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MARCH CURRENT AFFAIRS – 2018

ENGLISH VERSION

MARCH CURRENT AFFAIRS-2018

No: 646, 2

nd floor, K.K. Nagar, Madurai – 625020 | 7397150273, 8489228855

No: 81, 2nd

floor, South Veli Street, Madurai – 6250019751999264, 0452-4951150/4217492 www.seniasacademy.in

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The twin-fuselage Stratolaunch airplane, with the longest wingspan in the world, is

designed to carry as many as three rockets up to altitude and then drop them so

they can launch satellites to space from there. This plane weighs 250 ton and 117

meter long.

Chinese government issued a ban on using the letter “N” in both the languages of

English and Mandarin which effects from May 1, 2018.

A first-of-its-kind Aviation Multi Skill Development Centre (MSDC), a CSR initiative of

Airports Authority of India (AAI) was inaugurated in Chandigarh by the Union Minister of

Civil Aviation, Shri P Ashok Gajapathi Raju.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated the 2,000 mega watt (MW) solar

power park at Pavagada in Karnataka's Tumakuru district. Karnataka has emerged as

the third largest producer of renewable energy in the country.

India’s top rated telecom services limited Aircel filed a bankruptcy petition in Mumbai’s

National Company Law Tribunal.

Laureus World Sports Awards 2018(It is widely known as the Oscar of the Sports)

Sportsman of the Year: Roger Federer

Sportswomen of the Year: Serena Williams

Comeback of the Year: Roger Federer

Team of the Year: Mercedes F1

World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability: Marcel Hug

A six-member Tamil Nadu State Food Commission, with IAS officer R. Vasuki as its

Chairperson, was recently constituted by the State government, more than a year after

it decided to implement the National Food Security Act (NFSA).

http://www.thehindu.com/tag/783-778-684/food/?utm=bodytag


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A toll free number ‘14417’ was formally launched by Chief Minister K Palaniswami

through the 24 hour education guidance centre set up at the secretariat. It would offer

information relating to school education and offer guidance to students.

The 66th senior national volleyball championship for men and women, was held at

Calicut, Kerala.

Men’s Winner – Kerala Team

women’s Winner – Indian Railway Team

2018 IAAF World Indoor Championship (Atheletics) was held in Birmingham, United

Kingdom.

India will host the WSF World Junior Squash Championships after winning the rights

from the World Squash Federation to stage the 2018 event in Chennai.

Russia is constructing two nuclear reactors with a capacity of 1,200 MW each in

Rooppur, which will be Bangaladesh’s first nuclear power project. Indian companies can

be involved in construction and installation works, the supply of materials and

equipment of non-critical category in the interest of the project.

The Centre approved projects worth over Rs 2,900 crore under the Nirbhaya fund for

eight major cities of the country Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru,

Hyderabad Ahmedabad and Lucknow in a bid to make them safer for women.

King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, who arrived India on a three-day visit.

The Union Cabinet has approved introduction of Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, 2018

in Parliament. It gives government right to confiscate property of such economic

offenders in India and abroad. Its provisions are also be applicable on proxy-owned

properties of economic offenders.

The mega cultural festival ‘India by the Nile’ has started at the foot of the Pyramids in

Cairo, Egypt. The festival is a celebration of Indian music, dance, theatre, visual arts,

food and wellbeing.


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The Armenian Parliament voted overwhelmingly to select Dr. Armen Sarkissian as the

new president of Armenia.

Vijayendrar Saraswathi has become the 70th Sankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti

Peetam.

A Mobile Application "AMMA" (Access and Manage through Mobile from Anywhere e-

service of Land Records) could be downloaded. It would enable verification of details

like land classification, and patta number. By using the facility, the Patta and Chitta

copies can be downloaded and by utilising the Q R Code, the authenticity of such

documents can be verified through the mobile phone.

Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, O. Panneerselvam, also handling finance portfolio,

presented the State budget 2018-19 in the Assembly.

Navjot Kaur produced a dominating performance in the final of the women’s 65 kg

freestyle category to clinch the gold medal in what was a day to remember for Indian

wrestling at the Asian Wrestling Championships in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. With Sakshi

Malik winning the bronze medal in the 62 kg category, India’s medal tally stood at one

gold, one silver (Vinesh Bhogath) and four bronze medals.

2018 ISSF World Cup which was held in Guadalajara, Mexico

The Indian combine of Pankaj Advani and Manan Chandra staged a remarkable

recovery to beat Pakistan in the final of the inaugural IBSF Snooker Team World Cup

which was held in DOHA.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying the National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration (NOAA) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, or GOES-S.

China's ruling Communist Party has proposed scrapping constitutional term limits for the

country's president, which would give President Xi Jinping the option to stay on after the

end of his second term in 2022.


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India and Russia are in the final stages of negotiations to purchase S-400 air defence

systems two years after their initial deal on the matter.

In a historic first for Pakistan, a Dalit woman from the country’s marginalized Hindu

community has been elected to the Senate, the upper house of the parliament. Krishna

Kumari Kolhi, a 39-year-old Hindu Dalit woman, was elected senator on a women’s seat

from Sindh. She is a member of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari-led Pakistan People’s Party

(PPP).

K Srinivasan who was appointed as the Secretary of Tamil Nadu Legislative

Assembly.

