WBCS Current Affairs 04/03/2015 to 19/03/2015
Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2015 12:00 pm1.India’s indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile Astra was successfully tested on 18 March 2015 from a Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft. The test was undertaken at the Integrated Test Range located at Chandipur in Odisha.
About Test
During the test, missile successfully hit a simulated target and also proved its manoeuvring capability against a simulated target and also validated its various subsystems.
Missile’s all subsystems like propulsion, navigation, guidance and separation from the aircraft were also successfully tested.
About Astra missile
Indigenously developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Single stage solid fuelled and has payload capacity of 15 kg conventional explosives.
It is a Surface to Surface BVR all-weather missile and can be launched from different altitudes.
Capable of engaging and destroying highly maneuverable supersonic aerial targets and destroy enemy aircraft at supersonic speed of 1.2 Mach to 1.4 Mach.
It can engage targets in head-on up to 80 km and tail-chase up to 20 km modes.
The missile can reach up to 110 km when fired from an altitude of 15 km and 44 km when launched from an altitude of 8 km and 21 km when fired from sea level.
The missile can be integrated with fighter aircraft including Sukhoi-30 MKI, Mirage-2000, MiG-29, Jaguar and the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).
2. The Lok Sabha on 18 March 2015 passed the Warehousing Corporations (Amendment) Bill, 2015. The Bill seeks to amend the Warehousing Corporations Act, 1962.
Key facts
Statement of Objects and Reasons of the bill states that the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) has been awarded a Mini-Ratna Public Sector Enterprise (PSE) status by the Department of Public Enterprises.
The bill put to end the Central Government’s responsibility of being a financial guarantor to the CWC in order to follow the criteria to be a Mini-Ratna enterprise status.
The one of criteria of status states that enterprise should not have financial support and it must be independent of any budgetary support or guarantee by the government.
The proposed amendment in the bill omits certain sections relating to the government’s responsibility of being a guarantor to the CWC.
It should be noted that, the Central and state warehousing corporations are established under the Warehousing Corporations Act, 1962 for the purpose of warehousing agricultural produce and other commodities.
3. Election Commission has announced that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and ballot papers will carry photographs of candidates from 1 May 2015.
4. Three nations from European Union (EU) France, Germany and Italy have agreed to join the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) after the United Kingdom (UK) decided to join the bank.
If these western nations join the bank, the total number of the bank’s member states including India will go up to 30.
It should be noted that UK was the first Western country to join the bank and also first nation to disregard the reservations expressed by the United States (US) which had raised concerns over banks transparency.
About Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)
AIIB is an international financial institution proposed by China which seeks to provide support to infrastructure projects in Asia.
It is expected to be operational by the end 2015 and its headquarters will be located at Beijing.
The bank is also considered as China’s move to balance the power with the WB, IMF and ADB which are being controlled/dominated by the US, EU and Japan respectively.
The authorised capital of AIIB is US $100 bn and the initial subscribed capital is expected to be around US $50 bn. The paid-in ratio will be 20%.
India along with other 20 member nations were founding member of AIIB and had signed agreement in this regard in October 2014.
5. Kavinder Gupta on 18 March 2015 was unanimously elected as Speaker of the 12th Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
6. Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has revoked 3 year-old suspension of environmental clearances (ECs) of mines in Goa. It was announced by Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar.
7. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to collaborate with other space agencies on inter-planetary explorations.
It was announced by Minister of State (MoS) in the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh in the Lok Sabha.
Presently ISRO is having talks with space agencies of the United States of America, Russia and France to collaborate for inter-planetary explorations.
From this collaboration, India will acquire the knowledge to minimize the cost of launching complex missions and enhance the technological capabilities in spacecraft design. While, the expertise gained through such collaborations will help India improve its capabilities of earth observation and satellite communication.
8. Union Cabinet has cleared the black money bill to curb the menace of black money in the country. Decision in this regard was taken at the cabinet meeting in New Delhi.
Union Government is seeking to introduce this bill the current budget session of Parliament.
Some provisions of bill
The proposed bill gives powers to tax authorities to track and deal with illegal wealth stashed abroad.
Under the provisions of the new Bill, the offences related to black money will be non-compoundable and the offenders will not be permitted to approach the Settlement Commission.
The bill also has provision of punishment to deal with the black money cases. It proposes penalty at the rate of 300 per cent of taxes to be levied on the concealed income and assets, in addition to 10 years rigorous imprisonment.
Union Cabinet also gave its nod for signing of an agreement with the US on the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). The agreement will enable India to acquire information on big foreign transactions and indirectly curb black money stashing.
Apart from these decisions, Union Cabinet also approved to release of 33,000 crore rupees in tranches to states and Union Territories (UTs). These tranches will provide compensation to states and UTs for revenue loss on account of phasing out of Centre Sales Tax, CST for the three financial years up to 2012-2013.
9. Parliament has passed Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders Amendment Bill, 2015.
The bill was first passed in Rajya Sabha on February 24, 2015 and later in Lok Sabha on March 17, 2015. It was unanimously passed by a voice vote in both the houses.
The bill seeks to modify the list of Scheduled Castes in three states- Haryana, Karnataka, Odisha and one Union Territory- Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
Key Amendments
The Bill amends the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 and the Constitution (Dadra and Nagar Haveli) Scheduled Castes Order, 1962.
The Bill adds the following communities to the list of Scheduled Castes:
Haryana: Kabirpanthi, Julaha.
Karnataka: Bhovi, od, odde, Vaddar, Waddar.
Odisha: Dhoba, Dhobi, Dom, Dombo, Duria Dom, Katia, Kela, Nalua Kela, Khadala and Turi.
Dadra and Nagar Haveli: Chamar.
10. India and Kyrgyzstan on 17 March 2015 signed MoU to strengthen bilateral cooperation on textile and clothing.
The MoU was signed by Minister of State (MoS) for Textiles Santosh Kumar Gangwar and his counterpart Minister of Energy and Industry of Kyrgyzstan Kubanychbek Turdubaev in New Delhi.
11. Supreme Court (SC) has rejected the notification issued by Union Government to include Jats in the Central list of Other Backward Classes (OBC) for the benefit of reservation.
The Supreme Court (SC) held that
Union Government took this decision by overlooking the findings of the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC). In its report NCBC had stated that Jats do not deserve to be included in the Central list of OBC as they don’t form a socio-economic backward class.
Inclusion of a politically organised class like Jat would adversely impact the welfare of the other backward classes.
Though the Union Government has powers under the Constitutional scheme to provide reservation to a particular class but it cannot provide reservation on the basis of a decade-old-finding about the backwardness of a caste.
SC gave this decision on Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the OBC Reservation Raksha Samiti which had challenged Union Governments notification of including Jats in the Central list of OBC.
12. Ashu Suyash has been appointed as Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Credit Rating Information Services of India Limited (CRISIL).
She will succeed Roopa Kudva, who had been the MD & CEO at Crisil since 2007. Suyash’s appointment was confirmed by the Board of Directors of the Company and will assume charge from 1st June 2015.
13. Indian researcher Minoti Apate has been named as New South Wales (NSW) Woman of the year 2015.
Apate was named for the award for her contributions to the field of medical research, Indian community and the tertiary education.
14. Haryana Government has passed Haryana Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Bill, 2015 that bans cow slaughter. It was unanimously passed in budget session of state with voice vote.
15. Veteran singer and music composer Bombay S. Kamal passed away on 17 March 2015 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala at the age of 85. He was suffering from respiratory ailments.
16. Facebook has acquired the shopping search engine TheFind. With the acquisition, the social networking giant Facebook has signaled its future plans to move into the e-commerce.
