1. Lok Sabha Election Results 2019 -
- Results -
- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) became largest party and won majority by winning _____________________ Seats (271 seats required for majority). BJP led alliance NDA (National Democratic Alliance) won 352 Seats. Its biggest ever Victory for BJP.
- After successive victories of Indian National Congress in 1980 and 1984, this is first time any party has won absolute majorities on its own in two successive Lok Sabha elections.
- The victory is even bigger than 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, where BJP won 282 seats and BJP alliance NDA won 336 Seats.
- Indian National Congress second largest party in Lok Sabha Elections 2019, with 52 seats, up from 44 seats it won in 2014 Lok Sabha Elections.
- Revolutionalry Leader Narendra Modi to be re-appointed as Prime Minister of India, for his 2nd consecutive term.
- Other Facts About Lok Sabha Elections 2019 -
- These elections were conducted to elect people’s representatives for 17th Lok Sabha.
- Election Commission had banned exit polls from publishing results of exit polls during Lok sabha Elections 2019, in exercise of powers under sub-section(1) of Section 126A of Representation of People Act 1951.
- Elections for Legislative Assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha & Sikkim 2019 were also held along with Lok sabha Elections 2019.
- Noted Actor Sunny Deol and Former cricketer Gautam Gambhir Joined Bharatiya Janata Party, amid ongoing Lok Sabha Elections 2019. Sunny Deol Won from Gurdaspur (Punjab), while Gautam Gambhir won from East Delhi.
- General Elections 2019 had 90 Crore Eligible voters. Voter turnout was 67.10%, highest ever voter turnout ever in history of general elections. Previous highest voter turnout of 66.44% was recorded in 2014. Election commission launched a voters turnout app to enable the people of India to watch realtime voter turnout.
- Election Commission as a first of its kind initiative reached out to over 150 community radio stations across country to educate and inform voters ahead of general elections, through a A workshop was organised by India International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Management (IIIDEM).
- First vote of Lok Sabha elections 2019 was cast in Arunachal Pradesh by service voters from a remote Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) unit in eastern tip of Arunachal Pradesh.
- To raise awareness among young voters in Assam, Bongaigaon district administration in Assam developed a mobile application, ‘Sankalp’ where users can check their electoral roll details in the app.
- Election Commission decided to not use Ballot papers in Nizamabad parliamentary constituency of Telangana, where record 185 candidates were in contention. EC used M3 EVMs in Lok Sabha Polls, built by Electronics Corporation of India Limited. All the EVMs would be connected to a single control unit and a VVPAT. M3 EVMs are 3rd generation EVMs, that can keep data of 384 candidates.
- Along with EVMs, Voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) or verifiable paper record (VPR) were also used. Its a method of providing feedback to voters using a ballotless voting system, designed to allow voters to verify that their vote was cast correctly, to detect possible election fraud or malfunction.
- 25 years old Chandrani Murmu became Youngest to become a Member of Parliament. She won Keonjhar (Odisha) Lok Sabha Seat, on Biju Janata Dal (BJD) ticket.
2. Andhra Pradesh Assembly Elections 2019 -
- Andhra Pradesh Assembly Elections held on 11th April 2019, to constitute 15th Legislative Assembly. These elections were held concurrently with Indian general elections 2019.
- YSR Congress won record 151 seats out of __________________________ seats, leaving past earlier winner telugu desam party, who this time got only 23 seats.
- Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy will be appointed as new Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.
3. Architectural heritage of Orchha town (_________________________) has been included in tentative list of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO’s) World Heritage Sites List.
- Any heritage site is first included on tentative list. Afterwards, another proposal is sent to UNESCO for its final addition in heritage sites. Orcha Town is located in Niwari district of Madhya Pradesh’s Bundelkhand region. It was built in 16th century during the reign of Bundela dynasty by its King Rudra Pratap Singh.
- It is the only place in India where Lord Ram is worshipped as a king (not in God form) with a dedicated temple in his name called Sri Ram Raja Mandir. Its famous for its two elevated minaret popularly called as Saavan and Bhadon, and its four palaces named as Raj Mahal, Jahangir Palace, Rai Praveen Mahal and Sheesh Mahal.
