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www.aspirantszone.com A2Z March 2017 Current Affairs PDF

A2Z Current Affairs PDF

for upcoming exams

March 2017

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MOU/Agreement Countries

1 India Portugal To set up an institutional mechanism to collaborate in areas of electronic manufacturing, ITeS, start-ups, cyber security and e-governance.

2 India UAE Cooperation in the field of energy management and conservation.

3 India Indonesia Cooperation in youth and sports matters

4 India Kyrgyzstan Cooperation in the field of youth development

5 China Saudi Arabia Memorandums of Understanding(MoU) and Letters of Intent(LoI) worth about $65 billion.

6 India Bangladesh On Aids to Navigation (AtoNs)

7 India Brazil Social security agreement. This is the first SSA agreement between the BRICS Countries.

8 India Russia Two agreements for long-term support to the Su-30 MKI fleet of the Indian Air Force (IAF)

9 India Mauritius To execute a US $ 20 million (Rs.130 cr) social housing project in Mauritius

10 India Bavaria, Federal Republic of Germany

Set up Joint Group to Identify Areas of Co-Operation in Water Sector

MOU Industry/States/Others

1 Reliance General Insurance

Catholic Syrian Bank Bancassurance tie-up

2 National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG)

Rotary India Rotary India will support clean Ganga mission through their ‘WASH in Schools’ program in various schools.

3 HDFC Life ET Money For Data-Led Group Term Insurance Plan

4 Snapdeal Truecaller To enhance consumer experience by integrating Truecaller Priority in the company’s IVR and order confirmation numbers.

5 Odisha Invest India To promote start-ups in the state.

6 Telangana Assam For joint promotion of tourism places in each of their respective States

7 Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation Limited(Poompuhar)

National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Hyderabad

To create contemporary designs.



8 Punjab Jammu and Kashmir For the completion of the Shahpur Kandi Dam project

9 Google India Telangana government To support the digitisation efforts of the state.

10 Bharti Airtel Millicom International Cellular SA (Millicom)

To combine their operations in Ghana.

11 Reliance Jio Cisco To expand Jio’s existing multi-terabit capacity with the first All-IP converged network in India.

12 Bharti Airtel Nokia For 5G and IoT applications

13 India United Nations Entity of Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women).

To provide technical support to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj in strengthening capacities of governance institutions including Panchayati Raj Institutions(PRIs) to better leverage opportunities created for gender equality through legislation, policies and programmes.

14 Fiji Airways Jet Airways To offers convenience and seamless connectivity to guests travelling on both carriers.

15 IFMR Capital Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation of Japan

To facilitate priority sector investments in India.

16 State Bank of India German KfW Development Bank

$274 million (approximately Rs. 1,800 crore) 15-year promotions loan facility to support lending for affordable housing in India.

17 Karnataka Government

Samsung India To help the state efficiently manage its public healthcare facilities. Samsung Tab IRIS, the first commercial tablet to be approved by UIDAI for Aadhaar and KYC verification, would enable Public Health Centers (PHC) in the state to build their database in a digital format.

18 German Development Bank (KfW)

Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL)

Loan agreement for €200 million with a four year moratorium and a 12-year repayment period.

19 Karnataka Bank Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company

General Insurance business

20 Indian Railways United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP)

Signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to formalise joint cooperation in the area of environmental conservation in Indian Railways.



21 Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)

National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and National Skill Development Fund (NSDF)

For Skill training.

22 Chennai Port Trust Government of Puducherry

For handling EXIM cargo

23 State Bank of India Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI)

To work towards development of the real estate sector.

24 Bandhan Bank Avenues India Pvt Ltd To provide the merchants with access to the point of sale (POS) and the payment gateway products

25 Himachal Pradesh government

HDFC bank For introducing digital transaction in public transport like luxury buses and ration depots.

26 Snapdeal Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)

Exclusive partnership to showcase products from popular SME brands from Japan on Snapdeal.

27 Institute of Railway Technology (IRT)

Indian Railways To support future research and technology development related to critical infrastructure in India.

28 ICRISAT ICAR To work together for crop improvement and agronomy programmes for grain legumes and dryland cereals.

29 Reserve Bank of India

Central Bank of Nigeria Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory Information

30 CoinTribe SMERA Ratings To simplify MSME loan facilitation

31 State government of Assam

State Bank of India(SBI) To provide housing loan and education loan for its employees

32 Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-ln)

US Homeland Security Department

On cooperation in the field of Cyber Security

33 Andhra Pradesh government

Singapore-based Fintech major Lattice 80

For establishment of a fintech incubation centre.

34 Oxigen Services Department of Tourism, Arunachal Pradesh

For becoming the preferred partner for providing digital payment solution to the residents and tourists visiting the state.

35 Repco Home Finance Ltd (RHFL)

National Housing Bank For Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme for Middle Income Groups

36 Vijaya Bank Piaggio Vehicles For providing financial support for the purchase of vehicles under Small



Road Transport Operators (SRTO) scheme in Bengaluru.

37 Pawan Hans Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)

To train helicopter pilots.

38 Indian Oil Corporation (IOC)

Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC)

To Renews Fuel Supply Pact for Five Years. IOC to supply Nepal 1 mn tonnes fuel for 5 years

39 Odisha State Bank of India To provide banking services through Self Help Groups (SHGs).

40 Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) For export of torpedoes

41 Indian Institute of Technology, Madras

Indian Army To identify the critical technological areas that can be enhanced in the armed forces.

42 Truecaller Google For integration of Google Duo into the Truecaller app, allowing users to make video calls directly through it.

43 Truecaller ICICI Bank To Launch UPI-based ‘Truecaller Pay’ 44 Truecaller Airtel To bring Truecaller app to feature

phones in India.

45 Tata AIA Life Insurance

Tata Teleservices Limited (TTSL)

To launch m-Insurance for the prepaid customers of the Telecom Company. The pilot launch has been made in Andhra Pradesh and Telengana The m-Insurance is a term life plan with two options for the sum assured- Rs. 50,000 and Rs. 1 Lakh.

46 FSSAI Coca Cola To train 50,000 street food vendors under FSSAI’s project named ‘Clean Street Food’

47 Axis Bank Wells Fargo To offer real time remittances from the Indian diaspora to their relatives back home.

48 National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)

Reliance Retail To launch its digital payments solutions such as UPI and BHIM across all retail stores in Mumbai.

49 Ericsson IIT Delhi To launch ‘5G for India’ program

50 Karnataka Bank SBI Card Launch of co-branded credit card – ‘Karnataka Bank Platinum SBI Card’ and ‘Karnataka Bank SimplySAVE SBI Card’.



