Important Current Affairs of 22nd April

NATIONAL:

Navy launched guided missile destroyer INS Imphal under project 15B.

• Indian Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba launched the third ship of Project 15B, a guided missile destroyer Imphal, at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, Mumbai.

• The launch weighs 3,037 tonnes.

• Project 15B ships have been designed indigenously by the Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design. Each ship spans 163 metres in length and 17.4 metres at beam and displaces 7,300 tonnes. These ships will be propelled by four gas turbines to achieve speed in excess of 30 knots.

P15B ships will be equipped to carry and operate two multiple role helicopters.

• The contract for the construction of four Project 15B destroyers was signed in 2011. The first ship was named INS Visakhapatnam (launched in April 2015) and the second was named INS Mormugao (launched in September 2016).

Reliance retail became 1st Indian retail company to cross Rs 1 lakh crore in annual revenues.

• The retail venture of Reliance Industries reported an income of Rs 1,30,556 crore for 2018-19, 89% more than the previous year’s Rs 69,198 crore, the company.

• Notably, Reliance Retail is the only Indian retailer to be in the top 100 global retailers list and the 6th fastest growing retailer globally as per the Global powers of retailing 2019, Deloitte.

• Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Retail also became the first Indian retailer to cross more than 10,000 stores. It operates 10,415 retail stores in more than 6,600 cities and towns, covering an area of over 22 million sq ft, as on March 31.

• For FY19, Reliance Retail added 81 new stores in the grocery consumption basket, taking the total count to 612 Reliance Fresh, SMART and Reliance Market stores as on March 31, 2019.

During the year, Reliance Retail opened 76 new Digital stores, 2,219 Jio stores. It operates more than 8,000 Digital and Jio stores as of March 31.

Compared to that, Future Group, the second biggest retail enterprise in the country, operates about 2,200 outlets nationwide with about Rs 35,000 crore of annual consolidated revenues.

INTERNATIONAL:

Saudi Arabia increased India's Haj Quota to 2 lakh.

• Saudi Arabia has issued a formal order increasing the Haj quota for India to two lakhs from one lakh seventy five-thousand.

• In February this year, the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that Indian Haj quota would be increased by 25 thousand to two lakhs.

• This is the third hike in three consecutive years.

In 2017, the quota was increased by 35,000 while last year, it was raised by 5,000 to take the number to 1,75,000.

• A record number of two lakh Indian Muslims will perform Haj this year without subsidy.

• As many as 2,340 Indian Muslim women will go for the pilgrimage without male companion or Mehram.

• The GST on Haj pilgrimage has been reduced from 18 per cent to 5 per cent this year, which will ensure that about Rs 113 crore will be saved by pilgrims during the 2019 Haj.

Lankan President Sirisena appoints special committee to investigate serial blasts.

• Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena announced the appointment of a special committee led by retired Supreme Court judge to investigate the attacks and submit its report within two weeks.

• Thirteen local suspects have been arrested for their involvement in the serial blasts across the country yesterday which has claimed  207 lives.

At least 450 people were injured and hospitalized following the attacks targeting three five-star hotels in capital Colombo and three churches across the country.

• An Improvised Explosive Device was detected and diffused near the departure area of Bandaranaike International Airport last evening. Security has been tightened at all sensitive places.

• The government had intelligence inputs about such attacks and it will look into why adequate precautions were not taken.

• The names of suspects that have come up are local, but investigators will look into whether they had any overseas links.

• Meanwhile, curfew imposed across the country since last afternoon has been lifted.

Ukrainian comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy wins Ukraine presidential election.

• Ukrainian comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who played president in a TV series, is set to become the new president of Ukraine.

He received 73.19% of the votes, while his opponent, incumbent President Petro Poroshenko saw support of 24.48%.

• Poroshenko, who was running for his second five-year term, has admitted defeat.

