Daily Current Affairs, 01st May 2019

1) International Workers’ Day: 1st May

•International Labour Day (also known as May Day or International Workers’ Day) is celebrated across the world on 1st of May every year. The day celebrates the struggle, dedication and commitment of the working class and is an annual public holiday in several countries. The theme of International Labour Day 2019 is “Sustainable Pension for all: The Role of Social Partners”.

•On 1 May 1886, Chicago and a few other cities were the site of a major union demonstration in support of the eight-hour workday demand. In 1889, the International Socialist Conference declared that in commemoration of the Haymarket affair, 1 May would be an international holiday for the labor force, now known as International Workers’ Day.

2) Akihito 1st Japanese Emperor To Step Down From Throne in 200 Years

•Akihito became the first Japanese Emperor to step down from the throne in more than 200 years. His son, Crown Prince Naruhito, will ascend the Chrysanthemum throne today, beginning a new era. 30 April was the last day of the Heisei imperial era.

3) Environment Ministry Constitutes Committee To Implement National Clean Air Programme

•The Union Environment Ministry has constituted a committee to implement the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), which aims to reduce particulate matter (PM) pollution by 20%-30% in at least 102 cities by 2024. The committee will be chaired by the Secretary, Union Environment Ministry. It would be headquartered in New Delhi.

4) India Ratings & Research Lowers Growth Forecast For 2019-20 To 7.3%

•India Ratings & Research (A Fitch Group Company) has lowered the country’s growth forecast for the current fiscal to 7.3%, from the earlier projection of 7.5 %. The agency has listed three key reasons for lowering its projection.

1.Prediction of lower-than-normal monsoon for 2019 and the continued agrarian distress.
2.The loss of momentum in the industrial output growth, especially manufacturing and electricity, is likely to hurt growth.
3.The slow progress in cases referred to the National Company Law Tribunal under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016, for resolution of the non-performing assets of the banking sector becoming a long-drawn-out process.

5) Indian And French Navies Conduct Varuna 19.1 Bilateral Exercise Off Goa Coast

•The first part of the Indo-French joint naval exercise, Varuna 19.1 was kicked off the Goa coast. The 17th edition includes the participation of the French Navy’s aircraft carrier FNS Charles de Gaulle, two destroyers, FNS Forbin and FNS Provence, the frigate FNS Latouche-Treville, the tanker FNS Marne and a nuclear submarine.

•The exercise will be conducted in two phases. The second part, Varuna 19.2, is scheduled to be held at the end of May in Djibouti. The bilateral naval exercise initiated in 1983 and christened as ‘Varuna’ in 2001, form a vital part of the Indo-French strategic partnership.

6) Dilip Kumar Appointed As Officer On Special Duty In Office Of Lokpal

•Senior IAS officer Dilip Kumar was appointed as the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the office of Lokpal. Kumar, a 1995-batch IAS officer of Punjab cadre, is at present joint secretary, National Human Rights Commission. He has been appointed for a period of six months on additional charge basis or till a new incumbent joins the post.

7) Iraq Becomes India’s Top Oil Supplier in 2018-19

•Iraq has become India’s top crude oil supplier for the second consecutive year, meeting more than one-fifth of the country’s oil needs in the 2018-19 fiscal year. According to data collected by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics, Iraq sold 46.61 million tonnes of crude oil to India during April 2018 and March 2019.

•India provisionally imported 207.3 million tonnes of crude oil in 2018-19, down from 220.4 million tonnes in the previous financial year. Saudi Arabia has traditionally been India’s top oil source, but it was for the first time dethroned by Iraq in 2017-18 fiscal year.