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Transcript of March 2015 CA
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Current
Affairs March 2015
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Current Affairs
March 2015
National Affairs March 01
25th Foundataion Day of NASSCOM
NASSCOM - National Association of
Software and Services Companies.
Ending 49days of Governor Rule, PDP leader
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed took over as new
Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
BJP's Nirmal Singh sworn in as Deputy
Chief Minister.
Along with 24 ministers (13 from PDP and 11
from BJP), his cabinet marked the entry of BJP for
the first time in the state government.
J&K Governor N N Vohra
Former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram
Manjhi has launched a new front Hindustani
Awam Morcha to counter Nitish Kumar's JDU.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has
approved financial aid worth 426.83 crore
rupees from the Prime Ministers National Relief
Fund for flood affected people of Jammu and
Kashmir.
March 02
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill
2015, a Bill to amend the Citizenship Act, one of
the six items on which government had issued
ordinances, was passed by the Lok Sabha. This
bill seeks to remove disparity between Persons
of Indian Origin cardholders and Overseas
Citizens of India cardholders.
63rd All India Police wrestling cluster
started in Delhi.
A total of 1600 sports personnel from 37
teams of various police forces took part.
Hosted by the Indo Tibetan Border Police
Force.
The Minister of State for Information &
Broadcasting, Col. Rajyavardhan Singh
Rathore addressed the inaugural ceremony
The Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu
launched a ‗Customer Complaint Web Portal
and Mobile Application‘ (android/windows based
mobile App).
The Complaint Management System
(COMS) portal consists of the following
applications:
A mobile app based complaints and
suggestions application A web based
complaints and suggestions application on URL
www.coms.indianrailways.gov.in.
A SMS based complaints and suggestions
application on the number +919717630982.
Centralized Public Grievance Redress and
Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) will also be
provided.
Soon after taking oath, J&K Chief Minister
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has stoked a
controversy saying Hurriyat, militant outfits and
―people from across the border‖.
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India‟s total carbon emission during 2013
stood at 15.63 million tonnes as compared to
15.39 million tonnes in 2012.
This was disclosed by the Union Govt. on 2
March 2015 in Lok Sabha.
The reason given for around 1.5% increases
in carbon emission in 2013 - Introduction of new
routes for airlines and overall increase in
aircraft movement
The new Chairman of the National Book
Trust (NBT) appointment Baldev Sharma
Baldev Sharma is a former editor of
“Panchajanya” – the mouthpiece of the RSS.
His appointment was done by cutting short the
tenure of incumbent A.
Sethumadhavan by 6 months.
NBT is an autonomous publishing house
run under the Ministry of Education (Govt. of
India) and.
It publishes low-cost books on a variety of
subjects.
Social activist Anna Hazare has announced
a 1,100km foot march – on the lines of the
historic Dandi March by Mahatma Gandhi – to
put pressure on the BJP government at the Centre
to stay clear of amending Land Acquisition Act.
This protest was organized under the banner of
Hazare‟s organisation Bhrashtachar Virodhi
Jan Andolan Nyas and was supported by several
other farmers‘ groups.
Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar will visit
Islamabad 3rd march on a two-day visit as part
of his 'SAARC Yatra'
March 03
The world's largest and tallest Indian
tricolour was unfurled at Town Park in
Faridabad.
The flag weighs 48 kilograms and has 96
feet by 64 feet dimension.
It was hoisted at a height of 250 feet (75
meters), making it the largest and the highest
hoisted Indian flag in the world.
The bill banning cow slaughter in
Maharashtra pending for several years, received
the President's assent.
This measure has taken almost twenty years
to materialize and was initiated during the
previous SenaBJP government.
Under the new law, anyone selling beef or in
possession of it can be jailed for up to five
years and fined Rs.10,000.
Insurance Bill introduced in Lok Sabha
The long-pending Insurance Bill – that
seeks to increase the Foreign Direct
Investment cap in the sector to 49 per cent —
was introduced in the Lok Sabha.
Union Minister of State for Finance Jayant
Sinha sought permission of the Lok Sabha to
introduce the Insurance Laws (Amendment)
Bill, 2015
Uttarakhand Government has decided to take
at least 25,000 elderly people of the State on Char
Dham Yatra for free under the scheme 'Mere
Bujurg Mere Teerth'.
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The scheme "Mere Bujurg Mere Teerth ' was
launched last year for the people above 65 years
of age in the state.
The Election Commission of India has
launched National Electoral Roll Purification
and Authentication Programme (NERPAP)
throughout the country from March 3rd with the
prime objective of bringing a totally error free
and authenticated electoral roll.
During the programme, EPIC data of
electors will be linked with Aadhar data of
UIDAI for the purpose of authentication.
NERPAP will focus on improving image
quality of electors along with sorting issues
like corrections of errors etc.
A Bill seeking to pave the way for plying of e-
rickshaws on Delhi roads was passed by the Lok
Sabha.
It is the third ordinance to be replaced by a
bill passed by the Lower House since Monday,
the others being the Citizenship (Amendment)
Bill and the Mines and Minerals (Development
and Regulation) Amendment Bill.
INCOIS launches app for fishermen
The app, developed in-house by the
Hyderabad-based Indian National Centre for
Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) Marine
Fishery Advisory Services team is for the
benefit of fishermen.
For those using basic phones the Centre
unveiled an SMS service in local languages. The
text messages will provide potential fishing
zone advisory on a real time basis.
March 04
The Lok Sabha also passed the Coal Mines
(Special Provisions) Bill, 2015, to allow e-
auction of coal blocks after the Supreme Court
cancelled their allocation leading to uncertainty in
the coal sector, amid opposition by Left and some
other opposition parties.
As a British filmmaker's interview of
Mukesh Singh, one of the 16 December gang rape
convicts for a documentary in which he showed no
remorse triggered a storm.
This documentary was made by Leslee
Udwin.
Telangana government has decided to launch
the E-Panchayat programme in 18 Village
Panchayats in Domokonda of Nizamabad
district initially.
Rani Mukerji awarded by National Institute
of Gender Justice for representing the cause of
women
Bollywood actress Rani Mukerji was on 3 March
2015 awarded with the National Award for the Best
Representation of the Cause of Safety, Security
and Protection of Women and Girl Child by
National Institute of Gender Justice (NIGJ).
March 05
The controversial BBC documentary titled
"India's daughter" about the 16th December
2012 Delhi gang rape victim Nirbyaya has been
uploaded on video sharing website YouTube.
The Union government had banned the
telecast of this documentary in India.
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BBC telecasts the documentary even as Union
Home Ministry asks not to broadcast it.
Haryana government has decided to
introduce "Shri Mad Bhagwad Gita‖ for students
of all classes in schools following the
recommendation of the State Council of
Educational Research and Training.
Maharashtra government has scrapped
the five per cent reservation for Muslims in
government jobs as announced by the former
Congress NCP government just before Assembly
polls last year.
The Centre has out rightly rejected the
recommendation of a high level Committee to
reduce the coverage of beneficiaries from 67% to
40% under National Food Security Act.
The Shanta Kumarled Committee had
recommended the government to revisit the UPA‘s
National Food Security Act.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
inaugurated the first phase of the Singaji
Thermal Power Project at Dongliya village in
Madhya Pradesh's Khandwa District.
The first phase of the Singaji Thermal Power
project is of 1200 megawatt capacity.
The project will give impetus to the state
government's 'Atal Jyoti Abhiyan', which aims at
providing 24 X 7 power supply across the state.
An agreement for developing the first smart
sub-city in East Delhi was signed between
National Building Construction Corporation
Ltd (NBCC) and Delhi Development Authority
(DDA) on 4 March 2015.
“East Delhi Hub Project” which will be the
first transit oriented development (TOD) smart
city in Delhi.
March 06
Haryana govt is contemplating on framing a
law under which registration of pregnancy would
be made compulsory within first three months
of pregnancy.
Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij said that
aim of the law is to check female foeticide in the
state.
The HRD ministry has set up a 3 member
committee to probe alleged misappropriation
of funds received under the Sarva Siksha
Abhiyan by an NGO run by activist Teesta
Setalvad, who is facing heat along with her
husband in a separate case of embezzlement.
Head of the committee Supreme Court
lawyer Abhijit Bhattacharje
Members
SA Bari (Gujarat Central University vice
chancellor)
Gaya Prasad(Senior HR ministry official)
To commercialise Ayurvedic medicines,
National Research Development Corporation
(NRDC) has signed a pact with Central Council
for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS).
The scope of the Memorandum of
Agreement (MOA) also includes providing
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) services to
CCRAS in India and abroad.
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March 7
Artificial glacier in the form of Ice stupa to
store water inaugurated in Phyang village of
Ladakh
Artificial glacier in the form of Ice stupa was
inaugurated at Phyang village in Ladakh region of
Jammu and Kashmir. Phyang village is a desert
region of Ladakh.
The purpose of building such stupa is to store
water to green the entire desert of Phyang
which has an area of 1500 acres.
March 07
The Budget Sessions of both Andhra
Pradesh and Telangana Assemblies began.
The Budget Sessions of both Assemblies are
being held simultaneously for the first time after
the organisation of these states last year.
Telangana Finance Minister E. Rajender
will present the Annual Budget on 11th March
2015, while his Andhra Pradesh counterpart
Yanamala Ramakrishnudu will present the
budget on 12th March 2015.
Governor for both states: ESL Narasimhan.
To mark International Womens Day, Union
Health and Family Welfare Ministry organizing
3day special Health Camps throughout country
from 8th to 10th March 2015.
Under the initiative, special health checkup
camps will be held at the District Hospitals, Sub
district Hospitals (SDHs) and Community
Health Centers (CHCs) on three days.
These will offer free of charge health checkup
to all women, including pregnant women across the
country.
Union health and Family Welfare Minister
: J P Nadda
The shocking incident of a mob breaking into
a jail, pulling out a rape-accused and then
lynching him on streets took place in Dimapur
city of Nagaland.
Gujarat sees 80% coverage of LPG
customers under DBTL
Gujarat has reported 80 per cent penetration
of the Direct Benefit transfer of LPG (DBTL)
scheme Pratyaksh Hanstantrit Labh (PaHaL) of
the total active LPG consumers in the state.
March 08
A unique calender featuring Acid Attack
Survivors was launched to mark International
Women's Day and to commemorate the third
anniversary of the 'Stop Acid Attacks' campaign
and is an initiative of 'Chaanv' an NGO.
Shot in the backdrop of Taj Mahal in Agra, 11
women overcome their fear and were a part of it.
The Government has decided to recruit women
officers in Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)
for the first time ITBP is the designated security
force to secure 3,488 km of the Line of Actual
Control with China.
March 09
President Pranabh Mukherjee laid a wreath
at Amar Jawan Jyoti, India Gate this morning to
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March 8
commemorate the Centenary of First World War
(1914-1918).
The Ministry of Human Resource
Development, Department of School
Education and Literacy, presented the Digital
Gender Atlas for advancing girls' education in
India in New Delhi.
The tool, which has been developed with the
support of UNICEF, will help identify low
performing geographic pockets for girls,
particularly from marginalised groups such as
scheduled castes, schedule tribes and Muslim
minorities, on specific gender related education
indicators.
Social activist Anna Hazare announced that
he will start a foot-march against the land bill
later this month with other social activist who‘s like
Anna Hazare.
March 10
Prime Minister Narendra Modi saluted the
bravery of CISF personnel on the 46th Raising
Day of the CISF.
CISF - Central Industrial Security Force
The CISF came into existence in 1969 to
provide integrated security cover to public
sector undertakings and now has strength of
around 1.4 lakh personnel.
Government to move nine amendments to
the Land Acquisition Bill to ensure its passage in
Parliament
The Amendments include hassle free
mechanism for redreassal of grievances and
mandatory employment for farm labourers affected
by acquisition.
Delhi, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are India‟s
best-ranked States in terms of gender related
Education indicators, according to the new data
from the Ministry of Human Resource
Development and UNICEF.
Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, are
among the worst performers.
March 11
Maharashtra government has started a
helpline to address the social, physical and
psychological issues faced by adolescents.
The helpline was inaugurated by Maharashtra
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis‟ wife
Amruta Fadnavis.
Currently, the annual budget for the scheme is
5.7 crore rupees.
The Rajya Sabha has passed the Motor
Vehicle (Amendment) Bill, which will pave the
way for plying of e-rickshaws on the roads of the
National Capital Region.
The Bill was cleared by the Lok Sabha on
March 3.
India's literacy rate rose to 72.98 % in
2011.
Replying to supplementaries in the Lok Sabha
Human Resource Development Minister Smriti
Irani said, as per census 2011, the number of
illiterates has declined to 28.27 crore in the
country from 30.41 crore in 2011.
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March 12
Parliament passed the controversial
Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2015, which
replaced an ordinance promulgated in December
last year, by voice vote
This bill proposes to raise foreign investment
in the sector to 49% from the current 26% but
with a rider that management control should be
with Indians.
New city 'NAINA' to come up over 600
square km near Navi Mumbai airport
As a part of the smart city mission of the
Centre, the state government will develop 30
towns, focusing on "themes" such as
education, medical, entertainment, industry,
etc.
March 13
The 3rd edition of the Indian Panorama
Film Festival began at Shillong.
This festival was inaugurated by Meghalaya
Chief Minister Mukul Sangma with the screening
of award winning Marathi film ―Dr Prakash Baba
Amte: the Real Hero‖ directed by Samruoddhi
Porey.
