General Awareness Bullet for SBI PO (Main) Exam- 2015fi.ge.pgstatic.net/ebooks/GK Bullet - SBI PO...

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www.pagalguy.com www.pagalguy.com General Awareness Bullet for SBI PO (Main) Exam- 2015 (Comprehensive summary of general awareness topics from April - June 2015) Dear PaGaLGuY readers, This General Awareness Bullet is a comprehensive summary of important news and events that occurred during the period of April- June 2015. This bullet will help you prepare for the State Bank of India PO (Main) Exam 2015. Do print out a hard copy of this for your regular use. Our goal is to ensure that you perform well in your exams and that you have the necessary material readily available. We intend to release PaGaLGuY bullets for various exams every month. This bullet is relevant for Banking, SSC, Insurance and UPSC Exams. To receive all the material that we have, log on to http://www.pagalguy.com Prepared by Shraddha Kakade (http://www.pagalguy.com/@shraddha1411 ) RBI in News Current Rates 1.Repo Rate 7.25percent (changed from 7.50percent) 2.Reverse Repo 6.25percent (changed from 6.50percent) 3.CRR(Cash Reserve ratio) 4 percent (unchanged) 4.SLR (Statutory Liquidity Ratio) 21.5percent (unchanged) 5.MSF (Marginal Standing Facility) 8.25percent (changed from 8.50percent) 6.Bank Rate 8.25percent (changed from 8.50percent)

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General Awareness Bullet for SBI PO (Main) Exam- 2015 (Comprehensive summary of general awareness topics from April - June 2015)

Dear PaGaLGuY readers,

This General Awareness Bullet is a comprehensive summary of important news and events that occurred during the period of April- June 2015. This bullet will help you prepare for the State Bank of India PO (Main) Exam 2015. Do print out a hard copy of this for your regular use. Our goal is to ensure that you perform well in your exams and that you have the necessary material readily available. We intend to release PaGaLGuY bullets for various exams every month. This bullet is relevant for Banking, SSC, Insurance and UPSC Exams. To receive all the material that we have, log on to http://www.pagalguy.com

Prepared by Shraddha Kakade (http://www.pagalguy.com/@shraddha1411 )

RBI in News Current Rates

1.Repo Rate 7.25percent (changed from 7.50percent)

2.Reverse Repo 6.25percent (changed from 6.50percent)

3.CRR(Cash Reserve ratio) 4 percent (unchanged)

4.SLR (Statutory Liquidity Ratio) 21.5percent (unchanged)

5.MSF (Marginal Standing Facility) 8.25percent (changed from 8.50percent)

6.Bank Rate 8.25percent (changed from 8.50percent)

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1. RBI cuts Repo rate by 0.25 percent - The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cut the repo rate by 0.25 percent for the third time this

year to boost growth by lowering borrowing costs. Repo rate was slashed from 7.50 per- cent to 7.25 percent. However, other policy tools remain unchanged with the cash reserve ratio (CRR) at 4 percent and statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) at 21.5 percent.

2. RBI issues guidelines for the 6-year and 13-year interest rate futures - Final guidelines for the 6-year and 13-year cash settled interest rate futures (IRF) have been issued by RBI. The 6-year IRF contracts, will have a coupon bearing government bond as the underlying security (with a face value of Rs.100 and residual maturity between 4 and 8 years on expiry of the IRF). The 13-year IRFs will have a similar bond as the underlying, but with a longer residual maturity of 11 and 15 years.

3. RBI allows banks to borrow without its permission – It was recently announced that banks would be free to borrow from international/multilateral financial institutions without the RBI’s approval. This step was taken to provide greater flexibility to banks seeking access to overseas funds. However, the RBI clarified that it is for general banking business alone and not for increasing capital.

4. RBI permits small amounts in ‘tap and pay’ transactions without PIN – RBI has allowed banks to enable transactions in contactless cards for low values up to Rs.2,000 without requiring a separate PIN authentication. ‘Tap and pay’ refers to the use of near-field communication technology in payment cards wherein instead of swiping the card and keying in payment details, the customer just has to wave a card in front of an acceptance device to pay the bill.

5. RBI to help banks curb loan frauds –The RBI will soon establish and supervise a Central Fraud Registry as an organised database for quick sharing of information about unscrupulous borrowers and help banks fight bad loans. The CBI and the Central Economic Intelligence Bureau (CEIB) are interested in sharing databases with banks, which in turn can be fed into this centralised searchable database to be accessed by banks. According to RBI data, as of December 2014, the gross NPAs (non-performing assets) of PSU banks stood at Rs. 2,60,531 crore.

6. RBI directs public sector banks (PSBs) to appoint an ombudsman - The RBI has advised all PSBs and a few private and foreign banks to appoint an internal ombudsman who would be designated as Chief Customer Service Officer. The RBI has mandated that prior to his/her appointment as the CCSO, he/she should not have served in the same bank. Through this initiative, the RBI aims to improve customer service and effect prompt redressal of customers’ complaints.

7. Infra debt funds can now finance more projects - The RBI has increased the scope of development projects that can be financed under the NBFC-infrastructure debt fund (NBFC-IDF) route, by allowing funding of projects in the public-private partnership (PPP) as well as non-PPP segment without a tripartite agreement provided the projects have completed one year of operations.

8. RBI revises priority sector lending norms - RBI has revised priority sector lending (PSL) norms to ensure increased lending to small farmers. Among other changes, smaller foreign banks will have to lend 40 percent of their net credit to priority sectors. However, they have time till the end of fiscal year 2020 to do this.

9. RBI survey pegs 2015-16 growth at 7.9percent - An RBI sponsored survey has projected economic growth rate at 7.9 percent

for the current fiscal, up from the 7.5 percent in 2014-15. RBI experts have said that in 2015-16, the gross value added at

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basic price (GVA) may increase by 7.9 percent, led by growth in ‘Services’ by 10.1 percent. Earlier, in its monetary policy,

RBI had estimated growth for 2015-16 as 7.8 percent assuming steady financial situation and normal monsoon.

India’s GDP growth rate projected by different organisations for the current fiscal

Organisation Growth rate projected for 2015-16

1. Reserve Bank of India 7.9percent

2. CRISIL (Credit Rating Information Services

of India Ltd.)

7.9percent

3. Morgan Stanley (a multinational financial

services corporation)

7.5percent

4. World Bank 7.5percent

5. Moody’s (bond credit rating corporation) 7.5percent

6. IMF (International Monetary Fund) 7.5percent

10. India’s forex reserves touch record high in May - India’s foreign exchange reserves rose by $262.4 million to touch a record high of $352.13 billion for the week ending on May 8, 2015 as against $ 351.86 billion for the previous week, according to RBI weekly data.

Financial/Banking News

ICICI Bank

1. India’s largest private bank, ICICI Bank, has tied up with a leading UAE-based bank, Emirates NBD, to offer instant remitting service to Indians residing in the Gulf nation. The tie up with will enable customers to transfer funds to ICICI account holders in India within a minute through the Direct Remit service.

2. ICICI Bank has partnered with Tech Mahindra to launch a payment service, 'Tap-n-Pay' based on near-field communications (NFC) technology, enabling customers to make over-the-counter payments without using cash. It can be used for merchant payments by tapping a NFC-enabled mobile phone or a tag on the counter.

3. ICICI Bank became the second Indian bank to launch Mobile Banking app for Apple iWatch.

4. ICICI bank has launched its first branch in Shanghai, China. The branch was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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5. ICICI Bank has launched voice recognition services (VRS), a technology that authenticates customers based on their speech patterns.

State Bank of India (SBI)

1. The bank has launched sbiINTOUCH Contactless Debit Card and SBI Signature Contactless Credit Card for quick, safe and hassle-free payments at merchant outlets.

2. SBI has partnered with digital payment company, PayPal, to facilitate cross-border trade and payments. This will be SBI's first such tie up for remittances and payments. 3. As per the partnership with the e-commerce company, SBI will provide loans to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) at easier interest rates and the data regarding sellers will be provided by Snapdeal.

Other News:

1. Axis Bank & Kochi Metro tie up for debit card-cum-ticket: Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has tied up with Axis Bank for an automated fare collection system (AFC) for the metro. The bank will issue co-branded debit cards to commuters using the Kochi Metro.

2. Central Bank of India tops NPAs list: Central Bank of India has topped the list of PSBs with 21.5 percent of the bank’s assets being bad or have been restructured to save them from turning into NPAs. It is followed by United Bank of India with 19.04 per cent of stressed assets, Punjab & Sind Bank-18.25 per cent, Punjab National Bank-17.85 per cent and Indian Overseas Bank-17.70 per cent. State Bank of Patiala, Allahabad Bank and Oriental Bank of Commerce have bad and restructured loans over 15 per cent.

3. PNB becomes first bank to implement Sukanya Samriddhi Scheme: Punjab National Bank is the first bank to start opening accounts under the Sukanya Samriddhi Scheme. It is scheme for girl children open to girls below 10 years of age. For 2015, the government has allowed a grace period of one year giving eligibility to 11-year-olds also.

4. BMB awarded: Bharatiya Mahila Bank Ltd. (BMB) has been conferred the Asian Banker Achievement Award 2015. It was awarded for Technology Implementation in the Best Outsourcing Project (New Bank) category.

5. EPFO can invest 5percent of its amount in stock market: The government has allowed Employee's Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) to invest five percent of its amount in exchange traded funds. This will result in an inflow of around five thousand crore rupees into the stock markets in this fiscal.

6. YES Bank in UAE: YES Bank, India's 5th largest private sector bank opens its first overseas representative office in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

7. BOB partners with UAE Exchange for NRI money transfer: Bank of Baroda has joined hands with UAE Exchange to offer instant cash transfer facility to NRI customers. This will enable UAE customers to send money to bank accounts in BOB’s Indian branches within minutes.

