1.

Delhis IGI airport retains worlds number 1 position

i. Delhis Indira Gandhi International Airport has retained the worlds number 1 position for the second
consecutive year in 25-40 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA) category.

ii. The rankings were announced by the Airports Council International (ACI).
iii. In 2007, a year after the airport was privatised, the airports Airport Service Quality (ASQ) ranking
was 101 in the world.
iv. In 2011, the airport moved to number 2 position, which it retained till 2013. In 2014, it became no.
1 in the 25-40 MPPA category and retained the rank in 2015 with a score of 4.96 in ASQ survey on
scale of 1 to 5.

2. Mahesh Kumar Singla committee constituted to consider ST status to six communities of

Assam
i. Union Government on 29 February 2016 constituted a committee to consider Scheduled Tribe status
to six Communities of Assam.

ii. The committee will be headed by Special Secretary (Internal Security) Ministry of Home Affairs,
Mahesh Kumar Singla.
iii. The committee will recommend the modalities for granting of Scheduled Tribe status to six
Communities namely Koch Rajbongshi, Moran, Matak, Tai Ahom, Chutia and Adivasi (Tea Tribes) in
Assam.
iv. The Committee will submit its report by 31 May 2016.
v. The committee will consult with the Government of Assam and suggest the modalities for the
required reservations, of shifting the existing reservation for these communities from OBC to ST.

3. Former Chief Justice Of India H.L. Dattu Joined NHRC As Chairperson

i. Former Chief Justice of India H L Dattu took charge as the Chairperson of National Human Rights
Commission (NHRC).

ii. He is the 7th Chairperson of the NHRC. His appointment announced under the Protection of Human
Rights Act, 1993, by the President on the recommendation of the high powered committee headed by
the Prime Minister for the tenure of 5 years.
iii. The committee had cleared the name of Justice Dattu for the post last week.
iv. The post was lying vacant form the last 8 months after the retirement of Justice K G Balakrishnan.
v. The former Chief Justice Of India (CJI) took over the position from Justice C Joseph, who has been
the acting chairperson since the end of the five-year term of former chairperson K G Balakrishnan.

4. India Inks $3.1 Billion Deals For Apache And Chinook Helicopters With US

i. Indian Defence Ministry has issued an order worth Rs 22,000 crores for purchase of helicopters, CH-
47 Chinook and AH-64 Apache, which will be inducted in the forces soon.
ii. Defence ministry already issued an order for puchase of 15 chinook helicopter and 21 Apache
helicopters, which will soon be inducted in the forces," Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar told
reporters on 28-feb.
iii. Ministry had totalling Rs 22,000 crores, has been placed for the purchase of these choppers, which
will strengthen the capabilities of country's defence forces.

5. 7th Lamitye Military Exercise Ends

i. The 7th joint military exercise between India and Seychelles military forces came to a close on 28-
feb-2016 at victoria mahe island in seychella with a final attack scenario where suspected pirates had
escaped at Cap Ternay.

ii. It was conducted aim to improved interprosporaty of both Armis.

iii.This edition of joint military drill, will be concluding phase of the drill.
iv. It will be incorporating a tactical exercise and will be witnessed by senior military officers from
both the countries who will review the standards of interoperability achieved by both the contingents.
v. India and Seychelles have been conducting joint drill Exercise Lamitye since 2001. Lamitye which
means friendship in Creole (local dialect), is conducted biennially with the aim of enhancing military
cooperation and interoperability between the two countries

6. SIDBI To Raise Rs 10,000 Cr. For Stand Up India Fund

i. The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) will raise the proposed Rs 10,000 Crore
corpus for Stand Up India Fund from Reserve Bank Of India.

ii. The Fund will be disbursed to Dalit and women entrepreneurs. As per the SIDBI Chairman & MD
Kshatrapati Shivaji, It will be raised from the RBI through the priority sector lending shortfalls under
the scheme announced by PM Narendra Modi.
iii. According to that scheme each bank branch has been mandated to lend to one micro-enterprise
promoted by a woman and SC and ST entrepreneur and the funds will also include one devoted for
factoring, educational loans, Mudra loans of up to Rs 10 lakh and the Stand Up India loans.
iv. SIDBI is currently working on 4 new credit guarantee funds, apart from the already operational
Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises which gives a cover of up to Rs 1 crore
for MSME loans.
v. The bank depends on a variety of instruments to raise resources, including certificate of deposits,
commercial papers, non-convertible debentures and credit lines from external agencies.

7. Japan to stipulate 80% emission cut goal by 2050

i. The Japanese government will stipulate a long-term goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 80
per cent by 2050 from current levels.

ii. The move follows the international climate agreement reached in Paris in December 2015.
iii. The plan, being compiled by the environment ministry and the ministry of economy, trade and
industry (METI), is likely to be approved by the cabinet before Japan hosts the Group of Seven (G7)
summit in May.
iv. The government is obligated by law to update the national plan for cutting emissions, but it has not
had a new plan since fiscal 2013 partly because energy policy was thrown into disarray by disasters,
including the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis.
v. Prior to the global climate talks in Paris, the administration decided on a goal of slashing greenhouse
gas emissions by 26 percent in 2030 from 2013 levels, which will be included in the upcoming plan.

8. Randeep Hooda Honoured With Achievement Award In Australia

i. Randeep Hooda, the Bollywood actor was felicitated by Melbourne based South Asian community
members at a function in Australia. On the occasion, the 39-year-old actor, also shared his memories of
the time he spent as an international student in the country.

ii. The members of a non profit organization South Asian Public Affairs Council (SAPAC) honoured
the visiting actor with an achievement award for making his mark in the film industry.
iii. At the event, Randeep Hooda formally launched a non profit organisation Nobody Dies Hungry
founded by an Australian Indian Aloke Kumar.
iv. The award was presented by the Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism Danielle Green.
v. And a local councilor Oscar Yildiz also offered Hooda to become an ambassador of Bully Zero
Australia which the actor accepted.

9. Hashim Thaci elected as President of Kosovo

i. Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci was on 26 February 2016 elected as president of Kosovo by the
Members of Parliament amid the protests.

ii. He succeeded Atifete Jahjaga as head of state after winning the required simple majority in voting
held in Pristina.
iii. He was a guerrilla leader during a conflict that led to Kosovo, a mainly ethnic Albanian province
declaring independence from Serbia.
iv. He had also served as prime minister fell out with many opposition groups after helping to negotiate
with Serbia a deal that gave more autonomy to minority Serbs of Kosovo.
v. Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008. It has been recognised by the US
and many EU countries. This self-declared independence was not recognized by Serbia and many other
countries around the world.

10. NASA Invites India To Jointly Explore Mars

i. India and the US could jointly explore Mars and, who knows, an Indian astronaut could also head to
the Red planet on a joint mission.

ii. India Maiden mission to red planets manglyaan has opened the eyes of the world on ISROs
capabilities at undertaking low cost, high value inter-planetary mission.
iii. Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory or JPL Charles Elachi a part of NASA and an institution
better known for piloting most of the American planetary exploration efforts with rovers like Curiosity,
says India and the US could jointly explore Mars and even invited India to send astronauts to the Red
Planet.
iv. When India launched its mission to Mars, and I congratulate India on a superb mission by reaching
the orbit or Mars in the very first attempt.
v. JPL supported ISRO in the navigation and communication because of the antennas we have.
Reaching the Mars orbit in first attempt was an amazing achievement and that too at such low cost.
Now American scientists through its Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN Mission (MAVEN)
mission and India through its Mars Orbiter Mission are sharing data.

11. Zee Media to acquire 80% stake in India Today companies

i. Zee Media Corporation will acquire up to 80 per cent stake in India Today groups loss-making e-
commerce and TV shopping entities Today Merchandise and Today Retail Network Pvt Ltd for
Rs 166 crore in staggered payments over the next four years.

ii. The investment will be made in tranches.

iii. By June, Zee Media would acquire 49 per cent stake by investing Rs 39.7 crore by subscribing
equity shares of both companies and had managerial and operational control over the target company.
iv. Explaining its rationale for investing in the ventures, Zee Media said TV shopping holds great
investment value and with this acquisition, the company would shorten the launch timing of TV
shopping channel.

12. Rozle Prezelj elected Chairman of IAAF Athletes Commission

i. Slovenian high-jumper Rozle Prezelj on 27 February 2016 was elected the Chairman of the
International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Athletes' Commission in Monaco.
ii. Prezelj took over as Chairman of the commission from Frank Fredericks with immediate effect.
iii. On the other hand, Britains marathon world record-holder Paula Radcliffe was nominated Vice
Chairwoman of the commission.
iv. His best result was at the 2008 Olympics where he finished 12th in high jump.

13. Rahul Sachdev won 1st All India Open Invitational Snooker Championship 2016
i. Rahul Sachdev on 29 February 2016 won the 1st All India Open Invitational Snooker Championship
2016 in Aurangabad, Maharashtra.

ii. This tournament was organized by Billiards and Snooker Association of Aurangabad and had no
relation with Cue Sports India.
iii. Rahul defeated Pushpender Singh of Railways in the final with 5-3 Score. Though Pushpender
emerged as a strong contender and had lost only one frame before reaching the final while Rahul
scored a break of 104.
iv. Rahul sood as the runner up in Nationals in 2013 and it was his highest performance. It is major
breakthrough in his career to win All India level Invitation tournament.
v. To reach final, Rahul ousted Laxman Rawat (Railways) 5-1 whereas Pushpender Singh knocked out
Kamal Chawla of Railways 5-1.

14. Armaan Ebrahim won FMSCI Motorsports Man of the Year Trophy
i. Car racer Armaan Ebrahim on 28 February 2016 was awarded the Motorsports Man-of-the-Year
Trophy at ceremony organised by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI).
ii. Armaan walked away with the glittering Raymond Gautam Singhania Rolling Trophy and a cash
prize of Rs 2,00,000 for his performance in the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo Asia Series.
iii. B.I. Chandhok recived lifetime achivement award. An avid racer and a founder of FMSCI,
Chandhok has served the motorsports fraternity in various roles and the gathering saluted the man for
his lifelong achievements.
iv. He was awarded the trophy by FMSCI chairman Vijay Mallya.

15. Bahadur Singh Rana Won Gold In 50 Km Race Walk In National Championship
i. Olympian Basant Bahadur Singh Rana clinched the gold medal in mens 50km race walk event on
the second and final day of the National Championships in Jaipur.
ii. It was the 3rd edition of National Race Walking Championships.
iii. The 32 year old Rana has a personal best of 3:56:48 which he clocked in the 2012 London
Olympics, which was a national record.
iv. Delhi walker Rana clocked 4 hours 7 minutes 24 seconds to finish first out of 33 participants in the
race but only 9 managed to complete the race.
v. Perhaps it was a good 1 minute 25 seconds behind the Rio Olympic qualification mark. Chandan
Singh clinched the silver medal with a time of 4:09:50 while Jitendra Singh won the bronze medal with
an effort of 4:12:10. The former has already bettered the Rio qualification mark in the 20km category.
In the Womens category, Neena K.T won the yellow medal with a time of 53:12.49, Bhawna Jat won
the silver with a time of 53:27.79 while Priyanka Patel won the bronze, after clocking a timing
of 53:32.95.

1st Raisina Dialogue Inaugurated By Sushma Swaraj In New Delhi

i. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has inaugurated the 1st Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi.
ii. Envisioned as Indias flagship conference of geopolitics and geo-economics, the Raisina Dialogue
2016 is designed to explore prospects and opportunities for Asian integration.

iii. It is a key to not only India's development but the entire region and the Asian continent.
iv. The conclave has focused on Asia's physical, economic, human and digital connectivity. Over 450
delegates from around 40 countries are participating in the three-day conference. The delegates also
include former president of Sri Lanka Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and former president of
Afghanistan Hamid Karzai.
v. As per officials "the Asian century in effect is really about once again integrating Asia with itself,
integrating Asia within itself, and integrating Asia with the world". The theme of this inaugural edition
of the Dialogue is "Connecting Asia" which tries to capture the various facets of these ambitions.

2. Mukesh Ambani Again Tops 84 Indian Billionaires in Forbes List

i. Mukesh Ambani Reliance Industries chairman again topped 84 Indian billionaires in Forbes 2016
list of the world's richest people once again headed by Bill Gates with a net worth of $75 billion.

ii. Mukesh Ambani with a net worth of $19.3 billion was ranked 36th among world's 1,810 billionaires
with an aggregate net worth of $6.48 trillion, down from $7.05 trillion last year.
iii. Technology guru Gates, who has topped the list for 17 of the last 22 years was followed by Spanish
clothing retailer Amancio Ortega, best known for the Zara fashion chain, with Warren Buffett
remaining in the third spot.
iv. United states led with the greatest number of billionaires, with 540, followed by China with 251,
Germany with 120, India with 84 and Russia with 77.
v. China had the most of 198 newcomer billionaires, adding 70 to the list. Thirty-three newcomers
were from the US, 8 from India and 28 from Germany Notable newcomers included Flipkart
cofounders Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal (No. 1476) of India.

3. M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation To Establish A Research Chair In Kalinga Institute

Of Social Sciences (KISS)
i. The MS Swaminathan Research Foundation has signed a MOU with Bhubaneswar -based Kalinga
Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) to establish a Research Chair.
ii. The Chair will be named after MS Swaminathan, father of Indian Green Revolution for promoting
knowledge and skill for empowerment for less privileged children in India.
iii. This is the first-ever initiative of the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation to establish a Research
Chair in any private institute in the country.
iv. The Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) is the largest residential institute for the tribals in
the world.
v. It provides free of cost accommodation, education, food, health care from Kindergarten to Post
Graduation to more than 25,000 children of whom 12,200 are girls.

4. UltraTech acquired cement units of Jaiprakash Associates

i. Aditya Birla Group firm UltraTech has announced the acquisition of debt-ridden JP Groups cement
plants for Rs 16,500 crore, making it the biggest deal in the sector.

ii. The buyer will pay an additional amount of Rs 470 crore to complete the grinding unit.
iii. In a transaction that will take its cement portfolio to nearly 91 million tonne, UltraTech Cement will
acquire 22.4 mt of assets from Jaiprakash Associates.
iv. The deal includes two units in Madhya Pradesh.
v. UltraTech Cement said it entered into a binding Memorandum of Understanding with Jaiprakash
Associates Limited for the acquisition of its identified cement plants having total cement capacity of
22.4 MTPA (million tons per annum) situated in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh,
Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

5. TCS Recognized As Top Global Employer

i. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading IT services company has been recognized as a Global
Top Employer by the Top Employers Institute.

ii. The assessment was done among 1,072 companies worldwide and the TCS become 1st with an
exceptional performer across 9 core HR areas including talent strategy, workforce planning, on-
boarding, learning and development, performance management and leadership development, among
others. These things makes the company one in only eight organizations worldwide to have achieved
this status.
iii. This certification is only awarded to the best employers around the world organisations that
demonstrate the highest standards of employee offerings.
iv. Others in the list include CJSC Technip, DHL, Dimension data, Saint Gobain, JT International,
Mobinil, Mobistar, Orange and Valeo.
v. This year, it was also certified as the Region-wide Top Employer in Europe for the 4th consecutive
year. TCS earned the foremost rating in the United Kingdom and Germany, and also received an
accreditation in six other countries in Europe - Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and
the Netherlands.

6. Sanjeev Kapoor joins Vistara as Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer

i. Sanjiv Kapoor has been appointed as the Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer of Vistara Airlines.

ii. Kapoor will be responsible for managing a wide portfolio of Vistaras commercial and planning
functions, including strategy development, network planning, pricing and revenue management, sales
and distribution, among others.
iii. He will also be responsible for in-flight services and ground operations of the carrier.
iv. Kapoor succeeds Giam Ming Toh, who is returning to Singapore Airlines on completion of his
deputation with Vistara.
v. Tata Sons holds a majority 51 per cent stake in Vistara - a joint venture with Singapore Airlines,
which holds the remaining 49 per cent. Kapoor joins Vistara with over 19 years of experience in the
airline industry, in various leadership and consulting role.

7. Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain Takes Over As Chief Of Staff, Eastern Naval Command
i. Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain took over as the Chief of Staff of the Visakhapatnam.
ii. He succeeds Vice Admiral Bimal Verma who has been transferred as Commander-in-Chief of
Andaman & Nicobar Command at Port Blair.
iii. Vice Admiral Jain is an alumnus of the Sainik School (Rewa), National Defence Academy (Pune),
the Defence Services Staff College (Wellington, Ooty), the College of Naval Warfare (Mumbai) and
the National Defence College (Pretoria, South Africa).
iv. He was commissioned in the Indian Navy on 01 July 1982 and post specialisation in Gunnery and
Missile Warfare, he held appointments as Gunnery Officer of missile destroyers, IN Ships Ranvijay
and Ranvir.

8. RBI unlocks Rs.40000 crore additional capital for banks

i. At the time when public sector banks are facing pressure on their profitability due to a sharp rise in
non-performing assets, which is eroding their capital base.

ii. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) move comes revised norms on capital recognition, making
available an additional Rs.40,000 crore to Indian banks, this announcement is a big relief for, mainly,
public sector banks.
iii. Finance minister Arun Jaitley announced after his budget speech a capital infusion of Rs. 25,000
crore for the fiscal year starting in April.
iv. The minister did not make any increases to the capital infusion amount that was decided in August
2015.
v. Many public sector banks reported huge losses for the quarter ended December 2015 after the RBI
asked lenders to identify several accounts as non-performing. Banks are expected to post weak
earnings in the current quarter too.

9. Mrugank Paranjape Appointed As MCX MD

i. Multi Commodity Exchange announced the appointment of Mrugank Paranjape as MD & CEO of the
exchange.

ii. He will succeed Manoj Vaish. The exchange has also re designated Parveen Kumar Singhal, the
present Joint Managing Director as President & Whole Time Director with effect from April 1. The
appointment will be for a period of three years and subject to prior approval from SEBI.
iii. Mr. Mrugank Paranjape was Asia Pacific Head of Trust & Securities Services/Cash Management
for Financial Institutions and Regional Head of Securities for The Global Network Banking Division,
Deutsche Bank (Malaysia) Berhad since last 14 years. Currently, he is India Head, Deutsche Bank.
iv. Last May, SEBI rejected the exchange's proposal to appoint Balasubramaniam Venkataramani,
Chief Business Officer of BSE as MD & CEO as MCX had not followed proper procedure.
v. The exchange remained without a full-time MD & CEO since May 2014 when Vaish resigned after
just three months stint.

10. Scott Kelly, American Astronaut, Returns to Earth After 340 Days in Space

i. NASA(National Aeronautics and Space Administration) astronaut and Expedition 46 Commander

Scott Kelly and his Russian counterpart Mikhail Kornienko returned on Earth.
ii. After a historic 340-day mission aboard the International Space Station.
iii. It was a science experiment to study the effects of microgravity on the human body, so that NASA
can prepare astronauts for longer flights to Mars and beyond.
iv. Mr. Kelly, who spent the time about 249 miles above the planet aboard the International Space
Station, and the Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko landed on Eastern in Kazakhstany.

11. George Kennedy The Oscar Winning Actor Passed Away

i. George Kennedy, who has passed away recently, was one of Americas most recognizable and
versatile character actors.

ii. He was 91 year old. He appeared in more than 175 films, ranging from westerns to disaster movies
and from thrillers to comedies.
iii. Mr. Kennedy's the tough guy character won an academy award for his portrayal of a savage chain-
gang convict in the 1960s. He had undergone emergency triple bypass surgery in 2002.
iv. His biggest acting achievement came in Cool Hand Luke, a 1967 film about a rebellious war hero
played by Paul Newman who is bent on bucking the system as a prisoner on a Southern chain gang. Its
theme of rebelling against authority and the establishment helped make it one of the most important
films of the tumultuous 1960s.
v. Kennedy played the role of Dragline, the chain-gang boss who goes from Lukes No 1 nemesis to his
biggest disciple as Newmans character takes on folk hero status among fellow inmates. The movie
garnered four Academy Award nominations, and Kennedy was named best supporting actor.

12. Aaron Phangiso Suspended For illegal Bowling Action

i. Aaron Phangiso, the South African left-arm spinner, has been suspended from bowling in domestic
cricket with immediate effect after his action was found to be illegal.
ii. Cricket South Africa announced An International Cricket Council (ICC) movement expert found his
arm extended beyond the 15 degrees allowed.
ii. Phangisos action was reported after he took 2 for 38 for the Highveld Lions in their eight-wicket
win against Warriors in the semifinal of South Africas domestic Momentum One Day Cup.

1. Mega Military Exercise Of ASEAN Plus Countries Begins In Pune

i. The multinational mega Military Exercise Force 18 conducted by Indian Army has started in Pune,
Maharashtra from 2nd March.

ii. The theme of the exercise is `Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) and `Peacekeeping Operations
(PKO).
iii. The exercise will conclude on 8th March, 2016 with around 300 participants from 18 ASEAN
(Association of Southeast Asian Nations ) Plus countries.
iv. Participating ASEAN countries along with ASEAN Plus nations are India, Australia, Japan, New
Zealand, China, South Korea, Russia and US . The ten ASEAN countries from South East Asia are
Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and
Vietnam.
v. The Exercise Force Eighteen is the largest multinational exercise ever conducted by the ground on
Indian soil on Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) and Peace Keeping Operatios (PKO). It is conducted
by India as part of its ambitious Look (Act) East policy. The exercise will allow the armies of these
countries to develop a common understanding in handling any complex situation.

2. India Signs Financing Agreement With World Bank For US$ 3OO Million
i. A financing agreement for International Development Association (IDA) credit of US$ 300
(equivalent) for the Madhya Pradesh Higher Education Quality Improvement Project was signed with
the World Bank.

ii. The Financing Agreement was signed by Mr. Raj Kumar (Joint Secretary, Department of Economic
Affairs) on behalf of Government of India and Onno Ruhl, Country Director, World Bank, India on
behalf of the World Bank.
iii. Objective of this project is to improve student outcomes especially of disadvantaged groups in
selected Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and to increase the effectiveness of the Higher Education
System in Madhya Pradesh.
iv. The project has three component- (1) State Level Initiatives, (2) Improving System Management
and (3) Grants Support to Higher Education Institutions.

3. NHAI ties up with ISB for skill development

i. NHAI has taken a significant step in ensuring development of management competencies of its
technical and managerial manpower, with a tie up with Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad.

ii. With the Governments ambitious plans for infrastructure development in the country, road sector is
seen as one of the thrust areas to achieve the objective and ensure sustained economic growth.
iii. The programme on Leadership Programme in Infrastructure Management in ISB aims at
developing skills and competencies relating to multiple disciplines : Strategic Planning, Finance,
Economics, Law, Social and Environmental issues, Public Policy etc. in Infrastructure Management.
iv. Indian School of Business (ISB) has selected eight NHAI officers after stringent scrutiny and
evaluation. Four officers which includes Chief General Managers, General Manager and Dy General
Manager, have commenced training in Leadership Programme in Infrastructure Management this
year with funding support from NHAI.
v. NHAI is planning to create a pool of officers who can play a critical role in ensuring the utmost
professional capability to shoulder the responsibilities at senior management level and guide the NHAI
towards its long term vision.

4. Government Cancels IRB Contract

i. Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has cancelled a contract to build a $1.5 billion tunnel in
Himalayas after the opposition politician alleged irregularities in bidding for India most expensive
road project.

ii. IRB Infrastructure Developers Ltd, which recently won the bid to build South Asias longest Zoji La
Pass tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir.The government has cancelled the award without mentioning any
reason.
iii. In january 2016 IRB won the bid for an all-weather Zoji La Pass tunnel road, which was to connect
Srinagar to Ladakh region that remains cut off during winters.
iv. With the estimated cost of Rs.10,050 crore, the 14.08-km tunnel was considered Indias most
expensive road project, to be completed in seven years.
v. The Zoji La project had landed in a controversy as soon as it was awarded, with Congress leader
Digvijaya Singh alleging that the promoters of IRB were close to Union roads minister Nitin Gadkari.
Digvijaya Singh wrote to the prime minister and approached Central Vigilance Commission seeking a
federal investigation into the matter. Gadkari has rejected all charges as false.

5. Government Plans Too Setup More Nuclear Power Plants

i. To meet the need of the country, the Government of India plans to set up nuclear power plants in
Haryana, Bihar and Punjab.

ii. The government aims to increase nuclear power generation capacity by three times in 10 years.
iii. As per this nuclear power programme, the government is considering setting up new plants in areas
which is not covered before.
iv. For this, a site has been identified to built a nuclear plant at Razauli in Bihars Nawada district in
the last 18-19 months of the current government but there has been a delay due to water shortage. Since
the current level of water is not sufficient for the project.
v. The other places which are listed out by the Minister include Patiala (Punjab), Dehradun
(Uttarakhand) and Bulandshahar (Uttar Pradesh), Patiala and the areas explored in Haryana.

6. Parliament passes Carriage by Air amendment Bill, 2015

i. Parliament has passed the Carriage by Air (Amendment) Bill, 2015 to empower Union government
to revise the limits of liability for airlines and compensation as per the Montreal Convention which
India accepted in 2009.

ii. The bill was first passed by the Lok Sabha in December 2015 and later it was passed by the Rajya in
March 2016.
iii. Now it will go for the Presidential assent as per Article 111 of Constitution.
iv. The Bill seeks to amend the Carriage by Air Act, 1972 to revise the limits of liability for airlines
and compensation in order adhere with the global counterparts. Empowers Union government to revise
the limits of liability for airlines and compensation as per the Montreal Convention.
v. Empowers Union Government to make rules to carry out provisions of the Act. The Bill intends to
raise the liability limit for damage in case of delay, injury or death to each person. It also intends to
revise the liability limits in case of damage, loss, or delay of baggage and cargo as per global
counterparts.

7. India Ranks 90 In Terms Of Energy Security

i. India has been ranked at the 90th place in a list of 126 countries in terms of Energy Security
complied by World Economic Forum (WEF).

ii. The list is topped by Switzerland followed by Norway on the basis of the ability to deliver secure,
affordable and sustainable energy.
iii. It was revealed by Global Energy Architecture Performance Index (GEAPI) and Report compiled
by WEF.
iv. Others in the top 10 include Sweden (3rd), France (4th), Denmark (5th), Austria (6th), Spain (7th),
Colombia (8th), New Zealand (9th) and Uruguay (10th).
v. 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).

8. Chennai Gets Indias First Self Cleaning Smart Toilets

i. A total of 183 self cleaning public eToilets have been installed in the Chennai City. Chennai is the
1st city in India to gets smart Toilets.
ii. These toilets are free for Public use.
iii. Each toilet automatically cleans itself before entry and after use and sensors enable consumption of
less water and power with each use.
iv. An Indian social enterprise, Eram Scientific Solution is the brains behind the project and has already
installed over 1,600 eToilets in private buildings and schools across 18 Indian states.
v. In 2012, it even won a grant of $450,000 from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

9. Three British scientists win 2016 Brain Prize

i. Three British scientists have won a prestigious 2016 Grete Lundbeck European Brain Research Prize
(also known as Brain Prize) for giving vital insight how the human brain remembers, learns and
navigates.

ii. These scientists are Timothy Bliss: He is a visiting worker at the Crick Institute in London. Graham
Collingridge: He is professor of neuroscience in anatomy at the University of Bristol. He is also head
of the Department of Physiology at the University of Toronto. Richard Morris: He is a professor of
neuroscience at the University of Edinburgh
iii. Prize criteria: It is awarded to scientist of any nationality although, research for which they are
nominated must be carried in Europe or in collaboration with European researchers.

10. South Korea Lawmakers Pass Contentious Anti-Terror Bill

i. South Korea's parliament Passed the country's first anti-terror bill, with opposition lawmakers leaving
the plenary chamber after ending the nine-day marathon speeches.

ii. Among almost 300 parliamentary seats, only 156 ruling Saenuri Party lawmakers and one minority
party member participated in a vote on the country's first anti-terrorism legislation, which was passed
through the National Assembly with 156 in favour.
iii. One dissenting vote was cast by the minority party member.
iv. Opposition lawmakers launched nonstop speeches to delay the vote on the country's first anti-terror
bill from February 23 when the parliamentary speaker sought to put the bill on a vote with his own
authority.
v. Lee Jong-Geol, floor leader of the main opposition Minju Party and the last speaker of the filibuster,
set a record for his marathon speech that did not stop for 12 hours and 31 minutes.

11. Peru declares emergency after oil spill hits rivers

i. Peru has declared an emergency three weeks after a major oil pipeline burst, affecting two rivers in
the countrys northwest.

ii. The pipeline spilled 3,000 barrels of crude oil into the Chiriaco and Morona rivers, which are the
main source of water and food for several indigenous communities.
iii. The government has told these communities not to eat fish from the polluted waters.
iv. The broken pipeline reportedly used to transport between 5,000 and 6,000 oil barrels per day. The
pipeline is owned by Petro Peru, a state-owned oil company.
v. The oil company has been accused of a slow reaction to the spill it only started providing food,
water and medical attention weeks after the crisis, which has affected the health of more than 200
people. Perus main oil pipeline was built more than 30 years ago. This has been the third oil spill in
less than a month.

12. International Finance Corporation Launches Masala Bonds

i. International Finance Corporation (IFC), an part of the World Bank group launched its first Uridashi
Masala bonds ( Japanese Bonds ) to mobilize R30 crore (or $4.3 million) directly from Japanese
household investors to promote private sector development in India.

ii. The 3 year bond builds on IFC's Masala bond program which has raised the approx $1.7 billion
from international investors for investment in India.
iii. Masala bonds are rupee denominated instruments sold only to offshore investors, while Uridashi
bonds are sold to Japanese household investors.
iv. The steps from IFC's Uridashi Masala bonds will be used to support private sector investment in
India.
v. JP Morgan is the sole arranger of the bonds and Daisen Hinomaru Securities is its distributor.

13. Historic Old War Office In London Acquired By Hinduja Group

i. The Hinduja Group is a global conglomerate company acquired the heritage Old War Office
in London that was once inhabited by Winston Churchill.

ii. In this Acquirestion with Spanish company Obrascon Huarte Lain Desarrollos (OHLD) on a
250-year lease from the ministry of defence, the plan is to convert it into a hotel and luxury
residences.
iii. As per the ministry on the sale of the Old War Office was for in excess of 350 million
following a competitive marketing process.
iv. At this occasion were Indian High Commissioner Navtej Singh Sarna and former Indian
National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan.

14. Bihari Puraskar 2015 To Be Given To Dr. Bhagwati Lal Vyas

i. Poet Dr Bhagwati Lal Vyas has been chosen for the 2015 Bihari Puraskar for his anthology of
Rajasthani poems 'Katha Sun Aawe Hai Sabad' Published in 2010.

ii. A recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award, Dr Vyas has highlighted the increasing tendencies of
commercialization and degradation of human values through his poetry.
iii. Dr Vyas's works reflect the unpleasant changes in human relations, social disparity and loss of
human values although positivity and his faith in human life also shine through the vast collection of
his poetry.
iv. Dr Bhagwati Lal Vyas best known works authored several short stories and an eminent translator,
are compendium of poems titled 'Shatabdi Niforruttar' (1977), 'Footpath Par Chiriya Nachti Hai' (1984)
and a collection of short stories 'Suraj Leelti Ghatiyan' stand out.

15. New Zealand Cricket Legend Martin Crowe Dead Dies Aged 53 After Losing Cancer Battle
i.New Zealand Cricketer Martin Crowe passed away after a prolonged battle with cancer that
eventually proved one attack the gifted cricketer couldn't see off.
ii. The cricket great had been suffering from lymphoma since September 2014.
iii. He Born on September 22, 1962, in Henderson, Auckland, Crowe's father was former domestic
cricketer Dave, while brother Jeff also went on to captain the New Zealand cricket side.
iv. He received the all-clear from the disease in 2012 but confirmed in September 2014 that it had
returned.
v. Auckland-born Crowe is widely regarded as one of New Zealand's best ever batsman, having scored
17 centuries and 5,444 runs in 77 Tests at an average of 45.36.Crowe captained his country from 1990-
1993.

1. PM Narendra Modi Launches Setu Bharatam Project, To Boost Infrastructure

i. Today, The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched Rs 50,000-crore "Setu Bharatam" programme to build
bridges for safe and seamless travel on National Highways.
ii. With this the government aims to make all national highways free from railway crossings by 2019.
iii. Under this project, 208 new road over bridges or road under bridges places have been identified for
construction and nearly 10200 crore rupees will be spent on it.
iv. While around 1500 bridges will be widened, rehabilitated or replaced that are over 50 to 60 years old. The cost
of rebuilding the old bridges is expected to be about 30000 crore rupees.
v. The Prime Minister spoke of the Governments initiatives in other infrastructure sectors as well, including
railways, irrigation and digital connectivity. He said that developing rural roads is a priority for the government
and it has got huge budgetary support this year. In Budget 2016-17, Rs. 19,000 crore has been sanctioned under
the Pradham Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), to connect all villages with roads, compared with Rs. 14,291
crore in the revised estimates of 2015-16.

2. Kerala Government has taken first of its kind initiative by launching the Air Ambulance
i. Government of Kerala has taken first of its kind initiative by launching the Air Ambulance in Kerala launched
by the Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.

ii. The Air Ambulance in Kerala will exclusively be used for the speedy organ transplant.
iii. The Air Ambulance in Kerala is a brand new six-seater aircraft that is a state-owned Rajiv Gandhi Academy for
Aviation Technology. It imparts training to the aspirants seeking to become commercial pilots.
iv. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed regarding the Air Ambulance in Kerala took place between the
Aviation Academy and the Kerala Network for Organ Sharing that was headed by the principal of the state-run
Thiruvananthapuram Medical College.
v. The two organizations will work together or speedy organ transportation between hospitals from brain-dead
persons with the help of Air Ambulance in Kerala.

3. Manoj Kumar To Be Conferred Dada Saheb Phalke Award For The Year 2015
i. Veteran Film Actor and Director Shri Manoj Kumar is to be conferred the 47th Dada Saheb Phalke Award for
the year 2015.

ii. Award is conferred by the Government of India for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of
Indian Cinema.
iii. The Award consists of a Swarn Kamal (Golden Lotus), a cash prize of Rs. 10 lakhs and a shawl.
iv. The Award is given on the basis of recommendations of a Committee of eminent personalities set up by the
Government for this purpose. This year, a five member jury named as Latha Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Salim
Khan, Nitin Mukesh and Anup Jalota, unanimously recommended Shri Manoj Kumar for the prestigious Award.
Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Shri Arun Jaitley spoke to Shri Manoj Kumar today and congratulated
him on being conferred the Award.
v. The Dadasaheb Phalke award is India's highest award in cinema. Last year, the Dadasaheb Phalke award was
given to Shashi Kapoor.

4. Alappuzha Backwaters To Get Indias First Solar Ferry

i. A 75-seater solar-powered passenger ferry, the first of its kind in the country, is quietly taking shape at Aroor in
Alappuzha district.

ii. The boat is expected to be commissioned within the next three months.
iii. This boat is being built by NavAlt, a Kochi-based joint venture, in collaboration with a French company.
iv. The cost of the Rs.1.7-crore boat will make no noise or cause any pollution, unlike the diesel powered ones.
v. It may work out to be a cheaper option too. An ordinary boat, made of steel and with a carrying capacity of 75
passengers, may cost around Rs.1.9 crore.

5. Government Proposes 10 Member Kashmiri Pandit Panel

i. The government of India has proposed to constitute a committee of Kashmiri Pandits (KPs) to monitor
implementation of packages for rehabilitation of the displaced community. The committee panel will consist 10
member.

ii. According to the last month proposal of the Union Home Ministry the panel will includes the representatives of
migrant camps from Muthi and Pukhroo.
iii. The proposal has been sent to governments of Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi, asking them to consult various
associations of Kashmiri migrants and offer inputs in the matter at the earliest.
iv. This included amounts towards jobs for Kashmiri migrants, rehabilitation of families from Chhamb and PoK,
construction of houses, and setting up of five India Reserve Battalions.
v. This years budget saw that more than half of the Rs. 580 crore fund allocated for the rehabilitation of Kashmiri
migrants remained unutilised during 2015-16 but as per revised estimates, only Rs. 280 crore was provided,
leaving Rs. 300 crore unutilised.
6. Ratan Thiyam Selected For 11th META Lifetime Achievement Award
i. Veteran playwright and director Ratan Thiyam has been selected for prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award
for 2016 at the 11th edition of Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META).

ii. The award will be given to the theatre guru Ratan Thiyam for creating a new language in theatre and enriching
the art form in various roles as writer, director, designer, composer and choreographer.
iii. Currently he is the chairman of the National School of Drama.
iv. Prior to him, this award has been given to theatre greats such as Zohra Sehgal, Badal Sarkar, Khaled
Chowdhury, Ebrahim Alkazi, Girish Karnad and Heisnam Kanhailal.
v. The awards consist of a specially designed trophy and a cheque of 1,00,000 rupees for the best production,
75,000 rupees for best original playwright and 45,000 rupees for all other award categories.

7. World's Costliest Train Station Opened In New York At 9/11 Site

i. The World's most expensive train station in the world opens at the World Trade Center site in New York, United
States Of America.

ii. The site World Trade Center destroyed 14 years ago in the 9/11 attacks.
iii. Santiago Calatrava, the Spanish Swiss architect taken 12 years to make it. The site has been made at the World
Trade Center Transportation Hub next to the Twin Towers, which were destroyed in the Al- Qaeda hijackings.
iv. The site World Trade Center Transportation Hub is expected to eventually serve more than 2,00,000 daily
commuters. The building space measures 350 feet (107 meters) long by 115 feet (35 meters) at its widest point.
v. The center connects the PATH commuter rail to New Jersey with New York subway lines, provides indoor
pedestrian access to the Trade Center towers and will also house an enormous shopping and restaurant plaza. The
transit hub will serve 250,000 people making it the third largest transportation center in the city.

