March 2016 GK Capsule by Newstechcafe.com

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01 March 2016 Current Affairs

UP implement Food Security Act from 1st March

The Food Security Act is set to be implemented across Uttar Pradesh from 1 March 2016. Oncethe act comes into effect, poor families will get wheat at Rs 2 and rice at Rs 3 per kg. Until now,only families under the Antyodaya scheme were being benefited and the families above and below the poverty line (APL and BPL) had to pay more. The law has been already implementedin 28 districts from January 1, but now would be spread across all the 75 districts of the state.

New rule for unreserved train tickets from March 1

An unreserved train ticket for travelling up to 199 km distance will no longer be valid after threehours of purchase of the ticket as railways has formulated a new rule to be effective from 1March 2016. Unreserved tickets for distances up to 199 km, the journey has to be started fromthe originating station within three hours of the issue of tickets or up to the departure of first trainfor the destination whichever is later. The return journey facility for distance up to 199 km forunreserved tickets has been withdrawn. The facility for issuing paperless platform ticketsthrough mobile phones is already available on 29 stations.

DMRC to ferry cargo on Airport Express Line from March 1

DMRC, in a first, started ferrying cargo on its premium Airport Express Line linking IndiraGandhi International Airport to New Delhi railway station from 1 March 2016. This service will be experimental for three months and if it gets a successful response a tender for a long-termarrangement shall be floated, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). Only non-perishable andmerchandise of e-commerce sites will be transported for the purpose of which DMRC has signeda Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a specialised cargo agency.

India to host Raisina Dialogue on Geopolitics

“The 3-day flagship conference of Geopolitics and Geo-economics from 1st march to 3rd marchis designed to explore prospects and opportunities for Asian integration as well as Asia’sintegration with the larger world.With India’s rise in stature on the global stage and emergenceas a major economic power, New Delhi is set to host an international conclave on geopolitics andGeo-economics. Dubbed as the Raisina Dialogue 2016 the programme will see gathering of bigwigs from across Asia and the world. The programme will last for 3 day and see participation of


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100 speakers from over 35 countries. The dialogue is being organised by the external affairsministry and the Observer Research Foundation.”


Poet Dr Bhagwati Lal Vyas to be awarded Bihari Puraskar

Eminent poet Dr Bhagwati Lal Vyas has been chosen for the 2015 Bihari Puraskar for hisanthology of Rajasthani poems ‘Katha Sun Aawe Hai Sabad’ on 2 March 2016. A recipient ofSahitya Akademi Award, Dr Vyas has highlighted the increasing tendencies ofcommercialization and degradation of human values through his poetry. The best known worksof Dr Vyas are compendium of poems titled ‘Shatabdi Niruttar’ (1977), ‘Footpath Par Chiriya Nachti Hai’ (1984) and a collection of short stories ‘Suraj Leelti Ghatiyan’. Bihar Purskar wasInstituted by the K K Birla Foundation in 1991 and is given annually for an outstanding literarywork in Hindi or Rajasthani published during last 10 years by a Rajasthani writer.

Govt winds up National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved winding up of the NationalManufacturing Competitiveness Council (NMCC) set up in 2004 by the UPA government as aforum for policy dialogue between the industry and the government. The Union Cabinet on 2March 2016 gave a green signal to the setting up of a society – ‘36th International GeologicalCongress (IGC)’ – for organising the 36th (IGC) in 2020 with a budgetary outlay of 52 crore for preparatory activities.Former Chairman of NMCC V Krishnamurthy resigned from the post inMay 2014 and its member secretary Ajay Shankar demitted office in November 2014. In theabsence of a chairman and no fresh constitution, the NMCC has become non-functional.

Force 18 Multi-nation Military Drill hosted by India

‘Force 18’, initially labelled ‘FTX-2016’, is an ambitious military training exercise involvingarmy units from eighteen countries – ten members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN,) plus eight observer states – India, Japan, Korea, China, Russia, the UnitedStates, Australia, and New Zealand. It is scheduled to be held from 2-8 March, in Pune,headquarters of the Indian Army’s Southern Command. The main objective of this drill is to

improve ‘Interoperability’ between the participating nations under which forces will try to learneach other’s best practices and standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Maruti Alto in India crossed lifetime sale milestone of 3-million


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India’s largest selling car, Maruti Alto crossed lifetime sale milestone of three million units inIndia. This was announced by its manufacturer Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (MSIL) on 2 March2016. It took 15 years and 6 months for Alto, hatchback car, to cross the 3-million milestone inthe country. The car was launched in the Indian market in 2000. It is the only Indian auto brandto cross this milestone.

India stood at 90th rank in terms of Energy Security

India has been ranked at the 90th place in a list of 126 countries compiled by World EconomicForum(WEF) on the basis of their ability to deliver secure, affordable and sustainable energy,which was topped by Switzerland. The latest Global Energy Architecture Performance IndexReport, explored the energy architecture of 126 countries based on their ability to provide energyaccess across three dimensions of the “energy triangle” ? affordability, environmentalsustainability, security and access.The list was topped by Switzerland followed by Norway and

Sweden in the second and third place, respectively. Others in the top 10 include France (4th),Denmark (5th), Austria (6th), Spain (7th), Colombia (8th), New Zealand (9th) and Uruguay(10th). Among the BRIC nations, Brazil was the top performer as it was ranked at the 25th place,followed by Russia (52nd), India (90th), China (94).

Ex-refugee chief Antonio Guterres for UN Secretary-General

Portugal Government nominated former Portuguese Prime Minister and head of the UN RefugeeAgency (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres as a candidate for General Secretary at United Nations.

Guterres served as Prime Minister in 1995-2002 and as UN Refugee Agency HighCommissioner in 2005-2015. With this, Guterres joined a list of six mostly Eastern and CentralEuropean candidates to succeed Ban Ki-moon on 1 January 2017. Ban took the office in January2007.


Former NZ cricket captain Martin Crowe died

Former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe died on 3 March 2016 in Auckland. He was 53. Heis one of New Zealand’s best ever batsman, having scored 17 centuries and 5444 runs in 77 tests

at an average of 45.36. Crowe captained in 16 Test matches and his highest score was 299against Sri Lanka in Wellington in 1991. He was named one of Wisden’s Cricketers of the Yearin 1985 and was player of the tournament in the 1992 World Cup.


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World Wildlife Day observed on March 3

World Wildlife Day was observed on 3 March 2016 across the world. 2016 theme is “The futureof wildlife is in our hands”, with African and Asian elephants being the main focus of globalcampaigns. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at its 68th session held on 20

December 2013 decided to proclaim 3 March as World Wildlife Day. The date is the day of theadoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna andFlora (CITES) in 1973. CITES plays an important role in ensuring that international trade doesnot threaten the species’ survival.

Rajya Sabha passed Carriage by Air (Amendment) Bill, 2015

Parliament passed the Carriage by Air (Amendment) Bill, 2015 on 3 March 2016 to empowerUnion government to revise the limits of liability for airlines and compensation as per the

Montreal Convention which India accepted in 2009. It was introduced in Lok Sabha on 7 August2015 by the Union Minister of Civil Aviation P Ashok Gajapathi Raju. The bill was first passed by the Lok Sabha in December 2015 and later it was passed by the Rajya in March 2016. Now itwill go for the Presidential assent as per Article 111 of Constitution. Key facts The Bill seeks toamend the Carriage by Air Act, 1972 to revise the limits of liability for airlines andcompensation in order adhere with the global counterparts.

The world’s most expensive train station opened in New York

The world’s most expensive train station opened on 3 March 2016 in New York.The station hascost nearly $3.85 billion and will connect New Jersey commuter rail with New York subwaylines. The European architect who designed it called it a gift of love to the city. It is situated atthe site of the World Trade Center (WTC) twin-towers destroyed some 14 years ago in the 9/11attacks of 11 September 2001. Santiago Calatrava, the Spanish-Swiss architect who unveiled hisambitious design 12 years ago.

Veteran Left leader Ashok Ghosh dead

Veteran All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) leader and senior-most leader of the Left Front in WestBengal, Ashok Ghosh, died in Kolkata on 3 March 2016. He was 94. A freedom fighter, Mr.Ghosh was the State secretary of the AIFB, the second biggest constituent of the Left Front,since 1951 — for 65 years. He joined the AIFB in 1940, a year after its formation, influenced bythe political philosophy of Subhas Chandra Bose. He born on July 21, 1921 at Chinsurah in theHooghly district of south Bengal, he was one of the founding members of the Left Front in WestBengal, which ruled the State for 34 years from 1977 to 2011. Mr. Ghosh played a significant


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role in providing advice and support to his comrades in Bangladesh during the Liberation War of1971.


