Gyanm general awareness_issue_january_2016

GENERAL AWARENESS – JANUARY 2016 1

CURSE OF TERRORISM

Nations are struggling with disbelief at the appalling barbarism in Paris. It's time we took stock of the various discourses of faith and freedom to arrive at a more meaningful discourse. It is the origin and the rise of the ISIS and the anti-Muslim discourse that lie at the heart of the problem. Going beyond stereotypes, a balanced view has to emerge in which both the West and Islam may be held accountable, so that 'collateral damage' is made as culpable as the innocents’ killings by terrorists. The post-9/11 attack on Iraq and Afghanistan and the war on terror have aggravated the situation, bringing the world to a level of panic not seen since World War II. The abuses in Abu Gharaib and Guantanamo, the provocation over the cartoons in Europe, and now the Paris carnage, add enough fuel to the raging ethnic hatred for which the blame falls squarely on both the West and the Muslim world. Ten months after the Charlie Hebdo killings, it is apparent that any solution to such brutality across the world must take recourse to religious open-mindedness and inviolability of human rights. The world is now a single battleground where attention has to be given to refugee influx, islamophobia, uncontrolled radicalisation and economic disparity. It has to be admitted that rabid Islamic fundamentalism is inherently flawed in its outrageous discourse of wholesale destruction of the existing order to usher in a better world. While there is terrorism all over the world, here is a characteristic religious endorsement of violence hardly seen elsewhere. The ISIS is the new scourge of terrorism and its unabashed barbarity is for all to see. These are the people who will slit the throat of another Muslim as easily as they would that of a non-Muslim. Unlike the al-Qaida, the ISIS is against all those it sees as apostates, who do not subscribe to its orthodox interpretation of Islam, including even the Muslims. The question is how best to defeat and overpower the diabolical mindset of the radical terrorist who, armed with the mullahs’ fiery words, feels vindicated by blowing himself up along with scores of innocents. This new jihadi is young, educated and raised in the West, who desires to turn the clock back to a narrow interpretation of his religion, dreaming of an Islamic caliphate in the 21st century. How is one to counter, in this modern world, such misplaced vision of grandiosity? Notwithstanding a clear denunciation of Islamaphobia, significant lessons are to be learnt by the West as well: if it hopes to save itself from the effects of bigotry, it has to uphold broad secularism. Attention to a comprehensive national identity, where all sections of society can be subsumed, is primary for Western nations. 'Liberal' societies need to be receptive to a much broader range of religions that are not necessarily inflexible

or dogmatic as they are made out to be. Right-wing Western ideologies with a parochial anti-Muslim stance must be guarded against equally lest the differences break up multi-ethnic societies. Coordinated information among various European states, better surveillance and stricter background checks can check cross-border terrorism. Tough measures to check the easy availability of WMD have to be introduced. Understandably, better technology means bigger risks as is obvious from the Internet and its misuse. Primarily, of course, the de-radicalisation of youth through education is the need of the hour. Retaliatory bombing, as such, will hardly suffice to check terrorism. Similarly, denigrating Islam as a means of promoting radicalism is a miscalculation as a vast majority of Muslims are non-violent, law-abiding citizens. If the West were to make a concerted effort to educate and integrate the disgruntled elements into the mainstream, we could perhaps hope for a solution. This solution flies in the face of the Paris attacks mastermind, who was involved in gangsterism, petty crimes and drug peddling. Unfortunately, a sizable portion of these immigrants, largely Muslim, have not been assimilated within the French society where multiculturalism is still on paper. France's record of social welfare schemes for the marginalised is dismal. There is no quick fix but one thing is certain: the ISIS is a terrorist organisation and the entire world must counter it in one voice. But it is unlikely given the conflicting interests of these nations. The state patronage by the House of Saud and the UAE and the impossibility of uniting the Muslim countries in the Middle East, overrides the global imperative to defeat it. Until the Muslim nations see it as dangerous, the ISIS will continue to wreak havoc. The question remains: where are the millions of moderate Muslims, and should they not rise against it? It is time to intensify the war until this relentless foe is neutralised. The battle may be long, arduous and costly but it must be waged to preserve our freedom of choice in how we live, work, play and love. The new geo-political reality has thrown strange bedfellows together, visible in the teaming of Russia and France in their joint war on the ISIS. A global collaboration might be a viable answer to this conflagration but one wonders if violence will not bring further violence. Tempers are running high but the situation must not compel a hasty strategy. To pledge 'action without mercy', as the French President angrily proclaimed, is to repeat the ISIS language. A reminder of the post-9/11 blunders could be a meaningful lesson regarding the drawbacks of the Western nations’ policies.

– Based on article by Shelley Walia in The Tribune, 25/11/2015


GENERAL AWARENESS

JANUARY 2016 Vol. 4, Issue 07

A PUBLICATION OF GYANM EDUCATION & TRAINING INSTITUTE PVT. LTD.

SCO 13-14-15, 2ND FLOOR, SEC 34-A, CHANDIGARH

Contents

CURRENT AFFAIRS SEPT TO NOVEMBER 2015 01-36

BULLET NEWS JUNE TO AUGUST 2015 37-56

LATEST 100 GK MCQs 57-63

SSC CORNER 64-72

6 MONTHS GK BYTES 73-100

FIGURES TO REMEMBER

REPO RATE (29.09.2015) 6.75% REVERSE REPO RATE 5.75% MARGINAL STANDING FACILITY RATE

7.75%

STATUTORY LIQUIDITY RATIO 21.5% CASH RESERVE RATIO 4.00% BANK RATE 7.75% BASE RATE(s) (of various banks)

9.30 to 9.70%

INDIA’s RANK IN

Rank in Brand Value 7th

Legatum Prosperity Index 99th

Global Terrorism Index 06th

Financial Secrecy Index 45th

Ease of Doing Business (World Bank) 130th

Number of Startups 03rd

Global Competitiveness Index, WEF 55th

Protection of Minority Investors 08th

Global Innovation Index 81st Global Competitiveness 44th In terms of Peace 143rd Motherhood Index 140th Environmental Democracy Index 24th Human Capital Index 100th Global Resilience Index 119th Global E-Waste Monitor 5th World Happiness Report 117th Global Networked Readiness 89th Social Progress Index 101st Open Government Index 2015 37th Press Freedom Index 2015 136th

NATIONAL NEWS

NOVEMBER 2015

‘CONSTITUTION DAY’ ON NOV 26

The ‘Constitution Day’ of India was observed on 26th November to spread awareness of Indian Constitution and its architect Dr. B R Ambedkar, Chairman of the Drafting Committee of Constituent Assembly. On this day in 1949, Constitution of India was adopted which came into force on January 26, 1950 marking the beginning of a new era in the history of free India. MODI VISITS UK Prime Minister Mr. Modi visited England on November 12 for a three day trip. He became the first serving Prime Minister of India to address the UK's Parliament. India signed a civil nuclear pact with United Kingdom during his visit. The two countries announced deals worth 9-billion pound in the field of defence and cyber security and railways. Britain announced 2017 as the UK-India Year of Culture to mark the 70th Anniversary of Indian Independence. NUCLEAR DEAL FINALIZED WITH AUSTRALIA India and Australia have announced the completion of procedures for bringing the two-nation nuclear deal into force. The announcement was made at the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull in the G-20 Summit at Antalya in Turkey. CHINESE VICE PRESIDENT VISITS INDIA Li Yuanchao, the Vice-President of China visited India to review cooperation on better river water management and cultural exchanges. The two countries signed a MoU on smooth sharing of hydrological data related to the common Himalayan Rivers. INDIA STANDS 7TH IN TERMS OF BRAND VALUE As per the annual report on world's most valuable nation brands compiled by Brand Finance, India has moved up one position to become the world's seventh most valued nation brand with an increase of 32 per cent in its brand value to 2.1 billion dollars. The US remains on the top with a valuation of 19.7 billion dollars, followed by China and Germany at the second and the third positions.


MODI IS 9TH MOST POWERFUL IN WORLD Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been ranked as the world's ninth most powerful person by Forbes magazine in a 2015 list which is topped by Russian President Vladimir Putin. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is at the second spot followed by US President Barack Obama (3rd) and Pope Francis (4th) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (5th). INTERNET BOOM IN INDIA According to a report by Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB International, the number of internet users in India is expected to touch 402 million by December 2015, a 49 per cent jump over last year, making India home to the second largest online user base after China. SALARY BONANZA FOR GOVT EMPLOYEES 7th Central Pay Commission headed by Justice AK Mathur submitted its report to the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Nov 19. It recommended 23.55 percent hike in pay and allowances of government employees. The pay will go up by 16 percent, allowances by 63 percent and pension by 24 percent. It has suggested a minimum basic pay of 18 thousand and maximum of Rs 2.5 lakh per month. The pay revision will come into effect from January 2016. INDIA 99TH IN TERMS OF PROSPERITY India has been ranked 99th in Legatum Prosperity Index 2015 out of 142 countries. The report is based on the results of eight sub-indices - economy, entrepreneurship and opportunity, governance, education, health, safety and security, personal freedom, social capital. INDIA FARES POORLY IN GENDER EQUALITY

The Global Gender Gap Report 2015 released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) ranked 145 economies according to how well they are leveraging their female workforce. Iceland topped the list, followed by Norway and Finland. India ranked low at 108th rank while Pakistan was second last.

INDIA 6TH WORST HIT BY TERRORISM As per the Global Terrorism Index 2015, India ranks 6th in list of 162 nations most impacted by terrorism in 2014. Islamic State and Boko Haram are now jointly responsible for more than half of all global fatalities from terrorist attacks. The other top five countries worst hit by terrorism are Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Pakistan and Syria. INDIA INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE FESTIVAL First India International Science Festival, a joint event of Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences, is being organized at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi from Dec 4 to 8. The festival aims to provide a platform to young scientists from all over the country to share and spread their scientific ideas, achievements and inventions. 46th International Film Festival of India, IFFI

began in Panaji, Goa with the screening of ‘The Man Who Knew the Infinity’, a biopic based on the life of mathematical wizard Srinivas Ramanujan, was the opening film.

Prime Minister Mr. Modi visted Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to attend Asean-India meet, Asean summit and the East Asian Summit.

Prime Minister Mr. Modi visited Singapore for two days, Nov 23-24 and signed 10 agreements on mutual co-operation.

Hamid Ansari, Vice President visited Indonesia on Nov 2. Agreements in the field of cultural exchange and renewable energy were signed with Indonesia.

Francois Hollande, President of France will be the chief guest at the 2016 Republic Day celebrations.

Bhutan's Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay visited India to preside over the 'India Ideas Conclave' in Goa.

The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, ranked 99th in a list of top 100 institutions by the ‘Times Higher Education Rankings for Engg. & Technology’.

A report by global consultancy firm KPMG says that India has emerged as the top country when it comes to corporate responsibility reporting.

India re-elected on the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) for a period of six years.

Seven Indian celebrities including Asha Bhosle, Sania Mirza and veteran actress Kamini Kaushal have made it to BBC's list of 100 most aspirational women.

Telephone subscriber base in India reached 102.26 crore at the end of September while fixed line base continued to fall, as per data compiled by TRAI.

As per the global Financial Secrecy Index released by Tax Justice Network of UK, India ranked 45th among 92 countries in terms of financial transparency.


11th National Tribal Crafts Mela ‘Aadishilp’ held in New Delhi.

First international film festival for the persons with disabilities (IFFPD) will be held in Delhi from 1 to 3 December 2015.

Second World Congress on Disaster Management was held in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, from 19 to 22 November.

Global Cancer Summit held at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru from Nov 18 to 20.

The 17th Asia Pacific Youth Forum meet was held in Kozhikode, Kerala to share ideas for the empowerment of youth to protect the Earth.

According to a global survey of 26 countries, India is the fourth most vacation-deprived nation with 65% saying they feel very or somewhat vacation-deprived.

Militant outfit National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang), declared as a terrorist organization under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

The National Milk Day was observed on 26 November to mark 94th birth anniversary of the Father of the White Revolution - Dr Verghese Kurien.

The British Government has selected Pune and Amravati from Maharashtra and Indore from Madhya Pradesh for developing them as 'Smart City'.

OCTOBER 2015

INDIA TOPS IN GLOBAL ENERGY LISTINGS

India has emerged as the country with the best representation on the 2015 Platts Top 250 Global Energy Company Rankings. The top three Indian companies in the list are Reliance Industries-14th, ONGC-17th and Coal India-38th.

THE 3RD INDIA-AFRICA FORUM SUMMIT This summit was held in New Delhi from Oct 26 to 29. Heads of States and Representatives of all 54 African countries participated in it. India also announced a $ 10 billion Line of Credit at a concessional rate for Africa for a period of five years for development related and capacity building projects.

‘DOORDARSHAN’ IS MOST VIEWED CHANNEL As per the All India viewership data released by the Broadcast Audience Research Council, public broadcaster Doordarshan has emerged as the most watched Hindi channel in terms of time spent per viewer, ahead of top General Entertainment Channels.

INDIA 130TH IN ‘EASE OF DOING BUSINESS’

India has improved its position to 130 from 142 in 2015 in the World Bank's 2016 rankings in terms of ease of doing business. Improvement in two indicators, 'starting a business and getting electricity' pushed India up the ladder. However, it still takes 29 days and over 12 procedures to begin a new venture in India. Singapore claimed the top rank. 1.85 LAC MILLIONAIRES IN INDIA Global Wealth Report by The Credit Suisse Research Institute shows that only 3% of India's adult population falls into the middle class wealth band and the number of millionaires, persons with surplus of one million dollar or more, stands at 185,000. INDIA RANKS 3RD IN NUMBER OF STARTUPS India has emerged as the youngest startup nation in the world where over 72 per cent of founders are less than 35 years old. With the presence of more than 4,200 startups, the country has also become the third largest startup base, after the U.S. and the U.K. PRESIDENT VISITS MIDDLE EAST President Pranab Mukherjee made a six-day visit to Jordan, Palestine and Israel from Oct 10 to15. He became the first Indian President to visit Israel and address their Parliament Knesset. In Palestine he met President Mahmoud Abbas and offered him a cheque for $ 5 million as budgetary support. India also committed $17.79 million for five projects in the Palestinian territory. INDIA TO HOST 2018 G20 SUMMIT

The prestigious annual summit of Heads of G20 nations for 2018 will be hosted by India in New Delhi. The 2016 summit will be hosted by China and the 2017 summit will be hosted by Germany.


The G20 operates as a forum and not as an organisation. Therefore, it does not have any permanent secretariat or management and administrative structure. One of the G20 countries is selected to hold the Chair in rotation, also known as ‘G20 Presidency’. GERMAN CHANCELLOR VISITS INDIA

Angela Merkel, German Chancellor, came to New Delhi on an official visit to take part in the third Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) between India and Germany. 18 important MoUs were signed between the two countries during the visit. INDIA RANKS 55TH IN COMPETITIVENESS India has moved up 16 positions, from 71st in 2014 to 55th place on the Global Competitiveness Index 2015-16 compiled by the World Economic Forum for the world’s most competitive economies. Switzerland tops the index for the 7th year. INDIA RANKED 8TH FOR MINORITY INVESTORS When it comes to protection of minority investors, India ranks 8th, ahead of many developed economies including the US, Germany and Japan, as per a study conducted by the World Bank. It reflects the reforms carried out by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs in Capital market. S C ALLOWS LIMITED USE OF ‘AADHAAR’ The Supreme Court has allowed the use of Aadhaar cards for all central and state schemes, including Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana and employee provident fund and pension schemes, on voluntary basis. NJAC ACT HELD NULL & VOID BY S C The Supreme Court has rejected the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act and the 99th Constitutional Amendment which sought to give politicians and civil society a final say in the appointment of judges to the highest courts. It held that the collegium system, as it existed before the NJAC, would again become “operative.”

The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Conference 2016 will be held in New Delhi from 8 to 10 January, 2016.

The 19th International Children's Film Festival, India is to be held in Hyderabad from November 14-20

India and France signed a MoU to conserve, develop and publicize written heritage at the National Library in Kolkata.

The Environment Ministry has approved annual plans for Kerala, Mizoram, Manipur and Jharkhand under the National Mission for a Green India (GIM).

Portugal became the first European and 17th overall country to sign the MoU on the establishment of Nalanda University in Bihar.

The Union Cabinet has approved Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement with Israel and Vietnam.

India signed Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement with Israel.

SEPTEMBER 2015

INDIA 11TH IN TERMS OF ‘SUPERRICH’ The “World Wealth Report 2015”, released by Capgemini and RBC Wealth Management, showed that there were 1.98 lakh High Net worth Individuals (HNWIs) in India in 2014, placing the country at 11th rank in the world. The US topped the list with 43.51 lakh millionaires, followed by Japan-24.52 lakh. The report defines HNWIs as those having investable assets of $1 million (Rs 6.5 crore) or more, excluding primary residence, collectibles, consumables, and consumer durables. 2 INDIAN UNIVERSITIES IN TOP 200 Only two of the Indian universities, The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-D) have been placed 147 and 179 respectively in the Quacquarelli Symonds’ list of top 200 universities for 2015-16, which has the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard at the top two positions.


INDIA RANKS 81ST IN INNOVATION

India's ranking has slipped further down to 81 in the list of Global Innovation Index, compared to 76 in 2014, on account of factors like consistently poor performance in ease of doing business, slow pace of policy decision-making and changing political environment. The index is compiled for 141 countries by Cornell University, INSEAD France and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). 9TH RPB DIWAS TO BE HELD IN LOS ANGELES The Government of India will be organizing the 9th Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (RPBD) at Los Angeles, California, USA on the 14th and 15th November 2015. This year’s theme will be – “The Indian Diaspora: Defining a New Paradigm in India-US Relationship”. JOINT MEET OF INDIA AND BELARUS The seventh session of India-Belarus Inter-governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation was held on 7 September 2015 in Minsk, capital of Belarus. The two countries agreed to increase bilateral trade to $ one billion by 2018, from the present $ 400 million. FIRST EVER LEOPARD CENSUS The first ever count of India's leopards, has put the spotted cat population at 7,910 in and around tiger habitats across the country, except the northeast. Madhya Pradesh leads with around 1,817 leopards, followed by Karnataka (1,129). SAARC MEET ON DISASTER MANAGEMENT A two day Disaster Mitigation conference of SAARC nations was held in New Delhi on September 3-4 to chalk out and undertake various joint efforts on various issues related to disaster mapping and mitigation in the member nations. GOVT GETS AMBEDKAR’s HOUSE Maharashtra govt has acquired the house at 10 King Henry's Road, in northwest London where Dalit icon and architect of Indian Constitution Dr B R Ambedkar lived in 1921-22 when he was studying at London School of Economics. The house will be turned into an educational and cultural centre.

UIDAI SHIFTED TO I T MINISTRY Government has decided to shift the administrative control of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which issues Aadhaar cards, from Niti Aayog (erstwhile Planning Commission) to the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology with a view to make it integral part of Ministry’s Digital India programme.

Prime Minister Modi addressed the Sustainable Development Summit at the UN Headquarters in New York on Sep 25.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Dublin, capital of Ireland on Sep 23 to have bilateral talks with his Irish P M Endy Kenny.

National award-winning Marathi film, 'Court' has been selected to officially represent India at the 88th Oscars next year in the Best Foreign Film category.

Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari had a four-day visit to the South East Asian countries of Cambodia and Laos.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe arrived in New Delhi on Sep 14 to have delegation level talks on various important bilateral issues.

A two day Hindu-Buddhist Conference was held at Bodhgaya, Bihar on Sep 5-6.

All India Radio released the digital version of the grand epic Ramcharitmanas as a set of digital CDs produced by its old recordings.

India and Indonesia have signed a treaty for repatriation of wanted prisoners and cooperate in all criminal matters.

The three-day Vishwa Hindi Sammelan (World Hindi Conference) was held in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, Sept. 10-12.

NEWS FROM STATES

NOVEMBER 2015

TAMIL NADU LASHED BY HEAVY RAINS

In Tamil Nadu, heavy rains by north east monsoon claimed over 102 lives. The rains threw normal life out of gear in almost all parts of the state with coastal and northern districts bearing the brunt.


INDIA’s 1ST BLIND FRIENDLY RLY. STATION Mysuru Railway Station in Karnataka has become the first blind-friendly Railway Station in India. Train schedules and over 400 metal signages have been installed in Braille for the benefit of visually handicapped persons. S. AUSTRALIA TIES UP WITH RAJASTHAN South Australia state has signed a historic 'sister-state agreement' with Rajasthan to pave new ways to boost export and investment opportunities between the two states based on a two-way exchange of research and technical capabilities. CHHATH OBSERVED IN BIHAR-U P

Chhath festival was celebrated in different parts of the country on Nov 17-18 with great religious fervour and gaiety. Large number of devotees offered prayers to the rising sun at the banks of rivers and other water bodies. It is one of the most popular festivals of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. MIGRATORY GUESTS ARRIVE IN CHILKA Migratory birds mostly from Northern Eurasia, the Caspian region, Siberia, Kazakh and remote areas of Russia and Southeast Asia have started arriving in Chilka Lake, Odisha. They follow long routes, possibly up to 12,000 km, to reach here. The Lake, hosts about a million migratory birds comprising over 160 species in the peak migratory winter season.

Annual Hundred Drums Wangala Festival held near Tura, Meghalaya. It is the thanksgiving post-harvest festival of the Garo tribes of North East India.

APJ Abdul Kalam Amrut Yojna launched in Maharashtra to provide at least one full hot cooked nutritious meal for pregnant and lactating women in the tribal areas.

The Thiruvananthapuram International Airport has been adjudged the best-maintained international airport in the country

Northeast’s first exclusive hospital for elephants has been established at the Kaziranga National Park, Assam.

Norway reopened its Consulate General office in Mumbai after four decades of closure in 1973.

Karnataka launched the ‘Tourist Mitra’, a 175-member friendly force, to reinforce smooth and secure experiences for tourists.

OCTOBER 2015

ALL POLICE STATIONS ON-LINE IN ODISHA In Odisha, all the 531 police stations in the state have been computerized to allow online filing of FIR from anywhere in the state under its 'e-FIR' system under the Centre-sponsored Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) project.

Mission ‘Abaas’ launched in Odisha to provide (EWS), Low Income Groups (LIG) and slum dwellers.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has been appointed Maharashtra’s brand ambassador for Tigers

District Court in Khunti, Jharkhand became county's first solar powered district court.

SEPTEMBER 2015

GODAVARI AND KRISHNA RIVERS LINKED

Andhra govt has successfully linked two of its major rivers - Godavari and Krishna towards making the state "drought-proof". The 'Pattiseema' lift irrigation scheme on Godavari River at Pattisam village in West Godavari district will lift the Godavari waters to the Krishna River. Nearly 1.3 lakh acres in Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts will be irrigated with the help of this project. GUJARAT IS BEST FOR DOING BUSINESS A World Bank's report on ease of doing business in states ranks Gujarat as the best place in the country to do business, followed by Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. The ranking of 32 states and union territories was based on eight specified parameters which include setting up of business, allotment of land, labour reforms and procedure for environmental clearance etc. ORDER ON SANTHARA STAYED BY THE SC The Supreme Court on August 31 stayed the August 10 order of Rajasthan High Court which had termed the Jain religious practice of Santhara, a ritualistic fast unto death, an act of suicide. The court has called for reply from the Centre and State.


GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES

NOVEMBER 2015

UDAY SCHEME TO HELPOUT DISCOMS

The government launched Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojna (UDAY) to improve the ability of power distribution companies (DISCOMs) to procure power at a much lower capital cost. The scheme allows DISCOMs to convert their debt into state bonds and to launch measures to improve efficiency at power plants.

10 SCHEMES FOR THE BENEFIT OF DISABLED Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment launched 10 schemes for the benefit of disabled persons. The schemes are: DISHA: Early Intervention and School Readiness

Scheme VIKAAS: Day Care Scheme SAMARTH: Respite Care Scheme GHARAUNDA: Group Home for Adults Scheme NIRAMAYA: Health Insurance Scheme SAHYOGI: Caregiver training scheme GYAN PRABHA: Educational support Scheme PRERNA: Marketing Assistance Scheme SAMBHAV: Aids and Assisted Devices Scheme BADHTE KADAM: Awareness and Community

Interaction Scheme

FUND FOR TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT Government has launched the Technology Acquisition and Development Fund (TADF) under the National Manufacturing Policy, 2011 to facilitate acquisition of clean, green and energy efficient technologies. It will also catalyse the manufacturing growth in Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector with an aim to contribute to ‘Make in India’ initiative. The scheme will be implemented through Global Innovation and Technology Alliance (GITA), a joint venture company.

GOVT TO IMPLEMENT CCTNS AND ICJS With a view to revamp criminal justice system in the country, the govt has approved implementation of two systems - Crime and Criminals Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) and Integrated Criminal Justice System (ICJS) Project. The two systems aim at bringing online all the police stations of the country and integrating them with online judicial system to ensure speedy settlement of offences and disputes. ACCESSIBLE INDIA CAMPAIGN The government has launched Accessible India campaign under which 27 international airports and 75 railway stations in India will be surveyed to identify the areas that need to be improved to make them disabled-friendly. ACTION PLANS APPROVED FOR 81 CITIES Govt has approved State Annual Action Plans (SAAP) of 81 mission cities in 5 states-Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Mizoram under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) for 2015-16. Earlier, SAAPs were approved for 89 cities in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh in October 2015. SCHEME FOR INTERNATIONAL TOURISTS The Union Ministry of Tourism launched the National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) and Swadesh Darshan schemes to achieve 1% share of international tourist arrivals by 2016-17 from the present 0.68 %. USE OF PLASTIC WASTE ‘MUST’ IN ROADS

The government has made it mandatory for road developers to use waste plastic along with bituminous mixes for road construction to overcome the growing problem of disposal of plastic waste in India's urban centres. The rule will applyfor constructing bitumen roads within 50 km of periphery of any city that has a population of over five lakh. ‘AMRIT’ OUTLET AT AIIMS, NEW DELHI Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched the Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) pharmacy outlet at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi.


FIPB POWERS HIKED TO Rs 5,000 CRORE

To expedite FDI clearance process, the government has enhanced the monetary limit to approve foreign investment proposals of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board – FIPB to Rs 5,000 crore, from Rs. 3,000 crore at present. 3 NEW EDUCATIONAL WEB PORTALS Govt has launched three web portals / apps - e-Pathshala for educational resources, Saaransh for educational improvements and National Programme on School Standards and Evaluation Framework (Shala Siddhi) for online evaluations.

The deadline for completion of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana for rural connectivity through all- weather roads, reduced from 2022 to 2019.

Agriculture Ministry to launch ‘Blue Revolution: Integrated Development and Management of Fisheries’ for growth and development of fisheries.

Govt has allowed German language to be taught as an additional foreign language in Kendriya Vidyalayas as per the National Education Policy, 1986.

From November 12, a railway ticket could be booked online up to 30 minutes prior to the departure of a train as Railways has modified their booking system.

Govt to continue 90% central funding for the core Centrally Sponsored Schemes in the 8 northeastern states, while 10% will be borne by the states.

OCTOBER 2015

IITs WAIVE FEE FOR HANDICAPPED The highest decision-making body of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) – IIT Council has decided to waive full fee (Rs. 90,000/- at present) for the physically challenged students from the current academic session in all the 15 IITs for all the semesters. E-SAHYOG LAUNCHED FOR TAX PAYERS Govt has launched an e-Sahyog pilot project of Income-Tax Department aimed at reducing compliance cost, especially for small taxpayers and provide an online mechanism to resolve mismatches in Income-tax returns of the assesses whose returns have been selected for scrutiny.

A NEW FUND FOR VARIOUS VICTIMS Government has launched Central Victim Compensation Fund with an initial amount of 200 crore rupees to support the victims of various attacks, such as rape, acid attacks, human trafficking and women killed or injured in the cross border firing. ‘CLIMATE CHANGE’ SPECIAL TRAIN LAUNCHED Government has launched the 'Science Express Climate Action Special' exhibition train from Delhi, aimed at spreading awareness about the effects of climate change and to make the science behind it easier to understand. The train will run till May 7, 2016, covering 64 stations, all over India. TRANSFER OF BLOOD ALLOWED The Union Health Ministry has permitted transfer of blood from one blood bank to another, a step that will help in transferring blood to the hospitals that face scarcity. Further, an exchange value of Rs 1600 per litre of plasma has also been fixed to benefit the blood banks with surplus plasma. BONUS CEILING RAISED TO Rs 7,000 Govt has decided to raise the wage ceiling for calculating bonus to Rs 7,000 for factory workers and establishments with 20 or more workers. Further, all industrial workers drawing a monthly salary up to Rs 21,000 will be eligible for bonus, as opposed to the current ceiling of Rs 10,000. DD TO TELECAST - HUNARBAAZ National channel of Doordarshan will telecast a ten-episode Programme on Apprenticeship Training Scheme - Hunarbaaz, from Oct 18. The programme is aimed at generating public awareness about Apprenticeship Training Scheme and its utilities in building skill in the country, especially for the youth.


‘NEERANCHAL’ LAUNCHED FOR IRRIGATION The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved implementation of the World Bank assisted National Watershed Management Project Neeranchal with a total outlay 2142.30 crore rupees for promoting effective irrigation in nine states. APP FOR HAILSTORM CROP DAMAGE

To expedite payment of crop insurance claims to farmers, the govt has launched a pilot programme - Kisan, which will use satellite and drone-based imaging and other geospatial technology to get timely and accurate data on crop yields. Also, to access large-scale damage to standing crops, it launched an Android-based app for collection of data of hailstorm. RULES NOTIFIED FOR MID-DAY MEALS The Central Government has notified ‘Mid Day Meal Rules, 2015’under the National Food Security Act, 2013 for improved administration and efficiency of the scheme. New rules set nutritional standards of 450 calories and 12 gm of protein for primary and 700 calories and 20 gm protein for upper primary students and provides for payment of food security allowance in case food is not served due to any reason.

HEALTH INSURANCE FOR DISABLED Govt has signed a MoU with the New India Assurance Company to provide Swavlamban Health Insurance Scheme, for the Persons with Disabilities in the age group of 18 to 65 years with family annual income of less than Rs. 3,00,000. It provides health insurance cover up to Rs. 2,00,000 per annum as family floater. ONLINE SUBMISSION OF FORM 15 G & H The Central Board of Direct Taxes, CBDT has simplified the format and procedure for self declaration by individuals in 15G and 15H forms. These forms are filed by persons whose incomes are below the taxable threshold to seek exemption from TDS on interest. GOVT GOES FOR GREENER HIGHWAYS Government has launched Green Highways policy to promote greening of Highway corridors with participation of farmers, private sector and government institutions for creating clean, green, and pollution free India. One per cent of the total project cost of all highways projects will be kept aside for the highway plantation and its maintenance.

NIRF TO RANK EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS Government has unveiled ‘National Institutional Ranking Framework’ (NIRF) -- a framework for annual ranking of engineering and management institutes of the country. It would enable parents, students, teachers, educational institutions and other stakeholders to rank institutions on the basis of a set of objective parameters.

Government has eased the penal provisions for undeclared or mis-declared baggage that will attract arrest or prosecution, from Rs 5 lac to Rs 20 lac.

To enable Indians living abroad to access old age income security, RBI has allowed NRIs to subscribe to the National Pension System (NPS) of PFRDA

India's first community reserve to protect the endangered Gangetic River Dolphins will come up on River Hooghly in West Bengal.

Govt has approved setting up of three new AIIMS at Nagpur in Maharashtra, Manglagiri in Andhra Pradesh and at Kalyani in West Bengal

Govt has launched Green Highways (Plantation, Transplantation, Beautification & Maintenance) Policy-2015 to promote greening of Highways.

The Union cabinet has approved construction of a National War Memorial and Museum near the famed India Gate in the national capital.

Govt plans to spend around 70,000crore rupees in 12 major ports in the next 5 years under Sagarmala Project for port-led development in coastal areas.

Govt has formed a Committee headed by Justice RV Easwar, former Judge of Delhi High Court to suggest simplifications in the Income Tax Act, 1961.

SEPTEMBER 2015

TWO GOLD SCHEMES ANNOUNCED

With a view to reduce the regular demand for the gold and to mobilize part of around 22,000 tonne gold lying in Indian households, govt has approved the Sovereign Gold Bond and the Gold Monetisation Scheme. India, along with China, is among top consumers of gold in the world.

GOVT ANNOUNCES OROP PACKAGE The government has announced to roll out the welfare measure under One Rank One Pension-OROP for Armed Forces personnel from July 1, 2014, with 2013 as the base year. The annual expenditure for implementing OROP would be between Rs 8,000 to 10,000 crore.


‘HOUSING FOR ALL’ TO COVER 305 CITIES

The government has identified 305 cities and towns across nine states for implementation of its ambitious 'Housing for All' scheme, named 'Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana. The scheme provides financial assistance in the range of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2.30 lakh per housing unit. Govt aims to construct 2 crore houses for urban poor by the year 2022, coinciding with the 75 year of Independence. SPECIAL SCHEME FOR MINING AREAS The Government has launched the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) for the welfare of people and areas affected by mining related operations, using the funds generated by District Mineral Foundations. SCHEME TO TRANSFORM RURAL CLUSTERS Govt has approved Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission to transform rural areas into economically, socially and physically sustainable spaces by creating 300 Rurban growth clusters over the next 3 years. The clusters will be geographically contiguous to Gram Panchayats with a population of about 25000 to 50000 in plain and coastal areas and a population of 5000 to 15000 in desert, hilly or tribal areas. 50 MORE DAYS UNDER NREGA Government has decided to provide additional 50 work days in 2015-16 in drought-hit areas under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme to provide relief to farmers in view of deficit monsoon in various parts of the country. SIMPLE REGISTRATION FOR MSMEs Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Ministry has come out with a one-page Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum which must be filled online by all MSMEs, with a view to simplify registration procedure for entrepreneurs and promote ease of doing business. EPFO HIKES INSURANCE COVER TO 6 LAKH Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has increased the maximum amount assured under its Employees' Deposit inked Insurance Scheme (EDLI) to Rs 6 lakh, from the existing Rs 3.6 lakh. The move will benefit over 4 crore subscribers.

DIPP FIRST GOVT DEPTT TO GO CASHLESS The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has implemented an electronic payment system to become the first government department to have 100 per cent cashless transactions. The move is part of the government's efforts to encourage use of plastic money.

Union Cabinet has approved the setting up of Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC) at New Delhi.

Life Insurance Corporation of India has created a platform where policyholders may avail of electronic KYC norms linked to the Aadhar card.

Railways has launched a paperless unreserved ticketing mobile application for the passengers travelling from New Delhi to Palwal Section.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

NOVEMBER 2015

OECD PUTS GROWTH RATE AT 7.2 % Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has said that the Indian economy is expected to grow by 7.2 per cent this fiscal. It will be followed by 7.3 per cent in 2016-17 and 7.4 per cent in 2017-18 period.

TRADE GAP SHRINKS BELOW $10 BILLION Contracting for the 11th month in a row, the country's merchandise exports slumped 17.5 per cent in October, to $21.4 billion. Exports declined mainly due to a steep fall in the shipments of petroleum and engineering products, and of iron ore, amid a broader demand slowdown. Imports shrank 21.2 per cent, to $31.1 billion in October, bringing trade gap to $9.7 bn.

IIP SLIPS TO 3.6% Industrial production growth measured in terms of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) fell to four-month low of 3.6 per cent in September due to subdued performance by manufacturing and non-durable consumer goods segments.

CORE SECTOR BETTER IN SEPTEMBER Led by fertilisers and electricity sectors, output of the eight core infrastructure industries improved in September to 3.2 per cent from 2.6 per cent in August. However, growth slowed to 2.3 per cent in the first six months compared with 5.1 per cent in the corresponding period last year.

Moody's Investors Service has said that the Indian economy would grow at 7.5 per cent in the current fiscal and improve marginally in the following year.


OCTOBER 2015

INDIA TO GROW BY 7.5% - IMF The World Economic Outlook Update from the IMF says that India's growth is expected to strengthen from 7.3 per cent this year and last year to 7.5 per cent next year. On the other hand, growth in China is expected to decline to 6.8% this year and 6.3% in 2016.

INDIA TO GROW BY 7.5% - WORLD BANK

A latest report from the World Bank says that India is expected to overcome the global slowdown and its GDP growth is projected to increase to 7.5 per cent despite a weak export recovery. However, the delay in implementing key reforms on the domestic front, a weak trade performance and the recent slowdown in rural wage growth pose risks to growth, it said.

Global rating agency Fitch has lowered India's GDP growth rate for 2015-16 to 7.5% from 7.8% projected earlier, on account of average monsoon.

Moody’s Investors Service says that India will grow by 7-7.5%, best among the G20 nations in 2015-16 as it is less exposed to external shocks than its peers.

SEPTEMBER 2015

FIRST QR GDP GROWS BY 7% Data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation shows that the GDP at constant prices for April to June this year rose by 7 percent compared to a growth rate of 7.1 percent for the same period in last fiscal. Under the present circumstances, the government may not be able to achieve its target of 8.1-8.5% growth for 2015.

INDIA LIKELY TO GROW BY 7.5% Finance Ministry has stated that India's growth in the current fiscal will exceed 7.5 per cent as there are "silver linings" in the global financial turmoil, with government committed to ensuring that the country remains a "bright spot" in the world economy.

The ADB has cut India’s growth forecast to 7.4% on concerns of delay in reforms, weak demand, external slowdown and weak monsoon.

ECONOMY & INDUSTRY

NOVEMBER 2015

MSP OF RABI CROPS HIKED The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved a hike of Rs. 75 a quintal to Rs. 1575 per quintal in the Minimum Support Price of wheat, the main rabi crop for season 2015-16. A bonus of Rs 75 per quintal, over and above MSP, for the two dals has also been approved. Rs./Qtl

CROP MSP CROP MSP Wheat 1525 Rapeseed / Mustard 3350 Barley 1225 Masoor 3325

Safflower 3300 Grams 3425

E-COMMERCE PORTAL FOR SMALL UNITS The Confederation of All India Traders has launched an e-commerce portal, ‘e-lala’ to promote interests of 5.77 crore small businesses in the context of rapid expansion of e-commerce. It will enable physical stores to have their own online stores to generate more business.

TRIM GENDER GAP TO BOOST GDP - IMF As per a recent IMF study, India's GDP can expand by 27 per cent if the number of women workers increases to the same level as that of men. The gender gap is around 50 per cent in India, compared with an average gap of 12 per cent in OECD countries.

0.5% SWACHH BHARAT CESS IMPOSED Government has announced the levy of a Swachh Bharat cess of 0.5% on all services liable for service tax (14%) from November 15. This means a tax of 50 paisa on every Rs 100 worth of taxable services like mobile bills, eating out, saloon services etc.

With Cotton production estimated at around 400 lakh bales, India is expected to emerge as the largest cotton producer in the world in 2015-16.

35th India International Trade Fair,IITF was held at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. The theme of the fair this year is Make in India

CCEA has approved 10% stake sale in Coal India Ltd to mop up around Rs 20,000 crore. Govt has targeted Rs 69,500 crore disinvestment in this fiscal.

France has committed to invest over 2 billion Euros for Smart City projects in India with special focus on Chandigarh, Nagpur and Puducherry.

India and Brazil have signed a MoU to cooperate for raising productivity of cattle and buffaloes

World Bank granted $75 million loan to the Andhra Pradesh for its Rural Inclusive Growth project aimed at enhancing agricultural incomes of small farmers.