8. Flipkart launches Commerce Advertising Platform

i. Leading e-commerce company Flipkart launched its own advertisement platform, Brand Story Ads, with over 50
leading brands on board.

ii. Yes Bank, LOreal, Micromax, Intel, Gillette, Datsun and Sony have signed up with Flipkart to launch their ads
campaigns on the platform.
iii. Flipkart ventured into the online advertising space last year with the introduction of product listing ads to
enable sellers on the platform gain more visibility and reach a larger customer base.
iv. With the launch of Brand Story Ads, Flipkart has introduced a new form of advertising called Commerce
Advertising.
v. Commerce Advertising delivers a holistic view of consumers purchase journey post ad interactions and
highlight effectiveness of the advertising campaigns.

9. Stevie Wonder Honoured With Global Green Hero Award

i. Veteran singer Stevie Wonder was honoured with Global Green Hero award.

ii. The award has been given at the 13th Annual Global Green USA Pre Oscar party.
iii. Presently the 65 year old singer Stevie is an music icon in the industry.
iv. The singer is serving the industry from the age of 11 and has continued to perform and record till the early
2010s. He has been blind since shortly after birth.
v. On the occasion Mr. Wonder also performed a nine-song set of his greatest hits also pointed out that climate
change and its environmental impact are issues that he has always been invested in. The singer has already
honoured with the Grammy Award.

10. Veteran Left Chief Ashok Ghosh Lifeless

i. Veteran All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) leader and senior-most leader of the Left Front in West Bengal, Ashok
Ghosh passed away recently. He was 94.

ii. 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.
iii. He joined the AIFB in 1940, a year after its formation, influenced by the political philosophy of Subhas
Chandra Bose.
iv. In more than seven decades of public life, Mr. Ghosh did not leave the AIFB.
v. Mr. Ghoshs most significant contribution to the Bengals Left movement was destabilising the Congress by
forging an anti-Congress alliance, much before the CPI (M)-led Left Front came to power in West Bengal.

11. Former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma Passes Away

i. Purno Agitok Sangma, who was the Lok Sabha Speaker from 1996 to 1998 and one of the co-founders of
Nationalist Congress Party passed away today following a heart attack. He was 68.
ii. Purno Agitok Sangma was born on 1 September 1947 in village Chapahati in the picturesque West Garo Hills
District of the State of Meghalaya in North East India.
iii. One of the greatest leaders from Northeast in national politics, he has been elected to the Lok Sabha eight times
since 1977.
iv. After completing his graduation from St. Anthony's College, he went to Dibrugarh University in Assam for his
Masters degree in International Relations.
v. Subsequently, he also obtained a degree in Law.

12. Mumbai U-23 Team Clinched CK Nayudu Trophy 2015-16

i. The Mumbai under-23 team clinched the Col CK Nayudu Trophy by defeating Madhya Pradesh at the Holkar
Stadium in Indore.
ii. Mumbai bowled out Madhya Pradesh for 442 and took a first innings lead of 135 runs to be declared the winner.
iii. This was Mumbais second big title of the season, After clinching their 41st Ranji Trophy title in Pune around a
week back.
iv. Winning teams right arm seam bowler Tushar Deshpande made the most of the third new ball in the closing
minutes of the game.
v. The Mumbai team, winners of the 2015, 2016, U23 Col C K Nayudu Trophy, will be awarded with a cash prize
of 20 lakh rupees on clinching the title.

1. 15 States have Joined UDAY Scheme

i. The Finance Ministry Arun jaitley has given permission to Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and
Chhattisgarh to issue the bonds as part of the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY).

ii. The Ministry of Finance and the RBI are working out the mode of these bond issues.
iii. According to Union Power Under the UDAY scheme, State governments take over 75 per cent of
the debt of the distribution utilities. This is then issued as non-SLR (statutory liquidity ratio) bonds.
The remaining 25 per cent of debt with electricity distribution utilities is also refinanced through State
government-backed DISCOM bonds.
iv. Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh account for around Rs. 1.5 lakh crore or
about 35 per cent of the outstanding loans of State electricity distribution utilities in the country.
v. Six States have already signed agreements to finalise their participation in the UDAY scheme
including Bihar.

2. MoU between Indian Army and Induslnd Bank

i. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Indian Army and Hinduja Grouped Induslnd
Bank on the Defence Salary package.

ii. The signing ceremony of MoU was headed by Lt Gen Rakesh Sharma and the Dignitaries from
Induslnd bank headed by Anil M Rao Head-General Banking Operations.
iii. The first MoU was signed earlier in 2011 was valid for a period of three years, this MoU revised to
suit the requirements of serving soldiers also provide them opportunity to access modern banking
facilities.
iv. The specially designed salary will hold additional features free/ concessional services including free
drafts, Cheques books, and free fund transfer to any bank in India through NEFT/ RTGS and free ATM
cards.
v. In the latest MoU Personal Accident Insurance cover has been Included an amount of Rs. 2 lacs for
Junior Commissioned Officer and up to 5 lacs for officers and NOC issuing time is reduced to 3 days
from the date of application.

3. Sunil Sabharwal Re Appointed As Alternate Executive Director At IMF

i. Independent investor Sunil Sabharwal has become the first Indian American to occupy a key
administration post as Alternate Executive Director at the IMF.

ii. Mr. Sabharwal is re nominated by US President Barack Obama. He was 1st nominated in April 2014
and then renominated to the position of Alternate Executive Director of the International Monetary
Fund (IMF).
iii. The post of Alternate Executive Director is one of the most powerful position in the IMF
considering more than the 16.81 % voting share (highest) of US in the total IMF voting share.
iv. Prior to this appointment Mr. Sabharwal has served as board chairman of Ogone, a European e-
commerce payment services firm, from 2011-13.
v. Mr. Sabharwal also had served as Senior Vice President of Strategic Investments at First Data
Corporation/Western Union from 2003 to 2006. Since 2006, he has been an independent investor in the
payments sector.

4. Award for Srinivasan K. Swamy

i. The Advertising Club Madras conferred its 1st Distinguished Service Award on Srinivasan K
Swamy, Chairman and Managing Director, R K Swamy BBDO for his outstanding contribution to the
advertising industry.

ii. The award was presented to the ad lander who is also president of the IAA India chapter, at a
ceremony in Chennai on 3 March 2016.
iii. N Murali, co-chairman of The Hindu group of publications ( Kasturi and Sons Ltd ), and second
recipient of the title, was the chief guest for the evening.
iv. Mr. Murali was conferred with this award in 1995.
v. Other recipients of this award were Narayanan in 1998, S.R. (Mani) Aiyer in 2001 and C K
Ranganathan in 2004.

5. River Information System Like ATC To Be Launched For Inland Waterways Traffic
i. The Government has launched a River Information System (RIS) between Haldia and Farakka
stretch of the National Waterway-1 (NW-1) on 06.01.2016.

ii. The system enhances swift electronic data transfer between mobile vessels and shore (Base stations)
through advance and real-time exchange of information.
iii. RIS aims to streamline the exchange of information between waterway operators, regulators and
users.
iv. This would facilitate: Inland navigation safety, Improvement in efficiency of inland navigation,
Dissemination of information to vessels on the status of fairways, Provision of virtual aids to
navigation and guidance to the vessels and Planning of voyages.

6. PepsiCo Named As New Associate Sponsor Of BCCI

i. Beverage giants PepsiCo has named as the new associate sponsor of BCCI , which was earlier pulled
out as title sponsors of the Indian Premier League in October.

ii. BCCI has named it as BCCI's official associate sponsor for all international matches in India.
iii. The both entered into a 4 year partnership for refreshment, snacks and drinks besides grounds where
the firm will try to garner maximum visibility for their brands.
iv. Besides, Pepsico, there would be two other official associate sponsors of BCCI, from which the
cricket body would get Rs 150 crore for the next four years.
v. Names of the other two sponsors will be announced in the next 7-10 days. Apart from them Mobile
commerce platform Paytm is the official title sponsor of the BCCI.

7. Chapchar Kut Festival Celebrated Across Mizoram

i. The traditional festival of Chapchar Kut of the Mizos was celebrated across the north-eastern state of
Mizoram and also in the Mizo-inhabited areas in the neighbouring states.

ii. It is a spring festival celebrated every year in month of March.

iii. The festival is celebrated with great fervor and gaiety by Mizos after completion of their Jhum
operation (shifting agriculture by clearing jungle by burning and cultivating in remnants of burning).
iv. The citizen belongs to the region dressed in traditional attire, exuberant dancers danced to the tune
of typical music and songs. While popular Mizo dances including Cheraw, Sarlamkai, Chheihlam and
Khuallam were performed by different cultural troupes.
v. Chapchar Kut Festival is estimated to have started in 1450-1700 A.D. in a village called Suaipui. In
Aizawl, state state home minister R Lalzirliana was the 'Kut pa' or father of the festival, while state Art
and Culture minister R Romawia was the 'Kut thlengtu' or host of the festival.
8. TCS chief N Chandrasekaran appointed to board of Reserve Bank
i. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) CEO and managing director Natarajan Chandrasekaran and two
others were on Friday appointed as non-official directors to the board of Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

ii. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has
approved appointment of former Chief Secretary of Gujarat Sudhir Mankad as part-time non-official
director on the central board of the RBI for a period of four years, an order issued by Department of
Personnel and Training (DoPT) said.
iii. Mr Mankad was Chief Secretary of Gujarat from April 2005 to August 2007 when Narendra Modi
was the Chief Minister of the state. Besides Mr Mankad, Mr Chandrasekaran of TCS has also been
appointed as part-time non-official director on the RBI board, it said.
iv. Bharat Narotam Doshi, non-executive chairman of Mahindra & Mahindra, is the third part-time
non-official director on the central board of the bank, the department said. Both Mr Chandrasekaran
and Mr Doshi will have a tenure of four years.
v. The Reserve Bank's affairs are governed by a central board of directors. The board is appointed by
the government of India. Besides the RBI Governor, there cannot be more than four deputy governors
as full-time official directors of the central bank.
There can be ten non-official directors from various fields and two government officials.

9. Election Commission Announces Assembly Election In 4 States & 1 Union Territory

i. The Election Commission today announced the schedule for Assembly polls in four states West
Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and for Union Territory Puducherry. The Chief Election
Commissioner Nasim Zaidi has announced the election date today in New Delhi.

ii. In Assam, elections will be held in two phases April 4 and 11. In West Bengal, it will be held on
April 4, 11, 17, 21, 25, 30 April, and May 5. In Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala, the elections will
be held on May 16. Counting of votes for all five states will be done on May 19.
iii. The elections will also see for the first time a symbol, which has been created by the National
School of Design, allotted to NOTA (None of the above) that will be placed at the bottom of the list of
candidates. And If possible polling centers will be set up in blind schools, leprosy centers to ensure
inclusiveness.
iv. This time all the polls will have Mobile squads with GPS-fitted vehicles and will be accompanied
by central forces to ensure that they quickly attend to complaints.
v. There will be exclusive polling stations for differently-abled voters.

10. Pat Conroy, Prince of Tides And Great Santini Author, Dies At 70
i. Donald Patrick "Pat" Conroy was a New York Times bestselling author who has written several
acclaimed novels and memoirs.

ii. Two of his novels, The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini, were made into Oscar-nominated
films.
iii. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, he was the eldest of seven children (five boys and two girls) born to
Marine Colonel Donald Conroy, of Chicago, and the former Frances "Peggy" Peek of Alabama.
iv. Conroy grew up in a military family, moving many times during his childhood and adolescence and
never having a hometown, as his family followed his father, a fighter pilot, who was transferred from
military base to military base.
v. Conroy moved 23 times before he was 18 years old.

11. Cngress MLA R. Venkat Reddy Passes Away

i. Telangana Congress Former Minister Ramreddy Venkat Reddy passed away yesterday. He was
undergoing with the treatment for cancer He was 72.

ii. Mr. Reddy was a 5 time MLA from Khammam District. The veteran leader, who was also
Chairman of Public Accounts Committee of Telangana Assembly, was a Minister in Congress
Governments led by Y S Rajasekhar Reddy and Kiran Kumar Reddy in undivided Andhra Pardesh.
iii. After the constituency was demerged, he shifted to Palair and won with comfortable majority in the
2014 elections.
iv. A soft spoken low-profile politician, Venkat Reddy served as Horticulture Minister in Y.S.
Rajasekhara Reddy and Kiran Kumar Reddy Governments. Venkat Reddys brother R. Damodar
Reddy is also a former Minister.
v. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee President N Uttam
Kumar Reddy, its working President Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Congress Legislature Party leader K
Jana Reddy, among others, condoled his death.

12. Legendary Film Archivist P.K.Nair Passed Away

i. P.K.Nair, the founder director of the Nationl Film Archive of India has passed away. He was 86.
Nair, who was in critical condition since the last 10 days, passed away at a hospital in Pune due to
cardiac arrest.

ii. He was instrumental in archiving several landmark Indian Films such as Dadasahe Phalke's " Raja
Harishchndra " and " Kaliya Mardan".
iii. Paramesh Krishnan Nair, who had dedicated his life to preservation of films and building the
collection of films at the NFAI.
iv. Nair joined the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune as a research assistant in 1961
and went on to play a key role in setting up the National Film Archives of India (NFAI) in 1964.
v. He was appointed assistant curator in 1965 and continued with the NFAI till 1991.By the time when
Mr. Nair retired as NFAI director, he had acquired a whopping 12,000 films for the archive out Of
these, 8,000 were Indian and the rest foreign films. His life and work has been immortalized in the
documentary Celluloid Man, made by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur.

13. Anirban Lahiri Jumps To 9th Spot At World Golf Championships

i. Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri turned in a second successive two-under 70 and jumped into the top-10
at tied ninth at the midway stage of the $9.5 million WGC Cadillac Championships.

ii. Lahiri, who had three birdies -- two of them in last three holes and one bogey, is still six shots
behind the leader, Adam Scott, who is looking to make it two wins in two weeks Lahiri broke into the
top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in March 2014 following a consistent
season which included two victories on the Asian Tour.
iii. Lahiri learned to play golf at the age of eight from his father, Dr. Tushar Lahiri, a physician with the
armed forces who was also a recreational golfer.

14. Indian Shooter Jitu Rai Clinches Gold 50m Pistol Gold
i. Jitu Rai (Nepali) (born 25 August 1987) is an Indian shooter of Nepalese origin, clinch the 50m pistol
gold at the ISSF World Cup Bangkok.
ii. Jitu Rai beat Chinas former World and Olympic Champion Wei to second place shooting 191.3 to
Pangs 186.5. Wang Zhiwei, also of China and an Olympic Bronze medallist, finished third with a final
round score of 165.8.
iii. Jitu Rai reached the final by finishing third at the end of the 60 shot qualifying series with a score of
562.
iv. He led the field of eight top qualifiers with a score of 564, while Zheiwei followed him in second
place scoring 563.
v. Former World Champion Tomoyuki Matsuda of Japan was also going to be a threat in the final
given his recent form in the Asian Shooting qualifiers in Delhi.

Raisina Dialogue 2016 kicks off at New Delhi

i. The first Raisina-Dialogue 2016, a flagship conference on Geopolitics and Geo-economics began in
New Delhi.
ii. The three day conference is joint initiative of Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Observer
Research Foundation (ORF), an independent think tank based in India.

Key facts
 The theme of Raisina-Dialogue 2016 is Asia: Regional and Global Connectivity.
It will enable the MEA to reach out to a wider international multi-disciplinary audience.
It will focus on Asias economic, physical, human and digital connectivity and shall attempt to
discover challenges and opportunities for the region to manage its common spaces.
It will be attended by speakers from 40 countries including Former Sri Lankan President
Chandrika Kumaratunga, former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and Bangladeshi foreign
Minister Mahmood Ali.
It will provide platform to explore prospects and opportunities for Asian integration as well as
Asias Integration with the whole world.

Note: The name of conference comes from Raisina Hill which is the elevation in New Delhi where
presidential palace of India, Rashtrapati Bhavan is located. The conference has been organized on the
lines of the Shangri-La Dialogue held in Singapore.

India moves to WTO against US on temporary working visa issue

i. India has filed a complaint against the United States decision to impose high fees L-1 and H-1B
categories of temporary working visas in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
ii. US had imposed fees on certain applicants for L-1 and H-1B categories of non-immigrant temporary
working visas into the country.
iii. According to India, US measure is inconsistent with the global norms and it would impact Indian IT
professionals as it makes Indian IT companies less competitive in that market. These measures appear
to be inconsistent with the terms, limitations and conditions agreed under the GATS (General
Agreement on Trade in Services).

Background

Earlier in 2015, US President Barack Obama had signed into law of spending package which
had introduced a hefty $4,000 fee for certain categories of H-1B visa and $4,500 for L1 visa.
Under this law, companies having more than 50 employees and having more than 50 per cent
of their US employees on H-1B and L1 visas were forced pay the new fee from April 1, 2016.
H-1B and L1 visas are temporary work visas for skilled IT professionals to work in US and India
is the largest user of both H1B and L1 visas.

President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurates National Conference on Women Legislation

i. President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated a National conference on Women Legislators: Building
Resurgent India in New Delhi.
ii. The conference intends to hone the skills of legislators to perform their legislative and non-legislative
roles with greater effectiveness.

Key facts

The two-day conference will provide women legislators a platform to interact with their
counterparts from across the country.
It will also bring together women union ministers, chief ministers, MPs and eminent women
from the judiciary and the bureaucracy.
It will equip women legislators with latest knowledge in relevant areas and motivate, guide
them in their twin roles as agents of socio-economic progress and as legislators.
It will be attended by more than 300 women MPs and state legislatures and legislative council
members, Union Ministers and Chief Ministers.

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

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

Key facts
 The bill seeks to bring changes existing revenue laws dating to the British era by further
speeding up disposal of litigations over land ownership in rural areas.
It also provision that allows land owners lease out their land for share-cropping purpose without
the fear of losing it after 12 years.
Ensures that wife gets equal rights on the gram samaj land given out on a lease signifying step
towards empowerment of rural women.
The bill has provisions for setting up of a new judicial cadre that will look after land revenue
disputes in order to end disputes especially in cases of partnership.

Manoj Kumar to be conferred Dadasaheb Phalke Award

i. Veteran Film Actor and Director Manoj Kumar has been selected for the prestigious 47th Dadasaheb
Phalke Award for the year 2015.
ii. He was unanimously selected by a five member jury consisted of Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle,
Salim Khan, Nitin Mukesh and Anup Jalota.

About Manoj Kumar

Manoj Kumar was born as Harikishan Giri Goswami on 24 July 1937 in Abbottabad (now in
Pakistan), then part of British India.
He had shifted to Delhi at the age of 10 due to India-Pakistan partition after independence. He
entered in the film industry after graduating from Hindu College, University of Delhi.
His debut role as an actor was in the film Fashion (1957) and as a leading role was in film
Kaanch Ki Gudia (1960).
He is remembered for his films Hariyali Aur Raasta, Himalaya Ki God Mein, Woh Kaun Thi, Do
Badan, Patthar Ke Sanam, Upkaar, Neel Kamal, Purab Aur Paschim, Roti Kapda Aur Makaan,
and Kranti.
He is best known for acting in and directing films with patriotic themes. His first patriotic film
was Shaheed (1965) based on the life of Bhagat Singh.
Awards and Honours: He is a recipient of National Film Award (1968) for the film Upkaar. He
also was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1992 and Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in
1999.

About Dadasaheb Phalke Award

The award is conferred by the Union Government on person for outstanding contribution to the growth
and development of Indian Cinema.
Established in 1969 to commemorate the birth centenary year of father of Indian cinema Dadasaheb
Phalke. It is the highest official recognition (award) in Indian cinema.
The Award consists of a Swarn Kamal, a cash prize of 10 lakhs rupees and a shawl. It is given on the
basis of recommendations of a committee of eminent personalities set up by the Centre.

1. Gyan Sangam: 3rd Phase of Bank Reforms to Focus on Bad Loan

i. With mounting bad loans, the second edition of the Finance Ministrys brain storming session with
public sector banks focused on management of non-performing assets and consolidation in the sector.

ii. The two-day Gyan Sangam an annual retreat of chiefs of public sector financial institutions,
officials from the Finance Ministry and the Reserve Bank of India recently held on March 4 and 5 in
Gurgaon.
iii. The last year retreat was held for the first time in pune.
iv. The agenda would include- Restructuring and mergers and acquisitions of banks, NPA management
and recovery, Technology, digital and financial inclusion, Credit growth, and Risk management.
v. This retreat has been held to take forward the governments commitment to reforms in the banking
and financial sector. The growth and change in the financial sector ought to be in tune with the
development in the real sector, said the Finance Ministry.
2. Oil Minister Lays Foundation Stone Of Octomax Unit At Mathura (UP)
i. Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gases laid the foundation stone
of Country's 1st its of kind Octomax unit at Mathura refinery.

ii. It will help in the production of high octane gasoline.

iii. Octomax, a "novel technology" developed in-house by Research and Development Center of Indian
Oil, involves conversion of cracked C4 streams to high-octane gasoline blending stock for production
of Euro-IV/V equivalent gasoline.
iv. The cost of this project will be around 43 crore and is expected to be completed by October 2017.
The capacity of the refinery plant will be of 55 KTA but it will increase later.
v. The unit on Octomax technology has been conceptualized and designed based on indigenous efforts.
According to Mr. Pradhan "Mathura refinery will play major role in meeting government's target of
introducing BS-VI standardizing petrol and diesel by 2020."

3. 27 Government Banks May Be Merged Into Just 6

i. Finance Minister of India Mr. Arun Jaitley has indicated that the Government may merge 27 public
sector banks into just six.

ii. Because PSB is working under pressure to tackle their dismal bad loan scenario and consolidation is
the way forward to handle this situation. This has been said in the recently held Gyan Sangam in
Gurgaon.
iii. The time frame for the mergers will ensure there are no disruptions, the sources said. Because the
banks are already short-staffed so downsizing would not be required.
iv. Apart from that an official from Ministry stated that an expert committee will be soon to setup to
look into the issue and the committee will also work closely with the Banks Board Bureau (BBB) to
identify the right matches for consolidation.
v. From April 1, 2016 the BBB will independently oversee consolidation and chalk out business plans
for public sector banks. Since it is not feasible to bring down the governments share in state-owned
banks below 51%, consolidation to create strong banks is the only survival option. The finance
ministry is also looking to merge the newly-launched Bharatiya Mahila Bank with the other PSBs.

4. Myanmar grants operating licenses to four more Asian banks including SBI
i. Myanmar has granted operating licenses to four Asian banks, bringing to 13 the number of foreign
banks allowed to conduct business in the previously isolated country.

ii. Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam, State Bank of India, Taiwan's Sun Commercial
Bank and South Korea's Shinhan Bank, these are the four bank were granted preliminary licenses,
Myanmar's Foreign Bank Licensing Committee.
iii. The decision is just the second time Myanmar has granted licenses for foreign banks to open since a
semi-civilian government took over in 2011.
iv. The approval gives the banks 12 months to demonstrate they can fulfill business plans laid out in
their.
v. Myanmar (formerly Burma), is a Southeast Asian nation of more than 100 ethnic groups.

5. Amrita Patel Gets Mahindra Lifetime Achievement Award

i. Dr Amrita Patel has been conferred with the Mahindra Samriddi India Agri Lifetime Achievement
Aear-Krishi Shiromani Samman in New Delhi. Dr Patel is a former Chairman of National Dairy
Development Board (NDDB). She served as its chief from 1998 to 2014.

ii. The award has been conferred by Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh.
iii. Dr. Patel played a vita role in the implementation of Operation Flood, the largest development
programme in the world.
iv. The operation flood programme helped to promote, finance and deliver a variety of supporting
services to a national cooperative dairy structure that transformed the lives of millions of marginalized
and small farmers and milk producers.
v. The award is given for her purposeful contribution that made a difference in the field of agriculture
to increase productivity and rural prosperity.
6. Country's First Small Finance Bank To Start Ops On April 13
i. Jalandhar-based Capital Local Area Bank has become the first entity to receive the Reserve Bank of
Indias licence to start operations as a small finance bank.

ii. In september 2015 Reserve Bank of India granted in-principle licences to 10 applicants to set up
small finance banks, including Capital Local Area Bank.
iii. The small finance bank will undertake basic banking activities of acceptance of deposits and
lending to unserved and underserved sections including small business units, marginal farmers and
unorganised sector entities.
iv. AS per Sarvjit Singh Samra, managing director of Capital Local Area Bank plans to start its small
finance bank operations on April 13.

7. Amazon Is India's Most Trusted Online Shopping Brand

i. Amazon World's largest e-retailer is India's most trusted online shopping brand followed homegrown
Snapdeal and Flipkart.

ii. Ebay, Myntra, Yepme, Jabong, Naaptol, Shopclues and Askmebazaar Other firms to figure in the
top 10 trusted online shopping brands.
iii. The survey was conducted among 2,500 respondents, aged 21-50, across 16 cities and its findings
have been compiled in the Brand Trust Report, India Study 2016. iv. The report is issued annually by
TRA (formerly Trust Research Advisory).
v. According to TRA Chief Executive Officer N Chandramouli Amazon is India's most trusted online
shopping brand with 36 per cent of the trust pie. Together, these three brands make up for 76 per cent
of online shopping trust pie.

8. Tata Housing ties up with SBI for Women's Day offer

i. Real estate developer Tata Housing has partnered with the country's largest lender, State Bank of
India, on the occasion of the International Women's Day.

ii. Tata Housing will allow its women customers to pay only 20 per cent of the agreement value while
the balance can be paid on taking possession of the property, a company statement said here today.
iii. On its part, SBI will be offering home loans to its women customers at a special interest rate of 9.5
per cent per annum under the SBI Her Ghar scheme as part of the International Women's Day, which
will be celebrated between March 8 and March 13, it said.
iv. Moreover, the SBI has waived processing fees on the home loan under the scheme, it added.

9. Investors' summit Begins in Gurgaon

i. The first two-day 'Happening Haryana Global Investors Summit 2016' has kicked off in Gurgaon,
which has see participation from 12 countries.

ii. Besides several Union Ministers, a number of leading entrepreneurs and MNCs have taken part.
iii. The summit comes close on the heels of the Jat quota agitation in Haryana, in which 30 people were
killed and property worth crores of rupees was destroyed.
iv. The participating countries are Czech-Republic, Japan, Mauritius, New Zealand, China, Korea,
Malawi, Peru, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom and Tunisia.
v. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is the chief guest at the inaugural session while Khattar has delivered
the keynote address.

10. Uttar Pradesh Assembly Passed the UP Revenue Code (Amendment) Bill 2016
i. Uttar Pradesh Assembly passed the UP Revenue Code (Amendment) Bill 2016 replacing an
ordinance issued by the Governor Ram Naik.

ii. The Bill allows Dalits of the state to sell their land to non-Dalits in the state without approval of the
administration even if their remaining holding is less than 3.5 acres.
iii. This bill also seeks to bring changes existing revenue laws dating to the British era by further
speeding up disposal of litigations over land ownership in rural areas.
iv. It also provision that allows land owners lease out their land for share-cropping purpose without the
fear of losing it after 12 years.
11. Email Inventor Ray Tomlinson Dies At 74
i. Ray Tomlinson, the inventor of email has passed away. He was 74. He died of an apparent heart
attack.

ii. His invention included the ground-breaking use of the @ symbol in email addresses, which is now
standard.
iii. The US computer programmer came up with the idea of electronic messages that could be sent from
one network to another in 1971. Before Ray Tomlinson invention direct electronic messages users
could only write messages to others using the same computer.
iv. He was the first to use the @ symbol in this way, to distinguish a user from its host.
v. His work was recognized by his peers in 2012, when he was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame.

12. Renowned Singer And Actor Kalabhavan Mani Passed Away

i. Renowned Malayalam actor and folk singer Kalabhavan Mani passed away in Kochi on Sunday. He
was 45.

ii. He had been hospitalized for liver ailment. Mr. Mani had bagged national special jury award in 2000
for his performance in Malayalam film Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum.
iii. The actor cum singer was from an economically backward family at Chalakkudy in Thrissur
district. He has started his career as mimicry artiste at Kalabhavan in Kochi and then did comedy roles
in Malayalam films. He was known for inimitable mannerisms as comedy artiste.
iv. Mani had acted in over 200 films in Malayalam and other South Indian languages.
v. He has 1st acted in the Malayalam Film Industry in 1993 however first noticed in the film
"Sallapam" in 1996 and after that, through his characteristic laugh and dialogue delivery style, never
had to look back and went on to act in Tamil and Telugu films.

13. American Actress Nancy Reagan died At 94

i. Nancy Davis Reagan was an American actress and the wife of the 40th President of the United
States, Ronald Reagan. She died At 94

ii. She was born in New York City, After her parents separated, she lived in Maryland with an aunt and
uncle for some years She was the First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989.
iii. Nancy Reagan, one of the most high-profile and influential first ladies of the 20th century, Nancy
was born in New York City.
iv. Reagan died at her home in Los Angeles of congestive heart failure, according to her spokeswoman,
Joanne Drake of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

14. Patna Pirates Beat U Mumba 31-28 to Win 3rd Season Of Pro Kabaddi League
i. Season 3 of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi, ended on a high note with power packed action between U
Mumba and Patna Pirates.

ii. Stamping their authority and continuing their dream winning streak, Patna Pirates beat the dominant
U Mumba to emerge as Champions of Pro Kabaddi Season 3.
iii. The score closed at 31-28 in favour of Patna Pirates after a thrilling 40 minute play of perhaps the
best kabaddi of the season, followed by Manpreet Singh, captain of Patna Pirates holding up the golden
trophy amidst spectacular scenes of celebration.

15. Asia Cup 2016 Concludes In Bangladesh & India Won Its 6th Asia Cup Title
i. India beat Bangladesh by 8 wickets in the final to win their Asia Cup title. With this victory, India
lifted their sixth Asia Cup title.
ii. This is the first time the Asia Cup was held in T20 format and India proved that why they are No.1
side in T20 Internationals.
iii. India finish their unbeaten run in the Asia Cup with a strong performance in the final. Bangladesh
fought hard in phases but a victory with six balls to spare and eight wickets in hand is a pretty emphatic
one in the end.
iv. The 2016 Asia Cup was a Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket tournament that was held in
Bangladesh from 24 February to 6 March 2016.
v. It was the 13th edition of the Asia Cup, the fifth to be held in Bangladesh.

nternational Women's Day observed with campaign theme "PledgeForParity"

i. 8 March: International Women's Day (IWD) , International Women's Day was observed across the
world on 8 March 2016.

ii. This year's theme for the Day is Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality. The
campaign theme for the day is #PledgeForParity.
iii. United Nations observance and the idea of this theme reflect on how to accelerate the 2030 Agenda,
building momentum for the effective implementation of the new Sustainable Development Goals.
iv. The theme will also focus on new commitments under UN Womens Step It Up initiative, and other
existing commitments on gender equality, womens empowerment and womens human rights.
v. 2016 International Women's Day (IWD) was observed in India by conferring the Nari Shakti Awards
by President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhawan. On the other hand, the day was observed in
different states of India in different ways like around 40 acid attack survivors were felicitated with the
Rani Laxmi Bai award and provided financial assistance in Uttar Pradesh.

Fitch Maintains India's Growth Forecast At 7.5 %

i. Fitch, the global rating agency has maintained India's growth forecast for India at 7.5 % for this fiscal (
2015-2016 ) and also sees higher growth around 7.7 % & 7.9 % over the next two financial years.
However, 8 per cent growth will remain elusive in the short term. The GDP growth in the first three
quarters of this fiscal stands at 7.6%, 7.7% and 7.3%.

ii. The growth rate for the April-June quarter was revised sharply upward from a provisional 7% to to
7.7%, which has driven up the projections for the entire 2015-16 fiscal.
iii. Despite a slowdown in the third quarter, India's economic growth still outpaced China's 6.8% for the
same period. Fitch also pitched for monetary policy easing.
iv. Fitch expects another 25 bps of monetary policy loosening, facilitated by the governments recent
announcement to maintain its fiscal targets for 2016-17 and 2017-18.
v. Fitch Ratings Inc. is one of the three nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (NRSRO)
designated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in 1975, together with Moody's and
Standard & Poor's, and the three are commonly known as the "Big Three credit rating agencies". Fitch
Ratings is dual-headquartered in New York, USA, and London, UK.

E- Haat : A Online Marketing Platform Launched By Union Government

i. Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Sanjay Gandhi launched Mahila e-Haat
portal in New Delhi to facilitate women entrepreneurs to sell their products to buyers.
ii. It will provide access to markets to thousands of women who make products and are spread all over
the country. The Mahila e-Haat portal, http://mahilaehaat-rmk.gov.in, is an online marketing platform.

iii. 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.
iv. On the occasion of the launching Mrs. Menka Gandhi, the minister for Women & Child Development
said that this empowerment of women will take place in three stages in which Mahila E-Haat is the first
stage. In the second stage, it is planned to integrate it with e-commerce portals to provide a larger
platform for selling and buying. Ultimately it will culminate into Womens Entrepreneurs Council which
will help to expand this initiative further and give it an institutional shape.
v. It is a Joint initiative of Union Women and Child Development Ministry and Rashtriya Mahila Kosh
(RMK) for meeting the needs of women entrepreneurs. And the objective of this platform is to
strengthen the financial inclusion of women entrepreneurs by providing continued support to their
creativity.

PM selects another village in Varanasi for development under SAGY

i. Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) is a rural development programme broadly focusing upon the
development in the villages which includes social development, cultural development and spread
motivation among the people on social mobilization of the village community.
ii. Prime Minister Narendra modi is member of parliament from varanasi utter pardesh.
iii. PM has selected another village for adoption in his Varanasi Constituency of U.P. for development
under the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY).
iv. Nagepur, a village dominated by backward castes has been selected under the second phase of the
Yojana.
v. Earlier, Prime Minister had adopted Jayapur village in the same Varanasi constituency in the first
phase in 2014.

Govt to import 8,500 tonnes of pulses

i. Government has contracted import of Eight thousand Five Hundred tonnes of pulses and the
shipments are on the way.

ii. The pulses procurement for buffer stock has also surpassed the target of 50 thousand tonnes set for
this kharif season.
iii. Consumer Affairs Secretary C Viswanath today reviewed the prices and availability of essential
commodities at an inter ministerial meeting in New Delhi.
iv. According to an official release, consumer affairs, agriculture and commerce ministries now have
been asked to start procurement of masoor, gram dal and other rabi pulses.
v. During the meeting, the representative of the agriculture ministry said the area under oilseed
production in 2015-16 rose by 2.1 per cent and mustard output is expected to be higher by 6 lakh
tonnes. The meeting also reviewed production of tomato in the country and its price trends. Tomato
output is also expected to increase by 11.6 per cent in 2015-16.

Union Government announced to withdraw tax proposal on Employee Provident Fund

i. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on 8 March 2016 announced to withdraw proposal to tax
Employee Provident Fund (EPF) withdrawals.

ii. He announced to withdraw the proposal while clarifying NDA governments stand on the issue in the
Lok Sabha.
iii. He further stated that government would also like to comprehensively review EPF tax proposal.
iv. However, government retained the tax proposal for National Pension Scheme (NPS) withdrawals.
v. The proposal was made by the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley while presenting the Union
Budget 2016-17 in the Lok Sabha on 29 February 2016. As per the proposal 60 percent of the amount
deposited in the EPF account of the employee would be taxable at the time of withdrawal, and 40
percent would be tax free. This proposal would have become effective from 1 April 2016.

Indian Railways Signs Agreement With Bajaj Power

i. Bajaj Power Generation Company has signed an agreement with the Indian Railways for electrification
of the Lalitpur-Udaipura rail section under the public private partnership (PPP).
ii. With the help of Bajaj the Railways would complete the electrification work in a year's time under its
customer funding scheme.
iii. It would cost nearly around Rs 47 crore. The electrified rail section is expected to facilitate
uninterrupted coal supply to its plant and also help running of fast passenger trains in the area.
iv. Bajaj Power Generation Company (BPGC) is setting up a 1,980 megawatt (mw) thermal power plant
in Lalitpur district of Uttar Pradesh. While, two units of 660 mw each had already been commissioned in
September and December 2015 respectively, the third unit of 660 mw is scheduled to start generating
later this month.
v. The total investment in the plant is pegged at Rs 16,000 crore. BPGC President (commercial)
Dwarikesh Sharma and North Central Railway (NCR) Additional Divisional Railway Manager (ADRM)
Jhansi Vinit Singh signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organisations.

Banks disburse over Rs 1.15 lakh cr under PM Mudra Yojana

i. Banks have so far disbursed over Rs 1.15 lakh crore under Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY),
Financial Services Secretary Anjuly Chib Duggal said today.
ii. Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency Ltd (MUDRA) focuses on 5.75 crore self-employed
who use funds totalling Rs 11 lakh crore and provide jobs to 12 crore people. Under PMMY, loans
between Rs 50,000 and Rs 10 lakh are provided to small entrepreneurs. "We have been working with
MUDRA. It has been a runaway success.
iii. we are looking at Rs 1.15 lakh crore plus right now," she said at an event organised by MFIN here.
iv. The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April last year.
v. Three products available under the PMMY are Shishu, Kishor and Tarun, to signify the stage of
growth and funding needs of the beneficiary micro unit or entrepreneur.