8. HDFC’s mobile app on the Apple Watch: HDFC Bank became the first Indian bank to launch mobile banking app for Apple iWatch.

9. India is world’s largest destination for remittances: According to World Bank report, India retained the tag of the world’s largest destination for remittances with a bounty of $70.4 billion in 2014.

10. Indian economy to register 8percent growth in 2016-17: Rating organisation, Fitch, has projected that India’s GDP may grow

8percent in the next fiscal year.

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11. HDFC among world’s top consumer finance firms: HDFC emerged as the only Indian company among world's 10 biggest consumer financial services firms, after giants like American Express, Visa and Master-card.

12. Rajya Sabha committee for GST: The government has agreed to the Congress party’s demand of forming a Rajya Sabha select committee on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill. The panel consisting of 21 members will be headed by BJP MP Bhupendra Yadav.

13. India's general insurance sector reported a 12.3 percent growth in gross premium collection at Rs 16,326 crore for the first two

months of the fiscal, as per data released by the General Insurance Council (GIC) in June.

14. HDFC Bank joins Apollo Hospitals to launch prepaid medical card: It is co-branded medical benefits card, which allows

corporates to disburse medical allowance to their employees and has insurance cover for accidents. HDFC bank claimed that this is a first-of-its kind product in the country.

15. According to data from the General Insurance Council (GIC), Maharashtra topped the

country in generating non- life premium, while New Delhi was number one in general insurance density and insurance penetration, during 2013-14.

16. IDBI Bank to have 2000 branches: The PSB is all set to expand its branch network to 2,000

by the end of the current year (from the present 1,740), besides giving e-huts for services to people in rural areas.

17. India, China accounted for 54 percent of the total gold demand - According to the World

Gold Council’s Gold Demands Trends report, India and China accounted for 54 percent of the total global gold consumer demand in the first quarter of this year.

18. Five of the world’s largest banks fined- According to US Department of Justice, five of the

world’s largest banks will pay fines to the tune of $ 5.7 billion for manipulating the foreign exchange market. They are JPMorgan, Citigroup, Barclays, RBS and UBS.

19. 21 FDI proposals cleared: The government has cleared 21 FDI proposals based on

recommendations of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board. 20. MUDRA Banks reaches grass-root level: MUDRA bank has partnered with 19 state and

regional level coordinators to reach small entrepreneurs. MUDRA bank's effort is likely to transform small enterprises into Rs.11 lakh crore industry.

21. Indian Swiss account-holders exposed: Switzerland government releases names of Indians holding accounts in Swiss banks.

Names that were made public are Sneh Lata Sawhney, Sangita Sawhney, Gurjit Singh Kochar, Syed Mohamed Masood and Chaud Kauser Mohamed Masood.

22. To enhance its presence in India, the Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) banking group, is set to open its first rural branch in

Bengaluru by early 2016.

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23. Indian economy in recovery mode: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley states that the Indian economy is recovering after data showed that the economy grew at 7.3 percent in 2014-15.

24. FM announces creation of National Investment and Infrastructure Fund: The initial corpus of the National Investment

Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) is likely to be between Rs.5000-Rs.10000 crore. 25. New Bank Note Paper line inaugurated: The Finance Minister inaugurated the line in Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh. This

establishment is a part of the indigenisation of the Bank Note paper undertaken by Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited (SPMCIL).

26. New service tax applicable since June: New service tax of 14percent, announced by the Finance Minister in his 2015- 16 Budget,

came into effect from 1st June, 2015. 27. OECD predicts India’s GDP to rise 7.3 percent: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has

projected India’s GDP to rise 7.3 percent in 2015. It also estimated that the economy could grow over 8 percent if reforms involving Goods and Services Tax (GST), Land and Labour Laws, etc. were approved by the government.

28. 25 – 30 percent share of urban local bodies in state's share of GST: The Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) has asked for

allocation of 25-30 percent of the state’s share in GST to all urban local bodies. The MoUD argued that urban local bodies will have to deal with a huge fiscal gap once local body tax, octroi and others are scrapped.

29. Federal Bank slashes base rate by 0.25 percent: Federal Bank cut the base rate or the minimum lending rate by 0.25 percent

making it 9.25 percent. Several banks, including the largest public sector lender SBI, have cut lending rates keeping in mind RBI's

second bi-monthly policy review for 2015 -16 in early June.

30. World Bank Report: As per the recent World Bank report, India is among the top 5 emerging economies with highest investment commitments in private sector, infrastructure sector, energy, transport and water, despite a drop in investment commitments of USD 6.2 billion in 2014. The top five countries are Brazil, Turkey, Peru, Colombia and India.

31. Indirect tax collection up by 37 percent: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced that indirect tax collection increased by 37 percent in May and cumulatively increased by 39.2 percent in April and May. He attributed the increase to growth in manufacturing sector due to excise collection.

32. CAD shrinks to 0.2 percent in Q4 – India’s current account deficit (CAD) declined sharply to USD 1.3 billion or 0.2 percent of

the gross domestic product (GDP) in the fourth quarter of 2014-15 on a sequential basis due to a lower trade deficit. CAD shrank to 1.3 percent of the GDP for the full financial year in 2014-15.

33. More interest rate cuts in PSBs - Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, during an annual review meeting with PSBs and financial

institutions, asked the banks to implement rate cuts made by the RBI and lower interest rates for the benefit of customers. 34. To boost pharma sector, govt. to set up Rs.500-crore venture capital - The Government of India, to extend cheaper loans to

domestic pharma industry and boost their growth, plans to set up Rs.500-crore venture capital fund. It has decided to work on

various proposals, including single window clearance for drug approvals, rejuvenate the local pharma sector and make medicines

more affordable.

Appointments and Personalities–India & Abroad

New Appointments in the financial sector:

✓ President of the New Development Bank of the BRICS nations - K V Kamath

✓ Controller General of Accounts (CGA) - M J Joseph

✓ MD & CEO of Syndicate Bank - Arun Shrivastava

✓ President of Japan’s SoftBank Corp. - Nikesh Arora

✓ YES Bank, MD, CEO - Rana Kapoor

✓ Deutsche Bank, CEO - John Cryan

New Appointments in Important Institutions

✓ Chief Election Commissioner of India - Nasim Zaidi. He succeeded HS Brahma.

✓ President of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) – Sumit Mazumder. He succeeded Ajay Shriram.

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✓ Director of ISRO Satellite Centre - M Annadurai. He replaced S K Shiva Kumar.

✓ Chief of Central Industrial Reserve Force (CISF) - Surendra Singh

✓ National Safety Council - K Satish Reddy

✓ Interim Chairperson of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) - Justice Cyriac Joseph.

✓ DRDO Chief - S Christopher

✓ Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister - G Satheesh Reddy

✓ Director General of Doordarshan (News) - Veena Jain

✓ Chancellor of Nalanda University, Bihar - George Yeo

✓ Director General of National Security Guard - R C Tayal

✓ CSIR – Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Director - Dr. Srivari Chandrashekhar

✓ Twitter Inc., CEO - Dick Costolo

✓ Indian Statistical Institute, Director - Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay

New Governors of Indian states

✓ Mizoram - Nirbhay Sharma. He replaced Aziz Qureshi.

✓ Meghalaya - V Shanmuganthan

✓ Tripura - Tathagata Roy

✓ Jharkhand - Draupadi Murmu

✓ Arunachal Pradesh - Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa

✓ Manipur - Syed Ahmed

New Heads of Countries

✓ PM of Peru - Pedro Cateriano. He replaced Ana Jara.

✓ Deputy PM of Saudi Arabia - Mohammed bin Nayef

✓ President of Kazakhstan – Nursultan Nazarbayevre-elected President of Kazakhstan for the

fifth time.

✓ Sudan President - Omar al-Bashir re-elected as President of Sudan.

✓ President of Nigeria - Muhammad Buhari

Other Appointments

✓ Ambassador of India to France - Dr. Mohan Kumar. He replaced Arun Kumar.

✓ Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court - Justice Sunil Kumar Sinha.

✓ First woman judge of Sikkim HC - Meenakshi Madan Rai.

✓ General Secretary of Communist Party of India (Marxist) – Sitaram Yechury. He replaced Prakash Karat.

✓ Chairman of Children's Film Society of India – Mukesh Khanna. He replaced Amole Gupte.

✓ Leader in Lok Sabha for Aam Aadmi Party - Bhagwant Mann.

✓ First Indian-American woman judge in New York - Raja Rajeswari appointed as the first India-born woman to be appointed a

judge in New York City.

✓ First African-American woman Attorney General - Loretta Lynch appointed United States' first African-American woman

Attorney General. She succeeded Eric Holder.

✓ International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach named ambassador of HeForShe by UN Women. HeForShe is a

solidarity campaign for gender equality established by the UN Women.

Summits/Conferences around the world:

Summit / Conference Venue

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1. The 9th International Renewable Energy Agency (IREA)

meeting

Dubai

2. The 5th meeting of SAARC health ministers Delhi, India

3. The 6th National Conference on Nuclear Energy organised by ASSOCHAM, with the theme, ‘Nuclear Energy - A clean Energy option’

Delhi, India

4. Group of seven (G7) Summit Bavaria, Germany

New Books & Authors Book Author

1. Suleiman Charitra Kalyana Malla

2. Aatank Ke Saaye Mein Garima Sanjay

3. Food for All: International Organisation and the Transformation of Agriculture

Uma Lele

4. The Melancholy of Resistance László Krasznahorkai

5. Dealing China - An insider unmasks the new economic

superpower

Henry M Paulson

6. The China Model Daniel Bell

7. Sourav Ganguly: Cricket, Captaincy and Controversy Saptarshi Sarkar

8. Flood of Fire Amitav Ghosh

9. Recasting India Hindol Sengupta

10. Beyond Doubt: A Dossier on Gandhi’s Assassination Teesta Setalvad

Important Committees

Name of the committee Purpose

1. B N Navalawala Committee Task force on inter-linking of rivers

2. Ajay Shankar Committee To suggest simplified compliance for establishing

new industries

3. A K Bhargava Committee Net Neutrality

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4. SS Ahluwalia, Chairman of Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC)

The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) (Second Amendment) Bill, 2015.

