National
• Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) of Union Government has given its final approval to Kerala Government’s approval to set up India’s first Defence Industrial Park at Ottappalam.
• The 30th edition of Surajkund International Crafts Mela has begun at Faridabad in Haryana after formally inaugurated by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
• The Union Government has issued detailed guidelines to tackle the outbreak of Zika Virus Disease in the wake of reported cases in the USA.
• The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005 completes ten years of implementation.
• The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has launched the country’s first anti-diabetic ayurvedic drug named BGR-34 for type two Diabetes mellitus.
• Maharashtra government has announced Bharatratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Special Collective Incentive Scheme for the economically backward Dalit entrepreneurs.
• The Union Government has constituted two new committees namely Tax Policy Research Unit (TPRU) and Tax Policy Council (TPC) to streamline the taxation policy and administration.
• Moving a step closer to fulfilling its promise of implementing the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme for military personnel, the government released detailed instructions and tables on its implementation.
• India has ratified Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC), 1997 which sets parameters on a nuclear operator’s financial liability.
• India officially became the Associate Member State of European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO).
• Maharashtra Government has rolled out Deradicalisation Programme for the minority community to counter both home-grown extremism and the global Islamic State (IS) threat.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited (BCPL) at Lepetkata, Assam and dedicated the facility to the nation.
• The 12th edition of South Asian Games (SAG) has begun in Guwahati, Assam after it was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Indira Gandhi Athletics Stadium.
•The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India issued the 'Prohibition of Discriminatory Tariffs for Data Services Regulations, 2016' that bars service providers from offerring or charging discriminatory tariffs for data services on the basis of content.
•The Indian Coast Guard has proposed to induct 38 more aircraft and helicopters into its fleet by 2020.
•Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories’ U.S. subsidiary Promius Pharma LLC has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for Sernivo (betamethasone dipropionate) spray (0.05%), a product used in the treatment of psoriasis.
•The Union Health Ministry has cleared an amendment to a law, which, if cleared by Parliament, will allow the Medical Council of India to conduct a single, common entrance test for admissions for undergraduate and post-graduate medical courses across the country.
•Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural gas (MoPNG) has released the Hydrocarbon Vision 2030 for north-east India.
•Bihar Government has passed a proposal for Patna Metro, the cost of which is estimated to be Rs 16,960 Crore.
•In the U.S. Chamber of Commerce-International Intellectual Property Index, India ranked 37 out of 38 countries, with only Venezuela scoring lower.
•As per recently released Index of Internet Readiness of Indian States (IIRIS) report, Maharashtra has topped in terms of the overall Internet readiness index.
•The Union Ministry of Railways has launched 3 IT (Information Technology) enabled apps to bring transparency in Indian Railways on the sidelines of Digital India initiative. These are Hand Held Terminals for TTEs, Paperless unreserved ticketing mobile application and E-booking of disposable linen on trains.
•India and United Arab Emirates (UAE) have signed 9 bilateral agreements covering cooperation in the various sectors.
•The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has declared Wild Pig (sus scrofa) as vermin in Uttarakhand for a year.
•Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda has released the National Framework for Malaria Elimination (NFME) 2016-2030 at New Delhi.
•A new study has claimed that a natural extract derived from the Neem tree can potentially be used to treat pancreatic cancer without harming normal, healthy cells.
• In a bid to attract more international talent, the prestigious IITs for the first time are planning to hold their entrance tests in Singapore, UAE, Ethiopia and SAARC nations next year to select foreign students for undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
• The Railways deciding to introduce train hostesses on soon to be launched Delhi-Agra Gatiman Express, the first train in India to run at a speed of 160 kmph.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the National Rurban Mission (NRM) from Kurubhat in Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh.
• West Bengal government is planning to get Geographical Indication (GI) tag for four traditional sweet delicacies of the state.These four traditional sweet delicacies are Moa of Jainagar, Sarpuria of Krishnagar, and Mihidana and Sitabhog of Burdwan.
• Union Government has launched ‘Swachh Parayatan’ mobile application to keep tourist places clean.
