WBCS Current Affairs 20/03/2015 to 27/03/2015
Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2015 11:30 pm1.First goods train from Lumding to Silchar in the northeastern state of Assam was flagged off by the Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu through video conferencing at a function in New Delhi. Railway Minister also announced a cash award for those involved in the Lumding-Silchar gauge conversion project for completing this challenging project within the deadline.
2. Delhi government has launched First E-ration card service in India. It was launched Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on 27 March 2015. In this service, E-ration card will be linked with Aadhaar cards in order to curb corruption and increase transparency in the system. Delhi government has brought the entire ration process online after they had received many complaints of corruption in the process of distribution of ration cards in Delhi. Key facts Anyone having an Aadhaar card can apply online for this service. Even those who are waiting for an Aadhaar card can also apply for a ration card with the Aadhaar card number on the online slip. The print of ration card taken by applicant will be also valid like e-ticket. Those who do not have access to the Internet can apply at the office of their respective MLAs. Along with the E-ration card service, Delhi government is also starting issuing temporary Fair Price Shop (FPS)-licences. These licenses will be issued to around 25,000 FPS in Delhi. FPS are operated by private players to provide subsided foodgrains.
3.Saudi Arabia along with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and several other countries have started military operations against Houthi rebels in Yemen. The operations were stated after Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi had requested to counter radical Houthi movement in the country and to defend and support the legitimate government of Yemen.
4.India and Qatar have signed six pacts including agreements and Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) to increase commercial and economic exchanges between both nations. These pacts were signed after Emir of Qatar Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani had held extensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
5.NASA’s Curiosity rover for first time has found evidence of nitrogen in the form of nitrate in aeolian deposits and in two mudstone deposits on Mars. It was detected by using the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite mounted on Curiosity rover by the team of Scientists.
6. Union Ministry of Railways has constituted a Committee to review the existing Public Private Partnership (PPP) Cell in the Railway Board with former IAS officer Ajay Shankar as its head. The Committee will recommend measures needed to make the PPP Cell more customer friendly, effective and result oriented. The Infrastructure Directorate of Railway Board will be the Nodal Directorate for functioning of the Committee. While the Executive Director/Traffic (PPP) Railway Board will be the Secretary to the Committee.
7.Ruth Porat has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of world’s largest search engine giant Google. She will succeed Patrick Pichette who had announced his retirement on 10 March 2015 and assume charge on 26 May 2015. As CFO of Google she will directly report to Larry Page, CEO and Co-Founder of Google.
8. ndian-American novelist Akhil Sharma’s novel Family Life has won the prestigious Folio Prize 2015. His novel was among the eight shortlisted books from 80 fictional works and was chosen as the best fiction novel published in the United Kingdom in 2014. Family Life is Sharma’s second novel and took him 13 years to write.
9. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 March 2015 launched Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation (PRAGATI) platform. PRAGATI is a multi-purpose and multi-modal platform aimed at addressing grievances of common man. It also aims at simultaneously monitoring and reviewing important Union government programmes and projects as well as projects flagged by State Governments. It is an innovative project in e-governance and good governance and accountability with real-time presence and information exchange among the key stakeholders.
10. Union Government has approved 10 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) proposals worth 2857.83 crore rupees. These FDI proposals were approved by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB). Some of proposals approved are Air Works India (Engineering) Private Limited’s proposal to increase foreign equity investment at Rs 40 crore. Ostro Energy’s proposal to invest Rs. 1,400 crore over next four-five years in wind energy assets in India via downstream investment. IPCA Laboratories’ proposal for FII investment up to 35 per cent i.e. Rs 900 crore. Reckitt Benckiser (India) proposal to acquire 24.88 per cent stake in Reckitt Benckiser Healthcare India from its foreign investor. This deal will result in a foreign fund outflow of Rs 750 crore. Syngene International’s proposal to inject 380 crore rupees through 10 per cent foreign equity participation into the company. Ambuja Cements proposal for acquisition of 24 per cent shares in its holding company Holcim (India) for a share swap worth Rs 3,500 crore has been referred to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). FIPB approves the FDI proposals under approval route. However, those proposals worth above Rs 1,200 crore are given final approval to the CCEA.
11. India’s first Polar Remotely Operated Vehicle (PROVe) was successfully operationalised for research in North Antarctica by National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT).
12. Two-year-old girl Cherukuli D0lly Shivani from Vijaywada, Andhra Pradesh has created new record in Archery and has entered her name into the India Book of Records.
