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1. British mathematician Andrew Wiles (62) was named as the winner of the prestigious 2016 Abel Prize. He was selected by the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters for solving a centuries old hypothesis (equation), Fermat’s Last Theorem. Academy has described his achievement as an epochal moment for mathematics and will be bestowed with this award in May 2016 by the Crown Prince Haakon. About Andrew Wiles Born on 11 April 1953 in Cambridge, England. He is a Royal Society Research Professor at the University of Oxford and specialises in number theory. He had earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1974 at Merton College, Oxford and a PhD at Clare College, Cambridge in 1980. He was a Royal Society Research Professor at the University of Oxford from 1988 to 1990. In 2011, he again had rejoined Oxford as Royal Society Research Professor. Awards and Honours: The asteroid 9999 Wiles was named after Wiles in 1999. Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (2000), Pythagoras Award (2004) etc. About Abel Prize Abel Prize is a Norwegian prize awarded annually to one or more outstanding mathematicians. It is described as the mathematician’s Nobel Prize. The award was established by the Government of Norway in 2001. It has been named after Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel. It carries monetary award of 6 million Norwegian kroner (NOK) (around 600,000 Euros). The 2015 edition of prize was bestowed upon John F. Nash Jr. (US) And Louis Nirenberg (US/Canada). Fact: Indian American mathematician R. Srinivasa Varadhan was bestowed with this award in 2007 for his fundamental contributions to probability theory and for creating a unified theory of large deviation.

2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated World Sufi Forum in New Delhi. The four-day event is being organized by All India Ulama and Mashaikh Board (AIUMB), the apex body of Sufi Dargahs in India.

3. Time Magazine has named Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi among the 2016 edition list of 30 most influential people on the internet. He was placed at 15th position. The list has been topped by the American hip hop artist and entrepreneur Kanye West. 2016 was the second annual edition of list and was compiled based on two primary criteria viz. global impact through social media and overall ability to drive news As per Time magazine PM Narendra Modi has more than 18 million Twitter followers and over 32 million Facebook likes to his official page. He is as an Internet star who often uses social media to conduct diplomacy.

4. India ranked 118th out of 157 countries on the United Nations’ World Happiness Index (WHI) 2016. It was revealed by the fourth World Happiness Report 2016 published by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), a global initiative for the UN. Key Highlights of Report Top 10 countries: Denmark (1st), Switzerland (2nd), Iceland (3rd), Norway (4th) and Finland (5th), Canada (6th), Netherlands (7th), New Zealand (8th), Australia (9th) and Sweden (10th). 5 Least happiest countries: Rwanda (152nd), Benin (153rd), Afghanistan (154th), Togo (155th), Syria (156th) and Burundi (157th). Among BRICS: Brazil (17th), Russia (56th), China (83rd), South Africa (116th) and India (118th). India’s Neighbours: Nepal (78th), China (83rd), Bhutan (84th), Pakistan (104th), Bangladesh (110th), Sri Lanka (117th) and Afghanistan (154th). For the first time, the report has given a special role to the measurement and consequences of inequality in the distribution of well-being among countries and regions. Countries where there was less inequality were happier overall. Top five countries have strong social security systems About World Happiness Report The report aims at influencing government policy and is prepared based upon study undertaken by Gallup World Poll. The World Happiness Index ranks nations based upon score of different variables on a scale running from 0 to 10. These variables include real GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, corruption levels and social freedoms India was ranked 111th in 2013 and 117th in 2015.

5. Eminent Shehnai exponent Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan passed away following prolonged illness in Kolkatta, West Bengal. He was 77. He was one of the best-known players of the instrument after the legendary Bismillah Khan. He hailed from a family of renowned Shehnai exponents from Benaras.

6. Bangladesh Government has appointed Former Secretary of Finance Division Fazle Kabir as the new Governor of Bangladesh Bank, country’s central bank. He will succeeds Atiur Rahman who had resigned after taking moral responsibility over the cyber theft from the central bank’s official account with New York Federal Reserve Bank. Fazle Kabir is an economics graduate from the Chittagong University. He had started his career in 1980 with Bangladesh Railway as an assistant traffic superintendent. In 1983, he had joined the administration. He was appointed finance secretary in 2012. He had also served on the board of state-owned Janata Bank.

