Daily Current Affairs, 20th March 2019

1) International Day Of Happiness: 20 March

•International Day of Happiness is celebrated every year on March 20. The theme for IDH 2019 is ‘Happier Together’, focusing on what we have in common, rather than what divides us.

•Since 2013, the United Nations has celebrated the International Day of Happiness as a way to recognize the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world.

2) Gauri Sawant Becomes India’s 1st Transgender Election Ambassador

•The Election Commission of India has appointed transgender social activist Gauri Sawant, as one of the 12 election ambassadors from Maharashtra. She is the first transgender election ambassadors.

•According to the Election Commission, Gauri Sawant’s appointment would help in more people from this category getting registered during the final phase of voters enrollment. It stated that in the next few days, Gauri Sawant would visit every transgender and inspire them about the need for voting.

3) Kazakhstan President Resigns After Nearly 30 Years In Power

•Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev has announced his resignation after nearly 30 years in power. The 78-year old leader had ruled the country since it emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.

•The Chairman of the Kazakh Senate would take over. The announcement came less than a month after the President sacked his government, citing a lack of economic development despite the country’s vast energy resources.

4) GST Council Approves Transition Plan For New GST Rates

•GST council approved a transition plan for new goods and services tax rates on residential properties under which developers of under-construction buildings may either opt to shift to the revised lower rates without input tax credit or stick to the previous rates.

•Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey informed that for housing projects launched on or after the first of April 2019, the developers will have to adhere to the new GST rates recommended by the council.

5) Mathematician Karen Uhlenbeck becomes 1st Woman To Win Abel Prize

•University of Texas professor Karen Uhlenbeck has become the first woman to win the Abel Prize, a mathematics honour first given in 2003. The 76-year-old was awarded for the impact of her work on “analysis, geometry and mathematical physics”.

•Modelled after the Nobel Prize, the Abel Prize is presented by the King of Norway and carries a $700,000 cash award. The award was awarded by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters in Oslo.

6) Mobile App ‘Conquer Exam, Be a Warrior’ Developed By IIPHG

•Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar, (IIPHG) in collaboration with National Mental Health Program, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Gujarat has developed a mobile application called as ‘Conquer Exam, Be a Warrior’ for students to reduce the exam pressure. This application creates awareness as well as help students to analyze their weak points and overcome from the exam pressure by providing assistance.