Current Affairs Study PDF - March 2017 by AffairsCloud

Current Affairs March 2017
PDF Capsule
Current Affairs PDF: March 2017
Current Affairs for Competitive Exam

Contents
INDIAN AFFAIRS............................................................................................................................................. 3
STATE BUDGETS 2017-18 ............................................................................................................................ 24
PLACES IN NEWS.......................................................................................................................................... 36
FOREIGN VISITS ........................................................................................................................................... 40
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS ....................................................................................................................... 41
SUMMITS & CONFERENCES ..................................................................................................................... 45
RANKING & REPORTS ................................................................................................................................ 53
BANKING & FINANCE ................................................................................................................................. 62
BUSINESS ........................................................................................................................................................ 80
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS ..................................................................................................................... 87
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS .................................................................................................................... 97
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS .................................................................................................................. 108
MoUs ............................................................................................................................................................... 111
SCHEMES ...................................................................................................................................................... 117
COMMITTEE ................................................................................................................................................ 121
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ..................................................................................................................... 122
DEFENCE ...................................................................................................................................................... 133
ENVIRONMENT ........................................................................................................................................... 137
SPORTS .......................................................................................................................................................... 144
OBITUARY .................................................................................................................................................... 156
BOOKS & AUTHORS .................................................................................................................................. 163
IMPORTANT DAYS ..................................................................................................................................... 164
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INDIAN AFFAIRS
Narendra Singh Tomar Launches Swachh Shakti Saptah in Haryana
i. The Union Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar launched the
week long Swachh Shakti Saptah at national level on March 1, 2017 in Gurugram, Haryana to
highlight the role of women in Swachh Bharat Mission and to recognize their leadership.
ii. The week-long programme would be held from March 1-March 8, 2017.
iii. Over 1,000 women sarpanches of Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) and all women sarpanches of
Gurugram division participated in the event.
100 districts in India Declared ODF under Swachh Bharat Mission

i. The Union Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar has informed
that the number of ODF (Open Defecation Free) districts in India has crossed 100, making it a
milestone achievement under the Swachh Bharat Mission.
ii. Besides, over 1.7 lakh villages over the country has also become ODF.
Ministry of Women & Child Development Observes Swachhta Pakhwada Throughout India
i. 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.
ii. Aim: The Swachhta Pakhwada is observed by various Ministries of Government of India to
achieve the goal of universal sanitation, hygiene and ‘open defecation free’ India by 2019.
iii. During the course of the progamme, various activities would be conducted throughout the
country through the wide network of Anganwadi Centres (AWCs).
Panneerselvam inaugurates ‘Amma Kalviyagam’

i. Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam has launched a portal named after late chief
Minister Jayalalithaa ammakalviyagam.in on her 69th birth anniversary celebrations.
ii. The launched portal will a hub of learning, interaction, opportunity, and connection. The portal
was based on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) model.
iii. This initiative will help students get assistance from reputed teachers free of cost, which reflects
Jayalalithaa’s Vision TN 2023.
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Government approves 4,000 PG seats in medical colleges

i. Union Health Ministry led by J P Nadda announced that it had approved 4000 Post Graduate
seats in medical colleges and hospitals across the country for the academic session 2017-18.
ii. This increased intake in medical institutions will take the total number of Post Graduate (PG)
seats to 35,117.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu Inaugurates Key Freight Sector Initiatives of Railways
♦ The Union Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu inaugurated four key freight
sector initiatives on March 2, 2017 at National Rail Museum, New Delhi to attract more freight
towards Railways.
The 4 Key Freight Sector Initiatives Includes:
i. Policy of ‘Long Term Contracts/Agreements’ with major customers
ii. Indian Railways Freight and Passenger Business Action Plan-2017-18
iii .Confirmation trial of Double Stack Dwarf Container Train under wire, a New Delivery Model
iv .The demonstration run of Ro-Ro (Roll on–Roll off) service across the National Capital Region- A
Pilot project of Indian railways for ‘Green Transportation’ – to reduce road congestion and improve
environment.
Final Draft of Central GST & Integrated GST Approved By GST Council
The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council headed by Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley unanimously cleared the crucial Central GST (CGST) and Integrated GST (IGST) draft
bills on March 4, 2017 during its 11th meeting at Vigyan Bhavan.
• The state had recommended as many as 26 changes regarding CGST and IGST, all of which
were accepted by the Centre.
• Under the IGST bill which is related to taxation of inter-state transfer of goods, the legislation
has been made for cross empowerment of state and central officers.
• Both Centre and states have agreed to provide a composition scheme for small businesses.
Now the small businesses with an annual turnover of up to Rs 50 lakh will pay 5 percent tax
(to be shared equally between the Centre and states).
Aadhaar Mandatory to Get Mid Day Meal and Booking Train Tickets Online
Mid-Day Meal
i. The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development in its notification on February 28,
2017, made it mandatory for the students across the country to have an Aadhaar number for
getting the their midday meals.
ii. The stated rule will be applicable across the country except Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya and
Assam.
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Train Ticket
As per the new business plan 2017-18, unveiled by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on March 2,
2017, railway will soon make Aadhaar number compulsory for booking railway tickets online.
Assam Cabinet Declares Sanskrit as Compulsory Subject upto Class 8

i .In a cabinet meeting on February 28, 2017, the Assam government led by the Chief
Minister Sarbananda Sonowal decided to make Sanskrit a compulsory language for students up
to class 8 in the state.
ii. Besides, the government also decided to promote computer education in the state. The
government would also appoint teachers for the two subject.
West Bengal Clinical Establishment Bill 2017 Unanimously Passed in State Assembly
i. The West Bengal Clinical Establishments (Registration, Regulation and Transparency)
Bill, 2017 was passed by the state legislative assembly on March 3, 2017 with full support.
ii. The Bill replaces the West Bengal Clinical Establishments (Registration, Regulation and
Regulation) Bill, 2010.
Key Highlights of the Bill
i. Hospitals cannot charge more than as stated in the Bill.
ii. In case of death due to negligent treatment, hospital would be liable to pay Rs. 10 lakh as
compensation.
iii .Every clinical establishment shall maintain a public grievance cell for lodging of complaints on
treatment, improper billing, deficit service, behaviour of attending staff.
iv. Offer free Cardiac surgery to children under Sishu Sathi Scheme
West Bengal Gives Official Status to Tribal Language Kurukh

i. The West Bengal government has given an official status to Kurukh language in the state
which has been listed as an endangered language by the UNESCO.
ii. The language was given the official status on February 21 on the occasion of the International
Mother Language Day.
iii. Kurukh is a tribal language that belongs to the Dravidian family. It is spoken by the Oraon
tribal community living in Birbhum-Bankura-Purulia-Midnapore belt and the tea garden regions in
north Bengal.
Maharashtra Cabinet Plans to Regulate Web-Based Taxi Services

The Maharashtra government led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has decided to implement
the Maharashtra City Taxi Regulations 2017 to regulate the web-based taxi services in the
state.
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Key Features of the Regulation

i. As per the new regulation, the vehicle would have GPS/GPRS system in the vehicle and there
will be a display of the route and fare to be recovered for the same.
ii. Besides, the service providers will have to register in the city where they wish to operate the
taxi service.
India to supply additional 60 MW power to Bangladesh

i. North Eastern state Tripura has agreed to supply an additional 60 MW to Bangladesh over the
100 MW of power the north-eastern state is supplying to the neighbouring country.
ii. This development comes after Bangladesh sought 100 MW electricity from India to solve its
power crisis in the eastern part of the nation. They have no transmission facility to receive their
entire request of 100 MW now.
Cabinet Approves Revival of 50 Un-Served/Under-Served Airstrips

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi
approved the proposal for revival of 50 un-served/under-served airports/airstrips of the State
Governments, Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Civil enclaves on March 6, 2017.
• The total cost of the project is estimated to be Rs. 4500 crore and will be completed by
the financial year 2020.
Cabinet approves Revised Cost Estimate-I of Koteshwar Hydro Electric Project in

Uttarakhand
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has also approved the Revised Cost Estimate-I of
400 MW Koteshwar Hydro Electric Project (HEP) in Uttarakhand.
• The estimated completion cost of the project is Rs. 2,717.35 crore and is being
implemented by Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC) India Limited.
Cabinet approves India’s accession to the Customs Convention on International

Transport of Goods under cover of TIR Carnets (TIR Convention)
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has also given its approval for
India’s accession to the Customs Convention on International Transport of Goods under
cover of TIR Carnets (TIR Convention) and for completion of necessary procedures for
ratification, for its entry into force.
Cabinet Approves Settlement of Legacy Food Cash Credit Account in Punjab for Food
Procurement Operations
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto
approval for settlement of Legacy Food Cash Credit Accounts (upto crop season 2014-15) of
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Punjab Government for food procurement operations.

• The proposal of Department of Expenditure was approved by Prime Minister on January 2,
2017 under Rule 12 of (Transaction of Business) Rules, 1961.
High Court Declares Over 4 Month Long Economic Blockade in Manipur as Illegal
i. The High Court of Manipur on March 3, 2017 declared the economic
blockade in Manipur called by United Naga Council (UNC) as illegal.
ii. The order was passed by a bench of three judges Chief Justice R R Prasad, Justice N Kotiswar
Singh and Justice Kh Nobin Singh on public interest litigation.
PM Narendra Modi releases Special Commemorative Postage Stamp on 100 years of

Yogoda Satsang Math
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a special commemorative postage stamp on 100
years of Yogoda Satsang Math on March 7, 2017
ii. Dakshineswar based Yogoda Satsanga Society is a non-profit religious organization founded
by Paramahansa Yogananda in 1917.
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah launches ‘Pratibimba” to project achievements

i. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah launched a comprehensive web-based
platform Pratibimba to showcasing the government’s performance and achievements to the
citizens on March 7, 2017.
ii. This dash board will serve as a tool to improve efficiency in governance and allow citizens to
track government’s progress.It is available both in English and Kannada.
International Women’s Celeberated on March 8, 2017

International Women’s Day is celebrated by the Governments, NGOs and other Organizations
worldwide on March 8 every year since 1900 to highlight the achievements of women in all fields
ranging from political to social while calling for greater equality.
• The theme adopted by the United Nation for 2017 is Women in the Changing World of
Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030.
PM Modi Addresses National Convention of Women Sarpanch
On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed
the Swachh Shakti 2017 – A Convention of Women Sarpanches, at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.
Important Highlights of the Conclave
As a part of the event, PM Modi gave away Swachh Shakti 2017 awards to women leaders in
rural areas who have contributed immensely towards Swachh Bharat Mission.
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President Mukherjee Presents Nari Shakti Puraskars

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, President Pranab Mukherjee gave away the Nari
Shakti Puraskars at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on March 8, 2017.
Some of the winners included
1. Three women scientists from ISRO namely Subha Varier, B Codananyaguy and Anatta
Sonney.
2. An all-women troupe of Kathakali dance was also awarded for claiming a dance form
which was traditionally a male preserve.
3. Asia’s first woman to drive a diesel train, Mumtaz Kazi, was also bestowed with an
award.
4. Anoyara Khatun, a survivor of trafficking, who has worked to rescue child labourers,
victims of human trade and domestic violence.
5. Amruta Patil, a writer and painter. She is also the first female graphic novelist of the
country.
Textiles Ministry Announces Kamaladevi Chattopadhya National Awards Specially for
Women Weavers and Women Artisans
On the occasion of International Women’s Day the Union Textiles Minister Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani
has announced ‘Kamaladevi Chattopadhya National Awards’, a new category of awards
specially for women handloom weavers and women handicraft artisans.
Sports Minister Vijay Goel Inaugurate “Women and Sports in India” Conference in New
Delhi
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports organized a day-long conference on ‘Women and
Sports in India’ on March 8, 2017 to deliberate upon various issues for encouraging more and
more women to take up sports.
• The conference was inaugurated by the Minister of state (I/C) for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri
Vijay Goel.
Defence Ministry Organise The Awareness Programme On The Problem Of Anaemia
An Anaemia awareness Campaign was organized by the Indian Army in the Army Hospital on
the occasion of the International Women’s Day on March 8, 2017.
Commonwealth launches ‘Peace in the Home’ Programme to Tackle domestic violence
On the occasion of the International Women’s day, the Commonwealth has launched an initiative
“Peace in the Home” to help the member states to deal with domestic violence that impacts the
life of women.
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Odisha govt launches 181 helpline for distressed women

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has launched 24*7 helpline number 181 to assist women in
distress on the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8, 2017.
♦ A woman from any part of the Odisha can dial 181 to get immediate assistance.
Lok Sabha Clears Maternity Benefits (Amendment) Bill, 2016 To Raise Maternity Leave to
26 Weeks
The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was passed by the Lok Sabha by voice vote on
March 10, 2017 that will benefit about 1.8 million women working in organized sector.
• The bill seeks to increase the maternity leaves to 26 weeks by amending the Maternity
Benefits Act, 1961 that provides for 12 weeks of maternity leave.
• Aim: To protect the employment of women during the time of pregnancy and entitle them to
have full paid absence from work to take care of their child. It will also encourage more
women to join the workforce in organised sector.
Key Features of the Maternity Benefits (Amendment) Bill, 2016
The Bill will be applicable to the establishments that hire at least 10 or more people. The
entitlement will be for only up to first 2 children. For third child, the entitlement will be for only
12 weeks.
• The Bill also requires every establishment with 50 or more employees to
provide creche facilities within a prescribed distance. The woman will be allowed 4 visits
to the creche in a day. This will include her interval for rest.
• The bill also provides for 12 weeks of maternity leave to a woman who legally adopts a
child below 3 months of age and a commissioning mother (biological mother) who uses
her egg to have a surrogate child.
• In such cases, 12-week period of maternity leave will be calculated from the date the
child is handed over to the adoptive or commissioning mother.
2017 Assembly Election Results of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur
The Assembly Elections in the five states- Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and
Manipur were considered the first big test for the BJP after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s
demonetisation drive, which wiped out 86 per cent of currency from the nation’s economy.
Review of the Assembly Election 2017
Uttar Pradesh Election Result 2017
Bhartiya Janta Party(BJP) emerged victorious in state election of Uttar Pradesh. Out of the 403
seats BJP won 325 seats which is much greater than the 202 seats required for majority.
• This is for the first time since 1980, that any party has crossed the mark of 300 seats
in Uttar Pradesh. BJP is set to come in power after 14 years in Uttar Pradesh. BJP Uttar
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Pradesh President Keshav Prasad Maurya has a major role in this victory as he conducted
many rallies across the state.
Uttarakhand Election Result 2017
The BJP performed far better than expected to win 57 of the 70 constituencies in Uttarakhand
while reducing the ruling Congress to dismal 11 seats.
• Following the ruling Congress’ poor performance, chief minister Harish Rawat tendered his
resignation from the Chief Minister’s post to Governor Krishna Kant Paul.
• Mr Rawat contested the poll from two constituencies, Hardwar Rural and Kiccha, but failed
to win either. A party needs 36 seats to form government in the state.
Punjab Election Result 2017
Punjab has given another chance to Congress under Captain Amrinder Singh to form government
after a gap of a decade, taking away the power from ruling SAD-BJP combine government.
• Congress’ candidates have won in 77 seats in the 117 member Punjab Assembly to get
a majority win.
Manipur Election Result 2017 :
Though none of the political parties managed to reach the majority mark of 31 for securing
majority win in Manipur assembly polls, Congress and BJP were racing neck and neck.
• Congress secured 28 seats, the BJP won 21 seats in the north-eastern state.
• Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh of the Congress party won in Thoubal
constituency.
Goa Election Result 2017
In the past five years, BJP had a stable government in Goa. But with the assembly election results
on March 11, 2017, CM Laxmikant Parsekar of BJP suffered a loss in Mandrem constituency of North
Goa by around 3,500 votes from Congress candidate Dayanand Sopte.Chief Minister Laxmikant
Parsekar submitted his resignation to Governor Mridula Sinha after his party finished much behind
the majority needed to form the government.
Rajya Sabha Passes Enemy Property Amendment Bill

Rajya Sabha passed a bill on March 10, 2017 by voice vote to amend a 49-year-old law regarding
claims of succession or transfer of properties left by people who migrated to Pakistan and
China in the 1960s or later .
♦ The Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2016, which amends the Enemy
Property Act, 1968, was passed in the Rajya Sabha to vest all rights, titles and interests over
enemy property in the Custodian.
Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) Bill, 2016 passed in Lok
Sabha
i. The Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) Bill, 2016 was passed in
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Lok Sabha on March 10, 2017. The bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on November 21, 2016 by the
Minister of State for Shipping, Mr. Mansukh Mandaviya.
ii. The bill seeks to make changes in the existing laws on civil matters of admiralty jurisdiction of
courts (jurisdiction of courts of law over cases concerning ships or the sea), proceedings on
maritime claims, and arrest of ships.
Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI) Bill, 2017 Introduced in Lok Sabha
The Commerce & Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced the Footwear Design and
Development Institute (FDDI) Bill, 2017 in the Lok Sabha on March 14, 2017 in order to
declare the FDDI as an Institution of National Importance (INI).
♦ Objective: To enable FDDI emerge as Centre of Excellence to meet with the international
standards and address the shortage of trained human resource in the sector.
Salient Features of the Bill
i. The Bill seeks to facilitate and promote teaching, training and research in all disciplines relating to
design and development of Footwear and leather products.
ii. The existing FDDI institute is centrally-funded for meeting its capital expenditure. The bill
proposes that FDDI shall be established as a body corporate.
Inter-state River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2017 introduced in Lok Sabha
The Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma
Bharti introduced Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2017 in Lok
Sabha on March 14, 2017 to set up a single permanent tribunal to effectively resolve inter-
state river water sharing disputes.
Features of the Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2017
i. The Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2017 proposes to ease the
adjudication of inter-state river water disputes and make the present legal and institutional
architecture stronger and robust.
ii. The Bill also proposes a setting up a Single Standing Tribunal (with multiple benches) instead
of presently existing multiple tribunals and shall consist of one Chairperson, one Vice-Chairperson
and not more than six other Members.
Centre Approves 20 Ganga Cleaning Projects Worth Over Rs 1,900 Crore

i. The Executive Committee (EC) of National Mission for Clean Ganga has given approval
for 20 new projects worth nearly Rs 1,900 crore during a meeting held on March 2, 2017.
ii. Out of the 20 projects, 13 are in Uttarakhand, and rest in Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh
and Delhi.
iii. All these projects will be fully funded by the Central Government, including even the
expenditure on operation and maintenance of these projects.
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Cabinet approves Policy for Early Monetization of Coal Bed Methane Gas Marketing and
Pricing Freedom for CBM Gas
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its approval to provide marketing and pricing
freedom to the Coal Bed Methane (CBM) Contractors to sell the CBM Gas at Arm’s Length
Price in the domestic market.
• Besides, while discovering the market price for Arms Length Sales, the Contractor will
have to ensure a fully transparent and competitive process for sale of CBM and also that
the best possible price is realized for the gas without any restrictive commercial practices.
Cabinet approves additional 2% Dearness Allowance / Dearness Relief From January 1

The Centre has also approved to increase the Dearness Allowance (DA) to Central Government
employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners to 4 percent from the existing rate of 2
percent with effect from January 1, 2017.
Cabinet Approves Introducing Bill to Declare 15 IIITs as Institutes of National

Importance
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved. Introduction of
the Indian Institutes of Information Technology Public Private Partnership (IIIT PPP)
Bill, 2017;
• Grant statutory status to the 15 Indian Institutes of Information Technology set up
under Public Private Partnership and declare them as Institutions of National Importance;
• The 15 IIITs includes: Andhra Pradesh (Chittoor), Assam (Guwahati) Gujarat (Vadodara),
Haryana (Sonipat), Himachal Pradesh (Una), Jharkhand (Ranchi), Karnataka (Dharwad),
Kerala (Kottayam) Maharashtra (Nagpur & Pune), Manipur (Senapati), Rajasthan (Kota),
Tamilnadu (Tiruchirappalli), Uttar Pradesh (Lucknow), Kalyani (West Bengal).
Govt Approves National Health Policy To Provide Assured Health Services To All
The Cabinet has also approved the National Health Policy 2017 to address the current and
emerging challenges which arise due to the changing socio-economic, technological and
epidemiological landscape.
• Aim: Provide assured healthcare to all particularly the underserved and underprivileged.
Features of the National Health Policy 2017
• The policy envisages attainment of the highest possible level of health and well-being for
all at all ages through a preventive and promotive health care orientation in all
developmental policies.
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• Universal access to good quality health care services without anyone having to face
financial hardship as a consequence.
• It includes increasing access, improving quality and lowering the cost of healthcare
delivery.
Cabinet Approves Special Assistance for EAPs in Andhra Pradesh

During the meeting, the Cabinet Committee gave its approval for the special assistance measure
for the successor state of Andhra Pradesh by way of dispensation in funding of Externally Aided
Projects (EAPs).
• The Cabinet also approved funding of irrigation component of Polavaram project.
Financial Assistance for Externally Aided Projects (EAPs)
• The Central Government will provide special assistance measure to Government of Andhra
Pradesh if the funding of Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) would have been shared at
the ratio of 90:10 between the Centre and the State.
• The special assistance will be provided by way of repayment of loan and interest for the
Externally Aided Projects (EAPs) signed and disbursed by Andhra Pradesh during 2015-
2016 to 2019-20.
Cabinet Approves Setting Up 50 Kendriya Vidyalayas

Besides, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the proposal for opening of 50
new Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) under Civil / Defence Sector in India.
• The total project cost based on Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) norms for the
proposed 50 new KVs is Rs.1160 crore.
Demands for Grants of Ministry of Defence for 2017-18 Passed in Lok Sabha
i. The Lok Sabha passed the Demands for Grants of Ministry of Defence for 2017-18 on
March 17, 2017 after negotiating with the opposition.
ii. In 2017-18, the Ministry of Defence has been allocated Rs 3,59,854 crore (including pensions)
for expenditure across the various services, production establishments and research and
development organisations.
iii. This allocation is the highest from all other departments and represents 16.8% of the central
government’s budget of 2017-18 and 2.1% of India’s estimated GDP.
Labour Ministry Proposes Labour Code to Provide Social Security Cover to All Workers
The Union Ministry of Labour & Employment has proposed a preliminary draft of Labour
Code on March 16, 2017 to provide social security cover to the entire workforce in the
country including self-employed and agricultural workers.
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Important Features of Draft Code

This is for the first time that the ministry has formulated a code to cover agricultural
workers along with self-employed people and target to provide social security benefits to 45
crore workers.
The Code shall apply to
• Workers that are employed by any entity;
• Worker who may also be the owner or the proprietor of an entity or a self-employed unit;
• International workers; and
• Indian citizen, working outside the territory of India, who opts to become a member of
social security schemes.
• The code will apply to every working person in the country will be covered under the
social security code whether she belongs to the organised sector or the unorganised
sector.
Punjab Approves 33 Percent Reservation for Women in State Govt Jobs

i. The Punjab government led by new Chief Minister Amarinder Singh chaired his maiden
Cabinet Meeting on March 18, 2017 and announced a series of decision for the welfare of the entire
citizen of the state.
ii. The state government has decided to provide 33 percent reservation for women in all
government jobs.
Five-Month Long Economic Blockade in Manipur by UNC Comes to Halt

i. With the coming of the new BJP government in Manipur, the five-month-long economic
blockade imposed by United Naga Council (UNC) on two National Highways of Manipur finally
came to an end on March 19, 2017.
ii. The lifting of the blockade was successful after a tripartite talk among the Centre, Manipur
government and United Naga Council were held at Senapati District Headquarters along with
the Joint Secretary (NE), Ministry of Home Affairs earlier in February 2017.
Union Cabinet Clears 4 GST Supplementary Legislations for Introduction to Parliament

i. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the four
supporting GST legislations on March 20, 2017.
ii .The four supporting legislations are the Compensation Law, the Central-GST (C-GST),
Integrated-GST (I-GST) and Union Territory-GST (UT-GST).
iii. These legislations would be introduced as Money Bills in Parliament this week.
iv. Passage of all the legislations would pave the way for introduction of Goods and Services Tax
(GST) from July 1.
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Government Set to Launch India’s First Sign Language Dictionary Soon

i. The government has planned to soon launch India's state of the art dictionary depicting the
sign languages used by hearing and speech impaired people across the nation to bring uniformity
and bridge the communication gap.
ii. The Indian Sign Language (ISL) dictionary is being developed by the Indian Sign
Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC) in both print and video format.
Assam Government approves recommendation of 7th Pay Commission

i. The Assam state government lead by Sarbananda Sonowal has approved the recommendation of
the Seventh Pay Commission and also decided to give the six months’ arrear salary to its
employees before the ensuing Bohag Bihu.
ii. This new pay structure would be effective from April 1, 2016.
BIRAC's 5th Foundation Day Celebrated on March 20-21, 2017

i. The Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) has celebrated it's fifth
foundation day on March 20-21, 2017 with the theme “BIRAC@5: Impacting the Biotech
Ecosystem”.
ii. Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences was the Chief Guest
of 2017 foundation day while Y S Chowdary Minister of State for Science & Technology and Earth
Sciences was the Guest of Honour.
Rajya Sabha Passes HIV/AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2014

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
(AIDS) (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2014, was passed by the Rajya Sabha on March 21,
2017 by voice vote.
Features of the HIV/AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2014
i. The Bill protects such people from specific acts of discrimination by the state, or any other
person.
ii. It also lays down penal provisions for any discrimination practiced against a person
with HIV/AIDS and breach of confidentiality.
iii .Under the Bill, central and state governments are obliged to provide for anti-retroviral therapy
(ART) and management of opportunistic infections (infections that take advantage of weakness in
the immune system and occur frequently).
Centre Approves Over 1.17 lakh More Houses For Urban Poor at Rs.5,773 crore
i. The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation on March 21, 2017 approved
construction of new 1,17,814 affordable houses under the Prime Minister’s Awas Yojana (Urban)
for the benefit of urban poor in six States namely Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha,
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Kerala and Karnataka.

ii. The total cost of the project is Rs.5,773 cr for which central assistance of Rs.1,816 crore has
been approved.
New Sanctions to 6 States
States New Sanction Total Granted Total Houses
of Houses Assistance Assistance Sanctioned
Madhya Pradesh 27,475 Rs.1,713 cr Rs.412 cr 2,09,036
Bihar 25,221 Rs.1,208 cr Rs.378 cr 88,254
Jharkhand 20,099 Rs.728 cr Rs.306 cr 64,555
Odisha 2,115 Rs.64.00 cr Rs.32.00 cr 48,845
Karnataka 31,424 Rs.1,222 cr Rs.518 cr 1,46,466
Kerala 11,480 Rs.344 cr Rs.170 cr 28,236
CCEA Approves North East Road Network Connectivity Project Phase I

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has
given its approval for development of 403 kms of National Highways in Meghalaya and
Mizoram.
• The two lane National Highway project is being carried out under the "North East Road
Network Connectivity Project Phase I" scheme and will get loan assistance from Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
CCEA Approves Deepening and Widening of Mumbai Harbour Channel and JN Port
Channel (Phase-II)
The Cabinet Committee has also approved the Deepening and Widening of Mumbai Harbour
Channel and JN Port Channel (Phase-II) project with fresh estimates.
• The project is estimated to carry a cost of Rs.2029 crore excluding the Service Tax. The
entire project cost will be funded through internal resources of JN Port Trust (JNPT) with
• market borrowing, if necessary.
Union Cabinet Approves Setting New National Constitutional Body for OBCs
The Union cabinet, in its meeting chaired by PM Modi has decided to amend the Constitution for
setting up the National Commission for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes
(NSEBC) as a constitutional body for socially and economically backward classes.
• A bill conferring Constitutional status to the new commission will be tabled in Parliament
shortly. By making the new panel a constitutional body, the advice of the commission shall be
binding upon the central government.
Cabinet Approves Amendments to NABARD Act, 1981

The Union Cabinet approved the following proposals with regards to NABARD Act, 1981 during the
cabinet meeting.
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Proposals
Amendment to National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Act, 1981 to enable the
Central Government to increase the authorized capital of NABARD from Rs. 5,000 crore to Rs.
30,000 crore.
• The amendment also includes to further increase the capital limit beyond Rs. 30,000
crore in consultation with RBI, as deemed necessary from time to time.
• Besides, the cabinet also approved to transfer of entire 0.4 percent equity of
Reserve Bank of India in NABARD amounting to Rs. 20 crores to the Government of
India to remove the conflicting nature of RBI as banking regulator and shareholder in
NABARD.
Cabinet Approves Amendment to 'The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory

Education Act, 2009'
The government also gave its approval to amend the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory
Education (RTE) Act, 2009 on March 22, 2017.
• The amendment is to ensure that all teachers, in service as on March 31, 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.
Cabinet Approves Proposal Regarding Fund of Fund for Start-ups (FFS)

The Union Cabinet led by PM Modi approved the following proposals with regard to the Fund of
Funds of Start-ups (FFS) which was established in June 2016 with a corpus of Rs. 10000
crores.
• Alternate Investment Funds (AIFs), in which FFS contributes upto 35% corpus, shall
invest at least twice the amount of contribution received from FFS in Start-ups.
Cabinet approves closure/winding up of CREDA HPCL Biofuel Ltd (CHBL) and Indian Oil
CREDA Biofuels Ltd. (ICBL)
Further, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the closure/winding up
of CREDA HPCL Biofuel Ltd (CHBL) and Indian Oil- Chhattisgarh Renewable Energy
Development Agency (CREDA) Biofuels Limited (ICBL).
• The closure of CHBL and ICBL would result in saving unfruitful expenditure.
Ninth Gurkhas Observes its 200 years of Raising in Secunderabad

i. The Ninth Gorkhas celebrated 200-years of its raising in Secunderabad, Telangana on March
16, 2017.
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ii. The first battalion of the Ninth Gorkhas was raised by the British government in 1817 as
the ‘Fatehgarh Levy’.
iii. Ninth Gorkha Rifles has a unique honour that all its battalions have been awarded the Chief of
Army Staff’s Citation for exceptional performance in the line of duty.
MHA Issues Advisory for Compliance of 'Flag Code of India, 2002'

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued an advisory on March 22, 2017 to the chief
secretaries, administrators of all state governments, UT administrations and secretaries of all
ministries to ensure strict compliance of the provisions contained in the 'Flag Code of India,
2002' and 'The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971'.
Key Features of Advisory
i. It states that National Flag represents hopes and aspirations of the people of the country and,
therefore, should occupy a position of honour.
ii. According to the advisory, the National Flags made of plastic are being used in place of paper
flags which are not decomposable. So steps should be taken for proper disposal of these flags after
event to maintain the dignity of the flag instead of throwing them everywhere.
Gujarat Assembly passes Gujarat Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill, 2017

i. On 31st March 2017, Gujarat State Assembly passed Gujarat Animal Preservation
(Amendment) Bill, 2017 that amends the existing Gujarat Animal Preservation Act, 1954.
ii. This amendment bill was passed unopposed as the opposition party members were not present.
The Speaker had suspended Congress party member for obstructing the proceedings of the house.
iii. This amendment bill is aimed at adopting stringent measure for stopping illegal slaughter of
animals protected by the law.
Animal Welfare Board Chaired By Environment Ministry

The move which is followed by the difference in opinion between Animal Welfare Board of India
(AWBI) and Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), the Central government made a
bright move to combine both by appointing senior official of MoEF to chair AWBI.
• This board is to be headed by Sharad Singh Negi, Special Secretary and Director-
General (Forests), MoEF. In March 3, center has said that this board will remain head for
the three-year term.
• All the administration and financial sectors will be looked after by the government and
there will be no concession and negligence in its work.
Bihar’s Technical Move – Free Wifi For Students

i. As Indian government is trying to digitize the whole of India through DIGITAL INDIA campaign,
Bihar state made a good move to help this by providing free-Wifi for students.
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ii. This move is to provide free- zones in colleges and universities which will be helpful for the
student studies.
iii. It is launched by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on the occasion of Bihar Divas celebrations.
iv. It is the part of seven decisions of the Grand Alliance government in Bihar to promote
governance.
Bihar State
♦ It is the 13th largest state of India and 3rd largest by population.
♦ This state is governed by Ram Nath Kovind and chaired by Nitish Kumar.
♦ It attained the status of statehood on 26 January 1950
♦ Its state animal-gaur, flower-kachnar, tree-peepal and bird- house sparrow
Aadhaar Seeding Of Jan Dhan Accounts – Lead By Andra Pradesh

i. On the event of demonetization, more number of Jan Dhan accounts came into existence and
it is seeded through Aadhaar card numbers.
ii. Out of this, Andhra Pradesh tops the list with most number of aadhaar cards linked with Jan
dhan accounts.
Centre Approves Constructing 10 Million MT Capacity Silos by 2019-20 End

The Government of India has given its approval to the action plan of Food Corporation of
India (FCI) for construction of 10 Million MT capacity steel silos by FCI as well as State
Governments in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode in a phased manner (3 phases) by
the end of year 2019-20.
♦ This information was given by Shri C.R. Chaudhary, the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs,
Food & Public Distribution in Rajya Sabha on March 24, 2017.
♦ Under the agreement, Food Corporation of India (FCI) has already awarded contracts for creation
of 1.6 Million MT silos while the State Governments have awarded contracts for 2.15 Million
MT silos which means that contracts for 3.75 Million MT silos have been awarded.
Now Aadhaar made mandatory for mobile connections

After the move by government of India to make Aadhar card get linked with bank accounts through
demonetization and opening of Jan Dahn accounts, it has made an another move to make Aadhar
card mandatory for getting new mobile connections.
ESIC launched Mobile Clinic Services in AP, Telangana

Andhra Pradesh and Telengana get India’s first Mobile Clinic Service which is launched
by Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC). This service is flagged off by The
Union Minister for Labor and Employment, Bandaru Dattareya.
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Facilities in Mobile Clinic

i. Each clinic will have a vehicle with a Doctor, pharmacist, attendant, driver and the necessary
equipment and medicines.
ii. The vehicle will visit two locations in a day for three hours each and conduct basic investigations.
Four Holy Cities in UP To Get 24 Hour Power Supply & UP bans pan, tobacco in schools,
colleges, govt buildings
24*7 Power supply in holy places
The four holy cities of Hindus namely Ayodhya, Mathura, Varanasi and Gorakhpur in Uttar
Pradesh are to be provided with 24*7 power supply on the event of its chair took by Yogi
Adityanath, Chief Minister of UP.
No for Pan and Tobacco
The state government also banned the usage of PAN and TOBBACO products in Schools, Colleges,
Hospitals and other Government buildings. On the account of this, the officers are made to take a
pledge of spending 100 hours a year for cleanliness.
GST Bill Tabled By Arun Jaitely In Lok Sabha

The Finance Minister of India, Mr. Arun Jaitely introduced four bills on Goods and Service Tax (GST)
on March 27, 2017. These bills mainly focus on the Central Goods and Service Tax (CGST) bill
which will amalgamate all the indirect central government levies.
The four bills are
• Central Goods and Service Tax (CGST) Bill,
• Union Territory GST Bill,
• Integrated-GST Bill and
• GST (Compensation to States) Bill
As per the details provided by our finance minister, the maximum GST rate will be of 40 percent.
He also added the details about anti- profiteering authority and arrests for evading taxes. These are
the penultimate steps before the roll out of GST - the biggest tax reform since independence.
Prakash Javadekar Introduces IIIT Bill In Lok Sabha

On March 27, 2017 a bill stating the inclusion of Indian Institute of Information Technology
Design and Manufacturing (IIITDM)-Kurnool as an Institute of National Importance is
introduced in Lok Sabha.
♦ The bill was introduced by Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar. The
main reason behind the bill is to bring the Indian Institute of Technology, Design and Manufacturing
at Kurnool within the scope of the Indian Institutes of Information Technology Act 2014.
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Aadhaar Card Cannot be Made Mandatory for Central Welfare Scheme: Supreme Court
i. With the growing dependence on Aadhaar card for all kinds of monetary and social benefits,
the Supreme Court of India on March 27, 2017 ruled out that Aadhaar card cannot be made
mandatory for central welfare schemes.
ii. However, the apex court also accepted that it can’t stop the government from linking the
Aadhaar card for opening bank accounts or filing tax returns.
iii. A bench of Justices comprising, Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice DY
Chandrachud and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul have said to set up a seven judge bench to hear
the plea but did not confirm the exact date.
Arun Jaitley clears major military reforms proposal

Union finance minister Arun Jaitley, who currently holds additional charge of the defence ministry,
has given approval for implementing comprehensive military reforms.
• The approval comes after Mr. Jaitley reviewed a presentation on 18th March 2017, which was
primarily based on a recommendations made by the Lt General (retired) DB Shekatkar
committee.
Top Recommendations of DB Shekatkar Committee:
Out of the 90 important recommendation of the Shekatkar Committee approved by Mr. Arun
Jaitley, following are the prominent ones:
• The committee considers National Cadet Corps (NCC) as a non-core area and has thus
suggested that military should not be involved in its operations.
• Coordination among three defence services should be enhanced in order to remove duplicity.
• Most important recommendation of the Shekatkar committee is that the defence
budget should be in the range of 2.5% to 3% of the GDP. This recommendation was meant to
address the nature of security challenges which India faces from its neighbourhood.
Govt signs deal for Hydrocarbon project in Neduvasal

Once again, the protest against hydrocarbons exploration in Tamil Nadu’s Neduvasal village is
grabbing media attention. Following the signing of contract by Government of India with GEM
Laboratories on 27th March 2017, the local villagers have intensified their protest which started a
few months ago.
Neduvasal Village and the DSF Bid 2016:
Neduvasal is a small yet fertile village of the Cauvery Delta Region located in Pudukkottai district
of Tamil Nadu.
• Under the Discovered Small Fields (DSF) bidding round in 2016, Cabinet Committee on
Economic Affairs (CCEA) awarded 31 mining leases across the state of Tamil Nadu.
Contract signed with GEM Laboratories for Neduvasal Village is one of such mining leases.
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• As per information provided by Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, contract
area of Neduvasal along with other contract area in Karaikal, Puducherry have an in-place
volume of four lakh thirty thousand metric tonnes of oil and oil equivalent gas.
Sanction of 101 Cold Chain Projects by Central Government

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries on March 28, 2017 sanctioned 101 Cold Chains
projects across the country. The top states that will get maximum benefits through these projects
are
• Maharashtra – 21 projects,Uttar Pradesh – 14 projects,Gujarat - 12 projects,Andhra
Pradesh – 8 projects,Punjab – 6 projects,Madhya Pradesh – 6 projects and Karnataka – 4
projects.
• These projects are inaugurated by Union Minister of Food Processing Industries
Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
Government Set to Redefine Blindness to Meet WHO Criteria

i. The Government of India is soon to amend the definition of Blindness to bring it in line with the
definition stated in World Health Organization’s (WHO) criteria.
ii. 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”.
iii. However, as per WHO’s norm, person unable to count beyond a distance of 3 metres is
termed as blind.
Parliament passes Mental Healthcare Bill 2016

‘Mental Healthcare Bill, 2016’ has secured parliamentary approval as Lok Sabha on 27th March
2017, passed the Bill through a voice vote. Earlier in August 2016, Rajya Sabha had passed the Bill
with 134 official amendments.
Definition of ‘Mental Illness’ as per Mental Healthcare Bill, 2016:

”A substantial disorder of thinking, perception, mood, orientation or memory that impairs judgment
or ability to meet the ordinary demands of life”
Key Provisions of Mental healthcare Bill 2016:
• Every person will have a right to access Government funded/managed mental healthcare
services without any form of discrimination.
• The Bill supersedes section 309 of the Indian Penal Code and decriminalises
suicide attempt by mentally ill people.
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• All mental health establishments are required to be registered with Central or State
health Authority.
Supreme Court Instruct High Courts to Install CCTV in Courtroom & Bans
Sale/Registration of Non-BS-IV Compliant Vehicles
i. In a first of its kind move, the Supreme Court has directed the High Courts of all the states
and union territories to install close circuit (CCTV) cameras without audio recording to
increase transparency in court proceedings.
ii. A bench of Justices Adarsh K Goel and Uday U Lalit, on March 28, 2017, directed the lower
courts to ensure that district and session courts in a minimum of two districts in every state and
union territories have CCTV cameras installed inside courtrooms as well as in the court precincts
within a period of three months.
SC Bans Non-Compliant BS-IV Emission Vehicles from April 1

i. The Supreme Court of India has also ruled out on March 29, 2017 that no vehicles which
are Bharat Stage-IV emission non-compliant will be registered or sold in the country
after April 1, 2017.
ii. The order passed by the bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta has
prohibited all the vehicle-registering authorities from registering BS-IV non-compliant vehicles from
April 1.
Parliament Passes Finance Bill 2017

On 30th March 2017, the Indian parliament passed Finance Bill 2017. The passage of this bill
before the beginning of next financial year justifies Govt.’s move of advancing the date of
presenting Union Budget and thus will lead to early implementation of proposals.
Important events leading to the passage of Finance Bill 2017:
Finance Bill 2017, which was laid as Money bill was passed with 40 amendments in Lok Sabha
earlier this week.
• On 29th March 2017, Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Indian Parliament)had returned
the Finance Bill 2017 to the Lok Sabha with five amendments moved by the member of
opposition party – three amendments moved by Digvijay Singh of Congress Party and
two amendments moved by Sitaram Yechury of CPI-M party. In this context, it is
important to note that BJP-led NDA Govt. does not have a majority in Rajya Sabha.
• The five amendments made by Rajya Sabha were pertaining to curtailing the powers of
tax authorities and placing a limit on donation made by companies to political parties.
• On 30th March 2017, during the debate on amendments in Lok Sabha, Union Finance
Minister Mr. Arun Jaitley said that amendments made to Finance Bill 2017 by Rajya
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Sabha are not acceptable to Govt. Thereafter Lok Sabha passed the Finance Bill 2017
through voice vote, rejecting all five amendments made by Rajya Sabha.
Latest Development on GST Bill:
Aimed at amalgamating all indirect central Govt. taxes, PM Narendra Modi’s Govt. has set a
deadline for implementing Goods and Services Tax (GST) by 1st July 2017.
• GST has been dubbed as India’s most comprehensive tax reforms since independence. On
29th March 2017, Lok Sabha approved four crucial bills required to implement Goods and
Services Tax (GST).
Manoj Sinha Releases Postage Stamp on ‘Cub Scouts’

To commemorate the Centenary year of Cub Scouts in India and abroad, Minister of
Communications and Minister of State for Railways, Shri Manoj Sinha released a Postal Stamp on
Cub Scouts on March 30, 2017.
India becomes associate member of International Energy Agency

