Current Affairs - March 2019

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163 Current Affairs were found in Period - March 1 - 10, 2019 for Type - All

Appointments 1. A.K. Mohanty appointed as Director in Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). 2. Ajit Singh (Former Chief Justice of Gauhati HC) has been appointed as first Lokayukta of Odisha. 3. Bhagwan Lal Sahni appointed as Chairman of National Commission for Backward Classes. 4. Former Indian cricketer Anil Kumble has been reappointed as Chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee for 3rd consecutive term. 5. Government Appointed P V Ramesh as director-general of National Archives of . 6. Government appointed Subhash Chandra Garg as Finance Secretary, replacing Ajay Narayan Jha who retired recently. Conventionally, senior-most among 5 secretaries in Finance Ministry is designated as Finance Secretary. 7. Indian Scientist Soumya Swaminathan has been named Chief Scientist at WHO (World Health Organization). 8. Indian-American Padma Lakshmi appointed by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as its Goodwill Ambassador, supporting agency’s fight against inequality and discrimination around the world. 9. has been appointed as of , after Kummanam Rajasekharan Resigned from post. 10. Kaja Kallas, leader of the Reform Party has been appointed as first female Prime Minister of Estonia (Northern Europe). 11. Macky Sall re-elected as President of Senegal (West Africa). 12. Mohammad Shtayyeh has been named as new Palestinian Prime Minister, by President of Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas. 13. P K Bezbaruah has been reappointed as Chairman of Tea Board for 2nd tenure. He is first non-IAS chairman of the Tea Board. 14. President Ram Nath Kovind nominated Justice SA Bobde as Executive Chairman of National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), to replace AK Sikri who will retire on 6th. 15. Rakesh Kumar Vats appointed as Secretary-General of Medical Council of India. 16. Sanjeev Ranjan has been appointed as as secretary in Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). Top

Awards 1. Assam filmmaker Rima Das won Dublin Film Critics Circle Jury Award for Best Director for her film “Bulbul Can Sing” at 2019 Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival (Ireland). 2. English Cricketer Alastair Cook has been awarded knighthood for his services to cricket,by Queen Elizabeth II. 3. Former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan chosen for ‘Yashwantrao Chavan National Award 2018’ for his contribution to economic development. Yashwantrao Chavan was first CM of Maharashtra. 4. G. Satheesh Reddy (Secretary of Department of Defence R&D and Chairman of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)) named as co-winner of 2019 Missile Systems Award by American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIIA). He will share the prize with Rondell J. Wilson from Raytheon Missile Systems. 5. Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman named for first Bhagwan Mahavir Ahimsa Puraskar constituted by Akhil Bharatiya Digambar Jain Mahasamiti, with a cash prize of 2.51 lakh. 1. Abhinandan was on a mission to defend Indian Borders amid recent standoff between India and Pakistan after recent Pulwama Terror Attack in which 40 CRPF Personnel were martyred. 2. After this attack Indian Air Force carried out air strikes in Pakistan, destroying a major Jaish-E-Mohammad Terror camp in Balakot, killing over 300 Terrorists. 3. As a response to this air strike, pakistan sent over 20 F-16 American Fighter Jets, which Intruded into India but were unable to do any harm due to swift reaction by Indian Defender Jets. Among these jets was a Mig-21, which carried Abhinandan Varthaman. 4. Abhinanadan followed the Pakistani F-16s, downing one before getting down itself due to some damage. 5. Abhinandan ejected and was flown to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, where he was surrounded by pakistani Mob who harmed him physically. He was later captured by Pakistan Army. 6. Pakistan claimed they had captured 2 Indian pilots, not knowing that the other pilot was their own who ejected from F-16 downed by Abhinandan. The pakistani pilot was beaten to death by pakistani Mob itself, who thought he was Indian. Realizing this, pakistan changed its statement that only one pilot was captured. 7. As per Geneva convention, Pakistan was bound to return Abhinandan as he was on National Duty. The same happened, and abhinandan was returned to India within 60 Hours, a world record. 8. Abhinandan's act of downing a high-end American F-16 by a old Mig-21 was praised globally. Pakistan on the other end dragged itself into trouble as F-16 jets were given to Pakistan by USA only for counter terrorism operations, and not to attack any other nation. 6. Indian-American teenager Kavya Kopparapu has been awarded by National STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Education Award 2019, for her invention in enhancing treatments of glioblastoma, deadliest form of brain cancer. 7. Japanese Architect Arata Isozaki received Pritzker Prize 2019, as 8th architect from Japan to win Pritzker Prize. It contains prize of $100,000 . Pritzker Prize is an annual award to honour excellence in architecture. 8. Swedish Academy announced that 2 Nobel prizes in literature will be awarded this year, to make up for lack of one in 2018, due to scandals that had Swedish Academy. Last year’s Nobel was withheld for the first time since 1949 after the Swedish Academy. 9. Tripura musician Thanga Darlong has been awarded with first Atal Behari Vajpayee Life Time Award at 37th Agartala Book Fair. He is last tribal musician who plays Rosem which is a flute-like musical instrument made of bamboo. Top

Books 1. The Fate Of Butterflies, New novel by Nayantara Sahgal has been reeased. It confronts toxic dangers of ‘war, religious polarisation and authoritarian charisma-a dystopian future that is already upon the world'. 2. Book – A Social Revolution on Radio, has been released. It has been compiled by BlueKraft Digital Foundation. It is based on 50 episodes of Prime Minister Shri ’s heart to heart talk with citizens of India, broadcasted on All India Radio. 3. Book as Compilation of selected speeches of PM Narendra Modi, titled Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas has been released. Coffee Table Book Cruising New Heights- Flying For All was also released, depicting achievements of Ministry of Civil Aviation. 4. Book “Designing Destiny: The Heartfulness Way”, written by Kamlesh Patel has been released. Top

Committees 1. Government has set-up a five member committee to examine the issues related to framing of a proper, structured scheme for providing of insurance cover to the advocates and also suggest modalities for the implementation of such scheme. Commitee will be chaired by Secretary Legal Affairs (Alok Srivastava Currently). 2. Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) and National Health Authority (NHA) have formed a working group on the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). It will be chaired by Dinesh Arora. It will submit report on how to detect and deter fraud through a common repository and capacity-building. 3. RBI constituted a panel under former deputy governor to examine issues related to offshore rupee markets and recommend policy measures to ensure the stability of external value of the domestic currency. 1. Panel will study causes behind development of offshore rupee market and examine effects of the offshore markets on the rupee exchange rate and market liquidity in domestic market. 2. Panel will recommend measures to generate incentives for non-residents to access domestic market and examine role if any, International Financial Services Centres (IFSCs) can play in addressing these concerns. Top

Days 1. Government observed 7th March 2019 as ‘Janaushadhi Diwas’, for providing further impetus & creating awareness about use of generic medicines. 2. Mar 08 - International Women’s Day. 1. 2019 theme is Think equal, build smart, innovate for change. 2. A MoU signed between Women and Child Development Ministry (WCD) and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Ministry, which aims to impart skill-training and employment to women. 1. MoU shall be valid for 3 years and will be implemented by Rashtriya Mahila Kosh and National Skill Development Council. 2. Nari Shakti Puraskar 2018 presented by President Ram Nath Kovind, to 41 women achievers. 3. NASA announced that it will be conducting first-ever all-female spacewalk. Astronauts Christina Koch and Anne McClain will exit International Space Station on March 29, 35 years after first woman performed a spacewalk. 4. National Women Livelihood Meet 2019, held at Deendayal Hastkala Sankul in Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh). 3. Mar 1 - Zero Discrimination Day. Mar 1 is also observed as Civil Accounts Day in India and civil defence day globally. 4. Mar 3 - World Wildlife Day. 2019 Theme is Life below water: for people and planet. 5. Mar 4 is known as National Security Day In India. Top

