April 2015 GK Power Capsule

(The Hindu Review)

Bankersadda.me

1.Rs 1,000 minimum pension under EPS to continue

The Cabinet approved the continuation of Rs 1,000 minimum monthly pension for

pensioners under the Employees‘ Pension Scheme beyond the financial year 2014-15.

The decision to continue with the pension on perpetual basis was taken at a meeting of

the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Cabinet also approved corresponding grant of continuous annual budgetary

support for implementing the minimum pension, which will be to the tune of Rs 850

crore per year on a tapering basis.

2.Flipkart acquires Appiterate

Online marketplace Flipkart has acquired Delhi-based mobile engagement and

marketing automation company Appiterate.

Appiterate started as an A/B testing product for native mobile apps later on expanded

into a full-fledged mobile marketing automation platform.

Post the acquisition, Appiterate‘s mobile marketing automation platform will be

integrated into Flipkart‘s mobile app.

3.World Women Chess: Harika wins silver, bronze for Humpy

D Harika and Koneru Humpy came up with fine individual performances to win silver

and a bronze respectively.

Indian eves finished fourth in the women‘s world team chess championship.

China was beaten in the final round by Georgia, who finished the event with an

impressive 17 points to clinch the gold medal. Georgia drew just one and won the

remaining eight matches in this round-robin contest.

4.Delhi government gives nod to farmer scheme named after Gajender Singh

The Delhi government today gave approval for the setting up of a farmer compensation

scheme to be named after Gajender Singh, who allegedly committed suicide during an

AAP rally on April 22.

The government has also decided to give job to a member of Gajendra‘s family and

martyr status for him, as demanded by the farmer‘s kin.

The decisions were taken during a Cabinet meeting today, chaired by Chief Minister

Arvind Kejriwal.

Singh, a 41-year-old farmer from Rajasthan, allegedly committed suicide by hanging

himself from a tree during an AAP rally against the land ordinance.

5.ISRO successfully tests indigenous cryogenic engine with four-tonne capacity

An indigenous cryogenic engine, that will help India put satellites of upto four tonnes in

geostationary orbit, was tested successfully at ISRO‘s propulsion complex at

Mahendragiri in Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu.

The powerful version of the cryogenic engine was successfully ground tested at the

Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC).

The test was conducted for 635 seconds and it was successful, Vikram Sarabhai Space

Centre sources in Thiruvananthapuram.

India has till now been dependent on foreign launch vehicles to send heavier satellites

to the required orbits.

6.Cabinet delinks Assam from new border pact

The Union Cabinet approved the long-pending – and controversial – Land Boundary Agreement with

Bangladesh, ahead of bringing the Constitution Amendment Bill associated with it in Parliament next

week. However, in a major departure, it has de-linked Assam from the agreement for now.

7.Minimum pension to continue

The Union Government decided to continue its Rs.1,000 minimum monthly pension scheme in

perpetuity, a move which would benefit over 20 lakh pensioners under the social security scheme run by

the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation. The scheme was initially effective only till March.

Retirement fund body EPFO had suspended the scheme from April 1 in the absence of any direction

from the government to continue with this benefit beyond March 31. The scheme hiking the pension

amount to a flat Rs. 1,000 per month was launched last September.

8.Durgapur airport to get off the ground

With the regulatory authority issuing the aerodrome licence, a spanking new airport at Andal, near

Durgapur, in West Bengal has to start commercial operations.

9.India not to criminalise marital rape

While the U.N. Committee on Elimination of Discrimination against Women had recommended that

India criminalise marital rape, India’s Law Commission had not recommended this, and the government

had no plan to bring in an amendment. The Union Government said that India will not make marital

rape a crime because of cultural and religious values and society’s belief that marriage is a sacrament.

10.Saudi King names a new heir

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman announced a new heir and made his son second in line to rule, concentrating

power in his inner circle as the kingdom faces enormous regional challenges. King Salman named his 55-

year-old nephew Prince Mohammed bin Nayef — the powerful Interior Minister who once led a

crackdown on al-Qaeda — as the new crown prince, replacing Prince Moqren bin Abdul Aziz bin Saud.

11.60pImport duty on sugar hiked

The Union Cabinet decided to hike the import duty on sugar to 40 per cent from the current 25 per cent

to check the slide in domestic prices of the sweetener and enable the industry to clear cane arrears to

the tune of Rs.20,099 crore.

12.Humpy, Harika win individual medals

Dronavalli Harika took the silver medal and Koneru Humpy won the bronze at the World Women’s team

chess championship, which concluded at Chengdu, China.

13.Old harbour lighthouse set to become a landmark

The iconic lighthouse in the Visakhapatnam Harbour that went dark in the 1960s has

got a facelift. The restored structure is set to become a landmark and a tourist site. The

over two-year-old project to restore the building that is eclipsed by the old ore conveyor

belt of the Port and slum clearance buildings has been given a makeover and looks

new.

14.Gender gap becoming a chasm in labour market

South Asia has the world‘s most skewed gender wage gap and is among the few

regions where the gender labour force participation gap is both large and growing, a

new report from UN Women has found. The Progress of the World‘s Women 2015-2016

report comes 20 years after the landmark Fourth World Conference on Women in

Beijing. Globally, only half of women participate in the labour force, compared to three

quarters of men; in India only a third of women are in the labour force.

15.9,000 NGOs lose licence

The Union government has cancelled licences of nearly 9,000 NGOs for violation of

Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). In an order, the Home Ministry said that

notices were issued to 10,343 NGOs for not filing annual returns for the year 2009-10,

2010-11 and 2011-12. Out of the 10,344 NGOs, only 229 replied. There was no reply

from the remaining NGOs leading to cancellation of their registration.

16.U.S., Japan agree on new defence rules

The United States and Japan unveiled new rules for defence cooperation in a historic

move that will give Japanese armed forces a more ambitious global role amid concerns

over China‘s rising sway. Under the revised guidelines, Japan could come to the aid of

U.S. forces threatened by a third country or, for example, deploy minesweeper ships to

a mission in the Middle East.

17.China to integrate Mongolian, Russian initiatives with MSR

In tune with its effort to interface India‘s Mausam and Spice Route projects with its

Maritime Silk Road (MSR) initiative, China is making headway in integrating a

Mongolian and a Russian initiative to develop another spur of its ambitious Silk Road

land corridor. China wants to include Mongolia‘s ―Steppe road‖ initiative, and link up with

the Moscow-driven transcontinental rail plan to develop the China-Mongolia-Russia

(CMR) economic corridor.

18.Capgemini acquires iGATE for $4 billion

French IT services company Capgemini announced the acquisition of US-based IT

services company iGATE for $4 billion. Through the acquisition Capgemeini, which has

significant presence in the European market, is trying to widen its presence in North

America.

19.Poornima to lead

M.S. Poornima has to lead the Indian team in the first Asian under-23 women‘s

volleyball championship to be held at Manila, the Philippines, in May.

20.Afghanistan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani is on a three day state visit to India.

During this visit, he would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attend delegation-

level talks.

21.The Indian Army has conducted a major exercise, ‗Akraman-II‗, in Rajasthan to test a

new generation of weaponry and platforms employed in the desert region, with

providing ‗real time battle and situational awareness‘ to its commanders.The exercise

was conducted by the Bhatinda-based Chetak Corps, a part of South Western

Command.

22.Sangeeta Bhatia, an Indian-origin scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology,

who has developed artificial human microlivers for drug testing, has won prestigious

Heinz award for her work in tissue engineering and disease detection

23.The Heinz Awards annually recognize individuals for their extraordinary contributions

to arts and humanities; environment; human condition; public policy; and technology,

the economy, and employment.The award includes an unrestricted prize of 250,000

dollars.

24.The BioSure HIV Self Test, first HIV self-testing kit that allows people to get a result

in less than half-an-hour at home has gone on sale in the U.K.his kit claims to have a

99.7 per cent accuracy rate.

How it Works ?

This kit works in a similar way to a pregnancy test, measuring levels of antibodies in a

person‘s blood.The test detects antibodies on a small drop of blood, taken from the

finger-tip using a lancet. These antibodies are often only detectable three months after

the HIV infection is caught.

Two purple lines appear if the result is positive.Further blood tests are recommended if

both lines appear.

25.India‘s Shamjetsabam Sarjubala (48kg) and Pinki Jangra (51kg) clinched god

medals at the 22nd President‘s Cup Open International Boxing Tournament at

Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia.

Pinki, a Commonwealth Games bronze-medallist, defeated Mongolia‘s Nandintsetseg 2-

1 to notch up the yellow metal.World Championships silver-medallist Sarjubala, on the

other hand, got the better of Russian pugilist Iseva Joya in the final as India ended with

two gold medals at the event.

26. 6.International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach has put an end to

the speculation by confirming that India won‘t be bidding for 2024 Olympics after

meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi today.Mr. Bach who is on a one day official visit

to India, said a year after returning from Olympic suspension, Indian Olympic

Association still needs to find its feet.He said its too quick as of now for India to host the

Olympics in 2024.

27.The United Nations Secretary-General today announced the appointment of Peter

Jan Graaff as the Secretary-General‘s Acting Special Representative and Head of the

United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER).

28.India swimmer Masudur Rahman Baidya , the only man with amputated legs to cross

the English Channel (in 1997) passed away this morning after a heart attack in Topsia,

near Kolkata .

29.Nepal Earthquake :

The Indian Army has named the aid to Nepal ‗Operation Maitri‗ or friendship.

Scaling up ‗Operation Maitri‘, India has deployed two dozen military aircraft and

choppers and was also undertaking a ―big evacuation‖ through the road route.

Foreign Secretary : S Jaishankar

Home Secretary : L C Goyal

Chief of National Disaster Management Authority : R K Jain

India Meteorological Department head : L S Rathore

India today launched a national disaster helpline 1078 as it intensified relief and rescue

operations in earthquake-hit Nepal by deploying more aircraft and military helicopters

which have brought back over 5,400 people from the Himalayan nation.

PM Narendra Modi has donated one month‘s salary to the Prime Minister‘s National

Relief Fund, for assistance to those affected by the recent earthquake.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu‘s proposal to contribute 1-month

salary for rehabilitation work in Nepal unanimously accepted by all Lok Sabha MPs.

29.Parliament Passes Payments and Settlement Bill

Parliament today passed a bill that seeks to address the problem of insolvency in the

payment and settlement system by increasing transparency and stability and bring

India‘s banking payment system in sync with international practices.

―The Payments and Settlement Systems (Amendment) Bill, 2014″ was passed today by

Rajya Sabha by voice vote, with members cutting across party lines extending their

support to the bill. The bill was earlier passed by Lok Sabha.

30..Asian Banker Achievement Award 2015

The Best ATM and Kiosks Project: Cathay United Bank & NCR System, Taiwan

The Best Branch Automation Project: Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong), Avaya

Hong Kong and GRG Banking Solutions

The Best Cloud Based Project: Philippine Business Bank and IBM

The Best Core Banking Implementation Project for Mid-Sized Bank: ING Vysya and FIS

The Best Core Banking Implementation Project for Emerging Bank: Kanbawza (KBZ)

Bank and Oracle Financial Services Software Limited

The Best Corporate Payment Project: Axis Bank and Arteria Technologies

The Best CRM Project: IndusInd Bank and Talisma Corporation

The Technology Leadership Achievement Award for the Year: Amit Sethi, Chief

Information Officer, Axis Bank

The Asian Banker Vendor Satisfaction Survey Gold Award: Infosys

31.YES Bank opens first overseas office in Abu Dhabi

YES Bank, India‘s fifth largest private sector bank, on Monday announced its

international foray by opening its first overseas representative office in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

The bank has opened its door to NRI population residing in the UAE with this new

representative office. ―It will provide services for unique investment needs of the Indian

diaspora in the Gulf city through its flagship Global Indian Banking programme,‖ YES

Bank said in a statement.

32.Ex-Gorkha soldiers back in action

As many as 1.25 lakh ex-servicemen from the Gorkha regiments of the Army, who are

back in Nepal, have now been roped in for rescue operations. Army Chief General

Dalbir Singh, from the Gurkha Rifles regiment, is the Honorary Chief of the Nepalese

Army.

33. BCCI to nominate Rohit Sharma for Arjuna award

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has nominated Rohit Sharma for the

Arjuna award for 2015. Rohit has had an excellent last year for India in international

cricket.

Since January 1, 2014, he has averaged 55.05 from 21 innings with 3 centuries and 5

fifties, with the epic 264 his highest score.

The decision to nominate Rohit was taken in the BCCI working committee meeting in

Kolkata.