SoftBank Splits Into Two Subsidiaries

i. Japanese investment bank SoftBank Group Corporation has announced a major reorganization of its
businesses.
ii. The firm has said that it is in planning to separate its profitable domestic mobile business from its
international business, which includes a majority stake in US mobile operator Sprint Corp. Both the
subsidiaries will be 100-percent owned by SoftBank.
iii. According to the company, the strategic move will shift SoftBanks stakes in U.S. wireless carrier
Sprint and Chinese Internet company Alibaba Group Holding to a new global operations management
subsidiary.
iv. SoftBanks Japanese assets including Yahoo Japan Corporation will funnel into a separate domestic
operations management company.
v. SoftBanks President Nikesh Arora will now head the overseas management company, whose
holdings also include a 32 % share of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and a
range of other Internet and technology firms. SoftBanks Japanese telecom business and shares in
domestic Internet firms such as Yahoo Japan will be managed by a separate company led by Ken
Miyauchi, who now heads SoftBanks Japanese mobile operations, the company said in a statement

Countdown for launch of Indias 6th navigational satellite IRNSS-1F begins in Sriharikota
i. Countdown for the launch of PSLV-C32 to place India's sixth navigational satellite IRNSS-1F in the
orbit started at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota this morning.

ii. ISRO's workhorse PSLV-C32 will lift off at 4 PM on Thursday.

iii. ISRO sources said, Mission Readiness Review committee and the Launch Authorisation Board met
at Sriharikota yesterday evening and cleared the 54 and half hour countdown which started at 9:30 AM
today. The sources said, during the countdown, propellant filling operations would be taken up in the
four stage vehicle.

South Korea, US began largest ever military exercises

i. The US and South Korean troops on 7 March 2016 began their largest ever military exercises off the
coast of the Korean peninsula.

ii. The bilateral exercises come just days after the UN passed new sanctions against Pyongyang, North
Korea following its recent nuclear test and rocket launch. The 8-week long drill will involve about 300000
South Korean troops and 15000 US personnel.
iii. These are being conducted near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas and off the
eastern coast of South Korea. Drills will include ground, air, naval and Special Operations components
apart from the computer-simulated training.
iv. Meanwhile, North Korea has warned South Korea and US of indiscriminate and pre-emptive nuclear
strikes if the two allies go further with the drills. The threat from Pyongyang follows its leader Kim Jong-
Un's order last week asking country's nuclear arsenal to be placed on standby for use at any moment
against the South.

France Highest Honour "Legion d'Honneur" To Saudi Prince

i. President Francois Hollande has awarded the Legion dHonneur, Frances highest honour, to visiting
Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Nayef. Nayef was cited for his efforts in the fight against terrorism
and extremism."

ii. But the France has been accused of devaluing its highest national honour after that the Legion of
Honour was quietly awarded to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia on a visit to Paris.
iii. Earlier this year, The French government was among the most vocal outside the Middle East in its
condemnation of Saudi mass executions, calling the kingdoms killing of 47 people deeply deplorable.
Yet almost two months to the day after that statement was issued, President Franois Hollande
awarded his nations most prestigious award to the heir to the Saudi throne, Prince Mohammed bin
Naif.
iv. The Legion of Honour is regarded as among the first and most prestigious modern orders of merit in
the world. In both France and the UK, there was anger at the decision to award the symbolically
significant medal to the deputy leader of a country which has executed 70 people since the start of the
year.

Dogri Poetess Padma Sachdev Awarded Krutitava Smagra Samman

i. Renowned Dogri poetess and writer Padma Sachdev has been awarded Krutitava Smagra Samman
for 2015. The award was given by the Bharatiya Bhasha Parishad in Kolkata, West Bengal. Sachdev
received this award for her outstanding contribution in literature and great service to Dogri Language.
ii. West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi presented the award to the poetess. The award carries
an amount of Rs. one lakh, a shawl and citation.

iii. Padma Sachdev is an Indian poet and novelist. Padma Sachdev is first modern woman poet of Dogri
language.
iv. She also writes in Hindi. She has published her several poetry collection and some of them are Tavi
Te Chanhan (Rivers Tavi and Chenab, 1976), Nheriyan Galiyan (Dark Lanes, 1982), Pota Pota Nimbal
(Fingertipful Cloudless Sky, 1987), Uttar Vahini (1992) and Tainthian (1992).
v. She has won the Sahitya Akademi Award at the young age of thirty for her first collection of Dogri
poetry title Mere Kavita. She has also received the Padma Shri, the Indian fourth highest civilian award
in 2001 and the Kabir Samman for poetry for the year 2007-08, given by Government of Madhya
Pradesh.
vi. She also has won Soviet Land Nehru Award, Hindi Academy Puraskar, U.P. Hindi Academy
Pruaskar, Raja Ram Mohan Roy Puraskar, Joshua Poetry Award, and the Jammu & Kashmir
Governments Robe of Honour.

Maria Sharapova provisionally suspended after failing drugs test at Australian Open
i. Former world number one Maria Sharapova has revealed she failed a drugs test at the Australian
Open. The 28 year old Russian star tested positive for meldonium, a substance, she has been taking
since 2006 for health issues.
ii. The International Tennis Federation said, Sharapova, a five time Grand Slam champion, is
provisionally suspended from March 12th pending further action.
iii. Meanwhile, sportswear maker Nike has suspended their relationship with Sharapova till the
investigation continues. Sharapova, who lives in Florida, provided the anti-doping sample in question on
January 26th, the day she lost to Serena Williams in the Australian Open quarter finals.

1. India successfully test-fired Agni-I ballistic missile

i. India on 14 March 2016 successfully test-fired indigenously built nuclear-capable
intermediate range Agni-I ballistic missile. It was launched from launch pad-4 of the
Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Abdul Kalam Island (Wheeler Island) on the Odisha coast.

ii. The trial was as part of training exercise by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of Indian
Army.
iii. The sophisticated missile covered 700 km distance within 9 minutes and 36 seconds. The
latest trial of Agni-I followed the first successful test-fire that was conducted on 27 November
2015 from the same base.
iv. Agni-I was developed by Advanced Systems Laboratory, the premier missile development
laboratory of DRDO in collaboration with Defence Research Development Laboratory and
Research Centre Imarat and integrated by Bharat Dynamics Limited, Hyderabad.
v. The missile is 15-metre-long and weighed 12 tonnes and equipped with sophisticated
navigation system which ensures it reaches the target with a high degree of accuracy and
precision. It is designed to carry a payload of more than one tonne. Its strike range can be
extended by reducing the payload.

2. 13th meeting of Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development held in Dubai

i. The 13th meeting of Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development was held on 14
March 2016 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The meeting was held to promote the
power of broadband networks and services for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development.
ii. It brought the leaders from the public, private and social sectors together to seek the
solutions to achieving education, equity and employment for all. The Broadband Commission
also discussed among other issues like how to innovate in education through technology.
iii. The full meeting of the Commission revisited the issue of new broadband targets to help
achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The meeting set the ground for new
concrete, measurable broadband targets to be agreed for the next full meeting of the
Commission in September 2016 at the New York meeting.
iv. The Dubai meeting of the Commission was held at the invitation of Broadband
Commissioner Sunny Varkey, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, in the context of the Global
Education and Skills Forum, and right after the joint ITU/UNESCO Policy Forum during
UNESCO Mobile Learning Week.
v. The Broadband Commission works to ensure that no one is left behind by leaving no one
off-line. In 2015, 44 percent world population remains offline, including 36 percent of LDC
population while there are 200 million fewer girls and women online than boys and men.
3. Palestinian Hanan Al Hroub won 2016 Global Teacher Prize
i. A Palestinian primary school teacher from a refugee camp, Hanan Al Hroub, on 13 March
2016 won one million dollar Global Teacher Prize. She was awarded for her outstanding
contribution to the profession.
ii. Hroub, who runs the Samiha Khalil High School in Al-Bireh, Palestine, defeated nine other
finalists from around the world, including Indias Robin Chaurasiya to win the award. The
2016 Winner of the Global Teacher Prize was announced by Pope Francis in a ceremony
held at the Atlantis Palm Hotel in Dubai.
iii. Hroub uses a specialist approach in her school, which she developed, detailed in her book
'We Play and Learn' to overcome tense environments of the region under the shadow of the
Israel-Palestine conflict. Hroub's approach has led to a decline in violent behaviour in schools
where it was a frequent occurrence. She has also inspired her colleagues to review the way
they teach and their classroom management strategies.
iv. Robin Chaurasiya runs a not-for-profit school in Mumbai for girls from the city's red light
district of Kamatipura.
v. The Global Teacher Prize is a 1 million US dollar award presented annually to an
exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to their profession.

4. Services won Santosh Trophy of Football 2-1

i. Services on 13 March 2016 won the Santosh Trophy National Football Championships title.
In the summit clash at SEC Railway Stadium in Nagpur, Services defeated host Maharashtra
2-1.
ii. Arjun Tudu, a national camper for the SAFF Cup in 2015, scored twice in the space of 11
minutes (26th and 37th) to help Services clinch their fifth title overall. Services took away 5
lakh rupees for winning the tournament while Maharashtra got 3 lakh rupees for finishing
runners-up.
iii. Santosh Trophy, started in 1941, is an annual Indian football tournament. It is contested by
states and government institutions. It was the premier football competition in the country
before the National Football League started in the year 1996. The first winners were Bengal,
who also leads the all-time winners list with 31 titles to date.
iv. The trophy is named after the late Maharaja Sir Manmatha Nath Roy Chowdhary of
Santosh (now in Bangladesh) who had been the President of the Indian Football Association,
the football organisation of Bengal and the donators of the trophy.

5. Maritime India Summit 2016 to be held in Mumbai

i. Maritime India Summit 2016 (MIS 2016), the maiden flagship initiative of the Union Ministry
of Shipping, will be organised from 14 to 16 April 2016 at Bombay Convention and Exhibition
Centre, Mumbai. Republic of Korea is the partner country for MIS 2016.
ii. The summit will provide a unique global platform for investors to explore potential business
opportunities in the Indian Maritime Sector. The conference aims to foster interaction between
stakeholders through B2B and G2B meetings. It will have special sessions on factors and
services related to Indian Maritime Sector.
iii. The conference will also highlight investment opportunities in the Indian Maritime States
and Union Territories.

6. 4th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves inaugurated at Lima

i. 4th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves was inaugurated on 14 March 2016 at Lima in
Peru. The event will be held from 14 March to 17 March 2016 to address different issues
related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Post 2015 Development
Agenda.
ii. It is a world meeting of the Committees of UNESCOs Man and the Biosphere Program
(MAB) and experts directly involved in the practical implementation of biosphere reserves
including representatives of governments, biosphere reserves, local communities, UN
agencies, NGOs, academic institutions, and organizations and institutions from all over the
world working with the MAB Programme.
iii. The Congress will discuss on education for sustainable development, the economic
viability of nature conservation systems, human migrations and protection of natural
resources, among others.

7. Rock legend Keith Emerson died

i. British Keyboardist and progressive rock legend Keith Emerson died on 10 March 2016. He
was 71.

ii. Emerson, the co-founder of British prog-rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer, was widely
considered one of the top keyboard players of the progressive rock era.
iii. Apart from ELP, founded in 1970, Keith Emerson is best remembered for his role in The
Nice, formed in 1967. The British musician and composer was born in Yorkshire in 1944.
iv. ELP rose to become one of the most popular bands of the 1970s, and were voted in at
number seven on Rolling Stones 2011 Reader Poll of the best prog-rock acts of all time.

8. ICICI Bank ties up with Ferrari for co-branded credit card

i. Country's largest private sector lender ICICI BankBSE 3.70 % today said it has tied up with
marquee sports car maker Ferrari to launch co-branded credit card.
ii. "The 'Ferrari Credit Card' comes in two variants on the Visa platform and offers customers
a host of offers including an all-expenses-paid trip for top spenders to Italy and also includes
a Scuderia Ferrari watch as a joining gift," the bank said in a statement here.
iii. Details of the fees, if any, were not immediately shared by the bank. ICICI bank's General
Manager Kusal Roy said this is the first-ever Ferrari range of credit cards in the country.
iv. The bank had over 34.69 lakh outstanding credit cards as of November, that saw
transactions of over Rs 2,393 crore at ATMs and POS terminals.

9. Kerala Tourisms Responsible Tourism Campaign Wins Golden City Gate Award At
ITB Berlin
i. Kerala Tourisms new campaign on responsible tourism has bagged the prestigious Golden
City Gate Award at the worlds leading travel trade show , ITB in the German capital of Berlin.

ii. Titled New Worlds, the multimedia campaign containing three short films directed by
reputed Malayalam filmmaker Anwar Rasheed won the silver prize of this years Das Golden
Stadttor or Golden City Gate, dubbed as the Oscar of Tourism communication, at the ITB.
iii. The New Worlds campaign was launched internationally by UNWTO Secretary General
Taleb Rifai at the World Travel Mart in London .
iv. It portrays the importance of responsible tourism initiatives under taken in Kerala which
have led to several life-changing stories and have become the heart of it.
v. Golden Gate Award is entitled as Oscar in tourism communication. It is awarded every year
for the ultimate recognition in global tourism communication at the ITB-Berlin which is the
worlds leading travel trade show.

10. Record-breaking Astronaut Scott Kelly Retiring This April

i. Astronaut Scott Kelly will retire from NASA next month, after spending nearly a year in
space and setting a record for the most cumulative days in space of any American.
ii. Kelly is a former Navy pilot who joined NASA in 1996, will leave the agency April 1. Kelly
joined the astronaut corps in 1996 and currently holds the American record for most time
spent in space. After retiring, Kelly will continue to participate in the ongoing research related
to his one-year mission.
iii. Kelly flew in space four times, beginning with space shuttle Discoverys trip to NASAs
Hubble Space Telescope on the STS-103 servicing mission in 1999.
iv. Kelly broke the American record for most cumulative time in space during his one-year
mission, accruing 520 days.
v. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the agency of the United
States Federal Government responsible for the civilian space program as well as aeronautics
and aerospace research.
vi. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden has named Cornell University Astronomy Professor
Steven W. Squyres, as chairman of the NASA Advisory Council (NAC).

11. Free Wi-Fi Service launched At Srinagar International Airport

i. State-run telecommunication company, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has
launched free Wifi services at the Srinagar international airport.

ii. Tourists visiting the Kashmir valley can now access hi-speed Internet services at the
international airport here free of charge for the first 15 minutes as BSNL today launched its
state-of-art WiFi HotSpot services. The 4G-based WiFi HotSpot services of the Bharat
Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) at the Srinagar International Airport was inaugurated by
Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Asgar H Samoon.
iii. Passengers will have to login after turning on WiFi services on their laptops or
smartphones or any other wireless device. Then, a BSNL-WiFi prompt will pop-up on their
device and the passengers will have to register and then they will be provided with a one-time
password, he said. After verification, they will be able to browse.

12. Vijender Singh Registers Fourth Straight Win In Pro Boxing

i. Indian boxer and Olympic bronze medalist Vijender Singh notched up his fourth successive
knockout win in the professional boxing circuit, beating Hungarys Alexander Horvath in under
three rounds in Liverpool.
ii. The Bhiwani boxer achieved the knockout victory in the third round after being the one with
the upper hand in the first two rounds as well. With the win, Vijenders record in Pro Boxing
stands at four bouts, four wins and four knockouts.
iii. Vijender Singh Beniwal, also known as Vijender Singh or Vijender Beniwal, is an Indian
professional boxer and former amateur boxer from Kaluwas, Bhiwani district in Haryana.

India Inc first in the world to formally adopt UNs SDG

i. India Inc. is set to formally adopt the United Nations (UN) agenda for the worlds
sustainable development and the 17 goals identified for its implementation.
ii. SDG- Sustainable Development Growth;
iii. MDG- Millenium Development Growth
iv. SDG- 17 goals; MDG- 8 goals
v. SDG will be a evaluated, monitored and reported in a time-bound manner
vi. MDG was in implementation from 2001-2015

SAARC Programming Committee meet begins in Pokhara

i. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will leave for Nepal to attend SAARC ministerial
meet. Before the Ministerial meeting, a session of Programming Committee of SAARC will be
held in Pokhara (Nepal). Standing Committee of the SAARC, which is a Foreign Secretaries-
level Forum, will be held on 16th of this month.
ii. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said the meetings are part of regular
interactions within the SAARC framework.
iii. India's focus would be not only to take stock of the decisions but also to work out the way
forward on priority issues.

Anil Wadhwa concurrently accredited as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic
of San Marino
i. Anil Wadhwa, Ambassador of India to Italy, has been concurrently accredited as the next
Ambassador of India to the Republic of San Marino with residence in Rome. He is an Indian
Foreign Service Officer of the 1979 batch was also posted as Secretary (East) in 2014.
ii. He has also served as the Indian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand (Nov 2011 to
Jan 2014) and previously as the Ambassador to Poland and to the Sultanate of Oman.

Myanmar Parliament elected Htin Kyaw as first civilian President

i. Myanmar's Parliament on 15 March 2016 elected Htin Kyaw as the first civilian president to
lead the country after 53 years of military rule. Army took power in a 1962 coup. He is a close
aide and adviser of Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of National League for Democracy (NLD)
party.
ii. He was elected with 360 of the total 652 votes casted while, military-nominated Myint Swe
received 213 votes and stood second followed by the other NLD candidate, Henry Van Thio,
who got 79 votes.
iii. They will serve as first vice-president and second vice-president respectively. Kyaw will
replace Thein Sein who will step down at the end of March 2016 after five years of army-
backed rule.
iv. Htin Kyaw was elected under a complex system in which the two chambers of parliament
nominated two presidential candidates and military MPs nominated a third, assuring the army
continued influence.
v. The army also retains 25 percent of seats in parliament under a 2008 constitution that it
drafted, giving it an effective veto on constitutional change. It also keeps key ministerial
portfolios related to security.

Parytak Mitra Programme to enable Students to act as Tourist Facilitators

i. Parytak Mitra Programme was in news on 14 March 2016. It came in news after the
information on the same was provided in the Lok Sabha by the Minister of State for Culture
and Tourism (I/C) Dr. Mahesh Sharma.
ii. The programme was launched by Union Ministry of Tourism on 12 January 2016 (National
Youth Day) to inculcate appropriate tourism traits and knowledge amongst the trainees to
enable them to act/work as Tourist Facilitators (Prayatak Mitra).
iii. The programme seeks to improve the sectoral service standards, which is one of the pre-
requisites for attracting tourists in larger numbers.
iv. College going student including those enrolled with the NCC & NSS in the age group of 18
28 years. The age will be reckoned on the last date prescribed for application for admission.
The applicant will also furnish a no-objection / sponsorship letter issued by the Principal
concerned as to his/her joining the programme.

Venezuela president extended economic emergency to protect citizens from economic

warfare
i. Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro on 14 March 2016 declared a two-month extension on
emergency powers meant to help shore up the country's crippled economy.
ii. The declaration will bestow more time on the government of President Nicolas Maduro to
intervene in the market, boost productivity and redress a flagging financial sector.
iii. It will also allow the government to take more anti-crisis measures to reduce fiscal
moratorium and to tap up funds from the 2015 budget to address short-term social needs.
iv. The extension will bring in measures to enhance positive impacts on the national
economy. These include actions on healthcare, nutrition, education, employment.
v. Venezuela has the biggest known oil reserves in the world but has suffered from the plunge
in world oil prices since mid-2014. The official inflation rate topped 180 percent in 2015 which
is one of the highest in the world. Non-government economists estimate the real rate is
several times higher.

YES Bank inked MoU with India Brazil Chamber for strategic cooperation
i. India's fifth largest private sector Bank, YES Bank on 11 March 2016 signed a strategic
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India Brazil Chamber of Commerce (IBCC) to
enable significant cooperation in terms of knowledge partnerships, project consultancy, B2B
opportunities, skill and technology initiatives.

ii. As per the announcement of YES Bank, the MoU signing comes in the run up to the 8th
Annual BRICS Summit to be held in New Delhi in 2016. The core sectors covered in the MoU
will be Sports, Media and Entertainment with special focus on IT, Infrastructure, Broadcast
and Innovative solutions driven business opportunities.
iii. YES BANK and IBCC will jointly endeavour to explore exchange of best practices in Sports
goods Manufacturing, CSR in sports, SM&E talent management.
iv. Moreover, IBCC will also recommend YES BANK as the Preferred Bank to Brazilian
companies looking to do business in India.

Altico Capital names Naina Lal Kidwai as Non-Executive Director

i. Mumbai based Non-banking financial company Altico Capital India has appointed former
HSBC India chairperson Naina Lal Kidwai as an independent non-executive director.
ii. Altico, focused on real estate, is looking to invest about Rs 2,500 crore every year for five
years in the Indian real estate market. Naina lal Kidwai retired as executive director on the
board of HSBC Asia Pacific and chairperson of HSBC India last year, after a 13-year stint.
iii. She is on the boards of Larsen & Toubro Limited, Advent Private Equity, Nestle SA, Cipla
Ltd and Max Financial Services Ltd besides being chairperson of South Asia Harvard
Business School. iv. She is currently involved with several industry associations and has
previously been president of FICCI.

India Post Selects Deloitte As Consultant For Payments Bank

i. India Post has selected Deloitte to advise it on setting up a payments bank and an
agreement between the two will be signed on March 14. The Public Investment Board has
already approved the Rs 800-crore proposal of India Post and in 15 days, it will go to the
Cabinet for final approval.
ii. Trail run project for the payments bank is set to start from January and the full-fledged
operations will start by March As many as 40 international financial firms including World
Bank and Barclays have shown interest to partner the postal department for setting up the
bank. India Post has 55 lakh branches across the country.
iii. The Department of Posts, trading as India Post, is a government-operated postal system in
India; it is generally referred to within India as "the post office". As of 31 March 2011, the
Indian Postal Service had 154,866 post offices, of which 139,040 (89.78 percent) were in
rural areas and 15,826 (10.22 percent) in urban areas.
iv. It had 25,464 departmental Post Offices and 129,402 Extra-Departmental Branch Post
Offices. At the time of independence, there were 23,344 post offices, primarily in urban areas.
v. The postal service is under the Department of Posts, which is part of the Ministry of
Communications and Information Technology of the Government of India.

253 Indian Villages Lit Up In Just One Week Under The Scheme Deen Dayal Upadhyaya
Gram Jyoti Yojna
i. 323 villages have been electrified across the country during last week (from 6th to 13th
March 2016) under Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojna (DDUGJY).

ii. Out of these electrified villages, 86 in Odisha, 73 in Jharkhand , 61 villages in Uttar

Pradesh, 42 in Arunachal Pradesh , 33 in Bihar, 16 in Assam, 6 in Chhattisgarh, 3 in Madhya
Pradesh and 3 in Rajasthan.
iii. In view of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modis address to nation, on Independence
Day, Government of India has decided to electrify remaining 18,452 un-electrified villages
within 1000 days i.e. by 01st May, 2018.
iv. The project has been taken on mission mode and strategy for electrification consists of
squeezing the implementation schedule to 12 months and also dividing village electrification
process in 12 Stage milestones with defined timelines for monitoring.

Lin Dan Earns His Sixth All England Badminton Title

i. Lin Dan from China has won the prestigious 2016 All England Badminton title in the mens
singles category.In the final match played at Birmingham, England he defeated Chinese
teammate Tian Houwei by 21-9, 21-10 score.
ii. It was his overall sixth All England badminton title and earlier he had won it in 2004, 2006,
2007, 2009, 2012. Nozomi Okuhara of Japan marked her 21st birthday with her first All
England title after beating two-time champion Wang Shixian of China 21-11, 16-21, 21-19 in
their thrilling final.
iii. Lin Dan is a professional badminton player from China. He is a two-time Olympic
champion, five-time world champion, and six-time All England champion.

Mother Teresa to become a saint on Sept. 4: Pope Francis

i. Mother Teresa will be made a saint on September 4, Pope Francis announced. 19 years
after the death of the Nobel Laureate who spent 45 years serving the poor and sick on the
streets of Kolkata.
ii. Pope Francis today approved Mother Teresas elevation to sainthood and set September 4
as the date for her canonisation, said a message from the Vatican to the Mother House
the headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata.

iii. Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity and spent 45 years serving the poor, the sick,
the orphaned, and the dying on the streets of Kolkata. She died at the age of 87 here in 1997.

7th Governing Board meeting of Indo-German Science and Technology Centre held in
New Delhi
i. 7th meeting of the Governing Board of the Indo-German Science and Technology Centre
(IGSTC) was held on 15 March 2016 in New Delhi. The meeting was chaired by the Union
Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan.

ii. During the meeting, Dr. Vardhan highlighted the achievements and progress of IGSTC in
accelerating the bilateral Science & Technology collaboration.
iii. India is investing approximately 14 million euro for the construction of an India focussed
beam line and access to the synchrotron facility at PETRA-III in DESY at Hamburg, which will
be ready for inauguration later in 2016.
iv. India is also an equity share holder with investment of 36 million euro in the construction of
the international Facility for Antiproton-Ion Research (FAIR) at Darmstadt.
v. Innovative projects on affordable biomedical devices, lab-on-chip for water pathogen
detection and nano-materials for adsorption of uremic toxins for Chronic Kidney Disease
(CKD) patients have been initiated.

Singareni 600 MW power unit synchronised in Telangana

i. The first of two 600 MW power generation units at the Singareni Thermal Power Plant
(STPP) at Pegadapalli in Jaipur mandal of Adilabad District, was synchronised with top
officials including Singareni Collieries Chairman and Managing Director N. Sridhar
participating in it.
ii. The power generation unit will be inaugurated by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Raoin
April.
iii. According to chairman the STPP at Jaipur will eventually bring down the deficit in power
generation in Telangana State.
iv. Among the officials who were present were Singareni Director (Projects and Planning) A.
Manohar Reddy, Director (E&M) P. Ramesh Babu, Director Finance, Pavithran Kumar,
General Manager, STPP, Sudhakar Reddy, GM (Civil) Muralikrishna and GM, Srirampur are,
Sd. M. Subhani.

MoU Signed Between M/O Tourism And Ecotourism Society Of India For Responsible
And Sustainable Tourism
i. The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) with the Ecotourism Society of India (ESOI) to take its commitments to Responsible
and Sustainable tourism to the next level.
ii. In accordance, Suman Billa, Joint Secretary, M/o Tourism and Steve Borgia, Honorary
President, Ecotourism Society of India signed the MOU in the presence of Vinod Zutshi,
Secretary, Ministry of Tourism in New Delhi on March 15, 2016.
iii. The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has officially declared ESOI as their partner
in helping develop policy guidelines, code of conduct and ethical practices for Sustainable
Tourism, to position India as a Global ecotourismdestination embracing Responsible Tourism
guidelines across the various sectors of Tourism & Hospitality, Transport, Aviation etc.
iv. In this context ESOI will prepare a 10-year Road Map for advocacy and certification under
the Sustainable Tourism Criteria for India. The Road Map will be based on regional
workshops held with relevant stakeholders across the country.

March 15 World Consumer Rights Day

i. World Consumer Day is celebrated across the World on 15th March 2016.
ii. The Day is an occasion of solidarity among consumers and to promote the basic rights of
all consumers, for demanding that those rights are respected and protected, and for
protesting the market abuses and social injustices which undermine them.
iii. Theme for the World Consumer Rights Day 2016 Antibiotics off the menu. It is a
campaign to stopover the sale of meat raised up with the use of antibiotics important to
human medicine.

Anita Brookner, Booker Prize-Winning Author, Dies Aged 87

i. Anita Brookner, the Booker prize-winning British author and renowned art historian, has
died at the age of 87.
ii. She won the Booker in 1984 for her novel Hotel du Lac, one of 24 novels she wrote after a
distinguished career as an art historian. She was highly regarded as a stylist and her novels
explore themes of emotional loss and difficulties associated with fitting into society, and
typically depict intellectual, middle-class women.
iii. London born novelist graduated in BA History from Kings College London In 1949, was
the first woman to hold the prestigious Slade Professorship of fine art at Cambridge
University. She also taught at the Courtauld Institute of Art. Her first novel, A Start in Life was
published in 1981 at the age of 53. Her most recent novel was published in 2011.
iv. She has awarded with Man Booker prize in 1984 and in 2010 she had won James Tait
Black Memorial.

ICICI Bank launched NFC-based mobile payment solution Touch & Pay
i. ICICI Bank on 15 March 2016 announced a new mobile payment solution Touch & Pay.
This solution is based on Near Field Communication (NFC) technology and will enable the
banks customers to make secure contactless payments at retail stores using smartphones.

ii. The feature will be incorporated into the existing Pockets application of the bank.
Customers can make payment by tapping smart phone at a NFC enabled merchant terminal
and make the payment through account linked ICICI Bank Debit/Credit Card.
iii. To ensure security of the card details, for every payment done at a merchant store using
this service, a one-use unique token is created by the Bank's server and will be sent via
encryption to the merchant,
iv. The facility will be available in the last week of March 2016 at more than 60000 merchants
across the country.

Union Government and Jammu & Kashmir Government signed MoU on UDAY Scheme
i. Union Government and Jammu & Kashmir Government signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) under the Scheme Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) on 15
March 2016 for operational and financial turnaround of the States Power Distribution
Department.
ii. With this, J&K became the ninth state to sign MoU with the combined DISCOM debt around
1.94 lakh crore rupees. The main aim for signing the MoU is to restructure high interest rate
of the total discom debt thereby improving financial condition of State Discom
iii. An overall net benefit of approximately 9800 crore rupees would accrue to the State by
opting to participate in UDAY, by way of savings in interest cost, reduction in Aggregate
Technical and Commercial (AT & C)and transmission losses, interventions in energy
efficiency, coal reforms etc. during the period of turnaround.
iv. It will enable Jammu & Kashmir to raise funds at cheaper rate to clear the outstanding
dues of around 3538 crore rupees of Community and Public Sector Union (CPSUs), which
would entail an annual saving of 1200 crore rupees over 4 years towards interest cost to the
State.

1. World Happiness Index : India Ranks 118 out of 156 Countries

i. India ranked 118th out of 156 countries on the United Nations World Happiness Index (WHI) 2016.

ii. It was revealed by the fourth World Happiness Report 2016 and published by the Sustainable Development
Solutions Network (SDSN), a global initiative for the UN.
iii. In 2015 India was at 117 th in the happiness list.
iv. According to the report 2016, Denmark takes the top spot as the happiest country in the world. It has replaced
Switzerland.
v. Rwanda, Benin, Afghanistan, Togo, Syria and Burundi were the least happy countries this year. India comes
below nations like Somalia (76), China (83), Pakistan (92), Iran (105), Palestinian Territories (108) and
Bangladesh (110). The US is ranked 13th, coming behind Australia (9) and Israel (11).

2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among the most influential people on the Internet and Modi to Join
World Leaders in Wax at Madame Tussauds
i. The TIMEs magazine cited Modis unconventional announcement on Twitter of his visit to Pakistan last year
while naming him among The 30 Most Influential People on the Internet for the second year in a row in this
years unranked list.

ii. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among the most influential people on the Internet, According to TIME
magazine describing the Indian leader as an Internet star who often uses social media to conduct diplomacy.
iii. In other news Prime Minister Narendra Modi will join the ranks of prominent global leaders at Madame
Tussauds in London, Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok to In april 2016, the world famous wax museum
announced.
iv. Describing him as a hugely important figure in world politics, according to museum the Indian Prime
Minister had given the museums team of artists and experts a sitting at his residence in New Delhi earlier this
year.

3. Indian Software Engineer Wins UN Data Visualization Challenge

i. The UN honoured the founder of India-based Miavy Systems Abdulqadir Rashik for the Unite Ideas LinksSDGs
Data Visualization Challenge.

ii. It will be used to identify further research opportunities and guide policy decisions around the implementation
of global sustainability initiatives.
iii. He was bestowed with the Challenges top prize for his submission Links to Sustainable Cities an interactive
visualization that identifies and maps the links between Sustainable Development Goal 11, Sustainable Cities and
Communities, and the other 16 Goals.

4. RBI Likely To Pay Rs 57,000 Cr. In Dividends To Government in 2016-17

i. The Reserve Bank of India is likely to pay the government Rs 57,000 crore in dividends in 2016-17, slightly less
than the amount it paid in the current fiscal but much higher than that in earlier years.
ii. The amount paid is slightly lesser than the previous fiscal year but much higher than the previous years Last
year, the government received Rs.73,905 crores as dividends from various state owned banks and the RBI.
iii. This fiscal year it has estimated to receive Rs.69,897 crores.

5. 14 Indian Investors Among Worlds Top 100 Venture Capitalists

i. A total of fourteen Indian investors have been featured in a list of top 100 venture capitalists in the world.

ii. The list has been compiled by CB Insights, a research firm that tracks angel and venture capital investments
across the globe.
iii. The list has been prepared based on evaluations of the basis of the investments made by the investors since
2008.
iv. The investors were evaluated based on factors such as investor exits and consistency of investments among
others.

6. RUSA Scheme to be implemented to improve Equity, Quality of Higher Education

i. Central government is implementing the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan
(RUSA) for providing financial support to proposals contained in State Higher Education Plan (SHEP) approved
by the State Higher Education Councils (SHECs) in order to achieve the objectives of equity, access and quality.

ii. A total of 115 Universities and 1218 colleges have been approved by RUSA PAB for infrastructure grants.
iii. These approvals were accorded to the proposals included in the respective State Higher Education Plans
(SHEPs).
iv. objectives of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA)- Ensure adequate availability of quality faculty in
all higher educational institutions and ensure capacity building at all levels. To achieve the Gross Enrolment Ratio
(GER) target of 25.2% by the end of 12th Plan and 32% by the end of 13th Plan.
v. Only seven proposals from the states under the component of creation of universities through upgradation of
autonomous colleges and eight proposals of states under the component of creation of universities through
clustering of colleges have been approved by the PAB of RUSA as other proposals could not meet the prescribed
norms.

7. Over Rs 1 lakh crore disbursed under MUDRA Yojana

i. Under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana Loans worth Rs1.09 lakh crore have been sanctioned to small
entrepreneurs, loans worth over Rs.1.09 lakh crore were given to over 2.96 crore beneficiaries.
ii. According to Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha loans worth over Rs 1.09 lakh crore were given to over
2.96 crore beneficiaries.

iii. Under Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana, which was launched in April last year, loans between Rs 50,000 and
Rs 10 lakh are provided to small entrepreneurs.
iv. Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana under the Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency (MUDRA) Bank is
a new institution being set up by Government of India for development and refinancing activities relating to micro
units.
v. It was announced by the Finance Minister while presenting the Union Budget for FY 2016. The purpose of
MUDRA is to provide funding to the non corporate small business sector. MUDRA Yojana, which was launched
in April last year, loans between Rs.50, 000 and Rs.10 lakh are provided to small entrepreneurs. The Micro Units
Development and Refinance Agency Ltd (MUDRA) focuses on the 5.75 crore self-employed who have deployed
funds totalling Rs.11 lakh crore and provide jobs to 12 crore people.

8. Jammu & Kashmir 9th State To Join UDAY Scheme, To Save Rs 9,800 Cr.
i. Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) became the 9th state to sign the memorandum of understanding(MoU) for power
distribution reforms, the Ujwal Discoms Assurance Yojana (UDAY).

ii. Its a tripartite agreement between the Union Ministry of Power, state governments and the discoms.
iii. The other eight states are Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana and
Punjab.
iv. An overall net benefit of approximately Rs 9,800 crore would accrue to J&K by opting to participate in UDAY,
by way of savings in interest cost, reduction in aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) and transmission
losses, interventions in energy efficiency, and coal reforms, said the officials.
v. The Union Cabinet chaired by the Honble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi announced scheme moved by
the Ministry of Power - Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojna or UDAY. UDAY provides for the financial turnaround
and revival of Power Distribution companies (DISCOMs), and importantly also ensures a sustainable permanent
solution to the problem. UDAY is a path breaking reform for realizing the Honble Prime Ministers vision of
affordable and accessible 24x7 Power for All.

9. Bharti Airtel buys Videocon Telecom for Rs 4,428 cr.

i. Indias largest telecom operator by subcriber base, Bharti Airtel, said on Thursday that it has acquired Videocon
Telecom for Rs 4,428 crore.

ii. With this, Bharti Airtel will get the rights to use 2X5 MHz of spectrum in the 1800 band allocated to Videocon
by the government on April 5, 2013.
iii. On March 16, Idea Cellular had terminated its spectrum deal with Videocon under which it was supposed to
buy two circles - Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh (West) - for Rs 3,310 crore. After this deal, Bhartis 4G coverage is
likely to go up to 19 circles from the current 15.

10. India aviation show 2016 begins in Hyderabad

i. The India Aviation 2016, an international exhibition and conference on civil aviation kicked off in Hyderabad,
Telangana.

ii. It is the fifth edition in the biennial series of this international exhibition and was inaugurated by President
Pranab Mukherjee at the Begumpet Airport (also known as Hyderabad Old Airport).
iii. India Aviation 2016 has been jointly organised by Ministry of Civil Aviation and Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) on the lines of Make in India.
iv. More than 200 major participants across the globe are going to part and will be displaying latest aircrafts.
Delegations led by Ministers and Senior Government Officials from more than 25 are going to participate in the
event. It will also see the participation of leading Aircraft Manufacturers, helicopter manufacturers and engine
manufacturers.
v. Global CEOs at CEO Forum will be also held in the four day event. Major global aviation infrastructure
companies are also participating in this event.