Twelve award winning films will be
screened including nine feature films and three
non-feature films in nine languages during the
three-day festival.
The Union Minister of Chemicals &
Fertilizers Ananth Kumar launched ‗Pharma Jan
Samadhan‟ scheme.
It is a web enabled system for redressal of
consumers‘ grievances relating to pricing and
availability of medicines, created by National
Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA).
Mr Kumar also released Compendium of
Ceiling Prices of Essential Medicines 2015
prepared by NPPA.
The Law Commission of India submitted its
report on electoral reforms to the Union Law
Ministry.
Recommendations
Restrict candidates to contest from one
constituency only
Appoint CEC and two ECs through a collegium
Ban Independents from contesting polls
Commission rejects the idea of compulsory
voting
Regulating government sponsored ads six
months prior to date of expiry of the House
Period for calculating election expenses of
candidates should be extended to apply from the
date of notification to date of results
Amend Companies Act to require AGM
resolution for contribution from the company's
funds to a political party.
March 14
Union government is contemplating to relax
the criteria of disability.
Union minister for social justice and
empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot said that
government is mulling to reduce the parameter
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of body deformity percentage from 40 to 25 for
disability certificate.
With a view to strengthen security measures
for women in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party led
government decided to form a women security
force to be deployed at 'dark stretches' across
the city which are crime prone for women.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said
they have also decided to deploy marshals in all
DTC buses from 6 PM to 12 midnight.
March 15
The Haryana Govt is going to introduce
teaching of Bhagavad Gita in schools across
the state from coming academic session.
The government will also introduce a bill with
"stringent punishment for cow slaughter in the
ongoing budget session of the assembly."
Haryana Chief Minister : Manohar Lal
Khattar
Haryana Agriculture Minister : Om
Prakash Dhankhad
In order to ensure women safety, Delhi
government has ordered all taxi operators to
install GPS in their vehicles, failing which fitness
certificate will not be issued to them.
The decision came months after a 25 year old
woman was allegedly raped by a driver enlisted
with the US based cab service, Uber, in December
last year inside the taxi in which GPS was not
installed.
„Skill Up India‟ is the name of an open
source, free, online education portal that was
launched on 13 March 2015 by the Gujarat Chapter
of Code For India.
March 16
Clearing all doubts about the validity of
Aadhaar card to avail of government subsidies,
the Supreme Court confirmed that the Aadhaar
card is not compulsory, and further, officials who
insist on them will be taken to task.
Union Information and Broadcasting
Minister Arun Jaitley inaugurated the 5th
National Community Radio Sammelen at Delhi
and also presented National Community Radio
Awards.
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC)
is planning to launch an all – women cab
service.
This Cab service named as ― Shakti ‖
The Women drivers with commercial license
have been already selected and they will also begin
working from next month.
Delhi Airport‟s terminal 1D is all set to get
India‟s first body scanner.
United States Trade and Development
Agency (USTDA) will be giving a ‗millimetre wave
scanner‘ to Indira Gandhi International Airport
which will be installed in the coming weeks.
It will be tested for ―Indian Conditions‖ by
Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) which will
look at its health and privacy concerns.
March 17
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First Indian - American astronaut and First
Indian Women in Space, Kalpana Chawla's (17
March 1962 - 1st February 2003) birth
anniversary.
In a major verdict, the Supreme Court set
aside centre's notification to extend the benefit
of reservations to the Jat Community.
Parliament passes Rail Budget 2015 - 16.
Lok Sabha passes General Budget
Haryana Assembly passes Haryana
Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan
Bill, 2015, which clamps a complete ban of cow
slaughter in the state and provides for a rigorous
imprisonment ranging from 3years to 10 years for
killing the animal.
The cabinet has declared the Black Money
Bill, which would give more powers to the tax
department in tracking illicit wealth stashed abroad
and provide for strict penal actions for such
offense.
The bill is likely to be introduced in the current
session of parliament.
March 18
The government has proposed a one- time
amnesty for all those who have stashed black
money abroad.
The Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets (
Imposition of New Tax) Bill, 2015 cleared by the
cabinet also proposes stringent action against
offenders, including rigorous imprisonment up to
10 years.
One-time compliance opportunity to those who
have stashed illicit monet abroad will be provided.
The evader will be allowed to pay tax and
penalty on the amount.
The Delhi High Court has once again refused to
stay ban on BBC documentary 'India's Daughter'
The court also asked the Ministry of
Information and Broadcasting to issue an advisory
over the ban.
It has fixed 15th April
for the next hearing.
The National Green Tribunal has passed a
string of directions to clear the Railways of the filth
which gives it the tag of "biggest open toilet".
National Green Tribunal (NGT) has announced
a fine of Rs 5,000 on individuals spotted littering or
throwing waste on the railway platforms and
tracks.
It was announced by a NGT bench, headed by
Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar.
Rate of Railway platform ticket will be
increased from 5 to 10 rupees per person from
April, 2015.
Maharashtra has announced Local Body Tax
(LBT) would be abolished from August 1 and
extended tax exemption on essential commodities
like rice and wheat in Budget 2015-16.
As regards LBT, a compensation of Rs. 6,875
cr. will be given to the municipal corporations,
excluding Mumbai.
This was one of the main electoral promises of
the BJP.
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March 19
International Conference on Counter Terrorism
begins in Jaipur.
Inaugurated by: Union Home Minister Rajnath
Singh.
1st National Photography and Videography
Workshop began at New Delhi.
Organised by : Ministry of Information &
Broadcasting
Inaugurated by: Minister of State for
Information & Broadcasting, col. (Retd,),
Rajyavardhan Rathore.
A MoU was signed between the Inland
Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and the
Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India
(DFCCIL) at Delhi today for creation of logistics
hubs with rail connectivity at Varanasi and other
places on national waterways.
The MoU was signed in the presence of
Minister of Shipping and Road Transport &
Highways Nitin Gadkari and Minister of Railways
Suresh Prabhu.
The Lok Sabha has passed the Warehousing
Corporations (Amendment) Bill, 2015.
IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched
Bharatniti.in, a public policy portal that attempts to
put in to perspective policy matters using an
"ancient yet contemporary" approach.
March 20
Delhi will become the first state in the country
to launch an E- ration card service next week.
The E- ration card will be linked with Aadhaar
cards with a view to curb corruption and increase
transparency in the system.
Rajya sabha passes Mines and Minerals
Amendment Bill.
This is the second major reform measure to
receive the approval of the legislature in the first
half of the Budget session.
The Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, seeking
to hike FDI in insurance sector was the first reform
measure passed by the parliament.
Cabinet approves 33% reservation for women
in police forces of Union Territories and Delhi.
The Department of Personnel and Training
(DoPT) will organise yoga training sessions for
central government employees and their
dependents from 1st April 2015.
The government has launched
‗www.Gama.Gov.in‘, a dedicated portal to help
consumers register their grievances against
misleading advertisements.
Launched by: Consumer Affairs Minister Ram
Vilas Paswan
On a pilot basis, 'Grahak Suvidha Kendra ' was
also launched in six cities including Delhi and
Ahmedabad.
The Cabinet today approved an outlay of Rs.
1,500 cr. for the Pradan Mantri Kaushal Vikas
Yojana (PMKVY)
PMKVY scheme for skill training of youth to be
implemented by the new ministry of skill
development and entrepreneurship through the
National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).
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This scheme will cover 24 lakh persons.
Union Government launches BIRAC AcE Fund
to accelerate growth for entrepreneurs in
Biotechnology.
Union Government launched Biotechnology
Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) AcE
Fund to accelerate growth of entrepreneurs in
Biotechnology.
It was announced by Minister of State (MoS)
for Science and Technology (S&T) and Earth
Sciences Y.S. Chowdary on the occasion of the
third foundation day of BIRAC in New Delhi.
The BIRAC AcE Fund aims to address the
pressing needs of accelerating the growth of
entrepreneurs, in the field of Biotechnology.
This equity fund will be operated by BIRAC a
Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the aegis
Department of Biotechnology (DBT) of Union
Ministry of Science and Technology.
Maharashtra Government announced to
rename Girgaum Chowpatty as Swaraj Bhoomi.
Maharashtra Government announced to
rename Girgaum Chowpatty as Swaraj Bhoomi to
honour veteran freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar
Tilak.
The demand was raised by the Lokmanya Tilak
Gaurav Samiti. They demanded that the spot at
Chowpatty where Lokmanya Tilak was cremated,
and where a garden stands now, should be called
Swaraj Bhoomi.
Girgaum Chowpatty is the oldest and most
famous beach of Mumbai, Maharashtra.
The Girgaum beach was called Chau-pati
because of four channels of water that existed
there.
National Air Quality Index to debut in April.
The environment ministry will be launching the
National Air Quality Index, a simple, composite,
and easy to understand measure of air quality, on
April 6.
The index will measure the eight major
pollutants that impact health - particulate matter
through a colour-coded easy to identify format.
Each colour will indicate a level of the index.
There are six levels: Good, Satisfactory, Moderately
polluted, Poor, Very Poor and Severe.
March 21
The union cabinet has approved the Pradhan
Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana to provide skills
training to youth across the country with an outlay
of 1,500 crore rupees.
The focus under this Yojana will be on
improved curricula, better pedagogy and better -
trained instructors.
The three - day long International Conference
on Counter Terrorism organised in Jaipur concludes
today. Inaugurated by Rajnath Singh (Union Home
Minister) on 19th March 2015.
March 23
March 23 is 84th Shaheed Diwas (Martyr's
Day)
Nation pays homage to great martyrs of
freedom struggle, Shaheed -e- Azam Bhagat Singh,
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Rajguru and Sukhdev who were hanged to death
on this very day in 1931.
Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar said India
was planning to export defence material and
training military personnel of at least 38 countries.
The government launched a major 15 - day
media campaign to educate the masses on
immunisation, ahead of implementing its ambitious
health programme "Mission Indradhanush" in April.
March 24
The Supreme Court on March 24 struck down
section 66 A of the Information and Technology
Act.
This section allows police to arrest people for
posting ―offensive content ―on the internet.
The Court said the public's right to know is
directly affected by section 66A and the section
clearly affects the right to freedom of speech and
expression enshrined under the constitution of
India.
Maharashtra government has said that those
involved in the sale of gutka would be booked
under non - bailable sections regarding the offense.
The Manufacture and sale of gutka is banned
in Maharashtra, but it is not implemented
effectively as there are no such restrictions in
neighbouring states due to which the tobbaco -
laced chewing products are smuggled in.
The State Food and Drug Minister Girish Bapat
told the Legislative Assembly yesterday that the
government is taking steps to enforce the ban
strictly.
Indian Railways has launched RuPay pre-paid
debit card service for the railway passengers.
The service was launched by Indian Railway
Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) in
collaboration with the Union Bank of India (UBI)
and the National Payment Corporation of India
(NPCI).
Note: By using RuPay pre-paid cards,
passengers now can book their tickets, do shopping
and pay service bills.
These cards will be made available from UBI
offices or through IRCTC online.
For every month, first five transactions done
per card for purchase of train tickets through
IRCTC will be free.
Subsequent transaction after free usage limit,
customer will be charged extra Rs 10 per
transaction.
For first six months no transaction charges will
be levied from the customers for usage of these
services.
March 25
Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal
has sanctioned 17 new Mega Food Parks in 11
states, including Punjab and Haryana, taking the
total number of such projects across the country to
42.
Narendra Modi today launched his ambitious
multi - purpose and multi - model platform
PRAGATI.
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Pragati: Pro - Active Governance and Timely
Implementation.
Pragati is a unique integrating and interactive
platform.
The platform is aimed at addressing common
man grievance, and simultaneously monitoring and
reviewing important programmes and the projects
of the Government of India as well as projects
flagged by state governments.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
chaired by PM Narendra Modi today approved the
launch of the National Supercomputing Machine, a
visionary programme to enable India to leapfrog to
the league of world.
The Delhi Government Transport Department
has requested the Department of Electronic and
Information Technology (DEITY) to blog the web -
based apps of three major taxi operator Uber, Ola,
and Taxi for Sure alleging that they were still using
their apps and providing service despite the ban.
Gujarat Philatelic Exhibition Gujpex-2015
inaugurated in Ahmedabad.
Hon. Governor of Gujarat Shri O.P. Kohli
inaugurated Gujpex-2015 at Sardar Vallabhbhai
Patel National Memorial, Ahmedabad. Gujpex-2015
is the 13th state level philatelic exhibition of
Gujarat postal circle.
March 26
The Ministry of Railways appointed Ajay
Shankar committee to review the performance of
the Public Private Partnership (PPP) cell functioning
under the railway board.
PM Narendra Modi chairs 5th National Ganga
River Basin Authority (NGRBA) meet.
The Prime Minister is the Ex - officio Chairman
of the Authority while CM of Bihar, West Bengal,
Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand are its
members.
The Previous Meeting was held on October 27
Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati.
About NGRBA:
It's an empowered planning, financing,
monitoring, and coordinating authority for River
Ganga.
Constituted: 2009
Objective: To ensure effective abatement of
pollution and conservation of the river Ganga by
adopting a holistic approach with the river basin as
the unit of planning.
Functions: All measures necessary for planning
and execution of programmes for abatement of
pollution in the Ganga in keeping with sustainable
development needs.
India‘s first Polar Remotely Operated Vehicle
(PROVe) operationalised in North Antarctica by
National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT).
March 27
Delhi government has decided to put a ban on
sale, purchase and even storage of all forms of
chewable tobacco in the national capital from
Monday.
