Sunday, April 17, 2016

11 March 2016 Current Affairs

Lok Sabha clears Aadhaar Bill

On 11 March 2016, the Lok Sabha cleared the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill, 2016. It was introduced as Money Bill. The government would save crores of rupees by routing government subsidies through the unique identification or Aadhaar system. The Bill “will empower the States to distribute resources to deserving people and save the resources that undeserving people get”.

New frog species found in China

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

Bangladesh, India sign $2 billion new line of credit

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

The Union Cabinet approves cyber security deal with UAE

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

Arab League elects Ahmed Aboul-Gheit as new chief

The Arab League’s 22 member states have picked veteran Egyptian diplomat Ahmed Aboul-Gheit to head the body on 10 March 2016. Ahmed Aboul-Gheit was the only contender for the post of secretary-general. He was the last foreign minister under former president Hosni Mubarak. The appointment came at a critical time for the Middle East, with Syria marking the fifth anniversary of its civil war, proxy wars between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and the battle against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group raging across the region. Aboul-Gheit was also served as Egypt’s ambassador to the United Nations, had been widely expected to win approval from the league members.

Rajya Sabha gives it nod to real estate bill

“The Rajya Sabha has passed the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2015 to protect the interests of consumers and curb the malpractices in the real estate sector. The bill seeks to create a uniform regulatory mechanism across the country and enhance the growth of construction sector. It also ensures to bring transparency and accountability in the real estate sector to access capital and financial markets essential for its long term growth. Establishes state level regulatory authorities called Real Estate Regulatory Authorities (RERAs) and tribunals called Real Estate Appellate Tribunals (REAT) to settle disputes. 70% of the amount collected from buyers for a project must be maintained in a separate bank (escrow) account and must only be used for construction of that project. State government can alter this amount to less than 70%. All information for registered projects must be disclosed on website of the RERA. It will include details of promoters, land status, layout plan, schedule of execution and status of various approvals.”

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10 March 2016 Current Affairs

ISRO Successfully Launched Sixth Navigation Satellite IRNSS 1-F

Sixth Navigation Satellite IRNSS 1-F was launched successfully by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota on 10 March 2016. The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS-1F) was launched by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) weighing 320 tonnes. The IRNSS-1F was launched into a sub-Geosynchronous transfer orbit with a 284-km perigee (nearest point to Earth) and 20,657-km apogee (farthest point to Earth). The satellite carries two types of payloads — navigation payload and ranging payload. The navigation payload will transmit navigation service signals to users while the other consists of a C-band transponder that facilitates accurate determination of the range of the satellite. IRNSS-1F is the sixth in the series of seven satellites proposed under the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS). The IRNSS has come to be known as the country’s own GPS.

New radio channel for traffic updates on National Highways

The Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry is working on an ambitious plan to broadcast traffic updates through a dedicated radio frequency across various national highways. The Ministry is in talks with the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to get a frequency band to disseminate among national highway commuters travel tips, safety tips, traffic updates, including information on accidents and diversions. As a pilot project, the government on 10 March 2016 launched Highway Advisory Services to give traffic updates to commuters on the 256-km Delhi-Jaipur National Highway-8. Doordarshan was planning to return its unused UHF band (ultra high frequency) to the government and it had already asked the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to allocate that frequency to the Highways Ministry. Another option was to get a licence for the unused 105.6 MHz frequency which was earlier allotted to Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) for its educational radio channel Gyan Vani. The All India Radio had stopped the operation of the Gyan Vani station because of the discontinuation of payments by IGNOU.

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

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

Indo-Indonesia Joint Training Exercise Garuda Shakti IV begins

“The fourth edition of the India-Indonesia Joint Training Exercise Garuda Shakti has begun at Magelang in Indonesia on 10 March 2016.The 13 days (till 23 March) bilateral exercise aims at
(i) Building and promoting positive relations between the Armies of India and Indonesia.
(ii) Enhancing their abilities to undertake joint tactical level operations in a counter insurgency environment under United Nations Charter.”

