MARCH CURRENT AFFAIRS QUICK REVIEW

www.CareerAfter.com
IMPORTANT DAYS

Ahmed Abul Gheit - Secretary General, Arab

League

Amar Abrol - CEO, AirAsia India

Ashley Judd - Goodwill Ambassador, United

Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

Bhushan Patil - President, Paytm

BS Chauhan - Chairperson, 21st Law Commission

Eric Schmidt - Head,

Innovation Advisory Board

Faustin-Archange Touadera - President, Central

African Republic

Fazle Kabir - Governor, Bangladesh Bank

Gautam Sinha - CEO, Times Internet

H C S Bisht - Flag officer commanding-in-chief,

Eastern Naval Command

1st March - Zero Discrimination Day

1st March - 26th foundation day of NASSCOM

3rd March - World Wildlife Day

3rd March - National Defence Day

4th March - National Safety Day

8th March - International Women's Day

10th March - World Kidney Day

10th March - 47th Raising Day of the CISF

10th March - Tibetan Uprising Day

12th March - World Day against Cyber Censorship

2nd Monday in March - Common wealth Day

14th March - Pi Day

15th March - World Consumer Rights Day

16th March - National Vaccination Day

H Deep Saini - Vice Chancellor, Canberra

University

Friday of the 2nd full week of March - World

Sleep Day

H.L. Dattu - Member, International Coordinating

Committee of National Human Rights Institutions

19th March - 10th Earth Hour (India)

20th March - World Sparrow Day

Htin Kyaw - 1st Civilian President, Myanmar

20th March - International Day of Happiness

Hung-Hsiu-chu - 1st Female Leader, Nationalist

party of Taiwan

20th March - World Day of Theatre for Children

and Young People

Jean Arnault - Head, United National Political

Mission (Columbia)

21st March - International Day of Forests

21st March - World Puppet Day

Jitendra Jagota - Chairman, Indian Direct Selling

Association (IDSA)

21st March - World Down Syndrome Day

21st March - World Poetry Day

Justice Ajit Singh - Chief Justice, Gauhati High

Court

21st March - International Day for the Elimination

of Racial Discrimination
22nd March - World Water Day

Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan - Chairman, 21st Law

Commission

23rd March - 85th Shaheed Diwas (Martyr's Day)

23rd March - World Meteorological Day

Justice Satish Kumar Mittal - Chief Justice of the

Rajasthan High Court

Kangana Ranaut - Brand Ambassador, Reebok

24th March - World Tuberculosis Day (TB Day)

25th March - International Day of Remembrance

of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic
Slave Trade

Katsushi Inoue - President & CEO, Honda Cars

India Ltd (HCIL)
Lionel Messi - Global Ambassador, Huawei
Lori Robinson - 1st US Female Combatant Chief

26th March - Independence Day of Bangladesh

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva - Chief of Staff, Nepal

27th March - World Theatre Day

Merrick Garland - Justice, US Supreme Court

Michelle Yeoh - Goodwill Ambassador, UNDP

(United Nations Development Programme)

Michelle Yeoh - Goodwill Ambassador, United

Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

NEW APPOINTMENTS

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi - Adviser, Petroliam

NasionalBhd (Petronas)

!"# $ # %# !

Pentagon's

Defense

Mrugank Paranjape - MD & CEO, MCX (Multi

Commodity Exchange of India Ltd)

Theodore Theodoridis - General Secretary, Union

of European Football Associations

Mukund Padmanabhan - Editor, The Hindu

Naina Lal Kidwai - Independent Non-executive

Director, NBFC Altico Capital India

Vishvas Vidu Sapkal - Next High Commissioner of

India to the Republic of Fiji

Vivek Jain - CEO, CA Media Digital

Xie Xiaoyan - China's 1st Envoy to Syria

Nandita Bakhshi - President & CEO, Bank of the

West

Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan - 1st Chairwoman, Vietnam

NPS Hira - Deputy Chief of Army Staff

Patrick Dupuis - Independent Board member,

Wipro

Ananda Gajapathi Raju - Former State Minister

and MP

Permod Kohli - Chairman, Central Administrative

Tribunal (CAT)

Andrew Grove - Former Intel Chairman and CEO

Pramod Kumar - Registrar, Jawaharlal Nehru

University

Anita Brookner - Booker prize-winner (Hotel du

Lac)

R. Ravindra - Next Ambassador of India to the

Republic of Cote d I oire

Anker Joergensen - Former Prime Minister of

Denmark

Ashok Ghosh - All-India Forward Bloc leader

Rakesh Mohan - Independent Director, Nestle

India

Aubrey McClendon - Founder & Former CEO,

Chesapeake Energy

Red From "Angry Birds" - Honorary Ambassador

For Climate Change, UN

Ernestine Anderson - Jazz Singer

Frank Sinatra Junior - American singer

Ritu Beri - Advisor, Khadi and Village Industries

Commission (KVIC)

