CURRENT AFFAIRS FROM 15th 28th MARCH 2013

UNDP brackets India with Equatorial Guinea in human development index: India has been ranked 136 among 187 countries evaluated for human development index (HDI) a measure for assessing progress in life expectancy, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living or gross national income per capita. The Human Development Report of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for 2013, released, puts Indias HDI value for the last year at 0.554, placing it in the medium human development category, which it shares with Equatorial Guinea. The Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite statistic of life expectancy, education, and income indices to rank countries into four tiers of human development. It was created by economist Mahbub ul Haq, followed by economist Amartya Sen in 1990, and published by the United Nations Development Programme Panel to define FDI, FII formed: The Government has constituted a four-member committee headed by Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram for giving clear definitions to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Foreign Institutional Investment (FII), with an aim to remove ambiguity over the two types of foreign investments. Cobrapost money-laundering sting on HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank : A Cobrapost pan-India undercover investigation spanning several months, unearths a vast, nation-wide money laundering racket being run by HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank. The brazen criminal activity by these banks is channelizing vast amounts of black money into the regular banking system as laundered white money. The investigation finds the banks and their managements systematically and deliberately violating several provisions of the Income Tax Act, FEMA, RBI regulations, KYC norms Air India SATS bags award: Air India SATS Airport Services (AISATS) has been awarded Air Cargo Terminal Operator of the Year by the Indian Chamber of Commerce, for the second consecutive year, at the Indian Supply Chain and Logistics Excellence Award ceremony held in New Delhi India Fifth On the List of High Net worth Individuals: Knight Frank Wealth Report 2013: India ranked fifth in the world in terms of number of High Net worth Individuals (HNIs), according to the Knight Frank Wealth Report 2013. High Net worth Individuals are the ones with the net assets of 150 crore Rupees to 160 crore Rupees. According to the report, as of 2012, the number of billionaires in India was 122 and by 2022, the number is expected to increase to 225. Bobby Ghosh became First non-American Editor of Time International: Bobby Ghosh, the eminent Indian Journalist was appointed as the editor of Time International. He is the first non-American World Editor in the history of the Times. Kallam Anji Reddy, Dr Reddy's Laboratories Founder Died At 72 : Kallam Anji Reddy, the main behind Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd (DRL), the second-largest drugmaker of India died at Hyderabads Apollo Hospital. Anji Reddy was the founder and chairman of DRL. He was aged 72 years. He died because of liver cancer. He is survived by his wife, daughter and son. India Won Eight Medals in Inaugural Asian Grand Prix Archery Championship: India won a total of eight medals in the inaugural Asian Grand Prix Archery Championship at Bangkok. India won two gold, two Silver and four bronze. World Consumer Rights Day Observed Across the World for Creating Awareness among Consumers: World Consumer Rights Day was observed on 15 March 2013 for creating awareness in terms of consumer protection measures as well as consumer rights. The theme for 2013 World Consumer Rights Day was Consumer Justice Now. This day was first observed on 15 March 1983. In 1962, the former US President John F. Kennedy, declared four basic consumer rights- right to choose, right to be heard, right to safety and right to be informed. India may become 5th largest manufacturing nation: BCG: India may become the fifth-largest manufacturing nation - from ninth position at present - if the country is able to increase the share of manufacturing in GDP to 25 per cent, a Boston Consultancy Group report has said. Zimbabwe votes in a referendum on new Constitution : Voting was underway in Zimbabwe in a referendum on a new Constitution a crucial milestone in the political development of the crisis-weary African country. The new Constitution grants more power to Parliament and offers additional rights to women but would not hinder President Robert Mugabe, 89, from running for high office again. He has been at the helm of Zimbabwe since its independence in 1980 Pakistan Government completed its Historic Five Year Term: Pakistan's government made history on with the parliament becoming the first democratically chosen body to complete its five-year term. Pakistan's