17. Wipro, India’s third-largest software services firm has appointed Abid Ali Neemuchwala as the Group President and Chief Operating Officer (COO). This appointment will be effective from 1 April 2015.
18. Services on 15 March 2015 have won 69th Santosh Trophy football title 2014-15. In the final match Services defeated host Punjab by score of 5-4 at Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana, Punjab.
19. India on 15 March 2015 has won FIH Women’s Hockey World League Round Two competition title.
In the final match played at Major Dhyan Chan stadium in New Delhi, Indian women team defeated Poland team by score of 3-1 goals.
20. India’s ace shuttler Kidambi Srikanth on 15 March 2015 won badminton’s prestigious $120,000 Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold title in Men’s singles category.
21. Noted Gandhian Narayan Desai on 15 March 2015 passed away in Surat, Gujarat. He was 90.
He is son of Mahatma Gandhi’s personal secretary and biographer Mahadev Desai.
22. Lia van Leer, pioneer of Israeli cinema passed away on 13 March 2015 in Jerusalem, Israel. She was 90.
23. Union Government has merged Green India Mission (GIM) with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) Scheme.
By merging GIM with MGNREGA Scheme government seeks to increase 10 million hectares of forest cover.
Key facts
National Mission for a Green India aims for afforestation at 10 million hectares of land over the next decade in order to increase and improve the country’s forest cover. It also aims at improving ecosystems services, forest based livelihood income of about three million households and to enhance annual CO2 sequestration.
At present under MGNREGA Scheme green works such as water harvesting, afforestation and farm forestry are undertaken which are implemented by Union Ministry of Rural Development.
Government will also use modern technology like remote sensing to monitor the progress of this initiative regularly.
Union Government also has set out convergence guidelines in this regard after consulting both Ministry of Environment & Forest (MoEF) and Rural Development Ministries.
Convergence guidelines includes
All lands including community lands, village common lands, revenue wastelands, wetlands, shifting cultivation areas, and private agricultural lands will be eligible for afforestation.
Under MGNREGA for afforestation, forest works such as pre-plantation, planting, watering and pit digging will be undertaken. Fencing, plant support and protection activities, mulching, weeding and manuring the plants will be also undertaken.
Technical advice related to the plant species suitable for area and to raise nurseries will be provided by State Forest Development Agencies (SFDA).
SFDA will also deliver information related to plant material to each gram panchayat before July each year meeting the cost from MGNREGA funds.
24. Powerful cyclone Pam on 14 March 2015 slammed the south Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu. The cyclone Pam is category five tropical storm and has brought destructive 270 kilometre-per-hour winds and torrential rain along with it after it had changed its course in westward direction.
25. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has spotted massive saltwater ocean under the icy crust of Jupiter’s largest moon Ganymede.
Scientists believe that this finding could potentially support life. Hubble Space Telescope’s finding was published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics.
The finding was based on the results obtained after analyzing Ganymede’s magnetic field and aurorae created and controlled by it and its interaction with Jupiter’s magnetic field.
Scientists estimate that
This ocean is 100 kms thick.
10 times deeper than Earth’s oceans.
It is buried under a 150-kilometre crust of mostly ice.
In 1970s, for first time scientists had suggested that ocean is present inside Ganymede based on its models. NASA’s Galileo mission also had provided first evidence of ocean in Ganymede after measuring its magnetic field in 2002.
26. A historic bronze statue of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled at the Parliament Square in London. It was unveiled jointly by British Prime Minister David Cameron and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
27. Union Government has selected legendary boxer and five-time world boxing champion MC Mary Kom as Brand Ambassador for the North East Region.
It was announced by Union Minister of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh at a two-day business summit in New Delhi.
MC Mary Kom was selected to showcase the potential of the North East region which can offer Rs. 2.4 trillion business opportunities across various sectors.
28. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 14 March 2015 flagged off the first train from Thalaimannar to Madhu Road in North Sri Lanka.
It marks the completion and restoration of the prestigious project of Indian Railways to restore the North-South Rail link of Sri Lanka after decades of civil war. The North-South Rail link was completely destroyed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) militants during the civil war in 1980s.
Key facts
The rail project connects the Sri Lanka’s Jaffna province to capital Colombo and a branch line connects Thalaimannar to the main rail line.
The project has been implemented by Indian Railway Construction Company Limited (IRCON) International, a subsidiary of Indian Railways.
Indian Government had provided line of credit to this project as part of India’s bid to establish better connectivity between SAARC nations.
This project will also play significant role in establishing connectivity between both nations as ferry service soon will be started from north-western Sri Lankan town of Talaimannar (the closest point to India) and Rameshwaram.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Anuradhapura shrine
Prior to inaugurating this rail service, Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at the sacred Bodhi tree in Anuradhapura shrine.
This is first time that an Indian Prime Minister is visiting Anuradhapura.
The sacred Bodhi tree at Anuradhapura shrine was planted as a sapling of the original Bodhi tree, under which Lord Gautam Buddha had achieved enlightenment.
It was planted 2000 years ago in Anuradhapura shrine which is considered as one of the most sacred places in Buddhism.
29. Pakistan successfully tested its first indigenously built all-weather armed drone named Burraq and a laser guided missile named Barq.
By successfully testing of Burraq, Pakistan became the 9th country in the World to develop an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) domestically.
30. Former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed was sentenced to 13-year imprisonment by country’s criminal court under the anti-terrorism laws.
31. Japan and France have signed an arms transfer agreement for military equipment, services and technology.
32. Law Commission of India in its 255th report on electoral reform has pitched for stronger Election Commission of India (ECI).
The report was submitted to Ministry of Law and Justice by Law Commission Chairman Justice A P Shah.
33. India’s Dr. Alka Beotra has been nominated as a member of the World Association of Anti-Doping Scientists’ (WAADS) executive board.
34. India and Sri Lanka on 13 March 2015 signed four agreements. These agreements were signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s maiden visit to the island nation as part of three-nation of Indian Ocean tour of Mauritius, Seychelles and Sri Lanka.
The four agreements signed are
Agreement on visa.
Agreement on customs.
Agreement on youth development.
Agreement on building memorial of Rabindranath Tagore in Sri Lanka.
35. The mass nesting of Olive Ridley sea turtles, an endangered species has begun at mouth of river Rushikulya in Ganjam district of Odisha. Over 10,000 female turtles have laid eggs on the first day, in the 3-km-long sandy beach from Gokharakuda to Podampeta.
36. The third edition of Indian Panorama Film Festival has begun in Shillong, Meghalaya. The three day festival was inaugurated by Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Dr. Mukul Sangma.
37. Union Government has launched Pharma Jan Samadhan scheme, for redressal of grievances of consumers related to drug pricing and availability of medicines.
It was launched by Union Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister Ananth Kumar in New Delhi.
About Pharma Jan Samadhan scheme
The scheme is a web-enabled system created by National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA).
It seeks to serve as a robust E-governance tool for protection of interests of consumers through effective implementation of the price of drugs.
38. Defending champion Karnataka on 12 March 2015 won Ranji Trophy for season 2014-2015.
Karnataka defeated Tamil Nadu by an innings and 217 runs in the final day of match played at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. With this victory, Karnataka clinched eight Ranji title.
The man of the match was Karnataka’s Karun Nair who had scored 338 runs. The captain of Karnataka team was R Vinay Kumar and of Tamil Nadu team was Abhinav Mukund.
39. Defending champion Karnataka on 12 March 2015 won Ranji Trophy for season 2014-2015.
Karnataka defeated Tamil Nadu by an innings and 217 runs in the final day of match played at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. With this victory, Karnataka clinched eight Ranji title.
