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E-MAGAZINE MAY 2020

GENERAL AWARENESS

LATEST UPDATES



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GENERAL AWARENESS | May 2020

CONTENTS

Current Affairs (Jan to April 2020) 04-122

Latest GK Bytes ( Jan to April 2020) 124-161

FIGURES TO REMEMBER

Repo Rate (27.04.2020) 4.40%

Reverse Repo Rate (17.04.2020) 3.75%

Marginal Standing Facility Rate 4.65%

Statutory Liquidity Ratio 18.00%

Cash Reserve Ratio (28.03.2020) 3.00%

Bank Rate 4.65%

Base Rate(s) (of various banks) 8.15 to

9.40%

INDIA’s RANK IN

Intellectual Property Index 40th Global Climate Risk Index 5th

Sustainability Index 77th World Talent Ranking 59th

Flourishing Index 131st TRACE Bribery Risk Matrix 78th

Climate Change Performance

Index

9th Ease of Doing business 63rd

Global Talent Competitive

Index

72nd IMD World Digital

Competitiveness

44th

Carbon Disclosure Project

Report

5th Global Hunger Index 102nd

Democracy Index 2019 51st Global Competiveness Index 68th

Corruption Perception Index 80th Climate Change Performance

Index

9th

Social Mobility Index 76th Human Development Index 129th

Hanley Passport Index 84th Gender Gap Index 112th



NATIONAL NEWS

APRIL

MPS FOREGO 30% SALARY TO FIGHT CORONA Union Cabinet approved an

Ordinance amending the Salary,

Allowances and Pension of

Members of Parliament Act,

1954 for reducing their salary by

30 per cent for one year. It will

come into effect from 1st of

April, 2020. The fund thus saved

shall be used for supporting the

fight against Corona. The President, Vice President, Governors of

States have also voluntarily decided to take a pay cut of 30 percent as

a social responsibility for one year.

In another decision, the cabinet decided to suspend MPLADS

(Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme) funds for

two years from 2020-21 to 2022. Under the MPLADS, each MP has

the choice to suggest to the District Collector for works to the tune of

Rs.5 Crores per annum to be taken up in his/her constituency. This

will save Rs. 7900 crore that shall be used for fighting Corona

operations.

INDIA 3RD IN MILITARY EXPENDITURE According to a Swedish

research institute, Stockholm

International Peace Research

Institute (SIPRI), India and

China have emerged among

the top three military

spenders of the world in

2019. The US, expectedly,

leads the pack with $732

billion and accounts for 38 per cent of global military spending. India

stood third spending $71.1 billion on defence in 2019 which was 2.4

per cent of its GDP. China’s military expenditure reached $261 billion

in 2019, making it the second biggest spender.



WORLD BANK TO GIVE $1 BILLION AID FOR CORONA The World Bank has approved a fast-track $1 billion “India Covid

Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project” to

help prevent, detect, and respond to the pandemic and strengthen

public health preparedness. This is the largest-ever health sector

support from the World Bank to India. This support will cover all

states and UTs and address the needs of

infected people, at-risk populations,

medical and emergency personnel and

service providers, medical and

testing facilities, and national and

animal health agencies.

ADB TO GIVE $2.2 BILLION

FOR CORONA Asian Development Bank (ADB)

has assured $2.2 billion (about Rs

16,500 crore) support to India in its fight

against the Covid-19 pandemic. The funds

will be used for immediate assistance to the health sector and to help

alleviate the economic impact of the pandemic on the poor; informal

workers; micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.

INDIA FARES POORLY IN FREEDOM OF PRESS India has ranked 142nd out of 180 countries surveyed in the Global

Press Freedom Index. The Index was released on April 21 in the

annual report of the Paris based NGO - Reporters Without

Borders. The index revealed that there were no murders of journalists

in India in 2019 as compared to 6 in 2018, indicating an improvement

in the security system in India. Norway has ranked first in the list for

the fourth year, followed by Finland and Denmark at second and

third place, respectively. North Korea raked last on the index.

‘OPERATION SANJEEVANI’ FOR MALDIVES The Indian Air Force conducted

‘Operation Sanjeevani’ to air-lift 6.2

tonnes of essential medical supplies to

the Maldives via transport aircraft C-

130J as an assistance in the fight

against the COVID 19.



MARCH

RAILWAYS FIRST”RESTAURANT ON WHEELS” Indian Railways launched

its first” Restaurant on

Wheels” at the circulating

area of Asansol railway

station, West Bengal. The

Restaurant has been

developed by refurbishing

two over-aged MEMU

(Mainline Electric Multiple

Unit) coaches.

INDIA SECOND LARGEST ARMS IMPORTER India remained the world’s second largest arms importer after Saudi

Arabia, during the period 2015-19. Russia emerged as the largest

supplier to India, contributing nearly 56% share as revealed by the

data in the annual report of the Stockholm International Peace

Research Institute (SIPRI) for 2019. The report placed India 23rd

among the world’s 25 largest arms exporters, with its main clients

being Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Mauritius.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WORLD HERITAGE LIST The government of India has nominated two places for inclusion in

the World Heritage List 2020, maintained by UNESCO. The two

places are – Dholavira in Gujarat and Forts and Monuments of

Deccan Sultanate.

Dholavira is an archaeological

site in Gujarat. It has ruins of

ancient Indus Valley

Civilization. It is located in the

Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary

in Gujarat.

Forts and Monuments of Deccan

Sultanate are spread over parts

of Karnataka and in Hyderabad,

Telangana. They comprise of historical architectural monuments

constructed by four dynasties - Bahmani, Barid Shahi, Adil Shahi in

Karnataka and Qutb Shahi in Hyderabad.



INDIA RANKS 46TH IN INTERNET INDEX The 4th Inclusive Internet Index

2020 compiled by the Economist

Intelligence Unit (EIU), London

for 100 countries, ranked India at

46th place and Sweden in first

place, followed by New Zealand

and USA at second and third

rank, respectively. The index

aims to measure the extent to

which the Internet is not only

accessible and affordable, but also relevant to all, allowing usage that

enables positive social and economic outcomes at the individual and

group level.

INDIA FARES VERY POORLY IN ‘HAPPINESS’ The United Nations released

the World Happiness Report

2020 which ranked 156

countries on the basis as to

how happy their citizens

perceive themselves to be.

The report is a landmark

survey of the state of global

happiness.

The Report focused on

“environments for happiness” which emphasizes more specifically on

social environments for happiness, as reflected by the quality of

personal social connections and social institutions.

The report placed Finland at the top, followed by Denmark and

Switzerland at second and third place, respectively. India was placed

pretty low at 144th place.

❖ The Ministry of Jal Shakti has announced that all 6,03,175 villages

in the country have declared themselves Open Defecation Free, ODF.

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FEBRUARY

INDIA WELCOMES TRUMP AND HIS FAMILY US President Donald

Trump and First Lady

Melania Trump arrived in

Ahmedabad, Gujarat on

February 24, 2020 along

with daughter Ivanka

Trump and son-in-law

Jared Kushner. Both of

them are leading business

barons of the USA and

officially, are senior

advisors to President Trump. They were accorded a public reception

‘Namaste Trump’ in the jam packed Sardar Patel Stadium at Motera,

Ahmedabad, world’s largest stadium with seating capacity of over

1,10,000 people. Later, in the afternoon, he flew to Agra to visit Taj

Mahal.

The two countries finalized defence deals worth three billion dollars

and signed three agreements, including in health and oil sectors. The

US agreed to supply 24 advanced MH-60 Romeo Helicopters to

India. These helicopters are built by Lockheed Martin's Sikorsky

Aircraft company. They are advanced anti-submarine and anti-

surface warfare helicopters. These will be deployed on Navy’s aircraft

carriers as replacement for Sea King helicopters decommissioned from

service in 1991.

MYANMAR PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN INDIA President of Myanmar, U Win Myint arrived

in New Delhi on Feb 27 along with the First

Lady Daw Cho Cho on a four-day visit to

India. He held formal talks with the President

and the Prime Minister to discuss a wide range

of bilateral issues. India shares strong

religious, linguistic and ethnic ties with

Myanmar. India is seeking to enhance its

cooperation with Myanmar in line with its Act

East and Neighborhood First Policies.



SRI LANKAN PM VISITS INDIA Prime Minister of Sri Lanka,

Mahinda Rajapaksa, arrived

in New Delhi on Feb 8 on a

five day state visit. He held

delegation-level talks with

his Indian counterpart and

met President Shri Ram

Nath Kovind. During his

visit, he visited Varanasi,

Bodh Gaya and Tirupati to offer his prayers at the holy places.

PRESIDENT OF PORTUGAL VISITS INDIA President of Portugal Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa arrived in New Delhi

on a four-day visit. The two countries have active and growing

cooperation in the field of economy and business, science, culture and

education. During his visit, he also travelled to Maharashtra and Goa.

CoP OF MIGRATORY SPECIES HELD IN G’NAGAR The 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on the

Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals was held in

Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The theme of the Conference was "Migratory

species connect the planet and we welcome them home." The CMS

COP 13 logo is inspired by ‘Kolam’, a traditional artform from

southern India. The mascot for CMS COP13 is “Gibi - The Great

Indian Bustard”, a critically endangered species. Representatives

from 130 countries, eminent conservationists and international NGOs

working in the field of wildlife conservation attended the COP.

BIMSTEC DISASTER MANAGEMENT EXERCISE The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), on behalf of the

Government of India, organised a seven nation BIMSTEC Disaster

Management Exercise - 2020, in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, from

February 11 to 13. The objective of this exercise is to test the validity

of existing procedures for notification, preparedness and emergency

response during calamities like earthquake and flood scenarios and to

improve multi agency coordination and cooperation in such times.

BIMSTEC: Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and

Economic Cooperation is a 7 nation group with headquarters in

Dhaka, Bangladesh.



WORLD’s LARGEST CRAFT FAIR AT SURAJKUND President Ram Nath Kovind

inaugurated the 34th

Surajkund International

Crafts Fair on February 1 at

Surajkund in Faridabad,

Haryana. Uzbekistan is the

partner country of the fair

this time and Himachal

Pradesh has been chosen to

be the Theme State. The Mela showcases the richness and diversity

of the handicrafts, handlooms and cultural fabric of

India. Attracting over a million visitors, it is the largest crafts fair in

the world. At least 20 countries and all the Indian states took part in

the Mela.

STATES TO SET UP ‘GRAM NYAYALAYAS’ The Supreme Court has directed the states, which are yet to come out

with notifications for establishing Gram Nyayalayas, to do so within

four weeks. The apex court also asked the high courts to expedite the

process of consultation with state governments on this issue. The

directions came in view of the Gram Nyayalayas Act, 2008 that

envisages establishment of Gram Nyayalayas or village courts for

speedy and easy access to justice system in the rural areas of the

country. The Act came into force from 2 October 2009.

POLICE CAN NOT JAIL CHILDREN - S C The Supreme Court has made it clear that

the police have no right to detain children

in conflict with law in a lockup or a jail. A

juvenile (a child below 18 years) in

conflict with law, if apprehended, has to

be placed immediately under the care of

the special juvenile police unit or a

designated child welfare officer. The child

has to be produced before the Juvenile

Justice Board (JJB). The law is meant to

protect children and not detain them in

jail or keep them in police custody. The

police cannot torture children.



LUCKNOW HOSTS BIGGEST DEFENCE SHOW Over 1,000 companies from

nearly 70 countries took part

in the biggest-ever DefExpo

held in Lucknow from

February 5-9. It was the

largest exhibition for the

world's defence companies to

display their land, sea and

air capabilities at a single

exhibition. The event

witnessed the presence of more than 3,000 foreign delegates, 10,000

Indian delegates and 12 lakh visitors.

The theme for the event was ‘India: The Emerging Defence

Manufacturing Hub’ and it focused on bringing leading technologies

in the defence sector under one roof. Defence Ministers of nearly 40

countries participated in the event.

WOMEN CAN GET COMMAND POSTINGS - SC Supreme Court on Feb 17 directed the union government to grant

permanent commission to all women officers who opt for it in the

Army within three months. It said there will not be any bar on giving

them even the command postings. The Court also observed that

barring women in the army from such posts was irrational and against

the Right to Equality.

The apex court said that despite there being no stay on the 2010 Delhi

High Court verdict allowing grant of permanent commission to women

officers, the Centre showed little regard in implementing the directive in the

past one decade.

AFRICANS SIGN ‘LUCKNOW DECLARATION’ India and 50 African nations

adopted the ‘Lucknow

Declaration’ during the first

India-Africa Defence Minister’s

Conclave held on February

6. The conclave was held on the

sidelines of the DEFEXPO. The

African leaders further agreed to

strengthen their cooperation with

India in enhancing peace building efforts.



WORLD’s LARGEST MEDITATION CENTER An imposing meditation

centre, billed as the world’s

largest meditation facility, was

inaugurated in ‘Kanha

Shantivanam’ near Hyderabad,

Telangana. Built by

Heartfulness Institute, it has

the capacity to seat 1,00,000

persons at a time for practising

meditation. Heartfulness is a

raja yoga system of meditation which is also known as ‘Sahaj Marg’ or

the ‘Natural Path’.

NEW CHILDREN PROTECTION FUND Britain's Prince Charles unveiled a new children's protection fund for

India as part of British Asian Trust, the charity founded by him in

2007 to fight poverty in South Asia. The fund will be focussed on

reducing the exploitation of children by 50 per cent in India over the

next 10 years. He announced popular American singer Katy Perry as

the ambassador of the new fund.

INSTITUTIONS NAMED AFTER SUSHMA SWARAJ The external affairs ministry has decided to rename the Pravasi

Bhartiya Kendra as Sushma Swaraj Bhawan and Foreign Service

Institute as Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service, both in New

Delhi, to commemorate her invaluable contribution to Indian

diplomacy, the cause of the Indian diaspora and the ethos of public

service. The decision was made on the eve of Swaraj’s birth

anniversary on February 14. Swaraj, India’s first full-time woman

foreign minister died of cardiac arrest on 6 August 2019. She was 67.

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GOOGLE TO PROMOTE NEWS LITERACY Technology giant Google announced

a dollar one million grant to promote

news literacy among Indians. The

money will be given to Internews, a

global NGO, which will select a team

of 250 journalists, fact checkers,

academics and NGO workers for the

project. The project will be rolled

out in seven Indian languages to train the new internet users in non-

metro cities, enabling them to better navigate the internet and assess

the information they find. The mission aims to check the incidence of

fake news as news publishers, especially on the digital front, have been

found to have indulged in spreading misinformation.

INDIA SLIPS IN IP INDEX The Global Innovation Policy Center of the American Chamber of

Commerce, Washington DC, USA released the International

Intellectual Property (IP) Index which measures the intellectual

property environment of 53 economies of the world. India slipped to

40th position from 36th last year. The USA, Britain, Sweden, France

and Germany are the top five countries in this index.

INDIA LOW IN CHILD SUSTAINABILITY According to a recent study of

180 countries, commissioned

by the World Health

Organization (WHO), UN

Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

and the Lancet medical

journal and backed by United

Nations, India has been

ranked at 77th position in the

Sustainability Index 2020 that takes into account per capita carbon

emissions and ability of children in a nation to live healthy live. The

lowest emitters were Burundi, Chad and Somalia.

It was placed 131st on the Flourishing Index 2020, a ranking that

measures the best chance at survival and well-being for children.

Norway leads this Index, followed by South Korea and the

Netherlands.



"SAMVIDHAAN" - HINDI WORD OF 2019 Oxford University Press

named ‘Samvidhaan’

(Constitution) as the “Oxford

Hindi Word of 2019”, saying

that the word received

widespread attention in the

year, particularly in the

context of democracy,

secularism, justice, liberty,

equality that became hot issues in the wake of widespread agitations

related to CAA and NRC.

HINDI RANKED 3rd IN THE WORLD Hindi is the 3rd most spoken language of the world in 2019 with 615

million speakers. The 22nd edition of the world language database

Ethnologue stated English at the top of the list with 1,132 million

speakers. Chinese Mandarin is at the second position with 1,117

million speakers. Their current round of the database covers 7,111

living languages of the world.

JANUARY

CHIEF GUEST AT THE REPUBLIC DAY PARADE Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro arrived in India on a four-day visit

to be the chief guest at the 71st Republic Day Parade ceremony at

Rajpath, New Delhi. Besides, he held official talks with Prime

Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind. The two

countries signed 15 MoUs in different fields of cooperation.

PM CHAIRS THE PRAGATI MEET The first PRAGATI meeting of the

year 2020 was held on Jan 22, chaired

by the Prime Minister to review the

progress of 11 mega projects, worth

over Rs. 24,000 crore. PRAGATI is an

ICT based multi-modal platform for

“Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation”, involving

Central and State governments. The PRAGATI platform also

addresses the grievances of the common people.



ICP OPENED AT INDO-NEPAL BORDER

A new Integrated Check-Post (ICP) was inaugurated in Biratnagar in

south eastern Nepal, bordering Jogbani in north eastern Bihar on

India-Nepal border. It has all the facilities for immigration clearance

of foreign passengers, export & import cargo handling. It is designed

to handle around 500 trucks per day

SC GRANTS 3% RESERVATION FOR PWDs In a far reaching judgement, the Supreme Court granted relief to

persons with disabilities by allowing reservation in promotion in all

groups for those employed in public sector jobs. It confirmed that 3%

reservation should be given to disabled persons both in direct

recruitment and promotions as the same has been granted under

Article 16(1) of the Constitution. It may be noted that “The Persons

with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full

Participation) Act, 1995” emphasises that “employment is a key

factor in the empowerment and inclusion of people with disabilities”.

INDIA STATE OF FOREST REPORT 2019 The Forest Survey of India (FSI) released

its biannual report “India State of Forest

Report 2019”. According to the report,

the forest area in the country has

increased by 5,188 square km in the last

two years, extending the green cover to

roughly 25% of the total geographic area

of the country. The 5,188 new cover includes forest area of 3976 sq

km and 1212 sq km under trees.

Area wise, Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest cover, followed by

Arunachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The report is prepared after

mapping of forests and trees through satellite. In terms of forest cover as a

percentage of total geographical area, Mizoram (85.41%) is at the top,

followed by Arunachal Pradesh (79.63%) and Meghalaya (76.33%).



STATES CAN NOT LOWER THE TRAFFIC FINES In an advisory to states, the

Ministry of Road Transport

and Highways has clarified

that the Motor Vehicles

(Amendment) Act, 2019 is a

parliamentary legislation and

therefore the state

governments cannot pass any

law or take executive action to lower penalty (fines for traffic

violations) below the prescribed limit unless President’s assent has

been obtained for the same.

The new Act with stricter provisions has come into force in the country

from September 1, 2019 after which some states had announced their own

low rates of fines for various traffic offences.

‘RAISINA DIALOGUE’ HELD IN NEW DELHI India's flagship global conference on geopolitics and geo-economics

“Raisina Dialogue” was held in New Delhi from Jan 14 to 16. Jointly

organised by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Observer

Research Foundation, the event brought together 700 international

participants from over 100 countries.

SYMPOSIUM HELD ON MARINE ECOSYSTEMS The Marine Biological

Association of India organised

the 3rd international

symposium on marine

ecosystems challenges and

opportunities (MECOS-3)

from January 7 to 10 in

Kochi, Kerala. The

symposium was aimed at

reviewing the concerns involved in the marine ecosystem and

formulating strategies for the better and sustainable utilisation of

marine wealth by enhancing livelihood options.

Marine ecosystems are aquatic ecosystems whose waters possess a high salt

content. They are the most prevalent ecosystems on the planet. They teem

with life, providing nearly half of the Earth's oxygen and a home for a

wide array of species.



INDIA FARES VERY WELL IN CLIMATE CONTROL India for the first time has

been ranked among the top

ten (9th) in the Climate

Change Performance

Index. It shows that

massive efforts done by the

India in curbing air

pollution and boosting solar

power have shown positive results. Sweden leads the ranking on rank

4, followed by Denmark and Morocco. The United States and Saudi

Arabia were placed at the bottom for showing least efforts in climate

protection.

The CCPI 2020 monitors the development of all greenhouse gas (GHG)

emissions of 56 countries and the EU, which are together responsible for

more than 90% of global GHG emissions. The ranking results are defined

by a country’s aggregated performance in 14 indicators within the four

categories GHG Emissions, Renewable Energy and Energy Use, and the

Climate Policy.

NATIONAL YOUTH FESTIVAL 2020 The 23rd National Youth Festival 2020 was held from 12-16 January

in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh to commemorate the birth anniversary of

Swami Vivekananda. The festival was organized by the Ministry of

Youth Affairs and Sports and State Government of Uttar Pradesh.

The theme for this year was “Fit Youth Fit India”. It may be noted

that birthday of Swami Vivekananda, January 12 is celebrated as

National Youth Day.

INDIAN SCIENCE CONGRESS IN BENGALURU University of Agricultural Sciences,

Bengaluru hosted from Jan3 to 7,

107th edition of the Indian Science

Congress, the biggest annual

gathering of scientists in India and

abroad. The theme for Congress was

‘Science and technology: rural

development’. Over 15,000 delegates,

including 8,000 students from India

and 74 scientists from abroad, attended the Congress.



INDIA GOOD AT CARBON REDUCTION India secured 5th spot on the

annual Carbon Disclosure

Project (CDP) 2019

report. CDP is a London based

NGO and this report aims at

measuring the carbon reduction

activities undertaken by

different companies and firms

operating in various countries

across the globe. The CDP evaluated a total of 6900 companies

globally to compile their annual report for 2019. The report placed the

USA at top, followed by Japan and the UK.