government made history on 16 March 2013, with the parliament becoming the first democratically chosen body to complete its five-year term India remains top arms importer while China becomes fifth largest exporter : India remains the world's biggest weapons importer for the third year in a row, ahead of China, which has turned into an exporter and overtaken the UK as the world's fifth largest supplier, selling its military wares mainly to Pakistan, a report by a Swedish think tank has revealed. More than half of the weapons exported by China are bought by Pakistan, which is now the world's third largest importer of weapons after India and China. Australia triumphs; India finishes fifth: Australia extended its domination in the Sultan Azlan Shah hockey tournament, by bagging their seventh title, after a 3-2 win over host Malaysia in the summit clash RBI cuts CRR, repo rates by 25 bps: The Reserve Bank of India, in the mid-quarter review of its monetary policy, today lowered the repo rate by 25 basis points the second time this year . The cash reserve ratio (CRR) the proportion of deposits banks keep with RBI in cash was left unchanged at four per cent but RBI did not disappoint the market in terms of liquidity infusion. After market hours, it announced Rs 10,000crore bond purchases via open-market operations. Goa Legislative Assembly Completed 50 Years of Its Inception: The Goa Legislative Assembly on 18 March 2013 decided to have year-long celebrations for marking 50 years of its inception. The Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly, Rajendra Arlekar made an announcement of the celebrations. B Ashok Reddy Elected As the Chairman of Confederation of Indian Industry: B Ashok Reddy, the Infotech Enterprises President (Human Resources and Corporate Affairs), was elected as the new chairman of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII UAE Inaugurated Worlds Largest Solar Power Plant named Shams 1: The oil-rich United Arab Emirates (UAE) officially opened the worlds largest concentrated solar power plant.The solar power plant opened is the 600-million dollar project which is aimed at providing electricity to 20000 homes. The solar power station which is named Shams 1 was inaugurated in Madinat Zayed by the President of UAE and the Ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Kelkar to head panel on energy security: The Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry, constituted a new committee headed by economist 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. Oberoi Delhi gets national award for best 5-star hotel : Hospitality chain the Oberoi group said its property in the national capital, 'The Oberoi' has bagged the National Tourism Award in the Best Five Star Deluxe category. Instituted by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, the National Tourism Awards are the most coveted awards in the travel and tourism industry in India and are presented annually, in various categories. Earlier, The Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur was awarded with the National Tourism Award in 2010 2011. National Film Awards: The 60th National Film Awards were announced Best actor: Irrfan Khan for Paan Singh Tomar and Vikram Gokhale for Marathi film Anumati Best film - wholesome entertainment: Vicky Donor Best film on social issues: Spirit (Malayalam) Best Animated Film: Delhi Safari Best Children's Film: Dekh Indian Circus Best Supporting Actress: Dolly Ahluwalia for Vicky Donor Best supporting actor: Annu Kapoor Oxford study finds Nepal reducing poverty faster than India : Nepal and Bangladesh are reducing poverty faster compared to India, according to a new study based on the multidimensional poverty index developed at the University of Oxford and used by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in its Human Development Reports. India also made significant progress in reducing poverty between 1999 and 2006, but at a rate that was less than one-third of the speed of its poorer neighbours, with a reduction in poverty rates of 1.2 percentage points per year [instead of 4.1% (Nepal) or 3.2% (Bangladesh)], the study found. Toyo Ito, the Japanese Architect Declared As the Winner of 2013 Pritzker Architecture Prize: Toyo Ito, the Japanese architect was declared as the winner of 2013 Pritzker Architecture Prize. The Pritzker Architecture Prize is said to be the most prestigious and richest award of architecture. Often, this prize is also referred as the Nobel Prize of Architecture. The prize is sponsored by Hyatt Foundation. India, Egypt sign seven accords Prime Minister Manmohan Singh promises all assistance to Morsi: India rolled out a red carpet for Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi with Prime Minister offering to share this

countrys experience with the Arab nation in a wide range of fields, including IT, renewable energy, services, small and medium enterprises and manufacturing and fertilizers. Morsi, the first democratically elected leader of the Arab nation, had detailed talks with Manmohan Singh on regional and global issues. Cabinet clears revised Food Security Bill: The government approved the revised Food Security Bill to provide for uniform 5 kg of foodgrains per month per person at a highly subsidised price of Rs 1.3 per kg to two-thirds of the country's population. However, about 2.43 crore poorest of the poor families covered under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) scheme under PDS would get legal entitlement to 35 kg of foodgrain per family per month. The extra burden on the food subsidy would be about Rs 20,000 crore from the current level, while foodgrains requirement is expected to be 61.23 million tonnes DMK Ministers resign: A day after the DMK withdrew support to the UPA government on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue, the partys five Union Ministers submitted their resignation to the Prime Minister amid speculation that party chief M. Karunanidhis son M.K. Alagiri was unhappy for not being kept in the loop. The DMK, which formally ended its nine-year-old alliance with the UPA , has 18 members in the Lok Sabha and six MPs in the Rajya Sabha. The party ruled out supporting the UPA from outside or joining the BJP-led NDA. India jumps 24 places to be in 143rd in FIFA rankings: Despite its unimpressive performance in the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers earlier this month, the India football team jumped 24 places to occupy 143rd in the FIFA Rankings issued . India earned 79 points this month for a total of 177 points and a jump from 