Odisha Government has launched ‘Ama Gaon, Ama Vikas’ (Our Village, our

development) programme to reach out to people in rural areas and involve themselves

in developmental activities. As part of it, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik flagged off

mobile video vans that will move across the state to highlight various welfare schemes

at villages in the state. It will enable people to connect with the government.

A Legislative Assembly election was held in 59 out of 60 constituencies of

the Legislative Assembly of Tripura.BJP won 35 seats in this election and BJP’s Biblab

Theb Kumar sworn in as new Chief Minister of Tiripura. Former CM of Tripura was

Manik Sarkar.


the Legislative Assembly of Meghalaya.Congress won 21 seats in this election. NPP

won 19 seats. BJP won 2 seats. NPP’s Konrod Sangma sworn in as new Chief Minister

of Meghalaya. Former CM of Meghalaya was Mukul Sangma.


the Legislative Assembly of Nagaland. In this election NPF won 27 seats. NDPP won 16

seats. BJP won 12 seats. NDPP’s Neiphiu Rio sworn in as new Chief Minister of

Nagaland. Former CM of Nagaland was T.R. Zeliang.

The vehicles of India's top constitutional authorities -- the President, the Vice President,

Governors and Lieutenant Governors -- will soon have to display their registration


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numbers. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in its affidavit filed before a

bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar of the Delhi High

Court said that it has written to the authorities concerned to get these vehicles

registered.

Tamil Nadu government conference for District Collectors and Police Officers 2018

which held at Namakkal Kavignar Maaligai inside the secretariat-Assembly complex,

Chennai. Previously it was held in 2013 organized by Former CM Jayalalitha.

Oscar Awards 2018:

Films Winning 4 Oscar Awards:

The Shape of Water – Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Score, Best Production

Design.


Dunkirk- Best Sound Mixing, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing.


Blade Runner 2049, Darkest Hour, Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri.

BJP’s M.P. Shatrughan Sinha has been honoured with a lifetime achievement award

presented by Britain’s Asian Voice weekly newspaper.

At 19 years and 165 days of age, highly-rated Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan, the

No. 1 Twenty20 International bowler, became the youngest captain in the history of

international cricket. He has taken charge as the captain in the world cup qualifier match

against Ireland.

The 2018 ISSF shooting sport season opened in great style in Guadalajara, Mexico.

10m Air Pistol Women – Manu Bhaker – Gold

10m Air Pistol Mixed Team - Manu Bhaker, Om Prakash Mithraval - Gold


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10m Air Rifle Women – Mehuli Ghosh - Bronze

10m Air Pistol Men – Shahzar Rishvi - Gold

10m Air Pistol Men –Jitu Rai- Bronze

Lionel Messi has scored his 600th career goal, netting against Atletico Madrid in

Barcelona's vital La Liga clash against Atletico Madrid.

Aruna Budda Reddy made the country proud by winning a bronze medal in vault at the

ongoing Gymnastics World Cup in Melbourne. This is also the first time that an Indian

has won an individual medal at the Gymnastics World Cup. Telangana state announces

a Cash reward of Rs. 2 Crore to her.

India is placed on 4th in world’s military strength ranking 2017 by Global Firepower. It

has published the list of 133 countries ranked based on their military strength.

1)America

2)Russia

3)China

World's first nuclear-powered airliner was designing by the Scientists which was named

as 'Magnavem', which can be charged extremely quickly, comes from the latin 'magna

avem' meaning 'big bird'. Spanish Scientist Oscar Vinals is designing this aircraft.

China announced the largest increase in three years to its defense budget, as the

country continues a push to modernize its military and expand its air and naval

capabilities. This Budget is three times higher than the military budget of India. China is

at the second place in the highest military budget spending Countries list.

America’s warship USS Lexington, nicknamed "Lady Lex" which lost in Second World

War, was founded in the Australia’s Queensland Sea area after 76 years.


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A state of emergency has been imposed for 10 days in Sri Lanka for the first time since

the civil war following days of communal violence between the island's Sinhalese and

Muslim communities.

According to new data from UNICEF, India has witnessed the largest decline in child

marriage in the last 10 years, from a prevalence of 47 percent to 27 percent. However,

to end child marriage by 2030 -- a target set in the Sustainable Development Goals --

progress must be significantly accelerated, said UNICEF.

As part of its initiatives to empower women, the Odisha government launched a scheme

‘KHUSHI' to provide free sanitary napkins to school girls across the state.

Senior Indian-origin Scotland Yard officer Neil Basu, currently the Metropolitan Police

Deputy Assistant Commissioner, will be promoted to the rank of Assistant

Commissioner for Specialist Operations.

The Shigmotsav is the biggest festival for the Hindus in Goa, which is celebrated in the

month of Phalguna (March) from the 9th moon day to full moon day as per the Hindu

calendar.

Defence Indigenisation Expo 2018 was held at the Codissia Trade Fair Complex in the

city of Coimbatore.

India becomes the third largest country to import crude oil in the world. 80% of crude oil

is imported from various countries in the total need. Iraq is the India’s largest oil supplier

in the world.

Viswanathan Anand won the rapid event at the 11th Tal Memorial chess in Moscow,

Russia.

2018 Mexican Open Tennis

Men’s singles – Juan Martin del Potro (Argentina).

Women’s Singles – Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine).


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MS Dhoni has joined as a brand ambassador of a leading fantasy sports operator

Dream 11.

Forbes released the list of billionaires 2018

India has 121 billionaires this year - 19 more than last year, says Forbes.

