1) Dada Saheb Phalke Award for Shashi Kapoor:
--> Veteran film actor Shashi Kapoor
will be conferred the highest award in cinema, the Dadasaheb Phalke award for
the year 2014.
--> The award is conferred by the
government for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian
cinema on the recommendations of a five-member jury.
--> The 77-year-old will be the 46th
recipient of the award.
--> Interestingly, he will be the third
person in his family to be conferred with the same award, Shashi’s father Prithviraj Kapoor received
the award in 1971 and elder brother Raj Kapoor in 1987.
--> Shashi Kapoor forayed into films as
lead actor in Dharmputra in 1961 and went on to appear in more than 100 Hindi
films.
2) Andhra Pradesh to name capital Amaravati:
--> Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu-led
Andhra Pradesh government is all set to declare the heritage city, Amaravati,
35 kms from Guntur district,as its new capital.
--> According to reports, nearly 33,000
acres of land have been procured by the TDP government for the new capital and
it is spread over 29 villages in Thulluru, Mangalagiri and Tadikonda mandals of
Guntur district.
--> However, as per the Andhra Pradesh
Reorganisation Act 2014, Hyderabad will remain the shared capital of both
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for 10 years.
3) Railways restrict booking of train e-tickets on a single
login:
--> The Ministry of Railways on 23 March
2015 decided to restrict the number of tickets that an individual can book via
the e-ticketing platform, in a single login session.
--> In case of e-ticketing, there will
be a restriction of only one booking in one user login session and forced
logging out of the user before another booking for all users including IRCTC
agents but excluding defence booking under warrant only.
--> However, this restriction will be
applicable only while booking of e-ticket between 0800 and 1200 hours. It will
also not be applicable while booking onward journey/return journey e-tickets,
the release said.
4) Ecologist Madhav Gadgil won Tyler Prize:
--> Renowned ecologist Madhav Gadgil has
been chosen for the prestigious 2015 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement.
--> The prize, instituted in 1973, is
awarded by the international Tyler Prize Executive Committee with the
administrative support of the University of Southern California.
--> Prof. Gadgil, who was Chairman of
the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), will share the $200,000 cash
prize with noted American marine ecologist Dr. Jane Lubchenco.
--> Both winners will receive the prize
and a gold medallion at a private ceremony in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles on
April 24.
5) World Meteorological Day observed:
--> Every year March 23 is observed as
World Meteorological Day (WMD).
--> Theme for this year is Climate
Knowledge for Climate Action.
--> On this day in 1950 the World
Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Convention came into force that aimed at
creating WMO.
6) Pakistan military holds first Republic Day parade in
seven years:
--> Pakistan held its first Republic Day
parade in seven years on 23 March 2015, full of flag-waving pomp and aerial
military expertise, a symbolic show of strength in the war against the Taliban
months after a militant attack on a school killed 132 children.
--> Pakistan Day commemorates March 23,
1940, when the Muslim League demanded the establishment of separate nations to
protect Muslims in the then British colony of India.
7) Railways launched RuPay pre-paid debit card service:
--> Railway passengers can now book
their tickets, do shopping and pay service bills using RuPay pre-paid cards, as
the IRCTC launched the debit card service on 23 March 2015.
--> The service was launched by the
Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) in collaboration with
the Union Bank of India and the National Payment Corporation of India.
--> RuPay is India's own card payment
gateway network like Visa and Master Card, and provides an alternative system
for banks to provide a debit card service.
8) Railways hike platform ticket price to Rs. 10:
--> Railways has hiked the cost of
platform tickets to Rs. 10 and the new rate will come into effect from April
2015.
--> Additionally, the Divisional Railway
Managers (DRMs) have been empowered to increase the rate of a platform ticket
beyond Rs. 10 to regulate rush at platforms.
