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GK Updates: March 2017
31 March 2017
Central America's smallest nation, El Salvador became the first country in the world to ban Metals
Mining worldwide.
Asian Hockey federation on March 30, 2017 named SV Sunil as the Asian Player of the year
2016 and Harmanpreet Singh as Asian Promising Player of the Year 2016 (Junior team).
Dr. Iqbal Surve, an Indian-Origin South African Billionaire has been appointed as the new
chairman of the BRICS Business Council of South Africa.
Senior Bureaucrat, Vanaja N. Sarna, has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Central
Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) with effect from 31st March 2017.
India's batting legend Sachin Tendulkar launched an Android and iOS based app named 100
MB Cricket on March 30, 2017 in Mumbai. The app is dedicated to the Master Blaster himself.
The Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh is the first Tiger Reserve in India to get the official
Mascot named 'Bhoorsingh the Barasingha'.
30 March 2017
On March 28, 2017 Airports Authority of India (AAI) was awarded with Dainik Bhaskar's India
Pride Awards 2016-17 for "Excellence in Infrastructure Development" in the category of Public
Sector Undertaking.
Sima Kamil, a veteran Pakistani banker has been the first female to be appointed as the President
and CEO of one of the largest commercial bank of Pakistan.
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South Africa's leading cricketer, AB de Villiers, has been appointed as the new brand ambassador
of the Germany based Mont blanc International.
Tamil Nadu state cricket team won the Deodhar Trophy on March 29, 2017. By this win, Tamil
Nadu became the first state team to win all the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) senior
level matches.
29 March 2017
United Bank Limited (UBL) has appointed Sima Kamil as the new president and chief executive
officer (CEO) of the bank.
United Nations Chief Antonio Guterres has appointed former South Carolina Governor David
Beasley to head the Rome-based World Food Programme (WFP).
Hindus celebrate the start of new Vedic year on March 28-29, 2017. Happy Ugadi.
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee suspended Argentina football player Lionel Messi for four
matches on 28TH March 2017 for the fault in relation to an incident during the match between
Argentina and Chile on 23rd March 2017.
28 March 2017
The 9th edition of the World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC) is scheduled to be held
in Vancouver, Canada from September 9-15, 2017.
Odisha became the first Indian State to extend banking facilities to masses in unbanked areas
through Self Help Groups (SHGs).
Tamil Nadu based Karur Vyasa Bank has been honored as the "Best small bank for 2016" on
March 28, 2017 at a function in Mumbai.
Dr. Randeep Guleria appointed as Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi.
India remains no 1, retains the ICC test championship race. The cash reward for retaining the ICC
test Championship Maze is USD 1 Million. Indian off Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin won the ICC
Cricketer of the Year 2016 with a record 74 wickets which no bowler has achieved. He also won Sir
Garfield Sobers trophy, the 3rd Indian to achieve it after Rahul Dravid (2004) and Sachin
Tendulkar (2010).
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27 March 2017
PayTm, one of the fastest growing mobile wallet and e-commerce companies in India, has
achieved a new milestone by becoming the sole member of Advertising Standards Council of
India (ASCI).
Veteran Actor Anupam Kher was felicitated with the Kala Ratan Award by Punjab University in
Chandigarh at its 66th Convocation on March 25, 2017.
Carrie Lam, the former deputy leader of Hong Kong was elected as the first female Chief Executive
of Hong Kong on March 26, 2017.
West Bengal beat Goa (1-0) to clinch the 71 Santosh Trophy for a record 32nd time on March 26,
2017 at the GMC Bambolim Stadium, Goa.
Bhubaneshwar, the capital city of Odisha, has been selected to host the 2017 Men's Hockey
World League Final as well as the Men's World Cup in 2018 at the Kalinga Stadium.
The Indian Shuttle players Purva Barve and Varun Kapur bagged double delight by winning in
the Li Ning -Israel Open 2017.
26 March 2017
India overtakes Japan to become third largest in Domestic Air Traffic, behind USA and China.
Aditya Puri, HDFC Bank Managing Director has made it to the list of the world's 30 best CEOs,
published by American financial magazine, Barron.
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India ends with 73 Medals from 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games, Austria. The motto
of the game was "Heartbeat for the World".
Sebastian Vettel beats lewis Hamilton to win Australian Grand Pix.
Bangladesh observed its 47th Independence Day on March 26, 2017 to commemorate the
county's declaration of Independence from Pakistan in 1971.
25 March 2017
UNESCO has added five Indian cities in its list of tentative world heritage site. These cities include
o Historic city of Ahmedabad
o Delhi - A heritage City
o Jaipur City, Rajasthan
o Bhubaneshwar
o The Victorian & Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai
Border Security Force gets its Woman Field Officer after long wait of 5 decades. The woman field
officer is Tanushree Pareek.
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The International Day of Solidarity with Detained & Missing Staff Members was observed by the
United Nation on March 25, 2017.
The World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) is observing the 10th Anniversary of 'Earth Hour' on
25th March 2017.
Indian Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has broken the record for most wickets in a single test
season, taking his 79th this season during the Dharamsala Test against Australia.
24 March 2017
24th March 2017 is celebrated as the World Tuberculosis Day with the theme of 2017 as "Unite
to End TB: Leave no one behind".
