Current Affairs Update 09 March 2017 to 20 March 2017
1. Scientists using Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN (European Organisation for Nuclear Research) have discovered a new system of five particles (unique as observing five new states all at once is very rare also named Oc(3000)0, Oc(3050)0, Oc(3066)0, Oc(3090)0 b Oc(3119)0 ) all in a single analysis.The numbers indicate their masses in megaelectronvolts (MeV).
2.Scientists from Eindhoven University of Technology in Netherlands have developed a new wireless Internet network based on infrared rays that is reportedly 100 times faster than existing Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) networks (capacity, more than 40 GBPS)
3.According to recent report tabled in the Lok Sabha, West Bengal has the highest number of arsenic-affected people in the country.
4.India’s longest surface tunnel (on Cheneni-Nashiri Road) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district is complete.The 9-km-long tunnel at Chenani passes through the lower Himalayan mountain range on Jammu- Srinagar National Highway.
5.Five-time Parliamentarian and BJP’s firebrand leader Yogi Adityanath sworn in as 21st CM of UP.
6.Trivendra Singh Rawat (Former RSS pracharak and Uttarakhand BJP chief) sworn in as CM of Uttarakhand.
7.First fully India-made train (rake (group of coaches)) Medha was flagged off at Dadar station in Mumbai, manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Its rake has 12 coaches.
8.Renowned Meteorologist and former director of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (Pune) Dev Raj Sikka (known as Monsoon Man and the Father of Indian Meteorology) passed away.
9.The Union Finance Ministry has given permission to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to conduct field trials of plastic (polymer-based) currency notes of Rs 10 denominations.These notes will be first introduced in five cities (not yet declared).Plastic currency notes were first adopted by Australia in 1988
10.The World Bank has approved $175 million for India’s ambitious National Hydrology Project to improve its ability to forecast floods and reduce vulnerability to recurring floods and droughts.
11.India and Russia have signed two long-term support agreements for the Sukhoi Su-30MKI combat aircraft fleet.The agreements were signed by India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) with Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation and United Engine Corporation at the first India-Russia Military Industrial Conference held in New Delhi.
12.International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics ICRISAT and Indian Council of Agricultural Research ICAR join hands for crop improvement.
13.The Union Government has announced that total of 29 lakh debit cards were subjected to malware attack in through ATMs that were connected with the switch of Hitachi.
14.India and Brazil have finalised text of the Social Security Agreement (SSA). It will come in force by early 2018 after it is ratified. It will be the first such agreement between the BRICS countries.
15.India’s contribution to the United Nations has rose by 55% to Rs 244 crore (announced by Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj) in 2015-16 compared with the previous fiscal. In 2014-15, India had contributed Rs 157 crore.
16.Former BJP legislator from Gujarat Manhar Valjibhai Zala has assumed charge as Chairperson of the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK).
17.In recently released 2017 Women in Politics Map report, India was ranked low at 148th position in representation of women in executive government. It was released by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UN Women.
Top 10 countries with highest women in parliament: Rwanda, Bolivia, Cuba, Iceland, Nicaragua, Sweden, Senegal, Mexico, Finland and South Africa.
18.India along with other countries in the South East Asian Region have signed World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Call To end Tuberculosis (TB) by 2030 in the region.
19.Indian Scientists have uncovered a pair of 1.6 billion-year-old fossils (found in Chitrakoot region in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh) that appear to contain red algae. It may be the oldest plant-like life discovered on Earth.The discovery was published in the journal PLOS Biology.
20.Indian-American teenager Indrani Das (17) has won the top prize of $2,50,000 (for her research on treating brain injury and disease) in the Regeneron Science Talent Search competition in the United States (US).
21.Scientists from US for first time have developed a blood test to accurately predict whether a child has autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (disability caused by differences in the brain).
22.March 15: World Consumer Rights Day
2017 Theme: ‘Building a Digital World Consumers can Trust’.
23.The Union Cabinet has approved Indian Institutes of Information Technology (Public- Private Partnership) Bill, 2017.The Bill will declare the existing IIITs in PPPS as ‘Institutions of National Importance with powers to award degrees.
