General Affairs
Bombay High Court Seeks Maharashtra Government Stand On Plea Against Shivaji Memorial
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The Bombay High Court today sought the the Maharashtra government's stand on a plea against the proposed Rs. 3,600 crore Shivaji memorial in the Arabian Sea.
A bench of Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice GS Kulkarani asked the government to file an affidavit within three weeks detailing its stand on the plea against the government's plan to build a 192-metre high statue of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the Arabian Sea.
"The affidavit should respond to every contention raised in the petition, including the funds," the bench said.
The plea filed by one Mohan Binde, a charted accountant has challenged the construction of the memorial contending that government's decision to spend Rs. 3,600 crore on the project is "illogical and uncalled for."
Mr Binde's lawyer Ketan Parekh argued before the bench that the government should spend money towards other important issues first.
The petition pleaded to the court to "scrap, cancel, set aside and quash the project."
"The proposed budget for the said project is about Rs. 3,600 crore. Merely for inaugurating the opening ceremony, the state government spent Rs. 77 crore," the petition said.
"All this expenditure at a time when the government is itself facing financial crunch is unnecessary. Last year the government declared drought in over 25,000 villages," it said adding that the government should first focus on addressing these issues.
"The public at large is not concerned with building of such memorials. The public expects the state to provide a better standard of living and better public amenities, which is the priority of the day," the petition said.
The plea further said if the political parties want to create a memorial for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, they should first take steps towards maintaining the forts built by the Maratha warrior king and his descendants across the state.
"Many of these forts are in a dilapidated condition and the government has not taken any measures to renovate them," the plea alleged.
A bench of Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice GS Kulkarani asked the government to file an affidavit within three weeks detailing its stand on the plea against the government's plan to build a 192-metre high statue of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the Arabian Sea.
"The affidavit should respond to every contention raised in the petition, including the funds," the bench said.
Mr Binde's lawyer Ketan Parekh argued before the bench that the government should spend money towards other important issues first.
The petition pleaded to the court to "scrap, cancel, set aside and quash the project."
"The proposed budget for the said project is about Rs. 3,600 crore. Merely for inaugurating the opening ceremony, the state government spent Rs. 77 crore," the petition said.
"All this expenditure at a time when the government is itself facing financial crunch is unnecessary. Last year the government declared drought in over 25,000 villages," it said adding that the government should first focus on addressing these issues.
"The public at large is not concerned with building of such memorials. The public expects the state to provide a better standard of living and better public amenities, which is the priority of the day," the petition said.
The plea further said if the political parties want to create a memorial for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, they should first take steps towards maintaining the forts built by the Maratha warrior king and his descendants across the state.
"Many of these forts are in a dilapidated condition and the government has not taken any measures to renovate them," the plea alleged.
Avalanche Buries Army Post In Ladakh, 2 Soldiers Rescued, 3 Missing
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The unprecedented April snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir has triggered multiple avalanches, in which an army picket in Batalik sector in Ladakh got buried this afternoon. Five soldiers, who were deployed at the post, had got buried in the snow. Two of them have been rescued. A search is on for the three others, tweeted the Army's Northern Command.
Specially trained and equipped avalanche rescue teams have been employed, the Northern Command said. Avalanche warnings were issued earlier today for parts of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh by the Chandigarh-based Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment. A part of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the SASE had said a high-danger avalanche warning was in place for Kargil in Jammu and Kashmir.
"A medium-danger avalanche warning is in place in slopes and areas of Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir," it said. The warning has been issued for the next 24 hours.
Jammu and Kashmir has received fresh snowfall, rare in the month of April. The residents of Srinagar had woken up to a white blanket across the city.
The administration has issued a flood alert in the Valley after the Jhelum river started flowing above the danger mark. Many low-lying areas have been flooded and there are concerns about the by-elections in Srinagar and Anantnag parliamentary constituencies, slated to be held on April 9 and 12.
A senior official of the Irrigation and Flood control Department, Mohammad Hanif Lone that the "Water level at Ram Munhsi Bagh in Srinagar has crossed 19 ft. 18.3 ft is the limit after which flood is declared".
Schools have been closed for five days and people living near the river banks have been asked to remain alert. The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was closed this morning due to landslides.
Specially trained and equipped avalanche rescue teams have been employed, the Northern Command said. Avalanche warnings were issued earlier today for parts of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh by the Chandigarh-based Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment. A part of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the SASE had said a high-danger avalanche warning was in place for Kargil in Jammu and Kashmir.
"A medium-danger avalanche warning is in place in slopes and areas of Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir," it said. The warning has been issued for the next 24 hours.
The administration has issued a flood alert in the Valley after the Jhelum river started flowing above the danger mark. Many low-lying areas have been flooded and there are concerns about the by-elections in Srinagar and Anantnag parliamentary constituencies, slated to be held on April 9 and 12.
A senior official of the Irrigation and Flood control Department, Mohammad Hanif Lone that the "Water level at Ram Munhsi Bagh in Srinagar has crossed 19 ft. 18.3 ft is the limit after which flood is declared".
Schools have been closed for five days and people living near the river banks have been asked to remain alert. The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was closed this morning due to landslides.
Schooling Now Means 'Just Come, Eat, Go', Says Minister Prakash Javadekar
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Mid-day meal was introduced for school students to check drop-out rates and provide children from economically weaker sections with nourishment. But now schooling appears to have become more about food and less about education, Union Minister for Human Resources Development Prakash Javadekar said today amid a controversy about tying up mid-day meals with Aadhaar number. His ministry, he said, is now planning a bill which would allow the detention of students who do not reach a minimum level of learning at Classes V and VIII.
Many schools have become mid-day meal schools and students are not failed or detained in a particular class since the passage of the Right to Education law, the minister told members in Rajya Sabha during Question Hour. "These schools were reduced to coming, eating and going," Mr Javadekar added.
The states, the minister said, are demanding a change in the current no-detention policy. It is a serious problem that a child of Class VI is unable to read a lesson meant for a student of Class II or a student of Class VII is unable to solve the mathematics question for Class III, Mr Javadekar said.
He said his ministry has taken up the situation as a challenge and now "Learning Outcomes" for all classes have been brought in. To improve quality of education, it has been decided that states which take steps to improve standards, will get additional funds under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, the minister added.
The ministry of Mr Javadekar - who was said to be handpicked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to replace Smriti Irani - has taken up the cause of improving the slipping standard of education. Earlier this year, the ministry made Class 10 board exams compulsory for students of the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) and then introduced a "uniform pattern" of exams and evaluation from Class 6. The measures, Mr Javadekar said, were taken following demand from both parents and teachers.
Mid-day meal has been made a legal entitlement by a 2001 order of the Supreme Court and reports of the government's making Aadhaar mandatory for it had triggered concerns from activists and protests from opposition.
Many schools have become mid-day meal schools and students are not failed or detained in a particular class since the passage of the Right to Education law, the minister told members in Rajya Sabha during Question Hour. "These schools were reduced to coming, eating and going," Mr Javadekar added.
The ministry of Mr Javadekar - who was said to be handpicked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to replace Smriti Irani - has taken up the cause of improving the slipping standard of education. Earlier this year, the ministry made Class 10 board exams compulsory for students of the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) and then introduced a "uniform pattern" of exams and evaluation from Class 6. The measures, Mr Javadekar said, were taken following demand from both parents and teachers.
Mid-day meal has been made a legal entitlement by a 2001 order of the Supreme Court and reports of the government's making Aadhaar mandatory for it had triggered concerns from activists and protests from opposition.
Google.org Awards $8.4 Million Grant To 4 Indian NGOs To Boost Classroom Experience For Students
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Google's philanthropic arm Google.org on Thursday announced grants of $8.4 million to four Indian NGOs over the next two years to expand their efforts to enhance the learning experience for students in the classroom.
These grants are part of a global $50 million commitment that aims to help non-profits apply tech-based learning solutions.
The recipients of the grants include Learning Equality, Million Sparks Foundation, Pratham Books StoryWeaver and Pratham Education Foundation.
"Our approach is to find the most promising non-profits and put the best of Google to work and help them close this gap," Rajan Anandan, vice-president South-East Asia and India, Google told reporters here.
In the National Policy of Education report 2016, poor learning outcomes have been attributed to serious gaps in teacher motivation and training. Lack of access to relevant educational material, tools and aides that enhance the classroom experience are some of the other areas that must be addressed.
"We believe technology can help bridge the gap, it can get more books to students, more lesson plans to teachers, and classrooms to kids who can't get there themselves," said Nick Cain, Programme Manager, Education, Google.org.
The education grants in India will focus on quality learning materials, providing better training and support to teachers and supporting students beyond classroom learning.
Over the past 5 years, Google.org has given more than $110 million to help close gaps in education. In 2015, Google threw its weight behind three NGOs in India, announcing support in the form of $500,000 in grants, to promote child safety in India.
These grants are part of a global $50 million commitment that aims to help non-profits apply tech-based learning solutions.
The recipients of the grants include Learning Equality, Million Sparks Foundation, Pratham Books StoryWeaver and Pratham Education Foundation.
"We believe technology can help bridge the gap, it can get more books to students, more lesson plans to teachers, and classrooms to kids who can't get there themselves," said Nick Cain, Programme Manager, Education, Google.org.
The education grants in India will focus on quality learning materials, providing better training and support to teachers and supporting students beyond classroom learning.
Over the past 5 years, Google.org has given more than $110 million to help close gaps in education. In 2015, Google threw its weight behind three NGOs in India, announcing support in the form of $500,000 in grants, to promote child safety in India.
India Will Become Permanent Member Of UN Security Council: Sushma Swaraj
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Expressing confidence that India would become a permanent member of the UN Security Council, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today said the country expected that the new members would have the same rights, including the veto power, as the existing permanent members.
During the Question Hour in Rajya Sabha, Ms Swaraj said India has all the credentials to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council and four permanent members, US, UK, France and Russia have all extended support. The fifth member, China, has also "not publicly opposed it", the External Affairs minister said. "I am confident that if not this time, then next time, India would become a permanent member of the UN Security Council," she said.
To a question whether India would also get the 'veto' power, Ms Swaraj said the country wants the same responsibilities, prerogatives as well as obligations as the current permanent members.
"We don't want any discrimination between old and new members. We don't want two classes - that there is a first class and a second class of permanent members. This should make it clear that India wants the same responsibilities, prerogatives and obligations as the current permanent members," she said.
She also said India has been making diplomatic efforts to ensure not only expansion, but also reform in the Security Council. She said India wanted expansion of its permanent as well as non-permanent membership of the council.
In her reply tabled in the House, Ms Swaraj said on the issue of extending veto powers to new permanent members in their submission during the inter-governmental negotiation process of the 69th General Assembly, USA and UK opposed extension of veto to new members.
France supported the extension while Russia and China did not make any submission on the issue, she said.
She said discussions were currently on in the UN General Assembly through inter-governmental negotiation and India and other pro-reform groupings have been calling commencement of text based negotiations.
During the Question Hour in Rajya Sabha, Ms Swaraj said India has all the credentials to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council and four permanent members, US, UK, France and Russia have all extended support. The fifth member, China, has also "not publicly opposed it", the External Affairs minister said. "I am confident that if not this time, then next time, India would become a permanent member of the UN Security Council," she said.
"We don't want any discrimination between old and new members. We don't want two classes - that there is a first class and a second class of permanent members. This should make it clear that India wants the same responsibilities, prerogatives and obligations as the current permanent members," she said.
She also said India has been making diplomatic efforts to ensure not only expansion, but also reform in the Security Council. She said India wanted expansion of its permanent as well as non-permanent membership of the council.
In her reply tabled in the House, Ms Swaraj said on the issue of extending veto powers to new permanent members in their submission during the inter-governmental negotiation process of the 69th General Assembly, USA and UK opposed extension of veto to new members.
France supported the extension while Russia and China did not make any submission on the issue, she said.
She said discussions were currently on in the UN General Assembly through inter-governmental negotiation and India and other pro-reform groupings have been calling commencement of text based negotiations.
Business Affairs
Rajya Sabha passes GST bill without amendments
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The Rajya Sabha today passed the historic Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill without any amendments. The Lok Sabha had passed four key GST Bills on March 29 while rejecting amendments moved by the opposition.
The Central GST Bill, 2017; The Integrated GST Bill, 2017; The GST (Compensation to States) Bill, 2017; and The Union Territory GST Bill, 2017 were passed after negation of a host of amendments moved by the opposition parties.
The GST is one of the most significant reforms since India opened its economy in the early 1990s that will harmonise a mosaic of state and central levies into a national sales tax.
Earlier on Wednesday, it was reported that the Congress was not inclined to move any amendments to the GST enabling bills in the Rajya Sabha before they are returned to the Lok Sabha. The Congress' top leadership discussed the issue at length and decided not to press or move any amendments in the four GST enabling bills.
It has been 14 years since the GST was first mooted, but forging a political consensus has been a bruising process, as the measure would curb the powers of Indian states. Now, state assemblies must approve a fifth bill before the new tax system can be rolled out.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has set July 1 as the launch date of GST. However, authorities have to still cover some ground before the tax comes into effect.
For example, a panel of central and state finance chiefs has agreed for tax rates, ranging from 5 to 28 percent, it has yet to decide which rates will apply to which categories of goods. Earlier, Jaitley told lawmakers in the Rajya Sabha the panel would finalise the rates for various categories of goods next month.
GST will subsume a host of indirect taxes levied by the Centre and states, including excise duty, VAT, service tax, entry, luxury and entertainment levies.
The government is set to roll out the GST from July 1. "We are ready for implementing it from July . The law is ready , the rules have been finalised and are in public domain and our IT infrastructure is ready," a Times of India report quoted Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia as saying.
The Rajya Sabha today passed the historic Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill without any amendments. The Lok Sabha had passed four key GST Bills on March 29 while rejecting amendments moved by the opposition.
The Central GST Bill, 2017; The Integrated GST Bill, 2017; The GST (Compensation to States) Bill, 2017; and The Union Territory GST Bill, 2017 were passed after negation of a host of amendments moved by the opposition parties.
The GST is one of the most significant reforms since India opened its economy in the early 1990s that will harmonise a mosaic of state and central levies into a national sales tax.
Earlier on Wednesday, it was reported that the Congress was not inclined to move any amendments to the GST enabling bills in the Rajya Sabha before they are returned to the Lok Sabha. The Congress' top leadership discussed the issue at length and decided not to press or move any amendments in the four GST enabling bills.
It has been 14 years since the GST was first mooted, but forging a political consensus has been a bruising process, as the measure would curb the powers of Indian states. Now, state assemblies must approve a fifth bill before the new tax system can be rolled out.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has set July 1 as the launch date of GST. However, authorities have to still cover some ground before the tax comes into effect.
For example, a panel of central and state finance chiefs has agreed for tax rates, ranging from 5 to 28 percent, it has yet to decide which rates will apply to which categories of goods. Earlier, Jaitley told lawmakers in the Rajya Sabha the panel would finalise the rates for various categories of goods next month.
GST will subsume a host of indirect taxes levied by the Centre and states, including excise duty, VAT, service tax, entry, luxury and entertainment levies.
The government is set to roll out the GST from July 1. "We are ready for implementing it from July . The law is ready , the rules have been finalised and are in public domain and our IT infrastructure is ready," a Times of India report quoted Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia as saying.
RBI monetary policy: Why apex bank kept repo rate unchanged
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The Reserve Bank of India kept repo rate unchanged and hiked reverse repo by 25 basis points to 6%. The bank announced its first bi-monthly monetary policy statement for 2017-18 today. The apex bank in the past three policy meets has surprised all with its decisions.
In October, the monetary policy committee (MPC) unexpectedly cut rates and then it held them in December when markets were betting on an easing move.
In February, the committee again surprised by holding rates and switching to a "neutral" stance from "accommodative" - a move that made bond yields spike. All decisions were taken by a unanimous 6-0 vote, adding to the surprise.
In today's policy too, the bank maintained its "neutral" stance which it adopted on February 8, 2017.
A neutral stance means the bank is neither willing to step up money supply in the economy nor it intends to cut the same to curb growth.
An accommodative stance signals that the bank is willing to ease interest rates to raise money supply in the economy to ward of slowdown fears.
Here's why the RBI took a neutral approach and maintained status quo in today's policy meet.
Inflation concerns
Retail or consumer price inflation rose to 3.65 per cent in February against 3.1 per cent in January.
Even though prices rose, they are well under the comfort zone of the RBI which "set a target of consumer price index or CPI inflation at 5 per cent by Q4 of 2016-17 and the medium-term target of 4 per cent within a band of plus or minus 2 per cent, while supporting growth."
Headline or wholesale inflation also rose to 6.55 per cent in February compared with 5.25 per cent in the previous month but the bank likely decided on the policy stance, considering the CPI only.
It said: "Since the February bi-monthly monetary policy statement, inflation has been quiescent. Headline CPI inflation is set to undershoot the target of 5 per cent for Q4 of 2016-17 in view of the sub-4 per cent readings for January and February. For 2017-18, inflation is projected to average 4.5 per cent in the first half of the year and 5 per cent in the second half."
Robust economic growth
Gross domestic product (GDP) growth slowed to an annual 7 per cent in October-December from 7.4 per cent in the previous quarter. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected a 6.4 percent growth rate. India's growth was higher than China's 6.8 percent for the last three months of 2016. High economic growth despite the Modi government's cash ban has surprised economists around the world and eased RBI's worries on the growth front.
"Several favourable domestic factors are expected to drive this acceleration. First, the pace of remonetisation will continue to trigger a rebound in discretionary consumer spending. Activity in cash-intensive retail trade, hotels and restaurants, transportation and unorganised segments has largely been restored. Second, significant improvement in transmission of past policy rate reductions into banks' lending rates post demonetisation should help encourage both consumption and investment demand of healthy corporations. Third, various proposals in the Union Budget should stimulate capital expenditure, rural demand, and social and physical infrastructure all of which would invigorate economic activity. Fourth, the imminent materialisation of structural reforms in the form of the roll-out of the GST, the institution of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, and the abolition of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board will boost investor confidence and bring in efficiency gains. Fifth, the upsurge in initial public offerings in the primary capital market augurs well for investment and growth, " the RBI statement said.
Hence, it did not ideally cut repo rate to stimulate growth.
NPA resolution mechanism in sight
In the February monetary policy, RBI governor Urjit Patel emphasised that that banks still have scope to cut lending rates. He reasoned that while the RBI had cut the repo rate cumulatively by 175 basis points since January 2015, banks' weighted average lending rate had come down by only about 80-95 basis points, at the most.
It has been noted that banks have not been able to transmit the effect of RBI rate cut wholly partly due to their rising NPAs since the move will hit their margins which are already under pressure due to bad loans.
As on September 30, 2016 gross NPAs of public sector banks rose to Rs 6,30,323 crore as against Rs 5,50,346 crore by June end. This represents an increase of Rs 79,977 crore on quarter on quarter basis.
But last month Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said his ministry and the Reserve Bank of India have taken a major policy decision on dealing with non-performing assets (NPAs) of banks.
The resolution being worked out with the RBI will put enough pressure on borrowers to settle dues, Jaitley added.
Small savings rate cut
The government on March 31, 2017 lowered the interest rate by 0.1 per cent on Public Provident Fund (PPF) and small savings deposits. The new rate would be effective from April 1. Since April last year, interest rates of all small saving schemes have been recalibrated on a quarterly basis.
It's a move which is aimed to make interest rates market driven and linked to the returns of government securities. It will leave more money with the banks and add to their liquidity, thus reducing possibilities of a rate hike.
Brightening Economic parameters
The bank admitted that economic activity has been on an upward trajectory and a rate cut would not have been an ideal option, injecting liquidity into the system.
"Industrial output, measured by the index of industrial production (IIP), recovered in January from a contraction in the previous month, helped by a broad-based turnaround in manufacturing as well as mining and quarrying. Capital goods production improved appreciably, although this largely reflected the waning of unfavourable base effects. Consumer non-durables continued, however, to contract for the second successive month in spite of supportive base effects. Thus, investment and rural consumption demand remain muted. The manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) remained in expansion mode in February and rose to a five-month high in March on the back of growth of new orders and output. The future output index also rose strongly on forecasts of pick-up in demand and the launch of new product lines. The 77th round of the Reserve Bank's industrial outlook survey indicates that overall business sentiment is expected to improve in Q1 of 2017-18 on the back of a sharp pick up in both domestic and external demand. Coincident indicators such as exports and non-oil non-gold imports are indicative of a brighter outlook for industry, although the sizable under-utilisation of capacity in several industries could operate as a drag on investment, " the bank statement said.
The Reserve Bank of India kept repo rate unchanged and hiked reverse repo by 25 basis points to 6%. The bank announced its first bi-monthly monetary policy statement for 2017-18 today. The apex bank in the past three policy meets has surprised all with its decisions.
In October, the monetary policy committee (MPC) unexpectedly cut rates and then it held them in December when markets were betting on an easing move.
In February, the committee again surprised by holding rates and switching to a "neutral" stance from "accommodative" - a move that made bond yields spike. All decisions were taken by a unanimous 6-0 vote, adding to the surprise.
In today's policy too, the bank maintained its "neutral" stance which it adopted on February 8, 2017.
A neutral stance means the bank is neither willing to step up money supply in the economy nor it intends to cut the same to curb growth.
An accommodative stance signals that the bank is willing to ease interest rates to raise money supply in the economy to ward of slowdown fears.
Here's why the RBI took a neutral approach and maintained status quo in today's policy meet.
Inflation concerns
Retail or consumer price inflation rose to 3.65 per cent in February against 3.1 per cent in January.
Retail or consumer price inflation rose to 3.65 per cent in February against 3.1 per cent in January.
Even though prices rose, they are well under the comfort zone of the RBI which "set a target of consumer price index or CPI inflation at 5 per cent by Q4 of 2016-17 and the medium-term target of 4 per cent within a band of plus or minus 2 per cent, while supporting growth."
Headline or wholesale inflation also rose to 6.55 per cent in February compared with 5.25 per cent in the previous month but the bank likely decided on the policy stance, considering the CPI only.
It said: "Since the February bi-monthly monetary policy statement, inflation has been quiescent. Headline CPI inflation is set to undershoot the target of 5 per cent for Q4 of 2016-17 in view of the sub-4 per cent readings for January and February. For 2017-18, inflation is projected to average 4.5 per cent in the first half of the year and 5 per cent in the second half."
