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Monthly GK Digest March, 2017


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Important News – World 1. Minister for Information & Broadcasting M Venkaiah Naidu and Member of the Parliament of Ukraine and Chairman of the National Council of Television Ukraine Mr. Iurii Artemenko have agreed to strengthen the bilateral cooperation between the two countries through the medium of Cinema in New Delhi. 2. Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation (AEOI) stated that Russia and Iran have reached an agreement to jointly produce nuclear fuel. 3. India and Israel hold a series of events to celebrate 25 years of establishment of their diplomatic ties. 4. Malaysia has decided to cancel visa-free entry for North Koreans due to National security reasons from 6th March 2017. 5. The General Staff of the Syrian Army said it had recaptured the ancient city of Palmyra from the extremist group Islamic State (IS). 6. Australia said it will offer the world’s first university course to train intelligence analysts to fight cyber-crime, prompted by innovative methods of money transfer among organised crime and militant groups. 7. Ukraine's self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic will use the Russian ruble as its official currency, according to an official statement. 8. India is going to supply additional 60 MW power from its ONGC-Tripura power plant to Bangladesh, agreement likely to be signed later this month. 9. Vice President Hamid Ansari will attend the Summit of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) on March 7 in Jakarta, Indonesia where the 21-nation grouping will discuss ways to strengthen maritime cooperation and fight against violent extremism. 10. China will build its first national underwater observatory in the disputed South China Sea, according to reports. Such a platform will reportedly allow the country to keep a check on underwater physical, chemical, and geological dynamics in real time. 11. North Korea's ambassador to Malaysia Kang Chol has been expelled and given 48 hours to leave the country in relation to the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. 12. Social networking site Facebook launched a new initiative 'SheLeadsTech', to support women-founded or co-founded startups. 13. The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) under the Ministry of Environment and Forests coordinated 'Operation Thunder Bird' and 'Operation Save Kurma' nationwide. 14. Scientists have discovered oldest fossils on Earth in rocks from Quebec, Canada. Carbon dating techniques suggest that these rocks are at least 3.8 billion years old and might even be 4.3 billion years old. 15. Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, has been ranked eighth at the 'THE's Best Small Universities in the World 2017'. For the first time, an Indian educational institute has broken into the top 10 of a global university rankings. 16. China’s banking system is now the biggest in the world, new analysis has shown. The country’s banks have more assets than those of the eurozone for the first time. 17. Donald Tusk has been re-elected for a term of two and a half year by 27 to one votes. Poland, Tusk’s home country was the only one to oppose his election.


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18. Pakistan will conduct its first national census in 19 years, starting with the assistance of over 2 lakh troops and 1 lakh civilian enumerators. 19. Vienna, Austria's grand capital on the Danube river, has topped consulting firm Mercer's list of cities offering the highest quality of life for the eighth year in a row, while Baghdad is again considered the worst place to live. 20. UK House of Lords has given its final approval for the withdrawal of Britain from the European Union. 21. The World Bank has agreed to provide loan to develop internal transmission arrangements of the upcoming Rewa Ultra Mega Solar (RUMS) project in Madhya Pradesh. 22. Women in Politics map was jointly launched by UN Women and Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU). 23. Germany is to begin testing new voice recognition software that can tell which country migrants without documentation come from. The automated new system would begin within two weeks. 24. The World Bank has approved a $175 million loan for the National Hydrology Project to improve India’s ability to forecast floods and reduce vulnerability to recurring floods and droughts. 25. In a world-first a New Zealand river has been granted the same legal rights as a human being. The local Māori tribe of Whanganui river in the North Island has fought for the recognition of their river. 26. India ranks 148 globally in terms of representation of women in executive government and parliament, according to a report published by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UN Women. 27. The Hinduja brothers – Gopichand and Srichand – retained the top spot in the annual compilation of Britain’s richest Asians with an estimated net worth of £19 billion 28. A Railway research centre in Australia has entered into an agreement with the Indian Railways to support future research and technology development related to critical infrastructure in India. 29. The Changi Airport (Singapore) has been voted the World's Best Airport by air travellers at the 2017 World Airport Awards for the fifth consecutive year. 30. The Bloomberg in its Global Health Index of 163 countries has ranked Italy as the healthiest country on the planet, with a baby born there expected to live up to more than 80 years. 31. Pakistan court (Peshawar High Court) has ordered authorities to ensure separate counting of Sikhs in the nationwide census. 32. The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has granted South Asian country, Sri Lanka a two-year extension to fulfill obligation relating to reconciliation and accountability on war crimes during the civil war which ended in 2009. 33. According to World Health Organization(WHO) ,116 million children in 13 countries in west and central Africa are to receive polio vaccines as part of its efforts to eradicate the disease from the continent.


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34. The Taliban have captured the crucial south Afghan district of Sangin after a year-long battle, officials say. A spokesman for Helmand's governor confirmed the district police and governor's headquarters were now in militant hands. 35. India has become the third largest aviation market in terms of domestic passenger traffic, beating Japan, an industry report has said. 36. American financial magazine Barron’s has listed the name of HDFC Bank managing director Aditya Puri’s name in its list of world’s 30 best CEOs. 37. Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani has been inducted into the international advisory board of global think-tank The Atlantic Council. 38. Sima Kamil was named the first woman to head a major commercial bank in Pakistan. Sima, currently a deputy CEO at the country’s third-largest lender United Bank Limited (UBL), will take charge on 1 June. 39. A 11-day joint cycling expedition of Bangladesh and Indian army was flagged off in Agartala with an aim to further strengthen the friendship between the two armed forces.

Important News – India 1. The Union Railways minister Suresh Prabhu has flagged off via video conferencing new 'Humsafar Express' between Sriganganagar and Tiruchirapalli in New Delhi. The new train is fully air-conditioned third AC service with an optional service for meals. The minister also flagged off an “Antyodaya Express” between Ernakulam and Howrah. 2. The Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu has inaugurated a National workshop on urban development at Vigyan Bhawan New Delhi. 3. The Union Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Shri Parshottam Rupala has launched NDDB’s cattle feed knowledge portal in Anand, Gujarat. 4. The Head of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Bajaj Auto Ltd. Shri CP Tripathi has presented a cheque of Rs. One crore to the union Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar as a donation to the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund (AFFDF). 5. Leading up to International Women’s Day on March 8, 2017, the Ministry of Women and Child Development has initiated a social media campaign - #WeAreEqual - targeted at raising awareness about gender discrimination. 6. The union govt. has approved over 4,000 Post Graduate seats in medical colleges and hospitals across the country for the academic session 2017-18. 7. Non-life insurer Reliance General Insurance, part of Reliance Capital Ltd said it has signed a bancassurance deal with private-owned Kerala-headquartered Catholic Syrian Bank. 8. The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms – C-CAMP, technology and innovation hub, will house the BIRAC Regional Entrepreneurship Centre (BREC) in Bengaluru. 9. The Railways has sanctioned projects worth Rs 13,500 crore for the North East in this year’s budget, Union Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain said. 10. India's tallest national flag, measuring 360 feet, was hoisted at the Attari-Wagah joint check post in Punjab. A 293-foot tall tricolour in Ranchi had held the record earlier. 11. Centre has launched the first ever across-the-river survey in Ganga to determine the population of aquatic life, including that of the endangered Gang 12. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dedicated to the nation a Petrochemical Complex of ONGC Petro Additions Limited at Dahej.


