Current Affairs - March 2016

Current Affairs March 2016 

Slovenian high-jumper Rozle Prezelj (36) has been elected the new chairman of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Athletes’ Commission.

Mahesh Kumar Singla committee constituted to consider ST status to 6 communities of Assam

7th India-Seychelles Joint Training ‘Ex Lamitye’ concludes

The 7th edition of India, Seychelles joint military exercise LAMITYE 2016 concluded in Victoria, Mahe Island, Seychelles.

Former CJI HL Dattu takes over as Chairman of NHRC

Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) HL Dattu took charge as the Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

Indira Gandhi International Airport wins three international awards

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has won three international awards for 2015 year given by the Airports Council International (ACI). In the ACI’s Airport Service Quality (ASQ) survey, IGAI has scored 4.96 on a scale of 1 to 5.

Military Exercise Force Eighteen begins in Pune 

The multinational Military Exercise Force Eighteen conducted by Indian Army has started in at Pune, Maharashtra. 

In this seven-day military exercise (till March 8, 2016) over 300 participants from 18 ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Plus countries are participating. 

Participating countries

ASEAN countries along with ASEAN Plus nations viz. India, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, China, South Korea, Russia and US. 10 ASEAN countries from South East Asia are Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

CCS gives nod to acquire 2 AWACS from Israel

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has cleared a proposal to purchase two Phalcon Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS), surveillance aircrafts from Israel.

Former NZ cricket captain Martin Crowe passes away.

India ranks 90th in terms of energy security, access: WEF Report

India has been ranked at the 90th place in a list of 126 countries on the basis of their ability to deliver secure, affordable and sustainable energy. It was revealed by Global Energy Architecture Performance Index (GEAPI) Report compiled by World Economic Forum (WEF).

Mumbai U-23 team wins CK Nayudu Trophy 2015-16

Mrugank Paranjape appointed as MD & CEO of MCX

Forbes’s 2016 billionaires list: Bill Gates retains title as World’s Richest Person

• Top 5 billionaires: Bill Gates ($75 billion), Mr. Amancio Ortega ($67 billion), Mr. Warren Buffett ($60.8 billion), Mr. Carlos Slim Helu ($50 billion) and Jeff Bezos ($45.2 billion).
• Among Indian’s: India’s richest person Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries was placed at 38th position with net fortune of $20.6 billion. He was followed by Dilip Shanghvi (44th) and Azim Premji (55th).
• 5 Indian women billionaires in the list: Savitri Jindal (453rd rank), Indu Jain (549th)

Eminent poet Dr Bhagwati Lal Vyas has been selected for the 2015 Bihari Puraskar for his anthology of Rajasthani poems ‘Katha Sun Aawe Hai Sabad’ published in 2010.

Manoj Kumar to be conferred Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2015

• Veteran Film Actor and Director Manoj Kumar has been selected for the prestigious 47th Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2015.
• About Dadasaheb Phalke Award
• The award is conferred by the Union Government on person for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian Cinema. 
• Established in 1969 to commemorate the birth centenary year of father of Indian cinema Dadasaheb Phalke. It is the highest official recognition (award) in Indian cinema. 
• The Award consists of a Swarn Kamal, a cash prize of 10 lakhs rupees and a shawl. It is given on the basis of recommendations of a committee of eminent personalities set up by the Centre.
• 2014 Winner was Gulzar.

PM Narendra Modi launches Setu Bharatam Project

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

Former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma passes away

Jitu Rai wins Gold medal in 50m pistol event at ISSF World Cup

Ace Indian shooter Jitu Rai has won Gold medal in the 50m Pistol Men final event at the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) World Cup held in Bangkok, Thialand

Indian-American Sunil Sabharwal took charge as Alternate Executive Director at IMF

Sunil Sabharwal, an independent Indian-American investor took charge as Alternate Executive Director at International Monetary Fund (IMF).

