WBCS Current Affairs 04/03/2016 to 10/03/2016

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1. The Union Government has appointed former Supreme Court (SC) judge Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan (66) as Chairman of the 21st Law Commission of India (LCI). Currently he is Chairman of the Cauvery River Water Disputes Tribunal. He was judge of the SC from May 2009 to July 2014. He also had served as Chief Justice of Orissa high court from July 2008 to May 2009. Apart from him, Union Government has appointed former judge of the Gujarat high court Justice Ravi R Tripathi as member of 21st LCI. Background Earlier in September 2015, Union Government had constituted 21st LCI for period of 3 years with effect from 1 September 2015 to 31 August 2018. Composition: (i) Chairperson (full-time), (ii) Four Members (full-time). It will include a Member-Secretary. (iii) 3 Secretaries: Department of Legal Affairs, Legislative Department and Legislative Department as ex offcio Members. (iv) Up to 5 part-time Members. Recommendations: 21st LCI will give its major recommendations on a review of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the criminal justice system and the bail law in order to ensure uniformity in the procedure of granting the relief. About Law Commission of India (LCI) The LCI is a non-statutory and non-constitutional body constituted by the Union Government from time to time. The first commission was constituted in 1955 and since then various commissions were re-constituted every three years. It is usually headed by a retired Supreme Court judge or former Chief Justice of a high court. So far, various Law Commissions have submitted 262 reports to make important contribution towards codification and progressive development of laws of the country. The 20th LCI was headed by Justice A P Shah, Former Chief Justice (CJ) of Delhi High Court and its tenure ended on 31 August, 2015.

2. The Rajya Sabha has passed the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2015 to protect the interests of consumers and curb the malpractices in the real estate sector. The bill seeks to create a uniform regulatory mechanism across the country and enhance the growth of construction sector. It also ensures to bring transparency and accountability in the real estate sector to access capital and financial markets essential for its long term growth. Key Features Establishes state level regulatory authorities called Real Estate Regulatory Authorities (RERAs) and tribunals called Real Estate Appellate Tribunals (REAT) to settle disputes. Enforces the contract between the developer and buyer and fast track the mechanism to settle disputes. 70% of the amount collected from buyers for a project must be maintained in a separate bank (escrow) account and must only be used for construction of that project. State government can alter this amount to less than 70%. In case of delays in completion of projects on time, developers will have to pay the same penal interest rate as the buyer does. All information for registered projects must be disclosed on website of the RERA. It will include details of promoters, land status, layout plan, schedule of execution and status of various approvals. Promoters and real estate agents must register project details with RERAs who intend to sell any plot, apartment or building. The commercial real estate also has been brought under its ambit. Projects under construction are also required to be registered with the RERAs. The term carpet area has been clearly defined in order to eliminate any scope for wrongdoing.

3. The Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing and ratification of the Bay of Bengal Initiative on Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has been designated as the Central Authority under Article 15 of the Convention. Key facts The BIMSTEC Convention aims to extend widest measures of assistance among 7 member countries through mutual cooperation. It seeks to enhance capability and effectiveness of the member states in investigation and prosecution of crimes, including crimes related to transnational organized crime, terrorism, money laundering, drug trafficking and cyber-crimes. It will pave way for establishment of regional arrangements for mutual assistance in criminal matters. It will greatly contribute for the effective cooperation in the control of criminal activities among the member countries. About BIMSTEC BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative on Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) is the sub-regional group of seven countries in South Asia and South East Asia. They area India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka (from South Asia) and Myanmar, Thailand (from South East Asia). Established: 6 June 1997. Headquarters: Dhaka, Bangladesh. Objectives: Technological and economical cooperation among south Asian and south East Asian countries along the coast of the Bay of Bengal. It also covers cooperation in commerce, technology, investment, agriculture, tourism, human resource development, fisheries, transport and communication, textiles, leather etc.

4. The Union Cabinet has given its approval for the MoU between India and United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Technical Cooperation in Cyber Space and Combating Cyber-Crime. It was singed between both countries in February 2016 to cooperate in combating cybercrime in the wake of the serious security threat posed by it to safety of people. Key Facts The MoU would provide help in handling of the issues related to the cyber-crime between the two countries. Both the countries shall cooperate in cyber space and combating cyber-crime in all forms, particularly through coordination and exchange of information in relation with cyber crime The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will be the nodal agency on the Indian side responsible for the implementation of this agreement. Similarly, from UAE side Directorate General of Criminal Security under aegis of Ministry of Interior and the State Security Department will be the nodal agency.

5. India has signed the second line of credit (LOC) agreement extending 2 billion dollars in development financing to Bangladesh for undertaking various development projects. This credit line will be provided through Export Import Bank of India (Exim Bank), India’s external lending arm. It is Exim Bank’s biggest ever LOC facility given to another country. The development financing will be used in the infrastructural projects like power sector, road transportation, railways, shipping, information and communication technology (ICT) and social sector projects like health and technical education. Background The financing deal comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2015 had announced new credit line to Bangladesh during his official visit to Dhaka. It follows India’s earlier 1 billion dollar in assistance provided to Bangladesh in 2011 for infrastructure development.

