[CA] Sunday Bytes - March 12, 2017

# Government told Rajya Sabha that declaring Pakistan a "terror state" could have "diplomatic as well as other far reaching consequences"

# Chandrayaan-1, India’s first unmanned lunar spacecraft, which was generally considered lost, has been discovered by the NASA scientists still orbiting the Moon.

# The women safety app "Ammavin Aran" which means ‘mother’s fortress’ was launched by the AIADMK

# Navies of Japan and USA conducted a joint exercise in South China Sea; the exercise is to counter the North Korea's missile test

# Former Indian cricketer and captain Sachin Tendulkar has roped as an ambassador of Women’s Cricket World Cup 2017

# Lok Sabha passed (on March 09, 2017) the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016

# 10th edition of the International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV 2017) was held in New Delhi with the theme "Building Knowledge Societies: From Digital Government to Digital Empowerment"

# INS Tillanchang, a Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC) was commissioned into the Indian Navy at Karwar, Karnataka

# India has a “very strong voice” within the World Bank group due to the international financial institution’s meetings and decisions:  CEO of World Bank, Ms. Kristalina Georgieva

# G. Poornachandran, a retired Tamil teacher has won the Sahitya Akademi Award for translating Manu Jospeh's novel "Serious Men" (titled as “Poruppuumikka Manitharakal”)

# March 01: World Civil Defence Day; theme: "Together with civil defence against disasters"

# March 01: Zero Discrimination Day; theme: "Make Some Noise For Zero Discrimination"

# Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi inaugurated the annual International Yoga Festival in Rishikesh

# Russia and China vetoed a UN resolution to impose sanctions on Syria over the alleged use of chemical weapons during the six-year war.

# 2017 World Women’s Youth Boxing Championship will be hosted by India in November for the first time since 2010

# Jawaharlal Nehru University has won the annual Visitor’s Award for the ‘Best University’, 2017.

# March 03: World Wildlife Day; theme: "Listen to the Young Voices"

# March 03: World Hearing Day; theme: "Action for hearing loss: make a sound investment"

# A renewed agreement between Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir has been sealed for the completion of the Shahpur Kandi Dam project (across the River Ravi), work on which was halted two years ago following a dispute

# Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) under the Ministry of Environment and Forests coordinated nationwide ‘Operation Thunder Bird’ to combat illegal trade of wildlife animals in the country.

# Himachal Pradesh Government has launched mobile app and website titled ‘MeraHunar HP’ or ‘My Talent’  to help skilled and semi-skilled workers find jobs.

# The fifth edition of the mega cultural festival ‘India by the Nile’ (IBN) began in Cairo, Egypt

# Noted Konkani author Mahabaleshwar Sail has been honored with the 2016 Saraswati Samman for his novel ‘Hawthan’

[CA] Sunday Bytes - March 05, 2017

·        Government of India has taken a decision to celebrate Dec 03 as "Agriculture Education Day" to commemorate the anniversary of first President and Agriculture Minister of India, Bharat Ratna, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, for inspiration of youth. Similarly, it has been decided to celebrate Oct 15 as Women Agriculture Day

·        Number of ODF (Open Defecation Free) districts in the country has now crossed 100. Over 1.7 lakh villages have become ODF.

·        DRDO conducted the successful launch of the interceptor missile Advanced Area Defence (AAD) from Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha.

·        DRDO formally handed over an indigenously developed Weapon Locating Radar (WLR) system called “Swati” to the Army. It has been extensively tested along the LoC.

·        Kalvari, the first of the Scorpene submarines being built in India successfully conducted its maiden test – firing of an anti –s hip missile in the Arabian Sea

·        A Government appointed Panel (headed by Partha Mukhopadhay) has recommended necessary legal and policy framework to protect the interests of the migrants in the country, stating that the migrant population makes substantial contribution to economic growth and their Constitutional rights need to be secured.

·        A call by the traders Federation in Tamil Nadu to ban sales of Coca-Cola and Pepsi soft drinks came into effect on March 01, 2017 in the State of Tamil Nadu

·        Virat Kohli has been chosen for the BCCI’s International Cricketer of the Year (2016) for the third time and will receive the Polly Umrigar  Award

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

·        Singer Rihanna has been honoured with the 2017 Harvard Humanitarian of the Year Award

·        President, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the Kochi Muziris Biennale Seminar on ‘Importance of sustainable cultural building’

·        Half of the 4096 km border of India – Bangladesh border had been fenced

·        Sweden announced that it will reintroduce military service (for all Swedes born after 1999) starting this summer to respond to global security challenges

·        Joint secretary Gopal Baglay has been appointed as the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs .He is replaced by Vikas Swarup

·        March 03: World Wildlife Day; theme: "Listen to the Young Voices"

[CA] Sunday Bytes [Jan 08, 2017]

·       UN declared 2017 as International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 

·       Mr. Antonio Guterres (Portugal) officially took over charge as the new Secretary General of UNO from Jan 01, 2017

·       Leap Second was added to the Indian clock at 5:29:59 hours on Jan 01, 2017 to synchronise with the Earth’s rotational clock.

