CURRENT AFFAIRS MARCH2015

INTERNATIONAL

China Approves New Nuclear Reactors In Industry Revival
China is reviving growth of its nuclear power industry with approval of its first new project since Japan’s 2011 Fukushima disaster. The Cabinet’s planning agency on 11 March approved construction of two additional reactors at a power plant in the northeastern province of Liaoning.China is the world’s biggest energy consumer and nuclear power plays a key role in government plans to curb surging demand for imported oil and gas.

North Korea and Russia Declared 2015 as Friendship Year
North Korea and Russia will mark 2015 as a year of friendship and step up bilateral exchanges in political, economic and cultural sectors.”The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation decided to make 2015, in which falls the 70th anniversaries of Korea’s liberation and the victory in the great Patriotic War in Russia, as a year of friendship between the two countries.

Japan and France Signed Defence Agreement
Japan and France on 13 March signed a agrrment on military equipment and technology transfers , in a move to drive cooperation and joint development of defence gear, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe strengthens security ties with major powers.

Muhammadu Buhari Elected As Nigerian President
Former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari was elected as the president of Nigeria on 31 March, making him the first opposition candidate to win a presidential vote in the country’s history. This Presidential Election was held on 28 March 2015 all across Nigeria, which is the most populous country in Africa and is also the largest economy of the continent. Gen. Buhari’s All Progressives Congress (APC) defeated President Jonathan’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP) by over 2 million votes.

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INDIA & WORLD

India and Spain Signed Agreement On Defence Ties
India and Spain on 5 March signed an agreement on ‘Mutual Protection of Classified Information’ to provide the framework for an enhanced cooperation in the defence sector. The agreement was signed after the meeting between Spanish Defence Minister Pedro Moremes and his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar in New Delhi.

Saudi Arabia Becomes Top Arms Importer
According to the IHS company study report released on 8 March,  Saudi Arabia overtook India to become the world’s biggest weapons importer in 2014, a year when global defence trade rose for the sixth straight year to a record $64.4 billion. The top five importers in 2014 were Saudi Arabia, India, China, UAE and Taiwan.

India and Seychelles Signed Four Agreements
India on 11 March signed four agreements with the Indian Ocean island nation to boost security and maritime partnership. They were signed in the fields of renewable energy, hydro graphic survey, electronics navigation and infrastructure development at the island of Seychelles.These agreements and MoU’s were signed by Secretary (West) Navtej Sarna from Indian side in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of Seychelles James Alix Michel.

India and Sri Lanka Signed Four Agreements
India and Sri Lanka on 13 March signed four agreements to cement cooperation between the two neighbours, including a customs pact to balance trade, a credit line of more than $300 million, a currency swap agreement and visa on arrival for Sri Lankan nationals in India. The agreements were signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Srilankan President Maithripala Sirisena in Colombo.

New UK scholarship Announced For Indian Finance Professionals
United Kingdom (UK) Chancellor George Osborne has on 13 March launched the first-of-kind scholarships for Indian finance professionals who want to study in Britain. The Chevening Financial Services Leadership programme was launched by Osborne in London.

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NATIONAL

Govt To Launch Atal Pension Yojna (APY) On 1 June
Atal Pension Yojna (APY), announced in the 2015-16 Budget , will be launched on 1st of June 2015 and will focus on all citizens in the unorganised sector entitling them to a pension of up to Rs 5,000 per month after 60 years of age. The existing subscribers of Swavalamban Scheme would be automatically migrated to the APY pension scheme, unless they opt out. The minimum age of joining APY is 18 years and maximum age is 40 years.

Parliament Passes Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2015
Parliament on 4 March passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2015. The bill was passed by Lok Sabha on 2 March and was cleared by the upper house also called Rajya Sabha on 4 March 2015. The bill seeks an amendment in the Citizenship Act, 1955 and to merge the Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) schemes.

Lok Sabha Passed Land Acquisition (amendment) Bill, 2015
Lok Sabha on 10 March 2015 passed the Land Acquisition (amendment) Bill, 2015. The bill was passed by voice vote along with incorporated 9 new amendments moved by Union government. The bill amends the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013.

Parliament Passed Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2015
Parliament has passed Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2015.It was first passed in Lok Sabha on 4 March 2015 and later in Rajya Sabha on 12 March 2015. In both the houses the bill was passed by voice vote. The amendment bill replaces ordinance promulgated in this regard and aims to bring improvements and revisions in the existing laws relating to insurance business in India.The amendment bill hikes Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) cap in the insurance sector to 49 percent from present 26 percent.

Parliament Passed Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015
Parliament has passed Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015. The bill was first passed in Rajya Sabha and later in Lok Sabha on 20 March 2015.The Bill was passed in Rajya Sabha after the Union government had accepted the recommendations of the Select Committee. The amendments in the bill were made in the bill passed by Lok Sabha on 4 March 2015.It seeks to amend the Mines and Minerals (Regulation and Development) Act, 1957 and replace the ordinance promulgated in January 2015.

