Gyanm general awareness_july_2016

GENERAL AWARENESS – JULY 2016 1

GENERAL AWARENESS

JULY 2016 Vol. 5, Issue 01

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

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

Contents

CURRENT AFFAIRS MARCH TO MAY 2016 01-34

BULLET NEWS DEC 2015 TO FEB 2016 35-59

LATEST 100 GK MCQs 60-65

SSC CORNER 66-73

FIVE MONTHS GK BYTES 74-100

FIGURES TO REMEMBER

REPO RATE (05.04.2016) 6.50% REVERSE REPO RATE 6.00% MARGINAL STANDING FACILITY RATE

7.00%

STATUTORY LIQUIDITY RATIO 21.25% CASH RESERVE RATIO 4.00% BANK RATE 7.00% BASE RATE(s) (of various banks)

9.30 to 9.70%

INDIA’s RANK IN

Renewable Energy Index 3rd

World Press Freedom Index 133rd

Rank in Manufacturing Countries 6th

World Happiness Index 118th

Intellectual Property Index -2016 37th

Overall Growth Prospectus 5th

Global Talent Competitiveness Index 89th

Nuclear Security Index 21st

Ease of Doing Business (Forbes) 97th Human Development Index 130th ICT Development Index 131st 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

NATIONAL NEWS

MAY 2016

INDIA COMPLETES ITS GPS NETWORK

With successful launch of IRNSS-1G on April 28, the seventh and last in constellation of satellites that make up the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), India completed its mission for a regional navigational system on a par with US-based GPS. The system will be called NAVIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation). The IRNSS would aid terrestrial, aerial, marine navigation, fleet tracking and disaster management. The service can also be integrated with mobile phones in the country. INDIA OFFERS $100 MILLION LOAN TO PAPUA During the President Pranab Mukhaejee’s visit to Papua New Guinea, India offered a $100 million line of credit for development of infrastructure to explore and develop nation’s vast oil and gas resources. Several other agreements were also signed for cooperation in the field of information technology, agricultural research and health. President also visited New Zealand and signed the Air Services Agreement to enhance the air connectivity between the two countries. MODI VISITS IRAN Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Iran on May 22 and 23. The visit focused mainly on connectivity and infrastructure, energy partnership and boosting bilateral trade. On May 23rd, India, Iran and Afghanistan signed an agreement on developing Chabahar port in Iran. INDIA 3RD IN RENEWABLE ENERGY Due to strong focus of the Indian government on renewable energy and timely implementation of renewable energy projects India has been placed at the third position after the United States and China in the 'Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index' prepared by global firm E Y.


LODHA COMMITTEE TO REVIEW MCI The Supreme Court has appointed a three-member panel headed by former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha to review the functions of the Medical Council of India - the regulator of medical profession and education in India. SOLAR TRAIN TRIAL IN JODHPUR

The Indian Railways plans to conduct trial of its first solar panel-powered train in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Though the train would be pulled by conventional diesel-run engines, the solar energy will be used for internal electricity gadgets. INDIA HAS 248.8 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS A latest release of the Census 2011 data shows that there are total 248.8 million households in the country of which 202.4 million are of Hindus, 31.2 million belong to Muslims, 6.3 million belong to Christians, 4.1 million of Sikhs and 1.9 million belong to Jains. WORLD’s LARGEST AIRCRAFT LANDS IN INDIA The world’s largest cargo aircraft, Ukraine’s Antonov AN -225 Mriya — or the Dream, made its first landing in India on May 13 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Hyderabad. The wide body aircraft is powered by six turbofan engines and is the longest and heaviest airplane ever built, with a maximum takeoff weight of 640 tonnes. RAIL HUMSAFAR SAPTAAH The Ministry of Railways launched Rail Humsafar Saptaah from May 26 to June 1 to highlight significant achievements made by Indian Railways in all spheres. Every day of the week will be devoted to a particular aspect of passenger service. 100 CR PENALTY FOR WRONG INDIA MAP According to the draft 'The Geospatial Information Regulation Bill 2016', wrong depiction of the map of India could land the violators in jail with a maximum term of seven years and fine up to Rs 100 crore.

4 INDIAN CITIES IN TOP 5 POLLUTED CITIES Of the five cities in the world with the worst air pollution, four are in India, says a report by the World Health Organisation. These four cities are Ludhiana, Khanna, Amritsar and Gobindgarh. The dirtiest air was recorded at Zabol in Iran while Delhi was ranked at 9th place.

President Pranab Mukherjee visited China from May 24 to 27, starting his trip from the highly industrialised Chinese city Guangzhou.

President of Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena arrived in New Delhi on May 13 for a two day visit.

International Vichar Mahakumbh was held in Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh from May 12 to 14.

The H.R. Nagendra Committee on Yoga Education in Universities has recommended seven programmes for implementation in Indian universities.

To mark the 155th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, India organized a cultural festival in Cairo, Egypt from May 8 to 12.

A study by Assocham-KPMG shows that India is the fifth largest producer of e-waste, discarding roughly 18.5 lakh metric tonnes of electronic waste each year.

Govt has granted status of ‘classical language’ to six languages - Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Sanskrit and Odia.

APRIL 2016 ]

AMBEDKAR JAYANTI AT UNO For the first time, United Nations observed the birth anniversary of Dr. B R Ambedkar on April 14 at its headquarters in New York. It was organised by Permanent Mission of India to the UN in association with the Kalpana Saroj Foundation and Foundation for Human Horizon to focus on the empowerment and inclusion of excluded groups, reform of labour laws, and promotion of education for all. INDIA TOPS IN ATTRACTING FDI As per a report by The Financial Times Limited, India was the highest-ranked country in terms of attracting FDI, receiving $ 63 billion worth of FDI projects in 2015. India is closely followed by USA and China. INDIA 6th IN MANUFACTURING India has been ranked sixth among the world's Top-Ten largest manufacturing countries. Previously, India was 9th rank in the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) report. China tops the list followed by US, Japan, Germany and Korea. Indonesia was at the bottom.


INDIA HOLDS MARITIME SUMMIT

The First Maritime India Summit was held in Goregaon, Mumbai, from April 14 to 16 to focus on port based economic growth of the country. India has a coastline of over 7500 kms that offers vast opportunities for growth oriented investment. ‘AADHAAR’ CROSSES HUNDRED CRORE MARK The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has generated 100 crore Aadhaar numbers, touching a “historic” milestone in a span of five-and-a-half years. Aadhaar is now the largest digital platform in the world for good governance and transparent delivery of services of subsidies and services. INDIA GETS FIRST LOAN FROM NDB The newly started development bank by the global group BRICS, New Development Bank – NDB has started giving loans. India is among the first four countries to get a loan. The $ 250 million loan will be routed through the Canara Bank for a renewable energy project. RAJYA SABHA GETS 6 NEW MEMBERS President nominated the six personalities from different fields to the Rajya Sabha (House of Elders) following the recommendations of the Central government. The six persons include BJP leaders Subramanian Swamy and Navjot Singh Sidhu and Narendra Jadhav, Malayalam actor Suresh Gopi, journalist Swapan Dasgupta and boxer Mary Kom. President is empowered to nominate 12 prominent persons from various walks of life to the Rajya Sabha. GERMANY TO HELP IN ‘NAMAMI GANGE’ India has joined hands with Germany to attain pristine status of Ganga by adopting river basin management strategies used for cleansing German rivers like Rhine and Danube, under the Indian mission ‘Namami Gange’. INDIA SIGNS PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT India signed the historic Paris Climate Agreement at United Nations in New York on April 22, along with 175 nations, marking a significant step ahead for combating global warming. In the agreement, all countries agreed to work to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius, and to strive for 1.5 degrees Celsius.

APEX COURT ALLOWS NEET The Supreme Court has allowed the holding of the National Eligibility Entrance Test, NEET for medical courses across the country. The top court set aside its 2013 order by which the common entrance test for admissions to MBBS, BDS and PG courses in all medical colleges was quashed. W B LOAN FOR SWACHH BHARAT MISSION World Bank has agreed to provide a $1.5 billion loan for the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). SBM is the country's largest-ever campaign to improve sanitation. It aims to end open defecation and improve the management of liquid and solid wastes. TOP EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTES OF INDIA The HRD ministry released first-of-its-kind National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) for ranking the higher education institutions in the country. Results of the rankings are:

Top Management Institute: IIM Bangalore, followed by IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Calcutta

Top Engineering Institute: IIT Chennai, followed by IIT Mumbai and IIT Kharagpur.

Best University: The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore

Top Pharmacy Institute: Manipal College of Pharma-ceutical Sciences, Manipal MODI NOT IN WORLD TOP 100 RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, tennis star Sania Mirza, actress Priyanka Chopra and founders of Flipkart Binny Bansal and Sachin Bansal are the Indians that have been named by Time magazine in its list of the '100 Most Influential People in the World'. Surprisingly, Mr Modi does not figure in the list.


INDIA SUFFERS HIGH TROJAN ATTACK

As per a report from the security solutions firm Symantec, India ranks third among countries with high number of financial Trojan infections, where cybercriminals defraud customers of online banking services. Globally, the financial sector was the highest targeted sector in January with 40.2 per cent of all spear-phishing attacks. INDIA NOT SAFE FOR JOURNALISTS A study of 180 countries by the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders to study the functioning of journalists has placed India at a lowly 133rdplace.

It says that media in India continues to be under stress as the government is "indifferent" to threats against scribes. They are attacked frequently for reports that may not be palatable to particular groups. The 2016 ‘World Press Freedom Index’ is topped by Finland, followed by the Netherlands and Norway.

The index measures media pluralism, independence, the legal framework and the safety of journalists in 180 countries.

President Pranab Mukherjee went on a six-day trip to Papua New Guinea and New Zealand on April 27.

Britain’s Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, visited India on a week’s goodwill tour.

India and France have launched a programme with $1 trillion Potential Solar Programme under the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

India, Afghanistan and Iran have agreed for joint work on development of Chabahar port in Iran.

India and Mauritius have signed an MoU on cooperation in the field of traditional system of medicine and Homoeopathy.

The first ever two day North East-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Business Summit was inaugurated in Centre in Imphal, Manipur.

3rd Asia Ministerial Conference on the Tiger Conservation was held in New Delhi on April 12.

First National Tribal Carnival held in Delhi from April 29 to May 02, 2016 to showcase and promote various facets of tribal culture on a large scale.

India and South Korea have signed a MoU for cooperation and mutual assistance in port related matters and their developments.

India has signed an agreement with the Islamic Development Bank for a $100 million line of credit to facilitate exports to IDB's member countries.

Govt has released a Commemorative Coin of 200 rupees and a Circulation Coin of 10 rupees to mark the 200th Martyrdom Day of Tatya Tope, a war hero of 1857 war of Independence.

A statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh will be installed in France's Saint-Tropez town in September this year. The town is birth place of French General J F Allard who served in the army of Maharaja.

MARCH 2016

NEW SHIPPING SERVICE TO BANGLADESH

A new beginning was made in maritime trade and bilateral cooperation between India and Bangladesh with the launch of direct shipping service between Krishnapatnam in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh and Chittagong in Bangladesh. The new service will lower the transportation cost thereby boosting the exports. INDIA TO HOST 8TH BRICS SUMMIT India will host the eighth annual summit of BRICS from October 15-16 in Goa, in its capacity as chair of the influential bloc comprising five countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa. The logo for the summit is a lotus with colours from all the five member-countries and a traditional ‘namaste’ in the centre. MODI GOES FOR A THREE COUNTRY TRIP Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for a three - nation tour to Belgium, the US and Saudi Arabia from March 30 to April 2. He attended India-EU summit in Brussels. In USA, he attended the fourth Nuclear Security Summit in Washington D.C. Before returning to India, he stopped in Saudi Arabia to hold talks with their leaders.


WORLD’s LONGEST ALL WOMEN FLIGHT

Air India on March 6 flew the “world’s longest” all-women operated and supported flight, nonstop, from New Delhi to San Francisco, USA. The flight covered a distance of around 14,500 km in close to 17 hours. It was operated as part of International Women’s Day celebrations. WORLD CULTURE FESTIVAL AT YAMUNA BANK The first World Culture Festival, a three-day event celebrating cultural diversity and Art of Living's 35 years of service to humanity, was held on Yamuna bank in New Delhi on March 11-13. Over 36,000 artists from 155 countries took part in the event. The Art of Living is a global spiritual movement founded by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. COURT ALLOWS PHOTOS OF LEADERS IN ADs Supreme Court has now allowed use of pictures of Chief Ministers, Governors and Cabinet ministers in the government's media advertisements. Earlier, in May 2015, court had imposed a ban on publishing such photos treating it as misuse of public funds.

FOREIGN MINISTRY HOLDS RAISINA DIALOGUE The Raisina Dialogue, a joint initiative of the Ministry of External Affairs and a leading think tank, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi on March 2. The summit is seen as India’s flagship conference of geopolitics and geo-economics, designed to explore prospects and opportunities for Asian integration. PAK BETTER THAN INDIA IN HAPPINESS When it comes to happiness quotient, India lags behind neighbors like China, Pakistan and Bangladesh, ranking 118th in a study of 156 nations, according to The World Happiness Report 2016, prepared on behalf of the United Nations. Denmark takes the top spot displacing Switzerland. The report takes into account GDP per capita, life expectancy, social support and freedom to make life choices as indicators of happiness.

IMF TRAINING CENTRE IN DELHI India and the IMF (International Monetary Fund) have signed an agreement to set up a South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Centre (SARTTAC) in Delhi for training officials in dealing with macro-economic and financial issues on behalf of IMF. INDIAN WOMEN LAG BEHIND IN BUSINESS As per the Grant Thornton’s Women in Business 2016 report of 36 countries, Russia held the top spot with 45 percent of senior-business roles occupied by women; and Japan held the lowest spot at 7%. India faired very poorly in this regard, being ranked at a lowly 34th spot.

BANGALORE, MUMBAI ARE MOST INEXPENSIVE In a list compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit that compares the cost of a basket of goods in 133 cities across the world, the cheapest were Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, followed by Bengaluru and Mumbai in India. Singapore is most expensive, followed by Zurich, Hong Kong, Geneva and Paris. INDIA DISAPPOINTS IN ENERGY SECTOR Global Energy Architecture Performance Index compiled by the WEF for 126 countries to assess their ability to deliver secure, affordable and sustainable energy, placed India pretty low at 90th rank. Top rank was secured by Switzerland followed by Norway.

Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations was held Pokhara, Nepal.

Union Ministry of Shipping will host ‘Maritime India Summit’ at Mumbai from 14 to 16 April, with Republic of Korea as the partner country.

India hosted a three-day conference in New Delhi with IMF on the theme of 'Advancing Asia: Investing for the Future' from March 12 to 14.

6th National Community Radio Sammelan held in New Delhi. The theme was ‘Community Radio in India: Towards Diversity and Sustainability’.

National Conference of Women Legislators held in New Delhi, March 5-6, with theme Women Legislators-Building Resurgent India.

India signed a MoU with Bahrain on cooperation for prevention of human trafficking, especially in women and children, their repatriation and rehabilitation.

India has signed an agreement with Maldives for avoiding double taxation of income from international air transport.

First meet of World Sufi Forum was held in New Delhi from March 17-20. Sufi leaders from over 20 countries took part in it.


The India Aviation 2016, an international exhibition on civil aviation held in Hyderabad, Telangana with over 200 participants from across the globe.

Parsi Zoroastrians of India celebrated their Navroz festival on March 21to mark beginning of their new year.

Germany has assured its support for developing three Indian cities as smart cities. The selected cities are - Kochi, Bhubaneswar and Coimbatore.

Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi has been declared as the world’s number one airport in 25-40 million passengers per annum (MPPA) category by the Airports Council International.

NEWS FROM STATES

MAY 2016

5 STATES ELECT THEIR CHIEF MINISTER Tamil Nadu: Jayalalitha reelected leading the AIADMK - All India Anna Dravida Munetra Kazhagam. West Bengal: Mamta Banerjee reelected leading the Trinamool Congress. Assam: Sarbananda Sonowal becomes the first BJP Chief Minister. Kerala: Pinarayi Vijayan of the CPI (M) led the left democratic front – LDF to become the Chief Minister. Puducherry: V. Narayanasamy of Congress elected as the new Chief Minister. The World’s largest Single Rooftop Solar Power Plant with capacity of 11.5 MegaWatt (MW) has been installed at Dera Baba Jaimal Singh of Radha Swamis at Beas, in district Amritsar, Punjab.

Madhya Pradesh Tourism has won the award for the Best Indian Destination for Wildlife. The state has 25 wild life sanctuaries including nine National Parks.

Rajasthan State Transport Corporation has launched 20 Nirbhaya buses with multiple safety measures to better protect women passengers.

APRIL 2016

EDUCATION BAR FOR ULB SEATS Any male person desiring to contest for Urban Local Bodies in Haryana will now have to be matriculate and have a functional toilet at home while a woman and a SC candidate will be required to be at least 8th standard pass. Minimum educational qualification for SC women candidates will be 5th standard pass. HOUSING SCHEME FOR WIDOWS Jharkhand govt launched the Bhimrao Ambedkar Awas Yojana for construction of houses for widows. The beneficiaries will get Rs 75,000 support for constructing houses in hilly areas and Rs. 70,000 in plain areas. The Uttar Pradesh government has directed all the

district magistrates for plantation of 5 crore trees at 6,500 sites in 24 hours on a date fixed in month of July under the ‘Green UP - Clean UP’ programme.

World’s maiden white tiger safari was opened up at Mukundpur in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh. The first whtite tiger was spotted in MP’s Vindhya region in 1915. It is a rare breed of tiger, found only in India.

Rajasthan has become the first state to pass land title bill. It will seek all the documents from the landowners, and will verify it against records held by the state.

To promote the Swachh Bharat Mission, 20 ‘Namma’ toilets were established at different points in Delhi. The mission targets to establish 2.56 lakh public toilets by 2nd October 2017.

Bihar has become the fourth state in the country to ban sale and consumption of liquor. The other three states are Mizoram, Nagaland and Gujarat.

The European Investment Bank has agreed to give Euro 450 million (Rs. 3,300 crore) towards constructing a 23-km long Lucknow Metro rail line.

Germany’s Development Bank KfW will provide loan assistance of 3750 crore rupees for the development of metro system for Nagpur city.

Asian Development Bank has approved a project loan of $300 million for upgradation of over 400 km of major district roads in Uttar Pradesh.


MARCH 2016

PRESIDENT RULE IMPOSED IN UTTRAKHAND Central government recommended to the President to invoke Article 356 in Uttarakhand to impose the President’s rule in the state as the present government led by Harish Rawat lost the majority support. On March 18, the state govt failed to secure majority vote for passing the bill. This caused a constitutional crisis as no state govt can spend money from April 1 based on a failed Appropriation bill. UNESCO SELECTS AGASTHYAMALA BIOSPHERE UN’s top cultural body UNESCO has included Agasthyamala biosphere reserve in its World Network of Biosphere Reserves. Located in the Western Ghats, in the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the Agasthyamala is home to 2,254 species of higher plants and has three wildlife sanctuaries. ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS ANNOUNCED Election Commission has announced the schedule for the forthcoming Assembly elections in April in four States and one UT - Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam and Puducherry. The Counting for all five will be held on 19th of May. MUZIRIS HERITAGE PROJECT India’s largest heritage conservation project - Muziris Heritage Project (MHP) was inaugurated by the President at Trissur in Kerala. It is the ancient port city dotted with monuments up to 3000 years old. KERALA GOES FULLY DIGITAL Kerala has been declared as the first digital state of India for achieving digital connectivity of all villages and panchayats. The state has achieved 100 per cent mobile connectivity and 75 per cent Internet literacy.

Delhi has become the first state in the country to launch the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine as a public health programme for school children. The HPV vaccine protects people against the

group of 150-odd HPVs, some of which can cause cervical cancer.

Surat, Rajkot railway stations in Gujarat stood first and second in terms of cleanliness, as per a survey conducted by the Ministry of Railways.

Allahabad High Court in Uttar Pradesh is celebrating 150 years of its existence.

Kerala has started India’s first Gender Park, an autonomous institution to promote the gender equity in development to promote participation of women.

Kerala has taken first of its kind initiative by launching the Air Ambulance in the state.

GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES

MAY 2016

MULTILINGUAL PORTAL ‘BHARATAVANI’ Ministry of HRD has launched the portal ‘Bharatavani’ - the largest online repository of dictionaries in India. It is a single point source for multiple language learning, content and technology in 22 scheduled languages, which eventually will be extended to 100 more languages. NATIONAL IPR POLICY ANNOUNCED The govt has approved the National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) policy with a view to promoting creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. The policy aims to push IPRs as a marketable financial asset, promote innovation and entrepreneurship. ‘UJJWALA’ TO GIVE LPG TO BPL FAMILIES The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was formally launched by the Prime Minister at Ballia, Uttar Pradesh. The scheme aims to provide cooking gas connections to five crore below-poverty-line beneficiaries over the next three years. The connections will be given in the name of women beneficiary. UJALA SCHEME LAUNCHED FOR LED BULBS Union Minister of State for Energy and Coal Piyush Goyal formally launched the energy-efficient LED bulbs distribution scheme UJALA (Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All) at Bhopal for the state of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The scheme aims to replace all the conventional bulbs with the LED bulbs for reducing drastically power consumption and emission of carbon gasses.


PORTAL LAUNCHED FOR SCHOOL STUDENTS

The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) has decided to launch ASMITA, an online student tracking system for 25 crore students of India from class I to XII. ASMITA is acronym for All School Monitoring Individual Tracing Analysis and shall be launched under Shala Asmita Yojana (SAY). COMMITTEE TO REVIEW FRBM Govt has constituted a five Member Committee headed by former Revenue and Expenditure Secretary N.K. Singh to comprehensively review and give recommendations on the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) road map for the future. NITI AAYOG TO LAUNCH 15 YEAR PLAN Govt has decided to replace the five year plans with 15 year vision documents. The NITI Aayog has been directed to prepare a vision document for this purpose. It will be implemented after the 12th five year plan which is ending in March, 2017. COMMITTEE FOR TAXI OPERATORS The Union Government has constituted a committee headed by Sanjay Mitra, Secretary of Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways to prepare a policy framework for taxi and other transport operators. UNIQUE BUSINESS IDENTIFICATION NUMBER The Government plans to issue a UBIN for budding entrepreneurs to start up their new businesses without any delay. The number will be issued by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion. SINGLE EMERGENCY NUMBER - 112

Govt has approved the single emergency number ‘112’ to help people access directly emergency services like police, ambulance and fire fighting. The number will be operational throughout

India from January 1, 2017.

LOK SABHA PASSES BANKRUPTCY BILL The Lok Sabha has passed the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code Bill 2016. The bill aims to improve conditions for ‘Ease of Doing Business’.

Broadly speaking, Insolvency is a financial situation where a person or business entity is not in a position to repay its debts. When this status is confirmed by courts, it is called Bankruptcy, a legal status. A Parliamentary Standing Committee headed by J C

Divakar Reddy, MP has been formed to tackle misleading advertising as well as to fix liability on endorsers/celebrities.

Parliament has passed two Bills- The Appropriation Acts (Repeal) Bill 2015 and The Repealing and Amending (Third) Bill, 2015 to repeal outdated 1053 old laws which had become redundant legislations.

Union Cabinet has approved a national policy on capital goods which aims at creating more than 2 crore new jobs and tripling the production of capital goods to Rs 7.5 lakh crore by 2025.

The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities will now be known as 'Divyangjan' Sashaktikaran Vibhag in Hindi, dropping the word 'viklangjan' from its previous nomenclature.

Govt has constituted the Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority to strengthen the framework for safeguarding the interest of investors.

The trial run of India's first ever Metro train equipped to run in the driverless mode was conducted in New Delhi on May 18 by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.

The Income Tax department has launched an electronic grievance redressal system named ‘e-nivaran’ to fast track taxpayers’ complaints and to ensure their early resolution.

Government has selected 13 more cities for the smart cities mission. The list is topped by Lucknow. Already 20 cities have been selected for this mission.

Moving towards environment friendly solutions, Prime Minister Modi launched e-rickshaws and solar powered boats in Varanasi.

EPFO has decided to increase benefits under the Employees' Deposit Linked Insurance scheme from Rs 3.60 lakh to Rs 6 lakh.

Be stubborn about your goals, and

flexible about your methods...!!


APRIL 2016

PROGRAMME FOR VILLAGE UPLIFTMENT

The ‘Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan’ (Village Self Governance Campaign) was launched on April 14, the 125th Birth anniversary of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, to strengthen Panchayati Raj in villages, empowerment of women and upliftment of farmers. The campaign concluded on April 24.

25 MINISTRIES JOIN IMPRINT INITIATIVE 25 Ministries and Departments of the Union Government signed a MoU to join IMPacting Research Innovation and Technology (IMPRINT) initiative. It was launched on 5 November 2015 to establish a single window mechanism to shortlist research projects by leading research and technology institutes.

'VIDYUT PRAVAH' FOR 24X7 POWER SUPPLY Govt has launched the mobile application 'Vidyut Pravah' to empower common people to demand 24x7 power from the State. The app will provide the highlights of the electricity availability in the country on the real time basis. INDIA’s FIRST SEMI-HIGH SPEED TRAIN The Nizamuddin-Agra Gatimaan Express that started on April 5 is the first semi-high speed train in India. It will run at a speed of 160 kilometer per hour and is expected to cover the 200 km distance between Delhi and Agra in 100 minutes.

COMMITTEE FOR DOUBLING OF FARM INCOMES Govt has set up a committee headed by Ashok Dalwai, Additional Secretary at the Agriculture Ministry to suggest ways to double farm incomes by 2022. The committee will focus on finding the means for enhancing productivity and reducing costs of cultivation.

STAND-UP INDIA LOAN SCHEME LAUNCHED Govt has launched the Stand-up India scheme to give a push to financial inclusion programme. Under the scheme, 1.25 lakh bank branches will provide loans up to 1 crore rupees to SC/ST and women entrepreneurs. The scheme will help in creating 2.5 lakh entrepreneurs as every bank branch will be required to provide two such loans ranging from 10 lakh to Rs 1 crore without collateral, for setting up a new enterprise.

3RD PHASE OF ‘MISSION INDRADHANUSH’ The Union Health Ministry launched third phase of universal vaccination programme Mission Indradhanush to cover 216 districts across several States including Bihar, Gujarat, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. Under the mission, the children are vaccinated against seven preventable diseases. ‘PANIC BUTTON’ MUST FOR MOBILE PHONES In a bid to improve women security, the government has made it mandatory that no mobile can be sold in India without an in-built panic button, starting January 1, 2017. Besides, in-built GPS navigation system would be mandatory for all phones with effect from January 1, 2018. E- MARKET LAUNCHED FOR FARM PRODUCE To facilitate online trading of commodities in 21 markets from 8 states, an E-National Agriculture Market was launched on April 14, 125th birth anniversary of Dr. B R Ambedkar. The eight states are Haryana, UP, MP, Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, HP and Telangana. INDIA TO JOIN ‘SAWEN’ Union cabinet has approved India’s formal membership of the regional group Sawen. SAWEN (South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network) is a regional network comprising of eight countries in South Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka for combating wildlife crime and illegal trade in the region. ISBN PORTAL LAUNCHED The Union HRD Minster Smriti Irani launched a portal for registration and allotment of International Standard Book Number (ISBN) at a function held in New Delhi. The portal will facilitate publishers and authors to register for ISBN online. It is a 13 character identification number allotted by International ISBN Agency based in UK. GOVT LAUNCHES ‘ANMOL’ AND ‘E-RAKTKOSH

Govt has launched a tablet-based application ‘ANMOL’ that allows ANMs (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife) to enter and update data for the beneficiaries. Another web-based mechanism launched is ‘E-RaktKosh’ that interconnects all the Blood Banks of the State into a single network.


RULES FOR PREVENTION OF ATROCITIES Union Government notified the Scheduled Castes (SC) and the Scheduled Tribes (ST) (Prevention of Atrocities (PoA)) Amendment Rules, 2016 to enlarge scope of rules to cover several more violations against SC/ST persons as cognizable offences. I P PORTAL LAUNCHED FOR SMEs

The government has launched a portal ‘The Indian IP Panorama’ which will act as a single window interface for information on intellectual property and provide guidance on leveraging it for competitive advantage. It is a

customised version of IP Panorama Multimedia toolkit, developed by World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). The Indian IP Panorama has 5 modules: (i) Importance of IP for SMEs, (ii) Trademark, (iii) Industrial design, (iv) Invention and Patent and (v) Patent Information. Govt has launched its first online interactive heritage

portal Sahapedia to serve as one point resource for collaborative knowledge on the arts, culture and heritage of India.

The Department of Disinvestment has been renamed as Department of Investment and Public Asset Management or 'Dipam' under the Finance Ministry.

Railways to create a 1 lakh crore rupees ‘Rashtriya Rail Sanrakshan Kosh’ to strengthen safety measures on the rail network to prevent accidents.

Govt has launched a Twitter Seva Service, a special Twitter cell to respond to queries from start-ups, exporters and importer, within 48 to 72 hours.

The ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ programme has been extended to 61more districts with low Child Sex Ratio across 11 States/UTs. Already there in 100 districts.

Govt has decided to increase minimum wages of contract workers to Rs 10,000 taking into consideration the CPI and Dearness Allowance.

Govt plans to construct five lakh ponds under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana by next year.

Govt has formed a committee headed by former Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta to suggest ways to improve protection along the Pakistan border.

Union government plans to lay more emphasis on promoting Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE) tourism in India.

Govt has launched a low cost micro solar device, Surya Jyoti, to light up homes without electricity and save millions of units of power.

Govt has issued a new set of income tax return forms that require people with an income of Rs 50 lakh and above per annum to disclose their assets.

MARCH 2016

WOMEN TRANSFORMING INDIA INITIATIVE The NITI Aayog has launched the Women Transforming India initiative in partnership with the UN in India and MyGov. It will invite success stories from women making efforts for empowerment of women, to encourage and recognize them.

‘SETUBHARTAM’ - CROSSING FREE HIGHWAYS Govt has launched the Setubharatam project on Mar 4 to make all national highways free of railway crossings by 2019. Some 208 such points have been identified for construction of rail over-bridges or underpasses. NEW COLOUR SCHEME FOR POLLUTION LEVELS Govt has launched the new four colour scheme for re-classification of industries based on the Pollution Index (PI) scores.

Pollution Category P I Score No. of industries covered

Red 60 and Above 60 Orange 41 to 59 83 Green 21 to 40 63 White Up to 20 36

The purpose of the categorization is to ensure that the industry is established in a manner which is consistent with the environmental objectives.

ONE CRORE HOUSES IN RURAL AREAS

The Union Cabinet has approved the construction of one crore houses in next three years in rural areas under ‘Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin’ to achieve the objective of ‘Housing for All’. The scheme replaces thee earlier Indira Awas Yojana. A financial assistance of Rs.1.20 lakh will be provided for construction of pucca houses to homeless families in plain areas and Rs. 1.30 lakh in hilly and difficult areas. The beneficiary will also be entitled to 90 days of unskilled labour from MGNREGA.

STUDENTS TO ACT AS ‘PARYATAK MITRA’ Union Ministry of Tourism has launched the ‘Paryatak Mitra’ (tourist’s friend) programme to inculcate appropriate tourism traits and knowledge amongst the college students enrolled in NCC/NSS to enable them to act/work as Tourist Facilitators.


‘UJALA’ SCHEME FOR LED BULBS Govt has announced the ‘UJALA' scheme for the LED based Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme, which is currently running successfully in over 120 cities across India to replace incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs. UJALA is an acronym for Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All. BRIGHT DAYS AHEAD FOR HOUSE BUYERS The Rajya Sabha passed the landmark Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2015 on March 10 to address corruption and inefficiency in the sector. The bill aims to protect house buyers from the widely prevalent opaque and fraudulent practices in the real estate sector. Lok sabha has already passed this bill. WOMEN CONQUER ITBP FORTE ALSO

Government has allowed women to be inducted as officers in combat roles in the Indo-Tibetan Border Force (ITBP), the last paramilitary force to do so. The four other paramilitary forces – CRPF, CISF, BSF and SSB have already been allowed to recruit women officers in the combat roles.

PRADHAN MANTRI UJJWALA YOJANA The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana for providing 5 crore free LPG connections to women from below poverty line (BPL) households at a cost of Rs 8,000 crore. GOVT STARTS HEALTHCARE ATMs Union Health Ministry has started, on trial basis, five healthcare ATMs in four states — Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. The ATMs combine telemedicine with a rudimentary free drugs programme.

Each ATM will be manned by a multipurpose public health worker (MPHW) or an auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) armed with a multi-parameter patient vital monitor and other devices required for checking basic health parameters. AADHAAR BILL PASSED BY PARLIAMENT The Aadhaar (Target Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill, 2016 has been passed by the Parliament to provide a legal back up to the usage of Aadhaar card for various social welfare schemes. It will empower the states to distribute resources to deserving people and save the resources that undeserving people get UNIVERSITIES TO HAVE WEB PAGE FOR SC/ST The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked varsities and colleges across the country to launch a special page on their websites for checking discrimination against SC/ST students. The move comes amidst the debate on the issue of alleged discrimination in higher educational institutions in the aftermath of Rohith Vemula's suicide at Hyderabad Central University. UNRESERVED TICKET VALID FOR 3 HOURS As per new rules, from March 1, an unreserved train ticket for travelling up to 199 kms will no longer be valid after 3 hrs of purchase of the ticket, or up to the departure of first train for the destination, whichever is later. ENEMY PROPERTY ACT, 1968 AMENDED Lok Sabha passed a bill to amend the Enemy Property Act, 1968. The properties covered by the Bill are those left behind by people who became Chinese or Pakistani nationals, after leaving India in the wake of wars fought with these countries. The new bill also ensures that the law of succession does not apply to enemy property.


Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has launched the 'Clean Street Food Project' in Delhi to sensitise the street food vendors about health and hygiene aspects of food.

Railways launched an online “clean my coach” service that allows travellers to get their compartments cleaned by sending an SMS to 58888 or by using an app or a designated website.

Government has decided to digitally connect all the Post Offices in rural areas by March 2017. There are about 1,55,000 Post Offices in the country.

The Telecom Commission has approved the idea of having a common number for emergencies such as police, fire, ambulance, etc. all over India. The proposed number is 112.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

MAY 2016

INDIA POISED TO GROW BY 8%

In its latest Global Economic outlook, Fitch Ratings, USA has said that it expects India's real GDP growth to rise to 8 percent by 2018-19, from 7.9 percent in 2017-18 and 7.7 percent in 2016-17 driven by the gradual implementation of structural reforms, higher disposable income and improvement in economic activity. UN REPORT PUTS INDIA’S GROWTH AT 7.3% A UN report ‘The World Economic Situation and Prospect’ says that notwithstanding delays in domestic policy reforms, India’s economy is “slowly gaining momentum” and is projected to grow by 7.3 per cent this year and is expected to achieve a growth of 7.5 per cent in 2017. IMF KEEPS INDIA’s GROWTH RATE AT 7.5% The IMF has retained its growth forecast for India at 7.5% for the year 2016-17, largely driven by private consumption even as weak exports and sluggish credit growth weigh on the economy. It said structural reforms, including GST and in areas like land and labour, will be the key to boost India’s economic growth.

TRADE DEFICIT SLIPS BELOW $5 BILLION Exports continued to fall for the 17th month in a row, shrinking by 6.74% to $20.5 billion in April, owing to muted global demand. Imports, too, dipped by 23.1% to $25.4 billion in April, leaving a trade deficit of $4.9billion. INDUSTRIAL GROWTH SHRINKS TO 0.1% Growth in the country's industrial production measured in terms of the Index of Industrial Production, IIP, slowed to 0.1 per cent in March this year, due to poor performance of the manufacturing and mining sectors, and a sharp fall in capital goods output. Core sector industries grew by 6.4 percent in March

on the back of high production rate of fertilizer, cement, petroleum and electricity.

Global rating agency, Moody's has forecast a growth rate of about 7.5 percent for the Indian economy in 2016 and 2017, driven largely by private consumption growth.

APRIL 2016

RBI MAINTAINS GROWTH RATE AT 7.6% The Reserve Bank in its first policy review of the year expects the economy to grow by 7.6 per cent in the current fiscal on the back of favourable monsoon, slightly lower than the upper end of government’s projected rate of 7-7.75 per cent. ADB PUTS INDIA’s GROWTH AT 7.6 % With the failure of the government to push through the Goods and Services Tax and the Land and Labour Reforms, the Asian Development Bank has lowered India’s growth forecast to 7.4 per cent from an earlier estimate of 7.6 per cent for the financial year ending March 31, 2017. “NO BPL POPULATION BY 2032” - KANT In a presentation made by Niti Aayog Chief Executive Officer Amitabh Kant, it was stated that India will achieve growth of 10% by 2032 to become a $10-trillion economy, creating 175 million jobs and leading to zero per cent of Below Poverty Line (BPL) population. As per Arvind Panagariya, Vice Chairman, Niti

Aayog, India may achieve 8% growth on the back of satisfactory progress in infrastructure development.

MARCH 2016

FITCH PUTS INDIA’s GROWTH AT 7.5% Fitch Ratings has lowered India’s economic growth forecast for next fiscal to 7.7 per cent, but maintained the GDP projection for current fiscal at 7.5 per cent.


ECONOMY & INDUSTRY

MAY 2016

WB LOAN FOR ROOFTOP SOLAR POWER The World Bank has approved $625 million loan to India to support the rooftop solar power generation across the country. The project will be implemented through the State Bank of India, which will on-lend the funds to solar photovoltaic developers and end-users.

