Current Affairs Weekly PDF

Current Affairs Weekly PDF – March Fourth Week

(22-31)

INDIAN AFFAIRS

• On March 21, 2018, Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved following
initiatives:
 Cabinet Approves Scheduled Tribes Status to 2 Communities 'Parivara' and 'Talawara' In
Karnataka
 Cabinet approves Opening of Missions in Africa to implement IAFS-III
 Cabinet approves North-East Industrial Development Scheme (NEIDS) 2017 to promote
employment in the North Eastern States of India, by providing incentives, primarily to the
Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Sector.
 Cabinet approves Ayushman Bharat – National Health Protection Mission Which will
provide a benefit cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year.
 Cabinet approves extension of term of Commission constituted to examine the issue of
Sub-categorization of OBC
 Cabinet Approves Moving Official Amendments to Ban Commercial Surrogacy in India
 CCEA allows ITI Limited's FPO
 Cabinet approves continuation of higher education mission
 Cabinet approves central sector sericulture scheme
• On March 21, 2018, Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved following
bilateral agreements.
 Cabinet approves revised DTAA pact with Qatar for the avoidance of double taxation and
for the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income.
 Cabinet apprised of MoU between India and Guyana on cooperation in Renewable
Energy to encourage and promote technical bilateral cooperation on new and renewable
energy.
 Cabinet approves closure of India Development Foundation of Overseas Indians
 Cabinet approves formation of TCIL's subsidiary in US
• Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has stated that it has constituted a task force to review
the Income Tax Act, 1961 and to draft a new Direct Tax Law which takes into consideration the
prevailing economic scenario and economic needs of contemporary India.Suggestions and feedback
from stakeholders and general public is provided on www.incometaxindia.gov.in.
• On 20th March 2018, Union Minister of Mines Narendra Singh Tomar launched a "sand mining
framework" in order to help states to take action against illegal mining.The suggestions in this
framework will offer a roadmap to the states that will help them to develop their policies and will act
as a check on illegal mining of sand
• On 21st March 2018, the jackfruit was declared as official fruit of Kerala.officially announced
by Kerala Agriculture minister V S Sunil Kumar The state animal is ‘Elephant’. The state bird is
'great hornbill'. The state flower is 'kanikkonna'.
• The Madhya Pradesh Animal Husbandry Minister Antar Singh Arya has inked a MoU with Bharat
Financial Inclusion Ltd (BFIL)MD Geoff Woolley to launch 'Pashu Dhan Sanjeevani - 1962', an
animal healthcare programme.The service delivery process will be monitored through the 'Bharat
Sanjeevani' software and a mobile app.

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• The Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry announced the members of the Central Press
Accreditation Committee.It considers the names of correspondents and camerapersons who get Press
Information Bureau (PIB) accreditation & is headed by the Prinicpal Director General of PIB as the
ex-officio chairperson. It has 8 members.
• The world’s longest sandstone cave named ‘Krem Puri’ has been discovered in Meghalaya.It was
measured by the Meghalaya Adventurers’ Association (MAA). It is 24,583 metres long.
This cave is longer than the world record-holder Cueva Del Saman, a sandstone cave in Edo Zulia,
Venezuela.The longest India cave is the Krem Liat Prah-Umim-Labit system in the Jaintia Hills in
Meghalaya.
• On 21st March 2018, International Yoga Fest was inaugurated by Union minister Jitendra Singh at
Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi, as a curtain raiser for the International Yoga Day (IYD) to be held on
21st June 2018.Four cities namely Jaipur, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Mysore have been shortlisted
for conducting the main function of International Yoga Day 2018.
• On 21st March 2018, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) launched Free Wi-Fi Facility at
Udwada Village, in Valsad District, Gujarat.It is launched under Saansad Adarsh Gram
Yojana Rs.16.48 Lakh has been allotted for implementing Wi-Fi by BSNL in Udwada Village
• On 20th March 2018, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) celebrated its
6th Foundation Day in New Delhi.The event was inaugurated by Dr. Harsh Vardhan. Theme: The
theme for 6th Foundation Day of BIRAC was ‘Sustaining Innovation – A Market Driven Pathway’.
• On March 22, 2018, Parliament passed Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill, 2017 which
authorises Central Government to fix tax-free gratuity amount and period of maternity leave with an
executive order. After implementation of 7th Central Pay Commission recommendations, ceiling of
tax-free gratuity amount for central government employees was increased from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20
lakh.
• On 22nd March 2018, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched the M-Kerala app, at #Future,
Kerala’s first-ever global digital summit held in Kochi.The M-Kerala app also has mobile payment
options. The #Future summit was held on 22nd and 23rd March 2018. Theme of the Summit was
“Towards a Digital Future”.
• On March 21, 2018, Union Defence Ministry released a notification stating that Indian government
will now; fully fund the education of martyrs' children.Earlier,it was limited only up to Rs 10000 a
month.
• On March 22, 2018, Andhra Pradesh (AP) State Government launched, NAIPUNYA RATHAM or
World on Wheels, a multi-utility vehicle aimed at taking technology to the remote corners of the
state.This is a part of AP State Government’s ‘Smart village Smart Ward Programme’
• INS Ganga, an indigenously built frigate of the Indian Navy, was decommissioned in Mumbai on
March 22, 2018.Commissioned on December 30, 1985, INS Ganga is a Godavari-class guided-
missile frigate of the Indian Navy.Vice Admiral A K Bhal,was the Chief Guest for the ceremony,
while Vice Admiral (Retd.) K K Kohli,was the special Guest of Honour.
• On March 22, 2018, Air India flight (AI 139) became the first flight to land at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion
Airport (Israel) after passing through Saudi Arabia air space.Saudi Arabia’s decision to permit Air
India to use its airspace enabled it to take a shorter route, saving 2.10 hours of travel time.
• On March 23, 2018, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Thaawarchand
Gehlot launched “First Indian Sign Language Dictionary of 3000 words” in New Delhi.It
is developed by Indian Sign Language Research & Training Centre (ISLR&TC)
• Minister of State for Home Affairs, Hansraj Gangaram Ahir inaugurated the first National
Conference on Drug Law Enforcement in New Delhi on March 23, 2018.This conference has
been organised by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), under Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
• On 22nd March 2018, the 46th All India Police Science Congress began in Shimla, Himachal
Pradesh.It was organised by the Himachal Pradesh Police Department and The Bureau of Police
Research and Development. It was held for 2 days.
• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has postponed launch of India's second lunar mission
'Chandrayaan-2' to october, which was to be launched in April 2018.Estimated cost is Rs. 800 crore.