5. A.P. Shah Panel, constituted by Finance Ministry To look into applicability of minimum alternate tax (MAT) on foreign institutional investors (FII’s)

6. Bibek Debroy Committee Restructuring of Indian Railways

Deaths

INDIA

1. J.B. Patnaik Former Chief Minister and ex–Assam Governor

2. Bidyut Chakraborty Renowned Assamese film director and actor

3.Hrushikesh Moolgaonkar Former Air Chief Marshal

4.Jayakanthan Tamil writer and recipient of Jnanpith award

5.EM Hanifa Noted singer

6.Malli Mastan Babu One of the top mountaineers from India

7. Bimba Modak Eminent yesteryear Marathi film and stage actress

8. K Vijay Telugu movie choreographer

9. Kailash Vajpeyi Renowned Hindi poet

10. Baleshwar Ram Veteran Congress leader

11. Suchitra Bhattacharya Bengali writer

12. Mrinal Datta Chaudhuri Economist, Academic and Policy Advisor

13. Sister Nirmala Joshi Superior General of Missionaries of Charity

14. Praful Bidwai Veteran journalist and peace activists

WORLD

1. Stanislav Gross Former Czech Republic Prime Minister

2. Surya Bahadur Thapa Former Nepal Prime Minister

3. Sabeen Mahmud Pakistani human rights activist

4. Camille Muffat French swimmer who won three medals at the 2012 Olympics in London.

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5. Alexis Vastine French boxer who won a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

6. Christopher Alan Bayly An expert on post-18thcentury Indian history and British imperial history

7. Richie Benaud Former Australia captain and legendary cricket commentator.

8. Andrew Lesnie Oscar-winning cinematographer.

9. Gunter Grass German novelist, Nobel Laureate

10. Ruth Rendell Renowned crime writer

11. Philip S. Goodman American film, television, stage writer, producer and director

12. Dave Goldberg CEO of Survey Monkey

13. Alexandre Lamfalussy Economist and founding father of the European single currency

14. Elizabeth Wilson Veteran Hollywood actress

15.B.B. King Renowned guitarist, blues legend and once ranked as the third greatest guitarist of all time.

16. Bob Belden Veteran American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger and producer.

17. John Forbes Nash, Jr. Mathematician, Nobel Memorial Prize winner in Economics

18. Charles Kennedy British politician, leader of Liberal Democrats

19. Irwin Rose American Biologist and Noble Prize winner in Chemistry

Persons in News

India

1. Aroon Purie The Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of the India Today Group, Aroon Purie has been selected as

the 'Editor of the Year' by the jury of International Advertising Association (IAA), India. IAA is

the only globally focused integrated advertising trade association with membership

representing advertisers, agencies and the media, from across the globe.

2. Mariyam Asif Siddiqui A class sixth student won the inter-school competition - Gita Champions League - from among

4500 students of 195 schools and proved that religion stands for unity not for division. She

won the prize for explaining the teachings of the Bhagwad Gita.

3. Baba Ramdev Haryana’s state government has decided to accord status equivalent to that of a Cabinet

Minister to the Yoga guru Baba Ramdev. However, Baba Ramdev has declined the offer.

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4. Professor Vikram Patel Professor Vikram Patel was listed among the 2015 Time 100 Most Influential People in the

World.

5. Sachin Tendulkar Indian batting legend, Sachin Tendulkar has been voted as the 'Best Test Player' of the 21st century in an online poll conducted by Cricket Australia. Tendulkar earned 23 percent of the votes followed by Sri Lankan batsman, Kumar Sangakkara

6. Manabai Bandopadhyay She is the first transgender to become a college principal in India and probably in the world.

World

1. Lee Wan South Korean Prime Minster resigned from his post over a bribery scandal.

2. Mohamed Morsi Former President of Egypt sentenced to 20 years in prison for killing protesters while he was

in power.

3. Vladimir Putin Russian President Vladimir Putin is the winner of Time magazine’s 100 readers' poll of most

influential people in the world, for 2015.

4. Jamal Benomar United Nations’ peace envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, has resigned. He was serving as UN

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's special envoy to Yemen since 2012.

5. Ri Su Yong Ri Su Yong, North Korea’s Foreign Minister visited India from 12thApril to 14thApril 2015. This

was the first-ever visit of a foreign minister of North Korea to India.

6. Flyod Mayweather Forbes released the list of world's 100 highest paid athletes on June 2015. World famous boxer, Flyod Mayweather topped the list, followed by Manny Pacquiao and footballer Cristiano Ronaldo in second and third place respectively.

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Awards & Honours

1. Kalashree Award: Jaya Prada was conferred the Kalashree Award by Dada Saheb Phalke Film Foundation for her contributions in the field of arts and entertainment.

2. Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Award 2015: Shah Rukh Khan was conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Award

2015 for his performance in the movie Happy New Year. 3. Master Deenanath Maneshkar award: Anil Kapoor and Dilip Prabhavalkar were conferred

the prestigious Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Award 2015. 4. Heinz Award 2015 – Sangeeta Bhatia, an Indian origin scientist at the Massachusetts

Institute of Technology (MIT), has won the prestigious 2015 Heinz Award in Technology, Economy, and Employment category.

5. Redink Lifetime Achievement Award 2015: Prannoy Roy, the Executive Co-chairman of

NDTV, was conferred the Redink Lifetime Achievement Award 2015. 6. 2015 Commonwealth Short Story Prize - Srinagar-born novelist Siddhartha Gigoo won the

2015 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for Asia region for his work Umbrella Man. 7. Outstanding Service Award - For his services in Singapore, Gopinath Pillai, an Indian-

origin diplomat was honoured with the award by the National University of Singapore (NUS).

8. Officier de la Légion d'Honneur (Officer of the Legion of Honour) - The French

Government honoured former Union Finance Minister and veteran BJP leader Yashwant

Sinha with the Officier de la Légion d'Honneur (Officer of the Legion of Honour).The

award in recognition of his contribution to international issues.

9. Peltier Award 2015 - An Indian-American assistant professor, Rajani Ganesh-Pillai, won this award for her innovative teaching

methods.

10. ‘Margarita, with a Straw’, a film directed by Shonali Bose bagged the best feature film honour at the Washington DC

International Film festival.

11. International Achievement Award 2015 – Dr. Subadhra Devi Rai, an Indian-origin Singaporean nurse was honoured with the

award by the Florence Nightingale International Foundation (FNIF) of the International Council of Nurses. She was awarded for

her work in the healthcare for women and refugees. She received the award on 21stJune 2015 at a conference in Seoul.

12. 'Retail Banker of the Year in Middle East' - Suvo Sarkar, an Indian banker in UAE, has been named 'Retail Banker of the Year in

Middle East'. This is a prestigious award given to global banking leaders for being instrumental in transforming retail bank

operations.

13. White House Champions of Change –Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was awarded the White House Champions of Change title.

He is one of the 12 local Champions of Change to be honoured for exemplary leadership. Champions of Change honour is given

to those who support working families and help make changes in their companies or communities.

14. 2015 Yale World Fellows in US - Indians Zeena Joharn and Rahul Pandita have been named by Yale University as its 2015 World

Fellows, the signature global leadership development initiative at the prestigious US institution.

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15. Golden Peacock National Quality Award 2015 - The award was conferred on Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) for

corporate excellence.

16. Whitley Award 2015 - Dr. Pramod Patil and Dr Ananda Kumar have been awarded the 2015 Whitley Awards for their

contribution to wildlife conservation in developing countries.

Note:

i. Dr. Pramod Patil was awarded for his work to protect the iconic great Indian bustard (GIB) in the Thar Desert.

ii. Dr Ananda Kumar was awarded for developing an innovative communication system, namely Elephant Information Network

(EIN), which has enabled human-elephant coexistence in southern India.

17. Vishwanath Tripathi chosen for 28th Moorti Devi Award for his book Vyomkesh Darvesh.

18. Nadia district in West Bengal was conferred with UN Public Service Award in 2015 for eliminating open defecation.

19. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar conferred with Columbia’s highest civilian award, Orden de la Democracia Simon Bolivar en el grado de

cruz Caballero for spreading the message of peace.

20. Sahitya Akademi announced Bhasha Samman (awarded to individuals with outstanding translation in recognised languages). This

year it was awarded to four scholars:

(a) K Meenakshi Sundaram - For contributions in classical and medieval literature (southern) for 2013

(b) Acharya Munishwar Jha - For contributions in classical and medieval literature (Eastern) for 2014

(c) Charu Pande and Mathuradutt Mathpal - Jointly for enrichment of Kumauni, language of Uttarakhand.

21. Indian Space Research Organisation presented the space pioneer award to Mars Orbiter Mission for 2015.

22. Japan's highest civilian award conferred on CNR Rao - The Emperor of Japan conferred the country's highest award, the ‘Order of

the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star,’ on CNR Rao for his outstanding contributions to science and Indo- Japanese science

cooperation.

23. Syrian journalist and rights activist Mazen Darwish conferred the UNESCO-Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize 2015.