Former Lok Sabha speaker P.A. Sangma died

Former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno Agitok Sangma died in New Delhi on 4 March 2016. He was68. Sangma was a nine-time member of the Lok Sabha and the Speaker in the 11th Lok Sabha.He was also the Chief Minister of Meghalaya from 1988 to 1990 and Leader of the Opposition inthe Assembly from 1990 to 1991. Born on September 1, 1947 in village Chapahati in the picturesque West Garo Hills District of Meghalaya. A Congressman, who was one of thefounding members of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), was expelled from it in July 2012when he refused to accept his party’s decision to quit the race for India’s President. In January2013, he formed the National People’s Party.

Manoj Kumar honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke award

Veteran Bollywood Actor and Director Manoj Kumar is to be conferred the 47th DadasahebPhalke Award for the year 2015 on 4 March 2016. Award is conferred by the Government ofIndia for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian Cinema. ManojKumar is a recipient of National Film Award for the film “Upkar”. In the year 1992, he washonoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India. Manoj Kumar was born in July 1937,in Abbottabad, then part of Pre-Independent India.

Sunil Sabharwal took charge as Alternate Executive Director at IMF

Sunil Sabharwal, an independent Indian-American investor took charge as Alternate ExecutiveDirector at International Monetary Fund (IMF) on 4 March 2016. He took the charge after hisappointed was confirmed by the US Senate. He becomes first Indian-American to occupy a keyadministration post at the IMF. Sabharwal had worked at the European Bank for Reconstructionand Development as Principal Banker from 1992 to 1996. Since 2006, he has been anindependent investor in the payments sector. He had served as Chairman of the Board of Ogone,a European e-commerce payment services company.

Prime Minister Launches Setu Bharatam Programme


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Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the Rs 50,000 crore Setu Bharatam programme for building bridges for safe and seamless travel on National Highways, in New Delhi on 4 March2016. The Setu Bharatam programme aims to make all National Highways free of railway levelcrossings by 2019. The Minister informed that 208 Railway Over Bridges (ROB)/Railway UnderBridges (RUB) will be built at the level crossings at a cost of Rs. 20,800 crore as part of the

programme.

Mumbai U-23 team clinched CK Nayudu Trophy 2015-16

Mumbai U 23 team won CK Nayudu Trophy 2015-16 title, by beating Madhya Pradesh at theMPCA Stadium in Indore on 4 March 2016. IDBI Federal Life Insurance awards the MumbaiTeam with a cash prize of Rs. 20 Lakh.


Uttar Pradesh Assembly passes UP Revenue Code (Amendment) Bill, 2016

On 4 March 2016, Uttar Pradesh Assembly passed the UP Revenue Code (Amendment) Bill2016 replacing an ordinance issued by the Governor Ram Naik. The Bill allows Dalits of thestate to sell their land to non-Dalits in the state without approval of the administration even iftheir remaining holding is less than 3.5 acres.

The first Raisina Dialogue kicks off in New Delhi

The Ministry of External Affairs has co-hosted the first Raisina Dialogue with the ObserverResearch Foundation on 1-3 March 2016, in New Delhi. The Raisina Dialogue saw the participation of more than 450 participants from around 40 countries. The theme of the dialoguewas ‘Asia: Regional and Global Connectivity’. The inaugural address was given by India’sExternal Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. The conference has been organized on the lines of theShangri-La Dialogue held in Singapore.

First India-US Workshop on Traditional Medicine

The two (3-4 March 2016) days India-US Workshop on Traditional Medicine concludedsuccessfully in New Delhi. The Workshop was organized under the auspices of the first U.S.-India Health Dialogue held in September, 2015 in Washington, D.C.Nearly 175 participantsincluding experts related to traditional systems and modern medicine, biologists, and researchersfrom India and the U.S. took part in the first of its kind Workshop. American President and


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Prime Minister of India emphasized to promote bilateral dialogue on Traditional Medicine. TheWorkshop was jointly inaugurated by the Minister of State for AYUSH (Independent Charge)and Health & Family Welfare, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik and U.S. Ambassador to India, Mr.Richard Verma and Assistant Secretary of Global Affairs at HHS, Ambassador Jimmy Kolker on3rd March, 2016.

India files trade complaint against U.S. over temporary work visas

India has filed a complaint against the United States decision to impose high fees L-1 and H-1Bcategories of temporary working visas in the World Trade Organisation (WTO). US had imposedfees on certain applicants for L-1 and H-1B categories of non-immigrant temporary workingvisas into the country. In December, the US Congress doubled the cost of sponsoring H-1B visasto $4,000 each and L-1 visas to $4,500 each as part of a major spending bill. Indian businesslobby NASSCOM estimated that would inflate costs for Indian IT export firms by $400 million a

year.


India won Asia Cup title for sixth time

India defeated Bangladesh in the final of 2016 Asia Cup by 8 wickets played at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, Bangladesh on 6 March 2016. India won the toss andelected to field first. Bangladesh posted 121 runs target which India chased down for the loss of just 2 wickets. Indian cricket team led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the Asia Cup for therecord sixth time. 2016 Asia Cup was played from 24 February to 6 March 2016. The countriesthat played in 2016 Asia Cup were India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and United ArabEmirates (UAE).

Pranab Mukherjee Inagurated National Conference on Women Legislation

A two-day National Conference of Women Legislators held in New Delhi from 5 March to 6March 2016 with theme Women Legislators-Building Resurgent India. The conference organised by the Parliament. It was inaugurated by the President Pranab Mukherjee. Speaker of BangladeshShirin Chaudhary attended the conference and was the Chairperson of the Plenary Session.

Kalabhavan Mani, famous Malayalam actor and singer dead


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Popular Malayalam actor and folk singer Kalabhavan Mani passed away on 6 March 2016 inKochi. He was 45. Mani got national special jury award in 2000 for his performance inMalayalam film Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum. Mani was born at Chalakkudy inThrissur district. He started his career as mimicry artiste at Kalabhavan in Kochi and then didcomedy roles in Malayalam films. He had acted in 200-odd Malayalam films.

PM adopts Nagepur village under Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has selected Nagepur village in his Varanasi Constituency of LokSabha in Uttar Pradesh under the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY). Earlier in the first phase of SAGY, PM had adopted Jayapur village in Sevapuri Assembly segment of Varanasi in2014. The main objective of the Jojana is The development of model villages, called AdarshGrams, through the implementation of existing schemes, and certain new initiatives to bedesigned for the local context, which may vary from village to village.Under this scheme, MPs

will be responsible for developing the socio-economic and physical infrastructure of threevillages each by 2019, and a total of eight villages each by 2024.

E-mail inventor Ray Tomlinson passed away

Internet pioneer and e-mail inventor Raymond Tomlinson passed away in Washington, UnitedStates. He was 74 years old. Tomlinson invented direct electronic messages between users ondifferent machines on a certain network in 1971. He implemented the First email system on theARPANET system which is considered as the precursor to the Internet. Prior to this system,

users could only write messages to others using the same computer. To send electronic messageson different machines on a certain network successfully he had used @ sign to separate the username from the name of their machine. Since then this separation scheme is used in emailaddresses and has become standard.


New species of snake in Western Ghats

Indian, British scientists have discovered a new species of burrowing snake in the biologicalhotspot of the northern Western Ghats, after a gap of 144 years. The snake has been named after

well known herpetologist from Maharashtra, Neelam Kumar Khaire, as Melanophidium Khairei.The research paper about it has been published in the scientific journal, Zootaxa in first week ofMarch. This snake belongs to the family Uropeltidae, and all species in this group are burrowersand live mostly underground.


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Union Government launched Mahila E-HAAT

Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Maneka Sanjay Gandhi launched “Mahila e-Haat”, an online marketing platform for women on 7 March 2016. Mahila e-Haat is a uniqueonline platform where participants can display their products. It is an initiative for women across

the country as a part of ‘Digital India’ and ‘Stand Up India’ initiatives of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi. The Mahila E-Haat will help to meet the goal of financial inclusion of womenand it is a big step forward for empowerment of women. Mahila E-Haat is an initiative formeeting aspirations and need of women entrepreneurs which will leverage technology forshowcasing products made/manufactured/sold by women entrepreneurs. Participation in e-Haatis open to all Indian women citizens more than 18 years of age and women SHGs desiring formarketing their legal products/services after indemnifying RMK from any or all acts oftransaction. The entire business of e-Haat can be handled through mobile phone.


International Women’s Day was observed March 8

International Women’s Day was observed across the world on 8 March 2016. This year’s themefor the Day is “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality”. The campaign theme forthe day is #PledgeForParity. United Nations observance and the idea of this theme reflect on howto accelerate the 2030 Agenda, building momentum for the effective implementation of the newSustainable Development Goals. The theme will also focus on new commitments under UNWomen’s Step It Up initiative, and other existing commitments on gender equality, women’sempowerment and women’s human rights. International Women’s Day was first organized bythe German socialist and theorist Clara Zetkin along with 100 delegates from 17 countries inMarch 1911.

