Source: Cick Here

• A 400-year-old Kyoto-based temple has unveiled a robotic avatar of the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, Kannon, in an attempt to keep the younger generation connected with Buddhism.


• The robot named ‘Mindar’, can join its hands and move its eyes and torso while delivering 25-minute-long sermons to worshippers. and can even deliver a 25-minute-long sermon to the worshippers.

Source: Cick Here

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the most wide-ranging reforms in the Organization’s history to modernize and strengthen the institution to play its role more effectively and efficiently as the world’s leading authority on public health.


• These include one billion more people benefiting from universal health coverage (UHC), one billion more people better protected from health emergencies and one billion more people enjoying better health and well-being.

Source: Cick Here

• The government of India approved a strategy for creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through forest and tree cover by 2030.


• The strategy will help in fighting against climate change.


• Carbon sinks are natural or artificial reservoirs that absorb and store the atmosphere’s carbon dioxide through physical and biological mechanisms.

Source: Cick Here

• The inaugural India-Japan Space Dialogue was held in New Delhi.


• The dialogue brought together ministries and agencies related to outer space of the two countries and provided an opportunity for information exchange on the respective space policies.


• Discussions were also held on bilateral cooperation between JAXA-ISRO, their space industries, global navigation satellite system.

Source: Cick Here

• The Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Institute of Archaeology (PDUIA) in Greater Noida.


• The Institute of Archaeology (IA) is an academic wing of Archaeological Survey of India under the Ministry of Culture.


• The aim of this Institute is to provide an opportunity for students to achieve excellence in the field of archaeology.

Source: Cick Here

• The Government of India has approved the establishment of two new benches of National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for the faster disposal of cases.


• The benches will be established at Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh and the other at Indore in Madhya Pradesh.


• The jurisdiction of the Bench at Amaravati will be the state of Andhra Pradesh and that of Indore will be the state of Madhya Pradesh.

Source: Cick Here

• The RBI imposed penalties worth Rs 71 crore on 36 public, private and foreign banks.


• It imposed penalties for non-compliance with various directions on time-bound implementation and strengthening of SWIFT operations.


• The banks include Bank of Baroda, ICICI Bank, SBI and YES Bank.


• SWIFT is a global messaging software used for transactions by financial entities.

Source: Cick Here

• The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $26 Million Loan Agreement.


• The loan will be used for improving drainage infrastructure in Dibrugarh town of Assam under the Assam Urban Infrastructure Investment Program.


• The Program is helping to improve solid waste management and drainage infrastructure in Guwahati and Dibrugarh.

Source: Cick Here

• Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has granted provisional recognition to All India Carrom Federation (AICF) as National Sport Federation with immediate in order to facilitate the participation of Indian Athletes in the forthcoming National/International competitions.


• A major role has been granted to the AICF for development of the Carrom sport in India by the recognition.


• The recognition can be reviewed by the Government in case Memorandum of Association (MoA) of the AICF or its practices come into conflict with the Government guidelines as amended from time to time.


• The Carrom sport is placed in the ‘Others’ category.

• AIBA (International Boxing Association) Technical & Competition Rules Commission and AIBA medical Commission has proposed certain changes in the rules after the Executive Committee Meetings in Moscow in October 2018 and Istanbul in February 2019.


• New Weight classes –The 2020 Olympics shall have five weight classes for female boxers with the addition of two weight classes, featherweight (57 kg/125 lbs) and welterweight (69 kg/152 lbs) into the already existing flyweight, lightweight and middleweight.


• Dropped Weight classes – In males’s boxing, light flyweight, bantamweight and light welterweight have been dropped for 2020; instead men’s featherweight (57 kg) was added. With these changes 10 weight classes in men’s boxing has been reduced to eight.


• Certain rules such as change in nationality, seeding procedure, procedure involving disqualified boxers, option to review a bout, glove size and sensors for data have been changed while the world ranking rule remains the same.


• It is still not officially affirmed whether boxing will likely be a part of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo or not but AIBA made changes to streamline the sport.

Source: Cick Here

• The Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport, New Delhi was declared as the best airport in the category of over “40 million passengers per annum (MPPA)” in Asia Pacific by Airports Council International (ACI) in the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Programme for 2018.


• It had maintained the position of World no. 2 from 2011 to 2013 and in 2014 went up to become the World no. 1 in the 25-40 MMPA category and stayed at that position in 2015.


• It stood World No. 2 in the highest category of more than 40 MPPA in 2016 and in 2017, it was adjudged as the best airport in the highest category of over 40 MPPA.

Source: Cick Here

• On the evening of International Women’s Day United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) appointed Padma Lakshmi as its goodwill ambassador.


• She will have the responsibility to support the agency’s fight against inequality and discrimination which can affect people in rich and poor countries alike.


• Padma Lakshmi is an Indian – American television personality, supermodel, food expert, author and executive producer of Top Chef.


• She is the co-founder of the Endometriosis Foundation of America, a visiting scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an ambassador for the American Civil Liberties Union advocating for immigrants rights.