Financial assistance to the tune of Rs 1.51 crore sanctioned to Kaziranga National Park during the fiscal years 2018-19 and 2019-2020 under Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA). Project Tiger scheme financial assistance of Rs 10.30 crore and Rs 22.81 crore were allocated by the government. The project aims at ensuring a viable population of Bengal tigers in their natural habitats, protecting them from extinction, and preserving areas of biological importance as a natural heritage forever represented as close as possible the diversity of ecosystems across the distribution of tigers in the country.

Saudi Arabia starts issuance of permanent premium residency permit to foreigners; Indian investor Yusuffali M A, Chairman of the Lulu group, is among the first recipients.

The World Wildlife Day (WWD) has been celebrated based on the theme “Sustaining all life on Earth”. The day aims to celebrate the beautiful and varied forms of wild fauna and flora & raises awareness for conservation of wildlife.

Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) agency of the Government of India, under the Ministry of Power, has launched star rating programme for Light Commercial Air Conditioners (LCAC) and Deep Freezers, in its 19th foundation day in New Delhi.

The 70th edition of Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) 2020 was held in Berlin, Germany from 20 February–1 March 2020. Golden Bear for Best Film is  “There Is No Evil” directed  by Mohammad Rasoulof

Government of India has set up seven Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs) to preserve & promote various forms of folk art and culture of the tribals throughout the country including West Bengal.

In the final day of the Khelo India University Games in Odisha, Dutee Chand won her second gold in the 200 meters final in Bhubaneswar on 1 March 2020.
She represented Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology.
Kirti Vijay Bhoite from the University of Mumbai settled for silver with a timing of 24.98 sec while Deepali Mahapatra from Utkal University won the bronze, clocking 25.19 seconds

Scientists have spotted in rocks from northern China what may be the oldest fossils of a green plant ever found.
The plant, called Proterocladus antiquus, was about the size of a rice grain and boasted numerous thin branches.
It may seem small, but Proterocladus – a form of green algae – was one of the largest organisms of its time, sharing the seas mainly with bacteria and other microbes.

Two nomination dossiers were submitted by the Government of India for their inclusion in World Heritage List for the year 2020. They are, Dholavira: A Harappan City and Monuments and Forts of Deccan Sultanate.

The Indian men’s hockey team has climbed a rung to the fourth position, their highest since the inception of the FIH world rankings in 2003, in the recently released chart.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has developed Jeevan Kaushal (life skills) curriculum for undergraduate students at Universities and Colleges. The information was passed by the Union Minister for Human Resource Development Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’.

The Punjab government’s Food and Drug  Administration said it has prohibited online supply of food from Food Business Operators (FBOs) not possessing hygiene rating. Issuing the prohibition orders, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner K S Pannu said invoking provisions under the Food Safety & Standards Act, 2006

The US (United States) and Taliban militants have signed historic peace agreement in Doha, Qatar to restore peace in Afghanistan. The agreement, signed by the US special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in the presence of Michael Richard Pompeo, United States Secretary of State, would end the 18 years-long American war in Afghanistan. Representatives of 30 countries around the world were also invited to witness this event, including India. India’s Ambassador to Qatar, P. Kumaran attend the USA-Taliban peace deal in Doha on behalf of India.

Social media company Facebook has launched a new consumer marketing campaign, called ‘More Together’, in India.
Focused on the Facebook app, the campaign shares stories that highlight the power of connections on the platform.
This is the first such campaign launched by Facebook in India.
It comprises advertisements in eight languages to be aired across India over the next few weeks.

India signed a defence deal with Armenia worth 40 million USD. According to the deal, India will supply 4 indigenously built radars that are capable of locating weapons to Armenia. The deal between India and Armenia is signed for radar named “Swati” which can detect weapons.

Panjab University (PB) emerged as the winner of  Khelo India University Games 2020 with 45 medals (17 Gold,18 Silver,10 Bronze).It was followed by Savitribai Phule Pune University (2nd with 37 medals) and Punjabi University, Patiala(3rd with 32 medals).

