PDF Ist Week, 1st to 7th March 2017

1. By 2050, India will have most Muslims in world

By 2050, India will be the country with the world's largest Muslim population, said American
think tank Pew Research Centre.

While Islam is currently the world's second-largest religion after Christianity, it is now also
the fastest-growing major religion.

There were 1.6 billion Muslims in the world as of 2010 - roughly 23% of the global population
- according to a Pew estimate.

Currently, Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population.

2. Syrian Army recaptures Palmyra from Islamic State

The General Staff of the Syrian Army said it had recaptured the ancient city of Palmyra from the
extremist group Islamic State (IS).
 The city, which is home to Greco-Roman ruins on the United Nations cultural bodys World
Heritage list, had been the scene of heavy fighting for months.

The units led by Iranian and Russia entered the city three months after IS took it over.

Syria

Capital: Damascus
Currency: Pound
President: Bashar al-Assad
Prime Minister: Imad Khamis

3. Australia to introduce worlds first cyber crime university course

Australia said it will offer the worlds first university course to train intelligence analysts to fight
cyber crime, prompted by innovative methods of money transfer among organised crime and
militant groups.

Justice Minister Michael Keenan said AUSTRAC would start teaching the worlds first
university-accredited Financial Intelligence Analyst Course after 16 law enforcement
analysts sat a pilot course.

Australia

Capital: Canberra
Currency: Dollar
Prime Minister: Malcolm Turnbull

4. Ukraine region to use Russian ruble as currency

Ukraine's self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic will use the Russian ruble as its official
currency, according to an official statement.

The ruble would be used in the pro-Russian territory as the basic unit of currency as of 1 March
2017, the statement said.

The use of the ruble, which is already used informally in the pro-Russian territory along with
the Ukrainian hryvnia, serves to stabilise the volatile economic situation in the region.

Ukraine

Capital: Kiev
Currency: Hryvnia
Prime Minister: Volodymyr Groysman
President: Petro Poroshenko

5. Pakistan hosted 13th ECO Summit in Islamabad

The 13th Economic Cooperation Organisation Summit was held in Islamabad, Pakistan.

The theme of ECO Summit was "Connectivity for Regional Prosperity,".

 ECO Observers and special guests were invited to attend the summit.

6. Sri Lanka Wins Most Popular Tourism Destination Award

Sri Lanka won the "Most Popular Tourism Destination Award" at the Guangzhou International
Travel Fair (GITF) in China, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The island nation won the prestigious award for the second consecutive year.

China has been Sri Lanka's second largest source market for tourism since 2014.

Sri Lanka

Capitals: Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

Currency: Rupee
President: Maithripala Sirisena
Prime Minister: Ranil Wickremesinghe

7. US, South Korea Kick Off Annual Foal Eagle Exercise

United States and South Korean troops kicked off the 2017 iteration of their large-scale annual
Foal Eagle exercises.

The exercises will run through April and will overlap with the Key Resolve exercise, which
begins later this month, on March 13.
 The exercises come amid high tensions between the U.S.-South Korea alliance and North
Korea.

8. Mumbai ranked 21st in City Wealth Index list

Mumbai has been ranked 21st, ahead of Toronto, Washington DC and Moscow, in the City
Wealth Index list in the Knight Frank Wealth Report 2017.

Delhi has been ranked 35th, ahead of Bangkok, Seattle and Jakarta.

The report tracked super-rich population in as many as 125 cities across 89 countries.

The ultra-high-net-worth individuals in India rose by 290% in the past ten years, the report
said.

9. World Wildlife Day: March 3

World Wildlife Day is celebrated every year on March 3 as proclaimed by the United Nations in
2013.

This years theme is Listen To The Young Voices, urging us all to listen to young peoples
views and ideas on conserving wildlife.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed 2,599 species, subspecies and
sub-populations of critically endangered animals.
10. India-Oman armies exercise, Al Nagah-II, begins

A 14-day joint training exercise of the armies of India and Oman has began at Bakloh in Himachal
Pradesh.

The exercise, Al Nagah-II, drew contingents comprised of platoon strength troops from both
the armies, the Defence Ministry said.

The second edition of the exercise which was previously held in Oman 2 years ago.

Oman

Capital: Muscat
Currency: Rial
Sultan: Qaboos bin Said al Said

11. India to train Myanmar Navy

Indian Navy will set up meteorological facilities and impart training for the Myanmar Navy.

This was agreed upon during a recent visit of a Myanmar delegation to Kochi.

Myanmar will soon send a proposal with its requirements.

This fits into Indias overall effort to boost strategic cooperation under the Act East policy
and will help offset increasing Chinese presence in its neighbourhood.

Myanmar
 Capital: Naypyidaw
Currency: Kyat
Sultan: Htin Kyaw

12. 28 February: National Science Day

National Science Day is celebrated in India on 28 February each year to mark the discovery of the
Raman effect by Indian physicist Sir Chandrashekhara Venkata Raman on 28 February 1928.

For his discovery, Sri C.V. Raman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930.

National Science Day is celebrated to widely spread a message about the most Importance of
science used in the daily life of the people.

13. India, Israel celebrated 25 years of diplomatic ties

India and Israel hold a series of events to celebrate 25 years of establishment of their diplomatic
ties.
 India had established full diplomatic relationship with Israel in 1992 though it had recognised
the country in 1950.

India is the largest buyer of Israels military hardware and the latter has been supplying various
weapon systems, missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.

