Extensive Coverage Of Current Affairs 15/3/2016

National:

Government aims to bring 50% farmers under PMFBY:

·         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 scheme, which will be implemented from April 1, will replace the existing two government agriculture insurance schemes. Currently, 23% of farmers are covered under various schemes.

 Child laborers numbers drop 64% in 10 years:

·         Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya told that the number of child labourers has dropped by 64% to 4.5 million over 10 years.

·         The Minister also urged the Parliament to approve the proposed changes to the thirty-year-old child labour prohibition law.

·         The government seeks to ban all child labourers below 14 and impose harsher punishments for violations.

Parytak Mitra Programme to enable Students to act as Tourist Facilitators:

·         Parytak Mitra Programme: Skill initiatives to improve the sectoral service standards

·         The programme was launched by Union Ministry of Tourism on 12 January 2016 (National Youth Day) to inculcate appropriate tourism traits and knowledge amongst the trainees to enable them to act/work as Tourist Facilitators (Prayatak Mitra).

·         The programme seeks to improve the sectoral service standards, which is one of the pre-requisites for attracting tourists in larger numbers.

Cabinet Ministers are Public Authorities under Right to Information Act, 2005: CIC

·         The Central Information Commission (CIC) ruled that Cabinet Ministers in the States and the Union are pubic authorities under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005. In effect, they are liable to provide information to the public as per the demands of the RTI applications filed under the Act.

·         This ruling was given by Central Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu while adjudicating the case filed by Hemant Dhage of Ahmednagar.

Maharashtra Cabinet approved Prohibition of Social Boycott Bill, 2016:

·         Maharashtra Cabinet approved the Maharashtra Prohibition of Social Boycott Bill, 2016. The bill provides for the prohibition of social boycott of a person or group of persons including their family members by an individual or a group like Caste Panchayat.

·         Once the bill is approved by the State legislature, Maharashtra will become the first State in the country to enact a law against social boycott.

Health Minister JP Nadda launched project ‘Clean Street Food’:

·         Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare JP Nadda launched Project ‘Clean Street Food’. The project of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) aims at to raise the safety standards of foods sold on streets across the capital city of New Delhi.

·         In the first phase of the project, about 20000 roadside vendors will be trained on aspects of health and hygiene.

·         The food vendors will receive training under the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) category of the Government’s flagship skills training scheme - Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY).

Union Government notified Maximum Sale Price of Bt Cotton Seed:

·         The Union Government notified maximum sale price of Bt cotton seed for 2016-17. An announcement in this regard was made by the Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh.

·         The notification was released as per the Cotton Seed Price (Control) Order, 2015 that was issued under the Section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.

Maritime India Summit 2016 to be held in Mumbai:

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

·         The summit will provide a unique global platform for investors to explore potential business opportunities in the Indian Maritime Sector.

Singareni 600 MW power unit synchronised in Telangana:

·         The first of two 600 MW power generation units at the Singareni Thermal Power Plant (STPP) at Pegadapalli in Jaipur mandal of Adilabad District, was synchronised with top officials including Singareni Collieries Chairman and Managing Director N. Sridhar participating in it.

·         The power generation unit will be inaugurated by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Raoin April.

EON Electric wins Rs. 40-crore LED streetlight project in Rajasthan:

·         Eon will install over 1 lakh LED streetlights across various cities in the state, including Jaisalmer, Gangapur, Sri Ganga Nagar, etc.

·         In this phase, Eon Electric will install high lumen (minimum 95 lumen/watts) streetlights to improve road lighting and enhance visibility on the streets.

·         The project is a part of the Rajasthan Government’s initiative to conserve energy through replacement of conventional lights with LED Street Lights.

·         The Company is in the process of installing over 60,000 LED streetlights in Jodhpur.

46 countries to participate in 9th Defence Expo in Goa:

·         Defexpo India 2016, the ninth in the series of biennial Land, Naval and Internal Homeland Security Systems Exhibition, will be held at Naqueri Quitol in Quepem taluka of South Goa from March 28-31, 2016.

·         This is for the first time that the Expo will travel to Goa from Delhi.

·         For this edition, countries like USA, Russia, Sweden, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates and Portugal amongst others have confirmedtheir participation.

·         An impressive 232 foreign companies from 32 countries participated in the show in 2014 along with 15 country pavilions with a growth of 12.64 per cent in terms of space booking.

“Advancing Asia: Investing for the Future” Conference:

·         A Conference jointly hosted by the Government of India and the IMF on “Advancing Asia: Investing for the Future” in New Delhi.

·         The Conference was attended by IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde and Prime Minister Narendra Modi delegations from Indian side.

·         International Monetary Fund endorsed monetary policies of central banks in Europe and Japan, even as policymakers from emerging markets warned that such policies were increasing risks for the global economy. The Conference held in New Delhi from March 11-13.

Telangana presents Tax-Free State Budget:

·         The Telangana government today presented a tax-free budget for 2016-17, proposing a total expenditure of 1.3 lakh crore.

·         The estimates indicate a revenue surplus of 3,718.37 crore and a fiscal deficit of 3.5% of the estimated State GDP.