UNSC imposes tough sanctions against North Korea over nuclear test

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) unanimously adopted the toughest sanctions ever imposed on North Korea in response to its fourth nuclear test and rocket launch.

India’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has been granted preliminary approval to operate Myanmar.

India wins 2016 Asia Cup T20 trophy.

E-mail inventor Ray Tomlinson passes away.

Dogri poetess Padma Sachdev awarded 2015 Krutitava Smagra Samman

Renowned Dogri poetess and writer Padma Sachdev has been awarded prestigious Krutitava Smagra Samman for the year 2015. She was bestowed with this award for her outstanding contribution in literature and great service to Dogri Language. It was presented to her by West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi. The award has been instituted by Kolkata based Bharatiya’s Bhasha Parishad and carries an amount of one lakh rupees, a shawl and citation.

Germany to develop Bhubaneswar, Kochi, Coimbatore as Smart Cities
Germany has decided to partner with India’s smart city programme and will help developing Kochi (Kerala), Bhubaneswar (Odisha) and Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) as smart cities.

Telangana, Maharashtra ink MoU for five irrigation projects
Telangana and Maharashtra Governments have signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) to set up an inter-state water board construct 5 barrages across Godavari and Pen Ganga rivers.

Maria Sharapova provisionally suspended after failing drugs test at Australian Open
Former world number one female tennis player Maria Sharapova (28) from Russia has revealed that she failed a drugs test at the Australian Open.

Gender gap in jobs, wages remain unchanged in 20 years: ILO report
As per recently released report of International Labour Organization (ILO) titled-Women at Work: Trends 2016, gender equality still remains elusive in the workplace. The report highlights trends in 2016 in 178 countries and it has been found that millions of women worldwide are not getting the same kind of quality, well-paying jobs as men.
The Union Government has launched an online marketing platform Mahila E-HAAT to facilitate women entrepreneurs to sell their products to buyers.

Former NDDB chief Amrita Patel gets Mahindra lifetime achievement award
Dr Amrita Patel was conferred prestigious 2016 Mahindra Samriddhi India Agri Lifetime Achievement Award also known as the Krishi Shiromani Samman. The award was bestowed upon her by Union Minister of Agriculture Radha Mohan Singh for her contribution in the field of agriculture and to increase productivity and rural prosperity. 
Currently she is Chairman of Charutar Arogya Mandal. Earlier she had served as Chairman of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) from 1998 to 2014. Dr Patel had played a pivotal role in the implementation of NDDB’s Operation Flood which was the world’s biggest dairy development program that had transformed India from a milk-deficient nation into the world’s largest milk producer by surpassing the USA in 1998. The Operation Flood has helped to promote, finance and deliver variety of supporting services to a national cooperative dairy structure.  It has directly and indirectly transformed the lives of millions of marginalized and small farmers and milk producers.

Indo-Indonesia Joint Training Exercise Garuda Shakti IV
The fourth edition of the India-Indonesia Joint Training Exercise Garuda Shakti has begun at Magelang in Indonesia.

RBI inks information exchange MoU with Bank of Israel
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bank of Israel (BOI) for exchange of information pertaining to banking supervision.

57 countries to take part in first-ever Maritime India Summit 2016
57 countries are going to take part in the first Maritime India Summit 2016 scheduled to be held in April 2016 in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Karnataka launches Mukhyamantri Santwana Harish Yojana for free treatment to accident victims
Karnataka government has launched Mukhyamantri Santwana Harish Yojana to provide free medical treatment to road accident victims for the first 48 hours (2 days) in the nearest government or private hospital.

The Union Finance Ministry has announced to withdraw its proposal to tax Employee Provident Fund (EPF) withdrawals.

India, Saudi Arabia hold talks on regional and global issues
India and Saudi Arabia have expressed keenness to elevate ties between the two countries to strategic level by boosting cooperation in key areas of trade, security and counter terrorism.

