World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated every year on 15 March as part of an initiative by Consumer International, a membership organisation for consumer groups around the world. The day is celebrated every year, to celebrate consumer rights and build a world where everyone has access to safe and sustainable products and services.

World Consumer Rights Day was inspired by President John F Kennedy,who was the first leader in the world to address the issue of consumer rights in a special message sent to the US Congress on 15 March 1962.

The group brings together over 200 member organisations in more than 100 countries to "empower and champion the rights of consumers everywhere."

The theme for World Consumers day 2019 is "Trusted Smart Products" chosen in view of the increased popularity of smart gadgets like smart phones to wearable fitness trackers, to voice-activated assistants and smart TVs. These devices as we are aware, make our lives simpler, but at the same time establish a sort of interdependency. 

The government appointed MR Kumar as the Chairman of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) and Vipin Anand and TC Suseel Kumar as the managing directors (MDs) on March 13.

MD Hemant Bhargava had been named interim chairman after VK Sharma's retirement on December 31, 2018. Of the two MD positions, one has been vacant since the superannuation of Usha Sangwan in September last year. The other is set to open up from the scheduled retirement of Sunita Sharma in March 2019.

LIC's executive board comprises of one chairman and four managing directors.

MR Kumar is currently the Zonal Manager, Delhi at LIC while TC Suseel Kumar is Zonal Manager, Hyderabad. Vipin Anand is Zonal Manager of the Western zone.

Since the three remaining MDs are scheduled to retire this year, the chairman was expected to be appointed from the shortlisted executive directors.

MD B Venugopal is expected to retire in May this year while Hemant Bhargava was to retire in July.

This is the first time an interview for the top position of LIC was conducted by the Banks Board Bureau (BBB), which so far selected top management for public sector banks. Top executives for LIC were earlier appointed by a panel of the finance ministry.

The Reserve Bank of India on Thursday categorised IDBI Bank as a private sector lender following the acquisition of majority stake by Life Insurance Corporation (LIC).

“IDBI Bank has been categorised as a ‘private sector bank’ for regulatory purposes by Reserve Bank of India with effect from January 21, 2019 consequent upon LIC acquiring 51 per cent of the total paid-up equity share capital of the bank,” the RBI said in a statement.

IDBI Bank was earlier categorised under a new sub-group “Other Public Sector Banks” by the RBI.

IDBI Bank has been under the prompt corrective action (PCA) framework of the RBI which bans it from corporate lending and branch expansions, salary hikes and other regular activities.

However, the lender has charted out a revival strategy to bring banking and insurance under one roof, along with its new owner LIC.

India and Pakistan have agreed to work expeditiously on operationalizing the Kartapur corridor. 

The corridor will facilitate Indian pilgrims to visit the holy shrine of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur in Pakistan.

The agreement was reached during the first meeting between the representatives of the two countries held at Attari in Punjab on Thursday.

The External Affairs Ministry, in a release, said, the two sides agreed to hold the next meeting at Wagah on 2nd of next month. 

The Indian delegation was led by Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, S C L Das while Pakistan delegation was led by Director General for South Asia and SAARC Dr. Mohammad Faisal. 

India’s bid to get Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed's chief Masood Azhar as a "global terrorist" by the UN Security Council was once again blocked by China as it placed a “technical” hold on the resolution on Wednesday. This is the fourth time that China has blocked the resolution against Azhar since 2009.

The proposal to designate Azhar under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council was moved by France, the UK and the US on February 27, days after the Pulwama terror attack carried out by a suicide bomber belonging to the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) that led to a flare-up in tensions between India and Pakistan.

In a statement, the ministry of external affairs said it was disappointed by the outcome. 

“This (technical hold) has prevented action by the international community to designate the leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed, a proscribed and active terrorist organisation which has claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on 14 February 2019,” it said. 

India and Pakistan will Thursday hold their first meeting to finalise the modalities for setting up of a corridor linking Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistani town of Kartarpur with Gurdaspur district in Punjab, three months after the two countries agreed on the project. Pakistan’s Deputy High Commissioner to India Syed Haider Shah arrived today at Amritsar, while the delegation will come tomorrow, reported ANI.

Shah said that Pakistan wants to open the Kartarpur corridor so that Indians can visit the Gurudwara. “It is an initiative of Pakistan. We want to open the Kartarpur Corridor so that Sikh people from here can visit it in Pakistan. The meeting will be held tomorrow,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.

The meeting comes amid heightened tensions between the two neighbours following India’s air strike on a terrorist training camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Pakistan’s subsequent retaliation.

The bilateral meeting will see both sides finalising the draft agreement which will link Baba Nanak village in Punjab to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Narowal in Pakistan.

The Ministry of External Affairs in a statement on March 6 had said that the meeting with Pakistan was being held with the view of the Centre to get the corridor operational on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.

Chronic kidney disease is one of the leading causes of death globally. According to the World Health Organisation, the estimated prevalence of chronic kidney disease worldwide is 8-16 % in adults above 30 years of age. A study by the BioMed Central Nephrology Journal confirms that over 17% of the Indian population is affected by chronic kidney disease.

Commonly found in Indians, Diabetes, obesity and uncontrolled hypertension are major risk factors of kidney disorder. Stressful lifestyles and unhealthy eating habits also contribute to the disease. A balanced, healthy diet plays an important role in combating the major causes of chronic kidney disease. Consuming the right food in the right proportion can certainly help prevent the onset of kidney disease.

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on Wednesday reserved its order on a petition by Reliance Communications seeking the release of income-tax refunds to clear dues of Ericsson India. Lenders of Reliance Communications have opposed the plea.

After hearing both the sides, the NCLAT bench headed by chairperson SJ Mukhopadhyay reserved the order in the case.

Senior lawyer Neeraj Kishan Kaul, appearing for State Bank of India, argued for rejection of Reliance Communications’ appeal, contending that it will lead to outgo of public money for settling payment of a private party.

He said Reliance Communications asset monetisation deal failed because RJio refused to take responsibility of past dues of the Anil Ambani-led firm before the department of telecommunications and hence, it is not liable to make payment on behalf of Reliance Communications.

India and the US said they have agreed to build six American nuclear power plants in India, in a boost to bilateral civil nuclear energy cooperation.

The two countries said this in a joint statement issued at the conclusion of the 9th round of India-US Strategic Security Dialogue, co-chaired by Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale and Andrea Thompson, the US under secretary of state for arms control and international security, on Wednesday.

"They committed to strengthening bilateral security and civil nuclear cooperation, including the establishment of six U.S. nuclear power plants in India," the joint statement said.

Joining an ever-growing list of countries, India has decided to ban Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes following the Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed 157 people. Current Indian airlines that operate these aircraft are SpiceJet that has twelve of these planes in its fleet and Jet Airways that has five. "DGCA has taken the decision to ground the Boeing 737-MAX planes immediately. These planes will be grounded till appropriate modifications and safety measures are undertaken to ensure their safe operations," the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a tweet.

"As always, passenger safety remains our top priority. We continue to consult closely with regulators around the world, airlines, and aircraft manufacturers to ensure passenger safety," it added.

On Sunday, a 737 MAX 8 aircraft operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashed near Addis Ababa killing 157 people, including four Indians. This was the second such major crash in less than five months involving a 737 MAX 8. An aircraft operated by Lion Air crashed in Indonesia killing over 180 people.