22nd May Current Affairs for Bank Exam

• Government issued drought advisory in 6 states as water levels in dams dip to critical level

• Centre has issued a drought advisory to six southern and western states and has asked them to use water judiciously as the water storage in dams dropping to a critical level. The 6 states are Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu.

• The drought advisory is issued to states when the water level in reservoirs is 20% less than the average of live water storage figures of the past 10 years. Water falls under the state list and the advisory recommends states to use it for drinking purpose only till the dams are replenished.

• The 'Water' subject falls under the state list mentioned in the Indian Constitution and recent drought advisory recommends states to use water for drinking purpose only till dams are replenished. The drought advisory is issued to states when the water level in reservoirs is about 20% less than the average of live water storage figures of the past 10 years.

• Central Water Commission (CWC):

• The Central Water Commission (CWC)  is a technical organization in the field of Water Resources. It monitors water storage available in 91 major reservoirs across the country. CWC functions as an attached office of Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India.

• According to recent figures released by CWC, total water storage available is only 22 % (it was 24% in May 2019) of total storage capacity (which is 161.993 BCM) of these reservoirs. 

• The western region includes Gujarat and Maharashtra. There are 27 reservoirs: 10 in Gujarat and 17 in Maharashtra, having a total live storage capacity of 31.26 BCM.

• The southern region includes states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. There are 31 reservoirs: two of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana together, Andhra Pradesh (1), Telangana (2), Karnataka (14), Kerala (6) and Tamil Nadu (6), under CWC monitoring having a total live storage capacity of 51.59 BCM.

• World Book of Records named Kapil Sharma as most viewed stand-up comedian in India and Abroad

• Kapil Sharma named as most viewed stand-up comedian in India and abroad by World Book of Records London.

• He had started his career as a stand-up comedian from different comedy shows and got fame from “Comedy Nights with Kapil”.bout Kapil Sharma

• Occupation: Comedian, Actor, Anchor, Singer, Film & Television Producer

• Years active: 2007

• Known for: The Kapil Sharma Show, Comedy Nights with Kapil, Comedy Circus

• May 20 observed as World Metrology Day 

• World Metrology Day was observed on May 20, 2019 with a theme “The International System of Units – Fundamentally better”.

• This theme was chosen because last year on 16th November 2018, the General Conference on Weights and Measures agreed to revise the International System of Units (SI).

• The World Metrology Day was celebrated every year because of the signature of the Metre Convention on May 20, 1875.

• About International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM)

• Location: Sevres, France

• Director: Martin Milton

• Motto: Use the measure

• About International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML)

• ♦ Headquarter: Paris, France

Badminton World Federation launched 2 new formats of Badminton

• Recently, Badminton World Federation (BWF) launched two new formats of Badminton named as AirBadminton & Triples.

• BWF launched AirBadminton at Guangzhou with new dimensions of the court and an innovative shuttlecock called Airshuttle. 

• The AirBadminton will be an outdoor game as compared to traditional badminton which is indoor games.

• About Badminton World Federation (BWF)

• Headquarters: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

• President: Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen

India allowed refurbished mobile imports certified by Bureau of Indian Standards(BIS) 

• India allowed the import of refurbished mobile phones or second mobile phones only if they are certified by the Bureau of Indian Standards(BIS).

• Earlier, the Government of India didn’t give its assent to refurbished mobile imports with the fear of dumping and negative effect to Make In India initiative.

• About BIS:

• ♦ Headquarters: Manak Bhawan, New Delhi

• ♦ Founder: Parliament of India

• ♦ Founded: December 23, 1986

• ♦ Parent Organization: Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India.

• ♦ President: Shri Ram Vilas Paswan, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India.

• ♦ Director General: Surina Rajan 

• Anirudh and Niki won the 2019 ITF mens Futures tennis title in Uganda

• Top seeds Anirudh Chandrasekar and Niki Poonacha won the 2019 International Tennis Federation (ITF) men’s Futures tennis tournament title in Kampala, Uganda. 

• The pair defeated Simon Carr and Ryan James Storrie and secured 6-3, 6-4. It was the maiden international title for Anirudh, while it was fourth doubles title for Poonacha.

• The results: 

• $15,000 ITF men, Kampala, Uganda: 

• Doubles (final): Anirudh Chandrasekar & Niki Poonacha bt Simon Carr (Irl) & Ryan James Storrie (GBr) 6-3, 6-4

• Joko Widodo has been elected President of Indonesia for the second term

• Indonesia’s Joko Widodo has been re-elected as President of the country. He beat his rival Prabowo Subianto, a retired general. 

• Widodo and his vice-presidential running mate Ma’ruf Amin won the election by a 55.5% to 44.5% margin over Prabowo Subianto and Sandiaga Uno.