India to host BRICS Friendship Cities Conclave
India is going to host BRICS Friendship Cities Conclave in Mumbai (Maharashtra), financial capital of India from April 14 to 16, 2016. It will be attended by the top Urban Policy makers and Planners from BRICS Nations viz. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Air India operates world’s longest all-women flight.

Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has launched an online Clean My Coach service in line with Indian Railways cleanliness drive Swachh Rail Swachh Bharat and Union Government’s flagship Digital India Programme.

NITI Aayog launches Women Transforming India initiative
Union Government’s premier think-tank NITI Aayog has launched the ‘Women Transforming India’ initiative. The initiative was launched on the eve of International Women’s Day (8th March) in partnership with the United Nations and MyGov. Key facts Through this initiative NITI Aayog seeks to directly engage with women leaders from across urban and rural areas of India.

Kerala Tourism campaign wins Golden City Gate Award
Kerala Tourism’s campaign titled ‘New Worlds’ has won the prestigious ‘Golden City Gate Award’ at the at the Internationale Tourismus-Börse Berlin (ITB-Berlin) 2016. 

India to supply 18 meter-gauge diesel-electric locomotives to Myanmar

IMF and India to set-up South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Center in Delhi
India and International Monetary Fund (IMF) have decided to set up South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Centre (SARTTC) in New Delhi. In this regard, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

Mahindra & Mahindra Chairman and Managing Director (MD) Anand Mahindra was conferred with Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour) by French Government.

Union Power Ministry named LED based Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme as UJALA
Union Power Ministry has announced name UJALA for the LED based Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme (DELP). UJALA is acronym for Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All.

Lt Gen N P S Hira appointed Deputy Chief of Army

India, US launch Fulbright – Kalam Climate Fellowship
India and United States have launched the Fulbright – Kalam Climate Fellowship enabling Indian research scholars to work with American institutions in the field of climate change.


Lok Sabha passes Aadhaar (Target Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill, 2016

Plastic degrading bacteria Ideonella sakaiensis 201-F6 isolated
Japanese researchers have successfully isolated a bacterium species Ideonella sakaiensis 201-F6 capable of breaking down plastic polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyester. Their results were published in the journal Science.

CCEA approves Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana
Off on CCEA approves Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana The Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) for providing free of cost LPG (cooking gas) connections to women from BPL Households.

India inks Raptor MoU to save birds of prey
India has signed ‘Raptor MoU’, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on conservation of birds of prey in Africa and Eurasia. With this India becomes 56th county to sign the Raptor MoU under the Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS).

India, Bangladesh sign $2 billion Line of Credit
India has signed the second line of credit (LOC) agreement extending 2 billion dollars in development financing to Bangladesh for undertaking various development projects.

Rest of India wins 2015-16 Irani Cup Cricket Title

ISRO successfully launches IRNSS-1F satellite
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched India’s sixth navigation Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) 1F satellite. It was launched by ISRO’s workhorse satellite launch vehicle, PSLV-C32 rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR), Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. It was PLSV’s 34th mission. 
Key facts: IRNSS 1F satellite is part of the space segment satellites of the IRNSS system that has total constellation of seven satellites. It has a 12 year mission life.

Union Cabinet gives not to BIMSTEC Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters
The Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing and ratification of the Bay of Bengal Initiative on Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters.
About BIMSTEC
BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative on Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) is the sub-regional group of seven countries in South Asia and South East Asia. They are India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka (from South Asia) and Myanmar, Thailand (from South East Asia). 
Established: 6 June 1997. 
Headquarters: Dhaka, Bangladesh. 
Objectives: Technological and economical cooperation among south Asian and south East Asian countries along the coast of the Bay of Bengal.

Union Cabinet gives nod to MoU between India and UAE on Technical Cooperation in Cyber Space and Combating Cyber-Crime

Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan appointed as Chairman of 21st Law Commission of India
The Union Government has appointed former Supreme Court (SC) judge Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan (66) as Chairman of the 21st Law Commission of India (LCI). Currently he is Chairman of the Cauvery River Water Disputes Tribunal. 

