Monthly Current TitleAffairs Capsule & Quiz March 2020 Title

The month-long Ekushey book fair ended in Dhaka.

 Large crowds gathered at the exhibition ground in Dhaka to visit the fair and buy books on the concluding day of the largest and longest book fair of Bangladesh. US, Taliban sign peace deal for phased  Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had withdrawal of American troops from inaugurated the book fair on February 2. Afghanistan  The organising committee of the book fair said that this year a total of 4919 new titles were released.  Kotha Prakash publications received the Chittaranjan Saha Memorial Award for publishing the highest number of quality books.  On the birth centenary year of the country's founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, also known as Bangabandhu, this year’s fair The US signed a historic peace deal with the was dedicated to him. Taliban in Doha to end America’s presence in Afghanistan in a phased manner. Training of Nepal’s Judicial Officers begins in India  India attended the historic event as Observer.  India has been an important stakeholder in the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan.  The landmark peace deal will see a phased withdrawal of thousands of US soldiers from Afghanistan.  It was more than 18 years ago that the United States had ordered an attack on the Judicial Officers from Supreme Court of Nepal have Taliban following the tragic 9/11 happening started their training program at the National Law in America. University, Jodhpur in Rajasthan.  Ahead of the signing of the deal, the US and the Taliban had agreed to a seven-day  The first batch of 30 Judicial Officers will be cooling-off period which passed off trained on “Case Management and Court peacefully. Management“.  The course on “Case Management and Court Month long Ekushey book fair ends in Dhaka Management” tailored for the Nepalese judicial officers is fully backed by the Government of India under the Ministry of External Affairs’ Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme.  Prime minister of Nepal: KP Sharma Oli  President: Bidhya Devi Bhandari  Capital of Nepal: Kathmandu  Currency: Nepalese rupee

World Wildlife Day: 03 March  Russian and Polish firms were also in the race to bad the mega-deal.  The deal is for supplying four Swathi weapon locating radars developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) to Armenia in Europe.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu claims victory in general elections World Wildlife Day, also known as WWD, is celebrated annually across the world on 03 March.

 The aim of World Wildlife Day is to acknowledge the importance of wildlife species in maintaining the ecological balance on earth.  It also aims to create awareness among humans about the importance of wildlife and tries to curb the various dangers directed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has towards the flora and fauna. claimed victory in the general elections held.  The theme for World Wildlife Day 2020 will be “Sustaining All Life on Earth”  With 90% of votes counted, his Likud party and its right-wing allies were on course to India beats Poland And Russia to $40 million win 59 seats. defence deal with Armenia  This election was Israel's third in less than a year.  Neither of the two main party leaders was able to command a majority in the 120-seat parliament following the last two rounds.  Mr Netanyahu, 70, is Israel's longest-serving prime minister. He is seeking a record fifth term, having been in office from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009. In a major win, India has managed to bag a $40  Israel parliament: Knesset Million defence export deal. Luxembourg becomes first country to make public transport free  Under the $40 Million contract, India is required to supply four Swathi weapons- locating radars.  The radars provide fast, automatic, and accurate location of enemy weapons like mortars, shells, and rockets in its 50-km range.  It can also simultaneously handle multiple projectiles fired from different weapons at different locations.

Luxembourg has become the first country with a free  Bangladesh was mandated to lead Trade, public transport system, with all fares for trams, Investment and Development, Bhutan – trains and buses abolished as of February 29 2020. Environment and Climate Change, Myanmar – Agriculture and Food Security, India –  The one exception is first-class train travel, Security (Counter Terrorism and which will cost £2.60 (€3) per journey. Transnational Crime, Disaster Management  The scheme was originally announced in & Energy), Nepal – People to people contact 2018, with a summer 2019 launch planned, (culture, tourism, forums of Think Thanks, but delays pushed the move back to this year. Media etc) and Thailand – Connectivity.  Luxembourg has just over 600,000 inhabitants, but 214,000 more travel in for Google announces its plans to open Delhi Cloud work every day from neighbouring Germany, Region Belgium and France, causing heavy traffic jams as the majority of workers commute by car.

Points to Remember

 Luxembourg Capital: Luxembourg  Currency: Euro Google announced its plans to open a Delhi Cloud Sri Lanka to lead science, technology and Region. innovation sector in BIMSTEC  This will be the company's second cloud region in India since it launched one in Mumbai three years ago in 2017.  The new cloud region will expand Google's existing network which stands at 8 regions in the Asia Pacific and 22 regions globally.  Google cloud regions bring Google Cloud Platform services to global organisations in Sri Lanka will lead the science, technology and industries like media and entertainment, innovation sector in the BIMSTEC and a facility for retail and manufacturing. technology transfer is planned to be opened in the  Projected to be launched in 2021, the Delhi future. cloud region will have three zones to protect against service disruptions.  This was agreed during the 20th Session of the senior officials’ meeting chaired by Sri India, US sign Rs 1200 crore deal for protection Lankan Foreign Secretary Ravinatha system of new VVIP aircraft Aryasinha in Colombo.  Sri Lanka,will also appoint a Director to the India and the United States have signed a Rs 1200 BIMSTEC secretariat in June. crore deal for acquiring missile protection suites for  Sri Lanka is mandated to lead the sector on the new Boeing VVIP planes that India is acquiring Science, Technology and Innovation under for the President and the Prime Minister. which cooperation in Technology, health and human resource development is also  The new aircraft will be used for both included. international and domestic visits of the President and Prime Minister.

 The missile protection suites on the two Boeing-777 Extended Range planes will provide it the capability to fend off any missile attacks.  A new 28-acre facility will also be created at the Indira Gandhi International Airport for housing the new Boeing 777 aircraft.  The aircraft will be flown by Indian Air Force pilots who are getting trained in India by Air Sri Lanka will host the next Bay of Bengal Initiative India which already operates the Boeing 777 for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic in its fleet. Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit in September this  The two planes are expected to arrive in India year. by the middle of 2020 to begin the VVIP duties.  Sri Lanka is the Chair of BIMSTEC from 2018 to 2020. International Women's Day: 08 March  Under the rationalizing of the sector, Sri Lanka will be the lead country for Science, Technology and Innovation.  Bangladesh will lead Trade and Investment, Bhutan on Environment and Climate Change, Myanmar on Agriculture and Food Security, India on Security, Nepal on People-to-People Contact and Thailand on Connectivity.

 Sri Lanka will lead the science, technology International Women's Day is celebrated on the 8th and innovation sector in the BIMSTEC and a of March every year to help forge a gender equal facility for technology transfer is planned to world, celebrate women's achievements and be opened in the future. increasing visibility. World Health Organization declares Covid-19 as  The theme this year is “I am Generation a pandemic Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights".  Women world over are still not paid equally to that of their male counterparts, and are still not present in equal numbers in business or politics.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao initiative in 2015 to ensure survival, protection and empowerment of the girl child.  The objectives of this initiative are to prevent World Health Organization (WHO) has of gender biased sex selective elimination, characterised the new coronavirus outbreak as a and to ensure survival and protection of the pandemic. girl child.  After the launch of the scheme, the sex ratio  WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at birth has improved from 923 to 931. told reporters in Geneva that he is alarmed by the spread and severity of the outbreak, Sri Lanka to host 5th BIMSTEC Summit in along with a lack of action taken to combat September it.

 WHO chief said the number of cases and  Celebrating the day is a chance to demand deaths are likely to rise in the coming days that the rights of all consumers are respected and weeks. and protected and to protest against market  UN chief Antonio Guterres has urged world abuses and social injustices which undermine governments to urgently scale up their those rights. response to the novel coronavirus if they are  Government has taken various steps to to stand a chance of stemming its spread. protect the rights of the consumers and early  The declaration of a coronavirus outbreak as redressal of their grievances. a pandemic is a call to action - for everyone,  Consumer Affairs Ministry is also running everywhere. various consumer awareness programmes through Jaago Grahak Jaago. ‘Joy Bangla’ to be national slogan of Bangladesh  2020 theme: The Sustainable Consumer

The tiny island of Niue has been declared the World's First 'Dark Sky Nation'

The High Court of Bangladesh has ordered that ‘Joy Bangla’ will be the national slogan of Bangladesh.

 In an order passed, the two judge bench of The small Pacific island nation Niue, with a High Court asked the authorities to take population of just over 1,600, is the first country to necessary steps so that all the people holding receive the designation by the International Dark- constitutional posts and state officials use Sky Association. ‘Joy Bangla’ after their speeches on national days and other appropriate occasions.  It has become the world's first whole country  The court also directed the authorities to recognised as a 'Dark Sky Place'. ensure that teachers and students use the  International Dark Sky Places are spaces slogan after assembly. recognised for responsible lighting policies  ‘Joy Bangla’ was the main slogan during the that keep the night-time environment liberation war of Bangladesh fought against naturally dark. Pakistan in 1971.  There are over 130 of these accredited dark  The first President of Bangladesh Sheikh sites across the world, including parks, Mujibur Rahman also used ‘Joy Bangla’ in reserves, and local communities, but never his speeches and specially during his historic before has the honour been bestowed on an 7th March speech in 1971 declaring the goal entire country like this. of independence for Bangladesh. Points to Remember : World Consumer Rights Day: 15 March  Niue Capital: Alofi World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated on the  Currency: New Zealand dollar 15th of March every year to raise global awareness about consumer rights and needs. US Federal Reserve cuts interest rates to 0%

 He led the movement against the oppressive Pakistani rulers in the then East Pakistan leading to its liberation in 1971.  Known as Bangabandhu, he became the first President of the independent nation of Bangladesh.

First human trial to evaluate vaccine against The US Federal Reserve cut interest rates to zero. COVID-19 begins in US

 The Fed’s hugely surprising move comes as the world fights to prevent further damage from the rapidly-spreading coronavirus.  The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decided to lower the target range for the federal funds rate to 0 to ¼%.  This is the second time in as many weeks the US Fed has cut interest rates as the The first human trial to evaluate a candidate vaccine deadly virus threatens to cause massive against coronavirus disease 2019 has begun in disruption to the world economy. Seattle, US.  The first and last time interest rate were zero in the US was in December 2008 at the peak  The open-label trial will enroll 45 healthy of the global financial crisis. adult volunteers ages 18 to 55 years over Bangladesh celebrates birth Centenary of approximately 6 weeks. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman  The first participant received the investigational vaccine on 16 March.

International Day of Happiness: 20 March

Bangladesh is celebrating the birth centenary of its founder President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

 Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina marked the day by paying floral tributes to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Every year on March 20, individuals across the world celebrate International Day of Happiness.  The day marks the beginning of the year long celebration of the birth centenary named ‘Mujib Barsho’ in Bangladesh and It was initially founded and conceptualised in 2006 across the world. by Jayme Illien, CEO of the United Nations New  Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was born on 17th World Order project. March 1920 in the town of Tungipara in Gopalganj district of the then undivided  The resolution was initiated by Bhutan, a India. country which recognized the value of

national happiness over national income  On that day, in 1960, police opened fire and since the early 1970s and famously adopted killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration the goal of Gross National Happiness over in Sharpeville, South Africa, against the Gross National Product. apartheid pass laws.  Also known as Happiness Day, it was  International Day for the Elimination of established to advance happiness as a Racial Discrimination 2020 is focused on the fundamental human right for all. midterm review of the International Decade  Theme “Happiness For All, Together.” for People of African Descent.

20th March is observed as World Sparrow Day Navroz, the Iranian New Year

World Sparrow Day is observed every year on March 20.

 The day aims to raise awareness about the Navroz, the Iranian New Year, Persian New Year or Sparrow. the Parsi New Year was observed on March 20 in  The need for marking this day was felt due to India. the tremendous decrease in its population.  The house sparrow is on the verge of  While the festival is a holy festival for the extinction. Zorastian, some Muslim and Iranian  The first World Sparrow Day was celebrated communities, it is celebrated by several faiths in 2010 in different parts of the world. across the world.  Increased use of pesticides, change in the  Navroz marks the first day of spring, and pattern of buildings and gardens missing while it usually takes place on March 21, the from the houses have become the main date may vary by a day before or after factors why the number of sparrows has depending on where it is celebrated. declined sharply in the past few years.  Navroz marks the first day of the month of Farvardin on the Iranian calendar. International Day for the Elimination of Racial  Navroz comes from the Persian words ‘Nav’ Discrimination : 21 March meaning new and ‘roz’ meaning day, so it literally translates to New Day.

World Poetry Day: 21 March

The World Poetry Day is observed every year on 21 March.

 The initiative is organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Organization (UNESCO). Discrimination is observed annually on 21 March.

 Poetry Day can be aptly called as a time to able to provide results within hours, rather appreciate and support poets and poetry than days like the existing tests. around the world.  The company will roll it out by March 30.  UNESCO designated March 21 as the World  Developed by California-based company Poetry Day in its 30th session held in Paris in Cephid, the test would help fast identification November 1999. of infected people and quickly start treating  The first World Poetry Day was held on them and their quarantine. March 21, 2000.  Point-of-care testing means results are delivered to patients in the patient care World Down Syndrome Day : 21 March settings, like hospitals, urgent care centres and emergency rooms, instead of samples being sent to a laboratory.

World Happiness Report 2020

World Down Syndrome Day is observed every year on March 21.

 It is observed in order to raise awareness among people about Down Syndrome and India was at a dismal 144 rank of a total 156 nations educate people about this disorder. surveyed on the World Happiness Report 2020.  According to the United Nations, every year 3,000 to 5,000 children are born with this  Finland was once again crowned as the chromosome disorder called Down world's happiest country, extending its lead syndrome. over Denmark and Switzerland.  Down Syndrome occurs when an individual  The World Happiness Report is an annual is born with an extra partial copy of survey by the Sustainable Development chromosome 21. Solutions Network for the United Nations.  Down syndrome commonly results in  The data used to compile this ranking was variable effects on learning styles, health, and collected in the years 2018 and 2019 even physical characteristics.  Afghanistan ranked lowest among 153  World Down Syndrome day 2020 theme is countries, with South Sudan and Zimbabwe "We Decide". just above it.

US FDA approves first rapid ‘point-of-care’ test World Meteorological Day: 23 March for coronavirus World Meteorological Day is observed every year on The US Food and Drug Administration has approved 23 March. a coronavirus diagnostic test that can be conducted entirely at the point-of-care and can deliver results in  The day was established on March 23, 1950. 45 minutes.  This year, World Water Day and World Meteorological Day share the same theme:  US Health and Human Services “Water and Climate Change”. Secretary, Alex Azar said the test will be

 World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Singapore tops economic freedom index, India at is an intergovernmental organization with a 120th place membership of 193 Member States and Territories.

World Water Day 2020: 22 March

Singapore overtook Hong Kong as the world's freest economy for the first time in the latest Heritage Foundation Index of Economic Freedom.

 India has been ranked in 120th position in the World Water Day is celebrated on March 22 every study, it has been slowly but steadily making year. progress.  The World Index of Economic Freedom  It is celebrated to mark the importance of covers 12 freedoms including property rights, freshwater and spreading awareness for the financial freedom, government integrity, sustainable management of freshwater labour freedom, trade freedom, investment resources. freedom and business freedom.  World Water day is an opportunity to talk  The Index was first published in 1995 and about initiatives and measures to save water Hong Kong has topped the charts ever since.  2020 theme: “Water and Climate Change” Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan jointly World Tuberculosis Day: 24 March contribute $3.5 mn to SAARC corona emergency fund

Every year, World Tuberculosis Day is celebrated on March 24.

 World Tuberculosis Day is observed all Bangladesh and Nepal pledged to contribute $1.5 around the world to raise public awareness million and $1 million respectively to the SAARC about the devastating health, social and Corona Emergency Fund proposed by PM Narendra economic consequences of Tuberculosis. Modi with an initial offer of $10 million from India  The day is observed on March 24 to mark the to help combat the fast-spreading COVID-19 day when Dr. Robert Koch announced that he pandemic in the region. had discovered the bacterium that causes TB in 1882.  India first announced to provide $10 million  The World TB Day 2020 theme is ‘It’s to the fund and subsequently Nepal and Time’. Afghanistan promised $1 million each and

the Maldives and Bhutan committed Bangladesh observes its 50th Independence Day on $200,000 and 100,000 respectively. 26 March.  Pakistan and Sri Lanka are yet to declare their contribution for the fund.  It commemorates the country's declaration of independence from Pakistan in the late Bangladesh govt to release Former Prime hours of 26 March 1971 by the leader of the Minister Khaleda Zia for Six months Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.  But this year, the government cancelled all programmes of the day as the country fights to contain the transmission of novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

US, UAE troops launch major exercise ‘Native Fury’

Government of Bangladesh has decided to suspend the sentence of the former Prime Minister and Chairperson of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) with certain conditions on humanitarian grounds.

 Khaleda Zia will be allowed to receive treatment at her home but she would not be allowed to go abroad. The United Arab Emirates and U.S. Marines and  BNP Chairperson is in jail since 2018 after Emirati forces held a major military exercise amid the court sentenced her to five years tensions with Iran and despite the new coronavirus imprisonment in 2017 in connection with the pandemic. Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.  Khaleda Zia is a Bangladeshi politician who  The biennial exercise, called Native Fury, served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh shows the close ties between American from 1991 to 1996, and again from 2001 to forces and the UAE. 2006.  The exercise saw 4,000 U.S. troops from the  She was the first woman in the country's Army, Marines and Navy position armored history and second in the Muslim majority vehicles and other equipment from Kuwait countries to head a democratic government as and the island of Diego Garcia in al-Hamra prime minister. using a portable pier system.  The barren desert, some 200 kilometers (125 Bangladesh Independence Day: 26 March miles) southwest of Abu Dhabi, is home to the UAE's vast oil reserves as well as its new Barakah nuclear power plant.

Saudi Arabia proposes to convene “extraordinary virtual G20 Leaders’ Summit” on March 26

Saudi Arabia which is in chair has proposed to convene an “extraordinary virtual G20 Leaders’ Summit” on 26th March to advance a coordinated

response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its human and economic implications.

 King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud will chair the meeting of this “extraordinary Summit”.  G20 members will be joined by leaders from invited countries, Spain, Jordan, Singapore, and Switzerland as well as international World Theatre Day (WTD) is celebrated on 27 organizations. March.  Regional organizations will be represented by Vietnam the Chair of the Association of  It was initiated in 1961 by the International Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), South Theatre Institute. Africa the Chair of the African Union (AU),  It is celebrated to generate awareness about the United Arab Emirates the Chair of the the importance of theatre arts. Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and  It is also celebrated to showcase the Rwanda the Chair of the New Partnership important role artists play in the field of for Africa's Development (NEPAD). entertainment.  G20 is one of the major forums for  It also talks about the changes theatre brings international cooperation on financial and in people's lives. economic issues and a primary platform for global economic governance. US Senate passes 2.2 trillion dollar economic rescue package Prince Charles tests positive for COVID-19

The United States Senate has passed an unparalleled The Prince of Wales, Prince Charles tested positive 2.2- trillion-dollar economic rescue package steering for COVID-19. aid to businesses, workers and health care systems engulfed by the Corona virus pandemic.  Prince Charles's office confirmed that he has mild symptoms and remains in good health.  The 880-page aid package is the largest  However, his wife Camilla, tested negative economic relief bill in US history, its value for the virus. equivalent to more than half of the nation’s  The couple are now self-isolating in entire $4 trillion annual budget. Scotland.  President Donald Trump has called for  The 71-year-old, Prince Charles is the eldest Americans to dedicate themselves for 15 days son and heir to Queen Elizabeth II. to social distancing, including staying home from work and closing bars and restaurants to World Theatre Day: 27 March help try to stall the spread of the disease.

ULA’s Atlas 5 launches AEHF-6  The United States surpassed China (81,285) communications satellite and Italy (80,589) in terms of number of people infected with the novel coronavirus.  A week ago, the number of confirmed cases was 8,000.  It has dangerously surged 10 times in the span of a week.  Dr Deborah Brix, coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force assured Americans that there is no shortage of essential medical supplies including ventilators and ICU beds. A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket lifted off UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson tests positive carrying a $1.4 billion Advanced Extremely High for coronavirus Frequency (AEHF-6) communications satellite for the U.S. Space Force.

 This was the sixth and final satellite of the AEHF constellation that provides secure, jam-proof voice and data communications for U.S. national leadership, military forces.  It has international partners like Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Australia.  Atlas 5 rockets launched the first five AEHF British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tested satellites in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2018 and positive for coronavirus and is self isolating but will 2019. still lead the government's response to the outbreak.

US has now most confirmed coronavirus cases in  This is the UK's second high profile world coronavirus case in the last three days.  Prince Charles, the 71-year-old heir to the British throne, has tested positive for coronavirus.

North Macedonia becomes NATO’s 30th member

In the United States, according to data compiled by Worldometer, over 16,000 confirmed cases were reported in a single day, making the total number of COVID-19 patients to 85,088 (as on 26 March), the highest for any country. North Macedonia officially became the 30th member of the NATO military alliance.

 North Macedonia’s flag will be raised  At the same time, the health of the child, alongside those of the other 29 member including medical examination, blood tests, countries at NATO headquarters in Brussels. medicines, delivery, would be covered.  North Macedonia previously was known as  It is a campaign to preserve and maintain the Macedonia, a name it shared with a Greek health of our future generations. province.  This membership comes after North Two-day unique Chilli Festival begins at Macedonia’s 2017 deal with Athens, the Kasrawad in Khargone district of MP country changed its name and Greece agreed to drop objections to its NATO and eventual EU membership.

Expo 2020 Dubai could be postponed by a year

In Madhya Pradesh, the two-day unique Chilli Festival begins at Kasrawad in Khargone district.

 The Chilli Festival is a big business opportunity for traders, investors and exporters. Expo 2020 organizers are mulling the postponement  It will also help in fulfilling the Central of the mega event by one year in light of the global Government's goal of doubling the income pandemic COVID-19’s impact on the worldwide of farmers. economy.  The festival aims to promote the Nimari brand of chillies.  Expo 2020 is a World Expo to be hosted by  Nimar and Malwa regions are the highest Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, chilli producing regions of the state. The red scheduled to be opened on 20th October, chillies of these regions are exported to 2020. China, Pakistan, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.  UAE has spent billions on infrastructure in preparation. Indian Railways launches its First 'Restaurant on Wheels'

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla launches 'Suposhit Maa Abhiyaan' in Kota

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has launched the 'Suposhit Maa Abhiyaan' in his constituency Kota. Indian Railways has launched its first ''Restaurant on Wheels'' at the circulating area of Asansol railway station for the use of passengers as well as  Under this Abhiyan, 1,000 pregnant women would be given food items for one month. the general public.

 The Restaurant on Wheels was developed by  A private-sector loan of up to CNY 130 refurbishing two over-aged MEMU coaches. million (USD 18.6 million) to Wuhan, PRC-  This unique effort will not only improve the based Jointown Pharmaceutical Group Co facilities at Asansol station but will also Ltd to enhance the distribution and supply of generate non-fare revenue earnings essential medicines and protective approximately Rs 50 lakh in the next five equipment. years. Arunachal Pradesh Assembly goes paperless Nokia announces Pekka Lundmark new President & CEO

The Budget session of the 7th Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly began. Pekka Lundmark announced as the new Chief Executive Officer & President of Nokia.  The Arunachal Pradesh Assembly went paperless on with the implementation of e-  Pekka Lundmark is presently serving as the Vidhan, a project under the Digital India President and CEO of an energy company programme. “Fortum” which is based in Espoo, Finland.  With the implementation of the e-Vidhan project, MLAs can access every information ADB sanctions 4 million USD to own members regarding the Assembly, see the list of countries to contain CoronaVirus business and read questions and other documents pertaining to House proceedings through their laptops and tablet computers.  The initiative will make all the proceedings in the house paperless.

Tripura Govt and AAI sign MoU for construction of 6 equipment hiring centers

Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide a total of USD 4 million (about ₹29 crores) to help developing countries in Asia and Pacific to fight the outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

 The Asian Development Bank will work closely with the World Health Organization. Tripura State Government and Airport Authority of  The first tranche assistance was to strengthen India has signed a memorandum of understanding for the immediate response capacity in the construction of six equipment hiring centers in Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Manu Block under the Dhalai District of Tripura. and Vietnam.

 The project has been taken as part of AAI’s The Government of India has submitted two Corporate Social Responsibility scheme. nomination dossiers namely ‘Dholavira: A Harappan  In the equipment hiring centers, equipment City’ and ‘Monuments and Forts of Deccan related to agriculture, animal husbandry and Sultanate’ for inclusion in the World Heritage List fisheries will be kept. for the year 2020.  The types of equipment will be rented out to the needy farmers, Self Help Groups and to  Govt of Madhya Pradesh has submitted the any other needy at a minimal cost. proposal of ‘Group of Monuments at Mandu’ in the year 2019. Historic city square in Jammu renamed as  The dossier was further forwarded to the ‘Bharat Mata Chowk’ World Heritage Centre (WHC) for completeness check.  Dholavira is an archaeological site in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District, in the state of Gujarat.

National Safety Day: 04 March

The historic City Chowk, the commercial hub in old Jammu, was renamed as ‘Bharat Mata Chowk’.

 The renaming of the chowk drew mixed reactions from the people with most of them welcoming the decision but urged the JMC to focus more on development and cleanliness rather than changing names. The National Safety Council observes a National  Every year people are hoisting the tricolour Safety Day (NSD) across India annually on March 4. on Republic and Independence days in this chowk.  The National Safety Day aims to promote  The starting point of the circular road near safety guidelines in logistics, production, Panjtirthi in the city was named by the JMC construction, transport, research, and as ‘Atal Chowk’ in the memory of former development and other important aspects of prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. an industry.  The first observance of National Safety Day Nomination dossiers of ‘Dholavira’ have been took place in 1966, on the day when the submitted for inclusion in the World Heritage National Safety Council (NSC) was founded. List for the year 2020  Its headquarters is situated in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra.  This year's theme is "Enhance Health & Safety Performance by Use of Advanced Technology".

NABARD infuses Rs 1.46 lakh crore in rural banking system during current fiscal

 In the foreign category, the fair will witness participation from countries, including Hong Kong, Israel, Indonesia, Japan, Poland, Russia, Switzerland, UK and UAE.  The event will also offer an insight into operational and food safety concerns and innovations to become energy-efficient, finding budget-friendly raw materials boosting productivity, while still aiming for greater profitability. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has infused 1.46 lakh Famous Rangotsav begins at Barsana in Mathura crore rupees in the rural banking system during the current fiscal.