Robust economic growth
Gross domestic product (GDP) growth slowed to an annual 7 per cent in October-December from 7.4 per cent in the previous quarter. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected a 6.4 percent growth rate. India's growth was higher than China's 6.8 percent for the last three months of 2016. High economic growth despite the Modi government's cash ban has surprised economists around the world and eased RBI's worries on the growth front.
Gross domestic product (GDP) growth slowed to an annual 7 per cent in October-December from 7.4 per cent in the previous quarter. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected a 6.4 percent growth rate. India's growth was higher than China's 6.8 percent for the last three months of 2016. High economic growth despite the Modi government's cash ban has surprised economists around the world and eased RBI's worries on the growth front.
"Several favourable domestic factors are expected to drive this acceleration. First, the pace of remonetisation will continue to trigger a rebound in discretionary consumer spending. Activity in cash-intensive retail trade, hotels and restaurants, transportation and unorganised segments has largely been restored. Second, significant improvement in transmission of past policy rate reductions into banks' lending rates post demonetisation should help encourage both consumption and investment demand of healthy corporations. Third, various proposals in the Union Budget should stimulate capital expenditure, rural demand, and social and physical infrastructure all of which would invigorate economic activity. Fourth, the imminent materialisation of structural reforms in the form of the roll-out of the GST, the institution of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, and the abolition of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board will boost investor confidence and bring in efficiency gains. Fifth, the upsurge in initial public offerings in the primary capital market augurs well for investment and growth, " the RBI statement said.
Hence, it did not ideally cut repo rate to stimulate growth.
NPA resolution mechanism in sight
In the February monetary policy, RBI governor Urjit Patel emphasised that that banks still have scope to cut lending rates. He reasoned that while the RBI had cut the repo rate cumulatively by 175 basis points since January 2015, banks' weighted average lending rate had come down by only about 80-95 basis points, at the most.
It has been noted that banks have not been able to transmit the effect of RBI rate cut wholly partly due to their rising NPAs since the move will hit their margins which are already under pressure due to bad loans.
As on September 30, 2016 gross NPAs of public sector banks rose to Rs 6,30,323 crore as against Rs 5,50,346 crore by June end. This represents an increase of Rs 79,977 crore on quarter on quarter basis.
But last month Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said his ministry and the Reserve Bank of India have taken a major policy decision on dealing with non-performing assets (NPAs) of banks.
The resolution being worked out with the RBI will put enough pressure on borrowers to settle dues, Jaitley added.
Small savings rate cut
The government on March 31, 2017 lowered the interest rate by 0.1 per cent on Public Provident Fund (PPF) and small savings deposits. The new rate would be effective from April 1. Since April last year, interest rates of all small saving schemes have been recalibrated on a quarterly basis.
It's a move which is aimed to make interest rates market driven and linked to the returns of government securities. It will leave more money with the banks and add to their liquidity, thus reducing possibilities of a rate hike.
Brightening Economic parameters
The bank admitted that economic activity has been on an upward trajectory and a rate cut would not have been an ideal option, injecting liquidity into the system.
"Industrial output, measured by the index of industrial production (IIP), recovered in January from a contraction in the previous month, helped by a broad-based turnaround in manufacturing as well as mining and quarrying. Capital goods production improved appreciably, although this largely reflected the waning of unfavourable base effects. Consumer non-durables continued, however, to contract for the second successive month in spite of supportive base effects. Thus, investment and rural consumption demand remain muted. The manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) remained in expansion mode in February and rose to a five-month high in March on the back of growth of new orders and output. The future output index also rose strongly on forecasts of pick-up in demand and the launch of new product lines. The 77th round of the Reserve Bank's industrial outlook survey indicates that overall business sentiment is expected to improve in Q1 of 2017-18 on the back of a sharp pick up in both domestic and external demand. Coincident indicators such as exports and non-oil non-gold imports are indicative of a brighter outlook for industry, although the sizable under-utilisation of capacity in several industries could operate as a drag on investment, " the bank statement said.
No cash transaction limit on withdrawals from banks, post office savings account
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After limiting the cash transaction limit to Rs 2 lakh a day, the Central Board of Direct Taxes has said that the limit will not be applicable on withdrawals from banks, post office saving accounts and cooperative banks.
According to the Finance Act 2017, the penalty on any cash transaction over Rs 2 lakh a day would attract a penalty of an equal amount.
In March, the government moved amendments to the Finance Bill 2017, proposing to cap cash transactions at Rs 2 lakh instead of Rs 3 lakh as provided in the Budget.
While presenting the Budget on February 1, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had proposed the cap to be Rs 3 lakh in line with the recommendations of the Supreme Court-constituted Special Investigation Team (SIT) on black money.
In an unprecedented move, the government introduced as many as 40 amendments to the Finance Bill.
Here is all you need to know about the 40 ammendments:
- While presenting the Budget on February 1, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had proposed the cap for cash transactions to be Rs 3 lakh with effect from April 1.
- Among the amendments made to the Finance Bill was a provision to cap cash transaction at Rs 2 lakh instead.
- Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia tweeted that "The penalty for a violation will be a fine equivalent to the value of the transaction."
- The government also made it mandatory to provide Aadhaar card number while filing the income tax returns.
- The decision to link the Aadhaar card to a bank account and to make it necessary for filing I-T returns was taken in May last year.
- The Aadhaar number will also be required while applying for a PAN card
- The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has said that all devices using Aadhaar authentication will have to adhere to its new encryption standards starting from June 1.
- The move has been aimed at adding another security layer as the biometric-based digital payments take centre stage.
- Last week, the Aadhaar system got a thumbs up from World Bank chief economist Paul Romer who described it as 'the most sophisticated ID programme in the world.
- The amendments made to the laws like Companies Act, Employees Provident Fund, Smuggling and Foreign Exchange Act, TRAI Act and Information Technology Act, have been carried out to increase efficiency by merging smaller functioning bodies and thereby reducing their numbers from 40 to 12
- Opposition parties like TMC, BJD and RSP protested against these changes, saying it was being done in the form of "back-door entry".
After limiting the cash transaction limit to Rs 2 lakh a day, the Central Board of Direct Taxes has said that the limit will not be applicable on withdrawals from banks, post office saving accounts and cooperative banks.
According to the Finance Act 2017, the penalty on any cash transaction over Rs 2 lakh a day would attract a penalty of an equal amount.
In March, the government moved amendments to the Finance Bill 2017, proposing to cap cash transactions at Rs 2 lakh instead of Rs 3 lakh as provided in the Budget.
While presenting the Budget on February 1, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had proposed the cap to be Rs 3 lakh in line with the recommendations of the Supreme Court-constituted Special Investigation Team (SIT) on black money.
In an unprecedented move, the government introduced as many as 40 amendments to the Finance Bill.
Here is all you need to know about the 40 ammendments:
Here is all you need to know about the 40 ammendments:
- While presenting the Budget on February 1, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had proposed the cap for cash transactions to be Rs 3 lakh with effect from April 1.
- Among the amendments made to the Finance Bill was a provision to cap cash transaction at Rs 2 lakh instead.
- Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia tweeted that "The penalty for a violation will be a fine equivalent to the value of the transaction."
- The government also made it mandatory to provide Aadhaar card number while filing the income tax returns.
- The decision to link the Aadhaar card to a bank account and to make it necessary for filing I-T returns was taken in May last year.
- The Aadhaar number will also be required while applying for a PAN card
- The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has said that all devices using Aadhaar authentication will have to adhere to its new encryption standards starting from June 1.
- The move has been aimed at adding another security layer as the biometric-based digital payments take centre stage.
- Last week, the Aadhaar system got a thumbs up from World Bank chief economist Paul Romer who described it as 'the most sophisticated ID programme in the world.
- The amendments made to the laws like Companies Act, Employees Provident Fund, Smuggling and Foreign Exchange Act, TRAI Act and Information Technology Act, have been carried out to increase efficiency by merging smaller functioning bodies and thereby reducing their numbers from 40 to 12
- Opposition parties like TMC, BJD and RSP protested against these changes, saying it was being done in the form of "back-door entry".
Sensex, Nifty end in the red; RBI keeps repo rate unchanged
-
RBI Governor Urjit Patel says that a shift from accommodative to neutral is adequate at this juncture as the apex bank kept repo rate unchanged in the first bi-monthly Monetary Policy meet of this fiscal.
He also added that the farm loan waivers affect credit culture and discipline.
The governor added that India is sufficiently prepared for any forthcoming Federal Reserve rate hikes.
LIVE UPDATES:
3.39 PM:
The S&P BSE Sensex ended the day at 29,927.34, down 46.90 points (0.16%) while the Nifty50 ended the day at 9,261.95, down 3.20 points (0.03%).
Shares of ITC recorded most losses, losing 1.70 per cent on the BSE while Tata Steel logged nearly 2 per cent gains followed by Bajaj Auto, up 1.71 per cent.
On the NSE Nifty Index, Hindalco was the top loser while Tata Steel and Zee Ltd clocked gains.
Banking stocks did not react much to the RBI decision to keep repo rate unchanged. Nifty Bank Index ended the day flat (up 0.01%).
IndusInd Bank, PNB and Axis Bank added to the index while Federal Bank and ICICI Bank were losers post the policy outcome.
3.08 PM:
BSE Sensex was trading lower by 63 points at 29,911.37 in late afternoon trade after the RBI kept its key policy rate unchanged.
The broader Nifty Index dropped 21.55 points or 0.23 per cent to 9,243.60.
Brokers said RBI's decision to keep key interest rate unchanged was largely in line with investor expectations.
Highlights of the RBI policy meet:
RBI projects inflation at 4.5 per cent for first half of 2017-18 and 5 per cent for second half.
RBI projects GDP growth at 7.4 per cent for the current fiscal, up from 6.7 per cent in 2016-17.
RBI increases reverse repo rate by 25 bps to 6 per cent.
RBI narrows policy rate corridor due to liquidity flush; increases marginal standing facility rate and bank rate to 6.50 per cent.
2.06 PM:
Drug firm Cipla today said its US arm has signed a licensing pact with MEDRx Company to develop and market a Tizanidine1 patch that targets management of spasticity.
The company's wholly owned subsidiary, "Cipla USA Inc has signed a worldwide licensing agreement (except for East Asia) with MEDRx Company Ltd to further develop and commercialise MRX-4TZT, a Tizanidine1 patch for the management of spasticity", Cipla said in a filing to BSE.
Under the terms of the pact, MEDRx is eligible to receive up to USD 30 million cumulatively through upfront and developmental, regulatory, and commercial milestones payments, it added.
"MEDRx will also receive tiered royalties on the net sales of commercialised licensed products," Cipla said.
Cipla MD and Global CEO Umang Vohra said: "We believe that the Tizanidine transdermal patch will address significant unmet needs and benefit patients globally suffering from chronic spasticity."
MRX-4TZT is a medicated patch that uses an exclusive MEDRx technology to deliver Tizanidine, a centrally acting muscle relaxant, it added.
Annual sales of muscle relaxants in the United States were estimated at USD 807 million in 2016, Cipla said quoting IMS 2016 data.
The company plans to initiate phase III clinical trials after completion of additional phase I studies, it added.
Spasticity is a condition in which certain muscles are continuously contracted. This contraction causes stiffness or tightness of the muscles and can interfere with normal movement, speech, and gait.
Cipla shares were trading at Rs 589, down 0.62 per cent, on BSE .
1.13 PM:
"Market is awaiting what RBI does on the liquidity front and that has the potential to impact banks negatively, if there is an increase in CRR (cash reserve ratio)," said Dipen Shah, senior vice president and head of private client group research, Kotak Securities reported by Reuters.
Banking stocks dragged the Nifty down, with the Nifty Bank index falling as much as 0.55 per cent.
Jindal Steel and Power gained as much as 5.22 per cent after posting a 12.3-percent sequential rise in quarterly consolidated steel production.
Phoenix Mills Ltd gained as much as 7.3 per cent to its highest in seven months after Canada Pension Plan Investment Board said it would invest in the company's unit.
12.47 PM:
The stock of Reliance Industries Ltd continued to trade at a 9-year high adding over 1 per cent to the BSE on Thursday's trade.
12.02 PM:
Jubilant Life Sciences today said it has received final approval from the US health regulator for Celecoxib capsules used for the treatment of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
The company "has received Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) final approval for Celecoxib Capsules, 50 mg, 100 mg, 200 mg, and 400 mg," Jubilant Life Sciences said in a BSE filing.
The company's product is the generic version of Celebrex of GD Searle, which is used for the treatment of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, it added.
This is the first approval received by the company from the USFDA during the current financial year.
As on December 31, 2016, Jubilant Life Sciences had a total of 73 ANDAs for oral solids filed in the US, of which 49 have been approved, the filing said.
Shares of the company were trading at Rs 831.10, down 0.41 per cent on BSE.
11.30 AM:
The Indian benchmark indices were trading in the red as investors may have booked profits from the previous rally and remain cautious ahead of the Reserve Bank of India Monetary Policy meet.
The Sensex was trading at 29,841.21, 133.03 points lower while the Nifty50 was trading at 9,225.00, down 40.15 points.
Bajaj Auto, Axis Bank and Infosys were top gainers, while Adani Ports, ITC and Hindustan Unilever lost the most on the BSE.
Shares of Reliance Defence and Engineering added 3.4 percent intraday Thursday as the company is going to consider rights issue up to Rs 1,200 crore.
The company's board meeting will be held on April 11, to consider and approve the standalone and consolidated audited financial results for the quarter and financial year ended March 31, 2017.
9.45 AM:
LAGGARDS IN TRADE
Bharti Airtel topped the list of laggards, shedding 1.60 per cent on the BSE followed by Hindustan Unilever (down 1.42 per cent), Adani Ports (down 1.25 per cent) and ITC (down 1.08 per cent).
On the NSE Nifty Index, Hindalco and Bharit Infratel led the losses.
9.39 AM
EXPERT TAKE
Fed minutes set a cat amongst the market pigeons - HDFC Securities
Wall Street closed on Wednesday with meagre losses, but V K Sharma, Head - Private Client Group, HDFC securities, says that they hide the impact they could have on international markets.
"Sending the indices tumbling form their intraday gains were the minutes of the March FOMC meeting that showed that the Fed plans to begin unwinding its $4.5 trillion balance sheet later this year," said Sharma.
This in turn means that the apex bank will suck back the stimulus it provided to markets in the past years, he said.
This would eventually entail the selling of bonds the Federal Reserve has purchased which would mean a fall in bond prices and rise in yields.
Secondly, the US dollar would also strengthen, as the Fed reduces the currency's circulation.
"Both the events are negative for the global markets, leave alone emerging markets," says Sharma.
9.31 AM:
IT stocks trade below median level due to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a guidance memo that is likely lead to higher rejections of H1B visa applications by Indian information technology companies.
9.19 AM:
The Indian benchmark indices opened on a negative note on Thursday's trade, indicating a lower start in the trading day.
The S&P BSE Sensex was trading at 29,866.25, down 107.99 points while the Nifty50 was trading at 9,231.05, down 34.10 points.
"The market has been continuing it strong run and has been hitting new highs every day. But due to yesterday's price action, we can now observe a 'Dragonfly Doji' pattern on daily chart; indicating uncertainty among market participants," said an Angel Broking report.
Bank Nifty lost nearly 0.50 per cent at the strike of the opening bell.
The Midcap space opened flat.
Bajaj Auto was the top gainer on NSE and BSE, adding over 1 per cent to the bourses.
The laggards on both the indices were led by Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank and Adani Ports.
"Despite this we still want to remain with larger degree up trend as 9200 seems to be a strong support on a closing basis. In case of an intraday dip towards 9230 - 9200, traders are advised to use it as a buying opportunity as we expect the index to extend this ongoing optimism towards 9400 - 9600 over the next few weeks," added the Angel Broking report.
RBI Governor Urjit Patel says that a shift from accommodative to neutral is adequate at this juncture as the apex bank kept repo rate unchanged in the first bi-monthly Monetary Policy meet of this fiscal.
He also added that the farm loan waivers affect credit culture and discipline.
The governor added that India is sufficiently prepared for any forthcoming Federal Reserve rate hikes.
LIVE UPDATES:
3.39 PM:
The S&P BSE Sensex ended the day at 29,927.34, down 46.90 points (0.16%) while the Nifty50 ended the day at 9,261.95, down 3.20 points (0.03%).
Shares of ITC recorded most losses, losing 1.70 per cent on the BSE while Tata Steel logged nearly 2 per cent gains followed by Bajaj Auto, up 1.71 per cent.
On the NSE Nifty Index, Hindalco was the top loser while Tata Steel and Zee Ltd clocked gains.
Banking stocks did not react much to the RBI decision to keep repo rate unchanged. Nifty Bank Index ended the day flat (up 0.01%).
IndusInd Bank, PNB and Axis Bank added to the index while Federal Bank and ICICI Bank were losers post the policy outcome.
3.08 PM:
BSE Sensex was trading lower by 63 points at 29,911.37 in late afternoon trade after the RBI kept its key policy rate unchanged.
The broader Nifty Index dropped 21.55 points or 0.23 per cent to 9,243.60.
Brokers said RBI's decision to keep key interest rate unchanged was largely in line with investor expectations.
Highlights of the RBI policy meet:
RBI projects inflation at 4.5 per cent for first half of 2017-18 and 5 per cent for second half.
RBI projects GDP growth at 7.4 per cent for the current fiscal, up from 6.7 per cent in 2016-17.
RBI increases reverse repo rate by 25 bps to 6 per cent.
RBI narrows policy rate corridor due to liquidity flush; increases marginal standing facility rate and bank rate to 6.50 per cent.
2.06 PM:
Drug firm Cipla today said its US arm has signed a licensing pact with MEDRx Company to develop and market a Tizanidine1 patch that targets management of spasticity.
The company's wholly owned subsidiary, "Cipla USA Inc has signed a worldwide licensing agreement (except for East Asia) with MEDRx Company Ltd to further develop and commercialise MRX-4TZT, a Tizanidine1 patch for the management of spasticity", Cipla said in a filing to BSE.
Under the terms of the pact, MEDRx is eligible to receive up to USD 30 million cumulatively through upfront and developmental, regulatory, and commercial milestones payments, it added.
"MEDRx will also receive tiered royalties on the net sales of commercialised licensed products," Cipla said.
Cipla MD and Global CEO Umang Vohra said: "We believe that the Tizanidine transdermal patch will address significant unmet needs and benefit patients globally suffering from chronic spasticity."
MRX-4TZT is a medicated patch that uses an exclusive MEDRx technology to deliver Tizanidine, a centrally acting muscle relaxant, it added.
Annual sales of muscle relaxants in the United States were estimated at USD 807 million in 2016, Cipla said quoting IMS 2016 data.
The company plans to initiate phase III clinical trials after completion of additional phase I studies, it added.
Spasticity is a condition in which certain muscles are continuously contracted. This contraction causes stiffness or tightness of the muscles and can interfere with normal movement, speech, and gait.
Cipla shares were trading at Rs 589, down 0.62 per cent, on BSE .
1.13 PM:
"Market is awaiting what RBI does on the liquidity front and that has the potential to impact banks negatively, if there is an increase in CRR (cash reserve ratio)," said Dipen Shah, senior vice president and head of private client group research, Kotak Securities reported by Reuters.
Banking stocks dragged the Nifty down, with the Nifty Bank index falling as much as 0.55 per cent.
Jindal Steel and Power gained as much as 5.22 per cent after posting a 12.3-percent sequential rise in quarterly consolidated steel production.
Phoenix Mills Ltd gained as much as 7.3 per cent to its highest in seven months after Canada Pension Plan Investment Board said it would invest in the company's unit.
12.47 PM:
The stock of Reliance Industries Ltd continued to trade at a 9-year high adding over 1 per cent to the BSE on Thursday's trade.
12.02 PM:
Jubilant Life Sciences today said it has received final approval from the US health regulator for Celecoxib capsules used for the treatment of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
The company "has received Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) final approval for Celecoxib Capsules, 50 mg, 100 mg, 200 mg, and 400 mg," Jubilant Life Sciences said in a BSE filing.
The company's product is the generic version of Celebrex of GD Searle, which is used for the treatment of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, it added.
This is the first approval received by the company from the USFDA during the current financial year.
As on December 31, 2016, Jubilant Life Sciences had a total of 73 ANDAs for oral solids filed in the US, of which 49 have been approved, the filing said.
Shares of the company were trading at Rs 831.10, down 0.41 per cent on BSE.
11.30 AM:
The Indian benchmark indices were trading in the red as investors may have booked profits from the previous rally and remain cautious ahead of the Reserve Bank of India Monetary Policy meet.
The Sensex was trading at 29,841.21, 133.03 points lower while the Nifty50 was trading at 9,225.00, down 40.15 points.
Bajaj Auto, Axis Bank and Infosys were top gainers, while Adani Ports, ITC and Hindustan Unilever lost the most on the BSE.
Shares of Reliance Defence and Engineering added 3.4 percent intraday Thursday as the company is going to consider rights issue up to Rs 1,200 crore.
The company's board meeting will be held on April 11, to consider and approve the standalone and consolidated audited financial results for the quarter and financial year ended March 31, 2017.
9.45 AM:
LAGGARDS IN TRADE
Bharti Airtel topped the list of laggards, shedding 1.60 per cent on the BSE followed by Hindustan Unilever (down 1.42 per cent), Adani Ports (down 1.25 per cent) and ITC (down 1.08 per cent).
On the NSE Nifty Index, Hindalco and Bharit Infratel led the losses.
9.39 AM
EXPERT TAKE
Fed minutes set a cat amongst the market pigeons - HDFC Securities
Wall Street closed on Wednesday with meagre losses, but V K Sharma, Head - Private Client Group, HDFC securities, says that they hide the impact they could have on international markets.
"Sending the indices tumbling form their intraday gains were the minutes of the March FOMC meeting that showed that the Fed plans to begin unwinding its $4.5 trillion balance sheet later this year," said Sharma.
This in turn means that the apex bank will suck back the stimulus it provided to markets in the past years, he said.
This would eventually entail the selling of bonds the Federal Reserve has purchased which would mean a fall in bond prices and rise in yields.
Secondly, the US dollar would also strengthen, as the Fed reduces the currency's circulation.
"Both the events are negative for the global markets, leave alone emerging markets," says Sharma.
9.31 AM:
IT stocks trade below median level due to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a guidance memo that is likely lead to higher rejections of H1B visa applications by Indian information technology companies.
