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Current Affairs March 2018

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Current Affairs PDF : March 2018

Current Affairs for Competitive Exam Contents

INDIAN AFFAIRS ............................................................................................................................................................ 3

CABINET APPROVALS ............................................................................................................................................. 3

SCHEMES ................................................................................................................................................................... 13

LAUNCHES & INAUGURATIONS ......................................................................................................................... 14

FESTIVALS ................................................................................................................................................................ 25

OTHER NEWS RELATED TO INDIAN AFFAIRS .............................................................................................. 26

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS....................................................................................................................................... 57

VISITS ............................................................................................................................................................................. 67

INDIAN VISITS ......................................................................................................................................................... 67

FOREIGN VISITS ...................................................................................................................................................... 71

BANKING & FINANCE ................................................................................................................................................. 72

RBI in News .............................................................................................................................................................. 72

Technology in Banking ........................................................................................................................................ 75

OTHER BANK & FINANCE RELATED NEWS .................................................................................................... 78

MOU’S/AGREEMENTS IN NEWS ............................................................................................................................. 89

COMMITTEES & MEETING ....................................................................................................................................... 94

SUMMITS & CONFERENCE ........................................................................................................................................ 96

INDEXES ...................................................................................................................................................................... 100

RANKINGS .............................................................................................................................................................. 100

REPORTS ................................................................................................................................................................ 103

BUSINESS .................................................................................................................................................................... 105

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS .................................................................................................................................. 113

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS ................................................................................................................... 122

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS .................................................................................................................................. 138

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ...................................................................................................................................... 139

DEFENCE ..................................................................................................................................................................... 148

ENVIRONMENT ......................................................................................................................................................... 153

SPORTS ........................................................................................................................................................................ 153

OBITUARY .................................................................................................................................................................. 164

BOOKS & AUTHORS ................................................................................................................................................ 170

IMPORTANT DAYS ................................................................................................................................................... 171

STATIC INFORMATIONS FROM CURRENT AFFAIRS ..................................................................................... 176

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INDIAN AFFAIRS

CABINET APPROVALS

Cabinet Approvals on February 28 2018

On February 28, 2018, Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved following

initiatives:

Centres doubles guarantee for procurement of pulses, oilseeds at MSP

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved a proposal to double the guarantee for

availing credit by National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation

of India (NAFED) from Rs 9500 crore to Rs 19000 crore for procuring pulses and oilseeds at the

Minimum Support Price (MSP).

Cabinet approves amendments to multiple allowances for MPs

Union Cabinet has approved amendments to Housing and Telephone Facilities Rules, Constituency

allowance rules and office expense allowance rules for Members of Parliament (MPs).

• Owing to these amendments, a Government fund for furniture at the residences of

Members of Parliament has been hiked from Rs. 75000 to Rs. 100000, Constituency

Allowance has been hiked from Rs. 45000 to Rs. 70000 and Office Expense

Allowance for Members of Parliament has been increased from Rs. 45000/- per

month to Rs. 60000/- per month.It shall be increased after every five years starting

from April 1, 2023 on the basis of Cost Inflation Index.

Cabinet approves bill to tackle human trafficking, improve rehabilitation of victims

Union Cabinet has approved Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and

Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018, to deal with ‘Trafficking in human beings’, which is the third largest

organized crime violating basic human rights. Victims are entitled to interim relief

immediately within 30 days

Cabinet approves continuation of PMEGP beyond 12th Plan for 3 years

Union Cabinet has approved the continuation of Prime Minister's Employment Generation

Programme (PMEGP) beyond the 12th Plan period (2012-2017) for three years up to

2019-20.

• PMEGP is a credit linked subsidy programme for generation of employment opportunities

through establishment of micro enterprises in rural as well as urban areas.

• 74Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is the nodal implementation agency for

implementation of PMEGP at national level.


https://bit.ly/RAILWAYSRRBALP2018



Cabinet Approvals with Foreign Countries on February 28 2018

On February 28, 2018, Union Cabinet Chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved

following bilateral agreements.

Cabinet apprised of an MoU between India and Fiji on Cooperation in Renewable Energy

• This MoU was signed on May 24, 2017 at Suva, Fiji.Objective of the MoU is to

encourage and promote technical bilateral cooperation between India and Fiji on new and

renewable energy issues.

Cabinet approves MoU between India and Macedonia on cooperation in the field of Health

Areas of cooperation covered under this MoU includes capacity building and short term training

of human resources in health, exchange of doctors and health professionals and

assistance in setting up healthcare facilities.

Cabinet approves MoU between India and Jordan on Cooperation in Field of Manpower

Objective of this memorandum of understanding (MoU) is to enhance collaboration between

India and Jordan in promoting best practices in the administration of contractual

employment, implementing latest reforms in recruitment processes and enhance the

protection and welfare of Indian workers in Jordan.by using online portal This MoU will be

valid for a period of five years.

Cabinet approves MoU with Jordan for mining project

Union Cabinet has approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India

and Jordan for mining and beneficiation of Rock Phosphate & Muriate of Potash

(MOP) and setting up production facility in Jordan for Phosphoric Acid/ Diammonium

phosphate (DAP)/NPK Fertilizers.

Cabinet approves Agreement between India and Jordan on Cooperation in Customs

Matters

Union Cabinet has approved the signing and ratifying an Agreement between India and Jordan on

Cooperation and Mutual Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters.This agreement will not

only facilitate exchange of relevant information for the prevention and investigation of

Customs offences but will also ensure efficient clearance of goods traded between India

and Jordan.

Cabinet approves MoU between India and Vietnam on Economic and Trade Cooperation

This MoU will lead to expansion of bilateral trade and economic cooperation between India and

Vietnam

Cabinet approves Establishment of National Financial Reporting Authority

On March 1, 2018, Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the

proposal for establishment of National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA). The NFRA will

have a Chairperson, a Secretary and three full-time Members. Independent regulator for the

auditing profession.




• Jurisdiction: Chartered Accountants and their firms, listed companies, large unlisted public

companies and other entities for investigation where public interest would be involved.

• Need, as per situation: For enforcement of auditing standards and ensuring the quality of

audits in order to maintain investor and public confidence in financial disclosures of

companies.

• On March 1, 2018, Union Cabinet approved the Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill,

2018 to deal with those who escape overseas after committing financial malpractices in

India.

• As per the bill, a Fugitive Economic Offender is a person who has an arrest warrant

issued in respect of a scheduled offence and who leaves or has left India so as to

avoid criminal prosecution, or refuses to return to India to face criminal

prosecution.

The Bill gives powers to the government to confiscate property of such Fugitive Economic Offenders

Centre approves Rs 2900 crore to make cities safer for women

On March 1, 2018, Central Government approved projects worth Rs 2919.55 crore under the

‘Nirbhaya Fund’ for eight major cities of India, in order to make them safer for women.

i. The projects have been approved for Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru,

Hyderabad Ahmedabad and Lucknow.

ii. In Delhi, the projects include, deploying latest technologies, such as video monitoring, facial

recognition analytics and tracking of people. One of the projects which will be implemented in

Mumbai is strengthening the "Police Didi" programme, under which women police personnel interact

with women living in slums.

iii. These proposals have been sanctioned for a period of three years. Cost for implementing

these projects will be borne by Central and State Government in 60:40 ratio.

v. Nirbhaya Fund was set up after the brutal gangrape and murder of a paramedical student in

Delhi in 2012. It was announced in Union Budget 2013. It is a non-lapsable corpus fund

dedicated to support implementation of initiatives for enhancing the safety and security

for women in India.

Cabinet Approvals on March 7, 2018

On 7th March 2018, Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the following

initiatives:

Cabinet approves the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2018:

The Union Cabinet has approved the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2018

for introduction in the Parliament. The Amendments in the Act of 1996 will help in improving

institutional arbitration and establish Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism in India.




Cabinet approves two percent Dearness Allowance to Central Government employees:

The Union Cabinet has approved to release an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to

Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners with effect from

01.01.2018 corresponding an increase of 2% over the existing rate of 5% of the Basic Pay/Pension,

to compensate for price rise.

Cabinet approves Recommendations of Inter-Ministerial Group on Stressed Assets in

Telecom Sector:

• By giving one-time opportunity to opt for higher number of instalment (maximum 16

instalment) apart from currently permitted 10 instalments.

• The total amount received will be higher by Rs. 74446.01 crore till 2034-35.

Revision of limits of cap for spectrum holding

Based on recommendations of TRAI and Telecom Commission, the Cabinet approved the revision of

limits of cap for spectrum holding as follows:

• The overall spectrum cap is revised from the current limit of 25% to 35%.

• There will be no cap for individual or combined spectrum holding in above 1 GHz band.

Cabinet approves continuation of Swatantra Sainik Samman Yojana (SSSY) during 2017-

2020:

The Union Cabinet has approved the continuation of Swatantra Sainik Samman Yojana (SSSY)

during 2017-2020 beyond the 12th Five Year Plan which ended on 31/03/2017.The financial

implication for continuing SSSY during 2017-2020 will be Rs. 2552.93 crore.

Cabinet approves a Memorandum of Cooperation between India and France in the field of

environment:

The Union Cabinet has approved signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between India and

France in the field of environment.

Cabinet approves agri mechanisation promotion for crop residue management:

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved for promotion of Agricultural

Mechanization for in-situ Management of Crop Residue in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh

and NCT of Delhi.The total outgo from the Central funds will be Rs. 1151.80 crore

Cabinet Approvals with Foreign Countries on March 7 2018

On 7th March 2018, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the

following initiatives.

Cabinet approves signing of Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement between India

and France:

• This agreement is a milestone in improving people-to-people contacts, mobility of students,


https://bit.ly/SBIClerk2018



academics, researchers and skilled professionals and enhancing cooperation on irregular

migration and human trafficking issues.It is initially valid for 7 years

Cabinet approves signing of Agreement with France to facilitate MRAQ (Mutual

Recognition of Academic Qualifications):

• This agreement will help in strengthening educational ties between India and France.

• It will encourage excellence in higher education through innovative

partnerships/collaborations and research activities, improving the quality of education in

India.

Cabinet approves agreement with France to prevent illicit Drugs:

The Union Cabinet has approved an Agreement between India and France on the Prevention of

the Illicit Consumption and Reduction of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic

Substances and Chemical Precursors, and related offences.

Cabinet approves an MoU between India and Hellenic on Renewable Energy Cooperation:

The Union Cabinet has been informed about MoU on Cooperation in the field of Renewable Energy

between India and Hellenic.India and Hellenic aim to develop the basis for a cooperative

institutional relationship to promote technical bilateral cooperation on new and renewable issues

based on mutual benefit equality and reciprocity.

Cabinet approves MoU between UPSC and Public Service Commission of Mauritius:

• Areas of co-operation are: Exchange of information on modern approach to public service

recruitment and selection, books, manuals and other documents which are not confidential,

use of Information Technology (IT) in the preparation of written examinations.

Cabinet approves Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Division of

High Courts Bill

On 7th March 2018, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved

the Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High

Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2018 for introduction in the Parliament.

Following are the objectives of the bill:

• The Bill brings down the specified value of a commercial dispute to 3 Lakhs from the

current 1 Crore. Hence, commercial disputes of a reasonable value can be decided

by commercial courts.

• This will reduce time taken (presently 1445 days) to resolve commercial disputes

of lesser value and will improve India's ranking in the Ease of Doing Business.

• It provides for establishment of Commercial Courts at district Judge level for the

territories over which respective High Courts have ordinary original civil

jurisdiction i.e. in Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and State of Himachal Pradesh.

• The State Governments, in such territories may specify value of commercial disputes to be




adjudicated at the district level, which shall 'not be less than 3 lakhs rupees and not more

than the pecuniary jurisdiction of the district court.

• Inclusion of new section of 21A which enables Central Government to make rules and

procedures for PIM.

Cabinet Approvals on March 14, 2018

On March 14, 2018, Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved

following bilateral agreements and initiatives.

Cabinet approves the MoU between India and Iran in field of Traditional Systems of

Medicine

• Moreover, India and Iran both have huge biodiversity offering rare medicinal plants which

are frequently used in Traditional Systems of Medicine.

Cabinet approves MoU between India and Iran in agriculture and allied sectors

This MoU was signed on February 17, 2018 during the visit of Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran

to India.

• The MoU envisages cooperation between India and Iran in the areas of agricultural crops,

horticulture, machinery, agricultural extension, post harvest technology and plant quarantine

measures.

Cabinet approves Agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation and Fiscal Evasion

between India and Iran

This agreement deals with the matter of Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal

Evasion (with respect to taxes on income) between India and Iran.

• This agreement is in accordance with Section 90 of the Income Tax Act, 1961 which

authorises

Cabinet apprised of MoU between India and Sri Lanka in the field of Information

Technology and Electronics

This MoU was signed on January 15, 2018 during Union Minister of Law & Justice and Electronics &

Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad’s visit to Sri Lanka.

• The MoU envisages co-operation between India and Sri Lanka in the areas of e-Governance,

e-Public Services Delivery, m-Governance, cyber security, start-ups ecosystem, software

technology parks etc.

Cabinet approves continuation of ongoing urea subsidy scheme beyond 12th Five Year

Plan

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal of Department of

Fertilizers to continue Urea Subsidy Scheme beyond 12th plan period (2012 – 2017) up to 2019-

20.

• The decision to continue Urea Subsidy Scheme has been taken to ensure the timely payment




of subsidy to the urea manufacturers which in turn will ensure timely availability of urea to

farmers.This extension of three years will cost Rs. 164935 crore.

On March 21, 2018, Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved following

initiatives:

Cabinet Approves Scheduled Tribes Status to 2 Communities In Karnataka

On March 21, 2018, Union Cabinet gave ‘in-principle’ approval to inclusion of 2 communities -

'Parivara' and 'Talawara' - in the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs) in Karnataka.

• Karnataka State Government had recommended inclusion of the Parivara and Talawara

communities as synonyms of "Nayaka".

Cabinet approves Opening of Missions in Africa to implement IAFS-III

Union Cabinet has approved the opening of 18 new Indian Missions in Africa over a four year period

from 2018-2021 to implement commitments of India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS-III).

Cabinet approves North-East Industrial Development Scheme (NEIDS) 2017

Objective of NEIDS 2017 is to promote employment in the North Eastern States of India, by

providing incentives, primarily to the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Sector.

NEIDS 2017 has been approved with financial outlay of Rs.3000 crore up to March, 2020.

Cabinet approves Ayushman Bharat – National Health Protection Mission

Union Cabinet has approved the launch of a new Centrally Sponsored Ayushman Bharat -National

Health Protection Mission (AB-NHPM), which was announced in Union Budget 2018.

• AB-NHPM will provide a benefit cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year.

• More than 10 crore families belonging to poor and vulnerable population (based on Socio-

Economic Caste Census database) will be the target beneficiaries of this scheme.

• It will subsume the on-going centrally sponsored schemes –Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana

(RSBY) and the Senior Citizen Health Insurance Scheme (SCHIS).

Cabinet Approves Moving Official Amendments to Ban Commercial Surrogacy in India

Union Cabinet has given approval for moving official amendments in 'Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill,

2016', aimed at banning commercial surrogacy and allowing ethical surrogacy to needy infertile

couples.

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has allowed ITI Ltd to bring a Further

Public Offer (FPO) for fresh equity shares in order to achieve 25 per cent Minimum Public

Shareholding requirement of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), raise working capital

for new projects and to reduce its debt obligations.

Cabinet approves continuation of higher education mission

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its approval for continuation of Centrally

Sponsored Scheme of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA)from April 1, 2017 to March 31,

2020.RUSA was launched in year 2013; however, implementation in its right earnest began after

May 2016.Objective of RUSA is to provide strategic central funding to State/UT Higher Education

Departments and Institutions and thereby facilitating equitable access to superior quality higher




education.

Cabinet approves central sector sericulture scheme

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its approval for Central Sector

Scheme "Integrated Scheme for Development of Silk Industry" for the period 2017-18 to

2019-20.The scheme includes interventions geared towards increasing silk production from the

level of 30348 MTs during 2016-17 to 38500 MTs by end of 2019-20.

Cabinet approves revised DTAA pact with Qatar

Union Cabinet has given its approval for revision of the Agreement between India and Qatar for the

avoidance of double taxation and for the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on

income.The existing Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) between India and Qatar was

signed on April 7, 1999 and came into force on January 15, 2000.

Cabinet apprised of MoU between India and Guyana on cooperation in Renewable Energy

• The MoU contains a framework for a cooperative institutional relationship between India and

Guyana to encourage and promote technical bilateral cooperation on new and renewable

energy.Till March 2015, foundation received only Rs. 36.80 Lakhs as donation from overseas

Indian community.

Cabinet approves formation of TCIL's subsidiary in US

Union Cabinet has approved the formation of a wholly owned subsidiary company

of Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd (TCIL) in the US for information communication

and technology (ICT) related work.

• Formation of this subsidiary entails an investment of USD 5 million, which shall be done

in a phased manner.

Cabinet Approvals

On March 28, 2018, Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved

following initiatives:

Cabinet approves NSDF, NSDC restructuring

• The approval will now make way for restructuring the composition of the Boards of NSDF and

NSDC in order to strengthen governance, implementation and monitoring framework.

• The restructuring will not only ensure better corporate governance, transparency and

accountability in operations of NSDC but will also strengthen the oversight role of NSDF.

Quick Facts about NSDC:

Founded in – 2008

Headquarters – New Delhi

Founded by – Union Ministry of Finance




Cabinet gives nod to amendments in NMC Bill

Union cabinet has approved certain amendments to the National Medical Commission (NMC)

Bill. NMC is expected to replace the much criticised Medical Council of India.

• Punishment for any unauthorised practice of medicine has been made severe by

including a provision for imprisonment of up to one year along with a fine extending

up to Rs 5 lakh.

• Final MBBS examination would be held as a common exam throughout India and would serve

as an exit test to be called the National Exit Test (NEXT).

Cabinet approves continuation of Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme for Education Loans

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its approval for continuation of Credit Guarantee

Fund for Education Loans (CGFEL) Scheme and continuation and modification of Central Sector

Interest Subsidy (CSIS) Scheme.

About CGFEL & CSIS:

Under CSIS (launched in April 2009), full interest subsidy is provided for the education loan taken

from Scheduled Banks under the Model Education Loan Scheme of Indian Banks' Association.

• CSIS scheme is available for all the professional/technical courses in India.

Students with annual gross parental income up to Rs. 4.5 lakhs are eligible for this

scheme.

• CGFEL provides guarantee for the education loan under the Model Education Loan

Scheme of Indian Banks' Association for a maximum loan amount of Rs. 7.5 Lakhs.

Cabinet approves Export of all edible oils in bulk (except mustard oil)

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal of Union Ministry of Commerce

& Industry for removal of prohibition on export of all varieties of edible oils except mustard oil.

• Removing of restrictions on export of all edible oils will provide additional marketing

avenues for edible oils and oilseeds and will benefit the farmers as oilseeds will fetch

better price owing to export demand.

CCEA approves formulation of new Integrated Scheme for School Education

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the proposal of Department of School

Education and Literacy to formulate a Integrated Scheme on School Education.

• As per the proposal, Integrated Scheme on School Education will subsume

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and

Teacher Education (TE) from 1st April, 2018 to 31st March, 2020.

• CCEA has also approved financial allocation of Rs 75000 crore for this scheme.





Cabinet approves enhancing the coverage of Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana

On March 28, 2018, CCEA gave approval for enhancing the scope of Pradhan Mantri Rojgar

Protsahan Yojana (PMRPY).

Cabinet approves strengthening of Krishi Vigyan Kendras

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal of the Department of

Agricultural Research and Education for continuation/strengthening (up to 2019-20) of 669 Krishi

Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) that were established till March 31, 2017.

• Total financial outlay for this purpose shall be of Rs 282400 lakh spanning across

2017-20.

Cabinet approves subsidy rates for P&K fertilizers

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the proposal of the Department of

Fertilizers to fix Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) rates for Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K)

Fertilizers for 2018-19.

• Subsidy for nitrogen is Rs 18.9 per kg, for phosphorus it is Rs 15.2 per kg, for potash

its is Rs. 11.12 per kg and for Sulphur it is Rs 2.72 per kg.

• During 2018-19, Government will be spending Rs 23007 crore for release of

subsidy on P&K Fertilizers.

Cabinet Approvals with Foreign Countries

On March 28, 2018, Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved

following bilateral agreements:

Cabinet approves MoU between India and Zambia in the field of Judicial Cooperation

This Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will strengthen relations between India and Zambia and

add new dimensions in the field of judicial reforms.

• It is to be noted that social, cultural and commercial relations between India and

Zambia have developed in the positive direction during recent years.

Cabinet approves MoU between India and United Kingdom and Northern Ireland

This MoU is regarding cooperation and exchange of information for the purposes of combating

international criminality and tackling serious organised crime.

• The latest MoU will further strengthen cooperation between India and UK in fighting

international criminality and serious organized crime.

Cabinet approves MoU between India and South Asia Cooperative Environment

Programme

This MoU is regarding cooperation on the response to Oil and Chemical Pollution in the South Asian

Seas Region.

• It envisages closer cooperation between India and other maritime nations

comprising the South Asian seas region (Bangladesh, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri

Lanka) for protection and preservation of marine environment in the region.




• Indian Coast Guard (ICG) will be the Competent National Authority and national

operational contact point for implementation of Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan.

• Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan was jointly developed by SACEP and International

Maritime Organisation (IMO) to facilitate international co-operation and mutual

assistance in preparing and responding to a major oil pollution incident in the seas

around India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Quick facts about South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme:

Established in – 1982

Objective – to promote and support protection, management and enhancement of the environment

in South Asian Seas region

Secretariat – Colombo, Sri Lanka

Cabinet approves MoU between India and Canada on IPRs

Union Cabinet has given its ex-post approval for the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

between India and Canada to establish bilateral cooperation in the field of Intellectual

Property Rights (IPRs).

• This MoU was signed on February 23, 2018.

• As per the terms of the MoU, a broad and flexible framework will be established

through which, both countries can exchange best practices and work together on

training programs and technical exchanges to raise awareness and protect IPRs.

SCHEMES Lakshadweep joins UDAY scheme

On 28th February 2018,The Union Territory of Lakshadweep and the Government of India signed a

MoU under the UDAY Scheme. This will ensure operational turnaround of Lakshadweep’s Electricity

Department.

Lakshadweep will receive an overall net benefit of around Rs. 8 crore through the UDAY

Scheme.

Karnataka unveils healthcare scheme Arogya Karnataka

On March 2, 2018, Karnataka Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah unveiled ‘Arogya Karnataka'

(Healthy Karnataka), a healthcare scheme to provide quality primary, secondary and tertiary

treatment to Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Above Poverty Line (APL) families in Karnataka.

i. Under this scheme,BPL households in the state will get free treatment at government

hospitals.

ii. For APL households, the State Government will bear about 30 per cent of the treatment

cost.




KUSUM scheme to install grid connected solar plants in rural India

On March 15, 2018, R.K. Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Power and

New & Renewable Energy informed Lok Sabha that Central Government is in the process of

formulating a ‘Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (KUSUM)’ scheme.

i. KUSUM scheme envisages, installation of grid-connected solar power plants each of

capacity up to 2 MW in the rural areas and installation of standalone off-grid solar water pumps

to fulfill irrigation needs of farmers not connected to grid.

ii. Under KUSUM, farmers will be able to sell surplus solar power generated to power distribution

companies (DISCOMs) and get extra income.

iii. Besides, KUSUM is also aimed at solarization of tube-wells and lift irrigation projects of

Government sector.

LAUNCHES & INAUGURATIONS

Tamil Nadu Government unveils 24 hour Toll Free Helpline to provide information on

education

i.On 1st March 2018, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami launched the toll free number

14417 a 24-hour helpline, claiming to be the first in India, to offer information and guidance on

education to students. It was said that the help line was set up at a cost of Rs two crore.

ii.Tamil Nadu School Education Minister K A Sengottaiyan, Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary, Girija

Vaidyanathan and few other officials were present at the occasion.

First Mega Food Park in Maharashtra at Satara inaugurated

On 1st March 2018, M/s Satara Mega Food Park Pvt. Ltd., the first Mega Food Park in Maharashtra &

12th Mega Food Park put to function in India,was inaugurated by Harsimrat Kaur Badal,

Minister of Food Processing Industries at Degaon village, Satara district of Maharashtra.

Harsimrat Kaur Badal said that, the Mega Food Park will involve an additional investment of nearly

Rs. 250 crores in 25-30 food processing units in the park. It will bring a turnover of around Rs.

450-500 crore every year.

World's largest solar park Shakti Sthala launched in Karnataka

On 1st March 2018, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated ‘Shakti Sthala’ a solar

power park with 2,000 megawatt capacity at Pavagada in Tumakuru district of Karnataka.

Karnataka has become the third-largest producer of renewable energy in India.

i. The Shakti Sthala is built on an area of 13,000 acres. It was set up at a cost of Rs 165 billion.

ii. It generated 600 MW power as of January 2018. Additional 1,400 MW would be generated by

December 2018.

iii. Karnataka Energy Minister D. K. Shivakumar said that, farmers of the Pavagada region who




have leased out land for the park are partners and beneficiaries of Shakti Sthala.

hey have rented their lands for Rs 21,000 per acre per annum

Odisha launches scheme 'KHUSHI' to provide free sanitary pads

On 26th February 2018, the Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the scheme

'Khushi'. This will offer free sanitary pads for girl students from Class 6 to 12 studying in all

government and government-aided schools of Odisha.

i. He said that, this scheme will help in improving health and hygiene of adolescent girls and in

higher retention of girl students in school.

ii. Odisha Health Minister Pratap Jena said that, Odisha government will also provide sanitary

pads at a subsidised price to rural women through ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist)

workers.

Odisha govt launches 'Ama Gaon, Ama Vikas' programme

Odisha State Government has launched 'Ama Gaon, Ama Vikas' video vans (our village, our

development) programme with an objective to reach out to the people in rural areas of Odisha

and involve them in developmental activities through this video vans.

i. These video vans will move across Odisha and will highlight various welfare schemes of

Government.

ii. Through the Wi-fi enabled video walls in these vans, people would be able to send their

grievances directly to the Chief Ministers’ Office Secretariat in Bhubaneswar

I&B Minister Smiriti Irani inaugurates FICCI Frame in Mumbai

On March 5, 2018, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister, Smiriti Irani inaugurated

2018 edition of FICCI Frames in Mumbai.

i.This annual convention on the film and entertainment market is a three-day global convention

covering the entire gamut of Media and Entertainment Industry viz. films, broadcasts (TV & Radio),

Print Media etc.

ii. Nearly 2000 Indian and 800 foreign delegates from Media and Entertainment sector will be

attending this event.

iii. 35 knowledge sessions will be conducted during the course of this event and 200 high profile

speakers from across the world will share their views.

India's first helicopter taxi service launched in Bengaluru

India's first helicopter taxi service (heli taxi) was launched in Bengaluru on March 5, 2018

i. The first trip of the heli taxi was between Electronic City and Kempegowda International Airport in

Bengaluru and was completed in 15 minutes.

ii. This service has been launched by Kerala-based Thumby Aviation Private Limited, using a

Bell 407 helicopter with a capacity of six passengers.Seats can be booked online by downloading




the Thumby mobile app (Heli Taxii).

iii. The fare for this route is fixed at Rs 3500 per seat plus Goods and Services Tax (GST) at 18%.

First cyber police station of Haryana established in Gurugram

On 7th March 2018, Haryana’s first cyber police station was inaugurated in Gurugram, to

facilitate registration of cyber offence related cases.

i. CEO of Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority, V Umashankar along with Sandeep

Khirwar, Commissioner of Police, Gurugram, inaugurated the cyber police station at DLF office in

Gurugram.

ii. The building for the cyber police station has been provided by DLF in Phase 5. The cyberpolice

station has sufficient number of trained manpower already.

Government announces launch of ‘SUVIDHA’ under PMBJP

On 8th March 2018, Ananthkumar, Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Parliamentary

Affairs, announced the launch of ‘Suvidha’, the 100% Oxo-biodegradable Sanitary Pad.

i. The ‘Suvidha’ napkin is launched under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi

Pariyojana (PMBJP). They will be available at allJanaushadhi Kendras in India by 28th May

2018 (World Menstrual Hygiene Day).

ii. The ‘Suvidha’ pads will be offered for Rs. 2.50 per pad. They can be availed at more than 3200

Janaushadhi Kendras.

iii. This has been introduced to ensure ‘Swachhta, Swasthya and Suvidha’ for the underprivileged

women of India. This initiative has been taken by the Department of Pharmaceuticals.

Ministry of Power launches National E-Mobility Programme in India

On 7th March 2018, R K Singh, Union Minister of State (IC) Power and New & Renewable

Energy, launched the National E-Mobility Programme in India.

i. The National E-Mobility Programme has been introduced to improve the e-mobility ecosystem

that comprises vehicle manufacturers, charging infrastructure companies, fleet operators, service

providers, etc.

ii. Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) will implement the National E-Mobility

Programme.

iii. For an electric car, the per kilometer cost is only 85 paisa. Whereas, it is Rs 6.5 for

normal cars. This will help to reduce petroleum imports.

iv. R K Singh said that, India aims to develop with the motto - “Healthier world, healthier country”,

and the long term goal to leave behind a better world.


https://bit.ly/SBIPO2018



About EESL (Energy Efficiency Services Limited):

♦ Purpose - works towards mainstreaming energy efficiency and is implementing the world’s largest

energy efficiency portfolio in India

♦ Functions under - Ministry of Power

Floating Lab set up to monitor Manipur's Loktak Lake

The Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Laboratory (IBSD), Imphal, has established a

floating laboratory in Loktak Lake, Manipur, to continuously monitor its water quality and improve

it,which is inaugurated by Manipur's Forest and Environment Minister, Thounaojam

Shyamkumar Singh

i. The IBSD worked for 4 months to get the boat, redesign it and obtain equipment for the

laboratory. This lab will work 24x7 and will monitor the entire lake.

ii. This floating laboratory has been set up on a budget of Rs 5. Lakh. Further equipments for

Rs 20 lakh will be procured to improve its efficiency.

Government launches 'I - Metros', an association of all Indian Metro Rail companies

On 8th March 2018, P K Sinha, Cabinet Secretary, launched “I-Metros”, an association of all

Indian Metro Rail companies, at the Conference on “Indian Metros: Collaborating for Excellence”

conducted at Metro Bhawan, in New Delhi.

i. “I-Metros” will act as a platform for sharing of ideas, knowledge, experience, best practices,

innovations, etc. for the Indian Metro rail companies. It will help them to improve their

performance.

ii. It will be registered under Society Registration Act-1860. It will conduct and promote techno-

economic studies and research.

Madhya Pradesh power utility starts 'Pink Electricity Zone'

On 8th March 2018 (International Women's Day), Madhya Pradesh West Power Distribution

Company (MPWPDC) launched a "Pink Electricity Zone' that will be managed by women

staff.

i. Akash Tripathi, MD of MPWPDC, said that, the Zone comprises 25 women staff.

ii. They will manage the energy maintenance work of 13,000 power connections in Aranya Nagar.

Prime Minister launches National Nutrition Mission (NNM)

On 8th March 2018, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi,

launched the National Nutrition Mission at an event held at Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan.

i. The National Nutrition Mission (NNM) has been formulated with a 3 year budget of Rs.9046.17

crore starting from 2017-18.

ii. NNM aims in improving nutrition level in India on an urgent basis. It includes several schemes




working on reducing malnutrition, incentivizing States/UTs to reach goals, incentivizing Anganwadi

Workers (AWWs) to use IT based tools, etc.

iii. NNM aims to reduce stunting, under-nutrition, anemia and reduce low birth weight by 2%, 2%,

3% and 2% per annum respectively. It will work to achieve reduction in stunting from 38.4% to

25% by 2022.

Udyam Sakhi Portal launched for women entrepreneurs

On the occasion of International Women's Day, March 8,the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium

Enterprises (MSME) launched a portal for women entrepreneurs of

India”www.udyamsakhi.org.” was unveiled by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of

MSME, Giriraj Singh.

The portal is a network for nurturing entrepreneurship and creating business models for low cost

products and services in order to empower women and make them self-reliant and self-sufficient

'WE Hub', India's first state-led incubator for women launched by Telengana Government

On March 8 2018, Government of Telangana launched Women Entrepreneurship Hub (WE- Hub)

in Hyderabad. WE-Hub is India’s first state-led incubator exclusively for women entrepreneurs

i.It is a platform which is open to all kinds of innovations including a tech start-up, a start-up in

social innovation or an idea which is completely and radically different.

ii.It was launched by Tessy Thomas, Director, ASL, DRDL and Vani Kola, Managing Director of

Kalaari Capital, in the presence of IT & Industries Minister KT Rama Rao.

iii.Former Joint Director for Electronics Promotions of Telangana,Deepthi Ravula has been

appointed as the CEO of WE Hub.

About T-Hub & WE –Hub

♦ T-Hub – It is meant for technology startups

♦ WE Hub – It will be open for all kinds of startups led by women

India’s Biggest M&E Services Market, enTTech 2018 inaugurated in Mumbai

India's biggest Media & Entertainment Services Market – enTTech 2018 was inaugurated in

Mumbai on March 7, 2018.

i. enTTech 2018 was organized by Service Export Promotion Council (SEPC) in association

with MEAI (Media & Entertainment Association of India) and TVAGA (Telangana VFX,

Animation and Gaming Association). The event was supported by the Department of Commerce

under Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

ii. This edition of enTTech focussed on Business to Business (B2B) matchmaking between 100

international delegates and their Indian counterparts.

iii. The market was held for two days – 7th and 8th March, 2018. Union Minister for Commerce &

Industry, Suresh Prabhu spoke at the inaugural function through a video message.




Quick facts about Service Export Promotion Council (SEPC):

♦ Formed in – 2006

♦ Set up by – Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry

India’s first coastal policing academy set up in Gujarat

The National Academy of Coastal Policing (NACP), India’s first coastal policing academy, has

been set up in Okha, in Devbhoomi Dwarka district of Gujarat.

i. This academy aims to sharpen the skills of marine forces of various Indian states that have

coastal lines.

ii. The Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) will pilot the setting up of

skilled trainers and access to jetties and boats for the academy.

iii. Faculty from the Navy, Coast Guard and the BSF, will train police personnel and staff of other

security agencies.

iv. The academy will be operated temporarily at the fisheries department campus in Okha for

nearly 3 years. Later, a new permanent campus will be set up in Devbhoomi Dwarka district. The

National Academy of Coastal Policing (NACP) will start functioning from April 2018.

PM Modi launches number of schemes for poor in Varanasi

On March 12, 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a number of schemes for the poor in

Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

i. Firstly, PM Modi inaugurated a 101-megawatt solar power plant in Mirzapur along with visiting

French President Emmanuel Macron.

ii. PM Modi announced Ayushman Bharat scheme to ensure better healthcare facilities for the

poor.

iii. Besides, he also launched Pradhan Mantri Poshan Mission Yojana to ensure nutrition to

children, especially girls.

iv. PM Modi also laid the foundation stone of various development projects worth over Rs. 800

crore and flagged off a new train - Kanshi-Patna Jan Shatabdi Express - between Varanasi and

Patna

Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurates Delhi Energy Dialogue (DED) 2018

On March 14, 2018, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra

Pradhan inaugurated the first edition of Delhi Energy Dialogue (DED) 2018 in New Delhi

i. The dialogue was organised by Ashden India Collective (AIC) in alliance with the Climate

Parliament and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).

ii. The dialogue served as a platform for stakeholders in the field of energy and power to deliberate

on key developments and challenges for ‘energy for all’ in India.

iii. He also added that by 2040, India’s energy consumption will grow by compound annual growth




rate (CAGR) of 4 per cent and India currently offers 1 lakh crore of bio-fuel and bio-energy

business to the world.

PM Modi inaugurates 105th Indian Science Congress in Manipur

On 16th March 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 105th session of the

Indian Science Congress in Imphal, Manipur.

i. Imphal has become the second city in the North-East India to host the Indian Science Congress.

ii. He inaugurated Luwangpokpa Multi-Sports Complex, Rani Gaidinliu Park, and few other projects

after inaugurating the congress.

iii. He laid foundation stone of the National Sports University, 1000 Anganwadi Centres, 19

residential complexes for teachers, doctors and nurses, etc.

Ministry of Health launches LaQshya program to benefit pregnant woman and newborn

The launch of ‘LaQshya’ program that aims to improve quality of care in labour room and

maternity Operation Theatre (OT), was recently announced by Ministry of Health and

Family Welfare.

It aims to enhance quality of care for pregnant women in labour room, maternity Operation Theatre

and Obstetrics Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and High Dependency Units (HDUs).

i. This program will reduce maternal and newborn mortality count. It will offer Respectful Maternity

Care (RMC) to all pregnant women in public health facilities.

ii. This program will implement ‘fast-track’ initiatives to obtain results in 18 months.

iii. The quality improvement in labour room and maternity OT will be monitored through NQAS

(National Quality Assurance Standards).

iv. Facility that obtains 70% score on NQAS will be given LaQshya certification. Facilities that

obtain more than 90%, 80% and 70% score will be awarded Platinum, Gold and Silver badge

respectively.

vi. Facilities that obtain NQAS certification, required quality indicators and 80% satisfied

beneficiaries will receive Rs 6 lakh, Rs 3 lakh and Rs 2 lakh as incentive for Medical College

Hospital, District Hospital and FRUs respectively.

NITI Aayog releases SATH-E project

On March 17, 2018, NITI Aayog released comprehensive roadmaps and detailed timelines

for ‘Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital in Education (SATH-E)’ project.

i. Forward looking blueprints were released by Amitabh Kant, CEO of NITI Aayog and the Chief

Secretaries of the three participating States - Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha.

ii. The roadmaps contained information about detailed interventions which will be made in the three

states between 2018 to 2020 with an aim to become ‘Role Model States’ in school education.

iii. These roadmaps have been jointly prepared by NITI Aayog, the three States and the knowledge




partners of the SATH Initiatives, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Piramal Foundation For

Education Leadership (PFEL).

Nitin Gadkari inaugurates 5th Nadi Mahotsava at Bandrabhan in Madhya Pradesh

On 16th March 2018, Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and

Ganga Rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the 5th 'Nadi Mahotsava' at Bandrabhan in

Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh.

i. He said that, 'Nadi Mahotsava' was started by late Union Minister Anil Madhav Dave. He urged

people to cooperate in preserving of water.

ii. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan also addressed the gathering. He

spoke on various measures taken by government to preserve water.

Sushil Modi inaugurates Bihar's first 'Startup hub' in Patna

On 16th March 2018, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi inaugurated the first

'Startup hub' of Bihar in Patna.

i. Sushil Kumar Modi said that, work station and office space along with free of cost "plug and play"

facility will be offered to 31 startup companies in the startup hub.

ii. He also said that, policy and structural reforms to encourage IT enable services and ESDM

(Electronics System Design and Manufacturing) in Bihar had been recently initiated.

CISF launches 'Lost and Found' mobile app for lost items at airports

CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) has introduced 'Lost and Found', a mobile app

using which travelers can lodge complaints to recover items they lost or forgot at

airports.We can downloaded the app from the website of Information and Technology

Ministry. Passengers can directly register complaints and check status of their complaint instantly

for airports under the coverage of CISF.

7th Women Science Congress Inaugurated at Imphal

On March 18, 2018, Governor of West Bengal, Keshari Nath Tripathi inaugurated the

7th Women Science Congress at the ongoing 105th session of Indian Science Congress in Imphal,

Manipur.

First edition of Women Science Congress was held in 2012. Objective of Women Science

Congress is to inspire young women to be a part of scientific community and engage themselves in

active scientific research.





South Asia's First Ever Coworking & Coplay Space Launched In Gurugram

Monkey Business, a first of its kind co-working space in South Asia that also provides onsite

childcare was launched in South Point Mall, Gurugram, Haryana.

i. Monkey Business, is ideal for young parents to work while their kids are engaged in

productive activities at the onsite play area.It has thoughtfully designed play zone and

includes a nap area, a feeding and diaper changing room.

First India-Japan Workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction inaugurated in New Delhi

On March 19, 2018, Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog, Dr. Rajiv Kumar inaugurated the First

India-Japan Workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction in New Delhi.

i. This workshop has been jointly organised by the National Disaster Management Authority

(NDMA), Union Ministry of Home Affairs and Government of Japan.

ii. It is the first formal initiative under the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) on Disaster Risk

Reduction signed between India and Japan in September 2017.

iii. During the course of this workshop, India and Japan will identify possible areas of cooperation in

the field of Disaster Risk Reduction.

President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

(FINE) in New Delhi

On 19th March 2018, President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated a Festival of Innovation and

Entrepreneurship (FINE) at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.

i. Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (FINE) is organised by Rashtrapati Bhavan along

with the Department of Science and Technology and the National Innovation Foundation-

India from 19th March 21st March 2018.

ii. Ram Nath Kovind also presented the Gandhian Young Technological Innovation Awards.

iii. FINE aims to recognise, display and reward innovations and to create a supportive ecosystem

for innovators.

Delhi govt launches app 'Delhi's Date with Democracy' to scout singing, dancing talent

On March 19, 2018, Delhi Government launched 'Delhi's Date with Democracy', a mobile

application that will serve as a platform for aspiring singers and dancers in the city to

showcase their talent on a big stage.

i. 'Delhi's Date with Democracy' is an initiative of Delhi Government’s department of art, culture

and languages.

ii. Sahitya Kala Parishad and Delhi Kalyan Samiti have collaborated with the Delhi

Government for this initiative




Nitin Gadkari inaugurates Inland Ferry Services in Goa

On March 20, 2018, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water

Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the

Inland ferry services in Vasco, Goa.

i. While delivering the keynote address at the occasion, Mr. Gadkari highlighted that use of

waterways is not only economical but is also environmental friendly.

ii. Commuting through Inland ferry services inaugurated in Vasco, Goa would save time and money

and avoid pollution and ease the road congestion.

Greece launches newly established Space Agency ‘Hellenic Space Agency’

Hellenic Space Agency, Greece’s first space agency was officially launched on March 19, 2018.

i. Although Greece will not start its own space exploration programme through this agency in near

future, the agency is expected to benefit the country in various sectors viz. telecommunications,

defense, medical applications, environmental monitoring, agriculture, fire prevention and control.

ii. Dr. Tom Krimigis, who is regarded as ‘Space Exploration Pioneer’ has been appointed

Chairperson of the Board of Hellenic Space Agency.

iii. In the context of this news, it is to be noted that Greece has been a member of European

Space Agency (ESA) since 2005 and has invested millions of Euros in its research programmes.

Government launches Sand Mining Framework to check illegal extraction

On 20th March 2018, Union Minister of Mines Narendra Singh Tomar launched a "sand mining

framework" in order to help states to take action against illegal mining.The Sand Mining Framework

was prepared by the Ministry of Mines.

The suggestions in this framework will offer a roadmap to the states that will help them to develop

their policies and will act as a check on illegal mining of sand.

Government launches free wi-fi service for Udwada in Valsad district of Gujarat

On 21st March 2018, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) launched Free Wi-Fi Facility at

Udwada Village, in Valsad District, Gujarat.

i.The facility was launched by Manoj Sinha, Minister of State for Communications and

Minister of State for Railways.

ii. Smriti Irani said that, under Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana Rs.16.48 Lakh has been allotted for

implementing Wi-Fi by BSNL in Udwada Village.

CM Pinarayi Vijayan launches M-Kerala app at Kerala's first global digital summit

On 22nd March 2018, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched the M-Kerala app, at #Future,

Kerala’s first-ever global digital summit held in Kochi.It will help citizens to avail nearly 100

government services using their mobile phones & also has mobile payment options. The #Future




summit was held with the theme “Towards a Digital Future”.

Andhra Government launches NAIPUNYA RATHAM or World on Wheels:

On March 22, 2018, Andhra Pradesh (AP) State Government launched, NAIPUNYA RATHAM or

World on Wheels, a multi-utility vehicle aimed at taking technology to the remote corners

of the state.

NAIPUNYA RATHAM or World on Wheels, which is a part of AP State Government’s ‘Smart

village Smart Ward Programme’ will not only facilitate in furthering digital literacy but will also

create an awareness about various government schemes.

Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram launches E-Tribes India on e-commerce platforms

On 27th March 2018, Tribal Affairs Minister, Jual Oram launched “E-Tribes India” in New Delhi.

i. The Launch of E-Tribes India includes www.tribesindia.com, www.trifed.in and Retail

Inventory Software and M-commerce app.

ii. ‘Tribes India’ Banners were also launched at Amazon, Snapdeal, Paytm & GeM. Also

TRIFED’s Handbook for Retail Trade and TRIFED’s quarterly magazine ‘Tribes Haat’ were

inaugurated.

iii. TRIFED has developed its own e-commerce website: tribesindia.com. This website offers sale of

all TRIFED products.

iv. Their Android App can also be downloaded from Google store (Tribes India). TRIFED has entered

into agreements with Snapdeal and Amazon to sell their products

on www.snapdeal.com and www.amazon.com.

v. Ministry of Commerce has also enabled the sale of TRIFED products on www.gem.gov.in. Tribes

India products are also available on Flipkart and Paytm.

MEA launches ‘Videsh Aaya Pradesh ke Dwaar’ in Hyderabad

On March 22, 2018, External Publicity and Public Diplomacy Division of the Ministry of External

Affairs (MEA) launched an initiative, 'Videsh Aaya Pradesh ke Dwaar' in Hyderabad, Telangana with

an aim to bring the domain of foreign policy closer to the people.

i. Under this initiative, MEA will hold direct interaction with the local media (having wide readership

profile) in different cities across India.

ii. Through these interactions, MEA will communicate foreign policy priorities in simple terms and

will highlight the benefits accruing to the common people through diplomatic efforts.

Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugurates Rajasthan’s first mega food park at Ajmer

On 29th March 2018, Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur

Badal inaugurated Rajasthan’s first mega food parkM/s Greentech Mega Food Park Private

Ltd, at Roopangarh Village in Ajmer, Rajasthan.


http://www.tribesindia.com/

http://www.trifed.in/



The Greentech Mega Food Park has been established at a cost of Rs 113.57 crore. It will

benefit nearly 25,000 farmers in that region.The park has been constructed in an area of 85.44

acres. It has central processing centre and 4 Primary Processing Centres (PPCs) at Jaipur, Nagaur,

Tonk and Churu.

Assam launches toll-free helpline for women

On March 29, 2018, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched '181-Sakhi', a toll-free

helpline number for women it is launched in wake of increasing crimes against women in

Assam. Initially, the toll free helpline will work from 9 am to 5.30 pm, but will soon be a 24x7

service.

Prakash Javadekar launches Grand Finale of the Smart India Hackathon 2018 (Software

Edition)

On 30th March 2018, Minister for Human Resource Development, Prakash

Javadekar launched the grand finale of Smart India Hackathon 2018 (Software Edition) in New

Delhi. He said that Smart India Hackathon 2018 is aimed to encourage the spirit of innovations in

students. The Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2018 consists of two competitions: Software Hackathon

and Hardware Hackathon. The final round of Hardware Hackathon will be held in June 2018.

UP CM inaugurates India's Longest Elevated Road in Ghaziabad

On 30th March 2018, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated Hindon

Elevated Road - India’s longest elevated road, in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

i. It is 10.3 km long. It has been built on 227 single pillars. The main objective of this road is to

ease traffic movement between Ghaziabad and New Delhi.The total cost project is estimated to

be Rs. 1,147 crore.

ii. This Road will also connect to NH-24, the Delhi-Meerut Expressway. It will also help users to

reach Hindon airbase.This road has been constructed on Transit-oriented development (TOD)

basis.