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) created history by commissioning the world's
third largest hypersonic wind tunnel at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC)
in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
Bharti Airtel has acquired Tikona Digital's 4G airwaves for Rs 1,600 crore, ramping up its high-
speed broadband spectrum capacity to take on Reliance Jio Infocomm and the Vodafone-Idea
Cellular in the competitive market.
Photojournalist Raghu Rai was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the
Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Mr. Venkaiah Naidu for “his remarkable contribution
to the field.” at 6th National Photography Awards organized by the photo division of the ministry
in the capital.
23 March 2017
India has been placed at 87th position among 127 countries in the global Energy Architecture
Performance Index (EAPI) 2017 by World Economic Forum released on 22nd March 2017. The
fifth annual index has been topped by Switzerland.
Vyes Meyer, a French mathematician, was honored with the 2017 Abel Prize, on March 21 2017.
The 26 year old English singer-songwriter and record and record producer Ed Sheeran from UK
will be honored with the Songwriters Hall of Fame's 2017 Hal David Starlight Award.
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Indian shooter Ankur Mittal won the gold in Double trap event in ISSF World cup Mexico.
India bags 8 medals [3 Gold, 1 Silver and 4 Bronze] in IPC Athletics Grand Prix 2017.
World Meteorological Day is observed annually on March 23 in various parts of the world to
remember the World Meteorological Organizations's establishment on 23rd Msrch 2017.
March 23, 2017 - Martyr's day marks the 86th death anniversary of the courageous leaders -
Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Hari Rajguru & Sukhdev Thapar.
22 March 2017
According to the UN Development Programme's Human Development for everyone' report
2016, India has been ranked at 131 out of 188 countries in the 2016 Human development index
(HDI). Norway ranks number 1 in HDI 2016.
Bengaluru based ABB India has won the India Smart Grid Foundation (ISGF's) "Smart Technology
of the Year 2016" award for restoring the crucial power infrastructure of Sharavathi hydropower
plant in Karnataka.
Upendra Tripathy has been appointed as the Interim Director General (IDG) of the International
Solar Alliance (ISA) on a full time basis on March 21, 2017.
P V Sindhu roped as ambassador of Pepsi Co's sports drink Gatorade.
Air Asia's Chief Financial Officer, Ankur Khanna has been appointed as Chief Financial officer (CFO)
of International Cricket Council.
India's spin bowler Ravindra Jadeja has attained the top spot in the list of the test bowlers as per
the latest ICC Test Ranking released on March 21, 2017.
UN designated World Water day is observed on March 22, 2017 in various country to raise
awareness of the importance of conserving and managing water resources.
21 March 2017
Mukesh Ambani tops the Forbes's Billionaire List in India.
o Top three Billionaires
Bill gates
Warren Bufet
Jeff Bezos
o Top 3 Indian Billionaires
Mukesh Ambani
Lakhsmi Mittal
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Azim Premji
Maggie MacDonnell, a canadian school teacher was awarded the 2017 Global Teacher Prize
worth $ 1 million on 19th March 2017in Dubai, UAE.
Major Rohit Suri, the leader of the army team that carried out surgical strike in PoK in 2016, was
presented the Kirti Chakra by President Pranab Mukherjee on March 20, 2017.
Tamil Nadu won the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2017 at the Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi on March 16 2017
by beating Bengal by 37 runs in the finals. Tamil Nadu's keeper Dinesh Karthik was adjusted
as Man of the Match.
India's Vidya Pillai wins silver in World Women Snooker Championship 2017.
India's KT Irfan won the bronze medal in men's 20 km race walk event at the Asian race walking
championships in Nomi, Japan on 19 March 2017.
Indian Cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara became the first Indian batsman to face 500 balls in the
second innings of the 3rd test against Australia at Ranchi.
UNESCO designated World Poetry Day is observed on 21st March to encourage a return to the
oral tradition of poetry recitals, to promote the teaching of poetry.
20 March 2017
The annual World Economic Forum's 100 Young Global leader's list released for the year 2017
have given place to five Indians for their innovative approaches.
o Vijay Shekhar Sharma: Founder & CEO PayTm
o Shruti Shibulal: The Tamara Hospitality
o Ambarish Mitra: Founder & CEO of Blippar
o Hindol Sengupta: Editor-at-large, Fortune India
o Rwitwika Bhattacharya-Agarwal: Founder & CEO of Swaniti Initiative
According to the 2017 Bloomberg Global Health Index, Italy has been ranked as the healthiest
country on earth.
Jason Kothari was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Freecharge by Indian e-commerce
company Snapdeal.
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India's Idea Cellular Ltd approved its merger with Vodafone India Limited (VIL) excluding
Vodafone's 42% stake in Indus Towers Ltd on Mrach 20, 2017.
BNP Paribas Open Tennis Tournament results list:
o Men's Single - Winner - Roger Federer
o Women's Single - Winner - Elena Vesnina
o Men's Double - Winners - Raven Klaasen/Rajeev Ram
o Women's Double - Chan Yung-Jan/Martina Hingis
The International Day of Happiness is celebrated worldwide on March 20 since 2013 to educate
and increase public awareness of the benefits of happiness. The day was celebrated for the first
time in 2013.
19 March 2017
Sandeep Matharani, CEO of General Growth Properties, has been listed fourth on the list of top
25 overpaid CEOs in America, according to the report from the nonprofit 'As You Sow'.
An Indian American Computer Scientist, Anshumali Shrivastava, was honored with the National
Science Foundation's prestigious CAREER award for his research on redesigning current machine
learning process.