34.Marathi novelist Bhalchandra Nemade bags 50th Jnanpith Award

Modi awarded the 50th Jnanpith Award to eminent Marathi litterateur Bhalchandra

Nemade whose several books, including Kosala and Hindu, have influenced Indian

writing.

He was presented award comprising of 11 lakh rupees and a citation plaque and a

bronze replica of Saraswati by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Nemade’s contribution rests in initiating Deshivad, a theory of nativism that negated

globalisation, asserting the value of a writer’s native heritage, and language.

Seventy-six-year-old Nemade hails from Jalgaon.

35.Capgemini acquires iGATE for $4 billion

Capgemini and iGATE have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which

Capgemini will acquire iGATE for a cash consideration of $48 per share.

the transaction will amount to $4 billion and is expected to be immediately accretive

to Capgemini’s normalized Earnings Per Share (EPS)1.

36.Bank of Baroda ties up with UAE Exchange for instant money transfer

Bank of Baroda, a leading Indian public sector bank, has tied up with UAE Exchange

to offer an instant cash transfer facility to NRI customers.

UAE Exchange, a global remittance and foreign exchange company, serves over 7.9

million customers worldwide and currently has over 750 branches across 32 countries.

37.Another strong tremor hits Nepal

A powerful tremor measuring 6.7 magnitude struck Nepal again, according to US

Geological Survey (USGS).

The government has already declared emergency in affected areas and announced a

relief package of Rs.500 million.

Tremors were also felt in Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam and Jharkhand.

38.FIU detects over Rs. 7,800 cr black money

Government detected a whopping over Rs 7,800 crore of illegal monies within the

country and abroad during 2013-14 as the elite Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU)

found all-time high cases of suspicious transactions in the country’s economic

channels.

The agency also received a total of 87,79,082 Cash Transaction Reports (CTRs),

3,01,804 Counterfeit Currency Reports (CCRs) and 80,616 Non-Profit Organisation

Transaction Reports (NTRs).

CTR is fund movement of the value of more than Rs. 10 lakh in one tranche or a

series of transactions internally connected to each other in either Indian currency or

foreign in the country’s banking or any other channel.

A CCR pertains to an instance of usage of fake currency in any bank by an entity

while NTRs pertain to filing of dossiers by Non-Governmental and non-profit

organisations with regard to their economic operations.

39.CJI refuses participation to choose NJAC

Chief Justice of India H L Dattu has refused to participate in a three-member panel for

selecting two eminent persons in the six-member National Judicial Appointments

Commission (NJAC).

The five-judge constitution bench, headed by Justice J S Khehar, which is hearing the

issue of constitutional validity of the new law on appointment of judges to higher

judiciary, was told by Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi that Dattu has written to

Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he would not participate in the meeting of the

panel till the matter is decided by the apex court.

The three-member panel comprises Chief Justice of India, Prime Minister and the

Leader of Opposition, who are authorised to select and appoint two eminent persons

in the six-member NJAC for appointment of judges to higher judiciary.

40.All MAT tax claims under DTAA to be settled in a month

Central Board of Direct Taxes will settle all minimum alternate tax (MAT) matters of

FIIs coming under the ambit of Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements within a

month of filing of claims.

The move is aimed at quickly resolving the controversial tax issue facing foreign

portfolio investors. The Income Tax Department has sent notices in 68 cases to FIIs

for payment of dues totalling Rs 602.83 crore towards Minimum Alternate Tax

(MAT).

Central Board of Direct Taxes said several FIIs, which have received income from

transactions in securities, claim such income as exempt from tax under the DTAAs

signed between India and their countries of residence.

41.Bharatiya Mahila Bank Wins The Asian Banker Achievement Award 2015

Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) has won The Asian Banker Achievement Award 2015.

The award was presented to the BMB in the Technology Implementation category of

Best Outsourcing Project (New Bank).

Usha Ananthasubramanian, Chairman and Managing Director of BMB received the

award at a function held in Hongkong as a part of The Asian Banker Summit 2015.

BMB is India’s first all-women public sector bank and was formally launched on

November 19, 2013. It’s objective is to focus on the banking needs of the women and

promote economic empowerment.

42. DIPP notifies 49 per cent FDI in pension sector The government has raised the limit of foreign direct investment in pension sector to

49 per cent in line with the FDI cap in the insurance sector. In pursuance of the

enactment of Insurance Regulatory & Development Authority Act, iv. 2013,

government has decided to permit FDI in the pension sector.

The FDI cap in the sector has been hiked to 49 per cent and that includes foreign

investment in the forms of FPI, FII, QFI, FVCI, NRI and DR. All investments in the

pension sector, however, will have to abide by the pension sector regulator PFRDA.

43.Ratan Tata picks up stake in Xiaomi

Iconic business leader Ratan Tata has acquired a stake in Chinese handset maker

Xiaomi, the first investment by any Indian in the smartphone maker.

Mr. Tata, who retired as head of over $100 billion conglomerate in December 2012

and currently serves as chairman emeritus of Tata Sons, has emerged as a major

venture capital investor since his retirement.

He has already made personal investments in homegrown e-commerce players like

Snapdeal, Urban Ladder, Bluestone and Cardekho.com.

In December last year, Xiaomi raised $1.1 billion, valuing the firm at $45 billion.

Often touted as the ‘Apple of China’, the company has grown to become a major

competition to global giants like Samsung and Apple.

44. Government today launched Call to Action for TB free India, a campaign to make

the countryTuberculosis (TB) free in the next five years

Launched by : Health Minister J P Nadda

Note : The government is going to launch a toll-free helpline, whereby even a missed

call would suffice to connect them with the health programme against the disease.

45.Unmarried central government employees can now avail benefits of LTC for visiting

any part of the country, as per a relaxation in the rule.Earlier it was restricted to them

use the facility for going to their hometown only.

A fresh order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training said that the facility

of conversion of home town LTC to allow travel to different parts of the country, under

the special dispensation scheme.

LTC : Leave Travel Concession

46.Jammu & Kashmir government slaps Public Safety Act against separatist

leader Masarat Alam Bhat and shifts him to Kot Bhalwal jail.The Public Safety Act

(PSA) allows detention of a person for a minimum of six months without trial.

47.The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has received an ISO 9001:2008

certification from the British Standards Institute in respect of various permissions and

licenses issued by it for the broadcasting and print media and films.

These include permissions or licences for satellite TV channels, teleports, multi-system

operators, community radio stations, DTH services, publication of Indian editions of

technical and scientific and foreign magazines of news and current affairs and facsimile

editions of foreign newspapers and permission for foreign film producers.

I&B Secretary : Bimal Julka

48.Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a three-day global exhibition on

services at New Delhi to showcase India‘s strength in the sector and provide platform

to the industry to explore business opportunities.Over 40 countries will participate in the

exhibition.

The services sector includes IT, ITeS, telecommunication, healthcare, education,

logistics, media and entertainment, R&D and space.

Note : Share of India‘s services sector in the global services trade is only 3 percent as

compared to 4.6 percent of China.

49.23rd April: is World Book and Copyright Day.

This day is organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization (UNESCO)

This day is an opportunity to recognize the power of books to change our lives for the

better and to support books and those who produce them.

Note : Incheon chosen as ‗World Book Capital 2015′ by UN for promoting reading in

underprivileged sections.

50.Shah Rukh Khan honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Award

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Film

Foundation Award 2015 for his performance in the movie Happy New Year. The award

ceremony was held in Mumbai.

Actor Rajkummar Rao won the prestigious award for his performance in the critically

acclaimed film Citylights, which was released in 2014.

Actress Huma Qureshi bagged an award for her memorable performance in the movie

Dedh Ishiqya.

iii. Bollywood actors Shreyas Talpade, Tiger Shroff, actress Jaya Prada, singer Udit

Narayan and Pankaj Udhas were also felicitated with the award.

51.JBM Group enters solar power sector

Auto component-maker JBM Group announced its entry into the solar energy sector

with plans to invest Rs 1,600 crore in the next three years.

The group plans to invest Rs 1,600 crore over three years and have a combined

capacity of 300 MW under the newly formed entity – JBM Solar (P) Ltd, the company

said in a statement.

JBM Solar plans to be an independent power producer (IPP) with focus on both, ground

mounted and solar rooftop projects.

52.Union Cabinet approves lowering of age of Juveniles from 18 to 16 years for

heinous crimes

Union Cabinet has approved lowering of age of juveniles from eighteen to sixteen years

for heinous crimes. Decision in this regard was taken by Union Cabinet meeting chaired

by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The cabinet also approved to introduce Amendment to the Juvenile Justice (Care and

Protection of Children) Bill, 2014. This amendment will propose and add special

provisions to tackle heinous offences like murder and rape committed by juveniles in the

age group of 16-18 years.

The proposed bill will amend the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000. The parent Act clearly

defines and classifies offences as serious, petty and heinous and defines differentiated

processes for each classified category.

While the amendments in the bill adds provisions that in case a heinous crime

committed by a person between 16 and 18 years, will be examined by the Juvenile

Justice Board (JJB) to assess if the crime was committed as a child or as an adult.

53.World Bank established Pollution Management and Environmental Health

program

World Bank established Pollution Management and Environmental Health (PHEM)

program. The program was officially launched on Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day in

Washington, D.C.

The 45 million US Dollar PMEH program will initially run from 2015 to 2020 and focus

primarily on air quality management in countries facing rapid urbanization and strong

needs for pollution abatement measures, but also tackle water and land pollution.

In particular, the program will focus on air quality management in five major urban areas

in India, China, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa.

54.Djokovic wins Monte Carlo Masters

The top-ranked Serb won the first big clay-court tournament of the season with a 7—5,

4—6, 6—3 win over Tomas Berdych in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters.

Djokovic broke again for a 4—0 lead, but the eight-time Grand Slam champion failed to

hold his serve in the next game.

Djokovic, became the first player in tennis history to win the first three Masters

tournament of the year after completing the Indian Wells-Miami sweep this spring.

55.Bihar thunderstorm kills 42

At least 42 people were killed, more than 100 injured and crops damaged when a

thunderstorm hit the north-eastern border districts of Bihar. It was a strong storm with a

wind speed of more than 150 kmph. Purnia is the worst-affected district, with the most

people killed.

56.India ranks second in cyber attacks through social media

According to a report from Symantec, a security solutions provider, India ranked second

among nations that were most targeted for cyber crimes through the social media in

2014, after the US.

57.One of NASA‘s crowning glories, the Hubble Space Telescope, marks its 25th

anniversarythis week.

With 1 million-plus observations, including those of some of the farthest and oldest

galaxies ever beheld by humanity, no man-made satellite has touched as many minds

or hearts as Hubble.

Important Note : Hubble rocketed into orbit on April 24, 1990.

58.NASA engineers have developed the first full-scale, 3-D printed copper rocket

engine part – a combustion chamber liner that operates at extreme temperatures and

pressures.

59.Indian-American Vivek Murthy Takes Oath As US Surgeon General

Indian-American Vivek Murthy was today administered the oath for the top post of US

Surgeon General by Vice President Joe Biden at a ceremonial ceremony here,

becoming the youngest-ever in charge of the country‘s public health.37-year-old Vivek

Hallegere Murthy is now the highest ranking Indian-American in the Obama

Administration.

Attended by eminent Indian-Americans, who flew in the military bastion from across the

country to attend the Commissioning and Change of Command Ceremony, Murthy took

the oath on the holy Gita.

As the US Surgeon General, Murthy carries the rank of Vice Admiral.

The Health Secretary Sylvia Burwell also participated in the event.

60.Rural Internet Users to Surge to 28 Crore by 2018: Report

The share of rural internet users will increase nearly fivefold to touch 28 crore by 2018,

signalling higher online purchasers going forward from rural India, says a research

report.

By 2018, the country will have ―as many as 55 crore internet users, of which 28 crore

would be from smaller towns and cities, expanding at close to 40 per cent a year from

six crore in 2014,‖ forecasts a report on digital consumption by Boston Consulting

Group (BCG).The report said that the shift will open up significant growth opportunities

for marketers and service providers keeping in mind the dynamics of rural markets in

India.

Around 70 per cent of rural users access the internet from their mobile handsets, the

report said.

Three factors including expanding reach, affordable access and improved awareness

will be the primary driver of online growth, the report pointed out.By 2018, women will

account for a third of all internet users from 25 per cent in 2013.

61.Zomato extends the service, ties up with Uber to arrange the cab as well

Now driving down to a restaurant becomes all the more easy for Zomato users.Global

restaurant search and discovery app Zomato has partnered with the San Francisco-

based hail-a-taxi app, Uber, to bring in more users onto their respective platforms

across the globe.

