JANUARY to MARCH 2019 CURRENT AFFAIRS · The day is observed every year to mark the birth anniversary of swami Vivekananda nanda. Swamiji was born on January 12th 1863. The National

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JANUARY to MARCH 2019 CURRENT AFFAIRS

PHILIP KOTLER PRESIDENTIAL AWARD

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, received the first-ever Philip Kotler Presidential award in New Delhi.

The Award focuses on the triple bottom-line of People, Profit and Planet.

It will be offered annually to the leader of a Nation.

“Shri Narendra Modi is selected for his outstanding leadership for the nation.

His selfless service towards India, combined with his tireless energy has resulted in extraordinary economic,

social and technological advances in the country.”

PUDUCHERRY BAN ON SINGLE USE PLASTIC

The cabinet of Puducherry has agreed to ban the production, sale and use of single-use plastic products from

March 1 2019

A massive awareness drive will be planned before the ban commence.

This came after the Tamil Nadu government decision to ban on plastic from 1st Jan 2019.

WOMEN OF INDIA ORGANIC FESTIVAL

The 6th edition of Women of India Organic Festival has been organised by the Ministry of Women and Child

Development at Leisure Valley Chandigarh

AEE_January to March Current Affairs 2

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The festival aims to encourage Indian women entrepreneurs and farmers to connect with more buyers and thus,

empower them through financial inclusion, while promoting organic culture in India.

Through this festival, the Ministry also aims to educate people about its various initiatives and schemes relating

to women and children

Over 200 women have come from all over India together at Leisure Valley, which has become the epicenter of

an organic extravaganza.

The Festival is showcasing over 1,000 varied organic products, including fabric, wellness, grains, seeds,

jewellery, bakery items and a lot more.

NEW SERIES OF SOVERIGN GOLD BONDS

Government of India, in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India, has decided to issue Sovereign Gold

Bonds-2018-19.

The government decided to issue new series of sovereign gold bonds between January 14 and January 18 at Rs

3,214 per gram

The Bonds will be sold through banks, Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL), designated post

offices, and recognised stock exchanges viz., National Stock Exchange of India Limited and Bombay Stock

Exchange Limited.

NATIONAL YOUTH DAY 2019

Government of India has observed National Youth Day on 12th January 2019.

The day is observed every year to mark the birth anniversary of swami Vivekananda nanda. Swamiji was born

on January 12th 1863.

The National Youth festival for 2019 was started by Union Youth & Sports minister Sri Rajvardhan Rathore at

New Delhi

The theme for 2019 National Youth Day is “Be the voice of New India- Find Solutions & Contribute to policy”

As a part of Youth Day the minister also launched National Youth Parliament at New Delhi



COIN AND STAMP ON GURU GOBIND SINGH LAUNCHED

Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a commemorative coin and stamp on Guru Gobind Singh to mark the

350th birth anniversary.

The Tenth Guru of Sikhs- Guru Gobind Singh has been a source of inspiration for many through his teachings

and ideals.

PRAVASI BHARTIYA DIVAS

The center observed the annual celebrations of Pravasi Bhartiya Divas on January 9th and 15th Pravasi Bharatiya

Divas celebrations will be held from 21-23 January, 2019 at Varanasi.

Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Jugnauth will be the chief guest.

This day is observed every year to mark the arrival of Mahatma Gandhi to India from South Africa on January

9th 1915.



DEMOCRACY INDEX 2019

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has released the Democracy Index which ranks 167 countries by 60 indicators

across five broad categories.

India is ranked at 41st place with a score of 7.23/10

This report classifies countries in to

I. Full Democracy

II. Flawed Democracy

III. Hybrid Regime

GANGAJAL PROJECT

Giving a major push to develop and enhance Tourism infrastructure in Agra, the Prime Minister Shri Narendra

Modi launched a series of development projects worth Rs. 2900 Crores for the Agra city and the adjoining areas.

The Prime Minister dedicated to the nation, Gangajal project, which will provide Agra with better and more

assured water supply, at an estimated cost of Rs.2880 crores.

Gangajal project aims to bring 140 cusecs of Ganga water to Agra. This will help meet the

drinking water demands in the city.

WORLD HINDI DAY OBSERVED

World Hindi Day is celebrated on January 10 every year, marking the anniversary of first World Hindi

Conference which was held in 1975 by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

National Hindi Diwas is celebrated every year on September 14. On that day in 1949, the constituent assembly

adopted Hindi, written in Devanagari script, as the official language of the Union.

Eleventh World Hindi Conference was held at Port Louis, Mauritius, 2018

UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME

Sikkim’s ruling party, the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), has decided to implement a Universal Basic Income

(UBI) to all residents of the state.

State Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling has decided to include UBI in its manifesto ahead of the state

assembly election in 2019 and aims to implement the scheme by 2022.

UBI is a scheme that a number of economists have talked about and it works well in developing countries. It has

been tested even in India, debated within the Finance Ministry as early as 2017.

KHELO INDIA YOUTH GAMES 2019

Khelo India Youth Games started at Pune from January 9, 2019 with an aim of Grassroots level hunt for

sportspersons

This is the second edition the games which is an initiative of the Central Government, has expanded in its scope,

and will allow participants to compete in two categories, (Under 17) and (Under 21), this year.

In its new form, the games, which will be known as the Khelo India Youth Games, also allows students from

colleges and Universities to compete.



The other highlight of this year's games is that the national-level competition is moving out of the Capital and

will be held in Maharashtra, which bid for the games, along with Assam and Jharkhand. This time, the games

will be held in Pune, known as the city of students, from January 9 - January 20, 2019.

MEDAL TALLY

Rank State Gold Silver Bronze Total

1 Maharashtra 85 62 81 228

2 Haryana 62 56 60 178

3 Delhi 48 37 51 136

4 Karnataka 30 28 19 77

5 Tamil Nadu 27 35 25 87

6 Uttar Pradesh 23 25 40 88

7 Punjab 23 19 30 72

8 Gujarat 15 9 15 39

9 West Bengal 13 15 16 44

10 Kerala 12 16 30 58

WINTER SESSION OF PARLIAMENT

Winter Session 2018 of Parliament Concludes with a Productivity of Lok Sabha 47% and that of Rajya Sabha

27%; 5 Bills passed by both Houses of Parliament during the Session

During the Session, 17 Bills (12 in the Lok Sabha and 05 in Rajya Sabha) were introduced.

The Lok Sabha passed 14 Bills and while the Rajya Sabha passed 04 Bills during the session.

During the Session, Second Batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2018-19 and the related

Appropriation Bill was introduced, discussed and passed by the Lok Sabha.

The Lok Sabha also passed two important Bills namely the Aadhar and other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019 and

the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019. Three Bills replacing the Ordinances, namely, (i) the Muslim Women

(Protection of Rights on Marriage) Ordinance, 2018 (ii) the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Ordinance,

2018 and (iii) The Companies (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018 which were promulgated by the President, were

considered and passed by Lok Sabha. The Bills are presently in Rajya Sabha.

Apart from the above, the other major highlight of the Session is the passing of the Constitution (One Hundred

Twenty Four) Amendment Bill, 2019 which will provide reservation in services and educational institutions for

economically weaker sections in general category.

The National Trust for Welfare of Persons with Autism, Central Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple

(Disabilities) Amendment Bill, 2018; the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment)

Bill, 2019 and National Council for Teacher Education (Amendment) Bill, 2019 were passed by both Houses of

Parliament.