Amazon chief Jeff Bezos tops the Forbes list of the World Billionaire. His net worth is

$112 billion.

At number 2 of Forbes Top 10 Billionaires List is Bill Gates, who is the co-founder of Bill

and Melinda Gates Foundation which works towards improving global health.

Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma is the youngest Indian millionaire in the list.

92 year old Sampratha Singh is the very oldest billionaire in this Forbes list.

Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, who is the richest man in India, moved

up to the 19th global rank on the list of billionaires worldwide. And in the second place in

india was filled by Azim Premji, who was at the 58th place in the worldwide. Constantly

Lakshmi Mittal is at the third place in this list.

There are totally 8 Indian women’s in this list. Savitri Jindal, Kiran Mazumdar and other

6 Indian women’s are in this Forbes list.

Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Ananthkumar

announced the launch of ‘Suvidha’, the 100% Oxo-biodegradable Sanitary Napkin,

under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP)

Upping the ante in their demand for Special Category Status and more funds for Andhra

Pradesh, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Minister of State for

Science and Technology Y.S. Chowdary of the Telugu Desam Party submitted their

resignations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The President accepted the resignation of Union Aviation Minister Raju and

Union Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Chowdar after


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being advised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The decision was taken under clause

(2) of Article 75 of the Constitution.

On the occasion of International Women's Day, for the first time in the country a sanitary

pad dispensing machine was installed in a coach of Mumbai-New Delhi Rajdhani

Express.

On the occasion of International Women's Day, India’s premier think tank NITI Aayog

CEO Amitabh Kant announced the launch of a Women's Entrepreneurship Platform.

“I-METROS”, an association of all Indian Metro Rail companies was launched by Sh. P

K Sinha, Cabinet Secretary, Government of India at the Conference on “Indian Metros:

Collaborating for Excellence” held at Metro Bhawan, Delhi.

The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry will formally launch a portal — under

an initiative called “UDAYAMSAKHI”to bring aspiring business women and their

possible mentors together on one platform so that they could be hand-held through the

process of setting up and running an enterprise.

On March, 15 Tamilnadu deputy CM and Tamilnadu’s Finance minister O. Panner

Selvam submits the 2018-2019 Annual Financial Statement in the Tamilnadu Legislative

Assembly. Already he submits the budget for 7 times in the Tamilnadu Legislative

Assembly. This was the 8th budget he submitted.

A 1,000-acre military manufacturing unit will be operational in Salem. The defence

corridor in Salem will create major opportunities for MSMEs in manufacturing various

components like parachute cloths and uniforms required for the defence sector.

In the conference of Tamilnadu District Collectors and police officers Chief minister

Palaniswami announced that a new award for reducing accidents would be given to

three districts and one corporation which do efficient service in saving the lives of

persons who meet with accidents. Besides, Chief Minister’s Best Police Station

Shield would be given to three police stations which serve the people efficiently.

The 29th International Yoga Festival, held annually in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand.


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Uttar Pradesh Government had organized Swachh Shakti 2018, a Women’s Convention

on occasion of International Women’s Day in Lucknow.

Indian-origin steel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta has been appointed by Britain's Prince

Charles as an official ambassador for the Industrial Cadets programme designed to

nurture manufacturing skills.

2018 Women’s Prize for Fiction

Arundhati Roy won the prize for the book “The Ministry of Utmost Happiness”.

Meena Kandasamy won the prize for the book “When I Hit You: Or, A Portrait of the

Writer as a Young Wife”.

The US Holocaust Memorial Museum museum announced it was rescinding the

prestigious Elie Wiesel Award granted to Suu Kyi in 2012 because she had failed to

intervene in the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the country's northern Rakhine State.

This year’s Pritzker jury has selected Indian architect Balkrishna Doshi, often known as

B.V. Doshi or Doshi, as the 2018 Pritzker Prize Laureate. Doshi has been a practitioner

of architecture for over 70 years.

The Vatican announced Wednesday that Pope Francis has recognized a second

miracle allowing five people on the path to sainthood to be canonized, the most

prominent being Blesseds Pope Paul VI and Oscar Romero.

The Marshall Islands is to make its currency the world’s first legal tender issued as a

crypto currency, declaring that its new currency, named Sovereign (SOV).

India finished its Asia Cup Archery Stage 1 campaign with three gold and two bronze

medals in Bangkok.

Promila Daimary – Gold

Muskan Kirar – Gold

Akash, Gora Ho and Gaurav Lambe – Gold


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Madhu Vedwan – Bronze

Divya Dhayal, Mrinal Hiwrale and Muskan Kirar – Bronze

India B won 45th edition of the Deodhar Trophy 2018 by defeating Karnataka in final

match by 6 wickets at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in

Dharamsala.

The Tamil Nadu government has issued orders to celebrate March 5 as Artisans’ Day to

create awareness among the general public on the handicrafts of the State, and to uplift

artisans.

China has approved the removal of the two-term limit on the presidency, effectively

allowing Xi Jinping to remain in power for life.

The harnessing of solar energy Diu becomes first UT to run 100% on solar power.

Settling a long debate, the Supreme Court legalised passive euthanasia, allowing

terminally ill patients a chance to die with dignity. The court recognised "living

wills" made by patients likely to go into a permanent vegetative state, laying down

guidelines for who could execute the will and the medical board that would give the final

nod for euthanasia. Now India became the 22nd country to accept it.