24. Pt. Haridutt Sharma Award - Senior journalist Anurradha Prasad has been conferred with the Pt. Haridutt Sharma Award for her contribution in the field of Journalism, writing and social services. Presently, she is the Editor - in - Chief of News - 24, a Hindi News Channel.

25. The Encore Award - The 2014 Encore Award has been conferred on Indian author Neel Mukherjee for his novel, ‘The Lives of Others’.

26. László Krasznahorkai, visionary Hungarian writer, has won the sixth Man Booker International Prize (2015).

27. Indian filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan’s 'Masaan' has bagged the International Federation of Film Critics (Fipresci) award at the 68th Cannes International Film Festival.

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28. CEAT Cricket Awards 2014 -15 -Ajinkya Rahane won the CEAT Indian Cricketer of the Year award while Sri Lankan captain

Kumar Sangakkara bagged the International Cricketer of the Year award.

List of other award winners in Cricket:

(i) International Lifetime Achievement Award: Kapil Dev

(ii) International Cricketer of the Year: Kumar Sangakkara

(iii) Indian Cricketer of the Year: Ajinkya Rahane

(iv) International Batsman of the Year: Hashim Amla

(v) International Bowler of the Year: Rangana Herath

(vi) T20 Player of the Year: Dwayne Bravo

(vii) Popular Choice Award: Kieron Pollard

(viii) Special Performance of the Year Award: Rohit Sharma

(ix) Domestic Cricketer of the Year: R Vinay Kumar

(x) Young Player of the Year: Deepak Hooda

29. Friends of Bangladesh Liberation War award - Atal Bihari Vajpayee

30. World No Tobacco Day Award - S. S. Negi, the Health and Family Welfare Minister of Uttarakhand

31. Sahitya Akademi announces Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2015 – On June 24, the Sahitya Akademi announced the Bal Sahitya

Puraskar for this year. The award was conferred on five novelists, four short story writers and three poetry authors, one book on

one-act play and eleven writers for their contribution to children’s literature.

List of awardees:

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For novels:

(a) Tiren Boro (Bodo)

(b) Sowmya Rajendran, Niveditha Subramaniam (English)

(c) Ramnath G Gawade (Konkani),

(d) Ramdeo Jha (Maithili) and

(e) Mukti Upadhyay 'Baral' (Nepali)

For short stories:

(a) Nayeem Kashmiri (Kashmiri),

(b) Thockchom Thouyangba Meitei (Manipuri)

(c) Krishna Kumar 'Ashu' (Rajasthani)

(d) Janardan Hegde (Sanskrit)

For poetry:

(a) Tara Chand Kalandri (Dogri)

(b) Srikanta Saren (Santali)

(c) Sella Ganpathi (Tamil)

(d) Bano Sartaj (Urdu)

For contribution to children’s literature:

(a) Eli Ahmed (Assamese)

(b) Kartik Ghose (Bengali)

(c) Dhiruben Patel (Gujarati)

(d) T S Nagraja Shetty (Kannada)

(e) Sivadas (Malayalam)

(f) Leeladhar Hegde (Marathi)

(g) Snehlata Mohanty (Odia)

(h) Sukhdev Madpuri (Punjab

(i) Jetho Lalwani (Sindhi)

(j) Chokappu Venkataramana (Telugu)

Important News - India and the World 1. IFCI a state-owned firm: The Industrial Finance Corporation of India Ltd. has now become a state-owned firm with the

government increasing its stake to 51.04 percent. As a result of this increase, the infrastructure financing firm has become a

government company as per provisions of Section 2(45) of the Companies Act, 2013, with effect from April 7, 2015.

2. India ranked at 125th for fixed broadband penetration: According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), India ranks

125th in the world for fixed broadband penetration. It is below Bhutan and Sri Lanka In the wireless or mobile broadband segment,

India is ranked at 113th with a penetration of 3.2 per 100 inhabitants. Even in terms of information and communications technology

(ICT) access, its use and its skills, India ranks 129th among 166 countries.

3. India among top 5 E- waste producing countries: Globally, India is the fifth biggest producer of e-waste. In 2014, 1.7 million tonnes

(Mt) of electronic and electrical equipment were discarded. The 'Global E-Waste Monitor 2014', compiled by the UN think tank

United Nations University (UNU), said that at 32 percent, the US and China produced highest amount of e-waste in 2014. India came

in fifth, behind the US, China, Japan and Germany.

4. India 119th in Resilience Index: Out of 130 countries, India ranked 119th in the FM Global Resilience Index 2015. Norway topped

the Index, which measures which country is suited for companies seeking to carry out global supply chain operations smoothly.

Venezuela is last on the list.

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5. As part of the Earth Hour City Challenge of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Seoul city, the capital of South Korea, was named

Global Earth Hour Capital 2015. Thane city (Maharashtra) was named National Earth Hour Capital 2015. Balikpapan, Indonesia was

recognised as the Most Loveable City for 2015.

6. Google India is the best employer: Google India has been awarded with the Randstad Award 2015 for 'Most Attractive Employer in

India'. Google was followed by Sony India. Microsoft India has been inducted into the Hall of Fame category this year for winning the

title for four consecutive years.

7. Switzerland tops World Happiness index, India ranks 117: Switzerland topped the third annual World Happiness index produced by

the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the UN’s initiative. Switzerland was followed by Iceland, Denmark, Norway and

Canada. India with its 117th rank is considered to be among the unhappiest countries. Syria ranks last (158), getting the least happy

country tag. The World Happiness Report examined 158 countries and is aimed to influence government policy.

8. 16 yrs new age limit for juveniles committing heinous crimes: Indian government has approved lowering of age limit for juveniles

committing heinous crimes from 18 to 16 years. This amendment will add special provisions to tackle crimes like murder and rape

committed by juveniles.

9. Indian Railways launches online monitoring mechanism: 'E – Samiksha’ aims to monitor implementation of various ongoing

projects of Indian Railways, including Rail Budget proposals, on real-time basis.

10. Indian becomes Britain’s Employment Minister: Indian-origin Priti Patel gets a cabinet rank as Prime Minister David Cameron

promoted her as the new Employment Minister of Britain.

11. Hollande first French prez to visit Cuba: Francois Hollande became the first French president to visit Cuba since its independence

in 1898 and the first Western head of state on the island since the thawing of relations with the US.

12. China world’s top importer of crude oil: Despite a slowing economy, China overtook the US as the world's top importer of crude

oil for the first time in April. Saudi Arabia is the world's top crude exporter. Its state-owned oil firm has an over 10 percent market

share in China and it expects its Chinese operations to grow with demand.

13. Indian elected as mayor in UK: Indian-origin Harbhajan Kaur Dheer became the first Asian woman to be elected as mayor in the

United Kingdom (UK).

14. Tata Power starts programme to conserve fish: Tata Power has launched the 'Act for Mahseer', a sustainable programme focused at

conservation of the Mahseer, an endangered species of fish.

15. Same-sex marriages legal in Ireland: The Republic of Ireland voted in favour of same-sex marriages, making it the first country to

legalise same-sex marriage through popular vote.

16. Bihar offered $250 million: The World Bank has offered a credit of 250 million dollars to the Government of Bihar to improve its

school education programme.

17. State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015 report released - A majority of 72 out of the 129 nations monitored by Food and

Agriculture Organization of the United Nations have achieved the Millennium Development Target of halving the prevalence of

under-nourishment by 2015 while developing regions as a whole missed the target by a small margin.

18. Kolkata - Agartala bus service via Dhaka, the Bangladesh capital, starts from 01st June, 2015.

19. Sushma Swaraj lays foundation stone of the South Asian University - Sushma Swaraj, laid the foundation stone of the South Asian University at Maidangarh, New Delhi. It is an international university established by the 8 member nations of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC).

20. Nestle withdraws Maggi from Indian markets after ban - Following the ban on Maggi in several states due to reports of harmful contents in its samples, Nestle withdrew its popular instant food from Indian markets. The company asserted that the product was completely safe but in light of recent developments and unfounded concern they pulled Maggi off the shelves.

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21. Indian army strikes militants at the Indo-Myanmar border – In a rare operation, the Indian army carried out a surgical strike at two locations on the Indo-Myanmar border destroying two militant camps on June 11. The army claimed that the operation was conducted at Tuensang in Nagaland and Ukhrul in Manipur. Though there is no official information, indications showed that the troops actually crossed the international border.

22. 26 African countries create TFTA - 26 African countries signed a historic deal to facilitate the creation of Africa's largest

free trade zone, the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA). The TFTA will cover 26 countries

spread over an area stretching from the southernmost tip of the African continent (South

Africa) to Cairo (Egypt) in the north. The pact aims to ease movements of goods across

these countries that account for more than half of the continent's GDP. The TFTA pact

combines the following three existing African trade blocs:

Southern African Development Community (SADC)

(b) East African Community (EAC)

(c) Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)

23. First India- China Yoga College at Yunnan Minzu University, China - Minister of State

(MoS) for External Affairs, V K Singh and the Vice Governor of Yunnan Province, Ding

Shaoxiang inaugurated the India-China Yoga College in Yunnan Minzu University earlier this

month. This event came ahead of the first UN Yoga Day that was observed on June 21.

24. China opens Nathu La for Kailash - Mansarovar pilgrims – As a confidence-building

measure between India and China, the Chinese authorities opened a new, safe and convenient

route for Indian pilgrims undertaking the Kailash - Mansarovar Yatra via the Nathu La. The

pass had been closed since the Sino-India war in 1962.

25. India ranks 143rd on a Global Peace Index – An Australian research firm has ranked India

143rd out of 162 nations listed in the Global Peace Index. India's ranking has fallen by 6 percent

in the last 8 years due to several deaths from external conflict, political terror and perception of criminality.

