National
• Asia’s largest and first of its kind optical telescope Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) was unveiled at Devasthal in Nainital District, Uttrakahnd.
• India’s first indigenous composites sonar dome, a ship’s underwater eyes and ears, was flagged off by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.
• Haryana became the first state in the country to implement the use of injectable contraceptives as a family planning measure.
• Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been named among the world’s 50 greatest leaders by Fortune magazine. He is sole leader from India in the list and has been placed at 42nd position.
• Andhra Pradesh government inaugurated India’s first river linking project viz. Pattiseema lift irrigation project connecting Godavari River with Krishna River from the ongoing Polavaram Multi-purpose Irrigation Project.
• Mizoram government and Japanese International Cooperative Agency (JICA) have signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on ‘Capacity Enhancement for Sustainable Agriculture and Irrigation Development’.
• The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched India’s first indigenous rotavirus vaccine named Rotavac to combat infant mortality due to diarrhoea.
• President Pranab Mukherjee has imposed Present’s Rule (State Emergency) in the state of Uttarakhand in the wake of constitutional breakdown under Article 356 of Constitution.
• The Telecom Commission has approved the number 112 as the single emergency number for India, similar to 911 of United States (US) and 999 of United Kingdom (UK).
• India’s biggest ever land, naval and homeland security exhibition Defence Expo 2016 began in Goa.
• The Union Government has notified the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and other Subsidies, benefits and services) Act, 2016.
• The Haryana Legislative Assembly has unanimously passed the Haryana Backward Classes (Reservation in services and admission in educational institutions) Bill, 2016.
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Unites States Agency for International Development (USAID) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for development of solar parks in India.
• The Union Cabinet has given its approval for India to accede to the Ashgabat Agreement, an international transport and transit corridor.
• The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC) for the first time notified new environment standards for Gensets running on various kinds of fuels including LPG, petrol and diesel in various cities.
• India will host the eighth annual summit of BRICS from October 15-16 in Goa, in its capacity as chair of the influential bloc comprising five countries â Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa.
• The Union Cabinet gave its ex-post facto approval for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to mobilise up to $75 billion long-term investment in the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF).
• India Post has released a customised commemorative stamp on Hindustan Aeronautical Limited (HAL) in recognition of the company’s 75 years of service to the nation.
• The Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare launched the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) to assess the needs of its elderly people and frame policies accordingly.
• The Union Cabinet has given its approval for the implementation of the rural housing scheme of Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana- Gramin.
• The Union Consumer Affairs Ministry has released a self-regulation Code of ethical business conduct to be adopted by the Industry on providing best products and services.
• India will supply 18 metre-gauge 1350 HP Diesel Electric Locomotives to Myanmar to help the country bolster its railway transportation system.
• Union Government’s premier think-tank NITI Aayog has launched the Women Transforming India initiative.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated three major railway projects in Bihar at an estimated cost of 7000 crore rupees.
• The Allahabad High Court celebrated its 150th foundation day on 14th March 2016. President Pranab Mukherjee was the Chief Guest of the celebrations.
• Union Government has announced that out of 96,000 animal species found in India more than 50 animals have been assessed as critically endangered (CR) and 310 as endangered (EN).
• The Union Government has notified maximum sale price (MSP) of Bt cotton seed for the year 2016-17.
• Indigenously developed nuclear capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile Agni-I was successfully test-fired off the Odisha coast.
• Recently, power generation unit 1 at Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS) in Gujarat was shut down for indefinitely period after leakage of heavy water.
• Mother Teresa, a Roman Catholic religious sister and missionary will be elevated to Sainthood i.e. will be made a saint of the Roman Catholic Church on September 4, 2016.
• Rajya Sabha has passed the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2016 without any discussion.
• Lok Sabha has passed Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2016 to include certain communities in the list of Scheduled Castes (SC) from 4 states.
• Parliament passed the controversial Aadhaar Bill, 2016, after acrimonious debates in both Houses. Hours after the Opposition succeeded in pushing through five amendments to the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, they were rejected in the Lok Sabha.
• The India Aviation 2016, an international exhibition and conference on civil aviation kicked off in Hyderabad, Telangana.
