by IAF on
Jaish-e-N'lohammed's fl eM) biggest terror
camp in Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa province involved over 200
hours of planning thar began following
inteiligence inputs regarding a second
suicide terror strike somewhere in India.
Highiv-piaced sources announced that
the government got the intelligence input
just rwo davs after the F-ebruary 14 terror
strike in [ammu and Kashmir's Pulwama
by jeM suicide bomber Adil Ahmad Dar
in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force
(CRPF) troopers *-ere killed and five
rulfered irrjuries.
The government briefed the
representatives of 12 nations about the
pre-dann air strikes on Jaish-e
Mohammad camps located across rhe
l,ine of Control, including USA, UK,
Russia, Australia. Indonesia, 1'urkey and
six ASEAN Nations.
 I

Events ln the News... CURRENTAFFAIRS

:ctral 45
rnd
Cals - 5

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IN THE NEWS,..
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etial
Rear Admiral Sanjay ]asjit Singh was Lalsawta is a 1981 batch Bihar cadre IAS
ni. who APPOINTMENT commissioned into the Indian nar.y in officer. He was the principal secretary of
1017, 1986 and is an alumnus of the National finance department in the state from
series Vice Admiral Karambir Singh Defence Academy. 2008 to 201 1.
od The Government has appointed on
A specialist in Navigation and Direction,
onship March 23, 2019 Vice Admiral Karambir Namdev Tyagi
he has held a range of command,
)e rths Singh, currently Flag Olficer The Congress government in Madhya
training and staff appointments during
Commander-in-Chief Eastern Naval Pradesh has appointed selF-sryled godman
his career.
red Command as next Chief of the Naval Namdev Tyagi, also known as Computer
Staffrvith effect from May, 2019. Born He also has the distinction of being the Baba, as chairman of a river trust in the
irg
on November' 3, 1959, Vice Admiral lead drafter for the lndian Nary's State on March 12,2019. The State
Eiven as
Karambir Singh was commissioned on Maritime Doctrine in 2009, Indian spirituai department passed the order of
July 1, 1980 into the Executive Branch of Maririme Securiry Strategy and Stratcgic appointing Mr.
the Indien Naty. Guidance to Transformation in 2015.
Tyagi as head o[the'Ma Narmada,
2l:nQ During his long and distinguished service MR Kumar Ma Kshipra and Ma Mandakini Rivers
j- spanning nearly 39 years, he has served in Trust'.
MR Kumar, the newly-appointed
a variety of Command, Staffand
:C chairman of Life Insurance Corporation
Instructional appointments. Vice Adrniral E. Sreedharan
oflndia (LIC), has taken charge on
Singh's Sea Command includes Guided The Jammu and Kashmir Governor
March 14. 2019.
Missile Destroyers INS Rana and INS administration has approved the
J
Delhi. Mr. Kumar, who had joined LIC as a
appointmerrt of E Sreedharan on
:3 direct recruir olficer in 1 9BJ, rook over March 10, 2019 as the Principal Advisor
Vice Admiral Karambir Singh is a
from Hemant Birargava who had been ofJ&K. The Governor administration of
graduate of the l)efence Services Staff
the acting chairman since ]anuary 2019. the state has approved setting up of two
College,'Wellington. Vice Admiral
The government had also named rwo MRTCs - Jammu Mass Rapid Transit
Karambir Singh has been decorated rvith
NIDs lor LIC Vipin Anand and TC. Corporation and the Srinagar Mass Rapid
the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM)
Suseel Kumar.
-
and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Transit Corporation - for the wvo capital
cities.
-{\.sM). C. Lalsawta
The Gor.ernor of Mizoram, Jagdish Mr. Sreedharan. a retired IES (IRSE)
Sanjay Jasjit Singh officer, is popularly known as the "Metro
Mukhi, appointed retired IAS officer C
F.ear Admiral SanjayJasjit Singh, NN{ Man" for changing the face of public
Lalsas'ta as the ftrst Chairman of the
:,rck over charge of Vestern Fleet, the rransport in the country with his
ne\v-constituted Lokaprkta at Durbar
lword Arm' of the Indian Nar",, on leadership of building the Konkan
HalL in Aizwal on March 12,2019.