INDIA MOVES UP IN COMPETITIVENESS India climbed eight ranks to secure the 72nd rank in the Global Talent

Competitive Index (GTCI) 2020. Switzerland secured the first place

while the USA and Singapore grabbed the second and third positions

respectively.

The GTCI compiled by the INSEAD Business School of France with the

help of Google and Adecco Groups, ranks countries on their ability to make

the world progress, retain and attract talent. GTCI gives ranking based on

six indicators – attract, retain, enable, grow, vocational skills and global

knowledge skills.

INDIA EXCELS IN SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS As per the statistics compiled

by the US National Science

Foundation, a US government

body based in Alexandria,

USA, India has emerged as the

world’s third-largest publisher

of science and engineering

articles, with 1,35,788 articles

published in 2018, accounting

for 5.31 per cent of the total

world publications in science and engineering.

China, accounting for 20.67 per cent of all global publications in scientific

articles, is at the top position, followed by the US with 16.54 per cent

share.



INDIA SLIPS DOWN ON ‘CORRUPTION INDEX’

The Berlin - based anti - corruption watchdog, Transparency Inter-

national, a Berlin, Germany based anti-corruption NGO released

its Corruption Perception Index as per which India slipped two spots

to 80th place, against last year’s ranking at 78.

The index ranks 180 countries by their perceived levels of public

sector corruption, according to experts and business people. Countries

are ranked on a scale of zero to 100 where zero is highly corrupt and

100 is very clean.

With a score of 87 each, New Zealand and Denmark were found to be

the least corrupt countries. Due to unfair and opaque political

financing, undue influence in decision-making and lobbying by

corporate interest groups, India could score only 41. Somalia, South

Sudan and Syria, with scores of 9, 12 and 13, respectively, were found

to be the most corrupt of the lot.

INDIA SLIPS 10 RANKS IN DEMOCRACY INDEX India dropped 10 places to 51st rank in the latest Democracy Index

2019 released by the Economist Intelligence Unit, a London

based global business intelligence unit. The index cited “erosion of

civil liberties” in the country as the primary cause for the downtrend.

The ranking is the lowest since the beginning of index in 2006 and

India continues to be in “flawed democracy” category. The index

ranked Norway at the top, followed by Iceland and Sweden, among

the 167 countries covered by it.

The index is based on five factors: electoral process and pluralism, civil

liberties, functioning of government, political participation and political

culture. The index classifies countries in one of four types of regimes: full

democracy, flawed democracy, hybrid regime and authoritarian regime.



INDIA NOT GOOD AT SOCIAL MOBILITY India has been ranked very

low at 76th place out of 82

countries on a new Social

Mobility Index compiled by

the World Economic

Forum. The index is topped

by Denmark, followed by

Norway and Finland. The

Report shows that only a

handful of nations across the 82 countries covered have put in place

the right conditions to foster social mobility.

The index measures countries across five key dimensions distributed over

10 pillars – health; education (access, quality and equity); technology;

work (opportunities, wages, conditions); and protections and institutions

(social protection and inclusive institutions).

❖ The 9th International Children's Film Festival was held in Kolkata

from Jan19 to 26. A total of 255 films from 35 countries were

screened during the eight days of the festival.

❖ The first edition of Krishi Manthan- the largest Food, Agri-business

and Rural Development Summit of Asia organized by Indian

Institute of Management, Ahmedabad was held on Jan 16-17.

❖ The Indian Railways has renamed its security force RPF (Railway

Protection Force) as Indian Railway Protection Force Service. The

force is under the Ministry of Railways.



NEWS FROM STATES

APRIL

UP FIRST TO GEO-TAG COMMUNITY KITCHENS Uttar Pradesh became

the first state on April

19 to geo-tag

community kitchens

being run in the

state. The state geo-

tagged around 7,368

community kitchens

and community

shelters located across

75 districts. The kitchens produce 12 lakh food packets per day.

The state has also tied up with Google to 'Geo-map' the locations of all

these community kitchens on the Google Maps app for ease of the

beneficiaries, mostly daily wagers and labourers.

UP LAUNCHES VIDEO CONFERENCING IN COURTS Uttar Pradesh has become the first state to have the requisite

infrastructure in all its courts for hearing cases through video

conferencing. The Allahabad High Court took a number of initiatives

to facilitate court proceedings through video conferencing and

recently a software has been installed in the high court and district

courts of the state for this purpose.

$82 MILLION LOAN FOR THE HIMACHAL PRADESH The World Bank has

approved $82 million for

the Himachal Pradesh

State Roads Trans-

formation Project for

upgradation of major

roads and moderni-

zation of the Public

Works Department in

the state.



MARCH

GUJARAT TOPS IN ROOFTOP SOLAR PLANTS

Gujarat has topped the list for domestic solar rooftop installations,

accounting for about 64% of the total 77,950 domestic solar

installations in the country. The state has nearly 50,915 installations

fixed on rooftops of houses with a total capacity of 177.67 MW,

accounting for over 55 percent of combined capacity of 322 MW in the

country. The State government adopted a solar rooftop scheme

“Surya Gujarat” to cover about eight lakh domestic electricity

consumers under the scheme by 2022.

CHAMBAL SANCTUARY DECLARED ECO-SENSITIVE ZONE

The Government of India

has declared the National

Chambal Sanctuary an eco-

sensitive zone. This implies

that agricultural areas,

horticulture zones and

other open spaces in the

eco-sensitive zone will not

be converted into

residential or commercial

areas.

The Sanctuary is located at the northern tip of Madhya Pradesh and

adjoining areas of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. It is famous for

Ganga dolphins and critically endangered Gharials (crocodiles).

An eco-sensitive zone is a protected area that acts as a "shock absorber" or

transition zone between sanctuary area and the surrounding areas. It is

controlled by the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest

and Climate Change.



MUMBAI TO MANDWA RORO SERVICE LAUNCHED

A roll-on-roll off cum

passenger ferry service,

also called ‘RoRo’ or

‘Ropax’, was launched

between Mumbai and

Mandwa. The vessel, built

in Greece, can carry 200

cars and 1,000 passengers

and is capable of plying

even during monsoon. The

road distance between Mumbai and Mandwa is 110 kilometres and

through water it is only 18 kms, saving 92 km of journey.

ARUNACHAL ASSEMBLY GOES PAPERLESS

The Arunachal Pradesh Assembly went paperless on March 2 with the

implementation of National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA), a project

under the Digital India programme. Paperless Assembly or e-

Assembly is a concept involving the use of electronic devices to

facilitate House proceedings. It enables automation of the entire law-

making process, tracking of decisions and documents and sharing of

information.

NeVA aims to bring all the legislatures of the country on a single

platform, creating a massive data depository. Union Ministry of

Parliamentary Affairs is the ‘nodal ministry’ for the implementation

of e-Vidhan in all the 31 states and Union Territories of the country.

TN TEMPLES TO OBTAIN ‘BHOG’ CERTIFICATE

The Tamil Nadu government

has asked the temple

administrators in the state to

obtain a ‘BHOG’ certificate

from FSSAI (Food Safety

and Standards Authority of

India) for the ‘prasad’

distributed by them. BHOG

stands for ‘Blissful Hygiene

Offering to God’. It is a

certification of hygiene by

FSSAI aimed at ensuring hygienic and harmless eatable offerings at

the temples.



GUJARAT POLICE FIRST TO USE STUN GUNS

The Gujarat Police has

become the first state police

to be equipped with taser

guns as a part of their

modernization drive to ensure

public safety and

security. Taser guns present

an alternative between

“ineffective lathis” and

“deadly guns”. The taser

guns (electrical stun weapon) use compressed nitrogen to fire darts

with attached thin copper wires, which disrupt voluntary control of

muscles of the subjects, incapacitating them temporarily.

‘FUEL HUMSAFAR’ FOR BULK DIESEL DELIVERY

Govt launched a mobile application named ‘Fuel Humsafar’ for

delivery of diesel at doorsteps of bulk consumers such as housing

societies, hotels and hospitals in the national capital region.

MIZORAM CELEBRATES “CHAPCHAR KUT”

State of Mizoram celebrated its most joyful and biggest spring festival

- “Chapchar Kut” in the first week of March. The festival is famous

for its popular bamboo folk dance called ‘Cheraw’.

❖ A 7 day Antar-rashtriya Yog Mahotsav was held in Rishikesh,

Uttarakhand from March1 to 7. Yoga teachers and practitioners

from eleven countries took part in the event.

❖ The World Bank approved $80 million loan to the Himachal Pradesh

to improve water management practices and increase agricultural

productivity in selected gram panchayats.



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FEBRUARY

MP TOPS IN MATRU VANDANA YOJANA Madhya Pradesh has bagged the first

position for the implementation of

Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana

Yojana. The scheme implemented by

the Union Ministry of Women and

Child Development aims at

providing incentives of 5,000 rupees

for the loss of wages of working

women and to ensure their proper

rest and nutrition during pregnancy.

The incentive amount is deposited

directly in beneficiary's bank account.

KEJRIWAL SWEEPS DELHI ELECTIONS AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal secured a landslide victory in Delhi

assembly elections, winning 62 seats in the 70-member assembly; BJP

won 8 and Congress failed to open its account. Kejriwal became Chief

Minister for the third time in a row.

GOA GETS INDIA’s FIRST FLOATING JETTY India’s first floating jetty has been inaugurated at a cruise terminal in

Vasco on the banks of River Mandovi in Goa. The new floating jetty

can be realigned, relocated and can be resized as per the

requirement. The floating jetty made up of cement concrete is

expected to boost inland waterways. Goa receives over 40

international cruises every year and a number of local cruise boats.

INDIA’s FIRST GLASS FLOOR BRIDGE The Uttarakhand Government has

approved the design of a glass floor

suspension bridge, the first of its kind

in the country to have a floor made

of toughened transparent glass. This

bridge will be built across the River

Ganga in Rishikesh. The bridge is an

alternative to the 94 year old iconic

Lakshman Jhula, which was closed

in July, 2019 as it developed cracks.



CAUVERY DELTA REGION IS PROTECTED ZONE The Tamil Nadu

government has declared

the Cauvery delta region as

a Protected Special

Agriculture Zone, covering

eight districts that form

the rice bowl of the

state. Such a declaration

will prevent non-agrarian

projects in the region

implying that henceforth central projects on hydrocarbon exploration

in the delta region cannot be implemented without No Objection

Certificate (NOC) from the State government. It has been seen that in

the last four decades, Tamil Nadu’s food dependence on the delta has

fallen from 65% to 40%. Hydrocarbon wells are one of the major

reasons behind this fall.

Cauvery River: Originating in the Western Ghats at Talakaveri in

Karnataka’s Kodagu district, Cauvery is a major river of south India.

Passing through Tamil Nadu, the river bisects the state into north and

south and finally reaches the Bay of Bengal at Poompuhar, in Tamil

Nadu. Because of the river’s bountiful nature, the Cauvery delta was

considered to be one of the most fertile regions in India.

INDIA’s TALLEST RAILWAY PIER BRIDGE The Northeast Frontier Railway Construction Organisation has built

India’s tallest railway pier bridge — 100 m tall, equivalent to a 33-

storey building, across river Makru in the Tamenglong district of

Manipur. The Rs. 283.5-crore bridge with a span of 555 mt, is part of

the 111-km Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal broad gauge line.

KERALA HOSTS MEET ON CLIMATE CHANGE Kerala government hosted “ClimFishCon 2020”, a four-day

international conference in Cochin on the impact of climate change on

‘hydrological cycle, ecosystem, fisheries and food security’, from Feb

11 to 14. The event aimed at providing a unique academic and

scientific platform to discuss latest research achievements in the field

of climate change and its consequences and risks in terms of changing

hydrological cycles and changes that have taken place in oceans and

other aquatic ecosystems.



INDIA’s BIGGEST RURAL TECHNICAL FESTIVAL India’s biggest rural

technical festival titled

‘Antahpragnya 2020’ was

held in Rajiv Gandhi

University of Knowledge

Technologies, Basar, in

Telangana from Jan 31 to

Feb 2. The theme for this

year was “Spot and

encourage rural tech

innovators”.

ODISHA LAUNCHES VIRTUAL POLICE STATION The Government of Odisha launched a virtual police station where

people can lodge complaints online from their respective

districts, without visiting the Police Station. The e-police station will

function from the State Crime Records Bureau in Bhubaneswar.

JANUARY

CENTRE SIGNS ACCORD WITH BODOS Aiming to usher in lasting

peace in Bodo insurgency-

affected areas in Assam,

the Centre and the state

government signed a

tripartite agreement with

all four factions of

insurgent group National

Democratic Front of

Bodoland (NDFB) and

two other outfits while

keeping the territorial integrity of Assam intact. As per the accord,

1,550 militants belonging to the NDFB would lay down their arms on

January 30; an economic programme of Rs 1,500 crore would be

implemented over the next three years.

The Bodos are one of the earliest settlers in Assam. They are tribals of

Tibeto-Burman origin. They occupy parts of Western Assam, north

of Brahmaputra. The All Bodo Students’ Union has been

spearheading a movement for a separate Bodoland state since 1972.



AGREEMENT SIGNED WITH BRU REFUGEES The Government of India signed

an historic agreement with the

governments of Tripura and

Mizoram and representatives of

Bru-Reang tribals in New Delhi

on Jan 16 to end the 23-year old

Bru-Reang refugee crisis. As a

result, more than 30,000 Bru

tribes who fled Mizoram in 1997 and were residing in Tripura’s refugee

camps, will now no longer be forced to return and will be settled

officially in Tripura.

The refugee crisis dates back to 1997 when following an outbreak of ethnic

tension with local Mizos, around 5,000 families comprising around

30,000 Bru-Reang tribals were forced to flee Mizoram and seek shelter in

Tripura. These people were housed in temporary camps at Kanchanpur,

in North Tripura. Since then, Government of India has been making

sustained efforts to permanently rehabilitate these refugees.

GOOD GOVERNANCE INDEX RELEASED Government released the “Good Governance Index” on the occasion

of Good Governance Day on December 25. The prime objective of the

index is to provide quantifiable data to compare the state of

governance in all states and UTs and enable them to formulate and

implement suitable strategies for improving governance. Tamil Nadu

secured the first position in the index, followed by Maharashtra and

Karnataka at second and third rank, respectively.

WEST BENGAL LEADS IN VEGE PRODUCTION According to the State-wise

horticulture production data

released by the Agriculture

Ministry, West Bengal topped

the states, producing 29.55

million tonnes of vegetables in

the year 2018-19, beating Uttar

Pradesh to second place which produced 27.70 million tonnes of

vegetables.

In fruit production, Andhra Pradesh continued to hold the top rank,

producing 17.61 mt of fruits, followed by Maharashtra (10.82 mt) and

UP (10.65 mt).



INDORE DECLARED ‘CLEANEST CITY’

The central government announced the results of the Swachh

Survekshan League 2020 for assessing the cleanliness level of 4,372

cities. Indore from Madhya Pradesh emerged as India's cleanest city

for the fourth time in a row among big cities, having a population of

above 10 lakh.

Among cities with population below 10 lakh, Jamshedpur from

Jharkhand was adjudged the best. The survey is conducted by the

Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on a quarterly basis.

ANDHRA DISTRICT WINS UNICEF AWARD Kamareddy district of Telangana has secured UNICEF 2019

Award. The district has won the award for effective implementation

of Swachh Bharat Mission in water sanitation and hygiene sectors by

leading in construction of individual sanitary lavatories, swachh

darpan wall paintings, swachh sundar shauchalay and many other

activities.

KERALA TOPS SDGs INDEX NITI Aayog released the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Index for the year 2019-20. The Index is based on the 17 SDGs

formulated by the UNO, to be achieved by 2030. Kerala tops the list

followed by Himachal, Tamil Nadu. Chandigarh topped the Union

Territories list, followed by Puducherry. Bihar, Jharkhand and

Arunachal Pradesh are the worst performing states in this year’s

Index.

The Index tracks the progress of all the States and UTs on a set of 62

National Indicators, measuring their progress on the outcomes of the

various development schemes of the government. The SDG India Index is

intended to provide a holistic view on the social, economic and

environmental status of the country and its States & UTs.



ARUNACHAL TO DO ‘RED LISTING’ OF ORCHIDS Arunachal Pradesh became the

first Indian state to sign a MoU

with International Union for

Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

for red-listing of orchids in the

state.

The orchids are a large family of

attractive flowering plants, the

Orchidaceae. Most of these grow on other plants rather than rooted in soil

and lack woody stem. With nearly 1,000 genera and more than 22,000

species, they are found almost in the world, particularly in humid tropics.

IUCN is a Switzerland based international organisation that works for

promoting nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. It

annually publishes the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, which

assesses the conservation status of species worldwide.

UTTARAKHAND MAKES LAND LEASE POLICY Uttarakhand has become the 1st state in the country where the

government has made a policy to lease out agricultural land available

under the government's control. Now any institution, company, firm

or self-help group will be able to take land for agriculture on lease in

the villages. A maximum of 30 acres of land can be taken on a thirty-

year lease. Under special circumstances more land can also be taken

on lease.

HYDERABAD RANKED MOST DYNAMIC CITY In a list of 130 cities across

the world, surveyed by the

US based global property

consultant JLL, Hyderabad

has emerged as the world’s

most dynamic city,

performing better on

parameters like socio-

economic and commercial real estate. Hyderabad alongwith

Bengaluru have actively embraced technology driven economic

growth and attracted large tech giants and e-commerce players.

Seven Indian cities feature in the top 20 in this year’s ranking, despite

economic slowdown. Bengaluru has been ranked 2nd, while Chennai is

5th and Delhi is 6th.



KVIC OPENS SILK PLANT FOR PATOLA

The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) opened its first

“Patola Saree” silk processing plant at Surendranagar in Gujarat to

ensure its ready availability to Patola saree weavers to boost their

production. Patola is the expensive variety of silk and Patola sarees

from Patan enjoy the GI tag for their exclusivity.

CCEA APPROVES GAS PIPELINE GRID IN NE The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved 'Viability Gap

Funding' worth Rs 5559 crores to set up a natural gas pipeline grid in

the North East. The funds will be provided to Indradhanush Gas

Grid Limited to layout a natural gas pipeline grid covering eight north

eastern states.

The total length of the pipeline will be 1656 km. It will connect Guwahati

in Assam to other major cities in the region such as Agartala, Aizawl,

Kohima, Imphal, Dimapur and Itanagar.

ROHTANG TUNNEL RENAMED AS ATAL TUNNEL On the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari

Vajpayee, December 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced to

rename the Rohtang Tunnel, which will connect Manali in Himachal

Pradesh with Leh, Ladakh, and Jammu Kashmir, as Atal Tunnel.

Cutting through the mighty Pir Panjal range of Himalayas, the tunnel

will reduce the distance between Manali and Leh by 46 kilometres, travel

time by five hours and save crores of rupees in transport costs. The total

length of the tunnel is 8.8 kilometers, making it the longest tunnel in the

world built at an altitude of about 3000 meters.



ALL WOMEN TAXI SERVICE IN NEW DELHI With a view to provide

safe and secure local

commutation option to

ladies, a unique taxi

service ‘Women with

wheels’ was launched at

the Indira Gandhi

International Airport,

New Delhi. The service

will be available only for the women commuters and will be driven by

women drivers only. It is an initiative by ‘Sakha cabs’, a Delhi based

social enterprise.

‘OXYGEN PARLOUR’ OPENED IN NASHIK In a unique initiative to fight rising air pollution in cities, an ‘Oxygen

Parlour’ has been opened at Nashik railway station in Maharashtra to

provide an experience of breathing clean air to the commuters. There

are around 1500 special plants here which directly and effectively

bring down the pollution in the air at the railway station and allow

the people to breathe cleaner fresher air.

RAILWAYS START “HIM DARSHAN EXPRESS” Indian Railways has started “Him Darshan Express”, a glass-enclosed

vistadome train on the heritage Kalka-Shimla route in Himachal

Pradesh. The train will have big glass windows and glass rooftop to

facilitate tourists to have a panoramic view of the surrounding

beautiful hilly region.

NORTH GUJARAT ATTACKED BY LOCUST

A massive locust attack

destroyed crops in North

Gujarat. Farmers suffered

heavy losses due to

destruction of crops such

as cotton, castor,

jatropha, cumin, and

potato. Gujarat has

witnessed such a locust

invasion for the first time since 1993-94.



MUMBAI - THE METRO THAT MAY NOT SLEEP

Maharashtra government has decided to allow shops and business

establishments like multiplexes and malls in Mumbai to remain open

round the clock from January 27 with a view to help generate more

jobs and revenue for business establishments. The new provision is

voluntary and not compulsory.

EXCLUSIVE UNIVERSITY FOR TRANSGENDERS The country’s first university for transgender community will be

opened in Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar district to facilitate its

members to study right from class one to PG and even do research and

get PhD degree. The university is being built by the Akhil Bhartiya

Kinnar Siksha Seva Trust (All-India transgender education service

trust).

STATUE OF UNITY INCLUDED IN SCO LIST The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has included the

Statue of Unity in its list of eight wonders. The inclusion means that

now SCO itself will promote the world's highest statue in member

countries.

The Statue of Unity is the 182-meter tall statue of the country's first home

minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Located in Kevadia, near Sardar

Sarovar Dam in Gujarat, it is the tallest statue in the world.

JHARIA AND DHANBAD ARE MOST POLLUTED The environmental watchdog - Greenpeace India released its report,

Airpocalypse, a study of air pollution level in 287 Indian cities. Of the

total cities, 231 cities, including nine in Telangana were found severely

polluted, with PM10 levels exceeding the limits. Coal mining based

two cities - Jharia and Dhanbad, both from Jharkhand, were ranked

first and second, respectively, with the highest air pollution level. Six

of the top 10 polluted cities are from Uttar Pradesh.