Egyptian diplomat Ahmed Abul Gheit named as Secretary General of Arab League.

Arab League declares Lebanese movement Hezbollah a terrorist group.

Lok Sabha passes Aadhaar (Target Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill, 2016 

Lok Sabha has passed the Aadhaar (Target Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill, 2016 by voice vote. It was introduced as Money Bill.

Services has won the 70th edition of Santosh Trophy Football Championships title 2016 by defeating hosts Maharashtra.

Allahabad High Court celebrates 150th foundation year

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated three major railway projects in Bihar at an estimated cost of 7000 crore rupees.

Palestinian Hanan Al Hroub wins 2016 Global Teacher Prize
Palestinian teacher Hanan Al Hroub from a refugee camp has been awarded prestigious one million dollar 2016 Global Teacher Prize.

Nuclear-capable surface-to-surface Agni-I ballistic missile test fired
Indigenously developed nuclear capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile Agni-I was successfully test-fired off the Odisha coast.
Speed and Range: It can travel at a speed of 2.5 km/s and can destroy targets ranging between 700 and 1250 kms away.

Recently, power generation unit 1 at Kakrapar Atomic Power Station in Gujarat was shut down for indefinitely period after leakage of heavy water.
Tarapur Atomic Power Station in Maharasthra is the largest nuclear power station in India.

ExoMars 2016 spacecraft successfully launched by Europe and Russia
An unmanned spacecraft named ExoMars 2016 was successfully launched jointly Europe and Russia to search for biosignatures on Mars (or Martian life) in past or present.

More than 50 animal species critically endangered in India: Government
Union Government has announced that out of 96,000 animal species found in India more than 50 animals have been assessed as critically endangered (CR) and 310 as endangered (EN). It was announced by Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha

Mother Teresa to be canonised as Saint
Mother Teresa, a Roman Catholic religious sister and missionary will be elevated to Sainthood i.e. will be made a saint of the Roman Catholic Church on September 4, 2016. In this regard, Pope Francis has approved a decree recognizing a second miracle attributed to Mother Teresa’s intercession with God.

Htin Kyaw elected as first civilian President of Myanmar
Myanmar’s Parliament elected Htin Kyaw (69) as the first civilian (non-military) President of the country after 53 years of military rule.

Union Government imposes anti-dumping duty on Plastic-Processing imports
Union Government has imposed anti-dumping duty of up to 44.7 per cent on import of plastic-processing machines from Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam for five years. The anti-dumping duty will be levied on imports of all kinds of plastic-processing or injection-moulding machines, also known as injection presses. The move is aimed at protecting the domestic industry from cheap in-bound shipments from these 4 countries.

Haryana’s New Secretariat Building in Chandigarh has become first building in the country to have an early Earthquake Warning and Security system (onsite).

ICICI Bank launches NFC-based contactless mobile payment solution Touch & Pay
India’s largest private sector lender ICICI Bank has launched new contactless mobile payment solution Touch & Pay based on Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. 

Lok Sabha passes The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2016
Lok Sabha has passed Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2016 to include certain communities in the list of Scheduled Castes (SC) from 4 states. 
The bill seeks to amend Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 to include certain communities from Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Kerala and West Bengal in the list. 
It also has provisions for exclusion of certain communities from Odisha and removal of area restriction in respect of certain communitie

UN suspends Maria Sharapova as Goodwill Ambassador after doping allegations
The United Nations (UN) has suspended Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova as Goodwill Ambassador of the organisation after she was tested positive on doping allegations. 
She was suspended by New York based UN Development Programme (UNDP) until the outcome of the investigation into her case is known.

