Daily Current affairs - May 28th to 31st, 2018 for all competitive exams
International Day of Action for Women’s
Health is an international observance celebrated on May 28 every year since
1987.
- May 28th is a Day of Action recognized
internationally wherein any organisation or individual can mobilise their
communities around their own priority topic best suiting the local
context.
Since its inaugural launch in 1987,
May 28th has been recognized as the International Day of Action for Women’s
Health by several governments, various international agencies and multiple
civil society organizations around the world.
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May 29
- International day of UN Peacekeepers
International Day of UN
Peacekeepers is observed across the world on May 29, with an aim
to honour more than 3700 peacekeepers who have lost their lives while serving
the United Nations since 1948.
- The theme for this year is UN Peacekeepers: 70
Years of Service and Sacrifice.
The first UN peacekeeping
mission was established on 29 May 1948. The day was first
celebrated in 2003.
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May 31 - World No
Tobacco Day
Every year, on 31 May, World Health
Organization and partners mark World No Tobacco Day (WNTD).
- The theme of World No Tobacco Day 2018
is "Tobacco breaks heart: Choose health, not Tobacco."
- The day highlights the health and other
risks associated with tobacco use, and advocating for effective policies
to reduce tobacco consumption.
WNTD is one of eight official global
public health campaigns marked by the WHO, along with World Health Day, World
Blood Donor Day, World Immunization Week, World Tuberculosis Day, World
Malaria Day, World Hepatitis Day, and World AIDS Day
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PM Modi announces 30-day
free visa for Indonesian citizens
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi today announced a 30-day free visa for Indonesian citizens. He
invited the diaspora to travel to their country of origin to experience the
‘New India’.
- In the last two-and-a-half years, more than 9,000
start-ups have been registered in India.
Moody's slashes India
growth forecast to 7.3%
Moody's Investors Service
report has cut India's GDP growth forecast to 7.3% in
2018, from the previous forecast of 7.5% due to higher oil prices and
tighter financial conditions.
- It, however, kept growth expectation for 2019
remains unchanged at 7.5%.
Moody's Investors Service, often
referred to as Moody's, is the bond credit rating business of Moody's
Corporation, representing the company's traditional line of business and its
historical name. Moody's Investors Service provides international financial research
on bonds issued by commercial and government entities. Moody's, along with
Standard & Poor's and Fitch Group, is considered one of the Big Three
credit rating agencies.
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GoI and World bank signed $500mn loan for Pradhan
Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana
Government of India and the World Bank has signed a $500 million loan
agreement to provide additional financing for the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak
Yojana (PMGSY) Rural Roads Project, implemented by Ministry of Rural
Development.
- PMGSY was launched on 25th December 2000 as a fully
funded Centrally Sponsored Scheme to provide all weather road connectivity
in rural areas of the country. The programme envisages connecting all
habitations with a population of 500 persons and above in the plain areas
and 250 persons and above in hill States, the tribal and the desert areas.
Ministry of Power launched PRAAPTI app
In a bid
to rein in errant distribution companies that delay payments to power
generation companies, the Power Ministry has launched the Praapti web portal,
that aims at bringing transparency in power sector of India.
- PRAAPTI, Payment Ratification and Analysis in Power
procurement for bringing Transparency in Invoicing of generators, will
contain all details related to payments.
- The app will enable citizens to monitor the payments
that are being made to power generation companies. The app will also allow
its users to know the details related to the payments made by the discoms to the power generation company and when it was made.
- PRAAPTI will also enable the consumers to know the
performance of their discoms in terms of payments
that are being made to the generation companies. Later, the performance of
the discoms will be ratified on
the basis of payments that were made.
Gaj Yatra campaign launched in Meghalaya
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Wildlife Trust
of India (WTI) has rolled out the ‘Gaj Yatra’ from Tura, the principal town of
Garo Hills in Meghalaya. The event involves taking an elephant mascot across
districts frequented by jumbo herds for generating awareness among the people.
- The role of Nokmas, traditional custodians
of the land, is important here in supporting the move towards co-existence
between man and animal and helping conservationists for the success of the
initiative.
‘Gaj Yatra’, a nationwide campaign to protect elephants, was launched on
the occasion of World Elephant Day in 2017. The campaign is planned to cover
12 elephant range states. The elephant is part of India’s animal heritage and
the Government celebrates this day to spread awareness about the conservation
of the species.