24.The Madhukar Gupta Committee on border protection has submitted its report to the Union Government to strengthen border protection and address vulnerabilities in fencing along the Indo-Pakistan border.
25.According to Mercer’s (head-quartered in New York) Quality of Living index rankings 2017, for the third consecutive time, Hyderabad (Telangana) has emerged as the best Indian city in terms of quality of living.Globally, Vienna (Austria) for the fourth time in a row has emerged as world’s best city for overall quality of living for the eighth year running
26.Scientists have discovered polka dot tree frog (Hypsiboas punctatus), the world’s first fluorescent (ability to absorb light at short wavelengths and re-emit it at longer wavelengths) frog in Argentina.
27.The Union Ministry of Agriculture has launched Mission Fingerling, aims to achieve the target to enhance fisheries production from 10.79 mmt (2014-15) to 15 mmt by 2020-21 under the Blue Revolution in India with a total expenditure of about Rs. 52000 lakh.
28.The land-attack version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile with an extended range increased from 290 km to 450 km was successfully test fired from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, Odisha.
29.State-run NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation Limited) has installed India’s largest floating solar photovoltaic (PV) plant at Rajiv Gandhi Combined Cycle Power Plant (RGCCPP) at Kayamkulam in Kerala.
30.Union Government has appointed Narendra Kumar as the new chairman of the Central Water Commission (CWC).
31.Punjab wins 2017 Santosh Trophy of Football by defeating Railways.
32.For the first time in India, four states Odisha, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand have decided to conduct a synchronised elephant census in May 2017.
33.Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Madras has won the 2017 IEEE Spectrum Technology in the Service of Society Award for its solar-direct current (DC) inverter system.
34.Scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have found India’s first lunar probe, Chandrayaan-1 which was considered lost, is still orbiting the moon. They also have found NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO).The ISRO lost communication with Chandrayaan-1 on August 29, 2009, almost a year after it was launched on October 22, 2008.
35.Parliament has passed the Maternity Benefits (Amendment) Bill, 2016 to raise maternity leave for working women from 12 weeks to 26 weeks for two surviving children.
36.Scientists for the first time have discovered three new canyons close to Kovvada in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh.This discovery was made by team of scientists from CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO).
37.Eminent Konkani writer Mahabaleshwar Sail (74) was selected for the prestigious Saraswati Samman 2016 for his novel Hawthan.
38.Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) in Ludhiana has claimed developing country’s first genetically-modified (GM) varieties of cotton – PAU Bt 1 and F1861. Cotton is the only GM crop allowed to be cultivated in India.
39.India Navy has commissioned INS Tillanchang (first two ships INS Tarmugli and INS Tihayu ) at Karwar, Karnataka. It is the third Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC).
40.The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Leaders’ Summit was recently held in Jakarta, capital of Indonesia from March 5 to 7, 2017.
41.Chuck Berry (90), the rock and roll legend, has recently passed away in Missouri, United States.
42.The 5th International Convention on “Changing Dynamics of Commodities Market” has started in New Delhi to help the farmers’ participation in the trading of food grains.
43.Amitabh Bachchan has recently launched the world’s first mobile app on ‘ABC of Breast Health’ at an event organized by the Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
44.The International Diamond Conference has started at Hotel Grand Hyatt, Mumbai from Match 19, 2017.
45.Shahid Afridi, the former Pakistan captain, has become the new brand ambassador for the 5th edition of the ODI Blind Cricket World Cup,(hosted by Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Pakistan.) which is scheduled to be held in January 2018.
46.The 2-day meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) has started in Islamabad, Pakistan on March 20, 2017.
47.The 15th edition of “All India Meet of State Legal Services Authorities” has started at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra (PBK) in New Delhi from March 18, 2017.
48.The National University of Singapore (NUS) has topped the full list of the top 300 institutions in the Times Higher Education (THE)’s Asia University ranking 2017. From India, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore ranked at 27th while IIT Bombay secured 42nd rank.
49.The first-ever Haryana Sahitya Sangam has started at Indradhanush Auditorium in Panchkula.
50.The World Bank (WB) has recently sanctioned a $210 million loan for the West Bengal to strengthen the state’s Gram Panchayats (GPs).
