29th March Current Affairs 2019 for Bank Exam

• NRAI was awarded the Best Sports Federation

• The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) was awarded the ‘Best Sports Federation’ award in the country by the Association Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM).  

• This is another feather in the cap of the shooting sport community. They have been raising the performance bar every day over the past few years. NRAI secretary-general D.V.S. Rao and secretary Rajeev Bhatia received the trophy from Director General of SAI Neelam Kapoor and cricketer Madan Lal.

• Studies says river water persisted on Mars much later than thought

• A study has found Water from rivers on Mars persisted at hundreds of locations on the Red Planet much later into its history than previously thought. Riverbeds were carved deep into the Martian surface long ago, but the understanding of the climate billions of years ago remains incomplete.  

• Scientists in University of Chicago in the U.S. catalogued these rivers to conclude that significant river run-off persisted on Mars later into its history than previously thought.

• Boeing unveils changes to MCAS, anti stall system

• Embattled aviation giant Boeing pledged to do all it can to prevent crashes like two that killed nearly 350 people in recent months, as it unveiled a fix to the flight software of its grounded 737 MAX aircraft.  

• Boeing gathered hundreds of pilots and reporters to unveil the changes to the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS). Boeing unveiled the software changes at the company’s massive factory in Renton, Washington, and offered reassurances.

• Vijayawada Railway Station awarded Gold rating

• Vijayawada railway station, one of the busiest railway junctions in India, has received Gold Rating by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) for Green Measures. 

• The IGBC-CII, with the support of the Environment Directorate of Indian Railways, developed the Green Railway Stations Rating System to facilitate adoption of green concepts, thereby reduce the adverse environmental impact due to station operation and maintenance and also enhance the overall commuter experience. 

• The Vijayawada station has installed 100 per cent LED lighting, the fans are five-star rated, and solar power is already being used for water heating systems.

• Vice Admiral MA Hampiholi, AVSM, NM to be designated as Director General Naval Operations (DGNO)

• Vice Admiral MA Hampiholi, AVSM NM has been appointed as Director General Naval Operations (DGNO). He will succeed Satish Namdeo Ghormade.  He was commissioned in the Executive Branch of the Indian Navy on 1st July 1985. 

• The Flag Officer has experience as Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) specialist officer at onboard INShips Himgiri, Agray,and Ganga. He has experience as a Commanding officer in INS Nashak (missile vessel), INS Magar {Landing Ship Tank (Large)} and INS Talwar (stealth Frigate), Second-in-Command of INS Khukri (Missile Corvette). 

• He commanded the National Coast Guard, Mauritius for two years (2003 – 05) and served as Commanding Officer of INS Mandovi.

• Nobel Prize recipient Amartya Sen awarded with Oxford University Bodley award

• The 85-year-old winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, was awarded with the prestigious Bodley Medal, the highest honour granted by the University of Oxford's world-famous Bodleian Libraries, for his contribution in literature, culture, science and communication. 

• This year's other winner of the Bodley Medal is Nobel Prize-winning novelist Kazuo Ishiguro. Past winners of the honour include physicist Stephen Hawking, novelist Hilary Mantel and inventor of the World Wide Web Tim Berners-Lee.

• Kolkata Dhaka ship to set sail

• A regular river cruise will start between Kolkata, India and Dhaka, Bangladesh for the first time in the history of the two countries. 

• The Indian ship, R V Bengal Ganga, will start its journey from a west Kolkata jetty. About 60 persons will be travelling. The return journey will take nearly two weeks from Kolkata and the ship will pass through Sunderbans on both sides of the marine border.  

• Another ship will simultaneously start from Bangladesh, traverse the same route and reach Kolkata, taking approximately the same time. The border formalities will be completed at Sunderbans on the Indian side.

• Former President Abdulla Yameen was released

• A Maldives court ordered the release of former President Abdulla Yameen, who was arrested in mid-February on charges of money laundering.  

• According to the Male-based Maldives Independent , the decision on his release came on procedural grounds, after the composition of the three-judge bench hearing the case was changed. The ex-President, who had earlier been held at the Maafushi prison, was transferred out, and held under house arrest before his release. 

• The development comes with less than a fortnight left for the Maldives’s parliamentary election.

• Worlds longest salt cave found in Israel

• Israeli cave explorers discovered the cave named Malham, the world’s longest salt cave with striking stalactites near the Dead Sea. 

• Previously, Iran's N3 cave held the record.  Malham Cave: The cave named Malham is stretched over 10 km. It runs through Mount Sodom, Israel’s largest mountain, and spills out to the southwest corner of the adjacent Dead Sea. 

• Pale salt stalactites hang from the ceilings, and some of the walls sparkle with salt crystals. Drops of salty water are visible at the tips of some of the stalactites.  Iran's N3 cave: But in 2006, researchers mapped over 6 km of the N3 cave in southern Iran’s Qeshm island, granting it the widely recognised status of the world’s longest salt cave.

• Manohar Ajgaonkar designated as Goas Deputy Chief Ministers

• Goa’s Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar has been appointed as the Deputy Chief Minister of Goa. 

• He switched to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, on March 27, 2019. At present he is the second deputy chief minister along with Goa Forward Party (GFP) leader and state minister Vijai Sardesai. 

• Both will succeed Sudin Dhavalikar. About Goa: ♦ Capital: Panaji ♦ Governor: Mridula Sinha ♦ Chief Minister: Pramod Sawant ♦ National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary: Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary.

• Singapore airport named worlds best aviation hub for the seventh time

• 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, while New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport featured at number 59. Singapore Changi Airport is known for its rooftop swimming pool, two 24-hour movie theaters and shopping spots. 

• At number two on the list is Tokyo International Airport (Haneda), up one place from 2018. This hub also won World's Best Domestic Airport and World's Cleanest Airport. Incheon International Airport secured 3rd position in the list 

• The other Indian aiports in the list were Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport at 64, the Rajiv Gandhi Hyderabad International Airport at 66, and Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport at 69.