·       France Government has raised a ‘terror tax’ on property insurance policies after a series of terror attacks in 2015 and 2016.

·       Karnataka Government to celebrate 2017 as “Year of the Wild”

·       North Korea leader Mr. Kim Jong – un said that the country is to launch ICBM (Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile) soon

·       Indian tennis player Somdev Kishore Devvarman popularly known as Somdev announced his retirement from professional tennis

·       India successfully conducted the test firing of the nuclear-capable strategic ballistic missile, Agni IV from the Abdul Kalam Island, Balasore, off the Odisha coast

·       President Mr. Pranab Mukherjee has appointed Prof. David R. Syiemlieh, to perform the duties of the post of Chairman of Union Public Service Commission.

·       Goa – based herpetologist and wildlife photographer, Nirmal Kulkarni, has launched “Living with Pythons”, a nationwide initiative beginning this year to create awareness and instill appreciation about the country’s three Python species

[CA] Sunday Bytes [Dec 25, 2016]

·       China signaled that it was ready to consider India’s participation in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)

·       An Inter-Ministerial Central Team headed by Mr. Praveen Vashista to  visit Tamil Nadu to do an on-the-spot assessment of the situation in the wake of Cyclone storm ‘Vardah’

·       Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully launched a solid fuel rocket named Epsilon-2

·       France becomes the first country in the world to use drones for postal works

·       Modern Bengali poet Shankha Ghosh was chosen for the 52nd Jnanpith Award for 2016

·       Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of a Madan Mohan Malviyya Cancer center in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh; the dedicated centre will be built at an expense of Rs. 500 crore

·       Ms. Girija Vaidyanathan was sworn in as the 45th Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu

·       India’s R. Ashwin was named ICC Cricketer of the Year 2016 (Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy) and also won the Test Cricketer of the Year 

·       Union government has decided to launch a toll-free number ‘1955’ in order to take a feedback from the telecom subscribers on call drop issue. The code has been allotted for Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) on call drops.

·       India has been selected to host the fifth edition of the Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCSS) in 2017.

·       Nepal to hold military exercise with China (PRATIKAR – 1) on Feb 10, 2017

·       Bank of Baroda has become the first Indian company to sign up as a National Supporter for the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017, which will be held from Oct 06-28, 2017 across 6 cities

·       India has been ranked 4th in the Global Wind Power Installed Capacity index after China, USA and Germany with cumulative installed wind power generation capacity of 28,279 MW in 2016.

·       India’s first cashless bazaar inaugurated in Raipur

·       First ever road tunnel underneath the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul connecting Europe to Asia inaugurated in Turkey

[CA] Sunday Bytes [Dec 18,2016]

Ø The Allahabad high court, passed an order, over the Islamic practice of divorcing a woman by saying the word ‘talaq’ three successive times, that it is completely “unconstitutional” and violates the rights of Muslim Women.

Ø Ministry of Railways launched a website of National Rail Plan, 2030 (NRP-2030); to develop the Indian Railways in terms of service in travelling and freight across the country; Hazrat Nizamuddin-Visakhapatnam train is renamed as Vizag Steel Samta Express to promote its brand Vizag steel; ‘Gita Jayanti’ train (Kurukshetra to Mathura) from Kurukshetra Railway Station as a part of Gita Mahotsav held in the state of Haryana

Ø Pakistan has removed an “undeclared” ban on import of ginned cotton from India

Ø Kerala Chief Minister Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan launched Haritha Keralam Mission in Thiruvananthapuram

Ø India’s Vijender Singh defended his WBO Asia – Pacific super middleweight title by defeating Tanzania’s Francis Cheka in New Delhi

Ø The top five States that contributed to the e-Transactions in 2016 are Telangana, Gujarat, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu

Ø Retired Air Chief Marshal S. P. Tyagi was arrested b the CBI for alleged involvement in the Rs. 3700 crore Augusta Westland VVIP helicopter deal case

Ø Committee on Digital Payments (constituted by the Ministry of Finance), under the Chairmanship of Mr. Ratan P. Watal submitted its final report to the Union Finance Minister Mr. Arun Jaitley

Ø President, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the first ever "Laureates and Leaders for Children Summit" in New Delhi

Ø India and Vietnam signed a Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement (N-Pact) in New Delhi; Vietnam is the 14th country with which India signed the civil nuclear deal

Ø Canada Civil rights activist Ms. Viola Desmond has emerged as the first Canadian Woman to be featured on the nations $ 10 Currency note

Ø Cyclone "Vardah" made a landfall in Chennai; a cyclone landfall in Chennai after a gap of 22 years; nearly 20 persons dead

Ø Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Ms. Mehbooba Mufti flagged off fortnightly special train ‘Vaadi ki sair’ (Tour of the Valley) , for children that will run between Banihal to Baramulla.

