Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 31 March 2014
- World Telecommunications Development Conference begins in Dubai. More than 1650 participants from 130 countries including India are taking part in the conference. A high level delegation from India led by the Telecom Secretary is attending the conference.
- Underwater search to start today for missing Malaysian aircraft that crashed in the Indian Ocean.
- President Pranab Mukherjee conferred Padma Awards on 66 eminent personalities at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Scientist Dr. Raghunath A. Mashelkar received Padma Vibhushan while classical singer Begum Parveen Sultana, Actor Kamal Hasan, Badminton Coach Pullela Gopichand were among those who were honoured with Padma Bhushan. Padma Shri Awardees included Sand Artist Sudarshan Pattnaik and Actress Vidya Balan.
- Ambar Srivastava of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi developed the TrueHb Hemometer to test haemoglobin.
- The Directorate of revenue Intelligence has seized a record over 2.4 lakh kg of ozone-depleting restricted refrigeration gas "R-22", which was being smuggled into the country.
- IMF agreed to provide worth up 18 billion dollars of loan to Ukraine