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1. Microsoft Co-founder, Bill Gates has retained the title of the world’s richest person in the Forbes’ 30th annual ranking of the world’s billionaires list (2016 edition). With this, Mr. Gates has topped the list for 17 of the last 23 years, with a net worth of $75 billion. He was followed by Amancio Ortega (Italy), founder of clothing retail giant Zara was at second place with net worth of $67 billion.Among Indian’s: India’s richest person Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries was placed at 38th position with net fortune of $20.6 billion. He was followed by Dilip Shanghvi (44th) and Azim Premji (55th). 5 Indian women billionaires in the list: Savitri Jindal (453rd rank), Indu Jain (549th), Smita Crishna Godrej (810th), Leena Tiwari (1067th) and Vinod Gupta (1577th).

2. Every year 3rd March is being observed as World Wildlife Day (WWD) to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild fauna and flora. Significance of Day: It calls for taking up urgent steps to fight wildlife crime which has wide-ranging environmental, economic and social impacts. 2016 theme: “The future of wildlife is in our hands”. While the main focus of this year’s global campaigns are African and Asian elephants. This theme showcases inextricable relationship between people, wildlife and sustainable development. It seeks to spread awareness for taking national action to ensure the survival of both lesser known and charismatic species in the wild. Background On 20 December 2013, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at its 68th session had designated 3rd March as World Wildlife Day. On this day in 1973, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was adopted. Since then CITES plays an important role in ensuring that international trade does not threaten the species’ survival.

3. India has been ranked at the 90th place in a list of 126 countries on the basis of their ability to deliver secure, affordable and sustainable energy. It was revealed by Global Energy Architecture Performance Index (GEAPI) Report compiled by World Economic Forum (WEF). Key facts Top 10 countries in GEAPI Report: Switzerland (1st), Norway (2nd), Sweden (3rd), France (4th), Denmark (5th), Austria (6th), Spain (7th), Colombia (8th), New Zealand (9th) and Uruguay (10th). Among the BRIC nations: Brazil (25th), Russia (52nd), India (90th) and China (94th). The report has noted that major global economies have performed less well on the index with the exception of France which was placed at the 4th place. It also mentioned that large emerging economies are pressed both by the build resilient and sustainable energy architecture and need to support economic growth. Over the last decade, world energy production and imports rose by 3,200 million tonnes of oil equivalent and was driven by boom in the Asian economies and led by China and India. Fuel trade patterns: They have dramatically changed during the last decade. Asia accounted for 35% of the world fuel trades in 2014, increased by 15% as compared to 20% of the world fuel trades in 2004. Regarding India: The report has noted that India is facing a vast array of challenges in the power sector in order to meet its growth targets. However electrification appears to have progressed in India. The proportion of the population covered in electrification in the past 6 years has increased by 4% points to 79%. GEAPI Report: It was prepared in collaboration with Accenture. It has explored the energy architecture of 126 countries. It is based on their ability to provide energy access across three dimensions of energy triangle viz. affordability, security, environmental sustainability and access.

4. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has cleared a proposal to purchase two Phalcon Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS), surveillance aircrafts from Israel. Decision to this effect was taken by CCS meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. This defence deal will cost India 7,500 crore rupees as per a tripartite agreement signed with Israel and Russia. Significance of this deal: CCS’s approval comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official visit to Israel later in the 2016. This visit will make him first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel and it will give major boost to Indo-Israel ties. AWACS: They are advanced radars mounted on an aircraft to give an ability to see deep inside enemy territory and 360 degree coverage to detect incoming aircraft and missiles at long ranges. The Indian Air Force (IAF) already had three such AWACS platforms that comprise of Israeli-made radars mounted on Russian heavy transport planes IL-76. The CCS also approved a proposal for induction of the 4th regiment of supersonic cruise missile Brahmos and 2 more of Pinaka rocket launchers in the India Army.

5. The Union Finance Ministry has approved the proposal of four states for the issuance of Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) bonds. These four states are Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh. These states account for around about 35 per cent or around 1.5 lakh crore rupees of the outstanding loans of State electricity distribution utilities in the country. These bonds will be issued by these states as per the UDAY Scheme which allows state governments to take over 75 per cent of power distribution companies (DISCOMs) debt and pay back lenders by issuing bonds. The scheme also provides that remaining 25 per cent of the debt to be paid back through discom-issued bonds. Total discom debt in the country amounts to Rs.4.3 lakh crore. So far total 16 states have agreed to join UDAY Scheme and last one to join were Manipur and Tripura. Six states have signed the UDAY contract with the Union Government.