6. Rest of India has won the Irani Cup Cricket Title 2015-16 by defeating Mumabi in the final match of the cup by four wickets. In the final match played at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, Rest of India overhauled the record victory target of 480 by making 482 for 6 on the fifth and final day. This successful chase was also the best-ever run-chase in the Irani Cup history. It has bettered Rest of India’s previous 424, chasing target set by Delhi at the Ferozshah Kotla in 1982-83. About Irani Cup The Irani Cup tournament was started during the 1959-60 season to mark the completion of 25 years of the Ranji Trophy championship. It is named after the late Zal R Irani, who was associated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from its inception in 1928 till his death in 1970. The tournament is always played between the previous year’s Ranji Trophy winners and the Rest of India Team. ZR Irani was the long time treasurer of the BCCI and a keen patron of the cricket.

7. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched India’s sixth navigation Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) 1F satellite. It was launched by ISRO’s workhorse satellite launch vehicle, PSLV-C32 rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR), Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. It was PLSV’s 34th mission. Key facts IRNSS 1F satellite is part of the space segment satellites of the IRNSS system that has total constellation of seven satellites. It has a 12 year mission life. Dimensions of IRNSS-1F: It is 44.4 metre tall and has a liftoff mass of 1,425 kg. Orbit: It will be located in the Geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) in the space with a 20,657 km apogee (farthest point to Earth) and 284 km perigee (nearest point to Earth). Payloads: It equipped with two types of payloads viz. navigation payload and ranging devices. The navigation payload will be mainly used to transmit navigation service signals to the users. The ranging payload consists of a C-band transponder that will facilitate accurate determination of the range of the satellite. About IRNSS System IRNSS System consists of constellation of seven satellites of which three are geostationary and four are non-geostationary. 4 Geosynchronous satellites: They will be orbiting in pairs in two inclined geosynchronous orbits. When observed from the ground, these 2 pairs of satellites will appear to travel in figures of ‘8’. 3 geostationary satellites: They will be placed in the geostationary orbit over the equator. They match the Earth’s rotation and shall remain at a fixed position in the sky. Services: This satellite system aims to provide real-time data on the position of objects to aid road, air and maritime traffic. It will also provide mapping and tracking services. It would provide two types of services (i) Restricted Service (RS): an encrypted service provided to authorised users (ii) Standard Positioning Service (SPS): to all users. Applications: (i) Terrestrial, Aerial and Marine Navigation (ii) Disaster Management. (iii) Vehicle tracking and fleet management. (iv) Integration with mobile phones. (v) Precise Timing. (vi)Mapping and Geodetic data capture. (vii) Terrestrial navigation aid for hikers and travellers. (viii) Visual and voice navigation for drivers. Earlier the five satellites of the series namely IRNSS-1A, 1B, 1C, 1D and 1E were launched in July 2013, April 2014, October 2014, March 2015 and January 2016 respectively. Note: IRNSS system is similar to other satellite navigation systems like US GPS (Global Positioning System), Russia’s Glonass, Japan’s Quasi Zenith, Europe’s Galileo and China’s Beidou.

8. The Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) for providing free of cost LPG (cooking gas) connections to women from BPL Households. This scheme will be implemented by Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. It will be for the first time ministry will be implementing a welfare scheme. Under the scheme Financial support of 1600 rupees for each LPG connection will be provided to the BPL households. The identification of eligible BPL families will be made in consultation with the State Governments and the Union Territories. It will be implemented over three years’ time frame namely in the FY 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19. Government has earmarked 8000 crore rupees for providing five crore LPG connections to BPL households. The PMUY seeks to empowering women and protecting their health by shifting them from traditional cooking based on unclean cooking fuels or on fossil fuels that have serious health hazards to clean cooking gas. Background Unclean cooking fuels are main source of indoor air pollution that causes non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer. They are also responsible for a significant number of acute respiratory illnesses in young children and BPL families are worst victims of unclean cooking fuels. In India, the poor have limited access to LPG (cooking gas) which is predominantly found in the urban and semi-urban areas, mostly in middle class and affluent households.

9. The Parliament has passed National Waterways Bill, 2015 to clear decks for the conversion of 106 rivers and creeks across India into transport waterways. It was first passed in Lok Sabha in December 2015 i.e. in the winter session and later was passed by Rajya Sabha in March 2016 i.e. in the budget session. Key facts The National Waterways Bill, 2015 aims at declaring 106 additional inland waterways as National Waterways in addition to the five existing National Waterways. It repeals the existing five Acts that declare the existing 5 national waterways. These existing five national waterways are now covered under the new Bill. Thus the total number of national waterways number will go up to 111 from existing five national waterways. Inland waterways mainly comprise rivers, lakes, canals, creeks and backwaters. It extends about 14,500 km across the country. However, potential of this mode of transport has not been fully exploited so far.