The ban also includes guktha, khaini and
zarda.
Delhi Health Minister: Satyendra Jain
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India can save up to USD 7 billion (about Rs
43,750 crore) annually by replacing incandescent
lamps withenergy efficient LED bulbs, Power
Minister Piyush Goyal said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today
inaugurated "Urja Sangam 2015", an international
energyfocused summit at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi.
The event marked the celebration of 50 years
of operations of ONGC Videsh, the verseas arm of
explorer ONGC, Engineers India Ltd (EIL) and the
Barauni Refinery of largest refiner Indian Oil Corp
(IOC).
March 28
The Rajasthan Assembly has passed a law that
bans the slaughter, trading and unauthorised
transportation of Camels.
The Rajasthan Camel (Prohibition of Slaughter
and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export)
Bill, 2015 also makes causing injury to camel
punishable.
Important Note: Camel had been declared as
Rajasthan's State animal last year.
Rajasthan became the first State in the
country to fix a minimum educational qualification
for contesting elections to the Panchayati Raj
Institutions.
The Assembly has passed the Rajasthan
Panchayati Raj (amendment) Bill, 2015, which
makes.
Class VIII pass mandatory for the post of
sarpanch elections (except in tribal reserved areas,
where the minimum qualification is Class V)
Class X for Zila Parishad or Panchayat Samiti
elections.
PM Narendra Modi is leaving for Singapore
tonight to attend the funeral of former PM of
Singapore Lee Kuan Yew.
Government has already declared national
mourning tomorrow as mark of respect to Lee Kuan
Yew.
National flag will be flown at half-mast
throughout the country and there will be no official
entertainment.
91 year old Lee, Singapore's founding father
who dominated the country's politics for more than
half a century, died of severe pneumonia on 23rd
of this month.
The number of world famous one-horned
rhinos in Assam's Kaziranga National Park has
increased to over 2,400, according to a latest
census released.
The census, conducted by Assam's forest
department, counted 2,401 rhinos, which indicated
increase of 71 rhinos in the park in the past two
years.
March 29
The government today sanctioned a Rs 5,113
crore project to develop a next-generation Airborne
Warning and Control System (AWACS), which will
act as a 360 degree 'Eye in the Sky', and also
approved purchase of two Airbus A330 aircraft for
the same.
The decision was taken by the Defence
Acquisition Council, headed by Defence Minister
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Manohar Parrikar.
It will be developed by Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO).
March 30
Delhi government's decision to ban sale,
purchase and even storage of all forms of chewable
tobacco including "guktha, khaini and zarda" came
into effect.
Note: No ban will be enforced on cigarettes.
Delhi Health Minister: Satyendra Jain
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) provisionally
attached assets worth Rs.2 crore belonging to
former Union Minister of State for Coal Dasari
Narayana Rao in connection with a coal block
allocation scam case.
Uttar Pradesh Govt directs State Public Service
Commission cancelled the first paper of PCS
Prelims exam held following question paper leak.
The government announced that 10th May
2015 is the new date for this exam.
March 31
The Gujarat Assembly passed the controversial
Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime
(GCTOC) Bill 2015, a modified version of a 2003
legislation that was rejected by two presidents
earlier for violating basic principles of justice.
The law, once pursued aggressively by
Narendra Modi when he was Gujarat Chief Minister
and passed for the fourth time in the last 12 years,
gives police far reaching powers, including making
arbitrary arrests, present confessions made in
custody as evidence before courts and intercept
phone calls.
The Supreme Court issued notice to senior
Bharatiya Janata Party leader LK Advani and 19
others on a petition challenging the 2010 Allahabad
High Court verdict discharging them of criminal
conspiracy in the demolition of Babri Masjid on
December 06, 1992.
Besides Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Union
Minister Uma Bharti and Rajasthan Governor
Kalyan Singh also have been issued notice.
The Supreme Court dismissed a plea of Jat
students seeking benefits of reservation under
Other Backward Class (OBC) in the ongoing
process of admission in postgraduate (PG) medical
and dental courses.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch Air
Quality Index on 6th April 2015 to inform public
about air quality in simple understandable form.
Available on the ministry's website after the
launch, the colour coded index indicating air quality
will provide a real-time data detailing the level of
pollution in a given city.
Launched in phases, the initial phase would
cover only 10 cities with plans of expansion to
other cities in subsequent phases.
Environment Minister: Prakash Javadekar
The Kerala High Court upheld the liquor policy
of the state government and dismissed a petition
filed by the Kerala Bar Hotel Owners Association,
allowing only 24 five star hotels in the state to
serve liquor.
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PM Narendra Modi to inaugurate the Rs.
12,000 crore modernisation project of Rourkela
Steel Plant in Odisha.
International Affairs March 01
Approximately 1.1 billion teenagers and
young adults are at risk of hearing loss due to
unsafe use of personal audio devices, including
smartphones, and exposure to damaging levels of
sound at nightclubs, bars and sporting events, the
World Health
Organisation (WHO) has warned.
An Egyptian court declared Hamas a
"terrorist organization", further isolating the
blockaded rulers of the Gaza Strip once openly
welcomed by the country's toppled Islamist
dominated government.
The move underlines Egypt's increasing
hostility to Hamas, which the court blamed for
violence in the country's restive Sinai Peninsula.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj
will be leaving for Sri Lanka on two day visit.
During this visit, Ms. Swaraj will call on Prime
Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and hold talks
with Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera.
She is also expected to call on President
Maithripala Sirisena.
Her visit will set the stage for Prime Minister
Narendra Modi‟s visit to Sri Lanka (on 13th
March 2015)
This will be the first bilateral visit to the
country by an Indian premier in over 25 years.
During this visit, Modi is likely to travel to
war-ravaged Jaffna in the Tamil dominated
Northern Province and Trincomalee in the
Eastern Province.
Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam
Jaishankar is on four SAARC nations visit (SAARC
Yatra) starting with Bhutan
He called on Bhutanese PM Tshering
Tobgay and King Jigme Khesar Namgyel
Wangchuck.
The proposed merger of Forwards Markets
Commission (FMC) with SEBI as announced in
the Union Budget on 28 February 2015 is expected
to sound a death knell for the so-called „dabba
trading‟
‗dabba trading‘ - Illegal trading in
commodities market
The Reform Party is led by Prime Minister
Taavi Roivas, who at just 35 years is the
youngest prime minister in Europe
March 03
Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar meets his
Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmed
Chaudhury in Islamabad.
Mr. Jaishankar, who is on a visit to SAARC
capitals (SAARC Yaatra), also called on Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif and his foreign affairs
advisors Sartaj Aziz and Tariq Fatemi during
the day.
He has already visited Thimphu and Dhaka,
and would fly to Kabul.
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March 6
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj
has met her Luxembourg counterpart Jean
Asselborn and urged for enhancing bilateral
investment.
The Luxembourg minister affirmed his
country's support for India as permanent
member in a reformed UN Security Council
during the foreign ministers meeting.
March 04
China will raise its defense budget by
around 10 percent this year, compared with last
year's 12.2 percent.
China's defense budget rose by 12.2 percent
last year to 808.2 billion yuan (about 131
billion U.S. dollars), riding on a multi-year run of
double-digit increases.
The figure will put the world's second
largest economy's defense spending at some
890 billion yuan (about 145 billion U.S.
dollars).
For the first time the opening prayer for the
Idaho state senate was said by a Hindu cleric
amid protests by some senators who claimed the
United States was a Christian nation and
denounced Hinduism.
Universal Society of Hinduism President
Rajan Zed, who said the prayer in Sanskrit and
English, made a call for the legislators to "act
selflessly without any thought of personal profit"
because "selfish action imprisons the world".
He was invited by Senate President ProTem
Brent Hill to be a guest chaplain and deliver the
invocation which is usually made by a Christian
chaplain at the start of the day's legislative session
in Boise.
SAARC Yatra: Foreign Secretary S
Jaishankar visits Afghanistan.
March 05
Nepal and India launched a direct bus
service, linking Capital of Nepal Kathmandu
and Varanasi.
Minister of Physical Infrastructure and
Transport, Nepal, Mr. Bimalendra Nidhi and
Ambassador of India to Nepal. Ranjit Rae
flagged off the bus.
Sri Lanka suspended a $1.5billion Chinese
luxury real estate project in Colombo until it
obtains required government approvals, a move
that risks a diplomatic row with its biggest foreign
investor.
India and Spain have signed an Agreement
on Mutual Protection of Classified Information to
provide the framework for enhanced bilateral
cooperation in areas of defence research,
development and technology cooperation.
The Agreement was signed by the Defence
Minister Manohar Parrikar and his visiting
Spanish counterpart Pedro Morenes Eulate.
Mark Lippert U.S. ambassador to South
Korea who was slashed in the face by a Korean
nationalist in an attack in capital Seoul.
Pakistani students formed a human shield
for Hindus celebrating Holi at a temple in
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Karachi to protect and show solidarity with the
minority community.
The National Students Federation (NSF)
formed the shield at Swami Narayan Temple as
part of an attempt to promote interfaith
coexistence and cooperation among different
religious and ethnic groups.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj
arrives in Sri Lanka to set the stage for Prime
Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Sri Lanka,
the first bilateral visit to the country by an
Indian premier in over 25 years.
During her two day stay, Swaraj calls on
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and hold
talks with Foreign Minister Mangala
Samaraweera.
She is also expected to call on President
Maithripala Sirisena during the trip.
Modi will be in Sri Lanka on March 13, 14,
during which he will hold meetings with President
Maithripala Sirisena and other senior leaders
across the political spectrum.
Ahead of the UN climate conference in Paris
later this year, India and Egypt have decided to
form a "joint working group" for "cooperation
on environment and climate change".
This group will discuss and finalise the areas of
cooperation in the fields of climate change,
urban waste management, hazardous waste
management, environmental education and all
other facets of environmental governance in the
two countries.
Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar
March 07
The Socio-Economic standing of women in
India is the lowest among 16 Asia Pacific
countries, according to Mastercard‟s latest
Index of Women‟s Advancement.
Indian women stand even lower than their
counterparts from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the
survey said.
Across the region, New Zealand had the
highest overall Index score of 77, followed by
Australia (76), the Philippines (72.6) and
Singapore (70.5).
India (44.2), Bangladesh (44.6) and Sri Lanka
(46.2) had scores below 50, indicating that much
more needs to be done to achieve gender parity.
Ahead of PM Narendra Modi's Colombo
visit, Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe has
stoked a controversy saying that Indian
fishermen may be shot if they intruded into Sri
Lankan waters.
He alleged that Indian fishermen were taking
away the livelihood of Northern Lanka fishermen.
March 08
International Women‟s Day is being
celebrated.
Governments, NGOs and other organizations
across the globe observe International Women's
Day on the 8th of March every year to highlight
the achievements of women while calling for
greater equality.
This year's Theme : Make It Happen
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Union Health Ministry will celebrate the day
as Safe Motherhood Day
March 09
On his first visit abroad in 2015, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting
Seychelles, Mauritius & Sri Lanka from 10th to
14th March.
On 11th March, in Seychelles, the Prime
Minister will have bilateral discussions with
President James Alexis Michel to strengthen our
maritime ties and enhance our development
cooperation.
On 11th12th March, in Mauritius, the Prime
Minister will have extensive meetings with Prime
Minister Sir Anerood Jugnauth to further
enhance our special and unique relations and will
be the Chief Guest at the National Day
celebrations.
On 13th 14th March, in Sri Lanka, the
Prime Minister will have meetings with President
Maithripala Sirisena and other senior leaders across
the political spectrum.
Mr. Modi, who is the first Indian Prime
Minister to make a bilateral visit to the
neighbouring island in 24 years, will be
commissioning a railway line in Talaimannar,
inaugurating the cultural centre in Jaffna, and
also handing over homes that have been build by
India in the Northern province.
Foreign Secretary : S. Jaishankar
China has said that the border dispute with
India had been ―contained‖ and the two countries
should ―do more‖ to strengthen cooperation to
facilitate its settlement.
Chinese Foreign Minister: Wang Yi.
March 10
Tibetan Uprising Day observed in 10th
March
This day commemorates the 1959 Tibetan
uprising against the presence of the People's
Republic of China in Tibet.
An Indian student's internship request
was rejected by a professor in Germany citing
rape problem in India, prompting a sharp reaction
from the German envoy in Delhi who condemned it
saying India was not a country of rapists.
The United States declared Venezuela a
national security threat and ordered sanctions
against seven officials from the oil-rich country in
the worst bilateral diplomatic dispute since
socialist President Nicolas Maduro took office in
2013.
U.S. President : Barack Obama
Venezuelan President : Nicolas Maduro
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has began a
five day trip to three island nations in the Indian
Ocean Region (IOR), marking India's bid to
expand its footprint and gain more eyes across the
vast, un derobserved and under policed body of
water to its south.
His first visit was Seychelles, there he
inaugurated a Coastal Surveillance Radar
Station (CSRS) which will serve as a fresh pair of
eyes for India in the IOR.
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India and Seychelles have signed four
agreements. Those are,
Cooperation in hydrography
Cooperation in renewable energy
Cooperation in infrastructure development
Cooperation in sale of navigation charts and
electronic navigational charts
President of Seychelles : James Alix
Michel
Modi's next stop was Mauritius.
From Mauritius, he would travel to Sri Lanka,
becoming the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the
country in 28 years.
March 11
March 11 is World Kidney Day.