The 15 months campaign will be led by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).
The campaign aims to create awareness about elephant corridors to encourage
free movement in their habitat.
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Robot called RADA going to
introduce in Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport from July 5
A Tata-Singapore joint venture airline,
Vistara, announced that it had created a robot called RADA, using Artificial
Intelligence technology, that will be placed at its signature lounge at Delhi’s
Indira Gandhi International Airport from July 5.
- It will answer your queries once you have scanned
your boarding pass. It will greet customers and interact with them using
basic hand movements and will move around in the lounge on predefined
pathways.
India’s second IT corridor in China
National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) has
launched its second IT corridor in China to cash in on the burgeoning Chinese
software market which remained elusive despite the presence of top Indian
technology firms.
- The newly established Digital Collaborative
Opportunities Plaza (SIDCOP) platform at Guiyang in China provides market
access to Indian IT firms in the huge Chinese market.
The Guiyang corridor will focus on Big Data. Last December, the NASSCOM
established its first SIDCOP platform in the Chinese port city of Dalian,
which is India’s first IT hub in China. Dalian corridor’s focus was on IOT
(Internet of Things).
The corridor is aimed at setting up local offices and assisting companies
from Guiyang to establish software and IT units in India. India’s top IT
firms have a big presence in China, specially multi-nationals and IT Corridor
at Dalian which are expected to provide a gateway for the Indian IT-small and
medium-sized enterprises.
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Manipur becomes first
state in Northeast to have solar toilet
Manipur has become the first state in
the Northeast and the third state in India to have solar toilets.
- The solar panel, connected to the toilets, absorbs
the heat to generate power and is also efficient to transform waste
material.
Manipur set to introduce Inner Line Permit bill
Manipur government is all set to introduce the Inner Line Permit bill in
the forthcoming monsoon session of the assembly.
- The Manipur Assembly had passed three bills in this
connection in 2015 but the President did not give assent to one bill while
the two others were rejected even as most tribals in the state had
objected to the bills terming them as “anti-tribal”.
The Inner Line Permit (ILP) is an official travel document issued by the
Government of India to grant inward travel of an Indian citizen into a
protected area for a limited period. It is obligatory for Indians residing
outside those states to obtain permission prior to entering the protected
areas.
Currently, the Inner Line Permit is operational in Arunachal Pradesh,
Mizoram and Nagaland. The document has been issued under the Bengal Eastern
Frontier Regulation, 1873 and the conditions and restrictions vary from state
to state.
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Gujarat government
launches 'Reuse of treated waste water policy'
Gujarat government unveiled
its 'Reuse of Treated Waste Water Policy' which aims to reduce the
state's dependence on freshwater sources like the Narmada River.
- Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy
Chief Minister Nitin Patel launched the policy at a function held in
Gandhinagar.
- The policy will promote the use of treated
wastewater and will see the setting up of sewage treatment plants
(STP) in all major towns and cities of Gujarat.
Andhra Pradesh gets new state bird, state flower
Four years after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, the government of the
residual state has announced its state symbols.
- State bird: Rama Chiluka (psittacula krameri) or
rose ringed parrot.
- State animal: Blackbuck (antilope cervicapra) or
Krishna Jinka.
- State tree: Neem (azadirachta indica) or Vepa
Chettu.
- State flower: Jasmine
State symbols of Telangana
State bird: Palapitta.
State animal: Jinka or spotted deer.
State tree: Jammi Chettu (prosopis cineraria).
State flower: Tangidi Puvvu (senna auriculata).
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Odisha police, UNICEF join
hands against child abuse
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday
launched ‘Paree Pain Katha Tiye’ (A word for the little angel), a State-wide
awareness campaign against child sexual abuse.
- UNICEF and the State police have joined hands for
the campaign to create awareness on the importance and role of every
member of society in preventing child sexual abuse, need for reporting and
need for trauma care.
- Fifteen vans modified as ‘Paree Express’ flagged off
by Mr. Patnaik will cover all 30 districts during the campaign from May 28
to June 12.
India signs loan agreement
with World bank for Rajasthan project
An Agreement for IBRD Credit of USD 21.7
Million from the World Bank for the Strengthening of Public
Financial Management in Rajasthan Project was signed in New Delhi.