10. India has signed ‘Raptor MoU’, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on conservation of birds of prey in Africa and Eurasia. With this India becomes 56th county to sign the Raptor MoU under the Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS). The MoU was singed Ambassador of India to the UAE Shri T.P Seetharam the Convention on Migratory Species Office in Abu Dhabi. Earlier in December 2015, the Union Cabinet in its meeting had approved the proposal of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to sign ‘Raptor MoU’. About Raptor MoU It is a multilateral agreement under Article IV paragraph 4 of the CMS and is not legally binding on signatory parties. It was CMS in October 2008 and came into effect on November 1, 2008. The MoU seeks willingness of the signatory states for working for conservation of the raptor species and their habitats. It covers 76 species of birds of prey under its ambit and an action plan has been formulated under it that envisages the conservation action for Raptor species. Of the total 76 species of birds that fall in Raptor MoU, 46 species occur in India including vultures, falcons, eagles, owls, hawks, kites, harriers, etc. Benefits to India Gain knowledge in effectively managing the habitats of to 76 species of birds under ambit of it. It is also in conformity with the provisions of Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 wherein the birds have been accorded protection in India. Concert trans-boundary efforts for conservation of migratory birds through interaction with other signatory countries of the MoU with the CMS. Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS): It is also known as Bonn Convention under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It aims to conserve migratory species throughout their range. India had become a party to the CMS since 1st November 1983.

11. The fourth edition of the India-Indonesia Joint Training Exercise Garuda Shakti has begun at Magelang in Indonesia. The 13 days (till 23 March) bilateral exercise aims at (i) Building and promoting positive relations between the Armies of India and Indonesia. (ii) Enhancing their abilities to undertake joint tactical level operations in a counter insurgency environment under United Nations Charter. Key facts In the 4th edition of the joint exercise Indian Army platoon strength contingent will carry out cross training with a platoon from the Airborne battalion of the Indonesian Army. The Indian Contingent has been trained for combat conditioning, firing, tactical operations, tactical skills and special heliborne operations training. Selected Indian unit has had varied operational experience in Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorist operations in the Northern, Western and Eastern theatres. The exercise will be conducted as joint Counter Insurgency operations exercise in urban and rural scenario and various facets of tactical Counter Insurgency operations (CIO). Both countries will share their experience of CIO and also the ambit of identifying areas of expertise, evolution of combat tactical drills of tactical and to undertake combined training for neutralization of insurgency threat. Background Indo-Indonesia Joint Training Exercise Garuda Shakti is conducted as part of military diplomacy between armies of both countries alternatively in India and Indonesia respectively. The first edition bilateral exercise was conducted on a reciprocal basis in 2012 in India. The second edition was conducted in Indonesia in 2013 and third in India in 2014.

12. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bank of Israel (BOI) for exchange of information pertaining to banking supervision. It was signed by Parvathy V Sundaram, Chief General Manager-in-Charge, Department of Banking Supervision on behalf of RBI and Hedva Ber, Supervisor of banks on behalf of BOI. With this RBI has signed 32 such MoUs, 1 Letter for Supervisory Co-operation and 1 Statement of Co-operation (SoC). By signing such MoU/SoC with supervisors of other countries, RBI is seeking to promote greater co-operation and share supervisory information among the authorities.

13. Sabha has passed Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2016 by voice vote to make amendments to the Enemy Property Act, 1968. The bill replaces the Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Ordinance, 2016 promulgated by President Pranab Mukherjee in January 2016.

14. The legendary music producer George Henry Martin passed away in Wiltshire, England. He was 90. He was popularly known as the fifth Beatle as he had signed the rock band Beatles and became their indispensable mentor and collaborator.

15. India’s largest private sector lender ICICI Bank has rolled out iWork@Home programme for its women employees for up to a year. It was launched by Chanda Kochhar, Managing Director and CEO of ICICI Bank on the occasion of International Women’s Day (8th March).

16. The first ever all girls National Cadet Corps (NCC) Mount Everest expedition was flagged off by Union Minister of State (MoS) for Defence Rao Inderjeet Singh in New Delhi. The aim of mountaineering expeditions in NCC is to strengthen the character and instill qualities of courage, discipline, comradeship and leadership in the cadets. The team consisting of ten girl cadets is led by Colonel Gaurav Karki, along with fifteen service personnel. They will reach Nepal on 31st March 2016 and likely to summit the peak between 15 and 25th May, 2016.