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13. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released commemorative Postage Stamp on 100th Anniversary of the “Yogoda Satsang Society” of India at a function in New Delhi. 14. The Central Board of Secondary Examination (CBSE) has introduced a mobile application 'Exam Locator' to help students appearing for class 10th and 12th examinations locate their exam centres. 15. The Centre has made Aadhaar mandatory for availing crop insurance policies from April 1. Till the time Aadhaar is assigned to an individual, crop insurance can be availed by furnishing documents such as Aadhaar enrolment slip and voter ID, among others. 16. The Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave has launched the web portal for obtaining Coastal Regulation Zone clearances in New Delhi. 17. Under the recommendations of the bill, Bill, 2016, working women in all establishments (either public or private) will be entitled to 26 weeks of paid maternity leave. 18. An in-house developed mobile application “MySSB” was launched by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Shri Kiren Rijiju. 19. The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer's Welfare has launched Mission Fingerling to achieve the Blue Revolution by enabling holistic development and management of fisheries. The programme will enhance the fisheries production from 10.79 mmt (2014-15) to 15 mmt by 2020-21. 20. The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) IT Wing has launched the women safety application 'Ammavin Aran' in Tamil Nadu. 21. Lok Sabha passed the Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2006 after incorporating the changes made by Rajya Sabha. 22. Lok Sabha Passed Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) Bill 2016. The aim of the bill is to establish a legal framework, in order to consolidate the existing laws related to admiralty jurisdiction of courts, admiralty proceedings on maritime claims, arrest of vessels and related issues. 23. The Revised Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Mode of Operation (MoO) to establish Border haats on the India Bangladesh Border was approved by the Cabinet, chaired by PM Narendra Modi. 24. The approval was given by Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), headed by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Under the policy, Coal Bed Methane (CBM) Contractors will be capable of marketing and pricing freedom to sell the CBM at Arm's Length Price in the domestic market. 25. Commerce and Industry Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman launched the Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES). 26. Government of India has envisaged a program named ‘’Blue Revolution’’ to unlock the country’s latent potential through an integrated approach. This program has a total expenditure of about Rs. 52000 lakh. 27. Trade Infrastructure Export Scheme (TIES) Launched by Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The scheme was launched by Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce and Industry Minister. 28. J P Nadda, Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare , announced that the National Health Policy 2017 is patient-centric and quality-driven, which provides the much needed


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policy framework for achieving universal health coverage and delivering quality health care services to all at an affordable cost. 29. Power equipment maker BHEL has commenced commercial operations of its first 800 MW unit, supercritical thermal plant. 30. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the proposal for opening of 50 new Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) under Civil / Defence Sector in the country keeping in view the high demand for these schools for their quality of education and excellent results. 31. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the proposal for setting up around 50 new Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) under Civil or Defence Sector in the country. 32. Medha, the made-in-India rake was flagged off for the maiden run of the 12-coach train from Dadar to Borivali, at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus. 33. Essar's Nand Niketan at Hazira has become India's first private sector township to go cashless, using the mobile wallet for performing digital transactions. 34. Mumbai-based Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation has released an app to provide information under one roof. 35. The Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal has inaugurated a passport seva kendra at a post office in Bikaner (Rajasthan). 36. Senior citizens, living below the poverty line, will now get for free assistive devices like hearing aids and wheelchairs under the government's Rs 477 crore scheme which is set to be rolled out next week. 37. India ranked 122nd, behind Pakistan and Nepal in the global list of the happiest countries, according to a global report. 38. An interactive portal was launched on March 20 by the government to raise awareness and educate the masses about the dental and oral health. 39. Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has unseated his actor Shah Rukh Khan to become the top earning celebrity of 2016 in the Forbes India Celebrity 100 List with an estimated income of Rs. 270.33 crore. 40. India came down by one slot and was ranked 131st among 188 countries on Human Development Index (HDI) 2016 released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). 41. India's longest highway tunnel at Chenani Nashri, between Udhampur and Ramban in Jammu & Kashmir is all set to be inaugurated by prime minister Narendra Modi on April 2. 42. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $350 million loan for improving about 1,500 kilometers of major district roads in Madhya Pradesh in line with the State’s Road Development Plan. 43. The Union Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu has announced the scaling up of ‘VIKALP Scheme’ for waitlisted passengers at a progrmme held in New Delhi. The scheme will become effective on 1st April 2017. 44. The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the proposal for Amendments to the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) Act, 1981.


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45. The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) has approved the proposal for five additional seats for tribal in the Sikkim Assembly. 46. According to Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (Independent Charge) Dr. Mahesh Sharma, five Indian cities were included in the Tentative List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 47. India has marginally improved its position to 87th place on a global energy architecture performance index, but ranks among the worst for pollution, a survey showed. 48. The government has approved construction of 117,814 more affordable houses for urban poor under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) in six states with a total investment of Rs 5,773 crore and with central assistance of Rs 1,816 crore. 49. Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan launched MoP&NG e-Seva, a dedicated grievances redressal platform on Social Media for all queries and grievances relating to Oil and Gas Sector. 50. The Department of Telecom (DoT) has sent a notice to all telecom operators that all mobile phone subscribers (prepaid and post-paid) will have to be verified using e-KYC. 51. Railways will set up Wi-Fi hotspot kiosks at about 500 stations and help people access an array of online services, including various government schemes. 52. India has become the third largest aviation market in terms of domestic passenger traffic, beating Japan. 53. As per Central Electricity Authority , the Designated Authority of Government of India for Cross Border Trade of Electricity, 1st time India has turned around from a net importer of electricity to Net Exporter of electricity. 54. Union finance minister Arun Jaitley , who got the additional charge of the defence ministry a week ago, has given the green light to widespread military reforms. 55. Vehicles that are not BS-IV compliant, whether two-wheeler, three-wheeler, four-wheeler or commercial vehicles will not be sold in India by any manufacturer or dealer on and from April 1,” a Bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta ordered.

Banking, Economics & Financial News 1. An expert committee set up by SIDBI has sanctioned Rs 300 crore to fund managers who would invest in startups, taking the total sanctions so far this fiscal to over Rs 1,100 crore. 2. HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank have started charging a minimum of RS.150 per transaction for cash deposits and withdrawals beyond four free transactions in a month. The banks will charge Rs.5 per thousand rupees or Rs.150, whichever is higher, after the free transactions. 3. The online marketplace arm of One97 Communications Pvt. Ltd 'Paytm E-Commerce' has launched a mobile app and online shopping portal “Paytm Mall” 4. The government has notified the law that makes holding of more than 10 scrapped notes punishable with a minimum fine of Rs 10,000. 5. The union government has asked all banks to provide mobile banking facility to all customers by 31st March in a bid to push digital transactions. 6. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has cut its growth projection for India in 2016-17 to 7% from the 7.4% it had projected last year.


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7. The World Bank has announced an assistance programme of over $1 billion in the areas of urban transport and climate resilient agriculture in Maharashtra, over the next 2-3 years. 8. Urban India fares worse than the rural parts of the country in terms of sex-ratio, both overall and at birth, as per a latest national health survey. 9. India's foreign exchange reserves increased by USD 63.7 million to USD 362.79 billion in the week ended on 24th February 2017. 10. The government has asked banks to link all savings bank accounts with net banking facility by March 31, 2017, in order to encourage digital transactions, and to promote transparency. 11. Ujjivan Small Financial Bank Ltd. (Ujjivan SFB) has launched a powerful, educational film on Financial Literacy titled 'Paison Ki ABCD'. 12. American multinational corporation Cognizant has pocketed a deal to acquire Japanese digital firm Brilliant Service Co which is specialized in intelligent products and solutions, digital strategy, product design and engineering, the Internet of Things, and enterprise mobility. 13. The Centre and States approved the model draft Bills for Centre and Integrated goods and services tax (GST).The Council has also included a revised peak rate of 20 percent under GST, instead of the earlier 18 percent. 14. The country's largest bank State Bank of India (SBI) has decided to reintroduce penalty on non-maintenance of minimum balance in accounts from 1st of April 2017. The bank had suspended levying charges on breach of minimum balance requirements in 2012 to acquire new customers. 15. 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. 16. The Reserve Bank of India has asked bank-operated Financial Literacy Centers (FLCs) and rural branches to organize special camps starting from 1st April to educate public about digital payments through Unified Payments Interface(UPI) and Unstructured Supplementary Service Data-based(USSD) “*99#” service code platforms. 17. Telecom operator Bharti Airtel has signed an agreement with Millicom International Cellular to combine their operations in Ghana. 18. Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has proposed up to 50 per cent increase in insurance premium for cars, motor cycles as well as commercial vehicles from April 1. 19. Public sector Canara Bank has won a number of medals in the Collateral Awards Category at the 11th Global Communication Conclave held in Bangaluru by the Public Relations Council of India (PRCI). 20. Country's largest lender State Bank of India has launched a new facility to enable its employees to work from home. 21. HDFC Bank has announced the launch of an electronic virtual assistant (EVA), an artificial intelligence-driven chatbot, for customer services. 22. The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation(EPFO) has extended the last date of submission of digital life certificate through Jeevan Pramaan Patra by 31st March under Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS).


