1st March to 15 th March
AWAR DS & HONOURS
Kerala Tourism bagged a silver prize in the world’s leading travel and trade event, Golden Gate awards at the Internationale Tourismus-Börse Berlin (ITB-Berlin) – 2015 for ” The great Backwaters” Campaign. The Das Golden Stadttor (Golden Gate) awards recognised Kerala tourism as the silver prize winner in the multimedia campaign category. The Golden Gate award is considered the most prestigious award in tourism communication and is being presented in the ITB-Berlin for the last 14 years. The campaign had also won the Golden Gate Gold Prize in print category in ITB -Berlin, the last year. This year its extensive aerial coverage of the backwaters as a single destination was highly acclaimed. The campaign was conceptualised by Kerala Tourism’s creative and marketing agency Stark Communications.
Three South Asian women were selected for the 2015 prestigious International Women of Courage Award by the US Secretary of State. Niloofar Rahmani (Afghanistan) is a Captain from Afghan Air Force, Nadia Sharmeen (Bangladesh) is a Journalist and women’s rights activist and Tabassum Adnan (Pakistan) is the founder of Khwendo Jirga was selected for the award. They were awarded for demonstrating exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights and gender equality.
The outgoing Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba won the world's most valuable individual award, the Mo Ibrahim prize for African leadership. The $5m (£3.2m) award is given each year to an elected leader who governed well, raised living standards and then left office. Mr. Pohamba, a former rebel who fought for his country's independence, has served two terms as Namibian president. He was first elected in 2004, and again in 2009.
Pancreatic cancer researcher Professor Minoti Apte OAM has been named the 2015 NSW (New South Wales) Woman of the Year for her contributions to medical research, tertiary education and the Indian community. Based at the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Professor Apte is director of the Pancreatic Research Group and is an acknowledged world-leader in alcohol-induced pancreatic injury and pancreatic cancer. She was the first in the world to develop a method to isolate pancreatic stellate cells, a technique which provided a much needed research tool for studying the path that pancreatic fibrosis (scarring of the pancreas) takes.
Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader M. Veerappa Moily has been selected for the prestigious Saraswati Samman for 2014 for his Kannada work. Divided into five volumes, the poem ‘Ramayana Mahanveshanam’ was first published in 2007 in Kannada and has been translated into English, Hindi, Telugu and Tamil. Instituted by the K.K. Birla Foundation in 1991, the award is given annually for outstanding literary work in any Indian language. The award carries a purse of Rs. 10 lakh, citation and a plaque. In the poem, Moily tried to explore the ‘Ramarajya’ or the true principle of the ‘ideal State’ from a secular and modern point of view.
President of India Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, awarded Stree Shakti Puraskar 2014 to six illustrious women on International Women’s Day for their distinguished services for the upliftment of women. The award was given in six categories named after eminent women personalities in the Indian history. Awardees of Stree Shakti Puraskar 2014 are:-
Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award: Sister Mariola (Rajasthan).
Rani Lakshmibai Award: Seema Prakash (Madhya Pradesh).
Rani Rudramma Devi Award: Astha Sansthan- NGO (Rajasthan).
Mata Jijabai Award: Chandraprabha Bokey (Maharashtra).
Kannagi Award: P. Bhanumati (Kerala).
Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Award: Anay Rahit Zindagi- NGO (Goa).
BUSINESS & CORPORATE
Aditya Birla Retail, part of the $40-billion Aditya Birla Group, announced to take over Total hypermarkets owned by Jubilant Retail in a tuck-in acquisition deal. The deal would see the diversified Jubilant Bhartia Group making a quiet exit from hypermarket retailing, which it entered a decade ago. Total is likely to be merged with Aditya Birla Retail's hypermarket and supermarket brand More.
Social networking giant Facebook embraced e-commerce after it acquired shopping search engine “TheFind”, signalling its aspirations in two of the Internet's biggest moneymakers: search and e-commerce. Both Facebook and TheFind cast the acquisition as a way to lift the digital advertising business of Facebook, which with $12.6 billion in annual ad sales last year, is unquestionably a dominant player in the industry.
Indian e-commerce major Flipkart acquired Bangalore-based global mobile network AdIQuity for an undisclosed amount. It’s a mobile ad network enabling app developers and mobile publishers earn revenue from their mobile inventory. AdIQuity also facilitates ad agencies, ad networks, DSPs and other media buyers to acquire global quality mobile traffic and to leverage the opportunities presented in the rapidly growing mobile ads space.
Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei launched its first smartwatch, a round-faced device that works with Android phones, joining a crowded market weeks before the introduction of the highly anticipated Apple Watch.
Taxi service aggregator Ola Cabs acquired its rival TaxiForSure in a cash and equity deal worth $200 million. With this deal, Ola has further deepened its footprint with TaxiForSure's operator-led model.
Reliance Infrastructure, one of the several companies owned by India’s leading industrialist Anil Ambani, has acquired 44 per cent stake in Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering Company Ltd. to manufacture warships, submarines and even aircraft carriers in India along with civil application structures like oil rigs and platforms.
Quick service restaurant chain Subway opened an all-women operated outlet to mark International Women’s day on March 8. With the new outlet opening in suburban Andheri, the Connecticut-based company’s store count has now reached 500 in India. Subway, which entered India in 2001, operates in 70 cities across the country and has plans to take its total number of stores to 1,000 by 2018. It is targeting tier II, tier III cities to fuel its growth plans.
Sun Pharmaceutical, the country’s largest drugmaker by sales, announced to buy GlaxoSmithKline’s opiate business in Australia to strengthen its pain management portfolio. The business consists of analgesics made from raw materials found in opium poppy plants and includes two manufacturing sites in Tasmania and Victoria. The company did not disclose the financial details of the deal. The transaction, subject to requisite regulatory and other approvals, is expected to close by August 2015.
Union Ministry of Shipping signed an agreement with Toyota for export of automobile units. The export of automobile units will be done through Kamarajar Port Limited (KPL). The Agreement is for a period of 10 years.
Walmart India has appointed Ashwin Mittal as chief operating officer and Javier Rojo as real estate and business development head.
COMMITTEES / SCHEMES / POLICIES
Maharashtra Government launched ‘Bhagyashree’ scheme in place of the Sukanya scheme which caters to girls from Below Poverty Line (BPL) families. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Bollywood actress Bhagyashree, the brand ambassador of the scheme, were present at the launch. As per the Sukanya scheme, the state government was supposed to deposit an amount of Rs 21,200 in bank for a girl child born in a BPL family. The scheme was aimed at providing Rs 1 lakh on maturity after the girl completes 18 years of age. The then Congress—NCP government had launched the ambitious welfare scheme in 2013 to encourage education among girls from economically—weak backgrounds. The ‘Bhagyashree’ scheme would be linked to the Centre’s ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ scheme.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar launched a scheme for girl child - Aapki Beti Humari Beti. The scheme was launched with an aim to combat the problem of declining child sex ratio in the state. Under the scheme, the first girl child born on or after 22 January 2015 in Schedule Caste (SC) and Below Poverty Line (BPL) families will be eligible to receive 21000 rupees. The second girl child born on or after 22 January 2015 of all families will also receive the same amount. Families where twin girls or multiple girls are born will also get 21000 rupees per girl child. The Scheme will be implemented in both rural and urban areas of the state covering first-born girl child of SC and BPL families all second girl child born on or after 22 January 2015 of all families.