Garry Shandling - Hollywood Comedian (It s Garry

Sha dli g s Show)

Russell Adams - Director, Royal Challengers Sports

Private Limited (RCSPL)

George Henry Martin - Legendary music producer

(Beatles)

S. Sridhar - Managing Director, Pfizer India

Sanjiv Kapoor - Chief Strategy & Commercial

Officer, Vistara

George Kennedy - Academy Award-winning Actor

(Cool Hand Luke)

Jim Harrison - Author (Legends of the Fall)

DEATHS

Sanjiv Kohli - next High Commissioner of India to

Samoa

Jishnu Raghavan - Malayalam Actor

Johan Cryuff - Football legend

Shakuntala Doley Gamlin - Chief Secretary,

Arunachal Pradesh

Kalabhavan Mani - Malayalam Actor

Sofia Qureshi - 1st Woman to lead an Indian Army

contingent (Force 18)

Keith Emerson - Rock legend (British prog-rock

band Emerson)

Sudhakar Rao - Chairman, BSE (Bombay Stock

Exchange)

Lal Muni Chaubey - Veteran BJP leader &

Politician

Sudhir Raheja - Chairman (Extra Charge), Airport

Authority Of India (AAI)

Larry Drake - Emmy Award winning actor (L.A.

Law)

Sunil Shirguppi - Vice President, Ola

Suresh Senapaty
- Chairman,
Automation India Ltd (HAIL)

Lloyd Stowell Shapley - Nobel Winner (Economics

- 2012)
Martin Crowe - Former New Zealand Captain

Surya Deva - Adviser, UN Human Rights Council

(human rights and businesses)

Sushila Karki - 1st Woman Chief Justice, Nepal

Tapan Kumar Chand - President, Aluminium

Association of India

!"# $ # %# !

Honeywell

Mother Mary Angelica - Founder, Eternal Word

Television Network

Nana Vasconcelos - Brazilian Musician (8 times

Grammy Award-winner)

P.A. Sangma - Former speaker of Lok Sabha

P.K. Nair (Celluloid Man) - Founder, National Film

Archive of India (NFAI)

Pat Conroy - Author (The Great Santini, The Prince

of Tides)

Mohammed bin Nayef (Saudi Prince) - Legion

d Ho eur (Fra e s highest honour)

Patty Duke - Oscar Winning Actress (The Miracle

Worker)

Mother Teresa - Roman Catholic Saint

Mukesh Ambani - India's Richest person

Paul Daniels - Famous magician

NTPC - Research Investor Communication Award

Peter Brown - TV Actor (Lawman)

P Susheela (playback singer) - Guinness World

Ray Tomlinson - Inventor of Email and @ symbol

Tony Dyson - Designer of Star Wars droid R2-D2

Tony Warren - Creator, Tele isio s longestrunning soap opera (Coronation Street)

Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan - Shehnai

exponent

V.D. Rajappan - Kadhaprasangam maestro &

Actor

AWARDS & HONORS

Records (highest number of songs - 17,695 tracks)

Padma Sachdev (Dogri poetess) - Krutitava
Smagra Samman 2015
Pallava Bagla - National award for "Outstanding
Efforts in the Field of Science and Technology
Communication on Electronic Medium"

Priyanka Kakodkar & Raksha Kumar - 2015-16

Chameli Devi Jain Award

Prof. Sirshendu De - IDA Innovation Award 2016

(for developing laterite based arsenic water filter)

Ratan Thiyam - META Lifetime Achievement

Award 2016

Aashi - Youngest PAN Card holder (5 day old)

Aditi Arya - Miss India 2015

Sanjay Gupta - Editor of the Year Award

Amrita Patel - Mahindra Samriddhi Krishi

Shiromani Samman (Lifetime Achievement Award)

Selena Gomez - Most followed Instagram user

Anand Mahindra - Chevalier de la Legion

d Ho eur (Knight of the Legion of Honour)

Singapore - world's most expensive city

Sir Andrew Wiles (British mathematician) - 2016
Abel Prize

Bill Gates - World s Richest Person

Sirshendu De - IDA Innovation Award 2016

Denmark - Happiest Country in the World

Dr. Bhagwati Lal Vyas (Katha Sun Aawe Hai

Sabad) - 2015 Bihari Puraskar

SP Hinduja & GP Hinduja - Richest Asian-origin

entrepreneurs in the UK

Stevie Wonder (Veteran Singer) - Global Green

Hero award

Surat railway station - Cleanest in India (A1

category)

Geetakshi Arora - Noor Inayat Khan Prize

Hanan Al Hroub (Palestinian teacher) - 2016
Global Teacher Prize

Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), Delhi World's Best Airport Award

Tikka Shatrujit Singh - The Knight of the Legion of

Honour(France's Highest honor)

Israel Kristal - World s Oldest Living man (112

years)

Jain Teerthankar idol - Guinness book of records

(Tallest Jain statue - 108 ft)

Whitfield Diffie & Martin Hellman (Cryptography

Pioneers) - 2015 Turing Award (Oscars of
computer science and technology)

Jeff Bezos (Amazon Founder and CEO) - World's

Greatest Leader (Fortune Magazine)

Kerala Tourism - Golden City Gate Award (ITBBerlin 2016)

M. Sukumaran (Malayalam
Kunhiraman Literary Prize

M. Venkaiah Naidu (Union urban Development

minister) - Skoch Lifetime Achievement Award

Manoj Kumar (Actor) - 47th Dadasaheb Phalke

Award 2015

writer)

C.V.