 In a statement, NABARD has said that 66,397 crore rupees have been given in short- term credit and 6,704 crore rupees in long- term credit to rural cooperative banks.  Regional rural banks have availed 14,141 crore rupees in short-term credit and 8,417 crore rupees in long-term credit.  While short-term refinance is essentially The famous Rangotsav began at Barsana in Mathura, production credit, long-term refinance is the place which is famous for its colourful holi aimed at supporting sectors like dairy, festivities. poultry, fishery, farm mechanisation, irrigation, and non-farm sectors, among  Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi others. Adityanath inaugurated the 10-day Rangotsav and also participated in Laddoo 35th edition of AAHAR, Food and Hospitality Holi. fair, begins in New Delhi  For the next ten days, various forms of Holi including Chadi Maar Holi, Falain ki Holi and Dau ji ka Aurangabad will be played at different places in Mathura, Vrindavan.  The Rangotsav will also feature cultural events and the entire town of Barsana will be decorated with flowers and colours.

Pune to host 108th Indian Science Congress in 2021 The 35th edition of AAHAR - the Food and Hospitality fair began in New Delhi.

 This year, the fair will feature a wide range of food products, machinery, hospitality, Food and Beverage Equipment and Decoration items, and Confectionery items from over 750 participants from India and overseas.

Pune will host the 108th Indian Science Congress in transporting large amounts of fuel from the January 2021. fuel station to the desired destination.  The major benefits of diesel delivery service  This will be the fourth time that the city will are good quality and quantity of fuel host the prestigious meet in the last 100 years. delivered, live tracking of the delivery  The event, set to be held at Symbiosis vehicle, automated billing, delivery within 8 International University’s Lavale campus. hours and no spillage and wastage of fuel.  The theme of this event will be ‘Science and  Humsafar has 12 bowser tankers in varying Technology for Sustainable Development capacity from 4 kilo litres to 6 kilo litres and with Women Empowerment’. an experienced team of 35 people, excluding  Dr Vijay Laxmi Saxena has been elected bowser crews. general president of the Indian Science Congress, 2021. Janaushadhi Week being celebrated from March  The science congress had commenced in 1 to 7 1914 from then Calcutta with 105 members.  Currently, the association has more than 60,000 members from various streams of science like agriculture, archaeology, biochemistry, earth system science among others.

Government launches ‘Humsafar’ mobile app for doorstep diesel delivery Janaushadhi week is being celebrated across the country from the 1st of this month through more than 6200 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras.

 Jan Aushadhi Kendra owners are organising different types of activities for making awareness about health and hygiene.  Free distribution camps for Suvidha Sanitary Napkins were held at about 2000 places and Housing societies, hotels, and hospitals in the more than 50,000 Sanitary Napkin packets national capital region will soon be able to get diesel were given free of cost to the women. delivered at their doorsteps, with the launch of  Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi mobile application 'Humsafar' by Labour Minister Pariyojana is a noble initiative of the Santosh Gangwar. Government which is now making an impact on masses in its endeavor to provide quality medicines at an affordable price.  The app will be used for the fuel delivery services to housing societies, hotels,  The total sales in the financial year 2019-20 hospitals, malls, construction sites, till February have crossed 383 crore which industries, banquets and other bulk buyers of led to total savings of about 2200 crore rupees diesel in various national capital region cities, of common citizens. including Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Noida, Faridabad, Hapur, Kundli, Manesar, and Setu Bharatam scheme: All level crossings on NH Bahadurgarh. to be replaced by Over/under Bridges  The main idea of introducing this service is to help entities such as housing societies, Government has envisaged replacement of all the industries and malls avoid the hassle of level crossings on National Highways by Road Over

Bridges or Road Under Bridges under the Setu  Every trekking season from April to Bharatam scheme. September, she trains 20 to 30 rural women to work as trekking guides.  The programme is being implemented by the Road Transport and Highways Ministry to Western Railway announces bonus of 5% for ensure safe and smooth flow of traffic and every recharge to R-Wallet reduce road fatalities by 50 percent by 2020.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Setu Bharatam scheme on 4th March in 2016 for building rail over-bridges or underpasses for safe and seamless travel on National Highways.  Setu Bharatam programme was launched to make all National Highways free of railway level crossings in order to prevent the frequent accidents and loss of lives at level crossings. As an incentive to promote mobile ticketing, Western  208 places were identified for construction of Railway had announced a bonus of 5 percent for rail over-bridges or underpasses under the every recharge to the R-Wallet until 24th August project at a cost of nearly 10,200 crore 2020. rupees.  The Ministry of Road Transport Highways  The existing bonus scheme, which expired and Ministry of Railways have signed an last week, has been extended to encourage MoU to replace all level crossings by Road more and more users to use mobile ticketing. Over Bridges or Road Under Bridges.  Western Railways has said that passengers are requested to patronize the use of UTS Thinlas Chorol sets up first women's travel Mobile Ticketing App and avail the enhanced company in Ladakh benefits attached with their use.  The Western Railway is one of the 18 zones of Indian Railways and is Headquartered in Churchgate, Mumbai.

Cabinet gives nod for FDI policy on civil aviation

The International Women's Day will be celebrated on the 8th of March.

 In Ladakh, a young woman Thinlas Chorol The Cabinet approved Foreign Direct Investment, has introduced a woman trekking guide in the FDI policy on civil aviation. male dominated trekking industry.  To train the other women as trekking guides,  FDI policy was amended to permit foreign she setup the first women's travel company investment in Air India. fully operated by women only.  The Non Resident Indians can acquire up to 100 per cent equity in Air India under automatic route.

 The Minister said, earlier only 49 per cent  These projects are likely to generate were available for sale to NRIs but now they employment for ten thousand people and can purchase 100 percent. benefit nearly forty thousand farmers.  The projects were sanctioned under the Agro IRDAI asks insurance companies to design Processing Cluster Scheme of Kisan policies to cover coronavirus Sampada Yojana.  100 per cent FDI is permitted under the automatic route in Food Processing Industries and 100 per cent FDI is allowed through approval route for trading including e-commerce in respect of food products manufacture and produced in India.  One hundred per cent Income Tax exemption from profit derived from activities such as post-harvest value addition to agriculture by FPO’s having annual turnover up to 100 crore rupees. Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India, IRDAI has asked insurers to expeditiously Chapchar Kut, the biggest and most joyful settle hospitalisation claims related to novel festival of Mizos, being celebrated coronavirus disease under health policies.

 In a circular, the Regulator has instructed insurance companies to come out with policies to cover treatment costs for coronavirus infection.  It said, the costs of admissible medical expenses during the course of treatment including quarantine period, should be settled In Mizoram, the biggest and most joyful festival of in accordance with the applicable terms and Mizos, Chapchar Kut is being celebrated across the conditions. state. Govt sanctions projects worth over Rs 301 crore  The Chapchar Kut is also regarded as the in food processing sector most popular spring festival to the people of the state.  The gaiety and fervour of Chapchar Kut shines through with plenty of dancing and music to keep everyone in good spirits.  Traditional bamboo dance - Cheraw and other dances were performed at the main event, attracting thousands of people.

Gairsain named Uttarakhand's new summer The Union Government has sanctioned ten projects capital worth over 301 crore rupees in the food processing sector.  Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat named Gairsain as the new summer capital of the state.

 Rawat made the announcement immediately The government has imposed a withdrawal limit of after concluding his budget speech on the 50,000 rupees for depositors of private lender Yes third day of the assembly session convened Bank for one month. in Gairsain.  Gairsain, located in Chamoli district  The cap will stay in effect till 3rd of April. between the Kumaon and Garhwal regions,  The limit on withdrawal comes with a few will function as the summer capital. exemptions, in cases like medical  The state's current winter capital is emergency, higher education, marriage and Dehradun. unavoidable emergency.  Uttarakhand was carved out as a separate  Yes Bank's board has been superseded for a state from Uttar Pradesh in 1998. period of 30 days owing to serious deterioration in the financial position of the EPFO lowers interest rate on deposits to 8.5% private lender. for 2019-20  RBI has assured depositors of Yes Bank that that their interest will be fully protected and there is no need to panic.  In another development, SBI Board has given the State Bank of India in-principle approval to invest in the capital-starved Yes Bank.

Cabinet clears merger of 10 PSBs into 4 banks effective April 1

Retirement fund body, Employees' Provident Fund Organization, (EPFO) lowered the interest rate on provident fund deposits to 8.5 per cent for the current financial year.

 Earlier it was 8.65 percent.  Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar made this announcement in New Delhi after the meeting of the EPFO apex decision making The Cabinet approved the amalgamation of the 10 body - the Central Board of Trustee. public sector banks (PSB) into 4 PSBs that was announced on August 30, 2019. Govt imposes withdrawal limit of Rs 50,000 for depositors of Yes Bank for a month  The merger would come into effect from April 1, 2020.  The Cabinet's approval will lead to the merger of - o Oriental Bank of Commerce and United Bank of India into Punjab National Bank; o Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank into Union Bank of India; o Syndicate Bank into Canara Bank;

and o Allahabad Bank into Indian Bank

 According to the government, the merger of Reserve Bank of India deputy governor NS the 10 banks will lead to the creation of Vishwanathan has quit three months ahead of his stronger establishments that will be able to retirement in June due to health reasons. meet the challenge of a $ 5 trillion economy.  Vishwanathan would end his nearly four- Sebi launches ‘SCORES’ mobile app for decade career by March 31 when the central investors to lodge grievances bank would relieve him of his duties.  As a deputy governor, he was looking after key departments such as banking regulation, co-operative banking, non-banking regulation, deposit insurance, financial stability and inspection.  Vishwanathan, a Master of Economics from Bangalore University, had been the RBI’s face for the past few years at the Bank for Markets regulator Sebi has launched a mobile International Settlements (BIS), the Basel- application for convenience of investors to lodge based central banks’ central bank. grievances in Sebi Complaints Redress System (SCORES). Fourth Global Ayurveda Festival to be held at Kochi from May 16  "SCORES' mobile app will make it easier for investors to lodge their grievances with Sebi, as they can now access SCORES at their convenience of a smartphone.  The mobile app will encourage investors to lodge their complaints on SCORES rather than sending letters to Sebi in physical mode.  According to Sebi norms, entities against The Fourth Global Ayurveda Festival, GAF will be whom complaints are lodged need to file an held at Kochi in Kerala from 16th to 20th May. action taken report with the regulator within 30 days of receipt of complaint.  The theme for the five-day event is ‘Ayurveda Medical Tourism: Actualizing RBI deputy governor Vishwanathan quits ahead India's credibility’. of retirement  It will be the largest Ayurvedic event ever to be held anywhere across the world and will witness the largest gathering of experts, stakeholders and business explorers from the field of Ayurveda.  More than 500 stalls, the participation of over 5,000 international delegates, ethnic food carnivals, exhibition of rich medicinal plants and workshops on Panchkarma to be the key highlights of GAF-2020.

3 Day ‘Namaste Orchha’ festival begins in Madhya Pradesh

Pradhanmantri Bhartiya Jana Aushadhi Pariyojna-PMBJP.  The Jan aushadhi Divas aims to provide further impetus and create awareness about the use of generic medicines.  The day also highlights the initiative undertaken by the Government in the direction of making quality healthcare for all, like Ayushman Bharat, PMBJY, etc.  The Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Pariyojna In Madhya Pradesh, 'Namaste Orchha' festival is was launched by the Prime Minister with an starting from Orchha, a famous tourist destination of objective of making high-quality medicines the state. available to all at an affordable prices, especially to the poor and underprivileged,  Orchha is famous for its Ramaraja temple as through exclusive outlets of Jan Aushadhi well as other historical buildings. Medical Stores.  Three days Namaste Orchha festival is an attempt to create new opportunities and Annual festival of St Antony’s Shrine in initiatives to promote the state and its rich Katchatheevu Island begins cultural, natural and architectural heritage and its traditions and history.  The festival will showcase the cultural landscape of Madhya Pradesh through a range of activities like art, music,dance, guided history tours and photography.  To beautify Orchha, all the houses of the main road of Orchha have been painted with cream color on the lines of Pink City Jaipur.  The festival will also feature a food and crafts The annual festival of St Antony’s Shrine in bazaar that will have local cuisine and Katchatheevu Island, Sri Lanka begins. traditional handicrafts of the region.  More than 3,000 devotees from India are India observed Jan Auashadhi Diwas on 7th being transported in country boats. March  It is notable that the citizens of India are not required to possess an Indian passport or Sri Lankan visa for visiting Kachchatheevu, according to an agreement between the two governments.  St Antony is worshiped as the patron saint of seafarers.  The shrine is the only structure on the island and was built in the early years of the last Jan aushadhi Diwas was celebrated on 7th March century. 2020. India admitted as fifth observer to Indian Ocean  Prime minister Shri Narendra Modi Commission interacted with owners of selected Jan aushadhi Kendras and beneficiaries of the

India was admitted to the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC: Commission de l'Océan Indien, COI) as an observer country.

 The decision was taken at the meeting of the IOC Conference of ministers in Seychelles on making India the fifth observer.  The other four observers China, Malta, The Union Minister for Skill Development and European Union and International Entrepreneurship Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF). launched the Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship  The member states are known to be erstwhile programme in the Indian Institute of Management in French colonies or partly British, partly Bengaluru. French colonies.  The move will also lend greater significance  The Fellowship is launched as part of the to India’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for SANKALP programme of the ministry to all in the Region) policy of the Modi provide skilled manpower for District Skill administration. Committees to prepare the District Skill  The IOC was created in 1982 at Port Louis, Development plan. Mauritius, and later institutionalised in 1984.  Under the pilot project, IIMB will train 75  It has five member nations- Comoros, graduates for two years in preparing the Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion (an District skill plan considering the skill gaps, overseas region of France) and Seychelles. market utilities, government schemes and institutions available in the district. Indian Coast Guards conducts SAREX-2020 in  Graduates from 75 districts in Uttar Pradesh, Goa Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Karnataka and Meghalaya are chosen for the training.

Govt to make sanitary napkin disposal bags mandatory from January 2021

Final exercise of the National level Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX-2020) was conducted by the Indian Coast Guard in the sea at Vasco, South Goa district.

 The exercise was carried out and rehearsals Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar has for SAREX were conducted on March 4. said that Sanitary napkin makers will be asked to  It was observed by observers from 19 supply a biodegradable bag with each napkin from countries. January 2021.  ICG conducts this exercise biennially under the aegis of National Maritime Search and  Mr. Javadekar interacted with the members Rescue Board (NMSARB) since 2003. of the women garbage collectors organization in Pune. MSDE launches Mahatma Gandhi National  He said that the possibility of getting infected Fellowship programme in Bengaluru because of handling used Sanitary Napkins

thrown in the garbage was brought to notice India remains second-largest arms importer in by many of the women garbage collectors. 2019  That’s why the Environment Ministry has taken the decision to ask Makers of Sanitary Napkins to provide biodegradable bags so that Napkins can be wrapped in these bags before being thrown in the garbage.  Mr. Javadekar announced that the sanitation norms for Corporations and municipalities will now be applied to villages with a population of more than three thousand.

Ranchi University launches its own Community India retains its position as the second-largest arms Radio Station importer in the world followed by Saudi Arabia, says a new report by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

 India neighbour Pakistan ranked 11th.  The SIPRI report shows how Russia gradually lost the lucrative Indian arms market over the years, though the communist country remains a key supplier.  Although India remains the main recipient of Russian arms in 2015-19, accounting for 25%

of the total, Russian arms exports to India fell Ranchi University will launch its own Community by 47 per cent between 2010-14 and 2015-19. Radio Station - RADIO KHANCHI 90.4 FM Aap  The USA became the second-largest arms Sabka Radio on International Women's Day. supplier to India in 2010-14.  China, on the other hand, accounted for 51%  This Radio Station is dedicated to all Women of Pakistan’s arms imports in 2010-14 and for who have always remained the driving force 73% in 2015-19. behind every man.  Radio Khanchi under Ranchi University CISF 51st Raising Day: 10 March remains to be the first-ever University in the Eastern Zone to be gifted with a Community Radio Station by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and sponsored by Information and Public Relations Department, Government of Jharkhand.  The radio would provide help to university students which is spread over a campus of more than 15 kms.  Students will be able to receive information The CISF Raising Day is celebrated on March 10th about academic, cultural, examination, of every year. important datelines and placement related activities and programs.  CISF was set up under an act of the Parliament of India in the year 1969.

 CISF comes directly under the Union  Maharashtra follows with 5,513 installations. Ministry of Home Affairs and not under the  Of 79,950 systems installed across the Ministry of Defense. country, Gujarat has topped with 64 per cent  Among its duties are guarding sensitive or two-thirds of total domestic solar rooftop governmental buildings, the Delhi Metro, and installations. providing airport security.  The total capacity of the 50,915 systems installed on domestic rooftops in the State is First time in India, anti-HIV drugs used to treat 177.67 MW, whereas the total systems coronavirus installed across the country have a combined capacity of 322 MW.  The State government has adopted a solar rooftop scheme ‘Surya Gujarat’ to cover about eight lakh domestic electricity consumers under the scheme by 2022.  The electricity generated through the domestic rooftops is being consumed by the households, while the excess units are purchased by the State discoms at the rate of ₹2.25 per unit. India has, for the first time, used the Lopinavir/ Ritonavir combination, usually a second line HIV Punjab government launches coronavirus medication, in the treatment of two Italian patients application who tested positive for COVID-19 in Jaipur.

 ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) has taken approval for use of second line HIV drugs on COVID patients, but this Lopinavir/Ritonavir combination therapy has been approved for emergency use among COVID-19 patients with moderate degree of severity with laid down protocols.  Till now, this combination therapy has been given to two Italian patients hospitalised in To sensitise people about coronavirus, Punjab Jaipur. government has launched 'Cova Punjab' mobile application. Gujarat tops in domestic solar rooftop installations  The app has been developed by the department of government reforms and public grievances in consultation with the health and family welfare department to spread awareness by sharing various travelling and preventive care advisories.  The application provides options to citizens to check symptoms as provided by the government from time to time and follow the advisory given thereafter. Gujarat has topped the list in the installations of solar rooftop plants across the country with about 50,915 systems being fixed on domestic rooftops in the state.

 The app also suggests the nearest hospital and  These bases will be set up as part of nodal officer of district where the citizen can initiatives to woo the countries to buy India's reach in-case he is corona symptomatic. light combat aircraft Tejas and military helicopters. Andhra Pradesh ranked 1st in country for overall  HAL is now seriously focusing on boosting implementation of Poshan Abhiyan exports in sync with the government's priority and identified South East Asia, West Asia and North Africa to sell key platforms like Tejas, attack helicopter Rudra and advanced light helicopter Dhruv.  Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set an ambitious defence export target of USD 5 billion dollars in the next five years and asked all the key military manufacturers to work hard to achieve the target. Government is implementing Poshan Abhiyan, earlier known as National Nutrition Mission, since Centre constitutes delimitation panel for J-K and 18th December, 2017 to address the problem of 4 northeastern states malnutrition in the country.

 The Abhiyan aims to reduce malnutrition in the country in a phased manner, through a life cycle approach, by adopting a synergized and result oriented approach.  The goals of Poshan Abhiyan are to achieve improvement in Nutritional status of children

from 0-6 years, adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers in a time bound The union government started the process of manner. redrawing the Lok Sabha and assembly  State of Andhra Pradesh ranked 1st in the constituencies in the Union Territory of Jammu and country for overall implementation of Poshan Kashmir and the northeastern states of Assam, Abhiyan as per the recent report shared by Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland. NITI Aayog.  In 2002, the last delimitation was conducted HAL planning to set up bases in four countries across India but these states were left out to push exports due to various reasons.  A law ministry notification said that former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai has been appointed as the chairperson of the Delimitation Commission.  Election commissioner Sushil Chandra and state election commissioners of J&K and the four states will be the ex officio members.

 The Commission will delimit the State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir in looking at setting up logistics bases in Malaysia, accordance with the provisions of the Vietnam, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, and of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur

and Nagaland in accordance with the  The Prime Minister is expected to carry out provisions of the Delimitation Act, 2002. yogasanas based on Common Yoga Protocol along with an anticipated gathering of 15 to Andhra Pradesh CM launches 'NIGHA' app to 20 thousand people on the Yoga Day at Leh. ensure ‘clean’ poll Government celebrating ‘Poshan Pakhwada’ from 8th to 22nd March across the Country

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy launched ‘NIGHA’ app. The second anniversary of the Poshan Abhiyan, ‘Poshan Pakhwada’ is being celebrated from 8th to  This app aims to ensure ‘clean and healthy’ 22nd March. elections and for curbing the use of money and alcohol in the ensuing Local Body Poll.  The focus area of the two-week-long Poshan  The Panchayat Raj Department, in a bid to Pakhwada 2020 will be - Men for Nutrition - crack down on electoral malpractices, has increasing male engagement in Poshan set up the NIGHA app to empower common Abhiyan - to improve Nutritional Indicators. citizens to lodge complaints seamlessly.  The Abhiyaan, Prime Minister Narendra  Anyone can download the NIGHA app on Modi's overarching scheme for Holistic their smart phones. Photos and videos of the Nourishment was launched on this day in distribution of money and alcohol and any 2018. other activity that violates Model Code of  It aims at reducing malnutrition from the Conduct (MCC) can be registered by this country in a phased manner, through the life app. cycle concept, by adopting a synergized and  All the complaints registered by this app result-oriented approach. will automatically be routed to the Central Control room and the information will be “Divya Kala Shakti-Witnessing the Abilities in shared with the concerned officials. Disabilities” in Chennai

Main national event for International Day of Yoga to be held at Leh

The main national event for the International Day of Yoga will be held at Leh, the capital of Ladakh this year.

 The event, which is held on the 21st of June every year, will be led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Governor of Tamil Nadu Shri Banwarilal  The event promises to be unique and Purohit witnessed the first ever regional event different since such a large congregation for Divya Kala Shakti: Witnessing the abilities in Yoga will be taking place in a high altitude disabilities a unique cultural event in Chennai. location like Leh for the first time.

 In this event around 1000 invitees including  The person had gone to Saudi Arabia in Persons with Disabilities, Parents of Persons January end and came back on February 29. with Differently Abled, teachers, care-givers  On his return, he was down with fever and and NGOs, etc are attending . took treatment at a private hospital.  This event brings together children and youth with Differently Abled from all the RS approves minor changes in bill to include five Southern zone Viz. Andhra Pradesh, tribal communities of Karnataka in ST category Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Lakshadweep and Puducherry.  About 98 children and youth with different disabilities like Visual Impairment, Hearing Impairment, Locomotor Disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual disabilities, Multiple Disabilities etc have practiced over a month to display their hidden talents .  This cultural event provides a wider and unique platform to showcase the potential of Rajya Sabha approved some minor changes made by Persons with Differently Abled in the field Lok Sabha in the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) of performing art, music, dance, acrobatics Order Amendment Bill, 2019. etc.  Tribal Affairs minister Arjun Munda moved India's first COVID-19 death confirmed in the amendments made by Lok Sabha in the Karnataka Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2019 for consideration.  The motion was adopted with voice vote in the Upper House.  The amendments are replacing the word ''seventieth'' to ''seventy-first'' and figure ''2019'' to ''2020'' at line one in the first page.  The bill seeks to include Parivara and Talawara tribal communities of Karnataka in ST category to ensure they get the reservation and other benefits provided by the A 76-year-old man who died two days ago in government. Karnataka while being treated for suspected coronavirus has become India's first COVID-19 On the occasion of 130th Foundation Day of fatality with his samples taken earlier confirming the National Archives of India an exhibition named infection. "Jallianwala Bagh" inaugurated in New Delhi

 The man, who recently returned from Saudi Arabia, had died on 10 March.  Officials said the patient had severe co- morbidities such as history of hypertension, diabetes and asthma and appendicitis.  The body is disinfected completely and disposed as per the Government of India guidelines. On the occasion of 130th Foundation Day of National Archives of India (NAI) an exhibition on

Jallianwala Bagh is organised at the premises of  This facility has been chosen for working National Archives, New Delhi. people who cannot receive parcels because they have no one at home to receive  This exhibition is an endeavour to consignments during office hours. commemorate the centenary of Jallianwala  A customer will be given a specific locker Bagh Massacre covering a period from number as the address where India Post will (1915-50). drop the parcel.  The present exhibition is primarily presented  Consignments will be dropped into the digital with the help of original and digital copies of parcel locker and an SMS will be issued archival documents relating to the along with an OTP number to the customer Jallianwala bagh Massacre available in concerned. National Archives of India.  This is an earnest attempt to portray the Maharashtra govt approves implementation of relentless struggle of the Indian people "happy hour" for autorickshaws against the British tyranny through our record holdings.

Points to Remember

 National Archives of India Founded: 11 March 1891

 Headquarters: New Delhi  Parent department: Ministry of Culture Maharashtra government has approved the implementation of "happy hour" for autorickshaws India Post launches first free Digital Locker as recommended by the Khatua panel. Service in West Bengal  A government resolution states that fares will be slashed by 15 percent between 12 noon and 4 pm.  The decision will however not be applicable to local taxis and app based taxis.  The panel had said that the new concept will turn lean hours to happy hours, especially for housewives and senior citizens who normally don't have a fixed schedule for their outings. For the first time in India, the Department of Posts is  While citizens are pleased with the move, introducing a free digital parcel locker service in the auto rickshaw unions have indicated that they city to enable customers to collect their consignment will oppose the move. from specified post offices at their convenience. ‘Wings India 2020’ begins in Hyderabad  The facility will be available in two post offices in Kolkata - the Nabadiganta IT Post Office in Sector 5 of Salt Lake City and another in New Town.  The facility, which is popular in European countries, will be limited to consignments received through registered post or speed post.

The three -day civil aviation business exhibition and air show, ‘Wings India 2020’ has begun in Hyderabad.

 The biennial event being organized by Ministry of Civil Aviation and Airports Authority of India along with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Facebook India called for applications for its CSR Industry (FICCI) will continue at the initiative, Facebook Pragati. Begumpet airport.  On the first day, Business to Business and  The initiative will incubate and accelerate Business to Government meetings are taking early-stage women-led non-profits that are place in which a number of aviation majors working to drive women entrepreneurship including Airbus, Boeing and others are and to spread awareness and adoption of taking place. technology among women in India.  The biennial event will have dazzling  Facebook Pragati will award four grants of up aerobatics twice a day by two teams - Sarang, to ₹50 lakh for each non-profit to scale their the helicopter aerobatics team of Indian Air work. Force and Global Stars team of British pilots  Non-profits that are less than three years old on fixed wing aircrafts. and have at least one woman founder can apply. Cabinet hikes dearness allowance for Central  The programme will work on building govt employees by 4 per cent second-tier capacity within the non-profits, with a series of functional mentors across marketing, HR and technology.  Apart from creating sustainability, this will also allow founders to spend time on strategic growth, resulting in scaling up faster.