7. The India Aviation 2016, an international exhibition and conference on civil aviation kicked off in Hyderabad, Telangana. It is the fifth edition in the biennial series of this international exhibition and was inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee at the Begumpet Airport (also known as Hyderabad Old Airport). Key facts India Aviation 2016 has been jointly organised by Ministry of Civil Aviation and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) on the lines of Make in India. More than 200 major participants across the globe are going to part and will be displaying latest aircrafts. Delegations led by Ministers and Senior Government Officials from more than 25 are going to participate in the event. It will also see the participation of leading Aircraft Manufacturers, helicopter manufacturers and engine manufacturers. Global CEO’s at CEO Forum will be also held in the four day event. Major global aviation infrastructure companies are also participating in this event.

8. The largest fair on Food and Hospitality Sector in India, AAHAR 2016 has kicked off at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. It is the 31st edition in this series of the fair and was inaugurated by Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal. Key facts AAHAR is largest show of its kind in South Asia. It is organized by India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO) under aegis of Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It is supported by the different ministries. The main aim of the fair is act as a growth propelling event to promote Brand India on a global platform. AAHAR 2016 will cover two separate but concurrent exhibitions (i) Hospitality India: It will cover Hotel & Restaurant Equipment and Supplies (ii) Food India: It will cover Foods, Processed Foods, Food Processing and Beverages.

9. Rajya Sabha has passed the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2016 without any discussion. The Bill proposes to amend the some provisions of the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925 retrospectively with effect from October, 2003. Key facts The amendment bill removes exception given to Sahjdhari Sikhs in 1944 to vote in the elections to members of the Board and the Committees constituted under the parent Act. The proposed amendment was carried out by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) Notification dating October 2003 that had debarred Sahjdhari Sikhs voting rights. The notification was issued in exercise of the powers conferred by the Parliament under section 72 of the Punjab Re-organisation Act, 1966. The Bill was proposed after the MHA’s notification was quashed by the High Court of Punjab and Haryana. Since 1949, Sehajdhari Sikhs are continuously exercising their voting rights in the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) elections.

10. Lok Sabha has passed Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2016 to include certain communities in the list of Scheduled Castes (SC) from 4 states. The bill seeks to amend Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 to include certain communities from Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Kerala and West Bengal in the list. It also has provisions for exclusion of certain communities from Odisha and removal of area restriction in respect of certain communities. Key facts Chhattisgarh: Inclusion of Sais, Sahis, Sarathi, Soot-Sarathi, Thanwar communities in the list. Haryana: Inclusion of (i) Aheria, Aheri, Hari, Heri, Thori, Turi and (ii) Rai Sikh communities in the list. Kerala: Inclusion of Peruvannan community in the list and Modification in the area of specification of Malayan community. West Bengal: Removal of area restriction of Chain community. Odisha: Exclusion of Bariki and Kummari communities in the list. Background The bill was introduced in the Parliament by Union Social Justice Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot as per the provisions of Article 341 of the Constitution. Article 341: It empowers Parliament to include or exclude castes from the list of Scheduled Castes in the notification. It also empowers the President to specify castes which will be deemed as Scheduled Castes through a notification.

11. The United Nations (UN) has suspended Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova as Goodwill Ambassador of the organisation after she was tested positive on doping allegations. She was suspended by New York based UN Development Programme (UNDP) until the outcome of the investigation into her case is known. However, UNDP has mentioned that they are grateful to Maria Sharapova for her support to their work, especially around the Chernobyl nuclear disaster recovery. Earlier in March 2016, the five times Grand Slam champion and the highest-paid female athlete Maria Sharapova had announced that she tested positive for a drug called meldonium, at the Australian Open earlier in January 2016. What is Meldonium? Meldonium also known as Mildronate is a medical drug given to patients suffering from heart and circulatory conditions for enhancing their physical capacity and mental function. Its use mainly leads to production more red blood cells (RBCs) in the body in order to increase oxygen supply to muscles for enhancing endurance. World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had added the drug to the Prohibited List of 2016. It was added to prohibited list because its illegal use by athletes with the intention of enhancing their performance which violates the fair spirit of sport.