26. U.S legalises gay marriages- The US Supreme court, legalised same-sex marriages, holding that gay people can marry in all the 50

states of the US.

27. Italy initiated international arbitration against India - The Italian government said that it had initiated international arbitration

proceedings in the case of two Italian marines facing trial in India, for killing two fishermen in 2012. This unilateral move comes on

account of the contention between the 2 countries. While India insists that the fate of the two marines be decided by its courts because

its citizens were shot in its territorial waters, the Italian government maintains that since the killing occurred in international waters,

off southern India, it should be dealt with under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

28. Myanmar MPs vote to retain army's veto powers over constitutional change – In a heavy blow to the presidentship hopes of Aung

San Suu-Kyi, majority of members of the Myanmar parliament have voted to retain the army's veto powers over constitutional change.

29. First draft of Nepal constitution presented in the Parliament - In a major development, Nepal's drafting com- mittee presented the

first draft of the Nepal constitution in Parliament later in June. If passed, it would give the country a "secular, inclusive and multi-

ethnic" identity for the first time in history. The draft will be presented to the full 601-member constituent assembly (CA) for

deliberation.

30. Burundi holds elections despite Grenade attacks - Voting continued in the capital Bujumbura as well as some provincial centres

ahead of parliamentary and local elections in Burundi on June 29. The country faces worst crisis since its civil war ended nine years

ago. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for the elections to be postponed after the opposition said they would not take part in

it.

Important News - Indian States

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India's first International Financial Services Centre opened at GIFT city in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has commissioned a second 600 MW thermal unit in Chhattisgarh's Janjgir Champa District

for Dainik Bhaskar Power Limited.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has approved Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand as India's 48th Tiger Reserve.

Uttarakhand now has a two tiger reserves including Corbett Tiger Reserve.

Assam was recognised as the Best e-Panchayat state on National Panchayati Raj Diwas.

Andhra Pradesh government has allotted 27,000 crore rupees for a massive drive to harvest rain water under the Neeru-Chettu (water

and tree) programme. Under this, a water tank would be dug at every village to tap rain water and store it for use. Of the Rs.27,000

crores, Rs.15,000 crores would be drawn from NREGS.

6. The Union Cabinet approves new Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015 – One of the objective of this legislation is to establish the

Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) as the National Standards Body of India, to include goods, services and systems, besides articles and

processes under the standardisation regime and to enable the government to implement mandatory hallmarking of precious metal

articles.

7. Union Cabinet raises solar power generation capacity target – It has raised solar power generation capacity target under the

Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) by five times i.e.1,00,000 MW by 2022.

8. Union Cabinet approves six new IIMs - The Union Cabinet on June 24 approved creation of six new Indian Institutes of

Management (IIM's) in the country. The new IIMs will be located at Sambalpur (Odisha), Sirmaur (Himachal Pradesh),

Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), Amritsar (Punjab), Bodh Gaya (Bihar) and Nagpur (Maharashtra).

9. Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje flags off Jaipur’s metro rail -The Jaipur Metro Rail was rolled out by Rajasthan Chief Minister,

Vasundhara Raje early this month. Jaipur became the sixth state in India to have metro rail services.

10. NHRC issues notice to Jharkhand Govt. for killing 12 maoists - The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued a notice

to the Jharkhand state government over the killing of 12 suspected maoists in an encounter. The deceased included four minors, who

were gunned down in a joint operation of CoBRA battalion and the district police in Bakoria village of Palamu district, Jharkhand.

11. Taj Mahal to have free Wi-Fi for visitors - Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Communication and IT Minister announced that tourists

visiting the Taj Mahal can avail free Wi-Fi services for the first 30 minutes of their visit. As part of the Digital India programme, the

government is working toward providing Wi-Fi hotspots at all cities with tourist centres and a population of over one million.

12. Assam govt. to introduce Right to Health services - With a view to provide affordable, accessible, accountable and quality

healthcare services to all sections of the people. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi announced the decision of the state government to

introduce Right to Health Services. The step aims to ensure better treatment and availability of medicines to reduce maternal mortality

rate, infant mortality rate and improve the overall health scenario of the state.

13. Blue Mormon declared as Maharashtra's State butterfly - Maharashtra state government declared Blue Mormon as the state

butterfly, making it the first state to declare a state butterfly. The 'Blue Mormon' (Papilio polymnestor) is the second largest by size,

only behind the southern bird wing butterfly.

14. Kerala state government declares Snake Bird Day - The Kerala State government declared June 22 as 'Snake Bird Day' as a part of

a campaign to protect the endangered species.

15. Rajasthan shines in commissioning grid-connected solar power projects - As per the data released by the Ministry of New and

Renewable Energy, the state of Rajasthan has topped the list of states commissioning grid-connected solar power projects with an

installed capacity of 1147 megawatt. Gujarat, which remained the leader in solar energy generation till 2014, came second with an

installed capacity of 1000MW.

16. BHEL commissions Bijlee Utpadan’s thermal unit in Bihar - Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited, BHEL, has commissioned a

thermal unit of Kanti Bijlee Utpadan Nigam Limited, KBUNL, in Muzaffarpur, Bihar.

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17. Archaeological museum at Panchkula: Haryana Government to set up an international level museum at Panchkula to display

significant archaeological finds.

18. Rajasthan adopts LED lighting: The state government has started LED home lighting scheme under the Domestic Efficient

Lighting Programme and install over 2 crore LED lights across the state.

19. India to host Paragliding World Cup: The event to be held in in Himachal Pradesh for the first time, will see participation from

over 50 countries.

20. Meghalaya successfully implements PMJDY: The state has been 100 percent successful in implementing the Pradhan Mantri Jan

Dhan Yojna. Over 5.53 lakh households have been covered under the scheme with 1.55 lakh new bank accounts.

21. Jharkhand gets first woman governor: Draupadi Murmu was sworn in as the first woman governor of Jharkhand. She is the ninth

governor of the state.

22. Factories Act, 1948 to be amended: Maharashtra government has decided to make amendments to the Factories Act 1948, thereby

enabling women employees to work night shifts.

23. Himachal Pradesh sets up satellite tracking system to curb forest fires: The system will help the state forest department to

constantly monitor forests by sending SMS alerts to officials in case of a fire within the forest or its vicinity.

24. AFSPA withdrawn from Tripura: Stating that insurgency is declining, the Tripura government has revoked the Armed Forces

Special Powers Act (AFSPA).

25. IIT in Nagpur: Maharashtra state gets approval to set up the state's first Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIT) in

Nagpur. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis declared this news in May.

Important Agreement/ Deal: India & Abroad

1. India & Japan sign agreement on bilateral trade and investment: India and Japan have signed a five-point action agenda to

increase bilateral trade and investment.

The five-point agenda includes:

(i). Development of select townships in India as Japanese industrial townships.

(ii). Promotion of investment and infrastructure development.

(iii). Development and cooperation in IT sector.

(iv). Enhancing cooperation in strategic sectors.

(v). Asia-Pacific economic integration.

India & Bangladesh join hands to protect spectacled Langur: India and Bangladesh will take

concerted conservation efforts to protect the rare spectacled Langur found in the Patharia Hills

Reserve Forest on either side of the fenced border along Karimganj district of Assam's Barak

Valley. This is the only forest in Assam where the Spectacled Monkey is found while Mizoram

and Tripura are the other 2 states that this animal inhabits.

Note: The Spectacled Langur is popularly known as the 'Chasme vala bandar' because it has

a white spectacle-like patch around its eyes. The Patheria Hills Reserve Forest is spread over

an area of around 7000 hectares on the Indian side.

Russia & Argentina sign agreements on economic & energy co-operation: The 2 countries have

signed a series of framework agreements following talks in Moscow. Agreements include

Russian investment in a hydroelectric plant and in a nuclear power plant in Argentina. There was also a memorandum of co-operation

on defence.

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4. EEPC India inks pact with German body for promotion of SMEs: The engineering exporters' body (EEPC) India has signed

an agreement with the German Association to boost business between India and Germany with particular emphasis on the small

and medium-sized business sector.

5. Doordarshan and China Central Television ink agreement: The agreement is for exchange of art, culture and development

television programmes. This exchange will begin by the end of 2015 and both networks will also take up co-production works

for this initiative.

6. Tajikistan Foreign Minister Aslov Sirojidin Muhridinovich was in India on a five-day visit. This is after PM Modi signalled

India’s willingness to join a Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan Trade and Transit Agreement as the fourth partner.

7. India, China ink 24 agreements - Some agreements signed between India and China are as follows:

(a) An MoU on education exchange programme and 'Space Cooperation Outline'.

(b) Four agreements on sister-state and sister-city relations between Karnataka and Sichuan province; Chennai and Chongqing;

Hyderabad and Qingdao; and Aurangabad and Dunhuang.

(c) An agreement on setting up a Mahatma Gandhi skill centre in Ahmedabad.

(d) A broadcast tie up between Doordarshan and China's state-run CCTV.

(e) Protocol for establishment of consulates in Chengdu and Chennai.

(f) Two MoUs between Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Yunnan Minzu University and another with Fudan

University were signed on the establishment of a yoga college and centre for Gandhian and Indian studies respectively.

(g) Other key agreements are on developing China India think-tanks, maritime cooperation and ocean sciences.

8. India and South Korea ink 7 agreements to boost bilateral ties: Following are the agreements:

(a) The Double Taxation Avoidance Convention signed in 1985 has been revised to do away with the burden of double taxation on taxpayers in the 2 countries.

(b) Agreement signed to cooperate in audio-visual co-production, which would enable co-production of films, animation and broadcasting programmes.

