NATIONAL NEWS
As per Air Quality in India 2014-2019’ report , Kanpur ranked 1st as the most polluted city
The quality of air in Varanasi, Prime Minister Modi’s 2014 Lok Sabha constituency, is positioned 3rd on the WHO’s (World Health Organisation) list of 15 most polluted cities in the world, by the ‘Political Leaders Position and Action on Air Quality in India 2014-2019’ report, released by Climate Trends. Kanpur (in Uttar Pradesh) is the most polluted city in the world and is positioned 1 on the list.
- 14 of the 15 most polluted cities in the world mentioned by World Health Organisation (WHO) are in India. Out of them, 4 are in Uttar Pradesh. Faridabad in Haryana is in 2nd position after Kanpur.
- Delhi is ranked 6th on the list. Other than these, the list of the most polluted cities according to WHO include Gaya and Patna in Bihar, Lucknow, Cities of Agra, Muzaffarpur, Srinagar, Gurugram, Jaipur, Patiala and Jodhpur.
NGT forms Central Monitoring Committee to prepare national plan for polluted rivers
The NGT has formed a Central Monitoring Committee to prepare and enforce a national plan to make over 350 river stretches across the country pollution free as it has caused serious threat to safety of water and environment. The NGT directed the Central Monitoring Committee to give its report by July 31.
- A bench headed by National Green Tribunal (NGT) Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said the committee would comprise a representative of NITI Aayog; secretaries of Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Urban Development and Ministry of Environment; the director general of National Mission for Clean Ganga and the Central Pollution Control Board chairman.
- Extra info.:
National Green Tribunal Headquarters: New Delhi
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Hong Kong surpasses Japan to be world’s 3rd biggest Stock Market
Hong Kong’s equity market has overtaken Japan to be the world’s third largest in value, behind only the U.S. and mainland China. Hong Kong’s market cap was $5.78 trillion, compared with $5.76 trillion for Japan.
- The Asian city’s Hang Seng Index climbed 17% in 2019 through, when it closed at its highest since June 15. Internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd. has been the main driver with a 22% gain. Japan’s Topix Index advanced 8.3% in that period.
New species of ancient human discovered in the Philippines: Homo
A new species of ancient human, thought to have been under 4ft tall and adapted to climbing trees, has been discovered in the Philippines, providing a twist in the story of human evolution.
- The specimen, named Homo luzonensis, was excavated from Callao cave on Luzon island in the northern Philippines and has been dated to 50,000-67,000 years ago when our own ancestors and the Neanderthals were spreading across Europe and into Asia.
- Extra info.:
Philippines Capital: Manila
Currency: Peso
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
DoT Approves Merger of Tata Tele Unit & Airtel With Riders
Bharti Airtel has confirmed that it has received in-principal approval from the telecom department on the merger of Tata Teleservices (TTSL) with Airtel. Airtel and TTSL had announced the deal in September 2017. As per the agreement -Airtel will take in the Tata Group-owned telco’s consumer mobile operations in 19 telecom circles – 17 under TTSL and two under TTML.
- It will add about 18 million of Tata Tele’s mobile subscribers to its over 340 million users.
Banks close FY19 with 13.24% credit growth, deposits up 10.03%
Banks closed fiscal 2019 with robust disbursals that rose in double-digits for the second year in row, after the sub-5 percent in FY17, which was the lowest in five decades. According to the Reserve Bank data released recently, bank credit rose 13.24 percent to Rs 97.67 lakh crore for the fortnight to March 29, while deposits grew by 10.03 percent to Rs 125.72 lakh crore during the same period.
- This is the second consecutive double-digits credit growth after the same had declined to 4.54 percent in FY17 at Rs 78.41 lakh crore, which was the lowest since 1963.
SPORTS
Paralympian Deepa Malik receives NZ PM's Sir Edmund Hillary Fellowship
Rio Paralympics silver medallist Deepa Malik has been named as the recipient of the New Zealand Prime Minister's Sir Edmund Hillary Fellowship for 2019. The first Indian woman to earn a medal at the Paralympic Games, Deepa has won 58 national and 23 international medals. A recipient of the Padma Shri and Arjuna Award, she has entered the Limca Book of World Records four times.
- The Fellowship Program has been running since 2008, which aims to strengthen the relationship between India and New Zealand by showcasing the different aspects of the warm friendship between the two countries. NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant was the recipient of this prestigious fellowship in 2017.
AWARDS
2 West Bengal Government Schemes Win UN Awards
Two schemes of the West Bengal government for skill development and distribution of bi-cycles to students have won the prestigious World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) awards of the United Nations. The schemes are "Utkarsh Bangla" and "Sabooj Sathi".
- The "Utkarsh Bangla" project aims at creating a pool of skilled candidates who are industry ready, while under the "Sabooj Sathi" scheme, bi-cycles are distributed to students between class IX and XII studying in government run and government aided schools and madrashas of the state.
Telugu Poet K Siva Reddy Selected For Prestigious Saraswati Samman 2018
Telugu poet K Siva Reddy has been selected for the prestigious Saraswati Samman, 2018 for his collection of poetry titled Pakkaki Ottigilite. The award carries a cash prize of 15 lakh rupees, a citation and a plaque.
- The award, instituted by the KK Birla Foundation in 1991, is given annually for an outstanding literary work written in any Indian language and published during the last 10 years.
GIC India chief awarded Freedom of the City of London
The Chairman and Managing Director of the General Insurance Corporation (GIC) of India, the country's reinsurance major, has been awarded the Freedom of the City of London in recognition of her work to promote insurance ties between India and the UK.
- Alice G. Vaidyan, in London to attend the first India-UK Insurance Summit, was nominated for the traditional honour by the Lord Mayor of London, Peter Estlin, and City of London Corporation Policy Chair Catherine McGuinness.
OBITUARIES
Veteran Communist Leader Drupad Borgohain passes away
Drupad Borgohain, a veteran communist leader and parliamentarian from Assam, passed away at a private nursing home in Dibrugarh after a long illness. He was 78.
- Mr Borgohain was a member of the Rajya Sabha between 1998 and 2004 and served as a legislator from Nazira constituency from 2006-2011 in the Assam assembly.
IMPORTANT DAYS
International Day of Human Space Flight
The International Day of Human Space Flight celebrates the start of the space era for humankind, reaffirming the important contribution of space science and technology in today’s world. The day also aims to promote aspirations to explore and maintain outer space for peaceful purposes.
- In 2011 the UN declared April 12 as the “International Day of Human Space Flight” to remember the first human space flight and to promote the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes and to the benefit of humankind.
National Safe Motherhood Day
National Safe Motherhood Day is observed on April 11 every year. National Safe Motherhood Day is an initiative of the White Ribbon Alliance India (WRAI), to enforce that women must have the availability and adequate access to care during Pregnancy childbirth and postnatal services.
- At the request of WRAI, an alliance of 1800 organizations, in 2003, the Government of India declared April 11th, the anniversary of Kasturba Gandhi’s birth, as National Safe Motherhood Day.
- India is the first country in the world to have officially declared a National Safe Motherhood Day. The theme of 2019 NSMD is “Midwives for Mothers”.
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