The man of the match was Karnataka’s Karun Nair who had scored 338 runs. The captain of Karnataka team was R Vinay Kumar and of Tamil Nadu team was Abhinav Mukund.
40. Congress legislator and deputy speaker N Shakthan was elected as the new speaker of the Kerala Assembly on 12 March 2015.
41. India and Mauritius have inked 5 Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) to give new impetus to bilateral co-operation.
These MoUs were signed in Port Luis, Mauritius during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to island nation as part of three-nation tour of Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka for cementing strategic partnership with these island courtiers.
Following MoUs were signed
MoU in the field of Ocean Economy-
It will provide an extensive framework for cooperation in the field of Ocean Economy between two countries for sustainable development in the Indian Ocean Region.
It includes mutually beneficial cooperation for exploration and capacity development in the field of marine resources, green tourism, fisheries, research and development of ocean technology, exchange of experts and other related activities.
Programme for Cultural Cooperation between both nations for the year 2015-18
The programme will provide enhanced bilateral cooperation between both nations in this field for the term 2015-2018. It will enhance people-to-people participation between the two countries
The programme envisages exchange of cultural troupes, organization of cultural exhibitions, preservation of cultural heritage, training in fine arts, promotion of Indian languages, exchange of students, etc.
Protocol between both countries for the importation of fresh mango from India
The aim of this Protocol is to facilitate Mauritius with importation of world-renowned Indian mangoes. This protocol is between India’s Union Department of Agriculture and Cooperation and Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security of Mauritius.
MoU for the Improvement in Air and Sea Transportation Facilities at Agalega Island of Mauritius
It provides provisions for setting up and upgradation of infrastructure for improving sea and air connectivity at Agalega Island of Mauritius and Outer Island.
These facilities will help to enhance the capabilities in safeguarding interests of the Mauritian Defence Forces in the Outer Island.
MoU on Cooperation in the field of Traditional System of Medicine and Homeopathy
It will promote cooperation in the field of traditional system of health and medicine between the both countries.
It envisages exchange of experts, joint R&D and recognition of the traditional systems of health and medicine, supply of traditional medicinal substances, in both countries.
It also aims to promote and popularization of the various Indian traditional systems of AYUSH.
42. Supreme Court has barred High Courts (HCs) from entertaining pleas under writ jurisdiction against the verdicts of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) in disputes pertaining to Armed forces. SC ruling also set aside the order of Delhi High Court which had allowed the writ petition against army personnel.
43. Union Government has appointed 9 Executive Directors (EDs) in Public Sector Banks (PSBs).
Their appointment was approved by Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on recommendation of selection panel headed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan.
Following 9 Executive Directors (ED) of PSBs were appointed
K. Sahoo- ED of Allahabad Bank.
Pawan Kumar Bajaj- ED of Indian Overseas Bank.
Ravi Shankar Pandey- ED of Syndicate Bank.
Kishore Piraji Kharat- ED of Union Bank of India.
C.Lodha- ED of Central Bank of India.
Charan Singh- ED of UCO Bank
Venkata Rama Moorthy- ED of Bank of Baroda.
P. Marathe- ED of Bank of India.
Harideesh Kumar B- ED of Canara Bank.
44. Indian Railways on 11 March 2015 inked an MoU with Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) to raise Rs 1.5 lakh crore for financing the development of its various commercially viable infrastructure projects.
The MoU was signed by Financial Commissioner (Railways) Rajalakshmi Ravikumar and LIC Chairman SK Roy in presence of Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and the Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu.
45. Parliament has passed the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2015. It was first passed in Lok Sabha on 3 March 2015 and later in the Rajya Sabha on 11 March 2015.
The Bill seeks to amend the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and replace the ordinance promulgated in this regard. The ordinance was promulgated in January 2015 after the bill was not able to pass in the winter session of Parliament.
46. Union government has announced that India’s literacy rate has risen to 72.98%. It was informed by Union Minister Human Resource Development (HRD) Smriti Irani while replying to the supplementaries in the Lok Sabha.
47. Sri Lankan cricketer Kumar Sangakkara became first batsman to score four consecutive one-day international (ODI) centuries in a Cricket World Cup.
He achieved this feat by hitting 4th century by scoring 124 runs in a match against Scotland in the Pool A of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Hobart, New Zealand.
48. Delhi High Court in its ruling has held that Attorney General of India comes under the ambit of Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005.
This ruling reversed the previous decision of the Central Information Commission (CIC) which had held that Attorney General does not come under RTI Act.
49. Union Government has announced that 5 sick public sector undertakings (PSUs) will be closed.
It was announced by Union Heavy Industries Minister Anant Geete while replying to a question in the Lok Sabha. The 5 sick PSU that will be closed include HMT and its three units, Hindustan Shipyard. Government also announced that while closing these PSUs, their employees will be provided with very good VRS package.
In the reply, the Minister also announced that there are total 65 units in the list of sick PSUs as of March 31, 2014.
Government also has declared Air India and MTNL as sick PSU units as per the criteria after they have incurred losses worth 50 per cent or more of their average net worth during past four years.
According to the loss figures tabled in Lok Sabha
Air India has accumulated losses of Rs 5,388 crore in 2013-14. Rs 5,490 crore in 2012-13 and Rs 7,559 crore in 2011-12 respectively.
MTNL had showed profit of Rs 7,820 crore in year 2013-14. But in the previous years it has incurred losses of 5,321 crore rupees and 4,109 crore rupees.
Hindustan Shipyard has reported losses of Rs 859 crore, Rs 551 crore and Rs 462 crore in past 3 years.
50. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Seychelles as part of three-nation tour for cementing strategic partnership with island courtiers of Seychelles, Maldives and Sri Lanka.
Narendra Modi is first Prime Minister to visit Seychelles in 34 years. Previously, late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had visited the country in 1981.
Key facts
Both nations agreed to set up joint working group to promote ocean based economy i.e. on Blue Economy. In this regard, India committed to provide all help to Seychelles.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced free visa on arrival (VoA) and free visas for three months facility to the citizens of Seychelles.
Four agreements and MoUs were signed between both the countries. They were signed in the fields of renewable energy, hydro graphic survey, electronics navigation and infrastructure development at the island of Seychelles.
These agreements and MoU’s were signed by Secretary (West) Navtej Sarna from Indian side in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of Seychelles James Alix Michel.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also inaugurated a Coastal Surveillance Radar system (SSRS). The surveillance system has set up in Seychelles with the help of India.
India also announced to provide 2nd dossier aircraft to the island nation to enhance maritime security.
51.Lok Sabha has passed The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015. The bill was passed by voice vote along with incorporated 9 new amendments moved by Union government.
The amendment bill replaces the ordinance promulgated in this regard and seeks to amend the RFCTLARR Act, 2013.
Key provisions of Amendment Bill
The Bill creates five special categories of land use. They are 1. Rural infrastructure, 2. Affordable housing, 3. Defence, 4. Industrial corridors, 5. Infrastructure projects including Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects where the Union government owns the land.
Removes the Consent Clause (CC) of 80 per cent of land owners for private projects and that of 70 per cent of land owners for PPP projects in case of acquiring land for above five categories from parent Act.
Removes of Social Impact Assessment (SIA) clause for 5 categories from parent Act which is done to identify those affected and from the restrictions on the acquisition of irrigated multi-cropped land.
The provisions for compensation, rehabilitation, and resettlement under 13 central Acts are in consonance with the LARR Act.
9 new incorporated amendments are
Social infrastructure removed from an exempted category.
Land cannot be acquired industrial corridor above 1 km on both sides railway line or Highways.
Government must ensure that land acquired is bare minimum required for the project before issuing acquiring notification.
Survey must be conducted by appropriate government incase of wasteland including arid land and maintain a record.
