Current Affairs July 19, 2019
In this post, GKToday presents Current Affairs of July 19, 2019 in Short Notes form for preparation of IBPS, Banking, CLAT, SSC, Railway, UPSC, IAS/PCS, UPPSC, BPSC, MPPSC, RPSC, TNPSC, MPSC, KPSC and all other competitive examinations of India.
1. Indian batting icon Sachin Tendulkar has been inducted into the International Cricket Council (ICC)’s Hall of Fame alongside South African pace legend Allan Donald and Australian woman cricketer Cathryn Fitzpatrick. Tendulkar is regarded the greatest to have played the game along with Sir Donald Bradman and remains the top run-accumulator in both Tests and ODIs. He has 34,357 runs across formats and is the only batsman to have 100 internationals hundreds under his belt. Donald is one of the finest bowlers to have played the game and had 330 Test and 272 ODI wickets to his credit before calling it quits in 2003. Fitzpatrick is the second highest wicket-taker of all time in women’s cricket with 180 ODI scalps and 60 in Tests. As a coach, she guided the Australian women’s team to three World Cup titles.
2. The Cricket Association of Pondicherry (CAP) has been granted the status of a Full Member of the BCCI by the Committee of Administrators (CoA). CAP will now become a voting member of the BCCI. It was given Associate Member status in October 2018 and went on to take part in the Ranji Trophy and other age-group tournaments of the Board.
3. The Union Minister for Human Resource Development (HRD), Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal “Nishank” launched ‘Paramarsh’ – a University Grants Commission (UGC) scheme. The scheme is aimed at mentoring National Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC) Accreditation Aspirant Institutions to promote Quality Assurance in Higher Education in New Delhi. Initially, 71 universities and 391 colleges with NAAC score of 3.26 and above will mentor five colleges each. Under the Paramarsh scheme, the leading institutions will provide regular mentoring to help colleges achieve high quality standards. The scheme also proposes to provide financial assistance to the mentoring institutions and the option of appointing an expert, who can be paid a fellowship amount of Rs 31,000 per month. The scheme is expected to have a major impact in addressing a national challenge of improving the quality of Higher Education in India.
4. The Union HRD Minister, Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank released UGC Guide to Student Induction Programme (SIP) – “Deeksharambh” in New Delhi on 18th July 2019. The guide will help new students to build bonds with fellow students and faculty members in the new environment. The programme is intended to empower the aspirant learners to face the Competitive world with confidence, open new horizons of life leading to character building based on Universal Human Values such as Truth, Righteous conduct, Love, Non-violence, Peace and assist in developing self awareness , compassion and oneness. To spread awareness about Deeksharambh - SIP in Higher Education Institutions and its stakeholders, UGC has decided to conduct Awareness Programmes and training programme for teachers in different regions of the country.
5. The Nelson Mandela International Day (NMID) is celebrated every year on July 18 to pay tribute to South Africa’s former president for his values, legacy and contribution to society. The day recognizes Mandela’s values and his dedication to the service of humanity in: conflict resolution; race relations; promotion and protection of human rights; reconciliation; gender equality and the rights of children and other vulnerable groups; the fight against poverty; the promotion of social justice. The day also acknowledges his contribution to the struggle for democracy internationally and the promotion of a culture of peace throughout the world.
6. The Rs 325 crore Motihari- Amlekhgunj petroleum pipeline project has been successfully completed & will start commercial operation by August 2019. The 69-Km long petroleum pipeline from Motihari in Bihar to Amelkhgunj in Nepal has been constructed by India. It will ensure smooth, cost effective and environment friendly supply of petroleum products to Nepal. The pipeline will help in tackling the oil storage problem in Nepal and doing away with transportation of petroleum products through tankers. Hence, Nepal will officially start fuel trade with India via the pipeline after its virtual launch by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. The Motihari-Amlekhgunj oil pipeline project was first proposed in 1996. However, the project finally edged closer to reality during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Kathmandu in 2014.
7. The innovative pilot project - Medicine from the Sky – will be launched by the Telangana government and the World Economic Forum (WEF)'s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network. The aim of the pilot project is to deliver emergency medical supplies such as blood, vaccines, medical samples and organs via drones. The project will run in partnership with the state government and HealthNet Global Limited. It will help facilitate decision-making in healthcare supply chains, focus on last-mile deliveries and address issues that affect the medical distribution system.
8. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has suspended Zimbabwe Cricket with immediate effect over violation of global body's constitution which doesn't allow any government intervention. Zimbabwe Cricket was found to have been in breach of Article 2.4 (c) and (d) of the ICC Constitution for failing to provide a process for free and democratic elections and to ensure that there is no government interference in its governance and/or administration for cricket respectively. As a consequence of suspension, Zimbabwe Cricket will no longer receive funding from the ICC and its representative teams are now ineligible from competing in any ICC events. The ICC has directed that the elected Zimbabwe Cricket Board be reinstated to the office within three months and progress in this respect will be considered again at the October Board meeting. The Croatia Cricket Federation and the Zambia Cricket Union have both also been suspended for continuing non-compliance with ICC Membership criteria. The Moroccan Royal Cricket Federation has also been expelled from Membership of the ICC.
9. The 14-year old Indian golfer Arjun Bhati has won the FCG Callaway Junior world Golf Championship 2019 by defeating Taiwan’s Jeremy Chen in Palm Desert, California. Out of 637 golfers from 40 counties that participated in the tournament, Arjun secured the first position with a total of 199 strokes in the three-day final. He was followed by Chen and New Zealand’s Joshua Bai at second and third positions with 202 and 207 strokes respectively.
10. Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik has recently launched the new e-challan system and the e-payment gateway for the use of Delhi Traffic Police. The E-challan devices are enabled with active GPS where the challaning officer and the violator, both can be logged and tracked to a particular geo-location. This is an important tool for evidence to establish the credibility of the prosecution. The payment gateway will help the citizens with the flexibility to login securely at their convenience and settle the pending violation notices with proof of payment. It is an important step towards cashless economy. It also ensures that the citizen interface with police improves and becomes more transparent.