FSSAI BANS USE OF POTASSIUM BROMATE After the alert raised by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) that 84 per cent of the 38 popular brands of breads contained cancer-causing chemicals, the Food Safety and Standards Association of India (FSSAI) has recommended

banning Potassium Bromate as a food additive. INDIA RANKS 9TH IN ‘CRONY CAPITALISM’ A study by the leading financial magazine, The Economist shows that in terms of ‘crony capitalism’, India is ranked at ninth position with crony sector wealth accounting for 3.4 per cent of the GDP. Russia tops the list where wealth from the country's crony sectors amounts to 18 per cent of its GDP. Crony capitalism is a kind of economy where success in business depends on close relationships between business people and government officials as the later shower favours on the selected few corporates. PRESIDENT HONOURS EXPORTERS President Pranab Mukherjee presented Niryat Shree and Niryat Bandhu Awards in New Delhi to honour exporters for their excellent business achievements. Both Awards were instituted by the Federation of Indian Export Organization (FIEO) in the year 1995-96 with the aim to motivate exporters. ‘DHAN WAPSI’ SCHEME wef JUNE 1 The govt has announced The Income Declaration Scheme, 2016 – ‘Dhan Wapsi’, an amnesty scheme for declaring domestic black money, from June 1 till Sep 30. Individuals willing to declare their black money in the country will have to pay tax and a penalty, totalling 45 per cent.

INCOME TAX DATA MADE PUBLIC In a landmark development towards greater transparency, the income tax department has released its key data, though after a lapse of 16 years. Taxpayers account for just about one per cent of India's population. Total income tax collections in 2015-16 were 2.86 lakh crore rupees.

NEW DTAA SIGNED WITH MAURITIUS India and Mauritius have signed a protocol amending the double tax avoidance arrangement between the two countries. Now India gets the right to tax capital gains on investments routed through Mauritius, from April 1, 2017. MMTC has launched in collaboration with Swiss gold

company Pamp, a new gold coin ‘Tola’ of 11.6639 grams on the occasion of ‘Akshya Tritya’, May 9.

World Bank has agreed to provide $ 100 million loan to support ‘Karnataka Urban Water Supply Modernization project’.

The Tata Group has made a foray into the e-commerce market through TataCLiQ.com to sell apparel, electronics and footwear, etc.

India and Slovenia have signed a protocol to amend the double taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA) to include exchange of information to curb tax evasion.

Union cabinet has approved Rs.1,983 crore package for widening of the 19-km stretch between Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway.

APRIL 2016

INDIA TOPS IN INWARD REMITTANCES

As per a recent World Bank report, India remained the world's largest remittance recipient in 2015 despite experiencing a one billion US dollar drop from the previous year, attracting $69 billion, followed by China at $64 billion. COMPANIES TO OBSERVE IFRS NORMS Companies with a net worth of Rs 500 crore or more will have to follow new Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS) from April 1. The new standards have been converged with the globally followed International Financial Reporting Standards - IFRS. BLACKSTONE ENTERS INDIA In one of the largest private equity deals in the IT industry, Blackstone, the New York based MNC in investment and financial services has signed a deal to buy 60.5 per cent stake in Mphasis, a Bengaluru based IT services major.


India has offered to invest up to $20 billion in new petrochemicals, fertiliser and liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in Iran and sought land and cheaper natural gas for this.

The Shan-E-Punjab Express, country’s first train with CCTV cameras in all coaches, for safety of passengers, started from Delhi for Amritsar.

The Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd. has become the number one coal producer in the country by producing a record 137.90 million tonne of coal in 2015-16.

The East Coast Railway has become the largest Freight Loading Railway Zone in 2015-16 with handling of 173.49 million tonnes of freight.

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has launched a new index Nifty Mid Smallcap 400 representing 150 midcap and 250 small cap companies.

Govt. has extended safeguard duty of 20 per cent on steel imports till March 2018 to protect Indian industry from cheap China steel

The total telephone subscriber base in the country rose to 105.18 crore in February on the back of growth in wireless users (102.66 crore) even as landline base continues to decline.

MARCH 2016

100% FDI ALLOWED IN E-COMMERCE The government has allowed 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) in the marketplace format of e-commerce via the automatic route but not under the inventory led model. This means that companies such as Amazon and Alibaba can set up an online marketplace legally now where sellers can hawk their products. ‘NO’ TO ‘WILLFUL DEFAULTERS’ – SEBI To curb the menace of willful defaulters, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has barred them from making a public issue or acquiring another listed entity. The RBI defines a willful defaulter as an entity that defaults on its payment obligations even if it has the capacity to pay back debts. INDIAN LOCOMOTIVES FOR MYANMAR Railways have signed a contract to supply eighteen Meter Gauge 1350 HP Diesel Electric Locomotives to Myanmar Railways. The engines will be manufactured by the Diesel Locomotive Works, Varanasi. URIDASHI MASALA BONDS LAUNCHED BY IFC International Finance Corporation (IFC) launched its first Uridashi Masala Bonds (Japanese bonds) to mobilise Rs 30 crore from Japanese retail investors. The proceeds will be used for promoting private sector development in India. Masala bonds are rupee-denominated instruments sold only to foreign investors.

INDIA HIKES QUOTA IN IMF The government has decided to invest Rs. 69,575 crore towards increasing India’s quota in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from 2.44% to 2.75% to have increased voting rights of 2.6% from the previous 2.34%.

INDIA’s BIGGEST EVER CREDIT LINE India signed its biggest ever overseas credit line, extending $2 billion loan facility to Bangladesh, repayable over 20 years. Managed by the Exim Bank, the funds will be used for development of infrastructure and social sector.

ALTO FIRST CAR TO CROSS 3 MILLION SALES Maruti’s hatchback Alto has achieved cumulative sales of three million units in the Indian market. It has taken 15 years and 6 months to achieve this record.

MAHINDRA ONLINE TRACTOR RENTING India’s number one tractor producer, Mahindra& Mahindra plans to launch Trringo – a digital app, to start online tractor rental business. It will offer a digital platform to connect those looking to hire tractors and those willing to rent their self-owned machines.

CALL DROPS NOT TO EXCEED 2% - S C The Supreme Court has asked telecom operators to give an undertaking that they have not exceeded the two percent threshold limit of call drops as mandated in the regulations of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the A have signed a MoU to provide $ 848 million to develop solar parks across India.

As per the Brand Trust Report, e-retailer Amazon has been ranked as India's most trusted online shopping brand, followed by Snapdeal and Flipkart.

The World Bank to provide $250 million loan for improving the performance of electricity distribution in Rajasthan.

The government has formally withdrawn the recognition of Delhi Stock Exchange (DSE) after it was de recognised by SEBI "serious irregularities".

The govt has relaxed FDI norms for the insurance sector to allow 49% foreign stake in local insurance companies without prior approval, as against 26% earlier.

Railways have tied up with the ISRO to use space technology for providing the passenger information in all trains and to explore new route alignments.

India and France have signed a MoU for construction of six nuclear reactors at Jaitapur in Maharashtra.

World Bank to provide $ 35 million loan for Madhya Pradesh citizen access to responsive services project.

World Bank to grant $ 300 million loan for the Madhya Pradesh Higher Education Quality Improvement Project


BANKING & FINANCE

MAY 2016

BANKS ASKED TO SHIFT TO EVM CARDS

The Reserve Bank of India has instructed banks to shift from magnetic stripe based ATM and debit cards to EMV chip and Pin based cards to ensure protection of cards from cloning, skimming and other forms of frauds which can happen on a magnetic strip.

WILFUL DEFAULTERS OWE Rs. 66,190 CRORE As per a written statement made in Rajya Sabha by Union Minister of state for Finance, there were 7,686 wilful defaulters owing Rs 66,190 crore to state-owned banks as of December 2015. The cumulative gross NPAs of 24 listed public sector banks, including SBI group, stood at Rs.3,93,035 crore as on 31 December 2015. As per RBI, an asset becomes non-performing when it ceases to generate income for the bank or the repayment due is delayed for more than 90 days. SEBI SHUNS WILLFUL DEFAULTERS SEBI has prohibited willful defaulters from making a public issue of shares, setting up market intermediaries like mutual funds and brokerage firms. Nor they will be allowed to take control of any listed company. An individual or a company is declared a 'willful defaulter' for deliberate non-payment of dues despite adequate cash flow and good net worth. NEW DEVELOPMENT BANK SELECTS ICICI The ICICI bank has become the first financial institution in the country to be selected by the BRICS’s New Development Bank to explore opportunities around bond issuance, co-financing, treasury management and human resources in India.

INDIA’s FIRST ‘MOBILE ONLY’ BANK The DBS, Singapore's largest bank, has launched India’s first mobile only bank named ‘digibank’. It uses technologies such as bio metrics and artificial intelligence, to enable paperless, signature less and branch less banking.

Union Bank of India has launched e-SBTR (Electronic Secured Bank Treasury Receipt), a single window facility for payment of both - stamp duty and registration fee for home purchase in Maharashtra

Saudi Arabia based Islamic Development Bank has announced to open its first branch in India at Ahmadabad, Gujarat to offer interest free banking services as per the Muslim law – Shariat.

UK based banking giant, HSBC Holding Plc has decided to close its 24 branches in India, out of total 50.

The RBI has released ‘Draft Guidelines for on tap Licensing of Universal Banks in the Private Sector’ to receive comments / suggestions from the public.

A commemorative coin of 100 rupees and a circulation coin of ten rupees have been released on the 475th birth anniversary of Maharana Pratap.

APRIL 2016

REPO RATE LOWERED TO 6.50% The RBI announced a 25 basis cut in its policy interest rate on April 5, lowering it to more than five-year low. The new repo rate now stands at 6.50 per cent. However, the reverse repo rate has been hiked by 25 basis points to 6 per cent. The new Marginal Standing Facility and Bank Rate stand at 7.00 percent. The move is likely to lower the rate of interest on bank loans, facilitating the pace of economic growth.

BANKS ADOPT MCLR FOR LOWER RATES Short-term working capital loans are set to get cheaper as banks start adopting the marginal cost of funds-based lending rate (MCLR) from 1 April. The new framework requires banks to set rates based on their marginal cost of funds rather than their average cost of funds. MCLR is expected to improve transmission of policy rate cuts to bank loan rates.


INDIA’s FIRST PAYMENTS BANK Airtel M Commerce Services Limited (AMSL), a subsidiary of Bharti Airtel (Airtel) has been granted the India’s first payments bank license by RBI. The company already offers mobile money services under the brand name ‘Airtel Money’.

State Bank of India has launched 'NO Queue' Mobile app to save its customers time to avail banking services.

MARCH 2016

BANKS TO PAY Q’LY INTEREST ON SB A/Cs

RBI has asked banks to pay interest on savings accounts on a quarterly basis or a shorter duration, a move which will benefit crores of savings account holders. At present, the interest is credited in savings bank accounts on a half-yearly basis. Banks are free to decide rate of interest on savings bank accounts. It is calculated on the daily balance basis. SMALL SAVINGS RATES SLASHED The government has reduced interest rates payable on small savings including Public Provident Fund, National Savings Certificate and Kisan Vikas Patra to align them closer to market rates. From 1st of April, PPF and NSC will earn 8.1 per cent and KVP 7.8 per cent. BANKERS MEET ‘GYAN SANGAM’ IN GURGAON The two day meet of public sector banks and insurance companies and other financial institutions with the government officials - Gyan Sangam, was held in Gurgaon, Haryana on March 5-6 to discuss their performance with particular focus on mergers, bad debts (NPAs) and credit growth. It was indicated that the government may go in for the consolidation of banks, led by 6-10 major public sector banks acting as ‘anchor banks’, to strengthen weak banks. ACCOUNT AGGREGATOR NBFCs RBI has come out with a draft regulatory framework for new kind of Account Aggregator Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFC) which would act as an account aggregator to help people view their accounts across financial institutions in a common format.

ICICI BANK STARTS ‘WORK FROM HOME’ Keeping in mind the difficulties faced by the women who very often opt to drop out from the workplace at key life stages, ICICI Bank has announced an initiative called iWork@home that uses technology to enable women employees to work from home for an extended period of time depending on their needs.

NPCI, issuer of Rupay card, plans to venture into the credit card space by September 2016. It plans to issue 100,000 such cards in the first year.

The RBI has signed a pact with Bank of Israel for exchange of information pertaining to banking supervision.

The Reserve Bank granted the first license for the Small Finance Bank on 4 March to the Capital Local Area Bank Ltd to start operations as India’s first SFB.

Indian Overseas Bank has become the first bank to commence the sale of Indian Gold Coin. The coins are available in the 5, 10 and 20 gram category.

DEFENCE, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

MAY 2016

NAVAL EXERCISE WITH ASEAN FORCES The ADMM-Plus (ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus) Exercise on Maritime Security and Counter Terrorism (Ex MS & CT) was held in Brunei. The nine day naval exercise aims to strengthen the strong bilateral ties and extensive maritime interactions between India and ASEAN countries. BRAHMOS TESTED SUCCESSFULLY

The supersonic ballistic missile BrahMos was test fired successfully from an aircraft in the air to land mode at the Pokaran field firing range in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. It has flight range of up to 290 km. PRITHVI II MISSILE TESTED BY DRDO India successfully test fired its indigenously developed nuclear weapon capable Prithvi-II missile from the Abdul Kalam Island, off Odisha coast. It has a strike range of 350 kilometer.


INDIA TEST FIRES ANTI-BALLASTIC MISSILE India successfully test-fired its indigenously developed supersonic interceptor missile, capable of destroying any incoming hostile ballistic missile. The Advance Air Defence (AAD) missile dubbed as Ashwin was fired from the Adbul Kalam Island (formerly known as Wheeler Island), off the Odisha coast.

IAF LAUNCHES E-MAINTENANCE SYSTEM Indian Air Force launched an Electronic Maintenance Management System (e-MMS), one of the biggest automated military maintenance systems in the world, at the Air Force Station in Pune. The system would seamlessly connect all the squadrons, wings, commands with the Air Headquarters, after its implementation.

NAVY SAYS GOOD BYE TO ‘SEA HARRIERS’ The Indian Naval Air Squadron 300- ‘White Tigers,’ bid farewell to the British Sea Harriers fighter aircrafts on May 11. They will be replaced by the new generation MiG 29K/Kub fighters. Sea Harriers joined the Indian Navy in 1983.

Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha became the first Chief of Air Staff to fly the indigenously designed and produced Light Combat Aircraft Tejas in Bengaluru.

Indian Army conducted its major military training exercise ‘Chakravyuh-II’ in Suratgarh, Rajasthan.

INS Kalvari (sea tiger shark), the first of the six indigenous Scorpene-class submarines set out for sea trials off the Mumbai coast.

India signed 4 MoUs for cooperation in defence sector with Oman in Muscat.

The indigenously built Offshore Petrol Vessel ICGS Shaurya joined the Indian Coast guard at Vasco, Goa. ICGS = Indian Coast Guard Ship

Indigenously built Fast Patrol Vessel ICGS Arush joined the Indian Coast Guard at Cochi, Kerala.

The 27th edition of the India-Indonesian CORPAT (Coordinated Patrol) between their navies was held off the coast of Belawan, Indonesia.

India’s first indigenously built fast attack waterjet craft INS Tarmugli was inducted in Indian Navy at Visakhapatnam.

The Indian Navy has decided to decommission two of its warships – INS Veer and INS Nipat.

ISRO TESTS RE-USABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE India successfully tested its first-ever indigenously built space shuttle - the Re-Usable Launch Vehicle - Technology Demonstrator or RLV-TD on May 23 from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. Re-usable technology aims to help reduce the cost of launching satellites by 10 times.


WHO TO PROMOTE ‘AYUSH’

India and the World Health Organization have signed an agreement in Geneva for cooperation in promoting quality, safety and effectiveness of service provision in traditional Indian systems of medicine, called AYUSH. GOOGLE CHROME IS TOP BROWSER As per a global market research, Google Chrome, claiming 41.7 per cent of desktop browser share has become the top Internet browser, ending the long reign of Microsoft Internet Explorer. Mozilla’s Firefox browser stands at third place.

In the first global assessment of the world's flora by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (London), it is estimated that there are about 390,900 plants.

In a rare astronomical phenomenon, planet Mercury was seen as a moving dot on the solar disc, from various places of India, on May 9.

University of Cambridge researchers have built the world's smallest working engine. The device, powered by light, is just millionths of a millimeter in size.

China successfully launched its remote sensing satellite ‘Yaogan-30’ into space atop a Long March 2D rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

APRIL 2016

ARMY RAISES NEW ‘GORKHA BATTALION’ The Army has raised a new Gorkha battalion comprising entirely of Gorkha troops of Indian domicile. The new battalion, the Sixth Battalion of the First Gorkha Rifles (6/1GR), christened “Kanchi Paltan”, has been raised at Sabathu in the Shivalik foothills near Shimla, that houses the 14 Gorkha Training Centre.

DEAL FINALISED FOR 36 RAFALE JETS India has finalised the deal to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets from Dassault Aviation of France for 7.89 billion euros (Rs. 59,000 crore). The Indian team managed to bring down the deal price by 11 billion euros. The first set of jets would be delivered within 18 to 20 months. K-4 MISSILE TESTED SUCCESSFULLY India has successfully tested its most ambitious weapon system - a long range submarine-launched ballistic missile, codenamed K-4, capable of striking targets upto 3,500 kilometres away. The missile was tested 40 kms off the Vishakhapatnam coast.

INDIA MAKES FIRST SONAR DOME India’s first indigenous composite sonar dome, a ship’s underwater eyes and ears, was launched at Goa. Designed and produced by DRDO, it is a rare achievement as very few companies in the world have technology to make sonar domes. INDIA 4TH IN DEFENCE SPENDING India has become the world’s fourth largest spender on defence, following a 13.1% increase in its 2016-17 defence budget of Rs. 2,58,000 crore, according to US research firm IHS Inc. USA is the largest spender in the world, followed by China and Saudi Arabia. INDIA – US TO SHARE MILITARY LOGISTICS To counter the growing maritime assertiveness of China, India and the United States have ‘agreed in principle’ to share their military logistics. IAF TO TAKE PART IN NATO EXCERCISE

12 IAF aircrafts will take part in the prestigious 'Red Flag' air exercise alongside NATO forces from April 28 to May 13 in skies over Alaska. It is seen as a complex and advanced network centric operation -- the toughest test for flying machines and men.

ICGS Shoor, an offshore patrol vessel was inducted in the Indian Coast Guard at it Mangalore base.

The 11th Indo-Mongolia joint army training exercise, titled ‘Nomadic Elephant - 2016’ commenced on 25 April in Mongolia to share skills for handling Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorism events.

The 22nd Indo-Thai Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) was held from 19-27 April in the Andaman Sea. Missile Corvette INS Karmuk and Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft took part in this exercise.

The Indian Army conducted its major war exercise named ‘Shatrujeet’ (winning the enemy) in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan.

LIGHTEST EVER SYNTHETIC MATERIAL Scientists at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (of ISRO), Thiruvananthapuram, have developed the world's lightest ever synthetic material called ‘silica aerogel’ or ‘blue air’ or ‘frozen smoke’. It has an excellent thermal resistance and if used as filler in uniforms, it can save many lives at the Siachen Glacier.


SUPERCOMPUTER ‘PARAM KANCHENJUNGA’ The National Institute of Technology (NIT) Sikkim has secured a rare distinction of having a supercomputer named ‘Param Kanchenjunga’, which is said to be the most powerful and fastest among all the 31 NITs. INDIA GETS ASIA's BIGGEST TELESCOPE Asia's biggest telescope has been launched in India. Built by the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) with the assistance of Belgium, the telescope is located at a height of 2,500 metres at Devasthal in Nainital district.

The Airports Authority of India has signed an MoU with ISRO to provide scientific parameters for construction of airports across the country.

India and the USA have signed an agreement for a new Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) project in India.

MARCH 2016

‘FORCE 18’ HELD IN PUNE The multinational mega Military Exercise Force 18 was held in Pune, Maharashtra from March 2 to 8. Hosted by Indian Army, it included 18 forces from ASEAN and several other countries. The theme of the exercise was `Humanitarian Mine Action’ (HMA) and `Peacekeeping Operations’ (PKO).

ICGS Arnvesh, the Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) built by the Cochin Shipyard was commissioned in the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) in Visakhapatnam.

Iron Fist 2016 - Indian Air Force conducted its biggest fire power combat exercise at Pokhran in Rajasthan on March 18.

Indian army test-fired indigenously built nuclear-capable Agni-I ballistic missile with a range of 700 kms from Abdul Kalam Island on the Odisha coast.

Garuda Shakti, the 4th edition of joint army training exercise between India and Indonesia was held at Magelang, Indonesia, from March 11 to 23.

Defence Ministry has issued the order for purchase of transport helicopters CH-47 Chinook and attack helicopter AH-64 Apache, from the Boeing, USA.

ISRO PUTS UP SPACE RESEARCH RADAR A new 30MHz radar system, Gadanki Ionospheric Radar Interfereometer (GIRI), second largest in the world, has been established at National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL) at Gadanki in Andhra Pradesh for ionospheric, meteor and space weather research in a comprehensive way. NARL functions under ISRO. ISRO LAUNCHES 6TH IRNSS SATELLITE The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on 10 March launched the country’s sixth Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS)-1F, on board its launch vehicle PSLV C-32 from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. IRNSS is a set up of seven satellites to serve as GPS (global positioning system) of India. NATIONAL SCIENCE DAY – FEB 28

It was observed Feb 28 with the theme “Scientific Issues for Development of the Nation”. The day is observed to mark the discovery of the Raman Effect (phenomenon of scattering of photons) by Indian physicist Sir C V Raman, Nobel laureate on 28 February 1928. ‘EXOMARS’ LAUNCHED TO STUDY MARS ExoMars 2016, an unmanned spacecraft was launched jointly by Europe and Russia on a Russian Proton rocket from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to study the Mars' atmosphere for gassy evidence that life once existed on the Red Planet. Australian scientists have created the world’s

thinnest lens which is 2,000 times thinner than human hair, a breakthrough set to revolutionise nanotechnology.


INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2016

KENYA DESTROYS HUGE STOCK OF IVORY

In one of the largest stockpile of elephant tusks (ivory) destroyed in Africa, Kenya's president set fire to 105 tonnes of elephant ivory and more than one tonne of rhino horn, seized from smugglers and poachers. The ivory is reported to be worth over $150 million in the open market and the rhino horn could raise as much as $80 million. WB LAUNCHES EMERGENCY FUND FOR ZIKA World Bank Group has launched the Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility (PEF) to protect and support poorest countries against deadly pandemics like Ebola, Zika. The PEF will ensure fast disbursement of global financing. ROYAL CAMPAIGN FOR MENTAL HEALTH British Royals Prince William, Princess Kate and Prince Harry launched the ‘Heads Together’ campaign in London to spread and promote public awareness about mental health and wellbeing.

Heads of state and government from G-7 nations, USA, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and host Japan held their meet in the Japanese city of Ise Shima.

Finance ministers and central bank governors meet of G-7 nations held in Sendai, Japan.

A two day International Buddhist conference was held at the birth place of Lord Buddha, Lumbini, Nepal to celebrate his 2,560th birth anniversary.

The first-ever World Humanitarian Summit was held in Istanbul from 23 to 24th May.

The First World Conference on Tourism for Development was held in Beijing, China from May 18-21.

Harmony of the Seas, world’s biggest-ever cruise ship, capable of accommodating more than 8,000 passengers and crew in the most luxurious conditions, was unveiled in France.

USA decided to fully lift its embargo on sales of lethal weapons to its one-time arch enemy, Vietnam, after a gap of over 32 years.

Kenya to close World's biggest refugee camp in Dadaab, citing threat to internal security. About 3,28,000 refugees, mostly from Somalia are staying in this camp.

USA has approved selection of animal ‘Bison’ as the first national mammal of the country. This is in addition to the present national symbol - Bald Eagle’.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has decided to stop printing of the 500 euro banknote by the end of 2018 with a view to curb illicit activities. It is one of the highest value (Rs 38,0000 roughly) circulating banknotes in the world.

The International Bank Note Society has declared New Zealand’s five-dollar note as the Banknote of the Year for 2015 in a study of 40 notes from 20 countries.

APRIL 2016

WORLD’s WHO’s WHO IN PANAMA LEAK A massive leak of 11.5 million documents from a law firm in Panama reveals how the world's current rich people, politicians and celebrities hide their money in Panama. The documents, dubbed the Panama Papers, were obtained by a Munich-based daily newspaper. The names figuring in the leak included aides to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's son Nazifuddin, family of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Amitabh Bachchan. USA TOPS IN ICT USAGE

A study of 50 nations by Chinese IT giant Huawei for investment and deployment of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has placed USA at top, followed by Singapore, Sweden. Huawei Global Connectivity Index 2016 places India at 44th rank.


AUSTRALIA SUFFERS LOSS IN REEF TOURISM

Australian scientists have reported that over 90 per cent of the Great Barrier Reef has been affected by mass bleaching that is likely to destroy half the coral. Reef tourism generates around $4 billion every year for Australia. Bleaching occurs when the water is too warm, forcing coral to expel living algae and causing it to calcify and turn white. IMF & WB TO WORK FOR TAX IMPROVEMENT The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have joined hands with the United Nations and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, to form a new group which will work for building effective tax systems in developing countries and avoiding tax base erosion. SAN JOSE - THE MOST FUTURE READY CITY In a study of 50 cities conducted by the IT firm Dell - ‘Future-Ready Economies Model’, city of San Jose in California, USA has been placed at top, followed by San Francisco, Singapore. From India, Delhi ranks at 44th place. WTO LOWERS TRADE GROWTH TO 2.8% The World Trade Organization has revised its 2016 global trade forecast downward by more than one percentage point to 2.8 per cent, warning that a slowdown in China and broad market volatility continued to threaten growth. In September last, the WTO estimated global trade to rise by 3.9 per cent in 2016. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ZERO - ICZ ICZ was held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France to promote the knowledge of Maths for greater global good. A bronze bust of ancient Indian mathematician and astronomer Aryabhatta was also unveiled there on the occasion. WORLD DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS The World Bank released the 2016 edition of the World Development Indicators (WDI). It includes 1400 indicators for over 200 economies to measure the 169 targets of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by UNO.

TOP 'GLOBAL GAME CHANGERS' American business magazine Forbes has ranked some of the biggest names in business as the 'Global Game Changers'. The selected 30 businessmen have exhibited growth and innovation, and their examples have had been adopted and copied by rivals the world over. The list is topped by Marcs Benioff, CEO of Salesforce.com, followed by Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com. It includes three Indians - Rahul Bhatia of Inter Globe Enterprises, Cyrus Poonawalla of Serum Institute of India, and Sunny Varkey of GEMS Education at 3, 23 and 26 positions respectively.

The annual Spring Meeting of IMF & WB was held at Washington. Finance Ministers and Governors of Central Banks from G-20 nations attended the meet.

Heads of about 53 countries took part in the 4th Nuclear Security Summit held in Washington, USA.

Nauru, the tiny South Pacific island nation has become the 189th member of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

Summit of the foreign ministers of the G-7 countries was held at Hiroshima, Japan on April 11.

Japan has become fourth country in world to successfully test its first stealth fighter jet – X 2, the other three being USA, Russia and China.

The latest World Malaria Report from WHO says that Europe has become the world’s first region to wipe out malaria with zero cases reported last year.

The 13th Islamic Summit Conference was held in Istanbul, Turkey. This year’s theme was Unity and Solidarity for Justice and Peace.

The world’s first public dengue vaccination programme was launched in the Philippines.

In UK, Britain's Royal Mail has launched a set of special postage stamps to mark the 400th death anniversary of the great playwright William Shakespeare.

Bangladesh’s top court has rejected a 28-year-old petition to remove Islam as official religion of the country, disappointing the activists who wanted the country to remain secular.

UNICEF launched a series of animated films, called Unfairy Tales, to help frame positive perceptions towards the tens of millions of children and young people on the move globally (refugees).

A US grand jury has slapped a $ 940 million fine on Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Tata America International Corp. in a trade secret case against them.

In one of the largest environmental settlement in the US history, oil and gas giant British Petroleum has agreed to pay over $20 billion to the American government as damages over the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Venezuela has ordered a two-day working week for public sector workers as a temporary measure to help it overcome a serious energy crisis.


MARCH 2016

UN TO SET UP ‘BLUE DOTS’ FOR REFUGEES

The United Nations has decided to set up 20 child and family support hubs known as "Blue Dots" from Turkey, through Greece all the way to Slovenia as special support centres for migrant children and families along the most travelled route in Europe. The centres will be looked after by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF). USA STARTS NEW CHAPTER WITH CUBA US President Barack Obama scripted history by becoming first US President to visit its island neighbour Cuba, after 88 years of strained relations. The US snapped ties with Cuba in 1959 when the Cuban revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro ousted a pro-American government. WORLD’s COSTLIEST RAILWAY STATION

The World Trade Center Transportation Hub was opened to public on March 3 at New York. Built at a cost of $ 4 billion, it took 12 years to complete. It' will serve 250,000 daily commuters and 11 subway lines. WORLD CONGRESS OF BIOSPHERE RESERVES was held at Lima in Peru from 14-17 March 2016 to address different issues related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for promotion of biosphere reserves across the world.

USA TOPS IN INNOVATIONS According to the latest figures released by the Geneva-based World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the US continued to dominate the world of innovation and inventions by filing 57,385 international patent applications last year, followed by Japan and China. In comparison India lagged behind by filing for only 1423 patents. In terms of companies, Huawei Technologies of China with 3,898 applications was at top.

GATE CONTINUES TO BE RICHEST Microsoft’s co-founder Bill Gates continues to be the world’s richest person with a net worth of $75 billion, according to Forbes’ annual ranking of billionaires. Ranked 36th, Mukesh Ambani, with a net worth of $20.6 billion, leads the pack of 84 Indian billionaires in the list.

According to a new law in Uganda, parents who fail to vaccinate their children will face six months in jail. It also requires children to have an immunisation card to allow them to go to school.

9th International Abilympics started at Bordeaux in France. Abilympics is coined from 'Olympics of abilities' of persons with disabilities. It is a global work skills competition held every four years.

Changi Airport in Singapore has been voted the World’s Best Airport for the fourth year in a row at the 2016 World Airport Awards

The 59th Session of Commission on Narcotic Drugs was held in Vienna, Austria

World's first fully electric double decker bus service was launched by London's transport authority. The buses have been made by China automaker BYD.

China's National People's Congress has set the country's growth target at 6.5 to 7 % for 2016.


PERSONS IN NEWS

MAY 2016

UDAY KOTAK: Kotak Mahindra Bank Chief, is the only Indian in Forbes' 'Money Masters: The Most Powerful People in the Financial World' list of 40 persons.

Lt. Col. RANVEER JAMWAL: An officer in the Jat regiment of Indian Army successfully completed his third Everest expedition, the earlier ones being in 2012 and 2013. YASH CHOPRA: A life size bronze statue of the late film-maker was installed by the govt of Switzerland in Kursaal area to honour the film maker who shot most of his romantic dramas in the lush mountains of Switzerland. RISHI NAIR: A 6th grade Indian American student won the prestigious National Geographic Bee competition 2016 at Washington DC, USA. NIHAR JANGA & JAIRAM HATHWAR: Two Indian-American students scripted history by becoming the joint winner of the US Scripps National Spelling Bee Contest. Nihar, a 5th grader, is the youngest winner of the 91 year old contest while Jairam is in 7th grade. Each will get a prize of $ 40,000. FATMA SAMOURA: The Senegalese UN diplomat was named as the first ever female Secretary General of the international football body, FIFA. DILMA ROUSSEFF: 68 years old Brazilian President was suspended on May 12 after several weeks of nationwide protests for her removal. Senate has decided to initiate impeachment proceedings against her on charges that she broke budget accounting laws. CRAIG WRIGHT: The Australian entrepreneur has publicly identified himself as creator of virtual cash/currency – Bitcoin, under the fake name of Satoshi Nakamoto. This ends years of speculation about who came up with the original ideas underlying the digital cash system. LHAKPA SHERPA: A 42-year-old Nepalese woman of USA climbed Mount Everest for the seventh time on May 20, creating a record for the most summits of the world’s highest mountain by a woman.

APRIL 2016

SACHIN TENDULKAR: The Ministry for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has named cricket icon as brand ambassador of the 'Skill India' campaign. P SUSHEELA MOHAN: Renowned playback singer has been recognized by the Guinness World Records for singing the most number of songs in Indian languages - 17,695 solo, duet and chorus-backed songs in 12 Indian languages. NITA AMBANI: Reliance Foundation Chairperson has been named the most powerful businesswoman in Asia by Forbes, leading a list of 50 women leaders from the region that includes only eight from India. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: A host of celebrations were held in England and several other parts of the world to observe 400th death anniversary of legendary playwright, also known as The Bard of Avon. His famous works include masterpieces like Othello, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. QUEEN ELIZABETH II: The world’s oldest-serving royal and the longest-reigning and longest-lived British monarch turned 90 on April 21, receiving the greetings of thousands of British citizens as well as wishes from all over the world. ARSENIY YATSENYUK: Ukrainian Prime Minister announced his resignation in the wake of a month-long political crisis that paralysed his government and frozen the release of vital Western aid. Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson: Iceland’s Prime Minister resigned reportedly after his name figured in the mushrooming worldwide scandal over hidden offshore financial dealings exposed in the so-called Panama Papers leak.

MARCH 2016

ARVIND KEJRIWAL has been ranked 42nd among the world’s 50 greatest leaders by Fortune magazine. He is the sole Indian on the list, topped by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. PM NARENDRA MODI is among “The 30 Most Influential People on the Internet” list compiled by the Time magazine, USA, describing him as an ‘Internet star’ who often uses social media to conduct diplomacy.


MOTHER TERESA: The Nobel Laureate who spent 45 years serving the poor and sick on the streets of Kolkata in her Missionaries of Charity, till her death in 1997, was in news as the Pope Francis, religious chief of Christians, has announced to confer Sainthood on her on September 4, 2016. ATIUR RAHMAN: Governor of Bangladesh Bank, country’s beleaguered central bank, resigned after hackers stole over $100 million from its accounts maintained with the Federal Reserve Bank, New York. AMAR SINGH: An Indian-origin Sikh has become the Police Commissioner of Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur, the first Sikh to achieve the top police post in the Muslim-majority country. SCOTT KELLY: The commander of the International Space Station, returned to earth on March 1, completing 340 days stay in space, becoming the American with longest stay in space. Record for longest stay in space is held by Russia’s Valeri Polyakov, 437.7 days.

APPOINTMENTS

MAY 2016

3 NEW CHIEF MINISTERS Sarbananda Sonowal: Assam, from BJP Pinarayi Vijayan: Kerala, from CPI (M) V. Narayanasamy: Puducherry, from Congress KIRAN BEDI: Appointed as the new Lieutenant Governor of Union Territory of Puducherry. VICE ADMIRAL SUNIL LANBA: Appointed as the next Chief of Indian Navy, in the rank of Admiral. S K BHAGAT: Appointed as Director General of the Railway Protection Force (RPF). S K SHARMA: Renowned scientist has been appointed the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL). ANURAG THAKUR: The BJP M P from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh, was elected as the President of the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI). SHASHANK MANOHAR: Former BCCI President, who resigned recently, was elected unopposed as the first independent Chairman of International Cricket Council, for two years.

ATMA RAM NADKARNI: Appointed as the Additional Solicitor General in Supreme Court for a period of three years. BINALI YILDIRIM: Elected as the new Prime Minister of Turkey. Ms. TSAI ING-WEN: elected as the first women President of Taiwan BACIRO DJA: Appointed as the new Prime Minister of Guinea Bissau, a small country in Western Africa. RODRIGO DUTERTE: Elected as the New President of the Philippines. He is the Mayor of Davao City in Philippines. He is very popular and is known as ‘Digong’. ENDA KENNY: Re elected as the Prime Minister of Ireland

APRIL 2016

JUSTICE (retd.) PERMOD KOHLI: Appointed as the new Chairman of Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). C P GURNANI: Elected as the new Chairman of the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) for 2016-17. He is the MD & CEO of Tech Mahindra. MEHBOOBA MUFTI: Elected as the first woman Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir LOBSANG SANGAY: Re-elected as the Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharmsala, Himachal Pradesh. CLEMENT MOUAMBA: Appointed as the new Prime Minister of Republic of Congo. IDRISS DEBY: Elected for the 5th time as the President of Chad, a country in Central Africa. BOUNNHANG VORACHIT: Elected as the new President of Laos THONGLOUN SISOULITH: Elected as the new Prime Minister of Laos VOLODYMYR GROYSMAN: Elected as the new Prime Minister of Ukraine SOORONBAI JEENBEKOV: New Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan. HASHIM THACI: Elected as the President of Kosovo, a small country in southeast Europe.


SIGURDUR INGI JOHANNSSON: Elected as the new Prime Minister of Iceland after the earlier Prime Minister resigned due to his name coming in ‘Panama Leaks’. NGUYEN XUAN PHUC: Elected as the new Prime Minister of Vietnam. TRAN DAI QUANG: Elected as the new President of Vietnam. FAUSTIN ARCHANGE TOUADERA: Elected as the new President of Central African Republic. Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr: Appointed as the new Prime Minister of Yemen

MARCH 2016

VINOD RAI: Former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has been appointed as the first Chairman of Banks Board Bureau (BBB). BBB will start functioning from April 1, 2016 to approve the appointments of banks’ top executives and improve their governance. JUSTICE BALBIR SINGH CHAUHAN: appointed as the chairperson of the 21st Law Commission. He is a former Supreme Court judge. HTIN KYAW: elected as the first civilian President of Myanmar to lead the country after 53 years of military rule. He is a close aide of the iconic crusader of democracy Aung San Suu Kyi. H DEEP SAINI: Noted Indian scholar and plant physiologist has been appointed as the Vice Chancellor of the prestigious University of Canberra, Australia. ASHLEY JUDD: The American actor and activist has been appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Population Fund - UNFPA, (formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities). MICHELLE YEOH: Famous action heroine of Malaysia-China has been appointed as United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Goodwill Ambassador.

AHMED ABUL GHEIT: Veteran Egyptian diplomat and former Foreign Minister has been named as new Secretary General of the Arab League. ALI MOHAMED SHEIN: Re-elected as the President of Zanzibar. MAHAMADOU ISSOUFOU: Re elected as the President Niger for a second term

HASHIM THACI: Elected as the President of Kosovo, a tiny country in southeastern Europe.