Asian Development Bank to give $ 273 loan for improving rural roads in Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal.


OCTOBER 2015

INDIA NO. ONE IN ATTRACTING FDI

India has emerged as the top destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) as compared with China and United states in the first half of 2015. A report published in London's Financial Times has mentioned that India has attracted roughly 31 billion US dollar ahead of 28 billion dollar of china and 27 billion of United States.

INDIA BEST FOR MAKING INVESTMENTS India has been ranked as the most attractive investment destination in the world for the next three years, followed by China, Southeast Asia and Brazil. This was revealed in a survey released by Global consultancy firm, Ernst and Young.

NEW GOLD COINS FOR INVESTMENT Government plans to bring out 5 and 10 gram India Gold Coins — which are being manufactured by Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India. They will be sold through banks, post offices and offices of MMTC at a rate slightly lesser than the market rate.

PHONE SUBSCRIBER BASE CROSSES 101 CRORE Data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India shows that the subscriber base has touched 101 crore (or 1,014.70 million) in August this year in the country, driven by growth in mobile phone users, increasing by 0.53 per cent over the July figure.

S C IMPOSES ENVIRONMENT CESSS The Supreme Court has imposed 'Environment Compensation Charge' of Rs 700 and Rs 1300 on commercial vehicles entering Delhi from November 1 for 4 months. The money will be collected by toll operators and handed over to the Delhi govt on every Friday. The funds will be used to clean up Delhi's air.

MUMBAI CHEAPEST CITY FOR BUSINESS A study by the Savills World Research shows that t Mumbai has emerged as the world's cheapest city to live and work in, among 12 top metropolitan cities of the world. London, Hong Kong and New York are the world's most expensive cities for companies to accommodate their employees.

SIN TAX TO BE PART OF GST Govt plans to include Sin Tax in the proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST) law that will be effective from 1 April 2016. Sin tax is an excise tax levied on products and services like alcohol, tobacco and gambling considered bad for health or society. GERMANY TO FINANCE GREEN CORRIDORS India and Germany have signed two loan agreements worth 125 million Euros for financing Green Energy Corridor project in Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. The project seeks to facilitate the flow of renewable energy into the national grid.

Anil Baijal committee submitted its report for developing suitable methodologies for monitoring CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) provisions and suggested measures for their evaluation.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has made it mandatory for telecom operators to compensate consumers by Rs.1 for call drops with effect from 1 January, 2016.

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has offered $ 15 billion long term soft loan along with technology for starting the Bullet Train between Ahmadabad and Mumbai.

India left China behind just by 63 tonnes to emerge as the world’s top gold consumer with a total consumption of 642 tonnes in first nine months of 2015 as per the GFMS Gold Survey.

Railways would soon start country's first-ever double decker Shatabdi Express that would ply between Mumbai and Goa.

The Ministry of Environment has granted environment clearance for the greenfield international airport at Mopa in Goa.

Railway plans to launch Vikalp scheme from 1st of November to give passengers the option of journey by another train if they decide to do so.


National Green Tribunal has directed all trucks etc, entering Delhi, to pay an environmental compensation charge in addition to the toll tax.

The Export Import Bank of India has extended a Line of Creditof $87 million to Zimbabwe for renovation and up-gradation of Bulawayo Thermal Power Plant.

The World Bank has promised $30 billion financial assistance to the Railways for its forthcoming infrastructure projects.

ADB has agreed to give a $123.51 million loan to upgrade tourism infrastructure and services in Punjab, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

Bajaj Auto has launched ‘Qute’, the quadricycle RE60 for export to 16 countries in Latin America, Africa, Europe and Asia at price of around $2000.

Future Group has entered into a partnership with Baba Ramdev-promoted Patanjali Ayurved to sell the latter's FMCG products through its Big Bazaar stores.

Real estate developer Tata Housing has tied-up with social networking firm Facebook to sell its affordable homes online.

SEPTEMBER 2015

FIIs EXEMPTED FROM MAT

As per the recommendations of the Justice A.P. Shah Committee, govt has announced that the minimum alternate tax (MAT) will not be applicable on capital gains made by Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) prior to April 1, 2015. The decision is a big relief to FIIs that pulled out more than Rs. 17,555 crore ($2.65 billion) from India in August. MAT is the minimum tax @ 18.5 per cent that a company has to pay on its profits, even if no tax is payable due to certain eligible deductions. MANDATORY EXPORT OF SUGAR NOTIFIED The Food Ministry has notified mandatory export of four million tonne of sugar for the 2015-16 sugar season starting October 1. The export quota would be distributed among all sugar mills based on their average production in the past three years. FMC MERGED WITH SEBI From 28 September 2015, the commodities market regulator Forward Markets Commission (FMC) has become part of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). This merger will strengthen the regulation of commodity futures market by SEBI under Securities Contracts Regulation Act (SCRA) 1956.

NTPC ACHIEVES RECORD POWER PRODUCTION

NTPC – National Thermal Power Corporation achieved a record highest single-day electricity generation of 733.12 million units on August 27 from its 33 power plants of which 18 are coal-based, 7 gas-based and 8 are solar and hydro power stations. WOMEN CAN BOOST GDP According to a new report by McKinsey Global Institute, if the gender inequality issue in India is resolved and more women are allowed to join workforce, India's gross domestic product (GDP) could see a jump of around 60 per cent by 2025. SALE OF DICLOFENAC RESTRICTED Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has banned the sale of Diclofenac drug in multidose vial. Henceforth, it will be sold only in single-dose vial packaging for human use. The drug is administered to cattle and is the chief cause of mass extinction of vultures as the vultures feeding on cattle having traces of Diclofenac either die from acute kidney failure within a few days or lose their ability to reproduce. CHINESE COMPANY TO INVEST IN HARYANA In one of the biggest investment in India by a Chinese company, the real estate major Dalian Wanda Group plans to invest around Rs. 66,000 crore to acquire 100 square km of land in two parcels in Haryana to develop an industrial zone and township. ‘SAHAJ’ FOR ONLINE LPG CONNECTIONS The Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry launched SAHAJ scheme on August 30 for online booking of LPG connections through the websites of all public sector oil companies and the LPG portal, Pahal.

The West-Central Railway zone, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh has become the first Railway Zone to eliminate all unmanned level crossings.

The World Federation of Exchanges has confirmed that the Bombay Stock Exchange has the highest number of listed companies in the world - 5689.

Asian Development Bank to provide $ 500 million loan for better management of essential urban services and financing of water supply in Rajasthan.

ADB to extend a loan of $ 200 million to Jharkhand for upgrading roads in next four years.


BANKING & FINANCE

NOVEMBER 2015

3% INTEREST SUBVENTION ON EXPORT LOANS

With a view to boost exports, the government has approved three per cent interest subvention scheme to allow exporters to avail loans from banks at a lower rate. The scheme will be applicable from April 1, 2015 for next five years. RUPAY CARD USAGE CONDITION RELAXED Government has extended RuPay card usage condition of at least one transaction in 45 days to 90 days for filing a claim under in-built accident insurance cover under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana with effect from November 25, 2015.

RBI RESTRICTS SHARE HOLDING IN BANKS RBI has made it mandatory for individuals and companies to take its prior approval before acquiring shares or voting rights in a private bank for increasing the aggregate holding to 5 percent or more. The decision has been taken to ensure that only the genuine persons enter the banking sector.

SBI LAUNCHES ‘NEEV’ FUND State Bank of India launched the country's first low-income state infrastructure equity partnership (or the Neev fund) in London. The fund aims at providing equity partnerships for small infrastructure development in sectors like water and sanitation, clean energy and urban infrastructure.

INDIAN CORPORATES’ ‘MASALA BONDS’ Some of the top rated companies like housing finance major HDFC, state-owned NTPC and India Railways Finance Corporation (IRFC) are firming up plans to raise fund by issuing rupee-denominated ‘masala bonds’ in foreign capital markets. Masala bonds are Indian rupee denominated bonds issued in overseas capital markets by Indian corporates.

SOVEREIGN GOLD BONDS ISSUE OPENED Recently introduced Sovereign gold bonds were opened for public subscription from November 5-30. Bonds will earn interest at rate of 2.75 per cent. Investors will have a choice to buy bonds worth 2 grams of gold, up to a maximum of 500 grams.

COOP BANKS ALLOWED NET BANKING RBI has allowed state and district central co-operative banks to offer internet banking to its customers subject to certain conditions. Only those cooperative banks that have implemented Core Banking Solution and migrated to Internet Protocol Version 6 will be allowed to offer ‘view only’ internet banking. View only facility means the customers can only use online services such as balance enquiry, balance viewing, account statement download and request for supply of cheque books. TRADE RECEIVABLES DISCOUNTING SYSTEM RBI has granted an "in-principle" approval to three companies to set up and operate a new Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS). This will allow small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to post their receivables on the system and get them financed, bringing in much needed transparency to the trade receivable system. HDFC BANK FIRST TO USE MUSICAL LOGO HDFC Bank has become the first Indian bank to launch Sonic branding (Musical Logo) to be used across multiple touch points like ATMs, phone banking, mobile banking and the bank's website. It will help the bank to create distinct brand imagery and recall among various stakeholders INDIA's BANKING ‘STABLE’ - MOODY's Moody's Investors Service has upgraded its outlook for India's banking system to 'stable' from 'negative' on expectation that a gradual improvement in the operating environment for lenders will lead to slow down in bad loans in future BARTER TO END ON MYANMAR BORDER

Indo-Myanmar border is perhaps one of the few places on the earth where barter trade still exists. However, with the improvement in banking presence in the border, the RBI has now decided to officially stop the barter system - trading of goods without exchange of money, from December 1.

The RBI has allowed foreign investors to buy default non-convertible debentures and bonds provided their maturity is for three years or more.

RBI has decided that a foreign bank in India can deploy a maximum of four expatriates for each branch and not more than six for their Head Office functions.


OCTOBER 2015

FINANCIAL INCLUSION FUND BY RBI The RBI has decided to create a new Financial Inclusion Fund- FIF with a corpus of 2,000 crore rupees by merger of two different funds - Financial Inclusion Fund and Financial Inclusion Technology Fund into a single Fund to support 'developmental and promotional activities' of banking services. The new Fund will be maintained by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development - NABARD. CHEAPER LOANS FOR SC COMMUNITY

RBI has advised that the condition of up to only 4 per cent variance between minimum and maximum interest rates on loans given by micro finance lenders will not be applicable on sections belonging to scheduled castes living below double poverty line (i.e. annual income below Rs. 40,000/- in rural areas and Rs. 55,000/- in urban areas) MOVE TO CURB NPAs With a view to curb the incidence of non-performing assets (NPAs) in banks, the government has made it mandatory for all financial institutions to obtain an affidavit from auditors who sign balance sheets of companies applying for loans. 100% FDI ALLOWED IN WLAs Govt has decided to allow foreign investment up to 100 per cent in White Label ATM operations under the automatic route to promote financial inclusion. The Reserve Bank has revised downwards its real GDP forecast for 2015-16 to 7.4 per cent from earlier expectation of 7.6 per cent, saying that growth is expected to pick up in the latter part of the fiscal. QR CODE BASED PAYMENTS BY ICICI BANK ICICI Bank has become the first bank in the world to launch mVisa - a card-less and device-less payment solution. It has incorporated the mVisa application in its Pockets app, which allows payments to be made by scanning a static QR code and entering the amount.

UCO BANK WORSE IN NPAs Recent RBI data shows that among public sector banks, the UCO Bank had highest ratio of NPAs at 8.5 per cent of its loans in 2014-15, followed by Indian Overseas Bank (8.30) and Bank of Maharashtra (6.18).

State Bank of India has received in principle approval from the RBI to set up a subsidiary to frame and implement a uniform policy for all the real estate properties owned or rented by the bank.

Schedule commercial banks' credit increased by 9.54% to Rs 67.8 billion while deposits increased by 11.25% to Rs 91.6 billion in the fortnight ended October 16, according to RBI data.

RBI has said that the banks will be free to set interest rate on Gold Deposit Schemes and principal and interest of the deposit will be denominated in gold.

Reserve Bank of India has opened its sub-office in Imphal in Manipur.

The RBI has granted permission to the Indian corporate to issue rupee bonds outside India. These bonds would be exempted from capital gains tax.

The Reserve Bank has signed a MoU with Bangladesh Bank for exchange of supervisory information.

The government plans to bring down its stake in the IDBI Bank to 49 per cent, from 76.5 per cent at present with a view to make it more efficient.

HDFC Bank has automated its personal loan approvals through their ATMs that would track the customer's history and authorize a loan accordingly.

HDFC Bank has been rated 27th safest bank in the world, according to the Bank Safety Ranking done by the international financial magazine 'The Banker’.

SEPTEMBER 2015

RBI CUTS REPO RATE TO 6.75 % In its 4th bi-monthly monetary policy review announced on Sep 29, RBI cut the benchmark repo rate by 50 basis points, from 7.25 to 6.75 per cent.

Consequently, the reverse repo rate stands adjusted to 5.75 per cent, and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate to 7.75 per cent.

Apart from boosting demand in economy, the

rate cut may help in accelerating investment and industrial growth at a time when the global growth outlook is getting weaker.

It’s a bonanza for households just before the festival season as home and auto loans are likely to become cheaper. The flip side is that for those relying on savings, interest rates on small savings schemes and fixed deposits are set to come down.


NEW HIGH SECURITY NOTES In its continuing effort to curb the menace of fake notes, RBI plans to put into circulation banknotes in the denominations of 500 and 1000 rupees incorporating three new/revised features - ascending size of numerals in the number panels, introduction of bleed lines, and enlarged identification mark. BANKS TO PROVIDE EASY LOANS UNDER PMMY Public Sector Banks have been asked to conduct Mega Credit Campaigns all over the country from Sep 25 to Oct 2 to generate easy availability of credit to Micro Enterprises under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY). All state-run banks, regional rural banks and private banks together have been given a target of 1.22 lakh crore for 2015-16 for disbursement to small and micro enterprises up to Rs.10 lakh.

Mudra has been established as a subsidiary of SIDBI, with an initial corpus of Rs 5,000 crore to provide refinance to all banks seeking refinancing of small business loans under PMMY. SBI AND ICICI BANK DECLARED D-SIB The Reserve Bank has declared State Bank of India and ICICI Bank as Domestic Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs). The D-SIB framework requires the RBI to disclose the names of banks designated as D-SIBs every year in August starting from August 2015. Systemically Important means anything or feature which is important for entire system. Thus, D-SIBs are those banks any changes in which may have the effect on the entire banking system. LICENSES GRANTED FOR 10 SMALL BANKS Seeking to promote financial inclusion, the RBI has granted in principal approval to 10 entities to set up small finance banks. These banks can provide basic banking services like accepting deposits and lending to the unbanked sections such as small farmers, micro business enterprises, micro and small industries and unorganised sector entities.

CONCESSIONAL LOANS TO BANK DIRECTORS The RBI has permitted banks to offer loans below base rate to their whole time directors and CEOs. However, the rate charged should not be lower than the rate that is charged to their employees.

MORE POWERS TO BANKS TO TACKLE NPAs RBI has allowed banks to change the ownership of an errant corporate even before the loan account turns 'bad' or non performing asset – NPA. Further, two of the country's largest lenders — State Bank of India and ICICI Bank will play a key role in turning around a company after it defaults. These two measures are aimed at checking sticky loans and forcing truant borrowers to fall in line. BANKS TO BE READY FOR FATCA / CRS The Reserve Bank has asked all banks and financial institutions to be prepared for the implementation of due diligence and reporting standards under FATCA and CRS meant for international tax compliance. This is in response to India’s signing an agreement with the US govt for improving International Tax Compliance and implementing the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) and agreement for Common Reporting Standards (CRS). BANKS TO RECEIVE NPA REPORTS RBI has asked concurrent auditors of commercial banks to submit their review of non-performing loans directly to the banks and discontinue the practice of submitting it to the statutory auditors who conduct quarterly and half yearly review of bank accounts. Concurrent audit means doing the examination of the financial transactions at the time of happening or parallel with the transaction. It is regarded as part of a bank's early warning systems. RBI SUGGESTS FORMULA FOR BASE RATE To bring in uniformity among banks for calculation of base rate and for effective transmission of policy rates, the Reserve Bank has proposed a formula to calculate the base rate for lending wef April 1, 2016. The components of Base Rate will include cost of funds, negative carry on CRR/SLR, un-allocable overhead costs and average return on net worth.


INDIA JOINS UN’s PAYMENT ALLIANCE India is joining the UN-based 'Better Than Cash Alliance', which promotes transition from cash to digital payments to reduce poverty and drive inclusive growth. The alliance is made up of governments, companies, and international organizations for digitisation of payments to promote financial inclusion.

RBI has inked a MoU with the Nepal Rastra Bank for Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory Information.

Two commemorative coins of Rs 125 and Rs 10 were released on the eve of Teachers' Day in the memory of former President Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan.

The Reserve Bank of India will shortly put into circulation Rs 5 coins to commemorate golden jubilee of Indo-Pak War 1965.

The RBI has liberalised external commercial borrowing norms for NBFCs, allowing them to use the foreign funds to finance domestic equipments.

RBI plans to permit domestic companies to borrow money from pension funds, sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) and insurance funds as part of the ECBs.

Axis Bank has rolled out a full-fledged mobile app ‘Lime’ that enables shopping, making payments and banking, all under one window.

Indian Bank has launched IndPay mobile app service to enables its customers to operate bank accounts anytime from anywhere.

DEFENCE, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

NOVEMBER 2015

LRSAM SUCCESSFULLY TESTED BY DRDO

The Long Range Surface to Air Missile (LRSAM), jointly developed by the Israel Aerospace Industry and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), was successfully flight tested from the Israel Naval Platform for the first time on Nov 26.

‘DHANUSH’ TESTED SUCCESSFULLY The nuclear-capable ballistic missile Dhanush was successfully test fired from warship INS Subhadra, off the Puri coast of Odisha in the Bay of Bengal. It is the naval variant of the Prithvi – II missile, having a strike range of 350 kilometres.

‘BRAHMOS’ TESTED SUCCESSFULLY BY THE ARMY Indian Army successfully test-fired the land attack variant of the 290-km range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile at the Pokhran test range in Rajasthan. BrahMos, a joint effort between India and Russia, is the fastest and only supersonic cruise missile in the world capable of flying at 2.8 times the speed of sound and can be launched from land, sea and air. Agni-IV, the nuclear-capable ballistic missile, tested

for a range of 4,000 kms from Abdul Kalam Island (formerly Wheeler Island), off the Odisha coast.

India test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile, which has a strike range of 350 kms from the test range off the Odisha coast.

The DRDO test-fired an Advanced Air Defence (AAD) interceptor missile from Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha’s Balasore district.

DRDO has developed Advanced Torpedo Defence System “Maareech” and “Vaarunaastra” for use by the Indian Navy

INS Kadmatt, the second of the four indigenously built stealth Anti-Submarine Warfare corvette, was formally handed over to the Navy on Nov 26.

INS Vishwakarma, a premier training establishment of the Indian Navy for the shipwrights commissioned in Vishakhapatnam.

ICGS Arinjay, a Fast Patrol Vessel was commissioned in Indian Navy at Kochi. ICGS – Indian Coast Guard Ship

‘Indra-2015’, the seventh edition India-Russia Joint Military Exercise held in Bikaner district of Rajasthan.

China has displayed its strongest combat and reconnaissance drone CH – 5 that can fly with a weight of 3,000 kg and carry 900 kg of equipment and weapons.

GSAT-15 TO AUGMENT COMMUNICATIONS India’s latest communication satellite GSAT-15 was successfully launched by the European Ariane rocket from Kourou in French Guiana. It will augment telecommunication, Direct-to-Home and radio navigation services. The satellite will be navigated and controlled by the ISRO’s Master Control Facility at Hassan in Karnataka. GOOGLE TO LAUNCH ‘PROJECT LOON’ IN INDIA Google is working with the Indian government on a pilot project for providing Internet connectivity by using large balloons. Under its ‘Project Loon’, Google is using big balloons floating at a height of 20 kilometres above earth surface for transmission of Internet services.


EARLY WARNING SATELLITE BY RUSSIA Russia has launched its first early warning system satellite named EKS or Integrated Space System. Its official name is Kosmos 2510 (Tundra 11L). It is designed to restore Moscow's capability to identify and track worldwide missile launches from space. WORLD’s FASTEST SUPERCOMPUTER China’s Tianhe-2 supercomputer has emerged as the world’s most powerful supercomputer system for the sixth consecutive time, performing calculations with processing speed of 33.86 petaflops per second. Second on list is Titan of the USA, performing @ 17.59 Pflop/s. FIRST EVER ‘POROUS’ LIQUID DISCOVERED In a breakthrough, scientists in U K have developed the world's first 'porous' liquid that can potentially be used to capture and dissolve unusually large amounts of harmful carbon gas emissions to prevent its absorption in the Earth's atmosphere.

Facebook has partnered with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) to create 100 Wi-Fi hotspots in rural areas of western and southern India.

A new species of the Dracula ant, likely to be of Stigmatomma group of predaceous ants, was discovered by scientists in the Western Ghats of Kerala.

China's first lunar rover, Yutu, set a record for the longest stay on the Moon by completing almost two years stay, landing on moon on Dec 14, 2013.

Japan conducted its first commercial satellite launch on August 24, with an H-IIA rocket carrying a Canadian communications spacecraft, Telstar 12V, into orbit.

China launched a civil communication satellite ChinaSat-2C from the Xichang space center in Sichuan province.

OCTOBER 2015

INS KALVARI RELEASED FOR SEA TRIALS

Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders released the first Scorpene category submarine INS 'Kalvari' for sea trails at the Naval Dockyard Mumbai. After successful completion of all the rigorous trials and tests, it will be formally inducted in Indian Navy later in 2016.

JOINT NAVAL OPERATION – MALABAR

The navies of India, United States and Japan began a five-day joint operation-'Malabar exercise' on October 14 on the eastern coast in Bay of Bengal, in which several warships, aircraft carriers and fast attack submarine participated. INDIA SRI LANKA CONDUCT ‘SLINEX’ The Indian and Sri Lankan Navies conducted the 4th edition of Sri Lanka-India Exercise (SLINEX) in Bay of Bengal, off the Trincomalee coast in Sri Lanka, from October 27 to November 1. ‘MITRA SHAKTI’ HELD WITH SRI LANKA A 14-day joint training exercise 'Mitra Shakti 2015', involving military contingents from India and Sri Lanka, was held in Pune from Sep 29 to Oct 12 to secure a better understanding of the modern day warfare requirements. MICRO-LIGHT AIRCRAFTS FROM SLOVENIA India has signed a deal with Slovenia for supply of 194 Pipistrel micro-light aircraft to be used by Indian Air Force, the Navy and the National Cadet Corps (NCC). The Indian version of the aircraft will be renamed as Garud.

Indigenously built naval warship INS Kochi, the stealth guided missile destroyer, was inducted in the Indian Navy on Sep 30.

The Defence Ministry has approved the induction of women officers into the combat stream of IAF, allowing them for first time, to fly fighter aircrafts.

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police, for the first time, has decided to deploy women in combat duties at its high-altitude posts along the Indo-China border.

Fast patrol Vessel (FPV) ICGS Anmol was inducted in the Coast Guard Region (North East) in Kolkata.

India’s first indigenously built torpedo launch and recovery vessel - INS Astradharini, inducted in Indian Navy on Oct 6 at Vishakhaptnam.

5th Indo-China Joint Military Training Exercise- HAND-IN-HAND conducted at Kunming Military Academy, Yunnan, China from 12 to 23 October.

A joint maritime exercise of naval patrol vessels - Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) between India and Indonesia began on 3 Oct in the Andaman Sea.


ISRO PLACES ASTROSAT IN ORBIT

India’s first dedicated astronomy research satellite Astrosat was successfully launched on Sep 28 by the Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C30 from Sriharikota. The satellite weighing 1531 kg was placed in an equatorial orbit at about 650 kilometre height. With this launch, India has joined a select league of nations having their observatories in space. INDIA SETS NEW CLIMATE TARGETS In a climate-change policy statement released ahead of a UN climate summit in Paris in December, 2015, India has decided to cut the carbon produced per unit of GDP growth by 33-35 per cent by 2030 from what it was in 2005. It also committed to generate 40 percent of cumulative installed power capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030. India is the world's third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases. ‘CIPS’ LAUNCHED TO PROMOTE YUAN China has launched the first phase of “China International Payment System (CIPS)” to promote Yuan’s global usage and furthering cross-border clearing of its currency from the Chinese mainland instead of offshore centres abroad. ‘MAGIC CUBE’ – CHINA’s SUPER OMPUTER China plans to employ a special $ 14 million "magic cube" super computer as tall as a two-storey building in its quest to know the earth's future and calculate the potential changes to the climate and biological systems. MICROSOFT AND GOOGLE BURY THE HATCHET Microsoft Corp and Google Inc have agreed to bury all patent infringement litigation against each other, settling 18 cases in the United States and Germany. In another sign of the winding down of the global smart phone wars, the companies said the deal puts an end to court fights involving a variety of technologies, including mobile phones, wi-fi and patents used in Microsoft's Xbox game consoles and other Windows products.

NASA scientists claimed to have found the strongest

ever evidence of liquid water on Planet Mars that could help sustain future manned missions.

SEPTEMBER 2015

INDIA TO GET CHINOOK AND APACHE COPTERS The Cabinet Committee on Security has approved the purchase of 15 Chinook helicopters that will lift heavy loads and 22 AH-64D Apache advanced attack helicopters at an estimated cost $2.5 billion (around Rs 16,500 crore). Both of them are produced by Boeing Company of USA.

INDO US NAVIES ISSUE A JOINT COIN India and the US have created a "joint challenge coin" to symbolise their unique partnership in creating a next-generation aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy. One side of the coin reads "Chale Chale Saath Saath" in Hindi and the other reads “Forward Together We Go".

CCS CLEARS ‘IACCS’ FOR AIR FORCE The Cabinet Committee on Security has approved the proposal to form the ‘Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS)’worth around 8000 crore rupees for the Indian Air Force. The system aims at integrating and automating all air and ground sensors use by the Air Force.

INS VAJRAKOSH STARTS IN KARWAR Indian Navy has established its largest missile storage and replenishment facility named INS Vajrakosh at Karwar base in Karnataka for warships operating in the western coast. It will store the long-range BrahMos missiles and armaments.

Indian Coast Guard has commissioned two new ships named Fast Patrol Vessel ICGS Apoorva and Interceptor Boat C-421.

India to buy 10 Heron TP armed drones capable of firing missiles, from Israel to enhance our cross-border military strike capability.

The first bilateral maritime exercise between Australia and India ‘Ausindex-2015’ began on Sep 12 off the shores of Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

PRESERVATION OF THE OZONE LAYER

On 16 September, International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer was observed across the world. The theme and the slogan for the year 2015 are 30 Years of Healing the Ozone Together and Ozone: All there is between you and UV, respectively.


NXT DIGITAL TO OFER 500 TV CHANNELS Hinduja business group has launched an innovative Hits (Headend-in-the-Sky) digital broadcasting platform under the brand name NXT Digital that will provide over 500 TV channels to cable operators. It aims to tap the transition from analog to digital mode of cable TV services under the government's digitisation drive. CHINA LAUNCHES LONG MARCH -6

China has successfully launched a newly-developed satellite launch rocket Long March-6 (Chang Zheng-6). It was launched from the base in the Northern Province of Shanxi, carrying 20 micro satellites into the space. GOOGLE TO PROVIDE FREE WI-FI ZONES Google and Indian Railways are planning to work jointly on Project Nilgiri to set up free Wi-Fi hotspots across 400 select railway stations throughout the country to offer seamless connectivity to passengers.

Facebook has decided to rebrand its Internet.org programme to 'Free Basics' for providing more services and stronger security measures.

Study by researchers at the Yale University, USA shows that there are over 3 trillion trees on Earth, based on ground survey data and satellite pictures.

INTERNATIONAL

NOVEMBER 2015

ISIS MILITANTS ATTACK PARIS In one of the worst gruesome terrorist attacks, over 129 people were killed and more than 300 were wounded in multiple ISIS terrorists’ shootings in Paris and explosions outside the national stadium - Stade de France. Nations around the world have joined hands to fight back ISIS. UNSC ADOPTS RESOLUTION AGAINST ISIS The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) unanimously adopted a France sponsored resolution calling all nations to take all necessary measures to prevent and suppress the terrorist acts of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and other extremist groups.

NEPAL REELS UNDER MADHESI AGITATION Several persons, including policemen have been killed in Terai region of Nepal due to ongoing Madhesi agitation. The violence comes as the landlocked country, heavily dependent on India for supplies of essential goods, continues to reel under acute shortage of fuels, medicines and other items for over two months now, due to roads blocked by Madhesis. Madhesis, the Indian-origin inhabitants of the Terai region, have been protesting against division of their ancestral homeland in the new Constitution. They are also demanding proportionate representation in government mechanism, allocation of Parliament seats on the basis of population and re-demarcation of the federal provinces. G-20 SUMMIT HELD IN ANTALAYA A two day summit of Heads of G-20 nations was held in Antalaya, Turkey to dwell on inclusive economic growth and climate change. A special resolution was also passed to condemn the gruesome terrorist attack in Paris and make united efforts to eliminate terrorism across the globe. Prime Minister Modi represented India at the meet. APEC SUMMIT HELD IN MANILA Leaders of economies which account for nearly half of the world's trade and about 57 per cent of global gross domestic product met in Manila for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. This year, the theme of the summit is Building Inclusive Economies, Building a Better World. ASEAN DECLARES FORMATION OF AEC Leaders of the ASEAN group of nations have declared the establishment of an EU-style regional economic bloc, ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), a single market with a free flow of goods, capital and skilled labour in the region. It will integrate Southeast Asia's diverse economies, a region with 620 million people and a combined gross domestic product of $2.6 trillion.


MYANMAR VOTES TO END MILITARY RULE Free General elections were held in Myanmar after a gap of almost 25 years. Voters came out in very heavy numbers to exercise their right. The pro-democracy party National League for Democracy, led by its charismatic leader Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to form the government after a decades-long struggle against army dictatorship. WORLD’s SECOND BIGGEST DIAMOND FOUND The world's second-largest gem quality diamond has been discovered in Botswana in southern Africa. It is the biggest diamond to be found in more than a century. The 1,111 carat gem is only second in size to the 3,106 carat Cullinan diamond, which was unearthed in South Africa in 1905. AN EMOJI IS 2015 WORD OF THE YEAR For the first time, Oxford Dictionary has chosen an emoji pictograph, commonly referred to as an emoticon, as its 2015 Word of the Year after it made history due to its popularity on social media and instant messaging. This was the most commonly used emoji in 2015. WIDESPREAD DOPING IN RUSSIA A report from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) outlined systematic doping in Russian athletics. As a result, Russia was provisionally suspended from all international track and field events by International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). ISIS MILITANTS DOWN RUSSIAN PLANE Russia suspended all its flights to Egypt after one of its aircraft suffered mid-air bomb blast soon after take-off from Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, killing all 224 people on board. It is suspected that a bomb blast in the aircraft caused the crash. The International Day for Tolerance observed globally on 16 November with an aim to educate people about the need for tolerance in society and help them understand the negative effects of intolerance. 27th ASEAN summit (Association of Southeast Asian

Nations) was held in Kuala Lumpur on November 21. The 10th East Asia Summit was held in Kuala

Lumpur, Malaysia on Nov 22, under the theme Our People, Our Community, Our Vision.

UNESCO rejected Kosovo's bid for membership as it failed to receive the support of two-thirds of the UNESCO’s member nations.

Islamist militants laid siege to the Radisson Blue Hotel in Bamako, capital of Mali killing at least 27 persons from different nations.

The World Health Organisation on 16 November 2015 launched the World Antibiotic Awareness Week with the theme Antibiotics: handle with care.

Operation Inherent Resolve is the name of US military operation against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria.

The World Meteorological Organisation has said that global average temperatures this year are likely to be the warmest on record.

Young supporters of Hong Kong's democracy movement, known as 'Umbrella Soldiers', won few seats in the elections dominated by pro-Beijing forces.

Sierra Leone has been declared Ebola-free by the WHO, prompting nationwide celebrations tinged with sadness over the loss of 4,000 victims to the disease.

Global pharma major Pfizer and Botox maker Allergan have entered into a $ 160 billion merger agreement, the biggest ever deal in pharma sector.

China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba created a new record in online sales netting $14.33 billion on the annual Singles Day on Nov 13.

OCTOBER 2015

POORS’ POPULATION TO BE LESS THAN 10 % As per the latest World Bank report on global poverty, the number of people living in extreme poverty is likely to fall for the first time below 10% of the world’s population in 2015. Around 702 million people or 9.6% of the world’s

population will be living in extreme poverty in 2015, down from 902 million or 12.8% in 2012.

India had largest number of poor in 2012, but its poverty rate at 21.2 per cent is one of the lowest among developing countries.

The World Bank has revised its benchmark poverty from living on or below $1.25 a day to $1.90 a day.

OPERATION SOPHIA BY EU TO NAB REFUGEES

The European Union has started a new operation termed Operation Sophia to actively intercept boats smuggling refugees. Now the EU officials will be able to board, search, seize and divert vessels suspected of being used for human smuggling or trafficking on the high seas, in line with international law.


PAK-AFGHANISTAN HIT BY EARTHQUAKE A powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake killed over 400 persons in Pakistan and Afghanistan and left over 1600 as injured. The epicentre of the earthquake was near Jurm in northeast Afghanistan. V-20 GROUP OF NATIONS FORMED Finance Ministers of 20 nations vulnerable to climate change launched the V-20 Group on 8 October 2015 in Lima, Peru. The Group aims to pool resources for their fight against the impact of global warming and is a counterpoint to the G20 group of leading industrialised and emerging economies. UNO CELEBRATES 70TH ANNIVERSARY To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the United Nations on October 24, more than 200 landmark monu-ments in 60 countries from the Pyramids in Egypt to the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Empire State Building in New York will be lit up in blue- the official colour of UNO. INDIA RECEIVED OVER $70 BILLION IN 2014 A report from the World Bank says that the remittances to India are projected to increase by 2.5 per cent this year even as weak economies in Europe, especially Russia, are slowing the growth of remittance flows. In 2014, India is estimated to have received remittances worth $70.3 billion. NATO CONDUCTS ‘TRIDENT JUNCTURE – 2015’

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) forces conducted their massive field exercise TRIDENT JUNCTURE 2015 from October 3 to November 6 in 16 locations across Italy, Spain and Portugal to train, exercise and learn from one another. Over 36.000 troops – from air, land and maritime forces – from more than 30 Allied and Partner Nations took part. UNCTAD PUTS WORLD GROWTH RATE @2.5% The Trade and Development Report 2015 by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) says that the growth rate for world in 2015 is expected to remain more or less unchanged from last year, at 2.5 per cent. However, India’s GDP is expected to grow at 7.5% in 2015 compared to China’s 6.9%.

USA SIGNS TRADE DEAL WITH 11 COUNTRIES 11 Pacific Rim nations, including Canada and Chile to Japan and Australia have agreed to sign with USA, the largest regional trade accord in history, The Trans-Pacific Partnership for global commerce and worker standards, forming over 40 per cent of the world’s economy. INTERNATIONAL DAY OF OLDER PERSONS This day was observed on October 1 to raise awareness about issues affecting the elderly and to appreciate the contributions that older people make to society. The theme this year is, 'Sustainability and Age Inclusiveness in the Urban Environment'. WORLD’S HIGHEST HYDRO POWER STATION China has operationalised the world’s highest mega hydropower station at Zam in Tibet, built on Brahmaputra River which has raised concerns in India over the likelihood of disrupting water supplies of River.

China has announced the end of its hugely controversial 45 years old one-child policy. Now, all couples would be allowed to have two children.

China's GDP decelerated to 6.9 per cent in the third quarter of this year, posting its worst growth since the 2009 global financial crisis

China successfully launched the Tianhui-1C mapping satellite into its designated orbit from Jiuquan satellite launch centre

Senior executives of IMF and World Bank Group held their annual three-day meeting in Lima, Peru to address current challenges facing the world economy.

The World Trade Organization, WTO, has lowered 2015 global trade forecast to 2.8 percent in the face of a slowdown in the economies of emerging countries.

SEPTEMBER 2015

UNGA ADOPTS 17 SDGs United Nations General Assembly formally adopted on Sep 25 the new global 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) that aim to end poverty, hunger, assure gender equality, and build a life of dignity for all, over the next 15 years. These goals cover three important aspects - economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection. UN SECURITY COUNCIL REFORMS The UN General Assembly has unanimously adopted a document on reform of the Security Council for discussions at its 70th session, boosting India's bid for a permanent seat in the revamped world body. India termed this as "historic" and "path-breaking" development for achieving UNSC reforms.


US INDIANS LAUNCH ‘MISSION 2022’

The three million strong Indian diaspora (community) in the USA has launched "Mission 2022" in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industries to promote and strengthen the business ties between two countries.

NEPAL GETS A NEW CONSTITUTION Nepal's parliament has overwhelmingly approved a new constitution, which will come into effect from Sep 20. It comes after years of political wrangling, while Nepal was governed by an interim constitution after the monarchy was abolished in 2008.

NEPAL SAYS ‘NO’ TO HINDU STATE Nepal’s Constituent Assembly on Sep 14 rejected the demand for converting the country in to a Hindu state, sparking violent protests across the nation. Nepal was Hindu state for centuries when kings ruled, but has been a secular state since the monarchy was abolished in 2006.

PENTAGON TO HAVE INDIA SPECIAL CELL The US Defence headquarters Pentagon has established a first-ever country special cell-India Rapid Reaction Cell to strengthen its defence ties with India and to accelerate the process of co-development and co-production of military equipment in the country.

W20 GROUP LAUNCHED BY G20 The Group of leading economies G-20 at their meet of Finance Ministers in Ankara, Turkey, launched a new grouping – W20 (women 20) aimed at boosting the role of women in global economic growth.

CANADA SLIPS INTO RECESSION Canada, world's 11th-biggest economy has fallen into a recession, dragged down by falling energy prices and economic troubles in China. Canadian economy retreated @ 0.5 per cent in the quarter ending 30th June, after sliding 0.8 percent the previous quarter. Negative GDP growth in two consecutive quarters is the technical definition of a recession.

In recently concluded 2015 Singapore General Elections, People’s Action Party (PAP) led by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has emerged victorious.

Two-day Conference of G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors held in Ankara, Turkey on September 4 and 5.

As per the new secular constitution of Nepal, Cow has been declared as the National Animal of Nepal.

PERSONS IN NEWS

NOVEMBER 2015

PAWAN MUNJAL: Managing Director of Hero MotoCorp, was the highest paid director with a remuneration of Rs.43.91 crore during the 2014-15 financial year.

ARUNDHATI BHATTACHARYA: Chairperson of country's largest bank SBI remains the most powerful woman in the Indian business sector, according to Fortune India’s latest rankings of Indian business women. ICICI Bank's Chanda Kochhar and Shikha Sharma of Axis Bank follow at the second and third place, respectively.

LIONEL MESSI: International iconic Football star has been picked up by the Tata Motors as their global brand ambassador for their passenger vehicles.

VICTOR PONTA: Romanian Prime Minister was in news as he announced his resignation bearing moral responsibility for a nightclub blaze that killed 32 people.