Parliament gave nod to a Bill seeking to pave the way for plying of e-rickshaws on the roads of the National Capital Region, with the government considering a proposal to provide credit to buy these battery-operated vehicles. The Rajya Sabha passed the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2015 to amend the 1988 Act by a voice vote. E-rickshaws or battery-operated three-wheeler vehicles had gone off roads after Delhi high court had banned their plying in July last year on safety concerns. On January 7, President Pranab Mukherjee had promulgated an Ordinance as the bill to regularise e-rickshaws, passed by the Lok Sabha on 18 December, had got stuck in Rajya Sabha. The government in October last had notified the rules for plying of e-rickshaws, making driver’s licence mandatory for operating them and limiting their maximum speed to 25 kmph.
Parliament passed a bill to amend the Citizenship Act to remove disparity between Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cardholders. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2015 was one of the six bills on which ordinances had been promulgated by the ruling NDA government. The Bill merges Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) schemes. It also adds that the Union government may notify that Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) cardholders shall be considered to be Overseas Citizen of India card holder. It also provides 30-day break to person who applies for Indian citizenship if they have to leave India for some time.
Lok Sabha passed the Coal Mines Bill to allow e-auction of coal blocks after the Supreme Court cancelled their allocation leading to uncertainty in the coal sector, amid opposition by Left and some other opposition parties. The Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2015, would replace two ordinances issued by the government -- the first on October 21 last year and the other in December, after the Apex Court cancelled the allocation of 204 blocks. The Bill provides for allocation of coal mines and vesting of the right, title and interest in and over the land and mine infrastructure together with mining leases to successful bidders and allottes through a transparent bidding process. The coal blocks are now being
allocated in line with the provisions of the Ordinances and rules made under them and the auction of these blocks were being carried out through an e-auction process to transparency of the process.
A seven-year long wait came to an end when the Rajya Sabha on 12 March 2015 passed the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2015. On March 4, the Lok Sabha had passed the Insurance Bill to increase foreign investment limit in local insurers to 49 percent from 26 percent. Narendra Modi led BJP government introduced the Insurance Bill replacing the Ordinance issued last year. The Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2015, seeking higher foreign equity participation in Indian insurance companiesThe Bill was first introduced in Rajya Sabha in 2008 but non concurrence amongst parties stalkled its passage since.
President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent to the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill, 1995. It received assent nearly after 19 years it was passed by State Assembly in 1995. Key facts This bill amends Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act 1976 and bans slaughter of bulls and bullocks in the state.
Lok Sabha passed Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015 to replace ordinance promulgated in this regard. The bill amends the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 in order to regulate the mining sector in the country.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 4 March 2015 gave its nod to extend the PDS Kerosene and Domestic LPG Subsidy Scheme 2002 for a period of one year that is up to 31 March 2015.It also approved extension of the Freight Subsidy Scheme 2002 for far-flung areas till 31 March 2015. The Freight Subsidy Scheme 2002 provides for freight subsidy to PDS Kerosene and Domestic LPG consumers in far-flung areas. These approvals will help in reducing the under-recovery of the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs). Till date government was providing a subsidy of 22 rupees 58 paise per 14.2 kg on LPG cylinder and 82 paise per litre on PDS Kerosene and Domestic LPG Subsidy Scheme.
ECONOMY & FINANCE
Indian Railways inked an MoU with Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) to raise Rs 1.5 lakh crore for financing the development of its various commercially viable infrastructure projects.
Five public sector undertakings (PSUs) will be closed down by the government, which has included some of the best known state-run enterprises like Air India, MTNL and Hindustan Shipyard, in the list of 65 sick PSUs. The five state-run organizations to be closed down include three HMT units whose brand of watches and tractors once ruled the market,. Air India and MTNL, once market leaders in aviation and mobile telephony sectors respectively, were declared sick as per the criteria for a PSU to be declared as such, after they incurred losses worth 50 per cent or more of their average net worth during four preceding years.
National Payments Corporation (NPCI) successfully linked 15 crore Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) accounts with the Aadhaar numbers. With this achievement NPCI has moved a step closer to map its target of linking all 17 crore DBT accounts with Aadhaar numbers by 30 June 2015. Under the linking programme of DBT accounts with Aadhaar numbers, Government is seeking to bring all beneficiaries of all government subsidies/benefit transfers under the programme in order to plug leakages and save cost. Apart from this linking programme NPCI is also nodal agency for all retail payment systems under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) which was launched in 2014 to push DBT and financial inclusion.
India and Spain signed an agreement on Mutual Protection of Classified Information. This agreement provides the framework for enhanced cooperation in the defence sector between both countries. Mutual Protection of Classified Information is a primary pact that a country agrees to before embarking on deeper talks on defence cooperation.
Indian telecom giant Bharti Airtel and world’s largest telecom operator China Mobile signed a partnership memorandum of understanding (MoU) to work jointly on evolving high technologies like 4G, 5G and procuring telecom devices and equipment.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 4 March 2015 cut down repo rate by 25 basis points to 7.5 percent from 7.75 percent, with immediate effect. However, RBI kept the cash reserve ratio (CRR) unchanged at 4 percent. It is the second change in rates by 25 basis points since January 2015. This change, is in accordance with the fiscal consolidation measures announced in the Budget.
India has set a target for inflation in a landmark change in its monetary policy, a year after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) informally adopted an inflation target. The move, strongly championed by RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, is expected to make the monetary policy more predictable. RBI will look to contain consumer price inflation within 6% by January 2016 and within 4% with a band of 2 percentage points for all subsequent years, as per the monetary policy framework agreement between the central bank and the Union government published on the finance ministry’s website in March 2015..
The Budget 2015-16 is a vision document that encompasses the Government’s long term goals of development by 2022 as several projects has been targeted to be achieved by that period. It had laid down the vision of the Government by empowering Indian states, corporate and individuals. The Budget math kept the fiscal deficit at 3.9% for FY2015-16 which in all likelihood is likely to be contained within
the limit because of a host of positive factors more particularly decline in crude oil prices and cut in subsidies. Fiscal deficit target for FY16-17 has been set at 3.5% and it is set at 3% for FY17-18. Oil has been pegged at $70/ a barrel despite the current price of $62 currently which shows the intent to rather under shoot than overshoot. But there are less soft measures and more harsh measures from taxes point of view as it has made clear that development will come at a cost and cost has to be borne by the rich and the affluent. The Budget speech highlighted three major achievements of the Government which lays the boundary for participation from broader sections of society in economic development, i.e, Financial inclusion that brought 12.5 crore families under financial mainstream in 100 days; transparent coal auctions that garnered a `100000 crores, and Swatch Bharat Mission that has become not only a symbol of hygiene and cleanliness but also a tool to regenerate India. A final timeline of GST implementation is set from April 1, 2016, which is the much awaited reform that would help ease doing business and prop up the economy. The Year 2022 has been labeled as significant as India’s 75th year of Independence and marked as ‘Amrut Mahostav’. The Government targets 2crores houses for urban India and 4 crores houses for rural India, with basic facilities of sanitation, Water. Road connectivity and 24 X 7 electricity by that period. The broader objective of the Budget 2015-16, in a nutshell, is that the Finance Minister has laid down the vision for a long term India growth story by being a facilitator with minimum government and maximum governance.
