current affairs : march - 2019 1 · the central industrial security force (cisf) has ed history by...

Current Affairs : MARCH -

NITIAayog’sAtal Innovation Missioncharterofdevelopingcreativeskills and spreading 100schoolswillbeadoptedbyAdobe

PrograminATLs. TheUnion CabinetchairedbythePrimeMinister

Mission(AIM),andforincurringexpenditureuptoexpandingAtalTinkeringLabsto10,000 schools NITI Aayog: Headquarter:NewDelhi

TheUnion Cabinethasapprovedthe Thenewmineralpolicyfocusesontransparency,betterregulations&enforcement,balancedgrowth&

sustainability.

TheUnionCabinethasapprovedthe National Policy on Software Products (NPSP)

aSoftware Product Nation. Objective:TheGovernmenthasapprovedtheNPSP

todevelopIndiaastheglobal software product hub. TheUnion Minister of Textileshaslaunchedacomprehensiveschemefordevelopmentof

SectorunderPowerTex India. TheMinistryhasapprovedacombined

Knitwear Schemewithanoutlayofof2018-19 and 2019-20.

AYUSHMinisterShripad Yesso NaikGhaziabadinUttar Pradesh.

TheCabinet Committee on Economic AffairsAnukoolfasalawasheshNivaran)Yojana Theschemewillbesupportedfinanciallyby

Bio-ethanol Projectsusinglignocellulosic biomass TheUnioncabinethasapprovedtheproposalforimplementationof

Vehicles in India Phase II (FAME India Phase II)' TheschemewithtotaloutlayofRs 10000 Crores

implementedwitheffectfrom1st April 2019 Thisschemeistheexpandedversionofthe

2015,withtotaloutlayofRs. 895 cror Thegovernmenthasconstitutedaninter

projects.Panelchairedbythesecretary TheDepartment of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities

Empowermenthascreated“7th Guinness Book of World Record Therecordwascreatedforimplanting

TheMinister for Women and Child DevelopmentPakhwada’from8thto22ndMarch2019acrosstheCountry.

PrimeMinisterNarendra Modiinauguratedthe2019(CTI-2019)inNew Delhi. Healsodeclared‘April 2019–March 2020’

technologytomeettheincreasingdemandofhousinginthecountrycausedbyrapidurbanizationgotstressed. Ananthem“Plastic Waste-Free India

Smriti Manch(PDUSM)–anon-profitorganisationwhichworksinthefieldofsocialandenvironmentalissueswaslaunchedbyUnionMinisterforScience&Technology,EarthSciencesandEnviHarsh Vardhan.

- 2019

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Atal Innovation Mission(AIM)andAdobesignedaStatementofIntent(SOIskills and spreading digital literacyacrossallAtal Tinkering Labs

AdobeundertheATLinitiativeandwillbeimplementingits

chairedbythePrimeMinisterShri Narendra ModihasapprovedContinuationof(AIM),andforincurringexpenditureuptoRs. 1000croretill2019-20byAtalInnovationMissionfor

10,000 schoolsinviewoftheirhugesuccessatschoollevel.NewDelhi, CEO:AmitabhKant

theNational Mineral Policy,2019(NMP2019).focusesontransparency,betterregulations&enforcement,balancedgrowth&

National Policy on Software Products (NPSP) - 2019

TheGovernmenthasapprovedtheNPSP-2019tocreatearobustsoftwareproductecosystem,whichaimsglobal software product hub.

haslaunchedacomprehensiveschemefordevelopmentof

TheMinistryhasapprovedacombinedStanding Finance Component(SFC)ofPowerTex withanoutlayofRs. 487.07 crores.Outofthis,Rs. 47.72 croreisfor

laidthefoundationstoneforNational Institute of Unani Medicine

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs(CCEA)hasapprovedPradhan Mantri JIYojana.

TheschemewillbesupportedfinanciallybyViability Gap Funding(VGF)toSecondGeneration(lignocellulosic biomassandotherrenewable feedstock

heUnioncabinethasapprovedtheproposalforimplementationof'Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric FAME India Phase II)' schemeforpromotion of ElectricMobilityinthecountry.

Rs 10000 Croresovertheperiodofthreeyears(2019April 2019.

Thisschemeistheexpandedversionofthepresent scheme titled 'FAMEIndia1’ which was launched on 1Rs. 895 crores.

hasconstitutedaninter-ministerialpanelformonitoring,sanctioningandimplementationofsecretaryintheDepartment of Heavy Industries.

Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities(DEPwD),MinistryofSocialJusticeandGuinness Book of World Record”.

Therecordwascreatedforimplanting‘Modern Artificial Limbs(Legs)’on260 DivyangjansMinister for Women and Child DevelopmenthasannouncedthattheGovernmentwillcelebrate

March2019acrosstheCountry. inauguratedthetwodayExpo-cumConferenceonConstruction Technology India

March 2020’asConstruction-Technology yearandtheuseoftomeettheincreasingdemandofhousinginthecountrycausedbyrapidurbanizationgotstressed.

Free India”whichhasbeencomposedandproducedbyPandit Deendayal Upadhyaya profitorganisationwhichworksinthefieldofsocialandenvironmentalissueswas

UnionMinisterforScience&Technology,EarthSciencesandEnvironment,ForestandClimateChange,

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SOI)tocollectivelydrivetheAtal Tinkering Labs(ATL)inIndia.

initiativeandwillbeimplementingitsDigitalDisha

approvedContinuationofAtal Innovation byAtalInnovationMissionfor

inviewoftheirhugesuccessatschoollevel.AmitabhKant.

focusesontransparency,betterregulations&enforcement,balancedgrowth&

2019todevelopIndiaas

2019tocreatearobustsoftwareproductecosystem,whichaims

haslaunchedacomprehensiveschemefordevelopmentofKnitting and Knitwear

PowerTex India SchemeandisforKnitwearfortheperiod

National Institute of Unani Medicineat

Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN(JaivIndhan-Vatavaran

econdGeneration(2G)Integratedrenewable feedstock.'Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric

ElectricMobilityinthecountry.overtheperiodofthreeyears(2019-20to2021-22)willbe

which was launched on 1st April

formonitoring,sanctioningandimplementationof

(DEPwD),MinistryofSocialJusticeand

260 Divyangjanswithineight hours.hasannouncedthattheGovernmentwillcelebrate‘Poshan

Construction Technology India

andtheuseofadvanced tomeettheincreasingdemandofhousinginthecountrycausedbyrapidurbanizationgotstressed.

Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya profitorganisationwhichworksinthefieldofsocialandenvironmentalissueswas

ronment,ForestandClimateChange,

Current Affairs : MARCH - 2019

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ItisapartofaninitiativewhichaimstoturnIndiaintoaplastic-free nation by 2022andaimsatsupportingandimprovingtheplasticwastemanagementandrecyclingecosysteminthecountry.

Ithasbeenlaunchedinsevenlanguages–Hindi,Marathi,Gujarati,Tamil,Telegu,MalyalamandKannada. Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities(DEPwD),MinistryofSocialJusticeandEmpowerment

hasorganizedanationalconferenceon“Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme”atDr.AmbedkarInternationalCentre,New Delhi.

The GovernmenthasapprovedaninvestmentproposalfortransmissioncomponentinNepalportionofArun-3 Hydro Electric Project. ThepowerfromtheprojectwillbeexportedfromDhalkebar in Nepal to MuzaffarpurinIndia. TheArun-3HydroElectricproject(900 MW)isarun-of-riverlocatedonArun RiverinEastern Nepal.

PrimeMinisterNarendra Modilaunched17developmentsprojectsworth538 crore rupeesatAmethi inUttar Pradesh.TheseprojectsincludeafactorytomanufactureAK 203 rifles,thelatestversioninKalashnikov serieswithRussian collaboration.

TheCentral Industrial Security Force(CISF)hasedhistorybycreatingaGuinness worldrecordinasingle line bicycle paradetomarkthe50yearsoftheparamilitaryforce. TherecordwascreatedattheYamuna ExpresswayinNoidawhenpersonnelofthecentralforcerodeatotalofone

thousand327 bicycles non-stopwithuniformdistancebetweenbicyclesinasingleline. ThePrimeMinister,Shri Narendra Modi,flaggedoffthe Bandra- Jamnagar Humsafar Express,atJamnagarin

Gujarat.Hededicatedthenew750bedannexeofGuru GobindSingh HospitaltotheNation. Smt Shakuntala D. Gamlin,Secretary,DepartmentofEmpowermentofPersonswithDisabilities(DEPwD),Ministryof

SocialJusticeandEmpowermentlaidthefoundationstoneofthe‘National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation’atSehoreDistrict,Madhya Pradesh.ThisInstitutewillbefirstofitskindinthecountry. TheCentralGovernmenthasapprovedanoutlayofRs 180 croreforthisprojectforaninitialperiodofthreeyears. Madhya Pradesh: Chief Minister:KamalNath, Governor:AnandibenPatel.

ThePrimeMinister Narendra Modihaslaunchedtheindigenously-developedNational Common Mobility Card(NCMC)toenablepeopletopay multiple kinds of transport charges,includingmetroservicesandtolltax,acrossthecountry. Dubbedas'One Nation One Card',theinter-operable transport cardwouldallowtheholderstopayfortheirbus

travel,tolltaxes,parkingcharges,retailshoppingandevenwithdrawmoney. ThisisIndia’sFirstIndigenouslyDevelopedPaymentEco-systemfortransportandconsistsofNational Common

Mobility Card(NCMC)Card,SWEEKAR(SwachalitKiraya:AutomaticFareCollectionSystem)andSWAGAT(SwachalitGate-agateandcard-readersystem)whichisbasedonNCMCStandards.

PrimeMinisterNarendra ModilaunchedthePradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Mandhan(PM-SYM)YojanaatVastralinGandhinagar, Gujarat.ThenationalpensionschemeforworkersandlabourersofunorganisedsectorwasannouncedintheinterimbudgetinFebruarythisyear. Itwillprovidemonthlypensionof3000 rupeestotheemployeesofunorganised sectorafter60yearsofage.

TextilesMinisterSmriti Iraniinauguratedtherefurbished Handloom HaatatJanpathinNew Delhi.ThemainobjectiveoftheHaatistoprovideinfrastructuresupporttohandloomagenciestoaugmenttheirsalesofhandloomproductsandtoshowcasetheexquisitevarietyofproductsproducedalloverthecountry. shealsoreleasedabooklet-World Handmade Textile Biennalesontheoccasion.

TheMinisterofStateforCulture(Independentcharge)andEnvironment,ForestandClimateChange,Dr. Mahesh Sharmainaugurated‘Azaadi ke Diwane’museumatRed Fort, Delhi.CreatedbyArchaeological Survey of India(ASI).

TheMinistry of Chemicals and Fertilizershasdecidedtocelebrate7th March2019as‘Janaushadhi Diwas’ acrossIndiatoprovidefurtherimpetus&createawarenessaboutuseofgenericmedicines.

Union CabinethasapprovedsettingupofaNational Mission on Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage. Theobjectiveistopromoteclean,connected,shared,sustainableandholisticmobilityinitiatives;Phased

Manufacturing Programme(PMP)validfor5yearsuntil2024. TheUnion Cabinethasapprovedthe"Flood Management and Border Areas Programme(FMBAP)"forFlood

ManagementWorksinentirecountryandRiverManagementActivitiesandworksrelatedtoBorderAreasfortheperiod2017-18to2019-20withatotaloutlayofRs.3342.00 crores. TheFMBAPSchemewillbeimplementedthroughoutthecountryforeffectivefloodmanagement,erosioncontrol

andanti-seaerosion. TheMonster Salary Index reporthashighlightedthegender pay gapisstillhighinIndiaandwomeninthecountry

earn19 percent less than men. India Cooling Action Plan(ICAP)islaunchedbyOzone CellofUnionMinisterforEnvironment,ForestandClimate

Change(MoEFCC).Theplanisaimedatreducingemissionsandprovidingthermalcomforttocitizens. MinisterforPetroleumandNaturalGasDharmendra PradhanhandedovertheSeven CroreLPGconnectionunder

thePradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana(PMUY).


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Theschemewaslaunchedon1st May, 2016byPrimeMinisterNarendra Modiwithaninitialtargetoffivecrores,whichwaslaterrevisedupwardtoeight croresconnections.

TheCabinet Committee on Economic Affairs(CCEA)hasapprovedthesettingupof50 new Kendriya Vidyalayasalloverthecountry.

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India(IRDAI)andNational Health Authority(NHA)haveformedajointworkinggroup(JWG)inordertosuggestwaysformoreeffectiveimplementationoftheCentre’sAyushman Bharat -Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana(AB-PMJAY).

ThePrimeMinister,Shri Narendra Modi,attendedtheNational Women Livelihood Meet-2019,heldatDeendayalHastkalaSankulinVaranasi, Uttar Pradesh,onInternational Women’s Day.

PrimeMinisterNarendra ModihasannouncedthatPrasar Bharatihasbrought11moreStateDD ChannelsontheSatellitefootprintofIndiathroughDD Free Dish. TheDDchannelsofthestatesofChhattisgarh,Goa,Haryana,HimachalPradesh,Jharkhand,Manipur,Meghalaya,

Mizoram,Nagaland,TripuraandUttarakhandhavebeenbroughttosatellitefootprintthroughDDFreeDishforthefirsttime.

PrimeMinisterNarendra ModihaslaidthefoundationstonefortheKashi Vishwanath Corridor.Theprojectenvisionsamassivemakeoveroftheholyshrineanditssurroundingareas. Theproposed50-feetcorridorwilldirectlyconnectGanga’s ManikarnikaandLalita GhattotheKashi

Vishwanath Jyotirlinga Temple. The GovernmenthasapprovedastateoftheartpassengerterminalbuildingforKartarpur Sahib Corridor.

TheKartarpurcorridorbetweenDera Baba NanakinGurdaspurdistrict,PunjabandtheKartarpur Sahib gurudwarajustacrosstheinternationalborderwithPakistan.

PrimeMinisterNarendra ModiinauguratedtheCivil TerminalattheHindon airportatGhaziabadinDelhi-NCR.. TheNational Council of Science Museums(NCSM)collaborateswithGoogle Artsand Cultureforlargestinteractive

onlineexhibitionon inventions and discoveries. NCSM: Headquarter:Kolkata, Director General:ADChoudhury.

FortheamicablesettlementofAyodhya’s Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjidlanddisputecase,thefive-judgebench,headedbytheChiefJusticeofIndia(CJI)Ranjan Gogoi,constituteda3-membermediationpanelheadedbyformerSupremeCourt(SC)judgeJusticeF. M. Kalifullahtoresolvetheissue.

PresidentRam Nath Kovind,launchedthe2019 pulse polio programmebyadministeringpoliodropstochildrenbelowfiveyearsattheRashtrapati Bhawan.

Thefirst HIV(HumanImmunodeficiencyVirus)treatment centre and holistic clinicforlesbian,gay,bisexual,transgenderandqueer(LGBTQ)byHumsafar trustinMumbai, Maharashtra.

ThePrimeMinisterNarendra ModiinauguratedthePandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Institute of ArchaeologyatGreater NoidainUttarPradesh,atanestimatedcostofRs. 289 croreisspreadover25acres.

PMNarendra Modi,alongwithBJPleadershasstarted“Main Bhi Chowkidar(Iamawatchmantoo)”campaignbyprefixingtheword“chowkidar”totheirnamesintheirTwitterprofiles. Itsavideocampaigntitled“Take The Pledge”.