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23. The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the 12th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on India Africa Project Partnership today (March 9, 2017) in New Delhi. 24. Private sector lender HDFC Bank has digitised payments at over 1,200 dairy co-operatives in the country. It benefits 3.2 lakh dairy farmers across 16 states under the aegis of its Milk to Money (M2M) programme. 25. IDFC Bank is now the first bank in the country to launch Aadhaar Pay. Aadhaar Pay is the biometric based payment system. 26. The Reserve Bank of India has sharply brought down the threshold above which non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) can disburse loans against gold only by cheque. The central bank said with immediate effect such loans amounting to Rs. 25,000 and above can be disbursed only by cheque as against the earlier threshold of Rs. 1 lakh and above. 27. City-based Karnataka Bank has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company for General Insurance business. 28. ICICI Bank topped the list of banks that witnessed most number of frauds during April-December period of 2016 with state-owned SBI taking the second spot, RBI data said. During the first nine months of the current fiscal, as many as 455 fraud cases involving Rs 1 lakh and above were detected in ICICI Bank, closely followed by SBI (429), Standard Chartered (244) and HDFC Bank (237). 29. State Bank of India and real estate developers’ body CREDAI have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly conduct various initiatives towards development of the realty sector. 30. The newly-launched ESAF Small Finance Bank will offer interest rates between 5.75 and 9 per cent for term deposits of varying maturities. 31. The government has said the RBI has been authorised to conduct field trials of plastic notes of Rs 10 that have a longer life span. 32. Coming in support of weak and non-performing Public Sector Banks (PSBs), the Finance Ministry has chalked out a turnaround-linked Rs 8,586-crore capital infusion plan for 10 PSBs. 33. Kumar Mangalam Birla owned Idea Cellular said its Board has approved of a merger with Vodafone India and its wholly owned subsidiary Vodafone India Mobile Services. 34. The Government of India has decided to merge the Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) with the State Bank of India (SBI) to ensure greater banking services outreach to a larger number of women, at a faster pace. 35. Private sector lender Yes Bank has partnered with Payjo, an artificial intelligence banking platform based out of Silicon Valley, California to adopt its intelligence products. 36. To strengthen digitalisation drive in rural region, ICICI Bank has launched mobile banking app called 'Mera iMobile'. 37. E-commerce firm Snapdeal has appointed Jason Kothari as the Chief Executive Officer of FreeCharge. 38. British telecom major Vodafone and Aditya Birla group-run Idea Cellular has announced the merger of their operations, creating the largest mobile operator by customer and revenue market share.


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39. All the branches of State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur (SBBJ), State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH), State Bank of Mysore (SBM), State Bank of Patiala (SBP) and State Bank of Travancore (SBT) will function as branches of State Bank of India from April 1, 2017. All the customers including depositors of these banks will now be treated as customers of SBI from April 1. 40. There were more than 9,100 wilful defaulters who together owed Rs 91,155 crore to public sector banks at 2016 December-end, Parliament was informed. 41. Russian bank VTB has decided to close its only office in India to cut costs but will continue to work in India. 42. The RBI has proposed to fix the upper limit for Pre-paid Payment Instruments at Rs 1 lakh in view of growing usage of PPIs for purchase of goods and services. 43. The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the proposal for Amendments to the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) Act, 1981. 44. Indian global telecommunications services company Bharti Airtel has acquired 4G business of Tikona Networks including the Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) business for Rs 1,600 crore. 45. SBI chief Arundhati Bhattacharya and Indian-origin physician Raj Panjabi have been named by Fortune magazine among the world's 50 greatest leaders who are transforming the world and inspiring others to do the same. 46. Micro-finance platform Disha plans the formal launch of its small finance bank (SFB) in the next quarter, followed by 30-40 branches in the next three months. 47. Four public sector banks (PSBs), including IOB and BoB, have detected 315 cases wherein candidates submitted fake certificate at the time of appointment. 48. Securities and Exchange Board of India(SEBI) has banned Reliance Industries and 12 other entities from equity derivatives trading for one year. 49. Karur Vysya Bank has been adjudged the ‘Best Small Bank for 2016’ (balance sheet size of less than Rs.1-lakh crore). 50. Vijaya Bank entered into an MoU with Piaggio Vehicles for providing financial support for the purchase of vehicles under Small Road Transport Operators (SRTO) scheme in Bengaluru. 51. State Bank of India has said that it will offer credit cards to every account holder who has a balance of Rs 20,000-25,000, without going into credit history. 52. ICICI Bank has announced a partnership with mobile app firm Truecaller for a new UPI-based mobile payment service. 53. The insurance regulator Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has imposed a penalty of Rs 20 lakh on ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company on various charges, including free look cancellations not being in line with regulations; maturity claims not being settled within prescribed time period, resulting in huge number of claims outstanding; and delay in processing surrenders/partial withdrawals. 54. Fair trade regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI) has imposed a penalty of Rs 591.01 crore upon Coal India Limited (CIL). 55. SBI Card launched a unique credit card ‘SBI Card Unnati’ targeted at all SBI customers, including Jan Dhan account-holders across the country.


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56. Axis Bank has tied up with Wells Fargo, the third largest American bank by assets, to offer real time remittances from the Indian diaspora to their relatives back home. 57. Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched a new zero balance digital banking account free of cost which is linked to Aadhaar system.

States News 1. American travel website “TripAdvisor” has ranked Radhanagar beach on the Havelock Island (Andaman and Nicobar Islands) among top 10 beaches in the world in February 2017. 2. While infant mortality rate in the country has been registered at 42 deaths of kids per 1000 births the Union Territory of Puducherry has established a record of having lesser rate of infant mortality. 3. Launching the 'Swachh Shakti Saptah' in Gurugram, Haryana, union minister Narender Singh Tomar said "swachhta" (cleanliness) has become a movement which now needs to made a mass movement. 4. Odisha has become the first Indian state to carry financial inclusion and extend banking services to unbanked areas through Self Help Groups(SHGs). 5. The Odisha government has signed an agreement with “Invest India” the National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency of the Union ministry of commerce and industries. 6. Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister ‘O Panneerselvam’ has launched a portal 'ammakalviyagam.in' as a part of 69th birth anniversary celebrations of late chief minister Jayalalithaa Jayaram (known as Amma). 7. Thiruvananthapuram remained at the top of the Annual Survey of India’s City-Systems (ASICS), which highlighted inadequacies in urban governance that could affect public service delivery and quality of life. 8. Kerala has achieved the maximum number of registrations under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime with at least 60 per cent of an estimated 2.5 lakh traders migrating to the new platform. 9. The Sarbananda Sonowal-led BJP government in Assam has made Sanskrit compulsory in all state board schools till Class VIII. 10. Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh top a list of states visited by Indian tourists last year, Tourism Ministry said. 11. The Haryana state government has decided to set up two health institutes named after Pt Deen Dayal Upadhaya (Medical University) at Kutail and a Medical College named after Kalpana Chawla in Karnal district. 12. The Andhra Pradesh State Cabinet has accepted the naming of "Gannavaram Airport" as "NTR Amaravati Airport" and "Tirupati Airport" as "Sri Venkateswara Airport". 13. The Himachal Pradesh cabinet approved the proposal to make Dharamshala as the second capital of the state. 14. The state govt. of Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir have signed an agreement to fast-track the completion of 206 megawatt 2,285-crore rupees Shahpur Kandi dam project on the Ravi river in Chandigarh. 15. Mumbai has been ranked 21st, ahead of Toronto, Washington DC and Moscow, in the “City Wealth Index” list in the Knight Frank Wealth Report 2017.