BJP MP, Yogi Adityanath took oath as the 21st Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on March 19,
2017.
Shahid Afridi appointed ambassador of the 5th Blind Criket World Cup by the Pakistan blind
cricket council.
18 March 2017
India and Russia have inked two pacts for long-term maintenance support for Sukhoi-30MKI jets
on March 17, 2017 during the India-Russia Military Industrial Conference in New Delhi.
Eleven Indian women were honored with the ‘Women Icons’ Award among 25 Asian Women on
March 17, 2017 in Singapore for dedicating their lives to social work. Among the award winners
was Vandana Sharma who served for a decade in the Indian Armed Forces and also ventured into
the corporate world.
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Former Uttarakhand BJP chief Trivendra Singh Rawat was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of
the state on March 18, 2017 at the Parade Grounds in state capital Dehradun.
The US state of Kansas has declared to observe March 16 as “Indian American Appreciation
Day” to honour Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla who was killed in an apparent hate crime
on February 22, 2017.
17 March 2017
India and Brazil have finalized text of the Social Security Agreement (SSA) on March 16, 2017. It
will be effective from 2018.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UN Women launched the ‘Women in Politics 2017 Map’
on March 16, 2017 in New York. The Women in Politics 2017 Map is the visual representation of
women’s political empowerment in executive government and parliament as on January 1, 2017.
New Zealand’s Whanganui River on March 15, 2017 became the first river in the World to get
the legal rights as possessed by a human being.
The World Bank has approved a $175 million loan on March 15, 2017 to India for the National
Hydrology Project to improve India’s ability to forecast floods and reduce the recurring chances
of floods and droughts.
France based Aircraft maker Airbus will set up Asia’s first training facility for pilots and
maintenance engineers in New Delhi.
Former Minister of Indian Railways Mallikarjun Kharge has been nominated for the post of
chairman of the Public’s Account Committee (PAC) of Parliament.
Indian badminton player Jwala Gutta and retired IAS officer BV Papa Rao have been appointed
as members of the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
Scientists at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in United States have for the first time in
the world, discovered a way to accurately predict whether a child has Autism Spectrum Disorder
(ASD) by analyzing a blood sample.
Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has launched his autobiography named ‘My Story’ in
Kolkata in the presence of former Indian cricketer Saurav Ganguly.
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16 March 2017
The Times Higher Education (THE) released its Asia University Rankings 2017 on March 16, 2017.
o The top rank in the Asia University Rankings was attained by the National University of
Singapore (NUS) for the second consecutive year.
o According to the 2017 ranking, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru has been
ranked best Indian University and has been placed at 27th position among the universities
in Asia.
o Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay was another Indian university among top 50
placed at 42 position followed by Chennai-based private institute Veltech University at
43.
Singapore based Changi Airport was named as the World’s Best Airport for the fifth consecutive
year at the 2017 Skytrax World Airport Awards on March 14, 2017.
Mumbai based Central Bank of India won the first prize in the implementation of Official
Language Policy in the western region for the year 2015-2016 at the Official Language
Conference of Central and Western Regions in Udaipur.
Captain Amarinder Singh took oath as the 26th chief minister of Punjab on March 16, 2017 at
the Raj Bhawan in Chandigarh thus paving way for the return of the Congress to power in the
state after a gap of ten years.
Bibhu Prasad Kanungo from Odisha has been appointed as Deputy Governor in Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) for three years by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC). Prasad is the
succeedor of R Gandhi.
15 March 2017
Two Indian companies namely Tata Steel Limited and Wipro Limited have been named in the list
of World’s Most Ethical Companies 2017 by American think tank Ethisphere Institute.
Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Babul Supriyo has been
named as Vice President of the 2017 U-17 FIFA World Cup organising committee said by Praful
Patel, president of All India Football Federation (AIFF) on March 15, 2017. For the first time, India
to host FIFA U-17 World from October 6 to 28, 2017.
Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP), leader Nongthombam Biren Singh was sworn in as the
Manipur’s Chief Minister at Raj Bhawan, Imphal on March 15, 2017.
First independent chairman of ICC, Shashank Manohar (59) has resigned from the post with an
immediate effect on March 15, 2017.
Two times Olympic gold medallist Joanna Rowsell Shand announced her retirement
from international cycling on March 14, 2017.
Every year, World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated on March 15th to pay more attention to
promote basic rights of consumers.
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14 March 2017
According to the Mercer’s 19th annual Quality of Living survey released on March 14,
2017, Vienna, the capital of Austria has topped the list of cities offering the highest quality of
life for the eighth year in a row.
Baghdad was ranked the worst place at 230 to live due to continuous violence in the city. In
India, Hyderabad emerged as the best city in terms of living standards among Indian cities for the
third year in a row.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is set to open up the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) platform
for digital wallets firms as part of the government’s digitization campaign.
Former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar was sworn in as Goa Chief Minister for the fourth
time at the Raj Bhavan in Panaji, Goa on March 14, 2017.
Manipur CM Ibobi Singh resigns, Biren Singh to be sworn in Next CM.
Devang Mody was appointed as CEO of Reliance Commercial Finance Ltd (RCFL), a subsidiary of
Reliance Capital on March 14, 2017.
13 March 2017
Jatiya Sangsad, the Parliament of Bangladesh unanimously adopted a resolution on March 11,
2017 to declare March 25 as Genocide Day in remembrance of the brutality carried out by the
Pakistani Army in the “Black Night” of March 25, 1971.
