Dear Readers, Here we have given the list of Important Weekly Current Affairs 4thweek of March 2019. Candidates those who are preparing for Upcoming LIC/SBI Bank Exams and other competitive exams can make use of it.
Current Affairs: Important Days
| Date | Important days | Theme |
| March 22 | World Water Day | Leaving No One Behind |
| March23 | World Meteorological Day | The Sun, the Earth and the Weather |
| March 23 | Marty’s Day (Shaheed Diwas) | – |
| March 24 | World TB Day | It’s Time |
| March 24 | International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims | – |
| March 25 | International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade | ‘Remember Slavery: The Power of the Arts for Justice’ |
| March 25 | International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members | – |
| March 26 | Epilepsy Awareness Day or Purple Day | – |
| March 27 | World Theatre Day | – |
Current Affairs: National
- India achieved 84 % reduction in TB deaths among HIV patients
- According to the global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) 2018, India reduced its poverty rate from 55 %to 28 % between 2005-06 and 2015-16.
- The Home Ministry announcedthat the next census of India will be carried out in 2021 with March 1 of that year.
- The Commerce Ministry launched a blockchain-based coffee e-marketplace in New Delhi.
5. NTPC to set up 25 MW floating solar power plant at Simhadri, Andhra Pradesh
Current Affairs: International
- High-Level Dialogue onIndo-Pacific cooperation held at Indonesia
| USEFUL INFO |
| Indonesia Capital | Jakarta |
| Indonesia Currency | Indonesian rupiah |
| Indonesia President | JokoWidodo |
2. India-funded educational campus inaugurated in Nepal
| USEFUL INFO |
| Nepal Capital | Kathmandu |
| Nepal Currency | Nepalese rupee |
| Nepal President | Bidya Devi Bhandari |
3. Italy becomes first G7 nation to join China’s ‘Belt and Road’ Initiative
| USEFUL INFO |
| Italy Capital | Rome |
| Italy Currency | Euro |
| Italy Prime Minister | Giuseppe Conte |
- The world’s largest e-waste recycling facility hasopened at the Dubai Industrial Park
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| Norway Capital | Oslo |
| Norway Currency | Norwegian Krone |
| Norway Prime Minister | Erna Solberg |
- ThePakistan government has approved a proposal to establish SharadaPeethcorridor
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| Pakistan Capital | Islamabad |
| PakistanCurrency | Rupee |
| PakistanPrime Minister | Imran Khan |
- EU parliament approved ban on single use plastics
- Israeli researchers have discovered the world’s longest salt cave near the desert site
| USEFUL INFO |
| Israel Capital | Jerusalem |
| Israel Currency | Israeli new shekel |
| Israel President | Benjamin Netanyahu |
- Shanghai’s Hongkou has become the world’s first district with 5G coverage
- According to IUCN report the hump-backed mahseer is now ‘critically endangered’
| USEFUL INFO |
| IUCN Headquarters | Inger Andersen |
| IUCN CEO | Gland, Switzerland |
Current Affairs: State
- India’s deepest shaft cave Krem Um Ladaw was recently discovered in East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya
| USEFUL INFO |
| Meghalaya Capital | Shillong |
| Meghalaya CM | Conrad Sangma |
| Meghalaya Governor | Tathagata Roy |
2. EC comes up with PWD app for over two lakhs Divyang voters in Maharashtra
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| Maharashtra Capital | Mumbai |
| Maharashtra Chief Minister | Devendra Fadnavis |
| Maharashtra Governor | Chinamani Vidyasagar Rao |
- Silver Medalist in Paralympic high jump,GirishGowda has been appointed as ambassador of Karnataka LokSabha Elections 2019
- A yarn bank has been set up at the Mysore Powerloom Silk Manufacturers Cooperative Society to benefit the state’s weavers