Land acquired for private hospitals, educational institutions will be not considered for public purpose.
At least 1 member of affected family of a farm labourer will be compulsory employed.
Hearings will be carried out by Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation Authority in district where acquisition takes place.
Court can take cognizance of offence under CrPC.
52. World’s first solar powered aircraft on global journey- Solar Impulse 2 successfully landed in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
The aircraft was piloted by Swiss pilots Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg from its first halt Muscat, Oman.
53. Senior Congress leader and Former Union Minister Mr. M. Veerappa Moily will receive the Saraswati Samman 2014 for his Kannada poem ‘Ramayana Mahanveshanam’.
The award would make Mr. M. Veerappa Moily the second Kannada author to receive the honour after S. L. Bhyrappa (2010).
54. 8th edition of India-Nepal Combined Exercise Surya Kiran VIII concluded on 8 March 2015 at Salijhandi in Nepal.
The exercise was carried out under the aegis of Nepalese Army and had started on February 23, 2015.
14-day-long Surya Kiran VIII exercise aimed at
Creating a greater understanding between Indian Army & Nepalese Army.
Working together in Jungle Warfare and Counter Terrorism operations in mountainous terrain.
It also Focused on basics of disaster management in the field of pandemic/ epidemic control and aviation aspects.
Surya Kiran VIII exercise provided an ideal and single platform for armies of the two countries to share their experiences on terrorist operations and counter insurgency especially in mountainous and jungle terrain.
In the exercise, troops of both countries carried out a search and destroy mission in the general area of Saljhandi which was culminated in a 48 hours consolidation and validation exercise.
55. Maharashtra government has launched Bhagyashree scheme for girls. The scheme replaces state government’s previous Sukanya scheme.
Bhagyashree scheme was launched by was launched by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis along with the actress Bhagyashree who is brand ambassador of the scheme.
56. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9 March 2015 launched the first indigenously developed and manufactured Rotavirus vaccine- Rotavac.
57. Pakistan on 9 March 2015 successfully conducted the first test of surface-to-surface Shaheen-III ballistic missile off the Arabian Sea.
The missile, also called White Falcon-III in English has been developed by Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) and NESCOM along with its subsidiary NDC.
58. Kerala Tourism has won silver prize in the prestigious Golden Gate Award at the Internationale Tourismus-Börse Berlin (ITB-Berlin) – 2015.
Kerala Tourism received the prize in the category of mulimedia-campaign for its global multimedia ‘The Great Backwaters campaign’ in the television-commercial medium.
59. Haryana Government on the eve of International Women’s Day i.e. 8 March launched ‘Aapki Beti Humari Beti’ Scheme. It was launched by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar at Panchkula district of state.
60. Union Government has released ‘Digital Gender Atlas for Advancing Girls Education’ a web-based tool for advancing girls education.
It was unveiled by the Department of School Education and Literacy in the Union Ministry of Human Resources Development (HRD) in New Delhi.
61. Carolina Marin Martin of Spain has won the prestigious Women’s Singles Title in the All England Open Badminton Championships 2015.
In the final match she defeated India’s Saina Nehwal by score of 14-21, 21-16, 21-7. With this victory, Carolina Marin became the first Spanish player to win this prestigious title.
62. Former Sri Lankan cricket captain and ace batsman Kumar Sangakkara on 8 March 2015 announced that he will retire from Test cricket after playing three-match series against India in August 2015.
63. President of India Mr. Pranab Mukherjee on 8 March 2015, awarded Stree Shakti Puraskar 2014 to six illustrious women on International Women’s Day for their distinguished services for the upliftment of women.
64. Senior Journalist and Outlook Group’s editorial chairman Vinod Mehta passed away on 8 March 2015 at the age of 72.
He was one of the India’s most influential editors, fine journalist & writer.
65. Islamic State (IS) militants have destroyed the ruins at the ancient city of Hatra located in south-west of Mosul in Northern Iraq.
66. NASA’s Dawn space probe has completed its orbit around dwarf planet Ceres which is the largest object in the Solar System between Mars and Jupiter.
With the completion of orbit, Dawn probe has become first spacecraft to visit dwarf planet.
67. Walmart India has appointed Ashwin Mittal as the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
He will replace incumbent CFO Jill Anderson as he will be soon repatriated back to Walmart in US.
68. Senior Congress leader and Kerala Assembly Speaker G Karthikeyan passed away in Bangalore, Karnataka. He was 66.
Karthikeyan died while he was undergoing treatment in Bangalore after he was diagnosed with liver cancer.
69. National Payments Corporation (NPCI) has successfully linked 15 crore Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) accounts with the Aadhaar numbers.
With this achievement NPCI has moved a step closer to map its target of linking all 17 crore DBT accounts with Aadhaar numbers by 30 June 2015.
70. The European Union (EU) has formally adopted climate change targets for December 2015 UNFCCC Paris Conference. Adopted climate change target includes a 40 per cent cut in emissions by 2030.
These targets were agreed by leaders of the 28 EU member-states at a summit in October 2014 but now have been officially forwarded to the United Nations.
EU announcement comes prior to the deadline of March 31, 2015 as it is binding on countries to announce their commitment to cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
EU countries when taken together form the world’s biggest economy and accounts for nine per cent of global emissions of greenhouse gases. EU has agreed to cut the greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 per cent compared to 1990 levels.
United States also has formally announced its intention to reduce emissions by 26-28 per cent in 2025 compared with their level in 2005. It should be noted that US accounts for 12 per cent of global greenhouse gases emissions.
While, China has set a target date of 2030 for its global greenhouse gases emissions to reach peak.
71. Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated two units each of 600 Mega Watt (MW) capacity in Shree Singaji Thermal Power Project in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh.Shree Singaji Thermal Power Plant is a coal-fired project. It is owned and developed by Madhya Pradesh Power Generation Company Limited (MPPGCL).
72. Sri Lanka’s newly elected government on 5 March 2015 temporarily suspended constriction work of China’s ambitious port city project in Colombo with immediate effect.
The decision was taken in Cabinet meeting chaired by Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe based upon the Interim Report submitted by a cabinet sub-committee.
The committee was appointed by the Sri Lankan Government to review the project. The Interim Report had alleged that this mega real estate deal with China was signed
Without cabinet approval.
Without following procedures.
Implemented without relevant approvals from the concerned institutions.
73. Nepal and India on 5 March 2015 launched a direct bus service linking cultural cities Kathmandu and Varanasi.
Kathmandu-Varanasi-Kathmandu bus service was launched under the ambit of Motor Vehicle Agreement between India and Nepal signed during 18th SAARC Summit.
74. Sunil Sabharwal, an independent Indian-American investor has been re-nominated as Alternate Executive Director at International Monetary Fund (IMF).
75. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has given its nod to extend the PDS Kerosene and Domestic LPG Subsidy Scheme, 2002 for a period of one year that is up to 31st March, 2015. This decision was taken by CCEA meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
76. Anil Ambani-led Reliance Infrastructure has acquired Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering in an all-cash deal.
The acquisition will be done by Reliance Infrastructure, along with its wholly owned subsidiary Reliance Defence Systems Pvt Ltd.
As part of deal
Reliance Infra will first invest Rs 819 crore to acquire 17.66 per cent stake from the promoters and subsequently an additional 26 per cent stake at Rs 1,266 crore.
While, Anil Ambani will take over as chairman of Pipavav Defence with full management control.
77. India and Spain have signed an agreement on Mutual Protection of Classified Information. This agreement provides the framework for enhanced cooperation in the defence sector between both countries.
78. Maharashtra government has scrapped 5 per cent job quota for Muslims in the state.
In this regard Devendra Fadnavis led BJP-Shiv Sena government has released a Government Resolution (GR). The GR also states that an ordinance to provide 5 per cent job quota had lapsed on December 2014.