FESTIVALS Andhra CM inaugurates International Yachting Festival

On 29th March 2018, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated the

International Yachting Festival in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.It is conducted by the

Andhra Pradesh government.





Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) is providing required support for the festival. Krishnababu,

Chairman of VPT, said that, this festival is conducted with an aim to boost sea tourism in

Vishakapatnam.

International Yoga festival held in Rishikesh

On March 1, 2018, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat inaugurated the week-

long 29th edition of annual International Yoga Festival (IYF) at Parmarth Niketan ashram

in Rishikesh.It was officially inaugurated by Vice President, Venkaiah Naidu on March 3, 2018.

i. The International Yoga Festival in association with Union Ministry of AYUSH, Uttarakhand Tourism

Development Board and Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam Ltd.

ii. In addition to daily yoga classes, 200 sessions on topics such as Ashtanga yoga, Bhakti yoga,

Kundalini yoga and Ganga yoga will be conducted during the course of this event.

Itanagar celebrates Silver Jubilee of Losar festival

On 2nd to 4th March 2018, silver jubilee of the Losar Festival was celebrated by Buddhist

Community of Itanagar at the Nyokum Lapang Ground, in Itanagar, Arunachal

Pradesh.The Itanagar Buddhist Cultural Society (IBCS) organized the festival.

This festival is celebrated as 'New Year' by the Buddhist community as per their

calendar. Arunachal Pradesh Education Minister Honchun Ngandam was the chief guest at

the event.The Buddhist New Year has entered into 2145 Earth Dog year, according to the Buddhist

calendar.

Three day International Yoga Fest begins in Delhi

On 21st March 2018, International Yoga Fest was inaugurated by Union minister Jitendra

Singh at Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi, as a curtain raiser for the International Yoga Day (IYD)

The Fest is held for 3 days.

Four cities namely Jaipur, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Mysore have been shortlisted for

conducting the main function of International Yoga Day 2018.

OTHER NEWS RELATED TO INDIAN AFFAIRS

Delhi government to set up State Sanskrit Education Council

Delhi government has decided to establish State Sanskrit Education Council to improve formal

education of Sanskrit in Delhi.

Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia said that, the education department will study

the representations and take necessary steps to form a Delhi State Sanskrit Education Council.




Maharashtra government ties up with Wikipedia to promote Marathi

The Maharashtra government has partnered with Wikipedia, to spread the Marathi language

and enhance its online usage.

i. Maharashtra government made this announcement on Marathi language day (27th February

2018). It is aimed to spread the Marathi language across the world.

ii. It will also offer Marathi-speaking people a single platform to interact. It would also help to reach

Maharashtrians who have migrated to the United States.

India to have its own size chart for clothes, NIFT to conduct survey

Under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Textiles, the National Institute of Fashion

Technology (NIFT) - New Delhi, will conduct a National Sizing Survey of India to develop an

‘India size chart’ for the garment industry.

• The garment industry in India currently follows tweaked versions of US or the UK size charts

of ‘small, medium, large, extra large’.

• With ‘India Size Chart’ in place, all brands selling in India, including foreign

brands, will have to carry the India size label on all garments because it is the main is

main reason for high return and rejection rate of 20% to 40% in Indian garments industry.

• Countries that have successfully completed national sizing surveys: Australia, China,

Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Sweden, South Korea, Netherlands,

Thailand, US, UK.

The survey would be administered on 25000 men and women in the age group of 15-65

years, across six cities and regions viz. Kolkata (east), Mumbai (west), New Delhi (north),

Hyderabad (centre), Bengaluru (south) and Shillong (north-east), using 3D whole-body

scanners.

• It is to be noted that no children will be measured as a part of the survey.

• About 120 different anthropometric elements, including, height, weight, waist-size, hip-size,

bust-size, would be included in the survey

• Entire project, including survey and finalising the size chart, would be completed within 2-3

years.

• Approximate cost for the project would be Rs. 30 crore, out of which Rs. 21 crore

would be provided by Union Ministry of Textiles while NIFT will chip in Rs. 9 crore.

North East Assembly Elections 2018 - Results

During February 2018, Legislative Assembly Elections were held in three North Eastern States -

Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland. Counting for all these Legislative Assembly Elections was

held on March 3, 2018.

Tripura State Assembly Election 2018 – Result:

• Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) along with its ally, Indigenous People's Front of




Tripura (IPFT) has won 43 seats and has thereby got the majority. BJP won has 35

seats while IPFT has won 8 seats.

• Incumbent Chief Minister Manik Sarkar’s Communist Party of India (Marxist) - CPI(M), that

has been in power for 20 years, managed to get only 16 seats.

Meghalaya State Assembly Election 2018 – Result:

• The ruling party, Indian National Congress led by incumbent Chief Minister Mukul Sangma

won 21 seats and emerged as the single largest party. However, it fell short from attaining

majority.

• By winning 19 seats, regional outfit, National People's Party (NPP) has got the second

highest number of seats.

• As per the latest development, NPP, BJP (2 seats) and three other parties will have an

alliance under NPP’s leader Conrad Sangma to form a non-Congress Government in

Meghalaya.

Nagaland State Assembly Election 2018 – Result:

• Incumbent Chief Minister TR Zeliang’s Naga People's Front (NPF) won 27 seats and emerged

as single largest party. However, it fell short from attaining majority.

• BJP (12 seats) and NDPP (17 seats) will form the government along with support

from a Janata Dal (United) MLA and an independent.

Shigmotsav 2018 organised in Goa

On 3rd to 17th March 2018, Shigmotsav 2018 is conducted in various regions of Goa.

i. Shigmotsav or Shigmo is the biggest Hindu festival in Goa. During the festival, parades are

conducted that depicts the life of Goan people.

ii. The parade features folk performances by local men and women. Folk dances like Ghode Modni

and Fugdi are performed.and they play large musical instruments like Dhol Tasha and flutes.

Himachal to set up medicinal plant board centre

On March 5, 2018, Himachal Pradesh State Government approved the setting up of a regional-

cum-facilitation centre of the National Medicinal Plants Board of the Ministry of Ayush.

which is decided in the State Cabinet meeting chaired by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram

Thakur.

i. This centre will be set up in Jogindernagar town in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh.

ii. Rs. 748.30 lakh has been allocated for setting up this centre, wherein the central government

would provide a grant of Rs 149.60 lakh.

Myanmar puts off border pact with India

Myanmar has indefinitely postponed signing an agreement with India to streamline the free

movement of people within 16 km along the border.India and Myanmar share a 1643 km

unfenced border.




i. Indian states that share border with Myanmar are Arunachal Pradesh (520 km),

Nagaland (215 km), Manipur (398 km) and Mizoram (510 km).

ii.Indian Government at Centre had also directed all the above mentioned states to distribute

“border pass” to the residents living within 16 km from the border.

Centre sanctions Rs 1000 crore for research and innovation

Central Government has sanctioned a grant of Rs 1000 crore for the second phase of the

Impacting Research Innovation and Technology (IMPRINT) India programme.

i. Announcement in this regard was made by Union Minister for Human Resources and

Development, Prakash Javadekar at the Visitors Conference held in New Delhi on March 6, 2018.

ii. Launched in 2015, IMPRINT India is a joint initiative of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and

Indian Institute of Science (IISc), aimed at identifying areas of relevance to society that require

innovation, ensuring higher funding support for research into these areas and measuring the

research’s impact on people’s standard of living.

iii. Under the IMPRINT-II, a fund is being jointly created by the Department of Science

and Technology and Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Delhi govt approves delivery of ration at doorsteps of PDS beneficiaries

On March 6, 2018, Delhi government approved a proposal for delivering rations in sealed packets at

the doorstep to Public Distribution System (PDS) beneficiaries.Currently,there are around 72

lakh PDS beneficiaries in Delhi.

i. The proposal was put forth by Department of Food, Supply and Consumer Affairs for providing

doorstep delivery of wheat/flour, rice and sugar for eligible PDS beneficiaries.

ii. This initiative will address problems such as theft of ration, poor quality of supplies and

shops remaining closed.

Animal Welfare Board of India headquarters shifted from Chennai to Haryana

On March 6, 2018, Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Mahesh

Sharma, informed Rajya Sabha that headquarters of the Animal Welfare Board of India

(AWBI) has been shifted from Chennai to Haryana's Ballabhgarh.

i. The reason cited behind shifting the headquarters is to ensure better coordination between the

environment ministry and the board.

ii. AWBI is a statutory advisory body established in 1962 under The Prevention of Cruelty

to Animals Act,1960.

40 Participants of Indian Origin attends 46th Edition of “Know India Programme”

On March 6, 2018, Forty Indian-origin students from nine countries met Railways Minister Piyush

Goyal as part of Know India Programme (KIP) which is the initiative to engage with the Indian




diaspora in the age group of 18 to 30 years.

i. It is a 25-day orientation programme, organised by Union Ministry of External Affairs in

partnership with one or two Indian states.

ii. For 46th KIP, Madhya Pradesh was the partner state.

‘Vision for Future’ event marks 70 years of Indo-Russia ties held in New Delhi

On 6th to 8th March 2018, ‘Vision for Future’ event is conducted to celebrate the 70 years of

successful Indo-Russia ties, in New Delhi.

i. The Vision for Future event is organised by Ministry of External Affairs of India (Eurasian

Division). It is co-organised by International Federation of Indo-Russian

Youth Clubs and BRICS International Forum.

ii. This event is aimed at strengthening strategic partnership between India and Russia. Mains

events of this programme are: First India-Russia Youth Parliament and India-Russia Excellence

Award Ceremony & launch of Youth Festival Calendar.

About BRICS:

♦ Type - association of five major emerging national economies

♦ Members - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa

Odisha MSME International Trade Fair begins in Bhubaneswar

On 5th to 10th March 2018, Odisha MSME International Trade Fair 2018 is held in

Bhubaneswar, Odisha.It focuses mainly on food processing sector.

i. The trade fair was inaugurated by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Over 500

domestic and international delegates will take part in the trade fair.

ii. The trade fair will present over 350 stalls with 6 pavilions. The theme pavilion has been allotted

for food processing sector. Pavillion-1 has been allotted for international exhibitors and central

public sector undertakings (CPSUs).

iii. Pavilion-2 is for food processing and sea food MSME units. Pavilion-3 is for MSMEs of women

and scheduled tribes/scheduled castes entrepreneurs.

iv. Pavilion-4 is for MSMEs working in engineering and allied sectors and Pavilion-5 is given to

start-ups and exporters.

Karnataka government unveils the state flag

On 8th March 2018, Karnataka government unveiled the State flag (nada dhwaja) for

Karnataka.





i. If Karnataka receives Central government approval, it will be the second state after

Jammu and Kashmir to have a flag.

ii. The flag is tricolor comprising yellow, white and red with State emblem at the centre.

iii. The state emblem is blue in colour named Gandaberunda. Gandaberunda is a mythical two-

headed bird.

Supreme Court allows passive euthanasia, recognises ‘living will’ of terminally ill patients

On 9th March 2018, Supreme Court passed an order permitting passive euthanasia in India.

i. Passive euthanasia is a condition where medical treatment is deliberately withdrawn to hasten

the death of a terminally-ill person.

ii. The Constitution bench said that, the guidelines will be in force till legislation on this is passed by

Parliament.It was led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra.

iii.Other judges present on the bench are: justices A K Sikri, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud

and Ashok Bhushan.

Rajasthan passes bill for death penalty for rape of girls aged 12 & below

On 9th March 2018, a bill approving death penalty to those convicted of raping or gang-raping a girl

who is aged 12 years or below, was passed by Rajasthan assembly.

i. Rajasthan has become the second state in India after Madhya Pradesh to approve

death sentence for those convicted of raping girls aged 12 years and below.

ii. Gulab Chand Kataria, Rajasthan home minister, introduced the Criminal Laws (Rajasthan

Amendment) Bill, 2018 in the assembly. It was passed by a voice vote.

iii. Sections 376-AA and 376-DD have been added in the Indian Penal Code, 1860, in

regard with rape and gang-rape of young girls.

Diu becomes the first and only Union Territory to be 100% solar energy efficient

Diu has become the first and only Union Territory of India to achieve full solar energy

efficiency.

i. Diu has a geographical area of just 42 square kilometers. It has installed solar power plants in

more than 50 acres of land.

ii. 13 MW of electricity is generated from the solar power-generating systems in Diu. Out of which,

3MW is produced from rooftop solar plants and 10MW from other solar power plants.

Madhya Pradesh announces pension for single women

On 8th March 2018, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced the

'Mukhyamantri Mahila Kosh' scheme that will offer pension to unmarried women above 50 years of

age.




Banaswadi becomes first all-woman railway station in South Western Railway zone

On 8th March 2018, Banaswadi railway station of Bengaluru became the first all-woman

railway station in South Western Railway zone.

i. It is the first station in the South Western Railway (SWR) zone and 5th in India to attain the all-

woman railway station status.

ii. The station was declared South Western Railway (SWR) zone’s first all-woman railway station

by Piyush Goyal, Union railway minister, through video link.

Swachh Shakti 2018 celebrated in Lucknow

On the occasion of International Women’s Day,The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, in

association with the Government of Uttar Pradesh, organized a Women’s Convention called

Swachh Shakti 2018 at Lucknow. Swachh Shakti 2018 has been hosted by Uttarpradesh

Government.

i. The event included a special exhibition, launch of a film celebrating Swachh Shakti and flagging

off of 30 Swachhata Raths that will travel across the State, spreading the message of sanitation at

the grassroots.

ii. The Union Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Sushri Uma Bharti, complimented the

commitment made by the Uttar Pradesh government to make the State Open Defecation Free

(ODF) by October 2018.

iii On October 2nd, 2014 The Swachh Bharat Mission has been launched, by the Prime Minister,

Shri Narendra Modi, is aimed at achieving a Clean and Open Defecation Free (ODF) India by

2nd October, 2019. From these efforts, 314 districts and 3.23 lakh villages and 9 States and 2 UTs

have been declared ODF.

‘WINGS INDIA 2018’ held in Hyderabad

On March 8,2018, Ministry of Civil Aviation and Airport Authority of India and FICCI

jointly organized the four-day biennial event ‘WINGS INDIA 2018 ‘ in Hyderabad. Theme of the

four-day biennial event this year is ‘India-Global Aviation Hub’.

i.WINGS INDIA 2018 is a platform for interactions, forging alliances, investments and air

connectivity between the States and the global aviation players & stakeholders.The conference will

focus on fostering partnership to transform Indian aviation and the role of conducive regulatory

framework to facilitate growth of civil aviation market.

ii.FICCI is set to launch its maiden edition of ‘WINGS INDIA AWARDS’ for Excellence in the

aviation sector in 14 categories.

Highlights of Maharashtra Budget 2018 – 2019

On March 9, 2018, Maharashtra Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar presented the state

budget for 2018-19 in legislative assembly while Minister of State for Finance, Deepak Kesarkar




presented the budget in legislative council. This was the fourth budget of the incumbent BJP-led

government under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Maharashtra Budget 2018-19 focused on farmers and youth.For fiscal 2018-19, revenue deficit is

estimated at Rs. 15375 crore.

• Rs. 13385 crore budget has been allocated for home department, out of which, Rs. 165

crore will be used for state-wide CCTV surveillance network.

• 13000 gram panchayats will be connected digitally under the Centre’s BharatNet project.

• Provision of Rs. 2215.85 crore has been made for implementation of Pradhan Mantri

Awas Yojana.

• Grant for Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan and Natya Sammelan has been doubled

to Rs. 50 lakh.

• India’s first battery-operated submarine will be used for underwater tourism at

Vengurla, Sindhudurg.Rs.7502 crore has been approved for Bandra-Versova sea link.

• Mr. Kesarkar has stated that work on the 701-km Mumbai -Nagpur Expressway will start in

April 2018.

Other Important Allocations:

Purpose Allocation Amount Subsidy to provide wheat and rice at Rs. 2 per kg and Rs. 3 per kg, respectively, to farmers in the 14 suicide-hit districts

Rs 922 crore

Forest tourism Rs. 120 crore Development plan for Ganpatipule temple in Ratnagiri Rs. 79 crore To reduce man-animal conflict and to make food and water available for the animals

Rs. 18 crore

For implementation of centrally sponsored National Health Mission

Rs. 964 crore

For Implementation of Tribal development schemes Rs. 8900 crore For setting up competitive training centres in all districts to train students for competitive exams

Rs. 50 crore

For completing 26 major irrigation projects, under the Pradhan Mantri Sinchai Yojana

Rs. 3015 crore

India's tallest tricolour hoisted in Belagavi, Karnataka

India’s tallest tricolour was hoisted in Belagavi, Karnataka on March 12, 2018.

i. The flag hoisted in Belagavi is 110m high from the base plate to the top while its size is

120X80 ft.It weighs 500 kg

ii. Before hoisting of the tallest flag at Belagavi, 107 metre tall tricolour flown in Pune was the

highest, followed by 105 metre tall tricolour at Attari-Wagah border.

iii. To have the tallest tricolour in Balagavi was the dream project of Belagavi (North) Congress

MLA Feroz Sait.

Banlotwa becomes first alcohol-free village in Ranchi district

Banlotwa has become the first 'alcohol-free' village in Ranchi district of Jharkhand.

i. Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das lauded the residents of the village for achieving this




feat and has given Rs 1 lakh cash to the village head of Banlotwa.

ii. It is to be noted that, two years ago, Raghubar Das had announced that any village becoming

alcohol-free would be given Rs. 1 lakh for its development.

iii. Mr. Das stated that people of Banlotwa have joined hands to make the village 'nasa mukt'

(alcohol-free).

Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma presents State's First E-Budget

On March 12, 2018, Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma presented state's first e-

Budget at the legislative Assembly.

i. Each legislator of Assam State Legislative Assembly was provided with a tablet

(computer) having details of the Budget.

ii. In order to truly make it an E-Budget, the reporters covering the state budget were given a pen

drive containing the details.

First edition of 'Soldierathon' organised at Nehru stadium

On March 11, 2018, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State for External

Affairs General VK Singh and cricketer Gautam Gambhir attended the first edition of

'Soldierathon' in New Delhi.

i. 'Soldierathon' is a special marathon aimed at raising funds for welfare of Indian soldiers

and their families.Cricketer Mohammad Kaif and Actor Varun Sood also witnessed this marathon.

ii. The marathon began from Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. Participation was open

in four categories viz. 10km, 5km, 3km and wheelchair.

iii. Funds raised during this event will be donated to Indian Army's Artificial Limb Centre (ALC) and

for the education of martyrs' children.

Government institutes award for best investigators of crime

Government of India has decided to institute 'Union Home Minister's Medal for Excellence in Police

Investigation' award for best investigation of crime in order to encourage high professional

standards in police forces.

i. This award will be presented to best investigators of police forces of the states, union territories

and central investigating agencies.

ii. Eligibility: Officers ranging from Sub-Inspector to Superintendent of Police are eligible for this

award.

iii. Based on the average crime data for the last 3 years, 162 medals will be presented annually.

Out of this, 137 medals are for states and UTs and 25 medals are for central investigating

agencies: National Investigation Agency (NIA), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Narcotics

Control Bureau (NCB).

iv. This is based on the crime data that has been published by the National Crime Records




Bureau (NCRB) for 2013, 2014 and 2015.A quota of medals has been allocated for Women

Investigators.

v.A screening committee in BPRD will process the applications and approval will be given by a

sanctioning committee in MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs).

Supreme Court bars foreign firms from practicing law in India

On March 13, 2018, Supreme Court of India upheld judgements given by Madras High Court and

Bombay High Court that foreign law firms cannot practice in India.

i. Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Adarsh K Goel and Uday U Lalit barred foreign

law firms and foreign lawyers practising in India for both litigatious (likely to engage in lawsuits) as

well as non-litigatious activities.

ii. This judgement takes into consideration Bar Council of India Rules (BCI) that the Indian laws

are of specialised nature and only those who have a exhaustive and holistic idea of its functioning,

are permitted to practice law by it.

iii. However, Supreme Court has allowed foreign lawyers to ‘fly in fly out’ to advise on foreign law.

Assam govt proposes insurance scheme for journalists

Assam State Government has proposed an insurance scheme for journalists and their families in

State budget for the year 2018-19.

i. This announcement was made by Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during

presentation of state budget for 2018-19 in the assembly on March 12, 2018.

ii. Mr. Sarma stated that for the year 2018-19, budgetary allocation of Rs 63 crore has been

earmarked for the Information and Public Relations Department that would implement schemes for

journalists in Assam.

CII to set up multi-skill centre in Darjeeling

On March 13, 2018, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) announced that it will set up a

multi-skill centre in Darjeeling, West Bengal.

i. Announcement in this regard was made by CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee at the

inaugural session of the two-day Darjeeling Business Summit.

ii. CII will set up this multi-skill centre in Darjeeling in partnership with the Gorkha Territorial

Administration.





Government forms ‘Field Inspection and Scientific Evaluation Committee (FISEC)’ to

probe illegal cultivation of HT Cotton

On 12th March 2018, Minister of State for Textiles Ajay Tamta said that, the government has

constituted ‘Field Inspection and Scientific Evaluation Committee (FISEC)’ to investigate into illegal

cultivation of HT (Herbicide Tolerant) cotton in 4 states.

i. Ajay Tamta said that, the government had received several entries insisting on ban of illegal

cultivation of HT or BG-III cotton in India.

ii. Several complaints regarding illegal and unauthorised cultivation of HT cotton in Andhra

Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat and Maharashtra have been received.

iii. He said that, a Field Inspection and Scientific Evaluation Committee (FISEC) has

been formed by Department of Biotechnology in the Ministry of Science and Technology.

iv. This committee will conduct investigation on illegal cultivation of HT cotton. He also added

that, the cultivation of BG-III or HT cotton does not have the approval of Genetic

Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) of the Ministry of Environment.

About Department of Biotechnology:

♦ Formed – 1986

♦ Headquarters – New Delhi

IAF's largest transport aircraft C-17 Globemaster makes historic landing in Arunachal

Pradesh

On 13th March 2018, C-17 Globemaster, the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) largest transport aircraft, made

a historic landing at Tuting Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) in Arunachal Pradesh.

i. The landing of C-17 Globemaster is considered as a move by IAF to strengthen

its operations in the important border region. The landing ground is just 30 km away

from China.

ii. The flight crew consisted of Group Captain K Rama Rao, Wing Commander Amiya Kant Patnaik,

Wing Commander K Trivedi and Squadron Leader L Nayak.

IATA partners with Civil Aviation Ministry and National Aviation University

On 13th March 2018, International Air Transport Association (IATA) said that, it has signed

a MoU with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and National Aviation University to improve

human resource availability in India's aviation industry.

i. The three parties formalised this partnership in the presence of Jayant Sinha, Minister of State

for Civil Aviation at the Wings India 2018 event in Hyderabad.

ii. This MoU also aims in developing better academic cooperation between IATA and National

Aviation University.




Lok Sabha passes Finance Bill 2018

On March 14, 2018, Lok Sabha passed the crucial Finance Bill 2018 and Appropriation Bill for the

next fiscal year i.e. 2018-19.

i. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley moved 21 amendments to the Bill containing taxation

proposals for 2018-19.

ii. The Appropriation Bill lists outspending plans for 99 government ministries and departments for

the year 2018-19.

iii. Both these bills will now be sent to Rajya Sabha. However, as these are money bills, if Rajya

Sabha does not return them to the Lok Sabha within 14 days, they would be considered

as approved.

HRD Ministry to set up ‘Innovation Cell’ to promote education

The HRD (Human Resources Development) ministry has decided to set up an innovation cell lead by

a scientist to develop new ideas to encourage innovation in India.

i. This decision was made after India improved by 6 ranks in the Global Innovation Index Ranking.

ii. India was at 66th position in 2016. It improved to 60th rank in 2017 on the Global Innovation

Index Ranking.

iii. Head of the Innovation cell will be a scientist. The cell will also have a senior official

and young professionals who will come up with new ideas in encouraging innovation.

About HRD (Human Resources Development) ministry:

♦ Minister of Human Resource Development - Prakash Javadekar

♦ Minister of State for HRD (Higher Education) - Dr. Satya Pal Singh

♦ Minister of State for HRD (School Education & Literacy) - Shri Upendra Kushwaha

First Interaction of 15th Finance Commission with Parliamentarians held in New Delhi

First Interaction of 15th Finance Commission with the Members of Parliament was held on March

14, 2018 in New Delhi.

i. The meeting was held to convey the proposed schedule of the Commission’s work and its Terms

of Reference (TOR) as well as to seek suggestions of Parliamentarians.

ii. In context of this news, it is important to note that unlike previous Finance Commissions, the

15th Finance Commission will function in a different scenario wherein there is no Planning

Commission and Government has removed the distinction between Plan and Non Plan grants.

Quick Facts about 15th Finance Commission:

♦ Formed in – November 2017

♦ Chairman – N.K. Singh

♦ Full time members - Former Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das, and adjunct professor of

Georgetown University Anoop Singh.




Lok Sabha passes bill on damages for breach of contract

On March 15, 2018, Lok Sabha passed the Specific Relief (Amendment) Bill, 2018 seeking to

grant a party the right to seek damages from the other side in case of a breach of a business

contract.

The current law only provides for a certain kind of specific relief, while the amendment proposes

a remedy which aims at the exact fulfilment of an obligation or specific performance of the

contract rather than grant of a general relief or damages or compensation.

Lok Sabha passes Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill, 2017

On March 15, 2018, Lok Sabha passed Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill, 2017 which seeks to

authorise Central Government to fix tax-free gratuity amount and period of maternity leave with an

executive order.

Background information and Salient Features of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill, 2017:

Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill, 2017 was introduced by Labour Minister Santosh

Kumar Gangwar in the Lok Sabha during the winter session.

• After implementation of 7th Central Pay Commission recommendations, ceiling of gratuity

amount for central government employees was increased from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20

lakh.

• This provision on maternity leave has been included in backdrop of the Maternity Benefit

(Amendment) Act, 2017 through which maximum maternity leave period has been

enhanced to 26 weeks.

Tamil Nadu Neutrino project gets environmental nod

Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has granted environmental clearance for

setting up India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) project atBodi West hills in Theni

district of Tamil Nadu.

i. In November 2017, Tamil Nadu State Expert Appraisal Committee had observed that proposed

site forms part of the catchment area of various streams that contribute to the Vaigai watershed.

ii. Among these, most important condition is to obtain Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board

(TNPCB) consent to establish and operate the project.

iii. The INO project, jointly supported by Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and

Department of Science and Technology (DST) envisages building a world class underground

laboratory to study properties of neutrinos (subatomic particles produced by the decay of

radioactive elements).

Three-day annual Krishi Unnati Mela begins in Delhi

Three-day annual Krishi Unnati Mela, focusing on ‘doubling farmers’ income’ began in New

Delhi on March 16, 2018.

i. The objective of Krishi Unnati Mela is to create awareness among farmers about latest




agriculture related developments.

ii. A theme pavilion on doubling of farmers income, organic farming, cooperatives, farm inputs, has

also been set up to familiarise farmers with the latest developments in the farming techniques.

Maharashtra Government bans use of plastic

On March 16, 2018, Maharashtra Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam announced that state

government has decided to ban the use of plastic from March 18, 2018.

i. The ban would apply on production, use, storage, sale, distribution, import and

transportation of plastic.

ii. However, use of plastic for covering medicines, forest and horticulture products, solid waste, tree

saplings has been exempted from the list.

iii. Violation of these norms will be punishable with up to three months of jail term and/or

will attract a penalty of Rs 5000-25000.

NSD to host 8th Theatre Olympics in Mumbai

National School of Drama (NSD) will be hosting the 8th edition of Theatre Olympics in Mumbai

from 24th March, 2018 to 7th April, 2018.

i. Theatre Olympics is the largest international theatre festival and is being held in India for the first

time.

ii. NSD is hosting the 8th edition of Theatre Olympics in Mumbai in collaboration with Directorate of

Cultural Affairs, Maharashtra.

iii. 8th Theatre Olympics opened in Delhi and will be covering 17 Indian cities with over

25000 artistes performing nearly 450 shows.

iv. Theme for the 8th edition of Theatre Olympics is 'Flag of Friendship'.

v. The Jaipur chapter of the Theatre Olympics, 2018, will be organised by NSD under the

aegis of Union ministry of Culture in collaboration with the Ravindra Manch Society and

Rajasthan State Art and Culture department from 18th March, 2018 to 1st April, 2018.

vi. Concept of Theatre Olympics was established in 1993 in Greece, and thereafter it was

held in Japan (1999), followed by Russia (2001), Turkey (2006), South Korea (2010), China (2014)

and Poland (2016).

LS passed amendment to stonewall scrutiny of foreign poll funding

On March 14, 2018, Lok Sabha passed 21 amendments to the Finance Bill 2018 including an

amendment to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010.

i. As per Representation of Peoples Act, political parties in India cannot accept foreign funds.

ii. As per Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010, which repealed and replaced FCRA

1976, any company registered abroad or with subsidiaries abroad was defined as foreign

firm.




iii. Through Finance Act, 2016, definition of foreign firm was changed and a firm with less than 50

per cent of share capital held by a foreign entity was no longer considered a foreign firm.

iv. The retrospective amendment to FCRA 2010 through Finance Bill 2018 will do away

with the scope for scrutiny of a political party’s funding

President releases commemorative coins on Nabakalebara festival

On March 18, 2018, President Ram Nath Kovind released Rs 1000 and Rs 10

commemorative coins on Nabakalebara festival in Puri, Odisha.It is observed in the Shree

Jagannath Temple at Puri, Odisha at a predefined time according to Hindu Calender. It is a

symbolic recreation of the wooden forms of deities at Jagannath Temple, Puri. ‘Naba’ means new

and ‘Kalebara’ is body.

The commemorative coins were released during the centenary celebrations of Rashtriya

Sanskrit Sansthan.

Curtain Raiser for ‘3rd National Conclave on Mines and Minerals’ to be held in New Delhi

On 20th March 2018, the 3rd National Conclave on Mines & Minerals will be held at

Convention Hall in Hotel Ashoka, New Delhi & it is organized by the Ministry of Mines.

Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI) partners the event.

i. Public and private mining companies will participate in the conclave. Minister of Mines,

Narendra Singh Tomar will present the awards for ‘5 Star’ rating to the 20 best performing

mines.

ii. Technical sessions will be conducted on the following topics: Auction of Mineral Blocks &

Implementation of Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojna (PMKKKY), Impetus on Exploration,

Sustainable Development Framework – Sharing of Best Practices.

BHEL commissions 1st unit of Kishanganga hydro project in J&K

On March 19, 2018, government-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) announced

that it has commissioned the first unit of 110 MW of the Kishanganga hydro-electric project

(HEP) of NHPC in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).

i. The 340 MW Kishanganga hydro project is located in Bandipora district of J&K on the

river Kishanganga (a tributary of the Jhelum).

ii. Bhel has so far commissioned 31 Hydro sets with a cumulative capacity of 1257 MW in J&K.





F-16 jet production unit will be set up in India

Lockheed Martin has announced the setting up of F-16 jet production unit in India.

Lockheed Martin is an American aerospace and defence giant. It said that, the F-16 jet production

unit to be set up in India will be an exclusive one and will be in line with the 'Make in India'

initiative.

About Lockheed Martin:

♦ Chairman, President and CEO - Marillyn A. Hewson

♦ Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer - Bruce L. Tanner.

Third edition of National Conclave on Mines and Minerals held in Delhi

On 20th March 2018, the 3rd edition of National Conclave on Mines and Minerals was held in

New Delhi.

i. It acts as a platform to display the recent policy initiatives by the Indian government. Discussion

on the issues, challenges and opportunities in the mining sector were conducted.

ii. Mines Minister Narendra Singh Tomar presented awards to 20 best performing mines

with '5-Star' rating.

NCAA becomes World’s First Trusted Digital Repository

India’s National Cultural Audiovisual Archives (NCAA) has been certified as the world’s first

Trusted Digital Repository as per ISO 16363:2012 standard, granted by Primary Trustworthy

Digital Repository Authorisation Body Ltd. (PTAB), United Kingdom.

i. NCAA is a project of the Union Ministry of Culture, implemented by Indira Gandhi

National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA).

ii. Objective of NCAA is to identify and preserve India’s cultural heritage available in audiovisual

form through a process of digitization and making it accessible to the people.

iii. NCAA digital repository is powered by DIGITĀLAYA which is developed by C-DAC Pune.

Karnataka cabinet approves separate religion status for Lingayats

On March 19, 2018, Karnataka State Government under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah (belonging to

Congress Party) approved the separate religion status for the Lingayat community.

i. Lingayat community owes allegiance to the 12th century social reform movement initiated by

Basaveshwara.

ii. Lingayats have been demanding a separate religion status since long time. Besides, a seven-

member committee, formed by Karnataka State Minorities Commission which submitted its

report on March 2, 2018 recommended that Lingayats in Karnataka may be considered as a

religious minority.




First India-Japan Workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction organised in New Delhi

On 19th and 20th March 2018, the First India-Japan Workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction

was held in New Delhi.

i. The workshop was inaugurated by Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog.It is

organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs, National Disaster Management Authority

ii.The workshop was aimed to take the dialogue on India-Japan Cooperation on Disaster Risk

Reduction to the next level with main focus on earthquake safety.

iii. Possible areas of cooperation between India and Japan in the field of Disaster Risk Reduction

were identified.

iv. This Workshop is the first outcome of the Memorandum of Cooperation regarding Disaster Risk

Reduction (DRR) signed by India and Japan in September 2017.

Centre approves to set up a plastic park in Deoghar district of Jharkhand

Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers, Ananthkumar has announced that Central

Government has approved the setting up of a Plastic Park in Deoghar District of Jharkhand.

i. The Plastic Park would be set up at a cost of Rs. 120 crores over an area of 150 acres.

ii. Range of polymer products including woven sacks, water tanks, moulded furniture, bottles, pipes

mosquito nets, etc would be manufactured at this Plastic Park.

iii. Mr. Ananthkumar also requested the Jharkhand State Government to facilitate land/ building

infrastructure to set up a Central Institute for Plastic Engineering & Technology

(CIPET) alongside the Plastic Park, for training necessary human resource (plastic engineers and

technicians).

iv. Besides, Mr. Ananthkumar also announced the setting up of Rs. 3.5 crore Plastic Recycling

unit at Deoghar to handle the problem of plastic waste being generated due to tourist inflow.

v. Plastic Park, CIPET and the Plastic Recycling unit would together form an ecosystem that would

encourage setting up of Plastic Industry at Deoghar and would make it a ‘Plastic Hub’ in future.

India Post releases special cover on Stephen Hawking

On March 20, 2018, India Post paid a tribute to theoretical physicist, cosmologist and author

Stephen Hawking by issuing a special cover on him.

i. The special cover on Stephen Hawking was jointly issued by Chief Post Master General (CPMG)

of Maharashtra and Goa Circle, H C Agrawal and Director of the Tata Institute of Fundamental

Research (TIFR) Dr Sandip Trivedi at an event held in the General Post Office (GPO), Mumbai.

ii. ’A Brief History of Time’, ‘The Universe in a Nutshell’, ‘On the Shoulders of Giants” are some of

the popular books written by Stephen Hawking.

J&K cabinet Okays adoption of WBCIS for horticulture crops

On March 20, 2018, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) cabinet gave its in-principle approval for adopting




the Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) for horticulture crops

such as apple and saffron in the state.

Under RWBCIS, farmers will be provided insurance coverage and financial support in the

event of failure of any of the notified crops due to adverse weather incidences.

Telugu made compulsory in all schools in Telangana

On 20th March 2018, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao mandated teaching

Telugu as a compulsory subject in all the public and private schools of the Telangana for the

academic year 2018-2019.

He said that, the Telugu University and the Sahitya Academy will decide the Telugu syllabus for

various standards.

Punjab imposes permanent ban on Hookah bars

On 19th March 2018, Punjab government decided to impose a permanent ban on hookah bars in

Punjab.

i. Punjab cabinet approved an amendment to the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products

(Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production,

Supply and Distribution) Act (COTPA), 2003 for the prevention and control of diseases caused

by the use of tobacco products.

Government sets up task force to draft new Direct Tax Law

Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has stated that it has constituted a task force to review

the Income Tax Act, 1961 and to draft a new Direct Tax Law which takes into consideration the

prevailing economic scenario and economic needs of contemporary India.

i. CBDT believes that to prepare the draft of new Direct Tax Law, it is necessary to engage with

stakeholders and general public.

ii. Thus it has invited suggestions and feedback from stakeholders and general public in

the format provided on www.incometaxindia.gov.in.

iii. Suggestions/feedback in this regard may be sent through e-mail at rewriting-

[email protected] by April 2, 2018.

Jackfruit declared as Kerala's official fruit

On 21st March 2018, the jackfruit was declared as official fruit of Kerala.

i. An official announcement on this regard was made by Kerala Agriculture minister V S Sunil

Kumar in the Kerala state assembly.

ii.The agricultural office in Ambalavayil in Wayanad is to be used for jackfruit research.

iii. The state animal of Kerala is ‘Elephant’. The state bird of Kerala is 'great hornbill'. The

state flower of Kerala is 'kanikkonna'.




I&B Ministry reconstitutes panels for PIB accreditation

The Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry has reconstituted two journalist-related bodies.

i. On 20th March 2018 an order was issued by Information and Broadcasting Ministry that

announced the members of the Central Press Accreditation Committee.

ii. The committee is headed by the Prinicpal Director General of PIB as the ex-officio chairperson. It

has 8 members. It has a tenure of 2 years.

iii. Other members are: a representative of the Press Council of India and a representative of the

News Broadcasters Association.

iv. Five other members are: Prashant Mishra of Dainik Jagran; Navika Kumar of Times Now;

Kanchan Gupta, commissioning editor with ABP News; J Gopikrishnan of The Pioneer; and Smita

Prakash, Editor News of Asian News International.

World's longest sandstone cave discovered in Meghalaya

The world’s longest sandstone cave named ‘Krem Puri’ has been discovered in Meghalaya. It was

measured by the Meghalaya Adventurers’ Association (MAA). It is 24,583 metres long.

i. This cave is over 6,000 metres longer than the world record-holder Cueva Del Saman, a

sandstone cave in Edo Zulia, Venezuela.

ii. It has also become India’s second longest cave in the general category. The longest India

cave is the Krem Liat Prah-Umim-Labit system in the Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya.

BIRAC celebrates its 6th Foundation Day

On 20th March 2018, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC)

celebrated its 6th Foundation Day in New Delhi.

i. The event was inaugurated by Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Science &

Technology and Earth Sciences and Environment, Forests and Climate Change, who was

the Chief Guest of the event.

ii. Theme: The theme for 6th Foundation Day of BIRAC was ‘Sustaining Innovation – A Market

Driven Pathway’.

About Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC):

♦ Type - not-for-profit Public Sector Enterprise

♦ Set up by - Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology

Central Government to fully fund education of martyrs' children

On March 21, 2018, Union Defence Ministry released a notification stating that Indian government

will now; fully fund the education of martyrs' children.

i. Earlier,Government did provide educational concession to martyrs’ children. However it




was limited only up to Rs 10000 a month.

ii. Around 3400 such children will be covered under this initiative and every year, Rs. 5

crore will be spent by the Government for this cause.

iii. Government funding will be provided only for undertaking studies in government/government-

aided schools/educational institutes/military/Sainik schools and other schools or colleges recognised

by the Central or State governments.

Air India becomes First commercial flight to cross Saudi airspace to land in Israel

On March 22, 2018, Air India flight (AI 139) became the first flight to land at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion

Airport (Israel) after passing through Saudi Arabia air space.

i. This is the first time, Saudi Arabia has allowed a commercial flight to Israel to use its airspace.

Saudi Arabia’s decision to permit Air India to use its airspace enabled it to take a shorter

route, saving 2.10 hours of travel time.

‘First Indian Sign Language Dictionary of 3000 Words’ Launched

On March 23, 2018, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Thaawarchand

Gehlot launched “First Indian Sign Language Dictionary of 3000 words” in New Delhi.

i. The Indian Sign Language (ISL) Dictionary has been developed by Indian Sign Language

Research & Training Centre (ISLR&TC) under Department of Empowerment of Persons with

Disabilities (DEPwD) of Union Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.

All India Police Science Congress Kicks Off In Shimla

On 22nd March 2018, the 46th All India Police Science Congress began in Shimla,

Himachal Pradesh.

i. All India Police Science Congress was organised by the Himachal Pradesh Police Department

and The Bureau of Police Research and Development. It was held for 2 days.

ii.It was inaugurated by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur. Director General Bureau

of Police Research and Development A P Maheshwari said that, forums have been created for

collaboration of scholars of IIT, IIM and the police to tackle threats posed by criminals in the virtual

world.

ISRO postpones launch of Chandrayaan-2 mission

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced that launch of India's second lunar

mission 'Chandrayaan-2', which was to be launched in April 2018, has been postponed to





October 2018.

i. The mission has been postponed as experts have suggested some additional tests before

the ii. Estimated cost of 'Chandrayaan-2' mission is Rs. 800 crore.

ii.Objective of this mission is to collect scientific information on lunar topography, elemental

abundance, mineralogy, lunar exosphere and signatures of hydroxyl and water-ice.

Chandigarh becomes North India’s 1st city to install Digital Automatic Speed Gun

Cameras

Chandigarh has become North India’s 1st city to install Digital Automatic Speed Gun Cameras to

check vehicles driving above the permissible speed limit.

i. The cameras will record the speed of the oncoming vehicles in its vision area and issue chalan to

anyone driving above the stipulated city speed limit.

ii. The chalan along with image of over speeding will be sent to vehicle owner's

residential address.

Delhi government presents 'green budget’ aims at controlling pollution

On March 22, 2018, Delhi government presented a 'green budget' aimed at controlling pollution and

monitoring its impact on the environment.

i. Rs. 53000 crore Budget for fiscal 2018-19 was unveiled by Delhi Deputy Chief Minister

Manish Sisodia (Aam Aadmi Party).

ii. Mr. Sisodia highlighted that, under Delhi Budget 2018-19, 26 programmes and schemes of

transport, power, environment and PWD will be threaded togetherfor devising a unified

system of pollution control.

iii.Rs 846 crore has been allocated to Public Works Department (PWD) for 2018-19 fiscal for

executing several initiatives including landscaping of PWD roads to reduce dust and

installation of LED street lights.

IRDAI extends Aadhaar linking deadline for insurance policies

Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has extended the

deadline for linking of insurance policies with Aadhaar numbers indefinitely.

i. Earlier, IRDAI had ordered all insurers to complete linking of existing insurance policies with

Aadhaar before March 31, 2018.

ii. This decision has been taken by IRDAI in accordance with Supreme Court of India’s order to

extend the deadline of linking Aadhaar indefinitely till the matter is finally heard and the judgement

is pronounced.

Ambedkar Jayanti to be celebrated as 'Social Justice Day'

On 23rd March 2018, BJP national spokesperson Anil Baluni announced that, the birth anniversary of




Dr BR Ambedkar (14th April) will be celebrated as 'Social Justice Day'.

i. He is the principal architect of the Indian Constitution. He is a founding father of the Republic of

India.

ii. He fought against social discrimination of Dalits. He was an inspiration for the Dalit Buddhist

Movement in 1956. In 1990, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna award posthumously.

Assam govt to construct 1 lakh toilets across state under Mission Sambavh

On March 26, 2018, Assam State Government launched a special programme to build one lakh

toilets across the state under the Swachh Bharat Mission.

i. This special programme is named ‘Mission Sambavh’ (Mission Possible ), under which,

construction works will be completed within 10 days.

ii. The programme was launched at Morigaon district, in presence of Assam Chief Minister

Sarbanand Sonowal.

iii. Assam State government has set a target to make the state Open Defecation Free (ODF)

during 2018.

iv. It is to be noted that five districts in Assam have already been declared ODF.

1st Print Biennale India – 2018 exhibition begins in New Delhi

‘Print Biennale India 2018’, the first-ever International Exhibition of Graphic Prints was

inaugurated in New Delhi on March 25, 2018.

i. The exhibition is being hosted by India’s National Academy of Art, the Lalit Kala Akademi.

Eminent Artist-Printmaker, Shakti Barman was the Chief Guest at the inaugural ceremony.

ii. The exhibition has brought together participants from 17 countries such as USA, UK, Sri

Lanka, Mexico, China, Sweden, Poland, Argentina, Greece, Bangladesh, and Mauritius.

iii. An exhibition ‘Eminent Printmakers of India’ showcasing master Indian printmakers, was

also inaugurated on March 26th, 2018 at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi.

Gujarat Govt to Set Up 100 Mld Seawater Desalination Plant

On March 25, 2018, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani stated that a

seawater desalination plant, with capacity to desalinate 100 million litre water per day will be set

up near Jodiya town in Jamnagar district.

i. It is to be noted that Jamnagar in Saurashtra region of Gujarat faces severe

water shortage especially during summer season.The proposed desalination plant will thus

help to reduce water shortage.

Surat becomes first district to have 100% solar powered health centres

Surat district in Gujarat has become the first district in India to have 100 percent solar powered

Primary Health Centers (PHC).




i. This initiative will not only contribute in reducing the electricity bill by 40 percent but will

also help in fighting global warming.

ii. 150 out of 572 gram panchayats in Surat are now powered by solar system.

Famous Madhavpur Mela begins in Gujarat

On 25th March 2018, the Madhavpur Mela started at Madhavpur Ghed village in Porbandar

district of Gujarat.

i. The Madhavpur Mela is held for four days till 28th March 2018. For the first time, there will be a

cultural integration with the North-East people during this festival as the Madhavpur Mela and

Mishmi Tribe of Arunachal Pradesh share common roots.

ii. This festival will feature art, dance, music, poetry, story-telling and folk drama from Arunachal

Pradesh, Manipur and other North-Eastern States.

World’s oldest city Varanasi goes ‘wireless’

In Varanasi, overhead power cables are being taken off after underground lines have been laid for

more than 16 sq km.

i.Under the Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) of Indian

government, Powergrid has laid 16 square kilometers of underground lines in Varanasi. This will

be utilized by nearly 50,000 consumers.

ii.Work on this project was started in December 2015. Atul Nigam, managing director of Purvanchal

Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited, said that, line loss in the area covered by IPDS has reduced to 9.9%

from 42.7%.

About Powergrid:

♦ Chairman and Managing Director - I.S.Jha

♦ Corporate Office – Gurgaon, Haryana

Government Guarantee for Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) Bonds

Union Ministry of Finance has approved Government guarantee of Rs. 5000 crore in financial year

2017-18 for Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) bonds to be subscribed

by Life Insurance Corporation (LIC).

i. In March 2015, Union Ministry of Railways entered into Memorandum of Understanding

(MoU) with LIC, by which, LIC has to provide a financial assistance of Rs. 150000 crore

for identified Railway projects from 2015 to 2019.

ii. However, owing to exposure limit constraints on account of IRDA guidelines; LIC has not been

able to subscribe to IRFC bonds beyond a certain limit.

Microsoft opens the Garage in Hyderabad

On 26th March 2018, Microsoft opened the 'Garage' at the Microsoft India Development Centre in




Hyderabad, Telangana.

i. The Garage was inaugurated at the Microsoft India Development Centre in Hyderabad

by Telangana IT Minister K T Rama Rao.

ii. It is a platform for Microsoft employees that encourages experimentation, working together

across organisations and to discover ideas and develop prototypes, adding value to existing

products.