SBI Life launches new risk plan for women

On 8 March 2016, SBI Life Insurance launched “SBI Life – Smart Women Advantage” plan that provides for life cover, savings and female-specific critical illness benefits. The product is a participating individual traditional endowment plan which also provides optional benefits ofadditional pregnancy complication, congenital anomalies (APC & CA) and child birth-relatedabnormalities, apart from covering other illnesses.

Maria Sharapova suspended after failing drug test

Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova, the highest-paid woman in sports failed a drug test at theAustralian Open.The 28-year-old Sharapova, a five-time grand slam champion, will be


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provisionally suspended by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) starting March 12. She isthe seventh athlete in a month to test positive for meldonium, which is used to treat diabetes andlow magnesium, and was only banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency as of Jan.1.

Telangana, Maharashtra ink MoU for five irrigation projects

“An inter-state agreement between Telangana and Maharashtra has been entered into by both thegovernments for sharing of Godavari waters and construction of five barrages. The MoU wasexchanged by Telangana and Maharashtra chief ministers K. Chandrasekhar Rao and DevendraFadnavis respectively at an official programme in Mumbai on 8 March 2016.Key Facts of the MoU:a) Setting up of an inter-state water board on Godavari projects will end decades of discord between the two States on utilisation of water in the river Godavari and its tributaries. b) Of the five barrages, Maharashtra Government will take up construction of Penpahad and

Rajapet barrages while Telangana will take up Chanak-Korata across Penganga River.c) Telangana will also construct Thammidihatti barrage (148 meters height) in Adilabad districtacross Pranahita a tributary to Godavari and Medigadda barrage (102 meters) in Karimnagardistrict across Godavari.”


Anand Mahindra conferred France’s Knight of the Legion of Honour

Chairman and Managing Director of Mahindra & Mahindra Group Anand G Mahindra was on 5March 2016 conferred with the Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion ofHonour). The honour was conferred upon by François Richier, Ambassador of France to India, atthe Residence of France in New Delhi. Anand Mahindra was chosen for the highest Frenchcivilian distinction in recognition of his outstanding national and international achievements andinitiatives at the helm of the Mahindra Group. The National Order of the Legion of Honour(Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur) is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte on19 May 1802. In the past, personalities such as Pandit Ravi Shankar, Amitabh Bachchan, ManishArora and JRD Tata were honoured with the prestigious award.

ICICI Bank launched iWork@home for women employees

ICICI Bank has launched iWork@home, an initiative that allows women employees to workfrom home for up to a year. Chanda Kochhar, managing director and chief executive officer,ICICI Bank, explained this could be extended for more than one year based on the requirementsof the employee. This initiative allows women employees to have access to their requiredoperating systems in a safe and secure manner, creating a seamless office-like environment. The


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technology platform for this programme has been developed in-house by ICICI Bank in partnership with students from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi. The bank has alsolaunched an initiative which aids women managers who travel on business, by covering thetravel and stay of young children and their caregivers. This would ensure that when a youngmother of a child up to three years travels for an official purpose on an overnight trip, the child is

also allowed to travel with her. ICICI Bank has also introduced new benefits under its“Advantage Woman Savings Account”. These include unlimited free ATM usage at all banks,cash back subject to a maximum of Rs 750 per month on usage of debit card at departmentalstores; it also provides 30 per cent discount on first-year locker rentals.

57 countries to take part in first-ever Maritime India Summit 2016

57 countries are going to take part in the first Maritime India Summit 2016 scheduled to be heldin April 2016 in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It was announced by the Union Shipping Minister Nitin

Gadkari on the sidelines of media launch of the Maritime India Summit 2016.

IMF to set up data sharing centre in India

In a first for Asia, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will set up a knowledge sharing centrein India, to provide technical support and assistance here and to five other South Asian nations.Their team will extend expertise in core macro economic and financial management areas. Anagreement is likely to be signed here on Saturday by IMF managing director Christine Lagardewith Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The new IMF centre, being set up amid the global

economic uncertainty, will provide assistance to India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistanand Bhutan.South Korea and Japan are likely to be donors in the initiative. IMF had similarregional centres for southern Africa and west Asia. For the first time, four emerging market(EM) countries of the BRICS bloc -Brazil, China, India and Russia -will be among the 10 largestmembers of IMF. Others in the top 10 are America, Japan, France, Germany, Italy and Britain.


ISRO Successfully Launched Sixth Navigation Satellite IRNSS 1-F

Sixth Navigation Satellite IRNSS 1-F was launched successfully by the Indian Space Research

Organisation (ISRO) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota on 10 March 2016.The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS-1F) was launched by the PolarSatellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) weighing 320 tonnes. The IRNSS-1F was launched into a sub-Geosynchronous transfer orbit with a 284-km perigee (nearest point to Earth) and 20,657-kmapogee (farthest point to Earth). The satellite carries two types of payloads — navigation payloadand ranging payload. The navigation payload will transmit navigation service signals to users


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while the other consists of a C-band transponder that facilitates accurate determination of therange of the satellite. IRNSS-1F is the sixth in the series of seven satellites proposed under theIndian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS). The IRNSS has come to be known asthe country’s own GPS.

New radio channel for traffic updates on National Highways

The Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry is working on an ambitious plan to broadcasttraffic updates through a dedicated radio frequency across various national highways. TheMinistry is in talks with the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to get a frequency band todisseminate among national highway commuters travel tips, safety tips, traffic updates, includinginformation on accidents and diversions. As a pilot project, the government on 10 March 2016launched Highway Advisory Services to give traffic updates to commuters on the 256-km Delhi-Jaipur National Highway-8. Doordarshan was planning to return its unused UHF band (ultra high

frequency) to the government and it had already asked the Information and BroadcastingMinistry to allocate that frequency to the Highways Ministry. Another option was to get a licencefor the unused 105.6 MHz frequency which was earlier allotted to Indira Gandhi National OpenUniversity (IGNOU) for its educational radio channel Gyan Vani. The All India Radio hadstopped the operation of the Gyan Vani station because of the discontinuation of payments byIGNOU.

CCEA approved Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana to provide free LPG connections to BPL

households

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by the Prime Minister NarendraModi, on 10 March 2016 approved Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. The scheme seeks to provide free LPG connections to women from below poverty line (BPL) households.Incidentally, this is the first time the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas would implement awelfare scheme benefitting crores of women belonging to the poorest households. Under thescheme, a financial support of 1600 rupees will be provided for each LPG connection to the BPLhouseholds. This will benefit about 1 crore 50 lakh households below the poverty line in 2016-17. It will be implemented at an estimated cost of 8000 crore rupees over three years betweenApril 2016 and March 2019 to cover 5 crore BPL households.

Indo-Indonesia Joint Training Exercise Garuda Shakti IV begins

“The fourth edition of the India-Indonesia Joint Training Exercise Garuda Shakti has begun atMagelang in Indonesia on 10 March 2016.The 13 days (till 23 March) bilateral exercise aims at(i) Building and promoting positive relations between the Armies of India and Indonesia.


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(ii) Enhancing their abilities to undertake joint tactical level operations in a counter insurgencyenvironment under United Nations Charter.”

Rest of India beat Mumbai to lift Irani Cup Cricket Title

Rest of India won the Irani Cup Cricket Title on 10 March 2016. Rest of India defeated 41-timeRanji Champions Mumbai by four wickets. The Irani Cup (earlier called Irani Trophy)tournament was conceived during the 1959-60 season to mark the completion of 25 years of theRanji Trophy championship and was named after the late Z.R. Irani, who was associated with theBoard of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from its inception in 1928, till his death in 1970.

Brazil musician Nana Vasconcelos passed away

Acclaimed Brazil musician Naná Vasconcelos passed away on 10 March 2016 due to lungcancer in the northeastern Brazilian city of Recife. He was 71. He was 8 time Grammy Award-winning Brazilian percussionist known for his wide instrumental range and major role in freespirited jazz and world music of the 1970s and 1980s. He was Born on 2 August 1944 in Recife,Brazil. Vasconcelos was master of a single-string, multi-toned Afro-Brazilian instrument the berimbau (in Portuguese).

RBI inks information exchange pact with Bank of Israel

The Reserve Bank has signed a pact with Bank of Israel for exchange of information pertainingto banking supervision. On 10 March 2016 a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Hedva Ber, Supervisor of banks on behalf of Bank of Israel and Parvathy V Sundaram, ChiefGeneral Manager-in-Charge, Department of Banking Supervision on behalf of Reserve Bank ofIndia. The Reserve Bank has entered into an MoU, Letter for Supervisory Co-operation andStatement Statement of Co-operation with supervisors of a few countries to promote greater co-operation and share supervisory information. With this, the RBI has signed 32 such MoUs, oneLetter for Supervisory Co-operation and one Statement of Co-operation.


