DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: APRIL 17, 2019

Dear Aspirants,

Daily Current Affairs (April 17, 2019) like many other sections is inevitable and this also helps to score in the Banking awareness, Static GK and Financial Awareness sections. Remember, Banking Awareness and Static Awareness Questions are asked from the General Awareness section. This will also help you to ride your preparations for the forthcoming exams.

NATIONAL

Ministry of External Affairs sets up Indo-Pacific Wing:

• The Ministry of External Affairs has set up an Indo-Pacific division in the foreign office. The Indo-pacific division is intended to give a coherent architecture to the Indo-Pacific policy.
• The Indo-Pacific Wing will integrate the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), ASEAN region and the Quad. The Indo-Pacific Wing is currently headed by joint secretary Vikram Doraiswami
• The policy was articulated by PM Narendra Modi at the Shangri-La Dialogue in 2018. In India, the policy will be run by the MEA.

MHA gives nod to rename ‘Durjanpur’ in MP’s Katni as ‘Shivdham’:

• The Centre has approved a proposal to change the name of a village in Madhya Pradesh from ‘Durjanpur’ to ‘Shivdham’.
• The move came after the Home Ministry got no objection from the Geographical Survey of India (GSI), the Department of Post, the Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

IDRBT sets up 5G Lab for banking, financial sector:

• The Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT), an arm of Reserve Bank of India, has launched a 5G Use Cases Lab for banking and financial sector.
• The use of 5G will change a range of technologies and applications including point of sale machines in the banking sector which were now using 2G.

Coast Guard patrol ship Veera commissioned:

• Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat commissioned the Indian Coast Guard Ship Veera at a ceremony held at Naval Jetty at the dockyard in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
• Veera, third in the series of offshore patrol vessels of the Coast Guard, was built by L&T at its shipbuilding facility at Kattupalli in Chennai.

INTERNATIONAL

Second Edition of Indian Navy-Vietnam Peoples’ Navy Bilateral Exercise (IN – VPN BILAT EX) Concludes:

• Indian Navy undertook the second edition of the bilateral maritime exercise between Indian Navy and Vietnam Peoples’ Navy at/ off Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam.
• The Indian Navy-Vietnam Peoples’ Navy Bilateral Exercise is a significant step in further strengthening mutual confidence and inter-operability as well as sharing best practices between the Indian and the Vietnam Peoples’ Navies.

Google Opens Its First African Ai Lab in Ghana To Serve Diversity:

• Tech giant Google is all set to exhibit itself as AI first company in front of the world by opening new research centres across the globe such as in Tokyo, Zurich, New York, and Paris. Following this idea, the company has opened its first centre in Africa in Ghana capital city, Accra.
• The lab will collaborate with researchers in Ghana and across Africa to create the need impact in the country.

BANKING & BUSINESS

RBI puts into circulation Rs 50 banknotes signed by Governor Shaktikanta Das:

• The Reserve Bank of India has put into circulation 50 rupees denomination banknotes signed by its Governor Shaktikanta Das.
• The RBI in Mumbai said the design of these notes is similar in all respects to 50 banknotes in Mahatma Gandhi new series.

IDBI Bank launches paperless account opening facility for NRIs:

• Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), living in nearly 40 countries, will now be able to open account in IDBI Bank without submitting paper documents.
• IDBI Bank has launched the ‘NRI-Insta-Online’ account-opening process for NRIs residing in Financial Action Task Force (FATF) member countries.
• The person will not be required to furnish physical documents and KYC proofs for opening an account with the bank.

ADB committed $3 billion in sovereign loans to India in 2018; highest since 1986:

• ADB committed to provide USD 3 billion in sovereign loans to India in 2018, the highest level of assistance since sovereign operations began in the country in 1986, said the annual report of multilateral lending agency.
• In all, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), owned by 68 member countries, committed a total of USD 3.88 billion, including sovereign loans and co-financing during the year ended December 2018.