(c) The two nations also signed an MoU for cooperation between the National Security Council Secretariat of India and the Office of National Security of South Korea.

(d) Another MoU was signed on cooperation in the field of electric power development and new energy industries.

(e) The two nations also signed an MoU to strengthen and encourage cooperation on youth matters through participation in activities like student exchanges, international conferences, seminars, youth camps, festivals, etc.

(f) A Framework of Cooperation (FOC) in the Field of Road Transport and Highways was also signed.

(h) An MoU on cooperation between the two countries in the fields of maritime transport and logistics including by sharing of technologies, information and experiences, training of seafarers, exchange of experts and port operations, etc. was also signed.

9. India & Mongolia sign 13 agreements - The agreements were signed in the presence of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Mongolian counterpart Chimed Saikhanbileg. Some of the agreements are: (a) Air services agreement between the Mongolian and Indian government. (b) Agreement on cooperation in the field of animal health and dairy. (c) Treaty between the two nations on transfer of sentenced prisoners. (d)An MoU between the government of India and Mongolia on cooperation in the traditional systems of medicine and homeopathy.

10. Union Cabinet approves coastal shipping agreement between India and Bangladesh: The agreement on coastal shipping between the two nations will allow coastal movement of goods.

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11. India and the US renew Defence Framework Agreement (DFA): The 10-year Defence Framework Agreement as renewed and two project agreements on the joint development of mobile electric hybrid power sources and the next generation protective ensembles were finalised. Further, the countries have agreed to accelerate talks on cooperation on jet engines, aircraft carrier design and construction, among other areas.

12. India and Belarus sign six MoUs – MoUs were signed in fields like textile, standardisation and broadcasting. In other words, between (a) the Prasar Bharati and National State TV and Radio Company of Belarus, (b) Bureau of Indian Standards and the Belarus State Committee for Standardisation and (c) the Indian Textile Ministry and Belarusian State Concern for Manufacturing and Marketing of Light Industry Goods. Another MoU on bilateral cooperation was signed between SEBI and the Ministry of Finance, Belarus. The two governments also signed a protocol, amending the agreement for the Avoidance of Double taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to taxes on income and property.

13. Union Cabinet approves Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicle Agreement - To boost economic ties with the countries in South Asia, the Union government signed a road connectivity pact with Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal on June 15. This agreement will benefit the South Asian countries by improving cross-border movement of passengers and goods for overall economic development of the region.

Corporate Deals / Acquisitions/ Mergers

Indian technology giant Infosys has announced the establishment of its first overseas centre in China’s Guizhou province, with an

investment of about $120 million to tap the burgeoning Chinese market.

Future Retail and Bharti Retail will be merged with each other. While Future Retail will host retail operations of both the companies,

Future Enterprises will host the infrastructure, investments and assets.

3. Arcelor Mittal has signed an MoU with India's leading steel manufacturer, the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) to set up and automotive steel plant.

4. E-commerce major, Snapdeal, has acquired a Hyderabad-based mobile technology startup, 'MartMobi', for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition was aimed at strengthening Snapdeal's mobility platform for merchant partners.

5. Intel Corp. buys Altera Corp. for $16.7 billion to defend its presence in data centres. Intel’s move seeks to cope with growth and rising costs, while securing its most profitable business.

6. India's largest private miner Vedanta Ltd. is set to absorb oil firm Cairn India for 2.3 billion dollars. It is an all-share deal to create India's largest diversified natural resources company. It is reported that Vedanta will use Rs.16,867 crore cash lying with Cairn to pay-off a chunk of its Rs.77,752 crore debt.

7. SunEdison Inc., the largest renewable energy development company, signed a conclusive agreement to acquire Singapore-based Continuum Wind Energy Limited that also has assets in India. Continuum owns and operates 242 megawatts (MW) AC of wind power plants in Maharashtra and Gujarat, has 170 MW of wind power under construction in Madhya Pradesh and is developing more than 1000 MW of wind power plants across six Indian states.

8. Snapdeal acquired mobility solutions company, Letsgomo Labs to improve its mobile technology capacity as 75 percent of Snapdeal’s sales are through mobiles.

9. Ericsson has inked a pact with Sterlite Technologies to work together for the smart city initiative in India. The two companies will design a roadmap to provide services required to create a fully functioning knowledge-based society.

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Important Schemes launched by Govt. of India

1. Rs.1000 minimum monthly pension scheme to continue: The government has decided to continue the Rs.1000 minimum monthly

pension social security scheme that is run by the Employment Provident Fund Organisation. Earlier, the EPFO had suspended this

scheme. The scheme was launched in September 2014, hiking the pension amount to a flat Rs.1000 per month for those who were

getting lower amounts earlier.

2. ‘Visa-on-arrival’ Scheme to be called e-tourist visa: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has renamed tourist visa on

arrival-electronic travel authorisation scheme (TVoA-ETA) to e-tourist visa (eTV) with effect from 15thApril 2015. Foreign

tourists were confused with Visa on Arrival (VoA) scheme as other countries allowed tourists to land and then get a visa. They

assumed that they would similarly be granted visa on arrival upon landing in India.

About e-tourist visa scheme -

1. e-tourist visa scheme is a pre-authorisation of foreigners’ visa issued before flight.

2. A foreign tourist is required to apply for a visa online by uploading his photograph, passport and paying his visa fee online.

3. Then, authorities process his application and send him an electronic travel authorisation, or e-visa via e-mail within 72 hours.

4. TVoA-ETA was launched in November 2014. It enabled electronic travel authorisation to visitors from 44 countries at 9

airports across India.

Government launches FAME-India scheme to boost electric, hybrid vehicle sales: The government has launched the Faster

Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles (FAME) - India scheme. This aims to boost sales of eco-friendly

vehicles in the country. It is a part of the National Mission for Electric Mobility. The scheme envisages providing Rs795 crores

in support till 2020 for the manufacturing and sale of electric and hybrid vehicles.

Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana: The Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana is a small deposit scheme for the girl child launched as part of the

‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ campaign. The scheme, which is specially designed to fund girls' higher education or marriage

expenses, was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It also offers income tax benefits under section 80C of the Income

Tax Act, 1961. Following are the highlights of the scheme:

Opening of Accounts: Under this scheme, accounts can be opened at any post office or at any authorised branch of a

commercial bank. In one family, a maximum of two accounts can be opened for two girl children. The account can be

transferred anywhere in India from one post office/bank to another.

Age Limit: An account can be opened at any time from the birth of a girl till she is 10 yrs old. The govt. has given a

relaxation of one year in the upper age limit for those opening accounts till December 1, 2015.

Documents required for the scheme: To open an account under this scheme, one would need:

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(i) Birth Certificate of the girl child. (ii)Address proof (iii) Identity proof

Minimum & Maximum deposit: The minimum deposit under the scheme is Rs. 1000. Thereafter, any amount in multiples of

Rs.100 can be added. The maximum deposit is Rs. 1.5 lakhs. There is no limit on the number of investments one can make

in an account either in a month or a year. Deposits under the scheme can be made through cash, cheque or demand draft.

Interest rate: The government will announce the interest rate for this scheme every year. However, it has increased the rate

of interest from 9.1percent (2014-15) to 9.2percent (2015-16).

Maturity period: The maturity period of the scheme is 21 years from the date of opening the account, though deposits need

to be made only for the first 14 years. The minimum lock-in in period under the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana is 11 years.

Withdrawal: The deposited money can be fully withdrawn only after the girl turns 21. However, an account holder can

withdraw up to 50 percent of the amount at the end of the previous financial year for the girl's higher education or marriage

after she turns 18. If the money is not withdrawn even after the girl turns 21, it will continue to earn interest.

5. Prime Minister Modi launches 3 social security schemes -

(a) Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana: It is a new life insurance plan that will offer Rs.2 lakh cover at Rs.330 premium

every year.

(b) Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana: The scheme will offer a renewable one year accidental death-cum-disability cover

of Rs.2 lakh at Rs.12 premium every year. The insured will get Rs. 1 lakh in case of partial permanent disability.

(c) Atal Pension Yojana: This scheme is for people employed in the unorganised sector and thus outside of a formal pension

net. Subscribers will get guaranteed minimum pension from the age of 60. The pension could be Rs.1000, Rs.2000, Rs.3000,

Rs.4000 or Rs.5000 per month, depending on the size of the contribution. Aadhar number is not mandatory for joining the

pension scheme. The minimum age limit for subscribers is 18 years and the upper limit is 40 years.

6. Rs.20,000-crore budget for Namami Gange scheme - The government has approved Rs. 20,000 crore budget for ‘Namami

Gange’ programme, which integrates efforts to clean and protect the River Ganga in a comprehensive manner.

7. Jal Kranti Abhiyaan launched- The Union Minister of Water Resources, Uma Bharti launched the 'Jal Kranti Abhiyan' in

Rajasthan, to turn one water-stressed village in each district of the state into a water surplus village. As per this, a village with

water scarcity will be identified as, 'Jal Gram' on a pilot project and a comprehensive integrated development plan will be

framed for several water conservation activities including rain water harvesting, recycling of waste water, micro irrigation for

efficient water use and mass awareness program.

Science Tech and Defence News

1. India ranks 13th in terms of generation of electricity from nuclear sources as per data published by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). India's current installed nuclear power capacity is 5780 MW.

2. NASA is developing a 'robotic eel' that could explore the icy water of Jupiter's moon-Europa and power itself with energy derived from local magnetic fields. The goal is to enable amphibious exploration of gas-giant moons like Europa.

3. Canada has announced plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. The government has formally submitted its target to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

4. Indian government has allocated Rs.5,000 crore for the growth of Department of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy).