6. The multinational Military Exercise Force Eighteen conducted by Indian Army has started in at Pune, Maharashtra. In this seven-day military exercise (till March 8, 2016) over 300 participants from 18 ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Plus countries are participating. Participating countries ASEAN countries along with ASEAN Plus nations viz. India, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, China, South Korea, Russia and US . 10 ASEAN countries from South East Asia are Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

7. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the investment arm of the World Bank has launched its first Uridashi Masala Bonds (Japanese bonds). These masala bonds were launched to mobilise 30 crore rupees from Japanese retail investors and will be sold to Japanese household investors. The proceeds from these bonds will be used for promoting private sector development in India. JP Morgan is the sole arranger of the bonds and Daisen Hinomaru Securities is its distributor. What are masala bonds? Basically, bonds are instruments of debt that are typically used by corporates to raise money from investors. Masala bonds are rupee-denominated instruments sold only to offshore investors by Indian corporates for raising money from overseas investors. They do not face currency fluctuation risks. Corporates mainly use it as alternative to external commercial borrowings (ECBs) that are to raised and repaid in dollar or other currency terms. But ECBs face currency risk due fluctuations in exchange rate. International Finance Corporation (IFC) It is an international financial institution that offers investment, asset management and advisory services to encourage private sector development in developing countries. India is IFC’s largest client country which has played a prominent role in country’s capital-markets development. In India, IFC mainly focuses on boosting financing in infrastructure and logistics, promoting financial inclusion, and expanding access to high-quality and affordable healthcare. In August 2015, IFC became first entity to issue a Green Masala bond on the London Stock Exchange.

8. Hashim Thaci has been elected as the President of Kosovo by the Parliament of the country in the third round. He will succeed Atifete Jahjaga. In the third round, 81 Members of Parliament (MPs) off total 120 took part and Hashim Thaci secured 71 votes of them, proving required simple majority. With this, Hashim Thaci becomes fourth President of Kosovo after the country had unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Prior getting elected as President he was serving as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Government led by Isa Mustafa, which had assumed office in December 2014.

9. Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain took over as the Chief of Staff of the Visakhapatnam headquartered Eastern Naval Command. He succeeds Vice Admiral Bimal Verma who has been transferred as Commander-in-Chief of Andaman & Nicobar Command at Port Blair.

10. Government of Peru has declared emergency for three weeks after a major oil pipeline burst in the country’s northeast region affecting two rivers Chiriaco and Morona. The pipeline burst has spilled over 3,000 barrels of crude oil into the rivers which are the main source of water and food for several indigenous communities in this region. Declaration of emergency will provide humanitarian help to these affected communities as government has warned communities not to eat fish from the polluted waters of these rivers. The pipeline that spilled the crude oil is owned by Petro Peru, a state-owned oil company and was built more than 30 years ago. It is used to transport between 5000 and 6000 barrels of oil per day.

11. Rahul Sachdev has won the first All India Open Invitational Snooker Championship 2016 held at Aurangabad in Maharashtra. In the final match, Rahul defeated Pushpender Singh of Indian Railways by 5-3 score. It was his maiden title and is considered as major breakthrough in his career after winning this title. To reach final, Rahul had defeated Laxman Rawat of Indian Railways by 5-1 score whereas Pushpender Singh had defeated Kamal Chawla of Indian Railways by 5-1 score in the semifinals. All India Open Invitational Snooker Championship 2016 was organized by Billiards and Snooker Association of Aurangabad and was not having any relation with Cue Sports India.

12. Researchers from France have found first evidence that mosquito-borne Zika virus might cause a severe neurological disorder called Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). GBS is a rare condition in which the body’s immune system attacks a part of the nervous system that controls muscle strength leading to muscle weakness in the legs and arms. The syndrome is also be caused by bacterial infections as well as the dengue and chikungunya viruses transmitted by be vector Aedes aegypti mosquitoes (also host for Zika Virus). Key facts The study was carried out using blood samples from 42 patients who became ill in a previous outbreak of virus. It was found that patients developed the neurological problems around six days after Zika infection making the virus main culprit of severe neurological disorder. However, the biological mechanism by which Zika virus triggers the Guillain-Barré syndrome has yet to be identified. Earlier in February 2016, World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern due to outbreak of Zika virus in Latin America and also rising cases of microcephaly and Guillain-Barre syndrome. It is observed that there is 20-fold increase in the number of GBS cases during the Zika outbreak.

13. Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has won three international awards for 2015 year given by the Airports Council International (ACI). In the ACI’s Airport Service Quality (ASQ) survey, IGAI has scored 4.96 on a scale of 1 to 5. IGIA has won Retained World’s number one airport for consecutive second year in 25 to 40 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA) category. Best airport by size & region Asia Pacific (25-40 MPPA). Second best airport by region (Asia Pacific).