•Time Magazine has named Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi among the 2016 edition list of 30 most influential people on the internet. He was placed at 15th position.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated World Sufi Forum in New Delhi. The four-day event is being organized by All India Ulama and Mashaikh Board (AIUMB), the apex body of Sufi Dargahs in India.
• Union Government has launched Depot Online System of state run Food Corporation of India (FCI) to bring transparency and minimise storage losses of foodgrains.
• The India Meteorology Department (IMD) has indigenously developed Drishti, an instrument that will provide real time visibility information to pilots.
• Punjab Government has notified swine flu (H1N1) under the Epidemic Disease Act to prevent the spread of disease in the state.
• The Supreme Court has allowed publication of photographs of Governors, Chief Ministers and the Ministers of the department concerned in government advertisements.
• Goa government has classified Feni, country liquor as the heritage spirit of the state.
• As per recently published survey of Indian Railways Surat (Gujarat) was declared the cleanest railway station in the country.
• The Union Ministry of Railways and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have signed a MoU for Effective use of Space Technology in Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) based Governance Application for Indian Railways.
• The Indian Air Force (IAF) has conducted its flagship day-night exercise ‘Iron-fist 2016’ at Pokhran firing range in Rajasthan.
• The Union Government has unveiled a Model Building Bye-Laws, 2016 for granting permission for construction of buildings.
• Passengers can now rate thousands of trains and railway stations on safety, cleanliness, timeliness, services and other amenities through Online community network LocalCircles.
• The Union Government has launched an online marketing platform Mahila E-HAAT to facilitate women entrepreneurs to sell their products to buyers.
• Haryana Government has signed 11 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) involving a total investment of Rs 18,159 crores with different companies in the presence of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal on Happening Haryana Global Investors’ Summit-2016.
• India is going to host BRICS Friendship Cities Conclave in Mumbai (Maharashtra), financial capital of India from April 14 to 16, 2016.
• Indian Railways has formed a new Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to implement the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Bullet Train project. The entity has been named the National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRC) Limited.
• Germany has decided to partner with India’s smart city programme and will help developing Kochi (Kerala), Bhubaneswar (Odisha) and Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) as smart cities.
• Telangana and Maharashtra Governments have signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) to set up an inter-state water board construct 5 barrages across Godavari and Pen Ganga rivers.
• 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.
• The Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2016, which amends the Enemy Property Act, 1968, was passed by voice vote amid the government’s assertion that the measure should not be seen from the prism of religion or caste.
• The first ever all girls National Cadet Corps (NCC) Mount Everest expedition was flagged off by Union Minister of State (MoS) for Defence Rao Inderjeet Singh in New Delhi.
• 57 countries are going to take part in the first Maritime India Summit 2016 scheduled to be held in April 2016 in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Parliament has passed Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015 to establish Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
• The fourth edition of the India-Indonesia Joint Training Exercise Garuda Shakti has begun at Magelang in Indonesia.
• The Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) for providing free of cost LPG (cooking gas) connections to women from BPL Households.
• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched India’s sixth navigation Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) 1F satellite.
• The Parliament has passed National Waterways Bill, 2015 to clear decks for the conversion of 106 rivers and creeks across India into transport waterways.
• The Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing and ratification of the Bay of Bengal Initiative on Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters.
• The Rajya Sabha has passed the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2015 to protect the interests of consumers and curb the malpractices in the real estate sector.
• Ministers in the Union and state cabinets are “public authorities” liable to answer public questions addressed to them under the Right to Information Act, the Central Information Commission has ruled.
• Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu launched an online clean my coachservice that allows travellers to get their compartments cleaned by sending an SMS or by using an app or a designated website.
• The Lok Sabha passed the Aadhaar Bill to provide a unique identity to residents and give legal teeth to the government in ensuring that its subsidies and services directly reach the beneficiaries in entirety.
• Union Power Ministry has announced name UJALA for the LED based Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme (DELP). UJALA is acronym for Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All.
International
• China has successfully launched 22nd new generation satellite into space as part of its domestic BeiDou Navigation System (BDS).
• The Russian Government has approved a deal of ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) to acquire 15% stake in Vankor oilfield from Rosneft.
• The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared that Ebola outbreak in West Africa is no longer constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
• The agreement between the European Union (EU) and Turkey to tackle the migrant crisis has formally come into effect.
• Nepal was officially made a dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a Beijing-based regional security grouping.