·         The budget allocated funds for contingencies, rural development, infrastructure and for new buildings like a new international convention centre.

SC asks Centre to Frame Rules for Adoption:

·         The Supreme Court directed the Centre to frame rules and regulations under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 within three months to make intra and inter-country adoptions transparent and credible.

·         This was based on a PIL seeking regulation on adoption in the country, alleging that children are being trafficked under the cover of adoption.

Delhi tops in crimes against foreign tourists:

·         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.

·         Union Minister of State for Tourism and Culture Mahesh Sharma listed various steps being taken to ensure the safety of tourists.

Anand Sharma elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha:

·         Congress leader Anand Sharma was today elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from his home state Himachal Pradesh.

·         This is the fourth time he has been elected to the Upper House, a record third time from Himachal Pradesh.

·         Anand Sharma, who resigned from his Rajya Sabha seat from Rajasthan, will replace BJP's Bimla Kashyap, whose term ends next month.

6-yr-old youngest to climb Kangchenjunga camp:

·         Suryassangyini Chaudhary, a 6-year-old girl from Baraut, UP, has become the youngest person to climb the 16,300 feet high Kangchenjunga base camp in Sikkim.

·         Suryassangyini, who began the tour with her family on February 27, achieved the feat on March 7.

Delhi government may launch app-based bus service:

·         Delhi government may announce an app-based bus service next week, wherein the government will ply the private contract carriage buses with "special permit" to ferry the passengers.

·         The app will let passengers locate and board the buses on their route and pay normal fares fixed by the government. These buses will run on the routes prepared by the transport department.

7 Women ride to India's Highest Motorable Pass:

·         Seven professional women riders from Maharashtra recently undertook a biking expedition to Mana Pass, the highest motorable pass in India.

·         The riders began their 15-day-long journey from Dehradun, and ended it on the Indo-Tibet border, 18,399 feet above sea level. Their feat will be featured in the Limca Books of Records.

Uttar Pradesh government to launch a campaign to protect sparrows:

·         The UP Government announced to conduct campaign at school levels to create awareness about the conservation of birds.

·         The Programme will be conducted at Primary and Secondary Schools.

·         The event has been named as ‘Gauraiya Diwas’.

·         It is planned to be celebrated on March 20 at Janeshwar Mishra Park.

FM rules out rollback of 1% excise on Jewellery:

·         Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday ruled out the rollback of the proposed 1% excise duty on non-silver jewellery, amid protests from the jewellery traders.

·         Gold is included in the proposed Goods and Service tax and the 1% excise is a preparation towards it, he said. Notably, jewellers across India have been on strike since March 2, protesting the duty.

Post Office account holders can operate their accounts from any branch:

·         Communication and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has said that customers with Post Office savings can now operate their accounts from more than 20 thousand branches as they have been connected with core banking facility.

·         Mr Prasad said, only about 230 such branches were there in May 2014 and now it has touched 20 thousand one hundred and six.

International:

Myanmar gets 1st civilian President in 50 years:

·         Myanmar's Parliament elected National League for Democracy's (NLD) Htin Kyaw as the President, making him the first civilian in over 50 years to lead the country.

·         Htin Kyaw is a close ally and the former driver of NLD's President Aung Suu Kyi.

India, Indonesia joint training exercise Garuda Shakti IV began at Magelang:

·         The fourth edition of the joint exercise Garuda Shakti between India and Indonesia commenced at Magelang, Indonesia.

·         The Garuda Shakti IV will be a 13 days long exercise, which will conclude on 23 March 2016 at Magelang.

UNESCO and CJ Welfare Foundation signed agreement to start a pre-school animation series Rainbow Ruby:

·         UNESCO signed an agreement with CJ Welfare Foundation to start a pre-school animation series Rainbow Ruby to support girls’ education globally.

·         The agreement was signed during the 2016 Global Education and Skills Forum, hosted by the Varkey Foundation in partnership with UNESCO.

·         UNESCO joined a global partnership centered on an animation based character for its key initiative for the first time.

·         The partnership builds between UNESCO and CJ E&M builds on the Better Life for Girls Campaign which was launched in November 2014. It aims to help address the lack of access to quality education faced by girls in developing regions.

13th meeting of Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development held in Dubai:

·         The meeting was held to promote the power of broadband networks and services for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

4th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves inaugurated at Lima:

·         4th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves was inaugurated at Lima in Peru.

·         The event will be held from 14 March to 17 March 2016 to address different issues related to theSustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Post 2015 Development Agenda.

Dubai to host robot Olympics in 2017:

·         Dubai has announced to host a robot Olympics in December 2017.

·         Officially dubbed ‘World Future Sports Games’, the three-day event aims at building sports leagues for robots and will be held every two years.

·         The first-of-its-kind initiative will feature nine competitions including driverless car racing, robotic soccer, robotic swimming, robotic table tennis and robotic wrestling.

Putin orders withdrawal of troops from Syria:

·         Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the withdrawal of a majority of the Russian troops from Syria.

·         Russia's air base in Latakia and naval facility in the Tartus port will continue to operate. This comes just after Syrian peace talks began in Geneva.