\larch 23,20i9. Railway and the Delhi Metro.

tVay 2019'. COMPETITION ru FOCUS 45

 CURRENTAFFAIRS
Param Bir Singh
Senior Indian Police Service officer
Param Bir Singh was on March l0,2019
appointed Director Generai of rhe
Maharashtra Anri-Corruption Buieau.
Mr. Singh, a 1988 batch IPS officer has
held important posrs like that of Thane
Police Commissioner, DCP in several
important zones in Mumbai, and a.[so
Superintendent ofPolice in disrricts like
Chandrapur and Bhandara.
Ausaf Sayeed
Dr. Ausaf Sayeed was named India's new
ambassador to Saudi Arabia on March 8,
2019, succeedingAhmadJaved. He is a
familiar face in Saudi Arabia. His last
posting in the Kingdom was as the consul
general in Jeddah from August Z0A4 to
July 2008.
He was responsible for enhancing the
image of his country and Indian
professionals through the creation of
organizations such as the Saudi-Indian
Business Nenvork, the Indo-Saudi
Medical Forum and the Saudi-indian
Friendship Sociery.
A gold medalist from Osmania
Universiry, Sayeed belongs to a
Hyderabad family u.ith rich literary
credentials.
Subhash Chandra Garg
Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash
Chandra Garg was on March 8,2019
named as the Finance Secretary. The
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
headed by Prirne Minister Narendra
Modi has approved Garg's name.
Mrf Garg, 58, a 1983 batch IAS officer of
Rajasthan cadre, has been working as the.
Secretary in Department of Economic
Affairs since June 2017.
As per the couvention, the senior-most
among the five secretaries in the Finance
Ministry is designated as the Finance
Secretary.
Padma Lakshmi
Indian-American television personaliry
and food expert Padma Lakshmi has been
appointed by the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) on
March 8, 2019 as irs newest Goodwill
Ambassador on the eve of International
'Women's
Day.
46 COMPETITION ru FOCUS
' lVay 2019
In her new role, the Emmy-nominated
television personaliry and award-winning
author will mobilise suppoft for the
Sustainable Developmenr Goals with a
focus on fighting inequaliry,
discrimination and empowering the
disen franchised-
dffiM
@Sffifr
Jagdish Mukhi
Jagdish Muhhi was on March 9, 2O1g
sworn-in os the Governor of Mizoram.
Gauhati High Court judge, lustice
Nelson Soilo odministered the oath of
office to Mr. Muhhi. He is olso the
Governor of Assam.
He succeeded Kummonam
Rajosehharan as the governor of
Mizoram as the latter resigned and
his resignotion was accepted by the
President Rom Nath Kovind who
appointed Mr. Muhhi to tahe
additional charge of Mizoram.
ThamaraiSelvi
Senior Professor from Anna University,
S. Thamarai Selvi on March 6, 2019 has
been appointed Vice-Chancellor of
Thiruvalluvar Universiry, Serkadu, in
Vellore district, by Governor Banwarilal
Purohit of Tamil Nadu. Thiruvalluvar
Universiry is a State Universiry wdich was
established by the Government of Tamil
Nadu on 2002.
Ajit Kumar Mohanty
Physicist Ajit Kumar Mohanty has been
appointed Director of Bhabha Atomic
Research Cenrre or BARC, India's main
nuclear weapons lab on March 7,2019
for renure of three years.
Mr. Mohanry, 59, specializes in basic
physics and has considerable experjence
in partiile coliisions having worked on
the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva and
ln the News..
in trying to ur.r.:r'cl rhe mysteries of Dark
Marter. BAF.C. L,ase,i in Mumbai, is the
country s Prer:ii.: niLclear research
facility. It is a muiri-disciplinary research
centre rvith ertensir.e infrastructure for
advanced research and development
covering the entile spectrum ofnuclear
science, engincering and related areas.