• The Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (CGPDT) has issued an order excluding software patents in its revised guidelines for Computer Related Inventions (CRIs).
• Haryana is set become the first state in the country to complete aquifer mapping for its groundwater resources by May 2016.
• India continues to remain the world’s largest arms importer, accounting for 14% of the global arms imports in the 2011-2015 time-frame.
• Bihar became the sixth state to join Union Government’s UDAY (Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana) Scheme for financial restructuring of debt of power distribution companies.
• India is going to host Asia Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation from 12 April 2016 to save tigers.
• India’s first indigenously built nuclear armed submarine INS Arihant has successfully passed several deep sea diving drills as well as weapons launch tests.
• The fifth edition of IBSAMAR 2016 trilateral naval exercise between Brazil, India and South Africa kicked off in Goa.
• The 42nd edition of world famous Khajuraho Dance Festival began at Khajuraho in Chhatrapur District in Madhya Pradesh.
• The Union Government has extended e-Tourist Visa Scheme to 37 more countries. With this, the total count of countries under the scheme will become 150.
• Lok Sabha has passed Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2016 to grant voting rights to people who became citizens of India following the exchange of enclaves between India and Bangladesh.
• The Union Cabinet as given its approval for establishment of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and Self Employment and Talent Utilisation (SETU) in NITI Aayog.
• The Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing of an Agreement between India and Maldives for the avoidance of double taxation of income from international air transport.
• Government’s plan to change 77 crore conventional bulbs and 3.5 crore conventional streetlights with LED range would save Rs 45,500 crore by reducing 21,500 MW electricity demand.
• Government-constituted expert committee to examine the Possibility of Replacing Multiple Prior Permissions with Pre-Existing Regulatory Mechanism has submitted its recommendations.
• President Pranab Mukherjee has formally declared Kerala as the country’s first digital state.
• President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated India’s first Gender Park at Kozhikode district of Kerala.
• President Pranab Mukherjee dedicated India’s first co-operative society in Information Technology (IT) sector UL CyberPark in Kozhikode, Kerala.
• Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda has released the National Framework for Malaria Elimination (NFME) 2016-2030 at New Delhi.
•Mysuru city from Karnataka has been ranked first in terms of cleanliness for second time in row among the 73 surveyed cities in Swachh Sarvekshan 2016.
•The zonal railways are barred from introducing special trains under normal fares to clear festival/ holiday rush.
•India’s first indigenously developed lightest revolver (gun) Nidar weighing merely 250 grams was successfully launched.
•Union Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation of Sweden have inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Technical Cooperation in Rail Sector.
•Union Government has launched has launched Non-Tax Receipt Portal (NTRP) to electronically collect non-tax receipts.
•A 12-member team of the Indian Army is participating in the Cobra Gold multilateral exercises being hosted by Thailand, along with its counterparts from China and Pakistan.
•Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has decided to conduct captive flight trials of an advanced, state-of-the-art Anti-Radiation Missile (ARM) in April-May 2016.
•Indigenously developed Prithvi-II missile was successfully test fired from the Chandipur, off Odisha coast.
•The Union Government has unveiled a National Capital Goods Policy 2016 to give an impetus to the capital goods sector and the Make in India initiative.
•Haryana and South Korean state of Chungcheongbuk have agreed to enter into a sister-statehood relationship for development.
•West Bengal government has launched the Utkarsh Bangla Scheme with an aim of providing vocational training to school dropouts.
•The Union Cabinet has approved the LIGO-India project (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory in India) proposal for research on gravitational waves.
•The Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar has launched Environment Information System (ENVIS) portal and mobile application.
•Union Government has formally launched website for maiden Maritime India Summit 2016 scheduled to be held in April 2016.
•Nationalism by order was the outcome when the Vice-Chancellors of 42 Central universities agreed to fly the national flag on their buildings to counter the rising tide of what they perceived as anti-nationalism sweeping the campuses.
•The Union Cabinet has approved a proposal to notify the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
•The fourth edition of the India-Myanmar Coordinated Patrol (IMCOR) was successfully undertaken from February 13 to 16, 2016.