Recently appointed Non-official Directors of

RBI Board
N Chandrasekaran - CEO of Tata
Consultancy Services (TCS)
Sudhir Mankad - Former Chief Secretary
of Gujarat
BN Doshi - Mahindra & Mahindra Nonexecutive chairman
10th Asian Film Awards Winners List

!"# $ # %# !

'

 Best Film: The Assassin

Best Director: Hou Hsiao-Hsien for The
Assassin
Best Actor: Lee Byung-hun for The Inside
Men
Best Actress: Shu Qi for The Assassin
Best Newcomer: Jessie Li for Port of Call
Best Supporting Actor: Tadanobu Asano
for Journey to the Shore
Best Supporting Actress: Zhou Yun for The
Assassin
Best Screenplay: Jia Zhangke for
Mountains May Depart
Best Cinematography: Mark Lee Ping-bing
for The Assassin
Best Production Design: Hwarng Wernying for The Assassin
Best Original Music: Lim Giong for The
Assassin
Best Editing: William Chang Suk-ping, Chu
Ka-yat, Liao Ching-sung, Wong Hoi, Philip
Yung for Port of Call
Best Visual Effects: Prasad Sutar for
Bajirao Mastani
Best Costume Design: Lee Ji-yeon and
Shim Hyun-seob for The Throne
Best Sound: Chu Shih-yi, Tu Duu-chih and
Wu Shu-yao for The Assassin
Lifetime Achievement Award: Yuen Woping and Kirin Kiki
National Krishi Karman Awards 2014-15
Total foodgrain production
o Category I States (production greater
than 10 million tonnes) : Madhya
Pradesh.
o Category II States (production
between 1 and 10 million tonnes) :
Himachal Pradesh and Odisha.

!"# $ # %# !

o Category III States (production less

than 1 million tonnes) : Arunachal
Pradesh and Meghalaya.
Individual Crops
o Rice : Haryana, Assam
o Wheat : Rajasthan
o Pulses : Chhattisgarh
o Oil Seeds : West Bengal
5th National Photography Awards
Bhawan Singh : Life Time Achievement
Award
Javed Ahmed Dar : Professional
Photographer Award
Himanshu
Thakur
:
Amateur
Photographer
63rd National Film Awards Winners List
Best Film : Baahubali
Best Director : Sanjay Leela Bhansali,
Bajirao Masta i
Best Actor : Amitabh Bachchan, Piku
Best Actress : Kangana Ranaut, Tanu Weds
Manu
Best Supporting Actor : Samuthirakani for
Visaaranai
Best Supporting Actress : Tanvi Azmi,
Bajirao Mastani
Best Hindi Film : Dum Laga Ke Haisha
Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film
Of A Director : Neeraj Ghaywan, Masaan
Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome
Entertainment : Bajrangi Bhaijaan
Best Choreography : Remo D Souza,
Deewani Mastani song in Bajirao Mastani
Best Female Playback Singer : Monali
Thakur, Moh Moh Ke Dhage
Best Cinematography : Sudeep Chaterjee,
Bajirao Mastani

 Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film

on National Integration : Nanak Shah
Fakir
Best Screenplay Writer (Original) : Juhi
Chaturvedi (Piku) and Himanshu Sharma
(Tanu Weds Manu Returns)
Best Screenplay Dialogues : Juhi
Chaturvedi (Piku) and Himanshu Sharma
(Tanu Weds Manu Returns)
Best Malayalam Film : Pathemari,
Artistically narrated saga of 2 generations
of Malayali workers who migrated to gulf
for livelihood
Best Film on Social Issue : Niranayakam
Best Music Direction : M Jayachandran for
Song Kaathirunnu Kaathirunnu for the
Ennu Ninte Moideen
Best Music Direction- Background Score :
Ilaiyaraaja, Thaarai Thappattai
Best
Film
on
Environment
Conservation/Preservation
:
Valiya
Chirakulla Pakshikal

Best Childrens Film : Duronto

Best Tamil Film : Visaaranai
Best Telugu Film : Kanche
Best Sanskrit Film : Priyamanasam
Best Kannada Film : Thithi
Best Marathi Film : Ringan
Best Maithili Film : Mithila Makhaan
Best Punjabi Film : Chauthi Koot
Best Bengali Film : Sankhachil
Best Konkani Film : Enemy

Best Assamese Film : Kothanodi

Best Haryanvi Film : Satrangi
Best Khasi Film : Onaatah
Best Manipuri Film : Eibusu Yaohanbiyu
Best Mizo Film : Ki a s Lode Beyond the
Class
Best Odiya Film : Pahada Ra Luha
Special Mention : Ritika Singh for the film
Irudhi Suttru
Best Editing : Late Kishore T.E for Visaranai

MARCH 2016 HIGHLIGHTS (ONE-LINERS)

26th Foundation Day of NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Services Companies) was observed on
1st March 2016.