Core sector (coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilizer, steel, cement and electricity) growth of India declined to 13-month low of 1.8 percent in January 2015 as compare to 3.7 percent in 2014. The data was released by the Union Commerce and Industry Ministry on 2 March 2015.
Giving a boost to affordable housing, the RBI eased the norms for home loans for up to Rs 10 lakh by allowing banks to include stamp duty and registration charges to the cost of a unit. These charges form around 15 per cent of the cost of the house and place a burden on borrowers. The RBI also said that in cases of projects sponsored by government, statutory authorities, banks may disburse the loans as per the payment stages prescribed by such authorities, even where payments sought from house buyers are not linked to the stages of construction.
India and Mauritius inked 5 Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) to give new impetus to bilateral co- operation between the two nations. The MoUs were signed in Port Luis in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Mauritian counterpart Sir Anerood Jugnuth.
PEOPLE IN NEWS
Dr. Alka Beotra, Scientific Director, National Dope Testing Laboratory, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, has been nominated to the Executive Board of WAADS (World Association of Anti Doping Scientists). Her tenure on the Executive Board of WAADS will be for a period of three years, i.e. from March 2015. The WAADS is an organisation comprising anti doping scientists from all the WADA- accredited labs across the world. The purpose of WAADS is to allow WADA-accredited laboratories to interact within their own group as well as to provide assistance to others to combat the issue of doping in sport. In the six-member Executive Board of WAADS, Dr. Beotra is the only member from Asia.
Senior IFS officer, Arun Singh was named as the new Indian Ambassador to US. Prior to this announcement he was serving as India’s Ambassador of France. Arun Singh will replace S Jaishankar, who was appointed as Foreign Secretary.
Human Resource and Development Minister Smriti Irani appointed Baldev Sharma as the new chairman of National Book Trust. Baldev Sharma was the former editor of Panchajanya, one of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's publications. The National Book Trust, India is an apex body established by the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource and Development, Government of India in 1957.
Microsoft Co-founder, Bill Gates retained the title of the world’s richest person in the Forbes 2015 billionaire list. Mr. Gates has topped the list for 16 of the last 21 years, with a net worth of $79 billion and Mexico’s telecommunications mogul Carlos Slim Helu is at second place.
Senior Congress leader and Kerala Assembly Speaker G Karthikeyan passed away at the age of 66.
Jagmohan Dalmiya was elected as President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Dalmiya will succeed N. Srinivasan who was barred from contesting BCCI Presidential election by Supreme Court over the corruption and IPL spot fixing scandal. It is second term of Jagmohan Dalmiya as President of BCCI, earlier he had served from 2001–2004.
Eminent ornithologist and naturalist K. S. Lavkumar Khachar died at the age of 84. Khachar had a long association with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) India. His key contributions to preserving India’s ecological heritage include conservation work in the Gulf of Kutch and the Gir Forest.
Lia van Leer, the legendary first lady of Israeli cinema, passed away in Jerusalem at the age of 90. She was the founder of the Haifa and Jerusalem Cinematheques, also of the Israeli Film Archive and the Jerusalem Film Festival. In 2004, Van Leer was awarded the Israel Prize for her special contribution & lifetime achievement to society and the State of Israel.
Union Government selected legendary boxer and five-time world boxing champion MC Mary Kom as Brand Ambassador for the North East Region.
Congress legislator and deputy speaker, N Shakthan , was elected as the new speaker of the Kerala Assembly.
Noted Gandhian and former Chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapith, Narayan Desai, died at the age of 90. He imbibed Gandhian ideals of non-violence and truth from his father Mahadev Desai, who was the personal secretary and diarist of Mahatma Gandhi. Mr Desai was also associated with Vinoba Bhave's Bhoodan (land gift) movement and Jayprakash Narayan's 'total revolution' movement. He was popular for reciting 'Gandhi-Katha'(narratives on the life of Mahatma Gandhi) across the world which he began in 2004.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been named among the 30 most influential people on the internet by Time magazine in a list which also features US President Barack Obama. The list, which analysed social-media followings, site traffic and overall ability to drive news, also includes British author of the Harry Potter series J K Rowling and singers Taylor Swift and Beyonce. Time said the Indian Prime Minister has roughly 38 million followers on social networking sites Twitter and Facebook, putting him ahead of any other leaders in the world except Obama.
Former Bihar chief minister and ruling JD-U leader, 94-year-old Ram Sundar passed away. He was chief minister of Bihar as the head of the Janata Party government in 1979. Das, who was a Dalit leader, was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1991 at the age of 70.
Union Minister Minister of State (MoS) for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Raosaheb Dadarao Danve resigned from the office. Raosaheb Danve resigned from the Union Council of Ministers following the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJPs) one-man, one-post principle after he was appointed President of Maharashtra in January 2015.
Sir Terry Pratchett, renowned fantasy author and creator of the popular Discworld series, passed away in London at the age of 66. In his 44 years long career, Pratchett had written more than 70 books which were translated in 37 languages.
US President Barack Obama has re-nominated Sunil Sabharwal , an independent Indian-American investor, to a key administration post as Alternate Executive Director at the IMF. First nominated in April 2014 to the position of Alternate Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Sabharwal has been an independent investor in the payments sector since 2006.
Senior Journalist and Outlook Group’s editorial chairman Vinod Mehta passed away at the age of 72. He was one of the India’s most influential editors, fine journalist & writer.
SPORTS
Carolina Marin Martin of Spain has won the prestigious Women’s Singles Title in the All England Open Badminton Championships 2015, when she defeated India’s Saina Nehwal in the final match. With this victory, Carolina Marin became the first Spanish player to win this prestigious title.
Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara became the first player to score four successive one-day international centuries, setting a new record in a World Cup match against Scotland. The left-hander surpassed six players who had scored three ODI centuries in a row. They were Zaheer Abbas and Saeed Anwar of Pakistan, the South African trio of Herschelle Gibbs, AB de Villiers and Quinton de Kock, and Ross Taylor of New Zealand.
Former Sri Lankan cricket captain and batsman Kumar Sangakkara announced his retirement from Test cricket. He will retire after playing the three-match Test series against India in August 2015.Sangakkara had already taken retirement from One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty-20 cricket. He retired from Twenty-20 cricket format after Sri Lanka won the T20 World cup in 2014. While, he had announced to retire from ODI cricket format after the ongoing ICC World Cup 2015. Presently, Sangakkara is fifth highest run scorer in Test cricket. He has scored 12203 runs in 130 Test matches at an average of 58.66.
Olympic medallist boxer MC Mary Kom announced to quit boxing after the 2016 Rio Olympic Games as her body would not be able to cope with the rigours of the sport any further.