Defence 1. India and Russia signed agreement for leasing of a nuclear-powered attack submarine for for 10 years, at cost of 3 Billion USD. Russia will deliver Akula class submarine, to be known as Chakra III, to Indian Navy by 2025. Chakra III weighing around 8,140-ton will have submerged speed of 30 knots and an operating depth of 530 meters and will be capable of carrying a crew of 73. 1. India earlier leased christened INS Chakra which is first Russian nuclear powered submarine in 1988 under a 3 year lease. 2nd lease was INS Chakra in 2012 for 10 years. 2. India's (BSF) and Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) concluded Mainamati Maitree Joint Exercise 2019. 3. PM Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation, the Joint Venture of Indo-Russian Rifles Pvt Ltd, for Kalashnikov Assault Rifle Production, in Kauhar, Amethi (Uttar Pradesh). 1. New joint venture will manufacture world famous Kalashnikov assault rifles of the newest 200 series and eventually will reach full localization of production. 2. Plant will produce 7.5 lakh 7.62x39 mm caliber AK-203 Kalashnikov rifles. 4. Women officers can now get permanent commissions in 10 branches of , while they were earlier inducted for short service commission (SSC). Permanent commission will be granted to women officers inducted in branches such as Signals, Engineers, Army Aviation, Army Air Defence, Electronics and Mechanical Engineers, Army Service Corps, Army Ordnance Corps and Intelligence. Top

Economy 1. AU Small Finance Bank partnered with Acko General Insurance Limited, to provide customized insurance products to its customers. 2. As per BCG-IBA Report - EASE Reforms for Public Sector Banks, Punjab National Bank (PNB) ranked at top among all public sector banks in implementation of ‘Reforms agenda’. PNB was followed by BoB (77.8), SBI (74.6), and Oriental Bank of Commerce (69). 3. ICICI Bank acquired 9.9% stake in non-banking finance company Kisan Finance for cash consideration of Rs 17.82 crores. Kisan Rural Finance Ltd was incorporated in December 2017. 4. IDBI Bank and Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) signed a bancassurance agreement under which Bank will offer LIC’s insurance products at its branches. United Bank of India also signed a bancassurance deal with private life insurer HDFC Life Insurance Company. 5. IDBI Bank received government nod to handle import and export transactions with Iran, to help promoting trade amid US sanctions on Iran. Iran is India’s third-largest oil supplier after Iraq and Saudi Arabia. 6. IFFCO Tokio General Insurance launched ‘bank locker protector policy’, the first stand-alone bank locker cover offered by any insurance company with a plan to protect contents of a bank locker such as jewelry, title documents, and other valuables. It offers 7 options of sum insured ranging from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 40 lakh. 7. India's GDP growth slipped to 6.6 % in 3rd quarter of FY19, after strong growth of 7.1% in 2nd quarter and 8.2% in 1st quarter of FY 2018-19. India would still be growing faster than China’s 6.4 percent growth in the same quarter. Q1 Growth rate has been revised to 8% from 8.2% earlier and Q2 has been revised to 7% from 7.12% earlier. 1. Central Statistics Office stated that Indian economy will grow at 7.2 % in 2018-19, higher from 6.7 per cent in 2017-18. Real GVA (Gross Value Added) is expected to grow at 7 per cent in the current fiscal as against 6.5 per cent in 2017-18. 8. Indian GDP Growth Forecasts (Mar 2019) - 1. India economy is expected to grow at 7.3 % in FY 2019 and 2020, according to US-based rating agency Moody’s. 2. Fitch Ratings has cut India’s economic growth forecast for the next financial year starting April 1, to 6.8% from its previous estimate of 7%, on weaker than expected momentum in the economy. The rating agency has also cut growth forecasts for FY20 and FY21 to 7% from 7.3% and 7.1% from 7.3%, respectively. 9. Insurance FirmICICI Lombard partnered with Hyderabad based peer-to-peer lending platform AnyTimeLoan.in (ATL) to provide insurance cover for its lenders and borrowers. 10. Life Insurance Corporation Housing Finance Ltd (LICHFL) partnered with India Mortgage Guarantee Corporation (IMGC) to offer home buyers enhanced loan eligibility and easy loans, enabling it to offer extended loan tenure for borrowers till age of 75 years. 11. Ministry of Finance enhanced income tax exemption for gratuity under section 10 (10) (iii) of the Income Tax Act, 1961 to Rs. 20 lakhs, to benefit employees of PSUs and other employees not covered by Payment of Gratuity Act 1972. 12. National Green Tribunal slapped fine of Rs 500 crore on German auto major Volkswagen for damaging environment through the use of “cheat device” in its diesel cars in India. 13. National Housing Bank (NHB) imposed stricter regulations on Housing Finance Companies (HFCs) to prevent them from falling prey to liquidity and credit risks. 1. Increasing capital adequacy ratio (CAR) of HFCs from 12%to 15%, by 31st March 2022. 2. Bringing down public borrowings to 12 times of the Net Owned Fund (NOF) from existing 16 times, by March 2022. 3. Capping ceiling on public deposits at 3 times of Net Owned Fund (NOF) of the Housing Finance Company (HFC). 14. PSBloansin59minutes.com, launched in 2018 has emerged as country’s largest online lending platform, with loan sanctions over 35000 crores. 1. It provides credit up to Rs 1 crore to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in just under 59 minutes, reducing turnaround time from 20-25 days. 2. 62 lakh MSME units have been given in-principle approvals, while 1.12 lakh have got a final nod, since the launch. 15. RBI approved merger of DBS Bank Ltd.’s Indian business unit with its wholly owned local subsidiary. Singapore-based DBS Bank is the second overseas bank to follow the wholly owned subsidiary model in India after State Bank of Mauritius. 16. RBI imposed penalties worth Rs 71 crore on 36 public, private and foreign banks for non-compliance with various directions on time-bound implementation and strengthening of SWIFT operations. Penalties, ranging from Rs 1 crore to Rs 4 crore, were imposed betwen Jan 31 and February 25, 2019. 1. SWIFT stands (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications), is a messaging network that financial institutions use to securely transmit information and instructions through a standardized system of codes. 17. RBI issued new norms for white label ATMs, increasing avenues of revenue earning for white label ATMs - 1. White Label ATMs are set up, owned and operated by non-bank entities. White Label ATM operators are entitled to receive a fee from banks for use of ATM resources by bank’s customers. At present there are 8 White Label ATM operators in the country. 2. New Guidelines - 1. White Label ATM Operators are now allowed to buy wholesale cash, above a threshold of 1 lakh pieces (and in multiples thereof) of any denomination, from RBI, currency chests, or Banks. 2. White Label ATM Operators can also offer bill payment and Interoperable Cash Deposit services, subject to technical feasibility and certification by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). 3. White Label ATM Operators can also display advertisements pertaining to non-financial products or services within WLA premises. 4. Banks can issue co-branded ATM cards in partnership with the authorised White Label ATM operators. 18. RBI notified norms for banks with regards to 2 % interest subvention or subsidy for short-term crop loans during 2018-19 and 2019-20 under interest subvention scheme approved by the central government. 1. Central government provides short term crop loan up to one year for a loan up to Rs. 3 lakhs. RBI circular notes that interest subvention of 2 % will be calculated on crop loan amount from date of its disbursement up to date of actual repayment of crop loan by farmer or up to due date of loan fixed by banks whichever is earlier, subject to a maximum period of 1 year. 2. For Farmers repaying loan promptly, additional 2 % interest subvention is provided. This brings down effective rate of short- term crop loans to be 4 % per annum. 19. SBI and Hitachi Payment Services launched their merchant-acquiring joint venture, SBI Payment Services Pvt Ltd (SBIPSPL) in Mumbai for establishing a digital payments platform for India and other countries in region. SBI has 74 percent stake in JV. 20. SEBI approved lowering of fees charged from brokers, stock exchange and companies seeking to get listed, to make more cost- effective trade in Indian stock market. 1. Fees for brokers is reduced by 33.33% from Rs.15 per crore of transactions to Rs.10. 2. For agri-commodity derivative transactions, fee would be reduced sharply by 93.33% from Rs.15 to just Rs 1. 21. State Bank of India became first domestic bank to link interest rate it offers on savings account deposits to an external benchmark - RBI’s repo rate. SBI announced several changes - 1. Savings accounts with deposits above Rs 1 lakh would be priced at 2.75% below prevailing repo rate of 6.25%. Effective rate works out to be 3.5%, unchanged from prevailing rate on savings accounts. 2. Cash credit accounts and overdraft facilities over Rs 1 lakh would be priced at 2.25% over the repo rate. At prevailing repo rate of 6.25%, this would mean a floor price of 8.5%. 3. These loans will continue to be linked to 1-year MCLR (marginal cost lending rate). Top