This day is observed annually on the 2nd
Thursday in March.
Mauritius celebrates 47th National Day.
Chief Guest : India's Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
PM Narendra Modi meets Mauritius President
Rajkeshwar Prayag and discusses issues of
mutual interest
India and Mauritius sign five MoUs, those
are,
MoU on Ocean Economy.
Programme for Cultural Cooperation
between India and Mauritius for the year 2015-18.
Protocol between the Department of
Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of
Agriculture of Republic of India and the Ministry of
Agro-Industry and Food Security of Mauritius for
the importation of fresh mangoes from India.
MoU for the Improvement in Sea and Air
Transportation Facilities at Agalega Island of
Mauritius.
MoU on Cooperation in the field of
Traditional System of Medicine and
Homeopathy.
Prime Minister of Mauritius Sir Anerood
Jugnuth
Sri Lanka has decided to release 86 Indian
fishermen as a goodwill gesture to mark PM
Narendra Modi's visit
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is on a
visit to Sharm el Sheikh to attend Egypt‟s
Economic Development Conference.
The economic summit, scheduled to be held in
Sharm elSheikh from March 13-15, is expected to
bring investments needed to boost Egypt‘s
economy, which has been hard hit since the
January 25 Revolution and its consequent political
instability.
March 13
World Sleep Day.
This day is observed on the Friday of the
second week of March
This day is being organized by the World
Sleep Day Committee of the World Association
of Sleep Medicine (WASM) since the year 2008.
The aim of this day is to celebrate the benefits
of good and healthy sleep and to draw society
attention to the burden of sleep problems and
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their medicine, education and social aspects; to
promote sleep disorders prevention and
management.
India asks Pakistan to take all legal steps to
ensure that 26/11 Mumbai terror attack
mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi does not
come out of jail as Islamabad High Court orders his
release.
Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in
Colombo on a two day visit to Sri Lanka.
This is Narendra Modi's maiden visit to the
country
This is also the first bilateral tour by an
Indian premier in 28 years.
Modi visits IPKF (Indian Peace Keeping
Force) memorial near to Sri Lankan Parliament
at Colombo to pay homage to Indian soldiers who
lost their lives while discharging their
responsibilities in Sri Lanka during 1987 to 1990.
IPKF was formed under the mandate of the
Indo-Sri Lankan Accord signed between India and
Sri Lanka in 1987 that aimed to end the Sri Lankan
Civil War.
The memorial has been constructed by the Sri
Lankan government in 2008.
India and Sri Lanka signed four agreements,
those are
Exemption from visa for holders of
diplomatic passports
Cooperation in mutual assistance in
customs
MoU for youth development
To establish Rabindranath Tagore museum
at a Sri Lanka university.
March 14
March 14th is Pi Day.
This day is observed on March 14 as the
number 3/14 in the month/day date format
represents the first three digits of π (3.14).
Modi's Srilanka Visit
Modi inaugurates the restored North-South
Sri Lankan Rail link at Thalaimannar.
He handed 27000 houses at Jaffna built with
Indian assistance to the people of the civil
war ravaged Tamil heartland in northern Sri
Lanka.
He also visited Sri Lanka's historical city
Anuradhapura and offered prayers at the
sacred Bodhi tree.
The sacred Bodhi tree was planted in
Anuradhapura over two thousand years ago
(planted in 288 BC).
Srilankan President Maitripala Sirisena
accompanied Mr. Modi during the prayer ceremony.
Modi is the second international leader to visit
the region after Premier David Cameron in 2013.
PM flags off train service at Talaimannar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off a
train service at the north-western Sri Lankan
town of Talaimannar — the closest point to
India — restored after decades of civil war,
completing the reconstruction of the entire
Northern Province Railway Line.
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A historic bronze statue of Mahatma
Gandhi was unveiled at the Parliament Square
in London.
This 9-foot statue was unveiled jointly by
British Prime Minister David Cameron and
Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
The statue stands exactly opposite Britain‟s
Houses of Parliament in the Palace of
Westminster and adjacent to iconic leaders like
anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is on a
visit to Japan to attend an international
conference on disaster risk reduction.
Japan and France signed a deal on military
equipment and technology transfers.
Japan and France also agreed to work toward
concluding an Acquisition and Cross Servicing
Agreement (ACSA), which provides a framework
for logistic cooperation between armed forces.
March 15
Viswa Upabhokta Adhikar Diwas (World
Consumer Rights Day).
On March 15, 1962 US President John F.
Kennedy gave a speech on consumer rights which
led to the creation of the Consumer Bill of Rights.
“Cyclone Pam” the powerful storm that hit
the South Pacific Ocean on 14 March 2015 to
bring heavy destruction in the island nation of
Vanuatu.
March 16
IMF Chief Christine Lagarde‟s two day India
visit began.
She called on President of India Pranab
Mukherjee and PM Narendra Modi.
The Indian economy, whose size is $ 2 trillion
as of now, is poised to overtake the combined
GDP of Japan and Germany in the next Four years
on the back of recent policy reforms and improved
business confidence in the country.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad
Zarif met in Switzerland for crucial talks to secure
an agreement on Iran‘s controversial nuclear
program.
The meeting comes before an end-of-March
deadline for the framework of a deal that
would curb Iran‟s nuclear ambitions in
exchange for relief from international sanctions.
March 18
China has become World's third largest
exporter of arms after the US and Russia.
China overtook Germany, France, and the UK
in exporting weapons between 2010 to 2014,
according to the report published by Stockholm
International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Top 5 Largest Exporters of Major Weapons :
US - 31%
Russia - 27%
China - 5%
Germany - 5%
France - 5%
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PM Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party
claims victory in Israel Parliamentary elections.
Sri Lankan authorities handed over 168
Indian fisherman and 51 boats to the Indian
Coast Guard at the International Maritime
Boundary Line.
India will hold one of the biggest global
Yoga meets in China to celebrate the UN's first
International Day of Yoga.
Over 10,000 yoga enthusiasts are expected to
take part in the meet being organised in
Dujiangyan in chengdu from 17th June - 21st June
2015.
China was one of the 170 countries voted for
the UN Yoga Day proposed by PM Narendra Modi in
2014.
Germany, France, and Italy followed Britain
in announcing that they plan to join a proposed
Chinese - led Asian regional work, swinging
Europe's biggest economic powers behind a project
that is viewed with concern in Washington.
Britain last week became the first major
Western country to seek membership in the Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
About AIIB:
AIIB is an international financial institution
proposed by China which seeks to provide support
to infrastructure projects in Asia.
It is expected to be operational by the end
2015 and its headquarters will be located at
Beijing.
The bank is also considered as China‘s move to
balance the power with the WB, IMF and ADB
which are being controlled/dominated by the US,
EU and Japan respectively.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is
planning to collaborate with other space agencies
on inter- planetary explorations.
It was announced by Minister of State (MoS) in
the PM's office Jitendra Singh in the Lok Sabha.
Presently ISRO is having talks with space
agencies of the United States of America, Russia
and France to collaborate for inter- planetary
explorations.
Sri Lankan government has said that it may
lift a ban on several Tamil diaspora groups and
individuals imposed by the previous Mahinda
Rajapaksa regime for their alleged links to the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to
achieve reconciliation with the country's largest
ethnic minority.
Srilankan Foreign Minister: Mangala
Samaraweera.
March 19
March 19 is World Sparrow Day
It's an International initiative by the Nature
Forever Society of India in collaboration with the
Eco-Sys Action Foundation (France) and
numerous other national and international
organisations across the world.
This Year's theme: I LOVE SPARROWS.
March 20
March 20 is International Day of
Happiness.
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This day was established by the United
Nations General Assembly on 28 June 2012.
March 20 is World Day of Theatre for
Children and Young People.
India and the U.S. are in the process of
exchanging the inked copies of Administrative
Arrangements (AA) for the nuclear deal, paving the
way for the implementation of the pact which was
signed seven years ago.
The AA, text of which was finalized during the
visit of US president Barack Obama in January this
year, contains the terms and conditions for the
implementation of the landmark Indo - US nuclear
deal.
China and Japan held their first security
talks in four years in Tokyo.
The talks halted in 2011 when China and
Japan's relations fell to a new low over the Diaoyu
Island‘s territorial dispute.
March 21
March 21 is World Puppet Day.
World Poetry Day is being celebrated.
This day was declared by UNESCO (The United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization) in 1999.
World Down Syndrome Day is being observed
today. International Day for the Elimination of
Racial Discrimination observed across the world
today.
March 22
March 22 is World Water Day.
It's important to remember that a drop of
water is powerful and life giving.
This Year Theme: ―Water and Sustainable
Development"
India and China will hold the 18th round of
border talks in Delhi from Monday (23rd March) -
the first round of negotiations after PM Narendra
Modi came to power last year - where the two sides
are expected to focus on clarification of the Line of
Actual Control (LAC).
Special Representative and National Security
Advisor Ajit Doval would hold talks with his Chinese
counterpart and State Councillor Yang Jiechi amid
hopes to clinch a solution under the strong
leadership in both the countries.
March 23
March 23 is World Meteorological Day.
Last Year's Theme: Weather and Climate:
Engaging Youth.
This Year's Theme: Climate Knowledge for
Climate Action.
India and China today held the 18th round of
border talks on the vexed boundary issue, the first
such meeting after PM Narendra Modi came to
power last year.
Special Representative and National Security
Advisor Ajit Doval held talks with his Chinese
counterpart and State Councillor Yang Jiechi. The
fresh round of discussion on the issue is taking
place nearly six months after Chinese President Xi
Jinping's visit in New Delhi.
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The First Vice President of Republic of Cuba,
Mr. Miguel Diaz - Canel Bermudez Mario caled on
the PM Narendra Modi.
Modi received him and expressed support for
greater cooperation, including in the areas of trade
and investment, health, bio-technology, renewable
energy, sports and human resource development
between the two countries.
March 24
March 24 is World Tuberculosis Day.
(TB Day).
4U 9525, a Germanwings Flight carrying 150
people crashed today in a mountain range in
Southern France.
India and China agreed to take steps needed
to maintain peace and tranquiility along the border
areas emphasizing it was a pre- requisite for
continued growth of bilateral relations.
Special Representatives of India: Ajit
Doval.
Special Representatives of China : Yang
Jeichi
March 25
PM Narendra Modi holds delegation level talks
with Emir of Qatar Sheik Tamim Bin Hamad Al -
Thani in New Delhi.
India and Qatar signed six agreements.
Transfer of sentenced prisoners.
MoU for cooperation in the field of Information
and Communication technology.
MoU between the ministry of earth science and
Qatar meteorological department for scientific and
Technical cooperation.
MoU between diplomatic institute of the
ministry of Foreign Affairs , Qatar and Foreign
service Institute of the ministry of external affairs.
MoU for cooperation in the field of Radio and
Television.
An agreement for mutual cooperation and
Exchange of news.
PM Narendra Modi will visit France, Germany
and Canada next month, on a tour expected to
focus on attracting Investment to the country.
March 26
Saudi Arabia launches a military operation
against Houthi rebels to defend legitimate
government in Yemen.
Sri Lanka's new president Maithripala Sirisena
held talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping amid a
push to recalibrate his predecessor's strongly pro -
china policies and a review of major chinese
projects in the island nation.
The talks kicked off Sirisena's first visit to
China since taking office in January and follow his
recent trip to India.
The two sides were likely to discuss a $ 1.5
billion china - funded port city project in Colombo
which Mr. Sirisena's government suspended
pending scrutiny of environment impacts and
alleged corruption.
US aircraft have launched bombing raids to
support Iraqi forces fighting to recapture Tikrit
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from the Islamic State (IS) group, after Baghdad
issued a request for air power.
Tikrit: Executed Dictator Saddam Hussein's
home town.
March 27
27th March is World Theatre Day (WTD).
This day was initiated in 1961 by the
International Theatre Institute.
Indian Government has decided to observe
National Mourning on 29th March 2015 (Sunday) to
mark respect to the Former Prime Minister of
Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew.
The National Flag will be flown at half-mast
throughout the country and there will be no official
entertainment on the day.
Lee Kuan Yew, the statesman and founding
father of Singapore, who transformed Singapore
from a small port city into a wealthy global hub,
died at the age of 91 on 23rd of this month.
Mr Lee served as the city-state's prime
minister for 31 years and continued to work in
government until 2011.
March 29
The 9th edition of Earth Hour was observed.
People across the globe show their growing
concern over climate change by switching off the
lights for an hour.
Earth Hour is a worldwide movement for the
planet organized by the World Wide Fund for
Nature (WWF).
The event is held worldwide annually
encouraging individuals, communities, households
and businesses to turn off their nonessential lights
for one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m
This event observed on the last Saturday in
March, as a symbol for our commitment to the
planet.
Singapore bids final adieu to its founding
father Lee Kuan Yew.
World leaders including Prime Minister
Narendra Modi attend the funeral.
Prime Minister meets Israeli President Reuven
Rivlin in Singapore, discusses bilateral relations.
March 30
India and Japan held their Defence Ministerial
Meeting in Tokyo and agreed on several steps to
step up their cooperation and exchanges in this
area as part of the efforts to enhance Special
Strategic and Global Partnership between the two
countries.
Indian Defence Minister: Manohar Parrikar
Japanese Defence Minister: Gen Nakatani
People in News Bill Gates, with an eye-popping net worth of
nearly $80 billion, has retained his title of the
World's Richest person. – Forbes Magazine.