In the Lok Sabha, 1 Short Duration Discussion under Rule 193 was held on the Rafael Deal. Another Short

Duration Discussion on natural calamities in various parts of the country, particularly in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and

Odisha with special reference to cyclones like Gaja, Titli, etc. was initiated in Lok Sabha and remained

inconclusive.



Proclamation issued by the President on the 19th December, 2018 under article 356 of the Constitution of India

in relation to the State of Jammu and Kashmir was discussed and adopted in the Lok Sabha on 28.12.2018 and in

the Rajya Sabha on 2nd and 3rd January, 2019 respectively.

NANDAN NILEKANI COMMITTEE

Nilekani Panel to strengthen the Digital Payments Ecosystem and suggest measures to strengthen the safety and

security of digital payments in the country was constituted by The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

RBI has provided the following terms of reference for the committee:

I. To encourage digitization of payments and enhance financial inclusion through digitization.

II. Reviewing the existing status of digitization of payments in the country, identifying the current gaps in the

ecosystem and suggesting ways to bridge them.

III. Assessing the current levels of digital payments in financial inclusion.

IV. Suggest measures to strengthen the safety and security of digital payments.

V. Suggest a medium-term strategy for deepening of digital payments.

GITA GOPINATH

Gita Gopinath has joined International Monetary Fund as its 11th chief economist.

She is the first woman to occupy the post of chief economist of IMF.

The Chief Economist is also the Director of the Fund’s Research Department and is responsible for providing

independent advice to the Fund on its policy issues, integrating ideas of the research in the design of policies,

conveying these ideas to the policymakers inside and outside the fund and managing all research done at IMF.

AIRPORTS AUTHORITY OF INDIA

Airports Authority of India (AAI) has imposed a ban on single-use plastic items at its 129 airports across the

country these include banning of single-use plastic items like straws, plastic cutlery, plastic plates etc.

The AAI informed, on the basis of a third-party assessment carried out by Quality Council of India (QCI), 16 of

its airports have been declared as Single-Use Plastic Free.

The QCI will complete its assessment of total 34 airports, which are managed by the AAI, by 31 of this month.

Makaravilakku Festival

It is an annual festival held on Makar Sankranti in Kerala, at the shrine of Sabarimala.

The festival includes the Thiruvabharanam procession and a congregation at the hill shrine of Sabarimala.

It is a practice performed by tribal’s in the forest of Ponnambalamedu

Ashok Chakra for Nazir Wani

President Ramnath Kovind has presented India’s highest Peacetime gallantry award, Ashok Chakra to Lance

Naik “Nazir Wani” posthumously

Nazir Wani has killed two terrorist in Operation Shopian

Ashok Chakra is awarded for courage , self sacrifice and can be compared to Param Vir Chakra



Padma Awards 2019

It is one of the highest civilian Awards of the country, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma

Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.

The Awards are given in various disciplines/ fields of activities, viz.- art, social work, public affairs, science and

engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc.

‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished

service of high order and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field.

The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year. These awards are conferred by the

President of India at ceremonial functions which are held at Rashtrapati Bhawan usually around March/ April

every year.

PADMA VIBHUSHAN (4)

S.No Name Field State

1. Ms. Teejan Bai Art-Vocals-Folk Chhattisgarh

2. Shri Ismail Omar Guelleh (Foreigner) Public Affairs Djibouti

3. Shri Anilkumar Manibhai Naik Trade & Industry- Infrastructure Maharashtra

4. Shri Balwant Moreshwar

Purandare Art-Acting-Theatre Maharashtra

PADMA BHUSHAN- (14)


5. Shri John Chambers (Foreigner) Trade & Industry- Technology USA

6. Shri Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa Public Affairs Punjab

7. Shri Pravin Gordhan (Foreigner) Public Affairs South Africa

8. Shri Mahashay Dharam Pal Gulati Trade & Industry-Food Processing Delhi

9. Shri Darshan Lal Jain Social Work Haryana

10. Shri Ashok Laxmanrao Kukade Medicine-Affordable Healthcare Maharashtra

11. Shri Kariya Munda Public Affairs Jharkhand

12. Shri Budhaditya Mukherjee Art-Music-Sitar West Bengal

13. Shri Mohanlal Viswanathan Nair Art-Acting-Film Kerala

14. Shri S Nambi Narayan Science & Engineering-Space Kerala

15. Shri Kuldip Nayar (Posthumous) Literature & Education (Journalism) Delhi

16. Ms. Bachendri Pal Sports- Mountaineering Uttarakandh

17. Shri V K Shunglu Civil Service Delhi

18. Shri Hukumdev Narayan Yadav Public Affairs Bihar



PADMA SHRI- (94)


19. Shri Rajeshwar Acharya Art-Vocal-Hindustani Uttar Pradesh

20. Shri Bangaru Adigalar Others-Spiritualism Tamil Nadu

21. Shri Illias Ali Medicine-Surgery Assam

22. Shri Manoj Bajpayee Art-Acting-Films Maharashtra

23. Shri Uddhab Kumar Bharali Science & Engineering- Grassroots Innovation

Assam

24. Shri Omesh Kumar Bharti Medicine-Rabies Himachal Pradesh

25. Shri Pritam Bhartwan Art-Vocals-Folk Uttarakandh

26. Shri Jyoti Bhatt Art-Painting Gujarat

27. Shri Dilip Chakravarty Others-Archaeology Delhi

28. Shri Mammen Chandy Medicine-Hematology West Bengal

29. Shri Swapan Chaudhuri Art-Music-Tabla West Bengal

30. Shri Kanwal Singh Chauhan Others-Agriculture Haryana

31. Shri Sunil Chhetri Sports-Football Telangana

32. Shri Dinyar Contractor Art-Acting-Theatre Maharashtra

33. Ms. Muktaben Pankajkumar Dagli

Social Work-Divyang Welfare Gujarat

34. Shri Babulal Dahiya Others-Agriculture Madhya Pradesh

35. Shri Thanga Darlong Art-Music-Flute

Tripura

36. Shri Prabhu Deva Art-Dance Karnataka

37. Ms. Rajkumari Devi Others-Agriculture Bihar

38. Ms. Bhagirathi Devi Public Affairs Bihar

39. Shri Baldev Singh Dhillon Science & Engineering

Agriculture Punjab

40. Ms. Harika Dronavalli Sports-Chess Andhra Pradesh

41. Ms. Godawari Dutta Art-Painting Bihar



42. Shri Gautam Gambhir Sports-Cricket Delhi

43. Ms. Draupadi Ghimiray Social Work-Divyang Welfare Sikkim

44. Ms. Rohini Godbole Science &Engineering-Nuclear Karnataka

45. Shri Sandeep Guleria Medicine-Surgery Delhi

46. Shri Pratap Singh Hardia Medicine-Ophthmology Madhya Pradesh

47. Shri Bulu Imam Social Work-Culture Jharkhand

48. Ms. Friederike Irina (Foreigner)

Social Work-Animal Welfare Germany

49. Shri Joravarsinh Jadav Art-Dance Folk Gujarat

50. Shri S Jaishankar Civil Service Delhi

51. Shri Narsingh Dev Jamwal Literature & Education Jammu & Kashmir

52. Shri Fayaz Ahmad Jan Art-Craft-Papier Mache Jammu & Kashmir

53. Shri K G Jayan Art-Music-Bhakti Kerala

54. Shri Subhash Kak (Foreigner)

Science & Engineering- Technology

USA

55. Shri Sharath Kamal Sports-Table Tennis Tamil Nadu

56. Shri Rajani Kant Social Work Uttar Pradesh

57. Shri Sudam Kate Medicine-Sickle Cell Maharashtra

58. Shri Waman Kendre Art-Acting-Theatre Maharashtra

59. Shri Kader Khan (Posthumous-Foreigner)

Art-Acting-Films Canada

60. Shri Abdul Gafur Khatri Art-Painting Gujarat

Shri Ravindra Kolhe (Duo)* Medicine-Affordable Healthcare Maharashtra 61.