The Rajasthan Assembly unanimously passed a bill that provides for the death

sentence to those convicted of raping girls aged 12 years or below.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Women's day announced

'Mukhyamantri Mahila Kosh' scheme under which women who aren't married and are

above the age of 50 will be given pension.

The first ever Indo-French Knowledge Summit ended successfully with a landmark

agreement on mutual recognition of educational qualifications between the two

countries and a record 15 other MoUs between universities and research institutions on

joint initiatives and partnerships. The two-day summit was held in New Delhi and

coincided with the state visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to India.


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The Wings India 2018 aviation show, jointly organised by the Federation of Indian

Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Ministry of Civil Aviation and Airports

Authority of India (AAI) will commence at Begumpet airport in Hyderabad.

World Air Traffic Management Congress was held at Feria de Madrid (IFEMA), Spain

India has won the "Best Exhibitor Award” at ITB – Berlin on its last day. ‘ITB- Berlin

World Tourist Meet’ was convened at Berlin, Germany each year.

Tamil Nadu has set up a Biodiversity Board to preserve the forests resources in

tamilnadu forest areas.

At the end of the 2018 ISSF World Cup Stage 1, India claimed the top position in the

final medal standings with nine total medals: four golds, one silver and four bronzes.

England's Matt Wallace won the Indian Open golf tournament championship which was

held in Gurgaon.

India has been ranked at 78th, lower than its emerging market peers like Brazil and

China, among 114 countries on the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) energy transition

index that was topped by Sweden.

India was ranked 133rd among 156 countries inWorld Happiness Index 2018, recently

released by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

Tamil actor Sathyaraj’s famous iconic character Kattappa is likely to be honoured

at the famous Madame Tussauds in London. Interestingly, Sathyaraj will be the

first Tamil actor to get this honour.

Stephen Hawking, the brilliant British theoretical physicist who overcame a debilitating

disease to publish wildly popular books probing the mysteries of the universe, has died.

He was 76.Hawking was also an author of numerous books including the landmark "A

Brief History of Time" and “The Universe in a Nutshell”.

India’s first national coastal policing academy, National Academy of Coastal Policing

(NACP) to train police forces in effectively safeguarding country’s shoreline will start


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functioning from April 2018. It will be launched from campus of Gujarat’s Fisheries

Research Centre located in coastal Okha town in Devbhumi Dwarka district of Gujarat.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched LaQshya program aimed at

improving quality of maternity care in labour room and maternity OperationTheatre (OT).

It is being implemented to ‘fast-track’ interventions for achieving tangible results.

The 9,600 sq.ft flag on a 110 m flag pole was unfurled in Belagavi (also known as

Belgaum) in Karnataka.The 110 m tall flag post at Kote Kere is near the historic

Belagavi fort in the city.

Around 10,800 megawatts (MW), Tamil Nadu today leads India in terms of installed

renewable energy capacity.

105th Indian Science Congress to be hosted by Manipur Central University, Imphal,

Manipur.

World Conference on Tobacco or Health 2018 - Uniting the World for a Tobacco-Free

Generationwas held in Cape Town, South Africa.

Nepal's first woman president Bidya Devi Bhandari was on Tuesday re-elected for a

second term in office.Incumbent President Bhandari defeated Nepali Congress leader

Kumari Laxmi Rai with an overwhelming majority in the presidential election.

Taking serious note of the forest fire in the Kurangani hills in Theni district which

claimed many lives, the State government has appointed senior IAS officer Atulya Misra

as the Enquiry Officer.

India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) project has got environmental ministry

clearance to set up its lab in Bodi West hills of Tamil Nadu’s Theni district.

As per Tamilnadu Government's new Curriculum Development plan, 1,6,9 and 11th

Standard School Books preparation works should be completed within this April

2018.Government of Tamil Nadu formed School Syllabus framing committee had been


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set up under the Chairman of Dr. M. Ananda Krishnan, former Vice-chancellor of Anna

University, Chennai.

Government to set up TN Makkal Aadhaar Portal for a one stop solution for all govt

services.

Uzhavan app to be launched for benefit of farmers

Ultra-Mega Food Park will be set up on an extent of about 450 acres at Pelakuppam

village near Tindivanam.

Amma Green Park to come up at Guindy.

A new flower market complex will be developed at Hosur, Krishnagiri district.

A maize processing unit will be set up at Mangalur, Cuddalore district.

A post harvest processing unit for flowers will be established at Thovalai.

Government to promote industrial investment like

Aero Space Park at Vallam Vadagal in Kancheepuram district

TICEL Bio-Park at Coimbatore

Plastic Industrial Park at Ponneri

Medi Park at Chengalpattu.

The ‘Chief Minister’s Comprehensive HealthInsurance Scheme’ (CMCHIS), a

flagshipprogramme ofthis Government.This scheme will be suitably dovetailed with the

National Health Protection Scheme under Ayushman Bharat programme that has been

recently announced by the Government of India.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the highways department

and Roads Corporation of Victoria known as VicRoads, intends to develop and promote

mutually advantageous arrangements in management of road networks, road safety,

traffic and transport management.


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Hon’ble Governor of Tamilnadu Thiru Banwarilal Purohit, launched KANCHI – Kisan

Advancement through Cashless Innovation, a digital farmer financial inclusion platform

for the benefit of farmers.

In a trial, five cities have been selected to start using plastic bank notes of ₹10

denomination. The five selected locations include Kochi, Mysore, Jaipur, Shimla and

Bhubaneshwar.