7th meeting of the Governing Board of the Indo-German Science and Technology Centre (IGSTC) was held in New
Delhi.

A 108-feet tall idol of Rishabhdeva, the first Teerthankar of Jains, has entered the Guinness World Records as the
world's tallest Jain statue.

According the the recently released ASSOCHAM report, Odisha has the maximum share of over 17% in the total
live investments worth about 33 lakh crore aNracted by I dia s manufacturing sector.

According to Symantec, India ranks third among countries with the most number of financial Trojan infections,
after the US and Germany.

According to the World Happiness Report 2016 published by the United Nations, India has ranked 118th out of
156 nations in a global list of happiest nations. Denmark takes the top spot as the happiest country in the world.

After the ambitious Make in India Week, Mumbai will host another international summit, the BRICS Friendship
Cities Conclave, on April 14.

Aiming to reduce road accidents by 50% by 2020, the Gujarat government has announced the Road Safety Policy
2016.

Allahabad High Court has celebrated 150 years of its existence.

!"# $ # %# !

Amazon has recently launched 'women only' delivery centres, which will be completely run and managed by
women.

Amir Hussain Lone, who lost both his arms at the age of eight in an accident in his father's cricket bat making
sawmill, is the current state para-cricket team captain of Jammu and Kashmir.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu launched I dia s first state-wide broadband project called
AP FiberNet.

Andhra Pradesh government inaugurated I dia s first river linking project viz. Pattiseema lift irrigation project
connecting Godavari River with Krishna River from the ongoing Polavaram Multi-purpose Irrigation Project.

As per a report released by Water Aid, India has the world's highest number of people without access to clean
water.

Australian golfer Adam Scott won the 2016 WGC-Cadillac Championship.

Authorities in China's capital Beijing have passed a new family planning rule to allow remarried couples to have a
second child. The new law also grants 128 maternity leaves (98 earlier) for mothers and a 15-day holiday for
fathers.

Autorickshaws that run on solar power were launched in Bengaluru.

Bangladesh left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny and pacer Taskin Ahmed were suspended from bowling in
international cricket with immediate effect after having been found guilty of illegal bowling actions.

Beverage giants PepsiCo have been named as BCCI's official associate sponsor for all international matches in
India.

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) announced that it successfully commissioned a 600 MW coal-based
thermal power plant in Telangana.

Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has commissioned its first 700-MW supercritical thermal unit in Karnataka.

'Bharat Kesri Dangal', a freestyle wrestling tournament of 3 days, recently held at Gurgaon.

Bihar assembly unanimously passes the Bihar Excise Amendment Bill 2016 paving the way for liquor ban in the
state from April 1 this year.

Chattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has presented Chattisgarh Budget 2016-17 with an outlay of 70,059
crore. The budget focuses on infrastructure, social sectors and agriculture.

China has launched CyberSecurity Association of China, its first cybersecurity public organisation aimed at better
safeguarding national cybersecurity and guiding internet companies in perform their duties.

China is building a tsunami alert centre in South China Sea.

China plans to land a probe on Mars in 2021 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of
China, the sole governing political party of the country.

Citizens of Bhutan planted 1,08,000 trees to welcome the birth of a son to King Khesar and Queen Pema.
Delhi govt presents Rs.46,600 crore annual budget for Delhi

Delhi has became the first state in the country to launch the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine as a public
health programme for school children.

Delhi has become the first state (UT) in the country to launch the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine as a
public health programme for school children.

Delhi has topped the list for crimes against foreign tourists with 135 reported cases registered in 2014, while Goa
stood second with 66 cases, as per the data by the National Crime Records Bureau.

Denmark's 17-year-old Mohamad Al-Bacha was crowned the FIFA'16 world champion after winning the final in
New York

Dubai has announced to host the Robot Olympics in December 2017.

E-commerce major Flipkart has launched its own wallet and payment method called Flipkart Mo ey .

!"# $ # %# !

European and Russian space agencies have successfully launched ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, an unmanned
spacecraft on a mission to find evidence of alien life that exists or may have existed on Mars.

Europe's largest floating solar farm has been built in London on the Thames river, featuring 23,046 solar panels
and measuring 57,500 square metres or the size of eight football pitches.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched the one-day Make in India conference in Sydney and asked Australian
businesses to make investments in India.