167th to 143rd. Vice President of India, Hamid Ansari Released a Book on Former President of India: The Vice President of India, Hamid Ansari on 19 March 2013 released a book titled The First Woman President of India, Reinventing leadership, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil . The book is written on the former President of India, Pratibha Devisingh Patil by Professor Sunaina Singh. S. Venkata Mohan won the National Bioscience Award for 2012: S. Venkata Mohan a scientist of the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, on 19 March 2013 won the National Bioscience Award for 2012 in Hyderabad. Hrishikesh Sharan new Ombudsman for indirect taxes: Hrishikesh Sharan was appointed as the Indirect Tax Ombudsman for the financial capital. He will look into grievances of the public regarding Central Excise, Customs and service tax, an official statement issued here said. India successfully tests worlds first underwater supersonic cruise missile: India successfully carried out the maiden test-firing of the over 290 km-range submarine-launched version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile in the Bay of Bengal, becoming the first country in the world to have this capability. Bangladesh President dies in Singapore at 85: Bangladesh President Mohammad Zillur Rahman, a close aide of the country's founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, died at a Singapore hospital where he was being treated for kidney and respiratory problems, officials said. He was 85. Single-phase Karnataka Assembly poll on May 5: Elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly will be held on May 5 and the counting of votes will be taken up on May 8. The poll notification will be issued on April 10. Chief Election Commissioner V.S. Sampath told journalists Obama in Israel on first visit as President: President Barack Obama plunged into the turbulent Middle East on a mission aimed primarily at assuring Americas top ally in the region and its friends back home that it will not be forsaken amid bitter domestic political squabbles and budget crises in Washington. Mr. Obama arrived in Israel for his first visit to the country and only his second to the Middle East, outside of a quick jaunt to Iraq since taking office. He will also be making his first trips as president to the Palestinian Authority and Jordan this week. Sanjay Dutt awarded five-year jail term by Supreme Court in 1993 Mumbai blasts case: Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt will have to go back to prison to complete his five-year jail term, the Supreme Court ruled while delivering judgment in the1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, as the charges of illegally possessing arms and ammunition were "too serious" to ignore. Dutt has already spent 18 months in jail as an under-trial and is out on bail. He will have to surrender within four weeks and serve out the rest of his sentence. The apex court, however, upheld the TADA court verdict acquitting the actor of being part of the conspiracy to set off the blasts. Arunachal Pradesh becomes first state to introduces e-GPF : Arunachal Pradesh became the first state to introduce e-GPF with the state Finance department facilitating online access to 34,000 GPF accounts through its redesigned website, which was formally launched by Chief Minister Nabam Tuki.

India Inc makes 72 acquisitions abroad worth $11 b in 2012: Indian conglomerates have set their eyes on outbound merger and acquisition (M&A) deals, making 72 acquisitions worth $11 billion in 2012. This trend is likely to gather further momentum in the near future. According to Kroll Advisory Solutions, Indian firms made a considerable improvement compared to 2011s deal value of a meagre $6 billion. Sabeer Bhatias firm launches global SIM card: Jaxtr Inc, a company co-founded by Hotmail fame Sabeer Bhatia launched Jaxtr SIM, a global SIM card with an eye on increasing number of international travellers out of the country after rolling out the product in the US recently. Neha Tripathi Won Sixth Leg of Hero Women's Pro Golf Tour 2013 : Kolkatas Neha Tripathi won sixth leg of Hero Women's Pro Golf Tour 2013 in Panckula. This is the third victory of Neha Tripathi in 2013 season. With this victory, Neha Tripathi overtook Smriti Mehra in the Hero Order of Merit 2013 World Water Day 2013 Celebrated Across the World with Water Cooperation as a Theme: World Water Day is celebrated across the world on 22 March every year. This day was first celebrated back in the year 1993. World Water Day is an initiative of United Nations for celebrating the value of freshwater in the world London Based Indian Origin Writer, Anil Ananthaswamy Won Inaugural Physics Journalism Prize: The London based Indian origin writer, Anil Ananthaswamy won inaugural Physics Journalism Prize for the article Hip Hip Array on 28 February 2013 in central London. The Physics Journalism Prize is co-sponsored by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and the Institute of Physics (IOP TRAI notified Standards of Quality of Service Amendment Regulations:2013: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on notified the Standards of Quality of Service (Duration of Advertisements in Television Channels) Amendment Regulations:2013. The amendment regulation was notified for ensuring quality of service and protection of consumers interests. The regulation makes it mandatory for the broadcasters to restrict duration of advertisement in channels for to a maximum limit of 12 minutes in one hour as already prescribed in the rules in existence. Aam Aadmi Party now a registered political party: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is now a registered political party. It