In today’s 19 May 2022 Current affairs, we are going to see the latest national and international current affairs topics. These current affairs questions and major events will be really helpful for your upcoming NDA, CDS, AFCAT, TA, INET, MNS, ACC exams, and other SSB interviews and AFCAT interviews like SSC Tech, TGC, TES, NDA, CDS, AFCAT, and more. Download the current affairs PDF file at the end of this article.

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 19 May 2022

48 Years Completed Since Operation Smiling Buddha

• Operation Smiling Buddha (MEA designation: Pokhran-I) was the assigned code name of India’s first successful nuclear bomb test on 18 May 1974.
• The bomb was detonated on the army base Pokhran Test Range (PTR), in Rajasthan, by the Indian Army under the supervision of several key Indian generals.
• Pokhran-I was also the first confirmed nuclear weapons test by a nation outside the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.
• Officially, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) characterized this test as a “peaceful nuclear explosion”.
• Indira Gandhi, then the Prime Minister of India, saw a massive rise in popularity following this test. After this, a series of nuclear tests were carried out in 1998 under the name Pokhran-II.

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Amendments To National Policy On Biofuels-2018

• Union Cabinet has approved the Amendments to the National Policy on Biofuels -2018.
• The amendments are intended to allow more feedstocks to produce biofuels, advance the ethanol blending target of 20 percent blending of ethanol in petrol and promote the production of biofuels in the country.
• Besides, the amendments are also to add new members to the National Biofuel Coordination Committee (NBCC) and grant permission for the export of biofuels in specific cases.
• The amendments have been brought in view of advancements in the field of biofuels, various decisions taken in the NBCC meetings to increase biofuel production, recommendation of the Standing Committee, and the decision to advance to introduce Ethanol Blended Petrol with up to twenty percent ethanol throughout the country from 1st of April next year.
• The amendments will pave the way for ‘Make in India’ drive thereby leading to a reduction in import of petroleum products by a generation of more and more biofuels.
• Since many more feedstocks are being allowed for production of biofuels, this will promote the AatmaNirbhar Bharat and give an impetus to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of India becoming energy independent by 2047.

Parent Public Sector Enterprises Further Empowered

• The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for empowering the Board of Directors of the Holding and Parent Public Sector Enterprises to recommend and undertake the process for Disinvestment or closure of any of their subsidiaries, units, and stake in Joint Ventures.
• The cabinet has also empowered Alternative Mechanism to accord in-principle approval for disinvestment, sale of stakes in Joint Ventures of Holding, and Parent Public Sector Enterprise of Maharatna PSEs.
• The process for undertaking the strategic disinvestment transactions and closures to be followed by the Public Sector Enterprises should be open, based on the principles of competitive bidding, and consistent with the guiding principles to be laid down.
• For strategic disinvestment, such guiding principles will be laid down by Department of Investment and Public Asset Management, DIPAM.

Formation Of Cotton Council Of India

• The Union Government has announced the formation of the Cotton Council of India under the Chairmanship of renowned veteran cotton man Suresh Bhai Kotak. It will have representation from Textiles, Agriculture, Commerce, and Finance Ministries along with Cotton Corporation of India and Cotton Research Institute.
• The first meeting of the proposed council has been scheduled for the 28th of this month. The council will discuss, deliberate, and prepare a robust action plan for bringing out a tangible improvement in this field.
• The announcement came yesterday during a meeting with stakeholders from the cotton value chain, held under the Chairmanship of Union Textiles Minister Piyush Goyal.

4^th National Startup Advisory Council

• Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has urged National Startup Advisory Council, NSAC to focus on tier-2 and tier-3 cities for VC funding, capacity building, and awareness generation on government schemes that promote startups. He said this while chairing the fourth meeting of National Startup Advisory Council in New Delhi yesterday.
• The Minister assured continued government support in developing startup ecosystem. He also emphasized the need for capacity building and generating awareness about various initiatives of the government to promote startups in such cities. Members of the council have also been visiting states and interacting with startup entrepreneurs and students in educational institutions to understand and find ways to energize the startup ecosystem.
• The Council deliberated upon important matters relating to startup ecosystem including protecting ownership of startups with original promoters, incorporating in India, listing in India, and developing innovation hubs. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade had constituted the National Startup Advisory Council to advise the Government on measures needed to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation and startups in the country to drive sustainable economic growth and generate large-scale employment opportunities.