OCTOBER 2015

NAYANTARA SAHGAL, ASHOK VAJPAYEE: Several noted writers returned their Sahitya Akademi Awards in protest against what they called the “vanishing space” for diversity. It was with reference to the recent killings of rationalists and writers M.M. Kalburgi, Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare and of Dadri resident Mohammad Akhlaq, who was lynched on suspicion of consuming beef.

NAINA LAL KIDWAI: Chairperson of HSBC India since 2009 will retire by the end of this year, having completed 58 years of age.

JERRY SEINFELD: He has been named as the world’s highest paid comedian by Forbes. The 61-year-old comedian earned $ 36 million between June 1, 2014 and June 1, 2015.

SEPTEMBER 2015

ARVIND PANAGARIYA: Vice-chairman of Niti Aayog, has been appointed as the sherpa for G20 negotiations. A sherpa represents the government or the Prime Minister at Group of 20 countries meetings and helps articulate the official position on critical issues.


ANUPAM KHER: Bollywood actor was in news as he was conferred with the Honoured Guest of Texas award in Houston, USA for his contribution to the cinema and the world of art. CHANDA KOCHHAR and Arundhati Bhattacharya have been ranked as top two in a list of most powerful business women in Asia-Pacific, prepared by the global magazine Fortune. They head ICICI Bank and State Bank of India, respectively. INDRA NOOYI: PepsiCo CEO is the sole Indian-origin executive in Fortune's list of 50 most powerful women in business (placed 2ND), which has been topped by General Motors CEO Mary Barra. JHUMPA LAHIRI: Noted Indo American novelist was honoured with the prestigious National Humanities Medal by the American President in recognition of her works highlighting human relation-ships. QUEEN ELIZABETH II: The 89 year old Queen of Great Britain reached a major milestone on Sep 8 by becoming the longest-reigning monarch (since Feb 02, 1952) in Britain’s history, crossing the earlier record of Queen Victoria, her great-great-grandmother, who was on the throne for 63 years, 7 months and two days. GENNADY PADALKA: Russian astronaut was in news as he created the record for having spent the most time in space. His latest mission lasted 168 days, bringing his total to 879 days in space over five trips. MARTIN WINTERKORN: The embattled CEO of German auto major - Volkswagen, resigned in the wake of a massive scandal in which the company was accused of systematically manipulating data of exhaust emissions tests in millions of diesel cars sold worldwide.

AUGUST 2015

SUNDAR PICHAI: India-born technocrat has been named as the new CEO of the technology giant Google at an reported annual package of $ 50 million. ANUPAM KHER: Bollywood actor has been named an advocate for the UN’s campaign on gender equality.

HARDIK PATEL: 21 year old firebrand youth leader from Gujarat was in news as he engineered a massive (and violent) state wide agitation in Gujarat demanding job reservation for Patel community in the OBC quota.

AMITABH BACHCHAN: Bollywood megastar has been appointed as ambassador for promoting tiger tourism in Maharashtra. NOVAK DJOKOVIC: World’s top ranked tennis player appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

APPOINTMENTS

NOVEMBER 2015

JUSTICE T S THAKUR: New Chief Justice of India (43rd), succeeding Justice HL Dattu.

NITISH KUMAR: Elected as the new Bihar Chief Minister

SYED AKBARUDDIN: 1985 batch officer of Indian Foreign Service has been appointed as the next Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations at New York.

NAVTEJ SINGH SARNA: Veteran diplomat, an IFS officer of 1980 batch, has been appointed as India’s next High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.

VIJAY KESHAV GOKHALE: Senior diplomat has been appointed as India’s Ambassador to China.

RAGHURAM RAJAN: Governor RBI has been elected Vice-Chairman of the Bank of International Settlement (BIS) at Basel, Switzerland.

SUBIR GOKARAN: Former RBI Deputy Governor has been appointed as an Executive Director on the board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He will represent India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan.

MAHESH KUMAR JAIN: MD and CEO of Indian Bank. R K TAKKAR: MD and CEO UCO Bank

J K GARG: Managing Director of Corporation Bank SURESH N PATEL: Appointed as the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Andhra Bank. T.S.R. SUBRAMANIAN: Former Cabinet secretary has been appointed chairperson of a committee set up by the Human Resource Development Ministry to draft the new education policy.


HARSHAVARDHAN NEOTIA: Elected as the President of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) for the year 2016. He is the Chairman of Ambuja Neotia group of industries. SUNIL KANORIA: Appointed as the President of The Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM). He is the Vice Chairman of the SREI Infrastructure Finance Ltd. Ms. ZARIN DARUWALA: Appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Standard Chartered Bank, India. JUSTICE AJIT PRAKASH SHAH: Appointed as the ethics officer (ombudsman) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). MAURICIO MACRI: elected as the new President of Argentina. He is expected to be Argentina’s most economically liberal leader since the 1990s. He defeated the incumbent Mrs. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. JOHN POMBE MAGUFULI: Elected as the new President of Tanzania

OCTOBER 2015

ARUN JAITLEY: chosen as Finance Minister of the Year, Asia by London-based publication Emerging Markets.

SHEKHAR BASU: Renowned scientist has been appointed as the Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission.

SHASHANK MANOHAR: New President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India

NAJIB SHAH: Appointed as Chairman of Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC)

VIDYA DEVI BHANDARI: Noted Nepali Communist leader elected as Nepal’s first woman President by the Parliament.

K P SHARMA OLI: Veteran Communist party leader elected as Nepal's new Prime Minister

JIMMY MORALES: elected as the President of Guatemala

ALPHA CONDE: Re elected as the President of Guinea

JUSTIN TRUDEAU: Newly elected Prime Minister of Canada from Liberal Party.

ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO: re elected as the President of Belarus

PEDRO PASSOS COELHO: Newly elected Prime Minister of Portugal

JIOJI KONROTE: elected as new President of the Pacific island mini country Fiji.

SEPTEMBER 2015

RATAN P WATAL: New Union Finance Secretary

RAJIV MEHRISHI: Appointed as the new Union Home secretary.

DEEPAK GUPTA: Appointed as Chairman of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

J MANJULA: Director General, Electronics & Communication Systems cluster of the DRDO. She is the first woman DG of a DRDO cluster.

Ms. STUTI NARAIN KACKER: Appointed as the Chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).

ALEXIS TSIPRAS: Re-elected as the Prime Minister of Greece. He had resigned last month.

SHERIF ISMAIL: Elected as the new Prime Minister of Egypt

MALCOLM TURNBULL: New Prime Minister of Australia.

AWARDS & HONOURS

NOVEMBER 2015

THE INDIRA GANDHI PRIZE FOR PEACE, DISARMAMENT AND DEVELOPMENT- 2015: Awarded to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in recognition of its “immense contributions” in assisting millions of refugees and for working under difficult circumstances to bring about changes to reduce the flow of refugees. KIREN RIJIJU: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, was designated as the Disaster Risk Reduction Champion for the Asia Region by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). He is the first Indian to be conferred with this honour. RAMNATH GOENKA LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Kuldip Nayar, a veteran journalist, columnist and author for his contribution to journalism. KALA SHIKHAR AWARD: Santoor maestro Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma for lifetime achievement. NEW YORK GLOBAL LEADERS DIALOGUE HUMANITARIAN AWARD: Bindeshwar Pathak, Social Activist and founder of Sulabh International, for his contribution to improving the quality of life for millions of manual scavengers.

INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S PEACE PRIZE: awarded to Abraham Keita (17) of Liberia for his “tireless campaigning” to end violence against minors.


OCTOBER 2015

SASTRA Ramanujan Prize 2015: Jacob Tsimerman of the University of Toronto, Canada. The age limit for the prize has been set at 32 because Ramanujan achieved so much in his brief life of 32 years. MAN BOOKER PRIZE FOR LITERATURE 2015: won by Jamaican author Marlon James for his novel A Brief History of Seven Killings inspired by the attempted assassination of famous music icon of Jamaica Bob Marley in the 1970s.

An Indian short film of 11 minutes, An Old Dog’s Diary has won prestigious Best Short Film Award at the 2015 London Film Festival.

CONFUCIUS PEACE PRIZE (China): Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwean President, for “injecting fresh energy” into the global quest for harmony.

HARVARD HUMANITARIAN OF THE YEAR AWARD: Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi has been selected for the prestigious award given by the Harvard University, USA annually to an individual whose works and deeds have served to improve the quality of lives and inspired people to greater heights.

European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought has been awarded to the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, whose flogging sentence for causing insult to Islam invited global criticism.

SEPTEMBER 2015

SKOCH AWARD (India) FOR SMART GOVERNANCE: Won by Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) for its initiatives on Universal Account Number (UAN) Programme.

VYAAS SAMMAN FOR 2014: Noted Hindi writer Dr Kamal Kishore Goenka for his work 'Premchand ki Kahaniyon ka Kaal Kramanusaar Adhyayan'

GANDHI PEACE PRIZE-2014: Awarded to ISRO for its contribution in natin’s development through satellite based education, health care and connectivity to community activities. The Award carries an amount of Rupees one crore in cash, a plaque and a citation.

UNESCO ‘Award of Excellence’ 2015: Won by India for the remarkable conservation efforts of the majestic Sree Vadakkunnathan Temple in Kerala

Indian film Angry Indian Goddesses, a story about a group of Indian girls in Goa gone wild, was voted as the first runner-up at the 40th Toronto International Film Festival in Canada.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

NOVEMBER 2015

Combating Hunger and Achieving Food Security by M.S. Swaminathan

Chronicles of Time and Chance by Raymond Francis Isar

Because We Say So by Noam Chomsky

Why India Is Not A Great Power (Yet) by Bharat Karnad

My Gita by Devidutt Pattnaik

The Mare's Trap by Wendy Doniger.

What Happened to Netaji by Anuj Dhar

Rebooting India: Realizing a Billion Aspirations by Nandan Nilekani and Viral Shah

India-Myanmar Relations by Rajiv Bhatia.

OCTOBER 2015

The Clintons' War on Women by Roger Stone and Robert Morrow

Mrs Funnybones by Twinkle Khanna

To the Brink and Back: India’s 1991 Story by Jairam Ramesh.

A Children’s History of India by Subhadra Sen Gupta.

The Country of First Boys by Amartya Sen

Baat Niklegi toh Phir by Sathya Saran

Dreaming Big: My Journey to Connect India – an autobiography of Sam Pitroda, noted technocrat who brought telecom revolution in India.

The Chinar Leaves by veteran Congress leader and close aide of the Gandhi family M L Fotedar


Neither a Hawk nor a Dove: An Insider’s Account of Pakistan’s Foreign Policy by Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, ex Foreign Minister of Pakistan.

The Courage to Act - A Memoir of a Crisis and Its Aftermath by Ben S. Bernanke. The author is the ex governor of the Federal Reserve of USA and the book is about the lessons learnt from the recessions like 2008 Financial Crisis.

SEPTEMBER 2015

The Outsider: My Life in Intrigue, an autobiography of Frederick Forsyth, noted thriller novelist.

Two Years Eight Months and Twenty Eight Days by Salman Rushdie. The Monsoon War: Young Officers Reminisce 1965 India-Pakistan' by Capt Amarinder Singh and Lt. Gen. Tajindar Shergill

The Curse of Surya by Dev Prasad. Hubris: Why Economists Failed to Predict the Crisis and How to Avoid the Next One by Meghnad Desai. The Power of Meow by David Michie Muslim Cosmopolitanism in the Age of Empire by Seema Alavi

Portrait of a Serial Killer by Khushwant Singh (edited by Mala Dayal)

OBITUARY

NOVEMBER 2015

RAM KRISHNA TRIVEDI: Former Gujarat governor, Chief Election Commissioner of India and Central Vigilance Commissioner, passed away after prolonged illness. He was 94. He is credited with the introduction of the voter ID cards in Indian Elections.

K. SANKARAN NAIR: Former Chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) passed away in Bengaluru. He was 94. Decorated with Padma Bhushan, he was the main strategist of the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war.

ASHOK SINGHAL: Veteran patron of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) passed away in Gurgaon due to a prolonged illness. He was 89. He served as the international working president of the VHP organisation for over 20 years.

BRIJMOHAN LALL MUNJAL (92): Hero Motocorp Ltd founder died in Delhi after prolonged illness.

SAEED JAFFREY: Veteran Bollywood actor died in London. He was 86. He was known for his roles in movies like Gandhi, Shatranj Ke Khilari, Henna, and Masoom.

T R GOVINDARAJAN: Senior football administrator and veteran referee from Tamil Nadu, died after a brief illness. He was 90.

MAHIP SINGH: Noted writer and journalist passed away in Gurgaon, after a brief illness. He was 85.

HELMUT SCHMIDT: Former West German Chancellor, who led the country for eight years (1974-82) at the height of the Cold War, died at the age of 96.

OCTOBER 2015

RAVINDRA JAIN: Veteran music director-singer-lyricist passed away in Mumbai. He was 71. Though blind, he gave music for hit films like Chor Machaye Shor, Geet Gaata Chal, Chitchor and Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se, in the 70s and was associated with epic TV serials like Ramayana and Mahabharata.

SYED ZAHOOR QASIM: Renowned marine biologist considered as the founder of Polar Biology in India, passed away in New Delhi. He was 88. He was part of the first Indian expedition to Antarctica in 1981-82.

K S L SWAMY: Renowned Kannada filmmaker, producer, actor and playback singer passed away in Bengaluru. He was 77.

ASHWANI KUMAR: Ex DGP of Border security Force and ex President of the Indian Hockey Federation, passed away at 95.

LABH JANJUA: Noted Punjabi singer, famous for chartbusters like “London Thumakda” and “Jee karda bi jee karda”, died untimely in Mumbai

MANORAMA (Achhi): Legendary Tamil comedian and actress, who had starred in over 1,000 southern films, died at 78 in Chennai.

GAJANAN PENDHARKAR: Chairman of world famous ayurvedic cosmetics company – Vicco Laboratories, died in Mumbai. He was 81. He is credited with introduction of Vicco Vajradanti Toothpaste and Vicco Turmeric ayurvedic cream.

Dr. SYED AHMED: Governor of Manipur passed away at Mumbai. He was 73. He was a senior Congress leader.

HENNING MANKELL: Best-selling Swedish crime writer, whose detective character Kurt Wallander became a worldwide phenomenon, died at 67 after a battle with cancer.

SEPTEMBER 2015

JAGMOHAN DALMIYA: President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), hailed as the architect of India's rise as the game's financial superpower, passed away in Kolkata on Sep 20. He was 75. He was a veteran administrator and master of marketing. He also served as President of the International Cricket Council (1997-2000).


AADESH SHRIVASTAVA: Noted Bollywood music composer passed away at a young age of 51 as he was suffering from cancer. M M KALBURGI: 77 year old Kannada scholar and ex Vice Chancellor of Kannada University was shot dead by two men at his Dharwad home in Karnataka. Owing to his iconoclastic views against idol worship, he had annoyed a section of the Lingayat community and hardline Hindu groups. JACKIE COLLINS: Popular British-American romance novelist passed away in California, United States. She was 77 and died of breast cancer. She wrote 32 novels, all of which appeared on The New York Times bestsellers list. Her books sold more than 500 million copies in 40 countries. YOGI BERRA: Legendary Baseball player from USA, whose humorous quotes made him one of America's most beloved sports icons, died at the age of 90 CHANDRA BAHADUR DANGI: verified by the Guinness Book of Records as the world's shortest man - at 21.5 inches (54.6cm) - died of an undisclosed illness in American Samoa. He was 75 and was ill for long.

PLACES IN NEWS

NOVEMBER 2015

MOUNT RINJA: In Indonesia, hundreds of tourists were stranded for a third day as volcanic ash from eruptions from Mount Rinja forced the closure of airports in three Indonesian islands.

OCTOBER 2015

DADRI: Small town in Uttar Pradesh was in news due to mob lynching of 52-year-old Mohammad Akhlaq Saifi in village Bisara on Sep 28 on rumors that he killed a cow for consuming beef. The incident led to strong reactions all over India as a strong example of surging ideological intolerance, particularly in context of religion, leading to return of government honours by several eminent intellectuals.

KOTKAPURA: Town in district Faridkot, Punjab witnessed widespread violent protests by Sikhs against the alleged desecration of a 'bir' of Guru Granth Sahib in Bargari village. Later, the protests spread to several other towns, even in certain places in UK and Canada.

CHANG LA: Situated about 80 km east of Leh (J&K), the place was in news as the world’s highest research station, established by the DRDO at an altitude of 17,500 ft became functional there. The station would be used for extreme altitude bio-medical, material and agro-animal researches and conservation of endangered species of plants.

BIR BILLING: Place in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh was in news as the first Paragliding World Cup of South East Asia started there from October 16.

SUNPERH: village in district Faridabad of Haryana was in news as a Dalit family of four was set afire inside their house, killing two babies, allegedly by members of the Rajput community to revenge the killing of three Rajputs by Dalits, last year. The incident led to widespread agitation by the Dalit families.

HURRICANE PATRICIA, one of the most powerful storms on record, struck Mexico's Pacific coast on 23 October, carrying destructive winds with a speed of 165mph, forcing thousands to flee homes and beach front resorts.

TYPHOON KOPPU attacked the northeastern Philippines on October 18 with fierce winds, displacing 16,000 villagers and knocking out power in entire provinces.

SANTA CATARINA PINULA: A small town in Guatemala, a mini country south of Mexico, was in news s at least 171 persons were killed there in sudden mudslides that smashed into a nearby village.

BAGHDAD: The heavily fortified Green Zone in the capital of Iraq has been opened to the public for the first time in 12 years as a part of a reform drive. The 10 sq. kms area is home to government buildings and foreign embassies and was closed in 2003 after American invasion. ARCH OF TRIUMPH: A historical monument built about 2,000 years ago in Palmyra, Syria was in news as it was blown up by the ISIS terrorists.

SEPTEMBER 2015

PETALWAD, JHABUA: Small town in Madhya Pradesh was in news as around 100 people were killed and many more injured after a massive blast caused by mining explosives stored in a building ripped through a crowded market area.


MINA: Holy place for Muslims, near Mecca was in news as over 720 people were killed and over 860 others injured there in a stampede as Haj pilgrims jostled their way to perform symbolic stoning of the devil, marking the culmination of the annual Haj pilgrimage.

MECCA: Muslims’ holiest place in Saudi Arabia was in news as at least 107 persons were killed and over 200 injured in an accident caused by crane collapsed on Sep 11 during the annual hajj pilgrimage.

COQUIMBO, CHILE: Area in Northern Chile was in news as more than 9,000 people were left homeless after it was struck by a 8.3-magnitude quake on September 16.

MOUNT ASO: One of the largest volcanoes on Japan's main southern island of Kyushu, erupted on Sep 14, sending a plume of black smoke 2 km high, but there were no reports of damage or injuries.

SPORTS WORLD

NOVEMBER 2015

Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis lifted their ninth trophy of the season, winning BNP Paribas WTA Finals in Singapore

Pankaj Advani, India's most successful cueist won the record 15th world title by winning the IBSF World Snooker Championship in Egypt, defeating Zhua Xintong of China.

Heena Sidhu has won Gold in 10 metre Air Pistol event at 13th Asian Shooting Championships in Kuwait. Jitu Rai won silver medal

Shiva Thapa, top Indian boxer was ranked number 2 in the latest international rankings in the 56 kg category.

Siril Verma, 16 year old shuttler from India won the silver medal at the BWF World Junior Championships held in Lima, Peru.

8th Men’s Junior Asia Hockey Cup: India’s junior men’s team won the cup at Kuantan, Malaysia by defeating Pakistan.

69th senior National Aquatic Championships 2015: Mana Patel (women) and Virdhawal Khade (men) were declared the best swimmers, at Rajkot, Gujarat.

Surjit Hockey Tournament: Railways defeated Indian Oil in the finals played in Jalandhar.

Wasim Jaffer became the first player in Ranji Trophy history to notch up 10,000 runs. He reached the milestone playing against Bengal in Kolkata.

Anju Bobby George, former long jump world champion has been appointed as the chairperson of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). Shashank Manohar, BCCI President was authorised to represent BCCI in ICC (International Cricket Council) as its Chairman.

China Open Superseries Premier Badminton tournament: Xuerui Li of China beats Saina Nehwal to win the Women's Singles title at Fuzhou, China.

World number one Novak Djokovic has become the first player to win the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals for the fourth consecutive time by beating Roger Federer in the finals played in London.

Swiss Indoors Basel Tennis title: Won by Roger Federer by defeating Rafael Nadal

Agnieszka Radwanska, of Poland, won the BNP Paribas WTA Finals title at Singapore, beating Petra Kvitova

Nico Rosberg of Germany won the Mexican Grand Prix F1 championship in Mexico City and the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix at Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The Czech Republic won the prestigious women’s team tennis trophy - Fed Cup after beating Russia in final played in Prague, capital of Czech Republic.

FIFA Under 17 Football World Cup: Nigeria defeated Mali to win the championship held in Chile.

The Rugby World Cup: New Zealand lifted the cup beating Australia in the Final played in London

Mitchell Johnson, Australia’s most devastating fast bowler of his era, retired from all international cricket on Nov 17.

The first ever day-night Test match in the history of cricket started as the third Test between Australia and New Zealand at the Adelaide Oval in Australia.

Belgium moved to the top of the FIFA world ranking list in football for the first time, leaving behind giants like Argentina and world champions Germany. India ranks pretty low at 172nd place.

OCTOBER 2015

HIGHER DIET MONEY FOR SPORTSPERSONS Ministry of Sports has decided to enhance the diet allowance for national level sports persons. The athletes competing in the power games under Category ‘A’ (boxing, judo, taekwondo, weightlifting and throw events in athletics) will receive Rs. 700 per day against Rs. 320 at present. Athletes under Category ‘B’ (sprint and team events) will get Rs400 per day, while sportspersons under Category ‘C’ (golf, shooting and archery) will be entitled for Rs. 300 per day.


Indian archer Abhishek Verma created history by winning a silver medal in the Archery World Cup Final held in Mexico City, becoming the first ever Indian to bag Archery World Cup Final medal. Deepika Kumari also bagged a silver medal.

Deborah Herold, 20 year old Indian cyclist became the first ever Indian to win a gold medal, three silver and one bronze medal in women's elite section in the in Taiwan Cup Track International Classic in Taiwan.

Anirban Lahiri won the Hilton Asian Tour Golfer of the Month award at Singapore

Yuki Bhambri achieved a career-best rank of 99, becoming the first Indian tennis player to come under 100 since 2010 in the ATP world rankings.

Shweta Rathore became the first Indian female bodybuilder to win a silver medal in the 49th Asian championship held in Uzbekistan

Urvashi Rautela won the Yamaha Fascino Miss Diva 2015 title to become India’s representative for the Miss Universe pageant.

Saketh Myneni, India’s tennis player won the Vietnam Open trophy in the finals played at Ho Chi Minh City.

Amit Kumar, Indian para-athlete bagged silver in men's club throw F51 event in the IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha

Zaheer Khan, one of India's greatest fast bowlers, bid adieu to international cricket, admitting that he could no longer handle the rigours of the game.

Ajay Jayaram won the men’s Badminton title at the Dutch Open Grand Prix at Almere (The Netherlands).

Pankaj Advani won the IBSF World Billiards Championship in Adelaide, Australia.

Abhinav Bindra clinched gold in the men's 10 metre Air Rifle event of the Asian Air Gun Championships in New Delhi.

Heena Sidhu clinched a Gold medal in the 10-metre air pistol event of the Asian Air Gun Championships in New Delhi.

Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis won their seventh title together on Oct 3 by winning the Wuhan Open women’s doubles title at Wuhan, China. Earlier, they also won the Guangzhou Open on Sep 26.

The Indian teams won five out of six team events in the Commonwealth Youth, Junior & Senior weightlifting championships held in Pune, Maharashtra.

Virender Sehwag, one of the world’s most destructive batsmen to have played the game, announced his retirement from international cricket and the Indian Premier League, bringing an end to an illustrious career spanning 14 years.

Vijender Singh, India’s Olympian boxer made a smashing professional debut by knocking out Britain's Sonny Whiting in the middleweight category at Manchester, UK.

The 12th SAF (South Asian Games) games will be held from February 6 to 16 in 2016 in Guwahati and Shillong.

VIJAY KUMAR MALHOTRA: Govt of India has appointed veteran sports administrator as the President of the All India Council of Sports.

The 16th National Women Boxing Championship was held at Bongaigaon in Assam

REFUGEES ALLOWED IN OLYMPICS The International Olympic Committee has announced that refugee athletes will be allowed, for the first time, to take part in next year's Olympics. They will compete under the Olympic flag. Until now, such athletes have been unable to participate, because they could not represent their home country.

Novak Djokovic beats Rafael Nadal to win men’s title in the China Open at Beijing, China. Spain’s Garbine Muguruza won the women's singles title

Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis won their eighth title of the season by lifting the women’s doubles title.

Cristiano Ronaldo of The Real Madrid won the record fourth Golden Boot for scoring highest – 48 goals in the season.

China’s Xuerui Li won the Denmark Open Badminton Title in the women’s single category, defeating P V Sindhu of India at Odense, Denmark.

Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia clinched the French International Badminton title in Paris.

Sultan of Johor Cup (Hockey): Great Britain defeated Indian junior men's team to lift the cup in Malaysia.

Sergey Karjakin of Russia won the World Cup Chess Championship, defeating compatriot Peter Svidler in Baku, Azerbaijan.


Lewis Hamilton of Britain won the Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix at Sochi, Russia, Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, Japan and U S Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.

Luis Leao Pinto of Portugal won the Asia’s premier mountain biking race to get the crown of ‘King of the Himalaya’. He took time of 27:29:22 to complete the 600 km long 7 stages biking race.

Women’s European Volleyball Championship was won by Russia at Rotterdam, Russia.

China won the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Asia Championship by defeating the Philippines at Changsha, China.

Some 2,000 athletes from many indigenous ethnic groups from 30 countries took part in the first World Indigenous Games held in Palmas, Brazil.

SEPTEMBER 2015

YOGA GIVEN SPORTS STATUS The Sports Ministry has decided to recognize Yoga as a sports discipline and place it in the Priority category. Fencing has also been upgraded from Others to General category, based on the past performance in major international events.

Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award

NAME SPORTS 1. Jot Singh (ITBP) Mountaineering 2. Arunima Sinha Mountaineering 3. Wg. Cdr. Paramveer Singh Aqua sport 4. Col. Satish Chander Sharma Mountaineering 5. Lt. Col Satyendra Verma Sky diving

The Indian wushu team fetched a rich haul of 1 gold, 4 silver and 7 bronze medals at the 5th International Pars Wushu Cup in Tehran, Iran.

Deepak Lather won a gold in the 62 kg category in weight lifting in the fifth Youth Commonwealth Games in Apia, Samoa. India stood fifth in the final medal tally in the Commonwealth Youth Games.

Anil won the gold medal in the 50 kg freestyle category at the Cadet Wrestling World Championships at Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

OP Jaisha and Sudha Singh finished 18th and 19th respectively in the women's marathon at the World Athletics Championships in Beijing. Jaisha, however, set a new national record by registering a time of two hours, 34 minutes and 43 seconds.

Manpreet Kaur of Railways created a new national record in shot-put throwing, claiming a distance of 17.96 meters at the 55th National Open Athletics Championship at Kolkata.

Apurvi Chandela clinched the silver medal in women’s 10m air rifle event of the ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup Finals in Munich, Germany. Ravi Shastri to continue as the Team Director of the Indian cricket team till the 2016 T20 World Cup to be held in India. 55th National Open Athletics Championship started at SAI Complex in Kolkata on Sep16. The 42nd World Bridge Teams Championships opened in Chennai on Sep 26. U.S. OPEN TENNIS ENDS AT NEW YORK

Men’s Singles: Novak Djokovic won the title beating Roger Federer

Women’s Singles: Flavia Pennetta won the title by beating Roberta Vinci, both from Italy. Flavia announced her retirement after winning the title.

Men’s mixed doubles: won by Leander Paes and Martina Hingis. Paes becomes the player to have won highest number, of mixed doubles grand slams (Nine). Women’s doubles: Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis won the title.

Sebastian Vettel from Germany won 2015 Singapore Grand Prix of Formula One car race

Lewis Hamilton won the Italian Grand Prix F1 championship at Monza, Italy.

Shane Watson: Australia's veteran all-rounder announced his retirement from Test cricket on September 6, playing his last match in Cardiff, UK.

The 2022 Commonwealth Games will be held in Durban, South Africa, for the first time.

Hangzhou, capital city of Zhejiang Province in East China, has been chosen by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to host the 2022 Asian Games.

ALL THE NEWS ITEMS IN THIS MAGAZINE HAVE BEEN SOURCED FROM VARIOUS NEWS PAPERS AND GOVT. PRESS RELEASES


DAYS AND DATES

NOVEMBER Formation Day for Andhra Pradesh Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab

01st Nov

Pneumonia Day 02nd Nov World Cancer Day 07th Nov Legal Services Day 09th Nov National Education Day 11th Nov World Diabetes Day, National Children Day

14th Nov

UN’s International Day for Tolerance 16th Nov National Day for the Deaf 17th Nov Territorial Army Day 18th Nov National Integration Day 19th Nov World Fisheries Day 21st Nov Flag Day 25th Nov National Law Day 26th Nov National Flag Day 30th Nov

DECEMBER BSF Raising Day, World AIDS Day 01st Dec. International Day for Abolition of Slavery (UNO) 02nd Dec.

International Day of Disabled Persons, World Conservation Day 03rd Dec.

Navy Day 04th Dec. Armed Forces Flag Day 06th Dec. International Civil Aviation Day 07th Dec. National Immunization Day 09th Dec. Human Rights Day 10th Dec. UNICEF Day 11th Dec. National Energy Conservation Day 14th Dec. Vijay Divas (1971 Pak Victory) 16th Dec. Minorities Rights Day 18th Dec. Mathematics Day 22nd Dec. Kisan Day (Birthday of Ch. Charan Singh) 23rd Dec. National Consumer Day 24th Dec. X-Mas Day 25th Dec. International Day for Biological Diversity 29th Dec.

JANUARY National Youth Day( B’day of Swami Vivekanand)

12th Jan.

Army Day 15th Jan. Desh Prem Divas (B’day of Neta ji Subash Chandra Bose)

23rd Jan.

National Girl Child Day ( Day Indira Gandhi became PM of India )

24th Jan.

National Voters Day ( Establishment of Election Commission)

25th Jan.

International Customs Day 26th Jan. Martyrs' Day ( Death of Mahatma Gandhi) 30th Jan.

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NATIONAL NEWS

AUGUST 2015

Census 2011 data shows that the proportion of

Muslims has registered 0.8 per cent growth from 2001 to 2011 to reach 14.23 per cent, numbering 17.22 crore. Hindus population share showed a decline by 0.7 per cent to reach 79.80 per cent at 96.63 crore.

Pahal (Pratyaksh Hanstantrit Labh) for LPG has made it to the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest cash transfer plan for households.

Bengaluru has been ranked as the cleanest among capital cities in India and Mysuru as the most clean city as per the Swachh Bharat rankings.

India and China opened their fifth border meeting point on August 1 at Daulat Beg Oldie in northern Ladakh for local military commanders meetings.

On July 31, 51 Bangladeshi enclaves in Coochbehar, West Bengal merged with India, while 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh merged with that country.

7th August will be celebrated every year as National Handloom Day to promote quality handloom products in international markets

World Bank has agreed to provide $ 412.40 million assistance for the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project- I & II

Prime Minister Modi made a two day visit to the strategically-important UAE on August 16-17. He is the first Indian PM to visit UAE after 34 years.

James Alix Michel, President of the Seychelles came to New Delhi on 25 August on a three-day visit to India.

Filipe J Nyusi, President of Mozambique arrived in India on August 5 on a five day visit. The two countries signed MoU on expanding cooperation in energy sector.

Adam Gilchrist, former Australian cricketer has been appointed Australia's first education ambassador to India.

India has started the hotlines between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama and their national security advisers.

Govt released a commemorative postal stamp of Rs 5 on August 24 on emperor Ashoka who ruled the Indian subcontinent from 269 BC to 232 BC.

Latest release from the Census 2011 data shows that only 6.8 crore Indians (8.15%) have qualification of graduation and above.

The 18th Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) started functioning from its temporary campus at Palakkad, Kerala.

Second summit of Forum for India Pacific Island Countries (FIPIC) was held in Jaipur on August 21.

India signs tax information exchange agreement with Seychelles to curb generation of black money.

JULY 2015

The World Bank has ranked three social welfare

schemes as the biggest in the world: MGNREGA as the world's largest public works

programme Mid-day Meal Scheme as the biggest school feeding

programme covering 10.5 crore beneficiaries. The Janani Suraksha Yojna, with 7.8 crore

beneficiaries, in the category of social security programme

The World Bank has agreed to provide $250-million financial assistance for the Andhra Pradesh Disaster Recovery Project

Modi visited Russia and five Central Asian countries from July 6-13, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

The six cities – Guwahati, Jorhat, Kohima, Dimapur, Itanagar and Agartala will be developed under the Development of Solar Cities Programme.


Digging work over for the 9-km long Patnitop tunnel between Chenani and Nashri, the longest in South Asia.

President has nominated 2 members of Anglo-Indian Community to Lok Sabha as per the provisions of Article 331 of Indian Constitution.

They are – Prof. Richard Hay, Economist from Kerala and George Baker, noted film actor from West Bengal.

On the World Population Day (July 11), at 5 pm, the number of Indians hit 127, 42, 39, 769, which is 17.25 per cent of the global population

Yogi Adityanath panel has sought doubling of the existing Rs 50,000 salary of MPs and increasing their pension from Rs 20,000 to Rs 35,000.

The Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) data released on July 3 shows that there were total 24.39 crore households in country.

Of this, 17.9 crore – 73% were rural households, of which 2.37 crore or 13% still live in houses with only one room, kuccha walls and kuccha roof.

Manual casual labour is the main source of income for 51% of rural households, followed by cultivation, pursued by 30% of households.

Govt has sanctioned Rs.1,000 crore for a 15-km India-Bangladesh railway project from Agartala in Tripura to Akhaura in Bangladesh.

ADB to give a loan of $ 300 million to India for improving road connectivity in the North Eastern Region.

India and Kazakhastan issued a joint statement - Tej Kadam highlighting the continuation of strategic partnership between the two nations.

Government has decided to give Cabinet minister’s rank to the Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog, Arvind Panagariya.

Asian Development Bank to provide $ 300 million loan to support the Government’s flagship program, the National Urban Health Mission.

India and Georgia signed an MoU in New Delhi for cooperation in election management and administration.

26th July was celebrated as the Kargil Vijay Diwas as the 16th anniversary of the Indian victory in the 1999 Kargil war.

Of the 31 countries which produce power from nuclear sources, India is 12th, producing 5308 MWe. The list is topped by USA producing 98639 MWe.

National Broadcasting Day was observed on 23 July. It is on this day in 1927, the Indian Broadcasting Co. started first radio broadcasting from Bombay.

Government has announced that 14 States and Union Territories have achieved or exceeded the literacy rate of 80 percent.

JUNE 2015

India broke two Guinness records on the occasion of the International Yoga Day at Rajpath, New Delhi One for the largest yoga assembly of 35,985 at a

single venue and the other for participation from 84 nationalities in a single event.

Prime Minister Modi reached Dhaka on June 6 on a two-day visit to Bangladesh. The two countries agreed to start Kolkata-

Dhaka-Agartala (466+152 kms) bus service and Guwahati – Dhaka (496 kms) bus services.

President of India visited Sweden on May 31 on his five- day visit to the country and Belarus. This is first ever visit by an Indian President to Sweden.

As per the Baseline Profitability Index (BPI) compiled in New York, USA, India has been ranked the best country in terms of attracting foreign investors.

According to a World Bank report, India figures among top five emerging economies for the highest investment commitments in private sector.

Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of Netherland, arrived in New Delhi on a two-day visit to India, June 5-6.

A new global study reveals that elder abuse in India is the lowest in Asia with an incidence of 14 per cent only while it is the highest in China at 36 per cent.

China opened the second land crossing in Tibet via Nathu La in Sikkim, to allow Indian pilgrims Kailash-Manasarovar Yatra.

Bhagavad Gita, the sacred ancient Indian scripture, has made its debut in China after its Chinese version was released in the country.

The Election Commission suspended the recognition of National People’s Party because it failed to submit its poll expenditure statements.


India and USA have signed a series of agreements for cooperation in health sector in areas like cancer research, medical infrastructure development etc.

India, Australia and Japan held trilateral talks in New Delhi to discuss a range of issues including the security situation in the Asia Pacific

Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur will soon become the first engineering institute in India to venture into medical education.

India has joined the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA) on Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information by signing the pact in Paris.

India is home to the highest number of hungry people in the world, at 194 million, surpassing China, according to the United Nations annual hunger report

India ranked among 20 most violent places globally, standing at 143rd rank in 2014.

India was ranked 44th in the annual global competitiveness report by a Switzerland-based business school

In terms of emissions of climate - damaging greenhouse gases, India ranks fourth in world, accounting for roughly 7 per cent of emissions.

The three-day World Bangla Conference organized by the Vishwa Bangla Sammelan was held in Nagpur, Madhya Pradesh.

India has emerged as Britain's third biggest job creator in 2014 as it saw a 65% increase in FDI from India, leading to 9,350 new jobs in 122 projects.

India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh signed a Motor Vehicles Agreement for the regulation of passenger and cargo vehicular traffic.

India emerged the top donor country for Nepal by pledging $ one billion aid for reconstruction of earthquake hit Nepal

World Bank gave a $250 million loan for Jhelum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project for reconstruction of flood-affected infrastructure in J&K.

NEWS FROM STATES

AUGUST 2015

Birth centenary celebrations of freedo fighter Rani Gaidinliu were inaugurated in Nagaland on August 24.

Gujarat witnessed widespread violent clashes after the massive rally on August 25 for demanding special job reservation for Patel community.

Cochin International Airport, Kochi on August 18 became the first airport in the world to operate completely on solar power.

Maharashtra government has accorded the status of adventure sport to the art of forming ‘human pyramids’ in Dahi Handi festival.

Two war memorials were inaugurated in Jaisalmer and Longowal in Rajasthan in the honour of war heroes of 1965 and 1971 Indo Pak war, respectively.

Telangana govt has signed a MoU with the Department of Posts for sale of stamp papers at post offices from September 1 to avoid fraud and forgery.

Kerala would be the first fully digital state in the country by March 2016 by utilising e-governance to deliver efficient and transparent services.

JULY 2015

The 5th Youth Delphic Games for cultural events will be held in Goa in February 2016.

Bangalore has been ranked 12th in the list of top 20 technology-rich cities of world, as per a survey by Jones Lang LaSalle.

The "Abar Souchagar" project in West Bengal's Nadia district, has won the UN Public Service Award for becoming the first 'Open Defecation Free' district

Vadodara in Gujarat and China's Xinjinag province have signed a MoU to enhance infrastructure growth and development between the two regions.

U P State Road Transport Corporation has become the first transport corporation to have a vehicle tracking system for it’s over 9600 inter-city buses,

A report by NSDC says that Haryana tops in automobile production, accounting for 50% of total passenger cars and two-wheelers produced in India.

The Haryana government has launched the ‘Mhara Gaon Jagmag Gaon’ scheme to ensure 24-hour power supply to the villages

The Home Ministry has declared Nagaland a “disturbed area” under section 3 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act 1958

Kerala Tourism has won Pacific Asia Travel Association award for its Muziris Heritage Conservation Project in Heritage & Culture category.