International 1. American Actress Kylie Jenner named youngest self-made billionaire of all time by Forbes magazine, at age of 21 years. Her wealth is mainly due to her Cosmetics brand set up in 2015. 2. As per british Site Cable.co.uk, India has cheapest mobile data in world, with 1 GB costing just Rs 18.5, compared to global average INR 600. 1. With over 430 million smartphone users, second largest smartphone market after China. The price crash was triggered by Reliance Jio. 2. India is followed by Kyrgyzstan where 1 GB data is available for $0.27, Kazakhstan (0.49) and Ukraine (0.51). Zimbabwe is most expensive country where average cost of 1 GB data comes at $75.20. 3. One GB of mobile data in China costs $9.89. In Pakistan, 1 GB is available for $1.85. 3. As per latest Conference Board Global Consumer Confidence Survey, conducted in collaboration with Nielsen Holdings, Global consumer confidence in India is at peak. India had a Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) score of 133 in 4th quarter of 2018, getting past Philippines (131) and Indonesia (127). 4. Bernard Arnault, chairman of Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (LVMH) overtook Warren Buffett as third-richest person in world, on Bloomberg Billionaires Index. His net worth is $83.1 billion. 5. China increased its defence budget by 7.5 per to $177.61 billion up from last year’s $165 billion, approx thrice as that of India. China’s defence spending at $177.61 billion makes it 2nd highest defence spender, after USA. 1. Chinese Govt also expressed concern over slowing economic growth and slashed its GDP target to 6 - 6.50 % this year. 6. China launched its broadband communication system ChinaSat 6C, as 300th launch of Long March carrier rocket series. 7. topped list of most polluted cities in world, in a study by environment NGO Greenpeace India. 8. Forbes' Billionaires list Ranked India's Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani at 13th Rank with USD 50 billion wealth. 1. India has 106 billionaires, with Wipro Chairman Azim Premji ranked 2nd in India and 36th overall with USD 22.6 billion wealth. 2. List topped by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos with USD 131 billion wealth, followed by Bill Gates (USD 96.5 bn) and Warren Buffet (USD 82.5 bn). 9. Google launched new app named ‘Bolo’ that aims to help children in primary school learn to read in Hindi and English.It features an animated character ‘Diya’, who encourages children to read stories aloud and helps if child is unable to pronounce a word. 10. India launched its 3rd IT corridor in China, with India's National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) partnering with China’s Xuzhou city from Jiangsu Province. Earlier 2 corridors launched at Dalian and Guiyang cities. 11. India nominated member of Niti Ayog, Ramesh Chandra to head Food and Agricultural Organisation. His candidature is challenged by Qu Dongyu of China, Medi Moungui of Cameroon, Catherine Geslain-Laneelle of France and Davit Kirvalidze of Georgia. To get elected, candidate needs to secure majority of 194 members. Only Indian to head FAO is Binay Ranjan Sen(1956 - 1967). 12. India's Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS) and Australia's Safety in Mines, Testing and Research Station (SIMTARS) signed MOU to explore opportunities including feasibility of technical knowledge sharing in the area of occupational safety, health and welfare of persons engaged in mining operations. 13. India, Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia and Malaysia have signed Declaration on Asian Rhinos 2019 declaration for conservation of species at 2nd Asian Rhino Range Countries Meet. It was decided that India will collaborate with Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia and Malaysia to increase population of three species of Asian Rhinos - Greater one-horned rhinoceros, Javan rhino, and Sumatran rhino. 14. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and France Space Agency CNES signed an agreement to set up a maritime surveillance centre in India. Training ISRO and CNES also agreed to jointly train Indian Scientists for the ‘Gaganyaan’ project at Toulouse Space Centre in France. 15. Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport named best airport in category of over 40 million passengers per annum (MPPA) in Asia Pacific by Airports Council International (ACI) in Airport Service Quality Programme for 2018. Also, Odisha's Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) named best in 2-5 million passengers category. 16. Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) signed Agreement with World Bank Group Member International Finance Corporation (IFC), to assist IBBI to further build capacity of Insolvency Professionals, and Insolvency Professional Agencies for purposes of the Code . 1. Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016 (Code) provides for re-organisation and insolvency resolution of corporate persons, partnership firms and individuals in a time bound manner. 17. Malaysia became 124th member nation to International Criminal Court (ICC), ratifying Rome Statute after 20 years. 18. Organisation for Economic Co-Operation & Development (OECD) has cut forecast for global economy in 2019 and 2020. It stated that world economy would grow 3.3 percent in 2019 and 3.4 percent in 2020, with cuts of 0.2 % points for 2019 and 0.1 % points for 2020, compared to earlier forecasts issued in November. 19. Red Flag 19 Air Fiorce military drill held in USA, to test aerial combat readiness. 20. South Korea's Korea Exim Bank offered extend a Rs 4,100 crore loan for Visakhapatnam (VIZAG) Metro Rail project. 21. UAE based company will release 12 bank notes of zero value which is the first ever limited edition commemorative series to mark the 150th birth anniversary of M K Gandhi, designed by Dubai based Indian artist Akbar Saheb. He was also main illustrator for PM Narendra Modi’s book ‘Mann Ki Baat’. 22. USA and South Korea will call off their joint exercise “Foal Eagle” and “Key Resolve” and instead bifurcate them into smaller exercises, to ease tensions with North Korea. “Key Resolve” will be replaced by “Dongmaeng” which is also known as alliance in English, Foal Eagle drills will be replaced by a smaller battalion-sized exercise. 23. USA decided to terminate trade benefits for India and Turkey under Generalized System of Preference (GSP) eligibility criteria, giving a 60-day withdrawal notice to India. GSP benefits amount to annual duty reduction of 190 million USD. 1. GSP benefits are non-discriminatory benefits extended by developed countries to developing countries. 2. India was largest beneficiary of the GSP programme in 2017 with $5.7 billion in imports to the US given duty-free status. 3. USA had initiated review on basis of representations by US medical devices and dairy industries, but included numerous other issues on a self-initiated basis. 4. President Trump accused India of failing to ensure US of “equitable and reasonable” access to its markets. US is pressing India to reduce US trade deficits and repeatedly called out India for high tariffs. India sought talks with US to avoid the withdrawal of the trade benefits under GSP. 24. USA officially closed its consulate in Jerusalem, downgrading status of its main diplomatic mission to Palestinians by folding it into U.S. Embassy to Israel. 25. Venezuelan government has announced to expel German ambassador Daniel Kriener from country. 26. World Air Quality Report 2018 compiled by Greenpeace and IQAir AirVisual, measuring presence of fine particulate matter PM2.5 in air - 1. 7 of top 10 and 22 of top 3 most polluted cities in world are in India. 2. 5 most polluted cities - Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Bhiwadi (India) and Faisalabad (Pakistan). 3. Chinese Capital Beijing, which once was among most polluted cities in world, ranked 122nd. 27. World Bank-ILO report Exports to Jobs: Boosting the Gains from Trade in South Asia - 1. It studies effect on local employment and wages of changes in exports by combining disaggregated data from household-level or worker-level surveys with trade data from India and Sri Lanka. 2. India’s growth rate of 7.2 per cent in 2017 reduced number of people living in poverty. Even then, most Indians doesn’t have regular jobs in formal economy and differences in wages across regions and in the quality of employment opportunities prevail. 3. Indian exports which are mainly capital intensive like chemicals and fabricated metals reduces direct benefits to workers. Top

