[CA] Sunday Bytes - March 12, 2017

# Government told Rajya Sabha that declaring Pakistan a "terror state" could have "diplomatic as well as other far reaching consequences"

# Chandrayaan-1, India’s first unmanned lunar spacecraft, which was generally considered lost, has been discovered by the NASA scientists still orbiting the Moon.

# The women safety app "Ammavin Aran" which means ‘mother’s fortress’ was launched by the AIADMK

# Navies of Japan and USA conducted a joint exercise in South China Sea; the exercise is to counter the North Korea's missile test

# Former Indian cricketer and captain Sachin Tendulkar has roped as an ambassador of Women’s Cricket World Cup 2017

# Lok Sabha passed (on March 09, 2017) the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016

# 10th edition of the International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV 2017) was held in New Delhi with the theme "Building Knowledge Societies: From Digital Government to Digital Empowerment"

# INS Tillanchang, a Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC) was commissioned into the Indian Navy at Karwar, Karnataka

# India has a “very strong voice” within the World Bank group due to the international financial institution’s meetings and decisions:  CEO of World Bank, Ms. Kristalina Georgieva

# G. Poornachandran, a retired Tamil teacher has won the Sahitya Akademi Award for translating Manu Jospeh's novel "Serious Men" (titled as “Poruppuumikka Manitharakal”)

# March 01: World Civil Defence Day; theme: "Together with civil defence against disasters"

# March 01: Zero Discrimination Day; theme: "Make Some Noise For Zero Discrimination"

# Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi inaugurated the annual International Yoga Festival in Rishikesh

# Russia and China vetoed a UN resolution to impose sanctions on Syria over the alleged use of chemical weapons during the six-year war.

# 2017 World Women’s Youth Boxing Championship will be hosted by India in November for the first time since 2010

# Jawaharlal Nehru University has won the annual Visitor’s Award for the ‘Best University’, 2017.

# March 03: World Wildlife Day; theme: "Listen to the Young Voices"

# March 03: World Hearing Day; theme: "Action for hearing loss: make a sound investment"

# A renewed agreement between Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir has been sealed for the completion of the Shahpur Kandi Dam project (across the River Ravi), work on which was halted two years ago following a dispute

# Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) under the Ministry of Environment and Forests coordinated nationwide ‘Operation Thunder Bird’ to combat illegal trade of wildlife animals in the country.

# Himachal Pradesh Government has launched mobile app and website titled ‘MeraHunar HP’ or ‘My Talent’  to help skilled and semi-skilled workers find jobs.

# The fifth edition of the mega cultural festival ‘India by the Nile’ (IBN) began in Cairo, Egypt

# Noted Konkani author Mahabaleshwar Sail has been honored with the 2016 Saraswati Samman for his novel ‘Hawthan’