13. The Union government has fetched about 1.10 lakh crore rupees after the auctioning of a telecom spectrum. The spectrum auction concluded on 25 March 2015 after 19 days and 115 rounds of rigorous bidding. However the 11 percent airwaves were not sold in this auction. The process of auction was conducted for 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz spectrum covering both mobile telephony and broadband, including 4th Generation (4G). A total of 380.75 MHz of spectrum was put on sale in the premium 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz and 800 MHz bands and 5 MHz of spectrum was put for bidding in the 2,100 MHz band which is used for 3G mobile services across 17 out of total 22 telecom circles. The spectrum auction included airwaves held by 9 licences of Idea Cellular, 6 permits of Bharti Airtel and 7 each of Reliance Telecom and Vodafone that were expiring in 2015-16. These auctioned airwaves mostly included frequencies in 900 MHz band and 1800 MHz band. The government also auctioned airwaves in 1800 MHz band that remained unsold in 2014, and 800 MHz i.e. CDMA band frequencies that were left after sale in 2013. The Department of Telecommunication (DoT) later will disclose details of the result and names of successful bidders after the Supreme Court’s permission as a case is pending in the court.
14. Bangladesh has won the prestigious Women in Parliaments (WIP) Award for regional leadership in the South and Southeast Asia category for closing the gender gap in politics.
15. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has signed a US $400 million currency swap agreement with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. The currency swap agreement will allow central banks of both nations to make withdrawals of US Dollar or Euro in multiple tranches up to a maximum of USD 400 million or its equivalent. The agreement will be valid for a period of three years and further economic co-operation between the two countries. It will also bring in more financial stability in the region.
16. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has signed a US $400 million currency swap agreement with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. The currency swap agreement will allow central banks of both nations to make withdrawals of US Dollar or Euro in multiple tranches up to a maximum of USD 400 million or its equivalent. The agreement will be valid for a period of three years and further economic co-operation between the two countries. It will also bring in more financial stability in the region.
17. Union Government has launched a new digital platform ‘Twitter Samvad’ in association with social networking giant Twitter. The digital platform was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on 24 March 2015 during his meeting with Twitter Chief Executive Dick Costolo.
18. Three Immediate Support Vessels (ISVs) were commissioned on 24 March 2015 in Indian Navy at the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) base in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
19. Noted Hindi poet Gopaldas Neeraj on 24 March 2015 was awarded with first National Kavi Pradeep Samman. He was presented the award by Madhya Pradesh Culture Minister Surendra Patwa at a function held in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
20. Indian contemporary artist Bharti Kher was awarded with France’s highest cultural award Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres). She was bestowed the prestigious honour for her contribution to contemporary art landscape by French ambassador to India Francois Richier in New Delhi.
21. Indian Railways has launched RuPay pre-paid debit card service for the railway passengers. The service was launched by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) in collaboration with the Union Bank of India (UBI) and the National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI).
22. Union Government on 24 March 2015 sanctioned 2,000 crore rupees as a relief package for the areas affected by drought in Maharashtra in the year 2014. Decision in this regard was taken at high-level committee meeting of National Disaster Management headed by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. The amount has been sanctioned by the Committee under National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
23. The 62nd National Film Awards for year 2014 was announced on 24 March 2015. Court directed by Chaitanya Tamhane was selected as the Best feature film. Mary Kom (Hindi) directed by Omung Kumar was selected as the Best Popular film providing wholesome entertainment.
The 62nd National Film Awards in the various categories are as follows
Best Actor- Vijay for Nanu Avanalla Avalu (Kannada).
Best Actress- Kangana Ranaut for Queen (Hindi).
Best Direction-Srijit Mukherji, Director of Chotushkone (Bengali).
Best Film on Social Issues- Chotoder Chobi (Bengali) directed by Kaushik Ganguly.
Best Supporting Actor- Bobby Simhaa for film Jigarthanda (Tamil).
Best Supporting Actress- Baljinder Kaur for film Pagdi The Honour (Haryanavi).
Best Children’s Film- Kaakkaa Muttai (Tamil) and Elizabeth Ekadashi (Marathi).
Best Child Artist- Vignesh & Ramesh for Kaakkaa Muttai (Tamil). Special Jury Award- Bhaurao Karhade, Director of Khwada (Marathi). Best Cinematography- Sudeep Chatterjee for film Chotushkone (Bengali). Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director- Aditya Vikram Sengupta for Asha Jaoar Majhe (Bengali). Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration – Chotoder Chobi (Bengali) directed by Kaushik Ganguly. Best Writing on Cinema- Silent Cinema: (1895-1930) authored by Pasupuleti Purnachandra Rao.
About National Film Awards
The National Film Awards are most prominent most prominent film award ceremonies in India. Established- 1954. Since then awarded annually. Winners in different categories of these awards are selected by the national panel of Juries appointed by Union Government. These awards are presented by the President of India in the official ceremony.