In a statement here today Zomato said the partnership has been rolled out to Zomato

users in 27 cities across 13 countries — India, Australia, Canada, the UK, South Africa,

Indonesia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Turkey, UAE, and the US.

62.RBI Revises Priority Sector Norms, Includes More Categories

The Reserve Bank today revised priority sector lending norms, asking banks to give 8

per cent of the total credit to small and marginal farmers.

It also widened the definition of priority sector by including medium enterprises, social

infrastructure and renewable energy while retaining the lending target to the sector at 40

per cent.

Changes have however been made in certain sub-categories by fixing lending targets.

Also, the distinction between direct and indirect agriculture has been dispensed with

and loans to food and agro processing units will form part of agriculture.

Eight per cent of total bank credit prescribed for small and marginal farmers within the

agriculture segment has to be achieved in a phased manner — 7 per cent by March

2016 and 8 per cent by March 2017, RBI said.

Overall target for agriculture has been kept unchanged at 18 per cent.

For micro enterprises, 7 per cent lending by March 2016 and 7.5 per cent by March

2017 has been prescribed.

However, there will be no change in the 10 per cent loan target for weaker sections.

Existing categories in priority sector include agriculture, micro and small enterprises,

export credit, education and housing loan.

RBI said foreign banks with less than 20 branches will have to move to total priority

sector target of 40 per cent, on par with other banks by 2019-20.

RBI said overdrafts extended by banks for up to Rs 5,000 in case of PMJDY accounts

would be considered as priority sector lending (PSL).

It would however qualify only if borrowers‘ household annual income does not exceed

Rs 1 lakh for rural areas and Rs 1.60 lakh for non-rural areas.

RBI further said that bank loans of up to Rs 10 lakh extended to individuals for

educational purposes, including vocational courses, will be eligible for PSL.

Limits for housing loans and MFI loans qualifying under PSL have also been revised.

63.Google India tops Randstad survey for „Most Attractive Employer‟

Google India has bagged the Randstad Award 2015 for Most Attractive Employer in

India, while Sony India has been adjudged the runner-up.

The sector-specific special recognition awards this year were awarded to Tata Steel

(manufacturing), P&G (FMCG), and Honda India (Automobile). The 5th edition of the

Randstad Awards event will be held in Delhi later today.

In line with the Randstad Award philosophy, Microsoft India has been inducted into the

Hall of Fame category this year for winning the coveted Randstad Award title for four

consecutive years.

The Randstad Award is hosted each year to encourage best practices for talent

attraction and to identify the best ‗Employer Brand‘ in the country based on the

perceived attractiveness of a company. Globally, this research covered 23 countries,

capturing the views of over 225,000 respondents (8,500 in India).

64.UST Global, an information technology solutions and services company, has signed

a $30 million deal with the Madhya Pradesh government to digitise its urban local

bodies. Under the seven-year deal, the company will digitise the State‘s 377 urban local

bodies.

65.IOC President Thomas Bach named ambassador of HeForShe by UN Women

Thomas Bach, the president of International Olympic Committee (IOC), was on 22 April

2015 named as ambassador of HeForShe campaign by UN Women.

HeForShe is a solidarity campaign for gender equality established by United Nations

(UN) Women

The campaign was launched by the UN Women Global Goodwill Ambassador Emma

Watson in September 2014. HeForShe encourages men and boys to join in on the fight

for women‘s rights and gender equality all over the glove. Their goal is to enlist one

billion men and boys to become advocates for women‘s rights worldwide.

Hundres of thousands of men have voiced their commitment to gender equality, since

the campaign‘s launch, and gave their full support for the program.

66. 1.Cabinet clears amendment in Juvenile Justice Act.This amendment lowers the

age of Juveniles from 18 to 16 years for heinous crimes.

The proposal will empower Juvenile Justice Board to decide on whether a juvenile

above 16 years involved in heinous crimes such as rape is to be sent to a observation

home or tried in a regular court.

However, according to the bill, in no case the juvenile involved in a heinous crime will be

sentenced to death or life imprisonment either when tried under the provisions of JJ Act

or under the provisions of IPC.The proposed amendments also included facilitating

faster adoption of children and setting up foster care homes.

67.International news channel Al Jazeera was today forced to go off air in India for

five days as the government penalized it for repeatedly showing wrong maps of India.

68.The Indian Railways launched “utsonmobile”, a mobile application for paperless

unreserved tickets.Developed by Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS),

‗utsonmobile‘ — the paperless unreserved ticketing feature in mobile application aims to

eliminate the need for printing of unreserved tickets.

69.Two Indians, Rahul Pandita and Zeena Johar are among 16 scholars selected for

the 2015 Yale World Fellows in the US for their exemplary mid-career work.Rahul is an

Indian conflict reporter and Zeena is an health care founder.

Note : The global Yale World Fellows network now includes 17 Indian Fellows, more

than any other country since the programme was established in 2002.

70.Ministry of External Affairs, India Sushma Swaraj is on 5-day visit to Jakarta.In

this visit, she will attend the 60th anniversary of Bandung Conference.

She will also attend the 10th anniversary celebrations of the New Asian-African

Strategic Partnership.

Bandung Conference :

The Bandung Conference was the first global meeting of African and Asian states to

promote cooperation along economic and cultural lines, and opposition to colonial and

neocolonial politics.

The conference was hosted in Bandung, Indonesia by President Sukarno, in April

1955, and included delegates from 25 countries representing more than one-half of the

world‘s population.

Bandung spawned the Non-Aligned Movement, a vibrant coalition of countries that

created a non-western set of alliances and politics, in opposition to the cold war politics

of the U.S. and Soviet Union.

71.Make My Trip has made another move to expand its travel services, with the

acquisition of a travel startup named Mygola today.

72.Yadav, Bhushan Expelled From AAP

Rebel leaders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav were expelled from Aam Aadmi

Party.

Senior leaders Anand Kumar and Ajit Jha were also expelled by the national disciplinary

action committee of AAP which found all 4 guilty of anti-party activities.

73.RBI allows Prepaid Instruments As Alternative to TFA

RBI Deputy Governor H. R. Khan has indicated greater need for collaboration between

banks and commerce firms and prepaid instruments to avoid two factor authentication

process for smaller payments

74.India Shifts Embassy From Sana‟a to Dijbouti

India has shifted its embassy to Djibouti after a conclusion of the process to evacuate

Indian nations from Yemen‘s capital Sana‘a

75.Chardham Yatra Begins

The Chardham yatra has commenced from Tuesday, 21st April 2015 with the opening

of Himalayan shrines Gangotri and Yamunotri after a 6-month winter break.

76.Adani Power Ltd Completes Acquisition of Lanco Infratech Power Plant

Adani Power Ltd has completed the acquisition of Lanco Infratech‘s Udupi Power Plant

for INR 6300 crore

This is one of the largest takeovers in the thermal sector of India

77.Three new havens for tigers

In a move that comes soon after the tiger census in January showed an overall rise in

numbers of the big cat, the Centre is set to form three new tiger reserves. In-principle

approval has been accorded by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for

creation of reserves in Ratapani in Madhya Pradesh, Sunabeda in Odisha and Guru

Ghasidas in Chhattisgarh.

78. Green tribunal‟s thumbs up for waste-to-energy projects

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has permitted the States , including Karnataka, to

use incinerator technology for producing Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF), commonly known

as waste-to-energy. However, the Tribunal said no waste could be directly put into the

incinerators or for power generation, except the specifically permitted. Only those

wastes that are found unrecyclable after segregation should be put into the incinerators.

Also, the tribunal emphasised that it was not putting any absolute restriction on RDF

being used as power generation fuel, but first effort should be made for composting of

wet waste. The States are free to use RDF for generating fuel with due care and caution

by framing necessary guidelines. Meanwhile, the Central Pollution Control Board and

the Ministry of Environment and Forests were directed to prescribe specific guidelines

for emissions from incinerators.

79.Historian Christopher Bayly dead

Christopher Alan Bayly, an eminent historian and teacher, whose work on colonial and

post-colonial India has made a lasting imprint on the way India‘s past has been

understood, died in Chicago of a heart attack. Much of Professor Bayly‘s work was on

18th and 19th century India and on the transformation that colonialism wrought on pre-

modern societies and structures. His early books — like The Local Roots of Indian

Politics: Allahabad 1880-1920 (1975); and Indian Society and the Making of the British

Empire (1988) — soon became essential reading for history syllabi in undergraduate

and post-graduate courses.

80.Morsy sentenced to jail for 20 years

An Egyptian court sentenced ousted President Mohamed Morsy to 20 years in prison

for abuses against protesters but acquitted the Islamist leader of charges carrying a

possible death penalty. Morsy was convicted of ordering the arrest and torture of

demonstrators involved in clashes in 2012 when he was President.

81Chennai to host Global Mobile App Summit

The first edition of Global Mobile App Summit & Awards (GMASA) to be held at Chennai

in May 2015. Coinciding with the summit, GMASA will also hold the ‗Make-in-India

Student App Fest‘ to enable students showcase their talents so that they can get

connected with the angel investors, private equity funds and venture capitalists

82.Desisa wins Boston Marathon

Ethiopia‘s Lelisa Desisa claimed the Boston Marathon title winning his second crown in

three years on the eve of the sentencing hearing for convicted marathon bomber

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. She won the 26-mile (42-kilometre) race in a time of two hours,

nine minutes and 17 seconds.

83.SEBI Bars Reena Bansal From Markets For One More Year

Sebi today said Reena Bansal, wife of a former sub-broker with ICICI Securities, will

continued to be barred from the capital market for one more year for her involvement in

defrauding investors through illicit dealings in shares of many blue-chip companies.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), through an interim order in April

2011, had banned Reena, wife of the late Rajeev Bansal, from the securities market till

further orders.

Now, Bansal will be barred from the securities for one more year as she has already

undergone the debarment for four years.

A preliminary probe by Sebi had found that Bansal had acted as an unregistered sub-

broker and dealt in shares of various firms such as the State Bank of India, Reliance

Power, Unitech, Ranbaxy, Tata Steel, United Breweries and Infosys Technologies for

her clients.

84.Union Finance Ministry retained interest rate for GPF at 8.7 percent for 2015-16

Union Finance Ministry retained the rate of interest for General Provident Fund (GPF)

and other related schemes at 8.7 per cent for 2015-16. The notification was issued by

the Finance Ministry on 21 April 2015.

The 8.7 per cent interest will apply on Provident Funds of central government

employees, railways and defence forces. The rate of interest will be effective from 1

April 2015.

The interest rate for GPF is in line with the interest rate fixed for Public Provident Fund

(PPF) at 8.7 per cent for 2015-16. The Government had raised the interest rates for

other small saving schemes.

The interest rate for senior citizens savings scheme was hiked from 9.2 per cent to 9.3

per cent and the interest rate for Sukanya Samriddhi Account, the special deposit

scheme for girl child has been hiked from 9.1 per cent to 9.2 per cent.The interest

earning for Kisan Vikas Patra has been retained at 8.7 per cent.

85.Govt Allocates Rs 775 Crore to Combat Cyber Security Threats

Government has initiated action to create a national level mechanism to counter cyber

security threats with a financial outlay of Rs 775 crore to be spent over a period of five

years, Parliament was informed today.

―The government has initiated action to create a national level mechanism to generate

necessary situational scenario of existing and potential cyber security threats and

enable timely information sharing for proactive and protective actions by individual

entities,‖ Minister of Communications and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad

said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

For this purpose, a financial outlay of Rs 775 crore over a period of five years has been

projected, he added.

The Minister said the budget allocation for cyber security programme has steadily

increased from Rs 36.06 crore during 2012-13 to Rs 85 crore during 2015-16.

This includes funds for measures and initiatives for tackling cyber crimes effectively, he

added.

86.Indian Passport Ranked 48 Out Of 50 Most Powerful: Survey

The Indian passport has been ranked 48th in a list of 50 most powerful travel document

in the world, according to a global survey topped by Sweden.

Germany-based Go Euro travel comparison website ranked the top 50 countries of the

world based on their passport‘s eligibility for visa-free entry, cost of application as well

as number of hours worked to acquire the document.

India, which came towards the bottom of the ranking, offered visa-free entry to 52

countries and cost USD 24 and 87 hours of working time.

Sweden topped the chart with 174 visa-free countries, costing USD 43 and just one

hour of working time.

Finland, Germany, the UK and US completed the top 5 with 174 visa-free countries all

round.