Ms. Smita Kolhe (Duo)* Medicine-Affordable Healthcare Maharashtra

62. Ms. Bombayla Devi Laishram Sports-Archery Manipur

63. Shri Kailash Madbaiya Literature & Education Madhya Pradesh

64. Shri Ramesh Babaji Maharaj Social Work-Animal Welfare Uttar Pradesh

65. Shri Vallabhbhai Vasrambhai Marvaniya

Others-Agriculture Gujarat



66. Ms. Gita Mehta (Foreigner) Literature & Education USA

67. Shri Shadab Mohammad Medicine-Dentistry Uttar Pradesh

68. Shri K K Muhammad Others-Archaeology Kerala

69. Shri Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Medicine-Affordable Healthcare Jharkhand

70. Shri Daitari Naik Social Work Odisha

71. Shri Shankar Mahadevan Narayan

Art-Vocals-Films Maharashtra

72. Shri Shantanu Narayen (Foreigner) Trade & Industry-Technology USA

73. Nartaki Natraj Art-Dance-Bharatnatyam Tamil Nadu

74. Shri Tsering Norboo Medicine-Surgery Jammu & Kashmir

75. Shri Anup Ranjan Pandey Art-Music Chhattisgarh

76. Shri Jagdish Prasad Parikh Others-Agriculture Rajasthan

77. Shri Ganpatbhai Patel (Foreigner) Literature & Education USA

78. Shri Bimal Patel Others-Architecture Gujarat

79. Shri Hukumchand Patidar Others-Agriculture Rajasthan

80. Shri Harvinder Singh Phoolka Public Affairs Punjab

81. Ms. Madurai Chinna Pillai Social Work-Microfinance Tamil Nadu

82. Ms. Tao Porchon-Lynch (Foreigner) Others-Yoga USA

83. Ms. Kamala Pujhari Others-Agriculture Odisha

84. Shri Bajrang Punia Sports-Wrestling Haryana

85. Shri Jagat Ram Medicine-Ophthalmology Chandigarh

86. Shri R V Ramani Medicine-Ophthalmology Tamil Nadu

87. Shri Devarapalli Prakash Rao Social Work-

Affordable Education Odisha

88. Shri Anup Sah Art-Photography Uttarakandh

89. Ms. Milena Salvini (Foreigner) Art-Dance-Kathakali France

90. Shri Nagindas Sanghavi Literature &

Education-Journalism Maharashtra



91. Shri Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry Art-Lyrics Telangana

92. Shri Shabbir Sayyad Social Work-Animal Welfare Maharashtra

93. Shri Mahesh Sharma Social Work-Tribal Welfare Madhya Pradesh

94. Shri Mohammad Hanif Khan Shastri Literature & Education Delhi

95. Shri Brijesh Kumar Shukla Literature & Education Uttar Pradesh

96. Shri Narendra Singh Others-Animal Husbandry Haryana

97. Ms. Prashanti Singh Sports-Basketball Uttar Pradesh

98. Shri Sultan Singh Others-Animal Husbandry Haryana

99. Shri Jyoti Kumar Sinha Social Work-

Affordable Education Bihar

100. Shri Anandan Sivamani Art-Music Tamil Nadu

101. Ms. Sharada Srinivasan Others-Archaeology Karnataka

102. Shri Devendra Swarup (Posthumous) Literature &

Education-Journalism Uttar Pradesh

103. Shri Ajay Thakur Sports-Kabaddi Himachal Pradesh

104. Shri Rajeev Tharanath Art-Music-Sarod Karnataka

105. Ms. Saalumarada Thimmakka Social Work- Environment Karnataka

106. Ms. Jamuna Tudu Social Work- Environment Jharkhand

107. Shri Bharat Bhushan Tyagi Others-Agriculture Uttar Pradesh

108. Shri Ramaswami Venkataswami Medicine-Surgery Tamil Nadu

109. Shri Ram Saran Verma Others-Agriculture Uttar Pradesh

110. Shri Swami Vishudhananda Others-Spiritualism Kerala

111. Shri Hiralal Yadav Art-Vocals-Folk Uttar Pradesh

112. Shri Venkateswara Rao Yadlapalli Others-Agriculture Andhra Pradesh



India and Kuwait 2019

Indian Cabinet has approved the MOU with Kuwait on Recruitment of Domestic Worker

This MOU will benefit around 300000 Indian workers deployed in Kuwait which include 90000 female workers

It provided for structured framework and a security for Domestic Workers

The MOU is valid for five years with automatic renewal, It has ensures to set up an Joint Committee for

implementing the MOU

UDAN Scheme

Airport Authority of India had signed an MOU with Swedish Aerospace & Defense Company for implementing

Civil Aviation scheme UDAN

The MOU targets Air Traffic Management system solutions for Airports under UDAN scheme

UDAN stands for Ude Desh Ki Aam Nagarik. Or also called Regional Connectivity Scheme

The objective of the scheme is to make air travel affordable and widespread, to boost inclusive national

economic development, job growth and air transport infrastructure development of all regions and states of India



India Africa Field Training Exercise (IAFTX) - 2019

The final planning conference to work out the modalities for Indian Africa Field Training Exercise (IAFTX)-

2019 is being conducted at Pune on 23-24 January 2019.

Delegates from Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, South Africa, Tanzania, Namibia, Mozambique,

Uganda, Niger & Zambia attended the conference.

Indian Africa Field Training Exercise (IAFTX)-2019 was conducted at Aundh Military Station and College of

Military Engineering, Pune from 18 March to 27 March 2019.

The joint training exercise is being conducted with more than a dozen African countries & India.

It aims at synergizing humanitarian mine action and joint peace operations. The initial planning conference for

the exercise was held in December 2018.

The IAFTX-2019 is a positive step towards growing political and military ties with the member nations of

African continent and will boost the already strong strategic cooperation between the countries.

.

The Bloomberg Innovation Index 2019

The Bloomberg Innovation index examines each country in range of areas including education, research and

development and manufacturing with a list of 60 most innovative countries.

The countries are ranked on the basis of their overall ability to innovate considering seven-equal

weighted metrics such as R & D intensity, manufacturing value added, productivity, high tech density, tertiary

efficiency, patent activity and researcher concentration

Each economy has been assigned a score from 0-100 on the basis of seven equal-weighted metrics.

South Korea retained the global crown in the 2019 Bloomberg Innovation Index.

India is placed at 54th spot in Bloomberg Innovation Index with a score of 47.93 out of 100.



Union Cabinet has approved Currency Swap with SAARC countries

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given ex-post facto approval for

amendment to the ‘Framework on Currency Swap Arrangement for SAARC Member Countries’ to incorporate a

‘Standby Swap’ amounting to USD 400 million operated within the overall size of the Facility of USD 2 billion

and build in flexibility with respect to modalities of its operation, such as period of swap, roll over, etc. after due

consideration of conditions of requesting SAARC member countries and domestic requirements of India.