India ranks 118th on UN’s World Happiness Index 2016
India ranked 118th out of 157 countries on the United Nations’ World Happiness Index (WHI) 2016. It was revealed by the fourth World Happiness Report 2016 published by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), a global initiative for the UN.
Top countries: Denmark (1st), Switzerland (2nd), Iceland (3rd), Norway (4th) and Finland (5th)

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

British mathematician Andrew Wiles wins 2016 Abel PrizeHe was selected by the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters for solving a centuries old hypothesis (equation), Fermat’s Last Theorem.
PM Narendra Modi named among 30 most influential people on internet list of Time Magazine
Time Magazine has named Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi among the 2016 edition list of 30 most influential people on the internet. He was placed at 15th position. 
Kanye West (US) rank 1.

Punjab Government has notified swine flu (H1N1) under the Epidemic Disease Act to prevent the spread of disease in the state.

IMD deploys Drishti for providing real time visibility information to pilots
The India Meteorology Department (IMD) has deployed indigenously developed Drishti, an instrument that will provide real time visibility information to pilots. The instrument will help pilots in quick decision-making during critical landings and take-offs of aircraft particularly during foggy or rainy days.

Union Government launches FCI’s Depot Online System
Union Government has launched Depot Online System of state run Food Corporation of India (FCI) to bring transparency and minimise storage losses of foodgrains.

India’s Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve included in UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves
ABR in situated at the southern-most end of the Western Ghats and spread over two southern states Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It was established in 2001. The reserve is named after Agastya Mala peak that rises up to almost 1868 metres above sea level, in Thiruvananthapuram,Kerala.
The other 9 Biosphere Reserves are: 
Nilgiri (Western Ghats), 
Gulf of Mannar (Tamil Nadu), 
Sunderban (West Bengal), 
Nanda Devi (Uttarakhand), 
Nokrek (Meghalaya), 
Pachmarh (Madhya Pradesh), 
Similipal (Odisha), 
Achanakmar-Amarkantak (Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh) and 
Great Nicobar

Indian Navy deploys P8I maritime surveillance aircraft to Seychelles.

Indian Coast Guard ship Arnvesh commissioned at Visakhapatnam
The fast patrol vessel (FPV) of the Indian Coast Guard ICGS Arnvesh was commissioned at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
The vessel among the 20 FPVs indigenously built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL). It is capable of carrying a crew of five officers and 34 men on board. 

Nico Rosberg from Germany wins 2016 Australian Grand Prix of Formula One.

HS Prannoy wins 2016 Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold badminton title
Ace Indian shuttler HS Prannoy (World no 13) has won the prestigious 2016 Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament in the men’s single category.

EU, Turkey Agreement to tackle migrant crisis comes into effect

ICC suspends Bangladesh bowlers Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny for illegal bowling action

PM Narendra Modi launches Kisan Suvidha mobile app
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched Kisan Suvidha mobile application for farmers to provide agricultural relevant basic information quickly. Kisan Suvidha is an omnibus mobile app that will provide basic information on subjects such as market prices, seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, weather and agriculture machinery.

SC allows pictures of CMs, Governors, Ministers in Government Advertisements
The Supreme Court has allowed publication of photographs of Governors, Chief Ministers and the Ministers of the department concerned in government advertisements.

British astronomers discover largest sample of 9 monster stars
British astronomers have discovered largest sample cluster of nine monster stars named as R136 using NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. The cluster  is the largest group of very massive stars ever identified. 

Union Government unveils Model Building Bye-Laws, 2016
The Union Government has unveiled a Model Building Bye-Laws, 2016 for granting permission for construction of buildings. It was released by the Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu in New Delhi. It seeks to provide an online single window framework for approval process.

10th Asian Film Awards 
The 10th edition of Asian film Awards, one of the Asia’s leading film awards was held in the Venetian Casino and Hotel in Macau, China.
List of winners 
Best Film: The Assassin. 
Best Director: Hou Hsiao-Hsien (The Assassin) from Taiwan. 
Best Actor: Lee Byung-hun (The Inside Men). 
Best Actress: Shu Qi (The Assassin).