Mukesh Ambani has retained his position as
the richest Indian for the eighth year in a row
with a net-worth of USD 21 billion followed by
Dilip Shanghvi and Azim Premji.
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Savitri Jindal (O.P. Jindal group) is the
richest woman of India followed by Indu Jain
(Bennett Coleman & Co) and Anu Aga
(Thermax).
The oldest woman in the world, Japan's
Misao Okawa (born in 1898), celebrated her
117th birthday.
Okawa is one of the five documented
people born in the 1800s who are still alive.
Dilip Shanghvi of Sun Pharmaceuticals,
with a net worth of $21.5 billion, surpassed
Mukesh Ambani as the world‟s richest Indian,
two days after the Reliance Industries Ltd chief
was ranked India‟s wealthiest for the eighth
consecutive year.
On the global rich list, Mr. Shanghvi moved
up to the 37th position, while Mr. Ambani slipped
to the 43rd.
The Delhi High Court upheld the 10year jail
term awarded to former Haryana Chief Minister
Om Prakash Chautala, his son Ajay Chautala
and three others for corruption in a teachers'
recruitment scam case.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been
named among the 30 most influential people on
the internet by Time Magazine.
The list also features US President Barack
Obama.
The list also includes British author of the
Harry Potter series J. K. Rowling and singers
Taylor Swift and Beyonce.
Modi has roughly 38million followers on
social networking sites Twitter and Facebook,
putting him ahead of any other leaders in the world
except Obama.
Union Minister Raosaheb Dadarao Danve,
who was made Maharasthra BJP president a few
months back, has resigned from the Council of
Ministers.
Danve, who held the portfolio of
Minister of State for Consumer Affairs,
Food and Public Distribution quit the Council of
Ministers over the principle of 'oneman,
onepost'.
A special CBI court in Dehradun sentenced
former UP minister D P Yadav to life in the 1992
Mahendra Singh Bhati murder case.
Special CBI court summons Former Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh as accused in a coal
scam case
Dr Singh says truth will ultimately prevail.
Calcutta High Court orders West Bengal
govt to pay 50,000 rupees as compensation to
Professor Ambikesh Mahapatra who was
arrested in 2012 for posting cartoons of CM Ms.
Mamata Banerjee.
The national tourism agency of England,
'Visit Britain' signed Bollywood actor and
producer Saif Ali Khan to promote an India
centric British campaign.
The actor was signed for the campaign known
as 'Bollywood Britain'.
The promotional campaign is likely to include
locations like London, Oxford, Cardiff which are
popular with Indian tourists and have also been
featured in many other Bollywood movies.
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Former Maldives president Mohamed
Nasheed was convicted of a terrorism charge by a
criminal court and sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar sits on
24 hours fast protesting the Land Acquisition
Bill.
A 2 - year old Dolly Shivani Cherukuri
(from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh) enters into the
India Book of Records, as a youngest anchery.
Mizoram Governor Dr Aziz Qureshi was sacked
from his post by President Pranab Mukherjee.
Until further appointment of another Governor
in Mizoram, West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath
Tripathi would hold additional charge of the state.
Social activist Medha Patkar quits Aam Aadmi
Party.
Following the ouster of Aam Aadmi Party
founder members Yogendra Yadav & Prashant
Bhushan, she took this decision.
British physicist Stephen Hawking is getting his
name trademarked, joining the ranks of celebrities
like J.K. Rowling and David Beckham, who have
turned their names into brands.
He has also applied to get his name
trademarked for charitable purposes, giving him
the option of setting up a foundation, such as one
to promote physics or for research into motor
neurone disease, which has left him paralysed.
His trademark would cover computer games,
powered wheelchairs, greetings cards and health
care.
Passed Away:
Bombay S. Kamal Veteran Singer
Brig Thenphunga
Sailo
Former Mizoram Chief
Minister
Deepak Khaitan Vice Chairman, Williamson
Magor Group
DK Ravikumar IAS Officer (Controversial
death)
G. Karthikeyan Speaker, Kerala Assembly
K Baskaran Veteran Sports Journalist
K.S. Lavkumar
Khachar
Renowned Ornithologist
Lee Kuan Yew Singapore's founding father
Lia van Leer Queen of Israeli Cinema
Malcolm Fraser Former Prime Minister,
Australia
Narayan Desai Chancellor, Gujarat
Vidyapith
Ninan Koshy Indian political thinker,
foreign affairs expert
Ram Sundar Das Former CM, Bihar
Shahir Krishnarao
Sable
Marathi Folk legend
Sir Terry
Pratchett
Author (Discworld series)
Vinod Mehta Chairman, Outlook India
Yusuf Ali Kechery Malayalam poet
Awards and Honors March 02
The outgoing Namibian President
Hifikepunye Pohamba has won the world's
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most valuable individual award, the Mo
Ibrahim prize for African leadership.
The $5m (£3.2m) award is given each year to
an elected leader who governed well, raised living
standards and then left office.
March 04
Rani Mukerji awarded by National Institute
of Gender Justice for representing the cause of
women
Bollywood actress Rani Mukerji was on 3 March
2015 awarded with the National Award for the Best
Representation of the Cause of Safety, Security
and Protection of Women and Girl Child by
National Institute of Gender Justice (NIGJ).
March 08
President of India Pranab Mukherjee
presented the Stree Shakti & Nari Shakti
Puruskars for the year 2015 at Rashtrapati
Bhavan.
The Stree Shakti puraskars are conferred to
six women in the area of womens endeavor and
exceptional contribution each year.
The award carries a cash prize of Rs.
300,000 and a citation.
Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Award has been
given to Anyay Rahit Zindagian NGO of Goa.
Seema Prakash of Madhya
Pradesh got Rani Lakshmibai Award.
Astha Sansthan (NGO) of
Rajasthan has been awarded Rani Rudramma Devi
Award).
Smt. Chandraprabha Bokey from Maharashtra
has been conferred Mata Jijabai Award.
Dr. P Bhanumati of Kerala gets Kannagi Award.
Sister while Mariola from Rajasthan has been
conferred Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award.
The Nari Shakti Puraskarshave been
conferred for the first time this year.
The award carries a cash prize of Rs 100,000
and a citation.
This years awardees are :
Smt. Rashmi Anand (Delhi).
Dr. Nandita Krishna (Tamil Nadu).
Dr. Laxmi Gautam (Uttar Pradesh).
Ms. LatikaThukral (Haryana), Ms. Neha Kirpal
(Delhi).
Dr. Sailakshmi Balijepally (Tamil Nadu), Ms.
P.Kousalya (Tamil Nadu).
Dr. Swaraj Vidwan Uttarakhand).
March 10
Former Union minister and senior
Congress leader M Veerappa Moily has been
selected for the prestigious Saraswati Samman
for 2014 for his famous Kannada poem
Ramayana Mahanveshanam'.
Divided into five volumes, 'Ramayana
Mahanveshanam' was first published in 2007 in
Kannada.
The poem has been translated into English,
Hindi, Telugu and Tamil.
Instituted by the K K Birla Foundation in
1991, Saraswati Samman is given annually for
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an outstanding literary work in any Indian language
mentioned in the Schedule VIII of the Constitution.
This award carries a cash purse of Rs 10
lakh, a citation and a plaque.
Kerala Tourism‟s popular Global
Multimedia Campaign to promote the backwaters
has won the Golden Gate award at the
International Tourismus Borse Berlin named
ITBBerlin – 2015, the world‘s leading travel trade
event.
Indian Army‘s corps of signals ‗Daredevils‘
Display Team achieved Guinness World Record of
the most people (56) on one moving motorcycle at
Dumna Airport, Jabalpur.
The men rode a single 500 cc Royal Enfield
Bullet motorcycle a distance of 1‘100.
March 18
Union HRD Minister Smiriti Irani was
named Young Global Leader (YGL) from India
by the World Economic Forum
(WEF)
Others who have been named Young Global
Leader (YGL) in the past include British Prime
Minister David Cameron, Alibaba Group chief
Jack Ma, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, Google
chief Larry Page, and Italian PM Matteo Renzi.
March 21
Rajendra singh, an environment activist of
India widely popular as the 'Water Man' has been
conferred with Stockholm Water Prize 2015.
Sweden's king Carl Gustav will present the
rainwater harvesting pioneer with a cash prize of 1,
50,000 Dollar during the world water week.
Eminent singer Lata Mangeshkar was
presented the "Laadli Voice of the Century" award
during the sixth edition of the national Laadli Media
and Advertising Awards for Gender Sensitivity.
Queen won the best movie award in the
ceremony.
Advertising agency Ogilvy and Mather won the
"Laadli Grand Prix" for its titan Raga - 'turn nahi
badle' advertisement.
Laadli extraordinaire award went to Charu
Khurana
March 22
President Pranab Mukherjee conferred One
Kirti Chakra and 11 Shaurya Chakra awards on
armed forces personnel, three of them
posthumously, for gallantry.
Kirti Chakra: Captain Jaidev
Shaurya Chakra (Posthumous):
Subedar Prakash Chand
Lieutenant Commander Manoranjan Kumar
Major Abhijai
Shaurya Chakra:
Major Mukul sharma
Commander Gosavi Kaustubh Vijaykumar
Major R Vamshi Krishnan
Rifleman Manga Ram
Wing Commander Huvey Upadhyaya
Major Abhishek Kumar
Major Satnam Singh
March 17
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Naik Ansaigra Basumatary.
Kirti Chakra- It is the second highest peace
time gallantry award i.e. awarded for valour,
courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the
field of battle.
Shaurya Chakra- It is the third highest
peacetime gallantry award i.e. awarded for valour,
courageous action or self-sacrifice while not
engaged in direct action with the enemy.
The President also conferred 14 Param Vishisht
Seva Medals, three Uttam Yudh Seva Medals and
26 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals on senior officers of
the armed forces for distinguished service of an
exceptional order.
Former Sri Lankan army chief Sarath Fonseka
was today conferred the country's highest military
rank of field marshal for "achieving victory over
terrorism" by the new government.
With this Fonseka became the first Sri Lankan
to receive this highest military title which is
honorary in nature.
Fonseka is credited for being the force behind
ending the 26-year Sri Lankan Civil War in 2009 by
defeating the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE) rebels.
March 23
Veteran actor - producer Shashi Kapoor will be
conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2014.
March 24
62nd National Film Awards.
Kannada Actor Vijay bagged Best Actor for
"Nanu Avanalla Avalu" (Kannada)
Kangana Ranaut wins the Best Actress Award
for her performance in "Queen"
Chaitanya Tamhane's Marathi film court has
been named the Best Feature Film.
Srijith Mukerjee wins the Best Director Award
for Chotushkone
Mary Kom won the Best Entertainment Film.
Ottal (Malayalam) won the Best Environment
film
Vishal Bhardwaj won the Best Music Director
Award.
Sukvinder Singh won the Best Singer for Male
Utara Unnikrishnan won the Best Singer for
Female.
March 25
Bangladesh has won the prestigious Women in
Parliaments (WIP) Global Forum Award for regional
leadership in reducing gender gap in politics.
Bangladesh won this award for its outstanding
success in the regional category ―South and
Southeast Asia ".
Prime Minister: Sheik Hasina.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs: Md. Shahriar
Alam.
Noted Hindi poet Gopaldas Neeraj was
awarded with first National Kavi Pradeep Samman.
This award carries a cash prize of Rs. Two lakh
, a shawl and a citation.
I & B Ministry bags the Platinum icon award for
the comprehensive Web presence.
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Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee to be
conferred Bharat Ratna on 27th March 2015.
Madan Mohan Malaviya's family to be given the
Bharat Ratna award on 30th March 2015.
Man Booker International prize 2015 shortlist
announced.
Indian author Amitav Ghosh was shortlisted for
the 2015 Man Booker International Prize. He is the
only Indian among the 10 finalists shortlisted for
the prize.
Kolkata born, 58-year-old Mr. Ghosh had
narrowly missed out on the Booker Prize back in
2008 when he was shortlisted for his work Sea of
Poppies.
Indian contemporary artist Bharti Kher was
awarded with France‘s highest cultural award
Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier
dans l‘Ordre des Arts et des Lettres).
She was bestowed the prestigious honour for
her contribution to contemporary art landscape by
French ambassador to India Francois Richier in New
Delhi.
Madhav Gadgil and Dr. Jane Lubchenco
won Tyler Prize for Environmental
Achievement 2015
March 27
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nobel
laureate Kailash Satyarthi have been named among
the 50 greatest leaders in the world by Fortune
magazine.
Mr Modi is ranked 5th and Mr Satyarthi
occupied 28th position in the list.
The list has been topped by Apple CEO Tim
Cook followed by European Central Bank President
Mario Draghi, Chinese President Xi Jingping and
Pope Francis.
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee
(90), one of the country's most respected
politicians, has been conferred the Bharat Ratna,
India's highest civilian honour.
Mr Vajpayee, was the country's first non-
Congress Prime Minister who served a full five-year
term from 1998 to 2004.
The Bharat Ratna announced for noted
educationist and freedom fighter Madan Mohan
Malviya will be given posthumously to his family
members on 30th March 2015 at the Rashtrapati
Bhavan.
Since its inception, 43 people including former
Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bhadur
Shastri, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi have
received the prestigious award.
March 28
Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal creates history by
becoming first Indian woman to be World Number
1 Badminton Player.
Indian-American biology professor, Murty S
Kambhampati, chosen for prestigious US
presidential award for excellence in the field of
science, mathematics and engineering mentoring.