About Microsoft India:

♦ President, Microsoft Corporation India Pvt. Ltd. - Anant Maheshwari

♦ MD, Microsoft India (R&D) Private Limited and Corporate Vice President, Cloud & Enterprise,

Microsoft India Development Center - Anil Bhansali

Department of Posts launches Cool EMS Service between India and Japan

Ministry of Communications has introduced the Cool EMS Service between Japan and

India with effect from 29.03.2018 that will allow Indian customers to import Japanese

food items for personal use.

i. Cool EMS service is a one-way service from Japan to India. It enables customers in India to

import Japanese food items for personal use as allowed under Indian regulations.

ii. In the initial phase, Cool EMS Service is made available only in Delhi. Food items will be

carried by Japan Post in special cool boxes containing refrigerant to preserve the food.

About Ministry of Communications:

♦ Minister of state (Independent charge) for Communications - Manoj Sinha

♦ Headquarters - New Delhi

India's first insect museum opened in Tamil Nadu

On March 26, 2018, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswamy, unveiled an insect museum at

the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in Coimbatore.

i. The museum is fully dedicated to insects and claimed to be the first of its kind in India.

ii. It has been set up over 6691 sqft area at the cost of Rs. 5 crore.

iii. The lobby of this insect museum depicts the theme, "BUGS ARE KINGS".

Quick Facts about Tamil Nadu Agricultural University:

♦ Established in – 1868 (as Agricultural School at Saidapet, Chennai)

♦ Relocated to Coimbatore in – 1906

♦ National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2017 – 28th and 17th place in ‘Overall’ and

‘Universities’ categories respectively

MHRD has approved ‘Study in India’ programme

The Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) has approved 'Study in India'

programme to attract foreign students to study in India.

i. This programme has several objectives including doubling India's market share of global




education exports from less than 1 percent to 2 percent and improving global ranking of

Indian educational institutes.

ii. Under this programme, meritorious foreign students will be given free waiver by respective

institutes based on pre-defined criteria. Top 25% students will be given 100% waiver in

tuition fees, next 25% will be given 50% waiver and another 25% below that will get 25% waiver.

iii. However, Government has approved brand promotion expenditure of Rs. 150 crores for the

‘Study in India’ programme for 2018-19 and 2019-20

Government releases Draft policy on Defence Production

Union Defence Ministry has released a draft policy aimed at promoting the domestic defence

industry and positioning it to achieve a turnover of Rs 170000 crore in military goods and

services by 2025.

i. The aim of Defence Production is to make India self-reliant in terms of Defence Production

and also to emerge as one of the top five manufacturers of defence platforms in the

world.

ii. Besides, increasing domestic defence production, another goal is to achieve export of Rs

35000 crore in military equipment and services by 2025.

iii. These goals are to be achieved with active participation of public as well as private sectors.

SARAS Aajeevika Mela 2018 held in New Delhi

On 23rd March to 1st April 2018, SARAS AajeevikaMela 2018 is held in Hall No. 7,

PragatiMaidan, New Delhi.

i. The SARAS Aajeevika Mela 2018 is organized by DAY-NRLM (Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana

– National Rural Livelihoods Mission).

ii. SHG (Self Help Group) women from all states of India display and sell their products in the

SARAS Aajeevika Mela 2018. More than 350 stalls have been set up.

NITI Aayog releases Baseline Ranking of Aspirational Districts

On March 28, 2018, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant launched the baseline ranking for the

Aspirational Districts based on published data of 49 indicators across five developmental areas of

Education, Health and Nutrition, Agriculture and Water Resources, Basic Infrastructure and

Financial Inclusion and Skill Development

i. Mr. Kant also announced that the ‘Champions of Change’ Dashboard (created by NITI

Aayog in partnership with the Government of Andhra Pradesh) for real-time data collection

and monitoring will be open for public viewing from April 1, 2018.





ii. Besides, in order to exemplify the spirit of competitive federalism, Delta Ranking (ranking

based on incremental progress) of Districts will be available from May 2018.

About Aspirational Districts:

93% rural households with access to toilets using them: NARSS 2017-18

As per findings of National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey (NARSS) 2017-18, about 77%

homes in rural areas of India have got toilets and over 93 per cent households in villages who have

access to toilets are using them.

i. NARSS 2017-18, was conducted by an independent verification agency selected by Union Ministry

of Drinking Water and Sanitation under the World Bank support project to the Swachh Bharat

Mission Gramin (SBM-G).

ii. The survey was conducted between mid-November 2017 to mid-March 2018 and covered

92040 households in 6136 villages of India.

iii. As per Government data, since the launch of Swachh Bharat Mission in October 2014, 6.5 crore

toilets have been built across rural areas and about 30 crore people have stopped defecating in

the open.

India, China agree to renegotiate bilateral trade and investment agreement

On March 26, 2018, a meeting between Union Commerce and Industry Minister, Suresh

Prabhu and China’s Trade Minister Zhong Shan was held in New Delhi.

i. This meeting was held under the aegis of the China-India joint-group on Economic

Relations, Trade, Science & Technology.

ii. During the meeting, both the countries agreed to renegotiate a bilateral investment agreement

and jointly prepare a road map to reduce the massive trade imbalance in favour of China.

iii. It is to be noted that India’s goods trade deficit with China for the first ten months of

20017-18 stands at $52 billion as against $0.6 billion in 2000-01.

iv. This meeting was held in the backdrop of US plan to impose $50-billion tariffs on Chinese goods,

a move which trade experts believe, would trigger a global trade war.

Ministry of Power partners with Skill India to support electrification scheme 'Saubhagya'

On March 27, 2018, Union Ministry of Power partnered with the Union Ministry of Skill

Development & Entrepreneurship to train the manpower in six states for speedy

implementation of SAUBHAGYA scheme.

i. SAUBHAGYA (Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojna) aims to achieve universal

household electrification in all parts of India in a time bound manner.

ii. Training the manpower in six states - Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha

and Uttar Pradesh - under this initiative, will be undertaken as a special project under Central

Government’s Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY).




iii. This partnership will be instrumental in addressing the issue of lack of trained manpower,

which has been the main constraint in speedy implementation of the Government’s electrification

programme under SAUBHAGYA.

About SAUBHAGYA (Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojna) Scheme:

♦ Announced in – September 2017

♦ Objective – to provide electricity to all households in India

♦ Total Financial Outlay – Rs. 16320 crore.

Virat Kohli wax statue to be unveiled at Madame Tussauds Delhi

Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli’s wax figure will soon be unveiled at Madame Tussauds, Delhi.

i. The main Madame Tussauds wax museum is in London and smaller museums are located in

a number of other major cities of the world including New York, Berlin, Beijing, Tokyo, Singapore

and Sydney.

ii. Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar and Critiano Ronaldo are other sportsperson featured at

Madame Tussauds Delhi.

SAP to collaborate with NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission

On March 27, 2018, SAP (Systems, Applications & Products in Data Processing) signed a

Statement of Intent (SOI) with NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM).

i. NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is Indian Government’s endeavour to promote a

culture of innovation and entrepreneurship across Indian schools, universities and

industries. Under AIM, Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs) have been established in schools

across India to foster curiosity, creativity and imagination in young generation.

ii. As part of the SOI, SAP will adopt 100 Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATL) during 2018 to

promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education among

secondary school children across India, specifically in Rajasthan, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka,

Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Quick Facts about SAP:

♦ Founded in – 1972

♦ Makes – Enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations

♦ Headquarters – Walldorf, Germany.

India Becomes 3rd Largest Electricity Producer in the World

With production of 1423 billion units (BU) in Financial Year 2016, India was the third largest

producer of electricity in the world.

i. Over seven years to 2017, electricity production in India grew by 34%.

ii. India now produces more electricity than Japan and Russia, which had 27% and 8.77%

more electricity generation capacity installed, respectively, than India seven years ago.




iii. According to a report by India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), a trust established by the

commerce ministry, Electricity production in India stood at 1003.525 BU between April

2017-January 2018.

World’s Top 5 Electricity Producers In 2016:

Country Electricity Produced (in BU) China 6015 US 4327 India 1423 Russia 1088 Japan 1018

CBDT extends PAN-Aadhaar linking deadline to June 30

The CBDT (Central Board of Direct Taxes) has extended the deadline for the PAN-Aadhaar

linking from the current last date of 31 March 2018 to 30 June 2018.

i. The order issued by CBDT said that, the deadline for PAN-Aadhaar linking for filing I-T returns is

extended till 30 June 2018.

ii. This is the fourth extension offered by the government for individuals to link their Permanent

Account Number (PAN) with their biometric ID (Aadhaar).

iii. Previous deadlines were 31 July 2017, 31 August 2017 and 31 December 2017.

Asia's Largest Tulip Garden “Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden” in Srinagar Opens for

Visitors

On 25th March 2018, Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden, Asia's largest Tulip garden, in Srinagar,

Jammu & Kashmir, was opened for visitors.

i. The Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden is located on the foothills of the Zabarwan mountain

range along the banks of Dal Lake.

ii. Jammu and Kashmir Floriculture minister Javed Mustafa Mir said that, the floriculture

department has planted 12.25 lakh Tulip bulbs of 40 varieties and colours in the garden.

NHAI Joins Hands With AAI For Green Corridor In Varanasi

On 28th March 2018, the government announced that, the National Highways Authority of India

(NHAI) has tied up with Airports Authority of India (AAI) to develop a green corridor covering 16.55

km in Varanasi.

NHAI Joins Hands With AAI For Green Corridor In Varanasi:

i. On 28th March 2018, a MoU was signed by NHAI and AAI for the construction of a green corridor

along Varanasi Bypass covering 16.55 km of NH 56 and NH 29.

ii. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said that, AAI would provide funds worth Rs 5

crore for plantations and maintenance work under their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) funds




for 5 years.

iii. The NHAI and AAI have joined hands under "Adopt a Green Highway Programme" as a

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative of AAI.

Government introduces Swachh Bharat Summer Internship for college students

In a bid to engage college students in Government's cleanliness drive, Union Ministry of Drinking

Water and Sanitation has introduced a Swachh Bharat Summer Internship (SBSI).

i. As a part of this internship programme, students (interns) would be required to undertake 100

hours of activities including creation of sanitation infrastructure, building necessary

systems and carry out behaviour change campaigns in and around nearby villages.

ii. SBSI will be implemented in association with the Union Ministry of Human Resource

Development.

New Jersey declares April as Sikh Awareness Month

In wake of increasing and unacceptable levels of anti-Sikh bigotry, US state of New

Jersey’s State Assembly has declared April as ‘Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month’.

i. During the month of April, efforts will be made to promote public awareness of the Sikh faith,

recognise the important contributions of the Sikh community and combat anti-Sikh bigotry.

ii. As per US Government data, nearly 60 per cent of Americans know nothing about Sikh

religion or its practitioners.

MP has the highest tribal habitations fully covered by Drinking Water supply

Among all Indian states, Madhya Pradesh has the highest number tribal habitations (55770) fully

covered with the safe drinking water supply.

i. As on March 21, 2018, 301858 out of 365050 Scheduled Tribe (ST) dominated

habitations in India are fully covered with provision of safe drinking water supply.

ii. Under ‘National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP)’, 10% of the total allocation of

funds is earmarked to be used for the supply of drinking water.

iii. Besides, with funding from NRDWP and assistance from Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

(MNRE), Government is also installing solar power based dual pump schemes in Left Wing

Extremist/Naxal Affected States for providing safe drinking water to small rural tribal habitations in

these areas through taps.

Madhya Pradesh's Kadaknath chicken gets Geographical Indication tag

Madhya Pradesh has got Geographical Indications (GI) tag for Kadaknath, a chicken breed

whose black meat is in demand in certain regions of the state.

i. Kadaknath chicken’s protein-rich black meat is sold at a much higher price than other varieties of

chicken.




ii. It is native to Jhabua, Alirajpur and parts of Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh.

About Geographical Indications (GI) tag:

i. GI tag is a name or sign given to certain products which correspond to a specific geographical

location or origin.

ii. GI tag grants exclusivity for using the name/sign to the producer/manufacturer in the

corresponding region and thereby testifies the origin, quality and reputation of the

product/commodity.

Madhya Pradesh government raises retirement age of state government employees from

60 to 62 years

On 30th March 2018, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan increased the

retirement age of Madhya Pradesh government employees from 60 to 62 years.

i. In August 2013, Shivraj Singh Chouhan had said that the Madhya Pradesh government will

consider increasing the retirement age of state government employees from 60 to 62 years.

Girls School in Haryana Renamed as Shaheed Major Vikas Yadav Girls School

On 29th March 2018, Haryana State Education Department renamed the Government Senior

Secondary Girls School, Kosli in Rewari district as Shaheed Major Vikas Yadav Senior

Secondary School.

i. The school has been renamed on his birth anniversary. A statue of Major Vikas Yadav was also

unveiled by Lt Gen SK Saini, Colonel of the Jat Regiment.

ii. This initiative was taken by District Education Board and was supported by Late Major Vikas

Yadav’s family.

First National Conclave on Psychological Trauma, Child Protection, and Mental Illnesses

held in New Delhi

On 27th and 28th March 2018, First National Conclave on Psychological Trauma, Child

Protection, and Mental Illnesses was held in J L N Auditorium, AIIMS, New Delhi.

i. Organised by: The conclave was organized by Ministry of Women & Child Development, in

collaboration with the Department of Psychiatry, AIIMS (All India Institutes of Medical

Sciences).

ii. Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Dr. Virendra Kumar, inaugurated

the conclave.

iii. The conclave aimed to provide a gist of research, service provision, and clinical practice involved

in psychological trauma and mental illnesses in Indian children and adolescents.





About AIIMS (All India Institutes of Medical Sciences):

♦ Director - Prof Randeep Guleria

♦ Headquarters – New Delhi.

Government to divest 76% stake in Air India

The government has announced that, it has planned to sell 76 per cent stake in Air India.

i. This has been mentioned in the expression of interest (EoI) document that was released on

28th March 2018.

ii. The government has planned to sell 76 per cent equity share capital of Air India along with

subsidiary Air India Express and a 50% stake in Air India SATS (Singapore Airport Terminal

Services) and also transfer the management control.

iii. Ernst & Young LLP India has been named the transaction adviser for this

disinvestment process.

Tripura to Set up Crime Wing of State Police

Tripura State Government has decided to set up a well-equipped Crime Wing under the state

police to prevent unlawful activities such as drug and narcotics peddling.

i. Tripura’s Law Minister Ratan Lal Nath has stated that the new Crime Wing under Tripura’s

State Police will be modelled on lines of Delhi Police's crime branch.

ii. It is to be noted that curbing crime in the state and restoring the rule of land was one of the

promise made in Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP's) election manifesto.

iii. BJP’s Tripura President, Biplab Kumar Deb took oath as the 10th Chief Minister of

Tripura on March 9, 2018.

India and Pakistan agree to resolve matters related to the treatment of diplomats and

diplomatic premises

On 30th March 2018, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India said that, India and Pakistan

have agreed to resolve all issues regarding treatment of their diplomats placed in the other

country through talks.

i. MEA released a statement saying: India and Pakistan have mutually agreed to resolve matters

related to the treatment of diplomats and diplomatic premises, in line with the 1992 "Code of

Conduct for the treatment of diplomatic/consular personnel in India and Pakistan".

ii. India submitted over 15 notes verbale (semi-formal communications) to Pakistan’s Foreign

Office on the issue of harassment of officials and their families.

High Commissioners:

♦ Pakistan's High Commissioner to India - Sohail Mahmood

♦ India’s High Commissioner to Pakistan – Ajay Bisari.




Kerala to host Asia's largest startup conclave 'Huddle Kerala'

“Huddle Kerala”, Asia's largest startup ecosystem congregation, will be held at Kovalam,

Kerala, on 6th and 7th April 2018.

i. Purpose: Huddle Kerala is aimed to create a platform for start-ups to display their products and

interact with technology and industry leaders from various parts of the world.

ii. Sharjah Digital Transformation Higher Committee Chairman Sheikh Fahim Bin Sultan Al Qasimi

and Prince Constantijn of Netherlands will also take part in the conclave.

iii. Organised by: It is organised by the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) along with Internet

and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IAMAI Startup Foundation. The conclave will

be inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

iv. Main focus: Main focus of the event will be on blockchain, cryptocurrency, internet of things

(IoT), gaming and e-sports, cyber security, digital entertainment, augmented reality, virtual reality,

e-governance, mobile governance, etc.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

India has the third highest number of billionaires in the world - Hurun Global Rich List

As per Hurun Global Rich List 2018, India has the third highest number of billionaires in the world

after China and US

• Hurun Global Rich List 2018, ranked 2694 billionaires from 68 countries and from

2157 companies.Rankings are based on wealth calculations as of January 31, 2018.

• With 819 billionaires in 2018, China topped the countries list, followed by US (571

billionaires).

• During last year, total wealth of billionaires increased by 31 per cent to US$10.5

trillion, which is equivalent to 13.2 per cent of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

• Among Indian billionaires, although Mukesh Ambani topped the list with USD 45 billion

wealth and 19th rank, Gautam Adani (USD 14 billion wealth, Rank – 98th) witnessed fastest

growth in his wealth (109 per cent in the last 12 months).

• 32 years old Shradha Agarwal, of Outcome Wealth is the youngest Indian billionaire.

• In India, highest numbers of billionaires (19 billionaires) are from the

pharmaceuticals sector.

• The average age of all billionaires on Hurun Global Rich List 2018 is 63 years.

Hurun Global Rich List 2018 – Top 5:

Rank Name Wealth Main Source of Wealth 1 Jeff Bezos USD 123 billion Amazon 2 Warren Buffet USD 102 billion Berkshire Hathaway 3 Bill Gates USD 90 billion Microsoft 4 Mark USD 79 billion Facebook




Zuckerberg 5 Bernard Arnault USD 78 billion -LVMH

India, Russia, Bangladesh sign pact for Rooppur atomic plant

On March 1, 2018, India, Russia and Bangladesh signed a tripartite agreement which allows Indian

firms to participate in construction and installation works in the “non-critical” category for

the Rooppur nuclear power plant project in northwest Bangladesh.

i. The MoU was signed in Moscow by Deputy Director General of Rosatom (Russia's Apex civil

nuclear body) Nikolay Spassky, Indian Ambassador to Russia Pankaj Saran and ambassador of

Bangladesh in Russia S.M. Saiful Hoque.

ii. Rosatom is constructing two nuclear reactors (with a capacity of 1200 MW each) in Rooppur,

which will be Bangaladesh’s first nuclear power project.

iii. Besides, the three countries will cooperate in the field of personnel training and mentoring,

exchange of experience and provision of consulting support.

Pakistan admits to being on ‘grey list’ of FATF

On March 1, 2018, Pakistan confirmed that it will be on the grey list of Financial Action Task

Force (FATF) from June 2018.

i. Pakistan will be placed on the ‘grey list’ as FATF has observed deficiencies in its Anti-

Money Laundering and Countering of Terrorist Financing framework.

ii. Being on the ‘grey list’ will make it harder for Pakistan Government to raise money from foreign

sources, including multilateral financing agencies.

Marshall Islands becomes 1st country to launch own cryptocurrency as legal tender

Marshall Islands has announced that, it will launch its own cryptocurrency named SOV

and it will be circulated as legal tender along with the U.S. dollar.

i. It has been said that, the SOV will be issued to the public through an initial coin

offering. Marshall Islands has limited the SOV supply at 24 million tokens to prevent inflation.

ii. SOV will function like regular money. Marshall Islands has tied up with Neema, an Israeli

financial technology startup, for issuing SOV.

iii. The launch date of SOV has not yet been decided. SOV functions on “Yakwe framework”. This

system mandates users to identify themselves on the blockchain. This will eliminate the

anonymity problem that affected bitcoin.

Washington becomes 1st state to approve net-neutrality rules

On March 5, 2018, Washington became the 1st state in US to pass its own net-neutrality law

after US regulator, Federal Communications Commission's (FCC)repealed rules set during

Obama administration that banned internet providers from blocking content or interfering with

online traffic.It was signed by Goernor Jay Inslee.




i. The bill forbids internet service providers from blocking or slowing the flow of web

content, or from charging websites for higher delivery speeds.

ii. Provisions of this bill may technically be in contravention to FCC’s order of repealing net

neutrality rules which forbid states from filling the void with their own rules.

Net Neutrality:

♦ Principle that Internet service providers should enable non-discriminatory access to all content

and applications on the web, regardless of the source is referred to as net-neutrality.

Sri Lanka declares state of emergency after Buddhist-Muslim clash

On March 6, 2018, Sri Lankan Government declared a state of emergency for 10 days to

prevent the spread of communal violence between majority Sinhala and minority Muslims in Kandy

district.

The violence in Kandy was triggered by the death of a Sinhalese man at the hands of a mob last

week.This will be the first time since August 2011, that a state of emergency will be in

force in Sri Lanka.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announces USD 170 mn for women's empowerment

On March 7, 2018, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced a USD 170 million

projects aimed at advancing women's economic empowerment in India, Tanzania, Kenya

and Uganda.

Projects in the above stated countries are focused on four key priorities - advancing gender

equality, increasing job opportunities, spreading digital financial inclusion, and

supporting the agricultural sector and women's support groups.

Quick Facts about Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation:


♦ Founders – Bill Gates and Melinda Gates

♦ Headquarters – Washington, US

♦ Objective - to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty across the world and to expand

educational opportunities and access to information technology in America

World ATM Congress held in Spain

Airports Authority of India (AAI) is participating in World ATM (Air traffic Management)

Congress (WATMC) 2018 which is being held in Madrid, Spain from 6th to 8th March 2018.

i.This is world's largest international air traffic management (ATM) exhibition and conference which

brings together the world's leading product developers, experts, stakeholders in aviation.

ii. It was conceived by the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO) in partnership with

the Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA).




India to build 50,000 houses for earthquake victims in Nepal

India seals agreement with UN to build homes for Nepal quake victims. Gorkha and Nuwakot were

the worst-hit districts.

i. India signed an agreement with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United

Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) to build 50, 000 homes for earthquake victims.

ii. Under the project, 26,912 home owners will be benefited in Gorkha and 23,088 homeowners in

Nuwakot.

iii. India will give USD 8.41 million to the UNOPS and USD 7.41 Million to the UNDP to build 50,

000 homes by this agreement.

11 countries sign TPP trade pact without the United States

On March 8, 2018, eleven Pacific Rim countries signed the Comprehensive and Progressive

Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in Chile.

i. The eleven countries that signed the agreement are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan,

Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

ii. The agreement is broadly aimed at lowering both non-tariff and tariff barriers to trade among

signatory countries.

India placed 33rd worldwide in web-borne threats: Kaspersky

As per cybersecurity and anti-virus provider, Kaspersky Labs, India ranks 33rd worldwide on the list

of countries facing web-borne threats.

i. This revelation was done by Kaspersky Lab at the recent Chief Information Security Officer

(CISO) Summit in Mumbai, through a presentation on the threat management and defense

landscape in India.

ii. CISO added that India secured 37th place worldwide in attacks by local threats and 13th in

incidents with malicious hosts located within the country.

iii. As per the data, 27.4 percent Indian users were affected by web-borne threats, while

62.7 percent users were attacked by local threats.

Quick Facts about Kaspersky Lab:


♦ Headquarters – Moscow, Russia.

Bolivia unfurls 'world's biggest flag'

On 10th March 2018, Bolivia unveiled its 200 km long flag, which it claims to be the world’s

biggest flag.





i. The flag extends between the cities La Paz and Oruro. It is made of blue cloth and features

Bolivian national symbols. Its width is three meters.

ii. Bolivian people held the flag as a sign of support for Bolivia’s claim for access to the

Pacific coast.

iii. Bolivia demands access to the Pacific Ocean, which it lost to Chile in a war in the 19th century.

Maldives Parliament approved anti-defection bill

On 12th March 2018, the Maldives Parliament approved the anti-defection bill with

retrospective effect from 13th July 2017.

i. As per the anti-defection bill, MPs elected on political party tickets will lose their seat if

they leave their party, get expelled, or change parties.

ii. This bill will take effect from 13th July 2017. So, the 12 MPs who switched to the Opposition

in 2017 will lose their seats.

Saudi Arabia cabinet approves nuclear power program national policy

On 13th March 2018, Saudi Arabia's cabinet approved the national policy of the atomic

energy program.

i. The national policy limits all nuclear activities to peaceful purposes, within the limits drawn by

international treaties.

ii. It also highlights the need for optimal utilization of natural resources from nuclear materials and

usage of best practices for radioactive waste management.

iii. Riyadh had invited US companies to participate in developing Saudi Arabia’s first atomic energy

programme.

Photography exhibition on India held in Egypt: “Indian Images: People and Places”

On 14th March 2018, “Indian Images: People and Places”, a photo exhibition about India

was inaugurated by India's Ambassador to Egypt Sanjay Bhattacharyya in Cairo, Egypt.

This photo exhibition was held as a part of the annual cultural festival 'India by the Nile'. It

featured photos captured by Khaled Gawdat, an Egyptian photographer.

WHO member-countries commit to end TB by 2030

On March 14, 2018, Member-countries of the World Health Organisation (WHO) South-East

Asia Region, including India, committed to intensifying efforts to eradicate tuberculosis (TB) by

2030.

i. This commitment was made during ‘End TB Summit’ in New Delhi.

ii. The Summit built on the Delhi Call to Action adopted by member countries of the WHO South-

East Asia Region in March 2017 and set the stage for the September 2018 United Nations (UN)




High-Level Meeting on TB.

United States challenges Indian export subsidies schemes at WTO

On March 14, 2018, US challenged Indian export subsidies schemes at the World Trade

Organisation, stating that these programmes are creating an uneven playing field and are thus

harming American manufacturers.

i. US Government has argued that Indian Government runs several export

subsidy/incentives schemes which offers financial benefits to Indian exporters and

brings down the end cost of products, thereby making it more competitive vis-à-vis products

manufactured in US.

ii. Through these schemes, Indian exporters are granted exemption from certain duties, taxes, and

fees.

iii. As per Government data, thousands of Indian companies receive financial benefits to the

tune of $7 billion annually through these schemes.

Asia-Pacific Regional Conference of IACP held in New Delhi

On 14th March 2018, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the two-day Asia-Pacific

Regional Conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) at Vigyan

Bhawan, New Delhi.

i.Theme of the conference: Challenges to Policing in 2020 - How is Cyber Space shaping our

approach to Cybercrime and Terrorism, how do we perform within it and take advantage of it.

ii. The conference was organised by the Asia-Pacific World Regional Office (APWRO) of

IACP along with Intelligence Bureau.Intelligence Bureau Director Rajiv Jain was the host of

the conference.

iii. Main focus of the conference: discussions on exploitation of cyber space by terrorist or

organized groups for committing crimes and illegal activities. Ways to prevent such activities was

discussed.

Sierra Leone becomes first country to run a blockchain-powered election

Sierra Leone, a West African country has become the first country in the world to deploy blockchain

technology in election process.

i. Sierra Leone attained this distinction by deploying blockchain-based solution to count the

votes and provide proof in the recently held Presidential elections.

ii. The blockchain based solution used in Sierra Leone’s election was developed by a Switzerland

based voting technology company, Agora.

iii. Based on this news, it can be inferred that blockchain-based solution that uses a publicly visible

ledger for keeping track of elections has potential to complement and eventually replace electronic

voting machines.




Bhutan recommended for graduation from UN's least developed country

United Nations Committee for Development Policy (CDP) has announced that Bhutan along

with Kiribati, Sao Tome and Principe and Solomon Islands will be recommended for

graduation from the least developed country (LDC) category.

i. These four nations will be recommended to move up from ranks of poorest nations on account

of increasing national earning power as well as access to better health care.

ii. At the United Nations (UN), LDC category is assessed using three criteria viz. gross national

income per capita, economic vulnerability and human assets (health and education targets).

iii. The recommendation has been sent to ECOSOC (the UN Economic and Social

Council) for endorsement, which in turn will refer its decision to the UN General Assembly.

Qatar announces 50 million Dollars donation to UNRWA

Qatar has announced a $50 million donation to the United Nations Relief and Works

Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

i. The government communications office and Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that, the

donation was announced at the extraordinary ministerial meeting of UNRWA held in Rome, Italy.

ii. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was present at the extraordinary ministerial meeting of

UNRWA.

iii. Qatar has also stated that, it has continued providing financial support to projects implemented

by the UNRWA, mainly in the field of education and health.

Philippines withdraws from International Criminal Court (ICC)

On 16th March 2018, Philippines informed the UN Secretary-General its withdrawal from the

International Criminal Court (ICC).

i. Teodoro Locsin, permanent representative of Philippines to the UN, submitted a letter stating

Philippines’ withdrawal from ICC to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

ii. The letter stated that, Philippines was withdrawing from the Rome Statute. The Rome Statute set

up the ICC in 1998.

iii. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte stated that, Philippines withdraws from ICC due to

baseless and outrageous attacks by ICC against him and his administration.

iv. The ICC asked Philippines to reconsider its decision. As per Article 127 of the Rome

Statute, a state party's withdrawal from the treaty will take effect only after a year after the written

notification is received by the UN Secretary-General.

Global carbon emissions hit record high in 2017

International Energy Agency (IEA) has stated that Global energy-related carbon emissions rose

to a historic high of 32.5 gigatons in 2017.

i. 32.5 gigatons carbon emissions in 2017 marks a 1.4% increment over previous year.




ii. The rise in carbon emissions during 2017 has been largely attributed to higher energy

demand and the slowing of energy efficiency improvements.

iii. Global energy demand rose by 2.1 percent in 2017 to 14050 million tonnes of oil equivalent.

iv. 70 percent of this incremental demand was met by oil, natural gas and coal

Australia Scraps Work Visa Programme Used Largely By Indians

Australia has abolished its employer-sponsored 457 visa programme which was mainly

used by Indians.

i. The 457 visa programme has been replaced with a new programme that requires higher English-

language proficiency and job skills.

ii. On 18th March 2018, it was replaced by a new Temporary Skills Shortage visa

programme.

Indians least criminal among world's major economies

As per data compiled by Institute for Criminal Policy Research, India has a significantly lower

imprisonment rate and Indians are thereby the least criminal among world's major economies.

With imprisonment rate of 33, India seems to be better off than all major economies of the

world.

• Imprisonment rate refers to number of individuals behind the bars out of every

one lakh individuals in the population.

• United States has the highest imprisonment rate (666) among major countries.

• Total Prison Population: Even in terms of total number of prisoners, United States has

topped the list with 2145100 prisoners. On this parameter, India came in at number five

with 419623 prisoners.

• Prison Occupancy: As per data, prisons in Haiti are the most over crowded with

occupancy rate of 454%. Overcrowding in this context refers to more inmates as

compared to the sanctioned strength for a particular prison.

• According to Prison Statistics India 2015 report, among prison across India, Dadra & Nagar

Haveli is at the top in terms of overcrowding in prisons (276.7% occupancy report). Prison in

India’s capital Delhi too is overcrowded (226.9% occupancy rate).

Least Criminal Countries – Top 5 Total Prison Population – Top 5 Rank Country Imprisonment

Rate Country Total Prison

Population 1 India 33 US 2145100 2 Japan 45 China 1649804 3 Germany 77 Brazil 672722 4 Italy 95 Russia 600262 5 France 101 India 419623




India among 20 nations to pledge USD 100 mn to Palestine Refugee Agency

India is among 20 nations that have pledged additional contribution to the United Nations Relief

and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

i. At the Extraordinary Ministerial Conference held in Rome, Italy on March 15, 2018, 20 nations

together pledged nearly USD 100 million for the cause.

ii. Qatar Pledged the highest additional contribution of USD 50 million while India pledged USD 5

million.

US launches WTO challenge against China over intellectual property breaches

On March 23, 2018, United States (US) challenged China at World Trade Organsiation (WTO)

over intellectual property breaches.

i. US has alleged that China is denying foreign patent holders (including US companies), basic

patent rights that prevent Chinese entity from using the technology after a licensing contract ends.

ii. Based on these issues, US believes that China is giving unfair treatment to US companies

and innovators trying to do business in China.

World’s largest cruise ship "Symphony of the Seas" sets sail

On March 23, 2018, world’s biggest cruise ship, ‘Symphony of the Seas’ was delivered to US

company Royal Caribbean Cruise Ltd. by French shipbuilder STX.

i. Symphony had been under construction since early 2015 at STX France shipyard in St. Nazaire,

France.

ii. It is 362 metres long and weighs nearly 228000 tonnes, being marginally bigger than its

sister ship, the ‘Harmony of the Seas’, which too was built by STX France and was delivered to

Royal Caribbean in 2016.

iii. The ship costs a whopping USD 1.35 billion. With 2700 cabins, it can accommodate more

than 8000 people including 2200 staff members.

Malaysia proposes 10 years in jail for fake news

On March 26, 2018, Malaysia’s government proposed new legislation to counter fake news, under

which, offender will be penalised with 10-year jail term.

i. The bill defines fake news as any news, information, data and reports presented in the

form of print, visuals or audio, which contains wholly or partly false content.

ii. Individuals who create, offer, circulate, print or publish fake news or publications containing fake

news will be penalised with a 10-year jail term, a fine of up to 500000 ringgit or both.





Earth Hour 2018 observed across the world

On 24th March 2018, Earth Hour 2018 was observed all over the world.

Earth Hour 2018:

i.India pledged "Give Up To Give Back" on Earth Hour 2018. People all over the world observed the

Earth Hour 2018 by switching off non-essential lights for an hour between 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm.

ii.The Earth Hour started in 2007 in Australia. The Earth Hour is organized by the World Wide

Fund for Nature (WWF).

iii.The Earth Hour aims to create awareness on the importance of conserving the environment and

wildlife. The worldwide campaign for Earth Hour 2018 trended as #CONNECT2EARTH.

U.A.E. Completes First of Four Korean-Built Nuclear Reactors

The United Arab Emirates, with the help of Korea Electric Power Corp., has finished

construction of its first commercial nuclear reactor.

i. Unit 1 of the Barakah complex will start loading fuel in May 2018. On 26th March 2018, South

Korean President Moon Jae-in participated in a ceremony to celebrate the facility’s completion.

ii. The Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation will issue an operating license for Barakah

Units 1 and 2 after all regulatory requirements are met.

iii. Barakah Unit 1 is the first of the four nuclear plants that U.A.E has planned to put in to

operation by 2021.

iv. The estimated cost of these plants is $25 billion and will produce a combined 5,600 megawatts

of power.

Seychelles opposition blocks military deal with India

On March 27, 2018, Seychelles' opposition coalition (which holds a majority in Seychelles

Parliament) stated that it would not ratify a deal signed with India to build military

infrastructure on its Assumption Island.

i. Agreement on Assumption Island Project in Seychelles was signed in 2015 during Indian Prime

Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Seychelles.

ii. However, owing to opposition, a revised agreement, including several amendments was

prepared in January 2018.

India increases its annual contribution to UNRWA

On 28th March 2018, the External Affairs Ministry announced that, India has increased its annual

contribution to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East

(UNRWA) from $1.5 million to $5 million for a period of 3 years from 2018-19.It is

announcemed at Conference held in Rome on 15th March 2018.

ii. India has increased its annual contribution due to the unexpected financial crisis being faced by




UNRWA.

iii. It is said that the, four-time increase in India’s contribution is based on External Affairs

Ministry’s commitment to increase support to UNRWA at the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)

Ministerial meeting held at Palestine on 19th September 2017.

VISITS

INDIAN VISITS Jordan's King Abdullah II's visit to India - Overview

King Abdullah II of Jordan was on a three-day official visit to India from February 27, 2018 to

March 1, 2018. On March 1, 2018, India and Jordan signed following 12 agreements in New Delhi in

presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and King Abdullah II of Jordan.

• MoU on Defence Cooperation: This MoU defines the scope of Defence cooperation

between India and Jordan and enlists provisions for implementation of cooperation in some

of the recognized areas like training; counter-terrorism; defence industry; military studies;

military medical services, peace-keeping etc.

• Visa waiver for diplomatic and official passport holders: This agreement will permit

diplomats and Official passport holders of India and Jordan to enter, exit and transit through

each other’s territory without requirement of visa.

• Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP): For the period 2018-2022, India and Jordan will

engage in CEPs in the areas of music and dance; theatre; archaeology; literature, festivals

and youth programs.

• Manpower Cooperation Agreement: Objective of this agreement is to enhance

collaboration between India and Jordan in promoting best practices in the administration of

contractual employment, implementing latest reforms in recruitment processes and enhance

the protection and welfare of Indian workers in Jordan.

• MoU for cooperation in the field of Health and Medicine between India and

Jordan: This MoU envisages cooperation in the fields of health, medical science, medical

education and research. Universal Health Coverage (UHC); Health Research; National Health

Statistics; Diagnosis, Treatment and Medication of TB and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals are

some of the areas of cooperation listed in this MoU.

• MoU for setting up of the next generation Centre of Excellence (COE) in Jordan: A

Centre of Excellence (COE) will be set up in Jordan for training minimum 3000 Jordanian IT

professionals over a period of 5 years. Besides, a resource centre will be set up in India for

Training of Master trainers in IT field from Jordan.




• MoU for long term supply of Rock Phosphate and Fertilizer/NPK: This MoU will ensure

consistent supply of raw material, intermediaries and Phosphatic and

Potassic (P&K)fertilizers to India at reasonable prices.

• Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement: This agreement will not only facilitate exchange

of relevant information for the prevention and investigation of Customs offences but will also

ensure efficient clearance of goods traded between India and Jordan.

• Twining Agreement between Agra and Petra (Jordan): Under this agreement,

municipalities of Agra and Petra will jointly work for promotion of social relations through

mutual cooperation in tourism, culture, sports and economic sectors.

Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang's India Visit

Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang was on an official visit to India from 2nd – 4th March 2018 by

accepting the invitation of Indian President Ram Nath Kovind.

• Vietnam is an important pillar in India's Act East Policy and is currently the country

coordinator for India with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

On March 3, 2018, India and Vietnam signed following three Memorandum of

Understanding (MoUs) after talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vietnamese

President Tran Dai Quang.

• MoU between Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership, India (GCNEP) and the Vietnam

Atomic Energy Institute (VINATOM) to strengthen the technical cooperation in the field of

atomic energy for peaceful purposes.

• MoU on economic and trade cooperation aimed at establishing a framework for

enhancing economic and trade promotion.

• Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural

Development of Vietnam signed a work plan for the years 2018-2022.

On March 3, 2018, President of Vietnam Tran Dai Quang inaugurated 'Vietnam Days in

India' exhibition at the India International Centre in New Delhi, showcasing different forms of arts

and culture of Vietnam.

• Photographs of landmark events in the bilateral relations between India and Vietnam were

also displayed at this exhibition.

After the signing of above stated MoUs, a joint statement was issued mentioning that

India and Vietnam will take concrete measure to achieve the bilateral trade target of USD 15 billion

by 2020.

• In context of this news, it is to be noted that, for 2016-17, India-Vietnam trade stood at

$6.24 billion.

• As per the joint statement, India and Vietnam have agreed to hold the next Meeting of the

Joint Sub-Commission on Trade in Vietnam's capital city Hanoi in 2018.




French President Emmanuel Macron's India Visit

French President Emmanuel Macron was on a four-day official visit to India from 9th to 12th March,

2018.

• In context of this news, it is important to note that bilateral trade between India and

France for the period from April 2016 to March 2017 stood at $10.95 billion.

• Besides, France is the 9th largest foreign investor in India with a cumulative

investment of $6.09 billion as on October 2017.

PM Modi and French President hold delegation-level talks; 14 agreements inked in

different areas

On March 10, 2018, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting French President Emmanuel

Macron held delegation-level talks in New Delhi. Following is the List of MoUs/Agreements signed

between India and France during the visit of President of France to India.

• Agreement on the Prevention of Illicit Consumption and Reduction of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic

Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Chemical Precursors and Related Offences.

• India-France Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement to facilitate temporary

circular migration based on mobility and the encouragement for a return of skills to the

home country.

• Agreement to facilitate Mutual Recognition of Academic Qualifications.

• Memorandum of Understanding between India’s Ministry of Railways and SNCF

Motilities, France on technical cooperation in the field of Railways.

• Letter of Intent for creation of a permanent Indo-French Railways Forum.

• Agreement regarding the provision of reciprocal logistics support between Armed Forces of

India and France.

• Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the field of Environment.

• Agreement on cooperation in the field of Sustainable Urban Development.

• Implementing Arrangement between Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

and Central National D’EtudesSpatiales (CNES) for pre-formulation studies of a

Maritime Awareness Mission.

• Industrial Way Forward Agreement between Nuclear Power Corporation of India

Ltd, and EDF, France for the implementation of the Jaitapur nuclear power project.

• Memorandum of Understanding between National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE)

under India’s Ministry of New & Renewable Energy and the National Solar Energy

Institute (INES), Francefor working on projects in International Solar Alliance (ISA)

member countries in the areas of solar energy (solar photovoltaic, storage technologies,

etc.) through transfer of technology and collaborative activities.

India, France sign strategic pact on use of each other’s military bases

On March 12, 2018, India and France signed a strategic pact providing for the use of each other's

military facilities including opening naval bases to warships.




• This agreement facilitates the reciprocal provision of logistic support, supplies and

services between the armed forces of India and France during authorised port

visits, joint exercises and joint training among others.

Indian, French companies ink pacts worth 13 billion euros

On March 10, 2018, the second day of French President Emmanuel Macron’s India visit, Indian and

French companies and government entities signed deals worth 13 billion Euros across areas like

aviation, renewable energy and waste management.

• The biggest one was $12.5-billion deal signed between Indian low-cost carrier

SpiceJet and French aviation major Safran Group for supply of 155 CFM LEAP-1B

engines for SpiceJet’s Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

• Another deal was between Airports Authority of India and French engineering

company Egis for conducting study of three airports in Lucknow, Pune and Trichy.

• French cement maker Vicat announced an investment of Rs 1200 crore in

Karnataka to double its production capacity and an investment of Rs 510 crore in a cement-

grinding unit in Andhra Pradesh.

PM Modi, French President Macron inaugurates solar power plant at Mirzapur in UP

On March 12, 2018, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron

inaugurated Uttar Pradesh's biggest solar power plant in Mirzapur district.

• This 100 MW solar plant has come up at Dadar Kalan village in Mirzapur district of

Uttar Pradesh.

• The plant has more than 100000 solar panels spread across an area of over 380 acres.

• It has been built at a cost of around 500 crore by French firm ENGIE.

• The solar plant will generate about 1.30 crore units of electricity per month.

First ever Indo-French Knowledge Summit held in New Delhi

First ever Indo-French Knowledge Summit was held in New Delhi from 10th to 11th March 2018 and

coincided with the state visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to India.

• The objective of this Summit was to design a roadmap of Franco-India university,

scientific and technology cooperation for the next five years.

• The Summit ended with a landmark agreement on mutual recognition of educational

qualifications between India and France.

• The summit was organized by the French Embassy in India and was co-hosted by

Union Ministry of Human Resource Development.

• More than 350 people from nearly 80 Indian Institutions and 70 French

institutions participated in this Summit.





• A Franco-Indian Education Trust was also unveiled at the conclusion of the Summit.

Indo-French centre for engineers inaugurated in Bengaluru

On March 12, 2018, French Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation,

Frederique Vidal inaugurated an Indo-French Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru,

Karnataka.

• The centre has been set up to impart vocational training to engineers in electricity,

automation and energy management.

• It has been set up jointly by the French government, French automation company

Schneider Electric and the Bengaluru-based New Horizon College of Engineering.

• The centre will also run skill development programmes which will prepare students to

leverage disruptive technologies to further national growth.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visits India

Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of Germany, was on a five-day official visit to India

starting from 22nd March, 2018.

i. Mr. Steinmeier was accompanied by his wife Elke Budenbender, a CEO delegation, Indologists

and a media delegation.

ii. This was Mr. Steinmeier’s first visit to India as German President. Earlier he had visited India

several times in his former capacity as the foreign minister and vice chancellor of Germany. Last

German president to visit India was Joachim Gauck in February 2014.

iii. Germany is India's largest trading partner in Europe and the sixth largest trading partner in the

world. Bilateral trade between India and Germany in 2016-17 stood at USD 18.76

billion. Besides, Germany is also the 7th largest foreign direct investor in India.

FOREIGN VISITS President Ram Nath Kovind’s six day Visit to Mauritius & Madagascar

Indian President Ram Nath Kovind was on a six-day official visit to island nations of Mauritius and

Madagascar from March 11, 2018.

India announced USD 100 million LoC for Mauritius

On March 12, 2018, on the second day of Indian President Ram Nath Kovind's visit to

Mauritius, India announced a new USD 100 million Line of Credit for defence procurement

by Mauritius.

• President Kovind stated that India will supply a Multi-Purpose Offshore Patrol Vessel

to Mauritius under this Line of Credit.

• Indian and Mauritius also signed other agreements after delegation-level talks between

Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth.




President Kovind inaugurates World Hindi Secretariat building in Mauritius

On March 13, 2018, President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the World Hindi Secretariat building

in Mauritius.

• On the same day, he also launched the World Hindi Secretariat's logo, an Early Digital

Learning Programme, and laid foundation stone of an ENT hospital and social housing

projects.

• These projects are being executed under the $353 million Special Economic

Package extended by India.

India, Madagascar sign umbrella agreement in defence sector

During the course of Indian President Ram Nath Kovind’s visit to Madagascar, India and

Madagascar signed an umbrella agreement in the field of defence.

BANKING & FINANCE RBI in News

RBI allows higher position limit for FPIs in interest rate futures

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed a limit of Rs. 5000 crore for foreign portfolio

investors (FPIs) to go long in Interest Rate Futures (IRFs).

i. An agreement to buy or sell a debt instrument at a specified future date, at a price that

is fixed today, is referred to as Interest Rate Futures(IRFs).IRF can either be a Government

Bond or a Treasury Bill.

ii. Currently, the FPI limit for Government Securities (G-Secs) is mutually

interchangeable between investments in G-Secs and investment in IRF, with long

position in IRF capped at 90% of G-Sec limit.

RBI lifts per-borrower loan cap for MSMEs

In a bid to increase the importance of services sector and to encourage banks to lend more to this

sector, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to remove the per borrower loan limits for Micro,

Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) involved in services, for classification under priority

sector lending.

i. In case of the services sector, MSMED (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

Development) Act, 2006

Micro & Small Enterprise 10 Lakh -2 Crore

Medium Enterprise 2 Crore -5 Crore

ii. As per the current norms, loans to Micro/ Small enterprises up to Rs. 5 crore and loans to

Medium Enterprises up to Rs. 10 crore were classified as priority sector lending (PSL).




RBI to conduct additional repo operations to provide liquidity support to banks

On March 5, 2018, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that it will conduct additional repo

operations during March 2018 to provide additional liquidity support to banks by undertaking

additional repo operations for longer tenors up to 31 days, on every Tuesday of March 2018 for Rs

25000 crore each.

i. Repo operation are undertaken by RBI to provide liquidity to banks which helps in

overcoming temporary liquidity mismatches.

ii. In the current scenario, wherein the liquidity has tightened in the banking system owning credit

growth outpacing deposit growth, additional repo operations appear to be a viable way out.

iiiThese operations will thereby infuse liquidity aggregating Rs 1 lakh crore in to the

banking system by the end of March 2018.

