The Gist of Press Information Bureau: March 2017

• Swasthya Raksha Programme (Free Available)
• Indigenously Developed Sonars (Free Available)
• Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill - 2016 (Free Available)
• Indian Railways Plan of Action To Promote SHGs (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• A new dawn in Renewable Energy (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• Estimated Potential of Renewable Energy (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• Green Power Capacity Addition  (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• Major Port Trust Authorities Bill, 2016 (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• Successful Test launch of AGNI V (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• Initiatives and Achievements of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• Cabinet approves International Solar Alliance (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• SwachhSwasthSarvatra (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• Training Events & Military Exercises (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• National Youth Festival (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• Successful Test Firing of Guided Pinaka (Only For The Subscribed Members)

Swasthya Raksha Programme

Swasthya Rakshan Program has been initiated through Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM), Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH) and Central Council for Research in Siddha (CCRS) in selected districts/ villages with the following aims and objectives:-

• To organize Swasthya Rakshan OPDs, Swasthya Parikshan Camps and Health/Hygiene awareness programme
• Awareness about cleanliness of domestic surroundings and environment.
• Provide medical aid/incidental support in the adopted Colonies/villages.
• Documentation of demographic information, food habits, hygiene conditions, seasons, lifestyle etc., incidence/prevalence of disease and their relation to the incidence of disease.
• Assessment of health status and propagation of Ayurvedic concept of pathya-apathya and extension of health care services.

Initiatives undertaken so far:

• Developed IEC material (Banners, hoardings, posters, handouts) in Hindi, English and 07 regional languages.
• Swasthya Rakshan OPDs organized in each village on weekly basis for providing treatment for various disease conditions.
• Swasthya Parikshan Camps organized on weekly basis.
• Survey is undertaken in the identified villages to identify prevalent diseases. Individual Health screening of people have been done.
• For Health Promotion and health education, mass campaigning through rallies, Nukkad Nataks focussing on personal, environmental and social hygiene are being for creating awareness about hygiene.

Economy

• Core sector grew at 5.6% in december (Free Available)
• The government has marginally revised GDP growth for 2015–16 to 7.9% (Free Available)
• Economic survey recommends major reforms (Free Available)
• Budget makes a paradigm shift in many ways (Free Available)
• The government plans to divest Rs. 11,000 crore worth of stake in PSUs (Free Available)
• RBI asks people to remain vigilant while using virtual currecny (Free Available)
• Budget 2017-18, coming at a time of global uncertainty, is a pragmatic (Free Available)
• Cabinet approved appointment of Sanjeev Sanyal as the Principal Economic Adviser (Free Available)
• The increased focus on human capital development in Budget 2017 (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo’s to visit India (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• To exemption from paying gift tax from company employees (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Cash transactions above 3 lakhs will attract penalty (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Big measures for agriculture sector in Budget (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Govt says outstanding issues to be taken with WTO (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• After abolition of FIPB, ministries to take up its role (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Companies with turnover of less than Rs. 50 crore will pay tax at the reduced rate (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Japan finding ways to increase FDI (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Global economic order to shift to em erging economies (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• All Public sector banks to join BHIM app (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Finance Minister says no disclosure of electoral bond purchasers (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• India to expedite negotiations on food security issues (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Big jump in revenue collection during April - Jan period (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• After competitive biding solar tariffs at record low (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Industrial output declined in december (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Central Bank wants Banks to cut the rates further (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• SEBI laid out a road map for reforms for the financial year 2017-18 (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Railways Ministry is planning to consult the World Bank for investments (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• India’s future trade model would be formulated by Commerce Department (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• The government plans to come out with ‘Indradhanush 2.0’(Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Centre targeting big investment in start-ups of electronic sector (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Centre puts the ball in states court for factories act amendment (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Retail inflation eased in January (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• PSUs might sell power on exchanges without States’ nod’ (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Crude oil and minerals take WPI to over 5 percent (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Trade unions oppose Centre’s proposed change to empower states (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Lower growth in Information Technology sector (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• India’s goods exports recorded positive growth (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• The Cabinet approved the merger of State Bank of India (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Reliance and Dassault come together for Rafale fighter jets (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Reserve bank plans to rationalise the merchant discount rate (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• TRAI issued a consultation paper for review of tariff assessment process (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Finance minister says remonetisation was very difficult (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• RBI Governor says economy will take V-shape recovery (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• India-Bangladesh trade affected due to poor connectivity(Only for Online Coaching Members)
• TRAI will review the rules of tariff assessment with regard to promotional offers (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Vodafone and Idea meger will create India’s largest telecom firm (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Solar energy has become the cheapest it has ever been in India (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Govt has asked PSU's to perform (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Finance Ministry started the process of listing three rail PSUs (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Microsoft announced a strategic partnership with Flipkart (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• PM Modi asks US to take farsighted aproach (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Provident funds withdrawl made very simple (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• India signed an agreement with Japan on enhancing railway safety (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Centre wants solar park capacity to reach 40000 MW (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Salaries in India are expected to grow only 9.5% (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Rising oil prices will not pose a serious risk to the economy says chief economic adviser (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Applications for the fourth tranche of the Sovereign Gold Bond scheme (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Industries will have to maintain only five registers for compliance (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• India's first-ever auction for wind energy projects (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• The creation of a ‘bad bank’ will help in resolution of stressed assets (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• India’s demonetisation led to huge cash shortages (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• The Indian Railways is mulling a new metric to measure its performance (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Social Security Agreement ratified between India and Germany (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Markets regulator SEBI is in favour of a major overhaul (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Buy back options on boom in stock market (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• SEBI plans to further tighten the regulations for algorithmic trading (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• World Bank CEO described India as a “laboratory”, for the world to learn (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Sunil Mittal said there is scope for further consolidation in the telecom sector (Only for Online Coaching Members)