Appointments and Resignations

S.No Name Post Institution

1 Nand Kumar Sai Chairman National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST)

2 Gopal Baglay Spokesperson Ministry of External Affairs

3 Sudeep Lakhtakia Director General Central Reserve Police Force(CRPF)

4 Amjad Hussain B Sial Secretary General SAARC

5 Vanaja N. Sarna Chairman Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC)

6 JS Deepak India’s Ambassador to World Trade Organization

7 Kripa Shankar Bishnoi International match referee by United World Wrestling (UWW)

8 Amina Mohammed (Nigeria)

Deputy Secretary-General

United Nations

T Jacob Secretary Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)

9 P K Purwar CMD Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL)

10 D. Bala Venkatesh Varma Ambassador of India to

Andorra

11 William B Thomas Global Chairman KPMG International

12 Sachin Tendulkar Ambassador of Women’s Cricket World Cup 2017

13 B P Kanungo deputy governor Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

14 Narendra Kumar Chairman Central Water Commission (CWC)

15 Mark Tucker Chairman HSBC Holdings Plc.

16 Amitabh Bachchan Brand Ambassador OnePlus India

17 Babul Supriyo Vice-President FIFA U-17 World Cup

18 Mallikarjun Kharge Chairman Public’s Account Committee (PAC) of Parliament. [Will take charge from 1 May 2017. Present Chairman- K.V. Thomas]

19 Manhar Valji Bhai Zala Chairperson National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK)

20 Shahid Afridi ambassador fifth edition of ODI blind cricket world cup. [To be held in Pakistan and UAE]

21 Dilip K Saha President All India Bank Officers’ Confederation (AIBOC)

22 Jason Kothari CEO FreeCharge

23 P.V. Sindhu brand ambassador Gatorade



24 Ankur Khanna Chief Financial Officer

International Cricket Council(ICC)

25 Vanita Gupta President The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

26 David Beasley Executive Director World Food Programme (WFP) by UN.

27 AB de Villiers Brand Ambassador Montblanc International

28 Sunaina Singh Vice Chancellor Nalanda University

29 Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Assumes Additional Charge of Defence Ministry

30 Jwala Gutta and BV Papa Rao appointed in Sports Authority of India (SAI) governing body member

31 Sun Pharma’s Dilip Shanghvi appointed as member on RBI’s western board 32 Soumya Swaminathan director of Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR) has

been inducted to the ad hoc Interagency Coordination Group on Antimicrobial Resistance.

33 Madhabi Puri Buch Appointed As Sebi Whole-Time Member

34 BSF get First Women Combat Officer Tanushree Pareek After 51 Years

35 Anil Ambani has been inducted to the international advisory board of global think-tank Atlantic Council

Resignations/Terminations

1 Park Geun-hye removed from the post of President of South Korea.

Awards and Recognitions

S.No Award Name Winner/Receiver Extra Knowledge

1 Audience Award at the Glasgow Film Festival 2017

Lipstick Under My Burkha

Director - Alankrita Shrivastava

2 Visitor’s Awards Jawaharlal Nehru University

3 “Popular Tourism Destination” Award at the International Travel Fair (GITF) Travel Fair in Guangzhou, China.

Sri Lanka

4 “Best Mobile Innovation for Emerging Markets” at ‘Global Mobile Awards 2017’

Samsung Electronics and Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd

5 Polly Umrigar Award Virat Kohli

6 2017 Harvard Humanitarian of the Year award.

Rihanna

7 Lifetime Achievement Award at The Political and Public Life Awards

H S Rao

8 John F. Kennedy Foundation’s Barack Obama



‘Profile in Courage’ award

9 30th Moortidevi award M P Veerendra Kumar

10 Best actress award at International Film Festival and Awards of Australia (IFFAA)

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan For - Sarbjit

11 2016 Saraswati Samman Mahabaleshwar Sail for his novel ‘Hawthan’ 12 2017 Artist of the Year Award

by Harvard Foundation Viola Davis

13 Miss International Queen 2016

Jiratchaya Sirimongkolna

(from Thailand)

14 World’s best airport at Skytrax World Airport Awards

Singapore Changi Airport

15 Best Airport in India and Central Asia

Delhi Internation al Airport (DIAL)

at Skytrax World Airport Awards

16 Best Regional Airport in India and Central Asia

Kempegowda International Airport (KIA)

at Skytrax World Airport Awards

17 Young global leader 2017 of World Economic Forum

Shruti Shibulal

18 NSF’s CAREER Award Anshumali Shrivastava

19 Global Teacher Prize 2017 Maggie MacDonnell

20 Kirti Chakra Major Rohit Suri

21 2017 Abel Prize Yves Meyer French mathematician

22 First Kuldip Nayar Journalism Awards

Ravish Kumar

23 Lifetime Achievement at the National Photography Awards

Raghu Rai by the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry

24 Kala Ratan Award Anupam Kher

25 11th Water Digest Water Awards

ISKCON’s Govardhan Eco Village

under the category “Best Water NGO-Water Education”

26 Sikh Jewel Award Gurinder Chadha

27 Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA)

Priti Patel

28 Glefiddich’s Emerging Artist 2017

Sitaram Swain

29 India Pride Awards – 2016 -17 (Dainik Bhaskar)

Airports Authority of India

for “Excellence in Infrastructure Development” in the category of Public Sector Undertaking – Central.

30 India Pride Awards 2016 -17 National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC)

for “Excellence in Performance in the Power



Sector”

31 Asian Hockey Player of Year 2016

S.V Sunil (India) by the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF).

32 Asian Promising Player of the Year 2016

Harmanpreet Singh (India)

by the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF).

33 As per the Airports Council International (ACI) ranking Incheon Airport, South Korea got the top place in best airport in the highest passenger handling capacity category. While two Indian Airports namely Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport and Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport of Mumbai have shared the second spot with Singapore’s Changi Airport.

34 Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport has secured the first position in Airport Service Quality (ASQ) passengers’ survey in the 5-15 million passengers per annum (MPPA) category for the year 2016.

35 11 Indian Women Awarded with ‘Women Icons’ Award in Singapore

36 Indian Army Chief, General Bipin Rawat, will receive the honorary General title of Nepal Army.

Conference and Summits

S.No Summit Place Extra Knowledge

1 International Yoga Festival Rishikesh, Uttarakhand

2 1st Regional Conference of Eastern States

Gangtok, Sikkim Theme: Enhancing steel consumption in India

3 13th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Summit

Islamabad, Pakistan Theme: Connectivity for Regional Prosperity

4 Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona Next in New Delhi, India

5 Rotary South Asia Literacy Summit Chennai, Tamil Nadu

6 Indian Ocean Rim Association summit

Jakarta, Indonesia Theme: ‘Strengthening Maritime Cooperation for a Peaceful, Stable and Prosperous Indian Ocean’IORA

has 21 member states. Headquarters- Ebene Cyber City, Mauritius

7 National conference on Jal Kranti Abhiyan

New Delhi

8 FinTech Conference 2017 Mumbai Organized by FICCI, IBA and NASSCOM

9 International Yoga Festival New Delhi organized by the Morarji Desai



National Institute of Yoga in association with the Indian Yoga Associations.

10 International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV 2017)

New Delhi

11 5th India by the Nile (IBN) Festival Cairo, Egypt

12 12th CII-Exim bank conclave on India Africa Project Partnership

New Delhi

13 Two-day North-East Business Summit

New Delhi

14 Smart Urbanation Convention and Expo 2017

New Delhi Partner Country: China

15 Krishi Unnati Mela New Delhi

16 International Vision Zero Conference on Occupational, Safety and Health

New Delhi

17 Habitat International Film Festival (HIFF)

New Delhi

18 G20 Meet of Finance Ministers & Central Bank Governors

Baden-Baden, Germany

19 1st edition Haryana Sahitya Sangam Panchkula, Haryana

20 Global Millennium Summit Dubai

21 2017 International Buddhist Conference

Rajgir, Bihar

22 International Diamond Conference “Mines to Market 2017

Mumbai

23 2nd India-UAE Conference On Globalisation

Dubai

24 23rd Conference of Auditors General of Commonwealth nations and nine British overseas

New Delhi

25 18th edition of FICCI Frames Mumbai

26 Make In India Conference Houston, Texas, US Theme: Make in India- The Inside Story

27 ‘World Conference on Environment’ organized by NGT

New Delhi

28 105th Indian Science Congress [3-7 January 2018]

Osmania University, Hyderabad

29 2017 National Theatre Festival (NTF) Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

30 2017 International Diamond Conference

Mumbai Hosted by GJEPC Theme: Mines to Market 2017



31 World Environmental Education Congress 2017

Vancouver, Canada Theme: Culture Environment: Weaving New Connections

32 3rd meeting of G20 Framework Working Group (FWG)

Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

The meeting is co-hosted by Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India and Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

33 Canada-India healthcare summit New Delhi

34 Namami Brahmaputra river festival Guwahati, Assam

International News

Russia and China vetoed a UN resolution to impose sanctions on Syria over the alleged use of chemical weapons during the six-year war.