India, the world’s third-largest oil consumer has now joined International Energy Agency
(IEA) as an associate member. India’s entry into this elite energy group was jointly announced by
IEA executive director Mr. Fatih Birol, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Mr. Dharmendra
Pradhan and Minister of State with Independent Charge for Power, Coal, New and Renewable
Energy and Mines, Mr. Piyush Goyal.
Chhattisgarh Government Implements 7th Pay Commission for State Employees from
April 2017
The state government of Chhattisgarh has announced to implement the Seventh Central Pay
Commission for the state government employees from April 1, 2017, the beginning of new
financial year.
STATE BUDGETS 2017-18

Meghalaya Assembly Passed Rs 13,048 crore Budget for 2017-18
The Chief Minister of Meghalaya Mukul Sangma, who also holds the finance portfolio,
presented Rs 13,048 crore annual budget for the year 2017-18 in the state Assembly on March
24, 2017.
Key Estimates of Budget
i. Total Expenditure: Rs 12,873 crore (including repayment of loans for Rs. 335 crore)
ii. Capital Expenditure: Rs 2,225 crore
iii. Revenue Expenditure: Rs 10,648 crore
iv. Fiscal Deficit: Rs 1,236 crore (3.8 per cent of the states Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP)
24 | P a g e
v. Revenue Receipt: Rs 2,072 crore

vi. State's own tax revenue: Rs 1,559 crore
vii. State's own non-tax revenue: Rs 513 crore
Development Plan Outlay
i. Education: Rs 909.94 cr vi. Agriculture and Horticulture: Rs 285.94 cr
ii. Rural Development: Rs 1731.57 cr vii. Information and Public Relations: Rs 9.80
iii. Road and Bridges: Rs 712.8 cr cr
iv. Health and Family Welfare: Rs 420.93 cr viii. Interest Payment: Rs 589 crore and
v. Infrastructure: Rs 712.80 cr Pensions: Rs 730 cr
New Scheme
♦ The Chief Minister has proposed to constitute a Meghalaya Media Society to look into the
welfare of journalists.
♦ Besides, he also proposed a new scheme to provide accommodation facility for the senior
accredited journalists of the state.
Madhya Pradesh Presents 2017-18 Budget, Announces Deendayal Rasoi Yojna for Poor
The Madhya Pradesh Finance Minister Jayant Malaiya presented Rs.1,85,564.27 crore Budget for
2017-2018 in the state Assembly on March 1, 2017.
♦ The minister estimated the net expenditure to be Rs 1,69,954.46 crore with a revenue surplus
of Rs 4596.40 crore for 2017-18.
Deendayal Rasoi Yojna
i. The Minister announced Deendayal Rasoi Yojna and allocated a sum of Rs 10 crore for creating
necessary infrastructure to implement the scheme in order to provide food at subsided rate to the
poor in urban areas.
ii. The Year 2017 is the birth centenary year of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya and will be celebrated
as ‘Garib Kalyan Varsh’.
iii .To mark the occasion, ‘Deendayal Rasoi Yojna’ is being launched in selected urban areas of the
state.
iv. The state Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced to provide the meal to the poor
for Rs 5 initially in four major listed cities.
v. The funds for the scheme will be arranged through the donations received from corporate sector
under Corporate Social Responsibility.
Other Allocations
i. Education: Rs 19,872.89 crore
ii. Energy Sector: Rs 16801.62 crore
iii .Rural Development: Rs 14387.50 crore
iv .Urban Development: Rs 11489.03 crore
v. Public Works Department: Rs 8576.17 crore
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vi. Pension to unemployed widows: Rs 1,501 crore

vii. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan; Rs. 600 crore
viii. Subsidy to MP residents for pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar hiked from Rs 30,000 to Rs
50,000.
ix. An amount of Rs 102-crore was allocated for the plantation and horticulture work on the banks
of river Narmada.
x. Rs 10 crore was allocated for setting up a ‘Vedant Peeth’ at Omkareshwar as a mark of respect
to Adiguru Shankaracharya.
xi .In addition, a ‘Vir Bharat Nyas’ will be set up with an initial provision of Rs 9 crore to preserve
the memories of martyrs.
xii. In an effort to improve e-governance infrastructure, Rs 25 crore was assigned for the
expansion of state data centre.
Haryana Presents Over Rs 1,02,329.35 crore Budget for FY 2017-18 in State Assembly
The Haryana Finance Minister Captain Abhimanyu presented the proposed budget of Rs
1,02,329.35 crore for the fiscal 2017-18 on March 6, 2017 in the state assembly.
• Nine priority areas: Agriculture, rural development, urban development, infrastructure,
education, IT governance, health, women empowerment, development of youth and
culture
Key Highlights of the Budget
Rs 9,041.59 (13.18 percent) more than previous year’s budget.
• 21.88 percent Capital Expenditure of Rs 22,393.51 crore and 78.12 percent as Revenue
Expenditure of Rs 79,935.84 crore.
• In 2016-17, Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) is growing at 8.7 percent and is
expected to rebound to 9 percent plus growth in 2017-18.
• As per the minister, the fiscal deficit has remained within the stipulated limit of 3 per cent
of GSDP prescribed by the Fourteenth Finance Commission for the states.
• In 2016-17, it is expected to be 2.49 percent of GSDP while for 2017-18 it is likely to be
in the range of 2.61 (without UDAY) to 2.84 percent (with UDAY) of GSDP
• In 2017-18 Budget Estimates, Total Revenue Receipts (TRR) is projected to increase by
14.06 percent at Rs Rs 69,327.09 crore of which tax receipt is Rs 45,087.63 crore and
non-tax receipt Rs 15,239.46 crore.
• Liquor prices are set to go up in Haryana. The Haryana government has increased Value
Added Tax (VAT) and excise duty on liquor from April 2017.
Sector wise Allocation
• Agriculture: Rs 12,784 crore
• Rural development: Rs 4,963 crore
• Education: Rs 15,546 crore
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• Health: Rs 3,839 crore • Public health engineering: Rs 3,382

• Industry: Rs 400 crore crore
• Women and child development and • Urban development: Rs 4,973 crore
Social Welfare of SCs and STs: Rs • District plan: Rs 400 crore
6,859 crore • Transport: Rs 2,549 crore
• Power: Rs 12,685 crore • Buildings and roads: Rs 3,827 crore
New Schemes
• Deenbandhu Haryana Gram Uday Yojana: Develop 1,500 villages with populations
between 3,000 and 10,000 to be implemented in three years with an outlay of Rs 5,000 crore.
The scheme is funded by NABARD and during the current fiscal Rs 1,200 crore to be spent.
• Mangal Nagar Vikas Yogna to be implemented with outlay of Rs 1,000 crore for
maintenance of existing infrastructure.
• Saksham Scheme to provide up to Rs 9,000 earning potential for unemployed youth
• 5 percent rebate for use of the Bhim app
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh Presents Rs 76,032 crore Budget for 2017-18
The Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh presented the annual budget of Rs 76,032
crore for 2017-18 in the state legislative assembly on March 6, 2017.
Salient Features of the Budget 2017-18
i. The estimated expenditure is 7.58 percent higher than the revised estimate of 2016-17.
ii. The revenue surplus is estimated at Rs 4,781 crore, the Gross fiscal deficit is estimated at Rs
9,647 crore, which is 3.49 percent of the GSDP.
iii. The budget allocates 36 percent of expenditure for the development of scheduled tribe sector
and 12 percent for the scheduled caste sector.
iv. The social sector expenditure is estimated at 41 percent and economic sector expenditure is 38
percent of the total expenditure.
v. Allocation for agriculture has been increased by 26 percent to Rs. 10,434 crore.
vi. Irrigation facilities: Rs. 5243 crore
vii. Organic Farming Mission: Rs. 25 crore.
viii. Divyang (specially-abled people) college at a cost of Rs 2.56 crore will be set up at Raipur for
educational upliftment of special children
Allocations for Schemes
♦ Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana: Rs. 1605 crore (urban) and Rs. 2841 crore (rural)
♦ Suchna Kranti Yojna (SKY): Rs. 200 crore for 2017-18. Under the scheme, 45 lakh smartphones
will be provided to family belonging to below poverty line (BPL) and college students. The
beneficiaries would also get SIM cards along with the phone.
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♦ Tourism: Rs. 100 crore, to develop 14 tourists place in 7 districts.

♦ Saur Sujala Yojana: Rs. 554 crore for solar powered irrigation scheme.
♦ Chhattisgarh Food Security Act: Rs. 3500 crore
Delhi Government Presents Rs. 48,000 crore Budget for 2017-18

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government of Delhi presented Rs 48,000 crore tax-free budget for
2017-18 on March 8, 2017 with main focus on improving education, transport, health and water
distribution.
♦ Presenting the budget, Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Manish Sisodia informed that
the government has also done away with the Plan and non-Plan expenditure.
Highlights of the Budget
i. 2017-18 budget is Rs. 1,400 crore more than 2016-17 budget which was Rs. 46,600 crore
ii. Delhi’s contribution to the country’s GDP has increased from 3.94 per cent in 2011-12 to 4.08
per cent in 2016-17.
iii. Major share of the budget allocation has been made to the education sector.
iv. The number of beds in Government hospitals will be increased from 10,000 to 25,000 targets in
upcoming financial year.
v. VAT on Aviation Turbine Fuel will be brought down from 25 per cent to 1 per cent for flights to
remote areas such as North Eastern states to compliment Centre’s regional connectivity scheme.
vi. Propose to set up 150 mohalla clinics by 2017 and 150 polyclinics by the end of 2018
vii. Increase in old age pension by Rs. 1,000 per month
viii. Increased the minimum wages of the unskilled workers from Rs 9,724 to Rs 13,350 per
month.
ix. Increased the minimum wages by 37 per cent
x. Number of pollution monitoring centres to be increased from 6 to 26
Important Allocations
i. Education: Rs 11,300 crore (24 percent of total budget)
ii. Health Sector: Rs 5,736 crore
iii. Water sector: Rs 2,107.9 crore
iv. Yamuna Cleaning and sanitation: Rs. 2,108 crore
v. Urban Development: Rs 3,100 crore
vi. Power Sector: Rs 2,194 crore with focus on solar energy and waste-to-energy plants.
vii. Delhi Metro: Rs 1,156 crore for phase four. Government also proposes to buy 582 new coaches
for Delhi Metro.
viii. Developing bus terminals and depots: Rs 100 crore
ix. Civic bodies: Rs 7,571 crore (15 percent of the total allocation)
x. Housing and slums: Rs 3,113 crore
xi. Tourism and culture: Rs 119 crore
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xii. Computers in Delhi government schools & Tablets for teachers: Rs 182 crore
xiii. Environment department: Rs 57 crore
xiv. Delhi Commission for Women (DCW): Rs 120 crore.
xv. Forests’ and environment welfare: Rs.106 crore
Vasundhara Raje Presented Rs.1,66,000-crore Rajasthan Budget 2017-18

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje who also holds the Finance portfolio,
presented Rs.1,66,000-crore state budget for 2017-18 in the Legislative Assembly on March 8,
2017 with focus on aiding farmers and promoting tourism in the state.
♦ The Budget is based on the government’s vision document mission 2020. It aims at a happy
Rajasthan and a happy Rajasthani.
Salient Features of the State Budget 2017-18
i. Estimated Revenue Deficit for 2017-18 without effect of UDAY is Rs. 1528 crore. And with effect
of UDAY is Rs. 13528 crore.
ii. Estimated Fiscal Deficit for 2017-18 is Rs. 24753.53 crore which is 2.99% of GSDP.
iii. Estimated total revenue receipts for 2017-18 Rs. 130162 crore.
iv. Estimated own tax revenue for 2017-18 Rs. 59455 crore which is higher by 16.16%
v. Estimated own tax revenue for 2017-18 was 8.34% of GSDP.
Public Works Department (PWD) for Infrastructure Development: Rs 6,657.32 crore
• Water Resources Department: Rs. 3313.08 crore which is 11.14% higher than the RE of
2016-17.
• Tourism: Rs 88 crore
• Art, Culture And Archaeology Department: Rs 156.83 crore an increase of 49%.
• Agricultural Department: Rs. 3156.61 crore
• Social Justice And Empowerment Department: Rs. 5596.80 crore
• Medical and Health Department: Rs. 6,315.38 Crore which is 8.21 % higher than 2016-
17.
• Medical Education Department: Rs. 2,574.86 Crore which is 33.40% higher than 2016-17
• Women and Child Development Department: 17.06% higher allocation in 2017-18
• Sports Sector: 24.30% higher outlay in 2017-18
• Higher Education: 11.01% higher outlay in 2017-18
• Computerization of PDS: Rs. 18.51 Crore
• Skill Development Department: Rs 1,007 crore which is 31% more than 2016-17. Labour
And Employment Department: Rs. 1007.44 Crore which is 21.32% higher than 2016-17
• Allocation for providing food grain on concessional rates under National Food Security
Schemes: Rs. 397.91 Crore.
• Home Department: Rs. 5,600 crore
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Schemes
• 15% increase in the value added tax (VAT) on tobacco products to make them costlier
• VAT on ATF reduced to 1% under Regional Connectivity Scheme of Government of India to
promote tourism in the State.
• Provide Wi-Fi facilities in 190 cities in 2017-18 to deepen digital penetration in the state.
• Double the subsidy and incentive amount for the marriage of a daughter under Sahyog and
Uphar Yojana.
• Pension under Mukhyamantri Specially-abled Samman Pension Scheme (Rs 750 per month)
would be applicable to all eligible without age criteria.
• Mukhyamantri Ekal Nari Samman Pension Yojana- widow pensioners elder than 60 years will
get Rs.1000 p.m. and widow pensioners of more than 75 years will get Rs.1500 p.m
• Deemed Assessment Scheme has been introduced for VAT, Entry Tax, Luxury Tax and
Entertainment Tax in the state.
• Mukhaya Mantri Beej Swavlamban Yozna for Kota, Bhilwara and Udaipur agricultural division.
• Aanganwadi workers will be given incentive of Rs. 250-500 p.m. based on work performance.
• A composition scheme with the rate of composition fee at 2% for micro and small enterprises
having turnover up to Rs. 50 lakh.
Arunachal Pradesh Finance Minister Presents Rs 285 crore deficit budget for 2017-18
The Arunachal Pradesh Finance Minister Chowna Mein presented a Rs 285 crore deficit
budget for the 2017-18 fiscal in the state Assembly on March 10, 2017 with focus on women
empowerment, infrastructure development and law & order.
Major Highlight of the Budget
♦ In the budget estimate of 2017-18, the state is projecting a revenue receipt of Rs 14,599 crore
and a capital receipt of Rs 1,436.75 crore. This is an increase of over 15 percent from the budget
estimates of 2016-17.
♦ The share of central taxes has been pegged at Rs 9,306.34 crore. The state’s own tax
revenue is projected at Rs 742.94 crore and the non-tax revenue for 2017-18 at Rs 536.29 crore.
Allocations & Schemes
i. Arunachal Pradesh has announced to launch E-Office to move towards digitalization.
ii. JanDhan Accounts, Aadhar Card will be linked to provide citizen services, moving towards a
cashless and paperless economy.
iii. To provide better IT facilities, Rs.15 crore has been proposed under the Digital Arunachal
scheme.
iv. 15 crore has been proposed to develop industrial estates in the foothill districts.
v. 10 crore has been proposed under Arunachal Pradesh Budget 2017-18 for developing a food park
at Tippi in West Kameng.
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Telangana Finance Minister Presents Revenue Surplus Budget Estimate 2017-18

The Telangana State Finance Minister Etala Rajender presented the budget estimate
of Rs. 1,49,646-crore for 2017-18 on March 13, 2017 in the state assembly.
• The Rs 4,471.30 crore revenue surplus budget mainly focuses on the development and
welfare measures.
• The 2017-18 budget is Rs 15 lakh crore more when compared to Rs 130 lakh crore in the
2016-17 Budget.
Salient Features of the Budget
The 2017-18 budget is based on uniform system of accounting and not on classification of
expenditure into plan and non-plan.
• The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) growth at constant prices in 2016-17 is
likely to be 10.1 percent as against expected national GDP growth of 7.1 per cent
• State’s Per Capita Income in 2016-17 is estimated to increase to Rs 1,58,360 from Rs
1,40,683 in 2015-16. This is significantly higher than national average of Rs 1,03,818.
• Committed expenditure in 2017-18 has been pegged at Rs 61,607.20 crore while
the Revenue Expenditure at Rs 50,954.61 crore
• Expenditure under ‘Pragati Paddu’ (expenditure on schemes) is Rs 88,038.80 crore.
• State’s own revenue receipts are proposed at Rs. 69,220.37 crore in BE 2017-18 as
compared to Rs. 58,636 crore in RE 2016-17.
• Transfers from the Centre are proposed at Rs. 43,862.67 crore in BE 2017-18 as
compared to Rs. 28,433.78 crore in RE 2016-17.
• Agriculture sector : Rs.5,943 crore • Brahmins Welfare: Rs. 100 crore
• Irrigation : Rs. 23, 675 crore, • Scheduled Castes : Rs. 14,375 crore
• Panchayati raj Rs. 14,723 crore, • Scheduled Tribes: Rs. 8,165 crore
• Medical & Health – 5,976 crore • Backward Classes: Rs. 5,070 crore
• Education – Rs. 12,705 crore • Minorities: Rs. 1,249 crore
• Fee Reimbursement – Rs. 1,939 • Women & Child Welfare: Rs. 1,731
crore crore
• Roads & Buildings: Rs. 5,033 crore, • Aasara Pensions: Rs. 5,330 crore
• Power Rs. 4,203 crore, • Tourism Sector: Rs. 198 crore
• Health Rs. 5,976 crore • Industrial Sector: Rs. 985 crore
• Education Rs. 12,705 crore • Law and Order gets Rs 4,828 crore
• Public Safety & Security: Rs. • Information technology department:
4,828 crore Rs 252.89 crore
• Municipal Administration & Urban
Development: Rs. 5,599 Crore
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Schemes & Initiatives

• 23 major, 13 minor irrigation projects taken up
• Financial help for caste-based vocations
• Rs 300 crore for Greater Warangal development
• Fine rice for Anganwadi centres across the State
• Rs 30 crore for journalists welfare
• Kalyana Laxmi, Shaadi Mubarak beneficiaries to get Rs 75,116 in place of Rs 50,000
• Government initiative ‘know-your-district, plan-your-district’ will help decentralised
planning which was only on paper earlier despite 73rd and 74th amendments to
Constitution
• Periodic review of utilisation of funds for SC, ST welfare, quarterly reports to be submitted
to legislature
• Mission Bhagiratha, the piped drinking water programme gets Rs 3000 crore.
• 4th & Final Settlement to Banks as part of Farm Loan Waiver (Rs 17,000 crore): Rs 4,000
crore
Andhra Pradesh Presents Around 1.57 Lakh Crore Budget for 2017-18
The Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu presented Rs 1,56,999
crore budget for the financial year 2017-18 in the Legislative Assembly on March 15, 2017.The
proposed budget for 2017-18 is about 15.70 percent more than the budget for 2016-17.
Important Highlights of the Budget
1. Revenue expenditure: Rs 1.25 lakh crore
2. Capital expenditure: Rs 31,087 crore
3. State’s revenue deficit in 2017-18: Rs 416 crore (0.05 per cent of Gross State Domestic
Product)
4. Fiscal deficit: Rs 23,054 crore (3.0 percent of GSDP)
5. Under Vision 2029, the state is targeting a growth rate of 12 percent every year.
• General Education: Rs 20,384 crore
• Technical Education: Rs 765 crore
• Assistance for Unemployed Youth: Rs 500 crore
• Rural Development: Rs 19,565 crore
• Irrigation and flood control: Rs 12,770 crore
• Agriculture and allied sectors: Rs 9,090 crore
• Welfare Sector (Brahmin, Disabled): Rs 11,361 crore
• Health Sector: Rs 7,020 crore
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• Forest Department: Rs 383 crore

• IT and Electronice: Rs 382 crore
• Small and medium scale industries: Rs 125 crore
• Women Empowerment: Rs 400 crore
• Funds allocated for Andhra Pradesh pollution control board: Rs 4,183 crore
• Pensions: Rs 4376 crore
• Development of Village Roads: Rs 260 crore
Allocations in Schemes & Projects
• Skill Development scheme: Rs 398 crores.
• Safe drinking water project NTR Sujala Sravanthi: Rs 100 crore.
• NTR Vaidya Seva: Rs 1,000 crore.
• Anna canteens: Rs 100 crore.
• Free LPG connection for poor: Rs 350 crore.
• Ambedkar Smritivanam in Amaravati: Rs 97 crore.
• Agriculture loan waiver Rs 3600 crore, SHG loan investment: Rs 1,600 crore
• Ambedkar memorial Park in capital Amaravati: Rs 92 crore.
• Power subsidy for poor increased from 50 to 75 units
• Development of the new state capital, Amaravati: Rs 1,061 crore
Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma Presents Rs 1236 crore Deficit Budget
The Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Mukul Sangma, who also holds charge of Finance department,
presented Rs 1236 crore deficit budget for the financial year 2017-18 on March 15, 2017 in the
state assembly with focus on development expenditure.
Salient Features of the Budget
i. Fiscal deficit is pegged at Rs 1236 crore which is around 3.8 percent of the GSDP.
ii. Total receipts is estimated at Rs 12,510 crore out of which the revenue receipts are estimated at
Rs 11,280 crore and capital receipts at Rs 1230 crore.
iii. The total expenditure is estimated at Rs 12873 crore of which the revenue expenditure is
estimated to be at Rs 10,648 crore while Rs 2225 crore as capital expenditure.
iv. The advance estimates for Gross State Domestic Product for 2017-18 is Rs 29,566 crore. This is
10.55% more over this year’s current market price of Rs 26,745 crore.
v. The per capita income of the state at current price for the year 2016-17 stands at Rs 88,497
which is 8.26 percent increase over last year’s estimates of Rs 81,498.
♦ Rural Development: Rs 1731.57 crore
♦ Road and Bridges: Rs 712.8 crore
♦ Education: Rs 909.94 crore
♦ Health and Family Welfare: Rs 420.93 crore
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Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Jayakumar Presents tax-free budget for 2017-18
The Tamil Nadu Finance Minister D Jayakumar presented a tax free and revenue deficit budget
for the fiscal 2017-18 on March 16, 2017 in the state Legislative Assembly.It is the first Budget
presented by the state Finance Minister as well as the first budget of the AIADMK government
headed by E. Palaniswami.
Salient Feature of the State Budget
• Total Revenue Receipts (TRR): Rs 1,59,363 crore
• Total Expenditure: Rs 1,75,293 crore
• Revenue Deficit: Rs 15,930 crore
• Fiscal Deficit: Rs 41,977 core (2.79 percent of GDP)
• State’s Own Tax Revenue (SOTR) was estimated to be Rs 87,287 crore in Revised
Estimates 2016-17 and is estimated to increase to Rs 99,590 crore in Budget Estimates
2017-18.
• Receipts from Stamp Duty and Registration Charges is expected to be Rs 8,220 crore in
2017-18 against Rs 7,985 crore in the Revised Estimates 2016-17.
• State government aims to earn Rs. 6900 crore through Tamil Nadu State Marketing
Corporation (TASMAC).
• The government will earn Rs. 99,598 crore income from taxes and Rs. 12,318 crore
through non-tax earnings.
i.Education Sector: Rs 26,932 crore x.Environment and Foresty: Rs.567 crore
ii.Electricity Sector: Rs 16,998 crore xi.Scheduled Castes welfare: Rs. 3680 crore
iii.Healthcare Sector: Rs. 10150 crore xii.Scheduled Tribe welfare: Rs. 265 crore
iv.Allowance for pregnant women: Rs.18,000 xiii.Eradicating poverty in rural areas: Rs. 469
v.Sports and Youth Affairs: Rs.165 crore crores
vi.Handloom Sector: Rs. 1235 crore xiv.Eradicating poverty in urban areas: Rs.
vii.Khadi and handicrafts: Rs. 194 crore 272 crore
viii.MSME sector: Rs.532 crore xv.Police: Rs. 6400 crore
ix.Fisheries: Rs. 860 crore xvi.Prison: Rs. 282 crore
Other Important Announcements
i. Setting up Urban Haat in Ooty: Rs. 5 crore.
ii. Global investors meet for Tamil Nadu: Rs 75 crore
iii. Chief Ministers Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme: Rs. 1348 crore
iv. Smart Cities Mission: Rs. 1400 crore; Urban Development: Rs.563 crore
v. Athikadavu-Avinasi link project: Rs. 250 crore
vi. Setting up a new dairy processing factory in Madurai: Rs. 40 crore
vii. MGNREGA schemes: Rs.1000 crore
viii. Free dhoti and saree scheme: Rs. 490 crore
34 | P a g e
ix. Subsidy to Tangedco: Rs 8,538 crore (to provide 100 units free power to domestic consumers
and free power to farmers)
x. The Budget proposes to distribute 10,000 units of special canes free of cost for the visually
impaired.
xi. Diesel tax exemption for fishermen has been increased from 15,000 litres to 18,000 a boat.The
budget proposes to establish a world class Tamil Cultural Heritage Museum at Madurai.
Xii. The compulsory work days under MGNREGA scheme has been increased from 100 days to 150
days.10 new pharmacies will be set up to sell generic drugs. This is help in reducing the spending
on medicines.
Rs 1437.84 Cr Deficit Budget For FY-18 Presented by Nagaland CM

Nagaland Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu presented deficit in budget of Rs 1437.84
Crore for the Fiscal Year 2017-18 (FY-18) on March 28, 2017. He added that the total income
(gross receipt) for the State government will be Rs16657.26 crore and expenditure at Rs
16365.17 crore.
Background
Due to the presence of numerous Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) and other Central
Flagship schemes funded by the Central government, the state will have an improvement in its
developmental sectors.
Focused area of budget
The main thrust area of Nagaland government in the new fiscal would be Education,
Health and Water.
• The budget emphasized on the welfare of the poor and the rural population.
• Signing of the Framework Agreement by the Centre and National Socialist Council
of Nagaland – Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) in August 2015 and the active interest
shown by the Centre to take the Naga political issue to its logical and peaceful
conclusion.
• Out of the total outlay 39% is on the social sector followed by rural development
at 19% and at 13% for Agriculture and Allied sector.
Himachal Pradesh Assembly passes Annual Budget 2017-18

The Himachal Pradesh State Assembly on 30th March 2017 passed the annual budget for the
financial year 2017-18 and the related Appropriation Bill. Owing to this, the state govt. is
authorised to spend Rs 37,939 crore from the consolidated fund.
Himachal Pradesh Annual Budget 2017-18 at a Glance:
• Setting up Software Technology Park in Shimla and Kangra
• 220 crore allocation for State Food Subsidy Scheme
35 | P a g e
• Implementing supply chain automation of Himachal Pradesh State Civil Supplies

Corporation
• At an estimated cost of Rs. 1134 crore, Horticulture Project Development Board supported
by World Bank will be made fully operation.
• Provision of Rs. 20 crore for Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme.
• 4 crore allocation for ‘Mukhya Mantri Kiwi Protsahan Yojana’
• 30 crore to be spend for ‘Mukhya Mantri Khet Sanrakshan Yojana’
• For promoting cultivation of offseason and exotic vegetables Rs. 50 crore have been
allocated
PLACES IN NEWS
Central Railway unveils India’s first air-conditioned rail ambulance
i. Central Railway zone of Indian Railway unveiled India’s first air-conditioned rail ambulance on 9
March 2017. The four-coach air conditioned ambulance will be station at Kaylan (Maharashtra)
and has been made by modifying AC coaches used for passenger services.
ii. This rail ambulance which has been designed at the rail workshop at Matunga in Mumbai, can
carry and treat 50 patients at one time.
First smart tribal village Habbi inaugurated in Jammu and Kashmir

i. Jammu and Kashmir’s first smart tribal village Habbi has inaugurated by Ch ZulfkarAli,
J & K Minister for food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Ch ZulfkarAli on March 6 2017 in J & K.
ii. Habbi village is located in Kotranka in Rajouri District of Jammu and Kashmir.
iii. The smart village is developed by the rural development department. The village has been
introduced with smart classes in the schools, better roads, electricity and water facility.
PM Modi Inaugurates Petrochemicals Complex at Dahej & Extradosed Bridge Across River
Narmada at Bharuch in Gujarat
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a two day visit to his native state Gujarat from March 7-8,
2017.
Baruch Bridge
♦ During his visit to Gujarat, PM Modi dedicated a 4-lane 1.4-kilometre ‘Extradosed’ Cable-
Stayed Bridge over the river Narmada in Bharuch. It is considered as the longest bridge of India.
Tribal festival ‘Bhagoria’ Begins in Jhabua

i. Bhagoria Festival, also known as Bhagoria Haat Festival, celebrated by the tribal people of
the Indian state Madhya Pradesh began on March 6, 2017 in Jhabua district.
36 | P a g e
ii. The festival which has been organized at 34 places in the state is celebrated in the month of
March before the Holi Festival by the local tribes called Bhils and Bhilalas.
India’s Largest Tricolour Hoisted on Tallest Flag Post at Attari Border

i. India’s largest flag was inaugurated on March 5, 2017 by Anil Joshi, Cabinet Minister of Punjab,
on the tallest flag post at the Indo-Pak Attari Border in Amritsar just 150 m away from the
border.
ii. The flag post measured 110 metres (360ft) in length, 24 metres in width and 55 tons in weight.
iii. The flag post was built by Amritsar Improvement Trust Authority of the
Punjab government at an approximate cost of Rs. 3.50 crore.
Andhra Pradesh Renames Tirupati Airport and Vijayawada Airport

i. The Andhra Pradesh State Cabinet during a meeting chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu
Naidu on March 2, 2017 approved proposals to rename the Vijayawada Airport and the Tirupati
Airport.
ii. The cabinet proposed to rename the Vijayawada Airport in Gannavaram as ‘Nandamuri
Taraka Rama Rao (NTR) Amaravati Airport’ after the legendary actor and founder of the ruling
Telugu Desam Party and the new capital of Andhra Pradesh.
iii. The Tirupati Airport at Renigunta has been renamed as ‘Sri Venkateswara Airport’ after
Lord Venkateswara of the temple town.
India’s Largest Floating Solar PV Plant Installed by NTPC in Kerala

i. State-run National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) has installed India’s
largest floating Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Plant at Rajiv Gandhi Combined Cycle Power Plant
(RGCCPP) at Kayamkulam in Kerala on March 10, 2017.
ii. The 100 kWp floating solar generation plant has been indigenously developed as a part of ‘Make
in India’ initiative.
Government Establishes Banana Research Centre in Vaishali District of Bihar

The Union Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare Minister Shri Radha Mohan Singh laid the foundation
stone of the Banana Research Centre at Gorole, Vaishali, Bihar Centre on March 11, 2017 to
fulfill the aspirations of the local banana growers.
Venkaiah Naidu Inaugurates India’s Largest Waste-To-Power Plant in New Delhi

The North Delhi Municipal Corporation launched India’s largest municipal waste-to-power
plant at Narela-Bawana in New Delhi on March 10, 2017.
37 | P a g e
• The 24 megawatt (MW) Narela-Bawana waste-to-energy plant was inaugurated by the

Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu at the Civic Centre.
Features of the Narela-Bawana Plant
The project has been developed on public private partnership model by Ramky Group, a
Hyderabad-based waste management company, in collaboration with the North Corporation.
• It has been built at a cost of Rs 650 crore and over 100 acres of land.
• The plant will use 2,000 metric tonnes of solid waste every day to generate 24 MW of
energy. The capacity would be expanded further to process about 4000 metric tonnes of
waste.
Sanjauli Police Post in Himachal Becomes India’s First CCTNS Linked Police Post
i. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh inaugurated a Crime and Criminal Tracking
Network & Systems (CCTNS) in Shimla on March 15, 2017 to connect all the police posts in the
state with each other.
ii. Thus Himachal Pradesh has become the first state in India to link its police posts in various
districts with CCTNS.
iii. The CCTNS was first linked at Sanjauli Police Post in Shimla, followed by simultaneous
linking of Police posts of Manikaran in district Kullu, Police Post Solan City and that of Dada Siba in
district Kangra. All the police posts in Himachal Pradesh would be linked with CCTNS.
First Made-In-India Train, Medha, Flagged off at Dadar Station

India’s first home made train for Western Railway Fleet, Medha was flagged off for its maiden run
by the Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, via videoconferencing from Dadar to Borivali at Lokmanya
Tilak Terminus on March 18, 2017.
♦ The 12-coach, made-in-India train, halted at Bandra and Andheri stations during the transit.
Currently there are two rakes of Medha which will run on the Western Railway network.
♦ Medha has been manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai. The train has
been installed with LED lighting to reduce energy consumption.
India’s Longest Road Tunnel, Cheneni-Nashiri Tunnel Ready for Opening

The longest road tunnel of India built at Chenani in Jammu's Udhampur district has successfully
completed its trail run and is ready for public opening.
About the Chennai Nashiri Tunnel
i. The 9-km-long tunnel passes through the Himalayas and is a part of the 286-km-long four-lane
project on Jammu- Srinagar National Highway.
ii. The twin-tube tunnel has been built at an elevation of 1,200 metres and at a cost of
over Rs. 3,720 crore.
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Assam Government Launches Initiatives to make Majuli India's First Carbon Neutral
District & Biodiversity Heritage
i. Assam Chief Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal launched initiative to develop the World’s largest
river island, Majuli into country's first ever Carbon Neutral district by 2020 as well as a
biodiversity heritage site to preserve its rich heritage and legacy.
ii. The project titled 'Sustainable Action for Climate Resilient Development in Majuli'
(SACReD, Majuli) was launched on the occasion of the International Day of Forest on March 21,
2017 and has been initiated by the Assam's department of Environment and Forest.
iii .The project, SACReD, Majuli has been initiated to combat climate change and ensure
reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
Following Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand Too Bans Illegal Slaughterhouses

i. Moving on the footprints of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Aditya Nath Yogi, BJP-ruled state
of Jharkhand too announced to impose ban on illegal slaughterhouses in the state on March 27,
2017.
ii. The state government under the Chief Minister Raghubar Das, has given 72 hours to
slaughterhouses to shut their illegal businesses in case they failed to obtain licence from the
relevant authorites.
Uttarakhand High Court Orders State Government to Ban Mining for 4 Months
i. The state government of Uttarakhand has been strictly directed by the Uttarakhand High
Court on March 28, 2017 to stop all the mining activities in the state with immediate effect for
a period of four months.
ii. The court’s order by a bench of Justices Rajiv Sharma and Sudhanshu Dhulia was based on
an incident where a forest guard was allegedly killed by illegal miners near Corbett National Park
when he had tried to stop them and a tiger was crushed by an earthmovers used by miners in the
region.
'Namami Brahmaputra' Festival Inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee in Assam

i. The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the five-day Namami
Brahmaputra River Festival in Assam on March 31, 2017.
ii .The event was inaugurated by the President by lighting a ceremonial lamp at the Kachamari
Ghat near Fancy Bazar in Guwahati.
iii. The Prime Minister of Bhutan, Tshering Tobgay was the special guest at the event.
iv. The five-day river festival will conclude on April 4, 2017 and will be organised across 21 districts
of Assam.
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FOREIGN VISITS
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s Visit to United Kingdom and Nepal

The Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was on a 5 day visit to United Kingdom from
February 24-28, 2017 particularly to represent India at the royal event of 2017 UK-India Year of
Culture. He was followed by a high level delegation nominated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• As a part of the visit, Jaitley delivered a lecture at the London School of Economics on the
theme ‘Transforming India: Vision for the Next Decade’, on February 25 and spoke
about India’s desire to be a more open economy.
• On Sunday, 26th February, 2017, the Finance Minister Shri Jaitley attended a reception being
organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), British Council
and Indian High Commission at UK
• Jaitley also attended the market opening ceremony at the London Stock Exchange followed
by a Roundtable meeting with foreign investors on February 27. He also held a business
interaction with over 100 leaders from the UK-India Business Council.
• Jaitley visited the historic reception hosted by Queen Elizabeth II to launch the UK-India Year
of Culture 2017 at Buckingham Palace.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Opens London Stock Exchange (LSE)
The Union Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley, opened the London Stock Exchange (LSE) during a
special ceremony on February 27, 2017.
• He was accompanied for the special ceremony by Britain’s Minister for International
Trade Liam Fox and London Stock Exchange Group CEO Xavier Rolet.
• After the ceremony, Nikhil Rathi, CEO of LSE, hosted a roundtable session with Arun
Jaitley and representatives from FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce &
Industry), fin-tech firms and major investors.
Queen Elizabeth II Hosts Reception in Buckingham Palace to celebrate 2017 UK-
India Year of Culture
Queen Elizabeth II hosted a reception on February 27, 2017 in Buckingham Palace to launch the
2017 UK-India Year of Culture.
• The UK-India Year of Culture is aimed at celebrating the deep cultural ties between the two
countries.
• Jaitley who attended the event was accompanied by Indian delegation that included actor
Kamal Hassan, Suresh Gopi, cricket legend Kapil Dev, singer and actor Gurdas Mann, fashion
designers Manish Arora and Manish Malhotra and sitar maestro Anoushka Shankar.
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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Russia, China Opposes UN resolution to Impose Sanctions on Syria
i. Russia and China vetoed a UN resolution on February 28, 2017 to impose sanctions on
Syria over the alleged use of chemical weapons during the six-year war.
ii. The UN Security Council resolution drafted by Britain, France and the United States won nine
votes in favor while three countries comprising China, Russia and Bolivia opposed it. Kazakhstan,
Ethiopia and Egypt did not vote.
Ukraine region to use Russian ruble as currency

i. Ukraine’s self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, state in eastern Ukraine, will use the
Russian ruble as its official currency, along with the Ukrainian Hryvnia.
ii. The Russian ruble is already being used in pro-Russian territory which serves to stabilise the
volatile economic situation in the region.
Syrian Army Backed by Russian Jets Recaptures Ancient City Palmyra

i. The Syrian troops on March 2, 2017 successfully recaptured the ancient city of Palmyra from
the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group for the second time in a year with
support from Russian forces and warplanes.
ii. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group known as Jihadists first captured Palmyra
in May 2015 and began to systematically destroy and loot the UNESCO’s World Heritage Site’s
Monuments and Temples.
Half of 4,096 KM of India-Bangladesh Border Fenced

i. As per the report by the Border Security Force (BSF), India has completed the process
of fencing half of the 4,096 km of border area which it shares with Bangladesh and expects to
finish fencing the rest by 2019.
ii .The aim of fencing is to curb infiltration and smuggling of cattle and fake Indian currency
notes.
Sweden introduces military draft for both men and women

iSweden’s coalition government of Social Democrats and Greens instituted a military draft for both
men and women to tackle the deteriorating security environment in Europe and around Sweden.
IMF Reaches Preliminary Agreement with Ukraine

i. The International Monetary Fund reached a preliminary agreement with Ukraine on an
updated Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies on March 4, 2017.
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ii. The agreement will pave way for the IMF’s Executive Board to consider the third review of the
arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and disburse fresh aid of $1 billion (0.9
billion euros) to Ukraine in the first half of March 2017.
iii. The International Monetary Fund approved a $17.5 billion loan program for 4 years for
Ukraine in 2015 to help the former Soviet republic financially amid a conflict with pro-Russia rebels.
China hikes defence budget to $150 billion

i. People’s Republic of China has increased its defence budget by 7% for 2017, the lowest
increase in seven years and second year in row.
ii. In real terms, the defence budget of the world’s largest armed forces, the People’s Liberation
Army (PLA) is likely to be close to the $ 145 billion-mark.
China overtakes eurozone as world’s biggest bank system

i. According to the Financial Times shows latest analysis, China’s banking system has overtaken
the b to become the world’s biggest by assets.
ii. The value of China’s banking system is more than 3.1 times the size of the country’s annual
economic output, compared with 2.8 times for the eurozone and its banks
Hawaii Becomes First State to Sue Over Trump’s Revised Travel Ban
i. US State, Hawaii has become the first state to file a lawsuit against Donald Trump’s revised
travel ban on 6 Muslim majority countries.
ii. The lawsuit was filed by the Attorneys for the state on March 8, 2017 in federal court
in Honolulu saying that the order will harm its Muslim population, tourism and foreign students.
Mega Cultural Festival ‘India by the Nile’ Begins in Egypt

he fifth edition of the mega cultural festival ‘India by the Nile’ (IBN) began in
Cairo, Egypt from March 8, 2017. It is the largest foreign festival in Egypt.
♦ The IBN Festival is organized by India to showcase Indian culture, arts music, dance, theatre,
food, cuisine and Yoga & wellbeing to build a long lasting relationship between the two ancient
civilizations.
Pakistan to Conduct its First Census in 19 years From March 15

i. The Pakistan government is set to conduct its first national census in 19 years from March
15, 2017 for proper allocation of funds and resources.
ii. The census will be done in two phase. The first phase of the census will begin on March 15 and
last on April 15. After a ten day gap, the second phase will start from April 25 and conclude on May
25.
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Bangladesh declares to Observe March 25 as ‘Genocide Day’

Jatiya Sangsad, the Parliament of Bangladesh unanimously adopted a resolution on March 11,
2017 to declare March 25 as Genocide Day in remembrance of the brutality carried out by the
Pakistani Army in the “Black Night” of March 25, 1971.
♦ MPs also suggested that the government should take initiative so that December 9, which is
marked by the UN as international day of commemoration of genocide, sees that March 25 victims
being commemorate as well
Saudi Arabia Inaugurates Girls’ Council But Without Any Girls

i. In a bid to encourage women participation in workforce, Saudi Arabia has for the first time
decided to launch a Girl’s Council.
ii. However, the encouraging initiative became more talk of the town, when none of the female
member of the council was present on the stage at its first Qassim Girls Council meeting on
March 14, 2017.
India Among Other South East Asian Country Signs WHO’s Call To End TB By 2030
India along with other South East Asian Region countries signed a ‘Call for Action’ on March
16, 2017 to end tuberculosis (TB) and pledged to take efforts to end the disease by 2030.
♦ The ‘call for action’ was signed by the Health ministers of the WHO’s South-East Asia Region
countries and the World Health Organization (WHO) on the concluding day of the two day
ministerial meeting towards ending TB in the region that began on March 15, 2017.
New Zealand’s Whanganui River Granted Legal Status as a Person

i. New Zealand’s Whanganui River on March 15, 2017 became the first river in the World to get
the legal rights as possessed by a human being.
ii. The Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Bill was passed in the Parliament
on March 15, 2017 to establish a new legal framework for the river.
Taliban captures crucial southern Afganistan city Sangin