Ajit Singh
Former Cl.rief Justice of Gauhati High
Court Justice Aiir Singh has been
appointed as the irst Lokayrkta of Odisha
on March 4, 1019. Governor Ganeshi Lal
approved his n:rme following the
recommendation of the state government's
selection coinmittee. Born in 1956, Mr.
Singh began his career as an advocate in
1979.He st;rrted his pracrice in Madhya
I{igh Coun atJabalpur.
Pradesl.r
Incidentalli-. Odisha claims to be the first
statein the country ro have passed the
I-okayukta Bill in the State Assembly oh
Februan' t4, )014. It got the presidentiai
assent in _lanuan' 201 5.
Air Marshal R. Nambiar
Kargil rvar hero.and presenr Eastern Air
Command chief Air Marshal Raghunath
Nambiar has been appointed as rhe new
chief of Indian Air Force's sword arm
!(/estern Air Commar.rd 0VAC) on
March 2, 2019. The Air Marshal is
credited for shooting five ofthe eight
Laser Guided Bombs on the Pakistani
positions during the Kargil war from his
p1ane.
The WAC is headquartered in the
national capital and conrrols the area
from north of Bikaner in Rajasthan up to
Siachen Glacier and controls almost 40
per cent of the air bases of the Indian Air
Force.
Ajay Narayan Jha
Ajay Nara,van Jha on March 2,2019
joined the Fifteenth Finance Commissic:
as its Mernber. He replaced Shaktikanta
Das who had resigned as a Member of rr.
Commission after being appointed as
Gor.einor, Reserve Bank of India.
Mr.,lha. . 1gg'r 1."."\ IAS cff;;e, .
Manipur cadre, u.'as the Finance Sc. ,:"
to the Government of lndia. Earlier r-.
had also sen,ed as Secretary to the
Fourteenrh Finance Ctrnrmissior',
re News.. ln the News... CURRENTAFFAIRS

es of Dark unexpectedly on February 26,2019.

lndra Nooyi Chinmoy Roy
:ai,is the
Amazon.com Inc on February 26,2019 Javad Zarif played the lead role in striking Veteran Bengali actor Chinmoy Roy,
rch the deai under which Iran agreed to iurbs
appointed former PepsiCo inc Chief kno*n lor his portrayal of comjc
t research on its nuclear programme in return for
Executive Olficcr Indra Nooyi as a characrers, has died of cirdiac arrest on
rure for the lifting of international financial
Director, the second woman to be named March 18, 2019. He was79" Born in 1940
nent sanctions. He came under attack from
- to the board as a paft of the e-commerce in Comilla, now in Bangladesh, Chinmoy
nuclear anti-'W'estern hardliners in Iran after the
giant's efforts to increase diversiry. Roy began his career with Bengali group
i areas. United States pulled out of the agreement theatre before debuting in films in 1966
The company last year in 2018 adopted a last year in May 201 8 and re-imposed with Tapan Sinha's cult movie Galpo
new policy to boost diversity and named sanctions on Iran's economy and oil Holeo Soryi. He carved a niche in the
iHigh Startrucks Corp's Chief Operating Officer industry that were iifted under the deal. Bengali comedy genre by playing
I1 Rosalind Brerver as a director earlier this
memorable roles in movies like Basanta
. of Odisha month, making her the second black
Bilap, Dhanyi Meye, Nanigopaier Biye,
aneshi Lal woman to selve on the board. NooYi, PERSON DIED Mouchak and Subarno Golok.
who will be part of the audit committee
i ernment's .of Amazon's board, stepped down as the
CS Shivalli YS Vivekananda Reddy
i6, Mr. CEO of PepsiCo in October 2018 and as
Karnataka Minister.for Municipal Former \4ember of Parliament and State
ocate in the chairman earlier this year.
