Daily Current Affairs : 17th March 2020 |Daily GK update Quiz

Exp.Prime Minister Modi led a video conference with the leaders of all eight SAARC nations- India, Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Maldives, and Bhutan to exchange their views and share experiences in fighting the COVID-19 virus which has been classified by the World Health Organization as a global pandemic that has killed more than 6,000 people globally. India started with an initial offer of 10 million US dollars for this fund. Any of the nation can use the fund to meet the cost of immediate actions.

Exp.The Philippine Stock Exchange closed indefinitely on 17th March while currency and bond trading were suspended, the first market shutdowns worldwide in response to the coronavirus, with authorities citing risks to the safety of traders.

Exp.Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 17th March paid tributes to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on his birth anniversary and hailed his contributions towards Bangladesh’s progress. Modi will participate in the birth centenary celebrations of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Bangladesh via video link. The year-long celebrations were scheduled to open amid festivities at the National Parade Ground in Dhaka and were expected to be attended by several foreign dignitaries, including Modi. But it will be without any public gatherings due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Exp.The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cleared the appointment of Ravinder Singh Dhillon as Chairman and Managing Director of Power Finance Corporation (PFC), according to an order.

Exp.Former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi was nominated for Rajya Sabha, the upper house of parliament, on 16th March by President Ram Nath Kovind. The President’s move is unprecedented – no Chief Justice has been nominated to the Upper House, usually dominated by celebrities and artistes, by the head of the state. And few members of the judiciary have crossed over to the space of legislature.

Exp.The book titled ‘An Extraordinary Life: A biography of Manohar Parrikar’ is written by veteran journalists Sadguru Patil and Mayabhushan Nagvenkar. On 17th March marks the first death anniversary of Parrikar who died after battling pancreatic cancer for over a year. He was 63.

Exp.Veteran actor-filmmaker Imtiaz Khan passed away in Mumbai at the age of 77. The cause of his death remains unknown. He was the brother of late actor Amjad Khan and son of yesteryear actor Jayant.

Exp.Sahitya Akademi awardee Malayalam poet, scholar and teacher Puthussery Ramachandran passed away here on Saturday evening after a brief illness. He was 92.

Exp.Capital: Manila

Exp.SAARC Founded: 8 December 1985

Exp.Headquarters: Kathmandu, Nepal