Current Affairs Daily Digest – May 13 2019
1. Praveen Pardeshi Replaces Ajoy Mehta as Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Chief
In a major bureaucratic reshuffle within the Maharashtra government, Praveen Pardeshi, an IAS officer of 1985 batch, has been appointed as the chief of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. He replaces Ajoy Mehta, who has been appointed as the state’s new chief secretary.
Pardeshi had been holding the position of additional chief secretary to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and has been an important member of his core team since 2014.
The 57-year-old bureaucrat was initially brought in as principal secretary when Fadnavis took charge and soon became the additional chief secretary.
2. Pakistan reaches agreement with IMF, to receive $6 billion over 3 years
Pakistan reached an agreement with the IMF on a bailout package under which the cash-strapped country will receive $ 6 billion over three years, according to a top official.
The agreement aims to support Pakistan’s “strategy for stronger & more inclusive growth by reducing domestic and external imbalances, removing impediments to growth, increasing transparency and strengthening social spending”, according to the IMF.
3. Chennai to get its first unmanned substation
The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) has identified a substation to be upgraded into an unmanned substation — the first of its kind in the city.
The 33 kilo volt (KV)/11 KV substation, located right at the heart of the central business district of Anna Salai, near the Express Mall on Woods Road, has been chosen for the upgrade. It was constructed only a year ago.
4. IPS officer who oversaw Nirbhaya rape case receives McCain Institute Award
IPS officer Chhaya Sharma, who led the investigation team of the infamous Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case, has been awarded the 2019 McCain Institute Award for Courage and Leadership on Friday.
“A resolute guardian of human rights, Chhaya has led teams in detection and investigation of sensitive criminal cases and protection of human rights during her career spanning over 19 years. Sharma’s policing has consistently reflected victim-centric approach through her numerous investigations of serious crimes, particularly against women and children,” said McCain Institute in a statement.
During her career, Chhaya has led teams in detection and investigation of sensitive criminal cases and protection of human rights. However, solving Nirbhaya’s case is considered as the biggest milestone of her career.
5. Sana Mir becomes the highest wicket-taking spinner in ODI
Pakistan off-spinner Sana Mir has become the most successful women’s ODI spinner in history after she took her 147th wicket, highest ever by any spinner in One-day International (ODI) cricket.
Mir had 146 wickets under her belt when she stepped out on the field on Sunday to play against South Africa in the ongoing ICC Women’s Championship being played in South Africa. She took only one wicket but the only wicket she took in the match turned out to be the most crucial one as she dismissed Sune Luus, who played a knock of 80 runs.
It was her 118th appearance for Pakistan and surpassed West Indies spinner Anisa Mohammed and Australia’s Lisa Sthalekar, who had accumulated 146 wickets each. Consequently, Mohammed and Sthalekar have slipped on to the second and third position, respectively.
6. Mumbai beat Chennai by one run to win record 4th IPL title
Mumbai Indians became IPL champions for the fourth time after defeating Chennai Super Kings by one run in a thrilling final in Hyderabad last night.
Last ball dismissal of Shardul Thakur by paceman Lasith Malinga registered final win for Mumbai over Chennai.
Chasing a victory target of 150 set by Mumbai, Chennai Super Kings were restricted to 148 for 7 in stipulated 20 overs.
Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the most successful wicket-keeper in the history of IPL by taking his dismissals tally to 132, surpassing his India teammate Dinesh Karthik.
7. ED attaches property worth Rs 2.95 cr in AXIS Bank demonetized currency conversion case
Enforcement Directorate, ED has attached property worth 2.95 crore rupees in AXIS Bank demonetized currency conversion case.
It has issued a provisional order attaching movable and immovable properties of Puneet Jain, Hemraj Singh, Vinod Deshmukh, Rajeev Singh Kushwaha, Mehfooz Khan, Pravesh Kumar Gandhi and others in the case.
ED has also initiated an investigation under Prevention of Money Laundering Act against Mohit Garg, Raj Kumar Sharma and Devendra Kumar Jha on the basis of FIR registered by Delhi Police on the seizure of over three crore rupees in the form of currency notes of one thousand rupees denomination.
8. US Navy Chief holds discussion with Indian Naval Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba
Admiral John Michael Richardson, Chief of Naval Operations, US Navy today held discussions with Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of the Naval Staff.
Mr Richardson also interacted with Defence Secretary, Vice Chief of the Army Staff, Chief of the Air Staff and the National Security Council Secretariat. Mr Richardson, who is on an official tour to India, intends to further consolidate bilateral naval relations between India and USA and also to explore new avenues for naval cooperation.
9. Young Scientist Programme ‘Yuvika2019’ inaugurated today
The Young Scientist Programme ‘Yuvika2019’ was inaugurated by Indian Space Research Organisation, ISRO Chairman Dr K Sivan, through video mode in Bengaluru today.
The two-week residential summer vacation programme spread over four ISRO centres in Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, Ahmedabad and Shillong are attended by 110 students.
While inaugurating the programme, ISRO Chairman mentioned that the programme will help in inculcating scientific temper in the students.
Dr Sivan also said that programmes like this will lead to national integration and nation building. The participants will be visiting the spaceport of India, Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Shriharikota during this programme.
10. Indonesian Coast Guard ship arrives in Port Blair today
Indonesian Coast Guard ship (BAKAMLA) ‘Tanjung Datu’ arrived in Port Blair today along with a high-level delegation led by First Admiral Eko Murwanto.
The aim of this goodwill visit is to enhance bilateral cooperation between the Coast Guards of two countries. The ship ‘KN Tanjung Datu’ is a Patrol Vessel. The ship has a complement of 25 officers and 40 sailors.
11. HDFC Bank shortlists three startups inDigital Innovation Summit
HDFC Bank said three start-ups from the city – Loop Reality, BluSapphire and Appnovation Technology – were declared winners at its regional Digital Innovation Summit (DIS). DIS is a platform launched by HDFC Bank for start-ups from across the globe to showcase their innovations.
The participants were from the domains of cyber security, augmented and virtual reality, artificial intelligence, machine learning and rural agriculture, among others. These solutions could power the banks next phase of growth.
These start-ups will get a chance to deploy their innovations within HDFC Bank, after further evaluation on technical, business, security, and compliance parameters, it said.
12. Airtel partners HDFC Life for providing insurance cover with prepaid bundle
Bharti Airtel and HDFC Life Insurance announced a partnership under which the telecom operator has launched a prepaid bundle that will come with in-built life insurance cover (term plan) from the private life insurer.
“Airtel’s new ₹249 prepaid bundle will come with ₹4 lakh life cover from HDFC Life along with 2 GB data, unlimited calls to any network and 100 SMS/day. The recharge is valid for 28 days and policy cover till recharge is active,” a company statement said.
13. India to host 4-nation Intercontinental Cup
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) confirmed participation of Syria, North Korea and Tajikistan in the second edition of the Intercontinental Cup, starting on July 7. The venue for the tournament is yet to be decided.
The Blue Tigers come into the competition as defending champions, having won the inaugural edition in June 2018 by defeating Kenya in the final, courtesy a brace from Sunil Chhetri, the Hero of the Tournament. New Zealand and Chinese Taipei were the other two teams in the fray.