Meetings 1. For the first time, India attended Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Foreign Ministers Meet, held in Abu Dhabi (UAE). Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj attended 46th Session of OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers. 1. Host UAE stated that India has been named as guest of honour in view of its great global political stature. 2. Invitation is significant as it hs come at a time when India is cornering Pakistan on all international forums due to its alleged role in terror activities. Pakistan is a founding member of OIC and Pakistan has been blocking all efforts of India to engage with OIC. This invitation is seen as a signal of changing geopolitical dynamics. Top

National 1. Prime Minister’s Science, Technology and Innovation Council (PM-STIAC) identified 9 national missions to address major scientific challenges to ensure India’s sustainable development. 1. Natural Language 2. Quantum Frontier 3. Artificial Intelligence 4. National Biodiversity Mission 1. Comprehensive documentation of India’s biodiversity with the potential for cataloguing and mapping all lifeforms in India including associated cultural and traditional practices. 5. Electric Vehicles 6. BioScience for Human Health 1. Aims to construct comprehensive reference maps of genomes and understand dynamics of how exposure to different environments have an impact on our bodies. 7. Waste To Wealth 1. Deploy technologies to treat waste to generate energy, recycle materials and extract worth. 8. Deep Ocean Exploration 9. Agnii 1. aims to support the national efforts to boost the innovation ecosystem in the country by connecting innovators across the industry, individuals and the grassroots to the market and helping commercialise innovative solutions 2. 'Mukhyamantri Parivar Samman Nidhi scheme launched by Haryana Govt, for farmers with cultivation land up to 5 acres and income less than 15,000 per month. It would provide 6,000 yearly to such farmers. 3. Ancient tribal language Gondi will be taught in tribal districts in Madhya Pradesh, including Gondi in primary education curriculum of state’s tribal-dominated districts. 4. Assam Govt. launched scheme namely ‘Affordable Nutrition and Nourishment Assistance (ANNA) Yojna’ to provide rice at rupee one per kg to 2 crore people of State. State government will make rice free for tea garden workers and also provide Re 1 per kg of rice for non-tea garden beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). At present, NFSA beneficiary pays Rs 3 for one kg rice. 5. Assam government announced various awards in field of culture, for promotion of dance and music - 1. Srimanta Sankardev Award 2017 - Basistha Dev Sharma 2. Madhavdev Award 2016 - Jagadananda Chandra Goswami 3. Madhavdev Award 2019 - Sunil Kothari 4. Kalicharan Brahma Award 2018 - Satradhikar of Borengajuli Srimanta Sankardev Satra 6. Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) presented SWAGAT Automatic Fare Collection Gating System, an initiative of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in collaboration with BEL and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC). 7. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) began setting up solar-based electric vehicle chargers, on 250 KM stretch of Delhi- Chandigarh Highway, under FAME scheme (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles). Govt. aims to have electric charging stations at every 25 KM, by 2030. 8. Cabinet Approvals (Mar 07, 2019) - 1. General Approvals - 1. Approved Constitution of a Committee to recommend process for conferring / recognizing ownership or transfer / mortgage rights to the residents of Unauthorized Colonies (UCs) in Delhi. It will be chaired by Lt. Governor of Delhi (Anil Baijal currently). 2. Approved Measures to promote Hydro Power Sector, including Declaring Large Hydropower Projects (HPO) as part of non-solar Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) - 1. Large Hydropower Projects to be declared as Renewable Energy source (as per existing practice, only hydropower projects less than 25MW are categorized as Renewable Energy). 2. Tariff rationalization measures including providing flexibility to developers to determine tariff by back loading of tariff after increasing project life to 40 years, increasing debt repayment period to 18 years and introducing escalating tariff of 2%. 3. Budgetary support for funding cost of enabling infrastructure i.e. roads and bridges limited to 1.5 crore per MW for upto 200 MW projects and 1.0 crore per MW for above 200 MW projects. 3. Approved Continuation of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), incurring expenditure up to Rs. 1000 crore till 2019-20 by Atal Innovation Mission for expanding Atal Tinkering Labs to 10,000 schools in view of their huge success at school level. 1. Each ATL receives aid of Rs. 12 lakhs in first year, and upto 2 lakhs per year for subsequent 4 years, for maintenance of the ATL equipment and operational expenses. 2. Each selected AIC would be receiving grant in aid upto Rs 10 crore over 3-5 years in tranches per year, based on review and evidence of planned milestones reached. 3. Innovators will receive commercialization and technology deployment grants upto Rs. 1 crore under the ANICs. 4. Under ATL program, more than 10,000 schools are expected to establish these labs by 2020. 5. Over 100 Atal Incubation Centres (AICs) are likely to established around country, supporting at least 50-60 startups each over first five years. 4. Approved proposal of Airports Authority of India (AAI) for surrendering encroached AAI’s land measuring 106.76 acres situated at Gandhi Nagar, Bhopal to State Government of Madhya Pradesh (M.P). 5. Approved Delhi Metro's Phase -4 project comprising of 3 - priority corridors with length 61.679 km (22.359 km underground and 39.320 km elevated). These corridors will consist of 46 stations, of which 17 stations will be underground and 29 elevated. Cost will be Rs.24,948.65 crores. 1. Aerocity to Tughlakabad - 15 Stations 2. R. K Ashram to Janakpuri West - 25 Stations 3. Maujpur - Mukundpur - 6 Stations 6. Approved proposal for promulgation of Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers' Cadre) Ordinance, 2019, considering University/ College as a unit instead of Department/ Subject, to improve teaching standards in higher educational institutions to attract all eligible talented candidates. 7. Approved grant of Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) facilities to World War-II Veterans, Emergency Commissioned Officers (ECOs), Short Service Commissioned Officers (SSCOs) and pre-mature retirees. Now, over 43,000 individuals not covered so far under ECHS will be able to avail benefits of cashless medical treatment under ECHS facilities. 8. Approved Scheme to Rebate State and Central Embedded Taxes to Support the Textile Sector, to enable Government to take various measures for making exports of apparel and made-ups zero rated. It is expected to make textile sector competitive. 9. Approved Setting up of a National Mission on Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage, to drive clean, connected, shared, sustainable and holistic mobility initiatives. Also Approved - 1. Phased Manufacturing Programme (PMP) valid for 5 years till 2024 to support setting up of a few large-scale, export-competitive integrated batteries and cell-manufacturing Giga plants in India. 2. Creation of a PMP valid for 5 years till 2024 to localize production across the entire Electric Vehicles value chain. 3. National Mission on Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage will be chaired by CEO NITI Aayog (Amitabh Kant Currently). 1. It will recommend strategies for transformative mobility and Phased Manufacturing Programmes for EVs, EV Components and Batteries. 2. A phased roadmap to implement battery manufacturing at Giga-scale will be considered with initial focus on large-scale module and pack assembly plants by 2019-20, followed by integrated cell manufacturing by 2021-22. It will drive mobility solutions that will bring in significant benefits to the industry, economy and country. 10. Approved Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP) for Flood Management Works, River Management Activities and works related to Border Areas for period 2017-18 to 2019-20, with outlay of 3342 crores. 1. FMBAP will be implemented for effective flood management, erosion control and anti-sea erosion. Catchment area treatment works will help in reduction of sediment load into rivers. 1. Fuunding for works in general category States will be 50% (Centre) : 50% (State), and 70% (Centre) : 30% (State) for projects of North Eastern States, Sikkim, J&K, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand 2. FMBAP has been framed by merging components of two continuing XII Plan schemes titledFlood Management Programme (FMP) and River Management Activities and Works related to Border Areas (RMBA). 3. Scheme also caters to Hydro-meteorological observations and Flood Forecasting on common rivers with neighbouring countries. 2. MOUs - 1. UK - Cancer Research Initiative. 2. Germany - Occupational Safety and Health. 3. MoU between Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and Civil Service Council of Mongolia (CSCM). 4. Approved MOU signed in 2008 and renewed in 2014 between Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (ICAEW). 5. Austria - Technical Cooperation in Road Infrastructure Sector. 6. Approved Amendment to Agreement with Bhutan, regarding Mandechhu Hydro Electric Project (MHEP) in order to extend loan repayment tenure by two years extended by India to Bhutan, from 15 to 17 years. 3. CCEA Approvals - 1. Approved setting up of 50 new KendriyaVidyalayas under Civil/Defence Sector all over country. 2. Approved continuation of National AIDS Control Programme-IV (NACP-IV) beyond 12th Five Year Plan for a period of three years from April, 2017 to March, 2020. The total outlay will be 6434.76 crores. 3. Approved Phase-IIIA of Mumbai Urban Transport Project, with estimated cost 30,849 crores and completion cost of 33690 crore. Project is likely to be completed in five years 4. Approved 3rd line between Narayangarh & Bhadrak (155 Km) on South Eastern Railway, with cost 1866 Crores. 5. Approved investment approval for 2x660MW Khurja Super Thermal Power Plant (STPP) in District Bulandshahar of Uttar Pradesh at an estimated cost of Rs.11,089.42 crore and Amelia Coal Mine in District Singraulli, Madhya Pradesh. project will be implemented at cost of Rs. 1587.16 crore by THDC India. 1. Khurja STPP will be based on Supercritical Technology with two units of capacity 660 MW each. 2. Amelia Coal Mine was allotted to THDC India Limited by Ministry of Coal in January 2017. 3. Uttar Pradesh Govt signed Power Purchase Agreement with THDCIndia Limited for purchase of 60% Power from Project and other beneficiary states - Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi. 6. Approved investment approval for 2x660 MW Buxar Thermal Power Project (Buxar TPP) in District Buxar of Bihar. The project will be completed at an estimated cost of Rs. 10,439.09 crore and implemented by SJVN Thermal Private Ltd (subsidiary of SJVN Ltd). 1. Buxar TPP will be based on Supercritical Technology with two units of 660 MW each. It will improve deficit power scenario in Bihar and Eastern region. Bihar govt signed Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for supply of over 85% of generated power. 7. Approved investment sanction for acquisition of M/s Lanco Teesta Hydro Power Ltd (LTHPL) and execution of balance work of the Teesta Stage-Vl HE Project by NHPC Ltd in Sikkim. 1. Project will be implemented at an estimated cost of Rs 5748.04 crores, which includes Bid amount of Rs 907 crore for acquisition of LTHPL and estimated cost of balance work of Rs. 3863.95 crore. 2. Teesta Stage-Vl HE Project is a Run of River (RoR) Scheme in Sirwani Village of Sikkim to utilize the power potential of Teesta River Basin in cascade manner. 3. The project would generate 2400 MUs in a 90% dependable year with Installed Capacity of 500 MW (4x125MW). 8. Approved investment sanction for construction of Kiru Hydro Electric(HE) Project (624 MW) by M/s Chenab Valley Power Projects Private Limited (M/s CVPPPL) in Jammu & Kashmir. 1. Project will be implemented at an estimated cost of Rs.4287.59 crores. 2. CVPPPL is a venture amongst NHPC, Jammu & Kashmir State Power Development Corporation (JKSPDC) and PTC with equity shareholding of 49%, 49% and 2% respectively. 3. Project is located on River Chenab in Kishtwar district of Jammu & Kashmir. 