GK & Current Affairs March 2016

On 24 March 2016 World Tuberculosis Day (WTD) 2016 was globally observed with the theme Unite to End TB.
•    The theme was selected against the backdrop of the adoption of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015.
•    It is annually celebrated on 24 March to commemorate the day on which Dr. Robert Koch discovered the cause of tuberculosis, the TB bacillus in 1882.
•    It is one of eight official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO).
•    The other seven includes World Health Day (7 April), World Blood Donor Day (14 June), World Immunization Week (24-30 April), World Malaria Day (25 April), World No Tobacco Day (31 May), World Hepatitis Day (28 July) and World AIDS Day (1 December).
•    On May 2014, at the World Health Assembly, governments agreed on an ambitious 20-year (2016-2035) strategy to end the global TB epidemic.
•    Tuberculosis is an infectious bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which most commonly affects the lungs.
•    It is transmitted from person to person via droplets from the throat and lungs of people with the active respiratory disease.
•    It is the second biggest killer next only to HIV/AIDS worldwide.

Shane Watson has announced his retirement from international cricket on 24th March 2016.
•    Watson had already retired from Test cricket at the end of last year's Ashes tour of England.
•    He reached No.1 on the ICC's T20 international batting rankings and spent two years as the No.1 allrounder
•    In ODIs he also reached No.1 as an all-rounder in 2011, and peaked at No.3 as a batsman.
•    Watson is one of only seven men in history to have achieved the double of 10000 runs and 250 wickets in international cricket across all three formats.
•    The others are Steve Waugh, Carl Hooper, SanathJayasuirya, Jacques Kallis, ShahidAfridi and Chris Gayle. 
•    He also captained Australia in all three forms, adding T20s to his list in January against India, his 124 not out in that game being the highest T20 international score by a captain.
•    He played in three World Cup campaigns and was part of Australia's triumphs in 2007 and 2015. 

Renowned Comedian, actor, writer and producer Garry Shandling was died on 24 March 2016 in Santa Monica. He was 66.
•    He was best known for the shows, It's Garry Shandling's Show and The Larry Sanders Show.
•    He was born in Chicago and raised in Tucson, Arizona.
•    He started out majoring in electrical engineering before completing a marketing degree at the University of Arizona.
•    He guest-hosted on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and created his own sitcom It's Garry Shandling's Show in 1986.
•    The show, also co-created by Alan Zweibel, was nominated for four Emmys, and ran until 1990.
•    He starred and co-created Larry Sanders Show for HBO and was nominated for 18 Emmys for it and, along with Peter Tolan, won an Emmy for the series finale.
•    He also acted in films like Iron Man 2, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Dr Dolittle, Zoolander and Over the Hedge.
•    He also served as a host for popular award shows  for emceeing the Grammys in 1990, 1991, 1993 and 1994, and the Emmys in 2000 and 2004.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval to the US $ 1,500 million project of World Bank Support to Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) (SBMG)
•    The Project basically provides for incentivising States on the basis of their performance in the existing SBM-G. 
•    Incentivisation of States was approved by the Cabinet while approving the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) on 24th September, 2014. 
•    The current approval provides for the mechanism of such incentivisation through World Bank credit. 
•    Under the approved project, the performance of the States will be gauged through certain performance indicators, called the Disbursement-Linked Indicators (DLIs). 
•    3DLIs :
•    Reduction in the prevalence of open defecation: The funds under this result area shall be released to the States on the basis of reduction in prevalence of open defecation amongst rural households in the State, compared to the previous year, 
•    Sustaining Open Defecation Free (ODF) status in Villages: The funds under this result area, shall be released on the basis of estimated population residing in ODF villages, 
•    Increase in percentage of rural population served by improved Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM): The funds under this DL1 will be based on the population served with acceptable level of SLWM services. 
•    The States will pass on a substantial portion (more than 95 percent) of the Performance Incentive Grant Funds received from the MOWS, to the appropriate implementing levels of districts, Blocks, GPs etc. 
•    The end-use of the incentive grants will be limited to activities pertaining to the sanitation sector. 
•    The project will accelerate efforts to achieve sustained outcomes in sanitation by 2019. 
•    The incentive framework introduced through the project will reorient efforts of States towards the SBM(G) 'outcomes' such as reduction in open defecation, sustainable achievement of open defecation - free (ODF) villages and improvement in solid and liquid waste management (SLWM). 
•    The project will support the SBM(G) programme in achievement of its objectives of attaining open defecation- free and clean environment. 
•    The total World Bank credit being obtained for the Project is US $ 1500 million (Rs. 9000 crore @ US $ l=Rs. 60), of which US $ 1475 million (Rs 8850 crore) is for providing incentive grant to the States and US$ 25 million (Rs 150 crore) is for providing programme management and capacity support to Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MDWS). 