| USEFUL INFO |
| Karnataka Capital | Bangalore |
| Karnataka Chief Minister | Kumarasamy |
| Karnataka Governor | Vajubai Rudubai Wala |
- Telangana government launched digital portal GlobalLinker (ts-msme.globallinker.com) for MSMEs
| USEFUL INFO |
| Telangana Capital | Hyderabad |
| TelanganaChief Minister | Chandrasekhar Rao |
| TelanganaGovernor | ESL Narashiman |
6. Tashigang in Himachal Pradesh is world’s highest polling station
| USEFUL INFO |
| Himachal Pradesh Capital | Shimla |
| Himachal PradeshChief Minister | Jai Ram Thakur |
| Himachal PradeshGovernor | Acharya Dev Vrat |
- Assam Chief Electoral Officer MukeshSahu launched the Enajori initiative in Guwahati
- Bongaigaon district administration of Assam has developed a mobile app ‘Sankalp’ to particularly reach out to the first-time voters.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Assam Capital | Dispur |
| Assam Chief Minister | Sarbananda Sonowal |
| Assam Governor | Jagdish Mukhi |
- Tripura ranks second position with respect to the highest number of child marriage among girls aged 15 years to 19 years
Be updated with Daily Current affairs News
| USEFUL INFO |
| Tripura Capital | Agartala |
| Tripura Chief Minister | Biplab Kumar Deb |
| Tripura Governor | Kaptan Singh Solanki |
Current Affairs: Banking and Finance
1. Deutsche Bank is to set up bad-loan buying unit in India
| USEFUL INFO |
| Deutsche Bank CEO | Christian Sewing |
| Deutsche BankHeadquarters | Frankfurt, Germany |
- The country’s largest lender SBI has raised Rs. 1,251.30 crore by issuing Basel III-compliant additional tier-I bonds
| USEFUL INFO |
| State Bank of India Headquarters | Mumbai |
| State Bank of India Tagline | The Banker to every Indian |
| State Bank of India Chairperson | Rajnish Kumar |
- India’s foreign exchange (FOREX) reserves surged by $3.602 billion to $405.638 billion in week to March 15, 2019
- RBI has appointed 5-member committee under the chairmanship of NandanNilekani to further deepen digital payments
- RBI has slapped a penalty of Rs. 2 crore on Punjab National Bank for non-compliance of regulatory directions with regard to SWIFT operations
- RBI raised the investment limit for FY2019-20 forFPI in G-Secs to 6 % from 5.5% in FY2018-19
| USEFUL INFO |
| Reserve Bank of India Headquarters | Mumbai |
| Reserve Bank of IndiaGovernor | Shaktikanta Das |
| Reserve Bank of IndiaDeputy Governor | BP Kanungo, N S Vishwanathan, Viral Acharya and Mahesh Kumar Jain |
- Bank of Baroda will develop an agri-digital platform called ‘Baroda Kisan’ in order to provide solutions for all major agricultural requirements
| USEFUL INFO |
| Bank of Baroda Headquarters | Vadodara |
| Bank of Baroda CEO | P. S. Jayakumar |
| Bank of Baroda Tagline | India’s International Bank |
- ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund launches Bharat Consumption Scheme
- PNB sell its stake in PNB Housing Finance to General Atlantic and Varde Partners for Rs. 1,851.60 crore
| USEFUL INFO |
| Punjab National Bank Headquarters | New Delhi |
| Punjab National BankMD and CEO | Sunil Mehta |
| Punjab National Bank Tagline | The name you can bank upon |
10. India’s April-February fiscal deficit at 134% of FY target
Current Affairs: Business
- NSEIT, the IT-services focused subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange has acquired Aujas Networks Ltd
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| NSE Headquarters | Mumbai |
| NSE CEO | VikramLimaye |
Current Affairs:Cabinet Approval
- The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister, Narendra Modihas signedMemorandum of Understanding (MoUs) in February with various countries in the field of Housing, Youth Affairs and earth sciences.
- Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi approved MoU between India andIndonesiaon combating illicit trafficking on narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and its precursors. The MoU will help both the countries in mutual cooperation in regulation of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and also in combating drug trafficking.
- Union Cabinet was Cabinet apprised about the MoU signed between India and Morocco for cooperation on youth matters. The MoU will strengthen and encourage cooperationbetween the two countries on youth matters.
- MoU signed between India and Morocco to promote exchange of information and technical cooperation in the fieldofHousing and Human Settlement.
- The Memorandum of Understanding signed between India and Argentina in February 2019 on Antarctic Cooperation to help Scientific Cooperation on projects in the field of Earth Sciences. It will also help in the protection and conservation of Antarctica and Southern Oceans.
- MOU signed between India and Saudi Arabia for cooperation in the field of Housing.It will promote technical cooperation between both the countries including affordable / low income housing and will also enhance participation of authorities and companies in the housing and infrastructure projects.
- Union Cabinet has given ex-post facto approval for the MoU signed in February between India and Republic of Koreaon Startup Cooperation. It will facilitate and promote bilateral cooperation between the startups of both countries.
- The Union cabinet also approved acquiring land of Central Water Commission at Nallagandla, Hyderabad by Telangana State Government for road widening.
- Creation of additional posts of three Judicial Members and three Technical Members in the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT).
Current Affairs: Ranking
- Finland has topped a global happiness ranking for the second year in a row
- Piyush Goyal, Harsh Vardhan in ‘World’s 100 Most Influential People in Climate Policy for 2019’
3. India ranked 76th on WEF’s global Energy Transition index
- Samsung, Tata Motors, Apple, Hero MotoCorp and Nike are the top-five consumer-focused brands in the country, according to TRA
- Adani became first Indian port operator to record 200 MMT cargo movement
- According to the Skytrax World Airport Awards Singapore’s Changi Airport has been crowned the world’s best aviation hub for the seventh time in a row
- Vijaywada Railway Station Gets ‘Gold Rating’ For Green Measures
Current Affairs: Appointments
| ChackoPurackal Thomas | Tata Coffee MD and CEO |
| Benedict Cumberbatch | Brand ambassador of MG Motor India |
| Tim Stone | CFO of Ford |
| Vice Admiral Karambir Singh | Next Chief of Naval Staff |
| Aamir Khan | PhonePe’s Brand Ambassador |
| Former India hockey captain Sardar Singh | Athletes Standing Committee of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) |
| SudarshanBallal | The healthcare industry’s apex body NATHEALTH president |
| Mohamed Moustahsane (head of African Boxing Confederation) | Interim President of AIBA |
| K. Govindaraj | Re-elected as president of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) |
| ChanderMukhi Sharma | Re-elected secretary-general as the BFI |
| N S Srinath | Non-executive chairman of Karur Vysya Bank |
| AzaliAssoumani | Re elected as Comoros President |
| ShriShambhu S. Kumaran | Next Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Morocco |
| VeselinMatic | Head coach of the Indian men’s basketball team |
| Justice DK Jain | BCCI’s Ethics Officer |
| Goa Tourism Minister ManoharAjgaonkar | Deputy CM of Goa |
| Shri Abhay Thakur | Ambassador of India to Republic of Benin |
| Cricketer VirenderSehwag | Brand Ambassador of PolicyX.com |
| Vice Admiral MA Hampiholi | Director General Naval Operations (DGNO) |
| ZuzanaCaputova | Slovakia’s first female president |
Current Affairs: Resignation
| GafurRahimov | AIBA President |
| Conor McGregor | Irish Mixed Martial Art (MMA) fighter |
Current Affairs: Awards and Honours
| Kenyan science teacher Peter Tabichi | $1m global teacher award |
| President Ram Nath Kovind | Croatia’s highest civilian award – the Grand Order of the King of Tomislav |
| YoshuaBengio, Geoffrey Hinton, and YannLeCun | Turing Award 2018 (Nobel prize for computing) |
| AmartyaSen And Novelist Kazuo Ishiguro | Oxford University’s Bodley Medal |
| Dr Rajendra Joshi | PravasiBhartiyaSamman Award |
| AlembaYimchunger (forest guard of Nagaland) | Earth Day Network Star Award |
| Actress Rita Moreno | 2019 Peabody career achievement award |
| Vijay Chandok | MD and CEO of ICICI Securities |
64th VimalElaichiFilmfare Awards 2019: Complete winners’ list
- Members from all quarters of Bollywood got together to honour the best of Hindi cinema in 2018 at Jio Garden, Mumbai for the 64th VimalElaichiFilmfare Awards 2019.