Administration CS Shivalli suffered a minister YS Vivekananda Reddy passed
\ladhya
massive heart attack and passed away on arvay in the early hours of on March 1 5,
RESIGNATION Mxch22,2019. He was 58. 2019. He was the younger brother of
,e the first Channabasappa Satyappa Shivalli was a former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara
.ed the Naresh Goyal three-time MIA from Kundagol Reddy, popularly known as YSR, and
,nbly oh constituency in Dharwad district. He paternal uncle of YSRCP president,
Naresh Goyal, a former ticketing agent
residentiai won his first eiection as an independent YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
who went on to build one of India's
biggest aillines, has stepped down as candidate.in 1999. Born on August 8, 1950 in Pulivendula,
chairman of cash-strapped Jer Airways Reddy rose in polidcs under the
India on March 25,2019. The resignation mentorship of late YSR and wielded
,rern Air
marks the end of an era as Mr. Goyal, once enough clout across Kadapa district in
aghunath Manohar Parrikar
ranked as one oflndia's 100 richest general and Pulivendula constituency in
the new Goa Chief Minister ond former
people, who is widely seen as a pioneer in particular. He won Pulivendula assembly
d arm Defence Minister Manohar Porrihar
India's fast-growing aviation industry. constituency wice (in 1989 ard 1994)
on passed away on March 17,2019 after
t. The move came after his flagship and represented Kadapa Lok Sabha in the
f,L ts a yearlong battle with Pancreatic parliamenr rwice.
eight company, pardy owned by Abu Dhahi's cancer. Manohar Parrihar was born to
kistani Etihad Airways struggled with mounted o business family in Mapusa, North
debts and cash crunch over the years.
Zhores Alferov
liom his Goa. He went on to graduate in
Zhores Alferov, the 2000 Nobel Prize
Metaltu rgical E n gi n e e ri n g fro m
Nursultan Nazarbayev UT-Bombay in 1978. winner in physics and a member of
}re Russia's parliament, has died aged 88 in
Kazakhsmn's President Nursultan He was elected to the Goa Assembly
e area
Nazarbayev unexpectedly resigned on St Petersburg on March 2,2019. Alferov
in 1gg4 and was the first llT alumnus
iran up to March 19, 2019 after three decades in shared the nearly $ I million arvard,
to serve as MLA of any lndian state.
nost 40 power, in what appeared to be the first which recognised his research work in the
He became Chief Minister of Goa for
ndian Air 1970s in information technology. He was
stepin a choreographed political the first time on October 24 20A0. He
rransition that will see him retain served 4 times os CM oJ Goa befOre the first Russian to win a Nobel Prize
considerable influnce. appointed as Defence Minister in since Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev
2014. As Defence Minister, Parrihar is won the peace prize in 1990.
10I c) Known as "Papa" to many Kazakhs, the
credited for imptementing the
;nmission 78-,vear-old formen steel worker and one Ranh One Pension (oRoP) Rabindra Adhikari
Itikanta Communist party apparatchik has ruled Scheme in 2015. Nepal's Tourism and Civil Aviation
-rber of the the vast oil and gas-rich Central Asian
Minister Rabindra Adhikari and six
nation since 1989, when it was still part
reci as others were killed when their. helicopter
of the Soviet Union. crashed in eastern Nepal's mountainous
Taplejung district on February 27 , 2019.
:r t Mohammad Javad Zarif
It has been learnt that the minister along
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad
rvith other officials had planned to visit
J at ad Zarrf , the urbane, US-educa,ted
Pathibhara'fempie and then fly to
architect ofits 2015 nuclear deal with
Panchthar to obserre the under
s'orld porvers, announced his resignation
consrruction airport at Chuhan Danda.

lvlay 2019 . COMPETITION rru FOCUS 47

lltr
lil
CURRENTAFFAIRS
ffi
ilt
lit
I'l
NeomiRao
Neomi Jehangir Rao, an Indian American
[l Lawyer, has-been appointed as United
Statcs Court ofAppeals for the District of
Columbia Circuit on March 21,2019.
ffi She was nominated by the Senate to.the
post previously occupied'by the currenr
US Supreme Court Judge Justice Brerr
Kavanaugh.