Sangin town in Helmand province of Afghanistan has been captured by the Taliban group after
a year-long battle with the Afghanistan Force. The officials have confirmed that the forces have
been withdrawn from the area and Sangin is now in militant hands.
UNHRC Grants Additional 2 Years to Sri Lanka’s To Deliver War Probe

i. Sri Lanka has been granted the two years of extension it sought from the UN Human Rights
Council (UNHRC) on March 23, 2017 to set up a mechanism to probe alleged war crimes
committed during the 37-year civil war which ended in May 2009.
ii. The two year extension was approved by total 40 countries by adopting UNHRC resolution in
Geneva.
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iii. The resolution titled "Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri
Lanka" gives Sri Lanka two years to show more progress on the transitional justice process.
UK Parliament: Gilgit-Baltistan Legal Part of J&K, Illegally Occupied by Pakistan

i. The British Parliament tabled a motion on March 23, 2017 stating Pakistan’s move as illegal to
declare the Gilgit-Baltistan region, bordering Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, as its fifth province.
ii. The motion was sponsored by Party leader Bob Blackman who said that Gilgit-Baltistan is a legal
and constitutional part of Jammu and Kashmir, India and Pakistan has illegally occupied it
since 1947.
Montenegro Set to Become NATO's 29th Member after US Senate Vote

i. Montenegro, a tiny Balkan country, is set to become the 29th member of the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO) soon after US senate ratifies its pending membership.
ii. For Montenegro to become NATO’s member, all 28 NATO members must ratify Montenegro's
entry and only Washington is left among them to do so.
Donald Trump signs Executive Order to Roll Back Obama’s Climate Change Measures
i. Doing away with former US President Barak Obama’s initiative to combat climate
change, President Donald Trump has signed an executive order on March 29, 2017 to
scrap Clean Power Plan that aims to reduce carbon emission by power plants.
ii .Signing of the executive order is part of the promise made by Trump during his election
campaign to support the coal industry.
Turkey Concludes Military Operation "Euphrates Shield" in Northern Syria

i. The military operation under the name "Euphrates Shield" undertaken by the Turkish
troops in northern Syria about seven months ago for national security, finally concluded on
March 29, 2017.
ii. The announcement regarding this was made by the Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Most Spacewalks by a Woman - US Astronaut Peggy Whitson Breaks Sunita Williams

Record
American Astronaut Peggy Whitson floated outside the International Space Station (ISS), which
makes the eighth career Space-Walk by her on March 31, 2017. By this walk, Peggy Whitson
broke the record of seven Space-Walks which was previously held by American Astronaut Sunita
Williams.
♦ French astronaut Thomas Pesquet was with her side in International Space Station (ISS).
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El Salvador - the 1st Country to ban Metals Mining

Central America’s smallest nation, El Salvador became the first country in the world to ban Metals
Mining nationwide. This was made into a law, which was passed by the Law-makers of that
country.
SUMMITS & CONFERENCES

13th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Summit Held in Pakistan
The 13th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Summit, an inter-governmental regional
group of 10 countries was held in Islamabad, Pakistan on March 1, 2017 under the chairmanship
of Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.
♦ The theme of the summit was “Connectivity for Regional Prosperity”.
Highlights of the Summit
i. During the summit, the countries discussed steps to be taken to augment cooperation in the
areas of connectivity, trade, energy, tourism, investment, industry, economic growth, productivity,
social welfare and environment.
ii. The Summit unanimously adopted the Islamabad Declaration 2017 that represents the
collective political will of Member States to focus on connectivity of energy, infrastructure,
transport, and trade for regional prosperity.
iii. Besides, the Summit also adopted the ECO Vision 2025 which provides guidelines to the
Organization in all spheres of ECO activity.
Vice President Hamid Ansari Attends IORA Summit in Jakarta

Vice President Hamid Ansari was on a two-day visit to Indonesia to attend the 21-nation Indian
Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia from March 6-7, 2017.
♦ Theme: ‘Strengthening Maritime Cooperation for a Peaceful, Stable and Prosperous
Indian Ocean’
♦ During the meet of the 21 IORA nation, Ansari laid emphasis on connectivity, open maritime trade
and rights of navigation as well as cooperation among the think tanks of the member countries for
strategies to meet the conventional and non-conventional threats.
Key Highlights of the Summit
During the Summit, Indian Ocean Rim Association adopted four documents to make Indian Ocean
peaceful, stable, and prosperous region. Theses include:
i. The Declaration on Preventing and Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism
1.IORA Concord
2.IORA Action Plan
3.Joint Declaration of the IORA business Community to Build Partnership for a Sustainable and
Equitable Economic Growth.
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PM Modi addresses International Yoga Festival

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed International Yoga Festival in Rishikesh,
Uttarakhand via Video Conferencing and voiced that there is ample substantiation that practicing
ancient yoga to keep the fight against stress and life-style related issues.
ii. The PM asserted that Yuga instils togetherness & harmony through Yoga and termed perfect way
to achieve not only a healthy body, as well as produces disciplines among people and has the
strength to combat climate change.
Steel minister inaugurates maiden regional conference of Eastern States

i. Union Minister of Steel Chaudhary Birender Singh presided over the hair the proceedings of
maiden regional conference of Eastern States at Gangtok, Sikkim on 2nd March, 2017.
ii. The maiden regional conference will be on the theme of ‘Enhancing steel consumption in
India’
iii. The conference was the first of the four regional conferences being planned across India to
become a leader in innovative use of steel in India.
National conference on Jal Kranti Abhiyan begins in New Delhi

A day long National conference on Jal Kranti Abhiyan was inaugurated by Sushri Uma
Bharti, Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation in New
Delhi on March 7, 2017
♦ The conference was organized by Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga
Rejuvenation.
Mobile World Congress to be held in India on September 27

i. India to host its first mobile congress with a special focus on reaching out to the South East
Asian markets at Pragati Maidan on 27th September 2017. This was announced by Rajan S
Mathews, COAI Director General
ii. The the three-day event will be organised by GSM Association
Destination North East 2017 Festival Held in Chandigarh

i. The three day long ‘Destination North East-2017’ festival was inaugurated in Chandigarh on
March 6, 2017 by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North
Eastern Region (DoNER), Dr. Jitendra Singh.
ii. The ‘Destination North East-2017’ was organized by Ministry of DoNER
iii. The main focus of the event was the ‘3 H Mission’ that is Horticulture, Handicraft and
Handlooms with the objective to use appropriate technologies in all sectors of development for
North Eastern Region
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International Yoga Fest Began in New Delhi on March 8, 2017

The International Yoga Festival was inaugurated on March 8, 2017 by the Union Information
and Broadcasting Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu in New Delhi.
♦ The two-day long event has been organized by the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga in
association with the Indian Yoga Associations.
♦ More than 3,500 participants including eminent yoga gurus, yoga masters, scholars, policy
makers and representatives from 15-18 countries are participating in the mega event.
10th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance Held in

New Delhi
The 10th edition of the International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic
Governance (ICEGOV 2017) was held in New Delhi from March 7-9, 2017.
• The three-day long conference was organized by the Ministry of Electronics &
Information Technology, Government of India, in collaboration with United Nations
University and UNESCO.
• Theme: Building Knowledge Societies: From Digital Government to Digital
Empowerment
• Objective: ICEGOV 2017 focused on the use of technology to transform relationships between
government and citizens, businesses & civil society.
• The ICEGOV 2017 was inaugurated by the Union Minister of Electronics & Information
Technology and Law & Justice Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad.
2018 ICEGOV
The ICEGOV 2018 will be held in Galway, Ireland
President of India inaugurates the 12th CII-Exim bank conclave on India Africa Project
Partnership
President Pranab Mukherjee has inaugurated the two day 12th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on
India Africa Project Partnership on March 9, 2017 in New Delhi.The first conclave has held
in 2005.
♦ The Conclave was organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in partnership with the
EXIM Bank of India with the support of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of
Commerce & Industry, Government of India.
Annual Krishi Unnati Mela Begins in New Delhi

The three-day annual Krishi Unnati Mela was inaugurated by Union Agriculture Minister Radha
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Mohan Singh at the Indian Agriculture Research Institute in Pusa, New Delhi on March 15, 2017.
i.Aim: To provide information on new farm schemes and technologies and other welfare scheme
that will help to double the farmer’s incomes by 2022.
ii.The three day fair (March 15-17) has been organized by the Indian Agricultural
Research Institute (IARI) jointly with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. More than
thousands of farmers, workers, students, scientists are expected to take part in Agriculture Fair at
New Delhi.
iii.As a part of the event, the Minister also gave away Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Rashtriya
International Vision Zero Conference on Occupational, Safety and Health Begins In New
Delhi
The International Conference on the Vision Zero and its relevance to Occupational Safety
and Health (OSH), began on March 15, 2017 at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi.
♦ Aim: To focus on the Occupational Safety and Health issues and challenges in the Manufacturing,
Construction and Mining sector and provide a forum for promoting safety and health at work by
exchanging knowledge, practices and experience.
♦ The three day conference has been jointly organized by the Directorate General Factory Advice
and Labour Institutes (DGFASLI), Government of India, Ministry of Labour and Employment and
German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV), Germany in association with International Social
Security Association (ISSA).
♦ The conference was inaugurated by the Minister of State (Independent) for Labour and
Employment, Shri Bandaru Dattatreya, in the presence of Smt. M. Sathiyavathy, Secretary,
Labour and Employment, Government of India.
Key Highlight of the Conference
i. The conference is expected to introduce the fast emerging internationally accepted concept of
‘Vision Zero’ in India to help the government to raise the occupational safety and health standards
in the country.
ii. There will be three plenary sessions in the conference dedicated exclusively to the
manufacturing, construction and mines sectors.
First-Ever Haryana Sahitya Sangam Began in Panchkula

i. The first edition of the Haryana Sahitya Sangam began on March 17, 2017 at Indradhanush
Auditorium, Panchkula in Haryana.
ii. The three day event was inaugurated by the Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and has
been organized as a part of the Haryana Swarna Jayanti celebrations.
iii. The aim of the festival is to highlight the contribution of Haryana in the field of literature and
culture and to provide a platform for young and budding writers to get genuine and wide range of
guidance.
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2017 International Buddhist Conference Held in Bihar

The three days International Buddhist Conference was held at the Rajgir International
Convention Center (RICC) of Nav Nalanda Mahavira Deemed University, Rajgir, Bihar from March
17-19, 2017.
• The conference was inaugurated by His Holiness, The Dalai Lama jointly with the
Minister of Culture and Tourism, Dr. Mahesh Sharma by lighting a ceremonial lamp.
• The event was organized by Ministry of Culture and Nava Nalanda Mahaviahra Deemed
University.
• Theme: The main theme of the conference was: Buddhism in the 21st Century –
Perspectives and Responses to Global Challenges and Crises.
Key Highlights of the Conference
The three day conference saw the participation of over 1000 Buddhist delegates from 35 countries
including Sri Lanka, Burma, Taiwan, Thailand, Bangladesh, Uganda, representing both the Sanskrit
and Pali traditions.
• One of the main highlight of the conference was the release 41-volume of the Pali
Tripitaka by His Holiness the Dalai lama, reprinted by the Nava Nalanda University in
Devanagri script.
• Besides, he also inaugurated the Nava Nalanda University’s new department of the
Buddhist Science, first of its kind in Asia.
G20 Meet of Finance Ministers & Central Bank Governors Began in Germany
The two day G20 finance ministers and central bank governors meet began in Baden-
Baden, Germany on March 17, 2017.
• Focus: the meeting will focus on strengthening economic resilience in finance, digitalization
and promote investment in Africa.
Key Highlight of the Meet
The meetings between finance ministers and central bank governors will provide a preliminary
discussion platform ahead the G20 Summit of heads of state and
government, which will be held in Hamburg on July 7-8, 2017.
• This is the first global gather to discuss economic challenges since Donald Trump took
over as the US President in January 2017. The gathering will help to set the tone for
international commerce and finance.
• The focus of the meeting will be on the final statement issued jointly by the finance
ministers on the concluding day of the meeting on March 18, 2017.
Sports Minister Vijay Goel Addresses Global Millennium Summit at Dubai

i. The Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Vijay Goel was invited as the Chief
Guest at the two-day Global Millennium Summit in Dubai on March 18, 2017.
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ii. The Summit has been organized by the Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), University
of Delhi in association with the Office of International Programmes, SRCC and IIM-Ahmedabad.
Make In India Conference Held In Houston

i. Recently India is working out of their skin to make one dream come true. The dream is nothing
but, starting from day to day things used by Indians to the large aircrafts and satellites which is to
be made indigenously. The name of this dream is made as “MAKE IN INDIA”.
ii. Several conferences and committees are made to achieve this dream but the recent highlight is
the first-ever Houston India Conference, hosted by Asia Society Texas Center in Houston.
iii. This conference is conducted on 25th March, 2017 for two days with the theme “Make in India-
The Inside Story”
iv. The conference is chaired by Jiten Agarwal and India’s Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna is
also present.
2nd India-UAE Conference On Globalisation Held In Dubai

The second India-UAE conference on globalisation, organised by All India Management Association
(AIMA)was held in Dubai to promote cooperation between the two countries.
♦ Theme: "Resetting Globalisation: Collaborating in a Fast Changing World."
Highlights :
UAE's Cabinet Member and Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development Sheikh Nahyan bin
Mubarak Al Nahyan and India's ambassador to the UAE Navdeep Singh Suri are participated in the
conference
Ministry of Culture Organizes 5th Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav in North East Region
i. The Ministry of Culture is organizing the 5th Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav (RSM) 2017 from
March 23-31, 2017 in the North Eastern Region of India.
ii .The 9 days cultural festival will be inaugurated at Parade Ground, Tawang in Arunachal
Pradesh on March 23, 2017 by Governor of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh Shri Padmanabha
Balakrishna Acharya.
18th edition of Asia’s largest convention on the business of media and entertainment
“FICCI Frames-2017”
i. The three day 18th edition of FICCI Frames was inaugurated by Bollywood actor Jacqueline
Fernandez in the presence of Union Information and Broadcasting Secretary Ajay Mittal on March
21, 2017 in Mumbai.
ii. Theme: ‘Digital: Divide or dividend'
iii. The annual Conference of Media and Entertainment Industry is one of the largest conference in
Asia
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23rd Conference of Auditors General of Commonwealth Countries and British Overseas

Territories held in New Delhi
i. For the first time India host the three day Conference of Auditors General(CAG) of
Commonwealth Countries and British Overseas Territories from March 21-23, 2017 in New
Delhi.
ii. Theme: “Fostering Partnerships for Capacity Development in Public Audit”
iii. An Auditors General of Tanzania and Canada held discussion with two sub-themes -Leveraging
Technology in Public Audit, and Environment Audit: A Commonwealth Perspective.
2017 National Theatre Festival (NTF) Concluded in Kerala

i .The National Theatre Festival 2017 was held in Tagore Theatre in Thiruvananthapuram,
Kerala from March 16-24, 2017.
ii .The festival was inaugurated by state Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at Central School
Grounds, Attakkulangara on March 16, 2017.
iii. The week-long festival was organized by the Information Public Relations Department,
Government of Kerala.
2017 International Diamond Conference Hosted by GJEPC in Mumbai

i. The 2017 International Diamond Conference was held from March 19-20, 2017 at Hotel
Hyatt, Mumbai.
ii .The two day conclave was organized by Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council of
India (GJEPC).
iv. Theme: Mines to Market 2017
Indian Science Congress To Be Held At Osmania University, Hyderabad

i. As per the information given by the officials of Indian Science Congress Association
(ISCA), 105th Indian Science Congress is to be hosted by Osmania University (OU),
Hyderabad from January 3 to 7 next year.
ii. This is the sixth time; Osmania University (OU) will be hosting this congress. In the mean time,
University is celebrating its centenary (100th) this year.
NGT Organises World Conference On Environment In New Delhi

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Mar 25 2017 conducted the WORLD CONFERENCE ON
ENVIRONMENT at the country’s capital, New Delhi. The two day conference concluded with a high
note in urging the importance for the sustainable development balancing which is the need to
protect the environment. The conference was inaugurated by the President of India, Shri
PRANAB MUKHERJEE
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Need for the conference

As per the recent study, environmental factors are responsible for an estimated 24% of the global
burden of disease in terms of healthy life years lost and 23 % of all deaths.
• Children are the worst sufferers of the adverse impact of environmental diseases. 24% of
all deaths under the age of 15 are due to diarrhea, malaria and respiratory diseases all of
which are environment related.
• 19% of the deaths caused by Cancer worldwide are attributed to carcinogens that
hazardous industrialization produces.
Third G-20 framework working group meet held at Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Third meeting of G20 Framework Working Group (FWG) is hosted by India from March 28 to
March 29, 2017 at Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh under the G-20 German Presidency. The meeting
is co-hosted by Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India and Reserve
Bank of India (RBI). The meet is arranged to discuss the challenges before the global economy and
their possible solutions.
• The meeting was inaugurated by Union secretary of Economic Affairs Mr. Shaktikanta
Das and he was the chief guest.
Things discussed in FWG
• The current global economic situation for the development of the G-20 nations.
• Policy options required for the G-20 countries, which they can pursue to counter the
important development challenges.
• Clear deliberation about the inclusive growth agenda of G-20 and to formulate a
framework that will enable countries to help frame country specific inclusive growth
policies.
G20 summits in future
• The twelfth meeting of the Group of Twenty (G20) summit is to be held at the city
of Hamburg, Germany.The summit is to be held at 7 and 8 July, 2017.
• In 2018, the summit is to be held at the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. This is the first-ever
G20 summit to be hosted in South America.
World Environmental Education Congress 2017 to be Held in Canada

i. The 9th edition of the World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC) is scheduled to
be held in Vancouver, Canada from September 9-15, 2017.
ii. Theme: Culture Environment: Weaving New Connections
iii. Host: The event is being hosted by the “Institute for Environmental Learning (IEL)” based
in British Columbia in cooperation with WEEC Permanent Secretariat.
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India Not Participating in UN Conference for Global Ban on Nuclear Weapons

i. The United Nations Conference to Negotiate a Legally Binding Instrument to Prohibit
Nuclear Weapons, Leading Towards their Total Elimination, began at New York from March
27-31, 2017.
ii. It is the first multilateral negotiations on nuclear disarmament at the United Nations since
past 20 years.
iii. Also for the first time, India is not participating in the conference, taking into account the
nation’s own interests. However, India would stay in touch with the developments taking place at
the conference.
RANKING & REPORTS
Indian Institute of Science Makes it to Top 10 Best Small Universities in the World
Ranking
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore is the only Indian University to be placed
among the top 10 global universities by Times Higher Education (THE).
Top 10 Universities in the Ranking
Rank University Country
1 California Institute of Technology United States
2 École Normale Supérieure France
3 Pohang University of Science and Technology South Korea
4 École Polytechnique France
5 Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa Italy
6 Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna Italy
7 École Normale Supérieure de Lyon France
8 Indian Institute of Science India
9 Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Sweden
10 Free University of Bozen-Bolzano Italy
National Family Health Survey-4 Shows Improved Sex Ratio, Decline In Infant Mortality
Rate in India
As per the latest health survey by the government, India’s health index has shown a notable
improvement over the last decade including an improvement in sex ratio at birth and a decline
in infant mortality rate.
• The latest National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4) conducted for year 2015-16 was
unveiled by Health Ministry in New Delhi.
Key Features of National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4)
1.Infant Mortality Rate
Infant mortality rate (IMR) is the number of deaths of children with age less than one year per
1000 live births.As per the survey report, the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) saw a decline from 57 to
41 per 1,000 live births between NFHS-3 (2005-06) and NFHS-4
2.Sex Ratio at Birth
As per the survey, the sex ratio at birth (number of females per 1,000 males) improved from 914
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to 919 at the national level over the last decade with the highest in Kerala (1,047), followed by
Meghalaya (1,009) and Chhattisgarh (977).Haryana also witnessed a significant increase from 762
to 836.
3.Institutional Births
The institutional births increased by 40 percent from 38.7 percent in NFHS-3 to 78.9 percent in
NFHS-4.
4.Total Fertility Rate
The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) declined to 2.2 children per woman from 2.7 in NFHS-3. This rate
shows that the country is moving closer to target level of 2.1.
5.Immunization
The report stated that the Children within the age of 12-23 months have been fully
immunized (BCG, measles and 3 doses each of polio).
Kerala’s Capital Thiruvananthapuram Ranks Best City in Urban Governance Survey

According to the fourth edition of the Annual Survey of India’s City Systems 2016 by
Bengaluru-based advocacy group Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy,
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala has been ranked as the top Indian city to manage urban governance.
• Thiruvananthapuram which also ranked No. 1 in 2015 was evaluated against 21 major cities
across 18 states of India.
Top 5 Cities in the List
Rank City Score
1 Thiruvananthapuram 4.4
2 Pune 4.2
3 Kolkata 4.1
4 Mumbai 4.1
5 Hyderabad 3.9
Major Highlight of the Report
Pune and Kolkata was ranked the second and third best city respectively that were tested on
various urban governance parameters.
• Delhi which ranked 7 in 2015 dropped two places to rank 9 in 2016. The city was
placed even behind much smaller cities like Bhopal and Kanpur which ranked 6 and 7
respectively.
• Though Delhi topped the chart in the urban planning and design category with a score of
3.7, it scored poorly on three aspects of urban governance which were urban capacities
and resources of municipalities to undertake reform; empowered and legitimate political
representation; transparency, accountability and participation.
• Similarly, Mumbai’s rank slipped from 2 to 4 and Bengaluru also came down to 16 from
12.
• Chandigarh, perceived and Jaipur were placed among the bottom of the list.
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Kerala Tops Among All Other States In GST Registration

i. Kerala has achieved the maximum number of enrollment and registrations under the Goods and
Services Tax (GST) regime when compared to other states of India.The state has recorded
nearly 60 percent registration of an estimated 2.5 lakh traders in Kerala migrating to the new
platform.
ii. As per the statistics by the taxation department of the state, the outstanding performance by the
state is even more significant since the these registrations are complete in all respects, including
the crucial provision of digital signatures
India To Lead the world in Smartphone Adoption During 2016-2020: GSMA Report
i. According to the GSM Association report released in Barcelona, India will lead the world
in Smartphone adoption with a net addition of 350 million connections in 2016-20. The report
was based on the estimates of the GSMA Intelligence Consumer Survey 2016 conducted across
56 countries on the mobile usage trend.
ii. As per the report, the developing world is set to add 1.6 billion smartphone connections
between 2016 and 2020.
India Has Highest Bribery Rate Among 16 Asia-Pacific Nations: Transparency

International Survey
i. According to the Global Corruption Barometer for the Asia Pacific Region released
by Transparency International on March 7, in Berlin for 16 Asia Pacific countries, India tops
the list for being the most corrupt nation.
ii. According to the survey, about 69 percent of the population in India paid bribe to get their work
done.
iii. India was followed by Vietnam (65%), Thailand (41%), Cambodia, Pakistan and Myanmar,
each with 40%.
iv. Besides, China (26%) was one of the least corrupt nations and it was the lowest in Japan
(0.2%).
Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru Placed Among Top 50 in THE’s Asia Universities
Ranking
The Times Higher Education (THE) released its Asia University Rankings 2017 on March 16,
2017.The top rank in the Asia University Rankings was attained by the National University of
Singapore (NUS) for the second consecutive year.
• According to the 2017 ranking, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru has been
ranked best Indian University and has been placed at 27th position among the universities in
Asia.
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• Besides, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay was another Indian university
among top 50 placed at 42 position followed by Chennai-based private institute Veltech
University at 43.
Asia’s Top 5 Universities in the List
Rank University Country
1 National University of Singapore Singapore
2 Peking University China
3 Tsinghua University China
4 Nanyang Technological University Singapore
5 University of Hong Kong Hong Kong
Singapore’s Changi Airport Named World’s Best Airport for 5th Consecutive Year
i. Singapore based Changi Airport was named as the World’s Best Airport for the fifth consecutive
year at the 2017 Skytrax World Airport Awards on March 14, 2017 held at the Passenger
Terminal EXPO in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
ii. The award was received by Mr Lee Seow Hiang, CEO of Changi Airport Group from Mr Edward
Plaisted, CEO of Skytrax.
World’s Top 5 Airports
1 Changi Airport Singapore
2 Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport)
3 Incheon International Airport
4 Munich Airport
5 Hong Kong International Airport
Vienna World’s Best City in Quality of Life; Hyderabad Best Indian City: Mercer
According to the Mercer’s 19th annual Quality of Living survey released on March 14,
2017, Vienna, the capital of Austria has topped the list of cities offering the highest quality of
life for the eighth year in a row.
• Baghdad was ranked the worst place at 230 to live due to continuous violence in the city.
• In India, Hyderabad emerged as the best city in terms of living standards among Indian
cities for the third year in a row.
Top 5 Global Cities in the List
Rank City Country
1 Vienna Austria
2 Zurich Switzerland
3 Auckland New Zealand
4 Munich Germany
5 Vancouver Canada
Key Highlights of the Survey
• The report stated that the cities across Britain ranked pretty poorly against European
counterparts for quality of life.
• Singapore was the highest ranked Asian city at 25 while San Francisco (29) was the
highest entry from United States.
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• Top of the list in Africa was South Africa’s Durban at 87 while from Latin America was
Montevideo (79).
• High ranking European cities included Munich (4), Dusseldorf (6), Frankfurt (7), Geneva
(8), Copenhagen (9), and, a newcomer to the list, Basel (10).
2017 World Happiness Report

According to the 2017 World Happiness Report, released on March 20, 2017 by the Sustainable
Development Solutions Network, Norway has been ranked as the most happiest country of the
world among 155 nations. India was placed at 122nd position in the World Happiness Report.
• Norway surpassed Denmark to achieve the top most spot with a score of 7.53 out of 10. In
2016, Norway was placed at 4th position.
• The Central African Republic was the least happy of 155 countries according to the report.
Top 10 Happiest Country
Rank Country Score (10)
1 Norway 7.53
2 Denmark 7.52
3 Iceland 7.50
4 Switzerland 7.49
5 Finland 7.46
India ranks 148 in 2017 UN Women in Politics Map

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UN Women launched the ‘Women in Politics 2017
Map’ on March 16, 2017 in New York.The Women in Politics 2017 Map is the visual representation
of women’s political empowerment in executive government and parliament as on January 1, 2017.
• It was unveiled on the sidelines of the ongoing session of the 61st Commission on the
Status of Women (CSW) at United Nations. The CSW is a global organization that focuses
on the empowerment and equality for women.
• The theme for 2017 CSW is Women’s Economic Empowerment In The Changing World
Of Work.
• As per the report, the top nations that have high representation to women in the
government and parliament includes: Rwanda, Bolivia, Cuba, Iceland, Nicaragua,
Sweden, Senegal, Mexico, Finland and South Africa.
Five Indians Named in WEF’s 100 Young Global Leaders List 2017
The annual World Economic Forum’s 100 Young Global Leaders list released for the year
2017 have given place to five Indians for their innovative approaches.
Five Indians Include
1. Vijay Shekhar Sharma: Founder & CEO PayTm
2. Shruti Shibulal: The Tamara Hospitality
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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.
Indian-American Sandeep Matharani Ranks 4th Among 25 Overpaid CEOs in US

i. An Indian-American CEO, Sandeep Matharani, has been ranked 4th on a list of top 25
overpaid CEOs in the United States, as per the report by US based NGO ‘As You Sow’.
ii .Sandeep Matharani, CEO of General Growth Properties, Chicago was paid a total
compensation of USD 39.2 million in 2016. According to the report, he was overpaid by USD 26
million.
iii. The list was topped by Leslie Moonves, CEO of CBS. Moonves earned compensation worth USD
56.7 million in 2016.
iv. Marc Benioff of Salesforce ranked second on the list with a total compensation of USD 33.4
million.
v. Discovery Communications David Zaslav was placed third with a compensation of USD 32.4
million.
Italy Ranked World’s Healthiest Country by Bloomberg 2017 Index

According to the 2017 Bloomberg Global Health Index of 163 countrues released on March 20,
2017, Italy has been ranked as the healthiest country on Earth with a health score of 97.44 out
of 100.
Top 5 Healthiest Countries
Rank Country Score (100)
1 Italy 97.44
2 Iceland 96.20
3 Switzerland 94.96
4 Singapore 94.11
5 Australia 93.88
[/su_table]
ii. The reason behind the healthy citizens of Italy is cited to lot of dependence on leafy
diets drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. Besides, Italy also has excess of Doctors in the country.
iii. The least healthiest states comprised of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and West
Virginia and were considered that more than 35 percent of their populations faced obese
94 Out Of 500 Cities Rated By AMRUT

As insisted by our Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Mr. M.Venkaiah Naidu, 500
cities and towns that account for the 65% of India’s urban population are to be credit rated by Atal
Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT). Out of these 500 cities, 94
cities got its rating from AMRUT.
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• Based on the report released by the Minister, 55 out of 94 cities have got Investment grade
ratings which account 59% of the rated cities spread across 14 states. These 500 cities are
included in Smart city mission.
Top rated cities
The cities which got AA+ rating are NDMC, Navi Mumbai and Pune followed by Ahmadabad,
Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad with AA rating.
• Hence these 500 cities should work hard on their own development in various sectors
which in turn helps the countries development.
4 Indian Cities Among Cheapest Global Cities to Live In: EIU Report
According to the 2017 Worldwide Cost of Living Index released by the Economist
Intelligence Unit (EIU) on March 21, 2017, four Indian cities are among the cheapest cities to
live in globally.
• As per the report, Singapore was the most expensive city to live among 133 for the
fourth consecutive year while Almaty in Kazakhstan was the cheapest city in the
world, placed at the bottom of the list at 133.
Top 10 Cheapest Cities
Rank City WCOL Index (100)
1 Almaty (Kazakhstan) 38
2 Lagos (Nigeria) 39
3 Bangaluru (India) 42
4 Karachi (Pakistan) 44
5 Algiers (Algeria) 45
5 Chennai (India) 45
5 Mumbai(India) 45
8 Kiev (Ukraine) 47
8 Bucharest (Romania) 47
8 New Delhi (India) 47
Top 10 Most Expensive Cities
Rank City WCOL Index (100)
1 Singapore 120
2 Hong Kong 114
3 Zurich (Switzerland) 113
4 Tokyo (Japan) 110
5 Osaka (Japan) 109
6 Seoul (South Korea) 108
7 Geneva (switzerland) 107
7 Paris (France) 107
9 New York (US) 100
9 Copenhagen (Denmark) 100
Mukesh Ambani Tops the Forbes’s Billionaire List in India
According to the report released by Forbes, India has fourth highest number of billionaires in the
World and the Indian group is led by Reliance Industries chief Mukesh Ambani.
• The Forbes list of the 'World's Billionaires' 2017 consists of 2,043 of the richest people
in the world who have a combined net worth of $7.67 trillion which is 18 percent increase
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compared to 2016.
Top Billionaire Countries
1.United States: 565 2.China: 319 3.Germany: 114 4.India: 101
Top Three Billionaire
Name Company Asset
Bill Gates Microsoft Co-Founder $ 86 billion
Warren Buffet Berkshire Hathaway Chief $75.6 billion
Jeff Bezos Amazon $72.8 billion
Top 3 Indian Billionaires
Name Company Asset
Mukesh Ambani (33) Reliance Industries $ 23.2 billion
Lakshmi Mittal (56) Arcelor Mittal $ 16.4 billion
Azim Premji (72) Wipro Ltd $ 14.9 billion
4 Indian Women Billionaires in List
Name Company Rank
Savitri Jindal Jindal Steel & Power Limited 303
Smita Crishna-Godrej Godrej 814
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw Biocon 973
Leena Tewari USV India 1030
Other Indian Billionaire in the List Includes
Name Company Rank
Gautam Adani Adani Group 250
Rahul Bajaj Bajaj Group 544
Anil Ambani Reliance Group 745
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala Investor 939
Naryana Murthy Infosys 1161
Vivek Chand Burman Dabur 1290
Nandan Nilekani Infosys 1290
Habil Khorakiwala Wockhardt 1567
Anand Mahindra Mahindra group 1567
Vijay Shekhar Paytm 1567
Niranjan and Surendra Hiranandani Property Tycoons 1678
Rana Kapoor Yes Bank 1795
Youngest Billionaire: Alexandra Andersen (20 years)
The youngest billionaire in the world for the second consecutive year is 20-year-old Alexandra
Andresen.
Wealthiest Women Billionaire: Liliane Bettencourt
France’s Liliane Bettencourt is the world’s wealthiest woman with a $39.5 billion net worth for 2nd
year in a row.
India Ranks 131 in Human Development Index 2016

According to the UN Development Programme’s Human Development for Everyone’ Report
2016, released on March 21, 2017 in Stockholm, India has been ranked at 131 out of 188
countries in the 2016 Human Development Index (HDI).
• The HDI of India was 0.624 putting it in the medium HDI category. It was placed at third
spot among the SAARC nation with Sri Lanka (73) and Maldives (105) taking the first and
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second spots respectively and coming under high HDI category with HDI of 0.766 and 0.701
respectively.
Top 3 Countries
Rank Country HDI
1 Norway 0.949
2 Australia 0.939
3 Switzerland 0.939
India Ranks 87 in Energy Architecture Performance Index 2017

India has been placed at 87th position among 127 countries in the global Energy Architecture
Performance Index (EAPI) 2017 by World Economic Forum released on Rank Country
1 Switzerland
March 22, 2017.
2 Norway
♦ The 5th annual index has been topped by Switzerland while Bahrain is 3 Sweden
4 Denmark
ranked the lowest at 127th. 5 France
India 170th Country for Anemia among Women, Says Global Report
Recently Union Health Minister Mr. J P Nadda, informed Lok Sabha about India’s standing on
various parameters in Global Nutrition Report 2016 which is as follows:
Parameter India’s Rank in the World
Anemia among Women 170th out of 185 countries
Under-five stunting prevalence 114th out of 132 countries
Under-five wasting prevalence 120th out of 132 countries
SBI Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya Ranks 26 in Fortune's World’s 50 Greatest Leaders

2017
Fortune Magazine released their fourth annual ranking of the World's 50 Greatest
Leaders 2017 on March 23, 2017.
Top 5 Rankers
Rank Winner Designation
1 Theo Epstein President of Baseball Operations at Chicago Cubs
2 Jack Ma Alibaba Group Executive Chairman
3 Pope Francis First Latin American pope
4 Melinda Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Co-chair
Gates
5 Jeff Bezos Amazon Founder and CEO
India Overtakes Japan To Become Third Largest In Domestic Air Traffic

India which is rising high in the field of aviation now attained a still higher position by pushing
Japan back, achieving a 3rd spot in domestic air traffic behind USA and China.
Background
USA topped the list with 719 million passengers in 2016, which is followed by China with 436
million passengers. India attained 3rd spot with 100 million passengers in 2016. India pushed back
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Japan which had only 97 million passengers last year. These reports are prepared by aviation think-
tank Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA).
India’s growth
Domestic air traffic in India had a 20 to 25% growth in the year 2015-16 and it attained its peak in
January this year at 25.13 %.
• This is due to the rise in demand of about 16 per cent in February this year, ending the long
streak of over 20 per cent.
• Further based on the review made by CAPA, India which is placed at 4th position in terms of
overall air passenger traffic (both domestic and international) along with the UK, may become
the 3rd largest by March next year.
BANKING & FINANCE
India & World Bank Signs USD 63 Million Financing Agreement for Tejaswini: Socio-
Economic Empowerment of Adolescent Girls and Young Women Project
i. India has signed a financing agreement of USD 63 million(equivalent) with World Bank on
23rd February, 2017 in Jharkhand for its Socio-Economic Empowerment of Adolescent Girls
and Young Women Project named “Tejaswini”.
ii. The World Bank will finance the project through its arm International Development
Association (IDA).
iii. The Financing Agreement was signed between Mr. Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary, Department of
Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance on behalf of the Government of India and Mr. Junaid Kamal
Ahmad, Country Director, World Bank (India) on behalf of the World Bank.
Government Notifies Law to Make Possession of Demonetized Note as Punishable Offence

i. The Government of India has officially notified the law that makes holding of more than
10 scrapped notes punishable with a minimum fine of Rs 10,000. The law was signed by
President Pranab Mukherjee on February 27, 2017.
ii .It also provides for a minimum fine Rs 50,000 for false declaration by persons who were
abroad during the demonetisation period (November 9-December 30, 2016). Besides, a further
time limit has been given to deposit such scrapped notes with RBI till March 31.
Reliance General Insurance, Catholic Syrian Bank announced tie up

i. Reliance General Insurance is one of the leading private general insurance companies of India
has announced a bancassurance tie-up with Catholic Syrian Bank on March 1, 2017
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ii. Now RGI will offer its insurance products to Catholic Syrian Bank’s customers across its
branches in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra
HDFC, ICICI, Axis to charge Rs 150 after 4 free transactions

i. India’s leading private banks including HDFC Bank, ICICI, and Axis they will charge a minimum
of Rs 150 per transaction for cash deposits and withdrawals at bank branches beyond four free
transactions in a month.
ii. The new charges aimed at reducing cash transactions at banks at the rate of Rs 5 for every Rs
1,000 transacted or Rs 150, whichever is higher.
HDFC Life Partners with ET Money to Launch Data-Led Policy

i. Long-term life insurance provider HDFC Life has launched of an exclusive Data-Led Group
Term Insurance Plan in partnership with personal finance app“ET Money” of Times Internet on
February 27, 2017.
ii .The plan offered as ET Money benefit is first such term insurance plan which is based on the
spend pattern of the users and can be exclusively availed by 1 million users of the ET MONEY app.
iii. The group term life insurance coverage ranges from Rs 25-50 lakh and users can also save
upto 30% of the premium paid as a tax benefit under section 80C of the Income Tax Act.
SIT Unearths Rs. 70,000 crore Black Money

i. The Vice-Chairman of the Special Investigating Team (SIT) on black money, Justice Arijit
Pasayat on March 2, 2017 announced that an amount of Rs. 70,000 crore of black money has
been so far detected through different schemes of the government.
ii .Out of the unearthed amount, over Rs 16,000 crore was detected after an investigation was
made regarding the transfer of fund abroad by Indians.
Govt Directs All Banks to Provide M-Banking Facility to all Customers by March 31
i. The Government of India has directed all the banks to provide mobile banking facility to all
customers by March 31, 2017.
ii. The decision is an effort of the government to boost the digital payment system.
SBI slaps charges on cash deposits, breaching balances

i. India’s largest lender has State bank of India has revised service charges various transactions,
as well as cash deposits and for failing to maintain monthly average balance in their savings
accounts.
ii. This move follows the leading private sectors banks announced similar charges in this week. The
charges will be applicable from April 1, 2017.
Population Minimum Balance Penalty
Center
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Metropolitan Rs 5,000 MAB Rs 50 charge for 50 per cent shortfall, Rs 75 for shortfall
between 50-75 per cent and Rs 100 for 75 per cent or more
Urban Rs 3,000 MAB Rs 40 service charge, Rs 60 for 50-75 per cent shortfall and Rs
80 for 75 per cent or more.
Semi-Urban Rs 2,000 MAB Penalty for non-maintenance of minimum balance ranges from
Rural Rs 1,000 MAB Rs 20-50 plus service tax
Rs 10000 penalty for bank branches refusing to exchange soiled notes

The Reserve Bank of India has clarified that currency notes which have messages scribbled on it
are legal tender bank branches that refuse to exchange soiled notes from people will have to pay a
penalty of Rs 10,000.
IRDAI Proposes 50% Hike In Motor Insurance Premium From April 1

i. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has proposed to
increase the insurance premium to 50 percent for cars, motor cycles as well as commercial
vehicles from April 1.
ii. The proposed hike would be applicable for mid-segment cars (1,000 – 1,500 cc) as well as
bigger cars and SUVs. The insurance premium would be raise to Rs 3,355 for cars up to 1,000 cc
and Rs 9,246 for bigger ones.
iii. However, the third party motor insurance premium for small cars (up to 1,000 cc) would remain
same at Rs 2,055.
iv. The regulator has also not proposed any increase for two-wheelers having engines up to 75 cc.
However, the insurance premium for sports bikes and super bikes (more than 350 cc) has been
increased to Rs 1,194 from the present Rs 796.
v. The proposal has been made to increase the premium for tractors up to 6 HP from Rs 510 to Rs
765.
SBI to Impose Penalty on Non-Maintenance of Monthly Average Balance in Accounts from