Rest of India beat Mumbai to lift Irani Cup Cricket Title

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

Brazil musician Nana Vasconcelos passed away

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

RBI inks information exchange pact with Bank of Israel

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

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09 March 2016 Current Affairs

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

Chairman and Managing Director of Mahindra & Mahindra Group Anand G Mahindra was on 5 March 2016 conferred with the Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour). The honour was conferred upon by François Richier, Ambassador of France to India, at the Residence of France in New Delhi. Anand Mahindra was chosen for the highest French civilian distinction in recognition of his outstanding national and international achievements and initiatives at the helm of the Mahindra Group. The National Order of the Legion of Honour (Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur) is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte on 19 May 1802. In the past, personalities such as Pandit Ravi Shankar, Amitabh Bachchan, Manish Arora and JRD Tata were honoured with the prestigious award.

ICICI Bank launched iWork@home for women employees

ICICI Bank has launched iWork@home, an initiative that allows women employees to work from home for up to a year. Chanda Kochhar, managing director and chief executive officer, ICICI Bank, explained this could be extended for more than one year based on the requirements of the employee. This initiative allows women employees to have access to their required operating systems in a safe and secure manner, creating a seamless office-like environment. The technology platform for this programme has been developed in-house by ICICI Bank in partnership with students from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi. The bank has also launched an initiative which aids women managers who travel on business, by covering the travel and stay of young children and their caregivers. This would ensure that when a young mother of a child up to three years travels for an official purpose on an overnight trip, the child is also allowed to travel with her. ICICI Bank has also introduced new benefits under its “Advantage Woman Savings Account”. These include unlimited free ATM usage at all banks, cash back subject to a maximum of Rs 750 per month on usage of debit card at departmental stores; it also provides 30 per cent discount on first-year locker rentals.

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

57 countries are going to take part in the first Maritime India Summit 2016 scheduled to be held in April 2016 in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It was announced by the Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari on the sidelines of media launch of the Maritime India Summit 2016.

IMF to set up data sharing centre in India

In a first for Asia, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will set up a knowledge sharing centre in India, to provide technical support and assistance here and to five other South Asian nations. Their team will extend expertise in core macro economic and financial management areas. An agreement is likely to be signed here on Saturday by IMF managing director Christine Lagarde with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The new IMF centre, being set up amid the global economic uncertainty, will provide assistance to India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bhutan.South Korea and Japan are likely to be donors in the initiative. IMF had similar regional centres for southern Africa and west Asia. For the first time, four emerging market (EM) countries of the BRICS bloc -Brazil, China, India and Russia -will be among the 10 largest members of IMF. Others in the top 10 are America, Japan, France, Germany, Italy and Britain.

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08 March 2016 Current Affairs

International Women’s Day was observed March 8

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

SBI Life launches new risk plan for women

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

Maria Sharapova suspended after failing drug test

Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova, the highest-paid woman in sports failed a drug test at the Australian Open.The 28-year-old Sharapova, a five-time grand slam champion, will be provisionally suspended by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) starting March 12. She is the seventh athlete in a month to test positive for meldonium, which is used to treat diabetes and low magnesium, and was only banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency as of Jan.1.

Telangana, Maharashtra ink MoU for five irrigation projects

“An inter-state agreement between Telangana and Maharashtra has been entered into by both the governments for sharing of Godavari waters and construction of five barrages. The MoU was exchanged by Telangana and Maharashtra chief ministers K. Chandrasekhar Rao and Devendra Fadnavis respectively at an official programme in Mumbai on 8 March 2016.
Key Facts of the MoU:
a) Setting up of an inter-state water board on Godavari projects will end decades of discord between the two States on utilisation of water in the river Godavari and its tributaries.
b) Of the five barrages, Maharashtra Government will take up construction of Penpahad and Rajapet barrages while Telangana will take up Chanak-Korata across Penganga River.
c) Telangana will also construct Thammidihatti barrage (148 meters height) in Adilabad district across Pranahita a tributary to Godavari and Medigadda barrage (102 meters) in Karimnagar district across Godavari.”