87.Blanket knitted to pay tribute to Mandela sets Guinness record

A 3,133 square metres blanket, knitted together by people of six countries including

India to pay tributes to the legacy of South African anti-apartheid leader Nelson

Mandela, today set a new Guinness World record.

Scores of volunteers worked through the night to join the hundreds of blankets knitted

into a single one, covering the sprawling lawns of the Union Buildings, seat of the South

African government.

The project was started by Carolyn Steyn last year to knit 67 blankets for Nelson

Mandela Day, on which South Africans engage in some form of community service to

commemorate the 67 years of his life before being freed from prison to become the

country‘s first democratically-elected President.

88.Eminent historian Professor Christopher Alan Bayly died on 20 April 2015 in

Chicago due to heart attack. His death was announced by the Centre for South Asian

Studies at the University of Cambridge. He was 70.

89.Cricket South Africa launched Africa T20 Cup

Cricket South Africa (CSA) on 21 April 2015 announced a new tournament to be known

as the Africa T20 Cup. The tournament was planned to promote the game and nurture

young talent in the continent.

The tournament featuring Zimbabwe, Kenya, Namibia, hosts South Africa and 12 CSA

affiliates will run from 4 September to 4 October 2015.

The tournament will be a World Cup-style competition, consisting of four pools of four

teams each with the winners of each pool advancing to the semi-finals and eventually to

the final.

Besides, the CSA also announced the appointment of former Proteas paceman

Makhaya Ntini as the Africa T20 Cup Ambassador.

90.Indian-Origin Engineer Shares Pulitzer Prize in the US

An Indian-origin software engineer in the US has shared this year‘s Pulitzer Prize for

graphics team of investigative journalism, in growing recognition of the importance of

using IT tools in reporting.

Palani Kumanan, who is a software architect with Dow Jones that publishes the Wall

Street Journal, was a part of the winning project‘s graphics team.

The Journal won the top journalism award announced on Monday for its mammoth

investigative project, ―Medicare Unmasked.‖

He shared the prize along with members of the Journal‘s graphics team Martin Burch,

Chris Canipe, Madeline Farbman, Jon Keegan and Stuart Thompson.

91.Delhi Author Rana Dasgupta Shortlisted for Orwell Prize

Author Rana Dasgupta‘s literary potrait of Delhi Capital is among six books shortlisted

for the George Orwell Prize for political writing 2015.

The book is the third work of fiction by Dasgupta who had previously won the 2010

Commonwealth prize for his work Solo.

92.Volvo names Scania chief Martin Lundstedt as new CEO

Sweden‘s Volvo named the head of Volkswagen-owned Scania as its chief executive on

Wednesday, replacing embattled Olof Persson who for nearly four years led a sweeping

efficiency drive at the global truck maker.

The group, vying for global dominance with Germany‘s Daimler and VW‘s truck brands,

also released better than expected quarterly earnings two days ahead of schedule and

said it would seek an external partner for parts of its IT business.

93.IT Department awarded the Prime Minister‟s Award for Excellence in Public

Administration

The Income Tax (IT) Department on 21 April 2015 was awarded the Prime Minister‘s

Award for Excellence in Public Administration for easy tax compliance through quality

service. The award was presented at a function at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi by the

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on occasion of Civil Services Day.

The Prime Minister Award for excellence in public administration to the Income Tax

Department demonstrates the commitment of the Department towards achieving

Minimum Government and Maximum Governance in tax administration.

94. Indira, Rajiv names dropped from two Hindi awards

The BJP-led NDA government has dropped the names of former Prime Ministers Indira

Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi from two awards for propagating Hindi.

The ‗Indira Gandhi Rajbhasha Puraskar‘ and ‗Rajiv Gandhi Rashtriya Gyan-Vigyan

Maulik Pustak Lekhan Puraskar‘, launched more than two decades ago, have given way

for ‗Rajbhasha Kirti Puraskar‘ and ‗Rajbhasha Gaurav Puraskar‘.

The two awards have been discontinued by the Union Home Ministry, which instead

launched two new schemes for doing outstanding work for promoting the progressive

use of official language.

95.H.L.Dattu to head NJAC

The six-member NJAC headed by the Chief Justice of India H.L. Dattu will be

constituted by the center.

ii. National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) is a body responsible for the

appointment and transfer of judges to the higher judiciary in India.

The Commission is established by amending the Constitution of India through the

ninety-ninth constitution amendment vide the Constitution (Ninety-Ninth Amendment)

Act, 2014 passed by the Lok Sabha on 13 August 2014 and by the Rajya Sabha on 14

August 2014.

96.Sesa Sterlite renamed as Vedanta Ltd

Metals and mining conglomerate Sesa Sterlite has changed its name to Vedanta Ltd to

better align with its international identity — Vedanta Resources.

Sesa Sterlite is a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Plc, UK.

The company produces and processes oil and gas, zinc, lead, silver, copper, iron ore,

aluminium and commercial power and is present in India, South Africa, Namibia,

Ireland, Australia, Liberia and Sri Lanka.

Cairn India, Hindustan Zinc Ltd and BALCO are the subsidiaries of the company.

97. International Mother Earth Day observed

International Mother Earth Day was observed globally on 22 April 2015 with the theme

It‘s our turn to lead.

The theme highlights the need for change and seeks to inform the communities and

leadership that action needs to be taken on climate by promoting a goal of

environmental awareness through developing sustainable initiatives and galvanizing

every human to pledge Acts of Green.

This is the 45th anniversary of the Earth‘s Day, the year when the world leaders will

pass a binding climate change treaty in Paris in December 2015.

The treaty will be adopted to make sure the future of Earth, our planet and the survival

of life on it.

98. Kudermukh and Rajaji National Parks Declared as Tiger Reserves: Centre

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has accorded final approval to two

national parks i.e. Kudermukh National Park in Karnataka and Rajaji National Park in

Uttarkhand for being declared as tiger reserves.

In accordance to this approval, Rajaji National Park is declared as India‘s 48th Tiger

Reserve. With this notification, Uttarakhand got its second tiger reserve after the Corbett

Tiger Reserve.

The notification was announced by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat while

releasing logo of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve.

The Rajaji National Park that came into existence in 1983 is spread across three

districts of Uttarakhand namely Haridwar, Dehradun and Pauri Garhwal in an area over

820 square km.

99.NASA 3D prints first copper rocket engine part

NASA engineers have developed the first full-scale, 3D printed copper rocket engine

part – a combustion chamber liner that operates at extreme temperatures and

pressures.

Numerous complex parts made of many different materials are assembled to make

engines that provide the thrust that powers rockets.

100. Railway Launches App for Paperless Unreserved Tickets

Moving ahead in line with digital India, railways today launched mobile application for

paperless unreserved tickets.

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu introduced from here the mobile app for paperless

unreserved ticketing for commuters in Egmore and Tambram suburban sections in

Chennai under Southern Railway zone.

Developed by Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) ―utsonmobile‖ – the

paperless unreserved ticketing feature in mobile application aims to eliminate the need

for printing of unreserved tickets.

Payment for the ticket is done through the ―railway wallet‖ feature in the App. After

booking the ticket, the passenger will get ticket confirmation screen, which will contain

limited information about the ticket, they said.

On a pilot basis, the paperless ticketing system in unreserved segment will cover 15

stations in the suburban section of Southern Railway, officials said.

Railways plan to extend the paperless service in suburban section in all metros.

101.Reinsurance Group of America appointed former LIC Head Thomas Mathew

as MD & CEO for India

Even as the regulator IRDA is busy finalising norms to allow global reinsurers to enter

the country, international firms are putting in place their top teams, with the US-based

RGA taking the lead by appointing former acting chairman of LIC, Thomas Mathew, as

its India head.

Mathew joined RGA (Reinsurance Group of America) India as Managing Director and

Chief Executive on March 30.

At present, Mathew is the non-executive chairman of the privately-promoted commodity

bourse MCX-SX, and continues to hold the post.

102. Justice Khehar to Head the Constitution Bench

Setting at rest issues, the Supreme Court cleared the decks were for commencing the

hearing on the validity of the new law on appointment of judges with a Constitution

Bench rejecting demands for recusal of judges.

―Justice J S Khehar will not recuse himself from hearing,‖ Justice J Chelameswar said

on behalf of the five-judge bench which overruled the objection on Justice Khehar

heading the bench.

Justice Chelameswar said the reasons for the non-recusal of Justice Khehar will be

delivered later.

103.Hubble Space Telescope marking 25th anniversary in orbit

One of NASA‘s crowning glories, the Hubble Space Telescope, marks its 25th

anniversary this week.

With 1 million-plus observations, including those of some of the farthest and oldest

galaxies ever beheld by humanity, no man-made satellite has touched as many minds

or hearts as Hubble.

NASA is celebrating Friday‘s anniversary with ceremonies this week at the Smithsonian

Institution and the Newseum in Washington.

A full decade in the making, Hubble rocketed into orbit on April 24, 1990, aboard space

shuttle Discovery.

104.India Now Tops List of Countries With the Most Yale Fellows

Two Indians are among 16 scholars selected for the 2015 Yale World Fellows in the US

for their exemplary mid-career work.

An Indian conflict reporter, Rahul Pandita and a healthcare founder, Zeena Johar were

selected by the prestigious Ivy League university.

They were chosen from a pool of about 4,000 applicants for the New Haven,

Connecticut-based university‘s signature global leadership development initiative.

With the addition of Pandita and Johar, the global Yale World Fellows network now

includes 17 Indian Fellows, more than any other country since the programme was

established in 2002.

Pandita is mostly known for his reportage on Maoist insurgency in central and eastern

India, and on the turmoil in Kashmir.

105. 1.The Urban Development Ministry has issued Standard Operating

Procedures (SOP) to ensure cleanliness during and after public meetings and

gatherings.Under the SOP, organizers have been made accountable for ensuring

cleanliness.The Ministry has taken a serious note of spoiling of public places through

littering of water bottles, left- over food items, packaging material and wrappers during

public gatherings and meetings.

106.With an aim of monitoring implementation of various ongoing projects including Rail

Budget proposals, The Indian Rrailways today launched E-Samiksha, an online

monitoring mechanism.Designed by NIC, the software is currently being used by

Cabinet Secretariat, PMO and other Ministries for monitoring progress implementation

of various programmes and follow-up of meetings.

Highlights about E-Samiksha :

It was designed by National Informatics Centre (NIC).

It has been developed to make it a highly interactive web-based, user-friendly and

customised system.

It will be used to monitor budget-related projects and also for monitoring the

infrastructure target and board meeting follow-up.

It will be used by Cabinet Secretariat, Prime Minister‘s Office and other Ministries for

monitoring progress implementation of various programmes and follow-up of meetings.

NIC – National Informatics Centre , Railway Minister : Suresh Prabhu

107.Following a flood of complaints about the anomalies in the Mumbai Development

Plan, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, today, scrapped the future town planning

document.This document was prepared by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation

(BMC).The decision came after the Chief Minister had appointed a committee headed

by the State Chief Secretary to review the plan and submit a preliminary report in three

days.

108.The Tamil Nadu government has cancelled the plots allotted to Coca-Cola‘s

beverages manufacturing facility in the State Industries Promotion Corporation of

Tamil Nadu Limited (SIPCOT) Industrial Growth Centre in Perundurai.

Note : The allotment was triggered a spate of protests from residents of Perundurai and

Chennimalai towns and farmers in the area, who feared groundwater depletion and

discharge into the water courses.

109.ICICI Bank in collaboration with Tech Mahindra launched a payment service called

‗Tap-n-Pay‘. It is essentially based on the near-field communications (NFC)

technology, enabling customers make over-the-counter payments without using cash.It

can be used for merchant payments by merely tapping a NFC-enabled mobile phone or

a tag on the counter.

110.Japan‟s state-of-the-art maglev train clocked a new world speed record today in

a test run near Mount Fuji, smashing through the 600 kilometre (373 miles) per

hour mark.

Maglev – Magnetic Levitation

111.An Egyptian court has sentenced ousted President Mohammed Morsi to 20

years in jail for ordering the arrest and torture of protesters during his rule.It is the first

verdict he has received since his overthrow and is one of several trials he faces.

112.Three-time Chief Minister of Odisha & senior Congress leader Janaki Ballabh

Patnaik (89) passed away.He was Chief Minister of Odisha from 1980 to 1989 and

again from 1995 to 1999, holding that post for the longest time on record before

Naveen Patnaik.

113.Today (21st April 2015) is Civil Service Day. It is observed by all Civil Services.

Purpose for this day : To rededicate and recommit themselves to the cause of the

people.The day provides an unique opportunity for introspection as also for working out

future strategies to deal with the challenges being posed by the ever changing times.