9.19 AM:
The Indian benchmark indices opened on a negative note on Thursday's trade, indicating a lower start in the trading day.
The S&P BSE Sensex was trading at 29,866.25, down 107.99 points while the Nifty50 was trading at 9,231.05, down 34.10 points.
"The market has been continuing it strong run and has been hitting new highs every day. But due to yesterday's price action, we can now observe a 'Dragonfly Doji' pattern on daily chart; indicating uncertainty among market participants," said an Angel Broking report.
Bank Nifty lost nearly 0.50 per cent at the strike of the opening bell.
The Midcap space opened flat.
Bajaj Auto was the top gainer on NSE and BSE, adding over 1 per cent to the bourses.
The laggards on both the indices were led by Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank and Adani Ports.
"Despite this we still want to remain with larger degree up trend as 9200 seems to be a strong support on a closing basis. In case of an intraday dip towards 9230 - 9200, traders are advised to use it as a buying opportunity as we expect the index to extend this ongoing optimism towards 9400 - 9600 over the next few weeks," added the Angel Broking report.
PM Modi says fight against corruption and black money will continue
-
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the fight against corruption and black money will continue. "Corruption and black money have destroyed the Indian democracy, eating into it like a termite. But due to your blessings, the fight against corruption and black money will continue," Modi said here.
During his interaction with some youths, the Prime Minister said the new generation wants to work with honesty and it is a good indication.
Pointing out that it would be 75 years in 2022 since India got the Independence, Modi said if every person in the country takes a step ahead in all these five years, then the country would move at least 125 crore steps forward towards development.
Modi, who symbolically gave away a few smart phones to sakhi mandals (self-help groups) as part of the Raghubar Das governments decision to give one lakh smart phones to SHGs, said he was surprised when he got the right answers from the villagers of remote areas about the usage of smart phones.
The Prime Minister said he would go back to Parliament and tell his colleagues, who had criticised as to how could the poor learn about smart phones, about this unique experience.
Modi gave away the appointment letters to the personnel of Adim Janjati Battalion and praising their confidence, said they would become a new strength to the security apparatus of the state.
He also laid the foundation stones of a 4-lane bridge over River Ganga in Sahibganj, multi-model hub, Sahibganj Dairy and inaugurated the 311 km Govindpur-Jamtara-Dumka-Sahibganj road and dedicated to the nation a solar power facility at Sahibganj district court premises and the Sahibganj district hospital.
Modi also laid the foundation stone of a 50,000 litre dairy farm and offered help to it from Gujarat and said for the first time in Santhal Pargana so many developmental projects have been taken up.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the fight against corruption and black money will continue. "Corruption and black money have destroyed the Indian democracy, eating into it like a termite. But due to your blessings, the fight against corruption and black money will continue," Modi said here.
During his interaction with some youths, the Prime Minister said the new generation wants to work with honesty and it is a good indication.
Pointing out that it would be 75 years in 2022 since India got the Independence, Modi said if every person in the country takes a step ahead in all these five years, then the country would move at least 125 crore steps forward towards development.
Modi, who symbolically gave away a few smart phones to sakhi mandals (self-help groups) as part of the Raghubar Das governments decision to give one lakh smart phones to SHGs, said he was surprised when he got the right answers from the villagers of remote areas about the usage of smart phones.
The Prime Minister said he would go back to Parliament and tell his colleagues, who had criticised as to how could the poor learn about smart phones, about this unique experience.
Modi gave away the appointment letters to the personnel of Adim Janjati Battalion and praising their confidence, said they would become a new strength to the security apparatus of the state.
He also laid the foundation stones of a 4-lane bridge over River Ganga in Sahibganj, multi-model hub, Sahibganj Dairy and inaugurated the 311 km Govindpur-Jamtara-Dumka-Sahibganj road and dedicated to the nation a solar power facility at Sahibganj district court premises and the Sahibganj district hospital.
Modi also laid the foundation stone of a 50,000 litre dairy farm and offered help to it from Gujarat and said for the first time in Santhal Pargana so many developmental projects have been taken up.
General Awareness
Latest Current Affairs - March 2017
-
Appointments
Amrinder Singh of Indian National Congress (INC) has been appointed as Chief Minister of Punjab.- Ankur Khanna appointed as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of International Cricket Council (ICC).
- B Chandrakala has been appointed as director of Government's Swacch Bharat Mission. She has served as District Magistrate of several districts in Uttar Pradesh.
- BJP’s N Biren Singh has been appointed as Chief Minister of Manipur.
- BJP’s Yogi Adityanath sworn in as 21st Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma are sworn in as Deputy Chief Ministers.
- BP Kanungo is appointed as Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India, in place of R. Gandhi. Other RBI DG's are - N. S. Vishwanathan, S. S. Mundra, Viral V. Acharya.
- Badminton player Jwala Gutta appointed as member of governing body of Sports Authority of India (SAI).
- Carrie Lam became first woman Chief Executive (CE) of the Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China.
- Chinese smartphone company OnePlus appointed Actor Amitabh Bachchan as its new brand ambassador for India.
- Chittaranjan Sharma appointed as Assam’s Upalokayukta.
- Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge will become next chairman of Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
- Dan Coats and HR McMaster Appointed as USA's Director of National Intelligence and National Security Adviser respectively.
- US Government (Led by Prez Donald Trump) also announced its support to India’s full membership in Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
- David Beasley (USA) has been appointed as as head of Rome-based World Food Programme (WFP).
- European Council re-elected Donald Tusk (Poland) as its president for a second term.
- Ford Foundation appointed Pradeep Nair as regional director for India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
- Former Indian Wrestler Kripa Shankar Bishnoi has been appointed as an International Match Referee by United World Wrestling (UWW).
- Ghanshyam Singh Appointed as New Member Traction in Railway Board.
- Government appointed Mahesh Kumar Jain as Managing Director & CEO of IDBI Bank and Kishore Piraji Kharat as Managing Director and CEO of Indian Bank. It has been done by swapping their Previous chiefs.
- Hassan Saleh is appointed as new Prime Minister of Sudan (North Africa).
- Hockey India appointed 4 Scientific Advisors -
- Senior Men - Scott Conway (Australia)
- Junior Men - Robin Anthony Webster Arkell (South Africa)
- Senior women - Wayne Patrick Lombard (South Africa)
- Junior Women - Daniel Barry (Australia)
- Honda Appointed Minoru Kato as Chief for its 2-wheelers division in India.
- India's Soumya Swaminathan has been appointed to high level group to provide expertise on and coordinate global fight against antimicrobial resistance.
- Indian-American Amul Thapar appointed to a key judicial position on Court of Appeals in USA.
- Indian-American Seema Verma appointed for top health care position in USA. She is second Indian-American in USA administration after Nikki Haley (US Ambassador to UN).
- Indian-American Vanita Gupta appointed as President and CEO of USA Based The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and Its related organization The Leadership Conference Education Fund.
- Jason Kothari appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Mobile Payments Firm Freecharge.
- Jon Huntsman appointed as US Ambassador to Russia.
- Karan Avtar Singh appointed as Chief Secretary (CS) of Punjab.
- Madhabi Puri Buch appointed as Whole-Time Member (WTM) of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
- Manhar Valjibhai Zala appointed as Chairperson of National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK).
- Manjeev Singh Puri is appointed as India’s new ambassador to Nepal. While D. Bala Venkatesh Varma is appointed as Ambassador to Andorra.
- Manohar Parrikar has been appointed as Chief Minister of Goa for his 4th Term. Upon his leaving the charge as Union Defence Minister, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has been given additional charge of Defence Ministry.
- Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Babul Supriyo is named as Vice President of 2017 U-17 FIFA World Cup organizing committee.
- Narendra Kumar appointed as Chairman of Central Water Commission (CWC).
- Navrang Saini appointed as Whole Time Member in Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India.
- New Chief Justices in State High Courts -
- Hemant Gupta - Madhya Pradesh High Court.
- P K Mohanty - Jharkhand High Court.
- Navniti Prasad - Kerala High Court.
- T B Radhakrishnan - Chhattisgarh High Court.
- Ramalingam Sudhakar - J&K High Court
- Rajendra Menon - Patna (Bihar) High Court.
- Odisha Government appointed K Srinath Reddy as health matters adviser to state government.
- P K Purwar is appointed as Chairman and Managing Director of telecom major Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL).
- Pakistani diplomat Amjad Hussain B Sial appointed as new Secretary-General of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
- Pawan Goenka (MD of Mahindra and Mahindra) has been granted second term as Chairman of Board of Governors of IIT-Madras.
- R Subramania Kumar has been approved to hold charge as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Indian Overseas Bank.
- Rana Kanwar Pal Singh elected as Speaker of Punjab Legislative Assembly.
- Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani inducted into international advisory board of global think-tank Atlantic Council.
- Siddhartha Upadhyay has been appointed to governing body of Sports Authority of India.
- Sima Kamil became first woman to head a major commercial bank in Pakistan - United Bank Limited (UBL).
- Sun Pharmaceuticals MD Dilip Shanghvi has been appointed by government as member of western area board of Reserve Bank of India.
- Swadheen Kshatriya has been appointed as Chief Commissioner of Right to Services (RTS) of Maharashtra, for five years term.
- T S Anantharaman is appointed as part-time chairman of Catholic Syrian Bank.
- Trivendra Singh Rawat of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been appointed as Ninth Chief Minister of Uttarakhand.
- Upendra Tripathy has been appointed as Interim Director General (IDG) of International Solar Alliance (ISA).
- Vanaja N. Sarna has been appointed as Chairman in Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC).
- William Bill Thomas has been appointed Netherlands based consulting and accounting major KMPG International's global chairman.
- Yumnam Khemchand Singh elected as new Speaker of Manipur Legislative Assembly..
Awards
- 6 Indian Americans selected for Ellis Island Medal of Honour, highest civilian award in USA for immigrants Indra Nooyi, Fareed Zakaria, Dinesh Paliwal, Dr. Annapoorna, Yashvant Patel, Mohan H Patel.
- 8th Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity 2016 (Northern and Eastern Region) Given to Anima Pookkunnyil and Shreya Ila Anasuya.
- Barbadian singer Rihanna won 2017 Harvard University's Humanitarian of the year Awar, for her work in supporting education and health care in Caribbean and developing countries.
- Bollywood Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan won best actress award at International Film Festival and Awards of Australia (IFFAA) fo her movie Sarbjit, Directed by Omung Kumar.
- Britain's Indian Origin Cabinet Minister Priti Patel received Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA) in London from Indian High Commission in United Kingdom.
- British singer Ed Sheeran will be honoured with Songwriters Hall of Fame’s 2017 Hal David Starlight Award. Global ambassador award has been given to Pitbull.
- Canadian teacher Maggie MacDonnell won $1-million Global Teacher Prize. He teaches at a school in a fly-in only village of Salluit in the Arctic region.
- French mathematician Yves Meyer won 2017 Abel Prize for his role in development of mathematical theory of wavelets (small waves or ripples).
- GMR’s Hyderabad International Airport ranked 1st in world in Airports Council International (ACI) - Airport Service Quality (ASQ) survey in 5-15 million passengers per annum (MPPA) category in 2016.
- Govardhan Eco Village of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) at Wada taluka in Maharashtra received award in the “Best Water NGO-Water Education” category instituted by Water Digest.
- This village had earlier been conferred with UNWTO Award for Innovation in the category of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO), during UNWTO Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism held at Madrid in Spain.
- I & B Minister Minister Venkaiah Naidu conferred 6th National Photography Awards (total 13 awardees), noted awardees are -
- Raghu Rai - Life-Time Achievement Award
- K.K. Mustafah - Professional Photographer of the Year
- Indian Film Lipstick Under My Burkha, directed by Alankrita Shrivastava won audience award at Glasgow Film Festival (Scotland).
- Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras won 2017 IEEE Spectrum Technology in Service of Society Award for its solar-direct current (DC) inverter system.
- System is developed by Centre for Decentralised Power Systems at IIT-M using micro grid technology. It converts in-home power distribution from 230V Analog Current (AC) to 48V DC to directly power appliances and devices.
- Indian-American Anshumali Shrivastava has been honored with National Science Foundation’s prestigious CAREER Award for his research on redesigning current machine-learning processes.
- Indian-American Indrani Das won top prize of $2,50,000 in Regeneron Science Talent Search competition in USA for her research on treating brain diseases.
- Indian-origin British director Gurinder Chadha honoured with 2017 Sikh Jewel Award for her contribution to British cinema.
- Karur Vysya Bank (KVB) awarded as Best Small Bank for 2016 (Balance Sheet Size under 1 lakh crore) by Business Today and KMPG.
- Lalji Singh (Former Director of center for cellular and Molecular Biology) has been selected for award of SERB Fellowship (science and Engineering Research Board ).
- NDTV India's Ravish Kumar has been awarded by First Kuldip Nayar journalism award.
- Noted American actress Viola Davis has been awarded the 2017 Artist of Year Award by Harvard Foundation, during foundation’s 32nd annual Cultural Rhythms Festival.
- Noted Konkani writer Mahabaleshwar Sail selected for Saraswati Samman 2016 for his novel Hawthan.
- Saraswati Samman annual award was established in 1991 by K. K. Birla Foundation, for honoring outstanding literary work in any Indian language. It carries cash prize of 15 lakh rupees, a citation and a plaque of goddess Saraswati.
- Noted Malayalam author M P Veerendra Kumar has been awarded 30th Moortidevi award 2016 by Bharatiya Jnanpith organization for his travelogue Hymavathabhoovil.
- Noted actor Anupam Kher honoured with Kala Ratan Award by vice president Hamid Ansari at Punjab University (Chandigarh).
- Odisha-based installation artist Sitaram Swain chosen as Glenfiddich’s Emerging Artist of 2017.
- President Pranab Mukherjee presented Dr. B. C. Roy National Awards to 49 physicians for 2014, 2015 and 2016 and Hari Om Ashram Alembic Research Awards to 4 physicians.
- President Pranab Mukherjee presented KCK International Award for excellence in Print Journalism. Award for 2014 was conferred upon Wanjohi Kabukuru's team for story How East Africa Lost Its Innocence and award for 2015 was awarded to Rakesh Sharma.
- Ramakrishna Ashram (West Bengal) conferred with Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Rashtriya Krishi Vigyan Protsahan Puraskar for 2016, during Krishi Unnati Mela 2017 held in New Delhi.
- Randeep Guleria appointed as Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi.
- Singapore's Changi Airport voted as World's Best Airport by air travellers at 2017 World Airport Awards for 5th consecutive year. Top 5 are -
- Changi (Singapore)
- Tokyo (Japan)
- Incheon (South Korea)
- Munich (Germany)
- Hong Kong International Airport
- Sri Lanka won Most Popular Tourism Destination Award at Guangzhou International Travel Fair (China), for second consecutive year. China has been Sri Lanka's second largest source market for tourism since 2014.
- Two Indian-American authors Siddhartha Mukherjee and Paul Kalanithi have been shortlisted for the £30,000 Wellcome Book Prize.
- Zee Cine Awards 2017 -
- Best Actor - Amitabh Bachchan (Pink)
- Best Actress - Alia Bhatt (Udta Punjab)
- Best Director – Ram Madhvani (Neerja)
- Best Film Jury – Pink
- Viewer’s Choice Best Film: Dangal
- Best Supporting Actress – Shabana Azmi ( Neerja)
- Best supporting actor (Male): Rishi Kapoor (Kapoor & Sons)
- Best Music: Ae Dil Hai Mushkil
- Best Playback Singer (Female): Neha Bhasin (Jag Ghoomeya, Sultan)
- Best Playback Singer (Male): Arijit Singh (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil title track)
Books
- Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh launched Book 50 Years - The Great Indian Milk Revolution.
- Book Rekha – The Untold Story has been written by Yasser Usman.
- Book The Rise of Sivagami: Book 1 of Baahubali - Before the Beginning, written by Anand Neelakanthan has been released.
- Book written by Former Indian cricketer Akash Chopra - Numbers Do Lie, has been released.
- Book Home of the Brave’ based on Rashtriya Rifles (Indian Army’s Counter Insurgency Force) has been released. It has been authored by Nitin A Gokhale and S K Chatterji.
- Former Australia Cricketer Michael Clarke launched his autobiography named My Story.
Committees
- A Committee has been formed to examine working of the regulatory bodies Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM), Central Council of Homoeopathy (CCH) and their governing legislations - Indian Medicine Central Council Act 1970 and Homoeopathy Central Council Act 1973, for suggesting suitable reforms for AYUSH. Committee will be headed by Arvind Panagariya, Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog.
- Committee under Chairmanship of Madhukar Gupta submitted its report, about strengthening border protection and address vulnerabilities in fencing along Indo-Pakistan border.
- Committee under Partha Mukhopadhay has suggested to enable migrants to avail benefits of Public Distribution System (PDS) in destination State by providing for inter-State operability of PDS, to protect interests of migrants in the country.
- Defence Ministry approved proposals of committee headed by D.B. Shekatkar, to bring reforms in military and improve its financial management.
Days
- International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
- Mar 03 - World Hearing Day. 2017 theme is Action for hearing loss: make a sound investment. Mar 3 is also observed as National Defence Day in India.
- Mar 03 - World Wildlife Day. 2017 theme is Listen to the Young Voices.
- Mar 08 - International Women's day.
- 2017 theme is Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030, with campaign theme #BeBoldForChange
- Commonwealth of Nations launched Peace in the home programme to help member states tackle domestic violence.
- Mar 09 - World Kidney Day. 2017 theme is Kidney Disease and Obesity: Healthy Lifestyle for Healthy Kidneys.
- Mar 1 - World Civil Defence Day. 2017 theme is Together with civil defence against disasters.
- Mar 1 - Zero Discrimination Day. 2017 theme is Make Some Noise for Zero Discrimination. It is being celebrated by UN since 2014.
- Mar 13 - Commonwealth Day. 2017 Theme is A peace-building Commonwealth.
- Mar 15 - World Consumer Rights Day.
- Mar 20 - International Day of Happiness. On this occasion, World Happiness Report 2017 has been published by UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network -
- India has been ranked 122 out of 155 countries in list.
- Top 5 Happiest Countries - Norway (1), Denmark (2), Iceland (3), Switzerland (4), Finland (5).
- 5 Least Happy Countries - Rwanda (151), Syria (152), Tanzania (153), Burundi (154) and Central African Republic (155).
- Neighbours - Pakistan (80), Nepal (99), Bhutan (97), Bangladesh (110) and Sri Lanka (120).
- BRICS - Brazil (17), Russia (56), China (79), South Africa (116).
- Mar 20 - World sparrow day.
- Mar 20, 2017 - Nowruz Day 2017. It Iranian New Year, also known as Persian New Year.
- Mar 21 - International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination. 2017 theme is Racial profiling and incitement to hatred, including in the context of migration.
- Mar 21 - International Day of Forests.
- On this occasion, Assam Government launched Sustainable Action for Climate Resilient Development (SaCReD) Initiative to develop Majuli, world’s largest river island, as country’s first carbon neutral district.
- Mar 21 - World Down Syndrome Day.
- Mar 21 - World Poetry Day.
- Mar 22 - Bihar Diwas, Marking formation of Bihar State on March 22, 1912.
- Bihar government launched programme to provide free WiFi facilities in colleges and universities on occasion of Bihar Diwas.
- Mar 22 - World Water Day. 2017 Theme is Why Waste water?.
- Government launched National Water Quality Sub Mission on Arsenic and Fluoride to provide safe drinking water to about 28,000 affected habitations in the country by March 2021, with an outlay of Rs 25,000 crore.
- On this occasion, Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu released Water Policy of Indian Railways. He also presented GreenCo Certificates to 3 units of Indian Railways and announced expansion of VIKALP Scheme for benefit of waitlisted passengers.
- Mar 23 - World Meteorological Day. 2017 Theme is Understanding Clouds.
- Mar 23 - martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev. They were executed on 23 March, 1931.
- Mar 27 - World Theatre Day.
- March 26 - Independence day of Neighbouring Nation Bangladesh.
- World Tuberculosis Day.
- 2017 Theme (Campaign): “Unite to End TB”.
Defence
- 2nd Indo - Oman Joint Army Exercise Al Nagah - Ii 2017 held in Himachal Pradesh.
- India Navy commissioned INS Tillanchang as third ship of 4 Water Jet Fast Attack Crafts built by Kolkata based Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE). First two ships INS Tarmugli and INS Tihayu which were commissioned in 2016.
- Indian Air force launched e-billing system Aviation Turbine Fuel Digital Issue and Payment (ATF DIP), for speedy accounting and clearance of Aviation Fuel bills of Oil Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).
- Indian Navy commissioned surveillance ship INLCU L51, as first of 8 ships of LCU Mk IV Class.
- Indian Navy de-inducted TU142M Long Range Maritime Patrol aircraft after 29 years of service (30,000 hours of flying).
- Indian Navy successfully conducted first test of short range surface-to-air Barak missile (Developed jointly by India and Israel) from aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.
- Indian Navy unveiled Integrated Automatic Aviation Meteorological System (IAAMS) at Rajali Air Station in Tamil Nadu, to modernise meteorological infrastructure of the 9 Naval Air Stations (NAS) to bring accuracy in weather monitoring.
- Indian Navy's Aircraft Carrier INS Viraat has been decommissioned. It is world's oldest and longest serving Aircraft carrier with 30 years service in Indian Navy and 27 years in Royal Navy.
- Indo - Nepal Joint Military Exercise Surya Kiran - XI held at Pithoragarh (Uttarakhand).
- Land-attack version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile with extended range increased from 290 km to 450 km has been successfully test fired.
- BrahMos Aerospace is a joint venture of India and Russia. It has top supersonic speed of Mach 2.
- Its earlier strike range was 290 km. But after India’s induction into the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in June 2016, missile’s range has been increased beyond 300km in same configuration.
- Ninth Gorkha Rifles celebrated 200-years of its raising in Secunderabad (Telangana). First battalion of the Ninth Gorkhas was raised by the British government in 1817 as ‘Fatehgarh Levy’.
- Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) signed MoU with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and National Skill Development Fund (NSDF) for skill development of its serving/retired personnel and their family members.
- Tanushree Pareek from Rajasthan became first woman field officer in Border Security Force (BSF).
Economy
- Airline Jet Airways announced partnership with cab aggregator Uber to book airport cabs through Jet Airways app.