About Test
During the test, missile successfully hit a simulated target and also proved its manoeuvring capability against a simulated target and also validated its various subsystems.
Missile’s all subsystems like propulsion, navigation, guidance and separation from the aircraft were also successfully tested.
About Astra missile
Indigenously developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Single stage solid fuelled and has payload capacity of 15 kg conventional explosives.
It is a Surface to Surface BVR all-weather missile and can be launched from different altitudes.
Capable of engaging and destroying highly maneuverable supersonic aerial targets and destroy enemy aircraft at supersonic speed of 1.2 Mach to 1.4 Mach.
It can engage targets in head-on up to 80 km and tail-chase up to 20 km modes.
The missile can reach up to 110 km when fired from an altitude of 15 km and 44 km when launched from an altitude of 8 km and 21 km when fired from sea level.
The missile can be integrated with fighter aircraft including Sukhoi-30 MKI, Mirage-2000, MiG-29, Jaguar and the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).
2. The Lok Sabha on 18 March 2015 passed the Warehousing Corporations (Amendment) Bill, 2015. The Bill seeks to amend the Warehousing Corporations Act, 1962.
Key facts
Statement of Objects and Reasons of the bill states that the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) has been awarded a Mini-Ratna Public Sector Enterprise (PSE) status by the Department of Public Enterprises.
The bill put to end the Central Government’s responsibility of being a financial guarantor to the CWC in order to follow the criteria to be a Mini-Ratna enterprise status.
The one of criteria of status states that enterprise should not have financial support and it must be independent of any budgetary support or guarantee by the government.
The proposed amendment in the bill omits certain sections relating to the government’s responsibility of being a guarantor to the CWC.
It should be noted that, the Central and state warehousing corporations are established under the Warehousing Corporations Act, 1962 for the purpose of warehousing agricultural produce and other commodities.
3. Election Commission has announced that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and ballot papers will carry photographs of candidates from 1 May 2015.
4. Three nations from European Union (EU) France, Germany and Italy have agreed to join the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) after the United Kingdom (UK) decided to join the bank.
If these western nations join the bank, the total number of the bank’s member states including India will go up to 30.
It should be noted that UK was the first Western country to join the bank and also first nation to disregard the reservations expressed by the United States (US) which had raised concerns over banks transparency.
About Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)
AIIB is an international financial institution proposed by China which seeks to provide support to infrastructure projects in Asia.
It is expected to be operational by the end 2015 and its headquarters will be located at Beijing.
The bank is also considered as China’s move to balance the power with the WB, IMF and ADB which are being controlled/dominated by the US, EU and Japan respectively.
The authorised capital of AIIB is US $100 bn and the initial subscribed capital is expected to be around US $50 bn. The paid-in ratio will be 20%.
India along with other 20 member nations were founding member of AIIB and had signed agreement in this regard in October 2014.
5. Kavinder Gupta on 18 March 2015 was unanimously elected as Speaker of the 12th Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
6. Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has revoked 3 year-old suspension of environmental clearances (ECs) of mines in Goa. It was announced by Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar.
7. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to collaborate with other space agencies on inter-planetary explorations.
It was announced by Minister of State (MoS) in the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh in the Lok Sabha.
Presently ISRO is having talks with space agencies of the United States of America, Russia and France to collaborate for inter-planetary explorations.
From this collaboration, India will acquire the knowledge to minimize the cost of launching complex missions and enhance the technological capabilities in spacecraft design. While, the expertise gained through such collaborations will help India improve its capabilities of earth observation and satellite communication.
8. Union Cabinet has cleared the black money bill to curb the menace of black money in the country. Decision in this regard was taken at the cabinet meeting in New Delhi.
Union Government is seeking to introduce this bill the current budget session of Parliament.
Some provisions of bill
The proposed bill gives powers to tax authorities to track and deal with illegal wealth stashed abroad.
Under the provisions of the new Bill, the offences related to black money will be non-compoundable and the offenders will not be permitted to approach the Settlement Commission.
The bill also has provision of punishment to deal with the black money cases. It proposes penalty at the rate of 300 per cent of taxes to be levied on the concealed income and assets, in addition to 10 years rigorous imprisonment.
Union Cabinet also gave its nod for signing of an agreement with the US on the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). The agreement will enable India to acquire information on big foreign transactions and indirectly curb black money stashing.
Apart from these decisions, Union Cabinet also approved to release of 33,000 crore rupees in tranches to states and Union Territories (UTs). These tranches will provide compensation to states and UTs for revenue loss on account of phasing out of Centre Sales Tax, CST for the three financial years up to 2012-2013.
9. Parliament has passed Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders Amendment Bill, 2015.
The bill was first passed in Rajya Sabha on February 24, 2015 and later in Lok Sabha on March 17, 2015. It was unanimously passed by a voice vote in both the houses.
The bill seeks to modify the list of Scheduled Castes in three states- Haryana, Karnataka, Odisha and one Union Territory- Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
Key Amendments
The Bill amends the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 and the Constitution (Dadra and Nagar Haveli) Scheduled Castes Order, 1962.
The Bill adds the following communities to the list of Scheduled Castes:
Haryana: Kabirpanthi, Julaha.
Karnataka: Bhovi, od, odde, Vaddar, Waddar.
Odisha: Dhoba, Dhobi, Dom, Dombo, Duria Dom, Katia, Kela, Nalua Kela, Khadala and Turi.
Dadra and Nagar Haveli: Chamar.
10. India and Kyrgyzstan on 17 March 2015 signed MoU to strengthen bilateral cooperation on textile and clothing.
The MoU was signed by Minister of State (MoS) for Textiles Santosh Kumar Gangwar and his counterpart Minister of Energy and Industry of Kyrgyzstan Kubanychbek Turdubaev in New Delhi.
11. Supreme Court (SC) has rejected the notification issued by Union Government to include Jats in the Central list of Other Backward Classes (OBC) for the benefit of reservation.
The Supreme Court (SC) held that
Union Government took this decision by overlooking the findings of the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC). In its report NCBC had stated that Jats do not deserve to be included in the Central list of OBC as they don’t form a socio-economic backward class.
Inclusion of a politically organised class like Jat would adversely impact the welfare of the other backward classes.
Though the Union Government has powers under the Constitutional scheme to provide reservation to a particular class but it cannot provide reservation on the basis of a decade-old-finding about the backwardness of a caste.
SC gave this decision on Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the OBC Reservation Raksha Samiti which had challenged Union Governments notification of including Jats in the Central list of OBC.
12. Ashu Suyash has been appointed as Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Credit Rating Information Services of India Limited (CRISIL).
She will succeed Roopa Kudva, who had been the MD & CEO at Crisil since 2007. Suyash’s appointment was confirmed by the Board of Directors of the Company and will assume charge from 1st June 2015.
13. Indian researcher Minoti Apate has been named as New South Wales (NSW) Woman of the year 2015.
Apate was named for the award for her contributions to the field of medical research, Indian community and the tertiary education.
14. Haryana Government has passed Haryana Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Bill, 2015 that bans cow slaughter. It was unanimously passed in budget session of state with voice vote.
15. Veteran singer and music composer Bombay S. Kamal passed away on 17 March 2015 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala at the age of 85. He was suffering from respiratory ailments.
16. Facebook has acquired the shopping search engine TheFind. With the acquisition, the social networking giant Facebook has signaled its future plans to move into the e-commerce.
17. Wipro, India’s third-largest software services firm has appointed Abid Ali Neemuchwala as the Group President and Chief Operating Officer (COO). This appointment will be effective from 1 April 2015.