- There are 37 Indian heritage sites on UNESCO World Heritage list.
4. Arunachal Pradesh Assembly Elections 2019 -
- Arunachal Pradesh Assembly Elections held on 11th April 2019, concurrently with Indian general elections 2019.
- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won majority by winning 41 out of ___________________ legislative assembly seats.
- Pema Khandu will be appointed as Chief Minister of Arunchal Pradesh for his 2nd term.
5. As per Central Statistics Office (CSO) Data, India’s GDP grew at _________________________ in January-March quarter of FY 2018-19, Lowest in last 20 Quarters (Lowest Since Q4 of 2014). It has also dragged down full year growth of FY2018-19 to a five-year low of 6.8%.
- Unemployment rate in India rose to 45-year high of 6.1% in 2017-18. Rate of urban unemployment stood at 7.8 %, while rate for rural India was 5.3 %.
- Quarter wise GDP growth in FY 2018-19 - Q4(5.8), Q3 (6.6 %), Q2 (7%), Q1 (8%). Q1 and Q2 Growth Rates have been revised from 8.2 & 7.1 % Respectively.
- Full-year growth in value added terms was lower at 6.6%, compared with 6.9% in FY18.
- China’s economy, in comparison, grew 6.4% in Q4. However, for full year 2018-19, India still remains fastest-growing major economy in world.
6. ______________ became first telecom operator to start optical fibre-based high-speed broadband service in Pulwama (J & K) with launch of 'Bharat Fibre', as first such FTTH (fibre-to-the-home) service deployment in (Kashmir) Valley.
7. Border Road Organisation (BRO) created India’s first ever ice cafe in mountain village of Gaya in Ladakh region of ____________________, at 14000 feet height above sea level, on Manali Leh Highway. Artificial glacier was built by running pipes under frost lines then pushing water through these pipes into freezing air, which causes it to fall as ice on ground, as a popular methods to conserve winter wastewater on hills during winter.
8. CSIR Scientists carried out first ever genetic study on people of ________________________ Islands.
- They studied major islands of Kadmat, Andorth, Chetlat, Agatti, Kalpeni, Bitra, Kiltan and Minicoy of ________________.
- It shows that majority of human ancestry in Island of _____________ is largely derived from South Asia with minor influences from East and West Eurasia, as expected earlier.
9. Cabinet Approvals (May 31, 2019) -
- General Approvals -
- Approved a new Central Sector Scheme, aimed at empowering approx 5 crore farmers across India, by providing pension cover to them. Central Government would spend INR ___________________________ crores for 3 years as its contribution (matching share) for providing social security cover as envisaged under scheme. Features -
- Entry age 18 - 40 years with minimum fixed pension of INR 3000 on attaining age of 60 years.
- Equal Contributions will be made by beneficiary farmer Central Government (INR 100, on attaining age of 29 years).
- After Pension receiving subscriber’s death, spouse of beneficiary shall receive 50% of pension.
- Farmers can also opt to allow his / her monthly contribution to Scheme to be made from benefits drawn from Pradhan Mantri KisanSAmman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme directly, which entitles Farmers to receive INR 6000 Annually.
- Its first such Farmers' Pension Scheme since Independence.
- Approved an initiative which pertains to controlling Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Brucellosis to support livestock rearing farmers. It has outlay of INR 13343 crores to fully control these diseases amongst livestock in 5 years.
- In case of FMD, scheme envisages vaccination coverage to 30 crore bovines (cows-bulls and buffaloes) and 20 crore sheep/goat and 1 crore pigs at six months’ interval along with primary vaccination in bovine calves, while Brucellosis control programme shall extend to cover 100% vaccination coverage of 3.6 crore female calves.
- Approved Extending Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN)'s Coverage to Include all land holding eligible farmer families.
- Revised Scheme will cover over 2 crore more farmers, increasing coverage of PM-KISAN to around 14.5 crore beneficiaries, Expenditure for Central Govt is estimated to be INR 87,217 crores for 2019-20.
