CURRENT AFFAIRS - MARCH 2015

1.              Retirement fund body EPFO (Employees' Provident Fund Organisatio) raised age limit for vesting (Means to Avail Benefits) of pension by to 60 from 58 Years.

2.             10 Mar, 2015- 46th Foundation day of Central Industrial Security Force.

3.             100th year of Albert Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity celebrated across the world on 20-03-2015.

4.             11 Mar, 2015 - 30th Foundation day National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

5.             12 Mar - Independence Day of Mauritius. Indian PM Narendra Modi Visited Mauritius on this occasion.

6.             12 March - World Kidney Day (Second Thursday of March).

7.             14th Finance Commission Report -

1.             Main Suggestions Include -

1.             Rising share of states in central taxes from 32% to 42% to allow greater fiscal policy space to states, even at the cost of leaving less revenue for centr's schemes and programmes.

2.             Tax Devolution to be based on Area, Populcation, Demography, Income Distance & Forest Cover

1.             50 % weight is to be given to distance from highest per capita income district, followed by population (1971 census) at 17.5 %, demography (2011 census) at 10 %, area at 15 % and forest cover at 7.5 %

3.             Fiscal deficit should come down to 3.6 % of GDP in 2015-16 from projected 4.1 % in 2014-15 and then 3 % in following year and kept at that for three more years.

4.             Centre's debt To come down from 45.4 % of GDP in FY15 to 43.6 % in FY16 and 36.3 % by FY20.

5.             States should empower local bodies to impose Advertisement tax to augment their revenues

6.             States be taken away from operation of NSSF with effect from next financial year.

8.             15 March - World Consumer Day. Theme for the WCRD 2015 is Helping consumers choose healthy diets.

9.             15th African Ministerial Conference on Environment held in Cairo (Egypt)

10.          15th National Para-Athletic championships held in Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh).

11.          18th round of Boundary issues talks between India and China on held in New Delhi with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval representing India and China represented by Yang Jiechi, State Councellor of China.

12.          1998 Asian Games gold-medallist Dingko Singh included in National Boxing Selection panel. Arjuna awardee Gopal N Devang will be head of the 10-member selection panel that will remain in office till 2016.

13.          1st Counter-Terrorism Conference held in Jaipur (Rajasthan), organised by India Foundation and Sardar Patel University of Police Security and Criminal Justice. Conference's Central theme was Integrated Approach to Counter-Terrorism and CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear) Terrorism was one of the sub-themes.

14.          20 March - Iran celebrated start of new year’s festival of Iran Caleld Nowruz, a holiday having its roots in pre-Islamic traditions.

15.          20 March - World Oral Health Day.

16.          20 March - World Sparrow Day.  Theme for 2015 is I Love Sparrows.

17.          21 March - International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

18.          21 March - International Day of Forests. 2015 theme is Forests and Climate Change.

19.          21 March - World Forestry Day. 2015 theme is Forests and Climate Change.

20.          21 March - World Poetry Day. It and was declared by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 1999.

21.          22 March - Formation day of State of Bihar. On this day British carved out bihar state from Bengal Presidency in 1912.

22.          22 March - World Water Day.

23.          24 March - World TB (Tuberculosis) Day.

24.          26 March - Independence Day of Bangladesh.

25.          29th India Carpet Expo inaugurated in Pragati Maidan (Delhi).

26.          3 -year-old archer Dolly Shivani Cherukuri of Andhra Pradesh entered Indian Book of Records by scoring 388 points in the recurve segment in seven and five meters distances. 

27.          3 March - World Wildlife Day.

28.          3 March -National Day of Bulgaria (Southeast European Country).

1.             Mar 3, 1878 - Liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman Empire.

29.          30th Aahar International Fair 2014 organized by ITPO (Indian Trade Promotion Organization) started in Pragati Maidan, Delhi.

30.          3rd United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction summit held in Japan From March 14-18, 2015. Home Minister Rajnath Singh to attend on India's Behalf.