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16. West Bengal Government has given official language status to the endangered tribal language Kurukh. 17. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has announced that the state government had prepared a Tirtha Darshan scheme under which senior citizens of any religion above 60 years of age and of Haryana domicile would be able to go on a pilgrimage within the country at government expense. 18. Assam Government has decided to host the biggest river festival ‘Namami Brahmaputra’. The five-day festival to be held from March 31 to April 4 where the Assam Government has planned out a host of activities to showcase the region’s art, heritage and culture. 19. Bihar government has pegged the budget for the tourism sector for 2017-18 at Rs.109.87 crore, which is 84% less than the funds allocated last year. This comes despite tourism being identified among 10 priority sectors of the government under its Industrial Investment Promotion Policy, 2016. 20. Google India and Telangana government have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at supporting the digitization efforts of the state. 21. The West Bengal Government has recently passed the West Bengal Clinical Establishments (Registration, Regulation and Transparency) Bill, 2017, by a voice vote. 22. For the first time in 16 years, Odisha has achieved highest decline in Infant Mortality Rate (IMR). 23. The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet has approved proposals to rename the Vijayawada Airport and the Tirupati Airport. 24. Chandigarh will host a three-day long 'Destination North East' 2017 event showcasing North East as a potential destination for investment. 25. Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd and Hyderabad International Airport Ltd, both managed by GMR-led consortium, have secured top rankings in airport service quality by the Airports Council International. 26. The two-day International Yoga fest has been inaugurated by the union Information and Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah Naidu at Talkatora stadium in New Delhi. 27. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has launched a comprehensive web-based platform showcasing the government's performance and achievements to the citizens. Developed as the Chief Minister's dash board, 'Pratibimba,' which means reflection, will serve as a tool to improve efficiency in governance and allow citizens to track government's progress, officials said. 28. Jammu and Kashmir Minister for food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Zulfkar Ali, inaugurated the first tribal model village Habbi in Kotranka in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri District. 29. The Haryana govt. has informed that the girl child ratio has increased to 938 per 1000 male children in February in Haryana. 30. To deal with cases of violence against women, Odisha has launched a statewide women’s helpline number 181. 31. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has launched mobile App and website 'Mera Hunar HP', a first of its kind in the country.


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32. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday inaugurated the first floating hotel or floatel in Mumbai. AB Celestial, a three-tier yacht featuring restaurants and a sky deck, is harboured near Bandra-Worli Sea Link toll plazas. 33. The Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly is set to have 38 women MLAs. This is the highest number for the state since Independence. 34. Karnataka has announced an Idea2POC (Proof of Concept) fund of Rs10 crore for women entrepreneurs. 35. Focussing on women welfare and new born, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has come out with an innovative scheme – KCR Kit. The scheme is designed to address complications during the time of pregnancy and aimed at reducing infant mortality rate and encourage institutional deliveries. 36. The Arunachal Pradesh government has launched a new scheme 'Adarsh Gram Yojana' to reach the poor people in rural areas of the state to serve them better. 37. The floating photovoltaic project, installed by NTPC at Kayamkulam, has a capacity of 100 Kilowatt. 38. To cater to the needs of the local farmers, the Central Government has established the Banana Research Centre in Gorole, Vaishali. 39. Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah has announced 100 crore for “Namma Canteen” (our canteen). 40. Sanjauli police station in Himachal Pradesh has become the first police post in the country to be linked with Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS), a nationwide online tracking system. 41. The Punjab state cabinet chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has decided to provide 33% reservation for women in all government jobs. 42. The Uttarakhand high court has recognized the Ganga and the Yamuna as so-called living entities, giving the rivers that have seen years of damage at the hands of humans, a legal voice. 43. Chennai-based Al Ameen Green Energy has tied up with a Russian company Miyota Power for setting up a 100-MW solar power plant near Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu. Miyota Power will invest $80 million in the project and will also build the plant on turnkey basis. 44. The chief minister of Assam ‘Sarbananda Sonowal’ has launched initiatives to develop Majuli as India’s first carbon neutral district and as a biodiversity heritage. 45. The Maharashtra government has made Aadhaar mandatory to farmers for availing crop insurance schemes from the next Kharif season. 46. The Gujarat state Assembly has passed bills for the establishment of four private and two government-run universities in the state. 47. The Assam govt has signed a MoU with State Bank of India (SBI) to provide Housing and Educational loan at subsidized interest rates to the employees of the state government. The state Government will provide interest subsidy at the rate of 3.50% for the housing loan and education loan at 4%. 48. Bengaluru got its first vertical garden, which it hopes will help in curbing pollution and in beautifying the city. SayTrees, an NGO, installed the first vertical garden in the city on one of the pillars of the Hosur Road flyover.


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49. Assam government has signed two MoUs with SBI to provide housing loan at hugely subsidised interest rates of 5% for its women employees and 5.5 % for men, and education loan for higher education for their children at 4% interest rate. 50. The World Bank has signed a 100 million US dollar credit agreement with the Centre and Uttarakhand in New Delhi to improve quality of health care services in all 13 districts of the state. 51. The Government has decided to open a Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) at Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. 52. The Forest department has started the five-day long elephant census in Assam. The census is being held at all 39 forest divisions of the state. 53. The Archaeology Department of Telangana has discovered the world's largest capstone after excavating a burial site in Siddipet district, officials said. 54. West Bengal topped the list of states with the maximum number of human trafficking cases in 2016 followed by Rajasthan as the two accounted for around 61 per cent of such cases in the country. 55. In Uttar Pradesh, all below poverty line (BPL) households in the urban and rural areas of the state will get free power connection while those above poverty line (APL) will be given 100 % financing option with easy EMIs.

New Appointments 1. Shri Birender Singh Yadav has been concurrently accredited as the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Togo, with residence in Accra (Ghana). 2. Noted film actor Kabir Bedi has been appointed as the Brand Ambassador of "Sightsavers". Kabir Bedi is known in the United Kingdom for his role as villainous henchman Gobinda in 1983 James Bond movie ‘Octopussy'. 3. Indian Foreign Service officer Gopal Baglay (1992-batch) has been appointed as the new spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs. 4. Senior tribal leader from Chhattisgarh and ex parliamentarian Nand Kuamr Sai assumed charge as the chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) today in New Delhi. 5. The Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to give additional charge of Director General of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to Sudeep Lakhtakia. 6. R Subramania Kumar was given additional charge of the post of Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Indian Overseas Bank for three more months. 7. Senior IAS officer (1982-batch) Sumit Mullick has been appointed as the Chief Secretary of Maharashtra. 8. Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has named Hassan Saleh to the newly-created post of Prime Minister. 9. Sanjiv Singh has been appointed as the chairman of the country’s largest commercial enterprise Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL). 10. P K Purwar was appointed Chairman and Managing Director of state-run telecom major Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL). 11. A former army general and top aide to President Omar al-Bashir was sworn in as Sudan’s first prime minister since the post was scrapped in a 1989 Islamist-backed coup.


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12. Pakistan’s seasoned diplomat Amjad Hussain B Sial has assumed office as the new Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). 13. Senior IAS officer T Jacob was appointed as Secretary, Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). 14. The Shiv Sena nominee and three-time corporator from Santacruz Vishwanath Mahadeshwar has been elected 76th Mayor of Mumbai, with the support of the BJP. 15. Bala Venkatesh Varma has been concurrently accredited as the next Ambassador of lndia to the Principality of Andorra, with residence in Madrid (Spain). 16. Pradeep Nair will take over the office at the end of March. He will replace David Hulse. Nair will guide Ford foundation’s operations in New Delhi. 17. Shri Narendra Kumar, an officer of Central Water Engineering Service (1979 batch) has assumed the charge of Chairman, Central Water Commission (CWC). 18. The government appointed B.P. Kanungo as a deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). 19. Goa Governor Mridula Sinha has appointed Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar as the Chief Minister of Goa. 20. Congress leader Captain Amarinder Singh will take oath as the Chief Minister of Punjab on March 16, after he led his party to victory in the Punjab elections, winning 77 of 117 seats. 21. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has been given the additional charge of the Defence Ministry after President Pranab Mukherjee accepted Manohar Parrikar's resignation. 22. Chinese smartphone company OnePlus has roped in Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan as its new brand ambassador for India. 23. HSBC has appointed Mark Tucker , the chief executive of Asian insurer AIA, as group chairman. 24. The Congress leadership has nominated party floor leader in LoK Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge for the post of Chairman of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament. 25. William B Thomas has been elected Chairman of KPMG International. He will lead the KPMG global network of professional services firms for a four-year term, effective October 1, 2017. 26. Nongthombam Biren Singh took oath as the chief minister of Manipur at the Raj Bhawan in Imphal. 27. Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar Takes Charge as the Acting Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court. 28. The Government has decided to extend Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian’s tenure by two more years, till October 2019. 29. Former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) pracharak and MLA of Doiwala ‘Trivendra Singh Rawat’ (57-year) sworn in as a new Uttarakhand Chief Minister (9th) in the state capital Dehradun. 29. BJP has named Yogi Adityanath as the next Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, according to ANI. He will take oath as CM on March 19. Yogi Adityanath has represented Gorakhpur in the Lok Sabha since 1998. 30. Senior IAS officer Karan Avtar Singh (1984-batch) has been appointed as the Chief Secretary of Punjab.


