MARCH 01

� The Standing Committee on Home said mercy petitions to the President should be disposed of within three

months, and reasons for granting clemency should be made public.

� Enabling partial two-way fungibility of Indian Depository Receipts (IDRs), the SEBI issued detailed

guidelines allowing shareholders to convert their depository receipts into equity shares of the issuer

company and vice versa.

MARCH 03

� India is committed to seeking an early solution on the sharing of waters of the Teesta river and the long

pending land boundary issues with Bangladesh.

� Services defended its Santosh Trophy title defeating Kerala 4-3 in penalty shootout in the final of the 67th

edition of the National Football Championships in Kochi.

MARCH 04

� Alarmed over growing theats from Left Wing Extremism (LWE), the Union government is preparing a new

surrender policy where Maoists would be given enhanced compensation and financial support for their

rehabilitation.

� ONGC has retained the top position in the coveted list of 10 most profit making PSUs, while BSNL was the

biggest loss-making state run company in 2011-12, according to a government survey.

MARCH 05

� The CAG, in a report tabled in Parliament, pointed out that several ineligible farmers were favoured and a

large number of deserving small and marginal farmers left out in implementation of the United Progressive

Aliance’s much-touted Rs. 52000 crore farm loan waiver scheme.

� Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the most successful Indian test captain, surpassing Sourav Ganguly after

India won the second cricket Test against Australia in Hyderabad.

MARCH 07

� The Union Cabinet approved a Bill to promote transparency and accountability in the government’s

delivery systems for its citizens.

� The US state department announced that it would be awarding $500,000 each for two projects in Sri

Lanka, one for increasing support and safety for journalists and a second for facilitating reconciliation on

the island.

� Sri Lankan batsman Thilan Samaraweera retired from international cricket after selectors dropped him

from the opening Test against Bangladesh.

SNIPPETS

MARCH 08

� According to new figures released by China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC) Indian exports to

China dip by 30% in February, 2013.

� Saina Nehwal of India beats Shixian Wang of china to reach the women’s singles semifinals of All England

Open Badminton championship in Birmingham, England.

MARCH 09

� Hon’ble President Mr. Pranab Mukherjee appoints former CBI Director Mr. Ashwani Kumar and senior

Congress leader Mr. S.C.Jamir as Governors of Nagaland and Odisha, respectively.

� Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta wins Kenya’s presidency with 50 % of the vote, thereby narrowly acoiding a run-off.

� Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal loses to World No. 8 Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand in the All England Open

Badminton championship women’s singles semifinal in Birmingham, England.

MARCH 10

� Tine Baun of Denmark creates history by becoming the oldest All-England Open Badminton singles winner

of the open era to beat Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand in the final at Birmingham, England. Chen Long of

china wins the men’s singles title, defeating Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia in the final.

MARCH 11

� According to RBI, India’s Current Account Deficit (CAD) as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP)

rises to an all-time high of 5.4 percent in the second quarter of the 2012-13 fiscal on account of widening

of trade deficit and slower growth in invisibles.

� South Korea tops the medals tally with 26 medals (12 Gold, 7 Silver and 7 Bronze) followed by Malaysia

with 16 medals (7 Gold, 3 Silver and 6 Bronze) in the Asian cycling championship in New Delhi. India with

four medals (two Silver and two Bronze) finish ninth.

MARCH 12

� The Communist Party of China elevates the role of the 11th Panchen Lama on a top political advisory body

to make greater political contributions.

� Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt wins the World Sportsman of the Year Award for the third time and British

athletics queen Jessica Ennis wins the World Sportswoman of the Year Award at the Laureus World Sports

Award ceremony in Rio de Janeiro.

MARCH 13

� Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mr. Yukiya Amano on his second visit

to India praises Indian civil nuclear programme as well as the country’s tightening of laws to check

nuclear proliferation in New Delhi.

� World Bank President Mr. Jim Yong Kim concludes his three-day India visit. He indicates an assured

annual funding of $3-5 billion for India for the next four years to push development projects and poverty

eradication programmes.

MARCH 14

� The Supreme Court bars Italian Ambassador Mr. Daniele Mancini from leaving India for failing to honour

his commitment to bring back the two Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen.