AIIB LOAN FOR BENGAL AND RAJASTHAN The Asian Infrastructure

Investment Bank (AIIB) has

announced a loan of $210

million for irrigation and

solar energy projects in India.

The $145 million loan will be

given to improve irrigation

services and strengthen flood

risk management in West

Bengal while $65 million will

be given for a 250-megawatt (MW) solar project in Rajasthan.

❖ The 31st International Kite Festival has been launched at Sabarmati

riverfront in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

❖ The World Bank approved a loan of $210 million for Maharashtra

Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project aimed at supporting

and promoting small and marginal farmers.

❖ The World Bank approved a $88 million loan for Assam Inland

Water Transport Project to modernize the Assam’s passenger ferry

sector by improving the infrastructure and its services.

❖ The annual New Delhi World Book Fair, in its 28th edition, was

held in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from Jan 4 to 12. The theme for

the Fair was ‘Gandhi: The Writers’ Writer’.

❖ The National Tribal Dance Festival was held in Chhattisgarh’s

capital Raipur from December 27 to 29. Folk artists from 23 states

and six other countries took part in the festival.

❖ The Maharashtra government launched the Shiv Bhojan Scheme to

provide a regular meal in just Rs. 10 to commoners.



GOVT INITIATIVES

APRIL

TWO NEW SCHEMES LAUNCHED FOR RURAL AREAS

On National Panchayati Raj Day on April 24, the Prime Minister

launched two major schemes for rural areas.

First, the e-Gram Swaraj Portal and Mobile app to prepare and plan

Gram Panchayat Development Plans. The portal will ensure real time

monitoring and accountability of Panchayat funds. The portal is a

major step towards bringing digitization down to the Gram

Panchayat level.

The second scheme ‘Swamitva’ was launched in pilot mode in 6 states

to map rural inhabited lands using drones and latest survey methods.

The scheme will ensure streamlined planning, revenue collection and

provide clarity over property rights in rural areas. Each and every

unit will be issued a digital ownership document, same as title deed.

Numerous disputes related to property would also be settled through

the title deeds allotted through this scheme.

WAGES HIKED UNDER MNREGA

The Central Government has approved a double-digit hike in the

wages of manual labourers under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural

Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The workers will get a

wage hike from Rs. 13 to Rs. 34. The new wage hike will come in

effect from April 1, 2020, in all the States and Union Territories

(UTs). Maharashtra and Dadra and Nagar Haveli will see the highest

wage hikes. Dadra and Nagar Haveli will get a hike of Rs. 34 (from

Rs. 224 earlier to Rs. 258 now) while Maharashtra will see a hike of

Rs. 32 (from Rs. 206 earlier to Rs. 238).

West Bengal (Rs. 191 to Rs. 204), Sikkim, Tripura, Nagaland and

Arunachal Pradesh (Rs. 192 to Rs. 205) are seeing the lowest hikes of

Rs. 13.



‘AAROGYA SETU’ LAUNCHED TO FIGHT CORONA

India’s first comprehensive COVID-

19 tracking app, ‘Aarogya Setu’ was

launched by the central government

on April 2, 2020. The app will help

people get connected with health

services to combat the COVID-19

outbreak. The app aims to reach out

to the users and inform them

regarding the risks, best practices and

relevant advisories for the

containment of COVID-19.

RS. 15000 CRORE FUND FOR FIGHTING COVID-19

Government has allocated Rs. 15000 crores for ‘India COVID-19

Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package’. The

funds will help in enhancing the production of Personal Protection

Equipment (PPE), ventilators, ICU and other essential equipment.

These interventions and initiatives would be implemented under the

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

DST ROLLS OUT ‘SAHYOG’ TO FIGHT COVID-19

An Integrated Geospatial Platform “SAHYOG” has been rolled out

by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of

India, to help in decision making during the present COVID-19

outbreak and to provide support with area-specific strategies in order

to handle the socio-economic impact in the recovery phase. It will also

complement the “AAROGYA-SETU” mobile app for contact tracing,

public awareness, and self-assessment objectives.

‘KISSAN RATH’ MOBILE APP LAUNCHED

The Agriculture Ministry has

launched Kisan Rath mobile app to

facilitate transportation of food

grains and perishables like fruits and

vegetables, during lockdown. The

app has been developed by the

National Informatics Centre to

ensure that farmers and traders are

able to find transport for their

Agriculture and Horticulture produce from farm gate to markets.



CBSE INTRODUCES THREE NEW SUBJECTS

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has decided to

introduce three new subjects -- Design Thinking, Physical Activity

Trainer and Artificial Intelligence, for class 11 from 2020-21 academic

session. The new subjects aim to make the new generation more

creative, innovative and physically fit, and to keep pace with the

global developments and requirements at the workplace

BHARAT PADHE ONLINE CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED

The Union Ministry of Human Resources Development launched

Bharat Padhe Online campaign on April 11 to crowdsource ideas for

improving the online education ecosystem of India. The week-long

campaign aims to invite experts from across India to share suggestions

or solutions to overcome the challenges and constraints of online

education while promoting the existing digital education platforms.

MARCH

RELIEF PACKAGE ANNOUNCED TO FIGHT CORONA

Government announced the ‘Garib Kalyan Package’ for helping the

poor people amidst the Corona crisis. The Rs. 1.70 Lakh crore

package will cover the poor, women, Asha workers and needy people.

Under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, 80 crore poor

people will be given 5 kg Wheat or 5 kg Rice for 3 months. Apart from

this, one kg of pulses will also be given.

The Ministry of Finance has also announced a special insurance

scheme for medical service providers under which Rs. 50 lakh per

person insurance cover will be provided for all employees working in

the medical field for next three months. More than 20 Lakh employees

across the country are expected to benefit from this.



HIGHWAYS TO BE FREE OF LEVEL CROSSINGS

The Government has targeted to replace all level crossings on

National Highways with road over bridges or under bridges under the

Setu Bharatam Scheme before the end of the year 2020. The Scheme is

being implemented by the Union Road Transport and Highways

Ministry to ensure a smooth flow of traffic on the national highways

and reduce road accidents by at least 50 percent by 2020. Around 208

places have been identified for the construction of rail over-bridges

and underpasses and Rs 10,200 crore has been allocated for the

implementation of the scheme.

“SUPOSHIT MAA ABHIYAAN” LAUNCHED

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla launched a national campaign “Suposhit

Maa Abhiyaan” (well fed mother campaign) from Kota, Rajasthan on

March 1, 2020, to create malnutrition-free India. The campaign aims

to keep pregnant women and newborn babies healthy. Initially,

about 1000 kits of 17 kg balanced diet were provided to 1,000

pregnant women in the first phase of the campaign in Kota. At the

same time, the health of the child, including medical examination,

blood, medicine, delivery, will be taken care of.

PAN CARD LINKING MUST WITH AADHAAR

The Income Tax Department has notified that those who fail to link

their personal account number with their 12-digit biometric Aadhaar

number before March 31, 2020, their PAN cards will be rendered

inoperative.

Under Section 272B of the Income Tax Act, those found using invalid

or operative PAN cards may face fine up to Rs 10,000. The Assessing

Officer may direct such people to pay the penalty.



INDIA POSTS STARTS DIGITAL PARCEL LOCKER

For the first time in India, the

Department of Posts introduced

a free digital parcel locker service

in Kolkata to enable customers

to collect their consignment from

specified post offices at their

convenience. The facility will be

available initially in two post

offices in Kolkata.

The facility will be limited to

consignments received through registered post or speed post. This

facility is aimed to benefit working people who cannot receive parcels

because they have no one at home to receive consignments during

office hours.

CET ANNOUNCED FOR GOVT JOBS RECRUITMENT

The government has announced that applicants for jobs in railways,

banks and lower levels of the Central government will now write a

common eligibility test (CET) from 2021. In a bid to streamline the

hiring process for government agencies as well as the 2.5 crore

candidates who apply each year, the Centre will also set up an

autonomous National Recruitment Agency (NRA) to conduct this

online test.

THREE CENTRAL SANSKRIT UNIVERSITIES

The Central Sanskrit University Bill 2019 was passed recently by the

Parliament to provide Central University status to three universities

in India. These three universities are - Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth

Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi

and Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth, New

Delhi. Their conversion into Central University will help all those

people who are doing research work in Sanskrit.

A NEW NCLAT BENCH AT CHENNAI

A bench of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT)

has been established in Chennai to cater to the needs of south based

clients. The Delhi bench will now work as the principal bench. The

Chennai bench will hear petitions filed against the orders of the

National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,

Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry.



FEBRUARY

IRCTC TO RUN KASHI MAHAKAL EXPRESS Indian Railways started

on Feb 20 a special train

by the name Kashi

Mahakal Express, linking

Varanasi in Uttar

Pradesh with Indore in

Madhya Pradesh,

covering a distance of

1,170 km. The

pilgrimage train will

connect three Jyotirlinga centres - Kashi Vishwanath in Varanasi,

Mahakaleshwar in Ujjain and Omkareshwar near Indore.

Besides connecting the religious places of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya

Pradesh, the train will also connect Varanasi with the industrial and

educational hubs of Indore and Bhopal. The fully air-conditioned super

fast train would be operated by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism

Corporation, IRCTC -- a subsidiary of Indian Railways.

SCHOOL HEALTH AMBASSADOR INITIATIVE

The central government

launched the “School

Health Ambassador

Initiative” to spread

awareness about the

preventive health

aspects. Under the

initiative, two teachers

in every government

school will be identified

as ‘Health and Wellness

Ambassadors’. The

initiative has been launched as a part of Ayushman Bharat and aims

to strengthen the concept of preventive, promotive and positive

health. Later, the initiative will be linked with other government

initiatives such as the Eat Right campaign, Fit India movement and

Poshan Abhiyaan for the overall development of children’s health.



SCR TO HAVE ‘ENERGY NEUTRAL’ STATIONS

The South Central Railway zone of the Indian Railways has become

the 1st zonal railway in the country to have functional “energy

neutral” railway stations on the network. This means that railway

stations are capable of meeting their 100 per cent energy requirements

by tapping into solar power generated by the installation of the solar

photovoltaic panels on the rooftops of the stations. The Zone with

headquarters in Secunderabad has converted a total of 13 railway

stations into “energy neutral” stations, which is the highest amongst

all the 18 zones across the country.

22nd LAW COMMISSION CONSTITUTED Government has formally announced the constitution of the 22nd

Law Commission. The law panel advises the government on complex

legal issues and has a term of three years. The Chairperson of the

Commission who is usually a retired Supreme Court judge or a retired

chief justice of a high court, shall be declared later. The term of the

previous law commission had ended on August 31, 2018.

RAILWAY LAUNCHES CHATBOT - ‘ASKDISHA’ The Indian Railways launched the Hindi version of Artificial

Intelligence-based chatbot called “ASKDISHA”. The Indian

Railways plans to launch the chatbot in more languages in the near

future.

A chatbot is a computer program that simulates and processes human

conversation (either written or spoken), allowing humans to interact with

digital devices as if they were communicating with a real person.



IRCTC TO RUN ‘SHRI RAMAYANA EXPRESS’ Indian Railways Catering and

Tourism Corporation recently

announced to run a special

tourist train ‘Shri Ramayana

Express’ from March

2020. The train with 10

coaches will cover all the

important pilgrimage sites

associated with Lord Rama in

a 17 day tour package. The

train will start from Delhi and after covering various centres, will

return to Delhi in the end.

W B LOAN FOR ATAL BHUJAL YOJANA The Union Government signed a $450 million loan agreement with the

World Bank to support the “Atal Bhujal Yojana: National

Groundwater Management Improvement Programme”. It will help in

reducing the country’s depleting groundwater levels along with

strengthening the related groundwater institutions.

JANUARY

‘GATI’ PORTAL LAUNCHED The Union Road Transport Ministry launched online portal ‘GATI’

for monitoring major projects of the National Highways Authority of

India. The portal will be open to the public and anyone can raise any

query/suggestion on the works being done by the NHAI.

ATAL BHUJAL YOJANA LAUNCHED Government launched Atal

Bhujal Yojana (ATAL JAL)

aimed at improving the

groundwater management in

seven states - Gujarat,

Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya

Pradesh, Maharashtra,

Rajasthan and Uttar

Pradesh. The scheme will

promote panchayat led ground water management and behavioural

changes with primary focus on demand side management.



FIRST LONG-DISTANCE CNG BUS India’s first long-distance

CNG bus fitted with CNG

(compressed natural gas)

cylinders was launched in New

Delhi. It can travel around

1,000 kilometres in a single fill.

The bus will ply from Delhi to

Dehradun. The project has been executed by Indraprastha Gas

Limited, the largest CNG distribution company in the country.

STATE ENERGY EFFICIENCY INDEX LAUNCHED Union Government released the State Energy Efficiency Index 2019,

which tracks the progress of Energy Efficiency initiatives in 36 States

and UTs. The index has been developed by the Bureau of Energy

Efficiency in association with Alliance for an Energy Efficient

Economy.

It will help states to contribute towards national goals on energy security

and climate action by helping drive Energy Efficiency policies and

programme implementation at the state and local level. The index was

topped by Haryana, Karnataka and Kerala.

‘SANTUSHT’ PORTAL FOR LABOUR GRIEVANCES The Ministry of Labour has decided to

launch 'Santusht' (satisfied) portal for

speedy redressal of grievances of workers

as well as employers and ensuring

effective implementation of labour laws

at the grassroot level. Initially, the

portal will look after all services

provided by the retirement fund body EPFO and health insurance

and services provider ESIC to formal sector workers. Later, the portal

would cover other wings of the ministry as well.

INDIA DECLARED OPEN DEFECATION FREE The government has declared that urban areas of 35 States and Union

Territories have become Open Defecation Free (ODF). Total 4,320

cities have declared themselves ODF under the Swachh Bharat

Mission-Urban. This has been achieved by the construction of nearly

65.81 lakh individual household toilets and 5.89 lakh seats of public

toilets.



ECONOMY

APRIL

GLOBAL AGENCIES SLASH INDIA’S GROWTH RATE

The Asian Development Bank projected India's economic growth to

slow down to 4 per cent this fiscal on the back of the current global

health emergency.

As per the 'Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific

(ESCAP) 2020 report of the United Nations, India's GDP growth is

projected to slowdown in 2020-21 to 4.8 percent.

FITCH CUTS GDP GROWTH RATE TO 0.8%

On April 23, international global rating agency Fitch Ratings, USA

slashed India's economic growth projections to 0.8 per cent in the

current 2020-21 fiscal saying an unparalleled global recession was

under way due to disruptions caused by the outbreak of coronavirus

pandemic and resultant lockdowns. In its Global Economic Outlook,

Fitch Ratings said India's GDP growth will slip to 0.8 per cent for the

year April 2020 to March 2021 (FY21) as compared to an estimated

4.9 per cent growth in the previous fiscal.

WORLD BANK PROJECTS SHARP FALL IN GDP GROWTH

The World Bank in its South Asia Economic Focus report has stated

that India will be recording its worst growth performance in FY21

since the 1991 economic reforms. The slow growth will be the result of

a Coronavirus outbreak which has disrupted the economy

severely. The report says that India’s economy is expected to grow by

1.5 percent to 2.8 percent in FY21 which started on April 1. The

earlier estimated growth for India was 4.8 percent to 5 percent in

2019-20 FY that ended on March 31.



FB BUYS 9.99% STAKE IN JIO

Social media and tech giant

Facebook invested Rs

43,574 crore for securing a

9.99 per cent stake in

India's oil-retail-telecom

conglomerate Reliance

Industries Limited (RIL)

led Jio Platforms. It is

regarded as the largest

investment for a minority

stake by a technology company anywhere in the world and the largest

FDI in the Indian tech sector,

FOODGRAINS EXPECTED TO CROSS 298 MN TON

The Agriculture Ministry expects that foodgrain production in the

2020-21 crop year is likely to exceed by 6.35 million tonnes, to record

298.3 million tonnes, riding high on hopes of a normal monsoon. The

ministry has set a target of 149.9 million tonnes of foodgrain

production in the kharif or summer season and 148.4 million tonnes in

the rabi or winter season, taking the total food-grain target to a record

298.3 million tonnes.

Paddy (Rice) production target has been fixed at 117.5 million tonnes

in 2020-21. Target for wheat output has been kept at 106.5 million

tonnes.

The TVS Motor Company’s overseas subsidiary TVS Motor Singapore

Pte. Ltd. has acquired the United Kingdom’s most iconic sporting

motorcycle brand ‘Norton’ in an all-cash transaction of £16 million

(Rs.153.12 crore)

MARCH

GDP GROWTH SINKS TO 7 YEAR LOW LEVEL

The official data released by the National Statistical Office on Feb 28

shows that India’s GDP growth slipped to a nearly 7vyear low of 4.7

percent in October-December 2019, weighed down by a contraction in

manufacturing sector output. During April-December 2019, the GDP

growth slipped down to 5.1 per cent as compared to 6.3 percent in the

same period a year ago. The Per Capita Income at current prices

during 2019-20 is estimated to be Rs 134,432, showing a rise of 6.3

percent as compared to Rs 1,26,521 during 2018-19.



SEBI LAUNCHES ‘SCORES’

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has launched a mobile

application ‘Sebi SCORES’ for facilitating investors to lodge

grievances with the convenience of their smartphones. SCORES

stands for “Sebi Complaints Redress System”.

MOODY’S CUT GROWTH RATE TO 2.5%

Global rating agency, Moody's Investors Service slashed its estimate

of India's GDP growth during the 2020 calendar year to 2.5 per cent,

from an earlier estimate of 5.3 per cent and said that the Coronavirus

pandemic will cause unprecedented shock to the global economy. In

its Global Macro Outlook 2020-21, Moody's said that India is likely to

see a sharp fall in incomes at the estimated 2.5% growth rate, further

weighing down the domestic demand and the pace of recovery in 2021.

OECD CUTS INDIA’S GROWTH RATE TO 5.1%

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

(OECD), Paris based multi-nation global agency, lowered India’s

GDP growth forecast to 5.1 per cent, from its earlier projection of 6.2

per cent, for 2020 on concerns over the impact of deadly coronavirus

on the domestic as well as the global economy. The agency said that

the adverse impact on confidence, financial markets, travel sector and

disruption to supply chains contributed to the downward revisions in

all the G20 economies in 2020, particularly ones strongly

interconnected to China.

IOC FIRST TO SUPPLY BS-VI FUEL

The Indian Oil Corporation Ltd has become the 1st Indian company

to begin supply of BS-VI fuel across its 28,000 petrol pumps. The

Government of India has set April 1, 2020 as the deadline to start the

supply of BS-VI emission compliant fuels. BS (Bharat Stage)-VI

grade fuel is the world’s cleanest fuel containing just 10 parts per

million of sulphur.



FEBRUARY

INDIA SURPASSES UK, FRANCE IN GDP

As per a report by the US-based think tank World Population

Review, India emerged as the world's fifth largest economy by

overtaking the UK and France in 2019, with a GDP of $ 2.94 trillion.

The UK economy stood at $ 2.83 trillion and that of France at $ 2.71

trillion. The report said that India is developing into an open-market

economy from its previous autarkic (self sufficiency) policies.

MOODY’s SLASH GROWTH RATE TO 5.8% Moody’s Investors Service has cut India’s 2020 Gross Domestic

Product (GDP) growth forecast to 5.4% from earlier 6.6% and the

next financial year (2020-21) growth rate estimate to 5.8% from 6.7%

earlier. According to Moody’s, due to the spread of novel coronavirus

outbreak in China, worldwide growth will be affected and hence

India’s economic growth recovery will be slow.

USA BECOMES INDIA’s TOP TRADING PARTNER The United States has surpassed China to become India's top trading

partner. According to the Commerce Ministry data, the bilateral trade

between the US and India stood at nearly 88 billion dollars in 2018-19

fiscal. During the period, India's trade with China was at 87.1 billion

dollars. America is one of the few countries with which India has a

trade surplus. On the other hand, India has a huge trade deficit with

China.



INDIA 2nd IN WORLD IN STEEL PRODUCTION

As per World Steel Association data, India became the second-largest

steel producer of crude steel after China in 2019, by replacing Japan to

3rd position. India’s crude steel production in 2019 was at 111.2 MT,

an increase of 1.7 percent from 109.3 MT in 2018. China remains

number one with 996.3 million tonnes in 2019. The United States and

Russia rank fourth and fifth, respectively.

A MAJOR PORT AT VADHAVAN The Union Cabinet gave in-principle approval for setting up a new

major port at village Vadhavan, about 118 km north of Mumbai in

Maharashtra. The total cost of the project is likely to be Rs 65,544.54

crore.” The port will be developed with Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust,

Mumbai as the lead partner.

ONGC IS MOST PROFITABLE PSU According to the PSU Survey 2018-19, Oil and Natural Gas

Corporation (ONGC), Indian Oil Corporation and NTPC were three of

the top profitable companies of India. Their total profits were 15.3%,

9.68% and 6.73%, respectively, of the total profit earned by all

profitable CPSEs. On the other hand, Air India, BSNL and MTNL

suffered the most losses.

JANUARY

INDIA’s GDP TO GROW BY 5% - NSO According to the first advance estimates of the GDP released by the

National Statistical Office (NSO), the Indian economy is estimated to

grow at 5 per cent in 2019-20 as against 6.8 per cent in the previous

fiscal. The decline has been mainly on account of deceleration in

manufacturing sector growth, which is expected to come down to 2

per cent in 2019-20 from 6.2 per cent in the last fiscal.