14. 'Swachh Shakti Saptah' launched in Haryana

Launching the 'Swachh Shakti Saptah' in Gurugram, Haryana, union minister Narender Singh
Tomar said "swachhta" (cleanliness) has become a movement which now needs to made a mass
movement.

This week will culminate on March 8 at Ahmedabad where Prime Minister Modi will be the
chief guest, he said.

He said he was now glad that 102 districts of the country have declared themselves ODF under
the scheme, including 14 districts of Haryana.

Three states - Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala - have already declared themselves ODF
and Tomar hoped by November 1 this year, Haryana would become the fourth state in this list.

Haryana

Capital: Chandigarh
Chief Minister: Manohar Lal Khattar
Governor: Kaptan Singh Solanki
Formation: 1 November 1966

15. Government notifies law to make banned note possession punishable

The government has notified the law that makes holding of more than 10 scrapped notes punishable
with a minimum fine of Rs 10,000.

The Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Act, 2017, was passed by Parliament last
month with a view to eliminating the "possibility of running a parallel economy" using the old
Rs 500/1,000 notes that have been demonetised.

The law, signed by President Pranab Mukherjee on February 27, also provides for a minimum
fine Rs 50,000 for false declaration by persons who were abroad during the demonetisation
period (November 9-December 30, 2016) and given time to deposit such scrapped notes with
RBI till March 31.

16. Thiruvananthapuram tops city-wide urban governance survey

Thiruvananthapuram remained at the top of the Annual Survey of Indias City-Systems (ASICS),
which highlighted inadequacies in urban governance that could affect public service delivery and
quality of life.

Pune came second in the 2016 survey, rising two spots from the last edition. Bhubaneswar was
the biggest gainer, rising eight notches to the 10th spot in the survey.

The survey conducted by Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy, a non-profit
organization, looks at 83 governance patterns to rank 21 cities across 18 states.

17. Kerala tops in GST registrations

Kerala has achieved the maximum number of registrations under the Goods and Services Tax
(GST) regime with at least 60 per cent of an estimated 2.5 lakh traders migrating to the new
platform.

Its record becomes even more significant considering the fact that these registrations are
complete in all respects, including the crucial provision of digital signatures, an official
spokesman said.

Kerala

Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
Chief Minister: Pinarayi Vijayan
Governor: P. Sathasivam
Formation: 1 November 1956

18. Assam: Sanskrit a must till Class VIII

The Sarbananda Sonowal-led BJP government in Assam has made Sanskrit compulsory in all state
board schools till Class VIII.

In Assam, depending on the region where the student resides, one of the three languages-
Assamese, Bodo or Bengali is taught in state board schools, apart from English that is
compulsory.

Hindi is taught but is optional.

Assam

Capital: Dispur
Chief Minister: Sarbananda Sonowal
Governor: Banwarilal Purohit
Formation: 26 January 1950

19. TN, UP received most number of domestic tourists in 2016

Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh top a list of states visited by Indian tourists last year, Tourism
Ministry said.

As per data released by the Ministry, a total of 344.3 million domestic tourists visited Tamil
Nadu in 2016 while 229.6 million Uttar Pradesh.

Similarly, Madhya Pradesh received 184.7 million tourists, Andhra Pradesh 158.5 million and
Karnataka 129.8 million last year.

20. Ministry of Women & Child Development leads social media campaign #WeAreEqual

Leading up to International Womens Day on March 8, 2017, the Ministry of Women and Child
Development has initiated a social media campaign - #WeAreEqual - targeted at raising awareness
about gender discrimination.

The campaign will culminate into the celebration of International Womens Day marked by
the prestigious Nari Shakti Award ceremony, in which the Honble President will honour
individuals and institutions for their exemplary contribution to womens empowerment.

The #WeAreEqual campaign is gaining momentum with the partnership by prominent

personalities such as film actors Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, and Ms. Dia Mirza; sportspersons
Ms. Mary Kom and Mr. Sangram Singh and ISRO scientists Ms. K Thenmozhi Selvi, Ms.
Subha Varier and Ms. Minal Rohit among others.

21. DRDO tests interceptor missile successfully

Indias Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) shield got a further fillip with the successful test of an
interceptor missile conducted by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

The Advanced Area Defence (AAD) endo-atmospheric missile capable of intercepting

incoming target missile at an altitude of 15 to 25 kms range was tested.

It was launched from the Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast to stop an incoming enemy
missile.

22. Rs 70,000 crore black money detected so far: Justice Pasayat

Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Court- appointed SIT on black money, Justice Arijit Pasayat,
said Rs 70,000 crore of black money has been unearthed so far and the sixth report on it will be
submitted to the apex court in April.

He said Rs 70,000 crore of black money, including more than Rs 16,000 crore detected after
probe launched into global leaks about Indians stashing funds abroad, has been unearthed
through different schemes of the government.

After a meeting with officers of several government agencies dealing with economic and
financial affairs here, Justice Pasayat informed that the SIT will submit its sixth interim report
to the Supreme Court in the first week of April.
23. Assam to host river festival Namami Brahmaputra

Assam Government has decided to host the biggest river festival Namami Brahmaputra.

The five-day festival to be held from March 31 to April 4 where the Assam Government has
planned out a host of activities to showcase the regions art, heritage and culture.

Chief Ministers and chief secretaries of all States have also been invited.

24. BIRAC Regional Entrepreneurship Centre set up in Bengaluru

The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms C-CAMP, technology and innovation hub, will
house the BIRAC Regional Entrepreneurship Centre (BREC) in Bengaluru.

The centre has been set up with the objective of encouraging the spirit of bio-entrepreneurship,
facilitating the creation of life science start-ups and mentoring start-ups to increase their
chances of success.