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• Chandigarh has become North India’s 1st city to install Digital Automatic Speed Gun Cameras to
check vehicles driving above the permissible speed limit and issue chalan to to vehicle owner's
residential address anyone driving above the stipulated city speed limit.
• On March 23, 2018, Odisha State Government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with
the British Council for cooperation,they will support Odisha State governments "Mo School" (My
School) initiative by contributing to the development of English language skills for learners and
teachers.
• On 23rd March 2018, the 5th India Maize Summit was held in Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce and Industry (FICCI), New Delhi.It was organized by Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
• Three Minesweeper ships of Indian Navy, INS Konkan, INS Cannanore and INS Cuddalore, were
decommissioned in a ceremony at Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam on March 23, 2018.
Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command, Vice Admiral M S Pawar was the Chief Guest
• On March 21, 2018, Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi approved Indian Air Force (IAF) plan to set up a forward fighter base close to Deesa in
Banaskantha district of Gujarat.CCS has sanctioned Rs. 1000 crore
• On 23rd March 2018, the 7th Session of India Egypt Joint Commission Meeting was held in New
Delhi.It is led by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj & the Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh
Shoukry.
• On March 22, 2018, Delhi government presented a 'green budget' aimed at controlling pollution and
monitoring its impact on the environment.Rs. 53000 crore Budget for fiscal 2018-19 in which 26
programmes and schemes of transport, power, environment and PWD will be threaded together for
devising a unified system of pollution control.
• Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has extended the deadline for
linking of insurance policies with Aadhaar numbers indefinitely.This decision has been taken by
IRDAI in accordance with Supreme Court of India’s order
• On March 22, 2018, India has handed over a second advanced offshore patrol vessel (AOPV) to the
Sri Lankan Navy.Construction work of this AOPV commenced in 2014 at the Goa Shipyard.It was
officially handed over to Sri Lanka Navy Rear Admiral Neil Rosayro
• As per Census 2011 data, India is home to 413670 beggars. Among all state and Union Territories,
highest number of beggars resides in West Bengal (nearly 81000 beggars), while Lakshadweep has
only two beggars.Among UT, New Delhi has highest number of beggars.
• On 23rd March 2018, BJP national spokesperson Anil Baluni announced that, the birth anniversary of
Dr BR Ambedkar (14th April) will be celebrated as 'Social Justice Day'.He was the first law minister
of independent India. He is a founding father of the Republic of India.
• A ‘National Conference on Down Syndrome’ was held in New Delhi on March 26, 2018. This
conference was organised by the National Trust under Union Ministry of Social Justice and
Empowerment. A book entitled “Twilights Children” was released
• Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of Germany, was on a five-day official visit. Germany is also
the 7th largest foreign direct investor in India.Bilateral trade between India and Germany in 2016-17
stood at USD 18.76 billion. Last German president to visit India was Joachim Gauck
• On March 26, 2018, International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the Union Ministry of External Affairs
(MEA), signed the Host Country Agreement in New Delhi.The Agreement gives ISA a juridical
personality and authorises it to contract, to institute and defend legal proceedings and to acquire and
dispose off movable and immovable properties.
• On March 26, 2018, Assam State Government launched a special programme named ‘Mission
Sambavh’ to build one lakh toilets across the state under the Swachh Bharat Mission.Assam State
government has set a target to make the state Open Defecation Free (ODF) during 2018.
• ‘Print Biennale India 2018’, the first-ever International Exhibition of Graphic Prints was inaugurated
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in New Delhi on March 25, 2018.The exhibition is being hosted by India’s National Academy of Art,
the Lalit Kala Akademi.The exhibition has brought together participants from 17 countries
• On March 25, 2018, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani stated that a seawater desalination plant,
with capacity of 100 million litre water per day will be set up near Jodiya town in Jamnagar district
because it faces severe water shortage especially during summer season.
• Surat district in Gujarat has become the first district in India to have 100 percent solar powered
Primary Health Centers (PHC).All 52 PHCs in Surat are now powered by solar system.
150 out of 572 gram panchayats in Surat are now powered by solar system.
• On 25th March 2018, the Madhavpur Mela started at Madhavpur Ghed village in Porbandar district
of Gujarat.This festival will feature art, dance, music, poetry, story-telling and folk drama from
Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and other North-Eastern States.
• In Varanasi, overhead power cables are being taken off after underground lines have been laid for
more than 16 sq km. Former Union minister of state for power and coal Piyush Goyal announced that
the project would cost Rs 432-crore &,line loss has reduced to 9.9% from 42.7%.
• Ministry of Communications has introduced the Cool EMS Service which is a one-way service from
Japan to India with effect from 29th March that will allow Indian customers to import Japanese food
items for personal use.Now,it is made available only in Delhi
• On March 26, 2018, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswamy, unveiled an insect museum at
the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in Coimbatore, which is the first of its kind in IndiaThe
lobby of this insect museum depicts the theme, "BUGS ARE KINGS".
• On 27th March 2018, Tribal Affairs Minister, Jual Oram launched “ E-Tribes” India includes
www.tribesindia.com, www.trifed.in and Retail Inventory Software and M-commerce app in
NewDelhi‘Tribes India’ Banners were also launched at Amazon, Snapdeal, Paytm & GeM. Also
TRIFED’s Handbook for Retail Trade and TRIFED’s quarterly magazine ‘Tribes Haat’ were
inaugurated.
• The Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) has approved 'Study in India' programme
to attract foreign students to study in India.This programme has several objectives including
doubling India's market share of global education exports from less than 1 percent to 2 percent and
improving global ranking of Indian educational institutes.
• On March 22, 2018, External Publicity and Public Diplomacy Division of the Ministry of External
Affairs (MEA) launched an initiative, 'Videsh Aaya Pradesh ke Dwaar' in Hyderabad,
Telangana with an aim to bring the domain of foreign policy closer to the people.
• Union Defence Ministry has released a draft policy aimed at promoting the domestic defence
industry and positioning it to achieve a turnover of Rs 170000 crore in military goods and services
by 2025.The aim is to make India self-reliant in terms of Defence Production and also to emerge as
one of the top five manufacturers of defence platforms in the world.
• On 23rd March to 1st April 2018, SARAS AajeevikaMela 2018 is held PragatiMaidan, New Delhi.It
is organized by DAY-NRLM (Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission).
• On 26th and 27th March 2018, the 11th Rashtriya Rifles Biennial Conference 2018 was held in
Nagrota, Jammu and Kashmir.The Conference was chaired by Chief of the Army Staff General Bipin
Rawat.
• On March 28, 2018, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant launched the baseline ranking for the
Aspirational Districts based on published data of 49 indicators.Mr. Kant also announced that
the ‘Champions of Change’ Dashboard (created by NITI Aayog in partnership with the Government
of Andhra Pradesh) for real-time data collection and monitoring will be open for public viewing
from April 1, 2018..
• According to National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey (NARSS) 2017-18, about 77% homes in rural
areas of India have got toilets and over 93% households in villages have access to toilets are using
them.It is selected under the World Bank support project to the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin
(SBM-G).
• On March 26, 2018, a meeting between Union Commerce and Industry Minister, Suresh Prabhu and
China’s Trade Minister Zhong Shan was held in New Delhi.This meeting was held at China-India