Food processing industries minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugrated International Food and Hospitality Fair,
AAHAR 2016 in New Delhi. Over 90 countries were participated in this 31st edition of AAHAR fair.

Former Indian captain, Rahul Dravid has been named as the Mentor of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise,
Delhi Daredevils.

Former National 6Reds runner-up Rahul Sachdev clinched his maiden title by winning the 1st All India Open
Invitational Snooker Championship.

Former USA basketball legend Michael Jordan was placed at the top of Forbes' 2015's list of highest-paid retired
athletes.

Germany has announced that it will help India to develop 3 Indian cities as Smart Cities. They are, Kerala's Kochi,
Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore and Odisha's Bhubaneswar.

Government has announced that more than four lakh Jobs will be generated under Prime Mi ister s
Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) during 2016-17.

Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel has announced that the State is going to set up the country's first university
focusing exclusively on organic farming and research.

Gujarat has topped the list of 21 states with the most investment potential, followed by Delhi and Tamil Nadu, a
report by government think-tank NCAER has revealed.

Hanle village in Ladakh was short-listed as a prospective site to house the World's largest telescope named
'Thirty Metre Telescope International Observatory', estimated to be worth around 98.26 crore.

Haryana CM Manohar Lal formally launched the Ujala (LED bulbs) scheme of Haryana Power DISCOMs. With this
scheme, Haryana Govt is planning to distribute LED bulbs at highly discounted prices to nearly 44 lakh domestic
consumers.

Haryana Government has changed the name of Mustafabad village in Yamuna Nagar district of state to Saraswati
Nagar.

Holi, Diwali and Easter may soon be declared official holidays in Pakistan, based on a resolution adopted by
Pakistan's National Assembly.

Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani has decided to rope in the Indian Army to teach patriotism
in universities controlled by the government.

ICICI Bank has launched iWork@home, an initiative that allows women employees to work from home for up to
a year.

ICICI Bank has launched a Contactless option in its app 'Pockets'. This will allow users to make payments at
outlets by tapping their smartphones.

In an effort to boost the economy, Chi a s central bank cut a ks required reserve ratio by 0.5%.

India and France have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for construction of six nuclear reactors at
Jaitapur nuclear park in Maharashtra.

India and US launched the Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship, in a new initiative to advance bilateral
cooperation on climate change.

India has assumed BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) Chairmanship from the Russian Federation for
the year 2016.

!"# $ # %# !

India has been ranked at the 90th place in a list of 126 countries on the basis of their ability to deliver secure,
affordable and sustainable energy.

India has distributed scholarships to over 800 Bangladeshi students under the 'Muktijodha Scholarship Scheme'.

India has observed the 10th Earth Hour on 19th March 2016 between 8.30 pm and 9:30 pm.

India has organized an international dialogue in Delhi during 10th & 11th March 2016 to present a model of
'no strings attached' assistance to developing countries that is unlike the western model of conditional
assistance followed by the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development.

India has reduced its financial aid to Nepal by 40% in its general budget for 2016-17 fiscal year to 300 crore.

India has signed an agreement to extend $2 billion as line of credit to Bangladesh.

India has won the 2016 Asia Cup T20 trophy for a record sixth time after beating Bangladesh by 8 wickets in the
final.

India Inc. became first in the world to formally adopt the United Natio s (UN) agenda for the
sustainable development and 17 goals identified for its implementation.

India is one of the five countries involved in developing vaccines to fight the Zika virus that affects newborns in
38 countries and territories. The other countries developing the vaccine are the US, France, Brazil and Austria.

India sent its first direct container vessel to Bangladesh from Andhra Pradesh's Krishnapatnam port, as a part of
a coastal shipping agreement signed in November between both the countries.

India tops in Asian Development Bank's Growth outlook for Asia in 2016.

Indian badminton player HS Prannoy clinched the 2016 Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold after beating Marc Zwiebler
of Germany.

Indian limited-overs skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, while playing against Bangladesh in the ICC World T20,
became the Fifth Indian batsman and the First T20I captain to cross the 1,000-run mark in T20 internationals.

Indian men's and Women's table tennis teams won golds in their respective categories in the second division of
the 2016 World Table Tennis Championships.

Indian race walker Gurmeet Singh became the first Indian athlete to clinch a gold medal at the Asian 20 km Race
Walking Championships, by defeating Japan's Isamu Fujisawa in the championship's 11th edition.

Indian Railways has launched bar coding system for unreserved tickets to prevent revenue leakage and bring
transparency in the ticketing system.

Indian shuttlers Tarun Kona and Alwin Francis won the II Peru International Series 2016 title.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is going to launch 22 satellites in a single mission, its highest so far,
this May. The launch vehicle PSLV C34 will carry I dia s remote sensing satellite Cartosat 2C along with 21 other
satellites, including four micro-satellites and 17 nano-satellites.