17. 57 countries are going to take part in the first Maritime India Summit 2016 scheduled to be held in April 2016 in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It was announced by the Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari on the sidelines of media launch of the Maritime India Summit 2016. About Maritime India Summit 2016 The maiden Maritime India Summit is scheduled to be held in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It will be organised by Union Ministry of Shipping. It will be first such global summit of its kind that will also comprise of an Investors’ Summit along with exhibition and demo session. The main focus of summit is to give impetus to Make In India and blue economy. South Korea is the partner country for the summit. Earlier in February 2016, the Ministry of Shipping had launched website for maiden summit to facilitate investors and participants to access detailed information about the summit.

18. Karnataka government has launched Mukhyamantri Santwana Harish Yojana to provide free medical treatment to road accident victims for the first 48 hours (2 days) in the nearest government or private hospital. The scheme has been named after Harish Nanjappa who had donated his eyes moments before his death. He had died as no help was provided to him after he was severely injured in mishap in February 2016 .

19. The Union Finance Ministry has announced to withdraw its proposal to tax Employee Provident Fund (EPF) withdrawals. It was announced by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the Lok Sabha clarifying NDA government’s stand on the issue. However, government has not changed its plan to tax National Pension Scheme (NPS) withdrawals. Background Earlier in the Union Budget 2016-17, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had proposed to tax EPF and NPS withdrawals with an effect from 1 April 2016. It was announced that 60 percent of the amount deposited in EPF account of the employee would be taxed at the time of withdrawal and remaining 40 percent would be tax free. However, the budget proposal had provided tax exemption if the employee re-invests 60 percent of the EPF in a pension or annuity fund. The proposal to tax EPF and NPS withdrawals was made to create a pensioned society, especially among employees in the private sector who have no provision for pension. What is Employee Provident Fund (EPF)? The Employee Provident Fund (EPF) is a retirement benefit applicable only to salaried employees. It is a fund to which both the employee and employer contribute fixed amount (percent) of the former’s basic salary amount each month. This percentage is pre-set by the government. At present, the entire EPF amount is tax free at the time of withdrawal if the employee has completed five years of continuous service.

20. India and Saudi Arabia have expressed keenness to elevate ties between the two countries to strategic level by boosting cooperation in key areas of trade, security and counter terrorism. It was decided after Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj held extensive talks with her Saudi Arabian counterpart Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir in New Delhi who was on a two day-official visit to India. Key facts Both countries discussed entire gamut of bilateral ties besides regional and global issues of mutual interests. Both sides also discussed ways to ramp up trade ties, besides exploring new areas of cooperation including investment, energy and security cooperation. They also discussed the regional situation and the threat from ISIS. India is also seeking Saudi Arabia’s support for its draft Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT). India-Saudi Relations Saudi Arabia is India’s largest crude oil supplier accounting for about one-fifth of the country’s total imports. Thus it is key player in the India’s energy security. The Gulf nation is also India’s fourth largest trading partner with bilateral trade of 40 billion US dollars in 2014-15. In Saudi Arabia, Indians are the largest expatriate community whose contribution in the progress and development of the country is well recognized. There are over 2.96 million Indians currently working in Saudi Arabia indicating strong presence of Indian diaspora.

21. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has successfully test-fired several ballistic missiles from silos across the country. These tests were conducted by IRGC to demonstrate the country’s deterrent power and its ability to confront any threat against the state and the sovereignty of the country. With this Iran has breached United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions that compel it to refrain from any work on ballistic missiles for 8 years. Missile test ban Currently under the 2010 UNSC resolution all ballistic missile tests have been banned in Iran until a nuclear deal between Iran and P5+1 nations is implemented. UNSC Resolution 1929 had barred Iran from undertaking any work on ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. However it was terminated after a nuclear deal between Iran and P5+1 nations. Under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA) reached on July 2015 between Iran and P5+1 nations most sanctions on Iran were lifted in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. But the deal had refrained Iran from working on ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons for up to eight years. It was mandated under UNSC Resolution 2231. Ballistic Missile: It is a missile with a high, arching trajectory which is initially powered and guided but falls under gravity on to its target. Most of its trajectory is unpowered and governed by gravity and air resistance if it is in the atmosphere. In contrasts, cruise missiles are aerodynamically guided in powered flight.

22. India is going to host BRICS Friendship Cities Conclave in Mumbai (Maharashtra), financial capital of India from April 14 to 16, 2016. It will be attended by the top Urban Policy makers and Planners from BRICS Nations viz. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Key facts The conclave will be joint initiative of Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Government of Maharashtra. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the conference which will be attended by representatives of at least two cities from each of the BRICS nations. The three-day conclave will be organised by Mumbai First, a think-tank working to find solutions for city’s development.

23. National carrier Air India successfully flew the World’s longest all-woman operated and supported flight from the national capital New Delhi to San Francisco (United States). The flight was operated as part of International Women’s Day celebrations and travelled a distance of around 14,500 kilometres in close to 17 hours. The non-stop flight to San Francisco took off on 6th March 2016 from New Delhi.

