RBI ASSISTANT GK DIGEST 2015 POWERED BY COMPETITION ZENITH · RBI ASSISTANT GK DIGEST 2015 POWERED...

RBI ASSISTANT GK DIGEST 2015 POWERED BY COMPETITION ZENITH

W W W . C O M P E T I T I O N Z E N I T H . C O M

NATION •Rajasthan Government opened women milk bank Jeevan Dhara in Jaipur •Andhra Pradesh Cabinet approved Amaravathi as capital of the State. Chief Minister - N Chandrababu Naidu

•Scorpene Submarine, Built at Mumbai Docks, Launched Into Water. The diesel-electric submarines are being built at the state-run Mazgaon docks in Mumbai; they

are expected to be inducted into the Navy by 2018. •20th Law Commission submitted Report on Eliminating Discrimination Against Leprosy-affected Persons. Headed by - Justice (retd) Ajit Prakash Shah

•SAARC Health Ministers meet in New Delhi •Thane named as National Earth Hour Capital 2015 by WWF Seoul - awarded the title of Global Earth hour Capital 2015 Balikpapan, Indonesia - was recognized as the Most Loveable City for 2015

•India successfully test-fired Dhanush ballistic missile; Surface-to-Surface nuclear-capable, nuclear payload of 500 to 1000 kilogram, 350 km range. •India chaired Ninth Meeting of International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Council at Abu Dhabi. •India’s first IFSC became operational at GIFT City, Gandhinagar in Gujarat; It allows companies incorporated outside India to raise money in foreign currencies by issuance and listing of their equity on stock exchanges within the IFSC. •BHEL commissioned 600 MW thermal unit at Dhabra in Chhattisgarh •Ambedkar's 124th birth anniversary observed •Union Ministry of Home Affairs renamed Tourist Visa on Arrival scheme as e-Tourist Visa •Arun Jaitley inaugurated Vividh Bharati Service of Delhi on FM Mode •Agni-III missile test-fired successfully by SFC range-3000 kms, suface to surface missile •Bengaluru-Chinnaswamy Stadium is the World’s First Solar Powered Cricket Stadium •Tripura Tops for Sixth Year in Providing Rural Jobs •Indian Railways Completes 162 Years on 17th April 2015 •Vankadarath Saritha joined as first woman bus driver of the DTC •Kerala government launched Subodham project to end liquor abuse •India Fifth Biggest Generator of E-Waste in 2014: UN Report •Chhurim Sherpa, first woman to climb the Everest summit twice in a week •Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand declared as India's 48th Tiger Reserve •Work on Saraswati Revival Project launched in Haryana •President released Postage Stamp commemorating 200 years of Old Seminary in Kottayam •Railways launched mobile app "utsonmobile" for paperless unreserved tickets •Indian Railways launched E-Samiksha to monitor rail projects online •Indian Navy’s new missile destroyer ship named Visakhapatnam launched at Mazagaon Dock Limited (MDL), Mumbai •Union Government rolled out online LTV (Long Term Visa) applications system for Pakistani nationals •Indo-French Naval exercise VARUNA commenced at Goa •Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s Healthcare Portal at the SAAARC Trade Mart in the Global Exhibition on Services, in ITPO, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. •India launches 'Operation Maitri' relief operation in quake-hit Nepal •Spain proposes to develop Delhi as smart city •RPower terminates PPA for 3,960 Mw Tilaiya UMPP (ultra mega power project) in Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand



•Tourist Visa scheme extended to 31 more countries; With the latest addition, the total number of countries covered under the scheme will go up to 76. •ISRO successfully tested indigenous cryogenic engine CE-20 with four-tonne capacity •Nadia in West Bengal became the first open defecation-free (ODF) district of India •First meeting of Sub-Group of CMs on Swachh Bharat Mission held in New Delhi •Union Cabinet approved Smart Cities Mission with an outlay of 48000 crore rupees & Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) of 500 cities Aim :- to make urban areas more livable and inclusive besides driving the economic growth.

•Union Ministry for Power flagged off three Mobile Science Labs to revolutionise rural education •Union Minister for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy - Piyush Goyal •MSL is a vehicle fitted with LCD TV carrying working Science Models which emphasizes curiosity based learning for children in rural India. It is an initiative to make hands-on learning accessible amongst underprivileged children. •Union Government cancelled licenses of nearly 9000 NGOs for violation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010. •Union Ministry of Home Affairs suspended Greenpeace India Society (GIS) registration for 180 days •Gujarat leads in implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) during 2014-15 Gujarat constructed 60 percent of the household toilets built in the entire country. SBM was launched on 2 October 2014 with the objective of ensuring cleanliness in all the 4041

statutory cities and towns of the country by 2 October 2019 which marks the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

•DIPP notifies 49 per cent FDI in pension sector •14th Edition of Indo-French Naval Exercise "VARUNA 2015" concluded off the Goa Coast. •Cow-urine refinery inaugurated by Rajasthan Health Minister Rajendra Rathore at Pathmeda village, Jalore district (Rajasthan) for research on cow products •BHEL commissions 195 MW thermal unit in Muzzafarpur district in Bihar. •Dr Mahesh Sharma Union Minister of State for Culture (Independent Charge), Tourism (Independent Charge) and Civil Aviation, inaugurated Puducherry Science Centre and Planetarium. •Union Cabinet cleared 119th Constitutional Amendment Bill on LBA (Land Boundary Agreement) between India and Bangladesh •Indigenously developed Surface-to-Air missile Akash Weapon System (AWS) inducted into Indian Army •Prime Minister Narendra Modi released commemorative coin on Swami Chinmayananda •Lok Sabha passed Juvenile Justice Amendment Bill 2014, the bill will allow children in the 16-18 age group to be tried as adults if they commit heinous crimes. •Union Government launched "Credit Enhancement Guarantee Scheme" for Scheduled Castes. •PM inaugurated upgraded IISCO Steel Plant in Burnpur (W.B.) housing largest blast furnace plant of India •India successfully test-fired advanced version of BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile •Naval Base at Porbandar commissioned as INS Sardar Patel •Asiatic lion population in Gir sanctuary (GUjrat) increased to 523 from 411 in 2010 •Hyderabad to host Indo-Global Pharma Expo and Summit 2015 in July •India Post launched Dedicated E-Commerce Centre in New Delhi •Zoological Survey marks 100 yrs with digitization •Punjab became the first state in India to issue Soil Health Cards to farmers •MHRD Gave Nod For Setting Up IIIT in Nagpur, Maharashtra •NS Kavaratti: Anti-submarine warfare class stealth corvette under Project 28 launched •6th National Conference on Nuclear Energy held in New Delhi Theme - "Nuclear Energy: a Clean Energy option"



•Union government allocated 5000 crore for development of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) •Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) launches HR management pilot project •Infosys announced to become carbon neutral by 2018 •Infosys became the first Indian Company to Join RE100 Renewable Energy Campaign •Union Cabinet gave its approval for setting up Ammonia-Urea Complex at Namrup in Assam •Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the new headquarter of Coal India Ltd at Rajarhat in West Bengal •India-Singapore bilateral naval exercise SIMBEX-15 commences in Singapore •PM Modi launches 'Kisan TV' for farmers •GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) System fully operationalised, India has become the fourth nation after the US, Europe and Japan •Tripura lifts controversial AFSPA •The U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) and FICCI host 1st Smart Cities Conclave for Ajmer •Microsoft announced to open India's first Digital Experience Centre in Gujarat at Vadodara •Increase in Service Tax Rate from 12% to 14% with Effect from 1st June, 2015 •US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter arrives in Vishakapatnam on a three day visit.During his visit, the two countries will be signing the Defence Framework Agreement (DFA) that will define the US-India defence cooperation over the next decade. •Maneka Gandhi launches Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) HealthPhone programme in Delhi in partnership with the Ministry of Women and Child Development, UNICEF and supported by Vodafone India. AIM: To tackle the challenge of malnutrition in mothers and children across India.

•Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje flagged off the Jaipur metro train. •FM inaugurates New Bank Note Paper Line at Security Paper Mill at Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh. •Union Ministry of Water Resources Uma Bharti on 5 June 2015 launched nationwide "Jal Kranti Abhiyan" from Jaipur. •Indian Medical Association’s (IMA) first-ever Jan Aushadhi Generic Drug (JAGD) Store was inaugurated by the Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Hansraj Gangaram Ahir on 5 June 2015 at its headquarters in IP Estate, New Delhi. •Cyclone ASHOBAA intensified into severe cyclonic storm over the Arabian Sea.The cyclone would carry heavy rainfall at most places over coastal Karnataka, Konkan and Goa as well as south Gujarat. •Haryana's Jind, Karnal & UP's Muzaffarnagar included in NCR •LED lights programme launched in Varanasi •Union Government launched Migrant Resource Centre in Chennai •Indigenously built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant undocked in Kochi •Tamil Nadu and Adani Power Ltd signed PPA to set up 200 MW solar power plant in Ramanathapuram •Union Cabinet approved "Housing for All by 2022 Mission" •Union Government launched "Cluster Development Programme" for Pharma Sector •Union Cabinet revised target of solar power under JNNSM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission) to 100000 MW (100 GW) by 2022 •Union Government launched website Employment Exchange for Industries (EEX) portal to connect employers, job seekers •CSIR set up India’s first Micro Air Vehicle Aerodynamics Research Tunnel in Bengaluru •Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh launched Augmented Reality Application named "Sakaar" to highlight the achievements of the Department of Space. •Election Commission of India (ECI) suspended recognition of National People's Party (NPP) •Nathu La pass in Sikkim reopened for Kailash-Manasarovar pilgrims after 53 years



•Prime Minister Narendra Modi hold bilateral talks with Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, who is on a six-day visit to India. •Rashtrapati Bhavan commemorated International Yoga Day on June 21 International Yoga Day celebration at Rajpath sets two world records: The two records include

participation of most individuals and individuals (37,000 people) from the largest number of nationalities performing asanas at a single venue.