Defending champion Karnataka won the Ranji Trophy for season 2014-2015 after defeating Tamil Nadu.
Services won 69th Santosh Trophy football title 2014-15. In the final match Services defeated host Punjab.
India’s ace shuttler Kidambi Srikanth won badminton’s prestigious $120,000 Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold title in Men’s singles category after defeating Denmark’s defending champion Viktor Axelsen . With this victory, Kidambi Srikanth became the first Indian to win this prestigious title in Men’s singles category.
MISCELLANEOUS
World
The Sri Lankan government temporarily suspended work on the construction of a controversial USD 1.5 billion Chinese port city project in Colombo. The new government alleged that the real estate deal with China was signed without cabinet approval and without following procedures, and hinted at corruption. The Colombo Port City project is seen as the single largest private sector development ever in the country.
An Egyptian court listed the Palestinian group, Hamas as a terrorist organisation. Hamas is accused of meddling into the country’s internal affairs and supporting insurgents in Sinai Peninsula.
India
Government of Maharashtra started a helpline to address the social, physical and psychological issues faced by adolescents. This helpline has been set up under the aegis of National Adolescent Health Programme (Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram) which was launched on 7 January 2014 as a part of the National Health Mission.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar has launched Northeast India's first Kisan Call Centre in Agartala. The Kisan Call Centre will give immediate solution and real time advisory to farmers if they need expert consultation regarding seed procurement, agro-metric, fertilizer, soil health, pesticides usage and marketing of the produces. Apart from that the farmers' portal will be issuing advisory for farm production under direct supervision of the experts.
16th March to 31s t March AWARDS & HONOURS
Freedom fighter Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya was posthumously awarded India's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna. A multifaceted personality, Madan Mohan Malviya was an educationist who founded the Banaras Hindu University and became one of the torchbearers of the freedom struggle acting as a bridge between the Moderates and the Extremists. Known for his espousal of Hindu nationalism-being one of the initial leaders of the far-right Hindu Mahasabha, Malaviya was a social reformer and a successful Parliamentarian.
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was conferred with India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna by the President of India Pranab Mukherjee. Vajpayee is the seventh prime minister to receive the award after Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Morarji Desai, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Gulzarilal Nanda.
Internationally acclaimed filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan was presented with the Bishwaratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika International Solidarity Award by Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. Gopalakrishnan became the second recipient of this biennial award, the first one being Lubna Marium of Bangladesh in 2013. The award carries a citation, a shawl, a memento and Rs 5 lakh.
Multidisciplinary artist Bharti Kher was conferred with France’s highest cultural award, Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres —also known as the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters—for her contributions to the landscape of contemporary art. Celebrated for her large-scale sculptures, photography and painting, Kher’s artwork addresses issues of gender roles, Indian traditions and the widening gap between nature and technology in contemporary society. Established in 1957, the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is given out three times a year to figures who have made significant contributions to society in the fields of art, culture and literature.
Veteran actor and film producer Shashi Kapoor has been named for the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award 2014. The veteran actor-producer, 77, is the 46th winner of the honour, conferred by the government for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian Cinema. A popular name in Bollywood during the 1960s, 1970s and until the mid-1980s, Shashi was one of India’s first actors to go international. He is known internationally for starring in many British and American films, notably Merchant Ivory Productions run by Ismail Merchant and James Ivory, such as “The Householder” (1963), “Shakespeare Wallah” (1965), “Bombay Talkie” (1970) and “Heat and Dust“(1982). He also starred in other British and American films such as “Siddhartha” (1972) and “Muhafiz” (1994). In 1978, Shashi set up his production house Film Valas, which produced critically acclaimed films such as “Junoon” (1978), “Kalyug” (1981), “36 Chowringhee Lane” (1981), “Vijeta” (1982) and “Utsav” (1984).
Aditi Arya from New Delhi won the Femina Miss India 2015 crown at the 52nd edition of the beauty pageant. The runners up were Aafreen Rachel Vaz (1st runner-up) from Mangaluru, Karnataka and Vartika Singh (2nd runner-up) from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
Novelist Akhil Sharma’s 2014 novel Family Life won the Folio Prize 2015. The 43-year old novelist beat writers like Irish novelist Colm Toibin and Scottish writer Ali Smith Coilm to win the £40,000 prize. Family Life, Mr. Sharma’s second novel, took him 13 years to write and was selected by The New York Times as one of their Top Ten Books of the Year for 2014. It was one among the eight books shortlisted from 80 works of fiction and chosen as the best fiction published in the U.K. in 2014 by the 235 writers and critics who constitute the Folio Academy. “Mr. Sharma was born in Delhi and emigrated with his family to the USA in 1979. His first novel, An Obedient
Father, won the 2001 Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award. His stories have been published in The New Yorker and in The Atlantic Monthly, and have been included in The Best American Short Stories and O. Henry Prize Collections. He was named one of Granta’s ‘Best of Young American Novelists’ in 2007. The Folio Prize recognises the best English-language fiction from around the world, published in the U.K. during a given year, regardless of form, genre or the author’s country of origin. It is the first major English-language book prize open to writers from all over the world, which the other major book prize, the Booker has also done beginning this year.
India's space agency -- Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) -- has been selected for the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2014. The Gandhi Peace Prize was instituted in 1995. It is given to individual or organisation for making social, economic and political transformation through non-violence means.
The 62nd National Film Awards for year 2014 were announced on 24 March 2015. “Court” directed by Chaitanya Tamhane was selected as the Best feature film. “Mary Kom” (Hindi) directed by Omung Kumar was selected as the Best Popular film providing wholesome entertainment. Other awrads are as follows:-
Best Actor - Vijay for Nanu Avanalla Avalu (Kannada).
Best Actress - Kangana Ranaut for Queen (Hindi).
Best Direction - Srijit Mukherji, Director of Chotushkone (Bengali).
Best Film on Social Issues - Chotoder Chobi (Bengali) directed by Kaushik Ganguly.
Best Supporting Actor - Bobby Simhaa for film Jigarthanda (Tamil).
Best Supporting Actress - Baljinder Kaur for film Pagdi The Honour (Haryanavi).
Best Children’s Film - Kaakkaa Muttai (Tamil) and Elizabeth Ekadashi (Marathi).
Best Child Artist - Vignesh & Ramesh for Kaakkaa Muttai (Tamil).
Special Jury Award - Bhaurao Karhade, Director of Khwada (Marathi).
Best Cinematography - Sudeep Chatterjee for film Chotushkone (Bengali).
Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director - Aditya Vikram Sengupta for Asha Jaoar Majhe (Bengali).
Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration - Chotoder Chobi (Bengali) directed by Kaushik Ganguly.
Best Writing on Cinema - Silent Cinema: (1895-1930) authored by Pasupuleti Purnachandra Rao.
Noted Hindi poet Gopaldas Neeraj received the first National Kavi Pradeep Samman. It carries a cash prize of Rs two lakh, a shawl and a citation. The award has been instituted by the Madhya Pradesh government in the memory of Kavi Pradeep, the renowned poet and songwriter who is best known for his patriotic song 'Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo' written as a tribute to the soldiers who had died defending the country during the Sino-Indian War.