- PM-KISAN provides income support of INR 6000 farmer families with cultivable land holding upto 2 hectare across country (This Land holding criteris now removed, to include all farmers). Amount is released in three 4-monthly instalments of INR 2000 each over.
- Approved a new scheme that offers pension coverage to the trading community, to benefit traders.
- Under this, all shopkeepers, retail traders and self-employed persons are assured a minimum monthly pension of INR 3000 month after attaining age of 60 years.
- All concerned with GST turnover below 1.5 crore and age between 18-40 years are eigible. Government and subscriber will make matching contributions.
10. Central government asked to make it mandatory for all Elecrical Vehicles to use __________________ number plates, irrespective of year of buying. It will help provide preferential treatment to vehicles with no carbon emissions, including parking, free entry in congested areas and concession high tolls.
11. _________________ police for first time inducted women commandos in District Reserve Guard (DRG), its frontline anti-Naxal force, with 30 women troops.
12. Committee led by _________________________ submitted Draft National Educational Policy to HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal. Existing National Policy on Education 1986 (modified in 1992) required changes to meet contemporary and futuristic needs of our large youth population. Draft National Education Policy 2019 is built on pillars of Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability and Accountability. Major recommendations -
- In School Education -
- Major reconfiguration with Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) as integral part of school education is proposed. It also recommends Extension of Right to Education Act 2009 to cover children of ages 3 to 18.
- A 5+3+3+4 curricular and pedagogical structure based on cognitive and socio-emotional developmental stages of children -
- Foundational Stage (age 3-8 yrs): 3 years of pre-primary plus Grades 1-2;
- Preparatory Stage (8-11 years): Grades 3-5;
- Middle Stage (11-14 years): Grades 6-8;
- Secondary Stage (14-18 years): Grades 9-12.
- It proposes massive transformation in Teacher Education by shutting down sub-standard teacher education institutions and moving all teacher education programmes into large multidisciplinary universities/colleges. 4-year integrated stage-specific B.Ed. programme will be minimum degree qualification for teachers.
- In higher education, restructuring of HEIs with three types is proposed -
- Type 1 - Focused on world-class research and high quality teaching.
- Type 2 - Focused on high quality teaching across disciplines with significant contribution to research.
- Type 3: High quality teaching focused on undergraduate education.
- This will be driven by two Missions - Mission Nalanda & Mission Takshashila.
- There will be re-structuring of Undergraduate programs (e.g. BSc, BA, BCom, BVoc) of 3 or 4 years duration and having multiple exit and entry options.
- Admission to all undergraduate programmes of public Higher Education Institutions will be through a process of assessment through NTA (National Testing Agency).
- Establishing a new Body called Rashtriya Shiksha Ayog is proposed, to enable a holistic implementation of all educational initiatives, and to coordinate between Centre and States.
- National Research Foundation, an apex body is proposed for creating a strong research culture and building research capacity across higher education.
- 4 functions of Standard setting, Funding, Accreditation and Regulation to be separated and conducted by independent bodies - National Higher Education Regulatory Authority as only regulator for all higher education including professional education.
- Creation of accreditation eco-system led by revamped NAAC, Professional Standard Setting Bodies for each area of professional education and UGC to transform to Higher Education Grants Commission (HEGC).
- Private and public institutions will be treated on par and education will remain a ‘not for profit’ activity.
13. Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) made several observations about FAME II scheme introduced by Government to boost adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles in India.
- It estimates that India can save 64% of anticipated road-based mobility-related energy demand and 37% of carbon emissions by ______________, by pursuing a shared, electric, and connected mobility future.
- This reduction in energy demand would result saving of approximately $60 billion in 2030 at present oil prices.
- Along with FAME-II, CII calls for boosting domestic manufacturing of vehicles, components and batteries needed to be boosted, along with skill development across the value chain, and strategic sourcing of key raw material.
- It will reduce India's imort deendency for crude oil, from 84 % currently.