Uttarakhand became the first state in India to successfully install an Earthquake Warning System to detect earthquakes and disseminate warnings.

Chennai is 6th city in India to have the Metro train. The first train covered an overhead stretch between Koyambedu and Alandur for 10 km.


The Tripura government has introduced a pension scheme for transgenders allowing them a pension of Rs 500 per month.

JUNE 2015

Rajasthan, with an installed capacity of 1147 megawatt for solar power, topped the list of states commissioning grid connected solar power projects.

Kerala launched the Digital locker system ‘Akshay’, under which the public can store records and certificates and downloaded as and when required.

A two-day long annual Hemis festival dedicated to Guru Padmasambha was held in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Govt has decided to include Muzaffarnagar district of U P and the Jind and Karnal districts of Haryana as part of the National Capital Region (NCR).

The 17,500-feet high Lipulekh Pass in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand was opened for this year's India-China trade and Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.

Jaipur Metro, touted as one of the fastest built metro systems in the country, has been thrown open to public.

India’s first of its kind Tier-I Oil Spill Response Centre for Mumbai Port Trust, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust and ONGC near Mumbai was inaugurated.

Steffi Graf, Tennis legend from Germany, has been appointed the brand ambassador for Ayurveda by Kerala.

GOVT INITIATIVES

AUGUST 2015

The Centre declared the names of 98 cities for its smart cities project. U P leads by getting 13 cities, followed by Tamil Nadu-12

The Government launched a health service called SEHAT (Social Endeavour for Health And Telemedicine) in collaboration with the Apollo Hospitals

Government has launched the web portal "Vidya Lakshmi” (www.vidyalakshmi.co.in) for the benefit of students seeking educational loans.

India has ratified the International Seafarers’ Identity Documents Convention, 2003 to provide a globally recognised identity document to its seafarers.

Online beneficiary registration system, ‘On-line On-Site’ launched to provide assistive aids to persons with disabilities.

Government has decided that from this year onwards, IAS probationers will start their career from New Delhi before joining their respective states

Govt has launched Suraksha Bandhan Yojna through banks and insurance companies to facilitate enrolment under two social security schemes –

Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana

Govt launched a new national scheme Nai Manzil from Patna to address educational and livelihood needs of minority communities

Sendai framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 adopted to increase preparedness for response and recovery in case of disaster.

This framework was adopted during the third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai, Japan in March 2015.

A peace accord was signed with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-NSCN (Isak-Muivah group), to end two decades old insurgency problem.

Ministry of Rural Development has launched ‘SAMANVAY’ web portal to monitor progress of the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana.

Government has extended e-Tourist Visa facility to China, Hong Kong and Macau with effect from 30 July 2015.

The Union Cabinet has approved direct benefit transfer to beneficiaries of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).

Government has launched the School Nursery Yojana, to bring students closer to nature by involving them in raising of saplings in school nurseries.

Govt proposes to rename the present Agriculture Ministry as 'Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Ministry’ to focus on the welfare of farmers.

JULY 2015

Govt has launched E-kisan portal to allow the farmers to showcase their farm produce on the Internet for wholesalers to bid remotely.

Govt has launched a web portal for online submission of applications for Environment Clearance by State Environment Impact Assessment Authorities

The government has launched the 'Digital India' initiative for digital delivery of all essential services online to citizens


The government has launched the National Career Counseling Portal to coordinate all government-run employment exchanges.

Govt launched an All India Railway Helpline number, 1512, to allow passengers to lodge a complaint in both, running trains and stations in India.

The National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana(HRIDAY) launched for development of 12 historical cities across India.

The National Floor Level Minimum Wage has been increased to Rs. 160 per day from the existing Rs. 137 effective from July 1 this year.

Govt plans to provide skill development training to 10 crore youth over the next five years under the National Skill Development Mission.

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana launched for power sector reforms in rural areas to ensure round the clock electricity supply

The govt will give national awards with a cash prize of Rs 1.5 lakh to 3 best rag-pickers and 3 associations for their contribution to keeping India clean.

The govt has launched the Surakshit Khadya Abhiyan to create mass awareness and capacity building for safe and hygienic food.

The govt has decided to start an exhibition train— Science Express to sensitise the people, especially children and the youth, about Climate Change.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana with an outlay of Rs. 50000 crore.

The retirement fund body Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation, EPFO, has launched a public outreach initiative by the name ‘Nidhi Aapke Nikat'.

JUNE 2015

Smart Cities Mission launched for applying smart solutions to improve infrastructure and service delivery in the cities.

Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation-AMRUT launched for infrastructure development of 500 cities

Housing For All launched to ensure decent houses for all the needy, particularly the economically weaker sections and low income group in all towns.

The government launched the first modernised Anganwadi centre of India as part of Nand-Ghar Yojana

BSNL starts wi fi hotspot for free internet service at Taj Mahal from June 16.

The Women and Child Development Ministry has launched a new website - www.khoyapaya.gov.in

It will help people to not only report a missing child but also track the efforts towards his or her recovery. .

Govt has started a mobile app, Bhuvan Ganga, where public can upload pictures of pollution sources of the Ganga River for further action by authorities.

Jal Kranti Abhiyan started from Jaipur aimed at turning at least one water stressed village in each district of the country into a water surplus village.

EPFO has decided to make Universal Account Number (UAN) mandatory for all employers covered under the EPF and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1952.

Railways have tied up with Spice Jet and Go Air to enable the wait listed train travellers to cancel the train ticket and get an air ticket by paying some extra fare.

Govt has launched an insurance pool of Rs. 1,500 crore, to offset the financial burden on foreign nuclear suppliers in case of an accident.

Government has launched a mobile application for easy access of information regarding the nearest blood bank in the country.

The government has launched a web portal and weather alert system for the benefit of farmers called Crop Insurance Portal www.farmer.gov.in/insurance.

Govt. has decided to increase the number of workdays under NREGA scheme from 100 days to 150 days, only in drought affected areas.

Individuals having income only from salary / interest will fill Form ITR-1 (Sahaj) and those having income from business will fill Form ITR-4S.

The Govt has decided to rename Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) as the Renewable Energy Corporation of India (RECI).


The Government has withdrawn the customs import duties for drugs and test kits used to treat HIV and AIDS infections.

The Railway Ministry has decided to run Suvidha trains from next month with dynamic fares to address the rush during the peak travel season.

The second border haat (rural market) opened at Kamalasagar in Sipahijala district of Tripura bordering Brahmanbaria district of Bangladesh.

Indian Renewable Energy and Development Agency has been awarded the Mini Ratna-I status by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Indian Railways has named Haridwar Mail running between Ahmedabad-Haridwar as Yoga Express to commemorate the International Yoga Day.

The Railways has commenced the SMS alerts to inform the passengers about the cancelled trains to enable them to make alternative arrangements.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

AUGUST 2015

Moody's Investors Service has reduced India's

growth forecast for 2015-16 to around 7% from 7.5 % projected earlier, citing below-normal rainfall.

JULY 2015

Global rating agency Fitch says that India is expected to grow at 7.8 per cent in 2015.

IMF has retained India's growth forecast for current year at 7.5%, which is higher than China's 6.8%.

JUNE 2015

According to the data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the Indian economy grew at 7.3 per cent in 2014-15 (base year 2011-12)

World Bank says that India is expected to top the growth chart in world, growing by 7.5 per cent this year, surpassing China’s expected 7.1 per cent.

RBI has lowered the economic growth forecast for 2015-16 to 7.6% from 7.8 % projected in April.

ECONOMY

AUGUST 2015

Three Indian companies have been named among the world’s 100 most innovative companies list compiled by Forbes magazine of USA.

These companies are Hindustan Unilever, Sun Pharma Ind. and Tata Consultancy Services. The list is topped by Tesla Motors of USA.

Foodgrains production in India in 2014-15 was 252.68 million tonnes, down by 12.36 million tonnes (4.9%) from last year’s production of 265.04 million tonnes.

India plans to spend $1.5 billion in the next three years to help farmers grow oil palm trees to make the nation self-sufficient in edible oils.

The country's most popular scooter - the Honda Activa - has set a new record by crossing the one crore unit sales landmark.

Rajesh Exports Ltd. Bengaluru, has acquired Switzerland based Valcambi gold processing company to become world’s largest gold jewellery manufacturer

Union Cabinet has approved setting up of National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) to support new and delayed projects.

The Union Cabinet has approved construction of petroleum products pipeline from Raxaul (Bihar) in India to Amlekhgunj in Nepal.

Kolkata Port adjudged as the best ‘Major Port of the Year’ in the country for the year 2014-15 on basis of its turnover, efficiency and customer satisfaction.

The government's 10 %stake sale in Indian Oil Corporation on Aug 24 fetched around Rs. 9300 cr.

Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn to invest $5 billion in Maharashtra to set up large scale research & development and manufacturing facilities.

JULY 2015 Seven Indian companies are among the world's 500

largest companies, according to a list compiled by Fortune Magazine, USA, lead by IOC at 119th rank.


The government has decided to cap the subsidy on kerosene at Rs 12 per litre.

The marine product exports from India crossed all previous records in quantity, rupee value and dollar terms in 2014-15

The National Dairy Development Board has launched a mobile app ‘Pashu Poshan’ to help dairy farmers in raising milk yield and cutting feed cost.

The Indian Army and Railways are among the world’s biggest employers, employing 1.4 and 1.3 million, respectively, securing 7th and 8th rank.

ICRISAT and Telangana have collaborated to launch the Green Phablet for farmers in Telangana to provide online weather alerts.

The World Bank has approved an additional loan of $650 million for the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor

EPFO has proposed that an employee be allowed to withdraw only 75% of the overall kitty, instead of 100% as permitted under the existing rules.

The Life Insurance Council has engaged CIBIL to detect duplication of death claims under the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojna.

The Electronic Toll Collection system was launched on the Chennai-Bengaluru corridor on July26, aiming to help road-users save time and money.

BSNL, along with Andhra Bank and Pyro, has launched a mobile VISA prepaid card SPEEDPAY to allow users to do cash transactions up to Rs 1 lakh.

The government plans to import 5,000 tonnes of Urad dal to improve domestic supply and check price rise.

India and Thailand signed the Double Taxation avoidance treaty and the extradition treaty for seeking extradition of fugitive offenders.

JUNE 2015

The Cabinet has revised solar power capacity target under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission by 5 times, reaching 1,00,000 MW by 2022.

SEBI has announced relaxed listing norms to encourage the booming start-up industry to tap the local market so that local investors can also benefit.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) increased the MSP of paddy by Rs 50 to Rs 1,410 per quintal for this year.

Commodity Rs./quintal Commodity Rs./quintalPaddy 1410 Ragi 1650 Paddy 1450 Tuar / Urad 4625 Jowar 1570 Moong 4850 Bajra 1275 Groundnut 4030 Maize 1325 Sunflower Seed 3800

Cotton Med. 3800 Cotton long 4100

India is home to the fourth largest number (928) of ultra-high-net-worth households that have more than 100 million dollars in private wealth.

Investment in all IPOs from 1 January 2016, has been made cheque-free by SEBI by making ASBA mandatory for investors. Further, for listing of new shares, the time

allowed has been reduced from the current 12 days to 6 days from the closure of the issue.

Luanda, capital of Angola has been rated as the world’s costliest city to live in while Mumbai was rated as the most expensive city in India.

India’s largest private miner Vedanta, to absorb oil firm Cairn India to create India’s largest diversified natural resources company.

Govt has decided to hike the Minimum Import Price on import of Areca nuts from Rs 110/ kg Rs 162/kg to protect local growers from cheaper imports.

The 'Jal Marg Vikas' project on River Ganges to start between Allahabad and Haldia with a $3.5 million funding from World Bank. Bangladesh has granted permission to Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India to do business in the country

India has agreed to be a partner country in Russia’s major Industrial Fair named INNOPROM-2016 to be held at Yekaterinburg, Russia in July 2016

World Bank granted a $400-million loan for the Tamil Nadu Sustainable Urban Development Project to improve services in urban local bodies.

BANKING

AUGUST 2015

The Reserve Bank of India gave in principle approval for 11 entities on August 19 to set up payments banks.

Concept of payment banks was proposed by the Nachiket Mor committee.

They differ from conventional banks as they cannot give loans nor can they accept time deposits.

Balance in deposit accounts cannot exceed Rs 1 lakh. They can issue debit cards but not credit cards. They will need to invest 75 percent of their funds in

government securities RBI has allowed banks to extend repayment period

of farm loan upto 5-years if 50 percent or more of crop is damaged due to drought or flood.

R Gandhi committee has recommended allowing UCBs to exit from the ambit of the Multi State Co-operative Societies Act and come under the Companies Act.


The RBI has asked banks to provide 2% subvention on short term farm loans upto Rs. 3 lacs provided they charge not more than 7% to farmers.

Further, additional subvention of 3% will be available to farmers who repay such loans in time.

IRDAI has allowed banks to tie up with insurers to sell three products each from life, non-life and standalone health insurance segment.

SIDBI launched SIDBI Make in India Loan for Enterprises (SMILE) for providing soft loans to MSMEs.

It also launched The India Aspiration Fund to create 7.5 lakh jobs in five years.

Bandhan Bank began operations on August 23 as a full-fledged bank with 501 branches and 1.43 crore accounts across the country.

SBI launched a mobile wallet application, SBI Buddy, in collaboration with Accenture and Mastercard.

ICICI Bank has launched the first of its kind fully automated digital locker named 'Smart Vault'.

Project “Indra-dhanush” launched to lay down the framework for the revival of public sector banks.

It aims to provide immediate capital support, create a Bank Board Bureau, improve governance standards and focus on the quality of the business

Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched ‘Kotak Bharat’ app to provide mobile banking services to customers without using internet support.

RBI to transfer its surplus profit of Rs 65,896 crore to the Centre, which is about 25% more than the amount given last year.

RBI to issue 10 rupee coins to commemorate Inter-national Yoga Day. The coins will have image of lion capital on one side and logo of Yoga Day on the other.

Govt has notified that the second and fourth Saturday of every month would be a holiday for banks, with effect from September 1, 2015.

NABARD has been accredited by the Green Climate Fund of UNO as an implementing entity for undertaking climate change related projects in India.

HDFC Bank has launched ‘Dhanchayat’, an educational film to raise awareness on the dangers of borrowing money from unorganised sources.

ICICI Bank has announced ‘Saral-Rural Housing Loan’ up to Rs. 15 lakh with a special interest rate equal to its base rate which is currently at 9.70 %.

JULY 2015

The Reserve Bank has permitted the banks without ATM network to collaborate with bigger banks to issue debit cards

The Union Cabinet has agreed to continue the interest subvention of three per cent on short-term crop loans of up to Rs. 3 lakh to farmers

RBI has asked banks to use Central Repository of Information on Large Credits – CRILC data to verify the credit history of their customers.

HDFC Bank's digital banking offering christened Go Digital has designed a 30-minute auto loan and 15-minute two-wheeler loan for loan seekers

The United Bank of India has topped the list of public sector banks with 21.5% of its loans classified as NPA.

SBI has launched 'Project Tatkal' to attract home loan seekers by offering them the loan within 10 days after the receipt of application

SBI has launched an app State Bank Rewardz to give reward points to all its customers for almost every banking transaction done with the bank.

RBI has allowed Mass Transit System operators such as Mumbai Metro, Delhi Metro, Indian Railways and even local buses to issue their pre-paid cards.

Axis Bank to get $200 million loan from the Asian Development Bank for extending customized and affordable agriculture credit to farmers.

Axis bank has launched 'Touch ID' - a one touch authentication for doing transactions through its mobile app using Apple iPhone 5s and above.

The State Bank of India plans to offer up to 3% of its annual profit to employees as part of a talent retention and motivation initiative.

RBI has set up a committee headed by Deepak Mohanty to work out action plan to spread the reach of financial services to unbanked population.

Corporation Bank has launched the country’s first MUDRA (Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency) card based on the RuPay platform.


The Reserve Bank has signed a currency swap agreement with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka to let it draw up to $ 1.1 billion for up to 6 months.

HDFC Bank plans to roll out handheld machines that could work like micro ATMs, in areas where setting up of full-fledged ATMs is not commercially viable.

The State Bank to open more digital branches like InTouch and InTouch Light, e-corners at existing branches to target young, tech-savvy customers.

JUNE 2015

Reserve Bank of India has cut the repo rate by 25 basis points to 7.25 per cent from 7.5% in its first monetary policy review on June 2.

The new rates are as under: (w.e.f. 02.06.2015) Repo Rate………………………7.25% Reverse Repo…………………6.25% Marginal Standing Facility…8.25% Bank Rate…………………………8.25% Statutory Liquidity Ratio…..21.5% Cash Reserve Ratio……………4.0%

RBI has allowed postpaid mobile service, piped gas and water supply bills to be submitted as proof of address for opening bank account of low-risk persons. Some other proof of address include Bank/ PO

a/c statement; pension payment orders,letter of allotment of accommodation from official bodies.

The RBI has issued Rs 100 denomination bank notes in Mahatma Gandhi Series - 2005 with new security features. Now the numerals in both the number panels of

these bank notes will be in ascending size from left to right.

The Reserve Bank has allowed the banks to borrow from global multilateral financial institutions for general banking business.

RBI has permitted Indian corporates, eligible to raise external commercial borrowings (ECBs), to issue rupee- linked bonds overseas.

The RBI has issued the final guidelines for the 6-year and 13-year cash settled Interest Rate Futures (IRF) on government securities

RBI has allowed banks to takeover debt-laden companies by converting loans into equity if company fails to revive within a stipulated time frame.

The Reserve Bank has issued the draft guidelines on the net stable funding ratio (NSFR) under Basel III framework on liquidity standards for banks

RBI has capped the remuneration of non-executive director of private banks to Rs 10 lakh

HDFC Bank has launched a mobile phone application, PayZapp, for online payments and money transfer.

State Bank of India will install 10 lakh payment card swipe machines to double the number of places where card payments are accepted.

The Department of Post (India Post) has signed a deal with CMS Info Systems to personalise over 15 million debit cards for its savings account holders.

The RBI has extended the date for exchange of pre-2005 currency notes to December 31, 2015. The earlier deadline was to expire on June 30.

Reserve Bank of India has allowed non-resident Indians (NRIs) to invest in chit funds to encourage flow of capital into the country.

ICICI Bank became the first bank to partner with Alibaba.com for providing trade finance to their India-based sellers

SBI has launched an internet-based platform ‘SBI eforex’, to enable customers to book their foreign exchange transactions online.

DEFENCE, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

AUGUST 2015

Ten day bi-lateral air exercise between Indian and British Air forces named Indradhanush concluded in Britain.

Mahindra Defence Systems Ltd and Europe’s Airbus Helicopters set up a joint venture to manu-facture military helicopters for the first time in India.

India’s first Integrated Underwater Harbour Defence and Surveillance System was commissioned in Kochi, Kerala to beef up coastal security.

ISRO launched its 25th home-made communications satellite GSAT-6 on August 27, using the Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D6)

A global satellite for earth observation and disaster risk reduction -- GlobalSat for DRR under UN framework, will be named as “UN Kalam GlobalSat”

A new Science and Innovation Museum called 'Navachara Kaksh' was inaugurated at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on August 5.

Google has reorganized itself into a multiple company organization under a new umbrella company called Alphabet.

Google will now be the biggest company in the fold of Alphabet.

Google India launched in Mumbai, a special programme named Internet Saathi in collaboration with Tata Trust on July 3 to bring more women online.

NASA’s Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) has confirmed the presence of glowing neon gas in the moon’s atmosphere.


A new vaccine against the Ebola virus disease ‘rVSV-ZEBOB’, developed by the Public Health Agency of Canada has shown 100 % efficiency in a trial run.

Microsoft has rolled out its new operating system Windows 10 with a host of new features like Cortana, an Xbox app and Microsoft Edge.

Asia’s biggest multi-application solar telescope (MAST) has been started in the Udaipur Solar Observatory in Rajasthan.

JULY 2015

INS Viraat, the oldest aircraft carrier in the world, will soon be converted into a museum, at the shores of Kakinada port on Andhra coast

The ingeniously-developed supersonic surface-to-air missile "Akash" was formally inducted into the Indian Air Force in Gwalior.

The USA has agreed to provide technological support to India for building the next aircraft carrier and the Light Combat Aircraft jet engine.

India and Russia have agreed to jointly manufacture 200 military helicopters in India.

India test-fired its indigenously developed anti-tank guided missile ‘Helina’ in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. It can hit a target up to seven km away from a helicopter.

The indigenously-built Inshore Patrol Vessel (IPV) ICGS Rani Durgavati was commissioned by the Indian Coast Guard in Vishakhapatnam.

The ISRO successfully test-fired the first indigenous high-thrust cryogenic rocket engine for more than its full duration

The PSLV C-28 successfully put into orbit five British satellites It was ISRO’s biggest and the heaviest commercial launch till date.

Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan launched to train govt schools by IITs, IIMs and Universities etc. to inculcate a spirit of inquiry, creativity and love for science

China is about to complete construction of the world's largest single-aperture radio telescope FAST in 2016.

NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has provided the closest-ever pictures of the Pluto, showing the details of its geology.

NASA has found a planet which is 'the closest twin to Earth', named Kepler-452b, located about 1,400 light years away in the constellation Cygnus.

June 30 this year will officially be a bit longer than usual because an extra second, or 'leap' second, will be added to the day.

The world's first malaria vaccine Mosquirix has got a green signal from the European drugs regulators.

eMudhra Ltd of Bengaluru became the first company in India to launch online electronic signature service called eSign.

Nearly 2,000 scientists gathered in Paris for a four day conference to deliberate on curbing the greenhouse gas emission levels.

A tiny butterfly species has been discovered in the forests of Changlang, Arunachal Pradesh. It has been named Banded Tit (Hypolycaena Narada).

Facebook has launched a new version of its app- Facebook Lite, lighter version optimised for slower data connections for Android phones in India.

JUNE 2015

India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant was undocked on completion of structural work at the Cochin Shipyard Ltd.

India and US have signed a new 10-year defence framework agreement for co-development of defence equipment manufacturing and technology.

AJEYA WARRIOR, joint military exercise of India and UK held from June 13 to 28 in UK. The exercise is held biannually in the two countries, alternately.

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research has set up a first-of-its-kind in India, Micro Air Vehicle Aerodynamics Research Tunnel in Bengaluru

ISRO has developed an android-based, augmented reality application named ‘Sakaar’ to highlight its achievements during the past one year.

US scientists have developed the world's first full-colour, flexible ultra-thin nano-structured film that can change colours by applying voltage.

Google has introduced an ‘Undo’ option to cancel the delivery of misdirected or inappropriate emails within 30 seconds of hitting the send button.

China has made the world's first electric passenger aircraft BX1E that could be used in pilot training, tourism, meteorology and rescue operations.


A computer that operates using the unique physics of moving water droplets has been developed by an Indian-origin scientist at Stanford University, USA.

Chinese researchers have successfully developed the first ATM with facial recognition technology to reduce the risk of frauds related to ATMs.

INTERNATIONAL

AUGUST 2015

The IAEA and Kazakhstan have signed an agreement to create the world's first internationally-controlled bank of low-enriched uranium to ensure nuclear fuel supplies for power stations and preventing its use for weapons.

Bangladesh has become the first country to receive funds from UNFCCC for solar home systems to cut carbon emissions by reducing use of kerosene

List of Top 20 Wealthiest People Under 35 ranks Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg as the wealthiest individual with assets of $ 41.6 billion.

The Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr was ranked as the world's top-earning actor by Forbes, earning $ 80 million during 2014-15.

City of Hiroshima in Japan observed on August 6 the 70th anniversary of the first atomic bomb being dropped by a US aircraft.

Singapore marked 50 years of independence on August 9 with nationwide celebrations.

Bangladesh's Grameen Bank has found a place in Fortune's inaugural 'Change the World List' for creating economic opportunities for the poor.

Japan’s leading financial media house - Nikkei to buy the noted European financial paper - Financial Times from UK’s Pearson in a $1.3 billion deal.

As per the U N report ‘World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision’, India is likely to become the most populous nation by 2022, surpassing China.

After a run of poor economic data, China devalued the Yuan on August 11, guiding the currency to its lowest point in past three years.

JULY 2015

The seventh BRICS summit was held at Ufa in Russia. The theme of the summit was “BRICS partnership - a powerful factor for global development”.

The BRICS group launched its New Development Bank (NDB) in Shanghai. The bank is seen as an alternative to the World Bank.

India to contribute $18 billion to the $100 billion foreign-exchange reserve pool being set up by the BRICS to help each other.

PM Modi attended the SCO – Shanghai Cooperation Organization meet at Ufa. The SCO decided to include India and Pakistan as a full member.

The World Trade Organization on July 24 finalised a list of 201 information technology products to be freed from import tariffs.

Trial run of the Egypt's second Suez Canal went off successfully on July 25. The 72km (44 mile) route allows two-way traffic

A landmark nuclear agreement was finalized between Iran and USA in Vienna to allow the UN inspectors to visit Iranian military sites

The World Population Day was observed on July 11. This year’s theme was 'vulnerable populations in emergencies'.

The ministerial conference of The Regional Integrated Multi-hazard Early Warning Systems (RIMES) nations was held in New Delhi

France’s vineyards in Champagne, famous for sparkling wine Champagne, have been included in UNESCO ‘World Heritage’ sites.

The World Trade Organisation has admitted Kazakhstan as its 162nd member.

JUNE 2015

South Korea struggled to ease growing panic over an outbreak of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome virus that infected 181 persons and claimed over 31 lives.

57 countries, including India, signed an agreement in Beijing for the formation of China sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

On June 15, Britain marked the 800th anniversary of the historic charter Magna Carta.

The leaders of G-7 countries held their 41st summit at Schloss Elmau, southern Germany.

African leaders have agreed to create the continent's largest free trade zone, covering 26 countries in an area from Cape Town, South Africa to Cairo, Egypt.

USA has overtaken Saudi Arabia as the world's biggest oil producer in 2014 by producing 11.6 million barrels of oil per day.

China launched the world’s longest freight train route, linking Harbin in northeast China with the German city of Hamburg, via Russia.

Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has declared that it has destroyed 90 per cent of the global chemical weapons stockpile.

US Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples can marry nationwide, establishing a new civil right and handing gay rights advocates a historic victory.

Parliament of Japan has lowered the age of voters from 20 to 18.


The movie Jurassic World has become the first film in world to have collections of more than 500 million dollars in first week.

The 25th African Union summit was held at Pretoria, South Africa on 7-8.

The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking observed on 26 June with the theme “Let’s Develop our Lives, our Communities, our identities without Drugs”.

China plans to form a huge gold investment fund of about 100 billion Yuan (over $16 billion) aiming to bolster Beijing's role in global gold trade.

Global wealth intelligence agency Wealth-X in a survey of self made billionaires has ranked the Bill Gates at number one, with $86 billion of wealth.

President of Sri Lanka dissolved the Parliament, paving the way for fresh parliamentary elections in mid August, eight months ahead of the schedule.

France has put a ban on wearing earphones while driving a vehicle and riding a cycle, w.e.f. July 1, 2015.

PERSONS IN NEWS

AUGUST 2015

SUNDAR PICHAI: India-born technocrat has been named as the new CEO of the technology giant Google at an reported annual package of $ 50 million. ANUPAM KHER: Bollywood actor has been named an advocate for the UN’s campaign on gender equality.

HARDIK PATEL: 21 year old firebrand youth leader from Gujarat was in news as he engineered a massive (and violent) state wide agitation in Gujarat demanding job reservation for Patel community in the OBC quota.

AMITABH BACHCHAN: Bollywood megastar has been appointed as ambassador for promoting tiger tourism in Maharashtra. ADNAN SAMI: Pakistani singer has been allowed to stay in India for an indefinite period following his appeal to legalise his stay on humanitarian grounds. NOVAK DJOKOVIC: World’s top ranked tennis player appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

JULY 2015

BENOY BEHL: Noted documentary maker won the Best Documentary Producer award at Madrid International Film Festival for his documentary film titled Indian Roots of Tibetan Buddhism.

MANISH S. SHARMA: A senior IPS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre was in news as the Mayor of San Diego, California, proclaimed July 20, 2015, as “Manish S. Sharma Day” in recognition of his contribution towards enhancing India-U.S. relationship. MILIND SOMAN: Bollywood actor-model aged 50, has won the Ironman title at a triathlon held in Zurich in Switzerland. The triathlon includes a .8-km swim, 180.2-km cycle ride and 42.2-km run, to be completed in 16 hours. VICTOR PONTA: Romania's Prime Minister resigned as he battled corruption charges against him.

JUNE 2015

BENO ZEPHINE: The 25-year-old woman from Chennai became the first ever 100 per cent visually-challenged person to get selected for the Indian Foreign Service.

NIKESH ARORA: Appointed the President of Japan’s telecommunications giant SoftBank Corp with a remuneration of $135 million for the year 2014, making him the highest paid executive in the world.

CHIRIL GABURICI: Prime Minister of Moldova, a small state on the border of Ukraine, was in news as he resigned after the prosecutors questioned the authenticity of his school-leaving certificate. He became the PM in February, 2015.

EDWARD SNOWDEN: Former US security contractor and electronic surveillance whistleblower was in news as he was awarded a Norwegian prize for freedom of expression (also called as Bjornson Prize).

SEPP BLATTER: President of world’s top football body – FIFA was in news as he offered to step down after a US criminal investigation report levied charges of corruption against him in the functioning of FIFA.

APPOINTMENTS

AUGUST 2015

OM PRAKASH RAWAT: Appointed as the second Election Commissioner of India.

ACHARYA DEV VRAT: New Governor of Himachal Pradesh

RAM NATH KOVIND: New Governor of Bihar

ASHWANI LOHANI: Appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director of Air India.

USHA ANANTHASUBRAMANIAN: New Managing Director & CEO of Punjab National Bank


KISHOR PIRAJI KHARAT: Managing Director and CEO of IDBI Bank

MELWYN REGO: Managing Director and CEO of Bank of India

P S JAYAKUMAR: MD and CEO of Bank of Baroda*

RAKESH SHARMA: MD and CEO of Canara Bank* *This is for the first time that persons from the private sector have been given top positions in the public sector banks.

AJIT KUMAR SETH: Former Cabinet Secretary has been appointed as the Chairman of the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB)

RANA KAPOOR: YES Bank co-founder has been approved by RBI for re-appointment as MD and CEO of the bank for 3 years.

SEBASTIAN COE: President, International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)

RANIL WICKREMESINGHE: Elected as the new Prime Minister of Sri Lanka as his United National Party won the general elections.

JULY 2015

R. S. SHARMA: Appointed as the new Chairman of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India for three years. PRASHANT PATHRABE: Appointed Director, Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) SRIRAM KALYANARAMAN: New Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer (CEO of the National Housing Bank (NHB), the national regulator for housing finance. JIN LIQUN: Former Finance Minster of China was nominated the first President of the Beijing-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

JUNE 2015

VIJAI SHARMA: New Chief Information Commissioner K V CHOWDARY: New Central Vigilance Commissioner R C TAYAL: Appointed new Director General of the elite counter-terror force National Security Guards SYED ASIF IBRAHIM: Appointed Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Countering Terrorism and Extremism GEORGE YEO: Former Foreign Minister of Singapore has been appointed the new Chancellor of Nalanda University, Rajgir, Bihar. M K SHARMA: New non-executive Chairman of the Board of ICICI Bank

R. SESHASAYEE: Appointed Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of IT giant Infosys Ltd. PAWAN MUNJAL: Has taken over as Chairman, Managing Director and CEO of Hero MotoCorp, world’s number one two-wheeler company. MOGENS LYKKETOFT: Elected President for the 70th session of the United Nations General

AMEENAH GURIB-FAKIM: First woman President of Mauritius.

AWARDS & HONOURS

AUGUST 2015

CROSS OF ORDER OF THE MERIT, GERMANY: Indian socio biologist Raghavendra Gadagkar was awarded with the Germany's highest civilian honour for his contribution in strengthening research cooperation between India and Germany.

ICTP RAMANUJAN PRIZE 2015: Mathematician Dr. Amalendu Krishna; the prize is given to a mathematician below the age of 45 by the ICTP, Italy. ICTP: International Centre for Theoretical Physics

STOCKHOLM JUNIOR WATER PRIZE 2015: Perry Alagappan from USA for inventing a filter through which toxic heavy metals from electronic waste can be removed from water.

SOLIDARITY HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD: Awarded to Zhanna Nemtsova, the journalist daughter of slain Russian democracy advocate Boris Nemtsov. SUNHAK PEACE PRIZE (first): Noted Indian agricultural scientist Modadugu Vijay Gupta. He is joint winner of the prize along with President of Kiribati Islands Anote Tong.

ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (OBE): Ameetpal Gill, PM David Cameron's Indian-origin adviser and speech writer. This is highest civil honour of UK.

JULY 2015 RAMON MAGSAYSAY AWARD: Whistleblower bureaucrat Sanjeev Chaturvedi and human rights activist Anshu Gupta, the founder of NGO Goonj, are among five persons selected for Asia’s coveted award. 28th MOORTI DEVI AWARD 2014: The prize was presented to veteran Writer Vishwanath Tripathi for his book Vyomkesh Darvesh, a lifetime story of veteran literateur Acharya Hazari Prasad Dwivedi.


The Prem Bhatia Awards for Journalism: Suhasini Haider of The Hindu for political reporting and Priyanka Kakodkar, The Times of India, for excellence in environmental and development reporting. G.D. BIRLA AWARD FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH: Prof. Sanjeev Galande from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune.

NELSON MANDELA PRIZE: awarded for the first time by UNO to Helena Ndume of Namibia and Jorge Sampaio of Portugal for their extraordinary service to humanity. Grand Prix World Press Cartoon Award-2014: Noted Telugu cartoonist Pamarthy Shankar for his sketch of Nelson Mandela. ROYAL SOCIETY’s COPLEY MEDAL: World’s oldest scientific prize awarded to Nobel Prize winner Peter Higgs for his pioneering work on the theory of the Higgs boson (God Particle) which was discovered in 2012. SAYED HAIDER RAZA: Noted modern Indian artist, has been conferred with the highest French civilian honour, the Commandeur de la Legion d'Honneur (the Legion of Honour) for his peerless achievements.

WORLD FOOD PRIZE: Sir Fazle Hasan Abed of Bangla Desh. It is the most prominent global award given by the World Food Foundation of the USA for individuals whose breakthrough achievements help to alleviate hunger and promote global food security.

Global Confederation for Higher Education Associations for Agriculture and Life Sciences World Agriculture Prize: Indian-American professor R Paul Singh for inventing food-processing equipment for a manned mission to the Mars.

JUNE 2015

IIFA (International Indian Film Academy) Awards announced at Kualalumpur, Malaysia Best Picture: Queen by Vikas Bahl Best Actress Kangana Ranaut for Queen Best Actor: Shahid Kapoor for Haider Best Direction: Rajkumar Hirani for PK 10th NAVLEKHAN AWARD OF BHARATIYA JNANPITH: Hindi writers Babusha Kohli and Upasana for the poem Prem Gilhari Dil Akhrot and novel Ek Zindagi Ek Script Bhar, respectively. SANGITA KALANIDHI AWARD: Sanjay Subrahmanyam, veteran Carnatic music maestro from Tamil Nadu. SPACE PIONEER AWARD 2015: Awarded to ISRO by the US National Space Society for its low-cost Mangalyaan Mars orbiter mission.

BEST WELFARE ORGANISATION OF THE YEAR – 2015: Won by the National Union of Seafarers of India, NUSI, India's oldest and largest shipping trade union.

SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE CONTEST, USA: Won by Indian origin American children - Vanya Shivashankar, 13, and Gokul Venkatachalam, 14.

OBITUARY

AUGUST 2015

SUVRA MUKHERJEE: wife of President Pranab Mukherjee passed away. She was an accomplished dancer, painter and lover of Rabindra Sangeet. OM PRAKASH MUNJAL: Co-Chairman of Hero Cycles Ltd and a leading industrialist passed away in Ludhiana on August 13. He was 87. Hero cycles is the world’s largest bi-cycle manufacturing unit.

JULY 2015

APJ ABDUL KALAM: Former President of India, great scientist and philosopher, popular as ‘Missile Man’ breathed his last on July 27. B K Handique: Senior Congress leader, six times Lok Sabha member from Jorhat, Assam, passed away on 26 July. He was 82. R.S. GAVAI: Former Governor of Kerala, Sikkim and Bihar, MP and a veteran associate of Dr Ambedkar passed away on July 25. SARDAR ANJUM: Renowned revolutionary poet, Urdu lyricist and a Padma Bhushan awardee, passed away in Panchkula, Haryana. M S VISWANATHAN: One of the most popular music composers of south Indian cinema, having over 750 movies to his credit, passed away in Chennai. Y K SABHARWAL: Former Chief Justice of India has passed away. BASHAR NAVAAZ: Noted Urdu poet and critic passed away in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. TOM MOORE: Noted cartoonist who brought to life the escapades of Riverdale residents in Archie comics, passed away in his home town El Paso, Texas, USA. ALEX ROCCO: The US actor best known for his role in The Godfather, passed away in California, USA. ALCIDES E GHIGGIA: The Uruguayan soccer legend, died following a heart attack. He was 88 years old.


OMAR SHARIF: Noted Hollywood film actor from Egypt, best known for his portrayal of Doctor Zhivago in the hit 1966 film and for his work in “Lawrence of Arabia”, died in Cairo at the age of 83.

MATTI MAKKONEN: The man who invented the idea of short messaging service (SMS) technology, died in Finland. He was 63.

JUNE 2015

PRAFUL BIDWAI: A veteran press journalist, author and anti-nuclear activist, died in the Netherlands while having dinner. He was 65. SISTER NIRMALA: The nun who succeeded Mother Teresa in 1997 as the head of the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata, died at the age of 81. CHARLES CORREA: Noted Indian architect, known for his unique architectural style, melting 20th-century Western modernism with Indian traditions, died at 84.

SHEILA KAUL: Former Union Minister, a sister-in-law of Jawaharlal Nehru and oldest surviving former parliamentarian, died at ate age of 100. NEK CHAND SAINI: Padma Sri awardee, creator of the world famous iconic ‘Rock Garden’ at Chandigarh, passed away AT the age of 90 years. SULEYMAN DEMIREL: Turkey’s former President and Prime Minister, a political giant for over half a century, heading the nation for over five times, died at 90. SIR CHRISTOPHER LEE: Legendary English actor, singer and writer passed away in London, United Kingdom. He was 93.

IRWIN ROSE: Noted biochemist from America who shared the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry passed away at the age of 88.

PLACES IN NEWS

AUGUST 2015

KOCHI: has become the first Indian city to become a member of Beijing-headquartered World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) Council.

HARDA: Over 30 passengers were killed and many others injured when several coaches of two trains derailed over a railway bridge and plunged into the swollen Machak River in Harda, Madhya Pradesh

JULY 2015 CONAKRY: The capital of the Republic of Guinea, was named as the World Book Capital for 2017 by UNESCO.

DINANAGAR: Town in Gurdaspur district of Punjab was in news as it suffered a terrorist attack that killed seven people including one SP and 3 policemen. PUDUCHERRY: City’s application for smart city became the first nomination to be received by the Urban Development Ministry for the Smart City Mission. VARANASI: has been selected by the UNESCO as the "City of Music" under the Creative Cities Network. MOUNT RAUNG: The volcano in East Java (Indonesia) suddenly started eruption in the first week of July, spewing clouds of ash into the air, forcing temporary closure of six airports.