AWARDS & HONOURS

MAY 2016

‘ORDER OF THE RISING SUN, GOLD AND SILVER’: Former bureaucrat and parliamentarian N. K. Singh was selected for Japan’s highest civilian honour, for promoting economic, educational and cultural ties

between India and Japan. MAN BOOKER INTERNATIONAL PRIZE: South Korean author, Han Kang, has won the prestigious prize for her novel 'The Vegetarian'. The writer and her British translator Deborah Smith will share the $72,000 prize money. This prize is given every year for the best book translated in English and published in U K. MILLENNIUM TECHNOLOGY PRIZE: US engineer Frances Arnold has become first woman to win this prize for pioneering directed evolution. The award, given by the Technology Academy, Finland, carries a cash prize of Euro one million. Palme d'Or: Award for the best film at Cannes Film Festival won by the film ‘I, Daniel Blake’ by British director Ken Loach. PEN’s LITERARY SERVICE AWARD: Won by British author J.K. Rowling for her dedication to free speech and social justice. The award is given by PEN, a USA based NGO for excellence in promoting peace, harmony and human rights through literature. COMMONWEALTH SHORT STORY PRIZE: (for Asia region) won by Prashar Kulkarni for his story ‘Cow and Company’. “NORTH STAR": Highest civilian award of Mongolia conferred upon two noted Indian scholars-Lokesh Chandra and Mansura Haider for their contribution to Mongolian studies. Sudarsan Pattnaik: Renowned sand artist won the gold medal at the 9th Moscow Sand Sculpture Championship in Russia.

APRIL 2016

SARASWATI SAMMAAN: Prestigious prize for literature given to the Jammu-born poet and novelist Padma Sachdev for her autobiography ‘Chitt-Chete’ written in Dogri language. The award carries award money of 15 lakh rupees, a citation and a plaque.


FBB FEMINA MISS INDIA WORLD 2016 Winner: Priyadarshini Chaterjee First runners-up: Sushruthi Krishna Second runners-up: Pankhuri Gidwani

DADASAHEB PHALKE AWARD: won by renowned actor Manoj Bajpayee for the movie Aligarh. Please note that this is NOT the national award rather it is the regional award in Maharashtra, given by Dada Saheb Phalke Foundation. 'Officier de l Ordre national de la Legion d Honneur’: (Officer of the Legion of Honour), highest French civilian honour conferred upon Former Army Chief General (retd) J J Singh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred Saudi Arabia’s highest civilian honour- the king Abdulaziz Sash. The award is named after Abdulaziz Al Saud, the founder of the modern Saudi state.

MARCH 2016

63rd NATIONAL FILM AWARDS

Best Feature Film: Baahubali - The Beginning by S S Rajamouli Best Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali for 'Bajirao Mastani'

Best Actor: Amitabh Bachchan for 'Piku'

Best Actress: Kangana Ranaut for 'Tanu Weds Manu Returns'

Best Hindi Film: Dum Laga Ke Haisha by Sharat Katariya

Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Bajrangi Bhaijaan by Kabir Khan

Most Film- Friendly State Award: Gujarat DADA SAHEB PHALKE AWARD - 2015: Awarded to veteran actor and film maker Manoj Kumar who played the patriotic Indian in most of his films, becoming famous as ‘Bharat Kumar’. His superhit movies included Upkaar, Purab aur Pashchim, Kranti. The award is the highest official recognition in Indian cinema from the govt. It consists of a golden lotus, a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh and a shawl. ‘KRISHI KARMAN AWARD’: Given to Himachal Pradesh for its landmark achievement in showing highest production of food grains in year 2014-15, despite adverse weather conditions and rain-fed farming in the state.

CHAMELI DEVI JAIN AWARD: Priyanka Kakodkar and Raksha Kumar won the award for 2015-16 for their excellent work in journalism to highlight social issues. The award is given only to women journalists. SKOCH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu for his contributions to inclusive growth and towards poverty alleviation in India. ‘KAYAKALP’ AWARD: The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research bagged the top government award for best hospital cleanliness and infection control, winning prize money of Rs 5 crore while AIIMS, New Delhi, came second and got a reward of Rs 3 crore.

88TH OSCAR AWARDS Los Angeles, USA, Feb 29, 2016

Given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, USA to recognize excellence in cinematic achievements, they are regarded as the highest recognition in world of cinema.

Best Picture: Spotlight by Tom Mc Carthy Best Director: Alejandro Iñárritu (The Revenant) Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant) Best Actress: Brie Larson (Room) ABEL PRIZE (for maths): Sir Andrew Wiles, an Oxford University professor has won the 5,00,000 pounds prize for cracking a 300-year-old mystery mathematical theorem. The prize, popular as the Nobel of Mathematics, is given by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. GOLDEN CITY GATE AWARD: Prestigious award from the world's leading travel trade show Internationale Tourismus-Borse Berlin (ITB-Berlin) 2016 won by Kerala Tourism's campaign on responsible tourism.


GLOBAL TEACHER PRIZE: The one million dollar prize for innovative teaching has been won by Hanan Al Hroub for her innovative approach in teaching to overcome tense environments of the region under the shadow of the Israel-Palestine conflict. She is a Palestinian teacher from a refugee camp in Al-Bireh, Palestine Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur: (Knight of the Legion of Honour), one of the highest civil honour by the French government was conferred upon Anand Mahindra, CMD, Mahindra & Mahindra.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

MAY 2016

Vanishing Shangri La by K N Raghavan.

The Drowned Detective by Neil Jordan,

Blood on my Hands: Confessions of Staged Encounters by Kishalay Bhattacharjee The Outside Lands by Hannah Kohler

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

APRIL 2016

An Economist in the Real World by Kaushik Basu, Chief Economist at World Bank

Swimmer Among the Stars by Kanishk Tharoor

Mercedes-Benz - Winning by Adil Jal Darukhanawala

Friends in Wild Places by Ruskin Bond.

Safeguarding India by NN Vohra.

The Making of India: The Untold Story of British Enterprise by Kartar Lalvani

Advantage India — From Challenge to Opportunity by APJ Abdul Kalam and Srijan Pal Singh.

A State in Denial by B G Verghese

The Kiss of Life by Imraan Hashmi

The Mountain of Shiva by Dr Karan Singh. He is a member of Rajya Sabha.

MARCH 2016

East of Suez by Alice Perrin

Buddhist Biology by David P. Barash

Standing Guard—A Year in Opposition by P Chidambaram.

Our Impossible Love by Durjoy Dutta

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Life Mantras by Subrata Roy Sahara

Gandhi: An Illustrated Biography by Pramod Kapoor

Fixed: Cash and Corruption in Cricket by Shantanu Guha Ray

Who Was Shivaji by Govind Pansare

Indigo —Selected Stories by Satyajit Ray

A Handbook for My Lover by Rosalyn D’Mello.

OBITUARY

MAY 2016

BABA HARDEV SINGH: Spiritual leader and Head of Nirankari Mission was killed in a road accident in Montreal, Canada. He was 62. BALRAJ MADHOK: Former President of Bharatiya Jan Sangh (BJS) and veteran RSS leader died in Delhi. He was 96. TONY COZIER: Famous West Indian cricket writer, commentator and journalist passed away at the age of 75.

APRIL 2016

POORNIMABEN PAKVASA: Great social worker from Gujarat, known for her exceptional work towards educating tribal girls, passed away at the age of 103. Mother of famous classical dancer Padma Vibhushan Sonal Mansingh, she was a Padma Bhushan awardee. SATYANAND MUNJAL: The co-founder of Hero Cycles group, a great philanthropist, passed away in Ludhiana, Punjab. He was 99. PRATYUSHA BANERJEE: TV actress, known for her role of Anandi in the popular serial “Balika Vadhu”, allegedly committed suicide at her Kandivali residence in Mumbai. GUY HAMILTON: Veteran British movie director, who directed four hugely popular James Bond films, passed away at the age of 93. The four superhits include Diamonds are Forever, Live and Let Die and The Man With The Golden Gun and Goldfinger. ROGERS NELSON: Pop music superstar, popularly known as Prince in USA, died aged 57. He won seven Grammy Awards and earned 30 nominations.


VICTORIA WOOD: Popular comedian, singer and writer from BBC in United Kingdom, died at 62 after “a short but brave” battle with cancer.

DORIS ROBERTS: The popular TV actress from USA who delighted audiences as the meddling mother next door on the popular TV soap Everybody Loves Raymond, died at the age of 90. She won the popular TV award Emmy five times.

BILL CAMPBELL: Silicon Valley’s veteran adviser who mentored technology heavyweights like former Apple CEO late Steve Jobs and co-founder of Google, Larry Page, died at age 75.

ZAHA HADID: Renowned Iraq-born British architect passed away due to heart attack. She was 65. She was world’s most famous female architect and was known for her neofuturistic design which was her signature architectural style.

IMRE KERTESZ: Hungarian author, 2002 Nobel Literature Prize winner, died aged 86 in Budapest, after a long illness.

MARCH 2016

PARAMESH KRISHNAN NAIR: Indian film archivist and film scholar died on 4 March 2016. He was 82. He was the founder and former director of the National Film Archive of India. P A SANGMA: Former Lok Sabha Speaker passed away at the age of 68. He was co-founder of the Nationalist Congress Party and remained Chief Minister of Meghalaya from 1988 to 1990. KUMARIMUTHU: Famous Tamil Comedy actor died in Chennai. He was 77. Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan: Eminent Shehnai exponent died in Kolkata. He was 77. LLOYD S. SHAPLEY: Veteran Mathematician from USA, winner of Nobel Prize in Economics for his study of strategic decision-making called “game theory,” died in Tucson, USA. He was 92. JOHAN CRUYFF: The Netherland's soccer legend died of lung cancer in Barcelona, Spain. He was 68. He is credited with some of the greatest triumphs of the famous Barcelona Football Club.

GEORGE HENRY MARTIN: The legendary music producer, popular as the "Fifth Beatle", passed away in England. He was 90. Winner of 6 Grammy Awards, he held Guinness World Records for the most successful producer ever with more than 50 Numbers.

PAT CONROY: US novelist whose best-selling novels include 'Prince of Tides' and 'Water is Wide', died at the age of 70 in South Carolina, USA.

RAY TOMLINSON: inventor of E-mail, passed away in Washington, USA at the age of 74. He invented direct electronic messages between users on different machines on a certain network in 1971. MARTIN CROWE: Pioneering cricketer, widely acknowledged as New Zealand’s greatest batsman who laid the foundations for Twenty20 cricket, died of cancer at the age of 53.

PLACES IN NEWS

MAY 2016

CYCLONE ROANU: A strong cyclone lashed the coastal areas of Andhra and Odisha causing heavy rains coupled with gusty surface winds affecting the normal life seriously. SRI LANKA: Severe flooding has forced half a million people to flee their homes in Sri Lanka as the torrential rains and landslides claimed over 100 lives. The worst-hit areas were in Colombo's north-eastern suburbs along the Kelani River. FORT MCMURRAY: City in state of Alberta in Canada was in news as it suffered one of the worst wildfires, torching over 1,600 homes and other buildings and forcing more than 80,000 residents to flee. The local govt has declared state of emergency to handle the situation effectively.

APRIL 2016

UJJAIN: The month-long Simhastha Kumbh mela, one of the largest congregations of Hindus, began in Ujjain on April 22 on the banks of Kshipra River. LATUR: City and district in Marathwada region of Maharashtra was in news as it faced severe water crisis, especially in the villages. The district with a population of around 2.45 crore has suffered one of the worst drought in recent years. KOLLAM: In the worst-ever pyrotechnics tragedy to strike Kerala, 110 persons were killed and close to 400 injured, many of them grievously, when a huge dump of firecrackers stored for celebrations, exploded near the Puttingal Devi Temple near Kollam, causing extensive damage to nearby buildings. TRIMBAKESHWAR TEMPLE: Famous temple of Lord Shiva in Nashik, Maharashtra was in news as trustees of the temple decided that even men devotees will not be allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, reportedly to avoid the entry of women devotees.


KUMAMOTO: Town in south-western island of Kyushu in Japan was devastated by several rounds of earthquake tremors leading to death of over 41 persons and injuring hundreds of others. Around two lakh persons were affected in the severe earthquake. PEDERNALES: City in Manabí Province in Ecuador was destroyed in a severe 7.8 magnitude earth quake. Reportedly, around 654 persons were killed and several hundreds were injured. Coastal city of Manta was also very badly affected.

MARCH 2016

BAGHMARA: The first-ever auction of a gold mine in the country was held in Baghmara, Chhattisgarh. The auction was won by Vedanta ltd., a unit of global mining giant Vedanta Resources.

PALMYRA: The famed ancient city of Syria was in news as the Syrian troops backed by Russian forces recaptured it from the Islamic State group on March 27, in a major victory over the jihadists. The city captured by the IS forces in May, 2015 was reduced to ruins by them.

BRUSSELS: A series of bombings ripped through Brussels airport and the Maelbeek metro station in Belgium, killing around 38 people and injuring 130 others. Terror group - Islamic State claimed the responsibility for the attacks.

SPORTS WORLD

MAY 2016

Amit Kumar Saroha, Indian para athlete from Haryana won the gold medal in men's club throw (F-51) at the French Open Athletics Championship in Paris. Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam has been selected to captain Indian women's hockey team for a four-nation tournament in Darwin, Australia. India's ace cueist Pankaj Advani has created history in Abu Dhabi by clinching the Asian 6-Red Snooker title, becoming the first in the world to hold both world and continental titles in 6-red snooker at the same time. Garima Chaudhary won gold medal at the 2016 Commonwealth Judo Championship finals at Port Elizabeth in South Africa. Indian boxer Sonia Lather won a silver medal at the AIBA Women's World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Sprinter Dutee Chand bagged two gold medals by winning the women's 100m and 200m race at the Taiwan Open Athletics Championships. The Indian women’s 4x100m relay team broke the 18-year-old national record, though they stood fourth at the IAAF World Challenge in Beijing. Indian women's squash team won the Silver medal in the Asian Team squash Championships at Taipei,China, losing gold to Malaysia. Indian shooters claimed three gold medals and a bronze in the ISSF Junior World Cup in Suhl, Germany. Federation Cup: Football, Mohun Bagan clinched the title for the 14th time by defeating Aizawal FC in the Final played in Guwahati. IOA APPOINTS 4 GOODWILL AMBASSODORS The Indian Olympic Association has appointed four Goodwill Ambassadors for Rio Olympics. They are - Renowned music composer A R Rahman, Bollywood actor Salman Khan, Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra and Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar. India and Japan have agreed for mutual exchange of sports persons, coaches, experts and administrators to improve the standard of the sports between the two nations. Nico Rosberg, the Formula One champion from Germany, won his seventh race in a row at the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi, Russia. Eric Dusingizimana: Captain of cricket team of Rwanda has set a new Guinness world record by batting out a straight 51 hours, the longest individual net session, beating the record set last year by India's Virag Mane, who had batted a straight 50 hours. Max Verstappen: 18 year old F1 driver from Netherlands representing the Red Bull team has become the youngest formula 1 winner as he won the title in Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, Spain. Thomas Cup: Denmark won the men’s badminton title, overcoming record champion Indonesia in the final played in Kunshan, China. Uber Cup: (women badminton), China claimed the cup 14th time by routing South Korea in Kunshan, China. French Open, Second Tennis Grand Slam –started in Roland Garros in Paris on May 22. This is the only grand slam played on clay court.


Italian Open Tennis Championship: Andy Murray defeated Novak Djokovic to win Men's Singles title. 7th Asian Youth Championships: Indian boxers bagged three silver and one bronze medal in the games held in Kazakhstan. Madrid Open Tennis: Novak Djokovic of Serbia defeated Andy Murray of Briton to win the finals. Women’s title was won by Simona Halep defeating Dominika Cibulkova World Snooker Championship title was won by Mark Selby of England by defeating China’s Ding Junhui in finals played at Sheffield, UK. Asia Badminton Championships at Wuhan, China: Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei defeated the world No. 1 Chen Long of China in the finals. Tobago batsman Iraq Thomas created a record by scoring 21-ball century in the Tobago Cricket Association’s T20 tournament at Louis D'or, Tobago (West Indies) The International Cricket Council has suspended the Cricket Association of Nepal due to a ‘vacuum of cricket leadership’ in the country.

APRIL 2016

CARIBBEANS WON THE T-20 IN STYLE The West Indies lifted the World T-20 title in both the men's and women's section. Men’s team defeated England and women’s team routed the Australian team. The finals were played at Kolkata's Eden Gardens. The West Indies team is popularly known as Caribbeans, after the name of the group of island countries which jointly form this team.

Virat Kohli was named as the ‘Player of the Tournament’

Dipa Karmakar, 22 year old girl from Agartala, Tripura created history by becoming the first Indian gymnast to qualify for the Olympics and to win the gold in vaults event at the test event of the Rio Games in Brazil.

She performed the Produnova vault — the extremely difficult and most dangerous form that involves a front handspring on the horse and two front somersaults.

Deepika Kumari equalled the world record in women's recurve event at the Archery World Cup in Shanghai, China.

India's star batsman Virat Kohli has maintained his number one position in the ICC T20 batsmen rankings and team India is also ranked at top.

M C Mary Kom: Indian woman boxer was named one of the eight ambassadors for the upcoming World Championships by the International Boxing Association (AIBA).

Asian Kho-Kho championship: both, men’s and women’s title were won by India by defeating respective teams from Bangladesh at Indore, Madhya Pradesh. National Badminton Championship: Men’s title won by Samir Verma and women’s title won by P C Thulasi in Chandigarh.

9th season of the popular Indian Premier League opened on April 9 in Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The first match was won by Rising Pune Supergiants against Mumbai Indians. The Commonwealth Judo Congress has allotted the 2018 Commonwealth Judo Championships to India. The games will be held in Jaipur.

SPORTSPERSONS TO GET Rs ONE LAKH PM Union Sports Ministry has decided to provide one lakh rupees per month as out of pocket allowance to the sports persons under the Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme in their preparation for the Olympics and Paralympics Games at Rio de Janeiro. So far 77 sportspersons have qualified for various Olympic games.

Government has decided to merge the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan with the ‘Khelo India’ programme. RAHUL JOHRI: appointed as the first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India - BCCI


LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS AWARDS Best Sportsman of the year: Novak Djokovic, Serbia Best Sportswoman of the year: Serena Williams, USA Both of them won three grand slams in Tennis in 2015 Best Disabled Sportsperson: Paralympic swimmer Daniel Dias of Brazil Best Sports team: New Zealand's Rugby World Cup-winning team Laureus World Sports Awards, known as the Oscars of Sports, honour the notable sporting personalities and their achievements of the previous year. Britain's Anthony Joshua won the IBF world heavyweight title by stopping American champion Charles Martin in London, becoming the first boxer in history to hold the Olympic super-heavyweight crown (2012) and a version of the world heavyweight title simultaneously. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes driver of Germany won the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Sakhir, Baharin. Nico Rosberg of Germany won the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, leaving behind his compatriots Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel.

Asian Nations Cup Chess tournament won by the Indian men’s team in Abu Dhabi

Danny Willett of UK won the US Masters Golf Championship for the year 2016 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, USA.

Sultan Azlan Shah Cup: Australia beats India to win the prestigious Hockey Tournament held in Ipoh, Malaysia.

Singapore Open Badminton Championship: Men’s - Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia Women’s - Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand, world no 1. Malaysian Open Badminton title won by Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia against world number one Chen Long of China in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. MIAMI OPEN (tennis) IN FLORIDA, USA Men’s title: Novak Djokovic (Serbia) won by beating Japan's Kei Nishikori Women’s title: Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) won by routing Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia.

BARCELONA OPEN TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP Rafael Nadal of Spain won the title defeating Kei Nishikori of Japan in the finals played in Barcelona, Spain. Monte Carlo Masters: Rafael Nadal Spain of won the title defeating Gael Monfils of France.

TORCH LIGHTED FOR 31ST RIO OLYMPICS The official countdown to this year's Rio de Janeiro Olympics began on April 21 when the actress Katerina Lechou performing as the high priestess lit up the Olympic Torch at the Temple of Hera in ancient Olympia, Greece.

The torch will be carried by prominent sportspersons in a relay run culminating at Rio on August 5, the opening day of the XXXI Olympic Games. This is for the first time that Olympics are being held in South American continent.

MARCH 2016

Gurmeet Singh created history by becoming the first Indian athlete to clinch a gold medal in the Asian 20 km Race Walk Championships in Nomi, Japan.

S S P Chawrasia, ace Indian golfer won the European Tour Hero Indian Open title in Delhi.

Dhruv Sitwala won the Asian Billiards Championship held at Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Indian shooter Jitu Rai clinched the 50m pistol gold at the ISSF World Cup in Bangkok,Thailand.

Deepika and PR Sreejesh won the Dhruv Batra Player of the Year Award for Women and Men respectively at the Hockey India Annual Awards.

Santosh Trophy National Football Championships: Services retained the title after beating hosts Maharashtra in the summit clash in Nagpur. Irani Cup Cricket championship: Rest of India team won the title by beating Mumbai team in the finals played in Mumbai. India clinched the Asia Cup T20 trophy for a record sixth time after beating Bangladesh by eight-wickets in the final at Mirpur, Bangladesh. Col C K Nayudu Trophy won by Mumbai by beating Madhya Pradesh in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Nayudu was the first Indian captain of Indian test match team 1st All India Open Invitational Snooker Championship won by Rahul Sachdev in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. National Race Walking Championships, Jaipur: Gurmeet Singh and Khushbir Kaur won the gold in 20kms event for men and women, respectively. Pro Kabaddi League Season 3: Patna Pirates beat the U Mumba to emerge as Champions in the finals played in Delhi. Russia’s Sergey Karjakin won the World Chess candidates tournament in Moscow


Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold Badminton Tournament: won by India's H S Prannoy in Basel, Switzerland. World Table Tennis Team Championship: China defeated Japan in both, men’s and women’s category, to win both the championships at Kuala Lumpur. In the second division, both, men's and women's team titles were bagged by Indian teams. All England Open Badminton Championship: Lin Dan of China won the finals by beating his own teammate Tian Houwei in the finals played in Birmingham, UK. BNP Paribas Open Tennis Tournament: Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Victoria Azarenka of Belarusia won the men’s and women’s singles title, respectively, in the finals played at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Southern California. UCI Track Cycling Championship 2016 held in London. Dubai Tennis Championships: Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland won the title by defeating Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus MARIA SHARAPOVA: Former world number one tennis star failed a drugs test at the Australian Open. As a result, the 28 year old Russian star, a five time Grand Slam champion, was suspended from sports, pending further action.

DAYS & DATES

MAY

MAY 01: INTERNATIONAL LABOUR DAY Observed across the world to promote and protect interests of labour class., supported by the ILO. The theme for 2016 is Celebrating the international labour movement. MAY 03: WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY Observed across the world to celebrate freedom of press and defending the media from attacks on their independence. This year’s theme is ‘Access to Information and Fundamental Freedoms - This Is Your Right!’ Supported by UNESCO, this day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, on the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek, Namibia. MAY 11: NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY DAY Observed all over India to hail the technological achievements and developments in the country. This year’s theme is ‘Technology enablers of Startup India’. It was on this day in 1999 that the first, indigenous aircraft “Hansa-3” was test flown at Bangalore and the

Trishul missile was test fired successfully. On the same day in 1998, three successful nuclear tests were carried out at Pokhran, Rajasthan. MAY 12: INTERNATIONAL NURSES DAY Celebrated all over the world to commemorate Florence Nightingale’s birthday. President of India honoured 35 nurses with the National Florence Nightingale Awards on this day. MAY 17: WORLD HYPERTENSION DAY This year’s theme is "Know Your Numbers", with the goal of increasing awareness about high blood pressure. Normal blood pressure is defined as an average reading no higher than 120/80 mm Hg. A readings of 140/90 or higher is considered high blood pressure.

APRIL

APRIL 2: WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS DAY Observed across the globe, supported by the UNO. The theme for this year is "Autism and the 2030 Agenda: Inclusion and Neurodiversity". Autism is a serious developmental disorder in children that impairs their ability to communicate and interact. APRIL 5: NATIONAL MARITIME DAY Observed in India to commemorate the sailing of India’s first steamship Loyalty on April 5, 1919 from Mumbai to London. All major ports observe this day celebrating India’s seafaring traditions and journeys. APRIL 7: WORLD HEALTH DAY Observed across the globe to disseminate knowledge and awareness about human health and promoting healthier living habits across the globe. This year the theme of the Day is ‘Beat Diabetes’. APRIL 8: NEW YEAR CELEBRATAIONS It marked the beginning of the New Year for a number of communities in India. For Hindus in North India, it was Vikram Samvat 2073, first day of the month Chaitra, beginning of the auspicious Navratras. In Maharashtra, it was observed as ‘Gudi Padwa’ In Andhra and Karnataka; it was observed as ‘Ugadi’. Sindhis observe this day as Cheti Chand. APRIL 10: WORLD HOMOEOPATHY DAY Observed to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, a German Physician who developed system of Homoeopathy. APRIL 14: FIRE SERVICES DAY Observed every year in India in memory of the sacrifices made by the firemen during the devastating fire on SS Fort Strikine ship in Mumbai Dock in the year 1944. The theme of this year’s fire services day is ‘prevent fire accident, promote nation’s development.’


APRIL 14: NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS People in several parts of India celebrated beginning of their new year on April 14. In Assam and Northeastern states, it is observed as Rongali or Bohag Bihu. In Tamil Nadu side, it is celebrated as Puthandu. In Kerala, people celebrate Vishu festival. In North India, it is observed as Baisakhi, a festival of gaiety to mark the harvesting of wheat crop. In West Bengal, people celebrate it as their ‘Poila Baisakh’. APRIL 17: WORLD HEMOPHILIA DAY Observed in the memory of Frank Schnabel, the founder of the World Federation of Hemophilia as this day is his birth day. Hemophilia is a rare disorder in which your blood doesn't clot normally because it lacks sufficient blood-clotting proteins. APRIL 18: WORLD HERITAGE DAY Observed with an aim to create awareness among the people towards conserve and protect the valuable assets and cultural heritage across the world. APRIL 21: "CIVIL SERVICE DAY" Observed by all Indian Civil Services to re-dedicate and re-commit themselves to the cause of the people. On this day in 1947, Sardar Patel, then Home Minister, addressed the first batch of civil servants in independent India. APRIL 22: EARTH DAY Observed all over the world to demonstrate support for environmental protection. The theme for this year is "Trees for the Earth" with the aim of mobilizing nearly eight billion plantings over the next five years. APRIL 23: WORLD BOOK DAY Celebrated all over the world, supported by the UNESCO to promote the reading, publishing and copyright among the public worldwide. APRIL 25: WORLD MALARIA DAY Observed to create awareness among the people about this vector borne disease. The theme this year is ‘End Malaria For Good’. APRIL 26: WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DAY Observed across the world to spread awareness about the role that intellectual property rights (patents, trademarks, industrial designs, copyright) play in encouraging innovation and creativity. This year’s theme is Digital Creativity: Culture Reimagined.

MARCH

March 3: World Wildlife Day It was observed across the world. This year’s theme was “The future of wildlife is in our hands”, with African and Asian elephants being the main focus of global campaigns.

March 4: National Safety Day Was observed across India. The day is organised annually by the National Safety Council to commemorate its establishment and enhance the safety awareness among people.

March 8: International Women's Day It is observed across the world. This year's theme for the Day is “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality”.

March 10: World Kidney Day It was observed globally with the theme “Kidney Disease & Children - Act Early to Prevent It” to enlighten parents and caretakers about the incidence of kidney ailments in children.

March 15: The World Consumer Rights Day It was observed globally with the theme ‘Antibiotics off the Menu’ to make people aware of risk of antibiotics in food items.

March 20: International Day of Happiness The United Nations appointed Red, the leader of the “Angry Birds” mobile game characters as an envoy to inspire climate action toward a sustainable and happier future for all.

March 21: World Forestry Day Observed across the world to promote the importance of forests and trees in our lives. It is also known as UN International Day of Forests. This year’s theme is “forests and water”.

March 22: World Water Day Observed this year with the theme Water and Jobs. It may be noted that three out of four of the jobs worldwide are water-dependent.

March 23: World Meteorological Day Observed this year with the theme “Hotter, Drier, Wetter. Face the Future”.

March 23: Shahidi Diwas Observed in India to pay homage to great freedom fighters - Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev on their martyrdom day. It was on this day in 1931 that they were hanged in Lahore jail.

March 24: World Tuberculosis Day Govt launched the new anti-TB drug Bedaquiline to combat Drug Resistant TB as part of the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP).

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


Special Batches for

SBI PO EXAM - 2016


NATIONAL NEWS

FEBRUARY 2016

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited India.

Swachh Survekshan-2016 conducted by the Quality Council of India has ranked Mysuru at number one, followed by Chandigarh and Tiruchirapalli.

Vice President Hamid Ansari paid a five day (Feb 1-5) visit to South East Asia covering Brunei and Thailand.

The 4-day National Arogya Fair organised by the central and state government in collaboration with CII was held in Dehradun, Uttarakhand

The Indian government has finally sanctioned Rs.580 crore for the vital Agartala (India)-Akhaura (Bangladesh) rail link, a project that was finalized in January 2010.

First National Deworming Day observed on Feb 10 in schools and anganwadis to combat parasitic worm infections among children. Free Albendezole deworming tablets were

provided to children across the country. The eighth Delhi Dialogue was held in New Delhi to

discuss politico-security, economic and socio-cultural engagement with ASEAN.

Govt released a commemorative coin of 150 rupees and a circulation coin of 10 rupees on the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Lala Lajpat Rai.

The Road to Resilience, an initiative of the World Bank to survey the entire Indian coastline was completed on 15 February 2016.

A group of students of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi raised anti national slogans, leading to arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar, President of JNU students union.

Number of billionaires in India has risen to 111, placing India third, after China and the US, according to Hurun Global Rich List 2016.

Birdwatchers from all over India took part in four day annual Great Backyard Bird Count and shared the information online.

In a survey of top 38 countries to assess the protection of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), India ranked 37th on the 2016 Intellectual Property Index.

Anti-Leprosy Day was observed on 30 January nationwide in the memory of Mahatma Gandhi, who attained martyrdom on 30 January 1948.

Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli arrived in New Delhi on Feb 19 on a six-day visit to India. The two countries signed 7 agreements for cooperation.

India and Afghanistan have agreed to allow visa-free travel for diplomatic passport holders of the two countries.

India has extended one million dollars assistance to cyclone-hit Fiji. The category five cyclones Winston had wind speed of upto 325 km per hour.

Global brand valuation firm Brand Finance has rated Tata Consultancy Services as the World’s Most Powerful Brand in IT Services.

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) completed ten years in first week of February.

Banaras Hindu University (BHU) founded by Freedom fighter Pt Madan Mohan Malviya has turned 100 years old on 13th February 2016.

The 42nd Khajuraho Dance Festival, a world famous annual classical dance festival, was held in the temple town of Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh.

The biennial automotive show Auto Expo was held in Greater Noida in the National Capital Region.

Bullet News (DEC 2015 – FEB 2016) For details visit – www.gyanm.in


The 47th two-day Conference of Governors of all Indian states and Lt. Governors of UTs was hosted by the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

India and Pakistan have agreed to extend the rail communication agreement by mutual consent for three years from 19 January 2016.

The 6th National Science Film Festival & Competition was held at Nehru Science Center in Mumbai.

13th World Spice Congress was held in Ahmadabad from Feb 27-29 with the theme 'Target 2020: Clean, Safe and Sustainable Supply Chain'.

JANUARY 2016

President of France, Francois Hollande arrived in Chandigarh on Jan 24 for a three–day visit to India. He was the honourable Chief Guest at the 67thRepublic Day Parade at New Delhi. He also inaugurated the interim secretariat of the International Solar Alliance - ISA in Gurgaon, Haryana.

For the first time, a military contingent of a foreign country – France took part in the Republic Day Parade on January 26.

According to a global CEO survey, the top five markets most important for overall growth prospects are USA, China, Germany, UK and India.

India sends the largest number of engineers and scientists to the US, about 950,000 of them.

In the Corruption Perceptions Index -2015 by the Transparency International, India has been ranked at 76th position out of 168 countries. The Index is topped by Denmark, followed by Finland, Sweden and New Zealand.

6th National Voters’ Day was celebrated across the country on Jan 25.

The Mysuru-Varanasi Express has become the country’s first blind friendly Braille-embedded train.

India’s diaspora population is the largest in the world with 16 million people from India living outside their country in 2015.

The 153rd birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda on January 12 was observed as National Youth Day across the country.

Supreme Court stayed the Central government notification allowing ‘Jallikattu’ in Tamil Nadu.

Mumbai has been ranked 22nd and Delhi 24th in the top-30 list of the world’s most powerful, productive and connected cities. The list is topped by Tokyo, followed by New York and London.

The Union Cabinet has approved the construction of 69 bridges on the Tamu-Kyigone-Kalewa (TKK)

road section of the trilateral highway in Myanmar. This will facilitate all season movement of goods from Imphal to Mandlay in Myanmar and further entering Thailand.

World Bank will provide a $ 50 million loan for ‘Nai Manzil'–Education and Skills Training for Minorities.

Youth in BPL category in the age group of 17-35 years will be the main beneficiaries of the project.

The Global Talent Competitiveness Index has placed India at 89th rank on the basis of ability to attract talent

The index is topped by the Switzerland A Nuclear Security Index has placed India at 21st

rank among the 24 countries having one kg or more of the weapon grade nuclear material.

A four day cultural festival 'Bharat Partv' was held at the Red Fort lawns in Delhi from Jan 26-29 to highlight the rich cultural heritage of India

The World Meteorological Organisation has nominated India as the Regional Climate Centre to provide information about El Nino.

“Make in India Week” was held in Mumbai during February 13-18, 2016 to hold investors meet for the manufacturing sector.

India’s share in IMF has increased to 2.75% making it the 8th largest shareholder. Its voting rights now will rise to 2.6% from 2.34%.

The World Bank will give $ 250 million loan for Jhelum-Tawi Flood Recovery Project

India and Armenia signed an amended Double Taxation Avoidance Treaty (DTAA) to share information on banking and financial transactions.

The largest tricolour (66 x 99 feet) in the country was hoisted atop the Pahari Mandir in Ranchi, Jharkhand on the tallest pole – standing 293 foot.

Union Ministry of Finance released the draft report of Justice R V Easwar (Retd) Committee to simplify the provisions of Income-tax Act, 1961.

The child sex ratio in India now stands at 918 (per thousand male babies), dipping further from 927 in 2001, and reaching the lowest level since 1961.

Govt has decided to merge the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs with the Ministry of External Affairs to avoid duplication of work and to improve efficiency.

India-Nepal Bus Service between Banbasa border in Uttarakhand and Kanchanpur in Nepal started on 4th January, after a gap of 27 years.

The 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (PBD) was held on 9 January 2016 in New Delhi. It was a limited edition as now it will be organised once in two years.

National Conference on e-Governance held in Nagpur, Maharashtra.


India’s first World Music Festival will be held in Udaipur on Feb 12-13. Over 100 artistes from over 12 countries will take part in the festival.

103rd Indian Science Congress held at University of Mysore, Karnataka.

International Kite Festival held at Sabarmati River front in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

The Jaipur Literature Festival held at Hotel Diggi Palace, Jaipur (Rajasthan) from January 21 to 25.

DECEMBER 2015

India has ranked a low 97th out of 144 nations on Forbes' annual list of the best countries for doing business in 2015

As per the Human Development Index (HDI) compiled by the UNDP, India ranked a lowly 130th in the list of 188 nations.

Prime Minister Modi visited Russia on Dec 23-24 to attend the 16th India-Russia annual summit.

PM Modi visited Afghanistan on Dec 25 to meet President Ashraf Ghani. He inaugurated the Parliament building which has been constructed by India.

According to the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2015, the total forest and tree cover is 79.42 million hectare, which is 24.16 percent of the total geographical area

The Supreme Court has directed that acid-attack victims should be considered under the disabled quota to enable them to get reservations in govt jobs.

The World Bank has approved a $ 1.5 billion loan for the clean India campaign to ensure all citizens in rural areas have access to improved sanitation

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a 3 day visit to India. He attended Ganga Aarti at Dasaswamedh Ghat, Varanasi.

Panos Kammenos, Greek Defence Minister arrived in India on a three day visit. The two countries decided to enhance bilateral defence ties.

National Veda Convention and Vedic Conference held in Kozhikode, Kerala.

The Lok Sabha passed the Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015 to establish the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) as a National Standards Body.

India and South Korea have inked a new MoU on suspension of collection of taxes during pendency of mutual agreement procedure.

The ICT (information, communication & technology) Development Index places India a lowly 131st among 167 countries. South Korea tops the index.

NEWS FROM STATES

FEBRUARY 2016

Haryana suffered big loss due to widespread violent

agitation by its Jat community demanding reservation for Jats in government jobs.

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved construction of India’s longest 14 km railway bridge on Katni – Bina route in Madhya Pradesh.

As per the National Air Quality Indices (NAQI) for 24 cities, Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Muzzafarpur in Bihar topped the list for the worst air quality.

Haryana to become the first state in the country to have aquifer mapping done for its groundwater resources by May 2016.

30th Surajkund International Crafts Mela began at Surajkund in Faridabad, Haryana on Feb 1. Telangana is the Theme State this time.

The World Bank to give $ 35 million credit for the Citizen Access to Responsive Services Project of Madhya Pradesh.

Haryana and the Province of Ontario in Canada have signed a MoU for enhancing commercial and cultural ties between the two states.

JANUARY 2016

Mumbai Central has become the first ever railway station in India to have free high-speed Internet facility

Sikkim has become India's first fully organic state by converting around 75,000 hectares of agricultural land into sustainable cultivation.

Nati folk dance of Kullu district has entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the folk dance by largest number–9,892 women.

Govt has launched Ganga Gram Yojana in Uttar Pradesh to minimize/stop pollution of the river from 1600 villages on the bank of Ganges.

For the first time, on camera evidence has been captured of the endangered Snow Leopard inhabiting the high mountains of northern Sikkim.

The 14th edition of Mumbai International Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films was held in Mumbai from Jan 28 to Feb 03.

The Ardh Kumbh mela formally started at Haridwar on Jan 12.


Kerala has become the first Indian state to achieve 100 per cent primary education (up to class IV) by implementing the programme ‘Athulyam’.

World Bank to provide $ 250 million loan for the Bihar’s Kosi Basin Development Project.