•Prasar Bharati has signed a MoU with Empressa de Brazil Communicacao (EBC) in connection with several broadcast related activities including exchange of news, programmes and co-production.
•The Make in India week concluded in Mumbai, Mumbai after it was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 13, 2016.
•The Union Cabinet has apprised signing of BRICS Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the fields of Science, Technology and innovation (STI).
•The three-day long Vibrant North East event concluded in Guwahati, Assam.
•Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan Government have set up Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV) for the implementation of Smart City Plans. SPVs have been set up for five cities &ndash Jabalpur, Indore and Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh and Jaipur and Udaipur in Rajasthan.
•Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) has launched ‘Swachh Himachal &ndash Padhai bhi, Safai bhi’ campaign in Dharamsala.
•India and Nepal have signed seven agreements for cooperation in various fields.
International
• The World Health Organization has announced that the explosive spread of the Zika virus in the Americas is an “extraordinary event” that merits being declared an international emergency.
• The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has signed two bilateral Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) with United Kingdom (UK).
• Japan’s ShinMaywa Industries is planning to set up manufacturing plant of US-2 amphibious aircraft in India under ‘Make in India’ initiative to cater to international demands.
• India and Afghanistan have signed an agreement for visa-free travel for diplomatic passport holders of the two countries.
• India and Brunei have signed three Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate in the fields of defence, health and youth affairs & sports.
• All 12 Pacific Rim countries have signed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement in Auckland, New Zealand making it one of the biggest trade deals in history.
• The World Health Organisation (WHO), a UN Health agency has accorded PQP (Pre-qualification of Medicines Programme) certification to Chennai based GreenSignal Bio Pharma.
•Iran awarded medals of honour to its nuclear negotiators who helped clinch a landmark deal with world powers last year.
•The 9th edition of India-Nepal Combined Military Exercise Surya Kiran IX has commenced at Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand.
•A UN panel has proposed long-sought greenhouse gas emissions standards for airliners and cargo planes.
•The Hindu minority community in Pakistan will soon have a marriage law as a parliamentary panel has unanimously approved the Hindu Marriage Bill.
•United States President Barack Obama has unveiled a cyber-security national action plan to boost security awareness amid of growing risks from new technologies.
•The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and European Union (EU) have signed an agreement to improve Cooperation in Cyber Defence to counter modern forms of hybrid warfare.
•The UAE’s national oil company Abu Dhabi National Oil (ADNOC) Company has agreed to store crude oil in India’s maiden Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPRs) storage.
•Canada, United States (US) and Mexico have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Climate Change and Energy Collaboration to tap into energy cooperation among three countries.
•The 7th edition of India, Seychelles joint military exercise LAMITYE 2016 has begun in Victoria, Seychelles.
•The first long distance cargo train connecting Iran and China has arrived in the Iranian capital city Tehran after starting its journey from China.
•Sindh became the first Pakistan province to adopt landmark Hindu Marriage Bill, 2015 in order to allow the minority community to register their marriages.
•The World Health Organization (WHO) said that $56 million were needed to combat the Zika virus until June, including for the fast-tracking of vaccines, diagnostics and research studies into how it spreads.
•Japan has successfully launched ASTRO-H space observation satellite to probe mysterious black holes.
•United States International Trade Commission (USITC) has decided to initiate anti-dumping investigations into a certain category of tyres imported from India and Sri Lanka.
• The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Dubai Exports to boost trade and explore business opportunities.
• Pakistan’s Parliament building located in national capital Islamabad became the first in the world to completely run on solar power.
• World’s first fast-acting anti-rabies drug Rabies Human Monoclonal Antibody (RMAb) will be launched in India.
Business and Economy
• Alphabet now comes before Apple atop the list of the world’s most valuable companies.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its sixth bi-monthly monetary policy review for year 2016 has maintained status quo in key policy interest rate.
•The Reserve Bank of India has cancelled the certificate of registration of four non-banking financial companies.
•Flipkart's head of commerce and advertising business Mukesh Bansal has quit.
•India’s third largest IT exporter Wipro Limited has acquired US based healthcare technology firm HealthPlan Services for US 460 million dollars.