The Indian football team has re-entered the top-100 of the FIFA world rankings and is

now placed at 99th at the latest chart released.Among Asian countries, the Indian team

is now at 13th spot.

India's promising long-distance runner Sanjivani Jadhav clinched a bronze in women's

8km in the Asian cross-countrychampionship was held in China.

Baskaran Adhiban who won the 2018 Reykjavik Open international chess championship

was held in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Indian batsman KL Rahul, who was the first Indian to be dismissed hit-wicket in T20Is at

the 4th T20I against Sri Lanka at Colombo.

Nepal became the latest Associate team to gain one-day international (ODI) status by

the ICC.

Xi Jinping was reappointed as the China’s president with no term limits.

Wang Qishan was appointed as the China’s Vice president.

Li Keqiang selected for the post of china’s Prime minister for next five years.

Southern Norway will be home to the world's largest underwater restaurant. Five meters

below sea level Under in Lindesnes will be Europe's first underwater restaurant.


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The Odisha government will collaborate with Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early

Warning System (RIMES) for strengthening its early warning services and enhancing

preparedness for management of hazards in state.

The Kerala government declared jackfruit as its official fruit.

The 7th Women Science Congress was started at the ongoing 105th session of Indian

Science Congress at the Centenary Hall of Manipur University Imphal.

12th Informal World Trade Organisation Ministerial Meeting 2018 was held at New Delhi.

First of its kind India-Japan Workshop on Disaster Reduction 2018 was held at Delhi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented Krishi Karman Award for 2015-16 to Tamil

Nadu for its record production of foodgrain, which include paddy, pulses and millets,

during the inaugural function of Krishi Unnati Mela in New Delhi.

R. Rasathi of Ariyalur District was presented with Prashashti Patra Award by Modi.

S Samynathan of tirunelveli district was presented with Prashashti Patra Award by

Modi.

Chennai Team has won the 4th Indian Super League football championship against

Bangalore.

Ranji Trophy winners Vidarbha grabbed their second title in the domestic cricket season

as they won the Irani Cup thanks to their huge first innings total against Rest of India.

India’s top-ranked tennis player Ankita Raina won the $25,000 ITF tournament in

Gwalior after beating France’s Amandine Hesse in straight sets.

Vladimir Putin secures record win in Russian presidential election. Due to this Victory he

got a period of another six years as President. Putin’s victory, with a 76.7% share of the

vote.


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Mujahid Anwar Khan on Monday took charge as the new chief of Air Staff of

the Pakistan Air Force. Outgoing Air Chief Sohail Aman pinned badges on his

successor and presented him the sword at an investiture change of command

ceremony here.

Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered a new species of

water strider from Nagaland. The species, named Ptilomera nagalanda Jehamalar and

Ptilomera nagalanda Chandra, was found in the river Intanki, Peren district, Nagaland.

President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday released coins in denominations of Rs 10 and

Rs 1,000 commemorating Lord Jagannath's Nabakalebara festival observed in July

2015. He unveiled the coins at the centenary celebration of Rashtriya Saskrit

Sansthan in Puri, Odisha.

A new religion has the possibility of being added to India’s official roster of existing and

practicing religions. The state government of Karnataka has granted a separate religion

tag to the Lingayats, who make up to 17 percent of the population of the southern

state.Following the recommendations of Nagamohan Dass committee constituted

especially to look into the matter.

For the first time in the country, the government has sanctioned the setting up of

offshore wind turbines in the coastal area of Dhanushkodi island, said officials of the

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Five offshore turbines would be installed along

the coast and each will have a capacity of 6–10 MW. 100 m Meteorological mast

installed at Dhanushkodi to measure wind speed and profile.

The statue of Tamil Thaai would be installed on Madurai Tamil Sangam campus in the

‘coming’ year, state Minister for Tamil Official Language and Tamil Culture K

Pandiarajan informed the Assembly.

In India first time the Library act,1948 was passed in Tamilnadu. This act was passed by

the serious efforts of the Father of Indian Library S.R. Ranganathan.


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Real Madrid Football player Cristiano Ronaldo scored the 50th hat-trick Goal of his

stunning career.

In Assam the rhino survey was conducted in Pobitora, the National Park was divided in

seven blocks by the officials, where the 102 rhinos include 43 female, 11 sub-adult

female, 28 male, 12 above one year and 8 calves below one year.

Various society of peoples around India celebrated their new year under different

names but on the same date and period(March 18)

Sindhi Society New year – Seththi sandh

Kashmiri – Navreh

Telugu & Kannada – Ugadi

Marathi – Gudi Padwa

The "Foal Eagle and Key Resolve" Military exercises involving the US and South Korea

will go ahead on 1 April, the two countries have announced.

The maiden UAE-India bilateral exercise named ‘Gulf Star 1’, which is taking place off

the coast of Abu Dhabi.

The world's most advanced Artificial Intelligence robot spoke at a conference as part of

a programme organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was

held in Nepal’s Durbarmarg.

The Indo-French joint naval exercise Varuna-18 was held at the Mormugao Port Trust

(MPT), Vasco, Arabian Sea off Goa coast.

Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Ananth Kumar said the government has

approved the setting up of a Plastic Park in Jharkhand's Deoghar.

NITI Aayog has released comprehensive roadmaps and detailed timelines for its

initiative 'Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital in Education (SATH-E)'.


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'SATH-E' to Introduce System-Wide Governance Transformation in School Education.