4. Kiru HE Project is envisaged as a Run of River (RoR) Scheme, designed complying with the requirements of Indus Water Treaty 1960, with installed capacity 624 MW (4 x 156 MW). The Project would generate 2272.02 MU in a 90% dependable year. 9. Approved recommendations of Group of Ministers (GoM) constituted to examine specific recommendations of High Level Empowered Committee (HLEC) constituted to address issues of Stressed Thermal Power Projects, headed by cabinet secretary P K Sinha. With implementation of concerned recommendations, many issues affecting Thermal Power Sector may get resolved. 10. Approved extension of time and scope for revival and development of un-served and under-served air strips of State Governments, Airports Authority of India (AAI), Civil enclaves, CPSUs, helipads and water aerodromes at the total cost of 4500 crores. 1. In the first round of UDAN bidding, 128 routes were assigned to 5 airline operators for 43 un-served/underserved airports/airstrips. 2. In 2nd round of RCS bidding, 86 proposals involving 325 routes were awarded to 15 selected airline operators. 11. Approved 2790 crore towards interest subvention for extending indicative loan amount of 12900 crore by banks to sugar mills under “Scheme for extending financial assistance to sugar mills for enhancement and augmentation of ethanol production capacity” for 268 applications/proposals, in addition to 1332 crore already approved by CCEA in June, 2018. Benefits include - 1. Improving liquidity of sugar mills by value addition to revenues from supply of ethanol under Ethanol Blended Petrol Programme (EBP); 2. Reducing sugar inventories and thereby facilitate timely clearance of cane price dues of farmers and 3. Achieving 10% blending target of EBP. 9. Central Government banned socio-political and religious organisation Jamaat-e-Islami (Jammu and Kashmir) for 5 years due to ‘close touch’ with militants. 10. Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) created new Guinness World Record for longest single moving line bicycle parade at Yamuna Expressway (Greater Noida). CIRF personnel rode 1,327 bicycles non-stop with a uniform distance between bicycles in a single line, covering 3.2 km non-stop. 11. Chapchar Kut festival of Mizo people celebrated in Aizawl (Mizoram). 12. Delhi Govt launched a new mobile application named ONE DELHI, aiming to be universal journey planner app for all commuters in capital with several features such as accessing real-time arrival of all cluster buses at any bus stop and static data of DTC buses. 13. Department of Commerce notified a scheme for Transport and Marketing Assistance (TMA) for Specified Agriculture Products, to be included in Foreign Trade Policy (2015-20). 1. Transport and Marketing Assistance for specified agriculture products scheme aims to provide assistance for the international component of transportation of agricultural produce to mitigate the disadvantage of higher cost of exporting agriculture products. 2. It will promote brand recognition for Indian agricultural products in specified overseas markets. 3. Assistance would be provided in cash through Direct Bank Transfer as part reimbursement of freight paid, with amount depending on export regions. 4. Assistance will be provided only if payments for the exports are received in Free Foreign Exchange through normal banking channels. 14. Election Commission of India Announced Schedule for Lok Sabha 2019 elections, starting from April 11, in seven phases. Code of Conduct (Achhar Sabhita) for parties begins from 10th March - 1. There are close to 90 crore eligible voters. Date of counting will be on the 23rd of May 2019. 2. Schedule of Lok Sabha polls - 1. Phase one - 11th April 2019, 2. Phase two - 18th April 2019, 3. Phase three - 23rd April 2019, 4. Phase four - 29th April 2019, 5. Phase five - 06th May 2019, 6. Phase six - 12th May 2019, 7. Phase seven - 19th May 2019, 8. Date of counting- 23rd May 2019. 15. General Conferenes (Mar 1 - 10, 2019) - 1. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated Pandit Institute of Archaeology at Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh), as an academic wing of ASI under Ministry of Culture. Aim is to provide opportunity to students to achieve excellence in archaeology. 2. Uttarakhand Govt. laid foundation stone for Dehradun-Mussoorie ropeway project, considered to be a tourist novelty. Project cost is 300 crores and expected to be completed in 3 years. French company Poma will provide technical support to the project. 3. Construction Technology India-2019 Biennial Expo-cum-conference held in New Delhi. PM Narendra Modi declared ‘April 2019-March 2020’ as Construction-Technology year. 1. Six cities have been identified to locate Lighthouse projects that will serve as “Live Laboratories”. These are 1. Rajkot (Gujarat) 2. Ranchi () 3. Indore (Madhya Pradesh) 4. Chennai (Tamil Nadu) 5. Agartala (Tripura) & 6. Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh). 4. ‘Azaadi ke Diwane museum dedicated to unsung heroes of country’s freedom struggle, inaugurated at Red Fort premises in Delhi. 5. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) held Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2019 - Software edition Grand Finale at 49 different centers across India, with over 34,000 ideas evaluated. 1. Software Problems Statements proposed - 8 2. Shortlisted Teams for Grand Finale - 32 3. No. of Youngsters competing in Grand Finale - 256 4. Nodal Center for Grand Finale - IIT Kanpur 5. IIT- Kharagpur students devised a code for a Smartphone application to address problem of detecting fake Indian currency. A user can upload a currency note image and mobile app would verify its authenticity using 25 features. 6. Prayagraj Ardh Kumbh Mela 2019 secured place in Guinness Book of World Records for the largest crowd management, largest sanitation drive and largest painting exercise of public sites. 7. A Guinness World Record in Yoga was set by more than a thousand people who performed Virabathrasan or the Warrior II Pose for 3 minutes, in Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park, Hong Kong. 8. Ministry of Commerce & Industry organized 14th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnerships, in New Delhi. 9. 2nd edition of Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD) 2019 organised in Manekshaw Centre (New Delhi). 10. Inaugural India-Japan Space Dialogue held in New Delhi, with countries exploring ways to step up cooperation between their space agencies. 11. Construction Technology India 2019 Conference Held in New Delhi. 16. Geological Survey of India (GSI) launched 22 permanent global positioning system (GPS) stations across India to identify seismically hazardous zones and encourage mapping activities, as part of 35 stations planned by GSI These stations are meant to delineate high strain zones for earthquake probability, determine a seismic motion on faults that may lead to a rupture and produce thematic maps with high accuracy. 17. Government approved Strategic Disinvestment of 100% GOI shares in DCIL in favour of consortium of 4 ports, namely, Visakhapatnam Port Trust, Paradip Port Trust, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust and Deendayal Port Trust (formely Knadla Port Trust). 73.47% holding of GOI in DCI has been transferred to 4 ports, with Visakhapatnam Port Trust holding 19.47 % and others holding 18 % each. 18. Government approved Surat Metro Rail Project having two Metro Rail Corridors with combined length of 40.35 km. project will be completed in 5 years at an estimated project cost of Rs. 12020 Crores. 1. Corridor-1, Sarthana to Dream city line is 21.61 Kms comprising of underground corridor of 6.47 km & elevated corridor of 15.14 km. 2. Corridor-2, Bhesan to saroli line is 18.74 kms and is completely elevated corridor. 19. Government approved establishment of 2 new benches of National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), one at Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh and the other at Indore in Madhya Pradesh. At present Andhra Pradesh comes under Jurisdiction of NCLT Bench at Hyderabad and Madhya Pradesh comes under jurisdiction of NCLT Bench, Ahmedabad. 20. Govt. approved “Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN (Jaiv Indhan- Vatavaran Anukool fasal awashesh Nivaran) Yojana” under Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas to provide financial support to Integrated Bioethanol Projects using lignocellulosic biomass and other renewable feedstock. 1. It aims to incentivise 2G Ethanol sector and support it by creating a suitable ecosystem for setting up commercial projects and increasing Research & Development. 2. 12 Commercial Scale and 10 demonstration scale Second Generation (2G) ethanol Projects will be provided with a Viability Gap Funding (VGF) support in two phases - Phase-I (2018-19 to 2022-23) and Phase-II (2020-21 to 2023-24). 3. It aims to reduce import dependence by substituting fossil fuels with Biofuels and Addressing environmental concerns caused by burning biomass/ crop residues. 21. Govt. dedicated to the nation a 1,000-megawatt (MW) thermal power project of Neyveli Tamil Nadu Power Ltd (NTPL) at Thoothukudi and a 150-MW solar power projects of Neyveli Lignite Corporation India Limited (NLCIL) at Ramanathapuram and Virudhunagar districts in Tamil Nadu. 22. Home Minister inaugurated project BOLD-QIT (Border Electronically Dominated QRT Interception Technique) under Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS) on Indo- Bangladesh border in Dhubri district of Assam. 1. Two pilot projects covering about 71 Kms on Indo-Pakistan Border (10 Kms) and Indo-Bangladesh Border (61 Kms) of Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS) have been completed. 2. Stage-II and Stage-III covering about 1955 Kms of border which cannot be physically fenced, will be taken up now. CIBMS project will vastly improve capability of BSF in controlling cross border crimes. 3. CIBMS involves deployment of several high end surveillance technologies - thermal imagers, infra-red and laser-based intruder alarms, aerostats for aerial surveillance, unattended ground sensors that can help detect intrusions. 4. Rollout plan for CIBMS - 1. Stage-I - Pilot projects in Jammu and Assam has been completed. Stage 1 will be reviewed through an independent third party auditor (IIT Delhi). 2. Stage-II - Rollout of 153 Kms in 4 patches along Indo-Pakistan & Indo-Bangladesh Border 3. Stage-III - Rollout of 1802 Kms in 67 patches along Indo-Pakistan & Indo-Bangladesh border. 23. Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Puri launched e-Dharti app where all the three modules- Conversion, Substitution and Mutation related to properties have been made online. Public can submit applications online by visiting Land and Development Office website. 24. ISRO launched a special programme for School Children called Young Scientist Programme, aimed at imparting basic knowledge on Space Technology, Space Science and Space Applications to the younger ones with the intent of arousing their interest in the emerging areas of Space activities. 1. Residential training programme will be of around 2 weeks duration during summer holidays and it is proposed to select 3 students each from each State/ UT to participate every year. Those finishing 8th and studying in 9th standard will be eligible for programme. 25. India Cooling Action Plan released by Environment, Forests and Climate Change Minister Harsh Vardhan in New Delhi, aimed at reducing emissions and providing thermal comfort to citizens. 1. It provides a 20-year perspective to address the cooling requirements across various sectors and recommends ways to provide access to sustainable cooling and thermal comfort for people. 2. Government planS to achieve 30% reductions in cooling energy requirement by improving energy efficiency of room ACs and fans, better servicing and optimized operations in cold chains. 3. Government also plans to provide training to 1 lakh service technicians to ensure optimum usage of currently installed air conditions. 4. Plan states that plan to phase out of ozone-depleting hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) is already underway, and under second phase, most common refrigerant – HCFC-22 would be phased out from six major room AC brands by 2022. 5. Targets - 1. Reduce cooling demand across sectors by 20% to 25% by 2037-38. 2. Reduce refrigerant demand by 25% to 30% by 2037-38. 3. Reduce cooling energy requirements by 25% to 40% by 2037-38. 26. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has launched its own payment aggregator system, IRCTC iPay. It will enhance speed of transactions and easy and faster refunds. 27. Karnataka government launched water conservation scheme named Jalamrutha, with focus on drought-proofing measures, including protection and rejuvenation of water bodies. 1. Under it, scientific approaches will be deployed for water budgeting, water harvesting and water conservation. 2. Water conservation strategy under this scheme comprises of four components viz. water literacy, rejuvenation of waterbodies, creation of new waterbodies as well as the development of watersheds and afforestation activities. 