RBI Removes Limit on Cash Withdrawal from Savings Banks Accounts from March 13 2017.
Korea’s Hyundai Engineering Co has signed a deal worth 3 billion euros (USD 3.2 billion) with an
Iranian investment fund on March 13, 2017 to invest in a major Iranian oil project.
Europe’s biggest bank HSBC Holdings Plc. has appointed Mark Tucker as its Chairman on March
13, 2017.
The Union Finance minister Arun Jaitley was given the additional charge of the Defence
Ministry on March 13, 2017 after Manohar Parrikar resigned to take on the new role of Goa Chief
Minister.
Chinese smartphone company One Plus has roped in Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan as its
new brand ambassador for India on March 6, 2017.
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Intel has announced a deal under which it will buy Israeli technology company Mobil eye for $15.3
billion. Mobil eye provides anti-collision, driver assistance, and autonomous driving solutions.
Intel will buy all the shares of Mobil eye at $63.54 per share in cash.
Winners of all England Championship Title 2017
o Men’s Single – Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei
o Women’s single – China’s Tai Tzu-ying
o Men’s Double - Indonesia’s Marcus Gideon and Kevin Sukamuljo
o Women’s Double - South Korea’s Chang Ye Na and Lee So Hee
o Mixed Double - China’s Lu Kai and Huang Yaqiong
SSP Chawrasia became the only Indian Golfer to retain his Hero Indian Open title for the second
year in a row with a remarkable seven-stroke win in New Delhi on March 12, 2017.
Punjab defeated Railways by a 2-1 in a Group B final round league match of the 71st Santosh
Trophy football tournament on March 13, 2017 in Goa.
12 March 2017
The Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) Bill, 2016 was passed in Lok
Sabha on March 10, 2017. The bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on November 21, 2016 by the
Minister of State for Shipping, Mansukh Mandaviya.
Central Railway zone of Indian Railway unveiled India’s first air-conditioned rail ambulance on 9
March 2017. The four-coach air conditioned ambulance will be station at Kaylan (Maharashtra)
and has been made by modifying AC coaches used for passenger services.
The State Bank of India on March 11, 2017 has legally incorporated SBI Infra Management
Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (SBIIMS Pvt. Ltd.) as a wholly owned subsidiary of SBI. SBIIMS Pvt. Ltd. will now
manage the premises and estate related matters of SBI.
Private sector lender Yes Bank has signed three projects to provide payments-related solutions
to smart cities. Yes Bank has currently ties up with Udaipur, Nashik and Puducherry for the
introduction of digital payment systems under the smart city initiative.
Thailand’s Model, Jiratchaya Sirimongkolnawin was crowned Miss International Queen 2016 on
March 10, 2017 in the 12th edition of the beauty pageant event in Pattaya City, Thailand.
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Narendra Kumar has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Central Water Commission
(CWC), with effect from March 9, 2017 upon the superannuation of former Chairman GS Jha.
President Appoints New Chief Justices in MP, Patna, Kerala, Chattisgrah, Jharkhand HCs. The
President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee announced the appointment of new Chief Justices in
the state of Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Patna and Jharkhand High Courts on March
10, 2017.
o Chhattisgarh High Court - Justice Thottathil BhaskaranNair Radhakrishnan, Judge of the
Kerala High Court was appointed as Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court.
o Kerala High Court - Judge of the Patna High Court, Justice Navaniti Prasad Singh, has been
appointed to be the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court.
o Madhya Pradesh High Court - Justice Hemant Gupta, Judge of the Patna High Court
appointed to be the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
o Patna High Court - Justice Rajendra Menon, Judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, to
be the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court.
o Jharkhand High Court - Justice Pradip Kumar Mohanty, Judge of Jharkhand High Court
has been appointed to be the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court.
In the latest FIFA ranking for the month of March Indian Football team dropped two places and
is now ranked at 132ndspot as compared to 130 in February FIFA ranking.
o Argentina is at the top in FIFA ranking with 1644 points, followed by Brazil at second
spot with 1534 points and Germany at third spot with 1443 points. Chile and Belgium
are ranked at fourth and fifth respectively in the FIFA rankings for the month of March.
o While in the Asian Football Confederation rankings, India is at the 19th spot among 46
teams. Iran which is ranked 33rd in FIFA tops the Asian Football Confederation rankings.
Captain of Indian National Football Team: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu
Coach: Stephen Constantine
11 March 2017
State-run National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) has installed India’s
largest floating Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Plant at Rajiv Gandhi Combined Cycle Power Plant
(RGCCPP) at Kayamkulam in Kerala on March 10, 2017.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has made six subjects mandatory for class 10th
standard board exams from 2017-18 instead of five subjects which includes two languages, social
science, mathematics and science.
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Mumbai-based State Bank of India (SBI) also signed an agreement with German KfW Development
Bank for USD 274 million loan facility a maturity of 15 years to finance affordable housing segment
in India.
B P Kanungo was appointed as deputy governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for three years.
He will take charge on or after April 3, 2017. He will replace R Gandhi.
Manjeev Singh Puri was appointed as the new Indian envoy to Nepal on March 10, 2017. He is
the successor of Ranjit Rae.