The incorporation of ‘Standby Swap’ within the approved SAARC Swap Framework would provide necessary

flexibility to the Framework and would enable India to provide a prompt response to the current request from

SAARC member countries for availing the swap amount exceeding the present limit prescribed under the

SAARC Swap Framework.

RBI will negotiate the operational details bilaterally with the Central Banks of the SAARC countries availing the

Standby Swap.

Pravasi Bhartiya Divas 2019 at Varanasi

The 15th edition of Pravasi Bhartiya Divas was held at Varanasi on 21st January 2019.

For the first time in the history of Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas, the event is being held in Varanasi, the cultural and

spiritual capital of India.

The theme for PBD 2019 is "Role of Indian Diaspora in building New India". Several world leaders of Indian

origin will share their insights into the role of Indian Diaspora for a New India. Major events includes Youth

PBD

Youth PBD: The opening day on 21st January will mark the Youth PBD with the focus on the generation next

especially from Uttar Pradesh. The young Diaspora will engage with its counterparts back home in India.



External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj along with UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, MoS sports and Youth

affairs, Colonel Rajyawardhan Singh Rathore will share the dais with Member of Parliament from New Zealand

Kanwal Jeet Singh Bakshi and MP from Norway Himanshu Gulati among others.

Horticulture Production in India 2017-18

Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare releases the 2017-18 Final and 2018-19 1st

Advance Est. of Area and Production of Horticulture Crops

According to the report, Nation witnesses record production of 311.7 MT Horticulture Crops in 2017-18, 3.7%

higher than the previous year and 10% higher than past 5 years’ average production

The following table summarizes the All-India Final Estimates: 2017-18 and 2018-19(1st Advance Estimates)vis-

a-vis2016-17:

Total Horticulture 2016-17 2017-18

(Final)

2018-19

(First Adv. Est.)

Area

(Million Ha) 24.85 25.43 25.87

Production

(Million Tonnes) 300.64 311.71 314.67

Carnot prize for Minister Piyush Goyal

Union Minister for Railways, Coal and Corporate Affairs Piyush Goyal was selected for the prestigious Carnot

prize for his contribution towards sustainable energy solutions by by the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at

the University of Pennsylvania School of Design.

The Carnot Prize is the Kleinman Center’s annual recognition of distinguished contributions to energy policy

through scholarship or practice.

The award in the energy sector is named after French physicist Nicolas Sadi Carnot who recognised that the

power of the steam engine would “produce a great revolution“ in human development.

The 2018 Carnot Prize is a recognition of India’s efforts under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as the nation

charts the path towards eliminating energy poverty with sustainable energy solutions, the statement said.

INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE PERIODIC TABLE (IYPT)

UNESCO declared 2019 has International Year of the Periodic Table.

The Periodic Table of Chemical Elements is one of the most significant achievements in science, capturing the

essence not only of chemistry, but also of physics and biology.

It is a unique tool, enabling scientist to predict the appearance and properties of matter on the Earth and in the

rest of the Universe.

2019 will be the 150th anniversary since Dmitry Mendeleev discovered the Periodic System and has been

proclaimed the “International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements” (IYPT2019).



The initiative for IYPT2019 is supported by IUPAC in partnership with the International Union of Pure and

Applied Physics (IUPAP), European Association for Chemical and Molecular Science (EuCheMS), the

International Council for Science (ICSU), International Astronomical Union (IAU), and the International Union

of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology (IUHPS). It was submitted by numerous organizations

from over 50 countries around the world.

Digital Currency - Aber

The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) central bank (UAECB) and the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA)

have announced that the interbank digital currency they are co-developing will be called “Aber.”

The Objective of launching the common digital currency project ‘Aber’ is for use in financial settlements

between the two countries through Blockchain and distributed ledger technologies.

Corruption Perception Index 2018

India has improved its ranking on a global corruption index in 2018, the annual index released by Transparency

International

India rose by three points to 78 in the list of 180 countries in the world, while China ranked 87 and Pakistan 117

in 2018, the Transparency International said in its Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2018.

The top countries on the list are Denmark and New Zealand, with scores of 88 and 87 respectively. Somalia,

Syria and South Sudan are at the bottom of the list, with scores of 10, 13 and 13 respectively.



Ganga Expressway

The Government of Uttar Pradesh has approved for the construction of World’s Longest Expressway.

The expressway will provide a better and speed connectivity between Prayagraj and Western Uttar Pradesh

The total cost of the project is 36000 Cr and with the length of 600 KM

Mohammed Shami

The fast Bowler of India is the first fastest Cricketer to take 100 wickets in ODI Internationals

He reached this achievement in 56 ODI games. Before Shami, Ifran Patan reached the fleet in 59 ODIs

Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) Survey

India has decided to Particparte in 2021 PISA which does survey on child education. India before participated in

the survey in 2009

The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a triennial international survey which aims to

evaluate education systems worldwide by testing the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students who are

nearing the end of their compulsory education.

PISA assesses how well they can apply what they learn in school to real-life situations. Over 90 countries have

participated in the assessment so far which began in 2000.

Every three years students are tested in the key subjects: reading, mathematics and science.

International Day of Education 2019

The first ever International Day of Education is observed on January 24th

On 3 December 2018, the United Nations General Assembly adopted with consensus a resolution proclaiming 24

January as International Day of Education, in celebration of the role of education for peace and development.

The adoption of the resolution 73/25 “International Day of Education”, co-authored by Nigeria and 58 other

Member States, demonstrated the unwavering political will to support transformative actions for inclusive,

equitable and quality education for all.

UNESCO, as the specialized United Nations agency for education, will facilitate the annual observance of the

Day in close collaboration with main education actors.



Vande Bharath Express

Minister of Railways & Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal launched Vande Bharat Express for Train 18, acknowledging

it’s made-in-India status.

This train set has been manufactured by Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in the period of 18 months under 'Make in

India' program.

Vande Bharat Express is the next major leap for Indian Railways in terms of speed and convenience. It is India's

first semi-high speed train equipped with world class passenger amenities.

It can achieve high speeds (max speed of 160 kmph) due to faster acceleration & deceleration and will reduce

journey time by 25% to 45%. Scheduled commute between New Delhi & Varanasi will take approximately 8

hours making it 40-50% faster than the fastest train currently connecting these two cities.

Vande Bharat Express incorporates many modern features which debut for the very first time on Indian

Railways. It has been provided with ‘State of the Art’ passenger amenities like On-board wifi entertainment,

GPS based passenger information system, CCTVs, bio-vacuum toilets, rotating chairs in executive class, etc. at

par with global standards. It also has provision of Divyang-friendly facilities. It will have 16 coaches with Chair

Car type configuration with 2 Executive Class Chair Cars and 14 Chair Cars.

Further, it has intelligent braking system with power regeneration for better energy efficiency thereby making it

cost, energy and environment efficient.



Nari Shakti: Hindi Word of the year 2018

The word Nari Shakti was chosen as Hindi word of the year 2018 by Oxford Dictionary at Jaipur Literary

Festival

The word Nari Shakti means a symbol of women empowerment and denotes the self of women in India

Australian Open 2019

The 2019 Australian Open tournament took place at Melbourne Park from 14 to 27 January 2019.

It was the 107th edition of the Australian Open, the 51st in the Open Era, and the first Grand Slam of the year.

The tournament consisted of events for professional players in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. Junior and

wheelchair players competed in singles and doubles tournaments.

