- Vietnamese President Tran
Dai Quang arrived in India. He is scheduled to hold delegation level talks
with PM Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Strengthening cooperation in the key
areas of defence & trade will be high on the agenda.
- German President
Frank-Walter Steinmeier will arrive in New Delhi on a five-day visit to
India. This will be his first visit to India as the President of Germany.
He will visit Varanasi. Germany is India’s largest trading partner in
Europe & the 6th largest trading partner in the world.
- President Ram Nath
Kovind visited Varanasi on a oneday visit to Uttar Pradesh. During his
temple city visit, Mr Kovind laid the foundation stone of five projects of
the National Highway Authority of India.
- ISRO successfully
launched the GSLV-F08 carrying the GSAT6A communication satellite from
Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. GSLV Mk
II (F08) carrying GSAT-6A took off from the second launch pad in
Sriharikota.
- Union
Minister for Information & Broadcasting & Textiles, Smriti Zubin
Irani inaugurated FICCI Frames 2018, in Mumbai. She also released the
FICCI-EY Media & Entertainment Report 2018 named 'Reimagining India's
M&E Sector'2018, in Mumbai. She also released the FICCI-EY Media &
Entertainment Report 2018 named 'Reimagining India's M&E Sector'.
- India's first
helicopter taxi service was launched in Bengaluru to fly passengers from
Kempegowda
7.
International Airport to Electronic City. The
service is expected to reduce the time taken to cover the distance from 2 hours
to 15 minutes.
- The HQ of
Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has been shifted from Chennai to
Haryana's Ballabhgarh for "better coordination" between the
environment ministry & the board.
- The Union
Housing Ministry has launched 'I-Metros', an association of all-India
metro rail companies, which will act as a forum of exchange of ideas &
innovations.
- The Centre has
constituted a three-member Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal to adjudicate
the dispute between Odisha & Chhattisgarh over sharing the river's
water. Supreme Court Judge AM Khanwilkar will be the Chairman of the
tribunal, with Justice Ravi Ranjan of the Patna High Court & Justice
Indermeet Kaur Kochhar of the Delhi High Court being the other two
members.
- India's tallest
national flag was unfurled in Belagavi (also known as Belgaum) in
Karnataka. Belagavi District Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi unfurled the 9,600
sq ft wide flag on a 110-metre-tall flagpole.
- Tedros Adhanom
Ghebreyesus, Director General of WHO met J.P. Nadda, Union Health &
Family Welfare Minister in New Delhi. They discussed perspectives on
national, regional & global public health program.
- Lok Sabha
passed (without a debate) a bill that will exempt political parties from
the scrutiny of funds they have received from abroad since 1976. One of
them was an amendment to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010
that bans overseas corporations from funding political parties.
- President Ram
Nath Kovind released coins in denominations of Rs 10 & Rs 1,000
commemorating Lord Jagannath's Nabakalebara festival observed in July
2015. He unveiled the coins at the centenary celebration of Rashtriya
Sanskrit Sansthan in Puri, Odisha.
- Gandhi
National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) has been certified as the world’s first
Trusted Digital Repository as per ISO standard.
- Indian Railway
Catering & Tourism Corporation
17.
(IRCTC) has introduced billing through Point of
Sale (POS) hand-held machines in trains to check overcharging by vendors.
- Jackfruit
attained a respected status with the state government declaring it as the
official fruit of Kerala. Kerala has been producing around 30 to 60 crore
jackfruits every year.
- The First Indian Sign
Language Dictionary of 3000 words was launched by Thaawarchand Gehlot,
Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment at a function. The
dictionary has been developed by Indian Sign Language Research &
Training Centre (ISLR&TC) under Department of Empowerment of Persons
with Disabilities (DEPwD).
- At the function in New
Delhi, the Health Secretary Smt. Preeti Sudan, released the TB INDIA 2018
Report & National Drug Resistance Survey Report. She also launched the
'NikshayAushadi Portal' & shorter regimen for Drug Resistant TB. She
further stated that the global target to end TB is 2030 but India will end
it by 2025.
- Eighty-six years after
the city got electricity, overhead power cables in world's oldest city
'Varanasi ' is being dismantled after a project to lay underground lines
over 16 sq-km has been finally completed.
- Indira Gandhi Memorial
Tulip Garden was opened for visitors in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir. It
is recognized as Asia's largest tulip garden.
23.
Six years after it applied for the Geographical
Indications (GI) tag for Kadaknath, a chicken breed whose black meat is in
demand in some quarters, Madhya Pradesh has got the coveted label.
- Vietnamese President Tran
Dai Quang arrived in India. He is scheduled to hold delegation level talks
with PM Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Strengthening cooperation in the key
areas of defence & trade will be high on the agenda.
- German President
Frank-Walter Steinmeier will arrive in New Delhi on a five-day visit to
India. This will be his first visit to India as the President of Germany.
He will visit Varanasi. Germany is India’s largest trading partner in
Europe & the 6th largest trading partner in the world.
- President Ram Nath
Kovind visited Varanasi on a oneday visit to Uttar Pradesh. During his
temple city visit, Mr Kovind laid the foundation stone of five projects of
the National Highway Authority of India.
- ISRO successfully
launched the GSLV-F08 carrying the GSAT6A communication satellite from
Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. GSLV Mk
II (F08) carrying GSAT-6A took off from the second launch pad in
Sriharikota.