12. Union Government has imposed anti-dumping duty of up to 44.7 per cent on import of plastic-processing machines from Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam for five years. The anti-dumping duty will be levied on imports of all kinds of plastic-processing or injection-moulding machines, also known as injection presses. The move is aimed at protecting the domestic industry from cheap in-bound shipments from these 4 countries. Background The Directorate General of Anti-dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) during its investigation had found that the cheap in-bound shipments of ‘Plastic Processing Machines or Injection Moulding Machines’ from these countries at dumped prices are hampering performance of the domestic industries. What are Anti-dumping measures? These are taken to ensure fair trade and provide a level-playing field to the domestic industry. They are not a measure to restrict imports or cause an unjustified increase in cost of products. They are counter import measures used by a country to protect its domestic producers and market from below-cost (cheap) imports under the multilateral World Trade Organisation (WTO) regime. In India, anti-dumping duty is recommended by the DGAD under the aegis of Union Ministry of Commerce, while the Union Finance Ministry imposes it.

13. Haryana’s New Secretariat Building in Chandigarh has become first building in the country to have an early Earthquake Warning and Security system (onsite). The system was installed by New Delhi based Terra Techcom Private Limited and Secretary Electronics GmbH, Germany.

14. Mother Teresa, a Roman Catholic religious sister and missionary will be elevated to Sainthood i.e. will be made a saint of the Roman Catholic Church on September 4, 2016. In this regard, Pope Francis has approved a decree recognising a second miracle attributed to Mother Teresa’s intercession with God. Earlier in 2003, Mother Teresa was beatified by then late Pope John Paul. Beatification requires one miracle and is the last step before sainthood. The second miracle of Mother Teresa has been attributed to the intercession which is required for canonisation. It involved the inexplicable healing of a man who was suffering from a deadly brain disease. About Mother Teresa Mother Teresa was born as Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu on 26 August 1910 in Skopje (Now in Macedonia) then part of the Kosovo Vilayet in the Ottoman Empire. She was the founder of Kolkata based Missionaries of Charity that helps poor on the streets of Kolkata. Through the charity organisation, she had spent around 45-years serving the poor, sick, orphaned and dying on the streets of Kolkata. She had died at the age of 87 in 1997 in Kolkata. Awards and Honours: Ramon Magsaysay Award (1962), Padma Shri (1962), Nobel Peace Prize (1979), Bharat Ratna (1980) etc. Canonisation Process There are different processes used by the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church for the canonisation process. Prior to these rules, individuals were recognised as saints without any formal process. Presently there are four steps of canonisation of the Roman Catholic Church. First is Servant of God followed by Venerable and later is Blessed. Sainthood is the last stage of canonisation.

15. Myanmar’s Parliament elected Htin Kyaw (69) as the first civilian (non-military) President of the country after 53 years of military rule. He was candidate of National League for Democracy (NLD) party and was elected after securing 360 of the total 652 casted votes. Military-nominated Myint Swe received 213 votes and stood second and was followed by the other NLD candidate, Henry Van Thio at third position who got 79 votes. They will serve as first vice-president and second vice-president of the country. About Htin Kyaw Htin Kyaw is a close aide and adviser of Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi who is the leader of NLD party that has majority in the parliament. He will replace Thein Sein as President who will step down at the end of March 2016 i.e. after end of five years of army-backed rule. He was born on 20 July 1946 and his father was a legendary writer and early member of the NLD. In a varied career, he had worked as a university teacher and also held positions in the Myanmar’s Ministry of Industry in the late 1970s and 1980s Presidential Election Process As per Myanmar’s constitution adopted in 2008, President is elected under a complex system in which the two chambers of parliament nominate two presidential candidates and military MPs nominated a third candidate, assuring the army continued influence. The army also retains 25% of seats in parliament under the constitution giving it an effective veto on constitutional change. It also keeps key ministerial portfolios related to security. Back ground In November 2015 general elections, NLD had swept historic victory with a huge majority in both houses of parliament. However, leader of NLD Aung San Suu Kyi was barred from running for post of President because a clause in the 2008 constitution that says anyone whose children having nationality of another country cannot become president. Her children hold British passports.