•Facebook India Managing Director Kirthiga Reddy today stepped down from her current role and will relocate to the US.
•Bank of Baroda &ndash the country’s second largest lender &ndash reported a Rs.3,342 crore loss during the Oct-Dec quarter.This is the highest-ever quarter loss posted by an Indian lender.
•Bank of Baroda &ndash the country’s second largest lender &ndash reported a Rs.3,342 crore loss during the Oct-Dec quarter.This is the highest-ever quarter loss posted by an Indian lender.
•Three Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) envisaging total investment of 21,000 crore rupees were signed on the first day of the Make in India Week in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
•Apple will build its first technology development centre outside the US in Hyderabad with an investment of $25 million (Rs 170 crore), likely employing about 4,500 people.
•State-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has commissioned a 101 MW (Mega Watt) gas-based Combined Cycle Power Plant (CCPP) at Monarchak (near Agartala) in Tripura.
•The central board of trustees of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) recommended 8.80 per cent rate of return on retirement savings under its watch for 2015-16.
•E-commerce giant Amazon announced the launch of Amazon Tatkal, an initiative that enables small and medium businesses (SMBs) to go online and sell products on Amazon.
•Union Government has cut interest rates on short-term small saving schemes below five years of maturity by 0.25 per cent including post office deposits and Kisan Vikas Patras.
•India’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has launched Japan Desk, a single window for inbound Japanese investments in India and vice-versa. This is a first-of-its-kind initiative that seeks to facilitate Japanese corporate looking to invest in India with banking and advisory services.
• India added 27 new billionaires with Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries (RIL), emerging at the top with a personal wealth of $26 billion, according to Hurun Global Rich List 2016.
• The Union Cabinet has approved 150 million dollars credit for Development of the strategically important Chabahar Port in Iran.
• India has lost solar case against United States at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for in breaching of international trade rules.
• The Union Cabinet has given its approval for introduction of steps for promotion of cashless payments (transactions) through cards and digital means.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended currency swap arrangement to South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations till mid-November 2017.
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has hiked Minimum Support Price (MSP) of raw jute from 2,700 to 3,200 rupees per quintal.
• The New Development Bank (NDB) â a multilateral lender with a focus on the Global South of the of the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa(BRICS) grouping â is all set to fund more than a dozen projects this year, which will focus on renewable energy.
• India’s rich feed off subsidies worth over Rs. 1 lakh crore a year that are meant for the poor, according to the Economic Survey titled Bounties for the Well-off.
Sports
• Angelique Kerber from Germany has won the 2016 Australian Open Title of Tennis in the women’s singles category. It was her maiden Grand Slam Tennis title.
• Ace Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth won the 2016 Syed Modi International Grand prix Gold Championship Title of Badminton in men’s singles category.
• Brazilian racing driver Pietro Fittipaldi has won the 2015 MRF Challenge Formula 2000 by winning two of the four races.
• World Number One tennis player Novak Djokovic from Serbia has won the 2016 Australian Open Title in the men’s singles.
• Kerala has won the 61st National School Athletics championship which concluded in Kozhikode. With this, Kerala (host) become champions in the event for the 19th consecutive time.
• Batting great Rahul Dravid has been named in ICC’s newly appointed Anti-Corruption Oversight Group as part of the recommendation from its Integrity Working Party of the parent body.
• New Zealand Skipper Brendon McCullum has smashed the fastest ever Test century off only 54 balls.
• The Jaypee Punjab Warriors has won the fourth edition of Coal India Hockey India League (HIL) title 2016. It was their maiden title.
• Ukraine’s Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk Football Club (FC) has won the 2016 Sait Nagjee International Club Football Tournament. With this victory, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk became first European team to win this prestigious Football tournament held in India.
• India’s Kumaravel Prem Kumar has won a silver medal in long jump event on the final day of Asian Indoor Athletics Championships held in Doha. To win the silver medal, Prem Kumar cleared a creditable 7.92 m in his final attempt.
