Daily Current Affairs 20 March 2020: Your guide for daily General Knowledge Preparation
Dear Readers,
This post contains important current affairs of 20 March 2020. It includes all Major National, International, Business and Sports related current affairs of 20 March 2020. A brief explanation of every current affair is provided to further enhance your general knowledge. Once you have gone through these current affairs we would recommend to you to try 20 March 2020 Current affairs test.
National News
1. Chaitra Jatra festival
- Odisha Government has cancelled annual Chaitra Jatra festival at the Tara Tarini hill shrine as a precautionary measure against COVID-19.
- Indian Navy’s sailboat INSV Tarini was named after Tara Tarini hill shrine.
2. Eastern Waterways Connectivity Transport Grid (EWaCTG)
- World Bank will grant USD 70 million to India for Eastern Waterways Connectivity Transport Grid (EWaCTG).
- The Eastern Waterways Connectivity Transport Grid (EWaCTG) project aims to provide seamless connectivity between National Waterway-1 (NW-1) and NW-2 through the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) routes.
3. ‘Iconic Sites’ list of 19 monuments by Ministry of Tourism
- The Statue of Unity in Gujarat and the Sun temple in Odisha will be included to the ‘Iconic Sites’ list of Ministry of Tourism.
- Taj Mahal and FatehpurSikri (Uttar Pradesh), Ajanta and Ellora (Maharashtra), Humayun’s Tomb, Red Fort and QutubMinar (Delhi), Colva (Goa), Amer Fort (Rajasthan), Somnath and Dholavira (Gujarat), Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh), Hampi (Karnataka), Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu), Kaziranga (Assam), Kumarakom (Kerala) and Mahabodhi Temple (Bihar).
- Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Ministry of Culture Tourism– Prahlad Singh Patel
4. Indian Railways to electrify
- Indian Railways to electrify all broad gauge routes by December 2023.
- Indian Railways: Founded: 8 May 1845 || Headquarters: New Delhi || Piyush Goyal (Minister of Railways)
International News
1. World Cities Summit
- The 7th edition of World Cities Summit will be held from 5 to 9 July 2020 in Singapore.
- Theme: ‘Livable and Sustainable Cities: Adapting to a Disrupted World’.
- Singapore: Capital– Singapore || Currency-Singapore dollar || President– HalimahYacob
2. WhatsApp Coronavirus Information Hub
- ‘WhatsApp Coronavirus Information Hub’ has been launched by WhatsApp in partnership with WHO, UNICEF and UNDP.
- Aim: To provide simple, actionable guidance for health workers, educators, community leaders, non-profits, local governments and local businesses that depends on WhatsApp for communication.
Book Launch
1. Book ‘My Encounters in Parliament’
- Book ‘My Encounters in Parliament’ is authored by BhalchandraMungekaran, An Indian economist and former member of Rajya Sabha.
- BhalchandraLaxmanMungekar is an Indian economist, educationist, Social worker and Rajya Sabha member. He specialises in agricultural economics and is an expert on B. R. Ambedkar.
Important Appointments
1. CEO of HSBC
- HSBC has appointed Noel Quinn as its Chief Executive Officer.
- Noel Quinn is a British banking businessman who is CEO of HSBC Group as of August 2019, having succeeded John Flint. He initially assumed the position on an interim basis, but was named permanent CEO on March 2020.
- HSBC Holdings plc is a British multinational investment bank and financial services holding company. It was the 7th largest bank in the world by 2018, and the largest in Europe, with total assets of US$2.558 trillion.
- Headquarters: London
2. Chairman of AP Tourism Development Corporation
- Former Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani Appointed Chairman of AP Tourism Development Corporation.
- Air India is the flag carrier airline of India, headquartered at New Delhi. It is owned by Air India Limited, a government-owned enterprise, and operates a fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft serving 94 domestic and international destinations.
3. India’s next High Commissioner to Republic of Uganda
- A. Ajay Kumar has been appointed as India’s next High Commissioner to Republic of Uganda.
- Capital of Uganda: Kampala || Currency of Uganda: Ugandan shilling.
Important Days
1. International Day of Happiness
- The International Day of Happiness is celebrated worldwide every year on 20 March.
- It was originally conceptualized and founded in 2006 by Jayme Illien, CEO of the United Nations New World Order project, to advance happiness as a fundamental human right for all human beings.
- Theme: ‘Happiness For All, Together’.
2. World Storytelling Day
- World Storytelling Day is a global celebration of the art of oral storytelling. It is celebrated every year on the March equinox, on March 20.
- On World Storytelling Day, as many people as possible tell and listen to stories in as many languages and at as many places as possible, during the same day and night.
3. World Sparrow Day
- World Sparrow Day is observed on 20 March.
- World Sparrow Day is a day designated to raise awareness of the house sparrow and then other common birds to urban environments, and of threats to their populations.
Military Exercises
1. Military Exercise African Lion
- USA Africa Command has cancelled annual military exercise African Lion.
- The United States Africa Command, is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Armed Forces, headquartered at Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany. It is responsible for U.S. military operations, including fighting regional conflicts and maintaining military relations with 53 African nations.
Sports News
1. Roger Mayweather passes away
- Roger Mayweather, the former legendary trainer and uncle of Floyd Mayweather Jr., has passed away
- Roger Mayweather was an American professional boxer who competed from 1981 to 1999, and subsequently worked as a boxing trainer. He was a two-weight world champion, having held the WBA and lineal super featherweight titles from 1983 to 1984, and the WBC light welterweight title from 1987 to 1989.
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