India successfully test-fired an extended range version of supersonic cruise missile BrahMos from
a test range off the Odisha coast on March 11, 2017.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on March 9, 2017 officially
announced the name of its upcoming mission to explore the Jupiter mysterious moon. The
mission to explore the habitability of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa will be called as Europa
Clipper. The mission is being planned for launch in the 2020s.
Chris Bertish, a South African surfer and a sailor became the first person in the world on March
9, 2017 to cross the Atlantic Ocean on a stand-up paddleboard after completing an epic 4,050-
mile voyage alone at sea.
10 March 2017
Lok Sabha clears Maternity Benefits (Amendment) Bill 2016 to Raise Maternity leave to 26 Weeks
from current 12 Weeks.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief Mohan Bhagwat was conferred with the honorary
degree of Doctor of Science (DSc) by Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University on its
8th convocation ceremony in Nagpur on March 9, 2017.
2017 IEEE Spectrum Technology in the Service of Society Award won by the Indian Institute of
Technology-Madras(IIT-M) for its solar-direct current (DC) inverter system.
Former Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was re-elected as the president of the European
Council for the second time. He won the 27 votes out of 28 EU’s governments.
Senior Shiv Sena leader Vishwanath Mahadeshwar has been elected as 76th mayor of Mumbai
and Hemangi Waralikar as deputy mayor. He replaced Snehal Ambekar.
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William B Thomas (49) has been elected as the global Chairman of Netherlands based KPMG
International for a four-year term.
Former Indian cricketer and Captain Sachin Tendulkar has roped as an ambassador of Women’s
Cricket World Cup 2017 which will begin from 24th June, 2017 in England and Wales said
by International Cricket Council (ICC).
Indian women’s hockey team beat Belarus 3-1 in their fifth test to clinch the five-match Test
series 5-0 on March 8, 2017 in Bhopal.
9 March 2017
US State, Hawaii has become the first state to file a lawsuit against Donald Trump’s revised travel
ban on 6 Muslim-majority countries.
The fifth edition of the mega cultural festival ‘India by the Nile’ (IBN) began in Cairo, Egypt from
March 8, 2017. It is the largest foreign festival in Egypt.
Noted Konkani author Mahabaleshwar Sail has been honored with the 2016 Saraswati
Samman for his novel ‘Hawthan’. The 74-year-old Sail’s novel Hawthan was published in 2009
and was shortlisted from 22 books written in various languages.
The popular actress Viola Davis was awarded the 2017 Artist of the Year Award by Harvard
Foundation during its 32nd annual Cultural Rhythms Festival in Memorial Hall’s Sanders Theatre
at Harvard University in Cambridge on March 4, 2017. She also won her second Tony Award for
the 2010 Broadway revival of the play.
Viola Davis
New York-based Ford Foundation has appointed Pradeep Nair as regional director for India,
Nepal, and Sri Lanka on March 8, 2017. Nair will take charge at the end of March from David
Hulse.
Technology giant Google has announced to acquire a start-up Kaggle which hosts a number of
data scientists for an undisclosed amount at the Cloud Next 2017 conference on March 9, 2017.
Kaggle was founded in 2010 by Anthony Gold bloom.
A team of researchers at IBM has created the world’s smallest magnet using a single atom which
can store one bit of data on it.
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8 March 2017
India to host its first mobile congress with a special focus on reaching out to the South East Asian
markets at Pragati Maidan on 27th September 2017. This was announced by Rajan S Mathews,
COAI Director General.
According to the Global Corruption Barometer for the Asia Pacific Region released
by Transparency International on March 7, in Berlin for 16 Asia-Pacific countries, India tops the
list for being the most corrupt nation.
IDFC Bank has launched India’s first biometric-based payment system “Aadhaar Pay” on March
7, 2017 in New Delhi.
Mumbai-based State Bank of India has launched a new facility ‘Work from Home’ to enable its
employees to work from home on March 7, 2017.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has entered into a bilateral Advance Pricing Agreement
(APA) with rollback provision with a Japanese subsidiary on 6th March, 2017.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the “BCCI Annual Awards for 2015-
16” on March 1, 2017. The awards were given away at a ceremony held in Bengaluru March 8,
2017 which also marks the International Women’s Day.
o Indian Skipper Virat Kohli was honored with the Polly Umrigar Award for the third time.
Earlier he received the award in 2011-12 and 2014-15. None of the player has ever
achieved the same award for three times.
o Besides, R Ashwin was awarded the Dilip Sardesai Award for the second time for his
brilliant performance in test cricket in 2016. He is also the only one to be awarded twice.
o Vaman Viswanath Kumar and late Ramakant Desai were given the BCCI Special Award in
recognition of their yeoman services to Indian Cricket
IFS officer, Bala Venkatesh Varma has been concurrently accredited as the next Ambassador of
India to the Principality of Andorra, with residence in Madrid (Spain). Venkatesh was presently
working as the ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Spain.
Chinese smartphone manufacturer OPPO Mobiles has bagged the Indian team sponsorship rights
for a five-year period starts on 1st April 2017 and continues until 31st March 2022.
Indian Spin duos Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin jointly claimed at No.1 in the ICC rankings for Test
bowlers in what is the first time of two spinners the top spot. Both stood at the top at 892 points.
8 March 2017 is celebrated as International Women’s day. “Saluting the indomitable spirit,
determination and dedication of Nari Shakti on International Women's Day," Shri Narendra Modi
said in a statement.
7 March 2017
According to the Financial Times latest analysis, China’s banking system has become the world’s
biggest by assets.