Theme - "Yoga for Harmony and Peace" •Union Government launched weather alert service NOWCAST •350th foundation day of Shri Anandpur Sahib celebrated •Union Ministry of Finance issued Draft Proposals for Facilitating Electronic Transactions The goal of the proposed policy is to provide the necessary incentives to use E-transactions

(authorization of transfer of money through electronic means and flow of funds directly from one account to another) to replace the use of cash

It envisages adoption national E-payment gateway "PayGov India" for collection of revenue, fee, penalties etc.

•Union Minister Maneka Gandhi Launches First Modernised Anganwadi Centre "Nand Ghar" in Sonepat •"Bhuvan Ganga Mobile Application" launched to aid National Mission for Clean Ganga The app and webportal was launched by Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development

and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti in New Delhi. •Rajasthan topped the list of States commissioning grid connected Solar Power projects, Gujrat & MP at 2nd, 3rd respectively •PM Narendra Modi launches 3 Schemes - Smart Cities Mission, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) or "Housing for all" on 25th June 2015 UP leads the pack as it has been given the opportunity to nominate 13 cities to be developed as

smart cities, while 54 cities in the state have been identified under AMRUT scheme. •Union Cabinet approved setting up of six Indian Institutes of Management (IIM):Amritsar (Punjab), Bodh Gaya (Bihar), Nagpur (Maharashtra), Sambalpur (Odisha), Sirmaur (Himachal Pradesh) and Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh). •Union Cabinet approved signing of MoC between India and Japan on Industrial Property •India pledges $1 billion to quake-hit Nepal during Mrs Sushma Swaraj's Nepal visit •Union Cabinet approved to set up a National Memorial at birth place of Lok Nayak JP Narayan in Bihar •Two-day long annual Hemis festival of Ladakh: Hemis festival is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava •Union Government approved a proposal for setting up second airport at Jewar in NCR •Prime Minister launched Digital India Week From 1 July These are the projects and policies announced at the event. 1) Digital Locker System aims to minimize the usage of physical documents and enable sharing of e-documents across agencies. 2) MyGov.in has been implemented as a platform for citizen engagement in governance, through a “Discuss”, “Do” and “Disseminate” approach. 3) Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) Mobile app 4) eSign framework would allow citizens to digitally sign a document online using Aadhaar authentication. 5) The Online Registration System (ORS) under the eHospital application has been introduced. This application provides important services such as online registration, payment of fees and appointment, online diagnostic reports, enquiring availability of blood online etc. 6) National Scholarships Portal



7) DeitY has undertaken an initiative namely Digitize India Platform (DIP) for large scale digitization of records in the country that would facilitate efficient delivery of services to the citizens. 8) Bharat Net, a high speed digital highway to connect all 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats of country. This would be the world’s largest rural broadband connectivity project using optical fibre. 9) BSNL has introduced Next Generation Network (NGN) 10) BSNL has undertaken large scale deployment of Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the country. •India ranked best for investment in "Baseline Profitibility Index" at 6th, Hong Kong tops •India recalls NZ High Commissioner Ravi Thapar after assault allegations •Nadia district (W.B) won the UN Public Service Award 2015 for eliminating open defecation •Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa launched first phase of Chennai Metro Rail Service Chennai is the 7th city having Metro facility, earlier Jaipur was the 6th

•Indian Railways, Indian Army among world's biggest employers: World Economic Forum Study Indian Railways was ranked at the eighth place in the list of world's biggest employers with 1.4

million staff. Immediately after Indian Railways is the Indian Armed Forces with 1.3 million people.

•9th National Statistics Day observed with theme Social Development:"Social Development" •Union Government hiked national floor-level minimum wage to 160 rupees per day •Elephant Census Report 2015 of Odisha released:highest number of elephants 487 was recorded in Similipal Tiger Reserve followed by Satkosia Tiger Reserve with 234 elephants •Union Railway Ministry inaugurated Integrated Security System in Mumbai •Literacy rate 71 percent in rural areas, 86 percent in urban areas: NSSO (National Sample Survey Office) survey •CCEA approved Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yoiana (PMKSY) The Yojana was approved with an outlay of 50000 crore rupees over a period of five years, that

is, from 2015-16 to 2019-20 and the allocation for the financial year 2015-16 has been kept at 5300 crore rupees.

•India launches online registration system "eMigrate system" for foreign employers who seek to recruit Indian workers, including nurses. •Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) data released by the Ministry of Rural Developmenton the standard of living of rural households in India Tax - Fewer than five per cent of rural households pay income tax. Earnings – In nearly 75 per cent off rural households, the main earning family member makes less than Rs

5,000 per month (or Rs 60,000 annually). In just eight per cent of households does the main earning member make more than Rs 10,000

per month. Facilities - Just 20 per cent of rural households own a vehicle, and only 11 per cent own a refrigerator, but 72 per cent own a phone of some sort. Job - Over 90% - of rural India, does not have salaried jobs. Another 30 per cent derive it from cultivation. Agriculture - Over half of rural India owns no land at all. Among households who do own land, 40 per cent is

not irrigated. Just four per cent own any sort of mechanised agricultural equipment, and just 10 per cent own

any irrigation equipment. Fewer than four per cent have an agricultural credit card that entitles them to at least Rs 50,000

per month. Level of education -



fewer than 10 per cent make it to higher secondary or above and just 3.41 per cent of households have a family member who is at least a graduate.

Standard of living of SC/ST/OTHERS Fewer than five per cent of SC and ST households have a main earner who makes more than Rs

10,000 per month – for “others”, there are twice as many households. By Spliting India India’s east and central regions (including Uttar Pradesh) are the ones that do worst on the

seven indicators identified by the SECC as measures of deprivation. •Rajasthan is least literate state in India: Census, with 47.58% followed by Madhya Pradesh with 44.19% •Tata Trusts and Google India roll out internet literacy for rural women called 'Internet Saathi' •Centre notifies rules for valuation of black money stashed away abroad The Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015,

provides for a total of tax and penalty of 120 per cent on the income or assets held abroad after the expiry of a one-time 90-day “compliance window”

Any income or asset declared during this period, which ends on September 30, would attract a total of 60 per cent tax and penalty, without penal provisions like jail term. They will have time till December 31 to pay the levies.

•Ira Singhal tops UPSC exam •Microsoft agreed to set up Digital Village in Maharashtra at Melghat in Amravati district •Adani Group to set up solar park of 650 MW in TN for Rs 4,536 crore & This is considered to be the world’s largest solar park at one place •Agartala to be India’s 3rd int’l internet gateway after Mumbai and Chennai •C-DOT launched long distance Wi-Fi system, solar-powered Wi-Fi system, 100 Gbps optical fibre cable (OFC) link and C-DOT’s next generation network (NGN) in MTNL network •Government hiked the minimum wage for workers by Rs. 23 to Rs. 160 a day. •First meeting of Science Express Climate Change Special (SECCS) chaired by Union Minister of Science and Technology Dr Harsh Vardhan on 8 July 2015 in New Delhi. Theme :- Climate Change

•Indian Army dedicated Prerna Sthal at Hussainiwala, Firozpur distt. (Punjab) to honour the sacrifice of soldiers of India. •Union Railway Ministry launched Mobile ticketing app for suburban commuters that will cover 35 stations between the 123 km long Churchgate-Dhauroad suburban section in Western Railway. •Union Home Ministry extended the ‘disturbed area’ status of Nagaland for one more year •India’s 1st Earthquake Warning System successfully installed in Uttarakhand at Dehradun •BHEL commissions 500 MW unit of Tuticorin thermal power plant •Bharat Electronics-made Akash inducted into Indian Air Force The missile can track a target 100 km away and hit the enemy's helicopter, plane or drone from

a 25-km distance. The missile's radar, developed by BEL, has been named "Rajendra Radar". •Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) launched mobile-based applications to help farmers capture data through mobile The two mobile-based applications are: Shrimp price Information over SMS by a missed call,

mKRISHI- Mobile App for Aquaculture Operations •ISRO successfully launched five British satellites into space on 10 July 2015 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikotta Satellites are three identical DMC3 optical earth observation satellites and two auxiliary

satellites, viz., CBNT-1 and De-OrbitSail. These all satellites, built by Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) and weighing 1440-kg,

were launched aboard the 13th flight (PSLV-C28) of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).



•Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan (RAA), aims to inculcate a spirit of inquiry, creativity and love for Science and Mathematics in school children launched by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam •The number of dollar millionaires in India in 2014 rose to 2.5 lakh from 1.96 lakh in 2013, an increase of 27 per cent, according to a Wealth X report. •Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh Mela began in Maharsahtra •Andhra Pradesh government opened a new Automobile Skill Training Centre (ASTC) at Government Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Tirupati •Indigenously developed helicopter-launched Nag missile test fired from Jaisalmer in Rajasthan About Nag Missile It is a third generation fire-and-forget and can be fired during night and day. While the land version can hit targets in the range between 500m to 4km, the range of air-

launched version is between 7 and 10 km. It can carry a war head weighing up to 8kg. •Union Government, Facebook launched #100Women Initiative to recognize 100 women achievers of India •India’s first railway-line built under PPP model inaugurated in Gujarat between Gandhidham and Tuna-Tekra Port •India and 26 Other Countries are Working to Develop a Model for Early Earth Quake Warning System, a Satellite to Visualize Surface Displacement Relating to Earthquake is to be Launched by 2019 •Petroleum Minister Gives Away PetroFed Awards Indian Oil Corporation Limited bagged the Leading Oil & Gas Corporate of the Year award for the

fourth time in eight years. It also bagged the Oil & Gas Marketing – Company of the Year and the Human Resources Management – Company of the Year awards.

