Exclusive FEBRUARY 2018 GA Refresher for syndicate ... 4465 Ganga Grams – villages on the bank of river - declared open defecation free. ... 5,35,000 crore approved for the construction

www.bsc4success.com www.bscacademy.com mailto:[email protected]

Exclusive FEBRUARY 2018 GA Refresher for syndicate/canara bank pgdbf

Banking & Economy

NPCI allows Whatsapp to beta test its payments service

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has allowed Facebook-owned WhatsApp to beta test its

BHIM UPI beta payments service with limited user base of 1 million and low transaction limit.

Four banks will join social messaging app’s BHIM UPI model in phases and full feature product will be released

after beta test is successful.

IOB receives Rs 173 cr capital infusion from govt

Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) has received Rs 173.06 crore capital infusion from the govt in the current fiscal.

The capital infusion is the contribution of the central govt in the preferential allotment of equity shares of

the bank as govt's investment during the 2017-18 fiscal.

Yes Bank lists $600 mn MTN bond

India’s fifth largest private sector lender, Yes Bank listed $600 million bond issued under its maiden $1 billion

MTN programme on Global Securities Market (GSM) of India INX.

The bank will use proceeds from this bond to fund the bank’s IFSC Banking Unit (IBU) in Gift City and expand

IBU’s rapidly growing business opportunities.

Yes Bank’s MTN (medium term note) bonds issuance has received overwhelming response from international

investors.

It has been already listed on London Stock Exchange International Securities Market (LSE-ISM) and Singapore

Exchange Securities Trading Limited (SGX).

FY16 GDP growth revised up to 8.2%, FY17 unchanged at 7.1%: CSO

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) revised the gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate for 2015-16 to 8.2%

from the earlier estimates of 8% and kept the 2016-17 growth unchanged at 7.1%.

The real GDP or GDP at constant (2011-12) prices for the years 2016-17 and 2015-16 stands at Rs 121.96 trillion

and Rs 113.86 trillion respectively, showing growth of 7.1% during 2016-17 and 8.2% during 2015-16.

Investment increased by only 2.4% in 2016-17.

According to the provisional estimates, Gross Value Added (GVA) grew 7.1% in 2016-17, which was 6.6%

earlier.

The Economic Survey 2017-18 has forecast growth at 7-7.5% in 2018-19. The CSO estimates the economy will

expand 6.5% in FY18.

According to the new estimates, India's real GDP grew 6.1%, 7.2% and 8.2% in 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16,

respectively, compared with preliminary rates of 6.4%, 7.5% and 8%.

Govt to ban cryptocurrencies from its payments system

The Union Finance Ministry has appointed regulator to oversee unregulated exchanges that trade in crypto assets

and thus is planning to ban cryptocurrencies from payments system.

The Govt has constituted Dinesh Sharma committee to look into issues relating to cryptocurrencies which will

finalise its recommendations by submiting its report in current fiscal year, ending on Mar 2018.

India contributes $1 mn to UN Development Partnership Fund

India has contributed an additional $1 million to India-UN Development Partnership Fund, earmarked for South-

South cooperation.

India has pledged multi-year contribution of $100 million to the fund established in June 2017.

Since the launch of the fund, India has already provided $6 million.

http://www.bsc4success.com/

http://www.bscacademy.com/

mailto:[email protected]


CRISIL, SIDBI launches India’s first MSE Sentiment Index, CriSidEx

The SIDBI (Small Industries Development Bank of India) and India's ratings agency, Crisil have launched India’s

first MSE Sentiment Index, CriSidEx (CRISIL-SIDBI MSE Sentiment Index) for micro, small and medium

enterprises (MSMEs).

CriSidEx, developed jointly by CRISIL and SIDBI, will help to indicate the current state and expected outlook on

the MSME sector every quarter. It is a composite index based on diffusion index of 8 parameters.

It measures MSE business sentiment on a scale of 0 (extremely negative) to 200 (extremely positive).

Union budget 2018-19

Agriculture

Doubling the farmer’s income by 2022 with special emphasis on generating higher income for farmers.

Minimum Selling Price (MSP) for the Kharif Crops has been set at 1.5 times of the input cost.

Development & upgradation of existing 22,000 rural haats into Gramin Agricultural Markets (GrAMs) to

strengthen the physical infrastructure using MGNREGA and other govt schemes.

Agri-Market Infrastructure Fund with a corpus of `2000 crore for developing and upgrading agricultural

marketing infrastructure in the 22000 Grameen Agricultural Markets (GrAMs).

Allocation of ₹ 1400 crore for food processing

‘Operation Green’ with a corpus of ₹ 500 crore to promote Farmer Producers Organizations (FPOs), agri-

logistics, processing facilities and professional management.

Announcement of 42 mega food parks.

Kisan credits cards to fisheries and animal husbandry farmers to help them meet their working capital needs.

₹ 10,000 crore for Fisheries and Aquaculture and Animal Husbandry Development Fund.

A restructured bamboo mission with a fund of ₹ 1290 crore to promote bamboo sector in a holistic manner.

Agricultural credit target increased from ₹ 8.5 lakh crore to ₹ 11 lakh crore.

A special scheme to support the state govts of Haryana, Punjab and Delhi to manage the burning of crop

residue and reduce pollution.

Education, Health and Social Protection Estimated budgetary expenditure on health, education & social protection for 2018-19 is ₹1.38 lakh crore

against estimated expenditure of ₹1.22 lakh crore in 2017-18.

₹ 9975 crore for National Social Assistance Programme this year.

Amendment in the Right to Education Act to enable more than 13 lakh untrained teachers to get trained.

Proposed to increase the digital intensity in education and move gradually from ‘'black board’’ to ‘‘digital

board’’.

Upgradation of the skills of teachers through the recently launched digital portal ‘‘DIKSHA’’.

Ekalavya Model Residential School to provide the best quality education to the tribal children in every block

with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons by 2022.

‘‘Revitalising Infrastructure and Systems in Education (RISE) by 2022’’ with a total investment of ₹ 1, 00,000

crore in next four years.

Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) for funding RISE.

Railways University at Vadodara.

18 new schools of Planning and Architecture in the IITs and NITs as autonomous Schools.

‘Prime Minister’s Research Fellows (PMRF)’ Scheme to identify 1,000 best B.Tech students each year from

premier institutions and provide them facilities to do Ph.D in IITs and IISc, with a handsome fellowship.





The World’s largest govt funded health care programme, titled National Health Protection Scheme to cover

over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families (approximately 50 crore beneficiaries) providing coverage upto

5 lakh rupees per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.

₹ 1200 crore for the National Health Policy, 2017

1.5 lakh Health and Wellness Centres to bring health care system closer to the homes of people.

₹600 crore to provide nutritional support to all TB patients at the rate of ₹500 per month for the duration of

their treatment.

Setting up of 24 new Govt Medical Colleges and Hospitals.

187 projects sanctioned under the Namami Gange programme for infrastructure development, river surface

cleaning, rural sanitation and other interventions at a cost of ₹16,713 crore.

All 4465 Ganga Grams – villages on the bank of river - declared open defecation free.

115 aspirational districts taking various indices of development in consideration for making them model

districts of development.

Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises (MSMEs) and Employment

₹ 3794 crore for giving credit support, capital and interest subsidy and for innovations.

MUDRA Yojana launched in April, 2015 has led to sanction of ₹4.6 lakh crore in credit from 10.38 crore

MUDRA loans.

76% of loan accounts are of women and more than 50% belong to SCs, STs and OBCs.

₹3 lakh crore for lending under MUDRA for 2018-19.

12% of the wages of the new employees in the EPF for all the sectors for next three years.

Amendments in the Employees Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 to reduce women

employees' contribution to 8% for first three years of their employment against existing rate of 12% or 10%

with no change in employers' contribution.

₹7148 crore for the textile sector in 2018-19.

Fiscal Expenditure

The total expenditure of the Union govt is ₹ 21.57 lakh crore.

The projected fiscal deficit of the FY 2018-19 is 3.3 per cent of the GDP.

Taxation Reforms

In previous years, the growth rate of direct taxes of 18.7 per cent till Jan 2018

Over 85 lakh new taxpayers filed their returns.

The number of effective taxpayers increased from 6.47 lakh crore to 8.27 lakh crore in the previous financial year.

The excess revenue from personal income tax is ₹ 90000 crore.

No changes in personal income tax slabs.





Around 1.89 crore returns were filed in 2017 and ₹ 1.44 lakh crore was paid as taxes.

100 per cent tax deduction to farmer-producer companies having ₹ 100 crore turnovers.

Corporate tax reduced to 25 per cent for companies having turnover of up to ₹ 250 crore.

Long term capital gains tax of 10 per cent will be levied for amount exceeding ₹ 1 lakh.

A Standard deduction of ₹ 40000 for transport and medical reimbursements. The revenue cost of this

reimbursements will be ₹ 8000 crore.

Exemption of interest income for deposits in banks and post offices will be increased from ₹ 10000 to ₹ 50000

for senior citizens. It applies to all fixed deposit schemes.

All senior citizens will now be able to claim benefit of a deduction of ₹ 50000 for any medical expenditure and

can claim deduction of ₹ 100000 for critical illnesses.

Duties

Customs duty on mobile phones and parts of televisions increased to 20 per cent from 15 per cent.

Customs duty on raw cashew reduced from 5 per cent to 2.5 per cent.

The name of the Central Board of Excise and Customs changed to the Central Board of Direct Taxes and

Customs.

Electronic IT assessment rolled out across the country for greater efficiency and transparency.

No more education cess on imported goods.

Education cess replaced by social welfare surcharge of 10 per cent.

Infrastructure and Financial Sector Development

₹50 lakh crore needed to increase growth of GDP.

Increase of budgetary allocation on infrastructure for 2018-19 to ₹5.97 lakh crore against estimated

expenditure of ₹4.94 lakh crore in 2017-18.

Using online monitoring system of PRAGATI alone, projects worth 9.46 lakh crore facilitated and fast tracked.

Ten prominent tourist sites into Iconic Tourism destinations.

₹5,35,000 crore approved for the construction of 35000 kms Phase-I of Bharatmala Pariyojana.

99 cities selected with outlay of ₹2.09 lakh crore under Smart City programme.

National Heritage Augmentation Yojana to preserve heritage cities.

India Infrastructure Finance Corporation Limited (IIFCL) to help finance infrastructure projects including

investment in education and health infrastructure.

Creation of livelihood and infrastructure in rural areas, total amount to be spent by various Ministries will be

₹14.34 lakh crore, including extra budgetary and non-budgetary resources of ₹11.98 lakh crore.

₹ 2600 crore allocated for Prime Minister Krishi Sinchai Yojna - Har Khet ko Pani to strengthen the Ground

water irrigation scheme.

Railways

Railways Capital Expenditure for the year 2018-19 pegged at ₹1,48,528 crore.

18000 km of railway line to be doubled to eliminate capacity constraints.

Re-development of 600 major railway stations.

All stations with more than 25000 footfalls will have escalators.

All stations will also be equipped with high-speed wifi.

90 kilometers of double line tracks in Mumbai’s local train network at a cost of over ₹11,000 crore.

150 kilometers of additional suburban network at a cost of over ₹40,000 crore, including elevated corridors on

some sections.

A suburban network of approximately 160 kilometers at an estimated cost of ₹17,000 crore to cater to the

growth of the Bengaluru metropolis.





Air Transport

NABH Nirman to expand the airport capacity more than five times to handle a billion trips a year.

56 unserved airports and 31 unserved helipads to be connected under UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik).

₹ 60 crores for setting up a coalition for disaster resilient infrastructure.