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Mumbai-based HDFC Life has launched India’s first life insurance Chabot to help users choose the
most suitable life insurance plans and solutions on March 7, 2017.
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore is the only Indian University to be placed among
the top 10 global universities by Times Higher Education (THE).
GMR-led Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL)has secured first position in the world
in the prestigious Airports Council International (ACI)-Airport Service Quality (ASQ) survey in the
5-15 million passengers per annum (MPPA) category for the year 2016.
Bollywood Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has won the best actress award at the International
Film Festival and Awards of Australia (IFFAA) for her movie Sarabjit.
Former director of Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) Lalji Singh has been selected
for ‘SERB Distinguished Fellow’ award by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) to
support his research.
According to the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC)-2017 report about 45 percent of country’s
total bird spices were reported in Himachal Pradesh.
6 March 2017
India’s largest flag was inaugurated on March 5, 2017 by Anil Joshi, Cabinet Minister of Punjab,
on the tallest flag post at the Indo-Pak Attari Border in Amritsar just 150 m away from the border.
The flag post measured 110 meters (360ft) in length, 24 meters in width and 55 tons in weight.
Mumbai-headquartered HDFC Bank has launched India’s first AI (artificial intelligence) based
banking Chabot Electronic Virtual Assistant (EVA) for customer services.
The Central government has approved an outright sale of state-owned SAIL’s three special steel
units – Alloy Steels Plant (ASP), Salem Steel Plant (SSP) and Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel
Plant (VISP) on March 5, 2017.
Karnataka based Canara Bank has received medals in the Collateral Awards Category at the 11th
Global Communication Conclave held in Bengaluru on March 6, 2017.
o Gold medal: For a radio jingle and silver medals for Corporate Film and Brochure (CSR).
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o Bronze medal: For its in-house magazine (regional language), corporate advertisement –
print, table calendar – 2017 and Big Diary 2017.
Kerala’s playback singer Vaikom Vijayalakshmi created a new world record on March 5, 2017 by
playing the maximum number of songs (69 songs) in the shortest time on Gayathri veena during
a program in Kochi.
Indian Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier, INS Viraat (famously known as the ‘Grand Old Lady’) was
decommissioned on March 6, 2017 at a solemn ceremony in Mumbai after nearly 30 years of
service for Indian Navy.
The Indian men’s Rugby team, led by skipper Gautam Dagar, piped Pakistan by 14-12 to claim the
7th rank at the Asia Men’s Rugby Sevens Trophy held at Aspire Rugby Field in Doha, Qatar.
2017 Mexican Open – Review
o Men’s singles – Winner - Sam Querrey (United States)
o Women’s singles – Winner - Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine)
o Men’s Doubles – Winner - Jamie Murray / Brazil Bruno Soares (United Kingdom Pair)
o Women’s Doubles – Winner - Darija Jurak (Croatia) / Anastasia Rodionova (Australia)
5 March 2017
The Andhra Pradesh State Cabinet during a meeting chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu
Naidu on March 2, 2017 approved proposals to rename the Vijayawada Airport and the Tirupati
Airport. The cabinet proposed to rename the Vijayawada Airport in Gannavaram as ‘Nandamuri
Taraka Rama Rao (NTR) Amaravati Airport’ after the legendary actor and founder of the ruling
Telugu Desam Party and the new capital of Andhra Pradesh. The Tirupati Airport at Renigunta has
been renamed as ‘Sri Venkateswara Airport’ after Lord Venkateswara of the temple town.
North Eastern state Tripura has agreed to supply an additional 60 MW to Bangladesh over the
100 MW of power the north-eastern state is supplying to the neighboring country.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced Tirtha Darshan Scheme on March 3,
2017 during the ongoing budget session of the Haryana Assembly. Under the scheme, senior
citizens of Haryana domicile above the age of 60 years will be able to go on a Pilgrimage within
the country at government expense.
According to the GSM Association report released in Barcelona, India will lead the world
in Smartphone adoption with a net addition of 350 million connections in 2016-20. The report
was based on the estimates of the GSMA Intelligence Consumer Survey 2016 conducted across
56 countries on the mobile usage trend.
People's Republic of China has increased its defense budget by 7% for 2017, the lowest increase
in seven years and second year in a row. China’s defense budget is much smaller compared to
that of the US, which announced a 10% increase in its defense outlay after the change of oval
office.
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The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has proposed to increase
the insurance premium to 50 percent for cars, motor cycles as well as commercial vehicles
from April 1.
National People’s Congress, (NPC) of China has set its GDP growth target at around 6.5 per cent
for 2017, compared with a target range of 6.5 to 7 per cent last year.
Social networking giant Facebook has launched a new initiative named SheLeadsTech to
support startups which are founded or co-founded by women population.
Online cab aggregator Ola has signed MoU with Government of Madhya Pradesh on March 4,
2017 to impart training to 25,000 youths in the state.
Eminent Malayalam author and journalist M P Veerendra Kumar was presented the
30th Moortidevi award, which is presented every year for “contemplative and perceptive work”
published in all Indian languages besides English pertaining to Indian philosophy, by Bharatiya
Jnanpith organization in Kozhikode Kerala.
Former India Football captain Bhaichung Bhutia was removed from the post advisor to both the
AIFF and President Praful Patel.
According to the findings by the United States based Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
(WHOI), the Earth’s mantle is about 60-degree Celsius hotter than as previously thought by the
scientists.