- The Project size is approximately USD 31
million, of which USD 21.7 million will be financed by the World
Bank, and the remaining amount will be funded out of the State
Budget.
- The Project duration is 5 years. The Project
objective is to contribute to improved Budget execution, enhanced
accountability and greater efficiency in Revenue Administration in
Rajasthan.
Cochin International
Airport, World’s 1st fully Solar energy-powered airport: UNEP
United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) has recognised Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) in
Kerala as the world’s first fully solar energy-powered airport.
- CIAL is India’s first airport to be constructed in
public-private-partnership (PPP) model in 1999.
- It is the busiest and largest airport in the state
of Kerala. The airport has 15 MWp solar power plants near the cargo
complex of airport comprising 46,150 solar panels laid across 45 acres.
UNEP was founded as result of
United Nations Conference on Human Environment in June 1972. It is
headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya.
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US military renamed Pacific command as INDOPACOM
US military has renamed its Pacific Command to US-Indo Pacific Command,
underlining the growing connectivity between India and Pacific Oceans. The
symbolic move came in recognition of the growing importance of the Indian Ocean
in US strategic thinking.
- The renaming reflects the existing geographic
coverage of the command and the acknowledgment of the increasing
connectedness between the two oceans — Pacific and India —, but also, more
broadly, the process of India’s re-entry into the US government’s “Asia”
orbit.”
Formerly known as United States Pacific Command, it is a unified
combatant command of the United States Armed Forces responsible for the
Indo-Asia-Pacific region. It is the oldest and largest of the unified
combatant commands.
Its commander, the senior U.S. military officer in the Pacific, is
responsible for military operations in an area which encompasses more than
100 million square miles, or roughly 52% of the Earth’s surface, stretching
from the waters off the west coast of the United States to the west coast of
India, and from the Arctic to the Antarctic.
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Singapore airlines to
start world’s longest non-stop flight
Singapore Airlines (SIA) will
launch the world’s longest non-stop commercial flight between Singapore and
Newark from October 11, 2018.
- The airline will deploy the new Airbus A350-900ULR
(ultra-long-range) for covering the distance of 16,700km in up to 18 hours
and 45 minutes.
- Daily operations will start a week later, from
October 18, after an additional A350-900ULR aircraft enters service.
- The aircraft will be configured in a two-class
layout, with 67 business and 94 premium economy seats.
Colombia to be NATO's 1st
Latin american ‘Gobal Partner’
Colombia would be formally joining
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The announcement was made
by the Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.
- With the move, Colombia will become the first
Latin American nation to be a part of the alliance. It would be
joining the bloc as a ‘global partner’, which means it will not
necessarily have to take part in any joint military action and will be
fully accredited in Brussels.
Scientists developed Nanocomposite
Scientists have developed a nanocomposite material that can selectively
convert environmental carbon monoxide into less toxic carbon dioxide.
- The new composite material is made of graphene and
an alloy of platinum and palladium in the form of nanoparticles. Graphene
was used as a substrate and then “decorated” with alloy nanoparticles made
of platinum and palladium. The material was then used for selective
oxidation of CO into CO2.
- The catalytic behaviour of the nanocomposite was
studied using different morphologies for the oxidation of CO. The
conversion rate varied along with the flow rate of CO as well as
temperature, showing full conversion at temperatures ranging from 75° to
125°.
- The new material could find potential use in
chemical industries as well as environmental cleaning.
Graphene has been touted in the global electronics industry as a “miracle
material” given its strength, electrical conductivity and elasticity, and has
been seen as an alternative to lithium-ion batteries since its discovery in
2004. It is a form of carbon that can be used to develop smaller, slimmer
batteries but with higher capacity.
Graphene has excellent electronic, mechanical, thermal and optical
properties as well. Its uses range from improving battery performance in
energy devices, to cheaper solar panels.
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Ramdev’s Patanjali ties up
with BSNL
After becoming India’s most trusted Fast
Moving Consumer Goods brand, Ramdev’s Patanjali entered the telecom sector.
- Ramdev launched Swadeshi Samriddhi SIM cards, in
alliance with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). Initially, only the
employees and office bearers of Patanjali will be able to avail the
benefits of the SIM card.
Ramdev launches messaging
app Kimbho that will rival WhatsApp
Yoga guru Ramdev launched a new
messaging application called Kimbho under his flagship company Patanjali.
- After launching sim cards, Baba Ramdev has launched
a new messaging application called Kimbho.