•Jawahar Navodaya Vidyala Churachandpur, Manipur wins 18th National Youth Parliament Competition •CCEA approved the creation of an intra state transmission system in the States of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, H.P., Karnataka, M.P., Maharashtra and Rajasthan •Government has authorized Central Institute of Post Harvest Engineering and Technology (CIPHET-ICAR), Ludhiana as a 30th designated testing center to test all types of Post Harvesting Equipment and Machinery. •India and World Bank Sign US $ 250 Million Financing Agreement for Andhra Pradesh Disaster Recovery Project •Maneka Sanjay Gandhi inaugurates the first One Stop Centre at Raipur in Chhattisgarh One Stop Centre to provide all types of assistance including medical, police, legal help,

psychosocial counseling, temporary support services to women affected by violence. •Railway PSU – “RailTel” Bags 12th National Awards for Excellence in Cost Management 2014 •The 46th Session of the Indian labour Conference held on July 20-21, 2015 in New Delhi. The Prime Minister inaugurated the Conference, dedicate National Career Service (NCS) Portal

and launched ESIC 2.0 •Admiral RK Dhowan, the Chief of Naval Staff shall be proceeding on a five day visit to Singapore (20 -22 Jul) and Thailand (23 – 25 Jul).

MoUs/MoCs/MoAs/MoIs/Agreements •BHEL and Russian firm INTMA inked MoU to set power plant in Kazakhstan •Major Indian Steel Companies MoA with Union Ministry of Steel for setting up of Steel Research and Technology Mission of India (SRTMI) in New Delhi. The primary objective of SRTMI is to promote collaborative Research and Development (R&D)

programmes between the ministry and steel industries in priority areas of national importance in the steel sector.



•Dena Bank inked MoU with Life Insurance Corporation to provide insurance cover to all Aadhaar-linked savings account holders of the bank in the age group of 18 to 50 years. •India and USA signed Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) on transportation •India and France signed 20 MoUs and Agreements •The two nations signed agreements covering the fields of Defence and Nuclear Energy, Space, Economic relations, Railways, Energy, Tourism, Science and Technology, Skill Development and Ayurveda. •National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology inks MoU with Snapdeal •NTPC signed MoA with Jharkhand Government for forming a Joint Venture Company for managing Patratu Thermal Power Station (PTPS). •Rajasthan Government signed deal with NHM, UNICEF & GAIN to counter malnourishment •Jet Airways signs code-share deal with Air Seychelles •Union Government, ADB signed loan agreement worth 31 Million US dollars to boost water availability in selected river basins in Karnataka. •India, Iran signed inter-Governmental MoU for development of Chabahar Port •India, Russia signed 11 MoIs for Higher Academic Cooperation Other Highlights Of The President Russia Visit President Pranab Mukherjee, who is on a four day visit to Russia to witness the Victory Day

parade on 9 May 2015, which is marking the 70th anniversary of Allied forces victory in the Second World War.

During this visit, Mukherjee was conferred with honorary Doctorate by the Russian Diplomatic Academy.

Cooperation agreement signed between the Department of Science & Technology in India and Russian Science Foundation will offer another platform for supporting joint research projects.

President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated Namaste Russia festival in Moscow •Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) signed a MoU with SIDBI Venture Capital Ltd to fund MSMEs •Indian Army signed MoU with Bank of India on Defence Salary Package •Telangana Government signed MoU with Google to build a campus in Hyderabad •India, China sign 24 key agreements worth USD 10 billion on Modi's China visit establishment of Yoga college in Kumning sister cities Aurangabad and Dunhuang sister cities between Hyderabad and Gingdao sister cities between Chennai and Chongqing sister states Sichuan and Karnataka MoU b/w NITI Aayog and Development Research Centre Setting up of Mahatma Gandhi institute on skill development in India

•National Innovation Foundation (NIF) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) join hands to verify, validate and promote innovations from the agricultural sector. •India and Mongolia signed 13 agreements to enhance bilateral relations •India, South Korea signed 7 agreements to upgrade relations to special strategic partnership level •GMR Infra, GIIC (Guizhou International Investment Corporation) ink MoU for Kakinada SEZ •World Bank approved 250 million dollar credit for Enhancing Teacher Effectiveness in Bihar •SAIL and ArcelorMittal signed MoU to set up Automotive Steel Plant in India •National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) signed MoU in restoring the health of Ganga river •IIT-BHU, Indian Railways team up for better rail technology •India, US signed MoUs to enhance cooperation in areas of Health Sector.



•Tata Group to sign 3 MoU's with Tripura government for setting up of two Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) in West Tripura district and Dhalai district a dairy farm at Ambassa in Dhalai district another MoU for augmenting fish production in the state

•India, USA signed MoU on cooperation to establish PACESetter Fund The PACESetter Fund is meant to support the Promoting Energy Access Through Clean Energy

(PEACE) track of the USA-India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy (PACE). •India, US signed Inter Governmental Agreement to implement Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) •India and Georgia signed MoU for cooperation in field of Election Management •Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on 15 July 2015 launched 3 web portals viz. Soil Health Card portal, Fertiliser Quality Control System (FQCS) portal and Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) – India portal. •A proposal to redevelop about 400 railways stations in metros and major cities besides pilgrim centres and tourist spots was cleared by the government •Inter-Governmental agreement between India and Armenia on cooperation in the field of agriculture •MoU between India and Canada in the field of Civil Aviation

PM MODI's Foreign Visits Uzbekistan Uzbekistan President - Islam Karimov Uzbekistan P.M. - Shavkat Mirziyoev Uzbekistan Capital - Tashkent Uzbekistan Currency - Uzbekistani som The agreements are • Intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the field of tourism • Protocol on Cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Uzbekistan, and Ministry of External Affairs, India was inked. • Agreement on Intergovernmental Programme of Cultural Cooperation for 2015-17 Kazakhstan Joint statement ‘Tej kadam’ Kazakhstan President - Nursultan Nazarbayev Kazakhstan PM - Karim Massimov Kazakhstan Capital - Astana Kazakhstan Currency - Kazakhstani tenge 5 MoUs are :- • MoU for cooperation in the railway sector between National Company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy JSC and Special Economic Zone Adani Ports • MoU between Samruk Kazyna JSC and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) in the power sector • MoU between Invest India and National Export and Investment Agency 'Kaznex Invest' on bilateral investment promotion and promotion of Road Map • work plan on agricultural cooperation between the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) and KazAgro Innovation JSC



• agreement for establishment of Bilateral Business Council between FICCI and Chamber of International Commerce. Turkmenistan Capital - Ashgabat President - Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow Prime Minister - Akja Nurberdiýewa Currency - Turkmen new manat List of Agreements/ MOUs signed • MoU on supply of chemical products between the Indian Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) ‘Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited’ and the Turkmen State concern ‘Turkmenhimiya’ • MoU between the Foreign Service Institute of the Ministry of External Affairs of the Republic of India and the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan • Agreement between the ministry of youth affairs and sports of India and the state committee for sport of Turkmenistan on cooperation in the field of sports • Programme of cooperation in science and technology between India and Turkmenistan for the period of 2015-2017 • MoU between India and Turkmenistan on cooperation in Yoga and Traditional Medicine • MoU on cooperation in the field of tourism • Agreement on cooperation in the field of Defence Kyrgyzstan Capital - Bishkek President - Almazbek Atambayev Prime Minister - Temir Sariyev Currency - Som List of Agreements/MOUs signed • Agreement on Defence Cooperation • Memorandum of Mutual Understanding and Cooperation in the field of Elections • MoU between Ministry of Economy of Kyrgyzstan and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) • Agreement on Cooperation in Culture Tajikistan Capital - Dushanbe President - Emomalii Rahmon Prime Minister - Kokhir Rasulzoda Currency - Somoni • Programme of Cooperation (POC) between Ministries of Culture of India and Tajikistan in the field of Culture for the years 2016-18 • Exchange of Note Verbale (NV) on setting up of Computer Labs in 37 Schools in Tajikistan

Visits To India •Ri Su Yong - Foreign Minister(Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) •Vladimir Makei - Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus



•Mohammad Ghani - President of Afghanistan

Government Schemes •Govt launches ‘FAME-India’ To boost eco-friendly vehicles sales, FAME India schemeenvisages to provide Rs 795 crore

support till 2020 for the manufacturing and sale of electric and hybrid vehicles. • PM launches MUDRA (Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency) Bank for small firms MUDRA initial corpus - Rs 20,000 crore + Rs 3,000 crore (credit guarantee corpus) Theme - "fund the unfunded"

•National Air Quality index Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 6 April 2015 launched a National Air Quality Index (NAQI) to

tackle the menace of air pollution. It will provide information on the quality of air in 10 major cities (Delhi, Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow,

Varanasi, Faridabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Bangalore and hyderabad) in the country on a real-time basis.

AQI will also consider a total of 8 pollutants namely PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, CO, O3, NH3, and Pb for which short-term of up to 24-hour.

•Give it Up campaign Aim :- Campaign to exhort the better off sections of society to forego their cooking gas subsidy The campaign was launched at the annual energy-focussed summit Urja Sangam 2015.

Three Social Security Schemes Launch Date – 09th May 2015 Launch Place – Kolkata 1. “Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana” (PMJJBY) i. The scheme is intended to provide for life insurance cover to the eligible subscribers. ii. Key Features of PMJJBY • It provides for an annual life insurance of 2 lakh rupees and covers death due to any reason. • A premium of 330 rupees per annum is paid by the subscribers • People in the age group of 18 to 50 years having a bank account are eligible to join the scheme. • It will be administered through Life Insurance Corporation (LIC). • The coverage period is of one year duration starting from 1 June to 31 March of the succeding year. 2. “Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana” (PMSBY) for accidental Insurance Cover i. It is an Accident Insurance Scheme (AIS) offering death and disability cover on account of an accident. ii. Key Features of PMSBY • It provides for the risk coverage of 2 lakh rupees for accidental death and full disability and 1 lakh rupees for partial disability due to an accident. • It is available to people in the age group of 18 to 70 years having a savings bank account. • The coverage period is of one year duration starting from 1 June to 31 March • A premium of 12 rupees per annum is paid by the subscriber. • The product will be offered by Public Sector General Insurance Companies (PSGICs) 3. “Atal Pension Yojana” (APY) for unorganised sector workers



i. The scheme is intended to enhance old age income security of the working poor and is focused on encouraging and enabling them to join the National Pension System (NPS). It will be operational from 1 June 2015. ii. Key Features of APY • administered by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). • The minimum age of joining is 18 years and maximum age is 40 years. • The subscribers would receive the fixed pension of 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000 at the age of 60 years, depending on their contributions. •Union Government launched "kayakalp Award Scheme" to improve cleanliness in Public Health Facilities •Union Ministry of Minority Affairs launched "USTAAD (Upgrading the Skills and Training in Traditional Arts/Crafts for Development) Scheme" for Traditional Artisans in Varanasi Three Urban Scheme Launch Date - 25th June 2015 Launch Place - Delhi Ministry - Urban Development Minister - Venkaiah Naidu 1. "Smart Cities Mission" for 100 cities Theme - "A step towards Smart India" Aim :- to drive economic growth and improve the quality of life of people by enabling local development and harnessing technology as a means to create smart outcomes for citizens. Budget - Rs. 48,000 crores THE CORE INFRASTRUCTURE ELEMENTS Adequate water supply, Assured electricity supply, Sanitation, including solid waste management, Efficient urban mobility and public transport, Affordable housing, especially for the poor, Robust IT connectivity and digitalization, Good governance, especially e-Governance and citizen participation, Sustainable environment, Safety and security of citizens, particularly women, children and the elderly, and Health and education.