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07 March 2016 Current Affairs

New species of snake in Western Ghats

Indian, British scientists have discovered a new species of burrowing snake in the biological hotspot of the northern Western Ghats, after a gap of 144 years. The snake has been named after well known herpetologist from Maharashtra, Neelam Kumar Khaire, as Melanophidium Khairei. The research paper about it has been published in the scientific journal, Zootaxa in first week of March. This snake belongs to the family Uropeltidae, and all species in this group are burrowers and live mostly underground.

Union Government launched Mahila E-HAAT

Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Maneka Sanjay Gandhi launched “Mahila e-Haat”, an online marketing platform for women on 7 March 2016. Mahila e-Haat is a unique online platform where participants can display their products. It is an initiative for women across the country as a part of ‘Digital India’ and ‘Stand Up India’ initiatives of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi. The Mahila E-Haat will help to meet the goal of financial inclusion of women and it is a big step forward for empowerment of women. Mahila E-Haat is an initiative for meeting aspirations and need of women entrepreneurs which will leverage technology for showcasing products made/manufactured/sold by women entrepreneurs. Participation in e-Haat is open to all Indian women citizens more than 18 years of age and women SHGs desiring for marketing their legal products/services after indemnifying RMK from any or all acts of transaction. The entire business of e-Haat can be handled through mobile phone.

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06 March 2016 Current Affairs

India won Asia Cup title for sixth time

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

Pranab Mukherjee Inagurated National Conference on Women Legislation

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

Kalabhavan Mani, famous Malayalam actor and singer dead

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

PM adopts Nagepur village under Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has selected Nagepur village in his Varanasi Constituency of Lok Sabha in Uttar Pradesh under the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY). Earlier in the first phase of SAGY, PM had adopted Jayapur village in Sevapuri Assembly segment of Varanasi in 2014. The main objective of the Jojana is The development of model villages, called Adarsh Grams, through the implementation of existing schemes, and certain new initiatives to be designed for the local context, which may vary from village to village.Under this scheme, MPs will be responsible for developing the socio-economic and physical infrastructure of three villages each by 2019, and a total of eight villages each by 2024.

E-mail inventor Ray Tomlinson passed away

Internet pioneer and e-mail inventor Raymond Tomlinson passed away in Washington, United States. He was 74 years old. Tomlinson invented direct electronic messages between users on different machines on a certain network in 1971. He implemented the First email system on the ARPANET system which is considered as the precursor to the Internet. Prior to this system, users could only write messages to others using the same computer. To send electronic messages on different machines on a certain network successfully he had used @ sign to separate the user name from the name of their machine. Since then this separation scheme is used in email addresses and has become standard.

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05 March 2016 Current Affairs

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

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

The first Raisina Dialogue kicks off in New Delhi

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

First India-US Workshop on Traditional Medicine

The two (3-4 March 2016) days India-US Workshop on Traditional Medicine concluded successfully in New Delhi. The Workshop was organized under the auspices of the first U.S.-India Health Dialogue held in September, 2015 in Washington, D.C.Nearly 175 participants including experts related to traditional systems and modern medicine, biologists, and researchers from India and the U.S. took part in the first of its kind Workshop. American President and Prime Minister of India emphasized to promote bilateral dialogue on Traditional Medicine. The Workshop was jointly inaugurated by the Minister of State for AYUSH (Independent Charge) and Health & Family Welfare, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik and U.S. Ambassador to India, Mr. Richard Verma and Assistant Secretary of Global Affairs at HHS, Ambassador Jimmy Kolker on 3rd March, 2016.