2017 Dubai Tennis Championships
o Men's Singles - Winner - Andy Murray (United Kingdom)
o Women’s Singles - Winner - Elina Svitolina(Ukraine)
o Men’s Doubles - Winner - Netherlands Pair Jean-Julien Rojer / Romania Horia Tecău
o Women’s Doubles - Winner - Ekaterina Makarova(Russia) / Elena Vesnina(Russia)
List of Winners of the ISSF Shooting World Cup 2017
o Jitu Rai and Heena Sidhu bagged the first ever gold medal in the newly included 10m
pistol mixed event at the ISSF Shooting World Cup.
o Pooja Ghatkarclinched bronze medal in the women’s 10m air rifle event in the
International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup.
o Jitu Rai won gold medal in the 50-metre free pistol event on March 1, 2017 in the ISSF
World Cup.
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4 March 2017
The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley unanimously
cleared the crucial Central GST (CGST) and Integrated GST (IGST) draft bills on March 4, 2017
during its 11th meeting at Vigyan Bhavan.
The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development in its notification on February 28, 2017,
made it mandatory for the students across the country to have an Aadhaar number for getting
their midday meals.
As per the new business plan 2017-18, unveiled by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on March 2,
2017, the railway will soon make Aadhaar number compulsory for booking railway tickets online.
In a cabinet meeting on February 28, 2017, the Assam government led by the Chief
Minister Sarbananda Sonowal decided to make Sanskrit a compulsory language for students up
to class 8 in the state.
The West Bengal Clinical Establishments (Registration, Regulation and Transparency) Bill,
2017 was passed by the state legislative assembly on March 3, 2017 with full support. The Bill
aims to regulate the private hospitals and bring transparency, end harassment of patients and
take necessary steps to stop medical negligence in health institutes.
The West Bengal government has given an official status to Kurukh language in the state which
has been listed as an endangered language by the UNESCO.
As per the report by the Border Security Force (BSF), India has completed the process of fencing
half of the 4,096 km of border area which it shares with Bangladesh and expects to finish fencing
the rest by 2019.
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appointed P K Purwar as the Chairman and
Managing Director (CMD) of State-owned telecommunications service provider Mahanagar
Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL). The appointment effective from 1 March 2017 for the duration
of five years.
President Pranab Mukherjee awarded the prestigious President’s ‘Standard’ to 125Helicopter
Squadron and “Colours” to Mechanical Training Institute (MTI) at the Tambaram air base, near
Chennai on March 3, 2017.
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Former Indian cricketer Akash Chopra released book titled Numbers Do Lie, 61 Hidden Cricket
Stories which takes a different look at stats. The book is more about Impact Index measures
performance based on the match in series context and not just plain statistics.
Akash Chopra at the launch of his book "Numbers Do Lie"
World Hearing Day is observed on each year on March 3rd to promote hearing since its
pronouncement in 2007.
3 March 2017
Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam has launched a portal named after late chief
Minister Jayalalithaa, which will be a hub of learning, interaction, opportunity, and connection on
the occasion of her 69th birth anniversary celebrations. The portal will be based on Massive
Open Online Courses (MOOC) model.
Union Health Ministry led by J P Nadda announced that it had approved 4000 Post Graduate
seats in medical colleges and hospitals across the country for the academic session 2017-18.
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Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led Delhi government has come up with an initiative to extend the mid-
day meal facility for the girl students up to class 12 in all Delhi government schools. Currently,
Delhi provides the facility to all the students of government schools including boys up to class 8
only. However, from April 1, 2017, the midday meal service will also include girl students from 9-
12 also. Later the facility would also cover boys up to class 12.
The Union Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu inaugurated four key freight sector
initiatives on March 2, 2017 at National Rail Museum, New Delhi to attract more freight towards
Railways.
The United States and South Korean troops started their large-scale annual military drill
named Foal Eagle on March 1, 2017.
The 13th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Summit, an inter-governmental regional
group of 10 countries was held in Islamabad, Pakistan on March 1, 2017 under the chairmanship
of Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.
The Vice-Chairman of the Special Investigating Team (SIT) on black money, Justice Arijit
Pasayat on March 2, 2017 announced that an amount of Rs. 70,000 crore of black money has
been so far detected through different schemes of the government.
The Government of India has directed all the banks to provide mobile banking facility to all
customers by March 31, 2017. The decision is an effort of the government to boost the digital
payment system.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) signed a technology transfer
agreement with Jindal Stainless (Hisar) Limited (JSHL) on March 1, 2017 for manufacturing High
Nitrogen Steel (HNS).
Sri Lanka has bagged the most “Popular Tourism Destination” Award for the second consecutive
year at the International Travel Fair (GITF) Travel Fair in Guangzhou, China.
North Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir appointed his first vice president Hassan
Saleh to the newly created post of prime minister on 1 March 2016.
Pakistan government on March 2, 2017 approved the merger of Federally Administered Tribal
Areas (FATA) with its northwestern province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Veteran politician and former Member of Parliament Yumnam Yaima Singh passed away due to
age-related ailments at a hospital in Imphal. He was 95.
National Defense Day is celebrated on March 3 every year across India to commemorate the day,
world’s largest and tallest Indian tricolor was unfurled at Town Park in Faridabad.