Ø World’s longest rail tunnel, Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT), began operating on regular basis in Switzerland (on December 11, 2016), to provide service to the passengers

Ø Book titled ‘Dipa Karmakar: The Small Wonder’ written by Vimal Mohan, Digvijay Singh Deo and her coach Bishweshwar Nandi (to be released on Aug 2017)

[CA] Sunday Bytes [Dec 11,2016]

   President, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee presented the second ICCR ‘Distinguished Indologist’ Award to Prof. Yu Long Yu of the People’s Republic of China

   Hornbill Festival started on Nagaland Statehood Day (Dec 01) at the Naga Heritage village Kisama

   Norway’s Magnus Carlsen beats his Russian challenger Sergei Karyakin to defend his World Chess Championship (held in New York); it is his third world chess championship for Carlsen

   TeamIndus, a Bengaluru based aerospace company has said it will send a spacecraft to the moon on Dec 28, 2017 aboard on ISRO rocket

   21st National Youth Festival will be held in Rohtak, Haryana from 12th January to 16th January, 2017.

   UK scientists gave green signal to the use of “three-parent baby” fertility treatments, thus becoming the first in the world to officially introduce the procedures.

   United Nations formally apologized for its role in the Haiti’s cholera epidemic

   Jamaica’s Usain Bolt and Ethiopia’s Almaz Ayana won the IAAF Athletes of the Year for Male and Female respectively

   Petrotech 2016 main Conference was inaugurated (on Dec 05, 2016) in New Delhi by Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi with the theme "Hydrocarbons to fuel the future - Choices & Challenges"

   "Amritsar Declaration" was adopted at the 6th Ministerial Conference of the Heart of Asia- Istanbul Process on Afghanistan  held in Amritsar

[CA] Sunday Bytes [Nov 27,2016]

·        Senior journalist Akshaya Mukul won the Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize 2016 for his book "Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India"

·        Infosys Science Foundation declared the names of six individuals as the winners of Infosys Prize 2016

(i) Prof V. Kumaran for Engineering and Computer Science

(ii) Prof. Sunit Amrith for Humanities

(iii) Dr. Gagandeep Kang for Life Sciences

(iv) Prof. Akshay Venkatesh for Mathematical Sciences

(v) Dr. Anil Bhardwaj for Physical Sciences

(vi) Prof. Kaivan Munshi for Social Sciences

·        Captain Radhika Menon was bestowed with the 2016 International Maritime Organization (IMO) Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea at IMO Headquarters in London, United Kingdom. Captain Menon became the first female to receive the IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea. Another Indian to receive a commendation certificate during the ceremony was B. M. Das, a winch operator and a diver of the rescue helicopter CG 822, Indian Coast Guard Air Station, Daman

·        Tennis Player Roger Federer has won the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award for the 12th time in his career.

·        Bangladesh will honour 1668 members of the Indian Army, who were martyred during the Bangladesh Liberation War; their families will receive a Rs. 5 lakh purse as a mark of respect

·        India & Switzerland Signed ‘Joint Declaration’ for the implementation of Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI); India will be possible to receive the financial information of accounts held by Indian residents in Switzerland for 2018 and subsequent years from September 2019 onwards.

·        India has been elected as the Vice Chair for 2018 and Chair for 2019 of KPCS (Kimberly Process Certificate Scheme)

·        India and European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) signed an agreement for making India an Associate Member State of CERN; CERN is the world’s largest nuclear and particle physics laboratory, where scientists and engineers are probing the fundamental structure of the Universe by using the most sophisticated scientific instruments and advanced computing systems. CERN is based in Geneva on the French-Swiss border. Presently CERN has 22 member states, four associate member states, and the observer status is given to four states and three International Organizations.

·        Pankaj R Patel was elected as the new President of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) for the year 2017

·        Former IAS officer Ms. Upma Chowdhary was appointed as the Director of Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) at Mussoorie; She would be the 23rd director and first woman director of the prestigious academy, imparting training to officers of civil services.