2. "Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT)" for 500 cities Aim :- (i) ensure that every household has access to a tap with assured supply of water and a sewerage connection (ii) increase the amenity value of cities by developing greenery and well maintained open spaces (e.g. parks) (iii) reduce pollution by switching to public transport or constructing facilities for non-motorized transport (e.g. walking and cycling)



Thrust Areas i. Water Supply, ii. Sewerage facilities and septage management, iii. Storm Water drains to reduce flooding, iv. Pedestrian, non-motorized and public transport facilities, parking spaces, and v. Enhancing amenity value of cities by creating and upgrading green spaces, parks and recreation centers, especially for children. Coverage i. All Cities and Towns with a population of over one lakh ii. All Capital Cities/Towns of States/ UTs, not covered in above •AMRUT is the new avatar of Jawahar Lal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) 3. "HOUSING FOR ALL 2022" or "PRADHAN MANTRI AWAS YOJANA" (PMAY) Budget - Rs 50,000 cr Aim:-

• To construct more than two crore houses across the length and breadth of the nation within a span of seven years •To benefit the poor and people living under EWS and LIG categories in urban establishments of the country •To enable better living environment for Women, irrespective of caste and religion Economically Weaker Section of Society (EWS) Scheduled Tribes (ST) Scheduled Casts (SC)

•The ‘Housing for All’ scheme will replace all previous government housing schemes such as the Rajiv Awas Yojana. •UP leads the pack as it has been given the opportunity to nominate 13 cities to be developed as smart cities, while 54 cities in the state have been identified under AMRUT scheme. SKILL INDIA MISSION Launch Date - 15th July 2015 Launch Place - New Delhi Tagline - ‘Kaushal Bharat, Kushal Bharat’ Logo - a clenched hand in which a spanner and pencil are firmly held Ministry - Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister - Rajiv Pratap Rudy Aim - to provide skill training to 40.02 crore people by 2022

Targets for Skill Development •During 2015-16 itself, there is a target to provide skill training to about 120 lakh youth in the Country by the Central Government. •Skill training course has been defined to be of minimum duration of 200 hours for fresh training and at least 80 hours for skill upgradation.



•During the event, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi unveiled the Skill India logo and launched four landmark initiatives of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship: 1. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) Budget - 1500 cr Aim :-

• Demand-driven, reward-based skill training scheme will incentivise skill training by providing financial rewards to candidates who successfully complete approved skill training programmes. • Over the next year, PMKVY will skill 24 lakh youth, across India. • Young people who lack formal certification will be recognised through an initiative known as ‘Recognition of Prior Learning’ (RPL) • 10 lakh youth will be assessed and certified for the skills that they already possess. 2. Skill Loan scheme (SLS) Aim :- Loans ranging from Rs 5,000-1.5 lakhs will be made available to 34 lakh youth of India seeking to

attend skill development programmes over the next five years. Sanction letters for the first ever Skill Loans were handed out by the Prime Minister to aspiring

trainees. 3. National Skill Development Mission Aim :- has set a target for skilling 500 million persons by the year 2022.

4. National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship 2015 Aim :- to meet the challenge of skilling at scale with speed and standard (quality).

•India is one of the youngest nations in the world with more than 62% of its population in the working age group (15-59 years), and more than 54% of its total population below 25 years of age. • HRIDAY (Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana) Launch Date - 14th July 2015 Launch Place - Amritsar (Punjab) for 12 Cities Launched by - Arun Jaitley Ministry - Urban Development Minister - Venkaiah Naidu Budget - 1174.94 Crore Aim:- for conserving and preserving the heritage characters of 12 cities. These are: Amritsar, Varanasi,

Gaya, Puri, Ajmer, Mathura, Dwarka, Badami, Velankanni, Kanchipuram, Warangal (Telangana) and Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh).

International

•India elected to four United Nations agencies UNICEF - United Nations Children’s Fund



WFP - World Food Program CCPCJ - Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Governing Council of UN-Habitat

•India launched Operation Raahat to evacuate 4000 Indian nationals from Yemen •Peru Prime Minister Ana Jara sacked over alleged domestic spying •Iran and P5+1 gave nod for nuclear agreement Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) JCPOA intended to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons. P5+1 include - five permanent members of the UN Security Council, namely China, France,

Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, plus Germany. •Google signed strategic partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers to target Digital India projects •Researchers develop single dose “Trojan horse” Ebola vaccine •Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated German industrial fair the Hanover Messe (the world’s largest industrial fair) •NASA named Asteroid 316201 after Malala Yousafzai, the winner of 2014 Nobel Peace Prize •Canada, India agree to $350-million uranium supply deal for 5 years Canada Prime Minister - Stephen Harper

•Pakistan and Russia agreed to hold first-ever joint military exercise •India, Canada issued Joint Statement titled "New Vigour, New Steps" •Time Magazine released list of 100 most influential people in the world The list was topped by American rapper and singer Kanye Omari West. The list includes four Indian-origin persons namely Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chanda

Kochhar, Managing Director and CEO of ICICI Bank, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and Vikram Patel, co-founder of the NGO Sangath.

•13th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice held in Doha •Xi launches $46-bn investment plan in Pakistan Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled his country’s biggest overseas investment — the ambitious

3,000 km—long China—Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) — during his historic maiden state visit to Islamabad.

•At 603 kmph, Japan’s maglev train breaks own speed record; maglev is the fastest passenger train in the world •Pakistan conferred highest civilian award Nishan-e-Pakistan on Chinese president Xi Jinping •Christiane Amanpour CNN chief international correspondent is UNESCO freedom of expression ambassador •Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong on 7 May 2015 opened first museum "Indian Heritage Centre" in Little India •Mhairi Black (Scotland) became the youngest lawmaker of Britain •Forbes released Global 2000 Companies list, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China tops the list while Reliance Industries is ranked 142 on the list •NASA’s Ten-Engine Electric Plane GL-10 Prototype Completed Successful Flight Test •Arun Pudur topped Wealth-X List of Asia’s Wealthiest Entrepreneurs Under 40 •Picasso's painting Les Femme d’Alger sold for 179.3 million US dollars •Japanese Scientists discovered new state of matter called "Jahn-Teller-metal" •PM Narendra Modi announced e-Visa facility for Chinese Tourists •Opah, the world’s first fully warm-blooded fish species, discovered by researchers •India assumed Presidency of the 68th World Health Assembly after 19 years, The session was presided by the Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda at Geneva. •Maria Elena South, driest place on earth, discovered in Atacama Desert in Chile •9th Session of the India-South Africa Joint Ministerial Commission held in Durban



•Environmental Democracy Index 2015 released, India was ranked at 24th position & topped by Lithuania •Ireland becomes first country to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote •Huewei launched LiteOS, world’s most lightweight IoT operating system (OS) •Forbes released the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women 2015 list, topped by German Chancellor Angela Merkel & Arundhati Bhattacharya (30th), Chanda Kochhar (35th), Mazumdar-Shaw (85th), Shobhana Bhartia (93rd) ranked repectively •India and Vietnam signed Joint Vision Statement on Defence Cooperation 2015-2020 •"State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015" report released by FAO, reports India still have 194.6 Million undernourished people •President Pranab Mukherjee on 31st May 2015 embarked on a five-day state visit to Sweden and Belarus.India and Sweden inked six key agreements, including in the field of polar research and for boosting trade, a MoU on Cooperation in Sustainable Urban Development, which includes dialogue and interaction on global sustainable urban development issues, exchange of knowledge, institutional cooperation including capacity building, research and development and commercial relations regarding sustainable urban development. •"Bangladesh Liberation War award" for Vajpayee. •41st G-7 Summit 2015 begins in Germany •India and Bangladesh signed 22 bilateral documents •India, Bangladesh signed Land Boundary Agreement of 1974 According to the agreement, Bangladesh took over 111 enclaves (17160 acres of land) from

India’s possession and India received 51 enclaves (7110 acres of land) from Bangladesh •Justice and Development Party led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won Turkey's parliamentary polls. •India, Japan and Australia held first ever trilateral dialogue in New Delhi.The talks were attended by Indian foreign secretary S Jaishankar, Japanese vice foreign minister Akitaka Saiki and Australian secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Varghese. •African leaders signed 26-nation Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) agreement at Cairo (Egypt). It is intended to create a common market among 26 nations spanning half the continent from Cairo (Egypt) in the North to Cape Town (South Africa) in the South. •Sri Lanka increases Parliament size to 237 •Britain celebrated 800th anniversary of Magna Carta. •Comet lander Philae woke up after seven months of hibernation •Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicle Agreement signed in Thimpu •National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar in Myanmar; meet Prez Sein and top def officials •Wealth-X released World’s Wealthiest Self-Made Billionaires List: The list was topped by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. •Blue Opposition Bloc led by Lars Loekke Rasmussen won Denmark’s Parliamentary Elections •Commemorations of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo concluded •China launched world’s first electric passenger aircraft BX1E •India to be the Partner Country for Russian Industrial Trade Fair Innoprom 2016 •IEP (Institute for Economics and Peace) released Global Peace Index 2015: India was placed at the 143rd position;Iceland is the most peaceful country, followed by Denmark and Austria at second and third positions, respectively. •US Supreme Court legalized Same-Sex Marriage Nationwide •7th Meeting of India-Thailand Joint Commission at Thiland