• A group of influential US lawmakers have introduced a Bull in the Congress asking the US President Barack Obama administration to help India join the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).
• China’s Supreme Court has decided to set up its own International Maritime Judicial Centre (IMJC) to handle territorial disputes and protect its sea rights.
• An unmanned spacecraft named ExoMars 2016 was successfully launched jointly Europe and Russia to search for biosignatures on Mars (or Martian life) in past or present.
• India ranked 118th out of 157 countries on the United Nations’ World Happiness Index (WHI) 2016.
• As per recently released report of International Labour Organization (ILO) titled-Women at Work: Trends 2016, gender equality still remains elusive in the workplace.
• India and Saudi Arabia have expressed keenness to elevate ties between the two countries to strategic level by boosting cooperation in key areas of trade, security and counter terrorism.
• Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has successfully test-fired several ballistic missiles from silos across the country.
• The Union Cabinet has given its approval for the MoU between India and United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Technical Cooperation in Cyber Space and Combating Cyber-Crime.
• Project Mausam aims to explore the multi-faceted Indian Ocean world for collating archaeological and historical research and not to counter China’s Silk Route strategy.
• India has signed the second line of credit (LOC) agreement extending 2 billion dollars in development financing to Bangladesh for undertaking various development projects.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bank of Israel (BOI) for exchange of information pertaining to banking supervision.
• India and United States have launched the Fulbright &ndash Kalam Climate Fellowship enabling Indian research scholars to work with American institutions in the field of climate change.
• The Arab League has declared Lebanese movement Hezbollah, a Shia political organisation a terrorist group. The move comes after the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) had adopted the same stance.
• India and International Monetary Fund (IMF) have decided to set up South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Centre (SARTTC) in New Delhi.
• A Congressional resolution aiming to bring India on a par with America’s NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) allies in terms of Defence trade and technology transfer was introduced recently.
• India and China have led the developing countries in investments made in renewable energy in 2015. It was revealed by the ‘Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment’ Report published by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
• Iran and Pakistan have mutually agreed to boost bilateral cooperation on regional security and trade.
• Syrian Army and popular defence forces have regained control of the ancient city of Palmyra from Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group.
Business and Economy
• Public Sector Power equipment manufacturer Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has commissioned the second 40 MW hydropower generating unit at the Teesta low dam hydroelectric project (HEP) stage IV in West Bengal.
• Tata Motors signed a follow-on contract with the Indian Army to supply an additional 619 units of its high-mobility vehicle (HMV) 6X6 multi-axle trucks for an unspecified amount. This is in addition to an earlier order for 1,239 units received in 2015.
• The Union Commerce and Industry Ministry has notified foreign direct investment (FDI) upto 49% in insurance and pension sector will be under automatic route.
• Country’s largest private sector lender ICICI Bank has tied up with marquee sports car maker Ferrari to launch co-branded credit card.
• Reserve Bank has asked banks to pay interest on savings banks account on quarterly basis or shorter duration, a move which will benefit crores of savings account holders.
• Gulf Oil Lubricants India Ltd. (GOLIL) announced that its parent company Gulf Oil International, a part of the Hinduja Group, has entered into its largest single long-term partnership with Manchester United to become its global sponsor and official lubricant-cum-fuel retail partner till 2019.
• India’s largest private sector lender ICICI Bank has launched new contactless mobile payment solution Touch & Pay based on Near Field Communication (NFC) technology.
• Haryana’s New Secretariat Building in Chandigarh has become first building in the country to have an early Earthquake Warning and Security system (onsite).
• Union Government has imposed anti-dumping duty of up to 44.7 per cent on import of plastic-processing machines from Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam for five years.
• India has signed loan agreement of 35 million dollars with the World Bank for Madhya Pradesh citizen access to responsive services project.
• The government slashed interest rates on small-savings schemes, including the Public Provident Fund and Kisan Vikas Patra.
• Jalandhar based Capital Local Area Bank (CLAB) Limited became the first financial entity in India to get Small Financial Bank Licence by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
• National carrier Air India successfully flew the World’s longest all-woman operated and supported flight from the national capital New Delhi to San Francisco (United States).
• The Union Finance Ministry has announced to withdraw its proposal to tax Employee Provident Fund (EPF) withdrawals.