SATH-E will promote data-driven analysis to strengthen academic monitoring.

India’s National Cultural Audio Visual Archives (NCAA), representing the country’s

cultural diversity in audio-visual form, has been certified as the world’s first trusted

digital repository as per ISO 16363:2012 standard.

An Informal 2018 World Trade Organisation Ministerial Gathering is being held in

New Delhi. WTO’s Chairman Robertro Azevedo and representatives from 50 countries

will be gathered in New Delhi.

The Ministry of Mines has organized the 3rd National Conclave on Mines & Minerals

2018 in New Delhi.

Bihar governor Satya Pal Malikreceived additional charge of Odisha as incumbent S C

Jamir completed his five-year term on Tuesday. "President Kovind directs Shri Satya

Pal Malik, governor of Bihar, to discharge the functions of governor of Odisha, in

addition to his own duties, following the completion of the tenure of Shri S C Jamir,"

The President has approved the awards for 85 individuals, which includes 3 Padma

Vibhushan, 9 Padma Bhushan and 73 Padma Shri. Fourteen of the awardees are

women, sixteen of the awardess are foreigners and 3 persons have been awarded

posthumously.

Tamilians who have won the awards are:

Padma Vibhushan Awards (2nd highest civilian award):

Ilayaraja - Art (Music)

Padma Bhushan Awards (3rd highest civilian award):

Ramachandran Nagaswamy - Others (Archaeology)

Padma Shri Awards:

V Nanammal - Yoga


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Shri Rajagopalan Vasudevan - Science and Engineering

Ms Vijayalakshmi Navaneethakrishnan - Art-Folk Music

Shri Romulus Whitaker - Wildlife Conservation

The Union Cabinet has approved the launch of 'Ayushman Bharat' -National Health

Protection mission. The Scheme has the benefit cover of 5 lakh rupees per family per

year. The target beneficiaries under the scheme will be over 10 crore poor and

vulnerable families.

The First Indian Sign Language Dictionary of 3000 words was launched by

Thaawarchand Gehlot, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment at a

function was held in New Delhi.

106th edition of the Indian Science Congress will be held in January 2019 at Barkatullah

University Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

Canadian mathematician Robert Langlands won the prestigious Abel Prize for

developing a programme connecting representation theory to number theory. The

programme has enlisted hundreds of the world’s best mathematicians over the last 50

years.

2018 ISSF First Junior World Cup was held in Sydney, Australia.

Elavenil Valarivan - 10-meter women’s air rifle event – Gold

Elavenil Valarivan, Shreya Agarwal, Jeena kitta - 10-meter women’s air rifle Team

event – Gold

Manu Bhaker - 10-meter women’s air pistol event – Gold

Manu Bhaker, Devanshee raana, Mahima - 10-meter women’s air pistol event – Gold

Vivaan Kapoor - Men’s trap singles - Bronze

Vivaan Kapoor, Lakshay, Ali Aman Elahi - Men’s trap Team – Bronze


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Arjun Babuta - 10-meter Men’s air rifle event – Bronze

Haryana’s Shooter Manu Bhaker secured two golds for India at the ISSF Junior World

Cup in Sydney, Australia.

Recently she won two gold medals in the world cup shooting championship.

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) chooses PV Sindhu as the flag-bearer of the Indian

contingent for the opening ceremony of the 21st Gold Coast Commonwealth Games,

2018.

India and Myanmar have kicked off their first bilateral naval exercise IMNEX-18 which

was held at the east coast of India Visakhapatnam, Andhrapradesh. IMNEX-18 will take

place in two phases, a harbor phase from March 25 to 30 and a sea phase from March

31 to April 3. IMNEX-18- India and Myanmar Naval Exercise.

The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shri Radha Mohan Singh also

informed that the Government has also decided to declare 2018 as “National Year of

Millets”

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu launched the Naipunya Ratham,

a multi-utility vehicle. Also known as 'World on Wheels (WoW)', Naipunya Ratham is

aimed at taking technology and innovation to the remote corners of the State.

The northern white rhino population in Uganda, Central African Republic, Sudan and

Chad was largely wiped out for many reasons. Sudan, the world's last male

northern white rhinoceros, died in a wildlife conservancy in the Laikipia District of

Kenya, leaving his species one step closer to extinction. Unfortunately, Sudan’s death

leaves just two female northern white rhinos on the planet.

The Dravidian language family, consisting of 80 varieties spoken by nearly 220 million

people across southern and central India, originated about 4,500 years ago, a study has

found. The Dravidian language family’s four largest languages — Kannada, Malayalam,

Tamil and Telugu — have literary traditions spanning centuries, of which Tamil reaches

back the furthest, researchers said. Tamil is one of the world’s classical languages.


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The consensus of the research community is that the Dravidians are natives of the

Indian subcontinent and were present prior to the arrival of the Indo-Aryans (Indo-

European speakers) in India around 3,500 years ago.

2018 Indian Wells Masters

Men's Singles

Champion- Juan Martín del Potro(Argentina)

Loser – Roger Federar (Switzerland)

Women's Singles

Champion- Naomi Osaka (Japan)

Loser - Daria Kasatkina ( Russia)

India has overtaken Germany to become the fourth largest automobile market in the

world.

Bollywood actress-producer Anushka Sharma and Badminton Ace P V

Sindhu had featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2018 list. The list includes

innovators and disruptors who are reshaping their industries and changing Asia for the

better.