April 1
The country’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has decided to reintroduce penalty on
non-maintenance of minimum balance in accounts to be effective from April 1, 2017.
• In case of failing to maintain Monthly Average Balance (MAB) in saving accounts,
penalty of up to Rs. 100 plus service tax would be levied.
Monthly Average Balance in Different Areas
Area Monthly Average Balance Penalty
Metropolitan Area Rs. 5000 Rs. 50+service tax= Shortfall <=50% of MAB.
Rs. 75+service tax= Shortfall >50-75 %.
Rs. 100+service tax= Shortfall > 75%
Urban Area Rs. 3000 Rs. 40+service tax= Shortfall <=50% of MAB.
Semi-Urban Area Rs. 2000 Rs. 25+service tax= Shortfall <=50% of MAB.
Rural Area Rs. 1000 Rs. 20+service tax= Shortfall <=50% of MAB.
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Other Transaction Charges
Cash Deposit
• Savings Banks Account holders can deposit cash 3 times a month free of charge. Beyond
that, Rs. 50+ST would be levied on every transaction beyond that.
• In case of current account, the levy could go as high as Rs. 20,000.
Cash Withdrawal
• If the number of cash withdrawal from other banks ATMs in a month is more than three
times then a charge of Rs. 20 would be levied per transaction.
• If the withdrawal is more than 5 times from SBI ATMs in a month then Rs. 10 would be
levied per transaction.
• SBI will not levy any charge on withdrawals from its own ATMs if the balance
exceeds Rs.25,000.
• In case of other banks’ ATM, no charge would be levied by SBI if the balance
exceeds Rs. 1 lakh.
• Rs. 15 would be charged for SMS alerts per quarter from debit card holders who
maintain an average quarterly balance of up to Rs. 25,000 during the three-month
period.
Term Deposit
Among other things, SBI has reduced the interest rates on term deposits maturing between 180
days and 1year and between 456 days and 3 years with effect from March 1.
• SBI will now pay an interest of 6.5% on deposits with maturities between 180 days and
less than one year and 6.75% on maturities between 456 days and less than three
years.
Finance Ministry Gives in-principle Approval to ESOPs by PSU banks

i. The Union Finance Ministry has given its in-principle nod to allow Public Sector Banks
(PSUs) to offer stock options to their employees from 2017-18.
ii .However, the Employee Stock Option Plans (ESOPs) can only be given by those banks which
have earned substantial profit as well as made remarkable improvement in managing NPAs.
iii .The proposal of ESOP by the Banks Board Bureau (BBB) will help to motivate employees to
work towards strengthening the financial status of their banks and hence increase its share value.
Vijaya Bank opens its 2,000th branch in Tirupati

i. Bengaluru based Vijaya Bank has recently opened it’s 2000th Branch in Tirupati by Sri
Chadalawada Krishna Murthy, Chairman, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.
ii. This branch is the region’s 65th branch and the second in Tirupati city.
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HDFC Bank launches chatbot Eva for customer services

i. Mumbai headquartered HDFC Bank has launched India’s first AI(artificial intelligence) based
banking chatbot Electronic Virtual Assistant (EVA) for customer services .
ii. It can assimilate knowledge from thousands of sources and provide answers in simple language
in less than 0.4 seconds
HDFC Life brings country’s first life insurance Chatbot with Haptik
Mumbai based HDFC Life has launched India’s first life insurance chatbot to help users choose
the most suitable life insurance plans and solutions on March 7, 2017
♦ The chatbot was launched in collaboration with India’s largest chatbot platform Haptik, India’s
largest chatbot platform.
Chatbot features :
i. This chatbot will assist the customers with insurance advice – ranging from Health to Tax
Planning & Retirement, based on a simple 60-second quiz which enables it to compute their
Insurance Quotient.
ii. The chatbot not only works as a personal financial advisor but also brings to the forefront the
universal need for life insurance
Fitch Estimates Indian Economy to Grow 7.1% in 2016-17

i. The US based global rating agency Fitch on March 7, 2017 estimated India’s GDP to grow by 7.1
percent in the fiscal 2016-17.
ii. However, the rating agency also projected the growth to see upward trend at 7.7 percent in
both 2017-18 and 2018-19.
ESAF Microfinance Issues Commercial Paper Worth Rs 330 crore

i. ESAF Microfinance Company has issued Commercial Papers (CP) worth Rs.330
crore. Private Sector Banks and NBFCs can subscribe for the CP.
ii. The papers are rated A1 by CARE ratings. The proceeds from CP will be used for short term
funding needs of the organization.
IDFC Launches Biometric Based Payment System Aadhaar Pay

i. IDFC Bank has launched India’s first biometric-based payment system “Aadhaar Pay” on March
7, 2017 in New Delhi.
ii. The Aadhaar Pay app has been developed by IDFC Bank under the guidance of the Ministry of
IT, NITI Aayog, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), and National Payments
Corporation of India (NPCI).
iii. Initially, the biometric reader is available for Rs 2,000.
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Karur Vysya Bank launches 3 technology services

Karur based Karur Vysya Bank’ s Chief Executive K. Venkataraman has rolled-out of three
technology services FASTag, UPI and BBPS on March 8, 2017.
i. FASTag :
♦ The FASTag service has been launched in association with the Indian Highways Management
Company, a subsidiary of National Highways Authority of India.
♦ The preloaded tags affixed on vehicles are valid at all toll plazas throughout the country.
ii. UPI app :
United Payments Interface (UPI) is a mobile app that enables inter-bank transfer of funds. The
transfer is effected through the IMPS (Immediate Payment Service) platform of NPCI (National
Payments Corporation of India).
iii. BBPS :
BBPS (Bharat Bill Payment System) will make utility bill payments such as electricity bills, water
charges and gas cylinders, among others, at a single site instead of accessing multiple sites.
SBI launches ‘Work from Home’ facility for employees

i. Mumbai based State Bank of India has launched a new facility ‘Work from Home’ to enable
its employees to work from home on March 7, 2017
ii. Aim: To enable its employees to work while at home using mobile devices to address any urgent
requirement they may have, that prevents their travelling to work.
iii. This facility was launched after ‘Work from Home’ policy was recently approved by the Board
of the bank.
EPFO extends Digital Life Certificate submission through Jeevan Pramaan Patra by March
31
The the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has extended the last date of
submission of Digital Life Certificate through Jeevan Pramaan Patra up to 31st March
2017 from 28th February 2017.
SBI says minimum balance penalty needed to offset Jan Dhan account costs
i. SBI recently announced that penalty for non-maintenance of Minimum Average Balance (MAB)
from April 1, 2017. Government asked SBI to reconsider charges.
ii. Arundhati Bhattacharya, SBI chief clarify that the condition of maintaining minimum balance will
not be applicable to the Jan Dhan accounts
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RBI Will Soon Introduce New Rs 10 Notes with More Security Features
The Reserve Bank of India on March 9, 2017 notified that it is soon going to issue Rs. 10
denomination notes with enhanced security features for circulation.
Salient Feature of the Note
i. The note will be in the Mahatma Gandhi series-2005 and carry inset letter ‘L’ on both
number panels.
ii. It will have the signature of Governor Urjit Patel.
iii. The year of printing, 2017, will be on the reverse of the note.
Government Issues Draft Rules For Digital Wallet Companies

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has issued a draft rule
titled Information Technology (Security of Prepaid Payment Instruments) Rules 2017 on
March 8, 2017 for digital wallet firms like Paytm, FreeCharge and Mobikwik.
• The MeitY has formulated the draft rules for security of Prepaid Payment Instruments
(PPIs) under provisions of IT Act 2000.
• Aim: To ensure adequate integrity, security and confidentiality of electronic payments
made via digital wallet and strengthen the grievance redressal mechanism for consumers
Salient Features of the IT (Security of Prepaid Payment Instruments) Rules 2017
The Rules mandate that each Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPI) company or wallet firm will have
in place and publish on its website and mobile applications the privacy policy and the terms and
conditions for use of the payment systems operated by it in simple language, capable of being
understood by a reasonable person.
• Companies will also have to appoint a chief grievance officer whose contact details will
have to be displayed on the website.
• Companies should also have enough technological safeguards to avoid any hacking
attacks of their platform and in case of any such event, it is to be swiftly reported to the
government agencies like CERT-In.
• The draft rule also specifies that the e-PPI issuers should also follow adequate due
diligence procedures and identification of users prior to on boarding them on their
respective platforms.
• The companies will also have to establish a mechanism for monitoring, handling and
follow-up of cyber incidents and breaches.
• The security policies should also be reviewed once a year by the firms and in case of any
breach, the company will have to revamp its policies.
• The companies will also have to adopt a two-factor authentication process for
transactions. The government may by notification exempt digital wallets from requiring
two-factor authentication in specific use cases.
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Paytm Withdraws Levying 2% fee on Recharging Wallet via Credit Card

Indian payment and commerce company Paytm has withdrawn the 2 percent fee on adding
money to mobile wallets using credit cards on March 10, 2017, just two days after imposing the
fees.
Ujjivan Small Finance Bank opens 6 new branches in Bengaluru

i. Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (Ujjivan SFB) has opened its six new branches at the Silicon Valley
of India, Bengaluru on March 9, 2017 said by Samit Ghosh, MD & CEO, Ujjivan Small Finance
Bank
ii. Six new branches are located at Magadi Road, Chandra Layout, Chamarajpet, Uttarahalli,
Devaiah Park and Nelamangala.
RBI Restricts Cash Loan Against Gold by NBFC to Rs 25,000

The Reserve Bank of India has amended the provision for disbursement of
loan by NBFC against the gold on March 9, 2017 in line with the provisions of the Income Tax Act.
♦ As per the new provision, the Non-banking Financial Company (NBFC) cannot lend more
than Rs 25,000 in cash against gold as against the earlier Rs 1 lakh.
♦ The earlier provision for NBFC was that high value loans against gold of Rs 1 lakh and above must
only be disbursed by cheque.
Germany’s KfW signed loan agreement with EESL and SBI

i. The German Development Bank (KfW) and Uttar Pradesh based Energy Efficiency Services
Limited (EESL) has signed a loan agreement for €200 million with a four year moratorium and a
12-year repayment period.
ii. Mumbai based State Bank of India(SBI) also signed an agreement with German KfW
Development Bank for USD 274 million loan facility a maturity of 15 years to finance affordable
housing segment in India.
Karnataka Bank, BAGICL sign MoU on general insurance business

i. Mangalore based Karnataka Bank has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Pune
based Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company for General Insurance business on March
10, 2017
ii. With this, Karnataka bank would be able to provide vast choice of non-life insurance products to
its customers.
SBI incorporates wholly owned subsidiary for premises and estate matters of SBI
i. The State Bank of India on March 11, 2017 has legally incorporated SBI Infra Management
Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (SBIIMS Pvt. Ltd.) as a wholly owned subsidiary of SBI. SBIIMS Pvt. Ltd. will
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now manage the premises and estate related matters of SBI.

ii. The new subsidiary will save the time of bank employees who earlier performed these non-core
functions. Now these employees can handle the core functions of the bank and increase the
efficiency.
YES Bank signs 3 projects of smart city for payments-related solutions

i. Private sector lender Yes Bank has signed three projects to provide payments-related solutions
to smart cities. The bank finds it as a good business opportunity.
ii. Yes Bank has currently ties up with Udaipur, Nashik and Puducherry for the introduction of
digital payment systems under the smart city initiative.
RBI Removes Limit on Cash Withdrawal from Savings Banks Accounts

i. In order to comply with the pace of remonetization, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
decided to remove the restrictions on cash withdrawals from Saving Bank accounts (including
accounts opened under PMJDY) in a two step process.
ii. Besides, effective from March 13, 2017, there will be no limits on cash withdrawals from
Savings Bank accounts.
Madhya Pradesh Rewa solar plant to receive loan from World Bank
i. An international financial institution, World Bank has agreed to provide loan to develop internal
transmission arrangements of the upcoming Rewa Ultra Mega Solar (RUMS) project in Madhya
Pradesh.
ii. RUMS become India’s first solar power project of the country to receive a loan under CTF
iii. It will provide 75% of the loan amount with an interest rate of only 0.25% and remaining 25 %
of the loan amount under its Clean Technology Fund (CTF), money will be provided at an
interest rate of only 0.25 per cent,” a state Public Relations Department official said
SBI Announces One Time Settlement Scheme Worth Rs 6,000 cr for Tractor Loan
i. The country’s largest lender, State Bank of India announced a One-Time Settlement
(OTS) scheme worth Rs 6,000 crore on March 14, 2017 for tractor and farm mechanization loans
to improve the loan recovery.
ii. Under the scheme, the loans disbursed before 2011 and falling in the doubtful or loss assets
category as of September 30, 2016 would be considered.
iii. Proposals submitted till March 31, 2017 will be considered under the scheme.
India’s contribution to UN increases to Rs 244 crore

i. India’s contribution to the United Nations has increased to Rs 244 crore from Rs
157 crore during the fiscal year 2016-16 said by Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj
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ii. Indian government had also made voluntary contributions to the tune of Rs 22 crore to
international organisations, including UN agencies.
iii. For the period 2016-18, India’s Scale of Assessment for the UN’s Regular and Peacekeeping
budgets has been fixed at 0.737 per cent and 0.1474 per cent, respectively.
HDFC Bank Launches India’s First Digital Loans Against Securities

HDFC Bank in collaboration with National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) has launched
an instant Digital Loan against Securities (LAS) product on March 15, 2017.
♦ LAS will reduced the time to disburse the overdraft facility in just 3 minutes rather than several
days previously. This is a first-of-its-kind initiative in India and probably the first in the world as
well.
UCO Bank, Future Generali tie up

i. Private insurer Future Generali India Insurance Company (FGII) has announced tie-up with
Kolkata based UCO Bank for its products on March 15, 2017
ii. Target : To achieve a growth of 80 per cent by FY18..
SEBI Issues Guidelines for Celebrities to Endorse Mutual Fund Products At Industry Level
i. The market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) reviewed
advertisement guidelines for mutual funds on March 15, 2017, with regard to disclosing
performance-related information about such products.
ii. SEBI also issued new advertising code that will require fund houses to communicate simply
and effectively with the public.
iii. As per the new guidelines, SEBI has permitted celebrities to endorse mutual fund products at
the industry level for the purpose of increasing awareness of mutual funds as a financial product
category.
State Bank of India and CREDAI sign MoU related to real estate sector
i. India’s public sector banking and financial services company State Bank of India(SBI) and real
estate developers’ body CREDAI have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) which is
valid for a period of 3 years.
ii. Aim of MoU :
1.To jointly conduct various initiatives towards development of the realty sector.
2.To promote housing for all
World Bank Approves $175 million loan for India’s National Hydrology Project
i. The World Bank has approved a $175 million loan on March 15, 2017 to India for
the National Hydrology Project to improve India’s ability to forecast floods and reduce the
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recurring chances of floods and droughts.

ii. The loan would be disbursed by the International Bank for Reconstruction and
Development (IBRD). The loan has a six-year grace period in which no interest payments will
be due and will mature in 23 years.
ESAF Small Finance Bank launched in Thrissur

Kerala’s first private sector bank ESAF Small Finance Bank was launched by Kerala Chief
Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Thrissur, Kerala on March 17, 2017
♦ This bank is promoted by ESAF Microfinance and Investments (P) Ltd and it is targeted to open 85
branches in unbanked rural centres in first year.
♦ Target of the bank: Rs 20,000 crore by 2020.
Interest Rates :
i. For term deposits of varying maturities – 5.75 per cent to 9 per cent
ii. For savings deposits – 6 per cent to 7 per cent
iii. Senior citizens term deposits – .05 per cent
Bandhan Bank ties up with Avenues India

i. Kolkata based Bandhan Bank has signed an agreement with a payment solution
provider Avenues India Pvt Ltd on March 16, 2017
ii. Aim: To provide merchants with seamless access to point-of-sales (POS) and payment gateway
products.
29 Lakh Debit Cards Subjected To Malware Attack Through ATM

i. As per a data presented by Minister of State for Finance Santosh Kumar Gangwar in the
Parliament on March 17, 2017, in 2016 a total of 29 lakh debit cards were subjected to malware
attack through ATMs that were connected with the switch of Hitachi.
ii. A report by Commercial bank stated that 2.9 million cards that were used at ATMs connected to
switch of Hitachi were subjected to malware attack in 2016 but the data of only 3,291 cards faced
unauthorized use.
RBI Gets Centre’s Nod to Print Rs 10 Plastic Notes

i. The Reserve Bank of India has got the approval from the Central Government to conduct the
field trial of plastic banknotes of Rs. 10 denomination prior to introducing it as legal tender.
ii. RBI got the approval to go ahead with the procurement of the requisite plastic substrate
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material for printing of Rs. 10 denomination notes. Substrate refers to the underlying substance or
layer on which currency is printed.
UBI gets Rs. 418-cr capital infusion From Centre

State run United Bank of India on March 16, 2017 received a capital infusion of Rs 418 crore from
the Centre as a part of its turnaround-linked capital infusion plan.
Aeries Financial Tech Announces Strategic Tie-up with Rubique

i. CASHe, a fin-tech product promoted by Aeries Financial Technologies has entered into a
strategic partnership with Rubique, an online marketplace for financial products on March 16,
2017.
ii. Under the partnership, Rubique will enlist CASHe on its online platform for borrowers to avail
viable short-term loan products from CASHe.
FinMin Approves Capital Infusion Plan for 10 PSU Banks

i. The Union Ministry of Finance has given the green signal to the turnaround-linked Rs.8,586-
crore capital infusion plan to support 10 weak and non-performing public sector banks
(PSBs).
ii .The 10 Banks Include: Allahabad Bank (Rs.418 crore); Andhra Bank (Rs.1,100 crore); Bank of
India (Rs.1,500 crore); Bank of Maharashtra (Rs.300 crore); Central Bank of India (Rs.100 crore);
Dena Bank (Rs.600 crore); IDBI Bank (Rs.1,900 crore); Indian Overseas Bank (Rs.1,100 crore);
UCO Bank (Rs.1,150 crore) and United Bank of India (Rs.418 crore).
Hazira's first private sector township to go cashless

i. Essar Steel's Nand Niketan township at Hazira, Gujarat has become the first private township to
go cashless with the help of Mumbai-based financial technology company, The Mobile
Wallet (TMW).
ii. TMW will provide smartphone based application for mastercard-enabled mobile wallets
and the wallet is powered by RBL Bank Ltd.
ICICI Bank launches new app ‘Mera iMobile’,for rural customers

i. Mumbai based ICICI Bank launched first banking mobile application ‘Mera iMobile’ to provide
agricultural information in 11 Indian languages for rural people without internet connection.
ii. Purpose: To access banking services and get information on agricultural services
iii. Mera iMobile app provide services include Kisan Credit Card, Gold Loan, Farm Equipment Loan
and loans to Self-Help Groups (SHGs).
RBI Proposes To Fix Upper Limit in PPIs At Rs 1 Lakh

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed to cap the upper limit for Pre-paid Payment
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Instruments at Rs 1 lakh on March 20, 2017 due to the growing usage of PPIs for purchase of
goods and services as well as funds transfer.
♦ The decision was taken by RBI after receiving requests from stakeholders and other entities for
relaxations in certain areas while strengthening the norms for safety and security, risk mitigation
and customer protection aspects related to usage of PPIs.
♦ The RBI sought comment of stakeholders on draft circular on Master Directions on Issuance and
Operation of Pre-paid Payment Instruments (PPIs) in India till March 31.
Centre Approves Merging Bharatiya Mahila Bank With SBI

The Government of India has decided to merge Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) with India’s
largest lender, the State Bank of India (SBI) to ensure greater banking services outreach to
larger number of women at a faster pace.
♦ All the 103 branches of BMB and business of approximately Rs. 2,000 crore would be merged
with SBI.
Mobile Payment Service ‘Samsung Pay’ Officially Launched In India

i. Samsung Electronics officially launched the mobile payment service, Samsung Pay in India on
March 22, 2017.
ii. With this, Samsung becomes the first company to launch a mobile payment service in
India, ahead of Apple Pay or Android Pay.
iii. The first commercial transaction of the new payments service in India was carried out in the
presence of NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant and Samsung Southwest Asia President and
CEO HC Hong.
Government Lowers Cash Transaction Limit to Rs 2 lakh

i .The Government of India has proposed to lower the limit of cash transaction from Rs. 3 lakh
to Rs. 2 lakh per month to further tighten and discourage payments by cash as well as curb black
money.
ii .The Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley proposed 40 amendments to the Finance Bill 2017 which
was cleared by the Lok Sabha on March 21, 2017.
iii. The new limit will be effective from April 1, 2017. Any violations to the norms would be
subjected to a fine equivalent to the amount of transaction. For example, if a cash transaction of Rs
4 lakh is uncovered, the penalty will be Rs 4 lakh.
Russian VTB Bank to Shut Its Only Office Branch in India

i. The Russian VTB Bank has announced its intention to close its only office in India as part of its
ongoing cost optimisation strategy.
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ii .However, the bank will continue operations in the country and further develop their partner and
client network in the country.
India and ADB Sign $350 Million Loan for Upgrading 1,500 kms of District Roads in State
of Madhya Pradesh
i. Philippines headquartered Asian Development Bank (ADB)'s Deputy Country Director L. B.
Sondjaja and Joint Secretary (Multilateral Institutions), Department of Economic Affairs in the
Ministry of Finance, Raj Kumar have signed a $350 million loan agreement in New Delhi on
March 22, 2017.
ii. This loan amount will be used to improve 1,500 kilometers of major district roads in India's
second-largest State Madhya Pradesh.
iii. The state government of Madhya pradesh also will allocate $150 million for this project
Assam govt, SBI sign MoU over housing, educational loan at subsidized interest rates
The state government of Assam has signed two MoUs with Mumbai based State Bank of India(SBI)
to provide housing loan and education loan for its employees on March 23, 2017
♦ Devajyoti Hazarika, state additional secretary of finance and Om Prakash Mishra General
Manager of SBI of NE Circle have signed MoU for loan facility at subsidized interest rates.
Highlights :
i. Housing loan at the interest rates of 5% for women employees
ii. Housing loan at the interest rates of 5.5 % for men and
iii. Education loan for higher education for their children at 4% interest rate
iv. The maximum limit of the housing loan is Rs 15 lakh and Education loan is Rs.10 lakh
South Indian Bank introduces Aadhar-based payment app

Kerala based South Indian Bank has introduced Aadhar-based UPI mobile application SIB M-Pay on
March 23, 2017.
Aim: To promote cashless digital transactions
Features :
SIB M-Pay will enables all bank account holders to send and receive money from their Smartphone
without bank account information.It required only Aadhar number of the beneficiary
IOB to get Rs.1,100-crore capital infusion

Chennai-based Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) will get Rs 1,100 crore capital infusion from the
Government . This was confirmed by Finance Ministry on March 22, 2017.
World Bank Signs USD 100 million Credit Agreement with Centre & Uttarakhand
i .The World Bank signed US dollar 100 million credit agreement with the Centre and the state
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government of Uttarakhand on March 23, 2017 in New Delhi to improve quality of health care
services in all 13 districts of the state.
ii .The aim of the agreement is to make available affordable, quality health care to all citizens
and also reduce the financial risk for its citizens.
iii. The agreement was signed between Joint Secretary in Ministry of Finance Raj Kumar on behalf
of the Centre, Additional Secretary Health and Project Director for the Uttarakhand Health Systems
Development Project Neeraj Kharwal on behalf of Uttarakhand and World Bank India Operations
Manager and Acting Country Director Hisham Abdo Kahin on behalf of the World Bank.
Tata Capital Launches Mobile App To Offer Personal Loans

i. The Financial services company Tata Capital has launched a mobile application ‘myLoan’ to offer
personal loans to young and mobile savvy audience.
ii. The maximum limit of the loan is Rs.13 lakh.
iii. The app is a social profile like Facebook and Linkedin based personal loan mobile application.
Office of the Insurance Ombudsman, Delhi Receives ISO 9001:2015 (QMS) Certification
The Office of the Insurance Ombudsman, Delhi was awarded ISO 9001:2015
certification by Standardisation, Testing and Quality Certification (STOC), under Ministry of
Electronics and Information Technology, for Quality Management Standard (QMS) on March 24,
2017 in New Delhi.
Karnataka Bank Launches Rupay International Platinum Debit Card

Mangaluru based Karnataka Bank has launched a new card option for its premium and HNI (high
net worth individual) customers in line with the bank's digital banking initiative.The novel card
named ‘MoneyPlantTM RuPay International Platinum Debit Card’ can be used for domestic and
international cash withdrawals and purchases.
Features of MoneyPlant TM RuPay Card
i. Withdrawal limit of Rs. 75,000 and purchase limit of Rs 2 lakh a day at point-of-sales terminals
and e-commerce sites.
ii .Two free accesses to airport lounges per quarter across above 30 airports in India and 300
plus airports worldwide.
iii. Personal accident insurance coverage of Rs 2 lakh.
iv .Fuel surcharge waiver besides other merchant offers.
IREDA to sanction Rs 13K crore loans for renewables in FY18

i. Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) will sanction a loan worth 13K
Crore Rupees for clean energy projects in FY18, which plays the major role in reducing the
pollution in India.
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ii. The government of India is aiming at adding around 15 to 16 GW of clean energy projects,
including solar and wind.
Repco Inks Pact with NHB for Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme for Middle Income Groups
i. On December 31, 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an interest subsidy scheme
named as ‘Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme for Middle Income Groups, CLSS-(MIG) for the
tax-paying middle class population, aspiring to have their own pucca house.
ii. The scheme has been made operational from January 1, 2017 for which the effective guidelines
were released by Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu on
March 22, 2017.
iii .Besides, for the implementation of the scheme, Repco Home Finance Ltd (RHFL) signed an
agreement with National Housing Bank.
Vijaya Bank Signs MoU with Piaggio Vehicles

Bengaluru based Vijaya Bank has inked an Mou with Italian vehicles manufacturer Piaggio
Vehicles, on March 27, 2017 for providing financial support for the purchase of vehicles
under Small Road Transport Operators (SRTO) scheme in Bengaluru.
Karnataka Bank Installs Landmark 10,000 PoS Terminals

i. Mangaluru based private sector lender, Karnataka Bank achieved a landmark installation
of 10,000 Point of Sales (PoS) terminals on March 27, 2017.
ii. The 10,000th POS terminal was handed over by the Bank’s Managing Director and CEO, P
Jayarama Bhat to Dr. Ravichandar, Chairman and Managing Director of Nandana Group of
Hotels, Bengaluru, one of its valued customers at the function held at Bank’s Bengaluru Regional
Office.
Odisha becomes first state to bring banking to remote rural areas through SHG
In what can be considered as a path breaking development on financial inclusion
front, Odisha became the first Indian state to extend banking facilities to masses in unbanked areas
through Self- Help Groups (SHGs).
• To implement this initiative, Odisha State Government has signed an agreement
with State Bank of India (SBI) – the largest public sector bank of India. Odisha
Govt.’s Odisha Livelihoods Mission (OLM) is the main party (corporate agent) in this
agreement with SBI. Around three lakh SHGs, currently operating under OLM will take up
the role of Banking Correspondents (BCs).
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• Jyoti Nath, Director of OLM Pranab and Srikant Hota signed the agreement, Assistant
General Manager, SBI have signed the agreement on March 27, 2017
Phase Wise Implementation Plan:
1. First Phase: SHGs in the role of Banking Correspondents will reach out to 1000 Gram
Panchayats in Odisha which do not have any banking facilities as of now.
2. Second Phase: Another 4000 Non-Banked gram Panchayats will be covered.
3. Final Phase: Full state will be covered, and this system will function as a supplementary
banking service.
40 Ananya branches opened by Syndicate Bank

Manipal headquartered Syndicate bank opens 40 ‘Ananya’ transformed branches, digitally on
March 27, 2017. The branches were inaugurated in the presence of Arun Shrivastava, its
Managing Director and CEO.
♦ In addition to that, bank also launched its first micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) hub
in Bangalore.
ICICI Bank & Truecaller Partners to Launch UPI-based ‘Truecaller Pay’

Mumbai based private sector lender, ICICI Bank partnered with Truecaller app on March 28,
2017 to launch a (Unified Payments Interface) UPI-based mobile payment service called
‘Truecaller Pay’.
♦ True Pay aims to provide quick and easy payment methods to mobile phone users in India.
Key Features of Truecaller Pay
i. Truecaller Pay will allow users of the Truecaller app to instantly create a UPI id, send money to
any UPI id or a mobile number registered with the BHIM app.
ii. It will also allow users to recharge their mobile number using the app.
Use of Bitcoin, other virtual currencies not authorised by RBI, says Govt.
i. In backdrop of demontisation, a question was raised in Rajya Sabha asking the Govt. to clear its
stand on status of virtual currencies including Bitcoin in India. Written reply to this question was
provided by Arjun Ram Meghwal - Minister of State for Finance.
ii. As on 30th March 2017, approximate value of 1 Bitcoin = INR 67300/-
Tata AIA Launches m-Insurance Jointly with Tata Telecom

i. Tata AIA Life Insurance have partnered with Tata Teleservices Limited (TTSL) to
launch m-Insurance for the prepaid customers of the Telecom Company.
ii. Beginning with, the pilot launch has been made in Andhra Pradesh and Telengana and
eventually would cover other states.
iii .The m-Insurance is a term life plan with two options for the sum assured- Rs. 50,000 and Rs.
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1 Lakh.
'Unnati' credit card launched by SBI

India’s largest Public Sector Lender State Bank of India has launched a unique credit card ‘SBI
Card Unnati’ on March 28, 2017. This new brand credit card targets at all SBI customers,
including Jan Dhan account-holders across the country.
Criteria and Regulations
i. SBI Card Unnati will be issued to the customers with a minimum balance of 25000.
ii. There is no need for any past history in credit card withdrawal or underwriting.
iii. This card is provided on issue of valid KYC (Know Your Customer) documents and the
application form.
iv. The annual fee of Rs.499 is waived off for the first 4 years.(i.e., no charges are to be paid)
Axis Bank Partners with Wells Fargo for Inward Remittances

i. Mumbai based Axis Bank has signed an agreement with Wells Fargo, America’s third largest
bank by asset, to offer real time remittances by Indian Diaspora in US back to their relatives in
India.
ii. Under the agreement, any Indian Diaspora customer of Wells Fargo can transfer money to their
relatives in India without any transaction cost.
Kotak Mahindra Bank Launches 8-11 App to Double Customer Base

i. Private sector lender, Kotak Mahindra bank has launched an innovative account opening
system on March 29, 2017 under the name 8-11 which can be used from anywhere and anytime.
ii. The aim of launching the 8-11 app is to increase the customer base of the bank within 18
months from existing 8 million.
Features of 8-11 App
♦ The users can open the account within five minutes using the Kotak Mahindra's mobile banking
system.
♦ It will allow users to open a zero-balance, zero-charge account even at midnight to offer free
digital services.
♦ Only Aadhaar card and PAN card is needed for opening the account.
♦ 8-11 will offer customers up to 6 percent interest on their savings account balances.
♦ KMB is the first lender in the country to use the Aadhar-based OTP for the account opening.
India Inks $350 mn loan agreement with NDB for Roads Projects in MP
The Government of India has signed USD 350 million loan agreement with the New
Development Bank (NDB) on March 30, 2017.
♦ Aim: Development and up gradation of road project in Madhya Pradesh to improve transport
connectivity in the interior regions of the state and boost economic activity.
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♦ The loan agreement was signed between Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic
Affairs on behalf of GOI and Xian Zhu, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of NDB.
Key Features of the Agreement
i. The MP road development project is the first NDB assisted project in India.
ii.The project is to be implemented over a period of 5 years.
BUSINESS
CBDT Signs 10 Unilateral APAs With Indian Taxpayers
i. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has signed 10 unilateral Advance Pricing
Agreements (APAs) in past one week with Indian taxpayers to provide certainty in transfer
pricing.
ii. The different sectors in which these 10 APAs have been signed includes telecom, pharma,
banking and finance, steel, retail and information technology..
India’s Core Sector Growth Slows Down to 3.4% in January 2017

i. According to data released by the Commerce and Industry Ministry on February 28, 2017, the
growth of eight core sectors slowed down to a five-month low of 3.4% in January 2017 due to
contraction in output of refinery products, fertiliser and cement.
ii. The eight core sectors which contribute 38% to the total industrial production includes coal,
crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilizers, steel, cement and electricity.
iii. As per the ministry, the growth rate of the core sector was 5.7% in January 2016. Besides, it
expanded to 4.8 percent in April-January of 2016-17, compared to 2.9% growth in the same period
of 2015-16.
iv. The Refinery Product faced a contraction of 1.5%, Fertilizer of 1.6% and Cement of 13.3% in
January 2017.
v. Similarly, Coal and Electricity both expanded at 4.8% in January 2017 against 7.9% and 11.6%
expansion respectively in January 2016.
vi .Crude Oil output grew by 1.3% in January 2017, against 4.7% contraction in January 2016.
vii. Natural Gas and Steel Output rose by 11.9% and 11.4% respectively.
DRDO Signs Deal with JSHL to Manufacture High Nitrogen Steel

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) signed a technology transfer
agreement with Jindal Stainless (Hisar) Limited (JSHL) on March 1, 2017 for manufacturing High
Nitrogen Steel (HNS).
♦ The “non-exclusive” licencing agreement was signed between the Hyderabad-based Defence
Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL) of the DRDO and the JSHL.
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Government’s biotech innovation centre to be set up in Bengaluru’s C-CAMP

i. The Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), will house its regional
entrepreneurship centre at Bengaluru based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-
CAMP), a biotechnology innovation incubator.
ii. The government’s nodal funding agency for the biotech industry BIRAC regional centre aimed to
increase portfolio through partnerships with startups and entrepreneurs.
Facebook Launches ‘SheLeadsTech’ to Support Women Founded Startups in India

i. Social networking giant Facebook has launched a new initiative named SheLeadsTech to
support startups which are founded or co-founded by women population.
ii. The aim of the program is to encourage more women founders who wish to have their own
startup or business.
iii. The year long program will give the startups access to “FBStart” which will provide tools,
resources and mentorship to help overcome some of the barriers they face.
iv. Under the mentorship programme the women founders will get support and advice from an
all-women mentor panel.
Govt nod for strategic sale of 3 SAIL plants

i. The Central government has approved outright sale of state-owned SAIL’s three special steel
units – Alloy Steels Plant (ASP), Salem Steel Plant (SSP) and Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel
Plant (VISP) on March 5, 2017
ii. In pursuance of the decision, SAIL has now sought advisors, including legal and merchant
bankers, to carry out the strategic sale along with transfer of management control in the three steel
plants
iii. The maharatna PSU is scouting for transaction advisor from professional consulting firm,
investment bankers, financial institutions, to provide advisory services and manage the
disinvestment process.
Trade Mark Rules 2017 Becomes Effective From March 6, 2017

The government notified the Trade Mark Rules, 2017 that came into force from March 6, 2017.
♦ The Rules 2017 will replace the former Trade Mark Rules 2002 and will streamline and simplify
the processing of Trade Mark applications.
Salient Features of the Trade Mark Rules, 2017
i. Number of Trade Mark (TM) Forms have been reduced from 74 to 8.
ii. The fee for online filing of TM applications has been kept at 10% lower than that for physical
filing to promote e-filing.
iii. Also, based on stakeholder feedback, the fee for individuals, start-ups and small enterprises has
been reduced to Rs. 4,500 against Rs. 8,000 proposed by the draft rules.
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iv. Over all fees have been rationalized by reducing the number of entries in Schedule I from 88 to
just 23.
v. The provision to accelerate the processing of an application for registration of a trade mark have
been extended right up to registration stage (earlier it was only upto examination stage.)
India Adopts New Licensing Policy To Boost Oil Output

i .India has announced an Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) on March 7, 2017 for
conducting oil and gas exploration in India.
ii .The new OALP policy will allow the bidder to select the exploration areas on their own and carve
out areas where they want to drill. This will allow pricing and marketing freedom to operators and
shifts to a revenue sharing model.
iii. The auction of oil and gas blocks under the Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) will be
conducted twice a year with the first round being held in July 2017.
iv. The Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that the move will benefit India to attract
greater foreign investment and boost oil output.
CBDT signs another APA with subsidiary of a Japanese Company taking the total APAs
entered into by the CBDT to 141
i. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has entered into a bilateral Advance Pricing
Agreement (APA) with rollback provision with a Japanese subsidiary on 6th March, 2017.
ii. The bilateral signing of APAs in this sector provides tax certainty up to nine years in each of
these cases.
iii. With this the total number of APAs has increased to 141 and the total number of bilateral APAs
with Japanese subsidiaries has reached five.
NTPC commissions 45 MW of Bhadla solar plant

i. Indian Public Sector Undertaking company National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC)
has commissioned of 45 MW solar capacity at Bhadla in Rajasthan
ii. Now the the total installed capacity of the project is increased to 160 MW.
Railways, UNEP sign LOI on environ initiatives

i. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and Executive Director of the UNEP, Erik Solheim have signed
a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Nairobi based United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to
formalise joint cooperation in the area of environmental conservation in Indian Railways.
ii. This is a part of Indian Railways green initiatives for achieving 20% reduction in water
consumption at railway establishments
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Hyundai Signs 3 Bn Euro Deal For Iran Oil Project

i. Korea’s Hyundai Engineering Co has signed a deal worth 3 billion euros (USD 3.2
billion) with an Iranian investment fund on March 13, 2017 to invest in a major Iranian oil project.
ii. Agreement covers construction of the second phase of the Kangan Petro Refining Complex in
southwest Bushehr province of Iran in which Hyundai Engineering plans to invest 3.1 billion euros
which is 95 percent of the overall project cost.
Chennai Port Trust signs MoU with the Government of Puducherry for handling EXIM
cargo
i. Chennai Port Trust and the Government of Puducherry has signed Memorandum of
Understanding(MoU) for handling EXIM cargo originating from Puducherry Port hinterland on
March 15, 2017 in New Delhi
ii. Aim : To promote industrial growth in the region, generate substantial employment and attract
investment by major industries.
iii. The cargo originating from Puducherry Port hinterland will be transported through sea mode to
Chennai Port for shipping to overseas destinations through mainline and feeder vessels and vice-
versa.
Bhel’s first 800 MW supercritical plant operational

i. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited owned by the Government of India partnered
with Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd (KPCL) has commenced commercial operations of its first
highest-rating coal-based supercritical thermal power plant 800 MW unit
ii. The company has supplied and executed 4,010 MW of coal-based sets for KPCL and its joint
ventures, which account for 95 per cent of the utility’s coal-based installed capacity.
Tata Steel & Wipro Named Among World’s Most Ethical Companies
Two Indian companies namely 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.
♦ Wipro is one among the two Information technology category firm named in the list. The other
firm in that category is US based Xerox Corporation.
♦ Besides, Tata Steel is also one of the two companies named in the metals, minerals and mining
category. US-based Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc is the other company in this segment.
Government Proposes Revised Building Code; Makes Builders Responsible

The Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan unveiled the new National Building Code on
March 16, 2017 in New Delhi.
♦ The revised code has been prepared by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) under the aegis
of the Consumer Affairs Ministry.
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Salient Features of the Revised Code

i. As per the revised code, in addition to planners, structure designers and supervisors, the builders
will also be made responsible for the safety of the structure. Earlier, geo-technical engineers and
builders were not responsible.
ii .Builders will have to give a certificate saying that the building has been constructed as per the
planned design submitted to the local bodies.
iii. Besides, it includes norms for solar energy utilisation, inclusion of modern lighting technique
including LED, updated provision on piped gas supply in houses and hospitals, solid waste
management and rain water harvesting, besides high speed lifts for tall buildings.
ONGC Set to Invest Rs 21,500 Crore in India’s Deepest Gas Find

i. Dehradun based Indian multinational oil and gas company, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation
Limited (ONGC) has planned to invest Rs 21528 crore to develop India’s deepest gas discovery
in UD-1 find by 2022-23.
ii. The company has submitted a declaration of commerciality (DoC) to the Directorate General
of Hydrocarbons for the UD-1 find. It will submit a final investment plan called the field
development plan by end-2017 and hope to bring the discovery to production by 2022-23.
First Airbus Training Centre in Asia to be set up in New Delhi

i. France based Aircraft maker Airbus will set up Asia’s first training facility for pilots and
maintenance engineers in New Delhi.
ii. Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju performed the ground-breaking ceremony
for the training centre on March 17, 2017.
iii. The centre will formed by the European aviation major Airbus.It is expected to be operational by
the end of 2018.
iv. Vistara become the first client for this sentrs to provide training services to Vistara pilots for the
A320 type aircraft for 5 years.
India & Russia Ink Long-Term Support Contract On Sukhoi Su-30MKI

i. India and Russia have inked two pacts for long-term maintenance support for Sukhoi-
30MKI jets on March 17, 2017 during the India-Russia Military Industrial Conference in New
Delhi.
ii. The agreement was signed by UAC President Yuri Slyusar, UEC Director General Alexander
Artyukhov and HAL Chairman Suvarna Raju in presence of Finance-Cum-Defence Minister Arun
Jaitley and Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov.
iii .The objective of having long-term supply agreements is to increase the efficiency of aircraft
maintenance support and to ensure licensed production and strengthen the operational availability
of the Sukhois.
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iv. The agreement involves long-term supply of spares and rendering technical assistance for five
years for Su-30 MKI aircraft at an expected cost of $300 million.
Boeing Signs $3.4 bn deal with US govt for AH-64E Apache helicopters
i. Boeing Co and the U.S. government have signed a $3.4 billion contract on March 16, 2017
under which the US Army and an international customer outside US will acquire the latest
Apache attack helicopter, the Apache ‘E’ variant.
ii. The contract to acquire AH-64E Apache will span over a period of five years.
iii. Under the agreement, the US Army will get 244 re-manufactured Apaches while the
international customer will receive 24 new ones.
NTPC Commissions 2nd Unit of Mouda Super Thermal Power Station

i. A Maharatna Company, National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) commissioned the
second unit of 660 MW of Mouda Super Thermal Power Station Stage-II on March 19, 2017.
ii. With this commissioning, the total capacity of Mouda Super Thermal Power
Station, NTPC and NTPC group has become 2,320 MW, 41,907 MW and 48,873 MW, respectively.
NBCC to execute social housing project in Mauritius

i. India and Mauritius have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to execute a US $ 20
million (Rs.130 cr) social housing project in Mauritius during Vice-Prime Minister and Minister
of Housing and Lands Showkutally Soodhun's visit to India on March 20, 2017
ii. The housing project will be implemented by NBCC which is a Navratna organisation under the
Ministry of Urban Development
Government Set to Triple Nuclear Power Generation by 2024

i. The Government of India is set to increase the nuclear power generation capacity in India to
nearly 15,000 MW by 2024.
ii. The information regarding the same was delivered by Minister of State for PMO Jitendra Singh in
the Lok Sabha on March 22, 2017.
iii. The minister also informed that in 2014, India's nuclear power generation capacity was 4,780
MW.
India Notifies Amended Tax Treaty With Singapore

The Government of India has officially notified the third Protocol amending India-Singapore Double
Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) on March 23, 2017.
♦ The third DTAA will come into force from April 1, 2017.
BHEL commissions 250 mw plant in Assam

New Delhi based Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has commissioned a 250 MW coal-based
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thermal power unit at North East's largest coal based power plant Bongaigaon Thermal Power
Station (TPS) in Assam on March 23, 2017
CCI imposes Rs.591 crore penalty on Coal India

i. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) imposed a penalty of Rs 591 crore which is a
well reduced fine over Coal India Ltd for its misconduct of agreement in fuel supplies.
ii. Based on the first ruling of Rs 1773 crore fine on Coal India that was passed 3 years ago, the
company has taken several steps in resolving issues with its stakeholders.
CBEC to be renamed CBIC under GST regime