Indian wrestler Hardeep has became the first Indian wrestler since Mausam Khatri 12 years ago to book a quota
place for 2016 Rio Olympics in the Greco-Roman category.

India's Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve has been added to UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserve
among 20 new sites.

India's biggest lender SBI is among four new foreign banks that have been given preliminary approval to open
fully-owned branches in Myanmar.
Iran President Hassan Rouhani was on a 2-day visit to Pakistan. During the visit, Mr Rouhani discussed a pipeline
project for transporting Iranian natural gas to Pakistan.

orld s

Jalandhar based Capital Local Area Bank limited (CLABL) became India's first Small Finance Bank (SFB) by
flagging-off its operations on April 13, 2016.

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt has confirmed that this year's Rio Olympics will be his last Olympics.

!"# $ # %# !

Japan has committed loans worth about 14,269 crore (242.2 billion yen) for ve infrastructure development
projects in India. The projects include the Dedicated Freight Corridor Project, Odisha Integrated Sanitation
Improvement Project and Transmission System Strengthening Project in Madhya Pradesh.

Japan's multinational corporation SoftBank Group recently announced to split into two companies to separate its
domestic and overseas business.

Kachhabali village in ajastha s Rajsamand district has became the first liquor-free village in the state after its
residents voted in support of shutting down the only liquor shop in their panchayat.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah presented a Rs. 1.63 lakh crore annual budget for the state.

Karnataka government has launched Mukhyamantri Santwana Harish Yojana to provide Free medical treatment
to road accident victims for the first 48 hours (2 days) in the nearest government or private hospital.

Kazakhstan has banned smartphones in government offices and police stations to prevent information leak.

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has inaugurated an Air Ambulance facility catering to patients with
urgent medical requirements, including organ transplant.

Kerala Touris s new campaign on responsible tourism has bagged the prestigious 'Golden City Gate Award' at
the orld s leading travel trade show ITB in Berlin.

Lin Dan from China has won the prestigious 2016 All England Badminton title in the

Maharashtra government has approved the 'Prohibition on Social Boycott Bill' to tackle with social boycotting
based on caste and community. Under this bill, the maximum punishment for social boycotting will be 7 years in
prison or fine up to 5 lakh.

Maritime India Summit 2016 (MIS 2016), the maiden flagship initiative of the Union Ministry of Shipping, was
organised from 14 to 16 April 2016 at Bombay Convention and Exhibition Centre, Mumbai. Republic of Korea is
the partner country for MIS 2016.

Mumbai is likely to get a CBI branch for probing cyber crime offences. As of now, such a branch is only in the
headquarters (Delhi).

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly recently returned to Earth after spending 340 days in space aboard the International
Space Station (ISS). He has become the first US astronaut to spend the most time in space, at a total of 520 days.

NASA's Hubble telescope has broken the cosmic distance record by measuring the farthest galaxy ever seen (GNz11) in the universe.

Nepal was officially made a dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a Beijing-based
regional security grouping.

New Delhi has topped the list of top 25 destinations in India by travel website TripAdvisor as part of its
'Travellers' Choice Awards' for 2016.

Nico Rosberg won the 2016 Australian Grand Prix.

Nuclear-capable ballistic missile Agni-I was successfully test fired from a mobile launcher from the Integrated
Test Range (ITR) at Odisha's Abdul Kalam Island.

Oculus, the world's most expensive train station, which was built in New York, US, on the site of World Trade
Center, which got destroyed in the 9/11 attacks, was recently opened.

Olympic gold medalist and Indian ace shooter Abhinav Bindra has set up a venture capital fund named 'Shooting
Star LLP'.

Pakistan and Iran have signed 6 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to strengthen bilateral cooperation in
health, commerce, finance and foreign services.

Patna Pirates beat U Mumba 31-28 to win 3rd season of Pro Kabaddi League

Playing against New Zealand in the opener of the ICC World T20, India crossed the 400 T20I wickets mark
(excluding run outs), thereby becoming the seventh-highest T20I wicket-taking nation.

!"# $ # %# !

e s singles category.

PM Narendra Modi announced that India will host the FIFA under-17 World Cup next year.
President Pranab Mukherjee formally inaugurated the 5th edition of the India Aviation 2016. The five-day
biennial aviation show was jointly organised by the Union Civil Aviation Ministry and the Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) at the Begumpet airport, Hyderabad.

President Pranab Mukherjee has given the final clearance to the Aadhaar Bill, which will now allow the
government to make the 12-digit unique identity number compulsory to access government services and
benefits.