| Category | Winner |
| Best Actor In A Leading Role (Male) | RanbirKapoor for ‘Sanju’ |
| Best Actor In A Leading Role (Female) | Alia Bhatt for ‘Raazi’ |
| Critics Best Actor in Leading Role (Male) | Ranveer Singh for ‘Padmaavat’ tied with AyushmannKhurrana for ‘Andhadhun’ |
| Critics Best Actor in Leading Role (Female) | Neena Gupta for ‘Badhaai Ho’ |
| Best Director | MeghnaGulzar for ‘Raazi’ |
| Best Film (Popular) | ‘Raazi’ |
| Critics Best Film | ‘Andhadhun’ |
| Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Male) | GajrajRao for ‘Badhaai Ho’ tied with Vicky Kaushal for ‘Sanju’ |
| Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Female) | SurekhaSikhri for ‘Badhaai Ho’ |
| Best Screenplay | Sriram Raghavan, ArijitBiswas, PoojaLadhaSurti, YogeshChandekar, HemanthRao for ‘Andhadhun’ |
| Best Dialogue | AkshatGhildial for ‘Badhaai Ho’ |
| Best Original Story | AnubhavSinha for ‘Mulk’ |
| Best Debut Actor (Male) | IshaanKhatter |
| Best Debut Actor (Female) | Sara Ali Khan |
| Best Debut Director | Amar Kaushik for ‘Stree’ |
| Best Short Film (Popular Choice) | ‘Plus Minus’ |
| Best Actor (Male) for Short Film | HussainDalal for ‘Shameless’ |
| Best Actor (Female) for Short Film | KirtiKulhari for ‘Maya’ |
| Best Short Film (Fiction) | ‘Rogan Josh’ |
| Best Short Film (Non-Fiction) | ‘The Soccer City’ |
| Gulshan Kumar Award for Best Music Album | Sanjay LeelaBhansali for ‘Padmaavat’ |
| Best Lyrics | Gulzar for ‘AeWatan’ from ‘Raazi’ |
| Best Playback Singer (Male) | Arijit Singh for ‘AeWatan’ from ‘Raazi’ |
| Best Playback Singer (Female) | ShreyaGhoshal for ‘Ghoomar’ from ‘Padmaavat’ |
| RD Burman Award for New Music Talent | Niladri Kumar |
| Best Cinematography | Pankaj Kumar for ‘Tumbbad’ |
| Best VFX | Red Chillies VFX for ‘Zero’ |
| Best Background Score | Daniel B. George for ‘Andhadhun’ |
| Best Action | VikramDahiya and Sunil Rodriguez for ‘Mukkabaaz’ |
Current Affairs: Summit and Conference
- NITI Aayog has organised one day FinTech Conclave at Dr. Ambedkar International Center, New Delhi
| USEFUL INFO |
| NITI AayogCEO | Amitabh Kant |
| NITI AayogVice Chairman | Rajiv Kumar |
- International seminar on ‘Sanskrit: a common treasure for India & Nepal’ held in Kathmandu
3. Nepal Investment Summit to be organised on March 29-30 in Kathmandu
Current Affairs: Science and Technology
- Flipkart has introduced a robot-based sortation technology at its Soukya sortation center in Bengaluru
- Italy’s new Earth-observation satellitenamed PRISMA (PrecursoreIperspettraledellaMissioneApplicativa) launched from the Guiana Space Centre
- Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch 29 satellites including the primary payload EMISAT, on the first of April
- India successfully conducts A-SAT missile test under ‘Mission Shakti’
| USEFUL INFO |
| ISRO Headquarters | Bengaluru |
| ISRO Chairman | Kailasavadivoo Sivan |
- Facebook launched two new India-specific tools ‘Candidate Connect’ and ‘Share You Voted’ to boost civic engagement on its platform during the general elections
- ISRO launched the ‘Young Scientist Programme’ YUVIKA for school children
- IIT-Delhi researchers developed AI-based detector for malaria, TB, cervical cancer
- Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has successfully converted petroleum waste-product toluene into benzoic acid
- Teslahas developed its ‘largest power storage system in Asia’ at Osaka train station inJapan to reduce energy demand
Current Affairs: Mobile Application
- Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) launched a new podcast app ‘ShikshaVani’