Luhansk People’s Republic, Ukraine, will use the Russian ruble as its official currency, along with the Ukrainian Hryvnia.

Pakistan government approved the merger of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with its northwestern province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The BBC has been banned from filming in any of India’s Tigers Reserves for next five years. BBC Documentary titled “One World: Killing for Conservation” had highlighted aggressive policy of India for conservation of rhinos in the Kaziranga National Park in Assam.

Malaysia to cancel visa-free entry for N.Koreans.

European Parliament ends visa-free travel for Americans.

IMF Reaches Preliminary Agreement with Ukraine for fresh aid of $1 billion (0.9 billion euros) to Ukraine. This is a part of $17.5 billion loan program for 4 years(started in 2015).

China sets its 2017 GDP growth target at around 6.5%.

North Korea temporarily bans exit of Malaysians.

Hawaii Becomes First State to Sue Over Trump’s Revised Travel Ban.

Cyclone Enawo hits Madagascar.

Iceland becomes first country to make companies prove equal pay.

Pakistan to Conduct its First Census in 19 years.

Bangladesh declares to Observe March 25 as ‘Genocide Day’ Saudi Arabia Inaugurates Girls’ Council Without Any Girls. Saudi Arabia is taking steps to

move toward loosening some of its rules and increasing women’s participation in the workforce from 22% to 30% as part of its Vision 2030.

India joins WHO call to end TB by 2030 in South East Asian.

New Zealand’s Whanganui River Granted Legal Status as a Person. It became the first river in the World to get the legal rights as possessed by a human being.

US state of Kansas has declared March 16 as “Indian American Appreciation Day”.

Japan Launches Latest North Korea Spy Satellite.



Dubai launches world’s fastest free airport Wi-Fi. Name - ‘WOW-Fi’ . Speed- 100 MBPS.

Japan has become the first country in the world to elect a transgender man to a public office.

The World’s Largest Artificial Sun Sets Up in Germany.

Bangladesh Observed 47th Independence Day on March 26, 2017.

Yemen President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi sentenced to death by rebel-run court for treason.

Montenegro Set to Become NATO’s 29th Member after US Senate Vote.

Cyclone Debbie Hits Australian Coastal Resorts.

National News

Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation launched Swachh Shakti Saptah to highlight the role of women in Swachh Bharat Mission and to recognize their leadership. The programme was launched in in Gurugram, Haryana.

India hosts tallest Indian flag at Attari-Wagah joint check post in Punjab. (360 feet).

The Central government has launched the first ever across-the-river survey in the Ganga to determine the population of aquatic life, including that of endangered Gangetic dolphin. The first leg of the census was launched on March 1 from Narora in Uttar Pradesh to Bijnor.

India launches phase-out plan of the harmful refrigerant HCFC by 2030.

The States of Odisha, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand have decided to jointly conduct a synchronised Elephant census from May 9-12, 2017.

Rewa Ultra Mega Solar (RUMS) project in Madhya Pradesh will become India’s first solar power project of the country to receive a loan under Clean Technology Fund (CTF) from World Bank.

Airbus will set up its India headquarters and the country’s first full flight simulator at Delhi. First Made-In-India Train, Medha, Flagged off at Dadar Station to Borivali.

Uttarakhand HC has recognised river Ganga and river Yamuna as living entity of India.

India’s first Mobile Clinic Service launched by Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) in Andhra Pradesh and Telengana.

Railways will set up Wi-Fi hotspot kiosks at about 500 stations and help people access an array of online services, including various government schemes. The name of the Wifi is Railwire Saathi.

Total of 26 states have now become the part of the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) Scheme.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on a five-day state visit to India.

State News

Andhra Pradesh

Vijayawada Airport to be renamed as ‘Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (NTR) Amaravati Airport’. Tirupati Airport at Renigunta has been renamed as ‘Sri Venkateswara Airport’.

Andhra Pradesh tops in Aadhaar linking of Jan Dhan Accounts. Arunachal Pradesh



Anang Tadar, a Class XI student from Arunachal Pradesh awarded the Dinanath Pandey Smart Idea Innovation Award for inventing the gadget named Goggle for Blind (G4B).

Assam

Assam government makes Sanskrit compulsory in schools till class 8.

Assam Government launched initiative to develop the World’s largest river island, Majuli into country’s first ever Carbon Neutral district by 2020

Bihar

The Central government has launched a Digital Government Research Centre (DGRC) in Patna, Bihar

Government Establishes Banana Research Centre in Vaishali District of Bihar

Delhi

Metro cards to be non-refundable from April 1.

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has entered the Limca Book of World Records for erecting 200 U-shaped girders, the maximum to be launched on any metro corridor in the country within a month.

“Kahin Bhi-Kabhi Bhi” medical services launched for ESIC beneficiaries of Delhi/Noida on pilot basis.

The Office of the Insurance Ombudsman, Delhi was awarded ISO 9001:2015 certification by (STQC). Out of 17 offices in India, it is the first office to get the distinction of being certified as ISO 9001: 2015 office

Goa

Open defecation-free Goa by Gandhi Jayanti 2019

Gujrat

India’s longest cable-bridge inaugurated in Bharuch,Gujarat. It is 1344 metres long and 22.8 metres wide. The project was built by Larsen and Turbo on river Narmada and it took Rs 379 crore to complete the project

Essar Steel’s Nand Niketan township at Hazira, Gujarat has become the first private township to go cashless

Haryana

Haryana allocates Rs 100 crore for SYL canal construction.

Haryana to have shortest, widest National Highway in the world. 16 lanes on a 3-km stretch

Himachal Pradesh

According to the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC)-2017 report about 45 percent of country’s total bird spices were reported in Himachal Pradesh.

Himachal Pradesh to develop 200 organic villages in next fiscal.

Sanjauli Police Station in Shimla town has become the first police post in the country to be linked with Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS).

Himachal Pradesh government launched ‘Unnat Jeevan by Affordable LEDs and Appliances for All’ scheme to distribute light-emitting diode (LED) tubelights and energy-efficient fans.



Jammu Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir’s first smart tribal village Habbi inaugurated.

India’s Longest Road Tunnel, Cheneni-Nashiri Tunnel complete in Jammu at a cost of over Rs. 3,720 crore.

The Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar will be transformed into modern football stadium as per the norms of FIFA. Outlay: Rs 48 crore.

Jharkhand

Jharkhand Bans Illegal Slaughterhouses.

AAI, DRDO and Jharkhand Govt. ink MoU for development of Deoghar Airport Karnataka

Bengaluru gets India’s first vertical garden. The world’s first vertical gardens were setup in China. The garden is an initiative of SayTrees and its setup at the Hosur Road Electronics City Flyover.

Karnataka has announced an Idea2POC (Proof of Concept) fund of Rs10 crore for women entrepreneurs. Will fund upto Rs50 lakh for any woman innovator.

Karnataka Department of Tourism has announced a special summer trip package between April to June 2017 to attract families aboard to its luxury train ‘The Golden Chariot’.

US oil and gas major Shell’s new technology hub has been opened in Bengaluru. Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram has been ranked as the top Indian city to manage urban governance as per the Annual Survey of India’s City Systems 2016 conducted by Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy.