24. The Supreme Court (SC) on 24 March 2015 struck down the Section 66A of the Information and Technology Act 2000 calling it unconstitutional and untenable. SC in its ruling held that Section 66A interferes with freedom of speech and expression envisaged under Article 19 of Constitution of India and also hit the root of two cardinal pillars of democracy liberty and freedom of expression. This verdict was given by SC bench comprising of Justices J. Chelameswar and R.F. Nariman on bunch of petitions filed in the wake of misuse of the penal provision by government authorities. Supreme Court held that Section 66 A is unconstitutional because it failed two major tests, the clear and present danger test and the tendency to create public disorder test. Language used in this section is vague and nebulous does not properly define words like offensive or even persistent. SC also rejected the assurance given by NDA government during the hearing defending certain procedures of the law so it cannot be question and abused. However in this ruling SC did not strike down two other provisions in sections 69A and 79 of the IT Act and mentioned that they can remain enforced with certain restrictions. Background The first petition in this regard was filed in 2012 by a law student Shreya Singhal who had challenged the Section after two young women were arrested for posting comments Facebook in Thane district. In the comments they had criticized shutdown in Mumbai following Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackray’s death. About Section 66A of IT Act 2000
It gives power to government authorities to issue directions to block public access of any information through any computer resource. It also allows authorities to arrest a person for posting allegedly offensive content on websites and imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and with fine.
25. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) approved guidelines to govern international financial services centres (IFSC). These guidelines were approved by SEBI board meeting on 22 March 2015. The news guidelines relax the norms for Stock exchanges and clearing corporations to set up IFSC. It also relaxes norms and allows existing exchanges to set up their subsidiaries in the IFSC
26. Union Government has approved 17 mega food parks for food processing across the country. It was announced by Union Cabinet Minister of Food Processing Harsimrat Kaur Badal. Out of these 17 food parks, 7 parks have been allotted to state agencies whereas 10 to private players in 11 states.
27. Maharashtra Government has made the sale of Gutka in the state a non-bailable offence under Section 328 of Indian Penal Code (IPC). It was announced by state government in state assembly in order to strictly enforce the ban of these products. State Governments announcement comes after increase in the cases related to smuggling of gutka from the neighboring states where it is not banned.
28. Renowned Indian Ecologist Madhav Gadgil has won the prestigious Tyler Prize 2015 for Environmental Achievement. He will share this prize with noted American marine ecologist and environmental scientist Jane Lubchenco.
29. Veteran actor and film producer Shashi Kapoor has been named for the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award 2014. He is the 46th film personality to receive this honour.
30. First Prime Minister (PM) of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew passed away on 23 March 2015. He was 91. Mr. Lee is described as the ‘founding father’ and ‘architect’ of modern Singapore. He is also considered as pioneer for transforming the island country from a small port city into a wealthy global hub after its independence from United Kingdom and separation from Malaysia.
31. Every year March 23 is observed as World Meteorological Day (WMD). Theme for this year is Climate Knowledge for Climate Action.
32. Former Sri Lankan Army Chief Sarath Fonseka was conferred the highest military rank of Field Marshal by the Government.
33. Pranab Mukherjee on 21 March 2015 conferred one Kirti Chakra awards and 11 Shaurya Chakra awards on armed forces personnel. Among these 11 awardees three were conferred posthumously for gallantry. The awards were given to defence personnel for displaying conspicuous gallantry, indomitable courage and extreme devotion to duty at a Defence Investiture Ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
34. Every year World Water Day is marked on 22 March. It is observed to preserve and ration consumption of water. The theme for this year is ‘Water and Sustainable Development’. Under this theme the year 2015 provides an important opportunity to consolidate and build upon the previous World Water Days and highlight water’s role in the sustainable development agenda.
35. India has become the third-largest steel producer in the world by overtaking United States (US) in first two months of year 2015. It was revealed in the Data compiled by World Steel Association (WSA).
36. Union Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MoEFCC) has given coastal regulatory zone (CRZ) nod to the 6,000-MW Mithivirdi Nuclear Power Plant of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat.
37. Renowned water conservationist and environment activist Rajendra Singh has been conferred with 2015 Stockholm Water Prize. He was awarded this prize for his innovative water restoration efforts and consistent attempts to improve the water security in villages in India.
38. New Zealand’s Martin Guptill created a Cricket World Cup record by scoring highest score of 237 runs not out.He achieved this feat in match against West Indies in the 2015 ICC World Cup quarter-final played at WestpacTrust Stadium, Wellington. He scored 237 runs from 163 balls that included 11 sixes and 24 fours. Martin Guptill also became the first New Zealand cricketer to score double century in One Day Internationals (ODIs).