UN LOWERS INDIA’S GROWTH RATE TO 5.7%

As per the World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2020

report released by the United Nations, India’s GDP growth rate has

been lowered to 5.7% for 2019-20, from 7.6% projected last year. As

a matter of fact, world gross product growth slipped to 2.3 per cent in

2019–the lowest since the global financial crisis of 2008–2009.

GDP GROWTH MAY SLIP TO 5% - W B According to a recent World Bank report, India’s growth rate is

projected to come down to 5% in 2019-20 amid enduring financial

sector issues. India’s GDP growth is seen dipping to an 11- year low

of 5% in the current fiscal, mainly due to poor showing by

manufacturing and construction sectors. Further, tighter credit

conditions in the non-banking sector are contributing to a substantial

weakening of the domestic demand.

IMF LOWERS INDIA’s GROWTH RATE TO 4.8% The International Monetary Fund

(IMF) lowered India’s economic

growth forecast to 4.8 percent for

2019-20, from 6.1 percent projected

in October, 2019, owing to the crisis

in the non-banking financial sector,

weak rural demand and sluggish

credit growth.

The World Economic Outlook report by

IMF stated that global growth is

projected to rise from an estimated 2.9 percent in 2019 to 3.3 percent in

2020, a downward revision of 0.1 percentage point from earlier projection.

The report blamed slow growth in India as a main factor behind lowering

of projections.



BANKING

APRIL

RBI SLASHES REVERSE REPO TO 3.75%

Amidst the steep fall in the rupee and the continuing volatility in

other segments of the financial market, the Reserve Bank of India on

April 17 announced several regulatory measures aimed at boosting

liquidity in the market. RBI slashed the reverse repo rate from 4

percent to 3.75 percent to discourage parking of funds with it while

keeping the repo rate unchanged at 4.40 percent.

A booster package of 50,000 crore rupees was announced for small and

medium-sized industries to recover from the lockdown.

The RBI Governor declared that the period of resolution plan for

NPAs will be extended by 90 days and the loans given by NBFCs to

real estate companies will get similar benefit as given by the scheduled

commercial banks.

BANKING SERVICES DECLARED PUBLIC UTILITY SERVICE

Government has declared banking industry as a public utility service

for six months till October 21 under the provisions of the Industrial

Disputes Act, 1947. This means that the banking sector would not see

any strikes by employees or officers during the operation of the law

starting from April 21. The notification was issued by the labour

ministry against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic which has

significantly impacted economic activities.



ICICI BANK STARTS VOICE BANKING SERVICES

ICICI bank has rolled out a new

feature of voice banking services

on Amazon Alexa and Google

Assistant for its customers.

It will enable customers to

#BankWithTheirVoice and get

answers to banking queries, check

account balance & transactions,

credit card due date and more.

The new voice banking service uses an omnichannel bot called iPal to

allow users to interact with virtual assistants on Alexa or Google

Assistant-powered devices.

BANKS ASKED NOT TO PAY DIVIDENDS

The Reserve Bank of India asked scheduled commercial banks and co-

operative banks on April 17 to not to make any dividends for the

financial year ending March 2020 with a view to conserve cash in view

of the challenges posed by covid-19. It is expected that banks

conserve capital to retain their capacity to support the economy and

absorb losses in an environment of heightened uncertainty; the

situation will be reviewed later on the basis of the financial positions

of the banks for the quarter ended September 2020

RS. 50,000 CRORE FUND FOR MUTUAL FUNDS

The Reserve Bank announced on April 27 a Special Liquidity Facility

of Rs 50,000 crore for mutual funds in order to ease liquidity pressures

on the mutual funds. The measure has been taken to mitigate the

economic impact of COVID-19 and preserve financial stability.



MARCH

RBI TO REGULATE PAYMENT AGGREGATORS

The Reserve Bank announced that it will regulate activities of

payment aggregators (PAs) as they play a key role in facilitating

payments in the online space. The move is likely to provide a major

relief for payments industry players like Billdesk, CCAvenue,

Firstdata, Techprocess, Razorpay, Cashfree, and others.

PAs are entities that facilitate e-commerce sites and merchants to accept

various payment instruments from the customers for completion of their

payment obligations without the need for merchants to create a separate

payment integration system of their own.

RBI SLASHES REPO RATE BY 75 BPS

The Monetary Policy Committee of RBI headed by its Governor

Shaktikanta Das announced on March 27 a cut in benchmark interest

rate, Repo Rate by 75 basis points to 4.40 per cent to deal with the

hardship caused due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Further the

reverse repo rate under the LAF has been reduced by 90 basis points

to 4.00%. The marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank

Rate have been reduced to 4.65%.

It also reduced the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) of all banks by 100

basis points to 3 per cent with effect from March 28 for 1 year

providing total liquidity injection of Rs 3.74 lakh crore in the system

in the current scenario.

RBI also decided to permit banks and all other financial institutions

to defer the EMIs of various term loans for three months. The RBI

chief noted that keeping finance flowing is the 'paramount objective'

of the RBI, as the country is experiencing slowdown of economic

activity and financial activity is under severe stress.



RBI EXTENDS PRIORITY SECTOR CLASSIFICATION

The Reserve Bank of India has decided to extend the priority sector

classification for bank loans to Non-Banking Financial Companies

(NBFCs) for on-lending, for FY 2020-21. Earlier, the priority sector

lending classification for on-lending to NBFCs was available till

March 31, 2020.

Priority sector lending intends to provide institutional credit to those

sectors and segments which find it difficult to get credit. Such sectors

include agriculture, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME),

export credit, education, housing, social infrastructure, renewable energy

and others.

RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED ON YES BANK

The government has imposed a withdrawal limit of 50,000 rupees for

depositors of beleaguered private lender Yes Bank for one month, till

3rd of April. The limit on withdrawal comes with a few exemptions in

cases like medical emergency, higher education, marriage and

unavoidable emergency.

In a separate release, Reserve Bank of India said that Yes Bank's

board has been superseded for a period of 30 days owing to serious

deterioration in the financial position of the Bank.

SC ALLOWS DEALING IN CRYPTOCURRENCIES

The Supreme Court on Feb 4 gave a far reaching verdict that allowed

banks and financial institutions for providing services related to

cryptocurrencies by setting aside the RBI’s April, 2018 circular which

had prohibited them. The petitioner, Internet and Mobile Association

of India (IMAI), had argued that the RBI had banned crypto -

currencies on “moral grounds” as no prior studies were conducted to

analyse their effect on the economy.

Cryptocurrencies are digital or virtual currencies which do not belong to

any country and in which encryption techniques are used to regulate the

generation of their units and verify the transfer of funds, operating

independently of a Central Bank. Some popular cryptocurrencies are

Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Dogecoin, etc.



SIDBI TO START SWAVALAMBAN EXPRESS TRAIN

Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has announced

that it is going to start Swavalamban Express on June 05, 2020, to

promote budding business aspirants and entrepreneurs. The train aims

to promote entrepreneurial culture among the youth. It will depart

from Lucknow on June 5, 2020, and travel to the 11 entrepreneurial

cities.

These include Jammu, Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Mumbai,

Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata and Varanasi as the

final destination. The train will cover a distance of 7,000 km in 15

days. It will construct an inter-connected small enterprise ecosystem

that will include business aspirants, mentors, experts and also young

entrepreneurs already in business.

RS 1,340 CRORE RECAPITALISATION FOR RRBS

The Central government approved Rs 1,340 crore recapitalisation plan

to help the Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) meet regulatory capital

requirements for the next financial year, so that they continue to

provide credit to farmers, small scale industries, rural artisans and

entrepreneurs hit by the coronavirus outbreak. The capital will be

used for those RRBs that are unable to maintain minimum Capital to

Risk weighted Assets Ratio (CRAR) of 9 per cent, as per the

regulatory norms prescribed by the Reserve Bank.

As per the law, the Centre holds 50 per cent stake in Regional Rural

Banks, while 35 percent and 15 per cent shares are with the concerned

sponsoring banks and state governments respectively.



SBI WAIVES MIN BALANCE CONDITION

In a big decision towards "Customer First

Approach '', India's largest public sector lender,

the State Bank of India provided a big relief to

its 44.51 crore savings account holders by

waiving off the requirement for maintaining

minimum balance in Savings Bank accounts.

Further, charges for sending transaction SMS alerts to the customers

were also waived. In another key decision, the SBI rationalised its

interest rate on savings bank accounts to a flat 3 per cent per annum.

Till now SBI savings bank account customers were required to maintain

an average monthly balance of Rs 3000, Rs 2000 and Rs 1000 in metro,

semi-urban and rural areas, respectively and non maintenance of

minimum balance attracted penalty.

“BARODA STARTUP BANKING” FOR START-UPS

Bank of Baroda launched the mission “Baroda Startup Banking” to

make the bank a preferred banking partner for the start-up

community in the country and establish connect with at least 2,000

start-ups over the next two years. It will include 15 Baroda Start-up

branches that will offer a bouquet of tailor-made banking products

and services that have been designed keeping in mind the unique and

specialised banking requirements of start-ups.

B.P. Kanungo: Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India was

given a one-year extension of service wef April 02, 2020, by the

Central Government

N S Vishwanathan: RBI Deputy Governor announced his resignation

due to health problems. He was first appointed as the Reserve Bank’s

deputy governor for a three-year term in 2016, following which he was

reappointed for one year, till July 03, 2020.

FEBRUARY

INSURANCE ON DEPOSITS HIKED TO 5 LAKH Consequent upon announcement by the Finance Minister in the

Budget, RBI has enhanced the insurance cover on bank deposits to

five lakh rupees from one lakh rupees wef Feb 04. The cover is

provided by the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation

(DICGC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the RBI. The cover has been

increased to provide a greater measure of protection to depositors.



“UPI CHALEGA” CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED BY NPCI National Payments Corporation of

India (NPCI) has launched an

industry campaign named “UPI

Chalega” to promote UPI as easy,

safe, and instant mode of payment.

The campaign aims to guide users

towards the right usage of Unified

Payments Interface (UPI) and help create a habitual change, use of

UPI in their daily life.

UPI is a system that powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile

application (of any participating bank) for facilitating a wide variety

of banking transactions on mobile phone.

RBI TO REGULATE COOPERATIVE BANKS Union Cabinet has decided to bring Cooperative banks under the

regulatory mechanism of Reserve Bank of India, while administrative

issues would continue to be guided by the Registrar of

Cooperative. The move will ensure greater accountability and

transparency in the functioning of Cooperative Banks. The decision

assumes significance in the wake of the recent scam in Punjab and

Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank affecting lakhs of customers.

It may be noted that day to day supervision of the cooperative banks and

that of Regional Rural Banks is done by the National Bank for

Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). According to

government figures, 1,540 cooperative banks are currently operational with

a depositor base of 8.60 crore having total savings of Rs 5 lakh crore.

FLOATING RATE FOR ‘MEDIUM’ ENTERPRISES

The Reserve Bank has directed

banks to link all the new floating

rate loans to ‘medium’ enterprises

with external benchmark, with

effect from 1st April 2020. Floating

rate loans to micro and small

enterprises are already linked with

external benchmarks.

Various business enterprises are classified into three categories on the

basis of their turnover - Micro, Small and Medium enterprises, as per the

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006.



INDUSIND BANK JUMPS IN BRAND VALUE

IndusInd Bank has topped the list of 'Highest increase in brand value'

among the banks around the world, according to 'The Banker's Top

500 Banking Brands 2020' report. The bank recorded 122% growth in

its brand value in 2019, highest in the world. The report is brought

out by the London based global financial giant - The Banker.

RBI DECIDES NOT TO CHANGE POLICY RATES The six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) headed by RBI

Governor Shaktikanta Das in its sixth and last bi-monthly Monetary

Policy Review for FY 19-20, unanimously voted for not changing any

of the policy rates, despite the economic slowdown. The Repo rate

remains unchanged at 5.15 percent under the Liquidity Adjustment

Facility (LAF). Consequently, the reverse repo rate also remains

unchanged at 4.90 percent and the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF)

rate and the Bank Rate at 5.40 per cent.

HDFC BANK FINED Rs 1 CRORE BY RBI The Reserve Bank of India imposed a penalty of Rs 1 crore on HDFC

Bank for non-compliance of Know Your Customer (KYC) norms. The

lapse was noticed in the 2016-17 supervisory evaluation of the bank

where the bank had “failed to exercise ongoing due diligence” with

regards to 39 current accounts opened by its customers for bidding in

Initial Public Offer.



JANUARY

MORE SECURITY FOR CARD TRANSACTIONS To improve user convenience

and increase the security of card

transactions, RBI has directed

banks that initially all the cards

shall be enabled for use only at

contact based points of usage

viz. ATMs and Point of Sale

(PoS) devices, within India. For

other usage such as card not present (online) transactions, card

present (international) transactions and contactless transactions,

banks will provide separate facilities.

Further, card issuers shall provide to all cardholders facility to switch

on / off their cards and set / modify transaction limits for all types of

transactions – domestic and international, at PoS / ATMs / online

transactions / contactless transactions, etc.. This facility shall be

provided wef March 16, 2020 on a 24x7 basis through multiple

channels - mobile application / internet banking / ATMs / Interactive

Voice Response (IVR); this may also be offered at branches / offices.

RBI ALLOWS VIDEO KYC VETTING The RBI has amended the KYC norms allowing banks and other

lending institutions regulated by it to use Video based Customer

Identification Process (V-CIP), with a view to remotely vet a

customer’s identity through PAN or Aadhaar cards. This will

particularly help those customers who for some reason are not in a

position to physically attend the bank. The bank will also have to

ensure that the customer is physically present within the country by

geo-tagging their location in bank’s record.

‘MANI’ APP LAUNCHED The Reserve Bank launched mobile

app ‘MANI’ to help the visually

challenged identify the denomination

of currency notes. MANI is an

acronym for Mobile Aided Note

Identifier. The app will work offline as

well after it is installed. The RBI

clarified that the app will not authenticate a note as genuine or fake.



RBI LAUNCHES A NEW PPI The RBI has introduced a new

semi-closed prepaid payment

instrument (PPI) which can be

used for the transaction of goods

and services up to a limit of Rs

10,000. The loading facility of

the instrument will be linked

only from a bank account.

PPIs are instruments that

facilitate the purchase of goods and services, including financial services,

remittance facilities, etc. against the value stored on such instruments.

There are currently three kinds of PPIs allowed by RBI: closed system,

semi-closed and open PPIs.

MDR CHARGES WAIVED ON RUPAY CARDS The central government has decided to waive the Merchant Discount

Rate (MDR) wef Jan1, 2020 on all digital transactions using RuPay

or UPI platform to promote digital payments. All companies with a

turnover of Rs 50 crore or more will be mandated by government to

provide the facility of payment through RuPay Debit card and UPI

QR code to their customers. However, the MDR charge on credit

cards transactions will continue to be up to 2% of the transaction

amount.

MDR Charge: When a person swaps his card at a shop, the fee that the

shopkeeper has to pay to his service provider is called MDR charge. It

may range from 0% to 2% of the transaction amount. MDR charge

also has to be paid for online transactions based on QR Code.

REVISED SUPERVISORY FRAME FOR UCBs The Reserve Bank of India has revised its supervisory framework for

Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs) to expedite resolution of UCBs

experiencing financial stress. The revised framework stipulates the

thresholds for various parameters that could trigger a corrective

action by the UCBs or a supervisory action by the RBI.

GOVT TO INFUSE CAPITAL IN 3 PSBS The Government of India has approved the release of Rs. 8,655 crore

for fresh capital addition in three public sector banks - Allahabad

Bank (Rs 2,153 crore), Indian Overseas Bank (Rs 4,360 crore) and

UCO Bank (Rs 2,142 crore). The infusion will be done for preferential

allotment of shares.



E-AUCTION PLATFORM “E-BKRAY” LAUNCHED Finance Minister launched

an e-auction platform

“eBkray” to facilitate

online auction of assets

attached by banks. The

platform provides

navigational links to all

public sector banks e-

auction sites. It also presents single-window access to information on

properties up for e-auction, comparison of similar properties, and also

contains photographs of the uploaded properties.

RBI ISSUES REPORT ON FINANCIAL INCLUSION The Reserve Bank released a report titled “National Strategy for

Financial Inclusion: 2019-2024”. The report stated the following 6

pillars as part of strategic objectives to achieve the aim of financial

inclusion:

• Universal Access to Financial Services

• Providing basic bouquet of financial services

• Access to livelihood and Skill Development

• Financial Literacy and Education

• Customer Protection and Grievance Redressal | Effective Coordination

NPCI LAUNCHES ‘VAJRA PLATFORM’

The National Payments

Corporation of India (NPCI)

has launched a blockchain-

technology based payment

system ‘Vajra Platform’. It

is a permissioned blockchain

platform meaning that only

registered parties under a

network administrator can be part of it.

NPCI has 56 banks as its shareholders and is supported by ten banks.

A blockchain is the structure of data that represents a financial ledger

entry, or a record of a transaction. Each transaction is digitally signed

to ensure its authenticity and that no one tampers with it, so the

ledger itself and the existing transactions within it are assumed to be

of high integrity.



RBI TO RECRUIT OFFICERS FROM MARKET The Reserve Bank has decided to recruit 35% of the specialized

supervisory and regulatory cadre from the market while the remaining

65% will be recruited via internal promotions. Direct recruitment will

be done in the Specialized Supervisory and Regulatory Cadre (SSRC)

at Grade B level.

EXIM BANK TO FUND SOLAR PARKS IN CUBA India has extended a line of credit (LoC) of $ 75 million (over Rs 500

crore) to Cuba to finance solar parks in their country. The line of

credit shall be provided by Export-Import Bank of India (Exim

Bank) through Banco Exterior De Cuba for installation of 75 MW

Photovoltaic Solar Parks in the Republic of Cuba.

ICICI BANK - CARDLESS ATM WITHDRAWALS ICICI Bank customers will now be able to withdraw cash from ATMs

without their debit cards. ICICI Bank has rolled out “Cardless Cash

Withdrawal” service through ATM. The customers can use this

facility by installing the iMobile app on their phones. The facility is

available for cash withdrawal of upto Rs 20,000 per day.

SBI TO GUARANTEE HOME LOAN BORROWERS State Bank of India has announced a 'residential builder finance with

buyer guarantee' (RBBG) scheme. It aims at giving a push to

residential sales and improve home buyers' confidence. Under the

scheme, the bank will issue a guarantee to its borrowers for

completion of select residential projects in time. The scheme will focus

on affordable housing projects priced up to 2.50 crore rupees in 10

cities initially.



JIO FIRST TELECOM TO LAUNCH UPI PAYMENTS

Telecom major Reliance Jio has launched UPI-powered payments

service for its subscribers, becoming the first telecom operator to enter

the UPI payments space.

UPI - Unified Payments Interface is an instant real-time payment system

developed by National Payments Corporation of India and regulated by

RBI for facilitating digital inter-bank transactions.

OTP BASED ATM TRANSACTIONS BY SBI With a view to reduce the occurrences of unauthorised transactions

happening at ATMs, State Bank of India has decided to introduce a

one-time password for every cash withdrawal of Rs 10,000 and above

between 8 pm to 8 pm. The OTP-based cash withdrawal will be

effective from January 1, 2020 across all SBI ATMs.

NEW MD & CEO APPOINTED FOR 3 BANKS The government appointed heads of three large public sector banks -

Bank of Baroda, Bank of India and Canara bank for a period of three

years. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the

following appointments: Sanjiv Chadha: MD & CEO of Bank of Baroda,

Lingam Venkat Prabhakar: MD & CEO of Canara Bank

Atanu Kumar Das: MD & CEO of Bank of India.



Call / WhatsApp@ 9117-343434




DEFENCE / SCIENCE &

TECHNOLOGY

APRIL

US TO SELL HARPOON MISSILES & TORPEDOES TO INDIA

The Trump administration has approved the sale of Harpoon Block II

air launched missiles and lightweight torpedoes worth $155 million to

India. The sale of 10 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II air launched

missiles is estimated to cost $92 million, while 16 MK 54 All Up

Round Lightweight Torpedoes and three MK 54 Exercise Torpedoes

are estimated to cost $63 million

MARCH VESSEL ICGS VARAD AND ICGS VAJRA

An Offshore Patrol Vessel ICGS Varad and ICGS Vajra were

commissioned in the Indian Coast Guard at a function held in the

Chennai Port. Both the vessels have been designed and built by the

L&T at its yard at Kattupalli near Chennai.

NEW EXPLOSION DETECTION DEVICE

DRDO in collaboration with Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru

has developed a new explosive detection device RaIDer-X that can

detect explosives from a specific range and inform the operator. It

can also detect bulk explosives located in a hidden place. It can also

expand its capability to detect various explosives at a time in a pure

form as well as with contaminated objects.



INDIA TO SUPPLY RADARS TO ARMENIA

India bagged a $ 40 million deal to

supply 4 indigenously built radars

(capable of locating weapons) to

Armenia in Europe. The radars

named SWATHI have been

developed by the Defence Research

and Development Organisation

(DRDO) and manufactured by

Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).

ARMY LAUNCHES ‘OPERATION NAMASTE’

The Indian army has named its battle against Coronavirus as

‘Operation Namaste’. This operation has been launched to help the

Indian government in dealing with the outbreak of Coronavirus.

Under the Operation the Army has issued a series of directives to all

its bases to insulate the force from the Coronavirus.

Indian Army’s Chief is General Manoj Mukund Naravane and the

motto of Indian Army is “Service before self”.

PERMANENT COMMISSION FOR WOMEN IN NAVY

In another landmark judgement,

the Supreme Court ruled that

women cannot be denied permanent

commission in the Navy. The Court

observed that denying permanent

commission to women officers who

have served the nation would result

in serious miscarriage of justice.