India's space agency Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) has been selected for the
Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2014.
Chairman: A.S.Kiran Kumar
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March 30
Gurgaon girl Aditi Arya was crowned Femina
Miss India 2015 at the 52nd edition of
the beauty pageant.
Reigning Miss India Koyal Rana, enthroned her
successor Aditi with the crown made by PC
Jewellers.
21 contestants from across the country
participated in the beauty contest.
The first and second runners up were Aafreen
Rachel Vaz and Vartika Singh respectively.
The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee
presented the Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan,
Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri awards at a Civil
Investiture Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Freedom Fighter Madan Mohan Malviya
posthumously conferred Bharat Ratna.
Internationally acclaimed filmmaker Adoor
Gopalakrishnan was presented with the
Bishwaratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika International
Solidarity Award by Assam Chief Minister Tarun
Gogoi.
Gopalakrishnan became the second recipient of
this biennial award, the first one being Lubna
Marium of Bangladesh in 2013.
The award carries a citation, a shawl, a
memento and Rs 5 lakh.
New Appointments March 01
Kannan Ramesh, a 49 year old Indian-
origin lawyer has been appointed as a Judicial
Commissioner to Singapore‟s Supreme Court
bench for two years.
March 02
India has named Arun Singh; currently it‘s
Ambassador to France, as its next top envoy to
the US and has informed the American
government in this regard.
A 1979 batch IFS officer, Mr Singh will be
replacing S Jaishankar, who was appointed as
Foreign Secretary on 28th January this year.
Mohan Kumar, Indian Ambassador to
Bahrain will replace Mr Singh as France
Ambassador.
Ranjan Dhawan given additional charge as
MD & CEO of Bank of Baroda
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
has entrusted Ranjan Dhawan, Executive
Director, Bank of Baroda (BoB), additional
charge of the Managing Director & CEO of the
public sector bank for a period of three
months
After series of poll debacles Congress
appoints new PCC chiefs in five states.
Ajay Maken - Delhi.
Ashok Chavan - Maharashtra
Ghulam Ahmed Mir -Jammu & Kashmir
Bharatsinh Solanki - Gujarat
Uttam Reddy - Telangana
March 03
IAS officer Kewal K Sharma appointed as
Delhi Chief Secretary
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March 12
IAS officer Kewal K Sharma is appointed as
Chief Secretary of Delhi. His appointment was
approved by Union Home Ministry.
At present, Sharma is the chief secretary
of Goa. Sharma was appointed as the Goa chief
secretary on 1 January 2015.
Besides serving the Governments of Delhi,
Goa and Arunachal Pradesh, Sharma served in
the United Nations (UN) Mission in Kosovo
from 1999 to 2005 as a Civil Affairs Officer.
March 05
US President Barack Obama has re
nominated Sunil Sabharwal, an independent
Indian-American investor, to a key
administration post as Alternate Executive
Director at the IMF.
First nominated in April 2014 to the position
of Alternate Executive Director of the
International Monetary Fund (IMF), Sabharwal
has been an independent investor in the payments
sector since 2006.
The government approved appointment of
nine Executive Directors (EDs) in various public
sector banks, including BoB, BoI and Canara Bank.
Allahabad Bank -NK Sahoo
Bank of Baroda -K Venkata Rama Moorthy
Bank of India -RP Marathe
Canara Bank -Harideesh Kumar B
Central Bank of India -RC Lodha
Indian Overseas Bank -Pawan Kumar Bajaj
Syndicate Bank Ravi -Shankar Pandey
UCO Bank -Charan Singh
Union Bank of India -Kishore Piraji Khara
Andhra Bank's ED post is still vacant.
March 14
Olympic medal
winning boxer MC
Mary Kom was appointed as the brand
ambassador of the Northeast to showcase the
potential of the region which offers Rs. 2.4
trillion business opportunities across various
sectors.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh‟s Akhil
Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (the highest decision
making body) re-elected Bhaiyyaji Joshi as the
Sarkaryvaha (general secretary) of the
organisation for a third consecutive term till March
2018.
Dr. Alka Beotra, Scientific Director,
National Dope Testing Laboratory, Ministry of
Youth Affairs & Sports, has been nominated to
the Executive Board of WAADS
WAADS: World Association of Anti-Doping
Scientists.
IT major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
appointed Aarthi Subramanian, its global head
of Delivery Excellence Group, as an Executive
Director on the Board.
Charan Singh assumes charge as UCO Bank
ED
UCO Bank has announced that Charan Singh
(54) has assumed the charge of Executive
Director of the bank from March 10.
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Prior to this, he was General Mangager,
Bank of India, in charge of its human resources
department.
Next Ambassador of India to Romania - Riva
Ganguly Das (currently Joint Secretary in
ministry)
Wipro Chief Operating Officer (COO) -
Abid Ali Neemuchwala (first time COO)
March 19
Ratan Tata, former chairman of Tata sons
was appointed as the head of 'Kayakulp'
Council.
An innovation council of the Indian Railways.
Nobel Laureate, Deputy Director of the
British Medical Research Council's Laboratory
of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, and Fellow of
the Royal Society, Sir Venkatraman (Venky)
Ramakrishnan has been confirmed as President
Elect of the Royal Society.
March 21
Colin Macdonald appointed as Managing
Director of Renault Nissan Automotive India
(RNAIPL).
He will assume charge on 1 April 2015.
Prior to this appointment he was Deputy
Managing Director of (RNAIPL).
March 22
Katherine Viner has been appointed as editor-
in-chief of The Guardian newspaper. She will be
12th editor-in-chief and the first woman to run the
newspaper in its 194-year history.
March 23
Diplomat Vikas Swarup has been appointed as
the new official spoke person of the Ministry of
External Affairs.
Present spokesperson, Syed Akbaruddin has
been appointed as Chief Coordinator of the India -
Africa Forum Summit.
Important Point to Note: Vikas Swarup is also
the author of bestseller novel Q & A, on which the
Oscar winning film Slumdog Millionaire was based.
Former Sri Lankan president Chandrika
Bandaranaike kumaratunga will head a special
presidential task force to identify urgent
reconciliation needs of the minority Tamil
community.
Google Inc has appointed Ruth Porat as Chief
Financial Officer (CFO).
She took the charge (March 26).
She succeeded Patrick Pichette who announced
his retirement on 10 March 2015
New Appointments:
Aarthi
Subramanian
Executive Director, TCS
Abid Ali
Neemuchwala
First COO, Wipro
Anurag Thakur Secretary, BCCI
Arun Singh India's Ambassador, US
Ashu Suyash CEO, Crisil
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Ashu Suyash MD & CEO, Crisil
Ashwin Mittal CFO, Walmart India
Balasubramanian
Ganesh
CIO, HSBC
Baldev Sharma Chairman, National Book Trust
Bhaiyyaji Joshi General Secretary, RSS
CherWang CEO, HTC
Colin Macdonald MD, Renault Nissan
Automotive India
David Hale US ambassador to Pakistan
Dr. Alka Beotra Member, WAADS (World
Association of AntiDoping
Scientists)
Jagmohan
Dalmiya
President, BCCI
Kannan Ramesh Judicial Commissioner,
Singapore‘s Supreme Court
Katharine Viner Editorinchief, The Guardian
Katsushi Inoue President & CEO, Honda Cars
India
Kavinder Gupta Speaker, J&K Assembly
Kewal Sharma Chief Secretary, Delhi
K.M.Mani Chairman, GST Empowered
Committee
M Akhaya CVO, Department of
Telecommunications
M C Mary Kom Brand Ambassador, North East
Mohan Kumar India's Ambassador, France
Mufti Mohammed
Sayeed
Chief Minister, Jammu and
Kashmir
N Sakthan Speaker, Kerala Assembly
Narendra Modi Chancellor, Viswa Bharati
University
Nirupama Rao Independent Director ,
Network 18
Petko Draganov Special Representative, Head
of United Nations Regional
Centre for Preventive
Diplomacy (UNRCCA) for
Central Asia
Ramachandran vicechair, Association of
National Olympic Committees
(ANOC) International Relations
Commission
Ratan Tata Head, Kaya Kalp
Riva Ganguly Das Indian Ambassador, Romania
Ruth Porat Chief Financial Officer (CFO),
Google Inc
Sohail Aman New air chief, Pakistan
Sunil Sabharwal Alternate Executive Director,
International Monetary Fund
(IMF)
Uma Nath Singh Chief Justice,Meghalaya HC
Venkatraman
Ramakrishnan
Head, Britain‘s Royal Society
Vikas Swarup Official Spokesperson, Ministry
of External Affairs
Science & Technology Myanmar has announced that it has found a
rare white elephant in the jungles of the western
Ayeyarwaddy region.
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White elephants, actually albinos, have for
centuries been revered in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos
and other Asian nations.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the
world‟s first all-electric communications
satellites successfully launched this morning, from
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida built
by Boeing.
The satellites are owned by the French
satellite provider Eutelsat and Asia Broadcast
Satellite (ABS).
SpaceX - Space Exploration
The Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) has postponed the launch of India‟s
fourth Navigation Satellite IRNSS1D onboard
PSLVC27.
The launch was originally scheduled for
March 09 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in
Sriharikota.
ISRO sources say that an anomaly was
observed in one of the telemetry transmitters of
the satellite during the integrated electrical
checks of Launch Vehicle along with Satellite
after the closure of heat shield on March 03.
The next launch date of PSLVC27 with
IRNSS1D will be fixed after the technical
anomaly is rectified through further test,
simulation and analysis.
NASA‟s Dawn spacecraft reaches dwarf
planet Ceres
NASA‘s Dawn spacecraft has created history by
becoming the first mission to achieve orbit
around the dwarf planet Ceres with an aim of
providing new insights and capturing images
from the distant world.
The spacecraft was approximately 61,000
kilometres from Ceres when it was captured by
the dwarf planet‟s gravity.
Since its discovery in 1801, Ceres was known as
a planet, then an asteroid and later a dwarf
planet.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched
Rotavirus vaccine Rotavac, developed by
Hyderabad based Bharat Biotech.
CMD of Bharat Biotech Krishna Ella
Pakistan has conducted a successful test
launch of the ShaheenIII surface to surface
ballistic missile, capable of carrying nuclear
and conventional warheads to a range of
2,750 km.
In a breakthrough, Japanese researchers
have successfully transmitted electric power
wirelessly to a pinpoint target using micro waves;
an advance that brings space based solar power
closer to reality.
According to Japan Aerospace Exploration
Agency, or Jaxa, the researchers were able to
transform 1.8 kilowatts of electric power into
microwaves and transmit it with accuracy into a
receiver located 55 metres away.
NASA has launched four identical space
crafts on a billion dollar mission to study the
explosive give and take of the Earth and sun‟s
magnetic fields.
The scientists of National Dairy Research
Institute have for the first time successfully
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cloned a calf, using cells from the urine of a
buffalo.
The female calf has been named Apoorva and
is said to be normal and responding well.
Pakistan successfully tested its first
indigenous all weather armed drone and a laser
guided missile.
Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif
attended the ceremony and witnessed the test fire
of the new missile on static and moving
targets.
The drone, named Burraq, has the ability to
fly in all types of weather conditions and strike its
targets with pinpoint accuracy.
India‘s indigenously developed Beyond Visual
Range (BVR) air-to-air missile Astra was
successfully launched from Sukhoi-30 fighter
aircraft to hit a simulated target at the Integrated
Test Range, chandipur in odisha.
About test:
The Missile was tested to prove the
manoeuvring capability against a simulated target
and also to validate various subsystems.
All the subsystems like propulsion, navigation,
guidance as also the smooth separation of the
missile from the aircraft were proved.
The missile developed by Defence Research
and Development Organisation (DRDO) can
engage and destroy enemy aircraft at supersonic
speed (1.2 mach - 1.4 mach) in head on (up to 80
km) and tail chase (up to 20 km) modes.
The 3.8 metre tall Astra is the smallest of
the DRDO - developed missiles and can be
launched from different altitudes.
It can reach up to 110km when fired from an
altitude of 15km, 44km when launched from an
altitude of 8km and 21km when fired from sea
level.
The ISRO Mars Orbiter Mission was extended
for another Six Monthsto further explores the Red
Planet and its atmosphere.
Note: India has become the first country to
have entered the Mars sphere of influence in its
maiden attempt.
Social Media platform Twitter has launched
―Twitter Samvad ―in collaboration with the Indian
Government so as to allow people to receive tweets
as SMSes from government offices, including the
Prime Minister's office.
The service was launched by PM Narendra
Modi.
Twitter global CEO: Dick Costolo
Sports March 01
Dubai ATP Tennis Championship
Singles : Roger Federer (Switzerland)
Women's Singles : Simona Halep (Romania)
Men's Doubles : Rohan Bopanna (India) /
Daniel Nestor (Canada)
Women's Doubles : Timea Babos (Hungary) /
Kristina Mladenovic (France)
March 02
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Jagmohan Dalmiya unanimously elected as
President of the Board of Control for Cricket
BJP leader Anurag Thakur elected as
Secretary.
New ICC ODI Rankings
Australia maintains its top position with 120
points Followed by India with 116 points.
Top 5
Australia -120
India -116
South Africa -113
Sri Lanka -108
New Zealand -107
Nadal wins first title of 2015 at Argentina
Open
March 03
Hashim Amla becomes the fastest player to
reach twenty ODI centuries.
Olympic medalist boxer MC Mary Kom
(32) has announced that she has decided to
quit boxing after the 2016 Rio Olympic Games
as her body would not be able to cope with the
rigours of the sport any further.