28. Maharashtra Govt unveiled State’s new 5 year industrial policy to be effective from 1st April, 2019. It will create nearly 40 lakh Jobs by 2023-24 and goal is to turn Maharashtra into a trillion dollar (one lakh crore) economy. 29. Maharashtra government launched a special scheme for construction workers in state, named Atal Aahar Yojana. It will provide good quality food to construction workers at a highly subsidised rate of Rs 5. 30. Marayoor Jaggery, traditional and handmade product from Idukki district of , received Geographical Indication (GI) tag from Central Government. This will provide more opportunities to traditional sugarcane farmers in Marayoor. 31. Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change amended Hazardous and other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016 to completely ban the import of solid plastic waste. 1. To ensure that ban doesn’t adversely impact ease of doing business, amendment allows the reverse import of defective electrical and electronic assemblies and components manufactured in and exported from India, within a year of export. 32. Ministry of Power expanded its Standards & Labelling (Star Rating) program for Energy Efficient for Appliances to cover Microwave Ovens and Washing Machines. Initially, program for these 2 appliances will be implemented on a voluntary basis and will be valid up to 31-12-2020. 1. Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)has developed a national strategy document for accelerating energy efficiency in India, titled UNNATEE (Unlocking NATional Energy Efficiency potential). It describes a plain framework and implementation strategy to establish a clear linkage between energy supply-demand scenarios and energy efficiency opportunities. 33. Mizoram Cabinet approved Liquor Prohibition Bill 2019, to be introduced in state Assembly during Budget session which begins on March 20, 2019. Earlier, liquor was completely prohibited in Mizoram from 1997 to January 2015 under Mizoram Liquor Total Prohibition Act. From March 2015, Lal Thanwala government allowed re-opening of wine shops in the state. 34. MoU signed between HP (Hewlett-Packard) and Andhra Pradesh Innovation Society (APIS) and Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board (APEDB) for constructing a Center of Excellence (CoE) for additive manufacturing powered by HP’s 3D printing technology. 35. Mukhyamantri Anchal Amrit Yojana launched by Uttarakhand Govt, aiming to provide 100 ml milk twice a week, free of cost, to 2.5 lakh children at 20,000 Anganwadi kendras of Uttarakhand. 36. NITI Aayog Released Delta rankings of 112 Aspirational Districts for Nov - Dec 2018 and Dec 2018 - Jan 2019. Out of 115 total aspirational districts, 3 from west bengal did not participate in rankings. 1. Nov 2018 - Dec 2018 Dela Rankings - 1. Overall - Hailakandi (Assam), followed by Kondagaon (Chhattisgarh) 2. Health and Nutrition - Kondagaon (Chhattisgarh, Followed by Purbi Singhbhum (Jharkhand) 3. Education - Hailakandi (Assam), Followed by Khunti (Jharkhand) 4. Agriculture and Water Resources - Y.S.R. Kadapa (Andhra Pradesh), Followed by Damoh (Madhya Pradesh) 5. Financial Inclusion and Skill Development - Gajapati (Odisha) 6. Basic Infrastructure - Bahraich (Uttar Pradesh) 2. Dec 2018 - Jan 2019 Delta Rankings - 1. Overall - Chatra (Jharkhand), Followed by Sahibganj (Jharkhand) and Hazaribagh (Jharkhand). 2. Health and Nutrition - Chatra (Jharkhand), Followed by Sahibganj (Jharkhand) and Hazaribagh (Jharkhand). 3. Education - Sonbhadra (Uttar Pradesh), Sahibganj (Jharkhand), Chatra, (Jharkhand). 4. Agriculture and Water Resources - Jamui (Bihar) 5. Financial Inclusion and Skill Development - Mewat (Haryana) 6. Basic Infrastructure - Ribhoi (Meghalaya) 37. National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories launched a voluntary scheme called Quality Assurance Scheme (QAS) for basic composite medical laboratories, for sensitising small laboratories to basic doable quality practices. It will transform over 5000 laboratories over the next 5 years. 1. Laboratories performing only basic routine tests like blood glucose, blood counts, rapid tests for common infections, liver and kidney function tests and routine tests of urine are eligible to apply under the scheme. 2. Through this , patients availing services of small labs in primary health centers, community health centers, doctor’s clinic, standalone small labs, labs in small nursing homes will also have access to quality lab results. 3. Under this, government plans to set up 1, 50,000 wellness centers that will cover over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families. 38. National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) and Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) signed an MoU, in which IICA will support NCGG for utilization of infrastructure facilities during training programme of NCGG at Delhi and for academic & intellectual interactions for 5 years. 39. National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) collaborated with Google Arts & Culture for ‘Once Upon a Try’: Epic journeys of invention and discovery - the largest online exhibition about inventions and discoveries ever curated. 6 Sections in exhibition are - Historic Beginnings, Ayurveda, Susruta Samhita, Rasashala, Itrand Musical Instruments from the Indian Subcontinent. 40. National Health Authority (NHA), which is responsible for implementation of Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) signed MoU with Cab Aggregator Uber, to provide free healthcare services to Uber drivers. 41. National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) reduced MRP of 390 non-scheduled cancer medicines, by up to 87%. 42. Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik launched scheme ‘Mukhya Mantri Karigar Sahayata’ for financial assistance to craftsmen. Craftsmen with 10 years of experience and having annual income below Rs.1 lakh are eligible to get an assistance of Rs.800 per month, INR 800 For craftsmen above 80 years. 43. PM Narendra Modi flagged off Nagpur Metro, with 13.5 km long, Khapri- Sitabuldi section. 1. Nagpur Metro is 11th Metro Rail System to become operational In India, After Kolkata, Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Jaipur, Chennai, , Lucknow, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad. 2. Navi Mumbai, Pune and Bhopal Metro Systems are under construction while Indore, Agra, Kanpur, Patna, Surat, Meerut, Vizag, Varanasi and Doon Valley Metro Systems are under planning. 44. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated Indian Oil Corporation’s (IOCs) LNG terminal at Ennore (Tamilnadu), built at cost of 5151 crores inside Kamaraj Port. Capacity of LNG terminal is 5-million tonnes per annum (MMTPA). 45. PM Narendra Modi laid foundation stone for Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, aiming a massive makeover of holy shrine and its surrounding areas. Its first makeover for this shrine after 1780 AD when the Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore renovated the temple. 1. Project proposed 50-feet corridor will directly connect Ganga’s Manikarnika and Lalita Ghat to the Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga Temple, along with other developmental works. Total cost of project is 600 crores. 46. PM Narendra Modi launched One Nation, One Card for transport mobility, in Ahmedabad (Gujarat). 1. Indigenous Automatic Fare Collection System based on One Nation One Card Model i.e. National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) is first of its kind in India. 2. India’s First Indigenously Developed Payment Eco-system for transport consisting of NCMC Card, SWEEKAR (Swachalit Kiraya: Automatic Fare Collection System) and SWAGAT (Swachalit Gate) is based on NCMC Standards. 3. Customer may use single card for payments across all segments including metro, bus, suburban railways, toll, parking, smart city and retail. 47. PM Narendra Modi released Dictionary of Martyrs of India’s Freedom Struggle (1857-1947), the 5 volume dictionary which contains account of martyrs from India’s First War of Independence in 1857, to India’s Independence in 1947. 48. PM Narendra Modi released new series of visually impaired friendly circulation coins of Rs 1, Rs 2, Rs 5, Rs 10 and Rs 20. Except for 12-edged polygon (dodecagon) shaped 20 coin, rest of the denomination coins are of round shape. 49. Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan handed over 7 Croreth LPG connection under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY). 1. PMUY was launched in May 2016 with target of 5 crore LPG connections, which was later revised to 8 crores. 2. PMUY aims to safeguard the health of women & children by providing them with a clean cooking fuel – LPG. 3. Under this, LPG connections are provided to BPL families with a support of 1600 per connection. 4. An option is provided to provide a loan at zero interest to buy cooking stove and first refill which has to be paid by beneficiary. 50. Prasar Bharati brought 11 new State DD Channels on Satellite footprint of India through DD Free Dish. This includes five channels for Northeastern states. States of Chhattisgarh, , Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Uttarakhand got their own Doordarshan channels on DD Free Dish for first time. 51. President Ram Nath Kovind approved an Ordinance which allows voluntary use of as ID proof for opening bank accounts and obtaining mobile SIM. It gives effect to changes in Aadhaar Act such as giving a child an option to exit from biometric ID programme on attaining 18 years of age. 1. could not approve the Bill even though Lok Sabha has given its assent. In this situation an ordinance is necessary as per law. 2. It also bans storing core biometric information including Aadhaar number by service providers in case where an individual has offered Aadhaar for authentication. 52. President Ram Nath Kovind launched Pulse Polio programme for 2019 by administering polio drops to children less than five years old. More than 17 crore children of less than five years across the country will be given polio drops, to sustain polio eradication from country. 53. Rice Knowledge Bank-Assam agriculture web portal launched under World Bank funded project – Agri-business and Rural Transformation (APART). It aims to magnify knowledge on rice production technologies and techniques, best production practices and state agriculture facts. 54. Shri Vishwakarma Skill University Haryana (SVSU) signed MoU with National Institute of Technical Teacher’s Training and Research Bhopal to ensure purposeful engagement of Faculty, Experts and Industry Partners for various academic activities. 55. Spiritual teacher Kamlesh Patel, popularly known as Daaji, released his new book Designing Destiny: The Heartfulness Way. 56. Supreme Court proposed a court-monitored mediation in Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case to arrive at a permanent solution to the politically and religiously sensitive issue. Panel will be headed by Justice Kalifullah. 57. Swachh Survekshan Awards 2019 - 1. Indore named India’s cleanest city for third straight year, followed by Ambikapur in Chhattisgarh and Mysore in Karnataka. 2. Ahmedabad named cleanest big city (population over 10 lakh), while Ujjain cleanest medium city (population 3 - 10 lakh). 3. Bhopal has been named cleanest capital. 4. Chhattisgarh ranked top in category of best performing states, followed by Jharkhand and Maharashtra. 58. Tamil Nadu became first state to introduce Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) in government hospitals. TAVI is performed on old-age heart patients who cannot undergo an open-heart surgery and involves replacement of valve through a keyhole procedure. 59. Tripura government announced ‘Notun Disha’ (New Direction) for assessing and improving academic level of students in classes III-VIII. Training will be provided by NGOs and educational institutions to 800 teachers. 60. Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) released pricing of Aadhaar Authentication Services under Aadhar Regulations 2019. Private entities will now pay Rs 0.50 (tax included) for each Yes or No authentication transaction and Rs 20 (Inclusive of Taxes ) for e-KYC authentication. 61. West Bengal Govt. unveiled a new scheme Yuvashree Plan II or Yuvashree Arpan to encourage entrepreneurship among youth. Youths who have passed out of ITI or other polytechnic institutes will be eligible to get financial support of 1 Lakh,to set up their own businesses. 62. Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi felicitated 30 winners of ‘Web Wonder Women’ contest organized by Ministry of Women and Child Development. 1. Ministry of Women and Child Development launched online campaign Web- Wonder Women to honor exceptional achievements of women, who have been driving positive agenda of social change via social media. Top