- Airtel acquired 4G business of Tikona Networks including Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) business for 1600 crores. Now Airtel will be second company after Reliance Jio to have pan-India presence in 2300 Mhz band.
- Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed $350 million loan with India for improving 1,500 kilometers of major district roads in Madhya Pradesh.
- Bandhan Bank signed agreement with payment solution provider Avenues India Pvt Ltd, to improve customer service.
- Bengaluru based Vijaya Bank opened it’s 2000th Branch in Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh).
- Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IndianOil) to sell its 24 % equity in Lubrizol India Private Limited (LIPL) to Lubrizol Corporation, USA.
- Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved Policy for Early Monetization of Coal Bed Methane (Methane obtained from Coal Mines) Gas Marketing and Pricing Freedom for CBM Gas. It provides marketing and pricing freedom to CBM Contractors to sell CBM at Arm’s Length Price in domestic market.
- Cabinet approved 4 GST Bills, to step up towards implementing GST from July 1, 2017. Bills are -
- CentralGST - It provides for levy and collection of tax on intra-state supply of goods / services by Central Government.
- iGST - It makes provisions for levy and collection of tax on inter-state supply of goods / services by Central Government.
- UTGST - Similar to States Goods and Services Tax (SGST) which shall be levied and collected by States/Union Territories on intra-state supply of goods / services.
- Compensation Bill -It provides for compensation to the states for loss of revenue arising due to implementation of goods and services tax for 5 years as per section 18 of Constitution (One Hundred and First Amendment) Act 2016.
- Additionally, central government has been empowered to impose additional tax of up to 1 % on inter-state supply of goods for 2 years.
- Canara, HSBC and Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance launched iSelect term plan to expand its online product suit with family protection, providing enhanced protection cover for family at an affordable premium.
- Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched TIES (Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme), for developing export linked infrastructure in states to promote exports.
- A Committee for sanctioning and monitoring of the project will be set up, to be headed by commerce secretary (Rita Teaotia currently).
- Beneficiaries - All central and state agencies including Commodities Boards, Export Promotion Councils, SEZ authorities and Apex Trade Bodies recognised under EXIM policy of Central Government are eligible for financial support.
- Funding - Cost of projects will be equally shared by Centre and states. Centre will borne 50% of total equity in project, except in case of projects in north-eastern and Himalayan states, where Centre may bear 80% of cost.
- Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved demerger of Reliance Communications wireless division into Aircel and Dishnet Wireless Ltd.
- Completely Government owned Housing and Urban Development Corp (HUDCO) received Securities and Exchange Board of India’s (SEBI) approval to raise funds through an IPO (Initial Public Offering).
- E-commerce firm Amazon India launched new program for sellers to get insights and help related to goods and services tax - A-Z GST Guide. It provides resources in the form of tutorials, blogs, and free online training sessions.
- ESAF Microfinance Company issued Commercial Papers (CP) worth Rs 330 crore, that can be subscribed by Private Sector Banks and NBFCs. ESAF Microfinance is also the first company from Kerala to open a Small Finance Bank recently.
- Facebook launched SheLeadsTech programme to mentor start-ups founded by women by giving them access to year-long program that provides tools and resources.
- Fair trade regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI) imposed penalty of 591 crores on Coal India Limited and its subsidiaries for violating Competition Act by imposing unfair conditions in Fuel Supply Agreements (FSAs) with power producers for supply of non coking coal.
- Few banks, including ICICI, Axis and HDFC will charge penalty of minimum Rs 150 on cash withdrawals and deposit at bank branches after four free monthly transactions. It is aimed at discouraging cash transactions and promoting digital payments.
- Finance Minisry approved re-organisation of field formations of Central Board of Excise & Customs (CBEC) for implementation of Goods & Services Tax (GST). CBEC will be renamed as Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) after approval.
- Finance Ministry allowed Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to conduct trials of plastic (polymer-based) currency notes of Rs 10 denominations in 5 cities.
- Finance Ministry approved public sector banks (PSBs) to offer Employee Stock Option plans (ESOPs) to their employees from FY 2017-18. It will help PSBs to motivate employees to work towards strengthening financial status of their banks so that their share value rises.
- Finance Ministry lowered interest rates on all small saving schemes by 0.1% for April-June 2017 - 18 quarter. These schemes amd their updated interest rates are -
- Public provident fund (PPF) - 7.9 %
- National Savings Certificate (NSC) - 7.9 %
- Kisan Vikas Patra - 7.6 %
- Sukanya Samriddhi Account - 8.4 %
- Senior Citizens Savings Scheme - 8.4 %
- Term deposits of 1-5 years - 6.9 - 7.7 %
- 5-year recurring deposit has been pegged lower at 7.2%.
- Finance Ministry will merge Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) with State Bank of India (SBI), to ensure greater banking services outreach to a larger number of women.
- Global rating agency Fitch predicted Indian economy to grow by 7.1% in 2016-2017. It will step up to 7.7% in next two years.
- Government announced that total 29 lakh debit cards were subjected to malware attack through ATMs that were connected with switch of Hitachi.
- Government approved 2% additional Dearness allowance for Central government employees and Dearness relief for pensioners.
- Government approved amendments in National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Act 1981 -
- Increase authorized capital of NABARD from Rs. 5,000 crore to Rs. 30,000 crore and further if needed.
- Transfer of 0.4% equity of RBI in NABARD amounting to Rs. 20 crores to Government.
- Government approved establishing Fund of Funds of Start-ups (FFS) with total corpus of Rs 10000 crore.
- Government approved special financial assistance for bifurcated Andhra Pradesh, as special dispensation in funding of Externally Aided Projects (including irrigation component of Polavaram project).
- Central Government will make up for additional central share that state might have received during 2015-16 to 2019-20 and repayment of loan and interest for the Externally Aided Projects (EAPs) signed and disbursed during 2015-2016 to 2019-20 by State.
- HDFC Bank launched electronic virtual assistant (EVA), India’s first artificial intelligence-driven banking chatbot, for customer services. It can answer millions of customer queries across multiple channels instantly. HDFC Life also recently India’s first life insurance chatbot Haptik to help users choose most suitable life insurance plans.
- HDFC Bank launched instant digital Loan Against Securities (LAS) facility in collaboration with National Securities Depository Ltd.(NSDL).
- ICICI Bank launched Mera iMobile as India’s first one stop banking app for range of digital services for rural customers.
- IDFC Bank became first bank in India to launch biometric-based payment system Aadhaar Pay through its network to enable merchants to receive payments from customers without any physical payment instrument. To pay, customer has to select bank’s name and enter Aadhaar number.
- India signd US$ 100 Million loan agreement with World Bank for Uttarakhand Health Systems Development Project.
- India signed its first loan agreement with New Development Bank (BRICS Bank), as $350 million credit for development of district roads in Madhya Pradesh.
- Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) approved loans of 13000 Crore Rupees for clean energy projects in FY18, that plays major role in reducing pollution.
- India’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has incorporated SBI Infra Management Solutions Pvt. Ltd (SBIIMS) to manage its premises and estate related matters.
- IndusInd Bank accquired 100% stake in IL& FS Securities Services Ltd (ISSL).
- Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) proposed increasing insurance premium to 50 % for cars, motor cycles as well as commercial vehicles from April 1, 2017.
- Karnataka Bank launched MoneyPlant RuPay International Platinum Debit Card to provide more privileges to its premium & High net worth individual (HNI) customers.
- Karur Vysya Bank launched 3 tech-services FASTag, UPI (Unified Payment Interface) and BBPS (Bharat Bill Payment System).
- Kerala achieved maximum registrations under Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime with 60% of total 2.5 lakh traders migrating to new platform - GST.
- Lakshmi Vilas Bank tied up with Centrum Group, in which LVB will refer its High Net Worth Individuals (HNI) to Centrum for wealth management and family office services.
- McNally Bharat Engineering Company bagged 415 crore order from Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation Ltd, for operation and maintenance of 500 MW grid connected solar power project.
- Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) issued draft Information Technology (Security of Prepaid Payment Instruments) Rules 2017 for Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPI) company / e wallet firms (Like Paytm, Freecharge, Mobikwik etc).
- Draft rules seek to ensure integrity, security and confidentiality of electronic payments made through PPIs.
- Key Features include Definition of e-PPI issuer, Information security policy, Privacy policy and terms, Risk assessment, Chief grievance officer, End-to-end encryption and Indian Computer Emergency Response Team’s responsibility.
- Mobile Wallte Firm Paytm has set up a new company - Paytm Financial Services, to sell financial products like insurance and mutual funds to its planned payments bank account holders. As Payment banks can't give loans, selling these financial products will be core source of revenue. Paytm has recently launched Insurance of upto INR 20000 for its e-Wallet.
- ONGC accquired GSPC’s (Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation) 80% state in KG (Krishna Godavari)-basin natural gas block for $1.2 billion.
- Paytm became first e-commerce firm to become member of self-regulatory voluntary organization Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI).
- RBI proposed to fix upper limit for Pre-paid Payment Instruments (PPIs) at Rs 1 lakh in view of growing usage of PPIs for a purchase of goods and services.
- Reliance Communications received approvals from markets regulator SEBI and stock exchanges for merger of its wireless business with Aircel.
- Reliance General Insurance entered into bancassurance tie-up with Catholic Syrian Bank. Now, RGI will offer its general insurance products to Catholic Syrian Bank's 1.5 million customers. Similar MOU is signed between Karnataka Bank and Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company.
- Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will issue new Rs 10 currency notes with enhanced security features. New notes will be in the Mahatma Gandhi Series-2005 with inset letter ‘L’ in both number panels.
- Reserve Bank of India announced that all branches of SBI's 5 associate banks will operate under State Bank of India from April 1, 2017.
- Reserve Bank of India ruled that Non-banking Financial Company (NBFC) cannot lend more than Rs 25,000 in cash against gold as against earlier Rs 1 lakh.
- Reserve Bank of India stated that Bank branches that refuse to exchange soiled notes from people will have to pay penalty of INR 10000.
- Rs 3-lakh limit proposed for cash payments in Budget 2017-18 will be brought down to Rs 2 lakh, from April 1, 2017. This is aimed at tightening large deals in cash.
- Rural Electric Corporation donated INR 25 crores Towards Government's Swachh Bharat Kosh (SBK).
- Russian bank VTB decided to close its only office in New Delhi, India to cut costs but will continue to work in India.
- SBI Card has launched Unnati Credit Card to spread its Credit card userbase. It targets SBI customers with balance of at least Rs 25,000 in savings account.
- Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) allowed celebrities to endorse Mutual Fund products at industry level purpose of increasing awareness of mutual funds as a financial product category.
- State Bank of India (SBI) announced a one-time farm loan settlement scheme worth Rs 6000 crore primarily for tractors.
- Under this, loans disbursed before 2011 and falling under doubtful / loss category will be considered. SBI’s total farm loan portfolio is Rs. 1.25 Lakh Crore and tractor loan book is about 6,000 crore.
- State Bank of India (SBI) launched Work from Home facility to enable its employees to work while at home using mobile devices, to address any urgent requirement employees may have.
- State Bank of India (SBI) will charge customers for not maintaining Monthly Account Average Balance (MAB) in savings bank accounts from April 1, 2017. Minimum monthly balance for savings bank account holders is -
- Metropolitan - INR 5000.
- Urban - INR 3000.
- Semi-urban - INR 2000
- Rural - INR 1000.
- State Bank of India and Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India (CREDAI) signed MoU to conduct various initiatives towards development of realty sector.
- State Government Budgets 2017 - 18
- Arunachal Pradesh
- Budget Size approx 16000 Crores, with fiscal deficit of 285 Crores predicted.
- To provide better IT facilities, Rs.15 crore has been proposed under the Digital Arunachal scheme.
- Andhra Pradesh -
- Budget Size approx 1.57 lakh crores.
- Approx 1050 Crores allocated for developing state capital at Amravati.
- Assam -
- Budget proposes Deficit of INR 2349 Crores.
- Swami Vivekananda Assam Youth Empowerment (SVAYEM) Yojana to be launched, under which loans of Rs 1 lakh for new businesses and Rs 2 lakh for existing ones at a subsidised rate of 20% will be given.
- Self help groups (SHGs) under Kanaklata Mahila Sabalikaran Yojana will be provided with assistance of 5 lakh.
- Tejasvi Navadhitamastu Edu-Infra Funds for development of colleges and universitiesm at approx 667 crores expenditure.
- Rs 5000 to each of 6.5 lakh tea garden workers, with allocation of 287 crores.
- Under Deen Dayal Divyang Sahajya Achani - INR 5000 will be given to 4.5 Lakh Divyang in state.
- Mission Muga launched to Increase Muga Silk Production 10 Times by 2026.
- Housing Loans to be given to Govt employess at 5.05 % Interest Rate.
- Bihar -
- Budget size approx 1.60 lakh Crores.
- 3 universities will be opened - Purnia University, Pataliputra University and Munger University.
- Chhattisgarh -
- Budget size approx 76032 Crores.
- Under Suchna Kranti Yojana, Rs 200 crore has been allocated for 45 lakh smartphones to be provided to rural families.
- Under Dial 112 scheme, police assistance will arrive within 10 minutes in urban areas, and in 30 minutes in rural areas.
- Divyang college will be set up at Raipur for educational upliftment of special children.
- Delhi -
- Budget size is 48000 Crores (Tax-Free).
- 24 % of Total Budget has been alloted to education.
- Tax on air turbine fuel to be reduced to 1% from 25%
- Gujarat
- Budget Size is Approx 172000 Crores.
- State government will provide bicycles to 45,000 female students of class IX under the Vidya Sadhna Yojana (VSY).
- An independent State Food Commission (SFC) will be set up to monitor the functioning of the Food Security Act, 2013.
- A new corporation will be set up for undertaking welfare measures related to differently-abled persons (Divyangs).
- An exclusive university will be set up in Narmada District, to undertake studies and research related to tribal issues.
- Haryana -
- Budget size is approx 102000 Crores.
- Under Deenbandhu Gram Uday Yojana (in name of Choudhry Chhotu Ramji), 1,500 villages with populations between 3,000 and 10,000 will be Developed, with outlay of INR 5000 crores. Scheme is funded by NABARD, with current fiscal's expenditure being 1,200 crores.
- Mangal Nagar Vikas Yogna (In name of Noted Harayna Leader Mangal Sein) to be implemented with outlay of Rs 1,000 crore for maintenance of existing infrastructure.
- Discount of 5 % (up to Rs 50) on electricity and water bills paid through BHIM app for residents in Haryana.
- New scheme Manohar Jyoti to provide 1,00,000 solar based home systems, at cost of 230 crores.
- New scheme for farmers to meet their irrigation energy needs through solar power by providing 3050 solar water pumping systems (2 & 5 HP).
- Himachal Pradesh -
- Budget Size Approx 36000 Crores.
- 2 new Software Parks to be set up in Shimla and Kangra.
- Honorarium to Anganwadi workers and helpers will be increased from Rs 450 to Rs 1,450 and Rs 300 to Rs 600 per month respectively. Unemployment allowance increased to INR 1000.
- Jammu and Kasmir
- Budget size is 80000 Crores.
- Implementation of the 7th pay commission from 1 April 2018.
- Create a social security fund and provide a universal basic income to below the poverty line people.
- Provide specially designed micro-credit ATM cards with cash credit limit of 10000 to all registered construction workers.
- Set up an Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC) in association with J&K bank.
- Set up a Mufti Memorial Gold Cup Football League
- Jharkhand
- Budget Size is approx 75000 Crores
- Tana Bhagat Development Authority and Jharkhand Irrigation Commission would be set up.
- A new scheme to launched with name - Mukhyamantri Kitchen.
- Karnataka
- Budget size approx 186000 Crores.
- 'Namma’ canteen (on lines of Amma canteen in Tamil Nadu) will provide meal at affordable price in Bengaluru. Similarly, Saviruchi Mobile Canteens in all 30 districts will be established.
- Karnataka State Road Safety Authority will be constituted, to reduce road accidents and to improve road safety
- Free laptops to 1.5 lakh students getting into engineering, medical, polytechnic and first-grade colleges.
- LPG connections to 2 lakh BPL families of SC/ST communities.
- Ksheera Bhagya scheme of providing milk to school children to be increased from 3 days to 5 days in a week.
- Rs 1600 per beneficiary under new scheme named Anila Bhagya.
- New program Yuva Yuga will be implemented to train 1.1 lakh persons in IT, electronics, animation and other sectors
- Kerala
- Budget size is approx 119000 Crores.
- Free internet for 20 lakh economically-backward families.
- 10,000 young artists to be given Rs 10,000 per month each in the state.
- A new scheme under Carbon Neutral Program through NABARD proposed.
- Madhya Pradesh
- Budget size is approx 185000 Crores.
- To provide food at subsided rate to poor in urban areas, Deendayal Rasoi Yojna will be launched (cost of Rs 10 crores).
- Setting up a Vedant Peeth at Omkareshwar, dedicated to Adiguru Shankaracharya. Vir Bharat Nyas will be set up to preserve memories of martyrs.
- 2017 - 18 to be named as Garib Kalyan Varsh by State Government.
- Meghalaya
- Budget Size approx 12000 Crores, with 1200 Crores fiscal deficit predicted.
- Tax slabs for transportation has been raised to raise additional revenue.
- To counter issue of shrinking revenue resources, fresh taxes will be imposec on liquor, tobacco, hotels and restaurants.
- Mizoram
- Budget Size is approx 8800 Crores, with approx 300 crore revenue surplus.
- 750 crore were allocated for New Economic Development Policy (NEDP) to boost state’s agriculture-based economy.
- Odisha
- Budget Size approx 106000 Crores.
- Chief Minister Health Service Mission proposed.
- To develop Puri into a world class heritage city, new scheme called ABADHA- Augmentation of Basic Amenities & Development of Heritage & Architecture will be rolled out with sum of 100 crores.
- Drinking water scheme ‘Basudha’ named after Buxi Jagabandhu.
- Urban Transformation Initiative (UNNATI) proposed with outlay of Rs 294 crore in recognition of the need for improvement of urban infrastructure.
- Rajasthan
- Budget size approx 166000 Crores, with 24753 crores fiscal deficit predicted.
- 1 lakh new rural electricity connections to farmers and One lakh farmers will get soil health cards.
- 15 per cent hike of VAT on cigarettes.
- 190 Cities to get fre WIFI in 2018.
- Under Deendayal Upadhyay Varisht Naagrik Programme, Pilgrimage for 20 thousand senior citizens will be arranged.
- Slashing stamp duty from 5 to 3 %.
- Tamil Nadu
- Budget size approx 183000 Crores (Tax-Free).
- Government to replace State Planning Commission with State Development Policy Council.
- To prevent fragmentation of land holdings, new scheme called farmer producer groups will be federated into farmer producer organisations to promote collective farming for credit mobilisation, better adoption of technology.
- 10000 blind people will be provided with smart canes and Disability pension was increased to INR 2000 from 1000.
- Tripura
- Budget Sizer approx 16000 Crores (Tax-Free), with budget deficit of 198 Crores.
- MLALAD (Member of legislative assembly local area development) funds are from 30 to 35 lakh / year. Subsidy for unemployed youths under 'Swabalamban' is increased from 75,000 to 1 lakh.
- 5 pension schemes will be introduced for folk artistes, carpenters, blacksmiths, potters and harijans at rate of Rs 700 / month.
- Telangana
- Budget size approx 150000 Crores.
- Piped drinking water programme Mission Bhagiratha gets 3000 crores.
- West Bengal
- Budget size is approx 143000 Crores (Tax-Free).
- Slashing stamp duty from 5 to 2 %.
- As a relief for small businesses, it is proposed to increase threshold for payment of tax from Rs. 10 lakh to Rs.20 lakh.
- Combined Budget of all Northeast States is collectively around 50000 Crores this year.
- Supreme Court held that Aadhaar card cannot be made mandatory by the government for extending the benefits of its welfare schemes to people.
- Syndicate Bank inaugurated 40 transformed branches under Project Ananya, a 2 year large-scale transformation project aimed ar providing customers with best in class services.
- Tamil Nadu Government launched a housing scheme for Below Poverty Line Families, estimated at INR 1580 crores.
- Tata Capital launched mobile application ‘myLoan’ To Offer Personal Loans upto 13 Lakh, to young and mobile savvy audience. It is like any social networking profile which will make a real-time assessment of borrower’s loan application, using several digital, social and financial data.
- Telecom operator Idea Cellular will merge with Vodafone India, to create world’s second largest (after China Mobile) and India’s largest telecom company with 40 crore customers and 41% revenue market share in India.
- Kumar Mangalam Birla will be chairperson of the merged entity. Vodafone will own 45.1% in combined entity, with Kumar Mangalam Birla and other promoters of Idea Group to have 26%.
- Trade Mark Rules 2017 came into effect, replacing erstwhile Trade Mark Rules 2002. In Revamped trade mark rules, number of Trade Mark (TM) forms has been brought down to 8 from existing 74 and fee for online filing has been kept at 10 % lower than that for physical filing. Fees for individuals, start-ups and small enterprises were reduced to Rs 4500 for e-filing of trade mark applications.
- Truecaller partnered with ICICI Bank to launch its new Unified Payments Interface (UPI)-based mobile payment service “Truecaller Pay”.
- World Bank approved $175 million loan (23 years maturity) for India’s ambitious National Hydrology Project to improve its ability to forecast floods and reduce vulnerability to recurring floods and droughts.
- World Bank approved USD 210 million loan to strengthen gram panchayats (GPs) in West Bengal.
- World Bank offered assistance of over $1 billion to Maharashtra State, in areas of urban transport and climate resilient agriculture.
- World Bank will provide loan to develop internal transmission arrangements for upcoming Rewa Ultra Mega Solar project in Madhya Pradesh, under its Clean Technology Fund (CTF). Loan amount will be 25% of loan amount and Interest rate will be .25 %.
International
- 11th Earth Hour observed across world on 25 March 2017, to take a global call on climate change. Cities worldwide turned their lights off from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm local time.
- 2016 Human Development Index (HDI) report by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) -
- India ranked 131 (out of 188 nations).
- Top 3 - Norway (1), Australia (2) and Switzerland (3).
- Neighbours - Sri Lanka (73), Bhutan (132), Bangladesh (139), Nepal (144), Pakistan (147)
- BRICS - Russia (49), Brazil (79), China (90), South Africa (119).
- 2017 Bloomberg Global Health Index of 163 countries -
- Top 3 - Italy (1st), Iceland (2), Switzerland (3).