Digital Economy

A Mission on Cyber Physical Systems to be launched by Department of Science & Technology to support

establishment of centres of excellence for research, training and skilling in robotics, artificial intelligence, digital

manufacturing, big data analysis, quantum communication and internet of things.

Allocation on Digital India programme doubled to ₹ 3073 crore in 2018-19.

Five lakh wifi hotspots to provide net connectivity to five crore rural citizens.

₹ 10000 crore in 2018-19 for creation and augmentation of Telecom infrastructure.

The govt will not consider cryptocurrency as legal tender.

Individual Enterprises will now have their own unique IDs.

Defence

India's defence budget for FY 2018-19 increased by 7.81 per cent to ₹2,95,511.41 lakh crore.

Out of ₹ 2.95 lakh crore, ₹ 1,95,947.55 crore has been allocated for revenue expenditure and ₹ 99,563.86 crore

for capital expenditure for the defence services and departments under the ministry.

First defence corridor to be established in Tamil Nadu, linking Chennai and Bangalore.

Construction on the Rohtang tunnel completed and the construction of Zojila pass tunnel is progressing well.

Construction of a tunnel under the Sela pass.

Disinvestment

2017-18 disinvestment target of ₹72,500 crore exceeded and expected receipts of ₹1,00,000 crore.

Disinvestment target of ₹80,000 crore for 2018-19.

Three Public Sector Insurance companies- National Insurance Co. Ltd., United India Assurance Co. Ltd.,

and Oriental India insurance Co. Ltd., to be merged into a single insurance entity.

A comprehensive Gold Policy will be formulated to develop gold as an asset class.

Establishment of a system of consumer friendly and trade efficient system of regulated gold exchanges in

the country.

Gold Monetization Scheme to be revamped to enable people to open a hassle-free Gold Deposit Account.

The Budget proposes to revise emoluments to ₹5 lakh for the President, ₹ 4 lakhs for the Vice President and

₹3.5 lakh per month to Governor.

Underprivileged

Free LPG connections to be provided to poor women under Ujjwala Yojana increased to 8 crore from 5 crore

earlier.

Under Saubhagya Yojna, around 4 crore poor households to be provided with free electricity connections at a

cost of ₹ 16000 crore

Constructed more than 6 crore toilets under Swachh Bharat Mission to enable proper hygiene and sanitation

especially among women.

Construction of 2 crore more toilets targeted under Swachh Bharat Mission.

Planning to build houses for all the poor in the country under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana by 2022.

51 lakhs houses in year 2017-18 and 51 lakh houses during 2018-19 to be constructed.

37 lakh houses sanctioned to be constructed in urban areas.

Establishment of a dedicated Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) in National Housing Bank, funded from priority

sector lending shortfall and fully serviced bonds authorised by the Govt of India.

Increment of the loans to Self Help Groups of women to ₹ 75000 crore by March 2019.





Increment in the allocation of National Rural Livelihood Mission to ₹ 5750 crore in 2018-19.

Ground water irrigation scheme under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojna- Har Khet ko Pani will be

taken up in 96 deprived irrigation districts where less than 30 per cent of the land holdings gets assured

irrigation presently.

₹ 2600 crore for Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojna- Har Khet ko Pani.

₹ 14.34 lakh crore for creation of livelihood and infrastructure in rural areas, including extra-budgetary and

non-budgetary resources of ₹11.98 lakh crore.

Schemes Launched in Budget 2018-19 1. Kifayati Aawas Yojna: The Central Govt will create a dedicated affordable housing fund in National Housing

Bank. The govt has planned that by the end of 2022, everyone will have their own house. For this, more than one

crore households are being constructed in the rural areas in the current and next financial year under the

Pradhanmantri Awas Yojana.

2. Ayushman Bharat Scheme (National Health Protection Scheme): National Health Protection Scheme will be

launched to cover 10 crore poor and vulnerable families. Under this, up to Rs 5 lakh will be provided to each

family per year in secondary and tertiary care institutions. This scheme will have 50 crore beneficiaries. So far

under the National Health Insurance Scheme, insurance cover of Rs 30,000 was available only.

3. Kisan Credit Card to Fishermen: On the lines of the Kisan Credit Card, the Finance Minister has announced a

credit card to fishermen and cattle owners to enable them to avail the easier loans. It will help the people

associated with the milk production business in rural areas.

4. Gobar-Dhan Yojna (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resource Fund Scheme): The govt announced a new

scheme Gobar-Dhan (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resource Fund) scheme under its efforts to improve the

lives of the villagers. Under this scheme, solid waste of dung and fields will be changed into compost, biogas and

bio-CNG. The govt has identified 115 districts for development.

5. National Bamboo Mission: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has also proposed the National Bamboo Mission with

the total corpus of Rs. 1,290 crore. It will help in the development of bamboo production as an industry of the

people of rural and tribal areas.

6. Eklavya School: Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley said that along the lines of Navodaya schools, Eklavya schools

will be established for scheduled caste students by 2022. Eklavya model residential schools will be set up in each

Block having more than 50 percent tribal areas and 20,000 tribal people.

7. Revitalising Infrastructure and Systems in Education (RISE): Jaitley unveiled a new scheme called

Revitalising Infrastructure and Systems in Education or RISE which will be financed via a restructured higher

education financing agency (HEFA) that is functioning for the last two months as a non-banking financial

company. It aims to lend low-cost funds to govt higher educational institutions. Presently, HEFA is looking to

raise Rs 20,000 crore and Budget announcement hiked this number to Rs1 trillion. While HEFA was granted a

budgetary allocation of Rs250 crore in the fiscal year 2018, in FY19, the lending body will be provided a budget

of Rs 2,750 crore.

8. Operation Green: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has announced the ‘Operation Green’ scheme to double the

farmers’ income by end of the year 2022 with the budget allocation of Rs. 500 Cr. This scheme will facilitate the

farmers of the nation. This will be in line with the operation flood. To reduce the fluctuation in the pricing of

Onion, Tomatoes and Potatoes the scheme has been launched.





9. Prime Minister Fellowship Scheme: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also announced the PM Fellowship Scheme

during the budget. Under this, one thousand B.Tech students will be given the opportunity to do Ph.D. in IIT and

IISc.

10. Expansion of Ujjwala Scheme: The Govt has set a target to provide the number of free LPG connections to the

poor families under the Ujjwala scheme to reach 8 crores.

11. Saubhagya Yojna: The govt has targeted to increase the number of power connections in rural areas to 40 million

households. This scheme is one of PM Modi's ambitious plans.

12. Expansion of UDAN Yojna: 56 airports and 31 helipads being used less than the capacity will be added in the

initiative to connect common man with the ‘UDAN Yojna. Along with this, the announcement of the construction

of 10 major prestigious destinations for the promotion of tourism was announced.

National News

8th edition of Theatre Olympics inaugurated

The 8th edition of Theatre Olympics has been inaugurated by Vice president Venkaih Naidu in New Delhi.

The Theatre Olympics organised by National School of Drama (NSD) under Ministry of Culture with the theme

“Flag of Friendship“.

India is hosting Theatre Olympics for the first time ever from Feb 17 –Apr 08, 2018 in New Delhi.

Last year the edition of mega carnival of theatre was held in Poland in 2016.

Watan Ko Jano programme organised

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) organized Youth Exchange Programme- Watan Ko Jano programme.

The programme is sponsored jointly by Ministry of Home Affairs, Central Govt (Kashmir Cell) and J&K State

Rehabilitation Council Social Welfare Department.

As part of the programme, around 200 youth from J&K visited different places of country.

World Sustainable Development Summit 2018 held in New Delhi

The 2018 edition of World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS 2018) inaugurated by Prime Minister

Narendra Modi at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi with the theme ‘Partnerships for a Resilient Planet’.

The flagship forum of the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) seeks to bring together global leaders and

thinkers in the fields of sustainable development, energy and environment sectors on common platform.

PM Modi launches three key projects in Arunachal Pradesh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched three key projects in Arunachal Pradesh.

The Dorjee Khandu state convention centre has been inaugurated in Itanagar having an auditorium, conference

halls and an exhibition hall.

The newly erected Secretariat building in the state capital has been set up and is a big step in bringing information

revolution.

The new auditorium, which can seat over a thousand people, built at a cost of Rs. 70 crore.

The state civil secretariat building has been inaugurated and the foundation stone of the academic block of the

Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Science has been laid.

Govt extends anti-narcotics scheme for 3 more years

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) extended the Anti-Narcotics Scheme for 3 more years to combat

illicit trafficking in drugs and psychotropic substances.

The scheme was first launched in October 2004 for period of five years, which was later extended twice in

subsequent years.

The financial assistance for narcotics control has been extended, with an estimated budget of Rs. 21 crore.





42 Indian languages heading towards extinction

According to report of Census Directorate, 42 languages or dialects in India are considered to be endangered and

are believed to be heading towards extinction as only few thousand people speak them.

There are 22 scheduled languages and 100 non-scheduled languages in country, which are spoken by large

number of people — one lakh or more.

There 42 languages are spoken by fewer than 10,000 people.

Govt extends anti-narcotics scheme for 3 more years

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) extended the Anti-Narcotics Scheme for 3 more years to combat

illicit trafficking in drugs and psychotropic substances.

The scheme was first launched in October 2004 for period of five years, which was later extended twice in

subsequent years.

The financial assistance for narcotics control has been extended, with an estimated budget of Rs. 21 crore.

President hosts LPG Panchayat

The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind hosts an 'LPG Panchayat' at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The LPG Panchayat, organised by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala

Yojana (PMUY), aims to provide a platform for LPG consumers to interact with each other, promote mutual

learning and share experiences.

India and Russia celebrated 70 years of bilateral relations

India and Russia celebrated 70 years of bilateral relations in the field of agriculture at Suratgarh in Rajasthan on

Feb 14, 2018.

The CSF was set up in Suratgarh in 1956 with the assistance from erstwhile USSR.

India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2017 released

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) released India State of Forest Report

(ISFR) 2017, which revealed that total forest and tree cover in India has increased of over 8,021 sq km (about

80.20 million hectare)

The increase in the forest and tree cover is one percent from 2015 and is 24.39% of geographical area of the

country.

The increase in the forest cover observed as 6,778 sq km and that of tree cover 1, 243 sq km.

India ranked 10th in world, with 24.4% of land area under forest and tree cover.

India placed 8th in list of Top Ten nations reporting the greatest annual net gain in forest area.

India gets access to strategic Duqm port in Oman





During the PM Modi’s visit to Oman, India has secured access to key strategic Port of Duqm in Oman in Arabian

sea for military use and logistical support.

An annexure to MoU on Military Cooperation was signed between the two countries.

Following this pact, the services of Duqm port and dry dock will be available for maintenance of Indian military

vessels.

The Port of Duqm is strategically situated on southeastern seaboard of Oman, overlooking Arabian Sea and Indian

Ocean.

CBI can probe FCRA violations over ₹5 cr

The cases of alleged Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) violation involving more than ₹5 crore can be

referred by the govt to the CBI for a probe.

The submission has been made in connection alleging the role of aviation consultant Deepak Talwar, a non-govt

organisation linked to him and others in the suspected FCRA violation.

Govt developing soft power matrix

The Union Govt is developing a tool, soft power matrix, which aimed at calibrating effectiveness of India’s soft

power outreach and foster better diplomatic traction in India’s immediate neighbourhood and beyond.

It is being developed to calibrate outreach efforts such as propagation of Gandhian values and philosophy,

strength of Mumbai film industry, educational scholarships extended by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA),

extending humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to help mitigate adverse impact of natural disasters.

Sports Ministry to introduce ranking system

The Sports Ministry is planning to introduce ranking system for National Sports Federations (NSFs) which aimed

at inculcating healthy competition between sports bodies.