Core sector grew at 5.6% in december

• The eight core industries registered a growth of 5.6% in December 2016 on the back of healthy output recorded by refinery products and steel.
• The growth rate of eight infrastructure sectors — coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity — was 2.9% in December 2015. It stood at 4.9% in November 2016.
• The core sectors, which contribute 38% to the total industrial production, expanded 5% in April – December 2016 compared with 2.6% growth in the same period in the last financial year.
• Refinery products and steel production jumped 6.4% and 14.9%, respectively, during the month under review.
• However, crude oil, fertiliser, natural gas and cement output reported contraction. Coal output declined by 4.4% in December 2016 from 5.3% in the same month previous year.
• Similarly, electricity generation, too, dipped by 6% as compared with 8.8% in December 2015.

International Events

• Bangladesh will push ahead with plan to relocate Rohingya refugees (Free Available)
• Austria’s governing coalition has agreed to prohibit full-face veils (Free Available)
• Pakistan puts travel ban on LeT terrorists (Free Available)
• Despite opposition British PM firm on welcoming USA president (Free Available)
• US says Iran is voilating UN resolution by conducting missile test (Free Available)
• UK comes out with white paper for Brexit (Free Available)
• US raising objections to settlement by Israel (Free Available)
• More than one lakh visas revoked since travel ban (Free Available)
• Sanctions over notorious Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar lifted by UN (Free Available)
• Iran remain defaint of USA sanctions (Free Available)
• Bangladesh decided to relocate refugees from Myanmar to remote island (Free Available)
• China again blocks move against Masood Azhar (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• US gave assurances on one China policy (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• US President says new executive immigration might come (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Hollywood musical La La Land leads the nominations for Britain’s Bafta awards(Only for Online Coaching Members)
• UN condemned North Korea’s latest ballistic missile test (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Human Rights Watch says chemical gases used in Aleppo (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Michael Flynn resigns as the National Security Adviser to Donald Trump (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Sri Lanka's president initiates talks to end constitutional impasse (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• The Hindu Marriage Bill 2017, adopted by Pak senate (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• With an eye on South-China sea, China to build floating nuclear reactors (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Around 3,50,000 children are trapped in western Mosul (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• U.S. hardens rules for deportation (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• UN Secretary-General raised the alarm about famine in Africa (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Syrian peace talks under the auspices of the United Nations resumed (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Iran’s Navy began an annual drill near the strategic Strait of Hormuz (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• United States and China are about to become neighbours in Djibouti (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• US President for substantial increase in defence budget (Only for Online Coaching Members)

Bangladesh will push ahead with plan to relocate Rohingya refugees

• Bangladesh will push ahead with a controversial plan to relocate tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar to a remote island despite warnings it is uninhabitable and prone to flooding.
• The government has set up a committee comprising state officials in the coastal districts, ordering authorities to help identify and relocate undocumented Myanmar nationals to Thengar Char in the Bay of Bengal.
• The committee will assist transferring both registered and unregistered refugees from Myanmar to Thengar Char near Hatiya island in Noakhali district.
• Hatiya is situated on the estuary of the River Meghna and is a nine-hour journey away from the camps where the Rohingya have taken shelter.
• Some 232,000 Rohingya Muslims — both registered and unregistered — were already living in Bangladesh before more than 65,000 stateless Rohingya fleeing violence in Myanmar’s western state of Rakhine began entering the country.
• Most of those who fled to Bangladesh live in squalid conditions in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar district, which borders Rakhine State and is home to the country’s biggest tourist resort.