Her nomination was confirmed earlier by
the Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 53 - 46. She
was sworn in by US Supreme Court
Justice Clarence Thomas in the Roosevelr
Room of the -Mrite House. The
President.Donald Trump attended the
sweanng rn ceremony.
ffi
GauriSawant
Tlansgender activist Gauri Sawant has
been appointed as one ofthe goodwill
ambassadors of the Election Commission
in Mahalashtra on lvlarch 20, 201 9. This
is for the first time a transgender has been
appointed as a goodwill ambassador.
Till 2014. there was no separaie
illl classification oftransgenders as voters. In
2014, transgenders were first enrolled as
liNi voters along with males and females.
Nirav Modi
Nirav Modi, the main accused in the Rs
13,500 crore Punjab National Bank scam
case, has been arrested in London as
Scotland Yard on March 20. 20 lg, in a
major boost to India's efforrs to bring
back the Fugitive diamanraire.
The arrest came days after a London
court issued an arrest warranr against him
in response to a request b)/ the
Enforcement Directorate for his
extradition in a money laundering case.
UK home secretary Sajid Javid had
certified India's extradition request for
Nirav N4odi.
Alejandro Toledo
Former Peruvian President Aiejandro
Toledo, wanted in his home country in
connection with Latin America's biggest
graft scandal, was arrested in California
on suspicion of public irrroxicarion on
March 19, 2019. Toledo is accused of
taking $20 million in bribes while leading
Peru. He has been living in the San
48 COMPETITION rr.r FOCUS . IValz 2019
Francisco BayArea, and Peruvian
authorities have been seeking his
extradition since 2017. Toledo was Peru's
president from 2001 to 2006 and
w
developed a reputation for wrong reason5.
Kirsten Gittibrand
New Yorh Senotor Kirsten cillibrand
on March 17, 2019 offtcially
announced she would seeh the
Democratic Party's nominotion for the
2020 presidential election, tahing aim
at Donatd Trump. A member of the
Democratic Party, she previously
served os a member of the IJS House
of Representatives from 2007 ta 2009.
Gillibrand joined rfiore than a dozen
Democrats already in the race,
including Kamala Horris, Beto
O'Rourke, Cory Booker and
Bernie Sanders.
Anny Divya
Captain Anny Dirya on March 13,2019
became world's youngesr woman pilot to
fly Boeing 777. rvorld's largest rwin jer.
She had never been on a plane in her life
and the first time she ever boarded one
was to fly it.
Raised in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh,
Anny was only 17 when she joined Indira
Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi in
Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh. Div,va joined
the coveted group ofLinkedln Global
Influencer including Narendra Ir{odi,
Priyanka Chopra, Oprah'X/infrey, among
other eminent personalities.
Sanjana Became
Sanjana Singh on March 11, 2019 has
become the first-ever transgender to get a
Madhya Pradesh government job. She has
been appointed the personal secrerary ro
the director of the state's Department of
Social Justice and Disabled'Welfare.
ln the News... I
Knorvn fbr proacriveiv participaring in
social events in rhe cin-. Sanjana has also
I
been made a lesal r'olunreer of the
District Legal Aurhorin-. and a member
of the Lok Adaiat. s'here she will hear the
pending cases along *irh the judge.
Najma Heptulla
Nlanipur Governor Najma Heptulla
becomes the firsr go\'.r'nor in the state on
March 1 1 . 201 9 to har.e her name
included in the vorers' list. Ms Heptulla
mor.ed her voring constituency to the state
capital, her currenr piace ofresidence,
fiom her constirueno. in New Delhi. She
is now enrolled in rhe Sagolband Assembly
corlstitueno- \r'hich is rvithin the Inner
\4arripur Parliarnrn r conrriruenry.
Sadiq Khan
London \laror >adiq Klan has been
named the Poirrician of the Year at an
annual arvards ceremony held in the UK's
House of Commons cornplex on March 9,
201) for 1.ris ongoing contribution to the
political lifc in the British capital.
The annual Political and Public Life
Arvards presented by Britain's 'Asian
Voice' weekh' newspaper also recognised
UK defence secretary Gavin \Milliamson
asCabinet l,linister of the Year and
Indian-origin politiciar.r Priti Patel as
Consen atir.e Party N{P of the Year.