RBI fines Axis Bank, Indian Overseas Bank

On February 27, 2018, Reserve Bank of India imposed a penalty of Rs. 3 crore on Axis Bank for

non-compliance of Income Recognition and Asset Classification (IRAC) norms and a

penalty of Rs. 2 crore on Indian Overseas Bank for non-compliance with Know Your

Customer (KYC) norms.

i. In case of Axis Bank, a statutory inspection of RBI with reference to bank’s financial position on

March 31, 2016, discovered violations of various regulations in the assessment of non-

performing assets.

ii. In the case of IOB, RBI detected a fraud in one of IOB’s branches, which was traced to

non-compliance with KYC norms.

RBI slaps Rs 40 lakh penalty on SBI for flouting fake note norms

RBI (Reserve Bank of India) has imposed a penalty of Rs 40 lakh on SBI (State Bank of

India) as SBI failed to comply with RBI’s directions on detection and impounding of

counterfeit notes.

i. RBI has stated that, it detected deficiencies on SBI’s part in regulatory compliance with

counterfeit note norms.

ii. RBI had inspected currency chests of two SBI branches and found that its instructions on

detection and impounding of counterfeit notes had been violated.

iii. After going through SBI’s reply and oral submissions during the personal hearing, RBI confirmed

charges of non-compliance with its directions/guidelines and imposed a penalty of Rs 40 lakh on

SBI.

RBI discontinues Letters of Undertaking, Letters of Comfort for trade credit

In a bid to plug the loopholes in the trade finance activities of banks, Reserve Bank of India has

scrapped quasi bank guarantee instruments such as the Letter of Undertaking (LoU) and Letter of

Comfort (LoC).




i. This decision has been taken in wake of Rs. 14000 crore PNB fraud, the modus operandi of

which revolved around the unauthorised use of LoU by bank officials.

ii. A LoU is a promise by the issuing bank to the counter bank (the bank which encashes the LoU)

to pay in case of default by the one on whose behalf it was issued. In Nirav Modi’s case, PNB had

issued the LoU and will thus have to pay to other banks where Nirav Modi had encashed those

LoUs.

iii. With these two instruments being discontinued, Indian Banks will rely more on letter of credit

for trade purposes. Letter of Credit is comparatively more secure as it carries transaction

details such as purchase by the importer, date of issue and the material purchased.

RBI issues PCA framework to maintain sound financial health of banks

In wake of several scams unearthed at public sector banks, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued

a Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework aimed at maintaining the sound financial health

of banks.

i. The PCA framework stipulates risk thresholds for key areas such as capital, profitability

and asset quality (tracked in terms of the net Non-Performing Assets ratio).

ii. The objective behind corrective framework is to encourage banks to refrain from undertaking

certain riskier activities, improve operational efficiency and focus on conserving capital in order to

maintain sound financial health.

iii. In past 10 months, public sector banks that have been brought under PCA by RBI are IDBI

Bank, Dena Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, Central Bank of India, UCO Bank, Oriental Bank of

Commerce, Indian Overseas Bank, Bank of India, Allahabad Bank, Corporation Bank and

United Bank of India.

Axis Bank opened a representative office in Sharjah, which is 3rd office in UAE

On March 18, 2018, Axis Bank announced the opening of its new representative office in Sharjah,

United Arab Emirates (UAE).It is third office in UAE.

As UAE is home to 3 million Non-resident Indians (NRIs) and this representative office

will focus on remittances business

RBI to release limited edition coins to mark 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will soon roll out limited edition coins of Rs 350 denomination to mark

the 350th Birth Anniversary of Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji.

i. Circumference of the coin will be 44 millimetres and the weight of the coin could vary from 34.65

grams to 35.35 grams.

ii. It will be made up of Quaternary Alloy - Silver (50 per cent), Copper (40 per cent),

Nickel (5 per cent) and Zinc (5 per cent).

iii. The front face of the coin shall bear the Lion Capitol of Ashoka Pillar in the centre with the

legend "Satyamev Jayate" inscribed below.




iv. Lion Capital on the front face will be flanked by word “Bharat” in the Devanagari script on the

left and word “INDIA” in English on the right periphery.

v. The front face shall also bear the Rupee symbol and denominational value “350” in International

Numerals below the Lion Capitol.

vi. The reverse face of the coin shall bear the picture of “Takht Shri Harimandir Ji Patna

Sahib”. Inscription “350TH PRAKASH UTSAV OF SRI GURU GOBIND SINGH JI” in Devanagari

shall be written on the upper periphery and the same would be written in English language on the

lower periphery of the coin.

RBI changes methodology for bond valuation to check manipulation

In order to prevent the possibility of manipulation in the prices of securities, especially government

securities (G-Secs), on the last trading day of a quarter, Reserve Bank of India has changed the

methodology used for their valuation by debt market players, including banks and primary dealers.

i. As per RBI’s new directive, security/bond valuation will be based on the weighted average

price of the last half-an-hour of trading on the last trading day of every quarter. Earlier

the valuation was based on last traded price.

ii. This move is to normalise any aberration resulting from an attempt to manipulate the

price by a cartel of banks at the last moment.

Technology in Banking

Citibank India launches home loans linked to T-Bill

On 5th March 2018, Citibank introduced a new variable interest rate mortgage product that

will be linked to the 90-day Treasury bills and will change every quarter.

i. Citibank will charge a spread above the 90-day Treasury bill rate based on the borrower profile.

Changes will be made in the rates once in every quarter on March 1, June 1, September 1 and

December 1.

ii. Citibank will take the t-bill rate on 12th of February, May, August and November from Financial

Benchmarks India Pvt Ltd to fix the benchmark rate.

iii. Citibank has chosen 90 day treasury bills since it provides better accuracy on local rates. Also,

resetting the rates every quarter, makes sure that, the rates are in line with market reality.

Paytm unveils ‘Paytm for Business’ app in Tamil Nadu

Paytm has launched 'Paytm for Business' app in Tamil Nadu to enable merchants to track





payments, view past collections and make settlements instantly.This app is available in 10 regional

languages.

i. It can be used by merchants and business partners who use Paytm as payment mode at their

offline stores in Tamil Nadu.

ii. Using this app, merchants can accept payments digitally and immediately view their transactions

without waiting for a confirmation SMS or e-mail.

About Paytm:

♦ Founder - Vijay Shekhar Sharma

♦ Type - Indian e-payments and e-commerce brand.

DCB Bank launches online service to send money globally

DCB Bank has launched “DCB Remit”, a remittance service to enable customers to send

money online globally.

i. Using DCB Remit, any resident Indian can register online and send money to 20

countries such as the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, the UAE and Germany.

ii. Once the exchange rate of money is fixed, customer can transfer money from any account to

DCB Bank account. This in turn can be transferred to the beneficiary account present in another

country on or within the next business day.

iii. DCB Remit has been introduced in collaboration with Avenues Payments. Avenues

Payments specialises in providing cross border payments.

ICICI Bank launches 'InstaOD', instant overdraft facility for MSMEs

ICICI Bank has launched instant overdraft ‘InstaOD’ facility for MSME (Micro, Small and

Medium Enterprises) customers which can be availed online without visiting a branch and

submitting physical documents.

i. The pre-qualified customers can get overdraft facility up to Rs 15 lakh for a year

anytime, anywhere using ICICI bank’s Internet and mobile banking app.

ii. For availing the OD under this facility, the customer has to select the limit required, confirm the

details and submit the application by following simple steps.

Swiggy Partners with ICICI Bank, Launches UPI-Based Digital Payment Service

Online food ordering and delivery platform, Swiggy and India’s largest private bank, ICICI Bank

have partnered to roll out two innovative digital solutions to facilitate a convenient and hassle-free

way for delivery partners to transfer funds to Swiggy.

i. The first one is a Unified Payment Interface (UPI) based solution which enables instant

fund transfers on-the-go while the other is a facility for depositing cash at automated Cash

Deposit Machines (CDM) available at ICICI Bank branches and ATMs across India.

ii. Swiggy has integrated the UPI solution with ICICI Bank, which offers a secure and scalable mode




to enable collection of funds from its delivery partners.

iii. Under this arrangement, Swiggy’s delivery partners will have their own UPI handle, to

which they can link their savings bank account and start transacting by using any UPI-

enabled app like ICICI Bank ‘Pockets’, ‘Google Tez’, ‘BHIM’,etc.

Metro Plus Card for IndusInd Bank Customers Launched

On March 25, 2018, Delhi Metro, in association with IndusInd Bank, launched a dual purpose

Metro Plus' debit card that will enable customers of IndusInd bank to use it for metro train rides as

well as for all other regular debit card transactions.

i. The Metro Plus Card, developed by IndusInd bank, has an embedded Delhi Metro Transit chip

along with the secured Debit Card Chip.

ii. The card users can also get their smart cards auto topped up at Delhi Metro’s (Automatic Fare

Collection) AFC Gates.

SWIFT introduces universal real-time payment tracking

SWIFT (Society for World Interbank Financial Telecommunication System platform) has

announced the extension of its gpi (Global Payment Innovation) Tracker to cover all payment

instructions sent across the network.

i. SWIFT system is used by banks across the world to transmit messages relating to cross border

financial transactions.

ii. gpi Tracker, developed by SWIFT, gives end-to-end visibility on the status of a payment

transaction from the moment it is sent until it is confirmed.

SBI Card Launches Exclusive Credit Card for Doctors

On March 27, 2018, SBI Cards announced that it has partnered with Indian Medical

Association (IMA) to launch 'Doctor's SBI Card', which has been designed to complement the

distinct lifestyles and needs of doctors.

i. SBI Cards is a joint venture between India’s largest bank, State Bank of India and The Carlyle

Group, while IMA is the voluntary representative organisation of Doctors.

ii. Among other features just like regular cards, unique proposition of ‘Doctor’s SBI Card is the

professional indemnity insurance cover of Rs 10 lakh to protect doctors against

professional risks and liabilities.

Fino Payments Bank introduces mPoS

Fino Payments Bank is planning to deploy multi-utility Android-based mPOS devices across

10000 banking points across India in a phased manner.

i. In context of this news, abbreviation mPOS stands for mobile Point Of Sale.

ii. It thus eliminates the need for multiple devices that are currently used to facilitate

finger print authentication and digital transactions.

iii. Through mPOS devices, Fino representatives will be able to provide all banking services viz.




account opening, deposit, withdrawal, money transfer, insurance sales and Aadhaar-enabled

payment systems (AEPS) to customers at their doorstep.

Kotak becomes first bank to roll out AI-run voicebot

Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched voicebot ‘Keya’, the first artificial intelligence-

powered voicebot in Indian banking sector.It has been developed on basis of a library of millions of

phone-banking conversations over the past three years.

i. Keya uses automatic speech recognition, text-to-speech technology and natural language

understanding and can understand Hindi as well as English.

ii. By using above stated technology, ‘Keya’ navigates the customers directly to the destination

where he/she can get his/her issue resolved.

iii. ’Keya’ is powered by Nuance (the technology behind Apple’s Siri).

OTHER BANK & FINANCE RELATED NEWS Finance Ministry to consolidate overseas operations of public sector banks

On March 1, 2018, Union Finance Ministry released a roadmap for consolidation of overseas

operations of public sector banks.

i. This decision seems like a tightening measure in wake of Rs. 12636 crore scam unearthed at

Punjab Bank National (PNB).

ii. However, Finance Ministry officials have called it a move to attain cost efficiencies and

synergies in the overseas market.

iii. State Bank of India (SBI) has the highest number of overseas branches (52), followed by Bank

of Baroda (50) and Bank of India (29).

iv. In terms of Country-wise presence, PSBs have largest number of branches in United Kingdom

(32) followed by Hong Kong and UAE (13 each) and Singapore (12).

India wins back fastest growing economy tag, grows at 7.2 per cent in Q3

In the October-December 2017 quarter (Q3) of the current fiscal, Indian economy grew at 7.2

per cent rate and there by regained its tag of world’s fastest growing economy.

i. India regained its tag of fastest growing economy from China, as Chinese economy recorded a

6.8 per cent growth rate during October-December 2018 quarter (Q3) of the current

fiscal.

ii. The uptick in growth to 7.2 percent as compared to 6.3 per cent in previous quarter (July –

September 2017) indicates that Indian economy has finally overcome the disruptions caused by

Goods and Services Tax (GST) roll out in July 2017.

iii. In Q3, Manufacturing sector grew at 8.1 per cent as compared to 6.9 per cent in the previous

quarter. Similarly, agriculture sector grew at 4.1 percent from 2.7 percent in the previous quarter.

iv. Besides, Construction sector grew at 6.8 per cent in Q3 of 2017-18, which is higher than 2.8 per




cent in previous quarter, while services sector (including financial services) registered a growth of

6.7 per cent, up from 6.4 per cent in previous quarter.

India remains 12th largest foreign holder of US govt securities

According to data compiled by US Treasury Department, India's exposure to US government

securities stood at USD 144.7 billion at the end of 2017.

i. During 2017, India increased its holding of American government securities for most of the

months and remained the 12th largest overseas holder of such securities.

ii. India’s 2017-end holding of US Government Securities at USD 144.7 billion marks an increment

of nearly USD 26 billion as compared to USD 118.2 holding in December 2016.The

exposure was highest in September 2017 – at USD 145.1 billion.

US Government Securities – Top 5 Holders:

China USD 1.18 trillion Japan USD 1.06 trillion Ireland USD 326.5 billion Cayman Islands USD 269.9 billion Brazil USD 256.8 billion

Government constitutes Steering Committee on Fintech related issues

Central Government has constituted a Steering Committee to consider various issues relating to

development of Financial Technology (Fintech) space in India.

i. This committee will be headed by Secretary of Department of Economic Affairs(DEA)

under Ministry of Finance.

ii. Objective of this committee is to come up with measures aimed to make Fintech related

regulations in India, more flexible and generate enhanced entrepreneurship.

iii. While considering various related issues, the Steering Committee will focus on how Fintech

can be leveraged to enhance financial inclusion of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

(MSMEs).

iv. Idea to constitute such committee for Fintech related issues was first announced by Union

Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley while presenting the Union Budget 2018.

HDFC, Happay partner to help firms manage T&E expenses

HDFC Bank and Happay, a business expense management solution provider, have entered

in to a collaboration to introduce a new prepaid card-linked Travel and Entertainment

(T&E) expense management solution which will help Indian firms to efficiently manage

their business travel expenditure.

i. Through Happay-HDFC Bank prepaid cards and Happay mobile app, employees of the companies

will be able to seek trip advances, get trip itineraries pre-approved by management, do trip

bookings and even file trip expenses digitally.




ii. This solution holds special significance in context of a report published by Forrester

Research (an American market research company) which highlighted that

Indian business travel is on the rise and T&E expense still remains the second most

difficult operating expense to control in an organization.

India to join multilateral lender EBRD

India will join the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) as its 69th

member.

i. EBRD is working for furthering the development of market-orientated economies and the

promotion of private and entrepreneurial initiative in the European region.

ii. On account of this, Indian companies would be permitted to undertake joint investments

in regions in which the EBRD operates.Currently the U.S. is the largest shareholder in the

EBRD.

Sidbi, CSC partner to offer MSMEs better credit access

On March 6, 2018, Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) signed a

memorandum of understanding (MoU) with CSC e-governance Services (CSCeGS) to take

Udyami Mitra portal to the unserved and the underserved Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

(MSMEs).

Udyamimitra.in is a portal to improve accessibility of credit for the MSMEs. Through this portal

entrepreneurs can apply for a loan without physically visiting bank branches.

Canara HSBC OBC Life Insurance partners Can Fin Homes to sell policies

Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance has partnered with Can Fin

Homes for a 3 year corporate agency tie up to sell its policies to home buyers.

Canara HSBC OBC Life Insurance and Can Fin Homes aim to offer long term value creation for its

customers.It has more than 1.2 lakh customers.

ISA-ADB, NDB, GCF, AfDB and AIIB ink joint declaration of Financial partnership

On 10th March 2018, International Solar Alliance (ISA) and African Development Bank

(AfDb), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB),

Green climate fund (GCF), and New Development Bank (NDB) signed Joint financial

partnership declarations.





• The agreements are aimed to deepen their cooperation to support Renewable

Energy.

• ISA and ADB have joined together to promote Solar Energy in Asia and the Pacific, through

solar power generation, solar based mini-grids, and transmission systems dedicated for

integrating solar energy into the grids and other future programs introduced by ISA.

• The New Development Bank aims to mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable

development projects in Brazil, Russia, India, China, and the Republic of South Africa

(BRICS) and other developing economies and countries.

• The International Energy Agency (IEA) is an autonomous agency under the framework of the

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

• The focus areas of IEA are: energy security, economic development, environmental

awareness and engagement worldwide.

KVGB rolls out ‘Vikas She Plus’ loan scheme for women entrepreneurs

Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB) has introduced ‘Vikas She Plus’, a loan scheme for

women to help them with new ventures and for expanding or modifying their existing businesses.

The Vikas She Plus scheme offers loan up to a maximum of Rs 2 lakh. Repayment period for

the loan is 60 months under this scheme.

Passport details made mandatory for loans above Rs.50 crore after PNB fraud

Passport details of borrowers obtaining loans of Rs 50 crore and above has been made

mandatory to take immediate action in case of fraud and to prevent defaulters from escaping

away from India.

Also, for all existing loans of over Rs 50 crore, banks have been mandated to obtain

passport details of borrowers within 45 days.

Digital transactions could reach Rs 1 lakh crore by value by 2025: Report

As per a report ‘Transactions 2025’ released by digital payments company AGS Transact in

collaboration with ACI Worldwide, by 2025, India could witness around Rs 1 lakh crore worth of

digital transactions every year.

i. Increase in digital payments would largely be driven by higher adoption of Unified Payments

Interface (UPI).

ii. Higher adoption would come on back of consumer demand, policy push from the

government, disruptive technology and services like taxi payments and ecommerce

growth.

Quick Facts about ACI Worldwide:


♦ Headquarters – Naples, US




IREDA, EIB ink 150mn-euro loan agreement for renewable energy

On March 10, 2018, Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) and European

Investment Bank (EIB) inked a 150 million Euros loan agreement for second line of credit (LoC).

i. Funds procured through LoC will be utilised for financing renewable energy and energy

efficiency projects in India.

ii. The LoC is for tenure of 15 years and includes a grace period of three years.

Federal Bank Makes Two More Strategic Tie-ups for Portfolio Investment Scheme

On March 12, 2018, Federal Bank announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with

two new broking partners, Celebrus Capital Ltd and Fortune Wealth Management

Co India Pvt. Ltd. for providing Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS) services to Non-resident

Indians (NRIs).

i. Reserve Bank of India’s Portfolio Investment Scheme enables NRIs to purchase and

sell shares and convertible debentures of Indian companies on a recognized stock exchange

through their NRI Savings Account with a designated bank branch.

ii. These strategic tie-ups are in line with Federal Bank’s objective to double the PIS business in

terms of a number of accounts and total volume.

SBI reduces charges on non-maintenance of minimum balance

India’s largest bank, State Bank of India has slashed charges for non-maintenance of Average

Monthly Balance (AMB) in savings accounts by nearly 75 per cent.

i. Charges for non-maintenance of AMB for customers in Metro and Urban centres have

been reduced from a maximum of Rs 50 per month plus Goods and Services Tax (GST) to

Rs 15 plus GST per month while for Semi-Urban and Rural centres, the charges have

been reduced from Rs 40 to Rs 12 per month it will be effective from April 01, 2018.

ii. As per current norms of SBI, MAB requirement in metro cities and urban centres is Rs 3000,

while for semi-urban and rural areas, it is Rs 2000 and Rs 1000 respectively.

World Bank projects India's FY19 GDP growth at 7.3 pc

As per World Bank's biannual publication, India Development Update: India's Growth

Story, India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth for next financial year i.e. FY 2018-19 is

projected at 7.3 per cent.

i. World Bank has outlined that Indian economy is likely to recover from the impact of

demonetisation in November 2016 and roll out of Goods and Services Tax (GST) July

2017 and will accelerate further to 7.5 per cent in 2019-20.

ii. For the current financial year ending March 31, 2018, Indian economy’s growth rate is expected

to be 6.7 per cent.




Tax rates under GST are world's second highest: World Bank

As per World Bank’s bi-annual India Development Update, Indian goods and services tax

(GST) regime is one of the most complex with the second highest tax rate in the

world among a sample of 115 countries which have a similar indirect tax system.

i. World Bank highlighted that 49 countries around the world have a single slab of GST, 28

countries have two slabs, and only five countries, including India, have four non-zero slabs.

ii. Besides, in terms of complexity, GST roll out in India has not only increased

administrative tax compliance burden on firms but has also resulted in locking-up of

working capital due to slow tax refund processing.

Quick Facts about Goods and Services Tax (GST):

♦ Rolled out in India from - July 1, 2017

♦ Replaced - 16 levies (7 central taxes and 9 state taxes)

♦ Non-zero Tax brackets - 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%

First Data Signs Deal With India's RBL Bank to Provide Card Processing Services

First Data, a global leader in commerce-enabling technology and Indian private sector bank, RBL

Bank have entered into a partnership wherein First Data will help RBL Bank migrate their

credit card customers to its latest proprietary software providing end-to-end card

processing services.

i. On account of this partnership, RBL Bank will be able to introduce innovative features for

its clients and will be able to scale up transactions on a secure platform.

ii. First Data Corporation is a global payment technology solutions company

headquartered in Atlanta, United States and serves top national and international banks in

India.

SEBI Raises Currency Derivatives Trade Limit to $100 Mn

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has raised the exposure limit under exchange

traded currency derivatives (ETCD) for residents and foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to USD

100 million across all currency pairs.

i. This decision comes after RBI raised the exposure limit to USD 100 million in February 2018.

ii. ETCD, in USD/INR, EUR/INR (Euro), GBP/INR (Great British Pound) and JPY/INR (Japanese Yen)

are primarily used by Indian exporters and importers and foreign portfolio investors

(FPIs) to hedge their risk against currency price fluctuations.

iii. It is to be noted that for taking positions within the prescribed limit, corporate/individuals are

not required to present any proof on underlying exposure.

iv. Earlier exposure limit was USD 15 million for USD-INR contracts and USD 5 million for other

currency pairs.




Muthoot Finance ties up with Global IME bank for money transfer service to Nepal

On March 15, 2018, Muthoot Finance Ltd., the flagship company of Muthoot Group tied up

with Global IME Bank to expand its money remittance services between Indo-

Nepal Corridor.

i. As per the terms of the tie-up, Nepali migrant residing in India would be able to transfer money

instantly (by paying nominal charge of Rs. 200) to their families in Nepal from any of the 4600

branches of Muthoot Finance.

ii. In Nepal, 193 branches and more than 7000 pay out centres of Global IME Bank will

serve as remittance receiving points for Nepali families.

Centre, ADB ink $120mn loan agreement to improve rail infrastructure

Indian Government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a $120 million loan

agreement for improving rail infrastructure which will enhance operational efficiency of Indian

railways.In context of this news, High density corridors refers to busy freight and passenger routes

in the states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. It also includes

"Golden Quadrilateral" corridor that connects Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi.

SEBI allows UCX to exit commodity business

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the regulator for the securities market in India

has allowed the Universal Commodity Exchange (UCX) to discontinue operations as a

commodity exchange.

i. UCX had attained recognition as a multi-commodity exchange in 2012.

ii. However, board of UCX had suspended trading operations with effect from July 16,

2014 on account of drastic decline in trading volume and did not make attempts for revival

thereafter.

iii. As per the circular, a commodity exchange is liable to exit if there has been no trading

operation on its platform for more than twelve months.

Key facts about Universal Commodity Exchange (UCX):


♦ Located in – Mumbai, Maharashtra

US bans use of Venezuela's new Petro Currency

On March 19, 2018, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order making it illegal for US

citizens to purchase any cryptocurrency issued by Venezuela.

i. The order prohibits U.S. citizens from engaging in transactions using Venezuela’s oil-backed

currency, called the Petro.

ii. In a bid to ease country's economic crisis, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had

launched ‘Petro’, a cryptocurrency backed by Venezuela's oil, gas, gold and diamond




wealth.

iii. Trump administration in US wants Maduro regime to reverse the crisis that it has caused by

adopting prudent economic measures rather than trying to circumvent US sanctions by issuing

‘Petro’.

SBI, IMGC sign MOU to offer mortgage guarantee backed home loan

On March 19, 2018, India's largest bank State Bank of India (SBI) and India Mortgage

Guarantee Corporation (IMGC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to offer

mortgage guarantee scheme for prospective non-salaried and self-employed home loan customers.

i. This agreement, will enable borrowers to avail higher finance by opting for IMGC default

guarantee cover.

ii. SBI expects that this arrangement will help increase home loan eligibility up to 15 per

cent.

iii. IMGC, which provides mortgage default guarantee to the lending Institutions in India, is a joint

venture between National Housing Bank, Genworth Inc International Finance Corporation and Asian

Development Bank.

Bank of America introduces chatbot named Erica

Bank of America has started rolling out Erica, its chatbot that can help customers check

balances, remind about bills and answer bank-related questions.

i. Erica has been rolled out to customers in Rhode Island.

ii. Bank of America had first introduced Erica at fintech and payments conference Money

2020 in October 2016.

iii. Customers of Bank of America will be able to interact with Erica via voice or text and it will help

them with routine day to day banking transactions.

General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re) to operate from Lloyd’s in London

Indian permission to commence operations of 'GIC Syndicate 1947' from Lloyd's of London from

April 2018.

i. Lloyd’s is a United Kingdom-based insurance marketplace, where specialty underwriters

provide reinsurance to global buyers by forming a syndicate.

ii. Earlier, in December 2017, Lloyd's Franchise Board granted 'in principle' approval to

GIC Re to create 'GIC Syndicate 1947'.

iii. 'GIC Syndicate 1947' is thus the first Lloyd's syndicate to be backed entirely by capital from an

Indian reinsurance entity.





iv. Neil Attwood has been appointed as active underwriter, while Pembroke Managing Agency Ltd.,

a specialist provider of Lloyd’s managing agency services, will manage 'GIC Syndicate 1947' in the

initial years.

MCX Launches World's First Brass Futures Contracts

Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) has announced that it will commence futures

trading in brass on March 26, 2018.

The launch will be an important milestone as it will be for the first time that a Brass Futures

contract will be traded on an organised exchange anywhere in the world.

Quick Facts about Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX):

♦ Established in – 2003

♦ Headquarters – Mumbai

♦ Current CEO - Mrugank Paranjape

BHEL inks tech pact with Korea-based HLB Power

On 21st March 2018, BHEL said that, it has signed a Technology Collaboration Agreement

(TCA) with HLB Power, Republic of Korea.

i. BHEL said that, this collaboration is for in-house design and manufacture of large size gates and

dampers used in coal fired power plants that would be commissioned or retrofitted with high

capacity emission control equipment.

ii. The TCA was signed by Subrata Biswas, Director (E, R&D) BHEL and Dr. Jong Weon Kim, CEO

and Director, HLB Power at BHEL's corporate office.

About BHEL (Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited):

♦ Chairman & MD - Atul Sobti


Equitas Bank ties up with CSK, launches Yellow Army Savings Account

On March 22, 2018, Equitas Small Finance Bank (SFB) rolled out ‘Yellow Army Savings Account’ to

commemorate its association with the Indian Premium League (IPL) franchise Chennai

Super Kings (CSK).

i. ’Yellow Army Savings Account’ will fetch interest rate of 6 per cent per annum for balance

below Rs. 10 lakh and 6.5 per cent per annum for balance above Rs. 10 lakh.

ii. Visa debit card of ’Yellow Army Savings Account’ carries personal accident cover of up to Rs. 5

lakh, air accident cover of Rs. 30 lakh and lost card liability of up to Rs. 25000.

iii. As per an agreement between Equitas and CSK, Equitas will be the principal sponsor of

CSK and the banking partner of CSK for three years.




Venezuela to eliminate three zeros off currency

On March 22, 2018, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro decided to remove three zeros of

the Venezuelan currency Bolivar fuerte with effect from June 4, 2018.

i. This decision is aimed at controlling the prevailing hyperinflationary situation across

Venezuela which witnessed 6147 percent price rise in last 12 months.

ii. Some economist believe that this decision of eliminating zeros from the currency will not result

in to desired outcomes as it does not change the underlying value of bolivar.

iii. To implement this decision, Maduro has decided to take out of circulation the current bills and

put into circulation new bills, wherein highest denomination currency note will be of 500 bolivars.

Economy to double to $5 trillion by 2025, no risk to inflation target: Finance ministry

On March 26, 2018, Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg stated that India is on

track to double the size of its economy to $5 trillion by 2025.

i. India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in value terms currently stands at USD 2.5

trillion, making it the sixth largest economy in the world.

ii. According to Mr. Garg, Indian economy is now positioned to attain 7-8 per cent annual growth

and with focus on start-ups, Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and investment in

infrastructure development, it can even clock a higher growth in coming years.

iii. Mr. Garg also asserted that inflation will be contained within the Reserve Bank of India’s

(RBI’s) target of 4 per cent, plus/minus 2 per cent and will thus not pose any risk to growth.

iv.In February 2018, consumer price based retail inflation (taken into account by RBI while

formulating its monetary policy) was at 4 month low of 4.44 per cent.

Exim Bank extends $500 million loan facility to 15-nation group in Africa

On March 26, 2018, Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) announced that it will extend

USD 500 million credit facility to ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) to

fund various development projects in Africa.

i. EBID is the financial institution established by the 15 Member States of the Economic

Community of West African States (ECOWAS) comprising Benin, Cape Verde, Burkina Faso,

Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra

Leone and Togo

ii. Including this Line of Credit, total value of LOCs extended by Exim Bank to EBID has

reached USD 1000 million.

India signs $80 Million Loan Agreement with ADB to boost Youth Employability in HP

Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India have signed $80 million loan

agreement to modernize technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions in State

of Himachal Pradesh.




i. Funds procured through this loan will be used to conduct short-term and long-term

training programs in growth areas including electronics, automobiles, pharmaceutical, tourism

and hospitality, health care etc

ii. Relevant and good quality TVET programs will be developed which will improve employment

prospects of nearly 65000 youths by 2022.

RBS India facilitates setting-up of WomenInTech Forum

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) in India will facilitate to set up 'WomenInTech (WIT)

Forum that will work towards encouraging women to take up careers in science,

technology, engineering and math (STEM).

i. WIT Forum will not only work towards creating awareness among young women about career

opportunities in STEM but will also provide scholarships for economically weaker section.

ii. It will also provide mentoring and upskilling to increase the employability of women in

STEM careers.

iii. Professional consultancy network Deloitte is the knowledge partner for this initiative.

SEBI accepts most of the recommendations of Uday Kotak Committee on Corporate

Governance

On 28th March 2018, SEBI accepted most of the recommendations of Uday Kotak Committee on

Corporate Governance.

i. SEBI accepted 40 recommendations out of the 80 odd recommendations proposed by

the Uday Kotak committee.

ii. The SEBI committee was formed to review corporate governance rules in June 2017. It

is headed by Uday Kotak and has 21 members.

iii. The committee submitted its report on 5th October 2017. The committee had suggested the

implementation of its proposals in phases.

Jana Small Finance Bank commences operations

On 28th March 2018, Jana Small Finance Bank Limited commenced operations as a small

finance bank.

i. Jana Small Finance Bank aims to establish more than 500 banking outlets by 2019. It will initially

open 19 branches in 18 states.

ii. It will set up around 200 banking outlets including 25% unbanked rural branches by June 2018.

Long term capital gains tax to come into effect from April 1

i. As per current norms, gains made from the sale of shares within a year (short term) of purchase

attracted 15 per cent short term capital gains tax. However, gains made after a year of purchase

(Long term) was exempt from the levy.




ii. In Budget 2018, LTCG was imposed citing a reason that exempting long-term gains from

share sale from any tax creates bias against manufacturing and encourages shifting of

investment to financial assets.

iii. 10% LTCG tax would apply on gains exceeding Rs. 1 lakh, made from sale of equity

shares of a listed company, unit of an equity oriented fund and unit of a business trust that has

been held for a minimum period of 12 months from the date of acquisition.

SEBI doubles investment limit of angel funds to Rs. 10 crore

With an objective to encourage early-stage start-ups, Securities and Exchange Board of

India (SEBI) has decided to double the investment limit by angel funds in venture capital

undertakings to Rs. 10 crore.

i. To give effect to the decision of raising maximum investment limit, SEBI board has approved

amendments to Alternative Investment Funds (AIF) regulations with respect to ‘Angel

Funds.’

ii. In addition to this, SEBI would also increase the maximum period of accepting funds

from an angel investor from three years to five years, as it will provide angel funds, more

time to identify opportunities for investment.

Nepal's central bank permits banks to borrow from abroad

For the first time, Nepal Rastra Bank (Nepal’s Central Bank) has permitted domestic

commercial banks to borrow funds from foreign banks and financial institutions.

i. The permission has been granted in order to resolve liquidity crunch prevailing in Nepal’s

banking system since past few months.

ii. However, loans borrowed from abroad are to be utilised for financing only productive sectors

such as agriculture, tourism, hydropower and outer infrastructure projects. It cannot be used to

lend to the real estate sector in Nepal.

MOU’S/AGREEMENTS IN NEWS Punjab inks MoU with Nandan Nilekani’s e-gov to provide online services

Punjab State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Nandan Nilekani’s e-

Governments Foundation (e-Gov) for managing of electronic governance of Urban Local

Bodies (ULBs) across the state.

i .The services have been grouped under 12 modules viz. property tax, complaints and

grievance, water and sewerage management, licensing, fire service, birth and death,

verification, ULB web portal, state and ULB dashboards, mobile application, payroll and

financial accounting.

ii. eGovernments foundation (co-founded by Nandan Nilekani) is engaged in transforming urban




governance by enabling efficient and effective municipal operations and contact-less urban service

delivery, with the use of scalable and replicable technology solutions.

Telangana government MoU with Safran Electrical and Power SAS

On 10th March 2018, the Telangana government signed a MoU with Safran Electrical and

Power SAS for establishing an aerospace unit in Telangana.

Philippe Petitcolin, CEO, Safran and Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary (industries) of Telangana

government inked the MoU at an event in Delhi.The cost for this will be Rs 52 crore.

Health Ministry and WHO sign an Agreement for enhanced cooperation in health sector

On March 13, 2018, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and World Health Organization

(WHO) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for enhanced cooperation in health sector.

i. The agreement was signed by Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary (International Health) and Dr.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director General of WHO in New Delhi.

Odisha govt signs MoU with Tata Trusts

On March 13, 2018, Odisha State government and Tata Trusts signed a memorandum of

understanding (MoU) for implementing the state’s decision on land rights settlement for

slum dwellers in urban areas.

i. The MoU was signed in presence of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who directed all district

collectors and concerned government officials to accord top priority to this work.

ii. As per the terms of the MoU, Tata Trusts will provide technical support to Odisha State

Government in implementing this decision.

Indian Army inks MoUs with HPCL, NIEDO

With an objective to secure a better future for the Kashmiri youth, Indian Army under the aegis of

Chinar Corps has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with Hindustan Petroleum

Corporation Limited (HPCL) and National Integrity and Educational Development

Organisation (NIEDO).

i. As per the terms of the MoU, Kanpur-based educational trust National Integrity and

Educational Development Organisation (NIEDO) will provide quality faculty for

professional coaching of Kashmir Youth, while HPCL will be the corporate partner for this

project.

ii. Coaching for first batch will commence from June 1, 2018.





Four MoUs signed under aegis of DoNER for promotion of tourism in the North-East

On March 19, 2018, four memorandum of understanding (MoUs) were signed in New Delhi under

the aegis of the Ministry of Development of North East Region (DoNER) for promotion of

tourism in the North-East India.

i. The MoUs were signed between various entities in North East India and Airbnb, one of the

world’s leading community-driven hospitality companies which is aimed at creating

hospitality micro-entrepreneurs across key destinations in the North East of India.

ii. Activities carried out under these MoUs are a step towards achieving the aim of creating more

sustainable accommodation options to enhance the hospitality service standards in North

East Region and thereby doubling tourist growth rate in the next three years.

iii. The MoUs were signed on behalf of North East Tourism Development Council (NETDC) and North

Eastern Council (NEC)and two key livelihood initiatives, North Eastern Region Community Resource

Management Project (NERCORMP) and North East Rural Livelihood Project (NERLP).

iv. Another MoU for leveraging of community resources and appropriate local resources based

technology for development was also signed between NERCORMP and HESCO (Himalayan

Environmental Studies and Conservation Organization).

India and EU sign an agreement on sharing earth observation data from each other's

satellites

On 19th March 2018, India's Department of Space and the European Commission signed an

agreement that will enable them to share earth observation data from each other's satellite.

i. The agreement was signed by Philippe Brunet, director for Space Policy, Copernicus and

Defence, on behalf of European Commission and by PG Diwakar, Scientific Secretary in the Indian

Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on behalf of the Department of Space.

ii. The agreement was signed in Bengaluru. The agreement aims to strengthen cooperation on

Earth observation and mutual access to data from sentinel series of satellites of EU (European

Union) and from the earth observation satellites of India

ICFRE Signs MoU With TIFAC for Supporting Forest Based Communities

On March 20, 2018, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE),

Dehradun and Technology Information, Forecasting & Assessment Council (TIFAC), New

Delhi signed an MoU for providing livelihood opportunities and augment income of the forest based

communities

i. ICFRE is an Autonomous Council under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate

Change while TIFAC is an Autonomous Council under Department of Science and Technology.

ii. As per the terms of the MoU, TIFAC shall help ICFRE to refine and up-scale the

technologies that have been developed and make it accessible to the end users including




farmers and other stakeholders.

NITI Aayog, Piramal Foundation ink agreement to improve health, education in

Aspirational Districts

NITI Aayog and Piramal Foundation have signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) to work closely with

the District Collectors and Key Government officials of 'Aspirational Districts' to support their

transformation in terms of education, healthcare and nutrition.

i. In context of this news, aspirational districts refer to selected 115 backward districts that

are lagging on specific development parameters.

ii. As per the terms of the SoI with Niti Aayog, Piramal Foundation will work in close

conjunction with the State Government, district administration, and concerned Central

ministries in improving the identified indicators in the health and nutrition and education

sectors.

MSDE - Ministry of Agriculture inks MoU for skill development training programs

Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and Union Ministry of

Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to

conduct skill development training programmes for agriculture and allied sector.

i. As per the terms of the MoU, skill development training programmes will be conducted on

a regular basis at Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVKs).

ii. The MoU will be instrumental in achieving government’s goal of developing agriculture as a

private enterprise so that it attracts more youth.

Madhya Pradesh inks MoU with Bharat Financial for animal healthcare plan

The Madhya Pradesh Animal Husbandry Department has inked a MoU with Bharat Financial

Inclusion Ltd (BFIL) to launch 'Pashu Dhan Sanjeevani - 1962', an animal healthcare programme.

i. The MoU was signed in the presence of Madhya Pradesh Animal Husbandry Minister Antar

Singh Arya and BFIL CEO and MD Geoff Woolley.

ii. The 'Pashu Dhan Sanjeevani - 1962' is claimed to be the first of its kind initiative by any state

government in India.They just have to dial the toll-free helpline number 1962.

iii.The service delivery process will be monitored through the 'Bharat

Sanjeevani' software and a mobile app

Odisha inks MoU with British Council for cooperation in several areas

On March 23, 2018, Odisha State Government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU)

within presence of Odisha Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik and British High Commissioner in

India, Dominic Asquith.

As per the terms of the MoU, British Council will support Odisha State governments "Mo




School" (My School) initiative by contributing to the development of English language skills for

learners and teachers.

ISA and India signs Host Country Agreement

On March 26, 2018, International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the Union Ministry of External Affairs

(MEA), signed the Host Country Agreement in New Delhi.

i. The agreement was signed by V.K. Singh, Minister of State, Ministry of External Affairs

and Upendra Tripathy, Interim Director General of ISA in presence of R K Singh, Union

Minister of State (IC) Power and New & Renewable Energy.

ii. The Agreement gives ISA a juridical personality and authorises it to contract, to

institute and defend legal proceedings and to acquire and dispose off movable and

immovable properties.

Historic agreement signed to protect the world's largest tropical peatland

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Republic of Congo and Indonesia have signed

Brazzaville Declaration that promotes better management and conservation of Cuvette

Centrale region in the Congo Basin, the world’s largest tropical peatlands.

i. Peatlands are wetlands that contain a mixture of partially decomposed organic material.

ii. The declaration was signed on the sidelines of the Third Partners Meeting of the Global

Peatlands Initiative, that was held in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, from 21st – 23rd March

2018.

iii. Thus it is of utmost importance to conserve these peatlands as the emissions stored could

be released in atmosphere if the they are degraded or drained.

GIFT and Deloitte sign MoU to promote IFSC operations

On March 26, 2018, Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT), India's first operational

smart city and International Financial Services Centre (IFSC)signed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP (DTTILLP) for mutual

cooperation in areas related to international financial services.

i. GIFT City, located near Gandhinagar in Gujarat is a global business district offering a

platform for business opportunities in international and domestic business operations

while DTTILLP is the Indian arm of multinational professional services network Deloitte.

ii. As per the terms of the MoU, GIFT-IFSC and DTTILLP will cooperate to provide quality

professional services to support the establishment of businesses in IFSC.

Quick facts about Deloitte:


♦ Headquarters – London, United Kingdom (UK)




AAI signs MoU with Assam govt to develop villages in Kamrup

On March 26, 2018, Airport Authority of India (AAI) signed a memorandum of understanding

(MoU) with Assam government for sustainable development of human settlements at

villages in Kamrup district.

i.Activities carried out under this MoU will be part of AAI’s Corporate Social Responsibilities

(CSR) initiative.As per the terms of this MoU, AAI would provide financial assistance of Rs

4.58 crore for Kamrup district.

ii. This amount has been decided as per the estimates prepared by the United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP) to improve the resilience of communities around Guwahati

Airport.

COMMITTEES & MEETING

26th GST Council meeting held in New Delhi

On 10th March 2018, the 26th meeting of the GST Council was held at Vigyan Bhawan,

New Delhi.

Recommendations on Data Analytics:

The GST council was informed that CBEC and GSTN have begun detailed data analytics on the

available data sets. Outcomes of the preliminary data analysis are:

• There is difference in the amount of IGST & Compensation Cess paid by importers at

Customs ports and input tax credit of the same claimed in GSTR-3B.

• There is great difference in self-declared liability in FORM GSTR-1 and FORM GSTR-3B.

Return filing System:

• The present system of filing of GSTR 3B and GSTR 1 is extended for 3 more months: April to

June, 2018 untill new return system is finalized.

Reverse charge mechanism:

• Liability to pay tax on reverse charge basis has been deferred till 30.06.2018.

TDS/TCS:

• The provisions for deduction of tax at source (TDS) under section 51 of the CGST Act and

collection of tax at source (TCS) under section 52 of the CGST Act will be suspended

till 30.06.2018.

Grievance Redressal Mechanism:

• GST implementation Committee (GIC) will work on redressing the grievances caused to the

taxpayers due to IT glitches.

e-Wallet scheme:

• It has been decided to extend the available tax exemptions on imported goods for 6 more

months beyond 31.03.2018. Exporters currently utilizing export promotion schemes can

•




continue to use such exemptions on their imports till 01.10.2018, by then an e-Wallet

scheme will be introduced to continue the benefits in future.

Recommendations regarding E-way Bill:

• The council recommended the introduction of e-way bill for inter-State movement of goods

all over India from 01st April 2018.

Major improvements over the last set of rules approved by the Council are:

• E-way bill is mandated to be generated only when consignment value is more than Rs.

50000/-. For smaller value consignments, e-way bill is not required.

• Railways has been exempted from generation and carrying of e-way bill with the condition

that without the production of e-way bill, railways will not deliver the goods to the recipient.

Railways are required to carry invoice or delivery challan etc.

• Time period for the recipient to communicate his acceptance or rejection of the consignment

will be for 72 hours, whichever is earlier.

About GST Council:

• Chairperson - Arun Jaitley

• GST Council Secretariat – New Delhi

1st Meeting of Working Group to make India USD 5 Trillion Economy held in New Delhi

1st meeting of the Working Group on making India, USD 5 Trillion Economy was held on March 15,

2018 in New Delhi.The meeting was chaired by Union Minister of Commerce and Industry,

Suresh PrabhuThe objective of Working Group is to chart out a timeline for achieving the goal of

making Indian economy a USD 5 trillion economy from the current USD 2.6 trillion economy.

Informal WTO Ministerial Meet held in New Delhi

Informal meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministers was held in New Delhi on

March 20, 2018.This meeting was called by India to explore options to reinvigorate the World

Trade Organisation (WTO), by engaging in free and frank discussions.

G-20 Ministers meeting held in Argentina

First G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors under Presidency of

Argentina was held on 19th and 20th March 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

i. The meeting was attended by 22 finance ministers, 17 Central Bank Governors and 10 heads of

international organizations, including International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director,

Christine Lagarde and Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, Achim Steiner.

ii. Discussions at the this two-day meeting revolved around infrastructure

development and the future of work in the digital arena.





iii. This was the first of five such meetings to be held before Argentina hosts the G20 Summit on

30th November and 1st December 2018.

Seventh India-Egypt Joint Commission meeting held in New Delhi

On 23rd March 2018, the 7th Session of India Egypt Joint Commission Meeting was held in New

Delhi.External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj & Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh

Shoukry lead the meeting

15th Meeting of India-US Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism held in New Delhi

On 27th March 2018, the 15th meeting of the India-US Counterterrorism Joint Working Group was

held in New Delhi.

i. The India delegation was led by Ministry of External Affairs Joint Secretary Mahaveer

Singhvi. US delegation was led by U.S. State Department’s Principal Deputy Coordinator

for Counterterrorism, Alina L. Romanowski.

ii.The next meeting of the Joint Working Group will be hosted by the United States in

2019.

SUMMITS & CONFERENCE 27th Technological Conference of IJIRA held in Kolkata

On February 28, 2018, Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani attended the 27th Technological

Conference of Indian Jute Industries' Research Association (IJIRA) on Shaping the Future of

Jute, in Kolkata, West Bengal.

i. While addressing the conference, Ms Irani praised (IJIRA) for developing low-cost jute-based

sanitary napkins.

ii. Jute based sanitary napkins have lesser chemical content. Moreover, the manufacturing of the

jute-based napkin can lead to the development of women entrepreneurs &can the entrepreneurs

benefit from the Mudra loan scheme of the government.

Fourth India-Europe 29 Business Forum held in New Delhi

Fourth India-Europe 29 Business Forum (IE29BF) was held in New Delhi on 5th and 6th March 2018.

i. IE29BF was created in 2014 by Union Ministry of External Affairs and Federation of

Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

ii. The forum serves as platform for promoting business exchanges between India and the twenty

nine countries of Central Europe region.

iii. Theme of IE29BF 2018 was ‘Synergising Economic Vision for Expanded Relations’ while

Czech Republic was the ‘Focus Country’.




PM inaugurates two-day National Legislators Conference

On March 10,2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates a two-day National Legislators

Conference at the Central Hall of Parliament House.

i. The theme of the conference is - "We For Development".

ii.The conference will be attended by Union Ministers, including Arun Jaitley, J P Nadda, Nirmala

Sitharaman, Suresh Prabhu, Narender Singh Tomar, Prakash Javadekar and Dharmendra Pradhan.

First International Solar Alliance (ISA) Summit – Overview

The first summit of International Solar Alliance (ISA) was held on March 11, 2018 in New Delhi.

Highlights of First ISA Summit:

The summit was co- hosted by Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and visiting French

President Emmanuel Macron.

• While addressing the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that India has set

a target to generate 175 GW of electricity from renewable energy sources by

2022. Out of 175 GW, 100 GW will be generated by harnessing solar energy.

• PM Modi also outlined a 10-point action plan to bring about a “worldwide solar

revolution”.