51.The book “Indica: A Deep Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent” has been authored by Pranay Lal
52.The Krishi Unnati Mela (or Agriculture Science Fair) 2017 was held at the campus of IARI in New Delhi from March 15-17
53.The HDFC bank has launched an instant digital Loan Against Securities (LAS) facility in collaboration with the National Securities Depository (NSDL), which allows customers to avail loans in less than 3 minutes.
54.The State Bank of India has recently signed MoU with Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India CREDAI to work towards providing housing for all.
55.The book “The Sleepwalker’s Dream: A Novel” has been authored by Dr. Dhrubajyoti Borah, the President of Assam Sahitya Sabha.
56.Babul Supriyo, the singer-turned BJP MP, has become the Vice-President (VP) of the Local Organising Committee (LoC) of the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017, which is to be hosted by India.
57.The G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ Meeting has started in Baden-Baden, Germany from March 17, 2017.
58.The 3-day International Buddhist conference on “Buddhism in 2lst Century: Perspectives and Responses to Global Issues” has started at Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Rajgir in Nalanda district, Bihar on March 17, 2017.
59.The Committee of Petitions headed by BJP MP Bhagat Singh Koshyari has tabled a report in Lok Sabha which suggests the merger state-run telecom firms Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) for their long-term survival.
60.India’s most successful Badminton Doubles specialist Jwala Gutta has been appointed a new member of the governing body of Sports Authority of India (SAI).
61.Diphan Sivakumar (47), the noted Malayalam film director, has recently passed away in Kochi, Kerala.
62.Karnataka government has allocated Rs.100 crore for setting up of government subsidized chain of food centres “Namma Canteens” across the state to provide breakfast for Rs. 5 and lunch, dinner for Rs. 10 each to the common man.
63.In Himachal Pradesh, Sanjauli Police Station in Shimla town has become the first police post of India to be linked with Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS), a nationwide online tracking system.
64.The 2017 National Theatre Festival (NTF) has started at Tagore Theatre in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala from March 16 and will continue till March 24.
65.The book “So You Want to Know About the Environment” has been authored by Bijal Vachharajani.
66.The United Kingdom (UK) will host the 25th edition of Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in April 2018 after a gap of over 20 years
67.The book “When Breath Becomes Air” has been authored by Indian-American author Dr. Paul Kalanithi.
68.The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) IT wing has launched the first-of-its-kind women safety application ‘Ammavin Aran’ in Tamil Nadu.
69.The Karnataka government has launched a Rs 10-crore Idea2POC (Idea to Proof of Concept) fund for women entrepreneurs.
70.Amy Krouse Rosenthal (51), the prolific American author of both adult and children’s books, has recently passed away in Chicago, United States
71.The Arunachal Pradesh government has launched a new scheme “Adarsh Gram Yojana” for rural poor.
72.Shiv Shankar Prasad Chawrasia from India has won the 2017 the Hero Indian Open golf tournament by seven-strokes at the redesigned DLF golf and country club in Gurugram, Haryana
73.The 22nd edition of Asian Athletics Championship will be held in India at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha from July 2017.
74.The Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu has recently inaugurated India’s largest waste-to-power plant at Narela-Bawana in New Delhi.
75.Iran has successfully test fired naval strike ballistic missile “Hormuz 2”, which is intended to hit moving targets at sea with high precision and has a range of nearly 300 kilometers .
76.The Chief minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik has recently launched a 24X7 toll free helpline number 181 for distressed women in all the 30 districts of the state on the occasion on International Women’s Day
77 B.P. Kanungo has been appointed the new Deputy Governor in the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a period of 3 years and will succeed R. Gandhi.
78.The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the 12th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on India Africa Project Partnership on March 9, 2017 in New Delhi.
79.Manjeev Singh Puri, a 1982 batch IFS officer, has been appointed as the new Ambassador of India to Nepal.
80.The book “The Travelling Belly: Eating Through India’s By-Lanes” has been authored by food blogger Kalyan Karmakar.
81.Prof. Ronald Drever (85), a pioneer in the field of gravitational waves, has recently passed away in Scotland, United Kingdom (UK). He was one of the co-founders of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors.