The 2019 Australian Open was the first Australian Open to feature final set tie-breaks.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia won the men's singles title at the 2019 Australian Open, defeating Rafael Nadal of

Spain 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 in the men's final.

Naomi Osaka of Japan defeated Petra Kvitová of the Czech Republic 7-6, 5-7, 6-4 to win the women's singles

title.

Successful Flight Test of LRSAM

Indian Navy has launched Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM) has been successfully test fired from

INS Chennai against an incoming aerial target flying at low altitude.

The missile destroyed the target with a direct hit. All the mission objectives have been met.

LRSAM has been jointly developed by Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), India and

M/s Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Israel for the Indian Navy.

Diffo Bridge inaugurated at Arunachal Pradesh

Smt Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated the 426.60 metre long Pre Stressed Concrete Box Girder type bridge over

Diffo River on Roing-Koron-Paya road in Arunachal Pradesh.

Dedicating the bridge to the nation, the Raksha Mantri praised the commendable work being done by Project

Udayak, Border Roads Organization (BRO) in this region.

Smt Sitharaman appreciated completion of this prestigious bridge which would provide uninterrupted access

between Dibang valley and Lohit valley region of Eastern Arunachal Pradesh and an all-weather Road to the

troops deployed on the China Border.

Indian Sign Language

Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot Launched ‘2nd Edition of ISL Dictionary’ for Hearing Impaired Persons at New

Delhi

This is organized by ‘Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC)’ under Department of

Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), M/o Social Justice & Empowerment at a function here

today.

The first edition of the dictionary with 3000 words was launched on 23rd March 2018.



The second edition, dictionary includes total 6000 words under the categories of academic, legal, medical,

technical and everyday terms.

According to Census 2011, there are 50.71 lakh hearing impaired persons in India. Most of the hearing impaired

persons use Indian Sign Language to communicate.

The aim of the dictionary is to help spread the use of ISL and result in better education and employment

opportunities for hearing impaired persons.

The dictionary is intended to serve as a resource for ISL teachers, ISL learners, teachers of the hearing impaired,

interpreters, parents of hearing impaired children, researchers, etc.

Southern Coast Railway Zone

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved setting up of a Railway Zone at

Vishakhapatnam and a new division with headquarter at Rayagada by reorganizing the existing South Central

Railway and East Coast Railway.

Setting up of the new Railway Zone will bring optimality with regard to size and scale of railway operations and

also to meet the persistent demand and aspirations of the people of the area.

This is made following the AP reorganization Act of 2014 under Item 8 of Schedule 13

Scheme for Higher Education Youth in Apprenticeship and Skills (SHREYAS)

The Minister for Human Resources Development, Shri Prakash Javadekar has launched the Scheme for Higher

Education Youth in Apprenticeship and Skills (SHREYAS) for providing industry apprenticeship opportunities

to the general graduates exiting in April 2019 through the National Apprenticeship Promotional Scheme

(NAPS).

The program aims to enhance the employability of Indian youth by providing ‘on the job work exposure’ and

earning of stipend.

SHREYAS will be a major effort in this direction to make our degree students more skilled, capable, employable

and aligned to the needs of our economy so that they contribute to country’s progress and also obtain gainful

employment.

The program is basket comprising the initiatives of three Central Ministries, namely the Ministry of Human

Resource Development, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and the Ministry of Labor &

Employment viz the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), the National Career Service

(NCS)and introduction of BA/BSc/BCom (Professional) courses in the higher educational institutions.

International Court of Justice & Diego Garcia

In a 13-to-1 decision, the International Court of Justice has ruled that the UK should give the Chagos Islands

back to Mauritius, the archipelagic nation that once owned them.

The ruling covers Diego Garcia, the strategic American naval base on a British-controlled atoll.

Britain captured Mauritius from the French in 1810 and ruled it until independence in 1968. Prior to the advent

of Mauritian self-rule, Britain separated the Chagos Islands and designated the archipelago an overseas territory.



The UK claims that the islands are its own sovereign territory, but allows that they will become part of

Mauritius' sovereign territory

According to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, the British decided to keep the Chagos

Archipelago in order to accommodate America's interest in Diego Garcia. The island is an ideal location for a

naval station, far from population centers but within reach of multiple theaters in the Middle East, East Africa,

Central Asia and the Indian Ocean.

Beginning in 1968, the UK and US removed an estimated 1,000-1,500 inhabitants from the island and built a

secure military facility, which has served a critical defense function for fifty years.

Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) and RBI

Reserve Bank of India has removed three banks namely Dhanalakshmi Bank, Allahabad Bank and Corporation

Bank from PCA

PCA lays out the case for structured early intervention and resolution by regulators for banks that become under-

capitalised due to poor asset quality or vulnerable due to loss of profitability.

To ensure that banks don't go bust, RBI has put in place some trigger points to assess, monitor, control and take

corrective actions on banks which are weak and troubled. The process or mechanism under which such actions

are taken is known as Prompt Corrective Action.



PCA matrix - areas and risk thresholds Area Risk thresholds - 1 Risk thresholds - 2 Risk thresholds - 3

Capital (Breach of

either CRAR) or

CET 1 ratio)

Up to 250 bps below

indicator <10.25% but

7.75% upto 162.50 bps

below indicator <6.75 but

5.125%

More than 250 bps but not

exceeding 400 bps below indicator

<7.75% but 6.25% more than

162.50 bps below but not

exceeding 312.50 bps below

indicator <5.125% but 6.625%

In excess of 312.50

bps below indicator

<3.625%

Asset Quality (Net

non-performing

advances ratio)

Negative ROA for two

consecutive years

Negative ROA for three

consecutive years

Negative ROA for

four consecutive

years

Leverag Tier 1

Leverage ratio

4.0% but 3.5% (leverage

is over 25 times the Tier 1

capital)

< 3.5% (leverage is over 28.6 times

the Tier 1 capital)

Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile Tested

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test fired indigenously developed Quick

Reach Surface-to-Air missiles (QRSAM) from ITR Chandipur, off the Odisha Coast.

The two missiles were tested for different altitude and conditions. The test flights successfully demonstrated the

robust Control, Aerodynamics, Propulsion, Structural performance and high maneuvering capabilities thus

proving the design configuration.

Radars, Electro Optical Systems, Telemetry and other stations have tracked the Missiles and monitored through

the entire flights.

4th Global Digital Health Partnership Summit

Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare inaugurated the ‘4th Global Digital Health

Partnership Summit’.

The global intergovernmental meeting on digital health is being hosted by the Ministry of Health and Family

Welfare in collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Digital Health

Partnership (GDHP).

Digital governance is good governance and bridging a digital divide must be achieved through technology that is

low cost.

91st Oscar Awards 2019

The 91st Oscars recognizes the biggest film stars in Hollywood and the behind-the-scenes talent that make

movies possible.



Best Picture : “Green Book”

Director : Alfonso Cuarón, “Roma”

Actor : Rami Malek, “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Actress : Olivia Colman, “The Favourite”

Supporting Actor : Mahershala Ali, “Green Book”

Supporting Actress : Regina King, “If Beale Street Could Talk”

Original Screenplay : “Green Book”

Adapted Screenplay : “BlackKklansman”

Foreign Language Film : “Roma”

Animated Feature : “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”

Documentary Short : “Period. End of Sentence.”

National Institute of Design

Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, inaugurated National Institutes of

Design (NID) at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh and Jorhat in Assam through video conference from New Delhi on

22nd February 2019.