- 2nd India-UAE conference on globalization held at Dubai, organized by All India Management Association (AIMA).
- According to Financial Times, China’s banking system has overtaken eurozone to become world’s largest by assets. China's Banking system valued at $33 trillion , compared to $31 trillion of Eurozone, $16 trillion of US and $7 trillion of Japan.
- According to Transparency International (TI) -
- India has highest bribery rate among 16 Asia-Pacific countries - 69 %, followed by Vietnam (65%), Thailand 41% and Pakistan 40%. China reported a much lower 26%.
- Japan had lowest bribery rate at 0.2%.
- According to World Health Organisation (WHO) report Inheriting a sustainable world: Atlas on children’s health and the environment, polluted environment kills around 1.7 million children a year.
- According to recently released GSM Association report, India will lead the world in smart phone adoption with a net addition of 3.5 Crore connections in 2016 - 20.
- Argentina Government permitted medicinal use of marijuana (Cannabis), the most commonly used illegal drug in the world. Cannabis and its cannabinoids can be used to treat disease or improve symptoms.
- As per Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), Singapore is most expensive city in world while Almaty (Kazakhstan) is cheapest city to live in. . 4 Indian cities - Bangalore (3rd), Chennai (6th), Mumbai (7th) and New Delhi (10th) are among 10 cheapest cities in world.
- As per Sydney-based Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA), India is now 3rd largest aviation market globally in terms of domestic passenger traffic.
- India’s domestic air passenger traffic was 10 Crore in 2016, overtaking Japan's (9.7 crores). India is behind US (71.9 crore) and China (43.6 crore).
- Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved total 9 projects costing $2.42 billion as part of Operational Plan (OP) 2016-2025 of South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) program, with ADB financing of $1.43 billion. Out of these, 2 Economic Corridors and 1 Road Bridge worth $1.2 billion are to be in India.
- Bangladesh declared March 25 as Genocide Day, remembering day of atrocities carried out by Pakistani Army in night of March 25, 1971.
- Pakistan Army on March 25, 1971 launched ‘Operation Searchlight’ to crush Bengali rebellion.
- Best CEOs list by American financial magazine Barron’s -
- India's HDFC Bank Managing Director Aditya Puri ranked 23rd. Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella got the fifth spot in the list.
- Top three - Mary Barra of General Motors, Gary Dickerson of Applied Materials and Stephen Hemsley.
- Bharti Airtel and Millicom International Cellular SA signed agreement to combine operations in African Nation Ghana.
- Britain launched process for leaving European Union (EU) by 2019. Britain will become the first country ever to depart from European Union since its formation 60 years ago.
- British Parliament passed motion hailing that Gilgit-Baltistan region is a constitutional part of India's Jammu & Kashmir. It condemned Pakistan’s announcement declaring Gilgit-Baltistan as its frontier.
- China and Saudi Arabia signed MoU worth about $65 billion, to enhance co-operation in several fields.
- China hiked its military spending by 7 % to $152 billion (1.04 trillion yuan). It is approx thrice of India's Defence Budget (53 Billion USD).
- China will build its first national underwater observatory in disputed South China Sea (SCS), to keep check on underwater physical, chemical, and geological dynamics.
- Conference on India - Poland Bilateral Cooperation in Agriculture & Allied Sectors held in New Delhi.
- Cultural festival ‘India by the Nile’ held in Cairo (Egypt).
- Cyclone Debbie makes Landfall in Australia’s Northeast Coast.
- Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) signed agreement with Monash University's Institute of Railway Technology (Australia), To support future research and technology development in railway infrastructure in India. SRESTHA (Special Railway Establishment for Strategic Technology & Holistic Advancement) will be guided by them.
- Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) signed MoU to increase cooperation and collaboration between the two financial centres.
- EI Salvador (Central America) became first country to ban metals mining. It has been done as level of environmental pollution in EI Salvador is among highest in region and availability of drinking water is poor.
- El Salvador (Central America) became first country in world to ban metal mining nationwide.
- Engineering and scientific society SAEINDIA will organize 37th edition of FISITA World Automotive Congress in October 2018 in Chennai.
- European Space Agency (ESA) launched Sentinel-2B satellite, fifth of Sentinel Earth observation satellites part of Copernicus observation program.
- Sentinel-2B satellite is part of satellites system that monitors Earth. It will join its twin Sentinel-2A, which has been in orbit since 2015.
- Two satellites will orbit 786 km above Earth, on opposite sides of planet. They will take high-resolution, colour and infrared images for a wide array of environmental initiatives, including crop forecasting and monitoring natural disasters.
- Europe’s biggest bank HSBC Holdings Plc appointed Mark Tucker as its chairman.
- Finance Ministry approved 3rd Protocol amending India-Singapore Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA), to check tax and fiscal evasion.
- First Houston India Conference hosted by Asia Society Texas Centre in Houston (United USA), with theme Make in India -The Inside Story.
- Forbes World's Billionaires List 2017 -
- With 2043 Billionaires, total welath increased to USD 7.67 trillion.
- Top three in the list are Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Jeff Bezos.
- US has most billionaires (565), followed by China (319), Germany (114) and India (101). India crossed 100 billionaires for first time.
- Mukesh Ambani is still richest Indian with $23 Billion USD Net worth (Globally 33rd).
- Fortune World’s 50 Greatest Leaders 2017 -
- State Bank of India’s Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya has been ranked 26 and while Indian-origin physician Raj Panjabi (founder of Last Mile Health) is placed 28th.
- Top 5 - Theo Epstein (President of Baseball Operations at Chicago Cubs), Jack Ma (Alibaba Group Chairman), Pope Francis (First Latin American pope), Melinda Gates (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Co-chair), Jeff Bezos (Amazon CEO).
- France based Aircraft maker Airbus will set up its Asia’s first training facility for pilots and maintenance engineers in New Delhi.
- Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) signed time-swap deal with Swiss trader Gunvor to sell some of its US Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). Aim is to ease burden of GAIL's costly foreign LNG supplies.
- German Development Bank (KfW) and Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) signed loan agreement for €200 million to enhance energy efficiency in India. KfW also signed a funding deal of €500,000 with Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA).
- Global Energy Architecture Performance Index (EAPI) report by World Economic Forum (WEF) -
- India ranked 87th among 127 countries.
- Top 5 - Switzerland (1), Norway (2), Sweden (3), Denmark (4) and France (5).
- Bottom 5 - Bahrain (127), Yemen (126), Labanon (125), Benin (124), Eritrea (123)
- Neighbours - Pakistan (101), Bangladesh (104), Nepal (113), Sri Lanka (59)
- BRICS - Brazil (30), Russia (48), China (95), South Africa (76)
- Government approved Agreement on Oil Storage and Management between Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserve Ltd (ISPRL) and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) of UAE. ADNOC will fill up 5,860,000 million barrels of crude oil at ISPRL storage facility at Mangalore (Karnataka).
- Government approved India’s accession to Customs Convention on International Transport of Goods under cover of TIR Carnets (TIR Convention). Indian traders will now get access to reliable and hassle free international system for movement of goods by road or multi-modal means across the territories of other contracting parties.
- Government approved MoU between Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-ln) and US Homeland Security Department, for cooperation in field of Cyber Security.
- Government approved a new Air Services Agreement with Serbia and revised Air services agreement with Malaysia.
- Government approved ratification of 2 conventions of International Labour Organization (ILO) concerned with Child Labour - Minimum Age Convention (No 138) and Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (No 182).
- Government approved renewal of MoU between India's Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and College of Banking and Financial Studies (Oman).
- India and Belgium signed Protocol amending existing Agreement and Protocol between two countries for Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income.
- India and Brazil finalised Social Security Agreement (SSA) and will come in force by 2018. It will be the first such agreement between BRICS countries. It will exempt detached workers of two countries from making social security contribution in either country, as long as they were making such contributions in their own respective nations.
- India and Nepal signed agreement to renew supply of petroleum to Nepal for 5 years (till 2022).
- India and Pakistan decided to work on redesigning Miyar Hydroelectric project, during Indus Water Treaty talks held in Islamabad (Pakistan).
- India and Russia signed 2 long-term support agreements for Sukhoi Su-30MKI combat aircraft fleet, during 1st India-Russia Military Industrial Conference in New Delhi.
- India and several South East Asian nations signed World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Call To end Tuberculosis (TB) by 2030.
- India declared its 'Association' status with International Energy Agency (IEA), aiming to serve as a bridge for deeper cooperation and collaboration between IEA Member and Association countries.
- India will supply additional 60 MW power from its ONGC-Tripura power (OTPC’s) Palatana plant to Bangladesh.
- India started supplying 500 MWs power to Bangladesh in 2013 after a deal between India’s NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited and Bangladesh Power Development Board in February 2012.
- Indian Navy will set up meteorological facilities and impart training to Myanmar Navy.
- Indian Software services firm Tech Mahindra acquired US-based healthcare information technology consulting company CJS Solutions Group for $110 million.
- India’s tallest national flag measuring 360 feet hoisted at Attari-Wagah joint checkpost in Punjab. It broke earlier record of national flag hoisted in Ranchi which is 293 feet high.
- Intense Tropical Cyclone Enawo hits east african nation Madagascar.
- Iran’s advanced S-300 air defence system became operational, which was delivered by Russia after Iran’s July 2015 nuclear deal with P5+1 nations. Iran also recently tested Hormuz 2 Ballistic Missile with 300 KMs Range.
- Japan launched new satellite to track land and maritime movements in North Korea, after its alleged ballistic missile tests.
- Japanese and US navies conducted joint exercises in East China Sea, aimed at issuing a warning against nuclear-armed North Korea.
- Kansas (State of USA) recognised 16 March as Indian-American Appreciation Day.
- Korean Firm Hyundai signed deal to invest upto 3 billion euros in a major Iranian oil project.
- MOUs Approved -
- With United Arab Emirates in field of providing Energy Efficiency Services.
- With Portugal on Renewable Energy and IT & E.
- With United Nations Entity of Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), to provide technical support to Ministry of Panchayati Raj in strengthening capacities of governance institutions.
- Malaysia canceled Visa-free travel permit to North Koreans. It has been done after murder of Kim Jong Nam, brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at Kuala Lumpur Airport (Malaysia). North Korea had earlier suspended Malaysians from leaving the country.
- Mercer’s Quality of Living index rankings 2017 -
- Overall Living Quality -
- Hyderabad (Telangana) named best Indian city in terms of quality of living, for 3rd consecutive time.
- Top 5 Cities - Vienna (1), Zurich (2), Auckland (3), Munich (4), Vancouver (5).
- Highest ranking cities in Asia and Latin America are Singapore (25) and Montevideo (79).
- City infrastructure rankings -
- Singapore topped the list followed by Frankfurt and Munich both in 2nd place.
- Baghdad (230) and Port au Prince (231) ranked at the bottom for city infrastructure.
- Indian cities - Mumbai ranked highest at 141, followed by Kolkata (149) and Pune (151).
- Nepal Investment Summit concluded in Kathmandu, attended by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley of India's Behalf.
- New MOUs Approved -
- With Indonesia and the Kyrgyzstan for cooperation in Youth and Sports Matters.
- With Bangladesh on Aids to Navigation (AtoNs) and Establishing Border Haats.
- India's Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (Mussoorie) and Namibia's Institute of Public Administration and Management (NIPAM) for capacity building.
- Indian Railways and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for cooperation in environmental conservation.
- New Zealand recognised Whanganui River revered by Maori Tribe as a "legal person” status, making river have its own legal identity with all rights, duties and liabilities of a legal person. River is known as Te Awa Tupua by Maori tribe. It is first ever such move in world.
- Pakistan State Sponsor of Terrorism Act of 2017 introduced in US House of Representatives by Congressman Ted Poe, aimed at declaring Pakistan as a terrorist sponsor nations.
- Pakistan government approved merger of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with its northwestern province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
- Pakistan is building fence at high stress points across its 2400 KM long Border with Afghanistan, known as Durand Line.
- Pakistan will conduct its first national census in 19 years and overall 6th population census, to be completed by May 25, 2017.
- Reliance Jio will collaborate with networking firm Cisco to build world’s largest All-IP Digital Services Platform.
- Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution, aiming to impose sanctions on Syria over chemical weapons use.
- South Korea’s Constitutional court ousted country’s President Park-Geun-hye (removed from office).
- Sweden government instituted a military draft for men and women, to tackle deteriorating security environment around Sweden.
- Syrian troops backed by Russian jets recaptured historic city of Palmyra from Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
- Taliban captured crucial city of Sangin in Afghanistan.
- Thailand Jiratchaya Sirimongkol Nawin won Miss International Queen 2016 (12th edition of beauty pageant for Transgender women).
- Times Higher Education’s (THE) Best Small Universities-2017 (Under 5000 Students) global rankings -
- Indian Institute of Science (IISc) ranked 8th, becoming only Indian university to feature in top 10. It is also the second-highest ranked Asian University.
- list was topped by California Institute of Technology (USA).
- To eliminate payment through cheques or drafts,American Express launched Buyer Initiated Payments (BIP) electronic payment platform linked to corporate card. BIP card will help organizations and their vendors by reducing processing cost and offering extended payment terms compared to traditional invoice payments.
- To encourage women participation in workforce, Saudi Arabia for the first time launched a Girl’s Council.
- UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres proposed to shut down 13 year old UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti by October 2017, as the United States is planning major funding cuts to the United Nations. UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti is known by its French acronym MINUSTAH.
- US Federal Reserve (Chaired by Janet Yellen) raised its benchmark interest rate by 0.25% for 3rd third time in a decade (now raised to range of 0.75% to 1%).
- US President Donald Trump rolled back his predecessor Barack Obama’s climate change measures, to the restrictions on American energy and to cancel job-killing regulations. It directs all agencies to conduct review of all rules and policies that are putting roadblocks to US’s domestic energy production.
- US President Donald Trump signed NASA Transition Authorization Act, authorising $19.5 billion funding for NASA programmes in 2018 and Mars Exploration Programmes.
- US President Donald Trump signed new executive order to reinstate a ban on immigration from six nations - Libya, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Yemen and Somalia. Iraq, which was included in previous ban, is now excluded from list.
- US State, Hawaii became first state to file a lawsuit against Donald Trump’s revised travel ban on 6 Muslim majority countries.
- US based e commerce Firm Amazon entered United Arab Emirates (UAE) by acquiring Souq.com for approx 700 Million USD.
- US launched classified satellite NROL - 79 of National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), as a national security payload satellite.
- USA Based Firm Intel accquired Israeli driverless technology firm Mobileye for $15.3 billion, largest ever acquisition of an Israeli tech company and also biggest purchase of a company focused on autonomous driving sector.
- USA based SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched EchoStar 23 communications satellite.
- USA's Senate approveed Montenegro as 29th member of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). So far, 25 other NATO members have ratified Montenegro’s accession as NATO Member. Spain and Netherlands are yet to do so.
- Ukraine’s self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (eastern Ukraine) will use Russian ruble as official currency, along with Ukrainian Hryvnia.
- United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) granted Sri Lanka 2 year extension it sought to probe into alleged war crimes committed during the three-decade long civil war that ended in 2009.
- Women in Politics Map 2017 by Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UN Women -
- Top 5 - Rwanda (61.3 %), Bolivia (53.1 %), Cuba (48.9 %), Icepand (47.6 %), Nicargua (45.7 %)
- Bottom 3 - Yemen & Vanuatu & Qatar (All 190th with 0 women in parliament), Oman (189th), Solomon Islands (188th)
- India's Rank is 148 in List, with 11 % Particpation of women in Parliament.
- BRICS - Brazil (154th), Russia (129th), China (74th), South Africa (10th)
- Neighbours - Pakistan (89th), Sri Lanka (179th), Bangladesh (91th), Nepal (48th)
- World Bank announced 57 billion USD financing for sub-Saharan Africa over next three years (2017-2019).
- World’s Most Ethical Companies 2017 by American think tank Ethisphere Institute -
- US based Ford Motor Company top the list for 8th straight year.
- Indian companies Tata Steel and Wipro are been named in the list.
Meetings
- 12th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on India Africa Project Partnership held in New Delhi.
- 13th Economic Co-operation Organisation (ECO) summit held in Islamabad (Pakistan).
- 23rd Conference of Auditors General of Commonwealth Countries and British Overseas Held in Delhi.
- 3rd World Conference on Environment organized by National Green Tribunal in New Delhi.
- 3rd G20 Framework Working Group (FWG) meeting held in Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh). While, finance ministers and central bank chiefs from G20 nations met in Germany recently.
- 4th Annual Devolution Conference held in Kenya. Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Arjun Ram Meghwal attended on India'a Behalf.
- Canada will host 9th World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC) in Vancouver in September 2017, with theme Culture/Environment: Weaving New Connections.
- First commonwealth summit focused on stimulating trade within the group held in London (UK). Commerce Secretary, Rita A Teotia is Indian representative at the event.
- India hosted 13th Executive Committee (ExCo) Meeting of the International Smart Grid Action Network (ISGAN) in Gurugram (Haryana).
- Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Leaders’ Summit held in Jakarta (Indonesia), with theme Strengthening Maritime Cooperation for a Peaceful, Stable and Prosperous Indian Ocean. Vice President Hamid Ansari attended on India's Behalf.
- Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology in collaboration with United Nations University and UNESCO organized 10th ICEGOV 2017 (International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance) in Delhi, with Theme Building Knowledge Societies: From Digital Government to Digital Empowerment.
- Osmania University (Hyderabad) will host 105th Indian Science Congress (ISC) in January 2018 with theme Science and Technology–Reaching the Unreached.
- Second Annual Meeting of Beijing Based New Development Bank (NDB) held in New Delhi.
- Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama inaugurated International Conference on Buddhism in 21st Century at Rajgir (Bihar).
- United Nations Conference to create Legally Binding Instrument to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons held in bNew York (USA). India did not participate in it.
National
- As per Government, 5 Indian Cities are included in Tentative List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites - Ahmedabad, Delhi, Jaipur, Bhubaneswar and Mumbai.
- Bihar state government will provide subsidy on power bill to consumers instead of power companies from 2017-18.
- National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed public sector oil companies to immediately stop plying Bharat Stage-I (BS-I) and Bharat Stage-II (BS-II) vehicles for transporting petrol or petroleum products in Delhi.
- National Physical Laboratory (NPL) dedicated first Indian Pristine air-quality monitoring station at Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (Palampur (H.P.)), for generating base data for atmospheric trace species & properties to serve as reference for comparison of pollution in India.
- 11th North East Business Summit (NEBS) held in New Delhi.
- 18th edition of FICCI Frames organized in Mumbai, as one of Asia’s largest convention on business of media and entertainment. 2017 Theme is Digital: Divide or dividend.
- 3rd International Conference on Alternate Fuels and Raw Materials in Cement Industry -Towards Realising Swachh Bharat Dream held in Delhi.
- 4 month-long economic blockade in Manipur was lifted after talks involving United Naga Council (UNC) and Central / State governments.
- 5th ‘Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav (RSM) 2017’ held in Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.
- National Conference on Autism organized in New Delhi.
- ABB India honoured by India Smart Grid Foundation (ISGF) innovation award for restoring and modernizing 1,035 MW Sharavathi hydropower plant in Karnataka that accounts for 25% of Karnataka Power Corporation’s generation.
- According to Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) 2017, 45% of Indian bird species are found in Himachal Pradesh. As per data, 564 bird species are found in Himachal Pradesh, out of 1,263 species found in India.
- According to Power Ministry, India for first time became net exporter of electricity during April-February period of 2016-17.
- During this period, India exported 5,798 million units of electricity to Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar, which is 213 million units more than import of around 5,585 million units from Bhutan.
- India exports around 190 MW power to Nepal while approx 600 MW to Bangladesh.
- According to Report, West Bengal has highest (1.04 of country's total 1.48 crore) arsenic-affected people, with State’s 83 blocks in eight districts have ground water affected by arsenic contamination.
- Actor Amitabh Bachchan launched World’s First Mobile App on Breast Health, developed by Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation.
- After Uttar Pradesh,Jharkhand announced to impose ban on illegal slaughterhouses in state.
- Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh laid foundation stone of Banana Research Center at Garole, Vaishali (Bihar).
- Andhra Pradesh CM N.Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated State's new Assembly building at capital Amaravati (Guntur District).
- Andhra Pradesh Government renamed Tirupati Airport as Sri Venkateswara Airport and Gannavaram Airport as NTR Amaravati Airport. Besides, 600 acre land was approved for Bhogapuram Airport and 75 acres for Savita University in capital Amaravati.
- Andhra Pradesh became state with highest percentage of its Jan-Dhan accounts seeded with Aadhaar numbers (87.73 %), followed by Tripura (87.08 %) and Telangana (83.56 %).
- Arports Authority of India (AAI), Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Jharkhand Government signed MoU for development of the Deoghar Airport in Deoghar district.
- Arunachal Pradesh government launched Adarsh Gram Yojana, aimed at reaching poor people in rural areas. Under this, 123 villages developed as ‘Model Villages’ during 2017-18.
- As per National Association of Software & Services Companies (NASSCOM), There will be over 73 Crore Internet Users in India by 2020, up from 40 crore currently.
- Assam Government signed MoU with State Bank of India (SBI) to provide Housing Loan (@3.50% ) and Educational Loan (@4.00% ) at subsidised interest rates to state government employees.
- Assam government made Sanskrit education compulsory in all state board schools till Class VIII. State Government will also appoint a specific teacher to monitor cleanliness in state’s high schools.
- BHEL commenced operations of its first 800 MW unit supercritical thermal plant in Raichur Power Corporation Ltd (Karnataka).
- BHEL commissioned 250-MW eco-friendly unit at Bhavnagar Energy Company’s (BECL) project in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat, using low-grade coal (lignite) as a primary fuel.
- Bhagoria Festival celebrated by tribal people in Madhya Pradesh's Jhabua district.
- Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) signed MoU with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for export of torpedoes.
- Biggest river festival of India, Namami Brahmaputra Inaugurated in Assam by President Pranab Mukherjee.
- CBSE made six subjects mandatory for students appearing for class 10 board exams from next academic year, instead of five Currently.
- Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved Revised Cost Estimate of 400 MW Koteshwar Hydro Electric Project (HEP) in Uttarakhand at INR 2,717 crores., being implemented by Tehri Hydro Development Corporation. It has been commissioned in March 2012.
- Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved reviving of 50 under-served airports at cost of approx 4500 Crores.
- Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) removed all ceilings on organic products and allowed unrestricted exports of all organic processed products. However, for organic pulses and lentils, ceiling on exports has been enhanced from 10,000 to 50,000 MTPA.
- Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved North East Road Network Connectivity Project (NERNCP) Phase I for development of 403 kms of National Highways in Meghalaya and Mizoram, to be completed by 2021.
- Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved closure of CREDA HPCL Biofuel Ltd (CHBL) and IndianOil - Chhattisgarh Renewable Energy Development Agency (CREDA) Biofuels Limited (ICBL).
- Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved opening 50 new KendriyaVidyalayas (KVs) under Civil / Defence Sector, at approx cost of INR 1160 crores.
- Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) launched mobile application Exam Locator to help students appearing for class 10th and 12th examinations to locate their exam centres.
- Central Railway unveiled India’s first air-conditioned rail ambulance, to be stationed at Kalyan (Maharashtra).
- Chennai Port Trust and Puducherry Government signed MoU for handling EXIM cargo originating from Puducherry Port hinterland in New Delhi.
- Civil Aviation Ministry announced regional aviation routes and airlines after first round of bidding under UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) Scheme. In first round, 128 routes connecting 70 airports across country are selected and flights will become active within 4-6 months.
- Conference on Bihar and Jharkhand: Shared History to Shared Vision organized in Patna (Bihar) by Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI).
- Defence Ministry approved Rs 113 Crore Funding Over 5 Years for Strategic research projects (500 MHz NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance)) at University of Hyderabad (UoH) Centre-ARCHEM.
- Delhi Govt extended mid-day meal facility for girls up to class 12, up from class 8 (currently boys only). Changes will come into impact from April 1, 2017.
- Delhi High Court ruled that Sahitya Akademi awardees may not return their awards as they are granted after considerable deliberations.
- Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal directed chief secretary to recover INR 97 crore from AAP (Aam Aadmi Party), which it had allegedly splurged on advertisements.
- Delhi Lieutenant-Governor approved Delhi government’s proposal to hike minimum wages of labourers by 37 %, highest hike ever in independent India. Now, unskilled workers in delhi will get monthly minimum wage of INR 13350. Semi-skilled and skilled workers will receive min monthly wages of INR 14698 and 16182 respectively.
- Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) entered Limca Book of World Records for erecting 200 U-shaped girders, maximum number of U-Shaped girders ever launched on any metro corridor in India with in a month (Noida Greater Noida Corridor).
- Destination North East 2017 conference held in Chandigarh, to showcase North East as a potential investment destination and highlight rich traditions of region. Minister of State (IC) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh was Chief Guest on this occasion.
- Election Commission freezed AIADMK party's symbol of 'Two Leaves' amid 2 groups competing for using the same (VK Sasikala and O Panneerselvam).
- Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) launched Mobile Clinic Services for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
- Essar’s Nand Niketan at Hazira (Surat (Gujarat)) became India’s first private sector township to become cashless.
- Faggan Singh Kulaste (Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare) launched National Dental and Oral Health Information IVR Portal and toll free number 1800-10-2032, to raise awareness on oral health.
- First Regional Conference of Eastern States on enhancing steel consumption in India was held in Gangtok (Sikkim) with theme Enhancing steel consumption in India.
- First fully India-made train Medha flagged off at Dadar station in Mumbai.
- First smart tribal model village ‘Hubbi’ inaugurated at Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.
- Five Indians named in 2017 World Economic Forum’s 100 Young Global Leaders (Under 40) list - Vijay Shekhar Sharma (Paytm Founder), Shruti Shibulal (Tamara Hospitality), Ambarish Mitra (Founder of Blippar), Hindol Sengupta and Rwitwika Bhattacharya-Agarwal.
- Focussing on women and new born welfare, Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao launched KCR Kit scheme, at approx budget of 605 crores. It consists of 16 essentials for a new-born and will be useful for up to three months.
- Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) and Coca Cola India signed MoU to train 50,000 street food vendors over 3 years, as part of FSSAI's Clean Street Food initiative.
- Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI) Bill 2017 Introduced in Lok Sabha, .aimed at declaring FDDI as an Institution of National Importance (INI).
- For the first time in India, four states - Odisha, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand will conduct a synchronised elephant census in May 2017.
- Number of elephants in these states In 2015 - Odisha - 1,954, Jharkhand - 700, Chhattisgarh - 275, West Bengal - 130.
- GRAPES-3 experiment at TIFR’s (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research) Cosmic Ray Laboratory in Ooty (Tamil Nadu) has been upgraded to detect solar storms.
- Global Food Fair World Food India 2017 will be held by Ministry of Food Processing Industries in November 2017 at New Delhi.
- Google and Telangana Government signed MoU to boost digitisation efforts of state government.
- Government approved Introduction of Indian Institutes of Information Technology Public Private Partnership (IIIT PPP) Bill 2017, To declare 15 Indian Institutes of Information Technology as Institutions of National Importance. It will enable IITs to grant degrees to their students.
- Government approved construction of 117,814 more affordable houses for urban poor under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in six states (Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha) with investment of 5,773 crore. With this, total affordable homes sanctioned under PMAY came up to to 1,760,507 with investment of 96,018 crores.
- Government approved enhancing 4000 Post Graduate seats in medical colleges and hospitals across country, taking total number of PG seats available in country up to over 35000.
- Government approved sale of Steel Authority of India Limited’s (SAIL) 3 special steel plants - Alloy Steels Plant located at Durgapur (West Bengal), Salem Steel Plant (Tamil Nadu) and Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Plant (Bhadravati, Karnataka). Approx 15,000 crore rupees are expect to be raised from this disinvestment.
- Government approved setting up National Commission for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (NSEBC) as a constitutional body, by insertion of Article 338B through a constitutional amendment.
- Government extended time period for elementary school teachers for accquiring essential qualification by March 2019, as against earlier March 2015. It has been done with an amendment in Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act 2009, that envisages free and compulsory elementary education to every child in age group of 6-14 years.
- Government has set up target to increase nuclear power generation capacity to 15,000 MW by 2024, up from 5000 MW Currently.
- Government imposed 10% import duty on wheat and tur dal to protect farmers’ interest amid projection of a record crop this year.
- Government launched Online Vigilance Clearance System and e-Service Book in New Delhi, aiming to fast track process of cases of vigilance clearance for senior-level appointments in central government.
- Government launched first across-the-river survey in River Ganga to determine population of aquatic life, including endangered Gangetic doplhin.
- Government of Andhra Pradesh proposed deploying a Smart Mosquito Density System. Under this, modern technologies will be deployed to detect mosquito breeding before malaria and other vector-borne diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and zika become an epidemic.
- Government released commemorative postage stamp on occasion of 100th anniversary of Yogoda Satsanga Society of India.
- Government stated Animal Welfare Board of India (under Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change) will now be permanently chaired by a senior MoEF official.
- Government will change 4 decade-old definition of blindness to bring it in line with World Health Organisation (WHO) criteria and ensure Indian data on blindness meets the global estimates. As per National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB), in India person is blind if he is unable to count fingers from a distance of 6 metres, while WHO stipulates this distance as 3 metres.
- Government will launch India’s first-of-its-kind Indian Sign Language (ISL) dictionary, aimin to bring uniformity in sign languages used by hearing and speech impaired people. It is being developed by Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC).
- Government’s biotech innovation BIRAC Regional Entrepreneurship Centre set up in Bengaluru, in Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms – C-CAMP. Center will encourage spirit of bio-entrepreneurship.
- Gujarat Assembly passed Gujarat Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill 2017 to amend Gujarat Animal Preservation Act 1954. This amendment has made parent act much more strict and provisions harsher punishment to prevent cow slaughter in state.
- Gujarat based Aashray Promotion of Social Enterprises Foundation signed MoU with Jharkhand government to establish an incubation center for start-ups in state.
- Gujarat government signed agreement with cloud-based solutions provider cloudBuy.com to develop B2B marketplace for small and large business units in state.
- Haryana Government announced Tirtha Darshan Scheme under which senior citizens above 60 years of age in the state will be able to go on a pilgrimage within country at government expense.
- Health Minister J P Nadda launched National Health Policy 2017 with an aim to provide healthcare in an assured manner to all, particularly to the undeserved and underprivileged.
- Policy proposes raising public health expenditure to 2.5 % of GDP.
- It seeks to increase life expectancy at birth from 67.5 to 70 by 2025 and reduce infant mortality rate to 28 by 2019.
- It also seeks to achieve and maintain elimination status of Leprosy by 2018.
- It seeks to establish tracking of disability adjusted life years (DALY) Index as a measure of burden of disease and its major categories trends by 2022.
- Himachal Pradesh Government launched mobile App and website Mera Hunar HP for job-seekers, to enable skilled persons to apply for various jobs as per their convenience and eligibility.
- Hindustan Aeronautics Limited announced to deliver 123 Tejas aircrafts to Indian Air Force (IAF) by 2024.
- Human Resource Development Ministry made it mandatory for students to have Aadhaar card to get served cooked meal under Mid-Day Meal (MDM) Scheme.
- India to host its first mobile world congress in delhi in September 2017, with special focus on reaching out to South East Asian markets.
- India will host its first mobile congress in September 2017 in New Delhi.
- India's contribution to United Nations rose 55% to Rs 244 crore in 2015-16 compared with previous year.
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) signed agreement to work together on crop improvement and agronomy programmes for grain legumes and dryland cereals.
- Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur becomes first academic institution to get a supercomputing facility under National Supercomputing Mission (NSM).
- Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IITM) and Indian Army signed MoU to identify critical technological areas that can be enhanced in the armed forces.
- India’s first vertical garden set up at Hosur Road Electronics City Flyover in Bengaluru (Karnataka), by NGO SayTrees, to protect nature.
- India’s longest surface tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district will be opened to soon. 9-km-long tunnel at Chenani passes through the lower Himalayan mountain range on Jammu- Srinagar National Highway and reduces travel distance between Jammu and Srinagar by 30 kilometres (time saveing of 3 - 4 hours).
- Information and Broadcasting Ministry launched e-Cinepramaan as online film certification system of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), to automate film certification process and make it transparent and efficient.
- International conference on VISION ZERO and its relevance to Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), held in New Delhi.
- Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh became first tiger reserve in India to officially introduce a mascot named Bhoorsingh the Barasingha.
- Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah launched online platform Pratibimba to showcase government’s achievements.
- Karnataka Government announced Idea2POC (Proof of Concept) fund of 10 crore for women entrepreneurs. Under this, Karnataka Government will fund up to 50 lakh for any woman innovator looking for funds for Proof of Concept validation, certification, and cover costs in manufacturing of pilot devices.
- Law Commission of India (LCI) in its 267th Report has laid out dangers of hate speech and called Union Government for action.
- Lok Sabha approved winding up 8 tribunals -
- Competition Appellate Tribunal, Airports Economic Regulatory Authority Appellate Tribunal (AERAAT), Cyber Appellate Tribunal, EPF Appellate Tribunal, Cases under the Foreign Exchange Management Act of 1999, National Highways Tribunal, Railways Rates Tribunal and Copyright Board.
- Lok Sabhapassed Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) Bill 2016, aimed at establishing uniform legal framework by consolidating existing laws relating to admiralty jurisdiction of courts, admiralty proceedings on maritime claims, arrest of vessels etc. Laws to be omitted are - Admiralty Court Acts of 1840 & 1861, Colonial Courts of Admiralty Acts of 1890 & 1891, Provisions of Letters Patent 1865.
- Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT) Pune and IBM developed robot Chintu to assist senior citizens in their everyday tasks.
- Maharashtra government will implement Maharashtra City Taxi Regulations 2017, to regulate web-based taxi services in state. Under new regulation, service provider will have to register in city to operate the taxi service and fares will be regulated by government.
- Manipur High Court declared 4 month long economic blockade called by United Naga Council (UNC) as illegal. UNC had blocked key national highways (number 2 and 37) connecting Manipur with rest of northeast region since November 2016, protesting against creation of seven new districts in state.
- Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Radha Mohan Singh inaugurated new Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in Tripura.
- Minister of Communications Manoj Sinha released Postage Stamp on cub scouts to commemorate Centenary year of Cub Scouts in India and abroad.
- Ministry of Agriculture launched Mission Fingerling, to enable development of fisheries sector in India with expenditure of 520 crores. It aims at achieving fisheries production from 10.79 mmt (2014-15) to 15 mmt by 2020-21 under Blue Revolution.
- Government will also launch program on ornamental fisheries in 8 potential States (cost of 61 crores) - Assam, West Bengal , Odisha, Maharashtra , Gujarat , Karnataka , Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
- Ministry of Environment provided 6 months window to industrial projects functioning without environmental clearance (EC) to apply for a back-dated EC.
- Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) launched portal for obtaining Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearances, to Enhance efficiency, transparency and accountability in process.
- Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) launched Stage II of HCFCs Phase Out Management Plan (HPMP) for 2017-23 period. It aims to phase out use of Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), harmful ozone-depleting substances (ODS) by switching over to non-ozone depleting and low global warming potential technologies.
- Ministry of Food Processing Industries (FPI) sanctioned 101 new integrated cold chain projects, at investment of 3,100 crores. Maharashtra has maximum (21) of projects, followed by Uttar Pradesh (14) and Gujarat (12).
- Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas has announced new Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) for oil and gas exploration, aiming to attract greater foreign investment to boost output by allowing bidders to carve out areas where they want to drill.
- OALP provides operational flexibility to the investors by offering single license to explore conventional and unconventional oil and gas resources. Currently, government identifies oil and gas blocks and then puts them on auction.
- Government will now conduct auction of oil and gas blocks twice a year, with the first round being held in July 2017.
- Selection of oil blocks will be based on data by Directorate-General of Hydrocarbons in National Data Repository which offers total 160TB data of India’s 26 sedimentary basins.
- Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas launched MoPNG e-Seva grievance redressal platform regarding petroleum and gas sector.
- Ministry of Road Transport and Highways launched 2 e-challan and m-parivahan mobile applications to provide digital solution for enforcement of traffic rules. These applications will provide access to various services and will enable citizens to report any traffic violation or road accident.
- Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) will set up Women’s Entrepreneurship Council for taking up with government the problems faced by business women.
- NETRA (NTPC Energy Technology Research Alliance) installed India’s largest floating solar photovoltaic plant (100 kWp (kilowatt peak)) at Rajiv Gandhi Combined Cycle Power Plant (RGCCPP) at Kayamkulam in Kerala.
- NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation) commissioned 45 Megwatt (MW) capacity solar power plant at Bhadla in Rajasthan, taking company’s total installed capacity up to 48188 MW.
- NTPC contributes 24% of India’s total power generation and plans to set up 10,000 MW renewable projects by 2022.
- Its first wind power project Rojmal wind energy project 50 MW is being set up in Gujarat.
- NTPC commissioned 2nd unit of 660 MW of Mouda Super Thermal Power Station Stage-II (Maharashtra).
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) developed world’s first next-generation atomic clock for deep space missions, to aid future manned deep space exploration missions by helping in navigation of space crafts.
- National Commission for Schedule Tribes (NCST) approved five additional seats for tribals in Sikkim assembly (from 12 to 17 now).
- National Conference on Innovation in Educational Administration organized in New Delhi by National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA).
- National Green Tribunal (NGT) prohibited all camping activity within 100 meters along River Ganga from Shivpuri to Rishikesh in Uttarakhand, owing to Environmental and Pollution issues.
- National Green Tribunal suspended environmental clearance for the Neutrino Observatory (INO) project to be set up in Tamil Nadu for research on high energy and nuclear physics, due to environmental concerns.
- National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and Rotary India signed MoU for success of Namami Gange Programme.
- National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) increased prices of stents (tube-shaped device placed in the arteries that supply blood to the heart) by 2%, keeping in view the wholesale price index.
- National Safety Week (NSW) to observed from March 4 - 10, 2017 by National Safety Council (NSC) of India with theme Keep Each Other Safe
- National Theatre Festival held at Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala).
- National conference on Jal Kranti Abhiyan and an International Yoga fest held in New Delhi. International yoga festival was also organized in Rishikesh (Uttarakhand).
- ONGC will invest over Rs 21,500 crore to develop India's deepest gas discovery by 2022-23, helping it more than double output from its prime KG basin block.
- Odisha Government and Invest India signed agreement to promote start-ups and MSME sector of state, to help start-ups and MSME sector to gain access to best practices.
- Odisha Government inaugurated a 24×7 toll free helpline number 181 for distressed women in Bhubaneswar.
- Odisha signed agreement with State Bank of India to become first state to adopt Self Help Groups (SHG) based model for financial exclusion model to extend banking services in unbanked areas through SGHs (formed under Odisha Livelihood Mission).
- On the occasion of 127th Foundation Day of National Archives of India (NAI), exhibition Revolutionary Patriots (1905-1947) been inaugurated.
- PM Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s longest cable-stayed bridge in Bharuch (Gujarat). It is 1.4-kilometer long four-lanes bridge over river Narmada and has been built by Larsen & Toubro.
- PM Narendra Modi inaugurated Petro auditions Limited (OPal) in industrial town of Dahej in Gujarat as largest petrochemicals plant in Asia with occupation over 1700 metres of land. It will annually produce 14 lakh metric tonnes of polymers.0
- Parliament passed Employees Compensation (Amendment) Bill 2016, amending Employee’s Compensation Act 1923.
- It ensures compensation up to Rs 1 lakh to employee if an injured in an industrial accident.
- Employer will be penalised (50k - 100k) if he fails to inform his employee of his right to compensation.
- Parliament passed Maternity Benefits (Amendment) Bill 2016 (amending Maternity Benefit Act 1961) to raise maternity leave for working women from 12 weeks to 26 weeks for two surviving children. India will be in third position in terms of the number of weeks allowed for maternity leave in the world after Norway (44 weeks) and Canada (50).
- Parliament passed Mental Healthcare Bill 2016, that decriminalises suicide attempt by mentally ill people and guarantees right to better healthcare for people with mental illness.
- Parliamentary Committee under Bhagat Singh Koshyari suggested merger of telecom firms Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) for their long-term survival.
- Pawan Hans launched Delhi Darshan rides with a 10-minute sortie at Rs 2,499 per person.
- Punjab Cabinet provided 33% reservation for women in all govt jobs.
- Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir signed agreement for fast-track completion of much-delayed 206 megawatt (MW) Shahpur Kandi dam project on Ravi river.
- Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu inaugurated high speed rail wire Wi-Fi facility in National Rail museum, New Delhi. He also launched book Indian Railways- The Weaving of a National Tapestry authored by Bibek Debroy, Sanjay and Vidya Krishnamurthi.
- Railways has set up WiFi hotspot kiosks at about 500 stations in association with Google, Named Railwire Saathi.
- Railways introduced 33 % of quota for women in allotment of food stalls at rail premises as a special provision in the new catering policy 2017.
- Rajya Sabha passed HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill 2014, to safeguard rights of people affected by HIV. It aims to prevent social stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV (PLHIV).
- Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana”, a ‘Scheme for providing Physical Aids and Assisted-living Devices for Senior citizens belonging to BPL category’ will be launched in Nellore (Andhra Pradesh).
- Sanjauli Police Station in Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) became first police post in country to be linked with Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS).
- Scientists from CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) in Visakhapatnam discovered 3 new canyons close to Kovvada in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, with canyons together forming a major canyon system in depths of Bay of Bengal.
- The new canyon system was probably formed by river Kandivalasa. It is very huge and its depth varies from about 90 - 2,500 metres.
- Last canyon systems off the Visakhapatnam coast were discovered in 1963 by American geologist E.C. LaFond of US Navy.
- Solar Energy Scheme for Small Powerloom Units launched by government to provide financial assistance as capital subsidy to small powerloom units for installation of Solar Photo Voltaic (SPV) plants, to alleviate problem of power cuts faced by decentralized powerloom units. Under this, plants have two options - On-Grid Solar Power Plant (where power cuts and shortages are negligible and power tariff is high), Off-Grid Solar Power Plant (in power shortage areas).
- State Assembly Election Results 2017 -
- Uttar Pradesh (403 Seats)
- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) became Largest Party with 312 Seats. It is a histortic win for any political party in Uttar Pradesh. Samajwadi Party got 47 seats.
- BJP got 39.7 % votes, while Bahujan Samaj Party got 22.2 %.
- Uttrakhand (70 Seats)
- With 57 Seats, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) became Largest Party.
- BJP got 46.5 % votes, while Indian National Congress got 33.5 % votes.
- Goa (40 Seats)
- No clear Majority achieved by any party. Indian National Congress is leading party with 17 seats, BJP second with 13 seats. Although BJP got more percentage of votes than any other party.
- Manipur (60 Seats)
- No clear Majority achieved by any party. Indian National Congress is leading party with 28 seats, BJP second with 21 seats. Although BJP got more percentage of votes than any other party.
- Punjab (117 Seats)
- Indian National Congress won majority with 77 seats, Aam Aadmi Party second with 20 seats. INC got 38.5 % Votes.
- Supreme Court banned sale of Bharat Stage (BS)-III emission norm-compliant vehicles from April 1, 2017, when environmentally friendly BS-IV emission norms will come into force.
- Tamil Nadu Government launched Ammakalviyagam in portal, as hub of learning, interaction and opportunities. It is dedicated to late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.
- Tamil Nadu Government launched women safety application called Ammavin Aran, meaning 'mother's fortress'. It will give details about nearest police station and hospital along with map and phone number.
- Tata - DAV School at Mithapur in Gujarat achieved Guinness World Record for the Largest Tree Hug programme, with participation of 1316 students and staff. Objective was to spread message of conservation of natural resources and need to nurture the environment.
- Tata Motors signed MoU with Volkswagen Group and Skoda to explore strategic alliance opportunities for joint development of products.
- Taxi aggregator Ola signed MoU with Madhya Pradesh State Skill Development Mission (MPSSDM) and Directorate of Skill Development, aimed at nurturing micro-entrepreneurship and skilling 50 lakh drivers by 2020.
- To free India from cataract (Eye disease) by 2022, government approved Rs 756 crore scheme to treat over 70 Crore patients in 5 years.
- Turkey ended its military campaign inside northern Syria - Operation Euphrates Shield.
- Uttar Pradesh Government will provide free power connection to below poverty line households.Those above poverty line will get 100 % financing option with easy EMIs.
- Uttarakhand High Court ordered complete ban on all mining activities in state for 4 months.