Lok Sabha clears Aadhaar Bill

On 11 March 2016, the Lok Sabha cleared the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial andOther Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill, 2016. It was introduced as Money Bill. Thegovernment would save crores of rupees by routing government subsidies through the unique


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identification or Aadhaar system. The Bill “will empower the States to distribute resources todeserving people and save the resources that undeserving people get”.

New frog species found in China

A new frog species which unlike ordinary frogs lives only in clean mountain brooks and produces a special sound during mating season has been found in southwest China’s YunnanProvince. The new species Leptolalax tengchongensis, commonly known as the Asian litter frog,was spotted in the Tengchong Section of Gaoligong Mountain National Nature Reserve in thewest of Yunnan and was named after the county of Tengchong. The discovery was jointly made by scientists from the Hong Kong-based Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG), Sun Yat-Sen University and Kunming Institute of Zoology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Bangladesh, India sign $2 billion new line of credit

Bangladesh and India have signed a new $2 billion credit agreement to implement socio-economic development projects in Bangladesh and strengthen bilateral relations. This is the biggest line of credit India has extended to any country so far. Prime Minister Narendra Modihad promised the assistance during his Bangladesh visit last year. The interest rate has been fixedat 1 percent annually with a 20-year repayment term, including a five-year moratorium.India firstextended a Line of Credit of $1 billion to Bangladesh in 2010.

The Union Cabinet approves cyber security deal with UAE

The Union Cabinet has given its approval for the MoU between India and United Arab Emirates(UAE) on Technical Cooperation in Cyber Space and Combating Cyber-Crime. The MoU would provide help in handling of the issues related to the cyber-crime between the two countries. TheUnion Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will be the nodal agency on the Indian side responsiblefor the implementation of this agreement.Both the countries shall cooperate in cyber space andcombating cyber-crime in all forms, particularly through coordination and exchange ofinformation in relation with cyber crime.

Arab League elects Ahmed Aboul-Gheit as new chief

The Arab League’s 22 member states have picked veteran Egyptian diplomat Ahmed Aboul-Gheit to head the body on 10 March 2016. Ahmed Aboul-Gheit was the only contender for the post of secratary-general. He was the last foreign minister under former president Hosni


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Mubarak. The appointment came at a critical time for the Middle East, with Syria marking thefifth anniversary of its civil war, proxy wars between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and the battleagainst the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group raging acrossthe region. Aboul-Gheit was also served as Egypt’s ambassador to the United Nations, had beenwidely expected to win approval from the league members.

Rajya Sabha gives it nod to real estate bill

“The Rajya Sabha has passed the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2015 to protectthe interests of consumers and curb the malpractices in the real estate sector. The bill seeks tocreate a uniform regulatory mechanism across the country and enhance the growth ofconstruction sector. It also ensures to bring transparency and accountability in the real estatesector to access capital and financial markets essential for its long term growth. Establishes statelevel regulatory authorities called Real Estate Regulatory Authorities (RERAs) and tribunals

called Real Estate Appellate Tribunals (REAT) to settle disputes. 70% of the amount collectedfrom buyers for a project must be maintained in a separate bank (escrow) account and must only be used for construction of that project. State government can alter this amount to less than70%. All information for registered projects must be disclosed on website of the RERA. It willinclude details of promoters, land status, layout plan, schedule of execution and status of variousapprovals.”


10 most expensive and cheapest cities in the world

“Singapore remains the world’s most expensive city for a third year in a row, according to thelatest survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). EIU’s Worldwide Cost of Living surveycompares over 400 individual prices across 160 products and services including food, drink,clothing, household supplies and personal care items, rent, transportation, utility bills, privateschools, domestic help and recreational costs.Top 10 most expensive cities in the world

1. Singapore, Singapore2. Zurich, Switzerland3. Hong Kong, Hong Kong4. Geneva, Switzerland

5. Paris, France6. London, UK7. New York, US8. Copenhagen, Denmark9. Seoul, South Korea10. Los Angeles, US


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Top 10 cheapest cities in the world

1. Lusaka, Zambia2. Bangalore, India3. Mumbai, India

4. Almaty, Kazakhstan5. Algiers, Algeria6. Chennai, India7. Karachi, Pakistan8. New Delhi, India9. Damascus, Syria10. Caracas, Venezuela”

Israel Kristal as world’s oldest living man

Guinness World Records on 11 March 2016 confirmed that Mr Israel Kristal of Haifa, Israel, isthe world’s Oldest living man. he was born in Poland, near the town of Zarnow on 15 September1903 to parents Moszek-Dawid and Brucha Krystztal, Mr Kristal has lived through both WorldWars and survived Nazi war camp Auschwitz in the 1940s before relocating to Israel. Kristalclaims the title at the age of 112 years and 178 days as of 11 March 2016. The oldest living person is Susannah Mushatt Jones (USA,born on 6 July 1899), who is 115 years and 249 days,also making her the Oldest living woman.

Cuba and EU agree to normalise diplomatic ties

The European Union and Cuba have signed an agreement to normalise diplomatic relations aftertwo years of talks on 11 March 2016. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini witnessed the signing of the pact, which will replace a policyimposed by Europe 20 years ago that pushed for changes to Cuba’s one-party political system.

IMF and India to set-up South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Center in

Delhi

India and International Monetary Fund (IMF) have decided to set up South Asia RegionalTraining and Technical Assistance Centre (SARTTC) in New Delhi on 12 March 2016. In thisregard, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Christine Lagarde, Managing Director,International Monetary Fund (IMF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). TheSouth Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Center (SARTTAC) is expected to become the focal point for planning, co-ordinating and implementing IMF’s capacity


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development activity in the region on a wide range of issues, including macro-economic andfiscal management, monetary operations, financial sector regulation and supervision, and macro-economic statistics.The centre will help address existing training requirements and respond todemand for IMF training in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, while bringing the region’s training volume on par with those of other regions. SARTTAC will offer

courses and seminars for policy makers and other government agencies from the six countries.

Lt Gen Hira appointed Deputy Chief of Army Staff

Chief of Staff of Northern Command at Udhampur, Lt Gen N P S Hira, has been appointed asDeputy Chief of Army Staff and would assume office on March 14. He is presently working asChief of Staff of Northern command at Udhampur. He commanded the Battalion in Assam (OpRhino) during high violence period. The unit bagged 32 gallantry awards and COAS citationunder his command.

LED based Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme named as ‘UJALA’

Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal on 11March 2016 announced the name ‘UJALA’ for the LED based Domestic Efficient LightingProgramme (DELP). DELP is currently running successfully in over 120 cities across India.UJALA, an acronym for Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All, is being implemented byEnergy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL). The National LED programme was launched by thePrime Minister Narendra Modi on January 2015 with a target of replacing 77 crore incandescent

lamps with LED bulbs. UJALA is successfully running across 12 states in India namelyRajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, AndhraPradesh, Puducherry, Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttarakhand.

Arab League declares Hezbollah group a terrorist organization

Arab League foreign ministers on 11 March 2016 declared Lebanon’s Shia movement Hezbollaha “terrorist” group, after Sunni-dominated Gulf monarchies adopted the same stance.


Advancing Asia Conference

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the “Advancing Asia Conference” in Delhi organized by the Government of India and the International Monetary Fund(IMF).The conference was held


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from 11-13 March 2016.During the conference, India and International Monetary Fund (IMF)have decided to set up South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Centre(SARTTC) in New Delhi. In this regard, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and ChristineLagarde, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF) have signed a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU).

Lin Dan won All England Badminton Title

Lin Dan from China has won the prestigious 2016 All England Badminton title in the men’ssingles category. In the final match played on 13 March at Birmingham, England he defeatedChinese teammate Tian Houwei. It was his overall sixth All England badminton title and earlierhe had won it in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012. Nozomi Okuhara (Japan) won the women’ssingles title by defeating Wang Shixian (China).

Services Won Santosh Trophy

Services has won the 70th edition of Santosh Trophy Football Championships title 2016 bydefeating hosts Maharashtra. In the final match played on 13 March at SEC Railway Stadium, Nagpur (Maharashtra), the Services defeated host team Maharashtra by 2-1 goal score. With thiswin, Services has retained that title and has won it for fifth time in year 1961, 2012, 2013 and2015.

Hanan Al Hroub won 2016 Global Teacher Prize

A Palestinian primary school teacher from a refugee camp, Hanan Al Hroub, on 13 March wonone million dollar Global Teacher Prize. She was awarded for her outstanding contribution to the profession. Hroub, who runs the Samiha Khalil High School in Al-Bireh, Palestine, defeated nineother finalists from around the world, including India’s Robin Chaurasiya to win the award. The2016 Winner of the Global Teacher Prize was announced by Pope Francis in a ceremony held atthe Atlantis Palm Hotel in Dubai.