A team of street kids have won five medals for India at 'Street Child Games' held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The children were picked by NGO Karunalaya after performances at local competitions and put under coaches for training. 
•    “I now have friends from Burundi, Pakistan, Egypt, Britain, Argentina and Brazil. It makes me very, very happy”, a medal-winner said.
•    Hepsiba, won a gold in the girls 100m dash. Apart from winning the 100m gold, she also won bronze in 100m hurdles, and silver in girls' 400m.
•    The 16-year-old is one of five street kids from Chennai who were given the chance to participate in the Street Child Games in various disciplines. 
•    The games were organised by an international NGO Street Child United who also helped fund Hepsiba's trip to Rio. 
•    The NGO works to give a voice to street kids who are marginalised and give them a platform of sports to express their talents.
•    Tournament was held between March 14 to 20.
•    One of her teammates, Ashok, won a bronze in boys' shot put, and another team member, Sneha, stood third in 4x100m relay race to win the bronze.

On 23-March-2016 The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval for India to accede to the Ashgabat Agreement, an international transport and transit corridor facilitating transportation of goods between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf. 
•    The Ashgabat Agreement has Oman, Iran, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as founding members. Kazakhstan has also joined this arrangement subsequently. 
•    Accession to the Agreement would enable India to utilise this existing transport and transit corridor to facilitate trade and commercial interaction with the Eurasian region. 
•    Further, this would synchronise with our efforts to implement the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC) for enhanced connectivity. 
•    India’s intention to accede to the Ashgabat Agreement would now be conveyed to the Depository State (Turkmenistan). India would become party to the Agreement upon consent of the founding members.
•    It is a transit agreement established in year 2011. 
•    It establishes international transport and transit corridor between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf countries. 
•    Its founding members are Uzbekistan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Oman. Kazakhstan had joined the grouping in 2015.

Four-time runners-up, SSP Chawrasia broke the jinx to lift the Hero Indian Open with a two-stroke victory at the prestigious tournament at the Delhi Golf Course on 20th March 2016.
•    The 37-year-old came up with a sedate one-under 71 in the final round to edge out defending champion Anirban Lahiri (69) and Korea's Jeunghun Wang (68). 
•    The victory also secured his European Tour card.
•    Shiv Shankar Prasad Chawrasia also known as "Chipputtsia" and "Chow" is an Indian professional golfer. 
•    After he turned professional in 1997, he went on to win eight titles on the Indian Tour and finished second twice in the Indian Open.
•    At the end of the 2014 season he asked the Asian Tour to change the spelling of his last name, previously Chowrasia, to Chawrasia.
•    In February 2008, he won the inaugural Indian Masters, which was a part of the 2008 European Tour.
•    In February 2011, Chawrasia won his second European Tour event winning the 2011 Avantha Masters in New Delhi.

Every year 23rd March is being observed as World Meteorological Day (WMD). The theme for 2016 year is “Hotter, Drier, Wetter. Face the Future”. 
•    The theme highlights the disruption caused by climate change on the natural pattern of the seasons and increasing frequency and intensity of certain extreme weather events such as heat waves, droughts and heavy rainfall. 
•    On the occasion of WMD, various meteorological research awards will be also given. 
•    These awards include International Meteorological Organization Prize, Professor Dr. Vilho Vaisaila Award and Norbert Gerbier-Mumm International Award. 
•    Background On this day in 1950 the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Convention came into force that aimed at creating WMO. 
•    Later in 1951, WMO became United Nations specialized agency for meteorology, geophysical sciences and operational hydrology.
•    The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 191 Member States and Territories. 
•    It originated from the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), which was founded in 1873. 
•    Established in 1950, WMO became the specialised agency of the United Nations for meteorology (weather and climate), operational hydrology and related geophysical sciences. 

The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change on 22 March 2016 notified new environment standards for Gensets running on Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG)/Natural Gas (NG), Diesel with LPG/NG and Petrol with LPG/NG operated in various cities/towns in India.
The standards for Gensets running on LPG/NG, or in combination with diesel/petrol have been notified for the first time.
The primary aim of the new standards for Gensets is to control air and noise pollution emanating from the operation of Gensets. These standards were recommended by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) after consultations with industries and other stakeholders.
In all, the three fuel modes of operation, a three-tier classification have been adopted.
• These standards will control the air and noise emission profile across different category of Gensets and will be revisited in 4-5 years once air and noise emission quality data and technological details pertaining to Gensets are available.
• These standards have mandated certification for Gensets in terms of Type approval and Conformity of Production for air emission as well as noise emission.
• The manufacturers are required to obtain the certification for engine products by empanelled agencies, which will help in regulating the unorganised sector thereby help in curbing the illegal import of Gensets in the country, which were observed to have higher air and noise emission values.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 23 March 2016 inaugurated broadband connectivity to North Eastern States via Bangladesh to strengthen telecom services in the region.
•    Under the project, an international gateway for broadband connectivity will be set up at Agartala in Tripura.
•    Using this platform, connectivity will be provided to other North Eastern States like Manipur, Nagaland, etc through Bangladesh.
•    The cost of the project is around 19 crore rupees and BSNL will bear annual operational expenditure of around seven crore rupees from its own resources.
•    During the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bangladesh in June 2015, an agreement on this project was signed between India and Bangladesh. 
•    The agreement was signed between the state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company limited.
•    Before this link, telecom connectivity for networks was provided to North East from Chennai via Kolkata. The new link is a short route cable between Cox Bazar cable landing station in Bangladesh to Agartala through Akhaura.