16. An unmanned spacecraft named ExoMars 2016 was successfully launched jointly Europe and Russia to search for biosignatures on Mars (or Martian life) in past or present. The spacecraft was launched on a Proton-M rocket operated by Russia’s Roscosmos from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. ExoMars 2016 is the first of a two-phase of ExoMars (Exobiology on Mars) program. About ExoMars program ExoMars program is an astrobiology mission of European Space Agency (ESA) and Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos). Primary Goal: To address the question of whether life has ever existed on Mars. The program comprises two missions: ExoMars 2016 and ExoMars 2018. ExoMars 2016: It consists of the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and Schiaparelli, an entry, descent and landing demonstrator module. Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO): Its sole purpose is to search (trace) evidence of methane (CH4) and other atmospheric gases that could be signatures of active biological or geological processes on Mars. TGO has 4 suites of science instruments. They are ACS (Atmospheric Chemistry Suite), FREND (Fine Resolution Epithermal Neutron Detector), CaSSIS (Color and Stereo Surface Imaging System) and NOMAD (Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery). Schiaparelli: It will obtain measurements of electric fields on the Mar’s surface combined with measurements of the concentration of atmospheric dust. For the first time it will provide new insights into the role of electric forces on dust lifting, the trigger for dust storms on the Martian surface. ExoMars 2018: It is planned to be launched in 2018. It comprises a unmanned rover and surface science platform. The rover that will carry a drill and a suite of instruments dedicated for the exobiology and geochemistry research. At present there are two rovers functional on the Mars viz. Curiosity and Opportunity which were sent by NASA, the federal space agency of United States.

17. The Union Government has notified maximum sale price (MSP) of Bt cotton seed for the year 2016-17. It was announced by the Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh. In this regard, Union Government has issued notification as per the Cotton Seed Price (Control) Order, 2015 under the Section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. As per the notification Price of BG-I version of Bt cotton hybrid has been fixed at 635 rupees. Price of BG-II version of Bt cotton hybrid was fixed at 800 rupees. Background The MSP of Bt cotton seed for the year 2016-17 was notified based on the recommendation of nine-member committee set up by the Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry. It had fixed the MSP taking into consideration the seed value, trade margins licence fees including one-time and recurring royalty (trait value) and other taxes. The committee was constituted after it was found that multinational companies (MNCs) largely control the Bt cotton seed market in India and they were charging exorbitant prices that consequently was cause of concern for small and marginalized cotton growing farmers. Prior to it, Union Government had issued Cotton Seed Price (Control) Order, 2015 in December 2015 to regulate seed prices of Bt cotton and safeguard the interests of the farmers. About Bt cotton Bt cotton is a genetically modified organism (GMO) cotton variety, which produces an insecticide to bollworm. It is produced by the gene coding technique by inserting Bt toxin into cotton as a transgene that causes it to produce this natural insecticide in its tissues. The Bt toxin is obtained from the strains of the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis which is only harmful to different insects including larvae of moths and butterflies, cotton bollworms, beetles but are harmless to other forms of life.

18. Renowned American mathematician and Nobel Prize-winning economist Lloyd Stowell Shapley passed away on 12 March 2016. He was 92. He had contributed to the fields of mathematical economics and especially game theory. He was considered one of the fathers of game theory.

19. India Inc. became first in the world to formally adopt the United Nations’ (UN) agenda for the world’s sustainable development and 17 goals identified for its implementation. It was formally adopted by the India Inc. at the 11th National Convention on Sustainable Development Goal (NCSDG) organized by the Global Compact Network in Mumbai. Key facts The convention was inaugurated by Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar. It was for the first time UN is involving private and public sector corporates across the globe to drive its development agenda. With this India Inc. became the first in the world to adopt the SDGs and implement them at their companies. Top 50 domestic corporate leaders from India such as the Tata Group, Aditya Birla Group, Reliance, Vedanta, Adani Group and public sector Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and several MNCs had officially adopted the SDGs. Sustainable Development Goals SDG aims at broadening the horizon for growth and transformation under the theme of people, planet and prosperity. These goals succeeded 8 MDGs which were adopted in 2000 for fifteen years till 2015. It has 17 non-binding goals with 169 specific targets that comprise different socio-economic issues to be implemented from 2015 to 2030. These goals are No Poverty Zero Hunger Good Health and Well Being Quality Education Gender Equality Clean Water and Sanitation Affordable and Clean Energy Decent Work and Economic Growth Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure Required Inequalities Sustainable Cities and Communities Responsible Consumption and Production Climate Action Life Below Water Life on Land Peace Justice and Strong Institutions Partnerships for the Goals