Venkaiah Naidu conferred with Skoch Lifetime Achievement Award
Union urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has been conferred with the Skoch Lifetime Achievement Award. He was bestowed with this award at 43rd SKOCH summit held in New Delhi for his contributions to inclusive growth and towards poverty alleviation in India. 
Besides, Information Technology (IT) Minister of Telangana State KT Rama Rao was also awarded the Skoch Award in the Startup India category. He was bestowed with this for his initiative in establishing the path breaking tech incubator T-Hub. 
About Skoch Challenger Awards: Instituted in 2003. These are the highest independently instituted civilian honours. They have been conferred on some of the best brains from across India for their efforts in the area of digital, social and financial inclusion.

Union Government bans repeat animal testing of drugs
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has scrapped repeat tests on animals for drugs which already have been approved by other countries.

Surat cleanest A-1 Railway Station in India
IRCTC Survey As per recently published survey of Indian Railways Surat (Gujarat) was declared the cleanest railway station in the country.

IAF conducts day-night exercise ‘Iron-fist 2016’ at Pokhran firing range.

PM Narendra Modi presents 2014-15 Krishi Karman Awards
Winner of Krishi Karman Awards 2014-15 
Total foodgrain production: Total 5 winning states were awarded in different categories. Each state was awarded a trophy, a citation and a monetary prize of 5 crore rupees. These states are 
Madhya Pradesh: For production greater than 10 million tonnes in Category I States. 
Himachal Pradesh and Odisha: For production between 1 and 10 million tonnes in Category II States. 
Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya: For production less than 1 million tonnes in Category III States. 
Individual Crops: Total 5 winning states were awarded a trophy, a citation and a monetary award of 2 crore rupees. These states are 
Haryana, Assam: Rice. 
Rajasthan: Wheat. 
Chhattisgarh: Pulses. 
West Bengal: Oil Seeds.

Earth Hour 2016 observed across the World on 19 March 2016
It is an annual global environmental event (movement) organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Earth Hour’s goal is to raise awareness for sustainable energy use and create a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle.

Tikka Shatrujit Singh knighted with Knight of the Legion of Honour
Tikka Shatrujit Singh (54), the royal scion of Kapurthala’s Ahluwalia dynasty, has been conferred with the prestigious Knight of the Legion of Honour by the French Government. He was presented with this honour by the French ambassador to India Francois Richier in a ceremony held in New Delhi. He was bestowed with this prestigious award for his extraordinary work in the exchanging the French lifestyle and Indian culture with each other. Tikka Shatrujit Singh is famously known as guru of luxury.
About Knight of the Legion of Honour: 
The Legion d’Honneur (in English: Knight of the Legion) was instituted by famous French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802. It is the highest civilian award given by the French Government for outstanding service to France, regardless of the nationality of the recipients. 

Indian Railways, ISRO ink MoU for Remote Sensing, GIS Technologies.

China, Nepal agree to build first strategic rail link.

Ritu Beri appointed as advisor of KVIC
Noted fashion designer Ritu Beri has been appointed advisor to the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) for promotion of khadi in India and across the world.

Justice H L Dattu appointed as member of International Coordinating Committee Bureau of NHRI-ICC
The Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Justice HL Dattu has been appointed as member of the International Coordinating Committee Bureau (ICCB) of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI-ICC) Bureau in Geneva.
The ICC Bureau is an important human rights body that serves as the Management Committee of the International Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions (ICC).

Nepal joins SCO grouping as dialogue partner
Nepal was officially made a dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a Beijing-based regional security grouping.
SCO is a Eurasian economic, political and military organisation. 
8 Members: China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan. 
Observers: Afghanistan, Iran, Mongolia and Belarus. 
Headquarters: Beijing, China. 
Established: 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders 6 countries viz. China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

PM Narendra Modi launches two projects between India, Bangladesh
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh’s PM Sheikh Hasina alongwith Chief Minister of Tripura inaugurated two historical projects between two countries via video conference. 
These projects are 100 MW power export via transmission lines between Surjamaninagar (Tripura) and South Comilla in Bangladesh. Announcement of India’s 3rd Internet Gateway optical fibre connection between Cox Bazaar in Bangladesh and Agartala (Tripura).