It said that there cannot be gender

discrimination in granting permanent commission to women officers

in the Navy after the statutory bar was lifted by the Centre to allow

entry of women in Navy.

Nupur Kulshrestha, became the first woman to be promoted as

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Indian Coast Guard. She joined

Indian Coast Guard in 1999.

The Defence Ministry signed a capital acquisition contract with Israel

Weapons Industries (IWI) for procurement of 16,479 Negev 7.62x51

mm light machine guns (LMGs) at a cost of Rs 880 crore.



NEW INTERSTELLAR ASTEROIDS DISCOVERED

The astronomers have discovered the first

known permanent population of asteroids in

a new study. These asteroids, 19 in

number, have been originating from outside

our solar system. It is believed that these

interstellar (originating from outside our solar system) asteroids have

been captured from other stars billions of years ago. They have been

orbiting our sun and hiding in plain sight. The study has been

published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical

Society, a prestigious publication of Oxford University Press. London.

NEW LOW-COST ELECTRO-CATALYST DEVELOPED

The scientists at the Institute of Nano Science and Technology,

Mohali, Punjab have developed low-cost electro-catalysts with the use

of “Fish gills”. These catalysts will be used for the development of

environment friendly energy conversion devices and storage

technologies like fuel cells, biofuel cells, and metal−air batteries.

ANOTHER EARTH LIKE PLANET DISCOVERED

An earth sized exo-planet called Kepler-1649c has been found by the

team of transatlantic scientists. The planet orbiting in its star’s

habitable zone was discovered while reanalysing data from NASA’s

Kepler Space Telescope. It is located some 300 light-years away from

the Earth. The zone is habitable due to the area around a star where

the planet could support liquid water. This planet was discovered as

the scientists were looking through old observations from Kepler that

was retired by NASA in 2018.

❖ Iran has successfully launched its first-ever military satellite named

“Noor” into orbit. ‘Noor’ has been orbiting 425 km above the earth’s

surface.



BIGGEST EXPLOSION SINCE THE BIG BANG

Astronomers have discovered the biggest explosion in the universe

since the Big Bang, in a galaxy very far away. An explosion five

times bigger than any explosion known so far has been discovered in

the Ophiuchus galaxy cluster which is some 390 million light-years

away from Earth. The findings have been published in The

Astrophysical Journal, a prestigious American science journal. One

light year distance is roughly 9.46 trillion kms.

NEW WHEAT VARIETY DEVELOPED

Indian scientists have developed ‘MACS 4028’, a biofortified high-

protein variety of Wheat. The research was published in the Indian

Journal of Genetics. The new variety is resistant to many pests and

diseases as compared to the normal wheat varieties. It has 14.7%

better nutritional quality, 40.3 ppm iron content and higher milling

quality. This variety matures in 102 days. It has a high yield potential

of 19.3 quintal per hectare.

IMPROVED BEE-HIVE DEVELOPED

Scientists from the Central Scientific

Instruments Organization (CSIO),

Chandigarh and the Himalayan

Institute of Bio-safety Technology

(HIBT), Palampur, HP have developed

a new bee hive by improving the

traditional hive used in

beekeeping. The specialty of this hive

is that honey can be collected without tampering with its frame and

bees. In this newly developed honeycomb, honey can be obtained by

turning the key downwards on the filled honey frame, thereby

improving hygiene and quality.



US SPACE FORCE LAUNCHED ADVANCED SATELLITE

The United States Space Force successfully deployed its Advanced

Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite to provide secure

communications for the US military and its allies. The Lockheed

Martin AEHF-6 was launched on the Atlas V551 rocket from Cape

Canaveral, Florida to provide global protected communications. The

Space Force was recently set up by President Trump to identify and

develop new space defence technologies.

❖ After conducting a nationwide competition to decide the name of the

Mars rover, NASA has named its Mars rover as ‘Perseverance’ for the

Mars mission scheduled for July 2020.

FEBRUARY

INS SHIVAJI GETS ‘PRESIDENTs COLOUR’ President Ram Nath Kovind presented

‘President’s Colour’ to the INS Shivaji as an

acknowledgement of the unit’s meritorious

services. INS Shivaji is an Indian Naval station

located in Lonavala, Maharashtra and houses the

Naval College of Engineering. It was

commissioned on 15-02-1945.

GRSE DELIVERS INS KAVARATTI TO NAVY The Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers

delivered the anti-submarine warfare stealth corvette “INS

Kavaratti” to Indian Navy. The Kavaratti is the fourth Anti-

Submarine Warfare ship, the other three being INS Kamorta,

Kadmatt, and Kiltan.



BULLET-PROOF HELMET DEVELOPED An Indian Army Major, Anoop

Mishra, has developed a helmet which is

claimed to be first in the world that can

stop an AK-47 bullet round from a

distance of 10 meters. The ballistic

helmet has been developed under

project ‘Abhedya’ (impregnable). The

officer is part of the Indian Army's

College of Military Engineering, Pune.

NAVY LAUNCHES ‘MALTA ABHIYAN’ The Indian Navy conducted a coastal security exercise named ‘Malta

Abhiyan’ in Sunderban delta waters near Kolkata, West Bengal. The

exercise aimed to interact with coastal communities to spread

awareness on coastal security and understand the navigational

complexities in the region.

INDIA AND BANGLADESH HOLD SAMPRITI-IX The ninth edition of the 14 day joint military training exercise

between India and Bangladesh was held at Umroi, Meghalaya, from

February 3 to 16. During the exercise, both sides practiced counter-

terrorism drills. The exercise aimed to strengthen military cooperation

in counter-terrorism environment simulated under the UN Charter.

Exercise Indradhanush 2020: Joint Airforce exercise of India and UK

was held in last week of February at the Air Force Station Hindan,

near Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

Ajeya Warrior-2020: 5th edition of joint military exercise of India

and the United Kingdom, conducted at Salisbury Plains in the United

Kingdom from Feb. 13-26.

Missile ‘Pranash’: DRDO is developing a 200-km strike range

supersonic tactical ballistic missile ‘Pranash’. The missile is an

advanced version of the 150-km strike range Prahar missile. It has

speed of Mach 2.

‘Operation Vanilla’: Indian Navy launched this mission to provide

humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to victims of devastation

caused by Cyclone Diane at Madagascar, an island country in the

north east of South Africa.



FIRST NON-OXYGEN BREATHING ANIMAL

A common assumption that all multicellular organisms must be

breathing oxygen has now been proven wrong as researchers have

accidentally discovered the first non-oxygen breathing animal.

A micro parasite, Henneguya Salminicola, comprising of less than 10-

cells, lives in salmon muscle. The parasite, which is a myxozoan

relative of jellyfish and corals, gave up breathing and consuming

oxygen to produce energy. The study has been conducted by the

prestigious global scientific journal of the USA, Proceedings of the

National Academy of Sciences.

JANUARY

IAF’s FIRST SQUADRON OF SUKHOI-30 MKI The Indian Air Force has inducted its first squadron of Sukhoi-30

MKI aircraft carrying the supersonic BrahMos missiles. The squadron

222, also called Tigersharks, is based at its Thanjavur base in Tamil

Nadu. Sukhoi-30 MKI is a twinjet multirole air superiority fighter jet

developed by Russia's Sukhoi and built under licence by India's

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

BrahMos has a range of upto 300 kms and can reach speeds up to 3700

kmph.

CISF TO OBSERVE 2020 AS ‘YEAR OF MOBILITY’ The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has decided to observe

2020 as the ‘year of mobility’ that will have a special focus on the

creation of more residential units and implementation of various

welfare measures for its troops. CISF guards civil airports, nuclear

power stations, mines, thermal power stations and other big industrial

units in the public sector and some in the private domain as well.



GEN RAWAT TO BE ‘CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF’

General Bipin Rawat has been named as India’s first Chief of Defence

Staff (CDS). This post has been created for the first time in India. The

CDS will be a four-star General and will have tenure of three years or

65 years of age, whichever is earlier. He will serve as the principal

military advisor to the Defence Minister. He will ensure joint

administration and synergy between the three defence services of

India.

The main command of the services will be, however, with the respective

Chief of the service. He will also serve as the head of the new “Department

of Military Affairs” to ensure unity in training, logistics and procurement

of the three armed services.

K-4 NUCLEAR MISSILE TESTED BY DRDO The DRDO successfully test-fired its K-4 nuclear capable submarine-

launched ballistic missile off the coast of Visakhapatnam. It is a major

milestone to augment its strategic arsenal and delivery systems. The

missile has a range of 3,500 km.

CAPTAIN TANIA SHERGILL Indian Army officer became the first woman

parade adjutant (parade commander) to lead

the all male contingent at the Annual Army

Day Parade held on Army Day - Jan 15. She

has also been selected to lead the Republic

Day parade 2020. She was commissioned in

March 2017 from the Officer Training

Academy, Chennai.



❖ ‘Sahyog-Kaijin’: Ships and aircrafts of the Indian Coast Guard

and the Japan Coast Guard came together to train for the 15th edition

of ‘Sahyog-Kaijin’ joint exercise in the Bay of Bengal off the Chennai

coast from Jan 16 to 20.

❖ ‘Naseem Al Bahr’ (sea breeze): India and Oman conducted 12th

edition of bilateral maritime exercise in Mormugao Port, Goa in

second week of January.

RUSSIA DEPLOYS HYPERSONIC MISSILE Russia has deployed its first hypersonic missile ‘Avangard’ into

service. It caught the speed of Mach 27, which is equivalent to about

33,000 kilometers per hour, during the test. This is the first of its kind

missile in the world having such high speed. This missile can’t be

caught by any radar.

The US President has finally authorised the establishment of US Space

Force as the 6th branch of the armed forces. It would be part of the

Department of the Air Force.

GSAT-30 LAUNCHED SUCCESSFULLY ISRO’s high power communication satellite GSAT-30 was successfully

launched onboard Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana on Jan

17. The satellite is aimed at providing high-quality television,

telecommunications and broadcasting services. GSAT-30 will serve as

a replacement to the aging INSAT-4A spacecraft services with

enhanced coverage as it has 12 C and 12 Ku band transponders.

“VYOMITRA” - THE HUMANOID FROM ISRO ISRO unveiled its first ever humanoid

named “Vyomitra”. The name comes from

two Sanskrit words—vyom which means

space and mitra, meaning friend. Vyommitra

is a half humanoid, which means she does

not have legs. However, she is interactive

enough and will be able to help check the

systems in the crew module in situ, including

temperature, pressure levels and oxygen

availability. She will fly onboard the first

two “unmanned” flights of the mission

Gaganyaan. Only the third will have the actual human crew.



CHINA LAUNCHES HEAVIEST SATELLITE

On Dec 27, China launched its heaviest and most advanced

communications satellite Shijian-20 on board the country's largest

new carrier rocket Long March-5 launched from the Wenchang Space

Launch Centre in south China's Hainan Province. Weighing more

than eight tonnes, is the world’s heaviest and most advanced

communications satellite in geosynchronous orbit.

NASA DISCOVERS HABITABLE PLANET NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) has discovered

an earth-sized habitable planet named TOI 700d. This planet is 101.5

light-years away from the Earth. NASA has predicted life on this

planet where conditions may be just right to allow the presence of

liquid water on the surface. Launched by NASA on April 18, 2018,

TESS is designed to search for planets orbiting stars near the Earth.

INTERNATIONAL

APRIL

BRICS FOREIGN MINISTERS MEET HELD

The BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs summit was held through a

video conference on April 28, 2020, led by the group’s current chair,

Russia. Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov hosted the

meeting. Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar represented

the country at the meeting. The BRICS nations agreed to allocate $

15 billion to the New Development Bank (NDB) so that it could set

up a special loan instrument to support the revival of economies and

help meet the emergency expenses incurred for responding to the

Coronavirus pandemic.



GERMANY HOSTS PETERSBERG CLIMATE DIALOGUE

The 11th session of Petersberg Climate Dialogue with 30 countries

including India was hosted by Germany on April 28, through a video

conference. The dialogue was conducted to discuss the ways of

tackling the societies and economies after COVID-19. Prakash

Javadekar, the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate

Change, represented India at the summit.

US STOPS FUNDING TO WHO

The USA has decided to stop US funding for the World Health

Organization (WHO), which it has accused of grossly mismanaging

and covering-up the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The United States contributes to the WHO 400-500 million dollars

annually. President Trump said, had the WHO done its job to get

medical experts into China to objectively assess the situation on the

ground and to call out China's lack of transparency, the outbreak

could have been contained at its source with very little death.

WHO WARNS AGAINST EARLY EASING OF LOCKDOWN

The World Health Organisation has stated that rushing to ease

coronavirus lockdown restrictions is likely to lead to a resurgence of

the illness, a warning that comes as governments start rolling out

plans to get their economies up and running again.

Dr. Takeshi Kasai, the WHO regional director for the Western Pacific

said governments must remain vigilant to stop the spread of the virus

and the lifting of lockdowns and other social distancing measures must

be done gradually and strike the right balance between keeping people

healthy and allowing economies to function.



OXFORD DEVELOPS FIRST VACCINE AGAINST COVID-19

The Oxford University in London has claimed to have developed a

potential COVID-19 vaccine and the first human trials of which began

on April 23, 2020. The vaccine has been made from a weakened

version of a common cold virus (known as an adenovirus) from

chimpanzees that has been modified so it cannot grow in humans.

Though nothing can be said right now about its success.

GREAT BARRIER REEF SUFFERS MASS BLEACHING

The Great Barrier Reef, the

world’s largest coral reef

system located in northeast

Australia, has suffered its

worst mass coral bleaching in

recent years, a group of

scientists from James Cook

University in Queensland,

Australia discovered

recently. This is the third mass bleaching of the reef, which is around

3,44,000 sq km in size, after two other similar devastating events in

2016 and 2017.

Bleaching, caused mainly due to rising temperatures, has struck all

three regions of the world’s largest coral reef system and is more

widespread than ever. The Great Barrier Reef is made up of 2,900

separate reefs and 900 islands and is a World Heritage listed site.

A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building

corals. Reefs (rock like structures) are formed of colonies of coral polyps

held together by calcium carbonate. The reefs are actually live organisms.

These organisms are tiny little animals called polyps. Polyps live on the

outside of the reef. As polyps die, they become hard and new polyps grow

on top of them, leading to growth of the reef.



IMF PREDICTS 3% SHRINKAGE OF ECONOMY

In its 2020 World Economic Outlook, The International Monetary

Fund (IMF) has mentioned that the world economy is expected to

shrink by 3.0% in 2020. This is an extraordinary reversal from early

this year, when the fund forecast that the world economy would

outpace 2019 and grow by 3.3 percent. Due to the ongoing impact of

the COVID-19 pandemic, it will be the steepest downturn since the

Great Depression of 1930. While projecting the economic growth of

countries, the IMF has forecasted the Indian economy to grow by

1.9% in 2020-2021. This is in line with forecasts made by other

International agencies.

US OIL PRICES TURN NEGATIVE

For the first time in history, the

US oil prices turned negative on

April 20. The prices of West

Texas Intermediate (WTI), the

best quality of crude oil in the

world, crashed below $0 mark to

-$40.32 a barrel in New York.

The fall of crude oil prices below

the $0 mark means that the seller

or the investor will be essentially paying the buyer of crude oil for

each barrel that is bought. This is the lowest-ever crude oil price in

the history of mankind. The last time the oil prices crashed was right

after World War II. Lockdowns across the world imposed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic had a severe impact on the global oil demand, as

fewer flights were taking off and fewer automobiles were being used.

NO DEATH PENALTY FOR MINORS IN S ARABIA

Saudi Arabia has declared an end to the death penalty for crimes

committed by minors. Instead of the death sentence, the individual

will undergo a prison sentence of no longer than 10 years in a juvenile

detention facility. The decision comes on the heels of another ordering

judges to end the practice of flogging, replacing it with jail time, fines

or community service.

Saudi Arabia, of late, is loosening various social restrictions, moving

away from ultraconservative interpretations of Islamic law known as

Wahhabism, which many in the country still closely adhere to. This is

being seen as an attempt to modernize the country, attract foreign

investment and revamp Saudi Arabia’s reputation globally.



MARCH

WHO DECLARES CORONAVIRUS AS ‘PANDEMIC’

Director-General of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus officially

declared the rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak -COVID-19, a

pandemic, acknowledging what has seemed clear for some time —

that the virus is likely to spread to all countries on the globe and the

number of cases and deaths are likely to rise in the coming days and

weeks. A pandemic describes a disease that is spreading between

people in multiple countries around the world at the same time.

WHO & WEF LAUNCH“COVID ACTION PLATFORM”

The World Health Organization, WHO and the global NGO World

Economic Forum, WEF launched an emergency task force “COVID

Action Platform” in response to the global outbreak of

coronavirus. More than 200 corporate leaders from around the globe

have offered their support for the platform.

The forum aims to ensure global supply chains of key commodities

remain intact, facilitate business donations to public health needs,

develop vaccines and diagnostics, and pursue collaborations to address

business and economic disruptions.

FIRST EVER VIRTUAL MEET OF G-20 NATIONS

The first G-20 virtual summit was held on March 26 under the

chairmanship of Saudi Arabian King Salman. The summit brought

together the world's 20 major economies (including European Union)

who discussed measures and guidelines to address the COVID 19

pandemic. The G20 countries committed to inject more than $5

trillion into the global economy, and contribute to the COVID-19

solidarity response fund led by the WHO. The summit was held

through a video conference.



BEZOS CONTINUES TO BE THE RICHEST

The Hurun Global Rich List 2020, compiled by the noted Chinese

financial expert Hu Run, lists the top billionaires from across the

world, measured in US dollars. The 2020 list ranked 2,816 billionaires

from 71 countries and from across 2,182 companies.

The list ranks Jeff Bezos of Amazon at number one with wealth of $

140 billion, followed by Bernard Arnault of LVMH, luxury king of

France ($107 billion) and Bill Gates of Microsoft ($106) at second and

third rank, respectively. The list places Mukesh Ambani at 9th place.

Ranking countries in terms of number of billionaires, China tops the

list with 799 billionaires, followed by USA - 626 and India - 137

billionaires.

US ENTERS PEACE WITH TALIBAN

The United States signed a

historic peace agreement with the

Taliban in Doha, Qatar on

February 29 for a phased

withdrawal of the US troops

from Afghanistan, marking an

end to America’s longest war in a

foreign country. The deal signed

after nearly two years of

negotiations is seen as a part of

America’s efforts to bring lasting

peace in war-torn Afghanistan.

The Taliban, who refer to themselves as the Islamic Emirate of

Afghanistan, are a Sunni Islamic fundamentalist political movement and

military organization in Afghanistan, currently waging civil war within

the country for the past several years.



FEBRUARY

BHUTAN LEVIES ‘FEE’ ON TOURISTS

Bhutan has introduced a new system for regional tourists called

‘Sustainable Development Fee’ as per which tourists from India,

Maldives, and Bangladesh have to pay a certain amount for their stay

in the country. The regional tourists have to pay 1200 Bhutanese

Ngultrum (Rs. 1198) as a sustainable development fee per day from

July 2020. A sustainable development fee is a payment for the

maintenance of ecology in the country.

WHO NAMES CORONAVIRUS AS COVID-19 The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the disease

caused by the new coronavirus will be referred to as ‘COVID-19’. The

'CO' stands for corona, the 'VI' for virus and the 'D' for disease. Until

this point, the illness was known as 2019-nCoV acute respiratory

disease. The word coronavirus refers to the group of viruses it belongs

to, rather than the latest strain. Experts refer to the virus that causes

the disease as 2019-nCoV, which stands for novel coronavirus 2019.

Over 44,000 cases of the illness have been reported from around the

world, and it has killed over 2,500 people so far.

GLOBAL ROAD SAFETY MEET IN STOCKHOLM The 3rd edition of the Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety

was held in Stockholm, Sweden on February 19-20 to reach high-level

consensus for continued global road safety targets and collaboration

up to 2030. The theme of the conference was “Achieving Global Goals

2030”.



AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT IN ADDIS ABABA African Union Summit 2020 was held on Feb 10-11 in Ethiopia's

capital, Addis Ababa. Leaders of 55 African countries raised concern

about rising terrorism in Africa. The theme for this year’s summit was

‘Silencing the Guns’.

The African Union is a continental body consisting of the 55 member

states that make up the countries of the African Continent. It was

officially launched in 2002 as a successor to the Organisation of

African Unity. Its headquarters are in Addis Ababa and the Chairman

is Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa.

WORLD’s HIGHEST FASHION SHOW IN NEPAL Nepal created a new Guinness World Record for organizing the

highest altitude Fashion Show on the earth. The Mount Everest

Fashion Runway fashion show was held at 5340 meters elevation at

Kala Patthar, near Everest base camp. 18 supermodels from 10

different countries walked the ramp to create history.

MALDIVES REJOINS THE COMMONWEALTH Maldives was officially readmitted to the Commonwealth on Feb 01,

more than three years after it quit the organisation over criticism of

its human rights record. Now the count of the bloc's membership is

back to 54. Maldives joined the Commonwealth in 1982 and was a

member until it withdrew in 2016.

The Commonwealth is a political association of 54 member states

aimed at promoting cooperation in development, democracy and

peace. Most of the members are the territories once ruled by the

British Empire, though the membership is open to all independent

willing countries.