82.Prof. George A. Olah (89), who won Nobel Prize in chemistry, has recently passed away in California, United States.
83.The Himachal Pradesh Government has recently launched the mobile app and website ‘Mera Hunar HP’ for job aspirants.
84.The Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah has recently launched a comprehensive web-based platform “’Pratibimba” to showcase the government’s performance and achievements to the citizens.
85.Indian Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has been officially appointed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) as the UNICEF and Cricket For Good Ambassador for the Women’s World Cup 2017, which will be hosted in the United Kingdom from June.
86 The book “Age of Anger – A History of the Present” has been authored by Pankaj Mishra, the noted Indian writer.
87.Arvind Padmanabhan (49), the veteran journalist and executive editor with the news agency Indo-Asian News Service (IANS), has recently passed away in New Delhi.
88.The 11th edition of North-East Business Summit (NEBS) has started in New Delhi on March 9, 2017.
89.The mega cultural festival ‘India by the Nile’ has started at the foot of the Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt from March 8 and will continue till March 14, 2017.
90.The Union Textiles Minister, Smriti Zubin Irani has recently instituted ‘Kamaladevi Chattopadhya National Awards’, a new category of awards especially for women handloom weavers and women handicraft artisans
91.IDFC Bank has become the India’s first bank to launch the biometric-based digital payment system ‘Aadhaar Pay’ through its network that will allow even those without mobile phones to do cashless transactions.
92.The book “From Inside the Steel Frame: The Memoirs of an Administrator” has been authored by Dr. Ashok Pandey, a retired IAS officer.
93.Justice Navanithi Prasad Singh sworn in as Kerala HC Chief Justice.
94. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited expected to deliver 123 Tejas aircrafts to IAF by 2024.Tejas is the smallest and lightest multi-role supersonic fighter aircraft of its class.
95.India, Mauritius signed MoU to execute USD 20 million social housing project.
96.20 March: World Sparrow Day
97. The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on 20 March 2017 approved the following four GST related bills -
i. The Central Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017 (The CGST Bill)
ii. The Integrated Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017 (The IGST Bill)
iii. The Union Territory Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017 (The UTGST Bill)
iv. The Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to the States) Bill 2017 (The Compensation Bill)
98.Cheteshwar Pujara plays India's longest innings (202 off 525 balls).
99.Mumbai lost its permanent voting status at BCCI in accordance with the new constitution of the Indian Cricket Board.
100. Amit Agarwal was appointed as the senior vice president of Amazon.
101.Madhya Pradesh State government approved the Housing Guarantee Bill, 2017 to assure housing for each and every citizen in the State
102.UN’s meeting on Strengthening Railway Transport Connectivity in South and South-West Asia concluded in New Delhi.
103. New Delhi hosted the WHO Regional Health Ministers’ Meeting on TB recently.
104.Women and Child Development successfully celebrated Swachhta Pakhwada
105. The Union Government unveiled the revised Building Code 2017 to meet the vision of – “Housing For All” by 2022
106.The SRCC Global Millennium Summit 2017 was inaugurated in Dubai.