Kane Tanaka
A 1 l6-ye:rr-old Japanese woman Kane
Tanaka q,as ironoured on lv{arch 9,2OlL)
as the rvorid's,oidest living person by
Cuinness Vorld Records. The global
authorit\. on records olficially recognised
Kane Tanaka w-ho rvas born on
January 2, 1903, the seventh among eight
children. She married Hideo Tanaka in
1922, and ther,'had lour children. The
prbr.ious oldest living person was anorher
Japanese \\romanr Chiyo Miyako, who
died in Juh, 20 1 8 at age 777 .
Benjamin Netanyahu
Israel's attornev general announced on
March 6, 2019 he intended ro indict
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on
charges of bribery, fiaud and breach of
trust. The prin-re minister is alleged to
have accepted gifts from wealthy
businessmen and dispensed lavours to tn'
to get more po-sitive press coverage.
 I
lews... ln the News..
gin
Medha Narvekar
.. also
Indian American Medha Narvekar has
been appointed vice president and
mber
secretary of the Universiry of
ear the
Pennsylvania on March 3,2019.
Ms Narvekar, an MBA from Wharton
School, wiil be taking over the new
position on July 1 this year.
Ite on Ms Narvekar has worked at the Penns
Development and Alumni Relations
ruiia (DAR) Offfce for 32 years. Prior to this
}e state appointment. she served as senior associate
vice president of DAR, working closely
i. She with the president and many trustees.
sembly
:'ter Abhinandan Varthaman
There was happiness and cheer across the
counry after Air Force pilot Abhinandan
Varthaman was released by Pakistan on
: March 1, 2019. Prime Minister Narendra
rn Modi and other leaders welcomed the
L K's brave pilot, who has become a hero for
.rch 9, the entire nation after he showed
. rhe immense grir and grace while in the
enemy's captiviry. IAF pilot Abhinandan
-e Varthaman's MiG 21 was shot during an
,.1
aerial combat berwegn India and Pakistan
:nised
on'!(ednesday morning. He has been in
mson Pakistan since then. Pakistan has stated
.l that'Wing Commander Abhinandan was
being released as a'gesture ofpeace'.
LS
Nazir Ahmed
A Pakistani-origin member of House of
Lords in the UK, Lord Nazir Ahmed, has
lIe
been charged ruith attempted rape on
r019
)1-
March 1, 2019. Ahmed, who is often at
rhe forelront of anti-lndia campaigns
ral
including backing separatist Kashmiri
:nised
and Khalistani outffts in Britain, has been
charged with two counts of attempted
g eight
rape and one count ofindecent assault
rain
dating back to the 1970s.
fhe
rother Ahmed was born in the Pakistan-
'ho occupied Kashmir and moved to the UK
in 1969. He .ioined the Labour Parry in
1975 at the age of 18. In 1998, he
became one of the first Muslim peers
on u'hen he was appointed to the House of
--t Lords by then Prime Minister Tony Blair.
1.t on
'. oi CardinalGeorge Pell
:o The most senior Catholic cleric ever
charged with chiid sex abuse Cardinal
io tn' George Pell has been convicted of
molesting two choirboys on February 27,
2019. Cardinal George Pell, Pope Francis'
top financial adviser and the Vatican's
economy minister r.ow 77 , had just been
named the most senior Catholic in
Australia's secondJargest city, Melbourne.
\dwffi
Mukesh Ambani
Reliance lndustries Chairman and
Managing Director Mukesh Ambani
hos become the first lndian to enter
the gtobal top 10 richest billionaire
list compiled by Hurun Research.
According to the Hurun Global Rich
List 2019 released on February 27,
2019, Mr. Ambani brohe into the top
10 in the world for the first time after
a 5 9 billion or 20Yo surge in his
weolth to s 54 bitlion. According to
the Hurun Global Rich List 2019, lndio
hos'104 billionaires. with $ 54 billion,
Muhesh Ambani, 61, cif Reliance is the
richest person in lndia.