Parliament Passed BIS Bill 2015

Parliament has passed the Bureau of Indian Standard(BIS)s Bill 2015 with the Rajya Sabhaapproving it on 14 March 2016. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha in last session.


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Ballistic Missile ‘Agni-I’ Successfully Test-Fired

Indigenously developed nuclear capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile Agni-I was

successfully test-fired off the Odisha coast on 14 March. It was conducted as part of trainingexercise by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of Indian Army. It weighs around 12 tonnesand is 15-metre-long. It can travel at a speed of 2.5 km/s and can destroy targets ranging between700 and 1250 kms away.

ExoMars 2016 Spacecraft Successfully Launched

An unmanned spacecraft named ExoMars 2016 was successfully launched jointly Europe andRussia to search for biosignatures on Mars (or Martian life) in past or present. The spacecraft

was launched on a Proton-M rocket operated by Russia’s Roscosmos from Baikonur,Kazakhstan. ExoMars 2016 is the first of a two-phase of ExoMars (Exobiology on Mars) program.


Myanmar Parliament Elected Htin Kyaw as First Civilian President

Myanmar’s Parliament on 15 March elected Htin Kyaw as the first civilian president to lead thecountry after 53 years of military rule. Army took power in a 1962 coup. He is a close aide andadviser of Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of National League for Democracy (NLD) party. Hewas elected with 360 of the total 652 votes casted while, military-nominated Myint Swe received213 votes and stood second followed by the other NLD candidate, Henry Van Thio, who got 79votes. Kyaw will replace Thein Sein who will step down at the end of March 2016 after fiveyears of army-backed rule.

Lok Sabha Passed Real Estate Bill

Lok Sabha on 15 March passed the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2015. TheBill seeks set up a Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) for the orderly growth of the realstate sector. The bill aims at protecting the interests of the large number of aspiring house buyersand enhances the credibility of construction industry. Earlier, it was passed by the Rajya Sabhaon 10 March 2016.


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Pope Announced Mother Teresa To Be Granted Sainthood

Pope Francis on 15 March announced that Mother Teresa will be made a saint of the RomanCatholic Church at a ceremony on 4 September 2016. The pope cleared the way for sainthood toMother Teresa, who was famed for her lifetime of service to the poor, establishing shelters for

homeless, orphanages, soup kitchens and clinics around the world.

Bangladesh Central Bank Governor Resigns

Bangladesh’s central bank Governor Atiur Rahman resigned on 15 March after hackers stoleover USD 100 million from the nation’s foreign reserves in what is believed to be the world’s biggest ever bank theft that embarrassed the government. Atiur Rahman resigned over after ameeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.


Obama Nominated Merrick Garland For US Supreme Court

President Barack Obama on 16 March nominated appeals court judge Merrick Garland to be thenext US Supreme Court Justice. Garland will be 113th Supreme Court justice of the US.Garland, who is the Chief Judge on the US Court of Appeals in D.C. Circuit, will succeed JusticeAntonin Scalia who died on 13 February 2016.

India Ranks 118th On UN’s World Happiness Index 2016

India ranked 118th out of 157 countries on the United Nations’ World Happiness Index (WHI)2016. It was revealed by the fourth World Happiness Report 2016 published by the SustainableDevelopment Solutions Network (SDSN), a global initiative for the UN. Key Highlights ofReport Top 10 countries – Denmark (1st), Switzerland (2nd), Iceland (3rd), Norway (4th) andFinland (5th), Canada (6th), Netherlands (7th), New Zealand (8th), Australia (9th) and Sweden(10th).


Surat Cleanest Railway Station

The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan- ‘Ek Kadam Swachhta Ki Aur’ is the pet project of our PrimeMinister Narendra Modi which was flagged off on October 2, 2014 with a vision to make Indiafree of open defecation by 2019 and to fulfil Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of a clean India. As a part


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of this project, a survey was conducted at 407 railway stations, which included 75 A-1 stationsand 332 A-category stations, Surat has emerged to be the cleanest Railway Stations in India,followed by Rajkot and Bilaspur. Varanasi stood last when evaluated on forty cleanliness parameters which formed the basis of the survey.

SAARC Foreign Ministerial Meeting

The 37th foreign ministerial meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation(SAARC) countries concluded in Nepal’s Pokhara on March 17 with the declaration to convenethe 19th Summit in Pakistan on 9-10 November 2016.

First World Sufi Forum

first World Sufi Forum was held from 17-20 March in NewDelhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modiinaugurated World Sufi Forum in New Delhi. The meeting was organized by All India Ulamaand Mashaikh Board (AIUMB), the apex body of Sufi Dargahs in India.

Narendra Modi on TIME’s ’Most Influential People On Internet’

TIME magazine on 16 March unveiled its second annual 30 Most Influential People on theInternet list. The list has been topped by the artist and entrepreneur Kanye West. India’s Prime

Minister Narendra Modi boasting more than 18 million Twitter followers and over 32 millionFacebook likes stood at 15th in the list.


‘Iron fist’ at Pokhran

Indian Air Force (IAF) put up its greatest ever show of air power. The event was witnessed bythe President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cabinet ministers and politicalleaders, and the entire military brass. Also present were the air attachés of various countries. Theattachés of China and Pakistan were not invited as these countries do not invite their Indiancounterparts for similar exercises. The event earlier called ‘Vayu Shakti’ got its current name‘Iron-Fist’ when last held in 2013.


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SC allows photos of CMs, Governors in Govt Ads

The Supreme Court has allowed publication of photographs of Governors, Chief Ministers andthe Ministers of the department concerned in government advertisements. Ruling in this regardwas on 18 March given by a SC bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi on pleas by Union

Government and states which had sought review of the Supreme Court judgement. This ruling ofSupreme Court has modified its earlier 2015 order which only had permitted photographs ofPresident, Prime Minister and Chief Justice of India (CJI) in the government advertisements.

Astronomers Discovered Largest Sample of 9 monster Stars

British astronomers have discovered largest sample cluster of nine monster stars named as R136using NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. The cluster is the largest group of very massive starsever identified. The R136 cluster of monster stars have masses over 100 times and are 30 million

times brighter than of our Sun in the star cluster located about 170,000 light-years away. It islocated in the Tarantula Nebula within the Large Magellanic Cloud – a satellite galaxy of ourown Milky Way. The young cluster hosts many extremely massive, hot and luminous starswhose energy is mostly radiated in the ultraviolet (UV).


PM Narendra Modi Launched Kisan Suvidha Mobile app

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 19 March launched Kisan Suvidha mobile application forfarmers. It will provide information on subjects such as weather, market prices, seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and agriculture machinery. Kisaan Suvidha is an omnibus mobile app developed tohelp farmers by providing relevant information to them quickly.

Prime Minister Inaugurates ‘Krishi Unnati Mela’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated ‘Krishi Unnati Mela’- the National Level AgricultureFair-cum-Exhibition in New Delhi on 19 March. Prime Minister conferred Krishi KarmanAwards. ‘Krishi Unnati Mela’ is organized jointly by the Department of Agriculture, Ministry ofAgriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India and Indian Agriculture Research Institute

(IARI), Pusa, New Delhi at Indian Agriculture Research Institute from 19-21 March 2016.

Agasthyamala Among 20 UNESCO World Biosphere Reserves


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The Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve was on 19 March 2016 included in the UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves. It is one among the 20 new sites adopted by the council to its Network. It was included at the meeting of the International Co-ordinating Council of the Manand the Biosphere programme of UNESCO in Lima. Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve insituated at the southern-most end of the Western Ghats and spread over two southern states

Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It was established in 2001. The reserve is named after Agastya Mala peak that rises up to almost 1868 metres above sea level, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Itcovers an area of 3,500 sq km at an altitude ranging from 100 metres to 1,868 metres above theMean Sea Level. It covers Peppara and Shendurney wildlife sanctuaries and parts of the Neyyarsanctuary in Kerala and the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve of Tamil Nadu.

T V Paul Appointed 56th President of ISA

An Indian Professor has become the president of a scholarly group in the US dedicated to

international studies. Prof T V Paul took over as the 56th president of International StudiesAssociation (ISA), at its annual convention at Atlanta, Georgia.