will soon be allotted a symbol. The party received a communication from the Election Commission over the weekend that it has been registered as a political party under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, with effect from March 21, 2013. India won Border Gavaskar Trophy 2013 against Australia by 4-0: India on won the fourth and the final test with 6 wickets remaining against Australia in the Alan Border Series Australia Tour to India, at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, Delhi. India won the series 4-0. Man of the Match: Ravindra Jadeja for his all-round performance Man of the Series: Ravichandran Ashwin for claiming 29 wickets in the four-Test Series Nikhil Kumar took Oath as Governor of Kerala; Manjula Chelloor Administered his Oath: Nikhil Kumar, former Nagaland Governor sworn in as the 20th Governor of Kerala. Chief Justice of Kerala High Court Justice Manjula Chelloor administered the oath of the office and secrecy at Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram to him. India and World Observed Earth Hour on 23 March 2013 : India and the World observed observed the Earth Hour that was organised by World Wide Fund for Nature. Earth Hour is celebrated every year to create awareness about conservation of energy and climate change. People across the country expressed their commitment towards nature by switching off their lights for one hour from 8:30 to 9:30 PM on 23 March 2013. Many important markets and monuments of the country went into darkness for an hour. Lebanon PM Najib Mikati announced Resignation of his Government amid Cabinet Dispute : The Prime Minister of Lebabon, Najib Mikati announced resignation of his Government. The decision came after the cabinet failed to approve the commission to oversee elections, scheduled in June 2013 and refusal of the cabinet in extending the tenure of the Police Chief Major General Ashraf Rifi, who will retire in April 2013. Maulana Nadvi re-elected chief of Muslim Board: Maulana Syed Raabe Hasani Nadvi was elected unopposed as the President of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) for the fifth consecutive term. Castro, Basu among those honoured by Bangladesh: Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro; former British Prime Minister Lord Harold Wilson; and former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu were among the 69 foreign friends honoured by Bangladesh for their contribution to the countrys liberation war in 1971. This is the sixth phase of the awards, given out to foreign friends, a process that began during the current government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Friends from Cuba, United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Japan, the United States, Australia and Sweden have been awarded in two categories Friends of Liberation War Honour and Liberation War Honour. Fidel Castro and Harold Wilson have been awarded

Liberation War Honour. Jyoti Basu has been awarded Friends of Liberation War Honour. The highest honour was awarded to former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in July 25 last year. Navneet Kaur Dhillon Crowned Ponds Femina Miss India 2013: Navneet Kaur Dhillon was crowned Ponds Femina Miss India 2013 in the grand finale of 50th edition of the beauty pageant in Mumbai. 20-yearold Navneet Kaur belongs to Punjab and is a media student at present. Navneet Kaur was also given the title Miss Glowing Skin. Sobhita Dhulipala and Zoya Afroz were the first and second runners-up respectively. The trio of Navneet Kaur, Sobhita Dhulipala and Zoya Afroz were selected from a total of 23 finalists. Union Government cleared 1500 crore Rupees Proposal for Pinaka Rockets: The Union government in March 2013 approved a 1500 crore Rupees proposal for production of more than 2000 rockets for the Pinaka multi- barrel weapons system. The proposal was approved to enhance the Army's firepower. The Indian Army requires more than 2000 of these rockets to equip its 10-12 regiments comprising the Pinaka launchers. Mumbai slips to 66th rank among worlds leading financial hubs: Indias financial capital Mumbai slipped to 66th rank in the list of worlds leading financial centres according to the latest Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI) released. Mumbai is the only Indian city on the list, which was topped by London. New York was ranked second in the list followed by Hong Kong and Singapore in the third and fourth place respectively. Rhino population rises in Kaziranga: Census: Notwithstanding many poaching cases in the Kaziranga National Park (KNP), the rhino population in the world heritage site has seen a rise as per the latest census which ended. There was an addition of 39 Great Indian one-horned Rhinoceros to the previous census figure of 2,290, official sources said. FIPB clears AirAsias proposal to start a passenger airline with Tata group: The Finance Ministry announced it had approved the proposal of Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia's to start a passenger airline services in India in partnership with the Tata Group and another Indian partner with an investment of Rs. 80.89 crore. India finishes third in ICC Test rankings: The battle for second place for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings, which had April 1, as the cut-off date, turned out to be a photo-finish between England and India. In the end, the thrilling draw at Auckland in the third and final Test against New Zealand handed England the No.2 rank while India finished third. South Africa had already sealed their position as the No.1 ranked Test side, meaning they not only retained the Test mace but were also assured of prize money of $450,000. China, Brazil sign