AWARD/PRIZE
64th Filmfare Awards 2019
Conferred
The 64th edition of Filmfare Awards
r2019 took place on March23,2019 in
Mumbai. It is considered as one of the
prestigious and glamorous award of India.
The Comptete List of Awards
Beqt Actor (Popular) Ranbir Kapoor
(Sanj u)
Best Actor (Critics) Ayushmann
Khurrana (Andhadhun) and Ranveer
Singh (Padmaavat)
Best Actress (Popular) Alia Bhatt
(Raazi)
Best Actress (Critics) Nqena Gupta
(Badhaai Ho)
Best Actor inSupporting Role (Male)
a
Gajraj Rao (Badhaai Ho) and VicLy
Kaushal (Sanju)
IVay 2019
CURRENTAFFAIRS
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
(Female) Surekha Sikri (Badhaai Ho)
Best Film (Popular) Raazi
Best Film (Critics) Andhadhun
Best Director (Popular) Meghna Gulzar
(Raazi)
Best Director (Critics) Amar Kaushik
(Stree)
Best Short Film (Fiction) Rogan Josh
Best Short Film (Non Fiction) The
Soccer Ciry
The Filmfare Awards were first
introduced in 1954, the same year as the
National Film Awards. They were
initially referred to as the 'Clare Awards'
or'The Clares' after Clare Mendonca, the
Editor of The Times of India.
4lndo-American Teens
Awarded S 25000 for
Environment lnventions
Four Indian American teenagers have
been awarded $ 25000 each for
developing innovative approaches to
address environmental issues on
March 22,2019.
The recipients of the award are Anjali
Chadha (15) ofKentucky, Preeti Sai
Krishnamani (17) of Delaware, Navami
Jain (17) of North Caroiina and Sai
Preethi Mamidala (17) of Penr-rsylvania.
Karen Uhlenbeck, First Woman
to Bag Abel Prize
The Abel Prize in marhematics was on
March 19, 2019 awarded to Karen
Uhlenbeck of the USA for her work on
partial difitrential equations, the first
woman to win the award, according to
the Norwegian Academy of Science and
Letter. She received the Abel Prize2019
for her fundamental work in geometric
analysis and gauge theory, which has
drarnatically changed the mathematical
landscape. The prize is named after the
1 9th century Norwegian mathematician
Niels Henrik Abel. The prize cornes with
a cheque tor $7,oJ.ooo.
Leeladhar Jagudi has Chosen
for Vyas Samman
Hindi writer Leeladhar Jagudi will be
honoured with the Vyas Samman 2018
by the KK Birla Foundation for his
collection of poems "Jitne Log Utne
. COMPETITION ru FOCUS 49

CURRENTAFFAIRS
Prem". The book, pubilshed in 2013 was
selected by a Chayan Samiti presided over
by litterateur Dr. Vishwanath Prasad
Tiwari on March 15, 2019.
Born in Dhangal village in Tehri
Garhwal, Uttarakhand, Mr. Jagudi was
awarded the Padma Shri in 2004 apart
from other awards, inciuding the Sahirya
Akademi Award, Al<ashvani National
Award, Urtar Pradesh Hindi lnstiture and
Uttarakhand Gaurav Samman.
President of India Presented
Gailantry Awards
Chief of Army StaffBipin Rawar was
conferred with the Param Vishisht Seva
Medal by President Ramnath Kovind on
March 14, 20 lq lor disiinguished
services. The medal was presented to
'General Rawat at a Deience Investiture
Cerenrony held in Rashrrapati Bhavan.
Army's Sepoy Vrahma Pal Singh and
CRPF jawans Rajendra Nain and
Ravindra Babban Dhanwade were
decorated with the Kirti Chakra, India's
second highest peacetime gallantry award,
posthumousiy.
Ma.ior Tushar Gauba of 20 Jat Regiment
was conferred with the Kirti Chakra for
killing three terrorisrs in close combat
along the Line of Control in Kupward
sector oFJamrnu and Kashmir.