BREC was officially launched recently by Prof G Padmanaban, Honorary Professor and
Former Director IISc, and Prof K VijayRaghavan Secretary, Department of Biotechnology.
25. Navy successfully test-fires anti-ship missile

The Navy has successfully test-fired an anti-ship missile for the first time from an indigenously
built Kalvari class submarine.

The Navy described the launch as a significant milestone in enhancing its "sub-surface"
warfare prowess.

The weapon was fired from the submarine, the first of India's six Scorpene-class submarines
which are being built under the Project 75, and it "successfully hit" a surface target during the
trial in the Arabian Sea.

These missiles will provide the vessels the ability to neutralise surface threats at extended
ranges.

26. Himachal Pradesh gets its second capital in Dharamsala

Himachal Pradesh state cabinet approved Dharamsala, situated in the snow-capped Dhauladhar
range, as the second capital of the hill state.

This comes following Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbharda Singh's announcement, on
January 19, that the government was actively considering a proposal to make Dharamshala as
state's winter capital.
 The announcement is significant as 25 out of 68 Assembly seats fall in Kangra, Una and
Hamirpur districts, and Dharamsala is important for the lower areas of Himachal Pradesh,
including Kangra, Chamba, Hamirpur and Una districts.

27. DRDO Hands Over its Developed Products to Indian Army

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) handed over three of its products for
induction into the Indian Army in a formal function.

The products are namely Weapon Locating Radar (WLR), SWATHI, NBC Recce vehicle and
NBC Drugs.

The Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar handed over the products to the Chief of the
Army Staff General Bipin Rawat on behalf of DRDO.

DRDO has been developing a number of products for the Indian Army in support of their field
operations and welfare of soldiers on ground.

In 2016, the Weapon Locating Radar, NBC Recce Vehicle and a set of NBC Drugs had been
successfully tested after extensive evaluation by competent evaluation teams/bodies.

DRDO

Founded: 1958
Headquarters: New Delhi
Head: Dr. S. Christopher

28. India to Host 10th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic
Governance
The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India, in collaboration
with United Nations University and UNESCO, is organizing a three-day International Conference
10th ICEGOV 2017 in Delhi from 7th March to 9th March, 2017.

Themed on Building Knowledge Societies: From Digital Government to Digital

Empowerment, the ICEGOV 2017 will be inaugurated by Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Honble
Union Minister of Electronics & Information Technology and Law.

The key objective of ICEGOV2017 is to explore how Digital Government can lead to Digital
Empowerment by local knowledge.

29. Sex-ratio in urban areas worse than rural areas: Survey

Urban India fares worse than the rural parts of the country in terms of sex-ratio, both overall and
at birth, as per a latest national health survey.

The overall sex-ratio for the country is 991, while in rural India it was 1009 and in urban areas
956, according to the National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4) for 2015-16.

The sex-ratio at birth in the past five years has improved marginally from 914 to 919 girls per
1000 boys but in urban India it was as low as 899.

30. Haryana announces Tirtha Darshan scheme

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has announced that the state government had
prepared a Tirtha Darshan scheme under which senior citizens of any religion above 60 years of
age and of Haryana domicile would be able to go on a pilgrimage within the country at government
expense.

He said that under the scheme, the government would bear the entire cost of the tour of senior
citizens belonging to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.

In case of a couple, the expenses of the spouse belonging to BPL family would also be borne
by the government. They would also be able to take along an assistant.

In case of senior citizens of non-BPL families, the government would bear only 70 per cent of
the cost.

31. Vice President Hamid Ansari to attend IORA Summit in Jakarta

Vice President Hamid Ansari will attend the Summit of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)
on March 7 in Jakarta, Indonesia where the 21-nation grouping will discuss ways to strengthen
maritime cooperation and fight against violent extremism.

The summit, with the theme of Strengthening Maritime Cooperation for a Peaceful, Stable
and Prosperous Indian Ocean, will be preceded by a meeting of the Committee of Senior
Officials on March 5 and a meeting of the Council of Ministers on March 6.

The IORA Summit is expected to provide momentum to the strengthening of cooperation in

the Indian Ocean region.

32. Railways has sanctioned projects worth Rs 13,500 crore for North-East
The Railways has sanctioned projects worth Rs 13,500 crore for the North East in this years
budget, Union Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain said.

A bottled drinking water plant under the Rail Neer brand at Jagiroad in Assam and a high-end
North East Safari Train was being envisaged, the minister added.

Gohain was addresing on the occasion of the infrastructure development conference ConMac.

The Conference has been organised in partnership with Indian Construction Equipments
Manufacturers Association (ICEMA).

33. President Inaugurates the Centenary Celebrations of Womens Indian Association

The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the Centenary Celebrations of Womens
Indian Association at Adyar, Chennai.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that no society can call itself civilized if it does
not accord due value to its women and female children and guarantee their safety and security.

Government schemes and programmes to promote gender justice can never succeed unless a
deep commitment to basic human values is built into our very consciousness.

Violence against women reflects violence in the hearts and minds of those that perpetrate these
acts.

34. Govt approves Rs 756 cr scheme to treat cataract patients

With an aim to free India from cataract by 2022, the government has approved a Rs 756 crore
scheme to treat over 700 lakh such patients in the next five years.

The scheme would render Rs 2,000 as financial assistance for each operation, including cost
of lenses.

In addition to it, a mobile application will be developed to bring the government, private
doctors, clinics and NGOs together for monitoring the endeavour.