14. The Union Government has constituted a committee to consider Scheduled Tribe status to six Communities of Assam. These six Communities are Koch Rajbongshi, Moran, Matak, Tai Ahom, Chutia and Adivasi (Tea Tribes). It will be headed by Mahesh Kumar Singla, Special Secretary (Internal Security) Ministry of Home Affairs. Key facts The committee has been constituted by Union Home Ministry in consultation with the Government of Assam. It has been tasked to recommend the modalities for granting of Scheduled Tribe status for the required reservations to the 6 Communities in Assam. It will also look into modalities for shifting the existing reservation for these communities from Other Back Class (OBC) status to ST for protecting their interests to ensure fairness of reservations.

15. The 7th edition of India, Seychelles joint military exercise LAMITYE 2016 concluded in Victoria, Mahe Island, Seychelles. The fourteen day exercise was conducted at Seychelles Defence Academy (SDA), Victoria from February 15 to 28, 2016. Key facts The aim of joint bilateral military exercise was to improve interoperability between armies of both countries in jointly fighting Counter Terrorism/ Counter Insurgency. Indian contingent was represented by an infantry platoon and representatives from the Special Forces. Seychelles People’s Defence Forces (SPDF) was represented by the Tazar (Special Forces Unit) and Seychelles Infantry. This edition mainly focused on interoperability in drills related to Counter Insurgency/ Terrorism, along with number of training activities and exercises Exercise Sea Hunt was also conducted which was culmination of cordon & Search operations in anti-piracy setting enmeshed with hostage rescue operations. Background India and Seychelles are conducting joint military drill ‘Exercise Lamitye’ since 2001. Lamitye in Creole (local dialect of Seychelles) means friendship. The exercise is conducted biennially with the aim of enhancing military cooperation and interoperability between the Armed Forces of two countries.

16. Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) HL Dattu took charge as the Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). With this, he becomes the seventh Chairman of the NHRC, highest government institution protecting human rights of citizens. About H L Dattu Born as Handyala Lakshminarayanaswamy Dattu on 3 December 1950 in Chikmagalur in then Mysore State. He had started his legal career in 1975 after enrolling as an advocate in Bangalore and dealt with all types of matters like criminal, civil, tax and Constitutional cases. 1983 onwards he had appeared in various capacities before the Karnataka High Court including as government pleader for sales tax department etc. He was designated as a senior standing counsel for I-T department. Later in 1995, he was elevated as a judge of the Karnataka High Court. In 2007, he was elevated as the Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court and later was shifted in the same capacity to the Kerala High Court. He was 42nd Chief Justice of India from September 28, 2014 to December 2, 2015. He has several landmark judgments to his credit dealing with protection of Fundamental Rights of citizens and principles of law. About National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) NHRC is apex statutory watchdog of human rights in the country, i.e. the rights related to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed by the Constitution or embodied in the international convents. Formed as per the statutory provisions of Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. It is multimember body consisting of Chairman and four members. President appoints the Chairman and members of the NHRC on the recommendation of the high-powered committee headed by the Prime Minister. The committee includes Prime Minister (Head), Lok Sabha Speaker, Union Home Minister, Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

17. Slovenian high-jumper Rozle Prezelj (36) has been elected the new chairman of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Athletes’ Commission. He will replace Namibian Frank Fredericks with immediate effect who reached the end of his term. Britain’s marathon world record-holder Paula Radcliffe was nominated vice-chairwoman of the commission.

18. US actor George Kennedy passed away in the city of Boise, Idaho. He was 91. He had won an Oscar (Academy Award) in 1968 for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of a savage chain-gang convict classic Cool Hand Luke.

19. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented Union Budget 2016-17 in the Parliament. It was the second full year Budget of the NDA government under leadership of Prime Minister of Narendra Modi and the third budget of Arun Jaitley as Finance Minister. Union Finance minister has announced 9 pillars of the budget. They are rural sector, social sector including healthcare, education, skills and job creation, Agriculture and farmers’ welfare, Infrastructure, ease of doing business, financial sector reforms, fiscal discipline, tax reforms to reduce compliance burden. Key Highlights Higher allocation for agriculture, infrastructure and social sectors. Fiscal deficit pegged at 3.5%, Revenue deficit was at 2.5% during 2015-16. Taxation 1 per cent service charge on purchase of luxury cars over Rs. 10 lakh and in-cash purchase of goods and services over Rs. 2 lakh. Companies with revenue less than 5 crore rupees will be taxed at 29% plus surcharge. 0.5 per cent Krishi Kalyan Cess to be levied on all services. Infrastructure cess to be levied. 1% excise imposed on articles of jewellery, excluding silver. 1% Pollution cess of on small petrol, CNG and LPG cars; 2.5% on diesel cars of certain specifications and on higher-end models 4% cess. Personal Finance No changes have been made to existing income tax slabs 1,000 crore rupees will be allocated for Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) scheme. Government will pay 8.33% EPF contribution for all new employees for first three years Exemption of 50,000 rupees for housing loans up to 35 lakh rupees, provided cost of house is not above 50 lakh rupees. 15% surcharge on income above Rs. 1 crore. Social Allocation of Rs. 38,500 crore for MGNREGA for 2016-17 Allocation of Rs.9,500 crores for Swacch Bharat Abhiyan. LPG connections will be provided under the name of women members of family. Rs 2000 crore will be allocated for 5 years for BPL families. Government to launch new initiative to provide cooking gas to BPL families with state support. Grants of 2.87 lakh crore rupees to gram panchayats and municipalitie. Under Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission 300 urban clusters to be set up. Four schemes for animal welfare. Health New health protection scheme will be launched for health cover upto 1 lakh per family. Additional healthcare cover of Rs 30,000 will be provided to senior citizens under it. National Dialysis Service Programme will be launched at all district hospitals with funds through PPP mode. PM Jan Aushadhi Yojana will be strengthened and 300 generic drug store to be opened Education For promoting entrepreneurship among SC/ST, Rs.500 crore will be allocated to Scheme 10 public and 10 private educational institutions will be made world-class. Digital repository mandatory for all school leaving certificates and diplomas. For higher education financing, allocation of Rs. 1,000 crore. Allocation of 1,700 crore rupees for 1500 multi-skill development centres. 62 navodaya vidyalayas to be established to provide quality education. Digital literacy scheme will be launched to cover 6 crore additional rural households. Entrepreneurship training will be provided at schools, colleges and massive online courses. Provide skill training to 1 crore youth under the PM Kaushal Vikas Yojna in the next 3 years. 1500 Multi-skill training institutes will be set up. Energy Allocation of 3000 crore for nuclear power generation Government to chalk out comprehensive plan for exploiting nuclear energy. Government to provide incentive for deepwater gas exploration and market freedom for it. Pre-determined ceiling price will be on landed price of alternate fuels. Investments and infrastructure 65 eligible habitats will be connected via 2.23 lakh kms of road. Current construction pace is 100 kms/day. Allocation of Rs. 27,000 crore on roadways and Rs. 55,000 crore for roads and highways. Total allocation of Rs 97,000 crore for road construction under PMGSY. Shops to be given option to remain open 24*7 across markets. On east and west coasts, new greenfield ports will be developed. Underserved airports will be revived. For regional connectivity centre to partner with States to revive small airports. 100 per cent FDI in food processing and marketing of food products produced and marketed in India. Department of Disinvestment to be renamed as Department of Investment and Public Asset Management. Government to amend Motor Vehicle Act in passenger vehicle segment to allow innovation. 100 per cent tax exemption for startups for 3 years. Agriculture Total allocation of Rs 35984 crore for agriculture and farmer welfare. 5 lakh hectares of land will be brought under irrigation. 5 lakh acres will be brought under organic farming over a three year period. Allocation of 60,000 crore rupees for recharging of ground water to focus on drought hit areas cluster development for water conservation. 20,000 crore rupees Dedicated Irrigation Fund in NABARD. Under the PM Fasal Bima Yojna, nominal premium and highest ever compensation in case of crop loss. Banking Allocation of Rs 25,000 crore towards recapitalisation of public sector banks. Banking Board Bureau will be operationalised. Govt to increase ATMs, micro-ATMs in post offices in rural areas in next three years General Insurance companies will be listed in the stock exchange Under MUDRA, target of disbursement increased to 1,80,000 crore.

20. Oscar-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty has won the prestigious American Motion Picture Sound Editors’ (MPSE) Golden Reel Award. He won the best sound for documentary “India’s Daughter” directed by Leslee Udwin. It is based on the Delhi gangrape incident of December 2012. Government has banned public screening airing of the documentary. With this, he becomes the first Asian to win the coveted award from the Motion Picture Sound Editors’ (MPSE) of United States for best sound. About Resul Pookutty Pookutty is a film sound designer, sound editor and mixer working in Hollywood, Hindi cinema, Malayalam Cinema and Tamil cinema. He is an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune. In 2009, he along with Richard Pryke and Ian Tapp had won the Academy Awards (Oscar) for best sound mixing for the film “Slumdog Millionaire”. He also was awarded National Film Award for Best Audiography (2010), Padma Shri (2010). About Golden Reel Award The Golden Reel Award has been instituted by the MPSE. It recognises excellence in an array of sound editing achievement, sound effects and foley to dialogue and score integration and ADR to music.