24. Germany has decided to partner with India’s smart city programme and will help developing Kochi (Kerala), Bhubaneswar (Odisha) and Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) as smart cities. It was announced by State Secretary in Germany’s Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, Gunther Adler in New Delhi at the second meeting of the Indo-German Working Group on Urban Development.

25. Telangana and Maharashtra Governments have signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) to set up an inter-state water board construct 5 barrages across Godavari and Pen Ganga rivers. The MoU was signed at a high level meeting held in Mumbai in which Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis took part. Key facts Setting up of an inter-state water board on Godavari projects will end decades of discord between the two States on utilisation of water in the river Godavari and its tributaries. Both states already have expressed mutual consent to construct barrages at various points on these rivers to benefit farmers in both states. Of the five barrages, Maharashtra Government will take up construction of Penpahad and Rajapet barrages while Telangana will take up Chanak-Korata across Penganga River. Telangana will also construct Thammidihatti barrage (148 meters height) in Adilabad district across Pranahita a tributary to Godavari and Medigadda barrage (102 meters) in Karimnagar district across Godavari. On completion of all these projects, over 18 lakh acres will get irrigation facility in the two states and play key role in resolving the inter-state dispute over irrigation projects.

26. As per recently released report of International Labour Organization (ILO) titled-Women at Work: Trends 2016, gender equality still remains elusive in the workplace. The report highlights trends in 2016 in 178 countries and it has been found that millions of women worldwide are not getting the same kind of quality, well-paying jobs as men. Key Report Highlights In past 20 years, the gender gap in employment, wages and social protection has changed little. They continue to work longer hours per day than men in both paid and unpaid work. Women are overrepresented in clerical service and sales work, which are among the lowest paying jobs. Significant progress has been made by women in education during the past two decades, but this has not translated into improvements at work. It shows that women are less likely to participate in the labour market compared to their counterpart men. Women are more likely to be unemployed than men and young women are at a disadvantage. Globally, women represent nearly 65% of people who have reached retirement age without any regular pension. They lose out in terms of social and retirement benefits since they earn less money.

27. Former world number one female tennis player Maria Sharapova (28) from Russia has revealed that she failed a drugs test at the Australian Open. Due to this failure the International Tennis Federation (ITF) has provisionally suspended her till further action from Tennis for violating Anti-Doping Rule. She has been tested positive for meldonium, a substance that has been added in the forbidden list by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on 1 January 2016. The Russian star tested positive for meldonium, a substance, she has been taking since 2006 for health issues. She had provided the anti-doping sample day after she had lost to Serena Williams (United States) in the Australian Open quarter finals. Currently she is ranked world No. 7 by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). She has won total 35 singles titles and five Grand Slam titles, two at the French Open and one each at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and US Open.

28. Dr Amrita Patel was conferred prestigious 2016 Mahindra Samriddhi India Agri Lifetime Achievement Award also known as the Krishi Shiromani Samman.

29. The Union Government has launched an online marketing platform Mahila E-HAAT to facilitate women entrepreneurs to sell their products to buyers. It was launched by Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi in New Delhi. The Mahila e-Haat portal can be accessed at http://mahilaehaat-rmk.gov.in Key facts Mahila E-HAAT is an online marketing platform to facilitate women entrepreneurs to sell their products to buyers. It is an initiative mainly for women across the country and is part of Union Government’s flagship ‘Digital India’ and ‘Stand Up India’ initiatives. Objective: To strengthen the financial inclusion of women entrepreneurs by providing continued support to their creativity. Joint initiative of: Union Women and Child Development Ministry and Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK) for meeting the needs of women entrepreneurs. Features: The initiative is unique as for the first time government will help women to sell products online. Women can sell their products like cloths, bags, jewelleries through this web portal. It is open to all Indian women citizens above 18 years of age and women Self Help Groups (SHGs) desiring for marketing their legal products/services. The entire business on the e-Haat platform can be easily handled through mobile phone. Comment This e-platform seeks to strengthen the socio-economic empowerment of women by mobilizing and providing better avenues to them. It will benefit more than 10000 Self Help Groups (SHGs) and 1.25 Lakh women. The e-Haat is expected may also bring paradigm shift in socio-economic conditions of women by enabling them to exercise control over their finances.

30. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has released a new Four-colour Classification Scheme for industries based on their pollution potential. The four-colour classification scheme of industrial sectors based on the Pollution Index (PI) which is a function of the (i) Emissions (air pollutants) (ii) Effluents (water pollutants) (iii) hazardous wastes generated and (iv) Consumption of resources. Key facts The PI of any industrial sector is a number ranging from 0 to 100. Increasing value of PI denotes the increasing degree of pollution load from the industrial sector. Based on the on ‘Range of Pollution Index‘, industrial sectors have been categorised into four colours category. Under the new categorisation system, Red category: PI score of 60 and above. These are severe polluting industries. Total 60 industries including sugar, thermal power plants, paints and others are under in it. Orange category: PI score of 41 to 59. They moderately polluting industries. Total 83 industries like coal, washeries and automobile servicing are placed under it. Green category: PI score of 21 to 40. They are significantly low polluting industries. Total 63 industries are under in it. White category: PI score below and upto 20. They are non-polluting industries. Total 30 industries are under in it. These industries are exempted from requirement of environmental clearance.