For the first time, it will have system by which sports federations will be ranked or rated according to set

parameters.

PM Modi lays foundation stone of first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his second visit to the Gulf country laid the foundation stone for the

construction of first traditional Hindu temple in Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi, the capital city of United Arab Emirates

(UAE).

The UAE Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had allocated land for the temple during

PM Modi’s first visit to the gulf country in 2015.

The first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi will come up on 55,000 square metres of land.

The first traditional Hindu stone temple in the Middle East will be hand-carved by Indian temple artisans and

assembled in the UAE.

The temple design and structure is along the lines of the Akshardham temple in Delhi and other places.

It will include idols of Lord Krishna, Lord Maheshwara, Lord Ayyappa and more.

It will be completed by 2020, and open to people of all religious backgrounds.

Niti Aayog bats for setting up independent debt management office

NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman, Rajiv Kumar made a strong case for setting up independent Debt Management

Office for better servicing of loans that will lead to substantial reduction in India’s interest payment.

At present, govt debt, including market borrowing, is managed by Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

According to the Budget document, India’s total debt is estimated at Rs 66.68 lakh crore at end of March 2018,

which is likely to go up to Rs 72.51 lakh crore by March 2019.

The interest payment on public debt is estimated to rise from Rs 5.3 lakh crore in 2017-18 to Rs 5.75 lakh in

2018-19.

In his Feb 2015 Budget speech, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had proposed to set up independent Public Debt

Management Agency (PDMA) within the Finance Ministry.

Govt to establish National Women Entrepreneurship Council (NWEC)

The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development is planing to establish National Women Entrepreneurship

Council (NWEC).





India ranked 49 among 54 economies globally with overall low score of 41.7 points in the Mastercard Index of

Women Entrepreneurs.

Govt launches National Deworming initiative

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has launched National Deworming Initiative on the

occasion of National Deworming Day (observed on Feb 10).

It aims to reach more than 32.2 crore children aged between 1 to 19 years to combat parasitic worm infections.

Govt launches ASH TRACK mobile app

The Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy R.K Singh has launched Web based

monitoring System and Fly Ash mobile application named ASH TRACK in New Delhi.

ASH TRACK will enable better management of fly ash produced by thermal power plants by providing interface

between ash producers (thermal power plants) and potential ash users such as, cement plants, road contractors

etc.

PM Narendra Modi conferred with ‘Grand Collar of the State of Palestine’

President Mahmoud Abbas has conferred ‘Grand Collar of the State of Palestine’ on Prime Minister Narendra for

his key contribution to promote relations between India and Palestine.

PM Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to make an official visit to Palestine.

The Grand Collar is the highest order given to foreign dignitaries – Kings, Heads of State/Govt and persons of

similar rank.

President inaugurates 88th Mahamastakabhisheka at Shravanabelagola

President Ram Nath Kovind has inaugurated 88th Mahamastakabhisheka of Lord Gomateshwara by unveiling an

idol of Bahubali at Shravanabelagola in Hassan district, Karnataka.

Mahamasthakabhisheka, the head anointing ceremony, is performed once in 12 years of 57 feet tall monolithic

statue of Lord Bahubali Gommateshwara.

One of the biggest festival for Jain community honors Lord Bahubali, a revered Jain icon.

Cabinet approves Prime Minister Research Fellows Scheme

The Union Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra Modi has approved implementation of Prime Minister’s Research

Fellows (PMRF) Scheme at a total cost of Rs. 1650 cr for doctoral students pursuing research in areas related to

technology.

PMRF Scheme aims to realize importance of innovation and technology for progress and development of the

nation. It will be implemented for period of seven years beginning 2018-19.

A maximum of 3000 Fellows would be selected in a three year period, beginning 2018-19.

Under the fellowship scheme, selected students will be offered a monthly fellowship of Rs.70,000 for the first two

years, Rs.75,000 for the 3rd year and Rs.80,000 in the 4th and 5th years.

Apart from this, a research grant of Rs. 2.00 lakh will be provided to each of the Fellows for a period of 5 years to

cover their foreign travel expenses for presenting research papers in international conferences and seminars.

Govt sets up mechanism in CSIR for transfer of technology

Ministry of Science & Technology has set up Mechanism in Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)

to interact with Small-Scale Industry (SSI) for transfer of Technology from CSIR Labs.

In the mechanism, nodal officer in CSIR will coordinate with the SSIs and CSIR labs for appropriate technology

required by them.

Kasturirangan committee to draft new National Education Policy

The 9-member committee, headed by former ISRO chief K Kasturirangan, will submit its report to draft new

National Education Policy (NEP) by Mar 31, 2018.

The committee was constituted by the Union HRD Ministry to draft new National Education Policy (NEP) on

June 2017.

Govt launches Green Good Deeds campaign

The Union Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Dr Harsh Vardhan has launched

Green Good Deeds campaign in New Delhi.

It aims to sensitise people and students, in particular about climate change and global warming.





‘Green Sainiks’ on the lines of ‘Polio Sainiks’ are needed to broaden the ‘Green Good Deeds’ campaign and take

it to the grassroots level.

Govt to launch KUSUM scheme

The Union Govt has announced Rs. 1.4 lakh-crore Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahaabhiyan (KUSUM)

scheme for promoting solar farming.

KUSUM scheme aims to decentralise solar power production of up to 28,250 MW to help farmers.

The Union Budget 2018-19 has allocated Rs. 48,000 crore for the KUSUM scheme for the ten-year period.

The scheme will start with building 10,000 MW solar plants on barren lands and providing 1.75 million off-grid

agricultural solar pumps.

India joins Ashgabat agreement

India has joined Ashgabat Agreement on the establishment of an International Transport and Transit Corridor

between the Iran, Oman, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The agreement was signed in April 2011, which envisages facilitation of transit and transportation of goods

between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf.

Govt formulates ambitious water conservation scheme

The Union Govt formulated ambitious water conservation scheme, Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABY) to tackle ever-

deepening crisis of depleting groundwater level.

For the scheme, the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation piloted Rs 6,000-

crore.

The scheme after Cabinet’s clearance will soon be launched in water-stressed states: Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka,

Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

The half of the total project cost will be supported by the Centre and rest of the budgetary cost will be shared by

the World Bank.

Google launches ‘#SecurityCheckKiya’ campaign

Search engine giant, Google has launched ‘#SecurityCheckKiya’ campaign in India to create awareness around

Internet safety on the occasion of Safer Internet Day (Feb 06).

The campaign aims to protect first-time web users from account hijacking, safeguard Android devices from

malicious apps and secure all their personal data if they lose their device.

Development of Solar Cities scheme: 60 Solar Cities to be developed

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy sanctioned development of 60 Solar Cities including 13 Pilot and 5

Model Cities up to 12th Five-year Plan period (2012–2017).

It was under “Development of Solar Cities” scheme of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

The Scheme aims at reducing minimum 10% in projected demand of conventional energy at end of five years,

through combination of enhancing supply from renewable energy sources in city and energy efficiency measures.

Govt launches GeM 3.0

The Ministry of Commerce & Industry launched third version of the Govt e-Marketplace (GeM 3.0).

GeM 3.0 will offer standardised and enriched catalogue management, powerful search engine, real time price

comparison, template-based Bid and RA creation, demand aggregation, e-EMD, e-PBG, user rating, advanced

MIS and analytics and more.

The earlier version GeM 2.0 was launched as pilot project in Aug 2016.

India’s first online radio station, “Radio Umang” launched

“Radio Umang”, the India’s first online radio station has been launched on Feb 13, which is celebrated as World

Radio Day with the theme peace, humanity and hope.

It comes packed with inspirational stories, engaging talk shows and lots of soothing music.

India’s first ever Highway Capacity Manual released

The Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga

Rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari released India’s first-ever Highway Capacity Manual (Indo-HCM) in New Delhi to

guide road engineers and policy makers about road expansion.





The Indo-HCM has been developed by CSIR – CRRI on the basis of an extensive, country-wide study of the

traffic characteristics on different categories of roads like single lane, two-lane, multi-lane urban roads, inter-

urban highways and expressways and the associated intersections on these roads.

This is for the first time that manual has been developed in India.

Other countries like USA, China, Malaysia, Indonesia and Taiwan have already developed their own Highway

Capacity Manuals long time back.

NHAI to launch ranking system for toll plazas

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is planning to launch ranking system for the toll plazas in an

effort to address issues at toll plazas.

The massive drive has been launched on more than 300 toll plazas simultaneously across the country by the

Highway Operation Division of NHAI.

The ranking will be on the basis of cleanliness, staff behaviour, availability of ambulance and cranes in case of

any emergency on highways.

India Health Fund to boost research on TB, malaria

The India Health Fund (IHF), launched by Tata Trusts in collaboration with Global Fund in Aug 2016, has come

forward to financially support innovations and technologies designed to combat tuberculosis (TB) and malaria.

It is long-term exercise aligned with country’s goal of eliminating TB by 2025 and malaria by 2030.

Prince Charles launches education impact bond for India

Britain’s Prince Charles launched a new 10-million-dollar Development Impact Bond (DIB) to help improve

education for over 200,000 children in India. The fundraising initiative by British Asian Trust (BAT) set up by

royal 10 years ago to fight poverty in South Asia.

The DIB was announced on occasion of celebration of 10th anniversary of BAT.

South Central Railway becomes 1st railway zone to complete 100% LED lighting

The South Central Railway (SCR) becomes the first railway zone in India to complete 100% LED lighting at all

the 733 stations under its jurisdiction.

The provision of LED lighting is expected to save 32 lakh units of electrical energy worth Rs 2.7 crore per year.

NHAI to launch 'Pay as You Use' tolling on Delhi-Mumbai Highway

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is going to launch a pilot project of "Pay as You Use" tolling

on the Delhi-Mumbai national highway to study and implement the ability of system in the country.

The project to be run for one year involves implementing a satellite-based electronic toll collection system

running on GPS/GSM technology for around 500 commercial vehicles on selected national highway.

Govt launches 3 tools to rank states, UTs on startup ecosystem

The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) under Commerce Ministry has launched 3 tools to

rank States and Union Territories on the basis of their performance in implementation of the central govt's Startup

India programme.

The framework aims to foster competitiveness and propel states/UTS to act proactively in startup matters.

Exam Warriors: Book written by Narendra Modi released

The book “Exam Warriors” authored by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been released by External Affairs

Minister Sushma Swaraj at a function in New Delhi.

“Exam Warriors” book aims to inspire youth to face the difficult moments of examinations and life with fresh

and new energy.

The Book, published by Penguin India, emphasizes the importance of play, sleep & even travel.

Rapid Detection Kits for adulterants launched

The Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, Radha Mohan Singh has launched the Rapid Detection

Kits for adulterants (ammonia and formaldehyde) in fresh fish in New Delhi.

Rapid Detection Kits has been developed by Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT), Kochi.

Ammonia helps in preventing ice from melting and use of formaldehyde increases the shelf life of fish therefore

many people in the fisheries sector are using these chemicals.





STATE News

Fourth Container Terminal of JNPT inauguratd in Mumbai

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Fourth Container Terminal (FCT) of Jawaharlal Nehru Port

Trust (JNPT) in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

The new FCT will add capacity of 24 lakh containers per year in Phase-I and after completion of Phase-II in 2022,

the capacity of JNPT will be 100 lakh containers per year and with this, JNP doubled its container handling

capacity.

The new FCT has been developed on Design, Built, Fund, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) basis for a concession

period of 30 years at estimated cost of Rs. 7915 crore.

The project was implemented in two Phases. i.e. Phase I and Phase II. The indicative cost of the project for Phase

I was Rs.4719 Crore. The terminal has deepest berths to handle “Mother Ships.

