GK Digest April 2017

GK Digest: April 2017
BankExamsToday.Com
3/31/2017
BankExamsTodayEditorial
Ramandeep Singh
Table of Contents
Current Affairs ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
Banking & Financial Awareness One-Liner: March 2017 ...................................................................................................... 114
Banking And Financial Awareness: March (1 to 5).................................................................................................................. 116
List of Mergers & Acquisitions (Jan - March 2017).................................................................................................................. 117
International Financial Organizations: Headquarters & Functions ................................................................................... 122
List Government Schemes, Web Portal and Apps Launched (January) ............................................................................. 124
List of MoUs Signed between India and other Nations (2016-17)...................................................................................... 128
List of Government Schemes, Mobile Apps & Web Portal: February 2017....................................................................... 131
List of Appointments - February to March 2017 ...................................................................................................................... 132
List of Women Playing Important Roles ..................................................................................................................................... 134
List of Insurance companies in India: Tagline, Founder and Heads ................................................................................... 139
Complete List of Oscar, BCCI and ESPN Awards: 2017 ......................................................................................................... 142
Regional Rural Banks in India - Their Sponsors and Head Office ....................................................................................... 145
BankExamsToday Editorial Summary March 2017 ................................................................................................................. 146
Current Affairs
Ruchi Ghanashyam appointed Secretary (West) in diplomatic affairs with the UK and other
MEA European nations.
She is at present the High Commissioner of
Senior diplomat Ruchi Ghanashyam was
India to South Africa.
appointed as the Secretary (West) in the
Before that, she worked as the Additional
Ministry of External Affairs.
Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs
She has been appointed in place of Sujata
Mehta, who has recently taken over as a
MEITY to promote digital transactions in place of
Member in Union Public Service Commission.
NITI
The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has
approved Ghanashyams appointment to the The government has shifted the responsibility
post. of promoting digital transactions in the
As the Secretary (West), Ghanashyam will be country to the Ministry of IT and Electronics
responsible for looking after the countrys (MEITY) from NITI Aayog.
www.BankExamsToday.Com Page 1
The central government has already changed The term of office of chairperson, who is given
the business transaction rules to enable MEITY the rank of Union Cabinet Minister, is three
to promote digital transactions, including years from the date of assumption of charge.
digital payments Sai was elected to the Madhya Pradesh
The decision has been taken in view of the legislative assembly in 1977, 1985 and 1998.
core competence of MEITY to promote digital He was also elected to the Chhattisgarh
means for various transactions. legislative assembly in 2000 and was the first
Government is of the opinion that NITI Aayog - leader of opposition in the House.
- which is a think-tank -- should focus on The NCST is empowered to investigate and
monitoring and suggesting ways to improve monitor matters relating to safeguards
various government schemes rather than provided for STs under the Constitution.
getting involved with implementation. The Commission is also authorised to inquire
The IT ministry is responsible for promotion of into specific complaints relating to the rights
e-governance for empowering citizens as well and safeguards of STs and to participate and
as promoting inclusive and sustainable growth advise in the planning process relating to their
of electronics and IT in the country. socio-economic development.
It is also responsible for encouraging the
growth of IT-enabled services industries. Indias Radhanagar beach in Andaman Islands
Earlier, the government had set up a features in top 10, ranks 8 in the world
committee under the chairmanship of NITI
Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant to push adoption of
Radhanagar on the Havelock Island in the
e-transactions amid the cash crunch faced by
Andamans has featured among the top 10 in
citizens due to the note ban.
TripAdvisors Worlds Travellers Choice
Award-Winning Beaches.
Nand Kumar Sai is new chairman of National
The Radhanagar beach has secured No 8
Commission for Scheduled Tribes
position in the world and first spot in Asia.
Senior tribal leader from Chhattisgarh and ex- TripAdvisor has honoured 343 beaches,
parliamentarian Nand Kumar Sai has assumed including the top 25 in the world and local lists
charge as chairman of the National for Africa, Asia, Australia, Caribbean, Central
Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST). America, Europe, South America, the South
The 71-year-old Sai succeeds Rameshwar Pacific, the UK and the US Award.
Oraon, whose tenure had ended on October The Baia do Sancho Fernando de Noronha in
31 last year. Taking charge. Brazil topped the list followed by Grace Bay
Sai would work to protect the rights of the Providenciales in Turks and Caicos, Eagle
tribal people living in far-flung areas of the Beach in Aruba, Playa Paraiso Cayo Largo in
country. Cuba, Siesta Beach Siesta Key in the US, La
Concha Beach in Spain and Playa Norte Isla Baglay joined the Indian Foreign Service in
Mujeres in Mexico. Elafonissi Beach in Greece 1992 and has served as the deputy high
secured No 9 position and Galapagos Beach in commissioner to Islamabad from 2011 to
Ecuador was at No 10 in the list. 2014. Since 2015, he acted as joint secretary
dealing with Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran in
Country's first integrated heliport inaugurated in the foreign ministry.
Delhi He has also served as joint secretary (States)
from October 2014 to December 2015, and
The country's first integrated heliport was
was tasked with creation of a separate
inaugurated in the national capital with Civil
department in the ministry to facilitate
Aviation Minister A Gajapathi Raju saying it is
international outreach of the Indian states.
the first of its kind facility in South Asia.
Built by state-owned Pawan Hans Ltd, the
National Science Day: 28 February
heliport consists of a terminal building, having
a capacity of 150 passengers, four hangars National Science Day is celebrated in India on
with parking capacity for 16 helicopters and 28 February each year to mark the discovery
nine parking bays. of the Raman effect by Indian physicist Sir
The heliport also has a maintenance, repair Chandrashekhara Venkata Raman on 28
and overhaul (MRO) facility for the upkeep of February 1928.
Pawan Hans fleet as well as for the third-party For his discovery, Sri C.V. Raman was awarded
maintenance work. the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930.
The commencement of services from the National science day is celebrated as one of
heliport is also expected to reduce congestion the main science festivals in India every year
at the Delhi airport, which currently handles during which students of the schools and
about 40-50 helicopter arrivals and departures colleges demonstrate various science projects
on an average per day besides the large-scale and national and state science institutions
fixed-wing operations. demonstrate their latest researches.
Gopal Baglay appointed as new Ministry of American Express launches 'Buyer Initiated
External Affairs spokesperson Payments' to eliminate cheque, draft payments
Joint secretary Gopal Baglay was appointed Global leader in payment solutions American
the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Express announced the launch of Buyer
Affairs Initiated Payments (BIP), an electronic
Apart from spokesperson, Baglay would also payment platform linked to corporate card
occupy the post of joint secretary of external that reduces processing costs and offers
publicity. extended payment terms compared to
traditional invoice payments.
BIP enables companies to increase the Days He will be assuming the charge on or after 1
Payable Outstanding (DPO) while still paying June
vendors on time.
This web-based tool linked to Corporate Card World Bank to provide $63 mn loan for 'Tejaswini'
fits and works within existing processes and project
includes reconciliation reporting that simplifies
The World Bank will provide USD 63 million
tracking vendor payments.
loan to India to empower 6.8 lakh adolescent
BIP also helps organizations and their vendors
girls in Jharkhand under the 'Tejaswini' project.
to participate in the trading cycle digitally thus
A Financing Agreement for International
avoiding payments through cheques and
Development Association (IDA) credit of USD
drafts.
63 million (equivalent) for the "Tejaswini:
BIP will help both corporate and vendors to
Socio-Economic Empowerment of Adolescent
streamline their payments process and move
Girls and Young Women Project" was signed
towards the vision of a digital economy
between the bank and the government.
BIP also ensures that vendors receive and
The project seeks to empower the adolescent
track their payment as per the agreed terms.
girls with basic life skills and thereafter provide
Traditionally, the exchange of goods and
further opportunities to acquire market driven
services between organizations and vendors,
skill training or completion of secondary
involved a tedious task of completing financial
education, depending on the inclination of the
enquiries and a period of minimum 60 days to
beneficiary
clear payments
The project will be delivered in 17 districts of
Jharkhand. It has three main component --
Sanjiv Singh appointed Indian Oil Corporation
expanding social, educational and economic
chairman
opportunities; intensive service delivery; and
Sanjiv Singh was appointed chairman of the state capacity-building and implementation
Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), the countrys support.
largest commercial enterprise. The closing date for the project is June 30,
The Appointments Committee of Cabinet 2021.
approved his appointment to the post for a
period of five years, an order issued by the Rangaswamy Becomes First Woman to Be Honored
personnel ministry said. BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award
Singh is at present the director of Refineries at
Former Indian women's cricketer Shantha
the IOCL. He was selected for the top job after
Rangaswamy has become the first female
government headhunters Public Enterprise
cricketer to be nominated for the BCCI
Selection Board (PESB) interviewed eight
Lifetime Achievement Award.
candidates.
Rangaswamy will receive the award at the and Madhya Pradesh with about 3,062 route
BCCI Annual Awards 2016-17 on March 8. kms of broad gauge comprising
Rangaswamy was the first Indian women's predominately, double line- electrified sections
cricket team captain and the first woman defining the sides and diagonals of the golden
cricketer to win the Arjuna Award. quadrilateral.
RBI sets up panel to review cyber threats LPG prices raised by Rs 86, steepest hike in India's
history
The Reserve Bank on Tuesday announced
setting up of the inter-disciplinary standing The price of non-subsidised cooking gas (LPG)
committee on cyber security to review the was hiked by a steep Rs 86 per cylinder
threats inherent in the existing and emerging Non-subsidised LPG, bought by those who
technology. have either given up their subsidies or
The 11-member committee will also study exhausted the quota of 12 bottles of 14.2-kg
adoption of various security standards and in a year at below market price, will now cost
protocols, interface with stakeholders and Rs 737.50.
suggest appropriate policy interventions to It was priced at Rs 651.50 per 14.2-kg cylinder
strengthen cyber security and resilience till yesterday, according to state-owned oil
The committee headed by Meena companies.
Hemchandra, executive director, RBI, can co- This hike, steepest in India's history, comes on
opt more experts and also operate through a the back of Rs 66.5 per cylinder increase which
framework of sub-committees to examine was brought into effect from February 1.
specific issues
HDFC Bank, others resume levy on cash
M C Chauhan appointed GM of North Central transactions
Railway
Some banks, including HDFC Bank, have
M C Chauhan was appointed as General begun charging a minimum amount of Rs 150
Manager of North Central Railway, Allahabad. per transaction for cash deposits and
Chauhan, an officer of Indian Railway Service withdrawals beyond four free transactions in a
of Electrical Engineers (IRSEE), is at present month.
GM of Metro Railway. The new charges would apply to savings as
The working of railways is divided into zones. well as salary accounts effective from today
Three crucial divisions of Agra, Allahabad and The bank would also cap the third party cash
Jhansi are under the NCR zone. transactions at Rs 25,000 per day, while cash
Rightly referred to as heartbeat of Indian handling charges would be withdrawn
Railways, North Central Railway span over effective today, the circular added.
parts of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan
In case of several banks, including ICICI Bank Union minister Narender Singh Tomar
and Axis Bank, these charges came into effect Launched the 'Swachh Shakti Saptah' in
early in January and are same as they were Haryana, "Swachhta" (cleanliness) has become
before the demonetisation move announced a movement which now needs to made a mass
on 8 November, while there is an increase in movement.
such fees in case of some others, including Owing to the priority given by Prime Minister
HDFC Bank Narendra Modi, 'Swachhta' has become a
For the basic no-frills accounts, maximum four movement in the country and now it needs to
cash withdrawals would continue to remain made a mass movement with significant
free and there would be no fees for cash contribution of women
deposits. Women sarpanches, Anganwadi workers,
For non-home branches, ICICI Bank would not ANMs, ASHA workers and members of women
charge anything for first cash withdrawal of a self-help groups of all six districts of Gurugram
calendar month and Rs 5 per thousand rupees division participated in the programme.
thereafter subject to a minimum of Rs 150. An exhibition was also organised at the venue
to educate women participants about benefits
of cashless transactions.
R Subramania Kumar to hold addl charge of MD & An Aadhaar Enrolment machine was placed in
CEO of IOB one of the stalls for women who were still not
enrolled,
R Subramania Kumar was today given
additional charge of the post of Managing
World Civil Defence Day: March 1
Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of
Indian Overseas Bank for three more months.
Kumar is at present Executive Director in the World Civil Defence Day, created by decision
IOB. He was in November last year given of the ICDO General Assembly in 1990, is
additional charge of the post of MD and CEO celebrated every year on the 1st of March.
of the bank for three months. This Day commemorates the entry into force
The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has of the ICDO Constitution as an
approved the proposal of Department of intergovernmental organisation in 1972 and
Financial Services for extending the additional has two main purposes:
charge of the post of MD and CEO, IOB for a that of bringing to the attention of the world
period of another three months, an order public the vital importance of Civil Protection
issued by personnel and of raising awareness of the preparedness
for, and prevention and self-protection
'Swachh Shakti Saptah' launched in Haryana measures in the event of accidents or
disasters;
that of paying tribute to the efforts, sacrifices selection of customised general insurance
and accomplishments of all the national solutions at affordable rates.
services responsible for the fight against The corporate alliance will enable Catholic
disasters. Syrian Bank serve our customers banking and
insurance needs under one roof
Lipstick Under My Burkha Wins Award at Glasgow
Film Fest Kohli, Ashwin win top BCCI awards
Indian filmmaker Alankrita Shrivastava's Virat Kohli will become the first player to
Lipstick Under My Burkha, which has been receive the Polly Umrigar Award - given to the
denied a certificate by the country's movie International Cricketer of the Year - for the
censor board, has bagged the Audience Award third time, at the BCCI Annual Awards in
at the Glasgow Film Festival 2017 Bangalore on March 8. Kohli first received the
Scottish actor David Tennant presented award in 2011-12 and in 2014-15.
Shrivastava with the award, which was voted R Ashwin, the No. 1 ranked bowler and
for by the festival's audience allrounder by the ICC in Tests, will become the
The Prakash Jha production, starring Konkona first player to receive the Dilip Sardesai Award
Sen Sharma and Ratna Pathak Shah, twice.
chronicles the secret lives of four women of Ashwin first won the award, instituted to
different ages in a small town in India as they honour the best performance in the bilateral
search for different kinds of freedom. series between India and West Indies, after he
was named the Man of the Series in the three-
Reliance General Insurance, Catholic Syrian Bank Test series in 2011.
tie up Last year, Ashwin was again named the Man
of the Series in the four-Test series in West
Reliance General Insurance (RGI), a part of
Indies after he struck two centuries and
Reliance Capital, has entered into a
finished with 17 wickets, including two five-
bancassurance tie-up with Catholic Syrian
wicket hauls.
Bank.
With this tie-up, RGI will offer its general
Kripa Shankar Bishnoi appointed international
insurance products to Catholic Syrian Bank's
match referee
1.5 million customer base spread across its
430 branches in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Former India wrestler Kripa Shankar Bishnoi
Maharashtra. has been appointed an international match
The strategic partnership with Reliance referee by United World Wrestling (UWW), the
General Insurance will make it extremely easy sports global governing body.
for our customers to access a comprehensive Bishnoi was selected by the Wrestling
Federation of India (WFI) for the annual
training course for match referees conducted bronze went to Vahid Golkhandan of Iran, who
by the UWW. shot 208.0.
The former national champion, who has won The 29-year-old marksman, who made an
the Arjuna Award, underwent the course in eighthplace finish in the men's 10m air pistol
Germany last year and has cleared the test final at the Rio Olympics, was languishing
which was held in Dortmund towards the bottom of the table in the initial
Bishnoi is the first international match referee stages of the final before he made a late surge
from his native Madhya Pradesh. to come into medal contention.
The 40-year-old had trained Bollywood star Jitu posted a final score of 216.7, which
Aamir Khan and other actors for their roles in include poor shots such as just a score of 8.8
the wrestling-based film Dangal. on his second attempt, tomake a third-place
finish on podium.
J.S. Deepak is Indias WTO ambassador
Thiruvananthapuram beats Delhi, Mumbai, ranks
Telecom Secretary J.S. Deepak has been
No 1 in urban governance
appointed as country's permanent
representative to World Trade Organization Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, has again
(WTO). topped the list of top Indian cities equipped to
Mr. Deepak will take over his new assignment manage urbanisation, according to an
from June 1, 2017 and till then he will be evaluation of 21 major cities across 18 states
Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the by Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and
Department of Commerce in the Ministry of Democracy.
Commerce and Industries with immediate Thiruvananthapuram, which had ranked
effect. number 1 in 2015 as well, has maintained its
Earlier, as Additional Secretary in the Ministry position,
of Commerce, Mr. Deepak, a 1982-batch IAS The national capital dropped two places to
of UP cadre, handled WTO and other rank 9. Similarly, Mumbais rank slipped from 4
international agencies. to 2 and Bengalurus came down to 16 from
12.
ISSF Shooting World Cup: Jitu Rai wins gold in 50m Irrespective of 2016 ranking, the cities in India
free pistol, Amanpreet silver have continued to score low over the last four
editions of ASICS. This indicates that progress
Jitu Rai and Amanpreet Singh win gold and
on fixing City-Systems has been slow.
silver, respectively in mens 50m free pistol at
Janaagraha recommends changes in planning
the ISSF Shooting World Cup. It was Indias
laws to address the issues challenging the
first gold in the competition.Jitus winning
efficient planning of the cities.
score of 230.1 was a world record, while
Amanpreet shot 226.9 to win silver. The
The Indian cities quality of laws, policies and Malaysia is one of the few countries that
institutions significantly to improve service North Koreans could visit without a visa. A
delivery and thereby, deliver a high quality of reciprocal arrangement made Malaysians the
life to citizens. only foreigners given visa-free entry to the
secretive, nuclear-armed state.
Assam to host river festival Namami Brahmaputra
Swadheen Kshatriya sworn in as Maharashtra's
Chief Commissioner of RTS
Assam will host its first river festival- Namami
Brahmaputra at the riverfront of Brahmaputra Former Chief Secretary of Maharashtra
in Guwahati from 31 March to 4 April 2017. Swadheen Kshatriya was sworn-in as the
The decision was announced by Assams Chief states first Right to Services (RTS) Chief
Minister Sarbananda Sonowal himself. Commissioner. Lokayukta Justice (retd) M L
The states government has invited Indias Tahiliani administered the oath of office to
President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Kshatriya at Sahyadri state guest house in
Narendra Modi, Ambassadors of all the Mumbai.
countries and all Chief Ministers and Chief State Chief Information Commissioner
Secretaries to participate in the mega event. Ratnakar Gaikwad, former CIC Suresh Joshi
The five-day festival aims to promote the and some of the states top bureaucrats were
states economy, culture, art, tourism, skill present on the occasion.
industry, investment option, trade, commerce Kshatriyas tenure will be of five years. He
and heritage. Namami Brahmaputra, which retired as Chief Secretary of Maharashtra.
means Obeisance to the Brahmaputra, will Senior IAS officer Sumit Mullick has been
showcase the grandeur of the river and the appointed as the new Chief Secretary of
land it flows through. Maharashtra
It will be spread across 21 districts of Assam.
DMRC enters Limca Book of Records
Malaysia to cancel visa-free entry for North
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has
Koreans
entered the Limca Book of World Records for
Malaysia will cancel visa-free entry for North erecting 200 U-shaped girders, the maximum
Koreans entering the country starting next to be launched on any metro corridor in the
week as diplomatic ties between the two country within a month.
countries fray further following the murder of Girders bear the load of the metro tracks and
Kim Jong-nam at the Kuala Lumpur airport. help speed up construction work.The feat had
North Koreans will be required to obtain a visa significantly expedited the progress of
as of March 6 before entering Malaysia for construction on the corridor.A total of 2002
national security reasons such girders, structures that support small
beams, were erected for the 30-km-long Noida General R Grewal and Commandant,
Greater Noida corridor which will have 21 Command Hospital (Northern Command)
stations. Udhampur, Maj General N Naithani.
Facts About Raksha Mantri Trophy
Facts About DMRC The Raksha Mantri Trophy was instituted in

1989 to identify and acknowledge excellence
Number of stations: 160, including 6 Airport
in patient care and hospital management
Express stations
among Command and equivalent hospitals of
Chief executive: Mangu Singh, MD
the Army, Navy and Air Force.
Headquarters Metro Bhawan, Barakhamba
Facts About INHS Asvini
Road, New Delhi
Delhi Metro is the world's 12th largest metro It is the first of amongst all the Naval hospitals
system in terms of both length and number of Started functioning in 1756 as Kings Seamen
stations Hospital for in- patients.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has In 1860 the Octagonal building No. 3 (Hawa
been certified by the United Nations as the Mahal) was constructed as the Main Ward of
first metro rail and rail-based system in the Bombay Marine Hospital
world to get "carbon credits for reducing On 18 September 1951 that Military Hospital,
greenhouse gas emissions" and helping in Colaba was commissioned into the Navy and
reducing pollution levels in the city by 630,000 christened as INHS Asvini.
tonnes every year
INHS ASVINI Mumbai Adjudged best service

Swachhta Pakhwada being observed by the
Hospital in the AFMS
Ministry of Women & Child Development
The Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar throughout the country
presented the Raksha Mantris Trophy and The Ministry of Women & Child Development is
Citation for the best Service Hospital in the observing the Swachhta Pakhwada from 1st
Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) for the March 2017 to 15th March 2017, to raise
year 2016 to INHS Asvini, Mumbai awareness about Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
The Command Hospital (Southern Command), among women and children.
Pune and Command Hospital (Northern The Swachhta Pakhwada is observed by
Command) Udhampur were jointly adjudged various Ministries of Government of India to
the second best Service Hospitals. The achieve the goal of universal sanitation,
Defence Minister gave away the trophies and hygiene and open defecation free India by
citations to the Commandant, Command 2019.
Hospital (Southern Command) Pune, Maj
As a part of nationwide activities, the Ministry the Department of Space in place of A Vijay
has written to all the states to observe the Anand, who had retired.
Swachhta Pakhwada through the wide Nutan Guha Biswas, currently serving as
network of Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) across Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Women
the country and Child Development, has been appointed
Senior officials will be leading visits to as Chairperson, Inland Waterways of India in
childcare institutions and creches and will hold the rank of a Secretary.
sessions on proper cleaning of toys, health and Facts About T Jacob
hygiene, food habits and safety.
1984 batch Tamil Nadu cadre officer,
Visits will also be made to One Stop Centres,
Served as Additional Secretary in the
Swadhar Grehs and Ujjawala Homes to check
Department of Personnel and Training
the cleanliness of premises and conduct
Facts About UPSC
sessions on life skill education for adolescents
Union Public Service Commission
and film screenings, slogan writing and pledge
Formation: 1 October 1926
on Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
Headquarters: Dholpur House, Shahjahan
Road, New Delhi
Facts About Ministry of Women & Child Chairman: David R. Syiemlieh
DevelopmentFormed: 30 January 2006
Jurisdiction: India
Headquarters: Shastri Bhawan, Dr. Rajendra
Kerala tops in GST registrations
Prasad Road, New Delhi
Cabinet minister: Maneka Gandhi Kerala has achieved the maximum number of
Minister of state: Krishna Raj registrations under the Goods and Services
Tax (GST) regime with at least 60 per cent of
an estimated 2.5 lakh traders migrating to the
new platform.
Senior IAS officer T Jacob Appointed as Secretary
Its record becomes even more significant
UPSC
considering the fact that these registrations
Senior IAS officer T Jacob was appointed as are complete in all respects, including the
Secretary, Union Public Service Commission crucial provision of digital signatures
(UPSC). Commercial Taxes Department has extended
He will hold the rank of an Additional until March 15 the time for GST registrations
Secretary in the Government of India.Vandita for those who have not been able to do it until
Sharma, member (Finance), Atomic Energy/ now.
Earth Commission, has been appointed as Propreitorship businesses may use the facility
Additional Secretary and Financial Adviser in for E-sign using the Adhaar number to register
without digital signatures. This facility is It is generally awarded each year around the
available on the GST portal (www.gst.gov.in). time of Kennedy's birthday (May 29) at a
The department has also set up help numbers ceremony at the Kennedy Library in Boston.
0471-155300 (BSNL) and 0471-2115098 (all
other networks) for clarifying their doubts with HDFC Life ties-up with ET Money to launch data-
respect to registrations. led policy
Facts About GST
HDFC Life today announced the launch of an
Goods and Service Tax exclusive data-led group term insurance plan
Chairman of GST Council: Arun Jaitley. in partnership with ET Money, the Times
It is comprehensive indirect tax on Internet backed financial services app.
manufacture, sale and consumption of goods This is the country's first term insurance plan
and services throughout India, to replace taxes based on the spend pattern of the users
levied by the central and state governments. This financial planning management app
brings insurance at the finger-tips of the
discerning new-age generation,
Barack Obama Named Recipient of JFK Profile in
Offered as an ET Money benefit, the group
Courage Award
term life insurance plan can be availed
Former President Barack Obama was named exclusively by 1 million users of the ET MONEY
the 2017 winner of the John F. Kennedy Profile app.
in Courage Award for carrying on his fellow One can get a group term life insurance
Democrat's legacy. coverage that ranges anywhere from Rs
Caroline Kennedy and her son, Jack 25-50 lakh and it will be based on spend
Schlossberg, will present Obama with the pattern of the user, the statement added.
award May 7 at the John F. Kennedy
Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.
Facts About HDFC
Founded: 2000
Facts About JFK Profile in Courage Award
Headquarters: Mumbai, India
It is a private award given to recognize CEO: Amitabh Chaudhry,
displays of courage similar to those John F. CFO: Ms. Vibha Padalkar
Kennedy described in his book Profiles in
Courage. Sudhin Mathur appointed Motorola India
The winners of the award are selected by a bi- Managing Director
partisan committee named by the John F.
Sudhin Mathur has been named Managing
Kennedy Library Foundation, which includes
Director of Motorola Mobility India and has
members of the Kennedy family and other
prominent Americans.
been inducted as a full-time director on the Saleh, 68, who will also retain his current post
company's Board. of Sudans first vice president, was sworn in at
He will also continue to serve in the role of a presidential palace in Khartoum.
Executive Director for Lenovo MBG India. Bashir had led the 1989 coup against then-
Mathur replaces Amit Boni, who was serving prime minister Sadiq al-Mahdi with the help of
as General Manager for Motorola India. In Islamist leader Hassan al-Turabi.
October 2016, Boni transitioned to the global
strategy team within the company
Facts About Sudan
Mathur has been running the operations for
Lenovo MBG in India since its inception here Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northern
four years ago and has been instrumental in Africa
leading the seamless integration of Motorola Capital: Khartoum
and Lenovo mobile businesses Currency: Sudanese pound

President: Omar al-Bashir
Facts About Motorola

P K Purwar appointed MTNL CMDP
American multinational telecommunications
K Purwar was appointed Chairman and
company
Managing Director of state-run telecom major
Headquarters: Schaumburg, Illinois, United
Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL).
States
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
Founded: 25 September 1928, Chicago, Illinois,
has approved his appointment to the post for
United States
five years
Parent organization: Lenovo
Purwar is currently working as Director
Founders: Joseph Galvin, Paul Galvin
(Finance) in MTNL, which has been without a
full-time CMD since May 31, 2014, following
Bakri Hassan Saleh sworn in as Sudans first PM
superannuation of A K Garg.
A former army general and top aide to Purwar held the additional charge of the post
President Omar al-Bashir was sworn in as of MTNL CMD between June 2014 and June
Sudans first prime minister since the post was 2015. In June last year, he was again given this
scrapped in a 1989 Islamist-backed coup. additional charge.
Bakri Hassan Saleh, a military officer involved Facts About MTNL
in the bloodless coup that brought Bashir to
Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited
power three decades ago, was named prime
Headquarters: New Delhi
minister by the executive bureau of the
CEO: Pravin Kumar Purwar (2014)
presidents National Congress Party (NCP).
Founded: 1 April 1986
JNU bags 'Visitor's Award' for best university Index.
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has bagged

President Pranab Mukharjee honours helicopter
the annual 'Visitor's Award' for the best varsity
unit
in the country.
The winners of Visitor's Award for 'Innovation' The Honble President of India and Supreme
and 'Research' will receive a citation and cash Commander of Indian Armed Forces, Shri
award of Rs one lakh. The awards will be Pranab Mukherjee awarded the Prestigious
presented during a function as part of the Presidents Standard and Colours to 125
'Festival of Innovations Helicopter Squadron and Mechanical Training
JNU Vice Chancellor Jagadesh Kumar will Institute (MTI) respectively, during a grand
receive the award including a citation and a ceremonial parade held at Air Force Station
trophy from President Pranab Mukherjee at an Tambaram.
event at the Rasthrapati Bhavan on March 6. The Commanding Officer of 125 Helicopter
Facts About JNU Squadron Group Captain VD Badoni and
Commanding Officer of MTI Group Captain A
Established: 1969
Arunachaleswaran received the Presidents
Chancellor: K. Kasturirangan
Standard and Colours respectively.
Vice-Chancellor: Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar
The ceremonial parade was commanded by
Group Captain A Arunachaleswaran. The
'Numbers Do Lie by former cricketer Akash Chopra President also released First Day Covers of 125
released Helicopter Squadron and Mechanical Training
Cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra Institute at the function.
released his latest book 'Numbers Do Lie' at There was a spectacular display of precision
an event in Delhi and daredevilry by the Air Warriors drill team.
Present at the launch was former India Fly past consisting of Mi-35 and Mi-17
captain and champion all-rounder Kapil Dev, Helicopters, Pilatus and Kiran trainer aircraft
who gave his two bits on the book and also was synchronized with significant events of
enthralled the gathering with anecdotes and the parade.
stories from his playing days. The grand ceremony concluded with a
The book shares 61 stories about cricketers breathtaking air show demonstrated by Surya
from across the ages, based on the findings of Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT), which won the
Impact Index, an analytics system for cricket admiration of one and all.
devised by Jaideep Varma.

Airtel, Millicom ink pact to merge in Ghana
The book has been authored by Aakash in
collaboration with the team from Impact Bharti Airtel and Millicom International
Cellular have entered into an agreement to
merge their respective units in Ghana to schools will have computer education and
create the second-largest mobile carrier in the Sanskrit as permanent subjects.
African country. Accordingly, teachers will also be appointed
Under the terms of the agreement, Airtel and Teachers will be appointed in high schools
Millicom will have equal ownership and under Swachh Bharat Mission and they will be
governance rights in the combined entity, made responsible in maintaining cleanliness in
The Airtel-Millicom combined entity will schools in Assam state.
replace Vodafone to become a strong No 2
operator with nearly 10 million customers Mamata Banerjee grants official status to two
(including 5.6 million data users) in the fiercely tribal languages
competitive Ghana mobile turf, behind South
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee granted
Africas MTN, the market leader.
official status to the Kurukh language spoken
The combined revenue of the merged entity
by Oraon and Kisan tribes, and the Rajbanshi-
will be at nearly $300 million.
Kamtapuri language spoken by the Koch
Ghana, with a population of around 30 million,
Rajbanshi community, to mark International
is a relatively big market in Africa and among
Mother Language Day
Airtels top markets after Nigeria. AirtelBSE -
The Oraon tribe in West Bengal speaks Kurukh,
0.22 % Ghana contributes 6-7% to Bhartis
which was declared an endangered language
overall Africa revenue, which stood at $919
by UNESCO, and there is no written script for
million in the fiscal third quarter to December.
Rajbanshi-Kamtapuri.
From now on, these two languages will be
Assam Makes Sanskrit Compulsory Subject Upto
officially recognised
Class 8
the state government has set up a committee,
The Assam government led by Sarbananda headed by Indologist Nrisingha Prasad
Sonowal decided to make Sanskrit along with Bhaduri, which would help create a written
computer education, a permanent subject in form for Rajbanshi-Kamtapuri.
the state schools.
Teachers will also be appointed for this WCCB Conducts Operation Thunderbird &
purpose. Operation Save Kurma to Combat Wildlife Crime
Assam Information Technology Minister
The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB)
Keshab Mahanta said in the state assembly
under the Ministry of Environment and Forests
that government is also planning to connect
coordinated nationwide Operation Thunder
each panchayat of the state with Internet
Bird from January 30 to February 19, 2017 to
facility by the end of next financial year.
combat illegal trade of wildlife animals in the
To increase computer literacy, the government
country.
has taken a cabinet decision yesterday that all
The operation was undertaken in coordination The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet approved
with International Criminal Police Organization proposals to rename the Vijayawada Airport
(INTERPOL). and the Tirupati Airport.
Besides, Vijayawada Airport in Gannavaram has been
WCCB also convened a turtle specific renamed as Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao-
operation code-named as Operation Save Amaravati Airport after the legendary actor
Kurma from December 15, 2016 to January and founder of the ruling Telugu Desam Party,
30, 2017. and the new capital of Andhra Pradesh.
The operation brought about an awareness The Tirupati Airport has been renamed as Sri
among the enforcement agencies to focus on Venkateswara Airport after Lord
the existing trade routes and major trade hubs Venkateswara of the temple town.
in the country so as to deal with the menace Andhra Pradesh
of wildlife crime.
Founded: 1 October 1953
Capitals: Hyderabad, Amaravati
INS Viraat, Indian Navy's Grand Old Lady, to retire
Governor E. S. L. Narasimhan
today after 30-year service
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu (TDP)
INS Viraat, Indian Navy's flagship aircraft
carrier, will retire from service. The aircraft Facebook launches SheLeadsTech
carrier which holds the Guinness Record for
Social networking site Facebook on
the oldest carrier in service was inducted into
Wednesday launched a new initiative,
the Indian Navy on May 12, 1987.
SheLeadsTech, to support women-founded or
The ship, famously known as the 'Grand Old
co-founded startups
Lady', was with the British Royal Navy since
It will also be expanding its SheMeansBusiness
1959 before the Indian government bought it
program that supports women-led small
for Rs 6.5 crore in 1987.
businesses. SheLeadsTech will give women-
About INS Virat
founded or co-founded start-ups access to a
The motto of INS Viraat was 'Jalamev Yasya, year-long program that provides tools,
Balmev Tasya' (meaning - One Who Controls mentorship and resources.
the Sea is All Powerful) The announcement which came ahead of
NS Vikramaditya is the only serving aircraft Women's Day aim to bring women on board
carrier of the Indian Navy and the second one, India's digital revolution in a bigger way.
named Vikrant, is under construction at India is among the largest user base for
Cochin Shipyard Ltd. Facebook and its affiliate WhatsApp. The
It housed the fighters 'White Tigers' country contributes 168 million users to
Facebook's 1.86 billion global users, and 200
Vijayawada, Tirupati airports renamed
million to WhatsApp's 1.2 billion monthly The senior citizens would be selected for the
active users. pilgrimage on the basis of draw of lots. There
are more than 400 destinations which can be
visited under the scheme.
Facebook
Founded: February 2004,

