1) PM Modi inaugurates India's longest bridge in Assam
•Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the country’s longest bridge - the Dhola-Sadia Bridge in Assam on Mr Modi walked a short distance over the bridge and enjoyed two minutes of solitude amidst his hectic schedule, with a strong wind above him and gushing waters below him as his companions.
•Mr Modi named the bridge after legendary singer Bhupen Hazarika. This three-lane, the 9.15-kilometre bridge has been built over the Brahmaputra river. It links Dhola to Sadia, both in Assam. The bridge will reduce the distance from Rupai on NH- 37 in Assam to Meka-Roing on NH-52 in Arunachal Pradesh by 165 KM. The travel time between the two places will come down from the current six hours to just one hour, a total five-hour reduction.
2) Mumbai is second most crowded city in the world: WEF
•Two Indian cities named Mumbai and Kota have been named among the world’s most crowded in a list topped by Dhaka, according to World Economic Forum (WEF) citing UN-Habitat data. With a population density of 44,500 people per square kilometre, Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is the most crowded city on the planet, followed by India’s financial capital Mumbai, home to 31,700 people per square kilometre at the second place.
•Kota in Rajasthan with 12,100 people per square kilometre was ranked seventh. Others in the list include Medellin in Columbia ranked third with 19,700 people per square kilometre, Manila, Philippines (4th, 14,800), Casablanca, Morocco (5th, 14,200), Lagos, Nigeria (6th, 13,300), Singapore (8th, 10,200) and Jakarta, Indonesia (9th, 9,600).
3) New Book on Virat Kohli's Winning Formula Revealed by Abhirup Bhattacharya
•A new book “Winning like Virat: Think & Succeed like Kohli” by Abhirup Bhattacharya, unravels the secrets of the cricketer’s consistent form, while attempting to decode his philosophy towards life.
•In the book, the writer etches Virat’s success curve by using statistics that chart his performances and anecdotes from his predecessors and contemporaries in the game. According to Bhattacharya, it is only Virat Kohli who has managed to enjoy a fandom that comes even close to the popularity of Sachin Tendulkar.
4) US Senate confirms Indian-American Amul Thapar to key judicial post
•The United States Senate has confirmed Indian-American Judge Amul Thapar to a key judicial position on the powerful US court of appeals. Thapar, the first Indian-American to be nominated by US President Donald Trump for the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals, was confirmed by the Senate 52-44, a vote on party lines.
•With this, 48-year-old Thapar will become the second South Asian judge to be on the US Circuit Court of Appeals, which hears appeals from Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio and Michigan. Thapar, currently a US District Court Judge, was nominated by Trump on 21st March. Thapar received his undergraduate degree from Boston College and his law degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
5) President receives book on PM Modi's 'Mann Ki Baat'
•President Pranab Mukherjee has received the first copy of two books 'Mann Ki Baat-A Social Revolution on Radio' and 'Marching with a Billion-Analysing Narendra Modi’s Government at Mid term' at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. Speaker of Lok Sabha, Sumitra Mahajan formally released the books at a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan. The book Mann Ki Baat: A Social Revolution on Radio by Rajesh Jain is a compilation of Prime Minister Modi’s addresses to the nation on All India Radio every month under the programme Mann Ki Baat.
•It contains a comprehensive, qualitative and academic analysis of programme - the themes, the choice of topics, the salient features. It illustrates how this programme has connected with the New India - the youth in particular. It also presents a coherent narrative about the manner in which 'Mann Ki Baat' has created mass movements, including cleanliness, safer roads, and drugs free India.
•The book Marching with a Billion- Analysing Narendra Modi’s Government at Mid-term written by eminent journalist Uday Mahurkar analyses the monumental changes that PM Narendra Modi has brought on multiple fronts as Prime Minister on India's governance landscape by ushering in an unprecedented culture of transparency to create a level playing field.
6) Google India head Rajan Anandan appointed IAMAI chairman
•Google’s vice-president for South East Asia and India, Rajan Anandan has been appointed the new chairman of Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).
•He will take over from FreeCharge’s co-founder and chief executive officer Kunal Shah. MakeMyTrip Chairman & Group CEO Deep Kalra has taken over as vice-chairman from music app Saavn co-founder and president Vinodh Bhat; Facebook’s managing director - India & South Asia, Umang Bedi has been elected as the new treasurer of the association, while Subho Ray continues to be the president. The tenure of the new Council is for two years.