Bihar government has decided to give 35% reservation for women in all state government jobs.

Bihar govt has announced that no one can contest the panchayat elections scheduled in 2016 in the state, without having a toilet at their home.

Telangana has become the first state in the country to officially accept electronic motor insurance policies by the name ‘e-Vahan Bima’.

DECEMBER 2015

Delhi recorded the highest per capita income among all the states in the country at Rs. 2,40,849 during financial year 2014-15.

Green Peace India released the National Air Quality Index covering top 20 most polluted cities in world and Delhi was the most polluted city

The National Green Tribunal has directed that no new or old diesel vehicle be registered in Delhi till Jan. 6, with a view to curb pollution in capital.

The Konark Festival, the five-day festival of classical dances of India, was held in Konark, Odisha, in the back drop of the famous Sun Temple.

The International Sand Art Festival 2015 was held in Konark, Odisha.

For the first time, two Indian cities, Varanasi and Jaipur, have been selected in the Creative City Network of the UNESCO in the categories - City of Music and City of Crafts and Folk Art, respectively.

The Maharashtra legislature becomes the first legislature to launch an online mechanism for its members to send questions and move different motions in the House.

The Odisha state launched Anwesha scheme to provide free education to scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students in the state.

The Bihar government has banned 15-year-old diesel vehicles from its capital's roads to control pollution.

India’s fourth and North India’s first cable-stayed bridge was inaugurated at Basohali in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, over river Ravi.

West Bengal has approved formation of five new districts in the state, bringing the total districts to 25.

Mumbai’s iconic boulevard Marine Drive, also called the Queen’s Necklace, completed 100 years on Dec 16.

Maharashtra has started the country's biggest Wildlife Rescue Centre at Gorewada near Nagpur to take care of sick, injured and rescued animals.

Losar, the biggest Tibetan Buddhist Festival began on 12 December 2015 in Ladakh, J&K. The festival marks the beginning of New Year for Buddhists.

Uttar Pradesh has launched International festival on Birds in National Chambal Sanctuary to promote state as an international bird-watching destination.

Hornbill Festival held in Kohima, Nagaland from Dec 1 to 10 to highlight state’s rich cultural heritage.

Himachal Pradesh has become the first state to launch Rotavirus vaccination for controlling the child mortality rate (under 5 years of age) due to diarrhea.

GOVT INITIATIVES

FEBRUARY 2016

Central government has announced the names of the first 20 urban areas that will be developed as smart cities.

The ambitious Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban (rural-urban) Mission was launched from Chhattisgarh's Dongargarh block.

The Union Cabinet has approved establishment of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and Self Employment and Talent Utilisation (SETU) in NITI Aayog.

A mobile app ‘Swachh Paryatan’ has been launched to facilitate the public to communicate their complaints about any unclean area/garbage piles in and around 25 listed prime tourist destinations.

Govt has decided to extend E-Tourist visa facility to 37 more countries from Feb 26, making the total count of countries under the scheme 150.

Govt has decided to halve the threshold for coverage of firms under the EPFO from 20 at present to 10 workers.

Finance Ministry has launched its official YouTube channel with a view to disseminate information to the public on a real-time basis.

Government has launched Project Sunrise for prevention of AIDS in the 20 districts of eight North-Eastern states.

Union Ministry of Tourism has launched the 24x7 Toll Free Tourist Infoline in 12 International Languages including Hindi and English in New Delhi

Government plans to set up Special Unit for Transportation Research and Analytics (Sutra) headed by Ratan Tata for improvement in railways.


National Disaster Response Force has raised a squad of 162 dogs for rescuing people trapped under debris in natural calamities like earthquake.

India’s first-ever Aviation Park will come up near Bagodara village in Ahmadabad to strengthen the aviation sector.

National Framework for Malaria Elimination 2016-2030 released to define the strategy for elimination of the disease by 2030, in a phased manner.

The National Wildlife Action Plan 2017-2031 unveiled by the environment ministry to focus on rehabilitation of threatened species of wildlife.

JANUARY 2016

Govt. has started a 19 point Start-up Action Plan

with a Rs. 10,000 crore fund for funding of Start-ups. The new ventures will be exempted from paying income tax on their profit and visit of inspectors for 3 years.

They will enjoy 80 per cent exemption in patent fee. Government has launched the “Pradhan Mantri

Fasal Bima Yojana", under which the premium will be paid by central and state govt.

Farmers will have to pay only a token premium of 2% for kharif, 1.5% for rabi and 5% for commercial crops.

Govt has approved 33% reservation for women in Central Armed Police Forces such as CRPF and CISF at constable–level positions.

14-15% reservation has been done at the constable level in BSF, SSB and ITBP.

Govt has decided that all central ministries and public sector units will have to float e-tenders for procuring goods and services exceeding Rs 2 lakh.

India and Australia have agreed to allow people of both nations to avail retirement benefits in each other's country.

Health Ministry has decided to use the services of Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI), a global NGO working for promotion of vaccination in poor countries.

Operation Green Hunt refers to an all-out offensive by India’s paramilitary forces against the Naxalites in the Naxal affected five states.

River Information System - the first of its kind in India launched to facilitate safe and accurate navigation on National Waterway-1 (Ganga River).

Union Govt and J&K have launched ‘Wattan ko Jano’ project to familiarize the local youth with the development of the country in other states.

Sahaj Scheme launched for online booking of LPG cylinders through the unified web portal www.mylpg.in, available in 13 languages.

Government has decided to institute a new award category under the National Film Awards titled The Most Film–Friendly State/UT.

The Union Ministry of Shipping has started Project Green Ports to make Major Ports across India cleaner and greener.

Eight states have agreed to implement direct benefit of transfer of subsidy in kerosene in 26 districts w.e.f. April 1, 2016.

Finance Ministry to organise the India Investment Summit from Feb. 4 in New Delhi to attract global investors to promote Indian infrastructure sector.

The government has constituted a committee headed by noted film-maker Shyam Benegal to look into revamp of Censor Board.

A new luxury super fast express train 'Mahamana Express' named after Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya has been started between Varanasi to Delhi.

DECEMBER 2015

Govt has launched 4 new Information Technology-based initiatives to provide citizen-centric health services. They include three applications: Kilkari:An audio-based mobile service that

delivers weekly audio messages to families about pregnancy, child birth and child care.

Mobile Academy: For providing training services to 9 million ASHA workers.

M-Cessation: Counselling helpline to help tobacco users to quit tobacco.

Toll free number 1800-11–6666 to provide round the clock counselling and treatment support services to TB patients

Government has announced that taxpayers with an annual income of more than Rs 10 lakh will not get subsidised LPG cylinders from January, 2016.


Six new Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) will be set up in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Jammu, Kerala and Karnataka.

The government has launched an injectable polio vaccine – Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) – which will be administered in addition to oral polio drops

Lok Sabha passed a bill to develop 101 new waterways across the country aimed at providing a cheaper mode of transport

Govt has made it mandatory for the auditors to report any suspected corporate fraud of Rs 1 crore or more to the Corporate Affairs Ministry

Govt has decided to rename the posts of UDC and LDC as Senior Secretariat Assistant and Junior Secretariat Assistant, respectively.

Date for implementation of the Bharat Stage (BS) V and VI emission standards for 4 wheelers extended by 3 years to April 1, 2019 and April 1, 2021, respectively.

The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, which lowers the age for trial of juvenile from 18 to 16 years, has been passed by parliament.

Govt has asked the states and UTs to start Operation Smile-II from 1 to 31 January 2016 to rehabilitate / rescue the missing children.

Global Initiative of Academic Networks Scheme launched to boost the quality of higher education through international collaboration.

Central Board of Secondary Education has rolled out its latest mobile application E-CBSE for providing e-learning material for students and teachers.

With a view to provide relief to 3.7 lakh jute mill workers, the govt has approved mandatory use of jute packaging material for foodgrains and sugar.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

FEBRUARY 2016

According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), growth of the Gross Domestic Product is estimated at 7.3% in the October-December 2015 quarter.

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has marginally revised downward the GDP growth for 2014-15 to 7.2% from the earlier estimate of 7.3%

The per capita Net National Income at current prices is estimated as Rs 93,231 for 2015-16.

JANUARY 2016

The Global Economic Prospect by the World Bank has projected a robust 7.8 per cent growth for the Indian economy in the current year based on strong investor sentiment in India and the positive effect of the recent fall in oil prices.

UNCTAD says that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows into India nearly doubled to $ 59 billion in 2015 as against 36 per cent rise at the world level.

DECEMBER 2015

Global financial analysts Goldman Sachs have said that India’s GDP is expected to grow by 7.9 per cent next fiscal driven by rising domestic demand

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services in its 'India Credit Spotlight' newsletter has noted that India's economy will grow at 7.4 per cent in the current fiscal

The United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2016 report says that India would record a 7.3% growth in 2016 and 7.5% in 2017.

ECONOMY

FEBRUARY 2016

In a bid to kick start manufacturing in the electronics sector, government has launched a Rs. 10,000-crore Electronic Development Fund.

P M Modi inaugurated the Make in India Week on Feb 13 in Mumbai. India is blessed with 4D - Democracy, Demography, Demand and Deregulation.

As per the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, the total number of companies registered in the country rose to more than 15.27 lakh in January 2016.

The Intellectual Property Appellate Board has directed Geographical Indications Registry, Chennai to issue ‘GI’ tag for basmati rice to 7 states. These states are Punjab, Haryana, Himachal

Pradesh, Uttarakhand, parts of Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.

Brahmaputra Cracker & Polymer Ltd started the Assam Gas Cracker project, the first ever Petrochemical project in the North East India.

Union Cabinet has approved Trade Facilitation Agreement of the World Trade Organization (WTO), becoming 71st country to do so.

Indian Oil Corporation’s latest oil refinery in Paradip, Odisha started production of petrol from the Rs. 34,555-crore facility.

The TRAI has barred telecom companies from charging differential rates for data services, prohibiting Facebook’s Free Basics and Airtel Zero platform.

India has approved a $150 million credit line for the development of Iran’s Chabahar port.


Bajaj Auto has launched a 150-cc motor bike named ‘V’ that contains metal sourced from India’s first aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant.

For the first time, 6 metro coaches, each 75 feet long, were shipped to Australia from Mumbai port as the first installment of 450 such coaches.

Govt has cut interest rates by 0.25% on short-term post office deposits, Kisan Vikas Patras and other small saving schemes below five years of maturity.

Govt to set up the National Organic Farming Research Institute in Sikkim as the state is country's first organic farming State.

Govt about Rs 5,030 crore from sale of its 5% stake in the Maharatna PSU National Thermal Power Corporation-NTPC, through OFS (offer for sale).

South Arabia emerged as the largest exporter of crude oil to India in Jan. 2016, exporting 9.4 lac barrels per day, followed by Iraq at 9.3 lac bpd.

Apprehensive of the name Zika, the virus, Tata Motors have decided to rename their latest hatchback model as Tiago instead of Zika.

Asian Development Bank will provide a $80 million loan for improving the infrastructure in the two North-Eastern cities of Agartala and Aizawl.

JANUARY 2016

India is home to the fourth largest population of millionaires in the Asia Pacific region, with 2.36 lakh such high net worth individuals

The Inland Waterways Authority of India plans to set up a Waterways Hub at Haldia, West Bengal to attract more investment in the state.

3 loss-making subsidiaries of HMT Ltd, (Hindustan Machines Ltd) namely HMT Watches Ltd, HMT Chinar Watches Ltd, and HMT Bearings Ltd. Closed.

Govt has decided to implement strict emission norms of Bharat Stage (BS) VI from April 1, 2020, by skipping BS-V altogether.

World Bank has agreed to provide Rs 1071 crore funding for the Neeranchal National Watershed Project

India has overtaken Thailand as the world's largest rice exporter in 2015, shipping 10.23 million tonnes as against 9.8 million tonnes by Thailand.

The Asian Development Bank to extend a $625 million loan for the proposed $840 million Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor.

DECEMBER 2015

Cochin Shipyard has become the first shipyard in India to get the nod to build LNG (liquefied natural gas) transporting ships, making India 4th such country

The government has made it mandatory to quote PAN for all transactions in excess of Rs.2 lakh to curb black money.

During visit of Japan’s Prime Minister, Japan agreed to support building of India’s first bullet train network between Mumbai- Ahmadabad

The average number of days taken for incorporation of a company has come down to 4.51 days in November 2015 from 9.57 days in December 2014.

Singapore airport developer Changi will take up the operations and management of the Ahmadabad and Jaipur airports.

The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd has become the first oil company from India to join the global initiative ‘Zero Routine Flaring by 2030’

The SEBI has released concept paper for issuance of Green Bonds. In a green bond funds are 'ear-marked' for use towards financing ‘green’ projects only.

World Bank has said that India is the largest recipient of inward remittances receiving over $ 72 billion in 2014, followed by China at $ 64 billion.

Singapore has replaced Mauritius as the top source of foreign direct investment into India during the first half of the current fiscal.

Four Asian countries have agreed to start construction of 1800 kms long Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project

The pipeline will carry natural gas from Turkmenistan of which India and Pakistan will get 42% each and Afghanistan will get the remaining 16%

The govt is considering a 'medicines for oil' barter system with Venezuela where Indian pharma exporters are facing problems to repatriate their sales proceeds


Reliance Jio launched 4G telecom service providing data services with a speed up to 1 gigabyte per second

Bharti Airtel will invest Rs. 60,000 crore over the next three-years in ‘Project Leap’ to upgrade its networks

YouTube has tied up with Whistling Woods Int owned by Subhash Ghai, to open its first video production studio called YouTube Spaces in India.

India received its first uranium consignment for its nuclear power reactors from Canada, after a gap of over four decades.

The first Goa to Mumbai double-decker Shatabdi train was flagged off from Panjim, Goa on Dec 6.

BANKING

FEBRUARY 2016

RBI has asked banks to follow accounting standard

‘Ind AS’ converged with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) from April 1, 2018.

Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance headed by M. Veerappa Moily submitted the report on the Net NPAs of Public Sector Banks (PSBs). As per the report, PSBs had gross NPAs of Rs

369,990 crore and net NPAs of around 205,024 crore rupees, till September 2015.

SBI has launched "FlexiPay Home Loan", offering

higher amount and up to five years of interest moratorium to professionals in the age group of 21 to 45 years.

Govt to infuse Rs 5,000 crore as capital in the public sector banks to strengthen their balance sheet for compliance of Basel III capital norms.

RBI has extended the $2 billion currency swap arrangement to SAARC nations till mid-November 2017 to enhance economic cooperation.

State Bank of India has started an exclusive ‘Japan Desk’ as a single nodal point for attracting FDI worth $30 billion from Japan.

JANUARY 2016

RBI introduces new banknotes of 500 rupees and 100 rupees denominations with enhanced security features.

Reserve Bank has started the process of issuing 'Master Directions' on various regulatory issues in its bid to simplify the communication process.

Reserve Bank has asked banks to ensure that every village with a population over 5,000 should have a bank branch by March 2017

RBI has permitted banks to sell India Gold Coins of 5 and 10 grams, minted by Metals and Minerals Trading Corporation of India (MMTC)

RBI has advised that the government will pay 2.5% commission to banks for attracting more gold in the Gold Monetisation Scheme

The RBI has asked banks to provide loans of up to Rs 3 lakh at 7 per cent interest rate to Women Self-Help Group (SHG)

RBI has decided to dispense with the requirement of physically forwarding paid central government cheques to the departments for clearance.

From Feb 1, 2016, cheques will be paid through Cheque Truncation System (CTS), without their physical movement.

The Union Cabinet has approved conversion of MUDRA Ltd, an NBFC, into MUDRA Bank to promote loans under the MUDRA Yojana.

MUDRA: Pradhan Mantri Micro Units Development Refinance Agency

RBI has granted operational freedom to banks to offer all their products and services through the ATM channels provided technology permits the same.

RBI has hiked its shareholding in National Housing Bank by contributing Rs 1,000 crore towards the paid capital, bringing the total capital to Rs 1450 crore.

RBI has asked banks not to issue such 1000 rupee notes which, by mistake, were printed without security thread.

State Bank of India has become the first public sector bank to launch wealth management service ‘SBI Exclusif’ to cater to fast-growing affluent segment of the country.

The country's largest private sector lender ICICI Bank became the first private bank to achieve the milestone of Rs 1 lakh crore in housing loan.

DECEMBER 2015

The RBI has decided to lower the banks’ investment in SLR to 20.5% by January 2017 from 21.5% at present. SLR would be cut by 25 basis points to 21.25%

as on April 2, 2016; 21% by July 9, 2016, 20.75% by Oct 1, 2016 to 20.75% and 20.50 % by Jan 1, 2017.

The Supreme Court has ruled that the RBI and commercial banks cannot hide routine information about the top defaulters, etc.

RBI has hiked Priority Sector Lending (PSL) norms for Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) from 60 per cent at present to 75 per cent of their total lending


RBI has said that from April 1 next year, all banks will have to follow a new and uniform methodology to calculate base rate as per the marginal cost of funds. All new loans and renewals will now be priced

with reference to the Marginal Cost of Funds based Lending Rate (MCLR)

Banks will have to publish MCLR of five maturities every month-overnight rates, one month, three months, six months and one year.

Like base rate, banks will not be allowed to lend below MCLR, except for few categories, like loans against deposits, loans to bank’s own employees.

State Bank of India has become first bank in India to issue EMV chip and pin based debit cards to ensure enhanced secure transactions.

EMV stands for Euro–Maestro–Visa. Yes Bank has bagged the prestigious 'Bank of the

Year' award conferred by Britain’s 'The Banker' magazine.

HSBC (Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation) announced shutting down of its private banking business in India

Tech Mahindra has launched ‘MoboMoney’, India’s first ‘Tap N Pay’ contactless digital payment solution in the form of a prepaid wallet

Axis Bank has partnered with e-Mudhra to introduce ‘eSign’ – an online electronic signature service which facilitates an Aadhaar holder to digitally sign a document at the click of a button.

Announcing the 5th Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy review on Dec 2, RBI Governor did not change any of the key policy rates.

RBI has granted in principle approval to the National Payments Corporation of India to function as the Central Unit for Bharat Bill Payment System.

Banks opened a whopping 19.52 crore accounts under the Prime Minister's Jan Dhan Yojana till the first week of December, 2015.

RBI has extended the deadline for exchanging pre-2005 currency notes by another six months to June 30, 2016. It was to expire on Dec 31, 2015.

RBI has asked banks to make changes in ATM switches by March 31, 2016 to help customers register for mobile banking services from the ATM.

Govt released two commemorative coins of Rs.125 and Rs.10 as part of the 125th birth anniversary year celebrations of Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar.

ICICI Bank has tied up with railway’s e-ticketing platform IRCTC to sell rail tickets through its website.

DEFENCE, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

FEBRUARY 2016

Indian President and the Prime Minister inspected the International Fleet Review 2016 held on 4 Feb to 8 Feb at Visakhapatnam coast.

The Indian Navy's first locally developed nuclear submarine INS Arihant is now ready for full fledged operations.

After nearly 60 years of sailing across the oceans, the Indian Navy's aircraft carrier, the INS Viraat is destined to be decommissioned in June, 2016. It was inducted in Indian Navy in May 1987 as

refitted British warship – HMS Hermes. Andhra govt has agreed to base the ship off

Visakhapatnam coast, converting it into a luxury hotel for promotion of tourism.

A study by the Stockholm-based think-tank SIPRI states that India is the world’s largest importer of arms, accounting for 14% of global arms imports.

Indigenously developed Prithvi-II missile, capable of carrying 500 kg to 1000 kg of warheads up to 350 kms, was tested successfully

'Exercise IBSAMAR' (India, Brazil, South Africa Maritime) between the navies of Brazil, India and South Africa was held off the Goa coast

India’s first indigenously developed lightest revolver Nidar, weighing just 250 grams, was launched by the state-run Ishapore Rifle Factory in West Bengal.

Indian Army participated in the ‘Cobra Gold 2016’ – the biggest military exercise hosted by Thailand, along with its counterparts from 35 countries

Indian and Chinese troops held their first joint tactical exercise “Sino-India Cooperation 2016’’ in Chushul-Moldo area of Ladakh border with China.

BAE Systems, UK has announced selection of Mahindras’ as its Indian partner for the supply of 145 M777 ultra light howitzers to the Indian Army

LAMITYE 2016, the 7th joint military training exercise between the Indian Army and the Seychelles People’s Defence Forces (SPDF) was held in Seychelles.

The 9th edition of India-Nepal Combined Military Exercise ‘Surya Kiran IX’ was held in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand.

The Ministry of Defence to locally produce 106 upgraded Light Combat Aircraft “Tejas Mark 1-A” jets to replace the ageing fleet of MiG fighter aircraft.


The 4th India-Myanmar Coordinated Patrol(corpat) was conducted by both navies in the Andaman Sea.

Japan joined the US, Russia, and China as one of the only countries to produce its own fifth-generation stealth fighter jet- X-2-‘Shinshin’

Saudi Arabia launched a massive military exercise – ‘North Thunder’ that included troops from 20 nations in King Khalid Military City in Saudi Arabia.

Govt has launched a device developed by the CSIR –CEERI, named ‘Ksheer-Scanner’ that detects the adulterants like urea, salt, detergent, soda etc in milk.

YouTube has launched its YouTube Red service to offer original movies and shows without ad breaks to the public.

Scientists working with the LIGO [Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory], USA, have detected for the first time, signals of gravitational waves. These signals are emanating from two merging

black holes 1.3 billion light years away. These ripples in space-time were predicted by

Albert Einstein, some 100 years ago. Union Cabinet has given ‘in principle’ approval for a

proposal to have a gravitational wave detector in India under LIGO-India Project.

The Japanese space agency has successfully launched a new X ray astronomy satellite – Astro–H to study the origin of black holes.

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has launched the country's first anti-diabetic ayurvedic drug BGR -34 for Diabetes type 2 patients.

Hyderabad-based biotechnology research company Bharat Biotech has announced that it has developed the world’s first vaccine for Zika virus.

Mobile messaging app WhatsApp crossed the one billion user milestone globally on Feb 02.

JANUARY 2016

Indigenously designed and built advanced light

helicopter (ALH) — “Rudra” made its debut at the Republic Day parade.

Indian Navy warship INS Kolkata successfully test-fired long-range surface-to-air missile (LRSAM) Barak NG developed in collaboration with Israel.

15th January observed as Army Day. On this day in 1949, Lt.–Gen. Cariappa became the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army.

The 15th edition of bilateral exercise by the Indian Coast Guard and its Japanese counterpart began off the coast of Chennai, Tamil Nadu in the Bay of Bengal.

The DRDO successfully test-fired Nag anti-tank missile at the Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan.

INS Kadmatt, the second indigenous stealth Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Corvette, was inducted in Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam.

India and France began their eight-day counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency joint exercise ‘Shakti-2016’ in Rajasthan.

India has supplied three Mi-25 gunship helicopters to Afghan Air Force.

A new variant of Thrush bird named as the Himalayan Forest Thrush has been found in the northeastern India and parts of Tibet, Nepal and China.

A class of frogs that grows in tree holes who as tadpoles feed on eggs laid by their mother, has been discovered in the north-east region.

A Bengaluru-based technology startup has developed India’s first artificial liver tissue with the help of 3-D printing technology.

Global streaming pioneer Netflix (of USA) has launched its service in India, allowing viewers to access unlimited TV and cinema content online

The NASA successfully launched Falcon 9 rocket made by SpaceX Company, from California to place ocean monitoring satellite Jason-3 in orbit.

Scientists have discovered the most energetic light ever detected in the universe from the centre of a supernova known as ‘Crab pulsar’

Astronomers have discovered the largest known solar system, consisting of a large planet that takes nearly a million years to orbit its star.

The periodic table of elements in Chemistry has added four new chemical elements - 113, 115, 117 and 118, discovered by scientists in Japan, Russia and US.

Scientists in Singapore have developed a human-like social robot named ‘Nadine’, with soft skin and flowing brunette hair

China successfully launched Gaofen-4 Earth Observation Satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Sichuan, China.

DECEMBER 2015

Unified Commanders Conference, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was held on board Navy’s aircraft carrier - INS Vikramaditya,

34 Islamic nations have agreed to form a new “Islamic military alliance” led by Saudi Arabia to fight terrorism with a joint operations center based in Riyadh,

INS Godavari, the country's first indigenously designed and built warship was decommissioned at Mumbai on Dec 24 after 32 years of service.


The 8th edition of INDRA NAVY-15, a joint naval exercise between Indian and Russian navies, started off the coast of Visakhapatnam in the Bay of Bengal.

Israeli military has successfully tested from a ship an advanced surface-to-air supersonic missile – Barak 8, co-developed with India. It has a range of 100 kms.

Govt has approved the purchase of S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems from Russia.

Cochin Shipyard Ltd launched the Fast Patrol Vessel ‘ICGS Atulya’ for induction in Indian Coast Guard.

Indian Coast Guard has commissioned interceptor boat ‘ICGS C-422’ to further enhance its vigil along Pondicherry and South Tamil Nadu coast.

Pakistan tested nuclear capable ballistic missile Shaheen 1A, range of 900 kms & Shaheen-III which can carry nuclear warheads up to 2,750 kms

The ISRO launched PSLV-C29 rocket carrying six satellites of Singapore. They included main satellite TeLEOS-1 and five mini satellites

US space company SpaceX created history on Dec 21 when its Falcon 9 rocket landed back on earth within 10 minutes of its launch from the Cape Canaveral

The Atlas V rocket of NASA, carrying the supplies for the International Space Station, blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, USA,

Scientists of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered a new species of eel named Bengal moray eel along the Digha coast in West Bengal.

China launched its first space telescope- the Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) Satellite to study the mysterious dark matter.

China has approved commercial production of its first domestically developed electricity-powered aircraft known as RX 1E.

INTERNATIONAL

FEBRUARY 2016

On Feb 1 MPs of National League for Democracy party lead by Aung San Suu Kyi joined the parliament, marking end to the military rule since 1962.

A landmark UN-backed ceasefire came into effect in Syria at midnight of 26 Feb, supported by both – USA and Russia. This is the first major truce in five years of civil

war that has claimed more than 2.7 lakh lives. Britain is facing a big debate these days on the issue

of ‘Brexit’–Britain’s exit from the European Union. A

referendum will be held on June 23, 2016 to decide the issue.

WHO has declared Public Health Emergency of International Concern over the explosive spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus.

United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon has released a report called 'One Humanity: Shared Responsibility'. The report calls for a global campaign to

prevent the destruction of humanitarian laws and to protect civilians in conflict.

France has become the first country in the world to legally ban supermarkets from throwing away or destroying unsold food.

The three day annual World Government Summit was held in Dubai.

The Noor Ouarzazate Solar Complex, world’s largest solar power plant started operations on February 4 in the Souss-Massa-Drâa area in Morocco.

The first cargo train under Beijing led-Belt and Road connectivity initiative along the New Silk Road from China to Iran completed its first journey. The 10,400 kms trip from Yiwu near Shanghai

to Bander Abbas port in Iran took just 14 days, a full 30 days shorter than the maritime voyage.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership deal, lead by USA, one of the biggest trade deals in history, was signed in New Zealand on Feb 4.

Bank of Japan has imposed, for the first time, a negative interest rate of minus 0.1 per cent for certain bank deposits placed with it.

Alphabet, the company that owns Google, has overtaken rival Apple Inc in terms of value of market capitalisation on Feb 1

A survey of 230 cities for assessing quality of life by the global consulting firm Mercer has placed Vienna at the top, followed by Zurich.

Finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of 20 major rich and developing economies began a two-day meeting in Shanghai on Feb 26.

A two day summit between leaders from the ASEAN and the United States was held in California to dwell upon maritime security in the South China Sea.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU) have signed an agreement to improve cooperation in cyber defense.

Apple notched a record $18.4 billion in profit for the quarter ending 31st Dec 2015, the largest ever profit recorded by a single company in world's history.

A Twin Otter plane of Tara Air crashed on Feb 24 in Dana of Myagdi district of Nepal, killing all 23 people aboard.

On Feb 23, Pakistan’s parliament became the world’s first parliament to run fully on solar power.


World Radio Day was observed globally by UNESCO on 13 February 2016 with the theme ’Radio in Times of Emergency and Disaster’.

The United Nations' (UN) World Day of Social Justice observed on February 20 to encourage people to look at how social justice affects poverty eradication.

World Cancer Day was observed across the world on 4th February. This year’s theme was – We can, I can.

JANUARY 2016

A monster blizzard named ‘Snowzilla’ paralysed the entire US East Coast on Jan 24 with hurricane-force winds and record snow

In a survey to compile ‘Best Country Report’ Germany was ranked as the best country, followed closely by Canada. India was placed at the 22nd place.

The data released by China's the National Bureau of Statistics shows that China's economy grew 6.9 per cent in 2015, the slowest pace in last 25 years.

Countries like Brazil, Colombia and El Salvador are facing the threat of the highly infectious Zika virus spread by mosquito bite.

It is particularly harmful for pregnant ladies as it affects the foetus growth adversely.

The Zika virus is transmitted by Aedes species mosquitoes, which also spread dengue and chikungunya viruses.

Crude oil prices plunged to 12 year low at $ 29.93 a barrel, due to abundant oversupply and the ongoing row between key producers Iran and Saudi Arabia

France has announced a Euro 2 billion “state of economic and social emergency" plan to revive job creation and catch up with the world’s economy.

Digital Dividends, a report by World Bank explores the impact of the internet, mobiles and related technologies on economic development in the world.

A report by U N World Tourism Organization states that the international tourist arrivals grew by 4.4 % in 2015 to reach a total of 1184 million in 2015.

The number of international migrants reached 244 million in 2015 for the world as a whole, a 41 per cent increase compared to 2000.

World Economic Forum’s prestigious annual meeting held at Davos, Switzerland, from January 20 to 23.

The World Health Organization has declared Liberia free of Ebola virus. Now there is no other country officially reporting Ebola cases.

Asia's largest underground railway station, covering a total area of 147,000 square metres, opened in Futian in Shenzhen city in south China.

Toyota continues to be the world’s biggest automaker selling 10.15 million vehicles in 2015, closely followed by Volkswagen and General Motors.

World Economic Forum’s prestigious annual meeting held at Davos, Switzerland, from January 20 to 23.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens became the world's fastest film to make one billion dollars at the global box office.

DECEMBER 2015

The 10th WTO (World Trade Organisation)

Ministerial Conference was held in Nairobi, Kenya from Dec 15 to 19.

United States has lifted a 40-year ban on oil exports, marking a historic shift for the booming US oil industry.

China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), ajoin effort of 56 countries, was formally established in Beijing on Dec 25. It has an authorised capital of $100 billion and

subscribed capital of $50 billion India holds 8.52 % share in the capital It will invest in sectors like energy,

transportation, urban construction, education and healthcare.

Zimbabwe plans to adopt the Chinese Yuan as its currency with a view to cancel the debt worth 40 million dollars from China.

The UN Security Council (UNSC) has adopted a resolution to increase sanctions against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq (ISIS) group and other terrorist groups.

In Saudi Arabia, females were allowed to cast votes and run for office for the first time in the country's history.


Nearly 200 nations adopted the first global pact to fight climate change on Dec 12 at COP 21 meet by UNFCCC at Le Bourget, France, COP - Conference of the Parties UNFCCC - United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

The United Nations has launched a new initiative titled Anticipate, Absorb, Reshape to build climate resilience in the world’s most vulnerable countries.

India has initiated the idea of the international solar alliance to harness solar power as a major step to mitigate carbon gas emissions.

World leaders from 20 countries, including India and global investors lead by Bill Gates, launched Mission Innovation at the COP21 in Paris

Mission Innovation aims at accelerating clean energy revolution across the world and to promote the use of renewable energy resources.

Brazil's economy shrank by 1.7% in the third quarter of the year compared with the second quarter, deepening the country's worst recession.

The Federal Reserve of USA hiked interest rates by 25 basis points to 0.50 on Dec 16, for the first time since 2006, assuming stable growth of U.S. economy.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg pledged to give away 99% of his company shares worth $45 billion, to mark the birth of his daughter Maxima

IMF has decided to include the Chinese currency, the Yuan, in its Special Drawing Rights (SDR) basket effective from October 1, 2016

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution to observe November 5 every year as World Tsunami Awareness Day

The World AIDS Day was observed on 1 December 2015 across the world with the theme “Getting to zero, End AIDS by 2030”.

2nd World Internet Conference was held at Wuzen in Eastern China from Dec 16 to 18.

Mexico has approved the use of the first-ever vaccine against dengue fever - Dengvaxia, manufactured by French pharma major Sanofi Pasteur.

The Philippines became the first Asian country to approve the sale of the world's first-ever dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia.

Gambia, a tiny West African country has decided to become an Islamic republic because Islam is the religion of the majority of its citizens.

The first media summit of countries belonging to the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) grouping held at Beijing on Dec 1.

Food and Agriculture Organization of UNO launched International Year of Pulses on 10 November with the theme ‘nutritious seeds for a sustainable future’.

New Zealanders chose a new flag design featuring silver fern and red stars on a black and blue background. The new design will be confirmed by vote in March.

PERSONS IN NEWS

FEBRUARY 2016

U K SINHA: The government has extended Sinha's term as the Chairman of Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) till March 01, 2017. SAMEER ANJAAN: Bollywood’s popular lyricist has made into the Guinness Book of World Records for writing the most number – 3524, songs for Bollywood films. NEYMAR: Iconic football player from Brazil was in news as Courts in Brazil issued warrants to freeze his assets worth almost $ 50 million. GEN. RAJENDRA CHETTRI: Nepalese Army Chief was conferred the honorary rank of General of the Indian Army by the President Pranab Mukherjee.

JANUARY 2016

RAGHURAM RAJAN: RBI Governor was named ‘Global and Asia-Pacific Central Bank Governor of the Year 2015’ by the prestigious UK magazine The Banker AZIM PREMJI: Chairman of Wipro has been ranked as the most generous Indian of the year for the third time in a row with donations worth Rs. 27,514 crore APARNA KUMAR, IPS: She is the first woman officer of any All-India Services to scale the Mount Vinson Massif, the highest peak in the Antarctic sub-continent. SHEIKH NIMR AL-NIMR: A prominent Shia cleric, highly critical of the ruling Al Saud dynasty, was executed by the Saudi Arabian govt for his alleged involvement in shooting policemen.

DECEMBER 2015

SHAH RUKH KHAN: has been ranked as the country’s top-earning celebrity with estimated earnings of Rs. 257.5 crore this year, pushing Salman Khan to the second position (202.75 crore) in the latest Forbes India Celebrity List for 2015. KATY PERRY: Global pop singer from USA is on top of Forbes magazine's list of highest-paid musicians of 2015, with $135 million in earnings.


ANGELA MERKEL: German Chancellor has been named as the "Person of the Year" by the Times Magazine for her role in Europe's refugee crises and Greek debt.

APPOINTMENTS

FEBRUARY 2016

JUSTICE H L DATTU: Former Chief Justice of India has been appointed as the Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission. RAJENDRA SINGH: Appointed as the new Director General of the Indian Coast Guard. KALYAN SINGH: Governor of Rajasthan given the additional charge of Governor of Himachal Pradesh.

K N VYAS: Appointed new Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai AMIT MITRA: West Bengal Finance Minister has been appointed as the new chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers on Goods and Services Tax (GST). KALIKHO PUL: New CM of Arunachal Pradesh. PARAMESHWARAN IYER: Appointed as the new Secretary of the Drinking Water and Sanitation Department to steer the Swachh Bharat Mission. He is the World Bank’s water and sanitation specialist. ARUNA SETHI: Appointed as the first women head of the Indian Cost Accounts Services D J PANDIAN: Former chief secretary of Gujarat has been appointed vice-president and chief investment officer of the newly formed Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). JAI KUMAR GARG: appointed MD and CEO of Corporation Bank ARCHANA RAMASUNDRAM, IPS: Appointed as the Director General of Sashastra Seema Bal, SSB. She is the first woman to head a paramilitary force. SSB guards Indian borders with Nepal and Bhutan. K DURGA PRASAD, IPS: Appointed Director General of Central Reserve Police Force. K K SHARMA, IPS: Appointed Director General of the Border Security Force. GURDEEP SINGH: Appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of NTPC Ltd. For the first time a Maharatna company chief has been selected through a search committee route.

Amitava Bhattacharyya, IAS, Bimal Julka, IAS and D P Sinha, IPS have been appointed as the Information Commissioners in the Central Information Commission GIANNI INFANTINO: Elected as the new President of world Football body –FIFA. He is a Football administrator from Switzerland and is Chief of European Football body UEFA. FAUSTIN ARCHANGE TOUADERA: Elected as the new President of Central African Republic (CAR) YOWERI MUSEVENI: Elected new President of Uganda, for the fifth time.

ALBERT PAHIMI PADACKE: New Prime Minister of the Central African country Chad.

CHRISTINE LAGARDE: Re-appointed as the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund for a second five-year term.

JANUARY 2016

SAILESH: A senior IAS officer, appointed as the new Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.

AMIT SHAH: Re-elected unopposed as the President of the Bharatiya Janata Party

ATULESH JINDAL: Appointed as the Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)

DINESH SHARMA: Elected to the 12-member board of directors of the China-sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). DEVENDER KUMAR SIKRI: Appointed as Chairman of fair-trade regulator Competition Commission of India

AMITABH KANT: Given additional charge of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog. He is Industry Secretary at present.

URJIT PATEL: Reappointed as Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India, for a second three-year term.

Dr. GYANENDRA D BANDGAIYAN: Appointed as the Director General of the National Centre for Good Governance.

MARCELO REBELO de SOUSA: Elected as the new President of Portugal

PAVEL FILIP: Appointed as the Prime Minister of Moldova, small poorest European country

TSAI ING-WEN: Elected as the new President of Taiwan

GIORGI KVIRIKASHVILI: Elected as the Prime Minister of Georgia, Europe.


DECEMBER 2015

R.K. MATHUR: Appointed the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) GAUTAM H BAMBAWALE: Appointed as the High Commissioner of India to the Pakistan ARUN KUMAR JAIN: Appointed Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). SIR VENKATRAMAN RAMAKRISHNAN: Nobel laureate in Chemistry, assumed Presidency of the Royal Society in London for a period of five years.