JUNE 2015

SHRI ANANDPUR SAHIB Holy city of Punjab celebrated its 350th foundation day of Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib in the city.

ASHOBAA: The cyclonic storm over east-central Arabian Sea that was expected to hit Maharashtra and Gujarat coast, moved away westward towards Oman.

MALVANI: Locality in Mumbai was in news as over 100 persons were killed there due to consumption of spurious liquor.

CHANDEL: District in Manipur was in news it witnessed one of the worst attacks by insurgents on the Indian Army in two decades, killing at least 20 army personnel and injuring 11 others.

KARACHI: Pakistan's port city in south was in news as about 1200 people, including women and children, were killed in the city and the surrounding areas due to the country's worst heat wave in more than a decade.

YANGTZE: The Eastern Star, a cruise ship carrying 456 people, capsized on the Yangtze River in China on the night of June 1 in high winds and heavy rain. Only 14 persons survived the tragedy, leaving remaining as missing or dead.

ACCRA: Capital of Ghana was in news as at least 150 people died in a fire at a petrol station. President of Ghana announced three days of national mourning for the dead.

SPORTS WORLD

AUGUST 2015

SANIA HONOURED WITH KHEL RATNA Iconic tennis player Sania Mirza has been honoured with the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award for 2015. The award carries a medal and cash award of Rs. 7.50 lacs.


DRONACHARYA AWARDS announced for excellence in coaching. Award carries a statue & cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh. Sr. No. NAME SPORTS

1. Naval Singh Athletics Para-sports 2. Anoop Singh Wrestling 3. Harbans Singh Athletics 4. Swatantar Raj Singh Boxing 5. Nihar Ameen Swimming.

DHYAN CHAND AWARDS (For Lifetime Achievement) declared. Award carries a statue & cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh.

Sl. No. Name Discipline 1. TPP Nair Volleyball 2. SP Misra Tennis 3. Romeo James Hockey

ARJUNA AWARDS announced. The Award carries a statue and cash prize of Rs 5 lakh.

S. No. Name of the sportsperson

Discipline

1. Naib Subedar Sandeep Kumar

Archery

2. Ms. M.R. Poovamma Athletics 3. Mr. Kidambi Srikanth

Nammalwar Badminton

4. Mr. Mandeep Jangra Boxing 5. Mr. Rohit Sharma Cricket 6. Ms. Dipa Karmakar Gymnastic 7. Mr. Sreejesh P.R. Hockey 8. Mr. Manjeet Chhillar Kabaddi 9. Ms. Abhilasha S Mhatre Kabaddi

10. Mr. Sawarn Singh Rowing 11. Mr. Anup Kumar Yama Roller Skating 12. Mr. Jitu Rai Shooting 13. Shri S. Sathish Kumar Weightlifting 14. Mr. Bajrang Wrestling 15. Ms. Babita Kumari Wrestling 16. Ms. Yumnam S. Devi Wushu 17. Mr. Sharath M.

Gayakwad Para-Swimming

SAINA NEHWAL, ace Indian shuttler regained the world no. 1 rank on August 20. She also became the first Indian to win silver in the World Badminton Championship.

IBSF World 6-Red Snooker Championship: Pankaj Advani won the title outplaying Chinese Yan Bingtao at Karachi, Pakistan on August 11.

Dutee Chand won the gold medal in the 200m at the 13th Federation Cup Junior Athletics Championship in Hyderabad

Anirban Lahiri finished 5th at the US PGA championship at Whistling Straits, USA, claiming the highest position ever won by an Indian at a Golf Major.

Aditi Chauhan, India’s international football goalkeeper became the country’s first woman to play English league football when she made her debut for English third tier club West Ham United Ladies.

Ace Indian golfer Aditi Ashok became first woman and youngest (17 years) player from India to win the prestigious Ladies British amateur stroke-play Championship 2015 at Leeds, United Kingdom.

Ajinkya Rahane became the first fielder in Test history to take eight catches in a single match, achieving the feat in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, Sri Lanka.

Abhishek Verma won the gold medal in the men’s compound individual category in the Archery World Cup in Wroclaw (Poland).

World Archery Championships, Copenhagen, Denmark: Indian women's recurve team won the silver medal on August 2.

Special Olympic World Summer Games 2015 Indian contingent won 173 medals (47gold, 54 silver and 72 bronze) in the games held in Los Angeles, USA.

Sneha Verma, (21) suffering from Down syndrome, won gold medal in the 50m freestyle swimming event.

Prabhroop Sekhon (14) won gold medals in 300 metre and 500 metre Roller Skating event.

KUMARA SANGAKKARA: Sri Lanka’s ace batsman and wicketkeeper announced his retirement from the international Cricket. He played his last match at Colombo, against India.

Lewis Hamilton won the Belgian Grand Prix F1 championship at Spa, Belgium on August 23.

The 15th WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS held in Beijing, China

Usain Bolt (Jamaica) finished the 100 meters sprint in 9.79 seconds to emerge as world’s number one.

Shelly-Ann Fraser, also from Jamaica, retained gold in Women’s 100 meters.

Usain Bolt also claimed his fourth consecutive world 200 metre title

CINCINNATI OPEN 2015: Roger Federer beats world no 1 Novak Djokovic to win the title on August 23 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Serena Williams won the women’s singles title by defeating Simona Halep of Romania.

ROGERS CUP MASTERS TOURNAMENT, Montreal, Canada: Andy Murray won the men’s title by beating world number one Novak Djokovic. Women’s title was won by 18 year old Belinda Bencic of Switzerland by beating world number two Simona Halep


The world governing body of athletics, the International Association of Athletics Federations - the IAAF, has chosen the British former Olympic racing champion Sebastian Coe as its new President.

The International Olympic Committee has granted recognition to the sport of flying disc, commonly known as "frisbee" as an Olympic sport.

Beijing has become the first city in the world to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics after it was chosen to stage the 2022 Winter Games. It hosted the summer Olympics in 2008.

JULY 2015

NATIONAL 10-year old Indian Golfer Shubham Jaglan scripted history as he became the first Indian to win the International Junior Golf Academy's World Stars Junior Golf Tournament played at Las Vegas, USA.

Sania Mirza has become the first woman tennis player from India to become top-seeded in a grand slam in the Wimbledon tournament in London. Rajat Chauhan created a new national record in archery by scoring 711 points in the Senior National Ranking Archery Tournament held at Patiala, Punjab. Skipper Mithali Raj scripted a new chapter in the history of Indian women's cricket as she became the first Indian and the second globally to reach the 5000-run milestone in one-day internationals.

Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta won the 19th Commonwealth Chess Championship in Mumbai.

Ajinkya Rahane was captain of the Indian team for the Zimbabwe tour held in July.

Jwala Gutta and Ashwni Ponappa won the women's doubles title of the Canada Open Badminton tournament in Calgary, Canada.

Indian wrestlers secured 16 medals, including three gold, at the Junior Asian Freestyle, Greco-Roman and Female Wrestling championship at Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.

India won the three-match One Day International (ODI) Series against Zimbabwe 3-0 played in Harare, capital of Zimbabwe.

The finals of the 2016 World Twenty20 cricket tournament will be held in the iconic Eden Gardens ground in Kolkata on April 3, 2016.

Considering the declining interest of the fans and popularity, the BCCI has decided to scrap the Champions League Twenty 20 (CLT20) with immediate effect.

The BCCI has decided to scrap the Duleep Trophy due to packed schedule.

TWO IPL TEAMS SUSPENDED FOR TWO YEARS The Justice R M Lodha Committee appointed by the Supreme Court to probe the IPL spot fixing and betting scandal, has submitted its report. It suspended the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals teams from the Indian Premier League (IPL) for two years. Former CSK team official Gurunath Meiyappan and Royals co-owner Raj Kundra were suspended for life from any cricketing activity undertaken by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as they were found guilty of betting.

INTERNATIONAL

WIMBLEDON Finals played in London, 2015 Men’s singles: Novak Djokovic of Serbia beat Roger Federer of Switzerland Women’s singles: Serena Williams of United States beat Garbine Muguruza of Spain Women’s doubles: Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis beat Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina Mixed doubles: Leander Paes and Martina Hingis beat Timea Babos and Alexander Peya Boys doubles: Sumit Nagal with Nam Hoang Ly of Vietnam won the title. He is the sixth Indian to win a Grand Slam junior title.

CHRIS FROOME of Britain won the three week multiple stage bicycle race - Tour de France at Champs Elysees in Paris on July 26.

Veselin Topalov won the Norway Chess 2015 title in Stavanger, Norway by defeating the Indian grand master Viswanathan Anand.

Sebastian Vettel, German driver won the Hungarian Grand Prix at Budapest, Hungary on July 26.

Roelant Oltmans of Netherlands has been appointed chief coach of the Indian hockey team till the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Genezebe Dibaba of Ethiopia created a new world record in the women’s 1500m, clocking a time of 3:50:07, shattering old world record of 3:50:46 set in 1993 by China’s Qu Yunxia.

Amelie Mauresmo, a former number one tennis player of France, was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. She is also the first woman to coach a top male tennis player – Andy Murray.

FLOYD MAYWEATHER: International boxer was in news as he was stripped by the World Boxing Organization (WBO) of the Welterweight World title which he had won two months ago, as he had failed to pay $200,000 fee required by the WBO after he won the richest fight of all time, earning $220 million.

The 9th World Youth Athletics Championship was held in Cali, Colombia.


FIFA Women's World Cup: United States lifted the cup for the third time, beating Japan. In the Final played at Vancouver, Canada.

Copa America Football Tournament: Chile defeated Argentina on penalties on July 5 to end their 99-year wait for this prestigious crown. Finals were played in Santiago, capital of Chile.

British Grand Prix F1 won by the reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton of UK on July5 at Silverstone circuit, UK.

South Asian Basketball Championship: India won by beating Sri Lanka in Bengaluru.

World University Games, Gwangju, South Korea: Inderjeet Singh won the gold in shot-put event on July 8.

2015 World Police and Fire Games held in Fairfax County, Virginia, in the United States.

The first day-night test match under lights will be played in Australia against New Zealand at the Adelaide Oval in November this year.

Canada Open Badminton Tournament: Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia and Michelle Li of Canada won the men's and women’s singles title, respectively in Calgary, Canada.

To end the undue advantage to batsmen, the ICC has decided to scrap the batting power–plays and allow five fielders outside the 30-yard circle in the last ten overs in one-dayers to be played from July 5.

JUNE 2015

Satnam Singh Bhamra created history by becoming the first Indian basketball player to be drafted in the National Basketball Association (NBA) 21st Asian Athletics Championships at Wuhan, China Inderjeet Singh bagged the gold medal in the men’s shot put event at this meet. Tintu Luka won the gold in women’s 800 mt race. Lalita Babar bagged gold in 3000m steeplechase race while Vikas Gowda won the gold for discuss throw. China topped the medal tally with 41 medals while India stood third with 13 medals. Indian wrestlers won nine medals, including eight gold in Men's Freestyle event in the International Wrestling tournament in Sassari City, Italy.

Sachin Tendulkar: India’s legendary batsman got the highest number of votes to emerge on top of the list of the 100 best Test players since 2000, in a poll conducted by cricket.com.au. in Australia. Bangladesh defeated Team India by 6 wickets at Mirpur, Dhaka to register their first ever series win against India.

Sunil Chhetri became the first Indian footballer to score 50 international goals in 87 matches. He scored his 50th goal in the 2018 World Cup qualifying match against Guam.

DHONI IS RICHEST INDIAN SPORTSMAN Cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni with earnings of over $ 31 million in 2014-15, ranks 23rd among Forbes magazine's 100 highest-paid sportspersons in the world. He is the only Indian sportsman on the list that has been topped again by American boxer Floyd Mayweather with earnings of $300 million.

Inderjit Singh and Jinson Johnson of India bagged a gold in shot put and 800 mt race, respectively, in the Asian Athletics Grand Prix in Bangkok, Thailand.

Anantjeet Singh Naruka won the gold in the skeet match in the 7th International junior shotgun cup held in Orimattila, Finland.

Leander Paes became the first Indian to play with 100 different partners on ATP Circuit.

RAVI SHASTRI: Re-appointed Director of Indian cricket team.

Former captain Rahul Dravid has been appointed coach of the India A and Under-19 cricket teams

INDIA THIRD IN DOPING IN SPORTS According to a report for 2013 by WADA (World Anti doping Agency), Russia has the maximum number of dope offenders with 212 testing positive while the figures for Turkey and India were 155 and 91 respectively.

Zaheer Abbas, Former Pakistan captain has been selected the new President of the International Cricket Council (ICC) for a one year term.

Nico Rosberg of Germany won the Austrian Grand Prix F1 championship at Spielberg, Austria.

Halle Open ATP title won by Roger Federer (Swiss) defeating Italian Andreas Seppi in Halle, Germany.

Barcelona lifted the UEFA Champions League Football trophy by beating Juventus at Berlin, Germany.

Lewis Hamilton won the Canadian Grand Prix at Montreal, Canada beating his rival Nico Rosberg.

FRENCH OPEN CONCLUDES IN PARIS Men’s title was won by Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland by beating world champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia.

Serena Williams of USA won the women’s singles title by beating Czech Lucie Safarova.

The event is popularly known as Rolland Garros tournament and is famous for its red clay courts


BOOKS & AUTHORS

BOOK AUTHOR

Making India Awesome Chetan Bhagat Combating Hunger and Achieving Food Security

Prof. M. S. Swaminathan

The Country of First Boys Amartya Sen The Devil take Love Sudhir Kakar R. D. Burman: The Prince of Music

Khagesh Dev Burman

Locale, Everyday Islam and Modernity

M. Raisur Rahman

Ghosts of Calcutta Sebastian Ortiz India Former Union

Environment and Forest Minister, Jairam Ramesh.

Green Signals: Ecology, Growth, and Democracy in

India Central Asia Relations: The Economic Dimension

Amiya Chandra

‘Kashmir: The Vajpayee Years’

A S Dulat. He was the Chief of Research and

Analysis Wing (RAW) and Special Advisor on

Kashmir in Vajpayee's PMO after his retirement.

The Making of Miracles in Indian States

Arvind Panagariya and M Govinda Rao

Who Will Cry When You Die Robin S Sharma Conflict Resolution in Multicultural Societies — The Indian Experience

Jhumpa Mukherjee

Chaos of the Senses Ahlem Mosteghanemi Flood of Fire Amitav Ghosh Men Explain Things to Me Rebecca Solnit The Crown Prince, the Gladiator and the Hope: Battle for Change

Ashutosh

Super Economies: America, India, China and the Future of the World

Raghav Bahl

Green Signals: Ecology, Growth and Democracy in India

Jairam Ramesh, ex Union Minister for environment

At Home in India- The Muslim Saga

Salman Khurshid

The Past Before Us Romila Thapar Your Dreams are Mine Now Ravinder Singh World’s Best Boyfriend Durjoy Datta

Unbelievable – Delhi to Islamabad

senior Advocate Prof. Bhim Singh

More Bad Time Tales Humra Quraishi India–Central Asia Relations Amiya Chandra Gandhi at First Sight Thomas Weber Vanessa and Her Sister Priya Parmar Me Hijra Me Laxmi Laxminarayan Tripathi,

autobiography of a transgender, a crusader

for rights of LGBT community

A Practitioner’s Diary Pradip Baijal Water, Peace, and War— Confronting the Global Water Crisis

Brahma Chellaney

No Free Left — The Futures of Indian Communism

Vijay Prashad

KP: The Autobiography Kevin Pietersen. India Shastra— Reflections on the Nation in Our Time

Shashi Tharoor

Secularism, Identity, and Enchantment

Akeel Bilgrami

At The Helm— A Memoir V. Krishnamurthy The Girl on the Train Paula Hawkins Mightier Than the Sword Jeffrey Archer On Religion Late Khushwant Singh God's Bankers: A History of Money and Power at the Vatican

Gerald Posner

Prince of Gujarat Rajmohan Gandhi Sahib: the British Soldier in India

Richard Holmes


120


Latest MCQs ON CURRENT AFFAIRS

NOVEMBER GK TEST – 01 1. The TK Vishwanathan committee report

submitted recently deals with A. The working of urban cooperative banks B. General Anti Avoidance Rules (GAAR) C. Bankruptcy law reforms D. Pension sector reforms E. Liberalization of FDI norms in retail sector

2. Justice TS Thakur was in news recently as A. He submitted his report comprising 7th Pay Commission recommendations B. He has resigned in protest against another judge’s nomination as the Chief Justice of India C. He will be the next Chief Justice of India D. He was appointed to resolve the Collegium vs. NJAC dispute by the Supreme Court E. He has been nominated as the Chief Justice, International Court of Justice

3. Japan Post, a Japanese government enterprise, was in news recently due to which reason? A. It has been taken over by Sony Corp. B. It has emerged as the biggest postal network globally C. It has been ranked the largest post and courier company in the world D. It is the first-ever disinvestment move by the Japanese government E. It mobilized a record $ 12 billion through its triple IPO, the biggest privatization move in Japan in the past three decades.

4. The International Day of the Girl Child is observed on which of the following days? A. October 6th B. October 8th

C. October 11th D. October 12th E. October 2nd

5. Who has been appointed as Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission? A. Das Gupta B. Sekhar Basu C. RK Sinha D. Kumar Sinha E. Dr. Anil Kakodkar

6. The National Dialogue Quartet (NDQ), which won the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize, belongs to A. Uganda B. Belarus C. Tunisia D. Ireland E. Yemen

7. In which country was the Vulnerable 20 (V20) countries meeting held recently? A. India B. Peru C. Vietnam D. Bangladesh E. Austria

8. As per the latest findings, which chemical present in sunscreens is killing coral reefs around the world? A. Oxybenzone B. Benzophenone C. Isopropyl alcohol D. Diethanolamine Oxybenzone E. Methyl Isocyanate

9. “Dreaming Big: My Journey to Connect India”, is ……..’s autobiography. A. Mukesh Ambani B. Sam Pitroda

C. Arun Jaitley D. E Sridharan E. Sunil Bharti Mittal

10. With which movie did the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) begin? A Dheepan B. Masaan C. Rainbow D. Pagdi-The Honour E. The Man Who Knew Infinity

11. The Similipal National Park is situated in A. Odisha B. Himachal Pradesh

C. Uttar Pradesh D. Madhya Pradesh E. Gujarat

12. Which technology giant has partnered with BSNL to install free Wi-Fi Hotspots at railway stations? A. Google B. Microsoft C. Facebook D. IBM E. Airtel

13. Brijmohan Lall Munjal, who passed away recently, is related to A. Mahindra & Mahindra B.TVS group C. Hero group D. Tata Motors E. Kinetic Motors

14. Which one is the world’s largest cotton producer this year? A. The USA B. China C. Australia D. India E. Egypt

15. According to the ‘Freedom on the Net 2015’ report, which country is the world’s worst in terms of Internet freedom? A. Iran B. China C. Syria D. North Korea E. Afghanistan


16. Which country successfully tested the Emad missile, a new generation long-range ballistic missile? A. China B. Iran C. Iraq D. Japan E. Saudi Arab

17. Manorama, who died recently, was a famous actress in ……. cinema. A. Tamil B. Kannada C. Malayalam D. Marathi E. Hindi

18. Who has won the European Union’s Sakharov Prize for Human Rights and Freedom of Thought? A. Syed Kamal B. Raif Badawi C. Edward Snowden D. Malala Yousafzai E. Dr. Binayak Sen

19. Who was recently honoured with the fifth Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award? A. Amir Khan B. A R Rahman C. Shahrukh Khan D. Akshay Kumar E. Yesu Das

20. Who won in Tanzania’s Presidential elections recently? A. John Magufuli B. Samia Suluhu Hassan C. Edward Lowassa D. Ruth Nesoba E. Kenneth Kaunda

21. Which of the following banks is/ are not eligible to implement the Gold Monetization Scheme (GMS) 2015? A. Public Sector Banks B. Foreign Banks C. Regional Rural Banks D. Private Sector Banks E. All of them are eligible

22. Which state government has imposed a ban on fishing along the sea coast to protect the endangered Olive Ridley turtles? A. Odisha B. Andhra Pradesh C. Tamil Nadu D. West Bengal E. Maharashtra

23. Which language is now third most common language in the House of Commons in Canada? A. Punjabi B. French C. German D. Hindi E. Spanish

24. The only merger of two public sector banks took place between A. Bank of India and New Bank of India B. Punjab National Bank and New Bank of India C. Allahabad Bank and United Bank of India D. Punjab National Bank and Bank of Rajasthan E. State Bank of India and New Bank of India

25. Who is the Chairman of the Drafting Committee for framing New Education Policy? A. TSR Subramanian B. R V Easwar C. B S Baswan D. T Haque E. J Rajput

26. Which of the following terms is used in banking? A. Interest rate swap B. Input devices C. Sedimentary D. Zero Hour E. Merchant banking

27. What does M in M-Banking offered by banks stand for? A. Money B. Marginal C. Message D. Mobile Phone E. Maximum

28. Whose birthday was celebrated as National Unity Day (Rashtriya Ekta Diwas) in India? A. Indira Gandhi B. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel C. P V Narasimha Rao D. Pt Jawaharlal Nehru E. Rajeev Gandhi

29. Next to State Bank of India, which of the following banks has the largest number of offices? A. Punjab National Bank B. Bank of India C. Andhra Bank D. Canara Bank E. Oriental Bank of Commerce

30. Which one defines the teaser loan rates charged by the banks? A. Rate of interest which is competitively changed in relation to other banks B. Floating rate of interest charged by banks C. Low rate of interest in the initial period which goes up subsequently D. Higher rate of interest in the initial period which goes down subsequently E. None of these

31. Who is the author of the book, Rebooting India: Realizing a Billion Aspirations? A. Nandan Nilekani and Radha Kant Bharati B. Nandan Nilekani and Santosh Singh C. Nandan Nilekani and Viral Shah D. Nandan Nilekani and Sam Pitroda E. Nandan Nilekani and Narayan Murthy

32. Which organization has signed the Moscow Declaration for partnership in addressing common regional and global socio-economic challenges by utilizing science, technology and innovation (STI)? A. BRICS B. SAARC C. ASEAN D. SCO E. None of these

33. The Bank Rate is decided by the A. Reserve Bank of India B. Government of India C. State Bank of India

D. Securities and Exchange Board of India E. Both A and B 34. Teaser rates are mostly offered in case of

A. Home loans B. Personal loans C. Auto loans D. Reverse mortgage loans E. All of these


35. Which of the following was/were of the Sub-Prime Crisis? 1. It was a mortgage crisis referring to credit default by the borrowers. 2. Sub-prime borrowers were borrowers who were rated poor in creditworthiness and were high risk borrowers. 3. This crisis originated due to negligence in credit rating of the borrowers. A. Only 3 B. Only 2 C. Only 1 D. 1, 2 and 3 E. 1, 2

36. Match the following bank mergers: List I List II A. Centurion Bank of Punjab

1. ICICI Bank

B. Bank of Rajasthan 2. Punjab National Bank

C. Global Trust Bank 3. HDFC Bank D. Nedungadi Bank 4. Oriental Bank of

Commerce A. A - 4; B - 1; C - 2; D – 3 B. A - 3; B - 1; C - 4; D - 2 C. A - 2; B - 1; C - 4; D – 3 D. A - 3; B - 1; C - 4; D – 2 E. None of these is correct

37. The statutory minimum reserve required to be held by Commercial Banks with the RBI, are called A. Cash Reserves Ratio B. Deposit Reserves Ratio C. Required Reserves Ratio D. Momentary Reserves Ratio E. Contingency Fund

38. In which year was the Imperial Bank of India rechristened as State Bank of India? A. 1955 B. 1962 C. 1965 D. 1980 E. 1948

39. Which state has launched APJ Abdul Kalam Amrut Yojna? A. Madhya Pradesh B. Gujarat C. Tamil Nadu D. Maharashtra E. None of these

40. Regional Rural Banks are sponsored by A. Nationalized Commercial Banks B. Reserve Bank of India C. State Bank of India D. Government of India E. Any of these

41. Which one is India’s third largest private sector lender whose name has been officially changed to Axis Bank? A. Lord Krishna Bank B. Centurion Bank C. HDFC Bank D. UTI Bank E. IndusInd Bank

42. Which team topped the FIFA World Ranking for Men's category released recently? A. Portugal B. Belgium C. Argentina D. Germany E. France

43. The acronym LIBOR as used in financial and banking sectors implies A. Local Indian Bank Offered Rate B. London-India Bureau of Regulations C. Liberal International Bank Official Ratio D. London Inter Bank Offered Rate E. None of these

44. Which of the following apex institutions handles refinance for agriculture and rural development in India? A. RBI B. SIDBI C. NABARD D. SEBI E. MUDRA

45. With which of the following is the SARFAESI Act related? A. Recovery of bad loans B. Regulation of Foreign Exchange C. Sanctioning of bank loans D. Ceiling on urban land E. Land acquisition process

46. Which of the following is NOT a function of the Reserve Bank of India? A. Acting as banker to the Government B. Custody of Foreign Exchange Reserves C. Issuance of one rupee notes and coins D. Regulating credit in the country E. All of these are the functions of the Reserve Bank

47. Which bank was nationalized on January 1,1949 : A. United Bank of India B. Indian Overseas Bank C. Reserve Bank of India D. State Bank of India E. Federal Bank

48. What is the rate of the new Swachh Bharat cess levied on services? A. 0.25% B. 0.50% C. 0.75% D. 1.00% E. 2%

49. Heena Sidhu is related to which game : A. Handball B. Badminton C. Shooting D. Archery E. Golf

50. Which of the following has been named the world’s healthiest country? A. Italy B. Singapore C. Australia D. Switzerland

E. Norway


NOVEMBER GK TEST – 02 1. The "Turn the World UN Blue" global

campaign was a part of the A. United Nations' 70th anniversary B. United Nations’ 75th anniversary C. United Nations’ 60th anniversary D. United Nations’ 50th anniversary E. United Nations’100th anniversary

2. Alphabet is the parent company of A. Yahoo B. Google C. Microsoft D. Cisco E. IBM

3. Which of the following is the Mutual Fund regulator in India? A. CIBIL B. MCX-SX C. SEBI D. National Stock Exchange E. Reserve Bank of India

4. According to Swachh Bharat Survey 2015, which of the following is the cleanest city in India? A. Bangalore B. Chennai C. Mysore D. Pune E. Chandigarh

5. A debt instrument in which an investor lends money to a company at a fixed interest rate for a fixed period is called a A. Bond B. Share C. Preference share D. Coupon E. Rights share

6. The 8th BRICS Summit will be held in A. China B. South Africa

C. Brazil D. India E. Russia

7. Which among the following is at times mentioned as a kind of Direct Debit Facility? A. RTGS B. ECS C. NEFT D. Cheque E. None of these

8. The MICR present on bank cheques is a 9-digit code which stands for A. Monetary Ink Cheque Recognition B. Magnetic Ink Character Retrieval C. Magnetic Information Code Recognition D. Magnetic Ink Character Recognition E. None of these

9. India's biggest telescope "Multi Application Solar Telescope" (MAST) has been installed at A. Ladakh B. Udaipur C. Jaipur D. Ahmedabad E. Pune

10. Mission Indradhanush is related to A. Universal Immunization Programme B. Revival of public sector banks

C. Development of Electronics Manufacturing Hubs D. Skill development of rural youth E. Climate change

11. Richard Heck, who died recently, was a Nobel laureate in A. Chemistry B. Medicine C. Economics D. Physics E. Peace

12. Which country is set to become the first ever cashless economy in the world? A. Sweden B. The Netherlands C. Austria D. Singapore E. Norway

13. As per the Broadcast Audience Research Council report, which Hindi channel has emerged as the most watched channel? A. Zee News B. Doordarshan C. Aaj Tak D. Star News E. Life OK

14. Sin Tax was in news recently. Which type of tax is this? A. Customs duty B. Excise duty

C. VAT D. Service Tax E. Direct tax

15. Which country won the Rugby World Cup recently? A. Australia B. Netherland

C. New Zealand D. USA E. France 16. Who will be India’s permanent representative

at the UNO? A. Vikas Swaroop B. Syed Akbaruddin C. Sujahta Singh D. TSR Subramaniam

E. Karan Singh 17. Rupee denominated bonds issued by Indian

companies abroad are commonly known as A. External Bonds B. Masala Bonds C. Vehicle Bonds D. Beggar Bonds E. Robust Bonds

18. A _________ contract is a contract between two parties wherein both agree to buy and sell a particular asset at a predetermined price, at a specified date in future. A. Spot deal B. Forward C. Option D. Fixed E. Truncated deal

19. Which country saw heavy floods caused by the tropical cyclone Chapala in November? A. Georgia B. Syria C. Yemen D. Northern Philippines E. China

20. Which state government approved a scheme named APJ Abdul Kalam Amrut Yojna for pregnant and lactating women in the tribal areas of the state? A. Maharashtra B. Uttar Pradesh C. Karnataka D. Tamil Nadu E. Haryana


21. Name the social activist who has been selected for a top US humanitarian award for his contribution to sanitation. A. Sujoy Pillai B. Bindeshwar Pathak

C. Pradeep Kumar Sinha D. Kapil Shrivastava E. Rajinder Singh

22. According to a survey, India has become the biggest overall gold consumer surpassing which country : A. Australia B. Japan C. China D. France E. The USA

23. Which country tops the list of World Bank’s 2016 rankings in Ease of Doing Business? A. Singapore B. Denmark C. Switzerland D. New Zealand E. The USA

24. According to World Bank’s 2016 rankings of Ease of Doing Business, what rank has been given to India? A. 142 B. 130 C. 135 D. 139 E. None of these

25. In the recent Bihar assembly elections, ……. won a majority of seats. A. UPA B. BJP C. HAM D. Mahgathbandhan E. JDU

26. India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ……. on digital conservation and development of written heritage at the National Library, Kolkata? A. France B. Sweden C. China D. Spain E. UK

27. Under the “Housing for All” scheme launched by PM Narendra Modi, how much grant is given per house? A. Rs. 1.5 Lakh B. Rs. 1 Lakh C. Rs. 2 Lakh D. Rs.2.5 Lakh E. Rs.1 Lakh-2.3 Lakh

28. Which among the following is to buy flash memory giant SanDisk (SNDK) for $19 billion? A. Sony B. Western Digital C. Seagate D. Toshiba E. Moser Baer

29. The minimum and maximum investments allowed under the Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme (SGBS) 2015 are A. 2 grams and 500 grams of physical gold B. 5 grams and 400 grams of physical gold C. 2 grams and 400 grams of physical gold D. 5 grams and 500 grams of physical gold E. 5 grams and 500 grams of physical gold

30. The Baglihar Hydro Electric Power Project is located in which Indian state? A. Himachal Pradesh

B. Jammu and Kashmir C. Uttarakhand D. Punjab E. Uttrakhand

31. What does the letter T in RTGS stand for? A. Time B. Transaction C. Tax D. Transfer E. Technology

32. Who is the newly elected Prime Minister of Canada? A. Vivian Barbot B. Denis Lebel C. David Johnston D. Justin Trudeau E. Kim Campbell

33. A/An _________ is a temporary pass-through joint account opened by a bank and a borrower, into which all the receipts of the borrower go and over which the bank has the first right of withdrawal. A. Company Account B. Current Account C. Escrow Account D. Nominal Account

E. Overdraft Limit 34. What is the deadline for total rural

electrification under the Deendayal Upadhyaya Grameen Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY)? A. 31st March 2016 B. 2nd October 2016 C. 31st December 2016 D. 31st March 2017 E. None of these

35. The stated principal amount of a financial instrument is known as A. Face Value B. Book Value C. Market Value D. None of these E. Par Value

36. The International day of the Girl Child is celebrated on A. December 9 B. November 14

C. October 11 D. July E. January 1

37. The National Centre for Radio Astrophysics is located in A. Jaipur B. Chennai C. Hyderabad D. Pune E. Kodaikanal

38. A ……… refers to a market in which the prices are rising or are expected to rise. The term is often used in the stock market, but can be applied to anything that is traded like bonds, currencies and commodities. A. Bear Market B. Bull Market C. Currency Market D. Commodity Market E. Range-bound Market

39. The Indian origin man Harjit Sajjan has been sworn in as Defence Minister of which country? A. Australia B. Mauritius C. Canada D. Singapore E. The USA


40. The Doha Round of talks is related to A. G- 20 B. IAEA C. WTO D. ASEAN E. UNO

41. What is name of the Indian culture week launched in China, recently? A. India in Beijing B. India in Shanghai C. India in Tianjin D. India in China E. Indo-China Week

42. Which of the following ministries has launched the SATYAM programme? A. Ministry of Finance B. Ministry of External Affairs C. Ministry of Science and Technology D. Ministry of Power E. Women and Child Development Ministry

43. What is the full form of CBS? A. Cash Banking Solutions B. Core Banking Solutions C. Cash Balance Solutions D. Capital Banking Solutions E. None of these

44. Under the Indian Gold Coin Rules 2015, what denominations of gold coins are issued? A. 5, 10 and 15 gram B. 5, 10 and 20 gram C. 10, 15 and 20 gram D. 10, 15 and 25 gram E. None of

45. Who ranks no. 1 on the Fortune India list of 50 most powerful businesswomen for 2015? A. Chanda Kochhar B. Shikha Sharma C. Arundhati Bhattacharya D. Nishi Vasudeva E. Naina Lal Kidwai

46. Saint Denis, which was in news of late, is located in A. London B. Paris C. Washington D. Amsterdam E. None of these

47. Syed Jaffery, who passed away recently, belonged to A. Cinema B. Painting C. Literature D. Theatre E. Science

48. The GAAR guidelines are related to A. Corporate Mergers B. Bank Directors’ appointments C. Environmental Protection D. Corporate Social Responsibility E. None of these

49. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved a disinvestment of …….. in Coal India Ltd. this year? A. 6 % B. 10 % C. 4% D. 18% E. 20%

50. At present, the fastest supercomputer in the

world is the A. Titan B. Tianhe C. Sequoia D. Meera E. Deep Blue

ANSWER KEY TEST – 01

Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. 1 C 2 C 3 E 4 C 5 B 6 C 7 B 8 A 9 B 10 E

11 A 12 A 13 C 14 D 15 B 16 B 17 A 18 B 19 B 20 A 21 C 22 A 23 A 24 B 25 A 26 A 27 D 28 B 29 A 30 C 31 C 32 A 33 A 34 A 35 D 36 B 37 A 38 A 39 D 40 A 41 D 42 B 43 D 44 C 45 A 46 C 47 C 48 B 49 C 50 B

ANSWER KEY TEST – 02

Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. 1 A 2 B 3 C 4 C 5 A 6 D 7 B 8 D 9 B 10 B

11 A 12 A 13 B 14 B 15 C 16 B 17 B 18 B 19 C 20 A 21 B 22 C 23 A 24 B 25 D 26 A 27 E 28 B 29 A 30 B 31 A 32 D 33 C 34 D 35 A 36 C 37 D 38 B 39 C 40 C 41 B 42 C 43 B 44 B 45 C 46 B 47 A 48 E 49 B 50 B


SSC CORNER

THE HUMAN BRAIN – AN INTRODUCTION

Making sense of the brain's mind-boggling complexity isn't easy. It makes us human, gives people the capacity for art, language, moral judgment and rational thought. It's also responsible for each individual's personality, memories, movements, and how we sense the world.

The brain performs an incredible number of tasks including the following: 1. It controls the body temperature, blood

pressure, heart rate and breathing. 2. It accepts a flood of information about the

world from various senses (seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching).

3. It handles your physical movements when you walk, talk, stand or sit.

4. It lets you think, dream, reason and experience emotions.

All these tasks are coordinated, controlled and regulated by the brain --- an organ the size of a small head of cauliflower. Your brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves make up a complex, integrated information-processing and control system known as the central nervous system. Together, they regulate all the conscious and unconscious facets of your life. The scientific study of the brain and nervous system is called neuroscience or neurobiology. Because the field is so vast -- and the brain and nervous system are so complex -- we will start with the basics and give you an overview of this complicated organ. The Structure of Human Brain

We'll examine the brain structure and how each part controls our daily functions, including motor control, visual processing, auditory processing, sensation, learning, memory and emotions.

All this comes from a jellylike mass of fat and protein weighing about 3 pounds (1.4 kilograms). It is one of the body's biggest organs, having some 100 billion nerve cells that not only put together thoughts and highly coordinated physical actions but regulate our unconscious body processes, such as digestion and breathing.

The brain's nerve cells are called neurons, which make up the organ's so-called "gray matter." The neurons transmit and gather electrochemical signals that are communicated via a network of millions of nerve fibers called dendrites and axons. These are the brain's "white matter." Cerebrum The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain, accounting for 85 percent of the organ's weight. The distinctive, deeply wrinkled outer surface is the cerebral cortex, which consists of gray matter. Beneath this lies the white matter. It's the cerebrum that makes the human brain—and therefore humans—so formidable. The capacity to think, reason, argue, remember, visualize --- all these faculties come from this part. So when you are reading this article, the most active part of your brain is the cerebrum. Whereas animals such as elephants, dolphins, and whales have larger brains, humans have the most developed cerebrum. It's packed to capacity inside our skulls, enveloping the rest of the brain, with the deep folds cleverly maximizing the cortex area. Cerebral Hemispheres And Functional Localization The cerebrum has two halves, or hemispheres. It is further divided into four regions, or lobes, in each hemisphere. The frontal lobes, located behind the forehead, are involved with speech, thought, learning, emotion, and movement. Behind them are the parietal lobes, which process sensory information such as touch, temperature, and pain. At the rear of the brain are the occipital lobes, dealing with vision. Lastly, there are the temporal lobes, near the temples, which are involved with hearing and memory. Right Brain-Left Brain In most respects, the left and right sides are symmetrical in function. For example, the counterpart of the left-hemisphere motor area controlling the right hand is the right-hemisphere area controlling the left hand. There are, however, several important exceptions,


involving language and spatial cognition. In most people, the left hemisphere is "dominant" for language: a stroke that damages a key language area in the left hemisphere can leave the victim unable to speak or understand, whereas equivalent damage to the right hemisphere would cause only minor impairment to language skills.

Cerebellum The second largest part of the brain is the cerebellum, which sits beneath the back of the cerebrum. It is responsible for coordinating muscle movements and controlling our balance. Consisting of both grey and white matter, the cerebellum transmits information to the spinal cord and other parts of the brain.

Diencephalon, Thalamus, Hypothalamus The diencephalon is located in the core of the brain. A complex of structures roughly the size of an apricot, the two major sections are the thalamus and hypothalamus. The thalamus acts as a relay station for incoming nerve impulses from around the body that are then forwarded to the appropriate brain region for processing. The hypothalamus controls hormone secretions from the nearby pituitary gland. These hormones govern growth and instinctual behavior such as eating, drinking, sex, anger, and reproduction. The hypothalamus, for instance, controls when a new mother starts to lactate.

Brain Stem The brain stem, at the organ's base, controls reflexes and crucial, basic life functions such as heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure. It also regulates when you feel sleepy or awake. The brain is extremely sensitive and delicate, and so requires maximum protection. This is provided by the surrounding skull and three tough membranes called meninges. The spaces between these membranes are filled with fluid that cushions the brain and keeps it from being damaged by contact with the inside of the skull.