39. The Union Cabinet has approved the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) to provide skills training to youth across the country. Decision in this regard was taken in the Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. About Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) The PMKVY Scheme will be implemented by the Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship through the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). It will provide skills training to youth, including class 10 and 12 drop outs and aims to cover about 24 lakh people. The target for skilling under the scheme will be associated with Union Government’s flagship programmes such as Make in India, Digital India, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and National Solar Mission. The skill training will involve soft skills, good work ethics, personal grooming, behavioural change for cleanliness etc. Inspection of training under PMKVY will be done by Sector Skill Councils and the repective State Governments. The skill training will be undertaken on the basis of demand assessed on the basis of skill gap studies conducted by the NSDC for the period 2013-17. Fund Allocation- The scheme will be implemented with an outlay of 1, 500 crore rupees. Of the total 1,500 crore rupees, about 1,120 crore rupees will be spent on skill training of 14 lakh youth. 150 crore rupees allocated for training of youth from the North-East region.
40. Bard and Marathi folk legend Krishnarao Ganpatrao Sable passed away on 20 March 2015 in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He was 92.
41. Colin Macdonald has been appointed as Managing Director (MD) of Renault Nissan Automotive India (RNAIPL). He will assume charge on 1 April 2015.
42. Union Cabinet on 20 March 2015 approved 33 percent reservation for women in police forces of all seven Union Territories (UTs) including Delhi Police. This decision was taken at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. The reservation in this regard will be Applicable in each category of SC, ST, OBC and others in direct recruitment in non-gazetted posts from constables to sub-inspector. Available to women against all prior vacancies that existed on the date of issue of this order after Cabinet approval and vacancies arising henceforth.
43. Parliament has passed Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015. The bill was first passed in Rajya Sabha and later in Lok Sabha on 20 March 2015. The Bill was passed in Rajya Sabha after the Union government had accepted the recommendations of the Select Committee. The amendments in the bill were made in the bill passed by Lok Sabha on 4 March 2015.
45. Japan and China on 19 March 2015 held their first security talks in Tokyo after four years since the ties had worsened over a row over islands in the East China Sea. In the security talks both nations agreed to keep alive and foster a nascent recovery in bilateral ties plagued by the legacy of Japan’s wartime aggression and a territorial dispute. However, both nations failed to set a timetable for the implementation of a scheme designed to ensure real-time communication between their armed forces.
46. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has become first Indian Cricket team Captain to register the 100 One Day International (ODI) match wins.He was able to achieve this feat after Indian team defeated Bangladesh in the 2015 ICC World Cup quarter-final match by 109-run in Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Australia.
47. Parliament has passed Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2015. It was first passed in Lok Sabha on 4 March 2015 and later in Rajya Sabha on 20 March 2015. This bill will replace the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) second ordinance, 2014. Key highlights of Bill The bill has provisions for allocation of coal mines through a transparent bidding process i.e e-auction.
48. Former Lok Sabha Meira Kumar’s book entitled “Indian Parliamentary Diplomacy – Speaker’s Perspective” was released on 19 March 2015.
49. Nobel Laureate Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan has been confirmed as President Elect of the Royal Society. His appointment was confirmed by the society’s council met on 19 March 2015 and will assume the charge on 1 December 2015.
50.Union Ministry of Railways has constituted ‘Kaya kulp’ Council, an innovation council for Indian Railways. The council was constituted by Union Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu in order to fulfill the promise made in the Railway Budget Speech. The council also seeks to re-engineer business and introduce a spirit of innovation in Indian Railways Eminent industrialist and former chairman of Tata Sons, Ratan Tata will head the KayaKalp council.
51. Union Government on 19 March 2015 launched Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) AcE Fund to accelerate growth of entrepreneurs in Biotechnology. It was announced by Minister of State (MoS) for Science and Technology (S&T) and Earth Sciences Y.S. Chowdary on the occasion of the third foundation day of BIRAC in New Delhi. The BIRAC AcE Fund aims to address the pressing needs of accelerating the growth of entrepreneurs, in the field of Biotechnology. This equity fund will be operated by BIRAC a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the aegis Department of Biotechnology (DBT) of Union Ministry of Science and Technology. Apart from launching the fund, MoS for S&T and Earth Sciences also inaugurated a Two day Panel discussions focused at making biotechnology as one of the drivers of the ‘Make in India’ Programme. About Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) BIRAC operates as a PSU under the aegis of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Union Ministry of Science & Technology. Established: 2012. Purpose: It is mandated to foster and promote innovation research in biotech industries specially start-ups and SMEs. The theme for this year’s foundation day of BIRAC was “Accelerating Innovations: India the Next Biotech Global Hub”
52. India’s indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile Astra was successfully tested on 18 March 2015 from a Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft. The test was undertaken at the Integrated Test Range located at Chandipur in Odisha.
53.National Green Tribunal (NGT) has announced a fine of Rs 5,000 on individuals spotted littering or throwing waste on the railway platforms and tracks. It was announced by a NGT bench, headed by Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar.
