MARCH

NATIONAL

Ø  Navy decommissioned 3 minesweepers

Ø  The Indian Navy has decommissioned 3 Karwar-class minesweepers ‘Konkan’, ‘Cannanore’ and ‘Cuddalore’. These minesweepers ‘retired’ as operational ships after three decades of service in the Indian Navy.

Ø  India’s first sign language dictionary of 3000 words launched

Ø  The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has launched India’s first Sign Language Dictionary of 3000. The dictionary has been developed by Indian Sign Language Research & Training Centre (ISLR&TC) under Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD). This dictionary is available in both print and video formats.

Ø  Warship INS Ganga decommissioned

Ø  INS Ganga, an indigenously built frigate of the Indian Navy, was decommissioned in Mumbai, after over three decades of service. The warship, which was commissioned on December 30, 1985, represented a big step forward in the nation’s warship building capability.

Ø  Union Govt decides to declare 2018 as National year of Millets

Ø  The union government decided to declare 2018 as ‘National Year of Millets’ to boost the cultivation of millets like ragi and jowar on a mission mode to achieve nutritional security. This was stated by Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh while addressing MPs in a consultative committee meeting in New Delhi.

Ø  1st National workshop on POSHAN Abhiyan held in New Delhi

Ø  The first National workshop on POSHAN Abhiyan involving all the states and union territories was held at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, New Delhi. The Ministry of Women and Child Development is organising the day-long workshop with participation from all the states/ UTs.

Ø  India placed 33rd worldwide in web-borne threats: Kaspersky

Ø  Global cyber security provider Kaspersky Lab in a summit stated that India ranks 33rd worldwide in the list of countries facing web-borne threats. The Summit had about 100 participants from all over India, and brought together the most important names from the world of information security.

Ø  PM Modi, French President Macron jointly inaugurate solar power plant at Mirzapur

Ø  Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting French President Emmanuel Macron jointly inaugurated 101-megawatt solar power plant at Dadar Kala village in Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh. The largest solar projects in the country has been set up by French company ENGIE. The company was awarded the project in 2016 with the cost of Rs. 680 crore. Solar Energy Corporation of India has signed Power purchase agreement for 25 years with the company.

Ø  NCRB celebrates its 33rd Inception Day

Ø  The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) celebrated its 33rd Inception Day on March 11, 2018. On this occasion, “Citizen Services” mobile application developed in-house by NCRB was also released. The application can be used by citizen for various services such as complaint registration and status check, SOS – Stay Safe, View FIR detail, locate police stations, vahan-samanvay, emergency contact list, police stations telephone directory etc.

Ø  Indian women earn 20 per cent lesser than men: Report

Ø  According to a report released, women in India earn 20 per cent lesser than men, although the gender gap narrowed down by around five percentage points in 2017. The report by monster.com called Monster Salary Index (MSI) revealed that the current gender pay gap in India stands at 20 per cent, where men earned a median gross hourly salary of Rs 231, while women earned Rs 184.8.

Ø  Sharp decline in child marriages in India: UNICEF

Ø  The United Nations children’s agency (UNICEF) stated that India has seen a sharp decline in child marriages over the last ten years with only 27 percent of girls getting married before 18 years in comparison to 47 per cent a decade back. The decline in numbers in India has contributed significantly to a global decline in child marriages.

Ø  W-Power Trailblazers 2018: Forbes India names 25 Women as Trailblazers

Ø  Forbes India has released the “W-Power Trailblazers” issue 2018, featuring 25 women stars on the ascendency in business. Now in its second edition, the W-Power Trailblazers throws the light on female role models be it entrepreneurs or professionals who can persuade others to dream bigger and climb higher through their work and leadership.

Ø  Week-long International Yoga festival held in Rishikesh

Ø  The week-long 29th annual, world-famous International Yoga Festival (IYF) international yoga festival was inaugurated in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. The IYF offers daily classes in meditation, mudras, Sanskrit chanting, reiki, Indian philosophy and spiritual discourses to be held by revered spiritual leaders from India and abroad.

Ø  MoEFCC launches Mobile App “Dr Harsh Vardhan”

Ø  In an effort to transform environment protection into a peoples’ movement, a digital mobile application was launched by the Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change. Earth Sciences and Science & Technology in New Delhi. The App, named “Dr Harsh Vardhan”, focuses on his social & public activities and involvement of citizens in “Green Good Deeds” movement, which urges people to perform at least one Green Good Deed every day. Some of the 500 Green Good Deeds listed in the Mobile App include – planting trees, saving energy, conserving water, use of public transport and promoting carpool.

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