Renowned water conservationist and environment activist Rajendra Singh was conferred with 2015 Stockholm Water Prize. He was awarded this prize for his innovative water restoration efforts and consistent attempts to improve the water security in villages in India.
Renowned ecologist Madhav Gadgil has been chosen for the prestigious 2015 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement. The prize, instituted in 1973, is awarded by the international Tyler Prize Executive Committee with the administrative support of the University of Southern California. Prof. Gadgil, who was Chairman of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), will share the $200,000 cash prize with noted American marine ecologist Dr. Jane Lubchenco for their work in changing policy and specifically for their “leadership and engagement in the development of conservation and sustainability policies in the United States, India and internationally”.
Bangladesh won the prestigious Women in Parliaments (WIP) Award for regional leadership in the South and Southeast Asia category for closing the gender gap in politics. Bangladesh is only country in the world where the Prime Minister, Parliament speaker, Leader of the Opposition, Deputy Leader of the house, and a major opposition leader are all women. In the World Economic Forum report it has been placed among the top 10 countries in the world in reducing gender gap.
BUSINESS & CORPORATE
Cipla announced the launch of generic drug Sofosbuvir for treating chronic Hepatitis C under the brand name Hepcvir.
Ashu Suyash has been appointed as Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Credit Rating Information Services of India Limited (CRISIL). She will succeed Roopa Kudva, who had been the MD & CEO at Crisil since 2007.
The Delhi high court restrained Indian firm Glenmark Pharmaceuticals from manufacturing, marketing or selling its anti-diabetes drugs Zita and Zita-Met, saying it has “prima facie” infringed the patent of US drug major Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD). The US firm had said it had invented ‘Sitagliptin’ salt used in its anti-diabetes drugs and has patent over the molecule. Glenmark, on the other hand, had contended that it has used ‘Sitagliptin Phosphate’ in its anti-diabetes drugs, Zita and Zita-Met, and the US firm has no patent right over this salt.
HDFC Bank launched “Chillr”, a mobile app that allows users to instantly transfer money to any contact in their phonebook 24 hours a day and seven days a week. HDFC Bank partnered with MobME, a Kochi-based technology firm, to launch this app. “Chillr” allows users to send money in three simple steps -- choose the recipient from list of Chillr contacts, enter the amount to be transferred and a message to recipient, enter secret M-PIN & press PAY. The recipient will instantly receive money in his/her bank account.
HTC Corp named Cher Wang as chief executive, giving its founder and chairwoman a bigger role in leading a potential turnaround of the Taiwanese smartphone maker.
Insurance Australia Group Ltd. announced to raise its stake to the maximum allowed 49% in a general insurance joint venture with State Bank of India. IAG currently owns 26% of SBI General Insurance, with SBI, India's largest lender, holding 74%. After the deal, SBI's stake in the venture will fall to 51%.
Lupin inked a pact to acquire an additional 40 per cent stake in South Africa's Pharma Dynamics. With this acquisition, Lupin has 100 per cent stake in the company. Pharma Dynamics will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lupin. Earlier, Lupin had acquired 60 per cent stake in the South African (SA) firm in September, 2008.
Colin Macdonald has been appointed as Managing Director (MD) of Renault Nissan Automotive India (RNAIPL). He will assume charge on 1 April 2015. Macdonald will succeed Toshihiko Sano who has been appointed as Senior Vice President of Nissan’s key supplier, Calsonic Kansei in Japan.
U.S.-based Mirach Capital said it is initiating a $400 million defamation lawsuit against the Sahara group, while alleging that the failed financing deal with the Indian conglomerate has caused “irreparable harm” and “shaken investor confidence.” Accusing Mirach Capital of cheating and forgery in the failed $2.05 billion loan arrangement, Sahara had also said last month that it has initiated legal action against the U.S.-based firm. The crisis-hit group had alleged that Mirach and its CEO Saransh Sharma’s criminal conduct and lack of financial capabilities to honour such huge commitments led to the breaking down of the deal, leading to the loss of precious time, resources and position of Sahara.
Snapdeal acquired logistics firm GoJavas to strengthen its delivery operations in the country. The deal is estimated to be about 200 crore rupees. GoJavas works with e-Commerce firms like HealthKart, Jabong, Yepme and Lenskart, covers over 2500 pincodes in the country.
COMMITTEES / SCHEMES / POLICIES
Rajasthan became the first State in the country to fix a minimum educational qualification for contesting elections to the Panchayati Raj Institutions. The Assembly passed the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (amendment) Bill, 2015, which makes Class VIII pass mandatory for the post of sarpanch — except in tribal reserved areas, where the minimum qualification is Class V — and Class X for Zila Parishad or Panchayat Samiti elections. The amendments to Section 19 of the Rajasthan Panchayat Raj Act, 1994 also make a functional toilet mandatory in the house of a contestant.
The Supreme Court (SC) struck down the Section 66A of the Information and Technology Act 2000 calling it unconstitutional and untenable. SC in its ruling held that Section 66A interferes with freedom of speech and expression envisaged under Article 19 of Constitution of India and also hit the root of two cardinal pillars of democracy liberty and freedom of expression.
Parliament passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (Amendment) Bill, 2015. This Bill amends certain provisions of the MMDR Act, 1957. The Amendment Bill, 2015, became necessary to address the emergent problems in the mining industry. In the last few years, the number of new Mining Leases granted in the country has fallen substantially. In addition, second and subsequent renewals have also been affected by certain Supreme Court judgements. As a result, the output in the mining sector has come down drastically, leading to import of minerals by users of those minerals. The salient provisions of the Amendment Bill are as follows:
Removal of discretion: auction to be sole method of allotment
Impetus to the mining sector
Safeguarding interests of affected persons
Encouraging exploration and investment
Simplification of procedures and avoidance of delay
Stringent provisions against illegal mining
Parliament passed Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2015. It was first passed in Lok Sabha on 4 March 2015 and later in Rajya Sabha on 20 March 2015.This bill will replace the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) second ordinance, 2014.The bill has provisions for allocation of coal mines through a transparent bidding process i.e e-auction. The e-auction of coal blocks will ensure the continuity in coal mining operations and promoting optimum utilization of coal resources. The bill also facilitate e-auction of coal blocks for private companies for captive use and allot mines directly to state and central Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).
Union Cabinet cleared the black money bill to curb the menace of black money in the country. Union Government is seeking to introduce this bill the current budget session of Parliament. The proposed bill gives powers to tax authorities to track and deal with illegal wealth stashed abroad. Under the provisions of the new Bill, the offences related to black money will be non-compoundable and the offenders will not be permitted to approach the Settlement Commission. The bill also has provision of punishment to deal
with the black money cases. It proposes penalty at the rate of 300 per cent of taxes to be levied on the concealed income and assets, in addition to 10 years rigorous imprisonment.
Parliament passed a Bill to include certain synonymous names of communities in Scheduled Castes category in Haryana, Karnataka, Odisha and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The Lok Sabha passed the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2015, by a voice vote. The Bill amends the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 and the Constitution (Dadra and Nagar Haveli) Scheduled Castes Order, 1962. On February 24, the Bill was cleared by the Rajya Sabha.