Haryana opens four subsidised canteens

The Haryana govt opened four subsidised canteens in four districts under the ‘Antyodaya Aahaar Yojana’ to

provide healthy, nutritious and hygienic food at affordable prices to all poor and needy persons.

These four districts are Faridabad, Gurugram, Hisar and Yamunanagar.

These subsidised canteens will serve food to registered construction workers and all other poor and needy persons

at Rs. 10.

Each food packet would cost Rs 20 out of which Rs 10 would be shared by Labour Department.

National Banana Festival started in Kerala

The National Banana Festival (NBF-2018) has been started at Kalliyoor, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

The festival, run from Feb 17 to 21, has been organised by Centre for Innovation in Science and Social action

(CISSA) in partnership with Kalliyoor Grama Panchayat and a host of National and State organisations.

The Banana Festival exhibition will showcase everything about banana.

6th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) held in Patna

The 6th Conference of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) of India Region inaugurated by Lok

Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan in Patna, Bihar with the theme ‘Role of Parliament and Parliamentarians in

achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’.

India Pharma 2018 and India Medical Device 2018 started in Bengaluru

The third-edition of international conference and exhibition on pharmaceuticals industry and medical devices-

India Pharma 2018 and India Medical Device 2018 – has been started in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

The conference inaugurated by Union Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers and Parliamentary Affairs, Ananth

Kumar and with the theme – ‘Affordable & Quality Healthcare’.

The conference is a workshop by World Health Organization (WHO) on “Regulatory System Strengthening and

Prequalification updated by WHO”.

Maharashtra govt will launch cheap sanitary pad scheme “Asmita Yojana

The govt of Maharashtra will launch cheap sanitary pad scheme “Asmita Yojana” on the International Women’s

Day for rural women.

Under the scheme, girls in Zilla Parishad schools will get a sanitary napkin packet at Rs 5 while rural women can

avail it at a subsidised rate of Rs 24 and Rs 29.

The scheme, catering to girl students and women in rural areas, will be formally launched on Mar 8, 2018.

Committee recommends separate state flag for Karnataka

Nine member committee headed by the principal secretary, Department of Kannada and Culture constituted by

Karnataka govt has recommended the designing of separate flag for the state and providing a legal standing for it.

It has recommended new tricolour having yellow (at top), white (in middle) and red (at bottom) colorus, with

state’s emblem Gandaberunda (a two-headed mythological bird) in centre.

It has changed pattern of earlier unofficial flag having yellow and red which is unofficially used now.

The white colour symbolizes peace and captures Karnataka’s image the best, while other two colours are

synonymous with Kannada identity.





Jammu and Kashmir is only state having its own flag since 2015 as it enjoys special powers under Article 370 of

Constitution.

Foundation stone of Rhodendron park laid in Tawang

The foundation stone of Rhodendron Park laid by Chief Minister Pema Khandu in Tawang district of Arunachal

Pradesh.

India’s first radio festival held in Delhi

India’s first radio festival held at the UNESCO House in New Delhi to mark World Radio Day which held

worldwide on Feb 13 with the theme, "Radio and Sports".

The festival was organised by International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) in

partnership with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

International Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility held in Bengaluru

The International Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR-2018) held in Bengaluru, Karnataka with

the theme "Responsible CSR: a New Agenda Beyond Governance".

This is the 12th edition of the Conference. The prestigious Golden Peacock Award 2017 was presented in the

Conference.

The leadership award for philanthropy and social change was presented to Vineet Nayar, the chairman of

Sampark Foundation.

International Conference on Operations and Maintenance held in New Delhi

The International Conference on Operations and Maintenance, “Indian Power Stations 2018” held in New Delhi.

The Conference was inaugurated by R.K. Singh, Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and New and Renewable

Energy.

India-Russia Agriculture Business Summit 2018 was held in New Delhi

2018 India-Russia Agriculture Business Summit organized by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare in

New Delhi.

West Bengal becomes first state to opt out of National Health Protection Scheme

The West Bengal has become the first state in the country to opt out of Centre’s National Health Protection

Scheme (NHPS) which was announced in Union Budget 2018-19.

The State Govt has already made hospitalisation and medical treatment free for its citizens and has already

enrolled 50 lakh people under its Swasthya Sathi programme.

NHPS, also termed as Ayushman Bharat Scheme, dubbed ‘Modicare’ seeks to provide health insurance of Rs 5

Lakh to 10 crore poor and vulnerable households.

Punjab Govt constitutes Revenue Commission

Punjab has notified six-member Revenue Commission, headed by (Retd.) Justice SS Saron, with an aim to bring

greater efficiency and accountability in functioning of t Revenue Department.

The commission will streamline existing laws, procedures and processes relating to land administration, in line

with requirements of land for use of agriculture and industry.

Punjab Govt makes super straw management mandatory

Punjab has made attachment of super straw management system to combine harvester machines mandatory for

harvesting paddy (rice) crop in an attempt to check the dangerous trend of stubble burning.

The instructions were issued under section 31 A of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.

4th Meeting of Economic Advisory Council to Prime Minister held in New Delhi

The 4th meeting of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) under the chairmanship of

Dr Bibek Debroy held in New Delhi.

The EAC-PM discussed the possible modalities of implementing the National Health Scheme announced in the

Union Budget-2018-19 by the govt.

Under it, up to Rs 5 lakh insurance cover will be provided to each family per year in secondary and tertiary care

institutions.

Centre for learning Sanskrit language launched in Gujarat University





The Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh has launched the Centre for learning Sanskrit language in Gujarat

University in Ahmedabad.

The first-of-its-kind spoken Sanskrit centre will offer a six-month course for people on how to speak the

language. The classes will be held on Saturday and Sunday. The fees have been fixed at Rs 500.

Bihar Govt bans sale of loose cigarettes

The Govt of Bihar has banned sale of loose cigarettes in the state to deterrent to kids and youngsters who start

smoking by buying loose cigarettes.

State health department has issued notification under Section 20 of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act

(COTPA), 2003.

With this, Bihar becomes the 12th state in the country to bring such a ban into effect after Uttarakhand, Himachal

Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Delhi and others.

National Micro Drama Festival (NMDF-2018) held in New Delhi

The second edition of Thespis 2 – National Micro Drama Festival (NMDF-2018), organised by Delhi-based

theatre group ‘Vriksh the Theatre’, held at Kamani Auditorium in New Delhi.

The festival is named after ‘Thespis of Icaria’, who lived in the 6th Century BC and was the first Actor ever

appeared on stage to perform alone.

2018 International Conference on Unani Medicine inaugurated in New Delhi

The 2018 International Conference on Unani Medicine has been inaugurated by Dr Jitendra Singh (the Union

Minister of Development of North-East Region) with the theme “Integration of Unani System of Medicine in

Mainstream Healthcare” in New Delhi.

National Unani Day is celebrated on Feb 11 and this year is special for Unani fraternity as it is the 150th Birth

Anniversary of Hakim Ajmal Khan.

Kerala tops overall health performance in the Health Index

Kerala topped the list of larger states on overall health performance in the Health Index report released by Niti

Aayog while Uttar Pradesh appeared at the bottom among larger states in terms of overall performance.

As per the index “Healthy States, Progressive India’ report for large states, Kerala was followed by Punjab, Tamil

Nadu and Gujarat.

Besides Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Odisha are among the states that performed poorly in the health

index.

Among small states, Mizoram ranked first, followed by Manipur and Goa in terms of annual incremental

performance.

The Health Index will act as a tool to leverage cooperative and competitive federalism, accelerating the pace of

achieving health outcomes.

National Meet on Grassroot Informatics- VIVID 2018 held in New Delhi

A three-day National Meet on Grassroot Informatics- VIVID 2018 organized by National Informatics Centre

(NIC) in New Delhi with the theme, "Cyber Security and Innovation".

Electronics and Information Technology Minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad has inaugurated the event at India Habitat

Centre.

Uttar Pradesh launched door to door campaign DASTAK with UNICEF

Uttar Pradesh in association with UNICEF has launched massive door to door campaign, DASTAK to eradicate

deadly Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) and Japanese Encephalitis (JE) disease in the state.

The war cry of DASTAK is "Darwaja khatkhatao, AES aur JE ko bhagao".

5th South Asia Region Public Procurement Conference held in New Delhi

The 5th edition of the South Asia Region Public Procurement Conference (SARPPC-2018) was inaugurated by

Arun Jaitley in New Delhi with the theme “Public Procurement and Service Delivery”.

The purpose of the 3-day Conference was to enable the Heads of Public Procurement and other key stakeholders

in the eight South Asian countries to meet and learn from one another and from experts in the field of public

procurement.





It was hosted by Govt of India (GOI), through the Public Procurement Division (PPD) of the Ministry of Finance

and All India Management Association (AIMA).

It is sponsored and facilitated by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and Islamic Development Bank.

Haryana govt launched the ‘Gobardhan Yojana’

The Haryana govt launched the ‘Gobardhan Yojana’ to provide for the sale of organic manure and cow urine with

an aim to benefit farmers.

Under the scheme, a provision of Rs 11 cr has been made to provide benefits of various projects.

The Gobardhan Yojana would help in doubling the income of farmers and next time, the MSP would be given

with additional benefit of 50% over the cost of production.

International Kala Mela inaugurated in New Delhi

The first-ever International Kala Mela inaugurated by the Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu at the Indira

Gandhi National Centre for Arts in New Delhi.

The Art Festival, organised by Lalit Kala Akademi, aims to focus on direct interaction between the artist and the

connoisseur and also educating and raising awareness about art.

Pelican Bird Festival-2018 held in Andhra Pradesh

The ‘2018 Pelican Bird Festival’ held for the first time in Atapaka Bird Sanctuary at Kolleru lake in Andhra

Pradesh.

The Bird Festival was jointly organised by Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority (APTA) and Krishna district

administration.

Recently, Atapaka Bird Sanctuary was recognised as one of the largest pelicanry in the world.

Kolleru Lake, located between Krishna and Godavari deltas. is one of the largest freshwater lakes in India located

in Andhra Pradesh.

Mumbai airport becomes world’s busiest single-runway airport

Mumbai airport created a new world record for single-runway operations by handling 980 arrivals and take-offs in

24 hours, or almost one flight every minute on Jan 20, 2018.

With this, the Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International airport bettered its own feat of 974 flights in 24

hours, recorded on Dec 6, 2017.

While Gatwick, the U.K.’s second largest airport, remains the most efficient single-runway airport in the world.

PM Narendra Modi inaugurates investors' summit in Assam

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the two-day 'Global Investors Summit' in Assam.

India is the most preferred investment destination with the highest FDI in last fiscal at USD 60 billion.

The tagline of the summit is ‘Advantage Assam: India’s Express way to ASEAN’.

Assam is hosting its first global investor’s summit to showcase its manufacturing opportunities and geostrategic

advantages to foreign and domestic investors.

2018 Kala Ghoda Arts festival started in Mumbai

2018 Kala Ghoda Arts festival held in Mumbai, Maharashtra from Feb 03 with the theme of the fest, “Hara

Ghoda”.

The Bombay High Court has recently refused permission for cultural events as part of the Kala Ghoda Festival at

public properties free of cost and without imposing any conditions, which were granted by the Maharashtra

government.

FTW launched in Hyderabad

The Floating Treatment Wetland (FTW) has been inaugurated in Neknampur Lake in Hyderabad on World

Wetlands Day (Feb 02) to clean and purify the polluted waterbody.

Plants planted on FTW can clean the lake by absorbing nitrates and other pollutants in the water.

FTW measures around 3,000 sq. ft and comprises four layers viz. floatable bamboo at base, styrofoam cubicles

above it.