- Union
Minister for Information & Broadcasting & Textiles, Smriti Zubin
Irani inaugurated FICCI Frames 2018, in Mumbai. She also released the
FICCI-EY Media & Entertainment Report 2018 named 'Reimagining India's
M&E Sector'2018, in Mumbai. She also released the FICCI-EY Media &
Entertainment Report 2018 named 'Reimagining India's M&E Sector'.
- India's first
helicopter taxi service was launched in Bengaluru to fly passengers from
Kempegowda
7.
International Airport to Electronic City. The
service is expected to reduce the time taken to cover the distance from 2 hours
to 15 minutes.
- The HQ of
Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has been shifted from Chennai to
Haryana's Ballabhgarh for "better coordination" between the
environment ministry & the board.
- The Union
Housing Ministry has launched 'I-Metros', an association of all-India
metro rail companies, which will act as a forum of exchange of ideas &
innovations.
- The Centre has
constituted a three-member Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal to adjudicate
the dispute between Odisha & Chhattisgarh over sharing the river's
water. Supreme Court Judge AM Khanwilkar will be the Chairman of the
tribunal, with Justice Ravi Ranjan of the Patna High Court & Justice
Indermeet Kaur Kochhar of the Delhi High Court being the other two
members.
- India's tallest
national flag was unfurled in Belagavi (also known as Belgaum) in
Karnataka. Belagavi District Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi unfurled the 9,600
sq ft wide flag on a 110-metre-tall flagpole.
- Tedros Adhanom
Ghebreyesus, Director General of WHO met J.P. Nadda, Union Health &
Family Welfare Minister in New Delhi. They discussed perspectives on
national, regional & global public health program.
- Lok Sabha
passed (without a debate) a bill that will exempt political parties from
the scrutiny of funds they have received from abroad since 1976. One of
them was an amendment to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010
that bans overseas corporations from funding political parties.
- President Ram
Nath Kovind released coins in denominations of Rs 10 & Rs 1,000
commemorating Lord Jagannath's Nabakalebara festival observed in July
2015. He unveiled the coins at the centenary celebration of Rashtriya
Sanskrit Sansthan in Puri, Odisha.
- Gandhi
National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) has been certified as the world’s first
Trusted Digital Repository as per ISO standard.
- Indian Railway
Catering & Tourism Corporation
17.
(IRCTC) has introduced billing through Point of
Sale (POS) hand-held machines in trains to check overcharging by vendors.
- Jackfruit
attained a respected status with the state government declaring it as the
official fruit of Kerala. Kerala has been producing around 30 to 60 crore
jackfruits every year.
- The First Indian Sign
Language Dictionary of 3000 words was launched by Thaawarchand Gehlot,
Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment at a function. The
dictionary has been developed by Indian Sign Language Research &
Training Centre (ISLR&TC) under Department of Empowerment of Persons
with Disabilities (DEPwD).
- At the function in New
Delhi, the Health Secretary Smt. Preeti Sudan, released the TB INDIA 2018
Report & National Drug Resistance Survey Report. She also launched the
'NikshayAushadi Portal' & shorter regimen for Drug Resistant TB. She
further stated that the global target to end TB is 2030 but India will end
it by 2025.
- Eighty-six years after
the city got electricity, overhead power cables in world's oldest city
'Varanasi ' is being dismantled after a project to lay underground lines
over 16 sq-km has been finally completed.
- Indira Gandhi Memorial
Tulip Garden was opened for visitors in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir. It
is recognized as Asia's largest tulip garden.
23.
Six years after it applied for the Geographical
Indications (GI) tag for Kadaknath, a chicken breed whose black meat is in
demand in some quarters, Madhya Pradesh has got the coveted label.
Cabinet
Approvals in March 2018
Union
Cabinet chaired by PM Modi approved-
- An apprised of an MoU
between India & Fiji on Cooperation in Renewable Energy.
- MoU between India &
Macedonia on cooperation in the field of Health.
- Signing of MoU between
India & Jordan on Cooperation in Health Sector.
- Signing of MoU between
India & Jordan on Cooperation in the Field of Manpower.
- Agreement between India
& Jordan on Cooperation & Mutual Administrative
Assistanc in Customs Matters.
- Amendments to Housing
& Telephone Facilities Rules, Constituency Allowance Rules &
Office Expense Allowance Rules for MPs.
- The Trafficking of
Persons (Prevention, Protection & Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018.
- MoU between India &
Jordan for mining & beneficiation of Rock Phosphate & MOP &
setting up the production facility in Jordan for Phosphoric
Acid/DAP/NPKFertilizers.
- MoU between India &
Vietnam on Economic & Trade Cooperation.
- Doubling of Government
guarantee from Rs 9,500 crore to Rs.19,000 crore for procurements of
pulses & oilseeds at MSP under Price Support Scheme by NAFED.
- Continuation of PM's
Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) beyond 12th Plan for three years
from 2017-18 to 2019-20.
- Opening
of Missions in Africa to implement commitments of India-Africa Forum
Summit (IAFS-III).
- Ayushman Bharat –
National Health Protection Mission, Benefit cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family
per year, More than 10 crore families to be covered.
14.
Revision of the Agreement between India &
Qatar for the avoidance of double taxation & for the prevention of fiscal
evasion with respect to taxes on income.
IMPORTANT LINKS MARCH 2018