Australia to re-open trade office in Iran:

·         Australia will re-open a trade office in Iran after a recent lifting in sanctions created commercial opportunities between the two nations.

·         The announcement was made after a meeting between Iran’s Foreign Minister and Australia’s Trade and Investment top official in Canberra.

Vatican to approve Sainthood for Mother Teresa:

·         Mother Teresa will be cleared to become a saint , after a Vatican panel recognises a second miracle attributed to the late nun famed for her work with the poor of Kolkata.

·         Pope Francis will then sign a decree approving the canonisation of the 1979 Nobel peace prize winner and announce a date and venue for it to happen.

·         The canonisation is widely expected to take place on September 4, the eve of the anniversary of her 1997 death for which a celebration of her memory had already been scheduled as part of the Church's Jubilee Year of Mercy.

Appointments:

Altico Named Naina Lal Kidwai as its New Non executive Director:

·         Altico capital, a non banking finance company has named veteran banker Naina Lal Kidwai as its new independent non executive director on its board.

·         Altico, focused on real estate, is looking to invest about Rs 2,500 crore every year for five years in the Indian real estate market.

Sonam Kapoor becomes the new face of Kalyan Jewellers:

·         Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor has become the new brand ambassador of Kalyan Jewellers, replacing Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

·         However, Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan, will continue with the Jewellery chain, the company said.

Banking :

Moody maintains SBI & IDBI ratings unchanged:

·         Moody’s Investors Service told that the local and foreign currency deposit ratings of State Bank of India and IDBI Bank at ‘Baa3/P-3’

·         Baa-3: Baa’ (Global Long-Term Rating Scale) are judged to have medium-grade intrinsic, or standalone, financial strength, and thus subject to moderate credit risk

·         P-3 : P-3 (Global Short-Term Rating Scale) issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 has an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.

India Post selects Deloitte as consultant for Payments Bank:

·         India Post Picked Deloitte as Consultant for Payments Bank to advise it on setting up a payments bank and an agreement between the two would be signed.

·         The PIB has already approved the Rs 800-crore proposal of India Post and in 15 days it will be kept before the cabinet for its final approval.

·         The Trail run project for the payments bank is set to start from January and the full-fledged operations will start by March As many as 40 international financial firms including World Bank and Barclays have shown interest to partner the postal department for setting up the bank. India Post has 55 lakh branches across the country.

SBI releases Rs 1,465 crore under OROP scheme:

·         State Bank of India has released arrears to 7.75 lakhs defence pensioners totalling Rs 1,465 crore under One Rank One Pension (OROP).

·         SBI has largest share of defence pensioners and serves approximately 50% of total defence pensioners across the country.

·         The first tranche of arrear payment will be around Rs 1,465 crore, she said, adding that the bank has introduced facilities in all branches/ centralised pension processing centres (CPPCs) to provide arrear details to the pensioners. 

Bangladesh's bank governor resigns on $81 million cyber theft:

·         In Bangladesh, the Reserve Bank Governor Atiur Rahman has resigned today following a $ 80 million cyber theft from the Bank's Reserve Fund Account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

·          Atiur Rahman who has been the Reserve Bank Governor for the second term resigned during a meeting with the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

·         Unknown hackers breached the computer systems of Bangladesh Bank on Feb 4 and wire-transferred around $ 80 million from the Bank's Reserve Fund with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to accounts of several casinos in Philippines and Sri Lanka. Experts say this is the biggest known bank theft in modern times. 

·         Bangladesh Finance Minister AMA Muhith

Kotak Mahindra Group ties up with Canada Pension Plan for investment in Indian stressed assets:

·         The Kotak MahindraBSE Group has tied up with Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) to invest in stressed assets in India to take advantage of opportunities that arise as banks clean up account books of bad assets.

·         The agreement entails a total investment of up to $525 million, of which as much as $450 million will come from CPPIB.

·         Mark Wiseman is the current Chief Executive Officer of the CPPIB.

Business and Economy:

French major Michelin ties up with Snapdeal to Sell Tyres Online:

·         French based tyre maker Michelin had joined hands with E-Commerce major Snapdeal to sell its products through Snapdeal.

·         The Joint initiative will enable consumers to place an order online using Snapdeal to purchase Michelin tyres from an authorised dealer and request for fitment at a time and place of their choice.

·         Customers can now choose the perfect Michelin tyre for their vehicle from the comfort of their home/office with the option of same day free fitment, as well as access to exclusive offers on services like alignment and balancing.

·         Under this tie up all the Michelin’s passenger car tyres will be available on Snapdeal.

DBS to acquire RBS on shore branch for 1000 crores:

·         The leading South Asian bank DBS is set to acquire the on shore operations of RBS in India for a deal of 1000 crores.

·         IDFC was also in the race to acquire RBS but later withdrawed from the deal

·         Since Ross Mc ewan took charge as Chief executive of RBS, the bank sold all its assets across the world

·         National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) bought RBS’s offshore loan book in India for $816.8 million (about Rs 5,422 crore).

More than 50 animal species critically endangered:

·         Over 50 animal species have been judged as critically endangered and 310 as endangered out of  96, 000 animal species present in India according to the studies taken by Zoological Survey of India.