Both institutes are autonomous institutions under Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade

(DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

With design and innovation taking prime importance in many sectors, policies, and schemes of the government

like "Make in India”, “Skill India”, “Digital India”, “Startup India”, and “Smart City initiatives” to name a few,

it is imperative to promote design education.

The National Design Policy 2007 had recommended setting up design institutes on the lines of NID, Ahmedabad

in other parts of India to promote design programs.

Four new NIDs have been set up in Andhra Pradesh (Amaravati), Assam (Jorhat), Madhya Pradesh (Bhopal) and

Haryana (Kurukshetra) with a total outlay of Rs. 434 crore.

New NIDs in different regions of the country will help produce highly skilled manpower in design which, in

turn, will create job opportunities, both direct and indirect, by providing sustainable design interventions for

crafts, handloom, rural technology, small, medium and large-scale enterprises and outreach programs for

capacity, capability and institution building.

National War Memorial

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi dedicated the National War Memorial to the nation in a solemn

ceremonial function tomorrow on February 25th.

The National War Memorial, near India Gate in New Delhi, is a fitting tribute to our soldiers who laid down

their lives defending the nation, post-independence.

The National War Memorial also commemorates the soldiers who participated and made the supreme sacrifice in

Peace Keeping Missions, and Counter Insurgency Operations.



The layout of the National War Memorial comprises four concentric circles, namely, the ‘Amar Chakra’ or

Circle of Immortality, the ‘Veerta Chakra’ or Circle of Bravery, the ‘Tyag Chakra’ or Circle of Sacrifice, and the

‘Rakshak Chakra’ or Circle of Protection.

POSHAN ABHIYAAN

The Ministry of Women and Child Development conducted first National workshop on POSHAN Abhiyaan

involving all the States and Union Territories at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, New Delhi.

The Ministry organised the day long workshop with participation from all the states/UTs to provide a complete

orientation on the POSHAN Abhiyaan,to explain the key components of the Abhiyaan, to provide handholding

in using the softwares involved, and to augment the convergence with the different Ministries involved in

implementing the Abhiyaan for improved Nutritional outcomes.

Launching the five e-ILA (e-Incremental Learning Approach) courses and two ECCE(Early Childhood Care and

Education) software modules, Sh.Rakesh Srivastava,Secretary, WCD has said that the Government has approved

a 3-year budget of ₹ 9046.15 cr, commencing from 2017-18, for POSHAN Abhiyaan.

e-ILA is an online system where programme functionaries will become more effective by learning to plan and

execute each task correctly and consistently through methodical and ongoing capacity building.

Afghanistan begins export to India via Chabahar port

Afghanistan has begun exports to India through Iran’s Chabahar port, as the landlocked country turns to overseas

markets to improve its economy at Zaranj city

This move will result in healthy cooperation between India, Iran and Afghanistan.

23 trucks carrying 57 tonnes of dried fruits, textiles, carpets and mineral products were dispatched from Zaranj

to Chabahar port to be shipped to Mumbai.

The Iranian port provides easy access to the sea to Afghanistan and India has helped developed this route to

allow both countries to engage in trade bypassing Pakistan.

Seoul Peace Prize

Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the Seoul Peace Prize on his tour to South Korea

The prime minister was conferred the honour for his efforts in promoting global peace and harmony through

inclusive economic growth and for improving quality of life.

The Prime Minister accepted the award and dedicated it to the people of India.

The Prime Minister was awarded the prize money of $200,000 that he contributed to the Namami Gange fund.



Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is the second largest inter-governmental organization after the

United Nations with a membership of 57 states spread over four continents.

The Organization is the collective voice of the Muslim world. It endeavors to safeguard and protect the interests

of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony among various people of the

world.

The Organization was established upon a decision of the historical summit which took place in Rabat, Kingdom

of Morocco on 12th Rajab 1389 Hijra (25 September 1969) following the criminal arson of Al-Aqsa Mosque in

occupied Jerusalem.

India was first time invited as a Guest of Honor in its 46th Session at UAE

Swasth Immunised India Campaign

Swasth Immunised India aims to build a robust campaign aimed at spreading awareness on the importance and

benefits of immunisation among the masses.

The campaign will also work towards dispelling myths and misconceptions pertaining to the administration of

vaccination among Indians.

The primary aim of the campaign is to raise awareness about the importance and benefits of vaccine

administration, advocating its acceptance and building a strong immunization outreach in the country.

Government of India has appointed Kareena Kapoor Khan as its Brand Ambassador



Festival of India in Nepal

The Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre, Embassy of India, Kathmandu with the support of the Ministry of

Culture, Government of India celebrated ‘Festival of India in Nepal’ from 19 February to 22 March 2019 to

rejoice the existing age-old multifaceted relations between India and Nepal.

The Festival of India in Nepal aimed to consolidate and strengthen our existing age-old relations, reinforcing

sensibilities, affinities and shared cultural bonds between the people of our two countries.

1st Mega Food Park of Tripura

Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti inaugurated Sikaria Mega Food

Park Pvt Ltd at Village Tulakona in Agartala.

This is the first Mega Food Park in the state of Tripura.

The Mega Food Park has been set up in 50 acre of land at the cost of Rs. 87.45 crore.

Government of India has accorded approval of a financial assistance of Rs. 50.00 Crore to the project.

The food park is having facilities of fully operational Dry warehouse and material handling of 5000 MT,

Pineapple canning and Pulping line of 2 MT/Hr each, Packing Unit, Ripening Chambers of 40 TPD, Cold

Storage of 5000 MT with Frozen Storage of 1000 MT, Quality Control, Research & Development Centreetc. It

also has fully developed Industrial plots for setting up processing units and Standard Design Factory (SDF)

Sheds to provide ready to move in facility for micro and small enterprises.

The Mega Food Park will leverage an additional investment of about Rs. 250 crores in 25-30 food processing

units in the park and generate a turnover of about Rs. 450-500 Crore annually.

The Park will also provide direct and indirect employment to 5000 people and benefit about 25000 farmers in the

CPC and PPC catchment areas.

HRD Minister launches Operation Digital Board

The Minister of Human Resource Development, Shri Prakash Javadekar launched Operation Digital Board to

leverage technology in order to boost quality education in the country.

It will also help in provisioning of personalised adaptive learning as well as Intelligent Tutoring by exploiting

emerging technologies like Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence & Data Analytics. An expert committee

has worked out optimum configuration of the Digital Class Rooms under ODB.

The spread of educational technology and connectivity has given an opportunity to resolve this issue and aim at

equity in educational standards.



Aero India 2019

Raksha Mantri Smt Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated the 12th biennial edition of International Aerospace and

Defence Exhibition at Air Force Station Yelahanka in Bengaluru.

This edition of Aero India, for the first time, combines the defence and civil aviation segments into a holistic

event with the co-involvement of the defence and civil aviation ministries in the event.

More than 600 Indian Companies and 200 Foreign Companies are participating and witnessing the largest Air

show of Asia.

Government took massive Recapitalization Policy

In order to boost the economy and increase the growth , Government of India has infused 48,239 Cr in to 12

government banks

This move is taken following Mission Indradanush of Union Budget 2019

Light Combat Aircraft Tejas MK I set its operations

Indian Air Force (IAF), formally declared of its Final Operational Clearance (FOC) of the Tejas Aircraft

FOC involves addition of key capabilities to the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) aircraft which are Beyond

Visual Range Missile capabilities. Air-to-Air Refuelling, Air-to-Ground FOC earmarked weapons and general

flight envelope expansion.

Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) of the aircraft took place in the year 2013 and IOC standard Aircraft were

inducted into IAF No. 45 Squadron, in July 2016. The IAF Squadron has since flown over

The first ever Diesel to Electric Converted Locomotive Inaugurated

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi laid foundation stone of Guru Ravidas Birth Place Development

Project to mark Ravidas Jayanti celebrations and flagged off the first ever Diesel to Electric Converted

Locomotive at Diesel Locomotive Works in Varanasi.



In line with the Indian Railways' Mission of 100 percent electrification, Diesel Locomotive Works, Varanasi has

developed a new prototype Electric Locomotive converted from Diesel Locomotive.

After its mandatory trials, the Prime Minister inspected the locomotive and flagged it off. Indian Railways has

decided to convert all Diesel Locomotive to Electric Locomotive during its mid-life rehabilitation and utilize

them till their codal life.

The project is a step towards saving traction energy cost and also cut down on carbon emissions.

Diesel Locomotive Works took just 69 days to convert two WDG3A Diesel Locos into a Twin Electric WAGC3

locomotive of 10,000 HP.

The European Parliament has voted for a complete ban on a range of single-use plastics

European Union backed a ban on plastic cutlery and plates, cotton buds, straws, drink-stirrers and balloon sticks.

The proposal also calls for a reduction in single-use plastic for food and drink containers like plastic cups.

The measure still has to clear some procedural hurdles, but is expected to go through. The EU hopes it will go

into effect across the bloc by 2021.

The UK will also have to incorporate the rules into national law if the ban becomes a fully-fledged directive

before the end of a Brexit transition period.

Tashigang, Himachal Pradesh

Election Commission of India is all set to conduct 2019 general elections for India starting from 11th April.

There are around 10.35 lakh polling stations in India and Tashigang, Himachal Pradesh is the highest polling

station in the world.

The village of Tashigang is situated in the Spiti valley, which lies less than 30 kilometers from the Indo-China

border.

It will cater to 48 voters.

Electoral bonds

Electoral bonds will allow donors to pay political parties using banks as an intermediary.

Although called a bond, the banking instrument resembling promissory notes will not carry any interest.

The electoral bond, which will be a bearer instrument, will not carry the name of the payee and can be bought for

any value, in multiples of Rs 1,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 1 lakh, Rs 10 lakh or Rs 1 crore.

As per provisions of the Scheme, electoral bonds may be purchased by a citizen of India, or entities incorporated

or established in India.

A person being an individual can buy electoral bonds, either singly or jointly with other individuals. Only the

registered Political Parties which have secured not less than one per cent of the votes polled in the last Lok

Sabha elections or the State Legislative Assembly are eligible to receive the Electoral Bonds.

The electoral bonds are aimed at rooting out the current system of largely anonymous cash donations made to

political parties which lead to the generation of black money in the economy.



A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking to strike down the ‘Electoral Bond Scheme 2018’ and

amendments in the Finance Act, 2017, which allow for “unlimited donations from individuals and foreign

companies to political parties without any record of the sources of funding”.

Multi Dimensional Poverty Index 2018

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development reaffirmed the importance of multi-dimensional approaches to

poverty eradication that go beyond economic deprivation.

The 2018 MPI answers the call to better measure progress against Sustainable Development Goal 1 – to end

poverty in all its forms; and opens a new window into how poverty - in all its dimensions – is changing.

Government notifies Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules 2019

Health and Family Welfare Ministry have notified the Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules, 2019 with an aim to

promote clinical research in the country.

The new rules will change the regulatory landscape for the approval of new drugs and conduct of clinical trials

in the country.

These rules will apply to all new drugs, investigational new drugs for human use, clinical trial, bioequivalence

study and Ethics Committee.

It has reduced the time for approving applications to 30 days for drugs manufactured in India and 90 days for

those developed outside the country.

The rules stated that in case of no communication from Drugs Controller General of India, the application will

be deemed to have been approved.

It said the requirement of a local clinical trial may be waived for approval of a new drug if it is approved and

marketed in any of the countries to be specified by the Drugs Controller General with the approval of the

government.

The new rules will ensure patient safety, as they would be enlisted for trials with informed consent.

The ethics committee will monitor the trials and decide on the amount of compensation in cases of adverse

events.



Mission Shakti

PM in his address to nation has announced the successful conduction of Mission Shakti

The successful conduct of Mission Shakti has made India the fourth nation in the world, with the capability to

successfully target satellites through an Anti-Satellite Missile.

The Prime Minister said that India follows the philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam - the world is one family.

"Candidate Connect" and "Share You Voted"

Social-networking gaint the Facebook launched two new India-specific tools called "Candidate Connect" and

"Share You Voted", to boost civic engagement on its platform during the general elections.

While "Candidate Connect" will help people learn more about candidates, the "Share You Voted" will provide

people with polling information and enable them to announce and celebrate their vote.

Global Energy Transition index

India has moved up two places to rank 76th on a global energy transition index, which has ranked 115

economies on how well they are able to balance energy security and access with environmental sustainability

and affordability.



The report is released by Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF)

Sweden remains on the top on this annual list and is followed by Switzerland and Norway in the top three.

The WEF said energy systems have globally become less affordable and less environmentally sustainable than

they were five years ago, though access to energy has improved with less than 1 billion now living without

access to electricity.

It said India is amongst the countries with high pollution levels and has a relatively high CO2 intensity in its

energy system.

Young Scientist Programme

Indian Space Research Organisation has launched a special programme for School Children called “Young

Scientist Programme” which is primarily aimed at imparting basic knowledge on Space Technology, Space

Science and Space Applications to the younger ones with the intent of arousing their interest in the emerging

areas of Space activities.

ISRO has chalked out this programme to “Catch them young”. The residential training programme will be of

around two weeks duration during summer holidays and it is proposed to select 3 students each from each State/

Union Territory to participate in this programme every year covering CBSE, ICSE and State syllabus.

Those who have finished 8th standard and currently studying in 9th standard will be eligible for the programme.

AUSINDEX-19

The third edition of AUSINDEX, an acronym for Australia India Exercise is scheduled to commence at

Visakhapatnam on 02 April 19.

The aim of the exercise is, “To strengthen and enhance mutual cooperation and interoperability between the IN

and RAN, providing opportunities for interaction and exchange of professional views between the personnel of

the two navies”.

A sign of strengthening of bilateral and defence cooperation between the two countries as envisaged in the

Framework for Security Cooperation (FSC) announced by the Australian and Indian Prime Ministers in 2014.

The maiden edition of the exercise was held in September 2015 at Visakhapatnam.

Australia hosted the second edition of the exercise off Freemantle in June 2017, wherein ships of the Eastern

Fleet of the Indian Navy (IN) exercised with Royal Australian Navy (RAN) ships and submarines.

World Meteorological Day 2019

March 23rd of every year is observed as World Meteorological Day to mark the establishment of World

Meteorological Organization in 1950

The theme for this year is “The sun, The Earth and the Weather”

Shaheed Diwas observed

March 23rd of every year is observed as Shaheed Diwas marking the hanging of three extremist freedom fighters

namely – Bhagat Singh, Raj Guru and Sukdev



Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were hanged to death 11 hours before the scheduled time for the Saunder's

murder case. The day they were executed is celebrated as Martyrs' Day throughout the country.

Indian Accounting Standards

Indian Accounting Standard (Ind-AS) is the Accounting standard adopted by companies in India and issued

under the supervision and control of Accounting Standards Board (ASB), which was constituted as a body in the

year 1977.