107. This river, which is viewed by the Maori Iwi tribe in New Zealand as their ancestor, has been legally granted the status of a person - Whanganui River
108. Incumbent Chief Minister of Manipur who resigned from the post - Okram Ibobi Singh
109.The temporary suspension of the premium processing of H-1B visas in US will end on – 3 April 2017
110.US Federal Reserve raised the benchmark interest rate by - 0.25%
111.The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its approval to permit Indian Oil to sale this much per cent of the equity in Lubrizol India to Lubrizol Corporation – 24 per cent
112.The government of this State proposed to set up a Cashew Development Board for developing 10,000 hectares of good quality of cashew orchards over the next 5 years – Karnataka
113.The Union Cabinet apprised of MoUs for cooperation in youth and sports matters with these two countries recently - Indonesia & Kyrgyzstan
114.Snapdeal partnered with Japan External Trade Organisation JETRO to - sell Japanese products
115.Person sworn in as the Chief Minister of Manipur recently - N Biren Singh
116.Double Olympic gold medallist Joanna Rowsell Shand announced her retirement from international cycling. She represented - the Great Britain Cycling Team
117. This bloc’s highest court ruled in favour of allowing employers to ban their workers from wearing visible religious symbols including the hijab – European Union
118.This former President of the BCCI resigned as the chairman of International Cricket Council - Shashank Manohar
119.This Indian city is hosting the three-day international conference on Vision Zero and its relevance to Occupational Safety and Health - Delhi
120. Volkswagen Group signed a MoU with this Indian automobile company for exploring joint development projects - Tata Motors
121. As per an announcement of the Railway Ministry, a museum will be built in this State in the honour of Swami Vivekananda – Tamil Nadu
122. This country inducted China’s Low to Medium Altitude Air Defence System (LOMADS) LY 80 in its air defence system recently – Pakistan
123. The bank that announced a one-time farm loan settlement scheme worth Rs 6000 crore primarily for tractors is - State Bank of India
124.The State Government that announced KCR Kit Scheme to distribute 16 essential things needed for a new born baby is – Telangana
125.This country is planning to send its largest warship on a 3-month tour through the South China Sea, in its biggest show of naval forces since World War II – Japan
126. This popular cab service has launched ‘realtime ID check’ in India to ensure rider safety – Uber
127. This state will be hosting the 22nd Asian Athletics Championship to be held in July 2017 - Odisha
128. George A. Olah, the Nobel laureate who passed away, won the Nobel prize in - Chemistry
129. N.K. Sinha, Secretary of Union Ministry of Culture, recently inaugurated an exhibition “Revolutionary Patriots (1905-1947)” on the occasion of - 127th Foundation Day of National Archives of India
130.Radha Mohan Singh, Union Agriculture and Farmer's Welfare Minister, recently laid the foundation stone of the Banana Research Centre at - Vaishali, Bihar
131.The Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched the Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES) on 15 March 2017.
132.UK’s Newcastle University gets 1st license to make babies using 3-parent technique.
133.Japan on 17 March 2017 launched a new satellite to track land and maritime movements in North Korea.
134.Kansas, a state of the United States, recognised 16 March as Indian-American Appreciation Day. The day was recognised to honour an Indian techie, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was killed in a racially-motivated hate crime in February 2017.
135.Theme of the 2017 Commonwealth Day (13 March)- A Young Commonwealth
136.Pakistan launches population census after 19 years.
137. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on 15 March 2017 approved the proposal for setting up around 50 new Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) under Civil or Defence Sector in the country.
138.Ramakrishna Ashram, which is located in the South 24 Parganas of West Bengal, was conferred with the national-level Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Rashtriya Krishi Vigyan Protsahan Puraskar for 2016.
139.Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar was on 14 March 2017 appointed as the Acting Chief Justice of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) High Court.
140.Kohli named captain of the year at ESPNcricinfo awards.
141. Singer Rihanna conferred with 2017 Humanitarian of the Year Award by Harvard University
142.1 March 2017 -Zero Discrimination Day 2017 observed
143. Malaysia to cancel visa-free entry for North Koreans
144.Revolutionary freedom fighter Chandrashekhar Azad’s martyrdom day observed on 27 February 2017.
145.Railways Ministry inaugurates Antyodaya Express and Humsafar Express
146.Former Union Minister P. Shiv Shankar passes away
147.Kabir Bedi appointed as Brand Ambassador of Sightsavers
148.Civil Aviation Minister inaugurated India’s first Integrated Heliport in Delhi.