·         Critically endangered is the highest risk category assigned by the Nature Conservation body.

Pfizer-owned cough syrup Corex banned in India:

·         US pharmaceutical major Pfizer's India unit said that it has stopped selling its cough syrup Corex, after the Indian government banned it saying it was likely to pose a risk to humans.

·         Corex is one of the 344 drug combinations the government banned , after a government panel of experts found they had "no therapeutic justification"

Sale of Vicks Action 500 Extra stopped Post ban:

·         Consumer products company P&G today announced that it has halted the sale and manufacture of its Vicks Action 500 Extra, following the Health Ministry's ban on 344 fixed-dose combination drugs.

·         Meanwhile, an antibiotic combination marketed in India by US pharma major Abbott Laboratories also got banned.

1,000 yr old Chess set to be auctioned off:

·         British auction house Sotheby's is planning to auction off a 1,000-year-old chess set in London on April 20.

·         The set, which was previously owned by German chess grandmaster Lothar Schmid, consists of 16 ivory pieces stylised as 'animal' figures.

·         The 10th-century set is believed to have been made in the Persian city of Nishapur in the Samanid period.

Flipkart sues Uttarakhand govt for taxing buyers:

·         Flipkart has sued the Uttarakhand government for imposing a 10% entry tax for buyers on goods purchased through e-commerce.

·         Flipkart has filed the case through its logistics arm Ekart and called the tax "discriminatory".

·         The online retailer in February this year had filed a petition arguing the 10% entry tax for online retailers against standard entry tax of 5%.

BSNL approves sharing network with Reliance Jio:

·         The BSNL board has formally approved the signing of an intra-circle roaming (ICR) pact with Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio Infocomm across all the 22 circles in India.

·         ICR refers to a network operator using the telecommunication services provided by another operator.

·         Jio's services are yet to be commercially launched, and the company earlier announced the commencement of services from April.

Infibeam will be first e-commerce firm to hit market with an IPO:

·         Infibeam Incorporation Ltd, which will become the first e-commerce company to hit the Indian capital markets.

·         While the move has raised hopes of other online companies following suit to raise funds through a public float, analysts said that it may not trigger the big names to go for an IPO anytime soon.

Wipro joins hands with US firm Emailage:

·         Wipro has entered into partnership with Emailage Corporation, an Arizona-based company that develops software in the risk assessment and fraud prevention segment.

·         This investment, made by Wipro Ventures, is part of Wipro’s strategy to drive innovation from external companies for which the company has set up a $100-million fund whose focus is to invest in disruptive start-ups headed by Rishad Premji.

M&M enters farm equipment Rental biz:

·         Mahindra’s Farm Equipment Sector (FES) has forayed into agricultural equipment rental services with the launch of a start-up TRRINGO that will help in connecting farmers in India.

·         The start-up will connect farmers either through an app or a call (call centre).

·         TRRINGO will operate as a franchisee-based model and bring in new-age digital technology to the tractor rental business.

·         This venture, which will provide tractors and farm equipment on a rental basis, is being formed as a new age start-up company.

Awards and Honours:

Sanjay Gupta, Jagran Group CEO and Dainik Jagran editor, chosen IAA Editor of the Year:

·         Sanjay Gupta, the Jagran Group CEO and Dainik Jagran editor was presented with theEditor of the Year award at the 4th Indian Advertising Association (IAA) Awards in Mumbai.

·         Sanjay Gupta received the award from Union Minister of State (Home Affairs) Kiren Rijiju.

·         Other awards announced on the occasion include

• Brand Endorser of the Year: Varun Dhawan, a Bollywood actor

• TV Anchor of the Year award: Rajat Sharma of India TV

• Media Person of the Year: Raj Nayak of Colors

• CEO of the year: Kumar Mangalam Birla

·         Bharat Patel from Procter and Gamble was inducted in the IAA Hall of Fame for building the Vicks brand in India and making it a household name.

Justin Bieber honoured at Kids’ Choice Awards:

·         Pop sensation Justin Bieber, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Ariana Grande were honoured at the 2016 Kids’ Choice Awards.

·         Bieber was one of the early winners. The Canadian singer snatched the favourite male singer award during the ceremony at Los Angeles’ The Forum, while Grande got to the favourite female singer award.

·         Girl group Fifth Harmony won the favourite group category, Adele’s Hello won the votes for favourite song, while Shawn Mendes took the favourite new artist.

Science and Technology:

Fossils of 250-million-year-old reptile Teyujagua discovered in Brazil:

·         An international team of scientists have discovered 250-million-year-old new fossil of reptile, named Teyujagua (fierce lizard) from Rio Grande do Sul, southernmost Brazil.

·         The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports (Nature Publishing Group).The fossil is beautiful and fills an evolutionary gap, say scientists.

·         The fossil was discovered in 2015 by a team from the Paleobiology Laboratory of the Universidade Federal do Pampa (Unipampa), in a Triassic Rock Exposure near the city of São Francisco de Assis.