Persons 1. British Indian World War II spy, Noor Inayat Khan, became first Indian-origin woman to be honoured with a Blue Plaque at 4 Taviton Street in Bloomsbury, London (her former home). She was captured and killed by Nazis in 1944 at age of 30 years. The Blue Plaque scheme honours notable people who lived or worked in particular buildings across London. 2. Visits from India (Mar 1 - 10, 2019) - 1. Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu visited Siem Reap in Cambodia for 7th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Intersessional Ministerial Meeting (7th RCEP ISSL MM). 2. Vice President M Visited Paraguay (South America) and Costa Rica (Central America) 1. Paraguay - 1. It was first ever visit of an Indian Vice President to the Republic of Paraguay. He is highest-level representative of India to visit Paraguay since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1961. 2. Unveiled a special commemorative postage stamp on M K Gandhi and remembered his contributions on occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of the Mahatma Gandhi. 2. Costa Rica - 1. Visit of Vice President to Costa Rica was first ever high-level visit from India to Costa Rica. 2. Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu was conferred Honorary Doctorate by University of Peace founded by the United Nations Organisations (UNO) , in Costa Rican capital of San Jose. 3. India and Costa Rica signed two agreements on waiving visa requirements for Diplomatic and Official passport holders and signing of the Letter of Intent to collaborate in the field of Biotechnology. 3. Visits to India (Mar 1 - 10, 2019) - 1. Vice President of Argentina, Mrs. Gabriela Michetti visited India. 2. Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia and Chairman of Saudi Aramco, Eng. Khalid A. Al-Falih visited India. Top