11. Actress Michelle Yeoh Appointed As UNDP Goodwill Ambassador

i. Michelle Yeoh, the award winning action heroine has been appointed as United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) Goodwill Ambassador.

ii. The UNDP works to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality.

iii. The Malaysian born actress will focus on raising awareness and mobilising support for the recently launched
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
iv. The actress is internationally acclaimed for her roles in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. she was
chosen by People as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 1997. She was nominated for the
BAFTA Award for Best Actress in 2000 for her movie Hidden Dragon.
v. Prior to this, Her engagements concern development issues which included appointments as Global Ambassador
for the Live to Love and Make Roads Safe campaign in 2012 and advocacy during the Zero Discrimination
Campaign in 2013.

12. Shehnai Exponent Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan Has Passed Away
i. Famous Shehnai exponent Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan has passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal. He was
77. He was suffering from kidney related problem and hospitalized from the past few days.

ii. He was one of the best players of the instrument after the legendary Bismillah Khan.
iii. He was born in 1939 and represented the Benaras gharana (school) in shehnai music. He was famously known
for his innovative style and mastery over the classical and semi-classical and folk. He also used to teach in the
Kolkata based ITC Sangeet Research Academy.
iv. He had played Shehnai at the inauguration ceremony of Doordarshan television channel in 1973 with Pandit
Ravi Shankar and also had rendered its signature tune. He was a top graded artiste of All India Radio (AIR). He
had performed globally.
v. He was awarded with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2009 and Bangabhushan award in 2012 of West
Bengal government etc.

13. Paul Daniels, TV Magician, Dies Aged 77

i. Television magician Paul Daniels has died aged 77 after being diagnosed with a brain tumor.

ii. The entertainer was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumor in February and last week returned from hospital
to spend his final days at home.
iii. Daniels is famed for his television series The Paul Daniels Magic Show, which ran on the BBC from 1979 to
1994. He was born in 1938 in South Bank, Middlesbrough, where he began his career as a magician and
entertainer.
iv. Newton Edward Daniels, known by his stage name Paul Daniels, was an English magician and television
performer.
v. He achieved international fame through his television series The Paul Daniels Magic Show, which ran on the
BBC from 1979 to 1994.

14. FIFA admits taking bribe for hosting World Cup

i. FIFA is seeking to claim tens of millions of dollars in bribe money seized by U.S. federal prosecutors.

ii. FIFA submitted a 22-page claim to the U.S. Attorneys Office in New York that seeks a big share in restitution
from more than $190 million already forfeited by soccer and marketing officials who pleaded guilty in the
sprawling corruption case.
iii. Tens of millions of dollars more is likely to be collected by U.S. authorities when sentences are handed down,
and from dozens of officials currently indicted but who have denied bribery charges or are fighting extradition.
iv. FIFA claims it is the victim of corrupt individuals, despite widespread criticism that bribe-taking was
embedded in its culture in the presidencies of Joao Havelange and Sepp Blatter, who was forced from office after
17 years by the current scandal.

15. UN suspends Maria Sharapova as Goodwill Ambassador after doping allegations

i. The United Nations (UN) has suspended Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova as Goodwill Ambassador of the
organisation after she was tested positive on doping allegations.
ii. She was suspended by New York based UN Development Programme (UNDP) until the outcome of the
investigation into her case is known.
iii. However, UNDP has mentioned that they are grateful to Maria Sharapova for her support to their work,
especially around the Chernobyl nuclear disaster recovery.
iv. Earlier in March 2016, the five times Grand Slam champion and the highest-paid female athlete Maria
Sharapova had announced that she tested positive for a drug called meldonium, at the Australian Open earlier in
January 2016.
1. World Sufi Forum: PM Narendra Modi to inaugurate four-day conclave
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the World Sufi Forum in New Delhi, where more than
200 Indian and international delegates, including Sufi Shuyukh, spiritual leaders, scholars,
academicians and masters of Sufism, are participating.

ii. The 4 day event is being organised by All India Ulama and Mashaikh Board (AIUMB), the apex
body of Sufi Dargahs in India.
iii. The meeting is expected to debate on how Sufi teaching can prevent global terrorism.
iv. The conclave will also debate on how to guide the Muslim community away from sectarian
division.
v. The meeting is expected to debate on how Sufi teaching can prevent global terrorism.

2. India has signed $35 million loan agreement with The World Bank for MP project
i. The Government of India has signed a loan agreement with the World Bank for Neeranchal National
Watershed Project in Madhya Pradesh.

ii. The loan has been sanctioned by the World Banks concessionary lending arm International
Development Association (IDA).
iii. The project to be implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development over a six-year period (2016-
21) will support the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana in hydrology and water management,
agricultural production systems, capacity building and monitoring and evaluation.
iv. The Neeranchal project was approved by the cabinet in October last year with a total budget outlay
of Rs.2142 crore with the Government share of Rs.1071 crore and the rest 50% by the World Bank.
v. The project size is 50 million dollars out of which 35 million dollar will be provided by World Bank
and the remaining amount will be funded out of State Budget. The objective of the project is to
improve access and quality of public services in the state through implementation of the Public Service
Delivery Guarantee Act, 2010. The duration of the project is 5 years

3. Arun Jaitley to inaugurate National Community Radio Sammelan in New Delhi

i. Information and Broadcasting Minister ArunJaitley will inaugurate the 6th National Community
Radio Sammelan in New Delhi.

ii. The theme of the conference is, Community Radio in India: Towards Diversity and Sustainability.
iii. The conference will bring together Community Radio Operators, policy makers, Ministries,
Departments, International bodies like UNICEF and UNESCO and other stakeholders for exchange of
ideas and cross learning.
iv. The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has been organising the National Community Radio
Sammelan annually since 2011.
v. The United Nations Children's Emergency Fund is a United Nations program headquartered in New
York City that provides long-term humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers
in developing countries.

4. Indian Railways ties up with ISRO for route surveys

i. The Indian Railway Ministry has announced that it has signed an agreement with the Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO).

ii. The agreement will leverage the space technology for providing the passenger information in all
trains.
iii. With the help of this tie up Railways will assets and help the new route alignments.
iv. The Memorandum of Understanding has been signed on Thursday with the objective of developing
applications in the field of remote sensing and graphic information system to provide information such
as train stoppages, real-time train tracking, survey of new rail route alignments in hilly and difficult
terrain.
v. At present during disaster, Indian Railways uses space technology to provide connectivity to
passenger reservation counters, unreserved ticketing system in remote areas, and emergency
communication using satellite phones.
5. Denmark firm to set up pumps manufacturing unit near Hyderabad
i. Desmi Technology a leading international manufacturer of pumps and pump solutions plans to set up
a plant on the outskirts of Hyderabad shortly.

ii. A high-level delegation from Denmark representing Desmi Technology headed by its Chief
Executive Officer Henrik Knudsen and Lars Boldt Rasmussen called on the Telangana Industries
Minister Jupally Krishna Rao in the Secretariat on Thursday and conveyed its interest to start a plant.
iii. Along with the Desmi Technology Country head Murthy, the delegation told the Minister that they
were planning to set up Indian operations under the Make in India programme.
iv. Desmi is a leading international manufacturer of pumps and pump solutions. This product is very
well known globally and in Indian market especially in Marine i.e. Shipyards for private ships, Indian
Navy and Coast Guard vessels.
v. Their main line of activity includes platform, anchor handling, multipurpose and emergency
response vessels equipment.

6. 5600 wilful defaulters owe banks Rs 60K Crore

i. According to the data from credit information bureau CIBIL, more than 5,600 borrowers, who owe
banks close to Rs 60,000 crore, have been declared wilful defaulters by lenders as on December 31.

ii. These instances of wilful default are those where banks have filed suits.
iii. The countrys largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) is owed Rs 12,091 crore, followed by
another state-run lender Punjab National Bank (PNB) which has receivables of Rs 9,445 crore lent to
698 borrowers.
iv. Kotak Mahindra Bank has the highest amount of loans stuck with wilful defaulters among private
sector banks at Rs 5,442 crore.
v. Wilful defaults for private sector banks stood at Rs 10,250 crore and at Rs 463 crore for foreign
banks.

7. Vijay Mallya quits as RCB Director

i. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has confirmed to the BCCI that Russell Adams has been
designated as points man for all further correspondence.

ii. The decision has been taken when Mr. Vijay Mallya has resigned as the director of the Royal
Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL) on Thursday. But he will hold the post of chief mentor.
iii. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has confirmed that the founding promoter of the Bengaluru
franchise of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
iv. RCSPL, the company that runs the daily affairs of the RCB team. Mallya has been representing the
UB Group as Chairman from 2008 by a bid for the Bangalore team at $ 111.6 million for ten years
(2008-2017).
v. RCSPL is a subsidiary of United Spirits which is controlled by Diageo.

8. TCS named official tech partner for London Marathon

i. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Indias leading IT services provider, announced a three year
partnership with the Virgin Money London Marathon to enhance the digital experience delivered to
marathon participants.

ii. Under the terms of the partnership, TCS will become the races Official Technology Partner for the
2016, 2017 and 2018 events.
iii. First established in 1981, and part of the World Marathon Majors, the Virgin Money London
Marathon is considered one of the worlds foremost marathons.
iv. A record total of 247,069 people entered the ballot for the 2016 race.
v. TCS already partners with seven of the worlds leading races, including title sponsorships of the
TCS Amsterdam Marathon, TCS New York City marathon, and TCS World 10k Bengaluru. The
agreement is the latest example of TCS commitment to using digital technology to foster health and
wellbeing.

9. Ashley Judd appointed U.N. Goodwill Ambassador

i. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the lead UN agency for delivery of a world where
every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young persons potential is fulfilled,
today appointed actor and activist Ashley Judd as its Goodwill Ambassador.

ii. UNFA Executive Director, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin announcing the appointment, Ms. Judd told
journalists that that it was an honour to be appointed as UNFPAs Goodwill Ambassador and to
advocate for womens rights.
iii. Ashley Judd is an American actress and political activist. She grew up in a family of successful
performing artists as the daughter of country music singer Naomi Judd and the sister of Wynonna
Judd.
iv. Ashley Judd was born in Granada Hills, California. She is the daughter of Naomi Judd, a country
music singer and motivational speaker, and Michael Charles Ciminella, a marketing analyst for the
horseracing industry While she is best known for an ongoing acting career spanning more than two
decades.
v. She has increasingly become involved in global humanitarian efforts and political activism.

10. Surat Cleanest Railway Station; Varanasi Among The Dirtiest: Survey
i. Surat is the cleanest railway station in the country, followed by Rajkot and Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh),
according to an Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) survey released.

ii. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modis constituency Varanasi's railway station ranked poorly in
terms of cleanliness as it stood at 65, among the 75 A-1 railway stations (those earning revenue more
than Rs. 50 crore) surveyed.
iii. The survey, conducted based on feedback from around 1.34 lakh passengers, is a part of Mr. Modis
pet project Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan.
iv. The station at Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh was third among the 75 A1-category railway stations
followed by Solapur and Mumbai Central in Maharashtra, Chandigarh, Bhubaneshwar (Odisha) and
Vadodara (Gujarat),as per the preliminary report of the survey, which was released by Railway
Minister Suresh Prabu.

11. Hitachi to setup ATM making firm in India

i. Hitachi-Omron Terminal Solutions Corp (Hitachi-Omron Terminal Solutions) has established
Hitachi Terminal Solutions India Pvt Ltd (Hitachi Terminal Solutions India) to be based in Bengaluru
as an ATM manufacturing company.

ii. The new company has been set up with a capital of Rs 100 crore and is set a target to produce 1,500
units of ATMs per month at the end of calendar year 2016.
iii. The new entity is expected to commence production in June 2016.
iv. Hitachi has deployed over 5,000 units of ATM in India by 2015 and at present, there are about two
lakh ATMs and CDs (Cash Dispensing ATMs) operating in the country.
v. Hitachi Terminal Solutions India will allow Hitachi-Omron Terminal Solutions to promptly
accommodate the needs of the market, strengthen cost competitiveness, shorten the production lead
time from order entry to shipment and expand the business of cash recycling ATMs. Hitachi-Omron
Terminal Solutions had entered Indian market on a full-scale basis in 2010 through sales of the cash
recycling ATMs.

12. Amar Abrol appointed as the new CEO of Air Asia India
i. Air Asia India has made an announcement on Thursday that Mr. Amar Abrol will be the new CEO of
the company with the effect from April 1, 2016.

ii. He will succeed Mittu Chandilya. Chandilyas contract with the airline will ends on March 31, 2016.
iii. Mr. Abrol born and raised in India and graduated from Delhi University. He is a chartered
accountant by profession. Prior to this appointment Mr. Amar Abrol was working as the CEO of Tune
Money. Tune Money is a start-up company that delivers low-cost financial products in South-East
Asia.
iv. The airline has also announced the appointment of Mr. Ankur Khanna as the chief financial officer
(CFO) and Kiran Jain as head of commercial operations.
v. Mr. Ankur Khanna joins from Air France/KLM, where he most recently held the position of
Regional Finance Head for the Middle East/Gulf region based in Dubai. And Kiran Jain has over 25
years of aviation related experience covering airports, airlines and duty free and most recently headed
the Airport Marketing and Route Development function at Delhi International Airport.

13. Freecharge allows payments via chat in 5 seconds

i. Mobile wallet and digital payments player FreeCharge has announced the launch of its hat and
Pay feature. The company said this feature enables social payments between users and merchants.

ii. The chat-based payments interface will let merchants accept payments using the FreeCharge app in
under a minute of registration,merchants will also be able to upgrade their payment limit of Rs.
1,00,000 with necessary KYC verification.
iii. FreeCharge is looking to bring on board neighbourhood small shopkeepers, Taxi services and
merchants from the unorganised sector using the service, which brings a buyer seller chat interface
for merchants.
iv. To accept payments, merchants must register their bank account number, geo-location and choose a
custom identifier, called a paytag to allow customers to identify their service area through their
FreeCharge app.
v. Merchants can start accepting digital payments in less than a minute after registering on the
FreeCharge app, and the chat-based payment feature has a five second transaction time, the company
said.

14. Ex Wipro CFO Suresh Senapaty Has Appointed As The New Chairman Of Honeywell
Automation
i. Suresh Senapaty, The ex Wipro CFO has been appointed as the new Chairman by Honeywell
Automation India Ltd (HAIL) on Thursday.

ii. He has been appointed as an Additional Director (Non-Executive, Independent) and as Chairman of
its Board of Directors.
iii. He will be responsible for contributing to HAILs overall strategy and to provide counsel on
corporate governance, business, and financial matters.
iv. Mr. L.Rao has been succeeded by Mr. Suresh Senapaty. He has been serving as the Chairman of the
Board of Directors from August 2014 to February 2016 and as the member of Board of Directors of
HAIL from 2002 to 2014.
v. Honeywell partners India through our companys four businesses Aerospace, Automation &
Control Solutions, Transportation Systems & Specialty Materials with more than 12,000 employees
across India.

15. Actor Larry Drake, has Passed away

i. Actor Larry Drake, known for playing Benny on TV show "L.A. Law", has died. He was 66.
ii. The actor played Benny Stulwicz, a mentally challenged law clerk, from 1987 until the TV show's
end in 1994.
The memorable role earned Drake two Emmy Awards, in 1988 and 1989, and a nomination in 1990.
iii. He reprised the role for the reunion film, "L.A. Law: The Movie", which aired in 2002.
iv. Drake, who was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was also a series regular on the 1998 sci-fi TV show
"Prey" and appeared in several films, including "Darkman" (1990) - as a ruthless villain - and its
sequel; as a murderous doctor in "Dr. Giggles" (1992); "Bean" (1997); and "American Pie 2" (2001).

1. The Government Of India Has Slashed The Interest Rates On Provident Fund , Kisan Vikas Patra And
On Small Saving Schemes
i. The government on Friday slashed interest rates on small-savings schemes, including the Public Provident Fund
and Kisan Vikas Patra.

ii. The decision is aimed at aligning these administered interest rates closer to the market rates. The new rates will
come into effect on April 1 and will be valid till June 30.
iii. After the decision taken last month to revise the interest rates on small savings every quarter, the rate under the
Public Provident Fund scheme will be cut to 8.1 per cent for the period from April 1 to June 30 from 8.7 per cent,
said a Finance Ministry order.
iv. While the interest rate on the KVP will be cut to 7.8 per cent from 8.7 per cent, that on post office savings is
retained at 4 per cent. The rates on term deposits of duration varying from one to five years have been cut.
v. The five-year National Savings Certificates will earn interest at the rate of 8.1 per cent as against 8.5 per cent
now. A five-year Monthly Income Account will fetch 7.8 per cent as opposed to 8.4 per cent now. The girl-child
saving scheme, Sukanya Samriddhi Account, will have an interest rate of 8.6 per cent as against 9.2 per cent. The
senior citizen savings scheme of five years will earn 8.6 per cent compared with 9.3 per cent. The rates on the post
office term deposits are being cut from 8.4 per cent to 7.1 per cent for one-year time deposits, 7.2 per cent for two-
year time deposits and 7.4 per cent for three-year time deposits.

2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurated Krishi Unnati Mela in New Delhi
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurate three-day 'Krishi Unnati Mela' providing information on new farm
schemes and technologies that will help farmers double their incomes within the next few years.

ii. National fair, from March 19-21, will have separate workshops on key schemes like Pradhan Mantri Fasal
Beema Yojana, e-agriculture marketing, integrated farming system, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sichai Yojan, soil
health and livestock issues.
iii. In this fair live demonstration of agriculture and horticultural crops, animal husbandry, innovative technologies
and farm mechanisation in big plots.
iv. Both public and private companies will display their farm inputs and technologies in over 500 stalls.
v. The plan additionally calls for bringing ministries, offices, organizations, research and financial institutions
occupied with creation and recycling of water under one platform so that an exhaustive and holistic outlook of the
whole water cycle is considered.

3. SC Allows Pictures of governors, chief ministers and minister in govt advertisements

i. Supreme Court allowed now use of pictures of Chief Ministers, Governors and Cabinet ministers in the
government's media advertisements.

ii. The SC had earlier ruled that the advertisements could only have pictures of the President, Prime Minister and
the Chief Justice of India.
iii. The earlier order was aimed at removing the association between government policy and politicians.
iv. Chief Ministers and Ministers both at Centre and states had become "nameless and faceless" in government
advertisements after the apex court had in May last year held that only photos of three functionaries-President,
Prime Minister and Chief Justice--would be published in advertisements.
v. The Centre in its petition argued that it is for the government to decide whose photographs should be published
and what the content of advertisements should be.

4. Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan launched FCIs Depot Online System
i. Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan on 17 March 2016
launched the Online Depot System in New Delhi to automate all the operations of Food Corporation of India (FCI)
depots.

ii. The key objective of the Depot Online System is to align with Digital India vision for transformation of food
distribution supply chain in India.
iii. The system, which efficiently captures data online on a real time basis, will bring total transparency in the
working of FCI.
iv. Besides it will also help in better monitoring and supervision to reduce leakages and losses.
v. The Depot Online System will be rolled out in all 554 FCI-owned godowns by July 2016.

5. Indian Overseas Bank Has Become The 1st Bank To Sell Indian Gold Coins
i. Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) has become the first bank to commence the sale of Indian Gold Coin (IGC) in the
domestic market.

ii. It has tied up with Metals and Minerals Trading Corporation of India (MMTC) for the sale of IGC of 24 carat
purity.
iii. The Indian Gold Coin has the national emblem "the Ashok Chakra" engraved on one side and the face of
Mahatma Gandhi on the other side.
iv. The coin also carries advanced anti-counterfeit features and comes in tamper proof packaging. It's very safe and
easily recyclable.
v. The current denominations available in the coins are 5, 10 and 20 gm. The Indian Gold Coin is the first ever
national gold offering by the Center. This was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 5, 2015.
The IGC in Delhi was launched in the presence of Alok Pande, Director in the Department of Financial Services,
Finance Ministry, and Anand Trivedi, Director (PMS), MMTC, besides other senior officials.

6. India And Bangladesh Enter New Era Of Bilateral Petroleum Trade

i. India and Bangladesh entered into a new era of petroleum trade with a special goodwill train loaded with High
Speed Diesel rolling down from India to Bangladesh.

ii. The 42 wagon rail rake is loaded with around 2500 MT High Speed Diesel. It started off from Siliguri station to
Parbatipur station over 516 kms.
iii. It is a symbolic gesture of friendship and cooperation that exists between India and BangladeshIndia and
Bangladesh. This is the first major petroleum consignment from India.
iv. It is a part of the Sale-Purchase Agreement signed between NRL and Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation(BPC)
v. The agreement also includes joint initiative for construction of a 135 km long pipeline, with a capacity of 1
million Metric Ton per annum(MMTPA) from Siliguri to Parbatipur. Presently Bangladesh gets its imports from
Chittagong port and the new agreement is cost effective for Bangladesh. The expansion of NRL refinery from 3
MMTPA to 9MMTPA will leave India enough stock to supply Bangladesh

7. Turkey and EU reach landmark deal on refugees

i. Turkey and the EU have reached a controversial deal European leaders hope will stop the flow of refugees to the
continent in return for political and financial concessions for Ankara.

ii. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and EU President Donald Tusk confirmed the agreement, which will
come into force on Sunday, at a press conference in Brussels after three rounds of talks.
iii. The accord aims to close the main route by which a million people poured across the Aegean Sea to Greece in
the last year before marching north to Germany and Sweden.
iv. Leaders of the bloc had agreed on Thursday on a common plan under which Turkey would be given financial
and political concessions in return for taking back all refugees who reached Greek islands off its coast.
v. Under the agreement, Ankara would take back all refugees and others, including Syrians, who cross to Greece
illegally across the sea. In return, the EU would take in thousands of Syrian refugees directly from Turkey and
reward it with more money, early visa-free travel and faster progress in EU membership talks.

8. India, Australia Ink Pact To Avoid Double Social Security Contribution

i. India and Australia ink pact to avoid double social security contribution Under this agreement, employees of
India deputed to Australia and vice versa will not have to make double social security contribution.

ii. Under this agreement Australia has become the 14th country with which India has a social security agreement in
force.
iii. The others in the list include Korea, Finland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Hungry, Germany, France, Belgium,
Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Norway and Switzerland. iv. India signed loan agreement of 35 Million
dollars with the world bank for Madhya Pradesh citizen access to responsive services project.
v. The objective of the project is to improve access and quality of public services in the state.

9. Russia gets its own Rating Firm ACRA

i. Vladimir Putins homegrown credit-ratings firm is up and running and foreign competitors are already feeling
the heat.

ii. Moodys last week announced it would shutter its joint venture in Moscow of 12 years and Fitch said it will
probably stop issuing local ratings on Russian companies, the same day ACRA, which stands for Analytical Credit
Rating Agency, applied for a license to operate in Russia.
iii. In the past three weeks, Moodys Investors Service Inc. and Fitch Ratings Ltd. have said they plan to stop
issuing local ratings rather than agree to having their Moscow branches regulated by the Russian government at
the cost of breaking international sanctions.
iv. Russia is squeezing the business of foreign-ratings assessors since downgrades it condemned as politically
motivated last year pushed the sovereign below investment grade for the first time in more than a decade.
v. The Bank of Russia announced plans to start a company immune to geopolitical risks in July after S&P and
Moodys cut Russias rating to junk amid a slump in oil prices and sanctions imposed over Ukraine. ACRAs
board is headed by an American, Karl Johansson, who advised the Russian government while at Ernst & Young
LLP in Moscow. Ekaterina Trofimova, a former banking analyst for Russia and former Soviet states at S&P, will
run the new venture.

10. Tata Steel expects Rs 20,000 cr investment in Gopalpur SEZ

i. Tata Steel is in discussion with foreign companies for investments up to Rs 20,000 crore in heavy industries over
the next five years at its Special Economic Zone (SEZ) project at Gopalpur in Odisha.

ii. Tata Steel is the anchor tenant for the multi-product 2,970-acre SEZ at Gopalpur in Odisha.
iii. The UK-based Midget Corporations is setting up an assembly plant for "unmanned aerial vehicle targets"
which are used by army for firing practices.
iv. Singapore consultant Subrana Jurong has completed the SEZ's masterplan with all land cleared for leasing
within the 30 square km boundary.
v. Tata Steel SEZ will invest between Rs 2,000 and Rs 2,500 crore by 2020 in the Gopalpur SEZ, for which a Tata
Power power plant proposal is also on the drawing board. The company is also discussing a possible investment in
expansion of Gopalpur port, about five kms away from the zone.

11. Pfizer Appoints S. Sridhar As New MD For 5 Years

i. Pfizer, the pharmaceutical major has announced the appointed of Mr. S Sridhar as its new Managing Director
(MD) with immediate effect for a period of five years.

ii. The announcement came at the time of BSE filings and applied with the immediate effect from 18th March,
2016.
iii. Mr. S. Sridhar has been working with Pfizer from past 10 years. He joined the company in the year 2003 as
Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the company and later in the year 2013 he was appointed as the Executive
Director on the Board.
iv. Prior to this these appointment with Pfizer, Mr. S. Sridhar has worked with Diageo India Pvt Ltd as the Finance
Director.
v. Pfizer Inc. is an American global pharmaceutical corporation. It is among the world's largest pharmaceutical
companies. Pfizer develops and produces medicines and vaccines for a wide range of medical disciplines,
including immunology, oncology, cardiology, endocrinology, and neurology.

12. Sudhir Raheja Has Given Extra Charge As AAI Chairman

i. The Airport Authority Of India (AAI) has given the additional charge of Chairman to Mr. Sudhir Raheja.

ii. This is the 2nd time when Mr. Raheja has been entitled with the task of heading the national airport company.
iii. Raheja was given the additional charge following the repatriation of the then acting Chairman Alok Sinha to
his parent cadre, Uttar Pradesh in August , 2014.
iv. Mr. Raheja's appointment announced in a very sudden manner when Mr. R K Srivastava tenure has been
curtailed by the authorities. Srivastava, a 1984 batch Jharkhand-cadre IAS officer, was removed from the post by
the government, nearly 15 months after he was brought at the helm for a five-year term. However, this is not for
the first time that an AAI Chairman has been shown the door. In January 2014, the then UPA government had
abruptly removed V P Agarwal.
v. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) under the Ministry of Civil Aviation is responsible for creating,
upgrading, maintaining and managing civil aviation infrastructure in India.

13. Indian Professor Appointed 56th President Of International Studies Association

i. An Indian Professor has become the president of a scholarly group in the US dedicated to international studies.

ii. Professor TV Paul took over as the 56th president of International Studies Association (ISA), at its annual
convention at Atlanta, Georgia this week.
iii. In his address, which among others was attended by former Canadian Prime Minister, Joe Clarke, Mr Paul
called on international relations scholars to explicitly deal with grand strategies of peaceful change more
effectively, especially in the context of the rise of new powers such as China and India.
iv. Born in Kerala, Mr Paul in his speech encouraged scholars with historical understanding to offer ideas for
policy makers about which strategy produced conflict and which strategy generated unnecessary violence.
v. The James McGill Professor of International Relations at McGill University, Montreal, Canada he is a leading
scholar of international security, nuclear proliferation, and South Asia.

14. Tikka Shatrujit Singh knighted with top French award

i. Tikka Shatrujit Singh, chief representative in Asia for French multinational LVMH (Moet Hennessy-Louis
Vuitton) and advisor to the chairman of Louis Vuitton, has spearheaded the development of Louis Vuittons
business in India.

ii. Tikka Shatrujit Singh, the royal scion of Kapurthalas Ahluwalia dynasty, has been conferred with the
prestigious Knight of the Legion of Honour for his extraordinary work in the exchanging the French lifestyle and
Indian culture with each other.
iii. Singh is also known for his endeavours to preserve the tangible and intangible heritage of Kapurthala, which is
a blend of Indo-French architectural styles.
15. Tenth Asian Film Awards : Complete List of Winners
i. The 10th edition of Asian Film Awards (AFA), which was held at the Venetian Theatre in Macau, China,
honoured diverse talents across Asian cinema.
ii. The prestigious awards ceremony was graced by a spectacular gathering of celebrities and industry
professionals from different cities of Asia.
iii. Awards won by Assassin- Assassin wins more than half of the 15 awards presented in the Asian film awards :-
Best Film: The Assassin, Best Director: Hou Hsiao-Hsien for The Assassin, Best Actress: Shu Qi for The
Assassin, Best Supporting Actress: Zhou Yun for The Assassin, Best Cinematography: Mark Lee Ping-bing for
The Assassin, Best Production Design: Hwarng Wern-ying for The Assassin, Best Original Music: Lim Giong for
The Assassin, Best Sound: Chu Shih-yi, Tu Duu-chih and Wu Shu-yao for The Assassin.
iv. Others Awards presented- Best Actor: Lee Byung-hun for The Inside Men, Best Newcomer: Jessie Li for Port
of Call, Best Supporting Actor: Tadanobu Asano for Journey to the Shore, Best Screenplay: Jia Zhangke for
Mountains May Depart, Best Editing: William Chang Suk-ping, Chu Ka-yat, Liao Ching-sung, Wong Hoi, Philip
Yung for Port of Call, Best Visual Effects: Prasad Sutar for Bajirao Mastani, Best Costume Design: Lee Ji-yeon
and Shim Hyun-seob for The Throne.

1. 21st March : World Forestry Day

i. World Forestry Day or International Day of Forests is celebrated worldwide every year on 21st of March.

ii. The World Forestry Day was established in the year 1971 at the 23rd General Assembly of European
Confederation of Agriculture and later it was established by a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly
on November 28, 2012.
iii. The International Day of Forests was observed for the first time on March 21, 2013.
iv. The World Forestry Day is celebrated at the international level in order to increase the public awareness among
communities about the values, significance and contributions of the forests to balance the life cycle on the earth.
v. The theme of the 2016 International Day of Forests is forests and water. To mark the Day a joint celebration
of the International Day of Forests (21st of March) and World Water Day, which is celebrated on 22nd of March
every year will be held on Monday, 21 March 2016 in the Economic and Social Council Chamber.

2. Govt Allows 49% FDI In Insurance Under Automatic Route

i. The government has relaxed FDI norms for the insurance sector by permitting overseas companies to buy 49
percent stake in domestic insurers without prior approval, which is another effort to bring more foreign players
into Indias vast insurance market.

ii. Earlier, an overseas company was allowed to buy up to 26% stake in an India-based insurance company. But,
for up to 49 percent the investor had to take prior approval from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB).
iii. However in its latest notification the government said, the foreign investment proposals up to 49% of the total
paid up equity of the Indian insurance company shall be allowed on the automatic route subject to verification by
the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India.
iv. There are 52 insurance companies operating in India, of which 24 are in the life insurance business and 28 in
the general insurance.
v. In order to deepen the re-insurance market, IRDAI permitted UK-based Lloyds to set up business in India.

3. BHEL Commissions its 2nd 270 MW Thermal Unit In Punjab

i. Within a month of successful commissioning of a 270 MW thermal generating unit in the state, the state run
BHEL ( Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited ) has commissioned another 270 MW unit at Goindwal Sahib coal-fired
power project in Punjab.

ii. The unit has been commissioned at the GVK Power and Infra Ltd in Tarn Taran District near Amritsar.
iii. The first unit of the project was earlier commissioned by the company in February, 2016.
iv. Thermal sets of 270 MW rating are an in-house improvisation of 210/250 MW sets supplied earlier by BHEL
which today form the backbone of the Indian power sector and have been performing much above the national
average as well as international benchmarks.
v. BHEL has so far contracted 35 sets of 270 MW rating, out of which 13 sets have now been commissioned.
Notably, all the operational sets of 210-270 MW class in the state of Punjab have been supplied, erected and
commissioned by BHEL. In addition to thermal projects, BHEL has a significant presence in the states hydro
sector also, with 95% share in the hydro generating capacity of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL).

4. Hinduja brothers top Britains Asian Rich List

i. India-born brothers G P Hinduja and S P Hinduja topped the 'Asian Rich List 2016' released here last night 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.

ii. The 'Asian Rich List' assesses the total wealth of Britain's top 101 richest Asians and is compiled by UK-based
publishing house Asian Media and Market.
iii. The Asian Rich List assesses the total wealth of Britain's top 101 richest Asians and is compiled by UK-based
publishing house Asian Media and Market.
iv. 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. Leading NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul is listed as 15th richest with fortune worth 500 million
pounds.
v. Sri Prakash Lohia, chairman of the Indorama Corporation, is listed 3rd richest with fortune worth 3 billion
pounds. The Arora brothers Simon, Bobby and Robin owners of discount retail chain are 4th richest with a
fortune worth 2.1 billion pounds.

5. UN Appoints Red From "Angry Birds" As Honorary Ambassador For Climate Change
i. The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has appointed Red, the leader of the Angry Birds mobile
game characters as an envoy to inspire climate action toward a sustainable and happier future for all.

ii. Red's appointment as Honorary Ambassador for Green is the part of a UN campaign launched in partnership
with the globally renowned characters to make a direct link between tackling climate change and people's
happiness and well-being on the occasion of the International Day of Happiness to be observed on Sunday, 20
March.
iii. The U.N. chief told that the Angry Birds have entertained millions of people around the world and now they
are part of making the world a better place.
iv. He also said that there was no better way to mark the International Day of Happiness than to have our animated
ambassador raise awareness about the importance of addressing climate change to create a safer more sustainable
and happier future for all.
v. The campaign was in partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment, the U.N. Development Program and U.N.
Foundation, asks people around the world to make the Angry Birds happy by taking actions to combat climate
change such as recycling, taking public transportation and conserving water.

6. Cairn India Bags Five Awards At 'FICCI Excellence Awards'

i. Cairn India Ltd. has remained in the top deciles of safety performance amongst peer group companies for the
FICCI Safety Systems Excellence Award in Manufacturing.

ii. The awards, which are dedicated for best safety and occupation health systems act as a motivation and a catalyst
for adopting best safety practices and systems in the manufacturing sector.
iii. Cairn India considers safe transportation of its people and its products as an integral part of responsible care.
iv. Cairn India considers safe transportation of its people and its products as an integral part of responsible care.
v. Continuous efforts to improve road and transport safety are therefore part of the company's overall objective to
improve safety performance throughout its business.

7. Cisco to invest $100 millions in India; to train over 250,000 students

i. American multinational technology company Cisco Systems Inc will invest over $100 million over the next 18
to 24 months to support the country's ambitious plan to connect thousands of its villages to the internet and create
jobs.

ii. The series of investments will include $40 million that will be used to fund early-stage and growth-stage
companies in the country, and train around 250,000 students by 2020.
iii. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a series of initiatives under the 'Digital India', 'Skill India,'
and 'Startup India' schemes to connect millions of Indians to the Internet, create more tech jobs and move more
services online.
iv. According to Dinesh Malkani, president at Cisco India and SAARC company has expertise in areas such as
security, cloud, and the Internet of Things which it can lend to emerging companies. "There is a lot of scope for
development in IP driven technology software companies in India," he said.
v. The $143-billion firm has over 10,000 people in India. It is also setting up a manufacturing base in Pune to
locally make products to "support the Digital India vision" and aims to eventually make it an

8. Mumbai's Wilson College adopts railway station for cleanliness

i. One of Mumbai oldest colleges, the Wilson College has adopted the Charni Road station here for cleanliness and
upkeep as part of the Swachch Bharat Abhiyan.

ii. Governor and Chancellor of the University CH Vidyasagar Rao congratulated the college for its excellent
initiative, which he said will help the cause of cleanliness.
iii. A group of Wilson College students led by executive co-ordinator Dr Kamal Jadhav met the Governor at Raj
Bhavan and briefed him about the decision and the various initiatives taken by the students during the past few
months to keep the Charni Road station neat and clean.
iv. Dr Jadhav told the Governor that the college took the decision in response to the appeal made by the Governor
to colleges and universities to adopt a railway stations or any other public place nearest to the institution and to
take care of its cleanliness and upkeep.

9. Obama Embarks On Historic Cuba Visit

i. US President Barack Obama embarked on a historic trip to Cuba more than a year after Washington reset its
foreign policy towards the island following decades of Cold War animosity that almost led to a nuclear war.

ii. The three-day trip - the first by a US president in 88 years - was unthinkable until Obama and Cuban President
Raul Castro agreed in December 2014 to re-establish diplomatic ties.
iii. The US broke off ties with the communist nation of 11 million when Cuban revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro
ousted a pro-American government in 1959.

10. Prince Harry Begins 5-day Trip To Nepal

i. Britains Prince Harry reached Kathmandu on a five-day visit to Nepal to mark the 200th anniversary of the
bilateral ties.

ii. Prince Harry, who is leading a 30-member delegation, called on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and discussed
Nepal-Britain bilateral co-operation.
iii. During the meeting, he praised the role played by Gorkha soldiers in the British Army and inquired about the
conservation efforts made by Nepal in protecting endangered wild animals including tiger and one-horned rhino.
iv. Harry is scheduled to call on Nepals first woman President Bidhya Devi Bhandari at the Presidential Office at
Sheetal Niwas.
v. Harry will also visit the British Gorkha Camp in Pokhara.

11. General Lori Robinson Nominated As 1st US Female Combatant Chief

i. The US President Barack Obama has named the General Lori Robinson to head the U.S. combatant command.

ii. The position is one of the most senior in the US Military and Robinson becomes the first woman to head this
position.
iii. President Barack Obama has approved the choice and now her nomination depends on Senate approval. If
approved by the Senate, US Air Force General Lori Robinson will be the new North com chief and will be
responsible for any missile threats against the homeland.
iv. Presently she leads US air forces in the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) and Executive Director of Pacific Air
Combat Operations Staff since 2014. According to Pentagon PACAF is responsible for Air Force activities spread
over half the globe in a command that supports more than 46,000 airmen mainly in Japan, Korea, Hawaii, Alaska
and Guam.
v. Robinson had enrolled in the US Air Force in 1982. And Earlier in September 2007 Lori had made history after
she became the first Air Battle Manager and first woman 552nd ACW commander to be frocked to brigadier
general. Her appointment comes after US Government had announced to open all combat roles in the US military
to women in December 2015. The move had opened up about 220,000 positions to women.

