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- The world’s longest serving warship INS Viraat was decommissioned by the Indian Navy at Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, Maharashtra after nearly six decades of service. This marks the end of an era of Viraat being the flagship of the Indian Navy as it had provided utmost protection to the country during many tense situations. The decision on the warship’s future has not been taken yet. INS Viraat holds Guinness Books of record of being the longest serving warship in the world. It was also the last British-built ship serving with the Indian Navy.
- The GST Council meeting headed by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley approved the final draft of Central GST (CGST) and Inter-State GST (IGST) laws. The approval of CGST and IGST laws is considered as significant step towards meeting the July 1, 2017 deadline for rolling out of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
- The Union Government has launched the first ever across-the-river survey in River Ganga to determine the population of aquatic life, including that of the endangered Gangetic Doplhin. The survey will create baseline scientific data for the government to take suitable measures to improve the quality of the Ganga’s water. The first of its kind survey is being conducted by National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) through Wildlife Institute of India (WII) under Namami Gange programme.
- The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority has partnered with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (WTO) to promote sustainable tourism across the state. The U.N. has declared 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. The decision comes 50 years after the celebration of the International Tourist Year on Tourism – Passport to Peace (1967) and 15 years since the International Year of Ecotourism (2002). The WTO Secretary General Taleb D. Rifai will inaugurate the A.P. initiative in Berlin on March 8.
- Stocks of Lopinavir syrup — a child friendly HIV drug — ran out in India after Cipla, the sole manufacturer of the drug, stopped manufacturing it over the issue of non-payment from the Health Ministry. Cipla is the dominant player in the Indian market across the HIV segment and has not stopped participating in government tenders after the Health Ministry failed to pay Cipla for consignments sent in 2014.
- China’s legislature has recognised and focussed on President Xi Jinping’s standing as the “core” leader, to steer the country’s political and economic reforms, which are expected to yield a 6.5% growth in 2017.
- Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has rejected a fresh appeal from the United Nations to allow international judges to investigate alleged war-era atrocities.
- Scientists have claimed that they have discovered oldest fossils on Earth in rocks from Quebec, Canada. Carbon dating techniques suggest that these rocks are at least 3.8 billion years old and might even be 4.3 billion years old. The fossils are thought to be the remains of bacteria that lived on iron and dwelt around hydrothermal vent systems i.e. mineral rich hot springs on the seafloor.
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