The Election CommissionhasappointedtwoeminentformerCivilServants Shailendra Handaand Ms Madhu Mahajanas Special Expenditure Observersfortheupcoming Lok Sabha Elections.

ShailendraHandahasbeendeployedinMaharashtraandMadhuMahajanhasbeendeployedinTamilNadu. Social Media platformsandInternetMobileAssociationofIndia(IAMAI)haveadoptedaVoluntary Code of Ethics

fortheforthcominggeneral elections. AccordingtothecodesubmittedtotheElectionCommission,IAMAIandSocialMediaplatforms,includingFacebook,

WhatsApp,TwitterandGoogle,willcreateahigh priority dedicated reporting mechanismandappointdedicatedteamsduringthepollsfortakingexpeditiousactiononanyreportedviolations.

TheChiefPostmasterGeneral,Jammu&KashmirCircle,P D Tsheringreleaseda‘Special Stamp Cover on Ice Stupa’bytheDepartment of Post, Government of IndiaduringafunctionorganisedattheIceStupasiteatGangles inLeh.

FormerSupremeCourtjudgeJusticePinaki Chandra Ghosewasappointedasthecountry'sfirst Lokpal,theanti-corruptionombudsman.

TheUnion Cabinet,chairedbythePrimeMinisterNarendra Modi,approvedtoAlign with Global Trademark SystemtoNiceAgreement,ViennaAgreement,andLocarnoAgreement.

TheCentral GovernmenthasbannedtheYasinMalik-led,Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front(JKLF)asanunlawfulassociationundertheprovisionsofUnlawful Activities Prevention Act 1967(UAPA).

ThecouncilofProgramme for Endorsement of Forest Certification(PEFC),aGeneva-basednon-profit,hasdecidedtorecognizedIndia’sfirstforest-certification scheme,theCertification Standard for Sustainable Forest Management(SFM)developedbyNetworkforCertificationandConservationofForests(NCCF),anIndiannon-profit.

VicePresidentM Venkaiah Naidutoattendthe16thConvocationofIndira Gandhi Institute of Development Research(IGIDR)inMumbai. IndiraGandhiInstituteofDevelopmentResearch,Mumbaiisanautonomousadvancedresearchinstitution

establishedbytheReserve Bank of India(RBI)in1987.


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TheVicePresidentofIndia,Shri M. Venkaiah NaiduhascalledforfullytappingtheenormouspotentialoftheBlue Economyforthecountrytoachievehighereconomicgrowth. ObservingthattheobjectiveoftheBlueEconomyistopromotesmart,sustainableandinclusivegrowthand

employmentopportunitiesthroughmaritimeeconomicactivities. Thenationalcapital'sthe Indira Gandhi International Airport(IGIA)hasclimbedupfourspotstobethe12thbusiest

airportintheworld.TheIGIAairporthasbeatenupbusycosmopolitancentresliketheFrankfurt,Guangzhou, Dallas Forth Worth,andIstanbul Ataturk airports. Thepreliminaryworldairporttrafficrankingsfor2018hasbeenreleasedbytheAirports Council International

(ACI).Indiabecametheworld's third-largest aviation marketintermsofpassengerthroughput,behindtheUSandChina,in2018.

Indiareduceditspoverty ratesharplyfrom55 per cent to 28 per centintenyearsbetween2005-06and2015-16,accordingtoanewversionoftheglobal Multidimensional Poverty Index(MPI)developedbytheUnited Nations Development Programme(UNDP)andtheOxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative(OPHI).InIndia,atotalof271 million(27.10crore)peoplemovedoutofpovertyduringtheseten years.

Indian ArmyislaunchingitsmaidenexpeditiontoMt MakaluinMar-May2019. FirstIndianArmyMountaineeringExpeditiontoMtMakalu(8485m)comprisingfiveOfficers,twoJCOsandeleven

ORwasflaggedoffbyDirector General Military Trainingon26Mar2019. OnMarch23rd,IndiaobservedShaheed DivasorMartyr’s DayasatributetotheBhagat Singh, Sukhdevand

Rajguruontheirdeathanniversary. TheUnionCabinetchairedbyNarendra ModiapprovedtheextensionoftheBiomedicalResearch Career

Programme and Wellcome Trust(WT)/DBT India Alliancebeyonditsinitial10-yeartermtoanewfiveyearphase(2019-20to2023-24). ThetotalfinancialimplicationwillbeRs. 1092 crorewithDBTandWTcontributingRs.728 croreandRs.364

crorerespectively. TheMinistryofHealthhasnotifiedNew Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules, 2019fortheapprovalofnewdrugsand

conductofclinicaltrialsinthecountry.Itaimstoensurepatientsafetyandpromoteclinicalresearchinthecountry. AspartofVoter Awareness campaignforLokSabhaElection2019,Election Commission of IndiaandIndian

RailwayshavecometogethertoutilizefourlongdistanceTrainstocarryvoterawarenessandmotivationalmessages. TheUniversity Grants Commission(UGC)hasprohibitedimpartingdistancedegreeprogrammesinagriculture.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

India and BruneisignedapactforexchangeofInformationandAssistanceinCollectionwithrespecttotaxesinordertocurb tax evasion and tax avoidanceinNew Delhi. Brunei: Capital:BandarSeriBegawan, Currency:Bruneidollar.

AUAEbasedcompanywillrelease12 bank notes of zero valuewhichisthefirsteverlimitededitioncommemorativeseriestomarkthe150thbirthanniversaryofMahatma Gandhi. DubaibasedIndianartistAkbar Sahebhasdesignedthesespecialnotes.HewasthemainillustratorforPrime

MinisterNarendraModi’sbook‘Mann Ki Baat’. TheAsian Infrastructure Investment Bank(AIIB)andtheGovernment of IndiasignedaUSD 455 millionloanto

financetheAndhra Pradesh Rural Roads Project.

AIIB:Headquarter: Beijing,China, President:JinLiqun.

India's External Affairs minister(EAM)attended46th SessionoftheCouncilofForeignMinistersoftheOrganisation of Islamic Cooperation(OIC)heldinAbu Dhabi,UnitedArabEmirates(UAE). IndiawasinvitedbythehostUAEasthe"Guest of Honour”toattendtheinauguralsessionoftheOIC. EventhoughPakistanisafoundingmemberofOIC.Itabsenteditselfduringthesession. UAE: Capital:AbuDhabi, Currency:Dirham.

Gram Samridhi Yojana,aRs 3,000 crore schemefundedbytheWorld BankandtheGovernment of India,isbeingworkeduponbytheMinistry of Food Processing Industriesinordertostrengthentheunorganisedfood processing sectorconcentratedinrural areas.

The7th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership(RCEP)IntersessionalMinisterialMeetingwasorganizedinSiemReap,Cambodia.ItwasheadedbyChutima Bunyapraphasara,ActingMinisterofCommerceofThailandandsawparticipationofministersfromthe16 RCEP Participating Countries(RPCs).ItwasalsoattendedbyUnionMinisterofCommerce&IndustryandCivilAviation-Suresh Prabhu.

TheAsian Development Bank(ADB)andtheGovernment of IndiasignedaloanagreementofUSD 926 MillioninordertooperationalizetwolinesfortheMumbai Metro Rail SystemandistheSingle Largest Infrastructure Project LoaninADBhistory.

VicePresidentM. Venkaiah Naiduwillembarkonatwo-nationtourofParaguay and Costa Rica. Paraguay:Capital:Asuncion, Currency:Paraguayanguarani.


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Costa Rica:Capital:SanJose, Currency:CostaRicancolon. IndiarankedfirstintheConfidence Board Global Consumer Confidence Surveywhichwasconductedin

collaborationwithaglobalperformancemanagementcompanyNielsen Holdings. Indiamaintainedits1st positionfrom3rdquarterandinthe4thquarterof2018India’sConsumer Confidence

Index(CCI)scoreis133. The3rd groupof22officialsofNepal's Ministry of Financejoinedtheirtrainingcourseon‘Global Perspectives on

Public Financial Management’attheInstitute of Government Accounts and Finance(INGAF)inNew Delhi. TheUShasannouncedthatitwillterminate India’sdesignationasabeneficiaryofitsGeneralized System of

Preferences(GSP). Therearecurrently13 national GSP schemesnotifiedtotheUNCTADsecretariat.

ThefollowingcountriesgrantGSPpreferences:Australia,Belarus,Canada,theEuropeanUnion,Iceland,Japan,Kazakhstan,NewZealand,Norway,theRussianFederation,Switzerland,TurkeyandtheUnitedStatesofAmerica.

TheGovernment of IndiaandWorld Bankhavesigned$250 MillionAgreementfortheNational Rural Economic Transformation Project(NRETP)undertheDeendayal Antyodaya Yojana National Rural Livelihoods Mission(DAY-NRLM).

TheGovernment of India,theState Government of ChhattisgarhandtheWorld BanksignedinNewDelhi,a$25.2 MillionLoanAgreementtosupporttheState’s Reforms in Expenditure Management.ThissupportwillcoverExpenditurePlanning,InvestmentManagement,BudgetExecution,PublicProcurementandAccountability. Chhattisgarh: Capital:Raipur, Chief Minister:BhupeshBaghel, Governor:AnandibenPatel.

TheWorld Bank, Government of IndiaandGovernment of Uttarakhand(GoUK)signeda$96 Million LoanAgreementtoprovideadditionalfundstotheState of Uttarakhandinitspost-disaster recovery plans,ongoingsincethefloodsof2013,aswellasstrengthenitscapacityforDisaster Risk Management. Uttarakhand: Capital:Dehradun, Chief Minister:T.SRawat, Governor:BabyRaniMaurya.

GurgaonintheNational Capital Region(NCR)emergedasthemost pollutedregionintheworldin2018asper2018 World Air Quality ReportwasreleasedinJakarta, Indonesia.ThereportreleasedbySwissbasedcompanyIQAir AirVisual and nonprofitorganization Greenpeace. Asperthereport,Delhiisthemostpollutedcapitalintheworld.Inthelistofpollutedcities,Delhiranked11th.

RichestIndianMukesh Ambanijumped6positionstorank13thonForbes World's Billionairelist. AmazonfounderBezosremainstheworld's richestperson,aheadofBill GatesandWarren Buffett. Kylie Jenner(21)isnamedtheyoungestself-madebillionaireofalltimebyForbesmagazine.

Sheisboth,theworld's youngest billionaireandalsotheyoungestself-madebillionaireever. TheSwedish Academyhassaidthattwo Nobel Prizesforliteraturewillbeawardedthis year.

Thedecisioncomesafterasexscandalcausingthesuspensionoftheawardlastyear. TheNobelPrizeinLiteraturewillawardedthisautumnforboth2018and2019.

OntheoccasionofInternational Women’s Day,theInternational Labor Organisationreleasesareport-A Quantum leap for gender equality: For a better future of work for all. Women’s employment rates are decliningduetotherapidtransitionfromagriculturetoindustrialsectorsand

thelackofcareservicesandinfrastructure. Globallythedifference in the employment ratesformenandwomen,hasshrunkbylessthantwo percentage

pointsinlast27years.Womendonotreceivethesamedividendsforeducationasmen. Malaysia becameamemberoftheInternational Criminal Court(ICC),theworld’sonlypermanentwarcrimescourt

whichaimstoprosecutetheworstabuseswhennationalcourtsareunableorunwilling. ICC: Headquarter:TheHague,Netherlands, President:Eboe-Osuji. Malaysia: Capital:KualaLumpur, Currency:Ringgit.

TheOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD)hasreducedtheworldeconomicgrowthforecastsfortheyear2019. OECDhascutits2019forecastforglobaleconomicgrowthto3.3%forthecurrentyear,downfrom3.5%it

predictedearlier. OECD: Headquarter: Paris,France, Secretary-General:JoseAngelGurria.

India and Japanorganisedajointspace dialogueinNew Delhi.Itaimedatprovidingaplatformforboththecountriestoexplorewaystoenhancecooperationbetweenthespaceagenciesofboththenations.

The CentreandtheAsian Development Bank(ADB)havesigneda26 million dollarloanagreementtoprovideadditionalfinancingforimprovingdrainage infrastructureinDibrugarhtownofAssam. Assam: Capital:Dispur, CM:SarbanandaSonowal, Governor:JagdishMukhi.

TheDirectorate General of Mines Safety(DGMS)andSafetyin Mines Testing and Research Station(SIMTARS)proposetoexploreopportunitiesincludingthefeasibilityoftechnicalknowledgesharingintheareaofoccupationalsafety, health and welfareofpersonsengagedinminingoperations.

The Union CabinetchairedbyPrimeMinisterNarendra ModihasapprovedtheMemorandumofUnderstanding(MoU)betweenIndia and U.K.onCancer Research Initiative.


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The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of IndiasignsaCooperationAgreementwiththeInternational Finance Corporation(IFC)tofurtherbuildthecapacityoftheInsolvency ProfessionalsandInsolvencyProfessionalAgencies(IPA)forthepurposesoftheeffectiveimplementationoftheInsolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016amongothers.

Russialawmakershaveapprovedanew lawthatwillallowthemtopunish online mediaoutletsforpublishingfake news.

Thecabinet chairedbyPrimeMinisterNarendra ModihasapprovedtheMemorandumofUnderstanding(MoU)betweenIndiaandGermanyoncooperationinthefieldofOccupational Safety and Health(OSH).

Indiahaslaunchedits3rd ITcorridorinChina.ThecorridorwillfacilitatepartnershipsbetweenIndianandChinesecompanies.National Association of Software and Services Companies(NASSCOM)enteredintoapartnershipwithChina’s Xuzhou cityfromJiangsuProvinceinChinatohelpdeveloptheITcorridor. Thefirsttwocorridorshadenabledcooperationinco-createmodeintheemergingtechnologiessuchasAI,IoTand

AnalyticsintheChinesemarket. TheWorld Bank, Government of IndiaandrepresentativesfromthestatesofKarnataka, Kerala, Odisha, Tamil

Nadu andUttarakhandsignedLoanAgreementforadditionalfinancingof$137 MillionfortheDam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project(DRIP)thatwillhelprehabilitateandmodernizeover220selectedlargedams.

The2ndeditionofIndo-Pacific Regional Dialogue(IPRD)–2019wasorganisedinManekshawCentre,New Delhi.ItfocusedoninvolvingtheglobalstrategiccommunityinreviewingIndia’sopportunitiesandchallengesintheIndo-Pacific region.

Kane Tanaka,a116-year-oldJapanesewomanbornon January 2, 1903,wholovesplayingtheboardgameOthellowashonouredastheworld’s oldest living personbyGuinness World Records. Japan: Capital:Tokyo, Currency:JapaneseYen, Prime Minister:ShinzoAbe.

India wastheworld’s 2ndlargestarmsimporterfrom2014-18,cedingthelong-heldtagaslargestimportertoSaudi Arabia,whichaccountedfor12%ofthetotalimportsduringtheperiod.accordingtothelatestreportpublishedbytheStockholm International Peace Research Institute(SIPRI).

Confederation of Indian Industry(CII)wasorganizedthe14theditionofCII-EXIM Bank ConclaveonIndia - Africa Project PartnershipwiththesupportoftheMinistryofExternalAffairsandMinistryofCommerceandIndustry,GovernmentofIndia,from17–19March,2019inNew Delhi.