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joint-group on Economic Relations, Trade, Science & Technology. India’s goods trade deficit with
China for the first ten months of 20017-18 stands at $52 billion as against $0.6 billion in 2000-01.
• On March 27, 2018, Union Ministry of Power partnered with the Union Ministry of Skill
Development & Entrepreneurship to train the manpower in six states for speedy implementation of
SAUBHAGYA scheme.It aims to achieve universal household electrification in all parts of India in a
time bound manner.
• Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli’s wax figure will soon be unveiled at Madame Tussauds,
Delhi The main Madame Tussauds wax museum is in London and smaller museums are located in a
number of other major cities of the world including New York, Berlin, Beijing, Tokyo, Singapore
and Sydney.
• On March 27, 2018, SAP signed a Statement of Intent with NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission to
promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship across Indian schools, universities and
industries. SAP will adopt 100 Atal Tinkering Laboratories
• With production of 1423 billion units (BU) in Financial Year 2016, India was the third largest
producer of electricity in the world.India now produces more electricity than Japan and Russia,
which had 27% and 8.77% more electricity generation capacity installed, respectively, than India
seven years ago.
Country Electricity Produced (in BU)
China 6015
US 4327
India 1423
Russia 1088
Japan 1018
• The CBDT (Central Board of Direct Taxes) has extended the deadline for the PAN-Aadhaar linking
from the current last date of 31 March 2018 to 30 June 2018. This is the fourth extension offered by
the government for individuals to link their Permanent Account Number (PAN) with their biometric
ID (Aadhaar).
• On 25th March 2018, Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden, Asia's largest Tulip garden, in Srinagar,
Jammu & Kashmir, was opened for visitors.
• On 27th March 2018, the 15th meeting of the India-US Counterterrorism Joint Working Group was
held in New Delhi.The India delegation was led by Ministry of External Affairs Joint
Secretary Mahaveer Singhvi. US delegation was led by U.S. State Department’s Principal Deputy
Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Alina L. Romanowski.The next meeting of the Joint Working
Group will be hosted by the United States in 2019.
• On March 28, 2018, Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved
following initiatives:
 Cabinet approves NSDF, NSDC restructuring
 Cabinet gives nod to amendments in NMC Bill to replace the much criticised Medical
Council of India.
 Cabinet approves continuation of Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme for Education Loans
 Cabinet approves Export of all edible oils in bulk (except mustard oil) which will
provide additional marketing avenues for edible oils and oilseeds and will benefit the
farmers as oilseeds will fetch better price owing to export demand.
 Cabinet approves enhancing the coverage of Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana
 Cabinet approves strengthening of Krishi Vigyan Kendras
 Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the proposal of
the Department of Fertilizers to fix Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) rates for Phosphatic and
Potassic (P&K) Fertilizers for 2018-19.Click here to read more
• On March 28, 2018, Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved
following bilateral agreements:
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 Cabinet approves MoU between India and Zambia in the field of Judicial Cooperation
 Cabinet approves MoU between India and United Kingdom and Northern Ireland in
cooperation and exchange of information for the purposes of combating international
criminality and tackling serious organised crime.
 Cabinet approves MoU between India and South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme
in cooperation on the response to Oil and Chemical Pollution in the South Asian Seas
Region.
 Cabinet approves MoU between India and Canada on IPRs
 Union Cabinet has given its ex-post approval for the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
between India and Canada to establish bilateral cooperation in the field of Intellectual
Property Rights (IPRs). Click here to read more
• On 28th March 2018, the government announced that, the National Highways Authority of India
(NHAI) has tied up with Airports Authority of India (AAI) to develop a green corridor covering
16.55 km in Varanasi.They have joined hands under "Adopt a Green Highway Programme" as a
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative of AAI.
• On 29th March 2018, Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal
inaugurated Rajasthan’s first mega food parkM/s Greentech Mega Food Park Private Ltd, at
Roopangarh Village in Ajmer, Rajasthan.It has been established at a cost of Rs 113.57 crore.
• On March 29, 2018, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched '181-Sakhi', a toll-free
helpline number for women.It will work from 9 am to 5.30 pm, but will soon be a 24x7 service.This
is a part of Union Ministry of Women and Child Development’s scheme
• In a bid to engage college students in Government's cleanliness drive, Union Ministry of Drinking
Water and Sanitation has introduced a Swachh Bharat Summer Internship in association with
the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development.
• In wake of increasing and unacceptable levels of anti-Sikh bigotry, US state of New Jersey’s State
Assembly has declared April as ‘Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month’.As per US Government
data, nearly 60 per cent of Americans know nothing about Sikh religion or its practitioners.
• Among all Indian states, Madhya Pradesh has the highest number tribal habitations (55770) fully
covered with the safe drinking water supply. Under ‘National Rural Drinking Water Programme
(NRDWP)’, 10% of the total allocation of funds is earmarked to be used for the supply of drinking
water.
• Madhya Pradesh has got Geographical Indications (GI) tag for Kadaknath, a chicken breed whose
black meat is in demand in certain regions of the state. It is native to Jhabua, Alirajpur and parts of
Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh.
• On 30th March 2018, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan increased the
retirement age of Madhya Pradesh government employees from 60 to 62 years.
• On 29th March 2018, Haryana State Education Department renamed the Government Senior
Secondary Girls School, Kosli in Rewari district as Shaheed Major Vikas Yadav Senior Secondary
School to honour Major Vikas Yadav of 7 Jat Regiment who sacrificed his life fighting against
militants in Jammu and Kashmir.
• On 30th March 2018, Minister for Human Resource Development, Prakash Javadekar launched the
grand finale of Smart India Hackathon 2018 (Software Edition) in New Delhi.It consists of two
competitions: Software Hackathon and Hardware Hackathon. The final round of Hardware
Hackathon will be held in June 2018.
• On 30th March 2018, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated Hindon Elevated
Road - India’s longest elevated road, in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh which is 10.3 km long & built on
227 single pillars.It connects Raj Nagar Extension in Ghaziabad to UP Gate.
• On 27th and 28th March 2018, First National Conclave on Psychological Trauma, Child Protection,
and Mental Illnesses was held in J L N Auditorium, AIIMS, New Delhi.Minister of State for Women
and Child Development, Dr. Virendra Kumar, inaugurated the conclave
• On 29th March 2018, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated the
International Yachting Festival in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh with an aim to boost sea
tourism.Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) is providing required support for the festival.
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• Tripura State Government has decided to set up a well-equipped Crime Wing under the state
police to prevent unlawful activities such as drug and narcotics peddling.It is to be noted that curbing
crime in the state and restoring the rule of land was one of the promise made in Bharatiya Janata
Party’s (BJP's) election manifesto.
• On 30th March 2018, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India said that, India and Pakistan
have agreed to resolve all issues regarding treatment of their diplomats placed in the other country
through talks.which is in line with the 1992 "Code of Conduct for the treatment of
diplomatic/consular personnel in India and Pakistan".
• “Huddle Kerala”, Asia's largest startup ecosystem congregation, will be held at Kovalam, Kerala, is
aimed to create a platform for start-ups to display their products and interact with technology and
industry leaders from various parts of the world.It is organised by the Kerala Startup Mission along
with Internet and Mobile Association of India and IAMAI Startup