� The Human Development Report of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for 2013 puts

India’s HDI value for the last year at 0.554 and ranks it at 136th place among 187 countries.

� Mr. Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentian is elected as the new leader of Roman Catholic Church. He is the

first Jesuit to become Pope. He is also the first from the Americas to lead the world’s 1.2 billion Roman

Catholics.

� The Communist Party of China’s new leader Mr. Xi Jinping is appointed as President of China.

MARCH 15

� Mr. Li Keqiang, second ranked Politburo Standing Committee member of China’s Communist Party, is

appointed as Prime Minister of China.

� Rafael Nadal of Spain defeats Roger Federer of Switzerland in the quarterfinal in Indian Wells ATP Masters

tennis tournament, United States.

MARCH 17

� The Union Government decides to cut the entitlement of a beneficiary to subsidized grain from 7kg a

month to 5kg under the Public Distribution System, as recommended by the Parliamentary Standing

Committee on Food.

� Australia win the Sultan Azlan Shah hockey tournament in Ipoh, Malaysia. In the final, they beat Malaysia

3-2. It is Australia’s seventh title at the tournament. India finish fifth, beating Pakistan in the play-off.

MARCH 18

� The Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry constitutes a new committee headed by economist Mr. Vijay

Kelkar to put in place a policy on energy security and prepare a roadmap for enhancing domestic oil and

gas production to reduce dependence on exports by 2030.

� China becomes the world’s fifth largest weapon exporter after the US, Russia, Germany and France. It

accounts for five percent of global arms sales.

� The 60th National Film Awards are presented in New Delhi. Prominent winners are – Best Film: Paan Singh

Tomar, Best Actor: Irrfan Khan (Paan Singh Tomar) and Vikram Gokhale (Anumati); Best Director:

Tigmanshu Dhulia (Paan Singh Tomar); Best Actress: Usha Jadhav (Marathi movie Dhag); Best Popular

Film: Vicky Donor (Hindi) and Ustad Hotel (Malayalam), etc. among others.

� Malayalam poetess Sugathakumari is chosen for the Saraswati Samman 2012 for her poetry collection

Manalezhuthu (The Writing on the Sand).

� A report reveals that an England-based inventor has come up with the ultimate eco-friendly vehicle – a

car that runs on cold air. The inventor, Mr. Peter Dearman, says that the car can reach speeds of up to 48

kmph. The car will not produce any emissions, because it is only air that is used in running it.

MARCH 19

� In a summit meeting between Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Egyptian President Mr. Mohamed

Morsy, both the countries agree to intensify their defence relationship. The two sides sign seven pacts

intended to be the building blocks for a robust relationship in future.

� China’s new President Mr. Xi Jinping details five point proposal to improve ties with India initating

cooperation in infrastructure and cultural ties.

MARCH 20

� The maiden flight of the submarine variant of the Indo-Russian Supersonic cruise missile, BrahMos, is

successful. It marks a global first in the vertical launch of a supersonic cruise missile from a pontoon in

the Bay of Bengal.

� Belgian mathematician Mr. Pierre Deligne is chosen for the prestigious Abel Prize in Mathematics for 2013.

He is awarded for his contribution to algebraic geometry.

MARCH 22

� Russia and China agree to expand cooperation in the energy sector and boost bilateral trade to $150

billion in coming years. The announcement about the agreement is made by Russian President Mr.

Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Mr. Xi Jinping, during the latter’s Russia visit.

MARCH 24

� Maulana Syed Raabe Hasani Nadvi is elected unopposed as the President of the All-India Muslim Personal

Law Board (AIMPLB) for the fifth consecutive term.

� Central African Republic’s President Mr. Francois Bozize flees the country’s capital Bangui, after armed

rebels threatening to overthrow him invade the city.

� Hosts India beat Australia by six wickets in the fourth and final Test in New Delhi, thereby sweeping the

series 4-0. All rounder Ravindra Jadeja is named the Man of the Match while off-spinner R. Ashwin is

adjudged the Man of the Series. This is the first time that India clinch a Test series 4-0.

� German world champion Sebastian Vettel of Team Red Bull wins the Malaysian Grand Prix Formula One

title in Sepang, Malaysia. His Australian teammate Mark Webber finishes second.