BRITAIN LEAVES EUROPEAN UNION Marking a historic

moment, at 23:00

GMT, on January 31,

Britain officially left

the European Union

after 47 years of

membership - and

more than three years

after it voted to do so

in a referendum. The

event was marked by

both celebrations and

anti-Brexit protests. Under the terms of the withdrawal agreement

between the UK and EU, Britain now enters a transition period until

the end of 2020, meaning UK will abide by most EU laws while their

future relationship is hashed out.

Britain joined the European Economic Community (now European

Union) on 1 January, 1973.

In June 2016, the then Prime Minister David Cameron held a

referendum to get the firm public opinion on the growing unrest for leaving

or remaining with the EU. Cameron led the campaign to stay in the EU

but lost by a narrow margin, securing only 48% votes against 52% secured

by the Leave campaign, led by his fellow leader Boris Johnson, leading to

resignation of Cameroon. His successor, Theresa May, repeatedly failed to

get the support of Parliament on EU withdrawal and was replaced by

Boris Johnson in July, 2019, who also failed to get his plans through.

Johnson managed to secure an early general election in December last

year, which he won with an 80-seat majority on a promise to "get Brexit

done" and finally, on January 9 the British parliament voted in favour of

exit from the EU on January 31.

BEZOS LAUNCHES $10 BN EARTH FUND Jeff Bezos, CEO of global retail giant Amazon, announced that he

would be committing $10 billion to fight climate change through a

new fund called the “Bezos Earth Fund”. The money will be used to

help scientists, activists, NGOs, and “any effort that offers a real

possibility” to help preserve the earth from the impact of climate

change. Bezos, regarded as the richest person in the world, is worth

about $131 billion. Besides Amazon, he owns The Washington Post

and Blue Origin, an aerospace company.



JANUARY

CORONAVIRUS WREAKS HAVOC IN CHINA

China is facing one of its worst health crises as novel coronavirus has

killed at least 110 people in the country and infected more than 4,000

people globally with 33 overseas cases to date- 28-January. China’s

National Health Commission has said transmission ability of virus is

getting stronger and infections could continue to rise as the nature of

the new virus is still unknown.

The infection has spread to several cities including Wuhan, Beijing

and Shanghai. The Chinese government has announced to shut down

five cities in the country as an emergency measure to avoid spreading

of virus.

The virus causes illnesses ranging from common cold to acute

respiratory syndromes.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Coronavirus is

similar to the viruses that cause serious illnesses ranging from the common

cold to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe

Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).

WORLD FUTURE ENERGY SUMMIT The World Future Energy Summit was held in Abu Dhabi. 33,500

participants from 170 countries and 800 specialist exhibitors attended

the four-day annual event. The theme for this year's summit was

“Rethinking Global Consumption, Production, and Investment”. The

summit showcased 42 of the world’s most disruptive innovations,

selected from 1,402 global submissions from 128 countries, related to

the future of energy, food, agriculture and sustainability in space.



WEF HOSTS ANNUAL MEET IN DAVOS

The 50th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum,

a congregation of rich and powerful from across the world, was held

in Davos, Switzerland, from Jan 21 to 24. The meeting brings

together some 3,000 leading business leaders, international political

leaders, economists, celebrities and journalists for up to five days to

discuss global issues, across 500 public and private sessions. The

theme for this year was “Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable

World”.

The Indian delegation comprising of over 100 CEOs, political leaders

including Union Ministers and Chief Ministers, was led by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush

Goyal. Among the initiatives to be launched at the annual meeting,

one is that aims to plant one trillion trees over the next decade and

the other aims to equip one billion people with the necessary skills in

the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a Geneva based NGO founded in

1971 by a prominent German Economist Klaus Schwab. The WEF's

mission is cited as "committed to improving the state of the world by

engaging business, political, academic, and other leaders of society to

shape global, regional, and industry agendas.''

JAPAN’S PASSPORT IS BEST Henley Passport Index 2020, released by the London based

international residence advisory firm Henley & Partners, has ranked

Indian passport at 84th in the world. Now India provides visa-free

access to 58 countries. The index is topped by Japan, having visa-free

access to 191 countries, followed by Singapore, Germany and S Korea.



CHINA’s GDP GROWTH SINKS TO 6.1%

China’s GDP registered a growth of 6.1 per cent GDP last year, the

lowest in almost three decades. The government said that the sluggish

domestic demand and the bruising 18-month trade war with the US

has seriously impacted the economy. The GDP data was released by

the National Bureau of Statistics.

WHO DECLARES 2020 AS “YEAR OF THE NURSE” The World Health Organisation (WHO) selected the year 2020 as the

“Year of the Nurse and Midwife”.

It was decided in the honor of the 200th birthday of Florence

Nightingale. Nurses and midwives are the people who devote their

lives to caring for children and mothers, looking after senior citizens

and giving lifesaving immunizations.

Florence Nightingale was a British nurse, statistician, and social

reformer who is regarded as the foundational philosopher of modern

nursing. During the Crimean War (1853-56), her efforts in attending the

wounded soldiers at a British base hospital, greatly reduced the death count

of patients. She was known for her night rounds to aid the wounded,

giving her the name - 'Lady with the Lamp’

DEVASTATING BUSHFIRES IN SE AUSTRALIA Coastal areas of New South Wales and Victoria in Southeast Australia

are in severe grip of devastating bushfires causing enormous loss of life

and property. The hot and dry conditions in the area, lashed by

strong winds, intensify the incidence of fire. Nearly 150 fires were still

burning across the state, resulting in loss of more than 1,500 homes

and forced evacuation from number of towns. The bushfires burnt

about a third of Kangaroo Island and killed approximately half of the

Island's Koala population.



AUSTRALIA BEGINS CULLING OF CAMELS

Australia began a mass culling of up to 10,000 camels as their

“extremely large” herds have been encroaching on rural

communities—threatening scarce food and drinking water, damaging

infrastructure, and creating a dangerous hazard for drivers. The

drought drives big herds of feral animals to search for water closer to

remote towns, endangering indigenous communities.

These animals are considered a pest, as they foul water sources and

trample native flora while foraging for food over vast distances each day.

WORLD’s LARGEST FLOWER BLOOM One of the world’s largest flowers, the giant Rafflesia tuan-mudae — a

fleshy red flower with white blister-like spots on its enormous petals,

measuring a whopping 111 cm (3.6 foot) in diameter has been found in

jungles of Sumatra, Indonesia. The flower's bloom lasts only about

one week after which it withers and rots away. The previous record

for this flower was of 107 cm on a bloom.

Nepal launched its much-awaited “Visit Nepal Year 2020”

campaign in Kathmandu on the first day of the new year aimed

at promoting tourism in Nepal and attract 2 million tourists

during the year 2020


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PERSONS IN NEWS

MARCH

Maharaja Ranjit Singh: Veteran Indian king, the

Indian ruler of the Sikh Empire in the 19th

century, was named as the 'greatest leader ever' in

the world in a survey conducted by BBC World

History Magazine. More than 5,000 readers

participated in the online poll.

Founders of Byju’s and Zomato

Byju Classes’ founder Byju Raveendran and Zomato’s co-founder

Gaurav Gupta are among the five Indians named by the World

Economic Forum (WEF) in its new list of 115 Young Global Leaders

under the age of 40. These individuals are among the most promising

artists, activists, academics, executives and political leaders and they

are "pushing boundaries, achieving firsts, innovating and breaking

traditional rules to improve the world," the WEF said in a statement.

Raveendran launched Byju’s as a learning app in 2015. It focuses on

providing study support to students of Class 1 to 12 and study

material for a very wide variety of academic and competitive exams.

Gupta’s Zomato has been a pioneering food technology start-up, which

he launched as a table reservation business and then scaled it up

across India, the UAE and Australia.

The other three Indians on the list are Tara Singh Vachani (CEO of

Antara Senior Living), Vinati Mutreja (MD & CEO, Vinati Organics

Limited), and Swapan Mehra (CEO, Iora Ecological Solutions).

Justice Ranjan Gogoi: President Ram Nath Kovind nominated

former Chief Justice of India to the Rajya Sabha on March 16. The

nomination has been made to fill the vacancy created due to the

retirement of senior lawyer KTS Tulsi.

Justice Gogoi was the 46th Chief Justice of India who retired on Nov

17, 2019 after delivering the historic Ayodhya verdict.

Satyarup Siddhanta: Indian mountaineer entered ‘Limca Book of

Records’ for his extraordinary achievement of becoming the first

Indian to climb the highest volcanoes of each of the 7 continents. He

also holds the record as the youngest mountaineer in the world to

climb both 7 peaks and 7 volcanic summits.



Bill Gates: Co-founder of Microsoft

announced his stepping down from

Microsoft’s board of directors as he

wanted to dedicate more time to his

philanthropic priorities including global

health, development, education, and his

increasing engagement in tackling climate

change. He also stepped down from the

board of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire

Hathaway Inc, where he had served since 2004.

Microsoft was founded in April, 1975 in Washington, USA. At present,

Satya Nadela is the CEO of Microsoft.

FEBRUARY

Radhakishan Damani: Founder of the company Avenue Supermarts,

which is doing business as D-Mart retail super markets, has now

become the 2nd richest Indian after Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of

Reliance Industries Ltd., with a net worth of $17.8 billion.

Shaktikanta Das: The RBI Governor has been chosen as the “Central

Banker of the Year” for the Asia Pacific Region by the London based

global financial magazine - The Banker.

JANUARY

Ishwar Sharma: The 10 year old British

Indian yoga boy won the Global Child

Prodigy Award. He was chosen from the

United Kingdom from the child prodigies

from across 45 countries and 30 different

categories such as palaeontology, biking,

choreography, fitness and martial arts

etc.

Malavath Poorna: The 18-year-old from Telangana became the first

and youngest tribal woman in the world to set foot on the six tallest

mountain peaks across six continents, as she scaled Mt. Vinson Massif,

Antarctica’s highest mountain peak (4,987 mts). She also holds the

record for the youngest person to scale Mt Everest at the age of 13

years 11 months.



Christina Koch: NASA Astronaut created a new

record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman,

surpassing the earlier record of 288 days held by

another US astronaut Peggy Whitson in 2017. She is

onboard the International Space Station since 14th

March 2019 and would return to Earth in February

2020, spending more than 300 days in space. 40 year

old Koch is an engineer by profession.

Malala Yousafzai: The young Nobel laureate was declared as the

‘most famous teenager in the world’ by the United Nations in its

'decade in review' report released on December 23, 2019. The UN

review stated that she is known for speaking out in favour of

education for girls and has been extremely vocal against the atrocities

committed by the Taliban on common people.

APPOINTMENTS

APRIL

Sanjay Kothari: Took oath as the Chief Vigilance Commissioner of

India. President Ram Nath Kovind administered him the oath at

Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Pravin Rao: The COO of Infosys has been appointed new Chairman of

the National Association of Software and Services Companies

(Nasscom).

M S Mahabaleshwara: Re-appointed as the MD and CEO of the

private sector Karnataka Bank

Viswanathan Anand: The WWF (World Wide Fund) India has

appointed veteran world chess champion as its ambassador for the

environmental education programme. Anand will lend his support to

the conservation and protection of the environment.

Kapil Dev Tripathi: Appointed as the new Secretary to President Ram

Nath Kovind by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed

by Prime Minister. He is a 1980-batch retired IAS officer of the

Assam-Meghalaya cadre.

T. S. Tirumurti: Appointed as the next Ambassador or Permanent

Representative of India to the United Nations. He is an IFS officer of

1985 batch. He will replace current ambassador Sayyad Akbaruddin.



MARCH

Shivraj Singh Chouhan: Took oath for the 4th time as the Chief

Minister of Madhya Pradesh.

Dr. Ajay Bhushan Pandey: The Appointments Committee of the

Cabinet has approved designating Dr. Pandey, a 1984-batch IAS

officer of Maharashtra cadre, as Union Finance Secretary. He also has

the additional charge of CEO of the Unique Identification Authority

of India - UIDAI.

Prashant Kumar: Appointed as the new MD and CEO of the Yes

Bank.

Muhyiddin Yassin: Appointed as the Prime Minister of Malaysia by

the King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.

Denys Shmygal: Elected as the new Prime Minister of Ukraine.

Janez Jansa: Appointed as the new Prime Minister of Slovenia. He

held this office on two previous occasions also, from 2004 to 2008 and

from 2012 to 2013.

Adnan Zurfi: Named as the Prime Minister of Iraq by its President

Barham Salih

FEBRUARY

Bimal Julka: Selected as the new Chief Information Commissioner to

head the Central Information Commission.

Sanjay Kothari: Appointed as the new Central Vigilance

Commissioner by a high-powered committee headed by the Prime

Minister.

Debasish Panda: Appointed as the new financial services secretary,

Ministry of Finance

Ajay Bisaria: Appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to

Canada

M Ajit Kumar: Appointed as the chairman of the Central Board of

Indirect Taxes and Customs - CBIC.

Sunil Mehta: Elected as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the

Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), Mumbai for the year 2020. He is

former MD & CEO of Punjab National Bank.



Ajay Banga: Noted Indian-American business executive Ajay Pal

singh Banga has been named the new executive Chairman of the

global payment gateway company Mastercard. Till now he was CEO

of the company.

Ashraf Ghani: Re-elected as the President of Afghanistan.

Mohammad Allawi: Appointed as the Prime Minister of Iraq. He is

the former communications minister of Iraq.

JANUARY

Harsh Vardhan Shringla: Senior IFS officer of 1982 batch appointed

new Foreign Secretary

Taranjit Sandhu: 1988 batch IFS officer appointed as India’s

ambassador to the United States.

Hemant Soren: Elected as the new Chief Minister of Jharkhand. He is

President of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.

Jagat Prakash Nadda: Senior BJP - Bharatiya Janata Party leader

elected as the 11th President of the party at the national level

Prof. Suresh Chandra Sharma: Appointed as the chairman of National

Medical Commission. He is a senior ENT specialist at the AIIMS,

Delhi.

NMC is a statutory body set up as the regulatory body for medical education

and system in the country.

Michael Debaprata Patra: Appointed by the government as the deputy

governor of the Reserve Bank of India for a tenure of three years.

A P Maheshwari: Senior IPS officer appointed as Director General of

the Central Reserve Police Force. With over 3.25 lakh personnel, it is

the world's largest paramilitary force. It is the lead internal security force

of the country entrusted with anti-naxal operations and counter-terror

operations in Jammu-Kashmir.

Sangita Reddy: Elected as the new President of the Federation of

Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) for 2019-20.

Established in 1927, FICCI is one of the oldest national level

representative bodies of trade and industry, with headquarters in New

Delhi. Ms Sangita is the Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals

Group, Chennai.



Niranjan Hiranandani: Elected as the new

President of The Associated Chambers of

Commerce & Industry of India (Assocham).

Founded in 1921, it is the country’s oldest apex

organisation of industry and trade, based at New

Delhi. Niranjan is the co-founder and Managing

Director of the Hiranandani Group of Companies,

Mumbai’s top real estate builders.

Harish Salve: Senior Indian Advocate has been appointed as the

Queen's Counsel (QC) for the courts of England and Wales. The title of

the Queen's Counsel is conferred upon those who have demonstrated

particular skill and expertise in the legal field.

Mikhail V. Mishustin: Elected by the Russian Parliament as the

country's new Prime Minister. He was the chief of the tax department

of the country.

Robert Abela: Elected as the new Prime Minister of Malta, a tiny

island country in the Mediteranean Sea.

Umaro Cissoko Embalo: Elected as the new President of Guinea-

Bissau, a tropical country in Western Africa.

Zoran Milanovic: Elected as the President of Croatia, a country at the

crossroads of central & SW Europe.

Pedro Sanchez: Re-elected as the PM of Spain.

Ekaterini Sakellaropoulou: Elected as the first woman President of

Greece.



AWARDS & HONOURS

MARCH

7th Dr M S Swaminathan Award: Won by

V Praveen Rao, Vice-Chancellor

of Telangana State Agricultural

University for the period 2017-2019 for his

contributions in the fields of agricultural

research, teaching, extension and

administration.

Dr. Swaminathan is the most decorated

agricultural scientist of India, known as

“Father of Green Revolution in India”, a program under which high-yield

varieties of wheat and rice were planted in Indian fields. He has been

honoured with Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan for

his valuable services.

Chameli Devi Jain Award: For outstanding woman journalist, given

to Arfa Khanum Sherwani of “The Wire” and Bengaluru-based

freelancer Rohini Mohan.

Abel Prize 2020: Popular as the “Nobel of Mathematics”, awarded to

Hillel Furstenberg from Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel and

Gregory Margulis from Yale University, USA. The Norwegian Krone

7.5 Million (USD 8.3400) award will be shared equally by the two

winners.

The award is given by the Norwegian Academy of Science and

Letters. The award has been instituted by the Government of Norway in

the honour of its legendary mathematician Niels Henrik Abel.

Pritzker Prize 2020: Awarded for the first time to two women, Yvonne

Farrell and Shelley McNamara, Dublin, Ireland

based architects. Considered to be one of the world's premier

architecture prizes, and often referred to as the Nobel Prize of

architecture, it is sponsored by the Pritzker family of Chicago, USA

and Hyatt Foundation. The prize carries a bronze medallion and cash

award of $ 1,00,000/-.



FEBRUARY

International Gandhi Awards for Leprosy: Presented to Dr NS

Dharmashaktu in the individual category and the Leprosy Mission

Trust under the institutional category. The awards aim to recognize

the outstanding work by individuals and organisations to fight

leprosy.

65th Filmfare Awards ceremony held in Guwahati

The 65th Filmfare Awards to honour and celebrate the finest talents

of Bollywood were held at Guwahati, Assam on the night of February

15. Some of the top award winners are as under: Best Film- Gully Boy by Zoya Akhtar

Best Director- Zoya Akhtar for Gully Boy

Best Actor (Male) - Ranveer Singh for Gully Boy

Best Actor (Female) - Alia Bhatt for Gully Boy

Lifetime Achievement Award - Ramesh Sippy, director of Sholay fame

SERB Women's Excellence Award-2020: Won by Dr. Niti Kumar,

Senior Scientist of Molecular Parasitology and Immunology Division,

CSIR-CDRI, Lucknow. The award is given to women scientists under

the age of 40 by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB),

a constitutional body that works under the Department of Science

and Technology (DoST), Govt of India.

Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2020 announced

in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Best Film: Super 30 by Vikas Bahl

Best Actor: Hrithik Roshan for Super 30

Manoj Kumar: Veteran Bollywood actor, popularly known as ‘Bharat

Kumar’ for making patriotic films, has been honoured by the World

Book of Records, London with the WBR Golden Era of Bollywood.

He has been honoured for being a legendary actor and for his

contribution to Indian cinema.

Tyler Prize 2020: Awarded to Pavan Sukhdev, President and

Chairman of the board of World Wildlife Fund, for his outstanding

work in the sphere of the green economy.

The Tyler prize is one of the most coveted environmental awards,

often described as the ‘Nobel Prize for Environment’. The prize aims

to recognise individuals who have made outstanding contributions to

preserve and enhance the global environment.



92nd Academy awards announced

The world's most prestigious film awards -

Oscars, were announced on Feb 10 at an

extravagant ceremony held at the Dolby

Theatre in the city of Los Angeles, USA. The

awards are given by the Academy of Motion

Pictures Arts and Sciences, Los Angeles and

hence also known as ‘Academy Awards’.

Best Picture: Parasite by Bong Joon-ho of

South Korea, first non English film to win

Oscar for the best picture.

Best Director: Bong Joon-ho for Parasite

Best Actress: Renée Zellweger for Judy

Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix for Joker

Best Documentary: American Factory by Barack and Michelle Obama

Incidentally, all the above winners won the Oscar for the first time.

BAFTA announced in London

The British Academy Film and Television Arts Awards (BAFTA)

were announced at a gala ceremony held at the Royal Albert Hall,

London on Feb. 03, 2020. The event awards are popularly known as

‘Oscars of Europe’. Main awards were:

Best Film: 1917 by Sam Mendes

Best Director: Sam Mendes for 1917

Best Leading Actress: Renee Zellweger (Judy)

Best Leading Actor: Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)

Dan David Prize 2020: Awarded to

Gita Sen, Indian feminist scholar and

activist under “present” category for

her outstanding work in the fields of

women’s rights, reproductive and

sexual health and poverty eradication.

The Dan David Prize is an

international award, promoted by the

Dan David Foundation at Tel Aviv

University, Israel. The Prize recognizes and encourages innovative and

interdisciplinary research that cuts across traditional boundaries and

paradigms. It is given in three categories - Past, Present and Future and

each prize carries a cash award of one million US dollars.



JANUARY

PADMA AWARDS ANNOUNCED

The government announced 141 Padma Awards for this year on the

occasion of 71st Republic Day. The list comprises of 7 Padma

Vibhushan, 16 Padma Bhusan and 118 Padma Shri awards. The

awards include 18 foreigners. 12 persons were awarded posthumously.

Three former Union Ministers George Fernandes, Sushma Swaraj,

Arun Jaitley and Pejavara mutt seer late Vishwesha Teertha Swamiji

were awarded Padma Vibhushan posthumously. Other three

awardees of Padma Vibhushan include former Prime Minister of

Mauritius, Anerood Jugnauth, Hindustani classical vocalist

Chhannulal Mishra and boxer MC Mary Kom.

Former Chief Minister of Goa Manohar Parrikar and legal luminary

and educator NR Madhava Menon were conferred Padma Bhushan

posthumously. Eminent writer Manoj Das, shuttler PV Sindhu,

industrialist Anand Mahindra were selected for Padma Bhushan.

Footballer Oinem Bembem Devi, film director Karan Johar, actress

Kangna Ranaut were named for Padma Shri. Several unsung heroes

like Jagdish Lal Ahuja, Javed Ahmad Tak, Tulasi Gowda,

Mohammed Sharif, Satyanarayana Mundayoor, S Ramakrishna and

Yogi Aeron were selected for Padma Shri.