Myanmar's Parliament has elected Win Myint as the country's new President. Myint is

considered a close aide of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.

An insect museum with the state-of-the-art amenities was unveiled by Tamil Nadu Chief

Minister K Palaniswamy at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. It would

display insects preserved as specimens as also live ones depicting their different

developmental stages, images, videos and models of their unique behaviour, habits and

habitats.


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The Union ministry of environment, forests and climate change on Monday officially

gave the go- ahead for the India-based Neutrino Observatory project at Pottipuram

in Theni district.

Two area level federations (ALF) of women Self Help Groups in urban Tiruvannamalai

and Vellore have bagged the second prize in the ‘Swachhata Excellence Award’ for

ALFs for 2017-2018 from the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The ALFs

have received cash awards of ₹one lakh each for their involvement in various

cleanliness and sanitation initiatives.

Martin Vizcarra has been sworn in as the country's new president of Peru. He has

replaced Kuczynski who has resigned from the post recently due to corruption.

John Bolton will be the New US National Security Adviser.

State-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has launched home-delivery of diesel on a

pilot basis in Pune and plans to expand doorstep delivery of the fuel to other parts of the

country in near future.

Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) won a dramatic Australian Grand Prix after leapfrogging Lewis

Hamilton (Mercedes) during a safety car period.

Defending champion Purva Barve won the women's singles (Under-19) title at the Israel

Junior 2018 held in Rishon LeZion.

Facebook Inc has shared its 5crore users information from its 220 crore users to the UK

affiliate of US political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica.

In order to give a power boost to its services, Indian Railways is all set to use satellite

imagery, GPS and GIS to monitor, maintain and manage its assets across the country.

Some facts about NOTA: None of the above-On 27 September 2013, the Supreme

Court of India ruled that the right to register a "none of the above" vote in elections

should apply, and ordered the Election Commission to provide such a button in the

electronic voting machines, noting that it would increase participation. NOTA button saw


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its debut in the 2013 Assembly elections held in four States — Chhattisgarh, Mizoram,

Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and the former Union Territory, Delhi.

In the annual International Women of Courage (IWOC) Awards held at Washinton. The

first Lady of the United States Melania Trump delivered an award to Godelive

Mukasarasi of Rwanda.

Tamil Nadu government issued and gave the offer letters for the Transgenders S Neya

and S Selvisanthosam - one as a lab assistant and the other as a physiotherapist.

According to the Southern Railway officials, the Utkrisht Double-Decker Air-conditioned

Yatri (Uday) Express would run between Coimbatore and Bengaluru soon after

announcement.

The Punjab government would observe March 23, the death anniversary of freedom

fighters Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru, as Youth Empowerment Day.

The U.S. decision to expel 60 alleged spies is unlikely to cripple Russian spying in the

United States. Russia’s Consulate General in Seattle got closed.

Antibiotic consumption in India increased 103% between 2000 and 2015—the

highest in low and middle-income countries, according to the study. Compared to

this, antibiotic consumption increased by 65% and the consumption

rate per 1,000 inhabitants increased 39% globally.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has made his first foreign trip since assuming power

in 2011, meeting China's President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

China said it has agreed to share the Brahmaputra river water data with India. The

announcement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry came a day after India and China held

talks over the trans-border rivers.

The Supreme Court appointed Justice Jawad Rahim as acting chairman of the National

Green Tribunal (NGT). The National Green Tribunal Act was passed by parliament in

5th May 2010. Then its got assented in 2nd June, 2010.


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A proposal to roll out Google Street View, an application through which one can explore

cities, tourist spots, hills and rivers using 360-degree panoramic and street-level

imagery, has been rejected by the government, the Lok Sabha was informed.

An Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) was decommissioned today after 20 years of

service. ICGS Bhikhaiji Cama was decommissioned in a traditional ceremony held at

Chennai Port, a Defence release here said.

Several Opposition members signed a draft impeachment motion against Chief Justice

of India (CJI) Dipak Misra. An impeachment motion should be signed by at least 50 MPs

if it is moved in the Rajya Sabha and 100 if moved in the Lok Sabha.

Government will come out with a Rs 350 commemorative coin to mark 350th birth

anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th and last Sikh Guru.

Madame Tussauds is a wax museum in London with smaller museums in a number of

other major cities. On 2017, Madame Tussauds opened its gate in New Delhi. Indian

cricket captain Virat Kohli’s figure will be unveiled at Madame Tussauds Delhi, soon.

The first flight service from Salem to Chennai was started at the city airport. The flight,

introduced under the regional connectivity scheme of UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam

Nagarik), took off from Salem. It was done by the private carrier TruJet.

Additional Director General of Police, Railways, Sylendra Babu and his team set out on

the arduous journey by entering the sea at Thalaimannar in Sri Lanka at 1.30 a.m and

reached Arichalmunai in Dhanushkodi near here at 2.10 p.m.

The Tamil Nadu transport department has signed a Memorandum of Understanding

(MOU) with C-40 Cities Climate Leadership Group based in England to manufacture

electric buses. The move is aimed at mitigating the environmental pollution caused by

the technologically advanced buses. It will also help the government introduce low-

cost electric buses compared to conventional buses.

The report of Justice E Padmanabhan, a retired judge of the court appointed to

adjudicate the dispute over the quantum of wage revision, his report said the demand


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for applying the multiplying factor of "2.57 instead of 2.44 is not at all justified and

deserves to be negatived.