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31. In an unprecedented move, the Centre has swapped the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of state-owned Indian Bank and IDBI Bank. Mahesh Kumar Jain, who was Managing Director & CEO at Indian Bank, has been appointed as Managing Director & CEO of IDBI Bank, which is now in some financial trouble and faced with several legacy issues. Kishore Piraji Kharat, who was appointed as IDBI Bank CEO in August 2015, has now been appointed as Managing Director and CEO of Indian Bank. 32. Kerala Governor Sathasivam administered Justice Navniti Prasad Singh the oath at Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala). 33. Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines, Government of India and Ms. Ségolène Royal, Minister for Environment, Energy and Marine Affairs Government of France jointly decided to appoint Mr. Upendra Tripathy, as the Interim Director General (IDG) of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) on a full time basis. 34. Shuttler PV Sindhu will be the brand ambassador for Gatorade, PepsiCo’s sports-based drink. The partnership is a reiteration of PepsiCo India’s commitment to popularise the benefits of its healthier food and beverage offerings among consumers. 35. President Pranab Mukherjee has appointed Sunaina Singh, currently head of the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) in Hyderabad, as the new vice chancellor of Nalanda University. 36. UP Governor Ram Naik has appointed three-time BJP MLA Fateh Bahadur as the ‘Protem Speaker’ of the newly-constituted Assembly to administer the oath to newly elected MLAs in Uttar Pradesh. 37. The Reserve Bank of India has accorded its approval for the appointment of T S Anantharaman as part-time Chairman of the Catholic Syrian bank. 38. Dr. Randeep Guleria has been appointed as the new director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi. 39. The founder-director of Agora Advisory Pvt Ltd Madhabi Puri Buch has appointed as the new Whole-Time Member (WTM) of the market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). 40. Sachin Tendulkar has exited travel portal Musafir.com as an investor after a period of five years. 41. United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has appointed former South Carolina Governor David Beasley to run the Rome-based World Food Programme (WFP). 42. Global investment bank Nomura has appointed Prabhat Awasthi as its new India head. Awasthi, who is currently Head of Equities, India, will replace Vikas Sharma as the country head from April 1.

Resigns 1. South Korea’s Constitutional Court voted unanimously to remove the country’s President, Park Geun-hye, from office. With the impeachment, Park becomes the first South Korean President to be removed from office. 2. Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has submitted his resignation to Governor Mridula Sinha following his loss from the Mandrem seat by over 7,000 votes.


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3. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has submitted his resignation to Governor Ram Naik following his party's loss in the state Assembly elections. 4. Congress leader Harish Rawat has tendered his resignation as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand after losing elections from both the constituencies he had contested from. 5. Anil Ambani-led Reliance Capital’s CEO Sam Ghosh will leave the company on 31 March after nine years to pursue other options. Ghosh, a Chartered Accountant from England, joined Reliance Capital in early 2008, and in 2015 was elevated to the company's board. 6. Congress party's Okram Ibobi Singh has resigned as Manipur's Chief Minister after refusing to quit claiming that the party had enough support to form the government. 7. Manohar Parrikar , after being appointed the new Chief Minister of Goa by the state's Governor, has announced that he has resigned as the Defence Minister and has sent his resignation to the Prime Minister's Office. 8. Ride services company Uber Technologies Inc has been thrust deeper into turmoil with the departure of company president Jeff Jones. 9. Nishant Rao, COO of customer support software startup Freshdesk, has announced his departure from the company.

Important Committees 1. Madukar Gupta Committee Submits its Report to the Union Government. The committee was constituted to strengthen border protection and address vulnerabilities in fencing along the Indo-Pakistan border. 2. The committee of petitions led by BJP MP Bhagat Singh Koshyari has suggested the merger of BSNL - MTNL in its report for the long term survival of these entities. 3. Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti has suggested formation of a joint group to identify areas of co-operation in water sector.

Meets & Summits 1. Two-day Nepal Investment Summit 2017 has been inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal at Kathmandu(Nepal). 2. The 13th Economic Cooperation Organisation Summit was held in Islamabad, Pakistan. The theme of ECO Summit was "Connectivity for Regional Prosperity,". 3. The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India, in collaboration with United Nations University and UNESCO, is organizing a three-day International Conference 10th ICEGOV 2017 in Delhi from 7th March to 9th March, 2017. 4. The two-day Guwahati Film Festival has begun at Guwahati, Assam. 5. India for first time is going to host ICEGOV 2017 (International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance). 6. A three – day National Conference on Innovation in Educational Administration has begin at Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. 7. The three-day international conference on e-governance “ICEGOV 2017” has been inaugurated by the Minister of Electronics and IT, Law & Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad in New Delhi.


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8. India will organize its first mobile congress in September with a special focus on reaching out to the South East Asian markets. 9. The mega cultural festival 'India by the Nile' got off to a colourful start at the foot of the Pyramids with a Crafts Mela, showcasing joint handicraft exhibition of India and Egypt. The Embassy of India in Cairo, in collaboration with Teamwork Arts, presented 'Crafts Mela' as part of the IBN 2017 cultural festival. 10. The international conference on the VISION ZERO and its relevance to Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), is being organized from 15th to 17th, March 2017 at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi by 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). 11. Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh has inaugurated a three-day Krishi Unnati Mela for providing information on new farm schemes and technologies that will help farmers double their incomes by 2022. 12. SAE INDIA , a non-profit engineering and scientific society dedicated to the advancement of mobility community, will organise FISITA World Automotive Congress for the first time in India. 13. The G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ Meeting has started in Baden-Baden, Germany from March 17, 2017. 14. The three days “International Buddhist Conference” organized by Ministry of Culture and Nava Nalanda Mahaviahra, Deemed University was inaugurated by His Holiness The Dalai Lama and Dr.Mahesh Sharma, Minister of Culture and Tourism at Rajgir International Buddhist Conference, Bihar. 15. India-Russia Military Industry Conference is being held on 17-18 March 2017 in New Delhi. Conference was inaugurated by Minister of Defence, Finance and Corporate Affairs, Arun Jaitley and Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia, Denis Manturov. 16. The Union Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan has inaugurated the 5th foundation day function of the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council in New Delhi. 17. A two day National Conference entitled “Empowering Deaf through Indian Sign Language” was inaugurated by Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment in New Delhi. 18. The second India-UAE conference on globalisation was held at Dubai with an aim to promote cooperation between the two countries. 19. The 3rd Conference of Health/AYUSH Ministers of States/UTs was inaugurated by the Minister of State for AYUSH (Independent Charge) Shri Shripad Yesso Naik in New Delhi. The day long conference was organized by the Ministry of AYUSH to provide an opportunity to States/UT to interact with each other for the development of AYUSH sector. 20. The “3rd International Conference on Alternate Fuels and Raw Materials in Cement Industry -Towards Realising Swachh Bharat Dream”, was inaugurated in New Delhi.