• Mumbai stamped its authority in the domestic cricket circuit yet again with an exceptional performance in two sessions that turned the Ranji Trophy final against Saurashtra on its head and handed it a deserving 41st title, with a victory by an innings and 21 runs on the third day itself.
•R. Ashwin’s best spell ever (4-1-8-4) sent Sri Lanka crashing to its lowest total in the Twenty20 format and set the course for India to win the third and deciding match by nine wickets and wrap up the series 2-1. Sri Lanka’s previous lowest was 87 against Australia at Bridgetown in the 2010 World Twenty20.
•West Indies for the first time has won the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup by defeating three time champions India by five wickets played at Mirpur (Bangladesh).
•Joshna Chinappa clinched the gold in women’s individual squash after beating Maria Toorpaki Wazir of Pakistan.
•India, the overall champion over all the 11 previous editions of the South Asian Games, crossed a historic milestone of winning its 1,000th gold in the Games.
•Cricket to introduce Red and Yellow cards, In a development which could have far-reaching consequences, misbehaving cricketers will be sent off or immediately penalised five runs under new rules being trialled by the MCC.
Awards
•Karnataka’s flagship mobile-one governance application has won gold medal at the fourth World Government Summit in Dubai, UAE in the m-governance awards category.
•Vinita Gupta, Chief Executive Officer, and Nilesh Gupta, Managing Director, Lupin Ltd. have been chosen the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015.
•Vinita Gupta, Chief Executive Officer, and Nilesh Gupta, Managing Director, Lupin Ltd. have been chosen the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015.
•Bollywood actress Vidya Balan has been awarded with the ‘Pride of Kerala’ Award by the World Malayalee Council and Kairali TV.
•The 69th British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) held at the Royal Opera House in London.
•President Pranab Mukherjee has conferred the Infosys Prizes to six winners for their outstanding contribution in the research fields in New Delhi for the year 2015.
•‘Nagaland is changing, But⦒ film has won the Golden Beaver Best Film Award in the institutional category at the 6th National Science Film Festival held in Mumbai.
•Indian fashion designer Manish Arora was awarded with the France’s highest civilian honour Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour).
•Renowned Indologist Professor David Shulman has been selected for the prestigious Israel Prize for his breakthrough studies in fields like philosophy and religion.
•Malayalam film Ottal (The Trap) has been named as best feature-length and best short films in the children’s category at the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival.
• 66th edition of Berlin International Film Festival was held in Berlin, Germany from 11 February to 21 February 2016.
• An Indian-origin art lover and playwright Ismail Mahomed from South Africa has been knighted by the French government for his lifelong devotion to the promotion of arts.
• Tamil film Kanavu Variyam has won the prestigious 2016 Remi Award in the United States.
• Chemical scientist and well-known researcher Goverdhan Mehta has been conferred with Germany’s prestigious Cross of the Order of Merit (Bundesverdienstkreuz) Award.
• Hyderabad-based GVK Biosciences (GVK BIO) has been awarded prestigious Global CSR Excellence & Leadership Award.
• India’s leading private lender Yes Bank has been awarded inaugural Green Bond Pioneer Award at a ceremony held in London, United Kingdom.
• Former DRDO Director-General (DG) Dr Avinash Chander has been awarded prestigious Aryabhata Award of Astronautical Society of India.
• The Latest on Oscars 2016 (88th annual Academy Awards) being presented at the Dolby Theatre. Priyanka Chopra, who made her debut on the Oscars red carpet, presented the award. Alicia Vikander, Mark Rylance won Best Supporting Actor Oscars.
• Veteran wildlife filmmaker Naresh Bedi has been conferred with the V Shantaram Life Time Acheivement Award at 14th edition of 2016 Mumbai International Festival (MIFF), Mumbai.
• Indian filmmaker Kanu Behl directorial film ‘Titli’ has won the Best First Foreign Film Award conferred by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics 2016 (FSCC).
New Appointments
• Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba took over as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) of Mumbai headquartered Western Naval Command (WNC) at a ceremonial parade held at INS Shikra.
• Senior IPS officer Archana Ramasundaram was appointed Director General of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), the first woman to head a paramilitary force.