20. Indigenously developed nuclear capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile Agni-I was successfully test-fired off the Odisha coast. Test: It was conducted as part of training exercise by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of Indian Army. The missile was fired from mobile launcher at launchpad-4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Abdul Kalam Island (Wheeler Island) off the Odisha coast. About Agni I Missile Agni-I is the first missile of the Agni series launched in 1983 by the DRDO as part of Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) in India. Developed by: Advanced Systems Laboratory, the premier missile development laboratory of DRDO in collaboration with Defence Research Development Laboratory, Research Centre Imarat and was integrated by Hyderabad based Bharat Dynamics Limited. Powered by: Both solid and liquid propellants and can be fired from road and rail mobile launchers. Features: It weighs around 12 tonnes and is 15-metre-long. Payloads: Designed to carry both conventional and nuclear payload of about 1000 kg. Speed and Range: It can travel at a speed of 2.5 km/s and can destroy targets ranging between 700 and 1250 kms away. Advance Technology: It is equipped with sophisticated navigation system which helps to navigate missile to hit the target with a high degree of accuracy and precision. Induction: The Agni I missile already has been inducted into armed forces and claimed to be a part of the India’s minimum credible deterrence under No first to use policy. The first trial of Agni-I was conducted in 1989 and the last user trial was conducted in November 2015 from Dr. Abdul Kalam Wheeler Island.

21. Recently, power generation unit 1 at Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS) in Gujarat was shut down for indefinitely period after leakage of heavy water. The reactor was shut down as per design provisions after a small leak in the Primary Heat Transport (PHT) System of the plant was detected. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), operator of KAPS has confirmed that there was no harmful, radioactive leakage and the backup safety mechanisms for emergency situation are working as intended.Kakrapar nuclear plant The nuclear plant is located near Vyara in south Gujarat. It consists of two units of pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWR) of 220 MW each. NPCIL is operator the plant. The first reactor was commissioned in September 1992 and it started commercial power production in May 1993. The second reactor was commissioned in January 1995 and began commercial production in September 1995. Since July 2015, the second unit has been shut for maintenance. Heavy water (deuterium oxide D2O): It is used for cooling the nuclear reactor core i.e. as coolant and neutron moderator. PHWR is commonly using unenriched natural uranium as its fuel.

22. Palestinian teacher Hanan Al Hroub from a refugee camp has been awarded prestigious one million dollar 2016 Global Teacher Prize. She was presented with the award at a ceremony held in Dubai for her outstanding contribution to the profession. She beat nine other finalists to bag the award including India’s Robin Chaurasiya, who runs a not-for-profit school in Mumbai for girls from the city’s red light district of Kamatipura. About Hanan Al Hroub She runs the Samiha Khalil High School in Al-Bireh, Palestine. She uses a specialist approach in her school to overcome tense environments of the region under the shadow of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Hroub’s approach has led to a decline in violent behaviour in schools where it was a frequent occurrence. It has been detailed in her book ‘We Play and Learn’ She also has inspired her colleagues to review the way they teach and their classroom management strategies. About Global Teacher Prize The Global Teacher Prize was set up by Sunny Varkey, Kerala-born entrepreneur and educational philanthropist in 2014. Every year it recognizes one exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession. It also considers teachers important role played in the society.

23. China’s Supreme Court has decided to set up its own International Maritime Judicial Centre (IMJC) to handle territorial disputes and protect its sea rights. It was announced by China’s Supreme Court Chief Justice Zhou Qiang at the annual meeting of the national legislature National People’s Congress (NPC). This move will help China to bolster its claims in the disputed South and East China seas and also help it become a maritime power. Background Presently China is locked in disputes with its neighbours over claims in the resource-rich South China Sea. The tensions have risen recently over China’s aggressive land reclamation continues to build artificial islands, airport runways and facilities on disputed reefs. Usually International maritime disputes between countries are usually brought before the United Nation’s International Court of Justice (ICJ). Earlier Philippines had filed an arbitration case against China over their competing claims in the South China Sea. But China has refused to participate.