Haryana
Headquarters: Menlo Park, California, United
States Statehood 1 November 1966
Founders: Dustin Moskovitz, Mark Zuckerberg, Capital Chandigarh
Andrew McCollum, Eduardo Saverin, Chris Largest city Faridabad
Hughes Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar (BJP)
Tirtha Darshan scheme announced by Haryana
govt
A Tirtha Darshan scheme, under which senior Baichung Bhutia removed as AIFF advisor
citizens of the state will be able to go on
Out of favour with the All India Football
pilgrimage within the country on government
Federation (AIFF) due to differences in opinion,
expenses, was announced in the Haryana
former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia is no
Assembly.
longer advisor to both the AIFF and President
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar informed
Praful Patel.
the house about the scheme prepared state
Bhutia was roped in as advisor two years back
government, during ongoing budget session of
and has since then been instrumental in
Haryana Vidhan Sabha here.
bringing India coach Stephen Constantine
Under the scheme, the government would
back and also extending his contract till
bear the entire cost of the tour of senior
February 2018.
citizens belonging to the Below Poverty Line
Bhutia, it was also learnt, wanted Colm Toal to
(BPL) families. The scheme is reserved for
take over as the India U-17 World Cup team
domiciles of Haryana
coach after Nicolai Adam was shown the door.
In case of a couple, the expenses of the
But the AIFF decided to pencil in Portuguese
spouse belonging to BPL family would also be
Luis Norton de Matos instead.
borne by the government. They would also be
able to take along an assistant. In case of
M P Veerendra Kumar presented Moortidevi
senior citizens of non-BPL families, the
award
government would bear only 70 per cent of
the cost. Eminent Malayalam author and journalist M P
Veerendra Kumar was today presented the
30th Moortidevi award by Bharatiya Jnanpith National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has
organisation said.
Kumar was chosen for the prestigious award The first leg of the census was launched on
for his Malayalam travelogue March 1 from Narora in Uttar Pradesh to
Hymavathabhoovil, which dwells upon ancient Bijnor (covering distance of nearly 165 km) to
trails of Indian culture, myth, literature and establish the number of the national aquatic
people strewn in the plains, valleys and animal.
mountains of India Counting in the Allahabad to Varanasi stretch
The book also highlights environmental (close to 250 km in length) is expected to be
concerns over "fragile mountain ecosystem" launched this week.
and calls for action over lack of water The authority is conducting the survey through
resources and waste disposal systems. Wildlife Institute of India (WII),, under the
Kumar, who earlier won the Sahitya Akademi Namami Gange programme.
award for the same book, is also the Kerala
state unit President of Janata Dal (United). Sri Lanka wins 'Most Popular Tourism Destination
Kumar is Chairman and Managing Director of Award'
the Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi and a
Sri Lanka won the "Most Popular Tourism
Rajya Sabha MP.
Destination Award" at the Guangzhou
He has served thrice as the chairman of the
International Travel Fair (GITF) in China
Press Trust of India (PTI) and is currently a
The island nation won the prestigious award
director in the news agency.
for the second consecutive year which is a
Moortidevi award
testament to its growing popularity among
The Moortidevi Award is an annual literary Chinese travel enthusiasts, Xinhua news
award in India presented by the Bharatiya agency cited the statement as saying.
Jnanpith organization for a work which China has been Sri Lanka's second largest
emphasizes Indian philosophy and culture. source market for tourism since 2014.
The volume of visitors to this event has been
increasing annually and this has enabled Sri
Centre launches survey on Gangetic dolphins
Lanka to gain greater exposure and visibility
The Centre has launched the first ever across- for its unique destination brand
the-river survey in the Ganga to determine the
population of aquatic life, including that of the
Sri Lanka
endangered Gangetic doplhin.
The survey will create a baseline scientific data Capitals: Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
for the government to take suitable measures President: Maithripala Sirisena
to improve quality of the river water, the Prime minister: Ranil Wickremesinghe
Currency: Sri Lankan rupee account holders for failing to maintain the
Official languages: Sinhala, Tamil, English monthly average balance in their accounts.
The bank had done away with the minimum
Rihanna named Humanitarian of Year balance criteria for savings bank accounts a
few years back in a bid to lure new customers.
The popular singer Rihanna has been named
Sources said the service charges for non-
the 2017 Harvard University Humanitarian of
maintenance of monthly average balance
the Year, and will come to campus to accept
(MAB) will be revised with effect from April 1,
the Peter J. Gomes Humanitarian Award at a
2017.
ceremony
Monthly average balance that customers will
Rihanna has charitably built a state-of- the-art
have to maintain in their savings bank
center for oncology and nuclear medicine to
accounts in SBI branches in metropolitan
diagnose and treat breast cancer at the
areas is Rs 5,000.
Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Bridgetown,
In case the shortfall in the monthly average
Barbados
balance is below 50 per cent, then a charge of
The Harvard Foundation recognizes prominent
Rs 50 plus service tax will be levied.
public-spirited leaders each year in honor of
Similarly, in urban areas SBI customers will be
the late Rev. Professor Peter J. Gomes.
required to maintain a monthly average
balance of Rs 3000.
Harvard Humanitarian Award If the shortfall in MAB is less than 50 per cent,
Each year, the Harvard Foundation of Harvard then a charge of Rs 40 plus service tax will be
University presents the Humanitarian Award levied.
to an individual whose works and deeds have In semi-urban areas, customers will have to
served to improve the quality of our lives and maintain a monthly average balance of Rs
have inspired us to greater heights. 2000, while in rural areas, maintaining an MAB
This award is given in the name of the Rev. of Rs 1000 will be a must.
Professor Peter J. Gomes, Plummer Professor

and Minister in Harvard's Memorial Church,
SBI
and is authorized by the Dean of Harvard
Chairperson: Arundhati Bhattacharya
College and the President of Harvard
Headquarters: Mumbai
University.
Founded: 1 July 1955
Motto: The Banker to Every Indian
SBI to impose penalty for not maintaining
Subsidiaries: SBI Cards, State Bank of
minimum account balance from April 1
Hyderabad, more
State Bank of India, Indias largest bank, has Managing directors: Shri B.Sriram
decided to resume the charge on savings
Tagline: With you all the way ,Pure banking Britain's Andy Murray saw off Spaniard
nothing else,The nation's bank on us Fernando Verdasco in straight sets to win the
Dharamshala is second capital of Himachal Dubai Championships for the first time.
Pradesh The world number one dropped his first two
service games but recovered to win 6-3 6-2 in
Himachal Pradesh state cabinet on Thursday
one hour and 14 minutes.
approved Dharamsala, situated in the snow-
It is Murray's first tournament win of 2017 and
capped Dhauladhar range, as the second
the 45th of his career, which will see him
capital of the hill state
extend his lead over Novak Djokovic at the top
HP state cabinet has approved Dharamsala as
of the rankings.
2nd capital of state.
Dubai Championships title
On January 19, HP CM Virbhadra Singh had
proposed Dharamsala as state's winter Founded1993; 24 years ago
capital. Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Dharamsala lies in Kangra district, some Champions of 2017
250km from the state capital Shimla. Men's singles : Andy Murray
Women's singles: Elina Svitolina
Men's doubles : Jean-Julien Rojer Horia Tecu
Himachal Pradesh
Women's doubles: Ekaterina Makarova Elena
Capital: Shimla Vesnina
Chief minister: Virbhadra Singh
Language: Hindi Pak diplomat Sial assumed office as new Sec Gen
of SAARC
SERB Fellowship Award To Lalji Singh
Pakistan's seasoned diplomat Amjad Hussain
Lalji Singh, former Director,the center for B Sial today assumed office as the new
cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) has Secretary General of the South Asian
been selected for the award of SERB Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
Fellowship. He has succeeded Nepal's Arjun Bahadur
It is given by the science and Engineering Thapa, who was appointed the Secretary-
Research Board (SERB) which is a statutory General in 2014.
body of the Government of India. Sial's nomination was made by Pakistan at the
The Award supports research of scientists who SAARC Council of Ministers in Pokhara, Nepal,
are active and performing even after in March 2016 and was endorsed by all
superannuation. member states.
He is a seasoned diplomat from Pakistan
Andy Murray beats Fernando Verdasco to win first Foreign Service with over 33 years of career in
Dubai Championships title the diplomatic field.
SAARC The chatbot will be live for only two weeks

from the date of its launch on the Haptik app,
South Asian Association for Regional
which is available on both iOS and Android.
Cooperation (SAARC)
Establishment: 8 December 1985
Headquarters: Kathmandu What is Chatbot?
Member
A chatbot (also known as a talkbot,
states:Afghanistan Bangladesh Bhutan India
chatterbot, Bot, chatterbox, Artificial
Maldives Nepal Pakistan
Conversational Entity) is a computer program
Directors: Mr. Maihan Saeedi
which conducts a conversation via auditory or
textual methods. Such programs are often
HDFC Life brings country's first life insurance designed to convincingly simulate how a
Chatbot with Haptik human would behave as a conversational
partner, thereby passing the Turing test.
HDFC Life, one of India's leading private life
Chatterbots are typically used in dialog
insurance companies, announced the launch
systems for various practical purposes
of India's first life insurance chatbot in
including customer service or information
collaboration with Haptik, India's largest
acquisition.
chatbot platform.
The term "ChatterBot" was originally coined
The chatbot will act as a financial guide to
by Michael Mauldin (creator of the first Verbot,
help users choose the most suitable life
Julia) in 1994 to describe these conversational
insurance plans and solutions.
programs.
This chatbot aims to assist the customers with
There are two main types of chatbots, one
insurance advice - ranging from Health to Tax
functions based on a set of rules, and the
Planning & Retirement, based on a simple 60-
other more advanced version uses artificial
second quiz which enables it to compute their
intelligence.
Insurance Quotient.
The chatbots based on rules, tend to be
Calculated using different parameters under
limited in functionality, and are as smart as
each insurance category, the Insurance
they are programmed to be. On the other end,
Quotient is an indicative score for each
a chatbot that uses artificial intelligence,
individual, based on which, HDFC Life can
understands language, not just commands,
recommend the best-suited insurance plans
and continuously gets smarter as it learns
for the user.
from conversations it has with people.
The chatbot not only works as a personal
financial advisor but also brings to the
forefront the universal need for life insurance. HDFC Life
Founded: 2000 Airports Council International (ACI) is the only

Headquarters: Mumbai, India global trade representative of the worlds
MD & CEO: Amitabh Chaudhry & airport authorities. Established in 1991, ACI
represents airports interests with
ED & CFO: Vibha Padalkar,
governments and international organizations,
develops standards, policies and
recommended practices for airports, and it
provides information and training
Hyderabad airport ranks 1st in world in airport
opportunities to raise the standards around
service quality
the world.
GMRs Hyderabad International Airport has It aims to provide the public a safe, secure,
secured first position in the world in the efficient and an environmentally responsible
prestigious Airports Council International air transport system.
(ACI)-Airport Service Quality (ASQ) survey in It is governed by the ACI Governing Board. ACI
the 5-15 million passengers per annum (MPPA) World is located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
category for the year 2016. ACI works on a daily basis with the
The survey shows that Hyderabad Airport has International Civil Aviation Organization
steadily improved its score from 4.4 in 2009 to (ICAO) and is a member of the Air Transport
4.9 in 2016 (measured on scale of 1 to 5) Action Group (ATAG).
Hyderabad Airport, running in to its 9th year
of operations, is designed to cater to 12MPPA. First smart tribal village inaugurated in Jammu &
It has witnessed a growth of more than 20% in Kashmir
the last year with a passenger throughput of
Jammu and Kashmir Minister for Food, Civil
close to 15MPPA in calendar year 2016.
Supplies, and Consumer Affairs Chowdhary
As the industrys most comprehensive
Zulfkar Ali inaugurated the first smart tribal
passenger service benchmarking tool, the ACI
model village 'Hubbi' in Rajouri district of the
ASQ survey has reliably captured passengers
state. The Rural Development Department has
immediate appraisal from check-in through
introduced smart classes in schools, better
departure at the gate at more than 300
roads, electricity, and water facility in the
airports worldwide
village.
The ASQ award ceremony will be held at the
Smart Tribal Village scheme
27th ACI Africa/World Annual General
Launched in: November 2016
Assembly, Conference & Exhibition in Port
Launched by: Minister for CA&PD and Tribal
Louis, Mauritius from 16-18 October
Affairs Choudhary Zulfkar Ali
In the first phase, Hubbi and Targain villages
What is ACI? of district Rajouri would be taken up for
holistic development under convergence plan. actor who played the character of Sarabjit
Singhs sister Dalbir Kaur, has won the Best
National Conference on Jal Kranti held in Delhi Actress award at the International Film
Festival and Awards of Australia (IFFAA).
Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti
Sarbjit The Film, directed by Omung Kumar,
inaugurated a national conference on Jal
was the biopic on Sarabjit Singh, an Indian
Kranti Abhiyan in New Delhi. About 700
farmer who was convicted of terrorism and
participants representing various stakeholder
spying in Pakistan and was sentenced to
groups such as farmers, panchayat members,
death. He was attacked by inmates at a prison
NGOs and students will attend the day-long
in Lahore in April 2013 and died a few days
conference.
later.
Ministry of Water Resources and River
Development had launched Jal Kranti Abhiyan
IISc makes it to top 10 global universities ranking
on June, 2015 to consolidate water
conservation and management in the country The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in
through a holistic and integrated approach Bangalore has become the first Indian
involving all stakeholders. educational institution to make it to the top 10
One of the main objectives of the Abhiyan is of a global ranking for universities.
strengthening grass root involvement of all IISc has been ranked eighth in the Times
stakeholders including panchayati raj Higher Education or THE Rankings, 2017 in the
institutions and local bodies for participatory best small universities category, joining the
irrigation management. elite list that includes California Institute of
Technology (Caltech) from the US, Ecole
Normale Superieure from France and Pohang
Jal Kranti Abhiyan
University of Science and Technology, South
It was launched on 5th June, 2015 across the Korea.
country Small universities are those with a student
Jal Kranti Abhiyan is being celebrated during strength of less than 5,000.
the year 2015-16 to consolidate water The Times Higher Education World University
conservation and management in the country Rankings
through a holistic and integrated approach It was founded in 2004 by the UK-based Times
involving all stakeholders, making it a mass Higher Education (THE) magazine.
movement. It provides the definitive list of the worlds
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan wins best actress award best universities, evaluated across teaching,
for Sarbjit at international film festival
research, international outlook, reputation and
Aishwarya Rai Bachchans film Sarbjit has more.
given her yet another reason to celebrate. The IISc,
It is a public university for scientific research the occasion of the 100th anniversary of
and higher education, was established in 1909 Yogoda Satsanga Society of India.
with active support from Jamsetji Tata and Sir Hesaid India's spirituality is its strength, and it
Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, the Maharaja of is unfortunate that some people link even
Mysore. spirituality with religion, whereas the two are
In 2015-16, it became the first Indian institute very different.
to be ranked among the top 100 in THE World Yogoda Satsanga Society of India (YSS)
University Rankings for engineering and
It was founded in 1917 by Paramahansa
technology at 99th position.
Yogananda, whose Autobiography of a Yogi
has introduced millions of truth seekers all
Indo-Nepal joint Military exercise 'Surya Kiran-X'
over the world to yoga and meditation, and
begins
whose universal Kriya Yoga teachings provide
A joint military exercise 'Surya Kiran-Xi' methods for achieving spiritually harmonious
between India and Nepal began in lives and enable us to contribute to a more
Pithoragarh area of Uttarakhand. compassionate and peaceful world.
This is a battalion level joint exercise between
the two armies. Cabinet approves MoU between India and the
The two-week long exercise is aimed at United Nations Entity of Gender Equality and
training of both the troops in the area of Empowerment of Women (UN-Women)
various counter insurgency operations over a The Union cabinet on Monday approved
prolonged period. Indias accession to the Customs Convention
It will also focus on other important aspects on International Transport of Goods under
such as humanitarian assistance and disaster cover of TIR Carnets (TIR Convention).
relief operations and environmental The convention is an international transit
conservation. system under the auspices of the United
Both the armies will mutually benefit from the Nations Economic Commission for Europe
varied experiences gained during the exercise. (UNECE) to facilitate seamless movement of
The Surya Kiran series of exercises are being goods within and among the parties to the
conducted biannually, alternatively in India Convention.
and Nepal. The move will remove the need for inspection
of goods at intermediate borders and physical
PM Modi releases postage stamp on 100 years of escorts en route shall be eliminated due to
Yogoda Satsang Math
reciprocal recognition of customs controls.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi The movement of goods under the TIR can be
released a commemorative postage stamp on allowed by checking only the seals and the
external conditions of the container, reducing
border delays, transport and transaction costs. 74 to 8, and hike the fee for trademark
This will result in increased competitiveness application
and growth for the trade and transport Features of the revamped Rules are as follows:
sectors.
Number of Trade Mark (TM) Forms have been
reduced from 74 to 8.
What is UN Women? Based on stakeholders feedback, the fees for

Individuals, Start-ups and Small Enterprises
In July 2010, the United Nations General
have been reduced from that proposed in the
Assembly created UN Women, the United
draft Rules i.e. only Rs 4,500 as against Rs
Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the
8,000 for e-filing of TM applications proposed
Empowerment of Women. In doing so, UN
at the draft stage.
Member States took an historic step in
Number of adjournments in opposition
accelerating the Organizations goals on
proceedings has been restricted to a
gender equality and the empowerment of
maximum of two by each party, which will help
women
dispose off matters in time.
It supports inter-governmental bodies, such as
To promote e-filing of TM applications, the fee
the Commission on the Status of Women, in
for online filing has been kept at 10% lower
their formulation of policies, global standards
than that for physical filing.
and norms.
The provisions relating to expedited
To help Member States to implement these
processing of an application for registration of
standards, standing ready to provide suitable
a trade mark have been extended right upto
technical and financial support to those
registration stage (hitherto, it was only upto
countries that request it, and to forge effective
examination stage).
partnerships with civil society.
Over all fees have been rationalized by
It leads and coordinates the UN systems work
reducing the number of entries in Schedule I
on gender equality as well as promote
from 88 to just 23.
accountability, including through regular
Modalities for service of documents from
monitoring of system-wide progress.
applicants to the Registry and vice-versa
through electronic means have been
Trademark Rules, 2017 Notified: Forms Reduced
introduced to expedite the process; e-mail has
From 74 To 8, Fee Increased
been made an essential part of address for
The Department of Industrial Policy and service to be provided by the applicant or any
Promotion (DIPP) on Monday notified the party to the proceedings so that the office
Trademark Rules, 2017. The Rules bring about communication may be sent through email.
two major developments- they slash the Hearing through video conferencing has been
number of trademark application forms from introduced.
Procedures relating to registration as The portal allocates a unique identity for each
Registered User of trademarks have also been proposal for all future references. It is
simplified. accessible from any computer with internet
Modalities for determination of well-known facility.
trademarks have been laid out for the first
time.
The objectives of the web portal
To enhancing efficiency, transparency and

Environment Minister launches Web Portal for
accountability in the process of CRZ
obtaining CRZ Clearances
clearances;
The Minister of State (Independent Charge) of To enhance responsiveness through workflows
Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri and availability of real-time information on the
Anil Madhav Dave, launched the web portal status of CRZ clearance proposals;
for obtaining Coastal Regulation Zone To ease of business and convenience of
clearances, citizens in accessing information and services;
The Minister termed the launch of the portal standardised procedures and processes across
as a good example of Ease of Doing Central and State levels
Business.
The Portal is a web-based system for obtaining
What is "Ease of Doing Business Index"?
clearances required from the Ministry under
the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) by the The ease of doing business index is an index created
Project proponents. by the World Bank Group.[1] Higher rankings (a low
The system will enable the Project proponents numerical value) indicate better, usually simpler,
and the concerned State/Union Territory regulations for businesses and stronger protections
bodies like the State Coastal Zone of property rights. Empirical research funded by the
Management Authorities (SCZMAs) and World Bank to justify their work show that the
Municipal/Town Planning agencies in tracking economic growth impact of improving these
the status of their proposals. The system is regulations is strong
based on web architecture, similar to the

existing systems in place for according
Karur Vysya Bank launches 3 technology services
environmental and forest clearances.
The Portal is a very user-friendly initiative, To keep pace with technology across the globe,
which enables submission of applications for Karur Vysya Bank (KVB) today launched three
CRZ clearance in a single-window interface technology services for the benefit of customers.
and facilitates quick flow of information FASTag: was launched in association with Indian
related to CRZ clearances. Highways Management Company, a subsidiary of

National Highway Authority of India, wherein pre
loaded tags affixed to vehicles help them move on India-Oman armies exercise, Al Nagah-II, began
without having to join queues at toll plazas and
A 14-day joint training exercise of the armies
handing cash for payment.
of India and Oman began at Bakloh in
It can be pre-loaded with amounts and the toll
Himachal Pradesh.
amount will automatically be debited by the toll
The exercise, Al Nagah-II, drew contingents
plazas through sensors, he said. The tags can be
comprised of platoon strength troops from
reloaded as and when required and tags are valid
both the armies
at all toll lazas throughout the country
The second edition of the exercise is in
United Payments Interface (UPI): is a mobile app
continuation of a series of joint exercises
that helps customers to transfer funds inter-bank,
between the Indian Army and the Royal Army
24 X 7 through their smartphones, he said. A single
of Oman.
mobile application can access different bank
The first edition was held at Muscat in 2015.
accounts without the customer having to share his
bank details or having to remember user IDs and
passwords, he said. The transfer is effected through Aim
the Immediate Payment Service platform of NPCI The aim of the joint exercise is to acquaint
(National Payment Corporation of India). both forces with each other's operating
Supported by the security of two factor procedures in the backdrop of counter
authentication, payment requests can be initiated insurgency and counter terrorism environment
by the beneficiary or scheduled by the remitter, he as also to enhance the existing military
said adding that the KVB UPI can be downloaded relationship between" the two armies
from Android Play Store.
Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS), a facility
SBI launches 'Work from Home' facility for
offered through NPCI where in customers can make employees
utility bill payments like electricity, water, gas, DTH
Country's largest lender State Bank of
and telecom servioces through a single utility,
Indilaunched a new facility to enable its
instead of accessing multiple sites.
employees to work from home.
Karur Vysya Bank The Board of the bank has recently approved
the 'Work from Home' policy to enable its
It was set up M. A. Venkatarama
employees to work while at home using mobile
Chettiar and Athi Krishna Chettiar.
devices to address any urgent requirement
It is one of the largest old generation private
they may have, that prevents their travelling
banks in India
to work.
Founded: 25 July 1916
The lender will be using mobile computing
Headquarters: Karur, Tamil Nadu, India
technologies and shall have continuous
Chairman: B.Swaminathan
control over all the enabled devices centrally
to manage and secure the data and Its objective is to showcase North East as a
applications on the mobile devices. potential destination for investment and highlight
The use of technology and services shall be the rich cultural heritage, traditions and customs of
monitored through carefully designed MIS and the region.
dashboard to enable improvements and
"3 H" Mission
refinements
SBI 3 H Mission, that is Horticulture, Handicraft and
Handlooms, is the focus of Destination North East
Founded: 2 June 1806; Bank of Calcutta
2017.
27 January 1921: Imperial Bank of India
1 July 1955: State Bank of India
2 June 1956: Nationalization PM Modi to Inaugurate Indias Longest Cable
Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India Bridge in Gujarat
Chairperson: Arundhati Bhattacharya
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in
Gujarat for a two-day visit.
Chandigarh hosted Destination North East 2017
During his stay in Gujarat, the PM inaugurated
Chandigarh hosted a three-day long a four-lane bridge over the river Narmada in
Destination North East 2017 event, aimed at Bharuch.
showcasing North East as a potential The 1.4-kilometre 'extradosed' cable-stayed
destination for investment. bridge is reportedly the longest in the country.
The event was organised by the Ministry of It is expected to ease traffic woes on the
Development of North Eastern Region Ahmedabad-Mumbai National Highway,
(DoNER), government of India and an industry considered to be one of the busiest in India.
body PHD Chamber of Commerce and
Industry. Europe launched fifth Sentinel Earth observation
The event saw around table discussions and satellite
exhibition stalls showcasing various features
Europe launched the fifth of its Sentinel Earth
of the North East Region in order to attract
observation satellites on Monday as part of its
investments in tourism, skill development, food
multi-billion-euro Copernicus program to
processing, handlooms and handicrafts, rural
provide speedy images of land, oceans and
livelihoods, entrepreneurship and
waterways.
microfinance, horticulture and floriculture,
The Sentinel-2B satellite, part of a system of
medicinal & aromatic plants, organic farming
satellites that is to monitor Earth, blasted off
and bamboo development,
on board a Vega rocket from Europe's
Objective of Destination North East, 2017 spaceport in French Guiana
It will join its twin Sentinel-2A, which has been It will help people across the stateand the
in orbit since 2015, to take high-resolution, country to get a detailed information
color and infrared images for a wide array of regarding the steps taken by us in fulfilling our
environmental initiatives, including crop promise of transparent,responsible and people
forecasting and monitoring natural disasters. friendly government
The two satellites will orbit 488 miles (786 km)
above Earth, on opposite sides of the planet. Ashwin, Jadeja jointly on top in ICC Test rankings
Together, they will be able to cover all of
The Indian duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and
Earth's land surfaces, large islands, inland and
Ravindra Jadeja on Wednesday became the
coastal waterways every five days, providing
first set of spinners to be jointly ranked
more up-to-date images and at higher
number one in the ICC Test rankings for
resolution than have been available.
bowlers.
Jadeja has caught up with Ashwin in the
Karnataka CM launches 'Pratibimba' to project
rankings after the second Test against
achievements
Australia in Bengaluru which India won by 75
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaia runs on the fourth day
launched a comprehensive web-based Jadeja's seven wickets in the match, which
platform showcasing the government's included a crucial six for 63 in the first innings,
performance and achievements to the have helped him move up one rank to reach
citizens. the top position for the first time in his career,
Developed as the Chief Minister's dash board, n the rankings for Test batsmen, Australia
'Pratibimba,' which means reflection, will serve captain Steve Smith has maintained his reign
as a tool to improve efficiency in governance at the top for 77 Tests
and allow citizens to track government's India's win in the second Test assured them
progress. the No.1 spot in the ICC Test Team Rankings
'Pratibimba" is a reflection of the growth story on the April 1 cut-off date and a cash prize of
and development of the state, and the dash $1million. The fight is now for the second, third
board will reflect the works of all the and fourth places.
departments across flagship schemes, key ICC
programmes and projects undertaken in the
Motto: Great Sport Great Spirit
state.
Formation: 15 June 1909; 107 years ago
The dash board is available both in English
Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
and Kannada. Karnataka is the second state in
Chairman: Shashank Manohar
the country after Andhra Pradesh to have such
President: Zaheer Abbas
a dash board
CEO: David Richardson
IDFC Bank launches Aadhaar Pay Managing Director & CEO: Dr. Rajiv B. Lall
Independent Director: Veena Mankar
IDFC Bank launched the biometric-based
Tagline: Banking Hatke
Aadhaar Pay payment system
Aadhar Pay service is for merchants which will
enable them to receive Aadhaar-enabled Women Safety app 'Ammavin Aran' launched by
payments bypassing credit and debit cards, AIADMK
pin and password. The biometric reader is
The AIADMK IT Wing has launched the first-of-
currently available for Rs 2,000.
its-kind women safety application in Tamil
With the introduction of first of its kind, the
Nadu. The app is called 'Ammavin Aran'
bank targets to bring around 50,000-75,000
meaning 'mother's fortress'.
merchants onboard by 2019 and total
The app was launched as a part of Women's
touching 1,00,000 merchants in three year
Day celebration.
As per the report, the bank has been launched
The app was launched as a tribute to
after three-months of trial involving 1500
Jayalalithaa
merchants across 16 states.
Features of the app
The app will give the user details about the

Working of the app nearest police station and hospital along with
For merchant map details and phone number.
There is an in-built whistle, which can
Download the Aadhaar Pay app on their
manipulate the phone speaker to create a
phones
loud noise when pressed by anyone in distress.
Link the app to Aadhaar biometric reader
Also, the app carries an in-built call recorder
Once this app is linked, merchant will be able
and and 'Tips' icon to provide life saving
to start transacting with customers.
information.
Know More About Tamil Nadu
For a customers
Its capital and largest city is Chennai
Select the bank on the touchscreen It is the eleventh largest state in India.
Enter your Aadhaar national ID number The bordering states are Kerala to the west,
Scan fingerprints on the device to get the Karnataka to the north west and Andhra
confirmation Pradesh to the north.
To the east is the Bay of Bengal and the state
encircles the union territory of Puducherry.
IDFC Bank
Founded: October, 2015 Aadhaar made mandatory for a host of farm

Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India sector schemes
For better targeting of central subsidies, the The flag post, installed at the border, became
government has made Aadhaar mandatory for an attraction for thousands of tourists who
a host of schemes under the agriculture had reached there to watch the Beating
ministry, from soil health card and horticulture Retreat Ceremony during the sunset.
development to the Prime Ministers flagship At present, the tallest flag mast is in Ranchi,
crop insurance scheme launched last year. which is 300-foot high.
According to the notification, farmers without Amritsar city already has a 170-foot tall flag in
an Aadhaar number have to apply for it by the local Ranjit Avenue Public Park.
end of March and till that time they can avail
services under by furnishing a proof of their IBM Researchers Store Data on Worlds Smallest
application. Magnet -- a Single Atom
IBM announced it has created the worlds
What is Aadhaar? smallest magnet using a single atom and

stored one bit of data on it. Currently, hard
Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique identification number
disk drives use about 100,000 atoms to store a
issued by the Unique Identification Authority of
single bit.
India (UIDAI) after collecting biometric data of
The ability to read and write one bit on one
residents. Its for availing subsidies got legislative
atom creates new possibilities for developing
backing in March last year after the Aadhaar Bill
significantly smaller and denser storage
was passed by Lok Sabha.
devices, that could someday, for example,
enable storing the entire iTunes library of 35
Largest Flag Inaugurated On India's Tallest Post million songs on a device the size of a credit
At Attari Border card.
The ability to read and write one bit on one
A 360-foot high (110 metres) flag post, the
atom may lead to developing significantly
country's tallest, was inaugurated at the Indo-
smaller and denser storage devices in future
Pak Attari Border, just a stone's throw from
that can store the entire iTunes library of 35
Pakistan.
million songs on a device.
Punjab Minister Anil Joshi inaugurated the
Scientists used a scanning tunneling
country's largest flag on the tallest flag post -
microscope (STM) to build and measure
measuring 110 metres in length, 24 metres in
isolated single-atom bits using the holmium
width and 55 tons in weight.
atoms. An electrical current was used to write
Built at an approximate cost of Rs. 3.50 crore,
and read binary data (1s and 0s) on the atom.
the post was a project of the Amritsar
The invention can allow people and businesses
Improvement Trust Authority of the Punjab
to store 1,000 times more information in the
Government.
same space and one day make data centers,
computers and personal devices radically Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas has won his third
smaller and more powerful. straight Brazil Open tennis title by defeating
Key Facts About IBM Albert Ramos-Vinolas of Spain 6-7 (7-3), 6-4, 6-
4 in a rain-affected final.
International Business Machines Corporation:
It was Cuevas' sixth ATP singles title, all of
American multinational technology company
which have been on clay.
Founded June 16, 1911
The Brasil Open is a tennis tournament held
Founder Charles Ranlett Flint
annually in So Paulo, Brazil. A part of the ATP
Headquarters Armonk, New York, U.S.
World Tour 250 series, it is one of the main
events in the Brazilian tennis calendar.
Odisha govt launches 181 helpline for distressed Pablo Gabriel Cuevas Urroz (born January 1,
women 1986)[1] is an Argentine-born Uruguayan
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated a professional tennis player.
24X7 toll free helplinenumber 181 for Cuevas won the 2008 French Open men's
distressed women on the occasion on doubles title with Luis Horna.
International Women's Day He has won 5 singles titles and is currently in
The helpline will facilitate quick response of his career-high singles ranking of World No.
various services including lodging police 19. Cuevas' career-high doubles ranking is
complaint to provide medical, legal and World no. 14, which he achieved in April 2009.
counselling to women victims.

The Centre had launched the 181 helpline Himachal Pradesh launches mobile App Mera
number in 2013 after the brutal gang-rape of Hunar
Nirbhaya in December 2012 and asked all Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra
states to start the helpline. Singh launched mobile App and website 'Mera
Besides, 1091 helpline number by the police Hunar HP', a first of its kind in the country.
and 10920 helpline number by the State Benefits of Mera Hunar App
Commission for Women are also there.
'Mera Hunar' is a web based platform where
Key Facts About Odisha
the skilled, semi-skilled persons can apply for
Statehood: 26 January 1950 various jobs as per their convenience like
Capital: Bhubaneswar plumber, carpenter, mechanic, security guards,
Largest city: Bhubaneswar drivers, tourists guides, etc online. The
Governor: S.C. Jamir platform is available both in English and Hindi.
Chief Minister: Naveen Patnaik This platform will directly connect the
prospective employers with the job seekers as
Cuevas wins third straight Brazil Open title the application, will contain the address and
the phone numbers of those looking for jobs As India country director of the US-based
and other details as well. Institute for Sustainable Communities, Nair
This will benefit those looking for daily jobs established the organisations India office and
within their area. was helped build strong relationships with the
This would further supplement the Skill Indian government, the private sector and
development scheme of the state government NGO communities across Asia.
and would be of great help to those passing Nair holds an MBA in finance from Karnataka
out fresh from Industrial Training Institutes. University, an engineering degree in
electronics from Bharathiar University and has
Actress Viola Davis named Harvard Artist of the also studied filmmaking
Year Key Facts About Ford Foundation
Viola Davis, the popular actress, producer, The Ford Foundation is a New York
director, activist, businesswoman, and headquartered, globally oriented private
philanthropist, has been named the 2017 foundation with the mission of advancing
Artist of the Year. human welfare.
She was awarded the Harvard Foundations Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford
arts medal at a ceremony during the 32nd President: Darren Walker
annual Cultural Rhythms Festival in Memorial Headquarters: New York City, New York,
Halls Sanders Theatre. United States
She recently received the Critics Choice, Founded: 15 January 1936
Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, and British Chief investment officer: Eric Doppstadt
Academy of Films and Television Arts awards, COO: John W. Bernstein
as well as an Academy Award nomination for
her portrayal of Rose Maxson in the film Air India's all-female crew makes history with
adaptation of August Wilsons play Fences round-the-world flight
Air India says it has become the first airline to

Ford Foundation appoints Pradeep Nair as
fly around the world with an all-female crew
regional director for India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka
Air India scripted history by flying an all-
The Ford Foundation appointed Pradeep Nair women crew flight around the world
as regional director for India, Nepal and Sri The Boeing 777 flew from New Delhi to San
Lanka. Francisco, traveling over the Pacific Ocean.
As regional director, Nair will guide the The crew completed a mandatory rest period
foundations operations out of New Delhi. He before flying over the Atlantic back to New
will assume his new position at the end of Delhi, completing the round-the-world trip.
March, succeeding David Hulse. Every member of staff -- from the flight's
captains to the cabin crew, check-in and
ground handling staff -- were women. Even the challenges from states and advocate groups
engineers, who certified the aircraft, and air across the country.
traffic controllers, who cleared its departure The new order sought to alleviate some of
and arrival, were women these complaints by offering exemptions to
Key Facts About Air India: lawful permanent US residents and current
visa holders from the six countries Yemen,
Air India is the flag carrier airline of India and
Somalia, Sudan, Iran, Syria and Libya as well
the third-largest airline in India in terms of
as staggering the timeframe of
passengers carried, after IndiGo and Jet
implementation.
Airways.Wikipedia
Hawaii argues in an amended complaint that
The airline was founded by J. R. D. Tata as
the new order remains incompatible with
Tata Airlines in 1932
freedom of religion protections in both the
CEO: Ashwani Lohani
state and federal constitutions, will harm the
Headquarters: New Delhi
states economy and educational institutions,
Parent organization: Air India Limited
and would prevent Hawaiians with family
Founded 15 October 1932 (as Tata Airlines)
members in the six targeted countries from
Commenced operations 29 July 1946
reuniting.
Judge Derrick Watson granted the state
Hawaii becomes first state to sue over Trump's
revised travel ban permission to refile the amended motion for a
new restraining order on Trumps second ban.
Hawaii has become the first state to file a
The government has been instructed to file a
lawsuit against Donald Trumps revised travel
response to the motion by 13 March, with a
ban, saying the order will harm its Muslim
date in court set for 15 March at 9.30am
population, tourism and foreign students.
Hawaiian time, just hours before the second
Attorneys for the state filed the lawsuit
executive order will come into full force.
against the US government on Wednesday in
the federal court in Honolulu. The state had
Cairo: Mega cultural festival India by the Nile
sued over Trumps initial travel ban, but that
opens with Crafts Mela
lawsuit was put on hold while other cases
The mega cultural festival India by the Nile
played out across the country.
got off to a colourful start at the foot of the
Trumps new executive order, signed on
Pyramids with a Crafts Mela, showcasing joint
Monday, bars new visas for people from six
handicraft exhibition of India and Egypt
Muslim-majority countries and replaces an
The Embassy of India in Cairo, in collaboration
initial order issued on 27 January, which was
with Teamwork Arts, presented Crafts Mela
chaotically rolled out and subsequently halted
as part of the IBN 2017 cultural festival.
by a federal courtfollowing a barrage of legal
The festival, which is a celebration of Indian The Saraswati Samman is an annual award for
music, dance, theatre, visual arts, food and outstanding prose or poetry literary works in
wellbeing, is the largest foreign festival in any 22 Indian language listed in Schedule VIII
Egypt showcasing 70 events across the of the Constitution of India.
country. It is named after an Indian goddess of learning
It is organised by the Embassy of India in and is considered to be among the highest
partnership with the Ministry of Textiles, literary awards in India.
Government of India; Export Promotion The Saraswati Samman was instituted in 1991
Council For Handicrafts (India), the Ministry of by the K. K. Birla Foundation. It consists of Rs
Social Solidarity (Egypt) and the Federation of 15 lakh, a citation and a plaque
Egyptian Industries (FEI).
Three days of the exhibition have been
National Saftey Week: 4-10 March
dedicated to joint handicraft of both the
countries to relive and recreate the ancient 46th National Safety Day/National Safety
civilisational ties. Week Campaign commenced on 4th March
2017 and concluded on 10th March 2017.
Konkani author Mahabaleshwar Sail gets The idea of commemorating the Foundation
Saraswati Samman Day of the National Safety Council, 4th March;
and the first National Safety Day (NSD)
Eminent Konkani writer Mahabaleshwar Sail
Campaign was launched in 1972 and has since
has been honoured with the Saraswati
been organised every year. The Campaign now
Samman 2016 for his novel Hawthan. The
entering its 46th year, Started for a single day
award comprises a cash prize of Rs 15 lakh
on 4th March as NSD, the Campaign has now
and a citation.
been spread over a week from 4-11 March.
The 74-year-old writer's novel was shortlisted
The Campaign is aimed at renewing the
from 22 regional language books.
commitment of employees and the general
Best known for his work, 'Paltadcho Munis',
public to work safely throughout the year. The
which inspired a film by the same name, Sail is
ultimate objective of the Campaign is to
a renowned bi-lingual writer based in Goa.
ensure integration of OSH in work culture and
He has four Marathi dramas and seven
lifestyle.
Konkani novels to his credit. He has also
Theme of the year
written short stories and a novel in Marathi.
Published in 2009, 'Hawtha' is a work of fiction Keep Each Other Safe
presenting the cultural map of the traditional
potter community of Goa.
Iran Successfully Test-Fires Hormuz-2 Ballistic
Missile
Key Facts About Saraswati Samman
The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary by Central Institute for Cotton Research
Guard Corps announced that the Iranian (CICR), Nagpur.
military successfully test-fired a Hormuz-2 Cotton is the only genetically-modified seed
ballistic missile this week. legally allowed in India. Punjab alone needs
The missile destroyed a floating target at a around 20-25 lakh packets of Bt cotton seed
distance of approximately 155 miles for the sowing of the crop which roughly
Hormuz-2 is a naval strike ballistic missile amounts to around Rs 225 crores.
intended to hit moving targets at sea with What is Bt cotton?
high precision, and has a range of nearly 300
Bt cotton is a genetically modified organism
kilometres (186 miles), Press TV reported. The
(GMO) cotton variety, which produces an
missile is similar in appearance to the anti-ship
insecticide to bollworm.
Khalij-e-Fars (Persian Gulf) ballistic missile.
Bt cotton has been genetically modified by the
Missiles Tested by Iran this week
insertion of one or more genes from a
S-300 surface-to-air missile defence system common soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringite
Fateh-110 short-range ballistic missiles NSIS. These genes encode for the production
Khorramshahr medium-range ballistic missile of insecticidal proteins, and thus, genetically
transformed plants produce one or more
toxins as they grow.
Punjab Agriculture University develops Bt cotton
variety with reusable seeds
Government releases draft rules for wallet
Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has
companies
developed the first genetically modified (Bt)
cotton seeds that can be reused, resulting in In a bid to make transactions through e-
saving of input cost to farmers. wallets safer and strengthen the grievance
The new cotton variety is among few others redressal mechanism for consumers, the
identified by Indian Council of Agricultural government has released a set of guidelines
Research (ICAR) for cultivation in North for wallet firms.
region. The draft Information Technology (Security of
The three Bt cotton varieties include PAU Bt 1, Prepaid Payment Instruments) Rules 2017
F1861 and RS 2013. which have been released for public
PAU Bt 1 and F 1861 were developed by PAU, consultation by the ministry of electronics and
whereas, RS 2013 was developed at Rajasthan IT cover an entire spectrum such as protecting
Agricultural University (RAU), Bikaner. While consumer information, especially financial
the PAU Bt 1was completely developed at data.
Punjab Agricultural University, the F 1861 and Information Technology (Security of Prepaid
RS 2013 varieties were converted to Bt version Payment Instruments) Rules 2017
The Rules mandate that each Prepaid 2005. The initiative was launched by CII in
Payment Instruments (PPI) company or wallet partnership with EXIM Bank of India and with
firm will have a privacy policy posted on its the support of the Ministry of External Affairs
website. It will also have to appoint a chief and the Ministry of Commerce & Industry,
grievance officer, the contact details of whom Government of India. Over the last eleven
will have to be prominently displayed on the editions, it has emerged as the pioneer event
website. in building partnerships and enhancing the
The grievance officer will have to "act upon" economic engagement between the two
any complaint within 36 hours and "close" it in regions
a month's time. Objective of the conclave
The draft also mandate that companies have
To discuss cooperation in Trade, Regional
enough safeguards in place to avoid any
Integration & Infrastructure Development,
hacking attacks and if there is one, it is to be
Finance & Consultancy, Mining & Minerals,
swiftly reported to the government agencies
Agriculture & Agro-Processing, Power &
Every e-PPI issuer shall have in place and
Alternative Energy, Healthcare, Small &
publish on its website and mobile applications
Medium Enterprises, Human Capital
the privacy policy and the terms and
Development and People-to-People Contacts.
conditions for use of the payment systems
operated by it in simple language, capable of
being understood by a reasonable person NBFC cash loan against gold restricted to Rs
The personal information of the customers will 25,000
be treated under Section 72A of the Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFCs)