The Ministry of Railways appointed Ajay Shankar committee to review the performance of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) cell functioning under the Railway Board. Ajay Shankar is a former Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) under Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
ECONOMY & FINANCE
Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited, the corporate entity of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, launched a novel project to generate a completely pollution-free 120 MW captive power generation by using 100 per cent blast furnace and coke oven gas. This is the first of its kind in the Indian steel Industry.
Government approved amendments to the Public Private Partnerships (PPP) guidelines to enhance financial support to projects in infrastructure sector. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the change in the definition of a 'Private Sector Company' in the guidelines for financial support to Public Private Partnerships in Infrastructure under the Viability Gap Funding Scheme (VGF Scheme). This has been done to remove any ambiguity in interpretation of the term 'Private Sector Company' and to align it with the definition of 'Government Company' in the Companies Act, 2013. The definition of a 'Private Sector Company' has been amended to mean a company which is not a 'Government Company'. Government company is defined as "any company in which not less than 51 per cent of the paid-up share capital is held by the Central Government, or by any State Government or Governments, or partly by the Central Government and partly by one or more State Governments, and includes a company which is a subsidiary company of such a Government company.”
Union Government approved 10 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) proposals worth 2857.83 crore rupees. These FDI proposals were approved by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB).
The government is set to earn Rs 1.1 lakh crore from the spectrum auction that concluded on March 25, with eight operators jostling to buy precious radiowaves after 19 days and 115 rounds of fierce bidding. The process of auction was conducted for 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz spectrum covering both mobile telephony and broadband, including 4th Generation (4G). However, mobile tariffs are likely to go up to meet the high cost of spectrum following the aggressive bidding. The Comptroller and Auditor General had estimated a loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer from not auctioning spectrum. Revenue from spectrum suction is also key for the government to adhere to its fiscal deficit — the measure of the amount of money the government borrows to fund it expenses — target.
Railway passengers can now book their tickets, do shopping and pay service bills using RuPay pre-paid cards, as the IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) launched the debit card service in collaboration with the Union Bank of India and the National Payment Corporation of India. RuPay is India's own card payment gateway network like Visa and Master Card, and provides an alternative system for banks to provide a debit card service. IRCTC Chairman and Managing Director A K Manocha said the card is a first-of-its-kind in the market as both virtual as well as physical cards are being issued to customers in two variants. Cards can be made available from UBI offices or through IRCTC online. Initially the service will be available for booking tickets and later on shopping and bill payments.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) approved guidelines to govern international financial services centres (IFSC). Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), coming up near Ahmedabad, is expected to be the first such centre. In a slew of reforms, the capital market regulator also paved the way for municipal bonds for infrastructure projects in urban areas. In addition, it revised the norms for conversion of the debt of a stressed listed company into equity by banks and financial institutions and tightened disclosure norms.
IFSC norms
The new norms for IFSCs aim to ease the setting up of stock exchanges and capital market infrastructure in such centres. A stock exchange can be set up with 25 crore capital, against the normal requirement of 100 crore. However, this will have to be raised to 100 crore within three years. Such exchanges will also be given three years to complete de-mutualisation. For a clearing corporation, the initial capital requirement will be 50 crore, against the norm of 300 crore, which will have to be achieved in three years.
Municipal bonds
To mobilise funds for 100 smart cities and other urban programmes, SEBI has set guidelines for municipal bodies to raise money from the market. However, these will be applicable only for bonds issued to the public. Detailed safeguards — for instance, the issuer should not have a negative net worth and should have an investment grade rating — have also been prescribed. The money mobilised should be for a specified project, and the revenue generated should be credited into an escrow account. Also, a monitoring agency will inform the public and investors from time to time on how the bonds are being serviced.
Disclosure norms
A listed firm will now have to disclose its board decisions within 30 minutes, while all other ‘material information’ will need to be made public within 24 hours. Non-compliance will invite strong penal action. SEBI said information, including details about material events, will need to be compulsorily disclosed through stock exchanges for the benefit of investors.
Union Government's Ministry of Food Processing has approved 17 mega food parks for food processing across the country. Out of 72 proposals received, the ministry approved 17 food parks from both state governments and private players. 7 mega food parks have been allocated to state governments and 10 to private sector. Punjab, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, have been allocated one food park each, while Kerala government has been allocated 2 food parks. Adani Ports, Jain Agro Trading Company and Ruchi Acroni Industries are among 10 private players who have been allocated food parks by the Centre. The estimated cost of these 17 mega food parks is Rs 2,030 crore, of which the government's contribution would be of Rs 850 crore. The Mega Food Park Scheme aims at facilitating the establishment of a strong food processing industry in the country. It will be backed by an efficient supply chain, which includes collection centres, central processing center (CPC) and cold chain infrastructure.
India has overtaken the US to become the third-largest steel producer in the world with a production of 14.56 million tonnes (MT) in first two months of the year. India has been the fourth-largest steel producer for the past five years, behind China, Japan and the US. Data compiled by World Steel Association (WSA) showed that the country's production growth was the highest during the January-February period at 7.6 per cent as compared to the global average of just 0.6 per cent at 127.6 MT.
India and Kyrgyzstan signed MoU to strengthen bilateral cooperation on textile and clothing. The MoU seeks to strengthen bilateral cooperation between both nations in the three fields including Textiles and Clothing, Silk and Sericulture and Fashion.
The Reserve Bank of India signed the Currency Swap Agreement with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. The Central Bank of Sri Lanka can make drawals of US Dollar or Euro in multiple tranches up to a maximum of
US$ 400 million or its equivalent. This is expected to further economic co-operation between the two countries. The agreement is valid for a period of three years from the date of signing. The swap arrangement is intended to provide a backstop line of funding for the SAARC member countries to meet any balance of payments and liquidity crises till longer term arrangements are made or if there is need for short-term liquidity due to market turbulence. The arrangement will also further financial stability in the region.
The Reserve Bank of India penalised 16 central cooperative banks with a fine of Rs 5 lakh each for non- adherence of the Know Your Customer and Anti-Money Laundering guidelines. The 16 co-operative banks on which the penalty was imposed are
Sr. No. Name of the Bank
1. The Dumka Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., Dumka (Jharkhand)
2. The Gumla Simdega Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., (Jharkhand)
3. The Dhanbad Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., (Jharkhand)
4. The Rewari Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., Rewari (Haryana)
5. The Mansa Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., Mansa (Punjab)
6. The Jind Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., (Haryana)
7. The Gopalganj Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., Gopalganj (Bihar)
8. Ajmer Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., Ajmer (Rajasthan)
9. Hanumangarh Kendriya Sahakari Bank Ltd., (Rajasthan)
10. The Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., Bikaner (Rajasthan)
11. The Sirohi Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., Sirohi (Rajasthan)
12. The Bundi Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., Bundi (Rajasthan)
13. The Boudh Co-operative Central Bank Ltd., (Odisha)
14. Bhawanipatna Central Co-operative Bank, (Odisha)
15. Cuttack Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., (Odisha)
16. The Sambalpur District Co-operative Central Bank Ltd., (Odisha)
PEOPLE IN NEWS
Taking a cue from the success of pulse polio campaign, the government has roped in Amitabh Bachchan once again, this time as the brand ambassador for its drive against hepatitis B, a critical public health problem in India. According to latest World Health Organisation (WHO) data, hepatitis B is responsible for 1.4 million deaths every year globally, as compared to 1.5 million deaths from AIDS and 1.2 million each from malaria and tuberculosis. India has over 40 million hepatitis B infected patients (second only to China) and constitutes about 15% of the entire pool of hepatitis B in the world. Every year, nearly 600,000 patients die from HBV (hepatitis B virus) infection in the Indian subcontinent.