12. Lionel Messi Named As Huawei Global Ambassador

i. FC Barcelonas player Lionel Messi has been named as Huawei global ambassador.

ii. The partnership with Lionel Messi showcases the brands alignment with people and brands that demonstrate
and strive towards its shared value of connecting greatness.
iii. The football player is the company's Global Brand Ambassador because Huawei believed the striker and the
company make "a perfect fit" as both "are always pursuing not success but challenges to be better".
iv. Huawei believes that sports are a great way in which people enrich their lives and that is why our commitment
towards sports in general is so strong. According to Huawei, "Lionel's history, philosophy and values, the greatest
football player in the world are in line with Huawei's mission and values".
v. Huawei is one of the top 3 Smartphone manufactures in the world and their products are available in more than
170 countries. Huawei shipped 108 million smartphones in 2015 and became the third-largest player after Apple
and Samsung. The company has set a target of growing its smartphone sales by 300 per cent this year.

13. Wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt Bags Olympics Berth

i. India star wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt secured an Olympic quota place for India with a gold-medal finish in the
men's 65kg freestyle category on an otherwise disappointing day for the country's grapplers in the Asian Olympic
Qualification tournament in Astana, Kazakhastan.

ii. In the road to the final at the Asian Qualifying tournament, Yogeshwar defeated Ju Song Kim 8-1 and then in
the quarter-finals the Indian wrestler defeated Xuan Dinh Nguyen of Vietnam by fall.
iii. This is the second quota place that Indian wrestlers have bagged for the Rio Olympics to be held later this
year.
iv. Narsingh Pancham Yadav had bagged a quota place in the men's 74kg freestyle division in Las Vegas last year.

14. Indian-origin student wins first Noor Inayat Khan Prize In London
i. An Indian student is the winner of the first Noor Inayat Khan Prize for 2016, the London-based Noor Inayat
Khan Memorial Trust announced.

ii. Geetakshi Arora of SOAS South Asia Institute has won the first Noor Inayat Khan Prize, the Noor Inayat Khan
Memorial Trust announced in London on.
iii. The Trust is awarding the annual prize to the post-graduate student from SOAS, University of London, working
in the area of gender studies and South Asian history.
iv. The prize which consists of 1,000 pounds and a certificate is for a dissertation which is in keeping with the
spirit of Noor Inayat Khan, a descendant of Tipu Sultan.
v. Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan GC was an Allied Special Operations Executive (SOE) agent during the Second
World War who was posthumously awarded the George Cross, the highest civilian decoration in the United
Kingdom and other Commonwealth nations.

15. Bangladesh Bowlers Taskin And Sunny Suspended By ICC

i. Bangladesh left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny and pacer Taskin Ahmed have been suspended from bowling in
international cricket council with immediate effect after an independent assessment found their bowling actions to
be illegal, dealing a massive blow to the teams campaign in the ongoing World Twenty20.
ii. Both bowlers underwent assessments in Chennai last week, after being reported for suspect actions during the
World T20 round-one match against Netherlands in Dharamsala on 9th March.
iii. They can apply for a re-assessment at any stage after modifying their bowling actions.
iv. Arafats analysis revealed that the elbow extension for majority of his deliveries had exceeded the 15 degrees
level of tolerance permitted under the ICC Regulations while not all of Taskins deliveries were legal.
v. Now the left-arm spinner Saqlain Sajib will replace Sunny in Bangladesh's World T20 squad and Taskin will be
replaced by offspin-bowling all rounder Shuvagata Hom.

Paytm gets ready for first Payment Bank

i. The countrys largest mobile wallet provider Paytm has got into a strategic tie-up with Florida-based
global provider dedicated to banking and payments technologies FIS Global.
ii. The deal size would be worth close to Rs 150 crore over a period of five years.
iii. FIS, a Fortune 500 company, would help Paytm with core banking system.
iv. Paytm payments bank would set up nearly 20 signature branches. In addition, there will be 200
smaller store-like branches and at least 1,000 agents

Mumbai to host BRICS Friendship Cities Conclave in April

i. Mumbai financial capital of India to host BRICS Friendship Cities Conclave in April involving top Urban
Policy makers and Planners from BRICS Nations.
ii. A think- tank working to find the solutions for Mumbai Development to make a global financial centre
and is inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modis plan to promote cooperation among BRICS Nations.
iii. The BRICS Friendship Conclave is a joint initiative of Ministry of External Affairs and Maharashtra
Government to be held between April 14 and 16 this year.
iv. Top level dignitaries from the BRICS Nations and also from Indian Ministers and Chief Minister of the
State will attend the Conclave to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Iran Successfully Test-Fired Several Ballistic Missiles

i. Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has successfully test-fired several ballistic missiles
from silos across the country.
ii. These tests were conducted by IRGC to demonstrate the countrys deterrent power and its ability to
confront any threat against the state and the sovereignty of the country.
iii. With this Iran has breached United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions that compel it to
refrain from any work on ballistic missiles for 8 years.
iv. After two Iranian missile tests last October, the U.S. announced new sanctions in January against
Iranians and companies for helping Irans ballistic missile program.

Karnataka Launches Mukhyamantri Santwana Harish Yojana

i. Government Karnataka has launched Mukhyamantri Santwana Harish Yojana to provide free medical
treatment to road accident victims for the first 48 hours (2 days) in the nearest government or private
hospital.
ii. The scheme has been named after Harish Nanjappa who had donated his eyes moments before his
death. He had died as no help was provided to him after he was severely injured in mishap in February
2016 .
iii. State govenment hospitals would be directed not to reject accident victims and they shall be provided
proper medical care for first 48 hours and get treatment at any hospital.

NTPC Bags Poll Based Investor Communication Award

i. NTPC has been conferred the Research Investor Communication Award among the Large
Corporates category .Director Finance of the Company Shri K. Biswal, received the award at a
ceremony held at BSE in Mumbai
ii. This award is bestowed for following transparent and fair communication practices by Research Bytes
in an independent poll having participation of over 3000 Fund Managers/Analysts/Non Institutional
Investors.
iii. The award NTPCs effort on building a strong ecosystem based on consistent and regular
communication with investors across the globe in a fair and transparent manner.
Sun Pharma Signs MS Dhoni As Brand Ambassador For Revital H
i. Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited has appointed Indian Cricketer and Captain MS Dhoni as the
Brand ambassador for its top selling health supplement Revital H.

ii. This move is in the companys Pipeline to reposition the brand after 25 years since its launch on the
planks of active lifestyle.
iii. MS Dhoni selected as a popular choice basis a consumer research conducted by the company, He is
well known for pushing limits and achieving more and perfect combination of physical fitness, strategic
thinking and decision making and fits well in the active lifestyle value proposition of Revital H brand.
iv. The Company is also planning to establish a new ad campaign featuring MS Dhoni done by Lowe
Lintas which will go live throughout the ICC T20 World Cup.

Reliance Jio To Offer free Wi-Fi at 6 stadiums For T20 World Cup
i. Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani is an Indian business magnate lead Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited has
announced to offer free Wi-Fi services across 6 stadiums in the country ahead of the T-20 World cup.
ii. Spectators of cricket matches in Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Wankhede
Stadium in Mumbai, Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali and HPCA
stadium in Dharamshala will enjoy free Wi-Fi during T-20 world cup
iii. The network is supported by 100 Gbps backhaul to ensure 15 Mbps speed for about 40,000
spectators during the matches. It is to be noted that Jio free internet is already provided in certain
airports and tourist spots JioNet was made operational at Wankhede stadium during the India-South
Africa one-day series in April 2015

Telangana, Maharashtra CMs ink pact on Godavari water projects

i. Telangana and Maharashtra governments will be signing Memoranda of Understanding to construct
five barrages across Godavari and Pen Ganga rivers.
ii. MoUs will be held in Mumbai this morning in which Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao
and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will take part.
iii. These two states have already expressed mutual consent to construct barrages at various points on
these rivers to benefit farmers in both states, Of the five barrages, Maharashtra Government will take up
construction of Rajapet and Penpahad barrages while Telangana will take up Chanak-Korata across
Penganga River.

Germany Partners with India to Develop Kochi, Coimbatore, Bhubaneswar As Smart Cities
i. Germany will partner India in turning Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore and Kochi into smart cities, according
to German ambassador to India Martin Ney Germany is an ideal partner in India's mission to create
smarter cities as the country is "very strong at smart planning for urban centres.
ii. Germany developed the technologies to make life in cities easier.
iii. They developed the processes to bring on board the stakeholders to make cities thrive and German
companies have developed smart solutions to make smart cities.

108-feet Jain Teerthankar idol enters "Guinness book of records"

i. 108feet tall idol of Lord Rishabhdeva, the first Teerthankar of Jains, carved out of a single rock, has
entered the Guinness World Records as the worlds tallest Jain statue.
ii. The idol was consecrated last month during a grand ceremony where rituals were performed for
several days.
iii. Till now, the 57 feet idol of Lord Bahubali in Shravanabelagola in Karnataka was considered the
worlds tallest Jain statue.
iv. The impressive statue is located atop Mangi Tungi mountain near Teharabad village of Baglan tehsil
in this North Maharashtra district.

FM Arun Jaitley Rolls Back Proposal To Tax EPF

i. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced the withdrawal of the budget proposal on taxing
Employees Provident Fund, following a backlash in and outside Parliament. He announced to withdraw
the proposal while clarifying NDA governments stand on the issue in the Lok Sabha.
ii. He further stated that government would also like to comprehensively review EPF tax proposal.
iii. However, government retained the tax proposal for National Pension Scheme (NPS) withdrawals. At
present, the entire EPF amount is tax free at the time of withdrawal if the employee has completed five
years of continuous service.
iv. Earlier in the Union Budget 2016-17, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had proposed to tax EPF
and NPS withdrawals with an effect from 1 April 2016. It was announced that 60 percent of the amount
deposited in EPF account of the employee would be taxed at the time of withdrawal and remaining 40
percent would be tax free.

Indias leading Integrated Travel Thomas Cook Signs Strategic Alliance With Western Union
Business Solutions And DCB Bank
i. Thomas Cook (India) Ltd., Indias leading integrated travel and travel related financial services
company, has announced a strategic collaboration with Western Union Business Solutions, a business
segment of The Western Union Company, and DCB Bank Limited (formerly Development Credit Bank
Ltd.).
ii. Its aims to assist Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in India with their trade payments
across borders.
iii. As per the Mr. Mahesh Iyer, Chief Operating Officer, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd.
iv. This alliance is a pioneering move by Thomas Cook India, to penetrate the high growth Indian SME
segment for its international trade payment requirements.

Freecharge partners with Mexico-based movie theatre chain Cinepolis

i. Digital payments platform FreeCharge has partnered with Mexico-based chain of movie theatres,
Cinepolis, that aims to provide its customers an easy to use and secure way of making payments.
ii. Cinepolis claims to be worlds fourth largest chain of movie theatre. FreeCharge is the first digital
wallet partner for Cinepolis. This partnership will start in the second 2nd of March.
iii. Customers can pay for movie tickets and food and beverages across 38 Cinepolis theatres in 28
Cities. Movie goers will be able to pay using their registered mobile numbers with FreeCharge at the
existing card machines available at the payment counter.
iv. The transactions will get completed in a secure manner within 10 seconds using the dynamic On-
The-Go-Pin.
v. Mr. Govind Rajan, Chief Operating Officer, FreeCharge said, "India is one of the fastest growing
markets for movie digital payments. Partnership with Cinepolis is a huge opportunity to build the habit of
digital payments.

President Pranab Mukherjee presented 2015 Nari Shakti awards

i. President Pranab Mukherjee on 8 March 2016 presented Nari Shakti Puraskar for the year 2015 to 15
women, 5 organisations, one state and panchayat. The awards were conferred on the occasion of
International Women's Day at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
ii. The awards are annually given by the Union Ministry of Women & Child Development to institutions
and individuals who have made exceptional contribution towards empowerment of women specially
belonging to vulnerable and marginalised sections of society. It carries cash award of two lakh rupees
and a certificate for institutions and one lakh rupees and a certificate for individuals.
iii. Haryana was awarded as a state for demonstrating improvement with work in improving Child Sex
Ratio (CSR) and Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) during 2015. Anganwadipuram Gram Panchayat, Mallapuram
of Kerala was awarded for their work towards women empowerment.
iv. Through its activities the panchayat helped women to hold leadership roles and promoted women in
decision making.

1. Cabinet Approves Rs 8,000 Crore For Rural LPG Under PMUY Scheme
i. The Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved Pradhan Mantri Ujwala Yojana with an
outlay of Rs 8,000 crore for three years, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan told on Thursday.

ii. Under the scheme, the government will spend Rs 8000 crore to provide LPG connections to rural households.
On Wednesday, the government said that over 80 lakh people have voluntarily given up LPG subsidy.
iii. Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan told the Rajya Sabha that as part of
'GiveItUp' campaign that the ministry initiated, around 53 lakh giving up in the past six months alone.
iv. The scheme aims to provide on a war footing LPG connections to women members of BPL families. Mr.
Dharmendra Pradhan said that the move is aimed at empowering women and protecting their health.
v. The ministry said that the oil marketing companies have been targeting people with over Rs 10 lakh income to
give up the subsidies. The ministry said, "For top 10 metros of the country, where most of the high income tax
payers are likely to be residing, a suitable question has been built in the SMS platforms for ascertaining the income
status of the LPG consumers. During telephonic calls also for refills, this is being done.

2. India And Indonesia To Conduct Joint Training Exercise "Garuda Shakti IV"
i. Garuda Shakti, the 4th edition of joint training exercise between India and Indonesia will be hosted by
Indonesia.

ii. The 13-day long joint exercise will begin from today and will end on March 23 at Magelang, Indonesia. The
exercise is conducted on a reciprocal basis and its first edition was conducted in the year 2012 in India. The second
edition was conducted in Indonesia in 2013 and third in India in 2014.
iii. The exercise is aimed at building and promoting positive relations between the two Armies of India and
Indonesia. The Indian Army is sending a platoon strength contingent that will be training with the Airborne
battalion of the Indonesian Army.
iv. The exercise will be on a joint counter insurgency operation with the setting of both rural and urban scenarios.
The exercise will "enhance" the abilities of both the armies to undertake counter insurgency operations under the
United Nations Charter.
v. The opening ceremony for the exercise will be conducted on 11 March 16 and the Senior officers from the army
and civilian dignitaries of both the country will be the part of the closing ceremony.

3. Cabinet Clears Amendment To MMDR Act

i. The Union Cabinet approved amending the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act to regulates
mining sector activities in the country.

ii. The move would allow transfer of mining lease for captive mines as compared to the present scenario where
transfer of mining lease is only for auctioned mines.
iii. The MMDR Act passed by Parliament in March last year and only allows transfer of mining leases in cases
where the mine has been acquired through auction.
iv. But now through the amendment, the government wants to insert a clause that says: Provided that where a
mining lease has been granted otherwise than through auction and where minerals from such mining lease is being
used for captive purpose such mining lease will be permitted to be transferred subject to compliance with terms
and conditions as prescribed by central government..
v. After the enactment of the amended MMDR Act on January 12, 2015, all mining leases in the country could
only be issued after a competitive bidding process. Under the amended Act, even in case of mergers and
acquisitions, transfer of mineral leases was only allowed for those that have been auctioned.

4. Centre To Sign Pacts Worth Over Rs.72,000 cr At Shipping

i. Central government is expected to sign agreements worth over Rs. 72,000 crore with private players on port-
related projects at the Indian Maritime Summit to be held in Mumbai.

ii. The Shipping Ministry has identified 109 projects worth Rs.72,864 crore on which agreements will be signed
during the event to be held from April 14-16.
iii. According to Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari South Korea will be the partner
country for the Summit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the summit on April 14.
iv. To promote port-led direct and indirect development and to provide infrastructure to transport goods to and
from ports quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively.
v. Supporting and enabling Port-led Development through appropriate policy and institutional interventions. Port
Infrastructure enhancement, including modernization and setting up of new ports.

5. PSUs Spent Over Rs 2400 Crore In CSR In 2014-15

i. Government of India has announced today that in 2014-2015, 116 Public Sector Enterprises (PSUs) have spent
an amount of rs. 2447.59 Crore on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities and no complaint has been
received on misuse of these funds.

ii. Today, Anant Geete the Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Minister said in Rajya Sabha during the
question hour after several members expressed concern over media reports suggesting that there have been misuse
of CSR funds, especially by private companies.
iii. Geete told the members that he understood their concerns and added that he was not ruling out the possibility
of misuse. He however added that his ministry had received no "written" complaint regarding which could be
acted upon. Speaking about companies in the private sector, he said the government did not control these
companies, but has issued guidelines. "If there is a specific complaint, we can act on it," he said.
iv. As members voiced concern about the spending of funds in the private sector, Geete said his ministry was the
nodal department for the public sector enterprises. v. Geete also said that meetings to monitor the spending of
these funds are held every six months.

6. Five Healthcare ATMs Launched in 4 States

i. Five healthcare ATMs have come up in four states. Those states are MP, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Andhra
Pradesh.

ii. These ATMs are ging to come up under a Health Ministry pilot that combines telemedicine with a rudimentary
free drugs programme.
iii. The health ministry is aiming that these ATMs would tide over the massive shortage of doctors in the country.
It will also save from the risk of pilferage in free drugs programmes.
iv. For these ATMs technical support is being provided by the division of healthcare technology and National
Health Systems Research Centre.
v. These ATMs will be manned by a multipurpose public health worker (MPHW) or an auxiliary nurse midwife
(ANM) armed with a multi-parameter patient vital monitor and other devices required for checking basic health
parameters.
7. Government mulls policy to promote wind energy projects
i. In Order to propel the Wind Energy Potential in India, Union government will soon unveil a policy to give
incentives including an interest discount of 0.25 % for increasing capacity of Wind mills of up to 1MW.

ii. Objective of the policy is to promote optimum utilisation of wind energy resources by creating facilitative
framework for repowering, as per the draft.
iii. It said most of the wind-turbines installed up to the year 2000 are of capacity below 500 kW and are at sites
having high wind energy potential.
iv. It is estimated that over 3000 MW capacity installation is from wind turbines of 500 kW or below.

8. Government To Divest 5% Stake In Concor

i. The government will divest 5 per cent stake in Container Corporation of India (Concor) through the offer for sale
(OFS) route.

ii. The center has set the base price for the stake sale at Rs 1,195, which will help the government mop up around
Rs 1,165 crore.
iii. Concors OFS follows Rs 5,000-crore worth of divestment in NTPC late February. So far this fiscal, the
government has risen around Rs 18,300 crore by divesting stake in six public sector undertakings.
iv. Retail investors are being offered a 5 percent additional discount. Retail bidding will take place on 9th of
March.
v. Container Corporation of India Ltd. (CONCOR),is a Navratna Public sector undertaking under the Indian
Ministry of Railways.

9. Railways Forms SPV To Execute Bullet Train Project

i. Railways shifting the gears to introduce trains that run at speeds around 320 kmph, the railways have formed a
new Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to implement the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Bullet Train project
named the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited.

ii. Completion of the project aimed on time to avoid additional expenses of the project, a Joint Committee has been
formed under the Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog with the secretaries of the Department of Industrial Policy and
Promotion (DIPP), Departments of Economic Affairs and Foreign Ministry as its members along with the
Chairmanof Railway Board.
iii. The project expected that it will take about seven years after the awarding of the contract for the project to be
completed, 81 per cent of the funding for the project would come from the loan from Japan.
iv. It is a soft loan for 50 years at 0.1 per cent annual interest with 15 years moratorium period

10. YES BANK launches All-Women YES Grace branches

i. Private lender Yes BankBSE -0.18 % launched an all-women operated bank branch 'Yes Grace' on Cunningham
Road here aimed at offering customised banking solutions to women.

ii. The new branch served by 8 employees currently and with plans to raise the count to 12 will also drive financial
literacy, family banking, safety and wellness amongst women.
iii. According to Rana kapoor CEO and MD Of YES BANK "The Yes Grace branch is part of a two pronged
approach by Yes Bank; to promote women leadership in financial services sector and enable the evolving financial
objectives of women,"

11. Gujarat Top State Regarding Investment Potential

i. Gujarat has topped the list among the 21 cities in a race to be the best state in India having an investment
potential,according to the report submit by economic think tank NCAER.

ii. Gujarat is followed by Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra. The lowest in the rankings are the
UP, Bihar, and Jharkhand.
iii. The rankings of the 21 cities were done on five factors political stability, infrastructure, economic climate,
governance, and perceptions.
iv. Gujarat, Delhi and Tamil Nadu are the best places to make fresh investments in India, while Jharkhand, Uttar
Pradesh and Bihar lag on this front, a latest survey by think-tank National Council of Applied Economic Research
(NCAER) has revealed.

12. IAF To Get The First Batch Of Women Fighter Pilots In June
i. Indian Air Force Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Arup Raha announced while speaking on the occasion of the
International Womens Day.
ii. Bhawna Kanth, Avani Chaturvedi, and Mohana Singh are likely to create history as Indias first women fighter
pilots if they put on the wings and are inducted into the IAF fighter stream. Who among the three, or all of them,
make the final cut depends on them clearing the advanced stage training.
iii. The three women trainees have volunteered to join the fighter stream.
iv. They are under the second phase of their training.
v. Once they complete their training and are on par with their male colleagues and the passing out parade is
scheduled on June 18.

13. S Rao Will Take Over As The New Chairman And Public Interest Director Of BSE
i. Sudhakar Rao will be the new Chairman of BSE and new Public Interest Director announced by BSE. He is
going to replace Mr. S Ramadorai.

ii. As Mr. Ramadorai has retired from the position of its Chairman.
iii. He was appointed as public interest director and chairman of the board in 2010 and retired on 7 March 2016
after serving BSE for six years.
iv. Currently there are five Public Interest Directors on the BSE's Board including eminent chartered accountant
Sethurathnam Ravi who was appointed last month.
v. Presently, Rao is also an independent director on the boards of Indian Oil Corporation, CMC Ltd and L&T
Infrastructure Development Projects Ltd. He is the Group Advisor, Strategy and Development of the Manipal
Education and Medical Group.

14. Sonakshi Sinha Enters Guinness World Record For Nail Painting
i. Actress Sonakshi Sinha has become a Guinness World Records title-holder as she along with several other
women participated in an initiative to set a record for most people painting their fingernails simultaneously.

ii. The 28-year-old actress participated in the event on the occasion of International Womens Day.
iii. She collaborated with Inglot, manufacturers in colour cosmetics, and its Indian franchise partner Major
Brands.
iv. The women broke the previous record of 1,156 people painting nails simultaneously which was created by
Taiwan Nail Association at Banqiao Stadium, New Taipei City, Taiwan on April 27, 2011.

15. George Henry Martin "The Beatless Producer" Passed Away

i. The legendary music producer George Henry Martin has passed away in England. He was 90 years old.

ii. He was popularly known as the "Fifth Beatle" as he has signed the Beatles and became their indispensable
mentor and collaborator. George has signed The Beatles and produced more than 700 records.
iii. Mr. Henry Martin has worked with countless others over a career that spanned decades, including Peter Sellers,
Shirley Bassey, America, Cheap Trick, Jeff Beck and Celine Dion. But he become famous for Beatles as he spend
7 years with Beatles.
iv. The Beatles was the most successful group in the music history. Beatles was a group which helped Mr. Henry
Martin to be at top spot with his musical expertise, tasteful arrangements and willing experimentation.
v. In the year 1967 and 2007 he has won 6 Grammy Awards in various categories. He was also made a Knight
Bachelor in 1996. He was named by the Guinness World Records as the most successful producer ever with more
than 50 Numbers.

16. Rest of India complete record run chase to beat Mumbai by 4 wickets
i. Rest of India (ROI) pull off an incredible chase to beat 41 times Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai by four
wickets.
ii. Needing 480 to win the match with a day and a half to go, ROI went about their job without much fuss as they
reached the target with just a few overs left in the match.
iii. Left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdullah picked up five wickets in the fourth innings, but his team fell short in the end.
iv. This is not only ROIs highest score in the fourth innings, but also their highest successful run chase, with the
previous best being 273 for 4 against Baroda in 2001, under the leadership of VVS
v. ROI were bowled out for 306 in their first innings, thereby conceding a lead of 297 runs. Mumbai did not
enforce the follow-on, but were bowled out for just 182, thereby setting ROI a target of 480. No other bowler
barring Abdullah managed to pick up a single wicket as ROI romped home.

1. NITI Aayog Launches 'Women Transforming India' Campaign

i. The NITI Aayog (GOIs premier think tank) has launched the Women Transforming India initiative
on 8th March the International Women's Day in partnership with the UN in India and MyGov.
ii. Through this initiative the NITI Aayog seeks entries in the form of written essays or stories,
preferably accompanied by photographs that set a context to the narrative.
iii. These stories should reflect new ground broken by women in empowering themselves or others. It
will also seeks to encourage and recognize women who have made a difference particularly by
demonstrating leadership in the economic, socio-cultural and environmental front.
iv. Entries must be filled online (https://mygov.in/task/women-transforming-india womentransform/)
on or before March 31st, 2016. A shortlist of 8-10 best entries by a jury will be put to poll on
MyGov.in to determine the top three entries. The final winning entry will be determined by a jury
constituted by NITI Aayog. Spread across a period of over one month, the initiative will also sensitize
citizens to gender issues and seek to promote gender equity and equality through a variety of media.
v. Apart from that, Winner will receive a certificate of appreciation from NITI Aayog and the UN in
India. Change makers may also have a chance to interact directly with policy makers in the
Government of India to enable affect positive policy action.

2. India To Launch 25 Foreign Satellites This Year

i. India will launch 25 foreign satellites belonging to seven countries. The list is topped by the USA in
2016-17.

ii. In written response to a question, Jitendra Singh, minister of state in Prime Ministers Office (PMO)
which looks after the department of space, said till date 57 foreign satellites from 21 countries have
been launched using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
iii. Mr. Singh said that Antrix the commercial arm of ISRO has signed the agreements with Algeria and
Canada for launching three satellites each, four for Germany, one each for Japan and Malaysia and 12
for the USA in 2016-17.
iv. In the last three years, from January 2013 till December 2015, ISRO launched 28 foreign satellites
belonging to 13 countries, with Singapore, the United Kingdom and the USA topping the list.
v. ISRO earned 80 million euros for the launch.

3. Rajya Sabha Passes Long Awaited Bill To Protect Home Buyers

i. The Rajya Sabha passed a landmark Real Estate Bill with a promise to secure the interests of
homebuyers and developers in equal measure and remove corruption and inefficiency from the sector.

ii. This bill, passed with all the new recommendations that were cleared by the Union cabinet in
December, will regulate both commercial and residential projects and set up state-level regulatory
authorities to monitor real estate activity.
iii. According Urban development minister M. Venkaiah Naidu told the upper house that real estate is
the second largest employer in the country, after agriculture, and contributes 9% to the gross domestic
product (GDP).
iv. Yet, the sector has been marked by a lack of trust and confidence between consumers and
developers, which has had an adverse impact on investments in the sector.

4. Ex SC Judge Balbir Singh Chauhan Appointed As Chairman Of 21st Law Commission Of

India
i. The Union Government has appointed the former Supreme Court Judge justice Balbir Singh Chauhan
as the Chairman of 21st Law Commission of India (LCI).

ii. The announcement has made after six month of delay because The post has been lying vacant since
last September when the commission was constituted.
iii. Currently he is Chairman of the Cauvery River Water Disputes Tribunal.
iv. He was judge of the SC from May 2009 to July 2014. Apart from him, Union Government has
appointed former judge of the Gujarat high court Justice Ravi R Tripathi as member of 21st Law
Commission of India. He retired as judge last May.
v. The 21st LCI will give its major recommendations on a review of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the
criminal justice system and the bail law in order to ensure uniformity in the procedure of granting the
relief. While LCI is a non-statutory and non-constitutional body constituted by the Union Government
from time to time.

5. Project Mausam Of M/O Culture Aims To Explore Multi-Faceted Indian Ocean World
i. Project Mausam is the initiative of Ministry of Culture which is to be implemented by the
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as the nodal agency with research support of the Indira Gandhi
National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) and National Museum as associate bodies.

ii. This project aims to explore the multi-faceted Indian Ocean world collating archaeological and
historical research in order to document the diversity of cultural, commercial and religious interactions
in the Indian Ocean extending from East Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian Subcontinent and
Sri Lanka to the Southeast Asian archipelago.
iii. Project mausam also aims to promote research on themes related to the study of Maritime Routes
through international scientific seminars and meeting and by adopting a multidisciplinary approach.
iv. It aims to encourage the production of specialized works, as well as publications for the general
public with an attempt at promoting a broader understanding of the concept of a common heritage and
multiple identities.

6. Rajya Sabha Passes National Waterways Bill

i. The Upper House of the Parliament passed The National Waterways Bill, 2015, which was tabled in
Lok Sabha on May 5, 2015 by the Minister of Road Transport and Highways and Shipping, Mr.
NitinGadkari.

ii. Having been passed in the Rajya Sabha, It would be kept before The President for his assent in the
bill.
iii. The bill comes under Entry 24 of the Union List of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution.
iv. Once it is a law, it can potentially provide an alternative form of transporting goods, which at
present is dominated by road and rail, and open up economic opportunities to new regions.

7. India Signs Raptor MoU To Save Birds Of Prey

i. To conserve several species of birds Government has signed Raptor MoU - a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) on conservation of birds of prey in Africa and Eurasia.

ii. The Raptor MoU extends its coverage to 76 species of birds of prey, out of which 46 species,
including vultures, falcons, eagles, owls, hawks, kites, harriers, etc. also occur in India.
iii. India is 56th signatory State to sign the Raptor MoU that was concluded on October 22, 2008 and
came into effect on November 1, 2008.
iv. The Union Cabinet, in its meeting, held on December 30, 2015 had approved the proposal of the
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to sign the MoU, also called Raptor MoU, on
Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia, with the Convention on Conservation
of Migratory Species (CMS), or Bonn Convention, under the auspices of the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP).
v. The Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species(CMS) aims to conserve migratory species
throughout their range.

8. Countrys largest private sector lender ICICI Bank today launched a credit-linked subsidy
scheme for home loans under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)
i. Under the scheme, an eligible customer will get a subsidy at 6.5 per cent per annum on a maximum
amount of Rs 6 lakh or the loan amount, whichever is lower, for a maximum tenure of 15 years.

ii. An individual including women borrowers from the economically weaker section and the low-
income group will be able to acquire and construct the first brick-and-mortar house of the family by
paying significantly lower equated monthly installments (EMIs).
iii. ICICI Bank has signed a MoU with National Housing Bank (NHB) to facilitate the credit-linked
subsidy to eligible borrowers.
iv. From the scheme, ICICI Bank is committed to supporting Governments vision to provide housing
for all by 2022.

9. Tapan Chand Elected As AAI Chief

i. In the aftermath of National Governing Council meeting of Aluminium Association of India Tapan
Chad elected as AAI chiefTapan Kumar Chand has been unanimously elected as the President of the
metal governing body.
ii. Prior to his appointment he was serving chairman and Managing Director of National Aluminium
Company.
iii. Aluminium Association of India, was founded in 1981 to cater the needs of Indian Aluminium
Industry and to interface with various aluminium industries world over. iv. It is the head representing
the entire spectrum of Indian Aluminium Industries

10. Egyptian Diplomat Ahmed Abul Gheit Named As Secretary General Of Arab League
i. Veteran Egyptian diplomat Ahmed Abul Gheit (73) has been selected as Secretary General of the
Arab League.

ii. The 22-member league voted unanimously in favour of Aboul Gheit who was only contender for the
post at its ministerial meeting held in Cairo, Egypt.
iii. He will succeed Nabil El-Araby, Egyptian diplomat whose term ends in July 2016 after he had
rejected second five-year term.
iv. Abul Gheit is a former ambassador of Egypt to the United Nations. He had served as Egypts
foreign minister from 2004 to 2011 during the final seven years of Hosni Mubaraks rule. About Arab
League The Arab League is a regional organization of Arab countries in and around North Africa, the
Horn of Africa and Arabia.

11. Kangana Ranaut Has Become The Brand Ambassador Of Reebok India
i. The renowned Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut has announced as the brand ambassador of
Reebok India. On the occasion the actress has also launched the new campaign of the brand titled Be
More Human.

ii. The new campaign featuring Kangana has been released on the International Womens Day.
iii. This announcement aims to inspire women to become better versions of themselves not just
physically but also mentally and socially.
iv. It is a tribute to the modern Indian woman, telling her that she is fit to rise above stereotypes and
carve out her own destiny.
v. In the new campaign of Reebok India, Kangana will be seen challenging herself with various fitness
activities including functional training, dance, yoga, kick-boxing and others. Thereby Reebok India
communicating the overarching brand message how fit you are defines how far you go.

12. Brazilian Musician Nana Vasconcelos Passed Away

i. Renowned Brazil musician Nana Vasconcelos has passed away in the northeastern Brazilian city of
Recife. He was suffering from lung cancer. He was 71.

ii. He was 8 time Grammy Award winning Brazilian percussionist known for his wide instrumental
range and major role in free spirited jazz and world music of the 1970s and 1980s.
iii. He was a master of the single string percussion instrument known in Portuguese as the berimbao
and worked over the decades with well known musicians such as Milton Nascimento.
iv. The American jazz magazine DownBeat named Vasconcelos percussionist of the year for seven
consecutive year from 1983 to 1990.
v. He started learning music with his musician father and by the time he was 12 he was playing a drum
kit, performing at bars with local groups.

13. Hyundai Is Now The Official Partner Of BCCI

i. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has entered into a 4 year partnership with Hyundai
Motor India Ltd (HMIL) as an associate sponsor for all international matches at home. Hyundai is a
Korean car maker.
ii. As per the agreement, HMIL would be the official partner of BCCI for all formats like Test, One day
& T20.
iii. Hyundai fleet of premium cars would be used for transporting various stakeholders of the game
throughout the event and also promotional activities during tournaments, in-stadia car display and
branding are some other key pointers of the deal.
iv. Besides title sponsor, BCCI has made 3 official associate sponsors and with the help of them the
cricket body would get Rs 150 crore in the next 4 years.
v. Recently, BCCI announced its association with beverage major PepsiCo as its first official associate
sponsor for around 80 matches which would be played in four years. Mobile commerce platform Paytm
is the official title sponsor of BCCI.

1. India to supply 18 Meter Gauge Diesel Electric Locomotives to Myanmar

i. RITES (Public Sector Enterprise under Ministry of Railways) signed a contract to supply 18 Meter Gauge 1350
HP Diesel Electric Locomotives to Myanmar Railways.

ii. This supply will help Myanmar to meet increasing demand for passenger and freight traffic.
iii. This contract was signed at Naypyitaw, Myanmar on 4 March 2016.
iv. The supply contract of locomotives is a vital project being funded under an existing line of credit extended to
Myanmar by Union Government.
v. These locomotives will be manufactured by Diesel Locomotive Works, Varanasi with several modern features
like microprocessor controls, fuel-efficient engine and ergonomic cab design etc.

2. Suresh Prabhu Has Launched "Clean My Coach" Service

i. Minister for Railways Suresh Prabhu on 11th march 2016 has launched the 'clean my coach' service.

ii. The service allows a passenger to make request for a dirty coach to be swept and cleaned by sending an SMS on
mobile number 58888 or by using an app or a designated website. Prabhu had announced the scheme in the Rail
Budget last month.
iii. The service is in keeping with the railways 'cleanliness drive' Swachh Rail Swachh Bharat', was launched
through Video Conferencing from Rail Bhawan in New Delhi/Northern Railway, Mumbai Central/Western
Railway and Lucknow Jn/North Eastern Railway.
iv. As per the scheme for any cleaning requirement in the coach, passenger will have to send an SMS on a mobile
number 58888.
v. A passenger can also use the android app 'Cleanmycoach Indian Railways' or webpage 'cleanmycoach.com' for
logging the request which will be immediately acknowledged via SMS on mobile phone along with a code.

3. Govt sets new norms for Hydrocarbons licensing

i. Government of India has approved a new policy for exploration and also defined the norms for pricing of
existing and new discoveries made in difficult areas.
ii. The petroleum minister said the new oil and gas exploration policy will now be based on a revenue-sharing
model, as opposed to cost-and-output-based norms earlier. iii. The difficult areas for which the new pricing norms
have now been formulated are defined as those from deep-water, ultra deep-water and high pressure-high
temperature areas. Such areas were not considered when prices were fixed for normal gas discoveries in 2014.
iv. The bulk of such fields are with Reliance Industries and state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp.
v. He said the new exploration licensing policy will allow production of both conventional and unconventional
hydrocarbons, including shale gas, under a single license.

4. Aadhar Scheme Collects Biometric Data of 99 Crore Indians

i. The Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill, 2016, was passed
by a voice vote after a brief debate, during which Finance Minister Arun Jaitley assured the House that details
provided for the card will not be misused in any manner.
ii. When enacted, the Bill intends to empower the government in providing targeted services to the intended
beneficiaries by assigning them unique identity numbers, called Aadhaar.
iii. It will be given to every person, who has stayed in India for 182 days in the year preceding the date of
application.
iv. The Biometric data of about 99 crore Indians have been collected so far under the Aadhaar scheme and the data
is encrypted and its secrecy and security ensured. v. The government have got 99 crore Indians on Aadhaar. In the
case of Direct Benefit Transfer scheme, Rs. 15,000 crore was saved and in the case of PDS, Rs. 2,346 crore was
saved in four states through Aadhaar card.