54. Election Commission has announced that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and ballot papers will carry photographs of candidates from 1 May 2015.
2. Delhi government has launched First E-ration card service in India. It was launched Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on 27 March 2015. In this service, E-ration card will be linked with Aadhaar cards in order to curb corruption and increase transparency in the system. Delhi government has brought the entire ration process online after they had received many complaints of corruption in the process of distribution of ration cards in Delhi. Key facts Anyone having an Aadhaar card can apply online for this service. Even those who are waiting for an Aadhaar card can also apply for a ration card with the Aadhaar card number on the online slip. The print of ration card taken by applicant will be also valid like e-ticket. Those who do not have access to the Internet can apply at the office of their respective MLAs. Along with the E-ration card service, Delhi government is also starting issuing temporary Fair Price Shop (FPS)-licences. These licenses will be issued to around 25,000 FPS in Delhi. FPS are operated by private players to provide subsided foodgrains.
3.Saudi Arabia along with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and several other countries have started military operations against Houthi rebels in Yemen. The operations were stated after Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi had requested to counter radical Houthi movement in the country and to defend and support the legitimate government of Yemen.
4.India and Qatar have signed six pacts including agreements and Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) to increase commercial and economic exchanges between both nations. These pacts were signed after Emir of Qatar Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani had held extensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
5.NASA’s Curiosity rover for first time has found evidence of nitrogen in the form of nitrate in aeolian deposits and in two mudstone deposits on Mars. It was detected by using the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite mounted on Curiosity rover by the team of Scientists.
6. Union Ministry of Railways has constituted a Committee to review the existing Public Private Partnership (PPP) Cell in the Railway Board with former IAS officer Ajay Shankar as its head. The Committee will recommend measures needed to make the PPP Cell more customer friendly, effective and result oriented. The Infrastructure Directorate of Railway Board will be the Nodal Directorate for functioning of the Committee. While the Executive Director/Traffic (PPP) Railway Board will be the Secretary to the Committee.
7.Ruth Porat has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of world’s largest search engine giant Google. She will succeed Patrick Pichette who had announced his retirement on 10 March 2015 and assume charge on 26 May 2015. As CFO of Google she will directly report to Larry Page, CEO and Co-Founder of Google.
8. ndian-American novelist Akhil Sharma’s novel Family Life has won the prestigious Folio Prize 2015. His novel was among the eight shortlisted books from 80 fictional works and was chosen as the best fiction novel published in the United Kingdom in 2014. Family Life is Sharma’s second novel and took him 13 years to write.
9. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 March 2015 launched Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation (PRAGATI) platform. PRAGATI is a multi-purpose and multi-modal platform aimed at addressing grievances of common man. It also aims at simultaneously monitoring and reviewing important Union government programmes and projects as well as projects flagged by State Governments. It is an innovative project in e-governance and good governance and accountability with real-time presence and information exchange among the key stakeholders.
10. Union Government has approved 10 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) proposals worth 2857.83 crore rupees. These FDI proposals were approved by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB). Some of proposals approved are Air Works India (Engineering) Private Limited’s proposal to increase foreign equity investment at Rs 40 crore. Ostro Energy’s proposal to invest Rs. 1,400 crore over next four-five years in wind energy assets in India via downstream investment. IPCA Laboratories’ proposal for FII investment up to 35 per cent i.e. Rs 900 crore. Reckitt Benckiser (India) proposal to acquire 24.88 per cent stake in Reckitt Benckiser Healthcare India from its foreign investor. This deal will result in a foreign fund outflow of Rs 750 crore. Syngene International’s proposal to inject 380 crore rupees through 10 per cent foreign equity participation into the company. Ambuja Cements proposal for acquisition of 24 per cent shares in its holding company Holcim (India) for a share swap worth Rs 3,500 crore has been referred to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). FIPB approves the FDI proposals under approval route. However, those proposals worth above Rs 1,200 crore are given final approval to the CCEA.
11. India’s first Polar Remotely Operated Vehicle (PROVe) was successfully operationalised for research in North Antarctica by National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT).
12. Two-year-old girl Cherukuli D0lly Shivani from Vijaywada, Andhra Pradesh has created new record in Archery and has entered her name into the India Book of Records.