World Health Organization(WHO)releasedaGlobal Influenza Strategyfor2019-2030aimedatprotectingpeopleinallcountriesfromthethreatofinfluenza,oneoftheworld’s greatest public health challenges.

TheUnited Nations'telecombody‘International Telecommunication Union(ITU)’hasplannedtosetupitsfirsteverInnovationCentreinIndiatoincorporatetechnologiesfromSouth Asian countriesandemergingeconomiesinstandardsfortechnologies.

PrimeMinisterNarendra ModiandBangladeshcounterpartSheikh Hasina,jointlyunveilede-plaquesfordevelopmentprojectsinBangladesh,throughvideoconferencing. Boththeleadersunveilede-plaquesforthesupplyofbusesandtrucks,theinaugurationof36communityclinicsand

11watertreatmentplants. The34theditionofAahar-the International Food and Hospitality FaircommencedinNew Delhi.Thefive-dayfair,

organisedbyIndia Trade Promotion Organisation(ITPO)featureswiderangeoffoodproducts,machinery,foodandbeveragesequipment,hospitalityanddecorsolutions,confectioneryitemsfromover560participantsfromIndiaandforeigncountries.

Thenew visa agreementbetweenMaldives and Indiahascomeintoforce.thevisadealwillallowMaldivianbusinessmenandtouriststostayinIndiafor90dayswithoutavisa.MaldivianswithtouristvisascanalsostayinIndiafortreatmentiftheysufferasuddenmedicalissue.

Shri Vikram Sahay,JointSecretary,MinistryofInformation&BroadcastingandMs. Sadhana Rout,DirectorGeneral,PublicationsDivisioninauguratedtheIndiaPavilionatLondon Book Fair.TheFairisbeingheldintheLondon Olympia. TheIndiaPavilionlaysspecialfocuson150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.Itdisplaysthedigitalversion

oftheCollectedWorksofMahatmaGandhi,apartfromvariousothertitlesonCulture,HistoryandFolkloreofIndia. TheUnited KingdomhascommemoratedprofessorStephen Hawkinginanew50p coin.Thecoinhasreferencesto

thelatephysicist’spioneeringworkonblackholes. TheWorld Gold Councilitslatestreporthighlightsthequantumofgoldholdingbythedifferentcountries.

Indiahasthe11th largest gold reserveandthecurrentholdingpeggedat607tonnes. The topspotisoccupiedbyUSgoldreservesof8,133.5tonnes,followedbyGermanywith3,369.7tonnes.

TheQuality of Living Index 2019wasreleasedbytheConsulting Agency Mercer.TheindexwasbasedonthedataanalysedbetweenSeptemberandNovember2018.Theindexranks231cities. AustriancapitalVienna topfollowedbyZurichinSwitzerland.Auckland,Munich,andVancouvercameinjoint

third.Indian CitiesintheList:

HyderabadandPunetoppedthelistamongtheIndiancitieswitharankof143.

Bengaluruwasthesecondbestwiththerankingof149.


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TheUnited Nation Environment Program(UNEP)hasreleasedthe6theditionofthe Global Environment Outlook(2019)titled‘Healthy Planet, Healthy People’.

TheIndian EmbassyinNepalhasannounced200 scholarshipstomeritoriousNepalistudentsforcontinuingvariousundergraduatecoursesatcollegesanduniversities.ThescholarshipsweregrantedundertheGolden Jubilee Scholarship scheme.

India and the United Stateshavecommittedtostrengthenbilateralsecurityandcivilnuclearcooperation,includingtheestablishmentof6 US nuclear power plants in India. Thiscommitmentwasmadeatthe9throundoftheIndia-US Strategic Security DialogueheldinWashington DC.

The3rdeditionofNamaste Thailand festival,organisedbytheRoyal Thai EmbassywithanaimtostrengthenbilateraltiesandincreaseculturalexchangebetweenIndia andThailand,beganatSelectCitywalkinNew Delhi. Thailand: Capital:Bangkok, Currency:Thaibaht, Prime minister:PrayutChan-o-cha.

Thefirst BRICS(Brazil,Russia,India,ChinaandSouthAfrica)SherpameetingheldinCuritiba, BrazilunderthePresidencyofBrazil,Jair Bolsonaro.IndiandelegationwasledbySecretaryintheMinistryofExternalAffairsT S Tirumurti.

The4thsessionofUnited Nations Environment Assembly(UNEA)heldinNairobi, Kenya,wheretheIndiapilotedresolutionsonsingle-useplasticsandsustainablenitrogenmanagement.Thethemeofthe4thsessionofUNEAwasInnovativesolutionsforenvironmentalchallengesandsustainableproductionandconsumption. UNEA: Headquarter:Nairobi,Kenya, Head:JoyceMsuya.

7th India–US Defence Technology and Trade Initiative(DTII)whichfocusedonencouragingtheUnited StatesandIndian industrytoworktogetherheldinWashington DC,UnitedStates.

Cyclone IdaihittheMozambique cityofBeiraandcausedheavyrainandlandfallattheportcity. Capital:Maputo, Currency:Mozambicanmetical.

International Workshop on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure(IWDRI),atwo-dayworkshoporganisedbyNationalDisasterManagementAuthority(NDMA)incollaborationwithUnitedNationsOfficeforDisasterRiskReduction(UNISDR),andinpartnershipwiththeGlobalCommissiononAdaptation,UnitedNationsDevelopmentProgramme(UNDP)andtheWorld BankwasheldatNew Delhi. Duringtheworkshop,TheGovernment of IndiaandGovernment of Japanorganizedthe3rd Indo-Japan

WorkshoponDisasterRiskReduction(DRR)in New Delhi.

The1stIndo-JapanWorkshoponDRRheldonMarch18-19,2018inNew Delhiaswellasduringthe2ndIndo-JapanworkshoponDRRheldonOctober13-15,2018inTokyo, Japan.

PrimeMinisterofGuineaIbrahima Kassory FofanahasarrivedinNew Delhionaten-dayofficialvisittoIndia. Guinea: Capital:Conakry, Currency:Guineanfranc.

India and Maldiveshaveagreedonabroad spectrumofissuesforfurthercollaboration,includingdevelopmentcooperationandenhancingpeopletopeoplecontact.TheagreementcameatahighlevelmeetingbetweenExternalAffairsMinisterSushma SwarajwithherMaldiviancounterpartAbdulla ShahidinMale. Maldives:Capital:Male, Currency:Maldivianrufiyaa, President:IbrahimMohamedSolih.

TheGovernment of IndonesiahashostedthefirsteverHigh-LevelDialogueon Indo-Pacific Cooperation(HLD-IPC)initscapitalcityJakarta.ThethemeoftheHLDwas“Towards a Peaceful, Prosperous, and Inclusive Region”. Indonesia: Capital:Jakarta, Currency:Indonesianrupiah.

The7thWorld Happiness ReportwasreleasedbytheSustainable Development Solutions NetworkfortheUnited NationsonMarch 20,thedatethattheUnitedNationshasdeclaredtobetheInternational Day of Happiness. Thereportrankscountriesonsix keyvariablesthatsupportwell-being:income,freedom,trust,healthylife

expectancy,socialsupportandgenerosity. Finland toppedtheindexofthehappiestnations,DenmarkrankedsecondfollowedbyNorway,IslandsandThe

Netherlands. whereIndiaisranked140thoutof156,Indiadroppingsevenplacesfrom133lastyear.

TheAsian Development Bank(ADB)hasannouncedthatitwillinvest$50 millioninIndianrenewableenergyindependentpowerproducerAvaada Energy Private Limited.Avaadaaimstousethecapitaltoexpanditssolar energy generationcapacityinIndia. ADB: Headquarter:Manila,Philippines, Founded:19December1966, President:TakehikoNakao.

TheannualEconomist Intelligence Unit(EIU)surveylistedSingapore, ParisandHong Kongastheworld’smostexpensive cities. AsperEIU,Bengaluru,Chennai andNew Delhiranked5th, 7thand8th positionrespectivelyamongthetopten

cheapestcities. EIU: Headquarter:London,England, Founded:1946, MD:RobinBew.

IndiaandPeruhaveconcludeda4th roundofnegotiationsforaproposed free trade agreement(FTA)inLima,Peru. Peru: Capital:Lima, Currency:Sol.

KazakhstanhasrenameditscapitalasNursultanfromitspreviousnameAstanainordertorecognizeitsoutgoingleaderNursultan Nazarbayev(78),whohasservednearly30yearsaspresidentofKazakhstan.


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ThenamewaschangedafterKassym-Jomart TokayevsworninaspresidentofKazakhstan. Kazakhstan: Capital:Astana, Currency:Kazakhstanitenge.

Export-Import Bank of India(EximBank)signedaloanagreementonbehalfofthegovernmentofUSD 83.11 milliontoCongoforfinancingthree solar power projectsinthecentralAfricancountry. EXIM: Founded:1982, Headquarter:Mumbai, MD:DavidRasquinha. Congo: Capital:Kinshasa, Currencies:Congolesefranc,ZaireanZaire.

Maldives finance ministryhassignedanagreementwithIndia’sExport-Import bank(EXIM)forline of credit(LOC)of800 millionUSdollarstofinancethenewgovernment’sinfrastructure projects.

TheInternational Monetary Fund(IMF)hassaidIndiahasbeenoneofthefastest growinglargeeconomiesintheworld.

IMF: Headquarter:Washington,D.C., Founded:27December1945, CEO:ChristineLagarde. New Zealandhasimposedanimmediatebanonassault weaponsfollowinglastweek'sChristchurchmassacrethat

claimedthelivesof50mosque-goers. New Zealand: Capital:Wellington, Currency: NewZealanddollar.

The2019 women in politics map,createdbytheInter-Parliamentary Union(IPU)andUN Women,depictsglobalrankingsforwomenintheexecutive and parliamentarybranchesofgovernment.Themapshowsprogresstowardsgender equalityintheseareasatregionalandnationallevels. Theshareofwomeninnational parliamentsincreasedbynearlyonepercentagepointlastyear,from23.4 per

centin2017to24.3 per centin2018. Japanhasdonated$69 milliontotheUnited Nations World Food Programmetoprovidevitalaidto28 countriesin

theMiddle East, Africa,andAsia,withthebiggestsharesofthemoneybeingearmarkedforYemenandIraq. India hasextendedafinancialgrantof35.5 million Nepalese rupeesfortheconstructionofaneducational campus

inNepalundertheDevelopment Partnership Programme. NavrozistheIranian New Yearcelebratedbyseveralethnolinguistic communitiesaroundtheworldirrespectiveof

theirreligiousbackground.InIndiaParsiswhofollowZoroastrianismcelebrateNavroz.NavrozwascelebratedonMarch 21st.

PresidentRam Nath KovindhasreachedtheCroatiancapitalZagrebonthefirstlegofhisthree-nationtourtoCroatia, BoliviaandChile. Croatia: Capital:Zagreb, Currency:Kuna. Bolivia: Capital:Sucre Currency:Bolivianboliviano. Chile:Capital:Santiago, Currency:Chileanpeso.

US weather agencieshaveforecastedthatthereisa60%chanceofEl Ninothissummerseason. TheforecastifturnouttobetruecouldnegativelyaffectIndia’s Monsoon season.

Indiahasmoveduptwoplacestorank76thonaglobal energy transition index.Thisannuallist,compiledbyGeneva-basedWorld Economic Forum(WEF),hasranked115 economiesonhowwelltheyareabletobalanceenergysecurityandaccesswithenvironmentalsustainabilityandaffordability. SwedenremainsonthetopfollowedbySwitzerlandandNorwayinthetopthree.Amongmajoreconomies,theUK

isranked7th,Singapore 13th,Germany 17th,Japan 18thandtheUS 27th.WithinAsia,Malaysiaisrankedhighestat31st,SriLankais60th,Bangladesh90thandNepal93rd.

Indiaisalsothe2ndbestintheBRICSblockofemergingeconomies,withBrazilbeingthebestat46thplaceglobally. WEF: Founded:January1971, Headquarter:Cologny,Switzerland, Founder:KlausSchwab.

Italysigneda"non-binding”protocolwithChinatotakepartinthenation’sBelt and Road Initiative(BRI),whichaimstolinkChinawithEurope. Italyhasbecomethefirst G-7 countrytosignupforthemassiveproject,whichisseenasanew Silk Roadthatwill

havetradelinksstretchingfromAsia to Europe. Italy:Capital:Rome, Currency:Euro

Oslo,thecapitalcityofNorwaywillbecometheworld’s first citytoinstallwireless,induction-basedcharging stationsforitsfleetofelectric taxiswithanaimtohaveazero-emission cab systembytheyear2023accordingtoareportbyReuters.

Pakistan governmenthasapprovedaproposaltoestablishacorridorwhichwouldallowHindu pilgrimsfromIndiatovisitSharda PeethintheregionofPakistan occupied Kashmir(PoK).ShardaPeethCorridorwillbethe2ndcorridortobeestablishedaftertheKartarpur CorridorwhichprovidesaccesstoGurudwara Darbar SahibatKartarpur in Pakistan.

TheGovernment of UAEhaslaunchedtheLose to Win Programmetoassisttheoverweightemployeesinsheddingextrakilosandadoptahealthy lifestyle. TheprogrammeteamcomprisesnutritionistsandhealtheducatorsfromtheMinistry.

Theworld’s largest e-waste recycling planthasopenedinDubai Industrial Park,Dubaiby Dubaie-wastespecialistEnviroserve.


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E-wasterecyclingplant,willprocessWEEE(Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment),ITassetdisposition(ITAD),refrigerantgasandspecialisedwaste.

TheUnion Cabinet,chairedbythePrimeMinisterShri Narendra Modi,hasgivenitsex-postfactoapprovalontheMemorandumofUnderstanding(MoU)betweenIndiaandRepublic of KoreaonStartup Cooperation.

IndiaandUnited StatessignedanInter-Governmental AgreementforexchangeofCountry-by-Country(CbC)reportstocheckthetax evasionsofMultinational Companiesinincomeallocationandtaxes paid.

IndiaandtheAfrican UnionsignedMemorandumofUnderstanding(MoU)toestablishanIndia-Africa health sciences collaborative platformwhichisaimedtostrengthen the cooperationinthehealth sector.

TheIsraeli caveexplorersdiscoveredtheworld’s longest salt cavenamedMalhamneartheDead sea,beatingtherecord-holderinIran.

China’sShanghaiclaimedtohavetheworld’sfirstdistrictwith5G coverageandabroadbandgigabitnetwork. China: Capital:Beijing, Currency:Renminbi.

ArecentreportbyOxfamhasfoundthatthegender wage gapinIndiaishighestamongAsian nations,womenarepaid34 percent lesscomparedtomenforperformingthesamejobandwithsame qualificationsalsotheWomen’slabourforceparticipationinIndiaisthelowestintheworld.

OfficialsfromIndiaandUnited Statesheldthe16thmeetingoftheU.S.-India Counter terrorism Joint Working Groupandthe2ndsessionoftheU.S.-India Designations DialogueinWashington, DC,US.

The16thmeetingoftheCanada-India Joint Working GrouponCounter-TerrorismanditsExpertSub-groupwasheldinOttawa, Canada,toprovidedetailedbriefingsontheirrespectivenation’scounter-terrorismpriorities,strategiesandlegislativeframeworks. Canada: Capital:Ottawa, Currency:CanadianDollar.