� Ms. Navneet Kaur Dhillon (20) from Patiala is crowned Miss India 2013 at the pageant held in Mumbai. Ms.

Sobhita Dhulipala (20) from Visakhapatnam and Ms. Zoya Afroz (18) form Lucknow are adjudged the first

and the second runners-up, respectively.

MARCH 25

� The Central Government announces that starting April 1, 2013, Public Provident Fund (PPF) deposits along

with most of the Post Office savings schemes will fetch reduced retruns owing to a cut in interest rates by

10 basis points each.

� Eurozone member Cyprus reaches a last-minute deal with international lenders, which will help it avoid a

dreaded financial meltdown. Under the deal, the troubled economy of Cyprus will be infused with a 10-

billion euro rescue fund.

MARCH 26

� Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia’s joint venture with the Tatas and Telstra group for a domestic airline

moves a step closer to take-off, with the Centre according the formal go-ahead to the proposal.

MARCH 27

� The 5th Summit of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) wraps up in Durban, South Africa.

At the Summit, the decision to set up a BRICS development banks is reached. Experts say that the bank,

which will mainly focus on infrastructure financing, would liberate the BRICS nations from the total

dependency on the US dollar.

MARCH 30

� Kenya’s Supreme Court upholds the election of Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta as the country’s President, bringing to

an end an election process that riveted the nation amid fears of a repeat of the 2007-08 post election

violence. In the election, Mr. Kenyatta defeats incumbent Prime Minister Mr. Morgan Tsvangirai.

MARCH 31

� Launching his Jantantra Yatra from the historic Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar (Punjab), anti-corruption

crusader Mr. Anna Hazare announces that a Jan Sansad (People’s Parliament) will be held in New Delhi in

about five months’ time.

� North Korea issues a pointed warning to the world community, saying that nuclear weapons are the

“nation’s life” and will not be traded even for “billions of dollars”

� Popular singer Ms. Asha Bhosle is conferred the Pandit Hridayanath Lifetime Achievement Award for her

contribution to the domain of music.

Anurag G.Thapliyal

Vice Admiral Anurag G.Thapliyal has taken over as the 20th Director General of Indian Coast Guard succeeding

Vice Admiral M.P. Muralidharan.

Bobby Ghosh

Eminent Indian journalist Bobby Ghosh has been named the new editor of Time International. He was appointed

on March 15 as the first non-American world editor in TIME'S history.

Bruce Reynolds

The mastermind of the “Great Train Robbery” in Britain that took place in August 1963 from a Glasgow-to-London

mail train and brought its perpetrators cash, incarceration and pop-culture fame, died in London on February 28.

He was arrested in 1968, sentenced to 25 years in jail and was released a decade later, after which he produced

occasional pieces of journalism and well-regarded crime memoir, “The Autobiography of a Thief.”

Chinua Achebe

The Nigerian novelist regarded by millions as the father of African literature, died in Boston on March 22, following

an illness and a hospital stay.

Ganesh Pyne

Legendary painter from Kolkata, whose famous words are “Terror, Thy Name is Tempera”, died in Kolkata on

March 12. He was synonymous with tempera and gave life to the medium, and the medium gave him glory in the

global arena.

Hugo Chavez

Venezuela's president and a prominent US-baiter who was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement

political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when it merged with several other parties to form the United

Socialist Party of Venezuela, elected fourth time in a row for Presidentship since 1998, died on March 5 in

Caracas after a struggle with cancer.

Jorge Mario

Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected Pope on March 13 to lead the Roman Catholic Church. He took the

name Pope Francis. Cardinals elected Bergoglio on just the second day of a secret conclave to find a successor to

Pope Benedic XVI.

John Brennan

John Brennan was sworn in on March 8 as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), joining US

President Barack Obama's new national security team.

PEOPLE IN NEWS

Kallam Anji Reddy

The technocrat-turned-entrepreneur and the founder chairman of Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, one of the most well-

known faces of the Indian pharma industry, died in Hyderabad on March 15.

Mir Hazar Khan Khoso

Mir-Hazar-Khan Khoso, a retired judge with a strong reputation for honesty, has been appointed by Election

Commission as the caretaker PM of Pakistan to conduct the May 11 general elections in the country.