• India’s largest private sector lender ICICI Bank has rolled out iWork@Home programme for its women employees for up to a year.
• DIPP has approved 12 industrial licences to Reliance Defence, an arm of Reliance Infrastructure, for manufacturing of a wide range of defence equipment.
Sports
• Russian grandmaster Sergey Karjakin has won the prestigious FIDE World Chess Candidates Tournament held in Moscow.
• Australian all-rounder Shane Watson (34) has declared his retirement from all forms of International Cricket after the end of his team’s campaign in the ongoing ICC World Twenty20.
• The International Cricket Council (ICC) has suspended Bangladesh bowlers Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny for bowling with an illegal action.
• Ace Indian shuttler HS Prannoy (World no 13) has won the prestigious 2016 Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament in the men’s single category.
• Star Indian grappler Yogeshwar Dutt has won a Gold medal in the Asian Olympic Qualification tournament in the 65 kg freestyle category.
• Lin Dan from China has won the prestigious 2016 All England Badminton title in the men’s singles category.
• Services has won the 70th edition of Santosh Trophy Football Championships title 2016 by defeating hosts Maharashtra.
• The United Nations (UN) has suspended Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova as Goodwill Ambassador of the organisation after she was tested positive on doping allegations.
• Patna Pirates has won the third season of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) by defeating U Mumba.
• India has won the 2016 Asia Cup T20 trophy for a record sixth time after beating Bangladesh by 8 wickets in the final.
• Rest of India has won the Irani Cup Cricket Title 2015-16 by defeating Mumabi in the final match of the cup by four wickets.
Awards
• Renowned playback singer P. Susheela Mohan created a new world record for singing highest number of songs.
• The 63rd National Film Awards for year 2015 were announced on 28 March 2016. Baahubali: The Beginning (Tamil, Telugu) directed by S. S. Rajamouli was selected as the Best feature film. Bajrangi Bhaijaan (Hindi) directed by Kabir Khan was selected as the Best Popular film providing wholesome entertainment.
• Kerala Tourism’s campaign titled ‘New Worlds’ has won the prestigiousGolden City Gate Award at the at the Internationale Tourismus-Börse Berlin (ITB-Berlin) 2016.
• Palestinian teacher Hanan Al Hroub from a refugee camp has been awarded prestigious one million dollar 2016 Global Teacher Prize.
• British mathematician Andrew Wiles (62) was named as the winner of the prestigious 2016 Abel Prize.
• The 10th edition of Asian film Awards, one of the Asia’s leading film awards was held in the Venetian Casino and Hotel in Macau, China.
• An Indian student Geetakshi Arora has been awarded the inaugural Noor Inayat Khan Prize for her excellent dissertation on “Goddess Myths in Graphic Novels: Reimagining Indian Feminity”.
• Union urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has been conferred with the Skoch Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Renowned Dogri poetess and writer Padma Sachdev has been awarded prestigious Krutitava Smagra Samman for the year 2015.
• Dr Amrita Patel was conferred prestigious 2016 Mahindra Samriddhi India Agri Lifetime Achievement Award also known as the Krishi Shiromani Samman.
• Mahindra & Mahindra Chairman and Managing Director (MD) Anand Mahindra was conferred with Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour) by French Government.
New Appointments
• Htin Kyaw (69) sworn in as the first elected civilian (non-military) President of Myanmar after 53 years of military rule. Myanmar Army was in power since 1962 coup.
• Indian-American Nandita Bakshi (57) has been appointed the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bank of the West, a subsidiary unit of French banking giant BNP Paribas.
• Faustin Archange Touadera (58) took the oath of office as the new President of Central African Republic (CAR).
• Surya Deva has been appointed by the Geneva-based UNHRC as the Asia-Pacific representative of the UN Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises.
• Noted fashion designer Ritu Beri has been appointed advisor to the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) for promotion of khadi in India and across the world.
• The Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Justice HL Dattu has been appointed as member of the International Coordinating Committee Bureau (ICCB) of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI-ICC) Bureau in Geneva.
• Retired Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court Justice Permod Kohli has been appointed as the Chairman of Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT).
• The Union Government has appointed former Supreme Court (SC) judge Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan (66) as Chairman of the 21st Law Commission of India (LCI).
• Veteran Egyptian diplomat Ahmed Abul Gheit (73) has been selected as Secretary General of the Arab League.