14. Contemporary sculptor __________________ topped first edition of Hurun India Art List, With sales estimated at INR 168.25 crores. He is followed by artists Akbar Padamsee and Krishen Khanna, whose works were sold for 45.84 crore and 9.48 crores respectively.
- Hurun Research Institute ranked top 50 Indian artists alive based on sales of their works at public auction over last year.
15. _________________ Updates -
- Ruled that United Nations Organization is not ‘State’ in terms of Article 12 of Indian Constitution and thus it is not amenable to its jurisdiction under Article 226.
- HC judgment adjudicated petition filed by a former UNO employee, concerning immunity enjoyed by UNO under United Nations (Privileges and Immunities) Act 1947. Petitioner was found guilty of misconduct in a Procurement Task Force.
- He was sentenced to 8 years of imprisonment by a US Federal Court and was deported to India in May 2014. He claims that due process was not followed in his case.
- In November 2018, petitioner sought permission of External Affairs Ministry to initiate legal action against UNO under section 86 of Civil Procedure Code 1908, which says that a foreign State may be sued in any Court once consent of Central government is obtained.
- MEA stated that consent of Government was not required as it UNO was not foreign State.
- MEA stated that UNO and its officials under UN (Privileges and Immunities) Act 1947, enjoy immunity from every legal process except any particular case where it has clearly waived its immunity. The same became subject matter of this petition.
- Released report about problem of increasing backlog and pendency of cases, Prompted by urgent need to ensure timely justice. HC started a Pilot Project titled “Zero Pendency Courts” in certain subordinate courts in Delhi. It aims to study flow of cases in absence of backlog.
16. Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare released Second Advanced Estimate (2018-19) of Area and Production of various Horticulture Crops. Horticulture Production is estimated to be __________________ Million Tonnes, 1.01% higher than 2017-18.
Total Horticulture |
2017-18 |
2018-19
(Second Advanced Estimate) |
Area
(Million Ha) |
25.43 |
25.61 |
Production
(Million Tonnes) |
300.64 |
314.87 |
17. Department of Biotechnology (DBT) under Ministry of Science and Technology and Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) signed MoU for supporting a joint collaborative research programmes in area of ________________ Research.
18. Doordarshan launched an online souvenir store, in association with _________________, becoming first Indian broadcaster to start Souvenir store.
19. Food safety regulator FSSAI permitted small organic producers, having an annual turnover of over Rs ________________ lakh, to sell their produce directly to end consumers without certification till April 2020, but will not be able to use 'Jaivik Bharat logo' on their products. Similar relaxation has been given to 'aggregators' having an annual turnover of Rs 50 lakh.
20. General Events / Conferences (May 1 - 10, 2019) -
- 14th edition of annual Sino-Indian border trade opened at Nathu La, the frontier post at Sino-Indian border in ______________.
- After a gap of 44 years, cross border trade was resumed on 6th, July 2006.
- Directorate of Indian Defence University (IDU) organized two day workshop on Space Warfare and Technology for officers from three Services in New Delhi.
- 16th Ministerial Meeting of Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) held in Doha (Qatar). V.K. Singh (Retd), Minister of State for External Affairs led Indian delegation. Theme of meeting was "Partners in Progress”.
- Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman attended SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) Defence Ministers’ conclave in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan).
- India and Australia's 11th Meeting of Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism at Canberra (Australia). Two nations agreed to deepen counter-terrorism co-operation through regular exchange of information and sharing of best practices.
21. General Events / Conferences (May 11 - 20, 2019) -
- Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation (MoSPI) Organized a comprehensive training strategy called National Training Workshop of Master Trainers to impart training to trainers engaged in upcoming 7th Economic Census held at Indian Habitat Center in New Delhi.
- 7th Economic Census 2019 is being conducted by MoSPI to provide disaggregated information on various structural and operational aspects of all establishments in country.
- ______________ government will appoint peer educators and “shadow educators” for counselling of youngsters and ensure better coordination with other medical and health schemes, to revamp “Ujala Clinics” for adolescents.