- Hyper local connectivity app ‘Bhonga’ launchedbyLinkusInfratech
Current Affairs: MOU
- ADB has inked an agreement to invest USD 50 million in solar energy project developer Avaada Energy Pvt Ltd
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| Asian Development BankHeadquarters | TakehikoNakao |
| Asian Development BankPresident | Mandaluyong, Philippines |
- Pakistan will receive a loan worth 15 billion yuan ($ 2.1 billion) from China by next week
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| Pakistan Capital | Islamabad |
| PakistanCurrency | Rupee |
| PakistanPrime Minister | Imran Khan |
| China Capital | Beijing |
| China Currency | Renminbi, Yuan |
| China President | Xi Jinping |
- Japan has donated 69 million dollars to the United Nations World Food Programme
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| UNFP Headquarters | Rome, Italy |
| Executive Director | David Beasley |
4. Oman signs agreement allowing United States military to use its ports
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| Oman Capital | Muscat |
| Oman Currency | Omani Rial |
| Oman President | Qaboos bin Said al Said |
- eBay announced adding Google Pay to its suite of payment options as part of its move to intermediate end-to-end payments
- Apple partners with Goldman Sachs and Mastercard for Apple Card
- India-African Union sign MoU on strengthening cooperation in healthcare sector
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| African Union Headquarters | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
| African Union Chairman | Abdel Fattah el-Sisi |
- India and the US signed an agreement for exchange of country-by-country (CbC) report to check tax evasion by MNCs
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| USA Capital | Washington DC |
| USACurrency | Dollar |
| USAPresident | Donald Trump |
- Infosys and Roland-Garros Grand Slam tennis tournament, also called the French Open, announced a three-year strategic technology partnership
- Power Finance Corporation (PFC) completed the acquisition of majority stake in (REC) Rural Electrification Corporation Ltd by transferring Rs. 14,500 crore to the government
- IIT-Kharagpur partnered with Wipro for advanced research in 5G and AI
Current Affairs: Defence
- Indian and Myanmar armies carried out a military operation named `Operation Sunrise’ to wipe out insurgent camps
- Three Indian Naval Ships namely INS Sujatha, INS Shardul& INS Sarathi have reached the port city of Beira in Mozambique to provide immediate Humanitarian Assistance
- Ministry of Defence has cleared the proposal to procure 10 lakh hand grenades for the Indian Army under its Make in India programme
- Indian Air Force will participate in Langkawi International Maritime Aero Expo (LIMA 2019) to be held in Langkawi, Malaysia
- Indian Air Force (IAF) formally inducted the four heavy-lift Chinook helicopters.
- The Indian Navy’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Training Facility (NBCTF) was inaugurated at INS Shivaji in Lonavala
- India and Australia will conduct AUSINDEX 2019 bilateral naval exercise off the coast of Vishakhapatnam
- First Indian Army mountaineering expedition to Mt Makalu flagged off
- Tata Power Strategic Engineering Division (SED) has bagged a Rs. 1,200 crore contract from the defence ministry
- The second joint logistics node of tri-services has become operational at Naval base in Mumbai, Maharashtra
- Indian Navy has received Combat Management System (CMS) for first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant.