Hinduja Brothers Top Britain’s ‘Asian Rich List’

“The Hinduja brothers have emerged as the richest Asian-origin entrepreneurs in Britain for thefourth consecutive year with an estimated personal fortune of 16.5 billion pounds. The India- born brothers GP Hinduja and SP Hinduja topped the “”Asian Rich List 2016″” released on 19March and the annual rankings showed that they had added one billion pounds to their personal

fortune in a year to be worth an estimated 16.5 billion pounds. The Asian Rich List assesses thetotal wealth of Britain’s top 101 richest Asians and is compiled by UK-based publishing houseAsian Media and Market. Steel tycoon Lakshmi Niwas Mittal was ranked second in the list,released by the Indian high commissioner to the UK Navtej Sarna. The fortune of Mittal,however, has plummeted by 3.3 billion pounds to finish with 6.4 billion pounds.”


EU, Turkey Agreement Comes into Effect

The agreement between the European Union (EU) and Turkey to tackle the migrant crisis has

formally come into effect on 20 March 2016. Under this agreement, migrants arriving in Greecewill be sent back to Turkey if their asylum claim is rejected.

China to build rail link to Nepal


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“China on March 21 agreed to Nepal Prime Minister KP Oli’s request to build a strategic railwaylink between the two countries through Tibet to reduce land-locked Nepal’s total dependence onIndia.KP Oli, Prime Minister of Nepal arrived to Beijing on March 20 for seven day visit. He hassigned 10 agreements during his meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. This included alandmark transit treaty to end the near-total dependence on India for essential supplies.”

Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold Badminton 2016 Winners

“* Men’s Singles :- Ace Indian shuttler HS Prannoy (World no 13) has won the prestigious 2016Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament in the men’s single category. In the finalmatch played on 20 March at Basel, Switzerland, he defeated Marc Zwiebler (World no 7) ofGermany. It was his second Grand Prix Gold title after the Indonesia Open Grand Prix Gold wonin 2014.* Women’s Singles :- He Bingjiao from China won the title by defeating Wang Yihan from

China* Men’s Doubles :- Denmark pair of Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen won the title by defeating Chinese Taipei pair of Lee Sheng-mu and Tsai Chia-hsin* Women’s Doubles :- Japanese pair of Shizuka Matsuo and Mami Naito won the title bydefeating Japanese pair of Naoko Fukuman and Kurumi Yonao “

Nico Rosberg Won 2016 Australian Grand Prix

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg of Germany on 20 March won the 2016 Formula 1 Rolex

Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit at Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.Britain’s Lewis Hamilton, winner of 2015 Australian Grand Prix, secured the second place in therace.

Gurmeet Singh Won Gold at Asian Racewalking Championships

Gurmeet Singh on 20 March 2016 became the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal in theAsian 20 Kilometer (km) Race Walk Championships.His feat was the first time in 34 years thatan Indian won a gold in either an Asian Championships or Asian Games in this event. Hakam

Singh and Chand Ram won a Gold medal each in 20-km road walk in 1978 and 1982 AsianGames respectively. Since then, no Indian won a Gold medal at the continental level in thisevent. Gurmeet Singh took 1 hour 20 minutes and 29 seconds to complete the race while hisclose competitor Isamu Fujisawa of Japan took 1:20:49 with close fight in the last 5-km. GeorgiySheiko of Kazakhstan won the bronze medal in 1:21:52.


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World’s Largest Aircraft Airlander 10 Unveiled

“The world’s largest aircraft has been unveiled on 22 March for the first time since being fullyassembled in the UK. The 302ft (92m) long Airlander 10 – part plane, part airship – was floatedin a First World War hangar in Bedfordshire. It was first developed for the US government as a

long-endurance surveillance aircraft but it fell foul of defence cutbacks.The Airlander 10, whichuses helium to become airborne, can travel at a speed of 92mph (148km/h). It is 143ft (44m)wide and 85ft (26m) high. British firm Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) launched a campaign toreturn the Airlander 10 to the skies in May 2015.”


PM Lays Foundation Stone For Ambedkar Memorial

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 21 March laid the foundation stone of a state of the artmemorial of Doctor B R Ambedkar in New Delhi, which would mainly house his relics andcover all important aspects of his life and work.

5th National Photography Awards Presented

“The Union Minister for Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting Arun Jaileyon 21 March presented 5th National Photography Awards in New Delhi. The annual awards aremeant to honour and recognize those creative professionals who defined moments in historythrough their creative pictorial mastery. In addition to the Life Time Achievement Award, a totalof 12 awards were presented on this occasion to various amateur and professional photographers.Recipients of major awards* Bhawan Singh – Life Time Achievement Award* Javed AhmedDar – Professional Photographer Award* Himanshu Thakur – Amateur Photographer”

Indian Coast Guard Ship Arnvesh Commissioned

“The fast patrol vessel (FPV) of the Indian Coast Guard ICGS Arnvesh was commissioned on 21March at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The ship is primarily intended to undertake coastal patrol, surveillance at sea, anti-smuggling, anti-piracy operations and search and rescueoperations. The vessel among the 20 FPVs indigenously built by Cochin Shipyard Limited

(CSL). It is capable of carrying a crew of five officers and 34 men on board. The ship is 50-metre long, 300-tonne vessel. The vessel is propelled by triple Rolls Royce Kamewa water jets.It can achieve a maximum speed of 33 knots. It has been fitted with the state-of-the-artcommunication and navigational equipment including night vision capabilities. Its mainarmament comprise 40/60 Bofors guns. At present, the Indian Coast Guard has 120 ships, 63


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aircraft and 10,000 men, spread across its 42 Coast Guard Stations, 10 Coast Guard Air Enclavesand 5 air stations.”

Health Ministry Launched new anti TB drug Bedaquilin

The Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry has launched new anti-TB (Tuberculosis) drugBedaquiline. It was launched by the Union Health Minister J P Nadda on 21 March as part of theTB national programme Initially the drug will be made available in six public hospitals in Delhi,Mumbai, Chennai, Guwahati and Ahmedabad. Later it will be introduced in 104 districts acrossfive States. Bedaquiline is a new anti-TB drug for treatment of Multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis.It specifically targets Mycobacterial ATP synthase, an enzyme which is essential for the supplyof energy to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and most other mycobacteria.

Pakistan Ratifies Nuclear Material Protection Pact

Pakistan on 21 March ratified an amendment to a legally-binding international instrument on thesafety of nuclear material that expands its scope to cover atomic facilities and material in peaceful use, storage and international as well as domestic transportation. Pakistan has ratifiedthe 2005 Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material(CPPNM). The Instrument of Ratification was signed by President Mamnoon Hussain on theadvice of the Prime Minister (Nawaz Sharif).

China, Nepal Signed 10 Agreements

Nepal and China signed 10 agreements on 21 March including one aimed at easing transit andtransport between the two neighbours. The agreements were signed in Beijing following ameeting between visiting Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his Chinese counterpart LiKeqiang. The other agreements relate to free trade, installation of solar grids in 32,000 houses,soft loan for projects, loan for constructing an international airport at Pokhara, exploration of gasand petroleum in Nepal and construction of a bridge on the river Hilsa. China will also constructa bridge in far west of Nepal in Hilsa that will connect Nepal and Tibet. Hilsa was a traditionaltrade route.

Former Intel Chairman and CEO Andrew Grove Died

Andrew Grove, former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Intel, passed away on21 March 2016. He was 79. He was present at the Intel’s founding in 1968. Later in 1979, he


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became its president in and CEO in 1987. He served as chairman of the board from 1997 to2005. Andrew Stephen Grove, also known as Andy, was a Hungarian-born American businessman, engineer, and author. He was also referred to as the ‘guy who drove the growth phase’ of Silicon Valley.


8th BRICS Summit To Be Held In Goa

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on 22 March announced that India will host the 8thBRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Summit from 15 October to 16 October2016 in Goa. India will host the summit in its capacity as chair of the influential bloc comprisingfive countries with 42% of the world population and combined GDP of over 16 trillion USdollars. India assumed chairmanship of BRICS from Russia on 15 February 2016 and it will lasttill 31 December 2016. The minister also unveiled a logo and a website of the Summit in NewDelhi. The logo for the Summit is a lotus having colours from all the five member countries anda traditional Namaste in the centre. The theme of India’s BRICS Chairmanship is BuildingResponsive, Inclusive and Collective Solutions.

76 Million In India Lack Access To Safe Water

According to the WaterAid report titled ‘Water: At what cost? The State of the World’s Water’,India has the highest number of 76 million–people in the world without access to safe watersupply, followed by China and Nigeria. The report placed India on the top of 10 countries in theworld with the greatest numbers of people living without access to safe water, followed by Chinaand Nigeria.

India, France sign MoU for construction of six nuclear reactors at Jaitapur

India and France have signed an MoU for the construction of six nuclear reactors at Jaitapur inMaharashtra.The pact was signed between Electricite de France (EDF – French public utility)and National Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) at the end of two day meeting held inMumbai on March 22. This cooperation roadmap was finalised during the official state Visit ofFrench President Francois Hollande to India in January 2016. EDF is France’s public electricity

producer and supplier. It has been designated by the French government for taking over AREVA NP and shall supply equipment to for Jaitapur nuclear park. About Jaitapur Nuclear PowerProject It is a 9900 MW power project proposed by Nuclear Power Corporation of India(NPCIL) at Madban village of Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra. On completion, it will becomethe largest nuclear power generating station in the world by net electrical power rating.