24. Lin Dan from China has won the prestigious 2016 All England Badminton title in the men’s singles category. In the final match played at Birmingham, England he defeated Chinese teammate Tian Houwei by 21-9, 21-10 score. It was his overall sixth All England badminton title and earlier he had won it in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012.

25. Services has won the 70th edition of Santosh Trophy Football Championships title 2016 by defeating hosts Maharashtra. In the final match played at SEC Railway Stadium, Nagpur (Maharashtra), the Services defeated host team Maharashtra by 2-1 goal score. For the winning team two goals were score by Tudu in the space of 11 minutes (26th and 37th). For Maharashtra, the single goal was scored by Mohammed Shabaz in the 15th minute. With this win, Services has retained that title and has won it for fifth time in year 1961, 2012, 2013 and 2015. About Santosh Trophy It is an annual Indian football tournament played in India. Founded: 1941. Trophy is named after the late Maharaja Sir Manmatha Nath Roy Chowdhary of Santosh (that is now in Bangladesh).

26. The Allahabad High Court celebrated its 150th foundation day on 14th March 2016. President Pranab Mukherjee was the Chief Guest of the celebrations. Chief Justice of India (CJI) TS Thakur and Union Law Minister DV Sadananda Gowda were some of the dignitaries who attended the function. On this occasion, CJI Justice Thakur dedicated digitization centre of Allahabad High court. Reserve bank of India (RBI) also released a 10 rupees coin. Postal department released a postage stamp and a Souvenir of the High court.

27. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated three major railway projects in Bihar at an estimated cost of 7000 crore rupees. Three projects are Rail-cum-road bridge at Patna over the River Ganga: It is 4.56 km long. Rail-cum-road bridge at Munger. Additional bridge at Mokama over the River Ganga: It is double line Railway Bridge. These three bridges will provide connectivity to north and south Bihar and further help in development of North Bihar. Currently there are three bridges over the entire 460 km length of the river Ganga in Bihar. They are road bridge at Naugachia, a rail-cum-road bridge at Mokama and road bridge Mahatma Gandhi Setu at Patna. The inadequate number of bridges had become one of the reasons hindering the development of Bihar which is one of the most populous state in the country.

28. Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has launched an online Clean My Coach service in line with Indian Railways cleanliness drive Swachh Rail Swachh Bharat and Union Government’s flagship Digital India Programme. The online service allows travellers to get their compartments cleaned by sending an SMS or by a designated website or by using an application. The service was announced by the Railway Minister in his 2016-17 Rail Budget speech.

29. Union Government’s premier think-tank NITI Aayog has launched the ‘Women Transforming India’ initiative. The initiative was launched on the eve of International Women’s Day (8th March) in partnership with the United Nations and MyGov. Key facts Through this initiative NITI Aayog seeks to directly engage with women leaders from across urban and rural areas of India. It will collect entries in the form of written essays/stories, preferably accompanied by photographs that set a context to the narrative. These stories will be reflecting new ground broken by women in empowering themselves and others or challenging stereotypes. This initiative is also considered as an important step forward in furthering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which includes Gender as a one of the stand-alone goal. NITI Aayog has been entrusted with the responsibility to plan, coordinate and monitor SDG efforts across Union Ministries and State governments.

30. Kerala Tourism’s campaign titled ‘New Worlds’ has won the prestigious ‘Golden City Gate Award’ at the at the Internationale Tourismus-Börse Berlin (ITB-Berlin) 2016. The multimedia campaign contains three short films directed by reputed Malayalam filmmaker Anwar Rasheed. It has won the silver prize in 2016 Das Golden Stadttor or Golden City Gate, which is dubbed as the Oscar of tourism communication. Key facts The New Worlds campaign was launched internationally by UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai at the World Travel Mart in London. It portrays the importance of responsible tourism initiatives under taken in Kerala which have led to several life-changing stories and have become the heart of it. The film showcases tourists visiting local communities, sharing home-made cuisine and watching and engaging in cultural performances, demonstrates. It also attempts to present a real and authentic environment and a set of true stories of transformation and preservation involving tourism and the local communities in Kerala. Earlier, the Kerala Tourism had won the ‘Ulysses’ Prize of the UNWTO for its contribution as a global leader to sustainable tourism. About Golden Gate Award Golden Gate Award is entitled as Oscar in tourism communication. It is awarded every year for the ultimate recognition in global tourism communication at the ITB-Berlin which is the world’s leading travel trade show.