- Kimbho application is touted to be a competitor of
the messaging app WhatsApp. The tagline of Kimbho is kept as “Ab Bharat
Bolega”.
TRAI proposes use of blockchain technology
Telecom
regulator Trai has issued new draft norms to curb pesky calls and SMSes by
using blockchain technology. When implemented, Trai will become first organisation to implement this kind of regulation.
- The new technology aims to ensure that telemarketing
messages are sent only to those who have subscribed to them, and that too
by authorized entities. The draft proposes to check misuse of repeated
unsolicited calls being made even to those subscribers who have given
consent.
Blockchain is the digital and
decentralized ledger that records transactions without the need for a
financial intermediary, which in most cases is a bank. A blockchain is an
anonymous online ledger that uses data structure to simplify
the way we transact. Blockchain allows users to manipulate the ledger in a
secure way without the help of a third party.
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Indian Railways conducted workshop on Mission
Raftaar
Indian Railways conducted a one-day workshop ‘Mission Raftaar’ in which
officials discussed ways to increase the average speed of freight and passenger
trains.
- Issues such as “punctuality, rolling stock, removing
bottlenecks in terms of traffic, elimination of unmanned level crossings
were discussed” at the workshop.
- ‘Mission Raftaar’ aims at doubling the average speed
of freight trains and increasing the average speed of coaching trains by
25 kmph over a five-year period.
Main event of 4th
International Yoga day celebrations to be held at Dehradun
The main event of 4th International
Yoga Day celebrations will be held at Dehradun in
Uttrakhand on 21st of June.
- Secretary AYUSH Ministry Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha has
announced that Dehradun has been selected as the venue for Mass Yoga
Demonstration of International Yoga Day. Mr Kotecha is in Dehradun to
initiate the preparations regarding this mega event.
Hamburg to host 2018
Global Wind Summit
The first edition of the Global Wind
Summit will be held in Hamburg, Germany in September 2018. The
four-day event will see speakers from about 100 countries, including India,
China, the US, Spain and Denmark.
- The conference on wind is the largest and most
important meeting of the wind industry worldwide. The event combines two
conferences, WindEnergy Hamburg and WindEurope.
- The event will provide a platform for experts from
across the globe to discuss innovative and green technologies for
harnessing wind energy making.
India is fourth largest country — after China, the US and Germany — in
terms of wind energy installation capacity at around 33 GW. The government
has set a target of achieving 60 GW by 2022.
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Queen Maxima of Kingdom of
Netherlands on 4-day visit to India
Queen Maxima of the Kingdom of the
Netherlands who is also the United Nations Secretary General’s
Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development has arrived in New
Delhi on a four-day visit to India.
- During the visit, Queen Maxima will meet Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog Rajiv Kumar and CEO
Amitabh Kant.
Pakistan names former
Chief Justice as caretaker PM
Former Pakistan Chief Justice Nasirul
Mulk was appointed as the interim Prime Minister of the country until
the general elections are held on July 25.
- The decision comes ahead of the dissolution of the
current government and parliament.
Senior diplomat Pankaj
Saran has been appointed as Deputy National Security Advisor
Senior diplomat Pankaj Saran has been
appointed as Deputy National Security Advisor. Saran is currently India’s
Ambassador to Russia.
- The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has
approved Saran’s appointment as the deputy NSA for a period of two years
Justice R K Agrawal appointed as President of the National Consumer
Disputes Redressal Commission
Former
Supreme Court judge Justice R K Agrawal has been appointed the President of the
National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC).
- The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission
(NCDRC), India is a quasi-judicial commission in India which was set up in
1988 under the Consumer Protection Act of 1986. The commission is headed
by a sitting or retired judge of the Supreme Court of India.
- Section 21 of Consumer
Protection Act, 1986 posits that the National Consumer shall have jurisdiction to
entertain a complaint valued more than one crore and also have Appellate
and Revisional jurisdiction from the orders of State Commissions or the District
fora as the case may be.
Sangeeta Bahl becomes
oldest Indian woman to scale Mount Everest
Sangeeta Bahl, a 53-year-old former
model, has become the oldest Indian woman to conquer Mount Everest.
- Bahl, who currently resides in Gurugram, scaled the
peak with the help of two Sherpas and was felicitated at the Indian
embassy in Kathmandu. She has already conquered six out of the seven
highest peaks in the world.