Saraswati Samman: Conferred upon eminent Sindhi writer Vasdev

Mohi for his short stories collection- Chequebook. The stories talk

about the agonies and sufferings of marginalized sections of the

society. The award carries a cash award of 15 lakh rupees, a citation

and a plaque.



It is an annual award for outstanding prose or poetry literary works in

any of the 22 languages of India listed in Schedule VIII of the

Constitution of India. It is awarded by the K K Birla Foundation, Delhi.

Dr Santosh G Honavar: India’s top ophthalmologist and Ocular

Oncology expert was conferred with the highest award of the

American Academy of Ophthalmology - “Life Achievement Honour”

.

American Academy of Ophthalmology in San Francisco, USA is the

world’s largest association of eye specialists. He is the first Indian chosen

for the honour. Currently he is working with the Center for Sight,

Hyderabad.

UK Children's Book Award: Won by Indian-origin writer Jasbinder

Bilan for her debut novel “Asha and the Spirit Bird”.

Crystal Award 2020: Deepika Padukone was honoured with one of the

four Crystal Awards during the World Economic Forum’s opening

session on January 20 at Davos, Switzerland. The Crystal Awards are

conferred to honour the enduring contributions to society by

exceptional artists.

The 77th Golden Globe Awards ceremony to reward the best in cinema

was held on January 5, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles,

USA. It was organised by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

The prominent award winners are as under: Best Motion Picture, Drama: ‘1917’ by Sam Mendes, a story based on First

World War incident

Best Director, Motion Picture: Sam Mendes for 1917

Best Performance by an Actress: Renée Zellweger for Judy

Best Performance by an Actor: Joaquin Phoenix for Joker

Grammy awards swept by Billie Eilish

The 62nd annual Grammy Awards were presented at the Staples

Center in Los Angeles, USA on January 26. The 18-year-old

American singer became the first artist to sweep four top Grammy

Awards since Christopher Cross in 1981. She is also the youngest

singer to win top Grammy awards.

Record of the Year: Billie Eilish -Bad Guy

Song of the Year: Billie Eilish – Bad Guy Album of the Year: Billie Eilish: When we all fall asleep.. where do we go?

Best new artist: Billie Eilish

Pop solo performance: Lizzo – Truth Hurts



BOOKS & AUTHORS

APRIL - MARCH Backstage: The Story Behind India’s High Growth Years by Montek

Singh Ahluwalia

Legacy of Learning by Savita Chhabra

Running With the Dragon by Saibal Dasgupta

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Mass

Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare

The City We Became by N K Jemisin

The Mirror And the Light by Hilary Mantel

An Extraordinary Life: A biography of Manohar Parrikar by Sadguru

Patil and Mayabhushan Nagvenkar

FEBRUARY

‘Relentless’: Autobiography of Yashwant Sinha, veteran BJP leader

and former Minister of Finance and External Affairs

The Thin Mind Map Book by Dharmendra Rai, a mind mapping &

brain literacy pioneer

Amnesty by Aravind Adiga

Death- An Inside Story by Jaggi Vasudev, popular as ‘Sadhguru’ is a

noted Yogi and spiritual leader

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

Thief River Falls by Brian Freeman

Apeirogon by Colum McCann

Weather by Jennie Offill

Real Life by Brandon Taylor

JANUARY

Dreams of a Billion: India and the Olympic Games by Boria

Majumdar & Nalin Mehta

Politics of Opportunism by RNP Singh, a former officer of Intelligence

Bureau

The New World Disorder and the Indian Imperative by Shashi

Tharoor and Samir Saran

Asha and the Spirit Bird by Jasbinder Bilan

Balwa (uprising) by Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Union Minister of

Minority Affairs

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano Long Bright River by Liz Moore

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/347770.Ann_Napolitano



OBITUARY

APRIL

Rishi Kapoor: Veteran actor passed away in a Mumbai hospital on

April 30. He was 67. For the past almost two years, he was suffering

from Leukemia, a type of blood cancer. He received the National Film

Award for his debut role as a child artist in his father Raj Kapoor's

1970 film ‘Mera Naam Joker’. He began his career as a hero with the

historic blockbuster film Bobby. Popularly known as the “King of

Romance”, he played a very

wide range of roles in his later

career.

Irrfan Khan: Renowned

Bollywood actor passed away

in Mumbai on April 29. The

actor was reportedly battling

a rare colon cancer. He was

considered as one of the finest actors of Indian cinema and as one of

its leading faces in the West. Irrfan Khan is credited with bringing a

new wave in the Indian cinema with movies like 'The Lunchbox',

'Piku' and ‘Maqbool’.

Some of his best performances were seen in films like 'Hindi Medium',

‘Salaam Bombay’, ‘Maqbool’, ‘Paan Singh Tomar’, & ‘Piku’, to name

a few. He had also acted in Hollywood films including A Mighty

Heart, Amazing Spider-Man, Jurassic World, Life of Pi & Inferno.

Usha Ganguly: Eminent theatre personality died at her residence in

south Kolkata on April 23, at the age of 75. She founded the

Rangakarmee group in 1976, which is known for non-conformist

productions like Mahabhoj, Rudali, Court Martial and Antaryatra.

Devanand Konwar: Former Governor of Bihar and Tripura and

veteran Congress leader died of old age ailments at his Guwahati

residence. He was 86. He also held additional charge of West Bengal

as Governor.

Tony Lewis: The British cricketer who co-invented the Duckworth-

Lewis Method, died on April 1 at the age of 78 years. Lewis along with

the mathematician Frank Duckworth invented the Duckworth-Lewis

method for settling the cricket matches affected due to weather such

as rain.



Sir Stirling Moss: One of the true greats of Formula 1 car racing, died

at the age of 90. His fame was secured in the years after the Second

World War by his style and skill that earned him acclaim as the

greatest all-round racer ever. His versatility won him 212 of his 529

races in every conceivable kind of car. He famously never won the

Formula One world title but that was owing to his preference for

British machinery and acts of conspicuous sportsmanship that denied

him the chance.

Gene Deitch: Creator of most popular animation characters Tom and

Jerry, Popeye the Sailor, passed away at the age of 95 at his residence

in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Oscar-winning illustrator and animator

also directed timeless classic cartoon series Tom and Jerry and

Popeye.

MARCH Satish Gujral: Artist and architect renowned for his versatility across

different mediums, died in New Delhi.

He was 94. Honoured with the Padma Vibhushan, he was a veteran

architect, painter, muralist, sculptor and graphic artist. His renowned

works also include the alphabet mural on the outside wall of the Delhi

High Court.

Nimmi: The doe-eyed star of 1950s and ‘60s Hindi movies such as

Aan, Barsaat and Deedar, died after prolonged illness, at the age of 88.

The actor, born as Nawab Banoo, came to be known by her screen

name ‘Nimmi’, which was given to her by filmmaker Raj Kapoor, who

first spotted her as a shy teen on the sets of his film “Andaz”.

P K Banerjee: Legendary Indian footballer died in Kolkata after

battling prolonged illness. He was 83. The 1962 Asian Games gold-

medallist was conferred with Arjun award and Padma Shri. He scored

65 international goals in 84 appearances for the national team.

Rajyogini Dadi Janki: The Chief of Brahma Kumaris Sansthan,

world's largest spiritual organisation run by women, passed away at

the age of 104 after prolonged illness at Sansthan’s headquarter in

Mount Abu, Rajasthan.

She served society with diligence and worked towards the

empowerment of women. About 20 lakh people, including 46,000

women in 140 countries are associated with Brahma Kumaris. The

Government of India appointed her the brand ambassador of Swachh

Bharat Abhiyan for her works in the field of maintaining cleanliness.



Javier Perez de Cuellar: Former UN chief, who led the world body

during the Iran-Iraq war and the civil war in El Salvador, died in his

native Peru, after completing 100 years on this January 19. The

Peruvian diplomat served as United Nations Secretary General for

two five year terms from 1981 to 1991.

FEBRUARY

Dr. R K Pachauri: Noted environmentalist,

former chief and founder of TERI (The

Energy and Resources Institute), New Delhi

and under whose chairmanship the UN’s

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, passed

away on Feb 13 after prolonged cardiac

ailment. He was 79. He also received Padma

Bhushan in 2001 and Padma Vibhushan in

2008 for his excellent services.

P Parameswaran: Renowned thinker, writer and the founder director

of Bharatiya Vichara Kendram, passed away at the age of 91 at

Ottapalam in Kerala. He was one of the senior-most "pracharaks"

(ideologue) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He was

awarded Padma Vibhushan in 2018 and Padma Shri in 2004.

Daniel Arap Moi: The longest-serving Kenyan President passed away

on February 04. He was 95. He ruled Kenya from 1978 to 2002,

winning five general elections, continuously. He gained the support of

Western countries by pursuing anti-communist policies during the

Cold War (1985-91).

Mohammed Hosni Mubarak: Egypt's former President, who ruled the

country for 30 years, died of old age related ailments. He was 91. A

former air force chief, Mubarak came to power in October 1981 and

later won four general elections to continue as President. He was

deposed during the 2011 Arab Spring, a revolution that boomed a pro

democracy revolution in Arab world.

Mary Higgins Clark: The long-reigning "Queen of Suspense" whose

tales of women beating the odds made her one of the world's most

popular writers, died in Naples, Florida of natural causes. She was

92. Many of her books, including "A Stranger is Watching" and

"Lucky Day", were adapted for movies and television.



JANUARY

T N Chaturvedi: Former Governor of Karnataka and former

Comptroller and Auditor General of India passed away in Noida. He

was 90. An IAS officer, he was a renowned administrator and was

awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1991.

Kobe Bryant: Veteran American basketball

player was killed in a helicopter crash in

California, USA. He was known as the

greatest player in the basketball world. He

retired in 2016 as the third-highest all-time

scorer in NBA’s history. The NBA - National

Basketball Association is North America’s

top men's professional basketball league.

PLACES IN NEWS

MARCH

Gairsain: The Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat

declared that the summer capital of Uttarakhand will be shifted to

Gairsain in district Chamoli. Presently, Dehradun is the capital of the

state.

Nieu: A tiny island country in the South Pacific Ocean has become the

world’s first whole country to be recognised as a ‘Dark Sky Place’. The

declaration has been made by the International Dark-Sky Association

(IDA), an USA based NGO dedicated to protecting the night skies for

present and future generations through environmentally responsible

outdoor lighting.

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SPORTS WORLD NATIONAL

APRIL P V Sindhu: World Badminton Champion has been named as one of

the ambassadors for Badminton World Federation (BWF)’s “I am

badminton” awareness campaign.

The FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup to be held in India in

November this year, was postponed by FIFA due to the worsening

COVID-19 pandemic across the globe.

The New Delhi Shooting World Cup, which had already been

postponed from March to May, has been cancelled due to the Covid-19

pandemic.

Indian football team retained its 108th spot in the latest FIFA

rankings. While Belgium ranked first and world champion France is in

2nd place and Brazil is at 3rd spot.

MARCH Achanta Sharath Kamal, ace Indian paddler ended his decade-long

wait for a title by winning the ITTF Challenger Plus Oman Open

(Table Tennis) in Muscat, Oman.

Dhruv Batra Player of the Year Award: Manpreet Singh and Rani

Rampal, captains of the National men and women teams,

respectively, won this award in the men’s and women’s categories, at

the third Hockey India Annual Awards held in New Delhi.

BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year Award - 2019: Won by P V

Sindhu, star Badminton player of India.

Sprinter queen P T Usha was conferred with the Lifetime

Achievement award.

BBC - British Broadcasting Corporation, London has introduced these

awards for the first time to recognise the emergence of Indian women in the

world of sports.

Ranji Trophy: The premium domestic cricket tournament was won for

the first time by Saurashtra, led by its charismatic captain Jaydev

Unadkat by beating Bengal. The left-arm pacer ended as the season's

leading wicket-taker with 67 scalps. The tournament is played in test

match format with teams from all the states.



The First Khelo India University Games concluded in Bhubaneswar,

Odisha on March 1. Panjab University, Chandigarh took home the

champions trophy-winning 46 medals including 17 gold, 19 silver, and

10 bronze

Wasim Jaffer: The 42-year-old veteran batsman from Mumbai, the

highest (12,038) run-scorer in the history of Ranji Trophy, announced

his retirement from all forms of cricket. He also held the domestic

record for the most centuries (40) and catches (200).

FEBRUARY

D Gukesh, the 13-year old ChessGrandmaster from Tamil Nadu

emerged champion in the 34th Cannes Open in France.

India's Esow Alben bagged gold in the men's Keirin individual cycling

event of the six day Berlin Tournament, Germany. Keirin is a special

pace based cycling.

World rapid champion Koneru Humpy claimed her second title in the

last two months by winning the Cairns Cup chess tournament at St

Louis, Missouri, USA.

Joshna Chinappa won her 18th and Saurav Ghosal won his 13th

national title in women and men’s category, respectively at the 77th

Senior National Championship (Squash) held in Chennai.

Aditya Mehta defeated multiple-time world champion Pankaj Advani

6-2 to win the National Snooker Championship in Pune. The women’s

title was won by Karnataka’s Vidya Pillai.

Sunil Kumar, Greco Roman wrestler won gold in 87 kg category in the

Asian Wrestling Championships at New Delhi. Divya Kakran became

only the second Indian woman to win gold medal at the Asian

Wrestling Championships. Ravi Dahiya won his first-ever Asian

Championships gold in the 57kg category.

Chandrakant Mali created three new records in the men's 109kg

category in the National Weightlifting Championships at Kolkata on

February 7.

Mirabai Chanu, former world champion bettered her own national

record by two kilogram as she lifted a total of 203kg to win the gold in

the 49 kg category in the National Championships in Kolkata.



ESPN SPORTS AWARDS DECLARED ESPN - Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, a USA

based global multimedia TV network, announced on Feb 20 “ESPN

India Annual Multi-Sport Awards” for best Indian sportspersons,

other than in Cricket as it is covered by a different ESPN channel.

Female Sportsperson of the Year: World champion shuttler P V

Sindhu, won for a third consecutive time.

Male Sportsperson of the Year: Saurabh Chaudhary, 17 year old boy

from Meerut, UP, winner several international and national medals,

mostly gold.

Emerging Sports Person of the Year: Wrestler Deepak Punia

Team of the Year: Young shooters Manu Bhaker-Saurabh Chaudhary

Bala Devi: 29-year-old footballer from Manipur has become the first

Indian footballer to be associated with a foreign football club. A

former captain of India's women's football team, she has been picked

up by the famous European club Rangers for 18 months.

Rani Rampal, Indian women's team captain became the first-ever

hockey player to win the prestigious 'World Games Athlete of the

Year' award given by the International World Games Association,

Switzerland after conducting worldwide voting. Rani secured around

2 lakh votes from over 7 lakh votes caste in the poll.

Manpreet Singh: The Indian men's hockey team captain was named

Player of the Year for 2019 by the International Hockey Federation.

Manpreet is the first Indian to win this honour since the beginning of

the awards in 1999.

Lalremsiami, 19 year old Hockey player from Mizoram has been

named as the “2019 FIH Women's Rising Star of the Year” by the

International Hockey Federation.

Pullela Gopichand: Top Indian badminton coach, was awarded an

"honourable mention" at the IOC Coaches Lifetime Achievement

Awards 2019 for his excellence and contribution in the field of

coaching. He is the first-ever Indian to receive the prestigious honour

from IOC - International Olympic Committee.

Batting great Sachin Tendulkar being carried on the shoulders of his

teammates after India’s World Cup triumph at home in 2011 was

voted the “Laureus best sporting moment” in the last 20 years. With

the backing of Indian cricket fans, Tendulkar got the maximum

number of votes to emerge winner.



First-ever Khelo India University Games

Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared open the first-ever Khelo

India University Games at Cuttack in Odisha on Feb 22. As many as

3,400 athletes from 159 universities across the country vied for top

honours across 17 disciplines, including rugby which is among the six-

team events. The games are being supported by the Union Ministry of

Youth Affairs and Sports. Certain selected players will be provided

annual financial assistance of INR 5 lakh per annum for 8 years.

Khelo India winter games 2020 were held in the Union Territory of

Ladakh and some events in the Union Territory of Jammu and

Kashmir.

The Ladakh Scouts Regimental Centre (LSRC) Red won the first Men’s

section Khelo India Ice Hockey tournament 2020, played at Leh,

Ladakh.

Haryana won the 10th Hockey India Senior Women National

Championship 2020 (A Division) title at Kollam, Kerala.

The 6th National Ice Stock Sports Championship was held at Ice Rink

in Gulmarg (J&K). Two hundred participants from 18 states

participated in the three-day event. J&K team won the gold in the

team event.

FC Goa has become the first Indian Football Club to qualify for the

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League group stage.

Indian athletes, all from Kashmir, secured three medals in different

categories, one silver and two bronze, in the World SnowShoe

Championship at Myoko, Japan.

10th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship: Services team

won the championship after defeating Air India team in the finals

played at Jhansi, UP.

The International Hockey Federation, Lausanne in Switzerland has

granted hosting rights for the Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup 2021

to India.

The 36th edition of the National Games will be held in Goa from 20th

October to 4th November 2020. ‘Rubigula', flame-throated Bulbul,

has been unveiled as the official mascot for the Games. It is also the

state bird of Goa.



JANUARY

Manav Thakkar, star table Tennis player from

UP jumped nine places to become the world's

no. 1 in the Under-21 men’s singles category

in the latest International Table Tennis

Federation (ITTF) rankings.

Koneru Humpy, 32 year old Grandmaster

from Andhra, won the Women’s World Rapid

Championship 2019 title in Moscow, Russia, defeating Lei Tingjie of

China in the tiebreaker series. Men’s title was won by Magnus Carlsen

of Norway.

Vinesh Phogat won the gold in the 53 kg category at the Rome

Ranking Series in Rome. Anshu Malik won silver in 57kg

competition. Bajrang Punia and Ravi Kumar Dahiya claimed gold

medals in the same tournament.

Divyansh Singh Pawar and Apurvi Chandela clinched a gold medal

each in Meyton Cup in Innsbruck, Austria.

Sania Mirza and Nadiia Kichenok (Ukraine) won the women’s doubles

title of the WTA International trophy at Hobart, Australia.

Kuldeep Yadav became the fastest Indian spinner and overall third

bowler to claim 100 wickets in ODI during the second match against

Australia in Rajkot.

The International Cricket Council-ICC named Virat Kohli as the

captain of the ODI and Test teams of the year. He also won the ICC’s

Spirit of Cricket Award for his supportive behaviour on the ground.

BCCI declares Award for Best Cricketer

Polly Umrigar Award for Best International cricketer-Men: Won by

India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah

Polly Umrigar Award for Best International cricketer-Women: Won

by star leg spinner Poonam Yadav

C K Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award-2019: Conferred upon

Krishnamachari Srikkanth & Anjum Chopra, former India women’s

captain, by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for their

contributions to Indian cricket.



CURTAINS DOWN ON ‘KHELO INDIA GAMES’

The 3rd Khelo India Youth Games were held in Guwahati from Jan

10 to 22. In all, 6,500 athletes took part in 20 disciplines. The Games

concluded on Jan 22 with a colourful closing ceremony at Nabin

Chandra Bordoloi indoor stadium in Guwahati.

Maharashtra won the champion’s trophy with 256 medal including 78

gold. Haryana (200 medals) and Delhi (122 medals) secured second

and third position, respectively.

Virat Kohli has been included in the list of top five cricketers of the

decade by the Wisden Cricketers' Almanac. The other four cricketers

are: Australia’s Steve Smith and women’s all-rounder Ellyse Perry,

South Africa’s Dale Steyn and AB de Villiers.

Kohli has also been named as the captain of Wisden’s test team of the

decade.

Virat Kohli and pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah are the only Indians in

Wisden’s T20 International team of the decade.

Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book, which is

also known as the bible of cricket. The book is published annually in the

UK, since 1864.

The 5th Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI) National Ice Hockey

Championship -2020 was held in Leh, Ladakh Team from Ladakh won

the title in both, Boys and Girls categories.

The 63rd National Shooting Championship was held in Bhopal,

Madhya Pradesh.

Arjun Munda elected as the President of Archery Association of

India. He is the current union minister for tribal affairs.

Irfan Pathan: Indian all-rounder announced his retirement from all

forms of Cricket. Irfan made his Team India debut at the age of 19 in

2003.

INTERNATIONAL

APRIL

Alireza Firouzja, 16-year-old Iranian refugee won the final of the

Banter Blitz Cup 2020 by defeating World Chess Champion Magnus

Carlsen. Firouzja, an Iranian now living in Paris, is the second-

youngest player to reach a rating of 2700 from Fédération

Internationale des Échecs (FIDE).



Ben Stokes, England’s all-rounder has been named the leading

cricketer in the world 2020 by Wisden. In the Women's category,

Australia’s Ellyse Perry has been named the Wisden’s Leading Female

Cricketer in the World.

Mascots unveiled for 19th Asian Games

The Olympic Council of Asia unveiled the official mascots of the 19th

Asian Games scheduled to be held in Hangzhou, China in 2022. These

are three animated robots namely Congcong, Lianlian and Chenchen,

collectively named “The Smart Triplets”.

Fei Fei - the mascot for 2022 Asian Para Games

Fei Fei the bird has been unveiled as the mascot for the Hangzhou

(China) 2022 Asian Para Games. The mascot is inspired by "divine

bird", a part of Liangzhu culture. According to legend, "divine bird"

brings bliss with Fei Fei said to represent both Hangzhou's heritage

and its technological innovation.