STATES HIGHLIGHTS

The Centrehasreleasedover1600 crore rupeestoAndhra Pradesh, Manipur, Jharkhand and RajasthanfromtheNational Disaster Response Fund.

SKOCH award,thehighestindependenthonourinthecountry,wasgiventoOdisha State Disaster Management Authority(OSDMA)forthefirst timeforitsremarkableachievementsinthefieldofdisaster management. Theawardwaspresentedatthemegaeventof56th SKOCH SummitinNew Delhi. Odisha: Capital:Bhubaneswar, Chief Minister:NaveenPathak, Governor:GaneshiLal.

Mukhyamantri Parivar Samman Nidhi schemewaslaunchedbyHaryanaChiefMinisterManohar Lal KhattarinChandigarh.ItisprimarilymeantforfarmersofthestatewhocultivateonlandwithareasuptofiveacresandthefamilieswithanincomeoflessthanRs. 15,000 per month. Haryana: Capital:Chandigarh, Chief Minister:ManoharLalKhattar, Governor:SatyadevNarayanArya.

Rice Knowledge Bank-Assam,whichisanagriculturewebportalisdedicatedtomagnifyknowledgeonrice production technologies and techniques,bestproductionpracticesandstateagriculturefacts,waslaunchedunderWorldBankfundedproject–Agri-business and Rural Transformation(APART). ThisportalistherepercussionofeffortsofAssam Rural Infrastructure and Agricultural Services Society

(ARIAS),Assam Agricultural University(AAU)withtechnicalassistancefromInternational Rice Research Institute(IRRI).

ThePrimeMinister.Shri Narendra Modi,laidthefoundationstoneofShikshan Bhavan and Vidhyarthi BhavanatAnnapurnaDhamTrustinAdalaj, Gujarat.

PrimeMinisterShri Narendra Modihasdedicatedtothenationandlaythefoundationstonesforfive National Highways projectsworthRs 5010 croreinTamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu: Chief Minister:ShriEdapaddiPalaniswami, Governor:ShriBanwarilLalPurohit.

Erode TurmerichasfinallyreceivedGI tagfromtheGeographicalIndicationRegistryafteralongandcumbersomeprocesswhichlastedforabout8years.ErodeisthecityinthestateofTamil Nadu.

Arecanut(alsoknownassupariorbetelnut)isthelatestentrantinthelistofagriculturalproducewithageographical indication(GI)tag. ‘Sirsi Supari’growninUttaraKannadadistrictofKarnatakahasreceivedtheGeographic Indication(GI)tag.

Assam'sHailakandi districthasbecomethetopfromthe52nd position,amongthe112aspirational districtsofthecountry,anewreportreleasedbythe Niti Aayog. Sonbhadra(UttarPradesh),Sahibganj(Jharkhand)andChatra(Jharkhand)emergedasthetopthreeranking

districtsontheeducationparameter. ThreedistrictsofJharkhand-Chatra, Sahibganj, and Hazaribaghemergedasthetopin‘health and

nutrition’parameters. Assam: Capital:Dispur, Chief Minister:SarbanandaSonowal, Governor:JagdishMukhi.

OdishaChiefMinisterNaveen Patnaiklaunchedthescheme‘Mukhya Mantri Karigar Sahayata’forfinancialassistancetocraftsmen.ThenodaldepartmentoftheschemeistheDirectorateofhandicrafts.


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Odisha: Capital:Bhubaneshwar, CM:NaveenPatnaik, Governor:GaneshiLal. TheGovernment of UttarakhandhaslaunchedtheMukhyamantri Anchal Amrit Yojanatoprovidemilkatthe

AnganwadiCentres. Thegovernmentwouldprovide100mlmilktwiceaweekfor2.5lakhchildrenat20,000AnganwadiCentresinthe

state. TheChiefMinisterofWestBengalMamata BanerjeehasunveiledanewschemeYuvashree Plan IIorYuvashree

Arpantoencourageentrepreneurship among youth. UndertheYuvashreeArpanSchemearoundfifty thousand YouthswhohavepassedoutofITIorotherpolytechnic

instituteswillbeeligibletogetfinancialsupportofRs. One LakhfromthestateMSMEdepartmenttosetuptheirownbusinessinitiatives.

The CabinetapprovedtheInvestmentinconstructionofKiru Hydroelectric Project(624MW)byChenab Valley Power Projects Private Limited(CVPPL)inJammu and KashmirwithanestimatedcostofRs.4287.59 cr.

UttarakhandChiefMinisterTrivendra Singh RawathaslaidthefoundationstonefortheDehradun-Mussoorie ropeway projectwhichisconsideredtobeatouristnovelty.TheRs 300-croreropewayprojectisexpectedtobecompletedinthreeyears.

Maharashtra governmentlaunchedaspecialscheme‘Atal Aahar Yojna’forconstructionworkersinthestatewhichwillprovidegoodqualityfoodatahighlysubsidisedrate. MaharashtragovernmentalsolaunchedShramev Jayate YojanaunderwhichapensionofRs.3000isgivento

constructionworkersabovetheageof60years. Maharashtra: Capital:Mumbai, CM:DevendraFadnavis, Governor:CVidhyasagarRao.

Marayoor jaggeryfromIdukki,KeralagetsGeographical Indication(GI)tagfromthecentralgovernment.Thisjaggeryismadefromsugarcaneandnochemicalsareaddedduringthemanufacturingprocesswhichmakesitaworldclassdelicacy. Kerala: Capital:Thiruvananthapuram, CM:PinarayiVijayan, Governor:PSathasivam.

TheExport-Import Bank of Korea(KEXIM)proposedtoprovideasoftloanworthRs.4,100 crorefortheVisakhapatnam(Vizag)metrorailproject. Andhra Pradesh: Chief Minister:N.ChandrababuNaidu, Governor:E.S.L.Narasimhan.

TheMadhya Pradesh governmentissuedanordinanceincreasing reservationquotafortheOtherBackwardClasses(OBC)to27%fromthecurrent14%.

Vastradan CampaigninitiatedbytheerstwhileroyalfamilyofUdaipurhassettheGuinness WorldRecordforthelargestcollectionofclothes for donation.

RetiredIASofficerC LalsawtabecomesthefirstLokayuktaofMizoram. Andhra PradeshITministerNara Lokesh,BJPMPPoonam MahajanandXiaomiIndiaheadManu Kumar Jainare

amongthe6IndiansfeaturinginthelistofYoung Global Leaders,accordingtotheWorld Economic Forum(WEF). Dr. Pramod Sawant(45),formerSpeakerofGoalegislativeAssemblyandMLAfromSankheliminNorthGoawas

sworn-inas11th Chief Minister of Goa. Goa: Capital:Panaji, Governor:MridulaSinha.

World'slongestsand stone cave Krem PuriinMawsynramregionofMeghalaya'sEastKhasiHillsdistricthasbeendiscovered.CaversofMeghalaya Adventurers' Association(MAA)havedoneitpossible.IthasbeenfoundthatKrem Um Ladaw-isacavewiththedeepest shaftinthecountry.Thediscoverywasmadeduringthe28theditionoftheannual'Caving in the Abode of the Clouds Expedition. Meghalaya: Capital:Shillong, Chief minister:ConradSangma, Governor:TathagataRoy.

The‘I-HELP’initiativetopromotedigital electoral literacyinAssamhasbeenlaunchedinviewoftheforthcomingLokSabhapoll.

Iron For Adolescents(FeFA)Girls’InitiatelaunchedinTelanganatototacklealowironlevelandmalnutritionamongadolescentgirlsofthestate. TheinitiativehasbeenlaunchedbytheNational Institute of Nutrition(NIN)andtheInternational Crops

Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics(Icrisat). Bihariscelebratingits107th foundation day.Itwasonthisdayin1912,BiharwascarvedoutofBengalpresidency.

Bihar: Chief minister:NitishKumar, Governor:LaljiTandon. TheSupreme CourtstayedtheconvictionandpunishmentofTheShillong Times editor and publisherbythe

Meghalaya High Courtinacontemptcase. TheHealth DepartmenthasissuedanalertinMalappuram DistrictofKeralaafterasix-year-oldboyfromthe

districtundergoingtreatmentforWest Nile feverdiedafterbattlingwiththefever. Thisisthe3rdtimethatWestNilevirusisdetectedinKerala.TheviruswasfirstreportedinthestateinAlappuzhain

2006andtheninErnakulamin2011.


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West Nile Virusisadiseasewhichspreadsfrombirds to humanswiththebiteofaninfectedCulex mosquito.Thesymptomsincludecold,fever,bodyache,fatigueandnausea,withcomplicationsleadingtomeningitisanddeath.

SilverMedalistinParalympichighjump,Girish GowdahasbeenappointedastheambassadorofKarnataka Lok Sabha Elections 2019.

Karnataka:Capital:Bengaluru, Chief minister:H.D.Kumaraswamy, Governor:VajubhaiVala. TheElection Commission of IndiahasappointedSh K K Sharma(IPS1982RetdDGBorderSecurityForce)asSpecial

Central Police ObserverfortheStatesofWest BengalandJharkhand. ECIhasalsoappointedShMrinalKantiDas(IPS1977RetdDGPManipur)asSpecialCentralPoliceObserverfor

StatesofTripuraandMizoram. The Union MinistryofEnvironment,ForestandClimateChangehasnotifiedIsland Protection Zone(IPZ)2019for

Andaman and Nicobar.Thegovernment’splanningtoopenuptheblue economyandsustainable harnessing of ocean resources. IPZ 2019:Itallowseco-tourismprojects20metersfromthehigh tide line(HTL)insmallerislandslikeBaratang,

Havelock,andCarNicobar. Amulti-disciplinary terror monitoring group(MDTMG)hasbeensetupbythe Governmenttoensuresynergized

andcollectiveactionagainstterror financingandterror-related activitiesinJammu and Kashmir. Rajasthan Dayiscelebratedon30th MarcheveryyearonwhichthestateRajasthancameintoexistenceasitwas

previouslyknownasRajputana. Rajasthan: Capital:Jaipur, Chief Minister:AshokGehlot, Governor:ShriKalyanSingh.

AMobileAppnamed‘Sankalp’hasbeendevelopedbytheAssam’s BongaigaondistrictadministrationteamwiththehelpofNIC(National Informatics Centre)toencouragethefirsttimevoters. Firsttimevoterswillabletosigndigital‘sankalppatra’tocasttheirvotesondayofpolling.

ECONOMY AWARENESS

IDBI BankandLife Insurance Corporation of India(LIC)signedabancassuranceagreementunderwhichthelenderwillofferLIC’sinsuranceproductsatitsbranches.

TheReserve Bank of IndiaoncategorisedIDBI Bankasaprivate sector lender.thisfollowsLifeInsuranceCorporationofIndia(LIC)acquiring51 per centofthetotalequitysharecapitalofthebank. IDBI Bank:Headquarter:Mumbai, MD & CEO:RakeshSharma. Tagline: Banking For all. Aao Sochein bada. Bank Aisa Dost Jaisa.

LIC: Headquarter:Mumbai, Chairman:HemantBhargava. TheReserve Bank of India(RBI)saiditwouldinfuseRs 25,000 croreintothebankingsystemthroughOpen Market

OperationsduringthefirstfortnightofMarch 2019. TheUS-basedratingagencyMoody'ssaidIndian economyisexpectedtogrowat7.3 per centincalendaryears2019

and 2020. The Cabinetapprovedpaymentoftheface valueofthesubscribedsharecapitalofRs.1450 croreinNational

Housing Bank(NHB)toReserve Bank of India(RBl)consequenttoamendmentsmadetotheNHB Act, 1987in2018.

The Reserve Bank of Indiahasconstitutedataskforcewhichwillbeheadedbyitsformerdeputygovernor,Usha Thorattoexamineissuesrelatedtooffshore rupee marketsandrecommend policy measures.

PublicsectorIndian BankhasbaggedtheBest Bank AwardfromtheTamil Nadu governmentformeetingtheneedsofwomen's self-help groups(SHGs). Indian Bank:Headquarter:Chennai, MD & CEO:Ms.PadmajaChunduru, Tagline:YourOwnBank.

TheReserve Bank of India(RBI)hasimposedapenaltyofRs4croreonKarnataka Bank,Rs3croreonCity Union Bank,Rs2croreonDCB BankandRs1croreonKarur Vysya Bank Ltd.fordelayedimplementationofSWIFT-related operational controls.Besidesthesefourbanks,theRBIhasalsofinedIndian Bank(Rs4crore),IOB (Rs3crore)andUnited Bank of India(Rs3crore)forthesameviolations.SWIFTistheglobalmessagingsoftwareusedfortransactionsbyfinancialentities.

TheMinistry of Financeisplanningtosetupaspecial cell(AssetMonetisationcell)intheDepartment of Investment and Public Asset Managementtoexpeditethemonetisationofnon-coreassetsofstate-ownedcompanies. The‘AssetMonetisationcell’willalsodealwithcasesrelatedtothesaleofimmovableenemy property,which

referstotheassetsleftbehindbypeoplewhomigratedtoPakistanorChinaandarenolongercitizensofIndia. PSBloansin59minutes.comwhichwaslaunchedbyPrimeMinisterNarendra Modiin2018hasemergedasthe

country’slargestonlinelendingplatform,withloansanctionsexceedingoverRs 35,000 crore. TheportalprovidescredituptoRs 1 croretomicro,smallandmediumenterprises(MSMEs)injust59 minutesor

lessthananhour.


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The Reserve Bank of IndiahasfinedAllahabad Bankfornon-complianceofdirectionswithregardtoNostro

accounts. Anostroaccountisabankaccountheldinaforeigncountrybyadomesticbank,denominatedinthecurrencyofthat

country. National Housing Bank hasproposedtoincrease the Capital Adequacy RatioofHousingFinancingCompanies

(HFCs)to15%asaprecautionarymeasureagainstliquidityrisk. TheCapitalAdequacyRatio,alsoknownascapital-to-risk weighted assets ratio(CRAR),isusedtoprotect

depositorsandpromotethestabilityandefficiencyoffinancialsystemsaroundtheworld. ICICI Bankannouncedthatitwillbuy1.49 croresharestoacquire9.9% stakeinthenon-banking finance company

(NBFC)Kisan FinanceforRs 17.82 crore. State Bank of India(SBI)andHitachi Payment Services Pvt Ltd,awholly-ownedsubsidiaryofHitachi Ltd,launched

theirmerchant-acquiringjointventure,SBI Payment Services Pvt Ltd(SBIPSPL),forestablishingadigitalpaymentsplatformforIndiaandothercountriesintheregion,inMumbai. SBIhasa74% stakeinthejointventureandthebalance26%iswithHitachiPaymentServices.

State Bank of India(SBI)linkeditsinterest rate on savings accountwithbalanceaboveRs 1 lakhandshort-term loans toReserveBankofIndia's(RBI)repo rate,effective 1 May 2019.Thismeansthatsavingsaccountinterestratesandinterestrateonafewloanswillchangeasandwhentheregulatorchangesitsreporate.

TheReserve BankrelaxednormsforWhite Label Atm(WLA)operatorsandallowedthemtobuy wholesale cashdirectlyfromthecentral bank. TheRBIalsopermittedWLAoperatorstosourcecashfromanybank,includingcooperativesandregionalrural

banks. The governmenthasincreasedthetax-free gratuityincomelimittoRs 20 lakh.Thismovewillbenefitthepublicas

wellasprivatesectoremployees. TheReserve Bank of India(RBI)hasnotifiedthenormsforbankswithregardsto2 per cent interest subventionor

subsidyforshort-term crop loansduring2018-19 and 2019-20undertheinterest subvention schemeapprovedbythecentralgovernment.