114.Bharatiya Mahila Bank inks MoUs with LIC, New India Assurance

Bharatiya Mahila Bank Ltd has entered into MoUs with New India Assurance Company

Ltd and Life Insurance Corporation of India to provide insurance cover to its

accountholders.

The insurance covers are being provided under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Suraksha Bima

Yojana and the Pradhan Mantri Jeevanjyoti Bima Yojana schemes respectively.

The insurance option is voluntary and comes at a premium of Rs. 12 for the PM Jan

Suraksha Bima Yojana and Rs. 330 for the PM Jeevanjyoti Bima Yojana.

The age eligibility under the former is 18-70 years and under the latter 18-50 years. The

enrolment period under the schemes will be from June 1, 2015, to August 31, 2015.

115.E-Samiksha launched to monitor rail projects online

With an aim of monitoring implementation of various ongoing projects including Rail

Budget proposals, railways today launched E-Samiksha, an online monitoring

mechanism.

Now each and every project implementation can be monitored on real-time basis,

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said here after launching the system.

Designed by NIC, the software is currently being used by Cabinet Secretariat, PMO and

other Ministries for monitoring progress implementation of various programmes and

follow-up of meetings.

Apart from budget-related projects, the E-Samiksha can also be used for monitoring the

infrastructure target and board meeting follow-up.

116.Japan maglev train breaks world speed record again

A Japanese magnetic levitation train has broken its own world speed record, hitting

603km/h (374mph) in a test run near Mount Fuji.

The train beat the 590km/h speed it had set last week in another test.

Japan is known for its shinkansen that run on steel rails, but has been investing in

maglev technology which it is hoping to sell overseas.

Central Japan Railway which owns the trains, wants to introduce the service between

Tokyo and the central city of Nagoya by 2027.

117.Sulekha.com raises Rs 175 crore from GIC, NVP

Chennai-based local listing services provider Sulekha.com has raised Rs. 175 crore

from the sovereign wealth fund of Singapore-GIC and Norwest Venture Partners.

The Chennai-based company has about 50 lakh businesses listed on its platform.

Satya Prabhakar is the Founder and CEO of Sulekha.com.

118.Interest rate for GPF retained at 8.7% for current fiscal

The government of India retained the rate of interest for General Provident Fund (GPF)

and other related schemes at 8.7% for the current fiscal. According to the notification

issued by the Finance Ministry; he 8.7 percent interest will apply on Provident Funds of

central government employees, railways and defence forces. The rate of interest will be

effective from 1st April 2015, it added.

The interest rate for GPF is in line with the interest rate fixed for Public Provident Fund

(PPF) at 8.7 percent for 2015-16.The interest earning for Kisan Vikas Patra has been

retained at 8.7 percent.

Note: i. The government had, however, raised the interest rates for other small saving

schemes.

The interest rate for senior citizens savings scheme was hiked from 9.2 percent to 9.3

percent and for Sukanya Samriddhi Account, the special deposit scheme for girl child,

the interest rate has been hiked from 9.1 percent to 9.2 percent, respectively.

119.NASA to send submarine to Saturn‟s moon Titan

NASA is planning to send a nuclear-powered submarine to explore one of the methane

seas located on Saturn‘s moon Titan.The single-ton concept robot submarine is

equipped with a seafloor camera and sampling system.

120. Moody‟s forecast 7.5 % GDP growth for Indian economy

International credit rating agency Moody‘s has forecasted India‘s growth to be 7.5

percent for the year 2015. A Moody‘s analyst said low inflation enabled the Reserve

Bank of India to cut interest rates by 50 basis points easing pressure on the private

sector.

He further added that lower rates as well as the government‘s infrastructure and

disinvestment programmes should provide a boost to domestic-oriented industries.

Earlier this week, International Monetary Fund projected that India will overtake China

as the fastest growing emerging economy in 2015-16.

121.Sugarcane fair price hikes to Rs 230 per quintal for 2015-16

The government today hiked the sugarcane has revised the Fair and Remunerative

Price (FRP) of sugarcane for the sugar season 2015-16 to Rs 230 per quintal.The FRP

for the last sugar season was Rs 220 per quintal.

According to the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution ―Ram Vilas

Paswan‖ this decision has been taken on the basis of recommendations of Commission

for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) and after consultations with concerned state

governments and other stake holders.

122.Maharashtra Government announced the target of 14400 MW power

generation by 2019

Maharashtra Government on 20 April 2015 announced the target of 14400 MW power

generation by 2019.

The state government will produce 14400 MW electricity by 2019 by way of non-

conventional methods to cut down cost and reduce carbon footprint. The non

conventional source of energy is cheaper and far better as compared to conventional

sources.

Out of the 14400 MW electricity target, the state government has proposed that 75000

MW of electricity will be generated from solar energy while wind mills will generate 5000

MW of power.

Sugar industries will help in creating 1000 MW, cogeneration will generate 200 MW,

biogas will generate 300 MW and industrial waste will generate 400 MW.

For instance, there are many sugar factories located in western Maharashtra, thus 1000

MW electricity will be generated from that region Also to meet the target, the power

generated by private players will be purchased by the government as well.

123.2015 Pulitzer Prize Winners

The 2015 Pulitzer Prizes were awarded by the Pulitzer Prize Board for work during the

2014 calendar year. Prize winners and nominated finalists were announced on April 20,

2015.

The Pulitzer Prize is an award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism,

literature, and musical composition in the United States.

Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting in Journalism: The New York Times Staff

Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting: The Seattle Times Staff

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction Novel: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Pulitzer Prize for Drama: Between Riverside and Crazy by Stephen Adly Guirgis

Pulitzer Prize for History Novel: Encounters at the Heart of the World: A History of the

Mandan People by Elizabeth A. Fenn

Pulitzer Prize for Biography: The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and

the Rise of Fascism in Europe by David I. Kertzer

Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: Digest by Gregory Pardlo

Pulitzer Prize for General Non-fiction: The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by

Elizabeth Kolbert

Pulitzer Prize for Music: Anthracite Fields by Julia Wolfe

124.Virat Kohli announced to set up chain of gyms with the investment of 90

crore rupees

Indian Cricketer Virat Kohli on 20 April 2015 announced to set up his chain of gyms and

fitness centres with the investment of 90 crore rupees.

The gyms will be launched under the brand name Chisel. The brand is jointly owned by

Kohli, Chisel Fitness and CSE, the sister concern of Cornerstone Sport &

Entertainment.

It is to be known that India‘s ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni already has his fitness

chain across the country. Also, Kohli co-owns Indian Super League football franchise

FC Goa and also has his clothing line for youths Wrogn.

The country‘s fitness industry comprising branded fitness chains and standalone gyms

is pegged at around 1300 crore rupees.

125.Neeraj Kumar appointed as Chief Adviser of Anti-Corruption & Security Unit

of BCCI

Former Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar was on 20 April 2015 appointed as

chief adviser of the Board of Control for Cricket in India‘s (BCCI) Anti-Corruption &

Security Unit (ACSU). He will have a term of one year, that is, till 2016. Kumar

succeeded Ravi Sawant.

His appointment was made during Governing Council Meeting of the Indian Premier

League (IPL) chaired by IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla in New Delhi.

Neeraj Kumar is a 1976 batch IPS officer of the AGMU cadre. Earlier, he has served as

the Delhi Police commissioner for 13 months i.e. from June 2012 to July 2013.

126.Nishan-e-Pakistan award conferred on Xi Jinping

Pakistan on Tuesday conferred its top civilian award ‗Nishan-e-Pakistan‘ on Chinese

President Xi Jinping for his outstanding contribution in promotion of relationship

between the two countries.

The ceremony was organised at the President House where President Mamnoon

Hussain conferred the award on Mr. Xi.The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister

Nawaz Sharif, Federal Ministers, Members of National Assembly and Senate, Services

Chiefs and Chinese delegation.

Mr. Xi was given warm welcome on his arrival in the President House in a traditional

buggy drawn by horses.

He also held bilateral talks with Mr. Hussain, who later hosted a luncheon in his honour.

127.Cleartrip becomes first Indian online travel agency to feature on Apple Watch

Since its launch for iOS in August 2012, Cleartrip has been committed to offer iOS

users the best travel app experience possible on iOS devices.

From being the first to support Passbook on iOS, to the first to redesign the app for iOS

7, and the first travel app in India to have a universal app for iPhone and iPad, the

Cleartrip app for Apple Watch is another big first to add to that list.

The idea with the Watch app is to give users the information they need, when they need

it, in the most lightweight manner possible.Opening the Cleartrip app on the Apple

Watch will show travellers a concise list of all their upcoming flights.

The app can also be enabled through the Watch app on your iPhone which, in turn, can

be synced with your Apple Watch.

128.Mohan Kumar appointed as new Indian Ambassador to France

Senior diplomat Mohan Kumar, currently India‘s top envoy to Bahrain, has been

appointed the next Ambassador to France to succeed Arun Kumar.

129.Assam to be „kept out for now‟ from land boundary agreement with

Bangladesh

Assam will be ―kept out for now‖ from the ambit of the land boundary agreement (LBA)

with Bangladesh. There were ―lot of protests and problems‖ in Assam over the LBA‖.

130.Agni-III successfully test-fired from Odisha coast

India test-fired its nuclear-capable Agni-III ballistic missile, with a range of over 3,000

km, from a base in Odisha. The surface-to-surface missile was fired from a launch

complex at the Inner Wheeler Island off the coast of Dhamra in Bhadrak district, about

200 km from here. Agni-III is capable of carrying warheads weighing up to 1.5 tonnes. It

is 16 metres in length and weighs 48 tonnes. The missile has a two-stage solid

propellant system. It can re-enter the atmosphere at a very high velocity.Agni-III is a rail

mobile system capable missile and can be launched from anywhere in India.

131.BHEL commissions 2,400 MW OP Jindal thermal power project

State-run power equipment maker BHEL has fully commissioned 2,400 MW OP Jindal

thermal power project in Chhattisgarh. ―The unit has been commissioned at Jindal

Power Limited (JPL) s OP Jindal 4X600 thermal power plant located at Tamnar in

Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh.

132.Canada will supply uranium to India for next five years

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian PM Stephen Harper issued a joint

statement, according to which both the countries have agreed to a uranium supply deal

worth hundreds of millions of dollars that will see Canadian producer Cameco Corp.

provide fuel for Indian reactors over the next five years. Supply of uranium will begin this

year itself.

133.Canada‟s Stephen Harper returns 900-year-old Khajuraho temple sculpture to

PM Narendra Modi

A 900-year-old piece of sculpture from Khajuraho temple, which had somehow reached

Canada, was returned by Prime Minister Stephen Harper when his Indian counterpart

Narendra Modi.The sculpture, known as ‗Parrot Lady‘, was handed over by Harper to

Modi in accordance with 1970 UNESCO Convention.

134.Rosetta mission: comet 67P may not be magnetized

Researchers of the Rosetta Mission have made a sensational discovery — the comet

67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko may not have a magnetic field.This discovery is

important because it calls into question some of the theories of formation of structures,

such as our solar system, in which magnetic field is crucial to the formation of clumps of

matter which later grew to become large celestial bodies.

135.Green tea and apples could protect health with the help of polyphenols

Researchers have found how polyphenols in green tea and apples affect a key

signalling molecule, which could explain how polyphenol-rich foods reduce risks of

chronic diseases.

136.India among AIIB‟s founder-members

India and many influential western nations are among the 57 founder members of the

$50 billion Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), while the U.S. and Japan stayed

away from the China-backed multilateral lender, according to the final list of members

released.

137.87 Year Old Ex PM of Nepal Passes Away

87 year old Surya Bahadur Thapa, former PM of Nepal has passed away.He served as

the PM of Nepal for 5 terms

138.New Blood Test Can Predict Breast Cancer Early

A new blood test can correctly predict if a woman can get breast cancer within the next

2 to 5 years and contribute to a paradigm shift in early diagnosis of this chronic

disease.While mammography can detect newly developed breast cancer correctly 75%

of the time, new metabolic blood profile is able to predict the likelihood of breast cancer

80% of the time

China To Ban Water Polluting Industries

China will ban water polluting paper mills, pesticide producers, oil refineries and other

industrial plants towards the close of 2016, it has announced.

First Colour Image of Pluto Taken

NASA‘s New Horizons spacecraft has sent the first colour image of the dwarf planet

Pluto and its largest moon Charon.NASA‘s Planetary Science Division has said that the

image was taken from a distance of 115 million km.

139.Karnataka Health Minister U.T. Khader has inaugurated two-wheeler

ambulances in Bengaluru.