ASB is a committee under Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) which consists of representatives

from government department, academicians, other professional bodies’ viz. ICAI, representatives from

ASSOCHAM, CII, FICCI, etc.

The Ind AS are named and numbered in the same way as the corresponding International Financial Reporting

Standards (IFRS).

National Advisory Committee on Accounting Standards (NACAS) recommended these standards to the Ministry

of Corporate Affairs (MCA). MCA has to spell out the accounting standards applicable for companies in India.

As on date MCA has notified 39 Ind AS. This shall be applied to the companies of financial year 2015-16

voluntarily and from 2016-17 on a mandatory basis.

World Water Day 2019

World Water Day is an annual UN observance day that highlights the importance of freshwater.

The day is used to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

World Water Day is celebrated around the world with a variety of events. These can be educational, theatrical,

musical or lobbying in nature

The theme for 2019 is “Water for All”

World Down syndrome Day 2019

Down syndrome is a naturally occurring chromosomal arrangement that has always been a part of the human

condition, exists in all regions across the globe and commonly results in variable effects on learning styles,

physical characteristics or health.

In December 2011, the General Assembly declared 21 March as World Down Syndrome Day (A/RES/66/149).

The General Assembly decided, with effect from 2012, to observe World Down Syndrome Day on 21 March

each year, and Invites all Member States, relevant organizations of the United Nations system and other

international organizations, as well as civil society, including non-governmental organizations and the private

sector, to observe World Down Syndrome Day in an appropriate manner, in order to raise public awareness of

Down syndrome.

For WDSD 2019, Down Syndrome International focuses on “Leave no one behind”



World Happiness Report 2019

The World Happiness Report is a landmark survey of the state of global happiness that ranks 156 countries by

how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be.

2019 World Happiness Report focuses on happiness and the community: how happiness has evolved over the

past dozen years, with a focus on the technologies, social norms, conflicts and government policies that have

driven those changes.

United Nation Sustainable Development Solution Network releases this report every year

Finland topped the list in 2019 and India ranked 140th compared to 133 in 2018

Mitra shakti-VI

Exercise MITRA SHAKTI is conducted annually as part of military diplomacy and interaction between armies

of India & Sri Lanka.

The joint exercise for the year 2018-19 is conducted from 26 March to 08 April 2019 in Sri Lanka.

Troops from 1st Battalion the BIHAR Regiment of the Indian Army and Gemunu Watch Battalion of Sri Lankan

Army would be jointly undertaking the exercise.

The aim of the exercise is to build and promote close relations between armies of both the countries and to

enhance ability of joint exercise commander to take military contingents of both nations under command.

The exercise will involve tactical level operations in an international Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorist

environment under United Nations mandate.

Theatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise (TROPEX 19)

Theatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise (TROPEX 19) is the largest War Game of the Indian Navy

The exercise had commenced on 07 Jan 19 and was planned to be terminated by 10 Mar 19.

The major combat units of the Indian Navy including the Carrier Battle Group with INS Vikramaditya, nuclear

submarines and scores of other ships, submarines and aircraft swiftly transited from exercise to operational

deployment mode as tensions between India and Pakistan escalated.

About 60 ships of the Indian Navy, 12 ships of the Indian Coast Guard and 60 aircraft were part of TROPEX 19.



Cyclone Idai

Tropical Cyclone Idai was one of the worst tropical cyclones on record to affect Africa and the Southern

Hemisphere.

The long-lived storm caused catastrophic damage in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi, leaving more than

1,000 people dead and thousands more missing.

Idai is the second-deadliest tropical cyclone recorded in the South-West Indian Ocean basin, behind only

the 1892 Mauritius cyclone.

Special Olympics World Summer Games 2019

The 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games was a multi-sport event for athletes with intellectual

disabilities in the tradition of the Special Olympics movement.

It was held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates from March 14–21, 2019.

A total of 7,500 Athletes Participated in the event

Global Environment Outlook report 2019

The UN has published the sixth Global Environment Outlook (GEO) report and is most comprehensive report

on the state of the global environment since the fifth edition in 2012.

The GEO is often referred to as UN Environment’s flagship environmental assessment.

The first publication was in 1997 and was originally requested by Member States.

It is a flagship report because it fulfills the core functions of the organization, which date back to the UN General

Assembly resolution that established the UNEP in 1972.

Arecanut (supari) gets GI Tag

On March 4, the Registrar of Geographical Indications, Government of India, accorded a GI tag,

Also called ‘Sirsi Supari’, to arecanut grown in Sirsi, Siddpaur and Yellapur taluks of Uttara Kannada district in

Karnataka.

The Totagars’ Cooperative Sale Society (TSS) Ltd, a Sirsi-based agri cooperative, is the registered proprietor of

the GI ‘Sirsi Supari’.

The World Intellectual Property Organisation defines GI as a sign used on products that have a specific

geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.

AFINDEX-19

The inaugural edition of the Africa-India Field Training Exercise-2019 (AFINDEX-19) culminated on 27 March

2019 after a validation exercise and an impressive closing ceremony at Foreign Training Node, Aundh Military

Station, and Pune.

This exercise is conducted by Indian Army and 17 African Nations namely Benin, Botswana, Egypt, Ghana,

Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda,

Zambia and Zimbabwe

The exercise was also attended by observers from three African nations i.e. Democratic Republic of Congo,

Rwanda and Mozambique.



Joint Military Exercise Sampriti - 2019

India and Bangladesh with the aim of defence cooperation launched a joint military exercise called Sampriti-

2019 and was conducted at Tangail, Bangladesh from 02 March to 15 March 2019.

This is the eighth edition of Exercise Sampriti, commenced at the Bongobondhu Cantonment, Tangail

The Bangladesh contingent was represented by 36 East Bengal Battalion, while Indian side was represented by

9th Battalion the Rajputana Rifles.

The aim of the exercise is to increase mutual cooperation, bonhomie and camaraderie between the two armies

through interoperability and joint tactical exercises.

Appointments & Awards

SNo. Person in News Subject

1 Karambir Singh New Navy Chief from 1st April 2019

2 Ajit Kumar Mohanthy New Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC)

3 Justice Pinaki Chandra 1st Lokpal

4 PV Ramesh New Director General of National Archives of India

5 SA Bobde New Executive Chairmen for National Legal Service Authority

6 Govind Prasad Sharma New Chairmen for National Book Trust

7 Hina Jaiswal 1st Women Flight Engineer of Indian Air Force

8 Sushil Chandra New Election Commissioner

9 GC Anupama President of Astronomical Society of India

10 Rishi Kumar Shukla New CBI Director

11 Gita Gopinath First Female Chief Economist appointed for IMF

12 President Ram Nath Kovind Awarded with Highest Civilian award of Croatia “Grand order of the

king of Tomislav”

13 Marcelo Gleiser of Brazil Templeton Prize 2019 for Science & Spirituality

14 Karen Uhlenbeck of USA Abel Prize for Mathematics

15 Sateesh Reddy (DRDO

Chief)

Missile System Award

16 Sanjay Subramanyam

(Historian)

Dan David Prize of Israel

17 Dr Divya Karnad Future for Nature Award 2019

18 CNR Rao (Scientist) Sheik Saud International Prize

19 Narendra Modi Philip Kotler Presidential Award 2019

Documents

JANUARY to MARCH 2019 CURRENT AFFAIRS · The day is observed every year to mark the birth anniversary of swami Vivekananda nanda. Swamiji was born on January 12th 1863. The National