Notes:
Veteran photojournalist Raghu Rai has been bestowed with the Life Time Achievement (LTA) award at the 6th National Photography Awards-2017 by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) for his remarkable contribution to the field. He is known for his books, Raghu Rai’s India: Reflections in Colour and Reflections in Black and White. The subjects of his photographs include MS Subbulakshmi, Bismillah Khan, Mother Teresa, Satyajit Ray, Indira Gandhi, Raj Kapoor and Mrinal Sen. The National Photography Awards (NPA) is an annual event organized by the I & B Ministry to promote art, technique of photography and to encourage professional and amateur photographers from all corners of the country.

Notes:
Ravish Kumar, the senior executive editor of NDTV India, has been honoured with the first-ever Kuldip Nayar journalism award at India International Centre (IIC) in New Delhi on March 19, 2017 in recognition of his outstanding contribution in the world of Journalism. The award carries a plaque along with a cash amount of Rs 1 lakh. The Kuldip Nayar journalism award was set up to honour those working in vernacular media and will be awarded every year from now on.

Notes:
India has been ranked 87th out of 127 countries in the global Energy Architecture Performance Index (EAPI) 2017, as per recently released 5th annual edition of the Global Energy Architecture Performance Index Report 2017. Switzerland has topped the list, followed by Norway, Sweden, Denmark and France. The EAPI is developed by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in collaboration with Accenture, which looks at trends and the real performance of countries’ energy systems. The 2017 report includes the findings from benchmarking 127 countries on 18 indicators covering contribution to economic growth and development, environmental sustainability, and energy access and security. The EAPI offers the latest available global energy data, aiding policy formation by providing a reliable indicator of strengths and target areas for improvement.

Notes:
Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan has launched an integrated grievances redressal platform “MoP&NG e-Seva” across social media (SM) for all queries and grievances relating to Oil and Gas Sector. This portal will be a single point interface for all customers to reach out to the government for addressing their feedback or grievances related to Oil & Gas Sector on social media. The platform will also deliver 24 x 7 support for consumers.

Notes:
The Kane Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS) is located at the West Siang District in Arunachal Pradesh. It is spread over an area of 55 sq km and is one of the famous tourist’s attractions to visit in this region. It is home to various and rare species of flora and fauna.

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The World Bank (WB) has signed a $100 million credit agreement with the Government of India (GoI) and Uttarakhand in New Delhi to improve quality of health care services in all 13 districts of the state. The key focus of the credit agreement will be to finance innovative engagements with private health care providers. The project also aims to reduce the financial risk for its citizens and make affordable, quality health care available to al

Notes:
The well-known Tamil novelist and essayist Thiagarajan (85), popularly known as Asokamitran, has recently passed away in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He was noted for his subtlety and refreshing creativity in expression. His work “Appavin Snegithargal”, a collection of short stories won him the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1996. His work includes over 200 short stories, eight novels, some 15 novellas besides prose. “18-vadhu Atchakkodu”, translated into English as “The Eighteenth Parallel”, is one of his highly acclaimed novels. Many of his works have been translated into English, Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu and other languages.

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The World Meteorological Day (WMD) is observed every year on March 23 to mark the establishment of a United Nations body specializing exclusively in meteorology. The 2017 theme “Understanding Clouds” highlights the enormous importance of clouds for weather climate and water. Clouds are central to weather observations and forecasts and play a critical role in the water cycle and shaping the global distribution of water resources.

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The high level Committee headed by Arvind Panagariya has been formed to examine the working of the regulatory bodies Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM), Central Council of Homoeopathy (CCH) and their governing legislation. Pangariya is theVice Chairman of NITI Aayog.

Notes:
The Bihar government has recently launched an ambitious programme to provide free WiFi facilities in colleges and universities on the occasion of Bihar Diwas. The purpose of the program is to provide free Wi-Fi facility to help youths to move ahead in life and to become digital smart. The foundation day of Bihar which is also known as Bihar Diwas (or Bihar Sthapana Diwas) is celebrated every year on March 22. It was on this day when the British carved out the state from Bengal Presidency in 1912.