• The ‘Delhi Solar Agenda’ was also launched during the first ISA Summit. As per the

agenda, 62 member nations have committed that they will increase share of solar

power in their national energy mix to deal with climate change and provide energy to

underprivileged section of the society.

• PM Modi announced that India would give $1.4 billion in aid to 15 other developing

nations for executing 27 solar projects while French President Emmanuel Macron

pledged over $860 million for solar projects in developing countries. Headquarters

of ISA is located in Gurugram, Haryana, India.Countries at the ISA represent three-

fourths of the world population.

World Ocean Summit 2018 held in Mexico

On 7th to 9th March 2018, the 5th World Ocean Summit 2018 was held in Riviera Maya,

Mexico.It was hosted by the Economist Group.

i. Over 360 leaders from government, industry, multilateral organisations, scientific community and

civil society all over the world took part in the World Ocean Summit 2018.

ii. Problems related to the world's seas and solutions to protect ocean resources were discussed in

the summit.

About the Economist Group:

♦ Established – 1843

♦ Group chief executive - Chris Stibbs


https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/French-President



Delhi End TB Summit, PM Modi launches campaign to eradicate TB from India by 2025

On March 13, 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the ‘End TB Summit’ in New Delhi

and launched ‘Tuberculosis Free India Campaign’.

• It is to be noted that over 10 million people contract TB every year. TB was

responsible for 1.7 million deaths in 2016, despite most cases being curable.

• ‘Delhi End TB Summit’ is being co-hosted by Union Health Ministry, World Health

Organisation (WHO) South East Asia Regional Office and Stop TB Partnership.

• Delhi End TB Summit would set the stage for the September 2018 United Nations (UN)

High-Level Meeting on TB. At this meeting, for the first time, TB would be discussed in the

UN General Assembly at the Heads of State level.

While inaugurating the summit and launching the campaign, PM Modi also announced that Indian

Government has set an aim to eradicate tuberculosis (TB) from India by 2025.

First Regional Conference on Mass Rapid Transport Systems for Urban Areas held in

Kolkata

On 13th March 2018, the first regional conference on ‘Mass Rapid Transport System

(MRTS) for Urban Areas – Opportunities and Challenges’ was held in Kolkata.

i. Organisers: This conference was organized by Ministry of Finance, AIIB, ASSOCHAM and

Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS).

ii. Eight such regional conferences will be held prior to the third annual meeting of Asian

Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to be held in Mumbai from 22 June to 27 June 2018.

iii. Mr. Soon-sik Lee, Senior Transport Specialist at Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB),

said that, AIIB is increasing the loan amount to India from current US $ 1.7 billion to 2

billion.

Rising India Summit organized by Network 18 held in New Delhi

On 16th and 17th March 2018, the Rising India Summit organized by Network 18 is held in

New Delhi.

i. This is the first edition of News18 Rising India Summit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered

keynote address at the summit.

ii. Paul Krugman, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, is the guest of honour. The summit focuses on

strategic affairs, sports, entertainment and defence.

About Network 18:

♦ President - Avinash Kaul

♦ Corporate Office – Noida, Uttar Pradesh

First National Conference on Drug Law Enforcement held in New Delhi

Minister of State for Home Affairs, Hansraj Gangaram Ahir inaugurated the first National

Conference on Drug Law Enforcement in New Delhi on March 23, 2018.It is organised by




the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), under Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

More than 110 delegates from nearly 50 State and Central law enforcement agencies involved in

combating drug trafficking viz. State Police forces, State Excise departments, Central Armed Police

Forces (CAPF), Border Guarding Forces, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Central Bureau

of Investigation (CBI) and Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN) will be participating in this two-day

conference.

5th India Maize Summit held in New Delhi

On 23rd March 2018, the 5th India Maize Summit was held in Federation of Indian Chambers of

Commerce and Industry (FICCI), New Delhi.

i. The India Maize Summit 2018 was organized by Federation of Indian Chambers of

Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The India Maize Summit has been conducted since 2013.

ii. The India Maize Summit aims to provide a common platform to all stakeholders to highlight the

opportunities in maize and discuss on actions that are required to improve the market.

National Conference on Down Syndrome’ held in New Delhi

A ‘National Conference on Down Syndrome’ was held in New Delhi on March 26, 2018. This

conference was organised by the National Trust under Union Ministry of Social Justice and

Empowerment.

i. The conference was inaugurated by Dr. Kamlesh Kumar Pandey, the Chairman of National

Trust.

ii. Objective of this conference was to seek commitments of various stakeholders and increase

awareness about Down Syndrome. Besides, it served as an opportunity for parents of individuals

having Down syndrome, to obtain information about latest development in education and skilling

and inclusive living of persons with Down Syndrome.

iii. A book entitled “Twilights Children” based on the lives of person suffering from Down

Syndrome was released during the course of the conference.

11th Rashtriya Rifles Biennial Conference 2018 held in Jammu and Kashmir

On 26th and 27th March 2018, the 11th Rashtriya Rifles Biennial Conference 2018 was

held in Nagrota, Jammu and Kashmir.was chaired by Chief of the Army Staff General Bipin

Rawat.

About Rashtriya Rifles:

♦ A branch of the Indian Army under the authority of the Indian Ministry of Defence

♦ currently deployed in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.




INDEXES RANKINGS

Details about Global Firepower List 2017:

In terms of military prowess, India has ranked 4th out of 133 countries on the Global

Firepower (GFP) list 2017.

Ranking in Global Firepower List is based on Country’s Power Index Score, which is arrived at by

assessing the countries on 50 parameters.

• Available manpower is the most important parameter and thus countries with large

population tend to rank higher.

• Geographical factors, natural resources, logistical efficiency and local industry also affect the

final ranking.

• When compared with Pakistan (13th Rank), India is superior on all parameters

except the number of attack helicopters, self-propelled artillery and waterway

coverage.

Global Firepower List 2017:

1 United States 6 United Kingdom 2 Russia 7 Japan 3 China 8 Turkey 4 India 9 Germany 5 France 10 Egypt

Mumbai ranks 16th most expensive city in the world

Mumbai has ranked 16th in the top 20 costliest cities in the world list, as per the Knight Frank

Wealth Report 2018.

i. Monaco has secured the first position,Hong Kong in the second position.

ii. Third place is occupied by New York City and fourth place is bagged by London.

About Knight Frank:

♦ Headquarters – London

♦ Established - 1896

India ranks 52 in Mastercard women entrepreneurs index

India ranks 52 on the Mastercard Index for Women Entrepreneurs (MIWE).

i. The report focuses on female entrepreneurs’ ability to “capitalize the opportunities granted

through various supporting conditions within their local environment”.





ii. New Zealand is at the top of the list, with Sweden, Canada, US, Singapore, making the top five

in the index. The index was based on 12 indicators and 25 sub-indicators representing 78.6.

Andhra Pradesh stands at 51st position in Global Multidimensional Poverty Index

As per a recent household survey conducted in Andhra Pradesh, the state attained a rank

equivalent to 51st rank globally on Multidimensional Poverty Index.

i.On the global Multidimensional Poverty Index, India ranked at 66th position with an index

value of 0.1911.

ii. Andhra Pradesh can be placed at 51st position. Among districts of Andhra Pradesh, East

Godavari has topped with index value of 0.0468 and Vizianagaram is at the bottom with a

value of 0.1271. It is the most widely accepted global measure of multidimensional

poverty.

India ranks 78th on WEF Energy Transition Index, topped by Sweden

India has ranked 78th among 114 countries on the World Economic Forum's (WEF’s) Energy

Transition Index.

• The index is a part of first edition of ‘Fostering Effective Energy Transition report’,

prepared by World Economic Forum (WEF) with analytical support from McKinsey &

Company.

• Among emerging markets, Brazil ranked 38th, Russia at 70th and China stood at 76th spot.

• The list has been topped by Sweden, followed by Norway and Switzerland at 2nd and 3rd

rank respectively.

Energy Transition Index – Top 10:

1 Sweden 6 Netherlands 2 Norway 7 UK 3 Switzerland 8 Austria 4 Finland 9 France 5 Denmark 10 Iceland

Singapore is world’s most expensive city: Worldwide Cost of Living 2018

Singapore is the most expensive city in the world as per Worldwide Cost of Living 2018 report

by Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

10 Most Expensive Cities in the World 10 Cheapest Cities in the World Rank City Rank City 1 Singapore 133 Damascus, Syria 2 Paris, France 132 Caracas, Venezuela 3 Zurich, Switzerland 131 Almaty, Kazakhstan 4 Hong Kong 130 Lagos, Nigeria 5 Oslo, Norway 129 Bengaluru, India





6 Geneva, Switzerland 127 Karachi, Pakistan 7 Seoul, South Korea 127 Algiers, Algeria 8 Copenhagen, Denmark 126 Chennai, India 9 Tel Aviv, Israel 124 Bucharest, Romania 10 Sydney, Australia 124 New Delhi, India

New Delhi ranked 22nd globally as top destination for 2018 – in the TripAdvisor’s top 25

travellers choice of destinations list for 2018

i. New Delhi stands 22nd in TripAdvisor’s top 25 travellers choice of destinations list for 2018.

ii. Paris secured 1st rank in the global list of Travellers Choice awards for Destinations. It is

followed by London (UK), Rome (Italy), Bali (Indonesia), Crete (Greece).

iii. In the Asia list, the following Indian cities have secured a place:

New Delhi – 8thposition, Goa – 9thposition and Jaipur - 16th position

iv. The Asia list is topped by Bali in Indonesia. It is followed by Phuket in Thailand, Hanoi

(Vietnam), Siem Reap (Siem Reap Province), Tokyo (Japan), Kathmandu (Nepal) and Hong Kong.

'World's best airport' title goes to Changi, Mumbai ranked 63rd

Singapore Changi Airport has been rated as world's best airport for the sixth consecutive

year by UK-based consultancy firm Skytrax.

i. In 2017, Changi Airport served 60 million passengers from almost 100 countries across

the world.

ii. Major attractions at Changi airport include a rooftop swimming pool, two 24-hour movie theatres

screening the latest blockbusters for free and a sunflower garden that features several varieties of

sunflowers grown in the airport's on site nursery.

iii. Changi Airport is followed by Incheon International Airport in South Korea at No.2 and

Haneda Airport in Japan at No.3.

iv. Among Indian Airports, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai ranked 63rd,

while Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru and Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi

ranked 64th and 66th respectively.

Bengal ranks top in highest no of beggars, Lakshadweep least

As per Census 2011 data, India is home to 413670 beggars. Among all state and Union

Territories, highest number of beggars resides in West Bengal (nearly 81000 beggars), while

Lakshadweep has only two beggars.

i. Out of total 413670 beggars in India, 221673 are males and 191997 are females.

ii. In terms of highest number of beggars, West Bengal is followed by Uttar Pradesh (65835

beggars) and Andhra Pradesh (30218 beggars).

iii. Among Union Territories, New Delhi has highest number of beggars (2187).




India pips Germany, ranks 4th largest auto market Globally

i. During 2017, Automobile sales (including passenger and commercial vehicles) in India

touched 4 million units, outpacing Germany’s 3.81 million vehicle sales.

ii. In terms of year-on-year growth, Automobile Sales in India during 2017 grew 9.5% while in

Germany it grew by 2.8%.

Top 5 Auto Markets – 2017:

Country Units Sold (in millions) China 29.12 US 17.58 Japan 5.24 India 4.02 Germany 3.81

India ranks 67th in fixed line, 109th in mobile broadband speed: Ookla

According to internet speed testing analysis firm Ookla, India ranked 67th for fixed broadband and

109th for mobile internet speeds in February 2018 on Speedtest Global Index.

Fixed Broadband Speed – Top 5 Mobile Internet Download Speed Top 5

Country Download Speed Country Download Speed Singapore 161.53 Mbps Norway 62.07 Mbps Iceland 157.73 Mbps Iceland 58.44 Mbps Hong Kong 129.64 Mbps Netherlands 54.53 Mbps South Korea 117.49 Mbps Singapore 51.92 Mbps Romania 105.74 Mbps UAE 51.72 Mbps

REPORTS

Bengal tops in rural job scheme, T.N. is second

According to data provided by the Minister of State for Rural Development, Ram Kripal

Yadav in Rajya Sabha, West Bengal is the best performing State in terms of allotting jobs and

utilising funds under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act

(MGNREGA).

i.For 2017-18, West Bengal has so far spent more than Rs. 7335.31 crore and has generated more

than 28.21 crore work days under MGNREGA.

ii. West Bengal is followed by Tamil Nadu (TN) which has spent Rs. 5981.75 crore and has

generated 22.17 crore work days during 2017-18, so far.

iii. Goa ranked at the bottom, with spending Rs. 2.47 crore and generating just 94000 work days

under the scheme.

Chennai tops in fixed broadband speed in India: Ookla report

According to a study titled ‘India’s digital divide: how broadband speed splits the nation’ by




Ookla, Chennai has the highest fixed broadband download speed among 20 largest cities of India.

Broadband Speed in India:

In context of this news, it is important to note that for February 2018, with fixed broadband

average download speed at 20.72 Mbps, India ranked 67th in the world on Speedtest Global

Index.

With fixed broadband average download speed at 32.67 Megabits per second (Mbps)

Chennai has topped the list and has clocked 57.7% faster download speed than the average for

the rest of the country.

Highest Average Download Speed – Top 5 Cities

Chennai 32.67 Mbps Bengaluru 31.09 Mbps Hyderabad 28.93 Mbps Visakhapatnam 26.59 Mbps Delhi 23.57 Mbps

Pune tops Quality of Governance Survey

As per fifth edition of the Annual Survey of India’s City-Systems (ASICS) by Janaagraha

Centre for Citizenship and Democracy, Pune is the top city to show improvement in quality of

governance in 2017.

About Annual Survey of India’s City-Systems (ASICS):

The survey was administered in 23 major cities across 20 Indian states and contained 89 questions.

• ASICS measures the preparedness of city administration to deliver high quality standards,

political leadership at the city level, municipal finance & staffing, and transparency & citizen

participation.

• The 89 questions in the survey were placed under four broad categories viz. urban

planning & design, transparency – accountability – participation, urban capacities

& resources and empowered & legitimate political representation.

• Response to the questions was registered on a scale of 0-10.

Top 5 cities in terms of Quality of Governance:

1 Pune 2 Kolkata 3 Thiruvananthapuram 4 Bhubaneswar 5 Surat

World Happiness Report 2018: India Ranks 133rd, Finland tops the list

India has ranked 133rd out of 156 countries in the World Happiness Report 2018.

About World Happiness Report:

World Happiness report is an annual report published by the U.N. Sustainable Development

Solutions Network.




• It was first published in 2012.The World Happiness Report 2018 ranks 156 countries by their

happiness levels and 117 countries by the happiness of their immigrants.

• Variables on which average happiness across countries has been derived are – GDP Per

Capita, Social Support, Healthy Life Expectancy at birth, Freedom to make life

choices, Generosity and Perceptions of corruption.

• Among India’s neighbouring countries, Pakistan has ranked 75th while China has ranked 86th.

• India ranked lower than most of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

(SAARC) countries, except Afghanistan that stood at 145.

• United States fell to 18th place from 14th last year.

• Burundi is at the bottom of the World Happiness Report rankings.

World Happiness Index 2018 – Top 10 Countries:

1 Finland 6 Netherlands 2 Norway 7 Canada 3 Denmark 8 New Zealand 4 Iceland 9 Sweden 5 Switzerland 10 Australia

Vienna is world's most liveable city: Quality of Living Survey by Mercer

As per 20th annual Quality of Living survey by Mercer, Austrian capital Vienna has been

named the world’s best city to live in for the ninth consecutive year.

Mercer’s annual Quality of Living survey assesses living conditions in 231 cities of the world

on 39 factors, grouped under 10 broad categories.

• The 10 categories are: Political and social environment, Economic environment, Socio-

cultural environment, Medical and health considerations, Schools and education, Public

services and transportation, Recreation, availability of Consumer goods, Housing and Natural

Environment.

Most Liveable Cities – Top 10:

BUSINESS Avaada Power inks pact to develop 500 MW solar capacities in Andhra Pradesh

On 28th February 2018, Avaada Power Pvt Ltd, stated that, it will invest Rs 3,500 crore to

establish 500 MW solar projects in Andhra Pradesh. An agreement regarding this was signed

at the 'CII Partnership Summit 2018' in Vishakhapatnam.

i. Avaada Power said that, the utility-scale solar projects will produce clean energy sufficient to

1 Vienna, Austria 6 Dusseldorf, Germany 2 Zurich, Switzerland 7 Frankfurt, Germany 3 Auckland, New Zealand 8 Geneva, Switzerland 4 Munich, Germany 9 Copenhagen, Denmark 5 Vancouver, Canada 10 Basel, Switzerland 10 Sydney, Australia




sustainably power more than 2.4 million houses in Andhra Pradesh.

ii. This investment by Avaada Power would create over 1,200 job opportunities. Andhra Pradesh

has a planned to achieve a goal of 18 GW of renewable energy capacities by 2021-22.

About Avaada Group:

♦ Chairman - Vineet Mittal

♦ Vice Chairperson - Sindoor Mittal

Tata-Boeing joint venture established aerospace facility in Hyderabad

On 1st March 2018, Tata Boeing Aerospace Ltd (TBAL) inaugurated facility to manufacture

fuselages for the AH-64 Apache helicopter in Hyderabad.It is a joint venture of Boeing Co.

and Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL).

i This facility will be the only global producer of fuselages for AH-64 Apache helicopter delivered by

Boeing.

ii. Secondary structures and vertical spar boxes for AH-64 Apache helicopter will also be produced

in this facility. The first fuselage would be delivered in 2018.

iii. The facility was inaugurated by Union Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman and

Telangana minister for Industries and IT, KT Rama Rao.

About Boeing:

♦ Chairman, President and CEO of the Boeing Company - Dennis A. Muilenburg

♦ President of Boeing India - Pratyush Kumar

Government raises import tax on crude, refined palm oil

i. Import tax on crude palm oil has been raised to 44 percent from 30 percent while for

refined palm oil, it has been raised to 54 percent from 40 percent

ii. Higher import tax would lift oilseed prices, which would encourage domestic supply for crushing

It would also limit the edible oil imports in the 2017/18 marketing year, that started from

November 1, 2017.

iii. India is the world's biggest importer of edible oils. India relies on imports for 70 percent

of its edible oil consumption.

CBDT achieves important milestone of signing 200 APAs

During the month of February 2018, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) entered into seven

more Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs), taking the total number of APAs to 203 so far.

i. All seven APAs signed in February 2018 are unilateral APAs and pertain to automobile,

pharmaceuticals, Financial and Food & Beverages sectors.

ii. APA provisions were introduced in the Income-tax Act, 1961 in 2012. Objective of APA





scheme is to provide certainty to taxpayers in the domain of transfer pricing by

specifying the methods of pricing and thereby reducing litigation.

Unilateral Bilateral Total

185 18 203

444 7 51(2017-2018)

Microsoft inks renewable energy deal for Bengaluru facility

On March 6, 2018, Microsoft announced that it has inked its first renewable energy deal in India for

powering its new facility in Bengaluru.

i. As per the terms of the agreement, Microsoft will purchase 3 megawatts of solar-powered

electricity from Atria Power for its new office building in Bengaluru which will fulfill 80 % of

the projected electricity needs at this building.

ii. Microsoft has set a target that at least 50 % of its energy usage worldwide should come

from wind, solar and hydropower electricity by the end of 2018.

Quick Facts about Microsoft:


♦ Headquarters – Washington, US

♦ Current CEO – Satya Nadella.

OVL signs pact for developing Susangerd oilfield in Iran

ONGC Videsh Ltd. (OVL), an overseas subsidiary of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation has

signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IDRO Oil (a subsidiary of state-run

Iranian Development and Renovation Organisation), in developing Susangerd field in Iran.

As per the terms of the MoU, OVL and IDRO Oil will jointly bid for a USD 1 billion contract

for development of Susangerd oilfield in southern Iran.

India starts importing LNG from US for the first time

With the first shipment of Liquefied natural gas (LNG) getting loaded on-board GAIL's first

chartered LNG ship 'Meridian Spirit' on March 6, 2018, India has started importing natural gas from

US under a 20-year deal.

i. Indian government-owned Gas Authority of India Ltd. (GAIL) has contracted 3.5 million

tonnes per annum of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Cheniere Energy's Sabine Pass

liquefaction facility in Louisiana, US.

ii. GAIL’s first shipment of LNG will be discharged at its Dabhol terminal (in Maharashtra) on or

around March 28, 2018.

iii. It is to be noted that in October 2017, India imported its first shipment of crude oil from the

US. In 1975, a ban was placed on oil exports from US. This ban was lifted in 2015 by Obama




administration.

India-China trade hits a record $84.4 billion

India-China bilateral trade has reached $84.44 billion in 2017, in spite of bilateral tensions

like the Doklam issue.

i. Generally, the India-China bilateral trade is dominated by Chinese exports. In 2017, it witnessed

around 40% increase of Indian exports to China amounting to $16.34 billion, according to the data

of Chinese General Administration of Customs.

ii. In 2017, India-China bilateral trade increased by 18.63% compared to the previous year and

reached $84.44 billion. The volume of bilateral trade reached $80 billion for the first time.

Airbus signs up Indian start-ups in new push for 'Make in India'

On 8th March 2018, Neewee and EFLIGHT, two start-ups accelerated at Airbus Bizlab India,

inked their first contracts with Airbus and subsidiary NAVBLUE to implement their unique

innovative ideas in aerospace.

i.Neewee has come up with a solution called procuSense. This will improve certainty to

manufacturing, supply chain and procurement operations at Airbus.

ii. EFLIGHT has developed a trip support solution that provides a set of services that enables

business jet pilots to optimise plans for fuel, time, route and weather.

iii. These initiatives are in line with the government's 'Make in India' and 'Startup India' initiatives.

About Airbus BizLab:

♦ Head of Airbus BizLab - Bruno Gutierres

♦ Airbus BizLab Leader (India) - Siddharth Balachandran

CCI fines Jet Airways, SpiceJet and IndiGo for unfair business practices

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has imposed a total fine of nearly Rs 540

million on Jet Airways, SpiceJet and IndiGo for unfair business practices related to fixing fuel

surcharge on cargo transport.

i .Jet Airways was levied a fine of Rs 398.1 million, IndiGo was given a penalty of Rs 94.5

million and SpiceJet was fined for Rs 51 million.

ii .CCI has imposed penalty at 3 % of the average relevant turnover of the airlines in the

last three financial years.

TCS ranked as the fastest growing IT services brand in 2018

According to an assessment done by leading brand valuation firm, Brand Finance, Tata

Consultancy Services was named as the fastest growing IT services brand in the world.

As per the Brand Finance IT Services 15 annual report for 2018, TCS now has a total brand value of

USD 10.391 billion; a growth of 14.4 percent from last year's total of USD 9.081 billion, with an

increase of USD 1.309 billion.




About Tata Consultancy Services

♦ Founded -1968; 50 years ago

♦ Founder - J. R. D. Tata , F.C. Kohli

♦ Headquarters - Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.

SpiceJet flight from Kolkata becomes the first passenger plane to land in Sikkim

On 10th March 2018, Spicejet Q400 Bombardier, a SpiceJet commercial flight from Kolkata

made a successful landing at the Pakyong Airport in Sikkim for the first time.Pakyong

Airport is 32 km away from Gangtok, which is the capital of Sikkim. This advancement is expected

to boost tourism activities in Sikkim.

About SpiceJet:

♦ Chairman & MD - Mr. Ajay Singh.

♦ Headquarters - Gurgaon, Haryana.

Nasscom, FB, WeWork unveil design studio in Bengaluru

On 12th March 2018, Nasscom along with Facebook and WeWork launched Design4India

Studio in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

i. Design4India Studio is a dedicated design studio for web, mobile, augmented reality and virtual

reality platforms for start-ups and designers.

ii. It aims to eliminate the gap between design and technology by providing spaces for start-ups

and designers to explore, innovate and build together.

About Nasscom:

♦ President - R Chandrashekhar.

♦ Headquarters - New Delhi.

Suzlon commissions India's largest wind turbine generator

On 13th March 2018, Suzlon Energy announced the installation and commissioning of

S128, claimed to be the largest wind turbine generator (WTG) in India.

i. The first prototype of S128 has been commissioned at Sanganeri, in Tamil Nadu. It is

under testing. It is expected to be certified in 2018.

ii. The S128 WTG is available in 2.6 MW to 2.8 MW variants.

About Suzlon Group:

♦ Group CEO - J P Chalasani.

♦ Headquarters – Pune, Maharashtra.

India attracts USD 209 billion FDI during April 2014 to December 2017

On 13th March 2018, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry C R Chaudhary said that, a total

FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) of USD 208.99 billion has been received from April 2014




to December 2017.The sectors that have received maximum foreign investment are services,

computer software and hardware, telecommunications, construction, trading, automobile, etc.

Retail inflation dips to 4.4% in February; Industrial Production grows 7.5% in January

Retail inflation has dipped to 4.44% in February from 5.07% in January 2018, as per

data released by Central Statistics Office on 12th March 2018.

i. As per the data released, inflation in vegetables was 17.57 % against 26.97 %, for fruits it was

4.80 % against 6.24 %.

ii. Inflation for fuel and light category was at 6.80 % in February against 7.73 % in January 2018.

iii. Inflation for transport and communication services was at 2.39 % against 1.97 %.

iv. Industrial Production increased by 7.5 % in January 2018 compared to 3.5 % in

January 2017. This growth is due to improvement in manufacturing sector.

v. The manufacturing sector contributes 77.63% to the Index of Industrial Production (IIP). It

improved by 8.7 % in January 2018 compared to 2.5 % in January 2017.

Boeing inks new pact with TAL to make beams for B 787-9/10 Dreamliners

On 14th March 2018, Boeing and TAL Manufacturing Solutions (TAL) signed a new contract

to manufacture advanced composite floor beams for Boeing's 787-9/10 Dreamliners at

TAL’s facility in Nagpur.

Boeing India president Pratyush Kumar said that, Boeing provides advanced technology

support for this project with TAL.

Russia remains biggest arms supplier to India

Russia continues to be the largest arms supplier to India as per report produced by

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

i. Russia remains India's biggest arms seller so far. But its share of total imports has decreased.

The report was made by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

ii. Second biggest supplier is United States. It provides 15 per cent of India’s weapon imports.

iii. Third biggest supplier is Israel amounting to 11 per cent of India's imports during the 2013-17

calendar years.

iv. Fourth biggest supplier is France contributing to 4.6 per cent of India's imports in the last five

years.

Anti-dumping duty imposed on Ofloxacin import from China

Ofloxacin is a pharmaceutical product, used in treatment of certain infections. Aarti

Drugs, a pharmaceutical company had approached Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and





Allied Duties (DGAD) for initiation of anti-dumping investigation and imposition of the duty on

Ofloxacin exported to India from China.Anti-dumpping duty on import of 'Ofloxacin' from China will

be in the range of USD 2.58 to USD 9.48 per kg for three years.

Government scraps export duty on sugar to boost exports

In a bid to boost overseas sales in a surplus year of production, India Government has scrapped

the 20 per cent sugar export duty.In the 2017-18 season ending on September 30, 2018,

sugar production in India is likely to touch a record 29.5 million tonnes. This marks a 45

per cent increment over previous year, and is the main reason behind local sugar prices coming

down by more than 15 per cent in the past six months.

IRCTC ties up with Ola Cabs for booking cab on its website and app

On 19th March 2018, IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) announced its

partnership with Ola Cabs, in order to provide a book taxi option in its app and website.

i. This partnership between IRCTC and Ola Cabs is a six month pilot project. This will offer Ola

Cabs booking services to customers in the IRCTC Rail Connect App and on its website.

ii. All facilities provided by Ola Cabs will be offered on the IRCTC Rail Connect App and website for

the same price as it is offered directly by Ola.

About Ola:

♦ Co-Founder and CEO - Bhavish Aggarwal

♦ Headquarters - Bengaluru, Karnataka

India signs Double Taxation Avoidance pact with Hong Kong

On March 19, 2018, India and Hong Kong signed Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation

and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion.

i. This pact is in accordance with Section 90 of the Income Tax Act, 1961 which authorises

Indian Government to enter into an Agreement with a foreign country or specified territory for

avoidance of double taxation of income.

ii. The pact will not only prevent double taxation but will also provide for exchange of information

between the two countries

iii. This pact will give protection against double taxation to over 1500 Indian companies

and businesses operating in Hong Kong as well as to Hong Kong-based companies operating in

India.

India hands over 18 high-end diesel locos to Myanmar

On March 19, 2018, India handed over the 18th diesel-electric locomotive to Myanmar and thereby

completed the first project under the current Indian line of credit (LoC) to Myanmar.

i. All 18, AC-DC 1350 HP diesel-electric locomotives are fitted with the microprocessor control

based system and can attain a maximum speed of 100 KM PH.




ii. These locomotives have been customised for the Myanmar Railways and have been built by

Diesel Locomotive Works, Varanasi.

Indian Oil Corp starts doorstep delivery of diesel on a pilot basis in Pune

On March 21, 2018, government-owned Indian Oil Corp (IOC) started doorstep delivery of diesel on

a pilot basis in Pune and has thus became first company in India to provide such service

after receiving clearance from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO).

i. IOC has started this service in Pune through a diesel dispenser mounted on a midsized truck

along with a storage tank.

ii. Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) and Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) are the other two

refiner that have got PESO approval for a trial run of doorstep diesel delivery.

iii. PESO approval is mandatory for doorstep delivery of fuel as petrol and diesel are

highly inflammable fuels and require adequate safety precautions

US slaps anti-dumping duty on Chinese, Indian steel flanges

Donald Trump Administration in US has decided to impose anti-dumping duty on the stainless steel

flanges imported from China and India.

The anti-dumping duty has been imposed based on a probe by US Department of

Commerce, through which, it was found that exporters from India and China received

subsidies on these products and were thereby able to sell it in US market much below the

fair value.

ISRO–BHEL Tie up for the Production of Space Grade Lithium-Ion Cells

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited

(BHEL) have entered into a Technology Transfer Agreement (TTA) for production of space grade

Lithium-Ion cells.The cells have high energy density, reliability and long cycle life and are

thereby used by ISRO as power sources for satellite and launch vehicle applications which

is developed by ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).

Telangana slashes VAT on aviation fuel by 15%

On March 23, 2018, Telangana Industries Minister KT Rama Rao announced a reduction

in Value Added Tax (VAT) on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) to 1 per cent from 16 per cent.

This decision is likely to boost air traffic at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport located

near Hyderabad which has completed 10 years of operations.

India gets 1st US LNG shipment at Dabhol

On March 30, 2018, India received its first shipment of Liquefied natural gas (LNG) from US

under a 20-year deal.Gas Authority of India Ltd. (GAIL) has contracted 3.5 million tonnes




per annum of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Cheniere Energy's Sabine Pass

liquefaction facility in Louisiana, US.

GAIL’s first shipment of LNG arrived at its Dabhol terminal (in Maharashtra) in a charter ship,

MV Meridian Spirit that commenced voyage from Louisiana, US, nearly 25 days ago.

RK Singh lays foundation stone of Naitwar Mori Hydro Electric Project in Uttarakhand

On March 30, 2018, Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, R K Singh and

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat laid the foundation stone of the 60 MW Naitwar

Mori Hydro Electric Project (NMHEP) in Uttarkashi.Naitwar Mori Hydro Electric Project (NMHEP), is

located on the river Tons – a tributary of the Yamuna in Uttarkashi district of

Uttarakhand.The entire project is scheduled to be completed by December, 2021.

NHP comprises two underground generating units of 30 MW each, which will add 265.5 Million

Units of renewable energy and would result in CO2 emissions reductions to the tune of

0.21 Million tons per year.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS Indian-American scientist Navin Vardarajan awarded grant for cancer research

i. Navin Vardarajan and Sanghyuk Chung of University of Houston, were granted funds by Cancer

Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).

ii. Navin Vardarajan is an associate professor of chemical and bimolecular engineering. He was

granted USD 1,173,420 to improve effectiveness of T-cell immunotherapy.

iii. Sanghyuk Chung is an associate professor of biology and biochemistry. He was provided with

USD 811,617 to define molecular targets for cervical cancer treatment.

Shatrughan Sinha wins lifetime achievement award in UK

Indian Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha has been honoured with a lifetime achievement award for

his contribution to the fields of arts and politics at the annual ‘Political and Public Life Awards’

presented by Britain’s Asian Voice weekly newspaper at the Members’ Dining Room in the

House of Commons building in UK’s Parliament complex.He has acted in over 225 films.

He is a member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He represents Bihar state’s Patna

Sahib Constituency in the Lok Sabha.

Gadchiroli book reading event sets new Guinness world record

On 3rd March 2018, Gadchiroli book reading event created a new Guinness world record

breaking the Guinness world record created in Turkey on 18th May 2017

90th Academy Awards ceremony, popularly referred to as Oscars 2018, honouring the




best films of 2017 was held in Los Angeles, California, United States.The ceremony

was hosted by comedian Jimmy Kimmel.

Oscars 2018 – Winners List

Categories Winner Best Picture The Shape of Water Best Director Guillermo del Toro – The Shape of Water Best Actor Gary Oldman – Darkest Hour Best Actress Frances McDormand – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing,

Missouri Best Supporting Actor Sam Rockwell – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Best Supporting Actress Allison Janney – I, Tonya BestOriginal Screenplay Get Out – Written by Jordan Peele Best Adapted Screenplay

Call Me by Your Name – James Ivory based on the novel by André Aciman

Best Animated Feature Film

Coco

Best Foreign Language Film

A Fantastic Woman (Chile) in Spanish

Best Live Action Short Film

The Silent Child

Best Animated Short Film

Dear Basketball

Best Original Score The Shape of Water – Alexandre Desplat Best Original Song "Remember Me" from Coco – Music and Lyrics by Kristen

Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez Best Sound Editing Dunkirk – Richard King and Alex Gibson Best Sound Mixing Dunkirk – Mark Weingarten, Gregg Landaker and Gary A.

Rizzo Best Production Design The Shape of Water – Production Design: Paul Denham

Austerberry; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau and Jeff Melvin Best Cinematography Blade Runner 2049 – Roger A. Deakins Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Darkest Hour – Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick

Best Costume Design Phantom Thread – Mark Bridges Best Film Editing Dunkirk – Lee Smith Best Visual Effects Blade Runner 2049 – John Nelson, Gerd Nefzer, Paul

Lambertand Richard R. Hoover Quick Facts about Oscars:

♦ Awarded for – To recognize excellence in cinematic achievements (in United States)

♦ Presented by – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)

♦ First Awarded in – 1929

♦ Frequency – Annual

♦ Creator of Oscar statuette – George Stanley.

Forbes India names 25 women as Trailblazers

Forbes India has released its "W-Power Trailblazers" issue, listing 25 women achievers

in business.

i. This list is not a ranking. It is a qualitative selection. It consists of ground breakers, game-

changers and innovators from various sectors like technology, law, banking, insurance, media,




biotech and startup.

ii.Some of the women featured in the list are:

1.Chiki Sarkar – publisher of Juggernaut Books

2.Adhuna Bhabani - founder-director of Bblunt

3.Anupriya Acharya - CEO (India) of Publicis Media

4.Kavitha Sairam - co-founder of FIB-SOL Life Technologies

5.Dina Wadia and Shivpriya Nanda - joint managing partners of J Sagar Associates

British Indian Harry Athwal wins 'Pride of Birmingham' award

Harry Athwal, an Indian-origin British man has been selected for 'Pride of Birmingham’ award

in UK.In 2017, during the Barcelona terror attack, he risked his life to help an injured young boy.

IGI Airport adjudged world best in ACI survey

As per a survey by Airports Council International (ACI), Delhi's Indira Gandhi International

(IGI) Airport has been rated as the world number one among airports handling more

than 40 million passengers per annum.

i.IGI Airport handled 63.5 million passengers in 2017. It has surpassed Singapore’s Changi Airport,

South Korea’s Incheon and Thiland’s Bangkok airports in terms of passenger growth.

ii. Currently, IGI Airport is the 7th busiest airport in Asia and among the top 20 busiest airport

across the world.

iii. Among other Indian Airports, Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport has

been ranked as the World’s Best Airport for customer experience.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos becomes first $100 billion Mogul on Forbes List

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has become the first person with $100 billion wealth in Forbes

magazine’s annual ranking of the world’s moguls 2018.

The estimated wealth of Jeff Bezos according to Forbes magazine is $112 billion

i. Vijay Shekhar Sharma, founder of Paytm, has secured 1,394th rank on the list with USD 1.7

billion wealth. He is youngest Indian billionaire on the list. He is 39 years old.

ii. Samprada Singh, chairman emeritus of Alkem Laboratories, is the oldest Indian billionaire on the

list. He is 92 years old with USD 1.2 billion wealth. He occupies 1,867th rank.

Architect Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi becomes the first Indian to win Pritzker Prize

Architect Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi has been named the 2018 winner of architecture's

highest honour - the Pritzker Prize. He is the first Indian and the 45th laureate to receive





the award. The award ceremony will take place at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto this May.

His designs include the IIM-Bangalore; Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology,

Ahmedabad; cultural spaces in Ahmedabad such as Tagore Memorial Hall, the Institute of Indology,

and Premabhai Hall; among many others.

Indian volunteer wins Commonwealth Point of Light award

On March 8,2017,Britain's Queen Elizabeth II recognised SrishtiBakshi from India as the 26th

Commonwealth Point of Lightin honour of her exceptional service to empowering women in

India.Srishti is the founder of the Cross Bow Milesmovement. She has overseen the creation of a

mobile app where people from across the world can upload steps collected from their phone

pedometers and join the campaigns 'Billion Steps For Women' drive.

India Won "Best Exhibitor Award" at ITB Berlin

On March 11, 2018, India won the "Best Exhibitor Award" at 2018 ITB – Berlin.

i. ITB Berlin (Internationale Tourismus-Borse Berlin) is the world's largest tourism trade fair

which takes place annually in March at the Messe Berlin, Germany.

ii. Minister of State (Independent charge) for Tourism Mr K. J. Alphons represented India

at 2018 ITB Berlin.India’s Ministry of Tourism presented a short film named "Yogi of the

Racetrack" at 2018 ITB Berlin.

Amol Palekar receives 'Godavari Gaurav' award

On March 10, 2018, renowned actor Amol Palekar was honoured with the ‘Godavari Gaurav’ award

at an event in Nashik, Maharashtra which has been instituted by Nashik-based ‘Kusumagraj

Prathishthan’.

i. Amol Palekar received the award from noted Marathi writer Madhu Mangesh Karnik, who is the

chairperson the Prathishthan.Classical singer Pandit Satyasheel Deshpande has also been

honoured with the ‘Godavari Gaurav’ award.

Dr Ketzia David Prakasam conferred Academy Award for Nobel Peace

Dr Ketzia David Prakasam has been presented the "Academy Award for Nobel Peace"

from the USA.

i. Dr Ketzia David Prakasam is a philanthropist, social worker and spiritual worker.

ii. She has become the first Indian woman to receive this award. The award was presented

on International Women’s Day (8 March 2018).

iii. She received the award from the founder Chairman of the Academy Award for Global Peace.

ICMR wins International Kochon Prize 2017 for TB research

On 13th March 2018, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) was awarded the International

Kochon Prize 2017 for promoting research and development (R&D) in tuberculosis treatment.




ICMR was presented a cash prize of $65,000 by the Kochon Foundation. Kochon Foundation is a

non-profit organisation based in Korea.Because of setting up of the India TB Research

Consortium to encourage R&D efforts in India.

India-UK Joint Team wins Newton-Bhabha Fund for Groundwater Arsenic Research

project

An India-UK Joint Team has won the Newton-Bhabha Fund for a project on Groundwater Arsenic

Research in Ganga River Basin.Purpose of the project to develop solutions to the water issues

faced in Arsenic-affected Ganga River Basin. Newton Bhabha Fund: it is provided by the

British Council. It aims to uitlise the joint efforts of UK and Indian scientific research sectors to

develop solutions for problems faced by India in economic development and social welfare.Prof

Abhijit Mukherjee will lead the project at IIT Kharagpur. He said that initially the project will

be conducted in 3 sites - Bijnor and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Nadia in West Bengal.

Ministry of Power awarded for successful implementation of e-Office

Union Ministry of Power has been awarded a Certificate of Appreciation for successfully

implementing e-Office system in the Ministry.

i. In a bid to bring in effective Governance and quality in public service delivery, e-Office System is

being implemented in all Government of India’s Ministries/Departments.

ii. e-office system is part of Government of India’s National e-Governance

Programme and is aimed at improving the operational efficiency of the Government.

Indian film ‘Halkaa’ bags award at Festival International du Film Pour Enfants de

Montreal Film (FIFEM)

Indian film "Halkaa" has won the ‘Grand Prix de Montreal’ award at the 21st Festival

International du Film Pour Enfants de Montreal Film (FIFEM).

i. "Halkaa" was directed by Nila Madhab Panda. Child actor Tathastu has acted as Pichku, the lead

role.

ii. "Halkaa" was selected among seven international children's films in the official competition of the

festival held from 8th to 11th March 2018.

Jackie Shroff-starrer 'Shunyata' wins award at Best of India Short Film fest in US

Actor Jackie Shroff’s short film “Shunyata” has won an award at Best of India Short Film

Festival in Los Angeles, US.

i. 'Shunyata' is short fiction film which runs for 22 minutes. It was directed by Chintan Sarda. It

was produced by Sarda and Sunil Khedekar.

ii. The award ceremony was held at Mack Sennett Studios on 3rd March 2018. It received a cash

prize of $1,000.




Veteran actress Simi Garewal wins UK Golden Flame Award

On 15th March 2018, Indian actress Simi Garewal received the "UK Golden Flame Award" at the

opening ceremony of the Tongues of Fire UK Asian Film Festival in London.

It is held in London, Leicester, Manchester and Edinburgh.

MDWS bags Award for best implementation of e-office

On 14th March 2018, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Personnel,

Public Grievances & Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh, awarded aCertificate of Appreciation to

Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MDWS) for implementation of e-office software.

i. Satyabrata Sahu, Joint Secretary and Mrs Seemantinee Sengupta, Senior Technical Director,

HOD, NIC-MDWS received the award at an event held at the Ministry of Personnel, Grievances and

Pension.

ii. e-Office is one of the projects under the Digital India programme. e-Office enables ‘paper-

less’ operations in offices.

Bhawana Kanth becomes second Indian Woman Fighter Pilot to go solo

On 16th March 2018, Bhawana Kanth became the second woman pilot of Indian Air Force

to fly solo in a fighter aircraft.

i. Flying Officer Bhawana Kanth flew in a MiG-21 Bison aircraft from Ambala Air Force Station on

16th March 2018.

ii. The first woman pilot of Indian Air Force to fly solo is Flying Officer Avani Chaturvedi.

Agri science centre in Chhattisgarh gets award for integrated farming model

Chhattisgarh’s Krishi Vigyan Kendra has been named the best such centre in India for its initiatives

like nutrition gardens and integrated farming techniques.

i. The Krishi Vigyan Kendra is located in Kanker district of Chhattisgarh. It is affiliated to the IGKV

(Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya). It has been named the best of the 650 agriculture science

centres in India.

ii. Dr S K Patil, vice chancellor of IGKV in Raipur, and Birbal Sahu, coordinator of Kanker Krishi

Vigyan Kendra, received the 'Pt Deendayal Upadhyay Krishi Vigyan Protsahan Award-

2017' from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 17th March 2018 in New Delhi.

iii. The award consists of a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh for infrastructure development and a citation

certificate.

About Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (IGKV):

♦ Vice chancellor – Dr S K Patil.

♦ Location – Raipur, Chhattisgarh.




Canadian Mathematician Robert Langlands Wins Abel Prize

On 20th March 2018, the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters said that, Canadian

mathematician Robert Langlands has been named the winner of the Abel Prize for 2018.

i.Robert Langlands will receive 6 million Norwegian kroner ($776,000) from Norway's

King Harald V at an award function to be held in Oslo on 22nd May 2018.

ii. He has worked in Princeton University and Yale University. At present he is a professor at the

Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, the United States.

About Abel prize:

♦ Awarded - annually

♦ Started - 2003

♦ Awarded in memory of - Norwegian mathematics genius Niels Henrik Abel.

DRDO bags 'Most Informative Pavilion' award at the ISC

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has bagged the "Most

Informative Pavilion" award in the Pride of India Expo, in Manipur which was a part of the

105th Indian Science Congress (ISC).

DRDO displayed cutting-edge indigenous defence technologies with more than 150 exhibits and

models from 18 of its laboratories and received a good response.

‘We Are Sikhs’ campaign wins top US award

‘We Are Sikhs’ campaign that was launched by National Sikh Campaign (NSC) in April 2018 in

America, has received the 2018 PRWeek US award, nicknamed the "Oscars of the Public Relations

Industry", in the category of Public Cause.

i. The campaign has bagged the award for projecting Sikhs as neighbours and everyday

Americans who suffer from discrimination due to ignorance of their faith. The award was presented

in New York recently.

ii. USD 1.3 million was raised by Sikhs and also some Hindus for the campaign. The ad campaign

was shortlisted among five finalists for the 'Best for a Cause' award.

G.K. Reddy Memorial National Award for 2017 presented to journalist Karan Thapar

On 22nd March 2018, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presented the G.K. Reddy

Memorial National Award for 2017 to Karan Thapar for journalism, at an event held in Teen Murti

Bhawan, New Delhi.

i. Karan Thapar is a senior journalist and television presenter. He has been awarded the G.K. Reddy

Memorial National Award for 2017 for his contribution to journalism.

ii. The function was organised by T Subbarami Reddy, the founder of G K Reddy Memorial Award

and TSR Foundation. He is also a Rajya Sabha member from Congress.




About Press Trust of India (PTI):

♦ Head Office - New Delhi

♦ Chairman - Mr Viveck Goenka

Bengaluru airport wins best award in regional category

On 21st March 2018, the Kempegowda International Airport was presented the Skytrax award for

being voted as the best regional airport in India and Central Asia by air travelers, at the World

Airport Awards at Stockholm in Sweden.

It is the third busiest airport in India. It has bagged this award for the second consecutive year and

also in 2015 and 2011.

About Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL):

♦ Owns and operates Kempegowda International Airport

♦ MD & CEO - Hari K Marar

Ahmedabad airport receives award for ‘Most Improved Airport’

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, Gujarat has received 'Most

Improved Airport' award in the Asia Pacific region, in Airport Service Quality awards 2017

organised by the Airport Council International (ACI).

i. ACI is a global non-profit organisation engaged in developing standards, policies and

recommended practices for airports.

ii. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad handles 200 flight

movements per day.

London based organisation SACF wins Frederick Pincott Award for 2017

London-based South Asian Cinema Foundation (SACF) has received the Frederick Pincott

Award for 2017 from the Indian High Commissioner, Y K Sinha for promoting Hindi cinema in

Britain for the last 18 years.

i. SACF has been active in boosting original research and books on Indian films, documentary

filmmaking and also inviting and honouring filmmakers from India.

ii.It was set up in London in January 2000 by Lalit Mohan Joshi, along with film critic Derek

Malcolm, film archivist P K Nair and social historian-researcher Kusum Pant Joshi.