AWARDS & HONOURS

FEBRUARY 2016

ARYABHATA AWARD 2013: The prestigious honour by Astronautical Society of India given to Dr Avinash Chander, former Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister and ex-DRDO chief. Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Classical Music Award for 2015-2016: (by Maharashtra government) won by Sarangi maestro Pandit Ram Narayan, a Padma Vibhushan awardee. Khuswant Singh memorial prize for poetry: awarded to Arundhathi Subramaniam for her poetry book 'When God is Traveller'. E&Y ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR 2015: Won by Vinita Gupta, CEO and Nilesh Gupta, MD of Lupin Ltd, a leading Pharma company of India. GOLDEN CONCH AWARD: (for the best documentary film) won by Manipuri documentary film Phum-Shang about the environmental problems of Loktak Lake, at the 14th Mumbai International Film Festival V SHANTARAM LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Conferred upon veteran wildlife filmmaker Naresh Bedi BEST FIRST FOREIGN FILM AWARD: won by Titli, a feature film by Kanu Behl. Award is given by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics. GREEN BOND PIONEER AWARD: won by Yes Bank for being the ‘Pioneers in Emerging Markets-India’. Yes Bank had issued India’s first ever ‘Green Infrastructure Bonds’ for Rs. 1000 crore in 2015 CROSS OF THE ORDER OF MERIT: Germany’s prestigious honour conferred upon Goverdhan Mehta, renowned researcher in Chemical Sciences.

HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD: (by Amnesty International) won by Indian lawyer and human rights defender Henri Tiphagne, founder of NGO People’s Watch.

Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur: (Knight of the Legion of Honour), one of the France's highest civilian honour was given to Fashion designer Manish Arora from New Delhi.

ORDER OF FRIENDSHIP: Russia's top civilian awards given to Ramayah Shanmuga Sundar, Director of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant. CRYSTAL BEAR AWARD: Best film award in children category at the Berlin film festival won by Malayalam film Ottaal (The Trap) directed by Jayaraj Rajasekharan.

GOLDEN BEAR AWARD: Berlin film festival’s top prize won by the Italian film Fuocoammare (Fire at Sea), a harrowing documentary about Europe’s refugee crisis.

DIRECTORS GUILD OF AMERICA AWARD: (for best feature film) won by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu for the film The Revenant

58th GRAMMY AWARDS, Los Angeles, USA, Feb 15 These are the highest awards given in the field of music. Category Album Artist

Record of the year

Uptown fund Mark Ronson

Album of the year 1989 Taylor Swift Song of the year Thinking Out

Loud Ed Sheeran & Amy Wadge

Best Rock Performance

Don't Wanna Fight

Alabama Shakes

Best World Music Album

Sings Angelique Kidjo

Best Music Video Bad Blood Taylor Swift


69th BAFTA AWARDS, London, Feb 14

British Academy of Film and Television Awards are the top film awards for Films screened in Europe. Best Film: The Revenant Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio for The Revenant Best Actress: Brie Larson for Room Best Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Mexico) - The Revenant Outstanding British film: Brooklyn

JANUARY 2016

PADMA AWARDS ANNOUNCED India's highest civil awards after Bharat Ratna for the year 2016 were announced on the eve of Republic Day (25th January). These awards carry no cash component. Total 112 awards were announced which included 10 Padma Vibhushans, 19 Padma Bushans and 83 Padma Sris. Some of the famous winners are given below:-

PADMA VIBHUSHAN - 10

Sr. No.

Person Field From

1 Tamil Superstar Rajinikanth,

Art-Cinema Tamil Nadu

2 Founder of the Reliance empire late Dhirubhai

Ambani,

— Trade & Industry —

Maharashtra

3 Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi

Shankar

Others-Spiritualism

—

Karnataka

4 Cinema baron Ramoji Rao

Literature & Education-

Journalism —

Andhra Pradesh

5 Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor

Jagmohan,

Public Affairs —

Delhi

6 Former DRDO chief VK Aatre,

Science & Engineering

—

Karnataka

7 Cancer specialist and chairperson of

Adyar Cancer Institute Dr V

Shanta

Medicine-Oncology —

Tamil Nadu

8 Eminent Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi dancer

Yamini Krishnamurthi

Art-Classical dance —

Delhi

9 Classical vocalist Girija Devi

Art-Classical Vocal —

West Bengal

10 Indian-American economist Avinash

Dixit

Literature & Education —

USA

PADMA BHUSHAN - TOTAL 19 Sr. No.

Person Field From

1 Anupam Kher Art-Cinema Maharashtra 2 Udit Narayan Jha Art-Playback

Singing Maharashtra

3 Ram V Sutar Art-Sculpture UP 4 Vinod Rai Civil Service Kerala 5 Dr. Barjinder

Singh Hamdard Literature & Education - Journalism

Punjab

6 Hafeez Contractor

Others-Architecture

Maharashtra

7 R C Bhargava Public Affairs UP 8 Ms Saina Nehwal Sports-Badminton Telangana 9 Ms Sania Mirza Sports-Tennis Telangana

10 Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry (NRI/PIO)

Trade & Industry Ireland

PADMA SRI – TOTAL 83

Sr. No.

Person Field From

1 Ajay Devgn Art-Cinema Maharashtra 2 Ms Priyanka

Chopra Art-Cinema Maharashtra

3 S S Rajamouli Art-Film Direction and Production

Karnataka

4 Madhur Bhandarkar

Art-Film Direction and Production

Maharashtra

5 Dhirendra Nath Bezbaruah

Literature & Education

Assam

6 Prof Pushpesh Pant

Literature & Education-Journalism

Delhi

7 Piyush Pandey Others-Advertising & Communication

Maharashtra

8 Ujjwal Nikam Public Affairs Maharashtra 9 Ms Deepika

Kumari Sports-Archery Jharkhand

10 Dilip Sanghvi Trade & Industry Maharashtra

ASHOKA CHAKRA: Nation's highest peacetime gallantry award, , has been awarded posthumously to Lance Naik Mohan Nath Goswami of 9 Para (Special Forces) for his acts of most conspicuous gallantry in eliminating 10 terrorists in 11 days before laying down his life in the line of duty in Sep 2015 in Kupwara sector of Jammu & Kashmir.

JNANPITH AWARD FOR 2015: Noted Gujarati writer Raghuveer Chaudhari became the 56th writer to be conferred with India's highest literary honour. His most noted works include novels 'Amruta' and 'Uparvas’.

61ST FILMFARE AWARDS DECLARED Best Actor: Ranveer Singh for Bajirao Mastani Best Actress: Deepika Padukone for Piku Best Film: Bajirao Mastani Best Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali for Bajirao Mastani Lifetime Achievement: Moushumi Chatterjee


THE HINDU PRIZE, 2015: (for best novel) won by Easterine Kire, poet, novelist and children’s writer from Nagaland, for her novel When the River Sleeps. DSC Prize for South Asian Literature: Anuradha Roy for her novel Sleeping on Jupiter. YASH CHOPRA MEMORIAL AWARD: Given to veteran actress Rekha for her contribution to the film industry. KNIGHTHOOD HONOUR IN UK: conferred upon Dr Harpal Singh Kumar, an Indian-origin cancer research expert for his influential work on prevention and treatment of cancer. Lorenzo Natali Media Prize for 2015 (Asia-Pacific): Ankita Anand journalist for sensitive portrayal of life for young women facing the threat of the diktat of khap panchayats in Haryana. PEN - Allen Foundation Literary Service Award (USA): Won by the Harry Potter author J K Rowling for her support for free expression and charitable causes.

WINNERS OF 73RD GOLDEN GLOBES 2016 Held on Jan 10 at Los Angeles, California, USA

Best Motion Picture (Drama): ‘The Revenant’ Best Actor (Drama): Leonardo DiCaprio, ‘The Revenant’ Best Actress (Drama): Brie Larson for Room

Best Director: Alejandro Inarritu - The Revenant

DECEMBER 2015

THE GOLDEN PEACOCK: Award for best feature film at the 46th International Film Festival of India won by the Colombia film ‘Embrace of The Serpent’ directed by Ciro Guerra. The award carries cash prize of Rs 40 lakh. GARWOOD AWARD for ‘Outstanding Global Leader in Open Innovation’: The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee was conferred this award by the UC Berkeley-Haas School of Business, California, USA. NATIONAL SCIENCE MEDAL (USA): Indian-American tumour scientist Prof. Rakesh Jain has been selected for this top US science award.

SOUTH EAST ASIA WRITE AWARD: Won by Singapore based Indian origin writer J M Mali for his contribution to Tamil literature.

MAILER PRIZE FOR LITERATURE, USA: won by India-born author Salman Rushdie QUEEN's YOUNG LEADERS AWARD – 2016: Two Indians, Kartik Sawhney and Neha Swain, have won this prestigious award in the United Kingdom for their work in transforming the lives of others

Miss Universe 2015: Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach of the Philippines

Miss International 2015: Edymar Martínez of Venezuela

Miss Earth 2015: Angelia Ong from Philippines

Miss Intercontinental 2015: Valentina Rasulova from Russia

Miss World 2015: Mireia Lalaguna from Spain

OBITUARY

FEBRUARY 2016

USTAD ABDUL RASHID KHAN: The oldest performing vocalist of Hindustani Music, Padma Bhushan awardee, a descendant of Tansen, passed away in Kolkata at the age of 107 years. GEN. K V KRISHNA RAO: Former Army Chief who played a key role in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, died of a cardiac arrest in New Delhi. He was 92. JASWANT SINGH RAJPUT: Two time Olympic gold winner in Hockey, passed away at the age of 90 years. O N V KURUP: Jnanpith award winning, very popular and most respected Malayalam poet from Kerala passed away at the age of 84. He was honoured with Padma Sri in 1998 and Padma Vibhushan in 2011. SUDHIR TAILANG: Well-known cartoonist, passed away in New Delhi at the age of 55. He was suffering from brain cancer. NIDA FAZLI: Renowned poet and lyricist, known for compositions like Kabhi kisi ko mukamil jahan nahi milta and Hosh waalon ko khabar kya, died in Mumbai due to heart failure. He was 78. S.S. TARAPORE: Former Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India died at Mumbai at the age of 80. BALRAM JAKHAR: Veteran Congress leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker, four times M P, passed away in New Delhi. He was 92. AKBAR KAKKATTIL: Noted Malayalam novelist and short story writer passed away at the age of 62. HARPER LEE: One of America's most celebrated novelists whose 1960 masterpiece "To Kill a Mockingbird" was read by millions worldwide, died at the age of 89. Equally popular was his second novel – Go Set a Watchman, published in 2015. In fact, it was the original manuscript of her first novel.


BOUTROS BOUTROS-GHALI: Former UN Secretary General, the Egyptian diplomat who became the first Secretary General from Africa in 1992, died in Cairo. He was 93. SUSHIL KOIRALA: Former Prime Minister of Nepal and President of Nepali Congress passed away in Kathmandu after prolonged illness. He was 78.

EDGAR MITCHELL: NASA astronaut, who was the sixth man to walk on the Moon from Apollo 14 mission in Feb

1971, died in West Palm Beach, Florida at age of 85.

JANUARY 2016

MRINALINI SARABHAI: Veteran dancer and Padma Bhushan recipient passed away in Ahmedabad. She was 97. She was proficient in Bharatanatyam, Kathakali and Mohiniyattam. Lt–Gen. J F R JACOB (retd): Ex Governor of Goa and Punjab and war hero of 1971 Bangladesh war, passed away in New Delhi after a brief illness. He was 92. GENERAL O P MALHOTRA: Former Punjab Governor and ex-Chief of Army Staff passed away in Gurgaon due to old-age complications on Dec 29. He was 93. V. RAMA RAO: Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Sikkim Governor passed away in Hyderabad after prolonged illness. He was 80. RAJESH VIVEK UPADHYAY: Noted film/ TV artist died in Hyderabad. He was 66. Rajesh was mainly known for his roles in films like Lagaan (Guran) and Swades. MUFTI MOHAMMAD SAYEED: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister died in New Delhi. He was 79.

SAROSH HOMI KAPADIA: Former Chief Justice of India, 68, passed away in Mumbai.

A.B. BARDHAN: Veteran Communist Party of India leader, 92, passed away after a long illness at New Delhi.

DAVID BOWIE: One of the most influential recording artists of all time in UK, passed away due to throat cancer. He was 69.

MARVIN MINSKY: Noted mathematician and the computer scientist, pioneer of artificial intelligence, died at the age of 88 in Boston, USA.

NATALIE COLE: Grammy-winning US singer passed away in Los Angeles. She was 65. She gave super hits like Our Love and This Will Be.

HASKELL WEXLER: Oscar – winning US cinematographer died in California. He was 93. He was one of the America’s most influential cinematographers.

YASUTARO KOIDE: The world’s oldest man died in Nagoya, Japan at the age of 112

DECEMBER 2015

SADHANA (Shivdasani/Nayer): Veteran actress, who mesmerised audience in timeless hits like “Hum Dono”, “Love in Simla” and “Waqt”, died in Mumbai after a brief illness. She was 74. She will always be remembered for her iconic fringe hair on forehead, the ‘Sadhna cut’. SHARAD JOSHI: Renowned agro-economist, founder of Shetakari Sangthana, crusader for farmers’ rights and a former Rajya Sabha member, died at Pune at 81.

MAM RAMASWAMY: Industrialist, founder of Chettinad Group, former parliamentarian passed away in Chennai at the age of 84 after prolonged illness.

USTAAD SABRI KHAN: Renowned sarangi player died at age of 88 due to breathing problems. He was decorated with Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.

DR. ROBERT L. SPITZER: Veteran psychiatrist who gave psychiatry its first set of rigorous measuring standards to describe mental disorders, died in New York. He was 83. ELDAR RYAZANOV: Russian legendary film Director died in Moscow at the age of 88. He directed some of the most popular and beloved comedies such as Irony of Fate, The Garage and Office Romance.

PLACES IN NEWS

FEBRUARY 2016

KUMBAKONAM: Temple town of Thanjavur district in Tamil Nadu was the venue for the famous Mahamaham festival on Feb 22. ELEPHANTA ISLAND: Located near Mumbai, a UNESCO world heritage site, famous for its Hindu cave sculptures depicting the cult of Shiva, was in news because the island, which was dependent upon diesel-powered generators for electricity until now, will be completely electrified by August, 2016.

MURUD-JANJIRA BEACH: A picnic along the Arabian Sea went horribly wrong for a group of collegians from Pune when 13 of them drowned off the Murud-Janjira beach in Maharashtra’s Raigad district.

CYCLONE WINSTON: One of the most powerful storms recorded in the southern hemisphere tore through the Pacific island nation Fiji, killing over 44 persons, flattening remote villages and cutting off communications.


JANUARY 2016

PATHANKOT: A group of 6 suspected Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists attacked the Pathankot Air Force base in Punjab on January 2. All the attackers were killed, claiming martyrdom of 7 defence personnel KALIACHAK: A small town 25 kms southwest of Malda in West Bengal was in news as more than a dozen policemen were injured and police station was set on fire in mob fury in an incident of communal violence. UMAID BHAWAN PALACE: in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, has been adjudged the best hotel in the world based on reviews and opinions collected by travel site Trip Advisor for its ‘Travellers’ Choice awards for Hotels'. CHARSADDA: At least 25 persons were killed and several other were seriously wounded when Taliban suicide attackers stormed the prestigious Bacha Khan University in Charsadda, near Peshawar in Pakistan.

MAZAR-e-SHARIF: City in Afghanistan was in news as the Indian Consulate there was attacked by the heavily armed terrorists. An intense 25-hour gun-battle between security forces and terrorists ended in the killing of all attackers. RAMADI: City in Iraq was declared liberated from the Islamic State group after clinching a landmark victory against the jihadists. The city was lost to IS in May, 2015.

DECEMBER 2015

KANNUR: Town in Kerala was in news as the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) excavated 35,950 cannon balls at the historic Fort St Angelo there. SHENZHEN: In China, more than 90 persons were killed due to a landslide caused by the collapse of a huge mound of waste construction mud in Shenzhen industrial area in south China.


SAN BERNARDINO: A city in California, USA was in news as gunmen opened fire on a holiday party at a social services agency, killing 14 people and wounding 17 others. Two gunmen were killed later on. TYPHOON NONA (Melor): Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated from the central Philippines as a typhoon with winds of up to 150 kph made landfall, causing heavy rains leading to massive flooding and landslides.

SPORTS WORLD

FEBRUARY 2016

Dutee Chand, ace sprinter set a new national record in the 60m dash in 7.28 seconds at the 7th Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Doha. Kidambi Srikanth won the Men's Singles title of the Syed Modi International Badminton Championships held in Lucknow, U P. Anirban Lahiri, India’s top golfer has been voted as the Hilton Asian Tour Golfer of Year by fans in an online poll. Rishabh Pant, Wicketkeeper-batsman in India U-19 team created world record for fastest 50 playing against Nepal in the ICC U-19 World Cup in Mirpur, Bangladesh. Sania Mirza and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis won the St. Petersburg Ladies Doubles Trophy. 12th South Asian Games came to an end on Feb 16 at Guwahati. India finished at the top with a record 308 medals - 188 Gold, 90 Silver and 30 Bronze. Shooter Chain Singh won record 6 Gold medals. Hosted city was Shillong and Guwahati. 13th SAG will be hosted by Nepal in Kathmandu in 2019. Ranji Trophy: Mumbai won the prestigious cricket championship defeating Saurashtra in Pune, Maharashtra.

The Indian women's cricket team lead by Mithali Raj won the three-match Twenty20 International series against Sri Lanka 3-0 in Ranchi, Jharkhand.

Hockey India League: Jaypee Punjab Warriors won the championship by beating Kalinga Lancers in Ranchi, Jharkhand. 36th National Chess team Championship was won by the Indian Railways in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

Punjab defeated Mizoram to lift the Dr BC Roy Trophy for the National Junior Football Championship at Hoshiarpur, Punjab. 34th Senior National Rowing Championship held at Hussainsagar Lake, Hyderabad.

83rd Senior National Snooker Championship: Aditya Mehta won the title by defeating Manan Chandra in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Kerala won the 61st National School Athletics championship held in Kozhikode, Kerala India achieved a rare 3-0 clean sweep in the T20 International against Australia in Sydney to emerge on the top of the ICC T20 rankings. The Indian women’s cricket team made history on Jan 29 by clinching its maiden T20 series win over three-time world champions Australia in Melbourne. Fittipaldi of Brazil won the MRF Challenge Formula 2000 race in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. AUSTRALIAN OPEN concludes in Melbourne, Australia. First of the four grand slams of tennis

Men’s Singles: World Number One Novak Djokovic of Serbia beats Andy Murray of Britain Women’s Singles: Germany's Angelique Kerber got her maiden grand slam title by beating defending champion world no 1, Serena Williams of USA Men’s Doubles: Jamie Murray of UK and Brazil’s Bruno Soares won the title Women’s Doubles: Sania Mirza of India Martina Hingis of Switzerlandwon the title Quinton De Kock, batsman from South Africa became the quickest and the youngest batsmen to score 10 centuries in ODIs. He notched it up in just 55 innings, beating the record of Hashim Amla who had notched up 10 tons in 57 innings. He scored his 10th century in Centurion, SA, playing against England. Brendon McCullum, New Zealand Skipper has smashed the fastest ever Test century in just 54 balls, playing against Australia at Christchurch. Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year: won by Sean Abbott, the bowler from Australia. ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup: The West Indies won the cup for the first time, beating three time champions India in Mirpur, Bangladesh. Badminton Asia Team Championships: China and Indonesia won the women’s and men’s categories, respectively, in Hyderabad.


2021 World Aquatics Championships will be hosted by Fukuoka city of Japan and by Doha, Qatar in 2023. The first ever Asia Cup in its T-20 format started from February 24th in Bangladesh. The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2017 will be hosted by England in June 2017. Helmet for Umpires: Concerned about the safety of its on-field officials, the ICC has decided to provide specially designed helmets to umpires in the upcoming World T20 in India to ensure their safety.

JANUARY 2016

DHANWADE SCORES RECORD 1009 RUNS Mumbai teenager Pranav Dhanawade scripted history by becoming the first batsman ever to notch up a four-figure score by smashing an unbeaten knock of 1009 including 59 sixes and 129 fours in 6 hours 35 minutes. Ravichandran Ashwin, India’s off-spinner was ranked as the No. 1 Test bowler in the ICC rankings for 2015. PV Sindhu won the Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold Badminton title beating Scotland's Kirsty Gilmour in the final at Penang, Malaysia.

Jehan Daruvala of India won the New Zealand's most popular motor race the Lady Wigram Trophy.

Siril Verma, young Indian badminton player was declared number one in junior men's singles category in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings.

APURVI CHANDELA broke the world record on 5 January 2016 to grab a gold medal in the women's 10 metre air rifle event with a score of 211.2 at the Swedish Cup Grand Prix in Savsjo, Sweden. Later, she won her second gold in 10 metre tri series event, thereby also winning the title of ‘Shooter of the Tournament’ V V S Laxman's classy innings of 281 against Australia at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in 2001 has been rated as the greatest Test performance of the last 50 years in an online survey by the ‘Cricket Magazine’.

ONGC won the Lal Bahadur Shastri Hockey tournament by beating Railways in New Delhi.

Rakhi Haldar and Kavita Devi won gold in their respective weight categories in the Senior National Weightlifting Championships held in Patiala, Punjab.

Arunima Sinha, the amputee mountaineer who set a record by climbing the Mount Everest, conquered Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, the highest mountain outside Asia, at 6960.8 metres.

India won the first T20 Asia cup Cricket for Blind beating Pakistan by 44 runs in the finals held at Kochi, Kerala. Delhi International Chess Tournament started in Delhi on Jan. 9 BCCI ANNUAL HONOURS 'Cricketer of the Year' - Men: Virat Kohli, Indian Test captain 'Cricketer of the Year' - Women: Mithali Raj, 1st Indian woman and 2nd in world to complete 5,000 runs in ODI India beat defending champions Afghanistan 2-1 in the final of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

Chennai Open Tennis: Stanislaus Wawrinka (Swiss) won the cup for the third time in row, beating Borna Coric of Croatia.

The 76th All-India Inter-University Athletics Championship was held in Patiala and the Punjabi University emerged as the overall champions for the sixth year in a row.

Senior National Wrestling Championship, New Delhi Gold won by Bajrang Punia in Men's 65kg and Ritu Phogat in women's 48kg Freestyle categories. Priyanka Phogat won the gold in the women’s 55kg category. Overall championship was won by Railways in men’s category and by Haryana in women’s category.

Vijay Merchant (U-16) Trophy: Punjab won the cricket trophy after beating Mumbai in Bengaluru.

Premier Badminton League: Delhi Acers won the title by beating Mumbai Rockets in New Delhi.

Indian women boxers won 4 gold, 9 silver and 9 bronze medals at the 5th Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA) Nations Cup in Ruma, Serbia.

The 61st National School Athletic Meet held at Kozhikode, Kerala from Jan 29.

Justice (Retd) R M Lodha committee appointed by the S C to look into the affairs of BCCI has recommended sweeping reforms that include a bar on ministers from occupying positions, putting a cap on the age and tenure of the office-bearers and legalising betting.

Japan's Izumo Takuto and Hong Kong's Zhu Chengzhu won the boys' and girls' table tennis titles, respectively, in the 11Even Sports 2015 ITTF World Junior Circuit Finals in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

FIFA Ballon d'Or award: Lionel Messi of Argentina won the World Player of the Year Award for the fifth time.


FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year: Carli Lloyd, US midfielder claimed her first award.

INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY FEDERATION ANNUAL AWARDS 2015 Player of the Year (men): Robert Van der Horst, The Netherlands Player of the Year (women): Lidewij Welten, The Netherlands World champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway won the Qatar Masters Open Chess Tournament.

Ronnie O'Sullivan of Britain won his sixth World Snooker Masters title after defeating Barry Hawkins in London.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul: The West Indies batsman announced his retirement from international cricket

Veteran tennis star Marat Safin became the first Russian player to enter the prestigious International Tennis Hall of Fame, USA.

2015 BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL Tennis Tournament at Brisbane, Australia. Men’s Singles: Milos Raonic of Canada defeated Roger Federer Women’s Singles: Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) beats A Kerber Men’s Doubles: Henri Kontinen & John Peers Women’s doubles: Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis

Australia has declined to take part in forthcoming Under-19 World Cup Tournament in Bangladesh citing security reasons.

DECEMBER 2015

P V Sindhu has won the Macau Open Grand Prix Gold Badminton tournament for the third consecutive time, beating Minatsu Mitani of Japan. Thakur Anoop Singh won the Mr. World title in the World Bodybuilding and Physique Championships in Bangkok, Thailand.

Deborah Herold has become the first Indian female cyclist to be ranked fourth in the World Elite Women Ranking for the 500m time trial event. Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy won the doubles title in the Mexico Open Grand Prix Badminton tournament in Mexico City.

Col. C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award: Syed Kirmani, India's former wicket-keeper batsman who played 88 Tests and 49 ODIs

Gujarat won their maiden Vijay Hazare Cricket Trophy by beating Delhi in the finals played in Bengaluru.

18th Asian Luge Championship: Shiva Keshavan of Manali, HP won a silver medal at Nagano, Japan.

Indonesian Masters Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament: India’s K Srikanth suffered a very narrow defeat from Tommy Sugiarto who won the finals in Malang, Indonesia.

59th National Shooting Championship, New Delhi. Vijay Kumar, Olympic medalist won gold in the men's 25-metre centre fire pistol Apurvi Chandela won Gold medal in the 10-metre Air Rifle event Chain Singh won the Gold in the 50-metre Rifle event Elizabeth Susan Koshy won Women's 50m Rifle Gold The 68th National Track Cycling Championship held at Ludhiana, Punjab.

The 22nd National Cricket Tournament for the visually impaired was held in New Delhi.

2nd Indian Super League Football tournament: Chennaiyin FC defeated FC Goa in the finals played in Goa.

Commonwealth Table-Tennis Championships were held in Surat, Gujarat. India topped the medal tally with 16 medals.

All India Football Federation has named midfielder Eugeneson Lyngdoh and striker Bala Devi as the Player-of-the-Year and woman Footballer - of - the - Year, respectively. Senior National Weightlifting Championships, Patiala: Haryana's Deepak Lather won gold medal in the men's 62kg category and set a new national record. Vikas Thakur of Services created a new national record as he won the gold medal in the 85kg category.

12th National Ice-Skating Championship held in Gulmarg, J&K from Dec 30 to Jan 03, 2016. Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) awarded Player of the Year title for the PGTI Order of Merit to Bengaluru’s S Chikkarangappa as he won the McLeod Russel Tour Championship at Kolkata. India won four-match Test series against South Africa, 3-0, played in India. Pro Wrestling League: Mumbai Garuda outclassed Haryana Hammers to clinch the inaugural title in New Delhi. Two new teams, Pune and Rajkot have become the new franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for a period of two years, replacing the suspended teams of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals. Hockey World League: Australia defeated Belgium to lift the title at Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Stadium, Raipur, Madhya Pradesh.


Robert Lewandowski, Polish professional footballer’s nine-minute, five-goal haul for German Football Club Bayern Munich against Wolfsburg earned him Guinness World Record for fastest three, four and five goals.

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg won the 2015 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Underdog Tyson Fury shocked the boxing world by giving a stunning defeat to the reigning world heavy weight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko of Ukraine on Nov 28, becoming the first Briton to hold a world heavyweight crown since 2011. BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2015 award won by tennis star Andy Murray of UK Dan Carter, winner of Rugby World Cup from New Zealand, has been named 2015 Sports Personality of the Year. Chen Long of China and Carolina Marin of England were declared Male and Female Player of the Year, respectively, by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) in Dubai. CRICKETER OF THE YEAR - 2015: Australian batsman Steve Smith has been selected for this prestigious award by the ICC. He was also named ‘Test Cricketer of the Year. ODI Cricketer of the Year 2015: South Africa's ODI captain batsman AB de Villiers

FIFA Club World Cup: Barcelona (Spain) won the cup by beating River Plate (USA) in finals played in Yokohama, Japan.

The International Tennis Federation announced following rankings for 2015:

Men’s World Champion - Novak Djokovic (Serbia)

Women’s World Champion - Serena Williams (the USA)

Men’s Doubles World Champions - Jean-Julien Rojer & Horia Tecau Women’s Doubles World Champions: Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis

Great Britain won the Davis Cup for the first time since 1936 after the British Andy Murray beat Belgium's David Goffin in Ghent, Belgium.

Brendon McCullum, New Zealand cricket captain announced on Dec 22 his retirement from all forms of international cricket.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

BOOK AUTHOR ‘Playing It My Way’ Sachin Tendulkar’s

autobiography, has entered the Limca Book of Records in the category of

best-selling books, with 1,50,289 copies sold.

An Economist In The Real World

Kaushik Basu

Bullets and Bylines Shyam Bhatia, noted journalist

Lal Bahadur Shastri: Netritva ke Sutra

Anil Shastri and Pawan Chowdhary

Dial D for Don — Inside Stories of CBI Case Missions

Neeraj Kumar, former Police Commissioner of

Delhi Ancestral Affairs Keki Daruwalla. Why We Love the Way We Do

Preeti Shenoy

The Bestseller She Wrote Ravi Subramanian In Other Words Jhumpa Lahiri Nathuram Godse - The Story of an Assassin

Anup Sardesai

Transendence – a book Former President APJ Abdul Kalam based on his spiritual experiences with Pramukh Swami Maharaj.

‘Azad Bachpan ki Aur’ Kailash Satyarthi, Nobel Peace prize winner

The Turbulent Years – 1980-1996

Pranab Mukherjee, President of India

India’s Foreign Policy Muchkund Dubey, a former Indian Foreign

Secretary The Z Factor: My Journey as the Wrong Man at the Right Time

an autobiography of Subhash Chandra, media moughal, founder of Zee

TV. Maru Bharat Saru Bharat (My India Noble India) written

Jain Acharya Ratnasundersuriswarji

Maharaj. This is the 300th book written by

Maharaj ji. Go Set a Watchman, the second novel

Harper Lee, topped the US bestseller list in 2015,

selling 1.6 million copies.


A God in Ruins Kate Atkinson - The book won the novel-of-the-year

prize at Britain's Costa Book Awards 2015.

'Anything But Khamosh' – biography of Shatrughan Sinha written

Bharathi S Pradhan.

The Bose Brothers and Indian Independence – An Insider’s Account

Madhuri Bose, the grand-niece of Netaji Subhas

Chandra Bose. On My Terms: From the Grassroots to the Corridors of Power

an autobiography of Sharad Pawar

This Unquiet Land Barkha Dutt Diary of a Wimpy Kid Jeff Kinney See Me Nicholas Sparks Rogue Lawyer John Grisham Combating Hunger and Achieving Food Security

M.S. Swaminathan

Chronicles of Time and Chance

Raymond Francis Isar

Because We Say So Noam Chomsky Why India Is Not A Great Power (Yet)

Bharat Karnad

My Gita Devidutt Pattnaik The Mare's Trap Wendy Doniger. What Happened to Netaji Anuj Dhar Rebooting India: Realizing a Billion Aspirations

Nandan Nilekani and Viral Shah

India-Myanmar Relations Rajiv Bhatia The Clintons' War on Women

Roger Stone and Robert Morrow

Mrs Funnybones Twinkle Khanna To the Brink and Back: India’s 1991 Story

Jairam Ramesh.

A Children’s History of India Subhadra Sen Gupta. The Country of First Boys Amartya Sen Baat Niklegi toh Phir 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 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

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.

The Outsider: My Life in Intrigue

an autobiography of Frederick Forsyth, noted

thriller novelist. Two Years Eight Months and Twenty Eight Days

Salman Rushdie.

The Monsoon War: Young Officers Reminisce 1965 India-Pakistan'

Capt Amarinder Singh and Lt. Gen. Tajindar

Shergill The Curse of Surya Dev Prasad. Hubris: Why Economists Failed to Predict the Crisis and How to Avoid the Next One

Meghnad Desai.

The Power of Meow David Michie Muslim Cosmopolitanism in the Age of Empire

Seema Alavi

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

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EXPERTS


Latest MCQs ON CURRENT AFFAIRS

MAY GK TEST – 01 1. The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana was

launched from A. Varanasi B. Lucknow C. Ballia D. Hathras E. Noida

2. The first graphene electronic paper has been developed by A. India B. Brazil C. Japan D. China E. The USA

3. Which state government has recently declared a 10% reservation quota for Economically Backward Classes (EBCs) among the general category candidates? A. Odisha B. Tripura C. Gujarat D. Sikkim E. Haryana

4. Which Indian Naval Ships (INS) have been decommissioned at the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai? A. INS Prabal and INS Pralaya B. INS Nipat and INS Veer C. INS Prabal and INS Nashak D. INS Nirbheek and INS Nishank E. INS Vikrant and INS Virat

5. Which Indian personality has been invited to address a joint session of the United States Congress? A. Baba Ramdev B. Ratan Tata

C. Narendra Modi D. Sushma Swaraj E. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

6. The Almatti Dam, in news recently, is a hydroelectric project on which river? A. Krishna B. Kaveri C. Godavari D. Tungabhadra E. Periyar

7. With which country has India recently signed an MOU on the Jaitapur nuclear reactor? A. Italy B. Papua New Guinea C. France D. Germany E. Canada

8. Who is the newly elected Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile? A. Lobsang Sangay B. Penpa Tsering

C. Lobsang Tenzin D. Sonam Topgyal E. Dalai Lama

9. Which artist won the gold medal at the 2016 Moscow Sand Sculpture Championship “The magical world of sand”? A. Rahul Arya B. Nitish Bharti C. Manas Kumar Sahoo D. Sudarsan Patnaik E. Jatin Das

10. The __________ recently submitted a report on Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2015. A. Shah Nawaz Committee B. Ravi Prakash Tyagi committee C. Kalyan Banerjee committee D. TK Vishwanathan committee E. Antulay committee

11. “Nomadic Elephant 2016” was a joint military exercise hosted by India and A. Russia B. Seychelles C. Mongolia D. France E. The UK

12. Which of the following schemes launched by the Modi government is/are re-packaged version/s of some old schemes?

1. National Rurban Mission 2. Atal Pension Yojna 3. Basic Savings and Deposit Account 4. Stand Up India A. All of these B. 1, 2

C. 2, 3, 4 D. 2, 3 E. 1, 2, 3

13. As per the Finance Ministry, the 24 Public Sector Banks put together had total NPAs of Rs. ________ Crore as of December, 2015. A. 4, 78, 000 B. 10, 50, 000 C. 6, 54, 000 D. 3, 70, 000 E. 8, 70, 000

14. Stressed assets in a banks always A. Lead to its re-rating by CRISIL B. Lead to loan restructuring C. Create a pressure for getting more deposits D. Lead to lower profitability E. Result in retrenchment

15. In case of a loan taken against a security, the bank has the right to A. Ask for additional security if the security falls in market value below a certain minimum B. Withdraw the sanction given for the loan


C. Raise the rate of interest being charged on the loan D. Take over the security and auction it to recover its dues E. None of these

16. The Augusta Westland deal involved the sale of A. Defence helicopters B. AWACS C. Battle guns D. Submarines E. VVIP choppers

17. The US Presidential elections will see _______ and _______ fight for the most powerful political office in the world. A. Barack Obama, Donald Trump B. Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton C. Donald Trump, Al Gore D. Al Gore, Hillary Clinton E. None of these

18. The data regarding industrial output and consumer prices in India are collected by A. Commerce Ministry B. Finance Ministry C. NITI Aayog D. Central Statistical Office E. National Sample Survey Organization

19. A Green Revolution based on the cultivation of paddy is on in A. East India B. North-East India C. North India D. Central India E. South India

20. Murrah, New Jersey, Holstein --- all these represent the breeds of A. Dairy animals B. Mangoes C. Wheat D. Apples E. Rice

21. Which of the following terms is NOT used in banking? A. Seed money B. Net Interest Income C. Convertible deposit D. Spread E. Pre-closure

22. Match the following: 1. Venture capital P. Ombudsman 2. Export guarantee Q. NRDC 3. Coordination among regulators R. ECGC 4. Bank customers charter S. FSDC 5. Bank customers’ complaints T. BCSBI

P Q R S T A. 5 1 2 3 4 B. 5 3 2 1 4 C. 4 2 1 3 5 D. 3 2 5 1 4 E. None of these combinations is correct

23. Prince, a popular American performer, died recently. He was a renowned A. Guitarist B. Actor C. Comedian D. Acrobat E. Pop singer

24. A shell company is basically one A. Whose shares command a low price B. Having a bad dividend payment record C. Which deals with financial investments D. Only in name, having no real functions E. Having no profits

25. An area in India can be declared drought-affected on the basis of A. A lending bank’s assessment B. Deficient foodgrain output C. The growers’ inability to repay their loans D. Actual rainfall and its spatial distribution as compared to its 50-year average rainfall E. Any of these

26. The Maoris are the aborigines of A. China B. New Zealand C. Europe D. South India E. South Africa

27. Which of the following is NOT a credit rating agency? A. CIBIL B. ICRA C. CRISIL D. CARE E. Moody’s

28. Which of the following is NOT essentially required on the face of a cheque meant for clearing? A. Cheque number B. Complete bank details of the payee C. IFSC D. MICR Code E. All of these are required

29. The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojna is designed to help A. BPL families have their own houses B. BPL women get free LPG connections C. Poor people get electricity for free D. BPL families get LED bulb free of cost E. Light up the streets in slums

30. _________ has been nominated by BCCI for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2016. A. Unmukt Chand B. Mahendra Singh Dhoni C. Virat Kohli D. Harbhajan Singh E. Ajinkya Rihane

31. The letter R in the acronym ARCIL stands for A. Renewal B. Resurgence C. Repair D. Reconstruction E. Reunification

32. Balraj Madhok, who passed away recently, was a prominent leader of the A. Congress B. BJP C. BSP D. CPI E. RSS and Bhartiya Jan Sangh

33. Recently, the government has relaxed the Foreign Direct Investment norms for e-commerce companies operating on A. the marketplace model B. the inventory-based model