March 04
Australia Beat India's Record in Today's
Cricket match.
Australia Scored 417 runs against
Afghanistan. They beat India's 413 runs in world
cup history.
March 05
BCCI reprimands Virat Kohli for abusing
Indian journalist during practice session at World
Cup.
March 06
M.S.Dhoni beats Ganguli's record of most
wins by an Indian Captain in a World Cup.
March 07
Indian ace shuttler Saina Nehwal becomes
the first Indian woman player to reach the
finals of All England
Snooker shortlisted for Tokyo Olympics
The green baize game of snooker, played with
multi-coloured balls, has been short-listed
among three sports to be included in the 2020
Olympic Games in Tokyo, according to Captain
P.V.K. Mohan, president of the International
Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF).
March 08
Carolina Marin Martin of Spain has won the
prestigious Women‟s Singles Title in the All
England Open Badminton Championships
2015. She beats Saina Newhal.
March 09
Lalit Modi was unseated as the president
of the Rajasthan Cricket Associaton (RCA).
The special Annual General Meeting (AGM)
voted Modi out with a 171 verdict even as his
supporters cried foul of the entire election
process.
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March 10
Kumar Sangakkara became the first player
to score four successive one day
International centuries
Karnataka defeat Tamil Nadu by an innings
and 217 runs to retain Ranji
Trophy title.
The United Arab Emirates won a
unanimous vote to host the AFC Asian Cup in
2019
AFC president: Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim
Al Khalifa.
March 14
Kidambi Srikanth creates history by winning
the $120,000 Swiss Grand Prix Gold
badminton championship in Switzerland
Lewis Hamilton (Britain) won the
Australian Grand Prix – first Formula 1 (F1)
Grand Prix of the season on 15 March 2015
India beats Poland 3 -1 in final to win
Women's Hockey World League Round 2
WorldCup2015 Quarter Final Fixtures:
SL Vs SA - 18th March
IND Vs BAN - 19th March
AUS Vs PAK - 20th March
NZ Vs WI - 21st March
March 14
Lewis Hamilton wins the Australian Grand
Prix.
March 18
K Sangakkara & M Jayawardhane bid
farewell to ODIs
March 19
MS Dhoni became the first Indian Captain
to lead India to 100 ODI wins.
March 20
Newzealand opener Martin Guptill hits World
cup record double century 237* from 163 balls.
He is the highest World Cup score by an
individual batsman.
March 22
Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza have completed
a dream first tournament together, beating
Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina 6-3, 6-4 to
win the BNP Paribas Open women's doubles title.
It was Sania's 24th Career title and the Second
Doubles trophy this year.
March 23
Novak Djokovic wins Indian Wells Open Tennis
Men's Singles Title.
In the final match he defeated Switzerland‘s
Roger Federer
With this win Djokovic won his fourth Indian
Wells Open title and overall 50th tour-level title.
Simona Halep has won the Indian Wells Open
Tennis Women‘s Singles Title.
In the final match she defeated Serbia‘s Jelena
Jankovic.
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It was Halep‘s third WTA titles in 2015 apart
from Shenzhen Open and Dubai Open.
Sania Mirza (India) and Martina Hingis
(Switzerland) pair have won Indian Wells Open
Tennis Women‘s Doubles Title.
In the final match they defeated Russian pair
Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina.
It was Sania Mirza‘s second title of the season
2015 and 24th overall.
Vasek Pospisil (Canada) and Jack Sock (US)
pair have won the won Indian Wells Open Tennis
Men‘s Doubles Title.
In the final match they defeated Italian pair
Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fogni.
March 24
South Africans choked again as Kiwis advance
to maiden final with 4-wicket win.
South Africa-born Grant Elliott`s brilliant 84
not out, capped with a stunning six off the
penultimate ball, saw New Zealand to a four-wicket
win over the Proteas in a cliffhanger World Cup
semi-final at Auckland`s Eden Park.
NewZealand faced a revised target of 298
under the Duckworth/Lewis method after South
Africa made 281 for five in 43 overs.
March 25
Indian Open Super Series Badminton
tournament kicks off in New Delhi.
March 26
Australia will play Cricket World Cup final
against New Zealand on 29th March.
March 28
Co-hosts of World Cup, Australia and New
Zealand to fight for ICC World Cup tomorrow at
iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.
March 29
World Cup 2015 Australia defeat New Zealand
by 7 wickets to win their 5th World Cup crown.
Australian skipper Michael Clarke retires from
ODI James Faulkner : 'Man of the Match'
Mitchell Starc : 'Man of the series'
Kidambi Srikanth has won India Open Super
Series Badminton Men‘s Singles Title 2015.
Saina Nehwal has won India Open Super
Series Badminton Women‘s Singles Title 2015.
March 30
International Cricket Council names World Cup
XI
This list dominated by New Zealand.
Not a single Indian cricketer found a place in
it.
The ICC team (in batting order)
Martin Guptill (NZ)
Brendon McCullum (NZ, capt)
Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka, wicketkeeper)
Steve Smith (Aust)
AB de Villiers (South Africa)
Glenn Maxwell (Aust)
Corey Anderson (NZ)
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Daniel Vettori (NZ)
Mitchell Starc (Aust)
Trent Boult (NZ)
Morne Morkel (South Africa)
Brendan Taylor (Zimbabwe, 12th man).
March 31
New Zealand left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori
announces retirement from international cricket.
Malaysia Open Badminton tournament begins
in Kuala Lumpur.
Important days Days Functions
1st March 25th foundation day of NASSCOM
3rd March World Wildlife Day
4th March National Safety Day
8th March International Women's Day
10th March Tibetan Uprising Day
12th March World Kidney Day
14th March Pi Day
15th March World Consumer Rights Day
20th March World Sparrow Day
20th March International Day of Happiness
20th March World Day of Theatre for Children
and
Young People
21st March World Puppet Day
21st March World Down Syndrome Day
21st March International Day for the
Elimination of
Racial Discrimination
22nd March World Water Day
23rd March World Meteorological Day
24th March World Tuberculosis Day (TB Day)
24th March World Theatre Day
Business and economy March 02
An agreement was signed between the Centre
and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) during
February 2015 that sets inflation target for the
RBI.
Target – To bring inflation down to 6% by
January 2016
Ola acquired Taxi For Sure for $200
million in a cash and equity deal, signaling
consolidation in the $11 billion taxi industry
and also continues to operate as separate
entities.
Hero MotoCorp ropes in Allu Arjun as
brand ambassador
LIC hikes stake in RIL to 9.08%
Insurance behemoth LIC has increased its
stake in Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance
Industries Ltd by 2.09 per cent after buying
6.78 crore shares in the open market.
China has launched a massive $79.8 billion
infrastructure project in the northwest province
of Gansu which will facilitate trade and people
exchanges between China and central Asia as
part of its ambitious Silk Road plan.
Though the province does not share its borders
with any central Asian countries, it will be an
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important stretch of the Silk Road Economic
Belt.
The six-year development project will add
more than 60,000 kilometers of road, including
4,070 km expressways, and improve the
connectivity of the existing transportation
network.
March 03
Centre and RBI sign an agreement to keep
inflation below six percent and provide price
stability with growth.
According to this agreement, the RBI would
tailor its monetary policy to achieve an
inflation rate of 4% with a flexibility band of
+/2% for the financial year 2016-17 and
thereafter.
―The RBI will aim to bring inflation below
6% by January 2016,‖ the government said.
eBay India ties up with SMEcorner.com
eBay India has partnered with SMEcorner.com,
an online platform for Small and Medium
Enterprises.
SMEcorner.com offers accessibility to loans in
six online steps, which helps combat
challenges of follow–ups, documentation,
unprofessional intermediaries and other such
issues, eBay officials said.
Further, SMEcorner.com offers tools such as
Loan Eligibility Calculator and Loan EMI
Calculator which helps entrepreneurs to
manage their loans.
Our aim is to narrow the gap between SME
enterprises and lenders by guiding and
providing them access to avenues to meet
their funding requirements,‖ said Samir
Bhatia, Founder & CEO, SMEcorner.com
LIC unveils two new plans
Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) launched
two new plans-
Jeevan Sangam a savings cum protection
single premium plan and a
new children‟s money back plan.
The proposer will have an option to choose
the Maturity Sum Assured.
The single premium payable (exclusive of
service tax) will depend on the chosen amount of
Maturity Sum Assured and age of the life
assured.
The plan will be open for sale for a maximum
period of 90 days from the date of launch.
LIC's New Children‟s Money Back Plan is a
participating non-linked money back plan.
This plan is specially designed to meet the
educational, marriage and other needs of
growing children through Survival Benefits.
In addition, it provides for risk cover on the
life of child during the policy term and also for
Periodic payments on surviving to the end of
specified durations.
International rating agency Moody‟s on 3
March 2015 downgraded the ratings of some
securities of Central Bank of India and Indian
Overseas Bank
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The agency downgraded to BA1 from BAA3
its ratings on local and foreign-currency deposits of
Central Bank of India and Indian Overseas Bank
(IOB).
Apart from this IOB‟s senior unsecured
debt was also downgraded to BA1 from BAA3.
BAA3 rating means below investment
grade ratings / Rated as medium grade, with
some speculative elements and moderate
credit risk.
BA1 rating means Judged to have
speculative elements and a significant credit
risk.
However, Central Bank of India and IOB
continue to have standalone ratings of B3 and
B2, respectively, from Moody‘s.
March 04
RBI has lowered its policy Repo Rate by 25
basis points to 7.5 per cent.
Current RBI Rates :
Bank rate - 8.5 %
Repo rate - 7.5 %
Reverse Repo Rate - 6.5 %
Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) - 4 %
Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) - 21.5 %
Marginal Standing Facility (MSF)- 8.5%
The biggest ever auction of 2G and 3G
spectrum started and this is likely to fetch the
government over Rs. 82,000 crore based on the
reserve price.
Tata AIA Life launches special drive for
lapsed policies.
Tata AIA Life Insurance announced the launch
of ‗Revive‟, a special drive to reinstate lapsed
insurance policies.
Federal Bank offers overdraft against gold
jewellery
Federal Bank has offered its consumers an
attractive ‗Apna Gold Loan‘ facility.
Customers can deposit gold coins (up to 50
gm) and jewellery with the bank, just like putting
it in a bank locker. The advantage in this case is
that the bank locker comes practically free of cost.
The bank will sanction an overdraft in the
savings account of the customer equivalent to
75 per cent of the value of gold deposited.
If a customer uses the overdraft then he has
to repay it within one year and pay interest
only for the period the money is used.
The lending rate on Apna Gold loan is 12-14
per cent a year against 32 per cent charged on
credit card cash withdrawals.
The government is however hopeful of getting
around Rs. 1 lakh crore from the sale of
radiowaves used for mobile telephony.
MetLife names Bharat Kannan as head of
employee benefits for Asia
MetLife Inc, the largest U.S. life insurer,
hired Bharat Kannan as head of employee
benefits for the Asia region.
He will report to president of Asia for
MetLife, Christopher Townsend.
Kannan joins from Aon where he spent over 11
years, most recently serving as chief executive of
Aon Insurance Brokers Malaysia.
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Bharti Airtel Limited partnered with China
Mobile under which the two companies will work
towards the growth of the long term evolution
(LTE) ecosystem and evolving mobile
technology standards.
Both the companies will also work towards
shaping up a joint strategy for procurement of
devices that include Mifi, smartphones, data
cards, LTE CPEs and USIM.
This MOU was signed by Sunil Mittal,
Chaian, Bharti Airtel, and Xi Guohua,
Chairman, China Mobile.
March 05
US President Barack Obama has re
nominated Sunil Sabharwal, an independent
Indian-American investor, to a key
administration post as Alternate Executive
Director at the IMF.
First nominated in April 2014 to the position of
Alternate Executive Director of the
International Monetary Fund (IMF), Sabharwal
has been an independent investor in the payments
sector since 2006.
March 06
Giving a boost to affordable housing, the RBI
eased the norms for home loans for up to Rs 10
lakh by allowing banks to include stamp duty
and registration charges to the cost of a unit.
Walmart India appoints Ashwin Mittal as
CFO
Walmart India announced two executive
appointments with Ashwin Mittal as the new
Chief Financial Officer and Javier Rojo as head
of Real Estate and Business Development.
Mittal will replace Jill Anderson, currently
the CFO of Walmart India, who will soon repatriate
back to Walmart in US.
Fifteen crore Aadhar cards linked with
bank accounts
The National Payments Corporation of
India on Friday announced linking of 15 crore
Aadhar cards with various bank accounts in India.
March 07
Apple Inc. will soon join the 30-stock Dow
Jones Industrial Average, AT & T is the oldest
U.S. stock average.
March 09
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has been
named as the top employer in Europe for the
third consecutive year by a top employers
certification agency, citing the Indian IT major
as an "exceptional performer" in nine core
human resources areas.
TCS, the leading IT services, consulting and
business solutions organisation, has been certified
as top employer in eight European countries the
UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany,
Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway by Top
Employers Institute.
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March 10
ICICI Prudential Life Insurance has
launched ICICI Pru Smart Life.
The savings product is designed to provide
financial protection and enable building a corpus
over long-term, the company said in a release.
ICICI Bank offers unique remittance
service to Bahrain NRIs
ICICI Bank, India‘s largest private sector
bank, has tied up with SADAD Electronic
Payments WLL to offer remittance service for
NRIs based in Bahrain, enabling them to transfer
money instantly to India from the latter‘s kiosks
spread across the Kingdom of Bahrain.