Chhattisgarh bags 'Water Digest Award' for best water conservation and irrigation

facility

Chhattisgarh has won the National ‘Water Digest Award’ for Water Conservation-Diversion and





increasing the irrigation capacity in Chhattisgarh.

i. On 21st March 2018, Union Minister of State for Water Resources Arjun Ram

Megwal presented the award to Chhattisgarh Water Resources Department Secretary

Sonmoni Borah, in New Delhi.

ii. ‘Water Digest’ magazine gives away this award every year. Chhattisgarh was presented

this award for improving irrigation capacity, community participation, water management, water

diversion, water conservation, work on inter-linking of rivers, enhancement of irrigation facilities,

etc.

Anushka Sharma features in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2018 list

Bollywood actor-producer Anushka Sharma has featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2018 list,

which enlists innovators who are reshaping their industries and changing Asia for the better.

i. Anushka Sharma is one of the highest paid female actors of Indian film industry. She is 29 years

old.

ii. Indian badminton player PV Sindhu also appears in the list. Pakistani singer Momina

Mustehsan is also seen in the list.

President confers Gallantry Awards in Delhi

On March 27, 2018, President Ram Nath Kovind presented Gallantry Awards and distinguished

service decorations at the Defence Investiture Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.

i. President Kovind presented three Kirti Chakra, 17 Shaurya Chakra, 14 Param Vishisht Seva

Medals (PVSM), one Uttam Yudh Seva Medal (UYSM) and 22 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals

(AVSM).

ii. Kirti Chakra is the second highest peacetime gallantry award (After Ashok

Chakra), presented for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the field of battle.

iii. Kirti Chakra was presented to CRPF Commandant Chetan Cheetah and Major Vijayant Bist of the

4th Battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry. Major David Manlun of the 164 Infantry

Battalion of the Naga Regiment was honoured posthumously with the Kirti Chakra.

Two Indian activists shortlisted for Commonwealth Youth Awards 2018

Two Indian activists Mirnalini Dayal and Yogesh Kumar have been selected

i. Mirnalini Dayal and Yogesh Kumar have been selected from across 53 Commonwealth member-

countries.

ii. Mirnalini Dayal has been chosen for her work as a campaign leader for 'Health Over Stigma'.

iii. Yogesh Kumar has been shortlisted for establishing the social enterprise 'Even Cargo'.

PM Narendra Modi tops Indian Express list of most powerful Indians

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has retained the top spot on ‘IE 100 2018’, The List of




Most Powerful Indians:

PM Modi has retained the top spot as he has been the face of BJP in every election (Assembly, by-

poll or civic polls) contested since 2014.

IE 100 2018 – Top 5

1 Prime Minister Narendra Modi 2 BJP President Amit Shah 3 Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra 4 RSS Head, Mohan Bhagwat 5 UPA Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS R Subrahmanyam appointed as Higher Education Secretary

R Subramanyam has been appointed the new Secretary, Higher Education, in the Ministry of

Human Resource Development. He succeeds K K Sharma.

Some Other Newly Appointed Secretary are:

Department New Secretary New Secretary of Department of Personnel and Training in the Personnel ministry.

C Chandramouli

New Secretary of Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries.

Tarun Sridhar

Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs Surendra Nath Tripathi Director General of National Mission for Clean Ganga Rajiv Ranjan Mishra additional secretary and financial advisor at Ministry of Culture.

Bipin Bihari Mullick

Secretaty, Mines Department Anil Gopishankar Mukim

secretary (coordination) in Cabinet Secretariat Inder Jit Singh Chemicals and Petrochemicals secretary P Raghvendra Rao

About Ministry of Human Resource Development:

♦ Minister of Human Resource Development - Prakash Javadekar

♦ Minister of State (School Education & Literacy) - Upendra Kushwaha

♦ Minister of State (Higher Education) - Satyapal Singh

Vinay Kumar appointed as Ambassador of India to Afghanistan

Vinay Kumar has been named the next Ambassador of India to the Islamic Republic of

Afghanistan.

Vinay Kumar is an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Officer of the 1992 batch. He is at present Joint

Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs.

Luminous Power Technologies signs Virat Kohli as Brand Ambassador for Amaze

On 28th February 2018, Luminous Power Technologies announced Virat Kohli as the brand




ambassador for its new independent brand Amaze.

i.It would invest Rs 150 crore in the upcoming 3 to 5 years in Amaze to develop it.

ii. Amaze will produce totally different products compared to that of Luminous. Amaze will focus on

the unstructured battery market.

About Luminous Power Technologies:

♦ MD - Vipul Sabharwal

♦ Corporate Office - Haryana

Rangarajan Raghavan appointed director & managing director of HCL Infosystems

i. Rangarajan Raghavan is the president of HCL Infosystems Ltd. He has been appointed

director & managing director of HCL Infosystems with effect from 1st April 2018.

ii. His appointment has been made after Premkumar Seshadri resigned as the executive vice

chairman and managing director of HCL Infosystems.

iii. At present he is the president of the Project and Services division of HCL Infosystems.

About HCL Infosystems Ltd.:

♦ Type - IT Services, Solutions & Distribution Company

♦ Corporate Office - Noida

Armen Sarkisian elected as President of Armenia

On March 2, 2018, Armenian Parliament elected Armen Sarkisian as country’s next president

Succeeding President Serge Sarkisian, whose term will end on April 9, 2018. .He is Armenia’s

former Prime Minister and currently serving as Armenia’s ambassador to the United Kingdom.

This is the first time in Armenia’s history, that a president has been elected by the National

Assembly instead of popular vote

Krishna Kumari Kohli becomes Pakistan's first Hindu woman to be elected to Senate

On 3rd March 2018, Krishna Kumari Kohli became Pakistan's first Hindu woman to be

elected to Senate.

Krishna Kumari Kohli contested on behalf of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) from a

constituency reserved for women candidates in Tharparkar district. She completed her

master’s degree in sociology from University of Sindh in 2013.

About Pakistan People’s Party (PPP):

♦ Headquarters - Islamabad, Pakistan

♦ Chairperson - Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

MS Dhoni becomes Brand Ambassador of gaming platform Dream11

On 5th March 2018, Mahendra Singh Dhoni was named the brand ambassador of Dream11,

a gaming platform.




Dream11 has a user base of 2 crore players currently. Its main products are related to cricket,

football, kabaddi and basketball.

About Dream11:

♦ CEO - Harsh Jain

♦ Corporate Office - Mumbai

Japan navy appoints Ryoko Azuma as first female chief of warship unit

On 6th March 2018, Ryoko Azuma was appointed the commander of a unit that consists of

Japan’s biggest warship, becoming Japan’s first female chief of warship unit.

i. She will command four warships. The unit consists of 1,000 crew members in total.

ii. Helicopter carrier Izumo, which is Japan navy's biggest ship, is also included in the unit.

About Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force:

♦ Type - naval branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces

♦ Chief of the Maritime Staff - Admiral Yutaka Murakawa

SBI appoints P K Gupta as Nominee Director on SBI Life Board

On 5th March 2018, SBI Life Insurance Company Ltd announced that, P K Gupta has been

named the nominee director on SBI Life Board by SBI. P K Gupta is currently MD (Retail and

Digital Banking) in SBI (State Bank of India). SBI Life Insurance Company Ltd is promoted by SBI.

Conrad Sangma sworn in as CM of Meghalaya

On 6th March 2018, Conrad Sangma took charge as Chief Minister of Meghalaya.

i. Conrad Sangma took oath as the 12th chief minister of Meghalaya in Shillong. He is

the President of National People's Party (NPP).

ii. The oath was administered by Meghalaya Governor Ganga Prasad. 11 Cabinet Ministers also

took oath during the ceremony.

Biplab Deb to be the new Tripura Chief Minister

On 6th March 2018, Biplab Kumar Deb was named the new chief minister of Tripura.

i. Biplab Deb was elected leader of the BJP legislature party in Tripura. He will take charge as

Chief Minister of Tripura before Governor Tathagata Roy.

ii. He will take charge on 9th March 2018. Jishnu Deb Burman will be the deputy Chief

Minister of Tripura.

Sandeep Bakhshi gets 2 year extension as MD of ICICI Prudential Life

On 6th March 2018, Sandeep Bakhshi, MD and CEO of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, was re-

appointed for a 2 year term with effect from 1stJune 2018 till 31 May 2020. He had worked on

business development, project appraisals, project monitoring and business re-structuring.

i. He was appointed as director in 2010. He was re-appointed as director in 2015.




ii. He has worked as a deputy-managing director and head of retail at ICICI Bank. He has also held

the post of chairman of ICICI Home Finance Company Limited.

Vivek R Wadekar appointed new Special Director in ED

On 6th March 2018, Vivek R Wadekar was named the new Special Director in the

Enforcement Directorate (ED) by the government.

Vivek R Wadekar is an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer of the 1991 batch. His appointment as

Special Director in Enforcement Directorate (ED) was made by the Appointments Committee of the

Cabinet (ACC).

About Enforcement Directorate (ED):

♦ Purpose - central investigative agency that enforces the Prevention of Money Laundering Act

(PMLA) and the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) in India

♦ Functions under - Union finance ministry

Neiphiu Rio appointed as CM of Nagaland

On 6th March 2018, Neiphiu Rio was appointed the new Chief Minister of Nagaland.

i. Neiphiu Rio belongs to the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP). He was

appointed the new Chief Minister of Nagaland byNagaland Governor P. B. Acharya.

ii. Former Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang's resignation was accepted by Governor P. B. Acharya.

Gary Cohn resigns as Donald Trump's top economic advisor

On 6th March 2018, US President Donald Trump's top economic adviser Gary Cohn resigned

from his position.

Gary Cohn has resigned from his position due to disagreement with the President's decision to levy

tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

Prince Charles appoints Indian-origin steel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta as UK skills

ambassador

On March 8, 2018, Indian-origin steel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta has been appointed by Britain's

Prince Charles as an official ambassador for the Industrial Cadets programme designed to

nurture manufacturing skills.

Gupta was appointment to the flagship programme to give children and young people direct

structured experience of industry while still at school or college.





Shri Ravi Thapar appointed Ambassador of India to Lebanon

Shri Ravi Thapar ,presently Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, has been appointed

as the nextAmbassador of India to Lebanon in succession to Smt. Nengcha L. Mukhopadhaya.

ITBP appoints Prakriti as first woman officer in combat role

Prakriti has become the first woman to be directly inducted as combat officer into the

ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) unit in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand.

i.She has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. She had cleared the UPSC exam for officers'

recruitment in CAPFs (Central Armed Police Forces) in her first attempt.

ii. In 2016, the government permitted the CAPFs to induct women officers in combat roles. ITBP is

one of the five CAPFs.

About ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police):

♦ Formed - 1962

♦ Director General - R K Pachnanda

Virat Kohli named Uber India's first brand ambassador

Uber announced the appointment of Indian skipper Virat Kohli as its first brand ambassador in

India, thus embarking on a first-of-its-kind initiative across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region.

Commerce and Industries Minister Suresh Prabhu gets additional charge of Civil Aviation

Ministry

On March 10,2018 , Commerce and Industries Minister Suresh Prabhu was given additional

charge of the Civil Aviation Ministry after the resignation of Ashok Gajapathi Raju of the

Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

Raju and another Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MP Y S Chowdary had resigned from the council of

ministers

Sitanshu Kar to be new PIB chief, set to replace Frank Noronha

All India Radio's News Services Division (NSD) director general Sitanshu Kar has been appointed

as the next Director General of the Union government's publicity wing, Press Information Bureau

(PIB).

Kar will be replacing Frank Noronha, who took charge of the PIB in 2014.

China scraps two-term limit, makes Xi Jinping president for life

On 11th March 2018, the National People’s Congress (NPC) of China cleared an amendment

to its constitution that will strike out a clause restricting the term of President to two

five-year terms.




i. This move paves way for Xi Jinping to continue as president of China beyond his term limit of

2023.

ii. Xi Jinping became the Chinese President in March 2013. His second term as President started in

October 2017.

About National People’s Congress (NPC):

♦ Purpose - national legislature of the People's Republic of China

♦ Type - Unicameral

Anjani Kumar appointed as Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad

Anjani Kumar has been made the new Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad.

i. Anjani Kumar is an IPS officer of 1990 batch. He has been appointed the new Commissioner of

Police, Hyderabad, as part of a major reshuffle of senior police officers in Telangana.

ii. Kumar was the Additional DGP (Law & Order). The post of Hyderabad Police Commissioner was

vacant for the past 4 months.

iii. Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), V.V. Srinivasa Rao was in-charge of the

post during those 4 months.

iv. V.V. Srinivasa Rao has been made the Chairman of Telangana State Level Police Recruitment

Board.

Bidya Devi Bhandari re-elected President of Nepal for second term

On 13th March 2018, Bidya Devi Bhandari was re-elected for a second term as President

of Nepal.

i. Bidya Devi Bhandari became the first woman president of Nepal in 2015. She is 56 years old.

ii. Votes: Bidya Devi Bhandari who secured 39,275 votes defeated Kumari Laxmi Rai of Nepali

Congress who obtained 11,730 votes in the presidential election.

iii. Alliance: Bidya Devi Bhandari was supported by the alliance of CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist

Centre), the Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum-Nepal etc.

About Communist Party of Nepal - Unified Marxist–Leninist (CPN-UML):

♦ Headquarters - Kathmandu, Nepal

♦ President - Khadga Prasad Oli

Gina Haspel to become CIA’s first woman chief

US President Donald Trump has nominated Gina Haspel for the position of CIA Director.

i. Gina Haspel was once reported to have run a secret prison in Thailand where the inmates were

allegedly subjected to harsh interrogation techniques.

ii. Donald Trump recently removed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and replaced him with CIA

Director Mike Pompeo. He has nominated Gina Haspel for the position of CIA Director.

iii. She joined the CIA in 1985. If her selection as CIA director is confirmed she’ll become the first

woman director of CIA.




Sangeeta Bahadur appointed as Ambassador of India to Belarus

On 15th March 2018, Sangeeta Bahadur was named the next Ambassador of India to the

Republic of Belarus.

i .Sangeeta Bahadur is an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Officer of the 1987 batch. She is at present

the Additonal Secretary in Ministry of External Affairs.

ii .She has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Belarus.

Slovenian PM Miro Cerar resigns over court ruling on referendum

On 15th March 2018, Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar resigned after Slovenia’s top

court invalidated the result of a government referendum.

i. On 14th March 2018, the constitutional court invalidated the result of a referendum which

approved a government infrastructure project. The project was to upgrade transport links to Koper

port on the Adriatic coast.

ii. The estimated project cost was nearly one billion euros. The referendum held in September

2017, received a vote in favour of building a new railway line for the town.

JP Nadda elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha seat from Himachal Pradesh

On 15th March 2018, Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda was elected unopposed to the Rajya

Sabha from Himachal Pradesh for a second term.

As he was the only candidate who had filed nomination, he was elected unopposed for the Rajya

Sabha seat from Himachal Pradesh.

Nepal's Chief Justice Gopal Parajuli sacked for faking birth dates

On 14th March 2018, Nepal's Chief Justice Gopal Parajuli was removed from his post by

Nepal's Judicial Council for providing fake date of birth in order to remain longer in

office.

i. In the removal letter to Chief Justice the Judicial Council has quoted inconsistencies in the birth

dates as mentioned in his citizenship and academic certificates as reasons for his removal.

Larry Kudlow appointed as Donald Trump's new chief economic adviser

Larry Kudlow has been named the new chief economic advisor to US President Donald

Trump.He replaces Gary Cohn as Donald Trump's chief economic adviser.

i .Larry Kudlow worked as Donald Trump's informal economic adviser during the 2016 campaign.

ii The National Economic Council director advises the US president on economic issues and carries

out implementation of policy goals.

HSBC appoints Pradeep Rao as head of corporates in South-east Asia for global banking

On 13th March 2018, HSBC appointed Pradeep Rao as its head of corporates for South-east

Asia for global banking.




i. He was previously HSBC's managing director of Asia-Pacific consumer and retail sector.

ii. He will be based in Singapore. He will report functionally to Rajeev Sahney, head of corporates

for Asia-Pacific, and locally to Stephen Williams, head of global banking for South-east Asia.

Mujahid Anwar Khan appointed new Pakistan Air chief

On 16th March 2018, Pakistan appointed Air Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan as the new chief of

Pakistan air staff.He replaces Sohail Aman.

Currently, Mujahid Anwar Khan is Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (Support) and Director General, Air

Force Strategic Command at Air Headquarters, Islamabad.

Xi Jinping re-elected as President, Wang as Vice President of China

On 17th March 2018, Xi Jinping was reappointed as president and Wang Qishan as vice

president of China.

i. The National People's Congress has appointed Xi Jinping as China's president and Wang Qishan as

vice president.

ii. The National People's Congress recently removed the two-term limit for Chinese President.

Hence Xi Jinping can serve as President without any term limit.

iii. Wang Qishan who has been made Chinese Vice President, is a well-known economic reformer

and a close ally of Xi Jinping.

Mauritius president Ameenah Gurib-Fakim resigns

Mauritian President Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, Africa's only female head of state and a renowned

biologist, resigned from her post on March 17, 2018.

i.He has resigned in wake of allegations against her for using a credit card provided by an

NGO to buy items worth $26000 not related to her work.

ii. Since 2015, Ameenah Gurib-Fakim had been associated with Planet Earth Institute (PEI), a

London-based NGO, for promoting science, technology and innovation in Africa.

iii. PEI had provided a credit card to Ameenah Gurib-Fakim for covering her travel expenses related

to the work. However, she has been accused of using it to buy jewellery and clothing for personal

use.

Ex-SEBI Chief U K Sinha appointed as Additional Non-Executive Independent Director of

Vedanta

On 13th March 2018, Vedanta Limited said that, it has appointed U.K. Sinha as its additional non-

executive independent director.He is the former Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of

India (SEBI).

He is an IAS officer of the Bihar cadre. He was Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the Unit

Trust of India Asset Management Company (UTIAMC) also known as UTI Mutual Fund.




China appoints Yi Gang as Governor of People's Bank of China

Yi Gang, a US-educated economist has been named as next Governor of China's central bank,

the People's Bank of China (PBOC).

i. Yi Gang has been holding the post of deputy governor of PBOC since 2008

ii. Mr. Yi will succeed Zhou Xiaochuan, who has been holding the post since 2002.

Vladimir Putin wins Russian Presidential Election

On 19th March 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin won the presidential elections and

has been named as Russian President for a 6 year term.

Vladimir Putin's fourth term as president will continue till 2024. He had obtained 76.6% of the

total votes cast in the presidential election.

Ravindra Rao named new CEO of Reliance Asset Reconstruction Company

On March 19, 2018, Reliance Asset Reconstruction Company (RARC) announced the

appointment of Ravindra Rao as its new Chief Executive Officer.

i.He succeeds Asokan Arumugam, who is retiring after being at the helm at RARC since last four

years.

ii. Corporation Bank, Indian Bank, GIC of India, Dacecroft and Blue Ridge are the other

stakeholders in RARC.

Atul M. Gotsurve appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Democratic People’s

Republic of Korea

On 19th March 2018, Atul M. Gotsurve was appointed the next Ambassador of India to the

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

i. Atul M. Gotsurve is an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Officer of 2004 batch. At present, he is

Director in the Ministry of External Affairs.

ii .He has been named the next Ambassador of India to the Democratic People’s Republic

of Korea. He will take up this assignment soon.

About Ministry of External Affairs:

♦ External Affairs Minister - Smt. Sushma Swaraj

♦ Ministers of State for External Affairs - Vijay Kumar Singh, M. J. Akbar

Fullerton India Home finance appoints Rakesh Makkar as CEO

Rakesh Makkar has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Fullerton India Home

finance.





i. Rakesh Makkar has been holding senior management position in Fullerton India Home Finance

since past few years and has been instrumental in driving its robust growth.

ii. In his new role, Makkar will be responsible for building the brand, scaling up business volumes

and driving the corporate strategy for the firm.

iii. FIHFC is also known as Grihashakti.

Li Keqiang re-elected as Prime Minister of China for second term

On 18th March 2018, Li Keqiang was re-elected as Chinese Prime Minister for a second five-

year term.

i. Li Keqiang became Prime Minister of China first in 2013. He has been re-elected as Prime

Minister by the members of National People’s Congress (NPC). Xu Qiliang and Zhang Youxia were

elected as vice chairmen of Central Military Commission (CMC).

ii. Yang Xiaodu was named the chief of new anti-graft body, the National Supervisory

Commission.

About Central Military Commission (CMC):

♦ Purpose - takes charge of the overall administration of China's armed forces

♦ Units - 15 functional sections

Sony India announced Sunil Nayyar is appointed as its Managing Director (MD) in place

of Kenichiro Hibi

On 19th March 2018, Sony India announced the appointment of Sunil Nayyar as its

Managing Director (MD).

Sunil Nayyar replaces Kenichiro Hibi as MD of Sony India. Kenichiro Hibi has been made the

President for Sony Brazil.

About Sony:

♦ Founded – 1946

♦ Headquarters - Tokyo, Japan

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi promoted as State Councillor

On 19th March 2018, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was promoted as State Councillor.

i. He will also continue as Foreign Minister of China.

ii. In China, State Councillor is ranked higher than Foreign Minister. Wang Yi replaces Yang Jiechi.

iii. Wang Yi has worked as China’s Vice Foreign Minister, China’s Ambassador to Japan and Director

of the Taiwan Affairs Office. He became Foreign Minister in 2013.

Aamir Khan replaces Ranveer Singh as Vivo India's Brand Ambassador

On 19th March 2018, Vivo announced the appointment of actor Aamir Khan as its brand

ambassador for India.

Aamir Khan replaces actor Ranveer Singh as Vivo India's Brand Ambassador. Ranveer Singh had




been the brand ambassador for the past two years.

About Vivo:


♦ Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Vivo India - Kenny Zeng

Ashraf Sehrai replaces Syed Shah Geelani as Tehreek-e-Hurriyat chairman

On 19th March 2018, Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai was appointed the new chairman of

Tehreek-e-Hurriyat.

On 19th March 2018, Syed Ali Geelani resigned as chairman of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat. The decision to

appoint Ashraf Sehrai as chairman of the party was taken in its advisory board meeting.

Katrina Kaif becomes brand ambassador for international non-profit organization

‘Educate Girls’

Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif has been named the brand ambassador of ‘Educate Girls’, an

international non-profit organisation.

Educate Girls involves the families, village leaders, local administration and school authorities in its

efforts towards educating girls.

About Educate Girls:

♦ Founder - Safeena Husain

♦ Head Office - Mumbai

Bihar Governor Satya Pal Malik given additional charge as Governor of Odisha

On 19th March 2018, Bihar Governor Satya Pal Malik was given additional responsibility as

Governor of Odisha.

i. He replaces SC Jamir who completed his five-year term as Governor of Odisha.

ii. He was a Rajya Sabha MP for two terms and was also a Lok Sabha MP. He was a member of

Uttar Pradesh Assembly from 1974 to 1977.

David Wright joins BSE Board as Public Interest Director

BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange) has appointed David Wright as a Public Interest Director

on its board it is effective from 16th March 2018.

He worked with the European Commission for a long time. He also worked as Secretary General of

the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) from 2012 to 2016.

About BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange):

♦ MD & CEO - Ashishkumar Chauhan

♦ Corporate Office – Mumbai.




Nanda Bahadur Pun re-elected as Nepal’s Vice President

On 19th March 2018, Nanda Bahadur Pun took charge as Nepal's vice president for a second

term.unopposed, as no other party had filed nominations.

i. Nanda Bahadur Pun’s oath of office and secrecy was administered by President Bidya Devi

Bhandari at an official ceremony.

ii. Also, Shasi Kala Dahal of CPN-Maoist Centre was elected vice-chairperson of the national

assembly. She defeated Brinda Devi Ale of Nepali Congress.

Myanmar's first democratically elected President Htin Kyaw retires

On 21st March 2018, Htin Kyaw, Myanmar’s first democratically elected President,

announced his retirement due to ill health.

Myanmar President Office has announced that, the President post which has become vacant will be

filled within 7 working days. He was the first Myanmar president to visit India in 2016.

John R Bolton appointed as National Security Adviser to President Trump

On 22nd March 2018, President Trump named John R. Bolton as his third national security

adviser.He replaces Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster

He is a former American ambassador to the United Nations. He was undersecretary of state for

arms control during the administration of George W. Bush.

Sherry Rehman becomes first female Senate opposition leader of Pakistan

On 22nd March 2018, Sherry Rehman became the first woman Leader of the Opposition in

the Senate, the upper house of parliament, in Pakistan.

i. Sherry Rehman is 57 years old. She belongs to the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

ii. She was Pakistan's Ambassador to the US between 2011 and 2013. In 2015, she was elected to

the Senate.

Martin Vizcarra Sworn in as President of Peru

On 23rd March 2018, Martin Vizcarra was sworn in as the new President of Peru.He replaces Pedro

Pablo Kuczynski. Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned on 21st March 2018 due to a corruption scandal.

Martin Vizcarra had served as vice president and Peru's ambassador to Canada.

BJP bags 9 out of 10 seats in UP, SP wins one in Rajya Sabha polls

BJP has won nine out of the 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha

elections held on 23rd March 2018.

BJP candidates who won the election are: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Ashok Bajpai, Vijay

Pal Singh Tomar, Sakal Deep Rajbhar, Kanta Kardam, Anil Jain, Harnath Singh Yadav and G V L

Narasimha Rao and Anil Kumar Agarwal.




Balesh Sharma named CEO of Vodafone-Idea India merged entity

Vodafone Group and Aditya Birla Group have named Balesh Sharma as the chief executive officer

(CEO) of the Vodafone-Idea India merged entity.

i. Earlier, Balesh Sharma was the chief operating officer (COO) of Vodafone India. He joined

Vodafone in 2003. he was the business head of Gujarat Circle and the CEO of Vodafone Malta. He

served as the CEO of Vodafone Czech Republic.

ii. He is a director on the Vodafone India Board and a member of its executive committee.

About Idea:

♦ Managing Director - Mr. Himanshu Kapania

♦ Corporate Office - Mumbai

JS Rajput nominated India's Representative to UNESCO's Executive Board

J S Rajput has been nominated by the Ministry of Human Resource Development as

India’s representative to the Executive Board (EXB) of UNESCO (United Nations

Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

i. J S Rajput is a former director of National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).

He received the Padma Shri award in 2014. He was presented the Maharishi Ved Vyas award by the

Madhya Pradesh government.

ii. He edited a book named ‘Education of Muslims in India’. It was released by Prime Minister

Narendra Modi in 2015.

Vijay Raghavan appointed as principal scientific advisor to Government

On 26th March 2018, K Vijay Raghavan was appointed as Principal Scientific Advisor to the

Government of India.

i. K Vijay Raghavan replaces R Chidambaram. He is 64 years old. He has been appointed as

Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India for a term of 3 years.

ii. K Vijay Raghavan is a former director of National Centre for Biological Sciences. He served as

Secretary of Department of Biotechnology from 2013 until last month.

SC appoints Justice Jawad Rahim as acting chairperson of NGT

On 27th March 2018, Justice Jawad Rahim was appointed as the acting chairperson of

National Green Tribunal (NGT) by the Supreme Court.

i. Justice Jawad Rahim is a judicial member of National Green Tribunal (NGT). He will perform his

duties as acting chairperson of NGT until a regular appointment is made.

Pradosh Kumar Rath to be new chairman cum managing director of RINL

Pradosh Kumar Rath has been shortlisted as the new chairman cum managing director (CMD) of

RINL (Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd).




i. At present, Pradosh Kumar Rath, is Director (Operations) at RINL. Public Enterprises Selection

Board (PESB) selects candidates for top positions at public sector units.

ii. Pradosh Kumar Rath’s appointment is subject to clearance by the Central Vigilance Commission

and the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.If his appointment gets clearance,he will get a 3

year tenure at RINL as CMD. RINL's current CMD P Madhusudan will retire on 31st May 2018.

About RINL (Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd):

♦ Headquarters – Visakhapatnam

♦ Operates - Vizag Steel Plant

Indu Bhushan appointed CEO of Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Mission

On 27th March 2018, Indu Bhushan was appointed the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the

Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Mission.

i. Indu Bhushan is the Director General of East Asia Department, Asian Development Bank (ADB) in

Manila, Philippines. He has been appointed as CEO of Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection

Mission for 2 years.

ii. Earlier, he was Director General of the Strategy and Policy Department in ADB. He joined ADB in

1997.

Rahul Dravid appointed state election icon for Karnataka Assembly polls

Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar announced that, cricketer Rahul Dravid will be

the state election icon for Karnataka Assembly polls.

i.He said that, disabled government employees will be appointed as polling staff in selected polling

stations for the first time.

ii. The Karnataka Legislative Assembly comprises 224 members. Votes will be counted on 15th May

2018.

About Election Commission of India:

♦ Chief Election Commissioner - Om Prakash Rawat

♦ Election Commissioners - Sunil Arora, Ashok Lavasa

Win Myint elected as President of Myanmar

On 28th March 2018, Win Myint was elected as President of Myanmar by Myanmar's parliament.

i.He as President of Myanmar Myint is former speaker of Myanmar’s House of Representatives. He

is a member of National League for Democracy.





ii. He was made a vice-president of Myanmar last week. On 28th March 2018, the Myanmar

Parliament voted for the three vice-presidents to elect one of them to the post of President.

Lt Gen Harpal Singh takes Charge as Director General Border Roads

On 28th March 2018, Lt Gen Harpal Singh was appointed as Director General Border Roads (DGBR).

i. In 1982, Lt Gen Harpal Singh was commissioned into the Corps of Engineers. Later, he

commanded a Border Roads Task Force in Jammu & Kashmir valley.

ii. He has worked as Chief Engineer of Project Dantak (Border Roads Organisation) at Bhutan, Chief

Engineer (Navy), Mumbai and Chief Engineer HQ Eastern Command.

iii. He has served as Directing Staff at the College of Defence Management, Secunderabad.

iv. Before taking charge as Director General Border Roads (DGBR) he was Director General Military

Training at Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Army).

About Border Roads Organisation (BRO):

♦ Motto - Creates, Connects and Cares...

♦ Purpose - develops and maintains road networks in India's border areas and friendly neighbouring

countries

Shekhar Kapur appointed Chairman of central panel of 65th National Film Awards

Director Shekhar Kapur has been appointed as the chairman of the central panel of the 65th

National Film Awards.

i. The central panel of 65th National Film Awards consists of a chairperson and 10 other members

which includes five regional chairpersons.

ii. Regional Chairpersons:

• Film writer Imtiaz Hussain - regional chairperson of South I panel

• Lyricist Mehboob - regional chairperson of South II panel

• Actress Gautami Tadimalla - regional chairperson of North panel

• Director Rahul Rawail - regional chairperson of Western panel

• Director P Sheshadri - regional chairperson of Eastern panel

iii.Other members:

• Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury

• Tripurari Sharma

• Rumi Jaffery

• Ranjit Das

• Rajesh Mapuskar

Abiye Ahmed elected as Prime Minister of Ethiopia

On 27th March 2018, Abiye Ahmed was elected as the new prime minister of Ethiopia following the

resignation of Hailemariam Desalegn last month.




This automatically made Abiye Ahmed as the prime minister of Ethiopia. He is 41 years old.

American Rosemary DiCarlo Becomes First Female UN Political Chief

On 29th March 2018, Rosemary DiCarlo was named UN Political Chief, becoming the first

female UN Political Chief.

i. Rosemary DiCarlo replaces Jeffrey Feltman. Rosemary DiCarlo is a former deputy US ambassador

to the United Nations.

ii. She was also deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs and director

for United Nations affairs at the national security council in Washington.

iii. She has been the president of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy since 2015.

Her areas of expertise are Russia, former Soviet Union and the Middle East. She speaks Russian

and French.

Abdel Fattah al-Sisi re-elected as Egyptian President

On March 29, 2018, incumbent Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi got re-elected for a second

term.

i. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi garnered 92 per cent votes, while his only challenger and al Ghad party

chief Moussa Mostafa Moussa secured just three per cent of vote share.

ii. Sisi was elected for a four-year presidential term in 2014 after he overthrew Islamist

president Mohammed Morsi in 2013.

Andhra Pradesh appoints shuttler Kidambi Srikanth as Deputy Collector

On 29th March 2018, Andhra Pradesh government appointed shuttler Kidambi Srikanth as a Deputy

Collector.

i. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu gave the appointment letter to

Kidambi Srikanth in the presence of former All-England champion and badminton coach Pullela

Gopichand, in Amravati.

ii. Kidambi Srikanth has received the Padma Shri award. He became the second youngest

sportsperson in India after PV Sindhu to bag the Padma Shri award.

R Dinesh elected CII Chairman of Southern Region

R Dinesh, Joint Managing Director of T V Sundram Iyengar and Sons, has been elected

Chairman of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Southern Region for the 2018-19

period.Before this appointment, he was Vice-Chairman of CII Southern Region.

Sanjay Jayavarthanavelu, Chairman and Managing Director of Lakshmi Machine Works

Ltd. that is based in Coimbatore, was elected Deputy Chairman of CII Southern Region

for 2018-19.




NBCC chief Anoop Kumar Mittal gets one-year extension

On 29th March 2018, Anoop Kumar Mittal was given one year extension as the chairman

and MD (CMD) of NBCC with effect from 1st April 2018.

i. Anoop Kumar Mittal assumed charge as the CMD of the National Building Construction

Corporation (NBCC) in 2013 for a period of five years.

ii. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the extension of Anoop Kumar

Mittal’s tenure.

iii. His named was involved in an FIR filed by CBI in Rs 2,100 crore Pragati Maidan redevelopment

project.

iv. On 12th March 2018, Anoop Kumar Mittal was given additional charge of Director (Finance) of

NBCC along with the CMD post.

Chandra Bhushan Kumar appointed as Deputy Election Commissioner

On 30th March 2018, Chandra Bhushan Kumar was appointed as Deputy Election

Commissioner as part of a major bureaucratic reshuffle by the government.He is an IAS officer of

1995 batch of union territories cadre. He has been appointed as Deputy Election Commissioner for

a term of 5 years.

Other appointments:

1.S K Shahi & Krishna Bahadur Singh - joint secretaries in Home Ministry

2.Vineet Joshi - Director General of National Testing Agency under the Department of Higher

Education

3.Anurag Agarwal - Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs

4.Ritvik Ranjanam Pandey - Joint Secretary in the Department of Revenue

5.Ravi Kota – Joint Secretary in the Fifteenth Finance Commission

6.B Kishore - Joint Secretary in Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare

7.E Ramesh Kumar -Joint Secretary in the Animal Husbandry Department

8.Samir Kumar & Nitishwar Kumar - joint secretaries in Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation

9.Girish C Hosur - Joint Secretary in the Department of Higher Education

10.Mukul Ratra - Deputy Director General in the Department of Telecommunications

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS Allahabad Bank gets nod to merge ABFL

On March 21, 2018, Allahabad Bank stated that it has received approval from Union Ministry of

Corporate Affairs for amalgamation of its fully-owned subsidiary All Bank Finance Ltd.

(ABFL) with itself.

i. All Bank Finance offers fee-based services like debenture trusteeship, distribution of

mutual fund schemes, investment advisory and portfolio management and security




valuation.

ii. For financial year 2016-17, ABFL’s total income stood at Rs 13.30 crore, while the net profit was

Rs 6.76 crore.

Reliance Jio acquires Saavn, creates $1-billion music entity

On 23rd March 2018, Reliance Industries (RIL) announced the merger of its digital music

service JioMusic with Saavn, a streaming service provider.

i. The combined entity is valued at more than $1 billion. JioMusic’s valuation amounts to $670

million.

ii. RIL said that, it will invest up to the rupee equivalent of $100 million in the combined entity. Out

of this, rupee equivalent of $20 million will be invested for growth and expansion of the platform.

Google Acquires GIF Search Platform Tenor

Google has acquired Tenor, a GIF search engine for Android, iOS and desktop.

i. Cathy Edwards, Director of Engineering, Google Images, said that, Tenor would introduce GIFs in

Google Images and services like Gboard easily. It will help users to find and share GIF images

easily.

ii. Tenor said that, its founders David McIntosh, Erick Hachenburg and Frank Nawabi will continue

to lead the company.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Moon to get first mobile phone network.

i. On 27th February 2018, Vodafone Germany, Nokia and Audi said that, they were jointly

working to support this project.

ii.Nokia is its technology partner. Nokia would develop a space-grade network.

iii. PTScientists, a Berlin-based company, is also working on this project. A launch has been

scheduled in 2019 from Cape Canaveral on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

iv. It has been decided to build a 4G network, as work on the advanced 5G network is still in

testing and trial stage.

About Vodafone:

♦ Chairman - Gerard Kleisterlee

♦ CEO - Vittorio Colao

India successfully test-fires ATGM Nag in desert conditions

On 28th February 2018, India successfully test-fired Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM) Nag

in desert conditions, at Pokhran's field firing range in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.




i. The ATGM Nag was developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation

(DRDO). It was tested against two tank targets at different ranges and timings.

ii. Director General (Missiles and Strategic Systems) G Satheesh Reddy said that, the

technologies of ATGM responsible for engaging targets in different conditions have been verified

with the successful tests.

iii. The developmental trials of ATGM Nag are over and now it is ready for induction. ATGM NAG

possesses advanced technologies like the Imaging infrared (IIR) Seeker with integrated avionics.

Telangana launches "T App Folio" app for all government services

On 28th February 2018, Telangana government launched “T App Folio”, a mobile governance

application, for delivery of government to citizen (G2C) and business to citizen (B2C)

services anytime and anywhere.

i. Telangana IT Minister K T Rama Rao said that, Telangana has become the second state in

India to launch a mobile governance application in place for provision of G2C services.

ii. T App Folio provides more than 150 services & Informational services like MeeSeva centers,

Ration shops, Hy-Fi hotspots are also available in the first phase of T App Folio.

iii.It has been launched in Telugu and English languages.

Huawei unveils world's first 5G commercial chip

On 25th February 2018, Huawei launched Huawei Balong 5G01,which is said to be world’s first

3GPP 5G commercial chipset having peak rate of 2.3 GBPS (gigabit per second).

i. Huawei is collaborating with 30 operators all over the world to deploy products based on Huawei

Balong 5G01. Vodafone is also collaborating with Huawei for this.

About Huawei:

♦ CEO - Ren Zhengfei

♦ Headquarters - Shenzhen, China.

NASA launches advanced weather satellite for western U.S.

On March 1, 2018, NASA launched GOES stands for Geostationary Operational Environmental

Satellites,another of world’s most advanced weather satellites..

i. GOES-S has been launched to safeguard Western US, by monitoring, forecasting and providing

crisp images of hurricanes, wildfires, floods, mudslides and other natural calamities.

ii. GOES-16, the first spacecraft in the series, has been monitoring the Atlantic and US East Coast

for the past year for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of US.It will not

only keep a watch over West Coast of US, Alaska and Hawaii, but also over Mexico and Central





America.

Astronomers detect for first time light from very first stars of universe

For the first time, a team of astronomers from Arizona State University have discovered

signals from the period when the universe's earliest stars emerged which is referred to as ‘Cosmic

Dawn’.

i. The team was led by astronomer Judd Bowman and also included an Indian graduate

student Nivedita Mahesh.

ii. If the signals discovered from ‘Cosmic Dawn’ are confirmed, it could provide insights into the

elusive ‘dark matter’, which is believed to form a fundamental part of our universe.

iii. A radio telescope called Experiment to Detect the Global Epoch of Reionization Signature

(EDGES), based at the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory in the middle of Western

Australian desert was used in this research.

Threat of new malware "Saposhi" looms over cyberspace

A new malware named Saposhi has been detected, which can take over electronic devices

and make them as ‘bots’ that can be exploited for any purpose.

i. Saposhi has been detected recently by cyber security agencies. It is being monitored and studied

currently & It can create a Distributed Denial Of Service attack.

ii. So far, the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) has not released any alert about

Saposhi. It has been said that, alerts and guidelines about protecting devices from Saposhi will be

launched soon.

Nitin Gadkari launches Sukhad Yatra App and Toll-free Emergency number for Highway

users

On 7th March 2018, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, Water Resources,

River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari, launched ‘Sukhad Yatra’ mobile App and

Toll-free Emergency number-1033 for highway users.

i. The Sukhad Yatra app will provide information on toll rates to highway users as they

approach the toll plaza.

ii. It also provides real-time data on waiting time expected at Plazas and other facilities on the

highway to the users. FASTag can also be bought by users using this app.

iii. The toll-free number - 1033 will allow users to report any emergency condition on the

highway or highway-related feedback.

Researchers develop thermoelectric compound "Silver copper telluride (AgCuTe)"

A team of researchers from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) of

Bengaluru, have developed silver copper telluride (AgCuTe), a thermoelectric compound that can

convert waste heat into electricity.




i It shows poor thermal conductivity in the 25-425 degree C range but has good electrical

conductivity.

ii. The research team was headed by Dr Kanishka Biswas. Results of this study was published in

the journal Angewandte Chemie.

Scientists Created A New Exotic State Of Matter “Rydberg polarons”

An international team of scientists have provided the first proof of an exotic new state of

matter, known as Rydberg polarons. Scientists have described how a new state of matter can be

created, by essentially putting atoms inside other atoms.

i. Published in the journal Physical Review Letters, the work comes from the Vienna University of

Technology (TU Wien) in Austria, Harvard University in Massachusetts, and Rice University in

Texas.

ii. “Rydberg polarons” involves making use of the space between the electron and the nucleus

inside an atom.

iii. The goal was to hit it in precisely the right way to boost one or more of its electrons into an

orbital far from the nucleus, creating an excited state called a Rydberg atom.

Odisha forest department launches app to fight forest fires

The Odisha forest department has launched an app to track and fight forest fires during

summer, recently.

i. This app was launched on 3rd March 2018. Also, a Whatsapp group named 'Forest Fire

Alert' has been formed for sharing information on tracking, preventing and fighting forest fires

between forest officials and local people who help the forest officials.

ii. The Forest Survey of India (FSI) monitors the forests and when there is a fire, information is

send to state forest department.

CCRAS Developed a AYUSH Drug QOL-2C for Cancer Patients

Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) has undertaken development

of a coded drug AYUSH QOL-2C for enhancing the quality of life of cancer patients.

Clinical studies on breast cancer patients was done at St. John’s Medical College, Bengaluru and

AIIMS, New Delhi. Studies on lung cancer patients was performed at Bhagwan Mahaveer Cancer

Hospital and Research Centre, Jaipur.

About Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS):

♦ Director General - Prof. Vd. K. S. Dhiman

♦ Functions under - Ministry of AYUSH

India’s first cloned Assamese buffalo born

Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes (CIRB) said that, a cloned Assamese buffalo




clone calf named Sach-Gaurav was born on 22nd December 2017 through a normal delivery.

The calf was born to a Murrah buffalo.The birth weight of the calf was 54.2 kg.

Railways introduces innovative analytical approach to locomotive scheduling to enhance

productivity

Indian Railways has launched an innovative analytical approach to enhance the deployment of

electric and diesel locomotives run passenger trains.

i. A software dependent mathematical decision support system will be utilised to improve

the productivity of locomotives.

ii. This system has been developed by Ministry of Railways along with experts. It is

implemented all over India.

iii .In Budget 2018-19 a project to implement this process of locomotive link optimization using

decision support system software in Indian Railways has been sanctioned. It will be implemented

by Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS).

Odisha to have integrated multi-hazard early warning system

In a bid to strengthen the prediction and response capability of the Odisha State Disaster

Management Authority (OSDMA), Odisha State Government has decided to collaborate

with ‘Regional Integrated Multi-hazard Early Warning System’ (RIMES).

i. A meeting was held between Odisha Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi, OSDMA managing

director Bishnupada Sethi and officials of RIMES to discuss technical and methodological aspects of

the system.

ii. RIMES is owned and managed by 45 collaborating countries in the Asia Pacific and

Africa Region. Currently, India holds the Chair of Rimes.

iii. Analysis of huge data generated from automatic weather stations installed at gram panchayat

level, early warning and preparedness for lightening, heat wave, flood, draught and tsunami have

been identified as major areas of collaboration between OSDMA and RIMES.

Quick Facts about RIMES:


♦ Organisation type – an intergovernmental body registered under the United Nations

♦ Objective – to provide user-relevant early warning services to its Member States and others

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched an anti-graft portal

On March 19, 2018, Bharatya Janata Party (BJP) Government in Uttar Pradesh under Chief

Minister Yogi Adityanath completed one yearin office and on this occasion, UP CM Yogi

Adityanath launched an anti-graft portal.

i. The portal is aimed at taking action against any official who is involved in corruption or is

encouraging it at any level.




ii. Action will be taken based on a video or any other evidence uploaded through the

portal & a multi-colour booklet titled ‘Ek Saal – Nayee Misaal’ with the punchline ‘Huaa

Vikaas – Badha Vishwaas’ was unveiled

China to build 'world's fastest' wind tunnel

China has announced that, it is constructing the world's fastest wind tunnel.

i. It is said that, it would be the world's fastest hypersonic wind tunnel. It would be used to

help in the development of spacecraft.

ii. A Chinese researcher has said that, the 265 meter-long tunnel would be used to test hypersonic

aircraft that can travel up to a speed of 30,625 kph. This speed is 25 times the speed of sound

BrahMos supersonic cruise missile successfully test-fired from Pokhran in Rajasthan

On 22nd March 2018, India successfully test fired the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile with

an indigenous 'seeker' at Rajasthan's Pokhran test range, enhancing the country's capability to

hit enemy targets at a range of up to 400 km.

It was for the first time that the missile, capable of travelling at speeds of up to Mach 3.0, or

three times the speed of sound, was tested with indigenously developed 'seeker' technology. The

seeker - developed by Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad, in collaboration with other DRDO

labs, - determines the accuracy of a missile by guiding it to the target

It was developed in a joint-venture between India and Russia.

This missile has been named after the rivers Brahmaputra of India and Moskva of Russia.

IRCTC introduces billing through Point of Sale (POS) hand held machines in trains

IRCTC has introduced billing through Point of Sale (POS) hand held machines in trains.

i. POS machines have already been introduced in train no. 12627-28, SBC-NDLS Karnataka Express

on pilot basis.

ii.2 POS machines will be provided for each rake of the train. Later, the number of POS machines

will be increased according to the usage by passengers.

iii. IRCTC also deploys its officials on these trains to monitor the catering services. These Officials

will be provided with Tablets (Tab) to obtain passenger feedback.

iv. The service providers managing the onboard services are trained at IRCTC’s Central Kitchen at

Noida for usage of the POS machine.

DAE develops "Fluorimeter" device to measure uranium traces in water

Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT)is a unit of DAE based in Indore has

developed “Fluorimeter”, an instrument that measures traces of uranium in water.

i. Cost of the fluorimeter is Rs 1 lakh. It will detect traces of uranium in water.

ii. It will be highly useful in regions like Punjab where uranium traces have been detected in water




at dangerous levels.

iii. DAE has transferred its technology to another one of its unit, Electronics Corporation of India

Ltd (ECIL), for mass production of Fluorimeter,.

iv. Fluorimeter can examine traces of uranium in a sample of water from 0.1 PPB (Parts-per-billion)

unit to 100 PPB.

NASA, SpaceX collaborate "TESS" to search for exoplanets

NASA and SpaceX have tied up to search for exoplanets using NASA’s Transiting

Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).

i. It has been planned to launch Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) on a SpaceX Falcon 9

rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on 16th April 2018.

ii. TESS will stay between the moon and the Earth for a minimum of two years. It will scan for alien

entities.

iii. TESS will survey 200,000 of the brightest stars near the sun to search for exoplanets. It will find

exoplanets that periodically block a part of the light from their host stars. These events are called

transits.