Kerala finance minister KM Mani has been appointed chairman of the empowered committee of state finance ministers on Goods & Services Tax (GST). The GST, a much-awaited reform to replace multiple indirect taxes with one levy, is proposed to be rolled out from April 2016.
Katherine Viner has been appointed as editor-in-chief of The Guardian newspaper (British national daily). She will be 12th editor-in-chief and the first woman to run the newspaper in its 194-year history.
Kavinder Gupta on was unanimously elected as Speaker of the 12th Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Gupta was elected with voice vote as there was no one from the Opposition going against the motion. Kavinder Gupta is Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Gandhinagar constituency in Jammu district. He is a first time MLA to state assembly.
Krishnarao Sable, popularly known as 'Shahir Sable', whose songs enriched Maharashtra's culture, passed away at 92. Sable penned the evergreen patriotic song 'Garjaa Maharashtra Majha, Jai Jai Maharashtra Majha' (Hail! Maharashtra O' Mine!). The bard of Maharashtra, who used entertainment as a medium to awaken social as well as political consciousness, also excelled as a poet, music director, lyricist, an adept percussionist, a creative actor- director as well as a singer. He actively participated in movements such as the 'Quit India' movement, the Goa liberation struggle and Hyderabad 'liberation' and the Samyukta Maharashtra movement. He also fought hard for social causes such as anti-liquor campaigns, financial welfare of folk artists and rejuvenation of folk music.
First Prime Minister (PM) of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew passed away at age of 91.Mr. Lee is described as the ‘founding father’ and ‘architect’ of modern Singapore. He is also considered as pioneer for transforming the island country from a small port city into a wealthy global hub after its independence from United Kingdom and separation from Malaysia.
Former Lok Sabha Meira Kumar’s book entitled “Indian Parliamentary Diplomacy – Speaker’s Perspective” was released. The book features an account of the parliamentary diplomacy and its role in furthering foreign policy and strengthening international relations.
Former Union Minister and veteran Congress Party leader Paty Ripple Kyndiah died at 87. He had served as the Union Minister for Tribal Affairs and Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) in 2004 under the UPA-I government led by Manmohan Singh. He retired from active politics in 2009 prior to the Lok Sabha polls
Dr. Rajendra Kumar Pachauri stepped down as Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The organisation will now be led by acting chair Ismail El Gizouli until the election for a new chairperson is conducted.
Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu has roped in noted industrialist Ratan Tata to head a new innovation council called “Kaya Kalp” he proposes to set up to turn around the ailing state-run rail network.
Ruth Porat has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of world’s largest search engine giant Google.As CFO of Google she will directly report to Larry Page, CEO and Co-Founder of Google.
Sohail Aman was appointed as Chief of Pakistan Air Force (PAF).He will succeed Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt who retires from the service.
Vice Admiral Surinder Pal Singh Cheema took over as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) of the Western Naval Command, the sword arm of the Indian Navy, from Vice Admiral Anil Chopra . Vice Admiral Cheema is a seasoned campaigner with the unique distinction of shouldering responsibilities as a Commander-in- Chief for the fourth time, a record of sorts in the Indian armed forces. He has also served in Mumbai in various capacities in the past four decades and has commanded five frontline ships, including the missile boat INS Nishank, the guided missile frigate INS Trishul and the only aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy at that time, INS Viraat, all three based in Mumbai.
Former Chief Minister (CM) of Mizoram Brigadier (Retd) Thenphunga Sailo passed away in Aizawl, Mizoram. Apart from being CM, he was also one of the prominent voices against the human rights violation by the armed forces’ in 1970s in the insurgency-hit Mizo hills.
India-born Nobel laureate Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan was confirmed as president elect of Britain's prestigious Royal Society. Ramakrishnan, who will be the first Indian-origin scientist to hold the post, was born in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, and studied biology in the US. He is currently deputy director of the British Medical Research Council's Laboratory of Molecular Biology at Cambridge University. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2003 and was knighted by Britain's Queen in 2012.The Royal Society dates back to 1660 and its president is a key advocate for science in the UK and the world. Previous presidents of the Royal Society have included Isaac Newton, Christopher Wren, Samuel Pepys, Joseph Banks, Humphry Davy, and Ernest Rutherford. Ramakrishnan will succeed geneticist Sir Paul Nurse, also a Nobel laureate.
Novelist and diplomat Vikas Swarup, who wrote the book ‘ Q&A ’ that went on to be made into Oscar winning film Slumdog Millionaire has been named the new spokesman of India’s Ministry of External Affairs. Swarup is currently joint secretary in charge of UN (Political) and is expected to take over his new assignment in the middle of April 2015. Swarup joined the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in 1986 and has served in Turkey, the US, Ethiopia, the UK and South Africa. He also served as Consul General of India in Osaka-Kobe, Japan from 2009 to 2013.
Renowned Malayalam poet Yusufali Kechery, who left a deep impression in Kerala's cultural realm as a lyricist, died at the age of 81. Kecher was known for his mystic lyrics on Hindu Gods, particularly Lord Krishna. Kechery, who dominated Malayalam films as a top-notch lyricist, had penned hundreds of songs known for their mystic and romantic charm with the semi-classical touch. He also left a deep impression on Kerala society as a film producer and director.
SPORTS
Australia won the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 for the record fifth time. In the final match Australia defeated co- hosts of the tournament, New Zealand by 7 wickets. Previously, Australia had won the Cricket World Cup in 1987, 1999, 2003 and 2007.It was first time of New Zealand to enter final of Cricket World Cup.
The legendary Balbir Singh Senior, member of three Olympic gold medal winning teams, was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the inaugural Hockey India Awards. The 90-year-old received the trophy for Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award along with a cheque of Rs 30 lakh. Balbir Singh was part of the famous gold winning teams from 1948 to 1956 Olympics. His 1952 record of most goals (five) in an Olympic final still stands and he also figures in the list of 16 iconic Olympians of all-time.
A two-year-old girl archery prodigy Cherukuli Dalli Shivani from Vijaywada achieved a stunning feat by setting a new record and entering her name into the India Book of Records. Shivani, the kid sister of late Indian coach and international archer Cherukuri Lenin who died in a road accident soon after 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, became the youngest Indian to score 200 points over five and seven-metre distances. She shot 36 arrows each from five metres and seven metres to score 388 points at a show in the presence of senior sports personalities and India Book of Records officials.