Information Technology Act, and the financial cannot lend more than Rs 25,000 in cash
data of the customer shall be deemed to be against gold, as stated by RBI.
sensitive personal data under the "Information The earlier provision for NBFC was that high-
Technology (Reasonable Security Practices value loans against the gold of Rs 1 lakh and
and Procedures and Sensitive. above must only be disbursed by cheque. RBI
reduced the amount to Rs 25,000 from the
President of India inaugurated the 12th CII-Exim earlier Rs 1 lakh in line with the provisions of
bank conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership the Income Tax Act.
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee What is NBFC?
inaugurated the 12th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) is a
on India-Africa Project Partnership in New company registered under the Companies Act,
Delhi. 1956 engaged in the business of loans and
The first CII- EXIM Bank Conclave on India- advances, acquisition of
Africa Project Partnership was held in the year shares/stocks/bonds/debentures/securities
issued by Government or local authority or The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, protects the
other marketable securities of a like nature, employment of women during the time of her
leasing, hire-purchase, insurance business, chit maternity and entitles her full paid absence
business but does not include any institution from work, to take care of her child.
whose principal business is that of agriculture Among other things, the bill provides for 12
activity, industrial activity, purchase or sale of weeks of maternity leave to a woman who
any goods (other than securities) or providing legally adopts a child below three months of
any services and sale/purchase/construction age and a commissioning mother (defined as a
of immovable property. biological mother) who uses her egg to have a
A non-banking institution which is a company surrogate child.
and has a principal business of receiving The amendments would ensure that full
deposits under any scheme or arrangement in maternal care is provided during the full
one lump sum or in instalments by way of bloom period and will encourage more women
contributions or in any other manner is also a to join the workforce in the organised sector,
non-banking financial company (Residuary he added.
non-banking company). The central government has already amended
NBFC cannot accept demand deposits; its service rules and is providing 26 weeks
NBFCs do not form part of the payment and maternity leaves to its employees.
settlement system and cannot issue cheques
drawn on itself; ICC appoint Sachin Tendulkar as official
Deposit insurance facility of Deposit Insurance ambassador of women's World Cup 2017
and Credit Guarantee Corporation is not
Indian cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar was
available to depositors of NBFCs, unlike in the
announced as the official ambassador of
case of banks.
Women's Cricket World Cup 2017 by the
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Maternity Leave Raised To 26 Weeks The womens World Cup this year starts on
June 24 in England and Wales with eight top
Women working in the organised sector will
cricketing countries locking horns to grab the
now be entitled to paid maternity leave of 26
coveted trophy. The 21-day tournament
weeks, up from 12 weeks, as Parliament today
having 28 matches will be played at five
passed a bill in this regard that will benefit
different venues with the final at Lord's.
about 1.8 million women.
Sachin Tendulkar is perhaps the biggest icon
The new law will apply to all establishments
of the game. The ICC could not have got
employing 10 or more people and the
anyone bigger to promote the womens game
entitlement will be for only up to first two
and therefore it is a very wise decision to
children. For the third child, the entitlement
appoint Sachin as the brand ambassador.
will be for only 12 weeks.
ICC The Political Affairs Committee deals with all

policy matters pertaining to domestic and
Motto: Great Sports Great Spirit
foreign affairs.
Formation: 15 June 1909
The Economic Affairs Committee directs and
Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
coordinates the governmental activities in the
Chairman: Shashank Manohar
economic sphere.
President: Zaheer Abbas
Appointment Committee decides all higher
CEO David Richardson
level appointments in the Cabinet Secretariat,
Public enterprises, Banks and Financial
BP Kanungo appointed RBI Deputy Governor Institutions.
BP Kanungo was on Friday appointed Deputy Parliamentary Affairs Committee looks after
Governor in Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for the progress of government business in the
three years. Parliament.
The Appointments Committee of Cabinet

(ACC) has approved his appointment to the Narendra Kumar takes over as Chairman Central
Water Commission
post with effect from the date of taking over
the charge on or after April 3 Shri Narendra Kumar, an officer of Central
He has been appointed in place of R Gandhi. Water Engineering Service (1979 batch) has
Kanungo was in March last year appointed as assumed the charge of Chairman, Central
Executive Director in the central bank. Water Commission (CWC).
The ACC has also named Dilip S Shanghvi as Areas Served by Narendra Kumar
Member, Western Local Board of RBI.
He has served in various capacities in CWC as
The appointment of Shanghvi, the promoter of
Assistant Director in Design Organisation
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries , to the post is
He has also served as Senior Joint
for a period of four years.
Commissioner in Command Area Development
wing of Ministry of Water Resources, River
The Appointments Committee of Cabinet
Development and Ganga Rejuvenation from
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet 2002 to 2005.
(ACC) decides appointments to several top From 2009 to 2011, he served as Chief
posts under the Government of India. The Engineer, Brahmaputra and Barak Basin,
committee is composed of the Prime Minister Shillong.
of India (who is the Chairman), the Minister of He was also member of Experts Committee for
Home Affairs. Scientific Assessment of flood prone area in
The following four are the more important India and Standing Committee for
cabinet committees: Morphological studies of Indian rivers.
He took over as Member (River Management) sector.

of Central Water Commission in October 2014.
Mission of Central Water Commission Kiren Rijiju launches MySSB APP
To promote sustainable and integrated Union Minister of State for Home Affairs of
development and management of India's India. launched a mobile application "MySSB"
water resources by using state of the art in New Delhi
technology and competency and by Nearly three months after BSF constable Tej
coordinating all stakeholders. Bahadur accused his force of serving poor
quality of food and his seniors of siphoning
International Vision Zero Conference on ration money meant for soldiers, nearly all
Occupational, Safety and Health Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) have
The international conference on the VISION developed their own application to address
ZERO and its relevance to Occupational Safety soldiers' grievances.
and Health (OSH), is being organized from The application will have soldiers' financial
15th to 17th, March 2017 at Vigyan Bhavan, accounts, designations, and grievances. The
New Delhi by Directorate General Factory stress is on making the application interactive
Advice and Labour Institutes (DGFASLI), SSB
Government of India, Ministry of Labour and Sashastra Seema Bal or SSB, in English the
Employment and German Social Accident Armed Border Force (rarely translated into
Insurance (DGUV), Germany in association English in Indian usage), is one of India's
with International Social Security Association Central Armed Police Forces. It is currently
(ISSA). under the administrative control of the
An exhibition on OSH is also being organized Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government
during the conference from 15th to 17th of India. Prior to 2001, the force was known as
March, 2017 at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. the Special Service Bureau (SSB)
The exhibition will provide the most efficient Headquarters New Delhi
platform to support technological Minister responsible Rajnath Singh, Union
communication and business trade. The Home Minister
exhibition segments will show-case personal Agency executive Archana Ramasundram
protective equipment (PPEs), health at work, IPS, Director-General,
high-risk prevention, environmental protection
at work, etc.
Limits on cash withdrawal from savings bank
Aim:
account removed
To focus on the Occupational Safety and
All restrictions on cash withdrawal from
Health issues and challenges in the
savings bank account have been removed
Manufacturing, Construction and Mining
from today as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was his sixth win on the Asian Tour and overall
had announced about it last month.Earlier, it sixth international victory.
had removed cash withdrawal limits from Chawrasia pocketed a winner's cheque of
ATMs from February 1. 291,660 USD.
Last month, the RBI had issued a notification Chawrasia is the third player to win back-to-
saying that the withdrawal limit of cash from back Indian Open. The other two golfers who
savings bank accounts will be relaxed to Rs. did so earlier are Jyoti Randhawa who won in
50,000 from February 20 and there would be 2006 and 2007 and Japan's Kenji Hosoishi who
no restrictions from March 13. won in 1967 and 1968.
The Central Bank had put curbs on cash Hero Indian Open title.
withdrawals and set a withdrawal limit from
The Indian Open, known as the Hero Indian Open is
the ATMs and from bank accounts after the
a golf tournament on the Asian Tour that is
announcement the decision to demonetise old
currently held at the Delhi Golf Club. It became a
Rs. 500 and 1,000 currency notes on
European Tour co-sanctioned event in 2015.
November 8 last year.
The Reserve Bank of India Shiv Shankar Prasad Chawrasia
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is India's Shiv Shankar Prasad Chawrasia (born 15 May
central banking institution, which controls the 1978), also known as "Chipputtsia" and
monetary policy of the Indian rupee. "Chow" is an Indian professional golfer. After
It commenced its operations on 1 April he turned professional in 1997, he has gone on
1935 during the British Rule in accordance to win eight titles on the Indian Tour, including
with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of two wins at the Indian Open.
India Act, 1934. At the end of the 2014 season he asked the
Following India's independence on 15 August Asian Tour to change the spelling of his last
1947, the RBI was nationalised on 1 January name, previously Chowrasia, to Chawrasia,
1949. which is the spelling that is on his passport.
Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra In February 2008, he won the inaugural Indian
Governor: Urjit Patel Masters, which was a part of the 2008

European Tour.
SSP Chawrasia becomes second Indian to defend In February 2011, Chawrasia won his second
Indian Open title European Tour event winning the 2011
Avantha Masters in New Delhi.
SSP Chawrasia has become only the second
Indian golfer to successfully defend the Hero
Bangladesh declares March 25 as Genocide Day
Indian Open title.
He clinched a seven-stroke win at the Bangladeshs unanimously adopted a
redesigned DLF Golf and Country Club. This resolution declaring March 25 as Genocide
Day, in remembrance of the atrocities carried Lee Chong Wei won his fourth All England
out by the Pakistani Army on the night of Open Badminton Championships crown
March 25, 1971. He defeated Shi Yuqi of China.
The Pakistan Army swooped on unarmed He won his maiden Superseries final in Paris in
civilians on the night of March 25, 1971, to October.
crush the Bengali rebellion following refusal by Dato' Lee Chong Wei
the military leadership to accept the election
Dato' Lee Chong Wei is a Malaysian
results of 1970 in which the Awami League got
professional badminton player.
thumping majority. Operation Searchlight
As a singles player, Lee was ranked first
began in the first hours of March 25 in Dhaka.
worldwide for 199 consecutive weeks from 21
Operation Searchlight
August 2008 to 14 June 2012.
Operation Searchlight was a planned military He is the fourth Malaysian player after Rashid
operation carried out by the Pakistan Army to Sidek, Roslin Hashim and Wong Choong Hann
curb the Bengali nationalist movement in the to achieve such a ranking (since official
erstwhile East Pakistan in March 1971 which rankings were first kept in the 1980s)
the Pakistani state justified on the basis of He is the only Malaysian shuttler to hold the
anti-Bihari violence by Bengalis in early March. number one ranking for more than a year.
Lee is triple silver medalist at the
Arunachal Govt launches new scheme Adarsh Olympic Games, and the sixth Malaysian to
Gram Yojana win an Olympic medal.
All England Open Badminton Championships title
The Government of Arunachal Pradesh has
launched a new scheme - Adarsh Gram Yojana The All England Open Badminton
- with a view to reach to the poor people in Championships is the world's oldest
rural areas. badminton tournament, held annually in
The programme has been launched in line with England.
the basic philosophy of the Prime Minister - With the introduction of the BWF's latest
Sabka Saath Sabka Vikaas. grading system, it was given Superseries
Arunanchal Pradesh status in 2007, upgraded to Superseries
Premier status in 2011
Established: 20 February 1987
Capital: Itanagar
HSBC appoints AIA boss Mark Tucker as new
Governor: Padmanabha Acharya
chairman
Chief Minister: Pema Khandu
HSBC has appointed Mark Tucker, the chief
executive of Asian insurer AIA, as group
Lee Chong Wei clinches fourth All England Open chairman.

Badminton Championships title
Mr Tucker will take over on 1 October, Headquarters: HSBC Tower, London

succeeding Douglas Flint who has been in the
role since 2010. OnePlus ropes in Amitabh Bachchan as its new
The appointment breaks an HSBC tradition of brand ambassador
appointing insiders to the chairmanship.
Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus has roped
One of his first jobs will be to find a
in Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan as its
replacement for Stuart Gulliver, the chief
new brand ambassador for India.
executive of HSBC, who plans to step down
According to the OnePlus team, Bachchan has
next year.
been considered since he better represents
Mr Tucker has been chief executive of AIA for
OnePlus motto Never Settle.
seven years, during which he oversaw the
OnePlus 3T is rated as the best smartphone as
insurer's expansion in Asia.
compared to other brands based on consumer
Before AIA, he was the chief executive of
ratings on Amazon India.
insurance giant Prudential, and brings to
With this, Amitabh Bachchan has now joined
HSBC his experience at the top of a UK
the first-ever OnePlus Star which is a select
financial giant as well as his Asian exposure.
group of distinguished OnePlus users.
HSBC
HSBC Holdings PLC is a British multinational NTPC installs Indias largest Floating Solar PV
banking and financial services holding Plant in Kerala
company headquartered in London, United
NTPC started power generation from Indias
Kingdom.
largest floating solar power plant at
It is the world's seventh-largest bank by total
Kayamkulam in Kerala, on Friday.
assets with total assets of US$2.374 trillion (as
The 100 kWp floating solar generation plant,
of December 2016).
largest of its kind in India, was indigenously
It was established in its present form in
developed as a part of Make In India
London in 1991 by The Hongkong and
initiative, at Rajiv Gandhi Combined Cycle
Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited to act
Power Plant (RGCCPP) in Keralas Kayamkulam
as a new group holding company
district
First established on 3 March 1865 in Hong
Solar panels mounted on floating boards that
Kong as The Hongkong and Shanghai Bank)
hold them in place saves land usage and has
First incorporated on 14 August 1866 as The
been found to be efficient than the ones
Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation)
installed on land.
25 March 1991as HSBC Holdings plc, as
These floating platform were indigenously
parent holding company to the entity in Hong
developed by NTPC Energy Technology
Kong now as a subsidiary
Research Alliance, the R&D arm of NTPC Ltd,
Founder: Thomas Sutherland
in collaboration with Central Institute of
Plastic Engineering & Technology (CIPET), The Central Government has further been
Chennai and a patent has been applied for. vested with the power to remove the
NTPC Ltd Chairperson or other members, and to
reconstitute the Cou...
NTPC Ltd. formerly known as National Thermal
About FDDI
Power Corporation Limited, is an Indian Public
Sector Undertaking, engaged in the business The FDDI was established by the Ministry of
of generation of electricity and allied Commerce and Industry, Government of India
activities. in the year 1986.
Founded: 1975 It has pan-India presence with campuses at
Headquarters: New Delhi, India Noida, Kolkata, Chennai, Fursatganj (UP),
Rohtak, Chhindwara and Jodhpur.
Footwear Design And Development Institute Bill,

Arun Jaitley gets charge of defence ministry after
2017 Introduced In The Lok Sabha
Manohar Parrikar resigns
Commerce & Industry Minister Ms. Nirmala
Finance minister Arun Jaitley was given the
Sitharaman introduced the Footwear Design
additional charge of the defence ministry after
and Development Institute (FDDI) Bill, 2017 in
Manohar Parrikar resigned to take on the new
the Lok Sabha.
role of Goa chief minister.
The Bill intends to declare the FDDI as an
the President has directed that Arun Jaitely,
Institution of National Importance (INI).
cabinet minister, shall be assigned the charge
It further seeks to facilitate and promote
of the Ministry of Defence, in addition to his
teaching, training and research in all
existing portfolios,
disciplines relating to design and development
This is the second time that Jaitley is holding
of Footwear and leather products and to
the additional portfolio of Defence Ministry
enable FDDI to emerge as Centre of Excellence
during the present NDA government.
meeting international standards
He was incharge of the ministry earlier from
Purpose of the bill
May 26 to November 9 in 2014.
It proposes to establish the FDDI as a body Ministry of Defence
corporate, unlike the present structure
The Ministry of Defence is charged with co-
wherein the institute is centrally-funded for
ordinating and supervising all agencies and
meeting its capital expenditure.
functions of the government relating directly
The institute would consist of a Governing
to national security and the Indian armed
Council, with a Chairperson who shall be an
forces.
.eminent academician, scientist or industrialist
The Ministry has the largest budget among the
from the leather sector, to be nominated by
federal departments of India and currently
the Central Government.
maintains sixth in military expenditure among Commonwealth Day -March 13, 2017
countries of the world.
Commonwealth Day is celebrated annually
The President of India is the Supreme
across the Commonwealth of Nations on the
Commander of the Armed Forces of the
second Monday in March(March 13, 2017)
country.
The objective of this day is to come together
The Ministry of Defence provides policy
and celebrate its values and diversity.
framework and resources to the Armed Forces
The theme of 2017 is :A peace-building
to discharge their responsibility in the context
Commonwealth"
of the defence of the country.
It is marked by a multi-faith service in
The Armed Forces (including Indian Army,
Westminster Abbey, normally attended by
Indian Air Force, Indian Navy) and Indian
Queen Elizabeth II as Head of the
Coast Guard under the Defence Ministry are
Commonwealth along with the
primarily responsible for ensuring the
Commonwealth Secretary-General and
territorial integrity of the nation.
Commonwealth High Commissioners in
London.
Krishi Unnati Mela begins in New Delhi
Commonwealth Nation:
National Agricultural Fair "Krishi Unnati Mela Headquarters: Marlborough House, London
2017" is being organised during March 15-17, Head: Queen Elizabeth II
2017 at IARI, PUSA New Delhi by ICAR-DARE,
IARI supported by Ministry of Agriculture & Reliance Commercial Finance appoints Devang
Farmers Welfare, Govt. of India. Mody as CEO
Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce
Reliance Commercial Finance, a subsidiary of
and Industry (FICCI) is the Project
Reliance Capital announced the appointment
Management Partner for the fair.
of Devang Mody as chief executive officer.
Major attraction of the mela would be
Prior to this, Mody served as president of
digitisation in agriculture, organic farming,
consumer business at Bajaj Finance.
agribusiness models, precision farming, skill
The consumer finance business of Bajaj
building and entrepreneurship development
Finance, under his leadership, witnessed a
Live demo of water use efficient technologies,
sharp growth to its current size spanning over
recycling of waste water for agriculture and
300 towns, with market leadership positions
on-spot soil and water testing will also be held
across various business lines.
The technical sessions on various themes are
The company, over the last eight years, has
planned to educate farmers on various
helped create success stories for over 1.3 lakh
agricultural technologies and government
SMEs across the country covering
schemes for agricultural development.
various industries, and disbursed loans of over
Rs 50,000 crore to them.
Who is Devang Mody? Productivity enhancement shall also be

achieved through employing the best global
Mody, aged 44, has over 20 years of
innovations and integration of various
experience in the financial sector.
production oriented activities such
He started his career with Mahajan & Aibara,
as: Production of quality fish seeds, Cost
and then moved on to EY, followed by a stint
effective feed and adoption of technology
at GE Money Financial Services where he was
etc.
VP - Strategic Initiatives, before moving to
Key Highlights
Bajaj Finance.
Reliance Commercial Finance is amongst the The Department has identified 20 States
leading small and medium enterprise (SMEs) based on their potential and other relevant
lenders in the non-banking finance space with factors to strengthen the Fish Seed
assets under management of Rs 16,191 crore infrastructure in the country.
as of December 31, 2016. This program with a total expenditure of
about Rs. 52000 lakh will facilitate the
Union government launches Mission Fingerling to establishment of hatcheries and Fingerling
achieve Blue Revolution rearing pond to ensure the fish production of
426 crores fish fingerling, 25.50 crores Post
Recognizing the potential and possibilities in
Larvae of shrimp and crab in the country.
the fisheries sector, Government of India has
This will converge in the production of 20 lakh
envisaged a program named Blue
tonnes of fish annually and will benefit about
Revolution to unlock the countrys latent
4 million families.
potential through an integrated approach.
The implementation of this program will
The Blue Revolution, in its scope and reach,
supplement the requirement of stocking
focuses on creating an enabling environment
materials in the country up to a large extent,
for an integrated and holistic development
which is a much-needed input to achieve the
and management of fisheries for the socio
enhanced fish production.
economic development of the fishers and fish
farmers.
Hyderabad best Indian city in living standards:
Thrust areas have been identified for
Mercer
enhancing fisheries production from 10.79
mmt (2014-15) to 15 mmt in 2020-21. Hyderabad for the third year in a row has
Aim of the mission emerged as the best city in terms of living
standards among Indian cities, while Vienna
Greater emphasis will be on infrastructure with
has been ranked at the top globally in a list by
an equally strong focus on management and
consultancy firm Mercer.
conservation of the resources through
The National Capital for the second straight
technology transfer to increase in the income
year hit the lowest score among Indian cities
of the fishers and fish farmers.
for living standards, as per the Mercer's Founded: 1945

Quality of Living rankings 2017. Headquarters: New York City, United States
Both Hyderabad and Pune ranked higher Chairman and CEO: Julio Portalatin
for quality of living than the country's
traditional business centres Mumbai and New Upcoming Rewa solar plant to receive loan from
Delhi, which have been ranked at 154 and 161, World Bank
respectively, by the report.
The World Bank has agreed to provide loan to
New Delhi scored well on account of its airport
develop internal transmission arrangements of
facility, availability of international schools
the upcoming Rewa Ultra Mega Solar (RUMS)
and low probability of natural disasters, these
project in Madhya Pradesh.
positives were offset by a variety of negatives
It will provide 25 per cent of the loan amount
including a 'notorious' crime rate, air pollution
under its Clean Technology Fund (CTF), where
and water availability
the money will be provided at an interest rate
Globally, Vienna remained at the top for
of only 0.25 per cent.
overall quality of living for the eighth year
This would be the first solar power project of
running, with the rest of the top-ten list mostly
the country to receive a loan under CTF (Clean
filled by European cities.
Technology Fund)
European cities in the top ten list are: Zurich
The installation of this solar power project
(2) Munich (4), Dusseldorf (6), Frankfurt (7),
would save Rs 14,000 crore for the state.
Geneva (8), Copenhagen (9) and Basel -- a
Besides, the project would also provide power
newcomer -- at 10th place.
to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.
The only non-European cities in the top ten
World Bank
are Auckland (3) and Vancouver (5).
The World Bank (WB) is an international
The highest ranking cities in Asia and Latin
financial institution that provides loans to
America are Singapore (25) and Montevideo
developing countries for capital programs.
(79), respectively
It comprises two institutions: the International
Singapore topped the city infrastructure
Bank for Reconstruction and
ranking, followed by Frankfurt and Munich
Development (IBRD), and the International
both in 2nd place, while on the other hand
Development Association (IDA).
Baghdad (230) and Port au Prince (231)
The World Bank is a component of the World
ranked at the bottom for city infrastructure.
Bank Group, which is part of the United
What is Mercer?
Nations system.
Mercer is the world's largest human resources
The World Bank's stated official goal is the
consulting firm.
reduction of poverty.
Mercer is a subsidiary of global professional
Motto: Working for a World Free of Poverty
services firm Marsh & McLennan.
Formation: July 1944
Headquarters: Washington, D.C., U.S. World's first fluorescent frog discovered in South
President: Jim Yong Kim, America
The worlds first fluorescent frog has been
IndusInd Bank to buy IL&FS Securities Services discovered near Santa Fe in Argentina.
Scientists at the Bernardino Rivadavia Natural
Private sector lender IndusInd Bank will buy
Sciences Museum in Buenos Aires made the
IL&FS Securities Services Ltd (ISSL), a
discovery by accident while studying the
subsidiary of Infrastructure Leasing and
pigment of polka-dot tree frogs, a species
Financial Services (IL&FS) Ltd, in an all-cash
common across the continent.
deal.
Rare 'cave squeaker' frog seen in Zimbabwe
IL&FS Securities Services, incorporated in July
for first time in 55 years
2006, is a capital markets intermediary for
In normal light the frog appears to have a dull,
professional clearing, depository and custodial
mottled browny-green skin with red dots, but
services.
under UV light it glows a bright fluorescent
ISSL services both retail and institutional
green.
clients including over 1,000 brokers, FPIs
Fluorescence the ability to absorb light at
(foreign portfolio investors) and FIIs (foreign
short wavelengths and re-emit it at longer
institutional investors).
wavelengths is uncommon in creatures that
The bank did not reveal the value of the
live on land.
acquisition.
The translucent frog was found to use a
This acquisition brings scale to this business,
combination of lymph and glandular emissions
complements our current product offerings
to fluoresce.
and fits nicely into our strategy of creating
The discovery opens up the possibility that
differentiated businesses with domain
other amphibians may be able to fluoresce,
expertise
particularly those with translucent skin similar
IndusInd Bank
to that of the tree frog.
IndusInd Bank Limited is a Mumbai based
Indian new generation bank established in Cabinet approves revised pact with Bangladesh to
1994. set up Border Haats
Indusind Bank is the first among the new-
The Union cabinet approved revised MoU
generation private banks in India.
between India and Bangladesh for
Founder: Srichand P. Hinduja
establishing Border Haats.
CEO: Romesh Sobti
The Union cabinet, chaired by the Prime
Tagline: We Make You Feel Richer
Minister Narendra Modi, has given its approval
to the revised Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) and Mode of Operation (MoO) between
India and Bangladesh for establishing Border The kit comes packed with soaps useful for
Haats on India-Bangladesh border. mother and child, baby oil, baby bed, mosquito
The Revised MoU and Mode of Operation will net, dresses, sarees, hand bag, towels and
provide a legal framework for establishment napkins, powder, diapers, shampoo and toys
and operationalisation of additional for the kid.
border haats The government proposes to earmark Rs. 605
Importance of Border Haats crore for the scheme.
The State has initiated a number of measures
Border Haats aim at promoting the well-being
for the welfare of women and children. In
of the people dwelling in remote areas across
order to provide nutritious food to pregnant
the borders of two countries by promoting
and lactating women and infants under
traditional system of marketing the local
Arogya Lakshmi, eggs, milk and nutritious food
produce through local markets.
will be made available through the
These measures help improve economic well-
Anganwadis.
being of marginalised sections of society
For easy digestion, Sanna Biyyam (fine rice)
Currently, four border haats are operational,
will be supplied through these Anganwadis.
two each in Meghalaya and Tripura.
The scheme is modelled around the 'Amma Kit'
These were established and operationalised
distributed for babies and mothers in Tamil
under the MoU and Mode of Operation of
Nadu.
Border Haats signed between Bangladesh and
India on 23 October 2010. Subsequently, an
Babul Supriyo named vice-president of FIFA U-17
Addendum to Mode of operation of Border
World Cup LOC
Haats was also signed on 15 May 2012.
Union Minister Babul Supriyo has been
Telangana launched Rs. 605-crore KCR Kit appointed vice-president of the FIFA U-17
scheme for pregnant women, new born World Cup organizing committee.
The showpiece event, to be hosted by India for
Focussing on women welfare and new born,
the first time, will be played from October 6 to
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar
28.
Rao has come out with an innovative scheme
The draw of the tournament will be held on
KCR Kit.
July 7.
The scheme is designed to address
A FIFA team is scheduled to visit India from
complications during the time of pregnancy
March 21 to 27 for the final inspection of the
and aimed at reducing infant mortality rate
facilities in the six cities which will host
and encourage institutional deliveries.
matches of the U-17 World Cup.
The KCR Kit consists of 16 essential things
The 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup will be the 17th
needed for a new-born and will be useful for
edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, the
up to three months.
biennial international men's youth football In 2017, there were 124 honorees spanning
championship contested by the U17 national five continents, 19 countries and 52 industry
teams of the member associations of FIFA. sectors.
The tournament will be hosted by India Wipro is one of the two information
between 6 and 28 October 2017. This will be technology companies named in the list, the
the first FIFA tournament hosted by the other being Xerox Corporation.
country. Meanwhile, Tata Steel is also one of the two
The FIFA U-17 World Cup companies named in the metals, minerals &
mining space. US-based Schnitzer Steel
The FIFA U-17 World Cup, founded as the FIFA
Industries Inc is the other company in this
U-16 World Championship, later changed to its
segment.
current name in 2007, is the world
Ford Motor Company has been named one of
championship of association football for male
the World's Most Ethical Companies for the
players under the age of 17 organized by
eighth straight year.
Fdration Internationale de Football
Tata Steel Limited
Association (FIFA).
The FIFA U-17 World Championship is a Tata Steel Limited (formerly Tata Iron and
competition that was inspired by the Lion City Steel Company Limited (TISCO)) is an Indian
Cup that was created by the Football multinational steel-making company
Association of Singapore in 1977. headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India,
The Lion City Cup is the first under-16 football and a subsidiary of the Tata Group
tournament in the world. Chairman: Natarajan Chandrasekaran
Managing Director: T. V. Narendran
Tata Steel, Wipro in world's most ethical Wipro Limited

companies' list
Wipro Limited (Western India Palm Refined
Two Indian companies, Tata SteelBSE and Oils Limited or more recently, Western India
Wipro have been named in the list of world's Products Limited is an Indian Information
most ethical companies by American think Technology Services corporation
tank Ethisphere Institute. headquartered in Bangalore, India
Ethisphere honours those companies who Founded: 29 December 1945
recognise their role in society to influence and Founder Mohamed Hasham Premji[
drive positive change in the business Headquarters Bangalore, Karnataka, India
community and societies around the world. Chairman: Azim Premji
CEO: Abidali Neemuchwala
Govt launches new scheme TIES for developing The central and state agencies, including
export linked infrastructure Export Promotion Councils, Commodities
Boards, SEZ authorities and apex trade bodies
The government has launched a new scheme
recognised under the EXIM policy of
TIES for developing export linked
government; are eligible for financial support
infrastructure in states with a view to promote
under this scheme.
outbound shipments.
Launched by Commerce and Industry Minister
World Consumer Rights Day: 15 March 2017
Nirmala Sitharaman, the Trade Infrastructure
for Export Scheme (TIES) seeks to bridge the World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) was
infrastructure gap and provide forward and started in 1983 and is an awareness day which
backward linkages to units engaged in trade is observed on March 15.
activities. It is celebrated annually to instigate action
An inter-ministerial empowered committee for among citizens for the international consumer
sanctioning and monitoring of the project was movement.
set up for the scheme. It will be headed by the Everyone is a consumer, and World Consumer
commerce secretary Rita Teaotia Rights Day gives a platform for all to voice any
The TIES would focus on projects like customs difficulties they face.
checkpoints, last mile connectivity, border It ensures that their rights are respected and
haats and integrated check posts. protected over injustice done in the market.
The idea of this scheme is to address those 2017 theme Empowering Consumers in The
gaps in infrastructure which are not addressed Digital Age
by any other scheme. It will help to ensure
smoother movement of export cargo and also
US Senate confirms Indian-American Seema
ensure quality standards and certification
Verma for top health care post
Salient Features
The US Senate has confirmed Indian-American
Under the scheme, priority would be given to
Seema Verma for a top health care position in
the projects involving significant contribution
the Trump administration and she was set to
by the implementing agency and bank
play a key role in the government's bid to
financing for achieving financial closure.
"repeal and replace" Obamacare.
The other salient features of the scheme
Ms Verma, who has been described by the
includes promotion of leveraging of funds
White House as the "unquestionably qualified"
from other sources including bank financing;
first generation Indian-American, was
no recurring costs of the land to be included;
confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 55-43.
and operating & maintenance costs to be met
She is likely to play a key role in the health
through pay and use charges.
care reform of US President Donald Trump,
who has made it a priority to repeal and Central Bank won Official language policy award
replace the affordable healthcare of his
Central Bank of India has been awarded first
predecessor Barack Obama.
prize in the implementation of Official
The second Indian-American in the Trump
Language Policy in the western region for the
Administration to be confirmed by the Senate,
year 2015-2016.
Ms Verma would head the USD 1 trillion
Sudhir Pathak, Chief Manager, Central Bank of
Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services
India, received the trophy and certificate from
that provides health services to 130 million
Kalyan Singh, Governor of Rajasthan, at the
people.
Official Language Conference of Central and
A health policy consultant, she is known as the
Western Regions in Udaipur recently.Central
architect of health care reforms in several
Bank of India, a government-owned bank, is
states, including Indiana.
one of the oldest and largest commercial
banks in India.
ICICI Bank, SBI, StanChart top bank frauds list:
Central Bank of India
RBI
Founded 21 December 1911; 105 years ago
ICICI Bank topped the list of banks that
Headquarters Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
witnessed most number of frauds during April-
Chairman & Managing Director: Shri. Rajeev
December period of 2016 with state-owned
Rishi,
SBI taking the second spot, RBI data said.
During the first nine months of the current
State Bank of India signs MoU with CREDAI
fiscal, as many as 455 fraud cases involving Rs
1 lakh and above were detected in ICICI Bank, State Bank of India and real estate developers
closely followed by SBI (429), Standard body CREDAI have signed a memorandum of
Chartered (244) and HDFC Bank (237). understanding (MoU) to jointly conduct
The other banks which reported large number various initiatives towards development of the
of frauds to the apex bank during the period realty sector.
include Axis Bank (189), Bank of Baroda (176) The MoU will be in force for a period of 3
and Citibank (150). years.
However, in value terms, frauds involving Rs Each of them will leverage their individual
2,236.81 crore were reported in SBI, followed strengths and collaborate in areas to promote
by Punjab National Bank (Rs 2,250.34 crore) housing for all, which will be beneficial to the
and Axis Bank (Rs 1,998.49 crore). sector.
In the case of SBI, 64 employees were involved SBI will be a national partner for all CREDAI
in fraud cases, while it was 49 for HDFC Bank activities and both will jointly work together
and 35 for Axis Bank. for various marketing activities like conclaves,
seminars, exhibitions, campaigns and CSR
activities as well.
The MoU is meant to mobilise the credibility of of the Amma canteens introduced by late
our members and the reach of the largest Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
bank in India to cater to both home loans and The Chief Minister announced that 198 such
construction finance requirements of the real canteens will serve breakfast and lunch for Rs
estate sector. 5, and Rs 10, respectively.
The availability of finance at lower rates would The budget proposal has earmarked Rs 100
help fulfil CREDAIs objective of making crore for the project, Siddaramaiah said during
housing more affordable. his Budget address on Thursday.
In other districts, subsidised food will be made
available at Saviruchi Sanchari (mobile)
Confederation of Real Estate Developers
canteens, which will be run by Self-Help
Established in 1999, CREDAI is the apex body Groups
representing 11,500 private Real Estate The Amma Unavagams, or Amma Canteens,
developers spread across 23 state level are subsidised food outlets first set up in 2011
chapters and 168 cities in India. by the Jayalalithaaled government in
CREDAI is a not-for-profit company registered Chennai. They were later expanded to other
under Section 25 of Companies Act, 1956. parts of the state, with the state government
In order to inspire confidence in the industry, opening 360 such outlets in June 2014.
CREDAI has adopted a Voluntary Code of The Namma Canteen has been one of the
Conduct ensuring highest ethical populist measures that Karnataka has been
standards among its members. To contemplating for some time now, and has
predominantly safeguard consumer interest, received the formal seal of approval this
CREDAI insists on setting up of Consumer budget
Redressal Forums through all its City Level
associations.
IISc, IIT-B among THE's top 50 Asian universities
CREDAI is the preferred CSR arm of its
list
members with Skill Development, Education
Scholarships and Swachh Bharat as thematic The Times Higher Education's Asia University
areas. Rankings 2017 released listed
Bengaluru's Indian Institute of Science at 27
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay is at
Following Ammas Lead, Karnataka Marks Rs 100
number 42
Cr for Namma Canteen
Chennai's Veltech University is at number 43.
Unveiling one of the flagship schemes in the With 33 universities in top-300 (up from 16 last
201718 Karnataka budget, CM Siddaramaiah year), India more than doubled its
announced the setting up of Namma Canteens representation, becoming the third most-
in the state capital Bengaluru, along the lines represented nation on the chart for the first
time. India joins WHO call to end TB by 2030 in South

