Current Affairs One liners of the Week: 19 March to 25 March 2017

The one liner of the week is a recap of the important happenings that occurred between 19 March to 25 March 2017. The important happenings of the week covered in this segment include India-Nepal joint military exercise, World Happiness Report 2017 and World Meteorological Day 2017 among others.

•    India’s rank in the Global Energy Architecture Performance Index Report 2017 is - 87

•    The term USHUS-II that was in the news recently refers to a - Submarine Sonar System

•    This missile system was successfully test-fired by the Indian Navy recently - Barak

•    The Rajya Sabha passed the Employee’s Compensation (Amendment) Bill, 2016 to replace - The Employee’s Compensation Act, 1923

•    The Global Energy Architecture Performance Index Report 2017 was released by - World Economic Forum

•    The Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved winding up of CHBL  and ICBL recently. Both of these organizations were engaged in - Renewable Energy Sector

• 2017 Abel Prize was awarded to  - Yves Meyer

• Theme of 2017 World Tuberculosis Day - Unite to End TB

• Central sector scheme Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY) will be launched from - Andhra Pradesh

• The Union Cabinet gave its approval to amend these acts to facilitate the implementation of the GST regime - The Customs Act, 1962, The Customs Tariff Act, 1975 and TheCentral Excise Act, 1944

• The CCEA gave its approval to the execution of the Phase I of the North East Road Network Connectivity Project at an estimated cost of – Rs 6,721 crore

• This State Government launched the Sustainable Action for Climate Resilient Development (SaCReD) for protection of the environment in Majuli – Assam

• The Union Cabinet gave its approval for the creation of National Commission for Socially and Educationally backward classes by inserting this new Article in the Constitution – 338B

• The National Helicopter operator Pawan Hans is going to launch this new service from 1 April 2017 - Delhi Darshan rides

• The National Commission for Schedule Tribes (NCST) has approved the proposal for five additional seats for tribals in – Sikkim Assembly

• The Bakshi stadium in this state is all set to be developed into a world-class facility as per the FIFA norms – Jammu & Kashmir

• The United Nations Human Rights Council has granted this country a two-year extension to probe into the alleged war crimes committed during civil war – Sri Lanka

• The veteran photographer who was recently conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 6th National Photography Awards is - Raghu Rai

• The naturalist on whose name a tiny shrimp-like fossil, which is thought to be around 430 million-years-old, is named - David Attenborough

• The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare launched a Coffee Table Book titled “50 Years – The Great Indian Milk Revolution.”  The ministry is handled by - Radha Mohan Singh

• The International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members is observed each year in March. The day commemorates the anniversary of the abduction of - Alec Collett

• The country that is hosting the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games is - Austria

• The Union Cabinet recently approved an MoU signed in the field of Cyber Security. The MoU was signed with - The United States of America

• The amount authorised by NASA Transition Authorization Bill for NASA's mission for the financial year 2018 is - USD 19.5 billion

• As per an announcement by the Union Government, India’s nuclear power generation capacity will be tripled by - 2024

• The five Indian cities that were included in the Tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites are – Ahmedabad, Delhi, Jaipur, Mumbai and Bhubaneswar

• The expanded VIKALP Scheme will be available to railway passengers from – 1 April 2017

• Theme of World Meteorological Day 2017 - Understanding Clouds

• Person appointed as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of International Cricket Council (ICC) - Ankur Khanna

• 5th Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav (RSM)-2017 was organised in - North East India

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) created history by commissioning the world’s third largest hypersonic wind tunnel at - Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC)

• The recent terror attack happened outside the parliament of this country – United Kingdom

• This country’s coastal sea level hit record high in 2016 - China

• In the 2016 Human Development Report (HDR), released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), India slipped to – 131 rank

• This regiment of Indian Army celebrated 200-years of their regiment in March 2017 - Ninth Gorkhas

• India on 23 March 2017 remembered the freedom fighters martyr Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev on the occasion of - their 86th martyrdom day

• The Supreme Court of India on 22 March 2017 constituted a committee to explore a technical solution to block videos of sexual offences on - Social Networking Sites

• Scientists have developed an ultra-thin coating material that may potentially improve the efficiency and enhance the life of - Lithium-Sulphur batteries

• This state has introduced the system of e-vetting of replies to be filed in the court, as well as to generate and deliver custody certificates online - Haryana

• The Assembly of this state has passed bills for the establishment of four private and two government-run universities in the state - Gujarat

• The World Water Day (WWD) was observed on 22 March 2017 with theme - Why Wastewater?

• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is planning to send this next-generation object into space in late 2017 - Atomic Clock

• The upper house of Indian Parliament, Rajya Sabha recently passed this crucial bill – (HIV/ AIDS Prevention and Control) Bill, 2014

• The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee recently presented these awards to the Armed Forces Personnel for displaying exemplary leadership, conspicuous gallantry and courage beyond the call of duty - Gallantry Awards and Distinguished Service Decorations

• The person recently appointed as the new Member-Traction Railway Board is - Ghanshyam Singh

• The player who was recently ranked No. 1 in the ICC Test Bowling Rankings is - Ravindra Jadeja

• Majuli is soon to become India’s first carbon neutral district and biodiversity heritage site. The place is located in – Assam

• The BJP’s MLA from Goa elected as the Speaker of Goa Assembly is - Pramod Sawant

• Theme of 2017 International Day of Forests - Forests and Energy

• World’s youngest self-made billionaire as per Forbes 2017 World Billionaire Report - John Collison

• First woman from private sector to be appointed as the Full-Time Member of Securities and Exchange Board of India - Madhabi Puri Buch

• Person ranked as wealthiest Indian by Forbes World Billionaire Report 2017 - Mukesh Ambani

• The supreme court of this country limited the President's power to temporarily fill vacant government posts while nominations are tied up in partisan political fights - The United States

• He was appointed as Full Time Interim Director General of International Solar Alliance (ISA) - Upendra Tripathy

• The 2017 World Down Syndrome Day that was observed on 21 March focuses on - #MyVoiceMyCommunity

• The Supreme Court warned the Sahara Group that its Aamby Valley property worth Rs 39000 crore in Pune will be auctioned if the company fails to deposit Rs 5092 crore rupees with - the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) by 17 April 2017

•  India’s rank in the recently released World Happiness Report 2017 was – 122

•  This country topped the World Happiness report 2017 - Norway

•  He was appointed as the Managing Director & CEO of Indian Bank - Kishore Piraji Kharat

•  The World Poetry Day 2017 celebrated on - 21 March 2017

•  He was appointed as the Managing Director & CEO of IDBI Bank - Mahesh Kumar Jain

•  The International Day of Happiness was celebrated on - 20 March 2017

•  Person who topped the Forbes World's Billionaires List 2017 - Bill Gates

•  App launched by Amitabh Bachchan on breast health - ABC of Breast Health

•  Person appointed as the brand ambassador for 2018 ODI Blind Cricket World Cup - Shahid Afridi

•  Indian personality selected to newly formed United Nations (UN) group on antimicrobial resistance - Soumya Swaminathan

•  This Canadian teacher was named the winner of the annual Global Teacher Prize for her effort in helping to reduce teenage suicide rates - Maggie MacDonnell

•  Scientists belonging to this country have developed a new wireless technology based on infrared rays, which is reportedly 100 times faster than the existing wireless internet networks –Netherlands

•  This SAARC nation did not figure at all in the World Happiness Report 2017 – Maldives

•  The 18th edition of this convention, which is Asia’s largest on the business of media and entertainment, began on 21 March in Mumbai - FICCI Frames

•  He won the 2017 ATP Indian Wells Masters title - Roger Federer

•  The state that won the 2017 Vijay Hazare Trophy of Cricket is - Tamil Nadu

•  The Uttarakhand High Court on 20 March 2017 accorded the status of "living human entities" to - the Ganga and Yamuna, the two most sacred rivers of India

•  All branches of State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur (SBBJ), State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH), State Bank of Mysore (SBM), State Bank of Patiala (SBP) and State Bank of Travancore (SBT) will function as branches of State Bank of India from - 1 April 2017

•  UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is proposing to shut down the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti by - October 2017

• This is the first-ever fully made-in-India train, which took off on its maiden run from Dadar station to Borivali at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus on 18 March 2017 – Medha Train

• This former Director of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, also known as the father of Indian Meteorology, passed away on 18 March after suffering from a cardiac arrest - Dev Raj Sikka

• 20 March 2017 is celebrated throughout the world as – the International Day of Happiness

• India and Pakistan will hold a two-day meet to discuss – Indus Water Treaty

• It is with this country, the India Army concluded the joint army exercise Al Nagah-II recently – Oman

• It is with this country, India signed two agreements related to Su-30 MKI aircraft – Russia

• Chuck Berry, the guitarist and songwriter recognised as one of the fathers of rock 'n' roll, has died recently. He belonged to – The USA

• He was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh - Yogi Adityanath

• National record holder who clocked an impressive timing to win a bronze in the 20 kilometer men's event in the Asian Race Walk Championships in Japan is - KT Irfan

• World Sparrow Day 2017 was observed globally on – 20 March

• This telecom giant announced that its board has approved the merger of Vodafone India and its wholly-owned subsidiary Vodafone Mobile Services Limited with itself is - Idea Cellular

• The Indian cricketer who in March 2017 came in news for facing most number of balls in a test-match is - Cheteshwar Pujara

• That state whose about five-month-long economic blockade came to an end in third week of March 2017 is – Manipur

• This state/city lost its permanent voting status in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) – Mumbai

• The former bureaucrat turned politician, once considered the most influential force behind Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s BJD government, who died in March 2017 is - Pyari Mohan Mohapatra

• World Bank has announced 57 billion US dollar financing for this region over the next three fiscal years - sub-Saharan Africa

• The noted Gujarati poet and ghazal writer who passed away in Ahmedabadin March 2017 is - Chinu Modi