India delivers 600 tonnes of rice to flood-hit Madagascar

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved a four per cent hike in dearness allowance (DA) for central government employees.

 The Cabinet approved an increase of four per cent DA to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners with effect from January 1, 2020. Indian Ambassador to Madagascar Abhay Kumar  This is over the existing rate of 17 percent of has handed over 600 tonnes of rice on behalf of the the Basic Pay/Pension. Government of India to the Madagascar for quick relief to the flood victims. Facebook launches ‘Pragati’ to boost women entrepreneurship in India  Indian Naval Ship (INS) Shardul arrived in Madagascar at Port Antsiranana on 10th of

this month carrying rice for the people of GOKADDAL, world's first Digital Solutions Madagascar. Exchange in the cloud has been launched in India.  The rice will be distributed to the people affected by cyclone Diane that hit  It is a one of its kind solutions aggregator, Madagascar coast in January this year. marketplace and cloud delivery platform.  Earlier, on 30th January, INS Airavat brought  GOKADDAL is going to revolutionize the immediate relief material. way digital solutions are sourced, delivered  India was the first country to respond during and managed. devastation caused by Cyclone.  GOKADDAL Technologies is a Dubai based emerging technology company. India ranks better in Animal Protection Index  For solution seekers, GOKADDAL provides 2020, but still needs improvements features like solution search, compare, use EOI/Bidding process to select the right solution in the right budget.

Assam govt to construct 33 stadiums in state under Uttran scheme

India is one of the better-performing countries in the global Animal Protection Index 2020, created by international animal welfare charity, World Animal Protection.

 The Animal Protection Index (API) aims to showcase where countries are doing well, and where they fall short on animal welfare policy and legislation, so they can take steps The Assam government will construct 33 stadiums in to improve. the state under the ‘Uttaran’ scheme.  The index ranks countries from A (being the highest score) to G (being the weakest score)  The 300 crore rupees will be spent to build according to their policy and legislation. the stadiums across the state.  India has attained a C ranking in the index,  500 playgrounds are being developed in the along with countries like New Zealand, state to encourage rural talents. Mexico, France, and Spain.  Also, 50 thousand rupees will be given to one  Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Austria thousand players and 2500 clubs to get a are rated with the highest scores. grant of Rs. 75 thousand to promote sports in the state. GOKADDAL - World's first Digital Solutions Exchange Cloud launched in India UP govt launches schemes for skill development & employment generation for youths

Uttar Pradesh government has launched three ambitious schemes for skill development and employment generation for youths in the state.

 Chief Minister of state Yogi Adityanath launched three schemes Kaushal Satrang, Yuva Hub and CM apprenticeship scheme.  Kaushal Satrang will have seven components which will provide opportunities to the youth.  Last month, the ‘Yuva Hub’ scheme was allocated Rs 1,200 crore in the state budget and it aims at providing employment to thousands of skilled youth by assisting in project concept and financial help for one The government has declared face masks and hand year of operation. sanitizers as essential commodities for the next 100  CM Yuva Hub will also facilitate setting up days. of 30,000 startups in the state while CM apprenticeship scheme will provide a stipend  The move is aimed at stepping up efforts to of Rs 2500 to the youth of the state. boost supply and prevent hoarding of these items in its fight to check the spread of Infosys, Qualcomm partner for smart cities coronavirus disease. solutions  The Centre has also invoked the Disaster Management Act to ensure price regulation and availability of surgical and protective masks, hand sanitizer and gloves.  The decision will empower the government and States/Union Territories to regulate the production, quality and distribution of masks and hand sanitizers for smooth sale and availability of these items.  It also empowers to carry out operations Infosys announced that it has joined the Qualcomm against speculators and those involved in Smart Cities Accelerator Program to offer end-to-end overpricing and black marketing. solutions for smart stadiums, smart venues and smart event management. Mumbai Central Station to be Renamed After Nana Shankarsheth  This program is designed to connect cities, municipalities, government agencies, and enterprises with Qualcomm Technologies' ecosystem to help deliver greater efficiencies.  These Smart Space solutions build upon Infosys' proprietary SCALE (Sustainable- Connected-Affordable-Livable-Experiential) framework for smart spaces.  SCALE offers a rich set of features for building and resource management, physical The Maharashtra cabinet approved a proposal to assets management and occupants' safety and rename Mumbai Central station in the city as "Nana security. Shankarsheth Mumbai Central Railway Station".

Govt declares face masks and hand sanitizers as  The proposal to rename the station would essential commodities to boost supply now be sent to the Railway Ministry.

 Jagannath "Nana" Shankarsheth (1803-1865)  Gates has not worked at Microsoft full-time was a Maharashtrian philanthropist and since 2008, when he stepped away to focus educationist famous for his contribution to on his foundation. Mumbai's development.  He stepped down as chairman of the board six years ago, when Microsoft's current CEO India's first culinary arts museum at WGSHA Satya Nadella was appointed to the role. enters Limca Book of Records  He would continue to serve as an advisor to Nadella.

Lava launches non-internet based digital payment solution

Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Management (WGSHA) of Manipal Academy of Higher Education entered the Limca Book of Records for establishing 'India's First Living Culinary Arts Museum' at WGSHA. Lava International Ltd launched its digital payments app, Lava Pay.  Celebrity chef Vikas Khanna is the Founder and curator of India's first living culinary arts  The Noida-based smartphone company museum at WGSHA. claims that the app is the world’s first digital  It was his idea which led to the establishment payment solution that does not require of this culinary museum. internet connectivity.  He also donated thousands of kitchen tools  The app will be pre-installed in the brand’s and equipment worth millions of dollars to upcoming feature phones. the culinary arts museum for preserving  In order to send or pay money from the app, history of India's rich tradition of culinary users need to enter the phone number of the arts and to educate the future generations. receiver, the amount and a transaction ‘Pass  There are historical as well as regular Code. household items such as plates made by the Portuguese in India, a 100-year-old ladle PM Modi proposes Covid-19 emergency fund, used to dole out food at temples and bowls other measures dating to the Harappan era and an old seed sprinkler.

Bill Gates is stepping down from the boards of Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway

Bill Gates is stepping down from the boards of Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway to focus on his work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted a video- conference meet of leaders of all SAARC member nations.

 PM Modi also proposed a COVID-19 emergency fund, which will be based on voluntary contributions from all SAARC members.  India can start with an initial offer of 10 million US dollars for this fund.  The PM also proposed the creation of a common research platform to carry out research to control epidemic diseases in the region. The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG)  The South Asian Association for Regional recently organised a grand event in the national Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional capital to mark the conclusion of its flagship intergovernmental organization and programme 'Ganga Amantran Abhiyan'. geopolitical union of states in South Asia.  Its member states are Afghanistan,  Union Home Minister Amit Shah was invited Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, as the chief guest at the event to confer the Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. awards to various achievers who contributed  SAARC Headquarters: Kathmandu towards the successful completion of the  Secretary-General: Esala Weerakoon programme.  "Ganga Amantran Abhiyan" was a Phool Dei festival begins in Uttarakhand pioneering exploratory open-water rafting and kayaking expedition on the Ganga river from Devprayag to Ganga Sagar.

''Ropax'' ferry service launched between Mumbai and Mandwa

“Phool Dei” festival is being celebrated in the Kumaon and Garhwal regions of Uttarakhand.

 The festival also showcases the inner bonding between the communities who all are residing A roll-on-roll off cum passenger ferry service, also in the hills. called ''Ropax'', between Mumbai and Mandwa near  Phool Dei is celebrated on the first day of Alibaug, was launched. Chaitra or in mid-March (according to the Gregorian calendar).  The vessel, built in Greece, can carry 200 cars  People, especially the children, enjoy the and 1000 passengers, and is capable of plying Phool Dei festival; they delight in the even during monsoon. festivity and wake up early to bring the  It can reach speeds of 14 knots and will flowers from the forests to celebrate the complete the 18-kilometre sea journey in 45 festival. minutes to one hour.  The road distance between Mumbai and NMCG concludes 'Ganga Amantran Abhiyan' in Mandwa is 110 kilometres. New Delhi

Manipur CM announces scheme for welfare of above 30 microgram per litre in some of the sportspersons and artists localized pockets of few States/UTs in the country.

 As per WHO provisional guidelines, the maximum permissible limit of Uranium as 0.03 mg/l in all drinking water standards.  Elevated uranium level in drinking water may affect human health.  Health studies carried out elsewhere in the world suggest that elevated uranium level in drinking water may be associated with kidney toxicity. Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh has announced the biggest ever scheme for the welfare of sports persons and artists of the State. India to provide 107.01 million Nepali Rupees for three new school buildings in Nepal  ‘Chief Minister’s Akhannaba Sanaroising gi Tengbang (CMAST)’ and Chief Minister Artist Sing gi Tengbang (CMAT)’ would provide benefits to thousands of sportspersons and artistes of the State who have brought laurels to the State and Country.  Under the CMAST Scheme, a suitable employment in government services will be provided to sports persons, who have won medals in notified disciplines in selected International Sports events. The Government of India will provide 107.01  In scheme for artists, CMAT is designed with million Nepali Rupees for three new school a view to encourage the artists in different buildings in Nepal. fields and targeted to cover 4000 artistes in a year.  The schools will be constructed in Darchula, Dhanusha and Kapilvastu districts. Contamination of Ground Water by Uranium in  These schools will be built under the India- India Nepal Development Partnership program.  The Government of India is happy to be associated with these projects which complement the efforts of the Government of Nepal in augmenting infrastructure in the field of education.

Parliament nod for three central Sanskrit universities

Parliament passed a bill to upgrade three deemed Sanskrit universities into central universities. Minister of State for Jal Shakti and Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Rattan Lal Kataria said  The Central Sanskrit Universities Bill, 2019 that, there is prevalence of Uranium concentration was passed by voice vote in Rajya Sabha. Earlier the bill was passed by Lok Sabha.

 The Bill seeks to upgrade three deemed to  The first Ordnance Factory, now known as be universities in Sanskrit - Rashtriya the ‘Gun and Shell Factory' Cossipore in Sanskrit Sansthan, Sri Lal Bahadur Shastri Kolkata was established on this day. Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth, and  From these beginnings the OFB has evolved Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth Tirupati - into one of largest defence manufacturing into central universities. conglomerates in the world with more than 90% of indigenous content and a strong President Kovind nominates former CJI Ranjan technological and R&D infrastructure which Gogoi to Rajya Sabha currently contributes to 25% of revenue.  The highlight of the previous year, the handing over of "Dhanush" 155 X 42 artillery gun system to the Army, was followed this year by the dedication of the upgunned version of the 1950s vintage Russian 130mm to 150X45 calibre known as "Sharang" at the recently concluded DEFEXPO at Lucknow.

Govt approves Rs 7,660 cr green highway project President Ram Nath Kovind has nominated Former in UP, 3 other states Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi to the Rajya Sabha.

 Mr Gogoi served as the 46th Chief Justice of India from 3rd October 2018 till 17th November last year.  The President of India nominates twelve persons to the Rajya Sabha.

Ordnance Factory Board foundation day: 18th March The government has approved a proposal for the development of 780 km of national highways in four states at a cost of Rs 7,660 crore.

 This project will set new standards for green highway projects in the form of green cover, utilisation of reusable material in laying roads, etc.  The project investment includes Rs 3,500 crore assistance from the World Bank under Green National Highways Corridor Project (GNHCP).  The project pertains to rehabilitation and The Ordnance Factory Board are observing their upgradation of various National Highways 219th foundation day on the 18th March 2020. covering a total length of over 780 km in four states - Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, UttarPradesh and Andhra Pradesh.

 The project comprises components like  While introducing the bill, the Minister said sustainable development and maintenance of that the amendments would fulfill the National Highways, Institutional Capacity requirements of the International Civil Enhancement, Road Safety and Research and Aviation Organization (ICAO). Development.  This will enable the three regulatory bodies in the Civil Aviation sector in India, namely Supreme Court clears permanent commission for Directorate General of Civil Aviation, women in Indian Navy Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau to become more effective, which will lead to enhancement in the level of safety and security of aircraft operations in the country.

Points to remember

 International Civil Aviation Organization Headquarters: Montreal, Canada  Head: Fang Liu

Maintaining that women and men officers should be Parliamentary panel reports annual post-harvest treated equally, the Supreme Court cleared losses of Rs 61,000 crore in fisheries permanent commission for women in the Navy and asked the Centre to complete the modalities within three months.

 A bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud said, there cannot be any excuses for not granting gender equality in the armed forces.  The bench, also comprising Justice Ajay Rastogi, rejected the Centre's stand that sea sailing duties cannot be granted to SSC (Short Service Commission) women officers in the Navy as its Russian vessels do not have A parliamentary panel has observed that the washrooms for them. Fisheries Sector suffers from very high Post-harvest losses. Lok Sabha passes Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2020 through voice vote  It says that for Marine Fisheries the losses stand at 15,000 crore rupees and combined losses for both Marine and Inland Fisheries, the losses stand at 61 thousand crore rupees.  The possible causes for Post-harvest losses are faulty handling practices, inordinate delay in packing and transportation, lack of proper cold storage facilities, and lack of technological know-how for harvesting fishes.

The Lok Sabha passed the Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2020 through voice vote.

Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank chairs meeting on  He urged the government to consider the Research in Indian Traditional Knowledge listing of these languages into the Eighth Systems in Delhi schedule.  Mr Pal said that almost 20 crore people in 16 countries speak them.  The Ladakhi language also called Bhoti is a Tibetic language spoken in the Ladakh union territory of India.

DAC gives approval for procurement of 83 indigenous Tejas fighter aircraft for Indian Air Force Union Human Resource Development Minister Mr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank chaired a meeting on Research in Indian Traditional Knowledge Systems in New Delhi.

 Objective of the meeting is to ensure the development of the society by coordinating the ancient and modern genres of knowledge.  Citing the example of Yoga, the Minister said Indian traditional knowledge is not only logical but also scientific. Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) gave approval for procurement of 83 indigenous Tejas fighter  Mr Pokhriyal appealed to the participants to solve the present-day problems by aircraft for Indian Air Force. connecting traditional knowledge to modern research and innovation.  The Light Combat Aircraft Tejas indigenously-designed by Aircraft Govt taking positive steps for listing Bhojpuri, Development Agency (ADA) under the Rajasthani & Bhoti into 8th Schedule of Defence Research and Development constitution Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is going to be the backbone of Indian Air Force in future.  While orders of 40 Tejas aircraft had been placed with HAL in initial configurations, DAC paved the way for procurement of another 83 of the more advanced version of the aircraft from HAL.  This procurement will be a major boost to

Make in India as the aircraft is indigenously The Union Government is taking positive steps for designed. the listing of three languages Bhojpuri, Rajasthani  The Defence Acquisition Council also and Bhoti into the Eighth Schedule of the accorded approval for acquisition of Constitution. indigenous Defence equipment for about 1,300 crore rupees.  The issue was raised during Zero hour in Lok Sabha by Jagdambika Pal of the BJP. Centre issues gazette notification for adaptation of 37 central laws in J&K

 It is one of the largest South Indian temples and an exemplary example of a fully realized Dravidian architecture.

Banihal to Katra railway link to be completed by 2022

The Centre has issued a gazette notification for the adaptation of 37 Central laws in the Concurrent List for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

 The gazette notification, issued by the Home Ministry's Department of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh Affairs will come into force with immediate effect.  It contains 37 Central laws including the representation of people act, the Real Estate Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal announced (Regulation and Development) Act, the that Banihal to Katra railway link in Jammu and Protection of Human Rights Act, the Kashmir will be completed by 2022. Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code among others.  The Katra-Banihal railway track is a 111-km long stretch which would link Kashmir Entry of pilgrims in Thanjavur temple prohibited Valley with the rest of the country by train. till March 31  The railway line will include the Chenab Bridge, which will be the highest railway structure of its kind in the world with a height of 359 m above the river which is 35 metres higher than the top of the Eiffel Tower.  The railway is expected to cross over 750 bridges and pass through over 100 km of tunnels, the longest of which is 11,215 m .

Konark Sun Temple and Statue of Unity to be included in ‘Iconic Sites’ list In Tamil Nadu, entry of pilgrims into the internationally acclaimed Big Temple in Thanjavur has been prohibited till 31st of March.

 The decision has been announced by the District Administration, against the background of Coronavirus pandemic.  However, the four-time daily rituals of the temple will be offered as usual.  Brihadishwara Temple in Thanjavur is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva located in The famous Black Pagoda, the Sun temple in Konark the South bank of Kaveri river in Thanjavur, in Puri district of Odisha is to be included in the Tamil Nadu.

‘Iconic Sites’ list of 19 monuments, informed Union Priyanka Chopra collaborates with WHO to Culture and Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel. spread awareness over COVID-19

 Accordingly, the Sun temple will be developed as an iconic site by the Centre.  The Union Minister further said that the Statue of Unity in Gujarat and the Sun temple in Odisha will be included in the said list as the total number of monuments in the list is to be raised from 17 to 19.

 Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her budget speech for 2019-20 fiscal had Actor Priyanka Chopra urged followers to rely on announced allocations to develop authentic sources of information about coronavirus infrastructure at 17 famous tourist places and arranged an Instagram live with top personnel of across the country to develop these the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise monuments as iconic sites. awareness about the pandemic.

Rs 20,466.94 crores of loans sanctioned under  The 37-year-old actor documented her videos Stand Up India Scheme since inception on Instagram stories where she expressed the importance of only relying on authentic information about the highly contagious disease.  Priyanka and her husband Nick Jonas are on day 8 of self-isolation and have said they are taking all the recommended precautions to combat the spread of the virus.

Uttarakhand govt abolishes quota in promotion for employees Rs 20,466.94 crores of loans have been sanctioned under Stand Up India Scheme to over 91,000 accounts upto 10.03.2020 since inception of the Scheme.

 Giving the details of the Scheme, the Minister said that the Stand Up India Scheme was launched by the Government on 5th April, 2016.  The Scheme facilitates bank loans between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore to at least one Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe borrower The Uttarakhand government abolished reservation and at least one woman borrower, per bank in promotion in the state government jobs. branch of Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs), for setting up greenfield enterprises  The Trivendra Rawat-government took the in the manufacturing, services or the trading major decision on completion of three years sectors. of its tenure.

 The government employees from the  National Pharmaceuticals Pricing Authority, General-OBC category in the state had been NPPA said, the WhatsApp Chatbot is called staging a protest, demanding the MyGov Corona Helpdesk. implementation of the Supreme Court's  It said people can just save the number decision on the issue. 9013151515 on WhatsApp and get an automated response on queries related to PM Modi calls for Janata Curfew on 22nd March Corona. from 7 am - 9 pm in wake of COVID 19 4 gang rape convicts in Nirbhaya case hanged to death in Tihar Jail

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced Janata Curfew on Sunday (22nd March) in the wake of The four men convicted of the gang rape and murder COVID 19 outbreak. of a Delhi woman on December 16, 2012 were hanged.  It will be self-imposed and self-regulated and will be effective from 7 in the morning till 9  Mukesh Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), in the evening. Vinay Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar Singh  He said, no one should step out of their homes (31) were executed at 5.30 am for the savage during this period except those people in assault in an empty moving bus on the 23- essential services. year-old physiotherapy intern who came to be  He also urged senior citizens above the age of known the world over as Nirbhaya, the 65 years to stay at home in the coming days. fearless one.  The Prime Minister also said the government  This is the first time that four men have been has decided to constitute a Task Force under hanged together in Tihar Jail, South Asia's the Chairmanship of the Finance Minister largest prison complex that houses more than which will interact with all the stakeholders. 16,000 inmates.  The executions were carried out after the men Govt creates WhatsApp Chatbot for queries on exhausted every possible legal avenue to Novel Coronavirus escape the gallows.  She died in a Singapore hospital after battling for her life for a fortnight.  Six people, including the four convicts and the juvenile, were named as accused.  While Ram Singh allegedly committed suicide in the Tihar Jail days after the trial began in the case, the juvenile was released in 2015 after spending three years in a correctional home. The government has created WhatsApp Chatbot for queries on Novel Coronavirus COVID-19.

Indian Railways to electrify all broad gauge  His remarks came in the wake of a query routes by December 2023 raised by Anand Sharma of the Congress who said, most of the Parliamentarians above the age of sixty-five fall under the ambit of the notification.  He clarified that the services rendered by Parliamentarians, doctors, and paramedics fall under the Essential Services category.

As per ‘World Population Prospects 2019’ report, India’s population reached 1.36 billion in mid

2019 Piyush Goyal-led Railway Ministry has planned to electrify the complete Indian Railways broad gauge routes on the network by the month of December 2023.

 Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal shared that the Railway Ministry has planned to source around 1000 megawatt (MW) of solar power as part of its solar mission and around 200 megawatt of wind power based on the techno-commercial assessment. ‘World Population Prospects 2019’ report, India’s population reached 1.36 billion (136 crore) in mid  Solar and wind power are renewable energy 2019, which makes it the second most populous resources, which is being utilized by the Indian Railways network. country in the world.

 Minister of State for Health and Family Services rendered by Parliamentarians, doctors, Welfare, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, also said and paramedics fall under Essential Services that, as per the Census of India, India's category population was 121.02 crore in 2011.  He also informed the house that 9,040 Crore 45 lakh rupees have been allocated to States/ UTs to promote family planning during the last three years.

Defence Ministry signs contract with Israeli firm IWI to acquire 16,479 light machine guns

Union Minister Piyush Goyal in Rajya Sabha said that the functioning of Parliament after invoking the Epidemics Act and notification restricting the movement of people above sixty-five years in the wake of Coronavirus does not violate any provision of the law.

The Defence Ministry has signed a capital the suspected vehicles and criminals who acquisition contract with Israel Weapons Industries, move in the night. IWI for procurement of 16,479 light machine guns, LMGs at a cost of 880 crore rupees. Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath resigns ahead of floor test in the state assembly  IWI, which is based out of Ramat HaSharon city in Israel, would be providing Negev 7.62X51 mm LMGs to the Indian armed forces under the contract.  The contracted Negev 7.62X51 mm LMG is a combat proven weapon and currently used by several countries around the globe.  The LMG will greatly enhance the lethality and range of a soldier vis-a-vis the presently used weapon. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath has resigned ahead of the floor test in the state assembly. Himachal govt launches Police Station Visitor Survey System and e-Night Beat Checking System  In a press conference in Bhopal, he announced his resignation as Chief Minister of the state.  He said that he is going to Raj Bhawan to submit his resignation to Governor Lal ji Tandon.  The Supreme Court had directed the floor test in the Madhya Pradesh assembly.

Cannes film festival not to take place as planned in May Himachal Pradesh State government launched Police Station Visitor Survey System and e-Night Beat Checking System for Himachal police in Shimla.

 These systems would help the Police Department in doing self-evaluation and improve the working of Police.  This system would be used for the surveillance of visitors visiting the Police Stations, Police Posts and all other police units and would help in creating a database of The Cannes film festival will not take place as visitors. planned in May because of the coronavirus.  All the visitors/complainants visiting the Police Stations, Police Posts or traffic units  The world's biggest film festival was due to would be requested to fill the survey link. take place between May 12 and 23 in Cannes,  Jai Ram Thakur also launched the Night Beat France. Checking system for the Police Department  But its board said in light of the pandemic would help the State Police to keep a track of they are now looking at rescheduling it to the end of June-beginning of July.

 Several other film festivals, including  The day, in particular, pays tribute to Bhagat Tribeca, SXSW and Edinburgh have already Singh, Sukhdev Thapar, and Shivaram been cancelled or rescheduled. Rajguru who died on March 23 in 1931.  They were hanged to death for assassinating Govt has fixed prices for face masks & sanitizers John Saunders, a British police officer in in light of COVID - 19 outbreak 1928.

'Wonderchicken': oldest fossil of modern bird discovered

Government is keeping a close watch on the prices of every essential commodity.

 The government has fixed the prices for face The oldest fossil of a modern bird, dating from the masks and sanitizers in light of the COVID- age of dinosaurs, has been discovered. 19 outbreak.  Under the essential commodities act no extra  The tiny fossil, nicknamed the charges can be levied on the fabric used for "wonderchicken," includes a nearly complete manufacturing of face masks. skull hidden inside nondescript pieces of  He informed that the two and three layered rock, and dates to more than 66 million years mask would cost 8 and 10 rupees respectively ago. while a two hundred milli-litre bottle of hand  That's less than 1 million years before the sanitiser is priced at 100 rupees. asteroid impact that killed off all the large  The prices would remain the same till 30th dinosaurs. June this year.  The seagull-size shorebird had features of both ducks and chickens as well as turkeys. Martyrs’ Day/Shaheed Diwas: 23 march  Field describes the skull as a kind of "mash- up" of a chicken and a duck.  The bird's face likely looked like a modern- day chicken, while from the back, it looked like a duck.

Coronavirus test should not cost more than Rs 4500

The government has recommended that the maximum cost for testing samples for COVID-19 or Every year on March 23, Shaheed Diwas is novel coronavirus by private laboratories should not celebrated. exceed 4,500 rupees.

 On this day, those who laid out their lives for  This may include 1,500 rupees as a screening us, and our Independence, are remembered. test for suspect cases and additional 3,000 for confirmation tests.

 The Indian Council of Medical Research  Headquarters: Kathmandu, Nepal (ICMR) has issued guidelines in this regard which were notified by the Union Health UP govt seeks Central Grant of Rs 100 cr for Ministry. Lucknow University & Kashi Vidyapeeth  All private laboratories which have NABL accreditation for real-time PCR assay for RNA virus will be allowed to conduct COVID-19 tests.  The ICMR has called for ensuring appropriate biosafety and biosecurity precautions while collecting respiratory samples - oropharnygeal and nasal swab from a patient.  All the laboratory staff involved in COVID- 19 testing should be appropriately trained in good laboratory practices and performing The Uttar Pradesh Government has sought a Central real-time PCR. Grant of 100 crore rupees for Lucknow University  All the biomedical waste should be disposed and Kashi Vidyapeeth. off in accordance with national guidelines.  The Deputy Chief Minister and Education PM Modi thanks Bhutan & Nepal for Minister of Uttar Pradesh Dr. Dinesh Sharma contributing to COVID-19 emergency fund met Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank in Delhi and made the request.  Mr. Sharma said that both the educational institutions have completed 100 years of their establishment and there is a provision of special grant of Rs 100 crores for these institutions.