- Garden Reach Ship Builders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE) became the ‘first Indian shipyard’ to build and deliver 100 warships.
Current Affairs: Book
| Authors | Books |
| Salman AneesSoz | The Great Disappointment: How Narendra Modi Squandered A Unique Opportunity to Transform the Indian Economy’ |
| NavinChawla (Former Chief Election Commissioner of India) | ‘Every Vote Counts -The Story of India’s Elections’ |
| ChetanBhagat | India Positive |
Current Affairs: Sports
- India returned with 368 medals, including 85 gold, at the Special Olympics World Summer Games, held at Abu Dhabi, UAE
- India defeats Nepal to win SAFF Women’s Championship for fifth time
- Sri Lanka’s LasithMalinga will retire from international cricket after next year’s Twenty20 World Cup to be held in Australia
- Chinadefeated Japan 3-2 to win the 2019 Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships
- Manu Bhaker-Saurabh Chaudhary wins senior gold in Asian Airgun C’ship
- 31-year-old Hopman Cup replaced by new ATP Cup
- International Olympic Committee (IOC) has recommended adding breakdancing, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games
| USEFUL INFO |
| International Olympic CommitteeHeadquarters | Lausanne, Switzerland |
| International Olympic CommitteePresident | Thomas Bach |
- Australian Graham Reid is set to be named as the Indian men’s hockey team chief coach till the 2022 World Cup
- Australia legend Tim Cahill retires from all forms of football
India Open 2019 Winners List
- The 2019 India Open was held at K. D. Jadhav Indoor Hall in India.
| Events | Winner | Runner Up |
| Men’s Single | Viktor Axelsen | SrikanthKidambi |
| Women’s Single | RatchanokIntanon | He Bingjiao |
| Men’s Doubles | Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin | Ricky KarandaSuwardi and AnggaPratama |
| Women’s Doubles | GreysiaPolii and ApriyaniRahayu | Chow Mei Kuan and Lee Meng Yean |
| Mixed Doubles | Wang Yilü and Huang Dongping | Praveen Jordan and MelatiDaevaOktavianti |
Lingshui China Masters Badminton Tournament 2019 – Complete winner list
- The 2019 Lingshui China Masterswas a badminton tournament held at Agile Stadium in China from 12 to 17 March 2019
- The tournament was the first Super 100 tournament of the 2019 BWF World Tour.
| Events | Winners | Runner Up |
| Men’s Singles | WengHongyang (China) | Liu Haichao (China) |
| Women Singles | Kim Ga-eun (South Korea) | Zhang Yiman (China) |
| Men’s Doubles | Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan (Chinese Taipei) | OuXuanyi and RenXiangyu (China) |
| Women’s Doubles | Baek Ha-na and Kim Hye-rin (South Korea) | Liu Xuanxuan and Xiayuting (China) |
| Mixed Doubles | Tang Chun Man and Ng TszYau (Hong Kong) | GuoXinwaa and Liu Xuanxuan (China) |
Current Affairs: Obituaries
| Person | Field |
| Captain M N Samant | Veteran commander of Indian submarine in 1971 Bangladesh war |
| Haku Shah | Renowned Indian artist |
| C S Shivalli | Karnataka Minister |
| L V SharadaRao | Veteran Kannada actress |
| Larry Cohen | Cult-horror writer |
| VinjamuriAnasuya | Noted folk artist |
| GhulamNabi Rather | Social activist |
| ShahnazRahmatullah | Bangladeshi singer |
| Scott Walker | Songwriter and producer |
| Ashita | Malayalam writer and poet |
| Bruce Yardley | Former Australian cricketer, coach and commentator |
| Valery Bykovsky | Russian cosmonaut |
| PrafullaRajguru | Veteran Journalist |