21. The 88th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) was held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. The Academy Awards (commonly referred as Oscars) were presented in twenty four categories. They are Best Picture: Spotlight. Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant). Best Actress: Brie Larson (Room). Best Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies). Best Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl). Best Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu (The Revenant). Best Original Screenplay: Tom McCarthy (Spotlight). Best Adapted Screenplay: Adam McKay (The Big Short). Best Original Song: Writing’s on the Wall (Spectre). Best Original Score: The Hateful Eight (Ennio Morricone). Best Production Design: Colin Gibson and Lisa Thompson (Mad Max: Fury Road). Best Editing: Margaret Sixel (Mad Max: Fury Road). Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki (The Revenant). Best Sound Editing: Mark A. Mangini and David White (Mad Max: Fury Road). Best Sound Mixing: Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff and Ben Osmo (Mad Max: Fury Road). Best Foreign Language Film: Son of Saul (Hungary). Best Documentary Feature: Amy. Best Documentary Short Subject: A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness. Best Live Action Short Film: Stuttered. Best Visual Effects: Mark Williams Ardington, Sara Bennett, Paul Norris and Andrew Whitehurst (Ex Machina). Best Animated Feature Film: Inside Out. Best Animated Short Film: Bear Story. Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Lesley Vanderwalt, Elka (Mad Max: Fury Road). Best Costume Design: Jenny Beavan (Mad Max: Fury Road). Most awards: Mad Max: Fury Road (6 Awards) followed by The Revenant (3) and Spotlight (2). Most nominations in 88th Academy Awards: The Revenant (12), Mad Max: Fury Road (10) and The Martian (7). Fact: For the second consecutive year, film directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu received the most nominations. Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra made her debut in the award ceremony and presented Award in the ‘Best Editing’ category along with actor Liev Schreiber.

22. Micro blogging site Twitter for first time has launched #Positionofstrength campaign in India to empower women to raise voices against any form of discrimination. The campaign seeks spread awareness to bridge the gender equality gap online in India and inspire the of women leaders next generation to have an influential voice in society. It was launched by taking cue from a study showcasing a prevailing male dominance over both online and offline space.

23. Dinesh Sharma has been unanimously elected as the Chairperson of the Governing Council of International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD). He was unanimously elected as the Chairperson of the Governing Council of IFAD for a period of two years in its 39th Session held in Rome, Italy. Currently, he is serving as Additional Secretary of Department of Economic Affairs under the Union Ministry of Finance and is also India’s Governor to the IFAD, Rome. About International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) IFAD was established in 1977 as the 13th Specialised Agency of the United Nations. India is a founder member of IFAD and a key contributor among the member countries. It is mandated to work towards removing poverty and hunger in rural areas all over the world especially in developing countries. Goal: Empower poor rural men and women in developing countries to achieve higher incomes and improved food security. Membership: It is open to all member states of the UN. As of February 2015 it has 176 member states. Management: IFAD is managed by the two main governing bodies i.e. the Governing Council and the Executive Board. The Governing Council is the highest decision making body of IFAD.

24. Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali and actor Ranveer Singh have been chosen for the prestigious 2016 Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar Award. The award will be bestowed upon them by Lata Mangeshkar at a function to be held in Pune on 24 April to commemorate Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar’s death anniversary. About Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar Award The award was instituted in 1999 in the memory of Dinanath Mangeshkar, father of Lata Mangeshkar. Since then it is awarded annually to persons for their outstanding contributions to music and movies. The award carries monetary award of 101001 rupees, a citation and a In 2015, the award was conferred on Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor.

25. The cycloneprone eastern coast of India will get a new doppler radar to boost the weather forecasting system. It will be commissioned by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Gopalpur in Odisha which had faced the severe cyclonic storm Phailin in October 2013. It will be the sixth such radar on the country’s east coast and the other such 5 radars are located in Kolkata, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Machilipatnam and Paradip. The move to set up additional radar assumes significance as it will help authorities in taking timely action against cyclones prone to the eastern coast and also help better forecast Earlier in November 2015, the IMD had installed a doppler radar in Paradip which is another coastal district in Odisha that was ravaged by a super cyclone in 1999. Doppler radar It is an observational tool for monitoring and predicting severe weather events such as hailstorms, thunder storms, cyclones and tornados within a radius of 300 km. It uses the Doppler effect by bouncing a microwave signal off a desired target to produce velocity data. This data inturn helps in analyzing object’s motion by altered the frequency of the returned signal. It mainly gives information about wind velocity and also about precipitation.