UP government announces ₹1,000 financial aid to 35 lakh labourers Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked Bhutan and Nepal for contributing to the COVID-19 emergency fund to tackle the spread of the deadly virus in the SAARC countries.

 Addressing the SAARC leaders and representatives on March 15 via video, Modi had proposed the emergency fund with an

initial offer of USD 10 million from India for the purpose. The Uttar Pradesh government announced that  The South Asian Association for Regional around 35 lakh labourers in the state will get ₹1,000 Cooperation is the regional each as financial aid while free ration for one month intergovernmental organization and will be provided to 1.65 crore construction workers geopolitical union of states in South Asia. amid the coronavirus outbreak.  Its member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives,  Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. officials for immediate release of payment to

MGNREGA workers in the state and to make A bill seeking to establish a National Forensic food grains available to the poor in cities and Sciences University as an institution of national villages. importance by upgrading the Gujarat Forensic  This payment will be sent directly to their Sciences University in Gandhinagar was introduced accounts through direct bank transfers," said in Lok Sabha. the statement issued.  Daily wage labourers in urban areas who do  The National Forensic Sciences University not have ration cards will get the document Bill, 2020 was introduced by Minister of on priority basis. State for Home G Kishan Reddy.  Forensic sciences, criminology and applied IIT Delhi researchers develop affordable test for behavioural sciences play a critical role in COVID-19 criminal investigations and prevention of crimes.  The proposed National Forensic Sciences University will promote studies and research in forensic science in conjunction with applied behavioural science studies, law, criminology and other allied areas for strengthening the criminal justice system in the country.

Satyarup Siddhanta becomes first Indian to complete volcanic Seven Summit, enters 'Limca Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Book of Records' here have developed a method to detect COVID-19 which can significantly reduce the test cost making it affordable for large sections.

 The National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune is in the process of validating this test on clinical samples.  The central government recommended that the maximum charge for each COVID-19 test by private laboratories should not exceed Rs An Indian mountaineer, Satyarup Siddhanta has been 4,500. nominated for the coveted Limca Book of World Records for his extraordinary achievement to be the National Forensic Sciences University bill first Indian to climb the highest volcanoes of each of introduced in Lok Sabha the 7 continents.

 After Guinness Book of World Records, the Bengaluru-based 37-years-old techie mountaineer is now shining on the prestigious index of 'Limca Book of records'.  It is to be noted that he achieved this feat last year in Jan 2019 but received the official acknowledgement and certificate recently.

 He climbed the highest volcano of Antarctica The Gujarat Police is now equipped with taser guns - Mt Sidley to complete his 7 summits and as a part of their modernization drive to ensure public Volcanic 7 summits. safety and security.  Satyarup holds a world record for being the youngest in the world to summit the highest  According to Gujarat Police officials, taser mountains (7 Summits) of each continent, guns have been introduced to find an including the Mt Everest in Nepal, and alternative between “ineffective lathis” and highest Volcanoes (Volcanic 7 summits) of “deadly guns”. each continent.  By introducing these as part of the police arsenal, Gujarat becomes the first state in Punjab become 1st State to impose curfew amid India to do so. Lockdown  In cases of unruly mob indulging in violence, at present, police exercise lathi strikes and use tear gas shells.  These electricity signals temporarily overwhelm communications to muscles, rendering the subject temporarily incapacitated and allowing officers to safely restrain and handle the situation.

IOC becomes 1st company to begin supply of BS- VI fuel across country The Punjab government imposed a curfew to stop the spread of coronavirus, making it the first state to take the drastic measure.

 Chief Minister Amarinder Singh announced the curfew as people were defying the lockdown imposed in the state.  Curfew was imposed as people were still coming out in large numbers. So the idea is to keep them inside.  Anybody seeking relaxation to the restrictions will get them for a given period Indian Oil Corp, the nation's biggest oil firm, has and purpose. begun the supply of the world's cleanest petrol and diesel across the country with all its 28,000 petrol Gujarat Police first in India to introduce taser pumps dispensing ultra-low sulphur fuel a good two guns weeks before the April 1 deadline.

 Other fuel retailers, Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL), are also progressively supplying BS-VI grade fuel and the entire country will switch to the cleanest fuel within this week.  The government had set April 1 as the deadline for starting supply of Euro-VI emission compliant fuels.

 With this India joins the select league of infection within 2.5 hours as compared with nations using petrol and diesel containing just over 7 hours by others. 10 parts per million of sulphur.  The kit has been developed by Pune-based molecular diagnostics company Mylab PM Modi allocates Rs 15,000 Cr for Healthcare Discovery Solutions Pvt Ltd. Infra to combat Covid-19  The kit has been named as ‘Mylab PathoDetect COVID-19 Qualitative PCR kit’.

Madhya Pradesh: CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan wins trust vote

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that the entire country will go into complete lockdown for 21 days.

 The government has allocated 15,000 crore rupees to strengthen health infrastructure to In Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh the spread of coronavirus. Chouhan proved his majority by winning the trust  Testing facilities, Personal Protective vote in the Assembly. Equipments, Isolation Beds, ICU beds,ventilators,and the number of other  He previously served as the Chief Minister of necessary tools will be increased rapidly. Madhya Pradesh, between 2005 and 2018, and holds the record as the state's longest First 'Made in India' COVID19 Test Kit to serving Chief Minister. diagnose COVID-19 gets the commercial  He is often referred to as Mamaji approval  In the 230-member Assembly, the BJP has 107 legislators.  The Congress' strength has now been reduced to 92 following the resignation of its 22 MLAs.  At present, 24 seats in the Assembly are lying vacant, reducing the size of the house to 206.

38th district to be formed in Tamil Nadu

First Made in India Test Kit to diagnose COVID-19 has got commercial approval by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).

 According to the developers, it would cost nearly one-fourth of the current procurement cost and is faster as it screens and detects the

In Tamil Nadu, a new district is going to be formed Centre waives ATM withdrawal charges for three after bifurcating the Nagappattinam district. months

 The new district will be headquartered at Mayiladuthurai, in the heart of the Delta region.  Mayiladuthurai, located at a distance of 281 kilometres from Chennai, is home to several temples dating back to the medieval Chola era.  There are currently 37 districts in Tamil Nadu, of which five new districts were formed only last year. Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman waived  The state Chief Minister Edappadi minimum balance charges for savings bank accounts Palaniswamy made the announcement saying to help citizens deal with the lockdown due to the it would be the 38th district in the state. coronavirus crisis.

IIT Madras to host India’s first 'Global  Also, debit card holders can now withdraw Hyperloop Pod Competition' cash from ATMs of all banks free of charge for the next three months.  Sitharaman further extended the deadline for filing GST (goods and services tax) returns for March-May to June 30.  On late filing of GST returns, no late fee, penalty or interest will be charged for companies with turnover of up to Rs 5 crore.  The minister also said 'Sab ka Vishwas' indirect tax dispute redressal scheme has also been extended to June 30 and no interest on Indian Institute of Technology Madras is organizing payment made till June 30 will be charged. India’s first Global Hyperloop Pod Competition to increase awareness and enthusiasm about Hyperloop Digital Industry to temporarily default HD in India. content streaming to SD

 The competition is open globally and the final round will take place in the IIT Madras campus in July 2020.  The objective of this competition is to encourage student teams in India and abroad to develop a Hyperloop Pod and compete to build the fastest, most innovative and efficient design and prototype of the relevant technologies in the field.  Hyperloop is the 5th mode of transportation, a high-speed train that travels in a near- vacuum tube. All companies from the digital industry have  The reduced air resistance allows the capsule inside the tube to reach speeds of more than decided upon temporarily defaulting HD (High- 1000 km/h. Definition) & ultra-HD streaming to SD (Standard-

Definition) content or offering only SD content, at bitrates no higher than 480p on cellular networks until 14th April.

 The move comes looking at potential impact on the cellular network infrastructure caused by the unprecedented surge in mobile internet consumption as people are staying at their homes responding to the Prime Minister’s call for social distancing & now a Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched total lockdown. ‘Mo Jeeban’ programme and urged people to take a  The digital industry has decided to act pledge to stay indoors. immediately in the larger national and consumer interest and to ensure the  Striking an emotional chord with the people robustness of the cellular network. who have voted him to power five times in a row since the year 2000, Patnaik said, EC allows use of indelible ink stamp for home During the last 20 years, I have made quarantine several appeals and you have responded. Today, I am seeking your cooperation and support to keep everyone safe.  Patnaik asked people to take an oath in the name of their children and parents that they will not be the reason of danger for their family and community.  He also asked the people to paste a sticker on the front gate of their houses to show their resolve. Election Commission has decided to allow usage of IIT Gandhinagar launches Project 'Isaac' to indelible ink on persons for stamping for home engage students in creative projects during quarantine by health authorities in view of COVID- Corona lockdown 19.

 The Health Ministry may standardise the mark and the location on the body where the mark has to be applied so that it does not come in the way of conducting elections.  The concerned authorities will be instructed not to use the Indelible Ink on any finger on the left hand of any persons.  Indelible in is applied to the forefinger of voters during elections in order to prevent Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar electoral fraud such as double voting. (IITGN) has launched Project Isaac to engage its  Electoral stain typically contains a pigment, students in creative projects to enhance their critical a silver nitrate which stains the skin on skills while they are confined to their homes because exposure to ultraviolet light. of Coronavirus.

Odisha government launches ‘Mo Jeeban’  The project is inspired by Sir Isaac Newton, programme who was similarly sent home by Trinity

College, Cambridge, because of the Great  The extraordinary G20 Summit was a Plague of London in 1665. culmination of the Finance Ministers and  During this year, Newton, then a 22-year-old Central Bank Governors Meeting and G20 college student developed some of his most Sherpas Meeting on the COVID-19 profound discoveries, including early pandemic. calculus, as well as his theories of optics and  At the meeting, G20 Leaders agreed to take gravity. all necessary measures to contain the  Project Isaac is a model for academic pandemic and protect people. institutions worldwide to explore ways to  G20 countries committed to inject over USD engage students in the midst of the pandemic. 5 trillion into the global economy to counter the social and economic impact of COVID- MoTA writes to all states for rescheduling of 19. Holidays in Ekalavya model schools RBI cuts repo rate by 75 bps to 4.40% to mitigate Covid-19 impact

Ministry of Tribal Affairs has written to Tribal Development Departments of all states for rescheduling of Holidays in Eklavya Model Residential Schools and Eklavya Model Day The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) finally responded Boarding Schools due to COVID-19. to the coronavirus-induced crisis with a whopping 75 basis points cut in the repo rate, bringing it down to  Summer Holidays to be advanced as a special 4.4 per cent. case and schools to remain shut till 25th of May or till further orders.  The repo rate has thus fallen to the lowest  During this period, entry of outsiders into the ever. campus is completely banned.  Before this, it had hit the lowest point of  Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) 4.74% in April 2009 in the wake of the is a Government of India scheme for model Global Financial Crisis. residential school for Indian tribals (ST,  The central bank also lowered the reverse Scheduled Tribes) across India. repo rate by 90 basis points.  It is one of the flagship interventions of the  The rate cut was warranted by disruptive Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of force of coronavirus, the central bank said. India. Govt postpones Census 2021, NPR updation amid Extraordinary Virtual G20 Leaders’ Summit coronavirus crisis

An Extraordinary Virtual G20 Leaders’ Summit was Amid the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, the first convened on 26 March 2020 to discuss the phase of Census 2021 and the updation of the challenges posed by the outbreak of the COVID-19 National Population Register (NPR) was postponed pandemic and to forge a global coordinated response. until further orders.

 The exercises were scheduled to be carried The Odisha government announced it will set up out from April 1 to September 30. two 500-bed hospitals to exclusively treat Covid-19  The announcement came a day after the patients. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day lockdown across the country,  The hospitals, being set up in partnership effective from March 24. with Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences  The Census 2021 was scheduled to be and SUM Hospital, will be functional in a conducted in two phases during April- fortnight. September, 2020.  While there were three positive cases of  Besides, the updation of controversial NPR Covid-19 in the state as of March 26, the was proposed to be held along with phase I of state government is preparing for any Census 2021 in all the states and union possible deterioration in the situation. territories (except Assam).  About 84,000 people had returned to the state recently from other states and abroad. Shilpa Shetty Kundra partners with Fit India  Panchayats across the state have already readied 7,200 beds for isolation and quarantine purposes.

PESO takes measures to ensure uninterrupted supply of oxygen to hospitals, other health care facilities

In a first-of-its-kind step, the government''s flagship fitness movement, Fit India, has partnered with Bollywood actor and fitness icon Shilpa Shetty Kundra to provide her premium 21-Day Weight Loss Programme.

 The program includes diet tips, free of cost on the Shilpa Shetty App (SS App), during Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization, the 21-day lockdown owing to Covid-19. PESO has taken various measures to ensure  For this period of lockdown that India is in uninterrupted supply of Oxygen to hospitals and right now, we have made the App''s other health care facilities due to nationwide lock premium ''21-Day Weight Loss Program'' down for containment of COVID-19 pandemic. free for all Indian and global users.  Instructions have been issued by PESO to all Odisha announces Covid-19-dedicated hospitals its offices to ensure grant of licences for with 1,000 beds storage and transport of medical oxygen on an urgent basis.  The validity of licenses for transportation of oxygen and other gases which will expire on 31st of this month has been extended up to 30th June this year.  The advisory has been also issued to all States, requesting them to allow uninterrupted transportation and

manufacturing of medical oxygen and  Earlier, the Panama Government had denied nitrous oxide. access to the Panama canal over Coronavirus  PESO Headquarters location: Nagpur fears.  Founded: 9 September 1898  It decided to allow the ship to pass on humanitarian ground but stressed that no Abbott gets approval to launch 5-minute COVID- passenger nor member of crew can disembark 19 test for use almost anywhere on Panamanian soil.  The Panama Canal is an artificial 82 km waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean.

India to participate in WHO solidarity trial for developing potential drugs for COVID-19

Abbott announced it has received the United States Food and Drug Administration's Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for its rapid, portable, point-of- care molecular test for the detection of novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

 The test, called ID NOW COVID-19, India will soon participate in the WHO solidarity trial delivers positive results in as little as five for developing potential drugs for COVID-19. minutes and negative results in 13 minutes.  Abbott said it makes the tests available next  Earlier India did not do so because the week to healthcare providers in urgent care numbers were so small that contribution settings in the US. would have looked minuscule.  At the moment Abbott's testing will be  The trial will not only test different drugs but confined to the US, but given the urgency of will also compare their effectiveness. the situation, it could be a matter of weeks  SOLIDARITY will test: before it is available in other countries  Remdesivir including India.  Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine  Ritonavir/lopinavir Panama govt permits cruise ship with  Ritonavir/lopinavir and interferon-beta Coronavirus infected people through its canal Army Chief starts 'Operation Namaste' to combat COVID-19

Panama's government has given permission to a cruise ship on which four passengers have died during travel through its canal.

Army Chief Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane launched able to contribute with the smallest of an initiative christened 'Operation Namaste' to denominations. extend all possible assistance to the government in  People can visit www.pmindia.gov.in to containing the spread of coronavirus. make contributions using credit and debit cards, UPI, net banking and RTGS or NEFT.  He also asked all Army personnel to take prescribed precautions against the virus and Dept. of Disaster Management designated as assured soldiers and officers deployed along Nodal dept. for COVID-19 related procurement borders with Pakistan and China that special in A&N Islands care is being taken of their families in the wake of the pandemic.  Isolation wards are being set up at hospitals in formations along the border areas besides launching communication campaigns for the soldiers and officials.  Social distancing among the Army personnel may not be possible to implement in key formations due tactical and operational In the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak the reasons. Department of Disaster Management has been  Under 'Operation Namaste', the Army has designated as the Nodal department for COVID-19 issued a series of directives to all its bases to related procurement in the A&N Islands. insulate the force from the coronavirus.  The department is taking various steps to PM Narendra Modi announces PM-CARES fund ensure procurement of medical equipment to fight coronavirus outbreak considering the nationwide lockdown.  Two lakh three-ply masks and 5,000 N-95 masks have been delivered at Hindon Airbase, Gaziabad and will be airlifted with the help of A&N Command soon.

UP CM constitutes 'Team-11' to beat corona

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the creation of an assistance and emergency situation relief fund where people can contribute and help in the government's fight against coronavirus.

 The Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has set up Relief in Emergency Situations (CARES) "Team-11" comprising as many inter-departmental Fund will go a long way in creating a committees to fight the coronavirus spread on healthier India. multiple fronts ranging from ensuring medicare to  This Fund will also cater to similar victims to the supply of essentials and tackle long distressing situations, if they occur in the marches of jobless workers back home. times ahead.  This fund enables micro-donations as a result of which a large number of people will be

 Each of the committees will be headed by a Raj for its dependencies in the region, was senior bureaucrat of the state while the chief merged into the Dominion of India. minister himself will be the head of Team 11.  He has formed 11 inter-departmental Points to Remember committees with over two dozen senior government officials working at crucial  Capital: Jaipur levels under the CM's supervision.  Number of District : 33  There will also be a committee to study the  Governor: Kalraj Mishra impact on the economy due to the epidemic  Chief Minister: Ashok Gehlot and to prepare a future strategy besides  High court: Rajasthan High Court (Jaipur) ensuring effective procurement of farmers'  Chief Justice: Indrajit Mahanty crops like wheat, potatoes, mustard etc.  Members of the Legislative Assembly: 200  Lok Sabha Seats : 25 ADB to invest $100 million in NIIF fund of funds  Rajya Sabha Seats : 10

PMO sets up high-level panels to deal with situation post lockdown

Asian Development Bank (ADB) will invest $100 million into the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) of India Fund of Funds. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) constituted 10  With ADB’s investment into the NIIF different high-level committees to suggest measures platform, the FoF has now secured $700 to ramp up healthcare, put the economy back on million in commitments. track, reduce pain and misery of people as quickly as  ADB will now join the Government of India possible post 21-day lockdown imposed to contain (GOI) and Asian Infrastructure Investment the coronavirus pandemic. Bank (AIIB) as an investor in the Fund.  NIIF is India’s first sovereign wealth fund  These committees looking after various that was set up by the Government of India in aspects will work under the overall guidance February 2015. of P K Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister. Rajasthan statehood day: 30 March  The initiative is being viewed as a proactive step by the government to deal with multiple Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted Rajasthan on challenges, which the outbreak of pandemic the state day and wished the progress of the people COVID-19 has posed and made the country will continue. to deal with emergency situations.  Each group will have about 6 members with  Rajasthan, the largest Indian state by area, one officer from the PMO and Cabinet was established on this day in 1949. Secretariat, so that there is full coordination  The state was formed on 30 March, when and suggestions accepted are implemented Rajputana, the name adopted by the British without any delay.

 Each group has been given an upper time limit of a week to come out with measures on the specified sector.

Nagaland CM launches Self Declaration COVID- 19 App

Chennai Port Trust has acquired from the Centre 67% stake in Kamarajar Port Ltd for INR 2,383 crore making the latter its wholly-owned subsidiary.

 This agreement comes into force with immediate effect. Nagalad Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio launched the  Both ports would operate as different entities Self Declaration COVID-19 Nagaland App at for the betterment of exim trade KPL as Kohima. corporate firm and ChPT as trust.  ChPT will continue to handle clean cargo  The app will be mandatory for any person such as containers, cars, liquid cargo, cruise who entered Nagaland after March 6. and passenger traffic, while KPL will create  He added that the app is crucial for tracking additional capacity for all other types of bulk, and surveillance of high-risk cases. dry and liquid cargo.  Kamarajar Port Limited, formerly Ennore GDP likely to grow just 2% in 2020-21: ICRA Port, is located on the Coromandel Coast in Tamil Nadu, it is the 12th major port of India, and the first port in India which is a public company.

National Gallery of Modern Art celebrates 66 years by launching virtual tour of its permanent collection

According to ICRA, Despite the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) massive actions to spur the economy, India's gross domestic product (GDP) is likely to contract by 4.5 per cent in the April-June 2020 quarter.

 It will rise by only 2 per cent in 2020-21 on the coronavirus impact. National Gallery of Modern Art has celebrated 66  The Indian economy was already supposed to years by launching a virtual tour of its permanent clock a decadal low growth of 5 per cent in collection amid lock down. 2019-20, according to official estimates.  The Gallery launched a virtual tour of its Chennai Port Trust Acquires 67% Stake in permanent collection for the visitors to enjoy Kamarajar Port

without having to physically visit the The Government of India has launched a Museum during these days. coronavirus risk-tracking app called ‘Corona  It is for the first time that the National Kavach.’ Gallery of Modern Art has provided the facility of virtual tour of its permanent  Jointly developed by the Union Ministry of collection to art lovers. Electronics and Information Technology and  The National Gallery of Modern Art is the the Union Ministry of Health and Family premier art gallery under the Ministry of Welfare, the app uses a person’s location to Culture, Government of India. assess whether they are in the high risk  The main museum at Jaipur House in New geographical zone or not. Delhi was established on 29 March 1954 by  Corona Kavach is designed to provide the Government of India. information about COVID-19 and capture information. Uttar Pradesh CM transfers Rs 611 cr in  It will track the data of the users every one accounts of 27.15 lakh MNREGA workers hour to alert them of whether they have crossed paths with any person who has tested positive for the infection.

Jharkhand govt launches PRAGYAAM app to issue e-passes to everyone associated with delivery of essential services amid lockdown

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath transferred 611 crore rupees in accounts of 27.15 lakh MNREGA workers.

 An average amount of 2,250 rupees was transferred in their respective accounts electronically. The Jharkhand Government has launched a mobile  Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath spoke to app PRAGYAAM to issue e-passes to everyone Many MNREGA labourers through video associated with delivery of essential services during conferencing and assured them that apart the national lockdown to combat COVID-19. from money all labourers will also get three months' free ration and free cylinders.  District Transport Officers have been given authority to issue e-passes to vehicles Government of India launches coronavirus through online mode after verification of the tracking app ‘Corona Kavach’ documents uploaded through the app.  These passes will be issued to those involved in the regular supply services, medical, banking and other necessary services.  Officials can also verify the status of the e- passes on the app and other details, including mobile number and identity card of the person engaged in such duties to curb the chances of fake e-passes.

Ministry of Corporate Affairs introduces the Centre has extended till June 30 the validity of “Companies Fresh Start Scheme, 2020” and documents like driving licenses, permits and revised the “LLP Settlement Scheme, 2020” registration that expired since February 1.

 The government has introduced this move to ensure hassle-free transportation of cargo amid the lockdown over the novel coronavirus pandemic.  In an advisory to all states and Union territories, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has asked them to treat such The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), has documents as valid till June 30. introduced the “Companies Fresh Start Scheme,  The decision was taken to facilitate the 2020” and revised the “LLP Settlement Scheme, citizens facing difficulties in renewing the 2020”. validity of various documents related to the Motor Vehicles Act and the Central Motor  The scheme has been launched in pursuance Vehicles. of the Government of India’s efforts to  The documents include fitness, permit (all provide relief to law abiding companies and types), driving licence, registration or any Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) in the other concerned document under the Motor wake of COVID 19. Vehicles Act.  It is a first of its kind opportunity to both companies and LLPs to make good any Tata Power JV commences commercial filing related defaults, irrespective of operations of Shuakhevi Hydro Power Project in duration of default, and make a fresh start as Georgia a fully compliant entity.  The Fresh Start scheme and modified LLP Settlement Scheme incentivise compliance and reduce compliance burden during the unprecedented public health situation caused by COVID-19.  The Schemes significantly reduce the related financial burden on them, especially for those with long standing defaults, thereby giving them an opportunity to make a “fresh Adjaristsqali Georgia LLC, a Joint Venture between start”. Tata Power, Norway's Clean Energy Invest (CEI), and International Financial Corporation (IFC) has Govt extends validity of vehicle permits till June announced the start of commercial operation of the 30 178 MW Shuakhevi Hydro Power Project (Shuakhevi HPP) located in southwest Georgia.

 The project will generate around 450 GWh of clean energy to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases by more than 200,000 tonnes a year.  The successful completion and start of commercial operations are considered

crucial for the integrity, security and energy independence of Georgia.  The power generated by the project will be exclusively sold within Georgia throughout the winter which is a period of energy deficit.

Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd has launched Paytm’s QR-code-based metro ticketing system.

 The new service will enable commuters to travel seamlessly and avoid queues to buy Government invites bids for sale of its entire tokens at the metro stations. 52.98% stake in Bharat Petroleum Corporation  They can now simply purchase a QR ticket Ltd on their Paytm app, which can be displayed at the Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) gates to proceed for the journey.  The feature will help over 14 lakh smartcard holders using the metro service.  The company plans to extend the service to metro-feeder buses to ensure last-mile connectivity in the city.

Moody’s cuts G-20 growth outlook by 0.3 The Union Government has invited bids for the sale percentage points to 2.1% of its entire 52.98 per cent stake in the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited.

 Expressions of interest for the strategic sale of BPCL were invited by 2nd of May.  The bid document issued stated that the Government of India is proposing strategic disinvestment of its entire shareholding in BPCL comprising 114.91 crore equity shares, which constitutes 52.98 percent of BPCL's equity share capital, along with transfer of Moody’s Investors Service said G-20 countries are management control, to a strategic buyer expected to grow by 2.1 per cent in 2020. (except BPCL's equity shareholding of 61.65 per cent in Numaligarh Refinery Limited).  It has lowered its previous forecast by 0.3  The government has appointed Deloitte percentage as the global spread of the Touche Tohmatsu India LLP as its coronavirus is resulting in simultaneous Transaction Adviser to advise on and manage supply and demand shocks. the strategic disinvestment process.  The G-20 grouping includes advanced economies such as the US, Euro area, Japan, Paytm, Hyderabad Metro tie up for QR-based Germany and the UK, and emerging tickets economies such as China, India, Brazil, Russia and Mexico.

 Moody’s has lowered its 2020 forecast for  In 2018-19, the FDI inflow stood at a record China’s growth to 4.8 per cent from its 62 billion US dollars, highest ever recorded previous estimate of 5.2 per cent. for a fiscal year.  This information was given in a written Mukesh Ambani loses Asia wealth crown to Jack reply to a question in the Lok Sabha by Ma Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal.  The initiative was launched in 2014 for promoting India as an important investment destination and a global hub for manufacturing, design and innovation.