5. India on 18th May 2015 assumed Presidency of the 68th World Health Assembly (WHA).

6. A report by a Chinese research institution has ranked India in the 6th place in the ranking of space-faring nations.

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7. India was ranked 24th out of 70 countries in the first Environmental Democracy Index 2015. Lithuania tops the index while

Latvia and Russia come second and third.

8. According to the Department of Science and Technology, India has jumped from the tenth position to the sixth, in terms of

publishing scientific research papers in different journals.

9. SIMBEX – 15, a bilateral naval exercise was conducted between the Indian and Singaporean navies from May 23rd to May 26th, 2015.

10. After eliminating Polio, India is set to win the battle against tetanus at childbirth, which is known to have claimed the lives of 2 lakh adults and children every year at its peak.

11. The Hague-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has stated that 90 percent of the world’s

chemical armaments stockpile have been destroyed

12. The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) has launched a cyber-security task force to

transform India into a cyber-security research and training hub.

13. The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) designed and developed an indigenous Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) that

successfully completed the hot weather flight trials this month. The helicopter is designed to carry out dedicated combat roles

such as air defence, anti-tank, scout and support combat search/rescue missions.

14. According to NASA, June 30 this year was officially a second longer as an extra or 'leap' second was added to the day. NASA also

clarified that as the Earth's rotation is gradually slowing down, leap seconds are a way to account for that. The world is preparing to

add a leap second to make the world's clocks in sync with the Earth's rotation.

15. India successfully test-fires Agni-III missile, which is a surface-to-surface missile with a strike range of 3,000 km. It was test-fired

from a mobile launcher at the Integrated Test Range in Wheeler Island of Dhamra. Agni-III has a length of 17 metres and a launch

weight of around 48 tonnes. Note: Agni-II was inducted into the armed forces in June 2011.

16. India successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable Dhanush ballistic missile with a strike range of 350 km from a naval ship off the

Odisha coast. The surface-to-surface Dhanush, a naval variant of India's indigenously-developed Prithvi missile, was test-fired from a

ship in the Bay of Bengal by the Strategic Force Command (SFC) of the defence force.

17. The Indian Navy's first Scorpene-class submarine, under Project 75, was undocked at the Mazagaon Dock Limited (MDL) in the

presence of the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. The diesel-electric powered Scorpene submarine (to be called INS Kalvari after

commissioning) will undergo extensive sea trials before it is cleared for the Indian Navy’s use.

18. The first of the P15-B stealth destroyers, INS Visakhapatnam, was launched at the naval investiture ceremony at Mazagaon Dock

Limited (MDL), Mumbai. Indigenously developed twin-tube torpedo launchers and rocket launchers add punch to the ship's anti-

submarine capability.

19. NASA’s new initiative will lead the search for signs of life beyond our solar system. The Nexus for Exoplanet System Science, or

NExSS, will take a multidisciplinary approach to the hunt for alien life. The project will not only expand the network of researchers

collaborating on exoplanets but also help NASA develop missions to hunt for exoplanets in the 2020s and beyond.

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20. VARUNA, a naval exercise involving India & France, commences in Goa. It is aimed at deriving mutual benefits from the

experiences of the two navies and strengthening the bilateral ties between the nations. The Indian and French Navy have been

conducting naval exercises since 1983. After the establishment of a strategic partnership in 1998, these exercises were christened as

VARUNA in 2001.

21. Pakistan and Russia have agreed to hold their first-ever joint military exercises as part of their enhanced defence cooperation, in a

sign of increasing bonhomie between the Cold War-era adversaries.

Sports Scan

Laureus Sports Awards 2015:

1. Sportsman of the Year award – Novak Djokovic (Serbian professional tennis player)

2. Sportswoman of the Year award – Genzebe Dibaba (Ethiopian middle and long-distance runner)

3. Team of the Year – Germany’s National Football team.

4. Exceptional Achievement award - Li Na (China) retired tennis player.

5. Laureus Breakthrough of the Year award - Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull formula One driver)

6. Spirit of Sport award: Yao Ming (retired Chinese professional basketball player)

7. Comeback of the year award – Schalk Burger ( South African rugby union player)

8. Action Sportsperson of the year award: Robert Alan Eustace (American computer scientist who served as Senior Vice

President of Knowledge at Google)

9. Sportsperson of the year with a Disability: Tatyana McFadden (Russian-born United States Paralympian athlete)

Cricket News

1. Allan Donald stepped down as South Africa's bowling coach.

2. Gujarat beat Punjab by 2 wickets and won the Syed Mushtaq Ali T-20 cricket tournament 2015.

3. The New Zealand team’s captain Brendon McCullum has been awarded the Sir Richard Hadlee medal, the country's highest

cricketing honour, for his inspirational leadership and exemplary batting.

4. The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the team of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 with New Zealand team’s

captain Brendon McCullum as its captain.

5. Indian batsman Rohit Sharma has been nominated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for this year’s Arjuna

Award.

6. Zimbabwe to be the first Test team to tour Pakistan since 2009: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has confirmed that Zimbabwe

will be the first Test team to tour Pakistan since 2009, when militants attacked the Sri Lankan team in Lahore.

7. South Africa launches ‘Africa T20’ Cup: To promote cricket in the African continent and nurture young talents, Cricket South

Africa (CSA) announced the launch of the Africa T20 Cup. The tournament featuring Zimbabwe, Kenya, Namibia, hosts South

Africa and 12 CSA affiliates will run from 4thSeptember to 4thOctober 2015.

8. BCCI bans Sunil Narine from bowling off-spinners: West Indies player Sunil Narine has been banned from bowling off-spinners

in all matches organised by the BCCI, including the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). Applying the IPL Suspected Illegal

Bowling Action Policy, the BCCI Suspect Bowling Action Committee has concluded that Narine's bowling action for his off-

spinner contravenes Law 24.2 (as read with Law 24.3) of the Laws of Cricket.

9. Jonathan Trott to retire from international cricket: England batsman Jonathan Trott announced his retirement from

international cricket with immediate effect after a disappointing tour of the West Indies.

10. Team India moves to 4th place in the latest ICC Test rankings.

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11. Joe Root and Charlotte Edwards were named as England Men and Women Cricketers of the Year 2014-15, respectively.

12. Mumbai Indians won IPL 8 final against Chennai Super Kings by 41 runs.

13. India, dropped to a new low losing to Bangladesh in the second of the three-match series held at Mirpur. The team suffered an

embarrassing six-wicket loss. Following this victory, the Bangladeshi team has qualified for the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, to be

held in England.

Football News

1. The United Arab Emirates won the bid to host the 17th edition of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in 2019.

2. Jammu and Kashmir will host this year's Federation Cup ootball championship in Srinagar. The championship would be held in

the third week of August.

3. The BRICS Under - 17 football tournament to be held in India in 2016: According to the

apex industry body ASSOCHAM, an MoU was signed on May 13 with Brazilian

representatives, in New Delhi.

4. FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke confirmed that Russia and Qatar will host the

Football World Cups in 2018 and 2022 respectively.

5. Barcelona made history on June 7 after winning the club’s fifth Union of European

Football Association (UEFA) title and completing a second treble with a 3-1 victory.

6. A tiny Island nation, Guam defeated India with a score of 2-1, stunning the world and

qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

7. Stan Wawrinka won the French Open Finals held on June 5. The Swiss eighth seed,

played a 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-4 game against Novak Djokovic to win his career's first French

Open title. This feat makes him only the second Swiss to win at Roland Garros after Roger

Federer.

8. Roger Federer wins Gerry Weber open for a record eighth time. This makes it Federer's

fourth title in 2015, previous three victories being in Istanbul, Dubai and Brisbane.

Hockey News -

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1. Railways win Senior Men's National Hockey championship: Railways defeated Uttar Pradesh Hockey by 5-3 in the final and won

the Senior Men's National Hockey championship.

2. Sultan Azlan Shah Cup men's hockey tournament - New Zealand defeated World Champions Australia by 3-1 in the final. New

Zealand won the title for only the second time. New Zealand's first victory came in 2012 against Argentina.

Tennis News

Miami Open 2015 (Miami Masters)

Title Winner Runner-up

Men’s Singles Novak Djokovic Andy Murray

Men’s Doubles Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan Vasek Pospisil & Jack Sock

Women's Singles Serena Williams Suarez Navarro (Spain)

Women's Doubles Sania Mirza &Martina Hingis Ekaterina Makarova & Elena

Vesnina

Novak Djokovic defeated Tomas Berdych by 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 to win the Monte Carlo title 2015. He became the first man to win the

opening three Masters 1000 events in a season.

Sania Mirza becomes the first Indian woman to achieve the World no. 1 rank in the doubles category in Tennis. She is also the first

female player from India to win Grand Slam tournaments.

Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis defeated the Australian-Croatian pair of Casey Dellacqua and Darija Jurak to win the USD 731,000

WTA Family Circle Cup doubles title.

Yuki Bhambri won the Uzbekistan F1 Futures Men's singles title by defeating Dzmitry Zyrmont of Serbia.

India's Y Pranjala defeated top seed Chinese Zheng Wushuang in the final match of the Asian Junior Tennis championship to clinch

the title.

6. Andy Murray defeated Rafael Nadal in the final to win the Madrid Masters Men's Singles Title.

7. Rohan Bopanna (India) and Florin Mergea (Romania) defeated Marcin Matkowski (Poland) and Nenad Zimonjic (Serbia) by

6-2, 6-7 (5-7), [11-9] to win the 2015 Madrid Open Men's Doubles title.

8. Casey Dellacqua (Australia) and Yaroslava Shvedova (Russia) defeated the Spanish pair Garbie Muguruza and Carla Suárez

Navarro by 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), [10-5] to win the 2015 Madrid Open Women's Doubles title.