• Saroj Kumar Jha has been appointed Senior Director for the Fragility, Conflict and Violence Group in the World Bank.
• Former IAS officer D J Pandian has been appointed vice-president and chief investment officer (CIO) of Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
• Principal Adviser (Cost) Mrs. Aruna Sethi has been appointed as head of Indian Cost Accounts Service (ICoAS). With this, she becomes first lady ICoAS officer to the topmost post.
• Major General Jai Shanker Menon of India has been appointed as the Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF).
• A US Senate Armed Services Committee has confirmed the nomination of General John Nicholson to the commander of the NATO forces in Afghanistan.
•TERI Chief R K Pachauri was appointed Executive Vice Chairman of the green body after new Director General Ajay Mathur took over the charge from him.
•Indian-origin Harinder Sidhu has been appointed as Australian High Commissioner to India. She replaces outgoing High Commissioner Patrick Suckling.
•Indian-origin lawyer Davinder Singh (58) has been named as Vice-Chairman of International Chamber of Commerce Commission (ICC) on Corporate Responsibility and Anti-corruption.
•Tamar Hahn from Israel has been appointed as the Director of United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
•The government has appointed 1982 batch Bihar cadre IAS officer Ramesh Abhishek as the next Secretary to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) in the Commerce and Industry Ministry that spearheads the Make In India and Startup India programmes.
• Senior IRS officer Jayant Misra has been appointed as Director General (DG) of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).
• Indian Railway Officer Vinay Kumar Singh has been appointed as Managing Director of National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).
• Indian-origin Sikh Amar Singh has been appointed the Police Commissioner of Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur.
• President Pranab Mukherjee has appointed Justice Vineet Saran as the new Chief Justice (CJ) of Orissa High Court as per the provisions of Article 217 of Constitution.
• Udai Kumar has been appointed as full-time Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Metropolitan Stock Exchange of India (MSEI) Ltd.
• Distinguished scientist KN Vyas has been appointed as Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) for a term of three years His appointment was confirmed by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) presided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
• Union Government has selected former Chief Justice of India (CJI) H L Dattu as new Chairman of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
• The government has appointed Rajendra Singh as the Director General (DG) of Coast Guard, the country’s coastal protection force.
• Amitava Bhattacharyya, 1980 batch IAS officer; Bimal Julka, 1979 batch IAS officer; and Divya Prakash Sinha, 1979 batch IPS officer, have been made Information Commissioners.
• Justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee has sworn-in as the 28th Chief Justice of the High Court of Karnataka.
• Yoichiro Ueno has been appointed as new President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Honda Cars India by its parent Honda Motor Company.
• Michael Pesch has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Infosys Consulting Holding, a subsidiary of India’s second largest software company Infosys.
• Gianni Infantino pulled off a stunning victory to take over as FIFA president.
• Former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai has been appointed as the first Chairman of Banks Board Bureau (BBB).
•Tamar Hahn from Israel has been appointed as the Director of United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
•Facebook India Managing Director Kirthiga Reddy today stepped down from her current role and will relocate to the US.
•The government has appointed 1982 batch Bihar cadre IAS officer Ramesh Abhishek as the next Secretary to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) in the Commerce and Industry Ministry that spearheads the Make In India and Startup India programmes.
•U.K. Sinha will remain Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Chairman till March 1, 2017 with the government extending his term by over a year.
•Dr. Vilas A. Tonapi has been appointed as Director of Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR).
•Devaraja Reddy has been elected as President of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).
•West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra has been appointed as the Chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers on Goods and Services Tax (GST).
•Faustin Archange Touadera has won the 2016 Presidential election of Central African Republic (CAR) held on 14 February 2016.
•Christine Lagarde (60) from France has been appointed as the Managing Director (MD) of the International Monetary Fund for a second five-year term.
•Kalikho Pul has been sworn-in as the 9th Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh after Governor JP Rajkhowa used his discretionary powers to appoint him.
Death
• Former Army Chief General Kotikalapudi Venkata Krishna Rao, passed away in New Delhi following a cardiac arrest at the military hospital.He was 92.