Brain Injuries/ Disorders Despite being protected by the thick bones of the skull, suspended in cerebrospinal fluid, and isolated from the bloodstream by the blood–brain barrier, the human brain is susceptible to damage and disease.

The most common forms of physical damage are closed head injuries such as a blow to the head, a stroke, or poisoning by a variety of chemicals which can act as neurotoxins, such as ethanol alcohol. Infection of the

brain, though serious, is rare because of the biological barriers which protect it. The human brain is also susceptible to degenerative disorders like Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease (mostly due to aging) and multiple sclerosis. Many psychiatric conditions like schizophrenia and clinical depression are associated with brain dysfunctions, although they are not well understood.

Mental disorders like clinical depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder may involve particular patterns of neuropsychological functioning related to various aspects of mental and somatic functions. These disorders may be treated by psychotherapy, psychiatric medication, social intervention and personal recovery work or cognitive behavioural therapy; the underlying issues and associated prognoses vary significantly between individuals.

Corticalization A dominant feature of the human brain is corticalization. The cerebral cortex in humans is so large that it overshadows every other part of the brain. Corticalization is reflected in function as well as structure. In a rat, surgical removal of the cerebral cortex leaves an animal still capable of walking around and interacting with the environment. In a human, comparable cerebral cortex damage produces a permanent coma. The cerebral cortex is a neural tissue, folded in a way that allows a large surface area to fit within the confines of the skull.

The cerebral cortex is nearly symmetrical with left and right hemispheres that are approximate mirror images of each other. Each hemisphere is conventionally divided into four "lobes", the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, and temporal lobe.

Neural signals from eyes Each hemisphere of the brain interacts primarily with one half of the body, but the connections are crossed: the left side of the brain interacts with the right side of the body, and vice versa. Motor connections from the brain to the spinal cord, and sensory connections from the spinal cord to the brain, both cross the midline at the level of the brainstem. The result is that connections from the left half of the retina in both eyes go to the left side of the brain, whereas connections from the right half of the retina go to the right side of the brain. Because each half receives light coming from the opposite half of the visual field, the functional consequence is that visual input from the left side of the world goes to the right side of the brain, and vice versa. Thus, the right side of the brain receives somatosensory input from the left side of the body, and visual input from the left side of the visual field—an arrangement helpful for visuomotor coordination.

***


Directions: Given below are certain words printed in BOLD letters, followed by four choices in each case. Find out the choice which best conveys the meaning of the word in question. You will find the detailed solution to this exercise in this issue only. 1. INDUSTRIOUS

A. Hardworking B. Lazy C. Sensible D. Urgent 2. VIVACIOUS

A. Swaying B. Confused C. Likely D. Lively

3. PONDERING

A. Shining B. Praiseworthy C. Thoughtful D. Reckless

4. PERSEVERING

A. Persistent B. Dirty C. Interesting D. Worthy of hatred

5. PERTINENT

A. Smooth B. Relevant C. Handsome D. From Germany

6. SHRILL

A. Through voice B. Critical C. In disagreement D. Loud and sharp

7. DUMB

A. Stay at a place B. Silent C. Closed D. Change dramatically

8. CHATTER BOX

A. Aged B. Abusive C. Excessive talker D. Fond of writing

9. TACITURN

A. Speaking little B. Decent C. Connected D. Related to eyes

10. BELLICOSE

A. Trigger-happy B. Roundabout way C. Peace-loving D. Pungent

11. SPECTACUALR

A. Horrible B. Looking like a terrorist C. Worthy of being seen D. Highly commendable

12. TRICKLE A. Going deep into a river B. A bunch of some objects C. Flexibility D. Drop

13. PACIFIST

A. Broker B. Full of love C. Peace-loving D. Related to oceans

14. LEGEND

A. Related to mythology B. Historical C. Of heights D. Unproven

15. DEBONAIR

A. Sophisticated B. Having holes C. Well-educated D. Practical

MY SCORE RATING 0-3 Get going! 4-7 Work hard! 8-11 Great, you’re almost there! 12-15 Wow!

SOLUTION -WORD WISE

1. Industrious: adjective: persevering, hardworking

Popular synonyms: diligenct, sedulous Derivation: Industry Examples: A. Her industrious attitude was finally recognized by her boss with a promotion. B. One may be extremely intelligent, but without industrious application of mind, one cannot get success.

2. Vivacious: adjective: lively

Popular synonyms: sprightly, animated Examples: Her vivacious manners turned every party into a super hit event.

3. Pondering: adjective: serious, in a thinking

mood Popular synonyms: thoughtful, pondering, cogitative Examples: Newton sat pondering under a tree as an apple fell into his lap.

4. Persevering: adjective: hardworking, persistent

Popular synonyms: sedulous Examples: A. Every successful person needs to have a persevering attitude in the face of difficulties.


B. The mantra of success is getting up after every failure and persevere to overcome weaknesses.

5. Pertinent: adjective: related, relevant, to the

point Popular synonym: germane Examples: A. Your ideas were rejected as they were not pertinent to the discussions going on. B. All the issues pertinent to Indo-Pak relations will be taken up at the summit-level talks.

6. Shrill: adjective: loud, vocal, forceful

Popular synonyms: voluble, strident Examples: A. The MPs made a shrill demand for the minister’s resignation over the scandal. B. There is shrill opposition to the proposal to make the Aadhar card compulsory.

7. Dumb: adjective: silent, unable to speak

Popular synonym: mute Examples: A. We cannot become dumb spectators to this murder of democracy. B. I went to a special school for the deaf and dumb yesterday.

8. Chatterbox: excessive talker

Popular synonyms: vocal, voluble Example: The chatterbox politician did not sotp even for a second and talked non-stop.

9. Taciturn: adjective: silent, speaking very little

Popular synonym: reticent Examples: A. Many people are taciturn at social gatherings but you will find them very vocal with their friends. B. To become a public speaker, you need to get rid of your taciturn nature.

10. Bellicose: adjective: fighting, contentious

Popular synonyms: belligerent, pugnacious Examples: A. Bellicose nations like North Korea always keep global tensions alive with their nuclear threats. B. The bellicose attitude she carried to the meeting did not let reach a compromise with others.

11. Spectacular: adjective: must-see, great Example: Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s spectacular acting helped the movie become a super hit.

12. Trickle: noun: drop, small quantity

Example: The college got only a trickle of applications for admissions this year.

13. Pacifist: adjective: related to peace, peace-loving

Popular synonyms: peaceful, pacifist Examples: The pacifist leader used to make peace between the warring parties in her college.

14. Legend: noun: story of doubtful origin, unproven Popular synonym: unsubstantiated, apocryphal Example: Several legends about the freedom struggle are quite popular but most historians do not accept them.

15. Debonair: adjective: sophisticated, well-bred

Popular synonym: suave Example: The girl’s debonair nature greatly helped her bag the job of an airhostess.

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Profit And Pleasure

ON BOOKS

Profit and Pleasure not only tickles your nerve cells but also makes you learn interesting facts about the world. This time around, we are focusing on classic books and their writers. Here we go! 1. This book was written after a king in India had

commissioned a well-known writer to compose interesting moral stories for children. The king wanted to inculcate good moral values among his sons. The book contained short stories with a moral lesson and featured animals as characters. It served its purpose well and remains popular till date, with many of these stories being a part of school books in India. Which all-time classic are we talking about?

2. The authoress of this classic mystery is known as the Grand Dame of Mystery Writing. The play The Mousetrap holds the world record for the longest uninterrupted stage drama in the world. Written by this iconic detective novelist, it has been running to packed houses in London even after 25 years of its start. Can you recall her name?

3. The title of this book is a misnomer, as it hardly focuses on it. But otherwise, it is regarded as an ancient classic on how to govern a state, control government offices, collect taxes etc. Its writer is known for his famous mantra- saam, daam, dand, bhed (साम, दाम, दंड, भेद). Does it ring a bell somewhere?

4. This book is the world record holder for being the Bestseller of All Times. Billions have read it and continue to do so even now. Can you identify it?

5. This book on economics by Adam Smith is known as the foundation of capitalism. It talks of lassaiz faire or no government intervention in any economic activity and supports the cause of private sector dominance in running a country’s economy. Can you recall this all-time classic?

6. This famous romantic classic has been made into a film many times by film-makers and will be remade many more times in future, too. Its first cinematic

version had starred Dilip Kumar, the second one Shah Rukh Khan, the third one Abhay Deol while the fourth one is currently under production. Does it remind you of this legendry romantic classic?

7. The biopic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag made on the life of Milkha Singh, the Flying Sikh, had bagged several movie honours at the red carpet. It was actually based on an autobiography for which Milkha Singh had charged just Rs. 1 as his copyright fee. Can you recall this autobiography?

8. Rousseau’s ideas of Liberty, Equality and fraternity, which ultimately led to the French Revolution, are a part of the Preamble to the Indian Constitution too. In fact, these ideas form the foundation of a modern, liberal democracy. These ideas come to come from a well-known book which he had authored? Do you remember the name of this popular book?

9. The blockbuster movie Three Idiots was actually based on a popular book written by Chetan Bhagat in the initial years of his writing career. The movie retains many important details from his book, including the settings and the incidents therein. Which novel is being referred to above?

10. This all-time bestseller book on popular science still maintains its reputation as the no. 1 selling book in its genre. It gives the story of how the universe was formed and how life became possible in an easy-to-understand, layman-like style. It has been authored by a legendry physicist, who has been confined to a wheelchair for life due to a neuro-muscular disease. Can you identify this physicist, often called the greatest physicist after Einstein?

SOLUTIONS

1. Panchtantra (Vishnudatt Sharma) 2. Agatha Christie 3. Artshastra (Chanakya aka Vishunugupt, Kautilya) 4. The Bible 5. Wealth of Nations 6. Devdas (Sharat Chandar Chattopadhyaya) 7. The Race of My Life 8. Theory of Social Contract (Jean Jacques Rousseau) 9. Five Point Someone 10. Stephen Hawking


GYANM QUIZ - 08 How much do you know about the world around you? Take the quiz below to find out for yourself and WIN some exciting prizes as rewards. 1. Who among the following was a well-known

poet-musician in the court of Allauddin Khilji? A. Kabir B. Tansen C. Goswami Tulsidas D. Amir Khusro

2. A bullet train runs on

A. Petrol B. Diesel C. Magnetic power D. Electric power

3. A commonly used moderator in nuclear

reactors is A. Heavy water B. Ozone C. Aluminum Carbide D. Ordinary water

4. The National Nursing Day in India is observed

in the memory of A. Anne Frank B. Mother Teresa C. Florence Nightingale D. Maid of Orleans

5. In the acronym GST, the letter T stands for

A. Time B. Transaction C. Technology D. Tax 6. In case of luxury goods, the demand for a

product will …… with a rise in prices. A. fall B. fluctuate C. remain unchanged D. rise

7. The Silent Valley forest is located in

A. Kerala B. Tamil Nadu C. Maharashtra D. Himachal Pradesh 8. Which of these countries is NOT a part of

North America? A. Mexico B. Canada C. Argentina D. The USA

9. The active ingredient used in wines is

A. Ethyl alcohol B. Propyl alcohol C. Acetic Acid D. Methyl alcohol

10. Which country’s capital faced an attack by the

ISIS recently? A. Germany B. France C. Russia D. The USA

Heartiest congratulations to the winners of Gyanm Quiz-07! 1. Kamal Gautam – Raipur 2. Chander Shekhara – Tamil Nadu

The winners are being informed by post. Name: ______________________________________ Address: ____________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ PIN: _____________________ Mobile: ___________________________________ _ My answers to Gyanm Quiz - 08 are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Signature _______________

TERMS AND CONDITIONS 1. Please send your responses to the quiz, along with

your COMPLETE ADDRESS and PIN CODE, by 25th December, 2015. The responses can be sent By e-mail to [email protected] OR On Whatsapp mobile number 09646888377 OR By post to Gyanm College of Competitions, SCO 13-15, 2nd Floor, Above Domino’s, Sector 34-A, Chandigarh-160034

2. ONLY the residents of India are eligible to participate.

3. In case of multiple correct entries, a draw will be held to decide the winner/s.

3. The Prize/s CANNOT be exchanged for cash. 4. The decision of the jury shall be FINAL and

BINDING on all the participants. 5. The winners’ names shall be announced in the

February, 2016 issue.


Financial Glossary

…… continued from previous issue

BANKING CHANNELS ........ ATM (Automated Teller Machine) The ATMs facilitate cash withdrawal from one’s account – any time – anywhere. Of late, the banks have begun a wide variety of services through ATMs, such as fee deposit, online bill payment, mobile recharge, and fund transfers. Usually, the ATMs are operated through Debit Cards, although Credit Cards can also be used. A card user has to enter his confidential PIN (Personal Identification Number) to activate the ATM. The inter-bank connectivity of ATMs is provided through the National Financial Switch, maintained by the NPCI. The customers are allowed a maximum of five withdrawals in a month from non-bank ATMs (non-metro locations). ATM-FAILED TRANSACTION Whenever there is a mismatch between the cash received from an ATM and the amount debited to the account, such a transaction is called ATM-failed transaction. The RBI guidelines stipulate that in all such cases, the banks are required to refund the difference amount within 7 working days of the complaint, failing which the bank needs to pay a fine @ Rs. 100 per day of delay to the customer, with no upper limit, provided the complaint is lodged thin 30 days of the transaction. BROWN LABEL ATM These are the ATMs licensed to a bank but serviced and maintained by third parties. Most bank ATMs are brown label ATMs. WHITE LABEL ATM White-label ATMs are those which do not belong to a particular bank. They are licensed to, owned and operated by the private non-banking companies, which rent out these ATMs to other banks. Customers of any bank can carry out transactions at these ATMs in exchange for a fee. DEBIT / CREDIT CARDS Also called plastic money, they are one of the most popular means of making payments or withdrawing

cash. A debit card is linked to a specific bank account and can be used to operate only that account. In contrast, a credit card is not linked to any account and is like a loan limit granted by a bank. Every credit card has a specific loan limit and can be used to buy/make payment only up to this limit. The credit card holder gets a monthly bill for the transactions done by him and gets an interest-free credit period, after which interest is payable. Debit / Credit cards work on the following principles: Debit Card: Buy now, pay now. Credit Card: Buy now, pay later. VISA / MASTER CARD These are two international card service providers (Global Payment Gateways). All transactions put through various debit / credit cards are coordinated and serviced by these two companies. All card issuing banks in India coordinate with either of these two companies before issuing any card. However, now a third option – RuPay card is also available. EMV CARDS EMV stands for Europay, MasterCard and Visa. These three global companies follow a common EMV chip. RBI has directed Indian Banks that all debit / credit cards issued by them should now be EMV chip and pin based only. RUPAY CARD It is the Indian domestic card payment network set up by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to facilitate debit/credit card transactions. It is likely to emerge as a strong challenge to payments gateways such as Master Card and Visa. CNP TRANSACTIONS Refers to Card Not Present transactions i.e. transactions done by using particulars of debit / credit cards, usually for online transactions. A similar transaction is Interactive Voice Response (IVR) transaction where the payments are made through debit / credit card and the card particulars are conveyed over the phone or the internet. It is mandatory for all banks to issue an SMS alert for all CNP / IVR transactions.


POINT OF SALE BANKING Any place where a card swipe machine is installed is known as a Point of Sale terminal. Transactions done through these swipe machines are part of ‘point of sale banking’. The RBI has allowed cash withdrawals of up to Rs. 2000/- per day at PoS terminals in centres with population below 50,000 and Rs. 1,000 in other centres. NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATION - NFC NFC is a short-range wireless connectivity that uses magnetic field induction to enable communication between devices when they are touched together, or brought within a few centimeters of each other. Banks are now using NFC technology for making transactions with debit / credit cards without the need to swipe or insert the card as transactions are put through merely by waving the card before the card reader machine, thereby avoiding the need for disclosing the password. State Bank is the first to use this technique. GREEN CHANNEL BANKING It is an initiative started by the State Bank of India wherein the focus is on minimizing the use of paper in making routine payment and receipt transactions. Here, instead of filing a paper voucher for withdrawal or deposit, the particulars are fed into a small machine placed on the counter, thereby minimizing the use of paper.

TYPES OF BANKING Depending upon the nature of their business, the banks in India are involved in several types of banking operations: RETAIL BANKING Retail banking refers to dealing with individuals for comparatively small deposits/ advance amounts. Typical retail banking products in deposits are savings / current accounts, fixed deposits etc. In advances, retail banking products include home loans, vehicle loans, personal loans etc. Retail banking touches everyday lives and is thus the most common and the most popular variety of banking. WHOLE SALE BANKING In contrast to retail banking, wholesale banking refers to large scale banking with corporates, institutions etc. It covers large loans to corporates, channel financing, institutional accounts etc. UNIVERSAL BANKING With technological advances and computerization, the gap between retail and whole sale banking has narrowed and same banks are getting involved in both retail and wholesale banking, which is called Universal Banking. It also refers to some banks doing both long

term and short term financing as traditionally, the banks did only short term financing. PARA BANKING Traditionally, the banks were in the business of accepting deposits and making loans. However, with time, they have taken up a variety of other functions like selling insurance policies, mutual funds, debit / credit card, accepting fees, earnest money deposit etc. All these activities are together called para banking. MERCHANT BANKING Merchant bankers are the intermediaries who arrange for transfer of capital funds to those borrowers who are looking for them. Some common merchant banking activities are: a) Management of customers’ securities b) Management of investment portfolio c) Appraisal / Management of projects d) Issue management and underwriting of shares e) Syndication of loans ISLAMIC BANKING It refers to banking activities done as per the provisions of the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat). As per the Shariat, paying or charging of interest is considered a sin. Thus, Islamic banking prohibits payment or levying of any interest. This type of banking is prevalent in some Arabian countries but is not allowed in India. BANCASSURANCE (Banking + Insurance) Bancassurance is the selling of insurance through bank branches. The banks cannot sell their own insurance products as they do not have the license for this. But they can become the corporate agent of an insurance company and sell its products. Now the banks have been allowed to become insurance brokers also to enable them to take agency of more than one insurance company. SHADOW BANKING It refers to the banking activities of entities outside the regular banking system. For example, the loans made and the deposits accepted by various NBFCs. OFFSHORE BANKING An Indian bank branch located in a special economic zone (SEZ), with a special set of rules aimed at facilitating exports from the region. It is like a "deemed foreign branch" of the parent bank situated within India. GREEN BANKING It refers to following environmental-friendly practices in banking. It includes financing of environment-friendly projects, financing of anti-pollution plant and machinery, minimising the use of paper.

…………To Be Continued SOURCE: FINANCIAL GLOSSARY,

A GYANM PUBLICATION


Latest G.K. Bytes

NOVEMBER – 2015 1) Indian Vice President visited which South-East

Asian country in first week of November: Indonesia

2) Chilka Lake of India is famous for receiving thousands of migratory birds from Siberia region. It is located in which state: Odisha

3) In terms of brand value of nations, India ranks ______ in world: 7th

4) In terms of brand value of nations, which country enjoys the top rank: U.S.A

5) Swiss Indoors Basel Tennis title was won by which sports person: Roger Federer

6) BNP Paribas WTA Finals were held in which country: Singapore

7) Women’s doubles title at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals was won by which couple: Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis

8) The Rugby World Cup was hosted by which city: London

9) Name the country which won the Rugby World Cup: New Zealand

10) Brijmohan Lall Munjal, a famous industrialist passed away recently. He was founder of which company: Hero Motocorp Ltd

11) _______Veteran diplomat, an IFS officer of 1980 batch, has been appointed as India’s next High Commissioner to the United Kingdom: Navtej Singh Sarna

12) India-Myanmar Relations is a book written by which author: Rajiv Bhatia

13) Name the gold scheme that was opened for public subscription from November 5-30: Sovereign Gold Bonds Scheme

14) John Pombe Magufuli has been elected as the new President of which country: Tanzania

15) Lunar rover, Yutu, set a record for the longest stay on the Moon by completing almost two years stay. It is from which country: China

16) Name the Indian who has been honoured by the New York Global Leaders Dialogue Humanitarian Award: Bindeshwar Pathak

17) Social activist Bindeshwar Pathak is famous for which contribution: Establishment of Sulabh Shochalayas

18) With Cotton production of around 400 lakh bales, which country is likely to become largest cotton producer in the world in 2015-16: India

19) Which Global rating agency has upgraded its outlook for India's banking system to 'stable' from 'negative': Moody’s Investors Service

20) As per Legatum Prosperity Index 2015 of 142 countries, India has been placed at _______ place in terms of overall prosperity: 99th

21) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been ranked as the world's ______ most powerful person by Forbes magazine in a 2015 list: 9th

22) As per the Forbes list of most powerful persons in world in 2015, president of which country has been ranked as number one: Russia, Vladimir Putin

23) Which IT giant is working with the Indian government on a pilot project for providing Internet connectivity by using large balloons: Google

24) What is the purpose of ‘Project Loon’ being implemented in India: Providing Internet Services

25) Recent news line in paper was – ‘core sector shows improvement in September’. It refers to improvement in which sector: Industrial production

26) Volcanic ash eruptions from Mount Rinja in which country paralysed the tourism industry there as it led to cancellation of several flights: Indonesia

27) Name the Indian shooter who won silver medal in the 13th Asiald in n Shooting Championship: Jitu Rai

28) 13th Asian Shooting Championship was held in which city: Kuwait City

29) Who has been appointed as the new Chief Justice of India (43rd), succeeding Justice HL Dattu: Justice T S Thakur

30) Prime Minister of which country announced his resignation bearing moral responsibility for a nightclub blaze that killed 32 people: Romania

31) Which state has launched APJ Abdul Kalam Amrut Yojna: Maharashtra

32) What is the purpose of APJ Abdul Kalam Amrut Yojna: to provide at least one full hot cooked nutritious meal to pregnant and lactating women in the tribal areas

33) _______ Railway Station in Karnataka has become the first blind-friendly Railway Station in India: Mysuru

34) 69th senior National Aquatic Championships 2015 were held in which place: Rajkot Gujrat


35) Virdhawal Khade has won the National Title in which sports: Swimming

36) First international film festival for the persons with disabilities (IFFPD) will be held in _______ from 1 to 3 December 2015: Delhi

37) Which social networking company has partnered with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) to create 100 Wi-Fi hotspots in rural areas of western and southern India: Facebook

38) ICGS Arinjay, a Fast Patrol Vessels was commissioned in Indian Navy at Kochi. What is the full form of ICGS: Indian Coast Guard Ship

39) Which city hosted the 11th National Tribal Crafts Mela ‘Aadishilp’: New Delhi

40) Which international iconic Football star has been picked up by the Tata Motors as their global brand ambassador for their passenger vehicles: Lionel Messi

41) Who has been appointed chairperson of a committee set up by the Human Resource Development Ministry to draft the new education policy: T.S.R. Subramanian

42) Nico Rosberg won the Mexican Grand Prix F1 championship in Mexico City. He is from which country: Germany

43) Shiva Thapa was ranked number 2 in world in the latest international rankings in the 56 kilogram category of which sports: Boxing

44) Which country reopened its Consulate General office in Mumbai after four decades of closure in 1973: Norway

45) A new species of the Dracula ant, likely to be of Stigmatomma group of predaceous ants, was discovered by a group of citizen scientists in which part of Kerala: Western Ghats

46) Which country has committed to invest over 2 billion euros for Smart City projects in India with special focus on Chandigarh, Nagpur and Puducherry: France

47) According to the global Financial Secrecy Index report released by Tax Justice Network of UK, India ranked ________ in the list of 92 countries in 2015 in terms of financial transparency: 45th

48) Suresh N Patel has been appointed as the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of which Bank: Andhra Bank

49) _______ Kumar Jain has been appointed MD and CEO of Indian Bank: Mahesh

50) _______ has been appointed MD and CEO UCO Bank: R K TAKKAR

51) J K Garg has been appointed as the Managing Director of which Bank: Corporation Bank

52) RBI has allowed to offer ‘view only’ internet banking to which category of banks: State and district central co-operative banks

53) Which government authority fixes the minimum

support prize for various crops: Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs

54) The Minimum Support Price of wheat, the main rabi crop for season 2015-16 has been fixed at Rs ______ per quintal: 1575

55) The government launched Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojna (UDAY) to improve the performance of which companies: Power distribution companies.

56) Government has announced the levy of a Swachh Bharat cess of ______ % on all services liable for service tax (14%) from November 15: 0.5

57) Swachh Bharat cess means a tax of ______on every Rs 100 worth of taxable services: 50 paisa

58) Surjit Hockey Tournament was won by which team: Railways

59) Li Yuanchao from China visited India to review cooperation on better river water management and cultural exchanges. Who is he: Vice President of China

60) ________ has won Gold in 10 metre Air Pistol event at 13th Asian Shooting Championships in Kuwait: Heena Sidhu

61) Which country moved to the top of the FIFA world ranking list in football for the first time, leaving behind giants like Argentina and world champions Germany: Belgium

62) Russia suspended all its flights to which country after one of its aircraft suffered mid-air bomb blast soon after take-off from Sharm el-Sheikh: Egypt

63) Name the authors of the book ‘Rebooting India Realizing a Billion Aspirations’: Nandan Nilekani and Viral Shah

64) Free General elections were held in which neighbouring country, after a gap of almost 25 years of Military rule: Myanmar

65) The pro-democracy party National League for Democracy, led by its charismatic leader ______ won the recent general elections in Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi

66) The RBI has decided to officially stop the barter system - trading of goods without exchange of money, from December 1 on which international border: Indo-Myanmar border

67) Indian Army successfully test-fired the land attack variant of the 290-km range supersonic cruise missile named ______: BrahMos

68) Indian Army successfully test-fired the BrahMos Missile at the Pokhran range. It is in which state: Rajasthan

69) ________ became the first player in Ranji Trophy history to notch up 10,000 runs: Wasim Jaffer

70) Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma has been honoured with Kala Shikhar Award for lifetime achievement in which field: Playing Santoor

71) What Happened to Netaji is a book written by


which person: Anuj Dhar 72) Name the nuclear-capable ballistic missile which

was tested successfully for a range of 4,000 kms: Agni-IV

73) Which international financing agency has agreed to give $ 273 loan for improving rural roads in Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal: Asian Development Bank

74) UNESCO rejected which country’s bid for membership as it failed to receive the support of two-thirds of the UNESCO’s member nations: Kosovo

75) OECD has said that the Indian economy is expected to grow by 7.2 per cent this fiscal. What is the full form of OECD: Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

76) According to Fortune India’s latest rankings of Indian business women, _________ has been ranked as the most powerful business woman: Arundhati Bhattacharya

77) ________ defeated Mali to win the FIFA Under 17 Football World Cup: Nigeria

78) The FIFA Under 17 Football World Cup was hosted by which country: Chile

79) Britain has announced _______ as the UK-India Year of Culture to mark the 70th Anniversary of Indian Independence: 2017

80) Name the venue in London where Prime Minister Modi addressed a massive gathering of over 60 thousands persons: Wembley Stadium

81) Which country was provisionally suspended from all international track and field events by International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) due to widespread doping in its athletes: Russia

82) India’s satellite GSAT-15 was successfully launched by the European Ariane rocket from Kourou in French Guiana. It will work in which field: Communications

83) Some of the top rated companies are firming up plans to raise fund by issuing ‘masala bonds’. What are they going to do: Issuing rupee-denominated bonds in foreign markets

84) Bhutan's Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay visited India to preside over the 'India Ideas Conclave' in which city: Goa

85) Northeast’s first exclusive hospital for elephants has been established at the Kaziranga National Park in which state: Assam

86) Name the former RBI Deputy Governor who has been appointed as an Executive Director on the board of the International Monetary Fund: Subir Gokaran

87) Name the only Indian institute that has secured a place in a list of top 100 institutions compiled by the ‘Times Higher Education Rankings for

Engineering & Technology: The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore

88) Helmut Schmidt, a veteran and famous statesman passed away recently at the age of 96. He was from which country: Germany

89) _________ won the International Children’s Peace Prize for 2015 for his “tireless campaigning” to end violence against minors: Abraham Keita, (17)

90) Abraham Keita hails from which country: Liberia 91) Which global e-commerce company created a new

record in online sales netting $14.33 billion on the annual Singles Day on Nov 13: Alibaba

92) Which International Airport has been adjudged the best-maintained international airport in the country for the third quarter commencing July this year: Thiruvananthapuram

93) Raghuram Rajan, Governor RBI has been elected Vice-Chairman of which international financial institution: Bank of International Settlement

94) Headquarters of the Bank of International Settlement are located at which place: Basel, Switzerland

95) What was the name of the seventh edition India-Russia Joint Military Exercise held in Bikaner district of Rajasthan: Indra – 2015

96) Justice Ajit Prakash Shah has been appointed as the ethics officer (ombudsman) of which national sports body: Board of Control for Cricket in India

97) India has been re-elected on the UNCITRAL for a period of six years. What is the full form of UNCITRAL: United Nations Commission on International Trade Law

98) In the eight north-eastern states, government has decided to contribute _________per cent funds in the centrally sponsored Schemes: 90

99) The government has enhanced the monetary limit to approve foreign investment proposals of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board – FIPB to Rs ________ crore, from Rs 3,000 crore at present: 5,000

100) In which city of France, over 129 people were killed and more than 300 were wounded in multiple terrorists’ shootings: Paris

101) Which city hosted the 35th India International Trade Fair: New Delhi

102) DRDO has developed Advanced Torpedo Defence System “Maareech” and “Vaarunaastra” for use by which wing of defence forces: Navy

103) INS Vishwakarma, a premier training establishment of the Indian Navy for the shipwrights is located at which place: Vishakhapatnam

104) With which country India has announced the completion of procedures for bringing the two-nation nuclear deal into force: Australia

105) Government has declared which militant outfit of Nagaland as a terrorist organization under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967:


National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang), NSCN (K)

106) In which Indian state heavy rains by north east monsoon claimed over 102 lives: Tamil Nadu

107) As per a recent IMF study, India's GDP can expand by 27 per cent if the number of women workers increases to _______ as that of men: Same level

108) Leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group held their annual summit at which place: Manila

109) China Open Superseries Premier Badminton tournament was held at which city in China: Fuzhou

110) Ace badminton player Saina Nehwal clinched which rank at the China Open Superseries Premier Badminton tournament: Second

111) Name the veteran Bollywood actor who recently died in London. He is remembered for his outstanding performance in films like Gandhi, Shatranj Ke Khilari and Masoom: Saeed Jaffrey

112) A two day summit of Heads of G-20 nations was held in ______Turkey to dwell on inclusive economic growth and climate change: Antalaya

113) Nico Rosberg won the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix at _________Brazil: Sao Paulo

114) Hundred Drums Wangala Festival, the thanks giving post-harvest festival is celebrated in which state of India: Meghalaya

115) The Union Ministry of Tourism launched the National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) and Swadesh Darshan schemes for what purpose: To increase the arrival of foreign tourists in India

116) World Bank granted $75 million loan to which Indian state for its Rural Inclusive Growth project aimed at enhancing agricultural incomes of small and marginal farmers: Andhra Pradesh

117) The International Day for Tolerance was observed globally on ________ November with an aim to educate people about the need for tolerance: 16

118) Name the veteran patron of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) who passed away in Gurgaon due to a prolonged illness: Ashok Singhal

119) Govt has approved State Annual Action Plans (SAAP) of 81 mission cities in 5 states-Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Mizoram under AMRUT Scheme for 2015-16. Write the full form of AMRUT: Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation

120) Name the 1985 batch officer of Indian Foreign Service who has been appointed as the next Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations: Syed Akbaruddin

121) Which country won the prestigious women’s team tennis trophy - Fed Cup after beating Russia in final played in Prague: The Czech Republic

122) Name the 16 year old shuttler from India who won the silver medal at the BWF World Junior Championships held in Lima, Peru: Siril Verma

123) What is the objective of the Accessible India campaign recently launched by government of India: To make international airports and major railway stations disabled friendly

124) Which bank has launched the country's first low-income state infrastructure equity partnership (or the Neev fund) in London: State Bank of India

125) In a breakthrough, scientists in U K have developed the world's first 'porous' liquid that can potentially be used to capture and dissolve unusually large amounts of which harmful gas: Carbon Gas

126) Chhath festival was celebrated in different parts of the country on Nov 17-18. It is the most popular festival of which state: Bihar

127) Name the Australia’s most devastating fast bowler of his era who retired from all international cricket on Nov 17: Mitchell Johnson

128) Global Cancer Summit was held in which city of India from Nov 18 to 20: Bengaluru

129) Ms. Zarin Daruwala has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of which foreign bank in India: Standard Chartered Bank

130) With a view to boost exports, the government has approved ___________ per cent interest subvention scheme to allow exporters to avail loans from banks at a lower rate: Three

131) Government has launched the Technology Acquisition and Development Fund (TADF) for what purpose: To facilitate acquisition of clean, green and energy efficient technologies

132) Government plans to link all the police stations of the country online under the CCTNS. What is full form of CCTNS: Crime and Criminals Tracking Network and Systems

133) Which Indian city hosted the Second World Congress on Disaster Management from 19 to 22 November: Visakhapatnam

134) Tianhe-2 supercomputer has emerged as the world’s most powerful supercomputer system for the sixth consecutive time. It has been developed by which country: China

135) Name the former Chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) who passed away in Bengaluru: K. Sankaran Nair

136) Name the Indian Minister who has been designated as the Disaster Risk Reduction Champion for the Asia Region by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction: Kiren Rijiju

137) Govt has allowed ________language to be taught as an additional foreign language in Kendriya Vidyalayas in conformity with the National Education Policy, 1986: German

138) The World Health Organisation (WHO) on 16


November 2015 launched the World Antibiotic Awareness Week. What was its theme: Antibiotics handle with care

139) 7th Central Pay Commission headed by Justice AK Mathur submitted its report to which union ministry: Finance Ministry

140) Ram Krishna Trivedi, Former Gujarat governor passed away recently. He also held a very important national office. Name this office: Chief Election Commissioner

141) The world's second-largest gem quality diamond has been discovered in which country in southern Africa: Botswana

142) Recently the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution to take action against which terrorist organisation: Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)

143) The Indira Gandhi Prize For Peace, Disarmament And Development- 2015 has been Awarded to which International Organisation: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

144) As per the Global Terrorism Index 2015, India ranks __________ in list of 162 nations most impacted by terrorism in 2014: 6th

145) As per the Global Terrorism Index 2015, which country is worst affected by the terrorism: Iraq

146) The Global Gender Gap Report 2015 ranks India at _________ place in terms of utilisation of its female work force: 108th

147) Which country tops The Global Gender Gap Report 2015: Iceland

148) In which country Islamist militants laid siege to the Radisson Blu Hotel, killing at least 27 persons from different nations: Mali

149) Which ministry plans to launch Blue Revolution Integrated Development and Management of Fisheries for growth and development of fisheries: Agriculture Ministry

150) Which Indian city hosted the 17th Asia Pacific Youth Forum meet: Kozhikode, Kerala

151) _________ has been elected as the new Chief Minister of Bihar: Nitish Kumar

152) 27th summit of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was held in _________on November 21: Kuala Lumpur

153) Vijay Keshav Gokhale, Senior diplomat has been appointed as India’s Ambassador to which country: China

154) Government plans to mobilise around Rs. 20,000 crore by selling 10% of its stake in which public sector undertaking: Coal India Ltd

155) Harshavardhan Neotia has been elected as the President of the FICCI for the year 2016. Who is he: Chairman of Ambuja group of industries

156) 46th International Film Festival of India began in Panaji, Goa with the screening of The Man Who

Knew the Infinity. It is a biopic of which famous mathematician: Srinivas Ramanujan

157) Name the two South-East Asian nations visited by Prime Minister Modi in the 3rd week of November: Malaysia and Singapore

158) Name the India's most successful cueist who won the record 15th world title by winning the IBSF World Snooker Championship in Egypt: Pankaj Advani

159) Who has become the first player to win the ATP World Tour Finals for the fourth consecutive time: Novak Djokovic

160) Leaders of the ASEAN group of nations have declared the establishment of an EU-style regional economic bloc. Give its name: ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)

161) Name the President of France who will be the chief guest at the 2016 Republic Day celebrations: Francois Hollande

162) The DRDO test-fired an Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missile from Abdul Kalam island. What kind of missile is it: Intreceptor missile

163) Which South-American country has elected Mr.Mauricio Macri as its new President: Argentina

164) In which country, the young pro-democracy voters are known as Umbrella Soldiers: Hong Kong

165) Name the India’s neighbour which is experiencing hardships due to ongoing Madhesi Agitation: Nepal

166) Madhesis, the Indian-origin inhabitants of Nepal are found in which part of Nepal: Terai region

167) In a $ 160 billion merger agreement, the biggest ever deal in the healthcare sector, pharma major Pfizer Inc has acquired which other big pharma company: Allergan Plc

168) The Confederation of All India Traders has launched an e-commerce portal, ‘e-lala’ for what purpose: To promote bussiness of 5.77 crore small units

169) The 8th Men’s Junior Asia Hockey Cup at Kuantan, Malaysia was won by which country: India

170) Ramnath Goenka Lifetime Achievement Award is given for excellence in which field: Journalism

171) Who is the recent winner of Ramnath Goenka Lifetime Achievement Award: Kuldip Nayar

172) Which country has launched its first early warning system satellite named EKS or Integrated Space System: Russia

173) Name the three Indian cities selected by the British government for developing them as 'Smart City': Pune, Amravati (Maharashtra) and Indore (MP)

174) Rajasthan government has signed a ‘sister-state agreement’ with which state of Australia: South Australia

175) Which international organization has said that global average temperatures this year are likely to be the warmest on record: World Meteorological


Organisation 176) Name the naval variant of the Prithvi – II missile,

having a strike range of 350 kilometers that was tested successfully recently: Dhanush

177) Mahip Singh, who passed away passed away in Gurgaon, after a brief illness was a noted figure from which field: Literature & Journalism

178) Japan conducted its first commercial satellite launch on August 24, with which launch vehicle: H-IIA rocket

179) Government has reduced the deadline for completion of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana for rural connectivity through all- weather roads from 2022 to which year: 2019

180) Which state has launched the ‘Tourist Mitra’ to ensure a smooth and secure experience for tourists: Karnataka

181) The 10th East Asia Summit was held in which city of Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur

182) Name the former long jump world champion who has been appointed as the chairperson of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme: Anju Bobby George

183) Why The National Milk Day is observed on 26 November: To mark 94th birth anniversary of the Father of the White Revolution - Dr Verghese Kurien

184) T R Govindarajan, distinguished football administrator and veteran referee who died recently at the age of 90, was from which state: Tamil Nadu

185) What is the US military operation name for the intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria: Operation Inherent Resolve

186) Which union ministry recently launched 10 schemes for the benefit of disabled persons: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

187) Who is the author of the book “Because We Say So”: Noam Chomsky

188) “Why India Is Not A Great Power (Yet)” is a book written by which author: Bharat Karnad

189) INS Kadmatt the indigenously built stealth ASW corvette, was formally handed over to the Navy on Nov 26. What is ASW: Anti-Submarine Warfare

190) In the naval language what is a corvette: A small war ship

191) The first ever day-night Test match in the history of cricket started in last week of Nov. at which place: Adelaide Oval in Australia

192) The Long Range Surface to Air Missile (LRSAM), jointly developed by the ______________ and DRDO was successfully tested: Israel Aerospace Industry

193) The RBI has allowed foreign investors to buy default non-convertible debentures and bonds provided their maturity is for _____ years or more:

Three 194) Name the highest paid director of the Indian

Corporate world for the year 2014-15: Pawan Munjal of Hero Moto Corp

195) ______________ has been appointed as the President of The Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM): Sunil Kanoria

196) India successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile. What is its strike range: 350 kms

197) India observes ‘Constitution Day’ on which date: November 26

198) RBI has allowed three companies to start Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS). This will benefit which category of enterprises: Small and Medium Enterprises – SMEs

199) The government has made it mandatory for road developers to use __________ along with bituminous mixes for road construction: Waste Plastic

200) Which country has developed world’s strongest combat and reconnaissance drone CH – 5 that can fly with a weight of 3,000 kg: China

201) First India International Science Festival will be hosted by which educational institution: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi

202) Government has extended RuPay card usage condition of at least one transaction in 45 days to ____ days for filing a claim under PMJDY: 90

203) Which Indian bank has become the first Indian bank to launch Sonic branding (Musical Logo): HDFC Bank

OCTOBER – 2015 204) What is the name of the India’s first dedicated

astronomy research satellite recently launched by ISRO: Astrosat

205) Astronomy research satellite Astrosat has been placed in which orbit: Equatorial

206) Senior congress leader, Dr. Syed Ahmed passed away recently. He was governor of which State: Manipur

207) The Japanese Grand Prix F1 race at Suzuka, Japan was won by _________: Lewis Hamilton

208) Name the Indian who won the IBSF World Billiards Championship in Adelaide, Australia: Pankaj Advani

209) Abhinav Bindra clinched gold in the men's 10 metre Air Rifle event of which championship: Asian Air Gun Championship, New Delhi

210) What is the name of the stealth guided missile destroyer which was inducted in the Indian Navy on Sep 30: INS Kochi

211) Naval warship INS Kochi is the stealth guided missile destroyer. What is meant by Stealth: Ability to avoid detection by Radars

212) Government has unveiled ‘National Institutional


Ranking Framework’ (NIRF) for what purpose: For annual ranking of engineering and management institutes of the country

213) Government has launched Green Highways policy for what purpose: To promote plantation of more trees along Highways

214) With USD 31 billion of foreign capital inflows in the first half of 2015, India ranks at which place in world in attracting FDI: First

215) In its 4th bi-monthly monetary policy review announced on Sep 29, RBI cut the benchmark repo rate by how many basis points: 50

216) The repo rate from Sept 29 stands at which value: 6.75 per cent

217) The recent cut in Repo Rate may have what impact on investment and industrial growth in the country: It may go up

218) The recent cut in Repo Rate may have what impact on the rate of interest of bank loans: It is likely to come down

219) The recent cut in Repo Rate may have what impact on EMIs of housing / car loans: It is likely to come down

220) The recent cut in Repo Rate may have what impact on Interest rate of bank deposits: It is likely to come down

221) The recent cut in Repo Rate may have what impact on volume of bank loans in general: It is likely to go up

222) NASA scientists claimed recent that they have found the strongest ever evidence of liquid water on which Planet : Mars

223) “The Country of ________” is the title of the recent book authored by Amartya Sen: First Boys

224) “Baat Niklegi toh Phir”, a book written by Sathya Saran is about which celebrity: Jagjit Singh

225) SASTRA Ramanujan Prize is given for excellence in which field: Mathematics

226) SASTRA Ramanujan Prize 2015 has been won by Jacob Tsimerman. He is from which country: Canada

227) International day of Older Persons is observed on which date: October 1

228) Microsoft Corp has agreed to bury all patent infringement litigation against which major IT giant: Google Inc.