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21. The Carpet Export Promotion Council is organizing the 33rd India Carpet Expo, a sourcing platform for handmade carpets and other floor coverings, from 27-30 March, 2017 in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. 22. The 3rd G-20 Framework Working Group (FWG) Meeting under the G-20 German Presidency is being co-hosted by Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, 23. The Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council of India (GJEPC) organised International Diamond Conference at Hotel Hyatt Mumbai. 24. Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (I/C) for Culture and Tourism inaugurated the “National Tribal and North East Conclave-2017” organized by Lalit Kala Akademi under Ministry of Culture in New Delhi. 25. The Ministry of Road transport and Highways will host the Grand Finale of the Smart India Hackathon 2017 at Nagpur on 1st and 2nd April, 2017. 26. 9th World Environmental Education Congress will take place from September 9-15, 2017 in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Honours & Award 1. Singer Rihanna has been honoured with the 2017 Harvard Humanitarian of the Year award. She received the award for her work in her native island of Barbados and the charities she has founded over the years. 2. Indian filmmaker Alankrita Shrivastava's Lipstick Under My Burkha, which has been denied a certificate by the country's movie censor board, has bagged the Audience Award at the Glasgow Film Festival 2017. 3. Jawaharlal Nehru University has won the annual Visitor’s Award for the ‘Best University’, 2017. Dr. Deepak Pant from Central University of Himachal Pradesh won the Visitor’s Award for ‘Innovation’. 4. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has entered the Limca Book of World Records for erecting 200 U-shaped girders in a month. 5. Former US President Barack Obama has been named as the winner of the 2017 John F. Kennedy ‘Profile in Courage’ award. 6. Sri Lanka won the "Most Popular Tourism Destination Award" at the Guangzhou International Travel Fair (GITF) in China, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. 7. Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd have won the 'Best Mobile Innovation for Emerging Markets' from Global Mobile Awards 2017 at ongoing Mobile World Congress 2017 (MWC) in Barcelona. 8. Eminent Malayalam author and journalist M P Veerendra Kumar was presented the 30th Moortidevi award by Bharatiya Jnanpith organisation here. 9. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who played the character of Sarabjit Singh’s sister Dalbir Kaur in the film Sarabjit, has won the Best Actress award at the International Film Festival and Awards of Australia (IFFAA). 10. Viola Davis has honored with the Harvard foundation 'Artist of the Year-2017 award" in Cambridge. 11. Eminent Konkani writer Mahabaleshwar Sail has been honoured with the 26th Saraswati Samman 2016 for his novel 'Hawthan'.


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12. Swachh Shakti 2017 – A Convention of Women Sarpanches, was addressed by PM Modi at Gandhinagar. 13. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was conferred honorary degree of Doctor of Science (DSc) by the city-based Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University. 14. Thai contestant Jiratchaya Sirimongkolnawin was crowned Miss International Queen 2016 at a contest considered as the world's largest and most popular transgender pageant. 15. 'Dangal' won the Viewer's Choice Best Film award at Zee Cine Awards 2017 on 11th March 2017. 16. Central Bank of India has been awarded first prize in the implementation of Official Language Policy in the western region for the year 2015-2016. 17. Eleven Indian women are among the 25 Asian ladies who have won the ‘Women Icons’ award in Singapore for dedicating their lives to social work. 18. Maggie MacDonnell, A Canadian who teaches at a school in a fly-in-only village in the Arctic has won a $1m (£800,000) Global Teacher Prize at a ceremony in Dubai. 19. The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee has presented the Gallantry Awards and Distinguished Service Decorations at a Defence Investiture Ceremony at ‘Rashtrapati Bhavan’ in New Delhi. 20. French mathematician Yves Meyer was awarded the 2017 Abel Prize for his work on wavelets. 21. ABB India has been awarded with Smart Technology of the Year 2016 for its efforts at restoration of 1,035 MW Sharavathi hydropower plant in Karnataka. 22. The first Kuldip Nayar Journalism Award was given to NDTV’s Ravish Kumar. The award ceremony was held in New Delhi’s India International Centre on 19 March 2017. Kuldip Nayar and the Gandhi Peace Foundation have jointly instituted the award. 23. Renowned photojournalist Raghu Rai has conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 6th National Photography Awards organized by the photo division of the I&B ministry in New Delhi. 24. The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters has announced that the 2017 Abel prize has been awarded to mathematician ‘Yves Meyer’ for his pivotal role in the development of the mathematical theory of wavelets”. 25. Actor Anupam Kher was honoured with the Kala Ratan Award from Panjab University with the Vice President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari giving away the award. 26. Eminent TV journalist Ravish Kumar (Senior executive editor of NDTV India) has been awarded inaugural ‘Kuldip Nayar journalism award’ for his contribution to the field of journalism at the India International Centre, New Delhi. 27. Indian-origin British director Gurinder Chadha has been honored with the 2017 Sikh Jewel Award for her immense contribution to British cinema. 28. Priti Patel, the UK Government's Secretary of State for International Development and first ever UK-India diaspora Champion, has been awarded India's highest honour for members of the Indian diaspora. 29. The Govardhan Eco Village of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) at Wada taluka near Mumbai, has received an award instituted by Water Digest, a news portal on water management.


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30. Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat is in Kathmandu on a four-day official visit to Nepal during which he was conferred with the honorary rank of general of the Nepal Army.

Books & Authors 1. Former Indian cricketer Akash Chopra released book titled Numbers Do Lie, 61 Hidden Cricket Stories which takes a different look at stats. It is based on the Impact Index analytics by Jaideep Verma, Soham Sarkhel and Nikhil Narain. 2. Former Australian captain Michael Clarke has launched his autobiography titled "My Story" at Kolkata. 3. The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Radha Mohan Singh has launched of Coffee Table Book titled “50 Years – The Great Indian Milk Revolution” commemorating National Dairy Development Board’s (NDDB) Golden Jubilee year. 4. General Bipin Rawat, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), on 27 March 2017 at South Block, New Delhi, released the book ‘Home of the Brave’ on the history of Indian Army’s Counter Insurgency Force, the Rashtriya Rifles (RR).

Defence & Science 1. India successfully test-fired the supersonic interceptor missile from the Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast after receiving commands from the radars on the incoming missile. The interceptor missile “Prithvi” detected and tracked the enemy's ballistic missile, which was fired from Interim Test Range at Chandipur in Odisha. 2. The Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar presented the Raksha Mantri’s Trophy and Citation for the best Service Hospital in the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) for the year 2016 to INHS Asvini, Mumbai. 3. Indian Navy has successfully test-fired an anti-ship missile from an indigenously built INS Kalvari submarine in Arabian sea. 4. India’s Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) shield got a further fillip with the successful test of an interceptor missile conducted by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). 5. United States and South Korean troops kicked off the 2017 iteration of their large-scale annual Foal Eagle exercises. 6. China has announced that its Military Budge t this year will grow by about 7%, which is the country's slowest defence budget rise since 2010. 7. INS Viraat , the world’s oldest aircraft carrier in active service will be decommissioned on 6th March, 2017 with a ceremonial send-off in Mumbai. 8. The world's smallest and lightest mobile phone 'Phone Strap 2 WX06A' was announced by Japanese company Willcom on March 5, 2013. It measures 32 x 70 x 10.7 mm, features a 1-inch screen and weighs only 32 grams. 9. The two-week long joint military exercise between India and Nepal “SURYA KIRAN-XI” has begun in Pithoragarh area of Uttarakhand. 10. A 14-day joint training exercise of the armies of India and Oman has began at Bakloh in Himachal Pradesh. 11. Indian Navy will set up meteorological facilities and impart training for the Myanmar Navy. This was agreed upon during a recent visit of a Myanmar delegation to Kochi.


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12. The European Unio ((EU).) has launched the fifth satellite of the Copernicus observation program. 13. The Union Minister Giriraj Singh has launched the first of its kind Air Conditioned jacket made of cotton fabric in Nawada district of Bihar. 14. Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, chief commanding flag officer of the western command of the Indian Navy, commissioned INS Tillanchang, the water jet fast attack craft at the Seabird naval. 15. The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that the Iranian military successfully test-fired a Hormuz-2 ballistic missile this week. 16. Japan is planning to dispatch its largest warship on a three-month tour through the South China Sea starting from May to test its capability. 17. The US will retire its Predator drone MQ-1 from service in July after 22 years and will replace it with the more capable MQ-9 Reaper. The remote-piloted drone entered service in 1995 as RQ-1, but was re-designated as MQ-1 in 1999 after it was fitted with Hellfire missiles. 18. India and Russia have signed two long-term support agreements for the Sukhoi Su-30MKI combat aircraft fleet. 19. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman AS Kiran Kumar has commissioned the world’s third largest hypersonic wind tunnel at Thiruvananthapuram’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Kerala. 20. The National chopper operator 'Pawan Hans' is all set to launch its "Delhi Darshan" rides from first April 2017. 21. The Union Defence Minister Arun Jaitley handed over three naval systems, developed by premier defense research organization DRDO to the navy. 22. The Indian Navy successfully has successfully test-fired the short-range Barak surface-to-air missile from the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya . 23. The Indian Navy is preparing for de-induction of TU142M Long Range Maritime Patrol aircraft after its 29 years of dedicated service to the nation. 24. The Border Security Force (BSF) has received its first woman field officer ‘Tanushree Pareek’ after 51 years. 25. The surveillance ship ‘INLCU L51’ was commissioned into the Indian Navy by Vice Admiral 'Bimal Verma', AVSM, Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command in a ceremony at Port Blair.