35. National Coference on Jal Kranti Abhiyan to be held on 7th Match

Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has organized a
national conference on Jal Kranti Abhiyan in New Delhi on March 07,2017.

Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma
Bharti will inaugurate the conference.

About 700 participants representing various stakeholder groups such as farmers, Panchayat
members, officials, NGOs and students will be attending the daylong conference.

36. NMCG Signs MoU with Rotary India for the Success of Namami Gange

In its effort to make Namami Gange programme a mass movement with the involvement of more
and more voluntary organisations, National Mission for Clean Ganga under Ministry of Water
Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation signed an MoU with Rotary India in New
Delhi.
 Rotary India will support clean Ganga mission through their WASH in Schools program in
various schools.

The program includes the implementation of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene services in the
targeted government schools and sensitizing all the stakeholders including school children,
teachers, school management communities and communities etc. on practicing positive health
behaviors for improving awareness on sanitation.

This will be achieved through an integrated learning environment and enabling children to
serve as agents of change for their siblings and communities at large.

Rotary India has planned to undertake WASH in Schools programme in 20,000 Government
Schools.

37. National Conference on Innovation in Educational Administration begins

A three day National Conference on Innovation in Educational Administration has begin at

Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi.

This Conference has been organised by National University of Educational Planning and
Administration (NUEPA), New Delhi.

About 150 district and block level education officers from across India and resource persons
and faculty of the university are participating in the Conference.

38. India hoists tallest flag at Indo-Pak border

India has just hoisted the nation's tallest flag. Punjab Local Bodies Minister and senior BJP leader
Anil Joshi hoisted the flag.

The 360 feet flag was hoisted at the famous Indo-Pak (Attari-Wagah) border checkpost in
Punjab. The new flag can be seen from Lahore in Pakistan.The new flag is 120 feet in length,
80 feet in breadth and is hosted on a pole which is 360 feet high.

39. Vijayawada, Tirupati airports renamed

The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet has approved proposals to rename the Vijayawada Airport and the
Tirupati Airport.

Vijayawada Airport in Gannavaram has been renamed as Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao-
Amaravati Airport after the legendary actor and founder of the ruling Telugu Desam Party,
and the new capital of Andhra Pradesh.

The Tirupati Airport has been renamed as Sri Venkateswara Airport after Lord Venkateswara
of the temple town.

40. Oldest serving aircraft carrier INS Viraat decommissioned

The world's oldest aircraft carrier in active service, INS Viraat, was decommissioned on 6 March
2017 after serving the Indian Navy for nearly 30 years.

The second aircraft carrier of the country has spent nearly 30 years under the Indian flag and
27 years with the Royal Navy (United Kingdom).

The warship holds the Guinness Record for being the oldest serving warship.
 The vessel's previous name was HMS Hermes when it was a part of the UK Royal Navy.

It was transferred to India in 1987.

41. IISc becomes first Indian university to be ranked among top 10 in world

For the first time, an Indian educational institute has broken into the top 10 of a global university
rankings.

The Times Higher Education (THE) revealed that India is home to one of the world's best small
universities, as it made public the 2017 edition of the rankings.

Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, has been ranked eighth at the 'THE's Best Small
Universities in the World 2017'.

Small universities are those with fewer than 5,000 students.

Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, and Savitribai Phule Pune University which were
ranked 14 and 18 respectively in the 2016 edition could not retain their spots in the top 20 this
time.

42. Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurates Destination North East-2017

The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region
(DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr.
Jitendra Singh inaugurated the 3-day festival Destination North East-2017 in Chandigarh.

Dr. Jitendra Singh said that in the endeavor to take North East to every corner of India,
Chandigarh has been chosen this year to organize Destination North East-2017.
 He said that this is for the first time outside Delhi to organise this event.

43. Tribal festival 'Bhagoria' begins

The annual tribal festival 'Bhagoria' was begin in Jhabua and in four other districts of Madhya
Pradesh from March 6.

The week-long festival is organised at different Bhagoria haats (local markets) in Jhabua,
Alirajpur, Dhar, Khargone and Barwani districts in western Madhya Pradesh.

The event is going to be organised at 34 places, Jhabua collector Ashish Saxena told.

44. RBI sets up panel to review cyber threats

The Reserve Bank has announced setting up of the interdisciplinary standing committee on
cyber security to review the threats inherent in the existing and emerging technology.

The 11 member committee will also study adoption of various security standards and protocols,
interface with stakeholders and suggest appropriate policy interventions to strengthen cyber
security and resilience, the central bank said.
 Going forward, the committee headed by Meena Hemchandra, Executive Director, RBI, can
co-opt more experts and also operate through a framework of sub-committees to examine
specific issues.

45. SIDBI expert panel sanctions Rs 300 cr for startups

An expert committee set up by SIDBI has sanctioned Rs 300 crore to fund managers who would
invest in startups, taking the total sanctions so far this fiscal to over Rs 1,100 crore.

During fiscal year 2014-15 and 2015-16 sanctions were made to 11 funds (Rs 314 crores) and
16 funds (Rs 607 crores) respectively while the number during the current financial year has
already crossed Rs 1,112 crores to 30 funds.

To promote startups, the Cabinet had last year approved the setting up of a 'Fund of Funds for
Startups' with a corpus of Rs 10,000 crore at SIDBI (Small Industries Development Bank).

46. OECD cuts GDP growth forecast to 7% in 2016-17

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has cut its growth
projection for India in 2016-17 to 7% from the 7.4% it had projected last year.

The OECD, in its Economic Survey of India 2017 report, forecast a growth rate of 7.3% for
2017-18 and 7.7% for 2018-19.