18. Services on 15 March 2015 have won 69th Santosh Trophy football title 2014-15. In the final match Services defeated host Punjab by score of 5-4 at Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana, Punjab.
19. India on 15 March 2015 has won FIH Women’s Hockey World League Round Two competition title.
In the final match played at Major Dhyan Chan stadium in New Delhi, Indian women team defeated Poland team by score of 3-1 goals.
20. India’s ace shuttler Kidambi Srikanth on 15 March 2015 won badminton’s prestigious $120,000 Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold title in Men’s singles category.
21. Noted Gandhian Narayan Desai on 15 March 2015 passed away in Surat, Gujarat. He was 90.
He is son of Mahatma Gandhi’s personal secretary and biographer Mahadev Desai.
22. Lia van Leer, pioneer of Israeli cinema passed away on 13 March 2015 in Jerusalem, Israel. She was 90.
23. Union Government has merged Green India Mission (GIM) with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) Scheme.
By merging GIM with MGNREGA Scheme government seeks to increase 10 million hectares of forest cover.
Key facts
National Mission for a Green India aims for afforestation at 10 million hectares of land over the next decade in order to increase and improve the country’s forest cover. It also aims at improving ecosystems services, forest based livelihood income of about three million households and to enhance annual CO2 sequestration.
At present under MGNREGA Scheme green works such as water harvesting, afforestation and farm forestry are undertaken which are implemented by Union Ministry of Rural Development.
Government will also use modern technology like remote sensing to monitor the progress of this initiative regularly.
Union Government also has set out convergence guidelines in this regard after consulting both Ministry of Environment & Forest (MoEF) and Rural Development Ministries.
Convergence guidelines includes
All lands including community lands, village common lands, revenue wastelands, wetlands, shifting cultivation areas, and private agricultural lands will be eligible for afforestation.
Under MGNREGA for afforestation, forest works such as pre-plantation, planting, watering and pit digging will be undertaken. Fencing, plant support and protection activities, mulching, weeding and manuring the plants will be also undertaken.
Technical advice related to the plant species suitable for area and to raise nurseries will be provided by State Forest Development Agencies (SFDA).
SFDA will also deliver information related to plant material to each gram panchayat before July each year meeting the cost from MGNREGA funds.
24. Powerful cyclone Pam on 14 March 2015 slammed the south Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu. The cyclone Pam is category five tropical storm and has brought destructive 270 kilometre-per-hour winds and torrential rain along with it after it had changed its course in westward direction.
25. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has spotted massive saltwater ocean under the icy crust of Jupiter’s largest moon Ganymede.
Scientists believe that this finding could potentially support life. Hubble Space Telescope’s finding was published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics.
The finding was based on the results obtained after analyzing Ganymede’s magnetic field and aurorae created and controlled by it and its interaction with Jupiter’s magnetic field.
Scientists estimate that
This ocean is 100 kms thick.
10 times deeper than Earth’s oceans.
It is buried under a 150-kilometre crust of mostly ice.
In 1970s, for first time scientists had suggested that ocean is present inside Ganymede based on its models. NASA’s Galileo mission also had provided first evidence of ocean in Ganymede after measuring its magnetic field in 2002.
26. A historic bronze statue of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled at the Parliament Square in London. It was unveiled jointly by British Prime Minister David Cameron and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
27. Union Government has selected legendary boxer and five-time world boxing champion MC Mary Kom as Brand Ambassador for the North East Region.
It was announced by Union Minister of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh at a two-day business summit in New Delhi.
MC Mary Kom was selected to showcase the potential of the North East region which can offer Rs. 2.4 trillion business opportunities across various sectors.
28. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 14 March 2015 flagged off the first train from Thalaimannar to Madhu Road in North Sri Lanka.
It marks the completion and restoration of the prestigious project of Indian Railways to restore the North-South Rail link of Sri Lanka after decades of civil war. The North-South Rail link was completely destroyed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) militants during the civil war in 1980s.
Key facts
The rail project connects the Sri Lanka’s Jaffna province to capital Colombo and a branch line connects Thalaimannar to the main rail line.
The project has been implemented by Indian Railway Construction Company Limited (IRCON) International, a subsidiary of Indian Railways.
Indian Government had provided line of credit to this project as part of India’s bid to establish better connectivity between SAARC nations.
This project will also play significant role in establishing connectivity between both nations as ferry service soon will be started from north-western Sri Lankan town of Talaimannar (the closest point to India) and Rameshwaram.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Anuradhapura shrine
Prior to inaugurating this rail service, Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at the sacred Bodhi tree in Anuradhapura shrine.
This is first time that an Indian Prime Minister is visiting Anuradhapura.
The sacred Bodhi tree at Anuradhapura shrine was planted as a sapling of the original Bodhi tree, under which Lord Gautam Buddha had achieved enlightenment.
It was planted 2000 years ago in Anuradhapura shrine which is considered as one of the most sacred places in Buddhism.
29. Pakistan successfully tested its first indigenously built all-weather armed drone named Burraq and a laser guided missile named Barq.
By successfully testing of Burraq, Pakistan became the 9th country in the World to develop an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) domestically.
30. Former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed was sentenced to 13-year imprisonment by country’s criminal court under the anti-terrorism laws.
31. Japan and France have signed an arms transfer agreement for military equipment, services and technology.
32. Law Commission of India in its 255th report on electoral reform has pitched for stronger Election Commission of India (ECI).
The report was submitted to Ministry of Law and Justice by Law Commission Chairman Justice A P Shah.
33. India’s Dr. Alka Beotra has been nominated as a member of the World Association of Anti-Doping Scientists’ (WAADS) executive board.
34. India and Sri Lanka on 13 March 2015 signed four agreements. These agreements were signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s maiden visit to the island nation as part of three-nation of Indian Ocean tour of Mauritius, Seychelles and Sri Lanka.
The four agreements signed are
Agreement on visa.
Agreement on customs.
Agreement on youth development.
Agreement on building memorial of Rabindranath Tagore in Sri Lanka.
35. The mass nesting of Olive Ridley sea turtles, an endangered species has begun at mouth of river Rushikulya in Ganjam district of Odisha. Over 10,000 female turtles have laid eggs on the first day, in the 3-km-long sandy beach from Gokharakuda to Podampeta.
36. The third edition of Indian Panorama Film Festival has begun in Shillong, Meghalaya. The three day festival was inaugurated by Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Dr. Mukul Sangma.
37. Union Government has launched Pharma Jan Samadhan scheme, for redressal of grievances of consumers related to drug pricing and availability of medicines.
It was launched by Union Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister Ananth Kumar in New Delhi.
About Pharma Jan Samadhan scheme
The scheme is a web-enabled system created by National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA).
It seeks to serve as a robust E-governance tool for protection of interests of consumers through effective implementation of the price of drugs.
38. Defending champion Karnataka on 12 March 2015 won Ranji Trophy for season 2014-2015.
Karnataka defeated Tamil Nadu by an innings and 217 runs in the final day of match played at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. With this victory, Karnataka clinched eight Ranji title.
The man of the match was Karnataka’s Karun Nair who had scored 338 runs. The captain of Karnataka team was R Vinay Kumar and of Tamil Nadu team was Abhinav Mukund.
39. Defending champion Karnataka on 12 March 2015 won Ranji Trophy for season 2014-2015.
Karnataka defeated Tamil Nadu by an innings and 217 runs in the final day of match played at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. With this victory, Karnataka clinched eight Ranji title.
The man of the match was Karnataka’s Karun Nair who had scored 338 runs. The captain of Karnataka team was R Vinay Kumar and of Tamil Nadu team was Abhinav Mukund.