229) The Central Board of Direct Taxes, CBDT has simplified the format and procedure of which forms for claiming exemption from TDS: 15G and 15 H

230) ___________ clinched a Gold medal in the 10-metre air pistol event of the Asian Air Gun Championships in New Delhi: Heena Sidhu

231) Name the German Chancellor who came to New Delhi on an official visit to take part in the third Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) between India and Germany: Angela Merkel

232) Which city of Iraq the heavily fortified Green Zone was opened to the public for the first time in 12 years as a part of a reform drive: Baghdad

233) Pedro Passos Coelho has been elected Prime Minister of which country: Portugal

234) Arch of Triumph, a historical monument built about 2,000 years ago in Palmyra, Syria was in news for what reasons: It was blown up by the ISIS terrorists

235) Which global organization has lowered 2015 world trade forecast to 2.8 percent in the face of a slowdown in the economies of emerging countries: World Trade Organization (WTO)

236) Who has been elected as the new President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI): Shashank Manohar

237) Luis Leao Pinto of Portugal won which Asian sports event to get the crown of ‘King of the Himalaya’: Mountain Biking Race

238) “Mrs Funnybones” is a recent _________ by Twinkle Khanna: Book

239) Which Indian organization has started the world’s highest research station at an altitude of 17,500 ft at Chang La: DRDO

240) In which country at least 171 persons were killed in sudden mudslides that smashed into a village: Guatemala

241) The 2016 G-20 summit will be hosted by which country: China

242) _________ will host the 2017 G-20 summit: Germany 243) Which country will host 2018 summit of G-20

nations: India 244) In the Global Competitiveness Index 2015-16

compiled by the World Economic Forum for the world’s most competitive economies, what is the rank of India: 55th

245) In the Global Competitiveness Index 2015-16 compiled by the World Economic Forum, which is the best country: Switzerland

246) What is the name of the quadricycle RE60 launched for export to 16 countries by Bajaj Auto: Qute

247) A 14-day joint training exercise 'Mitra Shakti 2015', involving military contingents from India and________, was held in Pune from Sep 29 to Oct 12: Sri Lanka

248) ADB has agreed to give a $123.51 million loan to Punjab, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh for what purpose: To upgrade tourism infrastructure

249) District Court in Khunti has become county's first solar powered district court. It is in which State: Jharkhand

250) Which Indian State has computerized all its 531 police stations to allow online filing of FIR from anywhere: Odisha

251) Which Indian Bank has become the first bank in the


world to launch mVisa - a card-less and device-less payment solution: ICICI Bank

252) A joint maritime exercise of naval patrol vessels - Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) between India and __________ began on 3 October 2015 in the Andaman Sea: Indonesia

253) Nobel Prize (half) for medicine for 2015 has been won by William Campbell (Ireland) and Satoshi Omura (Japan) for which achievement: For discovering a new drug to treat infections caused by roundworm parasites

254) Govt plans to spend around 70 thousand crore rupees in 12 major ports in the next five years under _______Project, aimed at port-led development in coastal areas: Sagarmala

255) Henning Mankell, a noted crime writer, whose detective character Kurt Wallander became a worldwide phenomenon, died at 67. She was from which country: Sweden

256) The Trans-Pacific Partnership for global commerce and worker standards has been formed by 11 Pacific Rim nations with which country: USA

257) Govt has signed a MoU with the New India Assurance Company to provide Swavlamban Health Insurance Scheme, for which category of persons: Persons with Disabilities

258) As per the latest World Bank report on global poverty, the number of people living in extreme poverty line is likely to fall for the first time below _____ % of the world’s population in 2015: 10

259) The World Bank has revised its benchmark poverty from living on or below $1.25 a day to $_____ a day: 1.90

260) The Central Government has notified ‘Mid Day Meal Rules, 2015’ under which Act for improved administration and efficiency of the scheme: The National Food Security Act, 2013

261) The new mid day meal rules prescribe ___calories and ____ gm of protein for primary class students: 450, 12

262) The new mid day meal rules prescribe ___calories and ____ gm of protein for upper primary class students: 700, 20

263) Which country won the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Asia Championship by defeating the Philippines at Changsha, China: China

264) Nobel Prize of Physics for 2015 has been given to scientists for discovering which elusive subatomic particles, opening a new window onto the fundamental nature of the universe: Neutrinos

265) Govt has decided to allow foreign investment up to ______ per cent in White Label ATM operations under the automatic route to promote financial inclusion: 100

266) India has decided to cut the carbon produced per unit of ________ by 33-35 per cent by 2030 from what

it was in 2005: GDP growth 267) Recent RBI data shows that among public sector

banks, the _____ Bank had highest ratio of NPAs at 8.5 per cent of its loans in 2014-15: UCO

268) Naina Lal Kidwai, noted Indian banker will retire by the end of this year from the headship of which international bank in India: Hongkong Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC)

269) The government plans to bring down its stake in which bank to 49 per cent, from 76.5 per cent at present with a view to make it more efficient: IDBI Bank

270) Sergey Karjakin, who won the World Cup Chess Championship in Baku, Azerbaijan, is from which country: Russia

271) Nayantara Sahgal, Ashok Vajpayee, noted writers returned the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award as a protest on which issue: Recent killings of rationalists and writers

272) Name the India’s first totally indigenously designed and built torpedo launch and recovery vessel (TLRV) that has been inducted in Indian Navy: INS Astradharini

273) The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Conference 2016 will be held in _____ from 8 January to 10 January 2016 to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community to the development of India: New Delhi

274) The Clintons' War on Women is a book written by: Roger Stone and Robert Morrow

275) The Union cabinet has approved construction of a National War Memorial and Museum near which historical monument in New Delhi: India Gate

276) IIT Council has decided to waive full fee for which category of students in all the 15 IITs for all the semesters: Physically Challenged Students

277) Three scientists have won the Nobel Prize 2015 in which field for working out how cells repair damaged DNA, providing new ammunition in the war on cancer: Chemistry

278) Which celebrity has been appointed Maharashtra’s brand ambassador for Tigers: Amitabh Bachchan

279) The Courage to Act - A Memoir of a Crisis and Its Aftermath is a book written by Ben S. Bernanke on which mega event of financial world: 2008 Financial Crisis in USA

280) A report by UNCTAD says that the growth rate for world in 2015 is expected to be around 2.5 per cent. What is Full form of UNCTAD: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

281) NGT has directed all commercial vehicles, including trucks, entering Delhi to pay an environmental compensation charge in addition to the toll tax. What is NGT: National Green Tribunal

282) Which country won the Women’s European Volleyball Championship: Russia


283) India signed two loan agreements worth 125 million Euros with which country for financing Green Energy Corridor project in Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh: Germany

284) Govt has approved setting up of three new AIIMS In which cities at a cost of 4949 crore rupees: Nagpur, Manglagiri and Kalyani

285) Name the Indian cyclist who became the first ever Indian to win a gold medal, three silver and one bronze medal in women's section in the in Taiwan Cup Track International Classic in Taiwan: Deborah Herold

286) Senior executives of IMF and World Bank Group held their annual three-day meeting in _____, Peru to address current challenges facing the world economy: Lima

287) Svetlana Alexievich of Belarus has won the Nobel Prize for literature for 2015 for her portrayal of life of women in which country: The former Soviet Union

288) India's first community reserve to protect the endangered Gangetic River Dolphins will come up on River ______ in West Bengal: Hooghly

289) Gajanan Pendharkar, Chairman of world famous ayurvedic cosmetics company passed away recently. Name his company: Vicco Laboratories

290) Baba Ramdev-promoted Patanjali Ayurved has entered into a partnership with which chain of mega retail store to sale its product: Big Bazaar

291) The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved implementation of the World Bank assisted Neeranchal project for promoting effective irrigation in nine states. What is its formal name: National Watershed Management Project

292) Name the veteran blind music director-singer-lyricist who passed away in Mumbai: Ravindra Jain

293) President Pranab Mukherjee made a six-day visit to which three countries from Oct 10 to 15: Jordan, Palestine and Israel

294) Mr. Mukherjee became first Indian President to visit Israel and address their Parliament. What is the name of their parliament: Knesset

295) Shekhar Basu, renowned scientist has been appointed as the Chairman of which national organization: Atomic Energy Commission

296) Finance Ministers of 20 nations vulnerable to climate change launched which group on 8 October 2015 in Lima, Peru: V20

297) The European Union has started a new operation termed Operation Sophia to actively intercept boats smuggling of_________: Refugees

298) Which committee has submitted its recommendations for developing suitable methodologies for monitoring CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) provisions: Anil Baijal

299) What is the name of 5th Indo-China Joint Military Training Exercise 2015 that was conducted at Kunming Military Academy of Yunnan province in China from 12 to 23 October: Hand in Hand

300) China has launched the first phase of “China International Payment System (CIPS)” to promote which item: Yuan

301) Which city in India has emerged as the world's cheapest city to live and work in, among 12 top metropolitan cities of the world: Mumbai

302) _______ defeated Rafael Nadal to win men’s title in the China Open at Beijing, China: Novak Djokovic

303) Spain’s Garbine Muguruza won the women's singles title in which international tennis event: China Open

304) Name the legendary Tamil comedian and actress, who had starred in over 1,000 southern films, died at 78 in Chennai: Manorama (Achhi)

305) Name the veteran communist party leader elected as Nepal's new Prime Minister: K P Sharma Oli

306) Dutch Open Grand Prix Badminton singles titles in men’s category was won by which Indian player: Ajay Jayaram

307) Neither a Hawk nor a Dove is a book written by Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri. Who is he: Ex Foreign Minister of Pakistan

308) Which state has launched Mission ‘Abaas’ to provide affordable houses to Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), Low Income Groups (LIG) and slum dwellers: Odisha

309) Jioji Konrote has been elected as new President of which Pacific island mini country: Fiji

310) Alexander Lukashenko has been re elected as the President of which country: Belarus

311) 2015 Nobel Prize for Economics has been won by Angus Deaton for his work on which topic: Consumption, poverty and welfare

312) 2015 Nobel Prize for Economics has been won by Angus Deaton. He is from which country: UK

313) India has signed a deal with which country for supply of 194 Pipistrel micro-light aircraft to be used by Indian Air Force: Slovenia

314) To which country India offered a cheque for $ 5 million as budgetary support: Palestine

315) The Supreme Court has imposed 'Environment Compensation Charge' of Rs 700 and Rs 1300 on commercial vehicles entering which metro city: Delhi

316) Man Booker Prize For Literature 2015, won by Jamaican author ______ for his novel A Brief History of Seven Killings: Marlon James

317) Shweta Rathore became the first Indian female _______ to win a silver medal in the 49th Asian championship held in Uzbekistan: Bodybuilder

318) With the presence of more than 4,200 startups, India has also become the ______largest startup base


in world: 03rd 319) The navies of which countries began a five-day joint

operation-'Malabar exercise' on October 14 on the eastern coast in Bay of Bengal: India, USA and Japan

320) National channel of Doordarshan will telecast a ten-episode Programme on Apprenticeship Training Scheme. What is its name: Hunarbaaz

321) Harvard Humanitarian Of The Year Award – 2015 has been won by which Indian: Kailash Satyarthi

322) Name one of India's greatest fast bowlers who bid adieu to international cricket: Zahir Khan

323) Name the star player of The Real Madrid who won the record fourth Golden Boot for scoring highest – 48 goals in the season: Cristiano Ronaldo

324) China has operationalised the world’s highest mega hydropower station at Zam in Tibet, built on which river: Brahmaputra

325) Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) ICGS Anmol was inducted in which paramilitary force of India: Indian Coast Guard

326) Data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India shows that the subscriber base has crossed _______ crore by the end of Sept. 2015: 101

327) The RBI has decided to create a new Fund with a corpus of 2,000 crore rupees for promotion of financial inclusion. What is its name: Financial Inclusion Fund

328) Real estate developer Tata Housing has tied-up with which social networking firm to sell its affordable homes online: Facebook

329) Which bank has automated its personal loan approvals by deploying an analytics engine on their ATMs that would track the customer's history and based on that, automatically authorize a loan: HDFC Bank

330) Which bank has received in principle approval from the RBI to set up a subsidiary to frame and implement a uniform policy for all the real estate properties owned or rented by the bank: State Bank of India

331) As per a new notification by the Union Health Ministry, what has been now allowed to the blood banks: Transfer of blood from one blood bank to another blood bank

332) Govt has decided to raise the wage ceiling for calculating bonus to Rs. _______ for factory workers and establishments with 20 or more workers: 7,000

333) The Supreme Court has given what decision with regards to the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act: It has rejected formation of NJAC

334) After rejection of NJAC, what system will be adopted for selection of High Court / Supreme Court judges: Through collegium system

335) As per recent RBI guidelines, interest rate on Gold Deposit Schemes will be decided by which authority: Banks themselves

336) Which country has offered $15 billion long term soft loan along with technology for starting the Bullet Train between Ahmadabad and Mumbai: Japan

337) First World Indigenous Games were held in Palmas in which country: Brazil

338) Name the noted Punjabi singer, famous for chartbusters like “London Thumakda” and “Jee karda bi jee karda”, who died untimely in Mumbai: Labh Janjua

339) Who is M L Fotedar, author of the book The Chinar Leaves: Veteran Congress leader and close aide of the Gandhi family

340) Name the ex DGP of Border security Force and ex President of the Indian Hockey Federation who passed away at 95: Ashwini Kumar

341) ____ has been elected as the new Prime Minister of Canada from Liberal Party: Justin Trudeau

342) Name the Indian golfer who won the Hilton Asian Tour Golfer of the Month award at Singapore: Anirban Lahiri

343) Name the India’s ace batsman who announced his retirement from international cricket and the Indian Premier League: Virender Sehwag

344) Jerry Seinfeld has been named as the world’s highest paid ____ by the Forbes Magazine: Comedian

345) Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwean President has been awarded which global honour for “injecting fresh energy” into the global quest for harmony: Confucius Peace Prize

346) Typhoon Koppu attacked the northeastern part of which country on October 18 with fierce winds, displacing 16,000 villagers: Philippines

347) ‘Science Express Climate Action Special’ train has been started from______ , as part of its initiative to sensitize the masses, especially children and the youth about climate change: Delhi

348) Name the new fund started to support the victims of various attacks, such as rape, acid attacks, human trafficking and women killed or injured in the cross border firing: Central Victim Compensation Fund

349) An Indian short film of 11 minutes, An Old Dog’s Diary has won prestigious Best Short Film Award at the 2015 ______ Film Festival: London

350) Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has made it mandatory for telecom operators to compensate consumers by Rs._____ for call drops with effect from 1 January 2016: One

351) India was placed at which position in the Sultan of Johor Cup (Hockey): Second

352) Name the winner Sultan of Johor Cup: Great Britain


353) __________ was the host country for Sultan of Johor Cup: Malaysia

354) Saketh Myneni, India’s ace _______ player won the Vietnam Open trophy in the finals played at Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam: Tennis

355) P. V. Sandhu, Indian badminton star was placed at which rank in the Denmark Open Badminton Title: Second

356) ______ of China won the Denmark Open Badminton Title: Xuerui Li

357) ____________ won the Yamaha Fascino Miss Diva 2015 title to become India’s representative for the Miss Universe pageant: Urvashi Rautela

358) Govt of India has appointed _____, veteran sports administrator as the President of the All India Council of Sports: Vijay Kumar Malhotra

359) NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) forces conducted their massive field exercise from October 3 to November 6. What was its name: Trident juncture 2015

360) K S L Swamy, renowned _______ filmmaker, producer, actor and playback singer passed away in Bengaluru: Kannada

361) Name the sportsperson who became the first Indian tennis player to come under 100 since 2010 in the ATP world rankings: Yuki Bhambri

362) Alpha Conde has been reelected as the President of which country: Guinea

363) Bir Billing, place in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh was in news for what reasons: First Paragliding World Cup of South East Asia started there

364) The Commonwealth Youth, Junior & Senior weightlifting championships were held in which city in India: Pune, Maharashtra

365) Reserve Bank of India has opened its sub-office recently in which city in North East India: Imphal in Manipur

366) Government plans to bring out __ and __ gram India Gold Coins with lion emblem, for sale to public: 5 and 10

367) Which apex global organization celebrated its 70th anniversary on October 24: United Nations of India - UNO

368) What special event was organized to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the United Nations on October 24: More than 200 landmark monuments in 60 countries were lit up in blue light

369) The Defence Ministry has approved, for the first time in the history of Indian Air Force what role for its women officers: They will be allow to fly fighter aircraft

370) Dreaming Big: My Journey to Connect India is the autobiography of which noted telecom icon of India: Sam Pitroda

371) Hurricane Patricia, one of the most powerful storms on record stuck which country recently: Mexico’s Pacific coast

372) Jimmy Morales has been elected as the _____ of Guatemala: President

373) The 3rd India-Africa forum summit was held in which place from Oct 26 to 29: New Delhi

374) __________ won the United States Grand Prix Formula 1 Championship in Austin, Texas: Lewis Hamilton

375) Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia clinched which men’s singles international badminton title recently: French International

376) Government has hiked the limit for penal provisions for undeclared or mis-declared baggage that will attract arrest or prosecution, to Rs. ______ from Rs 5 lac at present: Rs 20 lac

377) The 19th International Children's Film Festival, India is to be held in __________ from November 14-20: Hyderabad

378) Govt has launched an e-Sahyog pilot project of Income-Tax Department for what purpose: To reduce compliance cost, especially for small taxpayers

379) India has improved its position to ______ from 134 in 2015 in the World Bank's 2016 rankings in terms of ease of doing business: 130

380) Which state hosted the 16th National Women Boxing Championship: Assam

381) The International Olympic Committee has announced that _______ athletes will be allowed, for the first time, to take part in next year's Olympics: Refugee

382) The Indian and Sri Lankan Navies conducted the 4th edition of SLINEX in Bay of Bengal, off the Trincomalee coast in Sri Lanka. What is form of SLINEX: Sri Lanka-India Exercise

383) Which Paramilitary Force has decided to deploy women personnel in combat duties at its high-altitude posts along the Indo-China border: Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)

384) As per the All India viewership data which TV channel has emerged as the most watched Hindi channel in terms of time spent per viewer: Doordarshan

385) Railways plans to start country's first-ever double decker Shatabdi Express between which two stations: Mumbai and Goa

386) What do we call the excise tax levied on products and services like alcohol, tobacco and gambling considered bad for health or society: Sin Tax

387) Name the Indian who created history by winning a silver medal for the first time in the Archery World Cup Final held in Mexico City: Abhishek Verma

388) With which country RBI has signed a MoU for exchange of supervisory information: Bangladesh

389) Which country has launched the Tianhui-1C


mapping satellite: China 390) Railway plans to launch Vikalp scheme from 1st of

November to give passengers which new option: Choice to travel by an alternate train

391) The 12th SAF (South Asian Games) games will be held from February 6 to 16 in 2016 in which place: Guwahati and Shillong

392) Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders released the first Scorpene category ________ INS 'Kalvari' for sea trails at the Naval Dockyard Mumbai: Submarine

393) Name the noted Nepali Communist leader who has been elected as Nepal’s first woman President by the Parliament: Vidya Devi Bhandari

394) Govt has formed a Committee headed by Justice RV Easwar (Retd.), former Judge of Delhi High Court for what purpose: To suggest simplifications in the provisions of the Income Tax Act, 1961

395) ________ has been appointed as Chairman of Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC): Najib Shah

396) With which country India signed a MoU to conserve, develop and publicize written heritage at the National Library in Kolkata: France

397) In the 2015 Platts Top 250 Global Energy Company Rankings, which are the top 3 Indian companies: Reliance Industries-14th, ONGC-17th and Coal India-38th

398) Which country has announced an end to its 45 years old policy of allowing only one child per family: China

399) The Ministry of Environment has granted environment clearance for the greenfield international airport at Mopa in which state: Goa

400) In terms of protection of minority investors, India ranks______ , ahead of many developed economies: 8th

401) As per the GFMS Gold Survey 2015, ______ is the largest consumer of gold in world: India

402) Exim Bank has extended a Line of Credit of $87 million to which country: Zimbabwe

403) __________ has been ranked as the safest bank of India, and 27th in world by the ‘The Banker’ magazine: HDFC Bank

404) RBI has allowed which new category of persons to subscribe to the National Pension System (NPS) of PFRDA: Non Resident Indians (NRIs)

405) Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is awarded annually by which international body: European Parliament

SEPTEMBER – 2015 406) The Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry has

launched SAHAJ scheme for what purpose: Online booking of LPG connections

407) Maharashtra govt recently acquired the house where Dr. B. R. Ambedkar lived in 1921-22. It is in which city: London

408) Anil won the gold medal at the world championship of which sport: Wrestling

409) OP Jaisha finished 18th in which sports in the world athletics championship, creating a new national record: Women’s Marathon

410) Who has been appointed as the new Union Home secretary: Rajiv Mehrishi

411) All India Radio released the digital version of which grand epic as a set of digital CDs produced by its old recordings: Ramcharitmanas

412) As per the data released by the Central Statistics Office, what was the GDP growth rate for the 2015 April – June quarter: 7%

413) M M Kalburgi, 77 year old Kannada scholar and ex Vice Chancellor of Kannada University was in news for what reasons: He was shot dead in Dharwad, Karnataka

414) ‘Portrait of a Serial Killer’ is a book written by which famous author: Khushwant Singh

415) The Reserve Bank declared which two banks, for the first time, as D-SIBs: SBI and ICICI Bank

416) What is the full form of D-SIBs: Domestic Systemically Important Banks

417) What is the meaning of Systemically Important: Any thing or feature which is important for entire system

418) Tenzing Norgay National Sports awards are given in which field: Adventure Sports

419) Which bank has launched IndPay mobile app service to enables its customers to operate bank accounts anytime from anywhere: Indian Bank

420) The government has identified how many cities and towns across nine states for implementation of its ambitious 'Housing for All' scheme: 305

421) What is the formal official name of the ‘Housing for All’ scheme: Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana

422) The Reserve Bank has asked all banks to be prepared for the implementation of due diligence and reporting standards under FATCA. What is the full form of FATCA: Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act

423) The Sports Ministry has decided to recognize ______ as a sports discipline and place it in the Priority category: Yoga

424) Name the govt. department which has implemented an electronic payment system to become the first government department to have 100 per cent cashless transactions: Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion

425) India is joining the UN-based 'Better Than Cash Alliance' for what purpose: For promotion of transition from cash to digital payments

426) The Reserve Bank has proposed a new formula to calculate the base rate for lending wef April 1, 2016. What is Base Rate: The interest rate below which a bank is not allowed to lend


427) Govt has announced that the MAT will not be applicable on capital gains made by Foreign Institutional Investors prior to April 1, 2015. What is MAT: Minimum Alternate Tax

428) Jhumpa Lahiri, noted Indo American author has been honoured with National Humanities Medal by which country: USA

429) The Reserve Bank of India will shortly put into circulation Rs. 5 coins to commemorate golden jubilee of which important national event: Indo-Pak War 1965

430) Two-day Conference of G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors was held at which place on September 4 and 5: Ankara (Turkey)

431) Which historical monument in Kerala has won the prestigious UNESCO Award of Excellence 2015: Sree Vadakkunnathan Temple

432) The highest mountain of North America - Mt McKinley has been renamed as _________ by the US President: Denali

433) The 2022 Commonwealth Games will be held at which place in South Africa: Durban

434) Name the noted Bollywood music composer who passed away at a young age of 51 as he was suffering from cancer: Aadesh Shrivastava

435) Name the first Railway Zone in Indian Railways, which has eliminated all un-manned level crossings in its area: West Central Railway Zone

436) Name the erstwhile commodities market regulator which has been merged with SEBI: Forward Markets Commission

437) A two day Disaster Mitigation conference of SAARC nations was held at which place: New Delhi

438) Two commemorative coins of Rs 125 and Rs 10 were released recently on which important occasion: Teachers’ Day

439) Name the Australia's veteran all-rounder who announced his retirement from Test cricket on September 6, playing his last match in Cardiff, UK: Shane Watson

440) Name the sportsman, who won the Italian Grand Prix F1 championship at Monza, Italy: Lewis Hamilton

441) A two day Hindu-Buddhist Conference was held at _______, Bihar: Bodhgaya

442) The government has announced to roll out the welfare measure under OROP for Armed Forces. What is OROP: One Rank One Pension

443) Name the new group launched by G-20 nations for boosting the role of women in global economic growth: W20 (Women – 20)

444) As per the first ever count of India’s leopards, which state is at rank No. 1 with around 1817 leopards: Madhya Pradesh

445) Name the 89 year old Queen of Great Britain, who reached a major milestone on Sep 8 by becoming

the longest-reigning monarch (since Feb 02, 1952) in Britain’s history: Elizabeth II

446) Apurvi Chandela won the silver medal at the international championship in which sports: 10 m air rifle shooting

447) Deepak Lather won a gold in which sports in the fifth Youth Commonwealth Games in Apia, Samoa: Weight lifting

448) ‘The Power of Meow’ is a famous book written by which author: David Michie

449) Name the new gold scheme launched by govt. with a view to reduce the regular demand for the gold, usually for investment purpose: Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme

450) Name the new gold scheme launched by govt. with a view to mobilize part of around 22,000 tonne gold lying in Indian households: Gold Monetisation Scheme

451) The Union Cabinet has allowed 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) under the automatic route for installing which type of ATMs: White Label ATMs

452) The three-day Vishwa Hindi Sammelan (World Hindi Conference) was held at which place: Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh

453) Name the lady scientist who has been made the first women Director General in the DRDO: J Manjula

454) Which Indian stock exchange has the highest number of listed companies in the world, numbering 5689: Bombay Stock Exchange

455) Men’s singles title at the US Open Tennis was won by __________: Novak Djokovic

456) Women’s singles title at the US Open Tennis was won by __________: Flavia Pennetta (Italy)

457) Name the Indian tennis player who won the men’s mixed doubles title at the US open: Leander Paes

458) Name the Indian tennis player who won the women’s doubles title at the US open: Sania Mirza

459) Indian Navy has established its largest missile storage and replenishment facility named _______ at Karwar base in Karnataka for warships operating in the western coast: INS Vajrakosh

460) Name the prestigious national award recently won by ISRO for its contribution to nation’s development through satellite based education: Gandhi Peace Prize

461) ___________ to continue as the Team Director of the Indian cricket team till the 2016 T20 World Cup to be held in India: Ravi Shastri

462) Name the first bilateral maritime exercise held between Australia and India off the shores of Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh: Ausindex–2015

463) With which country India recently signed a treaty for repatriation of wanted prisoners and cooperate in all criminal matters: Indonesia

464) Who is Mary Barra, declared as the most powerful


business women in the world by the Fortune magazine: CEO of General Motors, USA

465) Name the writer of the popular book ‘The Curse of Surya’: Dev Prasad

466) As per the World Bank's ranking on ease of doing business in Indian states, _______ ranks at no. 1: Gujarat

467) Name the two Indian universities which have been placed 147 and 179 respectively in the Quacquarelli Symonds’ list of top 200 universities for 2015-16: The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi

468) Parliament of which erstwhile Hindu country has rejected the proposal for declaring the country a Hindu state: Nepal

469) Gennady Padalka who created the new record for having spent the most time in space, totaling into 879 days in over five trips, is from which country: Russia

470) Which political party won the recently concluded general elections in Singapore: Peoples Action Party

471) Which business women has been ranked no. 1 in India in a list compiled by the global business magazine Fortune: Chanda Kochhar, CEO ICICI Bank

472) Name the Sri Lankan Prime Minister who visited India on Sept 14: Ranil Wickremesinghe

473) Name the two south east Asian countries which were visited by our Vice – President, Hamid Ansari: Cambodia and Laos

474) _________ has been elected as the new Prime Minister of Australia: Malcolm Turnbull

475) Which international IT company plans to work with Indian Railways on Project Nilgiri to set up free Wi-Fi hotspots across 400 select railway stations: Google

476) In terms of no. of High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs), India has been placed at _______ rank in the World Wealth Report – 2015: 11th

477) Government has approved the purchase of 10 Heron TP armed drones capable of firing missiles, from which country: Israel

478) 55th National Open Athletics Championship started at SAI Complex in which city: Kolkata

479) The RBI has granted in principal approval to how many entities to set up small finance banks: 10

480) The Small Banks will focus on financing of which category of borrowers: Small farmers and micro business enterprises

481) Andhra govt. has successfully linked which two of its major rivers towards making the state "drought-proof": Godavari and Krishna

482) International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer was observed on __ across the world: 16 Sept.

483) Govt has approved which scheme to transform rural areas into economically, socially and physically sustainable spaces: Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission

484) The 2022 Asian Games will be hosted by which city of China: Hangzhou

485) Manpreet Kaur of Railways created a new national record in which game, claiming a distance of 17.96 meters at the 55th National Open Athletics Championship at Kolkata: Shot-put throwing

486) Which neighbouring country of India recently adopted a new constitution, after years of political wrangling: Nepal

487) Hinduja business group plans to launch a digital broadcasting platform under the brand name NXT Digital for what purpose: For providing over 500 TV digital channels to cable operators

488) Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has increased the maximum amount assured under its insurance scheme to Rs. _______: 6 lac

489) The Government has launched which scheme for the welfare of people and areas affected by mining related operations: Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY)

490) In the Global Innovation Index 2014 compile for 141 countries, India has been placed at which rank: 81st

491) India and the US have created a "joint challenge coin" to symbolise their unique partnership in which field: Creating a next-generation aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy

492) Government has decided to shift the administrative control of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to which ministry: Ministry of Communication and Information Technology

493) The Food Ministry has notified mandatory export of four million tonne of which food item for the 2015-16 season: Sugar

494) The RBI has permitted banks to offer loans below which rate to their whole time directors and CEOs: Base Rate

495) Name the President of BCCI, hailed as the architect of India's rise as the game's financial superpower, who passed away in Kolkata on Sep 20: Jagmohan Dalmiya

496) Name the country in South America which recently suffered a massive 8.3 magnitude earthquake: Chile

497) What is the title of the recent book written by Salman Rushdie: Two Years Eight Months and Twenty Eight Days

498) What is the topic of the book ‘The Monsoon War’ written by Capt Amarinder Singh and Lt. Gen. Tajindar Shergill: 1965 Indo-Pak war

499) The Singapore Grand Prix 2015 of Formula One car race was won by which sports person: Sebastian


Vettel 500) Jackie Collins, popular British-American novelist

passed away in California, United States. She was known as queen of ________ novels: Romantic

501) Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has banned the sale of Diclofenac drug in multi-dose vial for what reasons: Its traces in dead animals are harmful for vultures

502) Sherif Ismail has been elected as the new Prime Minister of which country: Egypt

503) Which country has successfully launched a newly-developed satellite launch rocket Long March-6 (Chang Zheng-6): China

504) Deepak Gupta has been appointed as the head of which important national organization: UPSC – Union Public Service Commission

505) As per the new secular constitution of Nepal, ______ has been declared as the National Animal of Nepal: Cow

506) RBI plans to put into circulation banknotes in the denominations of _____ and _____ rupees incorporating three new security features: 500, 1000

507) The Government of India will be organizing the 9th Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (RPBD) on 14th – 15th November, 2015 in which city of USA: Los Angeles

508) Name the two advanced military helicopters for purchase of which India has recently confirmed a deal with USA: Chinook and Apache

509) What type of helicopter is Chinook: A heavy load carrier

510) What type of helicopter is Apache: Advanced Attack helicopter

511) India's first AAI Paragliding World Cup 2015 will be held in October at which place in Himachal Pradesh: Bir Billing

512) Which bank has rolled out a full-fledged mobile app ‘Lime’ that enables shopping, making payments and banking, all under one window: Axis Bank

513) Which Indian film has been selected to officially represent India at the 88th Oscars next year in the Best Foreign Film category: Court

514) Name the Legendary Baseball player from USA who passed away recently at the age of 90: Yogi Berra

515) ‘The Outsider: My Life in Intrigue’ is the autobiography of which popular thriller novelist: Frederick Forsyth

516) Union Cabinet has approved the setting up of Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC) at which place: New Delhi

517) The three million strong Indian diaspora (community) in the USA has launched "Mission 2022" in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industries for what purpose: To promote and strengthen the business ties between two

countries 518) Vyaas Samman is given for excellence in which

field: Hindi Literature 519) Who is the winner of 2014 Vyaas Samman: Dr.

Kamal Kishore Goenka 520) _________ has been re-elected as the Prime Minister

of Greece, a position that he quit just 8 months back: Alexis Tsipras

521) The Indian ‘wushu’ team won 12 medals at the 5th International Pars Wushu Cup in Tehran, Iran. What type of sports is wushu: Chinese Martial Arts

522) Public Sector Banks have been asked to conduct Mega Credit Campaigns all over the Country from Sep 25 to Oct 2 for what purpose: To generate easy availability of credit to MSMEs

523) CEO of which major global auto giant resigned in the wake of a massive scandal of manipulating data of exhaust emissions tests in millions of diesel cars: Volkswagen

524) RBI has allowed domestic companies to borrow funds from overseas SWFs. What is the full form of SWFs: Sovereign Wealth Funds

525) Name the recently approved security system for the Air Force which aims at integrating and automating all air and ground sensors use by the Air Force: Integrated Air Command and Control System

526) Ms.Stuti Narain Kacker has been appointed as the Chairperson of which important national body: National Commission for Protection of Child Rights

527) The RBI has asked concurrent auditors of commercial banks to submit their review of non-performing loans directly to _______, instead of to statutory auditors: Banks

528) Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Ministry has come out with a one-page Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum for what purpose: To simplify registration procedure for entrepreneurs

529) RBI has asked two banks, ______________ and _____________ to guide other banks in turning around of the companies which may default in repayment loans: State Bank of India and ICICI Bank

530) United Nations General Assembly formally adopted on Sep 25 which new global 17 goals that aim to end poverty, hunger, assure gender equality, and build a life of dignity for all, over the next 15 years: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

531) The 42nd World Bridge Teams Championships were held at which city in India: Chennai

532) Which Indian film, was voted as the first runner-up at the 40th Toronto International Film Festival in Canada: Angry Indian Goddesses

533) Prime Minister Modi addressed which Summit at the UN Headquarters in New York on Sep 25:


Sustainable Development Summit 534) What is the new name for the internet.org

programme of the Facebook: Free Basics

AUGUST – 2015 535) What is the name of the new operating system

rolled out by Microsoft on July 30th: Windows 10 536) Union Cabinet has approved setting up of National

Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) for what propose: To support new and delayed projects

537) Name the India’s neighbour that has been granted e-tourist visa facility w.e.f. 30 July, 2015: China

538) National Handloom Day is observed on which date: 7th August

539) 'Sleeping on Jupiter' is a book written by which author: Anuradha Roy

540) What is the name of the agreement as per which India and Bangladesh have agreed to exchange some disputed land pockets: Land Border Agreement

541) On the midnight of July 31, 51 Bangladeshi enclaves situated on Indian soil in _________ district of West Bengal amalgamated with India: Coochbehar

542) _________ has become the first city to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics after it was chosen to stage the 2022 Winter Games: Beijing

543) A new vaccine named ‘rVSV-ZEBOB’, developed by the Public Health Agency of Canada has proved effective to fight which dreaded virus: Ebola virus

544) Name the ten day bi-lateral air exercise that took place between Indian and British Air forces in UK: Indradhanush

545) Special Olympics World Summer Games were held at which place: Los Angeles, USA

546) What type of sports persons take part in the Special Olympics World Summer Games: Persons suffering from some mental disability

547) Name the Indian who won gold medals in 300 metre and 500 metre Roller Skating at the Special Olympics World Summer Games: Prabhroop Sekhon

548) The World Archery Championships were held in _________, Denmark: Copenhagen

549) India and China opened their fifth border meeting point on August 1 at Daulat Beg Oldie in which State: Jammu & Kashmir

550) The International Olympic Committee has granted recognition to which new game as an Olympic sport: Frisbee (Flying Disc)

551) Which bank has launched ‘Dhanchayat’, an educational film to raise awareness on the dangers of borrowing money from unorganised sources: HDFC Bank

552) India’s first Integrated Underwater Harbour Defence and Surveillance System (IUHDSS) has been commissioned at which place: Kochhi, Kerala

553) With which militant group of Nagaland, Govt. of India has signed a landmark peace accord on August 3: National Socialist Council of Nagaland-NSCN (Isak-Muivah group)

554) UN General Assembly has adopted what number of non-binding goals that will succeed the eight Millennium Development Goals: 17

555) The 18th Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) started functioning from its temporary campus at which place: Palakkad, Kerala

556) Google India launched in Mumbai, a special programme named ____________ in collaboration with Tata Trust on July 3 to bring more women online: Internet Saathi

557) What is the name of the new Science and Innovation Museum that was inaugurated at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on August 5: Navachara Kaksh

558) Asia’s biggest multi-application solar telescope (MAST) has been started in which place in India: Udaipur

559) World’s most prestigious award in the field of human rights – Solidarity Human Rights Award is given in which country: Poland

560) Latest release from the Census 2011 data shows that only ___________ per cent Indians have qualification of graduation and above: 8.15%

561) ICTP Ramanujan Prize 2015 is given for excellence in which field: Mathematics

562) ICTP Ramanujan Prize 2015 is given for excellence in Mathematics to person below which age: 45 years

563) Which Union Ministry has launched ‘SAMANVAY’ web portal to monitor progress of implementation of the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana: Union Ministry of Rural Development

564) India signed a MoU with Mozambique on August 5 for cooperation in new and renewable energy sector. It lies in which continent: Africa

565) Which Indian company has signed an agreement with Europe’s Airbus Helicopters to manufacture military helicopters for the first time in India: Mahindra Defence Systems Ltd

566) RBI has allowed banks to shift, merge or close branches, except in ________ areas, at their own discretion: Rural

567) _________ is the world’s largest gold jewellery manufacturer in India: Rajesh Exports Ltd.