India, France sign MoU for construction of six nuclear reactors at Jaitapur nuclear park in Maharashtra
It is a 9900 MW power project proposed by Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) at Madban village of Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra. 
On completion, it will become the largest nuclear power generating station in the world by net electrical power rating. 
It consists of 6 European Pressurised Reactors (EPR) of 1650 MW each. France is going to supply technology for construction and also nuclear fuel for 25 years for this plant.

Union Cabinet gives nod to India, UAE MoU on NIIF
The Union Cabinet has given its approval for a MoU between India and United Arab Emirates (UAE) to mobilise long-term investment in National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF).

India Post releases commemorative stamp on HAL’s 75-Year of Service
India Post has released a customized commemorative stamp on Hindustan Aeronautical Limited (HAL) in recognition of the company’s 75 years of service to the nation.
HAL is state-owned aerospace and defence company based in Bangalore, Karnataka. It is governed under the management of the Union Defence Ministry. 

Australian all-rounder Shane Watson retires from International Cricket
Australian all-rounder Shane Watson (34) has declared his retirement from all forms of International Cricket after the end of his team’s campaign in the ongoing ICC World Twenty20.

Arvind Kejriwal named among World’s 50 Greatest Leaders by Fortune MagazineTop 10: Jeff Bezos (1st position) -  Amazon, Angela Merkel (2nd), Aung San Suu Kyi (3rd), Pope Francis (4th), Tim Cook (5th), John Legend (6th), Christiana Figueres (7th), Paul Ryan (8th), Ruth Bader Ginsburg (9th) and Sheikh Hasina (10th).

Andhra Pradesh Government inaugurates country’s first lift irrigation project
Andhra Pradesh government inaugurated India’s first river linking project viz. Pattiseema lift irrigation project connecting Godavari River with Krishna River from the ongoing Polavaram Multi-purpose Irrigation Project. The project has been completed in a record time of one year by the Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL).

Mizoram Government, JICA ink MoU for promoting Sustainable Agriculture
Mizoram government and Japanese International Cooperative Agency (JICA) have signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on ‘Capacity Enhancement for Sustainable Agriculture and Irrigation Development’. It was signed by the State government officials of Agriculture, Minor Irrigation, Horticulture and Soil and Water Conservation departments.

DIPP notifies 49% FDI under automatic route in Insurance and Pension sector
The Union Commerce and Industry Ministry has notified foreign direct investment (FDI) upto 49% in insurance and pension sector will be under automatic route.

Union Cabinet gives nod to implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – GraminDuring the President’s address in the Joint Session of Parliament in May 2014, it was announced that every family will have a pucca house with water connection, 24×7 electricity supply, toilet facilities by the time the nation completes 75 years of its Independence (by 2022).
The cost of houses would be shared between Centre and States Governments in the ratio 60:40 in plain areas and 90:10 for North Eastern and hilly states. 

Iran and Pakistan have mutually agreed to boost bilateral cooperation on regional security and trade.

India, China led investments in Renewable Energy in 2015: UN report
India and China have led the developing countries in investments made in renewable energy in 2015. It was revealed by the ‘Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment’ Report published by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

ISRO establishes GIRI Radar System near Tirupati
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has installed the Gadanki Ionospheric Radar Interferometer (GIRI) Radar System near Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. It was installed at the National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL), which is an autonomous research institute of the Department of Space (DoS).
Primary objective: Carry out unattended observations for studying the forcing from the sun like variation in solar flare, solar flux and magnetic storm on the ionospheric irregularities.

Union Health Ministry launches India’s first indigenous rotavirus vaccine Rotavac
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched India’s first indigenous rotavirus vaccine named Rotavac to combat infant mortality due to diarrhoea.