Rajdhani Express Completes 50 Glorious Years

• The prestigious Mumbai-New Delhi Rajdhani Express of Western Railway has completed 50 glorious years since its first journey on May 17, 1972.
• To celebrate this golden jubilee celebration, a dignified event was organized by the Western Railway at Mumbai Central Station and the train was flagged off with great enthusiasm.
• A special postal cover and a VIP album were also released to mark the occasion.

First-Ever National Conference Of Woman Legislators

• The Kerala Legislative Assembly will host the first-ever National Conference of Woman Legislators at the Legislature Complex in Thiruvananthapuram on the 26th of this month. 
• President Ram Nath Kovind will inaugurate the two-day conference while Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will attend the valedictory function on the 27th of May. Women legislators from the Parliament and State Legislatures are expected to participate besides Union Ministers, Speakers, Deputy Speakers, and  Members of Parliament.
• The program is being organized as part of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav’ to coincide with the 75th Anniversary of Independence.

Odisha Wins Hockey Senior Women’s National C’ship

• Odisha was crowned as the Champions of the 12th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship 2022 in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh with a thrilling 2-0 victory over Karnataka in the final of the competition.
• Jharkhand beat Haryana 3-2 to earn a third-place finish.

Sweden And Finland To Jointly Apply For NATO

• Nordic countries Sweden and Finland will jointly submit their applications to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
• During a joint press conference, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto announced their decision to submit their NATO bids together.
• Finland’s parliament yesterday approved the country’s bid for NATO membership, with 188 out of 200 lawmakers supporting the decision and eight voting against it. President Niinisto will now have to sign the application and hand it to NATO’s headquarters in Brussels.
• White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said US President Joe Biden will host his Finnish counterpart and the Swedish prime minister at the White House tomorrow for talks on the two nations’ NATO applications. The leaders will discuss Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO applications and European security, as well as strengthening our close partnerships across a range of global issues and support for Ukraine, she added.
• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said Germany will increase military cooperation with Sweden and Finland during the application process.
• However, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday warned NATO’s expansion may trigger a response from Moscow.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

• Only UN Body Which Issues A Binding Resolution
• UNGA
• UNSC
• UN Secretariat
• World Health Organization

ANSWER: B

• UNSC Held Its First-Ever Session In
• 26 December 1948
• 17 January 1946
• 24 February 1949
• 30 July 1944

ANSWER: B

• United Nations Six Principal Organs Includes
• World Food Programme
• UNESCO
• Economic and Social Council
• World Bank Group

ANSWER: C

• United Nations System Agencies Include
• International Court of Justice
• General Assembly
• Security Council
• World Bank Group

ANSWER: D

• Total Number Of UNSC Members
• 5
• 10
• 15
• 20

ANSWER: C

• Not A P5 Country
• Russia
• China
• France
• Japan

ANSWER: D

• Veto Power Rests With
• UN Secretary-General
• P5 Nations
• UNSC
• UNGA

ANSWER: B

• UN Charter Was Signed In
• 1935
• 1940
• 1945
• 1950

ANSWER: C

• The Name “United Nations”, Was Coined By
• F D Roosevelt
• Winston Churchill
• Joseph Stalin
• Vladimir Lenin

ANSWER: A

• India Has Been Elected ___Times To The UNSC
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9

ANSWER: C

• Which Of The Following Is A Military Alliance?
• ASEAN
• NAFTA
• NATO
• EEC

ANSWER: C

• NATO Was Established In
• 1949
• 1948
• 1947
• 1946

ANSWER: A

• NATO Was Founded To Help West To Resist
• Turkey Block
• Asian Block
• Communist Block
• None of them

ANSWER: C

• Warsaw Pact Was Created In
• 1949
• 1952
• 1955
• 1960

ANSWER: C

• Not A Member Of NATO
• Czech Republic
• Poland
• Romania
• Russia

ANSWER: D

• Official Languages Of NATO
• English and Russian
• English and French
• English and Chinese
• French and Norwegian

ANSWER: B

• Current Secretary-General Of NATO
• Jaan de Hoop Scheffer
• Anders Fogh Rasmussen
• Jens Stoltenberg
• Javier Solana

ANSWER: C

• WARSAW Pact Ended In
• 1989
• 1990
• 1991
• 1992

ANSWER: C

• Latest Country To Join NATO
• Slovakia
• Croatia
• Montenegro
• North Macedonia

ANSWER: D

• Last President Of The Soviet Union
• Boris Yeltsin
• Mikhail Gorbachev
• Vladimir Putin
• Dmitry Medvedev

ANSWER: B

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