14 Indian cities on World’s 20 most polluted cities list, according to WHO data

  • Cities in India have the worst air quality in terms of PM 2.5 concentrations, according to a report by the World Health Organization.
  • The data comes from the WHO global air pollution database released in Geneva.
  • Strangely, according to the report, Delhi is not the most polluted city.
  • The most polluted city in the world is Kanpur, with Faridabad, Varanasi, Gaya and Patna complete the top 5 worst polluted cities.
  • Delhi, Lucknow, Agra, Muzzaffarpur and Srinagar complete the top 10 worst polluted.
  • The WHO data also said that 9 out of 10 people in the world breathe air containing high levels of pollutants.

NASA to launch first mission, titled InSight, to study the interior of Mars on May 5

  • NASA is all set to launch its first-ever mission to study the deep interior of the planet Mars.The mission is dubbed the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (or InSight for short).
  • The project will also be the first planetary mission to take off from the West Coast of US, at the Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. (Most of NASA’s missions are launched from the east coast of the country, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.)
  • The lander will study the deep interior of Mars to try and find out how the rocky planets formed, including Earth and its Moon.

GOBAR-DHAN Scheme launched under Swachh Bharat Mission to promote wealth and energy from waste

  • Union Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation, Sushri Uma Bharti, launched the GOBAR (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources) - DHAN scheme.
  • The scheme aims to boost cleanliness in villages and to generate wealth and energy from cattle and organic waste.
  • Under the scheme, solid waste such as dung and waste from the fields will be changed into compost and fuels such as biogas and bio-CNG.
  • Under GOBAR-DHAN, cooking gas will be provided to villagers and technical support will ensure that the scheme is sustainable.

Sikkim CM Pawan Chamling becomes India’s longest-serving Chief Minister

  • Sikkim’s Pawan Chamling, who is 68 years old, created history by becoming longest-serving Chief Minister in India.
  • He has completed 23 years, four months and 17 days of uninterrupted service in office.
  • The previous record was held by Jyoti Basu, 5-term West Bengal CM who held office for 23 years.

15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to be held in Varanasi in January 2019

  • The Ministry of External Affairs in association with the State Government of Uttar Pradesh is organising the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention in January 2019.
  • The event is being organised to facilitate greater participation of the diaspora community from across the world.
  • The event will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth.

Government launches pilot scheme to procure 2500 MW of Aggregate Power for 3 years

  • The Ministry of Power has launched a Pilot Scheme for the procurement of Aggregate Power of 2500 MW on a competitive basis for 3 years.
  • The scheme aims to revive commissioned power plants that are unable to sell electricity in absence of valid power purchase agreements (PPAs).
  • Under this scheme, such power plants will be allowed to bid for power supply.
  • The scheme will help nearly 12 GW commissioned thermal power plants to get medium-term power purchase agreement (PPA).

Famed singer Asha Bhosle honoured with PC Chandra Puraskaar

  • Legendary singer Asha Bhosle was honoured with the 26th PC Chandra Puraskaar.
  • She received the award for her contribution in the field of Indian music.
  • The Chief Guest at the event was Sharmila Tagore, who also presented Asha Bhosle with the prestigious award.
  • Asha Bhosle’s career spans over 70 years.

Shooter Shahzar Rizvi becomes World No.1 in 10m air pistol rankings

  • India shooter Shahzar Rizvi grabbed the No. 1 spot in the 10m air pistol ISSF world rankings.
  • He got the number 1 spot after coming second and winning a silver medal at the World Cup in Changwon, Korea.
  • At the conclusion of the event, he has 1,654 rating points, which puts him ahead of Russia’s Artem Chernousov (1,046) and Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsuda (803).
  • Rizvi previously won a gold medal with a world record score at the World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico in March.

India’s CA Bhavani Devi wins silver at Satellite Fencing Championship in Iceland

  • C. A. Bhavani Devi from India came in second, winning a silver medal at the Satellite World Cup 2018 Fencing Championship in Reykjavik, Iceland.
  • The fencer from Tamil Nadu lost to USA’s Alexis Browne in the final.
  • In the 2017 edition of the same tournament, she had won the gold medal.