World Wildlife Day is being celebrated on the 3rd of March every year to create awareness about the importance of protecting wildlife.

Recently, Norway’s Minister of International Development Dag-Inge Ulstein, during his three-day visit to India participated in Mithi river clean-up with the environmental activist Afroz Shah.
Afroz Shah is an environmental activist from Mumbai, Maharashtra. He is known for organising the largest beach clean-up drive. He was also awarded the ‘UN Champions of the Earth’ award for the same, in 2016. He had earlier been to Norway for a beach clean-up programme.

Balbir Singh Kullar, former Indian hockey player, Padma Shri awardee and a Punjab Police Officer passed away at the age of 77 in Sansarpur, Jalandhar district, Punjab. Balbir was born on 8th August 1942 in Sansarpur, Punjab. He also served as an Indian national team selector.

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) announced that the Indian team will not take part in the upcoming ISSF World Cup Shotgun in Cyprus due to coronavirus spreading in some countries other than China.

The 19th edition of World Productivity Congress (WPC) with the theme “Industry 4.0 – Innovation and Productivity” will be held from May 6 to May 8, 2020 at the Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre, Bengaluru, Karnataka. WPC is the world’s largest convention for productivity development which promotes innovation and world class practices that shape future productivity growth and to be held in India after 45 years.

World Hearing Day is observed on 3 March every year. The theme of 2020 World Hearing Day is “Don’t let hearing loss limit you”. Hearing for life!. It highlights that timely and effective intervention will ensure that people with hearing loss can achieve their full potential.

University of British Columbia astronomy student Michelle Kunimoto has discovered 17 new planets, including a potentially habitable, Earth-sized world.
The new findings, published in The Astronomical Journal, include one such particularly rare planet.
Officially named KIC-7340288 b, the planet discovered by Kunimoto is just 1 ½ times the size of Earth – small enough to be considered rocky.

Exhibition cum fair ‘EKAM Fest’ will be organised by National Handicapped Finance Development Corporation (NHFDC) at State Emporia Complex, Baba Kharak Singh Marg, New Delhi on 02nd March 2020. The fest is an effort to promote entrepreneurship and knowledge among the Divyangjan community. It also aims to generate awareness among the society about potentialities of PwDs; providing marketing opportunity to PwDs entrepreneurs. The fest will also host a number of cultural extravaganza including performances by Divyang artists and well-known professionals

In accordance with the report by online payment processor Worldline India titled “Wordline India Digital Payments 2019”, The most preferred mode of payment was United Payments Interface (UPI). It is also the fastest payment mode to hit 1 billion monthly transactions. It has recorded around 10.8 billion transactions in 2019, a 188% year-on-year (YoY). In terms of value, UPI facilitated transactions worth Rs18.36 trillion in 2019, up 214% YoY compared to 2018.

Security Printing & Minting Corporation of India (SPMCIL) funded a sum of Rs.1 crore towards the National Sports Development Fund under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).

Union Territory Jammu and Kashmir has been selected by the NITI Aayog for first pilot project on Sustainable Developmental Goals.
The newly formed UT will also get an opportunity to work with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Under the programme, information would be collected from District Commissioners for providing ranks on certain parameters.

An international conference on “Ensemble Methods in Modelling and Data Assimilation (EMMDA)” began at NCMRWF, Noida, India.

The three-day conference is organized by the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) that functions under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, GoI.

The Arunachal Pradesh Assembly has gone paperless in line with PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Digital India’ initiative. The budget session of the state assembly began on March 2, 2020. The session is scheduled to conclude on March 10, 2020.

The union cabinet approved amendment of the Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindivi Islands Land Revenue and Tenancy Regulation, 1965 to confer occupancy rights to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) population in the union territory.
The Lakshadweep island mostly comprises ST population and they did not have occupancy rights.
Lakshadweep: Capital – Kavaratti
Administrator – Dineshwar Sharma