REPORTS/RANKING BY VARIOUS ORGANISATIONS

UN owes India USD 38 million for peacekeeping operations: UNSG report

• The United Nations owes India USD 38 million, the highest it has to pay to any country, for the peacekeeping operations as of March 2019, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said as he voiced concern over the world body’s deteriorating financial health.
• In his report on improving the financial situation of the world body, he said, as of March 31, 2019, the total amount payable to troop – and police-contributing countries with respect to active peacekeeping missions was USD 265 million.
• Of this, the UN owes USD 38 million to India, followed by Rwanda (USD 31 million), Pakistan (USD 28 million), Bangladesh (USD 25 million) and Nepal (USD 23 million).

India shifts to net steel importer in 2018-19 fiscal:

• India was a net importer of steel during the 2018-19 fiscal year, the first time in three years, as the country lost market share among its traditional steel buyers and imports jumped on demand for higher quality steel domestically.
• The country’s finished steel exports fell by 34% in the fiscal year that ended in March to 6.36 million tonnes, according to preliminary government data given to During the same period, finished steel imports rose 4.7% to 7.84 million tonnes.

APPOINTMENTS

Mahendra Singh Dhoni named as the brand ambassador of redBus:

• Bus ticketing platform redBus has announced that it has appointed cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni as its brand ambassador.
• RedBus started its operation in 2006, works with over 2500 bus operator and have sold more than 180 million bus tickets till date. It also a part of the MakeMyTrip group.

PwC appoints Padmaja Alaganandan as its new chief people officer:

• PwC has named Padmaja Alaganandan as its new chief people officer. Alaganandan, who was leader-people and organisation at PwC earlier, takes over from Jagjit Singh.
• Alaganandan is also in the PwC’s India leadership team since January 2019.

Rajesh Yaduvanshi is appointed as Executive Director of Punjab National Bank:

• Punjab National Bank (PNB) said it has appointed Rajesh Kumar Yaduvanshi as the Executive Director of the bank.
• Yadivanshi, having 34 years of banking career, had joined PNB as a management trainee in 1985.

Mithali Raj named as Goodwill Ambassador of Street Child Cricket World Cup 2019:

• 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).
• Mithali joins IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals and former captain Sourav Ganguly in supporting the team.

AWARDS & HONOURS

Fincare Small Finance Bank Awarded the Celent Model Bank 2019 Award:

• Fincare Small Finance Bank (SFB) has been awarded the prestigious Celent Model Bank 2019 Award in the category of Financial Inclusion, for ‘Redesigning Lending to Reach Small Businesses’.
• The award recognizes LAP (Loans Against Property) Lite, a tab-based solution designed and developed in-house by Fincare SFB for origination and instant underwriting of loans against property targeted at micro and small enterprises.

SPORTS

Former Brazil football president Marin given life ban by FIFA:

• Former Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) president Jose Maria Marin has been banned for life from all football activities by FIFA.
• In 2018, Marin was sentenced to four years in prison for racketeering and corruption offences, becoming the first person to be imprisoned as the result of the US investigation into corruption at world football’s governing body.

FC Goa pip Chennaiyin FC to win 2019 Super Cup:

• FC Goa nicknamed as ‘The Gaurs’ emerged as champions of the 2019 Super Cup as they pipped Chennaiyin FC 2-1 in a tense affair at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
• 19-year-old Goa Goal keeper Mohammad Nawaz has been named as Hero of the Match.

ICC partners with UNICEF to deliver ‘#OneDay4Children’ at Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019:

• ICC Cricket for Good, in partnership with UNICEF, announced ‘One Day for Children’ bringing together cricket’s one billion fans to help build a better world for every child.
• #OneDay4Children will use the power and reach of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 to help children learn play and be healthy. The money raised will support UNICEF’s work for children in cricket playing nations across the world.

IMPORTANT EVENTS OF THE DAY

April 17^th – World Hemophilia Day 2019:

• Every year April 17^th – World Haemophilia Day is recognised worldwide to increase awareness of haemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders.
• This year, the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) is focusing on reaching out and identifying new members of the bleeding disorders community.

Himachal Pradesh celebrates 72nd state day:

• The 72nd Himachal Day was celebrated with gaiety and fervour in the state.
• Governor Acharya Devvrat unfurled the national flag at an event on the historic Ridge maiden in Shimla to mark the day.