• Justice Ajit Singh was sworn in as Chief Justice (CJ) of the Gauhati High Court. He was administered the oath of office by Assam Governor P B Acharya as per the provisions of the Article 129 of Constitution.
• Noted Indian scholar and plant physiologist H Deep Saini (60) has been appointed as the fifth Vice Chancellor of the prestigious University of Canberra.
• Myanmar’s Parliament elected Htin Kyaw (69) as the first civilian (non-military) President of the country after 53 years of military rule.
• The central bank scam that has exploded into a financial earthquake in Bangladesh has claimed a major victim with its Governor Dr. Atiur Rahman resigning. The government has also appointed former finance secretary Fazle Kabir as the new Governor of the Bangladesh Bank.
• President Barack Obama has nominated veteran appeals court judge Merrick Garland (63) to be the next US Supreme Court Justice.
• United States (US) Air Force General Lori Robinson has been selected as the next head of the US military’s Northern Command.
• Acclaimed humanitarian, actor, writer and political activist Ashley Judd from US has been appointed as Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
Death
• Acclaimed Actor and singer Patty Duke passed away due to Sepsis from a ruptured intestine. She was 69.
• Kerala’s popular Kadhaprasangam (story telling) artiste and Malayalam film actor V D Rajappan passed away in Kottayam. He was 70.
• The Dutch football legend and coach Johan Cruyff passed away after a long battle with lung cancer in Barcelona, Italy. He was 68.
• Legendary US writer, actor, and comedian Garry Shandling passed away in Los Angeles due to heart attack. He was 66.
• Every year 25th March is being observed as International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
• Renowned American mathematician and Nobel Prize-winning economist Lloyd Stowell Shapley passed away on 12 March 2016. He was 92.
• Renowned British author and art historian Anita Brookner passed away. She was 87.
• Eminent Shehnai exponent Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan passed away following prolonged illness in Kolkatta, West Bengal. He was 77.
• Former Director of Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad Meir Dagan passed away due to liver cancer. He was 71.
• Renowned Malayalam actor Kalabhavan Mani passed away at Kochi, Kerala due to liver and kidney failure. He was 45.
• Internet pioneer and e-mail inventor Raymond Tomlinson passed away in Washington, United States. He was 74.
• Acclaimed Brazil musician Naná Vasconcelos passed away due to lung cancer in the northeastern Brazilian city of Recife. He was 71.
Science and Technology
• Researchers have discovered Sand-eating tadpole species named Micrixalidae in Western Ghats. The tadpole belongs to the so-called Indian Dancing Frog family.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to script history by launching a record number of 22 satellites in a single mission in May 2016.
• Scientists at Lucknowâ based CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAPâ) have found that mint plant has medicinal values that can cure cancer.
• British astronomers have discovered largest sample cluster of nine monster stars named as R136 using NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.
• The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has scrapped repeat tests on animals for drugs which already have been approved by other countries.
• Researchers have discovered new species of burrowing snake named Melanophidium Khairei or Khaire’s Black Shieldtail in Northwestern Ghats.
• Indian scientists for first time have claimed to have developed herbal medicine against mosquito borne dengue fever using traditional Indian medicine system Ayurveda.
• India has signed ‘Raptor MoU’, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on conservation of birds of prey in Africa and Eurasia.
• Japanese researchers have successfully isolated a bacterium species Ideonella sakaiensis 201-F6 capable of breaking down plastic polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyester. Their results were published in the journal Science.
Special Days
• The International Women's Day is observed 8 March ever year since 1900s to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women all across the globe. The theme for this year's women's day is Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality.
• Every year World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) is being observed on 15 March for celebration and solidarity within the international consumer movement.
• The world sparrow day is being observed every year on March 20 to raise awareness of the house sparrow and other common birds to urban environments and threats to their populations.
• Every year 21st March is being observed as International Day of Forests to raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests and of trees outside forests.
• Every year 23rd March is being observed as World Meteorological Day (WMD).
• Every year March 24 is being observed as World Tuberculosis (TB) Day to o build public awareness about the global epidemic of TB and efforts to eliminate the disease.
Current Affairs 31st March, 2016 Highlights of Union Budget 2016-17 Highlights of Railway Budget 2016
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