Notes:
The National Technology Day (NTD) is held every year on May 11 to celebrate India’s achievements in science and technology and to mark the historic feat of test-firing its very first nuclear-capable missile back in 1998 at Pokhran. The day also highlights the importance of science in daily life and encourages youngsters to embrace it as a career option. On this day in 1998, India successfully tested Shakti-I nuclear missile at the Indian Army’s Pokhran Test Range in Rajasthan. The tests were conducted under the leadership of Former President Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, who was then DRDO Chief, and Dr R Chidambaran, then Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). A team of more than 100 scientists, technicians and soldiers were involved in the successfully conducted tests.

Notes:
Y C Deveshwar (72), the noted industry leader and ITC Chairman, has passed away in Gurugram on May 11, 2019. He was India’s longest serving CEO and had received the India’s third-highest civilian award ‘Padma Bhushan’ in 2011. Deveshwar took over as chairman of ITC group in 1996 when the company was going through its worst crisis. Under his leadership, ITC battled resistance from its largest shareholder BAT and it made a successful diversification in the FMCG category. He transformed the cigarette major into a diversified player with interests in FMCG, hospitality, IT and other sectors. In 2017, Deveshwar stepped down as chief executive of ITC Ltd, India’s largest cigarette maker . After that, he moved to the role of non executive chairman. He was also a director on the central board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). ITC Limited is an Indian multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal.

Notes:
The Indian Army has decided to commemorate 2019 as the ‘Year of Next of Kin’ and plans to reach out to the next of kin of battle casualties, ex-servicemen and serving soldiers to inform them of entitled financial benefits, welfare schemes and help resolve pension related problems. The issue gains importance in light of most next of kin of deceased soldiers being unaware of the financial benefits that are entitled to them. Incorrect and incomplete documentation is a common problem for most of the next of kin, which aggravates their plight. Indian Army plans to overcome these challenges through its formations and regimental centres. It will also seek the involvement of the defence ministry, Nepal Embassy (due to several soldiers being recruited from Nepal), Sainik Boards, banks and welfare agencies such as the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS). The Directorate of Indian Army Veterans will be the nodal agency. Earlier, the Indian Army marked 2018 as the ‘Year of Disabled in the Line of Duty’.

Notes:
The Konkan Railways Corporation Ltd (KRCL) has signed a contract agreement with Nepal’s Department of Railways to supply two 1600 HP DEMU train sets. These trains will be used to operationalise railway link between Jayanagar in India and Kurtha in Nepal. Each train set will comprise of one driving power car, three trailer cars with one air-conditioned, one driving trailer car with standard accessories. The train sets will be manufactured by the Integrated Coach Factory, Chennai. The 34 kms Jayanagar-Kurtha Railway Link has been built by IRCON with Government of India (GoI) financial grant under India-Nepal Development Partnership programme. The KRCL is a Union Government Company headquartered at CBD Belapur in Navi Mumbai that operates Konkan Railway.

Notes:
On 13th May 2019, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministerial meeting of developing countries has started in New Delhi. The two-day meeting is being held at a time when the multilateral rule-based-trading system is facing serious and grave challenges. The meeting will provide an opportunity for the Ministers to discuss various issues and the way forward. Sixteen developing countries and six Least Developed Countries, LDCs are participating in the meeting. It includes China, South Africa, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Bangladesh. The Director-General of WTO Roberto Azevedo is also participating in the meeting. In two-day meeting following issues are likely to be discussed: Finding a solution to the ongoing impasse in the Appellate Body on an urgent basis, Issues of importance and priority for developing countries including Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in the reform agenda, How to reinvigorate negotiating agenda on issues of critical importance for developing countries?, and How to ensure effective S&D for all developing countries including LDCs?.

Notes:
The first edition of world’s first exclusive women’s cricket magazine ‘Criczone’ has been released in Jaipur, Rajasthan. In it, Indian team cricket vice-captain Smriti Mandhana has featured as the cover story. The purpose of the magazine is to empower young aspiring women cricketers to take the sport as a profession and able to make a sustainable living. Top international cricketers like Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur, Smiriti Mandhana along with overseas players like Danielle Wyatt, Sophie Devine attended the event which is held on the sidelines of the inaugural women’s T20 challenge. Yash Lahoti is the publisher of the magazine.

Notes:
Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka has been sworn-in as the new Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court. Karnataka Governor Vajubhai R Vala administered the oath of office to Justice Oka at the Raj Bhavan. He succeeded Justice Dinesh Maheshwari, who was elevated as a Supreme Court judge in January 2019. Justice Oka has given many landmark judgements including those revolving around noise pollution, the rights of atheists and the right to give “no religion” as an option in government application forms, a judgement striking down the beef ban in Maharashtra and encouraging prison reforms, among others.

Notes:
The 18 nations ADMM-Plus (Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus) multilateral maritime security field exercise has recently concluded in Singapore on May 13. In it, two Indian Navy ships – Guided Missile Destroyer INS Kolkata and Fleet Support Ship INS Shakti carried out Group Sail with the naval ships of Japan, the Philippines and the U.S. in the disputed South China Sea (SCS). The exercise was jointly organised by Singapore and South Korea, which was started in Busan on April 30. This is the 4th such exercise conducted under the ADMM-Plus grouping. The ADMM-Plus consistes of 10 ASEAN countries along with Australia, China, Japan, India, South Korea, New Zealand, Russia and the United States.

Notes:
On May 15, Sri Lanka has declared a National Vesak Week to mark the most significant event for Buddhists all over the world. The festival commemorates the birth, enlightenment (Buddhahood), and death (Parinirvāna) of Gautama Buddha in the Theravada or southern tradition. The Vesak Festival- 2019 will be held under tight security and people have been encouraged to organize celebrations at Buddhist temples and not in public places in the wake of Easter Sunday attacks last month. The state Vesak festival will be held in Galle under the patronage of the President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe. This year’s Vesak festival aims to create a society of wise Buddhists making the village temple as the center of spiritual development in order to realize the sustainable goals of development.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released a vision document – Payment and Settlement Systems in India: Vision 2019 – 2021 – with its core theme of ‘Empowering Exceptional E-payment Experience’, for ensuring a safe, secure, convenient, quick and affordable e-payment system. The move comes as the apex bank expects the number of digital transactions to increase more than four times to 8,707 crore in December 2021. The vision document has been envisages to achieve a highly digital and cash-less society through the goal posts of competition, cost-effectiveness, convenience and confidence (4Cs). The document talks about creating customer awareness, setting up a 24X7 helpline and self-regulatory organisation for system operators and service providers, among others. And also, the ‘no-compromise’ approach towards safety and security of payment systems remains a hallmark of the vision.