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

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

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04 March 2016 Current Affairs

Former Lok Sabha speaker P.A. Sangma died

Former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno Agitok Sangma died in New Delhi on 4 March 2016. He was 68. Sangma was a nine-time member of the Lok Sabha and the Speaker in the 11th Lok Sabha. He was also the Chief Minister of Meghalaya from 1988 to 1990 and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly from 1990 to 1991. Born on September 1, 1947 in village Chapahati in the picturesque West Garo Hills District of Meghalaya. A Congressman, who was one of the founding members of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), was expelled from it in July 2012 when he refused to accept his party’s decision to quit the race for India’s President. In January 2013, he formed the National People’s Party.

Manoj Kumar honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke award

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

Sunil Sabharwal took charge as Alternate Executive Director at IMF

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

Prime Minister Launches Setu Bharatam Programme

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the Rs 50,000 crore Setu Bharatam programme for building bridges for safe and seamless travel on National Highways, in New Delhi on 4 March 2016. The Setu Bharatam programme aims to make all National Highways free of railway level crossings by 2019. The Minister informed that 208 Railway Over Bridges (ROB)/Railway Under Bridges (RUB) will be built at the level crossings at a cost of Rs. 20,800 crore as part of the programme.

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

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

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03 March 2016 Current Affairs

Former NZ cricket captain Martin Crowe died

Former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe died on 3 March 2016 in Auckland. He was 53. He is one of New Zealand’s best ever batsman, having scored 17 centuries and 5444 runs in 77 tests at an average of 45.36. Crowe captained in 16 Test matches and his highest score was 299 against Sri Lanka in Wellington in 1991. He was named one of Wisden’s Cricketers of the Year in 1985 and was player of the tournament in the 1992 World Cup.

World Wildlife Day observed on March 3

World Wildlife Day was observed on 3 March 2016 across the world. 2016 theme is “The future of wildlife is in our hands”, with African and Asian elephants being the main focus of global campaigns. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at its 68th session held on 20 December 2013 decided to proclaim 3 March as World Wildlife Day. The date is the day of the adoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1973. CITES plays an important role in ensuring that international trade does not threaten the species’ survival.

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

Parliament passed the Carriage by Air (Amendment) Bill, 2015 on 3 March 2016 to empower Union government to revise the limits of liability for airlines and compensation as per the Montreal Convention which India accepted in 2009. It was introduced in Lok Sabha on 7 August 2015 by the Union Minister of Civil Aviation P Ashok Gajapathi Raju. The bill was first passed by the Lok Sabha in December 2015 and later it was passed by the Rajya in March 2016. Now it will go for the Presidential assent as per Article 111 of Constitution. Key facts The Bill seeks to amend the Carriage by Air Act, 1972 to revise the limits of liability for airlines and compensation in order adhere with the global counterparts.

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

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

Veteran Left leader Ashok Ghosh dead

Veteran All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) leader and senior-most leader of the Left Front in West Bengal, Ashok Ghosh, died in Kolkata on 3 March 2016. He was 94. A freedom fighter, Mr. Ghosh was the State secretary of the AIFB, the second biggest constituent of the Left Front, since 1951 — for 65 years. He joined the AIFB in 1940, a year after its formation, influenced by the political philosophy of Subhas Chandra Bose. He born on July 21, 1921 at Chinsurah in the Hooghly district of south Bengal, he was one of the founding members of the Left Front in West Bengal, which ruled the State for 34 years from 1977 to 2011. Mr. Ghosh played a significant role in providing advice and support to his comrades in Bangladesh during the Liberation War of 1971.

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02 March 2016 Current Affairs

Poet Dr Bhagwati Lal Vyas to be awarded Bihari Puraskar

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

Govt winds up National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council

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

Force 18 Multi-nation Military Drill hosted by India

‘Force 18’, initially labelled ‘FTX-2016’, is an ambitious military training exercise involving army units from eighteen countries – ten members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN,) plus eight observer states – India, Japan, Korea, China, Russia, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. It is scheduled to be held from 2-8 March, in Pune, headquarters of the Indian Army’s Southern Command. The main objective of this drill is to improve ‘Interoperability’ between the participating nations under which forces will try to learn each other’s best practices and standard operating procedures (SOPs).