Kerala has achieved the maximum number of enrollment and registrations under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime.

Kerala government has decided to give differently-abled 5% reservation in higher education and 4% in job sector in the state.

ESAF Small Finance Bank starts operation in Kerala. It is the State’s first private sector bank since Independence.

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh government has announced ‘Deendayal Rasoi Yojna’ to provide food at

subsided rate to the poor in urban areas.

Bhagoria Festival began in Madhya Pradesh.

Manipur

The High Court of Manipur on March 3, 2017 declared the economic blockade in Manipur called by United Naga Council (UNC) as illegal.

Odisha

101st Birth anniversary of Biju Patnaik observed in Odisha.

The Odisha government has set a target to make Bhubaneswar completely Wi-Fi enabled by November 2018.



Odisha govt launches 181 helpline for distressed women.

Bhubaneswar, has been selected to host the 2017 Men’s Hockey World League Final as well as the Men’s World Cup in 2018 at the Kalinga Stadium.

Odisha becomes first state to bring banking to remote rural areas through Self Help Groups under the Odisha Livelihoods Mission (OLM). For this Odisha has signed agreement with State Bank of India.

Punjab

Cabinet Approves Settlement of Legacy Food Cash Credit Account in Punjab for Food Procurement Operations.

Punjab Approves 33 Percent Reservation for Women in State Govt Jobs and 50 percent reservation in representation of women in Panchayati Raj Institutions and urban local bodies.

Tamil Nadu

Panneerselvam launched a portal name Amma Kalviyagam. The portal will a hub of learning, interaction, opportunity, and connection. It is a part of Jayalalithaa’s Vision TN 2023.

TN makes Aadhaar, PAN, mobile number mandatory for new vehicle registration. This was the first time a state was asking for PAN card for two-wheeler registration.

The Government of India signed a contract for the Discovered Small Fields (DSF) Bid 2016 with GEM Laboratories for extracting Hydrocarbons at Neduvasal, in Tamil Nadu

Telangana

Telangana Archaeologists Find World’s Largest Capstone. Weight- 40 tonne. Tripura

Tripura has agreed to supply an additional 60 MW to Bangladesh in addition to the 100 MW of power that it is supplying to Bangladesh.

Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand High Court Orders State Government to Ban Mining for 4 Months West Bengal

West Bengal Gives Official Status to Tribal Language Kurukh.

Dol festival celebrated in West Bengal.

West Bengal Has Highest Number of Arsenic Affected Persons in India.

Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur is set to become the first academic institutions in India to receive a supercomputing facility of 1 Peta-flop computing power under the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM).

India’s first Biogas bus launched in Kolkata



Banking and Finance News

SEBI has planned to further tighten the regulations for algorithmic trading.

Government of India has directed all the banks to provide mobile banking facility to all customers by March 31, 2017.

RBI has advised bank-operated Financial Literacy Centres to conduct special camps for one year beginning April 1, 2017 on “going digital” through Unified Payments Interface and the *99# service.

SBI announces penalty for non-maintenance of minimum balance from April 1. Rs 5,000 mandatory for accounts in metropolitan areas, Rs 3,000 in urban areas, Rs 2,000 in semi-urban areas and Rs 1,000 in rural areas.

To enable the banking sector tackle the problem of stressed assets, which now stands at about Rs 12 lakh crore, the Centre has set up an information utility (IU) called National E-Governance Services.

Rs 10,000 penalty for bank branches refusing to exchange soiled notes. Service charge to be levied by banks if a person exchnages more than 20 notes or amount more than Rs 5,000.

Finance Ministry Gives in-principle Approval to Employee Stock Option Plans (ESOPs) by PSU banks.

HDFC Bank has launched India’s first AI based banking chatbot Electronic Virtual Assistant (EVA) for customer services.

HDFC Life brings country’s first life insurance Chatbot with Haptik.

Canara Bank won gold medal for a radio jingle and silver medals for Corporate Film and Brochure (CSR) at the 11th Global Communication Conclave held in Bangaluru by the Public Relations Council of India (PRCI).

China's banking system with asset size of $33 trillion overtakes eurozone to become the biggest in the world.

SBI launches ‘Work from Home’ facility for employees.

IDFC Bank has launched India’s first biometric-based payment system “Aadhaar Pay”

HDFC Life has launched a life insurance Chatbot, in association with a chatbot platform, Haptik.

RBI Restricts Cash Loan Against Gold by NBFC to Rs 20,000.

Yes Bank tied up with Udaipur, Nashik and Puducherry for introducing various solutions for the smart city initiative.

ICICI Bank has announced the launch of the second season of ‘ICICI Appathon’, its virtual mobile app development challenge.

The State Bank of India has legally incorporated SBI Infra Management Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (SBIIMS Pvt. Ltd.) as a wholly owned subsidiary of SBI.

The Reserve Bank of India launched a mobile application version of its website on Android

and iOS platforms. The application can be downloaded from the Play Store/App Store, using

the keyword ‘Reserve Bank of India’ Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) sanctioned loan to 1000 women entrepreneurs for various

income generating economic activities across the country on the eve of International Women’s Day.



ICICI Bank topped the list of banks that witnessed most number of frauds during April-December period of 2016: RBI

SBI Announces One Time Settlement Scheme Worth Rs 6,000 cr for Tractor Loan.

IndusInd Bank acquires brokerage firm IL&FS Securities Services.

HDFC bank launches India’s First Digital Loans Against Securities. A 3-minutes digital loan against securities service. The bank has collaborated with NSDL to seamlessly deliver this product. Customers can avail a minimum loan of Rs 1 lakh and maximum loan up to Rs 20 lakh under this facility.

Finova Capital, the NBFC licensed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced its target of disbursing loans worth Rs. 100 Crore in 2017 to the Indian MSME sector.

IndusInd Bank acquires brokerage firm IL&FS Securities Services.

RBI to print plastic notes of rs 1. Field test in 5 cities: Kochi, Mysore, Jaipur, Shimla and Bhubaneswar.

29 lakh debit cards were subjected to malware attack through ATMs that were connected with the switch of Hitachi.

Paytm launches its digital wallet platform in Canada. It is the company's first foray into an international market.

Paytm introduces insurance cover to safeguard wallet balance. All customers will be insured

up to a limit of Rs. 20,000 or their wallet balance, whichever is lower.

Cabinet Approves Amendments to NABARD Act, 1981. To increase the authorized capital of NABARD from Rs. 5,000 crore to Rs. 30,000 crore.

Karnataka Bank launches ‘MoneyPlantTM RuPay International Platinum Debit Card’. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will allow an exchange of up to Rs 4,500 in banned Indian

currency notes to each Nepali national. [Central bank of Nepal- Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB)]

Karur Vysya Bank has been adjudged the ‘Best Small Bank for 2016’ (balance sheet size of less than Rs 1-lakh crore).

State Bank of India launches Unnati Credit cards. It will not have annual fees for the initial four years.

The Centre is set to clear an estimated Rs 10,000 crore relief package for banks, which are facing the prospect of loans to 25 mega power projects turning sour.

State Bank of India has announced that it will offer credit cards to every account holder who has a balance of Rs 20,000-25,000, without going into credit history.

World’s largest corporate Masala bond of HDFC starts trading on London Stock Exchange.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is to set up a separate Enforcement Department (EFD).

Currently for banks, the RBI has two departments, regulation and supervision. Now with the

third department of Enforcement, it will look after the issue of any violation by banks and

impose penalty or issue warning.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has okayed Rs 1,400 crore (EUR 200 million) loan to

State Bank of India to fund solar power projects.