C. the B2C model D. the B2B model E. the aggregator model

34. Oprah Winfrey is a renowned American ___________. A. TV hostess B. model C. pop singer D. sportsperson E. businesswoman

35. Which of the following is the LEAST effective means of selling banking products? A. Telemarketing B. Cold calling C. Group selling D. Cross selling E. Online marketing

36. If you maintain a Savings Bank Account with a negative balance, A. you will be debarred from opening any bank account in future B. you will have to pay maintenance charges to the bank C. you will have to pay a penalty for doing so D. you will not have to pay any maintenance charges to the bank E. you will be required to close the account after paying all the penalties and charges due to you

37. Pick the odd man out. A. Financial Inclusion: Nachiket More Committee B. NABARD: Shivaraman Committee C. Urban Cooperative Banks: Malegam Committee

D. New Banking Policy: Narsimhan Committee E. Lead Bank scheme: Gadgil Group

38. Who among the following is most likely to have a Current Account in a bank? A. Unemployed graduate B. Housewife C. Sole proprietor of a shop D. Minor child E. Poor farmer

39. The words “Crony Capitalism” which were part of newspaper headlines recently refer to A. Economic cartels B. Economic policies designed to help one’s favourites C. Corrupt government D. Rule by the rich

E. None of these 40. Who has been elected the first Muslim Mayor

of London? A. Sadiqe Khan B. Mohammad Asif C. Salim Khan D. Altaf Hali E. Sabika Khan

41. Legendary filmmaker ________ was honoured with a special statue by the Swiss government. A. Guru Dutt B. Hrishikesh Mukherjee C. Yash Chopra D. Satyajit Ray E. Sanjay Leela Bhansali

42. Pick the odd one out. A. DDGJY B. eKYC C. NRHM D. SBA E. PMGSY

43. In case of an Adjustable Rate Loan, the rate of interest A. Changes in later years B. Varies as per the bank’s judgment of the customer C. Can be changed at any time D. Varies as per the creditworthiness of the customer E. Changes in response to the economic environment

44. In the acronym MSF, the letter M stands for A. Marginal B. Minimum C. Margin D. Market E. Material

45. Shashank Manohar, who had quit the BCCI, is the new chief of A. IOC B. ICC C. IPL D. ICU E. Selection Committee for Indian cricket team

46. Baba Hardev Singh, who passed away recently in Canada, was the spiritual head of A. Art of Living mission B. Nirankari mission C. Art of Dying mission D. Radhasoami mission E. Akal Takht

47. Noise pollution is said to begin when the sound level crosses A. 140 db B. 120 db C. 20000 Hz D. 85 db E. 40000 Hz

48. A Pay Order is a A. Crossed cheque B. Kind of Demand Draft, made payable locally C. Bearer cheque D. None of these E. Traveller’s cheque

49. Damascus is the capital of A. Syria B. Iraq C. Chad D. Abu Dhabi E. Nairobi

50. The total cost of plant and machinery in case of small scale industries should not exceed A. Rs. 20 Cr B. Rs. 50 Cr C. Rs. 2 Cr D. Rs. 10 Cr E. Rs. 8 Cr

ANSWER KEY TEST - 1

Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. 1 C 2 D 3 C 4 B 5 C 6 A 7 C 8 A 9 D 10 D 11 C 12 E 13 D 14 D 15 A 16 E 17 B 18 E 19 A 20 A 21 C 22 A 23 E 24 D 25 D 26 B 27 A 28 B 29 B 30 C 31 D 32 E 33 A 34 A 35 B 36 D 37 C 38 C 39 B 40 A 41 C 42 B 43 E 44 A 45 B 46 B 47 D 48 B 49 A 50 D


MAY GK TEST – 02 1. Which court upheld the cow slaughter ban in

Maharashtra but decriminalized the possession of beef? A. Supreme Court B. Bombay High Court C. Ahmedabad High Court D. Aurangabad High Court E. Nasik Bench

2. Who wrote the book Shashi Kapoor – the Householder, the Star that was released recently? A. Sanjana Kapoor B. Aseem Chhabra C. Vivian Kabir D. Both A and B E. Anupma Chopra

3. India ranks ________ in the crony-capitalism index released by The Economist in May 2016. A. Ninth B. First C. Third D. Seventh E. First

4. Alberta, where a state of emergency was declared due to massive wildfire, is a part of A. Canada B. Bermuda C. The USA D. Mexico E. Indonesia

5. Name the cosmetic company that was ordered to pay 55 million US dollars by a US jury, to a woman who claimed that company’s talcum powder had caused her ovarian cancer. A. Avon B. LO’real C. Henkel D. Johnson & Johnson (J&J) E. Proctor & Gamble

6. The Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics was announced in May 2016 by recognizing the scientists and engineers who contributed to the momentous detection of A. Frictional Pull B. Kinetic Drift C. Infra red Rays D. Gravitational Waves E. Time travel

7. Who has/ have publicly identified himself as the creator of Bitcoin, the virtual currency? A. Craig Steven Wright B. Satoshi Nakamoto C. Joseph Thomas D. None of the above E. Both A and B

8. A/An _________ report claims that some 7.5 Crore school age children in crisis areas around the world are in desperate need of educational support. A. UNICEF B. UNESCO C. WHO D. World Children's Fund E. ILO

9. Who is the author of the forthcoming book India vs Pakistan: Why Can’t we just be Friends? that was in news last month? A. Husain Haqqani B. Nawaz Sharif C. General Pasha D. Pervez Musharraf E. Imran Khan

10. Which of the following is NOT a primary function of a Bank? A. Granting Loans B. Collecting Cheques/Drafts of customers C. Facilitating import of goods D. Issuing Bank Drafts E. Selling Gold/Silver Coins

11. Money Laundering implies A. Evading taxes on the income earned in India B. Depositing illegal money in banks abroad C. Financial dealings involving huge cash transactions D. To present as if the money comes from a legitimate source E. None of these

12. The BJP has formed a state government for the first time in A. Assam B. Tamil Nadu C. Uttrakhand D. West Bengal E. Kerala

13. Which state was in news recently for its efforts to bring about controversial changes in school books? A. Andhra Pradesh B. Haryana C. Uttar Pradesh D. Chhatisgarh E. Rajasthan

14. Core Banking refers to A. A group of networked bank branches B. The banking operations of the Reserve Bank C. The World Bank's operations D. Routine operations in retail banking E. None of these

15. In a rare astronomical spectacle, the ______ orbited past the ______ last month to create a tiny, black spot on its surface for a while. A. Saturn, Sun B. Jupiter, Sun C. Earth, Sun D. Mercury, Sun E. Moon, Sun

16. The No-Tobacco Day falls on A. April 23 B. June 5 C. July 11 D. May 31 E. May 1

17. The acronym NSEL refers to A. National Stock Exchange Ltd. B. National Securities Exchange Ltd. C. National Spot Exchange Ltd D. National Stock Exchange Liability E. New Spot Exchange Ltd.

18. Pick the odd one out. A. Kolkata B. Varanasi C. Mumbai D. Hyderabad E. Lucknow


19. The right to disqualify an MLA, who has defected to another party after his election, lies with the A. High Court B. Assembly Speaker C. State Election Commission D. Chief Minister E. State Governor

20. The acronym BCSBI refers to an organization which is a A. Watchdog to monitor and ensure that the banks follow the prescribed service standards B. Watchdog to monitor that the banks follow the prescribed standards for financial reporting C. Complaint redressal forum for consumer complaints regarding banks D. Forum to decide disputes involving bank loans recovery E. Government body meant to select CEOs and Board Directors for public sector banks in India.

21. A Green Bond is defined as one which raises money A. From across the world B. For an indefinite period C. At a low rate of interest D. For environment-friendly projects E. None of these

22. Which of the following in India is/are NOT a statutory bank/s? 1. Bank of India 2. Allahabad Bank 3. United Bank of India 4. State Bank of India A. 1, 4 B. 1, 2 C. 1, 3, 4 D. 1, 2, 3, 4 E. 1, 2, 3

23. Dadaab, the world’s largest refugee camp, is located in A. Kenya B. Egypt C. Hungary D. Nigeria E. Iraq

24. Which of the following is not a debt instrument? A. ADR B. GDR C. Govt. Security D. Debenture E. F&O

25. The government has decided to start the process of consolidation in the banking sector by merging A. IDBI Bank with Bhartiya Mahila Bank B. Bhartiya Mahila Bank with Panjab National Bank C. Bhartiya Mahila Bank and associate banks of State Bank of India with it D. Some smaller PSU banks with Oriental Bank of Commerce E. Some smaller banks with Panjab National Bank

26. Red Bull is the name of a/an A. Austrian F1 car drivers’ team B. IPL franchisee C. Indian Hockey League franchisee

D. Kabaddi League franchisee in India E. None of these

27. In the past 15 months, the trade deficit of India has been A. Stable after a rise B. Falling C. Rising D. Fluctuating E. Stable

28. To obtain their Net Demand and Time Liabilities, the banks subtract ……. from their Gross Demand and Time Liabilities. A. The money lying as Cash Reserve Ratio B. The money lying in inter-bank deposits C. The money lying in Recurring Deposits D. The amount of staff loans E. The money lying in Current Accounts

29. Select the mismatched pair: A. NGT: Environmental protection B. CBEC: Education C. TRAI: Telecommunications D. NASSCOM: Software companies E. BCSBI: Service levels in banks

30. NEET, an acronym which was in news of late, refers to A. National Eligibility and Entrance Test B. New Environmental Efficiency Test C. New Education and Evaluation Test D. National Economic Efficiency Evaluation Test E. National Environmental Evaluation Test

31. The devaluation of a country’s currency makes its …….. costlier and its …….. cheaper. A. imports, exports B. goods, services C. imports, domestic production D. domestic production, exports E. exports, imports

32. Inflation is usually computed on the basis of A. WPI B. CPI C. Both A and B D. IIP E. Nominal GDP

33. The global prices of crude oil are determined by A. OPEC B. World Bank C. Russia and USA D. OECD E. GCC

34. India’s first Spice Museum will be opened in A. Mannar B. Tiruchirappalli C. Thiruvananthapuram D. Kochi E. Guntur

35. Who is the author of the book “The Drowned Detective”? A. E. Jeffrey Archer B. Richard Cliff C. Neil Jordan D. Teddy Jamieson E. John Banville

36. Which of the following is/ are CORRECT about the assembly election results declared recently? 1. The BJP will get a chance to form a government in Assam for the second time.


2. The LDF has ousted the UDF in Kerala. 3. Jayalalitha has won for a record 6th time and is the first politician in 32 years to win a second time successively. A. 1, 2, 3 B. 2 Only C. 3 Only D. 1, 3 Only E. 2, 3 Only

37. Laxmirani Majhi is associated with A. Boxing B. Wrestling C. Archery D. Wushu E. Weightlifting

38. Who among the following has won the 2016 Man Booker International Prize? A. Han Kang B. Marlon James C. Orhan Pamuk D. Elena Ferrante E. Paulo Coelho

39. Which of the following is the currency of China? A. Rouble B. Dollar C. Baht D. Yen E. Renmibi

40. _______, the CEO of ______ was on a visit to India recently. A. Tim Cook, Microsoft B. Jack Ma, Alibaba C. Satya Nadella, Microsoft D. Warren Buffett, Birkshire Hathway E. Tim Cook, Apple

41. The biggest quarterly loss ever by a bank in India was reported recently by A. Bank of Baroda B. UCO Bank C. Panjab National Bank D. Bank of India E. State Bank of India

42. A unique feature of Islamic Banking is that A. Charging interest on loans is considered a sin B. No loans are given C. There are custodial charges imposed on savings D. It does not allow the accounts to be opened for non-Muslims E. None of these

43. The amount kept aside by a bank for provisioning has a direct impact on its A. employees’ salaries B. NPAs C. share price D. profitability E. All of these

44. The biggest rooftop solar plant in the world has been installed in A. Patanjli Vidyapeeth, Hardwar B. Golden Temple, Amritsar C. Radha Soami Satsang, Dyalbagh D. Tirupathi Balji Temple, Tirupathi E. Radha Soami Satsang, Beas

45. VS Achyutanandan is a politician, who in news recently. He belongs to A. Madhya Pradesh B. Kerala C. Assam D. West Bengal E. Pudducherry

46. For the financial year 2016-17, a senior citizen in India can enjoy a basic income tax exemption limit of A. Rs. 3, 50000 B. Rs. 3, 00, 000 C. Rs. 2, 50, 000 D. Rs. 4, 50, 000 E. Rs. 3, 25, 000

47. Mid-cap stocks are those which A. belong to large, stable companies B. belong to young, fast-growing companies C. have a regular dividend payment record D. trade at a low market price E. None of these

48. A bank’s marketing costs tend to be the lowest in case of A. Online marketing B. Direct marketing C. Tele-marketing D. Group marketing E. Niche marketing

49. PM Narendra Modi will lead the nation at the International Yoga Day celebrations in A. Noida B. Hissar C. Chandigarh D. Hardwar E. Gurgaon

50. Pick the odd one out. A. NIM B. POCSO C. EPS D. P/E E. EBIDTA

ANSWER KEY TEST - 2

Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. 1 B 2 B 3 A 4 A 5 D 6 D 7 A 8 A 9 A 10 E 11 D 12 A 13 E 14 A 15 D 16 D 17 C 18 C 19 B 20 A 21 D 22 E 23 A 24 E 25 C 26 A 27 B 28 B 29 B 30 A 31 A 32 C 33 A 34 D 35 C 36 E 37 C 38 A 39 E 40 E 41 C 42 A 43 D 44 E 45 B 46 B 47 B 48 A 49 C 50 B


SSC CORNER

INTRODUCTION The Constitution of India is the supreme law of India. It lays down the framework defining fundamental political principles, establishes the structure, procedures, powers and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental rights, directive principles and the duties of citizens. It is the longest written constitution of any sovereign country in the world. Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar is regarded as the chief architect of the Indian Constitution.

The Constitution was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26th November, 1949 and came into effect on 26th January, 1950, which was chosen to commemorate the Poorna Swaraj declaration of 1930. With its adoption, the Union of India officially became the Republic of India, replacing the Government of India Act, 1935 as its fundamental governing document. India celebrates the coming into force of the constitution on January 26 as the Republic Day. The Preamble to the Constitution declares India a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic, assuring to all its citizens justice, equality, and liberty, and endeavors to promote fraternity among them. THE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY The Constitution was drafted by the Constituent Assembly, elected by the members of provincial assemblies. The 389-member Constituent Assembly took 2 years, 11 months and 18 days) to complete its task. The Constituent Assembly set up a Drafting Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar to prepare a Draft Constitution. The first temporary president of the Constituent Assembly was Dr. Sachchidananda Sinha. Later, Rajendra Prasad was

elected president of the Constituent Assembly. The Constituent Assembly met for the first time on 9th December, 1946. Various committees were constituted i.e. Committee on Fundamental Rights, the Union Powers Committee and Union Constitution Committee. Finally, on 26th November, 1949, the process was completed and the Constituent assembly adopted the constitution. 284 members signed the document and the process of constitution making was complete. This day is celebrated as the Constitution Day. STRUCTURE The Indian constitution is the world's longest constitution. At commencement, it had 395 articles in 22 parts and 8 schedules while in its current form, it has 25 parts containing 448 articles, 12 schedules, 5 appendices and 122 amendments. BACKGROUND With the coming into force of the Constitution, the Indian Independence Act was automatically repealed. India ceased to be a dominion of the British Crown and became a sovereign democratic republic. SOURCES The Constitution of India is drawn from many sources. Considering the needs and conditions, the framers borrowed different features freely from previous legislation, primarily the Government of India Act, 1935. After independence, both the nations got a separate new constituent assembly, with sovereign powers to help it draft and enact a new constitution. Many people call the Indian constitution a copy paste work or a beautiful patchwork as most parts have been copied from the Government of India Act, 1935 and the constitutions of other countries. Our founding fathers chose to incorporate what they found most suitable in those days. The sources of various features of the Indian Constitution are

Government of India Act, 1935 1. Federal Scheme 2. Office of Governor 3. Judiciary 4. Emergency Provisions 5. Administrative Details


Britain 1. Parliamentary form of government 2. Single citizenship 3. Rule of Law

United States of America 1. Preamble 2. Fundamental Rights 3. Federal structure 4. Independence of the Judiciary 5. Separation of Powers 6. Judicial Review

Ireland Directive Principles of State policy

Australia 1. Freedom of trade within the country 2. Concurrent List

France Ideals of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity

Canada 1. Quasi-federal form of government 2. Distribution of powers

Soviet Union Fundamental Duties

Germany Emergency Provisions

South Africa Constitutional amendment procedure

PREAMBLE TO THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION Though the Preamble is an operative part of the Indian constitution, yet it serves several important purposes. It explains the ideals and objectives of the constitution. After the 42nd amendment in 1976, the Preamble reads: “WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens: JUSTICE, social, economic and political; LIBERTY, of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship: EQUALITY, of status and opportunity and to promote among them all; FRATERNITY, assuring the dignity of the individual and unity and integrity of the nation; IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY, this 26th day of November 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.”

An analysis of the preamble reveals that the source of the constitution is “We, the people.” Therefore, the constitution derives its authority from the people of India. The very first sentence declares India to be a Sovereign, Socialist, Democratic Republic. The word ‘sovereign’ implies that India is internally supreme and externally free. The state authority of India is supreme over all men and associations within India’s territorial boundary. Externally too, India is free from all external controls. The terms socialist and secular were added to the preamble by the 42nd amendment in 1976. With people of all faiths living in the country, it is imperative that India does not accept any religion as its state religion. India’s secularism ensures that religious minorities do not suffer from a sense of inferiority. The words ‘Democratic Republic’ used in the preamble are very important. It implies that the government power is vested in the hands of representatives elected by a popular vote. A system is said to be republican, if no office of the state is held on the basis of hereditary rights. In India, every office of the state from the highest to the lowest is open to every citizen. Thus, the head of the state is not hereditary as in England, nor is it based on military power as in dictatorial regimes. For an ideal democracy, the preamble emphasizes justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. The ideal of justice implies a system where individuals can realize their full potentials. But political and legal justice is a myth unless accompanied by social and economic justice. Social justice implies that all social discriminations like caste or untouchability must be ended. Economic justice implies that economic exploitations should be ended. However, social and economic justice still remain unrealized dreams in India. Liberty, to be meaningful, must mean liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship. The ideal of equality is aimed at removing discriminations between citizens. This is particularly important in the Indian society, vitiated by caste system and untouchability. Finally, fraternity, as an ideal, is to ensure the dignity of the individual and unity of the nation.

PARTS OF THE CONSTITUTION Part I – Union and its Territory Part II – Citizenship Part III – Fundamental Rights Part IV – Directive Principles of State Policy Part IV-A – Fundamental Duties Part V – The Union Part VI – The States


Part VII – States in part B of the First schedule Part VIII – The Union Territories Part IX – The Panchayats Part IX-A – The Municipalities Part IX-B – The Co-operative Societies Part X – The Scheduled and Tribal Areas Part XI – Centre-States Relations Part XII – Finance, Property, Contracts and Suits Part XIII – Trade and Commerce within India Part XIV – Services under the Union and States Part XIV- A – Tribunals Part XV – Elections Part XVI – Special provisions for certain classes Part XVII – Languages Part XVIII – Emergency provisions Part XIX – Miscellaneous Part XX – Amendment to the Constitution Part XXI–Temporary, Transitional and Special provisions Part XXII–Short title, date of commencement, Authoritative text in Hindi and Repeals SCHEDULES Schedules are the lists in the Constitution that categorize and mention different bureaucratic activities and government policies. 1st Schedule - States and Union Territories. Any changes to their borders

2nd Schedule - Salaries of officials holding public offices, judges, and Comptroller and Auditor General

3rd Schedule - Forms of Oaths for elected officials and judges.

4th Schedule - Allocation of Rajya Sabha seats

5th Schedule - Administration of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes

6th Schedule - Administration of tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram

7th Schedule - Union, State and Concurrent Lists

8th Schedule - Official languages

9th Schedule - Laws beyond judicial review

10th Schedule - Anti-defection laws

11th Schedule - Panchayati Raj

12th Schedule - Municipalities The Constitution and the Government With the aid of the Constitution, India is governed by a parliamentary system of government, with the executive being directly accountable to the legislature. It states that there shall be a President of India, who shall be the head of the executive. The President's duty is to preserve, protect and defend the constitution and the

law. There is a Prime Minister as the head of the union cabinet, which aids and advises the President in performing his constitutional duties. The Union cabinet is collectively responsible to the House of the People (Article 75). The Constitution is federal in nature but unitary in spirit. The common federal features like 1. A Written Constitution 2. Supremacy of the Constitution 3. Two sets of government 3. Division of powers 4. Bicameral legislature 5. Independent judiciary as well as unitary features like 1. Single Constitution 2. Single citizenship 3. A strong Centre 4. All-India Services 5. Emergency Provisions etc. can be found in the Indian Constitution, a unique combination which makes it quasi-federal in form. Each state and Union Territory in India has its own government. Analogous to the President and the Prime Minister, each unit has a Governor (for states) or Lieutenant Governor (for Union territories) and a Chief Minister. The Constitution and the Judiciary The Judiciary interprets the Constitution as its final arbiter. It is the duty of the Judiciary as mandated by the Constitution, to be its watchdog, by scrutinizing any act of the legislature or the executive from overstepping their bounds as set in the Constitution. It protects the fundamental rights of the people, as given in the Constitution, from infringement by any organ of the state. It also balances the conflicting exercise of power between the centre and a state or among states, as assigned to them by the Constitution. Judicial Review Judicial review in the Constitution of India has been adopted from the United States. Judicial Review implies that the Constitution enjoys the supreme power, with all other laws being under its supremacy.


GYANM QUIZ - 14 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. The country on the top of the Human

Development Index report of UNDP for 2015, is A. The USA B. Switzerland C. Denmark D. Canada

2. Anaemia is caused by the deficiency of

A. Protein B. Iron C. Iodine D. Vitamin C

3. The 119th Constitutional Amendment Act

deals with A. Goods and Services Tax B. Judicial Appointments C. NITI Aayog D. Creation of Telangana

4. The Prime Minister’s Jan Dhan Yojana is

meant for A. Manual scavengers

B. Giving scholarships to needy students C. Self-employed women D. Financial inclusion

5. The Cannes Film Festival was held in May in

A. The USA B. Sweden C. Germany D. France

6. The efficiency of a computer is measured by

A. Hertz B. Decibel C. Angstrom D. None of these

7. The first metal used by man was

A. Copper B. Gold C. Iron D. Silver

8. Which state recently saw forest fires on a

massive scale? A. Himachal Pradesh B. Meghalya C. Jammu and Kashmir D. Uttrakhand

9. The most widely spoken language in the

world is A. Hindi B. Chinese C. French D. English

10. The Periyar Sanctuary is located in

A. Andhra Pradesh B. Kerala C. Telangana D. Tamil Nadu

Heartiest congratulations to the winners of Gyanm Quiz-13!

1. Ram Bhanga – Ranchi 2. Sarina – Una

The winners are being informed by post. Name: ______________________________________ Address: ____________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ PIN: _____________________ Mobile: ___________________________________ _ My answers to Gyanm Quiz - 14 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 June, 2016. 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.

4. The Prize/s CANNOT be exchanged for cash. 5. The decision of the jury shall be FINAL and

BINDING on all the participants. 6. The winners’ names shall be announced in the

August, 2016 issue.


Profit And Pleasure

ON SCIENCE & SCIENTISTS

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 some people and what they did. Here we go! 1. This well-known medieval scientist scribbled a

mathematical problem on the margins of his diary and also wrote that he knew the solution but would not reveal it. The problem had troubled the mathematicians until recently when Andrew Wiles finally made a breakthrough with a successful solution. (He got the Abel Prize for Mathematics for this solution) Which problem are we discussing?

2. “Hello, Mr. Watson, I need you”. These famous words

marked the successful invention of a revolutionary technology. Can you identify this famous invention?

3. The king of Greece gave an important assignment to

a famous scientist in those days to find out a way to decide whether his throne was made of genuine gold or not. The scientist took to the task with exceptional dedication ad was deeply involved in finding an answer all the time but success eluded him. One morning, when he plunged into his bathtub, an idea suddenly occurred and excited with it, he came out on the streets of Athens, shouting “Eureka! Eureka! (I have found)”. Which famous scientist is being talked about?

4. This blood grouping was discovered based on

experiments on a certain type of monkey found in Africa. Besides routine blood groupings i.e. A, B, AB and O, a mention of this blood grouping is also required in medical diagnosis. Which grouping are we talking about?

5. He was constantly trying to generate electricity in his

laboratory through his countless experiments but had been unsuccessful so far. One evening, dejected with the results, he threw the magnet in his hand towards his equipment and suddenly, the ammeter showed a slight movement. His eyed sparkled as finally, he had got what he wanted. Do you recall the name of this famous scientist?

6. Most refined oils these days carry a label like 99% PUFA-rich oil or something similar. Such refined oils claim to be good for your heart. But, what exactly does PUFA mean?

7. Viagra is a blockbuster drug for erectile dysfunction

marketed by Pfizer. In reality, its origins lie in a medicine for heart ailments, which was incidentally found to have some other uses as well. Can you name the chemical involved?

8. This husband–wife duo has the rare distinction of

winning a Nobel Prize in science each. To cap it, even their daughter was a Nobel Prize winner later. Can you identify the woman in question?

9. His theory on the birth and death of stars had been

largely ignored when made public but he worked relentlessly for many decades to prove its truth. Finally, it culminated in a well-deserved Nobel Prize for Physics in 1983. The mass limit beyond which the stars collapse is named after this man, who was nephew of CV Raman, India’s first Nobel laureate in Physics. Can you name him?

10. One gram of this food contains protein equivalent to

those found in one tonne of vegetables and unsurprisingly, it has been hailed as a Superfood of Tomorrow by the World Health Organization. Doctors frequently recommend it to people with protein deficiency and it is easily available in capsule form worldwide. Which ultimate source of protein are we talking about?

KEY

1. Fermat’s Last Theorem

2. Telephone

3. Archimedes

4. Rh+ and Rh- (based on Rhesus monkey)

5. Michael Faraday

6. Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acids

7. Sildenafil Nitrate

8. Marie Curie

9. Subramaniam Chandershekhar

10. Sunova spirulina, an alga


How much well-equipped are you with vocabulary to express yourself in different situations? Take the quiz below to find out for yourself and also learn some new words as a BONUS! 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. PERTINENT

A. Smooth B. Relevant C. Handsome D. From Germany

2. SHRILL

A. Through voice B. Critical C. In disagreement D. Jarring

3. INCOMMUNICADO

A. Stay at a place B. Silent C. Closed D. Change dramatically

4. VOCAL

A. Aged B. Abusive C. Excessive talker D. Fond of writing

5. TACITURN

A. Speaking little B. Decent C. Connected D. Related to eyes

6. HOSTILE

A. Trigger-happy B. Roundabout way C. Peace-loving D. Pungent

7. LAUDABLE

A. Horrible B. Common C. Enjoyable D. Highly commendable

8. CORNUCOPIA

A. Going deep into a river B. A bunch of some objects C. Flexibility D. Flood

9. PACIFIC A. Broker B. Full of love C. Peace-loving D. Related to oceans

10. APOCRYPHAL

A. Having no legs B. Historical C. Of heights D. Unproven

11. SUAVE

A. Sophisticated B. Having holes C. Well-educated D. Practical 12. PERSISTENT

A. Hardworking B. Lazy C. Sensible D. Urgent 13. VIVACIOUS

A. Swaying B. Confused C. Likely D. Lively

14. PONDERING

A. Shining B. Praiseworthy C. Thoughtful D. Reckless

15. SEDULOUS

A. Persistent B. Dirty C. Interesting D. Worthy of hatred

MY SCORE RATING 0-3 Get going! 4-7 Work hard! 8-11 Great, you’re almost there! 12-15 Wow!

SOLUTION

1. Pertinent: related, relevant, to the point

Popular synonyms: germane Examples: A. Your ideas were not pertinent to the discussions going on. B. All the matters pertinent to improving the mutual relations will be taken up at the talks.

2. Shrill: adjective: jarring, piercing, searing (sound)

Popular synonym: strident Examples: A. The MLAs made a shrill demand for the CM’s resignation.


B. There is shrill opposition to the proposal for mandatory use of passport as an ID card.

3. Incommunicado: adjective: silent, unspoken

Popular synonyms: taciturn Example: She was incommunicado despite our best efforts to make her speak.

4. Vocal: adjective: expressive, talkative

Popular synonym: voluble Examples: A. A good salesman has to be, by definition, quite vocal. B. Her vocal manners gave us headache many a time.

5. Tacit: adjective: silent, speaking very little

Popular synonym: taciturn Example: Many people are tacit at social events but they are quite vocal with their friends.

6. Hostile: adjective: fighting, contentious

Popular synonyms: belligerent, bellicose, pugnacious Derivation: Hostility Examples: A. Hostile nations like North Korea always keep global tensions alive with their nuclear tests. B. The hostile attitude she carries does not let reach a compromise with others.

7. Laudable: adjective: praiseworthy

Popular synonyms: superlative, first-rate Examples: A. Shabana’s laudable portrayal made the drama a super hit. B. The phone specifications look laudable on paper but the final test lies in its use.

8. Cornucopia: noun: great excess, abundance

Popular synonyms: Plethora Examples: A. The reputed college library has a cornucopia of books on all topics. B. The cornucopia of so many TV channels offers an unlimited choice to suit all tastes and preferences.

9. Pacific: adjective: related to peace, peace-loving

Popular synonyms: pacifist Derivation: Pacifism Examples: A. The pacific leader made all efforts to end the long-standing enmity. B. He was known to have a pacific nature and often made peace between the warring parties in her college.

10. Apocryphal: noun: a story/ incident of doubtful

origin, un-historical Popular synonym: unsubstantiated, legendry

Examples: A. Several apocryphal tales about the freedom struggle are quite popular but most historians do not accept them. B. The storyteller often narrates many apocryphal incidents, often taken to be true by lay people.

11. Suave: adjective: sophisticated, well-bred

Popular synonym: debonair Examples: A. A diplomat has to be suave while dealing with his foreign counterparts. B. Her suave disposition helped her bag the airhostess job.

12. Persistent: adjective: persevering, hardworking

Popular synonyms: industrious, sedulous Derivation: Persistence Examples: A. My persistent managerial work was finally recognized with a promotion. B. You may be intelligent, but without a persistent application of mind, you can achieve nothing.

13. Vivacious: adjective: cheerful, lively

Popular synonyms: animated Example: Her vivacious face lit up every party and made it a super hit event.

14. Pondering: adjective: serious, in a thinking mood

Popular synonyms: thoughtful, cogitative Examples: A. Newton was pondering under a tree as an apple fell from above.

15. Sedulous: adjective: hardworking, persistent

Popular synonym: persevering Examples: A. A new business requires sedulous planning and thorough execution. B. The mantra of success in life is overcoming every failure and doing sedulous hard work to overcome one’s weaknesses.


Special Batches for

SBI PO EXAM - 2016


Latest G.K. Bytes

MAY – 2016 1) Deepika Kumari equalled the world record in

women's recurve event in which sports: Archery 2) Archery world Cup was held at which place in

China: Shanghai 3) _________re-elected as the Prime Minister of the

Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharmsala, Himachal Pradesh: Lobsang Sangay

4) President Pranab Mukherjee went on a six-day trip to Papua New Guinea (PNG) and ______on April 27: New Zealand

5) Railways has decided to create a 1 lakh crore rupees Rashtriya Rail Sanrakshan Kosh (RRSK) for what purpose: To strengthen safety measures on the rail network to prevent accidents

6) What is the formal name of the Indian GPS system: Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)

7) IRNSS is a setup of how many satellites: Seven 8) ________appointed as Director General of the

Railway Protection Force (RPF): S K Bhagat 9) India offered a $100 million line of credit for

development of infrastructure to explore and develop which nation’s vast oil and gas resources: Papua New Guinea

10) The prestigious civil award ‘Order of The Rising Sun, Gold and Silver’ is conferred by which country: Japan

11) Which Indian bureaucrat was recently honoured with ‘Order of The Rising Sun, Gold and Silver’ award: N. K. Singh

12) Which major step has recently been taken by the Income Tax department to achieve more transparency in its working: It made public the data on tax payers

13) Renowned sand artist __________ won the gold medal at the 9th Moscow Sand Sculpture Championship in Russia: Sudarsan Pattnaik

14) The International Cricket Council has suspended which country from its membership: Nepal

15) A Parliamentary Standing Committee headed by J C Divakar Reddy, MP has been formed for what purpose: To tackle misleading advertising as well as to fix liability on endorsers/celebrities

16) Which foreign bank has launched India’s first mobile only bank named ‘digibank’: DBS Bank, Singapore

17) Garima Chaudhary won gold medal at the 2016 Commonwealth ______ Championship finals at Port Elizabeth in South Africa: Judo

18) North Star is the highest civilian award of which country: Mongolia

19) Two warships of Indian Navy, INS Veer and INS Nipat were in news for what reasons: They were decommissioned

20) Name the author of the book ‘Blood on my Hands: Confessions of Staged Encounters’: Kishalay Bhattacharjee

21) The International Bank Note Society has declared which country’s five-dollar note as the Banknote of the Year for 2015: New Zealand

22) Batsman Iraq Thomas created a record by scoring 21-ball century. He is from which country: Tobago

23) In which state massive forest fires in its 16-17 districts posed a serious problem: Uttrakhand

24) Indian shooters claimed three gold medals and a bronze in the ISSF Junior World Cup held at which place: Suhl, Germany

25) Name the first of the six indigenous Scorpene-class submarines that was set out for sea trials off the Mumbai coast: INS Kalvari

26) In which country our President recently received a traditional welcome by rubbing his nose with that of Chief of their Maori tribe: New Zealand

27) Which country recently destroyed over 105 tonnes of elephant ivory and more than one tonne of rhino horn, seized from smugglers and poachers: Kenya

28) Name the Formula One champion from Germany who won his seventh race in a row at the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi, Russia: Nico Rosberg


29) Lee Chong Wei, winner of Asia Badminton Championship, is from which country: Malaysia

30) Govt has launched UJALA scheme for what purpose: For distribution of LED bulbs

31) What is the full form of the acronym UJALA: Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All

32) International labour day is observed on which day of May: May 01

33) Which UN organization promotes the observance of International Labour Day: International Labour Organization (ILO)

34) Govt has launched Ujjwala scheme for what purpose: For distribution of LPG connection to BPL families

35) Balraj Madhok, a veteran politician, who passed away recently, was a former president of which national political party: Bhartiya Jan Sangh

36) Govt has granted status of ‘classical language’ to how many languages: Five

37) Which are the five languages that recently have been given the status of Classical Language: Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia

38) Malayalam is spoken in which state of India: Kerala

39) Telugu is spoken in which state of India: Telangana and Andhra Pradesh

40) To promote eco-friendly transport solutions, Prime Minister Modi recently launched e-rickshaws and solar powered boats in which city: Varanasi

41) World Press Freedom Day is observed on which day: May 03

42) Which UN organization supports the propagation of World Press Freedom Day: UNESCO

43) Name the two awards that are given at national level to encourage the exporters: Niryat Shree and Niryat Bandhu Award

44) We hear a lot about the term NPA these days. What it is: Non Performing Asset

45) What is NPA: It is a loan account in default where delay in payment of dues is more than 90 days

46) As per a global market research, _______, claiming 41.7 per cent of desktop browser share has become the top Internet browser: Google Chrome

47) The ADMM-Plus (ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus) Exercise on Maritime Security and

Counter Terrorism (Ex MS & CT) was held in which country: Brunei

48) World Snooker Championship title was won by Mark Selby. He is from which country: England

49) The Supreme Court has appointed a three-member panel headed by former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha to review the functions of which apex professional body: Medical council of India

50) In which country a special cultural festival was organized to mark the 155th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore: Egypt

51) The European Central Bank (ECB) has decided to stop printing of the _____ euro banknote by the end of 2018 with a view to curb illicit activities: 500

52) Scientists of which university have built the world's smallest working engine: University of Cambridge

53) Who has been Appointed as the next Chief of Indian Navy: Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba

54) Chief of the Indian Navy is appointed in which rank: Admiral

55) What is the purpose of the proposed Geospatial Information Regulation Bill 2016:To punish the wrong depiction of the map of India

56) A life size bronze statue of which Indian film-maker was installed by the govt of Switzerland to honour him: Yash Chopra

57) The ICGS Shaurya that recently joined the Indian Coast Guard is what type of ship: Offshore Petrol Vessel

58) What is the main objective of recently passed Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code Bill 2016: To promote conditions for ‘Ease of Doing Business’

59) Fort Mcmurray, city in state of Alberta in Canada was in news for what reasons: A massive wild fire around it almost destroy the city, forcing more than 80,000 residents to flee

60) Name the public sector trading giant that recently launched a new gold coin named ‘Tola’: MMTC

61) Which Indian bank has been selected by the New Development Bank as its partner for operations in India: ICICI Bank

62) ‘Cow and Company’, a story by Prashar Kulkarni won which international award: Commonwealth Short Story Prize

63) Enda Kenny has been re elected as the Prime


Minister of which country: Ireland 64) The H.R. Nagendra Committee has been

appointed by the govt. for which purpose: For Yoga Education in Universities

65) In a rare astronomical phenomenon on May 09, which planet was seen as a dot moving on the solar disc: Mercury

66) Madrid Open Tennis was won by which tennis star: Novak Djokovic

67) As per a recent global study, India was ranked _____ in terms of ‘crony capitalism’: 9th

68) Which country tops in promotion of ‘crony capitalism’: Russia

69) The Indian Naval Air Squadron 300- ‘White Tigers,’ bid farewell to which fighter aircrafts: The British Sea Harriers

70) Which are the new fighter aircraft that have replaced the British Sea Harriers: MiG 29K

71) The Drowned Detective is a book written by which author: Neil Jordan

72) With which country India has signed an MoU for mutual corporation in the field of sports: Japan

73) According to Royal Botanic Gardens, world has over 390,900 plant species. Where is this garden: London

74) Which country hosted the 7th Asian Youth Championship: Kazakhstan

75) Govt has approved the single emergency number______ to help people access directly emergency services like police, ambulance and fire fighting: 112