Swachh Survekshan Awards
Presented
The President of India Ram Nath Kovirrd
presented the Swachh Survekshan Awards
2019, an initiarive of rhe lvlinisrrl of
Housing and Urban Affairs. Governmenr
of India, at a function held in r'New Delhi
on March 6,2019. Sone of the best
performing states and places are as follou,s-
* Indore was adjudged'India's Cleanest
Ciry' for the third straight vear.
* 'Top 3 Performing States' are
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and
Maharashtra respccrivrlr .
* Bhopal declared as the 'Cieane.st
Capital City'Whiie the Neu.Delhi
Municipal'Council area r'vas given the
'Cleanest Smail Ciry' arvard
* Deihi Cantonment is the 'India's
Cleanesr Cantonment'.
* Gauchar in Uttrakhand has been
adjudged as the 'Cleanest Ganga.Ciry' for
the first time.
50 COMPETITION ru FOCUS . Nulay 2019
Raghuram Rajan Selected for
Yashwantrao Chavan Award
Former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan
on March 7,20t9 has been chosen for
the'Yashwantrao Chavan National
Award 2018'for his contribution to
economic development. Rajan will be
. presented the award on the occasion of
the 106th birth anniversary of
Yashwantrao Chavan, who was the first
chief minister of Maharashtra. The award
is given eyeryyear by the Yashwantrao
Chavan Prathisthan to individuals and
institutions irr recognirion of their
outstanding contribution to national
integration, and social and economic
w
development, among others.
DRDO Chairman Satheesh
Reddy Won Missite
Systems Award
The Ameri.con lnstitute of Aeronautics
ond Astranoutics (AIAA) on March 2,
2019 hos selected G. Satheesh Reddy,
the Secretary of lndia's Department of
Defence RerD and Chairman of the
DRDO os the co-winn:er of the 2019
Missile Systems Award. He is the first
person outside the USA to be awarded
with this prestigious aword in nearly
four decades. He was s.elected for his
over three decades of significant
n ati onal co ntri b utions towa rd
indigenous design, development of
tactical missile systems ond
navigotion technologies in lndia.
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
February 28,2019, conferred the Shanti
Swarup Bhatnagar prizes for 2016,2017
and 2018, at an evenr in Vigyan Bhawan,
New Delhi. ln four of the seven
categories, the winners were awarded a
cash prize and a plaque by Prime
Minister, The awards were presented to
I
ln the News...
total of 34 s'inne rs" Several IITs
combined rn'on eight arvards at the
ceremony for the coveted Shanti Swarup
Bhatnagar Prize for Science and
Technology, in Nerv Delhi. Close behind
the IITs was the IISc, which won seven
prizes at the ceremonr'.
Given out in seven disciplines -
Biological, Engineering, Medical,
Chemical, Physical, Mathematical, as well
as Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Plenary
Sciences - the au.ards were given out on
February 28, the National Science Day,
which marks the 1 928 discovery of the
Raman Effect br. India's first Nobel
Laureate in science, CY Raman,
President Kovind Conferred
Gandhi Peace Prize
President Ram Nath Kovind on
February 26, 2019 conferred the Gandhi
Peace Prize for the years 2015,2016,
2017 and 20 I 8 at a funcrion in
Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. The
awards were announced on January this
year bi'the Union Ministry of Culture.
Year Awardees
201 5 Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari
(For contribution in rural development,
education, development of natural
resources.)
2016 Akshaya Patra Foundation and Sulabh
lnternational.
Akshaya Patra Foundation was
chosen for its contribution in providing
mid-day meals to millions of children
ac.oss lndia.
Sulabh lnternational was chosen for
its contributron in improving the
condition of sanitation in lndia.
2017 Ekal Abhiyan Trust (For contribution in
providing education lor rural and triba
children in remote areas across lndia)
2018 Yohei Sasakawa (For his conkibution
in Leprosy Eradication in lndia and
across the worid)
DATES/ DAYS
It4arch 3 World Wildllfe Day
March 8 lnternational Women's Day
lvlarch 14 World Day
March 15 World Day
March 16 National Vaccination Day
March 20 World Sparrow Day
March 21 lnternational Day of Forest
March 23 World Meteorological Day
trrtarcn i+ World Tubercutolis Day
a