Teenaged Afghanistan legspinner Rashid Khan (19) has become the fastest bowler to

the milestone of 100 ODI wickets, doing so in 44 matches.

In an all-Indian final at the 17th Asian Billiards Championship, Advani notched up an

effortless win over Bhaskar Balachandra to lift the title and created history in Yangon,

Myanmar.

In the 2018 Tunisia Junior and Cadet Open in Rades, Tunisia Indian junior table tennis

player Aadil Anand won gold in men’s single and clinched a gold with Jain as double .

China issues three-day smog alert and orders factories to cut output by 50%.Beijing has

issued its third major smog alert this year, one day after being named China’s top city

for reducing air pollution. The “orange” alert, the second-highest, will run from Monday

to Wednesday, the Beijing environmental protection bureau said in a post on its Weibo

account.

Long-serving American diplomat Rosemary DiCarlo was appointed to become the first

woman to head UN political affairs, one of the most high-profile positions at the world

body.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has secured a second term in office after

winning 92% of the vote.

Prof. K VijayRaghavan, ex-Secretary, Department of Biotechnology (DBT), was

appointed the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India. He succeeds Dr.

R. Chidambaram and is expected to assume the office shortly.

Tamil Nadu accountant general Arun Goyal, who was arrested by the CBI recently in

bribery case, has sought for bail, the union government has appointed R Thiruppathi

Venkatasamy as accountant general, economic and revenue sector audit of Tamil

Nadu.


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North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, and President Moon Jae-in of South Korea will meet

for the first time the two Korean leaders will meet at Peace House, a South Korean

building inside Panmunjom on April 27.

GSAT-6A was launched by GSLV-F08 from, Shriharikota. The satellite will also provide

a platform for developing technologies such as demonstration of 6 m S-Band Unfurlable

Antenna, handheld ground terminals and network management techniques that could

be useful in satellite based mobile communication applications. It was

the first mission after K.Sivan took over as ISRO chairman.

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.

NCERT published textbooks will carry QR codes from next year, which will provide web

links to films or related reading content to help students understand subjects better.

Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of 55770 fully covered tribal habitations with

the safe drinking water in the country followed by Odisha 52427, Jharkhand 53476

numbers of habitations.

After five years, a train hauled by a steam locomotive began its run

from Mettupalayam to Coonoor in the Nilgiris Mountain Railway (NMR). This

unique Meter Gauge section which has been conferred with Heritage status by

UNESCO runs on 'Rack and Pinion System' through the virgin hills of Western Ghats.

The Vijay starrer Tamil film Mersal has won the Best Foreign Language Film at

the 4th edition of the National Film Awards UK 2018.

ICBM Sarmat missile weighs 200 metric tons and has a higher range than the world's

heaviest ICBM- "Satan". It was nicknamed as “SATAN- 2”. It was successfully tested by

Russia.

Scientists have discovered Earth-sized planet located 260 million light years away.

Named K2-229b, the planet is almost 20 per cent larger than Earth.


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Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced raising the

retirement age of state government employees to 62 years from the current 60 years.

ISRO uses Li-Ion batteries as a power source for satellite to launch vehicle applications

due to their high energy density, reliability and long cycle life. Indian Space Research

Organisation (ISRO) announced that it is ready to transfer lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries

technology to private industry to help India realise the dream of completing the

transition to electric vehicles by 2030.

Vineet Joshi has taken charge as the director general of the National Testing Agency.

Senior bureaucrat Chandra Bhushan Kumar has been appointed as Deputy Election

Commissioner as part of a major bureaucratic reshuffle effected today by the

government.

Jawahar Vadivelu is the new president of International Chamber of Commerce - India

(ICC India).


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IMPORTANT DAYS- MARCH 2018

Zero Discrimination Day – March 1

Civil accounts day – March 1

World Wlidlife Day- March 3

World Wildlife Day 2018 Theme “Big cats: predators under threat".

National Safety Day-March 4

World Women’s Day – March 8

The theme for World Women’s Day 2018 – The Time is Now: Rural and Urban activists

transforming women’s lives.

World Kidney Day – March 8 (Second week Thursday of March)

The theme for World Kidney Day 2018 – Kidneys and Women’s Health (Include, Value,

Empower)

World Pie (π) Day – March 14

World Consumer Rights Day – March 15

The theme for World Consumer Rights Day 2018 will be 'Making digital marketplaces

fairer'. In India, 24th December is observed as National Consumer Day.

National Vaccination Day - March 16

World Sparrow Day - March 20

The theme for this year's WSD is 'I Love Sparrows'.

International Day Of Happiness- 20 March

The theme for IDH 2018 is "Share Happiness"

International Forest Day- March 21


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The theme for this year International Forest Day is, ‘Forests and Sustainable Cities’

World Down Syndrome Day - March 21

The theme for this year World Down Syndrome Day is, ‘What I bring to my community’.

World Water Day- March 22

The theme for this year World Water Day is, ”Nature for Water".

World Meteorological Day – March 23

The theme of the world meteorological day celebration 2018 is “Understanding Clouds”.

World Tuberculosis Day - March 24

The theme of World TB Day 2018 - “Wanted: Leaders for a TB-free world”. The global

target to end TB is 2030 but India will end it by 2025.

World Theatre Day - March 27.

Documents

ENGLISH VERSION - SEN IAS ACADEMYseniasacademy.in/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/SEN-MARCH... · 2018-05-03 · women’s Winner – Indian Railway Team 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championship