Cleaning agents planted on FTW include vetivers, cattalis, canna, bulrush, citronella, hibiscus, fountain grass,

flowering herbs, tulsi and ashvagandha.

2nd edition Nobel Prize Series–India 2018 inaugurated in Goa





The 2nd edition of the Nobel Prize Series – India 2018 has been inaugurated in Panaji, Goa with the theme

“Science Impacts Lives”.

The Nobel Prize Series–India 2018 is jointly organized by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of

Science and Technology, India along with the Govt of Goa and Nobel Media AB.

The 1st edition of Nobel Prize Series-India was held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat in Jan 2017.

Indian Railways to set up Coach Factory in Maharashtra

The Indian Railways has decided to set up of a massive rail coach factory in Latur district i.e. in Marathwada

region of Maharashtra.

The Rail coach factory will help to generate employment opportunities and bring economic development in

Marathwada region which is one of the most Backward Parts of Maharashtra.

IEC 2018 held in New Delhi

The 7th edition of India Energy Congress (IEC) 2018, organised by World Energy Council (WEC) India , has

been started in New Delhi with the theme “Energy 4.0: Energy Transition Towards 2030”.

IEC 2018 was inaugurated by Union Power and New and Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh.

Under the theme “Energy 4.0”, the 7th edition of IEC assumes greater significance in the context of grand

transition in the global energy scene.

Punjab Govt bans sale of 20 insecticides

Department of Agriculture of Punjab Govt has issued directions to discontinue the sale of 20 pesticides

(insecticides) including Endosulfan as this is harmful to health of humans and environment with immediate effect.

The insecticides that are banned includes Tricholorofon, Phosphamidon, Dicofol, Methomyl, Thiophanate

Methyl, Benfuracarb, Bifenthrin, Endosulfan, Chlorfenapyr, Carbosulfan, Ethofenprox (Etofenprox), Phorate,

Triazophos, Dazomet, Diflubenzuron, Fenitrothion, Metaldehyde, Kasugamycin, Alachior and Monocrotophos.

Maharashtra Govt approves Ghodazari Wildlife Sanctuary

The Maharashtra Govt under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has approved Ghodazari in

Chandrapur district as new wildlife sanctuary in the state.

The decision was taken at 13th meeting of Maharashtra State Board for Wildlife (SBWL).

The wildlife sanctuary located in North East of Tadoba Tiger Reserve will be carved out in total of 159 sq km

area covering Nagbhir, Talodhi and Chimur forest areas.

32nd Surajkund International Crafts Mela begins

The 32nd Surajkund International Crafts Mela will begins in Faridabad.

The Mela is organized by the Surajkund Mela Authority and Haryana Tourism in collaboration with Union

Ministries of Tourism, Textiles, Culture and External Affairs.

The 17-day cultural extravaganza will see a spectacular showcase of regional and international crafts, handlooms,

traditions along with some mouth-watering multi-cuisine food for the visitors.

Uttar Pradesh is the theme state of 2018 and Kyrgyzstan is the Partner Nation.

2018 International Bird Festival to be held in Uttar Pradesh

The 2018 International Bird Festival is going to be held at the Dudhwa National Park in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar

Pradesh from Feb 9 to 11 with nearly 200 leading ornithologists expected to attend.

The objective of the bird fest is to promote eco-tourism in Dudhwa and to give it a distinct international identity

besides highlighting its traditional Tharu arts, culture, and heritage.

Eminent documentary maker Mike Pandey will be the brand ambassador of the festival.





International News

Pakistan to deploy troops in Saudi Arabia

Pakistan Army announced to deploy troops in its close ally Saudi Arabia under existing bilateral security

cooperation agreement.

The decision comes after meeting between Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Saudi

ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf Saeed Al-Maliki at the army headquarters in Rawalpindi.

Munich Security Conference (MSC-2018) held in Munich

The 54th Munich Security Conference (MSC-2018) held in Munich, Germany from Feb 16-18 to discuss pressing

security issues, including North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs and the Syrian civil war.

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro

Kono attended the meet.

China to host 2018 SCO Summit at Qingdao

China will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO-2018) Summit 2018 at Qingdao, eastern Shandong

Province in June 2018.

China taken over the rotating chair of SCO after 17th SCO summit which was concluded in Astana, capital of

Kazakhstan in June 2017.

SCO is a Eurasian economic, political and security organisation headquartered in Beijing, China.

The full members are China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, India and Pakistan.

Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia have observer status at present.

Venezuela, Libya lose UNGA Vote

Venezuela and Libya have been suspended from voting in United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2018-19

session for not paying dues to 193-member world body.

This is for the third time in three years these countries have been suspended from voting for unpaid dues.

Overall, 14 countries including Venezuela and Libya were in arrears for paying to global organization.

Among the other countries who also lost their voting rights are Central African Republic (CAR), Dominican

Republic, Dominica, Marshall Islands, Grenada, Surinam and Yemen.

Maldives govt declares state of emergency

The Maldives govt declared a 15-day state of emergency overnight as the political crisis deepened in the Indian

Ocean nation amid an increasingly bitter standoff between the president and the Supreme Court.

Legal Affairs Minister Azima Shakoor announced the state of emergency on state television.

NTPC to supply 300 MW electricity to Bangladesh

India’s biggest electricity producer, NTPC Ltd won the tender to supply 300 megawatts (MW) of electricity to

power-starved Bangladesh for 15 years.

The tender was floated by Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) for supply of 500 MW power from

India for short term (2018-2019) and long term ( 2020-2033).

From this, NTPC will be able to earn Rs.900 crore in annual revenue.

Krishna Kumari becomes first female Hindu lawmaker in Pakistan

Krishna Kumari will be the first female Hindu lawmaker in Pakistan since 1947, when Pakistan gained

independence from Britain.

She is poised to become lawmaker in the elections for the Upper House of Parliament after the country’s

Opposition party nominated her for the Senate’s upcoming elections.

6th World Govt Summit held in Dubai

The sixth edition of 2018 World Govt Summit (WGS) held at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

(UAE) from Feb 11 to 13, 2018.

India is the guest country at 2018 WGS and Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered the inaugural speech on day

one.

PM Modi in his inaugural speech propounded the idea of six Rs for sustainable development- Reduce, Reuse,

Recycle, Recover, Redesign and Remanufacture, with the view to safeguarding the nature.





Gevora: The world's tallest hotel opens in Dubai

The world’s tallest hotel, Gevora has opened in Dubai, adding another skyscraper to the already towering skyline.

The Gevora Hotel stands at 356 metres and has 528 rooms.

It is one metre taller than the previous record holder, the JW Mariott Marquis, which is also in Dubai.

It is situated next to the Rose Rayhaan by Rotana, which at 333 metres was the tallest hotel before JW Marriot

Marquis opened.

World's first autonomous pods unveiled in Dubai

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has launched the first tests of the world’s first autonomous pods at

the World Govt Summit.

The autonomous pods have been launched in cooperation with Next Future Transportation and are designed to

travel short and medium distances in dedicated lanes.

Each pod is fitted with cameras and electromechanical technologies to carry out the coupling and detaching,

which can be activated while the pod is in motion.

According to RTA, each pod has an average speed of 20 kms per hour, and measures 2.87 metres in length, 2.24

metres in width and 2.82 metres in height, and weighs about 1,500 kgs – enough to carry 10 riders.

The pods form a part of Dubai’s larger strategy of making 25 percent of all journeys in Dubai autonomous by

2030.

Tanzania withdraws from UN refugee programme

Tanzania announced its withdrawal from United Nation’s “Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework” citing

security reasons and lack of funds.

4th Nepal Buildcon and Wood International Expo 2018 held at Kathmandu

The 4th Nepal Buildcon and Wood International Expo 2018 has been inaugurated by Deputy Prime Minister of

Nepal Kamal Thapa at Kathmandu.

The Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Manjeev Singh Puri graced the event as guest of honour.

World Govt Summit (WGS) 2018 held in Dubai

6th edition of World Govt Summit (WGS) 2018 will be hosted by Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) from

February 11 to 13. The Indian delegation will be led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The summit acts as a knowledge exchange hub between govt officials, thought leaders, policy makers and private

sector leaders, and as an analysis platform for the future trends, issues and opportunities facing humanity.

Sushma Swaraj inaugurates Saudi Arabia’s National Heritage Festival

32nd edition of Saudi Arabia’s National Heritage Festival has been inaugurated by King Salman bin Abdulaziz in

the presence of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in Janadriyah village, Riyadh.

India is guest of honor country for this year Saudi Arabia’s National Heritage Festival.

Jenadriyah, cultural and heritage festival of Saudi Arabia, is held annually at Jenadriyah village near Riyadh.

The India Pavilion at festival was based on the theme ‘Saudi ka dost Bharat’.

Bermuda becomes world’s first country to legalise & then repeal same-sex marriage

Bermuda has become the world’s first country to legalise and then repeal same-sex marriage.

The governor of the British island territory, John Rankin has approved a bill reversing the right of gay couples to

marry, despite 2017 Supreme Court ruling that authorized same-sex marriage.

Sri Lanka celebrates 70th Independence Day

Sri Lanka celebrated her 70th Independence Day, under the patronage of HE the President, Maithripala Sirisena

who is also the Commander -in -Chief of the Armed Forces, at Galle Face grounds in Colombo on the Fwb 04.

The day commenced with the President hoisting the National Flag. And then, the "Jayamangala Gatha" was sung

which was followed by a two minutes silence observed in memory of the fallen War Heroes.

A special Gun Salute for the President was carried out by the Sri Lanka Army.The theme of ceremony is "One

Nation".

Sweden commits record $370m aid to UN World Food Programme

Sweden signed Strategic Partnership Agreement with United Nations (UN) for committing record $370 million

dollars to UN World Food Programme.





The contribution is for the duration of four years i.e. 2018-2021.

UK allows doctors to create three-parent babies

The Britain’s fertility regulator Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) allowed doctors to create

country’s first ‘three-parent’ babies through mitochondrial donation therapy (or MRT).

It aimed at preventing passage of incurable genetic diseases from mothers to offsprings.

Rwanda becomes first poor country to provide eye care for all

Rwanda becomes the first low-income country to provide universal eye care for its 12 million population.

The Rwanda govt has partnered with the organisation Vision for a Nation (VFAN) to train more than 3,000 eye

care nurses based in 502 local health centres, prescribing glasses and referring those with serious eye problems to

national clinics.

UAE launches world’s longest zip line

The United Arab Emirates has made a record by opening the world’s longest zip line, measuring 2.83 kms in

length.

Guinness World Records officials certified the zip line in Ras al-Khaimah.

Science & Defence

Scientists discover 100 new exoplanets

Scientists confirmed discovery of nearly 100 new exoplanets outside our solar system based on data from second

mission of NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope (K2 mission) released in 2014.

With this the total number of exoplanets found using NASA’s K2 mission reached almost 300.

One of planets detected was orbiting a very bright star called HD 212657 with 10-day orbit period.

ONGC to introduce Asia’s first large scale CO2 injection technique

The state owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is planning to introduce carbon dioxide (CO2)

injection technology in its Gandhar oil field in Gujarat.

The first large scale CO2-injected project in Asia aims to recover extra 20 million barrels of crude oil under

enhanced oil recovery (EOR) programme.

Scientists discover new class of antibiotics from soil

Scientists from the Rockefeller University in New York reported discovery of a new class of antibiotics called

malacidins.

It has been produced by microorganisms living in soil and dirt and is capable of killing off several antibiotic-

resistant pathogens.

Tri-service maritime exercise held off western coast

‘Paschim Lehar’, the Tri-service maritime exercise held off India’s western coast with an aim to build

interoperability between Indian Navy, Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Coast Guard.