- Uttarakhand High Court recognized Ganga and Yamuna Rivers as living entities, making it first time ever that any court in India has recognized a non-human as a living entity.
- West Bengal Government officially recognized language status to endangered tribal language Kurukh, mother tongue belonging to Dravidian family.
- West Bengal Government passed Clinical Establishments (Registration, Regulation and Transparency) Bill, 2017 to overhaul private healthcare in state and take stringent measures against health institutions accused of medical negligence and corrupt practices. It repeals West Bengal Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010.
- Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) launched Operation Thunder Bird in its fight to end poaching of wild animals. It also had convened Operation Save Kurma, a species specific operation on turtles.
- World’s largest capstone discovered by Archaeology Department of Telangana, after excavating an ancient human burial site in Siddipet district.
- Capstone is a stone fixed on top of something, typically a wall.
Persons
- Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos became World’s second richest person with his net worth increased to $ 75.6 billion, second only to Microsoft Co- founder Bill Gates' net worth of $ 86 billion.
- Australian Minister for Resources, Matthew Canavan Visited India.
- Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar launched his mobile app called 100 MB (MB standing for Master Blaster).
- Denis Manturov, Russian Trade & Industry Minister visited India to attend 6th International Engineering Sourcing Show(IESS) held at Chennai and India-Russia Military Industrial Conference in Delhi.
- Famous British Formula One racer John Surtees passed away.
- Famous French Footballer Raymond Kopa passe away.
- Fayez Al-Tarawneh, Chief Justice of Jordan Visited India.
- Finance Minister Arun Jaitley visited United Kingdom, particularly to represent India at royal event of 2017 UK-India Year of Culture. He also visited Nepal, to attend Nepal Investment Summit 2017.
- Former Lok Sabha speaker Rabi Ray passed away.
- Former President of Haiti, Rene Preval passed away. He was noted agronomist and champion of the poor.
- Gauri Singh from Rajasthan became first Indian girl swim from Sea Link near Worli Koliwada to Gateway of India in the Arabia Sea (36 KM).
- Indian Army Chief Bipin Rawat visited Nepal and Bangladesh.
- He was conferred title of honorary General of Nepal Army by Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari.
- King of Swaziland, Mswati-III visited India.
- Negeri Lencho, Minister of Communications Affairs of Ethiopia Visited India.
- Nepal's Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi visited India.
- Nicolas Sarkozy, former President of France visited India.
- Nobel Prize winner Hungarian Chemist George Olah passed away.
- Noted Advocate and Jurist TR Andhyarujina Passed Away.
- Noted American Rock and roll Musician Chuck Berry passed away.
- Noted American surgeon Thomas E Starzl passed away. He performed first successful human liver transplant in 1967.
- Noted Bsengali folk singer Kalika Prasad Bhattacharya passed away.
- Noted Malayalam film director Diphan passed away.
- Noted Meteorologist (known as Monsoon Man and Father of Indian Meteorology) and former director of Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Dev Raj Sikka passed away.
- Noted Scottish physicist Ronald Drever passed away. He was among co-founders of Laser Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors that detected gravitational waves emitted by merger of a binary black hole pair.
- Noted Tamil writer Ashokamitran passed away.
- Noted journalist Arvind Padmanabhan passed away.
- Noted playwright Arun Sarma passed away.
- Peggy Whitson created new record for most spacewalks by surpassing Indian American Sumita Williams's record of 7 spacewalks.
- Playback singer Vaikom Vijayalakshmi recently has set a new world record by playing maximum number of songs in the shortest time on a single string musical instrument. She played songs on Gayatri Veena Continuously for over 5 hours.
- Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief Mohan Bhagwat conferred with honorary degree of “Doctor of Science” by Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University.
- Ruhakana Rugunda, Prime Minister of Uganda visited India.
- Shashank Manohar resigned as Chairman of International Cricket Council.
- Showkutally Soodhun, Vice-Prime Minister of Mauritius visited India. During this visit, India and Mauritius signed MoU to execute USD 20 million social housing project in Mauritius.
- Soumen Ghosh resigned as Chief of Reliance Capital, after long stint of 9 years. While, Devang Mody is appointed as CEO of Reliance Commercial Finance Ltd (a subsidiary of Reliance Capital).
- South African sailor Chris Bertish became first to cross Atlantic Ocean on a stand-up paddleboard, completing 4050 mile voyage alone.
- South Africa’s revered Indian-origin anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Kathrada passed away.
- University of Mumbai conferred Conferred Honorary D.Litt on Noted Indian Geneticist MS Swaminathan.
- Vladimir Korolev, Chief of Russian Navy visited India.
- Werner Hoyer, President of European Investment Bank visited India.
Science
- Britain Government granted first licence to doctors in Newcastle (northern England) to create babies using a three-parent IVF technique designed to prevent inherited genetic diseases.
- Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) handed over naval systems to Indian Navy, to enhance navy’s navigation and communication network -
- USHUS-II submarine sonar, Directing gear for hull-mounted sonar array, Inertial navigation system for ship applications.
- IP-based secure phone - Encryption algorithm on a trustworthy hardware platform, to provide high secrecy to voice and data.
- Gallium Nitride Technology - It will Help in development of next generation radars and communication systems, for Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).
- Hubble Space Telescope (HST) captured image of incredibly massive galaxy - UGC 12591, approx 400 million light years away from Earth.
- IBM researchers created world’s smallest magnet using a single atom which can store one bit of data on it, as against current usage of approx 100,000 atoms by hard disks to store a single bit of data.
- IBM scientists used a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to build isolated single-atom bits using holmium atoms.
- This Invention can allow people and businesses to store 1,000 times more information in same space, making it very useful for future digital applications.
- Indian Scientists discoverd 1.6 billion-year-old fossils containing red algae, that might well be oldest plant-like life discovered on Earth. It were dounf Chitrakoot region in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
- Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are jointly working on the development of Dual Frequency (L and S band) Synthetic Aperture Radar Imaging Satellite named as NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR). The L-band SAR is being developed by JPL/NASA, While ISRo is developing S-band SAR.
- Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) created commissioned world’s third-largest hypersonic wind tunnel at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala). ISRO commissioned two facilities - 1-m Hypersonic Wind Tunnel and a 1-m Shock Tunnel.
- Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has developed four types of lithium ion batteries for satellite and launch vehicle applications. These four types of batteries are 1.5Ah, 5Ah, 50Ah and 100Ah.
- Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) joined 36th Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica (36 ISEA) organised by National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR). ISRO has sent 4 teams from Space Applications Centre (SAC), National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS) and and Space Physics Laboratory(SPL). Objective is to install stakes on Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) measurements around two Indian bases Bharati and Maitri in Antartica.
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced its upcoming mission to explore Jupiter's mysterious moon Europa - Europa Clipper.
- Night parrot sighted for first time in last 100 years in Western Australia, which was thought to be extinct as of now.
- Punjab Agricultural University Ludhiana claimed India’s first genetically-modified (GM) varieties of cotton - PAU Bt 1 and F1861. Cotton is only genetically modified crop allowed to be cultivated in India. Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) also identified 3 Bt cotton varieties –F1861, PAU Bt 1 and RS2013 for cultivation in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
- Researchers from University of Glasgow (Scotland) developed prosthetic limbs with solar-powered skin, giving amputees a better sense capabilities of touch, temperature and texture compared to battery powered prosthetics.
- Scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) found India’s first lunar probe, Chandrayaan-1 as still orbiting the moon. ISRO lost communication with Chandrayaan-1 on August 29, 2009, almost a year after it was launched on October 22, 2008.JPL also have found NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO).
- Scientists developed a tiny, ingestible 3D-printed snake-like robot called SAW (single actuator wave-like robot), that can navigate through the small intestines. It can be used to visualise the digestive system in real time, especially for colonoscopies.
- Scientists discovered oldest fossils on Earth in rocks from Quebec (Canada), dating approx 3.8 billion to 4.3 billion years old. Fossils are thought to be remains of bacteria that lived on iron and dwelt around Mineral rich hot springs on seafloor.
- Scientists discovered polka dot tree frog (Hypsiboas punctatus), world’s first fluorescent frog in Argentina. It sports a muted palette of greens, reds and yellows under normal light, but in dark gives off a bright blue and green glow.
- Scientists from Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands) developed a new wireless Internet network based on infrared rays that is 100 times faster than existing Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) networks. It has capacity of over 40 Gigabits per second (Gbit/s).
- Scientists from University of Cambridge (UK) created a structure resembling a mouse embryo, using two types of stem cells the body’s master cells’-and a 3D scaffold on which then can grow.
- Scientists from the German Aerospace Centre developed world’s largest artificial sun (Synlight) - a device developed to help shed light on new ways of making climate-friendly fuels, havong giant honeycomb-like set-up of 149 spotlights. Aim is to develop an optimal setup for concentrating natural sunlight to power a reaction to produce hydrogen fuel.
- Scientists of University at Buffalo (USA) developed a solar-powered purifier, as an efficient and inexpensive way to turn contaminated water into potable water for personal use. Device is called Solar Vapour Generator.
- Scientists using Large Hadron Collider accelerator (LHC) at CERN (European Organisation for Nuclear Research) discovered a new system of five particles, making This discovery unique by observing 5 new states all at once.
- These particle states are named Oc(3000)0, Oc(3050)0, Oc(3066)0, Oc(3090)0 b Oc(3119)0, with he numbers indicating masses in megaelectronvolts (MeV).
- USA Scientists have developed a blood test to predict whether a child has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), pavong way for earlier diagnosis and future development of therapeutics.
Sports
- 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games held in Austria -
- Indian special athletes medal tally includes 37 golds, 10 silver and 26 bronze medals.
- Next Special Olympics World Winter Games will be held in Abu Dhabi (UAE) in 2019.
- 2017 Uganda International Series -
- Men's Singles - Georges Julien Paul (Mauritius)
- Women's Singles - Bridget Shamim Bangi (Uganda)
- Men's Doubles - Indian Pair of Francis Alwin and Tarun Kona
- Women's Doubles - Egyptian pair of Doha Hany and Hadia Hosny
- 2017 World Women’s Youth Boxing Championship will be hosted by India in November 2017.
- All England Badminton Championships 2017 -
- Men’s Singles - Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia) won by defeating China’s Shi Yuqi.
- Women’s Single - Tai Tzu-ying (China) defeated Ratchanok Intanon (Thailand).
- Men’s Double - Indonesia’s Marcus Gideon and Kevin Sukamuljo.
- Women’s Doubles - South Korea’s Chang Ye Na and Lee So Hee.
- Mixed Double - China’s Lu Kai and Huang Yaqiong.
- Argentina Footballer Lionel Messi banned from 4 international matches, for swearing at a match official.
- Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.
- Australian women cricketer Sarah Coyte announced retirement from all forms of Cricket.
- Bakshi stadium in Srinagar (J & K) will be lifted up to International statndards as per FIFA norms, with 48 crore expenses.
- Bhubaneswar (Odisha) will host 2017 Men’s Hockey World League final and 2018 Men’s Hockey World Cup.
- Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will award Rs.1 crore to Indian Cricket Team which recently won T 20 blind cricket World Cup by beating pakistan.
- Brazil Open Men's Tennis 2017 -
- Singles - Pablo Cuevas (Uruguay)
- Doubles - Rogério Dutra Silva (Brazil) / André Sás (Brazil)
- Cheteshwar Pujara became the first Indian batsman to face 500 balls in a Test Innings, surpassing Rahul Dravid’s previous best of 495 balls.
- China Based Mobile manufacturer Oppo won sponsorship rights of Indian cricket team for 5 years, beginning from April 1, 2017. It replaced Star India.
- Court of Arbitration for Sport (Lausanne (Switzerland)) upheld a lifetime ban that had been put on sergei Portugalov (Russia), for his role in providing illicit substances to Russian athletes.
- Double Olympic gold medallist Englis Cyclist Joanna Rowsell Shand announced her retirement.
- Dubai Tennis Championship 2017 -
- Men's Singles - Andy Murray (United Kingdom)
- Women's Singles - Elina Svitolina (Ukraine)
- Men's Doubles - Jean-Julien Rojer (Netherlands) / Horia Tecău (Romania)
- Women's Doubles - Ekaterina Makarova (Russia ) / Elena Vesnina (Russia)
- Ethiopian-born Turkish runner Elvan Abeylegesse stripped of 2 Olympic silver and 1 world silver Medal after failing dope test.
- Former India Footballer Bhaichung Bhutia removed from post advisor to both AIFF and AIFF President Praful Patel.
- ISSF Shooting World Cup 2017 (Held in New Delhi) -
- India's Jitu Rai won Gold Medal in 50 metre pistol Men's Event.
- Besides Jitu's Gold in 50 metre pistol, India was able to score 4 more medals - Amanpreet Singh (Silver in 50 metre Pistol), Jitu Rai (Bronze in 10 metre air pistol), Ankur Mittal (Silver in Shotgun Double Trap), Pooja Ghatkar (Bronze in 10 metre air rifle).
- China stayed at top of medal tally with 12 medals.
- India's Ankur Mittal won gold medal at International shooting sport Federation (ISSF) shotgun World Cup in men’s double trap event in Mexico.
- Indian Bowler Ravindra Jadeja ranked at top spot in Latest ICC Test bowlers Rankings, followed by Ravichandran Ashwin.
- Indian Para Athletics won 8 medals in 9th Fazza International IPC Athletics Grand Prix Competition held in Dubai (UAE).
- Indian Wells Masters Tennis Title (BNP Paribas Open) -
- Men's Singles - Roger Federer (Switzerland)
- Women's Singles - Elena Vesnina (Russia)
- Men's Doubles - Raven Klaasen (South Africa) / Rajeev Ram (USA)
- Women's Doubles - Chan Yung-jan (Chinese Taipei) / Martina Hingis (Switzerland)
- Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has set new record for most wickets in a single Test season, with 79 wickets in 2016-2017 season. He went past South African pacer Dale Steyn, who had claimed 78 wickets in 2007-08.
- Indian women hockey team won five-match Test series against Belarus by 5-0.
- India’s SV Sunil has been named as Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) player of year 2016 in senior men’s section. While Harmanpreet has been honoured in Junior men’s section.
- India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won Vietnam Open International challenger badminton title in men’s double category.
- India’s Vidya Pillai won Silver in World Women Snooker Championships in Singapore.
- International Cricket Council (ICC) appointed Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar as official ambassador of Women’s Cricket World Cup 2017 to be held in June 2017 at England and Wales.
- Mexico Open Tennis 2017 (Abierto Mexicano Telcel) -
- Men's Singles - Sam Querrey (United States)
- Women's Singles - Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine)
- Men's Doubles - Jamie Murray (United Kingdom ) / Bruno Soares (Brazil)
- Women's Doubles - Darija Jurak (Croatia ) / Anastasia Rodionova (Australia)
- Mumbai lost its permanent status in Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), as per new terms finalised by Committee of Administrators (CoA) appointed by Supreme Court. While full membership with voting rights has been granted to all North Eastern states.
- National record holder K T Irfan won bronze in 20 kilometre men’s event in Asian Race Walk Championships held in Nomi (Japan).
- Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) appointed Shahid Afridi as ambassador for 5th Blind Cricket World Cup to be held in UAE and Pakistan in January 2018.
- Punjab won 71st (Punjab's 9th) Santosh Trophy football tournament by defeating Railways.
- Russian Tennis Player Maria Sharapova will return to Tennis through Stuttgart Open in April 2017, after 15 Month doping ban.
- SSP Chawrasia won Hero Indian Open Golf Title, successfully defending the same. He is second Indian golfer after Jyoti Randhawa to successfully defend Hero Indian Open.
- Sebastian Vettel (Germany) won Australian Grand Prix 2017 -
- 2017 Formula 1 Season -
Round Grand Prix Winner Date 1 Australian Grand Prix Sebastian Vettel (Germany) 26 March 2 Chinese Grand Prix 9 April 3 Bahrain Grand Prix 16 April 4 Russian Grand Prix 30 April 5 Spanish Grand Prix 14 May 6 Monaco Grand Prix 28 May 7 Canadian Grand Prix 11 June 8 Azerbaijan Grand Prix 25 June 9 Austrian Grand Prix 9 July 10 British Grand Prix 16 July 11 Hungarian Grand Prix 30 July 12 Belgian Grand Prix 27 August 13 Italian Grand Prix 3 September 14 Singapore Grand Prix 17 September 15 Malaysian Grand Prix 1 October 16 Japanese Grand Prix 8 October 17 United States Grand Prix 22 October 18 Mexican Grand Prix 29 October 19 Brazilian Grand Prix 12 November 20 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 26 November
- Srinath Narayanan became India’s 46th Grandmaster after defeating GM David Anton Guijarro (Spain) at Sharjah Masters 2017 chess tournament.
- Tamil Nadu won Deodhar Trophy of Cricket by defeating India 'B'.
- Tamil Nadu won the 2017 Vijay Hazare cricket Trophy for fifth time, defeating Bengal.
- West Bengal won 71st Santosh Trophy of football by defeating Goa. It was 32nd win of West Bengal.
- Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Vijay Goel designated 14 Olympians as ‘National Observers’ for 12 sports disciplines.
Sports Discipline
Name of National Observer(s)
Athletics
PT Usha
Anju Bobby George
Archery
Dr Sanjeev Kumar Singh
Badminton
Aparna Popat
Boxing
Mary Kom
Akhil Kumar
Hockey
Jagbir Singh
Shooting
Abhinav Bindra
Tennis
Somdev Devvarman
Weightlifting
Karnam Malleshwari
Wrestling
Sushil Kumar
Football
I M Vijayan
Swimming
Khajan Singh
Table Tennis
Kamlesh Mehta
- US Government (Led by Prez Donald Trump) also announced its support to India’s full membership in Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
- Senior Men - Scott Conway (Australia)
- Junior Men - Robin Anthony Webster Arkell (South Africa)
- Senior women - Wayne Patrick Lombard (South Africa)
- Junior Women - Daniel Barry (Australia)
- Hemant Gupta - Madhya Pradesh High Court.
- P K Mohanty - Jharkhand High Court.
- Navniti Prasad - Kerala High Court.
- T B Radhakrishnan - Chhattisgarh High Court.
- Ramalingam Sudhakar - J&K High Court
- Rajendra Menon - Patna (Bihar) High Court.
- This village had earlier been conferred with UNWTO Award for Innovation in the category of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO), during UNWTO Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism held at Madrid in Spain.
- Raghu Rai - Life-Time Achievement Award
- K.K. Mustafah - Professional Photographer of the Year
- System is developed by Centre for Decentralised Power Systems at IIT-M using micro grid technology. It converts in-home power distribution from 230V Analog Current (AC) to 48V DC to directly power appliances and devices.
- Saraswati Samman annual award was established in 1991 by K. K. Birla Foundation, for honoring outstanding literary work in any Indian language. It carries cash prize of 15 lakh rupees, a citation and a plaque of goddess Saraswati.
- Changi (Singapore)
- Tokyo (Japan)
- Incheon (South Korea)
- Munich (Germany)
- Hong Kong International Airport
- Best Actor - Amitabh Bachchan (Pink)
- Best Actress - Alia Bhatt (Udta Punjab)
- Best Director – Ram Madhvani (Neerja)
- Best Film Jury – Pink
- Viewer’s Choice Best Film: Dangal
- Best Supporting Actress – Shabana Azmi ( Neerja)
- Best supporting actor (Male): Rishi Kapoor (Kapoor & Sons)
- Best Music: Ae Dil Hai Mushkil
- Best Playback Singer (Female): Neha Bhasin (Jag Ghoomeya, Sultan)
- Best Playback Singer (Male): Arijit Singh (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil title track)
- 2017 theme is Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030, with campaign theme #BeBoldForChange
- Commonwealth of Nations launched Peace in the home programme to help member states tackle domestic violence.
- India has been ranked 122 out of 155 countries in list.
- Top 5 Happiest Countries - Norway (1), Denmark (2), Iceland (3), Switzerland (4), Finland (5).
- 5 Least Happy Countries - Rwanda (151), Syria (152), Tanzania (153), Burundi (154) and Central African Republic (155).
- Neighbours - Pakistan (80), Nepal (99), Bhutan (97), Bangladesh (110) and Sri Lanka (120).
- BRICS - Brazil (17), Russia (56), China (79), South Africa (116).
- On this occasion, Assam Government launched Sustainable Action for Climate Resilient Development (SaCReD) Initiative to develop Majuli, world’s largest river island, as country’s first carbon neutral district.
- Bihar government launched programme to provide free WiFi facilities in colleges and universities on occasion of Bihar Diwas.
- Government launched National Water Quality Sub Mission on Arsenic and Fluoride to provide safe drinking water to about 28,000 affected habitations in the country by March 2021, with an outlay of Rs 25,000 crore.
- On this occasion, Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu released Water Policy of Indian Railways. He also presented GreenCo Certificates to 3 units of Indian Railways and announced expansion of VIKALP Scheme for benefit of waitlisted passengers.
- 2017 Theme (Campaign): “Unite to End TB”.
- BrahMos Aerospace is a joint venture of India and Russia. It has top supersonic speed of Mach 2.
- Its earlier strike range was 290 km. But after India’s induction into the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in June 2016, missile’s range has been increased beyond 300km in same configuration.
- CentralGST - It provides for levy and collection of tax on intra-state supply of goods / services by Central Government.
- iGST - It makes provisions for levy and collection of tax on inter-state supply of goods / services by Central Government.
- UTGST - Similar to States Goods and Services Tax (SGST) which shall be levied and collected by States/Union Territories on intra-state supply of goods / services.
- Compensation Bill -It provides for compensation to the states for loss of revenue arising due to implementation of goods and services tax for 5 years as per section 18 of Constitution (One Hundred and First Amendment) Act 2016.
- Additionally, central government has been empowered to impose additional tax of up to 1 % on inter-state supply of goods for 2 years.
- A Committee for sanctioning and monitoring of the project will be set up, to be headed by commerce secretary (Rita Teaotia currently).
- Beneficiaries - All central and state agencies including Commodities Boards, Export Promotion Councils, SEZ authorities and Apex Trade Bodies recognised under EXIM policy of Central Government are eligible for financial support.
- Funding - Cost of projects will be equally shared by Centre and states. Centre will borne 50% of total equity in project, except in case of projects in north-eastern and Himalayan states, where Centre may bear 80% of cost.