26. President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the first phase Kerala Tourism’s Muziris Heritage Project (MHP) at Trissur in Kerala to reinstate the historical and cultural significance Muziris. The project is Kerala Government’s first green Project and India’s largest heritage conservation project. President also launched the website of the MHP. MHP is supported by the Union Government and seeks to conserve ancient seaport of Muziris and showcase its culture of 3000 years. The project also will play important role in the Spice Route initiative launched by Kerala Tourism with the help of UNESCO to revive state’s historic trade ties with 41 countries of the world.

27. Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Dr. Harsh Vardhan has released Seismic Microzonation reports for Delhi and Kolkata. These reports highlight vulnerability of specific areas in these megacities and help in minimizing the effects of earthquakes by (i) Proper assessment of Seismic Hazard (ii) Implementation of safe building construction codes (iii) adopting appropriate land-use planning. Seismic Microzonation Report for National Capital Territory (NCT) Delhi was prepared by the Earthquake Risk Evaluation Centre (EREC). It was under the IMD and now has been merged with National Centre for Seismology of the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences. The seismic microzonation project of Kolkata was undertaken by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur in consortium with a few other organizations under the aegis of the Geosciences Division of the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences. Benefits of seismic microzonation Disaster Mitigation and Management Authorities. Risk Assessment to existing life & Property especially of Defence Installations, Heavy Industry and Public Utilities and Services. Help Urban Development Authorities and also Planning, Design & Construction Agencies. Seismic zoning map of India Earlier a seismic zoning map for entire India was prepared and published by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). It had classified the entire country into 4 major groups viz. Zone-V (High intensity), Zone – III (moderate seismic zone), Zone- IV (high seismic zone) and Zone-II (Low intensity). These zones encompass wider area for which specific design spectra is commonly used, despite geo-morphological and geological variability within the respective zone. NCT Delhi was placed in the Seismic zone IV group, whereas Kolkata was placed at the border of Seismic Zone IV and III.

28. Senior IPS Officer Alok Kumar Verma has taken charge of new Police Commissioner of Delhi on February 29, 2016. He has replaced B. S. Bassi. His appointment was cleared by Union Home Ministry on February 17 and was sent to Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung for issuing the appointment order.

29. Former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai has been appointed as the first Chairman of Banks Board Bureau (BBB). His appointment comes after Prime Minister has approved the proposal of the Department of Financial Services for the constitution of the BBB. Appointed Members of Banks Board Bureau are Vinod Rai (Chairman): He is former CAG from January 2008 and May 2013. N. Sinor (Member): He is former Joint Managing Director of ICICI Bank. Anil K Khandelwal (Member): He is former CMD of Bank of Baroda’s Rupa Kudwa (Members): She is former chief of CRISIL. The tenure of Mr Rai and other members of the board will be of two years. About Banks Board Bureau (BBB) BBB will be a super authority (Autonomous Body) of eminent professionals and officials for public sector banks (PSBs). It will replace the Appointments Board of Government. The bureau was announced by the Union Government in August 2015 as part of seven point Indradhanush Mission to revamp the PSBs. Functions:Give recommendations for appointment of full-time Directors as well as non-Executive Chairman of PSBs. Give advice to PSBs in developing differentiated strategies for raising funds through innovative financial methods and instruments and to deal with issues of stressed assets. Guide banks on mergers and consolidations and also ways to address the bad loans problem among other issues. Currently, there are 22 state-owned banks or PSBs in India including State Bank of India (SBI), IDBI Bank and Bhartiya Mahila Bank etc. Comment Government wants BBB to restructure business strategy of PSBs and also suggest way forward for their consolidation and merger with other banks as they are grappling with a huge problem of bad loans and high collective gross NPAs (Non-Performing Assets).

30. In India February 28 is celebrated as the National Science Day i.e. Rashtriya Vigyan Diwas (राष्ट्रीय विज्ञान दिवस) every year. Significance of Day: It aims to impart scientific temper in the minds of people of all age groups. The theme for year 2016 is “Scientific Issues for Development of the Nation” that aims at raising public appreciation. This day is celebrated as science festival in the entire nation by organising science exhibitions, seminars, workshops, symposiums and many other activities. Why National Science Day is celebrated? This day marks the epoch-making discovery of Raman Effect by Indian physicist Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman (CV Raman) on February 28, 1928. This discovery was awarded with the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930. In 2013, the American Chemical Society designated the ‘Raman Effect’ as an International Historic Chemical Landmark. Background In 1986, National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) had demanded Union Government to assign February 28 as the ‘National Science Day’ for India. The first National Science Day was celebrated on February 28, 2000. The Raman Effect: Some part of light beam after passing through a transparent medium gets scattered. This phenomenon of scattering of light is termed as Raman Scattering and the cause of scattering is called the Raman Effect. The wavelength of these scattered rays is different from that of the incident rays of light.