ExoMars 2016, an unmanned spacecraft to Mars, launched jointly by Europe and Russia:

·         Europe and Russia launched an unmanned spacecraft, named ExoMars 2016, to Smell Mars' atmosphere for gassy evidence that life once existed on the Red Planet, or may still be.

·         ExoMars 2016, the first of a two-phase Mars exploration, was hoisted from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a Russian Proton rocket.

Thumbnail-size frog named Microhyla Laterite discovered in India’s wastelands:

·         A team of researchers, including scientists from Gubbi Labs, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) and the National University of Singapore, discovered a new species of frog in the laterite rock formations of India's coastal plains.

·         The tiny frog measures 1.7 cm and is called Laterite narrow-mouthed frog (Microhyla laterite), after the laterite rock formation from where the frog was discovered.

February breaks Global Temperature Records:

·         According to NASA data, the temperature recorded in February has broken previous records by being 1.35°C warmer than the monthly average calculated over the baseline period (1951-80).

·         Earlier, January had set the previous high by recording 1.15°C over the average, triggering warnings of a climate emergency. Researchers said the long-term rise in global temperature is due to greenhouse gases.

Skype for Web allows landline, mobile calls:

·         The web version of Skype allowed direct calling to mobile phones and landlines from its platform through subscription or Skype Credits.

·         The Microsoft-owned service has also allowed users to watch YouTube videos within a conversation without opening a new tab.

·         Skype further launched desktop notifications and an option to add non-Skype users to a conversation.

Telegram increases Supergroup limit to 5K people:

·         Instant messaging app Telegram has increased the upper limit for its supergroup feature to 5,000 from 1,000 participants.

·         Different from standard group chats, supergroups are optimized for larger number of people. It allows new members to see the entire message history and by default keeps notifications on mute. Further, when a user deletes a message, it is deleted for everyone.

Microsoft stops supporting bitcoin payments:

·         Microsoft has stopped supporting bitcoin payments in its Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile stores.

·         The Windows Store FAQ revealed that users can no longer redeem Bitcoin into their Microsoft accounts, however, they can still use their existing balance to buy content.

·         Also, the available balance cannot be refunded. Notably, Microsoft had adopted support for bitcoin payments in 2014.

Xiaomi to open two new production units in India:

·         Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi will set up two more manufacturing units in India.

·         Company’s Co-founder and President Bin Lin

·         Notably, Xiaomi’s first manufacturing plant under the 'Make in India' campaign was launched in Andhra Pradesh in 2015.

Sports:

British teen leads team to drone Racing title:

·         Luke Bannister, a 15-year-old British drone racer, has led his team Tornado X-Blades Banni UK to the first World Drone Prix title held in Dubai.

·         The team beat the Russian and Dutch sides in the 591-metre 12-lap final race. The races, lasting around 10 minutes, saw pilots wearing head-gear linked to the live-feed from their drones.

Sachin Tendulkar to launch his fashion brand:

·         Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar  announced a joint venture with Arvind Fashion Brands, to launch his premium menswear apparel and accessories brand, 'True Blue'.

·         Designed by Tendulkar, the apparel range will be priced at 1,199 onwards. With plans to launch 25 to 30 stores across India, the brand is eyeing a turnover of 200 crore in the next five years.

HI to award Rs. 1 lakh to women’s team for Rio qualification:

·         Hockey India will give a cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh to the women hockey team and the support staff at the Hockey India awards in Bangalore on March 26, in recognition of their achievement of qualifying for the Rio Olympics.

·         The Indian women’s hockey team qualified for the 2016 Rio Games after a long wait of 36 years.

First ever Paralympics Games starts in Arunachal Pradesh:

·         The first ever Paralympics Games in Arunachal Pradesh kicks off at Sangay Lhaden Sports Academy, Chimpu, in Itanagar .

·         The three day event was declared open by Dani Sulu, Secretary, Sports and Youth Affairs, Arunachal Pradesh. 

·         It is being organized by Arunachal Pradesh Paralympics Association in collaboration with District Administration Itanagar Capital Complex and Directorate of Sports, Govt of Arunachal Pradesh.

Sports Ministry revises guidelines for appointment of Government observers:

·         Sports Ministry has revised guidelines for appointment of Government Observers for various sports disciplines to promote sports in the country.

·         The Government Observers will keep the government informed about fair play in the selection of teams, performance of teams at international level, training of sub-junior and junior level athletes and performance of Indian and foreign coaches.

Obituary:

Booker prize-winner Anita Brookner died:

·         The Booker prize-winning British author and renowned art historian Anita Brookner died on 10 March 2016. She was 87.

·         Brookner, who won the Booker in 1984 for her novel Hotel du Lac, was a bestselling author and wrote more than 25 novels.

Lloyd Stowell Shapley, Nobel Prize winner in Economics, died:

·         Lloyd Stowell Shapley, an American mathematician and Nobel Prize-winning economist, died. He was 92.

·         Shapley, who contributed to the fields of mathematical economics and especially game theory, won the Nobel Prize for economics in 2012.

Jazz Singer and Grammy Nominee Ernestine Anderson died:

·         Internationally renowned Jazz vocalist Ernestine Anderson died in Seattle. She was 87.