The Central Board of Excise & Customs (CBEC) is to be renamed as Central Board of Indirect Taxes
& Customs (CBIC) under the new regime of GST which is to be rolled out from July 1. It has been
approved by our Finance minister Arun Jaitely.
♦ In addition to that existing training establishment, to be renamed as National Academy of
Customs, Indirect Taxes and Narcotics will have an all-India presence, to enable capacity
building to the employees of the indirect tax administration of the Centre as well as of the State
Government.
HAL finalises major plan to manufacture 1000 military helicopters and over 100 planes
In the event to strengthen the Indian Air Defense system, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd has finalized
the major plan to manufacture nearly 1000 military helicopters and over 100 planes in the
upcoming years. This will be a major boost to our Make in India campaign.
♦ For making things easier HAL and Russian defense firms have finalized a Joint Venture agreement
for production of light weight multi-role 'Kamov 226T' helicopters in India which will replace the
aging fleet of Cheetah and Chetak choppers
Paytm - The First E-Commerce Giant To Become ASCI Member

i. Paytm, one of the fastest growing mobile wallet and e-commerce industry in India has achieved a
new milestone by becoming the sole member of Advertising Standards Council of India
(ASCI).
ii. The order was passed by ASCI and PAYTM is all set to become its member by April.
NTPC Installs 55 MW Bhadla Solar Power Project in Rajasthan

i. The state owned National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Limited commissioned a 55
Mega Watt (MW) Bhadla Solar Power Project in Rajasthan on March 27, 2017.
ii. The power generating giant has planned a capacity addition of about 1,000 MW through
renewable resources by 2017.
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India become net exporter of power for the first time

i. As per data revealed by Central Electricity Authority of India (CEAI), India has become a
‘Net Exporter’ of electricity for the first time in history.
ii. This remarkable feat was accomplished by exporting 5,798 Million Units to Nepal, Bangladesh
and Myanmar against import of around 5,585 Million units from Bhutan for the period
from April 2016-February 2017.
Centre Imposes 10% Import Duty on Wheat & Turdal

i. The Central Government has imposed 10 percent import duty on wheat and Turdal
(Arhar) with immediate effect from March 28, 2017.
ii. The announcement was made by Minister of State for Finance, Arjun Ram Meghwal in the Lok
Sabha.
iii. Earlier, on December 8, 2016, government had reduced customs duty on wheat to 0 from 10
percent to boost domestic availability and check retail prices. Similarly, there has been zero duty on
turdal.
NTPC Commissions 260 MW Bhadla Solar Project In Rajasthan

i. State-run power generator NTPC Ltd commissioned another 260 MW Bhadla Solar PV Project
in Rajasthan on March 25, 2017.
ii .With this commissioning, the total installed capacity of NTPC has become 40,522 MW while that
of NTPC has become 47,293 MW.
iii. Earlier, NTPC commissioned 55 MW Bhadla Solar PV Project in Rajasthan.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Indian Film Lipstick Under My Burkha Wins Audience Award at Glasgow Film Festival
i. Restricted for release by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Indian
movie, Lipstick Under My Burkha was awarded the third annual Audience Award at
the Glasgow Film Festival 2017 on March 1, 2017.
ii .Indian filmmaker Alankrita Shrivastava directed Lipstick Under My Burkha was denied
a release certificate by the censor board on February 23, 2017 for its too bold references and use of
abusive words among other reasons.
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INHS ASVINI Mumbai Receives Raksha Mantri’s Trophy for Best Service Hospital in the
AFMS
i. INHS Asvini, Mumbai was conferred with the Raksha Mantri’s Trophy and Citation for
the best Service Hospital in the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) for the year 2016 on
March 2, 2017 by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar.
ii .The minister presented the award to Surgeon Rear Admiral Ravi Kalra, Commandant of INHS
Asvini Mumbai on behalf of the Hospital.
iii. Besides, the Command Hospital (Southern Command) Pune and Command Hospital
(Northern Command) Udhampur were jointly adjudged the second best Service Hospitals.
iv. Maj General R Grewal, Commandant, Command Hospital (Southern Command) Pune and Maj
General N Naithani, Commandant, Command Hospital (Northern Command) Udhampur received the
award.
JNU Bags ‘Visitor’s Award’ For Best Varsity Amid Controversies

i. New Delhi based Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has bagged the annual ‘Visitor’s Award’ for
the best University in the country amid the string of controversies.
ii. Besides Deepak Pant from Central University of Himachal Pradesh has won the Visitor’s Award
for ‘Innovation’ while the Visitor’s Award for ‘Research’ has been jointly won by Shyam
Sunder from Banaras Hindu University and Niranjan Karak from Tezpur University.
Sri Lanka wins ‘Most Popular Tourism Destination Award’

i. Sri Lanka has bagged the most “Popular Tourism Destination” Award for the second
consecutive year at the International Travel Fair (GITF) Travel Fair in Guangzhou, China.
ii. This award shows china’s interest in the island nation besides China has been Sri Lanka’s second
largest source market for tourism since 2014.
iii. The GITF award will further label Sri Lanka among visitors to gain greater exposure and visibility
for its unique destination brand.
M P Veerendra Kumar Presented Moortidevi Award

Eminent Malayalam author and journalist M P Veerendra Kumar was presented the
30th Moortidevi award by Bharatiya Jnanpith organisation in Kozhikode Kerala.
Canara Bank bags medals at PR Council’s communication conclave

i. Karnataka based Canara Bank has received medals in the Collateral Awards Category at
the 11th Global Communication Conclave held in Bangaluru on March 6, 2017
ii. Lalit Vaid, General Manager, and Dr S. T. Ramachandra, Deputy General Manager, Canara Bank
(head office), received the awards.
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Kerala’s Vaikom Vijayalakshmi Sets Record to Play Gayathri veena for Continous Five
Hours
Kerala’s playback singer Vaikom Vijayalakshmi created a new world record on March 5, 2017
by playing the maximum number of songs in the shortest time on Gayathri veena during a
programme in Kochi.
List of Winners of BCCI Annual Award 2017

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the “BCCI Annual Awards for
2015-16” on March 1, 2017. The awards were given away at a ceremony held in Bangaluru
March 8, 2017 which also marks the International Women’s Day.
st of Winners
No Award Winner
1 Col. CK. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award Rajinder Goel, Padmakar
Shivalkar
2 BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award For Women Shantha Rangaswamy
3 BCCI Special Award VV Kumar, Late Ramakant Desai
4 Polly Umrigar Award Virat Kohli
5 Dilip Sardesai Award (For India’s Best Cricketer In The Ravichandran Ashwin
West Indies Series 2016)
6 Lala Amarnath Award (For The Best All-Rounder In The Jalaj Saxena Of Madhya Pradesh
Ranji Trophy 2015-16)
7 Lala Amarnath Award (For The Best All-Rounder In Axar Patel Of Gujarat
Domestic Limited-Overs Competitions, 2015-16 )
8 Madavrao Scindin Award (Highest Scorer In The Ranji Shreyas Iyer Of Mumbai
Trophy 2015-16)
9 Madavrao Scindin Award (Highest Wicket-Taker In The Shahbaz Nadeem Of Jharkhand
Ranji Trophy 2015-16)
10 M.A. Chidambaram Trophy (Highest Scorer In (U-23) Col. Jay. G. Bosta Of Mumbai
CK. Nayudu Trophy 2015-16)
11 M.A. Chidambaram Trophy (Highest Wicket-Taker In (U- Satyajeet Bachhav Of
23) Col. CK. Nayudu Trophy 2015-16) Maharashtra
12 NKP Salve Award (Highest Scorer In (U-19) Cooch Behar Arman Jaffer Of Mumbai
Trophy In 2015-16 )
13 NKP Salve Award (Highest Wicket-Taker In (U-19) Cooch Ninad Rathva Of Baroda
Behar Trophy In 2015-16)
14 Raj Singh Dungarpur Award ( Highest Scorer In (U-16) Abhishek Sharma Of Punjab
Vijay Merchant Trophy In 2015-16)
15 Raj Singh Dungarpur Award ( Highest Wicket-Taker In (U- Abhishek Sharma Of Punjab
16) Vijay Merchant Trophy In 2015-16)
16 Jagmohan Dalmiyra Award (Best Woman Cricketer (Sr.) Of Mithali Raj Of Railways
2015-16)
17 Jagmohan Dalmiyra Award (Best Woman Cricketer (Jr.) Of Deepti Sharma Of Uttar Pradesh
2015-16)
18 Best Umpire In Domestic Cricket In 2015-16 Nitin Menon
19 Best Performance In BCCI Domestic Tournaments Of Mumbai Cricket Association
2015-16
Hyderabad Airport Gains 1st Rank Worldwide in Airport Service Quality Survey
i. GMR led Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) has secured first position in the
world in the prestigious Airports Council International (ACI)-Airport Service Quality (ASQ)
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survey in the 5-15 million passengers per annum (MPPA) category for the year 2016.
ii .Hyderabad Airport has steadily improved its score from 4.4 in 2009 to 4.9 in 2016 measured on
scale of 1 to 5.
iii. Besides, the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in Delhi has been ranked world’s
second best airport in the category of passenger handling capacity of more than 40 million
passengers annually.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Wins Best Actress for Sarbjit at IFFA Australia
i. Bollywood Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has won the best actress award at
the International Film Festival and Awards of Australia (IFFAA) for her movie Sarabjit.
ii. Directed by Omung Kumar, Sarabjit was the biopic on Sarabjit Singh who was an Indian farmer
who was convicted of terrorism and spying in Pakistan and was sentenced to death.
SERB Fellowship Award To Lalji Singh

i. Former director of Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) Lalji Singh has been
selected for ‘SERB Distinguished Fellow’ award by the Science and Engineering Research Board
(SERB) to support his research.
ii. The award has been given in recognition of the former vice-chancellor, Banaras Hindu University
(BHU), for his continued outstanding performance and also for mentorship to young researchers.
Konkani Writer Mahabaleshwar Sail Receives Saraswati Samman 2016

i. Noted Konkani author Mahabaleshwar Sail has been honored with the 2016 Saraswati
Samman for his novel ‘Hawthan’. The 74-year-old Sail’s novel Hawthan was published in 2009
and was shortlisted from 22 books written in various languages.
ii. Mahabaleshwar Sail received a cash prize of 15 lakh and a citation as a part of the honor.
Viola Davis Conferred With Harvard’s Artist of the Year Award 2017
i. The popular actress Viola Davis was awarded the 2017 Artist of the Year Award by Harvard
Foundation during its 32nd annual Cultural Rhythms Festival in Memorial Hall’s Sanders Theatre at
Harvard University in Cambridge on March 4, 2017.
ii. Besides, this year the popular actress, producer, director has also won Oscar for the best
supporting actress, Critics’ Choice, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, and British Academy of Films
and Television Arts awards for her role of Rose Maxson in Fences.
Mohan Bhagwat Gets Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science

i. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief Mohan Bhagwat was conferred with the
honorary degree of Doctor of Science (DSc) by Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences
University on its 8th convocation ceremony in Nagpur on March 9, 2017.
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ii. Bhagwat received the degree from Maharashtra Governor Vidyasagar Rao in the presence of
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Director General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research
Trilochan Mohapatra.
IIT-M solar inverter system wins award

i. 2017 IEEE Spectrum Technology in the Service of Society Award won by the Indian
Institute of Technology-Madras(IIT-M) for its solar-direct current (DC) inverter system.
ii. The solar inverter system was developed by Centre for Decentralised Power Systems at IIT-M.
iii. It is based on micro grid technology and it 230V Analog Current to 48V DC to directly power
appliances and devices.
Thai Model Crowned Transgender Beauty Queen Title

i. Thailand’s Model, Jiratchaya Sirimongkolnawin was crowned Miss International Queen
2016 on March 10, 2017 in the 12th edition of the beauty pageant event in Pattaya City,
Thailand.
ii. Miss International Queen began in the year 2004 and has been held annually in Pattya City since
then and is considered the largest and the most popular transgender pageant of the world.
iii. The 12th edition of the show was to be held in November 2016 but was postponed due to the
national mourning of the death of Thailand’s king.
Indian-American teen wins top science award worth USD 250,000

An Indian-American teen Indrani Das(17) won the US’s oldest and most prestigious science and
math competition Regeneron Science Talent Search Awards Gala on March 16, 2017
♦ Das has received USD 250,000 award for her research on preventing death of neurons due to
brain injuries or neurodegenerative diseases.
Four Other Indians are
i. Arjun Ramani(18) from Indiana ii. Archana Verma(17) from New York,
iii. Prathik Naidu(18) from Virginia iv. Vrinda Madan(17) from Florida
Central Bank won Official language policy award

i. Mumbai based Central Bank of India won the first prize in the implementation of Official
Language Policy in the western region for the year 2015-2016 at the Official Language
Conference of Central and Western Regions in Udaipur
ii. Rajasthan governor , Kalyan Singh has presented the trophy and certificate to Sudhir Pathak,
Chief Manager, Central Bank of India
11 Indian Women Awarded with ‘Women Icons’ Award in Singapore

Eleven Indian women were honored with the ‘Women Icons’ Award among 25 Asian Women on
March 17, 2017 in Singapore for dedicating their lives to social work.
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♦ The award was organised by Business Excellence & Research Group Pte Ltd and supported by
Nanyang Technological University of Singapore.
i. Among the award winners was Vandana Sharma who served for a decade in the Indian Armed
Forces and also ventured into the corporate world. She currently mentors a lot of young start-up
founders on building effective organisations.
ii. Besides, another winner are Revathi Siddharthe Roy, Dr Srimathy Kesan, Dr Aparna Hegde
of ARMMAN, Deepshikha Kumar of SpeakIn, Kanika Gupta Shori of Square Global, Minal D’Rozario
of Ideosphere, Mini Dwivedi Gopinathan of PlayStreet Specially Abled Educare Trust, Saloni Mardia
Kothari of Mtlexs Online, Sonia Kulkarni of Ketchum Sampark PR, and Swati Nathani of Team
Pumpkin.
Indian-American Computer Scientist Anshumali Wins NSF’s CAREER Award

i. An Indian-American computer scientist, Anshumali Shrivastava, was honored with
the National Science Foundation’s prestigious CAREER Award for his research on redesigning
current machine-learning processes.
ii .Each year about 400 scholars receives the CAREER Award across all disciplines to support the
research and educational development of young scholars likely to become leaders in their fields.
Canadian Teacher Maggie MacDonnell Wins $1-million Global Teacher Prize 2017
i .Maggie MacDonnell, a Canadian school teacher was awarded the 2017 Global Teacher
Prize worth $1 million on March 19, 2017 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
ii. The award was given away by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-
President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
iii. Maggie beat was among 10 finalists chosen from 20,000 nominations and applications from 179
countries.
iv. The other finalists belonged to Pakistan, the U.K., Jamaica, Spain, Germany, China, Kenya,
Australia and Brazil.
Major Rohit Suri awarded Kirti Chakra for PoK Surgical Strikes
i. Major Rohit Suri, the leader of the army team that carried out surgical strike in PoK in 2016,
was presented the Kirti Chakra by President Pranab Mukherjee during the military investiture
ceremony held in the Durbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan on March 20, 2017.
ii. Major Rohit Suri belongs to the Parachute Regiment. Besides, another member of the surgical
strikes team Naib Subedar Vijay Kumar was conferred the Shaurya Chakra for his daredevilry
in killing two terrorists in the operation despite coming under fire.
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ABB India bags award for restoring 1,035 MW Sharavathi plant in Karnataka
i. Bengaluru based ABB India has won the India Smart Grid Foundation (ISGF)'s "Smart
Technology of the Year 2016"award for restoring the crucial power infrastructure of Sharavathi
hydropower plant in Karnataka
ii. ABB India has restored and modernised the critical 1,035 MW Sharavathi hydropower
plant which will accounts for 25 per cent of Karnataka Power Corporation’s generation.
Frenchmen Yves Meyer Wins 2017 Abel Prize for Wavelets Theory
Yves Meyer, a French mathematician, was honored with the 2017 Abel Prize, given
by Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, on March 21, 2017 in a ceremony in Oslo,
Norway.
• The 77 years old nomad was honored the prestigious award for his contribution in the
development of the mathematical theory of wavelets.
• Yves will receive 6 million Norwegian krone (about £600,000) cash award from His
Majesty King Harald V at an award ceremony in Oslo on May 23, 2017.
Ed Sheeran To Receive Songwriters Hall Of Fame 2017 Award

i. The 26 year old English singer-songwriter and record producer Ed Sheeran from UK will be
honoured with the Songwriters Hall of Fame's 2017 Hal David Starlight Award.
ii. Other Awardee
1.Global Ambassador Award - Pitbull
2.2017 SHOF inductees - Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Berry Gordy, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis,
Robert Lamm & James Pankow p/k/a "Chicago," Max Martin and Shawn "Jay Z" Carter
Indian Journalist Ravish Kumar Conferred with First Kuldip Nayar Journalism Awards
i. Ravish Kumar, the senior executive editor of NDTV India, was awarded the inaugural Kuldip
Nayar Journalism Award at New Delhi’s India International Centre on March 19, 2017 in
recognition of his outstanding contribution in the world of Journalism.
ii. In the event organised by the Gandhi Peace Foundation, Ravish was presented the prestigious
award by veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar after whom the award has been named.
Six Indian-Americans Named for 2017 Ellis Island Medal of Honour

Six Indian-Americans individuals have been nominated among a total of 88 recipients for the
prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honour 2017, the highest civilin award in the US for
immigrants.
♦ Besides, a Pakistani-American Dr Adil Haider has also been named for the prestigious award.
♦ The 2017 recipients will be honored on May 13, 2017 at an event on Ellis Island in New York.
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List of Indian-American Winners

i. Indra Nooyi: Nooyi has been the CEO at PepsiCo since 2006 and chairman since 2007
ii. Fareed Zakaria: Zakaria is the host of CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" as well as a columnist for
The Washington Post.
iii. Dinesh Paliwal: Paliwal has served as the president and CEO at Harman International
Industries since July 2007 and later became the chairman in 2008.
iv. Dr Annapoorna S Kini: She is an American cardiologist and a Professor of Cardiology at Mount
Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.
v. Yashvant Patel
vi. Mohan H Patel
Raghu Rai honoured with Lifetime Achievement at the National Photography Awards
i. Indian photographer and photojournalist Raghu Rai has conferred with a Lifetime Achievement
Award by the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting M. Venkaiah Naidu at 6th National
Photography Awards.
ii. Rai was honoured for his remarkable contribution in the field of photography.
Inclusion Of Five Indian Cities In World Heritage Site

i. In recent news, UNESCO ( UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL SCIENTIFIC and CULTURAL
ORGANISATION ) has added five Indian cities in its list of tentative world heritage site.
ii. These cities include
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.
HDFC’s Aditya Puri Makes into World's 30 Best CEOs List By Barron's
i. Aditya Puri, HDFC Bank Managing Director has made it to the list of the world's 30 best chief
executive officers (CEO), published by American financial magazine Barron's.
ii. The 66-year-old Puri has been placed at 23rd position in the list beating social media giant
Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg who is listed on the 30th spot.
iii. According to the magazine, Puri turned the start-up into one of the world's highest-quality
banks.
iv. He has swiftly transformed India's second-largest private-sector bank into the digital spot for
anything money-related.
v. The top position has been secured by Mary Barra of General Motors, Gary Dickerson of Applied
Materials is on the second spot, Stephen Hemsley on third.
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vi. Besides, others in the list includes, Jensen Huang of Nvidia (4) and Microsoft’s CEO Satya
Nadella (5) Amazon’s CEO Jeffrey Bezos, Netflix’s CEO Reed Hastings, Starbucks’ CEO Howard
Schultz etc.
Global Awards Bagged By Startups From T-Hub

i. T-Hub, one of the largest start-up ecosystem builders in India have bagged four “Acumen
global awards, 2017” by bringing up four startups to be emerging as the first choice of top Indian
startups. This competition is mainly meant for the emerging startups.The award function was held
in Kenya.
Anupam Kher Honored with Kala Ratan Award from Vice President
Veteran actor Anupam Kher was felicitated with the Kala Ratan Award by Panjab University in
Chandigarh at its 66th convocation on March 25, 2017.
♦ The 62 year old actor received the honour by the Vice President of India, Shri Hamid
Ansari for his contribution in the field of cinema and arts..
ISKCON's Govardhan Eco Village Gets 'Water' Award from Water Digest
i. International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) adopted Govardhan Eco Village has
received the 11th Water Digest Water Awards under the category "Best Water NGO-Water
Education" in New Delhi.
ii. The award was instituted by Water Digest, a news portal on water management.
iii. The award was presented on the behalf of 'World Water Day 2017' which is celebrated
on 22nd March every year.
Karur Vysya Bank Receives 'Best Small Bank 2016' Award

i. Tamil Nadu based Karur Vysya Bank has been honored as the ‘Best Small Bank for 2016’ on
March 28, 2017 at a function in Mumbai.
ii. The Bank was adjudged by Business Today in association with KMPG in Small Bank category
with balance sheet size of less than Rs. 1 lakh crore.
iii. The award was received by K Venkataraman, Managing Director, KVB from Sudhir
Munguntivar, Minister of Finance and Planning, Government of Maharashtra.
Gurinder Chadha the veteran filmmaker gets Sikh Jewel Award

i. The Indian origin English film director and screen writer Gurinder Chadha gets Sikh Jewel
Award, 2017 for her contribution to the British film industries for the past 3 decades. She received
this award from UK Defense Secretary Michael
ii. The High Commissioner of India to the UK, Y K Sinha, who was the Guest of Honor, was also
present.
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Dr. B. C. Roy National Awards and Hari Om Ashram Alembic Research Awards presented
by the President of India
The President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee presented Dr. B. C. Roy National Awards and Hari
Om Ashram Alembic Research Awards at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi
on March 28, 2017.
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
Hari Om Ashram Alembic Research Awardee
1.Rajasekaran, Chairman, Department of Orthopedics, Ganga Hospital, Coimbatore
2.Sundaresan, senior scientist and Head of the Genetics Department at the Aravind Medical
Research Foundation
3.R Rakesh Kumar, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)
4.Neena Srivastava, Professor at Department of Physiology King George’s Medical University,
Lucknow
UK Minister Priti Patel receives Pravasi Bharatiya Samman

i. On 28th March 2017, Indian-origin British Cabinet Minister, Priti Patel received Pravasi
Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA) in London from Y K Sinha, the Indian High Commissioner to
United Kingdom (UK).
ii. The PBSA was conferred on Priti Patel by Indian President Pranab Mukherjee in January 2017
during the 14th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention held in Bengaluru.
Odia Installation Artist Sitaram Swain wins Glefiddich's Emerging Artist 2017
i. Indian Installation Artist Sitaram Swain was presented the 2017 Glenfiddichs Emerging
Artist of the Year award on March 25, 2017 at Bestcollegeart Gallery at Lado Sarai, New Delhi.
ii. He was honored for his innovative art style of portraying social issues through household objects
and unique concepts.
iii. Odia based Swain is the sixth recipient of the prestigious award and has been awarded with a
cash prize of Rs 10 lakh which includes an international allowance of Rs 1,20,000 per month and a
work allowance of Rs 500,000 as well as a solo show at Art District XIII in 2018.
‘India Pride Award’ - infrastructure development won by AAI and best performance won
by NTPC
i. On March 28, 2017 Airports Authority of India (AAI) was awarded with Dainik
Bhaskar's India Pride Awards 2016 -17 for "Excellence in Infrastructure Development" in
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the category of Public Sector Undertaking. In addition to that, National Thermal Power
Corporation (NTPC) Limited also won the India Pride Awards 2016 -17 for "Excellence in
Performance in the Power Sector” in the category of Public Sector Undertaking.
ii. Both the awards were presented by Union Minister of Communications (Independent
charge) Manoj Sinha in New Delhi in the presence of Union Minister for Road Transport and
Highways Nitin Gadkari.
Asian Hockey Player of Year - S.V Sunil and Harmanpreet Singh in Awardees list
i. Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) on March 30, 2017 named SV Sunil as the Asian Player of
the Year 2016 and Harmanpreet Singh as Asian Promising Player of the Year 2016 (Junior
team).
ii. The nominations for these awards were made by coaches of the national teams across Asia and
the criteria of nomination were based on the performance in the previous year.
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS

Nand Kumar Sai Assumes Charge as Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled
Tribes
i. Nand Kumar Sai, a senior tribal leader from Chhattisgarh and ex-parliamentarian took over as
the new Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) on February 28,
2017 in New Delhi.
ii. The 71-year-old Sai succeeds Rameshwar Oraon, whose tenure ended on October 31 2016.
Gopal Baglay appointed as new spokesperson of External Affairs Ministry

i. Joint secretary Gopal Baglay has been appointed as the spokesperson of the Ministry of External
Affairs .He is replaced by Vikas Swarup .
ii. Baglay would also take charge of joint secretary of external publicity.
Shri Sudeep Lakhtakia to hold additional charge as DG CRPF

i. IPS officer Sudeep Lakhtakia from Telangana to take additional charge as Director General
(DG) of Central Reserve Police Force(CRPF).This was announced by the Home Ministry .
ii. Sudeep will take charge from K. Durga Prasad.
R Subramania Kumar to hold additional charge of MD & CEO of IOB

i. The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has approved the proposal for extending the additional
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charge of the post of MD and CEO, IOB for a period of another three months.
ii. R Subramania Kumar has given additional charge of the post of Managing Director and Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of Indian Overseas Bank in November 2016.
iii. Prior to this he is working as the Executive Director in the IOB.
JS Deepak named India’s next Ambassador to WTO

i. Union Telecom Secretary JS Deepak has been appointed as India’s next Ambassador to the
Geneva based World Trade Organization. The new stint will be effective from this June.
ii. Deepak is IAS Officer of Uttar Pradesh Cadre 1982 batch, presently is on official visitor to the
World Mobile Congress at Barcelona.
Pakistan diplomat Sial assumes office as new Sec Gen of SAARC

i. South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) has named Amjad Hussain B Sial, as
secretary genera lwith immediate effect from March 1, 2017.
ii. Sial from Pakistan succeeds Nepal’s Arjun Bahadur Thapa as the Saarc secretary general who
was appointed the Secretary-General in 2014.
Sudan’s Bashir names long-time ally and general prime minister

i. North Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir appointed his first vice president Hassan
Saleh to the newly created post of prime minister on 1 March 2016.
ii. The Prime Minister post which was abolished in 1989 after National Umma Party administration
that governed then. This appointment makes first time Sudan has had a prime minister since Bashir
came to power.
P K Purwar appointed MTNL CMD

i. Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appointed P K Purwar as the Chairman and
Managing Director (CMD) of State-owned telecommunications service provider Mahanagar
Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL).
ii. The appointment effective from 1 March 2017 for the duration of five years.
Baichung Bhutia removed as AIFF advisor

i. Former India Football captain Bhaichung Bhutia was removed from the post advisor to both the
AIFF and President Praful Patel.
ii. The decorated footballer was removed from the post last December after AGM, It is learnt that
out of favour with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) due to differences in opinion this
development occurred.
D. Bala Venkatesh Varma concurrently accredited as the Ambassador of India to Andorra

i. IFS officer, D. Bala Venkatesh Varma has been concurrently accredited as the next
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Ambassador of lndia to the Principality of Andorra, with residence in Madrid (Spain).

ii. Venkatesh was presently working as the ambassador of lndia to the Kingdom of Spain.
Ford Foundation appoints Pradeep Nair as regional director for India, Nepal, and Sri
Lanka
i. New York based Ford Foundation has appointed Pradeep Nair as regional director for India,
Nepal, and Sri Lanka on March 8, 2017. Nair will take charge at the end of March from David
Hulse.
ii. He will lead the global non-profit grant-making organisation’s operations in New Delhi, serving
the three countries.
Donald Tusk re-elected as European Council president

i. Former Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was re-elected as the president of the European
Council for the second time. He won the 27 votes out of 28 EU’s governments
ii. Tusk will act as the president of EU council until the end of 2019.
South Korea’s Parliament Vote Unanimously to Remove President Park Geun-hye

i. South Korea’s President Park Geun-hye has become the nation’s first democratically elected
leader to be forced out from office over corruption charges.
ii. Eight justices of the constitutional court of South Korea unanimously decided on March 10,
2017 to unseat Ms. Park for committing acts that violated the Constitution and laws throughout her
time in office.
Vishwanath Mahadeshwar elected Mumbai Mayor

i. Senior Shiv Sena leader Vishwanath Mahadeshwar has been elected as 76th mayor of Mumbai
and Hemangi Waralikar as deputy mayor. He replaced Snehal Ambekar.
ii. Mahadeshwar secured 171 votes defeating Congress candidate Vithal Lokhare who received 31
votes at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
KPMG appoints Bill Thomas as Global Chairman

i. William B Thomas(49) has been elected as the global Chairman of Netherlands based KPMG
International for a four-year term.
ii. Thomas will take charge from John B Veihmeyer on October 1, 2017
ICC appoint Sachin Tendulkar as official ambassador of women’s World Cup 2017
Former Indian cricketer and captain Sachin Tendulkar has roped as an ambassador of Women’s
Cricket World Cup 2017 which will begin from 24th June, 2017 in England and Wales said
by International Cricket Council (ICC)
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B.P. Kanungo appointed RBI deputy governor in place of R. Gandhi

i. B P Kanungo was appointed as deputy governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for three
years. He will take charge on or after April 3, 2017. He will replace R Gandhi.
India appoints Manjeev Singh Puri as next envoy to Nepal

i. Manjeev Singh Puri was appointed as the new Indian envoy to Nepal on March 10, 2017. He is
the succeedor of Ranjit Rae.
ii. Presently Puri is working as the Ambassador of India to Belgium.
Narendra Kumar Appointed New Chairman of Central Water Commission

i. Narendra Kumar has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Central Water Commission
(CWC), with effect from March 9, 2017 upon the superannuation of former Chairman GS Jha.
ii. A Central Water Engineering Service (1979 batch) officer, Narendra Kumar became CWC
member (river management) in October 2014.
Reliance Capital’s CEO Sam Ghosh Announces to Quit

i. Soumen (Sam) Ghosh, executive director and group chief executive officer of Reliance Capital
Ltd for the last nine years has decided to quit.
ii. As per the notification by the firm on March 10, 2017, Ghosh is expected to leave the company
on March 31, 2017.
iii. He joined the Reliance Capital in April 2008 and in mid-2015 was elevated to the board of the
company as an executive director.
President Appoints New Chief Justices in MP, Patna, Kerala, Chattisgrah, Jharkhand HCs
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee announced the appointment of new Chief Justices
in the state of Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Patna and Jharkhand High Courts on
March 10, 2017.
i. Chhattisgarh High Court: Justice Thottathil Bhaskaran Nair Radhakrishnan, Judge of the
Kerala High Court was appointed as Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court.
ii. Kerala High Court: Judge of the Patna High Court, Justice Navaniti Prasad Singh, has been
appointed to be the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court.
iii. Madhya Pradesh High Court: Justice Hemant Gupta, Judge of the Patna High Court
appointed to be the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
iv. Patna High Court: Justice Rajendra Menon, Judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, to be
the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court.
v. Jharkhand High Court: Justice Pradip Kumar Mohanty, Judge of Jharkhand High Court has
been appointed to be the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court.
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HSBC Appoints Mark Tucker as its New Chairman

i. Europe’s biggest bank HSBC Holdings Plc. has appointed Mark Tucker as its Chairman on
March 13, 2017.
ii. AIA Group Ltd Chief Executive, Mark Tucker will take over on October 1, 2017,
succeeding Douglas Flint who has been in the role since 2010.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Assumes Additional Charge of Defence

i. The Union Finance minister Arun Jaitley was given the additional charge of the Defence
Ministry on March 13, 2017 after Manohar Parrikar resigned to take on the new role of Goa
Chief Minister.
ii. Upon the advice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the President Pranab Mukherjee directed that
Arun Jaitely shall be assigned the charge of the ministry of defence, in addition to his existing
portfolios.
OnePlus India Ropes Amitabh Bachchan as its New Brand Ambassador

i. Chinese smartphone company OnePlus has roped in Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan as its
new brand ambassador for India on March 6, 2017.
ii. Mr Bachchan is the first major face that OnePlus India is associating with for its latest flagship
smartphone, OnePlus 3T.
Former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar Sworn in as Goa Chief Minister

Former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar was sworn in as Goa Chief Minister for fourth time at
the Raj Bhavan in Panaji, Goa on March 14, 2017.Goa Governor Mridula Sinha administered the
oath of office and secrecy to the Chief Minister and eight other ministers who also took the oath.
Other Ministers who were sworn in includes
1. Ramkrishna alias Sudin Dhavlikar and Babu alias Manohar Azgaonkar (Both MGP)
2. Francisco D’Souza and Pandurang Madkaikar (BJP)
3. Vijay Sardesai, Jayesh Salgaonkar and Vinod Palienkar (Goa Forward Party)
4. Rohan Khavte and Govind Gaude (both Independents)
Manipur CM Ibobi Singh resigns, Biren Singh Sworn in as Next CM

i. The incumbent Chief Minister of Manipur Okram Ibobi Singh resigned from the post on March
13, 2017 giving way for formation of a new ministry under the BJP.
ii. The Congress leader Okram Ibobi announced to resign after BJP named Nongthombam Biren
Singh as the party’s leader to form the government with majority win.
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Reliance Commercial Finance appoints Devang Mody as CEO

i. Devang Mody was appointed as CEO of Reliance Commercial Finance Ltd (RCFL),a
subsidiary of Reliance Capital on March 14, 2017.
ii. Prior to this, Mody served as president of consumer business at Bajaj Finance
Babul Supriyo Named Vice-President Of FIFA U-17 World Cup LOC

i. Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Babul Supriyo has been
named as Vice President of the 2017 U-17 FIFA World Cup organising committee said by Praful
Patel, president of All India Football Federation (AIFF) on March 15, 2017
ii. For the first time, India to host FIFA U-17 World from October 6 to 28, 2017
BJP Leader N Biren Singh Sworn in as Chief Minister of Manipur

i. Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP), leader Nongthombam Biren Singh was sworn in as the
Manipur’s Chief Minister at Raj Bhawan, Imphal on March 15, 2017.
ii. Besides, Y Joykumar Singh of the National People’s Party was sworn in as the deputy chief
minister.
iii. Other seven ministers who took the oath includes: Th Biswajit of the BJP, L Jayantakumar of the
NPP, Karan Shyam of LJP, L Haokip of NPP, N Koyisi of NPP, Losie Dikho of NPF and Th
Shyamkumar.
Justice Sharma sworn in as Upalokayukta of Assam

Former Judge of the Gauhati High Court Chittaranjan Sharma has sworn in as Assam’s
Upalokayukta by Governor Banwarilal Purohit on March 14, 2017
US Senate confirms Seema Verma for health care post

i. Indian-American Seema Verma is appointed for a top healthcare position in the Trump
administration. Her appointment was confirmed by the US Senate after 43 votes out of 55 has
secured by Verma.
ii. Verma is expected to play a key role in the government’s bid to “repeal and
replace” Obamacare.
Amarinder Singh Takes Oath as Chief Minister of Punjab

i. Captain Amarinder Singh took oath as the 26th chief minister of Punjab on March 16, 2017
at the Raj Bhawan in Chandigarh thus paving way for the return of the Congress to power in the
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state after a gap of ten years.

ii. The oath of office was administered by Punjab governor VP Singh Badnore..
Boy from sleepy hamlet, Bibhu Prasad Kanungo, becomes deputy governor of RBI
i. Bibhu Prasad Kanungo from Odisha has been appointed as Deputy Governor in Reserve Bank
of India (RBI) for three years by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) .
ii. Prasad is the succeedor of R Gandhi.He will take charge on or after April 3, 2017.
Mallikarjun Kharge set to become next PAC Chairman

i. Former Minister of Inidan Railways Mallikarjun Kharge has been nominated for the post of
chairman of the Public’s Account Committee (PAC) of Parliament.
ii. Kharge will take charge from K.V. Thomas on May 1, 2017
Papa Rao, Jwala included in governing body of SAI

i. Indian badminton player Jwala Gutta and retired IAS officer BV Papa Rao have been appointed
as members of the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
ii. Rao is currently working as a sports administrator and advisor to Telangana Government,
has the experience of being an officer on special duty of SAI from 1985 to 90.
Lenovo appoints Subhankar Roy Chowdhury as head HR for Asia Pacific

i. Lenovo, Computer manufacturing company appointed Subhankar Roy Chowdhury as HR for
Asia Pacific. He will replace Andrew Dahms.
ii. Now, Roy will responsible for transformation and people strategy in Asia Pacific with focus on
building leadership, cultural transformation and developing talent resources.
Trivendra Singh Rawat Sworn in as New Chief Minister of Uttarakhand

i. Former Uttarakhand BJP chief Trivendra Singh Rawat was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of
the state on March 18, 2017 at the Parade Grounds in state
capital Dehradun.Uttarakhand Governor K K Paul administered the oath of office and secrecy to
56-year-old Rawat and nine ministers at a ceremony.
ii. The other members who took oath includes Satpal Maharaj, Harak Singh Rawat, Madan Kaushik,
Arvind Pandey, Subodh Uniyal, Yashpal Arya and Prakash Pant who have been made Cabinet
ministers
iii. Rawat is the 9th Chief Minister of Uttarakhand and 5th BJP Chief Minister of the state.
Former Gujarat BJP MLA Manhar Valji Bhai Zala Appointed Head of Safai Karamcharis
Commission
i. Manhar Valji Bhai Zala was appointed as the new Chairperson of the National Commission
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for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK) with effect from March 16, 2017 which was headless since past
one year.
ii. Besides, Manju Diler from Uttar Pradesh and Dilip Kallu Haathived from Maharashtra have
been appointed as the members of the NCSK.
Yogi Adityanath Takes Oath as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP, Yogi Adityanath took oath as the 21st Chief Minister of Uttar
Pradesh on March 19, 2017 at Kanshiram Smriti Upvan in Lucknow in the presence of Prime
Minister Shri Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.
• Uttar Pradesh Governor, Ram Naik administered the oath of office and secrecy to
Adityanath.
• Besides, two deputy Chief Minister, nine MoS (independent charge), 24 cabinet ministers
and 13 ministers of state also took the oath.
• Others who attended the swearing in ceremony included LK Advani, Rajnath Singh,
Venkaiah Naidu, Murli Manohar Joshi and Nitin Gadkari.
List of Other Ministers
Deputy Chief Ministers: 2
Uttar Pradesh’s BJP President Keshav Prasad Maurya and Party’s National Vice-President Dinesh
Sharma were sworn in as the Deputy Chief Ministers.
Cabinet Ministers: 22
• 22 cabinet ministers who were sworn in includes: Surya Pratap Shahi, Suresh Kumar
Khanna, Swami Prasad Maurya, Satish Mahana, Rajesh Agarwal, Rita Bahuguna Joshi,
Dara Singh Chauhan, Dharampal Singh, SP Singh Baghel and Satyadev Pachauri.
• Ramapati Shastri, Jai Prakash Singh, Om Prakash Rajbhar, Brijesh Pathak, Lakshmi
Narain Chowdhury, Chetan Chauhan, Srikant Sharma, Rajendra Pratap Singh alias Moti
Singh, Siddharth Nath Singh, Mukut Bihari Verma, Ashutosh Tondon and Nand Gopal
Gupta Nandi.
Ministers of State (Independent Charge): 9
• The nine ministers of state (independent charge) who took oath includes:
• Anupma Jaiswal, Suresh Rana, Upendra Tiwari, Mahendra Kumar Singh, Swatantra Dev
Singh, Bhupendra Singh Chowdhury, Dharam Singh Saini, Anil Rajbhar and Swati Singh.
Minister of State: 13
The thirteen ministers of state who took oath are Gulab Devi, Jai Prakash Nishad, Archana
Pandey, Jai Kumar Singh Jacky, Atul Garg, Ranvendra Pratap Singh alias Dhunni Singh, Nilkanth
Tiwari, Mohsin Raza, Girish Chandra Yadav, Baldev Olekh, Mannu Kori, Sandeep Singh and Suresh
Pasi.
Shahid Afridi appointed ambassador of Blind Cricket World Cup

i. Former captain of the Pakistan national cricket team ‘Boom Boom’, Shahid Afridi has roped as
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the ambassador for the 5th Blind Cricket World Cup by the Pakistan Blind Cricket
Council (PBCC)
ii. Blind Cricket World Cup will be hosted by PBCC in the United Arab Emirates(UAE)
and Pakistan in January 2018.
Sun Pharma’s Dilip Shanghvi appointed as member on RBI’s western board

i. The central government has appointed Dilip Shanghvi, managing director of Sun Pharmaceuticals
as a member on the western area local board of Reserve Bank of India.
ii. His period of tenure is four years with effect from March 11, 2017.
Other members:
♦ Prasanna Mohanty – RBI’s southern local board
♦ Vallabh Bhanshali – RBI’s western local board
♦ Sunil Mitra- RBI’s eastern local board
Snapdeal names Jason Kothari as new FreeCharge CEO

i. Jason Kothari was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Freecharge by Indian e-commerce
company Snapdeal CEO, Kunal Bahl on March 20, 2017.
ii. Kothari is succeedor of Govind Rajan who resign his job last month.
Government swaps chief executives of IDBI Bank, Indian Bank

i. For the first time, the central government has swapped the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of
state-owned Indian Bank and IDBI Bank on March 19, 2017
ii. It will be effective from the beginning of the next fiscal year.
iii. Mahesh Kumar Jain, MD & CEO of Indian Bank was shifted to IDBI Bank's MD & CEO
iv. Kishore Piraji Kharat has been appointed as Managing Director and CEO of Indian Bank.
ICMR head Soumya Swaminathan named to UN group on antimicrobial

i. Indian Council of Medical Research director Soumya Swaminathan(57) has been inducted to
the ad hoc Interagency Coordination Group on Antimicrobial Resistance.
ii. The group will lead by Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and World Health
Organisation Director-General Margaret Chan
Madhabi Puri Buch Appointed As Sebi Whole-Time Member

i. Madhabi Puri Buch has been appointed as a Full-Time Member of Mumbai based Securities
and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for a period of three years by the Personnel Ministry on March
21, 2017.
ii. Puri currently working at the New Development Bank, China. She is founder-director of Agora
Advisory Pvt Ltd
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Upendra Tripathy Appointed as Full Time Interim Director General of ISA

Upendra Tripathy has been appointed as the Interim Director General (IDG) of
the International Solar Alliance (ISA) on a full time basis on March 21, 2017.
♦ The decision regarding Tripathy was taken by Union Minister for Power, Coal, New and Renewable
Energy and Mines, Shri Piyush Goyal and Ms. Sgolene Royal, Minister for Environment, Energy
and Marine Affairs Government of France.
P.V. Sindhu roped as ambassador of PepsiCo's sports drink Gatorade

i. Olympics silver medalist and professional badminton player PV Sindhu has been appointed as
brand ambassador of PepsiCo’s sports based drink for Gatorade to popularise the benefits of this
drink.
ii. Sindhu will unveil an all new Sweat More campaign to support the badminton star’s journey
from silver to gold.
Ankur Khanna appointed as new Chief Financial Officer of ICC

i. Air Asia's Chief Financial Officer, Ankur Khanna has been appointed as Chief Financial
Officer(CFO) of International Cricket Council(ICC). This was officially announced by ICC Chief
Executive, David Richardson on March 20, 2017.
ii. Ankur will relocate to Dubai will take charge by the end of March, 2017
RBI okays appointment of T S Anantharaman as part-time chairman

i. T S Anantharaman can hold the position of part-time Chairman of Catholic Syrian Bank said
by Reserve Bank of India(RBI)on March 23, 2017
ii. Currently he was the President of Chamber of Commerce, Thrissur, Thrissur Management
Association and a number of other institutions.
BSF get Women Combat Officer Tanushree Pareek After 51 Years –BSF
i. Border Security Force (BSF) gets its woman field officer after an long waiting 5
decades which is a welcome move by it.
ii. Tanushree Pareek commissioned by BSF, the country’s largest border guarding force at the
age of 25
Carrie Lam Elected as Chief Executive of Hong Kong

i. Carrie Lam, the former deputy leader of Hong Kong was elected as the first female Chief
Executive of Hong Kong on March 26, 2017.
ii. Lam won the election by 67% votes by 1194-member pro-China committee, known to be the
supporters of China’s Communist government.
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iii. She is likely to take charge in July 2017 after incumbent leader Leung Chun-ying steps down in
July after five years in charge.
Dr. Randeep Guleria Appointed As Director of AIIMS Delhi