OECD
 Headquarters: Paris
Founded: 1948
Members: 35
Secretary General: Jose Angel Gurria

47. Axis, HDFC, ICICI to charge Rs. 150 after 4 cash transactions

Some banks, including HDFC Bank, have begun charging a minimum amount of Rs. 150 per
transaction for cash deposits and withdrawals beyond four free transactions in a month.

The new charges would apply to savings as well as salary accounts, leading private sector
player HDFC Bank said in a circular.

These charges are for cash transactions in the branches, and not through ATMs.

State bank of India will levy a minimum amount of Rs 50 per transaction after three
transactions.

48. World Bank offers over $1-billion loan to Maharashtra

The World Bank has announced an assistance programme of over $1 billion in the areas of urban
transport and climate resilient agriculture in Maharashtra, over the next 2-3 years.

This was announced by the World Banks Chief Executive Officer, Kristalina Georgieva, at
the end of a day-long visit to the city.
 Over the last five years, World Bank had invested over $1.4 billion in Maharashtra in urban
transport, rural water supply and agriculture.

World Bank

Headquarters: Washington D.C.

Founded: 1944
President: Jim Yong Kim
Members: IBRD 180, IDA 173

49. Reliance General signs bancassurance deal with Catholic Syrian Bank

Non-life insurer Reliance General Insurance, part of Reliance Capital Ltd said it has signed a
bancassurance deal with private-owned Kerala-headquartered Catholic Syrian Bank.

In a statement, Reliance General Insurance said it would target the 1.5 million-strong customer
base of Catholic Syrian Bank spread across its 430 branches in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and
Maharashtra.

50. Ujjivan Small Finance Bank launches 'Paison Ki ABCD'

Ujjivan Small Financial Bank Ltd. (Ujjivan SFB) has launched a powerful, educational film on
Financial Literacy titled 'Paison Ki ABCD'.

The film was conceptualized and executed in partnership with Parinaam Foundation, a non-
profit organization aimed at economic empowerment of the underprivileged.

51. All savings bank a/cs to have net banking by March 31st

The government has asked banks to link all savings bank accounts with net banking facility by
March 31, 2017, in order to encourage digital transactions, and to promote transparency.

Till now, 65% bank accounts are already linked with mobile numbers, and the remaining 35%
would be seeded with mobile numbers by March 31st.

It is also said the government wants people to make us of the newly launched BHIM App.

52. SBI to levy fine on low account balance

According to the new rules of the country's largest bank, State Bank of India (SBI), from April 1,
savings account holders with less money in their account than minimum prescribed balance, would
be fined.
 SBI currently has 25 crore savings accounts.

This penalty depends on the difference between the difference between minimum prescribed
balance and current balance.

For Metropolitan banks, minimum prescribed balance is Rs 5,000, Rs 3,000 for urban areas
and for rural areas, it has been fixed at Rs 1,000.

53. Rs 10,000 penalty for bank branches refusing to exchange soiled notes

The Reserve Bank of India has clarified that currency notes which have messages scribbled on it
are legal tender.

The notes however, cease to be legal tender if message scribbled on it is political in nature.

The last circular on this had come from the central bank in 2016 wherein it was stated that
bank branches that refuse to exchange soiled notes from people will have to pay a penalty of
Rs 10,000.

The restriction for exchanging soiled notes is that if one exchanges more than 20 notes or notes
worth Rs 5,000 in a day, then banks will levy service charge.

54. Google India inks MoU with Telangana government

Google India and Telangana government have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
aimed at supporting the digitisation efforts of the state.

Google India will provide Google Cloud credits and access to all cloud platform products to
eligible startups engaged with Telangana governments T-Hub initiative.

Other initiatives as a part of the agreement include, making all government websites mobile
friendly and introduce programmes to help local small and medium businesses go online and
stay safe online.

55. Ola inks pact with MP govt to train 25,000 people

Taxi-hailing app Ola has signed an agreement with the Madhya Pradesh government to impart
training to about 25,000 people.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with Madhya Pradesh State Skill
Development Mission (MPSSDM) and Directorate of Skill Development (Technical
Education and Skill Development Department).

The move is part of Ola's target of skilling 50 lakh drivers by 2020.

56. Vijaya Bank opens its 2,000th branch in Tirupati

Vijaya Bank has opened its 2000th branch in Tirupati.

 The branch was opened by Chadalawada Krishna Murthy, Chairman, Tirumala Tirupati
Devasthanams.

This is the region's 65th branch and the second in Tirupati city.

Speaking on the occasion, Murthy said Vijaya Bank was the first bank to start banking
operations in Tirumala and has been extending yeoman service to the devotees of Lord
Venkateswara.

Vijaya Bank

Headquarters: Bengaluru
Founded: 1931
CEO: Kishore Kumar Sansi
Tagline: A friend you can bank on

57. NPAs at record high of Rs 6.8 lakh crore

As NPAs of public sector banks soared to a staggering Rs 6.8 lakh crore, the chairman of a key
Parliamentary panel has favoured naming and shaming corporate houses which default on
repayment of bank loans.

Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chief K V Thomas hopes "naming and shaming" such
corporate houses may help financial institutions get back their money.

Out of the Rs 6.8 lakh crore of Non-Performing Assets of public sector banks, a whopping 70
per cent are those of big corporate houses, Thomas said, adding hardly one per cent of it
constitutes loans to farmers.

According to the Finance Ministry data, the NPAs of the country's largest lender State Bank
of India is Rs 97,356 crore, followed by Rs 54,640 crore of Punjab National Bank and Rs
44,040 crore of Bank of India.