trade, currency deal ahead of BRICS summit: BRICS members China and Brazil agreed to trade in their own currencies the equivalent of up to $30 billion per year, moving to take almost half of their trade exchanges out of the US dollar zone. The agreement, due to last three years and signed hours before the start of a BRICS summit in Durban, South Africa Khoso sworn in as Pakistan caretaker PM : Mir Hazar Khan Khoso, a retired judge, was sworn in as caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan to guide the country through an historic election on May 11. President Asif Ali Zardari administered the oath to Warren Buffett unseats Amancio Ortega to become world's 3rd richest person: Within weeks of publishing its annual global rich list, Forbes said legendary investor Warren Buffett has become the world's third richest person, Three NRIs Honoured by Indian High Commission in London on World Hindi Day 2013: Three NRIs as well as a Nottingham-based organisation were honoured by Indian High Commission at the India House in London on 19 March 2013 for working towards promotion of Hindi language in UK. The awardees were- Mahendra Kishore Verma of York University, Kavita Vachaknavi who is an internationally acclaimed blogger, Krishna Kumar who is the Chairman of Gitanjali Multilingual Literary Circle in Birmingham and the organisation called Kavya Rang Competition Commission of India (CCI) Nominated for GCR Awards 2013: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) was nominated for the Global Competition Review (GCR) Awards 2013 in the category Agency of the Year-Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa in the last week of March 2013. This is the first time that CCI was nominated for internationally acclaimed award. Italian Foreign Minister resigns over marines row: Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi has resigned following the criticism of his governments decision to send back to India two Italian marines accused of killing Indian fishermen.

Third anti-submarine warfare corvette launched in Kolkata: In a major step towards indigenisation and making the Navy self-reliant, the third anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvette, designed under the ambitious Project-28 (P-28) by the Navys Directorate of Naval Design, was launched in Kolkata . Aimed at enhancing the Navys underwater warfare capabilities, the warship, in a first of its kind, will be fitted with indigenous state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, including a medium range gun, torpedo tube launchers, rocket launchers and close-in weapon system. The first GRSE-built ASW corvette, Kamorta, is expected to be delivered to the Navy by this year-end. It was launched on April 19, 2010 and had suffered a delay of nearly one year. The remaining ships, according to GRSE, will be delivered by 2016. The fourth ASW corvette will be launched in 2014 and built, fitted and tested and delivered to the Navy in little over 20 months, the officials said. Japan to grant India $2.32 billion aid: India and Japan have agreed to promote their bilateral strategic and global partnership especially in economic and security areas, with Tokyo granting a $2.32 billion aid for infrastructure building. During the meeting, Mr. Kishida unveiled a 220 billion yen ($2.32 billion) aid to India for infrastructure building and a 71-billion-yen loan ($753.17 million) for the subway project in Indias financial capital Mumbai, the Japanese news agency Kyodo reported. Asia's largest Tulip garden opened to visitors: Asia's largest Tulip garden on the banks of Dal Lake in Shrinagar was thrown open to visitors, marking the beginning of the new tourism season in the Valley. The 15-hectare garden in the foothills of Zabarwan Range was officially opened to visitors by Minister for Floriculture Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed. Formerly known as Siraj Bagh, the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip garden was opened in 2008 by the then Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. Obama appoints first female head of Secret Service: US President Barack Obama has appointed veteran agent Julia Pierson as the new Director of the Secret Service, making her the first female to head the elite commando unit responsible for the security of the first family. Pierson, 53 was serving as Chief of Staff in the Office of the Director of the United States Secret Service (USSS 5th BRICS Summit: The 5th BRICS Summit will take place in Durban on March 27, 2013. South Africa will assume the Chair of BRICS from India at the Durban Summit. The 2013 BRICS summit was the fifth annual BRICS summit, an international relations conference attended by the head of states or heads of government of the five member states Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Development, Integration and Industrialisation eThekwini Declaration. Jacob Zuma (host): President of South Africa , Dilma Rousseff: President of Brazil, Vladimir Putin: President of Russia, Hu Jintao: President of China, Manmohan Singh: Prime Minister of India participated in the summit. BRICS, originally "BRIC" before the inclusion of South Africa in 2010, is the title of an association of emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.With the possible exception of Russia,the BRICS members are all developing or newly industrialised countries, but they are distinguished by their large, fast-growing economies and significant influence on regional and global affairs. As of 2013, the five BRICS countries represent almost 3 billion people, with a combined nominal GDP of US$14.9 trillion,and an estimated US$4 trillion in combined foreign reserves.Presently, India holds the chair of the BRICS group.