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

• International Energy Agency (IEA) has stated that Global energy-related carbon emissions rose to a
historic high of 32.5 gigatons in 2017 which marks a 1.4% increment over previous year.It has
been largely attributed to higher energy demand and the slowing of energy efficiency improvements.
• Singapore Changi Airport has been rated as world's best airport for the sixth consecutive year by
UK-based consultancy firm Skytrax.
Position Airport
2 Incheon International Airport in South Korea
3 Haneda Airport in Japan
63 Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai
64 Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru
66 Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi
• Australia has abolished its employer-sponsored 457 visa programme which was mainly used by
Indians. It was replaced by a new Temporary Skills Shortage visa programme.
• As per data compiled by Institute for Criminal Policy Research, India has a significantly lower
imprisonment rate of 33 and United States has the highest imprisonment rate (666) among major
countries
Least Criminal Countries – Top 5 Total Prison Population – Top 5
Rank Country Imprisonment Country Total Prison
Rate Population
1 India 33 US 2145100
2 Japan 45 China 1649804
3 Germany 77 Brazil 672722
4 Italy 95 Russia 600262
5 France 101 India 419623
• India is among 20 nations that have pledged additional contribution to the United Nations Relief and Works
Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Qatar Pledged the highest additional contribution
of USD 50 million while India pledged USD 5 million.
• On March 23, 2018, United States (US) challenged China at World Trade Organsiation (WTO)
over intellectual property breaches.Based on these issues, US believes that China is giving unfair
treatment to US companies and innovators trying to do business in China
• On March 23, 2018, world’s biggest cruise ship, ‘Symphony of the Seas’ was delivered to US
company Royal Caribbean Cruise Ltd. by French shipbuilder STX.It is 362 metres long and weighs

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nearly 228000 tonnes,bigger than ‘Harmony of the Seas’, which too was built by STX France and
was delivered to Royal Caribbean in 2016
• Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Republic of Congo and Indonesia have signed
Brazzaville Declaration that promotes better management and conservation of Cuvette Centrale
region in the Congo Basin, the world’s largest tropical peatlands. The declaration was signed on the
sidelines of the Third Partners Meeting of the Global Peatlands Initiative
• On March 26, 2018, Malaysia’s government proposed new legislation to counter fake news, under
which, offender will be penalised with 10-year jail term.The bill defines fake news as any news,
information, data and reports presented in the form of print, visuals or audio, which contains wholly
or partly false content.
• On 24th March 2018, Earth Hour 2018 was observed all over the world.India pledged "Give Up To
Give Back". People all over the world observed the Earth Hour 2018 by switching off non-essential
lights for an hour between 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm.It is organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature
• According to internet speed testing analysis firm Ookla, India ranked 67th for fixed broadband and
109th for mobile internet speeds in February 2018 on Speedtest Global Index. It is to be noted
that on both the modes, download speed in India is still below the global average.
Fixed Broadband Speed – Top 5 Mobile Internet Download Speed – Top 5
Country Download Speed Country Download Speed
Singapore 161.53 Mbps Norway 62.07 Mbps
Iceland 157.73 Mbps Iceland 58.44 Mbps
Hong Kong 129.64 Mbps Netherlands 54.53 Mbps
South Korea 117.49 Mbps Singapore 51.92 Mbps
Romania 105.74 Mbps United Arab Emirates 51.72 Mbps
• On March 26, 2018, Sri Lankan Navy sunk a ship used by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE) in the western seas.The LTTE vessel, A522 named 'We Ling" was taken by Sri Lankan
Navy following the conclusion of the conflict
• On March 25, 2018, Indian Navy’s Talwar class frigate INS Tarkash carried out a greeting and
training exercise with the U.S. Navy’s Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group (TRCSG).INS
Tarkash sailed in formation with aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and the guided-missile
destroyers USS Preble, USS Halsey and USS Sampson.
• The United Arab Emirates, with the help of Korea Electric Power Corp., has finished construction of
its first commercial nuclear reactor.South Korean President Moon Jae-in participated in a ceremony
to celebrate the facility’s completion. Barakah Unit 1 is the first of the four nuclear plants that U.A.E
has planned to put in to operation by 2021.
• On March 27, 2018, Seychelles' opposition coalition (which holds a majority in Seychelles
Parliament) stated that it would not ratify a deal signed with India to build military infrastructure on
its Assumption Island.
• On 28th March 2018, the External Affairs Ministry announced that, India has increased its annual
contribution to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
(UNRWA) from $1.5 million to $5 million for a period of 3 years from 2018-19.