World Wildlife Day was observed each year on 3rd March since its proclamation by the United
Nations General Assembly on 20 December 2013. This year with the Theme “Listen to the young
voices” to provide incentives to the youth to tackle conservation issues. The day reminds us of
the need to fight for endangered species and against wildlife crime in our beautiful world.
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2 March 2017
According to the fourth edition of the Annual Survey of India’s City-Systems 2016 by Bengaluru-
based advocacy group Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy, Kerala’s
Capital Thiruvananthapuram has been ranked as the top Indian city to manage urban governance,
followed by Pune and Kolkata.
Kerala has achieved the maximum number of enrollment and registrations under the Goods and
Services Tax (GST) regime when compared to other states of India. A business entity that is
currently registered under any of the existing tax regimes is compulsorily required to enroll under
GST law irrespective of the threshold limits. The existing threshold limit specified by the GST
council is 20 lakhs for all the states except for the North Eastern States where the limit is 10 lakhs.
The Union Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar has informed
that the number of ODF (Open Defecation Free) districts in India has crossed 100, making it a
milestone achievement under the Swachh Bharat Mission.
Madhya Pradesh Presents 2017-18 Budget, Announces Deendayal Rasoi Yojna for Poor:
o The Minister announced Deendayal Rasoi Yojna and allocated a sum of Rs 10 crore for
creating the necessary infrastructure to implement the scheme in order to provide food
at subsided rate to the poor in urban areas.
o The Year 2017 is the birth centenary year of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya and will be
celebrated as ‘Garib Kalyan Varsh’.
o The state Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced to provide the meal to
the poor for Rs 5 initially in four major listed cities.
The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) under Ministry of Water Resources, River
Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has signed a MoU with Rotary India in New Delhi on
March 1, 2017. The aim is to make Namami Gange Programme a mass movement through the
involvement of more and more voluntary organizations.
Ukraine’s self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, a state in eastern Ukraine, will use the
Russian ruble as its official currency, along with the Ukrainian Hryvnia.
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INHS Asvini, Mumbai was conferred with the Raksha Mantri’s Trophy and Citation for the best
Service Hospital in the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) for the year 2016 on March 2, 2017
by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar.
Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar presenting the award
New Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has bagged the annual ‘Visitor’s Award’ for
the best University in the country. The winners of Visitor’s Award for ‘Innovation’ and
‘Research’ will receive a citation and cash award of Rs one lakh on March 6, 2017 by the President
of India during a function as part of the Festival of Innovations. Besides Deepak Pant from
the Central University of Himachal Pradesh has won the Visitor’s Award for ‘Innovation’ while
the Visitor’s Award for ‘Research’ has been jointly won by Shyam Sunder from Banaras Hindu
University and Niranjan Karak from Tezpur University.
Union Telecom Secretary JS Deepak has been appointed as India’s next Ambassador to the
Geneva-based World Trade Organization. The new stint will be effective from June 2017.
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) has named Amjad Hussain B Sial, as
secretary general with immediate effect from March 1, 2017.
American multinational corporation Cognizant has pocketed a deal to acquire Japanese digital
firm Brilliant Service Co for an undisclosed amount.
Kripa Shankar Bishnoi, a former Indian wrestler has been appointed as an international match
referee by United World Wrestling (UWW), the sport’s global governing body. The 40-year-old
had trained Bollywood star Aamir Khan and other actors for their roles in the wrestling-based
film ‘Dangal’.
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The All India Football Federation (AIFF) appointed Portugal’s Luis Norton de Matos as the head
coach of the India U-17 World Cup team on March 1, 2017 for the forthcoming FIFA U-17 World
Cup India 2017.
1 March 2017
World Civil Defense Day was celebrated with the theme: “Together with civil defense against
disasters” to commemorate the entry into force of the ICDO Constitution as an
intergovernmental organization in 1972.
The Zero Discrimination Day was celebrated with the theme: “Make Some Noise For Zero
Discrimination” to combat all forms of discrimination since 2014. This day is an opportunity to
highlight how everyone can be part of the transformation and take a stand for a fair and just
society.
Reliance General Insurance has announced a bank assurance tie-up with Catholic Syrian
Bank. Now RGI will offer its insurance products to Catholic Syrian Bank’s customers across its
branches in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
Noted Indian columnist, humorist, writer and playwright, Taarak Mehta, died. He was mostly
known for the popular column ‘Duniya Ne Undha Chasma’ in Gujarati magazine. The popular
Hindi TV show, Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashma, is based on this column.
Indian movie, Lipstick Under My Burkha was awarded the third annual Audience Award at
the Glasgow Film Festival 2017. It was banned for release by the Central Board of Film
Certification (CBFC).
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.
Shooters Jitu Rai and Amanpreet Singh has won gold and silver respectively in men’s 50m free
pistol at the ISSF Shooting World Cup.
Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) awards 2015-16
o C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement award: Rajinder Goel and Padmakar Shivalkar
o BCCI Lifetime Achievement award for women: Shantha Rangaswamy
o Polly Umrigar award: Virat Kohli
o Dilip Sardesai award (India’s best cricketer in the West Indies series, 2016): R. Ashwin
o Best umpire in domestic cricket: Nitin Menon
o Best performance in BCCI domestic tournaments: Mumbai Cricket Association
The 2017 Rio Open was a professional men’s tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts
at the Jockey Club Brasileiro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
o Men’s Single - Dominic Thiem (Austria)
o Men’s Double - (Spain) Pablo Carreno Busta/Pablo Cuevas (Uruguay)