DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: MARCH 22 , 2019 -

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: MARCH 22 , 2019

Dear Aspirants,

Daily Current Affairs (March 22, 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

CBSE launches app Shiksha Vani :

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) launched its podcast app, ‘Shiksha Vani’.It will be used to send out major announcements made by the board and is expected to be the quickest way to information.
The first official circular on the app confirmed the beginning of the evaluation process of the 2019 Board Examinations.

ICF of Chennai Became The World’s Largest Rail Coach Manufacturer :

Indian Railways’ Chennai based Integral Coach Factory (ICF) became world’s largest rail coach manufacturer after surpassing top Chinese manufacturers.
ICF had manufactured 2,919 coaches from April 2018 to February 2019 as compared to 2,600 coaches by Chinese manufacturers. The number of coaches manufactured were 40% higher than those manufactured previous year in same time period.
With this, Indian Railway’s oldest and premier coach manufacturing unit becomes the single largest rail coach manufacturer in the world.

INTERNATIONAL

Abu Dhabi signed to host T10 League for next five years :

The 2019 season of the T10 Cricket Match signed to be held in the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi for the next five years. The first match in the T10 League will be held on 23^rd October 2019.
Abu Dhabi Cricket (ADU) partnered with the Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) and Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC) entered into a five year agreement with organizers of the league for 5 years.

33rd edition India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol (Ind-Indo Corpat) began at Port Blair :

The 33rd edition of India–Indonesia CORPAT has begun at Port Blair.CORPAT is a bilateral maritime exercise between India and Indonesia.Both countries have been carrying out maritime exercise twice a year since 2002.
The CORPAT exercise aims to enhance mutual understanding and inter-operability between the two navies ,to carry out search and rescue operations ,institutes measures for vessels indulged in unlawful activities and to control pollution.
The exercise also aims to foster closer maritime ties with countries located on the rim of the Indian Ocean.

RANKINGS

India ranks 140th In UN World Happiness Report :

India ranked 140th out of 156 nations in the World Happiness Report released by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the United Nations on March 20(The International Day of Happiness).
India shows a 7 spot decline.For the second consecutive year, Finland topped the list. Denmark ranked second followed by Norway.
Pakistan ranked 67th, Bhutan 95th, China 93rd, Bangladesh 125th, and Sri Lanka 130th while South Sudan ranked last in the World Happiness Report.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

NASA’s Fermi Satellite clocks ‘cannonball’ pulsar speeding through space :

NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and the National Science Foundation’s Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) discovered pulsar hurtling through space.
It speeds nearly 2.5 million miles per hour which is as fast as it could travel the distance between Earth and the Moon in just 6 minutes.

AWARDS & HONOURS

Brazilian physicist Marcelo Gleiser Wins Templeton Prize 2019:

Marcelo Gleiser, Brazilian physicist and astronomer has been awarded the 2019 Templeton Prize, worth $1.4 million, for his work blending science and spirituality in New york City.
Gleiser(60) is the first Latin American to win the award.Previous winners of the award include Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa.

BANKING & ECONOMY

ADB to invest $50 million in solar power project developer Avaada:

Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed an agreement to invest US$ 50 million in solar power project developer Avaada Energy to help the company scale up rapidly.
The investment will come equally from ADB’s Ordinary Capital Resources and Leading Asia’s Private Infrastructure Fund (LEAP).

STATIC : Asian Development Bank

Headquarters: Manila, Philippines

President: Takehiko Nakao.

Fitch cuts India GDP growth forecast for FY20 to 6.8% :

Fitch Ratings cut India’s economic growth forecast for the next financial year starting April 1, to 6.8 per cent from its previous estimate of 7 per cent, on weaker than expected momentum in the economy.
The rating agency has also cut growth forecasts for FY20 and FY21 to 7 per cent from 7.3 per cent and 7.1 per cent from 7.3 per cent, respectively.
According to Fitch, the RBI has adopted a more dovish monetary policy stance and cut interest rates by 0.25 percentage at its February 2019 meeting, a move supported by steadily decelerating headline inflation.

SPORTS

Special Olympics World Games 2019 held in Abu Dhabi :

The 15^th Special Olympics World Summer Games 2019 for athletes with Intellectual disabilities held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
India wins 368 medals at the Special Olympics World Summer Games including 85 gold, 154 silver and 129 bronze. Jitendra Pawal won a gold medal in the 200m race.

STATIC : United Arab Emirates

Capital : Abu Dhabi

Currency : Dirham

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day of Forests is being observed on 21 March :

International Day of Forests is being observed on 21 March every year all over the world.The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 21 March the International Day of Forests (IDF) in 2012.
The Day celebrates and raises awareness of the importance of all types of forests.The theme for 2019 is Forests and Education.

Bihar Diwas is being observed on 22nd March :

22 March is being observed as Bihar Diwas or Bihar Day to commemorate the state’s separation from Bengal presidency in 1912, which is a public holiday in Bihar. This day marks the 107th foundation day of Bihar.

World Water Day is being observed on March 22 :

World Water Day is being observed on March 22 every year all over the world.World Water Day is an annual UN observance day (always on 22 March) that highlights the importance of freshwater.
The theme for World Water Day 2019 is ‘Leaving no one behind,’ which is the central promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The day is used to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. World Water Day is celebrated around the world with a variety of events.

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination observed on March 21 :

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on 21 March to raise awareness about the negative consequences of racial discrimination.
2019 theme : “Mitigating and countering rising nationalist populism and extreme supremacist ideologies”.