5. Union Cabinet gave green signal for amendment to Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925
i. The Union Cabinet on 10 March 2016 approved the proposal of the Ministry of Home Affairs to amend the Sikh
Gurdwaras Act, 1925 through the Parliament retrospectively with effect from 8 October 2013.

ii. A meeting of the Union Cabinet, presided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, considered the proposal and gave
green signal to remove the exception given to Sehajdhari Sikhs in 1944 to vote in the elections for selecting
members of the board and the committees constituted under the Act.
iii. The Sehajdhari Sikhs were continuously exercising their voting rights in the SGPC elections since 1949.
iv. In 2003, the Union Home Ministry debarred the Sehajdhari Sikhs from voting by amending the Sikh Gurdwara
Act, 1925 vide a notification dated 8 October 2003, in exercise of the powers conferred by Parliament under
Section 72 of the Punjab Re-organisation Act, 1966.
v. However, the notification was nullified by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on 20 December 2011 leaving it
to the appropriate and competent legislature to decide whether to amend the Act to that effect.

6. Long march against Indo-Bangladesh power plant near Sundarbans started

i. A 250 km-long protest march against plans to build Rampal Power Station, Indo-Bangladesh coal-fired power
plant near the Sundarbans, was kick-started on 10 March 2016.
ii. The protest march calls for scrapping the project that supposedly will harm the ecosystem of the world's largest
mangrove forest.
iii. Environmentalists, cultural and political activists, and eminent individuals began the four-day march from
Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka to persuade the Bangladeshi Government to drop its backing for construction of the
plants near the Sundarbans, an area of rice paddies, shrimp farms and vast mangrove forests.
iv. The Rampal Power Station is a proposed 1320 megawatt coal-fired power station at Rampal Upazila of
Bagerhat District in Khulna, Bangladesh.
v.It is a joint partnership between India's state owned National Thermal Power Corporation and Bangladesh Power
Development Board.

7. PM Modi to unveil railway project in Bihar

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Patna today on a day-long visit to Bihar where he will dedicate to
the nation the newly constructed Digha-Sonepur rail-cum-road bridge and inaugurate a new rail bridge in Munger.

ii. The Prime Minister will also kick-start the operation of the goods trains on the newly constructed rail portion of
Munger Rail-Cum Road Bridge from Sahebpur Kamal end in Begusarai district.
iii. He will also lay the foundation stone of the additional rail bridge near existing Rajendra Bridge in Mokama
over the river Ganga.
iv. The Prime Minister will attend the concluding function of the centenary celebrations of Patna High Court.
v. He will also address public meetings at Chhaukia in Hajipur.

8. Gujarat: Leaks In Kakrapar Nuclear Plant, One Unit Shut

i. A power generation unit at Kakrapar Atomic Power Station in Surat was shut down after leakage of heavy water.

ii. Leakage in the primary heat transport system of unit one of Kakrapar atomic power station in Gujarat has forced
the authorities to shut down the unit as an emergency measure.
iii. The leakage occurred but officials maintained that no nuclear radiation has occurred due to the leakage.
iv. Consequent to a small leak in primary heat transport (PHT) system, the reactor was shut down as intended as
per design provisions.
v. All safety systems are working as intended. The radioactivity/radiation levels in the plant premises and outside
are normal.

9. Crisil Sees GDP growing at 7.9% in 2016-17

i. The countrys GDP can grow by 7.9 per cent next fiscal if the monsoon is normal and the government
implements the reform measures announced so far, domestic rating agency Crisil.
ii. Even though he flagged concerns on the banking front, It implementation of reforms should help the economy
achieve higher growth and termed 2016-17 as the year of reckoning which has the potential to illustrate the path
which the economy can take.
iii. India has faced weather shocks for three consecutive years, including two years of deficient rains in 2014 and
2015, and a normal monsoon season this year can lead to a 4% growth in agriculture on lower base effect.

10. HDFC Bank Ties Up With 5 Start Ups

i. HDFC Bank has chosen five start-ups it will work with to strengthen their web, mobile and payment offerings.
ii. The Bank shortlisted these five from 30 applications to work together in its field of operations at its maiden
Digital Innovation Summit.
iii. Five start ups companies with whom HDFC Bank has tied up are Sense forth Technologies into AI customer
response, Tagnpin -a marketing and customer engagement company, Safe 2 Pay-a point of sale-free payment
system, Bugclipper-an in-app feedback tool, Taptis Technology a bio metric payment company.
iv. The bank had previously tied up with Chillr, which had raised $6 million from Sequoia Capital, where it
developed a system which helped customers pay without a wallet.
v. Nitin Chugh, country head, digital banking, said the bank wanted to break out from these one-off ties and open
themselves to new and innovative ideas.

11. Uber Opens Asia's 1st Engineering Hub In India

i. Uber, the ride sharing service provider has opened its first Asian engineering center in Bengaluru highlighting
the focus on India to solve the localized challenges of Uber users in the country.
ii. The center will focus on software engineers, product developers and others working initially on problems
specific to users in India.
iii. The center will eventually play a role in improving Ubers customer-facing technologies worldwide.
Worldwide, Uber has about a 1,000 engineers spread over nine engineering centers.
iv. The engineering center in Bangalore is different from the Center of Excellence the company opened in
Hyderabad which deals with operations and provides multi-channel support via email, phone and social media to
ensure seamless experience before, during and after a ride.
v. The company is investing over $1 billion in India to build its network of cabs and has pumped in $50 million to
open an operations-support center in Hyderabad last month. Uber engineering center currently has 8 engineers and
plans to increase the head count to over 100 employees this year. The center, temporarily headed by Jaikumar
Ganesh, is looking to hire more people in the near future, including a permanent India engineering head.

12. Defence Ministry gives nod to 7 stealth frigates worth Rs 13,000 crore
i. The defence ministry on Friday approved a Rs 13,000 crore weapons and sensors package for the seven new
stealth frigates being constructed by defence shipyards for the Navy as well as accorded the initial approval for the
Rs 7,200 crore project to indigenously manufacture 244 air defence guns for the IAF.
ii. The defence acquisitions council (DAC), chaired by defence minister Manohar Parrikar, also discussed the new
defence procurement procedure (DPP), which will have a pronounced thrust on the 'Make in India' endeavour as
well as the "strategic partnerships" provision for private sector companies.
iii. Another DAC meeting is likely to be held this month to clear the final policy.
iv. The Rs 13,000 crore package for stealth frigates will be undertaken on a "single vendor and repeat order basis".
Basically, this means the frigates will be equipped with long-range surface-to-air missile (LR-SAM) systems,
jointly developed by DRDO and Israeli Aerospace Industries, which are already fitted on the three Kolkata-class
destroyers.
v. The package will also include BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, Ajanta electronic warfare systems and
Humsa-NG radars.

13. Cabinet approves ratification of BIMSTEC Convention

i. The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval for signing and
ratification of the Bay of Bengal Initiative on Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)
Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters.
ii. The Ministry of Home Affairs has been designated as the Central Authority under Article 15 of the Convention.

iii. The BIMSTEC comprises of seven countries viz., Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and
Thailand.
iv. The establishment of regional arrangements for mutual assistance in criminal matters will greatly contribute to
more effective cooperation in the control of criminal activities.
v. The Convention aims to extend widest measures of assistance to each other through mutual cooperation for
enhancing capability and effectiveness of the Member States in investigation and prosecution of crimes, including
crimes related to terrorism, transnational organized crime, drug trafficking, money laundering and cyber-crimes.

14. Tezpur University and JNU won the annual Visitors Awards for Central Universities
i. Tezpur University on 10 March 2016 won the annual Visitors Award for the Best University.
ii. Rakesh Bhatnagar and the Molecular Parasitology Group of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) have also won
the Visitors Awards for Research and Innovation respectively.
iii. President Pranab Mukherjee will present Visitors Awards for 2016 to the winners at a function to be held at
Rashtrapati Bhavan on 14 March 2016, as part of the Festival of Innovations.
iv. The Visitors Award for Innovation will be given to Professor Rakesh Bhatnagar of Jawaharlal Nehru
University for development of a genetically engineered vaccine and a therapeutic antibody against anthrax.
v. The Visitors Award for Research will be presented to the Molecular Parasitology Group of Jawaharlal Nehru
University of pioneering work in the area of molecular parasitology, especially anti-malaria, leishmaniasis and
amoebiasis. The Best University will receive a Citation and Trophy while winners of Visitors Award for
Innovation and Research will receive a citation and cash award of one lakh rupees.

15. Honey festival in Mangaluru from March 12

i. The Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat, in association with the Karnataka Horticulture Department, will conduct
a honey festival in Mangaluru on March 12 and 13.
ii. Addressing presspersons in Mangaluru on Thursday, PI Sreevidya, Chief Executive Officer of the zilla
panchayat, said horticulture crops are the mainstay of the district and the festival is aimed at encouraging
apiculture among farmers in the district.
iii. Apart from increasing the productivity of horticulture crops, apiculture also provides a source of income to
farmers, she said.
iv. Yogish HR, Deputy Director of the Karnataka Horticulture Department, said bee colonies of various species
and materials required for bee-keeping would be on display at the festival.
v. The Dakshina Kannada Bee-Keepers Cooperative Society will make arrangements for the sale of honey at the
festival. The organisers will also conduct a bee-keeping training programme as part of the honey festival on March
13, he said.
IMF and India to set-up South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Center in Delhi
i. India and International Monetary Fund (IMF) have decided to set up South Asia Regional Training and
Technical Assistance Centre (SARTTC) in New Delhi.
ii. In this regard, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Christine Lagarde, Managing Director,
International Monetary Fund (IMF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

Key facts

SARTTC will set up for enhancing capacity development and training officials in dealing with
macro-economic and financial issues in the South Asia region.
It will become the focal point for planning, coordinating, and implementing the IMFs capacity
development activities in the region on a wide range of areas.
These wide range of areas are includes macroeconomic and fiscal management, financial
sector regulation, monetary operations and supervision, and macroeconomic statistics.
It will help to address existing training needs and respond to the demand for IMF training in
India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Maldives and Sri Lanka.
SARTTAC will build upon the IMFs in-depth experience with capacity development on the
experiences of the IMFs Regional Technical Assistance Centres (RTACs) and Regional
Training Centres (RTCs).
Funding for the centre will come from contributions by Regional Member countries and
Development Partners.
Australian Agency for International Development, South Korea and India also have pledged
financial support for the Centre.

Anand Mahindra conferred with France's Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur

i. Mahindra & Mahindra Chairman and Managing Director (MD) Anand Mahindra was conferred with
Chevalier de la Legion dHonneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour) by French Government.
ii. He was presented with this award by Francois Richier, Ambassador of France to India in recognition
of his outstanding national and international achievements.
iii. Anand Mahindra is one of the most prominent business leaders in India. Under his leadership
Mahindra & Mahindra group has turned into a global company of outstanding repute.

About Knight of the Legion of Honour

Chevalier de la Legion dHonneur is the highest French civilian award which was started by
first emperor of France Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802.
It is bestowed upon person for his outstanding service to France, regardless of the nationality.
Its motto is Honour and Fatherland.
Note: Anand Mahindras father Harish Mahindra and uncle Keshub Mahindra have also been
recipients of this award in the past.

Union Power Ministry named LED based Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme as UJALA
i. Union Power Ministry has announced name UJALA for the LED based Domestic Efficient Lighting
Programme (DELP). UJALA is acronym for Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All.
ii. The National LED based DELP programme was launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
January 2015 for energy conservation by reducing energy consumption.
iii. The target of programme is to replace 77 crore incandescent lamps with LED bulbs. Energy
Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) is implementing it and is currently running successfully in over 120
cities across India.
iv. The initiative is part of the Union Governments efforts to spread the message of energy efficiency in
the country. LED bulbs have a very long life, almost 50 times more than ordinary bulbs, and 8-10 times
that of CFLs, and therefore provide both energy and cost savings in the medium term. It will help in
saving of energy around 24 crore units every year.

Lt Gen N P S Hira appointed Deputy Chief of Army

i. Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) N P S Hira has been appointed as Deputy Chief of Army Staff. He will be
now moving to Army Headquarters in New Delhi.
ii. Presently he is posted as Chief of Staff of Northern command at Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir. He
was commissioned in the Sikh Light Infantry.
iii. He has a rich experience of counter insurgency operations in J&K and in the northeast region, as
well as conventional operations in Western command.
iv. He had commanded the Battalion in Assam (Op Rhino) during high violence period. The unit under
his command has bagged 32 gallantry awards and COAS citation.
v. He had commanded 12 Infantry Brigade deployed on the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector. He also
had commanded the 10 Infantry Division in J&K on the LoC with distinction for which he was awarded
the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal.
vi. Awards and Honours: He has earned an Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra, Shaurya Chakra and many
more gallantry awards.

India, US launch Fullbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship

i. India and United States have launched the Fulbright Kalam Climate Fellowship enabling Indian
research scholars to work with American institutions in the field of climate change.
ii. It will sponsor up to 6 Indian PhD students and post-doctoral researchers to work with US institutions
for a period up to one year.
iii. The fellowship has been named after late Indian President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. It was launched as
part of a commitment made by US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to build
long-term capacity to address climate change-related issues in both the countries.
iv. It will be operated by the binational US-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) under the umbrella of
the prestigious Fulbright programme. It will be jointly funded by both the governments.

Arab League declares Lebanese movement Hezbollah a terrorist group

i. The Arab League has declared Lebanese movement Hezbollah, a Shia political organisation a
terrorist group. The move comes after the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) had adopted the same
stance.
ii. Decision in this regard was taken during the Arab League Foreign Ministers meeting at the
organisations seat in Egypts capital Cairo. All-22 Arab League members supported the decision except
Lebanon and Iraq expressed reservations.
iii. Hezbollah (Party of God) is a Shia political organisation created by Irans Revolutionary Guards in
the 1980s. It was established with an armed wing during Lebanons civil war from 1975 to 1990.
Currently, it is fighting in Lebanons neighbouring Syria to support the Government of President Bashar
al-Assad.
iv. The United States, Canada and Australia already have listed Hezbollah as a terrorist group and the
European Union (EU) has also blacklisted its military wing.

1. 22nd March : World Water Day

i. United Nations World Water Day is an international observance held every March 22 that provides an
opportunity to learn more about water related issues and take action on a current or future challenge to make a
difference.

ii. This years theme of Word Water Day is Water and Jobs focuses on how enough quantity and quality of water
can change workers lives and livelihoods and even transform societies and economies.
iii. The day first marked in 1992 at United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de
Janeiro.
iv. It aims to raise awareness about water related issues.
v. The occasion of World Water Day is also used to highlight required improvements for access to WASH (water,
sanitation, hygiene) facilities in developing countries.

2. Current Account Deficit Narrows To 1.3 % of GDP In 3rd Quarter

i. Indias current account deficit narrowed to 1.3% of the gross domestic product (GDP) in the fiscal third quarter.

ii. In the earlier year 1.5% traded as deficit contracted. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) showed in date that trade
deficit during the October-December quarter narrowed to $34 billion from $38.6 billion during the same period in
2014-15.
iii. The Economic Survey released before the 29 February budget said Indias external sector outcome continues to
be strong and sustainable because of strong macroeconomic fundamentals and low commodity prices.
iv. The survey said that while global concerns over Chinas economic growth and normalization of the monetary
policy in the US may affect global financial flows with policy reform initiatives and a strong macroeconomic
outcome.
v. The deficit in the current account is likely to be more than fully financed through stable flows and the volatility
in global financial markets may affect the exchange rate less than in other emerging economies.

3. PM Modi confers Himachal Pradesh with Krishi Karman Award

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi conferred Krishi Karman Award to the government of Himachal Pradesh for its
landmark achievement in showing highest production of food grains in year 2014-15, despite adverse weather
conditions and rain-fed farming in the state.

ii. The award was received by Agriculture Minister Sujan Singh Pathania who led a team of senior officers
including Additional Chief Secretary (Agri) Upma Chawdhry at a ceremony held at New Delhi.
iii. The award consists a trophy, citation and cash amount of rupees one crore.
iv. The Union Ministry of Agriculture had selected Himachal Pradesh for the award under total food grains
category-II of the Krishi Karman Award.
v. During last three years, total food grains production had increased to from 15.41 lakh in 2011-12 to 16.73 lakh
tonnes in 2014-15. The department had also done commendable work in promoting poly-house cultivation, micro-
irrigation, organic farming and soil health management.

4. IRDA Okay With LIC Investment In Public Sector Banks

i. The regulatory authority of Insurance sector has given its nod to the Biggest life insurance company of India-
LIC to invest in the Public Sector Banks.

ii. IRDA after complete scrutiny of the investments of LIC in PSUs have agreed to the proposal of increasing its
investments in Public sector banks.
iii. RBI had expressed concern over LIC making huge investments in PSU banks, saying it can affect the financial
stability.
iv. The RBI which has asked banks to clean up their balance sheets by March 2017 has given them a list of some
150 accounts which had either become NPAs or are on the verge of becoming NPAs.

5. India Distributed Scholarships To Over 800 Bangladeshi Students In Dhaka

i. India distributed scholarships to over 800 Bangladeshi students under the 'Muktijodha Scholarship Scheme'.

ii. The scholarships were distributed at the hands of Minister for Liberation War Affairs in the presence of Indian
High Commissioner Harsh Vardhan Sringla.
iii. The Indian Government in 2006 initiated the scholarship scheme to strengthen the historic legacy that both
countries share in fighting and winning the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War against Pakistan.
iv. Under the scheme, descendants of freedom fighters get selected on merit basis to pursue undergraduate studies.
It is estimated that over 9500 students have been benefited from the scheme so far.
v. Over 9500 students have been benefited from the scheme so far. Under the scheme, more than 130 million takas
have been distributed so far.

6. Nadda launches CBNAAT machines for quick diagnosis of TB

i. Union Health Minister JP Nadda launched Cartridge Based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (CBNAAT)
machines for the quick diagnosis of Tuberculosis within two hours.

ii. The CBNAAT is a revolutionary rapid molecular test which detects Mycobacterium tuberculosis and rifampicin
drug resistance, simultaneously.
iii. This test is fully automated and provides results within two hours.
iv. At present 121 CBNAAT machine are functioning and five hundred more such machines were launched by the
Minister.
v. Nadda also launched a new anti-TB drug Bedaquiline, which is a new anti-TB drug for treatment of Multi-drug-
resistant tuberculosis. This drug is indicated for use in the treatment of drug-resistant TB. The drug will be made
available in six public hospitals in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Guwahati and Ahmedabad.

7. Govt Withdraws Recognition of Delhi Stock Exchange

i. The government has formally withdrawn the recognition of Delhi Stock Exchange (DSE) after it was
derecognised by markets regulator Sebi in November 2014 for "serious irregularities" in its functioning.

ii. The DSE board had overlooked the "due transfer of shares in demat accounts and receipt of funds by the
appointed date", the Sebi order had said.
iii. DSE was incorporated in 1947.
iv. Under certain provisions of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956, the recognition to a recognised
stock exchange can be withdrawn if it "has not been corporatised and demutualised within the specified time.
8. Infibeam IPO Subscribed 0.21 times On Day 1
i. Infibeam Incorporation Ltd, the first Indian e-commerce firm to launch an initial public offering (IPO), saw its
issue being subscribed 0.21 times on the opening day of the share sale.

ii. According to data from BSE, the qualified institutional buyers portion was subscribed 0.22 times, with all the
bids coming in from foreign institutional investors, while the retail portion was subscribed 0.17 times.
iii. The Ahmedabad-based e-tailer, which aims to raise Rs.450 crore from the share sale, has already run into
problems with two of the four domestic investment banks opting out on concerns over pricing and timing of the
issue.
iv. Kotak Mahindra Capital and ICICI Securities withdrew as bankers to the issue. S
v. BI Capital Markets Ltd and Elara Capital (India) Pvt. Ltd are the two bankers managing the offer currently.

9. Paytm ties up with PVR to sell online movie tickets

i. Cinema exhibition chain PVR cinemas and mobile payments and commerce platform Paytm have announced a
strategic relationship that will bring PVRs movie tickets to Paytms e-commerce platform as a part of its
nationwide foray in the online movie ticket segment.

ii. In the first year of this relationship, PVR targets to sell tickets worth Rs 250-300 crore on Paytms e-commerce
platforms in addition to revenues from ticket sales at box offices and other channels.
iii. This is another initiative to augment the box office revenues by reaching out to more consumers and achieving
better penetration into micro markets.
iv. Paytm is aggressively extending its presence in new verticals as a part of its strategy to be ubiquitous in daily
life of its customers.
v. While the movie ticketing market in India is worth around $2 billion growing 10% annually, the online movie
ticketing market is only 15% of the total domestic market. Paytm intends to double the share of online movie
ticketing market in quick time.

10. SEBI For Doing Away Of Fresh KYC For Opening Of New Accounts In Securities Market
i. Indian capital market regulator SEBI is considering doing away with the requirement of a fresh KYC for
opening of new accounts in securities market if the investor has got a bank account.

ii. Under the proposed move, the market intermediaries like mutual funds would rather be allowed to use the Know
Your Customer or KYC checks conducted by banks themselves.
iii. According to SEBI Chairman U K Sinha, the common Know your Customer or KYC for the entire financial
sector is also in works, but the regulator in the meantime is considering allowing banks KYC for the securities
markets.
iv. Speaking after a board meeting of SEBI in New Delhi recently,Mr. Sinha also said SEBI has also put in place
new relaxed norms for listing of startup companies. v. Coupled with the sops announced by government in Budget,
it may result in many such ventures hitting the markets

11. Govt pays GMR's 'due' in Chhattisgarh

i. Government of Chhattisgarh had deposited money that factually GMR Group was supposed to pay for
disbursing compensation to project affected farmers.

ii. The GMR Chhattisgarh Energy Limited, a subsidiary of GMR Group, is setting up 1370 Mw (2x685 Mw) super
critical coal based power plant located in Raikheda of Raipur district.
iii. The plant would require 40.3 cusec water and the supply would be met from the Samoda barrage on Mahanadi.
iv. The state government had acquired land in four villages straddling between Raipur and Mahasamund districts
that were coming under submergence area.
v. The company was supposed to deposit Rs 30 crore with the Mahasamund district administration (the details of
Raipur district could not be known) for paying compensation to the farmers who gave away their land for the
construction of barrage. It however, deposited only Rs 3 crore while failed to respond for the remaining amount
even after series of reminders sent by the water resources department.

12. IKEA donates Rs 92 crore for safe water projects in India, Indonesia
i. Swedish furniture retailing giant IKEA will contribute 12.4 million euro (Rs 92.84 crore) to provide safe water
and sanitation to one million people in India and Indonesia through Water Org.

ii. IKEA Foundation has announced a new grant of 12.4 million euro to Water Org on the occasion of the World
Water Day (March 22).
iii. IKEA Foundation is the philanthropic arm of INGKA Foundation, the owner of the IKEA Group of companies.
iv. The World Bank estimates that 2% of communicable diseases in India are linked to unsafe water and the lack
of hygiene practices, and 50% of Indias population continues to practice open defecation, the statement said.
v. In Indonesia, more than 33 million people lack access to safe water and 100 million lack access to improved
sanitation facilities.
13. Attack in Brussels
i. On the morning of 22 March 2016, three explosions occurred in Belgium, two at Brussels Airport in Zaventem
and one at Maalbeek metro station in Brussels.

ii. In the wake of the attack, 34 people were killed and 198 others were injured, resulting in three days of national
mourning in Belgium.
iii. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attacks. The attacks are the
deadliest act of terrorism on Beligan soil.
iv. There were two explosions in the Brussels Airport international departure hall shortly after 08:00 local time.
v. One near the American Airlines and Brussels Airlines check-in desks and the other next to a Starbucks coffee
shop.

14. Former Danish Prime Minister Anker Jogensen Passed Away

i. Anker Henrik Jorgensen, who was a Danish politician and served at various times as Prime Minister and Foreign
Minister of Denmark has passed away on Sunday.

ii. He led five cabinets as Prime Minister between 1972 and 1981. He was 93.
iii. Jorgensens time in power was characterized by a sluggish economy and rising unemployment and although
popular. He was criticized for not doing enough to reform the economy.
iv. On 3 October 1974, the Prime Minister Jens Otto Krag resigned his post and appointed Jorgensen as his
successor. Throughout his tenure he continued to live with his wife and four children in an apartment in a working
class district of Copenhagen.
v. He first became prime minister in 1972 after Denmark in a referendum had voted yes to joining the European
Economic Community of which it became a member the following year. He led or represented the Social
Democratic Party for well over 30 years. He has been described as not having the image of a strong or visionary
leader, but through his down-to-earth and earnest demeanor he managed to maintain a wide support for the Danish
welfare state in the population.

15. HS Prannoy wins 2016 Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold badminton title
i. Ace Indian shuttler HS Prannoy (World no 13) has won the prestigious 2016 Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold
badminton tournament in the mens single category.
ii. In the final match played at Basel, Switzerland, he defeated Marc Zwiebler (World no 7) of Germany 21-18, 21-
15 score.
iii. It was his second Grand Prix Gold title after the Indonesia Open Grand Prix Gold won in 2014.

1. India and Bangladesh PMs launch two bilateral projects

i. Primer Ministers of India and Bangladesh commissioned international gateway of internet service in
Agartala and supply of 100 MW power to Bangladesh from Tripura.

ii. Chief Minister Manik Sarkar also graced the cross border occasion connected through video
conference.
iii. Both Prime Ministers were accompanied by their external affairs ministers, power and
telecommunication ministers in their PMOs when two bilateral projects launched.
iv. Agartala has become third station connected to submarine cable for internet bandwidth after
Chennai and Mumbai while the state also landed in international power map by starting supply of
electricity from Suryamaninagar grid to the grid in Commilla of southeast Bangladesh.
v. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Chief Minister Manik Sarkar in
their speeches termed the commissioning of 10 GBPS bandwidth import and 100 MW electricity from
south Tripuras 726 MW Palatana gas based project a historic one and a day to celebrate friendly
relations between two neighbors.

2. India to host 8th BRICS Summit in October in Goa

i. India will host the eighth annual Summit of BRICS from October 15-16 in Goa in its capacity as
chair of the influential bloc comprising five countries with 42 per cent of the world population and
combined GDP of over $16 trillion.

ii. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj made the announcement today during a function where she
also unveiled a logo and a website of the Summit.
iii. India assumed chairmanship of BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India- China-South Africa) from Russia on
February 15 and it will last till December 31.
iv. As per the The External Affairs Minister of India's core-theme during BRICS chairmanship will be
building responsive, inclusive and collective solutions for the grouping.
v. The logo for the Summit is a lotus having colors from all the five member countries and a
traditional 'namaste' in the center.

3. Core banking facility available at 25K post offices by April

i. The Department of Posts will offer core banking solutions (CBS) to its customers at 25,000 post
offices by April, against 20,494 CBS-enabled branches.

ii. CBS-enabled post offices allow customers to access their postal savings from any of the branches
where the facility is available.
Postal departments digitization is integral to Digital India.
iii. The core banking linkage of post offices is bigger than that of State Bank of India, which has
16,333 CBS-enabled branches.
iv. Implementation of CBS is part of the governments plan for IT Modernisation Project of the
Department of Posts, which aims to bring in various IT solutions with the required IT infrastructure to
the post offices.
v. In September 2015, the postal department received an in-principle approval from the Reserve Bank
of India to set up a payments bank within 18 months.

4. 21 states to implement National Food Security Act by April 1

i. The National Food Security Act (NFSA) will be implemented in 10 more states from April 1 this
year, taking the total number of states implementing NFSA to 21, Union Minister of Food and Public
Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan.

ii. only 11 states had implemented the National Food Security Act and that too they had not
implemented totally.
iii. The number of states has increased from 11 to 21, including Gujarat, which will implement it by
April 1, 2016," Paswan told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting organised here with Food
Corporation of India (FCI) officials of Gujarat
iv. As many as 3,83,44,000 beneficiaries have been identified in Gujarat to whom a total 21 lakh tonne
food grains will be distributed annually under the programme.
v. According to Paswan Gujarat has prepared the allocation list before hand for a possible rise in the
number of beneficiaries, as the current calculation of beneficiaries is based on the 2011 census. Gujarat
has a storage capacity for 6.89 lakh food grains which will be sufficient to hold food for 3-4 months

5. HL Dattu appointed to International Human Rights body

i. Justice HL Dattu, chairperson, National Human Rights Commission, India emerged as the unanimous
choice to be appointed as a member of the International Coordinating Committee of NHRIs (ICC)
Bureau in Geneva.

ii. Justice Dattu with his vast experience and legal expertise is expected to contribute richly to the
approach of the ICC on the human rights issues being faced by the international community.
iii. His presence on the ICC Bureau will help in not only strengthening the ICC but also enhance the
role of NHRIs in the United Nations mechanisms.
iv. He will also be working towards the creation of new NHRIs in the countries, which have not set up
such bodies.

6. India's Agasthyamala Listed Among 20 World Biosphere Reserves

i. India's "unique" Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve in the Western Ghats is among 20 new sites added
by the UN's top cultural body UNESCO to its World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

ii. The International Co-ordinating Council added the new sites during a two-day meeting on Saturday
in Lima, capital of Peru, bringing the total number of biosphere reserves to 669 sites in 120 countries,
including 16 transboundary sites.
iii. The newly adopted sites include 18 national site and one transboundary site shared between Spain
and Portugal.
iv. The Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve (ABR) was established in 2001 and is spread across the two
states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
v. Biosphere reserves are places for learning about sustainable development aiming to reconcile the
conservation of biodiversity with the sustainable use of natural resources. New reserves are designated
each year by the International Co-ordinating Council of the UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB)
Programme, which brings together elected representatives of 34 UNESCO Member States.

7. India's Defence Lab Develops Thermal imaging Radar To Look Through Walls
i. In what can prove to be a great aid for the Indian forces in dealing with hostage situations, India's
premier government R&D body DRDO has developed a radar that can look through a wall.

ii. The Through Barrier Imaging Radar, named 'Divyachakshu' (divine eye), has been developed by
Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) Electronics & Radar Development
Establishment (LRDE) based in Bangalore and is going through development trials now.
iii. It can look though walls of 20-30 cm thickness made of any material, by using thermal imaging.
iv. "The radar can produce images from the other side of the barrier up to a distance of 20 metres.
v. It catches the thermal signatures and movements in a room can be clearly seen," a scientist working
on the project told IANS on condition of anonymity.

8. Cabinet approves National Capital Goods Policy

i. The Union Cabinet has approved the national capital goods policy.

ii. The government believes implementation of the capital goods policy is critical and needed to give a
boost to the sector and the Make in India initiative.
iii. The government had unveiled the National Capital Goods Policy in February. This is the first time
such a policy has been framed for the sector.
iv. The Cabinet has also green flagged the doubling of two rail lines in Bihar and Jharkhand and
approved incentives for rural housing.
v. In particular, the policy will make sure the country utilizes the capital goods that already exist and
cut down on imports, he says. To give a rough idea, the capacity utilization for the industry as a whole,
he says, would be between 45 percent and 70 percent, adding, Thermax operated at a capacity level of
50 percent-60 percent.

9. Ashok Leyland To Partner With US Firm To Develop Defence Systems

i. Hinduja Groups Ashok Leyland Defence Systems Ltd (ALDS) has tied up with US-based defence
contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. to develop combat vehicles for the Indian Army.

ii. The base platforms of Lockheed combat vehicles will be used to develop light specialist and light
armoured multipurpose vehicles for the Indian Army.
iii. Ashok Leyland would serve as the prime contractor and provide cost effective manufacturing hub
for global requirements of the vehicles. As a licensed manufacturer of CVNG, the association with
Lockheed Martin opens up a huge opportunity towards exports of vehicle platform as a Made in India
product.

10. Cabinet approves Udaan scheme till 2019-20

i. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given
its approval for extension of time period of the Special Industry Initiative for J&K (SII J&K) Udaan
scheme till 2019-20.

ii. Initially, the time period of Udaan was up to 2015-16.

iii. Udaan provides exposure to the youth of Jammu and Kashmir to the best of corporate India and
corporate India to the rich talent pool available in the State. So far, 67 leading corporates have
partnered with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under Udaan with a commitment to
train youth from the state covering Organized Retail, Banking, Financial Services, IT,
ITES, Infrastructure, Hospitality etc.
iv. More than 19,000 candidates have been selected, more than 15,000 have joined training, out of
them, 8700 candidates have completed training and 6,838 have been offered jobs.
v. It is expected that the target of the scheme, to train and enhance employability of 40,000 graduates,
post graduates and three year engineering diploma holders, will be achieved by 2019-20.

11. Akhilesh Ranjan committee submits recommendations on Taxation of e-commerce

i. A committee was constituted by the Central Board of Direct Taxes to examine the business models
for e-commerce, identify the direct tax issues in relation to e-commerce transactions and provide
suggestions.

ii. This committee was headed by Akhilesh Ranjan, Joint Secretary (CBDT) and it includes officers of
the Central Board of Direct Taxes, representatives from the industry, the Institute of Chartered
Accountants of India and tax experts.
iii. According to this report, Equalization Levy may be imposed on payments to non-residents for
specified services by a separate chapter in the Finance Act, 2016 Akhilesh Ranjan committee submits
recommendations on Taxation of e-commerce.
iv. The rate of Equalization Levy may be between 6 to 8 percent of the gross sum received.
v. Any income arising from a transaction on which Equalization Levy has been paid should be
exempted from income-tax, by necessary amendment in Section 10 of the Income-tax Act, 1961. The
implementation and impact of Equalization Levy may be monitored on a regular basis.

12. Ali Mohamed Shein is a new President of Zanzibar

i. The electoral authority of Tanzanias semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar, the ZEC, announced
incumbent President Ali Mohamed Shein had won his re-election bid, after polls boycotted by the main
opposition party.

ii. Shein from the ruling CCM party easily won after the main opposition party, the Civic United Front
or CUF, boycotted the election, protesting the ZECs decision to nullify the results of last Octobers
general election in which the opposition apparently won both the presidency and the house of
representatives.
iii. International observers, including the European Union and other international bodies, made clear
their stand by condemning not only the election re-run, but also the nullification of the October election
results.
iv. International observers also did not also go to Zanzibar to observe polls, except for African Union
representatives. Since the multiparty system was re-introduced in the country in 1992, with the first
multiparty general election in 1995, there has been no easy election for Zanzibars ruling CCM.
v. In some four consecutive presidential elections, Hamad claimed to be the winner, but was
unrecognized as such by electoral authorities. In 2010, the election in Zanzibar went smoothly
following constitutional amendments which led to a government of national unity between the ruling
CCM and the main opposition CUF, with Hamad appointed first vice president to Shain.

13. Ex-Intel CEO Andy Grove dies

i. former Intel Corp. chief executive Andy Grove, the whose youth under Nazi occupation and escape
from the Iron Curtain inspired an only the paranoid survive management philosophy that saved the
chip maker from financial ruin in the 1980s, died. He was 79.

ii. Grove was Intel's very first hire and played an instrumental role in taking the company from a
scrappy startup to the most powerful chipmaker in the world.
iii. His leadership at Intel spans over 30 years, being named the company's President in 1979 and CEO
in 1987.
iv. Andy Grove was one of the giants of the technology world.
v. He loved our country and epitomized America at its best.

14. I&B Minister gives away 5th National Photography Awards

i. I&B Minister Arun jaitley gives away 5th National Photography Awards. Addressing the event
Union Minister Jaitley said our impression of personalities and historical events are based on visuals
and a good photograph has an indefinite life.
ii. The Minister lauded the professional work of Shri Bhawan Singh who was given the Life Time
Achievement Award for this year, recalling his excellence in capturing the visual journey of India from
late 70s.
iii. The Life Time Achievement award was presented to Shri Bhawan Singh for his illustrious career
and contributions to the field of Photography. Shri Bhawan Singh has worked in the Indian news
industry for over five decades and is one of the senior photo journalist in the country. His career which
started in a newspaper has been built mostly around magazines. He worked as Magazine Photo
Editor with India Today magazine. He is a recipient of the World Press Photo Award.
iv. The total number of awards in the various categories were thirteen.
v. The various categories included Professional Photographer of the Year, Special Mention Award
(Professional), Amateur Photographer of the Year, Special Mention Award (Amateur).

15. Gurmeet Singh becomes 1st Indian to win Asian 20km Race Walk Championships
i. Gurmeet Singh created history by becoming the first Indian athlete to clinch a gold medal in the
Asian 20km Race Walk Championships as he won the men's event with his season's best effort.
ii. Gurmeet Singh created history by becoming the first Indian athlete to clinch a gold medal in the
Asian 20km Race Walk Championships as he won the men's event with his season's best effort.
iii. Gurmeet clocked 1 hour 20 minutes and 29 seconds. He beat Japan's Isamu Fujisawa (1:20:49) in a
close fight in the last 5km. Kazakhstan's Georgiy Sheiko won the bronze medal in 1:21:52.Gurmeet
clocked 1 hour 20 minutes and 29 seconds.
iv. He beat Japan's Isamu Fujisawa (1:20:49) in a close fight in the last 5km. Kazakhstan's Georgiy
Sheiko won the bronze medal in 1:21:52.
v. By winning the Asian title Gurmeet has made a strong case for himself for selection in the Rio
Olympic Games. Nine Indians have so far bettered the Games qualifying standard in men's 20km race
walk and only three will make it to the final in Rio.