·         Over the course of a six-decade career, she received four Grammy nominations and released more than 30 albums.

India Inc first in the world to formally adopt UN’s SDG

i. India Inc. is set to formally adopt the United Nations’ (UN) agenda for the world’s sustainable development and the 17 goals identified for its implementation.

ii. SDG- Sustainable Development Growth;

iii. MDG- Millenium Development Growth

iv. SDG- 17 goals; MDG- 8 goals

v. SDG will be a evaluated, monitored and reported in a time-bound manner

vi. MDG was in implementation from 2001-2015

SAARC Programming Committee meet begins in Pokhara

i. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will leave for Nepal to attend SAARC ministerial meet. Before the Ministerial meeting, a session of Programming Committee of SAARC will be held in Pokhara (Nepal). Standing Committee of the SAARC, which is a Foreign Secretaries-level Forum, will be held on 16th of this month.

ii. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said the meetings are part of regular interactions within the SAARC framework.

iii. India's focus would be not only to take stock of the decisions but also to work out the way forward on priority issues.

Anil Wadhwa concurrently accredited as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of San Marino

i. Anil Wadhwa, Ambassador of India to Italy, has been concurrently accredited as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of San Marino with residence in Rome. He is an Indian Foreign Service Officer of the 1979 batch was also posted as Secretary (East) in 2014.

ii. He has also served as the Indian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand (Nov 2011 to Jan 2014) and previously as the Ambassador to Poland and to the Sultanate of Oman.

Myanmar Parliament elected Htin Kyaw as first civilian President

i. Myanmar's Parliament on 15 March 2016 elected Htin Kyaw as the first civilian president to lead the country after 53 years of military rule. Army took power in a 1962 coup. He is a close aide and adviser of Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of National League for Democracy (NLD) party.

ii. He was elected with 360 of the total 652 votes casted while, military-nominated Myint Swe received 213 votes and stood second followed by the other NLD candidate, Henry Van Thio, who got 79 votes.

iii. They will serve as first vice-president and second vice-president respectively. Kyaw will replace Thein Sein who will step down at the end of March 2016 after five years of army-backed rule.

iv. Htin Kyaw was elected under a complex system in which the two chambers of parliament nominated two presidential candidates and military MPs nominated a third, assuring the army continued influence.

v. The army also retains 25 percent of seats in parliament under a 2008 constitution that it drafted, giving it an effective veto on constitutional change. It also keeps key ministerial portfolios related to security.

Parytak Mitra Programme to enable Students to act as Tourist Facilitators

i. Parytak Mitra Programme was in news on 14 March 2016. It came in news after the information on the same was provided in the Lok Sabha by the Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (I/C) Dr. Mahesh Sharma.

ii. The programme was launched by Union Ministry of Tourism on 12 January 2016 (National Youth Day) to inculcate appropriate tourism traits and knowledge amongst the trainees to enable them to act/work as Tourist Facilitators (Prayatak Mitra).

iii. The programme seeks to improve the sectoral service standards, which is one of the pre-requisites for attracting tourists in larger numbers.

iv. College going student including those enrolled with the NCC & NSS in the age group of 18 – 28 years. The age will be reckoned on the last date prescribed for application for admission. The applicant will also furnish a no-objection / sponsorship letter issued by the Principal concerned as to his/her joining the programme.

Venezuela president extended economic emergency to protect citizens from economic warfare

i. Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro on 14 March 2016 declared a two-month extension on emergency powers meant to help shore up the country's crippled economy.

ii. The declaration will bestow more time on the government of President Nicolas Maduro to intervene in the market, boost productivity and redress a flagging financial sector.

iii. It will also allow the government to take more anti-crisis measures to reduce fiscal moratorium and to tap up funds from the 2015 budget to address short-term social needs.

iv. The extension will bring in measures to enhance positive impacts on the national economy. These include actions on healthcare, nutrition, education, employment.

v. Venezuela has the biggest known oil reserves in the world but has suffered from the plunge in world oil prices since mid-2014. The official inflation rate topped 180 percent in 2015 which is one of the highest in the world. Non-government economists estimate the real rate is several times higher.

YES Bank inked MoU with India Brazil Chamber for strategic cooperation

i. India's fifth largest private sector Bank, YES Bank on 11 March 2016 signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India Brazil Chamber of Commerce (IBCC) to enable significant cooperation in terms of knowledge partnerships, project consultancy, B2B opportunities, skill and technology initiatives.

ii. As per the announcement of YES Bank, the MoU signing comes in the run up to the 8th Annual BRICS Summit to be held in New Delhi in 2016. The core sectors covered in the MoU will be Sports, Media and Entertainment with special focus on IT, Infrastructure, Broadcast and Innovative solutions driven business opportunities.

iii. YES BANK and IBCC will jointly endeavour to explore exchange of best practices in Sports goods Manufacturing, CSR in sports, SM&E talent management.

iv. Moreover, IBCC will also recommend YES BANK as the Preferred Bank to Brazilian companies looking to do business in India.