- India achieved a Guinness World Records of ‘largest laundry lesson’ with the participation of 400 young Indian men, as part of #sharetheload campaign initiated by Ariel India. Earlier, largest laundry lesson was achieved by Lion NANOX Team (Japan).
- 11th Joint Consular Committee Meeting between India and Iran held in New Delhi. Iran delegation was led by Ali Asghar Mohammadi, Director General of Consular Affairs.
- India and US held India-U.S. Bilateral Trade meeting in New Delhi. It was attended by Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Commerce os US.
- 15th Finance Commission headed by N.K. Singh held a meeting with RBI, in Mumbai. These issues included necessity of setting up State Finance Commissions, Public Sector Borrowing Requirements, Continuity of the Finance Commission and others.
- Brahmakalashotsava festival 2019 held in Karnataka, as a 6-day festival celebrated in ancient Chandkuru Sri Durga Parameshwari Temple situated in Polali (Dakshina Kannada district).
- India’s first global, Mega-Science Exhibition ‘Vigyan Samagam’ held at Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai. It showcased India’s participation in world’s major Mega Science projects.
- Child actor Sunny Pawar (aged 11) won Best Child Actor Award for his performance in ‘Chippa’ at 19th New York Indian Film Festival.
- 3rd round of Foreign Office Consultations between India and Botswana held in New Delhi. Botswana side was headed by Deputy Permanent Secretary in Ministry of International Affairs and Cooperation of Botswana, Tapiwa Mongwa.
- Thrissur Pooram annual Hindu festival held in Kerala. It is held at Vadakkunnathan Temple in Thrissur every year on Pooram day - the day when moon rises with Pooram star in Malayalam Calendar month of Medam.
- In order to strengthen Indo-Australian Cooperation and achieve development of 3D printing industry in both countries, Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ) organized a workshop on Organ Bio Printing at the Kalam Convention Center, AMTZ Campus in Visakhapatnam.
- Nepal-India Franchise Investment Expo and Conclave held in Kathmandu (Nepal).
22. General Events / Conferences (May 21 - 31, 2019)
- 2019 China-India IT and DT Industry Cooperation Forum held in Guizhou (___________________________). Objective is to create a new chapter in India-China cooperation in the new era of the digital transition.
- SWIFT India and South Asia Conference held in Mumbai, organized by SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) with theme Digitisation in transition: The future of innovation and cyber security.
- Tokyo (Japan) hosted 2nd Urban 20 Summit, After successful first U20 Summit in Buenos Aires (Argentina).
- Indian music label T-Series became first YouTube channel Globally to reach 10 Crore subscribers, beating its competitor PewDiePies.
- Delhi Lt. Governor Anil Baijal inaugurated Sahara Naval Hostel for ‘Veer Naris’ in New Delhi. It addresses need towards rehabilitation of Naval ‘Veer Naris’ and provide them a safe environment to help them rebuild their lives.
- As First Such move, Chennai environmentalist Abdul Ghani, known as ‘Green Man of India’, launched a tree ambulance service to provide first-aid service to trees.
- ISRO Chairman K Sivan flagged off shipment of India's largest liquid hydrogen storage tank (120 kilo liters capacity) at VRV Asia Pacific's manufacturing plant at Sri City in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. VRV Asia Pacific manufactured storage tank with a Liquid Nitrogen (LIN) shield, in collaboration with Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR. Liquid hydrogen is used as fuel for satellite launch vehicles.
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare organized orientation workshop for Population Research Centres (PRCs) in New Delhi.
- US President Donald Trump became first foreign leader to meet Japan’s newly crowned emperor, Emperor Naruhito at Japan's Imperial Palace.
- Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline meeting held in Ashgabat (Turkmenistan). It is expected to be completed by 2022 in Pakistan.
- 5th Smart Cities India 2019 expo held at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, including Transport India, Solar India, Buildings India and Water India expos.
- Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu called for protecting and promoting indigenous Ongole cattle breed, which has become popular Globally. Ongole cattle breed is known for its toughness, high milk yield, tolerance to tropical heat and disease resistance.