East Asian
HDFC bank launches 3-minutes digital loan
India among other countries in the South East
against securities service
Asian Region, which bear half of the global
HDFC Bank launched digital Loan against tuberculosis burden, today signed a 'call for
Securities (LAS) allowing customers to avail action' and pledged to scale up measures to
loans in less than 3 minutes. end the disease by 2030.
The service will also be available to customers India reports 2.8 million new TB cases annually
with no credit history. and nearly half a million deaths due to the
The bank, which will offer 10.5 percent interest disease.
rate on the product, will soon expand the Health ministers from countries in WHO South-
offering to other securities such as mutual East Asia Region, which bear half the global
funds, bonds and insurance policies. TB burden and WHO signed a 'Call for Action'
Customers can avail a minimum loan of Rs 1 for ending TB, pledging to scale-up efforts and
lakh and maximum loan up to Rs 20 implement adequately funded, innovative,
lakh under this facility. multi-sectoral and comprehensive measures to
Banks normally disburse 50 per cent of the achieve the global target to end the disease
value of pledged shares as loan. by 2030,
The bank has collaborated with NSDL to Six of the region's countries -- Bangladesh,
seamlessly deliver this product. DPR Korea, India, Indonesia, Myanmar and
HDFC Bank Thailand -- are among the 30 high TB burden
nations globally.
HDFC Bank (Housing Development Finance
The global targets seek to reduce TB mortality
Corporation) is an Indian banking and
by 90 per cent and incidence by 80 per cent by
financial services company headquartered in
2030.
Mumbai, Maharashtra. It has 90,421
The initiative also stresses on increasing
employees and has a presence in Bahrain,
government and partner budgetary
Hong Kong and Dubai.
allocations to enable national TB plans to be
HDFC Bank is Indias second-largest private
fully funded.
sector lender by assets
WHO's South-East Asia Region comprises
In 1994 HDFC Bank was incorporated, with its
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People's
registered office in Mumbai, India. Its first
Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives,
corporate office and a full service branch at
Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and
Sandoz House, Worli was inaugurated by the
Timor-Leste.
then Union Finance Minister, Manmohan Singh
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a 58-year-old Bibhu Prasad Kanungo, a native of
specialized agency of the United Nations that this village has made the people of Balia
is concerned with international public health. village here proud after he assumed the
It was established on 7 April 1948, charge of deputy governor of RBI recently.
headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The Bibhu passed HSC from a high school in
WHO is a member of the United Nations Bhubaneswar and studied Intermediate
Development Group. Science from 1973 to 1975 in Kendrapara
The WHO is responsible for the World Health college
Report, a leading international publication on In 1979, he joined the Oriental Bank of
health, the worldwide World Health Survey, Commerce as a probationary officer. Later in
and 1980, he joined Reserve Bank as an officer
World Health Day is observed on 7 April of after passing Grade-B examination.
every year). During his stint as a senior officer of the
The head of WHO is Margaret Chan Reserve Bank of India, he worked in
Bhubaneswar, Bhopal, Patna, Mumbai, New
Michael Clarke's launches his autobiography 'My Delhi, Jaipur, Kolkata and other places in the
Story country
Former Australian captain Michael Clarke has

launched his autobiography titled "My Story" Reserve Bank of India
at Kolkata.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is India's
Former Indian Captain and president of
central banking institution, which controls the
Cricket Association of Bengal, Sourav Ganguly
monetary policy of the Indian rupee.
was also present on the occasion.
It commenced its operations on 1 April 1935
In the book, he elaborates the famous
RBI was nationalised on 1 January 1949.
Monkeygate case and also the death of his
It is a member bank of the Asian Clearing
teammate Phil Hughes.
Union.
The general superintendence and direction of
Boy from sleepy hamlet, Bibhu Prasad Kanungo, the RBI is entrusted with the 21-member
becomes deputy governor of RBI Central Board of Directors: the Governor, 4
Deputy Governors, 2 Finance Ministry
Residents of a sleepy hamlet in a remote
representatives, 10 government-nominated
corner of coastal Kendrapara district in Odisha
directors to represent important elements of
are elated as their son-of-the-soil ascended to
India's economy, and 4 directors to represent
a top-position in the Reserve Bank of India
local boards headquartered at Mumbai,
(RBI).
Kolkata, Chennai and New Delhi.
Each of these local boards consists of 5 Prathik Naidu, 18, from Virginia, received a
members who represent regional interests, the USD 70,000 award for his creation of a new
interests of co-operative and indigenous machine learning software to study 3D
banks. interactions of the human genome in cancer.
Vrinda Madan, 17, from Florida, received a
Indian-American teen wins top science award USD 50,000 award for her study of 24
worth USD 250,000 potential compounds for the treatment of
malaria, in which she found two potential
An Indian-American teen has won the top
candidates that appear to target the disease-
award, worth USD 250,000, in the oldest and
causing organism in a novel way and may
most prestigious science and math
warrant further study.
competition in the US, for her research on
preventing death of neurons due to brain
injuries or neurodegenerative diseases. India ranks 148 in representation of women in
Indrani Das, a 17-year-old resident of New government, Europe at top
Jersey, and four other Indian-origin students
India ranks 148 globally in terms of
were among the top ten finalists to be
representation of women in executive
honoured at the annual Regeneron Science
government and parliament, according to a
Talent Search Awards Gala for their research
report published by the Inter-Parliamentary
projects demonstrating exceptional scientific
Union (IPU) and UN Women. The data
and mathematical ability.
published in the report Women in Politics 2017
In a laboratory model, Das showed that
Map showed that women make up only 11.8
exosomes isolated from astrocytes transfected
per cent (64 MPs) of the 542-member Lok
with microRNA-124a both improved astrocyte
Sabha and 11 per cent (27) of the 245-
uptake of glutamate and increased neuron
member Rajya Sabha.
survival.
India ranks 148 globally in terms of
Arjun Ramani, an 18-year-old student from
representation of women in executive
Indiana won the third place honours worth
government and parliament, according to a
USD 150,000 for blending the mathematical
report published by the Inter-Parliamentary
field of graph theory with computer
Union (IPU) and UN Women. The data
programming to answer questions about
published in the report Women in Politics 2017
networks.
Map showed that women make up only 11.8
Archana Verma, 17, from New York, received a
per cent (64 MPs) of the 542-member Lok
USD 90,000 award for her study of the
Sabha and 11 per cent (27) of the 245-
molecular orbital energy dynamics of dyes,
member Rajya Sabha.
which may someday result in windows that
Regionally, womens representation in the
produce solar energy.
Americas made the most significant gains,
according to the report, rising from 22.45 per Chairman of Public Accounts Committee on
cent in 2015 to 25 per cent. April 30.
In Europe, the total percentage stood at 22.5 The Congress leadership had yesterday written
per cent. to the Lok Sabha Speaker recommending
The report was launched on the sidelines of Kharge's name for the PAC chairmanship.
the 61st Commission on the Status of Women. The chair of the PAC is given to an MP of the
A total of 227 countries were analysed in the main Opposition party.
survey. The PAC post will make him entitled to a
UN Women Cabinet rank and an office at the Parliament
House
The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality
Public Accounts Committee
and the Empowerment of Women, also known
as UN Women, is a United Nations entity The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is a
working for the empowerment of women. committee of selected members of Parliament,
Headquarters: New York City, United States constituted by the Parliament of India, for the
Head: Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka auditing of the revenue and the expenditure of
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) the Government of India.
The PAC is formed every year with a strength
The Inter-Parliamentary Union is a global inter-
of not more than 22 members of which 15 are
parliamentary institution established in 1889
from Lok Sabha, the lower house of the
by Frdric Passy (France) and William Randal
Parliament, and 7 from Rajya Sabha, the
Cremer (United Kingdom).
upper house of the Parliament.
It was the first permanent forum for political
The term of office of the members is one year.
multilateral negotiations.
The Chairman is appointed by the Speaker of
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
Lok Sabha.
President: Saber Hossain Chowdhury
Secretary General: Martin Chungong
ESAF Small Finance Bank launched
Mission: To promote democracy and inter-
parliamentary dialogue SAF Small Finance Bank, Keralas first private
sector in micro financing, was launched by
Mallikarjun Kharge Set to Become Next PAC Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan
Chairman The bank, promoted by ESAF Microfinance and
The Congress's floor leader in Lok Sabha, Investments (P) Ltd plans to open 85 branches
Mallikarjun Kharge is all set to become the in the first year, of which RBI approval has
next chairman of the Public Accounts been obtained for opening 15 branches on the
Committee (PAC). inaugural day.
Kharge will succeed his party colleague K V Bank also launched ATM cum Debit cards,
Thomas, who will complete his third term as website and digital banking channels.
ESAF, which has own fund of over Rs 300 Australia research centre enters into agreement
crore, recently raised another Rs 330 crore with Indian Railways
through the issue of commercial papers. The
A Railway research centre in Australia has
bank is targeting a business of Rs 20,000
entered into an agreement with the Indian
crores by 2020
Railways to support future research and
ESAF Microfinance
technology development related to critical
Evangelical Social Action Forum,better known infrastructure in India.
as ESAF Microfinance, is a non-banking Representatives from Monash University
finance company-Microfinance Institution Institute of Railway Technology (IRT) and
(NBFC-MFI), licensed by the Reserve Bank of Indian Ministry of Railways corporation
India and DFCCIL (Dedicated Freight Corridor
It is headquartered in Thrissur City of Kerala. Corporation of India Limited) signed an
agreement.
Lenovo appoints Subhankar Roy Chowdhury as IRT with partners - Balaji Railroad Systems Ltd
head HR for Asia Pacific (BARSYL), leading railway consultants in India,
PwC, and Indian Institute of Bombay (IITB)
Lenovo has announced the appointment of
were selected as the preferred supplier from a
Subhankar Roy Chowdhury to head its human
competitive global selection process.
resources team in Asia Pacific.
They will provide guidance on the
He was previously the company's executive
establishment of a new applied research and
director and global head for HR Strategy, M&A
development institute in India known as
and HR Analytics.
SRESTHA (Special Railway Establishment for
In his new role, he will work on transformation
Strategic Technology & Holistic
and people strategy in Asia Pacific with focus
Advancement).
on building leadership, cultural transformation
SRESTHA will be locally engaged, but have a
and developing talent resources.
global reach with the aim to become a world
Prior to this role, Subhankar and his team led
leader in the advancement of rail.
the development of the companys corporate
HR strategy, integrating multiple business
First Airbus training centre in Asia to come up
groups HR strategies, building HR Analytics
near Delhi's IGI Airport
function to support HR strategy, and
consulting support on HR in M&A Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ashok
programmes. Gajapathi Raju performed the ground-
Subhankar succeeds Andrew Dahms, who breaking ceremony for the first ever Airbus
departs at the end of March India Training Centre in Asia.
Airbus will be setting up a greenfield training would assist senior citizens in their everyday
facility in Aerocity, close to Delhi's Indira tasks.
Gandhi International Airport. Chintu, under 2ft tall robot, was developed
This training facility is being set up to cater to after MIT Pune received a grant of Rs 10 lakh
the growing demand of skilled people in the last year from IBM.
domestic aviation space. It is powered by the US-based company's
It is expected to be operational by the end of cognitive assistant, IBM Watson. Chintu can
2018. move his hands and read books to an
Characteristics of the centre audience.
Chintu will assist senior citizens in conducting
The centre would be constructed over an area
everyday tasks such as reading the
of around 7,000 square metres. Once
newspaper/book and generate reminders on
complete, the facility will have two A320 full
their daily medication
flight simulators, which could be increased to
six, as and when the need arises.
Sanjauli police post becomes first in India to be
Initially, the centre was expected to train 800
linked with CCTNS
pilots and 200 service and maintenance
engineers. At present, Airbus has more than Sanjauli police station has become the first
250 aircraft in service in India and state carrier police post in the country to be linked with
Indian Airlines has placed order for 550 more Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and
aircraft. Systems (CCTNS), a nationwide online tracking
Airbus system.
Airbus is a division of the multinational Airbus The system will facilitate people in lodging
Group SE that manufactures civil aircraft. online/offline complaints, police verification of
Founder: Roger Bteille, Felix Kracht, Henri job applicants, tenants, character verification
Ziegler, Franz Josef Strauss and migrant labourer registration.
Headquarters: Blagnac, France People, specially senior citizens, differently
President: Fabrice Brgier abled and women, in far-flung areas of the
Chief Executive Officer: Tom Williams state can lodge First Information Reports
MIT Pune, IBM unveil robot 'Chintu' to assist (FIRs) through the nearest police post.
senior citizens He added that in future, all police posts in

Himachal Pradesh would be linked with
CCTNS.
The students of Maharashtra Institute of CCTNS
Technology (MIT) Pune and technology giant The Crime and Criminal Tracking Networks
IBM have developed a robot, Chintu, which and Systems, abbreviated to CCTNS, is a
project under Indian government for creating
a comprehensive and integrated system for The SSA will also help promote more
effective policing through e-Governance. investment flows between the two countries.
The system includes nationwide online
tracking system by integrating more than Whanganui river granted same legal rights as
14,000 police stations across the country. human being
The project is implemented by National Crime
In a world-first a New Zealand river has been
Records Bureau
granted the same legal rights as a human
being.
India, Brazil conclude social security agreement
The local Mori tribe of Whanganui in the
India and Brazil initialled the finalised text of North Island has fought for the recognition of
the Social Security Agreement taking forward their river the third-largest in New Zealand
the spirit of the Goa Declaration at the 8th as an ancestor for 140 years.
BRICS Summit, outcomes of the meetings of The new status of the river means if someone
BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers held on abused or harmed it the law now sees no
9 June 2016 in Geneva and on 27-28 differentiation between harming the tribe or
September 2016 in New Delhi. harming the river because they are one and
The SSA between India and Brazil once in the same.
force (by early 2018) will also be the first such Two guardians will be appointed to act on
agreement between the BRICS countries. behalf of the Whanganui river, one from the
Highlights of the agreement crown and one from the Whanganui iwi.
Detached workers of the two countries are

exempted from making social security RBI Gets Government Approval To Print Rs. 10
contributions in either countries so long as Plastic Notes
they were making such contributions in their
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has been
respective countries.
authorised to conduct field trials for printing
The text establishes the rights and obligations
plastic notes of Rs. 10 denomination.
of nationals of both countries and provides for
The Reserve Bank for long has been planning
equal treatment of the nationals of both
to launch plastic currency note after field
countries and unrestricted payment of
trials. In February 2014, the BJP government
pensions even in the case of residence in the
had informed the Parliament that one billion
other contracting state
plastic notes of Rs. 10 denomination will be
It will favorably impact the profitability and
introduced in a field trial in five cities.
competitive position of Indian and Brazilian
Plastic notes are difficult to imitate and have
companies with foreign operations in either
an average life span of about five years. Also,
countries by reducing their cost of doing
plastic currency notes are cleaner than paper
business abroad.
ones. Such notes were first introduced in in Singapore for dedicating their lives to social
Australia to safeguard against counterfeiting. work.
The government had decided to conduct field Women empowerment and childcare remains
trials at five locations of the country with on the minds of these women, who came from
plastic banknotes, which are expected to last a number of fields for the award organised by
longer than current cotton substrate-based Business Excellence & Research Group Pte Ltd
banknotes. Kochi, Mysore, Jaipur, Shimla and and supported by Nanyang Technological
Bhubaneswar are the five cities where the University of Singapore.
plastic notes would be introduced in a field Among the award winners last night was
trial. Vandana Sharma, who served for a decade in
the Indian Armed Forces, broke several
A sangam of litterateurs in Panchkula stereotypes around Women in Uniform and
ventured into the corporate world.
Writers, poets, thinkers, litterateurs of Hindi,
Keeping with her Women Empowerment
Punjabi, Urdu and Sanskrit from Haryana and
campaign is Revathi Siddharthe Roy, who
several other states of the country have
holds a Masters in Economics degree but
converged on Panchkula for the three-day
drove taxi for 10 months in Mumbai to support
Haryana Sahitya Sangam at the Indradhanush
her family after her husband died in 2007.
Auditorium
Roy now runs a training school, Zaffiro
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar
Learning, for women to learn to ride two-
inaugurated the event, organised jointly by all
wheelers and serve as last mile delivery
seven academies of the state, Swarna Jayanti
person for e-commerce companies.
Celebrations Authority and the Information
Joining in the awards was Dr Srimathy Kesan,
and Public Relations Department.
who motivates children into Aerospace and
The event includes an exhibition of books,
Aeronautics subjects at her Chennai-based
published by the Haryana Sahitya Akademi,
company, Space Kidz India.
Haryana Sanskrit Academy, Haryana Punjabi
Kesan draws children to science with the aim
Academy, Haryana Urdu Academy, Haryana
of building a pool of scientists in the coming
Granth Academy, Haryana Kala Parishad and
year, saying Indias pool of scientists was
the Haryana Itihaas Avam Sanskriti Academy.
depleting as more and more students were
Khattar unveiled the mascot Laddo of the
opting for engineering or medical studies.
Haryana Sahitya Sangam.
Other winners were: Dr Aparna Hegde of
ARMMAN, Deepshikha Kumar of SpeakIn,
11 Indian women win Women Icons award in
Kanika Gupta Shori of Square Global, Minal
Singapore
DRozario of Ideosphere, Mini Dwivedi
Eleven Indian women are among the 25 Asian Gopinathan of PlayStreet Specially Abled
ladies who have won the Women Icons award Educare Trust, Saloni Mardia Kothari of Mtlexs
Online, Sonia Kulkarni of Ketchum Sampark spare parts and components under the Make
PR, and Swati Nathani of Team Pumpkin. in India initiative.
India, Russia sign long-term support pact on

Sun Pharma's Dilip Shanghvi appointed as
Sukhoi Su-30MKI
member on RBI's western board
India and Russia signed two long-term support
Sun Pharmaceuticals managing director Dilip
agreements for the Sukhoi Su-30MKI combat
Shanghvi has been appointed by the central
aircraft fleet, which is the mainstay of the
government as a member on the western area
Indian Air Force (IAF).
local board of Reserve Bank of India.
Pacts were also signed for maintenance and
The appointment is for four years with effect
life-cycle support for other Russian-origin
from March 11, 2017, the central bank said on
platforms, such as Mi-17 helicopters, MiG-29K
its website.
aircraft, INS Vikramaditya and T-90 tanks.
Shanghvi joins Enam Group chairman Vallabh
The agreements were signed by Hindustan
Bhanshali on the western board. Last month
Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) with United Aircraft
the RBI appointed Prasanna Mohanty on the
Corporation and United Engine Corporation.
RBI's southern local board, Vallabh Bhanshali
on the western local board and Sunil Mitra on
Highlights of the pact the eastern local board also for four years.
The pacts provides for an upgraded schedule

Ex-Gujarat BJP MLA set to head Safai
for delivery of spares from Russia for these
Karamcharis Commission
jets, local manufacturing of parts and a
proposed logistics hub for the fighter jets in A former BJP legislator from Gujarat is set to
Bengaluru by HAL. take over as the new Chairperson of the
The Su-30MKI was designed and developed by National Commission for Safai Karamcharis
Russias Irkut Corporation, specifically for (NCSK), which has been headless for about a
India. year.
The licensed production of the aircraft takes The government has cleared the names of
place at HALs facility in Nashik, Maharashtra. Manhar Valjibhai Zala as the Chairperson, and
The objective of having long-term supply Manju Diler from Uttar Pradesh and Dilip Kallu
agreements between the Russian OEMs and Haathived from Maharashtra as members of
Indian Armed Forces or platform the NCSK
manufacturers is to ensure licensed Zala and the two members are likely to take
production and to firm up modalities for charge on March 16, an official source said.
Indian companies to manufacture some of the The Election Commission had barred the
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment,
which is the nodal ministry of the body, from Foundation and a couple of Breast cancer
announcing the names of the new chairperson awareness films made by the Foundation.
and members till the polling process was over
in five states. Punjab to reserve 33 per cent government jobs
The NCSK, established in 1994 to promote and for women
safeguard the interests and rights of safai
The congress government in Punjab led by
karamcharis and those engaged in manual
Amarinder Singh decided to provide 33 per
scavenging, has a sanctioned strength of four
cent reservation for women in all government
members and a chairperson.
jobs.
The government had extended the tenure of
This was among many decisions that the state
the Commission for another three years from
cabinet took in it's first meeting.
April 1, 2016.
the reservation would also apply to
contractual appointments of women in
Amitabh Bachchan launches ABC of Breast
government jobs.
Health, a Breast cancer app in 12 languages
the representation of women in Panchayati
Mr. Amitabh Bachchan launched the Worlds Raj Institutions and urban local bodies would
FIRST mobile App on ABC of Breast Health at go up from 33 per cent to 50 per cent.
an event organised by Ushalakshmi Breast The government decided to do away with the
Cancer Foundation VIP culture by removing red, amber and blue
Both iOs & Android versions of the App which beacons from official vehicles of all state
are available in Apple & Google Play Store for ministers, MLAs, bureaucrats and political
FREE download, aims to empower the nation appointees, and scrap the practice of laying of
about every aspect of Breast cancer & Benign foundation stones while inaugurating public
non-cancer Breast health issues in 12 projects.
Languages(English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Other decisions
Punjabi, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada,
The Cabinet decided to set up a Special Task
Malayalam, Oriya & Assamese)
Force in the CMs Office
There is a specific section on Myths & Facts
The Cabinet decided to provide one house to
that aims to demystify the common
every freedom fighter and allocate 300 units
misconceptions relating to various Breast
of free electricity every month
health issues, which would be sent on a daily
Freedom fighters will also be provided one
basis to those who download the App.
out-of-turn tubewell connection and would be
In addition, the App gives unrestricted access
exempted from toll tax
to all issues of PINK CONNEXION South
On the contentious SYL issue, the Cabinet
Asias First quarterly Breast health Newsletter
decided that the government will take up the
published by Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer
matter of sharing of water in the courts and at faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-
the administrative level on priority basis. scholars through research, education and the
A new transport policy will be introduced in integration of education and research within
the next meeting to put an end to monopoly the context of the mission of their
on private buses cartel organisations.
NSF CAREER awards support promising and
Indian-American Computer Scientist Anshumali talented researchers in building a foundation
Shrivastava Wins NSF CAREER Award for a lifetime of leadership in integrating
education and research. NSF encourages
An Indian-American computer scientist,
submission of CAREER proposals from junior
Anshumali Shrivastava has won National
faculty members at all CAREER-eligible
Science Foundation (NSF)'s prestigious
organizations.
CAREER award for his research on redesigning
current machine-learning processes.
Solar Energy Scheme for Small Powerloom Units
He is an Assistant Professor, Department of
Approved
Computer Science at William Marsh Rice
University, commonly referred to as Rice The Government has approved a new scheme
University or Rice which is a private research to provide financial assistance or capital
university located in Houston, Texas. subsidy to small powerloom units, for
Anshumali Shrivastava was one of the installation of Solar Photo Voltaic (SPV) plant,
recipients of the CAREER awards given to in order to alleviate the problem of power cut
about 400 scholars each year across all and shortages faced by decentralized
disciplines to support the research and powerloom units in India.
educational development of young scholars Under the Solar Energy Scheme, the plants have
likely to become leaders in their fields. two options:
Faculty Early Career Development Program
On-Grid Solar Power Plant where power
(CAREER) awards support the research and
cut/shortage is negligible and power tariff is
educational development of young scholars
high.
likely to become leaders in their fields.
Off-Grid Solar Power Plant in areas where
The five-year grants, which are among the
there is power shortage & on-grid power is not
most competitive awarded by the NSF, are
continuously available.
given to some 400 scholars each year across
The Scheme will come into force with effect
all disciplines.
from 1 April, 2017.
National Science Foundation CAREER awards
The National Science Foundation CAREER First fully India-made train flagged off at Dadar
awards are the National Science Foundation's station
most prestigious awards in support of junior
The much-awaited made-in-India rake, Medha, ICF in Tirunelveli district in 2011 which met 80
is on tracks of the Western Railway. percent of the plant's electrical energy
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, via requirements
videoconferencing, flagged off the maiden run ICRISAT and ICAR join hands for crop
of the train from Dadar to Borivali, at improvement
Lokmanya Tilak Terminus.
In a bid to benefit small farmers in India and
The 12-coach train on the fast track halted at
globally, Indian Council of Agricultural
Bandra and Andheri stations.
Research (ICAR) and the International Crops
Medha has been manufactured by the Integral
Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, which has
(ICRISAT) would work together on crop
installed LED lighting to reduce energy
improvement and agronomy programmes for
consumption.
grain legumes and dryland cereals.
This will save energy by approximately 30-35%
ICAR and ICRISAT, recently signed an
as compared to the existing rakes. This rake
agreement in New Delhi, in which climate
has in-built systems to minimise breakdowns
smart crops, smart food and digitalisation of
during the travel
breeding database were identified as some of
There is a GPS-based information system to
the core areas of research.
indicate the stations.
The focus is on integrating systems modelling
This rake also has a facility that would help
tools for upscaling climate resilient agriculture,
motormen communicate with a guard in case
developing genetic and genomic resources of
of emergencies.
finger millet and enhancing genetic gains for
Integral Coach Factory
priority traits.
Integral Coach Factory (ICF) is the only ICRISAT
manufacturer of rail coaches located in
The International Crops Research Institute for
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is an
It was established in 1952, is owned and
international organisation which conducts
operated by the Indian Railways.
agricultural research for rural development,
The coach factory primarily manufactures cars
headquartered in Patancheru (Hyderabad,
for Indian Railways but also exports railway
Telangana, India)
coaches to other countries.
It was founded in 1972 by a consortium of
A Regional Railway Museum is situated in the
organisations convened by the Ford and the
factory premises. It has a collection of nascent
Rockefeller foundations. Its charter was signed
models of trains and models endemic to the
by the FAO and the UNDP.
Indian Railways.
The current Director General is Dr. David
About 59.1 million units of electricity had been
Bergvinson. The current chair of the Board is
generated through the windmills installed by
Prof Chandra Madramootoo.
ICAR The Committee of Administrators (CoA),

appointed by the Supreme Court to carry out
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research
the reforms suggested by the Justice Lodha
(ICAR) is an autonomous body responsible for
Committee, finalised the new constitution.
co-ordinating agricultural education and
The new constitution stipulates that only 30
research in India.
associations will function as controlling bodies
It was established on 16 July 1929
for domestic cricket in their respective states.
The President of ICAR is Radha Mohan Singh
These 30 bodies will be Full Members and
receive voting rights. This was implemented to
follow the one-state-one-vote rule, which is a
Shahid Afridi appointed ambassador of Blind Lodha Panel recommendation.
Cricket World Cup Administrators should only serve nine-year
Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has terms, some suggested the possibility of
been appointed as the ambassador for the serving 18 years in cricket administration
fifth edition of the Blind Cricket World Cup. nine years in state associations and nine years
The announcement was made by the Pakistan in BCCI.
Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) ICICI Bank launches Mera iMobile banking app for
fifth edition of the tournament, to be played in rural customers
ODI format, will be hosted by PBCC in the ICICI Bank has launched a mobile banking app
United Arab Emirates and Pakistan in January for rural customers that allow them to access
2018. banking services as well as information on
Pakistan Blind Cricket Council is to host the agricultural services. Anyone including non-
upcoming world cup in United Arab Emirates ICICI Bank customers can download and use
starting in January 2018. the app which is available in eleven Indian
Four out of the nine members of World Blind languages.
Cricket Ltd have agreed to play the final Features of the app
match in Lahore
'Mera iMobile' allows users in rural areas to
avail as many as 135 services on their mobile
BCCIs new constitution ousts Mumbai Cricket
phone. The list of services include 'Kisan Credit
Association as full member
Card', 'Gold Loan', 'Farm Equipment Loan' and
Mumbai, 41-time Ranji Trophy champions, will loans to self-help groups (SHGs).
no longer be considered a Full Member The app also enables them to undertake an
association in accordance with the Board of array of frequently used banking services from
Control for Cricket in Indias (BCCI) new their smartphone, without using mobile
constitution. internet services.
The app offers agriculture-related information happiness at workplace.

like crop-wise mandi prices of nearly 230 crop
varieties across 460 mandis. Five Indians in WEF's 2017 young global leaders
It also displays taluka-wise weather update for list
close to 3,700 talukas and over 300 districts in
Five Indians, including Paytm Founder and
the country.
CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma and Shruti Shibulal
The app is available in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati,
of The Tamara Hospitality, have made it to the
Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali,
World Economic Forum's 100 Young Global
Odia, Assamese and Punjabi. It also offers UPI
Leaders list.
services in multiple Indian languages.
The other individuals who represented India in
the list include Ambarish Mitra Founder and
India ranks a low 122 among worlds happiest
CEO Blippar,
countries
Hindol Sengupta Editor-at large Fortune India
India ranked a lowly 122 on a list of the and Rwitwika Bhattacharya - Agarwal Founder
worlds happiest countries, dropping four slots and CEO Swaniti Initiative.
from last year and coming behind China, Each year, the World Economic Forum (WEF)
Pakistan and Nepal. selects 100 young leaders, under the age of
Norway ranks as the happiest country in the 40, who are tackling the world's most complex
world, according to The World Happiness challenges with innovative approaches.
Report 2017 The Class of 2017 features two of the world's
India comes in on the 122nd spot, down from top scientists on genome editing: Luhan Yang,
118 in the 2013-2015 report, which maps chief scientist at eGenesis Biosciences, and
happiness on the parameters of GDP per Feng Zhang, a core member of the Broad
capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, Institute of MIT and Harvard.
freedom to make life choices, generosity and From the public sector, the list features Aja
perceptions of corruption. Brown the youngest mayor to be elected in
The World Happiness Report continues to Compton, California.
draw global attention around the need to Among those representing the private sector is
create sound policy for what matters most to Katie Hill, an innovator who leads Apple's
people their well-being ambitious new clean energy programme,
Iceland, Switzerland, Singapore and Australia converting the company's manufacturing
rounded out the top five most-healthy worldwide to renewable energy. DRR BAL
countries in the index.
World Economic Forum (WEF)
This year the report gives special attention to
the social foundations of happiness, including The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a Swiss
nonprofit foundation, based in Cologny,
Geneva. Recognized by the Swiss authorities Mahesh Kumar Jain, who was Managing
as an international body. Director & CEO at Indian Bank, has been
Its mission is cited as "committed to appointed as Managing Director & CEO of
improving the state of the world by engaging IDBI Bank, which is now in some financial
business, political, academic, and other trouble and faced with several legacy issues.
leaders of society to shape global, regional, Jain was named Indian Bank chief in
and industry agendas". November 2015. Kishore Piraji Kharat, who
The forum was founded in 1971 by Klaus was appointed as IDBI Bank CEO in August
Schwab, a German-born business professor at 2015, has now been appointed as Managing
the University of Geneva. Director and CEO of Indian Bank.
Jain will assume charge of IDBI Bank at a
Federer Wins Fifth Indian Wells Crown challenging time when the bank's morale is
down following the recent arrest of some of its
Roger Federer won a record-tying fifth BNP
top officials. Also, the huge Rs. 2,255 crore loss
Paribas Open crown as he defeated Stan
in December quarter has also made things
Wawrinka 6-4, 7-5 in an all-Swiss final at the
difficult for this PSB.
Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
This was also seen in the matter of
Victory in Indian Wells marks Federers 90th
Government conditionally infusing capital in
tour-level crown and his 25th ATP World Tour
certain select banks.
Masters 1000 title. At 35 years old, he is the
oldest Masters 1000 champion since a 34-
year-old Andre Agassi won the 2004 Cincinnati Ganga and Yamuna rivers are living entities:
title. Uttarakhand HC
Federer has played seven finals in the desert,
It is the first time a court has recognized a
previously lifting the trophy in 2004-06 and
non-human as a living entity in India.
2012, while also finishing runner-up in 2014-
The recognition came while the court was
15.
hearing a 2014 public interest litigation (PIL).
It is the second time this year Wawrinka has
The bench comprising Justices Rajiv Sharma
fallen to Federer, having suffered a
and Alok Singh also held that if the state
heartbreaking five-set loss in the Australian
government failed to fulfil its responsibility
Open semifinals in January.
regarding the rivers, then the central
government should step in.
Government swaps chief executives of IDBI Bank,
The court also directed the central
Indian Bank
government to constitute the Ganga
In an unprecedented move, the Centre has Management Board within eight weeks to look
swapped the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of into the issue of cleaning and maintaining the
state-owned Indian Bank and IDBI Bank. river.
Recognizing the rivers as a living entity grants cashless, using mobile wallet for performing
them new found legal identity and all rights digital transactions.
laid out in the Constitution of India. A Mumbai-based I-T company was roped in to
The two rivers thus have the right to be legally provide smartphone-based application for
protected and not be harmed/destroyed mobile wallets. So far, around 8,000 prepaid
The courts recognition of the rivers comes just cards have been issued in the Nand Niketan
days after New Zealand according a living township to the employees, merchants and
entity status to its third largest river, shop owners operating within its precincts. An
Whanganui average of Rs 2 lakh worth of digital
transactions are being executed every day.
Cheteshwar Pujara becomes first Indian to face
500 balls in Test innings
Idea merges with Vodafone to create India's
India's most consistent middle-order batsman largest, world's 2nd largest telecom company
Cheteshwar Pujara stormed his way into
India's telecom industry will soon ring in a new
record books after playing a marathon innings
order. Vodafone India and the Kumar
against Australia on fourth day of the third
Mangalam Birla-owned Idea Cellularare to
Test match
merge to create the country's biggest phone
Pujara became the first Indian batsman to
company by subscribers, dislodging Bharti
face 500 balls in a Test innings by surpassing
Airtelwhich has been at the top for 15 years.
Rahul Dravid's previous best of 495 balls.
The new Rs 1.55 lakh crore entity will also be
Before Pujara, Dravid had played a marathon
the world No. 2 after China Mobile.
knock of 270 against Pakistan in Rawalpindi in
The deal will see Aditya Birla Group, the
2004 and took 495 balls. But Pujara surpassed
promoters of Idea, gradually raising its stake
Dravid
in the combined entity while Vodafone Group
Pujara joined the elite league by becoming
will reduce its own, with the aim of both
second Indian batsman to slam two double
holding equal stakes over a period of time.
hundreds against Australia. Sachin Tendulkar
and VVS Laxman are the other two Indian
batsmen to have scored a double ton against Strategy
Australia
As a first step, AB Group will acquire 4.9 per
cent from Vodafone for Rs 3,874 crore, or Rs
108 a share, to take its stake to 26 per cent,
Private township becomes first to go cashless
with Vodafone holding 45.1 per cent.
Essar's Nand Niketan at Hazira has become Further, the company will have the right to buy
India's first private sector township to go another 9.5 per cent (at Rs 130 a share or the
prevailing market price, depending on the time
of purchase) in the combined entity over four 2 Indians in Forbes list of US richest under-40
years from the British telecom firm. entrepreneurs
Governing Entity
Two Indian-origin men have figured in Forbes
Kumar Mangalam Birla will be the chairman of magazines second annual list of wealthiest
the new entity. Vodafone will name the chief entrepreneurs under the age of 40, which is
financial officer while the two companies will topped by Facebook founder Mark
jointly name the CEO and operations head Zuckerberg.
before the closure of merger, expected within Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has
24 months. been ranked 24th on Americas Richest
Entrepreneurs Under 40 2016 list with a
networth of $600 million, and Instacart co-
founder Apoorva Mehta, stands at the 31st
International Cricket Council name Ankur Khanna
spot with a $360-million networth.
as new Chief Financial Officer
Vivek Ramaswamy has been ranked 24th on
The International Cricket Council (ICC) Americas Richest Entrepreneurs Under 40
announced the appointment of Ankur Khanna 2016 list with a networth of $600 million
as its Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Instacart co-founder Apoorva Mehta, stands
Khanna will join the ICC at the end of March at the 31st spot with a $360-million networth.
leaving Air Asia India where he has held the
post of CFO for the last one year. Cabinet approves SBI merger with Bharatiya
Prior to Air Asia India, Khanna worked in Mahila Bank
senior roles at Air France / KLM Royal Dutch
The Union Cabinet has approved the merger
Airlines and ITC, an associate company of
of Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) with State
British American Tobacco.
Bank of India.
The International Cricket Council (ICC)
BMBs total business of Rs 2,000 crore and its
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the 103 branches will be merged with the
international governing body of cricket. It was countrys largest bank
founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in The approval comes after last months Cabinet
1909 by representatives from England, approval for the merger of SBIs five associate
Australia and South Africa, renamed the banks with the larger entity, which will be
International Cricket Conference in 1965, and effective from April 1.
took up its current name in 1989. At present, SBI has an exposure of more than
Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates Rs 46,000 crore to women customers.
President: Zaheer Abbas In the three years since the BMB was
CEO: David Richardson established in 2013, it has extended loans of
Rs 192 crore to women borrowers.
Along with the merger of the five associate competition involving state teams from the
banks with SBI, this merger constitutes an Ranji Trophy plates. It is named after the
important step towards strengthening the famous Indian cricketer Vijay Hazare.
Indian banking sector through consolidation of Tamil Nadu have won the trophy 5 times.
public sector banks.
Yes Bank partners with Payjo for artificial
intelligence solutions
Bharatiya Mahila Bank
Private sector lender Yes BankBSE -1.51 % has
Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) is an Indian
partnered with Payjo, an artificial intelligence
financial services banking company based in
banking platform based out of Silicon Valley,
Mumbai, India. Former Indian Prime Minister
California to adopt its intelligence products.
Manmohan Singh inaugurated the system on
The YES Pay Bot will be the first AI-driven Bot
19 November 2013 on the occasion of the
for a wallet and will complement the already
96th birth anniversary of former Indian Prime
trusted and popular YES Pay wallet service
Minister Indira Gandhi.
with over half-a-million users.
Key people: S. M. Swathi (ED)
Yes Bank is launching its wallet services
Owner: Government of India
through a chat-based financial assistant in
partnership with Payjo on Facebook
Karthik stars as Tamil Nadu lifts Vijay Hazare
Messenger. This will soon be available on
Trophy
other popular social media channels like
Tamil Nadu regained the Vijay Hazare trophy Skype, Slack and WhatsApp. With widespread
after beating Bengal by 37 runs in the final of use of instant messaging, YES Pay will be an
the 2017 edition. effortless way to recharge mobile and DTH
With this win, they become the only team to services, send-request money and pay utility
win the tournament five times (one of them bills.
was shared with Uttar Pradesh in 2004-05). The AI-powered YES Pay Bot not only carries
Tamil Nadu put managed to score 217 in spite out financial transactions over a friendly chat
of an early batting collapse. Dinesh Karthik, but also answers banking queries and requests
who was the leading run-scorer of the in a conversant manner.
tournament, scored a match-winning 118. The technology enables the bot to give quick,
Bengal were dismissed for 180. personalized responses and real-time insights
on transactions.
Further, it works harmoniously across multiple
The Vijay Hazare Trophy
channels like web, mobile and IVR.
The Vijay Hazare Trophy, also known as the Over time, AI-powered Bots become more
Ranji One Day Trophy, was started in 200203 astute and can act as personalised banking
as a limited-overs cricket domestic
assistants which can forecast customer alongside high levels of sexual abuse,
requirements and provide a personalised according to her biography.
panoramic view of spending trends. Many teachers leave their posts midway
through the academic year due to stress and
Vidya Pillai pots silver in Women World Snooker the harsh conditions endured by the
indigenous community.
India's Vidya Pillai produced a spirited
The Nobel-style award was set up three years
performance before settling for silver in the
ago by the Dubai-based Varkey Foundation.
World Women Snooker Championship in
The prize is paid in instalments and requires
Singapore
the winner to remain a teacher for at least five
Vidya cleared all league matches and later
years.
knocked out former European Champion,
Varkey Foundation
Tatjana Vasiljeva of Latvia 4-1 (last 16),
Katrina Wan of Hong Kong 4-1 (quarterfinal) The Varkey Foundation has partnered with a
and Rebecca Grenger of England 5-1 variety of major global organizations including
Hong Kong's Ng On Yee, clinched the gold UNESCO, UNICEF, and the Clinton Global
medal Initiative.
In 2013 it launched the Global Education and
Canadian wins $1m Global Teacher Prize for work Skills Forum, an annual education summit
with Inuit students dedicated to addressing the world's
educational needs.
A Canadian who teaches at a school in a fly-in-
After analyzing the public status of teachers
only village in the Arctic has won a $1m
worldwide, in 2014 it launched the annual
(800,000) Global Teacher Prize at a ceremony
Global Teacher Prize, a $1 million award to an
in Dubai.
outstanding pioneering teacher who has had a
Maggie MacDonnell, praised for changing the
widespread impact.
lives of her students and transforming her
community, was among 10 finalists chosen
Madhabi Puri Buch appointed as SEBI whole time
from 20,000 nominations and applications
member
from 179 countries.
She has taught for the past six years in the The government on Tuesday announced
Inuit village of Salluit, Qubec, in the Canadian Madhabi Puri Buch as new whole time
Arctic, which has a high rate of suicide, member of Securities and Exchange Board of
according to her biography provided by the India (Sebi).
award organisers. This appointment also marks a departure from
MacDonnell has created a life-skills the regular practise of hiring Sebi board
programme specifically for girls in a region members, who typically were men coming
where teenage pregnancies are common, from the public sector.
This is the first time that a women and a The remaining five members are nominated by
person from private sector has been chosen Union Government of India, out of them at
for a key post with the market regulator. least three shall be whole-time members.
Buch, who is currently serving at the New
Development Bank in Shanghai has been
appointed for a period of three years, the
Bill Gates tops Forbes richest list again, Mukesh
department of personnel and training (DoPT)
Ambani leads India's 101 billionaire club
Under the corporate governance standards
issued in 2015, Sebi had mandated one India is home to world's fourth highest number
women to be a part of the board of a listed of billionaires with Reliance Industries
company Chairman Mukesh Ambani leading the club of
Till now, the highest post occupied by women more than 100 super-rich Indians, according to
at the market regulator was the position of a new list released by Forbes magazine.
executive director. The Forbes list of the World's Billionaires 2017
So far, members and chairman at Sebi were consists of 2,043 of the richest people in the
mainly appointed from public sector, the world who have a combined net worth of USD
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Indian 7.67 trillion, a record 18 per cent increase over
Administrative Services (IAS). the past year.
Securities and Exchange Board of India The list has been topped by Microsoft co-
founder Bill Gates for the fourth year in a row.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India
He has been the richest person in the world for
(SEBI) is the regulator for the securities market
18 out of the past 23 years.
in India. It was established in the year 1988
Mukesh Ambani Tops Forbes India Rich List of
and given statutory powers on 30 January
101 Billionaires
1992 through the SEBI Act, 1992
Next on the list of Indian billionaires is
It was formed on 12 April 1988
ArcelorMittal chairman and CEO Lakshmi
Ajay Tyagi was appointed chairman on 10
Mittal on the 56th spot with a net worth of
January 2017 replacing U K Sinha
USD 16.4 billion.
The SEBI is managed by its members, which
The list includes only four women billionaires
consists of following:
from India, led by Savitri Jindal and her family
The chairman who is nominated by Union
at the 303rd position, with a net worth of USD
Government of India.
5.2 billion.
Two members, i.e., Officers from Union Finance
The other Indians on the list are Azim Premji,
Ministry.
Wipro (72) Gautam Adani, Adani Group (250)
One member from the Reserve Bank of India.
NR Narayana Murthy, Infosys (1161) Vivek
Chand Burman, Dabur (1290) Nandan
Nilekani, Infosys (1290) Rana Kapoor, Yes Bank
(1795) rocket and space vehicles for India's satellite