31. Justice Ajit Singh was sworn in as Chief Justice (CJ) of the Gauhati High Court. He was administered the oath of office by Assam Governor P B Acharya as per the provisions of the Article 129 of Constitution. He was appointed by President Pranab Mukherjee as per provisions Article 222 of Constitution after following recommendation of the Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) T.S. Thakur.

32. Mahindra & Mahindra Chairman and Managing Director (MD) Anand Mahindra was conferred with Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour) by French Government. He was presented with this award by Francois Richier, Ambassador of France to India in recognition of his outstanding national and international achievements. Anand Mahindra is one of the most prominent business leaders in India. Under his leadership Mahindra & Mahindra group has turned into a global company of outstanding repute.

33. Union Power Ministry has announced name UJALA for the LED based Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme (DELP). UJALA is acronym for Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All. The National LED based DELP programme was launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 2015 for energy conservation by reducing energy consumption. The target of programme is to replace 77 crore incandescent lamps with LED bulbs. Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) is implementing it and is currently running successfully in over 120 cities across India. The initiative is part of the Union Government’s efforts to spread the message of energy efficiency in the country. LED bulbs have a very long life, almost 50 times more than ordinary bulbs, and 8-10 times that of CFLs, and therefore provide both energy and cost savings in the medium term. It will help in saving of energy around 24 crore units every year.

34. Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) N P S Hira has been appointed as Deputy Chief of Army Staff. He will be now moving to Army Headquarters in New Delhi. Presently he is posted as Chief of Staff of Northern command at Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir. He was commissioned in the Sikh Light Infantry. He has a rich experience of counter insurgency operations in J&K and in the northeast region, as well as conventional operations in Western command. He had commanded the Battalion in Assam (Op Rhino) during high violence period. The unit under his command has bagged 32 gallantry awards and COAS citation. He had commanded 12 Infantry Brigade deployed on the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector. He also had commanded the 10 Infantry Division in J&K on the LoC with distinction for which he was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal. Awards and Honours: He has earned an Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra, Shaurya Chakra and many more gallantry awards.

35. India and United States have launched the Fulbright – Kalam Climate Fellowship enabling Indian research scholars to work with American institutions in the field of climate change. It will sponsor up to 6 Indian PhD students and post-doctoral researchers to work with US institutions for a period up to one year. The fellowship has been named after late Indian President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. It was launched as part of a commitment made by US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to build long-term capacity to address climate change-related issues in both the countries. It will be operated by the binational US-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) under the umbrella of the prestigious Fulbright programme. It will be jointly funded by both the governments.

36. The Arab League has declared Lebanese movement Hezbollah, a Shia political organisation a terrorist group. The move comes after the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) had adopted the same stance. Decision in this regard was taken during the Arab League Foreign Ministers’ meeting at the organisation’s seat in Egypt’s capital Cairo. All-22 Arab League members supported the decision except Lebanon and Iraq expressed reservations. Hezbollah (Party of God) is a Shia political organisation created by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in the 1980s. It was established with an armed wing during Lebanon’s civil war from 1975 to 1990. Currently, it is fighting in Lebanon’s neighbouring Syria to support the Government of President Bashar al-Assad. The United States, Canada and Australia already have listed Hezbollah as a terrorist group and the European Union (EU) has also blacklisted its military wing.