PrimeMinisterNarendra Modihasunveiledthenewseriesofvisuallyimpairedfriendlycoinsofvariousdenominations. ThecoinsareofdenominationRs.1,Rs.2,Rs.5,Rs.10andRs.20.Rs20coin,thefirst-evercoinofferinginRs 20

denomination. The governmentsetupafivemembercommitteeheadedbyLegalAffairsSecretaryAlok Srivastavatoexamine

issuesrelatedtoframingofastructured schemeforprovidinginsurancecovertoadvocates.

TheBCG-IBA (BostonConsultingGroup- IndianBanksAssociation) reportEnhanceAccess&ServiceExcellence

(EASE)ReformsforPublic Sector BanksmeasurestheperformanceofeachPSBon140objectivemetricsacross6themes. Punjab National Bankhasbeenrankedfirst amongpublicsectorbanksintheimplementationof‘reforms

agenda’,followedbyBank of BarodaandState Bank of India. The GovernmentapprovedtheestablishmentoftwonewbenchesofNational Company Law Tribunal(NCLT),

at AmaravatiinAndhraPradeshandIndoreinMadhyaPradeshinviewoftheincreasingcaseload,especiallyundertheInsolvency & Bankruptcy Code 2016.

India’s firstdigitalinsurer,AU Small Finance Bank Ltd.announceditspartnershipwithanewageinsurtechcompany,Acko General Insurance Limitedandisnowabletoprovidecustomized insurance productstoitscustomers.

Bank of India(BoI)hasraisedRs 660.80 crorebyissuingsharestoemployeesunderEmployee Share Purchase Scheme(ESPS).

TheReserve Bank of India(RBI)hasdecidedtoinject rupee liquidityintothesystemthroughlong-termforeign exchange buy/sell swap—afirst-of-its-kindinstrumentusedforliquiditymanagement. TheRBIwouldconductdollar-rupeebuy/sellswapauctionof$5 billionfora3-year tenor. Recently,TheReserve Bank of India(RBI)infusedRs.34,561 croreintothebankingsysteminexchangefor

dollars,initsfirst dollar-rupee swap auction.Inastatement,thecentralbanksaidtheauctionreceivedbidsfor$16.31 billion,approximatelythreetimesthenotifiedamount.

HDFC Bankbecamethe3rdIndiancompanyafterReliance Industries(Rs.8.52trillion)andTCS(Rs.7.49trillion)toachieveamarketvalueofRs. 6 trillion,owingtoasuddenupsurgeinitsshareprices.

AreportbyInvestment Information and Credit Rating Agency of India Limited(ICRA)hasstatedthatSmallfinancebanks(SFB)areexpectedtowitnessagrowthrateof25-30%overthemedium-termiftheyarrangeanadditionalexternalcapitalintherangeofRs 4,000-6,000 croretillFY23.

The State Bank of Indiahasinitiatedanew‘doorstep banking’serviceforsenior citizens,differently-abledandinfirmaccountholdersaswellasvisuallyimpairedcustomers.


14

TheState Bank of Indiahaslaunchedanewservicecalled‘YONO Cash’foritscustomersusingwhichcustomerscanwithdrawmoneyfromATMs withoutusingdebitcards.

TheReserve Bank of IndianamedState Bank of India,ICICI Bank and HDFC BankasDomestic Systemically Important Banks(D-SIBs).Thebankswhichare‘too big to fail’arenamedbytheRBI. SBI: Headquarter:Mumbai, Chairman:RajnishKumar. ICICI: Headquarter:Mumbai, MD and CEO:SandeepBakshi. HDFC : Headquarter:Mumbai, MD:AdityaPuri.

TheReserve Bank of IndiaprovidedanoobjectiontoKolkataheadquarteredBandhan BankfortheproposedacquisitionofGruh Finance. Gruh Finance LimitedisaAhmedabadheadquarteredSubsidiaryofHDFC Limited.

ICICI Lombard General Insurance,aleadingnon-lifeinsurancecompany,hasenteredintoastrategicpartnershipwithMobiKwik,adigitalfinancialservicesplatform,toprovidecyber insurance coverforthelatter’smobilewalletusers.

TheInsolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India(IBBI)signedaMemorandumofUnderstanding(MoU)withtheSecuritiesandExchangeBoardofIndia(SEBI)seekingeffectiveimplementationoftheInsolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016anditsalliedrulesandregulations,whichhaveredefinedthedebt-equityrelationshipandaimstopromoteentrepreneurship and debt market.

India'slargestbank,State Bank of India,hassignedaMemorandumofAgreement(MoU)withBank of China(BOC),thethirdlargestBankintheworldbyCapitalsizeandoneofthemajorplayersintheChineseBankingIndustry,toenhance business synergiesbetweenboththebanks.

UnionFinanceMinisterArun Jaitleychaired34thmeetingoftheGoods and Services Tax CouncilinNew Delhi. The Governmenthasexceededthedisinvestment targetforthecurrentfiscalby5000 crore rupees.

AsagainstatargetofRs.80,000 crorefordisinvestmentforthecurrentyear,thedivestmentreceiptshavetouchedRs.85,000 crores.

Thedisinvestmenttargetforthenext fiscal yearhasbeenfixedatRs.90,000 crore. TheReserve Bank of IndiaagaindeferredtheimplementationoftheIndian Accounting Standards(IndAS)by

banksastherequisitelegislativeamendmentsarestillunderconsideration. TheRBIinFebruary2016hadproposedimplementationofnewaccountingstandardsforbanksforbothstandalone

financialstatementsandconsolidatedfinancialstatementswitheffectfromApril1,2018. Fitch RatingscutIndia's economic growthforecastforthenextfinancialyearstartingApril1,to6.8 percentfromits

previousestimateof7 per cent,onweakerthanexpectedmomentumintheeconomy. TheratingagencyhasalsocutgrowthforecastsforFY20andFY21to7 per centfrom7.3 per centand7.1 per

centfrom7.3 per cent. The National Stock Exchange of India Limited(NSEIT),theIT-servicesfocusedsubsidiaryoftheNationalStock

Exchange,thatithasacquiredAujas Networks Ltd.,acompanywhichprovidesinformation security consultingandIT risk management services. NSEITcurrentlyprovidestechnologysolutionsacrossindustriessuchascapitalmarkets,financialmarkets,banking

andinsurance. NSEIT: CEO & MD:NMuralidharan, Aujas: CEO:SameerShelke.

Thecountry'slargestlenderState Bank of India(SBI)saidithasraisedRs.1,251.30 crorebyissuingBasel III-compliant bonds.

TheU.K. SinhaledExpert CommitteeonMicro,Small&MediumEnterprises(MSME)oftheReserve Bank of India(RBI)undertookacomprehensivereviewoftheMSMEsectortoidentifycausesandtoproposelongtermsolutionsforitsdevelopment.

NITI AayoghasorganizedaFinTech-2019ConclaveatDr.AmbedkarInternationalCenter,New Delhi.TheConclavewasinauguratedbyRBIGovernor,Shaktikanta Das.

TheReserve Bank of India(RBI)GovernorShaktikanta Dashassaidthatthecentralbankofthecountryhasappointed5-membercommitteeunderthechairmanshipofNandan Nilekanitofurtherdeependigital paymentsandenhancefinancial inclusionthroughFinancialTechnology(Fintech). Fintech,iscomputerprogramsandanewtechnologyinnovationthataimstocompetewithtraditionalfinancial

methodsinthedeliveryoffinancialservices. ThePresidentoftheIndianNationalCongress,Rahul GandhionMarch25,2019announcedaMinimum Income

Guarantee Scheme (NYAY)forthepoorest20 per centofIndianfamiliesifvotedtopower. ThepoorestfamiliesinIndia,willreceiveRs 72,000PerYear. Theschemeisexpectedtodirectlybenefitaround5 crorefamiliesand25 crore people.

TheReserve Bank of IndiaslappedRs.2 croreaspenaltyfornon-complianceofregulatorydirectionsregardingSWIFToperationsinPunjab National Bank.


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Bank of Barodahassignedmemorandumofunderstanding(MoU)withsix firmsnamelySkymetWeatherServices,WeatherRiskManagementServices,BigHaat,AgrostarIndia,EM3AgriServicesandPoortiAgriServicestodevelop“Baroda Kisan”.Itwillprovidesolutionsforallmajoragriculturalrequirementsthroughitsholisticapproach.

The GovernmentannouncedthatthedeadlineforthelinkingofAadhaar with PANhasbeenextendedtoSeptember 30, 2019.

Election CommissionhasapprovedarequestoftheRural Development Ministrytorevise the wagesundertheMGNREGA schemefromApril 1. ThewagespaidundertheMahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act(MGNREGA)arelinked

withtheConsumer Price Index for agricultural labourers(CPI-AL). The GovernmenthasdecidedtoinfuseRs 5,042 crore rupees intostate-ownedBank of Barodaaheadofmergerof

twootherpublicsectorlendersDena BankandVijaya BankwithBank of Baroda. ThemergerofDenaBankandVijayaBankwithBankofBarodawouldbeeffectivefrom1st April.

TheReserve Bank of IndiasettheaveragebaseratetobechargedbyNon- Banking Financial Companies(NBFC)andMicro Finance institutions(MFI)at9.21%forthefirstquarter(ApriltoJune).

Theinterest ratesonSmall-Saving SchemesincludingPublicProvidentFund(PPF)andNationalSavingsCertificate(NSC)havebeenkeptunchangedbytheGovernmentfortheApril-Junequarterofthefinancial year 2019-20.

CORPORATE AFFAIRS

Bengalurubasedsemiconductorcompany“SIGNALCHIP”unveiledIndia’s firstIndigenousSemiconductor Chipsfor4G/LTEand5GNRMODEMsataneventinNew Delhi,whichwasaddressedbytheSecretary,Telecom,Mrs Aruna Sundararajan.

TheNational Health Authority(NHA),whichistheapexbodyresponsibleforimplementationofAyushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)hassignedaMemorandumofUnderstanding(MoU)withUber–aride-hailingapptoprovidefree healthcare services to Uber drivers.

IFFCO Tokio General Insurancelaunched‘bank locker protector policy’,thefirststand-alonebanklockercoverofferedbyanyinsurancecompanywithaplantoprotectthecontentsofabanklockersuchasjewelry,titledocuments,andothervaluables.

TheIndian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation(IRCTC)launcheditsownpaymentaggregatorsystem,IRCTC iPay,astepwhichwillhelppromotegovernment’sDigital Indiainitiative.

TheUnion Minister of Commerce and Industryhaslaunchedatutorialvideoon“Intellectual Property Rights(IPR)”forschoolstudentsandtheGeographical Indications(GI)website. ThevideoisavailableonCIPAM’sYouTubeChannelandwillformpartoftheexistingresourcepoolonCIPAM’s

officialwebsitewww.cipam.gov.inwhichisfreelyavailableforpublic. TheNational Green TribunalhasslappedafineofRs 500 croreonGermanautomajorVolkswagenfordamagingthe

environmentthroughtheuseof“cheat device”initsdieselcarsinIndia. TheCabinet Committee on Economic Affairs(CCEA)hasapprovedtheacquisitionofdebt-ladenLanco’s 500 MW

Teesta hydro-electric power projectinSikkimbystate-owned National Hydroelectric Power Corporation(NHPC).

AresolutionplanofRs. 42,000 croressubmittedbyArcelor MittalforacquisitionofEssar Steel Ltd.wasapprovedbytheAhmedabadbenchoftheNational Company Law Tribunal(NCLT).

Azim Premji,chairmanofWipro Ltdearmarked34 percentofhisshareswhichisworthRs 52,750 croretoanendowmentundertheAzimPremjiFoundation.

WhatsApphasjoinedhandswithNational Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM)Foundation,totacklethechallengeofFake News. TheinitiativewillbelaunchedasapartofNASSCOM's MyKartavya Program.Thepartnershipisaimedattraining

approximately1 Lakh Indians,ThefirsttrainingsessionwillbereportedlyhostedonMarch 27 in Delhi. The Integral Coach Factory(ICF)inChennai hasmanufacturedasmanyas301 coachesinthemonthofFebruary,

takingthetotalforthisfiscalto2,919.Thisputsitamongthelargest railcar buildersintheworld,beatingtopChinesemanufacturerswhoproducearound2,600 coachesayear. BesidesICFIndianRailwayshas2coachmanufacturingfacilitiesnamelyRail Coach

Factory,KapurthalaandModern Coach Factory,Raebareli. TheTelangana governmentandANI Technologies-ownedOla Cabs,anapp-basedpublictransportationcompany,

signedamemorandumofunderstanding(MoU)totowardsstrengtheningthetraffic infrastructureinthecity. State-ownedPower Finance Corporation(PFC)hassignedasharepurchaseagreementtoacquireall52.63 per cent

sharesofthegovernmentinRural Electrification Corporation(REC)foraboutRs 14,500 crore. Hyundai Motor GroupandKia Motors Corporationannouncedastrategicpartnershiptoinvest300 milliondollars

(aboutRs2,000crore)inride-hailingplatformOlaforprovidingsmart mobility solutions.


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US-basede-commerceplatformeBayhaspartneredwithGoogle toofferGoogle Payasaformofpaymentoptioninitsnew“managed payments”plan.

Steel Authority of India Ltd(SAIL)haslaunchedsmart garbage binsmadeofstainlesssteelwhichintegratestechnologyforsmartwastemanagement. TheseSmartGarbageBinsmadeupofSAILSALEMstainlesssteelwillbeinstalledinundergroundReinforced

Cement Concrete(RCC)pitsattheSmart Garbage Station. TheconsortiumofState-ownedIndian Oil Corporation(IOC)andBharat Petro Resources Ltd(BPRL),Urja Bharat

Pte LtdhasacquiredanoilblockinAbuDhabi,wherethetwowillinvestUSD 170 million. TheTechGiant ApplehaspartneredwithGoldman SachsandMastercard,announcedanewcreditcardcalledApple

Card. Apple CardcanbeusedalongthewalletappoftheiPhone.Itwasavirtualcreditcardwhichwillreplacethe

traditionalcreditcardwiththesmartandsecureone. Facebooklaunchedtwonewtoolscalled“Candidate Connect”and“Share You Voted”,specificallyforIndianusersto

encouragecivic engagementonitsplatformduringthegeneral elections 2019. Adani Port and Special Economic Zone(APSEZ)claimedthatithasbecomethefirst Indian portoperatortohandle

cargomovementof 200 million tonnes(MT)in2018-19. CommerceSecretary,Dr.Anup Wadhawan,launchedblockchainbasedcoffee e-marketplacethroughvideo

conferencinginNew Delhi. Teslahasdevelopedits‘largest power storage system in Asia’atOsakatrainstationinJapantoreduceenergy

demandandprovideemergencybackuppowertotrainsinJapan. GAIL India LtdjoinedhandwithBharat Heavy Electricals Ltd(BHEL)tocooperateinthedevelopmentofsolar

power projects.

DEFENCE & SECURITY

The8theditionofjointmilitaryexercise“Sampriti”betweenthearmiesofIndia and BangladeshbeganwithanimpressiveceremonyatBongobondhuCantonmentinTangail, Bangladesh.