programme.
ISRO commissions two major facilities at VSSC It is located in Thiruvananthapuram,
It was formed on November 21, 1963;
ISRO commissioned two major facilities-- a
Hypersonic Wind Tunnel and Shock Tunnel-- at
Maj. Rohit Suri awarded Kirti Chakra
the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre here as
part of its continuous and concerted efforts to The military investiture ceremony held in the
minimise cost of access to space. Durbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan
Role of the facilities While the second highest peacetime gallantry
award Kirti Chakra went to a young officer,
Commissioning of such facilities would provide
Major Rohit Suri, who was part of the surgical
adequate data for design and development of
strikes last year, the seniormost Lieutenant
current and future space transportation
General Eastern Army Commander Praveen
systems in the country
Bakshi, who was side stepped in the
symbolises the country's capability in
appointment of the Army Chief, was awarded
establishing such world class facilities wherein
the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, the highest
technology from outside is restricted or not
Distinguished Service Medal.
available.
Another member of the surgical strikes team
The one meter Hypersonic Wind Tunnel and
Nb Sub Vijay Kumar was conferred the
one meter Shock Tunnel have been
Shaurya Chakra
established with a wide spectrum of simulation
The Kirti Chakra is an Indian military
capabilities in terms of Mach number,
decoration awarded for valour, courageous
Reynolds number and re-entry velocities,
action or self-sacrifice away from the field of
These facilities, indigenously designed,
battle.
developed and 'Made in India' with the
It may be awarded to civilians as well as
support of Indian industries, are the third
military personnel
largest in terms of size and simulation
capability in the world
International Day of Forests: 21 March
The facilities were dedicated in the memory of
Satish Dhawan, a pioneer in the field and This global celebration of forests provides a
named as the Satish Dhawan Wind tunnel platform to raise awareness of the importance
Complex. of all types of woodlands and trees, and
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre celebrate the ways in which they sustain and
The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre is a major protect us.
space research centre of the Indian Space This year we highlight the importance of wood
Research Organisation (ISRO), focusing on energy in improving people's lives, powering
sustainable development and mitigating Held every year on 21 March, World Poetry
climate change. Day celebrates one of humanitys most
2017 Theme: Forests and energy treasured forms of cultural and linguistic
expression and identity. Practiced throughout
history in every culture and on every
BIRAC Celebrates Its 5th Foundation Day on 20th
continent poetry speaks to our common
21st March, 2017
humanity and our shared values, transforming
The Biotechnology Industry Research the simplest of poems into a powerful catalyst
Assistance Council (BIRAC); a Public Sector for dialogue and peace.
Undertaking of Department of Biotechnology UNESCO first adopted 21 March as World
(DBT) is completing 5 years and will be Poetry Day during its 30th General Conference
celebrating its 5th Foundation Day on 20th in Paris in 1999, with the aim of supporting
21st March, 2017. linguistic diversity through poetic expression
The Theme of the Foundation Day is and increasing the opportunity for endangered
BIRAC@5: Impacting the Biotech Ecosystem. languages to be heard.
During these 5 years, BIRACs efforts have
been focused on enhancing the innovation ICMR head named to UN group on antimicrobial
research capacities within the biotech resistance
industries, and encouraging young
Indian Council of Medical Research director
entrepreneurs to take their innovation ideas
Soumya Swaminathan has been named to a
towards scale-up and commercialization, so as
high-level group set up by UN Secretary
to meet the countrys challenge for Affordable
General Antonio Guterres to provide expertise
Product Development for masses without
on and coordinate the global fight against
undermining the quality.
antimicrobial resistance.
The Foundation Day will be followed by the
Swaminathan, 57, has been named to the ad
Grand Challenges India Meeting 2017 being
hoc Interagency Coordination Group on
organized by the BIRAC PMU of DBT BMGF
Antimicrobial Resistance, which will be co-
and Wellcome Trust.
chaired by Deputy Secretary-General Amina
BIRAC was incorporated on 20th March, 2012
Mohammed and World Health Organisation
as a non-profit Public Sector Enterprise under
Director-General Margaret Chan.
the aegis of Department of Biotechnology
Swaminathan is also Secretary, Department of
(DBT). BIRAC completed 5 years of
Health Research in India's Ministry of Health &
establishment in March, 2017.
Family Welfare.
Last September, UN Member States adopted
World Poetry Day: 21 March
the Political Declaration of the High-Level
Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance that
contained a request for the UN Secretary- most revered figures of the anti-colonial
General to establish such a body. movement.
On this day, Indians pay homage to three
Salman Khan tops Forbes India Celebrity rich list martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the
country. Freedom fighter Bhagat Singh who
Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has
was hanged along with his comrades Sukhdev
unseated his actor Shah Rukh Khan to become
Thapar, and Shivaram Rajguru for revolting
the top earning celebrity of 2016 in the Forbes
against a British colonel are remembered on
India Celebrity 100 List with an estimated
this day and homages are paid to the freedom
income of Rs. 270.33 crore.
fighters for the contribution to the freedom
The other leading names in the list include
struggle of India.
skipper Virat Kohli, actor Akshay Kumar and M
The Border Security Force is also planning to
S Dhoni chronologically.
put on display the pistol used by the freedom
However, the 50-year-old Salman is ranked at
fighter Singh to kill British officer John
No 2 in terms of fame, which is topped by ace
Saunders in 1928, at its new arms museum in
cricketer Kohli.
Indore.
In the fifth rich 100 celeb list released by
Forbes India, the ranking is based on two
4 Indian cities among cheapest globally:
parameters: estimates of entertainment-
Economist Intelligence Unit
related earnings and estimates of fame during
the period October 2015 to September 2016. Four Indian citiesare among the cheapest to
SRK at No 2, has reportedly earned Rs. 221.75 live in globally, while Singaporehas been
crore and also comes at No 3 in terms of ranked as the most expensive for the fourth
fame. He lost his perch at the top in what was consecutive year, as per a report by Economist
a mixed year for him both in terms of box Intelligence Unit (EIU).
office success and brands endorsed. Bangalore (3rd place), Chennai (6th), Mumbai
When it comes to fame ranking, Test cricket (7th) and New Delhi (10th) have been ranked
captain Virat Kohli is the most popular by EIU among the 10 cheapest cities in the
celebrity and this has improved his earnings world.
rank to No 3 with a reported Rs. 134.44 crore Almaty has been ranked as the cheapest city
earnings. In 2015, Kohli was ranked No 7. in the world followed by Lagos. Karachi was
placed 4th, Algiers (5th), Kiev (8th) and
Bucharest (9th) rank.
Bhagat Singh's death anniversary: 23 March
The EIU's Worldwide Cost of Living 2017 report
The 23rd of March will mark the 86th -- a ranking of the world's major cities -- said
martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh, one of the Asia is home to some of the world's most
expensive cities and also to many of the to the Centre and the states to those infected
world's cheapest cities. with HIV and AIDS.
Singapore retained its title as the world's most While making the rules, it is ensured that
expensive city for the fourth consecutive year, nobody is denied treatment and we are
while Hong Kong remained second, closely committed to providing medical treatment to
followed by Zurich at the 3rd place. all those living with HIV or AIDS.
Others in the 10 most expensive list include The measures to be taken by the central or
Tokyo at the 4th position, Osaka (5th), Seoul state governments under Sector 13 shall
(6th), Geneva (7th), Paris (8th), New York (9th) include measures for providing as far as
and Copenhagen at 10th place. possible, anti-retroviral therapy and
New York is the only North American city opportunistic management to people living
among the 10 most expensive cities, although with HIV or AIDS.
Los Angeles remains highly ranked, in 11th Government is giving special attention to this
place. issue and the number of such cases has come
down drastically.
Rajya Sabha Passes Bill to Ensure Rights of There is a penalty to the tune of Rs 1 lakh for
HIV/AIDS Patients breach of confidentiality of the patient's detail.
The bill says it's important for high-risk groups
A crucial bill to ensure equal rights to people
to access services such as treatment of
afflicted by HIV and AIDS in getting treatment,
sexually transmitted infections, HIV testing,
admission in educational institutions and jobs,
condoms, clean needles and syringes to
was passed by the Rajya Sabha
prevent HVI transmission to the general public.
The bill was introduced in the upper house of
Parliament in 2014 and then referred to the
ABB India bags The India Smart Grid Foundation
Parliamentary Standing Committee which
(ISGF) innovation award. award for restoring
gave its report in 2015.
1,035 MW Sharavathi plant in Karnataka
Features of the bill
ASEA Brown Boveri (ABB) India has restored
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and
and modernised the critical 1,035 MW
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
Sharavathi hydropower plant in Karnataka
(Prevention) and Control) Bill, 2014, moved by
that accounts for 25 per cent of Karnataka
Health Minister JP Nadda, was passed in the
Power Corporations generation.
Upper House by a voice vote.
The Sharavathi project with seamless
During the debate on the measure, many
integration of complete plant data, is an
members suggested amending the Section
example of ABBs future-ready technologies
14(1) of the bill, to remove the phrase "as far
enabling the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
as possible" for providing medical treatment
and aligns with the governments push for
24x7 reliable power for all with focus on smart Sindhu is the first Indian brand ambassador of
power infrastructure and digitalisation. the brand, and she joins the likes of Ussain
Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd. (KPCL), the Bolt and Lionel Messi.
state-owned electric utility in-charge of As part of the deal, Gatorade will be unveiling
Sharavathi, expected the renovation of its a new campaign featuring Sindhu in a digital
second largest generating station to take two film that shows the brands close partnership
years. with the athlete.
Working round the clock, the ABB team, with In 2016, Sindhu became the first Indian
support from KPCL management, helped woman to win an Olympic silver medal and
restore the entire plant comprising 10 units - currently ranks amongst the top 10 players in
in just six months. the world.
The restoration and modernisation will help
lower overall costs generally associated with Sarbananda Sonowal launches initiative to make
higher capex and maintenance costs for Majuli carbon neutral
individual systems such as advanced alarm
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal
management and remote communication with
today launched initiative to develop Majuli, the
the state power grid and KPCL headquarters.
worlds largest river island, as the countrys
For restoring the crucial power infrastructure,
first carbon neutral district and a biodiversity
the ABB has bagged the The India Smart Grid
heritage site.
Foundation (ISGF) innovation award.
Majuli is facing existential crisis and therefore
The award is a testimony to our customer
initiatives like designating carbon neutral
focus and speed, complementing ABBs next
district and biodiversity heritage site are needs
level automation platform with timely delivery
of the hour to preserve its rich heritage and
and execution,
legacy
Sonowal also launched through remote a
PepsiCos Gatorade India appoints PV Sindhu as
registry in Majuli which would record and
brand ambassador
analyse the climate impact of all proposed
PepsiCos sports drink brand Gatorade has projects in the states newest district.
roped in Indian shuttler PV Sindhu as its brand He said the Sustainable Actions for Climate
ambassador. The move is as part of the global Resilient Development (SaCReD) Initiative
beverage majors commitment towards would ensure that infrastructure in Majuli had
dialling up the communication on the benefits less carbon.
of its healthier food and beverage offerings to The chief minister also launched Forests are
consumers. Lives campaign to underline the importance
of Assams rich forest and biodiversity and
urged all to take a pledge to conserve its The Kuldip Nayar journalism award was set up
biodiversity to make the state pollution free. to honour those working in vernacular media
What is Majoli? and will be awarded every year from now on.
Who is Kuldip Nayar?
Mjuli or Majoli is the biggest river island in
the world in the Brahmaputra River, Assam, Kuldip Nayar (born 14 August 1923) is a
India and also 1st island district of the country veteran Indian journalist, syndicated
Majuli has shrunk as the river surrounding it columnist, human right activist, author and ex-
has grown. However it is recognised by High commissioner of India to United kingdom
Guinness Book of World Records as World's noted for his long career as a left-wing
Largest River Island. political commentator. He was also nominated
The island is formed by the Brahmaputra river as a Member of the upper house of the Indian
in the south and the Kherkutia Xuti, an Parliament in 1997.
anabranch of the Brahmaputra, joined by the
Subansiri River in the north. Mjuli island is Russias VTB bank to shut India office
accessible by ferries from the city of Jorhat.
Russian bank VTB has decided to close its only
office in India to cut costs but will continue to
Kuldip Nayar journalism awards: First winner
work in India
Ravish Kumar
The decision to shut the branch in India was
For his contributions in the world of taken as part of a strategy of VTB Group
journalism, eminent TV journalist Ravish aimed at optimising costs.
Kumar on Sunday was honoured with the first The bank will continue to work on the Indian
Kuldip Nayar journalism award. market, expanding our cooperation with local
He was conferred with an award plaque along partners
with a cash amount of Rs 1 lakh. While closing its office in New Delhi, VTB
In the event organised by the Gandhi Peace added that it saw commodities and
Foundation at the India International Centre, investment banking as priority areas for the
veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar was present to bank in India.
bestow the award named after him. VTB is also planning to cut costs in Europe by
Accepting the award conferred on him, slimming down its operations to focus on
journalist Ravish Kumar said that in todays Frankfurt.
age there is time to explore possibilities. He
said that there are journalists who are Samsung Pay launched in India
constantly looking to fulfil the potential
Samsung today launched a new digital
present in them.
payments service in the country, called
Samsung Pay, that hopes to bring debit
cards, credit cards and wallets under one amendments, saying it was being done as a
umbrella. "back-door entry".
Samsung Pay, a service that users of Samsung Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan,
S7 Edge, S7, S6 Edge Plus, A series 2016 and however, overruled the objections raised by
2017, and Note 5 users will get via a service the opposition parties, saying the 'incidental
update, will be available on Visa, Mastercard provisions' involved in the amendments
and Rupay payment cards. ICICI, HDFC, constitute a 'Money Bill' and therefore can be
Standard Chartered, SBI, Axis bank cards will considered as part of the Finance Bill.
be supported, along with Paytm and Amex The proposed amendments to the Finance Bill
cards. UPI and CitiBank card support is also include a provision to cap legal cash
expected to become available soon. transactions at Rs 2 lakh. While presenting the
The Samsung Pay service is also supported on Budget on February 1, Finance Minister Arun
Samsung Gear S3. Jaitley had proposed to make any cash
Nearly 90% of all POS machines in India work transaction beyond Rs 3 lakh as illegal with
on magnetic technology for payments with effect from April this year.
cards. The Samsung Pay service uses a similar A penalty of equal amount would be levied in
technology. The service creates a magnetic case of any violation of the provision, Revenue
field between the POS machine and the phone Secretary Hasmukh Adhia tweeted after the
to replicate a card transaction. amendment was moved.
The Samsung Pay app also offers promotions
from banks on reward points. It shows offers Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav in north eastern
from Paytm as well. The app also comes with states to show oneness of culture
built-in customer support.
Dance, music, drama, puppetry, and
handicrafts showcasing the spectacular
Govt proposes to lower cash transaction limit to
diversity of India, from Kashmir to
Rs 2 lakh
Kanyakumari and Gujarat to Bengal through
The government today proposed to lower the folk, tribal and classical art forms in all its
cash transaction limit to Rs 2 lakh, from Rs 3 dimensions will be the focus of the fifth
lakh announced in the Budget, as it introduced Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav being organized
40 amendments to the Finance Bill in an in the northeast from 23 to 31 March 2017.
unprecedented move. An Exhibition on Buddhist art and tradition is
As the Finance Bill was taken up for also being organized at Parade Ground of
consideration in the Lok Sabha, the opposition Tawangon the occasion of Rashtriya Sanskriti
parties including TMC, BJD and RSP protested Mahotsav to showcase the splendour and
against the introduction of these many magnificence of the cultural sphere. Craftsmen
from all over the country will display and sell Mr. Upendra Tripathy was the Former
handicrafts to the general public. Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable
Chefs of traditional delicacies from different Energy from 1st April, 2014 until 31st October
regions of the country will treat the visitors to 2016. Mr. Tripathy is an Indian Administrative
an unparalleled culinary experience. Day-long Service (IAS) officer of Karnataka Cadre.
performances of traditional performers of He has worked with local, provincial and union
fringe-folk arts like Behroopiyas, Baazigars, governments in India for the last 36 years.
Kacchi Ghori, etc. will take place in the Background on International Solar Alliance (ISA)
Parade Ground from 23 March to 25 March
2017.
The essential thrust of Rashtriya Sanskriti The International Solar Alliance (ISA) was
Mahotsav (RSM) is to present the rich diversity launched on 30th November, 2015 as a
and uniqueness of Indian culture and to coalition of the solar resource rich countries
promote the cultural inter-linkages amongst jointly by Shri. Narendra Modi, Honble Prime
the states to strengthen National integration Minister of India and Mr.Fran?ois Hollande,
and also to bid the artists of other parts of the Honble President of France in the presence of
country with the people of North East in a Mr. Ban Ki Moon, Secretary General of the
single thread of culture. United Nations on the first day of the Paris
The Mahotsav was envisioned to preserve, Climate Conference or CoP21. I
promote and popularize the heritage and SAs mission and vision is to provide a
cultural diversity of Indian culture and dedicated platform for cooperation among
reconnect the new generation with Indian solar resource rich countries where the global
culture. community including bilateral and multilateral

organizations, corporates, industry, and
Shri Upendra Tripathy Appointed as Full Time stakeholders can make a positive contribution
Interim Director General of ISA to assist and help achieve the common goals
of increasing use of the solar energy in
Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Power,
meeting energy needs of prospective ISA
Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines,
member countries in a safe, convenient,
Government of India and Ms. Sgolene Royal,
affordable, equitable and sustainable manner.
Minister for Environment, Energy and Marine
Affairs Government of France jointly decided
ICC Test Rankings: Ravindra Jadeja No.1 bowler,
to appoint Mr. Upendra Tripathy, as the
Cheteshwar Pujara No.2 batsman
Interim Director General (IDG) of the
International Solar Alliance (ISA) on a full time Ravindra Jadeja gained seven points to
basis. become the sole world number one bowler in

the ICC's Test rankings. He held the top spot
jointly with Ravichandran Ashwin, who lost 37 more timely than ever.
points after a dismal performance in India's
drawn Test against Australia in Ranchi. World Meteorlogical Day: 23 March
Jadeja, who took nine wickets in the third Test
Each year, the World Meteorological
of the ongoing four-match series against
Organisation (WMO), its members and the
Australia, is also the highest wicket-taker in
worldwide meteorological community around
the series with 21 scalps.
the world celebrate World Meteorological
He grabbed five for 124 and four for 52 in in
Dayon 23rd March around a chosen theme.
Ranchi, to gain seven points after starting
The theme for this year's World Meteorological
joint-first with Ashwin at 892 points.
Day is 'understanding clouds', which highlights
Jadeja has also closed in on a major landmark
the enourmous importance of clouds for
as his tally of 899 rating points puts him on
weather climate and water.
the brink of becoming only the second India
bowler after Ashwin to touch the 900-point
mark. Ashwin, who had a highest rating of 904 World TB Day, 24 March 2017
points, has slipped 37 points behind Jadeja to
World Tuberculosis Day is celebrated every
862 points after finishing with two wickets in
year by the people all across the world at
Ranchi.
international level on 24th of March.
Meanwhile, top-ranked Steve Smith has
It is celebrated to raise the common public
reached a career-high rating of 941 points
awareness about the epidemic disease of
after scores of 178 not out and 21.
tuberculosis as well as get their efforts in
order to totally eradicate this disease.
World Water Day: 22 March
As around 1.7 million of the people are dying
World Water Day, held every March 22, is of this disease every year.
taking place around the world on Wednesday, 24th of March has been established to
aiming at attracting attention to the water commemorate the tuberculosis day by all at
crisis with this year's theme: "Why Waste one place in order to get some solution to
Water." eradicate it from the world.
The day was originally launched in 1993 by the Tuberculosis was first discovered by the Dr.
U.N. Robert Koch in the year 1882 and amazingly
To coincide with the 2017 date, reports have announced by him to the small group of
been published warning of severe water scientists at the University of Berlins Institute
scarcity in parts of Africa and Iran. of Hygiene about the cause of tuberculosis
As drought conditions are reported means the TB bacillus.
throughout East Africa, World Water Day feels
The theme of the World TB Day celebration of the translated and dilated versions of a mother
year 2017 is Unite to End TB. wavelet.
Meyer, 77, has also contributed to the
mathematics of quasicrystals, number theory
Indias longest highway tunnel to be inaugurated
and the study of the Navier-Stokes equations.
on April 2
Abel Prize
India's longest highway tunnel at Chenani
The Abel Prize is a Norwegian prize awarded
Nashri, between Udhampur and Ramban in
annually by the Government of Norway to one
Jammu & Kashmir is all set to be inaugurated
or more outstanding mathematicians.
by prime minister Narendra Modi on April 2.
Named after Norwegian mathematician Niels
Salient Features
Henrik Abel (180229) and modelled after the
The tunnel is the longest highway tunnel in Nobel Prizes the award was established in
India boasting of features like Integrated 2001 by the Government of Norway.
Traffic Control System (ITCS), Video
Surveillance System and FM Rebroadcast First joint cycle expedition of India-Bangladesh
System, among others and will reduce travel Army flagged off from Agartala
time by approximately two hours, apart from
In a bid to cement mutual bonhomie, a joint
promising fuel savings to the tune of 27 lakh
cycling expedition of Indian Army and
per day.
Bangladesh Army, first of its type, was recently
The tunnel has multiple economic gains as
flagged off from the Agartala military station.
connectivity in the remote area can help
India and Bangladesh share a very close
transform the life of this neglected region in
linkage as far as history, culture and
the hills.
geography are concern. Both the armies have
been interacting with each other at various
Yves Meyer, Wavelet Expert, Wins Abel Prize
platforms at the senior level, senior level and
The French mathematician Yves Meyer, a self- training field.
described nomad who has made deep This is one of the noble initiatives taken by the
contributions to the many subfields through Indian and Bangladesh army and shall revive
which he has roamed over the past half- all the old memories of the war of liberation of
century, received the 2017 Abel Prize 1971 as well as learning from the best
Meyers work on wavelets has been practices at the junior and younger level
transformative in the area of signal processing between both the armies. This is the first of its
His Caldern-Zygmund work had suggested to kind and I am sure that it is the stepping stone
him a way of developing the first orthonormal for many such activities in future which both
basis of wavelets: a system consisting of the armies will undertake
The expedition teams comprising of 19 Emulating China and Italy's vertical forests,
soldiers each including officers, JCOs and OR Bengaluru got its first vertical garden, which it
will cover approx 532 km in 11 days. hopes will help in curbing pollution and in
beautifying the city.
India ranks 131 on Human Development Index SayTrees, an NGO, installed the first vertical
garden in the city on one of the pillars of the
India came down by one slot and was ranked
Hosur Road flyover
131st among 188 countries on Human
The garden boasts of around 3500 saplings of
Development Index (HDI) 2016 released by the
more than 10 species
United Nations Development Programme
An automated drip irrigation system has been
(UNDP).
installed that will water these saplings every
India fell under the "medium human
day
development category" and its HDI, at 0.624,
Every side has a creative design which makes
was behind Sri Lanka and the Maldives in
the area look like a work of art
South Asia.
Sri Lanka and the Maldives were ranked 73
Ankur Mittal clinches double trap gold at ISSF
and 105 respectively and figure in the "high
World Cup
human development" section.
The top three countries in HDI were Norway Ankur Mittal clinched the gold medal at the
(0.949), Australia (0.939) and Switzerland ISSF Shotgun World Cup in the double trap
(0.939). event, pipping Australian rival James Willet in
What is Human Development Index? the final in a world record equalling effort.
Mittal had settled for a silver at the recent
Devised and launched in 1990, HDI is a
International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF)
statistic which ranks countries into four tiers of
World Cup in New Delhi, where Willet had won
human development on the basis of indicators
the gold.
like life expectancy, education and per capita
Mittal ended with 75 points out of possible 80
income.
in the six-man final to win Indias first medal in
A higher lifespan, higher level of education
the competition while Willet managed 73.
and higher GDP per capita results in a country
The 2017 ISSF World Cup is the annual edition
scoring higher HDI.
of the ISSF World Cup in the Olympic shooting
The Human Development Index (HDI) is a
events, governed by the International Shooting
composite statistic of life expectancy,
Sport Federation.
education, and per capita income indicators,
which are used to rank countries into four tiers
South Indian Bank introduces Aadhar-based
of human development.
payment app
Bengaluru gets India's first vertical garden
To promote cashless digital transactions, Others to be honoured

South Indian Bank has introduced Aadhar-
Pitbull: First-ever recipient of the Global
based payment in its UPI mobile application-
Ambassador Award.
SIB M-Pay.
2017 SHOF inductees: Kenneth "Babyface"
Unified Payment Interface enables all bank
Edmonds, Berry Gordy, Jimmy Jam & Terry
account holders to send and receive money
Lewis, Robert Lamm & James Pankow p/k/a
from their Smartphone without entering the
"Chicago," Max Martin and Shawn "Jay Z"
bank account information.
Carter
Even non-customers of South Indian Bank can
Hal David Starlight Award
link any of their bank account in this mobile
The Hal David Starlight Award was created in
application. Currently, the fund transfer is
2004 in honor of Songwriters Hall Chairman
possible only if the Virtual Address (UPI ID) of
Emeritus Hal David as a way of honoring
the beneficiary is known to the user.
gifted young songwriters making a significant
With the latest addition in SIB M-Pay, the fund
impact in the music industry with original
transfers can be done by just entering the
compositions.
Aadhar number of the beneficiary.
The amount will be credited directly to the
India win 8 medals in Para Athletics Grand Prix
beneficiarys Aadhar linked bank account. SIB
M-Pay app is currently available in Android Indian Para Athletes bagged eight medals,
Playstore. including three gold, in the 9th Fazza
Aadhar based payment in South Indian Bank's International IPC Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai.
SIB M-Pay will be a major step in offering With 3 gold, 1 silver and 4 bronze medals till
simple and efficient payment methods, as the the second day of competitions, India are
country moves towards a 'Cashless Society' currently at the seventh spot out of 48
and Aadhar ID plays a key role in Digital India participating countries.
initiatives Sundar Singh Gurjar was the star among the
Indians as he won a gold each in men's Javelin
Ed Sheeran to Receive Songwriters Hall of Fame's Throw F-46 and Discus Throw F-46
2017 Hal David Starlight Award competitions.
The third Indian gold was bagged by Narender
Ed Sheeran, he of pop superstardom and
Ranbir in men's Javelin Throw F-44 with an
songwriter/performer of the juggernaut that is
effort of 47.75m
"Shape of You," has been named the recipient
The other Indian medal winners
of the Songwriters Hall of Fame's 2017 Hal
David Starlight Award, which will be presented Anandan Gunasekaran: silver
at the 48th Annual Induction and Awards Ramkaran Singh: bronze
Dinner on June 15 in New York. Surjit Singh: bronze
Rohit: bronze governments and their organizations and

Pramod K Yadav: bronze agencies.
The Flag Code of India, 2002, took effect from
January 26, 2002 and superseded the Flag
Home ministry issues directive for compliance with
Code-India as it existed earlier.
Flag Code of India
After e-commerce site Amazon was barred

The Worlds Largest Artificial Sun Is Powering
from selling products with the Indian Flag on
up in Germany
them in January, the Union ministry of home
affairs (MHA) on Wednesday issued a fresh Synlight is the largest collection of film
directive to ensure strict compliance of the projector spotlights ever assembled in one
provisions contained in the Flag Code of India, room, and scientists in Germany are turning
2002. them all on at once in the pursuit of efficient
The home ministry also directed that mass and renewable energy.
awareness programmes be carried out in This experiment involving the worlds largest
order to propagate the importance of the artificial sun is taking place in Jlich, a town
national flag. located 30 kilometers (19 miles) west of
The ministry had recorded several cases where Cologne, and it was designed by scientists
norms pertaining to the flag and the safety of from the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
the environment had been flouted. The device features 149 industrial-grade film
Any show of disrespect to the flag would invite projector spotlights, and each one boasts
a jail term of up to three years, a fine, or roughly 4,000 times the wattage of the
both under Section 2 of The Prevention of average light bulb.
Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 When this artificial sun is turned on, it
Flag Code of India generates light thats 10,000 times as intense
as natural sunlight on Earth.
The Flag Code of India is a set of laws,
Swiveling the lamps and concentrating them
practices and conventions that apply to the
on one spot can produce temperatures of
display of the national flag.Flag Code of India,
around 3,500 degrees Celsius (6,332 degrees
2002, has been divided into three parts.
Fahrenheit), which is three times as hot as the
Part I of the code contains a general
heat generated by a blast furnace.
description of the national flag.
In the future, the facility may be used to test
Part II of the code is devoted to the display of
the durability of space travel parts when
the national flag by members of public, private
blasted by solar radiation, so not only could
organizations, educational institutions, etc.
Synlight help us deal with our energy crisis
Part III of the code relates to display of the
here on Earth, it could help us explore worlds
national flag by Central and state
far beyond our own, too.
November 9) to 4.35 crore (by March 15), also

AP tops in Aadhaar seeding of Jan Dhan Accounts saw the seeding of the accounts rise from
43.20 per cent to 57.50 per cent
Post demonetisation of specified bank notes
on November 8, 2016, more accounts under
RBI appoints T S Anantharaman as part-time
the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)
chairman of Catholic Syrian Bank
have been seeded with Aadhaar numbers.
Of the 25.51 crore PMJDY accounts on The Reserve Bank of India has accorded its ap-
November 9, around 53.65 per cent were proval for appointment of TS Anantharaman
seeded with Aadhaar numbers. Four months as part-time chairman of Catholic Syrian
hence, the number of PMJDY accounts has Bank.
gone up to 28.01 crore, and the share of Anantharaman has been holding the position
Aadhaar-seeded accounts has risen to 63.61 of Non-Executive Director of the bank since
per cent. August 28, 2009. Anantharaman is a chartered
As on March 15, Andhra Pradesh had linked accountant with wide and varied experience in
87.73 per cent of its Jan-Dhan accounts with practice, industry, teaching, consulting and
Aadhaar numbers. This was followed by service.
Tripura at 87.08 per cent and Telangana 83.56 His experience includes seven years with the
per cent. United Nations in a number of countries.
The share of Aadhaar-seeded accounts At present, he is investment consultant and di-
remained above 53 per cent in States with rector in a number of companies and institu-
more than one crore PMJDY accounts. tions.
Maharashtra had linked 80 per cent of its 1.86 Catholic Syrian Bank
crore PMJDY accounts with Aadhaar numbers The Catholic Syrian Bank Limited (CSB) is an
by March 15. Odisha was able to seed 53.90 Indian private sector bank with
per cent of its 1.11 crore accounts. its headquarters at Thrissur, Kerala, India. It is
The seeding remained below the 10 per cent one of the oldest banks in India.
range in Assam (1.3 per cent) and Meghalaya CSB was founded on 26 November 1920
(2.08 per cent). It opened for business on January 1st, 1921
Of the 1.1 crore PMJDY accounts in Assam, with an authorised capital of Rs.5 lakhs and a
around 1.49 lakh were seeded by March 15. paid up capital of Rs. 45270/-
Aadhaar seeding remained below 50 per cent Managing Director & CEO: CVR Rajendran
in Arunachal Pradesh (34.12 per cent), Jammu Chief Financial Officer: PV Antony
and Kashmir (25.16 per cent), Manipur (47.38
per cent) and Nagaland (40.94 per cent). Tata Capital launches app for personal loans
Uttar Pradesh, which saw the number of
In a bid to woo the mobile-savvy youth,
PMJDY accounts grow from 3.76 crore (as on
financial services company Tata Capital
launched a mobile app to offer personal loans The book summarizes NDDBs remarkable 50-
up to Rs 15 lakh. year journey and the value it has created for
The app, called myLoan, is a social profile- millions of dairy farmers in India.
based personal loan mobile application. It will The book also underlines the NDDBs belief
make a real-time assessment of the that cooperative principles are as relevant in
borrowers loan application through an the present time as they were in the past. It
algorithm, using a mix of digital, social and also highlights the Boards efforts towards
financial data. bringing about socio-economic change in rural
Salient Features of App India.
National Dairy Development Board
In a bid to woo the mobile-savvy youth,
financial services company Tata Capital on The National Dairy Development Board was
Thursday launched a mobile app to offer set up by an Act of Parliament of India.
personal loans up to Rs 15 lakh. It is an institution of national importance.
The app, called myLoan, is a social profile- It was founded by Dr. Verghese Kurien.
based personal loan mobile application. The NDDB was created in 1965.
It will make a real-time assessment of the Its main office is located in Anand, Gujarat.
borrowers loan application through an It subsidiaries include IDMC Limited-Anand,
algorithm, using a mix of digital, social and Mother Dairy, Delhi, NDDB Dairy Services,
financial data. Delhi and Indian Immunologicals Ltd,
Tata Capital Limited Hyderabad.
Tata Capital Limited was established in 2007