Science 1. IIT Delhi researchers created India’s first Braille laptop for the visually- impaired, named Dot Book. It comprises 10-cell refreshable Braille Cell modules. 2. Researchers discovered “methane hydrates“, a potential fuel of future just two meters below the sea-floor in the Krishna- Godavari (K-G) basin off the coast Andhra Pradesh in Bay of Bengal. This is the first report on the discovery of an active methane seepage site. Top

Sports 1. 2019 Abierto Mexicano Telcel Tennis Title (Mexico) - 1. Men's Singles - Nick Kyrgios (Australia) 2. Women's Singles - Wang Yafan (China) 3. Men's Doubles - Germany's Alexander Zverev AND Mischa Zverev 4. Women's Doubles - Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) AND Zheng Saisai (China) 2. Dubai Open Tennis Championships 2019 - 1. Men's Singles - Roger Federer (Switzerland). 1. Roger Federer won his 100th ATP title , defeatig Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece) in Dubai Tennis Championship. Roger also has won 20 grand slam Titles. He is 2nd man after American Jimmy Connors to claim 100 titles. 2. Women's Singles - Belinda Bencic (Switzerland) 3. Men's Doubles - Rajeev Ram (USA) and Joe Salisbury (United Kingdom) 4. Women's Doubles - Hsieh Su-wei (Chinese Taipei) anD Barbora Strýcová (Czech Republic) 3. Mexican open Tennis 2019 - 1. Men’s Singles - Nick Kyrgios (Australia), defeated Germany’s Alexander Zverev. 2. Women’s Singles - Wang Yafan(China) 3. Men’s Doubles - Alexander Zverev(Germany) AND Mischa Zverev(Germany) 4. Women’s Doubles - Victoria Azarenka(Belarus) AND Zheng Saisai(China) 4. Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports granted provisional recognition to All India Carrom Federation (AICF) as National Sport Federation, to facilitate participation of Indian Athletes in forthcoming competitions. 5. Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports granted provisional recognition to Kudo International Federation India(KIFI) as National Sport Federation, for promotion of Kudo sport in India.. 6. Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) decided to reintroduce Cricket in 2022 Asian Games to be held at Hangzhou (China). Cricket featured in 2010 and 2014 Asian Games but was dropped from 2018 Asian Games. India did not participate in 2010 & 2014 editions. 1. OCA also agreed to invite Oceania countries including Australia to compete at 2022 Asian Games. Top

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