President Pranab Mukherjee on 5th March 2016 inaugurated a two-day National Conference of Women
Legislators in New Delhi. Theme : Women legislators-building resurgent India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Belgian counterpart Charles Michel remotely launched Asia's biggest
telescope, the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), built with Belgian assistance.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched 'Kisan Suvidha' app for farmers to provide information on weather,
market prices, seeds, fertilisers, crop protection and agricultural machinery.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has selected another village for adoption in his Varanasi Constituency of U.P. for
development under the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY). Earlier, he had adopted Jayapur village in the same
Varanasi constituency in the first phase in 2014.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a 100 MW power supply to Bangladesh by remote control from
Tripura s Palatana plant on 23rd March 2016.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a 3 day 'Krishi Unnati Mela' in Delhi for disseminating information on
modernising the country's agricultural practices.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the ambitious Rs 50,800-crore Setu Bharatam project, under
which a total of 208 railway crossings will be replaced by rail over bridges (ROBs).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a three nation visit to Belgium, United States & Saudi Arabia.

Private lender Lakshmi Vilas Bank has tied up with National Bulk Handling Corporation (NBHC) for Collateral
Management and Warehousing Services.

Private lender Yes Bank launched an all-women operated bank branch Yes Gra e on Cunningham Road,
Bengaluru aimed at offering customised banking solutions to women.

Railway Ministry launched Clean My Coach Service to ensure cleanliness in trains.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has presented a 99,693 crore annual budget for the state.

Ravichandran Ashwin became the first Indian bowler to collect 50 T20I wickets after picking David Warner's
wicket against Australia.

Rest of India has won the Irani Cup Cricket title by beating Mumbai by four wickets.

Russia has slashed its space budget for 2016 to 2025 by 30%, from 2 trillion rubles ($29.24 billion) to 1.4 trillion
rubles ($20.68 billion).

Scientists from Japan have discovered a new species of bacteria, called Ideonella sakaiensis 201-F6, that can eat
plastic.

Services has won the 70th edition of Santosh Trophy Football Championships title 2016 by defeating hosts
Maharashtra.

Shiva Thapa has become the first Indian boxer to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics to be held in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil.

Shweta Rathore, the silver medallist at the 2015 Asian body building event, has bagged the Gold medal at the
National body building Championship in New Delhi.

Singapore was ranked the world's most expensive city by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

!"# $ # %# !

South Korea's parliament has passed the country's first anti-terror bill, with opposition lawmakers leaving the
plenary chamber after ending the nine-day marathon speeches.

State-owned Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) has become the country's first lender to start the distribution of the
government's Indian Gold Coins.

Tamil Nadu government recently launched internet services to every household through the state-owned Arasu
Cable TV Corporation.

Thailand is facing its worst drought in over 20 years, with water levels in the nation's largest dams below 10%.

The 4th Nuclear Security Summit -2016 was held in Washington DC, the United States.

The 9th edition of the biennial defence expo, Defexpo India 2016, organised by the Defence Ministry, was held in
South Goa from 28th to 31st March 2016.

The Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Kalikho Pul, had presented the Rs. 367.58 crore deficit budget.

The Cabinet has approved the signing of an MoU with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for it to set up the
South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Center (SARTTAC) in India.

The Centre has decided to issue universal ID cards for persons with disability, which will be valid throughout the
country, unlike the state-issued certificates that are not recognised by other states.

The Centre has imposed President's Rule in Uttarakhand on grounds of "breakdown of governance".

The Delhi Daredevils have appointed former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan as their captain for the 2016 season of the
Indian Premier League.

The Director of School Education in Kashmir declared all schools in the valley as 'Polythene-free' zones.

The European Central Bank cut its benchmark interest rate (refinancing rate) to 0% from 0.05%.

The Fast patrol vessel (FPV) of the Indian Coast Guard ICGS Arnvesh was commissioned at Visakhapatnam,
Andhra Pradesh.

The Federal Bank is set to launch a dedicated service for startups called 'Launchpad', to open incubation centres
at its Bengaluru and Ernakulam branches.

The Finance Ministry has announced that the government will issue Gold bonds under the third tranche of its
Sovereign Gold Bond scheme on March 29.

The first ever pollution-free, fully electricity-operated bus was launched in New Delhi.

The first Raisina-Dialogue 2016 was recently held at New Delhi. The theme of Raisina-Dialogue 2016 : Asia:
Regional and Global Connectivity

The government aims to bring over 50% of farmers under insurance cover through the Pradhan Mantri Fasal
Bima Yojana (PMFBY) in the next two years.

The government has amended the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) to give an option to a su s ri er s spouse to
continue to contribute to the account till the time the subscriber would have turned 60, in case of his/her
premature death.

The government has approved 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Marketplace model of e-commerce
under the automatic route.

The Government has decided to set up '1033' as a toll free national helpline number to report road accidents.

The government has formally withdrawn the recognition of Delhi Stock Exchange (DSE) after it was derecognised
by markets regulator SEBI in November 2014 for "serious irregularities" in its functioning.

The government has hiked the Dearness Allowance (DA) for central government employees and pensioners by
Six Percent (6%).

The Government has launched 'Mahila E-Haat', a first of its kind online platform from the Women and Child
Development Ministry to promote women entrepreneurs, particularly from rural areas.

!"# $ # %# !