1. World Tuberculosis Day: 24 march

i. World TB Day, falling on March 24th each year. This time the Theme is "Unite to End TB".

ii. It is designed to build public awareness that tuberculosis remains an epidemic in much of the world, causing the
deaths of nearly one-and-a-half million people each year, mostly in developing countries.
iii. It commemorates the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch astounded the scientific community by announcing
that he had discovered the cause of tuberculosis, the TB bacillus.
iv. At the time of Koch's announcement in Berlin, TB was raging through Europe and the Americas, causing the
death of one out of every seven people.
v. Koch's discovery opened the way towards diagnosing and curing TB.

2. Union Cabinet Has Approved Rs. 9000 Crore for Swachh Bharat Mission
i. The government of India has approved a $1.5 billion (approximate Rs 9,000 crore) to support Swachh Bharat
Mission (SBM) in rural areas.

ii. This offer has been made by The World Bank. The approval also provides for a mechanism of incentivisation
through World Bank credit. States performance will also be gauged through performance indicators.
iii. Apart from the above The GOI has also approved a revised cost of Rs 4,021 crore for the 720 Mw
Mangadechhu Hydroelectric Project in Bhutan.
iv. The project will provide surplus power to India. For this project the bilateral agreement was signed in April
2010 with an estimation Rs 2,896 crore.
v. In this project the GOI is funding 30% and 70% has been taken as loan on which 10% annual interest to be paid
back in 30 equal six month instalements.

3. AROGYA Fair To Be Commence From March 26 In Goa

i. The 4 days National AROGYA fair is going to be started from 26 March in Goa.

ii. The fair will be organised by AYUSH Ministry and Confederation of Indian Industry.
iii. This year fair is being organised with the objective of promoting and popularising Indian Medicine Systems to
the general public and update industry of the latest developments in the sector.
iv. The fair will also promote and propagate the Indian Medicine systems namely Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha,
Sowa-Rigpa and Homeopathy.
v. The 4 days fair are expected to cover free medical check-ups, distribution of medicines and technical sessions.
The ministry is expecting approximate 15,000 to 20,000 people to attend the event.
4. Indian Coast Guard Vessel Arnvesh Commissioned
i. The Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV), ICGS Arnvesh, of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) was commissioned in
Visakhapatnam.

ii. The vessel was commissioned by the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Naval Command, Vice-
Admiral HCS Bisht.
iii. The ship is primarily intended to undertake surveillance at sea, coastal patrol, anti-smuggling and anti-piracy
operations.
iv. Arnvesh is equipped with the most-advanced navigational and communication sensors and equipment,
including night vision capabilities, and is fitted with 40/60 Bofors gun onboard as main armament.
v. Arnvesh is the 16th vessel among the 20 vessels in this category being constructed by Cochin Shipyard Limited.
The ship is built by the Cochin Shipyard Ltd.

5. Bajaj Finance enters life care financing segment

i. Shares of Bajaj Finance went up by nearly 4 per cent today as the company is entering the Rs 20,000-crore life
care segment.

ii. Bajaj Finance is entering the Rs 20,000-crore life care segment.

iii. Under this segment it will finance expenses for stem cells storage units, cosmetics-based hair treatment, dental
and eye care, IVF & maternity care, laproscopic cure for a dozen ailments, and elective medical/paramedical care
for many other issues.
iv. The Pune-based company, which claims to be the first to enter this segment in the country, expects to net
around Rs 1,000 crore in sales over the next five years from this business hoping to an encore of the massive
demand for such segmental funding in the Western markets where life care segment is a booming business.

6. Justice Permod Kohli Appointed As Chairman of Central Administrative Tribunal

i. Retired Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court Justice Permod Kohli has been appointed as the Chairman of Central
Administrative Tribunal(CAT).

ii. His appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) chaired by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi.
iii. Justice Kohli will have tenure of five years with effect from the date of assumption of charge of the post or till
attaining the age of 68 years, whichever is earlier.
iv. Mr. Kohli born in 1951 in the town of Rajouri, Jammu and Kasmir. He joined Bar at Jammu in 1972. Mr. Kohli
became Advocate General of Jammu & Kashmir in December 1990. He is an expert in Constitutional, Civil and
Taxation cases. He remained Legal Advisor to Sri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board and Sri Mata Vaishno Devi
University till elevation.
v. He as Judge has provided services to the High Courts of Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand and Punjab & Haryana.
Prior to this appointment in 2011 Mr. Kohli was elevated as the Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court.

7. South Indian Bank gets ISO 9001:2008 certification

i. The South Indian Bank has announced that its personnel department has achieved the ISO 9001:2008
certification.

ii. It is a very remarkable achievement for the bank as only very few personnel departments have won this
certification in the industry.
iii. The announcement has been made by the MD & CEO of South Indian Bank Mr. V G Mathew.
iv. The ISO certification signifies a global benchmark in customer satisfaction, reduction in defect levels and
product quality.
v. The standard recognizes all the services required by the customer, it can be product services, hardare or software
etc.

8. Nepal becomes Shanghai dialogue partner

i. After a long wait, Nepal has officially become a dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation with
the signing of a memorandum.

ii. Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi and SCO Secretary-General Rashid K Alimov inked the memorandum
amid a special ceremony held at the SCO Secretariat in Beijing.
iii. The programme was witnessed by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and other senior ministers, who are on an
official visit to China. iv. Nepal had applied for dialogue partner of the SCO in 2007 and in 2015.
v. The 15th SCO Summit held in July last year in Ufa, Russia, decided to grant Nepal the dialogue partner status.

9. India and France sign MoU for construction of six nuclear reactors at Jaitapur
i. India and France have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for construction of six nuclear reactors at
Jaitapur in Maharashtra, two months after the two countries decided to conclude the techno-commercial
negotiations for the project by the year end.

ii. The pact was inked at the end of the two-day visit of a high-level delegation of Electricite de France (EDF)
French public utility to Mumbai for holding discussions with the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL)
on the construction of the plants.
iii. French Ambassador to India Francois Richier, who was present on the occasion, reiterated his countrys
commitment to working seamlessly with India through a collaborative approach to enable both sides to contribute
collectively to the development of nuclear energy in India in the most economical manner.
iv. The Jaitapur nuclear power project is proposing a nuclear power plant of 9900 MW.
v. It consists of 6 European Pressurised Reactors (EPR) of 1650 MW each.

10. Kadhaprasangam Maestro And Actor VD Rajappan Passed Away

i. Kadhaprasangam maestro and actor VD Rajappan has passed away at a private hospital in Kottayam. He was
70.

ii. He was Kerala's popular 'Kadhaprasangam' (story telling) artiste and Malayalam film actor mainly known for
his comic roles.
iii. Rajappan had acted in more than 50 Malayalam movies.
iv. He was the centre of attraction at festival grounds in Kerala at the peak of his career in 1970s and 80s.
v. He acted in many movies including 'Kakka', 'Kusruthikkattu', 'Kattupothu', 'Kuyilinethedi' and 'Engane Nee
Marakkum.' His last movie was 'Ok Chacko Cochin Mumbai'. He went on to have a successful tint as a comedian
in cinema and was very popular among the masses.

11. Football legend Johan Cryuff passes away

i. Johan Cruyff aka Flying Dutchman, the legendary Dutch football striker and coach has died of lung cancer at the
age of 68.

ii. As a player, Cruyff was the embodiment of Dutch total football, a fluid style of play focused on ball
possession and rapid passing, and involving all members of the team in both attack and defence.
iii. He emerged as one of the worlds greats in the early 1970s when he helped Ajax Amsterdam win three
European Cups in a row from 1971-73.
iv. He was named European Footballer of the Year in 1971, 1973 and 1974.Johan Cryuff. He joined Barcelona for
a then-world record transfer fee of $2.0 million.
v. He was also a key player in the great Netherlands team that reached the 1974 World Cup final. Cruyff had been
a heavy smoker, and had had heart surgery in 1991. His death comes less than six months after he announced that
he had been diagnosed with lung cancer.

12. Australias Shane Watson To Retire From Internationals After World Twenty20
i. Veteran Australian all-rounder Shane Watson has announced today that he would retire from international
cricket at the end of the ongoing World Twenty20 tournament in India. He is 34 year old.
ii. He shared his decision to call it quits with teammates in Mohali, where Australia take on Pakistan in a World
T20 group match on Friday," Cricket Australia said. Mr.
iii. Watson had retired from Test cricket at the end of last year's Ashes tour of England.
iv. Mr. Shane Watson made his debut in year 2002 as an opening batsman and a reliable pacer.
v. He also took 168 ODI wickets and holds the Australian record for the highest ODI score, an unbeaten 185
against Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2011.

1. Pranab Mukherjee greets Greece on Independence Day

i. President Pranab Mukherjee has extended his greetings and felicitations to the government and
people of Greece on the eve of their Independence Day.

ii. In a message to President Prokopis Pavlopoulos he said, "On behalf of the government, the people of
India and on my own behalf, it is with great pleasure that I extend warm greetings and felicitations to
Your Excellency and to the people of the Hellenic Republic (Greece) on the occasion of your
Independence Day.
iii. India and the Hellenic Republic enjoy excellent relations based on our common commitment to
shared values and our cultural ties that go back into antiquity," Mukherjee said.
iv. Both India and Greece seek to consolidate and strengthen their cooperation and take it to a higher
level.
v. He added "I would also like to take this opportunity to convey my best wishes for Your Excellency's
well-being and for the continued progress and prosperity of the friendly people of the Hellenic
Republic".
2. Arvind Kejriwal named among worlds 50 greatest leaders by Fortune
i. Arvind Kejriwal has been named among the worlds 50 greatest leaders by Fortune magazine with
the Delhi Chief Minister being the sole Indian leader on the list topped by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

ii. Fortunes third annual Worlds 50 Greatest Leaders list features men and women from across the
globe from the fields of business, government, philanthropy and the arts who are transforming the
world and inspiring others to do the same.
iii. 47-year-old Aam Aadmi Party chief is ranked 42nd on the list and is the sole leader from
India.However, South Carolinas Indian-American Governor Nikki Haley is also on the list at 17th
while another Indian- American Resham Saujani is at the 20th spot.
iv. Fortune credits Kejriwal for his efforts to curb pollution in New Delhi through the scheme of
allowing vehicles of odd and even numbers on alternate days on the citys roads.
v. The list includes German Chancellor Angela Merkel (2), Myanmars pro-democracy leader Aung
San Suu Kyi at (3), US astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko (22), IMF
Managing Director Christine Lagarde (36), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Co-chair and CEO
Melinda Gates and Susan Desmond-Hellmann (41), Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (48) and
Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay (50).

3. Asia most exposed to disasters, Africa most vulnerable: Study

i. Countries and mega-cities across Asia are highly exposed to natural hazards ranging from cyclones to
earthquakes, but people in sub-Saharan Africa are more vulnerable, according to a report.

ii. Nearly 1.4 billion people in South Asia India, Bangladesh, Pakistan face at least one major
threat from nature, especially flooding, severe storms boosted by rising seas, and quakes.
iii.In the case of Bangladesh, 100% of its population is exposed, compared to 82% for India and 70%
in Pakistan.
iv. China, Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines are also among the nations with the largest numbers of
people in harms way.
v. The United States, Mexico and Brazil round out the top ten.

4. Jaitley visiting Australia soon to woo investments

i. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will fly to Australia on March 28 on a four-day visit to attract foreign
investments in the infrastructure sector.

ii. The objectives of the finance minister's visit to Australia is to attract foreign investment in India,
especially in the infrastructure sector among others.
iii. He will arrive in Sydney on March 29 and will address an interactive session of S.P. Jain School of
Global Management followed by a meeting with Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop and
unveiling of the state-run Union Bank of India's Sydney branch.
iv. On March 30, the finance minister will deliver the keynote address at 'Make in India' conference in
Sydney, meet prominent chief executives of Australia, hold a bilateral meeting with Australian
lawmaker and treasurer Scot Morrison and interact with the Indian community.
v. Jaitley will also have one-to-one meeting with chief executives of various Australian firms and visit
the University of Melbourne to meet its vice chancellor Daniel Andrews.

5. Himachal, Mumbai to have electric buses

i. Department of heavy industry has granted in-principle approval to Himachal Road Transport
Corporation (HRTC) and Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to
introduce zero-emission retrofitted electric buses.

ii. It is a flagship scheme under FAME India (faster adoption and manufacturing of hybrid & electric
vehicles in India).
iii. HRTC and MMRDA will roll out 25 electric buses each. Under FAME India, the department will
fund up to 75 per cent cost of the buses.
iv. Himachal Pradesh would be the first state in India to introduce zero-emission electric buses.
v. The chief minister also announced exemption from token tax, registration charges and value-added
tax on all electric vehicles for five years to promote eco-friendly transport services in the state.

6. Tech Mahindra expands presence in France

i. The information technology services entity of Tech Mahindra has announced the launch of a
development centre in Toulouse, France, to work on projects for existing partners and customers in the
aerospace industry.

ii. There are significant investments planned in terms of people, infrastructure, recruitment and
training, as a part of Tech Mahindras commitment to strengthening its presence in France.
iii. The company delighted to announce the inauguration of the new, expanded Delivery Centre in
Toulouse, which marks a significant milestone for our organization.
iv. The investment not only demonstrates our continued commitment to the region but also ensures that
we are well positioned to fully support our partner's core activities with world class Engineering and IT
services."
v. Tech Mahindra's local operation will have strategic importance by providing on-the-ground services
to support this growing collaboration, increasing the size of the local team, and expanding recruitment
in Toulouse and Midi Pyrenees' region.

7. Microsoft shuts Artificial Intelligence Robot Tay

i. Microsoft, which launched artificial intelligence (AI)-powered bot on Twitter for a playful chat with
people, only to silence it within 24 hours as users started sharing racist and offensive comments with
the bot.

ii. Launched on Twitter as an experiment in conversational understanding and to engage people

through casual and playful conversation, Tay was soon bombarded with racial comments and the
innocent bot repeated those comments back with her commentary to users.
iii. Tay an AI project built by the Microsoft Technology and Research and Bing teams was coded
with information which can tell users jokes or offer up a comment on a picture you send her.
iv. The bot is also designed to personalise her interactions with users. Microsoft has since deleted some
of the most damaging tweets from nearly the 96,000 that Tay tweeted.
v. However, a website called Socialhax.com made screenshots of several of Tays comments before
they were removed. Tay was seen referring to feminism as a cult and a cancer, as well as noting
gender equality feminism and i love feminism now.

8. ITC acquires Technico Agri Sciences for Rs 121 crore

i. FMCG ITC Ltd said that it has completed the full acquisition of Technico Agri Sciences Ltd (TASL).

ii. The company owned by its direct subsidiary, Technico Pty Limited (TPL), Australia for a cash value
of Rs 121 crore.
iii. As per a BSE filing by ITC The acquisition it is expected to improve business and operational
synergies.
iv. The acquired company which is into production and sales of a registered category and field
generated seed potatoes has been revenue positive for the past three fiscal years.
v. In 2012-13, TASL's turnover stood at Rs 64.89 crore which climbed to Rs 73.94 crore in 2013-14
and further rocketed to Rs 105.54 crore in 2014-15. The value of the acquisition is the same as TASL's
net worth.

9. RuPay to launch credit cards in Sept

i. RuPay the domestic card payment service provider will be venturing into the credit card space this
September after increasing its market share to 38 per cent in the debit card segment.

ii. The NPCI plans to issue 100,000 such cards in the first year of its launch.
iii. It will initially focus on two variants of a credit card Regular and Platinum and gradually
extend its portfolio to offer co-branded cards.
iv. RuPay is a brand owned and developed by NPCI (from 2012) to compete against global payment
schemes of the likes of Visa and MasterCard. NPCI was promoted by 10 Indian banks.
v. From 2017, the target is to issue 500,000 to a million such credit cards every year. The market size
of credit cards is presently 22.75 million users and the average value of spending a year is about Rs 2.5
lakh crore.

10. Lakshmi Vilas Bank Ties Up With NBHC For Collateral Management & Warehousing
i. Private sector Bank Lakshmi Vilas has tied up with National Bulk Handling Corporation (NBHC) for
collateral management and warehousing services.

ii. The primary objective of these services will allow industry traders and farmers in financing their
capital requirements at all stages of supply chain, ranging from pre-harvesting to the marketing and
export stages.
iii. This would allow the bank to provide financial flexibility to farmers, minimizing the seasonal price
fluctuations and distress sales during crop harvest season.
iv. NBHC services to the needs of the members of the commodities future exchange for strong
commodities and delivery through designated warehouses.

11. Hero Cycles Acquires 60% In Sri Lanka's BSH Ventures

i. Hero Cycles, the worlds largest bicycle manufacturer by volume has acquired 60 % stake in one of
Sri Lanka's leading bicycle manufactures BSH Ventures.

ii. It is third major acquisition within six months.

iii. The acquisition comes to strength its global presence and to spruce up its manufacturing proficiency
to feed a rapidly rising global demand.
iv. This comes within months of the companys significant acquisitions in UK-based Avocet Sports
and Firefox Bikes. But Hero Cycles has not disclosed its investments in the deals involved.
v. presently Hero Cycles has been aggressively driving growth by clocking a robust 11% growth in the
Indian market. It will further invest in ramping up the plant capacity in Sri Lanka to half a million units
per year with clear plans laid out to fuel the domestic as well as ever-growing global demand.

12. Paytm hires Alibabas former executive as President

i. Paytm, Indias mobile payment and commerce platform has appointed ex-head of Alibaba Group
Holdings wholesale business, Bhushan Patil as the companys new President.
ii. Bhushan Patil joins Paytm as President after serving 5.5 years at the Chinese company, where he
was handling operations of Alibaba.com.
iii. He will now focus on building Paytms cross border commerce.
iv. At the largest B2B marketplace, Bhushan was instrumental at leading new initiatives for Global
Markets business development across SME linked associations, Banks and Government trade
organizations, local trade services and e-companies.
v. Paytms Indian business is growing increasingly as it is aiming to sell USD two billion worth of
products in 2016 with a growth of five lakh from 1.7 lakh currently.

1. Govt To Create 2.5Lakh Dalit Entrepreneurs Under Stand Up India

i. The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the Stand up India Start up India initiative in New
Delhi in January.

ii. The launch by the prime minister was done at the virtual exhibition and interaction with Startup
entrepreneurs.
iii. At the inauguration of the 5th National Industrial & Trade Fair organised by Dalit Indian Chamber
Commerce & Industry (DICCI) , Union Minister for MSME (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises)
Kalraj Mishra has announced that, Under Stand-up India initiative, each of the 1.25 lakh bank branches
would be encouraged to fund a SC/ST and woman entrepreneurs to create 2.5 lakh new entrepreneurs
in the country.
iv. According to Mishras observation the availability of adequate credit was always been a major issue
and his ministry has taken several initiatives to address the challenges .
v. The dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry has been encouraging and facilitating Dalit
enterprise as a means of empowerment and has also ensured that the community contributes in the
economy, and be the job givers, not job seekers.

2. ISRO Has Established GIRI Radar System In Andhra Pradesh

i. The Gadanki Ionospheric Radar Interferometer (GIRI) has been set up at the National Atmospheric
Research Laboratory (NARL) near Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh by The Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO).

ii. NARL is an autonomous research institute of the Department of Space.

iii. Gadanki Ionospheric Radar Interferometer System is a 30 MHz radar system that will be engaged in
meteor and space weather research in a comprehensive way.
iv. It consists of a rectangular antenna array of 160 two-element Yagi-antenna, arranged in a 20x8
matrix, 20 transmitter units, 6 digital receivers including data processing systems, a radar controller,
and a host computer.
v. The main aim of GIRI is to carry out unattended observations towards studying the forcing from the
sun like variation in solar flux, solar flare and magnetic storm on the ionospheric irregularities.

3. Fourth unit of NTPC-Bihar govt owned 195-Mw plant synchronised

i. The 4th unit of 195-Mw Muzaffarpur Thermal Power Station (MTPS) has been successfully
synchronised with the national grid.

ii. The plant is owned by Kanti Bijlee Utpadan Nigam Ltd, a joint venture between NTPC and Bihar
State Power Generation Company Ltd, in which the two companies have 64.57% and 35.43% shares.
iii. First unit of 110 Mw at MTPS started generation in November, 2013, while the second unit of 110
Mw started generation in November, 2014, after successful renovation and modernisation work carried
out by BHEL. Both the units, each of 110 Mw, had stopped generation in 2003.
iv. The plant, which is being constructed at the existing site of an old power plant, would draw water
from the river Burhi Gandak.
v. It would get coal supply from a coal block of Central Coalfield Ltd located in Jharkhand.

4. Mizoram, JICA Sign Pact for Promoting Sustainable Agriculture

i. The Mizoram government and Japanese International Cooperative Agency (JICA) signed an
agreement on Capacity Enhancement for Sustainable Agriculture and Irrigation Development.

ii. The Memorandum of Understanding(MoUs) was signed by top officials of Agriculture, Minor
Irrigation, Horticulture and Soil and Water Conservation departments in the presence of state chief
secretary Lalmalsawma.
iii. The Mizoram government and Japanese International Cooperative Agency (JICA) signed an
agreement on Capacity Enhancement for Sustainable Agriculture and Irrigation Development.
iv. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by top officials of Agriculture, Minor Irrigation,
Horticulture and Soil and Water Conservation departments in the presence of state chief secretary
Lalmalsawma.

5. BHEL commissioned 600 MW Jaipur Thermal Power Plant in Telangana

i. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), a Maharatna central public sector enterprise, has
successfully commissioned a 600 Mw coal-based thermal power plantin Telangana.

ii. The company has built 600 Mw rating sets which comprise of a four cylinder turbine, designed in-
house. With the commissioning of the unit, Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) has successfully
diversified into the power generation business.
iii. The heavy engineering major had earlier commissioned a 600 Mw thermal power plant at Kakatiya
in the state in last December.
iv. The company commissioned 85 per cent of the coal-based power stations in Telangana amounting
to 5,180 Mw.
v. The state government has recently placed orders with the company for executing around 6,000 Mw
of thermal power projects in the state on engineering procurement construction basis.
6. Andhra govt set to inaugurate country's first lift irrigation project
i. Andhra government which is known for its innovations and use of technologies in various sectors has
also become the first Indian state to implement lift irrigation.

ii. Andhra Pradesh government is all set to inaugurate Pattiseema lift irrigation project, described as the
first river linking project in country, connecting Godavari with Krishna in this lower riparian state, as it
has been completed in a record time of one year.
iii. The first pump of this Rs 1,300-crore project was installed and switched on in September, 2015,
about six months after the project contract was awarded to Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering and
Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) on condition to complete the entire project in one year.
iv. The project was designed to lift 80 tmc (trillion metric cubic feet) of flood water in a span of 110
days during the flooding season between July and October from Godavari as was permitted by the
Godavari Water Dispute Tribunal (GWDT) from the ongoing Polavaram Multi-purpose Irrigation
Project.

7. Iran signs oil contract with France's Total

i. Iran signed a confidential oil agreement with France's Total to develope the South Azadegan oil field
shared by Iran and Iraq, Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zangeneh said.

ii. Iran reached an agreement with the Japanese Inpex a decade ago to develop the oil field, however,
the Japanese company quit the project as a result of US sanctions against Iran's energy sector because
of the disputed nuclear issue.
iii. Iran and the world powers clinched a nuclear deal in July last year which enables the country to re-
engage with the world's energy giants to develop its oil and gas fields.

8. Pakistan and Iran agree to boost cooperation on security, trade

i. Iran and Pakistan have mutually agreed to boost bilateral cooperation on regional security
and trade.

ii. Decision in this regard was taken by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Pakistani
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during intensive talks in Islamabad.
iii. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is on official state visit to Pakistan and is the first visit by
an Iranian head of state in 14 years.
iv. Both the countries have agreed to fight extremist and terrorist groups in their countries
shared border. They also announced the opening of two new crossing points to encourage
trade long hampered by sanctions.
v. The opening will contribute to economic integration in the region and also promote tourism
and people to people contacts.

9. Garry Shandling The Comedian And Actor Has Passed Away

i. Garry Shandling, the famous comedian who was best known for his faux docudrama and the show "
it's Garry Shandling's " has passed away due to an apparent heart attack. He was 66 year old.

ii. Mr. Shandling became a hero to a generation of comedians for his self aware comedy and
groundbreaking shows.
iii. He performed standup comedy and became a regular guest host of The Tonight Show Starring
Johnny Carson.
iv. Shandling was born in Chicago and grew up in Arizona. He moved to Los Angeles in the early
1970s, beginning as an advertising copywriter before getting a job writing for the sitcom Sanford and
Son.
v. Its Garry Shandlings Show first graced American TV sets in 1986 with the eponymous protagonist
portraying a high-strung comedian whose love life was on the rocks. The Larry Sanders Show debuted
in 1992, earning the comedian cult status and numerous awards.

10. Actor Peter Brown passes away

i. Peter Brown, who had starring roles in two television westerns in the 1950s and 60s and later acted
in soap operas, has died at the age of 80 due to Parkinsons disease.
ii. Mr. Brown played Deputy Johnny McKay on Lawman, which was seen on ABC from 1958 until
1962. His character was the wide-eyed but tough sidekick of Marshal Dan Troop, played by John
Russell, tasked with bringing order to Laramie, Wyo.
iii. He was born Pierre Lind de Lappe in New York City on Oct. 5, 1935, and his name was changed
when his mother remarried. He moved with his family to the West Coast when he was young.
iv. Mr. Browns last acting credit came in 2005 when he returned to the western genre in the movie
Hell to Pay, but his family said he continued to make appearances at collectors shows and western
festivals.

India, China led investments in Renewable Energy in 2015: UN report

i. India and China have led the developing countries in investments made in renewable
energy in 2015.
ii. It was revealed by the Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment Report published
by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

Key facts

For the first time commitments of emerging economies in solar, wind and other
renewables capacity have surpassed those by wealthy nations.
The developing world committed a total of 156 billion dollars in new renewables
capacity in 2015 year, these figures up 19% on 2014.
Within the developing-economy category, the Big Three of India, China and Brazil
saw investment rise 16% to USD 120.2 billion.
In contrast, renewable energy investments by developed countries were down by 8
per cent in 2015 to 130 billion dollars.
A large part of the record-breaking investment in developing countries took place in
China, with its investment commitment up by 17% to 102.9 billion dollars.
India was also among the top 10 investing countries in renewable energy with its
commitments rising 22% to USD 10.2 billion.
It for the second time since 2011, India enjoyed a second successive year of
increasing investment, breaching the USD 10 billion.
United States, Japan, UK Brazil, South Africa, Mexico and Chile also made it to the
top 10 investing countries in 2015.

Arvind Kejriwal named among Worlds 50 Greatest Leaders by Fortune Magazine

i. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been named among the worlds 50 greatest leaders
by Fortune magazine. He is sole leader from India in the list and has been placed at 42nd
position.
ii. 2016 edition is Fortune magazines third annual Worlds 50 Greatest Leaders list and it
has been topped by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

Key facts

Top 10: Jeff Bezos (1st position), Angela Merkel (2nd), Aung San Suu Kyi (3rd), Pope
Francis (4th), Tim Cook (5th), John Legend (6th), Christiana Figueres (7th), Paul
Ryan (8th), Ruth Bader Ginsburg (9th) and Sheikh Hasina (10th).
Indian Americans in the list: Indian-American Nikki Haley and Resham Saujani were
placed at 17th and 20th position respectively.
Nikki Haley is South Carolinas Governor and Resham Saujani is founder and CEO of
tech organization Girls Who Code.
 Others in the list: US astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko
(22th), IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde (36), Melinda Gates and Susan
Desmond-Hellmann (41th), Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (48) and
Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay (50).

About Worlds 50 Greatest Leaders list

The Worlds 50 Greatest Leaders list of Fortune Magazine 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 the same.

Mint plant can help fight cancer: CIMAP Researchers

i. Scientists at Lucknow based CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants
(CIMAP) have found that mint plant has medicinal values that can cure cancer.
ii. They have identified that a medicinal compound called L-Menthol derived from Mentha
plant popularly known as mint.

Key findings

L-Menthol compound can kill the colon cancer cell line without affecting the normal
cell line.
The compound inhibits the division of cancer cell and prevents its growth and spread
to other organs of the body.
Its production is cost-effective, non-destructive and easily available in comparison to
anti-cancer compound used at present obtained from the bark of European Yew tree.
The Mentha is available in abundance across the world compared to the European
Yew tree which is found only in Europe and some parts of Africa and Asia.
Menthol can be derived easily without damaging the plant, whereas the European
Yew tree has to be cut down for using bark for deriving anti-cancer compound.
The discovery can be very useful for farmers in India where Mentha is grown in large
quantity.

Union Government releases self-regulation Code of ethical business conduct for

industry
i. The Union Consumer Affairs Ministry has released a self-regulation Code of ethical
business conduct to be adopted by the Industry on providing best products and services.
ii. In this regard, Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) was inked between Department of
Consumer Affairs and the industry bodies related to self-regulated code of fair business.
iii. The code contains provision of trustworthy products and services for the consumers,
comply with the competition and anti-trust laws and respond to consumer complaints
promptly.
iv. It covers six broad principles to be adopted by the industry viz (i) safety of products and
services, (ii) building sustainable supply chains, (iii) marketing products ethically, (iv) non-
indulgence in unfair trade practices, (v) complying with competition and anti-trust laws, (vi)
prompt response to consumer complaints.

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1. Padma Award Has Been Presented By The President Pranab Mukherjee
i. Today President Pranab Mukherjee has presented five Padma Vibhushan, eight Padma Bhushan and
forty-three Padma Shri awards at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

ii. The government had announced Padma awards for 112 eminent persons on the eve of Republic Day.
But today 56 persons have received the awards.
iii. The list comprises 10 Padma Vibhushan, 19 Padma Bhushan and 83 Padma Shri awardees. 19 of
the awardees are women and the list also includes 10 persons in the category of foreigners, NRIs, PIOs
(include one posthumous) and 4 posthumous awardees.
iv. Here is the list of recipients:

Padma Vibhushan :
1.Founder of Reliance Industries late Dhirubhai Hirachand Ambani (posthumous), 2.Former Governor
of Jammu and Kashmir Jagmohan, 3.Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, 4.Indian-American
economist Avinash Kamalakar Dixit and 5.Renowned dancer Yamini Krishnamurti.
To know more Click Here

2. President Rule Imposed In Uttarakhand

i. Presidents Rule has been imposed in Uttarakhand.

ii. The decision has been come up a day before the crucial trust vote in the state assembly for the
Harish Rawat government.
iii. The Cabinet had recommended the imposition of Central rule in the state last night following an
hour-long emergency meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also received the formal nod
from President Pranab Mukherjee.
iv. The Centre on Sunday brought Uttarakhand under Presidents rule citing a constitutional breakdown
in the wake of a rebellion in the ruling Congress, which slammed the decision calling it a murder of
democracy and a black day.
v. President Pranab Mukherjee signed the proclamation under Article 356 of the Constitution
dismissing the Congress government headed by Harish Rawat and placing the Assembly under
suspended animation this morning on the recommendation of the Union Cabinet. The Government
justified the imposition of Presidents Rule saying the Harish Rawat government was
unconstitutional and immoral since March 18, when the failed Appropriation Bill was shown as
passed.

3. National Film Awards: Amitabh Bachchan, Kangana Ranaut, Baahubali Won Big
i. Bollywood won big at the 63rd National Awards with Amitabh Bachchan and Kangana Ranaut
scooping up Best Actor and Best Actress awards for Piku and Tanu Weds Manu Returns respectively.
ii. SS Rajamoulis magnum opus Baahubali emerged as the Best Film and Sanjay Leela Bhansali won
in the best director category for his period drama, Bajirao Mastani.
iii. Earlier, Bollywood director Ramesh Sippy and actor-director Satish Kaushik handed over the
recommendations for the awards to information and broadcasting minister Arun Jaitley.
iv. This is 4th National Amitabh Bachchan who had earlier won for Agneepath, Paa and Black.
v. For Kangana, this comes as the second consecutive win. She was adjudged the Best Actress last year
for Vikas Bahls Queen, which also emerged as the Best Film.

4. Rotavirus Vaccine Has Been Launched By The Union Health Minister

i. The government launched the vaccine for Rotavirus vaccine as part of Universal Immunization
Programme to prevent child mortaility due to Rotavirus diarrhoea.

ii. The vaccine, developed indigenously under a public-private partnership by the science and health
ministries.
iii. It's a landmark achievement under the Prime Minister's "Make in India" initiative.
iv. Launching the vaccine at a function in Bhubaneswar, Union Health Minister J P Nadda said, the
vaccine is initially being introduced in 4 States which are Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh
and Odisha.
v. The introduction of Rotavirus vaccine will enable the government to directly address the problem of
diarrheal deaths.

5. Madhya Pradesh To Get Its First ITBP Modern Weapon Training Centre
i. Madhya Pradesh is going to have its first Indo Tibetan Border Police weapon training centre at
Batiagarh, Damoh.

ii. ITBP's Weapon and Support Weapon Training Centre will be the first of its kind in the state.
iii. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has issued orders to set up in Damoh," Patel told reporters
yesterday in the presence of MP finance minister Jayant Mallaiya.
iv. The newly recruited constables of ITBP will be given training at the center for operating all kinds of
small and big weapons including cannons capable of firing up to 5-km range and sten guns.
v. A similar training center is already operational in Allahabad.

6. Haryana Launches Scheme For The Differently-Abled

i. Haryana Government has launched a new scheme Adapting Homes for the Differently-abled, under
which pension of 6 months would be given in advance to such persons for adapting their homes as per
their requirement.

ii. The grant for diet money to hearing impaired has been increased from Rs 400 to Rs 1,000 per
month.
iii. Similarly, the grant for the visually-impaired children has also been increased from Rs 600 to Rs
1,600 per month.
iv. Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Kavita Jain here said this amount would be recovered
over a period of 42 months under the 'Adapting homes for the differently-abled' scheme.
v. Haryana has been selected by the Centre as a pilot state for universal ID for persons with disability,
for which work has already been started.

7. Maharashtra Gets Its First Set Of Women Commanders To Protect Forest

i. Women have been finding a place for themselves in all the challenging fields.

ii. Recently Indian Navy announced to recruit 3 female fighter pilots. Similarly, Women have been
chosen as forest guards in Maharashtra.
iii. A batch of 20 women are likely to become the first women commandos of the state forestry
department.
iv. They were trained from Gadchirolis Jungle Tactic and Survival Course (JTSC).
v. The one-month training has began on February 8 and it include women of the age group 19-24

8. Haryana Cabinet Has Approved Jat Reservation Bill

i. The Haryana cabinet today approved the Jat reservation bill.

ii. This comes a day after the Akhil Bhartiya Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (ABJASS), the body that
spearheaded the Jat quota stir in February, today threatened to resume the agitation if its demands are
not met by the end of this month.
iii. The Haryana cabinet today cleared the bill that proposes to provide reservation to five communities,
including the politically-dominant Jat community.
iv. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had said earlier that the state government would
introduce a new bill in the assembly's budget session for reservation to five communities, namely Jat,
Jat Sikh, Tyagi, Bishnoi and Ror.
v. Mr Khattar had made it clear that the existing 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes
(OBCs) in the state would not be disturbed. The OBC community is opposing inclusion of Jats in their
category for reservation. A five-member committee under the chairmanship of the chief secretary was
formed earlier this month to prepare draft of the Bill to grant reservation under the ambit of
constitution.
9. Federal Bank To Open Startup Incubation Centres
i. Federal Bank is all set to open an incubation centers for startups in Bangalore and Ernakulam.

ii. These branches will offer advice on capital, regulatory support and even disburse funds in these
specialized lounges.
iii. These lounges centres named as Launchpad and are equipped with fast internet connections, support
staff from the financial world and advisory mechanisms.
iv. These lounges would be the perfect breeding ground for future entrepreneurs because these lounges
would be manned by bank executives capable of dealing with the financial requirements of startups as
well as local specialists who would be able to advise on regulatory issues.
v. In addition to that Federal Bank brings to the Chillr application is that they would allow even non-
Federal Bank users to instantly open a Federal Bank account through a selfie and an Aadhaar
identification number and allow them to receive payments through Chillr.

10. China Launches First Cyber Security Organization

i. China has launched its first cyber security public organization aimed at better safeguarding national
cyber security and guiding Internet companies in perform their duties.

ii. The Countrys first cyber security public organisation has been launched by China which consists of
academic institutes, individuals and internet companies including Tencent and popular internet Security
Company Qihu 360.
iii. The organization will focus on promoting self-discipline in the industry, accelerating the
establishment of industry standards and cyber security studies and participating in international
cooperation.
iv. During the launch, Wang Xiujun, deputy director of the China Administration of Cyberspace, the
countrys Internet regulator, said that she hoped the association could emphasize on safeguarding the
countrys internet security and building up China as an internet power, while attracting more cutting-
edge cyber security enterprises and talent to enhance the industrys authority.
v. The organization will focus on promoting self-discipline in the industry, accelerating the
establishment of industry standards and cyber security studies and participating in international
cooperation.

11. Syrian Army Recaptures Historic City Of Palmyra From IS

i. Syrian Army and popular defence forces have regained control of the ancient city of Palmyra from
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group.

ii. The liberation of the historic city of Palmyra from the ISIS terror group was undertaken by joint
efforts of Syrian Army with support of national aviation and Russian Aerospace Forces.
iii. The ancient city of Palmyra is a UNESCO designated World Heritage site and home to some of the
worlds most magnificent ancient ruins.
iv. ISIS had taken complete control of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra in May 2015. After the
seizure of entire ancient city, they had destroyed many ancient ruins.
v. The city is situated in a strategically important area on the road between Syrias capital Damascus
and the oil rich eastern city of Deir al-Zour. Oil and gas produced from the fields located in Deir al-
Zour, Syrian government used to generate electricity for areas under its control in the west of the
country. Earlier in March 2015, ISIS had demolished several ancient sites that pre-date Islam in Iraq,
including UNESCO World Heritage Sites Hatra and Nimrud.