DAC approves capital acquisitions worth over Rs 15000 crore

The Defence Acquisition Council chaired by Defence Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman approved capital acquisition

of 7.4 lakh assault rifles, 17,000 light machine guns, 5,719 sniper rifles and Mareech advanced torpedo decoy

systems for Indian Navy worth Rs. 15,935 crore. 7.4 lakh assault rifles will be procured for three Services.

These rifles will be ‘Made in India’ under categorisation of ‘Buy and Make (Indian)’, through both the Ordnance

Factory Board (OFB) and private industry at an estimated cost of Rs. 12,280 crore.

17,000 light machine guns will be procured for three Services through fast-track procedure at over Rs. 1,819

crore.

5,719 sniper rifles will be procured for Indian Army and Air Force for about Rs. 982 crore.

Unmanned Russian Cargo Ship launched to Space Station





Russian space agency, Roskosmos has successfully launched an unmanned cargo spacecraft, Progress MS-08 to

the International Space Station (ISS) onboard of Soyuz-2.1a rocket from Russian-leased Baikonur launch facility

in Kazakhstan.

The robotic cargo capsule is docking with ISS’s Zvezda service module.

Indian Army contributes 2,300 personnel for UN peace keeping mission

The Indian Army has contributed approximately 2300 personnel to support United Nations Peacekeeping

Missions to South Sudan (UNMISS) in order to bring peace and normalcy in the war-torn country.

This is for the first time troops hailing from Garhwal region have been nominated to deploy in United Nations

Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

Three new eel species discovered in Bay of Bengal

Scientists from Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered three new species of eel along northern Bay of

Bengal coast.

Dark brown with white dots on the dorsal side, Gymnothorax pseudotile was discovered at the Digha coast of the

Bay of Bengal. The other two species, Gymnothorax visakhaensis (uniformly brown) and Enchelycore

propinqua(reddish brown body mottled with irregular creamy white spots), were discovered from the

Visakhapatnam coast of the Bay of Bengal.

Integrated Automatic Aviation Meteorological Systems inaugurated at INS Garuda

The Indian Navy has unveiled the Integrated Automatic Aviation Meteorological System (IAAMS) at INS

Garuda, naval air station located in Kochi, Kerala.

It is an ambitious project of Indian Navy which aims to modernise Meteorological infrastructure of 9 Naval Air

Stations (NAS).

Installation of the system at remaining 5 stations and is expected to be completed by March 2019.

China puts stealth fighter into combat service

China has become the second country in the world as China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF)

commissioned its domestically developed new generation J-20 fourth-generation stealth fighter into combat

service. Earlier United States has domestically developed stealth aircraft.

J-20, developed by China’s Chengdu Aerospace Corporation for PLAAF, is China’s fourth-generation medium

and long-range fighter jet.

Scientists for first time grow human eggs

Scientists from Britain and United States for the first time have succeeded in growing human eggs in

laboratory outside the human body from their earliest stage in ovarian tissue to full maturity.

Scientists had developed mouse eggs in laboratory to stage where they produced live offspring, and also matured

human eggs from a relatively late stage of development.

Nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile successfully test fired

Indigenously developed nuclear capable surface-to-surface Prithvi-II missile has been successfully test fired

from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur near Balasore, Odisha.

The test was carried out from mobile launcher from launch complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range.

Prithvi-II is short range surface-to-surface ballistic missile.

India successfully test fires nuclear-capable Agni-I missile

India has successfully test-fired its short-range nuclear capable ballistic missile Agni-1 with a strike range of over

700 km from a test range off the Odisha coast at the Dr Abdul Kalam Island, formerly known as Wheeler Island.

The indigenously developed surface-to-surface missile was launched as a part of a periodic training activity by the

Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of the Army to consolidate operational readiness.

Japan launches world's tiniest rocket into orbit

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has launched the world’s smallest rocket with the ability to put

a tiny satellite into orbit.

It carried a microsatellite TRICOM-1R, a three-unit CubeSat weighing about 3 kilograms.

HAL successfully tests Light Combat Helicopter for first time





Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd for the first time has successfully flown home-made 5.8-tonne Light Combat

Helicopter (LCH) with its own automatic flight control system.

The helicopter is powered by two Shakti engines and has many features of indigenous Advanced Light Helicopter

(ALH) Dhruv.

High performance computing facility, Mihir inaugurated at Noida

Ministry of Earth Science (MoES) has inaugurated high performance computer system (HPC) or supercomputer

Mihir (meaning sun) at National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), Noida.

The HCP will provide facility for improving weather/climate forecasts.

HPC is country’s largest in terms of peak capacity and performance, which propelled India’s ranking to Top 30 in

the list of HPC facilities in world.

RANKING & REPORTS

Mumbai 12th richest city globally: Report

According to the report published by New World Wealth, India’s financial capital, Mumbai ranked 12th richest

city globally with a total wealth of US $950 billion.

The list of 15 wealthiest cities was topped by New York with total wealth of US $3 trillion followed by London

($2.7 trillion) and Tokyo ($2.5 trillion).

Among the 15 richest cities listed, San Francisco, Beijing, Shanghai, Mumbai and Sydney are fastest growing in

terms of wealth growth over the past 10 years. Mumbai is economic hub of India having 12th largest stock exchange in the world,

India ranks 44 in Intellectual Property Index

India ranked 44 out of 50 countries in the Intellectual Property (IP) Index released by US Chamber of Commerce.

The index was released as part of annual report prepared by the Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC) of the

US Chambers of Commerce.

The US topped the list with total of 37.98 points, followed by United Kingdom (37.97) and Sweden (37.03).

India has increased its score substantially from 25% (8.75 out of 35) in previous year to 30% (12.03 out of 40) in

latest edition.

India was ranked 43 out of 45 countries in 2017 index, with an overall score if 8.4 points.

THE World Rankings 2018

Only two Indian institutes have featured in the top 50 Asian institutes in recently released TIMES Higher

Education (THE) World University Rankings for educational institutes in Asia.

Indian Institute of Science with rank 29 and Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay with the rank of 44 are

only two institutes that have made their way to top 50.

Other institutes that have made their way to top 100 are IIT Kharagpur (60), IIT Roorkee (65), IIT Kanpur (81),

and IIT Delhi (86).

Four Indian sportspersons in Forbes India 30 Under 30 list

Indian athletes Jasprit Bumrah, Harmanpreet Kaur, Savita Punia and Heena Sidhu made it to this year’s Forbes

India 30 Under 30 list.

India ranked 42nd in 2017 Global Democracy Index

India, the world’s largest democracy, ranked 42nd among 165 independent states on annual 2017 Global

Democracy Index (GDI) released by UK-based company, Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

India’s rank has slipped from 32nd in 2016 GDI and its overall score dropped 0.58 points from 7.81 to 7.23.

India was classified India as a flawed democracy in 2017 GDI.

Norway topped the list followed by Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand and Denmark.

India was ranked 49th with regard to media freedom (measured this year by EIU), with its media being classified

as ‘partly free’.





APPROVALS & MoUs

Maharashtra inks deal with Virgin Group

Maharashtra Govt has signed an intent agreement with the Virgin Group led by Richard Branson to build world’s

first hyperloop transportation system between Mumbai and Pune.

The foundation stone for the project laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Magnetic Maharashtra investor

summit held in Mumbai.

The proposed hyperloop transportation system will link central Pune with megapolis as well as Navi Mumbai

international airport.

BSI inks MoU with UK’s Natural History Museum

The Botanical Survey of India (BSI) and UK’s Natural History Museum (NHM) signed Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in field of genetic and taxonomic studies, research and training,

conservation in India, including species and habitat conservation assessments.

It will pave way for BSI staff to work in NHM and for staff there to work in BSI.

It will open up mediums of collaboration in science, support further research and boost scientific study for benefit

of both India and UK.

India, Iran ink 9 agreements

India and Iran signed nine agreements, including one on connectivity related to strategic Chabahar port and on

double taxation avoidance.

These agreements were signed after bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President

Hassan Rouhani.

Agreement for Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to taxes on

Income

MoU on Cooperation in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine

MoU on Cooperation in field of Health and Medicine

MoU on Postal Cooperation

MoU on Cooperation in the field of Agriculture and Allied Sectors

MoU on establishment of an Expert Group on Trade Remedy Measures to promote cooperation in areas

of mutual interest

MoU on Exemption from Visa requirement for holders of Diplomatic Passports

Exchange of Instrument of Ratification of Extradition Treaty

Lease Contract for Shahid Beheshti Port- Phase 1 of Chabahar during Interim Period

Govt inks $100 million loan agreement with NDB

Govt signed second Loan Agreement with New Development Bank (NDB) for financing of Rajasthan Water

Sector Restructuring Project for the Desert Areas.

This is the first tranche loan of $100 million which was approved by the NDB under Multi Tranche Financing

Facility of $345 million for this project having the implementation period is of 6 years.

India and Iran signed DTAA

India and Iran signed Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with

respect to taxes on income in New Delhi.

The agreement will improve transparency in tax matters and will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance.

BHEL bags order from NTPC

The state owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) bagged major order worth Rs. 560 cr from the

National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) for setting up FGD system at National Capital Power Station

(capacity 2×490 MW) at Dadri in Uttar Pradesh.

India, UAE inks 5 MoUs

During PM Modi’s visit to Abu Dhabi, India and United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed five Memoranda of

Understanding (MoUs) in key areas of energy sector, railways, manpower and financial services.

MoU for Technical Cooperation in Rail Sector





MoU to institutionalise the collaborative administration of contractual employment of Indian workers in

UAE.

MoU between Indian Consortium (OVL, BPRL & IOCL) and ADNOC

MoU between Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX)

MoU between Govt of Jammu and Kashmir and DP World

India, Oman sign 8 MoUs

India and Oman have inked eight Memoranda of Understandings (MoUs) during PM Narendra Modi’s maiden

visit to the country in different areas including defence, health and tourism.

The MoUs were signed after delegation-level talks between PM Modi and Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said in

Muscat.

Oman was the last leg of PM Modi’s visit to three west Asian countries viz. Palestine, UAE and Oman.

MoU on Cooperation in the field of health

Annexure to the MoU on Military Cooperation.

MoU on Cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.

MoU in the field of Tourism cooperation between India and Oman.

Agreement on Legal and Judicial Cooperation in Civil and Commercial matter

Agreement on mutual visa exemption for holders of diplomatic, Special, service and official passports

MoU on Cooperation between Foreign Service Institute, Ministry of External Affairs, India and Oman

Diplomatic Institute.

MoU on Academic and Scholarly cooperation sectors between National Defence College Sultanate of

Oman and the Institute for Defence Studies and the Analyses.

ONGC acquires 10 per cent stake in UAE’s Zakum oilfield

The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)-led consortium of Indian state oil firms acquired 10% stake in Abu

Dhabi’s offshore Lower Zakum Concession for $600 mn.

The acquisition is part of deal inked in the presence of PM Narendra Modi and Abu Dhabi crown prince Sheikh

Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi.

The Lower Zakum Oil Field is owned and developed by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.

Govt approves construction of over 1.86 lakh more houses

The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs at its 30th meeting of the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring

Committee has approved the construction of 1,86,777 more affordable houses under its flagship programme,

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban).

With this approval, the total number of houses approved under PMAY increased to over 39.25 lakh.

Haryana has been sanctioned maximum number of 53,290 houses in this round of approval, followed by Tamil

Nadu (40,623 houses in this round of approval, followed by Tamil Nadu (40,623 houses), Karnataka (32,656),

Gujarat (15,584), Maharashtra (12,123), Kerala (9,461), Uttarakhand (6,226) and Orissa (5,133).

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (U), new version of Prime Minister’s Housing For All by 2022 vision, provides

houses to all poor in urban areas by 2022.