Six Indian-Americans among Ellis Island Medal of
with the sole aim of providing focused and
Honour
transparent financial solutions to help people
realize their dreams. PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, author Fareed
Zakaria are amongst six Indian-Americans
Shri Singh launch Coffee Table Book titled 50 nominated for the prestigious Ellis Island
Years The Great Indian Milk Revolution Medal of Honour 2017 - the highest civilian
award in the US for immigrants.
Radha Mohan Singh, Union Minister of
Among 88 named recipients, the four other
Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, on 23 March
Indian-Americans are Harman International
2017, launched a Coffee Table Book titled 50
Industries chairman CEO Dinesh Paliwal, Dr
Years The Great Indian Milk Revolution.
Annapoorna S Kini, Yashvant Patel, Mohan H
The book was launched to commemorated
Patel, as well as Pakistani-American Dr Adil
National Dairy Development Boards (NDDB)
Haider.
Golden Jubilee year.
Nooyi has been the CEO at PepsiCo since 2006
and chairman since 2007.
Zakaria is the host of CNN's "Fareed Zakaria formed to address issues on real-time basis.
GPS" as well as a columnist for The
Washington Post. India ranks 87th on energy architecture
Ellis Island Medal of Honour performance: WEF
The Ellis Island Medal of Honour founded by India has marginally improved its position to
the National Ethnic Coalition of Organisations 87th place on a global energy architecture
(NECO) are given annually to individuals performance index, but ranks among the
whose accomplishments in their field and worst for pollution
service to the country are cause for Switzerland topped the annual list released by
celebration Geneva- based World Economic Forum (WEF)
Since its inception in 1986, the medal has been and was followed by Norway, Sweden,
officially recognised by both Houses of Denmark and France in the top five. Indias
Congress as one of the nation's most rank improved three places from 90th last
prestigious awards. year.
According to the findings, the worlds biggest
Petroleum Minister launches MoPNG e Seva energy consumers struggle to take leading
positions on the index as they grapple with
Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum and
inherent challenges of their large, complex
Natural Gas, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan
energy systems and are outperformed by more
launched MoP&NG e-Seva, a dedicated
nimble economies.
grievances redressal platform on Social Media
Bahrain is ranked the lowest at 127th.
for all queries and grievances relating to Oil
The report, developed in collaboration with
and Gas Sector.
Accenture Strategy and launched today at the
The MOPNG e-Seva is an integrated
European Commission, ranked 127 countries
grievances redressal platform across social
based on their ability to provide energy across
media for all Oil & Gas related service issues.
three dimensions of the energy triangle.
This portal will be a single point interface for
It has 18 indicators defined across the three
all customers to reach out to the government
sides of the energy triangle -- economic
for addressing their feedback or grievances
growth and development, environmental
related to Oil & Gas Sector on social media.
sustainability, and energy access and security.
MOPNG e-Seva will also deliver 24 x 7 support
World Economic Forum
for consumers.
The e-Seva portal will serve as a single point The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a Swiss
for queries on Twitter and Facebook to begin non-profit foundation, based in Cologny,
with; and other social media platforms in due Geneva
course. A team of Nodal Officers from Oil its mission is cited as "committed to improving
Companies and Allied Services have been the state of the world by engaging business,
political, academic, and other leaders of Make in India

society to shape global, regional, and industry
Make in India is an initiative launched by the
agendas
Government of India to encourage multi-
The forum was founded in 1971 by Klaus
national, as well as national companies to
Schwab, a German-born business professor at
manufacture their products in India.
the University of Geneva
It was launched by Prime Minister Narendra
First named the "European Management
Modi on 25 September 2014. India emerged,
Forum", it changed its name to the World
after initiation of the programme in 2015, as
Economic Forum in 1987
the top destination globally for foreign direct
investment (FDI), surpassing the United States
Conference on 'Make in India' held in Houston of America as well as the People's Republic of
China. In 2015, India received US$63 billion in
First-ever conference was held here bringing
FDI
together various constituencies that have an
interest in India and discussing the latest
Karnataka bank launches new platinum debit card
developments and the best practices of doing
business in India. Karnataka bank has launched a novel card
The two-day Houston India Conference was product 'MoneyPlantTM Rupay' international
hosted by Asia Society Texas Center platinum debit card as part of its efforts to
The theme of the Conference is 'Make in India provide more privileges to its premium
-The Inside Story'. customers.
Texas has a vibrant Indian-American The card could be used for domestic as well as
population that has contributed immensely to international cash withdrawals and purchase
the understanding between our two countries transactions, a bank press release here said.
across business, academia, the sciences The card has superior features and privileges
Houston India Conference is designed to bring like enhanced withdrawal limit of Rs
together the various constituencies that have 75,000 and purchase (POS/ e-commerce) limit
an interest in India, and discuss with them the of Rs two lakh per day, personal accident
latest developments and the best practices of insurance coverage of Rs two lakh, two free
doing business in India. lounge access per quarter across more than
The central focus of the conference is to 30 airports in India and 300 plus airports
provide a collaboration platform and share worldwide, fuel surcharge waiver and other
today's India story with the audience in Texas merchant offers, it said.
who are interested in investing in India, by the The card, bundled with a host of special
people who are playing an important role in features, would be offered to customers as
shaping up the modern part of bank's digital banking initiative
Indian navy successfully test fires surface-to-air many more women will join her in securing our
missile from aircraft carrier borders."
Pareek started training last year in a 52-week
India's navy announced Friday it successfully
Assistant Commandant training programme
fired its first surface-to-air missile from its
with the 40th batch of the BSF academy.
aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.
The test firing, conducted in the Arabian Sea
on Wednesday, was part of the Operational Four startups from T-Hub bags global awards
Readiness Inspection program and marks a
Four startups from T-Hub, one of the largest
major milestone in the country's defense
start-up ecosystem builders in India, have
capabilities. The missile was fired at a live low-
bagged global awards
flying, high-speed target, officials said.
Hug Innovations, Loop Reality, AuthBase and
"The target was successfully engaged and
Kheyti have received prestigious awards and
destroyed,
recognitions in competitions held exclusively
INS Vikramaditya is the country's sole aircraft
to identify emerging start-ups in the country
carrier and was retrofitted with a Barak
T-Hub, which has over 2,000 start-ups in its
missile system.
database, claims to be emerging as the first
The Kiev-class vessel was built in 1987 and
choice of top Indian startups.
served the Soviet navy and was originally
Hug Innovations is the the maker of the
named Baku. It was later renamed Admiral
gesture-control Hug Smartwatch capable of
Gorshkov under the Russian navy.
flying drones, navigating smart television, and
The Indian navy purchased the vessel in 2004
controlling virtual reality-based applications
through hand gestures.
BSF gets first woman field officer in Tanushree Loop Reality is a disruptive technology firm,
Pareek whose first product LoopFit is an immersive
multiplayer VR fitness solution
The Border Security Force on Saturday
AuthBase provides frameworks for developers
received its first woman field officer after a
to secure their applications and use Deep
convocation ceremony conducted in the BSF
Learning to detect and mitigate hack and bot
academy at Tekanpur in Madhya Pradesh's
attacks real-time.
Gwalior Tanushree Pareek, a resident of
Rajasthan, led the passing-out parade at the
Indian firms, MNCs get HYSEA awards
BSF Academy as the first woman field officer.
She was also felicitated at the ceremony. The 25th Annual Hyderabad Software
Congratulating the BSF, Union Home Minister Exporters Association (HYSEA) Awards brought
Rajnath Singh said, "I am happy that BSF has IT multinationals, medium enterprises and
got its first woman field officer and hope that startups of the city on one platform.
The day-long summit and awards was held on misleading because the cashback was limited
Thursday with the theme Design Intelligence. to Rs 150 only.
Around 75 Startups exhibited their products or By opting to be a member, companies submit
services at the event which was attended by themselves to the ASCI Advertising Code,
more than 1000 people from the IT and ITeS conveying the message that they wish to be
industry. responsible advertisers. Any violation, upheld
Virinchi Technologies was awarded the Best by ASCI, puts the onus on the member to
Indian IT SME Company. Virtusa (India) and GE abide by the regulators decision.
(India) Exports bagged the Best Indian IT This implies quick modifications to
Services Company in Rs. 100 to Rs.500 crore advertisements, which, if not done, could
category and CA Technologies Pvt. Ltd in Best attract stringent action, especially in the case
MNC IT Software Company category. of television ads.
Microsoft got adjudged as the top MNC Paytm:
IT exporter and Google won the fastest
The name is an acronym for "Pay Through
growing IT company award. Infosys, Tech
Mobile."
Mahindra and Tata Consultancy Services
In 2015, Paytm became the first Indian
bagged top IT Exporters Award.
company to receive funding from Chinese
CSR Awards were presented to Honeywell
eCommerce company Alibaba
Technology Solutions, Wells Fargo Enterprise
It was founded in 2010
Global Services and CPersistent Systems.
Its founder is Basim Sharma and CEO is Vijay
Shekhar Sharma
Paytm to become member of ASCI
Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI)
Paytm set to become a member of the self- Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) is
regulatory voluntary organisation Advertising a self-regulatory voluntary organization of the
Standards Council of India (ASCI) advertising industry in India. It is a non-
The move is significant because advertising Government body.
violations by e-commerce companies, which ASCI founded in 1985
are big spenders on television, print and digital The aim of ASCI is to maintain and enhance
media, have been on the rise in recent years. the public's confidence in advertising.
ASCI members include key advertisers from Its headquarter is located in Mumbai.
various sectors, such as fast-moving consumer Its chairman is Narendra Ambwani.
goods (FMCG), media, auto and telecom.
Paytm had stated in one of its advertisements CNBC-TV18's India Business Leader Awards to
in November, that it was offering a flat 50 per honour the best in Indian businesses
cent cashback", which was found to be
Indias most well-known business personalities Nangunuru mandal has led to a stunning
congregated at CNBC-TV18s India Business discovery of the world's largest capstone
Leader Awards (IBLA) 2016-17 in New Delhi The efforts to lift this massive capstone was
The 12th edition of the awards felicitated coordinated by S S Rangacharyulu,
visionary leaders who have made a stellar archaeology consultant and K Padmanabha,
difference in their respective spheres, creating assistant director (museums), as this mission
that much-desired edge above their peers. required great precision and caution
The business leaders who were felicitated at a A large crane lifted this huge capstone at the
IBLAs awards ceremony are: excavation site in Narmeta village on March
State Bank of India chairman Arundhati 21, they said adding, "the capstone of the
Bhattacharya: Outstanding Business Leader menhir burial reportedly weighs about 40
for the Year tonnes".
Infosys managing director and CEO Vishal
Sikka: CNBC Asias India Business Leader of
Raghu Rai conferred with Lifetime Achievement
the Year
award
Maruti Suzuki chairman RC Bhargava and
former Reserve Bank of India governor Bimal Photojournalist Raghu Rai was conferred with
Jalan: Hall of Fame a Lifetime Achievement Award by the
Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar: Award for information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry
Outstanding Contribution to Brand India. for his remarkable contribution to the field.
IBLA winners are selected through a three- The ministry felicitated a total 13
phase methodology conducted by the CNBC- photographers. Among the winners were K.K.
TV18 editorial panel and research team, Mustafah, Atul Choubey, Dipayan Bhar and
through a process based on a combination of Ravinder Kumar.
criteria including financial performance, Best known for his book Raghu Rais India:
leadership, creativity, innovation and social Reflections in Colour and Reflections in Black
responsibility. and White
Rai has 18 titles in his kitty including Raghu
Archaeologists Find World's Largest Capstone in Rais Delhi, The Sikhs and Calcutta. He has
Telangana won acclaim for his series on Great Masters of
Indian classical music, Satyajit Ray and Mother
The archaeology department of Telangana
Teresa.
has discovered the world's largest capstone
Rai was awarded Photographer of the Year
after excavating an ancient human burial site
award by the US in 1992.
in Siddipet district
National Photography Awards
The ancient human burial site excavated by
National Photography Awards is an annual event
Telangana Archaeology in Narmeta village in
organized by the ministry to promote art,
technique of photography and to encourage institutions under the All India Football
professional and amateur photographers from all Federation (AIFF),
corners of the country. It was founded in 1941
India's Motherson Sumi buys Finland's PKC Group Business Standard Annual Awards: Celebrating
for $619 million excellence
Indian auto parts maker Motherson Sumi The Business Standard Annual Awards for
Systems Ltd (MSSL) had completed the buyout Corporate Excellence was held in Mumbai.
of Finland's PKC Group for 571 million euros Eicher Motors Managing Director
($619.4 million). (MD) Siddhartha Lal won the CEO of the Year
Motherson is now the controlling shareholder award.
of PKC Group, holding 93.75 percent of PKC's The Indian Space Research Organisation
outstanding shares and stock options. (ISRO) received the Innovative Organisation of
There is a great synergy between MSSL & PKC the Year award for achieving significant
and a complementary geographical presence milestones in 2016 in the domains of vehicle,
to serve the customers in all regions satellite, applications and space exploration
Shares of Motherson, which have gained 12 Madhav Chavan, co-founder, Pratham
percent since the deal was made public on Foundation, winner of the Social Enterprise of
Jan. 20, were trading slightly higher. the Year award
Sanjit Bunker Roy of Barefoot College won
West Bengal beat Goa to lift record 32nd Santosh the Social Entrepreneur of the Year award
Trophy
Miami Open: Rafael Nadal wins in 1000th match
West Bengal on Sunday lifted the Santosh
Trophy for the 32nd time after Manvir Singh Rafael Nadal celebrated his 1,000th tour level
struck in the 119th minute for a 1-0 win over match with a come-from-behind victory over
Goa, extending their domination in the premier German veteran Philipp Kohlschreiber to reach
domestic football tournament. the fourth round of the Miami Open
Goa, who had host the tournament thrice, lost He joins a small group of 11 players headed by
to West Bengal in the semifinal in 1972 and Jimmy Connors (1,535) to have played at least
the final in 1996, while winning against Kerala 1,000 matches.
in 1990.ended a six-year wait having last won Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish
the title in 2011. Goa last won it in 2009. professional tennis player. He is widely
The Santosh Trophy is an association football regarded as the greatest clay-court player in
knock-out competition contested by the history.
regional state associations and government
Owing to his dominance and success on the

surface, he has been titled "The King of Clay".
India wins 73 medals in 2017 Special Olympics
Nadal has won 14 Grand Slam singles titles,
World Winter Games including 37 golds
the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles, 28
titles in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events Indias special athletes gave an impressive
and 17 ATP World Tour 500 tournaments. performance and won 73 medals in the
He was also a member of the winning Spain recently concluded 2017 Special Olympics
Davis Cup team in 2004, 2008, 2009, and World Winter Games held in Austria.
2011. In 2010, he became the seventh player This years edition witnessed 2,600 athletes
in history and youngest of four in the Open Era from over 105 countries competing with each
to achieve the Career Grand Slam at age 24. other and the Special Olympics Bharat (SOB)
team won 37 golds, 10 silver and 26 bronze
ISRO sends 4 teams to Antarctica medals. This years Olympics included even
disciplines including Alpine Skiing, Snow
The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro)
Boarding, Snow Shoeing, Figure Skating,
has joined the 36th scientific mission to
Speed Skating, Floor Hockey, Floor Ball (and
Antarctica, organised by the National Centre
Unified floor Ball).
for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR).
India dominated in three team events Floor
This year, four teams from ISROone team
Hockey (male), Unified Floorball and
from Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad
Traditional Floorball bagging 30 medals in
and one team each from the National Remote
total which was the highest tally in a single
Sensing Centre, Indian Institute of Remote
day.
Sensing, Dehradun and the Space Physics
Special women team won 16 bronze medals.
Laboratory(SPL), Thiruvananthapuramare
Gold Medal in The Unified Floorball (Male) in
participating.
which India defeated Nigeria.
Climate change is the thrust area of the 36th
Floor Hockey team defeated Lithuania 7-2.
Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica (36-
India also won 10 medals in Alpine skiing
ISEA).
including 3 gold, 3 silver and 4 bronze medals.
The main objective of this expedition is to
The snowboarding team also came out all
install stakes on ice for Differential Global
guns blazing bagging 8 medals that included 4
Positioning System (DGPS) measurements
gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals. 5 more
around Bharati and Maitri to validate glacier
medals came in Snow Shoeing and 4 medals
surface velocity derived from satellite data to
were won in Speed and figure skating.
estimate thickness of snow over land and sea
In the process, Himachals Megha became the
ice using Ground Penetrating Radars (GPR's)
first Indian to win a gold medal in the games
and also to verify conditions of snow over sea
and land ice
R Ashwin breaks Dale Steyns record of most marketing & retail, international finance,
wickets in a Test season valuation with KP and diamond certification.
The theme of this conference was"Mines to
R Ashwin has set another record of the most
Market 2017"
wickets (79) in a Test season. Ashwin eclipsed
GJEPC
Dale Steyns tally of 78 which was set in
2007/08. Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council
Other bowlers who feature in the elite list are (GJEPC) is an organisation set up by the
Ravindra Jadeja with 67* wickets in ongoing Ministry of Commerce and Industry (India) with
season, Glenn McGrath with 66 wickets in the aim to promote the Indian gem and jewellery
1998/99 season and Anil Kumble with 64 industry and its products.
wickets in the 2004/05 season. It was established in 1966 and now represents
He became the fastest to reach 250 wickets almost 6,000 exporters in the sector.
going past Dennis Lillee and Dale Steyn, who It has its headquarters in Mumbai and
had reached this milestone in their 48th and regional Offices in New Delhi, Kolkata,
49th Test match, respectively. Chennai, Surat and Jaipur.
Currently, Ashwin is the fifth highest wicket
taker for India in Tests. The 30-year-old ESIC launched Mobile Clinic Services in AP,
spinner from Tamil Nadu, also completed 200 Telangana
wickets in home Tests in his 30th Test and is
The Employees' State Insurance Corporation
among the quickest to do so.
(ESIC) launched Mobile Clinic Services for the
As of now Ashwins current Test bowling strike-
states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
rate of 52 is the best by a Test spinner (min 50
Union minister of state for labour and
wkts) in the last 100 years.
employment Bandaru Dattatreya, launched
the ESIC Mobile Clinic Services by flagging off
GJEPC Hosted International Diamond Conference
'Jan Suraksha Vans/Ambulances
2017
It is for the first time in the country that the
The Gem and Jewelry Export Promotion ESIC Mobile Clinic Services are launched in
Council (GJEPC) hosted the International Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and the
Diamond Conference in Mumbai. mobile clinics will be expanded and launched
It gathered leading miners, diamantaires, across the country by all ESI hospitals
retailers, bankers and analysts from across the Features of the services
globe on a single platform to discuss issues Each mobile clinic will have a vehicle with a
faced by the global diamond industry, such as doctor, pharmacist, attendant, driver and the
supply and demand, marketing and financing, necessary equipment and medicines, he said.
and will cover all aspects of the diamond
pipeline including mining, midstream,
The vehicle will visit two locations in a day for Chadha, whose films include Bhaji on the
three hours each and do basic investigations. Beach, Bend It Like Beckham and Bride and
Each location will be covered twice in a week, Prejudice, received the award from UK
Employees' State Insurance Corporation Defence Secretary Michael Fallon at the
Vaisakhi Dinner organised by the British Sikh
Employees' State Insurance Corporation
Association
(ESIC), established by ESI Act, is an
Chadhas latest film, Viceroys House tells
autonomous corporation under Ministry of
the true story of the final five months of British
Labour and Employment, Government of India.
rule in India and coincides with the
As it is a legal entity,
It was founded on 25 February 1952
Sebastian Vettel beats Lewis Hamilton to win
Australian Grand Prix
World Theatre Day 27 March 2017
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel beat Lewis
Since 1962, World Theatre Day has been Hamilton's Mercedes in a straight fight as
celebrated by theatre professionals, theatre Formula 1's new era started at the Australian
organisations, theatre universities and theatre Grand Prix.
lovers all over the world on March 27. Vettel's first win since the Singapore GP in
This year, Malta is also joining the global September 2015 was final proof Mercedes'
celebrations under the banner of Viva t-Teatru, domination is over after the introduction of
with a programme of events by Teatru Malta faster cars.
and Arts Council Malta. In a repeat of last years race, Hamilton
World Theatre Day was initiated in 1961 by started on pole position but again had to
the International Theatre Institute (ITI). It is settle for second, 10 seconds behind the
celebrated annually on the 27th March by ITI winner, with his new Mercedes teammate
Centres and the international theatre Valtteri Bottas completing the podium line-up.
community. Vettel said: "Unbelievable. It is a fantastic
Various national and international theatre grand prix, it was quite mad in a positive way
events are organized to mark this occasion. with the people running on the track going
wild with the Ferrari flags."
A disappointed Hamilton admitted he had
Filmmaker Gurinder Chadha gets Sikh Jewel
struggled with his tyres.
Award
Indian-origin British director Gurinder Chadha HDFCs Aditya Puri is one of the worlds 30 best
has been honoured with the Sikh Jewel Award CEOs, according to US magazine
for 2017 for her immense contribution to
HDFC Bank Managing Director Aditya Puris
British cinema.
name has featured in the list of worlds 30
best CEOs, published by American financial Vajpayee and has also treated Union ministers
magazine Barrons. like Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley.
According to the magazine, a 2014 trip to Guleria is the first Indian to get a Doctorate of
Silicon Valley made Puri a digital evangelist. In Medicine (DM) in Pulmonary and Critical Care
hallmark style, the banker swiftly set out to Medicine.
remake India's second-largest private-sector
bank into the digital spot for anything money- Purva Barve, Varun Kapur bag international titles
related. at Li Ning-Israel Open
Puri holds 23rd position
Shuttlers Purva Barve and Varun Kapur
Facebooks CEO Mark Zuckerberg who is
handed India double delight by winning their
listed on the 30th spot.
respective age group sections in the Li Ning-
Top Five
Israel Open 2017.
1. Mary Barra of General Motors The tournament was held at the Sports Hall,
Rishon LeZion in Israel.
2. Gary Dickerson of Applied Materials
Ranked No. 70 in the world, Purva, the fourth-
3. Stephen Hemsley seed in the Under-19 Women's Singles, proved
to be a runaway winner against the world No.
4. Jensen Huang
61 and third-seeded Lela Minadze (Russia) and
5. Microsofts CEO Satya Nadellaand Amazons signed off registering a 21-6, 21-4 scoreline in
CEO Jeffrey Bezos 18 minutes.

For the 16-year-old Pune-born lass, the title
was her first junior title in an international
Dr Randeep Guleria is new director of AIIMS-Delhi competition
The country's premier medical institute, the All Meanwhile, in the Under-15 Boys Singles, top-
India Institute of Medical Sciences here, got a seeded Varun emerged undefeated in the
new director today with the appointment of Dr league cum knockout format in the 'Youth'
Randeep... segment.
He has been appointed for five years from the In the final, Varun steamrolled England's Toby
date of assumption of charge or till attaining Dillingham 21-10, 21-2 to bag his second
the age of 65 until further orders International title in as many participated.
His predecessor Dr M C Mishra retired from Earlier, in December 2016 Varun had bagged
the post of AIIMS director in January after the Under-15 crown at the Cyprus
serving for over three years. International Open
Dr Guleria has worked as a personnal

physician to former prime minister Atal Bihari CBEC to be renamed CBIC under GST regime
The apex policy making body for indirect administer customs laws in India and
taxes, CBEC is being rechristened as the collection of import duties/land revenue.
Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs It is one of the oldest government
(CBIC) in the run up to the Goods and Services departments of India.
Tax regime to be rolled out from July 1.
The Central Board of Excise & Customs (CBEC)
Oil Ministry brings Shazia Ilmi on EILs board
is being renamed as the Central Board of
Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC), after getting State-run Engineers India Ltd on said that
legislative approval Shazia Ilmi Malik has been appointed as
CBIC would supervise the work of all its field additional director (non-official part-time
formations and directorates and assist the independent).
government in policy making in relation to Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has
GST, continuing central excise levy and approved the appointment of Ilmi from March
customs functions 27, 2017 to January 30, 2020 or till further
The existing formations of central excise and order
service tax under the CBEC have been re- Her inter-se relationship between the directors
organised to implement and enforce the of Engineers India Ltd is NIL.
provisions of the proposed GST Laws, Earlier, Ilmi was appointed as a brand
Indirect tax reform GST is expected to curb tax ambassador for the Prime Ministers Swachh
evasion, make commodities cheaper and add Bharat Mission programme. She is also a
up to 2 per cent to Indias GDP growth. GST member of the Film Certification Appellate
will subsume excise, service tax, VAT and other Tribunal
local levies.
The CBIC will have 21 zones, 101 GST Tax
Engineers India Limited (EIL)
payer Services Commissionerates comprising
15 sub-Commissionerates, 768 Divisions, 3,969 Engineers India Limited (EIL) is a Navratna
Ranges, 49 Audit Commissionerates and 50 public-sector undertaking of the Government
Appeals Commissionerates. of India under the Ministry of Petroleum and
Central Board of Excise and Custom Natural Gas.

It was set up in 1965 to provide engineering
The Central Board of Excise and Custom is the
and related technical services for petroleum
nodal national agency responsible for
refineries and other industrial projects.
administering Customs, Central Excise, Service
The current Chairman and Managing Director
Tax & Narcotics in India.
of the company is Sanjay Gupta.
The Customs & Central Excise department
was established in the year 1855 by the then
Siddhartha Upadhyay appointed on governing
British Governor General of India, to
body of Sports Authority of India
Society for Transformation, Inclusion, and The Sports Authority of India (SAI) is an apex
Recognition through Sports (STAIRS) National Sports body set up in 1984 by the
announced that Mr. Siddhartha Upadhyay, its Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports,
founder and secretary general has been Government of India for broad-basing and
appointed to the governing body of Sports bringing excellence in sports across India
Authority of India.
Sports entrepreneur and philanthropist After BHIM, government to launch Aadhaar Pay
Siddhartha Upadhyay is leading the change in
The government is gearing up to roll out
sports at grassroots levels through STAIRS, a
Aadhaar Pay , a digital payment platform for
not-for-profit organization working towards
merchants, with 20 banks expected to go live
sports, education, health and skill
at the launch on April 14.
development of children across India.
While the government launched BHIM as a
Mr.Siddhartha Upadhyay is a recipient of
payment application for peer-to-peer
prestigious Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar,
transactions post demonetisation, Aadhaar
from the President of India.
Pay is meant for merchants to receive digital
As the founder and secretary general of
payments from customers over the counter
STAIRS, he also represents the organization in
through Aadhaar authentication.
Steering Committee for FIFA U-17 World Cup,
Following the popularity of BHIM (Bharat
BRICS U-17 Tournament, Mission XI Million
Interface for Money), the government plans to
Programme and a programme of Subroto
name the merchant payment scheme BHIM-
Mukherjee Sports Education Society, formed
Aadhaar Pay and has requested banks to
by Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (Govt
rename their applications accordingly
of India).
The government has requested all public
About STAIRS
sector banks to go live with Aadhaar Pay and
STAIRS is a not-for-profit, non-governmental the National Payments Corporation of India
organisation (NGO) which aims to empower (NPCI), the implementing agency for Aadhaar
the underprivileged youth of India through Enabled Payments Systems, has extended help
sports. It was started in 2000 by Siddhartha to the banks to ensure smooth onboarding.
Upadhyay, a national-level sportsman, brand
consultant, philanthropist and social AAI wins India Pride Award for infrastructure
entrepreneur, with Reebok as a partner. development
STAIRS is currently the largest organization
Airports Authority of India won Dainik
that ensures youth development through
Bhaskar's India Pride Awards - 2016 -17 for
sports.
"Excellence in Infrastructure Development" in
The Sports Authority of India (SAI)
the category of Public Sector Undertaking -
Central.

The award was given to AAI Chairman Foundation (IBF), Advertising Agencies
Guruprasad Mohapatra by Union Minister of Association of India (AAAI) and The Indian
Communications Manoj Sinha at a ceremony Society of Advertisers (ISA),
in New Delhi. Other members of the committee include D.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Shivanandan, former Mumbai police
Highways Nitin Gadkari was also present on commissioner and Maharashtra DGP, and
the occasion. Paritosh Joshi, independent technical expert.
The Airports Authority of India is working Additionally, BARC India has set up a vigilance
tirelessly towards India's sustainable growth team to probe viewership malpractices
and renowned for providing state-of-the-art complaints and investigate irregular
infrastructure, passenger facilities and air viewership data recorded from BARC India
navigation services at all the airports across panel households (houses where BARC has
the nation installed metres to map viewership).
Justice Mukul Mudgal to head BARC Indias Vikram Kirloskar appointed CII SR, Chairman
disciplinary council
Trade body Confederation of Indian Industry
Television viewership ratings agency (CII) today said the Vice-Chairman of auto-
Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) major Toyota Kirloskar Motor, Vikram
on Tuesday appointed Mukul Mudgal, former Kirloskar,has been appointed as its Chairman,
chief justice of the Punjab and Haryana high Southern Region, for the period 2017-18.
court, as head of its independent disciplinary Similarly, the Joint Managing Director of T V
committeeBARC India Disciplinary Council Sundaram Iyengar and Sons Pvt Ltd., Madurai,
(BDC). R Dinesh, was elected as Deputy Chairman
The six-member council has been set up by Prior to taking up the new role, Kirloskar
BARC to investigate and address complaints served CII in various capacities, including
pertaining to viewership malpractices and Member, National Council and also Chairman,
tampering of BARC Indias measurement Global Innovation and Technology Alliance.
system. In 2016-17, he was appointed as Deputy
Sujeet Jain, group general counsel and Chairman, CII, Southern Region.
company secretary at Viacom18; C.V.L. Dinesh has been an active member of CII and
Srinivas, chief executive officer, South Asia, at currently is Chairman of the CII Institute of
media agency GroupM, and Pankaj Phadnis, Logistics Advisory Council.
associate vice president, corporate legal at He was also Chairman, CII Tamil Nadu Council
Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL) as in 2012-13,
members who will represent broadcast
stakeholder bodies Indian Broadcasting

Suresh Prabhu to launch new Indian Railways berths are in circulations collectively from
VIKALP scheme for wait-listed passenger every sector.
Fully Waiting list passengers, who opted for
Indian Railways is all set to launch an
Vikalp should check their PNR after charting.
alternative train accommodation scheme
No extra charges shall be levied from
Vikalp from April 1. Under this scheme, the
passengers nor any refund will be provided for
wait-listed passengers will get an option of
the difference of fare.
selecting alternative train on the same route.
Part from providing an alternative
accommodation, Railways is also looking to Cheil bagged a record 14 awards at ADFEST 2017
ensure optimum utilisation of available
Advertising agency network Cheil bagged a
accommodation through this scheme.
record 14 awards at ADFEST 2017 that
Last year, in November, it was launched as the
concluded in Pattaya, Thailand
pilot project for six months on the Delhi-
Cheil Indias Spread the Joy campaign for
Lucknow and Delhi- Jammu sectors.
Samsung won a Gold in the Media category.
Vikalp aims to beat the festive rush when
The campaign converted Samsung showrooms
availability of berths does not match the
into on-the-spot adoption centers by utilizing
surging demand.
Samsung Joy Plus televisions to help increase
Features of Vikalp
adoption rates of homeless dogs.
Flexibility to cancel tickets
In the Film Craft and Film category, Cheil India
No refund is allowed after the chart is
bagged a Silver and Bronze for the Samsung
prepared.
Service film.
Heavy cuts will be levied as cancellation fee
Samsung India launched a nationwide
from fully confirmed tickets.
television and digital campaign showcasing its
If one opts for Vikalp, while getting a
initiative to take customer service to the
waitlisted ticket in an ordinary/express train,
doorstep in the hinterland.
chances are that one might get
The campaign film, conceptualized by Cheil
accommodation on Rajdhani or Shatabadi
India, was unveiled across 50 television
Express with no extra charges.
channels, supported by print and digital.
50 per cent will be levied as cancellation
The campaign film went viral and touched 100
charge on the cancellation of tickets between
million views in just seven weeks.
12 and four hours prior to departure.
Chances of cancelling an alternative option
will be less, Vijaya Bank inks MoU with Piaggio Vehicles
Nation-wide the availability of the berths in
Vijaya Bank on Monday entered into an MoU
trains is just 12 per cent and around 46 crore
with Piaggio Vehicles for providing financial
support for the purchase of vehicles under

Small Road Transport Operators (SRTO) Corps (NCC). Downsizing or rationalisation of

scheme in Bengaluru. manpower: It will lead to significant savings.
Vijaya Bank Managing Director and Chief It must be established for training middle-level
Executive Officer Dr Kishore Sansi flagged off officers. Reduce deployment of active-duty
the first batch of vehicles under the MoU in soldiers in avoidable postings: They will be
the presence of Executive Directors B S Rama replaced by retired officers and jawans in the
Rao, Y Nageswara Rao, and Piaggio Vehicles running of NCC.
Vice-President Praveen Nagpal and others. Transfer of NCC out of the Defence Ministry to
the HRD Ministry: NCC can be run by re-
Government approves Shekatkar Committee employed or on-contract ex-service personnel.
recommendations to reform military
Home of the Brave' chronicles Rashtriya Rifles
The Union Defence Ministry has approved
saga
most of the proposals of a committee of
experts, headed by Lt. Gen. D.B. Shekatkar Home of the Brave", which traces the early
(Retd) to bring host of reforms in the military history of the Rashtriya Rifles counter-
and improve financial management. insurgency force in Jammu and Kashmir has
Around 90 recommendations have been of the been released has been released here by the
committee were approved. Most of these Indian Army chief, General Bipin Rawat.
recommendations are measures to increase Authored by defence and security analyst Nitin
coordination among the three Services and A. Gokhale and Brig S.K. Chatterji (retd),
cut down flab in Army to make it lean and "Home of the Brave" also reflects upon the
agile. role of the Rashtriya Rifles in strengthening
Some recommendations of Committee the professionalism of the Indian Army and
military ethics and values throughout its rank
Roll-on defence budget must have enough
and file.
capital expenditure available for
Home of the Brave will serve as an authentic
modernisation. It must be against the present
record of achievements of the RR for all the
practice of surrendering unspent capital
Army units and Army training institutions. For
budget at the end of each financial year.
defence policy planners, research scholars and
It must be conducted of non-combat
military historians, this book provides factual
organisations under the Defence Ministry. It
and well chronicled information
must include those dealing with defence
The Rashtriya Rifles has won many laurels in
estates and accounts, Director- General of
the operations. In addition to fulfilling its
Quality Assurance, Ordnance Factory Board
primary mandate of securing the Nation, the
(OFB), Defence Research and Development
Force has also conducted several softer
Organisation (DRDO) and National Cadet
measures to win hearts and minds of the

people -- a critical and valuable practice that suicide should be presumed to have severe
the Indian Army has embraced. stress, and shall not be punished.
As per the bill, it will be government's duty to
Anupam Kher to receive Kala Ratan Award provide care, treatment and rehabilitation to a
person, having severe stress and who
Veteran actor Anupam Kher will be honoured
attempted to commit suicide, to reduce the
with the Kala Ratan Award by Vice President
risk of recurrence of any attempt.
Hamid Ansari.
The bill also provides that a person with
Anupam Kher was honoured him the Padma
mental illness will have the right to make an
Shri in 2004 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016
advance directive that states how he/she
for his contribution in the field of cinema and
wants to be treated for the illness and
arts.
nominate a representative
The actor who has worked mainly in Hindi
films has also appeared in acclaimed
Syndicate Bank opens 40 Ananya branches
international films like Bend It Like Beckham,
Bride and Prejudice, The Mistress Of Spices, Syndicate Bank on Monday digitally
Ang Lees Lust, Caution, and David O. Russells inaugurated 40 Ananya transformed
2013 Oscar-winning Silver Linings Playbook. branches.
Project Ananya is a two-year large-scale
Parliament Passes Mental Health Bill transformation project undertaken by the
Decriminalising Suicide bank to provide customers with best in class
services while improving and modernising the
The Mental Healthcare Bill 2016, that provides
whole bank
for mental healthcare and services for persons
The bank also launched its first micro, small
with mental illness, and also decriminalises
and medium enterprise (MSME) hub in
suicide, secured parliamentary approval on
Bengaluru.
Monday with the Lok Sabha's assent to the
The hub is expected to cater to more than 150
legislation.
branches across the Bengaluru region, and
The bill, passed by the Rajya Sabha in August
aims to reduce the turnaround time of the
2016, ensures every person shall have a right
loan-sanctioning process.
to access mental health care and treatment
The bank embarked upon project Ananya in
from mental health services run or funded by
February 2016, and is operating under four
the appropriate government. It also assures
pillars of transformation business process
free treatment for such persons if they are
re-engineering, digital channels, sales and
homeless or poor, even if they do not possess
customer relationship management, and HR
a Below Poverty Line card.
transformation.
One of the clauses in the bill decriminalises
suicide, stating that a person who attempts

Business process re-engineering initiatives bank to create a UPI id and instantly make
include branch transformation aimed at payments in a safe and secure manner
customer service and modernisation. All transactions of Truecaller Pay, powered by
ICICI Bank, follow two-factor authentication as
KVB bags best small bank award per RBI guidelines for secure transfer of
money.
Karur Vysya Bank has been adjudged the Best
All sensitive data relating to account details,
Small Bank for 2016 (balance sheet size of
card details information of users as well as
less than Rs.1-lakh crore).
transfer of monies will be securely handled
K Venkataraman, Managing Director, KVB,
and stored in the state-of-the-art servers of
received the award from Sudhir Munguntivar,
ICICI Bank in line with NPCI and RBI guidelines.
Minister of Finance and Planning, Government
of Maharashtra, at a function in Mumbai.
C Palanivelu received the prestigious Dr. B. C. Roy
This is the eighth award won by KVB in the
Award
current fiscal.
Gastroenterology and laparoscopic surgeon Dr
C Palanivelu received the prestigious Dr. B. C.
ICICI Bank partners Truecaller for UPI-based
Roy Award from the Indian President, Pranab
payment
Mukherjee, under the 'Eminent Medical Person'
ICICI Bank has announced a partnership with category
mobile app firm Truecaller for a new UPI- The chairman of GEM Hospital, he is the fourth
based mobile payment service. doctor from South India to win the award for
Called Truecaller Pay, it will allow users of the the second time. He had received the award in
app to instantly create a UPI id, send money to 2005 under specialty development category
any UPI id or a mobile number registered with for laparoscopic surgery.
the BHIM app. He was the first to introduce laparoscopic
The partnership makes the Truecaller-ICICI surgery in South India in 2001 and
Bank platform among Indias largest mobile instrumental for developing it into a specialty
payment platform with 150 million customers including minimal access surgery. The award is
of the app gaining access to UPI-based also a recognition to keyhole surgery and it's
payments. benefits to society.
Features of Trucaller Pay Keyhole surgery has benefited farm labourers
It will enable users to recharge their mobile and factory workers in Coimbatore, who want
number from within the Truecaller app itself. fast recovery so as they can return to work
Any user of Truecaller app, including non-ICICI The surgical method has been adopted as
Bank customers, can link their account of any standard in Korea and Japan too.