Altico Capital names Naina Lal Kidwai as Non-Executive Director

i. Mumbai based Non-banking financial company Altico Capital India has appointed former HSBC India chairperson Naina Lal Kidwai as an independent non-executive director.

ii. Altico, focused on real estate, is looking to invest about Rs 2,500 crore every year for five years in the Indian real estate market. Naina lal Kidwai retired as executive director on the board of HSBC Asia Pacific and chairperson of HSBC India last year, after a 13-year stint.

iii. She is on the boards of Larsen & Toubro Limited, Advent Private Equity, Nestle SA, Cipla Ltd and Max Financial Services Ltd besides being chairperson of South Asia Harvard Business School. iv. She is currently involved with several industry associations and has previously been president of FICCI.

India Post Selects Deloitte As Consultant For Payments Bank

i. India Post has selected Deloitte to advise it on setting up a payments bank and an agreement between the two will be signed on March 14. The Public Investment Board has already approved the Rs 800-crore proposal of India Post and in 15 days, it will go to the Cabinet for final approval.

ii. Trail run project for the payments bank is set to start from January and the full-fledged operations will start by March As many as 40 international financial firms including World Bank and Barclays have shown interest to partner the postal department for setting up the bank. India Post has 55 lakh branches across the country.

iii. The Department of Posts, trading as India Post, is a government-operated postal system in India; it is generally referred to within India as "the post office". As of 31 March 2011, the Indian Postal Service had 154,866 post offices, of which 139,040 (89.78 percent) were in rural areas and 15,826 (10.22 percent) in urban areas.

iv. It had 25,464 departmental Post Offices and 129,402 Extra-Departmental Branch Post Offices. At the time of independence, there were 23,344 post offices, primarily in urban areas.

v. The postal service is under the Department of Posts, which is part of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology of the Government of India. 

253 Indian Villages Lit Up In Just One Week Under The Scheme Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojna

i. 323 villages have been electrified across the country during last week (from 6th to 13th March 2016) under Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojna (DDUGJY).

ii. Out of these electrified villages,  86 in Odisha, 73 in Jharkhand , 61 villages in Uttar Pradesh, 42 in Arunachal Pradesh , 33 in Bihar, 16 in Assam, 6 in Chhattisgarh, 3 in Madhya Pradesh and 3 in Rajasthan. 

iii. In view of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi’s address to nation, on Independence Day, Government of India has decided to electrify remaining 18,452 un-electrified villages within 1000 days i.e. by 01st May, 2018.

iv. The project has been taken on mission mode and strategy for electrification consists of squeezing the implementation schedule to 12 months and also dividing village electrification process in 12 Stage milestones with defined timelines for monitoring.

Lin Dan Earns His Sixth All England Badminton Title

i. Lin Dan from China has won the prestigious 2016 All England Badminton title in the men’s singles category.In the final match played at Birmingham, England he defeated Chinese teammate Tian Houwei by 21-9, 21-10 score.

ii. It was his overall sixth All England badminton title and earlier he had won it in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012. Nozomi Okuhara of Japan marked her 21st birthday with her first All England title after beating two-time champion Wang Shixian of China 21-11, 16-21, 21-19 in their thrilling final.

iii. Lin Dan is a professional badminton player from China. He is a two-time Olympic champion, five-time world champion, and six-time All England champion.

1) Which bank is posed to introduce its mobile phone payment option for its credit card holders, as reported in the media on 12 March 2016? – SBI

Explanation: State Bank of India (SBI) has planned to make its credit cards sit in the user’s mobile phone so that payments through the host card emulation technology (HCE) can be facilitated. It means that no swiping or reading an embedded chip will be involved.

– The French payments company, Worldline e-Payment Services, which works with almost all major banks in India in merchant acquisition and payments business, is currently working on introducing this technology in India.

– Through this new technology, cards can sit in one’s mobile and payments will be made directly through the phone.

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2) What is the name of the indigenously built nuclear-capable intermediate range ballistic missile that was successfully test-fired from a test range off Odisha coast on 14 March 2016 as part of a user trial by the Army? – Agni-I

Explanation: Agni-I, the surface-to-surface, single-stage missile, powered by solid propellants, was test-fired from a mobile launcher on 14 March at 9.15 a.m. from launch pad-4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Abdul Kalam Island (Wheeler Island).

– The missile covered a distance of 700 km within 9 minutes and 36 seconds. The trajectory of the trial was tracked by a battery of sophisticated radars, telemetry observation stations, electro-optic instruments and naval ships.

– Weighing 12 tonnes, the 15-metre-long Agni-I is designed to carry a payload of more than one tonne. Its strike range can be extended by reducing the payload. It was developed by Advanced Systems Laboratory, the premier missile development laboratory of DRDO in collaboration with Defence Research Development Laboratory and Research Centre Imarat and integrated by Bharat Dynamics Limited, Hyderabad

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3) Allahabad High Court completes how many years of its formation for which a special programme was organized on 13 March 2016 that was addressed by President Pranab Mukherjee? – 150 years

Explanation: The Allahabad High Court was originally founded as the High Court of Judicature for the North-Western Provinces (at Agra) on 17 March 1866 by the Indian High Courts Act 1861 replacing the old Sadr Diwani Adalat.