BANKING & FINANCE

• Bank of India (BOI) has announced that it has closed down its operations of representative office
in Yangoon (Myanmar) with effect from January 19, 2018. Apart from Yangoon, Bank of India is
also said to have closed down its office in Botswana.
• Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) has announced that it will commence futures trading in
brass on March 26, 2018.The launch will be an important milestone as it will be for the first time that
a Brass Futures contract will be traded on an organised exchange anywhere in the world.
• On 21st March 2018, BHEL said that, it has signed a Technology Collaboration Agreement (TCA)
with HLB Power, Republic of Korea which will help in developing in-house design, manufacture
and testing facilities of very large size gates and dampers
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• Bank of India (BOI) has announced that it has closed down its operations of representative office
in Yangoon (Myanmar) with effect from January 19, 2018. Apart from Yangoon, Bank of India is
also said to have closed down its office in Botswana.
• Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) has announced that it will commence futures trading in
brass on March 26, 2018.The launch will be an important milestone as it will be for the first time that
a Brass Futures contract will be traded on an organised exchange anywhere in the world.
• On 21st March 2018, BHEL said that, it has signed a Technology Collaboration Agreement (TCA)
with HLB Power, Republic of Korea which will help in developing in-house design, manufacture
and testing facilities of very large size gates and dampers
• On March 22, 2018, Equitas Small Finance Bank (SFB) rolled out ‘Yellow Army Savings
Account’ to commemorate its association with the Indian Premium League (IPL) franchise Chennai
Super Kings (CSK).The Account’ will fetch interest rate of 6 per cent per annum for balance
below Rs. 10 lakh and 6.5 per cent per annum for balance above Rs. 10 lakh
• On March 23, 2018, HDFC Bank signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the
Government e-Marketplace (GeM) which is an online marketplace under which, it will facilitate a
host of transaction/banking related services for the portal.
• On March 22, 2018, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro decided to remove three zeros of
the Venezuelan currency Bolivar fuerte with effect from June 4, 2018.This decision is aimed at
controlling the prevailing hyperinflationary situation across Venezuela which witnessed 6147 percent
price rise in last 12 months.
• On March 25, 2018, Delhi Metro, in association with IndusInd Bank, launched a dual purpose Metro
Plus' debit card that will enable customers of IndusInd bank to use it for metro train rides as well as
for all other regular debit card transactions.which has an embedded Delhi Metro Transit chip along
with the secured Debit Card Chip
• In wake of Reserve Bank of India (RBI)'s ban on letters of undertaking (LoU), UCO Bank is
planning to merge its two branches in Hong Kong. Hong Kong being home to second highest
number of foreign branches by Indian banks after the United Kingdom (UK).UK has highest number
of Indian bank branches at 32, followed by Hong Kong with 17 branches.
• On March 26, 2018, Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg stated that India is on track
to double the size of its economy to $5 trillion by 2025.Presently it stands at USD 2.5 trillion,
making it the sixth largest economy in the world.
• SWIFT has announced the extension of its gpi (Global Payment Innovation) Tracker to cover all
payment instructions sent across the network. gpi tracker was introduced in May 2017 and now
accounts for 10 per cent of entire SWIFT cross border payment traffic.
• Union Ministry of Finance has approved Government guarantee of Rs. 5000 crore in financial year
2017-18 for Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) bonds to be subscribed
by Life Insurance Corporation (LIC).Previously they signed MOU,stating that LIC has to provide a
financial assistance of Rs. 150000 crore for identified Railway projects from 2015 to 2019
• On 26th March 2018, Microsoft opened the 'Garage' at the Microsoft India Development Centre in
Hyderabad, Telangana.It is a platform for Microsoft employees that encourages experimentation,
working together across organisations and to discover ideas and develop prototypes, adding value to
existing products.
• As per the latest global Automobile Sales Data, India has overtaken Germany to become the fourth
largest automobile market in the world.During 2017, Automobile sales (including passenger and
commercial vehicles) in India touched 4 million units, outpacing Germany’s 3.81 million vehicle
sales.
Top 5 Auto Markets – 2017:
Country Units Sold (in millions)
China 29.12

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US 17.58
Japan 5.24
India 4.02
Germany 3.81
• On March 26, 2018,Union Finance Ministry has stated that government's gross G-Sec borrowing will
be only Rs. 2.88 lakh crore in H1 of 2018-19.This amount, as a percentage of total borrowing is only
47.5 percent as against 60-65 percent share in this period in previous years.
• On March 26, 2018, Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) announced that it will extend USD
500 million credit facility to ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) to fund
various development projects in Africa.Total value of LOCs extended by Exim Bank to EBID has
reached USD 1000 million.
• On March 26, 2018, Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT), India's first operational smart
city and International Financial Services Centre (IFSC)signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP (DTTILLP) for mutual cooperation in areas
related to international financial services.
• On March 26, 2018, Airport Authority of India (AAI) signed a memorandum of understanding
(MoU) with Assam government for sustainable development of human settlements at villages in
Kamrup district.AAI would provide financial assistance of Rs 4.58 crore
• On March 27, 2018, SBI Cards announced that it has partnered with Indian Medical Association
(IMA) to launch 'Doctor's SBI Card', which has unique proposition of ‘Doctor’s SBI Card is the
professional indemnity insurance cover of Rs 10 lakh to protect doctors against professional risks
and liabilities.
• Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India have signed $80 million loan
agreement to modernize technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions in State
of Himachal Pradesh .
• Royal Bank of Scotland in India will facilitate to set up 'WomenInTech Forum that will work
towards encouraging women to take up careers in science, technology, engineering and math
(STEM).It will also provide mentoring and upskilling to increase the employability of women in
STEM careers. Deloitte is the knowledge partner for this initiative.
• India’s largest bank, State Bank of India (SBI) has hiked interest rates on fixed deposits (FDs) over
two years for retail customers with effect from March 28, 2018.
Below Rs.1 Crore
2 to 3 yrs increased from 6.50 % to 6.60%
3 to 5 yrs increased from 6.50 % to 6.70%
5 to 10 yrs increased from 6.50 % to 6.75%
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will soon roll out limited edition coins of Rs 350 denomination to mark
the 350th Birth Anniversary of Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji.The reverse face of the coin shall bear the
picture of “Takht Shri Harimandir Ji Patna Sahib”. Inscription “350TH PRAKASH UTSAV OF SRI
GURU GOBIND SINGH JI” in Devanagari shall be written on the upper periphery and the same
would be written in English language on the lower periphery of the coin.
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a penalty of Rs 58.9 crore on India’s largest private bank,
ICICI Bank for failure to adhere to held-to-maturity (HTM) guidelines.A bank can sell only 5 per
cent of HTM securities without any prior permission. If a bank sells more than 5%, it has to seek
permission from RBI and disclose it on the annual report.
• On 28th March 2018, SEBI accepted most of the recommendations of Uday Kotak Committee on
Corporate Governance.SEBI has accepted to declare to split the posts of chairperson and managing
director, making sure that both are not held by the same person. This change will come into effect on
1st April 2020 for the top 500 companies.
• On 28th March 2018, Jana Small Finance Bank Limited commenced operations as a small finance
bank.It aims to establish more than 500 banking outlets by 2019. It will initially open 19 branches in
18 states.It will focus on financial inclusion, as the core strategy of the bank. It will provide digitally-
enabled services to its customers.

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• Tax on long term capital gains (LTCG) on equity holdings, announced in Budget 2018 will come
into effect from April 1, 2018.In Budget 2018,Exempting long-term gains from share sale from any
tax creates bias against manufacturing and encourages shifting of investment to financial assets.10%
LTCG tax would apply on gains exceeds Rs. 1 lakh
• With an objective to encourage early-stage start-ups, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
has decided to double the investment limit by angel funds in venture capital undertakings to Rs. 10
crore & also increase the maximum period of accepting funds from an angel investor from three
years to five years
• Fino Payments Bank is planning to deploy multi-utility Android-based mPOS devices across 10000
banking points across India in a phased manner.It thus eliminates the need for multiple devices that
are currently used to facilitate finger print authentication and digital transactions.
• The government has announced that, it has planned to sell 76 per cent stake in Air India along with
subsidiary Air India Express and a 50% stake in Air India SATS & also transfer the management
control.Ernst & Young LLP India has been named the transaction adviser for this disinvestment
process.
• Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched voicebot ‘Keya’, the first artificial intelligence-
powered voicebot in Indian banking sector.‘Keya’ navigates the customers directly to the destination
where he/she can get his/her issue resolved.It is powered by Nuance
• Nepal Rastra Bank (Nepal’s Central Bank) has permitted domestic commercial banks to borrow
funds from foreign banks and financial institutions in order to resolve liquidity crunch prevailing
in Nepal’s banking system since past few months,now they can borrow loans up to 25 per cent of
their core capital for the period from one year to five years.
• In order to prevent the possibility of manipulation in the prices of securities, especially government
securities (G-Secs), on the last trading day of a quarter, Reserve Bank of India has changed the
methodology used to normalise any aberration resulting from an attempt to manipulate the price by a
cartel of banks at the last moment.