31. Legendary pre-independence cricketer and skipper Bindiganavile Krishnaswamy Garudachar passed away in Bengaluru, Karnataka. He was 99. At the time of his death, he was the oldest living Indian first-class cricketer who had represented Mysore, United province and Bombay first class cricket matches.

32. President Pranab Mukherjee has formally declared Kerala as the country’s first digital state. It was announced by President after launching a digital empowerment campaign of state at a function to be held in Kozhikkode. The campaign aims at bridging the digital divide by 2020. This declaration was made considering the rapid digital strides of the state which has achieved 100 percent mobile connectivity, 75 percent e-literacy, maximum digital banking, broadband connectivity upto the Panchayat level, linking bank accounts with Aadhar cards and e-district plan in all districts. Key facts Kerala was able to achieve this feat due to the combined efforts of the government and various social organizations in the state State has successfully linked all villages in the state with broadband connectivity under the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) project. It is first state in country to do so. The broadband connectivity has helped to provide high-speed internet in all gram panchayats and remote areas of the state. Apart from NOFN it, two projects started by the government in 2002 viz. Akshaya and IT@School – also has helped it to attain high e literacy. Under these projects over 2,500 Akshaya service centres functioning in rural and urban areas have helped generate awareness in e-governance. State also has over 600 e-governance applications covering almost all departments of state that play pioneering role in delivering e-services to citizens. As a digital state, Kerala has a mobile tele-density of 95% and Internet access covering over 60 % of the population.

33. President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated India’s first Gender Park at Kozhikode district of Kerala. It is also the first of its kind gender equality convergence centre in Asia. The park is an initiative of the Social Justice Department of the Kerala Government to promote research and other initiatives to enable total gender equality. Key facts The Gender Park seeks to encourage women to take part in developmental and decision making process. It has been launched as part of supporting the efforts of the State and Central governments in ensuring an inclusive, discrimination free society. It covers issues pertaining to all three genders and in accordance with the 2015 gender and transgender policies of the state government. The Gender Institute at the park will mainly focus on learning, research and capacity development. It seeks to bring together the state, civil society and academia on a common platform to promote studies and research on gender issues to address the gender issues. This platform seeks to create an environment to share global knowledge and experiences in reducing gender inequalities. It also seeks to create awareness of the critical linkages between gender equality, economic growth and poverty reduction to effectively address gender related issues in national development processes. State Government under its Gender Policy is planning to roll out ‘She Taxi’ that aims solely at empowering women. Earlier in 2016, State government had launch ‘Gender Taxi’ that is owned and operated by transgenders under its Transgender Policy (first such policy in the country).

34. President Pranab Mukherjee dedicated India’s first co-operative society in Information Technology (IT) sector UL CyberPark in Kozhikode, Kerala. The IT Park has been set up by a labour cooperative society, Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS). It is built on 25 acre land in Nellikode in Kozhikode district at the cost of Rs. 270 crore. It is expected to provide direct employment to 4,500 persons in the first phase. It will export IT solutions and products to US and Europe and is eyeing a turnover of Rs 500 crore in the next five years. About Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS) ULCCS cooperative was launched in 1925 in Vadakara in Kozhikode district by 14 members with an initial investment of 37 paise. It has set Technopark-based UL Technology Solutions (ULTS) in 2012. It provides IT solutions in the domain areas of Global Information Systems, Health Care, Enterprise Resource Planning, Business Intelligence and Analytic etc. Kerala State Government has declared ULCCS as an “Accredited Agency” to undertake works directly without tender procedure.

35. Former DRDO Director-General (DG) Dr Avinash Chander has been awarded prestigious Aryabhata Award of Astronautical Society of India. He was bestowed with this award in recognition for his contribution to missile technology. He was presented with this award from Dr R Chidambaram, Principal Scientific Adviser to Union Government, and Dr A S Kiran Kumar, Chairman ISRO. About Avinash Chander Avinash Chander was the chief architect of India’s strategic Agni series of ballistic missile systems and famously is known as Agni man of India. Range of India’s Agni missiles were developed under his technology forecast, perspective planning and relentless efforts. He steered the first three missions of the Agni 5 missile. He had joined DRDO after completing graduation in Electrical Engineering from IIT Delhi in 1972 and retired in 2015 after completion of 42 years of distinguished service. He had served as DG of DRDO from 2013 to 2015. He also had served as Scientific Adviser to the Union Defence Minister. Awards: He was awarded Padma Shri, AGNI Self-Reliance Award (1999), Dr. Biren Roy Space Science Award (2000), DRDO Award (2007), DRDO Technology Leadership Award, (2008).