• Widodo's PDI-P finished first in the People's Representative Council (DPR) election with 19.33%, followed by Prabowo's Gerindra with 12.57%. The next top parties by the number of votes are Golkar, the National Awakening Party (PKB), the Nasdem Party, and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

• Joko Widodo:

• Joko Widodo is an Indonesian politician who is the seventh and current President of Indonesia. 

• Elected in July 2014 as the first Indonesian president to not come from an elite political or military background, he was previously the Mayor of Surakarta from 2005 to 2012, and the Governor of Jakarta from 2012 to 2014.

• He belongs to the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle. 
• Indonesia General election:
• General elections were held in Indonesia on 17 April 2019. 
• For the first time in the country's history, the president, the vice president, members of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), and members of local legislative bodies were elected on the same day with over 190 million eligible voters. 
• Sixteen parties participated in the elections nationally, including four new parties.
• The election was a re-match of the 2014 presidential election, in which Widodo defeated Prabowo. The election was described as "one of the most complicated single-day ballots in global history".

Rajasthan Government to revamp Ujala Clinics for adolescents

• Rajasthan Government set to revamp ‘Ujala Clinics’ for adolescents. 

• It will appoint peer educators and shadow educators for counseling the youngsters in order to ensure coordination with other medical and health schemes.

• Ujjala Clinics function under Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram(RKSK) in 10 districts of the state. 

• They are established at district hospitals, community health centers and selected primary health centers in Udaipur, Rajsamand, Banswara, Dungarpur, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Jalore, Bundi, Karauli and Dholpur districts.

• Adolescent health strategy is aimed at reducing malnutrition and anemia. 

• It will improve the knowledge and behavior of adolescents with regards to sexual and reproductive health.

• About Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram(RKSK):

• It is a health program launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for adolescents between the age group 10 and 19 years. 

• The aim of this programme is the adolescent participation and leadership, equity and inclusion, gender equity and strategic partnerships with other sectors and stakeholders. 

• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare along with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) developed a National Adolescent Health Strategy. 

• It focuses on age groups 10-14 years and 15-19 years with universal coverage

• males and females, urban and rural, in school and out of school, married and unmarried and vulnerable and underserved.

Moin ul Haque appointed as Pakistans High Commissioner to India

• Pakistan announced career diplomat Moin ul Haque as its new High Commissioner to India. The appointment was formally approved by Prime Minister Imran Khan. He is the current ambassador of Pakistan in France. 

• Haque replaces Sohail Mehmood. The post of High Commissioner to India fell vacant after Sohail Mehmood was appointed Pakistan's new foreign secretary.

• Pakistan has announced new ambassadors to 18 countries including China, Japan, and Brussels. The decision came after a detailed meeting with Prime Minister Khan, who formally approved the new appointments.

• Other appointments:

• In Beijing, Naghmana Hashmi will replace Masood Khalid, the incumbent envoy to China, after completion of his tenure. Additional Secretary Imtiaz Ahmad has been appointed Ambassador to Japan, while Zaheer Janjua, currently serving as additional secretary in Europe, will look after the Pakistani mission in Brussels.

• Sarfaraz Ahmad was appointed as ambassador to Sudan, Imran Haider as ambassador in Tajikistan, Major General Abdul Aziz Tariq in Brunei and Major General Muhammad Khalid Rao in Bosnia Herzegovina.

• Ambassador in Kuwait Ghulam Dastagir will replace Muazzam Ali Khan in Abu Dhabi, while Qazi Khalilullah, serving as ambassador in Russia, was being given an extension of six months.    

• The newly-appointed ambassadors and consul generals will play a pivotal in promoting the soft image of Pakistan and will adopt the best behaviour with Pakistani community living abroad.

• NPPA reduces prices of 9 non scheduled cancer medicines

• The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), India’s drug pricing regulator, has reduced the prices of 9 non-scheduled cancer drugs by up to 87%, capping their trade margin at 30%. This decision is in continuation of nodal agency's efforts to bring down drugs prices. 

• In February 2019, the government had capped about 42 cancer drugs at 30%. This new anti-cancer non-scheduled medicine list is in continuation of efforts to curb profiteering on these vital drugs and to make a cure for cancer affordable for patients as well as for their families. 

• Sri Lanka marked 10 years since the end of civil war

• Sri Lanka marked 10 years since the end of a decades-long civil war that left more than 100,000 people dead. The United Nations has urged Sri Lanka to investigate alleged war crimes committed by both sides.

• But disputes among communities continue to limit progress as 10 years has not diminished the grief for the survivors of Sri Lanka's civil war.

• Sri Lankan Civil War:

• The Sri Lankan Civil War was an armed conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. It began on 23rd July 1983 and ended on 18 May 2009. There was an intermittent insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (the LTTE, also known as the Tamil Tigers), which fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eelam in the north and the east of the island. After a 26-year military campaign, the Sri Lankan military defeated the Tamil Tigers in May 2009, bringing the civil war to an end.