58. Irdai proposes up to 50% hike in motor insurance premium from April 1
Regulator Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) has proposed up to
50 per cent increase in insurance premium for cars, motor cycles as well as commercial vehicles
from April 1.

However, there is no proposal to increase the third party motor insurance premium for small
cars (up to 1,000 cc) from Rs 2,055 currently.

The hike proposed in mid-segment cars (1,000 - 1,500 cc) as well as bigger cars and SUVs is
50 per cent.

The proposal is to increase premium to Rs 3,355 for cars up to 1,000 cc and Rs 9,246 for bigger
ones.

Also, no change has been proposed for two-wheelers having engines up to 75 cc.

However, for sports bikes and super bikes (more than 350 cc), Irdai proposes to increase the
premium to Rs 1,194 from the present Rs 796, up 50 per cent.

The increase has also been proposed for entry level bikes (77-150 cc) and performance
category (150-350 cc).

IRDAI

Headquarters: Hyderabad
Founded: 1999
Chairman: T.S. Vijayan

59. Nand Kumar Sai assumes charge as Chairman of NCST

Senior tribal leader from Chhattisgarh and ex parliamentarian Nand Kuamr Sai assumed charge as
the chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) today in New Delhi.

NCST was established by amending Article 338 and inserting a new Article 338A in the
Constitution through the Constitution (89th Amendment) Act, 2003.

The term of office of Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and each member is three years from the
date of assumption of charge.

60. Sudeep Lakhtakia to hold additional charge as DG CRPF

The Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to give additional charge of Director General of Central
Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to Sudeep Lakhtakia.

He is presently serving as Additional DG, CRPF.

The decision has been taken by the Ministry after K Durga Prasad (IPS) retired as DG CRPF.

61. R Subramania Kumar to hold addl charge of MD & CEO of IOB

R Subramania Kumar was today given additional charge of the post of Managing Director and
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Indian Overseas Bank for three more months.

Kumar is at present Executive Director in the IOB.

He was in November last year given additional charge of the post of MD and CEO of the bank
for three months.

62. Gopal Baglay appointed MEA Spokesperson

Senior diplomat Gopal Baglay was appointed Spokesperson in the External Affairs Ministry.

He is succeeding Vikas Swarup, who was made India's new High Commissioner to Canada.

A 1992-batch officer of Indian Foreign Service, Baglay was handling the sensitive PAI
(Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran) division in the ministry till now.

Deepak Mittal is the new in-charge of the PAI division.

63. J.S. Deepak is Indias WTO ambassador

Telecom Secretary J.S. Deepak has been appointed as country's permanent representative to World
Trade Organization (WTO).

Mr. Deepak will take over his new assignment from June 1, 2017 and till then he will be Officer
on Special Duty (OSD) in the Department of Commerce in the Ministry of Commerce and
Industries with immediate effect.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by the Prime Minister Narendra
Modi issued the order.

64. AIFF appoints Luis Norton De Matos as head coach of India U-17 Football team

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has appointed Portugal's Luis Norton de Matos as the
head coach of the India U-17 World Cup team.

He is appointed for the forthcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017.

The 63-year old Coach thanked AIFF for making him a "part of the project.

65. P K Purwar appointed MTNL CMD

P K Purwar was appointed Chairman and Managing Director of state-run telecom major
Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL).

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved his appointment to the post for five
years, an official order said.

Purwar is currently working as Director (Finance) in MTNL, which has been without a full-
time CMD since May 31, 2014, following superannuation of A K Garg.

66. Bakri Hassan Saleh sworn in as Sudans first PM since 1989 coup

A former army general and top aide to President Omar al-Bashir was sworn in as Sudans first
prime minister since the post was scrapped in a 1989 Islamist-backed coup.

Bakri Hassan Saleh, a military officer involved in the bloodless coup that brought Bashir to
power three decades ago, was named prime minister by the executive bureau of the presidents
National Congress Party (NCP).

67. Amjad Hussein B Sial appointed SAARC secretary General

Pakistans seasoned diplomat Amjad Hussain B Sial has assumed office as the new Secretary
General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

Sial has assumed charge of the office of Secretary General of SAARC from March 1, 2017,
according to a press release issued by SAARC Secretariat here.

He has succeeded Nepals Arjun Bahadur Thapa, who was appointed the Secretary-General in
2014.

The Pakistani turn, which is held by rotation, starts from March 1, 2017, and continues till
February 28, 2020.

68. Bishnoi appointed international match referee

Former India wrestler Kripa Shankar Bishnoi has been appointed an international match referee
by United World Wrestling (UWW), the sport's global governing body.

Bishnoi was selected by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) for the annual training course
for match referees conducted by the UWW.

69. Senior IAS officer T Jacob Appointed as Secretary UPSC

Senior IAS officer T Jacob was appointed as Secretary, Union Public Service Commission
(UPSC).

He will hold the rank of an Additional Secretary in the Government of India.

Jacob, a 1984 batch Tamil Nadu cadre officer, has been serving as Additional Secretary in the
Department of Personnel and Training before his appointment in the UPSC.

UPSC

Formation: 1 October 1926

Headquarters: New Delhi
Chairman: David R Syiemlieh

70. Sanjiv Singh appointed Indian Oil Corporation chairman

Sanjiv Singh was on Tuesday appointed chairman of the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), the
countrys largest commercial enterprise.

The Appointments Committee of Cabinet approved his appointment to the post for a period of
five years, an order issued by the personnel ministry said.
 Singh is at present the director of Refineries at the IOCL.