40. Congress legislator and deputy speaker N Shakthan was elected as the new speaker of the Kerala Assembly on 12 March 2015.
41. India and Mauritius have inked 5 Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) to give new impetus to bilateral co-operation.
These MoUs were signed in Port Luis, Mauritius during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to island nation as part of three-nation tour of Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka for cementing strategic partnership with these island courtiers.
Following MoUs were signed
MoU in the field of Ocean Economy-
It will provide an extensive framework for cooperation in the field of Ocean Economy between two countries for sustainable development in the Indian Ocean Region.
It includes mutually beneficial cooperation for exploration and capacity development in the field of marine resources, green tourism, fisheries, research and development of ocean technology, exchange of experts and other related activities.
Programme for Cultural Cooperation between both nations for the year 2015-18
The programme will provide enhanced bilateral cooperation between both nations in this field for the term 2015-2018. It will enhance people-to-people participation between the two countries
The programme envisages exchange of cultural troupes, organization of cultural exhibitions, preservation of cultural heritage, training in fine arts, promotion of Indian languages, exchange of students, etc.
Protocol between both countries for the importation of fresh mango from India
The aim of this Protocol is to facilitate Mauritius with importation of world-renowned Indian mangoes. This protocol is between India’s Union Department of Agriculture and Cooperation and Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security of Mauritius.
MoU for the Improvement in Air and Sea Transportation Facilities at Agalega Island of Mauritius
It provides provisions for setting up and upgradation of infrastructure for improving sea and air connectivity at Agalega Island of Mauritius and Outer Island.
These facilities will help to enhance the capabilities in safeguarding interests of the Mauritian Defence Forces in the Outer Island.
MoU on Cooperation in the field of Traditional System of Medicine and Homeopathy
It will promote cooperation in the field of traditional system of health and medicine between the both countries.
It envisages exchange of experts, joint R&D and recognition of the traditional systems of health and medicine, supply of traditional medicinal substances, in both countries.
It also aims to promote and popularization of the various Indian traditional systems of AYUSH.
42. Supreme Court has barred High Courts (HCs) from entertaining pleas under writ jurisdiction against the verdicts of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) in disputes pertaining to Armed forces. SC ruling also set aside the order of Delhi High Court which had allowed the writ petition against army personnel.
43. Union Government has appointed 9 Executive Directors (EDs) in Public Sector Banks (PSBs).
Their appointment was approved by Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on recommendation of selection panel headed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan.
Following 9 Executive Directors (ED) of PSBs were appointed
K. Sahoo- ED of Allahabad Bank.
Pawan Kumar Bajaj- ED of Indian Overseas Bank.
Ravi Shankar Pandey- ED of Syndicate Bank.
Kishore Piraji Kharat- ED of Union Bank of India.
C.Lodha- ED of Central Bank of India.
Charan Singh- ED of UCO Bank
Venkata Rama Moorthy- ED of Bank of Baroda.
P. Marathe- ED of Bank of India.
Harideesh Kumar B- ED of Canara Bank.
44. Indian Railways on 11 March 2015 inked an MoU with Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) to raise Rs 1.5 lakh crore for financing the development of its various commercially viable infrastructure projects.
The MoU was signed by Financial Commissioner (Railways) Rajalakshmi Ravikumar and LIC Chairman SK Roy in presence of Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and the Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu.
45. Parliament has passed the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2015. It was first passed in Lok Sabha on 3 March 2015 and later in the Rajya Sabha on 11 March 2015.
The Bill seeks to amend the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and replace the ordinance promulgated in this regard. The ordinance was promulgated in January 2015 after the bill was not able to pass in the winter session of Parliament.
46. Union government has announced that India’s literacy rate has risen to 72.98%. It was informed by Union Minister Human Resource Development (HRD) Smriti Irani while replying to the supplementaries in the Lok Sabha.
47. Sri Lankan cricketer Kumar Sangakkara became first batsman to score four consecutive one-day international (ODI) centuries in a Cricket World Cup.
He achieved this feat by hitting 4th century by scoring 124 runs in a match against Scotland in the Pool A of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Hobart, New Zealand.
48. Delhi High Court in its ruling has held that Attorney General of India comes under the ambit of Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005.
This ruling reversed the previous decision of the Central Information Commission (CIC) which had held that Attorney General does not come under RTI Act.
49. Union Government has announced that 5 sick public sector undertakings (PSUs) will be closed.
It was announced by Union Heavy Industries Minister Anant Geete while replying to a question in the Lok Sabha. The 5 sick PSU that will be closed include HMT and its three units, Hindustan Shipyard. Government also announced that while closing these PSUs, their employees will be provided with very good VRS package.
In the reply, the Minister also announced that there are total 65 units in the list of sick PSUs as of March 31, 2014.
Government also has declared Air India and MTNL as sick PSU units as per the criteria after they have incurred losses worth 50 per cent or more of their average net worth during past four years.
According to the loss figures tabled in Lok Sabha
Air India has accumulated losses of Rs 5,388 crore in 2013-14. Rs 5,490 crore in 2012-13 and Rs 7,559 crore in 2011-12 respectively.
MTNL had showed profit of Rs 7,820 crore in year 2013-14. But in the previous years it has incurred losses of 5,321 crore rupees and 4,109 crore rupees.
Hindustan Shipyard has reported losses of Rs 859 crore, Rs 551 crore and Rs 462 crore in past 3 years.
50. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Seychelles as part of three-nation tour for cementing strategic partnership with island courtiers of Seychelles, Maldives and Sri Lanka.
Narendra Modi is first Prime Minister to visit Seychelles in 34 years. Previously, late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had visited the country in 1981.
Key facts
Both nations agreed to set up joint working group to promote ocean based economy i.e. on Blue Economy. In this regard, India committed to provide all help to Seychelles.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced free visa on arrival (VoA) and free visas for three months facility to the citizens of Seychelles.
Four agreements and MoUs were signed between both the countries. They were signed in the fields of renewable energy, hydro graphic survey, electronics navigation and infrastructure development at the island of Seychelles.
These agreements and MoU’s were signed by Secretary (West) Navtej Sarna from Indian side in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of Seychelles James Alix Michel.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also inaugurated a Coastal Surveillance Radar system (SSRS). The surveillance system has set up in Seychelles with the help of India.
India also announced to provide 2nd dossier aircraft to the island nation to enhance maritime security.
51.Lok Sabha has passed The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015. The bill was passed by voice vote along with incorporated 9 new amendments moved by Union government.
The amendment bill replaces the ordinance promulgated in this regard and seeks to amend the RFCTLARR Act, 2013.
Key provisions of Amendment Bill
The Bill creates five special categories of land use. They are 1. Rural infrastructure, 2. Affordable housing, 3. Defence, 4. Industrial corridors, 5. Infrastructure projects including Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects where the Union government owns the land.
Removes the Consent Clause (CC) of 80 per cent of land owners for private projects and that of 70 per cent of land owners for PPP projects in case of acquiring land for above five categories from parent Act.
Removes of Social Impact Assessment (SIA) clause for 5 categories from parent Act which is done to identify those affected and from the restrictions on the acquisition of irrigated multi-cropped land.
The provisions for compensation, rehabilitation, and resettlement under 13 central Acts are in consonance with the LARR Act.
9 new incorporated amendments are
Social infrastructure removed from an exempted category.
Land cannot be acquired industrial corridor above 1 km on both sides railway line or Highways.
Government must ensure that land acquired is bare minimum required for the project before issuing acquiring notification.
Survey must be conducted by appropriate government incase of wasteland including arid land and maintain a record.
Land acquired for private hospitals, educational institutions will be not considered for public purpose.
At least 1 member of affected family of a farm labourer will be compulsory employed.