India, Palestine ink six agreements

India and Palestine have inked six Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) in different areas including health and

education.

The MoUs were signed after bilateral talks between PM Narendra Modi and Palestinian President Mahmoud

Abbas at Ramallah, capital of Palestine.

PM Modi becomes the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Palestine.

MoU for setting up of India-Palestine Super-specialty hospital at Beit Sahour in Bethelhem Governorate.

MoU for construction of Turathi: India Palestine Centre for Empowring women.

MoU for setting up of new National Printing Press at Ramallah.

MoU for Construction of school in Muthalth Al Shuhada Village.

MOU for construction of school in Tamoon village in Tubas Governorate.





MoU for providing assistance for construction of additional floor to Jawahar Lal Nehru for Boys at Abu

Dees.

CCI fines Rs.136 crore on Google

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) imposed Rs.136 cr fine on world’s most popular search engine,

Google for unfair business practices in Indian market for online search.

The penalty was imposed on Google for infringing anti-trust conduct.

Google was found to be indulged in practices of search bias and by doing so it has caused harm to its competitors

as well as to users.

Cabinet approves enhancement of target under PMUY

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved

the enhancement of target base of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) from 5 crore to 8 crore.

The revised target will be achieved by 2020 with an additional allocation of Rs. 4,800 crore.

Cabinet also approved the expansion of scheme to cover all SC/ST households, beneficiaries of Antyoday Anna

Yojana (AAY), PMAY (Gramin), forest dwellers, most backward classes (MBC), Tea and Ex-Tea Garden Tribes,

people residing in Islands and rivers etc. in addition to SECC identified households.

Cabinet approves hike in MSP for Copra

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved

increase in Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Fair Average Quality (FAQ) of “Milling Copra” for 2018 season.

The increased is expected to ensure appropriate minimum prices to farmers and step up investment in Coconut

cultivation and thereby production and productivity in country.

Cabinet approves Amendment to MSME Act

The Union Cabinet approved amendment to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (MSMED) Act,

2006 for classifying MSMEs from current investment in plant and machinery criteria to annual turnover criteria.

The purpose of amendment to Section 7 of MSMED Act, 2006 is to encourage ease of doing business, make

MSME classification norms growth oriented and align them to new indirect tax regime revolving around Goods &

Services Tax (GST).

After the amendment

Micro enterprise will be unit with annual turnover does not exceed Rs. 5 crore.

Small enterprise will be unit with annual turnover is more than Rs. 5 crore but does not exceed Rs. 75

crore.

Medium enterprise will be unit with annual turnover is more than Rs. 75 crore but does not exceed

Rs. 250 crore.

Vinay Sheel Oberoi Committee to expedite capital acquisition

13-member Raksha Mantri Advisory Committee on Ministry of Defence Capital Projects (RMCOMP) has been

constituted by the Union Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The committee will be headed by former secretary Vinay Sheel Oberoi.

It will monitor and expedite capital acquisition projects for modernisation of armed forces and bolster armed

forces preparedness.

Cabinet approvals

Approves Ratification of Minamata Convention on Mercury The Union Cabinet approved ratification of Minamata Convention on Mercury and depositing instrument of

ratification enabling India to become Party of Convention.

This entails ratification of convention along with flexibility for continued use of mercury-based products and

processes involving mercury compound up to 2025.

Approves signing of India-Australia MoU for Secondment Programme The Union Cabinet approved the signing of MoU for Secondment Programme between India and Australia.

The MoU will be signed between Department of Economic Affairs (DEA)-Indian Economic Service Cadre and

The Treasury, Govt of Australia for period of three months.

Approves Protocol amending DTAA between India, China





The Union Cabinet approved signing and ratification of protocol amending Double Taxation Avoidance

Agreement (DTAA) between India and China.

Approves putting ILO recommendation before Parliament The Union Cabinet approved new recommendation adopted by International Labour Organization (ILO)

concerning “The Employment and Decent Work for Peace and Resilience (Recommendation No-205) before

Parliament.

Approves Discovered Small field Round II The Union Cabinet approved second round of Discovered Small Field (DSF) auctions under Discovered Small

Field Policy.

DSF auctions will offer total of 60 discovered small fields/un-monetized discoveries with an estimated 194.65

Million Metric tonnes of oil.

Indian Railways signed MoU with AYUSH Ministry

The Indian Railways has signed MoU with Ministry of AYUSH in New Delhi to augment Ayush services in

Railway hospitals i.e. New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Guwahati. .

The Ministry of Railways will provide logistics and infrastructure in the form of Land & building, Equipments,

Furniture, AYUSH medicines and consumables as well as Manpower.

Google and NCERT join hands to teach students digital safety

Google and National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) signed a pact on ‘Safer Internet

Day’ (Feb 6) to integrate a course on ‘Digital Citizenship and Safety’ in information and communication

technology (ICT) curriculum.

The course by Google India aims to bring social, ethical and legal aspects of internet safety and usage via

structured in-class lessons.

The complete course is divided into four categories (themes) viz Being Smart, Being Safe, Being a Digital Citizen

and Being Future Ready.

Ola inks MOU with govt of Assam

Homegrown cab-hailing company Ola inked MOU with Govt of Assam to pilot an app-based river taxi service in

Northeast India's financial hub Guwahati.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Chandra Mohan Patowary, Minister for Transport Industry and

Commerce and Vijay Ghadge, Vice President Operations of Ola at the on-going 'Global Investors Summit:

Advantage Assam' in Guwahati.

Assam Govt signed MoU with NBCC Ltd.

The Assam Govt has signed an MoU with the National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC) Ltd. to build a

Twin Tower Trade Centre in Guwahati at a cost of Rs 1950 crore.

The Twin Tower Trade centre has enacted a pro-active Act East Policy to elevate and harness the strengths of

North-East India and reduce the isolation of the region by improving all round connectivity and civic

infrastructure.

IWAI inks agreement with World Bank for Jal Marg Vikas Project on Ganga

The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has signed a project agreement and inked US $375 million loan

agreement with World Bank for Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP).

Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) is the National Waterway-1 on Ganga River from Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) to

Haldia (West Bengal).

The project covers four states, viz, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

ICMR partners with Pfizer to combat antimicrobial resistance

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer inked MoU to

establish a ‘Centre to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance’ in New Delhi.

It will help in combating the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in India.

N Chandrasekaran Task force constituted to study AI application in military





The Department of Defence Production (DDP) under the Ministry of Defence has constituted a 17 member multi-

stakeholder task force headed by Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran to study use and application of artificial

intelligence (AI) in military.

The task force comprises National Cyber Security Coordinator Gulshan Rai, representatives from Indian Army,

Navy and Airforce, chairman of Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), representatives from ISRO, Atomic Energy

Commission and defence ministry.

Cochin Shipyard Ltd. signs MoU with Russian firm

Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) and Joint Stock Company United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), Russia have

signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate and engage in Design, Development and

Execution of contemporary, State-of-Art vessels for Inland and Coastal Waterways.

Govt inks $100 mn loan agreement with World Bank

The Union Govt has inked $100 mn Loan Agreement with World Bank for Project to Boost Rural Economy of

Tamil Nadu.

The loan will be disbursed by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) with a 5-year

grace period and maturity of 19 years.

Thar Link Express receives extension for three more years

Thar Link Express, second solitary rail service between India and Pakistan has received the extension for three

more years i.e. till 2021.

The Thar Express links Jodhpur in India and Karachi in Pakistan via Munabao (Rajasthan)-Khokhrapar (Sindh

province) border crossing and carries only passengers.

It was set to expire in March 2018, but has now been extended to Jan 31, 2021.

India and Pakistan currently have only two trans-border trains, viz; Samjhauta Express (Delhi-Lahore) and Thar

Express.

Appointments

Appointments Appointee

New vice-chancellor of BHU B A Chopade

Chief executive of Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) Dinesh Srivastava

Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of

the Indian Army

Lt. Gen Anil Chauhan

President of Finland Sauli Niinisto

Director General of Sports Authority of India (SAI) Neelam Kapoor

Vice Chairman of US-India Strategic and

Partnership Forum (USISPF)

Shantanu Narayen

New Foreign Secretary of India Vijay Keshav Gokhale

Chef-de-Mission for 21st Commonwealth Games

2018

Vikram Singh Sisodia

MD & CEO of SBI Card Hardayal Prasad

Non-executive chairman of NPCI Biswamohan Mahapatra

16th Chairman of Federal Reserve Jerome H Powell

Director General of NSG Sudeep Lakhtakia

First Woman Chief Justice of Manipur HC Abhilasha Kumari

Chief Executive of NFC (Nuclear Fuel Complex) Dinesh Srivastava





Alphabet Chairman John Hennessy

Chief Justice of Bangladesh Syed Mahmud Hossain

Chief Justice of Kerala Justice Antony Dominic

First independent female director of ICC Board Indra Nooyi

Governor of Bank of Japan Haruhiko Kuroda

Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli

EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 Sanjiv Bajaj

New President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa

Vice Chancellor of the Tezpur University Vinod Kumar Jain

First female Hindu lawmaker in Pakistan Krishna Kumari

President of Sahitya Akademi Chandrashekhar Kambar

Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir Swayam Prakash Pani

Resignation of South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma

Awards

Govt to award former DG of Kapurthala science city Raghbir Singh Khandpur

The Department of Science and Technology will award Raghbir Singh Khandpur for his contribution to science

and his efforts to make the Science City in Punjab’s Kapurthala into an international-level facility.

The award will be presented to him in New Delhi on National Science Day (Feb 28).

Sanjiv Bajaj named EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2017

The managing director of Bajaj Finserv, Sanjiv Bajaj named the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 for solutions

in lending, life and general insurance and wealth advisory.

He will represent India at the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year Award (WEOY) in Monte Carlo from June 13,

2018.

Dr. E Sreedharan honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for transforming the face of public

transportation in India.

Indian engineer awarded sci-tech Oscar Award

Vikas Sathaye, a Pune-born person honoured with the Scientific and Engineering Academy Award at the Oscars

Scientific and Technical Awards 2018 at Beverly Hills in Los Angeles, California.

He and his team received the award for his contribution towards conceptualisation, designing, engineering, and

the implementation of the ‘Shotover K1 Camera System’ during his stint at Shotover Camera Systems in

Queenstown, New Zealand.

Asha Bhosle conferred with 5th edition of Yash Chopra Memorial Award 2018

Legendary singer, Asha Bhosle has been conferred with the 5th edition of Yash Chopra Memorial Award 2018 on

February 16 in Mumbai for her outstanding contribution to the Hindi film industry.

The award has been instituted by MP T Subbarami Reddy in the memory of Chopra, who died in 2012, in

association with Anu Ranjan and Shashi Ranjan.

The previous recipients of the award were Lata Mangeshkar, Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha and Shah Rukh Khan.

India’s Aadhaar and Umang App win awards

India’s Aadhaar and Umang App won awards at recently concluded 6th World Govt Summit 2018 in Dubai,

UAE.

Aadhaar won in the Best Govt Emerging Technologies Award whereas Umang App won in Best m-Govt Service

Award for Accessible Govt Category.





The awards were presented by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of UAE Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al

Nahyan.

Aadhaar, managed by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), Ministry of Electronics and Information

Technology, was recognised as the world’s largest biometric enabled identification programme, which provides

access to service, bank accounts, social services benefits, income tax, passport services by providing 1.2 billion

citizens unique identification card with fingerprint, eye-print and other vital data.

Umang stands for Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance, which provides users unified platform

that combines govt departments and services, facilitating transactions for citizens.

India was the ‘Guest of Honour’ country in 2018 World Govt summit.