He will be assuming the charge on or after 1 June, the order said.

71. Rangaswamy First Woman to Be Honored BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award

The Indian cricket board i.e. BCCI has nominated Shanta Rangaswamy for lifetime achievement
award for her contribution to the women's cricket.

She will be the first women to get this award.

The award will be presented at the BCCI Annual Awards in Bengaluru on March 8.

Rangaswamy ended up playing 12 Tests and 19 ODIs.

72. Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) awards 2015-16

Col. C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement award: Rajinder Goel and Padmakar Shivalkar

BCCI Lifetime Achievement award for women: Shantha Rangaswamy

 BCCI Special awards: V.V. Kumar and the late Ramakant Desai

Polly Umrigar award: Virat Kohli

Dilip Sardesai award (Indias best cricketer in the West Indies series, 2016): R. Ashwin

Lala Amarnath award (best all-rounder in the Ranji Trophy): Jalaj Saxena (Madhya Pradesh)

Lala Amarnath award (best all-rounder in domestic limited-over competition): Axar Patel
(Gujarat)

Madhavrao Scindia award (highest scorer in the Ranji Trophy): Shreyas Iyer (Mumbai)

Madhavrao Scindia award (highest wicket-taker): Shahbaz Nadeem (Jharkhand)

M.A. Chidambaram Trophy (highest scorer in the u-23 Col. C.K. Nayudu Trophy): Jay Bista
(Mumbai)

M.A. Chidambaram Trophy (highest wicket-taker in the u -23 Col. C.K. Nayudu Trophy):
Satyajeet Bachhav (Maharashtra)

N.K.P. Salve award (highest scorer in the u-19 Cooch Behar Trophy): Armaan Jaffer (Mumbai)

N.K.P. Salve award (highest wicket-taker in the u-19 Cooch Behar Trophy): Ninad Rathva
(Baroda)

Raj Singh Dungarpur award (highest scorer in the u-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy): Abhishek
Sharma (Punjab)

Raj Singh Dungarpur award (highest wicket-taker in the u-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy):
Abhishek Sharma (Punjab)

Jagmohan Dalmiya award [(best woman cricketer (senior)]: Mithali Raj (Railways)

Jagmohan Dalmiya award [(best woman cricketer (junior)]: Deepti Sharma (Uttar Pradesh)

Best umpire in domestic cricket: Nitin Menon

Best performance in BCCI domestic tournaments: Mumbai Cricket Association

73. "Lipstick Under My Burkha" Wins Award at Glasgow Film Fest

Indian filmmaker Alankrita Shrivastava's Lipstick Under My Burkha, which has been denied a
certificate by the country's movie censor board, has bagged the Audience Award at the Glasgow
Film Festival 2017.

Scottish actor David Tennant presented Shrivastava with the award, which was voted for by
the festival's audience.

The Prakash Jha production, starring Konkona Sen Sharma and Ratna Pathak Shah, chronicles
the secret lives of four women of different ages in a small town in India as they search for
different kinds of freedom.

74. JNU bags 'Visitor's Award' for best university

Jawaharlal Nehru University has won the annual Visitors Award for the Best University, 2017.

Dr. Deepak Pant from Central University of Himachal Pradesh won the Visitors Award for
Innovation.

The Visitors Award for Research has been jointly won by Dr. Shyam Sunder from Banaras
Hindu University and Prof. Niranjan Karak from Tezpur University. The winners of Visitor's
Award for

The awards will be presented during a function as part of the 'Festival of Innovations'," the
statement said.
75. DMRC enters Limca Book of Records

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has entered the Limca Book of World Records for
erecting 200 U-shaped girders in a month.

DMRC successfully executed the task of erecting 200 U-shaped girders on the Noida Greater
Noida corridor in May 2016.

This is the maximum number of U-shaped girders ever launched on any metro corridor in India
within a month.

Girders bear the load of the metro tracks and help speed up construction work. DMRC chief
Mangu Singh said the feat had significantly expedited the progress of construction on the
corridor.

The 30-km-long corridor will be completely elevated and will have 21 stations.

76. Barack Obama named as winner of Profile in Courage award

Former US President Barack Obama has been named as the winner of the 2017 John F. Kennedy
Profile in Courage award.

The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation has honoured Obama for his enduring commitment
to democratic ideals and elevating the standard of political courage in a new century.
 The daughter of late Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy, and her son Jack Schlossberg, will present
Obama with the award on May 7 in Boston.

77. INHS ASVINI Mumbai Adjudged best service Hospital in the AFMS

The Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar presented the Raksha Mantris Trophy and Citation
for the best Service Hospital in the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) for the year 2016 to
INHS Asvini, Mumbai.

Commandant of INHS Asvini Mumbai, Surgeon Rear Admiral Ravi Kalra received the awards
from the Minister on behalf of the Hospital.

78. Rihanna awarded with Humanitarian Of The Year Award

Harvard University honored Rihanna's social work and selected her as their Humanitarian of the
Year.

Rihanna received Award in recognition for her work to improve cancer treatment in her home
country of Barbados and for setting up a college scholarship to bring Caribbean students to
study in the United States.

79. Jio-Samsung Win 'Best Mobile Innovation for Emerging Markets' Award
Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd have won the 'Best Mobile
Innovation for Emerging Markets' from Global Mobile Awards 2017 at ongoing Mobile World
Congress 2017 (MWC) in Barcelona.

Samsung and Jio have focused on reaching the power of communication and information with
free voice and the lowest data rates across rural areas by deploying worlds largest greenfield
LTE network in the country.