2016 Hockey India Annual AwardsDhruv Batra Player of the Year Award: P.R Sreejesh (male), Deepika (female).

63rd National Film Awards 2015The National Film Awards are most prominent most prominent film award ceremonies in India. Established: 1954. Since then awarded annually.
Best Actor: Amitabh Bachchan (Piku). Best Actress: Kangana Ranaut (Tanu Weds Manu Returns). Best Direction: Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Bajirao Mastani).
Baahubali: The Beginning (Tamil, Telugu) directed by S. S. Rajamouli was selected as the Best feature film. Bajrangi Bhaijaan (Hindi) directed by Kabir Khan was selected as the Best Popular film providing wholesome entertainment.

President’s Rule imposed in Uttarakhand
President Pranab Mukherjee has imposed Present’s Rule (State Emergency) in the state of Uttarakhand in the wake of constitutional breakdown under Article 356 of Constitution. In this regard, President has signed the proclamation state Emergency based on the recommendation of the Union Cabinet

ADB and USAID ink MoU to develop solar parks in India
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Unites States Agency for International Development (USAID) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for development of solar parks in India. The MoU will facilitate 848 million US dollars in funding to develop solar parks across India. The collaboration of ADB and USAID will initially focus on the state of Rajasthan.

India’s biggest Defence Expo 2016 begins in Goa
India’s biggest ever land, naval and homeland security exhibition Defence Expo 2016 began in Goa. The four-day biennial event was inaugurated by the Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. This for the first time, the Expo is being held outside the national capital New Delhi.
Defence Expo 2016 is the 9th edition of the series of biennial land, naval and internal homeland security systems exhibitions. 
The 2016 theme is “Rise of Futurism” 

Haryana Assembly unanimously passes Reservation Bill March 29, 2016No comments The Haryana Legislative Assembly has unanimously passed the  Haryana Backward Classes (Reservation in services and admission in educational institutions) Bill, 2016. Key Provisions The bill seeks to provide reservation in services and admission in educational institutions to persons belonging to backward classes including Jats and five other castes.

BHEL commissions 40 MW hydropower plant in West Bengal
Public Sector Power equipment manufacturer Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has commissioned the second 40 MW hydropower generating unit at the Teesta low dam hydroelectric project (HEP) stage IV in West Bengal.

Playback Singer P. Susheela enters Guinness World Records
Renowned playback singer P. Susheela Mohan created a new world record for singing highest number of songs. She has now been recognised by both the Guinness Book of World Records for singing most number of songs in Indian languages. Guinness Book of World Records officially credited her for singing record 17,695 songs (solo, duet and chorus backed songs) in twelve Indian languages. Asia Book of Records also has recognised her for singing close to 17, 330 songs. It bestowed certificate and a badge of honour to the singer for the most number of single studio recordings

ISRO set to launch record 22 satellites in single mission
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to script history by launching a record number of 22 satellites in a single mission in May 2016. These satellites (micro and nano) will be launched using ISRO’s workhorse Polar rocket PSLV C34. It will be carrying India’s Cartosat 2C along with 21 other satellites from other countries, including US, Canada, Indonesia and Germany as co-passengers. This launch would be made from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota. 
Earlier in 2008, ISRO had sent ten satellites into orbit in a single mission. The US space agency NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) holds current world record for sending highest number of satellites in single launch. It had sent 29 satellites to the orbit in a single launch in 2013.



March 1       Zero Discrimination Day     

March 3:    World Wildlife Day

2016 theme: “The future of wildlife is in our hands”

March 4       National Security Day

 

March 8       World Women's Day
2016 theme declared by United Nations: “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality”

2nd Thursday    World Kidney Day

March 15     World Consumer Right Day
2016 Theme: “Antibiotics off the menu”

March 20     World Happiness Day

March 21     World Forestry Day

Theme for 2016: “Forests and water”.

March 22     World Water Day

2016 Theme: “Better Water, Better Jobs”

March 23     Worlds Meteorological Day
Theme for 2016 year is “Hotter, Drier, Wetter. Face the Future”