12. Singapore Ingapore Corvette Test Fires Barak Missile

i. The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) has successfully test-fired a Barak missile from its Victory-
class missile corvette RSS Vigour during Fleet Exercise conducted in the South China Sea.

ii. Singapores Minister for Defence and Commanding Officer of the RSNs Missile Corvette
Squadron, on the conduct of the exercise and the capabilities of the missile corvette, the defense
ministry said in a press statement.
iii. Speaking of the exercise, Dr. Ng commented that the RSN personnels professionalism and
commitment to maintaining operational readiness and ensuring mission success. He said, I watched
the entire life firing from another ship alongside.
iv. It was deeply satisfying to see the system work like clockwork. It detected and tracked the target
and launched the Barak missile to hit spot-on.
v. It gives us confidence that all our investments into sophisticated systems will be able to defend
Singapore when we need to.

13. Surya Deva Appointed As UN Human Rights Commissioner

i. Indian origin law professor Surya Deva has been appointed as an adviser on human rights and
multinationals and businesses by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

ii. The Council has approved his appointment to the position formally known as Special Procedure
Mandate Holder.
iii. According to officials he will be a member of the 4 member working group on the issue of human
rights, transnational corporations and other business enterprises.
iv. These advisers report annually to the Council and in most cases to the UN General Assembly.
v. They will take up cases and broader concerns in their fields with government and contribute to the
development of international human rights standards.

14. Indo American Appointed As The President & CEO Of Bank Of The West
i. Nandita Bakshi an Indian-American has been appointed as the President and Chief Executive Officer
(CEO) of Bank of the West.

ii. Bank of the West is the unit of French banking giant BNP Paribas.
iii. She will take over the roles of President and CEO-designate effective from 1 April 2016 and will
assume the role on 1 June 2016.
iv. She will succeed Michael Shepherd who has been appointed as chairman of the BNP Paribas USA,
a new holding company for all BNP Paribas subsidiaries in the United States.
v. Presently she also serves on the board of the Consumer Bankers Association. She is recipient of a
New England News Woman of the Year award in 2002.

15. Hockey India Annual Awards : Sreejish And Deepika Won Hockey Player Of The Year
i. Deepika and PR Sreejesh has won the Dhruv Batra Player of the Year Award for Women and Men
respectively at the Hockey India (HI) Annual Awards. The award has been given in the 2nd Hockey
India Annual Awards ceremony for 2015.
ii. The best hockey players in India and former greats of the game came together for the awards, whose
total prize money was in excess of Rs.2 crore.
iii. Apart from them Late Captain Shankar Laxman has won the coveted Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime
Achievement Award, Mr. Baldev Singh for Invaluable Contribution, Madhya Pradesh Hockey
Academy for Outstanding Achievement etc.
iv. The first set of awards marking important milestones in the careers of players were presented to
Dharamvir Singh, Kothajit Singh, Birendra Lakra and Sushila Chanu for making 100 appearances for
India. They were also presented with a cheque of Rs.50,000.
v. While Mr. Gurbaj Singh and V.R. Raghunath were awarded for turning out in India colours 200
times and were presented with a cheque of Rs.1 lakh each.

1. Prime Minister To Launch "Stand Up India" Scheme On 5th Of April

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to inaugurate the 'Stand Up India' scheme on 5th April.

ii. The scheme aims to creating jobs and promoting entrepreneurs among SC, ST and women. The scheme will
loans to these segments at cheaper rates.
iii. The Prime Minister Modi will launched the scheme at a function in Noida (UP).
iv. According to this scheme PSB will provide the loans facility at the least applicable rate of interest with the help
of approx 1.25 lakh bank branches.
v. Apart from PSB the private sector bank will also provide the loans between rs. 10 lakh to 1 crore to atleast one
SC, ST and one women entrepreneur.

2. India Sends 1st Ever Direct Box Vessel To Bangladesh

i. The 1st direct container vessel between India and Bangladesh have been send from Krishnapatnam port. The
container vessel was carrying cotton set.

ii. This step is a part of coastal shipping agreement between the two countries to facilitate easy trade, many
existing norms were relaxed by both countries as part of the pact.
iii. The vessel MV Harbour-1, owned by Neepa Paribahan of Bangladesh was formally flagged off as part of a
coastal shipping agreement signed by India and Bangladesh during Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to
Bangladesh in June, 2015.
iv. According to officials the port was aiming to become the gateway port to Bangladesh in addition to being a
transshipment port because the trade potential with Bangladesh is huge.
v. Earlier the shipments from Indian ports being transported to Bangladesh were routed either via Colombo or
Singapore. With the launch of the direct service, time taken for such shipments would come down from 2-5 days.

3. Government to launch Gram Uday to Bharat Uday Abhiyan from 14th to 24th April, 2016
i. Starting with Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkars 125th Birth Anniversary on 14th April 2016 and culminating in
Panchayati Raj Day on 24th April 2016, in the period between 14th April to 24th April 2016, the Central
Government, in collaboration with States and Panchayats, will organize a Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday
Abhiyan (Village Self Governance Campaign).

ii. The campaign aims to generate nation-wide efforts to increase social harmony across villages,
strengthen Panchayati Raj, promote rural development, and foster farmers progress.
iii. Honble Prime Minister will inaugurate the Gram Uday se Bharat Uday Campaign of 14th April 2016
at MHOW in Madhya Pradesh.
iv. On 24th April 2016 i.e. National Panchayati Raj Day, Honble Prime Minister will address all the Gram
Sabhas of the country from Jamshedpur, which will be beamed to all the villages in the country, where
villagers will gather together to listen to the Prime Ministers address.
v. In the preceding days, between 14th April to 16th April, 2016 a Social Harmony Programme will be
conducted in all Gram Panchayats, supported collaboratively by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and the
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

4. Govt plans to infuse Rs. 5,050 crore in PSU banks

i. Government is planning to infuse additional capital of about Rs. 5,050 crore in some public sector banks this
week, according to reports.

ii. Parliament has approved Rs 5,050 crore for meeting additional expenditure on recapitalisation of public sector
banks, as per a report.
iii. The likely contenders for the fresh round of infusion include Central Bank of India, Indian Bank, UCO Bank,
Oriental Bank of Commerce, Vijaya Bank and United Bank of India, report added.
iv. It will be part of the Rs 25,000 crore capital infusion plan earmarked for the current fiscal.

5. India to host 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup

i. The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval for holding of
Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Under-17 World Cup to be held in India in 2017.

ii. It is likely to be held in the month of September -October 2017.

iii. The venues of the game will be, 1-JLN Stadium, New Delhi; 2-D.Y. Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai; 3-JLN
Stadium, Kochi; 4-Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata; 5 JLN Stadium, Fatorda Goa and I.G. Stadium Guwahati.
iv. Expenditure towards overlays and equipment including display boards, etc. may be incurred. The total cost,
however, will be within Rs.95 crore as approved earlier.
v. In the eventuality of any additional requirement of funds, Department of Sports will take up the matter with the
Department of Expenditure.

6. BHEL commissions 40 MW hydropower plant in West Bengal

i. Public Sector Power equipment manufacturer Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has commissioned the
second 40 MW hydropower generating unit at the Teesta low dam hydroelectric project (HEP) stage IV in West
Bengal.

ii. The hydropower generating unit was successfully installed at the Teesta low dam HEP, a run-of-the-river
greenfield project, located in Darjeeling district of the West Bengal.
iii. Teesta low dam HEP is being set up by National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC).
iv. BHELs Bhopal, Jhansi, Rudrapur, Mumbai and Bengaluru facilities had supplied equipment for the project
and execution of work was undertaken on site is being.
v. The estimated annual energy (power) generation from the project is around 720 million units. It is expected to
reduce green-house gas (GHGs) emissions and will help in achieving a low carbon development path for the state
as well as the nation. So far, BHEL has commissioned nearly 400 hydro generating sets of various ratings with a
cumulative capacity of around 20,000 MW in the country.

7. Himachal Pradesh government released Sixth Economic Census report

i. 6th Economic Census of Himachal Pradesh was released by Pradeep Chauhan, the Economic Advisor of
Himachal Government.

ii. The survey was started in 2012 and completed in two phases with 8303 enumerators, 3844 supervisors and 175
charge officers covering 24,932 enumeration blocks.
iii. Himachal Pardesh was first state in the country to complete the census and release the report and the
parameters and methods adopted by the state are being followed by other states Economic Status 2016.
iv. This is the first census in which nearly 100 % establishments, both in urban and remotest rural areas had been
covered.
v. The census was conducted in all the 12 districts of the state. More than 12 thousand trained employees
completed this economic census operation.

8. US museum returns 10th century Rama statue to Cambodia

i. United States returned an ancient decapitated statue of Hindu god Rama stolen from Cambodia during the South
East Asian countrys civil war in the 70s.

ii. The sandstone Torso of Rama statue, which stands 157 centimetres tall and is missing its head, arms and feet,
was formally handed over at a ceremony in Phnom Penh attended by government officials, the US ambassador and
the director of the Denver Museum of Art.
iii. In May last year, a 10th century stone statue of Hanuman was returned to Cambodia by the Cleveland Museum
of Art.
iv. In January, a 7th century stone sculpture of Harihara, a deity that combines aspects of Vishnu and Shiva, was
returned by France and reattached to its body for display at a museum in Phnom Penh, more than 130 years after it
was spirited away.

9. USAID, ADB sign Develop Solar Parks MoU

i. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed
an MoU to facilitate USD 848 million (Rs. 5,681 crore) in funding to develop solar parks across India.

ii. The agreement was signed by Jonathan Addleton, Mission Director, USAID/India and M. Teresa Kho, Country
Director, India Resident Mission, Asian Development Bank.
iii. Through the agreement, USAID will align the technical resources of two of its programs to support ADBs
investments in the development of solar parks and renewable energy transmission infrastructure in states at the
forefront of Indias efforts to promote clean energy.
iv. The collaboration will initially focus on the state of Rajasthan.
v. The cooperation will design and develop public-private partnership models as well as study options for
managing grid reliability.
In particular, USAID technical activities will help place investments of USD 348 million (Rs. 2,331 crore) by
ADB for transmission infrastructure for renewable energy deployment in western Rajasthan. USAID will also
work with ADB across India with an additional USD 500 million (Rs. 3,350 crore) of investment in the design and
development of solar parks.

10. Myanmar gets its first public listing

i. After a delay of more than 20 years, Myanmars stock exchange opened for its first day of business, with the
trading of a single company.

ii. The move comes as the countrys development accelerates with a democratic government being formed after an
election victory in November, part of a political and economic transformation thats bringing an end to more than
five decades of isolation.
iii. The listing debut was attended by First Myanmars Pun and officials including Maung Maung Thein, the
countrys deputy finance minister and chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, who called it a
historic day in the development of the capital markets.
iv. First Myanmar, Myanmar Citizens Bank and Myanmar Thilawa SEZ are among the initial batch of six
companies approved for listing.
v. Myanmars equity-market journey began in the early 1990s, when executives from Daiwa Institute of Research
Holdings, a unit of Japans second-largest brokerage, met with the nations military rulers in Yangon. Their initial
target was to start a bourse by 2000.
As Myanmar emerges from economic isolation, it will need $80 billion of power, transport, and technology
projects through 2030 to modernise its economy, according to the Asian Development Bank.

11. World Bank approved $100 million loan to Jordan

i. Jordan will get a cheap $100 million loan from World Bank to help create 100,000 jobs for Syrian refugees and
its own citizen.

ii. The World Banks Board extended the highly unusual financing offer because of the extraordinarily difficult
situation facing both the refugees and their Jordanian hosts.

iii. The long-term loan, almost interest free, is part of an attempt by the international community to improve
conditions for refugees in overburdened regional host countries, including Jordan and Lebanon.
iv. More than 4.8 million Syrians have fled their country since the start of the Syria conflict in 2011. Jordan hosts
about 640,000 registered Syrian refugees and Lebanon more than 1 million.
v. Cheap loans by the World Bank and other donors are among the new tools meant to help finance education and
job creation for refugees in the region. Such support is also meant to slow the migration of refugees to Europe.

12. Pallavi Fauzdar Becomes 1st Solo Woman To Ride Across Mana Pass
i. Agra Biker Pallavi Fauzdar, became the first solo woman to ride across the Mana Pass in Uttarakhand and made
a record in the Limca Book.

ii. Mana rises to a staggering altitude of 5,638 m (18,497 ft) above sea level, on the border between India and
Tibet, and is reckoned as one of the most difficult biking trails.
iii. Pallavi is married to Parikshit Mishra, an Army officer, who has been extremely supportive of her passion for
biking. She is the mother of the two kids. She rides an Avenger and had been passionate about biking for several
years.
iv. Packed with a GPS device to ensure she is not lost, Pallavi set off for her Himalayan journey of seven days.
v. Pallavi is also the first female rider to reach Deo Tal Lake, located at 17,950 ft, one of the worlds highest.
When not biking, this adventure lover is also an accomplished fashion designer, a social worker and a Rekki
practitioner.

13. Rakesh Mohan joins Nestle India Board

i. Nestle India Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company, on the recommendation of the
Nomination and Remuneration Committee, on March 28, 2016, appointed Dr. Rakesh Mohan as an Independent
Non-Executive Director of the Company with effect from May 01, 2016 upto June 30, 2020.

ii. Approval of the Members of the Company for the said appointment shall be sought at the ensuing Annual
General Meeting.
iii. Dr. Rakesh Mohan was on Board of the Company as an Independent Non-Executive Director from April, 2010
to October, 2012 and had relinquished office of Director of the Company consequent to his appointment as
Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund, Washington, D.C., United States, representing India, Sri
Lanka, Bangladesh and Bhutan.

14. Renowned Author Jim Harrison Has Passed Away

i. Jim Harrison, the great writers in contemporary American fiction has passed away at his home in Patagonia,
Arizona. He was the prolific author and poet. He was 78 year old.

ii. He was a versatile writer who authored almost 40 books, including novels, collections of poems and eloquent
essays about his passion for food.
iii. He was considered a master of the novella, a short novel or long short story, although he didnt find
mainstream success until later in his career.
iv. Mr. Harrison was born in 1937 in Grayling, Michigan. He was blinded in his left eye by an accident when he
was 7 year old. A restless adventurer as a young man, he once hitchhiked from Michigan to California to gaze at
the Pacific Ocean.
v.Although Harrison never wrote big best-sellers, his work was deeply admired in literary circles. Among his most
beloved novels and novellas are Dalva, Julip, The Woman Lit by Fireflies and True North.

15. Sergey Karjakin Won 2016 World Chess Candidates Tournament

i. Sergey Karjakin the Russian grandmaster has won the FIDE World Chess Candidates Tournament held in
Moscow.
ii. The 26 year old has qualified to challenge Norwegian Sergey Karjakin, Magnus Carlsen for the world chess
championship after he pulled off a brilliant rook sacrifice to beat his closest rival, American Fabiano Caruana, in
the last round of the Candidates tournament.
iii. Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin is a Ukrainian-born Russian chess grandmaster. He is a former chess prodigy
and holds the record for the world's youngest Grandmaster ever, having qualified for this title at the age of 12
years and 7 months.
iv. He won the 2012 World Rapid Chess Championship and the Chess World Cup 2015. He also won the Norway
Chess Tournament twice and the Corus Chess Tournament in 2009.
v. He has competed in six Chess Olympiads, three times for Ukraine and three times for Russia, winning three
gold medals, two silver medals and a bronze. He was a member of the gold medal-winning Russian team at the
World Team Chess Championship in Antalya in 2013.

Brussels for India-EU Summit

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Brussels on the first leg of his three-nation tour
to Belgium, the US and Saudi Arabia.

ii. During the course of the visit Modi will attend the India-EU summit and the global
nuclear security summit in the US.
iii. On his daylong visit to Brussels, Modi will hold a bilateral summit with Belgian Prime
Minister Charles Michel and then attend the 13th India-European Union (EU) Summit.
iv. On March 31, the prime minister will leave for Washington to attend the two-day Fourth
Nuclear Security Summit to be hosted by US President Barack Obama.
v. On April 2 and 3, he will be visiting Saudi Arabia at the invitation of King Salman bin
Abdulaziz Al Saud for a two-day visit with a focus on boosting energy and security
cooperation. . Prime Minister Modi will also visit the Masmak Fortress, L&T Workers
Residential Complex and TCS All Women IT & ITES Center in Riyadh.
2. ISRO TO Launch 22 Satellites In Single Mission
i. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to script history by launching a
record number of 22 satellites in a single mission in May 2016.

ii. This will include a number of micro and nano ones from foreign countries. This mission
will flag off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Srikarikota.
iii. In this mission 18 satellites are being launched for foreign agencies including those from
the U.S., Canada, Germany, and Indonesia.
iv. Two of the nano-satellites have been developed by the Pune Engineering College and
Sathyabhama University.
v. These satellites (micro and nano) will be launched using ISROs workhorse Polar rocket
PSLV C34.

3. India ranks third globally in financial Trojan infections

i. India ranks third among countries with high number of financial Trojan infections, where
cybercriminals defraud customers of online banking services, security solutions firm
Symantec said.

ii. India has moved up from 5th position in 2014 to rank 3 in 2015, although global
detections have dropped, Symantec said in a report.
iii. The report said India has consistently moved up the rankings for countries with the most
number of financial Trojan infections over the last three years.
iv. Using financial Trojans to defraud customers of online banking services is still a popular
method among cybercriminals looking to make a profit, it added.
v. The total number of financial Trojan detections continued to decrease in 2015, with a 73
per cent drop compared to the previous year, Symantec added. Globally, the financial
sector was the highest targeted sector in January with 40.2 per cent of all spear-phishing
attacks, it added.

4. Arun Jaitley Launches 'Make In India' Conference In Sydney

i. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has launched Make in India conference in Sydney and asked
Australian businesses to be the part of India's growth story.
ii. He said this is the time when Make in India campaign can translate into actual
activities as India becomes the key focus of the world today and Make in India is one of the
key focuses of the government.
iii. Mr. Jaitley, who is on 2 days visit of Sydney said that Indian government does feel that
manufacturing sector does need to grow because people in agriculture sector moving out,
there was a need to achieve the target of manufacturing sector to occupy the 25 per cent
of Indias GDP.
iv. He also stated that India could manage to become a very low cost service provider but
failed to transform into a low cost manufacturing, adding that now there was an
opportunity to do so.
v. He said that for two consecutive years, we are the fastest growing economy in the world.
When we measure ourselves by our own standards, we believe that 7.5 per cent does not
reflect our true potential.

5. 112 Would Be The National Emergency Number in India

i. Since long, Indians had to memorize a plethora of emergency numbers, based on the
situation.

ii. Thus, if 100 is the emergency number to contact police, then 101 is for fire emergency,
102 is for health emergency and 108 is for emergency situation related to disasters.
iii. Now all these different set of emergency numbers would be phased out, and replaced
with 112, which would be the default emergency response number for any situation in
India.
iv. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) was, thus, established with effect
from 20th February 1997 by an Act of Parliament, called the Telecom Regulatory Authority
of India Act, 1997, to regulate telecom services, including fixation/revision of tariffs for
telecom services which were earlier vested in the Central Government.
v. Presently chairman of Trai is R.S Sharma.

6. 11 Unilateral Advance Pricing Agreements Signed By CBDT

i. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) signed 11 unilateral Advance Pricing
Agreements (APAs).

ii. With the signing of these agreements, India has entered into 59 bilateral or unilateral
APAs.
iii. 50 of these agreements have been signed in the current financial year.
iv. The Advance Pricing Agreement (APA) programme was introduced by the Finance Act,
2012 to provide a predictable and non-adversarial tax regime and to reduce litigation in the
Indian transfer pricing regime.
v. The agreements cover a range of international transactions, including corporate
guarantees, royalty, software development services, IT enabled services and trading.

7. Manohar Parrikar flags off Indias first indigenous Sonar Dome

i. Indias first indigenous composites sonar dome, a ships underwater eyes and ears, was
today flagged off by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar from here to be delivered to
Mazgaon docks in Mumbai.

ii. Designed and produced by a Defence and Research Development Organisation (DRDO) lab
in Pune, the sonar dome is a first of its kind in the country and has been manufactured by a
composites manufacturing company.
iii. This is a huge contribution by Indian Industry to the Make in India movement as said by
Defence Ministry.
iv. Only a couple of companies worldwide have the capability of realising such structures.
v. All anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ships have a sonar array fitted to the ship structure
below the waterline. The sonar functions as the ships underwater eyes and ears. It has
been designed by Research and Development Establishment (Engineers), a DRDO
laboratory based in Pune and manufactured by Goa-based composites manufacturing
company Kineco.
8. Government Permits 100% FDI in Online Marketplaces
i. The government permitted 100% FDI in the marketplace format of e-commerce retailing
with a view to attract more foreign investors.

ii. As per the guidelines issued by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP)
on FDI in e-commerce, foreign direct investment (FDI) has not been allowed in inventory-
based model of e-commerce.
iii. Though the clarification comes in the absence of clear FDI guidelines on various online
retail models, the online marketplaces in India have already seen large foreign investments
by several global players.
iv. Presently, global online retailer giants like Amazon and ebay are operating online
marketplaces in India.
v. while home-grown players like Flipkart and Snapdeal have foreign investments even as
there were no clear FDI guidelines on various online retail models.

9. Registration Of 22 NBFCs Has Been Cancelled By RBI

i. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in a statement that it has cancelled registration of
22 non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) including Amazan Capital and Mascot
Commerce.

ii. The cancellation of the these NBFCs is in exercise of the powers conferred on it under
Section 45-IA (6) of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
iii. According to the statement following the cancellation of registration certificate, these
companies cannot transact the business of a non-banking financial institution.
iv. NBFCs whose registration have been canceled include Kundan Leasing and Finvest,
Raseera Investments, Limtex Impex, Dignity Motors Finance, Akansha Consultancy Services,
Bini Commercial Enterprises, Nirankar Investments, and Surin Investments.
v. Earlier this month, the RBI had canceled registration of six other NBFCs including the
including Kundan Leasing and Finvest, Raseera Investments, Limtex Impex, Dignity Motors
Finance, Akansha Consultancy Services, Bini Commercial Enterprises, Nirankar Investments,
and Surin Investments.

10. UNICEF Launches Unfairy Tales Of Refugee And Migrant Children

i. UNICEF launched a series of animated films to help frame positive perceptions towards
the tens of millions of children and young people on the move globally, Called Unfairy
Tales.

ii. The three animations true stories of the flight of children from conflict explain the
horror behind why they fled.
iii. They have been animated in the style of a fairy tale and will be supported by an
interactive e-book experience also called Unfairy Tales.
iv. The Unfairy Tales are part of an initiative, actofhumanity, emphasising that children are
children, no matter where they come from, and that every child has rights and deserves a
fair chance.
v. One story - Ivine and the Pillow animates the true story of 14yr old Ivine and her
pillow. After a perilous escape from Syria, Ivine settles at a refugee camp in Germany only
to face new challenges. Malak and the Boat, tells the tale of a young girls voyage in a
leaky boat. The third animation depicts the story of Mustafa, who after fleeing his home,
wonders who is left to be his friend.

11. Islam as state religion of Bangladesh

i. Bangladeshs top court has rejected a 28-year-old petition to remove Islam as official
religion of the country.

ii. While the South Asian nations Islamists rejoice, analysts say the move is a setback for
secular forces.
iii. Islam was introduced as state religion in the Bangladeshi constitution in 1988, almost
two decades after the South Asian nation got independence from Pakistan following a
liberation war.
iv. The inclusion of Islam was against the core principles of the countrys independence
fighters.
v. The move prompted a group of 15 prominent citizens to file a petition in the courts.

12. NTT Data to Buy Dells IT-Services Arm

i. Japans major NTT Data has acquired Dell Services, the IT services arm of PC maker Dell.
According to various media reports the deal is valued at over $3 billion.

ii. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
iii. The latest development from Dell comes as part of its strategy to reduce its debt arisen
due to the acquisition of data storage provider for $67 billion.
iv. In October last year Dell had agreed to buy global storage major EMC in the largest M&A
deal in tech space.
v. Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation, a predecessor of NTT, started Data
Communications business in 1967 which has now become the largest of the IT Services
companies headquartered in Japan.

13. GVK sells stake in Bangalore International Airport to Fairfax

i. GVK Power and Infrastructure Ltd has agreed to sell a 33% stake in Bangalore
International Airport Ltd (BIAL) to India-born Canadian billionaire Prem Watsas Fairfax
India Holdings Corp.

ii. Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd for Rs.2,149 crore, seeking to raise money to repay debt.
iii. On completion of the deal, GVK Power and Infrastructures debt will decline by Rs.2,000
crore and its interest costs will drop by some Rs.300 crore a year.
iv. The transaction, which will reduce GVKs stake in the airport to 10%, is subject to
customary closing conditions and third-party consent, including the agreement of creditors,
and is expected to be completed by the middle of 2016.
v. BIAL owns and operates the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru under a
30+30 year concession agreement from the Indian government.

14. Reliance Defence, Israels Rafael to set up missile, air defence JV

i. Anil Ambani-led Reliance Defence has inked a pact with Israel's Rafael Advanced Defence
System.

ii. This is to set up a JV in India for specialised areas including air- to-air missiles that will
oversee projects worth USD 10 billion (over Rs 65,000 crore) in ten years.
iii. Joint venture company will be located at Pithampur, Indore in Madhya Pradesh and will
generate more than 3,000 highly skilled jobs.
iv. The project will have an initial capital outlay of more than Rs 1,300 crore, without
including the cost of technology,
v. Reliance Defence has industrial licences for the full spectrum of military platforms and is
the fastest emerging private sector enterprise in the development, manufacture and supply
of defence aerospace, land and naval platforms and equipment.

15. P Susheela Mohan Enters Into Guinness World Records

i. Renowned playback singer P Susheela Mohan has been recognized by the Guinness World
Records and Asia Book of Records for singing the most number of songs in Indian languages.
ii. While Guinness has officially credited her for singing 17,695 solo, duet and chorus-
backed songs in 12 Indian languages, the Asia Book of Records has recognized her for
singing close to 17,330 songs.
iii. The play back singer has won many awards and earned accolades in a career spanning
five decades, has added two more to her awards cabinet.
iv. Susheela has also created a record of singing over 10,000 songs in Tamil and over 30,000
songs in other languages.
v. The Telugu singer, who has won awards from different states several times, has an
enviable track record in the world of music.

. PM Modi And Belgian PM Charles Michel Launch Asia's Biggest Telescope

i. Asia's biggest telescope has been launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Belgian
Prime Minister Charles Michel.

ii. This is built by the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) with
the assistance of Belgian.
iii. The telescope has been located at a height of 2,500 metres at Devasthal in Nainital
district. The site was chosen for getting a clear view of the sky. The telescope has mirror of
3.6 m diameter.
iv. The telescope facility has been incorporated with high end technology which enables it
to be operated with the help of remote control from anywhere in the world.
v. ARIES, the largest optical telescope of its kind in Asia. It will be used to study star
structures and magnetic field structures of stars and astronomical debris.

2. India-US to sign MoU for building LIGO project

i. India will sign an MoU with the United States for building a state-of-the-art Laser
Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) project in the country.

ii. The MoU will be signed between the National Science Foundation (NSF) of the US and
Indias Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Department of Science and Technology
(DST).
iii. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet scientists from the LIGO project.
iv. The MoU also states of forming a Joint Oversight Group (JOG) with the scientists from
NSF, DAE and DST for better coordination of the project.
v. The project will bring unprecedented opportunities for scientists and engineers to dig
deeper into the realm of gravitational wave and take global leadership in this new
astronomical frontier. A meeting to decide the site for setting up the laboratory in India
will take place by April 10.

3. Dr. Najma Heptulla Launchs Innovative Entrepreneurship & Skill Development

Programme Of MANAS
i. Dr. Najma Heptulla, the Union Minister for Minority Affairs launched innovative
entrepreneurship and skill development programme of Maulana Azad National Academy for
Skills (MANAS) through leading national/ international experts in different skill sets in
New Delhi.

ii. She also inaugurated online two training centres of Beauty & Wellness Sector, one in
Okhla and another in Daryaganj area.
iii. In Okhla Centre Sh. Jawed Habib known for impetus to revolutionize the art of Hair
Styling in India will provide scientific and systematic training to the aspirants wishing to
pursue a career in cosmetology.
iv. NSDC provides funding to build scalable, for-profit vocational training initiatives.
v. Its mandate is also to enable support systems such as quality assurance, information
systems and train the trainer academies either directly or through partnerships.

4. Nadda launches GIS-enabled HMIS application, self-printing of e-CGHS Card

i. J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare launched two major Digital
initiatives to provide easy access to health services to the public: GIS-enabled HMIS
application and the self-printing of e-CGHS cards, in New Delhi.

ii. Launching these initiatives of the Health Ministry, the Union Minister stated that the
Health Ministry remains committed to strengthening public health systems and providing
user-friendly health services in the country.
iii. He further stated that that this will provide a tremendous opportunity to further
strengthen and enhance the reach of key interventions.

5. LIC Increases Stake In Andhra Bank And Dena Bank

i. The Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has announced that the Public sector lender Dena
Bank has raised Rs. 65 crore by issuing over 2 crore shares and Andhra Bank 4.23 per cent
stake to LIC on a preferential allotment, without disclosing the amount.

ii. Dena Bank has stated in the regulatory filing that Life Insurance Corporation stake in the
lender has gone up to 14.5 per cent from 11.63 per cent earlier. These are the post-
acquisition of additional shares in Dena Bank.
iii. And Andhra Bank said that it has sold over 4.23 per cent stake equivalent to 28,853,210
shares to LIC on a preferential allotment.
iv. The price per unit at which Andhra Bank sold shares to LIC was not provided.
v. After buying these additional stake buy in Andhra Bank, LIC holds more than 14.39 per
cent in the lender, from over 10.15 per cent earlier.

6. Vijaya Bank to get Rs 220 crore capital infusion from government

i. State-run Vijaya Bank said the government has approved a capital infusion of Rs 220 crore
in lieu of preferential allotment of shares.

ii. In the first tranche, as many as 13 public sectors banks were given fund support of Rs
19,950 crore. Of this, SBI got the highest amount of Rs 5,393 crore.
iii. Besides, the government infused Rs 2,229 crore in IDBI Bank Rs 2,009 crore in Indian
Overseas BankBSE 2.90 % and Rs 1,732 crore in Punjab National Bank.
iv. Last year, the government had announced a revamp plan 'Indradhanush' to infuse Rs
70,000 crore in state-owned banks over four years.
v. while they will have to raise a further Rs 1.1 lakh crore from markets to meet their
capital requirements in line with global risk norms Basel-III.

7. European Investment Bank to loan 450 million for Lucknow Metro

i. European Union, through the European Investment Bank (EIB), will lend India 450 million
(approximately Rs. 3,300 crore) towards constructing a 23-km long Lucknow Metro rail line
and a purchasing a fleet of new trains.

ii. EIB is the EUs official bank and the worlds largest international public bank, and its
loan will cover half of the total project costs for the Lucknow Metro.
iii. The first tranche of 200 million will be signed on Wednesday, during Prime Minister
Narendra Modis visit to Brussels, as part of the 13th India E.U. Summit.
iv. The remaining tranches will be disbursed over the course of the project.
v. Lucknows Metro is expected to increase the public transport mode share from 10% to
27% in the city of 3 million.

8. Adani Ties Up With Elbit, Alpha for Unmanned Aircraft Systems

i. Marking its formal entry into defence, Adani Groups unit Aero Defence Systems &
Technologies Ltd has signed a so-called statement of intent with Elbit-ISTAR of Israel and
Indian company Alpha Design Technologies Pvt Ltd to work together in the field of
unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).

ii. Adani Aero Defence Systems & Technologies Ltd is a fully owned subsidiary of Adani
Enterprises Ltd, with interests in design, technology development, technical collaboration
and system integration services for aerospace and defence equipment and systems.
iii. Under the agreement, the companies plan to set up a final assembly and integration
line, including MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) facilities by incorporating true
transfer of technology for supporting the product range during its lifecycle.

9. Star India to launch Hotstar service overseas

i. Star India plans to launch its over-the-top platform Hotstar in other countries over the
next few months.

ii. Hotstar is a digital and mobile entertainment platform owned by Novi Digital
Entertainment Private Limited (formerly known as Indya Interactive Services Private
Limited).
iii. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of STAR India.
iv. The numerous and affluent South Asian diaspora, which for the longest time had been
frustrated by the lack of access to its favourite content, will be able to watch cricket,
movies and other shows through Hotstar.

10. Kachhabali Becomes 1st Liquor-free village in Rajasthan

i. Kachhabali village in Bhim tehsil of Rajsamand district has become the 1st in the state to
vote to close down its lone liquor shop.

ii. The referendum saw 67.11% of voters saying they wanted no alcohol sale in the village.
iii. Polling was conducted by the excise department Of the 2,886 voters in the 9 wards of
the panchayat, 2,039 voted.
iv. While 1,937 voted in favour of the ban on liquor, only 33 voted to keep the local liquor
shop open Sixty-nine votes were rejected.
v. So in a way, around 95% of those who turned up to vote favoured the ban on liquor.

11. Patrick Dupuis appointed to Wipros Board of Directors

i. Wipro Limited on 30 March 2016 announced the appointment of Patrick Dupuis to its
Board of Directors, effective 1 April 2016.

Dupuis will serve as an Independent Director on the Board.

ii. Dupuis, who holds an experience of over 30 years, currently serves as the Senior Vice
President for Simplicity, Quality and Productivity at Global technology platform and
payments leader, PayPal Holdings, Inc.
iii. He was instrumental in PayPal's separation from eBay Inc. and listing on the Nasdaq in
2015.
iv. He was previously the CFO of Sitel, a leader in customer service and BJC Healthcare,
one of the largest non-profit health care organizations in the US. He previously spent 20
years at GE, where he was made an officer at 34.
v. His last two roles at GE were CFO of BJC Healthcare and GM of GE Capital International
Services (now Genpact). He graduated from the Ecole de Management de Lyon in France.

12. Jitendra Jagota Has Appointed As The Chairman of IDSA

i. Indian Direct Selling Association (IDSA) has announced Jitendra Jagota as the new
Chairman in its new Executive Committee at the General Body Meeting held in New Delhi.

ii. Currently He is the Director Legal and Government Affairs, Avon Beauty Products India
Pvt. Ltd has been has become the Chairman of the Association.
iii. Mr. Jagota will succeed Mr. Rajat Banerji. He is the National Head Corporate Affairs of
Amway India Enterprises. He congratulated the new chairman.
iv. The new executive committee has also welcomed Amit Chadha, who has been recently
appointed as the Secretary General of the Association. He is a Non-elected member of the
IDSA board.
v. The elected members of the Indian Direct Selling Association will each serve one-year
term for financial year 2016-17.

13. Faustin Archange Touadera is Central African Republics new President

i. Central African Republics newly elected president Faustin Archange Touadera took the
oath of office, ushering in the first elected leader since Muslim rebels overthrew the
government more than three years ago.
ii. The inauguration came as former coloniser France said its troops plan to leave the
country by the end of the year.
iii. The French forces worked to stabilize the long volatile country until a United Nations
peacekeeping force was in place, though both missions have been tarnished by allegations
of child sexual abuse.
iv. Touadera, a former math professor and prime minister, emerged from a crowded field
of candidates and won the February 14 runoff with nearly 63 percent of the vote.
v. Touaderas presidency puts an end to a two-year transitional government that came into
force in early 2014.

14. Oscar Winning Actress Patty Duke Has Passed Away

i. The Oscar winning US actress Patty Duke has passed away recently. She was 69 year old.
She won Oscar for playing Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker in 1963. Her cause of death
was sepsis from a ruptured intestine.

ii. The US actress also won an Emmy in 1980 for playing Helen Kellers teacher in a TV
movie version.
iii. Duke also started in The Patty Duke Show in the 1960s in which she took the roles of
identical teenage cousins. She was the mother of actor Sean Astin, who played the hobbit
Sam in the Lord of the Rings trilogy of films.
iv. Duke was a child star, making her first TV appearance at the age of 12. The 16-year-old
Duke played blind and deaf girl Helen Keller whose tutor played by Anne Bancroft breaks
through her isolation and helps her to communicate in the Miracle Worker, .
v. Among Dukes other awards included Emmys for My Sweet Charlie in 1970 and Captains
and the Kings in 1976. She also appeared in the Broadway musical Oklahoma.

15. Virat Kohli rises to top in ICC T20I rankings

i. Indian Test Captain Virat Kohli kept his Performance at the top helped his side into the
semifinals of the World Twenty20 after defeating Australia.
ii. He has replaced Aaron Finch as the number one batsman in the latest ICC T20 rankings.
Number-one ranked India will go head to head with third- ranked West Indies in Mumbai ,
while in the first semi-final in Delhi while second-ranked New Zealand will square-off
against fifth-ranked England.
iii. The second semi-final in Mumbai will witness the battle of top players. Spinner Samuel
Badree is the current world number one bowler in T20Is.
iv. Chris Gayle is at 6th position among batsmen.
v. In the bowlers rankings, India's Ravinchandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja feature in the
Top-10. Ashwin has slipped 2 places to be at 3rd while Jadeja moved up 3 spots to be at
7th.