13. The Union government has fetched about 1.10 lakh crore rupees after the auctioning of a telecom spectrum. The spectrum auction concluded on 25 March 2015 after 19 days and 115 rounds of rigorous bidding. However the 11 percent airwaves were not sold in this auction. The process of auction was conducted for 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz spectrum covering both mobile telephony and broadband, including 4th Generation (4G). A total of 380.75 MHz of spectrum was put on sale in the premium 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz and 800 MHz bands and 5 MHz of spectrum was put for bidding in the 2,100 MHz band which is used for 3G mobile services across 17 out of total 22 telecom circles. The spectrum auction included airwaves held by 9 licences of Idea Cellular, 6 permits of Bharti Airtel and 7 each of Reliance Telecom and Vodafone that were expiring in 2015-16. These auctioned airwaves mostly included frequencies in 900 MHz band and 1800 MHz band. The government also auctioned airwaves in 1800 MHz band that remained unsold in 2014, and 800 MHz i.e. CDMA band frequencies that were left after sale in 2013. The Department of Telecommunication (DoT) later will disclose details of the result and names of successful bidders after the Supreme Court’s permission as a case is pending in the court.
14. Bangladesh has won the prestigious Women in Parliaments (WIP) Award for regional leadership in the South and Southeast Asia category for closing the gender gap in politics.
15. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has signed a US $400 million currency swap agreement with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. The currency swap agreement will allow central banks of both nations to make withdrawals of US Dollar or Euro in multiple tranches up to a maximum of USD 400 million or its equivalent. The agreement will be valid for a period of three years and further economic co-operation between the two countries. It will also bring in more financial stability in the region.
16. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has signed a US $400 million currency swap agreement with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. The currency swap agreement will allow central banks of both nations to make withdrawals of US Dollar or Euro in multiple tranches up to a maximum of USD 400 million or its equivalent. The agreement will be valid for a period of three years and further economic co-operation between the two countries. It will also bring in more financial stability in the region.
17. Union Government has launched a new digital platform ‘Twitter Samvad’ in association with social networking giant Twitter. The digital platform was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on 24 March 2015 during his meeting with Twitter Chief Executive Dick Costolo.
18. Three Immediate Support Vessels (ISVs) were commissioned on 24 March 2015 in Indian Navy at the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) base in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
19. Noted Hindi poet Gopaldas Neeraj on 24 March 2015 was awarded with first National Kavi Pradeep Samman. He was presented the award by Madhya Pradesh Culture Minister Surendra Patwa at a function held in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
20. Indian contemporary artist Bharti Kher was awarded with France’s highest cultural award Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres). She was bestowed the prestigious honour for her contribution to contemporary art landscape by French ambassador to India Francois Richier in New Delhi.
21. Indian Railways has launched RuPay pre-paid debit card service for the railway passengers. The service was launched by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) in collaboration with the Union Bank of India (UBI) and the National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI).
22. Union Government on 24 March 2015 sanctioned 2,000 crore rupees as a relief package for the areas affected by drought in Maharashtra in the year 2014. Decision in this regard was taken at high-level committee meeting of National Disaster Management headed by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. The amount has been sanctioned by the Committee under National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
23. The 62nd National Film Awards for year 2014 was announced on 24 March 2015. Court directed by Chaitanya Tamhane was selected as the Best feature film. Mary Kom (Hindi) directed by Omung Kumar was selected as the Best Popular film providing wholesome entertainment.
The 62nd National Film Awards in the various categories are as follows
Best Actor- Vijay for Nanu Avanalla Avalu (Kannada).
Best Actress- Kangana Ranaut for Queen (Hindi).
Best Direction-Srijit Mukherji, Director of Chotushkone (Bengali).
Best Film on Social Issues- Chotoder Chobi (Bengali) directed by Kaushik Ganguly.
Best Supporting Actor- Bobby Simhaa for film Jigarthanda (Tamil).
Best Supporting Actress- Baljinder Kaur for film Pagdi The Honour (Haryanavi).
Best Children’s Film- Kaakkaa Muttai (Tamil) and Elizabeth Ekadashi (Marathi).
Best Child Artist- Vignesh & Ramesh for Kaakkaa Muttai (Tamil). Special Jury Award- Bhaurao Karhade, Director of Khwada (Marathi). Best Cinematography- Sudeep Chatterjee for film Chotushkone (Bengali). Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director- Aditya Vikram Sengupta for Asha Jaoar Majhe (Bengali). Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration – Chotoder Chobi (Bengali) directed by Kaushik Ganguly. Best Writing on Cinema- Silent Cinema: (1895-1930) authored by Pasupuleti Purnachandra Rao.
About National Film Awards
The National Film Awards are most prominent most prominent film award ceremonies in India. Established- 1954. Since then awarded annually. Winners in different categories of these awards are selected by the national panel of Juries appointed by Union Government. These awards are presented by the President of India in the official ceremony.