149.Andaman’s Radhanagar beach featured in top 10 beaches of World
150.Sanjay Menon appointed Managing Director of Sapient India
151.National Consultation Workshop on Urban Development held in New Delhi
152.Reserve Bank constitutes Inter-disciplinary Standing Committee on Cyber Security
153.Nand Kumar Sai assumes charge as Chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Tribes
154.Assam government to appoint teacher in all high schools to monitor cleanliness
155.BBC banned for five years from filming in Tiger reserves
156.Congress Rajya Sabha MP Haji Abdul Salam dies
157.Noted Gujarati Writer Tarak Mehta died
158.India successfully test-fired Prithvi Supersonic Interceptor Missile
159.Union Government launches Swachh Shakti Saptah to highlight women’s role in Swachh Bharat Mission
160.PK Purwar appointed as Chairman and Managing Director of MTNL
161.J S Deepak named India's Ambassador to World Trade Organisation
162.Ajay Tyagi takes charge as Chairman of SEBI
163.Luis Norton de Matos appointed Head Coach of India U-17 football team
164.Jitu Rai wins gold in 50m pistol at ISSF World Cup
165.Odisha, Invest India signed agreement to promote start-ups
166.Indian Navy successfully test-fired Anti-Ship Missile from Kalvari Class Submarine
167.NMCG, Rotary India signs MoU for Namami Gange Programme
168.NGT bans camping activities within 100 m of Ganga in Uttarakhand
169.Andhra Pradesh Cabinet accepts naming of Tirupati Airport as Sri Venkateswara Airport
170. Google on 15 March 2017 dedicated a doodle to the first officially recognised Test Match in order to celebrate the 140th anniversary of official Test cricket.
171This country is planning to send its largest warship on a 3-month tour through the South China Sea, in its biggest show of naval forces since World War II – Japan
172.India has suspended cross-LoC travel between India and Pakistan on the Poonch-Rawalakote road following heavy unprovoked mortar shelling and automatic weapon firing by the Pakistani troops at various places in the Poonch district.
173The High court of Uttarakhand has directed the state government to admit children who lost their parents in the 2013 flood tragedy to Navodaya Vidyalayas and bear the expenses for it.
174.Pakistan has introduced a constitutional amendment bill in its Parliament to review the controversial special military courts for trying hardcore militants.
175.The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and the National Skill Development Fund (NSDF) signed a MoU with Sashastra Seema Bal for execution of skill development programmes.
176.World Kidney Day was observed on 9 March 2017 with the theme Kidney Disease and Obesity
177Companies that have apologised for using Prime Minister Narendra Modi's photograph in their advertisements, without permission are - Reliance Jio and Paytm
178.Sentinel-2B satellite in the series of Sentinel satellite was launched by - European Union
179. The Swachh Shakti 2017 – A Convention of Women Sarpanches was held in - Gujarat
180.The 11th edition of North-East Business Summit (NEBS) started in - New Delhi
181. The South Korean President whose impeachment was upheld by the Constitutional Court ending his/her presidency is - Park Geun-hye
182The person recently re-elected as the President of the European Council is - Donald Tusk
183.The sportsperson named as the new ambassador of the Chinese Super League is - Diego Maradona
184.The anti-missile system that is being deployed by the US in South Korea after defiant North’s latest test is - THAAD
185.The person recently named as the Regional Director of Ford Foundation for India, Nepal and Sri Lanka is - Pradeep Nair
186.Online web platform launched by Karnataka to report the performance and achievements of the government to the citizen - Pratibimba
187.The Advanced S-300 Missile Defence System of Iran which became operational was manufactured by - Russia
188.Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently released a special commemorative postage stamp on 100 years of Yogoda Satsang Math, which is located at - Dakshineswar, Kolkata, West Bengal
189.Rene Preval, who passed away recently, had served as the President of - Haiti
190.The Union Cabinet approved the signing of a MoU on renewable energy with this country - Portugal
191.The Union Cabinet approved the signing of a MoU on Energy Efficiency Services with this country – The UAE
192.The government of this State proposed a Smart Mosquito Density System to fight vector-borne diseases – Andhra Pradesh
193.Identify the country that pegged its GDP growth target for 2017 at a 25-year low - China
194The men’s singles title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 2017 was won by – Andy Murray
195.Scientists of this country developed the first all-solid-state battery cells recently – The USA
196.Country that fired several banned ballistic missiles into waters off its east coast recently - North Korea
197The two states that in March 2017 agreed to resume works on Shahpur Kandi Dam project are - Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir
198.Indian researchers have found molecular evidence that confirms the presence of ostrich in India more than 25000 years ago.
199.Five Indians, including Paytm founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Vijay Shekhar Sharma and Shruti Shibulal, promoter and director of The Tamara Hospitality, have made it to the World Economic Forum's 100 Young Global Leaders list.
200.Italy Ranked World’s Healthiest Country by Bloomberg 2017 Index.