Monthly balance maintenance waived off on 44.51 crore SBI savings bank accounts Indian energy tycoon Mukesh Ambani is no longer Asia’s richest man, relinquishing the title to Jack Ma after oil prices collapsed along with global stocks.

 The novel coronavirus recession warning, erased $5.8 billion from Ambani’s net worth on and pushed him to No. 2 on the list of Asia’s richest people. State Bank of India (SBI) announced that it has  Ma, the Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. decided to waive maintenance of Average Monthly founder who relinquished the No. 1 ranking Balance (AMB) for all savings accounts. in mid-2018, is back on top with a $44.5 billion fortune, about $2.6 billion more than  The charges on maintaining AMB have been Ambani. waived off on all 44.51 crore SBI savings  Oil plunged the most in 29 years as Saudi bank accounts. Arabia and Russia vowed to pump more in a  Currently, SBI Savings Bank customers struggle for market share. need to maintain AMB of Rs 3000, Rs 2000  The slump comes just as the coronavirus is and Rs 1000 in Metro, Semi-Urban and spurring the first decline in demand in more Rural areas respectively. than a decade.  The bank used to levy a penalty of Rs 5 to Rs 15 + taxes on non-maintenance of AMB. FDI inflows recorded highest ever for fiscal year  The bank has also waived off SMS charges 2018-19 and has also rationalised interest rate on savings bank accounts to a flat 3 per cent per annum for all buckets.

Byju Raveendran, Zomato's Gaurav Gupta on WEF's Young Global Leaders list

Byju Classes' founder Byju Raveendran and The total Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow Zomato's co-founder Gaurav Gupta are among the was over 318 billion US dollars between 2014 and five Indians named by the World Economic Forum September 2019 representing nearly 50 percent of (WEF) in its new list of 115 Young Global Leaders. the cumulative FDI in India since April 2000.

 Announcing the list, Geneva-based WEF  The one-year MCLR comes down to 7.75 said these 'change-makers' from as many as per cent from 7.85 per cent with effect from 52 countries are working in areas ranging March 10, 2020. from revamping of health systems to  Consequently, EMIs on eligible home loan investigating corruption while using their accounts (linked to MCLR) will come down power of the under 40s to change the world. by around 7 rupees per 1 lakh on a 30-year  The other three Indians on the list are Tara loan. Singh Vachani (CEO of Antara Senior Living), Vinati Mutreja (Managing Director IIT Mandi gets Rs 7.25 crore for Technology and CEO, Vinati Organics Limited), and Innovation Hub Swapan Mehra (CEO, Iora Ecological Solutions).  Raveendran, who launched Byju's as a learning app in 2015, calls himself a teacher by choice and an entrepreneur by chance.  Gupta's Zomato has been a pioneering food technology start-up, which he launched as a table reservation business and then scaled it up across India, the UAE and Australia. Under its National Mission on Interdisciplinary SBI cuts fixed deposit rates, MCLRs in 2nd Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS), the reduction in a month Department of Science and Technology (DST) has sanctioned Rs 7.25 crore to IIT Mandi to establish a Technology Innovation Hub (TIH) at the Institute.

 The major focus of the TIH in IIT Mandi will be on human-computer interaction (HCI) research, where projects will focus on design and development of computer technology (interfaces) and the study of interaction between humans (users) and computers.

 Also, the TIH will focus on human resource SBI Country's largest lender State Bank of India and skill development, entrepreneurship and (SBI) has announced a reduction in its MCLR or collaboration with other leading institutions. marginal cost of funding-based lending rates by 10-  HCI is focused on the ways in which humans 15 basis points across tenors, and a cut in its fixed interact with computers and design deposit interest rates. technologies that let humans interact with computers in novel ways.  Making it a second reduction in a month and  As a field of research, HCI is situated at the the tenth cut in the current fiscal year, the intersection of computer science, behavioural public sector bank has reduced retail term sciences, design, and media studies among deposits (less than Rs 2 crore) by 10 to 50 others. basis points for a few tenors.  The bank said the new rates for home loans State Bank of India to buy shares worth 7,250 and fixed deposits will take effect from crore rupees of cash-strapped Yes Bank March 10.

 The company offers end to end digital solutions to a plethora of brands across industries.  Founded in 1895, Hakuhodo Inc. is an integrated advertising and communication agency headquartered in Japan.

GST rates on mobile phones to increase to 18% from 12% The State Bank of India said that it will buy shares worth 7,250 crore rupees of the cash-strapped Yes Bank in accordance with the draft reconstruction scheme envisaged by the Reserve Bank of India.

 SBI said that its board has permitted the purchase of the private lender's shares at a price of 10 rupees per share subject to all regulatory approvals.  SBI’s shareholding in Yes Bank will remain within 49 percent of the paid-up capital.  According to RBI’s reconstruction scheme, The Goods and Services Tax Council decided to the strategic investor was not only supposed increase GST rates on mobile phones to 18 percent to pick up 49 percent stake but assure that the from 12 per cent with effect from 1st of April. holding will not fall below 26 percent for a minimum period of three years from the date  The Council also decided to slash GST on of capital infusion. maintenance, repair and overhaul services for aircraft to five percent from 12 per cent while AdGlobal360 acquired by Japanese company the tax rate on handmade and machine-made Hakuhodo matchsticks has been rationalized to 12 per cent.  The council has decided to waive the late fee for delayed filing of annual returns for the financial years 2018 and 2019 by entities with a turnover of less than Rs two crore.

RBI revises exposure limits for urban cooperative banks to single, group borrowers Hakuhodo Inc, Japan’s second largest advertising company has acquired AdGlobal360 for an undisclosed sum.

 Adglobal360 was ranked as the fastest growing MarTech Company in 2019 by Deloitte.  AdGlobal360 is Hakuhodo’s first acquisition in India as it seeks to enhance its technology The Reserve Bank of India on revised exposure and digital footprint. limits for urban cooperative banks (UCBs) to a single  AdGlobal360 is headquartered in Gurgaon with employee strength of over 460.

borrower and a group of borrowers to 15 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively, of tier-1 capital.

 The RBI had earlier permitted UCBs to have exposures up to 15 per cent and 40 per cent of their capital funds to a single borrower and a group of borrowers  The revised exposure limits shall be applicable to all types of fresh exposures taken by UCBs. Paytm Payments Bank Ltd announced it will now  The RBI also increased the overall priority start issuing Visa virtual debit cards to its customers. sector lending (PSL) target for UCBs to 75 percent of adjusted net bank credit (ANBC)  PPBL said it is targeting to issue over 10 or credit equivalent amount of off-balance million new digital debit cards in 2020-21. sheet exposure (CEOBSE), whichever is  The bank said in a statement it is already the higher from 40 per cent earlier. largest issuer of RuPay debit cards and has the "fastest growing" bank account base. Oil India signs crude sales agreement with  Visa virtual debit cards would enable its Numaligarh Refinery customers to transact at all merchants accepting payments through cards.  Soon, the customers will also have an option to request for a physical card.

DBS Bank, Bharti AXA join hands for insurance plan covering Covid-19

Oil India Ltd (OIL) announced it has signed an agreement with Numaligarh Refinery for sale and purchase of crude oil.

 The Crude Oil Sales Agreement (COSA) will come into effect from 1 April, 2020 to 31 March 2025, that is, for a term of five DBS Bank India has tied-up with Bharti AXA to roll years. out a complimentary insurance plan covering all  The agreement is expected to streamline sale medical conditions, including Covid-19. and purchase transactions of crude oil produced from fields in the North East India.  The plan would cover all medical conditions,  The Numaligarh Refinery is in Golaghat including Covid-19, and up to 10 days of district, Assam. It is a joint venture between hospitalisation, with a cover of Rs 5,000 per Bharat Petroleum, Oil India and Govt of day, for a 30-day period. Assam.  Additionally, all DBS customers can purchase health insurance products that are Paytm Bank to issue Visa virtual debit cards to its currently offered on the digibank app through customers their general insurance partners.  This includes guarantee of payments for hassle-free hospitalization and arrangement

of emergency medical evacuation for NRIs The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with dependents in the country. has introduced an AI bot called ‘Clara’ to help people  It is also offering an Emergency Global assess potential symptoms of COVID-19. Medical Assist Program that provides 24x7 access to medical support.  The CDC has partnered up with CDC Foundation and Microsoft Azure’s RBI to inject additional Rs 30,000 cr to maintain Healthcare Bot service to create Clara, the financial stability in wake of COVID-19 outbreak “coronavirus self-checker.” The bot is currently only available in the US on the CDC website.  The bot that can quickly assess the symptoms and risk factors for people worried about infection, provide information and suggest the next course of action such as contacting a medical provider or, for those who do not need in-person medical care, managing the illness safely at home.

The Reserve Bank of India decided to infuse RBI permits 3 month moratorium on EMI additional liquidity with a second tranche of bond payments on all outstanding loans purchase worth ₹30,000 crores amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

 In the backdrop of the Coronavirus outbreak, the Apex Bank has decided to ensure that all market segments function normally with adequate liquidity and turnover.  The central bank will conduct purchase of government securities under open market operations (OMOs) for an aggregate amount of Rs 30,000 crore in two tranches of Rs The Reserve Bank permitted banks, NBFCs 15,000 crore each in March. (including housing finance companies) and other  The auctions would be conducted on March financial institutions to allow a three-month 24 and March 30. moratorium on payment of installments on term loans in view of the disruption caused by the Microsoft, US CDC tie-up to create ‘Clara’, a coronavirus outbreak. COVID-19 self-screening bot  Deferment will not impact the credit history of the borrower.  Financial institutions have been allowed to shift repayment schedule and all subsequent due dates, as also the tenor for such loans, across the board by three months, in respect of all term loans outstanding as on March 1, 2020.

NTPC concludes acquisition of govt's stake in THDC, NEEPCO at Rs 11,500 cr

banks into four as part of its consolidation plan to create bigger size stronger banks in the public sector.  As per the scheme, Oriental Bank of Commerce and United Bank of India will be merged into Punjab National Bank; Syndicate Bank into Canara Bank; Allahabad

Bank into Indian Bank; and Andhra and Power generating f irm NTPC concluded the Corporation banks into Union Bank of India. acquisition of Centre’s entire stake in two  Customers, including depositors of merging hydropower generating firms, THDC India and banks will be treated as customers of the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation banks in which these banks have been (NEEPCO), at Rs 11,500 crore. merged with effect from April 1, 2020.

 The company informed the exchanges that it signed a share purchase agreement to buy the government’s entire 74.49 per cent stake of THDC for an aggregate consideration of Rs 7,500 crore.  Similarly, NTPC has also acquired an entire Muhyiddin Yassin sworn in as Malaysia's new 100 per cent government stake in NEEPCO Prime Minister for Rs 4,000 crore.  NTPC Limited, formerly known as National Thermal Power Corporation Limited, is an Indian Public Sector Undertaking, engaged in the business of generation of electricity and allied activities.

Merger of 10 state-run banks into 4 to come into force from April 1: RBI In Malaysia, the King has appointed seasoned politician Muhyiddin Yassin as the new Prime Minister.

 The appointment came after this week's shock resignation of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, a move that plunged the country into crisis following a weekend of political wrangling and the collapse of the Reserve Bank of India has said that the merger of 10 ruling alliance. state-run banks into four will come into force from  The announcement came hours after April 1. Mahathir struck a new deal to work with his former ruling alliance led by rival Anwar  The branches of merging banks will operate Ibrahim. as of the banks in which these have been amalgamated. Indian-American appointed key member of US  The government on March 4 had notified the coronavirus task force amalgamation schemes for 10 state owned

Former Indian spinner Sunil Joshi named BCCI’s selection committee chairman

Indian-American Seema Verma has been appointed as one of the key members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force constituted by US President Donald Trump. Former India spinner Sunil Joshi was named  The Task Force has been created to combat chairman of the national selection panel by the the deadly disease that has claimed six lives BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC). in the country and infected over 90 others.  The task force is led by Secretary of Health  The 49-year-old Joshi played 15 Tests and 69 and Human Services Alex Azar, and is ODIs between 1996 and 2001, taking 41 and coordinated through the National Security 69 wickets respectively. Council.  The CAC, comprising Madan Lal, RP Singh and Sulakshana Naik, picked the two Ajay Bhushan Pandey appointed as the new selectors with Joshi replacing South Zone Finance Secretary representative MSK Prasad.  The CAC will review the panel's performance after one year and make recommendations accordingly.

Kareena Kapoor Khan inks 2-yr contract as Puma's brand ambassador

The Government of India appointed the current Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey as the new Finance Secretary.

 Pandey replaces current Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar. German sportswear brand Puma has signed a two-  The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet year deal with Indian film actress Kareena Kapoor has approved the appointment. Khan to be its brand ambassador.  Pandey, a 1984 batch Indian Administrative Service officer of Maharashtra cadre, had  With this deal she joins the brand’s roaster of earlier worked as chief executive officer of celebrity faces such as Virat Kohli, Sara Ali Unique Identification Authority of India Khan, MC Mary Kom and Dutee Chand. (UIDAI), the organization behind the  Khan will be the face for Puma’s soon-to-be Aadhaar. launched collection of low-intensity training

apparel collection targeted at workouts such administered the oath of the office at a as yoga, barre, and pilates. ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.  Puma sells performance and sport-inspired  The post was vacant after the transparency lifestyle products in categories such as watchdog chief Sudhir Bhargava retired on football, running and training, basketball, January 11. golf, and motorsports. Ashraf Ghani sworn in as Afghanistan President Prashant Kumar takes charge as Yes Bank for second term administrator

Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani was sworn in for a second term. Yes Bank said Prashant Kumar, former deputy managing director and CFO of State Bank of India,  His rival Abdullah Abdullah held a parallel has taken charge as its administrator. inauguration that could plunge the country deeper into crisis ahead of peace talks with  The private sector lender was placed under a the Taliban. moratorium, with the RBI capping deposit  The oath-taking ceremony of Afghan withdrawals at Rs 50,000 per account for a President Ashraf Ghani was attended by month and superseding its board. hundreds of people, including visiting foreign  Kumar taking charge as the Yes Bank dignitaries, diplomats and senior political administrator is in line with notifications figures. issued by the Department of Financial  Ghani was declared as the winner of the Services and the RBI. election held last September, but Abdullah Abdullah, who disputed the vote, held a Bimal Julka takes oath as Chief Information parallel ceremony surrounded by hundreds of Commissioner supporters.

Lt Gen KJS Dhillon to take charge as DG DIA, DCIDS

President Ram Nath Kovind administered the oath of office to Bimal Julka as Chief Information Commissioner (CIC).

 Julka, who has earlier served as the Union

Information and Broadcasting Secretary, was

Lt Gen KJS Dhillon will take over the post of Director General Defence Intelligence Agency and Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Intelligence).

 It is a department that comes under the Chief of Defence Staff in the newly created Department of Military Affairs.  DIA and DCIDS are responsible for Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the 19th century ruler of the collating technical as well as human Sikh Empire in India, has beaten competition from intelligence for the three armed forces. around the world to be named the "Greatest Leader  The DIA was created in 2002 on of All Time" in a poll conducted by ‘BBC World recommendations of a Group of Ministers Histories Magazine'. which looked into lapses leading to the Kargil intrusion in 1999.  Over 5,000 readers voted in the poll. Polling  The DIA is a nodal agency for all defence more than 38 per cent of the vote, Singh was related intelligence which collects praised for creating a new tolerant empire. information technically as well as through  In second place, with 25 percent of the vote, satellites to safeguard the interest of the is African Independence Fighter Amílcar country. Cabral, who united more than 1 million Guineans to free themselves from Surjit Singh Deswal gets additional charge of Portuguese occupation and in turn propelled BSF DG many other colonised African countries to rise and fight for independence.  Further down the list, American President Abraham Lincon is at four and British monarch Elizabeth I is the highest ranked female leader at five.

IDFC FIRST Bank names Amitabh Bachchan as Brand Ambassador

Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Haryana cadre Surjit Singh Deswal took over the additional charge of Director General (DG) of Border Security Force (BSF).

 Deswal, a 1984-batch IPS officer, is currently the Director-General of Indo-Tibet IDFC FIRST Bank announced the signing of India's Border Police. most iconic personality, Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, as  He has succeeded Director-General Vivek its first ever brand ambassador. Johri, who has been appointed Director- General of Madhya Pradesh Police.  Mr. Bachchan is a winner of countless prestigious national awards, an all-time Maharaja Ranjit Singh named greatest world favourite of the masses, and the country's leader in BBC Poll most celebrated actor.

 IDFC FIRST Bank was founded as a new one year or until an alternate board is entity by the merger of IDFC Bank and reconstituted. Capital First on December 18, 2018.  The lead investor in the bank, State Bank of India, has already announced to infuse Rs Tiger Woods to be inducted into World Golf Hall 7,250 crore in it, while other private lenders of Fame in 2021 class including ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank have also been roped in to revive the cash-strapped lender.

Ravinder Singh Dhillon appointed PFC CMD

American golfer Tiger Woods will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2021.

 The hall of fame, located in St. Augustine, Florida, released a statement saying Woods, winner of 15 major titles, will be inducted in The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet chaired the male competitor category. by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cleared the  Woods was among 10 finalists named in appointment of Ravinder Singh Dhillon as Chairman March as candidates for 2021. and Managing Director of Power Finance  His 93 worldwide victories include a record- Corporation (PFC). tying 82 US PGA Tour titles.  He won his 15th major title at the Masters last  Dhillon has been cleared for appointment as April, ending an 11-year major drought after the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) career-threatening injuries. in PFC with effect from the date of assumption of charge of the post on or after Prashant Kumar appointed MD, CEO; Sunil June 1 till the date of his superannuation on Mehta Non-Executive Chairman of Yes Bank May 31, 2023.  Power Finance Corporation Ltd. is an Indian financial institution.  Established in 1986, it is the financial backbone of Indian Power Sector.

ECI appoints Hirdesh Kumar new Chief Electoral Officer of Jammu and Kashmir

The Election Commission of India appointed The central government appointed former SBI Hirdesh Kumar as the new Chief Electoral Officer of banker Prashant Kumar as the new Chief Executive the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Officer of the financially troubled Yes Bank.  He will replace Shailendra Kumar with effect  All members of the board, except additional from the date he assumes charge. directors, will be appointed for a period of

 Hridesh Kumar, a 1999 batch IAS officer is decision to accept a full time role as presently serving as Commissioner Secretary chairperson and CEO in another company. in the School Education Department of J&K.  Bhattacharya was the first woman to lead the more than two centuries-old State Bank of Iraqi President Salih appoints Adnan al-Zurfi as India, which controls over a quarter of the new PM-designate nation's banking system.  She retired in 2017 after a one-year extension, spending four decades in various roles.  CRISIL is a global analytical company providing ratings, research, and risk and policy advisory services.

Shivraj Singh Chauhan takes oath as CM of Madhya Pradesh Iraqi President Barham Salih has appointed Adnan al-Zurfi as the country's new prime minister- designate in the latest bid to resolve a months-long political crisis.

 Al-Zurfi has 30 days to form his cabinet which he must then put to a vote of confidence in Iraq's fractious Parliament.  Al-Zurfi would replace caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, who quit in In Madhya Pradesh, senior BJP leader Shivraj Singh December following widespread mass Chauhan has become Chief Minister of the state for demonstrations against a government that the fourth time. protesters see as corrupt, failing to provide them with basic services, and beholden to  Governor Lalji Tandon administered him the powerful neighbouring Iran. oath of office and secrecy at a simple ceremony held at Raj Bhavan. Former SBI chief Arundhati Bhattacharya  Mr Shivraj Singh took oath alone due to the resigns from CRISIL board outbreak of Coronavirus.  After the Assembly elections, senior Congress leader Kamal Nath was sworn in as Chief Minister on 17th of December.

Sameer Aggarwal, new CEO of Walmart India

The past chairman of State Bank of India, Arundhati Bhattacharya, has submitted her resignation as independent director of Crisil effective April 15.

 In her resignation, Bhattacharya has indicated that the reason for her resignation is her Sameer Aggarwal has been appointed as CEO of Walmart India.

 He will report to Dirk Van Den Berghe, Executive Vice-President and Regional CEO of Asia and Global Sourcing, Walmart.  Aggarwal appointment comes into effect from April 1.  He succeeds Krish Iyer, who is set to retire and assume the role of advisor to Best Price, Walmart India. BP Kanungo was reappointed as the Deputy Sunil Chhetri chosen for FIFA campaign against Governor of the Reserve Bank of India. COVID-19  His reappointment came after the Appointments Committee of Cabinet approved Kanungo's term extension for a period of one year with effect from March 27.  Kanungo's tenure was to end on April 3.  Kanungo was the executive director of RBI before he took charge as the deputy governor back in April 2017.

 He oversees departments like currency India football captain Sunil Chhetri has been picked management, payments and settlement, by FIFA along with 28 past and present stars for the foreign exchange, internal debt management. world governing body's awareness campaign to  NS Vishwanathan, MK Jain and Michael combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Patra also hold the position of deputy governor of RBI apart from Kanungo.  FIFA and the World Health Organization  The RBI, headed by Governor Shaktikanta (WHO) have teamed up to combat the Das, can have a maximum of four deputy coronavirus by launching a new awareness governors. campaign led by world-renowned footballers. IAAF suspends Indian shot putter Navin Chikara  The 'Pass the message to kick out for four years for failing dope test coronavirus' campaign promotes five key steps for people to follow to protect their health in line with WHO guidance, focused on hand washing, coughing etiquette, not touching your face, physical distance and staying home if feeling unwell.  The 28 players, who will be involved in the video campaign to be published in 13 languages, include some of the best known players like Argentine superstar Lionel Indian shot putter Navin Chikara was suspended for Messi and World Cup winners like Philip four years by global athletics body's (IAAF) Lahm, Iker Casillas and Carles Puyol. Athletics Integrity Unit for failing an out-of- competition dope test in 2018. BP Kanungo reappointed as RBI's deputy governor  Chikara was banned for the presence and use of a prohibited substance and his four-year suspension starts from July 27, 2018.

 On 27 July 2018, the Athlete was subject to  The awardees include Anoop Kumar out-of-competition Testing pursuant to the Manzukhi Gopi (Thrissoor, Kerala), David Testing Authority of the National Anti- Malakar (Kolkata, West Bengal), Devendra Doping Agency of India in Patiala. Kumar Khare (Vadodara, Gujarat), Dinesh Pandya (Mumbai, Maharashtra), Faruque Ahmed Halder (24 Parganas, Kolkata, West Bengal), Hari Ram Kumbhawat (Jaipur, Rajasthan).  Lalit Kala Akademi awards are given to recognise the outstanding work in the field of Assam’s forest man to be conferred with Swami art. Vivekananda Karmayogi Award  The fifteen artists were selected by an esteemed panel of Jury for the 61st annual awards.

Times of India Sports Awards (TOISA) 2019 function held in New Delhi

Assam’s eminent environmental activist Jadav Payeng will be awarded with Swami Vivekananda Karmayogi Award.

 He has been conferred for his efforts in World champion shuttler PV Sindhu was named creating a man-made forest through Sportsperson of the Year at the fourth Times of India reforestation. Sports Awards (TOISA) 2019 in New Delhi.  Padma Shri Jadav ‘Molai’ Payeng is a Mishing tribe environmental activist and  Rio Olympic silver medallist Sindhu, who forestry worker from Jorhat, India. won the world championship gold at Basel,  Over the course of several decades, he Switzerland, last year also bagged the planted and tended trees on a sandbar of the Unbreakable Spirit of Sports award. river Brahmaputra turning it into a forest  Former India football captain Bhaichung reserve. Bhutia was given the Lifetime Achievement  The forest, called ‘Molai’ forest after him, is award, while hockey legend and three-time located near Kokilamukh in Jorhat, Assam Olympic gold medallist Balbir Singh Sr was and encompasses an area of about 1,360 honoured with the Icon of the Century award. acres/550 hectares.  National badminton coach Pulella Gopichand won the Mentor of the Year award, while Lalit Kala Akademi's 61st annual awards former shooter Jaspal Rana was recognised as conferred by Prez Kovind to 15 artists the Coach of the Year.

Lalit Kala Akademi's 61st annual awards conferred IIFA Awards postponed amid Coronavirus by President Ram Nath Kovind to 15 artistes at the outbreak Rashtrapati Bhavan.

 Another awardee 105 year old Bhageerathi Amma could not travel to Delhi to receive the award.  The National Award is given annually to individuals, groups, institutions in recognition of their exceptional work towards the cause of women empowerment, especially for vulnerable and marginalized women. The 21st edition of International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards has been postponed in light Telangana university Vice Chancellor wins of the coronavirus scare. Swaminathan Award

 One of the most popular award functions in the country IIFA was scheduled to be held from March 27 to 29 at Indore and Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh.  A fresh date and plan for hosting IIFA in the state will be announced at the earliest.

15 outstanding women honoured with Nari Shakti

Puraskar by Prez on International Women's Day V Praveen Rao, Vice-Chancellor of Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU), has won the seventh Dr MS Swaminathan Award for the period 2017-2019.

 The Selection Committee has decided to select Praveen Rao for the award recognising his contributions in the fields of agricultural research, teaching, extension President Ram Nath Kovind gave away the Nari and administration. Shakti Puraskar to 15 women in Rashtrapati Bhawan  The award will be conferred on him in June. on the occasion of International Women's Day.  This biennial national award was constituted by Retired ICAR Employees Association  The awardees are 103 year old athlete Mann (RICAREA) and Nuziveedu Seeds Limited Kaur, Indian Air Force’s first women fighter (NSL). pilots Mohana Singh, Bhawana Kanth and  It carries a prize of ₹2 lakh and a citation. Avani Chaturvedi, Farmers Padala Bhudevi  Praveen Rao, the maiden VC of PJTSAU, and Bina Devi, Artisan Arifa Jaan, handled 13 research and six consultancy Environmentalist Chami Murmu, projects on micro irrigation in India, Israel Entrepreneur Nilza Wangmo, Automotive and South Africa. research professional Rashmi Urdhwardeshe, Lady Mason Kalavati Devi, Twin Indian-origin US author Ruchika Tomar wins Mountaineers Tashi and Nungshi Malik 2020 PEN/Hemingway Award classical vocalist Kaushiki Chakroborty and 98 year old Karthyayini Amma who topped Indian-origin American author Ruchika Tomar has the literacy exam in 2018. been named the winner of the prestigious 2020

PEN/Hemingway Award for her debut novel ''A  1984 batch IRS officer, Krishan Mohan Prayer for Travelers''. Prasad and 1984-batch IRS officer Satish Kumar Gupta were appointed as CBDT  The award, honouring a "distinguished" first members. novel, includes a USD 25,000 prize and a  The interaction for two vacant CBDT board month-long Residency Fellowship at the member posts was held on January 23 and Ucross Foundation in Wyoming, a retreat for finally, these two were selected for the board artists and writers, valued at USD 10,000. members from eight shortlisted applicants.  The PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel honours a debut novel of exceptional Musk's SpaceX wins NASA award for planned merit by an American author who has not lunar space station previously published a full-length book of fiction.