568) A report says that banks in India need an additional core capital of Rs 2.5 trillion under ________ guidelines. Basel-III

569) Suraksha Bandhan scheme aims at paying the premium for which two social security schemes: Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana

570) Government has launched the School Nursery


Yojana, to bring students closer to nature by involving them in which activity: Raising the saplings in school nurseries

571) Which country marked 50 years of its independence on August 9 with nationwide celebrations: Singapore

572) Acharya Dev Vrat has been appointed new Governor of which state: Himachal Pradesh

573) ___________ has been appointed as the new Governor of Bihar: Ram Nath Kovind

574) A global satellite for earth observation and disaster risk reduction under the UN framework is to be named after which great Indian statesman: APJ Abdul Kalam

575) Which capital city has been ranked as the cleanest under a survey done by the Urban Development Ministry: Bengaluru

576) ___________ has been ranked as the cleanest city in India in a recent govt. survey of 476 cities: Mysuru

577) What are the two parameter of cleanliness on the basis of which Urban Development Ministry selected the cleanest city from the top 476 cities in India: Solid waste management and eradication of open defecation

578) Name the India-born technocrat who has been named as the new CEO of the technology giant Google: Sundar Pichai

579) Dutee Chand won the gold medal in the 200m at the 13th Federation Cup Junior Athletics Championship held at which place: Hyderabad

580) Which Bank has announced ‘Saral-Rural Housing Loan’ up to Rs. 15 lakh with a special interest rate equal to its base rate: ICICI Bank

581) Which Indian film was screened at the National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka, Japan to mark its 20th anniversary: Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ)

582) Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn has committed to invest $5 billion in which state to set up research & development and manufacturing facilities: Maharashtra

583) Filipe J Nyusi, President of ________ arrived in India on August 5 on a five day visit: Mozambique

584) World Biofuel Day is observed every year on 10th August in the memory of which great scientist: Sir Rudalph Diesel

585) For what purpose Government proposes to infuse Rs 70,000 crore in public sector banks in next four years: For capital infusion to meet Basel III requirements

586) Which Indian organization has been accredited by the Green Climate Fund of UNO as an implementing entity for undertaking climate change related projects in India: NABARD

587) Which Indian organization planted more than 4 lakh saplings at its head quarters and units across

the country on August 12 between 10 to 10.30 am: Border Security Force (BSF)

588) IT giant Google has reorganized itself into a multiple company organization under a new umbrella company. Name this company: Alphabet

589) Name the popular festival of Maharashtra where art of forming human pyramids has been given status of adventure sports: Dahi Handi

590) Name the Indian who won the IBSF World 6-Red Snooker Championship in Karachi, Pakistan: Pankaj Advani

591) For which Indian states World Bank has agreed to provide $ 412.40 million assistance for the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project: All coastal states

592) Which actor was ranked as the world's top-earning actor by Forbes, with earnings of $ 80million during 12 months ending June 2015: Robert Downey Jr.

593) Gas subsidy scheme PAHAL has entered Guinness Book as the largest cash transfer plan in world. What is full form of PAHAL: Pratyaksh Hanstantrit Labh

594) The official name for PAHAL initiative is DBTL. What is full form of DBTL: Direct Benefit Transfer for LPG

595) RBI has announced interest subvention of __________ per cent on short term farm loans (crop loans): Two

596) Short term farm loans upto what amount are eligible for subvention of 2%: Rs. 3 lacs

597) Farmers who repay their loan in time (upto Rs. 3 lacs) are eligible for additional interest subvention of ______ per cent: Three

598) Name the Co-Chairman of Hero Cycles Ltd and a leading industrialist who passed away in Ludhiana on August 13: Om Prakash Munjal

599) Name the Chinese city which suffered massive explosions in the port, killing 121 persons and causing huge loss of property: Tianjin

600) The Union Cabinet has approved construction of pipeline from Raxaul (Bihar) in India to Amlekhgunj in Nepal to transport which item: Petroleum Products

601) Sh. Om Prakash Rawat has been appointed to which important constitutional office of India: Election Commissioner

602) Prime Minister of which country announced his resignation in a surprise move, live on television on August 12: Libya

603) What is the recent direction given by the central govt. in contest of services of newly recruited IAS officers: They have to serve for first three months in Delhi in central govt. offices

604) Name the project that has been launched by the govt. to lay down the framework for the revival of


public sector banks: Indradhanush 605) According to the Fourth Advance Estimates of

production of foodgrains in 2014-15, the total quantity was less by ________ per cent from the previous year: 4.9

606) Prime Minister Modi visited which middle east country on August 16-17: United Arab Emirates - UAE

607) For the first time, govt. has appointed executives from private sector as MD and CEO of how many public sector banks: Two

608) Name the two public sector banks whose MD and CEO has been appointed from private sector: Canara Bank, Bank of Baroda

609) Rogers Cup Masters Tournament is related to which sports: Lawn Tennis

610) Rogers Cup Masters Tournament was held at which place: Montreal, Canada

611) Men’s singles title at the Rogers Cup Masters Tournament was won by ________: Andy Murray

612) Women’s singles title at the Rogers Cup Masters Tournament was won by ________: Belinda Bencic

613) Name the Indian who finished 5th at the US PGA championship at Whistling Straits, USA, claiming the highest position ever won by an Indian at a Golf Major: Anirban Lahiri

614) Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal became the first Indian to win silver medal on August 17 in which international competition: World Badminton Championship

615) World Badminton Championship was held in ________ Indonesia: Jakarta

616) Abhishek Verma won the gold medal in the men’s compound individual category in the __________ World Cup in Wroclaw (Poland): Archery

617) Who has been appointed as the Chairman of the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB): Ajit Kumar Seth

618) Ajinkya Rahane became the first fielder in Test history to achieve which feat: Taking eight catches in a single match

619) Which ministry has launched an online beneficiary registration system - ‘On-line On-Site’ for persons with disabilities: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

620) Name the multipurpose mobile wallet application launched by SBI recently: SBI Buddy

621) Which bank has launched the first of its kind fully automated digital locker named 'Smart Vault': ICICI Bank

622) Name the scooter that set a new record in India by crossing the one crore unit sales landmark: Honda Activa

623) India plans to spend $1.5 billion in the next three years to help farmers grow_____________ to make the nation self-sufficient in edible oils: Oil Palm Trees

624) The India Aspiration Fund with corpus of Rs 2,000 crore has been launched by which financial institution to create 7.5 lakh jobs in five years: SIDBI

625) A 10,000 crore rupees fund named SIDBI Make In India Loan For Enterprises (SMILE) has been launched for providing soft loans to which sector: MSMEs (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises)

626) High Court in which state has directed that children of all public servants should go to govt. schools only: Uttar Pradesh

627) Usha Ananthasubramanian has been appointed new Managing Director & CEO of which bank: Punjab National Bank

628) What is the new name proposed by the Prime Minister for the Agriculture Ministry: Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Ministry

629) Which international credit rating agency on August 18 reduced India's growth forecast for 2015-16 to around 7 per cent from 7.5 per cent projected earlier, citing below-normal rainfall: Moody’s Investors Service

630) Name the wife of President Pranab Mukherjee who passed away on August 18: Suvra Mukherjee

631) Ranil Wickremesinghe has been elected as the new prime minister of which country: Sri Lanka

632) Name the political party that won the recently held General Elections in Sri Lanka: United National Party

633) Which country sank 38 intruding foreign fishing vessels on August 18 to demonstrate the country’s seriousness concerning the protection its territorial integrity: Indonesia

634) The Reserve Bank of India gave in principle approval for_____ entities on August 19 to set up payments banks: 11

635) Concept of payment banks was proposed by which committee: Nachiket Mor committee

636) Payment banks can accept only demand deposits and are not allowed to accept which deposit: Time deposits

637) Which major bank activity cannot be undertaken payment banks: Lending

638) Balance in demand deposits accounts opened by payment banks cannot exceed what limit: Rs. 1 lac

639) Which company tops the world’s 100 most innovative companies list compiled by Forbes magazine of USA: Tesla Motors

640) How many sports persons has been given Arjun Awards in the year 2015: 17

641) Sebastian Coe has been elected as the new President of the International Association of Athletics Federations. He is from which sports: Athletics (Runner)

642) Name the Bollywood actor who has been named an advocate for the UN’s campaign on gender equality:


Anupam Kher 643) ‘Making India Awesome’ is a book written by which

author: Chetan Bhagat 644) Sneha Verma, a 21-year-old girl suffering from

Down syndrome, won gold medal in which sports at the Special Olympics World Summer Games: Swimming

645) Aditi Chauhan, India’s international football goalkeeper became the country’s first woman in what way: To play English league football

646) __________, former Australian cricketer has been appointed Australia's first education ambassador to India: Adam Gilchrist

647) What is the main recommendation of R Gandhi committee on urban cooperative banks: They should be allowed function as regular banks

648) Name the web portal launched by the govt. for the benefit of students seeking educational loan: www.vidyalakshmi.co.in

649) Which Indian international airport became the first airport in the world to operate completely on solar power: Kochi

650) _________ has become the first country to receive funds from UN for solar home systems: Bangladesh

651) Solar home systems are helping Bangladesh cut carbon emissions by reducing use of ________ in rural areas: Kerosene

652) RBI has allowed banks to extend repayment period of farm loan upto 5-years in case _________percent or more of crop is damaged due to natural calamities like drought and flood: 50

653) The World Athletics Championships were held in end of August in which place: Beijing, China

654) Which city hosted the second summit of Forum for India Pacific Island Countries: Jaipur

655) India has recently started the hotlines between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and which important international statesman: Barack Obama

656) From September 1 2015, which two days will be observed as public holiday every month: Second and Fourth Saturday

657) Dhyan Chand awards in sports are given by the govt. for what purpose: Life time achievement awards

658) NASA’s Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer has confirmed the presence of which glowing gas in the moon’s atmosphere: Neon

659) Name the new bank that began operations on August 23 as a full-fledged bank with 501 branches and 1.43 crore accounts across the country: Bandhan Bank

660) James Alix Michel, President of the ____________ came to New Delhi on 25 August on a three-day visit to India: Seychelles

661) _____________ confirmed his position as fastest man

on earth by winning the 100 m sprint in 15th IAAF World Championships: Usain Bolt

662) Lewis Hamilton won the Belgian Grand Prix championship in which sports: F1 racing

663) Cincinnati Open 2015 tournament belongs to which sports: Lawn Tennis

664) Cincinnati Open 2015 tournament was held at which place: Cincinnati, USA

665) The government's 10 per cent stake sale in which public sector company on August 24 fetched around 9,300 crore rupees: Indian Oil Corporation

666) Name the Sri Lanka’s ace batsman and wicketkeeper who announced his retirement from the international Cricket: Kumara Sangakkara

667) Aditi Ashok became first woman and youngest (17 years) player from India to win the prestigious Ladies British amateur stroke-play Championship of which sports: Golf

668) Name the Indian shuttler who regained the world no. 1 rank on August 20: Saina Nehwal

669) A commemorative postal stamp of rupees five was released on August 24, on which great Indian king.: Ashoka

670) Which Indian actor has been selected to head the Indian Oscar jury to select the country’s official entry for the 88th Academy Awards: Amol Palekar

671) According to 4th Advance Estimates, the food grain production for the year 2014-15 in India is expected to be: 252.68 million tonnes

672) As per 2011 census data, which religious community has recorded highest growth rate of 24.6% during 2001-11: Muslims

673) The Government launched a health service called SEHAT in collaboration with the Apollo Hospitals: SEHAT stands for: Social Endeavour for Health And Telemedicine

674) Which Bangladeshi bank has found a place in Fortune's inaugural 'Change the World List' for creating economic opportunities for the poor: Grameen Bank

675) Which State has secured maximum 13 cities for the ambitious smart cities project: Uttar Pradesh

676) On August 27, ISRO launched which satellite successfully: GSAT-6

677) What is the purpose of launching GSAT-6 satellite: To provide Special secure lines of communication to India’s defence forces

678) Global financial giant Wealth-X has ranked which person as the richest “Under 35” person in the world: Mark Zuckerberg

679) Name the tennis player who has been appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF): Novak Djokovic

680) Central govt. has approved four communities to be included in the Central List of OBCs in which two


states: Gujarat and Uttarakhand 681) Which Indian port has been declared as the best

major port of 2014-15: Kolkata 682) Birth centenary celebrations of freedom fighter

Rani Gaidinliu were inaugurated on August 24 in which State: Nagaland

683) Recently two war museums were opened at which stations in Rajasthan: Jaisalmer and Longewala

684) The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has decided to create the world's first internationally-controlled bank of low-enriched uranium in which country: Kazakhstan

JULY – 2015 685) One extra second was added this year on June 30th

due to slowing of earth’s rotation. This extra second is given what name: Leap second

686) The "Abar Souchagar" (toilet for all) project in Nadia district, has won the prestigious United Nations Public Service Award for making Nadia first ‘Open Defecation Free’ district in the country. It is in which State: West Bengal

687) Jwala Gutta and Ashwni Ponappa won the women's doubles title at an international championship of which sports: Badminton

688) The Wimbledon Tennis Championships, famous for its grass courts, began in which city on June 28: London

689) With a view to end undue advantage to batsmen, the ICC has decided to scrap which feature in the ODIs: Batting power plays

690) Name the player who captained the Indian Cricket Team for its Zimbabwe tour: Ajinkya Rahane

691) The Moorti Devi Award is given for excellence in which field: for books on Indian philosophy and literature

692) ___________ became the 6th city in India to start the Metro train services on June 29: Chennai

693) India and Thailand signed the extradition treaty for what purpose: For seeking extradition of fugitive offenders

694) __________ won the Norway Chess 2015 title in Stavanger, Norway defeating Indian grand master Viswanathan Anand: Veselin Topalov

695) Rajat Chauhan created a new national record on June 29 in which sports: Archery

696) Government has given ________ months time to people to declare their undisclosed foreign income and assets to escape prosecution under the new Black Money Law: Three

697) Name the oldest aircraft carrier in the world, presently with Indian Navy that will soon be converted into a museum: INS Viraat

698) The controversial book ‘Kashmir: The Vajpayee Years’ has been written by which author: A S Dulat

699) A panel, headed by BJP MP_____ , has sought

doubling of the existing Rs 50,000 salary of MPs: Yogi Adityanath

700) Which is the only Indian city that has been included in the list of top 20 technology-rich cities in the world: Bengaluru

701) According to latest World Bank data, India’s GDP crossed USD _______ trillion mark in 2014: Two

702) During his visit to Central Asian countries, PM Modi attended which two important summits: BRICS and CSO

703) Which agency has been assigned the work of detecting duplication of death claims under the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojna: Credit Information Bureau India Ltd (CIBIL)

704) FIFA Women's World Cup was held at which place: Vancouver, Canada

705) Name the country that won the FIFA Women's World Cup for the third time, beating Japan: USA

706) Government has decided to give __________ rank to the Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog, Arvind Panagariya: Cabinet Minister

707) Champagne vineyards where the world’s famous sparkling wine Champagne is produced have been included in UNESCO ‘World Heritage’ sites. They are in which country: France

708) Copa America Football Tournament was held in __________ capital of Chile: Santiago

709) Which country won the popular Copa America Football Tournament after a wait of 99 years: Chile

710) British Grand Prix F1 was won by the reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton. He is from which country: Britain

711) ________ has become the first woman tennis player from India to be ranked as top-seeded in any grand slam, by reaching this spot in the ongoing Wimbledon at London: Sania Mirza

712) World Food Foundation of USA gives which prestigious prize to individuals whose breakthrough achievements alleviate hunger and promote global food security: World Food Prize

713) The World Food Prize 2015 has been awarded to Sir Fazle Hasan Abed. He is from which country: Bangladesh

714) The World Bank has approved an additional loan of $650 million for EDFC for faster delivery of goods between the northern and eastern parts of the country. What is the full form of EDFC: Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor

715) Eastern Dedicated Freight corridor runs between which two places: Ludhiana to Kolkata

716) The Union Urban Development Ministry organized a six day competition "Mera Shahar Mera Sapna" from June 15 to20 at New Delhi what purpose: To encourage citizens to contribute their ideas for improving Indian cities

717) Name the web portal that Ministry of Agriculture


plans to launch to allow farmers to showcase their farm produce on the Internet for wholesalers for online bidding: E-Kissan

718) Reserve Bank provides relevant data for all big borrowers on CRILC for use by various banks for better credit appraisal. What is full form of CRILC: Central Repository of Information on Large Credits

719) Which bank has started Rewardz scheme to give reward points to all its customers for almost every banking transaction done with the bank: State Bank of India

720) World Bank has ranked which Indian social welfare scheme as the world's largest public works programme, providing social security net to almost 15 per cent of the country's population: Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Gurantee Act (MGNREGA)

721) Which Indian scheme has been classified as the biggest school feeding programme by the World Bank, covering 105 million beneficiaries: Mid- day meal

722) As per a recent UN report, India has achieved the goals for reducing poverty and hunger by half, under MDGs. What is MDGs: Millennium Development Goals

723) ICRISAT- and Govt of Telangana have collaborated to launch the Green Phablet for farmers to provide online information and weather alerts to farmers. What is ICRISAT: International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics

724) The International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics is situated in which Indian city: Hyderabad

725) Which union ministry has launched on July 2 a web portal for online submission of applications for Environment Clearance for Category ‘B’ projects: Ministry of Environment and Forests

726) Name the govt initiative launched on July 1 to digitally deliver all the essential services online to citizens and transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy by leveraging IT: Digital India

727) Govt plans to provide Aadhaar card based online facility wherein one can store all documents issued by the government, such as birth/death certificates, various permissions, registrations etc. Name this facility: Digital Locker

728) As per a study by the World Economic Forum _____ and ______ are among the world’s biggest employers, employing 1.4 and 1.3 million, respectively, securing 7th and 8th rank :Indian Army and Indian Railways

729) Which bank has created a dedicated payments gateway for the mobile banking transaction which will enable much faster transactions for its

customers: ICICI Bank 730) The National Floor Level Minimum Wage (NFLMW)

has been increased to Rs. _______per day from the existing Rs. 137 effective from July 1 this year: 160

731) State Bank of India has launched 'Project Tatkal' to attract which category of borrowers, offering them the loan within 10 days: Home Loan seekers

732) Which state in India accounts for 50% of total passenger cars and two-wheelers produced in India: Haryana

733) Abhijeet Gupta won the 19th Commonwealth __________ Championship held at Mumbai: Chess

734) __________ has been nominated by China to be the first President of the Beijing-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank: JIN LIQUN

735) Which bank has launched Go Digital scheme offering the 30-minute auto loan and 15-minute two-wheeler loan: HDFC Bank

736) President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated 'Nakshatra Vatika' on July 6 in which city: Hyderabad

737) Name the cricketer who became the first women from the country and second in world to reach the 5000-run milestone in one-day internationals: Mithali Raj

738) BSNL along with _________ Bank and Pyro has launched a prepaid card SPEEDPAY to allow users to transfer cash, pay for services as well as withdraw cash up to Rs 1 lakh: Andhra

739) Name the solar aeroplane which created new world records for longest distance covered and time spent in air in its flight from Nagoya, Japan to Hawaii- 7,200km in 118 hours: Solar Impulse

740) The Home Ministry has recently declared which state as a “disturbed area” under section 3 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act 1958: Nagaland

741) 5th Youth Delphic Games will be held in _____ in February 2016: Goa

742) RBI has allowed MTS operators such as Mumbai Metro, Delhi Metro, Indian Railways to issue their pre-paid cards to provide ease to the commuters. What is full form of MTS: Mass Transit System

743) Matti Makkonen, who died recently, was associated with development of which very important feature of present day mobile phones: SMS

744) Which city in Gujarat has signed a MoU with China's Xinjinag province to enhance infrastructure growth and development between the two regions: Vadodara

745) Sriram Kalyanaraman has been appointed as the new Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of which national bank: National Housing Bank

746) World University Games were held at which place in South Korea: Gwangju

747) Gennady Padalka, Russian cosmonaut entered


Guinness World Records for which achievement: for spending most number of days in the space-804

748) India issued a joint statement titled Tej Kadam with which country highlighting the continuation of strategic partnership between the two nations since 2009: Kazakhastan

749) The National Dairy Development Board has launched a mobile application named _________ to help dairy farmers in boosting their income by raising milk yield and cutting feed cost: Pashu Poshan

750) Who is the author of the book - India Central Asia Relations: The Economic Dimension: Amiya Chandra

751) Which Bank launched country’s first MUDRA (Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency) card based on the RuPay platform: Corporation Bank

752) South Asian Basketball Championship was held at which place: Bengaluru, Karanataka

753) Name the country that won the South Asian Basketball Championship: India

754) The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the PMKSY with an outlay of Rs. 50000 crore rupees over a period of next five years. Write full form of PMKSY: Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana

755) Name the country that hosted 2015 World Police and Fire Games: USA

756) Name the Bengaluru firm that became first company in India to launch online electronic signature service called eSign: eMudhra Ltd

757) Government plans to start an all India exhibition train to sensitise people, especially children and the youth, about the Climate Change. What is its name: Science Express

758) The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV C-28 successfully put into orbit five satellites of which country on 10th July: Britain

759) In the abbreviation PSLV C-28, the digits 28 denote what: 28th successful launch

760) What was the special feature of the July 10 launch of PSLV C-28: It was the ISRO’s biggest and heaviest commercial launch till date

761) What is the theme of the this year’s World Population Day observed on July 11: Vulnerable populations in emergencies

762) Ministerial conference of The Regional Integrated Multi-hazard Early Warning Systems (RIMES) nations was held in _________ on July 10: New Delhi

763) The ingeniously-developed supersonic surface-to-air missile _________ was formally inducted in the Indian Air Force at Gwalior on July 10: Akash

764) A tiny butterfly species has been discovered for the first time in the science in the forests of Changlang in which State: Arunachal Pradesh

765) Finals of the grand slam of tennis – Wimbledon were played at which place: London

766) ___________ won the Men’s singles title in the Wimbledon 2015: Novak Djokovic

767) Women’s singles title in the Wimbledon 2015 was won by which player: Serena Williams

768) Sania Mirza won the Wimbledon 2015 women’s doubles title. Who was her partner: Martina Hingis

769) Name the Indian boy who became the sixth Indian to win a Grand Slam junior title in tennis: Sumit Nagal

770) In which State construction of the longest tunnel in South Asia, running 9 kms is in the final stage: J & K

771) Total users of which public utility crossed the record 1 billion mark in May, reaching 1,002.05 million: Telephone Connections

772) India test-fired it’s indigenously developed anti-tank guided missile named ________ in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan: ‘Helina’ (Nag)

773) Prime Minister of which country resigned on July 12 as he battled corruption charges that compelled him to quit: Romania

774) N am e t h e N A S A ’s spacecraft which has provided the closest-ever pictures of Pluto, showing details of its geology: New Horizons

7 7 5 ) Name the former Union Environment and Forest Minister who wrote the book Green Signals: Ecology, Growth, and Democracy in India: Jairam Ramesh

776) The 12 day Godavari Maha Pushkaralu festival is celebrated in which State: Telangana and Andhra Pradesh

777) Under which mission the government has set a target to provide skill development training to 102 million youth over the next five years: National Skill Development Mission

778) M S Viswanathan, a prominent film personality of South Indian cinema, passed away recently. He was master of which field: Film Music

779) Simhastha Kumbh Mela, one of the largest religious congregations on the earth, began in July in which city: Nashik

780) The Junior Asian Freestyle, Greco-Roman and Female Wrestling championship was held at _____________, Myanmar: Nay Pyi Taw

781) With which country India recently signed an MoU in New Delhi for cooperation in election management and administration: Georgia

782) HRIDAY was launched from Amritsar in Punjab for development of 12 historical cities in the country. What is the full form of HRIDAY: National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana


783) A committee headed by ____________ suspended the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals teams from the Indian Premier League (IPL) for two years: Justice R M Lodha

784) Considering the declining interest of the fans and popularity, the BCCI has decided to scrap which T-20 tournament: Champions League Twenty 20

785) The government has decided to cap the subsidy on kerosene at Rs. _____ per litre: 12

786) The Reserve Bank has set up a committee headed by ______________ to work out a five-year action plan to spread the reach of financial services to unbanked population: Deepak Mohanty

787) Against which country India won the three-match One Day International (ODI) Series in July: Zimbabwe

788) The Prem Bhatia awards are given for excellence in which field: Journalism

789) The 9th World Youth Athletics Championship was held in which place: Cali, Colombia

790) Which bank plans to offer up to 3% of its annual profit to employees as part of a talent retention and motivation initiative: State Bank of India

791) What is the four digit All India Railway Helpline number recently launched by the govt.: 1512

792) Which Indian city has been selected by the UNESCO as the "City of Music" under the Creative Cities Network: Varanasi

793) The Union Cabinet has formed an expert group chaired by ___________ to classify the Caste names returned in the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC), 2011: Arvind Panagariya

794) Name the noted modern Indian artist who has been conferred with the highest French civilian honour, the Commandeur de la Legion d'Honneur (the Legion of Honour) for his peerless achievements: Sayed Haider Raza

795) Which city hosted the 46th Session of the Indian Labour Conference: New Delhi

796) Which country has agreed to jointly manufacture 200 military helicopters in India: Russia

797) Which country has agreed to provide technological support to India for building the next aircraft carrier and the Light Combat Aircraft jet engine: USA

798) Genezebe Dibaba created a new world record in the women’s 1500m, clocking a time of 3:50:07. She is from which country: Ethiopia

799) Which Indian organization has signed a currency swap agreement with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka to let it draw up to 1.1 billion dollars for a maximum period of 6 months: Reserve Bank of India

800) For which of its project, the Kerala Tourism has bagged 2015's Pacific Asia Travel Association award: Muziris Heritage Conservation Project

801) Name the type of the first indigenous high-thrust rocket engine recently successfully test fired by ISRO at its Propulsion Complex at Mahendragiri in southern Tamil Nadu: Cryogenic

802) The BCCI has decided to scrap which Trophy due to packed schedule: Duleep

803) What is the name of the new bank launched by BRICS group of nations to promote infrastructure financing: New Development Bank

804) Headquarters of New Development Bank is located in which city: Shanghai

805) The Union Cabinet has agreed to continue the interest subvention of __________ per cent on short-term crop loans of up to Rs. 3 lakh to farmers: Three

806) The government has launched the National Career Counseling Portal for what purpose: To coordinate all government-run employment exchanges

807) Which international financial body has agreed to provide $250-million financial assistance for the Andhra Pradesh Disaster Recovery Project: The World Bank

808) Which Indian city will host the 2016 World Twenty 20 cricket tournament: Kolkata

809) Name the Bollywood actor-model aged 50 who won the Ironman title at a triathlon held in Zurich in Switzerland: Milind Soman

810) The government has launched the Surakshit Khadya Abhiyan, a countrywide campaign to create mass awareness about which issue: Safe and hygienic food

811) What is the name of the world's first malaria vaccine which has got a green signal from the European drugs regulators: Mosquirix

812) In a list of 500 largest companies of the world compiled by the Fortune magazine, USA, which is the largest Indian corporate: Indian Oil Corporation (IOC)

813) Name the 10-year old Indian Golfer who scripted history as he became the first Indian to win the International Junior Golf Academy's World Stars Junior Golf Tournament played at Las Vegas, USA: Shubham Jaglan

814) Name the two members of Anglo Indian Community recently nominated by the President to Lok Sabha: Prof. Richard Hay and George Baker

815) As per which article of the Indian Constitution, President can nominate two members of Anglo Indian Community to Lok Sabha: 331

816) Under the Development of Solar Cities Programme of the union ministry of new and renewable energy, in which part of India six solar cities have to be developed: North East

817) The World Trade Organization on July 24 finalised a list of 201 products of which category products to be freed from import tariffs resulting in reduction


in their prices: Information Technology 818) Which country is about to complete construction of

the world's largest single-aperture radio telescope FAST in 2016: China

819) Trial run of the Egypt's second Suez Canal went off successfully on July 25. Name the two seas linked by this canal: Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea

820) Name the former Governor of Kerala, Sikkim and Bihar, MP and a veteran associate of Dr Ambedkar who passed away recently: R. S. Gavai

821) Name the cyclist from Britain who won the three week multiple stage bicycle race - Tour de France at Champs Elysees in Paris on July 26: Chris Froome

822) Name the German driver who won the Hungarian Grand Prix at Budapest, Hungary on July 26: Sebastian Vettel

823) ____________of Netherlands has been appointed chief coach of the Indian hockey team till the 2016 Rio Olympics: Roelant Oltmans

824) Name the world’s first malaria vaccine that has recently been approved by European drugs regulators: Mosquirix

825) The Indian women's wrestling team finished at which rank in the fifth Senior International Wrestling Tournament -- Cup of the President of Republic of Kazakhstan in Astana: Second

826) Name the bank that plans to roll out handheld machines across rural India that could work just like micro ATMs: HDFC Bank

827) Royal Society’s Copley Medal, world’s oldest scientific prize has been awarded to which scientist: Peter Higgs

828) What is the name of the newly found planet which is 'the closest twin to Earth' ever seen: Kepler-452b

829) The first radio broadcasting was done from _____________ on 23 July, 1927: Mumbai

830) 23rd July is observed as which national day: National Broadcasting Day

831) Tom Moore, noted cartoonist from USA passed away recently. He was associated with which cartoon character: Archie

832) Name the capital of the Republic of Guinea which was named as the World Book Capital for 2017 by UNESCO: Conakry

833) UNO has started the Nelson Mandela Prize for honouring people in which field: extraordinary service to humanity

834) Name the Indian cartoonist who won the Grand Prix World Press Cartoon Award-2014: Pamarthy Shankar

835) Benoy Behl, noted documentary maker won the Best Documentary Producer award at Madrid International Film Festival for which film: Indian

Roots of Tibetan Buddhism 836) ____________has been appointed as the new Chairman

of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for three years: R. S. Sharma

837) __________ July was celebrated as the Kargil Vijay Diwas: 26th

838) Ramon Magsaysay Award are given for excellence in which filed: Social Work & Service to Humanity

839) Ramon Magsaysay Awards are given in which country: Philippines

840) Name the two Indians who won the Ramon Magsaysay Award 2015: Sanjeev Chaturvedi and Anshu Gupta

841) Asian Development Bank has agreed to provide $ 300 million loan to support which flagship program of Indian govt.: National Urban Health Mission

842) Which Indian state has introduced a pension scheme for transgenders allowing them a pension of Rs 500 per month: Tripura

843) The Asian Development Bank has agreed to give a loan of $ 300 million to India for development of which region: North East

844) Government has sanctioned around Rs.1,000 crore for a 15-km India-Bangladesh railway project from which place to which place: Agartala in Tripura to Akhaura in Chitagong, Bangladesh

845) Which country has been admitted as the 162nd member of World Trade Organization: Kazakhstan

846) The ETC system was launched on the Chennai-Bengaluru corridor on July26, aiming to help road-users save time and money. What is ETC: Electronic Toll Collection

JUNE – 2015 847) According to the data released by the Central

Statistics Office (CSO) on May 29, the Indian economy grew at __________ per cent in 2014-15: 7.3

848) According to United Nations annual hunger report - 'The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015' by FAO, which country accounts for over 24 per cent of the total 795 million hungry people in the world: India

849) Which ministry has launched a new website - www.khoyapaya.gov.in: Women and Child Development Ministry

850) What is the objective of the recently launched khoyapaya.gov.in website: To report about a missing child and to track the efforts towards his or her recovery

851) Deepika Kumari won a bronze medal in the women's individual Recurve event of the World Cup at Antalya, Turkey. She participated in which game: Archery

852) Name the prestigious spelling contest of USA which was won by Indian origin American children -


Vanya Shivashankar, 13, and Gokul Venkatachalam, 14: Scripps National Spelling Bee Contest

853) Name the three star cricketers who joined the BCCI in a newly-constituted advisory panel to guide the board in all matters related to the game: Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and V V S Laxman

854) Which country has successfully developed the first ATM with facial recognition technology to reduce the risk of frauds related to ATMs: China

855) George Yeo, Former Foreign Minister of Singapore has been appointed as the new Chancellor of which prestigious university of India: Nalanda University, Rajgir, Bihar

856) Ameenah Gurib-Fakim has been elected as the first woman President of which country: Mauritius

857) Vijai Sharma has been appointed to which top constitutional post: Chief Information Commissioner

858) __________ has been appointed as the new Central Vigilance Commissioner: K V Chowdary

859) The book “Men Explain Things to Me” has been written by which author: Rebecca Solnit

860) Name the book written on Indian political scenario recently by the noted journalist Ashutosh: The Crown Prince, the Gladiator and the Hope: Battle for Change

861) The Reserve Bank has capped the remuneration of non-executive director of private banks to Rs. ______lakhs per annum: 10

862) RBI has issued the draft guidelines on the NSFR under Basel III framework on liquidity standards for banks. What is the full form of NSFR: Net Stable Funding Ratio

863) The 'Jal Marg Vikas' (National Waterway-1) project has been launched on which river: Ganga

864) The 1620 kms long National Waterway–1 is proposed to be launched between which two cities: Allahabad and Haldia

865) Global brokerage firm Nomura has projected that India will grow by 8% in 2015-16. This firm is based in which country: Japan

866) India was ranked at ______ rank in the annual global competitiveness report by a Switzerland-based business school: 44th

867) In terms of competitiveness, which country has been ranked at the top in a recent Swiss study: USA

868) On June 3 India joined the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement for what purpose: For Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information

869) Name the 17,500 feet high mountain pass in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand that was opened on June 1 for this year's India-China trade and Kailash Mansarovar Yatra: Lipulekh Pass

870) Edward Snowden, former US security contractor and electronic surveillance whistleblower was

honoured with which international prize recently: Norwegian prize for freedom of expression

871) Bangladesh has granted permission to which Indian insurance company to book business in Bangladesh: Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India

872) The 21st Asian Athletics Championships were held at which place in China: Wuhan

873) Name the star athlete who bagged the gold medal in the men’s shot put event at the 21st Asian Athletics Championships: Inderjeet Singh

874) Tintu Luka won the gold medal in which event at the Asian Athletics Championship: 800 m race

875) Ace Indian athlete Vikas Gowda won the gold medal at the 21st Asian Athletics Championship in which event: Discuss throw

876) Name the veteran cricketer who has been appointed as the Director of the Indian cricket team: Ravi Shastri

877) World Milk Day is observed on which date: June 1 878) Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of ______arrived in New

Delhi on a two-day (June 5-6) visit to India: Netherland

879) The government has decided to increase the Minimum Import Price of which item to protect local growers from the cheaper imports: Areca Nuts

880) The leaders of G-7 countries held their 41st summit on June 7-8 in which country: Germany

881) The G-7 group includes as member an international union of states also. Which is that: European Union

882) Name the honour that was conferred on Sri Atal Bihari Vajpayee by the Bangladesh Govt.: Bangladesh Liberation War Honour

883) Name the three Indian cities which now have direct bus service with Dhaka, Bangladesh: Kolkata, Agartala and Guwahati

884) What is the full form of MERS: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome

885) The virus of MERS is suspected to have come from which animal: Camel

886) French Open 2015 Men’s title was won by Stan Wawrinka. He is from which country: Switzerland

887) _____________ won the women’s title in the French Open 2015: Serena Williams, USA

888) French Open tournament is popularly known by which other name: Rolland Garros

889) The Department of Post (India Post) has signed a deal with which IT company to personalise over 15 million debit cards for its savings account holders: CMS Info Systems

890) R. Seshasayee has been appointed Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of which Indian IT major: Infosys Ltd.


891) The Cabinet has approved stepping up of India’s solar power capacity target under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission by five times, reaching __________ Mega Watt by 2022: One Lac

892) According to a report for 2013 by WADA, India has third largest number of dope offenders in sports. What is Wada: World Anti-doping Agency

893) Which country has made the world's first electric passenger aircraft: China

894) State Bank of India has launched SBI eforex, an internet- based platform to enable customers to do what type of transactions online: Foreign exchange transactions

895) _____________ became the first Indian footballer to score 50 international goals in 87 matches: Sunil Chhetri

896) As per Global HR firm Mercer’s "Cost of Living Survey 2015”, __________was rated as the most expensive city in India: Mumbai

897) Which major industrial country has lowered the age of voters from 20 to 18: Japan

898) The Navlekhan award of Bharatiya Jnanpith is given to which category of persons: Upcoming Hindi Writers

899) EPFO has decided to make UAN mandatory for all employers covered under the EPF and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1952. Write full form of UAN: Universal Account Number

900) __________ became the first bank in India to partner with Alibaba.com to provide easier trade finance to India-based sellers on the portal: ICICI Bank

901) ____________ is the author of the book titled ‘World’s Best Boyfriend’: Durjoy Dutta

902) Name the IIT that will soon become the first engineering institute in India to venture into medical education: IIT Kharagpur

903) India broke which two Guinness world records in the Yoga event organized at Rajpath in New Delhi on June 21: Largest Yoga assembly and participation by largest number of nationalities in a single event

904) Finance Ministry released coins of the denomination of Rs _____ and Rs ______ on the occasion of International Yoga Day: 10 and 100

905) European scientists have discovered the brightest galaxy and have nick named it CR-7 after which popular football player: Cristiano Ronaldo

906) China opened which mountain pass on Sikkim border to facilitate Kailash-Manasarovar Yatra: Nathu La

907) Sangita Kalanidhi Award is given every year in Chennai for excellence in which field of music: Carnatic Music

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Gyanm general awareness_issue_january_2016

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