24. The Supreme Court (SC) on 24 March 2015 struck down the Section 66A of the Information and Technology Act 2000 calling it unconstitutional and untenable. SC in its ruling held that Section 66A interferes with freedom of speech and expression envisaged under Article 19 of Constitution of India and also hit the root of two cardinal pillars of democracy liberty and freedom of expression. This verdict was given by SC bench comprising of Justices J. Chelameswar and R.F. Nariman on bunch of petitions filed in the wake of misuse of the penal provision by government authorities. Supreme Court held that Section 66 A is unconstitutional because it failed two major tests, the clear and present danger test and the tendency to create public disorder test. Language used in this section is vague and nebulous does not properly define words like offensive or even persistent. SC also rejected the assurance given by NDA government during the hearing defending certain procedures of the law so it cannot be question and abused. However in this ruling SC did not strike down two other provisions in sections 69A and 79 of the IT Act and mentioned that they can remain enforced with certain restrictions. Background The first petition in this regard was filed in 2012 by a law student Shreya Singhal who had challenged the Section after two young women were arrested for posting comments Facebook in Thane district. In the comments they had criticized shutdown in Mumbai following Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackray’s death. About Section 66A of IT Act 2000
It gives power to government authorities to issue directions to block public access of any information through any computer resource. It also allows authorities to arrest a person for posting allegedly offensive content on websites and imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and with fine.
25. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) approved guidelines to govern international financial services centres (IFSC). These guidelines were approved by SEBI board meeting on 22 March 2015. The news guidelines relax the norms for Stock exchanges and clearing corporations to set up IFSC. It also relaxes norms and allows existing exchanges to set up their subsidiaries in the IFSC
26. Union Government has approved 17 mega food parks for food processing across the country. It was announced by Union Cabinet Minister of Food Processing Harsimrat Kaur Badal. Out of these 17 food parks, 7 parks have been allotted to state agencies whereas 10 to private players in 11 states.
27. Maharashtra Government has made the sale of Gutka in the state a non-bailable offence under Section 328 of Indian Penal Code (IPC). It was announced by state government in state assembly in order to strictly enforce the ban of these products. State Governments announcement comes after increase in the cases related to smuggling of gutka from the neighboring states where it is not banned.
28. Renowned Indian Ecologist Madhav Gadgil has won the prestigious Tyler Prize 2015 for Environmental Achievement. He will share this prize with noted American marine ecologist and environmental scientist Jane Lubchenco.
29. Veteran actor and film producer Shashi Kapoor has been named for the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award 2014. He is the 46th film personality to receive this honour.
30. First Prime Minister (PM) of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew passed away on 23 March 2015. He was 91. Mr. Lee is described as the ‘founding father’ and ‘architect’ of modern Singapore. He is also considered as pioneer for transforming the island country from a small port city into a wealthy global hub after its independence from United Kingdom and separation from Malaysia.
31. Every year March 23 is observed as World Meteorological Day (WMD). Theme for this year is Climate Knowledge for Climate Action.
32. Former Sri Lankan Army Chief Sarath Fonseka was conferred the highest military rank of Field Marshal by the Government.
33. Pranab Mukherjee on 21 March 2015 conferred one Kirti Chakra awards and 11 Shaurya Chakra awards on armed forces personnel. Among these 11 awardees three were conferred posthumously for gallantry. The awards were given to defence personnel for displaying conspicuous gallantry, indomitable courage and extreme devotion to duty at a Defence Investiture Ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
34. Every year World Water Day is marked on 22 March. It is observed to preserve and ration consumption of water. The theme for this year is ‘Water and Sustainable Development’. Under this theme the year 2015 provides an important opportunity to consolidate and build upon the previous World Water Days and highlight water’s role in the sustainable development agenda.
35. India has become the third-largest steel producer in the world by overtaking United States (US) in first two months of year 2015. It was revealed in the Data compiled by World Steel Association (WSA).
36. Union Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MoEFCC) has given coastal regulatory zone (CRZ) nod to the 6,000-MW Mithivirdi Nuclear Power Plant of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat.
37. Renowned water conservationist and environment activist Rajendra Singh has been conferred with 2015 Stockholm Water Prize. He was awarded this prize for his innovative water restoration efforts and consistent attempts to improve the water security in villages in India.
38. New Zealand’s Martin Guptill created a Cricket World Cup record by scoring highest score of 237 runs not out.He achieved this feat in match against West Indies in the 2015 ICC World Cup quarter-final played at WestpacTrust Stadium, Wellington. He scored 237 runs from 163 balls that included 11 sixes and 24 fours. Martin Guptill also became the first New Zealand cricketer to score double century in One Day Internationals (ODIs).