He termed this bike ambulance project as a ―platinum ten minutes‖ trauma care

initiative.

Aimed at reducing deaths due to road accidents, the platinum trauma care initiative is

useful for negotiating heavy traffic in urban areas where it will be difficult for four-

wheeler ambulances to reach the accident spot at the earliest.

140.Justice Meenakshi Madan Rai sworn in as first lady judge of Sikkim HC

Meenakshi Madan Rai sworn in as the first lady judge of the Sikkim High Court. Her

oath of the office was administered by the Governor Srinivas Patil at Ashirwad Hall at

Raj Bhavan in Gangtok.

Rai is also the third High Court judge who hails from the small border state.

This appointment of Rai as the judge of the Sikkim High Court has helped the state to

get its full strength of three judges after a gap of about one year.

141.Wholesale prices contract 2.33% in March

India‘s wholesale price index-based inflation (WPI) provisionally stood at -2.33 per cent

for March, government data showed on Wednesday. This compares with -2.06 per cent

for February and 6 per cent for the same period last year.

This is the fifth consecutive month of deflation in wholesale prices, a clear reflection of

lower commodity prices.

Earlier Consumer Price Index-based (CPI) inflation for March eased to 5.17 per cent,

the lowest in three months.

142.Govt forms panel to review Official Secrets Act

The government has formed an inter-ministerial committee headed by cabinet secretary

to review the Official Secrets Act in context of demands to declassify files related to

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose‘s death or disappearance.

RAW, IB, Union home ministry and PMO officials will be part of the panel.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose‘s grandnephew,

Surya Bose, in Berlin and promised to examine the request for declassification of all

files related to events since his death or disappearance in Taiwan on August 18, 1945.

143.Zomato acquires cloud-based data firm MaplePOS

Online restaurant guide Zomato announced the acquisition of MaplePOS, a cloud-

based point of sale product for restaurants developed by a group of techies from Delhi.

Gurgaon based Zomato has already renamed the MaplePOS product to ‗Zomato Base‘

which will help the company and its restaurant partners to manage business into online

orders and payments.

MaplePos, a sale product offers various features of restaurants such as inventory and

menu management, and has in-built payment solution to accept debit and credit card

payments.

144.RBI allows differential interest rate on deposits

The Reserve Bank of India said banks will have the discretion to offer differential

interest rates based on whether the term deposits are with or without-premature-

withdrawal-facility, subject to conditions.

All term deposits of individuals (held singly or jointly) of Rs. 15 lakh and below should,

necessarily, have premature withdrawal facility.

For all term deposits above Rs. 15 lakh banks can offer deposits without the option of

premature withdrawal as well.

145.Agni-III missile test-fired successfully by SFC

India on Thursday successfully test-fired nuclear weapons-capable Agni-III ballistic

missile from the Wheeler Island off Odisha coast. Although the missile has a strike

range of more than 3,000 k.m.

it was tested for a lesser range, in today‘s mission.

Agni-III is one of the sophisticated and accurate missiles of its class and has already

been inducted into armed forces.

It is capable of carrying a payload weighing 1.5 tonnes to a distance of more than 3,000

k.m.

146.Asia Cup 2016 to be played in T20 format

Asia Cup 2016 is set to undergo a radical change and will be a Twenty20 competition

instead of the 50-over game.

It would be revamped to include more Associate nations and to give some practice prior

to the T 20 World Cup .

The tournament would then revert to a 50-over tournament in 2018 ahead of the 2019

World Cup in England and be played as a T20 competition again in 2020.

147.Sachin Tendulkar elected as member of Laureus Sports Academy

Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar was inducted as one of the five new members into

the prestigious Laureus Sports Academy in a glittering annual award ceremony at the

Shanghai Grand theatre.

Besides Tendulkar, retired Chinese professional basketball player Yao Ming, Kenyan

long-distance runner Tegla Loroupe, Chinese gymnast Li Xiaopeng and former Chinese

short track speed skater Yang Yang were the other athletes to be inducted into the

Laureus academy.

Tendulkar, who made his ODI debut against Pakistan way back in 1989, retired from the

format after the Asia Cup in 2013 after completing a century of international hundreds.

148.Hevesy Medal Award 2015

Professor Susanta Lahiri has received the prestegious Hevesy Medal Award 2015.He

received this award for his outstanding contributions to heavy ion induced radioisotope

production, tracer packet technique, converter targets, and green chemistry.

149.Jamal Benomar, has resigned

The UN peace envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, has resigned.The Moroccan

diplomat had been UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon‘s special envoy for Yemen since

2012.Benomar‘s departure came after the UN Security Council adopted a resolution

calling for the swift resumption of peace talks and an end to violence in

Yemen.Mauritanian diplomat Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed,who currently heads the UN

Ebola mission in Accra may take his place.

150.first Indian woman shuttler

Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal today regained the number one position in

international rankings after China‘s Li Xuerui dropped a couple of rungs to third in the

latest list issued today.

Saina, the first Indian woman shuttler to be world number one after her India Open

Grand Prix Gold triumph earlier this month, had dropped to the second place following

her semifinal finish in the Malaysia Open Super Series.In the men‘s rankings, K.

Srikanth retained the fourth spot.

151.India builds first “smart” city

India‘s push to accommodate a booming urban population and attract investment rests

in large part with dozens of ―smart‖ cities like the one being built on the dusty banks of

the Sabarmati river. So far, it boasts modern underground infrastructure, two office

blocks and not much else.

152.Dharamshala to be first Assembly Constituency to get CCTV cover

Dharamsala would soon become the first Assembly Constituency in the country to be

brought under 24/7 CCTV camera surveillance.

International:

153.Iran to get 1st woman ambassador since 1979

Iran will appoint its first woman ambassador abroad since the Islamic Revolution in

1979. The post would go to foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham, one of

Iran‘s most high-profile female public figures.

Business & Economy:

154.India‟s economic growth likely to outpace China in 2016 too, predicts IMF and

World Bank

India‘s economic growth clip this year and next will be better than previously assumed,

overtaking China in 2015 to become the world‘s fastest growing major economy and

widening the gap further in 2016, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World

Bank have said in separate forecasts.

155.India 19th in the list of top 30 merchandise exporters

India‘s rank remained unchanged at 19th in 2014 among the top 30 merchandise

exporters of the world, while China continues to hold the top slot, according to the WTO

report. Similarly, New Delhi‘s rank as a leading importer too has not changed in 2014 at

12th position. In imports, the US topped the list.

Sports:

156.Roland Garros prize money increased

The prize money at the Roland Garros will rise to €28 million this year, an increase of

€3 million from last year.The men‘s and women‘s champions will receive €1.8 million

each, €150,000 more than 2014, and losing finalists will receive €900,000, a raise of

€75,000.

157.Tech Mahindra Partners Comverse for R&D

Information technology conglomerate Tech Mahindra has collaborated with US Israeli

firm Comverse Inc for establishing a research and development centre in

Israel.Financial details were not disclosed by the two companies

158.Blue Book To Deal With Cyclones Launched

Government has released a Blue Book on dealing with cyclones.This book follows the

report of a committee formed by PMO based on experience of Cyclone Hudhud last

October in Andhra Pradesh

159.Chinese E-Commerce Firm Injects Online Operations to Affiliate

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group has injected online pharmacy operations into

affiliate Alibaba Health Information Technology listed in Hong Kong in a USD 2.5 billion

deal

MHA Renames Tourist Visa Scheme

Union Ministry of Home Affairs/MHA made the decision to rename Tourist Visa on

Arrival Electronic Travel Authorization/TVoA-ETA scheme as eTV or e-Tourist Visa

– The new scheme will come into effect from April 15th, 2015

Janata Parivar Announces Merger with Mulayam Singh Yadav as Head

Samajwadi Party Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav will lead the Janata Parivar formed

comprising the following parties:

SP, the Janata Dal (United)/JD(U), the Rashtriya Janata Dal/RJD, the Janata Dal

(Secular), the Samajwadi Janata Party and the Indian National Lok Dal/INLD

President Obama to Remove Cuba From State Sponsored Terrorism List

President Obama has announced he will be removing Cuba from the list of State

sponsors of terrorism

– This is in line with the bid to normalise relations between the two nations

BHEL Signs MoU with INTMA

State owned power equipment company BHEL has signed an MoU with Russian firm

INTMA for a gas based power project located in Kazakhstan

Centre Established Task Force for Interlinking of Rivers

The Centre has established a task force for examining the numerous contentious issues

pertaining to interlinking of rivers. The task force is chaired by former UPSC member B.

N. Navalawala

Government Forms Panel for Reviewing Official Secrets Act

Government of India has formed an inter-ministerial committee under the Cabinet

Secretary for reviewing the Official Secrets Act in light of the Netaji Subhash Chandra

Bose related files

Comet 67P/Churyumov Gerasimenko Found

The comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko has been discovered to be non-magnetic

– ESA‘s Rosetta Spacecraft Philae lander touched down on this comet and used

magnetometers to assess its magnetism

Cosmologists Map Dark Matter

In the first initiative of its kind, cosmologists have mapped the distribution of dark matter

in the universe tracing invisible substances through monitoring of gravitational effects on

light

– The mapping was done through a 570 megapixel camera at Chile‘s Cerro Tololo Inter

American Observatory, around two million galaxies have been photographed

Spitzer Space Telescope Finds Remote Gas Planet

NASA‘s Spitzer Space Telescope has teamed up with ground telescope to find one of

the most distant planets, a remote gas planet located 13,000 light years away

Indian Scientists Win Hevesy Medal

Prof. Susanta Lahiri from the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics in Kolkata and Prof. K. V

Katti from Centre for Radiological Research University of Missouri have won the Hevesy

Medal awarded at the 10th international conference on methods and applications of

radio analytical chemistry.

160.Chinnaswamy Stadium Becomes First Sports Venue to Go Green in India

Chinnaswamy Stadium became the first sporting venue to launch a 400KV rooftop solar

power system

– It has become the first sporting venue in the nation to go green

Temasek Holdings Completes Acquisition of SVB Financial Group Arm

Temasek Holdings, the investment unit of the Singapore has completed the acquisition

of Mumbai based SVB India Finance, an arm of NASDAQ listed SVB Financial Group

for INR 300 crore

– The entity has been renamed InnoVen Capital India

Nokia Announces Agreement to Purchase Alcatel-Lucent

Finnish network equipment company Nokia has made the agreement to purchase

Alcatel-Lucent in a transaction valuing the French company at 15.6 billion euros or USD

16.58 billion

Nokia will be providing Alcatel-Lucent shareholders 0.55 shares in the new company for

each of their shares

This means 33.5% of the entity will be with Alcatel while Nokia will have 66.5% if public

exchange offer is completely taken up

IBM Announces Alliances with Apple, 2 Others

IBM announced an alliance with Apple, Medtronic and Johnson & Johnson for using the

Watson artificial intelligence system to provide users insights and advice from personal

health data obtained from fitness trackers, smartphones, implants as well as other

devices

161.Government notifies NJAC, puts an end to collegium

The Union government notified the National Judicial Appointments Commission law and

effectively brought to an end the two-decades-old collegium system of appointing

judges. The notification brings into immediate effect the National Judicial Appointments

Commission Act, 2014, and the 99th Constitution Amendment Act. Now, the political

class and civil society have an equal voice, along with the judiciary, in the appointment

and transfer of judges in the highest judiciary.

162.Panel to look into post-66A security concerns

In the wake of the recent Supreme Court directive striking down Section 66A of the

Information Technology Act, the Union Home Ministry has set up a committee to

recommend measures for addressing national security concerns. ―After the apex court

declared Section 66A of the Information Technology Act unconstitutional, security

agencies raised concerns about activities on digital media that threaten national security

and inciting violence.

163.ICICI Bank today slashed home loan rate for both existing as well as new

borrowers by 0.25 per cent.Women borrowers and financially weaker sections will

now get home loans at 9.85 per cent, while for other borrowers it will be 9.90 per cent.

164.The ―Tourist Visa on Arrival-Electronic Travel Authorization (TvoA-ETA)”

scheme, which was launched last year to facilitate short duration visits by travellers

from as many as 44 countries, has now been renamed as ―e-Tourist Visa‖ to clarify

that it is not an on-arrival scheme.

―The name of the scheme [TVoA-ETA] is creating confusion among tourists, who are

under the impression that the visa is being granted on arrival. However, in the present

system, the pre-authorisation of visa has to be taken before travel,‖ so to avoid

confusion, the MHA has changed the name. .

The government has issued 1.10 lakh visas under this new scheme

This scheme was launched on 27th November 2014.