TheUnionHomeMinisterShri Rajnath SinghinauguratedtheprojectBOLD-QIT(Border Electronically Dominated QRT Interception Technique)underCIBMS(Comprehensive Integrated Border Management system)onIndia-BangladeshborderinDhubriDistrictofAssam.

TheUnited StatesandSouth Koreadecidedtocallofftheirjointexercise“Foal Eagle”and“Key Resolve”andinsteadbifurcatethemintosmallerexercises.ThisisbeingdonetoeasetensionswithNorth Korea.

ExerciseAl Nagah III 2019isthebilateraljointexercisebetweenIndia and Oman. The3rdintheseriesofthejointexercisewasheldfrom12to25March2019atJabalAlAkhdarMountainsinOman. Oman:Capital:Muscat, Currency:Omanirial.

HomeMinisterRajnath Singhinaugurates'Smart Fencing' ProjectinAssam;CIBMSprojectwillvastlyimprovethecapabilityofBSFindetectingandcontrollingthecrossbordercrimes. Twopilotprojectscoveringabout71KmsonIndo-PakistanBorder(10Kms)andIndo-BangladeshBorder(61Kms)

ofComprehensive Integrated Border Management System(CIBMS)havebeencompleted. India and Russiahavesignedanagreementfortheleasingofanuclear-powered attack submarinefortheIndian

Navyforaperiodof10years. RussiawillbedeliveringtheAkula II-class submarine,tobeknownasChakra III,totheIndianNavyby2025.

Defence Research and Defence Organisation(DRDO)successfullytestfiredtheGuided PINAKAfromPokhranranges. DRDO: Headquarter:NewDelhi, Chairman: G.SatheeshReddy

Defence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO)successfullytestfiredindigenouslydeveloped,lowweight,fireandforgetMan-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile(MPATGM)forthe2ndtimeinthePokhranrangesofRajasthandesert.

ChiefoftheNavalStaff,Admiral Sunil Lanba,presidedoverthedaylongreviewsessionoflargestWarGameoftheIndianNavy–theTheatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise(TROPEX19)inKochi, Kerala.

TheAfrica-India Joint Field Training Exercise(AFINDEX-19)betweentheIndian Armyand16 African nationswascommencedinPune, MaharashtrafortrainingtheparticipatingcontingentsinHumanitarian Mine Assistance(HMA)andPeace Keeping Operations(PKO)undertheUnitedNationsCharter.

The33rdeditionoftheIndia-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol(Ind-IndoCorpat)wasstartedonMarch19,2019andwillcontinuetill4thApril2019atPort Blair,Andaman&NicobarIslands. Indonesia: Capital:Jakarta, Currency:Indonesianrupiah.

Exercise'6th Mitra Shakti'betweenIndiaandSri LankawillbeconductedfromMarch 26 to April 8fortheyear2018-19,inSri Lanka. Sri Lanka: Capital:SriJayawardenepuraKotte, Currency:SriLankanrupee.


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IndiahascarriedoutOperation SunrisetowipeouttheinsurgentcampsplanningtohittheIndianworkersattheKaladan Transit project. OperationSunrisewasajointoperationcarriedoutbybothIndian and Myanmar armies.

The34thMeetingoftheShanghai Cooperation Organisations(SCOs)RegionalAnti-TerroristStructure(RATS)CouncilheldinTashkent,Uzbekistan. Ajointexercise‘Sary – Arka – Antiterror 2019’willbeheldasdecidedbytheRATSinthesession.India,Pakistan

andothermembernationswillparticipateinthejointanti-terrorismexercisewhichwillbeheldthisyear. Thefirst batchoffourBoeingheavy-liftChinook Helicopters,CH-47F(I)wasinductedinIndian Air Force(IAF)at

AirForceStation,Chandigarh,inSquadronNo126HelicopterFlight(Feather weights). AdmiralSunil Lanba, ChiefoftheNavalStaffcommissionedastateoftheart"Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Training

Facility-ABHEDYA",atINSShivaji,Lonavla, Maharashtra. The3rdInstallmentoftheJointNavalExerciseofIndiaandAustralia,AUSINDEX willbeheldoffthecoastof

VishakhapatnamfromApril2to16.Thejointexercisewillfocusonanti-submarine warfare,aspartofeffortstorampupbilateralnavalcooperationinthestrategic Indian Ocean region.

TheLangkawi International Maritime Aero Expo(LIMA-2019)hasstartedinLangkawi,Malaysiafrom26March2019to30March2019.IndianAirForce(IAF)isparticipatingintheMaritime Aero Expoforthefirst time,duringwhichithasshowcaseditsindigenouslydevelopedLight Combat Aircraft(LCA)-Tejas.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

TheUnionHumanResourceMinisterPrakash JavadekarlaunchedtheSTARS schemeonNational Science Day(28thFebruary).TheschemewillbeimplementedatthecostofRs 250 crores. STARSisanacronymforScheme for Translational and Advanced Researchin SciencetofundScienceprojects.

Param-Shivaay, a supercomputer,wasinauguratedatIndian Institute of Technology- Banaras Hindu University (IIT-BHU) under the National Supercomputing Mission. Underthisproject,theCenter for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC)hasdevelopedthefirst

supercomputer'Param Shivay' of 833teraflopcapacities.India’sfirst supercomputercalledPARAM 8000waslaunchedin1991.

Atpresent,Indian Institute of Tropical MeteorologyhasPratyush supercomputer,whichisthefastestsupercomputerinIndia.

IndianSpaceResearchOrganisation(ISRO)haslaunchedaspecialprogrammeforSchoolChildrencalled“Young Scientist Programme” “YUva VIgyani KAryakram”from2019. TheProgramisprimarilyaimedatimpartingbasicknowledgeonSpaceTechnology,SpaceScienceandSpace

Applicationstotheyoungeroneswiththeintentofarousingtheirinterest.

ISRO: Headquarter: Bengaluru, Director: KailasavadivooSivan.

Pulkit Sapra,fromDelhiandSuman Muralikrishnan,fromChennai,formerstudentsandresearchersattheIndian Institute of Technology(IIT),Delhi havecreatedalaptopforvisually-impairedcalled“DotBook”.

Thewebportal“Indian Science, Technology and Engineering Facilities Map(I-STEM)”hasbeendevelopedbytheCentre for Nano Science and Engineering(CeNSE)attheIndianInstituteofScience,Bengaluru. I-STEMportalwillenableeasyandtimelyaccessofresources to researchersworkinganywhereinthecountry.

HousingandUrbanAffairsMinisterHardeep Purilaunchede-Dharti appwhereallthethreemodules-Conversion, Substitution and Mutationrelatedtopropertieshavebeenmadeonline. ThepaymentsysteminLand and Development Office(L&DO)hasalsobeencompletelydigitized. MrPurialsolaunchede-Dharti GeoPortal,throughwhichthelesseeofthepropertywillbeabletoseethebasic

detailsofpropertyalongwithmapshowingitslocation. The34thInceptiondayofNational Crime Records Bureau(NCRB),wascelebratedinNew Delhi.

NCRB is mandated to empower the Indian Police with Information Technology (IT)andisresponsibleforcollecting,maintainingandanalyzingthecrimedataofthecountry.

Itisthenodal agency for an authentic source of data on crime, accidents, suicides, and prisons for policy matters and research.

JustintimeforInternationalWomen’sDay,NASAannouncedthatitwillbeconductingthefirst-ever,all-female space walk. AstronautsChristina KochandAnne McClainwillexittheInternationalSpaceStationafterthefirst woman

performedaspacewalk. NASA:Headquarter:Washington,D.C.,UnitedStates, Administered by:JimBridenstine.

The Indian Institute of Technology(IIT)KharagpurwilladoptAmazon Web Services(AWS)Educateprogrammetohelpstudentsgaincloud computing skillsincludinghands-onexperienceinartificial intelligence(AI).


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Indian Institute of Technology(IIT)RoorkeesignedaMemorandumofUnderstanding(MoU)withthe Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO)oftheDepartmentofSpace,GovernmentofIndia,BengalurutosetupanISRO-IITRSpace Technology Cell(STC)atIITRoorkee,Uttarakhand. AnaimtostrengtheninstitutionalinteractionsandtherebyenhancethescopeoftheactivitiespursuedunderSTC

commensuratewiththeprogrammaticgoalsofISRO. MicrosofthasannouncedthatithaspartneredwithTheMinistry of Housing and Urban Affairs(MoHUA)topromote

itsProject‘Sangam’whichisdevelopedtoaccelerateSwachh Bharat Mission(SBM)inIndia.Itisoneoftheworld’slargestCleanlinessProgramme.

The Election Commissionhaslaunchedamobileapplication‘Observer App’throughwhichtheElectoralObserverscansubmittherelevantdocumentandmaterialtoElectionCommissiondirectly.

India’s firstmissiletrackingship(VC11184),calledtheOcean Surveillance Ship(OSS),hashasbeensuccessfulseatrials.thetrackingshipbuiltbyHindustan Shipyard Limited(HSL). Thereareonlyfourothercountries-theUS, Russia, China,andFrance-thathavehavesimilarvesselsintheir

arsenal. TheMinistry of Human Resource Development(MHRD),GovernmentofIndia,signedaMemorandumof

Understanding(MoU)withtheAfghanistan GovernmenttocollaborateonDigital Education Initiatives,whichincludemanyprominentprogramsdevelopedbyIndian Institutes of Technology(IIT)atIIT Madras. Afghanistan: Capital:Kabul, Currency:Afghanafghani.

Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar, Gujarat(IIPHG)incollaborationwithNational Mental Health Program,DepartmentofHealthandFamilyWelfare,Government of Gujarathasdevelopedamobileapplicationcalledas‘Conquer Exam, Be a Warrior’forstudentstoreduce the exam pressure. Gujarat: Capital:Gandhinagar, Chief Minister:VijayRupani, Governor:OmPrakashKohli.

TheCoastGuardship‘Vijit'thefirst IndianCoastGuardshiptovisitSabang, Indonesia.Thisvisitofthecoastguardshipfollowsfromthefirst-ever-visitofNavalShipINS SumitratoSabanginJuly2018. IndiaandIndonesiaandstrengtheningcooperationintheareaofmaritimesecurityandsafetybetweenNew Delhi

andJakarta. XiaomilaunchedMi Pay,aUPI(Unified Payments Interface)BasedmobilepaymentserviceinIndiatosendmoney

fromonebankaccounttoanotherorbetweenUPI(Unified Payments Interface)accounts. Anewapplicationnamed‘Shiksha Vani’waslaunchedbyCentral Board of Secondary Education(CBSE)toupload

podcastonClass 10, 12examevaluationprocessinatimelymanner. Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO)willlaunch29 satellitesincludingtheprimarypayloadEMISAT,onthe

1st April.PolarSatelliteLaunchVehicle,PSLV-C45willtakeofffromSatish Dhawan Space CentreinSriharikota. Australian researchers,attheAustralianResearchCouncil(ARC)CentreofExcellenceforNanoscale BioPhotonics,

havedevelopedanewautomatednon-invasive techniquefordiagnosing eye surface cancer. Thenoveltechniqueinvolvescustom-buildingofanadvancedimagingmicroscopelinkedwithcomputingand

Artificial Intelligence(AI)operations. TheSree Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology(SCTIMST)hasrecentlydevelopedananti

cancer anti-inflamatory drugconjugatedtothehuman serum Albumin. IndiahasproveditscapabilityofdefendingitsouterspaceassetsafterDefence Research and Development

Organisation(DRDO)hasconductedasuccessfulAnti-Satellite(ASAT)missiletest“Mission Shakti”fromtheDr APJ Abdul Kalam Island(earlier,Wheelerisland)inOdisha. TherearemanycountrieswhichhaveA-SATcapabilitybutithasbeendemonstratedbyonly4countries:United

States, Russia, China and India. ResearchersattheIndian Institute of Technology-DelhihavedevelopedanArtificial Intelligence-basedelectronic

hardwaresystemtodetectmalaria, tuberculosis,anintestinalparasite,andcervicalcancerinmilliseconds.

SPORTS

WestIndiescricketerChris Gaylebecamethefirst playerintheworldtohit500 sixesthe14thbatsmanandsecondfromtheCaribbeanafterBrian Lara,toreachthemilestoneof10,000 ODI runs.

Shashank Shekharwonthe10kilometerraceofNepal’s Chief of Army Staff(COAS)Open Marathonand Run for FunwhichwasheldinKathmandu,Nepal.

AttheMakran Cup boxing tournamentwhichwasheldinChabahar, Iran,Indianboxerscollectedarichhaulof8medals,includingonegold,fivesilverandtwobronzetofinishtheircampaignonahigh. Haryana’sDeepak SinghwontheonlygoldforIndia,beatingJaafar Naseriinthe(46-49kg)lightflycategory.

Forthefirsttimeinnineyears,twoIndiabowlers,Jhulan Goswami and Shikha Pandey,joinedthetopfiveclubinthelatestICC women's cricket rankingsforODIbowlersissued. Jhulan GoswamisecuredtheNo.1 spot.WhileShikha Pandeymadeatremendouscomebackbypickingupeight

wickets,hasjumped12placestooccupythefifth spotinthelist.


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Olympic Council of AsiadecidedtoinviteOceania Nationstocompetein2022 Asian GamesforthefirsttimeafterameetingheldinBangkok. Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-SabahofKuwait,isre-electedaspresidentofthepowerfulOlympic Council of Asia. TheOlympic Council of Asia(OCA)hasdecidedtoreintroduceCricketinthe2022 Asian Gamestobeheldat

Hangzhou, China. The57th International Wrestling Tournament‘DanKolov–NikolaPetrov’conductedfrom28thfeb-3rdMar2019in

Ruse, Bulgaria. Bajrang Puniawongold medalin65kg.HededicatesthegoldtowingcommanderAbhinanadan Varthaman. Pooja Dhandawongold in59kgwomen’sfreestylecategory. Sakshi Maliksettledforasilvermedalinthe65kgcategory. Sandeep TomarclaimedsilvermedalintheMen’s61kgcategory.VineshPhogatclaimedsilvermedalinthe

Women’s53kg. Roger Federerhasclaimedthe100th ATP titleofhiscareerwithafterbeating20-year-oldGreekStefanosTsitsipasin

thefinaloftheDubai Tennis Championships. Manpreet SinghnamedcaptainofIndianhockeyteamforSultan Azlan Shah Cup. EnglanddefeatedIndiainthe3rdandfinalWomen’s Twenty20InternationalinBarsaparaCricketStadiumin

Guwahati, Assam. Kavinder Singh Bishtinthe56kg-categorystruckgold medalatthe38th GeeBee Boxing TournamentinHelsinki. The2019 All England Open Badminton ChampionshipswasheldinArenaBirmingham,Englandfrom6thMarch

2019to10thMarch2019.

CATEGORY WINNER RUNNER

Men’sSingle Kento Momota (Japan) ViktorAxelsen(Denmark)

Women’sSingle Chen Yufei (China) TaiTzu-ying(Taiwan)

Men’sDoublesMohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan (Indonesia)

AaronChiaandSohWooiYik(Malaysia)

Women’sDouble Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan (China) MayuMatsumotoandWakanaNagahara(Japan)

MixedDouble Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong (China) YutaWatanabeandArisaHigashino(Japan)

TheSupreme CourtappointedsenioradvocatePS Narasimhaasmediatorforresolvingvariousdisputesrelatedtocricketadministrationwithinthecricketbody,the Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI).