Exim Bank to work with African Development Bank on co-financing of projects



Business News

Bharti Airtel has has entered into an agreement with Millicom International Cellular to combine the operations of their respective subsidiaries in Ghana.

The Internet of Things (IoT) business unit of HCL Technologies, IoT Works has launched maturity framework titled “IoT Maturity: Bridging the Gap Between Devices and Value” that provides a roadmap for large enterprises for IoT-led business transformation.

Google acquires start-up Kaggle.

Intel to buy Mobileye for $ 15.3 billion.

Vodafone and Idea to merge. Vodafone will hold a 45.1 per cent in the newly merged entity, Idea's promoters will hold 26 per cent. The combined revenues of the merged entity will be Rs. 81,403 crore making it largest telecom company in India and second largest in world after China Mobile.

Reliance Communications and Aircel to merge and create a combined entity with assets worth Rs 65,000 crore. RCom and Aircel Ltd will hold 50 per cent each.

Bharti Airtel has signed an agreement with Tikona Digital Networks to acquire its 4G business in 5 circles for Rs 1,600 Crore.

Google to set up Cloud Region with Mumbai as Head Quarters.

SAIL, BSNL, Air India worst performing PSUs in FY16: Survey. Coal India, ONGC and Indian Oil Corporation emerged as star financial performers.

Flipkart to acquire eBay’s India operations.

Reliance Infrastructure InvIT Fund has got a crucial approval from National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). This is the first approval granted by NHAI for any InvIT fund.

Amazon acquires Souq.com.

Microsoft Philanthropies contributed $10 mn in India in 2016

Economy News

As per the The Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Act, 2017, possession of more than 10 pieces of the old notes by individuals and more than 25 pieces for study, research or numismatics purpose as criminal offence, attracting fine of Rs 10,000 or five times the cash held, whichever is higher.

CBDT has signed 10 unilateral Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) with the Indian Taxpayers. With this, the total number of APAs entered into by the CBDT has reached 140.

Centre Approves Rs 756 crore scheme for Treating Cataract Patients.

India and Germany inked an over 200 million euro (Rs 1,400 crore) loan agreement, taking the total German commitment for better energy efficiency in India to 600 million euro (Rs 4,200 crore).

National Mission for Clean Ganga has given approval for 20 new projects worth nearly Rs 1,900 crore.

India’s contribution to the United Nations has increased to Rs 244 crore from Rs 157 crore.

Cabinet approves additional 2% Dearness Allowance / Dearness Relief due from January, 2017 [Increased DA=4%]

Cabinet Approves Setting Up 50 Kendriya Vidyalayas. Cost- Rs.1160 crore.



Finance Ministry approved Rs.8,586-crore capital infusion plan to support 10 public sector banks (PSBs).

China’s economy has been ranked the top performing in terms of overall strength and vitality in The Asia Competitiveness Annual Report 2017 released at the Boao Forum for Asia

Govt removes 1% TCS on cash purchase above Rs 2 lakh.

Govt. has approved a total of nearly Rs 5,021-crore assistance to 10 states affected by natural disasters.

Central Board of Excise & Customs (CBEC) is being renamed as the Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC).

IREDA to sanction Rs 13K crore loans for renewables in FY18.

The government has approved Rs 2,256 crore outlay for Project Saksham to bolster the information technology network for the new GST regime.

Apps Launches/ Portal/Helpline Web-based platform Pratibimba launched by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to

showcasing the government’s performance and achievements to the citizens

CBSE launches app named Exam Locator to help students locate their exam center.

‘MeraHunar HP’ or ‘My Talent’ App launched by Himachal Pradesh government to help skilled and semi-skilled workers find jobs.

App named ′Ammavin Aran′ launched by Tamil Nadu government for women safety. Robot Chintu- IBM in collaboration with Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT), Pune,

introduced ‘Chintu’ — a cognitive assistant powered by IBM Watson that will assist senior citizens in conducting everyday tasks.

‘ABC of Breast Health’ app launched by Amitabh Bachchan. World’s first app on Brest cancer. The app is available in 12 languages.

‘Mera iMobile’ app – launched by ICICI bank to provide agricultural information in 11 Indian languages for rural people without internet connection.

Samsung Pay, a new mobile payments platform has been officially rolled out in India. Samsung becomes first company to launch mobile payment service in India.

"myLoan" app launched by Tata Capital to offer personal loans to young and mobile savvy audience. The maximum limit of the loan is Rs.15 lakh.

‘e-CinePramaan’- Online Film Certification System of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Under the new system, for short films, promos or trailers of less than 10 minutes, the producer can submit their creations online. For films longer than 10 minutes, the applicant will have to show the film at the examining theatre.

‘VidyaTab-Punjabi’- DataWind in collaboration with Vismaad Inc launched the first ever Punjabi education Tablet, Vidya-Tab Punjabi in India.

8-11 app – launched by Kotak Mahindra Bank- a completely digital and paperless account opening system, that can be used anytime, anywhere. One only needed an Aadhar card and a PAN card to open and operate the account, on which six per cent interest would be paid on sums deposited.

eChallan and mParivahan app – launched by Government. EChallan is an integrated enforcement solution to manage traffic violations through an Android-based mobile app.



MParivahan "is an empowering app for the citizen which provides access to various services, information and utilities related to the transport sector, bring convenience to citizen and transparency in the system.

Projects

NTPC commissions 45 MW of Bhadla solar plant.

NTPC) has installed India’s largest floating Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Plant at Kayamkulam in Kerala(100 kWp).

India’s largest municipal waste-to-power plant launched by North Delhi Municipal Corporation at Narela-Bawana in New Delhi. 24 megawatt (MW). Outlay- Rs 650 crore.

Government Launches Rs. 52000 lakh Mission Fingerling to achieve Blue Revolution. Government has identified 20 States based on their potential and other relevant factors to strengthen the Fish Seed infrastructure in the country.

NTPC Installs 55 MW Bhadla Solar Power Project in Rajasthan.

NASA, ISRO jointly working on project NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR).

Defence News

United States and South Korean troops started their large-scale annual military drill named Foal Eagle.

DRDO handed over three defence products to the Indian Army : Weapon Locating Radar

(WLR) SWATHI, NBC Recce Vehicle “Mk-I”, NBC Drugs

India successfully test-fired an indigenously developed supersonic interceptor missile,

“Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missile” in Odisha.

The Indian Navy has successfully conducted the maiden firing of an AntiShip missile from

first of the indigenously built Kalvari class submarines, during test firing in the Arabian Sea.

Indian Navy will set up meteorological facilities and impart training for the Myanmar Navy.

AL NAGAH-II joint military exercise begins between India-Oman in Himachal Pradesh.

Indian Navy’s Oldest Warship INS Viraat, Decommissions on March 6 After 30-Year

Service. INS Viraat was originally commissioned by the British Royal Navy in 1959.

Indo-Nepal joint Military exercise ‘Surya Kiran-Xi’ begins in Uttarakhand.

INS Tillanchang, a Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC) was commissioned into the Indian

Navy.

Iran successfully Tests Ballistic Missile Hormuz-2.

India Successfully Conducts Maiden Tests of Extended Version of BrahMos Supersonic

Cruise Missile. The strike range of the missile has been enhanced from 290 km to 450 km

and is capable of carrying a warhead of 300 kg.

Boeing Signs $3.4 bn deal with US govt for AH-64E Apache helicopters.



The Indian Navy successfully conducted the maiden trial firing of newly installed surface-to-

air Barak-8 missile system (Built in collaboration with Israel) from its aircraft carrier INS

Vikramaditya.

An Indian Navy team is set to scale Mount Everest as a part of its ‘Sagar Tal se Sagar Matha (Seabed to Summit)’ expedition.