‗Touch n Remit‟, is a 24*7 remittance
service in Bahrain and is available to all NRIs, even
if they don‘t have an account with ICICI Bank.
Tata AIA launches endowment assurance
plan
Tata AIA Life announced the launch of its new
life insurance solution Tata AIA Life
Insurance Smart Growth Plus, a non-linked
participating endowment assurance plan that
allows customers to plan for life's opportunities as
well as uncertainties.
March 11
Reliance Industries Ltd is India's largest
corporate with assets worth Rs 3.68 lakh
crore, followed by state owned Indian Oil Corp
and mortgage lender HDFC.
In the list of top 10 corporates in terms of
assets, RIL and HDFC (Housing Development
Finance Corp) were the only two firms from the
private sector, data compiled by the Corporate
Affairs Ministry showed.
Indian Railways signed an MoU with Life
Insurance Corporation for raising Rs 1.5 lakh
crore for financing its capacity augmentation
projects.
Under the MoU, staterun insurance major LIC
will commit Rs 1,50,000 crore to Railways for
developing infrastructure and the investment would
be made over a period of five years.
Five public sector undertakings (PSUs) will
be closed down by the government, which has
included some of the best known state-run
enterprises like Air India, MTNL and
Hindustan Shipyard, in the list of 65 sick PSUs,
Lok Sabha was informed.
March 12
International Monetary Fund (IMF) has
raised India's growth forecast for the current
fiscal to 7.2 per cent.
Retail inflation inches up to 5.37 per cent
in February this year from the previous month, due
to higher prices of food items, including vegetables.
South Korea‟s central bank unexpectedly
lowered its key policy rate to a record low of
1.75 per cent from 2 per cent, joining efforts to
fight sluggish domestic spending and aid economic
growth.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) included
Macau and Hong Kong, the two Special
Administrative Regions of China, in the list of
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March 23
countries whose citizens are prohibited from
acquiring or transferring immovable property in
India.
So far citizens of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri
Lanka, Afghanistan, China, Iran, Nepal or
Bhutan were only prohibited from acquiring or
transferring immovable property in India
without prior permission of the Reserve Bank
of India, other than lease, not exceeding five
years.
March 15
Overseas inflows at Rs. 72,000 cr so far
this year
Overseas investors have pumped in nearly Rs.
14,000 crore into the Indian capital markets
within a fortnight of this month, taking the total
inflow to around Rs. 72,000 crore since the
beginning of the year.
March 20
Rovio, creator of hugely popular Angry
Birds brand, has announced that it was introducing
3D version of Angry Birds.
HDFC Bank has launched Chillr, a mobile app
that allows user to instantly transfer money to any
contact in their phonebook 24 hours a day and
seven days a week.
HDFC bank has partnered with MobME, a
kochi-based technology firm, to launch this app.
March 22
India has become the third-largest steel
producer in the world by overtaking United States
(US) in first two months of year 2015.
In the past five years, India was the fourth-
largest steel producer behind China, Japan and the
US. In 2009, US had snatched the third position
from India.
Union Ministry of Environment, Forests &
Climate Change (MoEFCC) has given coastal
regulatory zone (CRZ) nod to the 6,000-MW
Mithivirdi Nuclear Power Plant of Nuclear Power
Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) in Bhavnagar
district of Gujarat.
The clearance for setting up of "intake and
outtake facility" for the 6000-MW plant at
Mithivirdi, about 40 kms from Bhavnagar, is seen
as a big boost for Nuclear Power Corporation of
India Limited (NPCIL) that has been facing severe
opposition from local farmers and social activists.
March 23
The Union government will borrow Rs. 3.6 lakh
crore from markets in the first half of the next
financial year, which is over 50 % of the annual
target of the Rs. 6 lakh crore.
March 25
The Reserve Bank of India has signed a 400
million US Dollars currency swap agreement
with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
The agreement will be valid for a period of 3
years.
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The ICC Cricket World Cup is the international
championship of One Day
International (ODI) cricket. The event is organised
by the sport's governing body, the International
Cricket Council (ICC), with preliminary qualification
rounds leading up to a finals tournament held
every four years.
* Q – Qualified for Quarter Finals
Technology used in ICC world cup 2015.
Hotspot - Hot Spot is an infra-red imaging
system used in to determine whether the ball has
struck the Batsman, bat or pad.
LED stumps - An innovation, the LED Zing
technology certainly has an interesting effect.
However, it also means the cost of each stump now
stands at $ 40,000, an amount the organisers can't
afford
to lose as a gift of memento to players.
Speed gun - The speed gun is a device that
measures the speed of the ball from one end of the
pitch to the other - and is thus used to calculate
the speed at which a bowler delivers the ball.
Spider camera - The Spidercam is a system
which enables film and television cameras to move
both vertically and horizontally over a
predetermined area, typically the playing field of a
sporting event such as a cricket pitch, football field
or a tennis court.
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Hawk eye - Hawk-Eye is a complex computer
system used officially in numerous sports such
as cricket, tennis, football, hurling and association
football, to visually track the trajectory of
the ball and display a record of its statistically most
likely path as a moving image.
Ball spin counter – Used for measure the ball
spin/swing variation accurately.
Snickometer - A Snickometer, commonly
known as Snicko, is used in televising cricket to
graphically analyse sound and video, and show
whether a fine noise, or snick, occurs as ball passes
bat.
UHD - Ultra High Definition – UHD used for
giving High Definition Video to the Television
Viewers.
Kumar Sangakkara is the first and only
batsman to score four consecutive hundreds in
World Cup matches.
Steven Finn (England) and JP Duminy (South
Africa) made HAT TRICK Wickets against Australia.
Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma made his
Maiden World Cup Ton against Zimbabwe.
Brendan Taylor Annoncement his International
career retairement from world cup match. He
played last match with India and he scored 138
runs.
Dhoni beats ganguly‘s record in number of
wins in world cup.
Chris Gayle score 200+ in the world cup
tournament. He scored 215 runs against
Zimbabwe.
AB Devilliers made fastest 150
runs in ODI history. He reached 150
for 64 balls.
India made the record of 70 wickets in 7
matches in any other world cup history.
Hashim Amla reached fastest twenty tons in
ODI histories by beats Virat kohli.
Martin Guptill score 237 against West Indies in
world Cup history.
New Zealand enters into ICC world cup final
for first time by beats South Africa.
Co-hosts of World Cup, Australia and New
Zealand to fight for ICC World Cup on 29th at
iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.
World Cup 2015 Australia defeat New Zealand
by 7 wickets to win their 5th World Cup crown.
Australian skipper Michael Clarke retires from
ODI
James Faulkner : 'Man of the Match'
Mitchell Starc : 'Man of the series'
Important Points to Note :
Australia has won the Cricket World Cup in the
years 1987, 1999, 2003 and 2007.
New Zealand entered into world cup finals for
the first time in World Cup 2015.
Australia's Captain Michael Clarke New
Zealand's Captain Brendon McCullum.
Retirements:
World cup Records in 2015
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1. Michael Clarke
2. Shahid Afridi
3. Daniel Vettori
4. Misbah-ul-haq
5. Kumar Sangakkara
6. Mahela Jayawardene
7. Brendan Taylor
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi's five-day tour to
Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka from March 10-
14 infused fresh energy into India's mantle as the
fulcrum of stability in the Indian Ocean.
It signaled India's intent and capacity to ward
off extra-regional challengers and emerge as a 'net
security provider' in strategically crucial sea lanes
for global commerce and geopolitics.
SEYCHELLES
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited
Seychelles as part of three-nation tour for
cementing strategic partnership with island
courtiers of Seychelles, Maldives and Sri Lanka.
Narendra Modi is first Prime Minister to visit
Seychelles in 34 years. Previously, late Prime
Minister Indira Gandhi had visited the country in
1981.
Highlights Both nations agreed to set up joint working
group to promote ocean based economy i.e. on
Blue Economy. In this regard, India committed to
provide all help to Seychelles.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced
free visa on arrival (VoA) and free visas for three
months facility to the citizens of Seychelles.
Four agreements and MoUs were signed
between both the countries. They were signed in
the fields of renewable energy, hydro graphic
survey, electronics navigation and infrastructure
development at the island of Seychelles.
These agreements and MoU‘s were signed by
Secretary (West) Navtej Sarna from Indian side in
the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and
President of Seychelles James Alix Michel.
PM’s Visits
(March 2015)
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi also inaugurated
a Coastal Surveillance Radar system (SSRS). The
surveillance system has set up in Seychelles with
the help of India.
India also announced to provide 2nd dossier
aircraft to the island nation to enhance maritime
security.
He also unveiled the Plaque and
Operationalisation of Radar for the CSRS India-
Seychelles Cooperation Project in Sychelles
President : James Michel
Capital : Victoria
Currency : Seychellois Rupee
MAURITIUS
After the successful and historic visit to
Seychelles, Prime Minister Narendra Modi touched
down Mauritius on evening of March 11th for his
two-day visit.
Prime Minister of Mauritius Sir Anerood Jugnauth
was present at the airport to receive Prime Minister
Modi.
Highlights Expressing his gratefulness to be the Chief
Guest of National Day of Mauritius on March 12th,
Shri Narendra Modi said India and Mauritius have
always stood in solidarity and support for each
other.
He also termed the agreement on the
development of Agalega Island as a major stride in
India-Mauritius cooperation in infrastructure sector.
On March 12th, the Prime Minister began his
day by visiting the Ganga Talao in Mauritius. As
soon as Shri Modi visited there, he recalled the holy
River Ganga that flows through Varanasi.
He also praised Mauritius for enriching Hindi
literature.
He also expressed his delight to have got the
chance to address their National Assembly on the
very same day as the Prime Minister of India.
Talking about the first cyber city construction
supported by Former PM, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee
in 2003, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced
for supporting a second such city in Mauritius.
Prime Minister Narenda Modi attended the
programme to mark the commissioning of the
Barracuda, a ship in the service of the National
Coast Guard of Mauritius.
Shri Narendra Modi also paid homage to the
valiant Aapravasis for their human spirit and also
described the Aapravsi Ghat as signifying the
enduring links between India and Mauritius.
A civic reception was organised in Shri
Narendra Modi‘s honour. A large number of people
drew together to watch and listen to the Indian
Prime Minister. There were chants of ―Modi Modi‖
soon after the PM arrived. Shri Modi himself was
surprised to see such a huge gathering.
In the evening of March 12th, Shri Narendra
Modi joined the National Day celebrations in
Mauritius as the guest of honour.
MoU
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Memorandum of Understanding between India
and Republic of Mauritius in the field of Ocean
Economy.
Programme for Cultural Cooperation between
the Republic of India and the Republic of Mauritius
for the year 2015-18.
Protocol between the Department of
Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture
of Republic of India and the Ministry of Agro-
Industry and Food Security of Republic of Mauritius
for the importation of fresh mango from India.
Memorandum of Understanding for the
Improvement in Sea and Air Transportation
Facilities at Agalega Island of Mauritius.
MoU on Cooperation in the field of Traditional
System of Medicine and Homeopathy.
Prime Minister : Anerood Juganauth
President : Rajkeswur Purryag
Capital : Port Louis
Currency : Mauritian Rupee
Sri Lanka
After these both Seychelles and Mauritius visit,
he travelled to Sri Lanka as the part of three
nations Visit.
Narendra Modi reached Sri Lanka. It was the final
destination of Shri Modi‘s three nation tour. Prime
Minister of Sri Lanka, Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe,
received Narendra Modi at the airport in Colombo.
Highlights It is the first standalone bilateral visit to Sri
Lanka by an Indian Prime Minister since 1987.
Lanka IOC and Ceylon Petroleum Corporation
have agreed to jointly develop the Upper Tank
Farm of the China Bay Installation in Trincomalee
on mutually agreed terms.
Early commencement of work on the ground in
the Sampur Coal Power Project. This landmark
project would meet Sri Lanka`s energy needs.
The facility of ―Tourist Visa on Arrival –
Electronic Travel Authorization‖ Scheme to Sri
Lankan citizens from the Sinhala and Tamil New
Year on 14 April 2015.
Air India will soon start direct flights between
New Delhi and Colombo.
Cooperation in developing a Ramayana Trail in
Sri Lanka and a Buddhist Circuit in India.
Organization a Festival of India in Sri Lanka
later this year. Sri Lanka is where Buddhism has
truly flourished. We will be organizing an exhibition
showcasing our Buddhist heritage as part of this
festival.
The Memorandum of Understanding on
cooperation in youth affairs is an important long
term investment in our relationship.
A fresh Line of Credit of up to US$ 318 million
for the railways sector. This will be used to procure
rolling stock, and to restore and upgrade existing
railway track.
Assistance for the construction of the
Rabindranath Tagore auditorium at Ruhuna
University in Matara.
The Reserve Bank of India and the Central
Bank of Sri Lanka have agreed to enter into a
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Currency Swap Agreement of US$ 1.5 billion. This
will help keep the Sri Lankan rupee stable.
Modi became the first PM to visit Jaffna
(Tamil: யாழபபாணம).
Modi visits to Anuradhapura‘s Sri Mahabodhi
Tree where he and President Sirisena offered
prayers.
Prime Minister : Ranil Wickremesinghe
President : Maithripala Sirisena
Capital : Colombo
Currency : Sri Lankan Rupee
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