37. Lok Sabha has passed the Aadhaar (Target Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill, 2016 by voice vote. It was introduced as Money Bill. The Bill is aimed at giving statutory backing for transferring government subsidies and benefits to targeted people by assigning them Aadhaar numbers i.e. unique identity numbers. With this, government plans to plug leakages in disbursal of subsidies and other services and in ensuring that these reach intended beneficiaries. Key features of Bill Eligibility: Every resident who has resided in India for 182 days in the one year preceding the date of enrolment application shall be entitled to obtain an Aadhaar number. Information to be submitted: Individual has to submit his (i) demographic (name, address, date of birth) information. (ii) biometric (finger print, iris scan, photograph). Other biometric and demographic information can be collected as per regulations of the Unique Identification Authority (UID) Use of Aadhaar number: (i) Verifying the identity of a person receiving a subsidy or a service. (ii) as a proof of identity of the Aadhaar number holder for any purpose asked by any public or private entity. (iii) It cannot be a proof of citizenship or domicile. Key functions of UID: (i) assigning Aadhaar numbers to individuals (i) specifying demographic and biometric information to be collected during enrolment (iii) specifying the usage of Aadhaar numbers for delivery of subsidies and services and (iv) authenticating Aadhaar numbers. Composition of UID: It will consist of a chairperson, 2 part-time members and a chief executive officer (CEO). The chairperson and members must have experience of at least 10 years in matters such as governance, technology etc. Authentication record maintained by UID authority: The UID will be the nodal authority that will record the entity requesting verification of a person’s identity, time of request and the response received by the entity. The purpose of identity verification will not be maintained. Protection of information: Biometric information will be used only for Aadhaar enrolment and authentication and for no other purpose. Such information will not be shared with anyone, nor displayed publicly, except for purposes specified by regulations. Cases when information may be revealed: In two cases (i) information may be revealed in the interest of national security (ii) On the order of a court. Offences and penalties: For unauthorised access to the centralized data-base and revealing any information stored in it, a person may be punished with imprisonment upto 3 years and minimum fine of Rs 10 lakh. If enrolling agency and requesting entity fail to comply with rules, they shall be punished with imprisonment upto 1 year or a fine upto Rs 10,000 or Rs one lakh or with both. Cognizance of offence: Only on a complaint made by the UID authority or a person authorised by it, court will cognizance of any offence.

38. Japanese researchers have successfully isolated a bacterium species Ideonella sakaiensis 201-F6 capable of breaking down plastic polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyester. Their results were published in the journal Science. Key facts Ideonella sakaiensis relies on PET film as a primary source of carbon for growth. It is capable of completely degrading a thin film of PET in a short span of six weeks at 30°C. The bacterium species uses two enzymes in sequence to break down the highly biodegradable-resistant polymer PET. First enzyme helps the bacterium to adhere to the PET and produce an intermediate substance through process of hydrolysis. The second enzyme then works with water and acts on this intermediate substance. It produces the 2 monomers ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid that are used for making PET through polymerisation. Applications: The bacteria could potentially be used in industrial recycling processes without having any adverse impact on the environment. It can replace or augment the current mechanical recycling plastic process.

39. Veteran Egyptian diplomat Ahmed Abul Gheit (73) has been selected as Secretary General of the Arab League. The 22-member league voted unanimously in favour of Aboul Gheit who was only contender for the post at its ministerial meeting held in Cairo, Egypt. He will succeed Nabil El-Araby, Egyptian diplomat whose term ends in July 2016 after he had rejected second five-year term. Abul Gheit is a former ambassador of Egypt to the United Nations. He had served as Egypt’s foreign minister from 2004 to 2011 during the final seven years of Hosni Mubarak’s rule.

40. Project Mausam aims to explore the multi-faceted Indian Ocean world for collating archaeological and historical research and not to counter China’s Silk Route strategy. It was announced by Union Minister of State (MoS) for Culture and Tourism (Independent Charge) Dr. Mahesh Sharma in a written reply in Rajya Sabha. About Project Mausam Project Mausam was launched in June 2014 in the 38th Session of World Heritage Committee (WHC) meeting which was held at Doha, Qatar. It is the initiative of Union Ministry of Culture which is to be implemented by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as the nodal agency. Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) and National Museum will be associate bodies for research support. The research aims at collating archaeological and historical research in order to document the diversity of cultural, religious and commercial interactions in the Indian Ocean. It will be extending from East Africa, Arabian Peninsula, Indian Subcontinent and Sri Lanka to the Southeast Asian archipelago. It will mainly focus on monsoon patterns, cultural context, maritime trade routes and coastal landscapes. It examines key processes and monsoon phenomena that link different countries along the Indian Ocean littoral as well as the coastal centres that connect hinterlands.