INLCU L51, first of the eight ships of the LCU MK IV Class was commissioned into the

Indian Navy.

e-billing system for the Indian Air Force (IAF) called Aviation Turbine Fuel-Digital Issue

and Payment (ATF-DIP) launched in New Delhi.

Sports News

Tournament Winner Runner Up

2017 Dubai Tennis Championships

Andy Murray(Britain) Fernando Verdasco(Spain)

ATP Mexico Open Sam Austin Querrey(America)

Rafael Nadal(Spain)

2017 Brasil Open Pablo Cuevas(Uruguay) Albert Ramos Viñolas(Spain)

All England Open badminton championships

Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia) Shi Yuqi (China)

Hero Indian Open Golf SSP Chawrasia

2017 Indian Wells Tournament

Roger Federer (Switzerland)

Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland)

Vijay Hazare Trophy Tamil Nadu Bengal

2017 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix

Sebastian Vettel (Germany- Ferrari)

Lewis Hamilton (Britain- Mercedes)

71st Santosh Trophy West Bengal (Won for 32nd time)

Goa

2017 Vietnam Open International Challenger Badminton Doubles title

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty

Deodhar Trophy Tamil Nadu

Sports

India to host women’s Youth World Boxing Championship in November 2017.

Australian cricketer Sarah Coyte announces retirement.

West Indies cricketer Dwayne Smith announces retirement.

Tibetan women’s football team denied US visa.

India finish fifth with five medals at 2017 ISSF World Cup held in New Delhi. Top- China.

Philippines won the Asia Men’s Rugby Sevens Trophy held in Doha, Qatar. India defeated Pakistan and got 7th rank.

OPPO Mobiles becomes sponsor of Indian cricket team till 31 March 2022.



Women’s Cricket World Cup 2017 to be held in England.

India ranked 132 in the FIFA ranking of March. Top- Argentina.

Cricket celebrated 140th anniversary of first Test match on 15 March 2017. The first ever Test match was played on March 15, 1877 between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Bangladesh become quickest nation to play 100th Test Cricket Match.

Hero MotoCorp signs up as national supporter of U-17 World Cup, Second after Bank of Baroda.

BWF World Championships 2018- China BWF Sudirman Cup 2019- China BWF World Championships 2019- Basel, Switzerland

Vidya Pillai won silver in the Ladies World Snooker Championship in Toa Payoh, Singapore.

Cheteshwar Pujara becomes first Indian to face 500+ balls in Test innings. He faced 525 balls.

Ankur Mittal Clinches Gold in Double Trap Event in ISSF World Cup Mexico.

Vani Kapoor won her second title in the sixth leg of the Hero Women’s Professional Golf Tour 2017 at the Poona Club Golf Course.

2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games held in Austria. Motto “Heartbeat for the World”. India won- 73 medals (37 gold, 10 silver and 26 bronze).

Australian cricketer Shaun Tait Retires from all Forms of Cricket. He also got citizenship of India by marrying Indian model Mashoom Singha and hence is now an overseas citizen of India.

Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata will host the final of the U-17 FIFAWorld Cup on October 28, 2017.

India beat Australia to reclaim Border-Gavaskar Trophy with 2-1 series victory.

Virat Kohli presented Test mace as India finishes No.1

Chennai’s Srinath Narayanan is set to become India’s 46th Chess Grandmaster.

Tamil Nadu become 1st state to win all BCCI senior trophies

Schemes and Policy

Scheme Name Information Outlay

"SheLeadsTech" programme (Facebook)

To nurture and mentor start-ups founded or co-founded by women. Once the startup’s application is approved, Facebook will provide them access to FBStartup, which will help in gaining technical support, free credits to tools and training on Facebook Developer Tools, etc.

Tirtha Darshan Scheme (Haryana)

Senior citizens of Haryana domicile belonging to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families above the age of 60 years will be able to go on a Pilgrimage within the country at government expense.



In case of senior citizens of non-BPL families, the government would bear only 70 percent of the cost.

We-Media Reward Plan 2.0 (UC Web)

a self-creating content platform launched in India

Rs 50 Million

Adarsh Gram Yojana (Arunachal Pradesh)

Under the scheme, 123 villages, comprising one village per circle, are to be developed as ‘model villages’ during the fiscal year 2017-18.

Rs 93 crore rupees has been earmarked in the next year’s budget

Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES)

for developing export linked infrastructure and boost the competitiveness of India’s shipments. It will be implemented from April 1, 2017 and span from 2017-18 till 2019-20.

Rs 600 crore for three years with an annual outlay of Rs 200 crore.

Solar Energy Scheme (for Small Powerloom Units)

to provide financial assistance/capital subsidy to small powerloom units, for installation of Solar Photo Voltaic (SPV) plant, in order to alleviate the problem of power cut/ shortage faced by decentralized powerloom units in the country. The Scheme will come into force with effect from 01.04.2017.

National Water Quality Sub Mission on Arsenic and Fluoride

to provide safe drinking water to about 28,000 affected habitations in the country by March 2021 To providing tap water on a sustained basis in every household by 2030 as per the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for which Rs 23,000 crore of central fund will be required annually till the target is achieved.

Rs 25,000 crore

“Digital Unlocked” initiative (Google + Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY))

to train one lakh artisans per year across India and enable them to tap into newer markets through improved visibility of their products on internet.

‘A—Z GST Guide’ programme (Amazon)

for sellers to get insights and help related to the goods and services tax (GST), which is set to be rolled out from July 1.



Committee

Head of Committee Purpose

Shri Partha Mukhopadhay

Suggestions to enable the migrants to avail benefits of Public Distribution System (PDS) in the destination State by providing for inter-State operability of PDS.

Country Rankings in International Index

Index India’s Rank Other Information

2017 UN Women in Politics Map

India- 148

2017 World Happiness Index

India- 122 Top - Norway

2016 Human Development Index (HDI)

India- 131 Top- Norway

Energy Architecture Performance Index 2017 (WEF)

India- 87 Top- Norway

Worst catastrophe list by Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd

India- 2 Top- US

Loans from Banks

From To Amount Purpose

World Bank India USD 63 million

Socio-Economic Empowerment of Adolescent Girls and Young Women Project named “Tejaswini”(in Jharkhand)

World Bank Maharashtra over $1 billion

For assistance in the areas of urban transport and climate resilient agriculture

World Bank(IBRD)

India $175 million

for the National Hydrology Project to improve India’s ability to forecast floods and reduce the recurring chances of floods and droughts.

Asian Development Bank

India $350 million

to improve 1,500 kilometers of major district roads in Madhya Pradesh. The state government of Madhya pradesh also will allocate $150 million for this project.

World Bank Uttarakhand USD 100 million

to improve quality of health care services in all 13 districts of the state.



Miscellaneous News

The Ministry of Women & Child Development is observing the Swachhta Pakhwada from March 1, 2017 to March 15, 2017 and raise awareness about Swachh Bharat Abhiyan among women and children. It has a goal of universal sanitation, hygiene and ‘open defecation free’ India by 2019.

The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) under the Ministry of Environment and Forests

coordinated nationwide ‘Operation Thunder Bird’ to combat illegal trade of wildlife animals

in the country. The operation was undertaken in coordination with International Criminal

Police Organization (INTERPOL).

The National Green Tribunal has prohibited all camping activity on beaches along the Ganga which fall within 100 meters from the middle of the river during lean season flow from Shivpuri to Rishikesh.

K V Thomas, Chairman of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has come out with a solution of “Naming and Shaming” big corporate houses which default on repayment of bank loans to help financial institutions get back their money.