- Public provident fund (PPF) - 7.9 %
- National Savings Certificate (NSC) - 7.9 %
- Kisan Vikas Patra - 7.6 %
- Sukanya Samriddhi Account - 8.4 %
- Senior Citizens Savings Scheme - 8.4 %
- Term deposits of 1-5 years - 6.9 - 7.7 %
- 5-year recurring deposit has been pegged lower at 7.2%.
- Increase authorized capital of NABARD from Rs. 5,000 crore to Rs. 30,000 crore and further if needed.
- Transfer of 0.4% equity of RBI in NABARD amounting to Rs. 20 crores to Government.
- Central Government will make up for additional central share that state might have received during 2015-16 to 2019-20 and repayment of loan and interest for the Externally Aided Projects (EAPs) signed and disbursed during 2015-2016 to 2019-20 by State.
- Draft rules seek to ensure integrity, security and confidentiality of electronic payments made through PPIs.
- Key Features include Definition of e-PPI issuer, Information security policy, Privacy policy and terms, Risk assessment, Chief grievance officer, End-to-end encryption and Indian Computer Emergency Response Team’s responsibility.
- Under this, loans disbursed before 2011 and falling under doubtful / loss category will be considered. SBI’s total farm loan portfolio is Rs. 1.25 Lakh Crore and tractor loan book is about 6,000 crore.
- Metropolitan - INR 5000.
- Urban - INR 3000.
- Semi-urban - INR 2000
- Rural - INR 1000.
- Arunachal Pradesh
- Budget Size approx 16000 Crores, with fiscal deficit of 285 Crores predicted.
- To provide better IT facilities, Rs.15 crore has been proposed under the Digital Arunachal scheme.
- Andhra Pradesh -
- Budget Size approx 1.57 lakh crores.
- Approx 1050 Crores allocated for developing state capital at Amravati.
- Assam -
- Budget proposes Deficit of INR 2349 Crores.
- Swami Vivekananda Assam Youth Empowerment (SVAYEM) Yojana to be launched, under which loans of Rs 1 lakh for new businesses and Rs 2 lakh for existing ones at a subsidised rate of 20% will be given.
- Self help groups (SHGs) under Kanaklata Mahila Sabalikaran Yojana will be provided with assistance of 5 lakh.
- Tejasvi Navadhitamastu Edu-Infra Funds for development of colleges and universitiesm at approx 667 crores expenditure.
- Rs 5000 to each of 6.5 lakh tea garden workers, with allocation of 287 crores.
- Under Deen Dayal Divyang Sahajya Achani - INR 5000 will be given to 4.5 Lakh Divyang in state.
- Mission Muga launched to Increase Muga Silk Production 10 Times by 2026.
- Housing Loans to be given to Govt employess at 5.05 % Interest Rate.
- Bihar -
- Budget size approx 1.60 lakh Crores.
- 3 universities will be opened - Purnia University, Pataliputra University and Munger University.
- Chhattisgarh -
- Budget size approx 76032 Crores.
- Under Suchna Kranti Yojana, Rs 200 crore has been allocated for 45 lakh smartphones to be provided to rural families.
- Under Dial 112 scheme, police assistance will arrive within 10 minutes in urban areas, and in 30 minutes in rural areas.
- Divyang college will be set up at Raipur for educational upliftment of special children.
- Delhi -
- Budget size is 48000 Crores (Tax-Free).
- 24 % of Total Budget has been alloted to education.
- Tax on air turbine fuel to be reduced to 1% from 25%
- Gujarat
- Budget Size is Approx 172000 Crores.
- State government will provide bicycles to 45,000 female students of class IX under the Vidya Sadhna Yojana (VSY).
- An independent State Food Commission (SFC) will be set up to monitor the functioning of the Food Security Act, 2013.
- A new corporation will be set up for undertaking welfare measures related to differently-abled persons (Divyangs).
- An exclusive university will be set up in Narmada District, to undertake studies and research related to tribal issues.
- Haryana -
- Budget size is approx 102000 Crores.
- Under Deenbandhu Gram Uday Yojana (in name of Choudhry Chhotu Ramji), 1,500 villages with populations between 3,000 and 10,000 will be Developed, with outlay of INR 5000 crores. Scheme is funded by NABARD, with current fiscal's expenditure being 1,200 crores.
- Mangal Nagar Vikas Yogna (In name of Noted Harayna Leader Mangal Sein) to be implemented with outlay of Rs 1,000 crore for maintenance of existing infrastructure.
- Discount of 5 % (up to Rs 50) on electricity and water bills paid through BHIM app for residents in Haryana.
- New scheme Manohar Jyoti to provide 1,00,000 solar based home systems, at cost of 230 crores.
- New scheme for farmers to meet their irrigation energy needs through solar power by providing 3050 solar water pumping systems (2 & 5 HP).
- Himachal Pradesh -
- Budget Size Approx 36000 Crores.
- 2 new Software Parks to be set up in Shimla and Kangra.
- Honorarium to Anganwadi workers and helpers will be increased from Rs 450 to Rs 1,450 and Rs 300 to Rs 600 per month respectively. Unemployment allowance increased to INR 1000.
- Jammu and Kasmir
- Budget size is 80000 Crores.
- Implementation of the 7th pay commission from 1 April 2018.
- Create a social security fund and provide a universal basic income to below the poverty line people.
- Provide specially designed micro-credit ATM cards with cash credit limit of 10000 to all registered construction workers.
- Set up an Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC) in association with J&K bank.
- Set up a Mufti Memorial Gold Cup Football League
- Jharkhand
- Budget Size is approx 75000 Crores
- Tana Bhagat Development Authority and Jharkhand Irrigation Commission would be set up.
- A new scheme to launched with name - Mukhyamantri Kitchen.
- Karnataka
- Budget size approx 186000 Crores.
- 'Namma’ canteen (on lines of Amma canteen in Tamil Nadu) will provide meal at affordable price in Bengaluru. Similarly, Saviruchi Mobile Canteens in all 30 districts will be established.
- Karnataka State Road Safety Authority will be constituted, to reduce road accidents and to improve road safety
- Free laptops to 1.5 lakh students getting into engineering, medical, polytechnic and first-grade colleges.
- LPG connections to 2 lakh BPL families of SC/ST communities.
- Ksheera Bhagya scheme of providing milk to school children to be increased from 3 days to 5 days in a week.
- Rs 1600 per beneficiary under new scheme named Anila Bhagya.
- New program Yuva Yuga will be implemented to train 1.1 lakh persons in IT, electronics, animation and other sectors
- Kerala
- Budget size is approx 119000 Crores.
- Free internet for 20 lakh economically-backward families.
- 10,000 young artists to be given Rs 10,000 per month each in the state.
- A new scheme under Carbon Neutral Program through NABARD proposed.
- Madhya Pradesh
- Budget size is approx 185000 Crores.
- To provide food at subsided rate to poor in urban areas, Deendayal Rasoi Yojna will be launched (cost of Rs 10 crores).
- Setting up a Vedant Peeth at Omkareshwar, dedicated to Adiguru Shankaracharya. Vir Bharat Nyas will be set up to preserve memories of martyrs.
- 2017 - 18 to be named as Garib Kalyan Varsh by State Government.
- Meghalaya
- Budget Size approx 12000 Crores, with 1200 Crores fiscal deficit predicted.
- Tax slabs for transportation has been raised to raise additional revenue.
- To counter issue of shrinking revenue resources, fresh taxes will be imposec on liquor, tobacco, hotels and restaurants.
- Mizoram
- Budget Size is approx 8800 Crores, with approx 300 crore revenue surplus.
- 750 crore were allocated for New Economic Development Policy (NEDP) to boost state’s agriculture-based economy.
- Odisha
- Budget Size approx 106000 Crores.
- Chief Minister Health Service Mission proposed.
- To develop Puri into a world class heritage city, new scheme called ABADHA- Augmentation of Basic Amenities & Development of Heritage & Architecture will be rolled out with sum of 100 crores.
- Drinking water scheme ‘Basudha’ named after Buxi Jagabandhu.
- Urban Transformation Initiative (UNNATI) proposed with outlay of Rs 294 crore in recognition of the need for improvement of urban infrastructure.
- Rajasthan
- Budget size approx 166000 Crores, with 24753 crores fiscal deficit predicted.
- 1 lakh new rural electricity connections to farmers and One lakh farmers will get soil health cards.
- 15 per cent hike of VAT on cigarettes.
- 190 Cities to get fre WIFI in 2018.
- Under Deendayal Upadhyay Varisht Naagrik Programme, Pilgrimage for 20 thousand senior citizens will be arranged.
- Slashing stamp duty from 5 to 3 %.
- Tamil Nadu
- Budget size approx 183000 Crores (Tax-Free).
- Government to replace State Planning Commission with State Development Policy Council.
- To prevent fragmentation of land holdings, new scheme called farmer producer groups will be federated into farmer producer organisations to promote collective farming for credit mobilisation, better adoption of technology.
- 10000 blind people will be provided with smart canes and Disability pension was increased to INR 2000 from 1000.
- Tripura
- Budget Sizer approx 16000 Crores (Tax-Free), with budget deficit of 198 Crores.
- MLALAD (Member of legislative assembly local area development) funds are from 30 to 35 lakh / year. Subsidy for unemployed youths under 'Swabalamban' is increased from 75,000 to 1 lakh.
- 5 pension schemes will be introduced for folk artistes, carpenters, blacksmiths, potters and harijans at rate of Rs 700 / month.
- Telangana
- Budget size approx 150000 Crores.
- Piped drinking water programme Mission Bhagiratha gets 3000 crores.
- West Bengal
- Budget size is approx 143000 Crores (Tax-Free).
- Slashing stamp duty from 5 to 2 %.
- As a relief for small businesses, it is proposed to increase threshold for payment of tax from Rs. 10 lakh to Rs.20 lakh.
- Combined Budget of all Northeast States is collectively around 50000 Crores this year.
- Arunachal Pradesh
- Kumar Mangalam Birla will be chairperson of the merged entity. Vodafone will own 45.1% in combined entity, with Kumar Mangalam Birla and other promoters of Idea Group to have 26%.
- India ranked 131 (out of 188 nations).
- Top 3 - Norway (1), Australia (2) and Switzerland (3).
- Neighbours - Sri Lanka (73), Bhutan (132), Bangladesh (139), Nepal (144), Pakistan (147)
- BRICS - Russia (49), Brazil (79), China (90), South Africa (119).
- Top 3 - Italy (1st), Iceland (2), Switzerland (3).
- India has highest bribery rate among 16 Asia-Pacific countries - 69 %, followed by Vietnam (65%), Thailand 41% and Pakistan 40%. China reported a much lower 26%.
- Japan had lowest bribery rate at 0.2%.
- India’s domestic air passenger traffic was 10 Crore in 2016, overtaking Japan's (9.7 crores). India is behind US (71.9 crore) and China (43.6 crore).
- Pakistan Army on March 25, 1971 launched ‘Operation Searchlight’ to crush Bengali rebellion.
- India's HDFC Bank Managing Director Aditya Puri ranked 23rd. Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella got the fifth spot in the list.
- Top three - Mary Barra of General Motors, Gary Dickerson of Applied Materials and Stephen Hemsley.
- Sentinel-2B satellite is part of satellites system that monitors Earth. It will join its twin Sentinel-2A, which has been in orbit since 2015.
- Two satellites will orbit 786 km above Earth, on opposite sides of planet. They will take high-resolution, colour and infrared images for a wide array of environmental initiatives, including crop forecasting and monitoring natural disasters.
- With 2043 Billionaires, total welath increased to USD 7.67 trillion.
- Top three in the list are Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Jeff Bezos.
- US has most billionaires (565), followed by China (319), Germany (114) and India (101). India crossed 100 billionaires for first time.
- Mukesh Ambani is still richest Indian with $23 Billion USD Net worth (Globally 33rd).
- State Bank of India’s Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya has been ranked 26 and while Indian-origin physician Raj Panjabi (founder of Last Mile Health) is placed 28th.
- Top 5 - Theo Epstein (President of Baseball Operations at Chicago Cubs), Jack Ma (Alibaba Group Chairman), Pope Francis (First Latin American pope), Melinda Gates (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Co-chair), Jeff Bezos (Amazon CEO).
- India ranked 87th among 127 countries.
- Top 5 - Switzerland (1), Norway (2), Sweden (3), Denmark (4) and France (5).
- Bottom 5 - Bahrain (127), Yemen (126), Labanon (125), Benin (124), Eritrea (123)
- Neighbours - Pakistan (101), Bangladesh (104), Nepal (113), Sri Lanka (59)
- BRICS - Brazil (30), Russia (48), China (95), South Africa (76)
- India started supplying 500 MWs power to Bangladesh in 2013 after a deal between India’s NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited and Bangladesh Power Development Board in February 2012.
- With United Arab Emirates in field of providing Energy Efficiency Services.
- With Portugal on Renewable Energy and IT & E.
- With United Nations Entity of Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), to provide technical support to Ministry of Panchayati Raj in strengthening capacities of governance institutions.
- Overall Living Quality -
- Hyderabad (Telangana) named best Indian city in terms of quality of living, for 3rd consecutive time.
- Top 5 Cities - Vienna (1), Zurich (2), Auckland (3), Munich (4), Vancouver (5).
- Highest ranking cities in Asia and Latin America are Singapore (25) and Montevideo (79).
- City infrastructure rankings -
- Singapore topped the list followed by Frankfurt and Munich both in 2nd place.
- Baghdad (230) and Port au Prince (231) ranked at the bottom for city infrastructure.
- Indian cities - Mumbai ranked highest at 141, followed by Kolkata (149) and Pune (151).
- Overall Living Quality -
- With Indonesia and the Kyrgyzstan for cooperation in Youth and Sports Matters.
- With Bangladesh on Aids to Navigation (AtoNs) and Establishing Border Haats.
- India's Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (Mussoorie) and Namibia's Institute of Public Administration and Management (NIPAM) for capacity building.
- Indian Railways and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for cooperation in environmental conservation.
- Indian Institute of Science (IISc) ranked 8th, becoming only Indian university to feature in top 10. It is also the second-highest ranked Asian University.
- list was topped by California Institute of Technology (USA).
- Top 5 - Rwanda (61.3 %), Bolivia (53.1 %), Cuba (48.9 %), Icepand (47.6 %), Nicargua (45.7 %)
- Bottom 3 - Yemen & Vanuatu & Qatar (All 190th with 0 women in parliament), Oman (189th), Solomon Islands (188th)
- India's Rank is 148 in List, with 11 % Particpation of women in Parliament.
- BRICS - Brazil (154th), Russia (129th), China (74th), South Africa (10th)
- Neighbours - Pakistan (89th), Sri Lanka (179th), Bangladesh (91th), Nepal (48th)
- US based Ford Motor Company top the list for 8th straight year.
- Indian companies Tata Steel and Wipro are been named in the list.
- During this period, India exported 5,798 million units of electricity to Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar, which is 213 million units more than import of around 5,585 million units from Bhutan.
- India exports around 190 MW power to Nepal while approx 600 MW to Bangladesh.
- Number of elephants in these states In 2015 - Odisha - 1,954, Jharkhand - 700, Chhattisgarh - 275, West Bengal - 130.
- Policy proposes raising public health expenditure to 2.5 % of GDP.
- It seeks to increase life expectancy at birth from 67.5 to 70 by 2025 and reduce infant mortality rate to 28 by 2019.
- It also seeks to achieve and maintain elimination status of Leprosy by 2018.
- It seeks to establish tracking of disability adjusted life years (DALY) Index as a measure of burden of disease and its major categories trends by 2022.
- Competition Appellate Tribunal, Airports Economic Regulatory Authority Appellate Tribunal (AERAAT), Cyber Appellate Tribunal, EPF Appellate Tribunal, Cases under the Foreign Exchange Management Act of 1999, National Highways Tribunal, Railways Rates Tribunal and Copyright Board.
- Government will also launch program on ornamental fisheries in 8 potential States (cost of 61 crores) - Assam, West Bengal , Odisha, Maharashtra , Gujarat , Karnataka , Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
- OALP provides operational flexibility to the investors by offering single license to explore conventional and unconventional oil and gas resources. Currently, government identifies oil and gas blocks and then puts them on auction.
- Government will now conduct auction of oil and gas blocks twice a year, with the first round being held in July 2017.
- Selection of oil blocks will be based on data by Directorate-General of Hydrocarbons in National Data Repository which offers total 160TB data of India’s 26 sedimentary basins.
- NTPC contributes 24% of India’s total power generation and plans to set up 10,000 MW renewable projects by 2022.
- Its first wind power project Rojmal wind energy project 50 MW is being set up in Gujarat.
- It ensures compensation up to Rs 1 lakh to employee if an injured in an industrial accident.
- Employer will be penalised (50k - 100k) if he fails to inform his employee of his right to compensation.
- The new canyon system was probably formed by river Kandivalasa. It is very huge and its depth varies from about 90 - 2,500 metres.
- Last canyon systems off the Visakhapatnam coast were discovered in 1963 by American geologist E.C. LaFond of US Navy.
- Uttar Pradesh (403 Seats)
- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) became Largest Party with 312 Seats. It is a histortic win for any political party in Uttar Pradesh. Samajwadi Party got 47 seats.
- BJP got 39.7 % votes, while Bahujan Samaj Party got 22.2 %.
- Uttrakhand (70 Seats)
- With 57 Seats, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) became Largest Party.
- BJP got 46.5 % votes, while Indian National Congress got 33.5 % votes.
- Goa (40 Seats)
- No clear Majority achieved by any party. Indian National Congress is leading party with 17 seats, BJP second with 13 seats. Although BJP got more percentage of votes than any other party.
- Manipur (60 Seats)
- No clear Majority achieved by any party. Indian National Congress is leading party with 28 seats, BJP second with 21 seats. Although BJP got more percentage of votes than any other party.
- Punjab (117 Seats)
- Indian National Congress won majority with 77 seats, Aam Aadmi Party second with 20 seats. INC got 38.5 % Votes.
- Uttar Pradesh (403 Seats)
- Capstone is a stone fixed on top of something, typically a wall.
- He was conferred title of honorary General of Nepal Army by Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari.
- USHUS-II submarine sonar, Directing gear for hull-mounted sonar array, Inertial navigation system for ship applications.
- IP-based secure phone - Encryption algorithm on a trustworthy hardware platform, to provide high secrecy to voice and data.
- Gallium Nitride Technology - It will Help in development of next generation radars and communication systems, for Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).
- IBM scientists used a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to build isolated single-atom bits using holmium atoms.
- This Invention can allow people and businesses to store 1,000 times more information in same space, making it very useful for future digital applications.
- These particle states are named Oc(3000)0, Oc(3050)0, Oc(3066)0, Oc(3090)0 b Oc(3119)0, with he numbers indicating masses in megaelectronvolts (MeV).
- Indian special athletes medal tally includes 37 golds, 10 silver and 26 bronze medals.
- Next Special Olympics World Winter Games will be held in Abu Dhabi (UAE) in 2019.
- Men's Singles - Georges Julien Paul (Mauritius)
- Women's Singles - Bridget Shamim Bangi (Uganda)
- Men's Doubles - Indian Pair of Francis Alwin and Tarun Kona
- Women's Doubles - Egyptian pair of Doha Hany and Hadia Hosny
- Men’s Singles - Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia) won by defeating China’s Shi Yuqi.
- Women’s Single - Tai Tzu-ying (China) defeated Ratchanok Intanon (Thailand).
- Men’s Double - Indonesia’s Marcus Gideon and Kevin Sukamuljo.
- Women’s Doubles - South Korea’s Chang Ye Na and Lee So Hee.
- Mixed Double - China’s Lu Kai and Huang Yaqiong.
- Singles - Pablo Cuevas (Uruguay)
- Doubles - Rogério Dutra Silva (Brazil) / André Sás (Brazil)
- Men's Singles - Andy Murray (United Kingdom)
- Women's Singles - Elina Svitolina (Ukraine)
- Men's Doubles - Jean-Julien Rojer (Netherlands) / Horia Tecău (Romania)
- Women's Doubles - Ekaterina Makarova (Russia ) / Elena Vesnina (Russia)
- India's Jitu Rai won Gold Medal in 50 metre pistol Men's Event.
- Besides Jitu's Gold in 50 metre pistol, India was able to score 4 more medals - Amanpreet Singh (Silver in 50 metre Pistol), Jitu Rai (Bronze in 10 metre air pistol), Ankur Mittal (Silver in Shotgun Double Trap), Pooja Ghatkar (Bronze in 10 metre air rifle).
- China stayed at top of medal tally with 12 medals.
- Men's Singles - Roger Federer (Switzerland)
- Women's Singles - Elena Vesnina (Russia)
- Men's Doubles - Raven Klaasen (South Africa) / Rajeev Ram (USA)
- Women's Doubles - Chan Yung-jan (Chinese Taipei) / Martina Hingis (Switzerland)
- Men's Singles - Sam Querrey (United States)
- Women's Singles - Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine)
- Men's Doubles - Jamie Murray (United Kingdom ) / Bruno Soares (Brazil)
- Women's Doubles - Darija Jurak (Croatia ) / Anastasia Rodionova (Australia)
- 2017 Formula 1 Season -
Round Grand Prix Winner Date 1 Australian Grand Prix Sebastian Vettel (Germany) 26 March 2 Chinese Grand Prix 9 April 3 Bahrain Grand Prix 16 April 4 Russian Grand Prix 30 April 5 Spanish Grand Prix 14 May 6 Monaco Grand Prix 28 May 7 Canadian Grand Prix 11 June 8 Azerbaijan Grand Prix 25 June 9 Austrian Grand Prix 9 July 10 British Grand Prix 16 July 11 Hungarian Grand Prix 30 July 12 Belgian Grand Prix 27 August 13 Italian Grand Prix 3 September 14 Singapore Grand Prix 17 September 15 Malaysian Grand Prix 1 October 16 Japanese Grand Prix 8 October 17 United States Grand Prix 22 October 18 Mexican Grand Prix 29 October 19 Brazilian Grand Prix 12 November 20 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 26 November
- 2017 Formula 1 Season -
- Sports DisciplineName of National Observer(s)AthleticsPT UshaAnju Bobby GeorgeArcheryDr Sanjeev Kumar SinghBadmintonAparna PopatBoxingMary KomAkhil KumarHockeyJagbir SinghShootingAbhinav BindraTennisSomdev DevvarmanWeightliftingKarnam MalleshwariWrestlingSushil KumarFootballI M VijayanSwimmingKhajan SinghTable TennisKamlesh Mehta
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