IndianathletefromKerala,K.T. IrfanhasqualifiedfortheTokyo Olympicsashefinished4th inthemen’s20kilometercategoryattheAsian Race Walking ChampionshipsinNomi, Japan.

The Board Of Control For Cricket In India(BCCI)announcedthesportsgamingplatformDream 11astheofficialpartnerforVIVO Indian Premier League(IPL)toboostthedigitalgaming.

SouthAfricanall-rounderJean Paul Duminy(34)hasannouncedhisretirementfromODIs,afterthe2019 World CupwhichshallstartonMay30inEngland.

India willhosttheUnder-17 Women's Football World Cupin2020. ThiswasannouncedbythePresidentofInternational Football Federation(FIFA)GianniInfantinoafterthe

councilmeetinginMiami,USA. Indiafinishes2ndinAsian Youth Athletes ChampionshipheldinHong Kongwithagoldaddedtothemedaltallyon

thefinaldayofthechampionship. Indiasecured2nd positionintheoverallmedalstallywith26 medalsincluding8gold,9silverand9bronzemedals. China toppedthechampionshipwith31medalsincluding12gold,11silverand8bronze.Japanrankedthirdin

theChampionshipwith20medals.Japangot6gold,8silverand6bronzemedals. The15th Special Olympics World Summer Games 2019forathleteswithIntellectual disabilitiesheldinAbuDhabi,

United Arab Emirates. India wins 368 medalsattheSpecialOlympicsWorldSummerGamesincluding85gold,154silverand129

bronze.JitendraPawalwonagoldmedalinthe200mrace. OrganisersoftheTokyo 2020 Olympicsunveiledacherry-blossom shapedtorchfortheGamesasthecityprepares

forthefamedflowerseasontobeginincomingdays. India'sAsianchampionGopi ThonakalhasqualifiedfortheWorld Athletics ChampionshipstobeheldintheQatari

capitalDohainSeptember-October2019. IndianwomangolferDiksha Dagarbecameonlythe2nd Indian womantowinonLadies European Touringolfafter

clinchingtheSouthAfricanOpeninCape Town.DagarfollowsAditi Ashok,whoin2016becamethefirst IndiantowinontheLET.

IndiaclinchedSouth Asian Football Federation(SAFF)Women’s Championship 2019bydefeatingNepalinBiratnagar,Nepal.Itwasforthe5th timeinarowIndia.


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Suresh Raina,abatsmanofChennaiSuperKingsbecamethefirstbatsmantomakearecordbysurpassing5,000 runsintheIndian Premier LeagueinChennai.

Telangana Sports Journalist Association(TSJA)namedLondon Olympics BronzemedalistSaina Nehwalassportspersonoftheyear,Pullella GopichandasCoachoftheYearandPV SindhuasOutstandingPerformerinwomen’ssection.BadmintonAssociationofTelanganareceivedAssociationoftheYearawardattheAnnual Telangana Sports Journalist Association Awards 2018heldatHyderabad.

ThemegacelebrationofCricket,Indian Premier League(IPL)witnesseditsfirst everMankadinginitshistoryinthematchofKings XI PunjabandRajasthan Royals.RajasthanRoyalsopenerJos Buttlerbecamethefirstvictimof‘Mankading’inthehistoryoftheIndianPremierLeague(IPL). KingsXIPunjabskipperRavichandran AshwindismissedtheRajasthanRoyalsopenerJosButtlerthrough

mankading. IndianpaddlerArchana Kamathclinchedasilverintheunder-21 women’s singlessectionoftheSeamaster

InternationalTableTennisFederation (ITTF) ChallengePlus 2019 Oman Open table tennis tournamentatMuscat. Manu BhakerandSaurabh ChaudharyhavebaggedaGold medalinthe10-metreAir Pistol Mixed teameventat

the12th Asian Airgun ChampionshipatTaoyuaninTaipei. IndianduoofSmriti MandhanaandJhulan GoswamicontinuetotopthebattingandbowlingchartsinthelatestICC

Women's ODI Player Rankings. International Olympics Committee(IOC)gaveprovisionalgreen lightfortheinclusionofBreakdancingintheParis

Olympics 2024.Surfing, Skateboardingandsport climbingalsogotapprovalforprovisionalinclusioninSummerOlympics2024fromIOC.

IndiahaslosttoSouth KoreainthefinalofSultan Azlan Shah Hockey tournamentatIpohinMalaysia.

AWARDS &HONOURS

VicePresidentM Venkaiah NaidupresentedKalamInnovationinGovernance Award 2019atthe3rdeditionofDr A.P.J. Abdul KalamSummitonInnovation and Governance,inNew Delhi.

TheUnion MinisterforWaterResources,RiverdevelopmentandrejuvenationNithin Gadkaripresented82National Water Awardsin14 categoriesfortheyear2018ataceremonyheldinNew Delhi. TheDepartment Of GeologyatKakatiyaUniversity,WarangalTelanganareceivedthebest campus in Indiain

termsofwater usage.Panjab Universitysecured2ndpositioninthecategory. Madurai district(TamilNadu)receivedfirst prizeforrejuvenations and creatingnewwaterbodiesinthe

National Water Awards 2018. InbeststatecategoryMaharashtra, Gujarat and Andhra Pradeshbagged1st,2ndand3rdprizesresource

managementinIndia. ASSOCHAM(TheAssociatedChambersofCommerceandIndustryofIndia),whichisoneoftheapextradeassociations

ofIndiahasconferred‘Non-Life Insurer of the Year Award 2019′toBharti AXA General InsurancewhichisajointventurebetweenBharti EnterprisesandFrench insurance giant AXA.

Prayagraj Kumbh Mela 2019hasbeenplacedintheGuinness World Recordsinthreesectors. Thethreesectorsare:

Largesttrafficandcrowdmanagementplan,

Thebiggestpaintingexerciseofpublicsitesunder“PaintmyCity”scheme,and

Thebiggestsanitationandwastedisposalmechanism. IndianAirForceWingCommanderAbhinandan Varthamanwillbethefirstrecipientofthe'Bhagwan Mahavir

Ahimsa Puraskar'.TheawardisinstitutedbytheAkhil Bharatiya Digambar Jain Mahasamiti. Indorehasbaggedthecleanest city awardfor3rdstraightyear,The2ndand3rdpositionsfollowedbyAmbikapurin

Chhattisgarh andMysore in KarnatakaunderSwachh Survekshan, 2019.PresidentRam Nath KovindpresentedSwachh Survekhshan-2019AwardsinNewDelhi.New Delhi Municipal Councilareagotthecleanest small city award. Uttarakhand's GaucharwasadjudgedtheBest Ganga Towninthesurvey. The‘Cleanest Big City’ awardhasbeenbaggedbyAhmedabad,whileRaipuristhe‘Fastest Moving Big City’. Ujjainhasbeentheadjudgedthe‘Cleanest Medium City’andMathura-Vrindavanbaggedthetagofthe‘Fastest

Moving Medium Cities’. TVS Motorwasawardedthe‘Green Era Award for Sustainability’atLisbon,Portugal.Thecompanyalsowon

the‘Quality and Business Excellence Award’foritsunmatchedproductquality.TheresearchfortheawardswasconductedbyOtherways Management and Consulting,France.

JapaneseArchitectArata IsozakihasreceivedthePritzker Prize 2019. TheBiju Patnaik International Airport(BPIA)inBhubaneswarwontheAirport Service Quality(ASQ)awardfor

beingthebestairportinsizeandregion(2-5millionpassengersinAsia-Pacific)fortheyear2018. Odisha: Capital:Bhubaneswar, Chief Minister:NaveenPatnaik, Governor:GaneshiLal.


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TheIndira Gandhi International(IGI)airport,New Delhiwasdeclaredasthe best airportinthecategoryofover“40 million passengers per annum (MPPA)”inAsia PacificbyAirportsCouncilInternational(ACI)intheAirportServiceQuality(ASQ)Programmefor2018.

PresidentRam Nath KovindpresentedtheNari Shakti awards, 2018ontheoccasionofInternational Women’s Dayon8thMarch.Nari Shakti awardsarethehighestcivilianhonourforwomeninIndia. 44 Nari Shakti awardswerepresentedfortheyear2018andtheawardeesincludeScientists,entrepreneurs,

environmentalists,socialworkers,farmers,artists,masons,awomanmarinepilot,awomancommandotrainer,journalistsandfilm-makers.

The BilingualcorrespondentwiththeBBCPriyanka DubeyhasbeennamedfortheChameli Devi Jain AwardforanOutstandingWoman Journalist for the year 2018.

Raghuram Rajan,formergovernorofRBIhasbeenchosenforthe‘Yashwantrao Chavan National Award 2018’byYashwantraoChavanPrathisthanforhiscontributiontoeconomic development.

TheMinistry of Tourism, Government of IndiahaswontheFirst PrizeinthecategoryofTV Cinema Spotattheprestigiousinternational Golden City Gate Tourism Awards 2019.TheawardswerereceivedbyShriYogendraTripathi,Secretary,TourismonatITB,Berlin.

TheUnion MinisterforWomenandChildDevelopment,Maneka Gandhi,felicitatedthe30 winnersofthe‘Web Wonder Women’contestorganizedbytheMinistryofWomenandChildDevelopmentinNew Delhi.

ACKO General InsurancewasawardedtheprestigiousGolden Peacock Innovative Product Award–2019,fortheircontextualmicroinsuranceproduct-“Ola Ride Insurance”.

Sona Yukti,askilldevelopmentinstitute,washonouredwiththeSocial Enterprise Network(SEN)sustainabilityawardforeducationbyYoung Presidents OrganisationatitsannualeventheldinCapeTown,South Africa.

Jammu-bornfilmdirectorandnovelistVed Rahihasbeenselectedforprestigious‘Kusumagraj’nationalawardforliterature.Theawardisinstitutedbythecity-basedYashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University(YCMOU)andcarriesacashprizeofRs 1 lakh,amementoandacitation.

SocialentrepreneurfromTamilNadu,Padmanaban Gopalan,founderofNo Food Waste,wasnamedthewinneroftheCommonwealth Youth AwardfortheAsian regionworth3,000PoundsataceremonyattheCommonwealthSecretariatinLondon.

PresidentRam Nath Kovindconferred3 Kirti Chakrasand15 Shaurya ChakrastoArmedForcesPersonnelfordisplayingconspicuousgallantry,courageandextremedevotiontoduty. Two Kirti Chakrasandone Shaurya Chakraweregivenposthumously. OneoftheParam Vishisht Seva MedalwasconferredonArmyChiefGeneralBipin Rawat.

ThePresidentofIndia,Shri Ram Nath Kovind,inauguratedtheFestival of Innovation and EntrepreneurshipinGandhinagar,Gujarat.Healsopresentedthe10th Biennial National Grassroots Innovation Awards. Prakash Singh RaghuvanshifromUttarPradeshhasbeenawardedlifetime achievement awardforhis

innovationsinnewvarietiesofagriculture crops. Thefirst prizeinVeterinary,HerbalmedicationforcoccidiosiswaspresentedtoPeriyasami RamasamiofSalem,

Tamil Nadu. Swati ShingadeofPune,hasbaggedthefirstprizeofDD Mahila Kisan Awardfor2018-19. 16-year-oldSwedishenvironmentalactivistGreta ThunberghasbeennominatedforaNobel Peace Prizein

recognitionofherworkleadingayouthcampaigntohaltclimate change. SheskippedschooltositinfrontoftheSwedishParliamentdemandingthatthegovernmentdosomethingabout

climatechange.Ifshewins,GretawouldbecometheyoungestpersontoreceivetheNobelPeacePrize. Malala Yousafzaireceivedtheprizewhenshewas17 yearsold.

PresidentRam Nath KovindpresentedGallantry Awards and Distinguished Service DecorationsattheDefenceInvestitureCeremonyheldatRashtrapatiBhavan. Kirti ChakraswereconferredonSepoy Vijay KumarofIndianArmyandConstablePradip Kumar PandaofCRPF

posthumously. BrazilianphysicistandastronomerMarcelo Gleiserwonthe2019 Templeton Prize. FormerIndiahockeycaptainSardar Singhalongwith13 Indian Olympic Association(IOA)members,havebeen

namedinvariousStandingCommitteeswithoftheOlympic Council of Asia(OCA)atits38thGeneralAssemblywhichheldinBangkok.

HindiwriterLeeladhar JagudihonouredwithVyas Samman 2018forhiscollectionofpoems“Jitne Log Utne Prem”publishedin2013.

MathematicianKaren Uhlenbeck(76)becamethefirst womantobeconferredwith6millionNorwegiankroner($700,000)Abel Prize,whichisregardedasNobel prize of mathematics.

JournalistandwriterRaghu Karnadbecamethe2nd IndiantowintheWindham-Campbell Prize;afterJerry Pintowhowontheprizein2016forhisnovel'Em And the Big Hoom'.Karnadwontheprestigiousawardforhisdebutbook'The Farthest Field: An Indian Story of the Second World War'.


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Lalit Kala Akademihasannouncedthewinnersofthe15 winnersofthe60th Annual Academy Awards.Theawardeeswillbehonouredwithaplaque,ashawlandprizemoneyofRs 1 lakhduringthe60th National Exhibition of Art.

AscienceteacherfromruralKenya, Peter TabichihaswontheprestigiousGlobal Teacher Prize 2019whichhonourstheworld’sbestteacher.

Asian Rich List 2019wasreleasedbyIndia’sHighCommissionertotheUKRuchi Ghanashyam.Thelististhecompilationofthe101wealthiestAsiansinBritainandhighlightsexceptionalentrepreneurialachievementoverthelast12months.ThelistwasreleasedattheAsian Business Awards. London-basedNRIindustrialtycoons,theHindujafamilytoptheAsian Rich List 2019forthe6th successive year. BusinesstycoonLakshmi MittalandhissonAditya Mittalremainedin2ndplace.S P Lohiatook3rd.

The64th Filmfare Awards 2019washeldatJioGarden,BKC,Mumbai.TheeventwashostedbyBollywood’sleadingActors,Directors,MusiciansandSingers. Here’salistofimportantwinnersacrossseveralcategories:

Best Actor:RanbirKapoorforSanju. Best Actress:AliaBhattforRaazi, Best Film:Raazi

Best Director:MeghnaGulzarforRaazi. Best Playback Singer(Male):ArijitSinghforAeWatan–Raazi.

Best Playback Singer(Female):ShreyaGhoshalforGhoomar–Padmaavat.

Best Music Album:SanjayLeelaBhansaliforPadmaavat. PresidentRam Nath KovindreceivedCroatia'shighestcivilianorder,the Grand Order of the King of Tomislav,

duringhisofficialvisittothenation. Skytrax World Airport AwardsnamedSingapore’sChangi Airportasthetheworld’s best aviationhubforthe7th

timeinarow,whileIndira Gandhi International(IGI)Airport,New Delhiclimbed8placestorankat59th Position. NobelPrize-winningeconomistAmartya SenhasbeenhonouredwiththeprestigiousBodley Medal,thehighest

honourbestowedbytheUniversity of Oxford’sworld-famousBodleianLibrariesforhiscontributioninliterature,culture,science,andcommunication.

ADelhigovernmentschoolteacher,Manu GulatihasbeenhonouredwiththeMartha Farrell award for ExcellenceinWomen’s Empowerment 2019intheMostPromisingIndividualcategory.