23. ____________ Updates -
- _______'s North Eastern Region installed two geological display boards at two important geological sites in Meghalaya, namely Mawmluh cave and Therriaghat, Sobhar in East Khasi Hill District. It will help in creating awareness among visiting tourists, students and general public.
- Mawmluh Cave were highlighted recently when high resolution stable isotopic studies of stalagmites from cave showed that there was a major climatic event about 4200 years ago. Stalagmite in Mawmluh cave has been tagged as Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP). It makes it first formally ratified marker of a geological time period in India.
- Therriaghat - It marks Cretaceous (K)-Palaeogene (Pg) mass extinction event. The Um-Sohryngkew (Wahrew) river section at Therriaghat is known for having most complete records of Cretaceous-Palaeogene (K-Pg) boundary transition in India.
- Reveals that about 35 % of India’s total Graphite reserves is found in Arunachal Pradesh, highest in country. With such large deposits in Arunachal Pradesh, State could now be developed as leading producer of graphite in country.
24. Government Declared Indore's Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar airport (____________________) as an international airport, Inpursuance of Passport (Entry into India) Rules 1950. Indore Airport is bestowed Worlds Standardization Certification by the United Kingdom, and is busiest airport in Central India.
25. Government and Indian Institute of Technology _________________ signed MoU to bring best of technology to implement waste management by setting up a Centre of Excellence for Waste to Wealth Technologies. Waste to wealth mission project has been approved under Prime Minister’s Science Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) ?
26. Government implemented Project ‘SPARROW-CBIC’ for online writing of Annual Performance Appraisal Report (APAR) in SPARROW, for over 46,000 Group ‘B’ and Group ‘C’ Officers of Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC). SPARROW stands for ‘________________)’.
27. Government issued a drought advisory to six states and has asked them to use water judiciously, amid rising concern of water storage in dams of states which dropped to a critical level.
- Drought advisory is issued to states when water level in reservoirs is about _______________ less than average of live water storage figures of past 10 years.
- Central Water Commission monitors water storage available in 91 major reservoirs across country. According to recent data by CWC, water storage available is only 22 % of total storage capacity (which is 161.993 BCM) of these reservoirs.
- States to which drought advisory issued are Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
28. HRD Ministry's National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) signed MOU with ______________________ state government’s National Health Mission of Public Health Department. It aims to provide vocational programmes to health service providers of the providers of the National Health Mission (NHM) through NIOS.
29. IIT __________________ signed MoU with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to set up a Joint Space Technology Cell (STC), as first such in North-East region. It aims to cater to socio-economic needs of Northeast and contribute towards research activities of various ISRO projects across India ?
30. ISRO Chairman K. Sivan inaugurated ISRO’s Young Scientist Programme called ‘Yuvika 2019’ at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota in ___________________.
- YUVIKA (YUva VIgyani KAryakram) 2019 is a two week summer vacation residential training programme, to be conducted by ISRO from 13 - 26 May 2019. Aim is to get young school children interested in emerging areas of space science, space technology and various space applications by imparting basic knowledge about it.
- 3 students from each Indian State (29) and UT (7 UTs) are participating (about 108 students).
- Students are selected based on their performance in 8th Standard.
31. Indian Army found mysterious footprints measuring about 32×15 inches during its Mountaineering Expedition to Mt Makalu (_____________________). The footprints are proposed to belong to mythical beast Yeti a mythical creature who is believed to exist in Himalayan areas of India, Nepal and Tibet. It has triggered debate on Yeti’s existence.
32. India’s Rare Life-Sized Stucco Sculpture has been recently unearthed in ____________________, from a Buddhist site at Phanigiri in Suryapet, as biggest stucco sculpture found in India till date. It is about 1.73 metres in height and 35 cm in width. It represents a Bodhisattva in Jataka Chakra. It was created nearly 1,700 years ago by craftsmen at Phanigiri at peak of Ikshvaku dynasty.