2017 Sahitya Akademi Award

India’s national academy of letters, Sahitya Academy has conferred the prestigious 2017 Sahitya Akademi Award

on 24 poets and authors in 24 different Indian languages at a function in New Delhi on Feb 12, 2018.

The Sahitya Akademi announced its annual Sahitya Akademi Awards 2017 in 24 languages on Dec 21.

The awardees received a casket containing an engraved copper-plaque, a shawl and a cheque of Rs 1 lakh.

Essay: Jagdish Lachhani (Sindhi).

Play: Rajen Toijamba (Manipuri)

English: Mamang Dai for his novel The Black Hill.

Hindi: Ramesh Kuntal Megh for his literary criticism work Vishw Mithak Sarit Sagar.

Sanskrit: Niranjan Mishra for his novel Gangaputravadanam.

Malayalam: KP Ramanunni (Kerala) for Daivathinte Pusthakam

Punjabi: Nachhattar for his novel Slow Down.

Assamese: Jayant Madhab Bora for Novel “Moriahola”.

Bengali: Afsar Ahmed for Novel ‘Sei Nikhonj Manusta’.

Bodo: Rita Boro for Novel ‘Thwisam’.

Poets: Udaya Narayana Singh (Maithili), Bhujanga Tudu (Santali), Shrikant Deshmukh (Marathi),

Inqulab (Tamil) and Devipriya (Telugu).

Short Stories: Autar Krishen Rahbar (Kashmiri), Shiv Mehta (Dogri), Gajanan JJog (Konkani), Gayatri

Saraf (Odia) and Baig Ehsas (Urdu).

Literary Criticism: Ramesh Kuntal Megh (Hindi), Urmi Ghanshyam Desai (Gujarati), TP

Ashoka (Kannada), Bina Hangkhim (Nepali) and Neeraj Daiya (Rajasthani).

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf honored 2018 Ibrahim Prize

The former Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has been honored with 2018 Ibrahim Prize for Achievement

in African Leadership for excellence in African leadership.

She is awarded by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation which honors role models on a continent where many leaders have

stayed in power for decades.

T.D. Ramakrishnan selected for Akbar Kakkattil Award 2018

Writer T.D. Ramakrishnan has been selected for 2nd edition of Akbar Kakkattil Award 2018 for his novel

“Sugandhi Enna Andaldevanayaki”.

Michael N Hall selected for 2018 Genome Valley Excellence Award

Michael N Hall, the eminent molecular biologist Professor of the Biozentrum University of Basel, Switzerland,

has been selected for 2018 Genome Valley Excellence Award.

The award will be presented to him during BioAsia 2018, an annual flagship event of the Telangana govt.

Shabnam Asthana wins Times Power Woman 2017 award

The Times Group has recently celebrated the invaluable contribution of women by introducing The Times Power

Woman 2017 (Pune) awards and Shabnam Asthana was awarded the 'Times Power Women of the Year 2017'-

Pune for Global PR.

These awardees have been instrumental in working towards the improvement of the socio economic, art, health,

education, fashion, scientific and intellectual potential of the society.

Odisha wins Geospatial World Excellence Award 2018





Odisha Govt has won ‘Geospatial World Excellence Award-2018’ for successful IT application for tracking of

mineral production, dispatch and value accrued on real-time basis through its i3MS web-based software.

The award was presented at the Geospatial World Forum Meeting held at Hyderabad, Telangana.

i3MS is GPS-linked web-based software designed by scientists of Odisha Space Applications Centre (ORSAC),

Bhubaneswar.

Shesh Anand Madhukar honoured with Sahitya Akademi Bhasha Samman award

Magahi writer Shesh Anand Madhukar was honoured with Sahitya Akademi Bhasha Samman award.

With this, he becomes the second writer of Magahi language to be given this award.

Magahi language also known as Magadhi is language spoken in Bihar-Jharkhand region of eastern India.

It is believed to be the language spoken by Gautama Buddha.

Vinod Paul becomes the first Indian to receive WHO’s IhsanDogramaci Family Health Foundation Prize

NITI Aayog member, Dr Vinod Paul becomes the first Indian to be awarded prestigious IhsanDoğramacı Family

Health Foundation Prize by World Health Organisation (WHO).

It will be formally presented at World Health Assembly to be held in Geneva, Switzerland in May 2018.

Soumitra Chatterjee presented with France’s Legion d’Honneur

Legendary Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee was awarded France’s highest civilian award, Legion d’Honneur.

He was presented the medal by French Ambassador Alexandre Ziegler at a function in Kolkata, West Bengal.

Sports

Zhang Beiwen won India Open Badminton tournament 2018

Zhang Beiwen, a professional badminton player from America, won the fourth edition of India Open Badminton

tournament 2018 in New Delhi.

In the final, she defeated Olympics and World Championships Silver medalist PV Sindhu by 21–18, 11–21, 22–

20 at Siri Fort Indoor Stadium.

Tamil Nadu wins maiden senior national football championship

Tamil Nadu lifted their maiden title in the 23rd edition of the Senior Women's National Football Championship be

defeating Manipur 2-1.

Indumathi was adjudged the Player of the Final as well as the Tournament for her superlative performances.

Rohan More becomes first Asian & youngest to swim across the Ocean Seven

The Pune-based Indian long-distance swimmer, Rohan More becomes the first Asian and the youngest person in

the world to swim across the Ocean Seven.

He covered the distance in 8 hours and 37 minutes despite sudden drop in water temperature.

The Ocean’s Seven marathon consists of seven long-distance open-water swims, which includes the North

Channel, the Cook Strait, the Molokai Channel, the English Channel, the Catalina Channel, the Tsugaru Strait and

the Strait of Gibraltar.

With this feat, Rohan has also become the 9th person in the world to swim across Ocean Seven.

Kishan Gangolli wins 13th edition of National ‘A’ Chess Championship for Blind

Defending champion Kishan Gangolli from Karnataka won the 13th edition of the National ‘A’ Chess

Championship for the blind, organised by All India Chess Federation for the Blind (AICFB), in Mumbai.

Gangolli became the champion for the fifth consecutive time with 10.5 points.

Gujarat’s Ashvin Makwana stood second, Soundarya Kumar Pradhan of Orissa came third, Aryan Joshi of

Maharashtra came fourth and Odisha’s Subhendu Kumar Patra came at fifth position in the National ‘A’ Chess

Championship for blind.

Sharmila becomes the first Indian to qualify for China LPGA Tour

The 26-year-old Bengaluru golfer, Sharmila Nicollet becomes the first Indian golfer to qualify for the China

Ladies PGA Tour.





RSPB lifts 2018 Senior National Women’s Hockey Championship 2018

The Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) has lifted the 8th edition of Senior National Women’s Hockey

Championship 2018 by defeating Madhya Pradesh 4-0. In the bronze medal match, Haryana beat home team

Jharkhand 2-0.

Haryana tops in Khelo India School Games medal tally

The first (inaugural) edition of Khelo India School Games (KISG) held from from Jan 31 to Feb 08, 2018 at

Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.

Total of 199 gold medals, 199 silver medals and 275 bronze medals were awarded at first KISG.

Haryana had emerged as overall champions, finishing with 102 medals, which included 38 gold, 26 silver and 38

bronze medals.

Maharashtra finished second with 111 medals, which included 36 gold, 32 silver and 43 bronze medals.

Delhi finished third with 94 medals, which included 25 gold, 29 silver and 40 bronze.

Jhulan Goswami becomes 1st female cricketer to take 200 wickets in ODI

India’s veteran pacer, Jhulan Goswami has become the first female cricketer in the world to take 200 wickets in

One-Day Internationals (ODI) cricket.

Australia’s Cathryn Fitzpatrick is at 2nd spot with 180 wickets followed by compatriot Lisa Sthalekar on 146.

Shubhankar Sharma becomes highest ranked Indian golfer

Shubhankar Sharma emerged as the best Indian golfer in the world, grabbing the 72nd position in the

Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) after his recent title triumph at Maybank Championship.

The win in Kuala Lumpur elevated Sharma from 193 to 72, a gain of 121 spots. Shyam Benegal bestowed with V. Shantaram lifetime achievement Award 2018

The veteran film producer and director, Shyam Benegal has been bestowed with the prestigious V. Shantaram

lifetime achievement Award 2018.

The award, carrying a trophy, a citation, shawl and cash prize of Rs 10 lakh, has been conferred on Benegal by

Maharashtra Governor C.V. Rao.

His work on television consists of several popular series including the 53 part series ‘Bharat Ek Khoj’ first

broadcast on Doordarshan in 1988.

He also made the much acclaimed ‘Samvidhaan – The Making of the Constitution of India”.

India wins Under-19 World Cup 2018

India won Under-19 ICC World Cup 2018 by defeating Australia by eight wickets played at Bay Oval, Mount

Maunganui, New Zealand.

With this victory, India became first nation to win Under-19 World Cup four times.

Gill was awarded Man of the Tournament, while Kalra was Man of the Match.

Srihari Natraj grabbed gold in swimming in Khelo India School Games

Srihari Natraj from Karnataka grabbed the gold medal in 100-metre Backstroke category in swimming in the

Khelo India School Games at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.

In Boys high jump, Delhi’s Shahnawaz Khan won the gold medal.

Ikram Ali Khan of Madhya Pradesh clinched gold in Boys Discus Throw.

In Girls 800-metre running, Maharashtra’s Tai Bamhane grabbed the gold medal.

Mary Kom bags gold at India Open International Boxing

M. C. Mary clinched gold at the India Open International Boxing after defeating Filipino Josie Gabuco in the

final.

The five-time World Champion and Olympic bronze medallist registered a 4-1 win in the 48kg women's weight

category at the Thyagraj Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.

Meanwhile, Pinki Rani also fetched gold for India after defeating Jargalan Ochirbat in the final of fly (48-51 kg)

category.

Earlier, Shiva Thapa had to settle with a bronze medal after going down in the semi-finals of the 60 kg category.

The top seed went down in a unanimous verdict to fellow Indian Manish Kaushik.





Important days

Date Day Theme

Feb 13 World Radio Day “Radio and Sports”

Feb 12

National Productivity Day "Industry 4.0 Leapfrog Opportunity for

India"

Feb 11

National Unani Day “Integration of Unani System of Medicine in

main stream healthcare”

Feb 10 National Deworming Day

Feb 04 World Cancer Day “We can. I can”

Feb 02 World Wetlands Day “Wetlands for a Sustainable Urban Future”

Obituary

Acclaimed Ottanthullal Artist Kalamandalam Geethanandan

MP of 16th Lok Sabha Chintaman Wanaga

American Author Ursula K. Le Guin

Veteran Bengali film Actress Supriya Devi

Former speaker of Karnataka Legislative

Assembly

B.G. Banakar

Doyen of Odia Literature Chandrasekhar Rath

Kathakali Maestro Madavoor Vasudevan Nair

English-American actor of stage, film and

television

John Mahoney

BJP MP from Kairana in UP Hukum Singh

Veteran theatre artist, director, and pioneer

of Children’s Theatre in Maharashtra

Sudha Karmarkar

Former Uttar Pradesh minister & senior

Samajwadi Party leader

Khwaja Haleem

Former Union minister & veteran TDP leader Dr Bolla Bulli Ramaiah

The noted writer, thinker & journalist Muzaffar Hussain

The acclaimed Icelandic musician Johann Johannsson

Golden Globe-winning composer Johann Johannsson

Pakistan’s renowned human rights lawyer Asma Jilani Jahangir

First female filmmaker of Odisha Parbati Ghose

ALL THE BEST !!




Documents

Exclusive FEBRUARY 2018 GA Refresher for syndicate ... 4465 Ganga Grams – villages on the bank of river - declared open defecation free. ... 5,35,000 crore approved for the construction