NASA to launch GRACE-FO mission to observe Earth's frozen regions

On March 27, 2018, US space agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

(NASA) announced that during 2018, it will launch two new satellite missions to enhance the view

of Earth's frozen regions.

i.First Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission (as a

continuation of the original GRACE mission) which will track fluctuations in Earth's gravity field in

order to detect changes in mass, including the mass of ice sheets and aquifers.

ii. Thereafter, Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) will be launched to

measure the changing elevation of ice around the world. ICESat-2 will use a highly advanced laser

instrument.

iii. These missions are significant as it will offer insights into changes in Cryosphere (portions of

Earth's surface where water is in solid form viz. sea ice, glaciers, ice caps etc.) which are

impacting lives of people all around the world.

AIFF launches scouting App to unearth talent

On 27th March 2018, All India Football Federation (AIFF) launched “Scout-Me”, a mobile

based scouting application to discover future players.

i. AIFF has become the first National Sports Federation to launch a mobile based scouting





application to discover future players. Scout-Me app will make the scouting process easy.

ii. Scout-Me app has been developed by Kush Pandey. Kush Pandey is 17 years old. He is a

football enthusiast.

Employees' Provident Fund Organisation launches New portal for pensioners

On 28th March 2018, Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) launched a new

portal which enables EPFO pensioners to obtain pension-related information.

i. This portal will help users to obtain details like pension payment order number, payment order

details, passbook information and other related information.

iii. The enhanced "Track eKYC" facility for the convenience of members has also been introduced to

verify status of Aadhaar seeded against their Universal Account Number (UAN).

iv. The facility can be accessed at Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO)’s

website: www.epfindia.gov.in.

ISRO's GSLV rocket injects GSAT-6A communication satellite into orbit

On March 29, 2018, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched India’s

latest communication satellite GSAT-6A on board Geosynchronous rocket GSLV-F08 from

Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

About GSLV-F08:

GSLV-F08 (GSLV Mk-II), fitted with indigenously developed cryogenic third stage, injected GSAT-

6A into orbit about 18 minutes after liftoff.

• The major change was High-thrust Vikas engine, which enhanced the performance

capacity of the second stage by around six per cent as compared to previous version.

• Other major change was electromechanical actuation system (made with ISRO

developed space grade lithium-ion (Li-Ion) cells) in place of electro-hydraulic

actuation system.

About GSAT-6A:

ISRO said that the GSAT-6A was similar to the GSAT-6 put into orbit in 2015.

• It is a high power S-band communication satellite built on I-2K satellite bus.

• GSAT-6A weighs 2140 kg and has mission life of 10 years.

• It will provide mobile communication to India through, multi-beam coverage

facility.

K2-229b: Hot, metallic Earth-sized planet discovered

Scientists have discovered a hot, metallic, Earth-sized planet named “K2-229b” that

orbits a dwarf star located 260 million light years away.

i. K2-229b is nearly 20 % larger in size than Earth and has a mass which is nearly two-and-a-half

times greater. Its day side temperature is more than 2000 degrees Celsius.


http://www.epfindia.gov.in/



ii. It is located very close to its host star 0.012 AU. This distance is nearly a hundredth of the

distance between the Earth and the Sun.

iii. 0.012 AU is a medium-sized active K dwarf in the Virgo Constellation. K2-229b orbits the star

every 14 hours.

iv. Researchers from Aix-Marseille Universite in France and the University of Warwick in the UK

utilized the K2 telescope and used Doppler spectroscopy technique to discover K2-229b.

v. Doppler spectroscopy technique is also known as the 'wobble method'. K2-229b is said to bear

similarities with Mercury. Hence, scientists hope that this will be useful in studying about Mercury

also.

NASA to send first mission to study 'heart' of Mars in May

On May 5, 2018, US Space agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will

send ‘InSight’, the first-ever mission dedicated to exploring the deep interior of Mars.

i. InSight is a stationary robotic lander and stands for Interior Exploration using Seismic

Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport.

ii. InSight will be NASA’s first mission since the Apollo moon landings to place a seismometer (a

device that measures quakes), on the surface of another planet.

China launches another pair of BeiDou-3 navigation satellites into space

On 29th March 2018, China successfully launched a Long March 3B rocket carrying two

Beidou-3MEO satellites: Beidou-30 and Beidou-31 from the LC2 Launch Complex of the

Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan province, China.

i. The Long March 3B rocket flew with a Yuanzheng-1 (YZ-1) upper stage attached. This ignited its

YF-50D engine after launch. It will burn out for nearly four hours, and the two BeIDou-3 satellites

will be released into MEO.

ii. The BeiDou-3 M5 and M6 satellites are based on dedicated satellite bus. Their weight is nearly

one metric ton a piece.

iii. BeiDou means plough or the Big Dipper constellation in Chinese. The Beidou (BDS) project was

started in 1994.

iv. BeiDou-3 M5 and M6 satellites are the third phase of the BDS system (BeiDou-3). It is the final

stage for setting up of a Chinese space-based navigation architecture.

v. BeiDou would provide navigation and positioning services to countries under the “Belt and Road

Initiative” by 2018. Yang Changfeng is the chief designer of the BeiDou system.

Scientists identify new organ in Human Body

Scientists have identified a new organ in human beings which has been dubbed the ‘interstitium’.

Interstitium is a network of interconnected, fluid-filled compartments that can be found beneath the

surface of the skin and is also present in tissue layers lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels, and




muscles.Based on the initial observation, researchers believe that Interstitium may even be

one of the largest organ in the human body.

DEFENCE

DAC approves procurement of weapons costing over Rs. 9000 crore

On February 28, 2018, Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Union Defence

Minister Nirmala Sitharaman gave approval to Capital Acquisition Proposals of the Services and

Coast Guard valued at approximately Rs. 9435 crore which includes procurement of 41000 Light

Machine Guns and over 3.5 Lakh Close Quarter Battle Carbines.

75 percent of the above mentioned quantities will be procured through Indian Industry under ‘Buy

& Make (Indian)’ category and balance 25 percent through Ordinance Factory Board.

Bharti Defence Delivers C 162 Interceptor Boat to Coast Guard

On March 1, 2018, Bharati Defence and Infrastructure Ltd (BDIL) delivered an interceptor

boat, C-162 – to Indian Coast Guard (ICG) in Mangaluru, Karnataka.

It is the Sixth in a series of 15 high speed interceptor boats being procured by Indian

Coast Guard.It is 28m-long and has an aluminium hull. It weighs about 60 dead-weight tonnage

(DWT) and can attain speeds up to 35 knots.The vessel is propelled by two engines of 1650 KW

each and can accommodate 11 crew.

Indian Navy sailboat INSV Tarini arrives in Cape Town, South Africa

On 2nd March 2018, the all-women Indian crew circumnavigating the globe on the Indian

Navy Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini arrived at a port in Cape Town in South Africa.

This expedition by the all-women Indian crew is named Navika Sagar Parikrama. It has reached

Cape Town in South Africa during the last phase of its voyage.Captain of the vessel is

Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi.

Indian Navy concludes gruelling two-month long war games "ENCORE"

On February 28, 2018, Indian Navy concluded a gruelling two-month long War Games.

The War Games were conducted on both, the Western Seaboard of India which is codenamed

Exercise Paschim Lehar as well as the Eastern Seaboard,code name was ENCORE extending

from the Northern Arabian sea off the coast of Gujarat to the Southern Indian ocean off the Sunda

Straits near Indonesia

India-US team test-fires M777 ultra-light howitzers in Pokhran

On March 5, 2018, officials from India and the United States were at the Pokhran firing range

(Rajasthan) to test-fire M777 ultra-light howitzers.




In May 2017, Indian Army took delivery of two M777 ultralight howitzers from BAE

Systems, US under a contract signed between Indian and US Government in 2016. It has a

modular design; due to which it can be easily towed through narrow and treacherous

mountain roads prevalent along India-China border and India-Pakistan Border in Jammu

& Kashmir

First ever multi-nation naval exercise at sea begins in Andaman

‘MILAN 2018’, a multinational naval exercise hosted by Indian Navy began on March 6, 2018 at

Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Objective behind MILAN 2018 is to expand

regional cooperation and combat unlawful activities in critical sea lanes in Indian Ocean

region.Theme of ‘MILAN 2018’ is 'Friendship Across the Seas'.

Total 28 warships including 17 from India and 11 from Australia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia,

Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand are participating in MILAN 2018

Israel, US organised "Juniper Cobra" exercise to counter missile threats

Israeli and American troops train together through "Juniper Cobra" exercise in Israel.It is aimed

to train for very complex scenarios like simultaneous attacks from enemy countries and militant

groups. Israel faces potential threat from Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Iranian

forces.Juniper Cobra comprises field training, computer simulations and live-fire drills of

sophisticated missile-defence systems.

First ever ‘crime-free zone’ along India, Bangladesh international border

On March 9, 2018, Director Generals of India’ Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guard

Bangladesh (BGB) declared an 8.3 km stretch of the Indo-Bangladesh border as a 'crime-free

zone' that covers the Gunarmath and Kalyani Border Out Posts (BOPs) in India and the

Puthkhali and Daulatpur BOPs in Bangladesh.

Russia test-fires 'ideal' hypersonic missile

On 11th March 2018, Russia announced that, it successfully launched a hypersonic missile.

i. The high-precision Kinzhal (Dagger) missile was launched from a MiG-31 supersonic

interceptor jet from an airfield in the South Military District in southwest Russia.

ii. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that, the speed of the missile is 10 times the speed of

sound. He said that, it can overcome air-defence systems.

iii. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said that, the MiG-31 supersonic jet that will

carry the missile has also been modernized.

Multilateral HADR Air Force exercise "Samvedna" begins off Kerala Coast

Multilateral Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Air Force exercise,

‘Samvedna’ began off the coast of Kerala on March 12, 2018.




i. In Hindi, Samvedna means 'Empathy'. ’Samvedna’ is being conducted by Indian Air

Force (IAF) in association with South Asian Region nations.

ii Representatives from air forces of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and the United Arab

Emirates (UAE) are participating in this exercise.

Coast Guard commissions interceptor boat C-437 at Porbandar

On March 17, 2018, Indian Coast Guard commissioned C-437, an interceptor boat at Porbandar.

The boat is 27.80 metres long, has displacement of 106 tonnes and can attain a maximum speed of

45 knots.C-437 will not only strengthen the security umbrella of the West coast but will

also help augment patrolling to prevent illicit activities such as smuggling, infiltration and

illegal fishing.

Indo-French joint naval exercise Varuna 2018 began on March 19, 2018 in Goa

On 19th March 2018, Phase I of Varuna 18, an Indo-French Naval Exercise, began in

Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) in Goa.

i. The phase I of Varuna 18 will be conducted till 24th March 2018. Second and third phases will

be conducted in April 2018 and May 2018 in Chennai and La Reunion Island respectively.

ii. Varuna 18 will be conducted in 3 sea areas: the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and South

Western Indian Ocean.

iii. First phase of Varuna 18 will be conducted in the Arabian Sea. French Submarine and

frigate Jean de Vienne and Indian Naval Ship (INS) Destroyer Mumbai, frigate Trikand

with internal helicopters participate in phase I of Varuna 18.

iv. INS Kalavari, P8-I and Dornier Maritiem Patrol Aircraft and Mig 29-K fighter aircraft also take

part in this exercise.

About Varuna:

♦ Type - bilateral maritime exercises between Indian and French navies

♦ Started – 2001

Military drill "Gulf Shield 1" begins in Saudi Arabia

Gulf Shield 1 Joint drills, organised by Saudi Arabia's Defence Ministry, started in the eastern

region of Saudi Arabia from March 18, 2018.

i. Military forces of Saudi Arabia and 23 other countries are participating in this month-long drill.

ii. Objective of this drill is to enhance coordination and cooperation, modernise joint

mechanisms and raise military readiness of participating countries.





BrahMos supersonic cruise missile successfully test-fired from Pokhran in Rajasthan

On 22nd March 2018, India successfully test fired the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile with

an indigenous 'seeker' at Rajasthan's Pokhran test range, enhancing the country's capability to

hit enemy targets at a range of up to 400 km.

It was for the first time that the missile, capable of travelling at speeds of up to Mach 3.0, or

three times the speed of sound, was tested with indigenously developed 'seeker' technology. The

seeker - developed by Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad, in collaboration with other DRDO

labs, - determines the accuracy of a missile by guiding it to the target

It was developed in a joint-venture between India and Russia.

This missile has been named after the rivers Brahmaputra of India and Moskva of Russia.

Navy warship INS Ganga decommissioned in Mumbai

INS Ganga, an indigenously built frigate of the Indian Navy, was decommissioned in Mumbai on

March 22, 2018.Commissioned on December 30, 1985, INS Ganga is a Godavari-class

guided-missile frigate of the Indian Navy.

Vice Admiral A K Bhal, who served on INS Ganga as crew member from 1989 to 1991 was the Chief

Guest for the ceremony, while Vice Admiral (Retd.) K K Kohli, the first Commanding Officer of INS

Ganga was the special Guest of Honour.

Three Minesweepers Decommissioned By Indian Navy

Three Minesweeper ships of Indian Navy, INS Konkan, INS Cannanore and INS Cuddalore,

were decommissioned in a ceremony at Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam on March 23, 2018.

i. INS Cannanore was commissioned on December 17, 1987, INS Cuddalore was commissioned on

October 29, 1987 and INS Konkan was commissioned on October 8, 1988.

ii. Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command, Vice Admiral M S Pawar was the Chief Guest on

the occasion and three retired commissioning Commanding Officers of these minesweepers were

the guests of honour.

Centre clears plans for IAF base close to Pakistan border in Gujarat

On March 21, 2018, Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by Prime Minister

Narendra Modi approved Indian Air Force (IAF) plan to set up a forward fighter base close

to Deesa in Banaskantha district of Gujarat.

i. CCS has sanctioned Rs. 1000 crore for setting up this base, which would include extending

the runway and building necessary administrative facilities.

ii. Once operational, this strategic base will plug the critical air defence gap between the

Barmer (in Rajasthan) and Bhuj air bases and will thereby enhance IAF’s ability to respond

swiftly in case of any hostilities in India’s western skies.




Sri Lanka Navy receives second India-built patrol vessel

On March 22, 2018, India has handed over a second advanced offshore patrol vessel

(AOPV) to the Sri Lankan Navy.

i. Construction work of this AOPV commenced in 2014 at the Goa Shipyard.

ii. The vessel was officially handed over to the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Navy Rear Admiral

Neil Rosayro in presence of Sri Lankan High Commissioner in India, Chithrangani Vagiswara and

Chairman and Managing Director of the Goa Shipyard Ltd. Rear Admiral (Rtd) Sheker Mithal.

Sri Lanka Navy sinks ship used by LTTE

On March 26, 2018, Sri Lankan Navy sunk a ship used by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

(LTTE) in the western seas.

The LTTE vessel, A522 named 'We Ling" was taken by Sri Lankan Navy following the conclusion

of the conflict and since then it had been anchored near the Colombo harbor under the Navy's

custody.The sunk ship will become home to a number of aquatic animals and corals. Sri Lankan

Government is also considering plans to make the location a diving/tourist destination.

U.S- India hold naval training

On March 25, 2018, Indian Navy’s Talwar class frigate INS Tarkash carried out a greeting and

training exercise with the U.S. Navy’s Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group (TRCSG).

i. As a part of this exercise, INS Tarkash sailed in formation with aircraft carrier USS Theodore

Roosevelt and the guided-missile destroyers USS Preble, USS Halsey and USS Sampson.

Russia tests new nuclear ICBM Sarmat

On March 30, 2018, Russia successfully tested its latest intercontinental ballistic missile

(ICBM) Sarmat.

i. It will replace the Soviet-era Voyevoda, which is known as "Satan" in the West which is

the world's heaviest ICBM.

ii. ICBM Sarmat weighs 200 metric tons and has a greater range than ‘Satan’.

iii. ICBM Sarmat not only carries an array of warheads capable of dodging missile defences, but

also carries a bigger number of nuclear warheads, thus making it more powerful than ‘Satan’.

Pakistan successfully test fires Submarine Launched Cruise Missile BABUR

On March 29, 2018, Pakistan successfully test fired indigenously developed Submarine

Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM) BABUR. SLCM BABUR has a strike range of 450 KMs and is

capable of delivering various types of payloads.




ENVIRONMENT New species of butterfly "Eucyclodes gavissima" discovered

A new species of Himalayan moth named “Eucyclodes gavissima” has been discovered in

Papikonda National Park, Andhra Pradesh.

The workshop was conducted by Wildlife Management of Forest Department, East Godavari River

Estuarine Ecosystem (EGREE) Foundation along with Butterfly Research Centre, Bhimtal,

Uttarakhand.

New species of water strider ‘Ptilomera nagalanda Jehamalar and Chandra’ found in

Nagaland

A new species of water strider named ‘Ptilomera nagalanda Jehamalar and Chandra’ has been

discovered in Nagaland by scientists of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI).

i. Ptilomera nagalanda Jehamalar and Chandra was discovered in Intanki river, Peren district.

ii.Ventral part of its body is pale yellowish brown in colour. It has orange with black stripes on the

dorsal side. Its legs are 11.79 mm long.

iii. This discovery has been published in the Zootaxa science journal. This discovery has

increased the number of species of water striders under the subgenus Ptilomera in India to six.

World’s last surviving Rhino ‘Sudan’ dies in Kenya

On 20th March 2018, Sudan, the last surviving northern white male rhinoceros of the world,

died after suffering age related ailments at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia national

park, Kenya.

Genetic material from Sudan was collected when he was healthy. The Ol Pejeta Conservancy has

said that, through advanced cellular technologies, the sub-species might be prevented from

extinction.

SPORTS Russia's Olympic membership restored by International Olympic Committee

i. Russia has got back its Olympic membership, following its suspension from 2018 Pyeongchang

Olympics.Russia was banned by IOC due to state-sponsored doping during the Winter Olympics

2014 in Sochi.Except two participants from Russia, remaining 168 Russians participated in the 2018

Pyeongchang Olympics as neutral participants. They participated as Olympic Athletes from Russia

(OAR). It was the third largest team and bagged 17 medals.




Japan unveils Tokyo 2020 Olympics superhero mascots

On 28th February 2018, the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games,

launched the superhero mascots for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, at the Kakezuka school in Tokyo.

i.The Olympic mascot has a futuristic blue and white chequered pattern.It is said to have a

special power that enables it to move anywhere instantly.The Paralympic mascot has a pink and

white design inspired by cherry blossoms. It is said to have special power to move things just by

looking at them.

Para-Swimmer Prasanta Karmakar suspended for three years

On 1st March 2018, para-swimmer Prasanta Karmakar was suspended for 3 years by

the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) due to allegations of recording videos of female

para-swimmers at the National Championships 2017 in Jaipur.

i. Prasanta Karmakar was the first Indian para-swimmer to participate and win a medal at the

2003 World Swimming Championships in Argentina. He had won bronze medal at the 2010

Commonwealth Games. He was India’s swimming coach for the 2016 Rio Paralympics

Vinesh Phogat settles for silver at Asian Wrestling Championships

On 1st March 2018, Vinesh Phogat won silver medal in in the women’s 50kg freestyle

event, at the Asian Wrestling Championships in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

i. India’s Vinesh Phogat was defeated 2-3 by China's Chun Lei in the finals of women's 50kg

freestyle event. She won silver medal in the women’s 50kg freestyle event.

ii. India’s Sangeeta defeated Korea’s Jieun Um in the women's 59kg freestyle event and won

a bronze medal.

iii. India’s Harpreet Singh defeated Uzbekistan's Khashimbekov 11-3 and won a bronze medal

in the 82kg Greco-Roman event.

iv. India’s Rajendra Kumar defeated Uzbekistan's Mirakhmedov and won bronze medal in the

55kg Greco-Roman event.

India won Snooker Team World Cup

On March 2, 2018, India won the inaugural IBSF Snooker Team World Cup in Doha, Qatar.

India beat Pakistan by 3-2 in the best-of-five final. In the finals, Indian duo of Pankaj

Advani and Manan Chandra staged a remarkable recovery after being 0-2 down. In the semi

finals, India won against Iran by while Pakistan had beaten Hong Kong

Shubhankar Sharma tied 2nd at WGC-Mexico Championship

21 years old Indian golfer Shubhankar Sharma secured tied second position after the

opening round of the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship at Mexico City.It is

the first WGC tournament for him.




Navjot Kaur clinches India's first gold in Asian Wrestling Championships

On 2nd March 2018, Navjot Kaur became the first Indian woman wrestler to win gold in the

Senior Asian Championships in the 65kg freestyle category in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

i. India’s Navjot Kaur defeated Japan's Miya Imai 9-1

ii. India’s Sakshi Malik defeated Kazakhstan's Ayaulym Kassymova 10-7 and won bronze

medal in the 62kg freestyle category.

Maharashtra women's team wins interstate national tennis championship 2018 in

Chhattisgarh

On 3rd March 2018, the Maharashtra women's team won the interstate national tennis

championship 2018 held in Chhattisgarh which was organised by the Chhattisgarh State

Tennis Association (CSTA) under the guidance of All India Tennis Association (AITA)

Maharashtra’s Mihika Yadav defeated Delhi’s Rishika Sunkara 6-2,7-6,(3) in the finals.

Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan becomes youngest International Cricket Captain

i. Rashid Khan is 19 years old. He took charge as captain for Afghanistan team as the previous

captain Asghar Stanikzai was down with appendicitis.

ii. Afghanistan is now playing against Scotland in first of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers in

Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

ISFF World Cup: Indian shooter Shahzar Rizvi clinches gold; Jitu Rai and Mehuli Ghosh

bag bronze

On 3rd March 2018,India’s Shahzar Rizvi shot 242.3 making a world record in the finals of the

men’s 10m air pistol and defeated Germany’s Christian Reitz (239.7) & won gold.

i. India’s Jitu Rai scored 219 in the men’s 10m air pistol event and won bronze medal.

ii. Mehuli Ghosh shot a world junior record 228.4 and won bronze medal in the women’s

10m air rifle event.

Viswanathan Anand wins Rapid event at the 11th Tal Memorial Chess

On 4th March 2018, Viswanathan Anand won the rapid event at the 11th Tal Memorial

chess in Moscow, Russia.

i. Viswanathan Anand completed the rapid event with 6 points and emerged as the

winner. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov finished second with 5 points.

ii.It was a 10-player event. It was played as a single round-robin competition. Players should make





all of their moves in 25 minutes.

Young 16 year old Manu Bhaker clinched gold, Ravi Kumar bagged bronze in ISSF World

Cup

India’s Manu Bhaker has won gold medal in the women’s 10m air pistol and Ravi Kumar

has won bronze medal in the men’s 10m air pistol in the ISSF World Cup in Guadalajara,

Mexico.

Alejandra Zavala finished at the second position with 237.1 and France’s Celine Goberville came

third with 217.0 in the women’s 10m air pistol.

India finish with three gold, two bronze in Asian Archery Cup

Indian junior archers bagged three gold and three bronze medals to finish their Asia Cup

Archery Stage 1 campaign.

i.Promila Daimary defeated Natalia Erdynieva of Russia 7-3 to win a gold in the women's recurve

individual where India also bagged bronze through Madhu Vedwan.

ii. Indian trio of Akash, Gora Ho and Gaurav Lambe defeated Mongolia's Adiyasuren

Baasankhuu, Otgonbold Baatarkhuyag and Gantugs Jantsan 27-26 in the tie-breaker to clinch the

third gold in the recurve category.

iii. India had bagged a gold in the women's compound individual section by Muskan Kirar. Muskan

also ended up pocketing a second medal in the form of bronze .

2017-18 I-League: Minerva Punjab FC crowned champions

Minerva Punjab FC beat Churchill Brothers FC 1-0 to win their maiden I-League title on

Thursday at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula.

Minerva Punjab become the first side from Punjab to win the league in 21 years.

India B lifts Deodhar Trophy 2017-18

On 8th March 2018, India B team won the Deodhar Trophy 2017-18 at the Himachal

Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh.

i. India B team defeated Karnataka team by six wickets in the final and won the Deodhar

Trophy 2017-18.

ii. Man of the Match: Ravikumar Samarth. Ravikumar Samarth of Karnataka team scored 107

runs and received the Man of the Match honour.

Australia beat England to lift Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2018 in Malaysia

On 10th March 2018, Australia won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2018 title, in Malaysia.

i. Australia defeated England 2-1.England finished in the second position.

ii. Argentina defeated Malaysia 3-2 and secured third place. Malaysia completed in the fourth

position.




iii. India defeated Ireland 4-1 and finished in the fifth position.

India top medal tally at ISSF Shooting World Cup 2018, Mexico

International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup was held in Guadalajara, Mexico

from 1st to 12th March, 2018.

India topped the medal tally at ISSF Shooting World Cup by winning four gold, one silver and

three bronze.

Shooter Category Medal

Shahzar Rizvi 10m Air Pistol Men’s Event Gold

Manu Bhaker 10m Air Pistol Women’s Event Gold

Akhil Sheoran Men's 50m Rifle 3 Position Gold

Om Prakash Mitharval & Manu Bhaker

10m Air Pistol Mixed Team Title Gold

Anjum Moudgil Women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions Silver

Jitu Rai 10m Air Pistol Men’s Event Bronze

Ravi Kumar Men’s 10m Air Rifle Event Bronze

Mehuli Ghosh & Deepak Kumar 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team Event Bronze

Bishworjit Singh, Samira Abraham clinch gold medals at National Triathlon Championship

On 11th March 2018, Bishworjit Singh and Samira Abraham won gold medals in the men's and

women's categories of the senior National triathlon championship held in Visakhapatnam,

Andhra Pradesh.

Category Name Medal Men’s Bishworjit Singh Services Sports Control Board

(SSCB) Gold

KSH Minachandra(SSCB) Silver L Mahesh(Manipur) Bronze

Women’s Samira Abraham(Goa) Gold Pragna Mohan(Gujarat) Silver Monika Nagpure(Gujarat) Bronze

Asian Champ Navjot Kaur climbs to No 2 in United World Wrestling rankings

Navjot Kaur has become world No 2 in the women's 65kg category in the latest rankings

released by the United World Wrestling held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

i.The first position in 65kg category is occupied by Petra Olli of Finland. However, Navjot

Kaur and Petra Olli both have 18 points.

Women’s 50kg category:

i. India’s, Vinesh Phogat has secured second rank in the 50kg category with 22

points. The first place in this category is bagged by Lei Chun of China with 24 points.




Other Indian women on the ranking:

i. India’s Sangeeta Phogat has secured 5th rank in the 59kg category with 18 points.

ii. India’s Sakshi Malik has bagged 4th rank in the 62kg category with 18 points.

Men's freestyle section:

i. India’s Sharvan has ranked 8th in the 61kg and Bajrang Punia has ranked 4th with 22 points in the

65kg category.

Men’s Greco-Roman category:

i. India’s Rajender Kumar has ranked number 4 in the 55kg category, Vikram Kurade has

ranked number 8 in the 63kg category.

ii. India’s Manish has ranked 8th in the 67kg category, Kuldeep Malik has ranked number 5 in the

72kg category, Harpreet Singh has ranked number 4 in the 82kg category and Naveen has ranked

8th in the 130kg category.

Odisha to host Senior National Table Tennis Championships after 12 years

Odisha will host the Senior National Table Tennis Championships after 12 long years.

i. The 80th Senior National Table Tennis Championships is expected to be held in Cuttack, Odisha.

ii. It was decided to make Odisha the host of 80th Senior National Table Tennis Championships at

the 81st AGM (Annual General Meeting) of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), conducted

recently in Gurugram.

Anindith named 'FMSCI National MotorSports Person of the Year 2017’

On 11th March 2018, Anindith Reddy was presented the 'FMSCI National MotorSports

Person of the Year 2017’ award at a function held in Chennai.

i. KD Madan, a former FMSCI president and K1000 champion, was presented the FMSCI Lifetime

Achievement Award.

Germany’s Tommy Haas retires from professional tennis

Tommy Haas of Germany, the Indian Wells Tournament Director, has announced his retirement

from professional tennis.He became world number two in May 2002.

i. He bagged silver medal in the Olympic Games in 2000. He has achieved 569 career wins. He was

made Tournament Director at Indian Wells in 2016.

Nepal gains one-day international status for the first time

On 15th March 2018, Nepal cricket team gained One-Day International (ODI) status for the

first time. After it won over Papua New Guinea by six wickets in the World Cup Qualifiers in

Zimbabwe on 15thMarch 2018.




Sanjivani Jadhav wins bronze in 14th Asian Cross Country Championship

On 15th March 2018, India's Sanjivani Jadhav won bronze medal in women's 8km cross

country race in the 14th Asian Cross Country Championship at Guiyang in China.

i. Indian women's team comprising Sanjivani, Swati Gadhave, Jhuma Khatun and Lalita

Babar also bagged a bronze medal.

FIFA lifts three-decade ban on Iraq hosting international matches

On 16th March 2018, FIFA lifted its three-decade ban on Iraq hosting international football

matches, allowing Arbil, Basra and Karbala cities to host official matches.Iraq will host a

friendly tournament between Qatar and Syria on 21st March 2018 in Basra.

i. FIFA said that, still it cannot allow matches to be held in Baghdad, capital of Iraq. But Gianni

Infantino assured that application for hosting matches in Baghdad will be studied.

KL Rahul named Wisden India Almanack's Cricketer of the Year

KL Rahul has been named the 'Cricketer of the Year' in the 6th edition of Wisden India Almanack

that has been released recently.

i. The Almanack honured India's women cricketers..

ii. Deepti Sharma, Indian woman cricketer, is one of the 'Cricketers of the Year'. Another Indian

woman cricketer Shantha Rangaswamy has been inducted into the Wisden India Hall of Fame.

iii. Priyank Panchal, Hasan Ali and Tamim Iqbal have also been named Cricketers of the Year.

Chennaiyin FC beat Bengaluru FC to lift Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 title

On 17th March 2018, Chennaiyin FC won the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18

title at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

i. Mailson Alves scored 2 goals and Raphael Augusto scored 1 goal for Chennaiyin FC team. Sunil

Chhetri and Miku scored one goal each for Bengaluru FC team.

Deepa Malik becomes Asian Rank 1 in Javelin F-53 Category

India’s Deepa Malik has secured number 1 rank in Asia in F53 Javelin category She

bagged gold medal in the F53/54 Javelin event at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai.

She has qualified for the Asian Para Games 2018 that will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia from 8th to

16th October 2018. She has received Arjuna award in 2012 and Padma Shri award in 2017.

Kevin Pietersen announces retirement from all forms of Cricket

On 17th March 2018, former England batsman Kevin Pietersen announced his retirement

from all forms of Cricket.

i. His international cricket career ended in 2014 when he was sacked by the England and Wales

Cricket Board (ECB).He played for Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore teams in the




Indian Premier League.

India clinches Nidahas Trophy 2018

On 18th March 2018, India won the Nidahas Trophy at the R Premadasa Stadium, in

Colombo, Sri Lanka.India beat Bangladesh in the finals by four wickets. Dinesh Karthik

was named Man of the Match.

Indian Wells 2018 - Complete List of Winners

On 5th to 18th March 2018, the Indian Wells Masters was held in Indian Wells, California,

United States.

i. The Indian Wells 2018 is also known as the 2018 BNP Paribas Open. The complete list of winners

is given below:

Category Winner Runner-up Men's Singles Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina) Roger Federer

(Switzerland) Women's Singles Naomi Osaka (Japan) Daria Kasatkina (Russia) Men's Doubles John Isner (United States)

Jack Sock (United States) Bob Bryan (United States) Mike Bryan (United States)

Women's Doubles Hsieh Su-wei (Chinese Taipei) Barbora Strycova (Czech Republic)

Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) Elena Vesnina (Russia)

About BNP Paribas:

♦ CEO & Director - Jean-Laurent Bonnafé

♦ Chairman - Jean Lemierre

Team USA concludes Paralympic Winter Games Pyeong Chang 2018 with most successful

performance in 16 years

On 18th March 2018, the Paralympic Winter Games Pyeong Chang 2018 in South Korea,

concluded with Team USA having its most successful performancein 16 years.

i. Team USA consisted of 74 athletes. It grabbed a total of 36 medals and topped the overall

medal count.

ii. This is Team USA’s highest medal count since 2002 when it won 43 medals.

iii. It also topped the gold medal count for the first time since 1992. It topped the overall gold

medal count and also the gold medals won on each day of the Games.

iv. Oksana Masters became the female U.S. athlete to have won the highest number of medals in

PyeongChang Olympics with five medals. Among men, Dan Cnossen won six medals and topped the

count.

v.The U.S. Nordic skiing team won 16 medals. Kendall Gretsch bagged the first-ever biathlon





Olympic or Paralympic gold medal for a U.S. athlete.

vi.The U.S. Paralympic Snowboarding Team won 13 medals. 18 military veterans on Team USA

won a total of 9 medals.

About Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018:

♦ Host city - Pyeongchang, South Korea

♦ Dates – 9 – 18 March 2018

India's Elavenil Valarivan wins gold in ISSF Junior World Cup

On 22nd March 2018, Indian shooter Elavenil Valarivan won gold medal in the junior women's 10m

air rifle event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Junior World Cup

Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun in Sydney, Australia.

i. Also, Elavenil Valarivan along with Shreya Agrawal and Zeena Khitta won the team gold

medal.

ii. Elavenil Valarivan shot 249.8 in the finals. Her 631.4 in the qualification set a new

world record.

iii. Arjun Babuta won bronze medal in men's 10m air rifle event. India's Shreya Agrawal and

Zeena Khitta finished in sixth and seventh positions respectively.

Rohtak set to host first World Series of Boxing clash

The National Boxing Academy in Rohtak, Haryana, is to host the World Series of Boxing

(WSB) clash between Indian Tigers and the Astana Arlans from Kazakhastan on

31st March 2018.

i. The World Series of Boxing clash is held in India for the first time. The Indian team's campaign is

led by Sanjeet (+91 kg). He will fight with Abikhair Turlanbekov in a clash of titans.

ii. The Astana Arlans are the World Series of Boxing (WSB) reigning champions. In the opening two

clashes, the Indian Tigers lost 1-4. They faced their first defeat against Astana Arlans and then

against the Patriot Boxing Team in Russia.

PV Sindhu to be India's flag-bearer at CWG opening ceremony

PV Sindhu has been chosen by IOA (Indian Olympic Association) as Indian contingent’s

flag-bearer at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2018 at Gold

Coast, Australia.

i. She won bronze medal in the women’s singles badminton event at the Glasgow Commonwealth

Games in 2014.

Sebastian Vettel wins F1 season’s first Grand Prix in Australia

On 25th March 2018, Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel won the 2018 Formula One Grand Prix of Australia,

in at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne, Australia.




i. Sebastian Vettel finished the race in the first position and won the 2018 Formula One Grand Prix

of Australia. Lewis Hamilton finished in the second position.

ii. Kimi Raikkonen finished in the third position. This is Sebastian Vettel’s 48th career victory.

Pankaj Advani retains his Asian Billiards Championships title

On 24th March 2018, Pankaj Advani retained his Asian Billiards Championships title by

winning over B Bhaskar 6-1 in the finals, in Yangon, Myanmar.

i. This victory makes Pankaj Advani the reigning Indian, Asian and world champion in billiards for

2017-18.This is his 11th gold medal at the Asian level. So far, he has won 7 continental billiards

titles.

ii. India's Amee Kamani bagged the Asian Women's Snooker title by defeating Thailand’s Siripaporn

Nuanthakhamjan 3-0.

India U-16 football team wins Jockey Cup International Youth Invitational Football

Tournament

On 25th March 2018, India U-16 football team won the Jockey Cup International Youth

Invitational Football Tournament in Hong Kong.

i. India U-16 team defeated Hong Kong 4-2 in the final and won the Jockey Cup International

Youth Invitational Football Tournament.

ii. Bekey Oram scored 2 goals and Rohit Danu and Lalrokima scored one goal each for the Indian

team.

Anish Bhanwala Wins India's 3rd Individual Gold in ISSF Junior World Cup

On 26th March 2018, Anish Bhanwala won gold medal in the men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol

Junior event at the ISSF Junior World Cup Rifle / Pistol / Shotgun in Sydney, Australia.

i. China’s Cheng Zhipeng scored 27 hits and won silver medal. China’s Zhang Jueming scored 23

hits and won bronze medal in the men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Junior event.

ii. China won the team gold medal and created a new Junior World Record with 1733 points. India’s

Anish Bhanwala, Anhad Jawanda and Adarsh Singh won silver medal.

iii. Another Indian team comprising Sandhu, Japtyesh Singh Jaspal and Mandeep Singh won bronze

medal.

Hockey Punjab wins 8th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2018 (A

Division)

On 25th March 2018, Hockey Punjab won the 8th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship

2018 (A Division) at the Padma Shri Mohammad Shahid Synthetic Hockey Stadium in Lucknow,

Uttar Pradesh.Hockey Punjab defeated Petroleum Sports Promotion Board 2-1 in the

finals and won the




8th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2018 (A Division).

Steve Smith, David Warner hit with 12-month ban

On 28th March 2018, Steve Smith and David Warner were banned from playing for

Australia by Cricket Australia after the ball-tampering scandal during the Cape Town Test

against South Africa.

i.It was found out that sandpaper was used in an attempt to rough up the ball. Opener Cameron

Bancroft has been given a nine-month ban for executing the plan in the third South Africa

Test.

ii Steve Smith has been banned from captaining the Australian national team for two years. It is

said that, David Warner, former vice-captain, will never be considered for any leadership position in

the future.

17th Sub-junior National Wushu Championship begins in Jammu

On 29th March 2018, 17th Sub-junior National Wushu Championship started in Jammu.

i.17th Sub-junior National Wushu Championship is conducted for 4 days. It is organised by the

the Wushu Association of India jointly with J&K State Sports Council at MA Stadium.

ii The championship was inaugurated by J&K Youth Services and Sports Minister Imran

Raza Ansari at a ceremony at Police auditorium, Jammu.

Muskan Bhanwala wins women’s 25m pistol event bagging India’s fourth individual gold

at ISSF Junior World Cup

i. Women’s 25m Pistol event: Muskan Bhanwala is 16 years old. She scored 35 hits and won

gold medal in the Women’s 25m Pistol event. This is India’s fourth individual gold medal at the

ISSF Junior World Cup.

ii. China's Sihang Qin scored 34 hits and bagged the silver medal. Thailand’s Kanyakorn

Hirunphoem scored 26 hits and won bronze medal. Another Indian shooter Manu Bhaker finished in

the fourth position with 18 hits.

iii. Team Gold: The team gold was won by India’s Manu Bhaker, Muskan Bhanwala and Devanshi

Rana.

iv. Team Silver: Team Silver was won by India’s Arunima Gaur, Mahima Turhi Agrawal and Tanu

Rawal.

v. Team Bronze: Team bronze was won by Thailand’s Kanyakorn Hirunphoem, Viramon Kidarn

and Luxciga Srinitivoravong.

Darren Lehmann announces his resignation as Australia’s cricket coach

On 29th March 2018, Darren Lehmann announced that he has resigned as head coach of Australian




senior national cricket team.He said that he will step down from his position after the fourth and

final Test match in South Africa.

Zimbabwe Cricket sacks skipper Graeme Cremer, all coaching staff

On 30th March 2018, Zimbabwe Cricket sacked its entire coaching staff and removed Graeme

Cremer as captain after their failure to qualify for the 2019 World Cup.

i. It is said that, Brendan Taylor would be made the captain of Zimbabwe team. Zimbabwe

Cricket had given time for the head coach and his technical staff to resign or else it said that, they

would be considered dismissed at the end of the stipulated time.

ii. Head coach Heath Streak, batting coach Lance Klusener, bowling coach Douglas Hondo, fielding

coach Walter Chawaguta, fitness coach Sean Bell and team analyst Stanley Chioza , all other

coaching staff, Zimbabwe A coach Wayne James and Under-19 coach Stephen Mangongo, all have

been fired.

About Zimbabwe Cricket:

♦ MD - Faisal Hasnain

♦ Purpose – administers the Zimbabwe cricket team

Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) appoints Irfan Pathan as coach-cum-

mentor

On 30th March 2018, Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) appointed Irfan

Pathan as the coach-cum-mentor of its senior stateside for the 2018-19 season. JKCA CEO

Aashiq Bukhari said that, Irfan Pathan will be the coach-cum-mentor of their team for one year.

OBITUARY

Noted Odia Bhajan Singer Arabinda Muduli passes away

On 1st March 2018, Arabinda Muduli, Odia Bhajan singer, died following a cardiac arrest in

Bhubaneswar.He was a musician, singer and lyricist. He sang devotional songs. His popular

bhajans are Kala Saante Acha Kemante and Jaga Pain Niti Mali Phula

Tripura Fisheries Minister Khagendra Jamatia passes away

On 2nd March 2018, Khagendra Jamatia, Tripura Fisheries and Cooperation minister, passed

away after being diagnosed with blood cancer recently, at a hospital in New Delhi.

i. Khagendra Jamatia was 64 years old. He was CPM candidate from the Krishnapur constituency in

the assembly election held on 18th February 2018.

ii. He joined CPM in 1983. He served as a party MLA for six continuous terms. He was also a

minister for two terms.




Former HUL Chairman T Thomas passes away

On 2nd March 2018, 90 years old T Thomas, former Hindustan Unilever (HUL) from 1973 to

1980 and Business Standard chairman, passed away at the Breach Candy Hospital in

Mumbai..ii. He was also a visiting scholar at Sloan School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,

USA. He was also non-executive chairman of companies like Glaxo and Lafarge.

About Hindustan Unilever (HUL):

♦ CEO & MD - Mr Sanjiv Mehta

♦ Chairman - Mr Harish Manwani

Literateur Prafulla Das passes away

On 3rd March 2018, literateur Prafulla Das died at his home at Rajkanika in Kendrapara

district, Odisha.

i. Prafulla Das was 91 years old. He was honoured with the Sarala Award in 2014.

ii. He had written numerous books on India's freedom struggle and the role of Odisha in it.

iii. His important works are 'Kalapanira Angisikha', 'Agnujugar Aahwan', 'Bharatara Sasastra Mukti

Sangram', 'Sahid Basu Bisnini', 'Kanika Prajaandolan Itihas', 'Netaji Aao feri Nahanti', 'Fashi

Manchare Biplabi' etc.

Italian footballer Davide Astori dies aged 31

On 4th March 2018, Davide Astori, an Italian footballer, passed away due to a sudden illness,

is room at the La di Moret hotel in Udine, Italy.

i. Davide Astori was 31 years old. He was captain and defender of the Fiorentina team.

ii. He joined Fiorentina team in 2016. Earlier he had played for Cagliari team.

iii. The game that Fiorentina team was scheduled to play on 4th March 2018 was cancelled due to

Davide Astori’s sudden demise.

Noted Disability rights activist Javed Abidi passes away

On 4th March 2018, Javed Abidi, a disability rights activist, died due to chest infection.

i. Javed Abidi was 53 years old. He was the Director of the National Centre for Promotion of

Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP).

ii. He also held the position of Global Chair of Disabled People International (DPI).

iii. He was born in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. He had worked for the welfare for disabled people. He

had lead protests that urged the passing of the Persons with Disabilities Act in 1992.





Odia actor Sarat Mohanty passes away

On 3rd March 2018, Sarat Mohanty died following a long term illness, at a hospital in

Odisha.He was 88 years old.

He had also acted in various TV serials. His popular works are: Laxmi, Amadabata, Kaa, Stree, Puja

Phula, Bhulihuena, Malhajanha, etc.

Former Kerala high court judge D Sreedevi passes away

On 5th March 2018, Justice D Sreedevi, former judge of the Kerala high court, died while she

was undergoing treatment for some ailment in Kaloor, Kerala. She was a social activist.

i.From 1997 to 2001 she was high court judge in Kerala. She was appointed the chairperson of the

Kerala Women’s Commission in 2001 and 2007.

ii.She had penned down an autobiography named ‘Aa Niyogathaal’.

Veteran Bollywood actress Shammi passes away at 89

On 6th March 2018, Bollywood actress Shammi died after suffering a long-term illness.

She has acted in more than 200 movies. She has also performed in TV shows. Some of her popular

movies are: ‘Coolie No 1’, ‘Hum’, ‘Gopi Kishan’, ‘Hum Saath-Saath Hain’.

Ex Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association Chairman M K Bhargav Dead

On 6th March 2018, M K Bhargav, former chairman of Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association

(MPCA), passed away due to a long term illness in Indore,Madhya Pradesh.

He had also worked with the umpiring panel of the Board of Cricket Control of India (BCCI).

Veteran broadcaster Shivaji Dasgupta dead

Shivaji Dasgupta, a doyen of Indian broadcasting, breathed his last recently in the city after

prolonged illness.A chartered accountant by profession, Dasgupta retired from Numaligarh Refinery

Ltd as General Manager (Finance).

He became the first Indian commentator to cover a football match. In 2012, East Bengal Club

honoured him with the Lifetime Achievement Award in broadcasting on the occasion of their

Foundation Day on August 1.

Badminton: South Korea's 2012 bronze medallist Chung dies aged 35

South Korean badminton player Chung Jae-sung, who won bronze in the men's doubles at the

London Olympics, has died at the age of 35, the Korea Badminton Association.

Yonhap News quoted local police as saying Chung had been diagnosed with arrhythmia three years

ago and that he had complained of chest pains at times.

Pyarelal Wadali, one of the singers of Sufi set Wadali Brothers, dies in Amritsar

Pyarelal Wadali, who was the younger brother of Puran Chand Wadali of the Wadali Brothers




The Wadali Brothers comprising Puranchand Wadali and Pyarelal Wadali had carved a distinct

mark for themselves in the genre of Sufi music. According to local reports, Pyarelal Wadali suffered

from a cardiac arrest.

Sir John Sulston, pioneering genome scientist, dies aged 75

UK’s pioneering geneticist Sir John Sulston has died.He was professor and chairman of the

Institute of Science, Ethics and Innovation at the University of Manchester.

i. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine or physiology in 2002, for work aiding the

understanding of how genes control cell division and cell death in organisms.

ii. Sir John founded the Sanger Institute - then called the Sanger Centre - at Hinxton, near

Cambridge.

Senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra minister Patangrao Kadam passes away

Maharashtra senior Congress leader Patangrao Kadam passed away in Lilavati hospital in Mumbai.

i. Patangrao was a powerful leader in Maharashtra politics and was known as a staunch

Congressman. His son Vishwajeet Kadam is a leader of the Youth Congress wing.

ii. He founded the Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, an educational empire and also set up

cooperative ginning mills and sugar mills in western Maharashtra. He was also served as chairman

of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC).

Journalist Ranjan Roy dies at 57

On 10th March 2018, Ranjan Roy, a senior journalist, died after suffering from cancer, in

New Delhi.. He was the chief of Times News Network (TNN). He was also a member of

TNN’s national editorial board.In 1982, he started his career with Press Trust of India (PTI) in

New Delhi as a trainee.

Legendary comedian Ken Dodd passes away

On 11th March 2018, comedian Ken Dodd died after suffering from chest infection, at his

residence in the Liverpool suburb of Knotty Ash, England.He was well known for his very

long stand-up shows.His popular works are "Happiness" and "Tears". He had recently

returned from hospital after receiving treatment for chest infection and had married Anne Jones.