Obituaries 1. Neil Fingleton, a 7-foot 7-inch actor who played the giant, Mag the Mighty, in “Game of Thrones” has died at 36. 2. Former Union Minister P. Shiv Shankar passed away after a prolonged illness. He was 89. He became Law Minister in the Indira Gandhi Cabinet in 1980. From 1985 till 1993, he represented the Congress as Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat. 3. Senior Congress leader and Member of Rajya Sabha Haji Abdul Salam (69-year) passed away after a brief illness at Imphal.


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4. Gujarati writer Taarak Mehta, best known for his columns which were adapted for TV sitcom 'Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah', died on Wednesday in Ahmedabad at the age of 87 after a prolonged illness. 5. French football legend Raymond Kopa (85-years) passed in Paris after a long illness. He won the European Cup three times with Real Madrid in the 1950s. 6. Former Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer and MP Syed Shahabuddin, who was suffering from prolonged illness, died at a hospital in Noida. He was 82. 7. The man who performed the world's first liver transplant passed away American surgeon US Thomas Starzl (90-year), passed away at home. 8. Eminent socialist leader, former Union Minister and former Speaker of Lok Sabha Rabi Ray passed away in Cuttack. He was 91. 9. Popular Bengali folk music singer Kalikaprasad Bhattacharya (46-year) passed away in a road accident in Hooghly district, West Bengal. 10. Veteran journalist Arvind Padmanabhan, Executive Editor at IANS, died of cardiac arrest. Padmanabhan, who would have turned 50 next month, breathed his last at the Holy Family Hospital. 11. Former Chief Justice of Pakistan Sajjad Ali Shah passed away at the age of 84 in Karachi. 12. Rene Preval, a two-time president of Haiti, died at the age of 74. 13. Former Minister of Puducherry M Chandrakasu (65-year) passed away in Chennai after prolonged illness. 14. Malayalam film director Diphan (47-year) passed away in a private hospital at Kochi. He is survived by his wife and two children. 15. The former Puducherry Agriculture Minister M. Chandrakasu passed away after a prolonged illness. He was 67 . 16. Former national racing champion Ashwin Sundar and his wife Niveditha died in a mishap at MRC Nagar, Chennai. 17. A Nobel-prize winning poet, playwright, and painter "Derek Alton Walcott" (87-year) has passed away at his home in Cap Estate, Saint Lucia. 18. The poet and playwright Derek Walcott, who moulded the language and forms of the western canon to his own purposes for more than half a century, has died aged 87. 19. Chuck Berry, who defined rock ’n’ roll’s potential and attitude in its early years, died at his home near Wentzville, Mo. He was 90. 20. Noted Gujarati poet and ghazal writer Chinu Modi (78-year) has passed away in Ahmedabad (Gujarat). 21. Former bureaucrat turned politician Pyari Mohan Mohapatra (77-year) passed away at a hospital in Mumbai. 22. Former director of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) Dev Raj Sikka (85-years) passed away at Pune. 23. Noted Tamil litterateur Asokamitran passed away after a brief illness, aged 85. A well known novelist and essayist, he was noted for his subtlety and refreshing creativity in expression. 24. Eminent jurist Tehmtan R Andhyarujina (84-years) passed away due to illness. He was the Solicitor General of India from 1996 to 1998.


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25. Renowned playwright and Sahitya Akademi Award winner Arun Sarma died at a private hospital in the National Capital after a brief illness.He was 85. 26. Veteran South African’s Indian-origin anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Kathrada (87-year) passed away. 27. Former Punjab minister and senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Gurdev Singh Badal (85-year) passed away at Ludhiana.

Sports News 1. 10th ESPNcricinfo Awards – At a Glance Indian international cricketer Virat Kohli has named as the ‘Captain of the Year‘ at the 10th annual ESPNcricinfo Awards. Kohli led India to nine wins out of 12 Tests in the year 2016. Stuart Broad bagged the Test Bowling performance of the year for his brilliant spell of 6/17 in the final Test against South Africa. ● Test Batting Performance of the Year: Ben Stokes (England) ● Test Bowling Performance of the Year award: Stuart Broad (England) ● ODI Batting Performance of the Year: Quinton De Kock (South Africa) ● ODI Bowling Performance of the Year: Sunil Narine (West Indies) ● T20 Batting Performance of the Year award: Carlos Brathwaite (West Indies) ● T20 Bowling Performance of the Year: Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh) ● Debutant of the Year: Mehedi Hasan Miraz (Bangladesh) ● Captain of the Year: Virat Kohli (India) ● Batting Performance of the Year (Female): Hayley Williams (West Indies) ● Bowling Performance of the Year (Female): Leigh Kasperek (New Zealand)

2. Indian shooter Jitu Rai has clinched a gold medal and Amanpreet Singh won a silver medal in 50-metre air pistol event of ISSF World Cup in New Delhi. 3. The Indian cricket board i.e. BCCI has nominated Shanta Rangaswamy for lifetime achievement award for her contribution to the women's cricket. 4. Virat Kohli has been named India's best international cricketer of the year by the BCCI, making him the first player to win the top honour three times. He will be presented the award, 5. The AIFF (All India Football Federation) has appointed Portugal’s Luis Norton de Matos (63-year) as the head coach of the Indian Under-17 team for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup. 6. Indian Boxing federation president Ajay Singh has announced that Indian Boxing Federation (IBA) is planning to host one major boxing international tournament every year. 7. India will host the World Women's Youth Boxing Championship in November this year, the first major international event to be held in the country since 2010. 8. Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) Awards 2015-16 The BCCI Awards are a set of annual cricket awards given by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). These awards in various categories recognise and honour the best Indian international and domestic cricketers of the past year. The awards were first given in 2006–07. ● Col. C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement award: Rajinder Goel and Padmakar

Shivalkar ● BCCI Lifetime Achievement award for women: Shantha Rangaswamy


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● BCCI Special awards: V.V. Kumar and the late Ramakant Desai ● Polly Umrigar award: Virat Kohli ● Dilip Sardesai award (India’s best cricketer in the West Indies series, 2016): R.

Ashwin ● Lala Amarnath award (best all-rounder in the Ranji Trophy): Jalaj Saxena (Madhya

Pradesh) ● Lala Amarnath award (best all-rounder in domestic limited-over competition): Axar

Patel (Gujarat) ● Madhavrao Scindia award (highest scorer in the Ranji Trophy): Shreyas Iyer

(Mumbai) ● Madhavrao Scindia award (highest wicket-taker): Shahbaz Nadeem (Jharkhand) ● M.A. Chidambaram Trophy (highest scorer in the u-23 Col. C.K. Nayudu Trophy):

Jay Bista (Mumbai) ● M.A. Chidambaram Trophy (highest wicket-taker in the u -23 Col. C.K. Nayudu

Trophy): Satyajeet Bachhav (Maharashtra) ● N.K.P. Salve award (highest scorer in the u-19 Cooch Behar Trophy): Armaan Jaffer

(Mumbai) ● N.K.P. Salve award (highest wicket-taker in the u-19 Cooch Behar Trophy): Ninad

Rathva (Baroda) ● Raj Singh Dungarpur award (highest scorer in the u-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy):

Abhishek Sharma (Punjab) ● Raj Singh Dungarpur award (highest wicket-taker in the u-16 Vijay Merchant

Trophy): Abhishek Sharma (Punjab) ● Jagmohan Dalmiya award [(best woman cricketer (senior)]: Mithali Raj (Railways) ● Jagmohan Dalmiya award [(best woman cricketer (junior)]: Deepti Sharma (Uttar

Pradesh) ● Best umpire in domestic cricket: Nitin Menon ● Best performance in BCCI domestic tournaments: Mumbai Cricket Association

9. Former India wrestler Kripa Shankar Bishnoi has been appointed an international match referee by United World Wrestling (UWW), the sport's global governing body. 10. Indian shuttler duo Tarun Kona and Alwin Francis has won the Men’s Double title at the 2017 Uganda International Series at MTN Arena Lugogo, Kampala. 11. Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) handed over three of its products for induction into the Indian Army in a formal function. The products are namely: (a) Weapon Locating Radar (WLR), SWATHI (b) NBC Recce vehicle (c) NBC Drugs 12. West Indies batsman Dwayne Smith has announced his retirement from all international cricket. 13. Ravichandran Ashwin has overtook Anil Kumble to become the bowler with most balls bowled in a Test cricket season. Ashwin has bowled 3,701 balls (616.5 overs) in the 2016/17 season while Kumble had bowled 3,673 balls (612.1 overs) in the 2004/05 season.