76) What is the full form of the acronym UBIN: Unique Business Identification Number

77) What is the purpose of issuing UBIN: To expedite establishment of new startups

78) A commemorative coin of hundred rupees and a circulation coin of ten rupees have been released on the 475th birth anniversary of which great warrior: Maharana Pratap

79) Which national day is observed on April 11: National Technology Day

80) Indian Army conducted its major military training exercise ‘Chakravyuh-II’ at which place: Suratgarh, Rajasthan

81) Which country elected a dashing flamboyant Mayor Rodrigo Duterte as its President: Philippines

82) Which Indian state has won the award for the

Best Indian Destination for Wildlife: Madhya Pradesh

83) Atma Ram Nadkarni has been appointed as the Additional ___________ in Supreme Court for a period of three years: Solicitor General

84) Govt of America has approved selection of animal ________ as the first national mammal of the country: Bison

85) The RBI has released ‘Draft Guidelines for on tap Licensing of which type of banks recently: Universal Banks in the Private Sector

86) Which country has decided to close World's biggest refugee camp in Dadaab, citing threat to internal security: Kenya

87) Name the President of Sri Lanka who visited India for two days on May 13 - 14: Maithripala Sirisena

88) The world’s largest cargo aircraft, Ukraine’s Antonov AN -225 Mriya recently landed at which Indian airport: Hyderabad

89) In a global study by WHO of the cities with worst air pollution, four of the five worst polluted cities are in which country: India

90) Union cabinet has approved Rs.1,983 crore package for widening of the 19-km stretch of which expressway: Delhi-Meerut expressway

91) 68 year old president of which major country was suspended after several weeks of nationwide protests for her removal: Brazil

92) What is the name of this President: Dilma Rousseff

93) Govt. has formed Sanjay Mitra Committee for what purpose: To prepare a policy framework for taxi and other transport operators

94) With which Island country India has signed a amended DTAA: Mauritius

95) Why international nurses day is observed on May 12: It is the birthday of famous nurse Florence Nightingale

96) Nursing community of India is honoured by the President on this day by which awards: Florence Nightingale Award

97) Shashank Manohar has been elected as the first independent Chairman of which international cricket body: ICC-International Cricket Council

98) Name the four Goodwill Ambassadors appointed by the Indian Olympic Association for the Rio Olympics: AR Rahman, Salman Khan, Abhinav


Bindra and Sachin Tendulkar 99) Who is the only Indian in Forbes' 'Money Masters:

The Most Powerful People in the Financial World' list of 40 persons: Uday Kotak

100) Who is Uday Kotak: Chief of Kotak Mahindra Bank

101) Name the famous West Indian cricket writer, commentator and journalist who passed away recently: Tony Cozier

102) Baba Hardev Singh, a spiritual leader who died in a car accident, was the head of which sect: Nirankari Mission

103) International Vichar Mahakumbh was held in ______ in Madhya Pradesh: Ujjain

104) Fatma Samoura, the first ever female secretary general of FIFA, is diplomat of which country: Senegal

105) Name the world’s biggest – ever cruise ship, recently launched in France: Harmony of the Seas

106) India’s trade deficit slipped below $5 billion and the month of April. Is it because of low exports or low imports: Both

107) Govt has decided to replace the five year plans with which new concept: 15 year vision document

108) Country is going through the 12th five year plan. When will it come to an end: 31st March, 2017

109) Govt. has recently approved the National IPR Policy. What is IPR: Intellectual Property Rights

110) Which wing of the defence forces has launched one of the biggest automated military maintenance systems in the world: Indian Air Force

111) The Electronic Maintenance Management System of the Indian Air Force will be based at which air force station: Pune

112) Max Verstappen, winner of the Spanish Grand Prix F1 Championship was in news for what reasons: He is the youngest (18 years) winner of F1 championship

113) Name the India’s indigenously developed supersonic interceptor missile, capable of destroying any incoming hostile ballistic missile: Ashwin

114) The First World Conference on Tourism for Development was held in_______, China: Beijing

115) The Indian Railways plans to conduct trial of its

first solar panel-powered train in which place: Jodhpur, Rajasthan

116) Eric Dusingizimana, captain of cricket team of Rwanda has set a new Guinness world record for what achievement: Batting continuously for 51 hours

117) With which global organization India has signed a MoU for promotion of traditional Indian system of medicine: WHO – World Health Organization

118) Man Booker International Prize is given for which achievement: For the best book translated in English and published in U K

119) Name the winner of the 2016 Man Booker International Prize: Han Kang, South Korea

120) Which novel has been selected for the 2016 Man Booker International Prize: The Vegetarian

121) Name the tennis star who won the Italian Open Tennis Championship: Andy Murray

122) The World Bank has approved $625 million loan to India to support the rooftop solar power generation. This loan will be disbursed through which Indian bank: State Bank of India

123) Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha was in news for flying which air craft: Tejas

124) Which country launched its remote sensing satellite ‘Yaogan-30’ May 2016: China

125) As per the Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index' prepared by global firm E & Y, India has been placed at which rank: 03rd

126) What is the strike range of the Prithvi II missile recently tested by DRDO: 350 kms

127) The World’s largest Single Rooftop Solar Power Plant has been established is in which city in Punjab: Dera Beas (Amritsar )

128) Govt. has formed NK Singh committee for review of FRBM road map. What is full form of FRBM: Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management

129) President Pranab Mukherjee visited China from May 24 to 27. He started his visit from which Chinese city: Guangzhou

130) Name the British author who won the PEN’s Literary Service Award: J. K. Rowling

131) The acronym PEN stands for what: Poets, Essayists and Novelists

132) Under the Dhan Wapsi scheme for declaration of domestic black money, how much tax and penalty is payable: 45%

133) The Asian team squash women championship was


won by which country: Malaysia 134) What was India’s rank in the Asian team squash

women championship: Second 135) British Royals launched the ‘Heads Together’

campaign o spread and promote public awareness about which ailment: Mental Health

136) Name the electronic grievance redressal system recently launched by the Income Tax Department: e-nivaran

137) World Hypertension day is observed on which date: May 17

138) What is the theme of this year’s World Hypertension Day: Know Your Numbers

139) The normal blood pressure is defined as an average reading no higher than _______ mm Hg: 120/80

140) Ms. Tsai Ing-wen has been elected as the first women President of which country: Taiwan

141) On his recent visit to Iran, PM Modi signed an agreement for development of which important port in Iran: Chabahar

142) Which three countries have joined hands to develop the Chabahar port: India, Iran and Afghanistan

143) In which neighbouring country of India, severe flooding has forced half a million people to flee their homes: Sri Lanka

144) Name the Indian states that were hit hard by the strong cyclone Roanu: Andhra Pradesh and Odisha

145) Lhakpa Sherpa, the 42 year old mountaineer created which new record: Climbing Mount Everest by a Lady for maximum number of times – 7

146) Name the athlete who bagged two gold medals by winning the women's 100m and 200m race at the Taiwan Open Athletics Championships: Dutee Chand

147) Federation Cup is associated with which sports in India: Football

148) Federation Cup 2016 was won by which team: Mohun Bagan

149) What is the popular name of the French Open, second tennis grand slam: Roland Garros

150) A two day International Buddhist conference was held at which place in Nepal: Lumbini

151) Thomas Cup and Uber Cup are associated with which sports: Badminton, Men and Women,

respectively 152) Name the country that won the Thomas Cup:

Denmark 153) Name the country that won the Uber Cup:

China 154) Binali Yildirim has been elected as the new

Prime Minister of which country: Turkey 155) The 27th edition of the India-Indonesian

CORPAT was held in which country: Indonesia 156) Which wing of armed forces of India and

Indonesia took part in recent CORPAT: Navy 157) In which Indian city the trial run of India's first

ever Metro train equipped to run in the driverless mode was conducted: New Delhi

158) Government has constituted the IEPF Authority to strengthen the framework for safeguarding the interest of investors. What is the full form of IEPF: Investor Education and Protection Fund

159) With which mini European country India has signed a protocol to amend the DTAA: Slovenia

160) India successfully tested its first-ever indigenously built space shuttle – RLV – TD on May 23. Write full form of RLV-TD: Re-Usable Launch Vehicle - Technology Demonstrator

161) What is the main benefit of the space shuttle: Heavy cost reduction in satellite launching

162) Who has been elected as the new President of Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI): Anurag Thakur

163) ______ has been Appointed as the new Lieutenant Governor of Union Territory of Puducherry: Kiran Bedi

164) Palme d’Or is the price for the best film at which famous film festival: Cannes, France

165) Which film won the Palme d’Or for 2016: I, Daniel Blake

166) Who is the director of the film I, Daniel Blake: Ken Loach, UK

167) Name the India’s ace cueist who won the Asian 6-Red Snooker Title: Pankaj Advani

168) Which Japanese city hosted the meet of Finance ministers and central bank governors of G-7 nations: Sendai

169) Which international bank has decided to close roughly half of its branches in India: HSBC

170) With which country India signed 4 MoUs for


cooperation in defence sector: Oman 171) USA decided to fully lift its embargo on sales of

lethal weapons to its one-time arch enemy, _______ after a gap of over 32 years: Vietnam

172) Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam has been selected to captain Indian women's _____ team: Hockey

173) World Bank Group has launched the Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility (PEF) for what purpose: To protect and support poorest countries against deadly pandemics like Ebola, Zika

174) Govt. has decided to replace the word ‘Viklangjan’ for disabled persons with which new word: Divyangjan

175) Millennium Technology Prize is given in which country: Finland

176) INS Tarmugli, recently inducted in Indian Navy is what type of ship: Fast attack water jet craft

177) World Bank has agreed to provide $ 100 million loan to support ‘Urban Water Supply Modernization project’ of which state: Karnataka

178) Government has selected _____more cities in the first phase of the smart cities mission: 13

179) S K Sharma has been appointed the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of which national scientific organization: Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).

180) Heads of state of G-7 nations held their annual summit at which place in Japan: Ise Shima

181) A joint study by Assocham-KPMG shows that India is the ____largest producer of e-waste, discarding roughly 18.5 lakh metric tonnes of electronic waste each year: Fifth

182) ____ has been elected as the new and the first BJP Chief Minister of Assam: Sarbananda Sonowal

183) Pinarayi Vijayan has been elected as the Chief Minister of which state: Kerala

184) Recently FSSAI has recommended banning the use of which chemical in the making of bread: Potassium Bromate

185) What is the name given to the India’s new GPS system: NAVIC

186) What is the full form of the acronym Navic: Navigation with Indian Constellation

187) Employee Provident Fund Organization has decided to increase benefits under the

Employees' Deposit Linked Insurance (EDLI) scheme from Rs 3.60 lakh to _____rupees: Six lakh

188) Amit Kumar Saroha won the gold medal in which game at the French Open Athletics Championship in Paris: Men's club throw

189) Recently approved national policy on capital goods which aims to _____ the production of capital goods to Rs 7.5 lakh crore by 2025: Triple

190) The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) has decided to launch an online system ASMITA for what purpose: Student tracking system programme

191) What is the full form of ASMITA: All School Monitoring Individual Tracing Analysis

192) The first-ever World Humanitarian Summit was held in _______ from 23 to 24th May: Istanbul

193) Name the new multilingual portal launched by the ministry of HRD: Bharatavani

194) Which State Transport Corporation has launched 20 Nirbhaya buses with multiple safety measures to better protect women passengers: Rajasthan

195) Which Saudi Arabia based bank has offered to open Islamic banking branch in India: Islamic Development Bank

196) First bank branch offering Islamic banking is proposed to be opened by a foreign bank in which city: Ahmadabad

197) Rishi Nair, a 6th grade Indian American student won which prestigious competition in USA: National Geographic Bee competition

198) _________ has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of Guinea Bissau, a small country in Western Africa: Baciro Dja

199) The Ministry of Railways launched Rail Humsafar Saptaah from May 26 to June 1 for what purpose: To highlight significant achievements made by Indian Railways

200) India recently tested air to land version of its supersonic ballistic missile BrahMos at which place: Jaisalmer, Rajasthan

201) Which type of bank borrowers have been prohibited by SEBI from making public issue of shares: Willful defaulter

202) Sonia Lather, a silver medal winner in AIBA Women's World Championships is associated


with which sports: Boxing 203) The 148-year-old Tata Group has made a foray

into which new field recently by the name TataCLiQ.com: E-commerce

204) Fast Patrol Vessel ICGS Arush has joined which wing of Indian Forces: Indian Coast Guard

205) The RBI has instructed banks to shift from magnetic stripe based ATM and debit cards to which type of cards: EMV chip and Pin based cards

206) Which bank has launched e-SBTR (Electronic Secured Bank Treasury Receipt) for payment of both - stamp duty and registration fee for home purchase in Maharashtra: Union Bank of India

APRIL – 2016 207) A massive leak of 11.5 million documents from a

law firm in which country revealed how the world's current rich people, politicians and celebrities hide their money: Panama

208) Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of which country: Yemen

209) Where in India World’s maiden white tiger safari was opened up: Mukundpur, Madhya Pradesh

210) ____________elected as the first woman Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir: Mehbooba Mufti

211) India has been ranked ______ among the world's Top-Ten largest manufacturing countries: Sixth

212) In terms of manufacturing level, which country is ranked no. one in world: China

213) Name the cricketer who was named as Player of the tournament in the world T-20: Virat Kohli

214) Who is Dr. Karan Singh, author of the book 'The Mountain of Shiva': He is a member of Rajya Sabha

215) IAF aircrafts will take part in the prestigious 'Red Flag' air exercise alongwith which forces: NATO

216) Where in world the prestigious 'Red Flag' air exercise was held: Alaska

217) Where in India the Army has raised a new Gorkha battalion comprising entirely of Gorkha troops of Indian domicile: Sabathu, Himachal Pradesh

218) The government has launched a portal ‘The Indian IP Panorama’ to act as a single window interface for providing information on which subject: Intellectual property maters

219) This portal is a customised version of IP Panorama Multimedia toolkit, developed by

WIPO. What is WIPO: World Intellectual Property Organization

220) Germany’s Development Bank KfW has agreed to provide loan assistance of 3750 crore rupees for the development of metro system for which Indian city: Nagpur

221) Heads of about 53 countries took part in the 4th Nuclear Security Summit held in ____________ USA: Washington

222) World Autism Awareness Day was observed across the globe on April 2. What is Autism: A serious developmental disorder in children that impairs the ability to communicate and interact.

223) The government has issued a new set of income tax return (ITR) forms that require people with an income of Rs. ______lakh and above per annum to disclose their assets: 50 lakh

224) Which stock exchange has launched a new index Nifty MidSmallcap 400 representing 150 midcap and 250 small cap companies: National Stock Exchange

225) The Airports Authority of India has signed an MoU with ________ to provide scientific parameters for construction of airports across the country: ISRO

226) Name the new interest mechanism that requires banks to set rates based on their marginal cost of funds rather than their average cost of funds: marginal cost of funds-based lending rate (MCLR)

227) India has become the world’s _______ largest spender on defence, following a 13.1% increase in its 2016-17 defence budget: Fourth

228) Which country is the largest spender on defence in world: USA

229) Zaha Hadid, renowned Iraq-born British __________ passed away due to heart attack: Architect

230) Name the campaign that was launched on April 14 to strengthen Panchayati Raj in villages, empowerment of women and upliftment of farmers: Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan

231) As per a global study, India ranks third among countries with high number of financial Trojan infections. What is Trojan infection: Transactions where cybercriminals defraud customers of online banking services

232) UNICEF launched a series of animated films, called Unfairy Tales to create awareness about which group of people: Refugees


233) P Susheela Mohan, renowned playback singer has been recognized by the Guinness World Records for which achievement: For singing the most number of songs in Indian languages - 17,695

234) Where in India Asia's biggest telescope has been launched: Devasthal, Nanital

235) The European Investment Bank has agreed to give Euro 450 million towards constructing the metro rail line in which Indian city: Lucknow

236) Faustin Archange Touadera, has been elected as the new President of which African country: Central African Republic

237) Name the India's first semi high speed train launched on April 5: The Nizamuddin-Agra Gatimaan Express

238) Which country conferred its highest civilian honour- the king Abdulaziz Sash on the Prime Minister Modi: Saudi Arabia

239) Govt has launched the mobile application 'Vidyut Pravah' for what purpose: for information on 24x7 power from The States

240) The HRD ministry released first-of-its-kind NIRF for ranking the higher education institutions. What is NIRF: National Institutional Ranking Framework

241) As per NIRF _______ has been declared as the no. 1 management institute in the country: IIM Bangalore

242) The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore has been placed at No. 1 in which category by NIRF: Best University

243) As per NIRF rankings, which is the top engineering institute of India: IIT Chennai

244) Where in India a company of Vedanta Resources set the Guinness World Record for planting 2,08,751 saplings at a single location in less than an hour: Mansa, Punjab

245) With which country India signed an agreement for a new Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) project in India: USA

246) India’s first indigenous composite sonar dome was launched at Goa. What is its function: It acts as ship’s underwater eyes and ears

247) The RBI announced a 25 basis cut in which of its policy rates: Repo Rate

248) What is the new repo rate after April 5: 6.50% 249) On April 5, RBI hiked the reverse repo rate by 25

basis points to _______ per cent: 6%

250) W.E.F. April 5, RBI has revised Marginal Standing Facility and Bank Rate to ______ per cent: 7%

251) What is the likely impact of recent lowering of repo rate on the rate of interest on bank loans: They may be reduced

252) What is the likely impact of recent lowering of repo rate on the growth prospects of the economy: Likely to go up

253) In one of the largest private equity deals in the industry, Blackstone Company of USA acquired a 60.5 per cent stake in Indian company Mphasis. We are talking about which field of industry: Information Technology

254) With a view to protect which Indian industry, the government has extended safeguard duty of 20 per cent on import of this product till March 2018: Steel

255) Companies with a net worth of Rs. 500 crore or more will have to follow new Ind AS from April 1. What is Ind AS: Indian Accounting Standards

256) World Bank has agreed to provide a $1.5 billion loan for implementation of which national level mission: Swachh Bharat Mission

257) Which bank has launched 'NO Queue' Mobile app to save its customers time to avail banking services: State Bank of India

258) Under Stand-up India scheme banks have been asked to provide loans up to _____ crore rupees to SC/ST and women entrepreneurs: One

259) The loans under Stand-up India may be provided without collateral. What is collateral: No need to offer land or building or any other security

260) Britain's Royal Mail has launched a set of special postage stamps to mark the 400th death anniversary of which great playwright: William Shakespeare

261) Which railway zone has topped in terms of largest Freight Loading in 2015-16: The East Coast Railway

262) Bihar has become the _________ state in the country to ban sale and consumption of liquor: Fourth

263) In one of the largest environmental settlement in the US history, which oil and gas company has been asked to pay over $20 billion towards damages: British Petroleum

264) _________ April is observed as the National Maritime Day of India: 5th

265) The world’s first public dengue vaccination


programme was launched recently in which country: Philippines

266) World Health Day is observed on which date: April 07

267) World Health day this year shall be focusing on control of with disease: Diabetes

268) Nguyen Xuan Phuc has been elected as the new Prime Minister of which country: Vietnam

269) Name the team that won the Asian Nations Cup Chess tournament: India

270) Govt has constituted a high-level committee headed by former Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta for what purpose: to suggest ways to strengthen the border protection along the border with Pakistan

271) Govt has launched a low cost micro solar device, Surya Jyoti for what purpose: To meet lighting needs in areas without electricity

272) International conference on zero was hosted by which European city: Paris

273) According to Arvind Panagariya India is close to achieving 8% GDP growth on the back of satisfactory progress in infrastructure development. Who is he: Vice Chairman at Niti Aayog, India

274) Name the lady who has been named the most powerful businesswoman in Asia by Forbes Magazine: Nita Ambani

275) Which global body has revised its 2016 global trade forecast downward by more than one percentage point to 2.8 per cent: WTO-World Trade Organization

276) Who has been elected as the new Chairman of the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) for 2016-17: C P Gurnani

277) Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson has been elected as the new _____________ of Iceland: Prime Minister

278) Mission Indradhanush covers how many vaccine preventable diseases: Seven

279) 25 Ministries and Departments of the Union Government have joined IMPacting Research INnovation and Technology (IMPRINT) for what purpose: To establish a single window mechanism to shortlist research projects

280) Name the country’s first train with CCTV cameras in all coaches: Shan-E-Punjab Express

281) Hindus in north India observed April 8 as the beginning of their traditional new year. Can you

name the year: Vikram Samvat 2073 282) In Andhra and Karnataka, April 8 was observed as

________ festival: Ugadi 283) In which Indian state April 8 was observed as

Gudi Padwa: Maharashtra 284) The first ever two day North East-ASEAN

(Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Business Summit was hosted by which city: Imphal, Manipur

285) Name the author of the book 'A State in Denial': B G Verghese

286) Govt has launched a tablet-based application ‘ANMOL’ that allows ANMs to enter and update data for the beneficiaries. What is ANM: Auxiliary Nurse Midwife

287) Which temple was in news due to a worst-ever pyrotechnics tragedy claiming over 110 lives: Puttingal Devi Temple near Kollam, Kerala

288) Govt plans to construct five lakh irrigation ponds under which scheme: Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana

289) Malaysian Open Badminton title was won by Lee Chong Wei of which country: Malaysia

290) "Advantage India - From Challenge to Opportunity" is a book written by one of the ex-Presidents of India. Can you name him: APJ Abdul Kalam

291) Name the winner of the FBB Femina Miss India World 2016 contest: Priyadarshini Chaterjee

292) In the abbreviation FBB Miss India World, FBB stands for what: Fashion at Big Bazaar

293) Name the Indian city which hosted National Badminton Championship: Chandigarh

294) 3rd Asia Ministerial Conference on the Tiger Conservation was held in __________on April 12: New Delhi

295) For which city in Maharashtra, in a first in the history, a train was used to supply 25 lac liters of water: Latur

296) A portal was launched in New Delhi for for registration and allotment of ISBN. What is the full form of ISBN: International Standard Book Number

297) __________ has become the first state to pass land title bill for verification of land records: Rajasthan

298) A statue of which Indian Maharaja will be installed in France's Saint-Tropez town in


September this year: Maharaja Ranjit Singh 299) Who has been named as the brand ambassador of

the Skill India Campaign: Sachin Tendulkar 300) Danny Willett who won the US Masters Golf

Championship for the year 2016 is from which country: Britain

301) Why World Homoeopathy Day is observed on 10th April: It is the birthday of Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, a German Physician who developed system of Homoeopathy

302) To which country India has offered to invest up to $20 billion in new petrochemicals, fertiliser and LNG facilities and sought land and cheaper natural gas for this: Iran

303) Saraswati Sammaan is given for excellence in literature in which language: Any language recognized by Indian constitution

304) Poet and novelist Padma Sachdev won Saraswati Sammaan for her autobiography ‘Chitt-Chete’ written in which language: Dogri

305) Union government plans to lay more emphasis on promoting MICE tourism in India. What is MICE: Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events

306) Asian Kho-Kho championship was held at which place in India: Indore, Madhya Pradesh

307) Which country won both, men’s and women’s title of Asian Kho-Kho championship: India

308) The First Maritime India Summit was hosted by which city in India: Mumbai

309) For the first time, United Nations observed the birth anniversary of which great Indian leader at its headquarters: Dr. B R Ambedkar

310) Which European country has offered to help in ‘Namami Gange’ project for cleaning of Ganges like their rivers Rhine and Danube: Germany

311) The fire services day is observed on which day of April: 14th

312) In Tamil Nadu side, April _____ is celebrated as Puthandu: 14th

313) In which state people celebrate Vishu festival on April 14th to mark beginning of their new year: Kerala

314) As per a recent World Bank report, which country received largest amount of inward remittances in 2015: India

315) Which country conferred its highest civilian honour upon Former Army Chief General(retd) J J Singh: France

316) A study of 50 nations for investment and deployment of Information and Communications Technology has placed which country at top: USA

317) India has successfully tested its K-4 ballistic missile. What is the launch pad of this missile: Submarine

318) India has decided to become a formal member of the regional group SAWEN for what purpose: For combating wildlife crime and illegal trade

319) What is the full form of SAWEN: South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network

320) Airtel M Commerce Services Limited (AMSL) has been granted the India’s first _________ bank license by RBI: Payment

321) Which National Institute of Technology in India has developed the fastest super computer 'Param Kanchenjunga': Sikkim

322) The recently launched E-National Agriculture Market covers agriculture markets from how many states: Eight

323) Volodymyr Groysman has been elected as the new Prime Minister of which country: Ukraine

324) Which tiny South Pacific island nation has become the 189th member of the IMF and the World Bank: Nauru

325) India has finalised the deal to purchase 36 ________ fighter jets from Dassault Aviation of France: Rafale

326) Jharkhand govt launched the Bhimrao Ambedkar Awas Yojana for construction of houses for which category of persons: Widows

327) Which town in south-western island of Kyushu in Japan was devastated by several rounds of earthquake tremors:

Kumamoto 328) Which country in South America continent was

shaken by several rounds of severe earthquake, claiming over 654 lives: Ecuador

329) Monte Carlo Masters championship is associated with which sports: Tennis

330) Monte Carlo Masters 2016 was won by which tennis star: Rafael Nadal

331) Adil Jal Darukhanawala, a veteran automobile enthusiast has written a coffee table book recently about which famous auto company: Mercedes - Benz

332) Friends in Wild Places is a recent book written by which famous author: Ruskin Bond


333) Which Indian bank got the first loan of $ 250 million from the newly established BRICS New Development Bank: Canara Bank

334) In a study of 50 cities conducted by the IT firm Dell - ‘Future-Ready Economies Model’, city of San Jose was ranked no. 1. Where is this city: California, USA

335) Which wing of Indian forces conducted its major war exercise named ‘Shatrujeet’ (winning the enemy): Army

336) Where in India the army conducted its war exercise 'Shatrujeet': Thar Desert of Rajasthan

337) Satyanand Munjal, a great philanthropist and industrialist, passed away in Ludhiana, Punjab at the age of 99. He was the co-founder of which industrial group: Hero Cycles

338) The annual Spring Meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank was held at which city in USA: Washington DC

339) World Hemophilia Day is observed on April 17. Hemophilia is what type of ailment: Non-clotting of blood

340) Sultan Azlan Shah Cup is associated with which sports: Hockey

341) City of Ipoh hosted the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in which country: Malaysia

342) What was the rank of India in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup: Second

343) Which country won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup by beating India: Australia

344) Name the girl from Agartala, Tripura who created history by becoming the first Indian gymnast to qualify for the Olympics: Dipa Karmakar

345) Name the gymnastic feat preformed by Dipa Karmakar as it is one of the extremely difficult and most dangerous form: Produnova vault

346) ________ of Germany won the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai: Nico Rosberg

347) Women's title at the Singapore Open Badminton Championship was won by Ratchanok Intanon. She is from which country: Thailand

348) Men's title at the Singapore Open Badminton Championship was won by Sony Dwi Kuncoro of which country: Indonesia

349) The Forbes list of top 30 Global Game Changers is topped by Marcs Benioff. Who is he: CEO of Salesforce.com

350) Name the Indian who has been ranked third in the

Forbes list of top 30 Global Game Changers: Rahul Bhatia of Inter Globe Enterprises

351) Which Indian IT major has been slapped a $940 million fine by a US grand jury: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)

352) World Heritage Day is observed all over the world on which date: 18 April

353) Govt has released a Commemorative Coin of 200 rupees and a Circulation Coin of 10 rupees to mark the 200th Martyrdom Day of Tatya Tope. Who was he: A war hero of 1857 war of Independence

354) The 13th Islamic Summit Conference was held in________, Turkey: Istanbul

355) IMF and world bank have joined hands with the United Nations and OECD for improvement of tax systems world over. What is OECD: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

356) ________ has been declared the Laureus Best Sportsman of the year: Novak Djokovic, Serbia

357) ________ has been declared the Laureus Best Sportswoman of the year: Serena Williams, USA

358) Which sports team won the Laureus Best Sports Team of The Year Award: New Zealand's Rugby World Cup-winning team

359) Name the Silicon Valley’s veteran adviser, mentored of Steve Jobs, Larry Page, who died recently: Bill Campbell

360) India, Afghanistan and Iran have agreed for joint work on development of Chabahar port in which country: Iran

361) With which country India has signed an MoU on cooperation in the field of traditional system of medicine and Homoeopathy: Mauritius

362) The ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ programme has been extended to additional 61 low CSR districts. The term CSR stands for what: Child Sex Ratio

363) Doris Roberts, the popular TV actress of the popular TV soap Everybody Loves Raymond, died at the age of 90. She was from which country: USA

364) Which famous temple was in news for depositing 1,311 kg of gold in a public sector bank under Gold Monetisation Scheme?: Tirupati Balaji Temple, Andhra Pradesh

365) As per the 2016 ‘World Press Freedom Index’, which country enjoys the number one position for the functioning of journalist: Finland

366) As per the 2016 ‘World Press Freedom Index’,


what was the rank of India: 133rd 367) Scientists have reported that over 90 per cent of

the Great Barrier Reef has been damaged by mass bleaching. It is in which country: off the Australian coast

368) Name the East Asian country where both, new President and the Prime Minister were elected recently: Laos

369) Government has decided to merge the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan with which other programme: ‘Khelo India’

370) Rahul Johri has been appointed as the first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of which major Indian sports body: BCCI- Board of Control for Cricket in India

371) As per the latest World Malaria Report from WHO, ________ has become the world’s first region to wipe out malaria with zero cases reported last year: Europe

372) Idriss Deby was elected for the 5th time as the President of Chad. Where is this country: Central Africa

373) Which day is observed as the Earth Day all over the world: April 22

374) What is the theme for the Earth Day this year: Trees for the Earth

375) Victoria Wood, popular comedian, singer and writer died at 62 after “a short but brave” battle with cancer. She hailed from which country: United Kingdom

376) Name the leading Bollywood actress who has been named by Time magazine in its list of the '100 Most Influential People in the World': Priyanka Chopra

377) Civil servants all over India observe April 21 as ________ day to re-dedicate and re-commit themselves to the cause of the people: Civil Service Day

378) Why April 21 has been selected as the Civil Service Day: On this day in 1947, Sardar Patel addressed the first batch of Indian civil servants

379) The Olympic Torch for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics was ceremoniously lighted at the Temple of Hera in which place: Ancient Olympia, Greece

380) The Rio Olympics beginning on August 5 will be the ____ edition of modern Olympic games: 31st

381) A statement by Amitabh Kant says that India will be free of BPL population by 2032, attaining a growth of 10%. Who is he: CEO of Niti Aayog

382) Rogers Nelson, pop music superstar, popularly known as _________ in USA, died aged 57: Prince

383) Which Indian city is the host for the popular religious event Simhastha Kumbh: Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh

384) Simhastha Kumbh is being held in Ujjain on the banks of which river: Kshipra

385) As per a report by The Financial Times Limited, which country in world received highest FDI in 2015: India

386) Where in world, representatives of 175 nations signed the historic Paris Climate Agreement: New York

387) The Paris Climate Agreement aims at limiting global temperature rise to well below ____ degrees Celsius, and to strive for ______ degrees Celsius: 2, 1.5

388) How many prominent persons were recently nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the President: Six

389) Name the famous Malayalam actor who has been nominated as a Rajya Sabha MP: Suresh Gopi

390) England and several other parts of the world are celebrating 400th death anniversary of a legendary playwright. Can you name him: William Shakespeare

391) What is the popular other name for the William Shakespeare: The Bard of Avon

392) Name any two famous master pieces written by William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet

393) Name the world’s oldest-serving royal and the longest lived monarch who turned 90 on April 21: Queen Elizabeth II

394) The Department of Disinvestment has been renamed as Department of Investment and Public Asset Management or 'Dipam'. It is in which ministry: Union Finance Ministry

395) Name the veteran British movie director, director of four hugely popular James Bond films, who passed away at the age of 93: Guy Hamilton

396) Clement Mouamba has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of which African country: Republic of Congo

397) Barcelona Open Tennis Championship was held in


which country: Spain 398) Name the tennis star who won the Barcelona

Open Tennis Championship: Rafael Nadal 399) With which country India launched a $1 trillion

Potential Solar Programme under the International Solar Alliance: France

400) Name the India’s first online interactive heritage portal launched recently: Sahapedia

401) Which UN agency organizes activities for promotion of World Book Day on April 23: UNESCO

402) Japan has become fourth country in world to successfully test its first stealth fighter jet – X 2. What is stealth technology: Ability to avoid detection by Radar

403) Poornimaben Pakvasa, great social worker from________, known for her exceptional work towards educating tribal girls, passed away at the age of 103: Gujarat

404) Which city has been selected for hosting 2018 Commonwealth Judo Championships in India: Jaipur

405) An Economist in the Real World is a book written by Kaushik Basu. Who is he: Chief Economist at World Bank

406) On which day of April the World Malaria Day is observed across the world: 25th April

407) With which country Indian navy held a joint exercise named CORPAT - 2016: Thailand

408) What is the full form of the word CORPAT: Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai)

409) Which global organization supports the celebration of the World Intellectual Property Day on April 26: WIPO - World Intellectual Property Organization

410) The joint army training exercise, titled ‘Nomadic Elephant - 2016’ was held between which two countries: India and Mongolia

411) Scientists at which Indian organization have developed the world's lightest ever synthetic material called ‘silica aerogel’: Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre

412) Govt. has decided to increase minimum wages of contract workers to Rs. _________ at the national level: 10,000/-

413) ADB has agreed to give a loan of $300 million for upgradation of 400 kms of major district roads in which state: Uttar Pradesh

414) Which country has ordered a two-day working week for public sector workers as a temporary measure to help it overcome a serious energy crisis: Venezuela

415) ICGS Shoor is what type of ship inducted in the Indian coast guard: Offshore patrol vessel

416) Union Sports Ministry has decided to provide one lakh rupees per month to sportspersons preparing for Olympics under TOP Scheme. TOP stands for what: Target Olympic Podium

417) Govt has set up a committee headed by Ashok Dalwai, for what purpose: To suggest ways to double farm incomes by 2022

418) The government has made it mandatory that no mobile can be sold in India without an in-built ________button, starting January 1, 2017: Panic

MARCH – 2016 419) Indigo —Selected Stories is a collection of stories

by which famous film maker: Satyajit Ray 420) 88TH Oscar Awards, 2016 were held in which city

of USA: Los Angeles 421) The Oscar for the best director was won by the

film ‘The Revenant’. Name the director: Alejandro Iñárritu

422) Film ____________ won the 2016 Oscar for the best feature film: Spotlight

423) The Oscar for the best actor has been won by ___________ for the film ‘The Revenant’: Leonardo DiCaprio

424) Gurmeet Singh and Khushbir Kaur won the gold in the national championship for which event: Race Walking

425) The National Race Walking Championships was held at which place: Jaipur

426) According to Forbes’ annual ranking of billionaires, __________ has been ranked at No. 1 in the world with a net worth of $75 billion: Bill Gates

427) __________ has been declared as the world’s number one airport in its category by the Airports Council International: Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi

428) Rahul Sachdev recently won the all India championship in which event: Snooker

429) Defence Ministry has issued an order worth Rs 22,000 crores for purchase of Chinook and Apache helicopters from which country: USA

430) What type of helicopter is CH-47 Chinook: Heavy


transport 431) What type of helicopter is AH-64 Apache:

Multirole Attack 432) Vinod Rai, Former Comptroller and Auditor

General (CAG) was in news recently for what reasons: He has been appointed as the first Chairman of Banks Board Bureau

433) What is the basic objective of the newly formed organization Banks Board Bureau: To approve the appointment of banks’ top executives and improve their governance

434) On which date we celebrate National Science Day: Feb 28

435) The National Science Day is observed on Feb 28 as on this day discovery of __________ was made in 1928: Raman Effect

436) Name the Indian scientist who won the Nobel prize for discovery of Raman Effect: Sir C. V. Raman

437) ________ has been declared as the first digital state of India for achieving digital connectivity of all villages and panchayats: Kerala

438) India’s largest heritage conservation project - Muziris Heritage Project is located at which place: Trissur, Kerala

439) Martin Crowe, one of the greatest batsman of New Zealand was in news for what reasons: He passed away

440) Govt. has launched _________ project to make all national highways free of railway crossings by 2019: Setubharatam

441) The UGC has asked varsities and colleges to launch a special page on their websites for checking discrimination against which category of students: SC/ST students

442) Which Indian car has achieved cumulative sales of three million units in the Indian market: Maruti Alto

443) Which Union Ministry organized The Raisina Dialogue, a project to explore prospects and opportunities for Asian integration: Ministry of External Affairs

444) Name the mega military exercise that was held jointly by Indian and armies of ASEAN countries: Force 18

445) Mega military exercise Force 18 was held at which place: Pune, Maharashtra

446) World Bank has agreed to grant $ 300 million

loan for the Higher Education Quality Improvement Project in which state: Madhya Pradesh

447) In a recent study of energy effectiveness of the countries, India was placed at 90th rank. Which was the best country: Switzerland

448) Name the veteran actor and film maker who has been awarded Dada Saheb Phalke Award – 2015: Manoj Kumar

449) What is the amount of cash prize given to the winner of Dada Saheb Phalke Award: Rs. 10 lac

450) Col C K Nayudu Trophy is associated with which sports: Cricket

451) ___________ won the 2016 C K Nayudu trophy: Mumbai

452) Finals of C K Nayudu trophy were held in ___________, Madhya Pradesh: Indore

453) Indian shooter ___________clinched the 50m pistol gold at the ISSF World Cup in Bangkok,Thailand: Jitu Rai

454) World’s costliest railway station was opened to public on March 3 in which city: New York

455) ‘Who Was Shivaji’ is a book written by which author: Govind Pansare

456) The United Nations has decided to set up 20 ‘Blue Dots’ in Europe for what purpose: As child and family support hubs for refugees

457) Which two UN organizations have been given the task of lookin after of ‘Blue dots’: UNHCR and UNICEF

458) On March 03 we celebrate which day associated with the wild animals: World Wildlife Day

459) Which animal is the main focus of 2016 World Wildlife Day: Elephant

460) Which UN body organizes the Zero Discrimination Day on March 1 across the world: UNAIDS

461) India observes National Safety Day on March 04 to promote which aspect of life: Safety awareness among people

462) Uridashi Masala Bonds are issued in which country: Japan

463) Which Indian state has taken first of its kind initiative by launching the Air Ambulance in the state: Kerala

464) Ray Tomlinson, a veteran IT expert of USA passed away recently. He is known for invention of which IT application: E-mail

465) Which country won the both, men’s and women’s


category in the World Table Tennis Team championship: China

466) Which country has agreed to promote three Indian as smart cities: Germany

467) Germany has assured help for promoting which 3 cities as smart city in India: Kochi, Bhubaneswar and Coimbatore

468) Air India on March 6 flew the “world’s longest” all-women operated and supported flight, nonstop, from New Delhi to____________, USA: San Francisco

469) In terms of women occupying top positions in business in 36 countries, what was India’s rank: 34th

470) __________ occupies the top spot in terms of women occupying top positions in business: Russia

471) Name the former world number one tennis star who failed a drugs test at the Australian Open: Maria Sharapova

472) Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur is one of the top civil honour of which country: France

473) Name the Indian industrialist who has been honoured with Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur: Anand Mahindra, CMD

474) International Women's Day was observed across the world on which date: 8 March

475) _________ is the first bank to get the licence for the small finance bank: Capital Local Area Bank Ltd.