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Justice HL Dattu appointed as member of International coordinating Committee Bureau of

NHRC

Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and former Chief Justice ofIndia HL Dattu was appointed a member of the International Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions (ICC) Bureau in Geneva on 22 March 2016. NHRC, Indiawill now be representing Asia-Pacific Region along with Mongolia, Qatar and Australia.No other National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI) from the Asia Pacific region nominated a candidateagainst Dattu to fill the position of a member vacated by the representative of NHRI of South-Korea. The International Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions (ICC)is a global network of NHRIs administrative bodies set up to promote, protect and monitorhuman rights in a given country. The ICC coordinates the relationship between NHRIs and theUnited Nations human rights system.

Aung San Suu Kyi Nominated To Myanmar’s Cabinet

Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been nominated to become a member of the cabinetMyanmar’s president-elect, Htin Kyaw. The Nobel Peace Prize-winner’s name was on a list of proposed ministers announced on 22 March by the speaker of parliament. The list has Aung SanSuu Kyi’s name next to four posts — minister of the president’s office, foreign affairs, energyand education.

Indian Wells Tournament Director Resigns

Raymond Moore has on 22 March resigned as tournament director of the BNP Paribas Open inIndian Wells following a tide of outrage for his controversial comments on women’s tennis.

President Conferred Gallantry and Distinguished Service Awards

The President and Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces Pranab Mukherjee on 22

March conferred Gallantry and Distinguished Service Awards at a solemn ceremony at theRashtrapati Bhawan. He awarded 16 Param Vashishta Seva Medals, two Kirti Chakras, threeUttam Seva medals, 24 Ati Vishishta Seva medals and 11 Shaurya Chakras. Among the winnersof the Kirti Chakra, the second highest peacetime decoration, is Sepoy Jagdish Chandra ofDefence Security Corps, killed while fighting the attackers of the Pathankot air base. SubedarMahendra Singh of Parachute Regiment was also awarded Kirti Chakra for his role in an anti-terrorist operation in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir.The list of Shaurya Chakra – the


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third highest peacetime award – awardees includes two Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel –Head Constable Mohd. Shafi Sheikh, and Constable Reyaz Ahmad Lone – but both posthumously. The recipients also include Colonel M.N. Rai from Gorkha regiment who diedfighting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir in January 2015, and Commander Mohan MilindMokashi, commanding officer of INS Sumitra, who played a pivotal role in evacuating Indian

nationals from Yemen under ‘Operation Rahat’.


Development of Zika Virus Vaccine Underway In India

India is among five countries where projects are underway to develop vaccines to fight the Zikavirus currently circulating in 38 countries. For vaccines, 23 projects are being worked on by 14vaccine developers in the US, France, Brazil, India and Austria. Zika virus is posing severe public health implications and is linked to neonatal malformations and neurological disordersaffecting newborns.

Union Cabinet Approves Construction of 2.95 cr Rural Houses

Union Government on 23 March decided to construct 2.95 crore houses in rural areas under itsambitious Housing for All by 2022 scheme. The Union Cabinet, in a meeting chaired by PrimeMinister Narendra Modi, gave its nod for the implementation of the rural component of thescheme. The government will have to spend nearly Rs 81,975 crore over construction of the onecrore houses in the first three years of the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin under which itwill provide financial assistance of Rs 1.20 lakh to those living in plain areas and Rs 1.30 lakh tothose in hilly and difficult areas.

Union Cabinet Approved World Bank Project For Swachh Bharat

Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 23 March approved the 1500million US dollar project of World Bank to support Swachh Bharat Mission – Gramin (SBM-G).The approval seeks to provide for the mechanism of incentivisation of States under the SBM-Gthrough World Bank credit. The incentivisation of the States on the basis of their performanceunder the SBM-G was approved by the Union Cabinet on 24 September 2014. The project is

aimed at supporting government efforts to achieve universal sanitation in rural areas and end the practice of open defecation in the countryside by 2019. The project will also put in place a robustand credible independent verification system for annual measurement of improvement in ruralsanitation.


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PM Narendra Modi Inaugurates 100-MW power Supply For Bangladesh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 23 March 2016 inaugurated broadband connectivity to NorthEastern States via Bangladesh to strengthen telecom services in the region. Under the project, aninternational gateway for broadband connectivity will be set up at Agartala in Tripura. Using this

platform, connectivity will be provided to other North Eastern States like Manipur, Nagaland, etcthrough Bangladesh. The cost of the project is around 19 crore rupees and BSNL will bearannual operational expenditure of around seven crore rupees from its own resources.

India – France Signed MoU For Construction of Nuclear Reactors

India and France have signed an MoU for the construction of six nuclear reactors at Jaitapur inMaharashtra, two months after the two countries decided to conclude the techno-commercialnegotiations for the project by the year end. The pact was on 23 March signed at the end of the

two-day visit of a high-level delegation of Electricity de France (EDF – French public utility) toMumbai for holding discussions with National Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) on theconstruction of the plants.

India To Accede To The Ashgabat Agreement

The union cabinet on 23 March gave its approval for India to accede to the Ashgabat Agreement,an international transport and transit corridor facilitating transportation of goods between centralAsia and the Persian Gulf. The Ashgabat Agreement has Oman, Iran, Turkmenistan and

Uzbekistan as its founding members. Kazakhstan also joined this arrangement later. India would become party to the Agreement upon consent of the founding members.

US lawmakers Introduce Legislation To Help India Join APEC

A group of influential US lawmakers have on 23 March introduced a Bill in the Congress askingthe US President Barack Obama administration to help India join the Asia Pacific EconomicCooperation (APEC). The legislation has been introduced by Matt Salmon, Chairman of theHouse Sub-committee on Asia and the Pacific.India’s membership to the APEC would provide it

a constructive forum to glean insight from other Asian countries that have already takensignificant steps to advance their economies. Indian Government is striving for major economicreforms to open India’s markets, improve trade volume, and facilitate his growing population’sneed for continued job growth. US-India partnership is vital to the US strategic interests in theAsia-Pacific region and across the globe. Economically prosperous India benefits the US’strategic goals in Asia.


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North Korea Claims Successful Test of Solid-Fuel Missile Engine

North Korea on 24 March successfully tested a solid-fuel engine that boosted the power of its ballistic rockets. Pyongyang’s claim indicates it is continuing to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at a rapid pace in defiance of U.N. sanctions, and amid assessment bythe South’s officials that it could conduct a new nuclear test at any time. North Korea uses liquid propellants for its main ballistic missiles that target South Korea and U.S. bases in the Asia-Pacific region.

South Korea Tops Global Average Internet Speed

According to Akamai’s ‘State of the Internet’ report released on 24 March, South Korea has thefastest average connection speed in the world at 26.7 Mbps. Sweden occupies the second spotwith an average speed of 19.1 Mbps followed by Norway at 18.8 Mbps. India stands at 114th position with an average internet speed of 2.8 Mbps. India’s neighbour China ranks 89th withaverage speed of 4.1Mbps.

Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso Won Re-election

Congo Republic President Denis Sassou Nguesso has won re-election with 60.39 percent of thevote, extending his 32-year rule of the oil-producing country. Presidential elections were held inthe Republic of the Congo on 20 March 2016. It was the first election to be held under theconstitution passed by referendum in 2015. President Denis Sassou Nguesso, who had exhaustedthe two-term limit imposed by the previous constitution, was allowed to run again due to theadoption of the new constitution.

India Overtakes China In U.S. Direct Investment

India has overtaken China in terms of direct equity allocation by US investors.The data released by US Treasury shows India makes up 1.8% of US foreign equity holdings as on December 2015as against 1.6% of China. US investors direct investment in Indian equities has risen from $7 billion in September 2013 to $12 billion in December 2015. During the same period USinvestors’ direct investment in Chinese equities has declined from $12.8 billion to $11.1 billion.However, India’s overexposure within the EM basket has gradually declined in 2015.


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Shane Watson Retires From International Cricket

Australia’s Shane Watson on 24 March announced that he will retire from international cricket atthe end of the 2016 World Twenty20 Tournament. Watson retired from test cricket in September2015 and since then he didn’t play any One Day Internationals also. He debuted for the

Australian cricket team in 2002, playing his first One Day International against South Africa. Hedebuted in the test cricket on 2 January 2005 against Pakistan at Sydney, Australia. He batted in109 innings of 59 test matches and scored 3731 runs of which 176 was his highest score. He also bowled in 93 innings of those matches and took 75 wickets. In ODIs, he scored 5718 runs from190 matches with an average of 40.55. He also took 168 wickets with 31.79 average. In T20Internationals, he played 52 matches so far and accumulated 1315. His highest score is 124 (notout). He also holds the record of highest ODI batting average of all Australian opening batsmenwho have scored over 1000 runs.