Former Uttar Pradesh minister Begum Hamida Habibullah passes away at 102

On 13th March 2018, Begum Hamida Habibullah, former Uttar Pradesh minister, died due

to a long term illness at her home in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. She was a former Rajya Sabha

member.

i. She entered politics and joined the Congress party around 1965. She became an MLA from

Haidergarh.




ii. She was made the state minister of social and Harijan welfare, national integration and civil

defence from 1971 to 1973. She was tourism minister from 1971 to 1974.

Ch Kamalamma, the veteran Communist leader passes away

On 11th March 2018, Ch Kamalamma, a Communist leader, passed away after suffering

from old age-related ailments, at a private hospital in Telangana.She hailed from Warangal,

in Telangana.

She was also a freedom fighter. She was a part of the post-Independence armed struggle to fight

against the rule Nizams of Hyderabad.

About Communist Party of India (CPI):



British scientist Stephen Hawking passes away at 76

On 14th March 2018, renowned British Scientist Stephen Hawking passed away at his

residence in Cambridge, ‎England. He was well known for his work on black holes and relativity.

He had also written several science books such as A Brief History of Time. He was diagnosed with a

rare form of motor neurone disease when he was 22 years old.

Delhi’s first Commissioner of Police Jayendra Nath Chaturvedi passes away

On 12th March 2018, Jayendra Nath Chaturvedi, first Commissioner of Delhi Police and

former Director General of Uttar Pradesh Police, died in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

i. Jayendra Nath Chaturvedi is a 1951 batch officer. He served as Chairman of the Uttar Pradesh

Public Service Commission (UPPSC).

ii. He was the first Commissioner of Police in Delhi during the 1978 to 1980 period.

Actor Narendra Jha passed away

On 14th March 2018, Bollywood actor Narendra Jha died due to a massive heart attack at

his farmhouse in Maharashtra.He was born in Madhubani, Bihar.

Some of his popular works are: Haider, Kaabil, Mohenjo Daro, Ghayal Once Again, Raees, etc.

Lebanese author, feminist Emily Nasrallah dies at age 87

On 13th March 2018, Lebanese author and feminist Emily Nasrallah, passed away after

battling cancer, in Beirut, Lebanon. She started her career as a journalist. She published her first

book “Birds of September” in 1962.

Malayalam writer M Sukumaran passes away

On 16th March 2018, M Sukumaran, a renowned Malayalam writer, died after suffering from




heart related ailments, at the Sri Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences in

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He had received the Kendra Sahitiya Akademi and Keral Sahitiya

awards.

His popular short stories are: Sangaganam, Unarthupattu, Pithrutharpan and Sheshakriya.

Veteran Hindi poet Kedarnath Singh passes away

On 19th March 2018, Kedarnath Singh, a popular Hindi poet passed away, after being ill for some

time, in New Delhi.

i.He is a former professor and chairperson at the Department of Hindi Language at the Centre for

Indian Languages at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

ii. He had received the Jnanapeeth award in 2013. In 1989 he received the Sahitya Akademi

award.

Senior Journalist Sunil Sharma passes away

On 20th March 2018, Sunil Sharma, a senior journalist, died due to heart attack in Shimla,

Himachal Pradesh.He is survived by his wife and daughter. He was working as the bureau chief of

'Divya Himachal', a Hindi newspaper.

Social activist C R Chandradath passes away

On 20th March 2018, C R Chandradath, a social activist, passed away at a private hospital in

Kochi, Kerala. He was the director of Centre of Science and Technology for Rural Development

(COSTFORD) in Thrissur.

Journalist, Pulitzer Prize winner Les Payne dies

On 19th March 2018, journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner Les Payne passed away at his

residence in Harlem, United States. In 1969, he joined Newsday newspaper as a journalist.

i.He was on the team of reporters who won Pulitzer Prize for public service in 1974. He worked as a

teacher at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

ii. He was also a founding member and former president of the National Association of Black

Journalists.

Veteran Journalist Ghulam Muhammad Mustafa Passed Away

On 18th March 2018, journalist Ghulam Muhammad Mustafa died at a hospital in Gurgaon,

Haryana.

i.He is a retired Indian Information Service officer of the 1969 batch. He started his career with the

Press Information Bureau (PIB).

ii. Later he was elevated as Additional Information Director at PIB. He also worked as a News Editor

at All India Radio and Doordarshan. He retired from service in 2005.




South Korean pop star Seo Minwoo passes away

On 25th March 2018, South Korean pop singer Seo Minwoo, died due to cardiac arrest at

his residence in Gangnam, Seoul, South Korea.

i. Seo Minwoo was a lead singer of the 100% band.He had also acted in TV shows and movies.

ii. The 100% band debuted in 2012. Some of their popular songs are “Bad Boy,” "Want U Back,"

“Better Days,” and "Sketch U."

Veteran journalist V. Sriharsha passes away

On 27th March 2018, V. Sriharsha, a reputed journalist, died due to cardiac arrest, in New

Delhi. He worked as a media consultant with the GMR Group after he had retired as Bureau Chief

of ETV (Delhi).Earlier, he had worked with The Indian Express, Pioneer and Deccan Chronicle.

Former Manipur chief minister R K Dorendra Singh passes away at 83

On 30th March 2018, former Manipur Chief Minister R K Dorendra Singh died at the

Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital in Imphal, Manipur.

He was the chief minister of Manipur four times between 1974 and 1993.Earlier, he was the

Speaker of Manipur Assembly

BOOKS & AUTHORS

“Namaste Shalom”, a magazine on India-Israel relations launched

On 2nd March 2018, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of

North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy

and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh, launched the social media of “Namaste Shalom”, a

magazine on India-Israel relations.

The magazine ‘Namaste Shalom’ is edited by Tarun Vijay, former MP. Mr. Daniel Carmon,

Israeli Ambassador to India, and other officials were also present on the occasion.

Sri Lanka Cricket releases 'A Tribute to Jagu' book on Jagmohan Dalmiya

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has released the book named ‘A Tribute to Jagu’ as a tribute to

former BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya.

i. They honoured him posthumously as the greatest non-Sri Lankan contributor to Sri Lankan

cricket.

ii. Avishek, son of Jagmohan Dalmiya, who is the joint secretary of the Cricket Association of





Bengal (CAB) received the book.

Himachal CM launches 'Mahila Suraksha' handbook on women safety

On 14th March 2018, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur released 'Mahila

Suraksha', a handbook on women’s safety.The handbook has been brought out by the Shimla

administration. It also has important telephone and helpline numbers.

Indian Army Releases Book on Paramveer Chakra Awardees: ‘Paramveer Parwane’

On 20th March 2018, General Bipin Rawat, Chief of the Army Staff, released a book on

Paramveer Chakra Awardees named ‘Paramveer Parwane’. Paramveer Parwane is a book on

the bravery of Paramveer Chakra Awardees from 1947 to 1965. It has been authored by Dr

Prabhakiran Jain.It is published by Medha Books.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Rare Disease Day Conference 2018 organised in New Delhi

On 28th February 2018, JP Nadda, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare

inaugurated the World Rare Disease Day Conference 2018 in New Delhi.

i.World Rare Disease Day was first introduced by EURORDIS and its council of National

Alliances in 2008.

ii. The theme for World Rare Disease Day 2018 is Research.

iii. J P Nadda said that, the Indian government has developed a national policy for "rare diseases".

About European Organisation for Rare Diseases (EURORDIS):

♦ Non-profit alliance of over 700 rare disease patient organisations

♦ President - Terkel Andersen

Zero Discrimination Day - March 1.

i. The first Zero Discrimination Day was celebrated on 1st March 2014. UNAIDS launched the Zero

Discrimination Campaign in December 2013 on World AIDS Day.

ii. Zero Discrimination Day 2018 campaign says people to ask themselves: “What if …” and

assess their own actions.

World Wild Life Day - March 3

i. On 20th December 2013, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) announced 3 March, as

UN World Wildlife Day, to mark the date on which the Convention on International Trade in

Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was signed.




ii.The theme for World Wildlife Day 2018 is: “Big cats: predators under threat".

International Women's Day(IWD) - March 8, 2018

International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8 every year.It commemorates the

movement for women's rights.March 8 was suggested by the 1910 International Socialist Woman's

Conference to become an "International Woman's Day."

The theme for International Women's Day 2018 was chosen as - 'Time is Now: Rural and

urban activists transforming women’s lives'.

NITI Aayog launches Women Entrepreneurship Platform on International Women’s Day:-

During the International Women’s Day, NITI Aayog launched the Women Entrepreneurship Platform

(WEP) to building an ecosystem for women across IndiaThe WEP theme song “Naari

Shakti” composed and sung by Singer Kailash Kher was released on this occasion.

Justice Gita Mittal to be conferred 'Nari Shakti' award:-

Delhi High Court Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal becomes the first woman from the field of law

and justice to be conferred the 'Nari Shakti Puraskar', India's highest civilian honour for women.

Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurates DoPT Workshop on International Women’s Day:-

• The day long Workshop was organised by DoPT on the theme of “Women Empowerment,

Opportunities and Challenges.”

• Ms NL Beno Zephine, first 100% visually challenged person to be in Indian Foreign Service,

was the Chief Guest on the occasion.

World Kidney Day - March 8 2018

World Kidney Day is celebrated annually throughout the world on the second Thursday of

March. This year it met with the International Women's Day and falls on March 8.

The objective of the day is to not just spread awareness about kidney diseases and its cure, but

also spread how kidney diseases can be prevented.The theme is "Kidneys And Women's Health:

Include, Value, Empower".

NCRB celebrates its 33rd Inception Day & releases “Citizen Services” Mobile App

On 11th March 2018, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) celebrated its 33rd Inception

Day at Mahipalpur, New Delhi.

i.Rajiv Jain, Director of Intelligence Bureau (IB) was the Chief Guest of the event. He

launched a Mobile App called “Citizen Services”.

ii. Citizens can use this app for Complaint Registration & Status Check, View FIR Detail, SOS – Stay

Safe, Locate Police Stations, Vahan-Samanvay, Emergency Contact List, Police Stations Telephone

Directory etc.

Less Traffic Day observed in Bengaluru

On 11th March 2018, Less Traffic Day was observed in Bengaluru. Less Traffic Day was




observed in Bengaluru for the second time on 11th March 2018. The first Less Traffic Day was

observed on 11thFebruary 2018.This has been initiated to reduce air pollution and traffic

congestion.

World Consumer Rights Day - March 15

On 15th March 2018, World Consumer Rights Day was observed all over the world to create

awareness about consumer rights. It was inspired by President John F Kennedy. He sent a special

message on issues of consumer rights to the US Congress on 15th March 1962. The first World

Consumer Rights Day was celebrated in 1983.Theme: “Making Digital Marketplaces Fairer.

World Sleep Day - March 16

On 16th March 2018, World Sleep Day was observed all over the world.World Sleep Day is an

annual event organized by the World Sleep Day Committee of World Sleep Society.

Theme for World Sleep Day 2018: Join the Sleep World, Preserve Your Rhythms to Enjoy Life.

About World Sleep Society:

♦ President - Charles Morin

♦ Secretary - Yuichi Inoue

Global Recycling Day - March 18

On 18th March 2018, Global Recycling Day was celebrated all over the world.It is launched by the

Bureau of International Recycling (BIR). It also coincides with the 70th anniversary of

BIR.Its aim is to create awareness on the importance of recycling.It insists to consider recyclables

as “resource – not waste.” Recyclables have become world’s Seventh Resource apart from the six

major natural resources: water, air, coal, oil, natural gas and minerals.

International Day of Happiness - March 20

On 20th March 2018, International Day of Happiness was celebrated all over the world.

i. The United Nations has celebrated the International Day of Happiness since 2013. This day

stresses the importance of happiness in the lives of people.

ii. Theme for International Day of Happiness 2018: “Share Happiness”. This year the focus is

on the importance of relationships, kindness and helping each other.

World Sparrow Day - March 20

On 20th March 2018, World Sparrow Day was celebrated all over the world.It was started in

collaboration with the Eco-Sys Action Foundation (France) and several other national and

international organisations.It aims to create awareness on conservation of sparrows and to fight

against extinction of birds.Theme is I love Sparrows. The first World Sparrow Day was celebrated

on 2010.




About Nature Forever Society of India:

♦ Founder - Mohammed Dilawar

♦ Purpose - conservation of house sparrows and other common flora and fauna

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination - March 21

On 21st March 2018, International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination was observed all

over the world.It commemorates the Sharpeville massacre in which 69 people where inhumanly

killed for peacefully demonstrating against apartheid in South Africa on 21st March 1960.Theme is

Promoting tolerance, inclusion, unity and respect for diversity in the context of

combating racial discrimination.

World Poetry Day - March 21

On 21st March 2018, World Poetry Day was celebrated all over the world.It celebrates poetry, which

is considered one of humanity’s most precious forms of cultural expression and identity.UNESCO

adopted 21 March as World Poetry Day in 1999. It was adopted with an aim to support linguistic

diversity and protect endangered languages.

International Day of Forests - March 21

On 21st March 2018, International Day of Forests was observed all over the world.his day acts as a

platform to create awareness on the importance of all types of woodlands and treesTheme for

International Day of Forests 2018: Forests and Sustainable Cities.

About Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE):

♦ Director General - Dr. S. C. Gairola

♦ Formed - 1986

World Down syndrome Day (WDSD) - March 21

On 21st March 2018, World Down syndrome Day (WDSD) was observed all over the world.

i. Down syndrome: It is a naturally occurring chromosomal arrangement that generally results in

various effects on learning styles, physical characteristics or health.

ii. When and Why: The UN General Assembly declared 21 March as World Down Syndrome Day in

2011. This day aims to create awareness on Down syndrome among the public.

iii. The focus for World Down syndrome Day 2018 is: #WhatIBringToMyCommunity - how

people with Down syndrome can contribute in schools, workplaces, community, public and political

life, culture, media, recreation, leisure and sport.

World Water Day - March 22

On 22nd March 2018, World Water Day was celebrated all over the world to focus on the importance

of freshwater and supporting for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.The first




World Water Day was celebrated in 1993. World Water Day is coordinated by UN-Water.

Theme for World Water Day 2018: Nature for Water. This year World Water Day will focus on

how to use nature to deal with the water challenges of current age.

Bihar celebrates 106th foundation day

On 22nd March 2018, celebrations for the 106th foundation day of Bihar began at three locations:

Gandhi Maidan, S K Memorial Hall and Rabindra Bhawan in Patna, Bihar.

i. Theme of 106th foundation day of Bihar is: “Centenary of Champaran Satyagraha and

Elimination of Dowry and Child Marriage”.The celebrations will be held till 24th March 2018.

ii. Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu released the following books: ‘Ek Tha Mohan’, ‘Bapu Ki

Chiththi’, ‘Champaran Ki Kahani’ and ‘Neel Ke Dhabbe’.

iii. The first Bihar Diwas was celebrated in 2012. Bihar separated from undivided Bengal in 1912 as

an independent state.

Punjab Government observes martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru as

'Youth Empowerment Day

The Punjab Government observed 23 March, the martyrdom day of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh,

Shaheed Sukhdev and Shaheed Rajguru as 'Youth Empowerment Day'.

i. On 23rd March 2018, to mark this occasion, a state level programme to administer oath

to Drug Abuse Prevention Officers (DAPOs) was launched by Punjab Chief Minister

Captain Amarinder Singh.

ii. The DAPO (Drug Abuse Prevention Officer) initiative has been launched to involve government

employees and people of Punjab in the battle against drugs.

iii. Amarinder Singh paid tributes to Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev. The state level function

was held at Khatkar Kalan village.

World TB Day - March 24

On 24th March 2018, the World TB Day was observed all over the world.This day aims to create

public awareness on the health, social and economic consequences of tuberculosis (TB). It works on

increasing the efforts to end TB.The theme for World TB Day 2018 is: "Wanted: Leaders for a

TB-free world".

About Indian Medical Association (IMA):


♦ National President - Dr. Ravi Wankhedkar





World Meteorological Day - March 23

On 23rd March 2018, World Meteorological Day was celebrated all over the world.This day is

celebrated to commemorate the formation of World Meteorological Organisation, which was

founded on 23 March 1950.The theme for World Meteorological Day 2018 is: "Weather-

Ready, Climate-Smart."

International Day of Solidarity with detained and missing staff members - March 25

On 25th March 2018, International Day of Solidarity with detained and missing staff members was

observed all over the world.This day aims to initiate action, demand justice and highlight the

importance to protect UN staff and peacekeepers, also people who work for non-governmental

community and the press.

International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave

Trade - March 25

On 25th March 2018, International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the

Transatlantic Slave Trade was observed all over the world.The theme for International Day of

Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade 2018 is: “Remember

Slavery: Triumphs and Struggles for Freedom and Equality”.

World Theater Day - March 27

i. The World Theater Day is celebrated on 27th March every year by ITI (International Theatre

Institute) Centres, ITI Cooperating Members, theatre professionals, theatre organizations, theatre

universities, etc. all over the world

ii. The World Theater Day is celebrated since 1962. On the 27th March 1962 "Theatre of Nations"

season was opened in Paris.

About International Theatre Institute (ITI):

♦ Headquarters – Shanghai, China

♦ President - Mohamed Saif Al-Afkham

STATIC INFORMATIONS FROM CURRENT AFFAIRS Quick Static details of Indian states

About Lakshadweep:

♦ Capital – Kavaratti

♦ Administrator - Farooq Khan

Quick Facts about Tripura:

♦ Capital – Agartala




♦ Current Governor – Tathagata Roy

♦ Important National Park – Rajbari National Park

Quick Facts about Meghalaya:

♦ Capital – Shillong

♦ Current Governor – Ganga Prasad

♦ Important National Park – Nokrek National Park

Quick Facts about Nagaland:

♦ Capital – Kohima

♦ Current Governor – Padmanabha Acharya

♦ Important National Park – Ntangki National Park

Quick Facts about Karnataka:

♦ Capital – Bengaluru

♦ Current Chief Minister – Siddaramaiah

♦ Current Governor – Vajubhai Vala

♦ Important National Parks – Bandipur National Park, Bannerghatta National Park

Quick Facts about Odisha:

♦ Capital – Bhubaneswar

♦ Current Governor – S.C. Jamir

♦ Current Chief Minister – Naveen Patnaik

♦ Important National Park – Bhitarkanika National Park

Quick Facts about Himachal Pradesh:

♦ Capital – Shimla, Dharamshala (second capital, in winter)

♦ Current Governor – Acharya Dev Vrat

♦ Current Chief Minister – Jai Ram Thakur

♦ Important National Park – Pin Valley National Park, Khirganga National Park

Quick Facts about Punjab:

♦ Capital – Chandigarh

♦ Current Chief Minister – Amarinder Singh

♦ Current Governor – V P Singh Badnore

♦ Important River – Sutlej




Quick Facts about Maharashtra:

♦ Capital – Mumbai

♦ Current Chief Minister – Devendra Fadnavis

♦ Current Governor – Chennamaneni Vidyasagar Rao

♦ Important National Park – Sanjay Gandhi National Park

Quick Facts about Jharkhand:

♦ Capital – Ranchi

♦ Current Governor – Draupadi Murmu

♦ Current Chief Minister – Raghubar Das

♦ Important Wildlife Sanctuary – Hazaribag Wildlife Sanctuary

Quick Facts about Assam:

♦ Capital – Dispur

♦ Current Governor – Jagdish Mukhi

♦ Current Chief Minister – Sarbananda Sonowal

♦ Important National Park – Manas National Park

Quick Facts about Goa:

♦ Capital – Panaji

♦ Current Chief Minister – Manohar Parrikar

♦ Current Governor – Mridula Sinha

♦ Important River – Mondovi

Quick Facts about Jammu & Kashmir:

♦ Capital – Srinagar (Summer), Jammu (Winter)

♦ Current Governor – Narinder Nath Vohra

♦ Current Chief Minister – Mehbooba Mufti

♦ Important National Park – Dachigam National Park

Quick Facts about Gujarat:

♦ Capital – Gandhinagar

♦ Current Governor – Om Prakash Kohli

♦ Current Chief Minister – Vijay Rupani

♦ Important National Park – Gir National Park

Quick Facts about Uttarakhand:

♦ Capital – Dehradun




♦ Current Chief Minister – Trivendra Singh Rawat

♦ Current Governor – Krishan Kant Paul

♦ Important National Park – Jim Corbett National Park

Quick Static details of Banks

Quick Facts about HDFC Bank:


♦ Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra

♦ Current MD – Aditya Puri

♦ Tagline – ‘We Undertand Your World’

Quick Facts about Reserve Bank of India (RBI):

♦ Commenced Operations on: 1st April 1935

♦ Headquarters: Mumbai

♦ Current Governor: Mr. Urjit Patel

About Citibank:

♦ Headquarters – New York City

♦ CEO - Michael Corbat

♦ Country treasurer for India - Badri Nivas

About ICICI Bank Limited:


♦ MD & CEO - Mrs. Chanda Kochhar

About Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB):

♦ Chairman - S Ravindran

♦ Head Office – Dharwad, Karnataka

About Punjab National Bank (PNB):

♦ MD & CEO - Sunil Mehta


Quick Facts about Goldman Sachs:


♦ Headquarters – New York, US

About DCB Bank:

♦ Headquarters - Mumbai

♦ MD & CEO - Murali M. Natrajan





Quick Facts about Federal Bank:


♦ Headquarters – Kochi, Kerala

♦ Current MD & CEO – Shyam Srinivasan

Quick Facts about State Bank of India (SBI):

♦ Renamed in – 1955


♦ Current Chairman – Rajnish Kumar

Quick Facts about ICICI Bank:



♦ Current MD & CEO – Chanda Kochhar

♦ Tagline – ‘hum hai na’, ‘khayaal aapka’

Quick Facts about People’s Bank of China:


♦ Headquarters – Beijing, China

About Jana Small Finance Bank:

♦ MD & CEO - Mr. Ajay Kanwal

♦ Headquarters – Bengaluru

Quick Facts about Lakshmi Vilas Bank:


♦ Headquarters – Chennai, Tamil Nadu

♦ Current MD & CEO – Parthasarthi Mukherjee

♦ Tagline – The Changing Face of Prosperity

Quick Facts about IndusInd Bank:



♦ Current CEO – Ramesh Sobti

Quick Facts about UCO Bank:


♦ Headquarters – Kolkata, West Bengal

♦ Current CMD – Ravi Krishan Takkar

♦ Tagline – Honours Your Trust

Quick Facts about Allahabad Bank:


♦ Headquarters – Kolkata, West Bengal

♦ Current MD & CEO – Usha Ananthasubramanian

♦ Tagline – ‘A Tradition of Trust’




Quick Facts about Fino Payments Bank:

♦ Incorporated on – April 4, 2017

♦ Registered Office – Mumbai, Maharashtra

♦ Current CEO – Rishi Gupta

Quick Facts about Kotak Mahindra Bank:



♦ Current MD – Uday Kotak

♦ Tagline – Let’s Make Money Simple

Quick Facts about Karnataka Bank:


♦ Headquarters – Mangaluru, Karnataka

♦ Current MD & CEO – Mahabaleshwara M. S

♦ Tagline – Your Family Bank, Across India

Stadiums

Some stadiums in Telangana:

♦ Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium – Hyderabad

♦ Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium - Hyderabad

Some important stadiums in India:

♦ Moti Bagh Stadium Cricket – Baroda, Gujarat

♦ IPCL Sports Complex Ground – Baroda, Gujarat

♦ Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground – Rajkot, Gujarat

Some stadiums in Odisha:

♦ Ispat Stadium – Rourkela

♦ Barabati Stadium – Cuttack

♦ Angul Stadium – Angul

Some important stadiums in Kerala:

♦ Fort Maidan – Palakkad

♦ Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium – Kollam

♦ EMS Stadium - Kozhikode

Some stadiums in Maharashtra:

♦ Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium

♦ Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Stadium

♦ Rajendrasinhji Stadium

Some important stadiums in India:

♦ Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium – Delhi




♦ Eden Gardens – Kolkata

♦ M.Chinnaswamy Stadium - Bengaluru

Some cricket stadiums in India:

♦ Mahabir Stadium – Hisar, Haryana

♦ Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium – Ranchi, Jharkhand

♦ Visvesvaraya Stadium – Mandya, Karnataka

♦ Fatorda Stadium – Margao, Goa

♦ Moti Bagh Stadium – Baroda, Gujarat

♦ Tau Devi Lal Stadium – Gurgaon, Haryana

Dams Some important dams in India:

♦ Warna Dam – Varna River

♦ Bhatsa Dam - Bhatsa and Chorna River

♦ Pillur Dam – Bhavani River

Some dams in Tamil Nadu:

♦ Amaravathi Dam - Amaravathi River

♦ Vaigai Dam - Vaigai River

♦ Mettur Dam – Cauvery River

Some important dams in India:

♦ Indira Sagar Dam – Narmada River

♦ Koyna Dam – Koyna River

♦ Supa Dam – Kali Nadi River

Some dams of Uttar Pradesh:

Rihand Dam - Rihand River

Dhurwara Dam - Betwa River

Dhanraul Dam - Ghaghar River

Some dams in Madhya Pradesh:

♦ Gandhi Sagar Dam - Chambal River

♦ Indira Sagar Dam - Narmada River

♦ Bargi Dam - Narmada River

Some dams in Andhra Pradesh:

♦ Mylavaram Dam - Penna River

♦ Somasila Dam - Penna River

♦ Srisailam Dam - Krishna River

Temple’s Some temples in Odisha:

♦ Konark Sun Temple - Konark

♦ Jagannath Temple – Puri




Some temples in Andhra Pradesh:

♦ Venkateswara Temple – Tirupati

♦ Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Temple – Srisailam

Some temples in Karnataka:

♦ Iskcon Temple – Bengaluru

♦ Sri Chennakesava Temple – Hassan

Some important temples in India:

♦ Padmanabhaswamy Temple - Kerala

♦ Badrinath Temple - Uttarakhand


♦ Lotus Temple – New Delhi

♦ Somanth Temple – Gujarat

♦ Jagannath Temple – Odisha

Some temples in Uttar Pradesh:

♦ Shri Tilbhandeshwar Mahadev Mandir

♦ Kashi Vishwanath Temple


♦ Vaishno Devi Temple – Katra, Jammu & Kashmir

♦ Golden Temple – Amritsar, Punjab

♦ Tirupati Balaji (Tirumala Venkateswara) Temple – Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh

Airports: Some of the busiest airports in India:

♦ Indira Gandhi International Airport - Delhi

♦ Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport - Mumbai

♦ Kempegowda International Airport – Bangalore

Some important airports in India:

♦ Veer Savarkar International Airport – Port Blair

♦ Kempegowda International Airport – Bengaluru

♦ Biju Patnaik International Airport – Bhubaneswar

Some important airports in India:

♦ Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport – Amritsar, Punjab

♦ Anna International Airport – Chennai, Tamil Nadu

♦ Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport – Kolkata, West Bengal

Seaport:

Some major sea ports in India:

♦ Kandla Port - Gujarat

♦ Nhava Sheva (or) Jawaharlal Nehru Port - Maharashtra

♦ Marmagao port - Goa




Some National Parks in Manipur:

♦ Sirohi National Park

♦ Keibul Lamjao National Park

Parks

Some National Parks in Chhattisgarh:

♦ Kanger Ghati National Park – Jagdalpur

♦ Indravati National Park - Bijapur district

Some National Parks in Odisha:

♦ Bhitarkanika National Park

♦ Simlipal National Park

Some National Parks in Kerala:

♦ Anamudi Shola National Park

♦ Eravikulam National Park

Some National Parks in Manipur:

♦ Sirohi National Park

♦ Keibul Lamjao National Park

Some National Parks in Gujarat:

♦ Gir Forest National Park

♦ Blackbuck National Park

♦ Marine National Park

Some National Parks in Madhya Pradesh:

♦ Bandhavgarh National Park

♦ Ghughua Fossil Park

♦ Madhav National Park

♦ Van Vihar National Park

♦ Satpura National Park

♦ Pench National Park

Some National Parks in Rajasthan:

♦ Ranthambore National Park

♦ Desert National Park

♦ Darrah National Park

Some National Parks in Himachal Pradesh:

♦ Great Himalayan National Park

♦ Inderkilla National Park

♦ Khirganga National Park





Some important National Parks in India:

♦ Anamudi Shola National Park - Kerala

♦ Anshi National Park - Karnataka

♦ Balphakram National Park – Meghalaya

Some National Parks in Haryana:

♦ Kalesar National Park

♦ Sultanpur National Park

Bird Sanctuaries: Some important bird sanctuaries in India:

♦ Atapaka Bird Sanctuary – Andhra Pradesh

♦ Nagi Dam Bird Sanctuary – Bihar

♦ Mayani Bird Sanctuary – Maharashtra

Wildlife Santuaries Some wildlife sanctuaries in Kerala:

♦ Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary

♦ Chimmony Wildlife Sanctuary

♦ Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary

Some wildlife sanctuaries in Delhi:

♦ Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary

♦ Najafgarh drain bird sanctuary

Some wildlife sanctuaries in Karnataka:

♦ Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary

♦ Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary

♦ Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary

♦ Bandipur National Park

♦ Bannerghatta National Park

♦ Ranibennur Blackbuck Sanctuary

♦ Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary

Some wildlife sancturies of Goa:

♦ Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary

♦ Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary

♦ Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary

Some wildlife sanctuaries in Tripura:

♦ Rowa Wildlife Sanctuary

♦ Sipahijola Wildlife Sanctuary

Some wildlife sanctuaries of Arunachal Pradesh:

♦ Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary

♦ Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary




Some wildlife sanctuaries of Odisha:

♦ Baisipalli Wildlife Sanctuary

♦ Balimela Wildlife Sanctuary

♦ Balukhand-Konark Wildlife Sanctuary

Some wildlife sanctuaries in Rajasthan:

♦ Bassi Wildlife Sanctuary

♦ Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary

♦ Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary

Some wildlife sanctuaries in Andhra Pradesh:

♦ Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary

♦ Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary

♦ Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary

Some wildlife sanctuaries in Uttar Pradesh:

♦ Bakhira Sanctuary

♦ Chandra Prabha Wildlife Sanctuary

♦ Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary

Some wildlife sanctuaries in Himachal Pradesh:

♦ Chail Sanctuary

♦ Churdhar Sanctuary

♦ Daranghati Sanctuary

♦ Kalatop Khajjiar Sanctuary

♦ Kanwar Sanctuary

♦ Renuka Sanctuary

Some wildlife sanctuaries in Bihar:

♦ Bhimbandh Wildlife Sanctuary

♦ Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary

♦ Kanwar Lake Bird Sanctuary

Some wildlife sanctuaries in Chhattisgarh:

♦ Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary

♦ Sitanadi Wildlife Sanctuary

♦ Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary

Some wildlife sanctuaries in Jammu & Kashmir:

♦ Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary

♦ Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary

Some important boundary lines:

♦ Mannar Haime Line – Russia & Finland

♦ Maginot Line – France & Germany

♦ Curzon Line – Poland & Russia




♦ Blue Line – Israel and Lebanon

♦ Purple Line – Israel and Syria

♦ Green Line – Israel and its neighbours (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria)

Nick Names of Indian Cities:

Nick names of some Indian cities:

♦ Hyderabad-Secunderabad – Twin city

♦ Amritsar – Golden City

♦ Mysore – Sandal Wood City

Museums

Some museums in Delhi:

♦ Children's Museum

♦ Indian Air Force Museum

♦ Parliament Museum

Some museums in Telangana:

♦ Alampur Museum

♦ Heritage Jail Museum

♦ Warangal Museum

Some important museums in India:

♦ Anthropological Museum – Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar Islands

♦ Victoria Jubilee Museum – Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh

♦ Mayong Central Museum and Emporium – Mayong, Assam

UNESCO Heritage Sites

Some UNESCO Natural Heritage sites in India:

♦ Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area – Himachal Pradesh

♦ Kaziranga National Park – Assam

♦ Keoladeo National Park – Rajasthan

♦ The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier – Chandigarh

♦ Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) – Bihar

♦ Taj Mahal – Uttar Pradesh

River projects: Some river projects of India:

♦ Beas Project – Beas River

♦ Chambal Project – Chambal River

♦ Hirakud Project – Mahanadi River

Some important Indian cities on rivers:

♦ Badrinath – Alaknanda River

♦ Chennai – Cooum River

♦ Nizamabad – Godavari River




Some rivers flowing through Punjab:

♦ Beas River

♦ Ghaggar-Hakra River

♦ Sutlej River

Lakes Some lakes of Odisha:

♦ Anshupa Lake

♦ Chilika Lake

♦ Kanjia lake

Some important lakes of India:

♦ Kanwar Lake – Bihar

♦ Kankaria Lake – Gujarat

♦ Khajjiar Lake – Himachal Pradesh

Some important lakes in kerala:

♦ Enamakkal Lake

♦ Pookode Lake

♦ Vellayani Lake

Some lakes in Delhi:

♦ Bhalswa Horseshoe Lake

♦ Najafgarh Lake

♦ Sanjay Lake

Some important lakes in India:

♦ Largest fresh water lake in Asia & India – Wular Lake, Kashmir

♦ Largest Artificial Lake in Asia – Upper Lake, Madhya Pradesh

♦ Largest saline water Lake in India – Chika Lake, Odisha

Some important lakes in India:

♦ Longest lake in India – Vembanad, Kerala

♦ Highest lake in India – Cholamu Lake, Sikkim

♦ Largest saline water lake in India – Chika Lake, Orissa

Quick Facts about Indian Entities About Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO):

♦ DRDO Chairman and Secretary, Department of Defence Research & Development - S

Christopher


About Paralympic Committee of India (PCI):

♦ President - Mr. Rao Inderjit Sing

♦ Head Office – New Delhi




Quick Facts about IJIRA:


♦ Located in – Kolkata, West Bengal

♦ Current Chairman – A.K. Lohia

About Wrestling Federation of India (WFI):

♦ President - Brijbhushan Sharan Singh

♦ Location - New Delhi

Quick Facts about National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT):

Established in – 1986

Main Campus Located in – New Delhi

Affiliated to – Ministry of Textiles, Government of India

About Indian Navy:

♦ Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) - Admiral Sunil Lanba


About ISSF (International Shooting Sport Federation):

♦ President - Olegario Vazquez Rana

♦ Headquarters - Munich, Germany

Quick Facts about Airports Authority of India (AAI):



♦ Current Chairman – Dr. Guruprasad Mohapatra

Quick Facts about SIDBI:


♦ Headquarters – Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

About National Highways Authority of India (NHAI):

♦ Chairman – Deepak Kumar

♦ Formed – 1988

About Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR):

♦ Established by - Department of Science and Technology

♦ Established in - 1989

About Board of Cricket Control of India (BCCI):

♦ CEO - Mr. Rahul Johri

♦ President - Mr. CK Khanna

About Competition Commission of India (CCI):

♦ Chairperson - Devender Kumar Sikri





About Supreme Court of India:


♦ Location - Tilak Marg, New Delhi

About GST Council:

Chairperson - Arun Jaitley

GST Council Secretariat – New Delhi

Quick Facts about Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act

(MGNREGA):

♦ Earlier name – National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005

♦ Launched in – 2006

♦ Administered by – Union Ministry of Rural Development

Quick Facts about UNRWA:

♦ Created in – 1949

♦ Supports – More than 5 million registered Palestinian refugees

♦ Parent Organisation – United Nations

Quick facts about Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of

India (IRDAI):

♦ Constituted by – Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999

♦ Headquarters – Hyderabad, Telangana

♦ Current Chairman – T.S.Vijayan

Quick Facts about ISRO:


♦ Headquarters – Bengaluru, Karnataka

♦ Current Chairman – Dr. K. Sivan

About Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD):


♦ Director General - Dr. A.P. Maheshwari

About National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB):

♦ Purpose - Nodal Agency for authentic source of Data on crime, accidents, suicides, and

prisons for policy matters and research

♦ Director - Ish Kumar

About National Investigation Agency (NIA):

♦ Director General - Yogesh Chander Modi






About Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM):

♦ Purpose - nodal agency of Kerala Government for entrepreneurship development and

incubation activities in the State

♦ CEO - Saji Gopinath

Quick Facts about IBBI:



♦ Current Chairperson – M.S. Sahoo

About Forest Survey of India (FSI):

♦ Director General - Saibal Dasgupta

♦ Headquarters – Dehradun, Uttarakhand

About Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI):

♦ Secretary General - D.R.Choudhary


About Film and Television Institute of India (FTII):

♦ Chairman - Anupam Kher

♦ Location - Pune, Maharashtra

About International Cricket Council (ICC):

♦ Chairman - Shashank Manohar

♦ CEO - David Richardson

Quick Facts about NITI Aayog:

♦ Formed in – January 2015


♦ Ex-Officio Chairman – Prime Minister of India

Quick Facts about Indian Coast Guard:



♦ Current Director General – Rajendra Singh

Quick Facts about ICFRE:


♦ Located in – Dehradun, Uttarakhand

♦ Parent Entity - Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

About National Green Tribunal (NGT):



♦ Purpose - effective and fast disposal of cases related to environmental protection and

conservation of forests and other natural resources including enforcement of any legal right

related to environment




About SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India):

♦ Chairman - Ajay Tyagi


Quick Static details of Other Countries Quick Facts about Fiji:

♦ Capital – Suva

♦ Currency – Fijian dollar

♦ Current Prime Minister – Frank Bainimarama

♦ Closest Neighbour – Vanuatu

Quick Facts about Venezuela:

♦ Capital – Caracas

♦ Currency – Bolivar fuerte

♦ Current President – Nicola Maduro

♦ Important Rivers – Orinoco, Caroni

Quick Facts about Qatar:

♦ Capital – Doha

♦ Currency – Riyal

♦ Current Prime Minister - Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani

♦ Neighbouring Country – Saudi Arabia

Quick Facts about Guyana:

♦ Capital - Georgetown

♦ Currency – Guyanese Dollar

♦ Current President – David Granger

♦ Neighbouring Countries – Suriname, Venezuela, Brazil

Quick Facts about Malaysia:

♦ Capital – Kuala Lumpur

♦ Currency – Ringgit

♦ Current Prime Minister – Najib Razak

♦ Neighbouring Countries – Brunei, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

Quick Facts about Egypt:

♦ Capital – Cairo

♦ Currency – Egyptian pound

♦ Current President – Abdel Fattah el-Sisi

♦ Neighbouring Countries – Sudan, Israel, Libya

Quick Facts about Macedonia:

♦ Capital – Skopje

♦ Currency – Macedonian denar

♦ Current Prime Minister – Zoran Zaev




♦ Shares borders with – Kosovo, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Albania

Quick Facts about Zambia:

♦ Capital – Lusaka

♦ Currency – Zambian kwacha

♦ Current President – Edgar Lungu

Quick Facts about United Kingdom:

♦ Capital – London

♦ Currency – Great British Pound

♦ Current Prime Minister – Theresa May

Quick Facts about Jordan:

♦ Capital – Amman

♦ Currency – Jordanian dinar

♦ Ruling Monarch – Abdullah II

♦ Neighbouring countries – Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Palestine and Syria

Quick Facts about Vietnam:

♦ Capital – Hanoi

♦ Currency – Vietnamese Dong

♦ Current President – Tran Dai Quang

♦ Important Rivers – Red River, Perfume River

About Afghanistan:

♦ President - Ashraf Ghani

♦ Chief Executive Officer - Abdullah Abdullah

Quick Facts about Armenia:

♦ Capital – Yerevan

♦ Currency – Dram

♦ Current Prime Minister – Karen Karapetyan

♦ Neighbouring Countries – Turkey, Georgia, Iran, Azerbaijan

About Israel:

♦ President - Reuven Rivlin

♦ Prime Minister - Benjamin Netanyahu

Quick Facts about Myanmar:

♦ Capital – Naypyidaw

♦ Currency – Burmese kyat

♦ Current President – Htin Kyaw

♦ Important River – Irrawaddy




Quick Facts about Sri Lanka:

♦ Capital – Colombo

♦ Currency – Sri Lanka rupee

♦ Current President – Maithripala Sirisena

♦ Important Stadium in Sri Lanka – R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium

About Spain:

♦ Prime Minister - Mariano Rajoy

♦ President of the Senate - Pío García-Escudero

About China:

♦ President – Xi Jinping

♦ Capital – Beijing

About France:

♦ Capital – Paris

♦ Currency – Euro, CFP franc

♦ President - Emmanuel Macron

♦ Prime Minister - Édouard Philippe

About Mauritius:

♦ Capital - Port Louis

♦ Currency - Mauritian rupee (MUR)

♦ President - Ameenah Gurib

♦ Prime Minister - Pravind Jugnauth

About Nepal:-

♦ Capital - Kathmandu

♦ President - Bidhya Devi Bhandari

♦ Prime Minister - Khadga Prasad Oli

♦ Currency - Nepalese rupee (NPR)

Quick Facts about Bangladesh:

♦ Capital – Dhaka

♦ Currency – Taka

♦ Current Prime Minister – Sheikh Hasina

♦ Neighbouring Countries – India, Myanmar

About Maldives:

♦ President - Abdulla Yameen

♦ Official language – Maldivian





Quick Facts about Iran:

♦ Capital – Tehran

♦ Currency – Rial

♦ Current President – Hassan Rouhani

♦ Important Rivers – Karun, Zayanderud

About Slovenia:

♦ President - Borut Pahor

♦ Official language - Slovene

Quick Facts about Madagascar:

Capital – Antananarivo

Currency – Malagasy ariary

Current President – Hery Rajaonarimampianina

Quick Facts about Japan:

♦ Capital – Tokyo

♦ Currency – Japanese yen

♦ Current Prime Minister – Shinzo Abe

♦ Important Rivers – Shinano, Tone, Ishikari

About Russia:

♦ Capital - Moscow

♦ Official language – Russian

♦ Currency - Russian ruble

Quick Facts about United States of America:

♦ Capital – Washington D.C.

♦ Currency – US Dollar

♦ Current President – Donald Trump

♦ Neighbouring Countries – Canada, Mexico

Quick Facts about Germany:

♦ Capital – Berlin

♦ Currency – Euro

♦ Current Chancellor – Angela Merkel

♦ Important Cities – Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt,

Quick Facts about Seychelles:

♦ Capital – Victoria

♦ Currency – Seychellois rupee

♦ Current President – Danny Faure

♦ Other nearby island countries – Comoros, Mauritius, Madagascar




About Ethiopia:

♦ President - Mulatu Teshome

♦ Official language – Amharic

Quick Facts about Pakistan:

♦ Capital – Islamabad

♦ Currency – Pakistani rupee

♦ Current Prime Minister – Shahid Khaqan Abbasi

♦ Important Rivers – Indus, Jhelum

Presidents of few countries:

♦ South Africa - Cyril Ramaphosa

♦ Liberia - George Weah

♦ Switzerland - Alain Berset

Quick facts about Foreign Entities About International Olympic Committee (IOC):

♦ President - Thomas Bach

♦ Headquarters - Lausanne, Switzerland

About Wikipedia:

♦ Hosted by - Wikimedia Foundation

♦ Purpose - multilingual, web-based, free-content encyclopedia project

Quick Facts about NASA:


♦ Headquarters – Washington D.C., US

About International Court of Justice (ICJ):

♦ Headquarters - The Hague, Netherlands

♦ President - Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf

Quick facts about International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF):


♦ Headquarters – Munich, Germany

♦ Current President – Olegario Vazquez Rana

Quick Facts about World Health Organisation (WHO):


♦ Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland

♦ Current Director General – Tedros Adhanom

Quick Facts about CII:



♦ Current President – Shobana Kamineni




Quick Facts about World Bank:


♦ Headquarters – Washington D.C., US

♦ Current President – Jim Yong Kim

Quick Facts about World Trade Organisation:


♦ Task – Regulation of International Trade

♦ Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland

♦ Current Director General – Robert Azevedo

About IACP (International Association of Chiefs of Police):

♦ President - Louis M. Dekmar

♦ Headquarters - Alexandria, Virginia, United States

About International Criminal Court (ICC):

♦ Seat - The Hague, Netherlands

♦ President - Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji

Quick Facts about Asian Development Bank (ADB):

♦ Formation Year – 1966

♦ Headquarters – Manila, Philippines

♦ Current President – Takehiko Nakaho

About Bureau of International Recycling (BIR):

♦ President - Ranjit S. Baxi

♦ Location - Brussels, Belgium

Quick Facts about G20 (Group of Twenty):


♦ Purpose – Forum to deliberate upon key issues affecting the global economy

♦ Members

Countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, It

aly, Japan, Mexico, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South

Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, and the European Union

Quick Facts about International Energy Agency (IEA):


♦ Secretariat – Paris, France

Banking Terminology Abbreviations

1. Interest Rate Futures (IRFs).

2. Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)

3. Income Recognition and Asset Classification (IRAC)

4. European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)




5. Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI)

6. International Solar Alliance (ISA)

7. African Development Bank (AfDb)

8. Asian Development Bank (ADB)

9. Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB

10. Green climate fund (GCF)

11. New Development Bank (NDB)

12. Know Your Customer (KYC)

13. marginal cost of funds based lending rate (MCLR)

14. Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA)

15. European Investment Bank (EIB)

16. Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI)

17. Average Monthly Balance (AMB)

18. basic savings bank deposits (BSBD)

19. Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)

20. exchange traded currency derivatives (ETCD)

21. Universal Commodity Exchange (UCX)

22. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

23. India Mortgage Guarantee Corporation (IMGC)

24. Statement of Intent (SoI)

25. Unified Payment Interface (UPI)

26. Cash Deposit Machines (CDM)

27. National Pension Scheme (NPS)

28. gpi (Global Payment Innovation)

29. SWIFT (Society for World Interbank Financial Telecommunication System platform)

30. Credit Guarantee Fund for Education Loans (CGFEL)

31. Choice Based Credit System (CBCS).

Other Abbreviations:

32. Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)

33. Defence Acquisition Council (DAC)

34. National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA).

35. Women and Child Development (WCD).

36. Bharati Defence and Infrastructure Ltd (BDIL)

37. National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT)

38. Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

39. Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute (VINATOM)




40. Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership, India (GCNEP)

41. Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)

42. National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP)

43. ENCORE (Eastern Naval Command Operational Readiness Exercise)

44. Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT)

45. Impacting Research Innovation and Technology (IMPRINT)

46. Public Distribution System (PDS)

47. Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

48. Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI)

49. Airports Authority of India (AAI)

50. World ATM Congress (WATMC)

51. Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO)

52. Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA).

53. Gas Authority of India Ltd. (GAIL)

54. Airport Service Quality (ASQ)

55. District Level Executive Committee (DLEC)

56. Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP)

57. Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL)

58. ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police).

59. National Nutrition Mission (NNM)

60. International Energy Agency (IEA)

61. Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)

62. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

63. International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF)

64. National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)

65. National Investigation Agency (NIA),

66. Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)

67. Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).

68. Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)

69. Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC)

70. Field Inspection and Scientific Evaluation Committee (FISEC)

71. India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO)

72. International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)

73. World Economic Forum (WEF)

74. ‘Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital in Education (SATH-E)’

75. Committee for Development Policy (CDP)

76. least developed country (LDC)

77. United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)




78. Regional Integrated Multi-hazard Early Warning System’ (RIMES).

79. CISF (Central Industrial Security Force)

80. Unit Trust of India Asset Management Company (UTIAMC)

81. North East Tourism Development Council (NETDC)

82. North Eastern Council (NEC)

83. North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Project (NERCORMP)

84. North East Rural Livelihood Project (NERLP).

85. Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI)

86. Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (FINE)

87. Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA).

88. Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE),

89. India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS)

90. North-East Industrial Development Scheme (NEIDS)

91. Indian Sign Language Research & Training Centre (ISLR&TC)

92. Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)

93. National Sikh Campaign (NSC),

94. South Western Air Command (SWAC)

95. National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)

96. ‘National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP)’



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