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

India’s largest selling car, Maruti Alto crossed lifetime sale milestone of three million units in India. This was announced by its manufacturer Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (MSIL) on 2 March 2016. It took 15 years and 6 months for Alto, hatchback car, to cross the 3-million milestone in the country. The car was launched in the Indian market in 2000. It is the only Indian auto brand to cross this milestone.

India stood at 90th rank in terms of Energy Security

India has been ranked at the 90th place in a list of 126 countries compiled by World Economic Forum(WEF) on the basis of their ability to deliver secure, affordable and sustainable energy, which was topped by Switzerland. The latest Global Energy Architecture Performance Index Report, explored the energy architecture of 126 countries based on their ability to provide energy access across three dimensions of the “energy triangle” ? affordability, environmental sustainability, security and access.The list was topped by Switzerland followed by Norway and Sweden in the second and third place, respectively. Others in the top 10 include France (4th), Denmark (5th), Austria (6th), Spain (7th), Colombia (8th), New Zealand (9th) and Uruguay (10th). Among the BRIC nations, Brazil was the top performer as it was ranked at the 25th place, followed by Russia (52nd), India (90th), China (94).

Ex-refugee chief Antonio Guterres for UN Secretary-General

Portugal Government nominated former Portuguese Prime Minister and head of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres as a candidate for General Secretary at United Nations. Guterres served as Prime Minister in 1995-2002 and as UN Refugee Agency High Commissioner in 2005-2015. With this, Guterres joined a list of six mostly Eastern and Central European candidates to succeed Ban Ki-moon on 1 January 2017. Ban took the office in January 2007.

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01 March 2016 Current Affairs

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01 March 2016 Current Affairs

UP implement Food Security Act from 1st March

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

New rule for unreserved train tickets from March 1

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

DMRC to ferry cargo on Airport Express Line from March 1

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

India to host Raisina Dialogue on Geopolitics

“The 3-day flagship conference of Geopolitics and Geo-economics from 1st march to 3rd march is designed to explore prospects and opportunities for Asian integration as well as Asia’s integration with the larger world.With India’s rise in stature on the global stage and emergence as a major economic power, New Delhi is set to host an international conclave on geopolitics and Geo-economics. Dubbed as the Raisina Dialogue 2016 the programme will see gathering of big wigs from across Asia and the world. The programme will last for 3 day and see participation of 100 speakers from over 35 countries. The dialogue is being organised by the external affairs ministry and the Observer Research Foundation.”

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31 March 2016 Current Affairs

Kachhabali Becomes 1st Liquor-Free Village In Rajasthan

Kachabali village in Rajsamand district of Rajasthan, has become the first in state to vote in support of closing down the only liquor shop in the village.This is the first time the provision of the Rajasthan Excise Act, 1975, that provides for the closure of a country liquor shop, was invoked. The village achieved this feat after villagers voted to close down its lone liquor shop to stop alcohol sale in village in the referendum by 67.11%. The referendum was conducted by the excise department of the state.

British comedian Ronnie Corbett Died

British entertainer Ronnie Corbett, best known for BBC comedy sketch show The Two Ronnies, died on 31 March . He was 85. Corbett achieved prominence in David Frost’s 1960s satirical comedy programme The Frost Report and subsequently starred in sitcoms such as No – That’s Me Over Here!, Now Look Here and Sorry.Corbett’s BBC television comedy show with Ronnie Barker, The Two Ronnies, ran from 1971 to 1987. Barker and Corbett performed sketches and musical numbers. Corbett presented a monologue. Corbett’s best-known role away from The Two Ronnies was as the 40-something Timothy Lumsden, dominated by his mother, in the sitcom Sorry!.The entertainer was awarded with a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to entertainment and charity.