Dr. Rajendra Kumar Joshi,thefounderandchairmanoftheRUJ GrouphasbeenconferredwiththeprestigiousPravasi Bharatiya Samman Award.HewasawardedbytheEmbassy of IndiainSwitzerland.

Threetrailblazersinartificial intelligencehavebeenhonouredwiththe2018 Turing Award. Yoshua Bengio,Geoffrey HintonandYann LeCunwerenamedtherecipientsoftheawardbytheAssociation for

Computing Machinery(ACM). ThethreedevelopedconceptualandengineeringfoundationsforAIbymakingdeepneuralnetworksacritical

componentofcomputing.

PERSON APPOINTED /RESIGNED

Shri Ajay Narayan Jhajoinedthe15th Finance CommissionasitsMember.HejoinsinplaceofShri Shaktikanta DaswhohadresignedasaMemberoftheCommissionafterbeingappointedasGovernor, Reserve Bank of India.

Bhagwan Lal SahniwhohailsfromMuzaffarpur, BiharhasbeenappointedasthechairmanoftheNational Commission for Backward Classes(NCBC).

AirMarshalR D MathurassumedchargeastheAirOfficerCommanding-in-ChiefoftheEastern Air CommandoftheIndian Air Force(IAF).

AirMarshalRaghunath Nambiar,whoispresentlythechiefofEasternAirCommand,hasbeendesignatedasthenewchiefofWestern Air Command(WAC).

Hasmukh Adhia,theex-financesecretarywasappointedasnon-executive chairmanofBank of Baroda. Anil Kumble,aformerIndiacaptainandgreatlegspinnerwasre-appointedICC(International Cricket

Council)CricketCommitteeChairmanforafinal3yearterminaboardmeetingofcricketcouncilinDubai. IndianSportsAdministratorRandhir SinghappointedastheChairmanofCoordinationCommitteeof2022 Asian

Games,whichwillbehostedinHangzhou, China. Kaja Kallas,theleaderoftheReformPartyhasbeenappointedasthefirst femalePrimeMinisterofEstonia.

Estonia: Capital:Tallinn, Currency:Euro. P Venkata Ramesh BabuhasbeenappointedastheDirector General of the National Archivesof Indiabythe

Centralgovernment. Soumya Swaminathanwasoneofthethreedeputydirector-generalsandthefirstIndiantoholdthepositionatWHO. DistinguishedscientistAjit Kumar MohantyhasbeenappointedDirectorofBhabha Atomic Research Centre

(BARC). Indian-AmericantelevisionpersonalityandfoodexpertPadma LakshmihasbeenappointedbytheUnited

Nations Development Programme(UNDP)asitsnewestGoodwill Ambassador,supportingtheagency’sfightagainstinequality and discriminationaroundtheworld.


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TheAppointments Committee of the CabinetapprovedtheappointmentofEconomicAffairsSecretarySubhash Chandra GargasFinance Secretary.HesucceedsA.N. Jha,whoretiredonJanuary31.

The PresidenthasacceptedtheresignationofShri Kummanam RajasekharanasGovernor of Mizoram. ThePresidentofIndiaappointProf. JagdishMukhi,GovernorofAssamtodischargethefunctionsoftheGovernor

of Mizoram,inadditiontohisownduties,untilregulararrangementsfortheofficeoftheGovernorofMizoramismade.

Dr Ausaf Sayeed,presentlyHighCommissionerofIndiatotheRepublic of Seychelles,hasbeenappointedasthenextambassadorofIndia to Saudi Arabia.

Manpreet VohraappointedasthenextAmbassadorofIndia to Mexico. Mexico: Capital:MexicoCity, Currency:Mexicanpeso.

Kishan Dan DewalappointedasthenextAmbassadorofIndia to the Republic of Armenia. Armenia: Capital:Yerevan, Currency:Dram.

B. S. MubarakconcurrentlyaccreditedasthenextAmbassadorofIndia to the Republic of El Salvador. El Salvador: Capital:SanSalvador, Currency:UnitedStatesdollar.

Mohammad ShtayyehhasbeennamedasPalestinian Prime MinisterbyPresidentofPalestinianMahmoud Abbas. Aditya Kumar Misra,aveterinaryscientistspecializingineconomicallysignificantdiseasesofgoat,hasbeen

appointedasthenew chairmanoftheAgricultural Scientific Recruitment Board(ASRB). TheGovernoradministrationinJammuandKashmirappointed“Metro Man”Elattuvalapil SreedharanasPrincipal

Advisorfortwo Mass RapidTransitCorporationsinthestate—JammuMassRapidTransitCorporationandSrinagarMassRapidTransitCorporationinthestate.

SeniorbureaucratsAnup Kumar DubeyandSushil Kumarwereappointedspecial directorsintheEnforcementDirectorate(ED).

Axis BankappointedRakesh MakhijaasitsnewNon-ExecutivePart-TimeChairman. The GovernmentalsoappointedM. R. KumarastheChairmanoftheLife Insurance Corporation(LIC)foraperiod

of5years. KVS ManianandGaurang ShahappointedasKotakMahindraBank’swhole-time directorsforathree-yearterm

effectivefromthedateofapprovalfromtheReserve Bank of India. Kotak Bank: Headquarter:Mumbai, MD/CEO:UdayKotak, Tagline: Letsmakemoneysimple.

Anurag BhushanhasbeenappointedasthenextHighCommissionerofIndiatotheRepublic of Malawi. Malawi: Capital:Lilongwe, Currency:Kwacha.

Santosh JhahasbeenappointedasthenextAmbassadorofIndiatotheRepublic of Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan: Capital:Tashkent, Currency:Uzbekistanisom.

Ms. PadmajahasbeenappointedasthenextHighCommissionerofIndiatotheRepublic of Fiji. Fiji: Capital:Suva, Currency:Fijiandollar.

38-year-oldtransgenderactivistShree Gauri SawantfromMumbaihasbeenappointedasfirst transgenderelectionambassadorbyTheElection Commission of India.

KazakhstanPresidentNursultan Nazarbayevhasannouncedhisresignation afternearly30yearsinpower. FormercricketerGautam GambhirjoinedtheBJPinpresenceofUnionMinistersArun JaitleyandRavi Shankar

PrasadinNewDelhi. Tata CoffeeannouncedtheappointmentofChacko Purackal Thomasasthemanaging directorandchief executive

officer.HewillreplaceSanjiv Sarin,whoretireson31 March.HewillassumethechargefromApril 1, 2019. India’s fastestgrowingpaymentsplatformPhonePe appointedBollywoodsuperstarAamir Khanasitsbrand

Ambassador. TheDefence MinistryhasannouncedtheappointmentofViceAdmiral Karambir SinghasthenextNavy chief.Hewill

succeedAdmiralSunil Lanba,whoisretiringon31 March. Jet AirwaysFounderandChairmanNaresh GoyalandhiswifeAnita GoyalresignedfromtheboardonMarch25,

2019amidthereportsofloomingfinancialcrisisintheairlines. Hitachi Payment Services Pvt. Ltd.(HitachiPayments)announcedtheappointmentofRustom Iraniasitsnew

managing director. Shambhu S KumaranappointedasnextIndia’s AmbassadortoKingdom of Morocco. Basketball Federation of IndiahasappointedveterancoachVeselin Maticasthenationalmen’s team coach. ComorosPresidentAzali Assoumaniwasre-electedaspresidentaccordingtoresultspublishedbytheelectoral

commission. Comoros: Capital:Moroni, Currency:Comorianfranc.

SocialinnovatorNeha UpadhyaywasselectedbyYale UniversityofAmericaasWorld Fellow of 2019.ThisistheUniversity's Global Leadership Development Initiative.Forthis,16 peoplehavebeenselectedfromallovertheworldincludingNeha.Theywillbegiven4monthsofacademicandleadershiptraining.

Shri Abhay Thakur,hasbeendesignatedastheAmbassadorof Benin. PresentlyheistheHighCommissionerofIndiatoNigeria.


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Benin: Capital:Porto-Novo, Currencies:CFAfranc,WestAfricanCFAfranc. Nigeria: Capital:Abuja, Currency:Nigeriannaira.

PolicyX.com-AnonlineinsurancewebaggregatorhasropedinlegendarycricketerVirender Sehwagasit'sBrandAmbassador.

lawyerZuzana Caputova(45)wonSlovakia’spresidentialelectionandbecomeSlovakia’sfirstfemalepresident. Slovakia: Capital:Bratislava, Currency:Euro.

Assamfilmmaker Rima DasbecomesAmbassadorofToronto International Film Festival’s‘ShareHerJourney’ campaign.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

UnionFinanceMinister,Arun Jaitleyreleasedabooktitled‘Mann Ki Baat – A Social Revolution on Radio’duringafunctioninNewDelhi.

TheFate of Butterflies,Nayantara SahgalnewnovelwasunveiledatafunctionhostedbyNamita GokhaleatOxfordBookstore,NewDelhi.

Thebook“Designing Destiny: The Heartfulness Way”whichhasbeenwrittenbyspiritualteacherKamlesh Patel. FinanceMinisterArun Jaitleyreleasedthebook“Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas”-acollectionofselectedspeechesofPrime

MinisterNarendra Modi,inthepresenceofInformationandBroadcastingMinisterCol Rajyavardhan Rathore. Releasingabooktitled‘Indian Fiscal Federalism’,authoredbyformerRBIGovernorY.V. Reddyandco-authoredby

AdvisortoTelanganaGovernmentG.R. Reddy,Dr. Rangarajansaid:TheintroductionofGSTisanimportantsteptowardsthereformoftheindirecttaxstructure.

ThePrimeMinister,Shri Narendra Modi,releasedtheDictionary of Martyrs of India’s Freedom Struggle,ataneventinLokKalyanMarg,New Delhi.

TheMinisterforCivilAviation,Shri Suresh PrabhureleasesaCoffee Table Book:“Cruising New Heights- Flying For All”onachievementsofMinistry of Civil Aviation.

ThepopularReferenceAnnuals‘Bharat 2019’and‘India 2019’werereleasedbyShri Amit Khare,Secretary,MinistryofI&B.

The Great Disappointment:HowNarendraModiSquanderedAUniqueOpportunitytoTransformtheIndianEconomy’bookreleasedbyeconomiccommentatorandCongressmemberSalman Anees Soz.

FormerChiefElectionCommissionerofIndiaNavin Chawla’sbook‘Every Vote Counts’waslaunchedbyformerVicePresidentofIndia,Hamid AnsariinNewDelhi.

FormerRBIGovernorRaghuram Rajanreleasehisbook'The Third Pillar'-HowMarketsandtheStateleavetheCommunityBehind'atafunctioninNew Delhi.

OBITUARY

Zhores AlferovwhowontheNobel Prizein Physicsin2000andwasalsoamemberofRussianparliament,passedaway.

AcademicandManufacturingexpertandfounderofWarwick manufacturing Group(WMG),Lord KumarBhattacharyyapassedaway.

Andre Previn,LegendaryComposerand4-TimeOscarWinnerpassedaway. FormerDeputyPrimeMinisterofNepalandSeniorleaderofrulingNepalCommunistParty(NCP),Bharat Mohan

Adhikaripassedaway. AmericanactorLuke PerryhasdiedinCalifornia. FormerNewZealandbatsmanBill Playle,passedawayinNewSouthWales,Australia. Jerry Merryman,oneofthreepeopleatTexas Instruments(TI)creditedwithinventingtheworld’s firsthandheld

electroniccalculatorin1960s,passedaway. Daniel Rudisha,aformerteacherwhobecameaKenyanathleticscoachpassedaway. The21st Lt Governor of PuducherryandformerPunjabPradeshCongressCommittee(PPCC)chief,Virendra

Kataria,passedaway. ArtHistorianandPicassoBiographer,Sir John Richardsonpassedaway. VeteranHindiNewsreaderVinod Kashyappassedaway. Seniorjournalist and environmentalactivistDarryl D’Montepassedaway. GoaChiefMinisterManohar ParrikarpassedawayinPanaji. VeteranBengaliactor,Chinmoy Roywhowasknownforhisportrayalofcomiccharacters,passedaway. FormerSupremeCourtjudgeMr.Satya Brata Singhpassedaway. FormerWhiteHouseeconomistandPrincetonUniversityprofessorAlan Kruegerpassedaway. Channabasappa Satyappa Shivalli,Karnataka’sministerforMunicipalAdministrationandLocalBodiespassedaway. KalaPrapoornaawardee,Vinjamuri Anasuya Devipassedaway. RenownedSouthAsiansinger,Shahnaz RahmatullahPopularlyknownasShahnaz Begum,passedawayather

BaridhararesidenceDhaka,Bangladesh.


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Asocialactivist,Ghulam Nabi RatharofManigamKangan,JammuandKashmirpassedaway. Well-knownMalayalamwriterandpoet Ashitapassedaway. Eminentfolkartist,radiocommentator,harmoniumplayer,musiccomposerandauthorVinjamuri Anasuya Devi

passedaway. FormerAustralianSpinner,Coachandcommentator,Bruce Yardleypassedaway. Russia'sspaceagencysayspioneeringSoviet-eracosmonautValery Bykovsky,whomadethefirstofhisthreeflightsto

spacein1963,hasdiedatage84.

Days|Week|Year

1stMarch2019:-Zero Discrimination Day. Theme:-ActtochangelawsthatDiscriminate.

1stMarch2019:-43rd Civil Accounts Day. 1stMarch2019:-World Civil Defence Day.

Theme:-Children’ssafety,ourresponsibility. 3rdMarch2019:-World Hearing Day.

Theme:-CheckyourHearing. 3rdMarch2019:-World Wildlife Day.

Theme:-Lifebelowwater:forpeopleandplanet. 4thMarch2019:-World Day of the Fight Against Sexual Exploitation. 8thMarch2019:-International Women's Day.

Theme:-ThinkEqual,BuildSmart,InnovateforChange. InternationalWomen'sDay2019campaigntheme:#Balance for Better.

14thMarch2019:-World Kidney Day. Theme:-KidneyHealthforEveryoneEverywhere.

15thMarch2019:-World Sleep Day. Slogan:-'HealthySleep,HealthyAging'

15thMarch2019:-World Consumer Rights Day. Theme:-TrustedSmartProducts.

16thMarch2019:-National Vaccination Day. 18thMarch2019:-Ordnance Factories Day. 18thMarch2019:-Global Recycling Day.

Theme:-RecyclingintotheFuture. 20thMarch2019:-The World Sparrow Day.

Theme:-Ilovesparrows. 20thMarch2019:-International Day of Happiness.

Theme:-HappierTogether. 21st March2019:-International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Theme:-Mitigatingandcounteringrisingnationalistpopulismandextremesupremacistideologies. 21st March2019:-World Poetry Day. 21st March2019:-International Day of Forests.

Theme:-ForestsandEducation–LearntoLoveForests. 21st March2019:-World Down Syndrome Day.

Theme:-Leavenoonebehind. Camping:-#LotsOfSocks!

22thMarch2019:-World Water Day. Theme:-Leavingnoonebehind(mottoof‘waterforall’ ).

23rd March2019:-World Meteorological Day. Theme:-TheSun,theEarthandtheweather

24th March2019:-World Tuberculosis Day. Theme:-It’stime.

24th March2019:-International Day for Achievers. 25th March2019:-International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave

Trade. Theme:-RememberSlavery:ThePoweroftheArtsforJustice.

26th March2019:-World Purple day. 27th March2019:-World Theatre Day. 30th March2019:-Earth Hour. Theme:-#Connect2Earth.

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