Co-chaired by General Tanasak Patimapragorn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, and Minister of External Affairs of India Mrs Sushma Swaraj •First-ever possible treatments for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) Virus identified The two antibodies, REGN3051 and REGN3048, showed an ability to neutralise the virus. •Cuba became first country in the World to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and Syphilis •BHEL commissions Sudan’s largest 500 MW Kosti Thermal Power Station (TPS) power plant •Progress on Sanitation and Drinking Water 2015 released by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) India is among the 16 countries that have reduced open defecation rates by at least 25

percentage points i.e. 31% (in India). •President of Tunisia Beji Caid Essebsi declared 30-day state of emergency •World Bank released revised classification of world’s economies based on Gross National Income Though India’s average per capital GNI reached 1610 US dollars or around 101430 rupees, it

continues to be in the lower middle income category. •India has overtaken the U..S to become the third-largest steel producer in the world with a production of 14.56 million tonnes (MT) in first two months of the year. •World Bank released State of Safety Nets 2015 report Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is the largest in Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT) category with 78

million beneficiaries. Mid Day Meal programme is the largest in the School feeding category with 105 million

beneficiaries. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGs) is the largest in

the Public Works Programme (PWP) category with 182 million beneficiaries. Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS) is the second largest in the

Unconditional Cash Transfers (UCT) category with 21 million beneficiaries. •India and Pakistan on 10 July 2015 were accepted as the full members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) (14th Summit) About Shanghai Cooperation Organisation The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) or Shanghai Pact is an intergovernmental

organization founded in Shanghai on 15 June 2001 by six countries, People’s Republic of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

In 1996, it was found as Shanghai V but was renamed as SCO after inclusion of Uzbekistan in 2001 in the group.

•India becomes the highest recipient of US economic aid •NASA’s New Horizons Spacecraft made closest approach to Pluto •Iran, P5+1 countries reached agreement called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA) or Vienna agreement on Iran's nuclear programme at Vienna •Four Indians-Mishi Choudhary, Manish Dahiya, Sanjay Vijayakumar and Aarti Wig- were figured in the Asia 21 Young Leaders Class of 2015 list •BRICS SUMMIT 7th BRICS Summit held in Ufa, Russia Theme - "BRICS Partnership – a Powerful Factor of Global Development". i. The summit was attended by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Dilma Rousseff, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Jacob Zuma president of Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa respectively. ii. Major Happenings at UFA



•"Contingent Reserve Arrangement" The central banks of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) on 7 July 2015 signed

Mutual Assistance Agreement (MAA) aimed at operationalising the BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) of 100 billion US dollars.

Its purpose is to provide mutual support (monetary funds in US dollars) in the event that national financial systems encounter dollar liquidity problems.

Total committed resources of the CRA are 100 billion US dollars, with individual commitments- China (41 billion), Brazil (18 billion), Russia (18 billion), India (18 billion) and South Africa (5 billion).

• "Russian Investment Fund to set up joint mechanism for financing infrastructure in BRICS countries" Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) on 8 July 2015 signed framework agreements for equity

investments in infrastructure projects in BRICS countries. The agreement was signed at the BRICS summit in Ufa.

The partners in the BRICS member-states include • India’s IDFC (Infrastructure Development Finance Company) group • Brazil’s BTG Pactual • China’s Silk Road Fund • The Development Bank of Southern Africa •"Dus Kadam: 10 Steps for the Future proposed by PM Narendra Modi for BRICS countries" The 10 steps of the proposed Dus Kadam are: • BRICS Trade Fair (to be held during India's chairmanship in 2016) • BRICS Railway Research Centre • Cooperation among Supreme Audit Institutions • BRICS Digital Initiative • BRICS Agricultural Research Centre • BRICS state/Local Government’s Forum • Cooperation among cities in field of Urbanisation • BRICS Sports Council and Annual BRICS Sports Meet • First Major Project of NDB to be in field of Clean Energy • BRICS Film Festival •Besides the BRICS summit level meeting, the leaders held a summit with the members of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). •New Delhi will be hosting the 8th summit in 2016.

Committees/Task Force/Panel •Ajay Shankar committee - to suggest simplified compliance for establishing new industries •BN Navalawala - on Interlinking of Rivers •Sahoo panel - for reviewing domestic and overseas capital markets recommended doing away with caps on external commercial borrowings (ECBs) •Justice AP Shah Committee - to look into the issue of Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) on FIIs •Bibek Debroy committee submitted its report on Railways restructuring. •AIBA constituted Ad-hoc committee chaired by Kishan Narsi for boxing in India •Union Ministry of Finance formed two committees for facilitating implementation of Goods and Services Tax from 1st April 2016



•Union Ministry of Finance constituted a Task Force headed by D Swarup on Financial Redress Agency •Suresh Prabhu's panel suggests opening up of coal sector, upgrading Coal India •Ashwini Nachappa committee - to study status of SAI training centers •Deepak Mohanty Committee - on Medium-term Path on Financial Inclusion by RBI •Arvind Panagariya Expert Group - to classify the Caste/Tribe data of the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC), 2011

Economy •RBI approved the amalgamation of ING Vysya Bank with Kotak Mahindra Bank •IBM announced to invest 3 billion US dollars to build an Internet of Things (IoT) unit •Bharti AXA General Insurance launched Smart Traveller offering global coverage for students, individuals, families and frequent travellers. •Snapdeal acquired RupeePower to launch financial service •RupeePower is a digital distribution platform for loans, credit cards and other personal finance products. •Videocon d2h lists on NASDAQ Nasdaq is an American stock exchange. It is the second-largest exchange in the world by market

capitalization, behind only the New York Stock Exchange. •Snapdeal buys Freechargein mobile transactions push •Royal Dutch Shell acquires BG Group for $ 70 bn; biggest oil and gas deal in a decade •SEBI raised the limit for currency derivatives trades to 15 million US dollar from earlier 10 million US dollar •Godrej Nature’s Basket joined hands with Amazon for selling its products •Wholesale inflation falls to -2.33% in March •Ernst & Young released a report titled Global IPO Trends 2015 •As per the report, Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) became the world leader in Initial Public Offerings (IPO) for the first time. •Nokia (Finland) buys Alcatel-Lucent (France) for €15.6 billion •IMF predicts India will hit 7.5 % growth, overtake China •IMF released "World Economic Outlook"; The report is titled "Uneven Growth: Short-term and Long-term Factors" •Global growth is forecasted at 3.5 percent in 2015 and 3.8 percent in 2016 •World Economic Forum (WEF) released a report titled "Urban Development Recommendations for India" under the Future of Urban Development and Services (FUDS) Initiative. •RBI allows banks to offer differential interest rates on term deposits RBI said that all term deposits of individuals held singly or jointly of Rs 15 lakh and below should

have premature withdrawal facility. •Indian economy to grow at 7.5 per cent in 2015: Moody's •LIC buys Rs 300 crore Infosys shares •ICICI in collaboration with Tech Mahindra launches NFC-enabled payment service ‘Tap-n-Pay’ •MakeMyTrip acquired travel startup Mygola •Bank of Baroda tied up with UAE Exchange for instant money transfer •Capgemini acquires IGATE for $4 bn in all-cash deal •Flipkart acquires mobile engagement and marketing automation company Appiterate •Paytm Partners Cafe Coffee Day, Domino's Pizza for Offline Payments •SBI launched RuPay Platinum Debit Card in association with NPCI (National Payment Corporation of India)



•Myntra.com acquired startup firm Native5 Software Solutions Pvt Ltd •RBI advised all Public Sector Banks to appoint Internal Ombudsman who will be designated as Chief Customer Service Officer (CCSO) •Moody's released the report "Global Macro Outlook: 2015-16", According to it India’s GDP will grow at a strong pace of 7.5 percent 2015-16. •RBI released the report titled "State Finances: A Study of Budgets of 2014-15" with theme "Fiscal Consolidation: Assessment and Medium Term Prospects" •WPI inflation dips to record (-)2.65% in April •Indian economy to grow at 8.1% in 2015-16: UN report •The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have projected India's growth at 7.5 percent for the current fiscal •Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has forecast a growth rate of 7.8 percent. •RBI issues new guidelines for infrastructure debt funds by NBFCs It capped the average exposure limit for an NBFC to issue infra debt funds at 50 per cent and

maximum at 75 per cent of its total capital fund It allowed NBFCs to invest only in PPP projects which are at least one year into commercial

operations and assigning a risk weight of 50 per cent. •Modi inaugurates ICICI Bank's first branch in China at Shanghai •RBI allowed "Tap And Pay" (which works on Near Field Communication technology) without PIN for transactions up to 2000 rupees •Islamic clothing company East Essence tied up with Snapdeal •SBI launched contact-less card called "sbiINTOUCH" •Askme acquired BestAtLowest.com for 10 million US dollar •Reliance Jio signs pact with Huawei (China) for 4G devices •HDFC Bank, Apollo Hospitals join hands •State Bank of India, PayPal Ink Pact for Cross-Border Transactions •SEBI dropped the "20-25 rule" requiring a minimum of 20 investors and a cap of 25 percent investment by an individual investor in a particular scheme •Bank of India ties up with MasterCard to launch three cards •SBI signs pact with Snapdeal for funding MSMEs •RBI eases rules for sale of bad loans to ARCs •ICICI launches voice 'password' facility for users •Snapdeal acquired Hyderabad-based startup MartMobi •Jack Ma-led online retail giant Alibaba’s marketplace AliExpress will start selling Chinese goods to Indian consumers from June through mobile wallet company Paytm. •State Bank of India launched Online Customer Acquisition Solution to apply for Home Loans, Car Loans, Education Loans and Personal Loans. •NCDEX launched "Gold Now" platform for forward contracts in gold •Mahindra World City entered Joint Venture with Sumitomo (Japan) to set up industrial park in Chennai •The Reserve Bank of India proposed to introduce Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPI) for Mass Transit System (PPI-MTS). •The Reserve Bank of India released the Draft Guidelines on Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR) under Basel III Framework on Liquidity Standards for bank, to make NSFR applicable to all banks in India from 1 January 2018 •RBI cuts rates for third time to put Indian growth on firmer footing.Reduced repo rate by 25 basis points from 7.5 per cent to 7.25 per cent. •Maggi noodles row: Nestle stock hit, sinks 9%



•The Reserve Bank of India said banks that decide to recast a company's debt under the so-called "strategic debt restructuring" (SDR) scheme must hold 51 percent or more of the equity after the debt-for-share conversion. •Retail inflation up at 5.01 % in May •Industrial production up 4.1% in April •HDFC Bank launched "PayZapp",a complete digital payment and purchase solution. •RBI issued Draft Framework on Issuance of Rupee linked Bonds Overseas Key Features Indian corporates eligible to raise external commercial borrowings (ECBs) are permitted to issue

Rupee linked bonds overseas. The corporates which, at present, are permitted to access ECB under the approval route will

require prior permission of the RBI to issue such bonds and those coming under the automatic route can do so without prior permission.