It should be noted that Jio expanded its subscriber base to a record 100 million within 170 days
of its launch last year.

80. M P Veerendra Kumar presented Moortidevi award

Eminent Malayalam author and journalist M P Veerendra Kumar was presented the 30th
Moortidevi award by Bharatiya Jnanpith organisation here.

Kumar was chosen for the prestigious award for his Malayalam travelogue Hymavathabhoovil,
which dwells upon ancient trails of Indian culture, myth, literature and people strewn in the
plains, valleys and mountains of India.

The award was presented by Jnanpith laureate M T Vasudevan Nair at a function at the Tagore
Centenary Hall in Kozhikode.
 The book also highlights environmental concerns over fragile mountain ecosystem and calls
for action over lack of water resources and waste disposal systems.

Kumar has earlier won the Sahitya Akademi award for the same book.

81. India to host women's Youth World Boxing Championship

India will host the World Women's Youth Boxing Championship in November this year, the first
major international event to be held in the country since 2010.

In 2010, India had hosted the Commonwealth Championships followed by the Commonwealth
Games.

The country has not hosted a major boxing event since then, primarily because of the
administrative turmoil that gripped the sport in 2012.

82. Jitu Rai wins gold at ISSF World Cup in 50m free pistol

Shooters Jitu Rai and Amanpreet Singh has won gold and silver respectively in mens 50m free
pistol at the ISSF Shooting World Cup.
 Jitus winning score of 230.1 was a world record, while Amanpreet shot 226.9 to win silver.

The bronze went to Vahid Golkhandan of Iran, who shot 208.8.

83. Dwayne Smith announces retirement from international cricket

West Indies batsman Dwayne Smith has announced his retirement from all international cricket.

His last West Indies appearance came at the 2015 World Cup.

Smith made his international debut on West Indies' tour of South Africa 2003-04.

Smith played only nine more Tests, scoring a total of 320 runs in the format

He played 105 ODIs scoring 1560 runs. He also took 61 wickets in ODIs.

In 33 T20 internationals, he scored 582 runs.

84. Australian cricketer Sarah Coyte announces retirement

Australian women cricketer Sarah Coyte, who was also a part of Australia's 2014 World T20-
winning squad, has announced her retirement from all forms of the game.

Coyte's decision arrives a year after she stepped down from international duty with the
Southern Stars to combat mental health issues.
 Coyte earned herself a national call-up in December 2010 against New Zealand, and went on
to play 47 T20 matches, four Tests and 30 One-Day Internationals for Australia.

85. Andy Murray beats Fernando Verdasco to win first Dubai Championships title

Britain's Andy Murray saw off Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in straight sets to win the Dubai
Championships for the first time.

The world number one dropped his first two service games but recovered to win 6-3 6-2 in one
hour and 14 minutes.

It is Murray's first tournament win of 2017 and the 45th of his career.

86. Mexican Open: Sam Querrey shocks Rafael Nadal to win title

American Sam Querrey claimed the biggest title of his career after defeating Rafael Nadal in
straight sets in the final of the Mexican Open.

The world number 40 won 6-3 7-6 (7-3) against the second seed, who was chasing his 70th
career title.

87. Writer Taarak Mehta passes away

Popular Gujarati humourist Taarak Mehta passed away after prolonged illness. He was 88.

Mehta's famous works include "Duniya Ne Undha Chasma", which inspired the hit Hindi
sitcom "Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah" on SAB TV.

He has also written six popular Gujarati plays.

Born in Ahmedabad on December 26, 1929, Mehta was honoured with Padma Shri in 2015

88. Raymond Kopa, French Football Legend Passes Away

Former France soccer great Raymond Kopa has died at the age of 85.

He was one of four French players, with Michel Platini, Zinedine Zidane and Jean-Pierre Papin,
to have won the Ballon d'Or, football's top individual award.

Kopa, who was born in northern France in a family of Polish immigrants, won three
consecutive European Cups with Real Madrid from 1957.

89. Former Member Of Parliament Syed Shahabuddin Dead At 82

Former Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer and MP Syed Shahabuddin, who was suffering from
prolonged illness, died at a hospital in Noida. He was 82.

Born in 1935 in Ranchi, now in Jharkhand, he joined the IFS in 1958 but took premature
retirement in the 1978 to delve into politics.

Mr Shahabuddin was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1979 from Kishanganj in Bihar,a
constituency that sent him to Lok Sabha multiple times.

90. Rabi Ray, former Lok Sabha Speaker, passes away

Eminent socialist leader, former Union Minister and former Speaker of Lok Sabha Rabi Ray
passed away in Cuttack. He was 91.

He was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1967, from the Puri parliamentary constituency, and
was the leader of the Samyukta Socialist Party in the Lok Sabha.

In 1974, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha from the State, and was made a Cabinet Minister
in 1977 by the then Prime Minister Morarji Desai.

However, in 1989, when Rabi Ray was elected to the 9th Lok Sabha on a Janata Dal ticket
from the Kendrapara constituency and was unanimously elected as the Speaker of the Lok
Sabha.
 91. Number Do Lie authored by former cricketer Aakash Chopra

Former Indian cricketer Akash Chopra released book titled Numbers Do Lie, 61 Hidden Cricket
Stories which takes a different look at stats.

The defensive opening batsman narrated about the cricket records and player performances
more lucidly that reflects players impact in the game of cricket.

It is based on the Impact Index analytics by Jaideep Verma, Soham Sarkhel and Nikhil Narain.

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