9. Russian tennis player, Maria Sharapova clinched her third Rome Masters Tennis title after defeating Carla Suarez Navarro of

Spain by 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in the final.

10.World no 1 tennis player, Novak Djokovic lifted his fourth Rome Masters Tennis title after defeating Roger Federer 6-4, 6-3

in the final.

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11.The Hungarian-French pair, Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic defeated the Indo-Swiss pair of Sania Mirza and Martina

Hingis 6-4, 6-3 in the final to win the Rome Masters title.

12.The Uruguay - Spain pair, Pablo Cuevas and David Marrero defeated the Spanish pair of Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez

in the final to win the men's double Rome Masters title.

Badminton News

Badminton Asia Championship Title 2015

Title Winner Runner-up

Men’s Singles Lin Dan (China) Tian Houwei

Women's Singles Ratchanok Intanon (Thailand) Li Xuerui (China)

Men’s Doubles Lee Yong-Dae &Yoo Yeon-Seong Mohammad Ahsan & Hendra Setiawan

Women’s Doubles Ma Jin & Tang Yuanting Wang Xiaoli & Yu Yang

1. Li Xuerui defeated Saina Nehwal to win the Malaysia Open Super Series Premier title.

2. Saina Nehwal regains no. 1 spot in world badminton rankings.

3. Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa won the Canada Open women's doubles title scoring a 21-19, 21-16 against the Dutch

pair of Eefje Muskens and Selena Piek at Calgary, Canada.

Chess

1. Indian youngster, Chess player Tejaswini Sagar won her maiden world title bagging the gold in the under-15 category of World School Chess Championship.

Boxing:

1. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. defeats Manny Pacquiao: In a boxing fight that was high in terms of viewership and revenue, American

boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr. defeated Philippine’s Manny Pacquiao on a unanimous decision to win the unified World

Welterweight title of World Boxing Council, World Boxing Organisation and World Boxing Association.

2. Mandeep Kaur Sandhu, a 15 year old from Punjab, won two gold medals at the Women's World Junior Boxing Championship in

Taipei.

Shot Put

1. Vikas Gowda, the ace Indian discus thrower won a bronze medal in the second leg of the prestigious IAAF Diamond League series in Shanghai. The 31-year-old hurled the disc to a distance of 63.90 metres to make the cut.

2. Inderjeet Singh won gold in Men's shot put at the Asian Athletic Championship. He clinched the prize by heaving the iron ball to a new record of 20.41 m.

Formula one

1. 1. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg of Germany claimed the Spanish Grand Prix Formula 1 World Championship title by winning the final race held at Barcelona, Spain.

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Other Sports News

1. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton wins the Bahrain Grand Prix 2015.

2. Haryana’s Ashish Jakhar set a national youth record in boys' hammer throw on the second day of the 12th National Youth

Athletics Championships. He hurled the 5kg ball-and-chain to a new distance of 71.92m. The previous national record was set by

Haryana's Sukhdev Singh (70.35m) in 2009. So far in this season only Chinese thrower Xu Wenjie, with a 72.35m throw, has a

better mark than Ashish in the Asian rankings.

3. Wladimir Klitschko of Ukraine defeated Bryant Jennings of America in the final and successfully defended his world

heavyweight boxing title for the 18th time in a row.

4. India have been crowned as the champions in the 22nd President's Cup Boxing Tournament for the first time. It was held at

Palembang, Indonesia.

5. Rakesh Kumar in the 69 kg weight class and Harpal Singh in the 75kg category clinched gold medals at the 22nd President's Cup

Boxing Tournament in Indonesia.

6. India's Shamjetsabam Sarjubala (48kg) and Pinki Jangra (51kg) clinched gold medals at the 22nd President's Cup Boxing

Tournament in Indonesia.

7. Asian Athletics Championship Games - Tintu Luka, Indian track and field athlete, bagged her maiden gold by winning the

women's 800m finals. India finished third with 4 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze medals in the championship behind China, Qatar and

Japan.

List of Important Days

Sr. no. DATE DAY

1. 01st May International Labour Day

2. 1st Tuesday of May

Observed as Global Initiative for Asthama (GINA), the theme being, ‘You can contro. your Asthama’

3. 03rd May World Press Freedom Day

4. 11th May National Technology Day

5. 22nd May International Day for Biological Diversity

6. 23rd May World Turtle Day

7. 05th June Observed as World Environment Day, Theme for 2015: ‘Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care’

8. 13th June World Day against Child Labour

9. 21st June International Yoga Day

10. 26th June International Day against Drug abuse and Illicit Trafficking

Important Hydroelectric Power Plants / Dams in India

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Plant State River

1. Tehri Dam Uttrakhand Bhagirathi

2. Nathpa Jhakri Dam Himachal Pradesh Sutlej

3. Pong Dam or Maharana

Pratap Sagar

Himachal Pradesh Beas

4. Bhakra Dam Himachal Pradesh Sutlej

5. Chamera Dam Himachal Pradesh Ravi

6. Salal Hydroelectric Power

Station

Jammu & Kashmir Chenab

7. Uri Dam Jammu & Kashmir Jhelum

8. Nimmo – Bazgo Leh, Jammu & Kashmir Indus

9. Chutak Kargil, Jammu & Kashmir Suru

10. Kishanganga Hydroelectric

Project

Jammu & Kashmir Kishanganga

11. Srisailam Dam Andhra Pradesh, Telangana Krishna

12. Nagarjuna Sagar Dam Andhra Pradesh, Telangana Krishna

13. Idukki Kerala Periyar

14. Mettur Dam Tamil Nadu Kaveri

15. Sardar Sarovar Gujarat Narmada

16. Indira Sagar Madhya Pradesh Narmada

17. Koyna Hydroelectric Power

Project

Maharashtra Koyna

18. Bansagar Dam Madhya Pradesh Sone

19. Mulshi Dam Maharashtra Mula

20. Hirakud Dam Odisha Mahanadi

21. Ranjit Sagar Dam Punjab Ravi

22. Baglihar Dam Jammu & Kashmir Chenab

Thermal Power Stations in India

Power Station Location District State

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1. Mundra Thermal

Power Station

Mundra Kutch Gujarat

2. Mundra Ultra Mega

Power Project

Mundra Kutch Gujarat

3. Vindhyachal Super

Thermal Power Station

Vindhya Nagar Singrauli Madhya Pradesh

4. Tiroda Thermal

Power Station

Tirora Gondia Maharashtra

5. Korba Super Thermal

Power Plant

Jamani Palli Korba Chhattisgarh

6. Chandrapur Super

Thermal Power Station

Urjanagar Chandrapur Maharashtra

7. Sipat Thermal Power

Station

Sipat Bilaspur Chhattisgarh

8. Trombay Thermal

Power Station

Trombay Mumbai Maharashtra

9. Khaperkheda

Thermal Power Station

Khaperkheda Nagpur Maharashtra

10. Satpura Thermal

Power Station

Sarni Betul Maharashtra

11. Ukai Thermal

Power Station

Ukai Dam Tapi Gujarat

12. Sikka Thermal

Power Station

Jamnagar Jamnagar Gujarat

13. Talcher Super

Thermal Power Station

Kaniha Angul Odisha

14. Hirakud Captive

Power Plant

Hirakud Sambhalpur Odisha

15. Chandrapura

Thermal Power Station

Chandrapura Bokaro Jharkhand

16. Barauni Thermal

Power Station

Barauni Begusarai Bihar

17. Durgapur Thermal

Power Station

Durgapur Bardhaman West Bengal

18. Rihand Thermal

Power Station

Rihand Nagar Sonebhadra Uttar Pradesh

19. Singrauli Super

Thermal Power Station

Shaktinagar Sonebhadra Uttar Pradesh

20. Anpara Thermal

Power Station

Anpara Sonebhadra Uttar Pradesh

21. Suratgarh Super

Thermal Power Station

Suratgarh Sri Ganganagar Rajasthan

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22. Obra Thermal

Power Station

Obra Sonebhadra Uttar Pradesh

23. Sasan Ultra Mega

Power Project

Sasan Singrauli Madhya Pradesh

24. Panki Thermal

Power Station

Panki Kanpur Uttar Pradesh

25. Simhadri Super

Thermal Power Station

Vishakapatnam Vishakapatnam Andhra Pradesh

26. Neyveli Thermal

Power Station

Neyveli Cuddalore Tamil Nadu

27. Mettur Theral

Power Station

Mettur Salem Tamil Nadu

28. Udupi Theral Power

Station

Nandikoor Udupi Karnataka

29. Bellary Theral

Power Station

Kudatini Bellary Karnataka

30. Chhabra Thermal

Power Plant

Mothipura Baran Rajasthan

Nuclear Power Stations in India

Power Station Location District State

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1. Tarapur

Atomic Power

Station

Tarapur Thane Maharashtra

2. Rajasthan

Atomic Power

Station

Rawatbhata Chittogarh Rajasthan

3. Kakrapar

Atomic Power

station

Kakrapar Surat Gujarat

4. Kundankulam

Nuclear Power

Plant

Kundankulam Tirunelveli Tamil Nadu

5. Kaiga Nuclear

Power Plant

Kaiga Uttara Kannada Karnataka

6. Madras Atomic

Power Station

Kalpakkam Kancheepuram Tamil Nadu

7. Narora Atomic

Power Station

Narora Bulandshahr Uttar Pradesh

8. Gorakhpur

Atomic Power

Station

Fatehabad Fatehabad Haryana

9. Jaitapur

Nuclear Power

Project

Madban Ratagiri Maharashtra

All the Best ….

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