Mohd. Zillur Rahman

Bangladesh President, a close aide of the country’s founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, died on March 20 at a

Singapore hospital where he was being treated for Kidney and respiratory problems.

Nicolas Maduro

Venezuela's Vice President Nicolas Maduro took over as acting president in a ceremony on March 9 rejected by the

opposition after a tearful farewell to Hugo Chavez during a rousing state funeral for the firebrand leftist.

Sripad Pinakapani

Legendary Carnatic musician and medical practitioner, popularly known as “Doctor Singer of Kurnool”, who was

considered the “healer of malady” (as doctor) and “producer of melody” (as musician) and produced a voluminous

treatise on Carnatic music and awarded Padmabhushan, died on March 11 in Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh).

Stephane Hessel

Best-selling French writer, veteran diplomat and concentration camp survivor whose 2010 work “Time for Outrage”

inspired the “Occupy Wall Street” movement which began in New York’s financial district and spread worldwide,

died on February 27 in Paris.

Sukumari

Prominent South Indian actress who acted in over 2000 odd characters in Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and

Oriya languages and received Kerala State awards four-times for best supporting actress in Malayalama Cinema

and Padma Shri awards in 2003 in a celluloid career spanning six decades died in Chennai on March 26.

Uhuru Kenyatta

Uhuru Kenyatta narrowly won Kenya's presidential election with 50.07% votes, barely enough to avoid a second

round runoff against rival Raila Odinga

V.K.Gupta

Engineer-in-chief of Public Works Department, V.K.Gupta, took over charge as Director General of Central Public

Works Department on March 1 from outgoing DG Ashok Khurana.

Yukiya Amano

The UN atomic agency's board of governors on March 6 approved giving Japanese director general Yukiya Amano a

new four-year term without even resorting to a vote.

60th National Film Awards

The award ceremony was held in New Delhi on March 18. Bollywood films shared the spotlight with Malayalam and

Marathi cinema for this year's awards. The winners are:

Best Feature Film: Paan Singh Tomar

Best Actor: Irrfaan Khan (Paan Singh Tomar-Hindi & Vikram Gokhale (Anumati-Marathi)

Best Actress: Usha Jadhav (Dhag-Marathi)

Best Supporting Actress: Dolly Ahluwalia (Vicky Donar) & Kalpana (Thanichalla Njan-Malayalam)

Best Supporting Actor: Annu Kapoor (Vicky Donor)

Wholesome Entertainer of the Year: Vicky Donor & Ustad Hotel (Malayalam)

Best Hindi Film: Filmistan

Best Direction: Shivaji Lotan Patil (Dhag-Marathi)

Best Animation Film: Delhi Safari (Hindi)

Best Lyrics: Prasoon Joshi for song Bolo Na (Chittagong)

Best Singer (Male): Shankar Mahadevan for song Bolo Na (Chittagong)

Best Singer (Female): Aarti Anklekar Tikekar for the Song Palakein Naa Moondon (Samhita-Marathi)

Nargis Dutt Award: Thanichalla Njan (Malayalam)

Best Film on Social Issues: Spirit (Malayalam)

Best Film on Environment: Black Forest (Malayalam)

Best Choreography: Pandit Birju Maharaj (Vishwaroopam-Tamil)

Special Jury Award: Rituparno Ghosh (Chitrangada-Bengali) & Nawazuddin Siddiqui (Kahaani, Gangs of

Wasseypur, Dekh Indian Circus, Talaash).

Abel Prize

Belgian mathematician Pierre Deligne, who is regarded as one of the most celebrated mathematicians of the 20th

century, has been chosen for this year's prestigious Abel Prize in Mathematics. The 69-year-old professor

emeritus of the Institute of Advanced Study, Princeton, is being awarded for his "seminal contributions to algebraic

geometry and for their transformative impact on number theory, representation theory and related fields." The

prize will be given by His Majesty King Harald V of Norway at an award ceremony in Oslo on May 21.

