Notes:
On the occasion of International Women’s Day (IWD-2018), the Maharashtra government has started Ashmita Yojana under which sanitary napkins at subsidised rates will be provided to rural girls and women across the state. As stated by state government, the scheme will emerge as a model scheme for the country. The girls studying in Zilla Parishad schools will get a sanitary pad packet for Rs 5. Meanwhile, the women living in rural area can avail the sanitary packs for Rs 24 or Rs 29.

Notes:
The World ATM Congress (WATMC-2018) was held at Feria de Madrid in Spain from March 6 to 8. It is the world’s largest international air traffic management (ATM) exhibition and conference attracting thousands of delegates each year. In it, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) participated and showcased its achievements and initiatives.

Notes:
Pyare Lal Wadali (75), the famous Sufi singer, has passed away in Amritsar, Punjab on March 9, 2018. He was the younger of the singers of legendary Sufi set Wadali Brothers. The Wadali Brothers – comprising Puranchand Wadali and Pyarelal Wadali – had carved a distinct mark for themselves in the genre of Sufi music. Born into the fifth generation of musicians, Pyarelal and Puran Chand Wadali became popular with their Sufi music and were spotted after performing at the Harballabh temple in Jalandhar in 1975. The duo had taken the country by storm some years ago, by their hit album featuring Sufi songs such as ‘Tu mane ya na mane dildara’, ‘aasan te tenu rab manya’ and Tanu Weds Manu’s ‘Rangrez mere’.

Notes:
Biplab Kumar Deb has been sworn-in as 10th chief minister in Agartala on March 9, 2018. He is the state president of BJP in Tripura. Jishnu Debbarma took oath as the deputy chief minister. With this, BJP ended the 25-year Left Front rule in the State by winning 35 out of the 59 seats. Its ally, the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura, won eight seats, taking the tally to 43. As per the Constitution of India, the Governor of Tripura is the state’s de jure head, but de facto executive authority rests with the chief minister.

Notes:
The 2018 National Legislators Conference will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Central Hall of Parliament House, New Delhi on March 10, 2018. The purpose of the Conference is to provide a platform to Members of Parliament, Members of Legislative Assemblies and Members of Legislative Councils across the country to share their experiences. The theme of the conference is — “We For Development”. About 170 public representatives are expected to participate in the Conference. The Conference will offer a special opportunity to the delegates whose constituencies have greater possibilities and aspirations of development. Union Cabinet Ministers, Chief Ministers, Presiding Officers of State Legislatures, Members of Parliament and Members of State Legislatures will attend the function.

Notes:
The first-ever International Solar Alliance (ISA) summit will be held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan cultural centre in New Delhi on March 11, 2018. The one-day conference will include an Inaugural Session, followed by Plenary and Technical Sessions and will be attended by Heads of State/Heads of Government, dignitaries from the United Nations, Presidents of Multilateral Development Banks and global funds / financial institutions, leaders from energy-related institutions, corporate sector, and civil society. The ISA is conceived as a coalition of solar resource rich countries to address their special energy needs and will provide a platform to collaborate on addressing the identified gaps through a common, agreed approach. The ISA initiative was launched at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris on 30 November 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the then French President Francois Hollande.

Notes:
Vivek R Wadekar, the 1991-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, has been appointed as the new Special Director in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) by the Union government for a period of five years. The ED is the central investigative agency, under the Union finance ministry, that enforces the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) in the country.

Notes:
The headquarters of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has been shifted from Chennai to Ballabhgarh in Faridabad District of Haryana for better coordination between the environment ministry and the AWBI for carrying out the animal welfare activities. It was informed by Mahesh Sharma, the Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in written reply to Rajya Sabha . According to Rule 3 of the Animal Welfare Board (Administrative) Rules (1962), the headquarter of the AWBI shall be at New Delhi or at such other place as the central government, may, after consultation with the Board direct. The AWBI was established in 1962 under Section 4 of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1960).

Notes:
Diu has become the India’s first Union Territory (UT) to run 100% on solar power energy. Diu has a total area of 42 square kilometers and the installation of the solar power plants here has been done in over 50 acres. On a daily basis, the Union Territory generates a total of 13 megawatts of electricity from solar power plants out of this 3 MW is contributed by rooftop solar plants and 10 MW by others. With this, Diu has managed to generate surplus solar power for its residents, reducing their electricity costs, in a span of just three years.

Notes:
Indian shooter Anjum Moudgil from Chandigarh has clinched her first International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup medal- silver in the Women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions (3P) event at the ongoing 2018 ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun stage in Guadalajara, Mexico on March 9, 2018. Former junior world champion China’s Ruijiao Pei won the Gold Medal in that event.This was India’s 8th medal of the competition and the first silver after having won three golds and four bronze medals.