This scheme will be extended to more countries and airports in a phased manner.

165.A three-month action plan has been formulated to combat pollution for the

National Capital Region.

This plan covers 4 states. Those are,

Delhi , Haryana , Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Under this plan, civic agencies in Delhi and three neighboring states will enforce the ban

onburning of waste, act against polluting vehicles, set up automatic identification of

overloaded vehicles at borders, phase out coal-based units and adhere to upcoming

norms on handling of construction waste.

Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Independent

Charge : Prakash Javadekar

166.The government constitutes a Task Force on interlinking of Rivers to look into

the issues relating to Interlinking of Rivers in the country.

This Task Force will take up all issues for expediting the work on interlinking of rivers in

the Country.The Task Force will be chaired by B N Navalawala, Ex-Secretary of

Ministry of Water Resources.

167.US President Barack Obama has nominated prominent Indian-American

businesswoman Shamina Singh as the member of the Board of Directors of the

Corporation for National and Community Service for a term expiring in October

2019.

168.Rebel Aam Aadmi Party leaders, Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav have

formed a new non-political group ‘Swaraj Abhiyan‗.

The two leaders announced that the Swaraj Abhiyan will be a fight for the rights of

farmers, women and common man across the country through protests and rallies.

169. FDI in services sector up 47 per cent during April-January

FDI inflows into services sector grew by about 47 per cent to $2.64 billion in April-

January last fiscal.

Helped with the growth in FDI in important sector like services, overall foreign inflows in

the country rose by 36 per cent to $25.52 billion during the ten months of 2014-15.

The other sectors where inflows have recorded growth are: telecom ($2.83 billion),

automobile ($2.04 billion) and power ($612 million).

Government has raised the FDI cap in insurance sector to 49 per cent from 26 per cent.

The policy was also relaxed in other sectors such as defence, railways and medical

devices.

170.Retail inflation drops to 3-month low of 5.17% in March

Easing of food prices, mainly milk and vegetables, pulled down the March retail inflation

to 3-month low of 5.17 per cent.

The retail inflation as measured by Consumer Price Index was 5.37 per cent in

February, and 5.19 per cent in January. It was 8.25 per cent in March last year.

To calculate the CPI, price data are collected from selected towns by the field

operations division of NSSO and from selected villages by the Department of Posts.

171.Haryana govt to give cabinet minister status to Baba Ramdev

The BJP government in Haryana has decided to give the status of cabinet minister to

yoga guru Ramdev, who was earlier made the state‘s brand ambassador to promote

yoga and ayurveda.

The government‘s decision was announced on Monday by education minister Ram

Bilas Sharma, who said the state government would also honour Ramdev at a function

at Indradhanush Auditorium in Panchkula on April 21.

Recently, government announced to make yoga compulsory in all schools and equip all

sports stadiums in every district with a yoga centre. Municipal bodies and Huda would

construct yoga practice halls in their areas of jurisdiction. Special coaching of physical

education teachers in yoga will be organised.

172.Following consumer backlash, Flipkart pulls out of Airtel Zero

Following popular outrage against net neutrality violations to ―internet apartheid‖, e-

retailer Flipkart pulled out of the controversial Airtel Zero preferential access platform.

Flipkart was one of the partners in the Airtel Zero platform which allowed Airtel‘s

subscribers to access select websites and services for ―zero data charges‖, as long as

owners of these websites/services paid Airtel.

Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said a six-member panel has been constituted

by the telecom department to submit its recommendations regarding the same by early

next month.

173. FM transmission of Vividh Bharati launched

The popular ‗Vividh Bharati‘ services of All India Radio (AIR) will now be available to

listeners in and around Delhi on mobile handsets with the launch of FM transmission of

the channel.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley, who launched the FM transmission,

also delivered a message to the listeners of the channel, saying Vividh Bharati services

would reach people within a range of 60-65 km with much clarity at all times in all

weather conditions.

Vividh Bharati offers a mix of film music, skits, short plays and interactive programmes.

It is known to have the largest collection of film and non-film songs in the country.

Mobile applications of all channels that are livestreamed by AIR like Vividh Bharati, FM

Gold, FM Rainbow, Urdu service and several regional channels, will also be made

available.

174.First ever visit of North Korean Foreign Minister

In a significant diplomatic engagement, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met

her North Korean counterpart Ri Su Yong.Mr. Ri is in India at the invitation of Ms.

Swaraj. This is the first ever visit to India at the Foreign Minister level from Democratic

People‘s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

175. Russian President Putin is most influential person in the World: Time

Russian President Vladimir Putin has emerged the winner of this year‘s Time 100

readers‘ poll of most influential people in the world.

He edged out rapper-singer CL (of the South Korean girl-group 2NE1) to claim the

number one spot with 6.95 per cent of the votes in the final tally. Pop stars Lady Gaga

(2.6 per cent), Rihanna (1.9 per cent) and Taylor Swift (1.8 per cent) rounded out the

top five.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal named also

included in the list of 100 most influential people in the world.Narendra Modi however

garnered just 0.6 per cent of the votes cast, with only 34 per cent of the people voting in

his favour and 66 per cent against. Kejriwal got 0.5 per cent, with 71 per cent voters

saying he should not be in the list.

Other winners of the online poll include US presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, the Dalai

Lama, Harry Potter actress Emma Watson, Nobel peace prize winner Malala Yousafzai,

Pope Francis, Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, Facebook CEO Mark

Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

176.NASA named Asteroid 316201 after Malala Yousafzai

US space agency NASA has named Asteroid 316201 after Malala Yousafzai, the winner

of 2014 Nobel Peace Prize.The asteroid is situated in the main asteroid belt between

Mars and Jupiter. The asteroid orbits the sun every five-and-a-half years.

177.Allan Donald stepped down as South Africa bowling coach

Former fast bowler Allan Donald stepped down as South Africa‘s bowling coach after

four years with the team.He said, it it was the right time to move on following last

month‘s World Cup, where South Africa lost in the semi-finals.

He joined as bowling coach under former head coach Gary Kirsten in 2011

178.Taiwan won‟t be an AIIB founder-member

Taiwan won‘t be among the charter members of the Chinese-led Asian Infrastructure

Investment Bank, apparently because of a dispute over what name the island should

use in the institution. Taiwan is among more than 40 countries applying for membership

in the new bank.

179.Russia lifts ban on missile delivery to Iran

President Vladimir Putin opened the way for Russia‘s delivery of a sophisticated air

defence missile system to Iran, a move that would significantly bolster the Islamic

republic‘s military capability.Russia signed the $800 million contract to sell Iran the S-

300 missile system in 2007, but suspended their delivery three years later.

180.India‟s GDP growth rate to reach 8% by 2017: World Bank

The World Bank has predicted a GDP growth rate of 8 per cent for India by 2017 and

said that a strong expansion in the country, coupled with favourable oil prices, would

accelerate the economic growth in South Asia. In India, GDP growth is expected to

accelerate to 7.5 per cent in fiscal year 2015/16. It could reach 8 per cent in FY

2017/18, on the back of significant acceleration of investment growth to 12 per cent

during FY 2016-FY 2018

181.New urban development mission to replace JNNURM

Government is preparing to replace one of its predecessor UPA‘s flagship programmes

soon after the prime minister returns from his overseas trip. The Jawaharlal Nehru

National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) will make way for a new mission aimed at

upgrading infrastructure in cities. The new mission has received the nod from the

expenditure finance committee (EFC) and the Cabinet note has been circulated.

182.SEBI Issues Procedures for Tendering and Settlement of Shares

SEBI issued procedures for the tendering and settlement of shares via stock exchanges

for takeovers, buybacks and delisting of entities

The procedures have been issued for the facilitation of tendering of shares by

shareholders and settlement of the same through the mechanism of the stock exchange

124th Birth Anniversary of B. R. Ambedkar Celebrated

The 124th birth anniversary of B. R. Ambedkar was celebrated by India

Google also created a doodle in his honour

He was conferred the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1990

PM Gifts Madhubani Painting to Lord Mayor of Hannover

PM Narendra Modi gifted a Madhubani painting depicting various stages of life to Stefan

Schostock, Lord Mayor of Hannover

The painting has been created by national award winning artist Baua Devi

PM Narendra Modi Opens World‟s Largest Industrial Fair

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Hanover Messe, which is the largest

industrial fair in the world, alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel

India is a partner country of this year‘s fair with 400 industry representatives from this

nation amidst 6500 exhibitors from 70 countries worldwide

World‟s First Ever Selfie Museum is In Manila

The Art in Island located in Philippine‘s capital Manila employs 3D replicas of paintings

and encourages visitors to take selfies with the paintings.It is the planet‘s first ever selfie

museum

SC Issues Notice to Centre Against Land Ordinance

The apex court has agreed on the basis of a PIL to examine whether the President‘s

power to re-promulgate an ordinance on the grounds that it is a subversion of the

legislative process is constitutionally sound

SC issued notice to the Centre on the question of validity of land acquisition ordinance

signed on April 3, 2015 by the Indian President

Government Mandates Bar Coding of Mono Cartons of Drugs

Government of India has mandated the bar coding of mono cartons of drugs shipped

from the country from the month of July

This is to ensure that reputation of Indian drugs is not compromised by medicines

manufactured in an illicit manner in other nations

Seema Modi Quits as India Head of H. J. Heinz

Seema Modi has quit as the head of the Indian unit of H.J. Heinz.She was the first

woman MD of Heinz India in 2012

Godrej Nature‟s Basket Joins Hands with Amazon

Godrej Nature‘s Basket, food retail unit of the Godrej Group has partnered with Amazon

for selling products through the platform of the e-commerce firm

Snapdeal CFO Quits

The Chief Financial Officer of Snapdeal, Aakash Moondhra has resigned and could be

starting his own venture or going back to investing sector.

Noted German Author Passes Away

Guenter Grass, a Nobel literature prize winner and author of world famous work The Tin

Drum, died at the age of 87

The German Nobel prize winner was born in Danzig and served in the German military

during WW2

ONGC, OIL and BPCL to Invest in Mozambique

State operated ONGC, OIL and BPCL will be investing USD 6 billion over the next 4

years for development of a giant gas field off the coast of Mozambique and convert fuel

into LNG for export to nations such as India

Curiosity Finds Evidence of Salty Water on Mars

Scientists have found indirect evidence to support the existence of transient liquid

water/very salty water on Mars

Indian Shooter Wins Bronze Medal

Indian shooting champion Jitu Rai won the Bronze medal in the 10 m Air Pistol Men‘s

Final at the International Shooting Sport Federation Rifle/Pistol World Cup in South

Korea‘s Changwon

Russia Lifts Ban on Iran

Russia lifted a ban on supplying Iran with sophisticated S-300 air defence missile

systems following the framework for a nuclear deal with the West

12 Gram Panchayats Set to Adopt Participatory Waste Management Scheme in

Kozhikode

In the first scheme of its kind, people in 12 gram panchayats are set to establish a

participatory waste management scheme making them zero waste generating areas

The scheme is being funded by Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and

Environment (KSCSTE) and supported by Niravu Vengeri

Centre Appoints Panel on Net Neutrality

Amidst a fierce debate on equal internet access to all, government has established an

expert panel to examine the issue of net neutrality and report in a month‘s time

NJAC Act Brought into Effect Through Government Notification

Government brought into force the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act

through a notification for appointing members to higher judiciary

This is two days before the apex court‘s Constitution Bench hears petitions challenging

the NJAC Act

The notification also brings into effect the Constitutional Amendment Act/99th

Amendment Act to provide constitutional status to a new body issued by Department of

Justice in the Law Ministry

„Green‟ sub station to power Faridabad metro corridor

The upcoming Badarpur-Faridabad corridor of Delhi Metro would be powered by a

Green Sub-station as the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has constructed a host of eco-

friendly features at Faridabad including its first ever ‗green‘ electrical Receiving Sub

Station (RSS).

Tsunami-hit school becomes Tamil Nadu‟s first smart school

A Panchayat Union Middle School at Keechankuppam village in Nagapattinam district,

which was ravaged by the tsunami on December 26,2004, has become Tamil Nadu‘s

first government school to get a ‗smart class‘ with internet facility.

Solar-powered internet drone completes first test flight

A Portuguese startup that aims to use solar-powered drones to provide wireless internet

access to offline areas of the world claims to have successfully completed its maiden

test flight.The company Quarkson plans to use the SkyOrbiter drones that will stay

airborne for weeks, months or even years at a time and will fly at altitudes of up to

22,000 metres.