Kerala’s Vaikom Vijayalakshmi Sets Record to Play Gayathri veena for Continous Five Hours.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a special commemorative postage stamp on 100 years of Yogoda Satsang Math.

Trade Mark Rules, 2017 that will replace Trade Mark Rules 2002 became effective from 6 March 2017.

India has announced an Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) for conducting oil and gas exploration in India.

BCCI announces OPPO as new Team India sponsor.

Samsung India has announced the distribution of 10,000 solar lanterns to girl students of government schools.

NASA to create universe’s coldest spot in space station box. [Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL)]

‘Destination North East-2017’ festival was inaugurated in Chandigarh.

Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016 passed in Lok Sabha. The bill seeks to increase the maternity leaves to 26 weeks from 12 weeks by amending the Maternity Benefits Act, 1961.

Central Railway (CR) has unveiled India’s first air conditioned rail ambulance. The train will be stationed at Kalyan, Maharashtra.

India’s first lunar mission — the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, which was generally considered lost — is still orbiting the Moon. This was found by NASA scientists.

Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2016, which amends the Enemy Property Act, 1968, was passed in the Rajya Sabha.

CBSE mandates six subjects for Class 10 boards from 2017-18.

Switzerland Tourism launches their ‘InLoveWithSwitzerland’ campaign with brand ambassador Ranveer Singh.

The Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) Bill, 2016 was passed in Lok Sabha. It seeks to repeal five obsolete British statues on admiralty jurisdiction in civil matters.

Reliance Jio feature to let users suspend and resume SIM. First of its kind feature.



South African Chris Bertish has become the first person to cross the Atlantic Ocean on standup paddle.

Aster DM Foundation has announced a partnership with legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar to help young patients suffering from cancer and heart ailments in young patients.

Dabur India launches first ever Mobile Honey-testing Lab in India.

Tata Steel Limited and Wipro Limited have been named in the list of World’s Most Ethical Companies 2017 by American think tank Ethisphere Institute.

86th Martyrs’ Day of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Shivaram Observed on March 23 2017

Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) both will now be headed by an official from MoEF.

Paytm has become the First E-Commerce Giant To Become a Member of Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI).

Government Set to Redefine Blindness to Meet WHO Criteria. As per WHO’s norm, person unable to count beyond a distance of 3 metres is termed as blind. As per National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB), in India, a person unable to count fingers from a distance of six metres is categorised as “blind”.

Ministry of Food Processing Industries has sanctioned 101 new integrated Cold Chain Projects for building National Cold Chain Grid in the country.

4 ISRO teams join 36th Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica.

SpaceX launches first recycled rocket

Deadlines

Aadhaar Mandatory to Get Mid Day Meal. Last date to Enroll – 30 June 2017.

PM Modi calls for a ‘New India’ by 2022.

Aadhaar authentication will have to adhere to its new encryption standards (STQC) from June 1, 2017.

Government aims to make India a global biotech hub by 2020.

Government Set to Triple Nuclear Power Generation by 2024.

Union Cabinet has approved the amendment to Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009. This will ensure that all teachers, in position as on 31st March, 2015, acquire the minimum qualifications prescribed by the academic authority to extend the period for such training for four years up to 31st March, 2019.

Govt set objective that no untreated municipal sewage will be discharged into River Ganga by 2020 under Namami Gange Programme.

Aadhaar made mandatory for mobile connections from February 6, 2018.

Railways’ new Vikalp scheme to help waiting-list passengers to travel in premium trains like Shatabdi, Rajdhani. From April 1, 2017.

Supreme Court bans the registration and sale of BS-III emission vehicles from April 1, 2017.

Centre to build 1 crore houses under PMAY-Grameen by 2019.



Rankings (Persons and Organisations)

IISc, Banglore ranked 8th in top 10 global universities by Times Higher Education (THE). [THE ‘Best Small Universities in the World 2017’].

India tops the list for being the most corrupt nation followed by Vietnam as per Transparency International.

Mercer’s 19th annual Quality of Living survey: Vienna- highest quality of life. Baghdad- Poorest quality of life. In India, Hyderabad emerged as the best city in terms of living standards.

Asia University Rankings 2017 by Times Higher Education (THE). Three Indian university/institute made in the top 50. IISc Bengaluru – 27th , IIT Bombay- 42th , Veltech University – 43rd . Top- National University of Singapore

India ranks second after China in IoT-enabled customer maturity: Genesys report

Italy has been ranked as the healthiest country on Earth as per 2017 Bloomberg Global Health Index.

Growth rates predictions

India’s growth rate prediction 2016-17 by Fitch – 7.1%.

Books

"Numbers Do Lie, 61 Hidden Cricket Stories" => Author - Akash Chopra

"My Story" – Autobiography of Australian cricketer Michael Clarke

“50 Years – The Great Indian Milk Revolution” – Launched by The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Radha Mohan Singh to commemorate National Dairy Development Board’s (NDDB) Golden Jubilee year on March 23, 2017.

Indian Army Releases Book Titled ‘Home of the Brave’ on Rashtriya Rifles.

Rail Minister Suresh Prabhu Releases Book Titled “Indian Railway- The weaving of a National Tapestry” => Authors- Shri Bibek Debroy (Member, NITI Aayog), Shri Sanjay Chadha (Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce) & Ms. Vidya Krishnamurthi. Theme of the book: Historical Development of Railways in India.

General Bipin Rawat, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) released the book ‘Home of the Brave’ on the history of Indian Army’s Counter Insurgency Force, the Rashtriya Rifles (RR). The book is authored by Mr Nitin A Gokhale, Defence & Security Analyst and Brig S K Chatterji

Obituaries

Name Profession Other Info

Tarak Mehta Columnist, humorist, Gujarati writer

Age - 87

Haji Abdul Salam Politician (Manipur) Age - 69

Yumnam Yaima Singh Politician Age - 95

Raymond Kopa Football Player (France) Age -85



Syed Shahabuddin Politician Age - 82

Tommy Page American singer and songwriter

Age - 46

Rene Preval Former President of Haiti Age – 74

Rabi Ray Politician, Socialist Age - 91

Kalikaprasad Bhattarcharya Bengali folk music singer Age - 47

Arvind Padmanabhan Journalist Age- 49

John Surtees F1 racer from Britain Age-83

Diphan Malayalam film director Age- 45

Ashwin Sundar Car Racer Age- 27

Derek Walcott Saint Lucian poet and playwright

Age- 87

Chuck Berry American guitarist, singer and songwriter

Age- 90

Dev Raj Sikka Meteorologist Age- 85

Pyarimohan Mohapatra Politician Age- 77

Chinu Modi Gujarati poet, novelist, story-writer and critic

Age- 78

Asokamitran (Original Name: Jagadisa Thyagarajan)

Tamil litterateur Age- 85

Tehmtan R. Andhyarujina Advocate Age- 84

Arun Sarma Writer of Assam Age- 85

Gurdev Singh Badal Politician Age- 85

Ahmed Kathrada South African Politician and Activist

Age- 87

Important Days

Date Day Extra Info

1 March World Civil Defence Day 2017 Theme: “Together with civil defence against disasters”.

1 March Zero Discrimination Day 2017 Theme: “Make Some Noise For Zero Discrimination”

3 March National Defence Day

3 March World Wildlife Day 2017 Theme: “Listen to the young voices”

3 March World Hearing Day 2017 Theme: “Action for hearing loss: make a sound investment”

4 March National Security Day

8 March International Women’s Day 2017 Theme: "Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030."



9 March World Kidney Day 2017 Theme: “Kidney Disease and Obesity: Healthy Lifestyle for Healthy Kidneys”

March 4-10, 2017 National Safety Week 2017 theme: “Keep Each Other Safe”