Bihari Puraskar

Dhooni Tape Teer, a novel by Hariram Meena, based on the century-old incident of killing of the tribals of

Banswara, Rajasthan by the British, has been selected for the Bihari Puraskar for the year 2012. The Bihari

AWARDS & HONOURS

Puraskar is one of the three literary awards instituted by the K.K. Birla Foundation in 1991 and is awarded to the

writers from Rajasthan for outstanding literary works in Hindi or Rajasthani which carries Rs. 1 lakh, a citation and

a plaque.

Birla Award

Prof. Nibir Mandal of Jadavpur University has been selected for the G.D. Birla Award for Scientific Research for his

work in the area of structural geology. The award, set up by the K.K.Birla Foundation for scientists below the age

of 50, carries a cash prize of Rs. 1.5 lakh.

Miss India Pageant

Navneet Kaur Dhillon (20), the daughter of an army officer from Patiala, was crowned winner of the Pond's Femina

Miss India Pageant in Mumbai on March 24. Dhillon will represent India at the Miss World pageant.

Nobel Peace Prize

Around a dozen Indians are in the running for the Nobel peace prize this year, out a record 259 nominees which

includes 209 individuals and 50 organizations. The 12 names from India are the second highest from a single

country after the US. The list also includes Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl-turned-icon who was shot by

the Taliban and is presently recuperating in London, Myanmar's reformist President Thein Sein and the US ex-

president Bill Clinton.

Rani Lakshmibai Stree Shakti Puraskar

Nirbhya's mother received the Rani Lakshimibai Stree Shakti Puraskar, awarded posthumously this year to

Nirbhaya, from President Pranab Mukherjee on March 8.

Saraswati Samman

Malayalam poetess Sugathakumari has been chosen for the prestigious Saraswati Samman 2012 for her poetry

collection ‘Manalezhutu’ (The writing on the Sand). The award, constituted by the K.K.Birla Foundation, carries a

cash reward of Rs. 10 lakh, a citation and a plaque.

Tagore Award

President Pranab Mukherjee presented the first Tagore Award for cultural harmony to the late Pandit Ravi Shankar

which was received by his widow Sukanya Shankar at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on March 7.

Ted Prize

Dr Sugata Mitra, a Professor of Educational Technology at the School of Education, Communication and

Language Sciences at Newcastle University, UK, known for his innovative "hole-in-the-wall" experiment to give

computer education to slum children, has been awarded with the prestigious $1 million TED prize.

� The Reserve Bank of India, on March 14 opened the door to foreign institutional investors (FIIs), using

investments in corporate and government bonds as collateral in the futures and options segment of stock

exchanges. The move announced by the central bank is expected to improve liquidity in the derivatives

market.

� World Bank has barred Larsen & Toubro (L&T) from doing any business with it or the projects funded by it

for 6 months, after finding that a senior executive of the company indulged in a fraud.

� According to global property consultant Knight Frank's The Wealth Report, 2013, Mumbai has the

maximum number of high net worth individuals (HNWIs) in India (2,105 such people call the city home),

followed by Delhi (1,945). Globally, these two cities rank No. 7 and No. 11, respectively, on the number of

super-rich people staying there. New York and London, with 7,580 and 6,015 HNWIs, respectively, occupy

the first two positions.

� Patent regulatory authority, the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB), on March 4 upheld the

country's first compulsory licence issued to Hyderabad-based Natco Pharma on Bayer's cancer drug

Nexavar, setting an important legal precedent and paving the way for more generic companies to

challenge patents.

� Mobile handset maker Nokia India has announced an insurance scheme on mobile handset theft and

accidental damage, in partnership with insurance firm New India Assurance.

� The Taj group, India's largest hospitality group, on March 7 added its 100th hotel to its Indian portfolio

with the launch of Vivanta by Taj, in Gurgaon. The Taj group has 117 hotels globally.

� ONGC retained its top slot in the coveted list of 10 most profit-making PSUs, while BSNL was the biggest

loss-making state run firm in 2011-12. ONGC, the country's largest oil and gas producer, earned a net

profit of Rs. 25,122 crore in 2011-12.

� According to a report by World Economic Forum, India has moved up by three notches to 65th rank out of

140 countries in terms of travel and tourism industry competitiveness.