33. _______________honored 1971 war (Bangladesh’s Liberation War) hero Jack Farj Rafael (JFR) Jacob with a plaque on Wall of Honour at the Ammunition Hill. He was one of most prominent members of India’s relatively small Jewish community, who served as a Lieutenant General in Indian Army and as chief of staff of Eastern Command. He negotiated historic surrender of Pakistani troops in Dhaka after 1971 war.
34. _________________ cabinet approved a cloud seeding programme, to be implemented in June 2019, following reports that there would be deficit rainfall in state.
35. _________________ Legislative Assembly will digitize all its records and proceedings under project E-Vidhan, which enables state legislature to go fully digital and completely paperless. Complete process would take around two years. It will enhance efficiency, time and will save costs of upto 50 crores annually.
36. _______________ Updates -
- State Cabinet approved an ordinance to amend Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Reservation Act 2018, to provide reservation to Maratha students in postgraduate medical courses. It also approved to recompense fees for general category-students, who will be affected after promulgation of ordinance.
- State Govt promulgated State Reservation for SEBC Amendment and Validation Ordinance 2019, to provide reservation benefits in admissions to Social and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBCs) in medical education in state. Earlier, Bombay HC had put a stay on 16% quota offered by state to its Maratha community under SEBC category for admission in 2019’s postgraduate medical courses.
- This ordinance makes way for 16% reservation for students from Maratha community in current academic year itself.
- State Government proposed Land Titling Act, as s single-window mechanism for authenticating land titles. It is seen as a pilot for a national rollout of online land title records with government. State will set up Land Titling Authority, which will ensure that all information related to an immovable property is accessible at one place.
37. Mangaluru City Police launched an all-women police patrol unit ‘Rani Abbakka Force’, named after the 16th-century warrior of coastal Karnataka, Queen Abbakka of Ullal near Mangaluru (____________).
38. ___________ Updates -
- CM Conrad K Sangma launched a new project to boost the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants, called Aroma Mission.
- He also inaugurated Processing Unit of Essential Oil at Byrwa village in Ri Bhoi District. A MoU has been signed between Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants-CIMAP and the MBDA (Meghalaya Basin Development Authority) for collaborative work on medicinal and aromatic plants.
- State government approved setting up of a commission to look into issued faced by farmers. It is in line with proposal made by Agriculture Department, during 'farmers' parliament' held in December 2018.
39. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) will set up a Centre of Excellence in Internet of Things in Visakhapatnam (____________) in association with Nasscom.
40. Ministry of Home Affairs announced ending local adverse lists commonly known as ‘____________________’ of Indian-origin people.
- It is maintained by Indian missions abroad, containing list of Indian-origin people who have taken asylum abroad under plea of alleged persecution in India. Those who are in list are denied visa services by Indian missions and posts in respective country.
41. Odisha Assembly Elections 2019 -
- Odisha Assembly Elections held in April 2019, concurrently with Indian general elections 2019.
- Naveen Patnaik Led Biju Janata Dal won majority by winning 112 out of ____________________ seats. BJP won 23 seats and Indian National Congress won 9 Seats.
- Naveen Patnaik to be CM of Odisha for his 5th Consecutive Term.
42. Over 25 States missed deadline for submitting their action plans on systematic disposal of plastic waste to As Per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Deadline was April 30, set by National Green Tribunal. These states will pay a fine as environment compensation of _________________ Per Month each.
43. _______________ government made it mandatory for all online food aggregators to ensure that food supplied by them should compulsorily have hygiene rating as per Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) guidelines.
44. Purple frog (Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis) will be designated as _______________’s state amphibian. The odd-looking species is endemic to Western Ghats.
45. Researchers from Indigenous Biodiversity Foundation (IBF) sighted over 350 nests of endangered grizzled giant squirrel, a large tree squirrel at Pakkamalai Reserve Forests near Gingee in Eastern Ghats (__________________). This endangered species is also categorised as near threatened by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List due to habitat loss and poaching.
46. Sikkim Assembly Elections 2019 -
- Sikkim Assembly Elections held in April 2019, concurrently with Indian general elections 2019.