Italy
♦ Capital: Rome
♦ Currency: Euro
♦ Prime minister: Paolo Gentiloni
201 The Union Ministry of Finance has given the green signal to the turnaroundlinked Rs.8,586crore capital infusion plan to support 10 weak and nonperforming public sector banks (PSBs)..The 10 Banks Include: Allahabad Bank (Rs.418 crore); Andhra Bank (Rs.1,100 crore); Bank of India (Rs.1,500 crore); Bank of Maharashtra (Rs.300 crore); Central Bank of India (Rs.100 crore); Dena Bank (Rs.600 crore); IDBI Bank (Rs.1,900 crore); Indian Overseas Bank (Rs.1,100 crore); UCO Bank (Rs.1,150 crore) and United Bank of India (Rs.418 crore)
202 Essar Steel’s Nand Niketan township at Hazira, Gujarat has become the first private township to go cashless with the help of Mumbaibased financial technology company, The Mobile Wallet (TMW).
203.Mumbai based ICICI Bank launched first banking mobile application ‘Mera iMobile’ to provide agricultural information in 11 Indian languages for rural people without internet connection.
204. Snapdeal names Jason Kothari as new FreeCharge CEO
205.For the first time, the central government has swapped the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of stateowned Indian Bank and IDBI Bank on March 19, 2017
Mahesh Kumar Jain, MD & CEO of Indian Bank was shifted to IDBI Bank’s MD & CEO
Kishore Piraji Kharat has been appointed as Managing Director and CEO of Indian Bank.
IDBI Bank: ♦ Headquarters: Mumbai ♦ CEO: Kishor Kharat ♦ Tagline: Aao Sochein Bada
206.Roger Federer Beats Stan Wawrinka to Win 2017 Indian Wells Tournament
207. Former Rajya Sabha MP and president of Odisha Janamorcha party Pyari Mohan Mohapatra
( known as ‘Chankya of Odisha politics’)passed away in Mumbai on March 19,
208. Gujarati poet Chinu Modi passes away
209. International Day of Happiness 2017 Observed on March 20, 2017. According to the 2017 World Happiness Report, released on March 20, 2017 by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Norway has been ranked as the most happiest country of the world among 155 nations. India was placed at 122nd position in the World Happiness Report
210.State-run power producer NTPC today said it has commissioned the second unit of 660 MW of Mouda Super Thermal Power Station Stage-II.
211An Indian-American computer scientist, Anshumali Shrivastava has won National Science Foundation (NSF)'s prestigious CAREER award for his research on redesigning current machine-learning processes.
212.Sun Pharmaceuticals managing director Dilip Shanghvi has been appointed by the central government as a member on the western area local board of Reserve Bank of India.
213.ONGC signs pact to buy out GSPC's (Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation)
KG block stake for $1.2 billion.
214.State-run United Bank of India on Friday said the central government will infuse Rs 418 crore capital in the bank as a part of turnaround-linked capital infusion plan.
215.CASHe, a fin-tech tech product promoted by Aeries Financial Technologies, has entered into a strategic partnership with online marketplace for financial products Rubique.
216. A high school student in Arunachal Pradesh has invented a unique pair of goggles (called Goggle for Blind (G4B).) that uses ultrasound and infrared sensors to help the visually impaired detect obstacles on their path
217.Nobel laureate poet, Derek Walcott, passes away at 87.
218.Private insurer Future Generali India Insurance Company (FGII) has entered into a corporate agency tie-up for its products with public lender UCO Bank. The PSU lender will provide a window at its bank branches for marketing FGII’s offerings.
219.State-owned ONGCBSE 0.79 % will invest over Rs 21,500 crore to develop India's deepest gas discovery by 2022-23, helping it more than double output from its prime KG basin block.
220.Singapore's Changi Airport named world's best for fifth year running.
221. Central Bank of India has been awarded first prize in the implementation of Official Language Policy in the western region for the year 2015-16
222 Saudi Arabia just launched its very first girls' council — without any girls.
223.BHEL's first 800-MW super critical plant becomes operational. Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd (KPCL) and BHEL are the main equity partners of RPCL, the owner and operator of this power plant.
224 Two Indian companies, Tata Steel and Wipro, have been named in the list of world's most ethical companies by American think tank Ethisphere Institute.