Zoya Akhtar won IIFTC Tourism Impact Award 2020

NASA picked a new space capsule from Elon Musk’s SpaceX to ferry cargo and supplies to the agency’s planned lunar space station.

Zoya Akhtar won the IIFTC Tourism Impact Award  It is a crucial building block to its plans to 2020 for her outstanding contribution to world build a permanent post on the moon and tourism through her cinema at the 8th India mount future missions to Mars. International Film Tourism Conclave (IIFTC).  SpaceX will get a portion of a $7 billion NASA contract to use its biggest rocket,  Zoya Akhter set the trend in the film tourism Falcon Heavy, to send a new “Dragon XL” space with her 2011 classic ‘Zindagi Na spacecraft to the Lunar Gateway. Milegi Dobara’ shot in Spain, following it  The Dragon XL spacecraft will carry up with 2015 comedy-drama ‘Dil Dhadakne research supplies that will help future Do’ shot in Turkey. astronauts on the surface of the moon collect  She has single handedly promoted tourism lunar samples. of these counties through her films.  Since its inception in 2013, IIFTC’s single minded objective is to bring the global film locations to the Indian film industry.

IRS officers KM Prasad and SK Gupta appointed CBDT board members Rafael Nadal wins Mexican Open title after beating Taylor Fritz The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of two Indian Revenue In Tennis, World Number 2 Rafael Nadal captured Service (IRS) officers as members of the Central his first title of the year, defeating unseeded Taylor Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).

Fritz in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, in the final of the The Khele India University Games concluded in ATP Mexico Open. Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

 Nadal, playing in his first tournament since  The University of Punjab, Chandigarh won losing in the quarter-finals at the Australian the Champions Trophy winning 46 medals, Open last month. including 17 gold, 19 silver and 10 bronze.  Nadal ceded the world number one ranking  Savitribai Phule Pune University declared to Novak Djokovic after the Australian second place and Punjabi University, Patiala Open, where the Serb won a record eighth declared second runner-up. title.  Punjab University won a total of 46 medals,  In the women's final, seventh-seeded while Savitribai Phule Pune University won Heather Watson captured her first WTA title 37 medals including 17 gold, 11 silver and 9 in three years by grinding out a 6-4, 6-7, 6-1 bronze medals. win over Canadian teen Leylah Fernandez.  Punjabi University, Patiala won 33 medals including 13 gold, 6 silver and 14 bronze Dutee Chand clinches Gold in 100 meters race at medals. Khelo India University Games in Bhubaneswar  A total of 113 universities participated in the Games.

Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament in Malaysia postponed due to coronavirus

India's fastest woman Dutee Chand clinched gold in the 100 meters race while long-distance runner Narendra Pratap Singh bagged his second title at Khelo India University Games in Bhubaneswar. The 29th edition of the prestigious Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament was pushed from April to  Representing Kalinga Institute of Industrial September in the wake of the novel coronavirus Technology, Dutee Chand raced ahead of outbreak across the world. her competitors to bag gold with a timing of 11.49 seconds.  The Azlan Shah Cup, which was scheduled to  Savitribai Phule Pune University is leading be held in Ipoh, Malaysia from April 11 to 18, the tally with 16 gold, 11 silver and 8 bronze will now be held from September 24 to medals. October 3.  The Azlan Shah Cup is the latest sporting First Khelo India University Games concluded in event to be affected by the deadly Bhubaneswar coronavirus, which has claimed more than 3,000 lives and infected 86,000 people.

Tasnim Mir, Mansi Singh win bronze at Yonex Dutch Junior International

 On the last day of the games, India's fastest woman Dutee Chand representing Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, clinched gold medal with a timing of 23.66 seconds in the 200m final.

68th All India Police Athletic Championship kick starts in Haryana

Young Indian shuttlers Tasnim Mir and Mansi Singh won a bronze medal each in the girls' singles Badminton event at the Yonex Dutch Junior International 2020 in Haarlem, Netherlands.

 It was the first time India won two bronze medals in girls' singles at this BWF Junior International Grand Prix tournament. 68th All India Police Athletic Championship-2019  Mir was defeated by third seed So Yul Lee of began at Bhanu in Panchkula District of Haryana. Korea 19-21, 10-22 in the semifinal to settle for Bronze.  Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and  Mansi lost to Indonesia's Saifi Rizka Sports Kiren Rijiju declared the meet open at Nurhidayah 11-21, 16-21 in the semifinal. Basic Training Centre of ITBP.  Mr Rijiju said that with an aim to bring India First Khelo India University Games concludes in in top 10 in the Olympics scheduled in 2028, Bhubaneswar; Panjab University, Chandigarh the government has identified 15,000 plus tops medals tally children and started their training across 284 Sports Authority of India (SAI) training centres across the country.

Badminton Asia Championships moved from Wuhan to Manila over coronavirus outbreak

The Khelo India University Games concluded in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

 Panjab University, Chandigarh took home the champions trophy-winning 46 medals Next month's Badminton Asia Championships have including 17 gold, 19 silver, and 10 bronze. been moved out of the novel coronavirus outbreak  Savitribai Phule Pune University claimed the epicentre,Wuhan, to the Philippines capital Manila. second position and Punjabi University, Patiala declared as the second runners up.  The Asia Championships will be staged in  Panjab University won a total of 46 medals Manila from the 21st of next month. while Savitribai Phule Pune University won  The Coronavirus has forced the 37 medals including 17 gold, 11 silver, and 9 postponement or cancellation of several bronze medals.

badminton tournaments, disrupting the build- Mumbai is set to host the 2023 International up to the Tokyo Olympics. Olympic Committee's session after the IOC  Numerous other sports events have also been Executive Board recommended the Indian city for cancelled, postponed or moved in recent the annual conference. weeks all over the world because of the deadly virus.  The IOC Executive Board decided to put Mumbai's candidature to a vote of the Shafali Verma at top spot in ICC women's T20I members. rankings  The decision is to be ratified at the 136th IOC session in Tokyo in July this year.  After ratification, this will be the second- ever IOC session to be held in India after a long gap of 37 years.  India last hosted an IOC session way back in 1983 in New Delhi.

Indian Archery team pulls out of Asia Cup world ranking tournament

Shafali Verma, the teenage Indian batting sensation, has gained the top spot in the ICC women's T20 International rankings.

 She has become only the second India batter after Mithali Raj to top the women's T20 International rankings.  She jumped 19 places and surpassed New Zealand captain Suzie Bates to grab the top The Archery Association of India (AAI) has pulled spot with 761 points. out its team from the upcoming Asia Cup world  The 16-year-old Shafali has replaced New ranking tournament in Bangkok scheduled from Zealand's Suzie Bates, who had been at the March 8 to 15 owing to the coronavirus threat there. top of batting charts since October 2018.  During the ongoing ICC Women's T20  This would have been India's first World Cup, Shafali has scored 161 runs in international competition since their return four innings demonstrating an explosive from a five-month suspension in January batting performance at the top of the order. which was lifted after the AAI's election.  AAI Assistant Secretary Gunjan Abrol Mumbai set to host IOC session in 2023 informed India's decision to withdraw after reviewing the current alarming situation and taking into consideration the travel advisories issued by Sports Authority of India and IOC.

Sports Authority of India announces first edition of Khelo India Women's Hockey League Under- 21

Sports Authority of India, in association with Hockey  Both boxers advanced to the semifinals of the India announced the first edition of the Khelo India continental qualifiers at Amman in Jordan. Women's Hockey League Under-21.  While fourth-seeded Rani notched up an easy 5-0 win over Thailand's Pornnipa Chutee  It will be organized by Hockey India at three while Krishan could win after a tough different venues in three phases between encounter defeating Japanese Sewonrets March to November. Okazawa.  While phase one will be held from 23rd to  Rani secured her maiden Olympic spot while 29th of this month at the Major Dhyan Chand Krishan will be making his third successive National Stadium in New Delhi, the second appearance at the quadrennial showpiece. phase will be held from 13th to 19th at the  Rani will next face the reigning world and SAI Centre in Bengaluru. Asian champion Li Qian of China, who has  The final phase will be organised from 22nd the top billing in this category. to 29th November at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. First ever Khelo India Winter Games begin at Gulmarg in Kashmir Australia beat India to win ICC Women's T20 World Cup for record fifth time

Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiuju inaugurated the five-day Khelo India Winter games at famous tourist destination Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir. Defending champions Australia have won the ICC Women's T20 World Cup for a record fifth time.  During the event, the competitions in the sports disciplines like snow skiing,  Australia defeated India by 85 runs in the snowboarding, snow shoeing, ski summit clash at Melbourn. mountaineering and snow baseball would be  Beth Mooney has been adjudged Player of held. the Tournament & Alyssa Healy has been  The Government of India will establish a adjudged the Player of the Match. Sports Training Academy at Gulmarg at the  The 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup was level of International standards for the the seventh edition of this game and was held promotion of sports tourism in the Union in Australia between 21 February and 8 Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. March 2020. Former India opener Wasim Jaffer announces his Pooja Rani, Vikas Krishan become first Indian retirement boxers to qualify for Tokyo Olympics Former India opener Wasim Jaffer announced his Asian champion Pooja Rani in the 75kg category and retirement from all forms of cricket in Mumbai. Vikas Krishan in 69kg category became the first set of Indian boxers to qualify for Tokyo Olympics 2020.

 The 42-year-old Jaffer had amassed a  Senegalese striker Baba Diawara scored the mountain of runs in a glorious first-class all-important goal for Mohun Bagan in the career that spanned almost a quarter-century. 80th minute.  The Mumbaikar leaves the scene as the only batsman to score 12,000 runs in Ranji Trophy Chennaiyin FC's Schembri to retire from and he also has the highest number of first- professional football class hundreds to his name.  Internationally, Jaffer played 31 Tests, scoring 1,944 runs at an average of 34.11.  Besides five tons, he has 11 fifties in the highest format of the game, with 212 being his best.

Indian runner Prachi provisionally suspended after testing positive for Oxandrolone

Chennaiyin FC's Maltese forward Andre Schembri announced he will retire from professional football after the Indian Super League final against ATK FC in Goa.

 The 33-year-old player will be aiming to go out on a high, hopefully by helping CFC win its third ISL title. Indian runner (400m) Prachi has been provisionally  Schembri, the first Maltese player to feature suspended after testing positive for the presence of a in ISL, has been an integral part of steroid Oxandrolone. Chennaiyin's success this season.  Schembri, a versatile forward, has played  The provisional suspension comes into effect club football in Germany, Austria, Hungary, from February 20, 2020. Greece, Cyprus, Portugal in his career  As per the World Anti Doping Agency before arriving in India and Chennaiy in this (WADA) and NADA list, Oxandrolone is a season. prohibited substance, which is a non- specified substance-Anabolic Androgenic World bronze-medallist Manish Kaushik in 63kg Steroid. category becomes 9th Indian boxer to qualify for  Prachi's sample was collected in Patiala on Tokyo Olympics December 30, 2019.

Mohun Bagan won Hero I-League Champions 2019-2020

Indian football heavyweights Mohun Bagan clinched their second I-League title with a 1-0 win over Aizawl FC at Kalyani, West Bengal.

 Their first I-League title came in 2014-15 World bronze-medallist Manish Kaushik in 63kg season. category became the ninth Indian boxer to qualify

for Tokyo Olympics after a win at the Asian Qualifiers in Amman, Jordan.

 He beat Commonwealth Games champion, Harrison Garside of Australia, 4-1 to book his maiden ticket to the quadrennial showpiece.  Earlier, Olympic-bound Commonwealth Games champion Vikas Krishan signed off with a silver medal in 69 kg division after an Jaydev Unadkat-led Saurashtra clinched its maiden eye injury forced him to pull out of the final. Ranji Trophy title at the Saurashtra Cricket  The other Indians to have qualified for the Association Stadium. Olympics are MC Mary Kom (51kg), Simranjit Kaur (60kg), Lovlina Borgohain  As per the rules, if the final of the Ranji (69kg), Pooja Rani (75kg), Amit Panghal Trophy is headed towards a draw, then the (52kg), Ashish Kumar (75kg) and Satish winner is decided on the basis of a first- Kumar (91kg). innings lead.  Whoever manages to take the lead in the first IPL 2020 postponed till April 15 innings, is declared as the champion.  The Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between multiple teams representing regional and state cricket associations.

Taiwan's Tai Tzu Ying clinches her third women's singles title of All England Championships

The rise in the number of coronavirus cases has prompted the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to postpone IPL 2020.

 As a precautionary measure against the COVID-19 infection, the BCCI postponed the tournament till April 15.  The Twenty20 cricket tournament was scheduled to commence on March 29.  The news came after Delhi government In Badminton, Taiwan's shuttler Tai Tzu Ying suspended all the matches of this year's IPL clinched her third women's singles title of the All in the national capital. England Championships at Birmingham in the  The 2020 Indian Premier League will be the United Kingdom. thirteenth season of the IPL.  Ying beat China's Chen Yufei in two straight Saurashtra clinch maiden Ranji Trophy title after games 21-19, 21-15 in 44 minutes. taking first innings lead against Bengal  Earlier in the men's singles, Denmark's Victor Axelsen outclassed Taiwan's Chou Tien- Chen.

 Indian representation in the competition ended as ace shuttler PV Sindhu lost in the quarterfinal match by Japan's Nozomi Okuhara 21-12, 15-21, 13-21.

Achanta Sharath Kamal clinches men's singles title of Oman Open

The Euro-2020 football tournament has been postponed by one year until 2021 because of the Coronavirus pandemic.

 This was stated by the Norwegian Football Association.  It was decided that the tournament will now take place from 11th June to 11th of July next Ace Indian paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal wins the year. ITTF Challenger Plus Oman Open.  The tournament was due to take place from 12th June to 12th of July this year at 12  The 37-year-old Indian veteran beat top- venues across Europe. seeded Marcos Freitas of Portugal 4-2 in the final played in Muscat. French Open tennis tournament postponed till  Earlier, in the semi-final, fourth-seeded September Achanta pulled off a stunning seven-set victory against Russia's Kirill Skachkov.

Viktor Axelsen lifts men's singles title at All England Open

The French Open Tennis has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and will take place from 20th September to 4th October.

Denmark's Viktor Axelsen clinched the men's singles  The Grand Slam event was to have taken title of the All England Open at Birmingham Arena. place from 24th May to 7th June.  The new dates would mean the tournament  Axelsen outclassed Taiwan's Chou Tien- would start just one week after the US Open, Chen in two straight games 21-13, 21-14. if that event remains in its scheduled slot.  This was Axelsen's maiden All England Open title. Greece handed over Olympic flame to Tokyo 2020 organisers Euro-2020 football tournament postponed by one year due to COVID-19 threat

Greece has handed over the Olympic flame to Tokyo  It is unprecedented in peacetime, as the world 2020 organisers at an event which was 'significantly battles the coronavirus pandemic. scaled-down' due to a coronavirus pandemic.  The move would be a devastating blow for the city of Tokyo, which had won widespread  The ceremony, which took place at Athens' praise for its organization, with venues iconic Panathenaic stadium, did not include finished well ahead of time and tickets the planned cultural ceremonies from Greece massively oversubscribed. or Japan.  The Olympics, which has experienced  Hellenic Olympic Committee President boycotts, terrorist attacks and protests, but Spyros Capralos handed the torch over to the has been held every four years since 1948. Tokyo Organising committee represented by Naoko Imoto, who lit the lantern and left with it.  The Tokyo Olympic games are slated to be held from July 24 to August 9.

Canada becomes first country to withdraw from Former India hockey player Balbir Singh Kullar 2020 Tokyo Olympic passes away

Former India hockey player Balbir Singh Kullar The 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo passes away. have been thrown into further doubt after Canada became the first major country to withdraw.  He was a part of the 1968 Olympics bronze- winning team.  Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has  He was born at Sansarpur village of Jalandhar admitted for the first time that the games district in Punjab. could be postponed.  He made his India debut in 1963 in Lyon,  The International Olympic Committee is France. He was also a member of the Indian expected to decide the fate of the games in team that won the Asian Games gold in 1966 four weeks' time. at Bangkok and the Olympic Bronze in 1968  The games are currently due to begin on 24th in Mexico. July. Dronacharya awardee athletics coach Joginder Tokyo Olympics postponed to 2021 Singh Saini passes away Japan's Prime Minister and the head of the Veteran athletics coach and Dronacharya awardee International Olympic Committee Shinzo Abe Joginder Singh Saini, who groomed some of India's agreed to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Games by a year finest track and field stars, died in Patiala. in an extraordinary move.

 Saini remained the chief national athletics  Perez de Cuellar notably led the world body coach for many years from the 1970s to 90s. during the Iran-Iraq war and the civil war in  He became the chief coach of the then El Salvador. Amateur Athletics Federation of India in  The present UN head Antonio Guterres 1970. expressed gratitude for Perez de Cuellar's  Saini received the Dronacharya Award in contributions and achievements as 1997 for his contribution to Indian athletics. Secretary-General.  He was the chief coach of the Indian athletics team which won 18 medals, including eight Points to Remember golds, at the 1978 Asian Games.  Secretary general: António Guterres Head of Bangladesh Bouddha Kristi Prachar  Headquarters: New York Sangha Sanghanayaka Suddhananda Mahathero  Founded: 24 October 1945 passed away Former Union Law Minister and Karnataka Governor Hans Raj Bhardwaj passes away

The head of the Bangladesh Bouddha Kristi Prachar Sangha Sanghanayaka Suddhananda Mahathero passed away in Dhaka. Former Union Law Minister and Congress veteran  He was a revered figure among the Buddhists Hans Raj Bhardwaj died after a cardiac arrest at a of Bangladesh. hospital in Delhi.  He is known for running many social service activities particularly the orphanage at  Bhardwaj was a Rajya Sabha member for five Dharmarajika Buddhist Monastery which terms from April 1982 to June 2009. takes care of more than 350 children.  He was the Law Minister for 14 years and  The Government of Bangladesh awarded the served under the prime ministership of Rajiv Ekushey Award to him in 2012. Gandhi, Narasimha Rao and Manmohan  According to 2011 census, Buddhism is the Singh. third largest religion of Bangladesh  During his stint as the Governor of Karnataka constituting 0.6 percent of the population. between 2009 and 2014, he sternly dealt with  Most of the Buddhists live in Chittagong the mining mafia active in the state. division of Bangladesh. Veteran Bengali actor Santu Mukhopadhyay Former UN Chief Javier Perez de Cuellar passes passes away away Veteran Bengali actor Santu Mukhopadhyay who Former UN Chief Javier Perez de Cuellar, who was known for his works in films such as 'Sansar served as United Nations Secretary General from Simante' and 'Bhalobasa Bhalobasa' died. 1981 to 1991, passed away.

 He had been suffering from carcinoma for  Puthussery, who undoubtedly led an long and been admitted to a hospital on eventful life through his varied roles as a February 4 with blood sugar and teacher, poet, writer, even doubling up as a hypertension. political activist at one point of time.  Born in Kolkata in 1951, Mukhopadhyay  With his appealing, heart-warming poetry, showed his class when he was in early 20s in he earned the sobriquet of a poet during the films like 'Sansar Simante' and 'Raja' by country’s freedom struggle to break free Tarun Majumder and Tapan Sinha from its colonial masters. respectively.  His poems have also been translated into Hindi, English and Tamil and published in Actor Imtiaz Khan passes away various journals.  ‘Puthussery ki Kavitha’, a Hindi translation of his works was published in 2001, while his autobiography Thilacha Mannil Kalnadayayi came out in 2017.  Puthussery has won many prestigious awards including the Ezhuthachchan Puraskaaram in 2015 among others.

Marathi actor Jairam Kulkarni passes away

Amjad Khan’s brother and Bollywood actor Imtiaz Khan passed away.

 Imtiaz Khan starred in movies like Yaadon Ki Baraat, Dharmatama, Dayavan and Noor Jahan among more.  He was an actor and director, and associated with popular films such as Hulchul, Pyaara Dost, Procession of Memories and Noor Noted Marathi actor Jairam Kulkarni died due to old- Jahan. age related ailments.

 Born in Barshi tehsil in Solapur district, Veteran poet and Malayalam scholar Puthussery Kulkarni had acted in more than 150 films, Ramachandran passes away including 'Chal Re Laxya Mumbaila', 'Ashi Hi Banwabanwi', 'Thartharat', 'Rangat Sangat'.  His last movie 'Khel Aayushyacha' was released recently.  Before embarking on a full-fledged career in acting, Kulkarni had worked in Akashwani in Pune where he came into contact with personalities from the fields of literature,

theatre and film. Veteran poet and Malayalam scholar Puthussery Ramachandran, passed away. Veteran journalist Patil Puttappa passes away

Veteran journalist and former Rajya Sabha member Legendary Indian footballer P K Banerjee died in Patil Puttappa passed away due to age-related Kolkata after battling prolonged illness. ailments.  The 1962 Asian Games gold-medallist was  Puttappa represented Karnataka in the Rajya conferred with Arjuna award and Padma Sabha for two terms. Shri.  He was also the first president of the Kannada  He scored 65 international goals in 84 Watchdog Committee and was also the appearances for the national team. founder-president of the Border Advisory  Besides winning the gold medal at the Jakarta Committee. Asian Games in 1992, Banerjee led India in  Fondly referred to as "PaPu", Puttappa was the 1960 Rome Olympics, where he scored the founder-editor of weekly "Prapancha" the equalizer against a formidable French and also edited "Navayuga". team in a 1-1 draw.

Former world champion boxer Roger Legendary country music singer Kenny Rogers Mayweather passes away dies

Roger Mayweather, a two-time world champion Legendary country music singer Kenny Rogers, best turned trainer boxer has died. known for global hits such as "Lucille", "Lady", "The Gambler" and "Islands in the Stream", has passed  Roger Mayweather, who had struggled with away. diabetes, won world titles in super featherweight and super lightweight.  He was elected to the USA’s Music Hall of  Widely considered to be one of the world's Fame in 2013. best boxing trainers, Roger helped coach  In a career spanning six decades, Rogers won nephew Floyd to one of the greatest careers three Grammys and six CMA Awards. in boxing history. Former footballer Abdul Latif passes away Indian football Legend P K Banerjee passes away at 83

 A Padma Shri recipient, Nemai Ghosh had also penned books such as 'Manik Da: Memoirs of Satyajit Ray', which are invaluable references for Ray enthusiasts.  He also served as a jury member at the 2007 National Film Awards.

Former India midfielder Abdul Latif, who was also Brahma Kumari's Chief Dadi Janki passes away a key member of the bronze medal winning team at the 1970 Bangkok Asian Games died.

 He also represented India in Asia Cup Qualifier in 1968 in Myanmar and Merdeka Cup in 1969 in Kuala Lumpur.  Latif represented Mohammedan Sporting from 1963-1967 and later took over as coach.

Acclaimed artist Satish Gujral passes away Rajyogini Dadi Janki, the Chief of Brahmakumaris Sansthan, the world's largest spiritual organization run by women, passed away at the age of 104 after prolonged illness.

 She was suffering from respiratory and stomach-related problems for the last two months.  Rajyogini Dadi Janki was born on 1st of January 1916 in Hyderabad city located in Satish Gujral, 94, one of India’s most well known Sindh province now in Pakistan. artists, passed away.  She had embraced the spiritual path at the age of 21. In the 1970s, she moved to  He was an Indian painter, sculptor, muralist western countries to establish Indian and writer of the post-independent era. philosophy, Raj Yoga and human values.  He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the  She had set up 'Seva Kendras' in 140 second-highest civilian award of the countries around the world. Republic of India, in 1999.  Dadi janki was appointed the brand  His elder brother, Inder Kumar Gujral, was ambassador of Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan the former Prime Minister of India. (Clean India Mission) by the government for her work in the field of maintaining Veteran photographer Nemai Ghosh passes away cleanliness.

Veteran photographer Nemai Ghosh, who had a long Renowned chef Floyd Cardoz passes away at 59 association with directing the great Satyajit Ray, due to coronavirus passed away. Renowned chef Floyd Cardoz, who ran the  Nemai Ghosh debuted with 'Goopy Gyne successful 'Bombay Canteen', 'O Pedro' and Bagha Byne' (1969) and was with Satyajit 'Bombay Sweet Shop' in Mumbai passed away due Ray till his last film 'Agantuk' (1991). to complications from the coronavirus.

 The 59-year-old co-founder of Hunger Inc  Hesse is the German state which is home to Hospitality, tested positive for Covid-19 in Frankfurt, considered to be the financial the USA on March 18. capital of Germany.  The culinary star, committed to making the  Schafer belonged to Angela Merkel's centre- food industry more sustainable, began his right Christian Democrats (CDU). hospitality training in his native Mumbai.  He later moved to Switzerland, where he Veteran Japanese comedian Ken Shimura dies of honed his skills in French, Italian and Indian COVID-19 cuisine before moving on to the kitchens of New York City.  Cardoz also competed on 'Top Chef' and won 'Top Chef Masters'.

IAF veteran Air Vice Marshal (retd) Chandan Singh Rathore passed away

Veteran Japanese comedian Ken Shimura died of pneumonia caused by the coronavirus.

 The 70-year-old comic was declared coronavirus positive on March 23. Prime Minister Narendra Modi consoled the demise  He was the first Japanese celebrity to contract of former Air Vice Marshal Chandan Singh Rathore. the highly contagious virus.  The icon joined a Japanese comic series  Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) Recipient, Rathore group 'Drifters' in 1974. had distinguished himself as a young air  The group later became one of the biggest warrior during the Sino-India 1962 war and successes in the history of Japanese Comedy. the 1971 Indo-Pak war.  Shimura rose to prominence after he starred  During the war with Pakistan, Rathore was at in the prime-time television comedy show of the forefront of air operations conducted for the group 'Hachijidayo Zeninshugo.' the liberation of Bangladesh.  Rathore was also responsible for the planning Samajwadi Party Founding Member Beni and execution of the special helicopter Prasad Verma passed away operations to airlift two companies of troops of the Sylhet area in Bangladesh.

