Current Affairs 17th May 2019

Current Affairs 17th May 2019 - Important Points

• Who is the World’s 1st female to cross Atlantic Ocean solo in LSA ? - Aarohi Pandit
• Who is the 1st Female ICC Match Referee ? -  India’s G.S. Lakshmi
• MoU for Plantation of Rudraksh Trees signed between HCL Foundation and - INTACH
• Trump proposes merit-based immigration policy on - 16th May 2019
  Current Affairs 17th May 2019 - Details

Who is the World’s 1st female to cross Atlantic Ocean solo in LSA ? - Aarohi Pandit

India’s Captain Aarohi Pandit became world’s 1st female to cross Atlantic Ocean solo in a Light Sports Aircraft named Mahi.
Key Highlights

• Aarohi Pandit is a 23 years old commercial pilot and Light Sports Aircraft licence holder from Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• This accomplishment is part of her constant Women Empower Expedition in the tiny aircraft termed ‘Mahi’. This 1 year-long global circumnavigation flight was released with her friend Captain Keithair Misquitta on July 30th and both started their trip in August 2018.
• As per to which she continued solo from United Kingdom to Canada, and will return to India with her friend by July 30th this year.
• The excursion is organised and funded by Social Access, a not-for-profit communications company.
• Both Pandit and Misquitta flew over Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, and then entered Pakistan, where they landed as well. This makes it 1st civilian Light Sports Aircraft flight to land in neighbouring nation since 1947.
• Then they went onto to Iran, Turkey, Serbia, Slovenia, Germany, France and United Kingdom.
  Other Records
  En route her solo journey, she has built another world record as 1st female pilot to fly solo in a Light
  Sports Aircraft above unfaithful Greenland ice-cap. She is also due for several other records by the time she will reach India.

Who is the 1st Female ICC Match Referee ? -  India’s G.S. Lakshmi

India’s G.S. Lakshmi has become 1st female to be designated to International Cricket Council’s International Panel of Match Referee. She will be qualified to take charge in international games with
immediate effect.
Key Facts
Women Officials on International Cricket Council Development Panel of Umpires now comprises 8
women, namely Eloise Sheridan, Claire Polosak, Shivani Mishra, Lauren Agenbag, Mary Waldron, Kim
Cotton, Jacqueline Williams and Sue Redfern.
Earlier in May 2019, Claire Polosak became 1st ever female umpire to stand in a men’s One-Day
International.
Kathy Cross was the 1st female on development panel of umpires retired in 2018.

About G.S. Lakshmi
Lakshmi, aged 51, was 1st appointed as a match referee in domestic women’s cricket in 2008-09. As a
referee she has supervised 3 women’s One-Day International matches and 3 women’s T-20 International matches.

MoU for Plantation of Rudraksh Trees signed between HCL Foundation and - INTACH

To form a greener ecosystem in Ganga Basin, National Mission for Clean Ganga has inked a MoU
with HCL Foundation and INTACH. Its aim is to undertaking project of Plantation of Rudraksh Trees
in Uttarakhand. It is a CSR initiative under Namani Gange Program.
It was inked in the presence of National Mission for Clean Ganga Director General Rajiv Ranjan
Mishra, Executive Director (Projects) G. Ashok Kumar and other officials delegates from HCL
Foundation, INTACH and National Mission for Clean Ganga.
Important Highlights
Project goals at planting 10000 Rudraksh trees in the Ganga Basin area in Uttarakhand in
connotation with the local community.
This project will also address the matter of unemployment as locals will get work in this project.
Namami Gange Mission project will provide comprehensive and  sustainable ideas for a cleaner
ecosystem along the stream of 97 towns and 4465 villages on the Ganga stem.

Trump proposes merit-based immigration policy on - 16th May 2019

United States President Donald Trump is about to declare a new proposal on May 16th, 2019 to harden
border security and overhaul the legal immigration system to give preference to foreigners built on merit rather than family relations.
The decision could chiefly profit thousands of Indian professionals, who end-up waiting for long to get the Green Card. United States President Trump will present an overview of the plan, with particulars of a large document to be published in the coming weeks.
Important Highlights 

• The new plan consists revamping of the legal Permanent Residency system of the USA, enabling people with merit/higher degrees/Professional qualifications to get easy admission to the nation’s immigration system.
• Under the fresh proposal, the legal immigration system will favour aspirants who speak English, are well-educated and have job offers.
• Presently, 66% of the green cards are issued to those with family relations and only 12% are based on skills. 
• The new proposal also comprises hardening the United States border security by constructing extra
  portions of the southern border wall and development in the inspection of goods and people at ports of entry to fight drug smuggling.
• It would also comprise an increase in fees gathered at the border to pay for border security infrastructure.