225. ndusInd Bank has entered into an agreement with Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS) to acquire 100 per cent stake in IL&FS Securities Services Ltd (ISSL).
226.The World Bank has agreed to provide loan to develop internal transmission arrangements for the upcoming Rewa Ultra Mega Solar plant.
227. Bangladesh will observe March 25 as ‘Genocide Day’ from this year, recognising the “atrocities” committed by the Pakistan army on civilians 46 years ago.
228.Hyundai signs 3 bn euro deal for Iran oil project.
229. SBC appoints Mark Tucker as new chairman.Intel to buy driverless technology firm Mobileye for $15.3 billion.231 Central Railway (CR) unveiled India's first airconditioned rail ambulance that will rush to the aid of injured passengers during the vital 'golden hour'. 232. The country's largest lender State Bank of India has incorporated a specialised firm -- SBI Infra Management Solutions Pvt Ltd (SBIIMS) -- that will manage its premises and real estate property across the country. 233.Thailand’s Model, Jiratchaya Sirimongkolna win was crowned Miss International Queen 2016 on March 10, 2017 in the 12th edition of the beauty pageant event in Pattaya City, Thailand. 234.In the latest FIFA ranking for the month of March Indian Football team dropped two places and is now ranked at 132 spot as compared to 130 in February FIFA ranking. 235.John Surtees, the only racer to win both Formula One and Motorbike’s 500cc category World Championship died on March 10, 2017 in London. He was 83. 236.The German Development Bank (KfW) and Uttar Pradesh based Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) has signed a loan agreement for €200 million with a four year moratorium and a 12year repayment period 237.Mangalore based Karnataka Bank has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Pune based Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company for General Insurance business on March 10, 2017 238. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and Executive Director of the UNEP, Erik Solheim have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Nairobi based United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to formalise joint cooperation in the area of environmental conservation in Indian Railways. 239. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on March 9, 2017 officially announced the name of its upcoming mission to explore the Jupiter mysterious moon. 240 Indian payment and commerce company Paytm has withdrawn the 2 percent fee on adding money to mobile wallets using credit cards on March 10, 2017, just two days after imposing the fees 241Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (Ujjivan SFB) has opened its six new branches at the Silicon Valley of India, Bengaluru on March 9, 2017 said by Samit Ghosh, MD & CEO, Ujjivan Small Finance Bank 242.RBI Restricts Cash Loan Against Gold by NBFC to Rs 25,000 243.Indian Public Sector Undertaking company National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) has commissioned of 45 MW solar capacity at Bhadla in Rajasthan 244.. Technology giant Google has announced to acquire a startup Kaggle which hosts a number of data scientists for an undisclosed amount at the Cloud Next 2017 conference on March 9, 2017 245.IBM Researchers Creates World’s Smallest Magnet to Store Single Bit Data 246.Cyclone Enawo kills at least 3 in Madagascar and 500 homeless 247.Airtel Payments Bank, offered by telecom major Bharti Airtel, announced that over one lakh savings accounts were opened in 100 villages across Tamil Nadu. 248. As per RBI data, ICICI Bank topped the list of banks that witnessed most number of frauds during April to December period of 2016 with state-owned SBI taking the second spot. 249.Full-service airline Jet Airways has announced a partnership with ride-hailing app Uber to book airport cabs through the Jet Airways app itself. 250.McNally Bharat Engineering Company Ltd has bagged a Rs. 415.29-crore order from Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation Ltd. 251 The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has tied up with Sentifi, a Swiss company and leader in algorithmic-based analysis, for social media updates of 40,000 globally listed stocks. 252.Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) allowed celebrities to endorse Mutual Fund products at the industry level and issued new advertising code that will require fund houses to communicate in a simple manner with the public. 253.Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has launched his autobiography named ‘My Story’ in Kolkata. 254. E-commerce major Amazon India has come out with a new program for sellers to get insights and help related to the goods and services tax (GST), called the ‘A-Z GST Guide’. 255 Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ashok Gajapathi Raju performed the ground-breaking ceremony for the first ever Airbus India Training Centre in Asia.Airbus will be setting up a greenfield training facility in Aerocity, close to Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport. |
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