International Hindi Centre to be set up in United States

With a view to promote Hindi as a world language, plans are underway to establish a

‗Hindi Centre‘ near New York that will serve as an academic and cultural hub and

facilitate exchange programmes between Indian and American universities.

India may be third biggest economy by 2030: Report

According to the US Department of Agriculture‘s latest macroeconomic projections that

go out to 2030. The US will just barely remain the global leader, with $24.8 trillion in

annual output the country, worth 25 % of the world economy in 2006 and 23% in 2015,

will see its share decline to 20%.China‘s GDP will grow to more than twice its size,

helping the Asian powerhouse to almost entirely close its gap with the US. India, ranked

eighth for 2015, will climb past Brazil, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Japan

to take third place in the world ranking.

RBI warns against fake app

Cautioning the public against a fraudulent bank account mobile app in its name, the

Reserve Bank of India said it had not developed any such application. In a statement,

the RBI said that it had come to its notice that an app (application) ―is doing the rounds

on WhatsApp purportedly to facilitate checking of balance in customers‘ bank accounts.‖

The application has an RBI logo with the title ―All Bank Balance Enquiry No‖ and has

listed several banks with either a mobile number or call centre number.

L&T inks MoU with AREVA

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has announced signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU)

with AREVA of France for co-operation to maximise localisation of the EPR nuclear

power plant to be built at Jaitapur, Maharashtra. The MoU with AREVA represents a

major step forward for L&T in the field of pressurized water reactor technology.

GVK Power arm‘s first 82.50 MW unit goes on stream

The 330MW (4 x 82.50 MW) Alaknanda Hydro Power Company Ltd., a step-down

subsidiary, successfully synchronised its first unit with the grid on April 10 and is

generating at full load, GVK Power and Infrastructure Ltd. Said.

1.The Haryana government today decided to give ―status equivalent to Cabinet

Minister‖ toRamdev, who has been appointed as the state‘s brand ambassador to

promote yoga and ayurveda.

Yoga would be made a compulsory subject in Haryana’s schools for which

‗yogshalas‘ will be constructed in all the towns and about 6,500 villages of the state

under the guidance of Ramdev.

Haryana‟s Health and Sports Minister : Anil Vij

2.Government‘s think tank NITI Aayog today announced that it will soon come out with

an integrated policy to help meet massive demand for energy including solar, wind,

gas and coal.

The move is aimed at boosting power generation in the country from various sources

like solar, wind, gas, coal etc to meet the growing demand.

Important Note : The government has set an ambitious target of generating 1,75,000

MW from renewable sources by 2022, including 1,00,000 MW solar power.

NITI Aayog Chairman : Narendra Modi

Vice Chairman : Arvind Panagariya

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) : Sindhushree Khullar

3.Over four months after the President granted assent to the two Bills, the NDA

Government today finally notified the Ninety-Ninth Constitutional (Amendment)

Act and the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act, thus ending the over

two-decade-old collegium system of appointing judges of Supreme Court and high

courts.

Under the new law, a six-member panel – National Judicial Appointments

Commission (NJAC)– headed by the Chief Justice of India will select judges of the

apex court and state high courts.

Along with the Head, this panel includes two senior-most Supreme Court judges, Union

Minister of Law and Justice and two ―eminent persons‖ nominated by a committee

comprising the Prime Minister, CJI and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha or leader

of the largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha.

184.Lt. Gen H. Singh, a hero of the Indo-Pak war in 1971 died while meditating in

Dehradun

He commanded the 17 Horse/ Poona Horse regiment in the Indo Pak war and he had

been honoured with a Maha Vir Chakra and a Param Vishisht Seva Medal

He retired from the Army in the year 1991

185.Airbus Plans to Make in India

Well known company Airbus is increasing Indian outsourcing to USD 2 billion

It is also eager to manufacture in India as part of the Make in India programme.

186.Government Receives INR 32,300 Crore From Telecom Players

Government of India has received total upfront cash amounting to INR 32,300 crore

from telecom players for spectrum sold in March and an outstanding due of INR

28,835.34 crore

Telecom major Bharti Airtel paid INR 11,374.7 crore with upfront amount due of INR

7832.20 crore for Rajasthan and Northeast Circle.

Other telecom players paid the minimum amount due from them.

187.SEBI Moves US Court In Sahara Case

The high profile SEBI Sahara case saw a new twist when the capital market regulatory

authority approached a US court in Indianapolis with a USD 12 billion claim on proceeds

of corporate jet sold by a Sahara Group firm.

188.First Village Secretariat Established in Haryana‟s Jind District

CM Manohar Lal Khattar inaugurated the first village secretariat of the state in

Habibatpur village, Jind

Each village in Haryana will soon have its special secretariat.

1.New Wage Pact for Jute Industry Drops Productivity Linked Wage Clause

A fresh tripartite wage pact for the jute industry has left aside the productivity linked

wage clause introduced in the year 2002 to enhance efficiency in the industry

The 3 year agreement will come into force from April 2015.

189.Info Edge India Invests in Zomato

Internet firm Info Edge India has made an investment of INR 155 crore in online

restaurant guide business Tomato

Info Edge‘s proportionate share of Zomato‘s recent fund raise is of USD 50 million.

3.SpiceJet‟s Chief Commercial Officer Steps Down

The Chief Commercial Officer Kaneswaran Avili stepped down from this post. He is the

first senior executive to leave following the transfer to new promoter Ajay Singh

4.Sahoo Committee Recommends Removing Limit on Corporate ECBs

Committee headed by former SEBI Member M.S. Sahoo has recommended India

should remove limits on external commercial borrowings of corporates

This committee was in favour of removal of end-use restrictions and made the

recommendation that each borrower should hedge part of their borrowing.

The limit for Indian companies to raise funds through ECB is USD 750 million in a fiscal

carrying segments such as hotel and software.

189.Ocean Acidification Triggered the Biggest Extinction on Earth

Ocean acidification has triggered the biggest extinction of all time on earth wiping 90%

of the marine species and 75% of the animals on land around 250 million years ago

Scientists have found oceans absorbed vast amounts of CO2 from volcanic eruptions

changing.the chemical composition with tragic results for life on the planet

190.UNESCO Report Says India Reduced “Out of School” Children by More than

90%

Making considerable progress, India has lowered the number of ―out of school‖ children

by over 90%

It has also attained universal primary education according to the UNESCO global

education report entitled Education for All 2005-2015.

The report also said internationally, 47% of the countries achieved pre-primary

enrolment while 8% of the countries including India were close to achieving this.

7.Tribal Ministry Seeks More Tribal Dialects in AIR Broadcasts

To widen the reach of its schemes, Indian Tribal Ministry has sought the use of more

tribal dialects in AIR broadcasts.

Detailed plan has also been worked out to ensure the same in meeting with AIR and

I&B officials.

Hillary Clinton Announces US Presidential Candidature

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has announced she will be running for office of

US President in 2016.

8.China Bans Medical Diagnosis Online

Online medical diagnosis has been banned in China and hospitals offering medical

advise through websites have been asked by Chinese regulators to not provide

diagnosis for disease or prescribe drugs.

190.Indian PM Gifts French President “Tree of Life”

PM Narendra Modi currently on the first leg of a three nation tour in France gifted

French President Francoise Hollande a painting entitled ―Tree of Life‖.

He was the first Prime Minister from India to also visit the WW1 memorial site dedicated

to 10,000 Indian soldiers who fought against Germany between 1914-1918 located in

Lille.

10.Archaeologists Discover Dozens of Tombs in Peru

Archaeologists have discovered many tombs filled up to 40 mummies each in a 1,200

ceremonial site located in Peru.

Tombs were discovered in the Cotahuasi Valley in Peru; so far 7 of these tombs have

been excavated containing 171 mummies in a site called Tenahaha.

191.Oldest Neanderthal DNA Sample Found

Researchers discovered the oldest Neanderthal DNA sample in a limestone cave of

Lamalunga close to Altamura in Southern Italy

DNA sample found could be 1,70,000 years old.

192.Modi inaugurates German industrial fair

Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened on Sunday the Hanover Messe, the world‘s

largest industrial fair, alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

India is the partner country of this year‘s trade fair, which brings together about 6,500

exhibitors from 70 nations.

Germany is India‘s largest trading partner in Europe and total bilateral trade between

the two countries was valued at 16.08 billion euro (17 billion dollars) in 2013. There are

currently more than 1,600 Indo-German business collaborations and 600 Indo-German

joint ventures in operation.

193.India‟s first International Financial Services Centre opened in Gujarat

India‘s first International Financial Services Centre, IFSC, has became operational at

GIFT City in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley unveiled the rules and regulations for this global financial

hub at a special ceremony organized at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar.

IFSC rules allow companies incorporated outside India to raise money in foreign

currencies by issuance and listing of their equity shares on stock exchanges within the

IFSC, where individual and institutional investors from India and abroad including NRIs,

would be allowed to trade.

194.Morgan Stanley forecast India‟s economy to grow at 7.9% for current fiscal

Multinational financial services corporation Morgan Stanley, said India‘s economy will

grow at 7.9 per cent this fiscal and 8.4 per cent in Financial Year 2016-17.

In a note Morgan Stanley stated that the risk to India‘s growth forecasts are evenly

balanced and government‘s determined efforts to implement policy actions, reviving

productive investment and cutting back less effective policies, are helping the economy

move towards the path of faster growth and lower inflation.

195. Larsen & Toubro inks MoU with AREVA

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has announced signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU)

with AREVA of France for co-operation to maximise localisation of the EPR nuclear

power plant to be built at Jaitapur, Maharashtra.

This partnership will add new dimensions to the capabilities of India‘s manufacturing

sector in the nuclear business.

AREVA will transfer technology to utilise the forging capabilities of L&T Special Steels

and Heavy Forgings (a joint venture with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd.).

196.SBI Cuts home loan rate by another 10 bps for new buyers

State Bank of India (SBI), has cut the interest rate for new home loans by another 10

bps, to 9.9 per cent.

In effect, the interest rate for new home loans will be reduced by 25 bps. For the

existing ones, 15 bps is the reduction.

The move comes amid the RBI directive that an interest rate differential will not be

allowed if customer profiles are similar.

197.BHEL commissions 600 MW thermal unit in Chhattisgarh

State-owned power equipment-maker Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)has

commissioned a second 600 MW thermal unit in Chhattisgarh‘s Janjgir Champa District

for the Dainik Bhaskar Power Limited.

―This is the second unit of this power project, commissioned by BHEL. The first 600 MW

unit was commissioned in 2014.

198.Gujarat government launches industrial tourism to showcase development

In a first of its kind initiative in the country, Gujarat government is promoting a tour

package covering major industrial installations which have earned global acclaim for the

state.

Some of the major attractions of this recently launched tour package include a visit to

Tata Nano plant in Sanand, Pipavav port near Amreli, Alang ship breaking yard in

Bhavnagar and Amul Dairy in Anand.

The package, called Industrial Tour of Gujarat, has been offered by city-based Akshar

Travels Pvt Ltd, official partner of state-run tourism agency Tourism Corporation of

Gujarat Ltd (TCGL), which is promoting the tour on its website.

199.German Nobel laureate Guenter Grass dies at age 87

Guenter Grass, the Nobel-winning German writer who gave voice to the generation that

came of age during the horrors of the Nazi era has died. He was 87.

Grass was lauded by Germans for helping to revive their culture in the aftermath of

World War II and helping to give voice and support to democratic discourse in the post

war nation.

Grass made his literary reputation with ―The Tin Drum,‖ published in 1959. It was

followed by ―Cat and Mouse‖ and ―Dog Years,‖ which made up what is called the Danzig

Trilogy after the town of his birth, now the Polish city of Gdansk.

200.Sania seals historic world no. 1 rank with Charleston title

Sania Mirza created history by becoming the first female tennis player from India to

achieve the world number one rank in doubles.

Sania achieved her stupendous title win at the WTA Family Circle Cup with partner

Martina Hingis.

The top-seeded Indo-Swiss pair defeated Casey Dellacqua and Darija Jurak 6-0 6-4 in

just 57 minutes in the lop-sided final of the $731,000 clay court event.

Before Sania, only Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi had achieved the top rank

when they dominated men‘s doubles circuit in the last 90s.

21.Sun Formed Late in the Star Birthing of the Milky Way

Many of the stars in the Milky Way were formed in a frenzy that peaked 10 billion years

ago, but the Sun formed roughly 5 billion years ago, a comprehensive study has found

The new census was conducted by NASA‘s Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes,

ESA‘s Herschel .Space Observatory and many others such as the Magellan Baada

Telescope at the Las Campanas Observatory, Chile.

All the best ………………