Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on 29 March 2016 flagged off India’s first indigenous composites bow mounted Sonar Dome during DefExpo 2016 in Goa. The Sonar Dome will now be delivered to Mazgaon Docks, Mumbai for use in the warships of Indian Navy. With the successful manufacture of Sonar Dome, India joined a select group of nations which have the capability of realizing large composites structure with multi-functional requirements, complex geometry and high structural rigidity with acoustic transparency. It was possible due to the Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding (VARTM) process technology with built-in process monitoring capability, to ensure manufacture of a quality product.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel on 30 March 2016 remotely launched Asia's biggest telescope, the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) which is located at Devasthal near Nainital in Uttarakhand.The telescope is the product of an Indo-Belgian collaborative effort and was assisted by the Russian Academy of Sciences.It will replace Vainu Bappu Observatory in Kavalur, Tamil Nadu to be Asia’s largest ground-based optical telescope.
Haldhar Nag, the 66-year-old poet in Kosli language, was in news in the last week of March 2016. He came in news after President Pranab Mukherjee on 28 March 2016 conferred Padma Shri 2016 on him at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.He was bestowed with third highest civilian honour for his contribution in Literature & Education section.
The 13th India-European Union Summit was held on 30 March 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. In the summit, India was represented by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The European Union (EU) was represented by Donald Tusk, President of the European Council and Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission.
A group of scientists discovered sand-eating tadpole in the southern Western Ghats. The tadpole lives in total darkness, until it fully develops into a young frog.The discovery of the tadpole was documented on 30 March 2016 in the journal PLOS One.The tadpole belongs to the Indian Dancing Frog family, Micrixalidae.The discovery is the result of collaborative efforts of scientists from the University of Delhi, the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka and Gettysburg College, California.This discovery builds the knowledge base for further comparative analyses and conservation of Micrixalus, an ancient and endemic lineage of Indian frogs.
French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on 30 March 2016 announced that France will end its Operation Sangaris in the Central African Republic in 2016.The decision was taken in view of the achievement of the objective of its military intervention in the country. The mission was launched with the objective of restoring security in the country after three years of communal violence.
The announcement came alongside the swearing-in ceremony of Faustin-Archange Touadera as the first elected President of the nation in three years.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 29 March 2016 cancelled the certificate of registration of the 22 Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs).RBI cancelled their certificates of registration by exercising the powers conferred on it under Section 45-IA (6) of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
Renowned playback singer P. Susheela Mohan in the last week of March 2016 entered the Guinness Book of Records for singing 17695 songs in 12 Indian languages.On the other hand, Asia Book of Records also officially recognised Susheela for singing most number of songs in Indian languages.
While the Guinness Book of Records officially credited her for singing 17695 songs (solo, duet and chorus backed songs) in twelve Indian languages, Asia Book of Records recognised her for singing 17330 songs.
The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) on 29 March 2016 notified Guidelines for 100 percent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Business to Business (B2B) e-commerce.The guidelines were issued under the Consolidated FDI Policy Circular 2015 that was notified by the DIPP of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
The Environment Ministry on 29 March 2016 notified Construction & Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016 for the first time. The rules were notified to effectively tackle the issues of pollution and waste management. The basis of these rules is to recover, recycle and reuse the waste generated through construction and demolition.
