Current Affairs Daily Digest – May 01 2020
1. GI Tag to Manipur Black Rice, Gorakhpur Terracotta and Kovilpatti Kadalai Mittai
Black rice of Manipur, also called the Chak-Hao, Gorakhpur Terracotta and Kadalai Mittai of Kovilpatti bagged Geographical Indication tag. The application to receive Geographical Status for Chak Hao was initiated by North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited (NERAMAC).
2. Tarun Bajaj takes over as the new Economic Affairs Secretary
Tarun Bajaj assumed charge as the Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA). He took over the role from Atanu Chakraborty, who retired. Bajaj, a 1988 batch IAS officer of Haryana Cadre, previously held charge as Additional Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and served as Joint Secretary in the DEA before that.
3. Ross Taylor wins NZ Cricket’s top award, Sir Richard Hadlee Medal, for 3rd time
Ross Taylor has been named New Zealand’s overall cricketer of the year, winning the NZ Cricket’s top award, Sir Richard Hadlee Medal, for the third time at the annual awards, held over video conferencing. The year saw Taylor surpassing Stephen Fleming as NZ’s leading Test run-scorer and became the first player to play 100 international matches in all three formats.
4. Legendary footballer Chuni Goswami passes away at 82
Legendary Footballer Chuni Goswami died in Kolkata afternoon after prolonged illness. He was 82. Chuni Goswami was the captain of gold medal winning Indian footballteam of Jakarta Asiad held in 1962. He was awarded Arjun , Padmasree and several others prestigious awards for his outstanding contributions in the field of Sports .
5. India ranks 53rd in Budget Transparency and Accountability
According to the Open Budget Survey conducted by the International Budget Partnership, India ranked 53rd among 117 countries in budget transparency and accountability. India scored 49 out 0f 100 in the survey. The score was above the global average of 45. New Zealand scored 87 and topped the list. South Africa, Mexico and Brazil were the other top performers with scores 87, 82 and 81 respectively.
6. Shrikant Vaidya to be the next chairman of IOC
Shrikant Madhav Vaidya is slated to be the new chairman of state-run Indian Oil Corporation, after marathon interviews held by the Public Enterprise Selection Board.
Vaidya is currently director finance at IOC. He would be taking over from the current Chairman Sanjiv Singh, who will retire from the position in June 2020.
7. India Appoints New Ambassadors To Qatar, Bahrain
Deepak Mittal has been appointed India’s next Ambassador to Qatar, while Piyush Srivastava goes to Bahrain in the same capacity, as per an official release of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The new appointees are of the 1998 batch of Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and both of them are expected to take up their assignments shortly.
8. India installed 7.3 GW of solar power in CY 2019
In the calendar year 2019, India installed 7.3 GW of solar power across the country, consolidating its position as the third-largest solar market in the world.
The country also had a robust pipeline of utility-scale projects under development of 23.7 GW at the end of 2019, with another 31.5 GW of tenders pending auction, according to a study by Mercom Communications India, a subsidiary of global clean energy communications and consulting firm Mercom Capital Group.
9. US places India on priority watch list for intellectual property protection
The US placed India on the ‘Priority Watch List’ for lack of sufficient measurable improvements to its intellectual property framework on the “long-standing” and “new challenges” that have negatively affected American right holders over the past year.
The US placed 10 countries, including some of its major trading partners like India and China, on the list, alleging that enforcement of the intellectual properties have deteriorated or remained at inadequate levels and the Americans who rely on their protection have difficulty with fair and equitable market access.
10. Chhattisgarh tops among other states in providing employment to workers under MGNREGS
Chhattisgarh has topped the list of states in providing employment to over 18 lakh unskilled labourers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), according to an official statement issued on Wednesday.
Around 77.85 lakh people are engaged in different work under the scheme across the country, according to data released by the Union Rural Development Ministry.
11. Manipuri doctor conferred ‘Order of Rising Sun’ by Japan
A doctor from Manipur has been conferred the ‘Order of Rising Sun’ by the Japan government for promoting a better understanding of Japan in India and deepening ties between the two countries, a release said.
The ‘Order of the Rising Sun’ is conferred on persons with achievements in international relations, promotion of Japanese culture, environmental preservation, welfare or achievements in their fields. It was constituted by Japanese Emperor Meiji in 1875.
Thangjam Dhabali Singh, an allopathic doctor by profession and founder of the Manipur Tourism Forum (MTF), was conferred the ‘Order of Rising Sun — Gold and Silver Rays’ by the Japan government, the release issued by the forum said.