The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
has appointed renowned pulmonologist Dr Randeep Guleria the Director of the All India
Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
♦ Guleria succeeds Dr M C Mishra who retired in January 2017 after serving for three years.
STAIRS Founder appointed to the governing body of Sports Authority of India

Mr. Siddhartha Upadhyay founder and secretary general for Society for Transformation,
Inclusion, and Recognition through Sports (STAIRS) have been appointed to the governing
body of Sports Authority of India. This was announced by STAIRS on March 27, 2017.
♦ On the event of his appointment Shri Vijay Goel, Minister of State (Independent Charge) Youth
Affairs and Sports met Siddhartha Upadhyay to discuss ideas on bringing more transparency in
sports ahead of the first meeting of the new Governing body to be held on March 28, 2017.
David Beasley Appointed New head of World Food Programme by UN

i. Former Governor of South Carolina, David Beasley has been appointed as the new Executive
Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) by Secretary General of United Nations, Antonio
Guterres.
ii. Beasley’s appointment was conveyed to the WFP executive board by Guterres on March 28,
2017.
iii. He will replace Ertharin Cousin of America, who was serving the post since 2012
Pakistan Appoints Sima Kamil as the First Woman Chief of Leading Bank
i. Sima Kamil, a veteran Pakistani banker has become the first female to be appointed as
the President and CEO of one of the largest commercial bank of Pakistan.
ii .Kamil was on March 27, 2017 appointed as the President of United Bank Limited (UBL), one
of the top 5 banks of the country.
iii. Initially she will serve as the deputy CEO at UBL and eventually take over as the President and
CEO on June 1, 2017 after the incumbent CEO Wajahat Hussain retires.
Germany’s Montblanc Appoints AB de Villiers as Brand Ambassador

i. South Africa’s leading cricketer, AB de Villiers, has been appointed as the new brand
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ambassador of the Germany based Montblanc International.

ii. He has been selected to represent the company in South Africa as well as India.
Indian Origin Iqbal Surve Appointed Head of SA's BRICS Business Council
Dr. Iqbal Surve, an Indian-Origin South African billionaire has been appointed as the new
Chairman of BRICS Business Council of South Africa.
♦ Soon after his appointment, Surve headed to New Delhi, India to attend the mid-term meeting of
the BRICS Councils of the respective nations in the bloc- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South
Africa.
Vanaja N Sarna Appointed New Chairman of Central Board of Excise and Customs
i. Senior bureaucrat, Vanaja N. Sarna, has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Central
Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) with effect from March 31, 2017.
ii. She is taking over Shri Najib Shah upon his superannuation on March 31.
iii. Her appointed was confirmed by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet chaired by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on March 30, 2017.
Pakistani American Ali Javed becomes first Muslim, to join NYPD Elite unit
Sergeant Ali Javed, from Pakistani Origin became the 1st Muslim to join in New York City
Police Department (NYPD) Emergency Service Unit. The information was confirmed by NYPD
Muslim Officers Society, an organization representing Muslim American Law Enforcement Members.
♦ In addition to that, Ali Javed was also the first Pakistani to become a member of this Elite force.
Government Terminates Service of Coal India’s Director R Mohan Das

i. The Ministry of Coal, on March 30, 2017 terminated the services of Coal India Limited
(CIL’s) Personnel & Industrial Relations Director, R Mohan Das without citing proper reason.
ii. His termination comes two months ahead of his scheduled retirement on May 31.
iii. The ministry has also directed that the Chairman of state owned Coal India Ltd, Sutirtha
Bhattacharyya will serve as interim Director of Personnel department till new director is
appointed.
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS
Cognizant buys Japanese digital firm Brilliant Service Co

i. American multinational corporation Cognizant has pocketed a deal to acquire Japanese digital
firm Brilliant Service Co for an undisclosed amount.
ii. Japan based Brilliant Service is specialized in intelligent products and solutions, digital strategy,
product design and engineering, the Internet of Things, and enterprise mobility.
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Pakistan Government approves the merger of FATA with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

i. Pakistan government on March 2, 2017 approved the merger of Federally Administered Tribal
Areas (FATA) with its northwestern province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
ii. The Federally Administered Tribal Areas(FATA) is a semi-autonomous tribal region. It shares
its border with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Afghanistan. The merger will help in bringing
the Tribal area in the mainstream of the country’s administration and promote development in the
area.
Airtel, Millicom ink pact to merge in Ghana

i. Bharti Airtel and Millicom International Cellular SA (Millicom) have entered into an agreement for
Tigo Ghana Ltd and Airtel Ghana Ltd to combine their operations in Ghana.
ii. The combined entity would serve nearly 10 million customers, of which 5.6 million are data
customers. It would cover more than 80 per cent of Ghana’s population with high speed data and
would have revenues close to $300 million.
Tech Mahindra to buy US healthcare provider valued at $110 million

i. Mumbai based Software services firm Tech Mahindra Ltd has signed a definitive agreement to
acquire US-based healthcare information technology consulting company CJS Solutions Group
LLC for $110 million on March 6, 2017
ii. The transaction is expected to close by April 2017, subject to regulatory approvals.
Google acquires Kaggle for undisclosed amount to boost data play

i. Technology giant Google has announced to acquire a start-up Kaggle which hosts a number of
data scientists for an undisclosed amount at the Cloud Next 2017 conference on March 9, 2017
ii. Kaggle and Google Cloud will continue to support machine learning training and deployment
services while offering the community the ability to store and query large datasets.
Intel to buy Mobileye for $ 15.3 billion

i. Intel has announced a deal under which it will buy Israeli technology
company Mobileye for $15.3 billion. Mobileye provides anti-collision, driver assistance, and
autonomous driving solutions. Intel will buy all the shares of Mobileye at $63.54 per share in
cash.
ii. The acquisition will combine the computer vision expertise of Mobileye with the high-
performance computing of Intel to create automated driving solutions from the cloud through the
network to the car.
IndusInd Bank acquires brokerage firm IL&FS Securities Services

i. Mumbai based IndusInd Bank announced to acquire 100 per cent stake in brokerage
firm IL&FS Securities Services to regulatory approvals on March 14, 2017
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ii. The amount of acquisition is not disclosed and the deal is expected to be made effective in 3
months after final approvals from regulatory.
Parliamentary Panel Suggests Merging BSNL & MTNL

i. A Parliamentary panel on March 16, 2017 suggested merging state-run telecom firms BSNL and
MTNL for their long-term survival and success.
ii. The decision regarding the merger was taken by the Committee on Petitions chaired by BJP
MP Bhagat Singh Koshyari in Lok Sabha.
ONGC Signs Pact to Acquire Entire Stake of GSPC in KG Block for $1.2 billion
i. State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has signed definitive agreements to
buy Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation’s (GSPC) entire 80% stake in KG-basin natural gas
block for $1.2 billion.
ii. The company will close the deal and pay debt-ridden GSPC the money after getting the
regulatory approvals like government nod for transfer of participating interest (PI) and change of
operatorship.
Idea approves merger with Vodafone India, to create India's largest telco
i. India’s Idea Cellular Ltd approved its merger operation with Vodafone India Limited (VIL)
excluding Vodafone’s 42% stake in Indus Towers Ltd on March 20, 2017
ii. It will create India’s largest telecom company with a total revenue of over Rs80,000 crore.
iii. After merger, Vodafone will hold 45 percent in the combined entity while Idea promoters will
hold 26 percent in the combined entity.
iv. Kumar Mangalam Birla, Aditya Birla group chairman, will be the chairman of the merged
entity
RCOM gets CCI approval for Aircel merger

i. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the merger of wireless operations
of Reliance Communications and Aircel to create a combined entity with assets worth Rs 65,000
crore.
ii. Reliance and Aircel have announced its merger operation in September 2016.
iii. Both the companies will transfer Rs 14,000 crore of debt each to the joint venture, taking the
total debt of the new company to Rs 28,000 crore.
Airtel enters definitive agreement to acquire Tikona Digital

i. New Delhi based global telecommunications services company Bharti Airtel has signed an
agreement with Mumbai based Internet service provider Tikona Digital Networks to acquire
its 4G business in 5 circles on March 23, 2017
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ii. The amount of the deal is approximately Rs 1,600 crore but the amount of acquisition is not
disclosed and now it is moved for regulatory approvals.
Flipkart Plans to Acquire eBay’s India Operations

i. India’s largest online retailer Flipkart is planning to acquire eBay India’s operations as part of its
latest capital raising programme of $2billion.
ii.T he move is an effort of the e-commerce firm to strengthen its position against the rising threat
from the global competitors such as Amazon and China's Alibaba.
Motherson Sumi Acquires Finland's PKC Group for $619 million

i. Indian Auto parts maker Motherson Sumi Systems Ltd (MSSL) on March 27, 2017 announced
that it has acquired 93.75 percent of stake in Finland's PKC Group for 571 million euros
($619.4 million).
ii. This means that Motherson has become the controlling shareholder of PKC Group.
Dubai based Souq.com bought by Amazon

i. Amazon the World’s biggest E-commerce industry has confirmed its acquisition
of Souq.com, the company from Dubai headed by Ronaldo Mouchawar which has 8.4
million products.
ii. Middle East online retailer was bought by Amazon in a neck to neck bidding between Dubai
billionaire Mohamed Alabbar's Emaar Malls.
iii. The value of the deal is not revealed but it is higher than USD 800 million tabled by Emaar
Malls.
MoUs
Punjab, J&K seal fresh deal on Shahpur Kandi project
i. A renewed agreement between Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir has
been sealed for the completion of the Shahpur Kandi Dam project, work on which was halted
two years ago following a dispute.
ii. This move comes days before its annual Indus Water Commission meeting with Pakistan in
Lahore later this month. The dam will help India utilize its share of waters under Indus Water
Treaty.
India & Oman Explore Ways to Enhance Defence Ties

i. India and Oman have decided to enhance bilateral cooperation between their navies on
March 2, 2017 during the visit of Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lamba to Oman to discuss
strategically important regional issues.
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ii. Lamba met Oman’s Defence Minister Bader al Busaidi, Commander of Royal Navy of Oman and
Rear Admiral Abdullah bin Khamis Al Raisi on the second-leg of his two-day visit to Oman.
Cabinet approves MoU between India and Portugal on cooperation in IT&E

The Union Cabinet gave its ex-post facto approval for the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
between India and Portugal on cooperation in the field of IT&E which was signed on January 6,
2017 in New Delhi.
• Aim: Develop a long term and sustainable cooperation based on equality and mutual
interest in the areas of Information Technology and Electronics (IT&E) in line with each
country’s laws and regulations.
Cabinet approves Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Portugal for
Cooperation in Renewable Energy
The Union Cabinet gave its ex-post facto approval for signing of a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) on Renewable Energy between India and Portugal.
• The MoU was signed on January 6, 2017 in New Delhi. It will help to strengthen the
bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
Cabinet approves signing of the Definitive Agreement on Oil Storage and Management
between India’s ISPRL and ADNOC of UAE
The Cabinet also gave its ex-post facto approval for signing of the Definitive Agreement on Oil
Storage and Management between Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserve Ltd (ISPRL) and Abu
Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) of UAE.
• Objective of the Agreement: The ADNOC will provide 0.81 MMT (5,860,000 million)
barrels of crude oil at ISPRL storage facility at Mangalore, Karnataka.
Cabinet approves MoU between India and the United Nations Entity of Gender Equality
and Empowerment of Women (UN-Women)
The Union Cabinet led by PM Modi approved signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
between India and the United Nations Entity of Gender Equality and the Empowerment of
Women (UN-Women).
• Aim: UN-Women will provide technical support to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj in
strengthening capacities of governance institutions like Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs)
for strengthening gender equality through legislation, policies and programmes.
Cabinet Gives ex-post facto approval to the MoU between India and UAE in the field of
providing Energy Efficiency Services
Besides, the government also gave its ex-post facto approval to the Memorandum of Understanding
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(MoU) between the India’s National Productivity Council and Al Etihad Energy Services,
UAE to provide various services in the field of energy management and conservation.
Under the MoU, the NPC will provide the following services to UAE:
1. Energy Assessment Services
2. Training & Certification of Energy Auditors
3. Demand Side Management.
India and Belgium sign Protocol amending the India-Belgium Double Taxation Avoidance
Agreement and Protocol
i. India and Belgium has signed an agreement to amending the existing Agreement and Protocol
between the two countries for avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal
evasion with respect to taxes on income on March 9, 2017 in New Delhi
ii. The agreement was signed in the presence of Sushil Chandra, Chairman CBDT and Jan Luykx,
Ambassador of Belgium to India.
Google India inks MoU with Telangana government

i. Search Engine Giant Google India and Telangana government have inked a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) aimed at supporting the digitisation efforts of the state.
ii. As Part of the MoU Google will provide Google Cloud credits and access to all cloud platform
products to eligible startups engaged with Telangana government’s T—Hub initiative.
Ola Signs MoU with MP Government to Train 25,000 People

i. Online cab aggregator Ola has signed MoU with Government of Madhya Pradesh on March 4,
2017 to impart training to 25,000 youths in the state.
ii. The MoU was signed between Madhya Pradesh State Skill Development Mission (MPSSDM) and
Directorate of Skill Development (Technical Education & Skill Development Dept).
iii. The aim of the MOU is to provide training, skill development and empowerment of 25,000
driver partners in the next two years.
iv. Besides, the company has also set a goal of nurturing micro entrepreneurship and skilling 50
lakh drivers by 2020.
NMCG Signs MoU with Rotary India for the Success of Namami Gange
i. The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) under Ministry of Water Resources, River
Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has signed an MoU with Rotary India in New Delhi on
March 1, 2017.
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ii. Aim: To make Namami Gange programme a mass movement through the involvement of more
and more voluntary organizations.
iii. The MoU was signed by Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga Shri UP Singh and
Vice Chairman of Rotary India Shri PT Prabhakar. The MoU shall remain in force for two years.
SSB signed MoU with NSDC and NSDF for skill development for its personnel’s
i. Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) has signed an MoU on March 10, 2017 with National Skill
Development Corporation (NSDC) and National Skill Development Fund (NSDF) for skill
development of its serving/retired personnel and their family members.
ii. The event was held at SSB Force Headquarters in New Delhi and saw the participation of Union
Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Union
Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju
iii. Archana Ramasundaram, Director General of SSB signed the memorandum on behalf of the
SSB. After the MoU, SSB will be able to provide employment to its retiring personnel and also to
those who are already retired.
iv. Kiren Rijiju launched an in house developed mobile app named “MySSB” and praised the efforts
of Inspector (Ministerial) Gautam Basak in developing the application.
Cabinet Approves MoU between LBSNAA, Mussoorie and NIPAM, Namibia for Capacity
Building
The Union Cabinet under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi gave its approval
for signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Lal Bahadur Shastri National
Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie and Namibia Institute of Public Administration
and Management (NIPAM), Namibia on March 15, 2017.
• Aim: For capacity building of public officials of Namibia and other training activities for
the benefit of both the institutes.
Cabinet apprised of MoUs for cooperation in Youth and Sports Matters with Indonesia and
the Kyrgyz Republic
During the cabinet meeting on March 15, 2017, the government was apprised of the Memoranda of
Understanding (MoUs) signed between India with
• Indonesia for cooperation in youth and sports matters and Kyrgyz Republic for
cooperation in the field of youth development
• Objective: Organize Youth Exchange Programmes with Indonesia and Kyrgyz Republic;
and Cooperation in other youth and sports related matters.
Cabinet approves revised MoU with Bangladesh to set up Border Haats

The Union Cabinet also gave its approval to the revised Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and
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Mode of Operation (MoO) between India and Bangladesh on March 15, 2017 for
establishing Border Haats on India-Bangladesh Border.
• The Revised MoU and Mode of Operation will provide a legal framework for establishment
and operationalization of additional Border Haats.
• There are four Border Haats that are operational-two in Meghalaya and two in Tripura.
Cabinet approves of MoU between India and Bangladesh on Aids to Navigation (AtoNs)
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved signing of a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Directorate General of Lighthouses & Lightships
(DGLL), Ministry of Shipping (GOI) and the Department of Shipping, Government of Bangladesh on
Aids to Navigation (AtoNs)
India, Brazil conclude social security agreement

India and Brazil have finalised text of the Social Security Agreement(SSA) on March 16, 2017. It
will be effective from 2018.
♦ This is the first SSA agreement between the BRICS Countries.
♦ Till date, India has signed Social Security Agreements (SSAs) with 18 countries – Australia,
Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Japan,
Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, and South Korea.
Australia Research Institute Signs Agreement with Indian Railways for Infrastructure
Support
i. Monash University Institute of Railway Technology (IRT), Australia has entered into an
agreement with the Indian Railways to support future research and technology development
related to critical infrastructure in India.
ii. The agreement was signed on March 16, 2017 in New Delhi between the representatives from
Monash University Institute of Railway Technology (IRT) and Indian Ministry of Railways
Corporation DFCCIL (Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited).
China, Saudi Arabia ink deals worth about $65 billion

China and Saudi Arabia officials on March 17, 2017 have signed Memorandums of
Understanding(MoU) and Letters of Intent(LoI) potentially worth about $65 billion during Saudi
King Salman’s visit to China.
♦ This was announced by Zhang Ming, Deputy Chinese Foreign Minister
Cabinet approves MoU between India and US in field of Cyber Security

During the meeting, the cabinet approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed
between the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-ln) under the Ministry of
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Electronics and Information Technology and the US Homeland Security Department on

cooperation in the field of Cyber Security.
• The MOU was signed between the two sides on January 11, 2017 in New Delhi and
aims to promote closer co-operation and exchange of information regarding Cyber
Security in accordance with the relevant laws, rules and regulations and on the basis
of equality, reciprocity and mutual benefit.
Govt. of Jharkhand Signs Tripartite MoU with AAI, DRDO for Development of Deoghar
Airport in Jharkhand
The Government of Jharkhand along with Airports Authority of India (AAI) & Defense
Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has signed a tripartite MoU on March 28,
2017 in Ranchi for development of Deoghar Airport located at Deoghar district of Jharkhand.
Key Features of the MoU
i. Under the MoU, both the government organization would help the state to complete the
international airport project in Deoghar worth Rs 300 crore within a time period of two years.
ii. AAI and Jharkhand govt would contribute Rs. 50 each while DRDO would provide Rs. 200
crore for the project.
IIT Madras Signs MoU with Indian Army to Enhance Critical Technological Areas
The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IITM) has signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Army on March 28, 2017 to address the technological gap in
the armed forces.
♦ The MoU was signed between IITM Director Bhaskar Ramamurthi and Deputy Chief of Army Staff
(P&S) Lt. Gen. Subrata Saha.
Taiwan Signs MoU to Build Home Grown Submarines

i. Taiwan's president Tsai Ing-wen launched the island's first ever home-grown submarine
project on March 21, 2017 at a naval base in southern city of Kaohsiung because the island faces
rising navy threats from China as relations deteriorate.
ii. An MoU has been signed for the project between the navy, Taiwanese shipbuilder CSBC
Corporation and the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, which
develops combat system integration.
iii .The project is a part of the island’s indigenous defence policy and the delivery of the
submarine is expected to take eight years and deployed within 10 years.
India & Nepal Renews Fuel Supply Pact for Five Years
i. India has signed a renewed Petroleum Trade Agreement with Nepal on March 27, 2017 to
supply petroleum products to Nepal with prompt service.
ii. The supply agreement was signed between State-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and
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Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) for a period of five years. The agreement will be effective
from April 2017 to March 2022.
FSSAI and Coca Cola Signs Agreement to Train Street Food Vendors
i. Indian autonomous body established under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Food Safety
and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) signed an agreement with carbonated soft drink
maker from USA, Coca-Cola to train 50,000 street food vendors under FSSAI's project
named 'Clean Street Food’
ii. The Memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Pawan Agarwal, CEO, FSSAI
and Venkatesh Kini, president, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia. This project is initiated as a
contribution for Skill India campaign.
iii. The project is expected to be carried out for the next 3 years.
SCHEMES
Tamil Nadu CM Palaniswami Launches Rs 1580 cr Housing Scheme
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami launched a Housing Scheme on March 9, 2017 for
construction of concrete houses for the economically poor section of the society.
♦ The project is estimated at Rs 1,580 crore and will be implemented by the state government
with financial assistance from the Center.
♦ While launching the scheme, CM Palaniswami gave away work orders to five beneficiaries.
♦ For the current fiscal 2016-17, concrete houses will be constructed for 50,170 beneficiaries in
town panchayat limits.
Haryana Government announces Tirtha Darshan Scheme for Senior Citizen

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced Tirtha Darshan Scheme on March 3,
2017 during the ongoing budget session of the Haryana Assembly.Under the scheme, senior
citizens of Haryana domicile above the age of 60 years will be able to go on a Pilgrimage within
the country at government expense.
♦ The government would bear the entire cost of the tour of senior citizens belonging to Below
Poverty Line (BPL) families.
♦ In case of a couple, the expenses of the spouse belonging to BPL family would also be borne by
the government. They would also be allowed to take an assistant along with them.In case of senior
citizens of non-BPL families, the government would bear only 70 percent of the cost.
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Delhi Govt Extends Midday Meal Scheme for Girls Up To Class 12

i. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led Delhi government has come up with an initiative to extend
the mid-day meal facility for the girl students upto class 12 in all Delhi government schools.
ii. Currently Delhi provides the facility to all the students of government schools including boys
upto class 8 only.
iii. However, from April 1, 2017, the midday meal service will also include girl students from 9-12
also. Later the facility would also cover boys upto class 12.
iv. Delhi government has decided to set aside an amount of Rs. 50 crore for this purpose in its
Budget for 2017-18 to be presented on March 8, 2017.
v. The initiative makes Delhi the “first state” in the country to serve midday meal up to class 12.
Centre Approves Rs 756 cr scheme for Treating Cataract Patients

i. The Union Health Minister J P Nadda has announced that an amount of Rs. 756 crore has been
approved by the government under a scheme for the treatment of 786 lakh cataract patients over
the period of 5 years.
ii. The aim of the scheme is to eradicate the blindness among people due
to cataract by 2022. The scheme is a part of the National Blindness Control Programme.
iii. Under the scheme the government would provide Rs. 2000 financial assistance for each
cataract operation which would include the cost of lenses as well.
Arunachal Pradesh Launches Adarsh Gram Yojana for Rural Poor

i. The Arunachal Pradesh government has launched a new scheme Adarsh Gram Yojana that is
in accordance with the basic philosophy of the Prime Minister “Sabka Saath Sabka
Vikaas” (Collective Efforts Inclusive Growth).
ii. The scheme aims to reach the poor people in rural areas of the state to serve them better.
iii. Under the scheme, 123 villages (comprising one village per circle) will be developed as ‘Model
Villages’ during the fiscal year 2017-18.
iv. The state government has allocated an amount of Rs.93 crore in the Budget 2017-18 for
infrastructure development and for creating employment opportunities and community assets for
the people of those villages.
Government Launches Rs. 52000 lakh Mission Fingerling to achieve Blue Revolution
i. The Union government has launched Mission Fingerling on March 11, 2017 to achieve Blue
Revolution with the holistic development and management of fisheries in the country.
ii. The Blue Revolution programme focuses on creating an environment that envisages integrated
and holistic development and management of fisheries for the socio economic development of the
fishers and fish farmers.
iii. The main motive behind this programme is to enhance the fisheries production from 10.79 mmt
(2014-15) to 15 mmt by 2020-21.
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iv. The Department has identified 20 States based on their potential and other relevant factors to
strengthen the Fish Seed infrastructure in the country.
v. Total expenditure of about Rs. 52000 lakh has been identified by the government for the
programme to establish hatcheries and Fingerling rearing pond to ensure the fish production of
426 crores fish fingerling, 25.50 crores Post Larvae of shrimp and crab in the country.
Centre Launches New Scheme TIES for Developing Export Linked

InfrastructureCurrentfairssschemes
The Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched a new scheme named Trade
Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES) on March 15, 2017 for developing export linked
infrastructure and boost the competitiveness of India’s shipments.
• Aim: TIES aims to bridge the infrastructure gap in India to ensure smoother movement of
export cargo and also ensure quality standards and certification measures to promote
outbound shipment.
• The scheme will have a total budgetary allocation of Rs 600 crore for three years with an
annual outlay of Rs 200 crore.
• It will be implemented from April 1, 2017 and span from 2017-18 till 2019-20.
Salient Features of TIES
An inter-ministerial empowered committee under the chairmanship of commerce
secretary Rita Teaotia has been constituted for sanctioning and monitoring of the project.
• The 10 member committee comprises of commerce secretary, DGFT, NITI Aayog CEO,
joint secretaries from DIPP, Home Affairs Ministry and Ministry of Development of North
East Region.
• The scheme would provide assistance for setting up and upgradation of infrastructure
projects with export linkages like the border haats, land customs stations, quality testing
and certification labs, cold chains, trade promotion centres, dry ports, export warehousing
and packaging, Special Economic Zones (SEZ) and ports/airports cargo terminuses
• Besides, TIES would also consider the last and first mile connectivity projects related
to export logistics.
• Under the scheme, priority would be given to the projects involving significant
contribution by the implementing agency and bank financing for achieving financial
closure.
• Two states, Rajasthan and Karantaka, have already submitted project proposals under
this scheme.
Government Approves Solar Energy Scheme for Small Powerloom Units

i. The Minister of State for Textiles, Shri Ajay Tamta informed the Lok Sabha on March 16, 2017
that the Government has approved a new scheme, Solar Energy Scheme, to provide financial
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assistance/capital subsidy to small powerloom units, for installation of Solar Photo Voltaic (SPV)
plant.
ii. Aim: To mitigate the problem of power cut/ shortage faced by decentralized powerloom units in
the country so as to improve utilization, efficiency, productivity to face both the domestic and
international markets competitively.
iii. The Scheme is meant for Units having 04, 06 & 08 powerlooms and subsidies for different
SPV plants will be given in the range of Rs 2,25,000 to Rs 8,55,000 depending upon the capacity
of the SPV plant (4KWP, 6KWP, 8 KWP).
iv. Besides, the Government of India shall provide financial assistance/capital subsidy to the extent
of 50%, 75% & 90% of the basic cost of the Solar Energy Plant (Cost of Solar Panel + Inverter +
batteries) to the applicants of General category, SC & ST respectively.
v. The Scheme will come into force with effect from April 1, 2017.
Kerala, Tripura & Arunachal Pradesh Takes States’ List Under UDAY to 26
i. The power ministry has informed that a total of 26 states have now become the part of
the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) with the recent entry of Kerala, Arunachal
Pradesh and Tripura for the revival of debt stressed Discoms.
ii. While the state government of Kerala and Kerala State Electricity Board Ltd along with the
government of India signed the UDAY scheme on March 2, 2017, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura
joined the scheme on March 29, 2017.
iii. With the participation of the three states in the UDAY, they would have an overall net benefit of
approximately Kerala-Rs 4,178 crore, Arunachal Pradesh-Rs 309 crore and Tripura-Rs 810
crore due to cheaper funds, reduction in AT&C and transmission losses, interventions in energy
efficiency during the turnaround period.
LED Lights, Energy Saving Fans Distribution Scheme – launched by Virbhadra Singh
i. The Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh Virbhadra Singh officially launched the LED Lights,
Energy Saving Fans Distribution scheme on March 29, 2017. As the part of the scheme, LED
tube lights and energy-efficient fans are distributed to promote energy saving.
ii. The distribution of LED tube lights and energy saving fans is carried out under Unnat Jeevan by
Affordable LEDs and Appliances for All (UJALA) scheme
iii. The Himachal Pradesh government on September 2016, launched the UJALA scheme to
distribute subsidized CLF bulbs and LED lights, which helped in saving energy worth about Rs
200 crore and the present initiative is an extension of that scheme.
Centre to build 1 crore houses under PMAY-G by 2019

In a written reply to question raised in Lok Sabha, Ram Kripal Yadav - Minister of State for
Rural Development mentioned that Central Govt. has approved the construction of 1 crore
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houses under Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Grameen (PMAY-G) with the financial outlay of Rs
81,975 crore during the period of 2016-17 to 2018-19.
• This decision is a part of Govt. efforts to achieve ‘Housing For All by 2022’ mission set by
PM Modi.
Moving towards ‘Housing For All’ by 2022:
Going by provisional figures of Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011, approximately
4 crore rural households in India are face housing deprivation.
• After considering work done in this direction under Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) and
various State Govt. supported schemes since 2011, 2.95 crore houses still remain to be
constructed for achieving the goal of ‘Housing For All by 2022’.
• This approval to build 1 crore houses under PMAY-G by 2019 constitutes the first phase of
action plan.
COMMITTEE
Government Panel led by Partha Mukhopadhay Suggests Legal Framework to Secure the
Rights of Migrants
i. An 18 member panel constituted by the government has recommended necessary legal and
policy framework to protect the interests of the migrants in the country.
ii .The Working Group on Migration constituted by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty
Alleviation in 2015 submitted its recommendation report on March 1, 2017.
iii. The panel headed by Shri Partha Mukhopadhay has suggested to enable the migrants to avail
benefits of Public Distribution System (PDS) in the destination State by providing for inter-State
operability of PDS.
High level committee to examine working of CCIM, CCH and their governing legislation
i. The high level Committee has been formed to examine the working of the regulatory
bodies Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) and Central Council of Homoeopathy(CCH)
said by Yesso Naik, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH.
ii. The committee will be headed by Arvind Panagariya,Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog.
iii. Other members of the committee are Chief Executive Officer (CEO), NITI Aayog and Secretary,
Ministry of AYUSH
CBDT Constitutes Committee to Check Absconding I-T Dept Officers

i. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has constituted a 3 member committee on March
20, 2017 to identify those Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officers and other junior-rank
officers of the Income Tax department who are on unauthorised leave or are absconding, so
that strict disciplinary action could be initiated against them.
ii. The committee is headed by an officer of the rank of Additional Director General (ADG) and
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will carry out a one-time count of all the officers working in the department and identify the Group
‘A’ IRS officers who are presently on unauthorized leave or are absconding.
iii. The Committee is authorised to obtain information or certificate from controlling officers
regarding any IRS officer found to be absconding or on unauthorised leave to find out whether such
officers are still in service and/or on authorised leave and what action has been initiated against
these officers.
Water sharing between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana – KRMB to look after the issue
The issue in sharing of water from river Krishna between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana is to be
looked after by Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) as informed by Minister of state for
Water Resources and River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Dr Sanjeev Kumar Balyan in
Lok Sabha.
♦ The Central government has constituted the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) to look
into the issue.
Role of Krishna River Management Board (KRMB)
♦ The main role of KRMB will be issuing water release orders from time to time based on ad-hoc
arrangement.
♦ The order must be accepted by Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for sharing Krishna river water.
♦ The final allocation is to be made by the Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal -II.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Classified US satellite launched from California
i. A rocket carrying a classified U.S. satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office blasted off
from California.
ii. The satellite called NROL-79 is described only as a national security payload for the NRO that
has been put on space. The Mission did not reveal much information about the satellite.
President Pranab Mukherjee Confers Standard & Colours Award to 125 Helicopter
Squadron and MIT
i. President Pranab Mukherjee awarded the prestigious President’s ‘Standard’ to 125Helicopter
Squadron and “Colours” to Mechanical Training Institute (MTI) at the Tambaram air base,
near Chennai on March 3, 2017.
ii. The President’s ‘Standard’ and ‘Colours’ recognizes the meritorious service rendered during war
and peace.
iii .The 125 Helicopter Squadron also known as Gladiators of the Indian Air Force (IAF) was
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recognized for the outstanding role played during the Pathankot terror attacks, in confining the
terrorists to a restricted area and reducing the casualties.
Iran’s S-300 air defence system becomes operational

i. Iran’s advanced S-300 air defence system, delivered by Russia following a July 2015 nuclear
deal after years of delay, is now operational state said by State television
ii. The S-300 air defence system has been tested successfully in the presence of government and
military officials.
iii. The deal to buy the S-300 system was originally signed in 2007 but Russia suspended it in 2010
citing a UN ban on arms sales to Iran. It was revived after the nuclear deal between Iran and major
powers went into effect in January 2016
Environment Minister launches Web Portal for obtaining CRZ Clearances

i. Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Anil Madhav Dave, launched the web portal for
obtaining Coastal Regulation Zone clearances in New Delhi.
ii.The interactive Portal is for obtaining clearances required from the Ministry under the “Coastal
Regulation Zone” (CRZ) by the Project proponents which Minister also termed the launch of the
portal as a good example of ‘Ease of Doing Business’.
CBSE introduces Exam Locator app to help students

i. The Central Board of Secondary Education has come up with a mobile application named Exam
Locator, which will help students locate their examination centre on the basis of their roll number.
ii. Using this App student can easily find the address, images and geolocation of the designated
exam centre on the map and get to know how to reach there.
iii. This development comes amid exams are round the corner for class X or XII examinees who can
access information by selecting the option class and entering their roll number.
The Fifth Satellite Of Sentinel Series Launched By Europe

i. Sentinel-2B satellite developed by European Space Agency (ESA) was launched on March 7,
2017 as a part of European Union Copernicus environmental monitoring system. The satellite
weighing 1.1 tonne was lifted into the orbit from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana at
01:49 GMT on 7 March using a Vega rocket.
ii. Copernicus is an earth observation programme that will provide accurate, timely and easily
accessible information about the earth and its climate. The Copernicus programme was earlier
known by the name Global Monitoring for Environment and Security programme, previously known
as GMES. It is a joint initiative of European Commission (EC) and the European Space Agency
(ESA).
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Himachal launches mobile app Mera Hunar HP for job-seekers

i. Virbhadra Singh led Himacha Pradesh government has launched mobile app and website titled
‘MeraHunar HP’ or ‘My Talent’ to help skilled and semi-skilled workers find jobs.
ii.The mobile app will connect prospective employers with job aspirants as the latter’s resume
will contain addresses and contact numbers.
iii.This initiative will foster the skill development scheme and be of great help to pass-outs of
industrial training institutes also make available real time employment data of the state.
IBM Researchers Creates World’s Smallest Magnet to Store Single Bit Data
i. A team of researchers at IBM has created the world’s smallest magnet using a single atom
which can store one bit of data on it.
ii. Currently, hard disk drives use about 100,000 atoms to store a single bit. The breakthrough was
published in the journal Nature on March 8, 2017.
iii. The IBM scientists used a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to build and measure
isolated single-atom bits using the holmium atoms. Then, they used an electrical current to write
and read binary data (1s and 0s) on the atom.
Iran successfully Tests Ballistic Missile Hormuz-2

i. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran successfully test-fired a domestically
produced ballistic missile Hormuz-2 from a navy vessel on March 9, 2017.
ii. The Hormuz-2 ballistic missile was test-fired off the coast of Iran and successfully destroyed a
floating target about 250 kilometers (155 miles) away.
Hubble Space Telescope Captures Massive Galaxy UGC 12591

i. The Hubble Space Telescope has captured an image of an incredible massive galaxy named
as UGC 12591 which is located under 400 million light-years away from the Earth.
ii. According to NASA report, the galaxy and its halo together contain several hundred
billion times the mass of the Sun and four times the mass of the Milky Way.
iii. Besides, the galaxy rotates extremely quickly at speeds of up to 1.8 million kilometers per
hour.
NASA Spots ISRO’s Lost Lunar Spacecraft, Chandrayaan-1, Still Orbiting the Moon
i. Chandrayaan-1, India’s first unmanned lunar spacecraft, which was generally considered lost,
has been discovered by the NASA scientists still orbiting the Moon.
ii. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched its first lunar mission Chandrayaan-1
on October 22, 2008 and lost communication with the spacecraft on August 29, 2009.
iii. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) scientists located the ISRO’s
Chandrayaan-1 some 200 kilometers above the lunar surface using its ground based interplanetary
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radar on March 9, 2017.
Women Safety app ‘Ammavin Aran’ launched by AIADMK

i. The women safety app ‘Ammavin Aran‘ which means ‘mother’s fortress’ was launched by
the AIADMK Deputy General Secretary TTV Dhinakaran on March 9, 2017 in Chennai, Tamil
Nadu.
ii. Amma Aran app will give the details about the nearest police station and hospital along with
map details and phone number.
NASA’s Announces ‘Europa Clipper’ Mission to Explore Jupiter’s Moon

i. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on March 9, 2017 officially
announced the name of its upcoming mission to explore the Jupiter mysterious moon.
ii. The mission to explore the habitability of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa will be called as Europa
Clipper. The mission is being planned for launch
in the 2020s.
iii. Europa mission is a high priority for exploration for NASA because it holds a salty liquid water
ocean beneath its icy crust.
SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Launches EchoStar 23 Satellite

i. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket conducted its third flight of the year on March 16, 2017 to launch
a commercial communications satellite in the geosynchronous transfer orbit.
ii. The launch took off from NASA’s Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida and
carried the EchoStar 23 communications satellite into orbit.
Scientists Develops World’s First Blood Test for Autism

i. Scientists at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in United States have for the first
time in the world, discovered a way to accurately predict whether a child has Autism Spectrum
Disorder (ASD) by analyzing a blood sample.
ii. The blood test can help to determine whether a child is on the autism spectrum before they turn
two, which was till now diagnosed after the age of two.
iii. The Biomedical Engineering Department of RPI scientist investigated the patterns of over 24
metabolites from a blood sample and found significant differences between metabolites of children
with ASD and those that are neurotypical.
Japan Launches Latest North Korea Spy Satellite

i. Japan space agency JAXA launched a new spy satellite Radar 5 from a launch site in the
country’s southwest on March 17, 2017
ii. The information-gathering satellite Radar 5 is lifted off with H-2A rocket.
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MIT Pune & IBM Jointly Unveils Robot ‘Chintu’

i. The final year computer engineering students at Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT)
Pune and technology giant IBM have developed a robot named Chintu to assist senior citizens in
their everyday tasks.
ii. Chintu is about 58 cm (2 feet) tall robot, weighing over 5 kilograms.
Arunachal Teen Develops Goggles to Help Visually Impaired

i. Anang Tadar, a Class XI student of New Galaxy Academy, Nirjuli, Arunachal Pradesh has
invented a unique pair of goggles that uses ultrasound and infrared sensors to help the visually
impaired detect obstacles on their path.
ii .Tadar was awarded the Dinanath Pandey Smart Idea Innovation Award for inventing the gadget
named Goggle for Blind (G4B).
iii. Impressed by his innovation and keen to launch it in the market, the National Innovation
Foundation, set up by the Department of Science and Technology, has asked Anang to create a few
prototypes for the visually impaired to test.
Amitabh Bachchan Launches ‘ABC of Breast Health’ App

i. Megastar Amitabh Bachchan launched the World’s first mobile Application named ‘ABC of
Breast Health’ during an event organized by the Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation at
Mumbai’s JW Marriott Hotel on March 15, 2017.
ii. The app is launched for both IOS and Android versions and is available in Apple and Google
Play Store for free download.
iii. Aim: To educate the nation about every aspect of breast cancer and non-cancer breast health
issues. The app is available in 12 languages including English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi,
Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Oriya and Assamese.
New Wi-Fi system to offer super-fast connectivity

Netherlands Scientists from Eindhoven University of Technology have developed infrared
rays based Wi-Fi system whih is 100 times faster than the Wireless Fidelity networks.
Module of New Wi-Fi system:
i. Light antennas mounted on the ceiling will give the wireless data smartphone or tablet
ii. The antennas contain a pair of gratings that radiate light rays of different wavelengths at
different angles
Scientists at CERN Discovers Five New Sub-Atomic Particles Using Large Hadron Collider
i. The Scientists at CERN (European Organisation for Nuclear Research), have discovered
a new system of five particles all in a single analysis using the world’s largest and most powerful
particle accelerator, Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
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ii .The scientists said that the discovery is exceptional since observing five new states all at once is
a unique event in itself.
iii. The newly discovered particle states have been named as Oc(3000)0, Oc(3050)0, Oc(3066)0,
Oc(3090)0 and Oc(3119)0 according to the standard convention.
ISRO Commissions Two Major Facilities at VSSC

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) commissioned two major facilities,
a Hypersonic Wind Tunnel and Shock Tunnel at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre at
Thiruvananthapuram on March 20, 2017.
♦ The facilities were dedicated to the nation by the ISRO Chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar and are a
part of ISRO’s continuous and concerted efforts to minimise cost of access to space.
♦ Such facilities would provide adequate data for design and development of current and future
space transportation systems in the country.
Feature of the Facilities
i. The one meter Hypersonic Wind Tunnel and Shock Tunnel have been established with a wide
spectrum of simulation capabilities in terms of Mach number, Reynolds number and re-entry
velocities.
ii. These facilities are the World’s third largest in terms of size and simulation capability and
have been indigenously designed, developed and ‘Made in India’ with the support of Indian
industries.
iii. A few critical technologies, which are under embargo, have been jointly developed by ISRO and
industries for realization of these facilities.
iv. The facilities are dedicated in the memory of Satish Dhawan, a pioneer in the field and have
been named as the Satish Dhawan Wind tunnel Complex.
IIT-Kharagpur Set to Have Supercomputing Facility

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).
♦ National Supercomputing Mission envisages building supercomputing capacity and capability in
the country with an estimated budget of Rs 4,500 crore over a period of seven years.
♦ Peta-Flop is a measurement of computing power based on the frequency of mathematical
calculations that can be done per second.
♦ The institute is setting up a new Centre for Computational and Data Sciences (CCDS) to
build, manage, and operate the high-performance computing facility.
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GRAPES-3 Telescope To Be Upgraded for Precise Detection of Solar Storms