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STATES

‘ Aapki Beti Humari Beti ‘ Scheme Launched In Haryana
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on 8 March launched a scheme for girl child – ‘Aapki Beti Humari Beti’ – with an aim to combat the problem of declining child sex ratio in the state. The scheme will cover first-born girl child of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Below Poverty Line (BPL) families and all second girl child born on or after 22nd January 2015 of all families in the state.

Maharashtra Government Launched Bhagyashree Scheme
Maharashtra Government has launched ‘Bhagyashree Scheme’ for girl child from Below Poverty Line (BPL) families, on 8 March.’ Bhagyashree Scheme’ has replaced the state government’s previous ‘Sukanya Scheme’. Bollywood actress Bhagyashree is the brand ambassador of the scheme. The Bhagyashree scheme aims at providing one lakh rupee on maturity after the girl completes 18 years of age.

Assam Govt Launched “Momai Tamuli Barbaruah Krishak Bondhu” Scheme
Assam government has on 15 March launched the “Momai Tamuli Barbaruah Krishak Bondhu Scheme” to increase agricultural production. Under the programme ‘Momai Tamuli Barbaruah Krishak Bondhu Scheme’, facilities and assistance will be provided for double cropping in all the crop areas which have so far been utilised for single cropping only.

Gujarat Legislative Assembly Passes Anti-Terror Bill
The Gujarat Legislative Assembly on 31 March 2015 passed Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organized Crime (GUJCOC) Bill, 2015. It is third time this controversial Bill being passed by state assembly. Earlier, passed bill was rejected two times by the then Presidents in 2004 and 2008 for reconsideration.

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CONFERENCES

International Conference On Counter Terrorism
India’s first conference on Counter-Terrorism was held from 19 – 21 March 2015 in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The conference was named as International Counter-Terrorism Conference 2015 and it was organised by India Foundation in association with the Sardar Patel University of Police Security and Criminal Justice-Jodhpur. The central theme of the Conference is Integrated Approach to Counter-Terrorism. The Conference was inaugurated by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.The focus of the deliberations was on exploring the contours of 21st century terrorism and sharing the Counter-Terrorism expertise. Some of the sub-themes on which the conference focused include 26/11 Mumbai Terror Attack, Talibanisation of Af-Pak region, New Caliphate in West Asia, Maritime Terrorism and Piracy, Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Terrorism and Cyber and Space terrorism.

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AWARDS & HONOURS

Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba Won Mo Ibrahim Prize
Hifikepunye Pohamba, outgoing Namibian President, on 2 March won the Mo Ibrahim prize for achievement in African leadership for year 2014.Pohamba served as Namibian President two terms. For first time he was elected in 2004 and again in 2009. The award is named after Mo Ibrahim, a British-Sudanese mobile communications entrepreneur and philanthropist, who had made billions of fortune from investing in Africa.

Veerappa Moily Selected For Saraswati Samman 2014
Former Union minister and senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily was on 9 March selected for the prestigious Saraswati Samman for 2014 for his famous Kannada poem ‘Ramayana Mahanveshanam’. Divided into five volumes, Ramayana Mahanveshanam was first published in 2007 in Kannada. Later the poem was translated into English, Hindi, Telugu and Tamil.

Activist Rajendra Singh Won Stockholm Water Prize – 2015
Rajendra Singh, an eminent environment activist, has been conferred the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize 2015 for his innovative water restoration efforts and extraordinary courage to empower communities in Indian villages. He is popularly known as Water Man of India.

Shashi Kapoor Selected For ‘Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2014′
Veteran actor and film producer Shashi Kapoor has been named for the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award 2014. He is the 46th winner of the honour, conferred by the government for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian Cinema. The 2014 Dadasaheb Phalke award to Shashi Kapoor made him the third member of Kapoor family to receive the award after Prithviraj Kapoor and Raj Kapoor.

62nd National Film Awards 2014
The 62nd National Film Awards for year 2014 was announced on 24 March 2015. Court  directed by Chaitanya Tamhane was selected as the Best feature film. Mary Kom (Hindi) directed by Omung Kumar was selected as the Best Popular film providing wholesome entertainment. The 62nd National Film Awards in the various categories are as follows:-
* Best Actor – Vijay for Nanu Avanalla Avalu (Kannada).
* Best Actress – Kangana Ranaut for Queen (Hindi).
* Best Direction -Srijit Mukherji, Director of Chotushkone (Bengali).
* Best Hindi Film – Queen
* Best Children’s Film - Kaakkaa Muttai (Tamil) and Elizabeth Ekadashi (Marathi).
* Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director  – Aditya Vikram Sengupta for Asha Jaoar Majhe (Bengali).
* Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration – Chotoder Chobi (Bengali) directed by Kaushik Ganguly.

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