Iskon's Govardhan Eco Village Ggets Water Award Hyderabad, as the new vice chancellor of
Nalanda University.
The Govardhan Eco Village of International
As per rules, the president has to choose the
Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) at
vice-chancellor from a group of at least three
Wada taluka has received an award instituted
names forwarded by the universitys governing
by Water Digest, a news portal on water
board.
management.
135 names were screened, while six applicants
The Goverdhan eco village received the award
were called for interviews. Out of the three
last week in the "Best Water NGO-Water
names forwarded to the president, her name
Education" category.
was at the top.
To commemorate the 'World Water Day 2017',
Earlier on January 27, President Mukherjee
Water Digest, in association with UNESCO,
appointed computer scientist and former IIT
Ministry of Water Resources & ASSOCHAM,
Delhi board chairman, Vijay Bhatkar who is
had recently announced the 11th Water Digest
also the president of the RSS-affiliated Vijnana
Water Awards which are given annually to
Bharati as the universitys chancellor.
organisations, industry members and NGOs.
Nalanda University
The award was presented to Vrajendra
Nandan Prachu, ISKCON India Nalanda University is a flagship initiative
Communications Head. formed under Indias Act East policy, which
Water Digest Awards was first proposed at the East Asia Summit in
2007.
Water Digest Awards are India s most
It was envisioned as a project to evoke Indias
illustrious platforms to honor and appreciate
historical and cultural linkages with South East
outstanding and exceptional environmental
Asia and beyond.
initiatives and achievements. The awards were
Nalanda University (also known as Nalanda
conceived with a vision to awaken the Eco-
International University) is located in Rajgir,
consciousness in Indian industries and the
near Nalanda, Bihar, India.
society.
The University began its first academic session
The village illustrates 'Simple Living and High
on September 1, 2014 with 15 students
Thinking' a principle which is so succinct, yet
including five women. Initially set up with
profound, and formed the basis of life in the
temporary facilities in Rajgir, a modern
bygone age of wisdom
campus is expected to be finished by 2020.
Sunaina Singh Appointed Vice Chancellor of

OPPO wins Indian cricket team sponsorship rights
Nalanda University
for five years
President Pranab Mukherjee has appointed
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)
Sunaina Singh, currently head of the English
has announced that mobile manufacturing
and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) in
company Oppo Mobiles India Private Limited April 1, India will be presented with a cash
will be the new team sponsor of the Indian award of $1 million by the ICC.
cricket team from April 1, 2017 for a period of The ICC also announced that India offspinner
five years. R Ashwin will be awarded the Sir Garfield
The team sponsorship rights include the the Sobers Trophy for being the ICC Cricketer of
title of official team sponsor and the right to the Year for 2016.
display a commercial logo in the kits of the Ashwin, who was also named ICC Test
India men's, women's, A and Under-19 teams. Cricketer of the Year for 2016, took 48 wickets
Six companies, Star India included, had picked and scored 336 runs in the eight Tests he
up the tender document, but only two played during the period under consideration -
appeared at the bidding table - Oppo and September 14, 2015 to September 20, 2016.
VIVO, both of which are Chinese companies. The Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy is a cricket
trophy awarded annually by the International
Bhubaneswar to host men's Hockey World Cup Cricket Council to its chosen world player of
2018 the year. It was first awarded in 2004 to Rahul
Dravid.
The International Hockey Federation and
Government of Odisha on Monday officially
India becomes net exporter of power for the first
confirmed that the Men's Hockey World
time: Government
League Final 2017 and Men's Hockey World
Cup 2018 will be held in India has become a net exporter of electricity
Bhubaneswar for the first time
The Kalinga Stadium will host the two of Upcoming cross-border transmission lines with
hockey's biggest events, where World League neighbouring countries such as Nepal,
and World Cup champions will be crowned. Bangladesh and Myanmar will increase sales.
The venue successfully hosted the 2014 Men's New transmission lines with Bangladesh and
Hockey Champions Trophy. It is also home to Myanmar helped India sell more
the current Hockey India League champions, Known for its crippling power cuts, India has
the Kalinga Lancers. been investing heavily on generation
It was also confirmed that the state of Odisha infrastructure over the past few years. A
will be title sponsor of both events. massive surge in the local supply of raw
materials like coal in the past two years has
India take million-dollar prize for finishing No. 1 also helped power companies boost output.
India have finished at the top of the ICC Test

Sima Kamil becomes first woman to lead a major
rankings for the second successive year after
Pakistani bank
beating Australia 2-1 in the four-Test series. As
a result of being No. 1 by the cut-off date of

United Bank Limited (UBL), one of the Education Fund, will begin her new role on
Pakistan's largest banks, announced Monday June 1
that it had appointed Sima Kamil as the new Gupta served as Deputy Legal Director and
president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Director of the Center for Justice at the
the bank, to replace outgoing CEO Wajahat American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
Hussain. She joined the ACLU in 2006 as a staff
Kamil, who will initially serve as deputy CEO at attorney, where she subsequently secured a
UBL, is slated to take over the top slot after landmark settlement on behalf of immigrant
May 31, when Hussain departs from the children from around the world detained in a
company. privately-run prison in Texas that ultimately
Kamil had previously been leading Habib Bank led to the end of "family detention" at the
Ltd's (HBL) Branch Banking since 2011 and facility.
oversaw a large expansion of HBL's branch
network. Indian-origin UK minister to be awarded Pravasi
She dealt with HBL's retail, consumer, small Bharatiya Samman award
and medium enterprises, and rural banking
Priti Patel, the UK Government's Secretary of
initiatives, as well as the bank's wealth
State for International Development and first
management division as head of the HBL
ever UK-India diaspora Champion, has been
Asset Management Company Ltd.
awarded India's highest honour for members
of the Indian diaspora. The Pravasi Bharatiya
Vanita Gupta appointed president of Leadership
Samman award was granted to Patel by the
Conference
President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, for her
Indian-American Vanita Gupta, who headed exceptional contribution to national and
civil rights division in the Department of international politics, her role in strengthening
Justice in the Obama Administration, has been UK-India relations, and for supporting the
appointed as president and CEO of The Indian diaspora in the UK.
Leadership Conference on Civil and Human The award was presented to Patel by the
Rights, becoming the first woman to head the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Mr Y K
prestigious organisation. Sinha, at a special ceremony at India House in
Known for her fearless advocacy of all human London
beings, 41-year-old Gupta will replace Wade Patel was elected to represent the Witham
Henderson who is stepping down after more parliamentary constituency in 2010 and re-
than two decades. elected with an increased majority in 2015.
Gupta, who will also lead its sister In 2013, the then Prime Minister David
organisation The Leadership Conference Cameron appointed her as the first ever UK-
India diaspora champion and she has

accompanied him on official visits to India and Certification System of CBFC would facilitate
helped facilitate the visit from Prime Minister the Honble Prime Ministers vision of Ease of
Modi to the UK. Doing Business and Digital India.
Patel has also served in Government as The new online certification system would be
Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury 2014-15), an important step in making the CBFC Office
Minter of State for Employment (2015-16), and paper less and would enable effective
as Secretary of State for International monitoring & real time progress tracking for
Development (2016 to present). both CBFC Officials and the applicant
In January 2017 it was announced by the (Producers).
Indian Government that Patel would be The Salient features of the online film certification
awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman. system
She is the first female Indian origin MP to hold Status of each application would be visible
a Cabinet position in the UK government. online in the dashboard of the
producer/concerned CBFC official.
SBI to offer 'zero annual fee' credit cards to In case of short films/promos/trailers less than
accounts with Rs 20,000 10 minutes the producer need not visit the
State Bank of India has said that it will offer Office/Theatre. They can merely submit their
credit cards to every account holder who has a creations online.
balance of Rs 20,000-25,000, without going For films longer than 10 minutes, the applicant
into credit history. will only have to show the film at the
This is the first major joint collaboration Examining theatre and will not have to visit
between Arundhati Bhattacharya-led SBIand the CBFC Offices at all except to collect their
SBI Card after the bank hiked its stake in the certificates.
joint venture to 74% by buying out part of its The producer/applicant would be informed by
partner GE Capital's stake for Rs 1,168 crore. SMS/e-mail of the status of their application
GE Capital will sell its remaining stake to a and any action needed, beginning from the
private equity investor in coming days. receipt of application to the certificate
In an attempt to encourage adoption of credit collection.
cards and facilitate expansion in the reach of Elimination of middle men would mitigate
digital payments, SBI Card "Unnati" will be chances of any corruption and would also
offered free, at zero annual fee, for four years. avoid allegations of jumping the queue or
rigging up of Examination committees.
I&B Minister M Venkaiah Naidu launches Online The implementation of QR code would
Film Certification System of CBFC eliminate chances of fraudulent certificates.

The system envisages a robust MIS system for
Minister for Information and Broadcasting, M
performance tracking and efficient reporting.
Venkaiah Naidu has said that the Online Film

The system has inbuilt alerts depending on the The beneficiary will get a competitive price for
pendency of the application to ensure that a real time transfer. From April 8, we will be
time limits prescribed by the Rules are not waiving transaction fees for Axis Bank
violated. customers
The tie-up is the first of its kind with a US
Ex-South Carolina Governor to Head UN Food banking entity and will offer multiple channels
Agency of remittance to our customers

Wells Fargo has similar tie-ups with ICICI Bank
Former South Carolina Gov. David Beasley was
and HDFC Bank
appointed Wednesday to head the U.N. World Wells Fargo
Food Program, the largest humanitarian
Wells Fargo & Company is an American
agency fighting hunger worldwide as it assists
international banking and financial services
some 80 million people in around 80 countries
holding company headquartered in San
every year.
Francisco, California
Beasley is a supporter of President Donald
In July 2015, Wells Fargo became the world's
Trump who was recommended for the job by
largest bank by market capitalization
U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley. The ambassador
In 1852, Henry Wells and William G. Fargo
left her own job as South Carolina governor to
(Mayor of Buffalo, NY from 1862 to 1863 and
take her U.N. post.
again from 1864 to 1865), the two founders of
Beasley will succeed Ertharin Cousin, an
American Express, formed Wells Fargo &
American lawyer and former U.S. ambassador Company to provide express and banking
services to California.
Axis Bank ties up with Wells Fargo for US

SBI Card launched a unique credit card SBI Card
remittances
Unnati
Axis Bankhas tied up with Wells Fargo, the
SBI Card launched a unique credit card SBI
third largest American bank by assets, to offer
Card Unnati targeted at all SBI customers,
real time remittances from the Indian
including Jan Dhan account-holders across the
diaspora to their relatives back home.
country.
Under the arrangement between the two
Tailored for new users of credit cards those
banks, any member of the Indian diaspora
who do not have a credit history Unnati'
with an account with the Wells Fargo will be
would have no annual fees for the initial four
able to transfer money to their relatives back
years and will be offered through the 20,000-
home and there will be no transaction fee
plus SBI branches.
applicable to the money transfers from USA.
Any SBI customer with a balance of at least
But the relative or the beneficiary in India will
25,000 in his/her savings account with the
need to have an account with Axis Bank.
bank would be eligible for the Unnati credit

card without the need for any credit score or considers part of its strategic sphere of
credit history interest. Wary of Russian influence in the still-
The idea is to spread credit inclusion among volatile region, Nato wanted Montenegro to
the masses. This would enable those who do join the alliance.
not have a credit history to build one so that NATO
they could avail themselves of other loan
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization also
products in the future
called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an
SBI Card Unnati has option like Flexipay,
intergovernmental military alliance based on
wherein users can convert their transactions
the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on
into easy monthly installments.
4 April 1949.
Make any purchase for Rs 2,500 or more using
NATO's headquarters are located in Haren,
their SBI Card Unnati, and log in with your
Brussels, Belgium, while the headquarters of
username and password to sbicard.com within
Allied Command Operations is near Mons.
30 days of purchase to convert it into Flexipay
Kanha Tiger Reserve gets mascot 'Bhoorsingh the

Montenegro set to become NATO's newest
Barasingha'
member after US Senate vote
The Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh has
Montenegro is set to become Nato's newest
become the first tiger reserve in India to officially
member after the US Senate voted
introduce a mascot, which has been named
overwhelmingly to ratify the tiny Balkan
Bhoorsingh the Barasingha.
nation's entry.
Despite its size, Montenegro bears strategic The Barasingha or swamp deer is the state
importance. A former ally of Russia, the animal of Madhya Pradesh. Bhoorsingh was
country is in the middle of a clash between the chosen among four variations by the Madhya
West and Moscow over influence in the Pradesh forest department.
Balkans. Kanha Tiger Reserve, also called Kanha
Montenegro's membership gives Nato a National Park, is one of the tiger reserves of
contiguous border along the Adriatic coast. India and the largest national park of Madhya
US secretary of state Rex Tillerson earlier this Pradesh, state in the heart of India.It was
month pressed the Senate to act quickly on established in 1955.
Montenegro's admission.
Montenegro will become the 29th member of SC bans sale, registration of BS-III vehicles from
the alliance. Nato invited the nation to start April 1
entry talks in December 2015, about nine
Drawing a strong line on environmental
years after the nation of 620,000 people split
issues, the Supreme Court banned the sale
from Serbia in a 2006 referendum.
and registration of Bharat Stage III (BS-III)
Russia strongly opposes the expansion of the
Western military alliance in a region it

vehicles from April 1, when BS-IV emission Odisha-based installation artist Sitaram Swain
norms will come into force across the country. has been chosen as the Glenfiddichs Emerging
In a major setback to automobile Artist of the Year 2017.
manufacturers+ , a bench of Justices Madan B The sixth recipient of the honour, Swain will
Lokur and Deepak Gupta decided to take the represent India at the Glenfiddich Artists in
"drastic" step, saying that BS-III vehicles could Residence (AiR) programme where he will
aggravate the already deteriorating air quality spend three months at the Glenfiddich
in the country and such a step was needed to Distillery in Scotland with seven artists from
handle the menace of pollution. around the world.
The apex court refused to grant relief to the It is Swains out of the box concepts and his
companies. way with domestic objects to exemplify social
It said the manufacturers were fully aware issues through his art, that make him stand
way back in 2010 that BS-IV norms would be out.
enforced from April 1 but they chose to sit The artist believes that there is a sublime
back and not take sufficient pro-active steps. quality of social relevance in day to day
BS Standards objects.
The artist will be also awarded Rs 10 lakh,
Bharat stage emission standards are emission
which includes an international allowance of
standards instituted by the Government of
Rs 1,20,000 per month and a work allowance
India to regulate the output of air pollutants
of Rs 500,000, besides being given a solo show
from internal combustion engine equipment,
at Bestcollegeart.com Gallery
including motor vehicles.
The standards and the timeline for
General Bipin Rawat made honorary General of
implementation are set by the Central
Nepal Army
Pollution Control Board under the Ministry of
Environment & Forests and climate change. Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat was on
The standards, based on European regulations Wednesday conferred the rank of honorary
were first introduced in 2000 General of the Nepal Army by President
In order to comply with the BSIV norms, 2- and Bidhya Devi Bhandari at a special ceremony
3-wheeler manufacturers will have to fit an at the President's official residence Sheetal
evaporative emission control unit, which Niwas.
should lower the amount of fuel that is It has been a tradition between the Indian and
evaporated when the motorcycle is parked. Nepali armies to confer the honorary top rank
on each other's chiefs to signify their close
Emerging Artist award for Odia artist Sitaram and special military ties. General Chhetri
Swain received a similar honorary rank from Indian
President Pranab Mukherjee in February last
year.

The Indian Army chief will be visiting the which is expected to bring accuracy in
Nepal Army High Altitude Warfare School at weather monitoring mechanism in the Indian
Jomsom, Mustang, close to the Nepal-China Navy.
border and Pension Paying Office Pokhara on The Integrated Automatic Aviation
Thursday, followed by calling on Prime Meteorological System (IAAMS) was launched
Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'. at Rajali Air Station in Tamil Nadu.
The aim of IAAMS is to modernise the
Nomura names Prabhat Awasthi as head of India meteorological infrastructure of the nine
Naval Air Stations (NAS).
Japan-based Nomuras India head of equities
Equipped with the state-of-the-art
business Prabhat Awasthi is taking over as
meteorological sensors, IAAMS undertakes
country head with effect from 1 April 2017
automatic and continuous recording of
Vikas Sharma, who is currently head of India,
relevant weather parameters that are vital for
has been elevated as head of Asia excluding
accurate weather forecasting
Japan, also from April 1. Sharma relocated to
It has a special alarm feature that alerts the
Mumbai from Japan in 2007 to build the firms
duty staff during abnormal change of weather
India business after starting with Nomura in
parameters that may affect safe flying
1999 as a telecom analyst in Hong Kong.
operations.
Awasthi has around two decades of
The system can also provide automatic
experience in the Indian equity markets, and
dissemination of routine weather reports as
assumed his current role at Nomura in 2011.
per standards followed by the World
He joined Nomura in October 2008 as head of
Meteorological Organisation to other air
equity research, India, from Lehman Brothers,
stations and Air Traffic Controller towers
where he held the same position.
without human intervention.
Nomura
Nomura Holdings, Inc. is a Japanese financial Virat Kohli, Sharad Pawar, Anuradha Paudwal
holding company, and a principal member of Receive Padma Shri
the Nomura Group.
Political stalwarts Sharad Pawar, Murli
The history of Nomura begins on December
Manohar Joshi and the late Lok Sabha
25, 1925, when the Nomura Securities Co., Ltd.
Speaker P A Sangma, cricketer Virat Kohli and
(NSC) was established in Osaka, as a spin-off
Bollywood singer Anuradha Paudwal were
from Securities Dept. of Osaka Nomura Bank
among the 39 people who were conferred this
Co., Ltd
year's Padma awards
Padam Bhuhan Awardee
Indian Navy gets new weather monitoring system
Yoga guru Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati
Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba unveiled an Father of laparoscopic surgery in India
integrated aviation meteorological system Tehemton Erach Udwadia

Thai princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn 'Bike ambulance dada' of Jalpaiguri district in
Padma Shri Awardee West Bengal Karimul Hak
Former Lok Sabha Secretary General T K Writer Narendra Kohli,
Vishwanathan, Para-athlete Deepa Malik,
Well-known endocrinologist M M Godbole, Theatre artist Wareppa Naba,
French historian Michel Danino, Kathakali exponent Chemancheri
Former professor at the Massachusetts Kunhairaman Nair,
Institute of Technology Anant Agarwal, Malayalam poet Akkitham Achyuthan
Vice-president of Kanyakumari's Vivekananda Nambudiri,
Rock Memorial Nivedita Raghunath Bhide Tribal artist from Kharkhan Mukund Nayak,
Padma Shri Awardee Environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal and
Well-known gynaecologist Bhakti Yadav.
Folk singer Basanti Bisht,
Entrepreneur Mohan Reddy Venkat Rama
Bodanapu,
Madhubani artist Baoa Devi,
Folk artist of Halakki tribe in Karnataka,
Sukri Bommu Gouda,
Banking & Financial Awareness One-Liner: March 2017

BUDGETS IN VARIOUS STATES: Mark Tucker have become the Chairman of
HSBC Holding Plc and Stuart Gulliver is the
Arunachal Pradesh Finance Minister presented
Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Holding Plc.
the deficit budget of 285 crores.
Intel has decided to buy Mobileye, Israeli-
Telangana Finance Minister presented the
based company for USD 15.3 billion.
budget of rupees 1,49,646 crores for the year
Hyundai, a South Korean based automobile
2017-18.
company tied up with Iran Oil company for 3.2
Andhra Pradesh Government presented a
Billion dollars.
budget of Rupees 1,56,999 Crores for the
Rupees 18.5 crores have been allocated by
current financial year 2017-18.
Government of Pakistan for national Census
Meghalaya Government presented the budget
2017.
for Rs. 1236 crores.
MOU signed between China and Saudi Arabia
Tamil Nadu Government presented a budget
on Energy, investment, space and another
of Rs. 1,59,363 crores for the financial year
sector for USD 65 Billion.
2017-18.
USD 175 million was allocated by World Bank
for National Hydrology Project of India.
INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL AWARENESS:

For maintenance of Sukhoi-30MKI Jets India Chief Executive Officer of Reliance

and Russia have tied an MOU for USD 300 Commercial Finance Private Limited is Devang
million. Mody.
To acquire AH-64E apache level helicopters, HDFC has launched digital loans against
US government and Boing Co have tied up security services.
with USD 3.4 billion. Future Generali Insurance Company has tied
G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank up with UCO bank, a Kolkata-based bank to
Governor meet held in Germany. market its product through UCO bank
customers.
BANKING AWARENESS: State Bank of India has tied up with CREDAI, a
real estate developer to develop realty sector.
Karnataka Bank has signed MOU with Bajaj
Bibhu Prasad Kanungo was appointed as the
Allianz General Insurance Company to provide
new Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India
non-life insurance products to bank
replacing Mr R. Gandhi.
customers.
Bandhan Bank, a Kolkata-based bank have
Yes Bank has tied up with Udaipur, Nashik and
tied up with Avenues India Private Limited to
Puducherry for smart city initiatives to provide
provide payment Gateway product and Point
payment related solution.
of Sales to merchants.
An agreement worth of USD 274 Crores was
Reserve Bank of India has got permission from
allocated German Development Bank and
Government of India to release trail plastic
State Bank of India for providing affordable
notes with 10 rupees denomination.
housing in India.
United Bank of India had got 418 crores as a
SBI Infra Management Solution Private
capital infusion from the centre under
Limited have been wholly own by State Bank
turnaround linked capital infusion plan.
of India to manage its premises and estate
CASHe tied up with Rubique, an online market
related matters.
place to sell financial products.
Reserve Bank of India have removed all the
Essar Steels Nand Niketan is the first private
restriction on withdrawal of money from
cashless township is located in Gujarat.
saving accounts from March 13, 2017.
Managing Director and CEO of Indian Bank is
Digital Wallets are opened by Reserve Bank of
Kishore Piraji Kharat.
India for Unified Payment Interface as a part
Managing Director and CEO of IDBI
of digitisation of India.
bank is Mahesh Kumar Jain.
One Time Settlement Scheme launched by
ONGC have tied up with Gujarat State
State Bank of India for tractor loans at the
Petroleum Corporations entire 80% stake for
total cost of 6000 crores.
USD 1.2 Billion.
IndusInd bank, a Mumbai-based bank agreed
ONGC, a Dehradun-based Oil and gas
to buy 100 percent stake in Infrastructure
Company, have planned to develop Indias
Leasing and Financial Service Limited.

deepest gas discovery UD-1 by investing Union Government has given dearness
21528 crores. allowance or Dearness relief for central
ESAF Small Finance Bank was opened in Government employees and pensioners from 2
Thrissur in Kerala. percent to 4 percent.
Rs.1160 crore was allocated to bring 50 new
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA: Kendriya Vidalayas under Civil or defence
sector.
Rupees 52000 lakhs is given for blue
Next Chairman of Public Account Committee
revolution to develop fisheries in India by
is Mallikarjun Kharge.
Union Government.
Finance Ministry released a report that 29
Rs. 600 crores project Trade Infrastructure for
lakh debt card were affected by virus in ATM
Export Scheme (TIES) have been launched by
machines which were connected to a switch
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Ms.
made by Hitachi.
Nirmala Sitharaman to manage Export linked
8586 crore have allocated by the government
Infrastructure.
under turnaround linked capital infusion plan
20 new project worth 1900 crores have been
for 10 PSUs.
introduced by on the under Clean Ganga
Union Ministry approved 4 GST Legislations.
Project.
The fourth GST legislation will be released as
India s contribution to United Nations is Rs.
money bill in parliament to get final approval.
244 crores in 2015-16.
Banking And Financial Awareness: March (1 to 5)

Reliance General Insurance and Catholic
INTERNATIONAL: Syrian Bank tied up for bancassurance
project.
The amount of financing Agreement has been
HDFC Bank and ET Money jointly launches
signed between India and World Bank for the
DATA LED group term Insurance plan.
project TEJASWINI was USD 63 million.
Tejaswini is a socio-economic empowerment
HIGHLIGHTS OF MADHYA PRADESH BUDGET:
of Adolescent girls and young women.
International Monetary Fund has reached an Estimation of Madhya Pradesh Budget for the
agreement with Ukraine to provide fresh year 2017-2018 was 1,85,564.27 crores.
disbursement of USD 1 Billion in the first half For Dheendhay Rasoi yojna, Madhya Pradesh
of the march 2017. Government has allotted 10 crores.
TIE-UPS: GOVERNMENT OF INDIA:
The amount of INR 756 crores was allotted for

the treatment of cataract patients over next

five years by the Union Health Minister J.P. Minimum charge of Rs. 150 per transaction
Nadda. will be charged by Axis Bank, ICICI bank and
Kerala had made maximum registration under HDFC bank after 4 free transactions.
GST. State Bank of India have revised various
GST council has agreed to provide a service charges on transaction and deposits
composition scheme for small business. Now as well as maintaining monthly average
the small business with turnover up to Rs. 50 balance. It is applicable from April 1, 2017.
lakh will have to pay a tax of 5 percent. Cash deposit can be made only 3 times per
Estimation of rupees 2,285 crores have been month and beyond that an amount of RS. 50
allotted for Shahpur Kandi Dam project (joint will charged for per transaction.
project of Punjab and Haryana.) ATM transaction beyond free transaction will
The government of India has directed all the be charged RS. 20 per transaction.
banks to make available the mobile banking RBI tells that the bank refuse to exchange
facility for all the customers by March 31, soiled or multilateral notes from people will
2017. have to pay a penalty of rupees 10,000.
BANKING AWARENESS:
List of Mergers & Acquisitions (Jan - March 2017)

Ambani-led Reliance Jio. After the merger, the
March 20, 2017: combined entity would become # 1 telecom
company in India on the basis of number of
Vodafone India and Idea Cellular Merger:
subscribers having nearly 40 Crores of subscribers
British telecom major Vodafone is to merge its 35% of all telecom subscribers in India and 41% of
operations in India with Aditya Birla Groups Idea the telecom market revenue share dislodging
Cellular. The boards of Vodafone India, and Idea Bharti Airtel to # 2 that had been at the top since
Cellular Indias second largest and the third 2001 would now be enjoying 33% telecom market
largest telecom operators respectively approved the revenue share.
merger. Vodafone will own 45.1% of combined
Aditya Birla Groups current Chairman Kumar
company after transferring around 4.9 percent to
Mangalam Birla is to be the new Chairman of the
Idea founders for Rs 3,874 crore in cash whereas
merged entity. Chief Financial Officer (CFO) would
Idea founders will hold 26 percent of the combined
be appointed by Vodafone whereas the Chief
entity. The prime motto of this merger is to
Executive Officer (CEO) will be named jointly after
strengthen the operations in order to compete
the merger. Vodafone Groups Chief Executive
against the intense price war triggered by Mukesh
Vittorio Colao and Aditya Birla Group Chairman
Kumar Mangalam Birla accompanied by Vodafone Taro Pharma acquires Canadas Thallion
India Managing Director Sunil Sood and Idea Pharmaceuticals:
Cellular Managing Director Himanshu Kapania met
Taro Pharma, an indirect arm of Sun
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 21, 2017
Pharmaceutical Industries is to fully acquire
to apprise him on the merger deal and to seek his
Canadas Thallion Pharmaceuticals for 2.7 million
Governments support in facilitating speedy
Canadian dollars. Taro Pharmaceuticals Inc
regulatory clearances to conclude the approved
(Canada) has entered into an agreement to acquire
merger. Even then the merger is expected to be
all of the issued and outstanding shares of Thallion
completed in 2018 after all the statutory
Pharmaceuticals, a Canadian pharmaceutical
formalities. Prior to that Vodafone India and Idea
corporation. The acquisition after fulfilling all
Cellular will be selling off their standalone tower
statutory obligations would come into effect from
assets 42% share of Vodafone India and 11.15%
April 1, 2019. With this Sun Pharmaceutical will
of Idea Cellular in Indus Towers. Till the merger is
have access to technology for the treatment of Coli-
completely completed, both Vodafone India and
induced hemolytic uremic syndrome that leads to
Idea Cellular will continue operating separately.
kidney failure.
Vodafone has also made it clear that its ongoing
tax dispute with the Indian government will not March 15, 2017:
come in the way of its merger with Idea Cellular.
WNS acquires HealthHelp:
According to Income tax authorities Vodafone India
needs to pay capital gains tax of nearly Rs 20,000 Nasdaq-listed business process management
Crores for acquiring assets from Hutchison company WNS acquired HealthHelp to enhance its
Whampoa Ltd. in 2007. services in the healthcare segment. WNS will pay
USD 95 million approximately Rs. 632 Crores to
Piramal Enterprises completes acquisition of
acquire Texas-based HealthHelp, which is working
business from Mallinckrodt LLC:
in the segment of specialty healthcare areas like
Piramal had on January 31, 2017 announced the radiology, cardiology, oncology, sleep care,
acquisition for a cash consideration of USD 171 orthopedics, and pain management.
million for a portfolio of drugs for spasticity and
March 07, 2017:
pain management from Mallinckrodt LLC and now
it announced completion of the said acquisition. Cyient completes acquisition of Certon Software:
Piramal is the worlds third largest producer of
Cyient, an IT consulting and Software Company,
inhaled medical anesthetics. The portfolio acquired
announced the completion of acquisition of US-
includes two severe spasticity management
based Certon Software. Earlier, on January 23,
products, which are currently marketed in the US
2017, Cyient had signed the agreement to acquire
and two pain management products, which are
Certon. With the acquisition, Certon will become a
under development at present.
wholly-owned subsidiary of Cyient. The said
March 17, 2017: acquisition will enable Cyient to manufacture the

safety-critical products for its medical, aerospace

and transportation clients. The amount involved Sony Corporation acquires TEN Sports from Zee:
was not disclosed in the press release.
Sony Pictures Networks India - a wholly-owned
March 06, 2017: subsidiary of Sony Corporation announced the
completion of the first phase of the two-phased
Tech Mahindra Ltd acquires CJS Solutions:
acquisition of TEN Sports from Zee Entertainment
Tech Mahindra Ltd an Indian company in the Enterprises Limited. This acquisition was formally
software segment acquired CJS Solutions Group LLC agreed on August 31, 2016. The first phase of the
- US-based healthcare information technology two-phase acquisition of the TEN Sports was
consulting firm for USD 110 million. With this completed in a majority of the countries and
acquisition, Tech Mahindra Ltd. would have the territories where TEN Sports operates, including
ability to cross-sell Tech Mahindras services to a India. An amount of USD 330 million was paid to
new set of clients of CJS Solutions and thereby Zee by Sony. Certain other operations and assets
boost its revenues. will be included in the final phase of the acquisition,
expected to be completed in the next few months.
March 05, 2017:
February 23, 2017:
Dr. Reddy Laboratories Ltd acquires Imperial
Credit Private Ltd: Bharti Airtel acquires Telenor India:
Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd Hyderabad based Telecom operator Bharti Airtel announced that it
pharmaceutical company announced the had entered into a definitive agreement with
acquisition of Imperial Credit Private Ltd, a non- Telenor South Asia Investments Pvt Ltd to acquire
banking finance company, based in Kolkata for Rs. Telenor (India) Communications Private Limited.
2.05 Crores. Dr. Reddy proposes to undertake the Airtel is currently providing telecom services in India
group's captive financial activities through the new to over 269 million subscribers and a revenue
entity. market share of nearly 33 per cent. As the new
owner, Airtel will take over Telenor Indias spectrum,
March 01, 2017:
licenses and operations, including its employees
Cognizant Technology Solutions acquires Brilliant and customer base of 44 million and will acquire
Service Co. Ltd: Telenor Indias running operations in Andhra
Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Gujarat, UP (East), UP
Cognizant Technology Solutions acquired Japan-
(West) and Assam. Telenor Indias operations and
based intelligent products and solutions company
services will continue as normal until the
Brilliant Service Co Ltd, specializing in digital
completion of the transaction. With effect from
strategy, product design and engineering, and
01.04.2017, Telenor India will be treated as an asset
enterprise mobility, for an undisclosed amount. As
held for sale.
part of the acquisition, a team of 70 professionals
from the company will join Cognizant. February 21, 2017:
February 28, 2017:

Havells India acquires Lloyd Electrics Consumer Noida-based mobile value-added services venture
Durable Business: mCarbon Tech Innovations for USD 36 million.
There are 250 employees who work for mCarbon.
Havells India announced the acquisition of Lloyd
The employees will now continue their operations
Electric's consumer durable business for an
under Nuance Communications post the
enterprise value of Rs 1600 Crores. Havells will gain
acquisition.
Lloyd's intellectual property, manpower and
distribution network. The deal is expected to be January 25, 2017:
completed by March-end 2017. The revenue break-
Wipro Ltd acquires InfoSERVER SA:
up for Lloyd Electric's consumer durable business is:
air conditioners accounting nearly 69% of business, Wipro Ltd - Indias third-largest software services
TV panels nearly 23% and the rest from washing exporter, announced that it has entered into a pact
machine & appliances. to acquire Brazilian IT firm InfoSERVER SA for $8.7
million to expand its presence in Latin America.
February 09, 2017:
InfoSERVER is focused on the Brazilian market and
Aurobindo Pharma acquires part of business from provides custom application development and
TL Biopharmaceutical AG of Switzerland: software deployment services mainly to banks,
financial services and insurance companies. The
Aurobindo Pharma Limited announced that it had
acquisition is in line with Wipros aim to expand its
acquired four cell culture derived biosimilar
presence in the Latin America market, the company
products from TL Biopharmaceutical AG of
said in a statement.
Switzerland. The company, however, did not
disclose the deal value. As part of the agreement, January 19, 2017:
TL will supply all the developmental data for four
Cadila Healthcare Ltd acquires Sentynl
molecules and Aurobindo will develop,
Therapeutics Inc:
commercialize and market these products globally.
Aurobindo has set up a fully functional R&D center Cadila Healthcare Ltd acquired US-based specialty
for biologics development and is also establishing a pharmaceutical company Sentynl Therapeutics Inc.,
state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Hyderabad engaged in marketing of products in the pain
and is expected to be ready by the second quarter management segment, for an undisclosed amount.
of the financial year 2017-18. This acquisition is in This acquisition marks the Ahmedabad-
line with the strategy of Aurobindo of investing in headquartered companys foray into the specialty
complex pharmaceutical products. pain management drug market in the US, as it
gains access to Sentynls distribution network and
February 08, 2017:
large healthcare specialists. Acquisition of Sentynl
Nuance Communications acquires mCarbon Tech is in line with Cadila Healthcares strategy to enter
Innovations: the specialty drugs market in the USA.
Nasdaq-listed voice and speech recognition January 17, 2017:

company Nuance Communications has acquired

Byju acquires Vidyartha: in the real estate space, such as personalized

search, virtual viewing, site visits, legal and
Education venture Byju has acquired Bengaluru-
financial diligence, negotiations, property
based career guidance and academic profile builder
registration, home loans and post- sales service.
Vidyartha for nearly Rs 50 Crores. Vidyartha's 20-
member team will continue to work under a
separate brand name post the acquisition. Byju,
founded in 2007, has 3.3 lakh subscribers and 7 January 05, 2017:
million in app downloads. The app helps with
Freshdesk acquires Pipemonk:
learning for school students as well as for
competitive exams like JEE, NEET, CAT, IAS, GRE, Freshdesk, a cloud based customer service software
and GMAT. Vidyartha focuses on deep profiling of provider, acquired Pipemonk, a data integration
students, creating their personalized learning plan platform that works on the software-as-a-service
and highlighting their learning gaps. model and allows companies to synchronize and
move data among multiple cloud apps quickly and
January 10, 2017:
easily.
WNS Global Services acquires Denali Sourcing Pipemonk serves more than 400 clients globally. At
Services: Freshdesk, the Pipemonk team of 13 professionals
will work on strengthening integrations. Freshdesk
Business process Management Company WNS
has 80,000 customers globally, including the likes of
Global Services announced acquisition of US-based
Honda, 3M and Cisco.
Denali Sourcing Services for $40 million to improve
its capabilities in the sourcing and procurement January 02, 2017:
capabilities. All the 200 staffers of Denali including
Tata AutoComp Systems Ltd completes acquisition
the founders will be absorbed into WNS.
of TitanX:
January 10, 2017:
Tata AutoComp Systems Ltd, Tata groups auto
Housing.com merges with PropTiger: component-making firm, completed the acquisition
of TitanX, a global engine cooling supplier -
News Corp.-backed real estate portal PropTiger
according to the press release issued by Tata
stated that Mumbai-based Housing.com will merge
AutoComp Systems. It had announced the plans to
with it in an all stock deal, and that it will receive
buy out the unit in August 2016. The company did
$50 million in fresh funds from News Corp.s REA
not disclose the value of the deal. The acquisition is
Group Ltd and $5 million from SoftBank Group.
in line with its strategy of expanding globally and
PropTiger will retain the Housing.com brand. The
fortifying presence in the cooling and emission
joint entity will currently be the only player in India
control segments, the company said.
offering the full range of online and offline services

International Financial Organizations: Headquarters & Functions
World Bank Group (WBG)
Formed in 1945
Member countries 189 countries (India is also a member)
Headquarters Washington, DC
President: Jim Yong Kim
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development

(IBRD),
The World Bank Group International Finance Corporation (IFC)
(WBG) is a family of five International Development Association (IDA),
international
organizations as follows International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes
(ICSID),
Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)
The World Bank focuses on developing countries, in fields such as

human development, agriculture and rural development,
Functions:
environmental protection, infrastructure, large industrial
construction projects, and governance.
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Formed on 27 December 1945
Headquarters Washington, DC
Managing Director Christine Lagarde
It works for global growth and economic stability by providing

policy, advice and financing to members, by working with
Functions developing nations to help them achieve macroeconomic stability
and reduce poverty. The IMF provides alternate sources of
financing.
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)

Formed in December 2015
Headquarters Beijing, China
President Jin Liqun
Its function is to support the building of infrastructure in the Asia-

Pacific region. The bank has 50 member states (all "Founding
Functions
Members") and was proposed as an initiative by the government of
China.
Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Formed in 1966
Headquarters Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines
President Takehiko Nakao
This organisation works on reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific

through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable
Functions
growth, and regional integration. This is carried out through
investments in the form of loans, grants and information sharing.
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
Formed in 1991
Member countries 67 countries (India is not a member)
Headquarters London
President Sir Suma Chakrabarti
It offers project financing for banks, industries and businesses, for

new ventures or existing companies. It works with publicly owned
Functions
companies to support their privatization, as advocated by the WTO
since the 1980 and in the improvement of municipal services.
European Investment Bank (EIB)
Formed in 1958

Member countries 28 member states of the EU (India is not a member)
Headquarters Luxembourg
President Werner Hoyer
It is a nonprofit long-term lending institution. It supports for small

and medium sized enterprises to attain environmental
Functions
sustainability and in development of Trans-European Networks of
transport and energy and for many others purposes.
Islamic Development Bank (IDB)
Formed in 1975
Member countries 57 countries (India is not a member)
Headquarters Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
President Ahamad Mohamed Ali Al Madani
This is a multilateral development financing institution which helps

in the development of member states. The basic condition for
Functions
membership is that the prospective member country should be a
member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
African Development Bank
Formed in 1964
Headquarters Abidjan, Ivory Coast
President Akinwumi Adesina
It is established to contribute to the economic development and

social progress of African countries. The primary function is to
Functions provide loans and equity investments for the socio-economic
advancement, Technical assistance for development projects, and
assists in organizing the development policies.
List Government Schemes, Web Portal and Apps Launched (January)

NAME OF THE
LAUNCHED BY PURPOSE
SCHEMES
Rashtriya Rail
Ministry of Railways Rail Safety Funds (20000 crores)
Sanraksha Kosh
Selected athletes are given financial assistance

Ministry of Sports and for their customized training at Institutes have
Target Olympic
Youth Affairs under head world class facilities and other necessary
Podium Scheme
of Abhinav Bindra support.
Government of Andhra
Fin Tech Startup 100 crores investment in start-up in the states.
Pradesh
Concentrate on key area: Survival, health and

National Action Ministry of Women and
nutrition; education and development;
Plan for Children child Development
protection and participation.
Jeevan Rekha Government of Kerala Digitalization of Government hospitals.
Government of Arunachal 20000 in bank account of a girl child born in

Dulari Kanya
Pradesh Government hospitals.
Varishtha
Social Security to elderly people aged 60 years
Pension Bhima Government of India
during their old age.
Yojna
Banking codes and Awareness of Banking codes at grass root level

Know your rights
standards Boards of India in urban and rural area.
Nasha Mukt
Bihar Drug addiction free state
Campaign
Mission 41K Ministry of Railway Energy consumption in Railway

Aanandan Government of Madhya Help poor and needed person to get daily
Scheme Pradesh needs.
Digital Dakiya Government of Madhya

Encourage cashless transaction in the state.
Scheme Pradesh
Train and certify the Indian youths who are

Parvasi Kausal
Government of India interested in overseas employment to enable
Vikas Yojna
them to fit with the international standard.
Swachh Ministry of Urban

Improving Sanitation Standard in 500 cities.
survekshan Development
Arogya Raksha Government of Andhra Health insurance to Above poverty line

Scheme Pradesh families.
APPS LAUNCHED BY BANKS AND GOVERNMENT

NAME OF THE APP LAUNCHED BY PURPOSE
Lakshmi Vilas Bank

FINFIT Wealth Management using Robo Advisory.
and Fisdom
Hire two wheelers for short distance. Introduced in

Uber MOTO Uber
Hyderabad.
Loan giving app to young salaried professionals.

CASHe Paytm and CASHe
Transfer cash deposit from CASHe to Paytm wallet.
Government of Aadhaar Pay service help to make and receive

BHIM
India payments using their Aadhaar number.
SBI Exclusif State Bank of India Wealth Management App

App will record the movement of Beat Marshall or

Beat Marshall Police Department
patrolling cop can be mapped on real time by
Monitoring App of Pune
control room staffs.
Bharath Sanchar
Ditto TV View 80 plus channels with 7 days back up facility.
Nigham Limited
Government of Provide information about famous destinations in

Pinakin
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu.
e-Wallet Government of
Online transaction in local language.
TOKOPOISA.in Assam
IRCTC Rail Connect IRCTC Faster and easier Booking of rail tickets.
Punjab Election Transparency and Accountability regarding the

ECI360
Commission election and voting.
Recharge phones, utility bills, books cabs from Ola

On chat HDFC and Niki.ai
or Uber through a chat.
Maritime Union of
MUI App Indian Merchant Navy Officers
India
WEB PORTAL:
NAME OF THE PORTAL LAUNCHED BY PURPOSE
Operation Clean Money Verify cash deposit in bank during

Income Tax Department
November 9th 2016 to December
Incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in (ITD) 30th 2016.
Ministry of Human Monitoring elementary education

ShaGun
Resource Development scheme Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.