• Veteran British TV and radio presenter Sir Terry Wogan passed away in London after long battle with cancer. He was 77.
• Economist and former deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) S.S. Tarapore passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He was 80.
• Legendary Urdu fiction writer, novelist, columnist and poet Intizar Husain passed away in Lahore, Pakistan. He was 93.
• Former Lok Sabha Speaker Balram Jakhar passed away in New Delhi. He was 92.
• United States (US) Astronaut Edgar Mitchell passed away Lake Worth, Florida under hospice care. He was 85.
• Cartoonist Sudhir Tailang, who was suffering from a brain tumour, passed away. The artist was 55 and had been under treatment for over two years.
•Renowned Urdu and Hindi poet Nida Fazli, 78, died in Mumbai. Fazli is famous for his collaboration with the late ghazal singer Jagjit Singh.
•Former Prime Minister of Nepal and Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala passed away due to Pneumonia. He was 79.
•Uttar Pradesh Panchayati Raj Minister Kailash Yadav passed away in Gurgaon after reportedly suffering a brain stroke. He was 65.
•Pulitzer winning composer Leslie Bassett passed away on 4 February 2016 in Oakwood, Georgia. He was 93.
•Soviet football legend Anatoly Ilyin passed away in Moscow, Russia. He was 84.
•Biraja Prasad, who was posted recently as Ambassador to Tajikistan, passed away.
•Biraja Prasad, who was posted recently as Ambassador to Tajikistan, passed away.
•Soviet football legend Anatoly Ilyin passed away in Moscow, Russia. He was 84.
•Popular music director and composer Rajamani passed away due to cardiac arrest in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He was 60.
•Former United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali passed away in Cairo, Egypt. He was 93.
•Renowned Malayalam writer Akbar Kakkattil passed away in Kozhikode, Kerala due to cancer. He was 62.
•Veteran singer Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal following old-age related ailments. He was 107.
•US writer Harper Lee passed away in Monroeville, Alabama, US at the age of 89.
• Italian writer and philosopher Umberto Eco passed away in Milan, Italy at the age of 84 years.
• The famous Odissa singer Bhubaneshwari Mishra passed away following a sudden cardiac arrest in New Delhi. She was 67.
• B.K. Garudachar, the legendary pre-independence cricketer and skipper of Mysore (as Karnataka was known then), passed away. He was 99.
Science and Technology
• Birdwatchers for first time have sighted Falcated Duck in Goa which is considered as rare vagrant migrant bird species to the south of India.
•A new study has claimed that a natural extract derived from the Neem tree can potentially be used to treat pancreatic cancer without harming normal, healthy cells.
•An international team of scientists, which also included researchers from India, finally detected the most elusive waves stretching and compressing the fabric of space-time.
•Scientists have discovered the first-ever fossil specimens of an “asterid” â a family of flowering plants that gave us everything from the potato to tomatoes, tobacco, petunias and our morning cup of coffee.
•It was one of three balloons that were put up in Sri Lankan airspace for trials to provide high-speed internet service after it was launched from South America.
•Astrophysicists at NASA have found a super-Earth exoplanet dubbed as 55 Cancri e with an atmosphere for the first time.
•Scientists have discovered five new Jupiter-like planets that are similar in characteristics to our solar system’s biggest planet.
•The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully conducted hotbed test of the indigenously developed high-thrust cryogenic engine (CE20) of the GSLV Mark 3 (LVM3) rocket for the upper stage.
Special Days
• International Mother Language Day (Bhasha Divas) is being observed across the world on 21 February.
• In India February 28 is celebrated as the National Science Day i.e. Rashtriya Vigyan Diwas (राषà¥à¤à¥à¤°à¥à¤¯ विà¤à¥à¤à¤¾à¤¨ दिवस) every year.
•10 February is observed as National Deworming Day to combat parasitic worm infections among preschool and school-age children across India.
•World Radio Day (WRD) is observed globally on 13th February to remember the unique power of radio that touches lives and bring people together across every corner of the globe.
Current Affairs 1st March, 2016 Highlights of Union Budget 2016-17 Highlights of Railway Budget 2016
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