New Zealand cricketer and former captain Daniel Vettori announced his retirement from international cricket. He made this announcement after playing last match in ICC World Cup 2015 Final against Australia. Earlier in 2011, he had retired from Tests and Twenty-20s cricket format. Vettori retires as New Zealand's most capped Test and one-day player having played his 113th test match against Pakistan in United Arab Emirates last November, more than two years since his last appearance in the longest form of the game. Achilles and back injuries restricted his appearances in the latter years of his career but he worked hard on his fitness to be included in New Zealand's World Cup squad. He took his 300th ODI wicket during the tournament against Afghanistan in Napier, becoming the 12th bowler to achieve the mark. He finished with 305 wickets in total from 295 games for New Zealand and a World XI. Vettori is the ninth player to take more than 300 wickets in both Tests and ODIs, having finished his test career with 362 wickets and is the second-highest Test wicket-taker for New Zealand. Fast bowler Richard Hadlee, the first man to 400 Test wickets, ended his career with 431.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni became first Indian Cricket team Captain to register the 100 One Day International (ODI) match wins. He was able to achieve this feat after Indian team defeated Bangladesh in the 2015 ICC World Cup quarter-final match. He is the third captain in the history of the cricket to record 100 wins. Other two captains to achieve this feat are – Australians Allan Border and Ricky Ponting.
New Zealand’s Martin Guptill created a Cricket World Cup record by scoring highest score of 237 runs not out. He achieved this feat in match against West Indies in the 2015 ICC World Cup quarter-final. Martin Guptill also became the first New Zealand cricketer to score double century in One Day Internationals (ODIs). He also broke the previous record of Chris Gayle (West Indies) who had scored first double century in Cricket World Cup 2015.Guptill is 5th cricketer to score double century in ODI’s. Others are Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Rohit Sharma and West Indies Chris Gayle.
Australian cricketer Michael Clarke announced his retirement from One Day Internationals (ODI) cricket format. However, he will continue to represent Australia in the Test matches. Clarke has played 244 one-day internationals, accumulating 7,907 runs at an average of 44.42.
Saina Nehwal became the first Indian woman player to attain such a rare feat of becoming the World No 1 player after Carolina Marin lost her match to Ratchanok Intanon in the second semi-final of the India Open Super Series badminton tournament. Prakash Padukone is the only other India player who had the distinction of being the No. 1 men's badminton player. Saina is first Indian to win Olympics medal in Badminton and had won Bronze medal at the London Olympics 2012. She has been conferred with the prestigious Arjuna Award (2009), Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (2009–2010) and Padma Shri (2010) for her contribution to sports.
World Number one ace shuttler Saina Nehwal won the India Open Super Series Badminton Women’s Singles 2015 Title by defeating Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon in the final match.
India’s Srikanth Kidambi won India Open Super Series Badminton Men’s Singles 2015 Title by defeating Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen in the final match.
MISCELLANEOUS
World
China and Sri Lanka inked five agreements to deepen development partnership between the two countries. The agreements were signed in Beijing during the maiden visit of Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena to China after assuming the office in January 2015. The two nations signed five agreements related to cooperation for special aid in public health, development of water treatment methods and technologies in kidney disease affected areas, research and development of the coconut industry and refurbishment of the Superior Courts Complex in Sri Lanka.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi have been named among the 50 greatest leaders in the world by Fortune magazine in its annual list of “extraordinary” men and women transforming business, government and philanthropy. Modi is ranked 5th on the 2015 roster of ‘World’s Greatest Leaders’ with Satyarthi coming in at the 28th spot. The list has been topped by Apple CEO Tim Cook. A notable exclusion from the list is US President Barack Obama, who has not been named in the list for a second year in a row. Fortune said that “faced with difficult circumstances” domestically and globally, Obama has “surrendered.” On Modi, Fortune said the Indian leader has “actually” begun to deliver on his election promises and is “making genuine progress” in his efforts to make India more business-friendly and less regulated, addressing violence against women, improving sanitation, and “patching up relations with other Asian countries and the US”.
ADB’s flagship annual economic publication, Asian Development Outlook 2015 (ADO) forecasts developing Asia will achieve gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 6.3% in both 2015 and 2016. The region also grew 6.3% in 2014. From the trough of the global financial crisis in 2009, developing Asia has contributed 2.3 percentage points to global GDP growth—nearly 60% of the world’s annual 4.0% pace. Eight economies in the region posted growth exceeding 7.0% in nearly every year of the post-crisis period, including the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and Sri Lanka. Growth in the United States (US), where recovery seems to have turned a corner, is leading major industrial economies. While signs are mixed in the euro area and Japan, soft oil prices and accommodative monetary policy will support growth. As a group, these economies are forecast to expand by 2.2% in 2015, up 0.6 percentage points from 2014, and 2.4% in 2016. India is forecast to overtake the PRC in terms of growth as the initial phase of government efforts to remove structural bottlenecks is lifting investor confidence. With the support of stronger external demand, India is set to expand by 7.8% in FY2015 (ending 31 March 2016), a sharp rise from 7.4% growth in FY2014. This momentum is expected to build to 8.2% growth in FY2016, aided by expected easing of monetary policy and a pickup in capital expenditure.
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released Trends in International Arms Transfers 2014 report. According to it, India is the world's largest importer of weapons and military equipment, accounting for 15 percent of global imports, with Russia being its majority supplier. The volume of transfers of major weapons in 2010–14 was 16 percent higher than in 2005– 2009. The five biggest exporters in 2010–14 were the USA, Russia, China, Germany and France. Together, they accounted for 74 percent of the volume of arms exports. Combined, the USA and Russia supplied 58 percent of all exports. China replaced Germany as the third largest arms exporter in 2010–14, in 2005–2009 China was ranked ninth.
India
Union Ministry of Finance allotted 1500 crore rupees to Andhra Pradesh (AP) for the development of necessary infrastructure within the new capital. Out of the 1500 crore rupees sanctioned 1000 crore rupees are meant for essential amenities and five hundred crore rupees for administrative buildings.
Virbhadra Singh, the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, launched part one of e-Vidhan Mobile app. With this launch, Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha became the first state assembly in the country to launch e- Vidhan Mobile app. This e-Vidhan system will help the state to save about 8 crore rupees per annum that is spent on the paper.
Delhi High Court (HC) on 25 March 2015 became the first court in India to set up dedicated commercial courts within it to ensure speedy disposal of cases.
The Haryana assembly unanimously passed the Haryana Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Bill, 2015, under which cow slaughter and sale of beef have been banned in the state. The new law will prohibit the slaughter of cows, promote conservation and development of indigenous breeds of cows and establish institutions to keep, maintain and take care of the infirm, injured, stray and uneconomic cows. Anyone found guilty of cow slaughter will face rigorous imprisonment of not less than three years which may extend up to 10 years along with fine ranging from Rs.30,000 to Rs.1 lakh. Any person found indulging in export of cows for the purpose of slaughter will face rigorous imprisonment of not less than three years which may extend up to seven years with fines ranging from Rs.30,000 to Rs.70,000. Sale of beef will be completely banned and this offence will be punishable with rigorous imprisonment of not less than three years and up to five years with fine of up to Rs.50,000.