Vietnam’s Parliament Elects First Female Speaker

Vietnam’s National Assembly (NA) on 31 March elected Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan as the country’s first female house speaker.She was sworn in as speaker after getting elected for the post with 472 (95.5%) yes votes in her favour out of 481 valid ballots at the ongoing 11th session of the 13th NA. She was also elected as the Chairperson of the National Election Council of the Vietnam with 467 yes votes in her favour out of 477 valid ballots.

India and US signed MoU for Setting Up LIGO Observatory In India

India and the US on 31 March signed an MoU for setting up a new Laser Interferometer Gravitational- Wave Observatory (LIGO) in India that will play significant role in carrying forward front line research on various aspects of gravitational wave astronomy. The MoU was signed between India’s Department of Atomic Energy and the US’ National Science Foundation (NSF). It was signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington.

Haryana Assembly Passed Haryana Municipal (Amendment) Bill, 2016

The Legislative Assembly of Haryana on 31 March passed the Haryana Municipal (Amendment) Bill, 2016. The bill seeks to amend the amend Section 13 A of the Haryana Municipal Act, 1973 and Section 8 of the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act, 1994.

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Saturday, April 16, 2016

01 April 2016 Current Affairs

Chandigarh Becomes First Kerosene-Free City

For the first time, a city has been declared kerosene free with sale of subsidised cooking and lighting fuel being stopped in Chandigarh from 1 April completely. The Petroleum Ministry with the help of Chandigarh Administration has been working for the last few months to make Chandigarh ‘a Kerosene Free City’.

North Korea Announces Blocks On Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

North Korea has on 1 April officially announced it is blocking Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and South Korean websites in a move underscoring its concern with the spread of online information.The new North Korean restrictions are similar to censorship measures in neighbouring China, which allows more access in general but also maintains strict bans on sites that Beijing deems politically sensitive or harmful. They also mirror some restrictions in South Korea, which also bans North Korean websites and a wide variety of what the government deems to be adult content.

Shiva Thapa won Silver at Asian/Oceania Qualifying Event

Ace Indian boxer Shiva Thapa on 1 April won silver medal in the 56 kilogram category at the Asian/Oceania Qualifying Tournament in Qian’an, China. Thapa defeated Kazakhstan’s Kairat Yeraliyev in the semi-finals to earn the medal.With this win, Thapa became the first Indian boxer to book a seat in the Rio Olympics.

4th Nuclear Security Summit 2016

The fourth Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) was held in Washington, United States on March 31-April 1 2016. Chinese President Xi Jinping and around 50 other world leaders are gathered to discuss efforts to prevent terrorist acquisition of nuclear materials.At the NSS, the Prime Minister announced that Canada will invest an additional $42 million in the Global Partnership Program – over the next two years – to improve nuclear and radiological security world-wide. In support of the Global Coalition Against the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Canada announced it would invest $51 million – over three years – to build the capacity of counter-terrorism programs in the Middle East and North Africa. The first Nuclear Security Summit was held in Washington DC in 2010 and the second NSS was held in Seoul in 2012. The third summit was held in The Hague, Netherlands in 2014.

Researchers Reveal First 3D Map of Zika Virus Structurer

Researchers from the Purdue University in Indiana in United States have achieved a breakthrough by revealing the first 3D map of the Zika virus structure It is considered as one of the major breakthrough in the battle against the mosquito-borne Zika virus. Study in this regard was published in the journal Science.The first 3D map of the Zika virus structure was produced at the atomic level. The 3D map reveals insights of virus that are critical to finding an effective antiviral treatment or vaccine for the virus.

Scientists Develop Biopolymer For Water Purification

Indian scientists have developed an eco-friendly biopolymer using nanotechnology for water-softening and water purification applications. It was developed by the team of scientists from Guwahati (Assam) based Institute of Advance Study in Science & Technology (IASST). The eco-friendly biopolymer has been created using a naturally occurring substance, called chitosan.

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Sunday, April 17, 2016