36. Mumbai has won the Ranji Trophy for a season 2015-16 by defeating Saurashtra. With this victory, Mumbai clinched Ranji title for record 41st time (10 of them being won with innings wins) after playing in record 45 finals. In the final match played a Gahunje Stadium of Maharashtra Cricket Association in Pune, Mumbai defeated Saurashtra by 21 runs. Shreyas Iyer of Mumbai was declared man of the match for his 117 runs in the match. He ended the season as the leading run-getter with 1321 runs at 73.38 including four centuries and seven fifties. Mumbai pacer Shardul Thakur also played important role in victory of team by taking five wickets for 26 runs in 13.2 overs. About Ranji Trophy Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between teams representing regional cricket associations. The trophy is named after England and Sussex cricketer Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji and was first played in 1934. At present, the championship is played between 27 teams which include 21 states (of 29 Indian states) and Delhi (UT). The format of Ranji Trophy is Round-robin then knockout.

37. Gianni Infantino (45) of Switzerland has been elected as new President of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), a global governing body of football. He was declared winner after winning a second-round vote by securing 115 of the 207 eligible votes in the 2016 FIFA Extraordinary Congress held in Zurich, Switzerland. He defeated Sheikh Salman of Bahrain who got 88 votes followed by Prince Ali of Jordan had four and Jerome Champagne of France got zero votes. With this victory, Infantino becomes just the third President of FIFA after Sepp Blatter who headed it for 40 years from 1974 to 2015 and his predecessor João Havelange.

38. Government-constituted expert committee to examine the Possibility of Replacing Multiple Prior Permissions with Pre-Existing Regulatory Mechanism has submitted its recommendations. The 11 member committee was headed by Ajay Shanka, Former Secretary of Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). Key Recommendations Introduction of credible third-party certification in most areas of regulation to cut down on multiple permissions needed by investors. Adopting global best practices for emission norms in order to promote ease of doing business in the country. Need for a standing institutional mechanism within the government for an independent regulatory impact assessment. For start-ups: Steps like Greenfield development and earmarking of mixed land use redevelopment should be undertaken. Start-ups must be exempted from the requirement of seeking building plan approvals would give a boost to the ecosystem. Any inspection of a start-up in cases of actionable complaints should be done only with the permission of an officer at a sufficiently higher level. Environmental Issues: Ministries of environmentally sensitive sectors should join with the Ministry of Environment and Forests to prepare a 20 year perspective geographical plan. This plan must indicate preferred locations in prioritised categories for their anticipated projects in order to minimise the negative impact of environment. Background The expert committee was constituted by DIPP in April 2015. It was tasked to (i) examine the possibility of replacing multiple prior permissions with a pre-existing regulatory mechanism. (ii) Recommend a framework of the proposed regulatory mechanism and draft proposed legislation. (iii) Identify safeguards for replacing the system of prior permission and integrating them in the proposed regulatory mechanism.

39. The 13th edition of World Spice Congress (WSC) will begin in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The theme of the three-day biennial event is ‘Target 2020: Clean, Safe and Sustainable Supply Chain’.

40. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is working to establishment of a Satellite Tracking & Data Reception Station and Data Processing Facility for ASEAN Member countries in Vietnam. ISRO will set up this satellite centre at the behest of Union Government as part of Space Cooperation between India and Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). This information was provided by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh in a reply to an unstarred question in Lok Sabha. Key facts This facility is intended to acquire and process Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRSS) data pertaining to ASEAN region and disseminate to ASEAN Member countries. Under this initiative, all 10 ASEAN member countries including Vietnam will be allowed to access processed remote sensing data pertaining to their country. Ground facility is designed in such a way that it will not allow Indian data to be accessed and processed by the system.

41. Department of Biotechnology in the Union Ministry of Science and Technology has signed a MoU with a consortium of top United Kingdom (UK) research institutions for joint India-UK collaboration programme in crop science. The consortium UK research institutions included representatives from Cambridge based National Institute for Agricultural Botany (NIAB), John Innes Centre, Norwich based University of East Anglia and Rothamsted Research Institute. Key facts The aim of the MoU is to promote knowledge exchange, enhance collaborative research and support capacity building to develop resilience in food security. It foresees joint projects focusing on the fundamental science underpinning yield enhancement, drought resistance and disease resistance. It also seeks to enhance research collaboration into crop re-breeding and translation of fundamental research into sustainable agriculture practice. The MoU also contemplates the establishment of a joint Indo-UK Plant Science Centre in India.