The GRAPES-3 Experiment, a telescope located at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research’s
(TIFRs) Cosmic Ray Laboratory in Ootacamund, Tamil Nadu is getting upgraded.
♦ The GRAPE 3 telescope became famous in 2015 when it detected the effect of a solar storm that
hit the earth in June 2015.
NASA Plans to Send Futuristic Atomic Clock to Space by 2017 End

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is set to send its next-
generation atomic clock into space by the end of 2017 which is a key advance for safely
navigating future human exploration of the solar system.
♦ As per the report by NASA on March 21, 2017, engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in
Pasadena, California have completed integration of the instrument, the Deep Space Atomic
Clock, with the spacecraft that will take it into orbit later in 2017.
♦ The NASA scientists stated that timekeeping plays a critical role in spacecraft navigation and the
atomic clock will be especially important for future deep space missions..
The World’s Largest Artificial Sun Sets Up in Germany

Every day, a huge amount of energy hits the Earth in the form of light from our Sun and though we
already have ways to harness the Sun’s energy, such as through solar panels still much of it still
remains untapped.
• Therefore, to harness the wasted energy, the scientists in Germany has come up
with “Synlight” Experiment to tests ways to make carbon-free fuel.
• Aim: To come up with the optimal setup for concentrating natural sunlight to power a reaction
to produce hydrogen fuel.
Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Launches MoPNG e Seva

i. The Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Shri Dharmendra
Pradhan launched MoPNG e-Seva, a dedicated grievances redressal platform across Social
Media on March 24, 2017.
ii. The MOPNG e-Seva is an integrated grievances redressal platform to address all queries
and grievances relating to Oil and Gas Sector via social media.
iii. The portal will act as a single point interface for all customers to reach out to the government
for addressing their feedback or grievances.
Scientists Working on Developing Solar-Powered Prosthetic Limbs

i. Researchers from the University of Glasgow have developed a unique technology that would
make it possible to use the sun's energy to charge the Prosthetic Limbs rather than using
batteries as is done currently.
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ii. The new study was published in the March 22 issue of the journal Advanced Functional
Materials. The scientists are the first to develop a model for solar-powered prosthetic skin.
iii. The researchers have developed a new prototype called "solar-powered skin," which would
include better sense capabilities than current technology.
iv. The technology involves installing a thin layer of pure carbon called Graphene, around a
prosthetic arm, hand or leg. This allows light to pass through it and be easily used as solar energy.
I&B Minister M Venkaiah Naidu launches Online Film Certification System

The recent launch of Online Film Certification System of the Central Board of Film Certification
(CBFC) by Information and Broadcasting Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, reasserts Modi Govt’s
commitment to promote ‘Digital India’ and ‘Ease of Doing Business’.
• The online film certification system named ‘E-Cinepramaan’ will come into effect from
1st April 2017 replacing the earlier system of physical submission.
To sum it up in the words of Mr. Naidu, the objective behind launching E-Cinepramann is to
ensure ‘Clean Cinema, Clean India’
Important Features of E-Cinepramaan:
• Under this system, Producers and CBFC officials will have an online dashboard wherein
they can view the status of individual application.
• Producers of short films, promos or trailers of less than 10 minutes, can submit their
creations online and are not required to visit the CBFC Office.
• Producers of films which are longer than 10 minutes will only be required to show the film
at examination theatre. They will not be asked to visit CBFC office except to collect the
certificate.
• During the entire process, the producers will be kept informed about their application
status through SMS as well as email. They will also be informed as and when any action
will be required from their end.
ISRO Joins 36th Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) officially declared that it has launched four
teams to the 36th scientific mission to Antarctica on March 22, 2017. The mission has been
organized by The National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR), Ministry of
Earth Sciences and Government of India.
• Climatic change is the main area of focus in this Expedition.
The four teams that went to Antarctica are as follows,
1. Space Applications Centre (SAC) Ahmadabad with two members
2. National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) Hyderabad with four researchers
3. Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS) Dehradun with one scientist and
4. Space Physics Laboratory(SPL) VSSC Thiruvananthapuram with three members
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Brown dwarf – purest and most massive, found by Astronomers

An international team of astronomers has identified a Brown dwarf which is believed to be with
the purest composition and the highest mass. The research team was led by Dr ZengHua Zhang
of the Institute of Astrophysics in the Canary Islands.
♦ The dwarf is identified as SDSS J0104+1535, is a member of the so-called halo - the outermost
reaches - of our Galaxy, made up of the most ancient stars. The scientists report the discovery in
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Researchers Discovers Earth-like Planetary Waves on Sun

According to a new study conducted by the scientist at the US National Center for Atmospheric
Research (NCAR), similar planetary waves that exist in the atmosphere high above the Earth
surface may also exist on Sun.
New Weather Monitoring System to Indian Navy unveiled by Sunil Lanba

i. The Integrated Automatic Aviation Meteorological System (IAAMS), which is the new
Weather Monitoring System to Indian Navy, is launched to use by Navy Chief Admiral Sunil
Lanba on March 29, 2017. The IAAMS was launched at Rajali Air Station in Tamil Nadu.
ii. The installation of the system at remaining 8 stations is expected to be completed by March
2019.
Online Vigilance Clearance System and E-Service Book launched by Central Government
i. Mr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region
launched the Online Vigilance Clearance System and E-Service Book in New Delhi on March
30, 2017. Central Vigilance Commissioner, K V Chowdary, was also present on this occasion.
ii. The Online Vigilance Clearance System is only available for board-level appointments done by
Public Enterprises Selection Board for Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSE).
iii. The E-Service Book will electronically maintain service records of the employees including leave,
house building allowance, history of work done at various departments.
F.D.A. Approves First Drug to Treat Severe Multiple Sclerosis

i. On 28th March 2017, Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A), the federal agency of the United
States Department of Health and Human Services approved the first drug to treat Severe Multiple
Sclerosis.
ii. This approval came as a ray of hope for all such patients who so far did not have any approved
drug for treatment.
iii. The drug called Ocrevus will be sold by Genentech Company owned by the Swiss
pharmaceutical major Roche.
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Centre Launches Mobile apps eChallan, mParivahan to Check Traffic Violations

i. The government has launched two new Android based Apps- echallan and mParivahan, to
provide transparency in enforcement of traffic rules as well as enable the citizens to report any
traffic violation or road accident.
ii. The two initiatives launched by the Union Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways are a part
of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Digital India campaign that seeks to develop cashless
India by adopting digital measures for daily activities.
Key Features of eChallan
♦ eChallan is an Android-based mobile app integrated with back-end web application for
the Transport Enforcement Wing and Traffic Police to manage traffic violations.
♦ The app will help the traffic police to enforce transport laws by issuing digital challans and
completely digitise the process of dealing with wrong-doers.
Key Features of mParivahan
♦ m-parivahan is a citizen-centric app. It provides various transport-related services to the
citizens like obtaining virtual driving licence and registration certificates through back-end
connection to the transport national register.
♦ Besides, m-Parivahan app also helps people in reporting any road accidents or even report
law breakers by clicking the pictures and uploading to Transport ministry account through app.
Suresh Prabhu Launches High Speed Internet Service at National Rail Museum
Suresh Prabhu, the Minister of Railways launched a high speed free Wi-Fi service for the visitors
at National Rail Museum, New Delhi on March 30, 2017.
About Wi-Fi Services in National Rail Museum
i. The free Wi-Fi service at the National Rail Museum has been commissioned by
the RailTel through ‘RailWire’ platform, the retail Broadband distribution model of RailTel to
make available ICT (Information and Communications Technology) to general public.
ii. RailTel jointly with technology giant Google has commissioned the service that will provide
world class internet experience to the hundreds of people visiting the Museum every day.
iii. RailTel has used a total of 23 access points, 11 access switches and 1 Fiber switch to create Wi
Fi facility at the National Rail Museum and will ensure high definition video, download a book or a
new game among others.
‘Aviation Turbine Fuel-Digital Issue and Payment’ launched by IAF Chief

Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa officially launched the e-billing system for
the Indian Air Force (IAF) called Aviation Turbine Fuel-Digital Issue and Payment (ATF-
DIP) in New Delhi on March 28, 2017. The new system of ATF-DIP will be implemented from April
1, 2017.
♦ The e-billing system is to be started on behalf of government's flagship Digital India program. It
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is implemented for the quick clearance and accounting of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) bills to oil
supplying Public Sector Units (PSU).
ACT Fibernet Launches 1Gbps Wired Broadband Internet Service in Hyderabad

i. Bangaluru based ACT Fibernet has launched a wired broadband internet service having a
speed of 1 Gigabit per second with the pilot service in Hyderabad.
ii. With this, the non-teleco company, ACT Fibernet, has become the first Indian entity to offer
such a high speed internet speed to the entire city.
iii .The high speed internet service will enable the Telangana government to connect all the 23
million citizen of the state to the Internet by 2018 and become technological hub.
iv. The 1 Gbps speed is 400 times faster than the average internet speed of 2.5 megabits per
second in India and is prices at Rs. 5,999 per month.
Four Lithium Ion (Li-ion) Batteries developed by ISRO

Dr Jitendra Singh, the Minister of State for the Development of North Eastern Region officially
released the information that Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has developed the
four types of Lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries. The batteries are used for satellite operation and
launching of vehicles into space.
Types of Lithium ion Batteries launched
The four types of batteries that have been developed are – 1.5Ah, 5Ah, 50Ah and 100Ah.
Implementation
50Ah Lithium ion Batteries was successfully demonstrated in a prototype two-wheeler at the
Symposium on International Automotive Technologies, 2017 (SIAT) on 19th January, 2017. The
prototype can attain speeds of 40-50 km/hour and runs up to 98 km once charged for 2 hours.
Cricket Legend Sachin Tendulkar Launches 100MB Cricket App

India’s batting legend Sachin Tendulkar launched an Android and iOS based app named
100MB Cricket on March 30, 2017 in Mumbai, which is dedicated to the Master Blaster himself.
♦ The app has been developed by Pune-based technology firm JetSynthesys.
Key Features of the 100MB Cricket App
i. The app is a one stop destination for all things related to the Indian icon.
ii. It has a Live Forum feature allowing users to have live interaction with Sachin Tendulkar as well
as have access to his personal social media updates.
First Recycled Rocket launched and retrieved after successful mission by SpaceX
i. Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) successfully launched it Falcon
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9 from space launch complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, Florida and retrieved it on March 30,
2017. The rocket was used to launch SES communications satellite into space.
ii. Falcon 9 rocket used a booster that had previously flown cargo to the astronauts living at the
International Space Station which makes it as the first ever recycled rocket sent by SpaceX. The
booster is reused from the rocket which flown to space in the month of March, 2016.
DEFENCE
India Successfully Test-Fires Indigenously Developed Supersonic Interceptor Missile
i. India successfully conducted the test-fire of its indigenously developed supersonic
interceptor Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missile, capable of destroying any incoming enemy
ballistic missile at low altitude.
ii. The missile was test-fired for the second time by DRDO in less than a month and is part of an
effort to put in place a multi-layer missile defence system. On February 11, 2017 also DRDO
successfully test-fired the missile.
iii .The testing of ADA missile was done against a target which was a Prithvi missile launched
from launch complex 3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur near Balasore in Odisha.
The target played the role of a hostile missile.
iv. Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missile was stationed at Abdul Kalam Island in the Bay of
Bengal. It received signals from radars about the incoming target missile. The interceptor was
launched and managed to destroy the incoming hostile missile in mid-air.
Navy successfully test-fires anti-ship missile from Kalvari submarine

i. The Indian navy successfully test- fired indigenously built Kalvari class submarine an anti-ship
missile for the first time, which reflects further bolstering India’s naval prowess.
ii. The weapon was fired from the first vessel in the series of six Scorpene-class submarines and
it successfully hit a surface target during the trial in the Arabian Sea.
iii. The Mazagon Dock Limited built under Project 75 , Kalvari which is the first in a series of
Scorpene class submarines being built in India.
iv. Besides Indian Navy is among a select few nations in the world to have anti-ship missile firing
capability from submarines.
DRDO Hands Over 3 of its Developed Products to Indian Army

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) handed over three defence
products for induction into the Indian Army in a formal ceremony on March 2, 2017 in New Delhi.
The products developed in DRDO’s laboratory include
1. Weapon Locating Radar (WLR) SWATHI
2. NBC Recce Vehicle
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3. NBC Drugs
About WLR SWATHI
Weapon Locating Radar (WLR) “SWATHI” has been developed by Electronics & Radar
Development Establishment (LRDE) of DRDO.
• The weapon includes 81mm or higher calibre mortars, 105mm or higher calibre shells and
120mm or higher calibre free flying rockets.
About NBC Recce Vehicle Mk-I
The NBC Recce Vehicle “Mk-I” is developed by Vehicles Research & Development Establishment
(VRDE) in association with Defence Laboratory, Jodhpur.
• NBC RV Mk-I has been developed for carrying out post event recce of Nuclear, Biological
and Chemical Contaminated areas.
NBC Drugs
The DRDO’s Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Allied Sciences (INMAS) have developed the NBC
drugs which are antidotes for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) emergencies.
Indian Navy’s Oldest Warship INS Viraat, Decommissions on March 6 After 30-Year
Service
Indian Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier, INS Viraat was decommissioned on March 6, 2017 at a
solemn ceremony in Mumbai after nearly 30 years of service for Indian Navy.
About INS Viraat
i. The ship which is famously known as the ‘Grand Old Lady’, was with the British Royal Navy
since 1959 before the Indian government bought it for Rs 6.5 crore in 1987.
ii. The aircraft carrier which is listed in Guinness Record for the oldest carrier in service was
inducted into the Indian Navy on May 12, 1987.
Vice Admiral Girish Luthra Commissions INS Tillanchang at Karwar

INS Tillanchang, a Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC) was commissioned into the Indian
Navy by Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval
Command, at Karwar, Karnataka on March 9, 2017.
♦ INS Tillanchang is the third ship of four follow-on WJFAC built by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders
and Engineers (GRSE) Kolkata.
South Korea and United States Begin Annual Military Drill Foal Eagle
i. United States and South Korean troops started their large-scale annual military drill
named Foal Eagle on March 1, 2017.
ii. The aim of the military exercise is to test their defense readiness against the threat from North
Korea.
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iii. North Korea conducted its first ballistic missile test of 2017 in February and views the Foal Eagle
Exercise 2017 as preparation for war against it.
India to train Myanmar Navy

i. Indian Navy will set up meteorological facilities and impart training for the Myanmar Navy,
which will help offset increasing Chinese presence in its neighbourhood.
ii. This development comes days after a recent visit of a Myanmar delegation to Kochi. This fits into
India’s overall effort to boost strategic cooperation under the ‘Act East’ policy.
Indo-Nepal joint Military exercise ‘Surya Kiran-Xi’ begins in Uttarakhand

i. The two-week long India-Nepal joint military exercise ‘Surya Kiran-Xi‘ begins in
Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand on March 7, 2017
ii. Aim: To train both the troops in the area of various counter insurgency operations over a
prolonged period.
Joint Military Exercise AL NAGAH-II Begins Between India-Oman in Himachal Pradesh

i. A 14 days long joint military training exercise AL NAGAH-II, of the Indian Army and the
Royal Army of Oman kicked off on March 6, 2017 at Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh.
ii. This is the second edition of the joint military exercise between the two countries. The first
edition was held at Muscat, Oman in January 2015.
India Successfully Conducts Maiden Tests of Extended Version of BrahMos Supersonic

Cruise Missile
i. India successfully test-fired an extended range version of supersonic cruise
missile BrahMos from a test range off the Odisha coast on March 11, 2017.
ii. The land attack version of the cruise missile was test fired from a mobile launcher from the
Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur near Balasore by Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO).
iii. 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.
Pakistan successfully test-fires land based anti-ship missile

i. Pakistan Navy has successfully test-fired ground-to-sea missile from the coastal region on
March 16, 2017.
ii. The trial was witnessed by Vice Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Khan Hisham Bin Siddique.
iii. The missile is equipped with modern technology avionics, secured a hit on a target placed at
sea with a high degree of accuracy .
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Three New Naval System To Indian Navy By DRDO

Recently DRDO (DEFECNCE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENTAL ORGANISATION), has provided
the INDIAN NAVY with three new naval systems to enhance its operation.This was handed over
by our Defence minister in-charge Mr. Arun Jaitely and accepted by our Chief of Naval staff
Mr. Sunil Lanba
• About Rs 2.56 lakh crore has been allotted for these system and Rs 1 lakh crore has
been used in past two years.
• In addition to that, IP based secured phone and gallium nitride technology has also
been released
These naval system include
1. USHUS –II SUBMARINE SONOR
2. DIRECTING GEAR FOR HULL-MOUNTED SONAR ARRAY
3. INTERNAL NAVIGATION SYSTEM FOR SHIP APPLICATION
Indian Navy Conducts Successful Test-Firing of Surface-to-Air Missile from INS

Vikramaditya
i. The Indian Navy successfully conducted the maiden trial firing of newly installed surface-to-
air Barak missile system from its aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya from 21 to 23 March in
the Arabian Sea.
ii. During the testing, the missile was fires against a live low flying high speed target, which
was successfully destroyed by the Barak missile.
INLCU L51 commissioned into Indian Navy at Port Blair

On 28th March 2017, INLCU L51, first of the eight ships of the LCU MK IV Class was commissioned
into the Indian Navy by Vice Admiral Bimal Verma, AVSM, Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and
Nicobar Command at Port Blair.
• INLCU L51 has been built by Kolkata-based M/s Garden Reach Ship Builders & Engineers Ltd.
(GRSE) Commissioning of this ship holds special significance as it has been designed and
constructed indigenously.
• It is the latest testimony to Modi Govt.’s commitment to ‘Make in India’ campaign.
• Dignitaries who attended commissioning ceremony included Vice Admiral Dilip Deshpande,
Controller of Warship Production and Acquisition, Rear Admiral VK Saxena (Retd.), Chairman
and Managing Director of GRSE along with other senior Indian naval officers.
Specifications of LCU 51:
1. Displacement (Weight): 900 tons
2. Length: 62.8 m
3. Breadth: 11 m
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4. Engines: 02 MTU diesel engines of 1840 Kw rating which can sustain speeds up to 15
knots
5. Armament: Two 30 mm CRN -91 guns in addition to 12.7 mm Heavy Machine Guns along
with 7.62 mm Medium Machine Guns
6. Other Hi-tech Specification: State-of-the art Electronic Warfare suite for early spotting of
adversaries. Integrated Platform Management System and Integrated Bridge System.
De-Induction Of Indian Navy’s TU142M Aircraft and Induction of Boeing P8I Into INAS
312
After 29 illustrious years of service, TU142M aircraft has been de-inducted from the Indian Navy.
A special farewell ceremony was organised on 29th March 2017, at INS Rajali, the premiere Naval
Air Station located in Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu.
• Dignitaries who attended the farewell ceremony included Admiral Sunil Lanba, PVSM, AVSM,
ADC Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral HCS Bisht, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief,
Eastern Naval Command, senior Navy officials, Bureaucrats as well as serving and retired men
who have been associated with the operations of TU142M.
About TU142M:
TU142M (Tupolev – 142M) is a Russian made aircraft.In the year 1988, it was inducted in Indian
Navy at INS Hansa based in Goa.
• In the year 1988, it was inducted into INAS 312 at INS Hansa based in Goa. It is to be
noted that INAS 312, which was commissioned in year 1976 at INS Hansa, initially had
five Lockheed L1049G Super Constellation Aircraft. These L1049G Aircraft were eventually
de-inducted from the squadron in the year 1983.
• TU142M has been one of the most feared LRMR platforms and is often dubbed as the
‘Flying Destroyer’.
Boeing P-8I, the successor of TU142M:
TU142M is being replaced by a fleet of P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft.P-8I has been
developed by Boeing Company and is popularly referred to as Boeing P-8 Poseidon by the United
States Navy.
ENVIRONMENT
Government Bans BBC from 50 tiger reserves for FIVE years
i. The global news agency, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has been barred by the
Indian Government from shooting in any of its 50 tiger reserves for a period of five years.
ii. The ban was imposed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) on February 27,
2017.
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iii. The ban was imposed for allegedly misrepresenting facts in a documentary film “One World:
Killing for Conservation” made by BBC about poaching in the Kaziranga National Park in Assam.
WCCB Conducts Operation Thunderbird & Operation Save Kurma to Combat Wildlife
Crime
The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) under the Ministry of Environment and Forests
coordinated nationwide ‘Operation Thunder Bird’ from January 30 to February 19, 2017 to
combat illegal trade of wildlife animals in the country.
• The operation was undertaken in coordination with International Criminal Police
Organization (INTERPOL).
• Besides, WCCB also convened a turtle specific operation code-named as ‘Operation Save
Kurma’ from December 15, 2016 to January 30, 2017.
NGT Fixes Norms for Camping Activity Along The River Ganga
i. The National Green Tribunal has passed an order on March 2, 2017 prohibiting 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, a hub for eco-tourism and river rafting.
ii. The Bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar gave the judgment upon a
petition filed by an environment activist Vikrant Tongad who highlighted that illegal and improper
activity at the camping sites led to the pollution of Ganga, forest areas and was violating the norms
and guidelines.
iii. The bench clarified that rafting which is one of the significant components of eco-tourism should
be encouraged but it should not cause any environmental and bio-diversity degradation.
Study Finds Earth’s Mantle 60 degrees Hotter than Thought

i. According to the findings by United States based Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
(WHOI), the Earth’s mantle is about 60 degree Celsius hotter than as previously thought by the
scientists.
ii. The new study could change the thinking of the scientists regarding the issues in Earth science
including how ocean basins form.
iii. The result is significant as a hotter mantle would be more fluid and thus help to better explain
the movement of rigid tectonic plates.
Centre Launches First Ever Survey in the River Ganga to Count Population of Aquatic Life
For the first time ever, the Government of India has launched a comprehensive and
scientific “across-the-river” survey in the River Ganga to determine the population of aquatic
life surviving in the River including the endangered Gangetic dolphin.
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• The survey is being conducted by the Dehradun based Wildlife Institute of India in
coordination with the forest departments of Ganga basin states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh,
Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
• Besides, eight NGOs dealing with bio-monitoring activities are also the part of the study.
• The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) said that the survey will act as a baseline
scientific data for the government to take necessary measures to improve quality of the river
water and .
Key Features of the Survey
The first edition of the survey to determine the aquatic life in river was launched on March 1, 2017
from Narora to Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh, which is spread at a distance of nearly 165 km.
• Now the second part will be launched later week of March 2017 from Allahabad to
Varanasi stretch accounting to 250 km in length.
• The survey is expected to continue until October 2017. The NMCG is also thinking over
conducting a study every two years.
Scientists Discovers World’s Oldest Known Fossils in Canada

According to research published in the journal Nature on March 1, 2017, scientists have discovered
the oldest known fossil in Canada which is believed to be as old as 3.7 billion years old or even
4.3 billion years old.
♦ The study was conducted in northern Quebec’s Nuvvuagittuq Supracrustal Belt (NSB) of
Canada by University College London (UCL) including researchers from the University of Ottawa.
♦ The scientists have not found fossils of the bacteria themselves, instead, they found small tubes
or filaments of iron oxide that would have been given off by the bacteria over time.
45% of country’s bird species in Himachal Pradesh: Great Backyard Bird Count
i. According to the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC)-2017 report about 45 percent of
country’s total bird spices were reported in Himachal Pradesh.
ii. The report says around 564 bird species, nearly 45 percent of the 1,263 Indian bird species,
were reported during the 4-day bird count from February 17 to 20.
iii. During the survey a total of 2,833 bird check lists have been uploaded to eBird and over 16000
birds were counted from all districts of Himachal, with highest number 453 bird species reported
from Kangra district.
Cyclone Enawo kills at least 3 in Madagascar and 500 homeless

i. Intense Tropical Cyclone Enawo was the strongest tropical cyclone that hit in the northeast of
the Madagascar.
ii.The cyclone killed at least three people, left nearly 500 people homeless and damaged schools
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and other buildings, posing grater economic challenges ahead.

iii. In response to this the country issued a red alert for several regions expected to be impacted by
the storm.
India launches phase-out plan of the harmful refrigerant HCFC

i. In a bid to adhere to its global commitment on Global warming India launched the country’s
latest plan to phaseout one of the key refrigerants Hydrochlorofluorocarbon. The HCFC is being
used in various sectors including refrigeration, airconditioning and foam manufacturing
ii. Upon this development which aimed to end use of harmful ozone depleting substances (ODS)
by switching over to nonozone depleting and low global warming potential technologies.
Punjab University Develops 3 Bt Cotton Varieties

i. Ludhiana based Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has developed India’s first genetically
modified varieties of cotton whose seeds could help the farmers in saving the cultivation cost.
ii. Three Bt cotton varieties have been identified by the Indian Council of Agricultural
Research (ICAR) namely PAU Bt 1, F1861 and RS2013 for cultivation in Punjab, Haryana and
Rajasthan.
iii. PAU Bt 1 and F1861 were developed by PAU, while RS2013 was developed at Rajasthan
Agricultural University (RAU), Bikaner.
iv. While the PAU Bt 1 was completely developed at PAU, the F1861 and RS2013 were converted to
Bt version by Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur.
Four States Jointly to Conduct Elephant Census in May 2017

i. The States of Odisha, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand have decided to jointly
conduct a synchronised Elephant census from May 9-12, 2017.
ii. A decision regarding the same was taken by senior Forest Department officials of the four
States during a regional workshop on March 10, 2017.
iii .The four States together have the maximum number of human-elephant conflict-prone
regions in India.
v .The census will be conducted based on an identical set of rules by all the 4 states and using
the direct and indirect counting methods.
Scientists of CSIR-NIO Finds New Canyon System Close to Kovvada Coast

i. A team of scientists at CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) in Visakhapatnam
have discovered 3 new canyons in the depths of Bay of Bengal close to Kovvada in
Srikakulam district, Andhra Pradesh on March 10, 2017.
ii. The 3 canyons forming a major canyon system was founded by the geologists with the help of
state-of-the-art facilities on board RV Sindhu Sankalp research vessel.
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iii. The ocean floor between Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam was clearly mapped for the first
time by the researchers by sending over 32 high density beams to the depths of the sea.
Great Barrier Reef Witnessing Mass Coral Bleaching for Second Year
i. In the first set of survey for the year 2017, scientists in Australia have revealed that the
iconic Great Barrier Reef is experiencing mass coral bleaching for a second year in a row for the
first time.
ii. After a survey conducted over the Reef between Townsville and Cairns on March 9, 2017,
the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority informed that the widespread damage is being
caused to the reef due to an underwater heatwave.
Scientists Finds Natural Swings Responsible for Loss of Arctic Sea Ice
i. As per the study conducted by United States based scientists, rapid loss of Arctic sea ice in
recent decades is partly driven by natural variation and not just global warming caused by
human activities.
ii. The researchers reported that the random and chaotic change in wind patterns is
responsible for about 30-50 percent of the sea ice loss in Arctic Ocean since 1979.
Scientists Discovers World’s First Fluorescent Frog in Argentina

i. A team of scientists have discovered the world’s first fluorescent frog in Argentina that emits
soft green, yellow and red light under normal light, but gives off a bright blue and green glow
in the dark.
ii. The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on
March 13, 2017.
World’s Oldest Plant-Like Fossils Found In India

i. Scientists from Swedish Museum of Natural History have found two kinds of fossils resembling
red algae in uniquely well-preserved sedimentary in Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh
ii. One type is thread-like, the other one consists of fleshy colonies.This algae is 1.6 billion years
old which will be the oldest evidence of plant-like life found on the Earth.
iii. The Indian fossils are 400 million years older and by far the oldest plant-like fossils ever foun
ICRISAT & ICAR Collaborates For Crop Improvement

i. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the International Crops
Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) have signed an agreement on March
16, 2017 in New Delhi to work together for crop improvement and agronomy programmes for
grain legumes and dryland cereals.
ii .The aim of the agreement is to strengthen their partnership to benefit the Indian as well as the
global farmers.
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iii. The core area of research in the agreement includes climate smart crops, smart food and
digitalisation of breeding database. Dryland cereals and grain legumes are branded as smart
foods
iv .Other areas of focus over the next three years include: Integrating systems modelling tools
enabling informed decisions for upscaling climate resilient agriculture, developing genetic and
genomic resources of finger millet and enhancing genetic gains for priority traits.
West Bengal Has Highest Number of Arsenic Affected Persons in India: Report
i. According the report presented in Lok Sabha by Union Minister for Drinking Water and
Sanitation Mahendra Singh Tomar, West Bengal was the top most state of India having highest
number of arsenic-affected persons as on March 4, 2017.
ii. The total number of arsenic-affected persons in the state was more than 1.04 crore.
iii. The State Minister of Public Health Engineering (PHE) Subrata Mukherjee informed that the
state has 83 blocks in eight districts where ground water is affected by arsenic contamination.
iv. These districts include, Bardhaman, Malda, Hooghly, Howrah, Murshidabad, Nadia, North and
South 24 Paraganas
Uttarakhand HC recognises Ganga as India's 1st living entity

i. A trans-boundary river of Asia Ganga along with river Yauna has recognised as the ‘first living
entity of India’ by the Uttarakhand High Court on March 20, 2017.
ii. Now, both the rivers will have same legal rights as a human being as per the constitution. If
someone pollutes river Ganga, the law will see it equal to harming a human being.
NGT Suspends Green Nod for Tamil Nadu Neutrino Project

i .The National Green Tribunal’s southern bench, comprising of Justice P Jyothimani and expert
member P S Rao, on March 20, 2017 suspended the environmental clearance for the India-
based Neutrino Observatory (INO) project to be set up in Tamil Nadu for research on high
energy and nuclear physics.
ii .As per NGT, the site of INO project is located near Madhikettan Shola National Park in Idukki
district of Kerala which is just 4.9 km from the project site.
iii. Besides, NGT also informed that the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border was only a kilometer away
from the project location which made the project fall in Category A level.
Mysterious Night Parrot Sighted in Western Australia for First Time in 100 Years
i. A group of four birdwatchers have sighted Australia’s most mysterious species, The Night
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Parrot, in Western Australia (WA) which was believed to be extinct.

ii. The discovery was made by Adrian Boyle, Nigel Jackett, George Swann and Bruce
Greatwich from Broome, in WA who dedicated 7 years of their life in locating the bird.
iii. The four friends reached the habitat of the species through aerial map and listening to the calls
of the parrots.
iv. One of the members of the group, Bruce Greatwich, managed to take a photo of the bird.
v. It is the first verified sighting of the bird in WA for almost 100 years. The Night Parrot
was green and yellow with black barred feathers
Bengaluru gets India's first vertical garden

i. First vertical garden of India has setup at the Hosur Road Electronics City Flyover in
Bengaluru to control the pollution level of the city.It will also act as a sound proofing barrier.
ii. The garden is an initiative of SayTrees which is an NGO having ordinary citizens as its members
who are determined to protect nature.
iii. The garden has an automatic drip irrigation system allowing the plants to get 100 milliliters of
water on a daily basis.
iv. The world's first vertical gardens were setup in China .
Telangana Archaeologists Find World's Largest Capstone

i. The world's largest capstone has been discovered by the Archaeology Department of
Telangana on March 21, 2017, after excavating an ancient human burial site in Narmeta village,
Siddipet district.
ii. The capstone weighing 40 tonnes was so huge that required large crane to lift it.
Cyclone Debbie Hits Australian Coastal Resorts; Causes Huge Damage

i. The Coastal areas in northeast Australia were severely damaged by high winds and heavy
rainfall on March 28, 2017, as Tropical Cyclone Debbie entered through the far north of
Queensland damaging homes and leaving thousands houses without power supply.
ii. The category 4 cyclone, Debbie, moved with a wind speed of more than 220 km per hour
(135 mph) damaging the tourist resorts in Whitsunday Islands along the world-famous Great
Barrier Reef.
Argentine Senate Passes Bill to Legalize Medical Use of Cannabis Oil

The Senate of Argentina unanimously voted favoring a Bill on March 29, 2017 by 58-0
to legalize the use of cannabis oil and other derivatives obtained from marijuana, for
medical use.
♦ While the Bill was already passed by the lower house earlier, the Senate too gave the final
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approval to the Bill, which now requires the signature of the President Mauricio Macri.
Ministry of Health.
Bhoorsingh the Barasingha - Official Mascot for Kanha Tiger Reserve.

The Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh is the first tiger reserve in India to get the official
mascot named ‘Bhoorsingh the Barasingha’. The mascot was introduced by reserve’s field
director of Kanha Tiger Reserve, Sanjay Shukla.
• Barasingha was made the mascot after the idea given by the award-winning
cartoonist Rohan Chakravarty from Nagpur, who makes cartoons and illustrations on
wildlife.
SPORTS
Rio Open 2017 Winner List
The 2017 Rio Open was a professional men’s tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at
the Jockey Club Brasileiro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil between February 20 and February 26, 2017.
Winners List
Title Winner Runner Score
Men’s Single Dominic Thiem (Austria) Pablo Carreno Busta 7–5, 6–4
(Spain)
Men’s Double (Spain) Pablo Carreno Juan Sebastián Cabal / 6–4, 5–7, 10–8
Busta/Pablo Cuevas (Uruguay) Robert Farah (Colombia)
India to host women’s Youth World Boxing Championship in November 2017

i. 2017 World Women’s Youth Boxing Championship will be hosted by India in November for the
first time since 2010.This was announced during the AIBA commissions meeting held in New
Delhi on March 1, 2017
ii. This was the first time that the AIBA commissions meeting was held in India and the
chairpersons from 11 commissions of AIBA attended the event to discuss the future of world
boxing.
iii. AIBA signed Memorandum of Understanding with the Sports Ministry to set up
the International Boxing Academy could be set up at the IG Stadium in New Delhi
Kripa Bishnoi Appointed as International Match Referee by UWW

i. Kripa Shankar Bishnoi, a former Indian wrestler has been appointed as an international match
referee by United World Wrestling (UWW), the sport’s global governing body.
ii. Bishnoi joined the long list of Indian referees at the international panel after clearing the
examination for the Referees’ Courses, which was held in 2016 by UWW at Dortmund,
Germany.
iii. Bishnoi was selected by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) for the annual training
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course for match referees conducted by the UWW.
AIFF Appoints Luis Norton de Matos New Head Coach of India U-17 Football Team
i. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) appointed Portugal’s Luis Norton de Matos as the
head coach of the India U-17 World Cup team on March 1, 2017 for the forthcoming FIFA U-17
World Cup India 2017.
ii. The 63 year old De Matos will replace Nicolai Adam who was forced to resign under
controversial circumstances after a revolt from the players.
Australian cricketer Sarah Coyte announces retirement

i. Australian women cricketer Sarah Coyte has announced her retirement from all forms
of cricket with immediate effect to combat mental health issues.
ii. The Former Southern Stars pace bowler pocketed whooping 100 wickets in all forms of cricket
for Australia since her debut in 2010, playing 81 matches in the Test, ODI and T20I matches.
Maria Sharapova handed wildcard to participate in the Italian Open

i. Russian Tennis star Maria Sharapova has been granted wild card Italian Open as makes her
return from a doping ban. The Rome tournament runs from May 15 to May 21.
ii. The former world number one will return to the tour on April 26 in Stuttgart Open, after a
15-month ban for testing positive for the banned substance meldonium ends.
List of Winners of the ISSF Shooting World Cup 2017

The 2017 ISSF World Cup was held at the Dr. Karni Singh Range, Tughlakabad in New
Delhi from February 22-March 4, 2017.The annual ISSF World Cup is governed by
the International Shooting Sport Federation.
Overall Medal Tally
Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 China 6 6 0 12
2 Italy 2 3 0 5
3 Australia/Japan 2 0 1 3
5 India 1 2 2 5
Heena Sidhu and Jitu Rai Bag Gold at Shooting World Cup
Jitu Rai and Heena Sidhu bagged the first ever gold medal in the newly included 10m pistol mixed
event at the ISSF Shooting World Cup.
India’s Ghatkar Wins Bronze in 10 m Rifle Event
Pooja Ghatkar clinched bronze medal in the women’s 10m air rifle event
Air Force Shooter Deepak Finishes 5th in 10 m Air Rifle Event
India’s Deepak Kumar gave an impressive performance in the Men’s 10m Air Rifle at the ISSF
World Cup in New Delhi.
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Jitu Rallies Win Bronze In ISSF World Cup

Jitu Rai won gold medal in the 50-metre free pistol event on March 1, 2017 in the ISSF World
Cup at the Dr. Karni Singh Range, Tughlakabad, New Delhi. Jitu created a new world record
with 230.1 points.
2017 Dubai Tennis Championships

The Dubai Tennis Championships (also known as the 2017 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
for sponsorship reasons) were held at the Aviation Club Tennis Centre in Dubai, United Arab
Emirates.
The Winners
Category Winner Runner
Men’s Singles Andy Murray (United Kingdom) Fernando Verdasco(Spain)
Women’s Singles Elina Svitolina(Ukraine) Caroline Wozniacki(Denmark)
Men’s Doubles Netherlands Pair Rohan Bopanna (India) / Marcin
Jean-Julien Rojer / Romania Horia Matkowski (Poland)
Tecău
Women’s Doubles Ekaterina Makarova(Russia) / Elena Andrea Hlaváčková (Czech Republic)
Vesnina(Russia) / Peng Shuai ( China)
2017 Brasil Open – Overview

The 2017 Brasil Open was a tennis tournament was the 17th edition of the Brasil Open, and
part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2017 ATP World Tour.
Title Winner Runner

Singles Uruguay Pablo Cuevas Spain Albert Ramos Viñolas
Doubles Brazil Rogério Dutra Silva / New Zealand Marcus Daniell /
Brazil André Brazil Marcelo Demoliner
Asia Men’s Rugby Sevens Trophy: Ind defeat Pak to secure 7th rank
i. The Indian men’s Rugby team, led by skipper Gautam Dagar, piped Pakistan by 14-12 to claim
the 7th rank at the Asia Men’s Rugby Sevens Trophy held at Aspire Rugby Field in Doha, Qatar.
ii. However the Philippines team bagged the Asia Men’s Rugby Sevens Trophy and secured a place
in the Asia Rugby Sevens Series, which will feature three legs and will be played later this year.
India’s women’s hockey team registered 3rd successive win against Belarus
i. India’s women’s hockey team led by Ritu Rani defeated Belarus 3-1 to clinch their
third consecutive win in the five-Test Series held in Bhopal. This will be warm-up tournament
ahead of their Hockey World League Round 2 tournament in Canada scheduled this April.
ii. After a goalless first quarter Belarus skipper Ryta Batura scored in the 24th minute through a
penalty corner and in the backdrop skipper Rani scored two consecutive field goals to put India in
command with a 2-1 lead.
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iii. The another star Deepika who scored India’s third goal in the 42nd minute to take a 3-1 lead
while the defenders did well to keep the visitors from scoring in the final quarter to confirm a win.
2017 Mexican Open – Overview

i. The the 24nd edition -2017 Mexicano Telcel tennis tournament was played on outdoor hard
courts. It was 17th edition for the women and part of the 2017 ATP World Tour and the 2017 WTA
Tour held in Acapulco, Mexico.
ii. Spain’s Nadal was bidding to win his 70th ATP World Tour singles title and become the
fifth player to achieve that feat. Rojer has 89 under his belt.
Men’s singles Sam Querrey (United States) Rafael Nadal (Spain)
Women’s singles Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) Kristina Mladenovic (France)
Men’s Doubles Jamie Murray / Brazil Bruno Soares John Isner / Spain Feliciano López,
(United Kingdom Pair) (United States Pair)
Women’s Doubles Darija Jurak (Croatia) / Anastasia Verónica Cepede Royg (Paraguay) /
Rodionova (Australia) Mariana Duque Mariño (Colombia)
OPPO wins Indian team sponsorship rights till 2022

i. Chinese smartphone manufacturer OPPO Mobiles has bagged the Indian team sponsorship
rights for a five-year period starts on 1st April 2017 and continues until 31st March 2022,
ii. The Mobiles major will cough out INR 1079 crore for the duration of their contract having
beaten the only other bid of INR 768 crore (approx USD 115 million) from Vivo, another
smartphone manufacturer.
iii. The minimum reserve price was set by the Indian Cricket administrator BCCI at INR 538 crore.
The existing team sponsor, Star India, whose contract expires on March 31
Ashwin, Jadeja jointly ranked number one in ICC Test rankings

i. Indian Spin duos Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin jointly claimed at No.1 in the ICC rankings for
Test bowlers in what is the first time of two spinners the top spot. Both stood at the top at 892
points.
ii. After Jadeja’s heroics show seven wickets, including a first-innings six-for, in the second Test
against Australia helped him occupy the top rank and assured India the No.1 spot.
India Surpass Belarus 3-1 to Win Women’s Hockey Series 5-0

i. Indian women’s hockey team beat Belarus 3-1 in their fifth test to clinch the five-match Test
series 5-0 on March 8, 2017 in Bhopal.
ii. Under the captaincy of striker Rani, India’s first field goal came by Vandana Katariya in the
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sixth minute. While in the first quarter, Gurjit Kaur converted a penalty corner in the 15th minute
to make it 2-0
South African Surfer Makes World’s First Atlantic Crossing On Paddleboard

i. Chris Bertish, a South African surfer and a sailor became the first person in the world on
March 9, 2017 to cross the Atlantic Ocean on a stand-up paddleboard after completing an
epic 4,050-mile voyage alone at sea.
ii. 42 year old Bertish began his journey from Agadir, Morocco 93 days ago on December 6 and
arrived at English Harbour, Antigua in the Leeward Islands of the Caribbean on March 9, 2017.
iii. During his adventurous journey, Bertish had contended with sharks, storms and loneliness.
India ranked 132 in the latest edition of FIFA ranking

i. In the latest FIFA ranking for the month of March Indian Football team dropped two places and is
now ranked at 132nd spot as compared to 130 in February FIFA ranking. The rankings were
released on 9 March 2017.
ii. Currently Indian team has 233 points which is 11 less than what it had in the month of February
i.e 244 points.
iii. Argentina is at the top in FIFA ranking with 1644 points, followed by Brazil at second spot with
1534 points and Germany at third spot with 1443 points. Chile and Belgium are ranked at fourth
and fifth respectively in the FIFA rankings for the month of March.
Lee Chong Wei Wins His Fourth All England Championship Title
Top seeded Lee Chong Wei won his fourth All England Championship in men’s singles event by
beating Shi Yuqi from China21-12, 21-10 at the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham, England on
March 12, 2017.
Other Category Winners