• Zelenskiy planned to continue European-backed talks with Russia on a so far largely unimplemented peace deal and would try to free Ukrainians imprisoned in Russia, which is holding 24 Ukrainian sailors among others.

BANKS AND ECONOMICS:

Airtel Payments Bank joined hands with Bharti AXA General Insurance for two-wheeler insurance.

• Airtel Payments Bank joined hands with Bharti AXA General Insurance for a two-wheeler insurance product offering which is available on MyAirtel App and at over 40,000 Airtel Payments Bank points across India.

• They offer various benefits like 70 percent savings on an annual premium, personal accident cover, protection against third-party liabilities and inspection-free renewal through a paperless process.

• Customers can avail towing services at no extra cost on claim intimation, at the time of insured vehicle breaks down.

• In India, approximately 75 percent two-wheelers are uninsured, despite being mandatory by the Supreme Court order in 2018 which is mandatory for individuals to buy five-year motor third party insurance while buying a new two-wheeler.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS:

Entrepreneur Sairee Chahal appointed to board of directors in Paytm Payments Bank.

• Sairee Chahal having extensive experience of customer service ecosystem appointed to Board of Directors in Paytm Payments Bank (PPB).

• Sairee Chahal is the founder and CEO of Sheroes which is a community platform for women.

PPB was incorporated in August 2016 and formally began its operations in 2017.

• The founder of Paytm, Vijay Shekhar Sharma holds 51% stake in PPB and One97 Communications holds the rest of the stakes.

Former Judo Federation of India chief Mukesh Kumar elected as Judo Union of Asia general secretary.

• Mukesh Kumar, chief of former Judo Federation of India was re-elected as general secretary of Judo Union, the Asian governing body, at its ordinary congress at Fujairah, UAE.

• He is also the Chairman of the Technical Conduct Committee of the 36th National Games that is allotted to Goa.

• The present President of Judo Federation of India, Partap Singh Bajwa was elected as Vice President of Judo Union of Asia and as president of South Asia Judo Federation.

Ravinder Kumar Passi appointed as a new Chairman of Export Promotion Council for Handicraft (EPCH).

• Export Promotion Council for Handicraft (EPCH) board appointed Ravinder Kumar Passi (previously a vice chairman of EPCH), to the post of Chairman of EPCH.

• He will take charge for the post of Chairman shortly from his predecessor O P Prahladka.

• Ravinder Kumar Passi served EPCH in various important position including the post of chairman during 2001-2002.

DAYS:

World Earth Day observed on April 22.

• On 22nd April 2009 the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring 22nd April as the “International Mother Earth Day”.

The term ‘Mother Earth’ implies the interdependent relationship which exists between all the species of planet earth and to acknowledge earth’s role in sustaining them all.

• World Earth Day 2019 theme is ‘Protect Our Species’. It will mainly focus on saving species which are on the verge of extinction due to climate change, deforestation, pollution and illegal poaching.

• The founder of the Earth Day was Gaylord Nelson.

In 2005 the United Nations General Assembly declared 2008 as the “International Year of Planet Earth”. The day was adopted with a view to promote education of earth sciences, acknowledging its importance in sustainable use of natural resources as well as for sustainable development.

AWARDS:

Malayalam film Bhayanakam won best cinematography at 2019 Beijing International Film Festival.

• Malayalam film Bhayanakam (Fear) directed by Jayaraj won the best cinematography award at the Beijing International Film Festival.

The cinematography was done by Nikihil S Praveen.

• The film had also won the best cinematography award at the 65thNational Film Awards.

• The film portrays the visits of first World War veteran to a small village in the backwaters of Kerala's Kuttanand as a postman during the World War-II. He shares with the families the good and bad news of the soldiers who took part in the war.

• Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Zero was screened at the end of the festival.

• The festival also screened five Indian films, including Satyajit Ray's "Pather Panchali", "Apur Sansar", "Aparajito", the romantic comedy "Love Per Square Foot", the 2018 Indian romantic comedy and the thriller "Ittefaq".