German state finance minister commits suicide after 'virus crisis worries'

Thomas Schaefer, the Finance Minister of Germany’s Hesse state, had committed suicide.

 He was reportedly concerned over the Former Union minister and Samajwadi Party coronavirus pandemic, and how to deal with founding member Beni Prasad Verma died. the economic fallout from the crisis.

 Verma was the telecom minister between issues of empowerment of women over a life- 1996-1998 in then prime minister H.D. Deve cycle continuum. Gowda’s cabinet and was the steel minister in the Congress-led UPA-II government. Tahira to launch her book ''The 12  The former Union minister’s association commandments of Being A Woman'' with SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav spans over four decades.

Smriti Irani releases book titled ‘Chronicles of Change Champions’ On the occasion of International Women''s Day, Writer-filmmaker Tahira Kashyap announced that she is coming up with her new book, titled "The 12 commandments of Being A Woman".

 The book will be published by Juggernaut Books later this year.  Tahira has earlier written books like "I Promise" and "Souled Out". Union Minister for Women and Child Development  Tahira Kashyap is an Indian Writer, Smriti Zubin Irani released a book titled ‘Chronicles Professor, and Theatre Director. of Change Champions’ at an event held in New  She is the wife of well known Bollywood Delhi. Actor, Ayushmann Khurrana.

 The book is a compilation of 25 innovative 'An Extraordinary Life': Book on the late Goa initiatives taken at the state and district levels CM Manohar Parrikar under the Prime Minister’s flagship scheme of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao.  It captures the convergent approach adopted at the grass-root level and provides insight into the unique manner of community engagement by the District Administration and front-line workers.  The Minister informed that this year the Ministry will work with the Human Resource Development Ministry to launch a mission to get out-of-school girls back into schools with the help of the local community.  The Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao scheme was A book on the life and times of bureaucrat-turned- launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi politician Manohar Parrikar, who served as the on 22nd January 2015 at Panipat, Haryana as defence minister and Goa chief minister, will hit the a comprehensive programme to address the stands in April. declining Child Sex Ratio and the related

 The book titled 'An Extraordinary Life: A Hamid Ansari launched Bhalchandra Mungekar's biography of Manohar Parrikar' is written by book "My Encounters in Parliament". veteran journalists Sadguru Patil and Mayabhushan Nagvenkar.  The book has been written by Bhalchandra  17 March marks the first death anniversary Mungekar of Parrikar who died after battling pancreatic  Bhalchandra Mungekar is an Indian cancer for over a year. He was 63. economist, Social worker and a former Rajya  Parrikar was among the few from Goa who Sabha member. made it to the national level. He held the  He specialises in agricultural economics and defence portfolio in the Modi government is an expert on B. R. Ambedkar. from 2014 till 2017 before returning to his first love, Goa, to take over the chief Savita Chhabra authors her debut book 'Legacy minister's post. of Learning'

Rajnath Singh releases Tarun Vijay's 'Invincible' book on Manohar Parrikar

Award-winning businesswoman, Savita Chhabra, Chairperson, HRIPL has launched her debut book, called 'Legacy of Learning'.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh released a coffee  The book offers simplistic and relatable table book on the life and times of the former Union interpretations of the Bhagavad Gita in an minister Manohar Parrikar. attempt to connect the youth of India to the age-old, but relevant scriptures.  The book titled 'Invincible' has been edited by  Empathising with the stressful lives that former MP and BJP leader Tarun Vijay. today's generation of millennials and  Parrikar, four-time chief minister of Goa and zillennials lead, the book offers fictional former defence minister, passed away on stories woven around chosen verses. March 17, 2019 after battling pancreatic  The book introduces readers to the cancer for over a year. importance of performing good karma and nudges them to be conscious about the Former Vice-President Hamid Ansari releases purpose of their lives in every decision they "My Encounters in Parliament" book make. Quiz March 2020 (English)

Q. The US and Taliban signed a peace deal for the withdrawal of American troops from ______.

Pakistan

Afghanistan Vidisha

Iraq Q. Indian Railways launches its First 'Restaurant on Wheels' in the circulating area of ______railway Syria station. None of these Siliguri Q. Which of the following country hosted a month Asansol long Ekushey book fair? Dhanbad Sri Lanka Jalgaon Nepal Latur Bangladesh Q. Who among the following will be conferred with Myanmar Swami Vivekananda Karmayogi Award? None of these Vandana Shiva Q. Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla launches 'Suposhit Saalumarada Thimmakka Maa Abhiyaan' in ______. Sunderlal Bahuguna Indore Jadav Payeng Rewa Rajendra Singh Bhind Q. Molai forest is in ______. Kota Rajasthan Ranchi Madhya Pradesh Q. Which of the following district of Madhya Pradesh is hosting the the two day long Chilli Jharkhand Festival? Assam Khargone Telangana Morena Q. Who among the following has won the men’s Gwalior single title at the Mexican Open?

Indore Roger Federer

Novak Djokovic Armi Ratia

Dominic Thiem Q. What is the capital of Finland?

Rafael Nadal Helsinki

Alexander Zverev Copenhagen

Q. Who among the following has won the gold Minsk medal in the 100 meters race at Khelo India Budapest University Games in Bhubaneswar? None of these Hima Das Q. How much will the Asian Development Bank Srabani Nanda (ADB) provide to help developing countries in Asia P. U. Chitra and the Pacific to fight the outbreak of N0vel Coronavirus (COVID-19)? Dutee Chand 1 million USD None of these 2 million USD Q. Muhyiddin Yassin has been sworn in as the new Prime Minister of ______. 3 million USD

Indonesia 4 million USD

Vietnam 5 million USD

Cuba Q. Where is the headquarters of the Asian Development Bank (ADB)? Malaysia Manila None of these Geneva Q. Announced as the new CEO and president of Nokia. Who is he? Nairobi

Matsugu Asakawa Cairo

Pekka Lundmark None of these

Tapio Kula Q. Who is the chairman of the Asian Development Bank? Micah Ihumotilla

Matsugu Asakawa Q. Balbir Singh Kullar has passed away recently, which sports is he related to? Roberto Azvedo Hockey John Maynard Keynes Cricket Harry Dexter White Football None of these Netball Q. How many universities participated in Khelo India University Games? None of these

110 Q. Former Indian player Balbir Singh Kullar won which medal in Mexico in 1968? 111 Gold medal 112 Silver medal 113 Bronze medal 114 All of these Q. What is the name of the Prime Minister of Nepal? None of these KP Sharma Oli Q. World Wildlife Day is observed every year on Bidhya Devi Bhandari ______. B.P. Koirala 29 February Madan Bhandari 01 March Baburam bhattarai 02 March Q. Which of the following is the currency of Nepal? 03 March Dollar 04 March Pound Q. India has won a defence deal worth $40 million Rupee with ______for the export of Swathi weapons- Peso locating radars.

Frank Cuba

Armenia Hari Singh Chowk

Chad None of these

Egypt Q. The Government of India has submitted nomination dossiers of ‘Dholavira: A Harappan Ukraine City’ for inclusion in the World Heritage List for Q. The paperless session of Arunachal Pradesh the year 2020. The Dholavira site is in ______. Legislative Assembly began with the Rajasthan implementation of ______app. Gujarat e-Sabha Punjab e-Vidhan Bihar e-Arunachal Uttar Pradesh e-Desh Q. The 29th edition of Azlan Shah Cup hockey e-Session tournament was postponed due to the outbreak of Q. Which of the following state government has novel coronavirus outbreak across the world. signed a MoU for construction of 6 equipment Which of the following country is the host of the hiring centers with the Airport Authority of India? Azlan Shah Cup?

Gujarat Malaysia

Haryana France

Rajasthan India

Tripura Iran

Assam Italy

Q. The historic ‘City Chowk’, in old Jammu has Q. Tasnim Mir, Mansi Singh win bronze at Yonex been renamed as ______. Dutch Junior International. They are associated Atal Chowk with ______.

Bharat Mata Chowk Carrom

Jammu Chowk Tennis

Table Tennis Kolkata

Badminton Q. Benjamin Netanyahu claimed victory in general elections of 120 member Israel parliament. The name Golf of Israel's parliament is ______. Q. Which of the following University topped the Sabor medal tally of the first Khelo India University Games? Diet

Chaudhary Charan Singh University Knesset

Panjab University, Chandigarh Melli Majlis

Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology Tshogdu

Savitribai Phule Pune University Q. The 35th edition of AAHAR - the Food and Hospitality fair began in ______. None of these Chennai Q. Recently, Joginder Singh Saini passed away. He was ______. Agra

ISRO Scientist Lucknow

Athletics coach New Delhi

Former Chief Minister of Bihar Bhopal

Cricketer Q. The famous Rangotsav began in which of the following place of Uttar Pradesh? None of these Agra Q. National Safety Day is observed every year on 04 March to mark the foundation day of National Safety Fatehpur Sikiri Council (NSC). NSC is headquartered in ______. Barsana New Delhi Meerut Navi Mumbai Hastinapur Chennai Q. Which of the following place will host the 108th Pune Indian Science Congress in 2021?

Chennai Shakti

Nagpur Humsafar

Kolkata Parakaram

Pune Takat

Aurangabad Q. The 68th edition of All India Police Athletic Championship-2019 began at ______. Q. Who among the following has been appointed as one of the key members of the White House Haryana Coronavirus Task Force constituted by US President Gujarat Donald Trump? Uttar Pradesh Seema Verma West Bengal Ajay Nath Assam Ajeet Ganguly Q. Recently, Suddhananda Mahathero passed away. Mohan Narayan Das He was ______. None of these Football Coach Q. President Ram Nath Kovind conferred 61st Lalit Buddhists leader Kala Akademi's annual awards to ______artists. Head of Siddaganga Math 15 Army Officer of 1999 Kargil War 25 None of these 46 Q. Which of the following has become the first 11 country in the world with a free public transport 9 system?

Q. Government has launched ______mobile app Luxembourg for doorstep diesel delivery in Delhi and nearby France region. Vatican City Tez Saint Lucia

Cyprus Q. After the approval of FDI policy on civil aviation, Non Resident Indians can acquire up to Q. India is observing Janaushadhi Week from ______equity in Air India. ______to ______. 30 per cent 1 to 7 March 50 per cent 5 to 12 March 70 per cent 3 to 10 March 90 per cent 6 to 13 March 100 per cent 8 to 15 March Q. Insurance Regulatory and Development Q. All level crossings on National Highways will be Authority of India, IRDAI has asked insurance replaced by over/under bridges under ______. companies to design policies to cover ______. Jan Setu scheme Swine Flu Setu Bharatam scheme Coronavirus Setu Samundram scheme Bird Flu Sugam Marg scheme HIV None of these Tuberculosis Q. Western Railway has announced a bonus of 5% Q. Who among the following has been appointed as for every recharge to R-Wallet. Western Railway is the new Finance Secretary? headquartered in ______. Aruna Sundararajan Chennai Hasmukh Adhia Pune Ajay Bhushan Pandey Mumbai Ajay Narayan Jha Aurangabad Rajiv Kumar Gandhinagar

Q. Who among the following has been named as the Q. Google has announced its plans to open India’s chairman of the national selection panel by the second Cloud Region in ______. BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC)? Chennai Amar Singh Hyderabad Sorabji Kumar Delhi Jahangir Khan Kolkata Sunil Joshi Bhopal Ajeet Pal Q. Which of the following state observed the Q. After the outbreak of coronavirus, the Chapchar Kut festival ______. Badminton Asia Championships have been moved Assam out of Wuhan to ______. Gujarat Jakarta Telangana Phnom Penh Kerala Bangkok Mizoram Manila Q. Which of the following place has been named as Hanoi the new summer capital of Uttarakhand? Q. Who among the following has become the Almora second Indian batsman after Mithali Raj to top the women's T20 International rankings? Gairsain

Harmanpreet Kaur Joshimath

Smriti Mandhana Karnaprayag

Shafali Verma Uttarkashi

Punam Raut Q. For the current fiscal year, Employees' Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) has lowered the interest Latika Kumari rate on provident fund deposits to______.

8.1%

7.9% SCORES

8.8% None of these

8.5% Q. Recently, NS Vishwanathan quit three months ahead of his retirement. He was serving as the 8.2% ______. Q. For one month, The government has imposed a Foreign Secretary withdrawal limit of______for the depositors of Yes Bank. Deputy Governor of RBI

10,000 rupees Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog

20,000 rupees Chief Justice of Delhi High Court

50,000 rupees None of these

75,000 rupees Q. Which of the following Indian city will host the 2023 International Olympic Committee's session? 1,00,000 rupees New Delhi Q. The merger of 10 public sector banks (PSB) into 4 PSBs will come into effect from ______. Chennai

1 June 2020 Ahmedabad

31 June 2020 Bhubaneswar

1 April 2020 Mumbai

1 July 2020 Q. Recently, Javier Perez de Cuellar passed away. He served as the ______. 1 May 2020 Managing Director of International Monetary Fund Q. SEBI has launched a mobile application for the convenience of investors to lodge grievances named United Nations Secretary General as ______. President of Canada ATAL President of European Central Bank SAFE None of these CISC

Q. India, has signed a Rs 1200 crore deal for Salman Khan protection system of new VVIP aircraft Boeing-777 Kartik Aaryan with which of the following country? Kareena Kapoor Khan Russia Kriti Sanon China Shraddha Kapoor France Q. Who among the following has took charge as Yes USA Bank administrator? Germany Saroj Jha Q. Which of the following Indian city will host the Anil Pal Fourth ‘Global Ayurveda Festival’ 2020? Akash Awasthi Haridwar Prashant Kumar Chennai Rohan Pandey Kochi Q. Who among the following took oath as Chief Agra Information Commissioner of India? Gandhinagar Bimal Julka Q. Which of the following state hosted the 3 day Alok Joshi ‘Namaste Orchha’ festival? Rajinder Khanna Rajasthan Mohit Tyagi Madhya Pradesh Anil Dhasmana Punjab Q. Who among the following has been named as the Haryana Sportsperson of the Year at the Times of India Sports Assam Awards (TOISA) 2019?

Q. Who among the following has recently signed a MC Mary Kom two-year deal with global brand ‘Puma’ as its brand Dutee Chand ambassador? PV Sindhu

Shakshi Malik Daily habits need to be followed by pregnant women

None of these None of these

Q. The Archery Association of India (AAI) has Q. International Women's Day is observed every pulled out its team from the upcoming Asia Cup year on ______. world ranking tournament scheduled in ______. 05 March Manila 08 March Shanghai 09 March Tokyo 10 March Bangkok 07 March Jakarta Q. India observed Jan Auashadhi Diwas on Q. Which of the following place/places will host the ______. first edition of Khelo India Women's Hockey League 05 March Under-21? 08 March New Delhi 09 March Bengaluru. 10 March Bhubaneswar 07 March 1 and 2 Q. What is the theme of International Women's Day 1, 2 and 3 2020? Q. Recently, Smriti Irani released the book titled Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50- ‘Chronicles of Change Champions’. The book is 50 by 2030 about ______. I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Life story of Sushma Swaraj Rights Initiatives taken under scheme of Beti Bachao, Think equal, build smart, innovate for change Beti Padhao Time is Now: Rural and urban activists List of achievements of ISRO in 2019 transforming women's lives

None of these Q. Recently, the Government invites bids for sale of its entire 52.98% stake in ______. Q. Annual festival of St Antony’s Shrine begins. St Antony’s Shrine is in ______Indian Oil Corporation

Minicoy Island Hindustan Petroleum

Khajuraho NTPC Limited

Katchatheevu Island Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd

North Goa Steel Authority of India

None of these Q. Which of the following country has won the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2020? Q. IIFA Awards has been postponed amid the Coronavirus outbreak. IIFA Awards were scheduled India to take place in ______. Bangladesh Maharashtra New Zealand Gujarat Australia Madhya Pradesh England Uttar Pradesh Q. Recently, Pooja Rani and Vikas Krisha qualified Assam for the Tokyo Olympics. They are associated with which of the following sports? Q. President Ram Nath Kovind gave away the Nari Shakti Puraskar to ______women on the Badminton occasion of International Women's Day 2020. Cycling 11 Boxing 10 Swimming 15 Shooting 9 Q. Which of the following country hosted the ICC 21 Women's T20 World Cup 2020?

India

Bangladesh Goa

New Zealand Kochi

Australia Surat

England Chennai

Q. Which of the following country will host the 5th Q. Recently, Which of the following institute has BIMSTEC Summit in September? launched the Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship programme to train 75 graduates? Sri Lanka Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru Bangladesh Indian Institutes of Technology, Delhi Nepal Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad Myanmar Indian Institutes of Technology, Kharagpur India None of these Q. Which of the following country has been admitted as fifth observer to Indian Ocean Q. Recently, the Union government made sanitary Commission after China, Malta, European Union napkin disposal bags mandatory from ______? and International Organisation of La Francophonie January 2021 (OIF)? March 2021 Russia June 2021 USA January 2022 Bangladesh March 2022 India Q. Which of the following institute has launched its Nepal own Community Radio Station - RADIO Q. Indian Coast Guards conducts National level KHANCHI 90.4 FM Aap Sabka Radio on Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX-2020) in International Women's Day? ______. Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi Mumbai Indian Institute of Technology Patna

All India Institute of Medical Sciences Patna Boxing

Ranchi University Q. Recently, Prachi has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for the presence of a None of these steroid Oxandrolone. She was associated with Q. Which of the following company has tied up ______. with Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd to launch QR-code- Boxing based metro ticketing system? Weightlifting Paytm Long Jump GooglePay High Jump PhonePe 400m running Amazon India Q. Recently, Who among the following has been Jio digital services sworn in as the president of Afghanistan? Q. First ever Khelo India Winter Games began at Mohammed Zahir Shah ______. Ashraf Ghani Manali Hassan Rouhani Almora Hamid Karzai Gulmarg Abdul Rashid Dostum Shimla Q. According to a new report by Stockholm Gangtok International Peace Research Institute, India has Q. Recently, Wasim Jaffer announced his ranked as ______largest arms importer in the retirement. He was associated with which of the world. following sports? 2nd Badminton 3rd Football 4th Cricket 5th Hockey

6th None of these

Q. According to a new report by Stockholm Q. Which of the following state has topped the list in International Peace Research Institute, Which of the the installations of solar rooftop plants across the following country has ranked as the largest arms country? importer in the world? Maharashtra China Uttar Pradesh Saudi Arabia Gujarat UAE Telangana Mexico Andhra Pradesh Pakistan Q. Which of the following state government has Q. Central Industrial Security Force-CISF Raising launched a 'Cova' mobile application to sensitise Day is observed every year on ______. people about coronavirus?

11 March Uttar Pradesh

08 March Punjab

10 March Gujarat

09 March Telangana

07 March Haryana

Q. India has used the Lopinavir/ Ritonavir Q. Moody’s has lowered G-20 growth outlook to combination for the treatment of COVID-19. ______. Lopinavir/ Ritonavir are generally used in the 1.8% treatment of ______. 1.7% Tuberculosis 2.1% Asthma 2.4% HIV 2.3% Dengue Fever

Q. Which of the following state government has Om Prakash Tyagi ranked 1st in the country for overall implementation Ranjana Prakash Desai of Poshan Abhiyan? Mohit Aggarwal Punjab None of these Andhra Pradesh Q. Which of the following state government has Gujarat launched the ‘NIGHA’ app to ensure ‘clean and Telangana healthy’ elections and for curbing the use of money and alcohol in polls? Rajasthan Uttar Pradesh Q. Recently, Hans Raj Bhardwaj passed away. He was a/an ______. Rajasthan

Actor Haryana

Cricketer Andhra Pradesh

Politician Gujarat

Journalist Q. Who among the following took over the post of Director General Defence Intelligence Agency and Painter Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff Q. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is looking at (Intelligence)? set up logistics bases in ______to boost exports. Lt Gen Rahul Prajapat Malaysia Lt Gen Mohan Desh Pandey Vietnam Lt Gen Rakesh Sakaria Indonesia Lt Gen KJS Dhillon Sri Lanka None of these All of these Q. Who among the following has won the seventh Q. Who among the following will head the Centre’s Dr MS Swaminathan Award for the period 2017- delimitation panel for J-K and 4 northeastern states? 2019?

Akash Deep Singh R Vashisth

V Praveen Rao Chandigarh FC

Mohit Ganguly None of these

Prabhat Raj Q. Andre Schembri has announced his retirement. He is associated from which of the following None of these sports? Q. Who among the following took over as the Cricket Asia’s richest title after $5.8 billion loss from Mukesh Ambani’s net worth? Table Tennis

Ma Huateng Badminton

Azim Premji Football

Hui Ka Yan Basketball

Jack Ma Q. Who among the following is the author of the book ''The 12 commandments of Being A Woman''? None of these Akshay Kumar Q. The total Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows recorded highest ever for fiscal year 2018- Tahira Kashyap 19 at ______. Lisa Ray 23 billion US dollars Sanya Malhotra 123 billion US dollars Jitendra Kumar 62 billion US dollars Q. In March 2020, the World Health Organization 93 billion US dollars declared Covid-19 as a ______.

31 billion US dollars Pandemic

Q. Which of the following football club has won the Endemic Hero I-League Champions 2019-2020 title? Epidemic Mohun Bagan FC Zoonotic Punjab FC None of these Bengaluru FC

Q. ______has been declared as the national Kochi slogan of Bangladesh. Pune Mujibur Bangla Lucknow Joy Bangla Q. Surjit Singh Deswal took over the additional Hamar Bangla charge of Director General (DG) of Border Security Force (BSF). He is currently the Director-General Hamar Desh Bangla of ______. None of these National Investigation Agency Q. Main national event for International Day of Indo-Tibet Border Police Yoga 2020, will be held in ______. Central Industrial Security Force Varanasi Central Reserve Police Force Bhopal Central Bureau of Investigation Surat Q. Who among the following has been named as the Leh greatest world leader in BBC Poll? Guwahati Maharaja Ranjit Singh Q. Government is observing ‘Poshan Pakhwada’ Abraham Lincoln from ______to ______across the Country. Nelson Mandela 7th to 20nd March Martin Luther King, Jr. 11th to 25nd March None of these 15th to 30nd March Q. In March 2020, Who among the following bank 8th to 22nd March has decided to waive maintenance of Average 6th to 19nd March Monthly Balance (AMB) for all savings accounts?

Q. “Divya Kala Shakti-Witnessing the Abilities in Punjab National Bank Disabilities” was organised in ______. Yes Bank New Delhi State Bank of India Chennai

ICICI Bank Q. Nation observed the 130th Foundation Day of the National Archives of India (NAI). NAI works None of these under ______. Q. Byju Raveendran, and Gaurav Gupta has been Ministry of Rural Development named in WEF's Young Global Leaders list. Gaurav Gupta is the cofounder of ______. Ministry of Human Resource Development

Ola Ministry of Culture

OYO Rooms Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Zomato Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment FreshMenu Q. India Post launches first free Digital Locker None of these Service in ______. Q. SBI has announced a reduction in its MCLR. M Kolkata in MCLRs stands for ______. Mumbai Main Gandhinagar Member Bhopal Marginal Aurangabad Maintenance Q. Which of the following state governments has None of these approved the implementation of "happy hour" for Q. Rajya Sabha approved changes to include autorickshaws that slashes the fares by 15 percent Parivara and Talawara tribal communities in between 12 noon and 4 pm? Scheduled Tribe category of which state? Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh New Delhi Andhra Pradesh Maharashtra Assam Gujarat Karnataka Andhra Pradesh Jharkhand

Q. In March 2020, Which of the following institute Virat Kohli received Rs 7.25 crore for the development of PV Sindhu Technology Innovation Hub? Amitabh Bachchan IIT Mandi Anil Kapoor IIT Kanpur Sachin Tendulkar IIT Patna Q. Who among the following will be inducted into IISc Bengaluru World Golf Hall of Fame in 2021 class? None of these Rory McIlroy Q. Which of the following bank will buy shares Brooks Koepka worth 7,250 crore rupees of the Yes Bank? Adam Scott Punjab National Bank Tiger Woods State Bank of India Gary Woodland Dena Bank Q. Recently, Santu Mukhopadhyay passed away. HDFC Bank He was a famous ______. Bank of Baroda Actor Q. In March 2020, Which of the following company Journalist has acquired digital solution provider ‘AdGlobal360’? Politician

Tokyu Agency Painter

Asatsu-DK Sitar Player

Hakuhodo Q. In March 2020, Cabinet hikes dearness allowance for Central govt employees by ______. CyberAgent 2% Dentsu 4% Q. Who among the following has been named as the brand ambassador of IDFC FIRST Bank? 6%

5% GOKADDAL

7% INDIS

Q. Which of the following company has launched PIOSH ‘Pragati’ to boost women entrepreneurship in India? CCOS Apple None of these IBM Q. Which of the following state government has Microsoft decided to construct 33 stadiums in the state under ‘Uttran’ scheme? Facebook Assam Google Maharashtra Q. In March 2020, India has delivered 600 tonnes of rice to ______. Rajasthan

Chad Haryana

Ethiopia Odisha

Madagascar Q. Which of the following state government has launched Kaushal Satrang, Yuva Hub and CM Namibia apprenticeship scheme for skill development & Congo employment generation for youths?

Q. India has been ranked under ______category Andhra Pradesh in ‘Animal Protection Index 2020’. Telangana A Odisha B Uttar Pradesh C Madhya Pradesh D Q. Infosys has partnered with which of the E following company to partner for smart cities Q. World's first Digital Solutions Exchange Cloud solutions? named as ______has been launched in India.

Mindtree 16 March

Intel 14 March

Qualcomm Q. What is the theme for World Consumer Rights Day 2020? Broadcom The Sustainable Consumer Huawei Know Your Rights Q. Due to the rise in the number of coronavirus cases, BCCI has postponed IPL 2020 to 15 April. Remove the fears of a Consumer This is the ______edition of IPL. For the rights of a Consumer 10th None of these 12th Q. Small island nation of Niue has been named as 13th the World's First ______.

15th Dark Beach Nation

16th Dark Sea Nation

Q. Which of the following team has won the Ranji Dark Soil Nation Trophy title? Dark Sky Nation Services None of these Punjab Q. What is the capital of Niue? Mumbai Nuku'alofa Railways Nukunonu Saurashtra Alofi Q. World Consumer Rights Day is observed every Apia year on ______. Yaren 11 March Q. Which of the following things has been named 13 March as the essential commodities by the government to 15 March boost supply?