The government has relaxed FDI norms for the insurance sector by permitting overseas companies to buy 49%
stake in domestic insurers, subject to verification by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of
India.

The government has revised the 'Indian Customs Declaration Form' to include drones in the list of prohibited and
dutiable goods, making it mandatory for the flyers to declare them from April 1.

The government is going to replace the existing Five-year plan system with a medium-term fiscal framework that
will project fiscal allocations for the next three years beginning 2017-18.

The governor of Bangladesh Bank, Atiur Rahman, has resigned after $81 million was stolen from the central
bank's account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in February.

The Haryana Assembly has passed the Jat Quota bill unanimously after it was tabled for discussion on the same
day.

The Haryana government has launched Project Salamati, making it the first state to implement the use of
injectable contraceptives towards family planning.

The Health Ministry has banned the sale and manufacture of over 300 combination drugs that are being sold in
India without government approval.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched its 6th navigation satellite into the Earth s orbit on
March 10.

The interest rate on Public Provident Fund (PPF) was cut from 8.7% to 8.1%.

The International Hockey Federation (FIH), has promoted Hockey India national-level umpire Nepoleon Singh as
the International Outdoor Umpire.

The largest nuclear security centre in the Asia-Pacific region opened in Beijing, China.

The Maharashtra government exempted sugar exporting mills from paying cane purchase tax for the 2015 to
2016 marketing year, which began in October.

The Maharashtra government has decided to observe 2016 as the 'Year of Farmers Self-respect' in view of the
prevailing drought across the state.

The Mumbai under-23 cricket team has won the Col CK Nayudu Trophy for the season 2015-16.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to share FDI-related data with the country's intelligence agencies,
Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), to check the black money entering India.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has signed a currency swapping agreement with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka,
under which RBI's Sri Lankan counterpart can withdraw up to $700 million for a maximum of three months.

The SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Programming Committee meet was held at
Pokhara, Nepal, during 14th to 17th March 2016.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's recommendation to make 112 the number for all emergency
services such as Police, Ambulances, and the Fire Brigade in India was accepted by the Telecom Commission.

The UK lifted a 15-year-old ban on the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISFY), a pro-Khalistan group.

The Union Cabinet has approved Pradhan Mantri Ujwala Yojana, a Rs 8,000-crore scheme to provide cooking gas
(LPG) connections free of cost to women members of poor households.

The Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley introduced a new Aadhaar Bill - the Aadhaar Targeted Delivery of
Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services Bill 2016 - in the Lok Sabha. The bill will provide a legal basis
to the the unique identification number.

The United States and the Philippines have announced a new 10-year security pact to allow a rotating US military
presence at five bases on the Philippines islands.

The United States will use a nuclear-capable B-52 warplane to bomb Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria
starting April.

!"# $ # %# !

The UP Government announced to conduct a campaign titled Gauraiya Diwas on March 20th, at school levels to
create awareness about the conservation of birds.
The World Health Organization has suspended the approval of tuberculosis drugs made by Mumbai-based
Svizera Labs, a major supplier to developing countries, citing the company's unreliable manufacturing standards
as the reason.

The orld s first amputee football training camp for kids aged 5 to 16 was held in Dublin.

The orld s first cyborg Olympics will be held in October this year in Switzerland.

TISS (Tata Institute of Social Sciences) and the ICRW (International Center for Research on Women) have come
together to introduce the Gender Equity Movement in Schools (GEMS) program in public schools across
Maharashtra.

Toorputallu and Pedhamyanavanilanka, two villages in Andhra Pradesh, will run completely on solar power from
this year. These will be the first two villages in the country to be run 100% on solar power. These villiages were
adopted by the union minister Nirmala Sitharaman under Sansad Aadarsh Gram Yojna.

Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar flagged off India's first indigenously developed SONAR dome during
the 9th Edition of Defexpo 2016 at Goa.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh recently announced that the government is planning to set up new nuclear power
plants in Bihar, Haryana and Punjab.
United States President Barack Obama was on a visit to Cuba. He is the first US President to visit the country in
88 years.

US state, California had passed 'The End of Life Option Act'. With the help of this act, Terminally ill residents of
the state will legally be allowed to end their lives with medication prescribed by doctors starting June 9 this year.

Uttar Pradesh government has made it mandatory for primary school students to sing the national anthem, 'Jana
Gana Mana', every day.

Various banks have so far disbursed over 1.15 lakh crore under the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY).

Vijender Singh knocks out Hu gary s Alexander Horvath to register fourth consecutive win in Pro Boxing.
With 7% presence, India ranks 26th globally in terms of presence of women members on company boards.

With the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) allowing women to join its supervisory combat roles, women can now
be inducted as officers in combat roles in all five Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).

Yes Bank, the I dia s fifth largest private sector Bank has signed MOU with the India Brazil Chamber of
Commerce for cooperation in knowledge sharing, consultancy, skill and technology.

!"# $ # %# !

'