31. Jalandhar based Capital Local Area Bank (CLAB) Limited became the first financial entity in India to get Small Financial Bank Licence by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). CLAB ltd claims to be largest local bank in the country with total 44 branches in five districts of Punjab. It will begin its operations as a small finance bank from April 13, 2016 and it will focus on the northern region for first five years of operations. Background Earlier in September 2015, RBI has granted in principle approval to 10 entities including CLAB ltd to set up small finance banks to provide basic banking services to small farmers and micro industries. The in-principle approval had enabled these entities comply with the guidelines on Small Finance Banks and the approval will be valid for 18 months. About Small Finance Bank The small finance bank will undertake basic banking activities of acceptance of deposits and lending to unserved and underserved to further financial inclusion in the country. It will provide banking facilities to the unbanked sections and thereby boosting saving habits. It will mainly target small business units, marginal farmers and unorganised sector entities through high technology-low cost operations.

32. Internet pioneer and e-mail inventor Raymond Tomlinson passed away in Washington, United States. He was 74 years old. Tomlinson invented direct electronic messages between users on different machines on a certain network in 1971. Key pioneering inventions First email system: He implemented it on the ARPANET system which is considered as the precursor to the Internet. Prior to this system, users could only write messages to others using the same computer. @ sign: To send electronic messages on different machines on a certain network successfully he had used @ sign to separate the user name from the name of their machine. Since then this separation scheme is used in email addresses and has become standard. About Ray Tomlinson Born as Raymond Samuel Tomlinson on April 23, 1941 in Amsterdam, New York, US. He had graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in electrical engineering. In 1967, he had joined the technology company of Bolt, Beranek and Newman (now BBN Technologies). In this company he had helped to develop the TENEX operating system including ARPANET Network Control Program and TELNET implementations. Awards and Honours: IEEE Internet Award (2004), George R. Stibitz Computer Pioneer Award (2000). He was inducted in the Internet Hall of Fame (IHF) in 2012 by the Internet Society. IHF has mentioned that his email program has brought about a complete revolution, fundamentally changed the way people communicate. ARPANET system: Abbreviated as Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET). It was an early packet switching network and the first network to implement the protocol suite TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). Both of these technologies became the technical foundation of the Internet.

33. India has won the 2016 Asia Cup T20 trophy for a record sixth time after beating Bangladesh by 8 wickets in the final. In the final match played at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Mirpur Indian team overhauled the chasing target of 121 runs set by Bangladesh by seven balls to spare. Bangladesh by batting first had posted target of 120 runs for five wickets in 15 overs to India. The match was reduced to 15-over-per side after a spell of thundershowers. Indian team made 122 for the loss of 2 wickets in 13.5 overs. India’s Shikhar Dhawan scored 60 runs and followed by Virat Kohli with 41 runs. Captain of India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Captain of Bangladesh: Mashrafe Mortaza. Man of the Match: Shikhar Dhawan. Man of the series: Sabbir Rahman (Bangladesh). Most runs in the series: Sabbir Rahman (176) of Bangladesh. Most wickets in the series: Al-Amin Hossain (11) of Bangladesh. 2016 Asia Cup The continental title was held in Bangladesh from 24 February to 6 March 2016. It was the 13th edition of the Asia Cup. It was the fifth to be held in Bangladesh and the first to be played using the T20I format. In this edition of Asia Cup T20 trophy 4 teams had participated including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates (Qualifier). After India, Sri Lanka has won the continental title 5 times followed by Pakistan twice.

34. Patna Pirates has won the third season of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) by defeating U Mumba. In the final match played at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, Patna Pirates defeated U Mumba by 31-28 score in the thrilling 40 minute play. Captain of Patna Pirates: Manpreet Singh. Captain of U Mumba: Anup Kumar. Rohit Kumar (Patna Pirates) was awarded Best Raider and Mohit Chillar (U Mumba) was awarded Best Defender of the Match. In this season, Rishank Devadiga (U Mumba) finished as the most successful raider with 106 points. Puneri Paltan was placed at the third place after defeating Bengal Warriors. Patna Pirates team is owned by Rajesh Shah and play their ho

35. India’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has been granted preliminary approval to operate Myanmar. SBI was granted operating licence by Myanmar Government along with three other Asian banks. They are Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam, Sun Commercial Bank of Taiwan and Shinhan Bank of South Korea. With this, total 13 foreign banks have now been given permission to operate inside the Myanmar so far in an attempt to attract overseas investment to the emergent nation. Under the earlier junta rule, Myanmar’s banking system was closed for decades to outside competition. However since 2011 after end a half-century of harsh military rule, Myanmar’s semi-civilian government has granted licenses for foreign banks to open business in the country in the hope of reversing isolation that saw the country become one of Asia’s poorest.

36. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has selected Nagepur village in his Varanasi Constituency of Lok Sabha in Uttar Pradesh under the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY). Earlier in the first phase of SAGY, PM had adopted Jayapur village in Sevapuri Assembly segment of Varanasi in 2014. Nagepur village is mainly dominated by backward castes has been selected under the second phase of the Yojana. Almost all villagers in this village are either farmers or labourers. About Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) SAGY encourages Members of Parliament (MP’s) from both Houses to identify and develop one village from their constituency as a model village. Under this scheme, MPs will be responsible for developing the socio-economic and physical infrastructure of three villages each by 2019, and a total of eight villages each by 2024. Key objectives of the Yojana include: (i) The development of model villages, called Adarsh Grams, through the implementation of existing schemes, and certain new initiatives to be designed for the local context, which may vary from village to village. (ii) Creating models of local development which can be replicated in other villages.

37. The first Raisina-Dialogue 2016, a flagship conference on Geopolitics and Geo-economics began in New Delhi. The three day conference is joint initiative of Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Observer Research Foundation (ORF), an independent think tank based in India. Key facts The theme of Raisina-Dialogue 2016 is “Asia: Regional and Global Connectivity”. It will enable the MEA to reach out to a wider international multi-disciplinary audience. It will focus on Asia’s economic, physical, human and digital connectivity and shall attempt to discover challenges and opportunities for the region to manage its common spaces. It will be attended by speakers from 40 countries including Former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga, former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and Bangladeshi foreign Minister Mahmood Ali. It will provide platform to explore prospects and opportunities for Asian integration as well as Asia’s Integration with the whole world. Note: The name of conference comes from Raisina Hill which is the elevation in New Delhi where presidential palace of India, Rashtrapati Bhavan is located. The conference has been organized on the lines of the Shangri-La Dialogue held in Singapore,

38. President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated a National conference on ‘Women Legislators: Building Resurgent India’ in New Delhi The conference intends to hone the skills of legislators to perform their legislative and non-legislative roles with greater effectiveness. Key facts The two-day conference will provide women legislators a platform to interact with their counterparts from across the country. It will also bring together women union ministers, chief ministers, MPs and eminent women from the judiciary and the bureaucracy. It will equip women legislators with latest knowledge in relevant areas and motivate, guide them in their twin roles as agents of socio-economic progress and as legislators. It will be attended by more than 300 women MPs and state legislatures and legislative council members, Union Ministers and Chief Ministers.

39. Veteran Film Actor and Director Manoj Kumar has been selected for the prestigious 47th Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2015. He was unanimously selected by a five member jury consisted of Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Salim Khan, Nitin Mukesh and Anup Jalota. About Manoj Kumar Manoj Kumar was born as Harikishan Giri Goswami on 24 July 1937 in Abbottabad (now in Pakistan), then part of British India. He had shifted to Delhi at the age of 10 due to India-Pakistan partition after independence. He entered in the film industry after graduating from Hindu College, University of Delhi. His debut role as an actor was in the film Fashion (1957) and as a leading role was in film Kaanch Ki Gudia (1960). He is remembered for his films Hariyali Aur Raasta, Himalaya Ki God Mein, Woh Kaun Thi, Do Badan, Patthar Ke Sanam, Upkaar, Neel Kamal, Purab Aur Paschim, Roti Kapda Aur Makaan, and Kranti. He is best known for acting in and directing films with patriotic themes. His first patriotic film was Shaheed (1965) based on the life of Bhagat Singh. Awards and Honours: He is a recipient of National Film Award (1968) for the film Upkaar. He also was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1992 and Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999. About Dadasaheb Phalke Award The award is conferred by the Union Government on person for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian Cinema. Established in 1969 to commemorate the birth centenary year of father of Indian cinema Dadasaheb Phalke. It is the highest official recognition (award) in Indian cinema. The Award consists of a Swarn Kamal, a cash prize of 10 lakhs rupees and a shawl. It is given on the basis of recommendations of a committee of eminent personalities set up by the Centre.

40. India’s pioneering film archivist and film scholar Paramesh Krishnan Nair passed away in Pune, Maharashtra. He was 82. He had won the epithet of ‘celluloid man’ for his lifelong dedication towards the acquisition and preservation of cinematic heritage of the country. He was founder and director of Pune based National Film Archive of India (NFAI) in 1964.

41. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched Setu Bharatam Project to make all national highways free of railway crossings by 2019. This project will be implemented by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Under this project 208 places have been identified for construction of rail over-bridges (ROB) or underpasses under the project. Around 1,500 bridges that are over 50 to 60 years old or of the British era will be overhauled and will be rebuilt. More than 50 thousand crore rupees will be spent on the project. Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways already has launched an Indian Bridge Management System to map 1,50,000 bridges across the country. So far inventory of 50,000 bridges has been prepared under it and the first cycle of condition survey will be completed by June 2016.

42. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno Agitok Sangma passed away after suffering a heart attack in New Delhi. He was 68. Sangma was a 9 time member of Lok Sabha and the Speaker in the 11th Lok Sabha from 1996 to 1998. He had played significant role in the development of the North East. About PA Sangma Born as Purno Agitok Sangma on September 1, 1947 in Chapahati village in the West Garo Hills District of Meghalaya. For first time he was elected to Lok Sabha in 1977 from Tura (Lok Sabha constituency) and remained a member of the Lok Sabha until 14th Lok Sabha except for the 9th Lok Sabha. He had served in the Union government as Cabinet Minister for Information and Broadcasting. He also served as Minister of State of Home Affairs, Labour, Commerce and Coal. He served as the Chief Minister of Meghalaya from 1988 to 1990. He was one of the founding members of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). In January 2013, he had formed the National People’s Party. He had unsuccessfully had contested 13th Presidential election in 2012 against incumbent President of India Pranab Mukherjee.

43. Sunil Sabharwal, an independent Indian-American investor took charge as Alternate Executive Director at International Monetary Fund (IMF). He took the charge after his appointed was confirmed by the US Senate. Earlier he was re-nominated to this key post at IMF by US President Barack Obama. With this he becomes first Indian-American to occupy a key administration post at the IMF. The post of Alternate Executive Director us one of the most powerful position in the IMF considering the 16.81 per cent voting share (highest) of US in the total IMF voting share.

44. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) unanimously adopted the toughest sanctions ever imposed on North Korea in response to its fourth nuclear test and rocket launch. In this regard, the 15-member council passed a resolution drafted by the United States and backed by China. Sanctions imposed All countries must inspect cargo in all airports and sea ports destined for and coming from North Korea. Ban or severe restrictions on exports of iron and iron ore, coal, gold, titanium and rare earth minerals from North Korea and prohibits the supply. Ban on aviation fuel exports to North Korea, including kerosene-type rocket fuel. Tightens an arms embargo by banning sales of small arms and bars vessels suspected of carrying illegal goods for North Korea from ports. UN member states will expel North Korean diplomats engaged in smuggling or other illegal activities. Countries working in North Korea’s financial and banking sector are obliged to freeze assets of companies and other entities linked to its missile and nuclear programmes.

45. Delhi has become the first state (UT) in the country to launch the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine as a public health programme for school children. The vaccination programme will be completed in the current academic year 2015-16 over two phases. In the first year, girls studying in Class VI in government schools will be targeted and in the next year girls between the age of 9 and 13 will be targeted. In the first phase of the vaccination programme, 1 to 1.5 lakh school girls will be targeted and later this initiative will be expanded to the private schools. About Human Papillomavirus (HPV) HPV is a DNA virus from the papillomavirus family which is mainly a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that causes genital warts and cervical cancer. The infection can be prevented through routine screening and vaccines that are safe and effective.

46. South Korea’s Parliament has passed the country’s first anti-terror bill that was first proposed 15 years ago in 2001 after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in US. Among total 300 parliamentary seats of the National Assembly, only 156 lawmakers voted in favour of country’s first anti-terrorism legislation.

47. The Mumbai under-23 cricket team has won the Col CK Nayudu Trophy for the season 2015-16. With this victory, they will be awarded with a cash prize of 20 lakh rupees. In the final match played at Holkar Stadium, Indore they defeated Madhya Pradesh under-23 cricket team. Mumbai won this title after Madhya Pradesh scored 422 all out in second innings falling short of 155 runs to target of 577 runs set by Mumbai in the first inning. This was Mumbai s second big title of the season after they had won the Ranji Trophy for the 41st time earlier. Col CK Nayudu Trophy is named after country’s first Test captain Col. Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu.

48. Mrugank Paranjape has been appointed as managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), country’s largest commodity exchange. This appointment is subjected to approval of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and will be valid for three years. Prior to this appointment he was working with Deutsche Bank as Asia Pacific Head of Trust & Securities Services/Cash Management for Financial Institutions. About Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) The MCX is country’s first listed commodity futures exchange that facilitates online trading, and clearing and settlement of commodity futures transactions. It began functioning in November 2003 and operates within the regulatory framework of the Forward Contracts Regulation Act (FCRA), 1952. MCX offers futures trading in bullion, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, energy, and a number of agricultural commodities (mentha oil, cardamom, potatoes, palm oil etc). Globally, MCX ranks no. 1 in silver, no. 2 in natural gas, no. 3 in crude oil and gold in futures trading and is India’s largest commodity exchange.