BUSINESS

• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) have
entered into a Technology Transfer Agreement (TTA) for production of space grade Lithium-Ion
cells.It is developed by ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).
• On March 23, 2018, Telangana Industries Minister KT Rama Rao announced a reduction in Value
Added Tax (VAT) on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) to 1 per cent from 16 per cent. This decision is
likely to boost air traffic at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport located near Hyderabad which has
completed 10 years of operations.
• On March 30, 2018, India received its first shipment of Liquefied natural gas (LNG) from US under
a 20-year deal.Indian government-owned Gas Authority of India Ltd. (GAIL) has contracted 3.5
million tonnes per annum of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Cheniere Energy's Sabine Pass
liquefaction facility in Louisiana, US
• On March 30, 2018, Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy, R K Singh and
Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat laid the foundation stone of the 60 MW Naitwar Mori
Hydro Electric Project in the river Tons – a tributary of the Yamuna in Uttarkashi district of
Uttarakhand.

ACQUISITION & MERGER

• On March 21, 2018, Allahabad Bank stated that it has received approval from Union Ministry of
Corporate Affairs for amalgamation of its fully-owned subsidiary All Bank Finance Ltd.
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(ABFL)offers fee-based services like debenture trusteeship, distribution of mutual fund schemes,
investment advisory and portfolio management and security valuation
• On 23rd March 2018, Reliance Industries (RIL) announced the merger of its digital music
service JioMusic with Saavn, a streaming service provider.The company will continue as an over-
the-top (OTT) media platform. It will be available for download in all app stores.
• Google has acquired Tenor, a GIF search engine for Android, iOS and desktop.Cathy Edwards,
Director of Engineering, Google Images, said that, Tenor would introduce GIFs in Google Images
and services like Gboard easily. It will help users to find and share GIF images easily.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has bagged the "Most Informative
Pavilion" award in the Pride of India Expo, in Manipur.The Expo was a part of the 105th Indian
Science Congress (ISC) held in Manipur.
• ‘We Are Sikhs’ campaign that was launched in April 2018 in America, has received the 2018
PRWeek US award, nicknamed the "Oscars of the Public Relations Industry", in the category of
Public Cause.The ad campaign was launched by National Sikh Campaign (NSC), a non-profit
organization
• On 22nd March 2018, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presented the G.K. Reddy Memorial
National Award for 2017 to Karan Thapar for journalism, at an event held in Teen Murti Bhawan,
New Delhi.Karan Thapar is a senior journalist and television presenter.
• On 21st March 2018, the Kempegowda International Airport was presented the Skytrax award for
being voted as the best regional airport in India and Central Asia by air travelers, at the World
Airport Awards at Stockholm in Sweden.It has bagged this award for the second consecutive year
and also in 2015 and 2011.
• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, Gujarat has received 'Most Improved
Airport' award in the Asia Pacific region, in Airport Service Quality awards 2017 organised by
the Airport Council International (ACI).The airport already has two aero-bridges and works for
improving the food courts is also underway.
• London-based South Asian Cinema Foundation (SACF) has received the Frederick Pincott
Award for 2017 from the Indian High Commissioner, Y K Sinha for promoting Hindi cinema in
Britain for the last 18 years It was set up in London in January 2000 by Lalit Mohan Joshi.
• Chhattisgarh has won the National ‘Water Digest Award’ for Water Conservation-Diversion and
increasing the irrigation capacity in Chhattisgarh.It was presented to Chhattisgarh Water Resources
Department Secretary Sonmoni Borah, in New Delhi
• Bollywood actor-producer Anushka Sharma has featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2018
list.Indian badminton player PV Sindhu also appears in the list. Pakistani singer Momina Mustehsan
is also seen in the list.
• On March 27, 2018, President Ram Nath Kovind presented Gallantry Awards and distinguished
service decorations at the Defence Investiture Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.
President presented three Kirti Chakra, 17 Shaurya Chakra, 14 Param Vishisht Seva Medals
(PVSM), one Uttam Yudh Seva Medal (UYSM) and 22 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals (AVSM).
• Two Indian activists Mirnalini Dayal and Yogesh Kumar have been selected among 20 finalists for
the Commonwealth Youth Awards 2018 for their contribution towards achieving gender
equality. Mirnalini Dayal has been chosen for her work as a campaign leader for 'Health Over
Stigma'. Yogesh Kumar has been shortlisted for establishing the social enterprise 'Even Cargo'.
• On 28th March 2018, lyricist and film director Sreekumaran Thampi was selected for the J C Daniel
award.This is Kerala's highest award for contributions to Malayalam cinema. The award consists of
Rs 5 lakh cash prize, citation and statuette.
• India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has retained the top spot on ‘IE 100 2018’, The List of Most
Powerful Indians:

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• IE 100 2018 – Top 5:

1 Prime Minister Narendra Modi
2 BJP President Amit Shah
3 Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra
4 RSS Head, Mohan Bhagwat
5 UPA Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS

• On 22nd March 2018, President Trump named John R. Bolton as his third national security
adviser.He replaces Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster.He is a former American ambassador to the United
Nations
• On 22nd March 2018, Sherry Rehman became the first woman Leader of the Opposition in the
Senate, the upper house of parliament, in Pakistan.She was Pakistan's Ambassador to the US
between 2011 and 2013. In 2015, she was elected to the Senate.
• On 23rd March 2018, Martin Vizcarra was sworn in as the new President of Peru.He replaces Pedro
Pablo Kuczynski.Martin Vizcarra had served as vice president and Peru's ambassador to Canada.
BJP has won nine out of the 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha elections held
• on 23rd March 2018.BJP candidates who won the election are: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley,
Ashok Bajpai, Vijay Pal Singh Tomar, Sakal Deep Rajbhar, Kanta Kardam, Anil Jain, Harnath Singh
Yadav and G V L Narasimha Rao and Anil Kumar Agarwal.
• Vodafone Group and Aditya Birla Group have named Balesh Sharma as the chief executive officer
(CEO) of the Vodafone-Idea India merged entity.Earlier,he was the chief operating officer (COO) of
Vodafone India.
• J S Rajput has been nominated by the Ministry of Human Resource Development as India’s
representative to the Executive Board of UNESCO He is a former director of NCERT & he received
the Padma Shri award in 2014. He was presented the Maharishi Ved Vyas award by the Madhya
Pradesh government
• On 26th March 2018, K Vijay Raghavan was appointed as Principal Scientific Advisor to the
Government of India.He replaces R Chidambaram.He is a former director of National Centre for
Biological Sciences & served as Secretary of Department of Biotechnology .
• On 27th March 2018, Justice Jawad Rahim was appointed as the acting chairperson of National
Green Tribunal (NGT) by the Supreme Court.
• Pradosh Kumar Rath has been shortlisted as the new chairman cum managing director (CMD) of
RINL (Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd).
• On 27th March 2018, Indu Bhushan was appointed the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the
Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Mission.Indu Bhushan is the Director General of East
Asia Department, Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila, Philippines.
• Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar announced that, cricketer Rahul Dravid will be the
state election icon for Karnataka Assembly polls.
• On 28th March 2018, Win Myint was elected as President of Myanmar by Myanmar's parliament.
Win Myint replaces Htin Kyaw as President of Myanmar.Win Myint is former speaker of
Myanmar’s House of Representatives.
• On 28th March 2018, Lt Gen Harpal Singh was appointed as Director General Border Roads
(DGBR).Earlier he was Director General Military Training at Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of
Defence (Army).
• Director Shekhar Kapur has been appointed as the chairman of the central panel of the 65th National
Film Awards.The central panel consists of a chairperson and 10 other members which includes five
regional chairpersons.
• On 27th March 2018, Abiye Ahmed was elected as the new prime minister of Ethiopia.
Abiye Ahmed has been elected as prime minister of Ethiopia following the resignation of
Hailemariam Desalegn last month. This automatically made Abiye Ahmed as the prime minister of

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Ethiopia.
• On 29th March 2018, Rosemary DiCarlo was named UN Political Chief, becoming the first female
UN Political Chief.She replaces Jeffrey Feltman. Rosemary DiCarlo is a former deputy US
ambassador to the United Nations.
• On March 29, 2018, incumbent Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi got re-elected for a second
term.He garnered 92 per cent votes.He was elected for a four-year presidential term in 2014 after he
overthrew Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in 2013.
• On 29th March 2018, Andhra Pradesh government appointed shuttler Kidambi Srikanth as a Deputy
Collector.He received the Padma Shri award. He became the second youngest sportsperson in India
after PV Sindhu to bag the Padma Shri award.
• R Dinesh, Joint Managing Director of T V Sundram Iyengar and Sons, has been elected Chairman of
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Sanjay Jayavarthanavelu, Chairman and Managing Director
of Lakshmi Machine Works Ltd was elected Deputy Chairman of CII Southern Region for 2018-19.
• On 29th March 2018, Anoop Kumar Mittal was given one year extension as the chairman and MD
(CMD) of NBCC with effect from 1st April 2018.He was also given additional charge of Director
(Finance) of NBCC
• On 30th March 2018, Chandra Bhushan Kumar was appointed as Deputy Election Commissioner as
part of a major bureaucratic reshuffle by the government.He is an IAS officer of 1995 batch of union
territories cadre.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• On 22nd March 2018, India successfully test fired the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile with
an indigenous 'seeker' at Rajasthan's Pokhran test range, enhancing the country's capability to hit
enemy targets at a range of up to 400 km.It travels at speeds of up to Mach 3.0
• IRCTC has introduced billing through Point of Sale (POS) hand held machines in trains. IRCTC is
introducing POS billing machines in trains in phases. POS machines have already been introduced in
train no. 12627-28, SBC-NDLS Karnataka Express on pilot basis.In the next phase, 100 POS
machines are launched in 26 trains
• Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has developed “Fluorimeter”,which costs Rs 1 lakh,the
instrument that measures traces of uranium in water.It was developed by the Raja Ramanna Centre
for Advanced Technology (RRCAT). RRCAT is a unit of DAE based in Indore.
• NASA and SpaceX have tied up to search for exoplanets using NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey
Satellite (TESS).It has been planned to launch TESS on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida
• On March 27, 2018, US space agency,NASA announced that during 2018, it will launch two new
satellite missions to enhance the view of Earth's frozen regions.Gravity Recovery and Climate
Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission & Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-
2)
• On 27th March 2018, All India Football Federation (AIFF) launched “Scout-Me”, a mobile based
scouting application to discover future players. Scout-Me app has been developed by Kush Pandey.
• On 28th March 2018, Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) launched a new portal which
enables EPFO pensioners to obtain pension-related information. The facility can be accessed at
Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO)’s website: www.epfindia.gov.in
• On March 29, 2018, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched India’s latest
communication satellite GSAT-6A on board Geosynchronous rocket GSLV-F08 from Satish
Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. It will provide mobile communication to
India through, multi-beam coverage facility.
• Scientists have discovered a hot, metallic, Earth-sized planet named “K2-229b” that orbits a dwarf
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star located 260 million light years away.It is located very close to its host star 0.012 AU. This
distance is nearly a hundredth of the distance between the Earth and the Sun.
• On May 5, 2018, US Space agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will
send ‘InSight’, the first-ever mission dedicated to exploring the deep interior of Mars using Seismic
Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport & will help to know about the earliest stages of Mars’
formation, 4.5 billion years ago
• On 29th March 2018, China successfully launched a Long March 3B rocket carrying two Beidou-
3MEO satellites: Beidou-30 and Beidou-31 from the LC2 Launch Complex of the Xichang Satellite
Launch Center, Sichuan province, China.
• On March 30, 2018, Russia successfully tested its latest intercontinental ballistic missile Sarmat.It
was launched from Plesetsk in northwestern Russia.It will replace the Soviet-era Voyevoda, which is
known as "Satan" in the West.
• On March 29, 2018, Pakistan successfully test fired indigenously developed Submarine
Launched Cruise Missile BABUR.It has a strike range of 450 KMs and is capable of delivering
various types of payloads
• Scientists have identified a new organ in human beings which has been dubbed the ‘interstitium’.It is
made up of both strong (collagen) and flexible (elastin) connective tissue proteins.Researchers
believe that Interstitium may even be one of the largest organ in the human body.