The bonds may be floated in any jurisdiction that is Financial Action Task Force (FATF) compliant. The subscription, coupon payments and redemption may be settled in foreign currency. The

proceeds of the bonds can be parked as per the extant provisions on parking of ECB proceeds. Banks incorporated in India will not have access to these bonds in any manner whatsoever.

•RBI permits NRIs to subscribe to chit funds •Snapdeal.com acquired Letsgomo Labs •India’s trade deficit in May 2015 narrowed to 10.4 billion US dollars •India and Poland set trade target of 5 billion US dollars by 2018 during the meeting of Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation in Warsaw. •FBIL overnight Mumbai Inter-Bank Offer Rate (MIBOR) to become effective from July 22 •SEBI relaxed the IPO norms for technological start-ups to raise funds from capital market It reduced the post-listing lock-in period for tech start-up promoters to six months, instead of

three years for other IPOs. •Employee Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) on 22 June 2015 notified an order to make Universal Account Number (UAN) mandatory for all employers covered under the Employees Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952. •SoftBank Corp, Bharti Enterprises Limited and Foxconn formed a Joint Venture named "SBG Cleantech Ltd" •India among top 10 FDI recipients Acc to the UNCTAD in its "World Investment Report 2015", India jumped to the ninth rank in

2014 with a 22 per cent rise in FDI inflows to $34 billion. China became the largest recipient of FDI in 2014 with $129 billion inflows

•Axis Bank unveils debit card "Secure +" with enhanced security features It can be switched off for specified time periods, and has also put in fraud protection and

personal accidental cover along with the offering. •Rs. 100 Currency Notes Will Now Come With Extra Security Feature The numerals in both the number panels of these banknotes will be in ascending size from left

to right, while the first three alphanumeric characters (prefix) will remain constant in size •RBI released Financial Stability Report June 2015: Net non-performing advances (NNPAs) ratio of PSBs increased from 3.1 per cent to 3.2 per cent. •RBI allowed AD Category-I Banks to borrow from International Financial Institutions •RBI extended deadline for exchanging pre-2005 currency notes by 6 months, i.e,31 December 2015 •BRICS BANK TO BE OPERATIONAL BY END OF 2015 •50 countries joined Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) •Infibeam Files for IPO in First Major Domestic E-Commerce Listing



•Cabinet clears setting up of online national agriculture market •Airbus to build military choppers in India with Mahindra •SBI launches 'Project TATkal' to deliver home loan within 10 days •India is now a $2-trillion economy according to data released by the World Bank •HDFC Bank launches watch banking & become the first bank in India to launch Watch Banking for Apple Watch •Corporation Bank become 1st bank to launches MUDRA Card Under Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY) “Shishu” scheme provides loan up to Rs 50,000 “Kishore” scheme provides loan upto Rs 5 lakh “Tarun” scheme provides loan up to Rs 10 lakh

•Union Bank takes digital initiatives with M-passbook & more The bank has become the first lender to launch immediate payment service (IMPS) through

branches for its retail and corporate customers by integrating the platform to its core banking solution.

•Infosys signs multi-year agreement with Deutsche Bank Under the terms of the deal, Infosys will provide services like development, application

maintenance, digital and mobility, package implementation and testing services across the Deutsche Bank Group.

•Industrial Output Growth Slows to 2.7% in May •RBI released Final Guidelines on PPI for Mass Transit System (PPI-MTS) The issued guidelines enable the issuance of a separate category of semi-closed prepaid

payment instruments for mass transit systems. The PPI-MTS will enhance commuter convenience and will also facilitate the migration to

electronic payments in line with the country’s vision of moving to a less-cash society. •Yes Bank gets RBI nod to open GIFT unit •Snapdeal launches marketplace app Shopo, a zero-commission mobile-based marketplace app that allows users to upload images and create their own marketplace to sell products. •48% Growth in FDI Equity Inflows after Make in India •Extension of Scheme of Recapitalisation of RRB's The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, gave its approval for

extension for the next three years, that is upto 2016-17 of the scheme of recapitalisation of weak Regional Rural Banks (RRBs).

These banks are unable to maintain their minimum Capital to Risk weighted Assets Ratio (CRAR) of 9 percent. This decision will help them improve this ratio.

Appointments

•Justice Sunil Kumar Sinha - Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court •General Muhammadu Buhari - President of Nigeria •Keshari Nath Tripathi - 16th Governor of Mizoram (replaced Aziz Qureshi) •Pedro Cateriano Bellido - 7th Prime Minister of Peru •Rajeev Shukla - Chairman of IPL Governing Council •Nilam Sawhney - Secretary, Central Vigilance Commission •Mayilsamy Annadurai - Director of ISRO Satellite Centre, Bengaluru •Sumit Mazumder - President of Confederation of Indian Industry •Dr. Nasim Zaidi - 20th Chief Election Commissioner of India •Arun Kumar Jha - CEO of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)



•Brijbushan Sharan Singh - President of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) •Pankaj More - Walmart India •Justice Meenakshi Madan Rai - first lady judge of Sikkim HC •Sachin Tendulkar - member of Laureus Sports Academy •Dr. Mohan Kumar - Ambassador of India to France •Vishal Sikka - University Advisory Professor at East China Normal University (ECNU) •Sitaram Yechury - CPI(M) chief •Thomas Bach (IOC President) - ambassador of HeForShe by UN Women •Vivek Murthy - 19th US Surgeon General •Omar Hassan al-Bashir - President of Sudan •Loretta Lynch - first black female Attorney General of United States •Raja Rajeswari - New York’s first Indian-American woman judge •Achal Kumar Jyoti - Election Commissioner •Navneet Rajan Wasan - DG of Police Research & Development Bureau •David Cameron - PM of Britain •KV Kamath - first President of New Development Bank of BRICS nations •K Satish Reddy - Chairman of National Safety Council (NSC) •Nikesh Arora - President of Japan’s SoftBank Corp. •Justice Cyriac Joseph - Chaiperson of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) •Priti Patel - Minister of State for Employment in British Government •Arvind Saxena - Member of Union Public Service Commission

Governors •V Shanmuganathan - Governor of Meghalaya •Draupadi Murmu - Governor of Jharkhand •Tathagata Roy - Governor of Tripura •Jyoti Prasad Rakkhowa - Governor of Arunachal Pradesh •Syed Ahmed - Governor of Manipur (transferred) •Lt General (retd.) Nirbhay Sharma - Governor of Mizoram (transferred) •Deepak Iyer - MD and CEO of Bharti AXA General Insurance •Harbhajan Kaur Dheer - first Asian woman elected as Mayor in UK •Arun Shrivastava - MD and CEO of Syndicate Bank •MJ Joseph - Controller General of Accounts •Brigadier David Granger - President of Guyana •Peter M Christian - eighth President of Micronesia •J Jayalalithaa - Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for fifth time •G Mohan Kumar - Defence Secretary •Akhil Reed Amar - member of the National Council on Humanities of US •Manoj Mishra - CMD of National Fertilizers Limited •Ranjit Singh Baxi - Head of Bureau of International Recycling •Sunil D’Souza - MD of Whirlpool India •Trevor Bayliss - head coach of England Cricket Team •Rajnish Kumar - fourth MD of SBI •George Yeo - Nalanda University chancellor •Pradeep Kumar Sinha - Cabinet Secretary to Union Government •S Christopher - Director General of DRDO •VA Prasanth - CFO of Indian Bank