Hearings will be carried out by Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation Authority in district where acquisition takes place.
Court can take cognizance of offence under CrPC.
52. World’s first solar powered aircraft on global journey- Solar Impulse 2 successfully landed in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
The aircraft was piloted by Swiss pilots Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg from its first halt Muscat, Oman.
53. Senior Congress leader and Former Union Minister Mr. M. Veerappa Moily will receive the Saraswati Samman 2014 for his Kannada poem ‘Ramayana Mahanveshanam’.
The award would make Mr. M. Veerappa Moily the second Kannada author to receive the honour after S. L. Bhyrappa (2010).
54. 8th edition of India-Nepal Combined Exercise Surya Kiran VIII concluded on 8 March 2015 at Salijhandi in Nepal.
The exercise was carried out under the aegis of Nepalese Army and had started on February 23, 2015.
14-day-long Surya Kiran VIII exercise aimed at
Creating a greater understanding between Indian Army & Nepalese Army.
Working together in Jungle Warfare and Counter Terrorism operations in mountainous terrain.
It also Focused on basics of disaster management in the field of pandemic/ epidemic control and aviation aspects.
Surya Kiran VIII exercise provided an ideal and single platform for armies of the two countries to share their experiences on terrorist operations and counter insurgency especially in mountainous and jungle terrain.
In the exercise, troops of both countries carried out a search and destroy mission in the general area of Saljhandi which was culminated in a 48 hours consolidation and validation exercise.
55. Maharashtra government has launched Bhagyashree scheme for girls. The scheme replaces state government’s previous Sukanya scheme.
Bhagyashree scheme was launched by was launched by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis along with the actress Bhagyashree who is brand ambassador of the scheme.
56. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9 March 2015 launched the first indigenously developed and manufactured Rotavirus vaccine- Rotavac.
57. Pakistan on 9 March 2015 successfully conducted the first test of surface-to-surface Shaheen-III ballistic missile off the Arabian Sea.
The missile, also called White Falcon-III in English has been developed by Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) and NESCOM along with its subsidiary NDC.
58. Kerala Tourism has won silver prize in the prestigious Golden Gate Award at the Internationale Tourismus-Börse Berlin (ITB-Berlin) – 2015.
Kerala Tourism received the prize in the category of mulimedia-campaign for its global multimedia ‘The Great Backwaters campaign’ in the television-commercial medium.
59. Haryana Government on the eve of International Women’s Day i.e. 8 March launched ‘Aapki Beti Humari Beti’ Scheme. It was launched by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar at Panchkula district of state.
60. Union Government has released ‘Digital Gender Atlas for Advancing Girls Education’ a web-based tool for advancing girls education.
It was unveiled by the Department of School Education and Literacy in the Union Ministry of Human Resources Development (HRD) in New Delhi.
61. Carolina Marin Martin of Spain has won the prestigious Women’s Singles Title in the All England Open Badminton Championships 2015.
In the final match she defeated India’s Saina Nehwal by score of 14-21, 21-16, 21-7. With this victory, Carolina Marin became the first Spanish player to win this prestigious title.
62. Former Sri Lankan cricket captain and ace batsman Kumar Sangakkara on 8 March 2015 announced that he will retire from Test cricket after playing three-match series against India in August 2015.
63. President of India Mr. Pranab Mukherjee on 8 March 2015, awarded Stree Shakti Puraskar 2014 to six illustrious women on International Women’s Day for their distinguished services for the upliftment of women.
64. Senior Journalist and Outlook Group’s editorial chairman Vinod Mehta passed away on 8 March 2015 at the age of 72.
He was one of the India’s most influential editors, fine journalist & writer.
65. Islamic State (IS) militants have destroyed the ruins at the ancient city of Hatra located in south-west of Mosul in Northern Iraq.
66. NASA’s Dawn space probe has completed its orbit around dwarf planet Ceres which is the largest object in the Solar System between Mars and Jupiter.
With the completion of orbit, Dawn probe has become first spacecraft to visit dwarf planet.
67. Walmart India has appointed Ashwin Mittal as the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
He will replace incumbent CFO Jill Anderson as he will be soon repatriated back to Walmart in US.
68. Senior Congress leader and Kerala Assembly Speaker G Karthikeyan passed away in Bangalore, Karnataka. He was 66.
Karthikeyan died while he was undergoing treatment in Bangalore after he was diagnosed with liver cancer.
69. National Payments Corporation (NPCI) has successfully linked 15 crore Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) accounts with the Aadhaar numbers.
With this achievement NPCI has moved a step closer to map its target of linking all 17 crore DBT accounts with Aadhaar numbers by 30 June 2015.
70. The European Union (EU) has formally adopted climate change targets for December 2015 UNFCCC Paris Conference. Adopted climate change target includes a 40 per cent cut in emissions by 2030.
These targets were agreed by leaders of the 28 EU member-states at a summit in October 2014 but now have been officially forwarded to the United Nations.
EU announcement comes prior to the deadline of March 31, 2015 as it is binding on countries to announce their commitment to cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
EU countries when taken together form the world’s biggest economy and accounts for nine per cent of global emissions of greenhouse gases. EU has agreed to cut the greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 per cent compared to 1990 levels.
United States also has formally announced its intention to reduce emissions by 26-28 per cent in 2025 compared with their level in 2005. It should be noted that US accounts for 12 per cent of global greenhouse gases emissions.
While, China has set a target date of 2030 for its global greenhouse gases emissions to reach peak.
71. Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated two units each of 600 Mega Watt (MW) capacity in Shree Singaji Thermal Power Project in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh.Shree Singaji Thermal Power Plant is a coal-fired project. It is owned and developed by Madhya Pradesh Power Generation Company Limited (MPPGCL).
72. Sri Lanka’s newly elected government on 5 March 2015 temporarily suspended constriction work of China’s ambitious port city project in Colombo with immediate effect.
The decision was taken in Cabinet meeting chaired by Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe based upon the Interim Report submitted by a cabinet sub-committee.
The committee was appointed by the Sri Lankan Government to review the project. The Interim Report had alleged that this mega real estate deal with China was signed
Without cabinet approval.
Without following procedures.
Implemented without relevant approvals from the concerned institutions.
73. Nepal and India on 5 March 2015 launched a direct bus service linking cultural cities Kathmandu and Varanasi.
Kathmandu-Varanasi-Kathmandu bus service was launched under the ambit of Motor Vehicle Agreement between India and Nepal signed during 18th SAARC Summit.
74. Sunil Sabharwal, an independent Indian-American investor has been re-nominated as Alternate Executive Director at International Monetary Fund (IMF).
75. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has given its nod to extend the PDS Kerosene and Domestic LPG Subsidy Scheme, 2002 for a period of one year that is up to 31st March, 2015. This decision was taken by CCEA meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
76. Anil Ambani-led Reliance Infrastructure has acquired Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering in an all-cash deal.
The acquisition will be done by Reliance Infrastructure, along with its wholly owned subsidiary Reliance Defence Systems Pvt Ltd.
As part of deal
Reliance Infra will first invest Rs 819 crore to acquire 17.66 per cent stake from the promoters and subsequently an additional 26 per cent stake at Rs 1,266 crore.
While, Anil Ambani will take over as chairman of Pipavav Defence with full management control.
77. India and Spain have signed an agreement on Mutual Protection of Classified Information. This agreement provides the framework for enhanced cooperation in the defence sector between both countries.
78. Maharashtra government has scrapped 5 per cent job quota for Muslims in the state.
In this regard Devendra Fadnavis led BJP-Shiv Sena government has released a Government Resolution (GR). The GR also states that an ordinance to provide 5 per cent job quota had lapsed on December 2014.