List of MoUs Signed between India and other Nations (2016-17)
India and Saudi Arabia India and Oman
April 03. 2016: India and Saudi Arabia signed 5 May 22, 2016: India and Oman signed 4 MoUs
MoUs during the visit of PM Narendra Modi when during the visit of Union Defence Minister Manohar
he met King Salman of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh Parrikar, to Oman when he met Minister for
(Capital of Saudi Arabia): Defence Affairs of Oman Badr Bin Saud Bin Harib Al
Busaidi, at Muscat (Capital of Oman):
MoU on Labour Cooperation for Recruitment
of workers. MoU on Defence Cooperation.
MoU relating to Technical Cooperation MoU in the field of Marine Crime Prevention
Program. at Sea.
MoU relating to Executive Program for MoU on Maritime Issues.
Cooperation in the field of Handicrafts. MoU on Flight Safety information Exchange.
MoU relating to Money Laundering, Terrorism
Financing and Related Crimes. India and Iran
MoU relating to Framework for Investment
May 23, 2016: India and Iran signed 12 MoUs
Promotion Cooperation.
during the visit of PM Narendra Modi to Iran when
he met Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at Tehran
India and Maldives
(Capital of Iran):
April 11, 2016: India and Maldives signed 6 MoUs
MoU relating to the development of Chabahar
when visiting Maldives President Abdulla Yameen
Port in Iran.
Abdul Gayoom met PM Narendra Modi at
MoU relating to India-Iran-Afghanistan
Hyderabad House in New Delhi:
Trilateral Agreement. (This MoU was signed by
MoU to avoid double taxation of income Indian PM Narendra Modi, Iranian President
derived from international air transports. Hassan Rouhani and Afghanistan President
MoU for the exchange of information with Ashraf Ghani in Teheran).
respect to taxes. MoU relating to Letter of Credit for Chabahar
MoU related to Orbit Frequency Coordination Port.
of "South Asia Satellite" at 48oE. Confirmation of MoU earlier signed between
MoU in the area of conservation and EXIM (Export and Import Bank of India) and
restoration of ancient mosques and joint Iran Central Bank.
research and exploratory surveys in Maldives. MoU relating to the field of mines.
MoU on cooperation in the field of tourism. MoU relating to cooperation in foreign trade
MoU for defence cooperation. and investment.

MoU relating to Extension of Cultural MoU for setting up a Joint Commission

Exchange Program till 2019. between the two countries on various
MoU relating to cultural relations. matters.
MoU relating to Science and Technology MoU for Civil Nuclear Cooperation by India to
Development. Ghana.
MoU on the training of diplomats and
exchanging eminent speakers. India and Myanmar
MoU to encourage the engagement of think
August 30, 2016: India and Myanmar signed 4
tanks.
MoUs after PM Narendra Modi met visiting
MoU relating to Cooperation on Archival
President of Myanmar U Htin Kyaw in New Delhi:
Matters.
MoU on cooperation in the Field of Renewable
India and Qatar Energy.
MoU on cooperation in the construction of 69
June 05, 2016: India and Qatar signed 7 MoUs,
bridges.
during the visit of PM Narendra Modi when he met
MoU on cooperation in the field of Traditional
Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani at Doha
Systems of Medicine.
(Capital of Qatar):
MoU for construction and up gradation of the
MoU for the promotion of investments. Kalewa Yagi Road Section.
MoU on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in
Customs Matters. India and Vietnam
MoU for the exchange of intelligence related
September 03, 2016: 12 MoUs were signed between
to money laundering, terrorism financing and
India and Vietnam during the visit of PM Narendra
related crimes.
Modi when he met PM of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan
MoU concerning the skilled workers.
Phuc in Hanoi (Capital of Vietnam):
MoU on cooperation in Tourism.
MoU for Cooperation in the field of Health. MoU relating to Framework Agreement on
MoU in the field of Youth and Sports. Cooperation in the Exploration and Uses of
Outer Space.
India and Ghana MoU for Amending the Agreement on
June 13, 2016: India and Ghana signed 3 MoUs, Avoiding Double Taxation.
MoU for Program of Cooperation in UN
during the visit of Indian President, Mr Pranab
Mukherjee when he met President of Ghana John Peacekeeping Matters.
Dramani Mahama, at Accra (Capital of Ghana): MoU on Celebrating 2017 as the Year of
Friendship.
MoU for visa waivers for holders of diplomatic MoU on Health Cooperation.
passports. MoU on Cooperation in Information
Technology.

MoU on Cooperation in the field of Social MoU for Transport and Urban Development.
Sciences. MoU in the field of Textiles.
MoU on cooperation in Cyber Security. MOC in the field of Cultural Exchange.
MoU in the fields of Standardisation and MoC between India and Japan on Cooperation
Conformity. in Sports, especially in view of the forthcoming
MoU for establishing Centre of Excellence in Tokyo Olympic Games 2020.
Software Development and Training. MOU between India and Japan in the field of
MoU on Sharing of White Shipping Academics, Business, Cultural Cooperation,
Information. Disaster Management and Environment
MoU on Contract for Offshore High-speed Protection in Gujarat.
Patrol Boats.
India and Vietnam
India and Chile
December 09, 2016: India and Vietnam signed 4
September 06, 2016: India and Chile signed the MoUs when Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, President of
extension of the existing MoU relating to India Vietnam met PM Modi in New Delhi:
Chile Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), in New
Delhi. It was signed by Commerce Secretary of MoU for Civil Nuclear Cooperation.
India, Rita Teaotia, and the ambassador of Chile to MoU for aviation links.
India, Andres Barbe, in New Delhi. MoU for energy efficiency.

MoU for the promotion of parliamentary
cooperation.
India and Japan
India and Portugal
November 11, 2016: 10 MoUs/MoCs (Memorandum
of Cooperation) were signed during the visit of PM January 07, 2017: India and Portugal signed 6
Narendra Modi to Japan when he met Japanese PM MoUs when Portugal PM Antonio Costa met PM
Shinzo Abe in Tokyo (Capital of Japan): Narendra Modi in New Delhi:
MoU for Cooperation for Peaceful Uses of MoU on Defence.

Nuclear Energy. MoU on Renewable Energy.
MoU for Manufacturing Skill Transformation MoU on Marine Research and Resources.
Program. MoU in the Agriculture and Allied Sectors.
MoU for Cooperation in the field of Outer MoU in the field of Information Technology
Space. and Electronics.
MoU for collaboration in Marine, Earth MoU on the establishment of an Indian
Science and Technology. Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Chair of
MoC in the Field of Agriculture and Food Indian Studies in University of Lisbon.
Related Industries.

List of Mobile Apps & Web Portal: February 2017
Mobile Apps Launched in February 2017
NAME OF THE APP LAUNCHED BY PURPOSE
UberHIRE Uber taxi Provide customer to hire the

taxi for the day on hourly
basis.
Buyer Initiated Payment (BIP) Visa card To eliminate payment through

cheques or drafts.
Iselect Canara HSBC, Oriental Bank Family protection Scheme to

of Commerce Life insurance expand its online product suit
Pay Mall Paytm Combining Mall and Bazaar

concept to Indian Customers
for online Shopping.
MyAgriGuru Mahindra Agri Solution Target to double to farmers

income
CBEC Mitra Central Board of Exercise and 24*7 help desk for GST
Customs related queries
Oriental Batuaa Oriental Bank of Commerce Banking Service through

mobile app
Citibank Online Citi Bank Query regarding cards, loans,

domestic and non-resident
accounts and online
transactions.

Web Portals Launched in February 2017
NAME OF THE PORTAL LAUNCHED BY PURPOSE
SKYREV 360 Airport Authority of India and e- billing by Air Port Operators
International Air Transport and Air Navigation Service
Association across the world.
Bharat QR Code National Payment Online storage of card details.

Corporation of India with
Visa, master card and
American Express
Bank.sbi State Bank of India SBI rebranded from sbi.co.in

to Bank.sbi.
E-Prison Portal Government of Jammu and Digitalize the record about

Kashmir the jail.
TAMRA portal Ministry of Power, Coal, new Ease of doing business in

and renewable energy and mining sector.
mines.
Bharat Bill Payment System National Payment Ease of Bill payment service
Corporation of India for customers. HDFC bank
have started Bharat Bill
Payment System.
List of Appointments - February to March 2017
Designation Person Appointed
DGP of Karnataka Rupak Kumar Dutta

Chairman & CEO of KPMG India Arun M Kumar
US secretary of state Rex Tillerson
Director of Enforcement Directorate (ED) Karnal Singh
President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Tehmina Janjua
Pakistans first woman foreign secretary to UN
Under Secretary General for UNs peacekeeping

Frances Jean-Pierre Lacroix
operations
Chief of Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) Justice Vikramajit Sen
High Commissioner of India to Canada Vikas Swarup
US National Security Advisor Lt-Gen HR McMaster
Chairman of Cauvery water Disputes Tribunal Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre
Vice Chairman of Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Abhijit Sarkar
Chief Information Commissioner of J&K Khursheed A Ganai
Spokesperson of MEA Gopal Baglay
Brand Ambassador of Sight savers Kabir Bedi
Director of SVP National Police Academy D R Dooley Barman (IPS officer)
Chief Secretary of Maharashtra Sumit Mullick (IAS officer)
Chairman of National commission for scheduled

Nand Kumar Sai
Tribes
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J Mohammed (Nigerian)
Chairman of SEBI Ajay Tyagi
Indias Ambassador to World Trade Organization J S Deepak
Prime Minister of SUDAN Hassan Saleh
Maharashtras Chief Commissioner of RTS Swadheen Kshatriya
Chairman & MD of MTNL P K Purwar

Secretary General of SAARC Amjad Hussain B Sial
Chief Advisor to Odisha Government K Srinath Reddy
NSE MD & CEO Vikram Limaye
Members of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of Dr. Mukulita Vijayawargiya, Dr Navrang

India (IBBI) Saini and Ms Suman Saxena
MD, LIC Hemant Bhargava
Union Mines Secretary Arun Kumar (IAS officer)
Ms. Sujata Mehta (IFS officer), Air

Two new members to UPSC
Marshal Ajit S Bhonsle
Deputy Director General (DDG), Narcotics Control

Mohammed Taj Hassan (IPS Officer)
Bureau
Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri (IFS Officer)
Director (Finance), Power Finance Corporation Naveen Bhushan Gupta
Additional charge of Dept of Telecommunication

P K Pujari
Secretary
List of Women Playing Important Roles
Every year March 8 is celebrated as International womens Day. Theme For this year is Be Bold for Change
.Women play important role in various fields. Let us see the list of women playing important roles in and around
the world
Name Position Bank/ company/ country/ state
Arundhati Bhattacharya Chairperson State Bank of India
Chanda Kochhar MD and CEO ICICI Bank
Shikha Sharma CEO AXIS Bank
Standard Chartered Bank (India)

Zarin Daruwala CEO

Usha
CEO Punjab National Bank
Ananthasubramanian
Usha
CMD Bharatiya Mahila Bank
Ananthasubramanian
President of
Lakshmi Swaminathan Administrative Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Tribunal
Vasundhara Raje CM Rajesthan
Mamata Banerjee CM West Bengal
Mehbooba Mufti CM Jammu and Kashmir
Chairman and
Indra Nooyi PepsiCo
CEO
Director of
Online
Kirthiga Reddy Operations Facebook
and Head of
Office India
Kavery Banerjee Secretary Postal Department
first women
Aditi Khanna Indian Journalists Association
President
Regional World Health Organisation (WHO) South-East Asia

Poonam Khetrapal Singh
Director Region
Womens
advocate for
Aishwaryaa Dhanush United Nation
Gender
Equality
Ms. Phumzile Mlambo

Women Head United Nation
Nqcuka
Theresa May Prime Minister United Kingdom
State
Aung San Suu Kyi Myanmar
Counsellor

Beata Szydo Prime Minister Poland
Saara Kuugongelwa Prime Minister Namibia
Erna Solberg Prime Minister Norway
Sheikh Hasina Prime Minister Bangladesh
Angela Merkel Chancellor Germany
Mallika Srinivasan CEO Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited
Aruna Jayanthi CEO Capgemini, India
Joint
Managing
Ekta Kapoor Director and Balaji Telefilms
Creative
Director
Founder and
Neha Kirpal India Art Fair
Director
Chairperson
Shobhana Bhartia and Editorial Hindustan Times Group
Director
Mallika Srinivasan CEO Tafe Motors And Tractors Limited
Managing
Sangeeta Pendurkar Kellogg India Pvt. Ltd.
Director
Ashu Suyash MD and CEO Crisil
Executive
Roshni Nadar Director and HCL Enterprise
CEO
Vani Venkatesh CEO Bharti Airtel Retail
First Indian-
Kamala Harris American US
Senator
Meriamma Koshy President Hockey India

Chief Justice
Susan Kiefel Australia
(First Woman)
Athletes
Saina Nehwal IOC
Commission
Geeta Phogat DSP Haryana Police
Mariano Rajoy Prime Minster Spanish
Director
Ms. Irina Bokova UNESCO
General
Secretary
Ms. Baroness Patricia Commonwealth
General
Director
Ms. Helen Clerk UNDP
General
Brand
P V Sindhu Bank of Baroda
Ambassador
Brand
PV Sindhu Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)
Ambassador
Brand
Ambassador
Sakshi Malik Arunachal pradesh
to promote
the tourism
Brand
Ambassador
of Beti
Sakshi Malik Haryana
Bachao, Beti
Padao
campaign
Brand
Ambassador
Vidya Balan Launched by Uttar Pradesh Govt
of Samajwadi
Pension Yojna
Brand
Shilpa Reddy Confederation of Women Entrepreneurs (COWE)
Ambassador

to Create
centres of
excellence for
women to
gain
knowledge,
develop skills,
provide
infrastructure,
access to
resources to
their business.
Brand
Ambassador
to promote
tourism and
Steffi Graf position the Kerala's Ayurveda
state of
Kerala as
home of
ayurveda.
Brand
Dia Mirza Swachh Saathi Swachh Bharat Mission
Ambassador
Brand
Madhuri Dixit MAA- Mother's Absolute Affection'
Ambassador
Brand Indian Psychiatric Society The largest association

Deepika Padukone
Ambassador of Indian Psychiatrists
Ms. Renu Pall Ambassador India to Austria
Monika Kapil Mohta Ambassador India to Sweden
Miss Universe
Iris Mittenaere Miss France
2017
First women
Dr. Neelu Rohmetra IIM
Director

Manjula Chellur Chief Justice Bombay High Court
Director
Anandi Ramalingam st
Bharat Electronics Ltd.
(1 women)
st
1 women
Yuriko Koike Tokyo
Governor
List of Insurance companies in India: Tagline, Founder and Heads

CODE WORD: Birla had accounts in ICICI and HDFC for his future needs. With that money he boughtnew
LG TV, Videocon dish,Kotak Camera, Tata Indica car and Reliance Jio.
Name of the
Tagline Founders Heads of the Company
Company
Life Insurance Yogaksheman Government of India

V.K. Sharma
Corporation Limited Vahamyaham (Public sector)
New Indian Indias Premier

Assurance General Insurance Public Sector G. Srinivasan
Corporation Limited Company
General Insurance Aapatkale

Public Sector Alice Vaidyan
Company Rakshisyami
Kotak Mahindra Old

G. Muralidhar
Mutual Life Faideyka Insurance Private sector
Insurance Limited
Future Generali Life Ekshaagun Zindagi

Joint venture K. G. Krishnamoorthy Rao
Insurance ke naam
Tata AIA Life Private (Tata sons

Insurance Company You click we cover and American Naveen Tahilyani
Limited International Group)

ICICI Prudential Life

Zimmedarika
Insurance Company Joint Venture N. S. Kannan
Humsafar
Limited
HDFC Standard Life

Private (Hasmukhbai
Insurance Company Sarutha ke Jiyo Amitabh Chaudry
Parekh)
Limited
Birla Sun Life

Tour Dreams our Private (Aditya Vikram
Insurance Company Pankaj Razdan
commitment Birla)
Limited
Reliance General
Public listed company Sam Ghosh
Insurance Company
Liberty Videocon
Roopam Asthana
General Insurance
ICICI Lombard Public Listed

General Insurance Quick easy Smart Company ICICI and Bargava Dasgupta
Company Limited Fair Fax
NEW DELHI BASED COMPANIES :
CODE WORD: SBI gives MAXimum ORIENTATION in New Delhi.
Heads of The
Name of The Company Tagline Founder
Company
Max Life Insurance

Aapke Sachhee Advisor Analjit Singh Rajesh Sud
Company Limited
Max New Life Insurance

Karo Zyada kalraada Analjit Singh Rajesh Sud
Company Limited

Max Bupa Health

Your Health first Analjit Singh Rajesh Sud
Insurance
SBI Life Insurance SBI and BNP

With us, you are sure Arjit Basu
Company Limited Paribas
Oriental Insurance Prithivi, Agni, Jal, Akash, Sabhi Government of

A.K. Saxena
Company Limited Suraksha Hamare Pass. India
GURGAON BASED COMPANIES:

CODE WORD: I am in Gurgaon and my PAApa is in Tokio.
Heads of The
Nmame of The Company Tagline Founders
Company
IFFCO Tokio General Indian Farmer Fertiliser

Muskurate Raho Yokesh Lokiya
Insurance Co-operative
Apollo Munich Health We know

Prathap C. Reddy Antony Jacob
Insurance healthcare
Aviva Indian Life Insurance Kal Par Control Trevor Bull
PNB Metlife India Insurance Have you met Life

Tarun Singh
Company Limited today?
CHENNAI BASED COMPANIES:

CODE WORD: U can see ITC grand CHOLA hotel in Chennai.
Heads of The
Name of The Company Tagline Founders
Company

United India Insurance Company Rest Assured Government of

Ariful Hoda
Limited with us India
Cholamandalam MS General Public Listed

Gopalaratnam
Insurance Company
OTHERS:
CODE WORD: BaN
Heads of The
Name of The Company Tagline Founders
Company
National Insurance Trusted Since 1906,

Government of India Girija Kumar
Company Limited Thoda simple Socho
Bajaj Alliance Life Joint Venture

Insurance Company Jiyo Befiqar Bajaj groups and Alliaz SE, Anuj Aggarwal
Limited a European group
Complete List of Oscar, BCCI and ESPN Awards: 2017
Award Awardee
Maximum No. of Awards La La Land (7 awards).
Best Movie/Picture Award Moonlight
Best Actor in a leading role Casey Affleck (For movie Manchester by the Sea)
Best Actress in a leading

Emma Stone (For movie La La Land).
role:

Mahershala Ali (For movie Moonlight).

Best Actor in a supporting
role ( Indian actor Dev Patel was also nominated in this category for
his movie Lion)
Best Actress in a supporting

Viola Davis (For Movie Fences)
role
Best Animated Feature Film Zootopia
Best Cinematography Linus Sandgren for La La Land
Best Director Damien Chazelle for La La Land
Best Movie Editing John Gilbert for Hacksaw Ridge
Best Foreign Language Film The Salesman (Movie from Iran).
Best Music Award To Justin Hurtiwz for La La Land
Best Production Design David Wasco and Sandy Reynolds-Wasco for 'La La Land'
Best Animated short Film 'Piper'
Best Sound Editing For 'Arrival' to Sylvian Bellemare.
Best Visual Effects: The Jungle Book
Best Adapted Screenplay For 'Moonlight' to Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney
Best Original Screenplay For 'Manchester By The Sea' to Kenneth Lonergan.
Best Original Song City Of Stars' from 'La La Land'
BCCI Awards 2017

Award Awardee
Col. CK. Nayudu Lifetime achievement award Rajinder Goel, Padmakar Shivalkar
BCCI Lifetime achievement award for women Shantha Rangaswamy
BCCI special award VV Kumar, Late Ramakant Desai
Polly Umrigar Award Virat Kohli
Dilip Sardesai award Ravichandran Ashwin
Lala Amarnath Award for the best all-

Jalaj Saxena of Madhya Pradesh
rounder in the Ranji Trophy 2015-16
Lala Amarnath Award for the best all-

rounder in domestic limited-overs Axar Patel
competitions, 2015-1
Shreyas Iyer
Madavrao Scindin Award
(Highest scorer in the Ranji Trophy 2015-16)
Jay. G. Bosta
M.A. Chidambaram Trophy

(Highest scorer in (U-23) Col. CK. Nayudu
Trophy 2015-16
Satyajeet Bachhav
M.A. Chidambaram Trophy

(Highest wicket-taker in (U-23) Col. CK.
Nayudu Trophy 2015-16
ESPN Awards 2017

Award Awardee

Captain of the year Virat Kohli
Test batting Ben Stokes
Test bowling Stuart Broad
ODI batting Quinton De Kock
ODI bowling Sunil Narine
T20I batting Carlos Brathwaite
T20I bowling Mustafizur Rahman
Debutant of the year Mehedi Hasan Miraz
Associate batting Muhammad Shahzad
Associate bowling Muhammad Nabi
Womens batting Hayley Mathews
Womens bowling Leigh Kasperek
Regional Rural Banks in India - Their Sponsors and Head Office
Name of Regional Rural Bank Sponsor Bank Head Office
Paschim Banga Gramin Bank UCO bank Howrah, West Bengal
Vidharbha Konkan Gramin Bank of India Nagpur, Maharashtra

Bank
Vananchal Gramin Bank State Bank of India Dumka, Jharkhand

Utkal Grameen Bank State Bank of India Bolagir, Odisha
Sutlej Gramin Bank Punjab and Sind Bank Bathinda, Punjab
Pandyan Grama Bank Indian Overseas Bank Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu
Pragathi Krishna Gramin Bank Canara Bank Ballari, Karnataka
Prathama Bank Syndicate Bank Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Purvanchal Bank State Bank of India Gorakpur, Uttar Pradesh
Saptagiri Grameena Bank Indian Bank Chitoor, Andhra Pradesh
Chaitanya Godavari Andhra Bank Guntur, Andhra Pradesh

Grameena Bank
Ellaquai Dehati Bank State Bank of India Sri Nagar, Jammu and
Kashmir
Gramin Bank Of Aryavrat Bank of India Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Kashi Gomti Samyut Gramin Union Bank of India Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Bank
Langpi Dehangi Rural Bank State Bank of India Diphu, Assam
Kaveri Grameena Bank State Bank of Mysuru Mysuru, Karnataka
Malwa Gramin Bank State Bank of Patiala Sangrur, Punjab
Narmada Jhabua Grameen Bank of India Indore, Madhya Pradesh

Bank
Pallavan Grama Bank Indian Bank Salem, Tamil Nadu
Bangiya Gramin Vikash Bank United Bank of India Baharampur, West Bengal
BankExamsToday Editorial Summary March 2017

Ques 1. Explain the characteristics of Direct Benefit and fraud. The scheme was seeded and groomed by
Transfer system in India? the planning commission. The three facilitators of
Ans: Initiated in 2013, it seeks to enhance the DBT are Jan Dhan, Aadhar and Mobile (JAM).
governmental delivery mechanism and to precisely
target the right beneficiaries avoiding duplication Ques 2. What is the significance of initiating DBT in
fertilizer Industry ?
Ans: DBT was launched for the fertilizer segment Ques 4. Explain the defining features of Pradhan
with the view of sealing leakages as well as to Mantri Awaz Yojana?
monitor the subsidy scheme. The DBT scheme is to Ans: Launched in 2015 with the motto of Housing
roll out benefit transfer via cash payments and to for all, the scheme is the successor of Indira Aawaz
aid it promptly via the Biometrically Authenticated Yojana which aims to fullfill the housing
Physical Uptake (BAPU) involving identity requirements of rural and urban poor by 2022.
confirmation via Aadhar and physical delivery of National Housing Bank and Housing and Urban
the subsidized goods. Another defining feature is Development Corporation has been identified as
that subsidies will be given directly to the fertilizer the central nodal agencies for the same. The prime
companies than to the beneficiaries. The scheme on purpose of Pradhan Mantri Aawaz Yojana is
an experimental basis will be rolled out in 16 provision of affordable housing to rural and urban
districts at the national level such as Una - poor at reasonable cost levels.
Himachal Pradesh, Kishanganj-Bihar, Hoshangabad-
Madhya Pradesh, Karnal-Haryana, Kannur- Kerala Ques 5. What are the new amendments /Changes
etc.. announced by the government with respect to the
PMAY scheme ?
Ques 3. Explain the differences between Central Ans: Under the auspices of the scheme middle
Bank of a nation and Commercial Banks ? income, low income and Economically Weaker
Ans: Central Bank is the apex institution of Banking Sections(EWS) will get 4 % exemptions on interest
and Financial sector of a nation while commercial on home loans upto 9 lakh rupees and 3 % interest
banks are nothing more than constituents of the exemption on loans to build new houses in villages
money market. Central banks are non-profit or for the purpose of renovation. Similarly central
organizations owned by the government while assistance per house for EWS has been increased to
commercial banks are profit making ones owned by 1.5 lakh rupees from previous 70,000 rupees.
shareholders. Central bank serves the functions of
currency issuer, Banker and lender of last resort to Ques 5. What is the significance of the 4 GST
Banks and other constituents of the financial Supplementary bills that has been approved by the
system, controls the credit creation process for the Union Cabinet and will be introduced as money bills
well being of the economy, and acts as the in Lok Sabha ?
guardian of foreign currency. While commercial Ans: The original GST bill that has been ratified by
banks can issue only cheques, it creates credit to the parliament and approved by the President of
run business as well as deals in foreign exchange India infact requires these 4 GST supplementary
with profit motivation. Each nation has its own bills viz, Central GST(C-GST), Integrated GST(I-GST),
Central Bank with offices across various centres of Union Territory GST(UT-GST) and the GST
the country and the chief of a central bank is compensation to the states Law along with the
designated as Governor. On the other hand State GST(S-GST) that has to be approved
Commercial Banks are run by the respective separately by the concerned state legislatures for
chairman who co-ordinates the activites of the smooth roll out of Goods and Services Tax as
hundreds of Bank branches spread across the the All India Taxation Regime in July 2017.
nation via policy decisions.

Ques 6. Comment on the salient features of Goods Ques 11. How new currency is being issued by the
and Services Tax(GST) ? RBI ?
Ans: Expected to be rolled out in July 2017 the Ans: Based on the pace of economic growth of a
motto of the tax regime is 'One Nation, One Tax nation RBI decides on the worth of the currency
Regime'. It aims to replace the complicated combo that has to be issued to sustain the money supply.
of 17 different tax charges into a single levy. On For the same RBI procures certain assets such as
successful implementation of the tax regime the tax Gold, foreign securities, GoI securities, commercial
proceeds will be equally shared between centre and paper, internal bills of exchange, rupee coin etc
states in equal proportions. which acts as the back up reserves for issuance of
additional currency.
Ques 7. Enumerate on the different tax slabs under
the newly proposed GST regime ? Ques 12. Explain the role and relevance of Foreign
Ans: The GST council has approved four types of tax Investment Promotion Board in Indian Economy?
slabs for different goods and services such as 5 % , Ans: FIPB( Foreign lnvestment Promotion Board) is a
12 %, 18 % and 28 % plus an additional cess on national agency of Government of India vested with
Demerit goods such as aerated drinks, luxuary cars the duty to recommend and regulate the Foreign
and tobacco products. Direct Investment that doesn't come under the
automatic route. It was primarily constituted under
Ques 8. What is Minimum Reserve System ? Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in 1990's when
Ans: Minimum Reserve System refers to the policy economy was being liberalized and globalized. In
followed by the RBI for the issue of currency in 1996 it has undergone a reformation process and
which RBI can issue currency if and only if it got transferred to the Department of Industrial
maintains a minimum reserve in gold and foreign Policy and Promotion (DIPP). Later it further got
exchange against which it can possibly issue transferred to the Department of Economic Affairs
currency which is a liability . Under the policy and Ministry of Finance.FIPB has acted as the
framework the minimum reserve which RBI institutional framework that authorizes FDI, and
maintains is Rupees 200 crores of which 115 crores approve the same on behalf of the Government, if
is the worth of gold reserves. This system was the concerned investsments has assumed approval
introduced back in 1956. than automatic route. So far FIPB has handled
investment applications to the tune of Rs 5000
Ques 10. What are the advantages and crores.
disadvantages of Minimum Reserve System ?
Ans: The policy of Minimum Reserve System is quite Ques 13. Why does the Central government has
elastic in nature and it doesn't require any recently ventured into banishing the FIPB ?
additional increase in reserves for the issuance of Ans: Scrapping of the FIPB framework was an
additional currency. Hence it suits to the economic important policy announcement of the Budget
framework of developing nations as well as poor 2017-18 document. The reasons for scrapping the
countries. However the main drawback is that it FIPB framework involves the fact that 90% of FDI as
poses serious threats in the form of inflationary of now assumes automatic route, rendering the
pressures. FIPB the nature of a white elephant. Also the
remaining 10% of FDI inflows are handled and

approved by respective sectoral regulatory well as those that is being marketed in the US
frameworks of various ministries . market.
Ques 14. Comment on the specifics of Idea- Ques 16. Briefly explain the acquisition of Thallion
Vodafone merger ? Pharmaceuticals by Taro Pharma?
Ans: India's second largest telecom major Vodafone Ans: Canadian Thallion Pharmaceuticals will be fully
and third largest telecom major Idea cellular has acquired by Taro Pharma an indirect arm of Sun
jointly approved their merger, with the purpose of Pharmaceuticals for 2.7 million Canadian Dollars.
strengthening their operations in India against The acquisition will get materialised by April 1,
Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio. The combined entity 2019.
will become the number 1 telecom entity in India
with 40 crore subscribers, 35% of customer market Ques 17. Explain the acquisition that has been
share, and 41% of telecom market share dislodging initiated by WNS recently?
Bharti Airtel to number 2 position. The merger is Ans: WNS is a NASDAQ listed business process
expected to completely materialize by 2018. As per management that has acquired Healthhelp which
the merger agreement, Idea Cellular's Kumar specialises in radiology , cardiology , oncology ,
Mangalam Birla will be the new Chairman of the pain management etc. for USD 95 million . It has
merged entity, while Thomas Reisten of Vodafone also recently acquired US based Denali Sourcing
India will be the Chief Financial Officer, Balesh Services for USD 40 million to improve its
Sharma of Vodafone India will assume the position capabilities with regard to sourcing and
of Chief Operating Officer, while Chief Executive procurement.
Officer post will be assigned based on due
consulatations between both the entities. In the Ques 18. Explain the acquisition Certon Software by
proposed new entity Vodafone will own 45.1% stake Cyient?
while Kumar Mangalam Birla and other promoters Ans: Cyient primarly an IT consulting and software
of Idea Cellular group will hold 26%, 4.9% stake will company has acquired Certon for an undisclosed
be transferred to Aditya Birla Group of Idea Cellular amount to enable itself to manufacture safety
for Rupees 3874 Crores in cash right after the critical products for its medical, aerospace and
merger. Over a period of 5 years Idea Cellular and transportation clients.
its promoter Aditya Birla will buy out another 9.5%
stake to realize the motto of merging of equals. Ques 19. Explain the specifics of Tech Mahindra's
acquisition of CJS Solutions?
Ques 15. Comment on the specifics of the Ans: Tech Mahindra limited an Indian company in
acquisition of the business from Mallinckrodt LLC software segment has acquired CJS solutions which
by Piramal enterprises? are a US based health care information technology
Ans: World's third largest producer of inhaled consulting firm for USD 110 million. The acquisition
medical anaesthetics Piramal has acquired a was aimed at boosting up cross-selling and thereby
portfolio of drugs for spasticity and pain revenue of Tech Mahindra.
management from Mallinckrodt LLC for a cash
consideration of USD 171 million. The business Ques 20. Explain the acquisition of Imperial Credit
acquired includes products under development as Pvt Ltd by Dr Reddy Laboratories Ltd?

Ans: Dr Reddy Laboratories Ltd, a Hyderabad-based property, manpower and distribution network.
pharmaceutical company has acquired an NBFC,
Imperial Credit Pvt Ltd based in Kolkata for an Ques 25. Explain the recent business acquisition
amount of Rs 2.05 crores.The acquisition is made by Aurobindo Pharma from TL
expected to boost up Dr Reddy's captive financial Biopharmaceutical AG of Switzerland?
activities. Ans: Aurobindo Pharma limited has announced the
acquisition of Cell Culture-derived biosimilar
Ques 21. Explain the specifics of the recent products from TL biopharmaceuticals for an
acquisition of Brilliant Services Co. Ltd by undisclosed amount. As per the arrangement, TL
Cognizant Technology solutions? pharmaceuticals will supply developmental data for
Ans: Japan-based intelligent products and solutions molecules and Aurobindo will produce,
company Brilliant Services Co. Ltd which is commercialise and market these products globally
specializing in digital strategy, product designing as initiating its investments in complex
well as engineering and enterprise mobility has pharmaceutical products.
been acquired by Cognizant Technology solutions
for an undisclosed amount. Ques 26. Explain the acquisition of mCarbon by
Nuance Communication?
Ques 22. Explain the details of two-phased Ans: Nuance communications, a NASDAQ listed
acquisition of TEN sports by Sony corporation? voice and speech recognition company has
Ans: Sony pictures Networks India a wholly owned acquired Noida-based mobile value added services
subsidiary of Sony corporation has announced the venture mCarbon Tech Innovations for USD 36
completion of the first phase of two phased million.
acquisitions of TEN sports from Zee Entertainment
Enterprises Ltd. An amount of USD 330 million is Ques 27. Comment on the details of the acquisition
involved in the acquisition process. of infoSERVER SA by Wipro Ltd?
Ans: In a move aimed at consolidating itself in the
Ques 23. Explain the nuances associated with the Latin American market, Wipro has announced its
acquisition of Telenor India by Bharti Airtel? acquisition of Brazilian IT firm InfoSERVER SA which
Ans: Bharti Airtel has entered into an agreement focusses on custom application development and
with Telenor South Asia Investments Private Ltd. to software deployment services mainly to banks,
acquire Telenor India operations. With this Bharti, financial services and insurance companies. The
Airtel will acquire nearly 44 million customers of monetary worth of the deal is USD 8.7 million.
Telenor.
Ques 28. Explain the acquisition details of Sentynl
Ques 24. Explain the acquisition details of Lloyd Therapeutics Inc a US-based pharmaceutical
Electric's consumer durable business by Havells company by Cadila Healthcare Ltd.?
India? Ans: As per the pre-supposed strategy of marking
Ans: Havells India has announced the acquisition of its presence in the US market, Cadila Healthcare
Lloyd Electric's consumer durable business for an Ltd, an Ahmedabad-based pharmaceutical
amount of Rs 1600 crores. By this arrangement, company has acquired Sentynl Therapeutics Inc for
Havells is expected to gain Lloyd's intellectual an undisclosed amount.

Ques 29. Explain the acquisition of Vidyartha by the

educational venture Byju?
Ans: Banglore based career guidance and academic
profile builder Vidyartha has been acquired by Byju
for nearly Rs. 50 crores. Byju founded in 2007 has
3.3 lakh subscribers and 7 million in app downloads,
helping students for competetive exams like JEE,
NEET, CAT, IAS, GRE and GMAT. While Vidyartha
focusses on deep profiling of students creating
personalized learning plan and highlighting their
learning gaps.
Ques 30. Explain the all-stock merger of

Housing.com with PropTiger?
Ans: Real estate portal PropTiger backed by News
Corp has merged with Housing.com in an all-stock
deal by a receipt of USD 50 million in fresh funds
from News Corp's REA Group Ltd and USD 5 million
from SoftBank group. Housing.com brand name will
be maintained by PropTiger. The joint entity will
become the largest provider of offline and online
services in Real estate space.
Ques 31. Explain the details associated with an

acquisition of Pipemonk by FreshDesk?
Ans: Pipemonk a data integration platform that
works on the software-as-a-service model has been
acquired by FreshDesk a cloud-based customer
service software provider for an undisclosed
amount.
Ques 32. Explain the acquisition of TitanX by Tata

Auto Comp systems?
Ans: TitanX a global engine cooling supplier has
been acquired by Tata's auto component making
firm Tata Auto Comp Systems Ltd for an
undisclosed amount. The acquisition is in line with
Tata's effort to strengthen its presence in cooling
and emission control segments.

GK Digest April 2017

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GK Digest: April 2017

Banking & Financial Awareness One-Liner: March 2017 ...................................................................................................... 114

Banking And Financial Awareness: March (1 to 5).................................................................................................................. 116

List of Mergers & Acquisitions (Jan - March 2017).................................................................................................................. 117

International Financial Organizations: Headquarters & Functions ................................................................................... 122

List of Appointments - February to March 2017 ...................................................................................................................... 132

List of Women Playing Important Roles ..................................................................................................................................... 134

BankExamsToday Editorial Summary March 2017 ................................................................................................................. 146

Facts About DMRC The Raksha Mantri Trophy was instituted in

stations Hospital for in- patients.

reducing pollution levels in the city by 630,000 christened as INHS Asvini.

tonnes every year

INHS ASVINI Mumbai Adjudged best service

four years ago and has been instrumental in Africa

leading the seamless integration of Motorola Capital: Khartoum

and Lenovo mobile businesses Currency: Sudanese pound

Facts About Motorola

JNU bags 'Visitor's Award' for best university Index.

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has bagged

Cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra Institute at the function.

an event in Delhi and daredevilry by the Air Warriors drill team.

enthralled the gathering with anecdotes and the parade.

devised by Jaideep Varma.

Founded: February 2004,

University presents the Humanitarian Award levied.

Professor Peter J. Gomes, Plummer Professor

SAARC The chatbot will be live for only two weeks

Founded: 2000 Airports Council International (ACI) is the only

What is UN Women? Based on stakeholders feedback, the fees for

To enhancing efficiency, transparency and

Project proponents. by the World Bank Group.[1] Higher rankings (a low

Municipal/Town Planning agencies in tracking economic growth impact of improving these

the status of their proposals. The system is regulations is strong

based on web architecture, similar to the

related to CRZ clearances. Highways Management Company, a subsidiary of

Objective of Destination North East, 2017 spaceport in French Guiana

The app will give the user details about the

Founded: October, 2015 Aadhaar made mandatory for a host of farm

IBM announced it has created the worlds

What is Aadhaar? smallest magnet using a single atom and

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated a professional tennis player.

distressed women on the occasion on doubles title with Luis Horna.

International Women's Day He has won 5 singles titles and is currently in

counselling to women victims.

number in 2013 after the brutal gang-rape of Hunar

Air India says it has become the first airline to

The personal information of the customers will 25,000

be treated under Section 72A of the Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFCs)

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee What is NBFC?

ICC The Political Affairs Committee deals with all

three years. Parliament.

The Appointments Committee of Cabinet

He took over as Member (River Management) sector.

ZERO and its relevance to Occupational Safety soldiers' grievances.

Advice and Labour Institutes (DGFASLI), SSB

It commenced its operations on 1 April he turned professional in 1997, he has gone on

1949. which is the spelling that is on his passport.

Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra In February 2008, he won the inaugural Indian

Governor: Urjit Patel Masters, which was a part of the 2008

Lee Chong Wei clinches fourth All England Open chairman.

Mr Tucker will take over on 1 October, Headquarters: HSBC Tower, London

Footwear Design And Development Institute Bill,

Who is Devang Mody? Productivity enhancement shall also be

for living standards, as per the Mercer's Founded: 1945