- Sikkim Krantikari Morcha won majority by winning 17 out of ____________________ seats. It has ended Sikkim Democratic Front's 25 year long rule, led by Pawan Chamling.
- Prem Singh Tamang, better known as P. S. Golay, will be appointed as New Chief Minister of Sikkim. Prior to forming his own party SKM, he was a key member of Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) Party.
47. SpiceJet became fourth Indian airline to have _________________ aircraft in its fleet, after induction of a Boeing 737. Other three domestic airline with 100 Aircraft fleet are Air India, Jet Airways (Non-Functioning) and IndiGo.
48. ___________ Updates -
- Granted time extension for mediation in Ayodhya case till August 15, 2019.
- SC has referred case to mediation panel in March 2019. Extension was granted following request by Chairman of mediation panel, F M Khalifullah. Other 2 members of panel include spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Sankar and senior advocate Sriram Panchu.
- _______________ stated that that a Foreigner Tribunal’s order declaring a person as an illegal foreigner will be binding and will prevail over government decision to include or exclude name from National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam. Persons whose names are not in NRC in Assam can produce related documents and thus seek review of tribunal’s decision.
- If the name of a person, included in NRC in Assam is deleted on ground that he was a foreigner, then principle of ‘res-judicata’ (a judicially decided issue cannot be re-agitated) would apply on decision by foreigners tribunal. Thus, person who has been declared illegal immigrant cannot seek re-decision.
- Foreigners (Tribunal) Order 1964 order was passed by Government under section 3 of foreigners Act 1946. GoI can constitute foreigners tribunals whenever required to look into question of whether a person is or not a foreigner within the meaning of Foreigners Tribunals act 1946.
49. _________________ government will set up country’s first ‘Blockchain district’ to create an ecosystem for all the start-ups and institutes working in space. District would focus on banking, financial services and insurance; pharma and healthcare; logistics and supply chain; and government sectors.
50. Telecom Operator ______________ partnered with Google to expand its WiFi footprint across country. It will help customers to use ____________ high speed internet services on WiFi.
51. Tripartite MoU signed between National Mission for Clean Ganga, _______________________ Foundation and INTACH for taking up a project of ‘Plantation of Rudraksha Trees in Uttarakhand’ under ‘Namami Gange’ Programme. It aims at planting 10,000 Rudraksha trees.
52. Troical Cyclone Fani Hits Indian State of __________________, with winds upto 250 KMPH.
- It was strongest tropical cyclone to strike Odisha since Phailin in 2013.
- Central Govt issued Funds Worth 1000 crores to Odisha. Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has started helpline number 1938 for Cyclone Fani.
- The cyclone carried lesser than expected imact to West bengal, as it turned to Neighbouring nation Bangladesh.
53. Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu released postage stamp to commemorate ________________ birth anniversary of Noted Philosopher Sri Vedanta Desikan. He is one of most prominent preceptors in ‘Sri Vaishnava’ tradition post Ramanuja period.
54. Website of Lokpal has been inaugurated by Lokpal Chairperson Pinaki Chandra Ghose, at URL http://lokpal.gov.in.
- Lokpal is first institution of its kind in India, established under Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act ________________, to investigate into allegations of corruption against public functionaries who fall within scope and ambit of concerned Act.
- Government has also appointed 4 Judicial Members (Dilip B. Bhosale, Pradip Kumar Mohanty, Abhilasha Kumari, Ajay Kumar Tripathi) and 4 non Judicial Members (Kumar Jain, Archana Ramasundaram, Mahender Singh and Indrajeet Prasad Gautam), in Office of Lokpal.
55. e-Governance Services India Limited (Under Ministry of Electronics & IT) partnered with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) _____________ to upscale ‘Unnat Bharat Abhiyan’, a programme of HRD (Human Resource Development) Ministry.
56. ‘________________Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 2019’ came into force from May 1, 2019. It allows shops and commercial establishments to now remain open always (24X7).
- It replaces ‘__________Shops and Establishments Act of 1948’ which prohibited shops and other businesses from remaining open between 12 am to 6 am.