SPORTS

• On 22nd March 2018, Indian shooter Elavenil Valarivan shot 249.8 in the finals & won gold medal in
the junior women's 10m air rifle event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Junior
World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun in Sydney, Australia.
Shooter Category Position
Elavenil Valarivan along with Team 1(Gold Medal)
Shreya Agrawal and Zeena Khitta
Arjun Babuta men's 10m air rifle 3(Bronze Medal)
• The National Boxing Academy in Rohtak, Haryana, is to host the World Series of Boxing (WSB)
clash between Indian Tigers and the Astana Arlans from Kazakhastan on 31st March 2018.The Indian
team's campaign is led by Sanjeet (+91 kg). He will fight with Abikhair Turlanbekov in a clash of
titans.
• PV Sindhu has been chosen by IOA (Indian Olympic Association) as Indian contingent’s flag-bearer
at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2018 at Gold Coast, Australia. She
won bronze medal in the women’s singles badminton event at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games
in 2014.
• On 25th March 2018, Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel won the 2018 Formula One Grand Prix of Australia,
in at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne, Australia.Lewis Hamilton finished in the second
position.Kimi Raikkonen finished in the third position.
• On 24th March 2018, Pankaj Advani retained his Asian Billiards Championships title by winning
over B Bhaskar 6-1 in the finals, in Yangon, Myanmar.India's Amee Kamani bagged the Asian
Women's Snooker title by defeating Thailand’s Siripaporn Nuanthakhamjan 3-0
• On 25th March 2018, India U-16 football team won the Jockey Cup International Youth Invitational
Football Tournament in Hong Kong.They defeated Hong Kong 4-2 in the final.The team was
coached by Bibiano Fernandes.
• On 26th March 2018, Anish Bhanwala won gold medal in the men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Junior
event at the ISSF Junior World Cup Rifle / Pistol / Shotgun in Sydney, Australia.
China’s Cheng Zhipeng scored 27 hits and won silver medal.Another Indian team comprising
Sandhu, Japtyesh Singh Jaspal and Mandeep Singh won bronze medal.
• On 25th March 2018, Hockey Punjab won the 8th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship
2018 (A Division) at the Padma Shri Mohammad Shahid Synthetic Hockey Stadium in Lucknow,
Uttar Pradesh.In the Bronze medal match, Railway Sports Promotion Board defeated Air India

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Sports Promotion Board 5-3.

• On 28th March 2018, Steve Smith and David Warner were banned from playing for Australia by
Cricket Australia after the ball-tampering scandal during the Cape Town Test against South
Africa.i. It was found out that sandpaper was used in an attempt to rough up the ball
• On 29th March 2018, 17th Sub-junior National Wushu Championship started in Jammu.It
is organised by the the Wushu Association of India jointly with J&K State Sports Council at MA
Stadium.It was inaugurated by J&K Youth Services and Sports Minister Imran Raza Ansari at a
ceremony at Police auditorium, Jammu.
• On 28th March 2018, Muskan Bhanwala won gold medal in the Women’s 25m Pistol event at the
ISSF Junior World Cup in Sydney, Australia.China's Sihang Qin bagged the silver medal. Thailand’s
Kanyakorn Hirunphoem won bronze medal. Another Indian shooter Manu Bhaker finished in the
fourth position.
• On 29th March 2018, Darren Lehmann announced that he has resigned as head coach of Australian
senior national cricket team.He has announced his resignation after the ball-tampering scandal of
Australian cricket team.
• On 30th March 2018, Zimbabwe Cricket sacked its entire coaching staff and removed Graeme
Cremer as captain after their failure to qualify for the 2019 World Cup.It is said that, Brendan
Taylor would be made the captain of Zimbabwe team.
• On 30th March 2018, Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) appointed Irfan Pathan as the
coach-cum-mentor of its senior stateside for the 2018-19 season.

OBITUARY

• On 18th March 2018, journalist Ghulam Muhammad Mustafa Passed away in Gurgaon, Haryana.He
is a retired Indian Information Service officer of the 1969 batch. He started his career with the Press
Information Bureau (PIB).
• On 25th March 2018, South Korean pop singer Seo Minwoo, passed away in Gangnam, Seoul, South
Korea.He was a lead singer of the 100% band.Some of their popular songs are “Bad Boy,” "Want U
Back," “Better Days,” and "Sketch U."
• On 25th March 2018, Linda Brown, who helped to end US school segregation, passed away in
United States. In 1988, Linda Brown along with her sister founded the Brown Foundation for
Educational Equity, Excellence and Research
• On 27th March 2018, V. Sriharsha, a reputed journalist, died due to cardiac arrest, in New Delhi.He
worked as a media consultant with the GMR Group after he had retired as Bureau Chief of ETV
(Delhi) Earlier, he had worked with The Indian Express, Pioneer and Deccan Chronicle.
• On 30th March 2018, former Manipur Chief Minister R K Dorendra Singh died at the Jawaharlal
Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital in Imphal, Manipur. He was the chief minister of
Manipur four times between 1974 and 1993.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

• On 20th March 2018, General Bipin Rawat, Chief of the Army Staff, released a book on Paramveer
Chakra Awardees named ‘Paramveer Parwane’.It has been authored by Dr Prabhakiran Jain.It
is published by Medha Books

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IMPORTANT DAYS

• On 22nd March 2018, World Water Day was celebrated all over the world.The first World Water Day
was celebrated in 1993. World Water Day is coordinated by UN-Water.Theme for World Water Day
2018: Nature for Water. This year World Water Day will focus on how to use nature to deal with the
water challenges of current age.
• On 22nd March 2018, celebrations for the 106th foundation day of Bihar began at three locations:
Gandhi Maidan, S K Memorial Hall and Rabindra Bhawan in Patna, Bihar.Theme is : “Centenary of
Champaran Satyagraha and Elimination of Dowry and Child Marriage”. ‘Ek Tha Mohan’, ‘Bapu Ki
Chiththi’, ‘Champaran Ki Kahani’ and ‘Neel Ke Dhabbe’ books were released
• The Punjab Government observed 23 March, the martyrdom day of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh,
Shaheed Sukhdev and Shaheed Rajguru as 'Youth Empowerment Day'.A state level programme to
administer oath to Drug Abuse Prevention Officers (DAPOs) has been launched to involve
government employees and people of Punjab in the battle against drugs.
• On 24th March 2018, the World TB Day was observed all over the world.Theme: The theme for
World TB Day 2018 is: "Wanted: Leaders for a TB-free world".
• On 23rd March 2018, World Meteorological Day was celebrated all over the world.This day is
celebrated to commemorate the formation of World Meteorological Organisation, which was
founded on 23 March 1950.The theme is: "Weather-Ready, Climate-Smart."
• On 25th March 2018, International Day of Solidarity with detained and missing staff members is an
annual observance to mark the anniversary of the abduction of Alec Collett, a former journalist who
worked for the UNRWA
• On 25th March 2018, International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the
Transatlantic Slave Trade was observed all over the world.Theme: “Remember Slavery: Triumphs
and Struggles for Freedom and Equality”.
• On 27th March 2018, World Theater Day was celebrated all over the world.On the 27th March 1962
"Theatre of Nations" season was opened in Paris.India’s Ram Gopal Bajaj has been selected as one
of the five authors for writing the World Theater Day message.

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