Face masks Bernard Arnault

Hand sanitizers Elon Musk

Paracetamol tablets Q. Which of the following company has launched the world’s first digital payment solution that does 1 and 2 not require internet connectivity? 1, 2 and 3 Lava Q. Mumbai Central Station will be renamed after Micromax ______. Xiaomi Nana Shankarsheth Nokia Bal Thackeray Samsung Balasaheb Vikhe Patil Q. GST rates on mobile phones has been increased Major Rama Raghoba Rane to ______with effect from 1st of April. None of these 18% Q. India's first culinary arts museum at WGSHA 12% enters Limca Book of Records. Who among the following is the founder of this museum? 28%

Sanjeev Kapoor 16%

Harpal Singh Sokhi None of these

Vikas Khanna Q. Who among the following Indian has won the men's singles title of Oman Open? Ranveer Brar Achanta Sharath Kamal Kunal Kapur Rahul Shah Q. Who among the following has decided to step down from the boards of Berkshire Hathaway? Nandu Natekar

Warren Buffett Aditya Joshi

Paul Allen Prabhat Ranjan

Bill Gates

Q. Which of the following state government has from all SAARC members with India’s initial share launched the ‘Chief Minister’s Akhannaba of ______. Sanaroising gi Tengbang (CMAST) scheme? USD 1 million Maharashtra USD 5 million Assam USD 10 million West Bengal USD 20 million Manipur USD 50 million Sikkim Q. National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) Q. Viktor Axelsen has won the men's singles title at recently organised a event to mark the conclusion of All England Open. He is from ______. its flagship programme 'Ganga Amantran Abhiyan'. Ganga Amantran Abhiyan started from ______. Japan Devprayag Russia Haridwar Canada Kanpur Denmark Patna China Rishikesh Q. The Reserve Bank of India has revised exposure limits for urban cooperative banks (UCBs) to a single Q. Recently, ''Ropax'' ferry service was launched borrower to ______? between Mumbai ______.

15 percent Amboli

10 percent Mandwa

20 percent Pune

30 percent Khandala

35 percent None of these

Q. PM Modi proposed a COVID-19 emergency fund, which will be based on voluntary contributions

Q. Who among the following has been named as the 0% new Chief Executive Officer of the financially 1% troubled Yes Bank? 1.2% Prashant Kumar 1.5% Mohit Suri 1.8% Prakash Tyagi Q. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman served as the ______Mohit Chaudhary of the independent nation of Bangladesh.

None of these First President

Q. Which of the following state is observing the First Prime Minister ‘Phool Dei festival’? Second Prime Minister Himachal Pradesh First Chief Justice Rajasthan None of these Uttarakhand Q. Which of the following country has started the Assam first human trial to evaluate vaccine against COVID- 19? Manipur Russia Q. Who among the following has won the women's singles title of All England Championships? Iran

Ratchanok Intanon Israel

Chen Yufei USA

Nozomi Okuhara China

Akane Yamaguchi Q. As per WHO provisional guidelines, the maximum permissible limit of Uranium as Tai Tzu Ying ______in all drinking water standards. Q. The US Federal Reserve has cut down its interest 0.01 mg/l rates to ______to prevent further damage from the rapidly-spreading coronavirus. 0.20 mg/l

0.07 mg/l Assam

0.0003 mg/l Manipur

0.03 mg/l Meghalaya

Q. India will provide ______for three new school Q. Recently, Imtiaz Khan passed away. He was a/an buildings in Nepal in Darchula, Dhanusha and ______. Kapilvastu districts. Journalist 372.83 million Nepali Rupees Actor 738.93 million Nepali Rupees Cricketer 107.01 million Nepali Rupees Painter 33.21 million Nepali Rupees Poet 10.94 million Nepali Rupees Q. Recently, Puthussery Ramachandran passed Q. President Ram Nath Kovind has nominated away. He was a/an ______. Former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi to the Kathak dancer Rajya Sabha. Gogoi served as the ______Chief Justice of India. ISRO Scientist

40th Poet

41th Tabla Player

39th None of these

46th Q. 'An Extraordinary Life’ is the biography of ______. 49th Harbhajan Singh Q. Oil India signed a crude sales agreement with Numaligarh Refinery. Numaligarh Refinery is in Manohar Parrikar ______. Sushma Swaraj

Maharashtra Arun Jaitley

Arunachal Pradesh Dutee Chand

Q. Ordnance Factory Board foundation day is Q. According to a parliamentary panel’s report, observed every year on ______. Fisheries faced the annual post-harvest losses of ______. 15 March Rs 73,000 crore 16 March Rs 25,000 crore 17 March Rs 37,000 crore 18 March Rs 92,000 crore 19 March Rs 61,000 crore Q. In March 2020, the Supreme Court clears permanent commission for women in ______. Q. Who among the following has been appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director of Power Corps of Army Air Defence Finance Corporation (PFC)? Army aviation Ajay Nath Pandey Indian Navy Ravinder Singh Dhillon President's Bodyguard Ajay Gill None of these Sunil Nagpal Q. The Lok Sabha passed the Aircraft (Amendment) None of these Bill, 2020 to fulfill the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Q. Who among the following has been appointed as ICAO is headquartered in ______. the new Chief Electoral Officer of Jammu and Kashmir? Canada Harshit Tiwari Switzerland Maneesh Das Russia Purushottam Pandey France Hirdesh Kumar USA None of these

Q. Euro-2020 football tournament that was Q. Recently, Patil Puttappa passed away. He was scheduled from 12th June to 12th of July this year a/an ______. has been postponed by ______due to COVID-19 Painter threat. Violinist 2 months Journalist 6 months Footballer 8 months None of these 1 year Q. Adnan al-Zurfi has been appointed as the new 1.5 year designated Prime Minister of ______. Q. Which of the following grand slams, that was Iran about to take place from 24th May to 7th June, has been postponed to September 2020? Afghanistan

Australian Open Kazakhstan

US Open Iraq

French Open Libya

Wimbledon Q. Who among the following chaired the meeting on Research in Indian Traditional Knowledge None of these Systems in Delhi? Q. Recently, Jairam Kulkarni passed away. He was Rajnath Singh a/an ______. Nitin Gadkari Writer Smiriti Irani Painter Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank Army officer Piyush Goyal Actor Q. Government is taking positive steps for listing None of these Bhojpuri, Rajasthani & Bhoti into 8th Schedule of

constitution. Bhoti language is primarily spoken in Q. Entry of pilgrims in Thanjavur temple is ______region. prohibited till March 31. The temple is on the bank of ______river. Andaman and Nicobar Krishna Nagaland Godavari Ladakh Kaveri Odisha Tungabhadra Lakshadweep None of these Q. In March 2020, Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) gave approval for procurement of ______Q. According to a recent announcement by Union indigenous Tejas fighter aircraft for Indian Air Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, Banihal to Katra Force. railway link in Jammu and Kashmir will be completed by______. 77 2021 83 2022 47 2023 36 2024 91 2025 Q. In March 2020, The Centre issued a gazette notification for the adaptation of 37 Central laws in Q. After the inclusion of Konark Sun Temple and the Concurrent List for the Union Territory of Statue of Unity to be included in ‘Iconic Sites’ list, ______. the total number of monuments in the list will be raised to______. Delhi 14 Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 16 Jammu and Kashmir 19 Puducherry 23 None of these 25

Q. A total of Rs 20,466.94 crores of loans have Q. Recently, which of the following state been sanctioned under Stand Up India Scheme. The government has abolished quota in promotion for Stand Up India Scheme was launched by the employees? Government in______. Rajasthan 2013 Nagaland 2014 Uttarakhand 2015 Odisha 2016 Haryana 2017 Q. PM Modi calls for Janata Curfew on ______in Q. Defence minister Rajnath Singh released a wake of COVID 19. coffee table book titled 'Invincible'. The book is 22 March based on the life of ______. 24 March Manohar Parrikar 25 March Amit Shah 26 March Narendra Modi 28 March Sushma Swaraj Q. The government has created WhatsApp Chatbot Atal Bihari Vajpayee for queries on Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 named Q. International Day of Happiness is observed every as ______. year on ______. Janta Corona Helpdesk 17 March MyGov Corona Helpdesk 18 March Safe and Secure Helpdesk 19 March COVID-19 Helpdesk 20 March None of these 21 March

Q. The four men convicted of the gang rape and Q. Which of the following bank has joined hands murder of a Delhi woman were hanged in which of with Bharti AXA for an insurance plan covering the folloiwng jail? Covid-19?

Agra District Jail ICICI Bank

Yerwada Jail HDFC Bank

Puzhal Central Jail DBS Bank

Tihar Jail Kotak Mahindra Bank

Naini Central Jail None of these

Q. Indian Railways will electrify all broad gauge Q. Who among the following has recently resigned routes by December ______. from the post of independent director from the CRISIL board? 2021 Shikha Sharma 2022 Anshula Kant 2023 Arundhati Bhattacharya 2024 Rajnish Kumar 2025 Amit Sharma Q. Which of the following payments bank has decided to start issuing Visa virtual debit cards to its Q. Recently, Roger Mayweather passed away. He customers? was associated with which of the following sports?

Airtel Payments Bank Boxing

India Post Payments Bank Swimming

Jio Payments Bank Golf

Paytm Payments Bank Basketball

None of these Football

Q. World Sparrow Day is observed every year on ______.

18 March Russia

19 March None of these

20 March Q. Which of the following state governments has recently launched an e-Night Beat Checking System? 21 March Rajasthan 22 March Jharkhand Q. According to a recent reply by Union Minister Piyush Goyal in Rajya Sabha, which of the following Himachal Pradesh falls under Essential Services category? Assam Services by parliamentarians Uttar Pradesh Services by doctors Q. Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath submitted his Services by paramedics resignation to the state governor. Who is the current governor of Madhya Pradesh? 1 and 2 Acharya Devvrat 1, 2 and 3 Ganeshi Lal Q. As per ‘World Population Prospects 2019’ report, India’s population reached ______in mid 2019. Jagdish Mukhi

1.84 billion Lal Ji Tandon

1.36 billion Kalraj Mishra

1.51 billion Q. The Cannes film festival will not take place as planned in May because of the coronavirus. Cannes 1.48 billion film festival was scheduled to take place in 1.31 billion ______.

Q. India has decided to import Negev 7.62X51 mm Germany LMGs from which of the following country? Italy USA Switzerland Israel France France

None of these 19 March

Q. Which of the following country has handed over 20 March the Olympic flame to Tokyo 2020 organisers? 21 March France 22 March Germany Q. Navroz marks the first day of the month of USA Farvardin of which of the following calendar?

Canada Iranian calendar

Greece Julian

Q. Recently, P K Banerjee passed away. He was Gregorian associated with which of the following sports? Buddhist Cricket None of these Football Q. World Poetry Day is observed every year on Hockey ______.

Javelin Throw 18 March

None of these 19 March

Q. Who among the following is the author of the 20 March book "My Encounters in Parliament"? 21 March Ramdas Athawale 22 March Prakash Yashwant Ambedkar Q. World Down Syndrome Day is observed every Narendra Jadhav year on ______.

Bhalchandra Mungekar 18 March

Jogendra Kawade 19 March

Q. International Day for the Elimination of Racial 20 March Discrimination is observed every year on ______. 21 March 18 March

22 March Q. Which of the following countries has topped the World Happiness Report 2020? Q. Down Syndrome is caused due to the abnormality in ______. Finland

Thalamus Bhutan

Chromosome Norway

Mitochondrion Switzerland

Adrenal glands None of these

None of these Q. Govt has fixed prices for face sanitizers and masks in light of the COVID- 19 outbreak. A two Q. Which of the following country’s Food and Drug hundred milli-litre bottle of hand sanitiser is priced Administration has approved a coronavirus at______. diagnostic test that can be conducted at the point-of- care and can deliver results in 45 minutes? 50 rupees

Iran 80 rupees

China 100 rupees

USA 130 rupees

France 150 rupees

Italy Q. Recently, RBI has decided to inject additional ______to maintain financial stability in wake of Q. India ranks at ______place on World the COVID-19 outbreak. Happiness Report 2020. Rs 15,000 cr 111 Rs 20,000 cr 136 Rs 25,000 cr 128 Rs 30,000 cr 109 Rs 50,000 cr 144

Q. World Meteorological Day is observed every year Wonderchicken on ______. Epimeria 19 March Kipunji 20 March None of these 21 March Q. The government has fixed the maximum cost for 22 March testing samples for COVID-19 at ______.

23 March Rs 3000

Q. World Water Day is observed every year on Rs 4000 ______. Rs 4500 19 March Rs 5000 20 March Rs 5500 21 March Q. PM Modi has thanked Bhutan & Nepal for 22 March contributing to COVID-19 emergency fund by SAARC. SAARC is headquartered in ______. 23 March Thimphu Q. Shaheed Diwas is observed every year on 23 March to pay tribute to Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Kathmandu Rajguru. They attained martyrdom in______. Dhaka 1923 Malé 1926 None of these 1927 Q. UP govt seeks Central Grant of Rs 100 cr for 1931 which of the following educational institutions that have completed 100 years of their establishment. 1933 Lucknow University Q. The oldest fossil of a modern bird has been discovered and has been named as ______. Kashi Vidyapeeth

Lesula Aligarh Muslim University

Banaras Hindu University Q. What is the theme of World Tuberculosis Day 2020? 1 and 2 Wanted: Leaders for a TB-free world Q. Which of the following state government has announced ₹1,000 financial aid to 35 lakh labourers It’s Time amid the coronavirus outbreak? Unite to End Madhya Pradesh TB anywhere is TB everywhere Jharkhand None of these Haryana Q. India ranked at ______place in the latest Uttar Pradesh Heritage Foundation Index of Economic Freedom.

Assam 111th

Q. Which of the following institute has recently 120th developed affordable tests for COVID-19? 107th IIT Kanpur 135th IIT Madras 101th IIT Delhi Q. Bangladesh has contributed ______to the IIT Kharagpur SAARC Corona Emergency Fund proposed by PM Narendra Modi. None of these $0.5 million Q. Recently, Kenny Rogers passed away. He was a/an famous ______. $1.5 million

Singer $ 3 million

Poet $4 million

Painter $5 million

Football player Q. National Forensic Sciences University bill has been introduced in Lok Sabha to establish a National Basketball player Forensic Sciences University in ______.

Aurangabad Punjab

Agra Gujarat

Gandhinagar Q. Which of the following state police is first in India to introduce taser guns? Lucknow Maharashtra Chennai Uttar Pradesh Q. Recently, Satyarup Siddhanta is in the news. He is associated with ______. Punjab

Skateboarding Odisha

Marathon Gujarat

Mountaineer Q. Which of the following company has become the 1st company to begin supplying BS-VI fuel across Rafting the country? None of these Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd Q. Who among the following takes oath as Chief Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd Minister of Madhya Pradesh? Indian Oil Corp Shivraj Singh Chauhan Reliance Petroleum Jyotiraditya Scindia None of these Ashok Gehlot Q. Which of the following country has become the Bhupesh Baghel first country to withdraw from the 2020 Tokyo None of these Olympic?

Q. Which of the following state has become the 1st USA State to impose curfew amid Lockdown? Canada Rajasthan Germany Haryana Italy Maharashtra Russia

Q. Recently, Khaleda Zia is in the news. She served Who among the following is the longest serving as the Prime Minister of ______. Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh?

Pakistan Kailash Nath Katju

Bangladesh Shyama Charan Shukla

Afghanistan Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Sri Lanka Motilal Vora

Myanmar Uma Bharti

Q. Recently, Prime Minister Modi has allocated Q. Mayiladuthurai has been introduced as the 38th ______for the Healthcare Infrastructure to combat district of ______. Covid-19. Karnataka Rs 5,000 Crore Jharkhand Rs 10,000 Crore Tamil Nadu Rs 15,000 Crore Odisha Rs 20,000 Crore Rajasthan Rs 25,000 Crore Q. IIT Madras will host India’s first 'Global Q. First 'Made in India' COVID19 Test Kit to Hyperloop Pod Competition'. Hyperloop Pod is diagnose COVID-19 got commercial approval. The related to ______. kit has been developed by ______. Means of communication National Institute of Virology Treatment of disease IIT Delhi Telecommunication frequency Dr Lal Path Labs Optical instruments Mylab Discovery Solutions Pvt Ltd None of these None of these Q. Which of the following statements is correct with Q. Recently, Shivraj Singh Chouhan proved his reference to the recent announcement by Finance majority by winning the trust vote in the Assembly. Minister Nirmala Sitharaman?

Minimum balance charges for savings bank accounts Pranay Surana have been waved off. Tanvi Johri Debit card holders can now withdraw cash from Savita Chhabra ATMs of all banks free of charge for the next three months. Tushar Saxena

Deadline for filing GST returns for March-May has None of these been extended to June 30. Q. Bangladesh observes its Independence Day on

A and B ______.

A, B and C 28 March

Q. Who among the following has won the 2020 23 March PEN/Hemingway Award? 24 March

Shashi Tharoor 26 March

Ram Sharan Sharma 25 March

Ruchika Tomar Q. ‘Native Fury’ is a joint military exercise between

Ramachandra Guha USA and ______.

None of these Oman

Q. Tokyo Olympics has been postponed to France ______. Japan

2021 UAE

2022 China

2023 Q. Who among the following will head the virtual

2024 G20 summit?

2025 Emmanuel Macron

Q. Who among the following is the author of the Justin Trudeau book 'Legacy Of Learning'? King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

Vladimir Putin Q. Which of the following state government has launched the ‘Mo Jeeban’ programme and urged None of these people to take a pledge to stay indoors? Q. Recently, Prince Charles has been tested positive Andhra Pradesh for COVID-19. He is the son and heir of ______. Odisha Sergio Mattarella Rajasthan Elizabeth II Maharashtra Marie Antoinette Karnataka Queen Mary Q. Who among the following has been appointed as None of these the new CEO of Walmart India? Q. The Digital Industry has changed the default Atul Kaushik setting from HD content to SD. D in HD and SD stands for ______. Sameer Aggarwal

Digital Sandeep Gill

Definition Mohit Suri

Direction Navneet Dhinghra

Dimension Q. Who among the following Indian football player has been chosen for the FIFA campaign against None of these COVID-19? Q. Election Commission has allowed use of indelible Gurpreet Singh Sandhu ink stamp for home quarantine. This indelible ink contains ______. Anirudh Thapa

Potassium chromate Vinit Rai

Silver Chloride Sunil Chhetri

Silver Nitrate Manvir Singh

Potassium Nitrate Q. Recently, Abdul Latif passed away. He was associated with which of the following sports? None of these

Cricket IIM Lucknow

Hockey IIT Kharagpur

Volleyball Q. All states have been redirected for rescheduling of Holidays in Ekalavya model schools. Ekalavya Football model schools is the flagship scheme of ______. Chess Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports Q. World Theatre Day is observed every year on Ministry of Home Affairs ______. Ministry of Tribal Affairs 29 March Ministry of Women and Child Development 24 March Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate 27 March Change 25 March Q. G20 countries have committed to inject about 26 March ______into the global economy to counter the

Q. US Senate has passed a ______economic social and economic impact of COVID-19. rescue package for the Coronavirus pandemic USD 1 trillion

1.1 trillion dollar USD 2 trillion

1.4 trillion dollar USD 5 trillion

1.9 trillion dollar USD 7 trillion

2.2 trillion dollar USD 9 trillion

2.6 trillion dollar Q. In response to the coronavirus-induced crisis, The Q. Which of the following institute has launched Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cut in the repo rate, and Project 'Isaac' to engage students in creative projects brought it down to______. during Corona lockdown? 4.4%

IIM Ahmedabad 4.6%

IIT Gandhinagar 4.7% IIT Kanpur

4.1% Cricketer

4.0% Q. Recently,Nemai Ghosh passed away. He was a/an ______. Q. Govt has postponed Census 2021, NPR update amid coronavirus crisis. Census 2021 was scheduled Painter to be carried out from ______. Scientist 1 April Photographer 1 May Journalist 1 June Director 1 July Q. Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF-6) None of these communications satellite has been launched by using which of the following launch system? Q. Which of the following company has tied up with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Delta IV to introduce an AI bot called ‘Clara’ to help people Atlas V assess potential symptoms of COVID-19? Ariane 5 Apple Falcon 9 Facebook None of these Microsoft Q. Which of the following country has the IBM maximum number of coronavirus cases in the Google world?

Q. Recently, Satish Gujral passed away. He was a/an China ______. Italy Journalist USA Artist UK Politician None of these Football player

Q. Boris Johnson has been tested positive for Q. RBI has permitted a ______month coronavirus. He is the Prime Minister of moratorium on EMI payments on all outstanding ______. loans.

Germany 2

Canada 3

Italy 4

UK 5

France 6

Q. Who among the following has partnered with Fit Q. Who among the following has won the IIFTC India, to provide a 21-Day Weight Loss Tourism Impact Award 2020 for her outstanding Programme? contribution to world tourism through her cinema?

Katrina Kaif Madhuri Dixit

Madhuri Dixit Imtiaz Ali

Shilpa Shetty Vishal Bhardwaj

Sushmita Sen Zoya Akhtar

None of these Rajkumar Hirani

Q. Recently, Which of the following state has Q. PESO took measures to ensure uninterrupted recently announced a Covid-19-dedicated hospital supply of oxygen to hospitals, other health care with 1,000 beds? facilities. PESO is headquartered in ______.

Rajasthan Chennai

Bihar New Delhi

Haryana Agra

Odisha Nagpur

Uttar Pradesh Aurangabad

Q. Rajyogini Dadi Janki passed away. She was the Q. Panama govt permits cruise ship with Chief of which of the following Sansthan? Coronavirus infected people through its canal. Panama canal connects ______to ______. Brahma Kumari Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean Sri Aurobindo Ashram Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean Art of Living Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean Isha Foundation Southern Ocean to Pacific Ocean Ramakrishna Mission None of these Q. Recently, Floyd Cardoz passed away due to coronavirus. He was a renowned ______. Q. WHO has started a mega trial of four drugs to find a COVID-19 vaccine. The trial has been named as Actor ______. Chef Immune Painter Resolute Scientist Solidarity Doctor Shield Q. Which of the following company got approval to None of these launch a 5-minute COVID-19 test named as ‘ID NOW COVID-19’ for use almost anywhere in the Q. Indian Army has started operation ______to US? combat COVID-19.

Amgen Suraksha

Pfizer Saathi

Johnson and Johnson Namaste

Abbott Swasth

Medtronic None of these

Q. PM Narendra Modi announces PM-CARES fund NTPC Limited to fight coronavirus outbreak. C in CARES stands for Bureau of Indian Standards ______. Power Grid Corporation of India Central Indian Oil Citizen Coal India Corona Q. After the merger of 10 state-run banks, Allahabad Common Bank will be merged with ______. None of these Syndicate Bank Q. Which of the following department has been Canara Bank designated as the Nodal department for COVID-19 related procurement in A&N Islands? Indian Bank

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Union Bank of India

Department of Disaster Management Punjab National Bank

Department of Health and Family Welfare Q. In March 2020, Who among the following has been appointed as the CBDT board members? Department of Finance KM Prasad None of these SK Gupta Q. Which of the following state has constituted 'Team-11' to beat corona? Rahul Kumar Jha

Rajasthan 1, 2

Haryana 1, 2 and 3

Uttarakhand Q. Which of the following country officially became the 30th member of the NATO military Maharashtra alliance? Uttar Pradesh Serbia Q. Which of the following company has concluded North Macedonia acquisition of govt's stake in THDC, NEEPCO? Albania

Croatia Sanjay Mitra

Montenegro Q. Which of the following state government has launched the Self Declaration COVID-19 App for Q. Asian Development Bank (ADB) will invest tracking and surveillance of high-risk cases? ______into the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) of India Fund of Funds. Assam

$50 million Gujarat

$100 million Rajasthan

$150 million Nagaland

$200 million Bihar

$250 million Q. According to the ICRA report, Indian economy will rise by only ______in 2020-21 due to the Q. Rajasthan observes its statehood day on coronavirus impact? ______. 2% 28 March 2.4% 29 March 2.8% 30 March 3% 31 March 3.4% 01 April Q. Chennai Port Trust has acquired 67% Stake in Q. Who among the following will lead the 10 Kamarajar Port Ltd. Kamarajar Port is in ______. different high-level committees to suggest measures for post 21-day lockdown imposed to contain the Kerala coronavirus pandemic. Maharashtra Ajit Seth Tamil Nadu Rajiv Gauba Karnataka Pradeep Kumar Sinha Andhra Pradesh P K Mishra

Q. BP Kanungo has been reappointed as RBI's Dubai deputy governor. RBI can have a maximum of Milan ______deputy governors. Paris 2 Shanghai 3 New York 4 Q. Which of the following company has won NASA 5 award for planned lunar space station 6 Boeing Q. Recently, Navin Chikara has been banned for Tesla four years for failing a dope test. He was associated with which of the following sports? SpaceX

Boxing Blue Origin

Wrestling Airbus

Weightlifting Q. The National Gallery of Modern Art celebrated

Shot Putt 66 years by launching a virtual tour of its permanent collection. The main museum of the National Gallery Long Jump of Modern Art is in ______. Q. Recently, Chandan Singh Rathore passed away. Hyderabad He was a/an ______. Chennai Journalist New Delhi Painter Mumbai Indian Air Force Officer Aurangabad Scientist Q. Recently, Which of the following state chief None of these minister has transferred Rs 611 cr in accounts of Q. Expo 2020 could be postponed by a year. Expo MNREGA workers? 2020 was scheduled to take place in ______. Haryana

Rajasthan Ministry of Corporate Affairs

Uttar Pradesh Ministry of External Affairs

Madhya Pradesh Q. Government has extended the validity of vehicle

Punjab permits like, fitness permit , driving licence, vehicle registration till ______. Q. Recently, The Government of India has launched 30 July a coronavirus risk-tracking app named as ______. 30 June Corona Distance 30 April Corona Kavach 30 May COVID Track None of these Corona Se Doori

Corona Suraksha Q. Tata Power JV has commenced commercial operations of Shuakhevi Hydro Power Project in Which of the following state government has Q. which of the following country? launched the ‘PRAGYAAM’ app to issue e-passes to Egypt everyone associated with delivery of essential services amid lockdown? Georgia

Assam Chad

Telangana Austria

Haryana Madagascar

Andhra Pradesh Q. Recently, Beni Prasad Verma passed away. He

Jharkhand was a/ an ______. Army Officer Q. Which of the following ministry has recently launched the ‘Companies Fresh Start Scheme 2020’? Politician

Ministry of Commerce and Industry Journalist

Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Actor

Ministry of Home Affairs Hockey Player