10 March CISF Raising Day

13 March Commonwealth Day 2017 Theme: "A peace-building Commonwealth"

15 March World Consumer Rights Day

2017 Theme: ‘Building a Digital World Consumers can Trust’

16 March National Vaccination Day

18 March Ordnance Factories Day

20 March International Day of Happiness

20 March World Sparrow day

21 March International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

2017 Theme: "Racial profiling and incitement to hatred, including in the context of migration"

21 March International Day of Forests

2017 Theme: "Forests and energy"

21 March World Poetry day

22 March World Water day 2017 Theme: "Why Waste water?"

23 March World Meteorlogical Day 2017 Theme: "Understanding Clouds"

24 March World Tuberculosis Day 2017 Theme: "Unite to End TB"

25 March International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members

25 March International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

2017 Theme: “Remember Slavery: Recognising the Legacy and Contributions of People of African Descent”

25 March 2017 Earth Hour 10th edition [8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m]

27 March World Theatre Day 2017 Theme: “Theatre and a Culture of Peace”



March Special

National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4) conducted for year 2015-16

Infant Mortality Rate(IMR): IMR stands at 41 per 1,000 live births in NFHS-4 as against 57 in NFHS-3.

Sex Ratio at birth: 919 females per 1000 males. Highest sex ratio in Kerala of 1047.

Institutional Births: 78.9%

Total Fertility Rate: 2.2 children per women.

BCCI Awards

Award Winners Polly Umrigar award Virat Kohli (first Indian player to get the award

three times. Sachin Tendulkar has won it twice) CK Nayudu award Ravichandran Ashwin Colonel CK Nayudu lifetime achievement award Rajinder Goel and Padmakar Shivalkar BCCI Lifetime achievement award (Female) Shantha Rangaswamy Lala Amarnath award (for the best all-rounders) Jalaj Saxena(Ranji Trophy) and

Axar Patel (for the domestic one-dayers) Madhavrao Scindia award Shreyas Iyer and Shahbaz Nadeem Best performance award in the BCCI domestic tournament of 2015/16

Mumbai Cricket Association

New Chief Ministers in 5 states

State Chief Minister Manipur Nongthombam Biren Singh Goa Manohar Parrikar Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath Uttarkhand Trivendra Singh Rawat

Appointment of New Chief Justices in MP, Patna, Kerala, Chattisgrah,

Jharkhand HCs

State High Court Name

Chhattisgarh High Court Justice Thottathil Bhaskaran Nair

Radhakrishnan

Kerala High Court Justice Navaniti Prasad Singh

Madhya Pradesh High Court Justice Hemant Gupta



Patna High Court Justice Rajendra Menon

Jharkhand High Court Justice Pradip Kumar Mohanty

Five Indians Named in WEF’s 100 Young Global Leaders List 2017

1.Vijay Shekhar Sharma: Founder & CEO PayTm

2.Shruti Shibulal: The Tamara Hospitality 3.Ambarish Mitra: Founder and CEO of Blippar, a mobile phone app

4.Hindol Sengupta: Editor-at-large, Fortune India 5.Rwitwika Bhattacharya-Agarwal: Founder and CEO of Swaniti Initiative.

UNESCO has added five Indian cities in its list of tentative world heritage site.

1.Historic City of Ahmedabad, 2.Delhi – A Heritage City,

3.Jaipur City, Rajasthan, 4.Ekamra Kshetra- The Temple City, Bhubaneswar and

5.The Victorian & Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai.

Dr. B. C. Roy National Awardee

1.Geethalakshmi, Vice-Chancellor of The Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University 2.Palanivelu, chairman of Coimbatore-based GEM Hospital

3.Anand K. Khakhar, Program Director, Centre for Liver Diseases and Transplantation at Apollo Hospitals, Chennai

Revised Interest Rates on Small Saving Schemes (April 1 to June 30)

Scheme Interest Rate

Kisan Vikas Patra 7.6%

Public Provident Fund(PPF) Scheme 7.9%

National Savings Certificates (NSC) Scheme 7.9%

Senior Citizen Savings Scheme 8.4%

Sukanya Samriddhi Accounts 8.4%



Static Awareness in News

Dear Aspirants,

It has been seen that in recent exams questions from Static sections has been asked from recent

news. So we are adding this section in our monthly PDF.

Stadiums in News

Stadium Place HPCA Stadium Himachal Pradesh ACA-VDCA stadium Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh Bakshi Stadium Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir

Organizations in News

Organisation Headquarter Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) New Delhi Airports Council International (ACI), headquarters

Montreal, Canada

United World Wrestling (UWW) Lausanne, Switzerland National Council of Science Museums Kolkata Central Bank of Nigeria Abuja, Nigeria International Labour Organization Geneva, Switzerland Atlantic Council Washington, D.C

Wildlife Sanctuary and National Parks in News

Sanctuary / Park Place Bhitarkanika National Park Odisha Gir National Park Gujarat Pampadum Shola National Park Kerala Dudhwa National Park Uttar Pradesh Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park Telangana Kaziranga National Park Assam Jim Corbett National Park Uttarakhand Nagarhole National Park Karnataka Inderkilla National Park Himachal Pradesh Keoladeo National Park Rajasthan



Dams in News

Dam River Place Periyar dam (Mullaperiyar Dam)

Periyar River Kerala

Vaigai dam Vaigai River Tamil Nadu Sardar Sarovar Dam Narmada river Gujarat Shahpur Kandi Dam Ravi river Punjab, J&K Temghar Dam Mutha River Maharashtra Bargi Dam Narmada River Madhya Pradesh

People in News

Laender Paes Indian tennis player Jitu Rai Indian shooter Amanpreet Indian shooter Rohan Bopanna Indian tennis player Rajiv Lall founder MD and CEO, of IDFC Bank Kristalina Georgieva World Bank CEO

Lakes and Rivers in News

Ukkadam Lake Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu Hameed Khan Kunta or Gundacheruvu or Banjara Lake

Hyderabad

Ulsoor Lake Bengaluru, Karnataka Arakere Lake Bengaluru, Karnataka Sembakkam Lake Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Power Plants

Mouda Super Thermal Power Station Maharashtra Manarchak power plant Tripura Bhadradri Thermal Power Plant Telangana Koteshwar Hydroelectric Power Plant Uttarakhand Mundra power plant Gujarat Bhadla Solar Plant Rajasthan Kalpakkam Atomic Power Station Tamil Nadu Bongaigaon Thermal Power Station Assam Miyar Hydroelectric Project Himachal Pradesh (on the banks of River

Chenab) Bhadla Solar Power Project Rajasthan



Miscellaneous

V.O.Chidambaranar Port Tamil Nadu Vizag Port Andhra Pradesh Chamatkarik Shri Hanumanji Na Charan Temple

Ahmedabad, Gujarat

The Golden Pagoda Arunachal Pradesh Sir Garfield Sobers trophy Cricket Gujarat – to hold year 2017, the birth centenary year of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya as ‘Garib Kalyan Varsh’. World’s Largest River island – Majuli Sangin – District in South Afghanistan

Asian chess championship for the blind 2017 – India (at Mangaluru in Karnataka)

Festivals: Ugadi Festival – Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana state Gudi Padwa – Maharashtra Both are same festivals, called different in given states Pawan Hans Limited – a helicopter service company. A Mini Ratna-I category PSU. Headquartered in Noida, UP. Company slogan – We Fly For You Nampally Railway Station – Hyderabad, Telangana (was in news because going solar) Indian Museum – Kolkata, West Bengal Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) – Central Bank of Nepal



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