•G Satheesh Reddy - Scientific Advisor to Union Defence Minister •K.Sivan appointed as new Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre •Pawan Munjal named new Chairman of Hero MotoCorp •Veena Jain named Doordarshan director general. •KV Chowdary appointed central vigilance commissioner (CVC); Vijai Sharma new chief information commissioner (CIC). •Deutsche Bank names John Cryan as CEO as Anshu Jain quits •RC Tayal appointed as Director General of National Security Guard •ICICI Bank appoints M K Sharma as new non-executive Chairman •Prof S Bandyopadhayay appointed as Director of Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) •Ravi Garikipati appointed as Entrepreneur in Residence of Flipkart •Dr. Srivari Chandrasekhar appointed as Director of CSIR-IICT (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research)-(Institute of Chemical Technology) •Devendra Chaudhary appointed Secretary to Dept. of Administrative reforms •Archana Ramasundaram appointed as Director of National Crime Records Bureau •Archana Ramasundaram appointed as Director of National Crime Records Bureau •G Gurucharan given additional charge as Director General of Bureau of Indian Standards •UN elected Denmark's Mogens Lykketoft to head General Assembly •Narendra Kumar Yadav took charge as Chairman and Managing Director of MTNL •Beno Zephine became first 100% blind officer in IFS •Aakar Patel appointed as Executive Director of Amnesty International India •Zaheer Abbas, former Captain of Pakistan’s Cricket team, named as President of ICC •SBI appoints Anshula Kant as its deputy managing director and CFO •Justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee appointed as acting Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court •Ericsson Appoints Paolo Colella As New India Head •Ujjwal Batria appointed as CEO of Lafarge India •Jagmohan Yadav appointed as DGP of Uttar Pradesh •Anisa Rasouli - nominated as first female judge of Afghanistan Supreme Court (later rejected her nomination) •U P Singh - Interim CMD of Oil India Limited •Chandrasekaran Ramakrishnan - CFO of Tata Motors' Group •Commodore C.D.Balaji (Retd) - Programme Director of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) •Prof. Kamal Bawa (Biology), Ajay Sood (physicist), John Kuriyan (molecular biologist) elected to - Royal Society of London •Rahul Bhatnagar - MD and CFO Bharti Enterprises •Jin Liqun - AIIB President (former Chinese Finance Minster) •Sriram Kalyanaraman - MD and CEO of National Housing Bank •SN Sahai - Home Secretary of Delhi •Lord Kamlesh Patel - first British-Asian appointee to ECB Management Board •Ashok Kumar Lahiri - Chairman of Bandhan Bank •Steffi Graf - Kerala’s Ayurveda brand ambassador •Rakesh Sahni - Chairman of Narmada Valley Development Authority

Demise •Kailash Vajpeyi - Hindi poet •Malli Mastan Babu - ace mountaineer •Jayakanthan - Jnanapith winner (Tamil literature)



•EM Hanifa - singer •Hrushikesh Moolgavkar - Former Air Chief Marshal of IAF •Richie Benaud - Former Australia Cricket Captain •Lt General Hanut Singh - 1971 War Hero •Gunter Grass - Nobel laureate Novelist (Germany) •Surya Bahadur Thapa - Former Nepalese Prime Minister •Bidyut Chakraborty - Assamese film director, actor •Stanislav Gross - Former Czech Republic Prime Minister •Janaki Ballabh Patnaik - Former Chief Minister of Odisha •Christopher Alan Bayly – Historian •Bimba Modak - Marathi actor •Andrew Lesnie - Oscar-winning cinematographer •Maya Plisetskaya - Russian ballerinas •Amitabha Chowdhury - Veteran Journalist •Baleshwar Ram - former Union Minister •Michael Blake - Oscar-winning author •Amalendu Guha – Historian •Elizabeth Wilson - Hollywood Actress •Chris Burden - Pop artist •BB King - singer and guitarist •Suchitra Bhattacharya - Bengali Writer •Sudha Shivpuri – Actress •Mrinal Datta Chaudhuri - Eminent Economist •John Forbes Nash Jr. - Nobel Awardee mathematician •Cristian Gomez - Argentine footballer •Terry Sue-Patt - British actor •Marty Pasetta - Director-Producer (US) •Mary Ellen Mark - American Photographer •Wrestler Prem Nath passed away •Hollywood actor Hiroshi Koizumi died •Telugu writer Dasaradhi Rangacharya died at 87 •Veteran actor Sir Christopher Lee died at the age of 93 •Chandigarh's Rock Garden creator Nek Chand died •Big Band Leader James Last passed away •Former Indian Cricketer Hemant Kanitkar died •Renowned architect Charles Correa passed away •Sheila Kaul, former Governor of Himachal Pradesh, died •Former Turkey President Suleyman Demirel died •Former Indian women's hockey captain Shashi Bala died •BJP Lok Sabha Member Dileep Singh Bhuria Dies at 71 •'Titanic' music composer James Horner dies •Jazz and classical musician Gunther Schuller dies at 89 •Sister Nirmala Joshi, former head of Missionaries of Charity, died •Veteran Journalist Praful Bidwai passed away •Yevgeny Primakov, former Russian premier, foreign minister dies at 85 •Matti Makkonen, pioneer of SMS technology, died •Y K Sabharwal - Ex-CJI •Diana Douglas - Hollywood actress



•Abdullah Hussain - Urdu novelist (Pakistan) •Jerome Charles Weintraub - producer •Bashar Navaaz - Urdu poet •Manayangath Subramanian Viswanathan - Tamil music composer •Joan Sebastian - Mexican musician

Awards •International Achievement Award by the International Council of Nurses' Florence Nightingale International Foundation 2015 - Subadhra Devi Rai •"Vishyanand" - Planet named after Indian chess genius Viswanathan Anand •Golden Peacock National Quality Award 2015 - Delhi International Airport Limited •National Geoscience Awards 2013 - Dr. Indra Bir Singh (a professor of Lucknow University) presented by the President •Institute of Physics (IOP) Prize - Pratap Singh (for his Cosmic-ray project) by U.K. Govt •Sahitya Shiromani Samman of Uttar Pradesh - Gopaldas Neeraj & Uday Pratap Singh •Hevesy Medal Award 2015 - Professor Susanta Lahiri •Laureus awards - Novak Djokovic & Genzebe Dibaba (Ethiopia) athlete •Champions of Change by White House - Satya Nadella •5th Asian Awards 2015 - Shah Rukh Khan & Zayn Malik at London •Pulitzer prize 2015 - New York Times •PM’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration - Income Tax (IT) Department •Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Award 2015 - Shah Rukh Khan •Asian Banker Achievement Award 2015 - Bharatiya Mahila Bank •Outstanding Service Award for services in Singapore by the National University of Singapore (NUS) - Gopinath Pillai •Heinz Award 2015 - Sangeeta Bhatia scientist at MIT •50th Jnanpith Award - Bhalchandra Nemade (Marathi litterateur) •Officier de la Légion d’Honneur by France - Yashwant Sinha •Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar Award 2015 - Anil Kapoor •Best feature film at Washington fest - "Margarita With A Straw" •Golden Medal for Merit in Work by Spain - Rafael Nadal •Whitley Award 2015 ("Green Oscar") - Ananda Kumar (wildlife scientist) •Honorary doctoral degree by the European University of Madrid (Spain) - Rafael Nadal •Freedom of Expression Courage Award 2015 - Charlie Hebdo (French Magazine) •Dada Saheb Phalke award - Shashi Kapoor •UNC’s Award for Excellence in Teaching 2015 - Dr. Sivanadane Mandjiny •Encore Award 2014 - Neel Mukherjee for "The Lives of Others" •Bronze Remi award - Yaadhum , a documentary film (Tamil) •National Geographic Bee Championship 2015 - Karan Menon •Pt. Haridutt Sharma Award for Journalism and Social Services - Anurradha Prasad •Police Award by US - Harkeert Singh Saini •Man Booker International Prize 2015 - Laszlo Krasznahorkai (Hungary) •England cricketers of the year 2014-15 - Joe Root and Charlotte Edwards •Fipresci Award at 68th Cannes - Indian film 'Masaan' •Palme d’Or 2015 - Jacques Audiard, French director •UN's Dag Hammarskjold Medal - Lance Naik Nand Ram and Raju Joseph •UK Author Ali Smith won 2015 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction for her novel "How to be Both".



•16th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards 2015 Best Film – Queen Best Director –Rajkumar Hirani (PK) Best Actor-Shahid Kapoor (Haider) (Queen) Best Su Deshmukh (Ek Villain) Best Supp (Haider) Star Debut of the Year (Male)-Tiger Shroff (Heropanti) Star Debut of the Year (Female)-Kriti sanon (Heropanti) (Main Tera Hero) Best Villain Award-Kay Kay Men (Haider) Best Story-Queen (Vikas Bahl) Debutant Director-Sajid Nadiadwal (Kick) Ehsaan & Loy (2 States) Best Lyrics-Manoj Galliyan (Ek Villain) Best Male Playbac Tiwari for Galliyan (Ek Villain) BestKanika Kapoor for Baby Doll (Raginin MMS2) Best Sound Design-Shajit (Haider) Bharadwaj (Haider) Award for Outstanding Achievmen in International cinema-Subhash Ghai Entertainer of the year – Padukone •Isro Bags Space Pioneer Award for Mangalyaan Mars Orbiter Mission •Parkash Singh Badal conferred with 2015 Sant Namdev National Award •Sanjay Subrahmanyam selected for Sangitha Kalanidhi award for the year 2015 •UK-based philanthropist Benni Joseph Mavelil selected for VK Krishna Menon Award 2015 •Three Indians won inaugural Queen's Young Leaders Award in UK:Ashwini Angadi, Devika Malik and Akshay Jadhao. •Sahitya Akademi announced Bal Sahitya Puraskar for the year 2015: Awards will be presented to the awardees on 14 November 2015 at Mumbai •Sri Sri Ravi Shankar conferred with Columbia’s highest civilian award •President conferred Punyabhushan Award on Prataprao Pawar •Famous Writer Vishwanath Tripathi chosen for 28th Moorti Devi Award •G D Birla Award for Scientific Research for 2014 - Sanjeev Galande (professor of Biology) •US Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching - Darshan Jain •World Agriculture Prize laureate 2015 - professor R Paul Singh •World Food Prize 2015 - Sir Fazle Hasan Abed (Bangladesh) •International Indian of the Year in UK - Lord Karan Bilimoria •Pritiman Sarkar Award 2014-15 - Jodhpur Film Society •Frost and Sullivan’s Award 2015 - Make in India initiative of DIPP •Microsoft Country Partner of the Year Award 2015 - India-based Comparex India Pvt Ltd •Legion of Honour 2015 (France) - Sayed Haider Raza (Modern Indian artist)

Resignation/Retirement •Mustafa Kamal (Bangladesh) - President of International Cricket Council •Kyle Mills (New Zealand) – Cricketer •Liu Xiang (China) – hurdle. •England batsman Jonathan Trott has retired from international cricket with immediate effect •Sepp Blatter - FIFA President •India-born Padmasree Warrior steps down as Cisco Chief technology officer. •Moldova's Prime Minister Chiril Gaburuci resigned