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14. India ended their campaign in the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) World Cup (Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun) with five medals, including one Gold, two Silver and two Bronze medals at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range, New Delhi. 15. The Indian men's Rugby team defeated Pakistan (14-12) to secure the 7th rank at the Asia Men's Rugby Sevens Trophy at Aspire Rugby Field in Doha, Qatar. 16. Britain's Andy Murray saw off Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in straight sets to win the Dubai Championships for the first time. 17. American Sam Querrey claimed the biggest title of his career after defeating Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the final of the Mexican Open. 18. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has appointed Indian cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar as the UNICEF and Cricket For Good Ambassador for the ICC Women's World Cup 2017, scheduled to start from June 24. 19. Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) has confirmed Oppo as its new sponsor. Oppo will replace Star on India’s jersey after the latter’s contract ran out. 20. Pablo Cuevas (Uruguay) has won his third consecutive Brazil Open title by beating Albert Ramos-Vinolas (Spain) 6-7 (7-3), 6-4, 6-4 in a final. 21. The Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja has become the first set of spinners to be jointly ranked number one in the “ICC Test rankings” for bowlers. 22. The Indian women’s hockey team defeated Belarus 3-1 to make a clean sweep of the five-match Test series (5-0) in Bhopal. 23. Shuttler Jwala Gutta has announced plans of her own badminton academy, which is set to start in Hyderabad next month in partnership with a private firm. 24. Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan has become the youngest to be awarded 'Man of the Series' in T20Is, winning the award in the three-match T20I series against Ireland. 25. Lee Chong Wei (34-year) of Malaysia has lifted the Men's Singles crown at the All England Open badminton championships. 26. SSP Chawrasia has become only the second Indian golfer to successfully defend the Hero Indian Open title. 27. The 2022 Commonwealth Games will no longer be held in Durban, South Africa. David Grevemberg, chief executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation, said the city did not meet the criteria set by his organisation, and the search for a new host city had already begun. 28. Shashank Manohar had been serving dual role of ICC Chairman as well as BCCI President (since October 2015). 29. Jwala Gutta was appointed as a member by the Secretary of Sports Authority of India (SAI), S. S. Chhabra. 30. The Union Minister of State Babul Supriyo has been appointed as vice-president of the local organizing committee for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup. 31. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has approved their plan to add a stadium in Fukushima for newly added baseball and softball events. 32. National record holder K T Irfan clocked an impressive timing to win a bronze in the 20 kilometer men's event in the Asian Race Walk Championships at Nomi in Japan. 33. Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has been appointed as the ambassador for the fifth edition of the Blind Cricket World Cup.


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34. Santiago Nieva will be India’s new foreign coach for men boxers, succeeding Cuban BI Fernandes. 35. India's middle-order batsman Cheteshwar Pujara stormed his way into record books after playing a marathon innings against Australia on fourth day of the third Test match in Ranchi. Pujara became the first Indian batsman to face 500 balls in a Test innings by surpassing Rahul Dravid's previous best of 495 balls. 36. Tamil Nadu regained the Vijay Hazare trophy after beating Bengal by 37 runs in the final of the 2017 edition. 37. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the appointment of Ankur Khanna to the post of Chief Financial Officer (CFO). 38. Swiss Roger Federer and Russian Elena Vesnina have clinched singles titles at Indian Wells tournament. 39. India's Vidya Pillai produced a spirited performance before settling for silver in the World Women Snooker Championship in Singapore. 40. Ravindra Jadeja gained seven points to become the sole world number one bowler in the ICC's Test rankings. Meanwhile, top-ranked Steve Smith has reached a career-high rating of 941 points after scores of 178 not out and 21. Top 5 Test Bowlers ● Ravindra Jadeja (Rating -899) ● Ravichandran Ashwin (Rating 862) ● Rangana Herath (Rating -854) ● Josh Hazlewood (Rating -842) ● James Anderson (Rating -810)

41. Indian shooter Ankur Mittal (24-year) clinched his first men's double trap event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Acapulco, Mexico. He defeated his Australian rival, James Willet. 42. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has doubled the Annual Retainer ship fee of India's 32 centrally contracted cricketers. 43. India’s special athletes have won 18 medals so far in the ongoing 2017 Olympics World Winter Games in Austria. 44. India won 73 medals, including 37 gold, at the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games, held in Austria from March 14-25. 45. Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel won the Australian Grand Prix for Ferrari. It was Vettel's fourth win for Ferrari and his first since the Singapore Grand Prix in September 2015. 46. West Bengal has lifted the Santosh Trophy for the 32nd time after Manvir Singh struck in the 119th minute for a 1-0 win over Goa, extending their domination in the premier domestic football tournament. 47. The Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait retires from all forms of cricket. Tait represented his country in 3 Tests, 35 One-Day Internationals (ODI) and 21 Twenty20 Internationals during which he picked up 95 wickets. 48. The iconic Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata has been named as the venue for the final of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, which will be held in India from October 6-28.


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49. India beat Australia by eight wickets in the fourth and final cricket Test to claim the four-match series 2-1 at the HPCA stadium, Dharamsala. 50. Indian pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have won the USD 20,000 ‘Vietnam Open International Challenger badminton title’ in Hanoi, Vietnam. 51. The International Hockey Federation and Government of Odisha has officially confirmed that the Men's Hockey World League Final 2017 and Men's Hockey World Cup 2018 will be held in Bhubaneswar. 52. Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (30-years) has received the ‘Garfield Sobers Trophy’ for the ‘ICC Cricketer of the Year 2016’ as well as the ‘ICC Test Cricketer of the Year 2016’ from former India captains and ICC Cricket Hall of Famers Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh. 53. Dinesh Karthik cracked 126 as Tamil Nadu defeated India B by 42 runs in the final to clinch the Deodhar Trophy 50-overs cricket tournament at the ACA-VDCA stadium in Visakhapatnam. 54. Pakistan pacer Mohammad Irfan was slapped with a one-year ban and fined $ 1,000 after he admitted to have failed in reporting a spot-fixing approach by bookmakers during the Pakistan Super League. 55. Srinath Narayanan (23-year) is all set to become India's 46th Grandmaster after he defeated David Anton Guijarro (Spanish Grandmaster) at the ongoing Sharjah Masters 2017 chess tournament.

Important Dates 1. 1st March : Zero Discrimination Day 2. 3rd March : World Wildlife Day 3. 3rd March : National Defence Day 4. 4th March : National Security Day (Rashtriya Suraksha Diwas) 5. 4th March : World Day of Fight against Sexual Exploitation 6. 4th March : National Safety Day (Theme of National Safety Day / Week 2017 : “Keep Each Other Safe”) 7. 8th March : International Women’s Day (Theme is “Be Bold For Change”) 8. 10th March : Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Raising Day 9. 12th March : World Kidney Day 10. 12th March : World Day Against Cyber Censorship 11. 13th March : World Rotaract Day 12. 2nd Monday of March : Commonwealth Day 13. 14th March : Pi Day 14. 15th March : World Consumer Rights Day 15. 18th March : Ordnance Factories’ Day 16. 20th March : International Day of Happiness 17. 20th March : World Sparrow Day 18. 21st March : International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 19. 21st March : The International Day of Forests 20. 21st March : World Poetry Day 21. 22nd March : World Water Day


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22. 23rd March : World Meteorological Day 23. 24th March : World Tuberculosis Day (Theme is ‘Unite to End TB’) 24. 25th March : International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade 25. 27th March : World Theatre Day

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