– Thus the Allahabad High Court completes 150 years of its existence on 17 March 2016. To commemorate the occasion special Sesquicentennial (150 years) Celebrations of the High Court was organized on 13 March 2016 that was inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee.

– It is the fourth oldest court in India. The three oldest High Courts in India are – Calcutta High Court (the oldest High Court in India), Bombay High Court and Madras High Court.

– Today, the Allahabad High Court has jurisdiction over the largest state in India, covering nearly one-sixth of India’s total population.

– The High court functions from two locations, at present, with the High Court having its main seat at Allahabad and a Bench at Lucknow.

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4) A beach resort of which West African country was attacked by Al-Qaeda-linked militants on 13 March 2016 resulting in the death of at least 16 people? – Ivory Coast

Explanation: The attackers fired beach-goers on a popular beach resort (Etoile du Sud) in Grand Bassam, which is in southern Ivory Coast some 40 km from the commercial capital Abidjan.

– The resort is popular with both locals and foreigners. The attackers started indiscriminate firing on inmates resulting in death of at-least 16 persons. According to officials, 14 civilians and two special force soldiers were killed. The attackers were neutralized by security forces.

– Later Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed responsibility for the attack.

– Ivory Coast was once one of the most stable countries in West Africa. However, a civil war broke out in 2002, pitting the mainly Muslim north against the largely Christian south. Since then, peace deals have alternated with renewed violence.

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5) Iconic Chinese badminton player Lin Dan won the men’s singles title of 2016 All England badminton championships as he easily defeated fellow countryman Tian Houwei in the finals on 13 March 2016. With this title win, Lin Dan has now won this prestigious title how many times? – Six

Explanation: The sixth championship by badminton’s greatest player Lin Dan came 12 years after his first, and four years after his last, when he went into semi-retirement for two years. He routed Chinese teammate Tian Houwei 21-9, 21-10 in the final.

– His other All England title wins were in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2012.

– The women’s singles title was won by Nozomi Okuhara of Japan who defeated Chinese player Wang Shixian by 21-11, 16-21, 21-19 in a tough final.

– All England Championship is the most prestigious Badminton championships in the world and is often perceived as equivalent to World Championships.

1. India Post selected Deloitte as consultant for payments bank
1.India Post in the second week of March 2016 selected Deloitte to advise it on setting up a payments bank. An agreement between the two was signed .
2. The Public Investment Board (PIB) has already approved the 800-crore rupees proposal of India Post. The proposal will be sent to the Union Cabinet within two weeks for final approval.
3. India Post payments bank will largely target unbanked and under-banked customers in rural, semi-rural and remote areas, with a focus on providing simple deposit products and money remittance services.
4. The pilot for the payments bank is set to start from January 2017 and the full-fledged operations may start by March 2017.
5.The Reserve Bank of India had granted payments bank permit to India Post, which is already into providing financial services and has 1.55 lakh branches across the country.

2.Mauritania ratified 2014 Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention
1. Mauritania became the second African country to ratify the 2014 Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention 1930.Prior to Mauritania, Niger (Africa), Norway (Europe) and the United Kingdom (Europe) ratified the protocol.
2. The protocol requires States to take effective measures for prevention of forced labour, protection of victims and ensuring their access to justice and compensation.
Background
3. The ILO estimates that about 21 million men, women, and children are in forced labour – trafficked, held in debt bondage, or working under slave-like conditions.

3. 59th Session of Commission on Narcotic Drugs inaugurated in Vienna
1. The 59th Session of Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) was inaugurated in Austria’s capital Vienna.
2. The 9-day long session seeks to promote a comprehensive understanding of the world drug problem and evolve appropriate strategies to deal with it.
3. Around 1500 delegates representing Member States, inter-governmental organizations, and civil society will be participating in the session. During the session, the Commission will discuss 10 draft resolutions and hold 74 side events and over 25 exhibitions

4. Pope Francis announced Mother Teresa to be granted Sainthood
1. Pope Francis announced that Mother Teresa will be made a saint of the Roman Catholic Church at a ceremony.
2. The pope cleared the way for sainthood to Mother Teresa, who was famed for her lifetime of service to the poor, establishing shelters for homeless, orphanages, soup kitchens and clinics around the world.
3. The Vatican credited her with the 2008 cure of a Brazilian man who had been suffering from brain tumors.
4. The first step toward making her a saint took place in 2002 when Mother Teresa was credited with the healing of a Bengali woman who suffered from tuberculosis and cancer.
The process of Cannonisation
Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process. Later, different processes, such as those used by the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church were developed.
There are four steps to canonization that the saints have to go through:
Servant of God → Venerable → Blessed → Saint

5. 60th Session of Commission on the Status of Women inaugurated in New York
1. The 60th Session of Commission on the Status of Women was inaugurated . The 11-day long session will take place at the United Nations headquarters in New York, the USA.
During the session, the Commission will discuss on its priority theme - Women’s empowerment and its link to sustainable development.
2. It will evaluate progress in the implementation of the agreed conclusions from the fifty-seventh session (2013) on ‘The elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls’.
3. The session will be attended by the representatives of UN Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world.
45 member States of the UN, including India, were chosen as the members of the session.

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