Noted agriculturalist Nel Jayaraman passed away recently. He belongs to which state?

Scientists from Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar have developed world's Thinnest Material by making usage of Magnesium Diboride. It has its utility in next-generation materials and UV absorbing films.

As a result of China's trade war with the US and its campaign to cut debt, the value of China's stock market fell to $6.09 trillion, losing its position as the World's second biggest stock market to Japan ($6.17 trillion). The U.S. has the world's largest stock market at just over $31 trillion. China's stock market overtook Japan's in 2014 and soared to an all-time high of over $10 trillion in 2015.

World Poetry Day observed on 21st March 2019 to encourage the reading, writing, and teaching of poetry throughout the world. In the year 1999 during its 30th General Conference in Paris, The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted this day to support linguistic diversity and to safeguard endangered languages.

The Madhya Pradesh government has taken the ordinance route to increase reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) from 14% to 27%. In this regard, Governor Anandiben Patel has recently signed the ordinance to amend the Madhya Pradesh Lok Seva (Anusuchit Jatiyon, Anusuchit Jan Jatioyon aur Anya Pichhade Vargon ke Liye Arakshan) Adhiniyam, 1994. With this, MP is possibly the only state in India to have 27% quota for OBCs. At present, the state provides 20% reservation to Scheduled Tribes (STs), 16% to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 14% to OBCs. OBCs are estimate to constitute nearly 52% of the state's population, and OBC groups have often demanded an increase in reservation to reflect their strength in the state.

Union Minister Harsh Vardhan launched three important centre's set up by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) at IIT Madras on 25 January 2019. The first one is the 'DST -IITM Solar Energy Harnessing Centre'. The second centre is the 'DST-IITM Water -IC for SUTRAM of EASY WATER'. The third centre is the 'Testbed on Solar thermal desalination solutions'.

Indian Space Research Organization is planning to send a probe to study the sun early next year. ISRO chairman Dr K Sivan currently scientists are exploring possibilities to study more about Sun and the probe named Aditya-L1 will be sent to observe the solar corona, the outer layers of the Sun. The satellite would be ed in a halo orbit around the L1 (Lagrangian point A) of the Sun-Earth system so that it has the advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultation or eclipses. The L1 is 1.5 million kms from t the mission to send Indian astronauts to space by 2022 is well on stream.

In Bangladesh, the historic Mujibnagar has recently celebrated on April 17, 2019. The day marks the oath taking ceremony of Bangladesh's first government in 1971 at Baidyanathtala in Meherpur. On this day in 1971, senior leaders of the liberation movement of Bangladesh had assembled at Baidyanathtala to form the provisional government of independent Bangladesh. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was declared the President in absentia as he was arrested and flown to Pakistan after the Pakistan military crackdown on the then 'East Pakistan' on the night of March 25, 1971. The day is being observed by political parties and social and cultural organisations through various programs across Bangladesh.

Spain's Real Madrid won the Club World Cup for a third consecutive year, and record fourth in total, by beating Abu Dhabi side Al Ain in the final. Real now hold the record for most victories in the competition, which was first held in 2000, moving one clear of Spanish rivals Barcelona.

Indian Coast Guard vessel Veera commissioned by General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Army Staff in the presence of Director General of Indian Coast Guard Rajendra Singh, Chief of Eastern Naval Command Vice Admiral Karambir Singh and other senior dignitaries of the central and state government in a ceremony organised at Eastern Naval Command in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Veera, the third in the series of the new generation Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) is under the administrative and operational command of the coast guard regional headquarters. This is indigenously designed and built by Larsen & Toubro Ltd. at its shipbuilding facility at Kattupali in Chennai. The 98 meters long, 15-metre wide patrol vessel has a 3.6-metre draft and a range of 5,000 nautical miles.