39. The Union Cabinet has approved the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) to provide skills training to youth across the country. Decision in this regard was taken in the Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. About Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) The PMKVY Scheme will be implemented by the Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship through the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). It will provide skills training to youth, including class 10 and 12 drop outs and aims to cover about 24 lakh people. The target for skilling under the scheme will be associated with Union Government’s flagship programmes such as Make in India, Digital India, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and National Solar Mission. The skill training will involve soft skills, good work ethics, personal grooming, behavioural change for cleanliness etc. Inspection of training under PMKVY will be done by Sector Skill Councils and the repective State Governments. The skill training will be undertaken on the basis of demand assessed on the basis of skill gap studies conducted by the NSDC for the period 2013-17. Fund Allocation- The scheme will be implemented with an outlay of 1, 500 crore rupees. Of the total 1,500 crore rupees, about 1,120 crore rupees will be spent on skill training of 14 lakh youth. 150 crore rupees allocated for training of youth from the North-East region.
40. Bard and Marathi folk legend Krishnarao Ganpatrao Sable passed away on 20 March 2015 in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He was 92.
41. Colin Macdonald has been appointed as Managing Director (MD) of Renault Nissan Automotive India (RNAIPL). He will assume charge on 1 April 2015.
42. Union Cabinet on 20 March 2015 approved 33 percent reservation for women in police forces of all seven Union Territories (UTs) including Delhi Police. This decision was taken at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. The reservation in this regard will be Applicable in each category of SC, ST, OBC and others in direct recruitment in non-gazetted posts from constables to sub-inspector. Available to women against all prior vacancies that existed on the date of issue of this order after Cabinet approval and vacancies arising henceforth.
43. Parliament has passed Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015. The bill was first passed in Rajya Sabha and later in Lok Sabha on 20 March 2015. The Bill was passed in Rajya Sabha after the Union government had accepted the recommendations of the Select Committee. The amendments in the bill were made in the bill passed by Lok Sabha on 4 March 2015.
45. Japan and China on 19 March 2015 held their first security talks in Tokyo after four years since the ties had worsened over a row over islands in the East China Sea. In the security talks both nations agreed to keep alive and foster a nascent recovery in bilateral ties plagued by the legacy of Japan’s wartime aggression and a territorial dispute. However, both nations failed to set a timetable for the implementation of a scheme designed to ensure real-time communication between their armed forces.
46. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has become first Indian Cricket team Captain to register the 100 One Day International (ODI) match wins.He was able to achieve this feat after Indian team defeated Bangladesh in the 2015 ICC World Cup quarter-final match by 109-run in Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Australia.
47. Parliament has passed Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2015. It was first passed in Lok Sabha on 4 March 2015 and later in Rajya Sabha on 20 March 2015. This bill will replace the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) second ordinance, 2014. Key highlights of Bill The bill has provisions for allocation of coal mines through a transparent bidding process i.e e-auction.
48. Former Lok Sabha Meira Kumar’s book entitled “Indian Parliamentary Diplomacy – Speaker’s Perspective” was released on 19 March 2015.
49. Nobel Laureate Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan has been confirmed as President Elect of the Royal Society. His appointment was confirmed by the society’s council met on 19 March 2015 and will assume the charge on 1 December 2015.
50.Union Ministry of Railways has constituted ‘Kaya kulp’ Council, an innovation council for Indian Railways. The council was constituted by Union Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu in order to fulfill the promise made in the Railway Budget Speech. The council also seeks to re-engineer business and introduce a spirit of innovation in Indian Railways Eminent industrialist and former chairman of Tata Sons, Ratan Tata will head the KayaKalp council.
51. Union Government on 19 March 2015 launched Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) AcE Fund to accelerate growth of entrepreneurs in Biotechnology. It was announced by Minister of State (MoS) for Science and Technology (S&T) and Earth Sciences Y.S. Chowdary on the occasion of the third foundation day of BIRAC in New Delhi. The BIRAC AcE Fund aims to address the pressing needs of accelerating the growth of entrepreneurs, in the field of Biotechnology. This equity fund will be operated by BIRAC a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the aegis Department of Biotechnology (DBT) of Union Ministry of Science and Technology. Apart from launching the fund, MoS for S&T and Earth Sciences also inaugurated a Two day Panel discussions focused at making biotechnology as one of the drivers of the ‘Make in India’ Programme. About Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) BIRAC operates as a PSU under the aegis of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Union Ministry of Science & Technology. Established: 2012. Purpose: It is mandated to foster and promote innovation research in biotech industries specially start-ups and SMEs. The theme for this year’s foundation day of BIRAC was “Accelerating Innovations: India the Next Biotech Global Hub”
52. India’s indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile Astra was successfully tested on 18 March 2015 from a Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft. The test was undertaken at the Integrated Test Range located at Chandipur in Odisha.
53.National Green Tribunal (NGT) has announced a fine of Rs 5,000 on individuals spotted littering or throwing waste on the railway platforms and tracks. It was announced by a NGT bench, headed by Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar.
54. Election Commission has announced that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and ballot papers will carry photographs of candidates from 1 May 2015.