Mehbooba Mufti to be Jammu and Kashmir’s first woman CM

Mehbooba Mufti is set to become the first woman Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Her party, the PDP, formally elected her its chief ministerial candidate at a meeting on March 24. MsMufti’s father, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, died in January as Chief Minister of a coalitiongovernment that included the BJP. After his death Jammu and Kashmir has been underGovernor’s Rule since January 8.


Union Govt Launched Survey To Find New Enemy Properties

With an aim to find new enemy properties, the government has launched a survey in five states,including Delhi, for identification of movable and immovable assets once held by people whomigrated to Pakistan. The survey work has started in five states — Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal,Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and Delhi — for identification of new enemy properties. In order todetect more enemy properties in the states by conducting the survey in an organised manner, theHome Ministry has appointed 65 personnel for the task that include 50 surveyors and 15accountancy and management personnel. After the Indo-Pak war of 1965 and 1971 many peoplemigrated to that country subsequent to which Indian government, in accordance with the Defenceof India Rules framed under the Defence of India Act, took over the properties and companies ofsuch persons who had taken Pakistani nationality. These ‘enemy properties’ were vested by the

central government in the Custodian of Enemy Property for India.

Cassini Discovered Largest Mountain On Saturn’s Moon Titan


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Scientists working on NASA’s Cassini mission have found the tallest peak on Titan, the Saturn’slargest moon. The tallest mountain is about 3,337 meters high. The highest point on Titan iswithin a trio of mountainous ridges called the Mithrim Montes, and most of the tallest mountainson this moon are closer to equator. The discovery was led by images and other data collected byradar instrument on Cassini, which aims at observing surface of the Titan in detail. The

discovery was made during investigation to find active zones within Titan’s crust, wheredynamic forces have shaped the landscape, perhaps in the relatively recent past.

“OVL gets Russia’s nod For $1.268 Billion Vankor Deal”

Russian government has approved ONGC Videsh Ltd’s deal to buy 15 per cent in the country’ssecond biggest oil field of Vankor from Rosneft for $1.268 billion. OVL, the overseas arm of thestate explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), had in September 2015 signed an agreement to buy 15 per cent stake in Vankorneft, the developer of the Vankor oil and gas condensate field in

Turukhansky district of Krasnoyak territory in Russia. Vankor is OVL’s fourth-biggestacquisition ever. Vankorneft, a subsidiary of Rosneft, was founded in 2004 to carry out the project of the Vankor field development, the largest field to have been discovered and broughtinto production in Russia in the last 25 years. It is located in the northern part of eastern Siberia,in Turukhansky district of Krasnoyarsk territory, 142km from Igarka.

“Kejriwal On Fortune’s List of ’50 Greatest Leaders’”

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been named among the world’s 50 greatest leaders by

Fortune magazine. He is sole leader from India in the list and has been placed at 42nd position.2016 edition is Fortune magazine’s third annual ‘World’s 50 Greatest Leaders’ list and it has been topped by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. The ‘World’s 50 Greatest Leaders’ list of FortuneMagazine features men and women from across the globe from the fields of government, business, arts and the philanthropy who are transforming the world and inspiring others to do thesame. The list was released on 25 March 2016.

BHEL Commissioned 600 MW Power Plant In Telangana

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) on 25 March announced that it successfullycommissioned a 600 MW coal-based thermal power plant in Telangana. The unit wascommissioned at the upcoming 2×600 MW Singareni Thermal Power Project (TPP) located atJaipur in Adilabad district of Telangana. The 1200 MW Jaipur Power Plant is being developed by Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL). With the commissioning of this unit, SCCLhas now successfully diversified into the power generation business. SCCL is India’s secondlargest coal mining company and operates 16 opencast and 32 underground mines in 4 districts


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of Telangana. For Telangana, it is the second major plant after the formation of the State in June2014. Earlier, in December 2015, the 600 MW Kakatiya Thermal Power Plant Stage-II wascommissioned at Bhoopalapally in Warangal district.

AP Govt Inaugurates Country’s First Lift Irrigation Project

Andhra Pradesh government inaugurated India’s first river linking project viz. Pattiseema liftirrigation project connecting Godavari River with Krishna River from the ongoing PolavaramMulti-purpose Irrigation Project. The project has been completed in a record time of one year bythe Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL). The project hascapactiry to lift 80 tmc (trillion metric cubic feet) of flood water from Godavari River in a spanof 110 days during the flooding season between July and October.


Union Govt Launched Rotavirus Vaccine

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J P Nadda on 26 March launched India’s firstindigenous rotavirus vaccine named Rotavac to combat infant mortality due to diarrhoea. It waslaunched by Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda as part country’s ambitious UniversalImmunisation Programme (UIP). The vaccine is being introduced initially in four States AndhraPradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh (first to launch it) and Odisha. It would be expanded to theentire country in a phased manner. The rotavirus vaccine was developed indigenously, under a public-private partnership by the Ministry of Science and Ministry of Health and FamilyWelfare. Apart from the rotavirus vaccine, three new vaccines are also being introduced as partof UIP including Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV), Measles, Rubella (MR) vaccine and AdultJapanese Encephalitis (JE) vaccine. With these new vaccines, India’s UIP will provide freevaccines against 12 life threatening diseases to 27 million children annually, the largest birthcohort in the world.

Hockey India 2nd Annual Awards

“Indian hockey players P R Sreejesh and Deepika who won Dhruv Batra Player of the yearaward in Men”s and Women”s category respectively at the Hockey India 2nd Annual Awards for

the year 2015 in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Late Capt. Shankar Laxman was posthumously chosenfor the 2016 Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award.Late Capt. Shankar Laxman wasone of legendary hockey player in India. He was a goalkeeper and was part of the Olympicmedal-winning teams of 1956 (Melbourne, Gold), 1960 (Rome, Silver), and 1964 (Tokyo, Gold).Other winners * Dhruv Batra Player of the Year Award – P.R Sreejesh (male), Deepika (female).* Baljit Singh Goalkeeper of the Year Award – Savita. * Pargat Singh Defender of the Year


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Award – Kothajit Singh. * Ajit Pal Singh Midfielder of the Year Award – Ritu Rani. * DhanrajPillay Forward of the Year Award – Rani. * Asunta Lakra Upcoming Player of the Year Award –Harjeet Singh (male), Preeti Dubey (female). * Jaman Lal Sharma Award for InvaluableContribution – Baldev Singh. * President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement – MadhyaPradesh Hockey Academy.”

“Ancient City Of Palmyra Recaptured By Syrian Army”

Syrian Army and popular defence forces have regained control of the ancient city of Palmyrafrom Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group on 26 March 2016. The city wascaptured by the IS in May 2015 and since then the Army of Syria fought for its control with thesupport of national aviation and Russian Aerospace Forces. The loss of Palmyra represents oneof the biggest setbacks for the Islamic State that declared a caliphate in 2014 across large parts ofSyria and Iraq. The ancient city of Palmyra is a UNESCO designated World Heritage site and

home to some of the world’s most magnificent ancient ruins.

Nandita Bakhshi Appointed as President CEO of Bank of the West

Indian-American Nandita Bakshi has been appointed the President and Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Bank of the West, a subsidiary unit of French banking giant BNP Paribas. She willtake over the roles of President and CEO-designate effective from 1 April 2016 and will assumethe role on 1 June 2016. She will succeed Michael Shepherd who has been appointed aschairman of the BNP Paribas USA, a new holding company for all BNP Paribas subsidiaries in

the United States.


President’s Rule Imposed In Uttarakhand

President Pranab Mukherjee has imposed Present’s Rule (State Emergency) in the state ofUttarakhand on 27 March in the wake of constitutional breakdown under Article 356 ofConstitution. In this regard, President has signed the proclamation state Emergency based on therecommendation of the Union Cabinet. With this proclamation, Congress Government headed byChief Minister Harish Rawat ceased to function and the state Assembly has been suspended.

Background The constitutional breakdown in state was due rebellion in the ruling CongressGovernment after its nine rebel MLAs rebelled, bringing government in minority in the statelegislature. These 9 rebel MLAs were disqualified by the speaker under the anti-defection law.This disqualification had reduced the strength of the 70-member house to 61. So the final tally ofCongress MLAs was 27 and BJP had 28 MLAs.


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Surya Deva Appointed UN Adviser On Human Rights and Businesses

An India-born academician Surya Deva has been appointed as the United Nations (UN) Adviser

on Human Rights and Businesses. He was appoi

March 2016 GK Capsule by Newstechcafe.com

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