•Dick Costolo resigned as CEO of Twitter Inc •C.S Verma steps down as SAIL CMD •Justice Gian Parkash Mittal resigned from the Office of the Judge of Delhi High Court

Books •"Aatank Ke Saaye Men" - Garima Sanjay (released by Vice Prez) •"Pre-Modern Kutchi Navigation Techniques and Voyages" - Ashok B. Rajeshirke (released by PM) •"Unbelievable – Delhi to Islamabad" - Advocate Prof. Bhim Singh •"Complete Story of Indian Reforms: 2G, Power & Private Enterprise" - Pradeep Baijal •"The Pakistan Paradox" - Christrophe Jaffrelot •"Ahmedabad: A City in the World" - Amrita Shah •*"Sourav Ganguly: Cricket, Captaincy and Controversy" written by Saptarshi Sarkar •*"Flood of fire" written by Amitav Ghosh •*Book titled "Bikhare Khyalat" written by Abdul Haq presented to Vice-President •Book titled "Modi - Incredible emergence of a star" written by Tarun Vijay •PM Narendra Modi launched book titled "Education of Muslims" by Professor JS Rajput •Book titled Recasting India written by Hindol Sengupta released •"Benazir Bhutto: A Multidimensional Portrait" written by Dr Anna Suvorova •"Beyond Doubt: A Dossier on Gandhi's Assassination" written by Teesta Setalvad •"Red Tape to Red Carpet... and then some" written by Gina Rinehart released •"Transcendence: My Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji" written by Abdul Kalam •"Dealing with China: An Insider Unmasks the New Economic Superpower" by Henry M Paulson •"37 Bridges and Other Stories" by Aamer Hussein •"India Central Asia Relations: The Economic Dimension" by Amiya Chandra •"Green Signals: Ecology, Growth, and Democracy in India" by Jairam Ramesh •“Swatantrata Senani Raja Mahendra Pratap” by Raghuvir Singh ‘Arvind’ released by Vice President •“Locale, Everyday Islam and Modernity” by M. Raisur Rahman released by Vice President

Important Days •7th April 2015 - World Health Day Theme - "From Farm to Plate make food safe" •18th April 2015 - World Hemophilia Day •22nd April 2015 - International Mother Earth Day Theme - "It’s Our Turn to Lead" •23rd April 2015 - World Book and Copyright Day •UNESCO designated Incheon, South Korea as the World Book Capital 2015 •24th April 2015 - National Panchayati Raj Day •25th April 2015 - World Malaria Day Theme - "Invest in the Future. Defeat Malaria" •29th April 2015 - World Dance Day •3rd May - Press Freedom Day Theme - "Let Journalism Thrive! Towards Better Reporting, Gender Equality, and Safety in the Digital Age" •5th May - World Asthma Day Theme - "You Can Control Your Asthma" •11th May - National Technology Day



•21st May - Anti Terrorism Day •22 May - International Day for Biological Diversity Theme - "Biodiversity for Sustainable Development" •29 May - United Nations Peacekeepers Day Theme - "Together for Peace" •World Environment Day 05th June Theme - "Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care." •World Day Against Child Labour observed on 12th June Theme - "NO to child labour – YES to quality education!" •World Donors Day observed on 14th June Theme - "Thank you for saving my life" •1st July - "Doctors’ Day" •11th July - "World Population Day" Theme - "Vulnerable Populations in Emergencies" •15th July - "World Youth Skills Day" Theme - "Youth skills for work and life in the post-2015 agenda"

Sports •Miami Open Tennis Men's Singles - Novak Djokovic (Serbia) Womens's Singles - Serena Williams (USA) Women's Doubles - Sania Mirza (Ind) and Martina Hingis (Switzerland) •Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy won by - Gujarat Def Punjab •Dronavalli Harika won bronze in World Women's chess championship held at Sochi (Russia) •Indian football team climbed to 147 position in FIFA/Coca-Cola rankings •Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis won WTA Family Circle Cup •Jitu Rai & Apurvi Chandela won Bronze in 10-m Air Pistol Men event at ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Cup in Changwon (S. Korea) •New Zealand won Sultan Azlan Shah Cup men’s hockey tournament by defeating Australia •Anderson becomes England's leading test wicket-taker •James Anderson has taken his 384th test wicket to break the national record held by Ian Botham. •Monte Carlo Masters - Novak Djokovic •India crowned champions for the first time at 22nd President's Cup Boxing Tournament at Indonesia •Badminton Asia Championships 2015 winner - Lin Dan •Shamkir Chess Tournament won by Magnus Carlsen of Norway •Floyd Mayweather Jr. (America) defeated Manny Pacquiao (Philippines) to win Fight of the Century of Boxing •Railways defeated Jharkhand, won the 5th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship 2015 •Madrid Tennis Open 2015 i. Men’s singles - Andy Murray (Britain) ii. Women’s singles - Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) iii. Men’s Doubles - Rohan Bopanna, Florin Mergea •Roam Masters or Italian Tennis Open Winners 2015 i. Men's Singles - Novak Djokovic ii. Women's Singles - Maria Sharapova iii. Men's Doubles - P. Cuevas and D. Marrero iv. Women's Doubles - Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic



•129th Wimbledon 2015 Men’s singles - Novak Djokovic (Serbia) Bt Roger Federer (Switzerland) Women's Singles - Serena Williams (USA) Bt Garbine Muguruza (Spain) Mixed doubles - Leander Paes and Martina Hingis (Switzerland) Bt Alexander Peya and Timea

Babos Women's doubles - Sania Mirza & Martina Hingis Bt Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina Men's Doubles - Jean-Julien Rojer & Horia Tecau Bt Wimbledon Boys’ Doubles - Sumit Nagal & Nam Hoang Ly (Vietnam)

•Formula One Spanish Grand Prix - Nico Rosberg Monaco Grand Prix - Nico Rosberg British Grand Prix - Lewis Hamilton Chinese Grand Prix - Lewis Hamilton Canada Grand Prix - Lewis Hamilton

•Discus thrower Vikas Gowda won Gold at Jamaican International Invitation meet •Brad Haddin, the Australia wicketkeeper retired from ODI cricket •British magazine SportsPro released World’s 50 Most Marketable 2015 report, Eugenie Bouchard, Tennis player from Canada, topped the list while Cricketer Virat Kohli was placed at the sixth position •Mumbai Indians won 8th Edition of IPL 2015 title by defeating Chennai Super kings •Sevilla FC won Europa League title •Batting legends Sachin, Sourav and Laxman inducted into BCCI's high-powered advisory panel •Shooter Gurpreet Singh misses medal in the 10m Air Pistol category in Munich but qualifies for Rio 2016 •French Open 2015 Winners i. Men's Singles :- Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) ii. Women's Singles :- Serena Williams (US) - her 20th GrandSlam iii. Womens's Doubles :- Lucie Safarova and Bethanie Mattek-Sands iv. Men's Doubles :- Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo •Rahul Dravid named coach of India ‘A’, U-19 cricket teams •Japanese star shuttler Kento Momota and Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon won the men’s and women’s singles respectively of the Indonesia Open Badminton tournament. •Manchester United Football Club became World’s most valuable brand •Forbes released 2015 World's 100 Highest-Paid Athletes The list has been topped by Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao stood at the second position &

Real Madrid’s soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo stood at the 3rd position. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the sole Indian and only cricketer in the list with earnings of 31 million US dollars. Dhoni shared the 23rd position with Neymar in the list dropping a notch from his ranking of 22 in 2014. Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams were the only women athletes in the list who stood at 26th and 47th position respectively.

•Shah Rukh Khan's company Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt Ltd along with KKR co-owners Juhi Chawla and her husband Jay Mehta acquired CPL T20 team Trinidad &Tobago •England’s cricketer Matt Prior retired from all forms of cricket •Rafael Nadal won Stuttgart Open •Jordan Spieth of US won US Open of Golf •Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg of Germany won Austrian Grand Prix of Formula One •Roger Federer won Gerry Weber Open tennis title for eighth time •Serbia won 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup by defeating Brazil 2-1 •Andy Murray won the men’s singles of Aegon Tennis Championships



•‘Tendulkar voted best Test player of 21st century’ •Indian team bags 10 medals in Asian Grand Prix •Satnam Singh becomes the first Indian to be picked for NBA •Veselin Topalov won the Norway Chess Tournament 2015 •ICC amends ODI rules; suspends USA Cricket Association •Kumar Sangakkara confirms retirement; second Test against India to be last •Mizoram seeks BCCI affiliation •Gutta-Ponappa won women's doubles of Canada Open Badminton tournament 2015 •Chile for the first time won Copa America title by defeating Argentina •USA defeated Japan to win Women's FIFA World Cup for the third time at Vancouver, Canada •India won 2015 South Asian Basketball Championship by defeating Sri Lanka at Bengaluru, Karanataka •Inderjeet Singh (Shot Put) became first Indian to win a Gold Medal at World University Games in Gwangju •IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals suspended for two years by Justice Lodha panel •BCCI suspended Mumbai Ranji player Hiken Shah for corruption

India Vs World •Global business resilience index - India ranks 119 (1st - Norway) •Social Progress Index - Ind ranks 101 (1st - Norway) •World Happiness Report 2015 - India ranks 117 (1st - Switzerland) •Trust in national governments for 2014 - 2nd (1 - Switzerland)

What's New •Scientists find potential new HIV therapy called "Interleukin-21 (IL-21)" •NASA successfully flight tested Prandtl-d, prototype of first Mars airplane •BSNL rolls out pre-paid card linked mobile wallet "Speed Pay" which allows customers to transfer cash, pay for services as well as withdraw cash of up to Rs 1 lakh. •Scientist at Large Hadron Collider discovered the existence of subatomic particle "Pentaquarks"

RBI ASSISTANT GK DIGEST 2015 POWERED BY COMPETITION ZENITH · RBI ASSISTANT GK DIGEST 2015 POWERED...

Documents

Transcript of RBI ASSISTANT GK DIGEST 2015 POWERED BY COMPETITION ZENITH · RBI ASSISTANT GK DIGEST 2015 POWERED...