� Malaysian low-cost carrier (LCC) AirAsia's proposal to form a joint venture budget airline with the Tatas

and Telstra Trade place at an initial investment of Rs. 80 crore, got a formal approval from the

government on March 26. Earlier AirAsia's proposal was cleared by Foreign Investment Promotion Board

(FIPB).

� The European Union fined Microsoft Corp $731 million for failing to offer consumers a choice of Internet

browser, as it had proposed to do.

� Holiday giant Kuoni India is bringing the leisure travel business, under a single brand. The new identity

will be Kuoni SOTC. It is the tour operator's first major rebranding effort in 16 years since the

Switzerland-based company entered India through the purchase of SOTC.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

� The Centre has decided to bring all those taxpayers having an annual income of over Rs. 5 lakh in the

ambit of e-filing of income tax returns (ITRs). Last year, the government had introduced e-filing for

assessees with annual income of Rs.10 lakh and above.

� Mahindra and Mahindra, on March 18, launched its all-electric four-seater passenger car, the e2o, with

price starting at Rs. 5.96 lakh. The car is developed by Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles (formerly Reva

Electric Car Company), and will replace its predecessor Reva, India's first electric car.

� In a survey by Fortune magazine, Tech giant Apple has been named the world's most admired company

by business executives for the sixth year in a row.

� India's largest bank, SBI, on March 19 said it has received Rs. 3,004 crore from the government as part of

the recapitalisation plan of the state-run banks. Post-infusion, the share holding of the government in the

bank has increased from 61.5.8% to 62.31%.

� Italian fashion group Benetton's annual retail sales topped Rs. l,000 crore in India, becoming the first

international fashion brand to cross that mark locally. With this, India has also emerged as the largest

market for Benetton outside Europe.

� Market regulator SEBI has issued a framework on 'product labelling' with colour coding for mutual funds, a

move that would help investors assess the risk associated with the schemes. The guidelines would be

effective from July 1, 2013, for all existing and forthcoming schemes.

� Etihad Airways on February 27 said it has paid $70 million to buy three slots of the Naresh Goyal-

promoted Jet Airways at Heathrow airport in London.

� The government has given an 11-month extension to Anand Sinha as Deputy Governor of the Reserve

Bank of India and now he will continue until January 18, 2014.

� Maruti Suzuki, on March 15, appointed Kenichi Ayukawa as its new Managing Director and Chief Executive

Officer.

� National Aluminium Company (NALCO) on March 18 appointed Anshuman Das as full-time chairman-cum-

managing director.

� Mahesh Kodumudi has taken over as president and managing director of Volkswagen India Pvt. Limited.

� BlackBerry on March 8 said that its India managing director Sunil Dutt has quit the company and he will

be replaced by Rick Costanzo, who is the executive vice-president (global sales).

� Jaiveer Srivastava will be new Chairman & Managing Director of Fertilizers and Chemicals Travancore

Limited (FACT).

� S. Varadarajan, Director (Finance), will head Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL). He will replace

R.K. Singh when he superannuates on September 30. Mr. Varadarajan will be the Chaimran and Managing

Director of BPCL till his superannuation at the end of September 2016.

� Indian conglomerates have set their eyes on outbound mergers and acquisition (M&A) deals, making 72

acquisitons worth $11 billion in 2012.

� The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on March 21 sidelined laundering allegations against three private sector

banks—ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank—saying that a recent sting by Cobrapost involved no real

violation of law.

� India has scrapped government control over the acquisition of planes by local carriers, removing a major

bureaucratic hurdle for the country's airlines in their expansion.

� To promote manufacturing in the country, the government on March 22 issued norms for setting up of

National Investment and Manufacturing Zones (NIMZs) with host of benefits, including exemption from

capital gains tax.

� Actor Akshay Kumar has emerged as Murnbai's top advance taxpayer for the sixth consecutive year,

beating all the Khans of the industry. He deposited Rs 19 crore as the deadline for paying the final

installment of advance tax, for both corporate and individuals, expired on March 15.

� The government on March 25 lowered interest earned on many post office savings schemes and Public

Provident Fund by 0.10 per cent, affecting lakhs of small savers. Interest on PPF has been lowered from

8.8 per cent to 8.7 per cent with effect from April 1, 2013.