Shivangi Pathak (16 Years) from
Haryana recently became India’s youngest woman to climb the Everest from
Nepali side.
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Sudha Balakrishnan
appointed 1st CFO of RBI
NSDL executive Sudha
Balakrishnan has been appointed the first-ever chief financial
officer (CFO) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
- Balakrishnan, a chartered accountant, was till
recently vice president with the National Securities Depository Ltd
(NSDL, India’s first and largest depository) before joining
RBI. She will be the 12th
executive director of the RBI and will have a three-year term.
Yuvraj Singh awarded 'Most
inspiring icon of the year for social welfare'
Indian star cricketer Yuvraj
Singh has been awarded the 'most inspiring icon of the year for
Social Welfare' award by the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film
Festival (DPIFF) for his exemplary contribution in the field of social
welfare.
- Yuvraj was diagnosed with
cancer (mediastinal seminoma) shortly after the World Cup. After
successfully completing his chemotherapy cycle in the United States,
Yuvraj returned to India in 2012.
Kamaljit Bawa 1st Indian
to receive Linnean Medal
Indian botanist Kamaljit S.
Bawa (president of Bengaluru-based non-profit Ashoka Trust for Research in
Ecology and the Environment) received the prestigious Linnean Medal in
Botany from the Linnean Society of London.
- Dr. Bawa is the first Indian to win the
award ever since it was first constituted in 1888.
The Linnean Medal is awarded to a
biologist every year by the Linnean Society of London. The world’s oldest
active biological society founded in 1788 and named after famous Swedish
biologist Carl Linnaeus.
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Kerala cartoonist Thomas
Antony wins International award
Kerala cartoonist Thomas Antony has
won an international award, in the best caricature category.
- Antony is among the nine winners at the 13th
edition of the World Press Cartoon awards, instituted by an
organisation based in Lisbon, Portugal.
- The awards are given to the best works published in
2017 in newspapers and magazines from around the world.
Virat Kohli emerged as
International Cricketer of Year: CEAT Ratings
Indian skipper Virat Kohli has
emerged as the International Cricketer of the Year at the CEAT
Cricket Ratings awards, which were presented in Mumbai.
Other CEAT
Cricket Ratings awards Presented are:
- International Batsman of the Year
Award: Shikhar Dhawan (India).
- International Bowler of the Year Award: Trent
Boult (New Zealand).
- T20 Bowler of the Year Award: Rashid Khan
(Afghanistan).
- Outstanding Innings of the Year
Award: Harmanpreet Kaur (India).
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Farokh Engineer
(India).
- T20 Batsman of the Year Award: Colin Munro (New
Zealand).
- Domestic Player of the Year Award: Mayank
Agarwal (India).
- U19 Player of the Year award: Shubman Gill
(India).
- Popular Choice Award: Chris Gayle (West
Indies).
Chennai Super Kings won
its third IPL title
Shane Watson put up an exhibition of
power-hitting in front of a packed Wankhede crowd as he struck a memorable
unbeaten century to power Chennai Super Kings to their third Indian Premier
League title.
- Chasing 179, CSK overhauled the target in 18.3
overs, scoring 181/2, winning by eight wickets. This was the 11thseason of Indian Premier League.
S. No
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Award
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Winner (Team)
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1.
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Man of the Match (Final)
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Shane Watson (CSK)
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2.
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Orange Cap (Most Runs)
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Kane Williamson (SRH)
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3.
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Purple Cap (Most Wickets)
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Andrew Tye (KXIP)
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4.
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Emerging Player
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Rishabh Pant (DD)
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5.
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Stylish Player
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Rishabh Pant (DD)
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6.
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Perfect Catch
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Trent Boult (DD)
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7.
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Super Striker
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Sunil Narine (KKR)
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8.
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Valuable Player
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Sunil Narine (KKR)
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9.
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Fairplay Award
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Mumbai Indians
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BCCI, UN environment sign
agreement to promote ‘Green’ Cricket
BCCI and UN Environment signed an
agreement to promote ‘green’ Cricket in India. BCCI acting Secretary
Amitabh Choudhary and Erik Solheim, Executive Director of UN
Environment, signed a letter of intent in Mumbai.
- The partnership aims to spread greater awareness
about key environmental challenges facing the country, and highlight
alternate and more sustainable solutions.