Women’s Single China’s Tai Tzu-ying 21-16, 22-20 Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon
Men’s Double Indonesia’s Marcus Gideon and Kevin China’s Li Junhui and Liu
Sukamuljo 21-19, 21-14 Yuchen
Women’s Double South Korea’s Chang Ye Na and Lee So Denmark’s Kamilla Rytter Juhl
Hee 21-18, 21-13 and Christinna Pedersen
Mixed Double China’s Lu Kai and Huang Yaqiong 18- Malaysia’s Peng Soon Chan and
21, 21-19, 21-14 Liu Ying Goh
SSP Chawrasia Becomes Second Indian Golfer to Defend Indian Open Title
i. SSP Chawrasia became the only Indian Golfer to retain his Hero Indian Open title for the
second year in a row with a remarkable seven-stroke win in New Delhi on March 12, 2017.
ii. The Hero Indian Open held at the redesigned DLF Golf and Country Club redesigned DLF Golf
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and Country Club carries an enhanced prize purse of USD 291,660.

iii. This was his sixth win on the Asian Tour and overall sixth international victory.
Punjab Defeats Railways to Win Santosh Trophy

i. Punjab defeated Railways by a 2-1 in a Group B final round league match of the 71st Santosh
Trophy football tournament on March 13, 2017 in Goa.
ii. Punjab led by 1-0 at half time with score from Rajbir Singh (16th, 61st).
CAS Confirms Lifetime Ban on Sergei Portugalov

i. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on March 13, 2017 confirmed a lifetime ban
on Sergei Portugalov from sports for his role in providing illicit substances to Russian athletes.
ii. Sergei Portugalov is a former chief of the Russian Athletics Federation’s Medical Commission
(Swimming)
Joanna Rowsell Shand Announces Retirement from International Cycling

i. Two times Olympic gold medallist Joanna Rowsell Shand announced her retirement
from international cycling on March 14, 2017.
ii .The 28-year-old track cyclist won gold in the women’s team pursuit at London Olympics 2012
and Rio Olympics 2016.
BCCI Formulates New Constitution for Full Member Association

The Committee of Administrators, constituted by the Supreme Court to manage the affairs of
the cricket board, finalized and uploaded a new constitution for the Board of Control for Cricket
in India (BCCI) on March 18, 2017. However, the constitution prepared is not permanent.
♦ The new constitution has removed the 41-time Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai as its Full
Member and has given all north-eastern states the Full Membership status.
♦ The Mumbai Cricket Association and the Saurashtra Cricket Association which were Full Members
earlier were downgraded to Associate membership.
♦ In addition to all North Eastern States, Bihar, Telangana and Uttarakhand have also got the Full
Member status.
Roger Federer Beats Stan Wawrinka to Win 2017 Indian Wells Tournament
i. Swiss Professional Tennis Player Roger Federer won his fifth BNP Paribas Open Tennis
Tournament crown on March 19, 2017 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, California by
defeating his fellowmate Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 7-5.
ii. The win also marks Federer’s 90th tour-level crown and his 25th ATP World Tour Masters
1000 title.
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2017 Winners
Title Winner Runner

Men’s Single R. Federer S. Wawrinka
Women’s Single Elena Vesnina Svetlana Kuznetsova
Men’s Double Raven Klaasen/Rajeev Ram Lukasz Kubot/Marcelo Melo
Women’s Double Chan Yung-Jan /Martina Hingis Lucie Hradecka /Katerina
Siniakova
Tamil Nadu Beats Bengal to Win Vijay Hazare Trophy

i. Tamil Nadu won the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2017 at the Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi on March 16,
2017 by beating Bengal by 37 runs in the finals.
ii. With this win, they become the only team to win the tournament five times out of which one
was shared with Uttar Pradesh in 2004-05.
iii .Tamil Nadu’s Wicket keeper Dinesh Karthik was adjudged as the Man of the Match. He
recorded his fifth 50+ score in the tournament and took his aggregate to 495. The average is 82.5.
India’s Vidya Pillai Wins Silver in World Women Snooker Championship

i. India’s Billiards Champion Vidya Pillai settled for silver medal in the 2017 World Women
Snooker Championship held in Safra Toa Payoh, Singapore on March 20, 2017.
ii. The 39 year old lost to Hong Kong's Ng On Yee, who won the gold with 5-4 lead. This was the
second win for Ng who earlier won the Championship in 2015.
National Champion K T Irfan Wins Bronze in Asian 20km Race Walk Championships
i. India’s KT Irfan won the bronze medal in men’s 20km race walk event at the Asian Race
Walking Championships in Nomi, Japan on March 19, 2017.
ii. The 27 year old Army athlete clocked an impressive 01:20:59 to clinch the title.
Cheteshwar Pujara becomes first Indian to face 500 balls in Test innings
i. Indian Cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara(29) became the first Indian batsman to face 500 balls in
the second innings of the 3rd Test against Australia at Ranchi.
ii. Pujara has played 525 balls in his 202 run innings. With this he breaks Rahul Dravid's record
who faces 494 balls in 2004.
Ravindra Jadeja Outclasses Ashwin to Rank Top Test Bowler in ICC Ranking
i. India’s spin-bowler Ravindra Jadeja has attained the top spot in the list of the Test bowlers as
per the latest ICC Test Ranking released on March 21, 2017.
ii. The 28 year old left-handed spinner bagged a total of nine wickets in the recently concluded
match between India and Australia in Ranchi.
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Ankur Mittal Clinches Gold in Double Trap Event in ISSF World Cup Mexico
i. Indian shooter Ankur Mittal won the gold medal at the International Shooting Sport
Federation Shotgun World Cup in the men’s double trap event at Acapulco, Mexico on March
23, 2017.
ii. Mittal beat Australia’s James Willet with a score of 75 out of 80 while Willet managed 73.
iii. With this, India got its first medal of the competition where it has sent a nine-member squad.
iv. In the six-man 80-targets final round, Ankur missed a total of 5 targets, including just two in his
last 40.
India Bags 13 Medals in IPC Athletics Grand Prix 2017

The 9th edition of Fazza International IPC Athletics Grand Prix Competition began in Dubai,
UAE on March 20, 2017 and concluded on March 23, 2017.
♦ During the course of event, Indian para athletes won total 8 Medals including 3 Gold, 1 Silver
and 4 Bronze.
♦ With this India has been ranked 7th among 48 participating countries in terms of medal tally.
Gold Medal Winners
i.Sundar Singh Gurjar
i.The 21-year-old Gurjar won a gold in both men's Javelin Throw F-46 and Discus Throw F-46
competitions.
ii.Gurjar who lost his left hand in an accident two years ago, threw a best of 60.33m in Javelin
Throw F-46 while 44.56m in Discus Throw F-46.
ii.Narender Ranbir
The third Indian gold was bagged by Narender Ranbir in men's Javelin Throw F-44 with an effort of
47.75m.
Other Winners
i.Anandan Gunasekaran (Silver) in 400m Men T-42/44/46
ii.Ramkaran Singh (Bronze) in 800m Men T-13/20
iii.Surjit Singh (Bronze) in Shotput Men F-40/41/42
iv.Rohit (Bronze) in 400m Men T-11/12/13
v.Pramod K Yadav (Bronze) in 400m Men T-42/44/46
Srinagar’s Bakshi Stadium Set to Develop into World Class Footaball Facility as per FIFA
norms
The Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar will soon be transformed into modern football stadium as per the
norms of the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). The estimated cost
for developing of the stadium is Rs 48 crore
♦ The announcement regarding the transformation of the stadium was made by Baseer Ahmad
Khan, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir during a meeting held to discuss the State Sports
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Council activities.
♦ Among other, Divisional Sports Officer, Deputy Director Planning, District Officers from Sports
Council also attended the meeting.
India ends with 73 medals from 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games, Austria
Indian team finished in a high note in the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games with a
triumphing 73 medals held in Austria between March 18 and March 24. These games are meant
for the specially-able person and India finished as a special team with 89 participants.
• India finished the games with an overall medal tally of 37 gold, 10 silver and 26
bronze with total tally of 73 medals.
About Special Olympic World Winter Games, 2017
2017 Special Olympic World Winter Games, is the 12th Special Olympic World Winter Games held in
Graz and Schladming, Austria with a motto “Heartbeat for the World”. It took place from March
14 through March 25, 2017 with 27 events (9 sports).
• The games include Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing and Floor ball, Figure Skating,
Snowboarding, Speed Skating, Snowshoeing and Stick Shooting.
• The highest number of participation is from the hosts (Austria) with total of 320 athletes
followed by USA (139 athletes).
• The next Special Olympic World Winter Games will be held in Abu Dhabi, UAE in the
year 2019.
Indian medal reports
The highest numbers of gold medals are won in three team events. They include Floor Hockey
(male), Unified Floor ball and Traditional Floor ball where India clinched 30 out of 37
gold medals in a single day.
• The highest number of bronze medal is collected by 'special' women hockey team with 16
bronze medals.
• Indian team also done well in the sport called Alpine skiing raking, where it won a total
of 10 medals including 3gold, 3 silver and 4 bronze.
• In Snowboarding, India finished with 8 medals including 4 gold, 2 silver and 2
bronze medals which is followed by snow shoeing with a total of 5 medals including 2
silver and 3 bronze.
• Our team also done well in Speed and figure skating where it collected 4 medals with 3
silver and 1 bronze.
Indian athletes medal report
Indian medal tally is opened with the Punjab sportsperson named Shamsher Singh, for his
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splendid performance in snow shoeing on the first day which is India’s first silver medal.
• India’s first gold medal was won by six special athletes on March 21 for Alpine skiing and
snowboarding.
• Megha , a Himachal young woman created history by becoming the first Indian to win a
gold medal in the games which were held in Graz, Schladming and Ramsau in Austria.
She bagged the gold for Alpine Skiing.
• The another teammate from Himachal named Sanjay Kumar who is an Indian Army
soldier and recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, got two gold’s for Snowboarding .
Sebastian Vettel beats Lewis Hamilton to win Australian Grand Prix

i. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel beat Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton to win the 2017 Formula 1
Rolex Australian Grand Prix on 26 March 2017 at Albert Park in Melbourne.
ii. Besides, Mercedes’s Valtteri Bottas completed the podium at third position.
iii. This is Vettel’s 43rd race victory of his career and first victory since the 2015 Singapore Grand
Prix with a gap of just 9.9 second to runner-up Hamilton.
Rafael Nadal Wins against Philipp Kohlschreiber In His 1000th Tour Level Match
Miami open tournament that has been taking place from March 20th, 2017 has witnessed a
wonderful game of the season in which Rafel Nadal has came out with a winning note
against 31st seeded player, German veteran Philipp Kohlschreiber. With this win he has
registered a win in his 1000th match which is very big achievement in his career.
West Bengal Beats Goa to Win 71 Santosh Trophy

i. West Bengal beat Goa (1-0) to clinch the 71 Santosh Trophy for a record 32nd time on March
26, 2017 at the GMC Bambolim Stadium, Goa.
ii. The maiden goal came from Manvir Singh in 119 minutes after playing a goalless 90 minutes to
defeat Goa at home ground.
iii. Last time West Bengal clinched the title in 2010-11 against Mizoram.
Bhubaneswar Set to Host World Hockey League 2017; 2018 World Cup
i. Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha, 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.
ii. The information was confirmed by the international hockey federation (FIH) and the government
of Odisha on March 27, 2017.
Australian Pace Bowler Shaun Tait Retires from all Forms of Cricket
i. Shaun Tait, Australian fast bowler officially announced his retirement from all forms of
cricket on March 27, 2017, thus ending his 15-year career at the competitive level.
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ii. The 34 year old Adelaide-born cricketer has played a total of 3 Tests, 35 ODIs and 21 T20Is
for Australia. Tait was known as The Wild Thing by teammate for unconventional bowling action.
Li Ning-Israel Open - Purva Barve And Varun Kapur Bags International Title
i. The Indian shuttle players Purva Barve and Varun Kapur bagged double delight by winning in
the Li Ning-Israel Open 2017 which was held at Sports Hall, Rishon LeZion in Israel. The Pune
based players brought home the momentum for which the whole nation would be proud of.
ii. The World No.70 Purva Barve, from Pune won against the World No.61 Lela Minadze from
Russia in straight sets of 21-6, 21-4 which lasted only for 18 minutes. Purva Barve also ranks
fourth in the Under-19 Women’s Singles.
India remains no.1, retains the ICC test championship mace

i. India stayed strong in its No.1 spot in ICC test rankings, after a marvelous win against West
Indies in West Indies and followed by a successful home season. On 28th March, 2017 India
clinched its final test series in home against Australia this season and retained its ICC Test
Championship Maze.
ii .The maze was presented by our former Opening batsman Sunil Gavaskar to our Indian team
captian Virat Kolhi at a ceremony after the fourth and final Test against Australia.
iii. The 2nd and 3rd spot will be decided after the ongoing Hamilton Test between South Africa and
New Zealand. If South Africa wins or draws against New Zealand then it will remain at 2nd spot
or Australia will take the 2nd position.
Records by players
♦ Indian Off break bowler Ravichandran Ashwin finished the season with a record of 74 wickets
which no bowler has achieved.
♦ He won the ICC Cricketer of the Year 2016.
Gaurvi Singhvi swims to create record in Arabian sea

Gaurvi Singhvi, the 14 year old Udaipur girl became the first to swim across Bandra Worli Sea
Link to the Gateway of India route in Arabian Sea in a record time of 6 hours and 30 minutes. She
also swam across that route by breaking an earlier record.
Lionel Messi banned from next 4-competitive international matches for Insulting Referee
i. Argentinean footballer Lionel Messi received a 4-match ban after using insulting words at an
assistant referee in the match against Chile held on March 24, 2017. The top scorer for his
country, Messi was found guilty for violating the Act 57 of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee
(FDC)
ii. Messi will miss the upcoming matches against Bolivia and Uruguay (away) as well as Venezuela
and Peru (home). He will play only in the last qualifier match against Ecuador on October 10, 2017.
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Vietnam International Challenge Badminton tournament – Chirag and Satwik triumphs

Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy the Indian men doubles team won the title at
the Vietnam International Challenge Badminton tournament at Hanoi on March 27, 2017.
This title is their 4th International Challenge title
♦ The world Ranked 59 Chirag and Satwik clinched the title against Trawut Potieng and
Nanthakarn Yordphaisong from Thailand. The world ranked 89 Thailand duo lost to Indian duo
17-21, 21-9, 21-15 that took place for 50 minutes.
BCCI Senior Trophies - Tamil Nadu Cricket team becomes the 1st to win in all forms
Tamilnadu State cricket team won the Deodhar Trophy on March 29, 2017. By this win,
Tamilnadu State cricket became first state team to win all the Board of Control for Cricket in
India (BCCI) senior level matches.
Srinath Narayanan is all set to become India's 46th Grandmaster in Chess
i. Srinath Narayanan, the 23-year-old Chess player from Chennai, Tamilnadu is in his track of
becoming the 46th Grandmaster in the history of this sport.
ii. The milestone was achieved by him after defeating GM David Anton Guijarro from Spain at
the Sharjah Masters 2017 chess tournament held on March 29, 2017.
iii. The 45th Grandmaster title was held by Aryan Chopra from New Delhi. He is currently the
grandmaster in the world.
World Olympic medals stripped from Runner Abeylegesse

i. Elvan Abeylegesse, the 34 year old Turkish long-distance runner stripped of Two Olympic
silver medals and One Championship medal after she was found positive in re-analysis of an in-
competition doping test which was done on August 25, 2007.
ii. This was declared by International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) on March
28, 2017.
iii. Medals stripped from Elvan Abeylegesse
1.World Athletics Championships, 2007- Silver medal held in Osaka.
2.Beijing Olympics, 2008 - Silver medals in 5000 meters and 10,000 meters.
Bookie link in Pakistan Super League T20- Pakistan bowler Mohammad Irfan banned for
1 year
i. The Pakistani left-handed pace bowler Mohammad Irfan has been suspended for one year with
a fine of USD 1000, after he admitted himself that he had failed to report about the approaches
made by bookmakers who were linked with spot-fixing of T20 league.
ii. The other four Pakistani players who were held in this scandal were Sharjeel Khan, Khalid Latif,
Shahzaib Hasan and Nasir Jamshed.
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Asian Athletics Championships to be hosted by Bhubaneswar

i. 22nd Asian Athletics Championships will be hosted by Bhubaneswar which is going to be
conducted from July 6, 2017. The information was announced by Asian Athletics Association
(AAA). The venue was decided after the 86th Council Meeting of AAA.
ii. Continent flagship event will be held in Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The event has the
ending ceremony on July 9, 2017.
OBITUARY
Renowned Gujarati Writer Tarak Mehta Dies at 87

i. Noted Indian columnist, humorist, writer and playwright, Taarak Mehta, died on March 1,
2017 at the age of 87.
ii. He was mostly known for the popular column ‘Duniya Ne Undha Chasma’ in Gujarati
magazine. He started writing this column for Chitralekha in 1971.
iii. The popular Hindi TV show, Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashma, is based on this column.
Senior Congress leader & RS MP Haji Abdul Salam passes away

i. Rajya Sabha member from Manipur , Haji Abdul Salam passed away on March 1, 2017. He was
69.
ii. Salam is the first Manipuri Muslim to be a member of RS from Manipur. He has been
representing the state in the upper house since 2014.
iii. He was elected to the 3rd, 6th and 8th Manipur Legislative Assembly from Wabagai assembly
constituency.
Veteran politician, former MP Yumnam Yaima Singh passes away

i. Veteran politician and former Member of Parliament Yumnam Yaima Singh passed away due to
age related ailments at a hospital in Imphal. He was 95.
ii. Singh was first elected to the Territorial Council in 1957 and subsequently elected seven times
continuously to the Manipur Assembly from Oinam Constituency from 1962 to 1985.
iii. Besides Politics he was brilliant writer and penned a book titled “A Piece of Tenth Lok Sabha”
in English, amongst many others
French football legend Raymond Kopa passes away

i. Legendary French football player Raymond Kopa was passed away after prolonged illness at the
age of 85 in Paris.
ii. Kopa was with French national team since 1950s, besides he was also part of team (Real
Madrid) that won the European Cup three times from 1957.
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Former IFS and MP Syed Shahabuddin dies

i. Well known Former Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer and parliamentarian Syed
Shahabuddin has passed away after a prolonged illness, at a hospital in New Delhi. He was 82.
ii. Syed began working as a diplomat for the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), later served three terms
from 1979-1996 as a MP.
Liver transplant surgical pioneer Dr. Thomas Starzl dies

i. The father of modern transplantation Dr. Thomas Starzl, and the key figure behind the
world’s first baboon to human liver transplants and research on antirejection drugs, has died. He
was 90.
ii. The American carried out the world’s first liver transplant in 1963, the world’s first
successful liver transplant in 1967, and pioneered kidney transplantation from cadavers.
Former Haiti President Rene Preval dead at age 74

i. Eminent Haitian Former president and agronomist Rene Preval has passed away at the age of 74.
He was described as “a dignified son of Haiti“.
ii. Preval was first elected President of the Caribbean nation from 1996 to 2001 and from 2006 to
2011 when he faced his biggest challenge.
Rabi Ray, former Lok Sabha Speaker, passes away

i. Eminent socialist politician and former Union Minister and former Speaker of Lok Sabha Rabi
Ray passed away after a prolonged illness in Cuttack. He was 91.
ii. His political career began soon after when he was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1967, from
the Puri parliamentary constituency, and was the leader of the Samyukta Socialist Party in the
Lok Sabha.
Bengal’s Popular Folk Singer Kalikaprasad Bhattarcharya Dies

i. Popular Bengali folk music singer Kalika Prasad Bhattacharya has died in a road accident at
Palsit in West Bengal. He was 47.
ii. The accident took place at Gurap on Durgapur Expressway (NH2) in West Bengal’s Burdwan
district.
iii. The folk singer voiced in films like Jaatishwar (2014), Moner Manush (2010) and Bhuban Majhi
(2017).
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Veteran journalist Arvind Padmanabhan passes away

i. Veteran journalist Arvind Padmanabhan, Executive Editor at IANS, has passed away after
suffering massive cardiac in New Delhi. He was 49.
ii. He had a long stint with IANS, joining the India Abroad newspaper that was then part of the wire
service in 1999 as in-charge of its Business Section. His marathon career extended with the PTI,
The Times of India and TV18.
Gravitational Waves Pioneer Ronald Drever Dies at 85

i. Noted Scottish physicist Ronald Drever passed away on March 7 in Edinburgh. He was 85.
ii. Prof Drever was well known for developing the world’s first successful gravitational
wave detectors Laser Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (LIGO).
iii. The LIGO detected the gravitational waves set off in the fabric of space-time by the merger of a
binary black hole pair in September 2015.
iv .Ronald Drever’s role in the detection of gravitational waves was recognised for a stream of
awards in 2016 including the Gruber, Breakthrough and Kavli prizes.
Former Puducherry Minister M Chandrakasu passes away

i. Former Agriculture Minister of Puducherry M Chandrakasu was passed away in Chennai on March
9, 2017. He was 67.
ii. Chandrakasu was first elected as Congress legislator from Neduncadu reserved
constituency in Karaikal in 1980. He became Speaker of the Assembly in 1985
iii. He was Minister in the Congress ministry led by V Vaithilingam between 1991 and 1996
iv. He was Agriculture Minister in the AINRC government formed by Rangasamy in 2011
Chemistry Nobel laureate George Olah dies aged 89

i. Hungarian–American chemist George Olah was passed away in in Beverly Hills, USA. He is 89.
ii. Olah received the chemistry Nobel prize for his work on carbocations in 1994.
iii. He also won the Széchenyi Grand Prize of Hungary and the American Chemical Society’s
Priestley Medal.
John Surtees, British F1 Legend Dies At 83

i. John Surtees, the only racer to win both Formula One and Motorbike’s
500cc category World Championship died on March 10, 2017 in London. He was 83.
ii. The former world champion won four 500cc world titles (1956, 1958, 1959 and 1960) as well as
three consecutive 350cc championships (1958-1960) with motorbike.
Former DSA President Sood Passes Away

i. Former football player Umesh Sood passed away in New Delhi on March 12, 2017. He was 73.
ii. He was the president of Delhi Football Association(DSA) from 1993 to 1998.
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iii. He was honoured by the AIFF and made manager of the Indian team in international
tournaments.
Noted Film Director Diphan Dies At 45

i. Well known Malayalam film director Diphan passed away on March 13, 2017 in Kochi after
suffering from liver ailment. He was 45.
ii. He was hospitalized in a private hospital on February 26 where his condition worsened after he
contracted pneumonia.
iii. Diphan has directed seven films including Puthiyamukham, D Company, Hero and Leader,
Dolphins and SIM.
Filmmaker and Children’s Author Amy Krouse Rosenthal Dies at 51

i. Popular American author, filmmaker and public speaker, Amy Krouse Rosenthal died on
March 13, 2017 due to ovarian cancer. She was 51.
ii. Her writings included both adult and children’s books. She has written more than 30 books that
include journals, memoirs and the bestselling children’s picture stories Uni the Unicorn and Duck!
Rabbit!
iii. A Chicago native, Rosenthal became well known due to her heart-wrenching column in The New
York Times on March 5, 2017 titled “You May Want to Marry My Husband”.
Former Car Racer Ashwin Sundar Died in Car Accident

i. National car racer Ashwin Sundar and his wife Niveditha were burnt to death early morning on
March 18, 2017 in an accident that took place at the Pattinapakkam area, on the Santhome High
Road in Tamil Nadu.
ii .Ashwin, 27, was the national champion in LGB Formula 4 category in 2012 and 2013. He had
also won the MRF Formula 1600 International Challenge competition on two occasions.
Nobel laureate poet and playwright Derek Walcott Passes at 87

i. Nobel laureate poet and playwright Derek Walcott died on March 17, 2017 at his home on the
Caribbean island of St Lucia after a long illness. He was 87.
ii. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992 and the TS Eliot Prize for Poetry in 2011.
iii. Among his best known collections are, In A Green Night: Poems 1948 – 1960 and the
epic Omeros, inspired by Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey.
Pioneer of Rock n Roll, Chuck Berry Dies at 90

i. American guitarist, singer and songwriter, Chuck Berry who is recognized as one of
the pioneers of rock ‘n’ roll music died on March 18, 2017 at the age of 90 in Missouri.
ii. Some of the well known collections of Berry during his 7 decade career includes songs such as
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“Maybellene” (1955), “Roll Over Beethoven” (1956), “Rock and Roll Music” (1957) and “Johnny B.
Goode” (1958) among others.
iii. He received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 1984 and was among the first inductees to
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.
Meteorologist Sikka Passes Away

i. Former director of Pune based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology Dev Raj Sikka was
passed away on March 19, 2017. He was 85.
ii. Sikka has proposed a link between the El Nino phenomenon and the Indian monsoon and he
was the first Meteorologist to report this connection in 1982
iii. He was also the Chairman of the Monsoon Mission of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, a
programme to improve monsoon-related forecasts.
Former Rajya Sabha member Pyarimohan Mohapatra passes away

i. Former Rajya Sabha MP and president of Odisha Janamorcha party Pyari Mohan
Mohapatra passed away in Mumbai on March 19, 2017.He was 77.
ii. Mohapatra is known as ‘Chankya of Odisha politics’. He played a key role in deciding the
shape and contours of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) after the regional party was formed in 1997.
Gujarati poet Chinu Modi passes away

i. Noted Gujarati poet, novelist, story-writer and critic, Chinu Modi passed away in
Ahmedabad,Gujarat on March 20, 2017. He was 78.
ii. Chinu is also known by his pen name 'Irshad'. He started hotel poetry club where he used to
encourage young friends to read, write and to critique
iii. He also the chairman of Kriti Film Cooperative Society since 1979.
iv. He has written both metrical and non-metrical form of poetry. His main contribution
towards ghazal poetry.
Liverpool great Ronnie Moran dies, aged 83

i. Former Liverpool captain and coach Ronnie Moran was passed away in UK on March 22, 2017.
He was 83.
ii. Ronnie was also known as 'Bugsy'. He has appeared 379 times for Liverpool football
club between 1952 and 1968.
David Rockefeller, billionaire philanthropist, dies aged 101

i. The billionaire philanthropist and former head of Chase Manhattan Corp, David Rockefeller has
died in USA . He was 101.
ii. David was the last in his generation of one of U.S.’s most famously philanthropic families.
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iii. He has served as secretary to New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia in 1940-41 and in 1942 he
joined in the U.S. Army. He was awarded with the French Legion of Honor.
iv. In 2002, he published his autobiography titled "Memoirs".
Noted Tamil litterateur Thiagarajan popularly known as Asokamitran passes away

Noted Tamil litterateur and Sahitya Akademi winner Thiagarajan passed away in Chennai on
March 23, 2017. He was 85.
♦ He is known by his pen name, Asokamitran .
About Asokamitran :
i. Secunderabad born Asokamitran is well known novelist and essayist of Tamil and
English languages.
ii. He penned nearly eight novels, 20 novellas, hundreds of short stories, commentaries on a wide
range of issues, and profiles of personalities.
iii. "18-vadhu Atchakkodu", translated into English as "The Eighteenth Parallel", is one of his
highly acclaimed novels.
iv. He won Sahitya Akademi Award in 1996 for his work "Appavin Snegithargal"
v. He was given the Tiru Vi Ka Award in 2014 for his contribution to Tamil literature by late Chief
Minister J Jayalalithaa.
Senior Advocate TR Andhyarujina Passes Away

i .Eminent Jurist and Senior Advocate, Tehmtan R. Andhyarujina passed away on March 28,
2017 in Mumbai at the age of 84.
ii. He has been an integral part of the legal and constitutional history of India. At the age of
38, he was designated as the senior advocate.
iii. Andhyarujina served as the Solicitor General of India from 1996 to 1998. Before that he was
the Advocate General of Maharashtra from 1993-95.
iv. His first legal Constitutional case was the Kesavananda Bharati Case popularly known as the
fundamental rights case, which led to the introduction of the Doctrine of Basic Structure or
Framework of the Constitution.
v. He has also authored “The Kesavananda Bharati Case: The untold story of struggle for
supremacy by Supreme Court and Parliament “about the landmark Judgment in Kesavananda
Bharati Case.
Renowned playwright Arun Sarma Passes at 86

Well known playwright and Sahitya Akademi Award winner Arun Sarma passed away at Medanta-
The Medicity hospital in the New Delhi on March 27, 2017. He was 86.
i. Sarma has written more than 50 plays and books in his career for which he has also won a
number of awards.
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ii. In 2010, he was awarded the Padma Shri for his contributions to Assamese literature.
iii. For two consecutive years, he won the Axom Sahitya Sabha’s best playwright and
the Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 2003 for his contributions to drama.
Former Punjab Minister & SAD Leader Gurdev Badal Dies

i. Former Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurdev Singh Badal passed away on March 28, 2017 at
Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana. He was 85.
ii. Gurdev was a senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader and a member of the Punjab Legislative
Assembly from the Panjgrain constituency in Jalandhar district.
iii. He contested his first election in 1977 with continued victory in the Assembly elections in 1980
and 1985. He had been 5 time MLA from this constituency.
Indian-Origin South African Anti-Apartheid Activist Ahmed Kathrada Dies

Ahmed Kathrada, renowned Indian- origin South African anti-apartheid activist, who was
sentenced to life imprisonment along with Nelson Mandela, died on March 28, 2017 at the Donald
Gordon Hospital, Johannesburg following a brain surgery.
♦ He was 87. Kathrada was known to be a close colleague of Mandela.
i. He was involved in a number of anti-apartheid activities of the African National
Congress (ANC) including the Rivonia Trial of 1964 for which he was sentenced to long-term
imprisonment. However, he obtained four university degrees while being in prison.
ii. He was also among 2,000 people who were arrested for defying a law that discriminated against
South African-Indians.
iii. After he was released in 1990, he became a member of parliament to represent the ANC.
iv .He has also authored several books including No Bread for Mandela- Memoirs of Ahmed
Kathrada, Prisoner No. 468/64.
Kerala Based Historian Namboodiri Passes Away

Dr N M Namboodiri, renowned Indian historian and writer, died on March 30, 2017 after
prolonged illness at Mannar in Alapuzha district of Kerala.He was 73.
i. Dr. Namboodiri has immensely contributed towards historical research. Some of his valuable
contributions are writings on the Zamorin Royals and Malabar region.
ii. Besides, the recipient of state Sahitiya Akademi award, has written many well known books such
as the Keralacharithrathinte Nalluvazhikal, Kerala Samskaram Akavum Puravum
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BOOKS & AUTHORS

‘Number Do Lie’ authored by former cricketer Aakash Chopra
i. Former Indian cricketer Akash Chopra released book titled Numbers Do Lie, 61 Hidden Cricket
Stories which takes a different look at stats.
ii. The book is more about Impact Index measures performance based on the match in series
context and not just plain statistics.
Michael Clarke’s launches his autobiography ‘My Story’

i. Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has launched his autobiography named ‘My Story’ in
Kolkata in the presence of former Indian cricketer Saurav Ganguly
ii. This book was triggered by how he was affected by Phil Hughes’ death when India were touring
Australia in 2014-15
Coffee Table Book titled “50 Years – The Great Indian Milk Revolution” launched
i. The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Radha Mohan Singh has launched the
book titled “50 Years – The Great Indian Milk Revolution” to commemorate National Dairy
Development Board’s (NDDB) Golden Jubilee year on March 23, 2017.
ii. This book suumarize NDDB's remarkable 50-year journey and the value it has created for
millions of dairy farmers in this country.
iii. It also highlights the Dairy Board's efforts towards bringing about socio-economic change in
rural India.
Indian Army Releases Book Titled ‘Home of the Brave’ on Rashtriya Rifles
Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), General Bipin Rawat released a book titled ‘Home of the
Brave’ on March 27, 2017 in New Delhi.
♦ The book highlights the history of the Rashtriya Rifles (RR), the Counter Insurgency Force of
the Indian Army.
Author
1.Mr Nitin A Gokhale, Defence & Security Analyst
2.Brig S K Chatterji (Retired)
About the Book
i. The book includes the early history of the RR, right from its origin to deployment in Punjab,
the North East and in Jammu & Kashmir.
ii. The book reflects the role of the RR in strengthening the professionalism of the Indian
Army and military ethics and values throughout its rank and file. It has won many laurels in the
operations.
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Rail Minister Suresh Prabhu Releases Book Titled “Indian Railway- The weaving of a
National Tapestry”
A book on the history of Indian Railways titled “Indian Railway-The weaving of a National
Tapestry” was inaugurated by the Union Minister of Railways, Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu on
March 30, 2017.
♦ Author: The book has been jointly authored by Shri Bibek Debroy (Member, NITI Aayog), Shri
Sanjay Chadha (Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce) & Ms. Vidya Krishnamurthi.
About the Book
i .The book has been written with the theme Historical Development of Railways in India.
ii. The theme of the book has been beautifully explained using different chapters on the
development of the Railway system in India in chronological order.
iii. It covers the early Indian Railway life from 1830-1947. To make it interesting, the authors
have written the book in story telling manner.
IMPORTANT DAYS
Mar 1 2017
Remember Day: Zero Discrimination Day
Purpose : To create awareness to people from all corners of the world, about the evil
consequences of discrimination, to celebrate diversity, and to reject discrimination.
Organization: UNAIDS
Theme: Make Some Noise For Zero Discrimination
Remember Day: World Civil Defence Day

Purpose : To commemorates the entry into force of the ICDO Constitution as an
intergovernmental organisation in 1972.
Organization: ICDO
Theme: Together with civil defence against disasters
Mar 3 2017
Remember Day: : World Wildlife Day
Purpose : To raise awareness of the World's flora and fauna.
Organization: UNGA
Theme: Listen to the young voices
Remember Day: National defence day

Purpose : To commemorate in the memory of Pakistan's successful defence against India that
marked the ceasefire in the 1965 war
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Organization: India
Remember Day: World Hearing Day

Purpose : To promote hearing since its pronouncement in 2007.
Organization: WHO
Theme: “Action for hearing loss: make a sound investment”
Mar 4 2017
Remember Day: National Security Day
Purpose : To praise the work of security forces, who plays a major role in maintaining peace and
security of the people in India.
Organization: India
Mar 4-10 2017

Remember Day: National Safety Week
Purpose : To renewing the commitment of employees and general public to work safely
throughout the year.
Organization:NSC
Theme: Keep Each Other Safe
March 5 2017
Remember Day : 101st birth anniversary of former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik
Mar 8 2017
Remember Day: International women’s day
Purpose : : To celebrate the achievements of women while calling for greater equality.
Organization: IWD & NGOs
Theme: Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030.
Mar 9 2017
Remember Day: World Kidney Day
Purpose : To create awareness among the people globally, about the importance of the kidneys
and also to reduce the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health issues.
Organization: WHO
Theme: Kidney Disease and Obesity: Healthy Lifestyle for Healthy Kidneys
Mar 13 2017
Remember Day: Commonwealth Day
Purpose : To come together and celebrate its values and diversity.
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Organization: Commonwealth Nations

Theme: A peace-building Commonwealth
Mar 15 2017
Remember Day: World Consumer Rights Day
Purpose : To promote the basic rights of all the consumers, to demand that those rights are
respected and protected.
Organization: WCRD
Theme: Building a Digital World Consumers can Trust
Mar 16 2017
Remember Day: Indian American Appreciation Day
Purpose : to honour Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla who was killed in an apparent hate crime
on February 22, 2017.
Organization: USA
Mar 17 2017
Remember Day: World Sleep Day
Purpose : To celebrate the benefits of good and healthy sleep and to draw society attention to the
burden of sleep problems and their medicine, education and social aspects
Organization: WASM
Theme: Sleep Soundly, Nurture Life
Mar 20 2017
Remember Day: World Sparrow Day
Purpose : To create awareness of the house sparrows and other birds to the rapidly changing
environments, and of threats to their populations.
Theme: Rise for the SPARROW – Experience the power of One
Remember Day: International Day of Happiness

Purpose :To recognised happiness as a “fundamental human goal” and called for “a more inclusive,
equitable and balanced approach to economic growth
Organization: UN
Mar 21 2017
Remember Day: International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
Purpose : Aims to remind people of racial discrimination's negative consequences. It also
encourages
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people to remember their obligation and determination to combat racial discrimination.

Organization: UN
Theme: Racial profiling and incitement to hatred, including in the context of migration
Remember Day: World Down syndrome Day (WDSD)

Purpose : To raise public awareness and create a single global voice for advocating for the
rights, inclusion and well being of people with Down syndrome.
Organization: WHO
Theme: “MY Voice My Community”
Remember Day: International Day of Forests

Purpose : To raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests and of trees outside forests
Organization: UN, FAO
Theme: Forests and energy
Remember Day: World Poetry day

Purpose : To promote the reading, writing, publishing and teaching of poetry throughout the world
Organization: UNESCO
Remembered Day: International Day of Nowruz

Purpose: To celebrates the start of the Persian spring festival March 21 ever year. It occurs on
or around the time of the March equinox.
Organization: UN
Mar 22 2017
Remember Day: World Water Day
Purpose : To create awareness among the people about the importance of conservation of this
valuable finite resource for the future generations.
Organization: UN
Theme: Why Waste water?
Mar 23 2017
Remember Day: World Meteorological Day
Purpose : To support the all the countries by providing meteorological services related to natural
disasters, climate and water.
Organization:UN,WMO
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Theme: 'Understanding Clouds'
Remember Day: Martyrs day

Purpose: 86th death anniversary of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Hari Rajguru and Sukhdev
Thapar
Organization: GOI
Mar 24 2017
Remember Day: World Tuberculosis Day
Purpose : To create awareness to the public about the dreadful tuberculosis (TB) and efforts to
eliminate the disease.
Organization: UN, WHO
Theme: Unite to End Tuberculosis
Remembered Day: International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights
Violations and for the Dignity of Victims
Purpose: To promote the importance of the right to truth and justice.
Organization: UN
March 25 2017
Remembered Day: International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the
Transatlantic Slave Trade
Purpose: It honors the lives of those who died as a result of slavery or experienced the horrors of
the transatlantic slave trade. It is also an occasion to raise awareness about the dangers of racism
and prejudice.
Organization: UN
Theme: Remember Slavery: Recognising the Legacy and Contributions of People of African
Descent
Remembered Day: International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members
Purpose: Date is the anniversary of the abduction of Alec Collett, a journalist who died while
working for the UN.
Organization: UN
Mar 25 2017
Remember Day: Earth Hour
Purpose : To create awareness for global warming and Earth Hour is a global campaign with a
simple message to switch off non-essential lights for one hour
Organization: WWF
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Time: From 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m

Theme: Highlight Climate Action
Mar 26 2017
Remember Day: 47th Independence Day of Bangladesh
Mar 27 2017
Remember Day: World Theatre Day
Purpose : To figure of world stature shares his or her reflections on the theme of Theatre and a
Culture of Peace
Organization: International Theatre Institute (ITI)
169 | P a g e

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Current Affairs March 2017

Current Affairs for Competitive Exam

100 districts in India Declared ODF under Swachh Bharat Mission

Panneerselvam inaugurates ‘Amma Kalviyagam’

Government approves 4,000 PG seats in medical colleges

Assam Cabinet Declares Sanskrit as Compulsory Subject upto Class 8

West Bengal Gives Official Status to Tribal Language Kurukh

Maharashtra Cabinet Plans to Regulate Web-Based Taxi Services

Key Features of the Regulation

India to supply additional 60 MW power to Bangladesh

Cabinet Approves Revival of 50 Un-Served/Under-Served Airstrips

Cabinet approves Revised Cost Estimate-I of Koteshwar Hydro Electric Project in

Cabinet approves India’s accession to the Customs Convention on International

Punjab Government for food procurement operations.

PM Narendra Modi releases Special Commemorative Postage Stamp on 100 years of

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah launches ‘Pratibimba” to project achievements

International Women’s Celeberated on March 8, 2017

President Mukherjee Presents Nari Shakti Puraskars

Odisha govt launches 181 helpline for distressed women

Rajya Sabha Passes Enemy Property Amendment Bill

Centre Approves 20 Ganga Cleaning Projects Worth Over Rs 1,900 Crore

Cabinet approves additional 2% Dearness Allowance / Dearness Relief From January 1

Cabinet Approves Introducing Bill to Declare 15 IIITs as Institutes of National

Cabinet Approves Special Assistance for EAPs in Andhra Pradesh

Cabinet Approves Setting Up 50 Kendriya Vidyalayas

Important Features of Draft Code

Punjab Approves 33 Percent Reservation for Women in State Govt Jobs

Five-Month Long Economic Blockade in Manipur by UNC Comes to Halt

Union Cabinet Clears 4 GST Supplementary Legislations for Introduction to Parliament

Government Set to Launch India’s First Sign Language Dictionary Soon

Assam Government approves recommendation of 7th Pay Commission

BIRAC's 5th Foundation Day Celebrated on March 20-21, 2017

Rajya Sabha Passes HIV/AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2014

Kerala and Karnataka.

CCEA Approves North East Road Network Connectivity Project Phase I

Cabinet Approves Amendments to NABARD Act, 1981

Cabinet Approves Amendment to 'The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory

Cabinet Approves Proposal Regarding Fund of Fund for Start-ups (FFS)

Ninth Gurkhas Observes its 200 years of Raising in Secunderabad

MHA Issues Advisory for Compliance of 'Flag Code of India, 2002'

Gujarat Assembly passes Gujarat Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill, 2017

Animal Welfare Board Chaired By Environment Ministry

Bihar’s Technical Move – Free Wifi For Students

Aadhaar Seeding Of Jan Dhan Accounts – Lead By Andra Pradesh

Centre Approves Constructing 10 Million MT Capacity Silos by 2019-20 End

Now Aadhaar made mandatory for mobile connections

ESIC launched Mobile Clinic Services in AP, Telangana

Facilities in Mobile Clinic

GST Bill Tabled By Arun Jaitely In Lok Sabha

Prakash Javadekar Introduces IIIT Bill In Lok Sabha

Arun Jaitley clears major military reforms proposal

Govt signs deal for Hydrocarbon project in Neduvasal

Sanction of 101 Cold Chain Projects by Central Government

Government Set to Redefine Blindness to Meet WHO Criteria

Parliament passes Mental Healthcare Bill 2016

Definition of ‘Mental Illness’ as per Mental Healthcare Bill, 2016:

SC Bans Non-Compliant BS-IV Emission Vehicles from April 1

Parliament Passes Finance Bill 2017

Manoj Sinha Releases Postage Stamp on ‘Cub Scouts’

India becomes associate member of International Energy Agency

STATE BUDGETS 2017-18

v. Revenue Receipt: Rs 2,072 crore

vi. Pension to unemployed widows: Rs 1,501 crore

• Health: Rs 3,839 crore • Public health engineering: Rs 3,382