476) Govt has launched the new ____ colour scheme for re-classification of industries based on the Pollution Index (PI) scores: Four

477) In the context of score on pollution index, ______ colour shows the highest level of pollution: Red

478) In the context of score on pollution index, ______ colour shows the lowest level of pollution: White

479) In a recent survey of 133 cities for cost of living, which two Indian cities figure among the most in expensive cities: Bengaluru and Mumbai

480) Lok Sabha passed a bill to amend the Enemy Property Act, 1968. It relates to properties of which persons: People who became Chinese or Pakistani nationals, after leaving India in the wake of wars fought with these countries

481) ISRO launched IRNSS – 1 F satellite for what purpose: To provide GPS facility

482) Indian GPS system-IRNSS is a setup of _________ satellites: Seven

483) India signed its biggest ever overseas credit line,

extending $2 billion loan facility to which country: Bangladesh

484) Which Indian bank will look after the $2 billion loan line to Bangladesh: Exim Bank

485) Scott Kelly who returned to earth on March 1, completing 340 days stay in space, created which record: American with longest stay in space

486) As per new rules, unreserved train ticket for travelling upto 199 kms will no longer be valid after _____ hours of purchase of the ticket: Three

487) The first-ever auction of a gold mine in the country was held in Baghmara. It is in which state: Chhattisgarh

488) India’s first gender park has been started in which state to promote the participation of women in development: Kerala

489) __________ has become the first state in the country to launch the HPV vaccine as a public health programme for school children: Delhi

490) What is the full form of HPV: Human Papilloma Virus

491) March ___ is commemorated as National Security Day to praise the work of security forces: 4

492) Ahmed Abul Gheit, veteran Egyptian diplomat has been named as new Secretary General of which international body: The Arab League

493) Irani Cup is associated with which sports: Cricket 494) Irani Cup 2016 was lifted by __________ team by

beating Mumbai: Rest of India 495) Govt. has launched Pradhan Mantri Ujwala Yojana

for what purpose: To provide free LPG connections to women in BPL households

496) Justice __________ Chauhan has been appointed as the chairperson of the 21st Law Commission: Balbir Singh

497) What is the purpose of setting up the law commission: To review the existing laws for improvement

498) Govt has announced the ________ scheme for the LED based Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme: Ujala

499) What is full form of UJALA: Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All

500) High Court of which state is celebrating 150 years of its existence: Uttar Pradesh

501) __________ High Court is celebrating 150 years of its existence: Allahabad

502) India hosted a three-day conference in ____________


with International Monetary Fund from March 12 to 14: New Delhi

503) The government has decided to invest Rs 69,575 crore towards increasing India’s quota in which international organization: IMF-International Monetary Fund

504) Garuda Shakti was the joint army training exercise between ________ and India: Indonesia

505) Garuda Shakti joint military exercise was hosted by which country: Indonesia

506) Govt. has started which new technological initiative for primary health care in four states: Healthcare ATMs

507) George Henry Martin, popular as the "Fifth Beatle", passed away in England. He was a prominent figure from which field: Music

508) Name the bill recently passed by the Parliament that aims to protect house buyers from the widely prevalent opaque and fraudulent practices in the real estate sector: Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2015

509) What is the name of the online service launched by the railways to facilitate passengers for cleaning of their coaches: Clean My Coach

510) The one million dollar prize for innovative teaching- Global Teacher Prize has been won by Hanan Al Hroub. She is from which country: Palestine

511) Santosh trophy is associated with which sports: Football

512) Santosh Trophy 2016 was won by _________ team: Services

513) All England Open Badminton Championship was hosted by which city in UK: Birmingham

514) ___________ of China won the All England Open Badminton Championship: Lin Dan

515) Government has recently allowed women to be inducted as officers in combat roles into which paramilitary force: ITBP

516) What is the full form of ITBP: Indo-Tibetan Border Police

517) SEBI has disallowed which type of borrowers from making a public issue or acquiring another listed entity: Willful defaulters

518) Indian army successfully test-fired indigenously built nuclear-capable Agni-I ballistic missile. What is its range: 700 kms

519) Golden City Gate Award is given for excellence in

which field: Tourism 520) Which Indian body won the Golden City Gate

Award-2016: Kerala Tourism 521) Union Ministry of _________ will host ‘Maritime

India Summit’ at Mumbai from 14 to 16 April: Shipping

522) 4th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves was held at Lima in ______from 14-17 March: Peru

523) ________ elected as the first civilian President of Myanmar to lead the country after 53 years of military rule: Htin Kyaw

524) ExoMars 2016, an unmanned spacecraft has been launched jointly by Europe and Russia for what purpose: To study the Mars' atmosphere

525) FSSAI has launched the 'Clean Street Food Project' in Delhi to sensitise the street food vendors about health and hygiene aspects of food. What is FSSAI: Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

526) World's first fully electric double decker bus service has been launched in which international metro: London

527) Governor of the Central Bank of which country recently resigned as the bank's account in USA were hacked causing a loss of over $100 million: Bangladesh

528) In which country an Indian-origin Sikh has become the Police Commissioner of its capital: Malaysia

529) Gandhi: An Illustrated Biography is a book written by which author: Pramod Kapoor

530) Chameli Devi Jain Award are given for excellence in which field: Journalism by women

531) Which bank has launched a contactless mobile payment solution ‘Touch & Pay’: ICICI Bank

532) What was the theme of this year's World Consumer Rights Day: Antibiotics off the Menu

533) The World Consumer Rights Day is observed across the globe in March on which date: 15

534) World Kidney Day is observed globally on which date: March 10

535) The 59th Session of Commission on Narcotic Drugs was held in________, Austria: Vienna

536) Which global prize is famous as Nobel for Mathematics: Abel Prize

537) Abel prize is given by which country: Norway 538) In a study of 156 nations in the World Happiness

Report 2016, India has been ranked as ________ place: 118th


539) As per the World Happiness Report 2016 which country is the happiest in the world: Denmark

540) Indian Air Force conducted its biggest fire power combat exercise at Pokhran in Rajasthan on March 18. What was its name: Iron Fist 2016

541) The Pope Francis, religious chief of Christians, has announced to confer Sainthood on the social worker who spent 45 years serving the poor and sick on the streets of Kolkata. Name her: Mother Teresa

542) Name the hospital that bagged the top government award ‘Kayakalp’ for best hospital cleanliness and infection control, winning a prize money of Rs. 5 crore: PGIMER, Chandigarh

543) Michelle Yeoh has been appointed as United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Goodwill Ambassador. Who is she: Famous action heroine of Malaysia-China

544) Name the American actor and activist who has been appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador of the UNFPA: Ashley Judd

545) What is the full form of UNFPA: United Nations Population Fund

546) The India Aviation 2016, an international exhibition and conference on civil aviation was held in_______, Telangana: Hyderabad

547) Which Indian city hosted the first meet of World Sufi Forum: New Delhi

548) Which railway station has stood first in India in terms of cleanliness, as per a survey conducted by the Ministry of Railways: Surat, Gujarat

549) The Time Magazine recently described which Indian leader as ‘Internet star’ who often uses social media to conduct diplomacy: Narendra Modi

550) The government has reduced interest rates payable on small savings w.e.f. April 01, 2016. Name two small savings schemes: Public Provident Fund, National Savings Certificate

551) __________Airport in Singapore has been voted the World’s Best Airport for the fourth year in a row at the 2016 World Airport Awards: Changi

552) Railways have tied up with which organization to leverage the space technology for providing the passenger information in all trains: ISRO

553) Name the city that hosted the 6th National Community Radio Sammelan: New Delhi

554) Parsi Zoroastrians of India celebrated their

___________festival on March 21to mark beginning of their new year: Navroz

555) Who created history by becoming the first Indian athlete to clinch a gold medal in the Asian 20 km Race Walk Championships: Gurmeet Singh

556) Name the ace Indian golfer who won the European Tour Hero Indian Open title in Delhi: S S P Chawrasia

557) UNESCO has included Agasthyamala biosphere reserve in its World Network of Biosphere Reserves. Where is it in India: In the Western Ghats

558) Which Bank has become the first bank to commence the sale of Indian Gold Coin (IGC) in the domestic market: Indian Overseas Bank

559) What are the three weight categories in which India Gold Coins are available: 5, 10 and 20 gram

560) With which country India has signed an agreement to avoid double social security contribution: Australia

561) US President Barack Obama scripted history by becoming first US President by visiting which country after 88 years of strained relations: Cuba

562) March ___________ was observed as the International Day of Happiness: 20

563) The United Nations appointed 'Red' as an envoy to inspire climate action toward a sustainable and happier future for all. Who is 'Red': Leader of the "Angry Birds" mobile game characters

564) The government has relaxed FDI norms for the insurance sector to allow overseas companies to buy ________percent stake in domestic insurance companies without prior approval: 49

565) March 21 was observed as the ___________ day across the world to promote the importance of forests and trees in our lives: World Forestry Day

566) March 22 was observed as the __________ day with the theme Water and Jobs: World Water Day

567) The World Sparrow Day is observed across the world on which date: March 20

568) The World Meteorological day is observed on March 23 for what purpose: To spread awareness about climate change

569) ____________reelected as the President Niger for a second term: Mahamadou Issoufou

570) 9th International Abilympics started at Bordeaux in France. Who are the participants in this:


Skilled persons with disabilities 571) Which Indian city will host the eighth annual

summit of BRICS from October 15-16: Goa 572) Which flower has been selected in a symbolic

form as the logo for the 8th Brics Summit: Lotus 573) _________ won the Krishi Karman Award for its

landmark achievement in showing highest production of food grains in year 2014-15: Himachal Pradesh

574) The government has formally withdrawn the recognition of which Stock Exchange after it was de recognised by SEBI: Delhi

575) Govt has launched the new drug Bedaquiline to combat drug resistant form of which disease: Tuberculosis (TB)

576) _______was observed as the World Tuberculosis day: March 24

577) Subrata Roy Sahara, promoter of Sahara Group who is in Tihad Jail, has written a book about his experiences. What is the name of this book: Life Mantras

578) The Girl on the Train is a famous novel written by ___________: Paula Hawkins

579) Which country signed a MoU for construction of six nuclear reactors at Jaitapur in Maharashtra: France

580) Name the govt. scheme that aims to achieve the objective of ‘Housing for All’: Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana

581) A financial assistance of Rs.__________ lakh will be provided for construction of pucca houses to homeless families in plain areas: 1.20

582) A financial assistance of Rs.__________ lakh will be provided for construction of pucca houses to homeless families in hilly and difficult area: 1.30

583) RBI has asked banks to pay interest on savings accounts on a ______basis or a shorter duration: Quarterly

584) Rate of interest on savings bank accounts in banks in India is decided by which authority: Banks themselves

585) India’s number one tractor producer, Mahindra& Mahindra plans to launch Trringo – a digital app for what purpose: To start online tractor rental business

586) Which country has made a law to jail the parents who fail to vaccinate their children: Uganda

587) Who is the only Indian leader in the world’s 50

greatest leaders list compiled by Fortune magazine: Arvind Kejriwal

588) RuPay, the domestic card payment service provider by NPCI plans to issue which new type of card: Credit Card

589) Which Indian state was put under President's rule in last week of March, 2016: Uttarakhand

590) Name the famous ancient city of Syria that was recently recaptured by Syrian troops: Palmyra

591) ISRO has establish world's second largest Ionospheric Radar at which place in Andhra Pradesh: Gadanki

592) Who is the director of the film 'Baahubali' that won the national award for best feature film: S S Rajamouli

593) The film Bajrangi Bhaijaan won the national award for best film in which category: Most popular film

594) Name the three countries visited by prime minister modi in the last week of march: Belgium, USA and Saudi Arabia

595) India has started a new direct shipping service to Chittagong in Bangladesh from which port in India: Krishnapatnam in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh

596) The World Bank has agreed to provide $250 million loan for improving the performance of electricity distribution in which state: Rajasthan

597) H Deep Saini, noted Indian scholar and plant physiologist has been appointed as the Vice Chancellor of which global university: University of Canberra, Australia

598) Which bank has announced an initiative called iWork@home that uses technology to enable women employees to work from home for an extended period: ICICI Bank

599) The first World Culture Festival, a three-day event celebrating cultural diversity was held on the bank of which river: Yamuna

600) The World Cultural Festival was organized by which organization: Art of Living

601) Which e-retailer has been ranked as the most trusted online shopping brand in India: Amazon

602) According to the latest figures released by the Geneva-based World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), ___________ is the top most country in filling patents: USA

603) Deepika and PR Sreejesh won the Dhruv Batra


Player of the Year Award for Women and Men, respectively, in which sports: Hockey

604) The Telecom Commission has approved which number as a common number for emergencies such as police, fire, ambulance, etc. all over India: 112

605) The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Asian Development Bank have signed a MoU to provide $ 848 million for which purpose: To develop solar parks across India

FEBRUARY – 2016 606) First Grand Slam of Tennis 2016 was held at

which place: Melbourne, Australia 607) _____________ won the Men’s Singles title of

Australian Open: Novak Djokovic 608) _____________ won the Women’s Singles title of

Australian Open: Angelique Kerber 609) Angelique Kerber, winner of Women’s title in

Australian Open, is from which country: Germany 610) Which Union Ministry has decided to reduce the

threshold for coverage of firms under the EPFO: Labour Ministry

611) What is the full form of EPFO: Employees’ Provident Fund Organization

612) The threshold for coverage of firms under the EPFO has been reduced to _________ workers from 20 at present: 10

613) ICC has decided upon what new measures for the safety of the umpires: They will be provided by specially designed helmets

614) The Indian women’s cricket team made history by clinching its maiden T20 series against which country: Australia

615) Name the author of the book Why we love the way we do: Preeti Shenoy

616) Nathuram Godse - The Story of an Assassin is a book written by which author: Anup Sardesai

617) What is the name of the book by Former President APJ Abdul Kalam based on his spiritual experiences with Pramukh Swami Maharaj: Transendence

618) What is the name of the indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft which is about to replace the MiG fighters: Tejas Mark 1-A

619) The GDP growth for 2014-15 has been scaled down to 7.2% from the earlier estimate of 7.3%, by which Government organization: Central Statistics Office (CSO)

620) As per latest CSO data, per capita income during 2015-16 is likely to be above ________ thousand rupees: 77

621) As per a list compiled by Wealth-X in collaboration with Business Insider, _______ is the 2nd richest person in India: Ajim Premji

622) Central government has selected how many cities in the first phase for development as smart cities: 20

623) Henri Tiphagne, founder of NGO People’s Watch was recently awarded which international honour: Human Rights Award

624) Human Rights Award is given by which global organization: Amnesty International, Germany

625) A commemorative coin of 150 rupees and a circulation coin of 10 rupees was released on the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of which great freedom fighter: Lala Lajpat Rai

626) 34th Senior National Rowing Championship was held at Hussainsagar Lake in which city: Hyderabad

627) Anti-Leprosy Day is observed on 30 January in the honour of which national leader: Mahatma Gandhi

628) Name the player who won the 83rd Senior National Snooker Championship: Aditya Mehta

629) Which city hosted the 83rd Senior National Snooker Championship: Indore, MP

630) Gurdeep Singh has been appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of which Maharatna company: NTPC Ltd.

631) What is the full form of NTPC Ltd: National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd.

632) Which country has produced the fifth-generation stealth fighter jet- X-2-‘Shinshin’: Japan

633) Which paramilitary force of India has appointed, for the first time a woman as its Director General: Sahastra Seema Bal

634) Name the newly appointed Director General of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB): Archana Ramasundaram

635) Sahastra Seema Bal looks after the security of which part of border of India: Nepal and Bhutan

636) K Durga Prasad, a senior IPS officer has been appointed Director General of which paramilitary force: CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force)

637) __________ has been appointed as the Director General of Border Security Force: K K Sharma


638) Which global social networking application recently crossed the one billion user milestone: WhatsApp

639) President of India recently conferred the honorary rank of General of the Indian Army to Chief of Army of which country: Nepal

640) Which state won the 61st National School Athletics championship: Kerala

641) Dial D for Don is a book written by former Police Commissioner of Delhi. Name him: Neeraj Kumar

642) Ancestral Affairs is a book written by which author: Keki Daruwalla

643) World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared Public Health Emergency of International Concern over the explosive spread of which disease: Zika Virus

644) As per recent market reports, which is the largest company of the world in terms of market capitalization: Alphabet

645) 2021 World Aquatics Championships will be hosted by _______city of Japan: Fukuoka

646) Which company has launched a 150-cc bike named ‘V’ that contains metal sourced from India’s first aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant: Bajaj Auto

647) Men’s Singles Title in the Syed Modi International Badminton Championships was won by which player: Kidambi Srikanth

648) Name the veteran wildlife filmmaker who won the V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award: Naresh Bedi

649) Name the Indian film that won the Best First Foreign Film Award given by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics: Titli

650) D J Pandian, former Chief Secretary of Gujarat has been appointed vice-president and chief investment officer of which newly formed global financial institution: Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

651) Which govt organization has launched the country's first anti-diabetic ayurvedic drug BGR -34 for Diabetes type 2 patients: Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

652) For what purpose the Government has decided to infuse about 5,000 crore rupees capital in the public sector banks: To strengthen their balance sheet for compliance of Basel III capital norms

653) Hyderabad-based biotechnology research company Bharat Biotech has announced that it has developed the world’s first vaccine against which major disease: Zika Virus

654) Name the major employment scheme run by govt. that completed 10 years in February: Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)

655) Name the state that won the Dr BC Roy Trophy for the National Junior Football Championship: Punjab

656) The Trans-Pacific Partnership deal, led by ______, one of the biggest trade deals in history, was signed in New Zealand on Feb 4: USA

657) The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has barred telecom service providers from charging differential rates for data services. This is in promotion of which concept: Net neutrality

658) The eighth Delhi Dialogue was held in New Delhi to discuss politico-security, economic and socio-cultural engagement between the ________ and India: Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

659) Reserve Bank has decided to undertake which step to check handling of customer complaints and how banks have implemented Charter of Customer Rights: Incognito visits to bank branches

660) Which country won the highest number of medals in the 12th South Asian Games: India

661) India emerged number one in the 12th South Asian Games by winning total _______ medals: 308

662) Name the ace Indian Shooter who won record six medals in the 12th South Asian Games: Chain Singh

663) 13th SAG will be hosted by Nepal in Kathmandu in which year: 2019

664) As per Swachh Survekshan-2016 conducted by the Quality Council of India to rank the Indian cities on the basis of cleanliness, _________ has been ranked no. one: Mysuru

665) Central Bank of which major economy has imposed, for the first time, a negative interest rate of minus 0.1 per cent for certain bank deposits placed with it: Japan

666) BAFTA awards 2016 were given away in London on Feb 14. What is the full form of BAFTA: British Academy of Film and Television Awards


667) Which film won the BAFTA award for the best film: The Revenant

668) Name the iconic football player from Brazil was in news as Courts in Brazil issued warrants to freeze his assets worth almost $ 50 million: Neymar

669) Supreme court has directed RBI to submit a list of defaulter companies whose bank dues are more than Rs. ___________ crorers: 500

670) World’s longest train route, running for 10,400 kms, starts from and ends at which place: Yiwu (China) and Bander Abbas (Iran)

671) What is the formal name given to this 10,400 kms rail route: Belt and Road connectivity initiative

672) Prime Minister Mr. Modi inaugurated the Make in India Week on Feb 13 in which city: Mumbai

673) Mr. Modi has been highlighting the 4D blessings of Indian economy. What are these 4Ds: Democracy, Demography, Demand and Deregulation

674) World famous Grammy Awards are given for excellence in which field: Music

675) 58th Grammy Awards ceremony was held on 15th February at which place: Los Angeles, USA

676) Grammy for Record of the Year was won by Uptown Funk by which artist: Mark Ronson

677) Taylor Swift won the Grammy for the Album of the Year. What is the name of the Album: 1989 Taylor Swift

678) 36th National Chess team Championship was won by the _____________in Bhubaneswar, Odisha: Indian Railways

679) ‘Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur’ is one of the highest civilian award of which country: France

680) Name the Indian fashion designer who was conferred above award in February 2016: Manish Arora

681) Lamitye 2016, the 7th joint military exercise was conducted by Indian army with which other country’s army: Seychelles

682) Which country hosted the ICC under–19 Cricket World Cup-2016 : Bangladesh

683) ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup-2016 was won by which country: West Indies

684) The three day annual World Government Summit was hosted by which city: Dubai

685) In a survey of top 38 countries to assess the protection of IPR, India ranked 37th. What is the full form of IPR: Intellectual Property Rights

686) In a recent survey of countries for assessing protection of IPRs, which country was placed at top: USA

687) What is the title of the latest book written by Shyam Bhatia, noted journalist: Bullets and Bylines

688) Leading gun-maker BAE Systems, the UK based multinational company has selected which Indian corporate as their partner for manufacturing M777 howitzers in India: Mahindra’s

689) M777 howitzer guns will be used as major weapon by which proposed army formation: Mountain Strike Corps

690) Govt. proposes to assign the security of which border area to Mountain Strike Corps: Mountainous borders with China

691) National Arogya Fair was organized to showcase and promote the strengths, efficacy and affordability of the AYUSH. What is the full form of AYUSH: Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy

692) First phase of world’s largest solar power plant, with a capacity to produce 580 mw was started in which country on Feb 4: Morocco

693) Name the batsman from South Africa who became the quickest and the youngest batsmen to score 10 centuries in ODIs: Quinton De Kock

694) Which global organization has released a report called 'One Humanity: Shared Responsibility': UNO

695) India observed the first National Deworming Day on which date: Feb 10

696) What is the objective of the National Deworming Day: To combat parasitic worm infections among children

697) Which deworming tablet is provided free to school and pre-schools children who fight worm infections: Albendezole

698) The Reserve Bank of India has released the Report of the Working Group (Chairperson: Prof. P.G. Apte) on which topic: Introduction of Interest Rate Options in India

699) Name the Indian Navy's aircraft carrier which is destined to be decommissioned in June, 2016: INS Viraat

700) Which state has decided to convert INS Viraat into a luxury hotel for promotion of tourism in the State: Andhra Pradesh


701) What is the name of the 9th edition of India-Nepal Combined Military Exercise: Surya Kiran IX

702) Surya Kiran IX military exercise was held in which area: Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand

703) Indian and Chinese troops held their first joint tactical exercise “Sino-India Cooperation 2016’’ for what purpose: For joint operation on humanitarian aid and disaster relief

704) Sino-India Cooperation 2016 - joint tactical exercise was held in which part of China border: Ladakh

705) Which ministry has launched the 24x7 Toll Free Tourist Infoline in 12 International Languages to facilitate tourists: Union Ministry of Tourism

706) As per the National Air Quality Indices for 24 cities by Central Pollution Control Board, __________ is the city with worst air quality: Varanasi

707) Government has launched ____________for prevention of AIDS in the 20 districts of eight North-Eastern states: Project Sunrise

708) Indian Oil Corporation’s latest oil refinery started production in Paradip in which state: Odisha

709) Government has decided to set up the National Organic Farming Research Institute in which state: Sikkim

710) Indian Army participated in the ‘Cobra Gold 2016’– the biggest multilateral military exercise. It was hosted by which country: Thailand

711) Golden Conch Award is given for excellence in which field: Documentary Films

712) Golden Conch Award is given at which film festival: Mumbai International Film Festival

713) World Cancer Day was observed across the world on which date: 4th February

714) What was this year’s theme for the World Cancer Day: We can, I can

715) In a global survey by Brand Finance for brand power, which Indian firm has been rated as the World’s Most Powerful Brand in IT Services: TCS – Tata Consultancy Services

716) Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has launched the BGR-34, country's first ayurvedic drug for treatment of which major disease: Diabetes type - II

717) In the anti-diabetic drug, acronym BGR stands for what: Blood Glucose Regulator

718) Aruna Sethi has been appointed as the first women head of the which all India administrative

service: Indian Cost Accounts Services 719) Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Classical Music Award for

2015-2016 was conferred on Pandit Ram Narayan. He is a master player of which instrument: Sarangi

720) Parameshwaran Iyer, a World Bank’s water and sanitation specialist has been selected by the Indian govt. to head which major national mission: Swachh Bharat Mission

721) The app myCAMS has been launched for what purpose in context of mutual fund business: To facilitate paperless eKYC

722) National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has raised a special squad of which animal to boost its rescue efforts in earthquake hit areas: Dogs

723) Geographical Indications Registry, Chennai has issued ‘Geographical Indication’ tag for which item to 7 states in the Indo-Gangetic Plains: Basmati Rice

724) The first ever Petrochemical project in entire North East India was started in February in Dibrugarh in which state: Assam

725) The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2017 will be hosted by ________________ in June 2017: England

726) The Indian government has finally sanctioned Rs.580 crore for the vital Agartala-Akhaura rail link with which country: Bangladesh

727) India’s first-ever Aviation Park will come up near Bagodara village in which state: Gujarat

728) What is the objective of setting up aviation park: To promote special units to manufacture spare parts for aircrafts

729) The National Wildlife Action Plan 2017-2031 has been unveiled by which ministry: The environment ministry

730) __________________, India’s top golfer has been voted as the Hilton Asian Tour Golfer of Year by fans in an online poll: Anirban Lahiri

731) _______________________founded by Freedom fighter Pt Madan Mohan Malviya has turned 100 years on 13th February 2016: Banaras Hindu University (BHU)

732) World Radio Day is observed globally on 13th February by which UN organization: UNESCO

733) What was the theme of this year’s World Radio Day: ’Radio in Times of Emergency and Disaster’

734) Scientists have detected for the first time, signals


of ________________waves emanating from two merging black holes 1.3 billion light years away: Gravitational

735) Prediction about gravitational waves was made about 100 years ago by which great scientist: Albert Einstein

736) The gravitational waves have been discovered after decades of research by scientists at LIGO, USA. Expand LIGO: Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory

737) CEO and MD of which corporate entity have been selected as the E&Y ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR 2015 from India: Lupin Ltd.

738) U K Sinha, the Chairman of Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) was in news for what reasons: He has been given extension for one year

739) Name the India’s first indigenously developed lightest revolver weighing just 250 gms: Nidar

740) Name the Bollywood’s popular lyricist who made into the Guinness Book of World Records for writing the most number–3524 of songs for Bollywood films: Sameer Anjaan

741) Government has launched a Rs. 10,000-crore Electronic Development Fund for what purpose: To promote manufacturing in the electronics sector

742) Which country launched a massive military exercise – ‘North Thunder’ that included troops from 20 nations: Saudi Arabia

743) _____________ has been appointed as the new Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh: Kalikho Pul

744) 745) Name the America's celebrated novelist whose

1960 masterpiece "To Kill a Mockingbird" was read by millions worldwide: Harper Lee

746) Christine Lagarde, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund was in news recently for what reasons: She has been re-appointed for a second five-year term

747) Amit Mitra has been appointed as the new chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers on GST. Who is he: West Bengal Finance Minister

748) Name the New Zealand cricketer who smashed the fastest ever Test century in just 54 balls: Brendon McCullum

749) _____________, ace sprinter set a new national record

in the 60m dash in 7.28 seconds at the 7th Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Doha: Dutee Chand

750) _____________, has been appointed as the new Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai: K N Vyas

751) What is the title of the recent book by Jhumpa Lahiri: In Other Words

752) An Economist in the Real World is a book written by the Chief Economist of the World Bank. Name him: Kaushik Basu

753) Who has been elected new President of Uganda, for the fifth time: Yoweri Museveni

754) Crystal Bear Award is given for excellence in which field: Children’s films

755) Crystal Bear Award is given in which international film festival: Berlin Film Festival

756) Name the Indian film that won the 2016 Crystal Bear Award: Ottaal (The trap)

757) Berlin Film Festivals top prize for the best feature film is named as ______________: Golden Bear Award

758) The Golden Bear Award for 2016 was won by an Italian film. What was its name: Fuocoammare (Fire at sea)

759) The term ‘Brexit’ is very much in news these days, particularly in Europe. What does this mean: Britain’s Exit from the European Union

760) The women’s and men’s title in the Badminton Asia Team Championships were won by which country: China and Indonesia, respectively

761) The Mahamaham festival, celebrated once in 12 years, also known as Kumbh Mela of South is held at which place: Kumbakonam

762) The book ‘Playing It My Way’ has entered the Limca Book of Records in the category of best-selling books, with 1,50,289 copies sold. This is the autobiography of which person: Sachin Tendulkar

763) Government has launched a device developed by the CSIR –CEERI, Pilani, Rajasthan, named ‘Ksheer-Scanner’ for what purpose: To detect adulteration in milk

764) The Road to Resilience, a survey of the entire Indian coastline for promoting six coastal disaster management projects is an initiative of which global organization: World Bank

765) The survey of 230 cities for assessing quality of


life by the global consulting firm Mercer has placed _____________at the top: Austria’s capital Vienna

766) Name the former Chief Justice of India who has been appointed as the Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission: Justice H L Dattu

767) Mobile app ‘Swachh Paryatan’ has been launched by which ministry to promote cleanliness of prime tourist destinations: Ministry of Tourism

768) As per a global study, India is the top importer of arms. Which is at the 2nd rank: China

769) Parliament of ___________ has become the world’s first parliament to run fully on solar power: Pakistan

770) RBI has extended the $2 billion currency swap arrangement to __________nations till mid-November 2017 to enhance economic cooperation: SAARC

771) What is the full form of the term IBSAMAR: India, Brazil, South Africa Maritime

772) Govt has decided to extend ___________visa facility to 37 more countries from Feb 26: E-Tourist

773) The Indian Navy's first locally developed nuclear submarine _____________is now ready for full fledged operations: INS Arihant

774) Who has been appointed as the new Director General of the Indian Coast Guard: Rajendra Singh

775) Aryabhata award 2013, the prestigious honour by Astronautical Society of India has been conferred upon which scientist: Dr. Avinash Chander, former chief of DRDO

776) Goverdhan Mehta, renowned researcher in Chemical Sciences, has been honoured with the prestigious Cross of the Order of Merit by which country: Germany

777) Which Indian bank has won the Green Bond Pioneer Award for promoting Green Infrastructure Bonds: Yes Bank

778) _________ has been elected as the new President of world Football body –FIFA: Gianni Infantino

779) __________won the prestigious Ranji trophy cricket championship defeating Saurashtra: Mumbai

780) Government plans to set up a dedicated, cross functional team called Special Unit for Transportation Research and Analytics (Sutra) for improvement in which area: Railway

781) The innovative team Sutra is proposed to be

headed by which person: Ratan Tata 782) The Union Cabinet has approved establishment of

AIM and SETU in which organization to encourage innovations and entrepreneurship in the country: NITI Aayog

783) The acronyms of AIM and SETU stands for: Atal Innovation Mission and Self Employment and Talent Utilisation

JANUARY – 2016 784) Jnanpith Award is given for excellence in which

field: Literature 785) Jnanpith Award is given for excellence in

literature in which language: All 22 Indian languages approved by the Constitution

786) Name the winner of the Jnanpith Award 2015: Raghuveer Chaudhary

787) Shri Raghuveer Chaudhary is a noted novelist of which language: Gujarati

788) Vijay Hazare Trophy is associated with which sports: Cricket

789) Name the team that won the Vijay Hazare Trophy for 2015: Gujarat

790) Government has announced that taxpayers with an annual income of more than Rs. ______ lakh will not get subsidised LPG cylinders from January, 2016: Ten

791) Dr. Harpal Singh Kumar was conferred with Knighthood Honour in UK for what achievement: For his influential work on prevention and treatment of cancer

792) Senior National Wrestling Championship was held at which place: New Delhi

793) Bajrang Punia, Ritu Phogat and Priyanka Phogat are the prominent players of which sports: Wrestling

794) Which is the last country to be declared free of deadly Ebola disease by WHO: Liberia

795) Who has been named as the 'Cricketer of the Year' - Men for 2015 by the BCCI: Virat Kohali

796) Who has been named as the 'Cricketer of the Year' - Women for 2015 by the BCCI: Mithali Raj

797) Scientists in which country have developed a human-like social robot named ‘Nadine’, with soft skin and flowing brunette hair: Singapore

798) _____________ has been named as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog: Amitabh Kant

799) Haskell Wexler, an Oscar winning cinema


celebrity from USA died recently. He was from which field of cinema: Photography

800) Which country recently launched Gaofen-4 Earth Observation Satellite: China

801) The government has approved the signing of the Raptor MoU for what purpose: To conserve and reverse the decline of birds of prey such as vultures, eagles etc

802) Dr. Gyanendra D Bandgaiyan has been appointed as the Director General of which national organization: National Centre for Good Governance

803) Giorgi Kvirikashvili has been elected as the Prime Minister of which European country: Georgia

804) Rakhi Haldar and Kavita Devi won gold in their respective weight categories at the National level in which sports: Weight lifting

805) RBI has notified that from Feb 1, 2016 all govt cheques will be paid through ________________system: Cheque Truncation System

806) Reserve Bank has asked banks to ensure that every village with a population over __________ should have a bank branch by March 2017: 5,000

807) RBI has asked SLBCs to ensure that every village with a population over 5,000 should have a bank branch by March 2017. What is SLBCs: State Level Bankers Committees

808) The government has constituted a committee headed by noted film-maker ____________ to look into revamp of Censor Board: Shyam Benegal

809) World Bank has agreed to provide a $ 50 million loan funding of ‘Nai Manzil' project for what purpose: Education and Skills Training for Minorities in BPL category

810) Name the India’s star off-spinner who was ranked as the No. 1 Test bowler in the ICC rankings for 2015: R. Ashwin

811) World champion Magnus Carlsen won the Qatar Masters Open Chess Tournament. He is from which country: Norway

812) Name the Mumbai boy who created cricket history by scoring 1009 runs not out: Pranav Dhanawade

813) Reserve Bank has started the process of issuing composite instructions under the title _________ on various regulatory issues in its bid to simplify the communication process: Master Directions

814) South Asian Football Federation Cup was won by India by defeating which country: Afghanistan

815) South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup was hosted by which Indian city: Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

816) Name the important document of Chemistry which now has its seventh row completed with the introduction of four new chemical elements: The periodic table of elements

817) Name the veteran Communist Party of India leader who passed away after a long illness at New Delhi: A. B. Bardhan

818) Which university won the overall trophy in the 76th All-India Inter-University Athletics Championship: Punjabi University

819) 'Anything But Khamosh' is an autobiography of which prominent celebrity politician: Shatrughan Sinha

820) A classy performance by which Indian cricketer in 2001 has been rated as the greatest Test performance of the last 50 years: VVS Laxman's

821) Name the famous novel by Harper Lee that topped the US bestseller list in 2015, selling 1.6 million copies: Go Set a Watchman

822) Bidali Neemuchwala has been appointed new Chief Executive Officer of which IT corporate: Wipro

823) Which educational institute hosted the 103rd Indian Science Congress: University of Mysore, Karnataka

824) Apurvi Chandela broke the world record by earning highest ever score of 211.2 in which event: 10 meter air rifle shooting

825) Name the indigenous stealth Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Corvette that was recently inducted in Indian Navy: INS Kadmatt

826) _________________became the fastest film to take one billion dollars at the global box office: Star Wars the Force Awakens

827) Name the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister who breathed his last at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi: Mufti Mohammad Sayeed

828) Govt has decided to implement norms of Bharat Stage (BS) VI from April 1, 2020 for what purpose: To minimize the air pollution from vehicles

829) The counter-insurgency joint exercise ‘Shakti-


2016’ was held at which place: Rajasthan Desert 830) Shakti 2016 - joint military exercise was held by

which two countries: India and France 831) Name the Indian badminton player who was

declared number one in junior men's singles category in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings: Siril Verma

832) Which country was in news for conducting a powerful Hydrogen bomb test in a defiant and surprising move as there is a UN ban on testing and development of nuclear weapons: North Korea

833) As per the Hurun India Philanthropy List 2015, _____________ has been ranked as the most generous Indian of the year: Azim Premji

834) Golden Globe Awards are given in which country: USA

835) Golden Globe Awards are given for excellence in which field: Cinema

836) The Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture (Drama) was won by which movie: The Revenant

837) With which country India has signed an agreement for enabling people of both nations to avail retirement benefits in each other's country: Australia

838) International Kite Festival was held at which city in India: Ahmadabad, Gujarat

839) India will host a joint military exercise with 18 members countries of East Asian Summit in March, 2016 at which place: Pune, Maharashtra

840) Eight Indian states have agreed to implement direct benefit of transfer of subsidy in _________in 26 districts w.e.f. April 1, 2016: Kerosene

841) _____________has become the first state in the country to officially accept electronic motor insurance policies by the name ‘e-Vahan Bima’: Telangana

842) Justice (Retd) R M Lodha committee was appointed by the Supreme Court for what purpose : To look into the affairs of BCCI

843) Name the amputee Indian mountaineer who conquered Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, the highest mountain outside Asia: Arunima Sinha

844) The novel 'A God in Ruins' which won the novel of the year prize in Britain is written by whom: Kate Atkinson

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