The 2021 World Athletics Championship which was originally

scheduled to be held in Eugene, Oregon (USA) from August 6-15, 2021

will now be held in 2022 as the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games postponed

because of the corona virus pandemic.

Tour de France: The world’s most famous cycling race, held every

year in France, has been postponed in the wake of the Coronavirus

pandemic. The three-week race that was set to start on 27th of June in

the Riviera city of Nice has now been set for August, 2020.

MARCH

Kieron Pollard, West Indies skipper became the first player in the

history of T20 (Twenty20) cricket to feature in 500 matches

Tiger Woods, the legendary Golf player from Californea, USA has

been elected into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Woods, 44, has

amassed 15 major championships and a record-tying 82 PGA Tour

victories in his professional career.

ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020: Defending champions Australia

won the cup by smashing India by 85 runs for a record-extending fifth

World Cup title at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Australia.

Yonex All England Open Badminton Championship: Viktor Axelsen of

Denmark won the men’s singles title while the women's singles title

was won by Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan in the finals played in

Birmingham, UK.



Olympics postponed for one year

Japan's Prime Minister and the head of the International Olympic

Committee, Shinzo Abe announced to postpone the Tokyo 2020

Games by a year in an extraordinary move, unprecedented in

peacetime, as the world battles the Coronavirus pandemic. The

Games were scheduled to start on July 24. This is the biggest sports

event that has been postponed in the wake of the Coronavirus

outbreak.

This is the first time in the 124-year history of the Olympics that the games

have been cancelled due to outbreak of a virus. The Games have

been cancelled earlier only thrice : in 1916 due to the First World War

and in 1940 and 1944 due to World War II.

No Wimbledon this year

The oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament - Wimbledon was scrapped

for the first time since World War II as the Coronavirus wreaks

further havoc on the global sporting calendar. The cancellation of the

only grass court major at the All England Club, London leaves the

season in disarray, with no tennis due to be played until mid-July.

FEBRUARY AUSTRALIAN OPEN, year’s first Grand Slam of Tennis concludes at

Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia.

Serbia's Novak Djokovic won his record 8th Men's singles title by

beating Dominic Thiem of Austria.

American Sofia Kenin won her first Grand Slam title with victory over

Spain's Garbine Muguruza

THE LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS AWARDS - 2020

Popular as the Oscars of Sports, these awards are given by the

Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, London. They recognise the

outstanding performers on the basis of their performance in the

previous year. This year’s award ceremony was held in Berlin,

Germany

Laureus Sportsman of the year: Lionel Messi, Footballer from

Argentina and Lewis Hamilton, F1 racer from Britain

Laureus Sportswoman of the year: Simone Biles, star gymnast from

USA with highest ever number of Olympic and World Championship

medals.

Laureus Team of the Year: National Rugby team of South Africa,

winner of the Rugby World Cup, 2019



Ross Taylor, veteran New

Zealand batsman became

the first player in the world

to play 100 matches each in

all three formats of cricket,

viz. Test, ODI and T20. The

landmark achievement came

as he took the field against

India in the opening Test at

Basin Reserve in Wellington, New Zealand.

The IOC Coaches Lifetime Achievement Awards: Men - Malcolm

Arnold from Uganda, for training athletes

Women - Ulla Koch from Germany, for training gymnasts

ICC U-19 World Cup: Bangladesh lifted the cricket cup for the first

time, by defeating India by three wickets at JB Marks Oval,

Potchefstroom, South Africa.

ICC Women’s Championship Trophy 2020: Awarded to Australia’s

team led by Meghann Moira Lanning (For winning eight team ODI-

cricket).

Maria Sharapova, five-time Grand Slam winner from Russia, one of

the world's most recognisable and highest-paid sportswomen for years,

announced her retirement at the age of 32. She started playing at a

young age of 14 and had been the highest-paid female athlete in the

world for 11 years, up to 2016. She settled down in America in 1994.

The Organising Committee for Tokyo 2020 Olympics has revealed the

official Games motto: “United by Emotion”. The motto emphasizes

the power of sport to bring together people from diverse backgrounds

of every kind and allow them to connect and celebrate in a way that

reaches beyond their differences.

JANUARY

Ben Stokes, star cricketer from England won the Sir Garfield Sobers

Trophy for Best Cricketer of the Year 2019, awarded by the ICC. He

was declared ‘Man of the Match’ in the match in which England won

the ICC World Cup, 2019.

Indonesia Badminton Masters 2020: Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon

lifted the women's singles title after defeating Carolina Marin of Spain

in Jakarta, Indonesia.



DAYS & DATES

APRIL April 2: World Autism Awareness Day

Observed globally every year to

highlight the need to improve

the quality of life of those with

autism so that they can lead full

and meaningful lives as an

integral part of society. This

year’s theme is ‘The Transition

to Adulthood’. The theme draws

attention to the adulthood of

people with autism.

Autism is a developmental

disorder characterized by difficulties with social interaction and

communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior.

April 5: National Maritime Day

Observed annually to raise awareness in supporting intercontinental

commerce and the global economy as the most well-organized, safe

and sound, environmentally responsive approach of transporting

goods from one corner to another corner of the world.

On this day in 1919, SS Loyalty, the first ship of The Scindia Steam

Navigation Company Ltd sailed from Mumbai to the United Kingdom

(London).

April 5: International Day of Conscience

The United Nations has declared this day to remind people to self-

reflect, follow their conscience, and do the right things. It's an

opportunity to improve themselves and their communities,

stimulating a crucial turning point for transforming our world.

April 07: World Health Day

It is an initiative taken by the World Health Organization to raise

awareness about overall health and well-being of people across the

world. The theme for 2020 is to support nurses and midwives. WHO

chose the year 2020 as the "Year of the Nurse and Midwife" to honour

the contribution which they are making in making the world a

healthier place. WHO is honouring the Nurses and other health

workers who are putting their own health at risk to protect the

broader community at the forefront of COVID-19 response.



April 10: World Homoeopathy Day

This day is celebrated to honor the

birth of the father of the

Homoeopathic system of medicines

Dr. Samuel Hahnemann. Born in

Paris, France, he was a German

physician, who was an acclaimed

scientist, a great scholar, and

linguist. Homeopathy is an

alternative form of medicine, which

believes that ‘Like cures like.’ The

theme for this year is “Linking

research with education and clinical practice: Advancing scientific

collaborations”.

April 11: National Safe Motherhood Day

It is an initiative of the White Ribbon Alliance India (WRAI) to

enforce that women must have the availability and adequate access to

care during pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal services. At the

request of WRAI, an alliance of 1800 organizations, in 2003, the

Government of India declared April 11th, the anniversary of

Kasturba Gandhi’s birth day, as National Safe Motherhood Day.

India is the 1st country in the world to have socially declared a

National Safe Motherhood Day.

April 12: International Day of Human Space Flight

The day is celebrated supported by the UNO to mark the beginning of

the space era for mankind and to highlight the contribution of space

science and technology for peaceful purposes. On this day in 1961, the

first human space flight was carried out by Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet

citizen, who became the first person to journey into outer space.

April 13: India celebrates Baisakhi

The auspicious day of Baisakhi is celebrated all over India though

under different names and with different sets of rituals. It marks the

thanksgiving by the farmer community for the bumper Rabi crops.

In north India, it is one of the biggest festivals of the Sikhs as it marks

the foundation of the Khalsa Panth on this day by the 10th Guru Sri

Gobind Singh.

People of Assam celebrate April 13 as Rongali Bihu, while those in

West Bengal celebrate it as Naba Barsha. Bihar celebrates Baisakhi as

Vaishakha in honour of the Sun God, Surya while Kerala celebrates it

as Vishu and Tamil Nadu as Puthandu.



April 15: World Art Day

Celebrated globally every year with support from UNESCO to

promote the development, diffusion and enjoyment of art. This day is

being celebrated all over the world to emphasize the importance of art

that nurtures creativity, innovation and cultural diversity for all

peoples across the globe.

April 17: World Hemophilia Day

Observed globally to raise awareness for hemophilia and other similar

bleeding disorders. The day happens to be the birthday of Frank

Schnabelen, founder of the World Federation of Hemophilia, a

Montreal, Canada based NGO. This year is the 30th edition of World

Haemophilia Day. The theme of World Haemophilia Day 2020 is “Get

+ Involved”.

April 18: World Heritage Day

Observed every year with support from UNESCO to preserve the

human heritage and recognize the efforts of the organizations working

for it. It is a collective effort of the communities in the world to do

the needful to maintain the legacy and save the rich heritage which

has been given to us by our ancestors. “Shared Cultures, Shared

Heritage, Shared Responsibility” is the theme of this year’s World

Heritage Day.

April 19: World Liver Day

The day is observed to spread awareness about liver-related diseases.

The liver is the second largest and the most complex organ in the

body, the first being the brain. The liver is an accessory digestive

gland that produces bile, an alkaline compound which helps the

breakdown of fat. Bile aids in digestion via the emulsification of

lipids. It is the largest detoxifying agent in the human body. Certain

Do's & Don'ts can ensure proper functioning of the liver and keep

them healthy.

April 21: Civil Services Day

The Government of India celebrates this day as an occasion for the

civil servants to rededicate themselves to the cause of citizens and

renew their commitments to public service and excellence in work.

This date commemorates the day when the first home minister of

independent India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel addressed the

probationers of Administrative Services Officers in 1947 at Metcalf

House, Delhi; he referred to civil servants as the 'steel frame of India'.



April 21: World Creativity and Innovation Day

Observed globally every year to raise awareness about the importance

of creativity and innovation in problem-solving with respect to

advancing the United Nations sustainable development goals, also

known as the “global goals”. The main objective of the day is to

encourage people to use new ideas, make new decisions, and do

creative thinking.

April 22: The Earth day

Observed to create awareness about pollution and to celebrate the

environment of our planet. This year is a special occasion as it marks

the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. The theme of the day this year is

‘Climate Action’. Climate change represents the biggest challenge to

the future of humanity and the life-support systems that make our

world habitable.

April 23: World Book and Copyright Day

Observed globally every year with support from UNESCO to pay

tribute to all those writers and authors who have contributed to the

social and cultural progress of humanity. The day aims at raising

awareness about the "power of books" and encouraging people across

the world to read. The UNESCO selected city of Kuala Lumpur in

Malaysia as the World Book Capital for 2020. The slogan for 2020 is -

“KL Baca – caring through reading”.

April 23: English Language Day

Observed globally every year to mark the birthday and date of death

of legendary writer William Shakespeare. This initiative was

established by the UN’s Department of Public Information in 2010

“to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity as well as to

promote equal use of all six official languages throughout the

Organization”.

April 24: National Panchayati Raj Day

Celebrated to highlight the role of Panchayats as the first rung of local

self administration. Panchayati Raj Institutions are the cornerstone

of decentralized governance and planning in India. On this day in

1993, the Panchayati Raj Act (73rd Amendment) came into

existence. The Panchayati Raj is the oldest system of local

government. The word 'Panchayat' is an amalgamation of two words

where 'Panch' means 'five' and 'Ayat' means 'assembly' and 'Raj'

means 'rule'.



April 25: World Malaria Day

Celebrated internationally to raise awareness about the need for the

prevention, control and elimination of malaria. It is an opportunity to

provide education to the people for better understanding regarding

disease malaria and how to cure it. Malaria is a life-threatening disease

which is caused by Plasmodium Parasites. The parasite can be spread

to humans through the bites of infected female Anopheles

mosquitoes. The theme for this year’s celebrations is "Zero malaria

starts with me."

April 26: World Intellectual Property Day

The day is celebrated to make people know how intellectual property

(IP) rights encourage innovation and creativity. The celebrations are

supported by the UN special agency - World Intellectual Property

Office (WIPO), Geneva. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, it is

necessary to be safe, therefore, WIPO is not organising any physical

events, and encouraged the community to celebrate via virtual

channels. This year the theme is "Innovate for a Green Future". It

will focus on how innovation, development and diffusion of eco-

friendly technologies will enable us to tackle the climate crisis and

build a green future.

April 28: World Day for Safety and Health at Work

The day aims at promoting the prevention of occupational accidents

and diseases at the workplace. In order to stress the prevention of

accidents and diseases at work, the International Labour Organization

(ILO) started celebrating this day in 2003. The theme for this year’s

celebrations is "Stop the pandemic: Safety and health at work can

save lives". The theme will primarily focus on addressing the

outbreak of infectious diseases at work, focusing on the COVID-19

pandemic.



April 29: International Dance Day

This day was created by the Dance Committee of the International

Theatre Institute, Paris, the main partner for the performing arts of

UNESCO. This event marks the birth anniversary of Jean-Georges

Noverre (1727–1810), the creator of modern ballet.

April 30: Ayushman Bharat Diwas

The day aims to promote affordable medical facilities in remote areas

of the country based on the Socio-Economic Caste Census database. It

also aims to promote health and wellness and provide insurance

benefits to the poor. This day marks the launch of Ayushman Bharat

Yojana, which is also known as Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana

(PMJAY) in 2018. The Scheme has various benefits with an insurance

cover of 5 lakh rupees per family per year.

MARCH

March 1: World Civil Defence Day

This day was incorporated in 1990 by the International Civil Defence

Organisation (ICDO) to mark the adoption of the ICDO Constitution

as an intergovernmental organisation in 1972. The day aims to

highlight the importance of civil protection and to pay tributes to the

efforts, sacrifices, and accomplishments of all the services responsible

to fight against disasters. The theme of this year’s Day was

“Children’s safety, our responsibility”.

March 1: Zero Discrimination Day

Celebrated to honour everyone’s right to live a full and productive

life—and live it with dignity. The celebrations are supported by the

UN body UNAIDS. This year’s theme was “Zero Discrimination

Against Women And Girls” to focus on the discrimination faced by

women and girls in all their diversity and raising awareness and

mobilizing action to promote equality and empowerment for women

and girls.

March 3: World Wildlife Day

The day aims at raising awareness about flora and fauna and the

dependability of humans on their surroundings and the environment.

Due to over exploitation, wildlife, natural habitats and ecosystems are

endangered across the world. This year, the day was celebrated with

the theme ‘Sustaining all life on Earth’. The theme is aimed at

ensuring sustainable use of resources and conservation of land and

groundwater to stop biodiversity loss.



March 3: World Hearing Day

Celebrated with support from the World Health Organization (WHO),

the day aims to highlight that timely and effective care can enable

people with hearing loss to achieve their full potential. It is an

occasion to raise awareness about how to prevent deafness and

hearing loss and promote hearing care across the world. The theme

for this year’s celebrations was “Hearing for life, don’t let hearing loss

limit you”.

March 4: National Safety Day

Celebrated to commemorate the foundation of the National Safety

Council on this day in 1966 under the Ministry of Labour and

Employment to raise awareness about the safety measures to prevent

mishaps and accidents due to lack of awareness. The Campaign is

aimed at renewing the commitment of employees and the general

public to work safely throughout the year.

March 7: Jan Aushadhi Diwas

Government has decided to celebrate March 7 as the Janaushadhi

Diwas to create awareness about the use of generic medicines available

at much cheaper rates. Currently, over 6200 Jan Aushadhi stores

across all the districts are providing quality medicine at the affordable

price.

The Jan Aushadhi medicines have played a big role in bringing down the

out-of-pocket expenditure of patients suffering from life-threatening

diseases in India.

March 8: International Women's Day

Celebrated every year to help forge a gender equal world, celebrate

women's achievements and increasing visibility. It is an occasion to

celebrate the progress made by women in all walks of life. It is also an

opportunity to acknowledge the extraordinary role played by women

over the years in our day to day life. The theme this year is “I am

Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights".



March (12): The World Kidney Day

Observed on the second Thursday of March to create awareness about

preventive behaviours, risk factors, and how to live with kidney

disease. The Day aims to raise awareness of the importance of our

kidneys to our overall health and to reduce the frequency and impact

of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide. The

theme for this year’s celebrations is ‘Kidney health for everyone

everywhere-from prevention to detection and equitable access to care’.

March (13): World Sleep Day

The day is observed annually on the Friday before the March Equinox

on the Earth, when the subsolar point appears to leave the Southern

Hemisphere and cross the celestial equator, heading northward as seen

from Earth. It is organized by the World Sleep Day Committee of the

World Sleep Society and aims to lessen the burden of sleep problems

on society through better prevention and management of sleep

disorders. The theme for this year is “Better Sleep, Better Life,

Better Planet”.

March 15: The World Consumer Rights Day

Observed across the world to promote basic rights of consumers and to

ensure that these rights are respected and protected. The Day aims to

protect consumers across the globe against market abuses. The theme

for this year is “ The Sustainable Consumer”. The campaign will

discuss the need for sustainable consumption globally, as well as

highlighting the important role that consumer rights and protection

can play. It may be noted that in India, National Consumers Right Day

is observed on December 24.

March 16: National Vaccination Day

Also known as National Immunization Day, it is celebrated to

highlight the importance of vaccination to the people. The Day aims

to make all people aware of arming against polio and eradicating it

completely from the world. It was on this day in 1995 that the first

dose of Oral Polio Vaccine was given.

March 18: The Ordnance Factories’ Day

On this day in 1802, production started in India’s first Ordnance

Factory at Cossipore, Kolkata. OFB -Ordnance Factory Board is the

37th largest defence equipment manufacturer in the world, 2nd largest

in Asia, and the largest in India. OFB headquarters are in Aayudh

Bhawan, Kolkata. It has 41 Ordnance factories, 9 training institutes,

3 regional marketing centres and 5 regional controllers of safety,

spread all over India.



March 18: The Global Recycling Day

Observed across the world to

help recognise, and celebrate

the importance recycling plays

in preserving the precious

primary resources. The theme

for this year is

#RecyclingHeroes. This will

recognize the people, places

and activities that showcase

what an important role recycling plays in contributing to an

environmentally stable planet and a greener future which will benefit

all. The Day is organised by the Global Recycling Foundation,

London.

March 20: International Day of Happiness

Celebrated with UN support as a way to recognize the importance of

happiness in the lives of people around the world. It was initially

founded and conceptualized in 2006 by Jayme Illien, CEO of the

United Nations New World Order project. This year the focus will be

on what we have in common, rather than what divides us. The theme

for this year is 'Happier Together', focusing on what we have in

common.

March 20: The World Sparrow Day

The Day is observed every year to raise awareness about the

importance of the household sparrow and the other common birds to

urban environments, and the threats to their populations. The house

sparrow is believed to be declining for various reasons ranging from

the destruction of its habitat to lack of insect food for the young and

even the increasing microwave pollution from mobile phone

towers. The theme for this year is "I LOVE Sparrows". It is a hope

that with this theme more people will join several events and

campaigns to protect the sparrows.

March 21: International Day of Forests

The day is observed every year to raise awareness on how sustainably

managed forests provide a wide array of contributions in our

life. Forests act as key contributors to combat climate change. To

ensure a better living for years, we need to take care of our forests and

the wildlife surviving in them. For the year 2020, the theme is Forests

and Biodiversity. Forests cover roughly one third of the Earth's land

mass.



March 21: World Poetry Day

Observed annually to support linguistic diversity through poetic

expression and to offer endangered languages the opportunity to be

heard within their communities. UNESCO recognized 21st of March

as World Poetry Day during its 30th session which was held in Paris

in 1999. The day aims to encourage a return to the oral tradition of

poetry recitals, to promote the teaching of poetry and to honour poets

for transforming the simplest of poems into a powerful catalyst for

dialogue and peace.

March 21: World Down Syndrome Day

Observed every year to raise public awareness about Down syndrome.

People with Down syndrome have an extra partial (or whole) copy of

chromosome 21causing developmental and intellectual delays. In

order to ensure proper growth and development, social learning

programs are required to integrate anyone who has Down syndrome.

The theme for this year is “We Decide”.

March 21: The International Day for the Elimination of Racial

Discrimination

Celebrated across the globe with support from UNESCO to eliminate

all forms of racial discrimination. On this day in 1960, over 69 people

were killed in police firing in a peaceful demonstration against the

apartheid "pass laws" in Sharpeville, South Africa,

March 22: World Water Day

Celebrated around the world with UN support to make people aware

of the importance of water. It was initiated in 1992 during the United

Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held

in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This year’s theme is 'Water and climate

change’ i.e. to make people aware of how climate change is impacting

water resources.

March 23: Shaheed Diwas

Celebrated every year to pay tribute to martyrs Bhagat Singh,

Sukhdev Thapar, and Shivaram Rajguru. On this day in 1931, these

three Indian freedom fighters were hanged by the British rulers in

Lahore jail. The three brave freedom fighters were sentenced to death

in the Lahore conspiracy case. They were cremated on the bank of

River Satluj at village Hussainiwala, district Ferozepur, Punjab. A

National Martyrs Memorial has been erected at this place.



March 23: World Meteorological Day

The day is promoted by the World Meteorological Organization -

WMO. It was on this day in 1950 that WMO was established in

Geneva, Switzerland. The Organisation has 193 countries as

members. The day is celebrated to highlight the contribution of

National Meteorological and Hydrological Services to the safety and

well-being of society. The theme for this year is 'Climate and Water'.

Please note that World Metrology Day is an event occurring on

20 May celebrating the International System of Units.

March 24: World Tuberculosis Day

Observed every year with support from the WHO to raise public

awareness about the devastating health, social and economic

consequences of TB (tuberculosis), and to step up efforts to end the

global epidemic. The date marks the day in 1882 when Dr Robert

Koch discovered the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis that causes

TB. It is only after the discovery of this bacterium that efforts were

put in the direction of diagnosing and curing it. The theme this year

is “It’s Time”. According to data released by the WHO, every day

more than 4,000 people lose their lives due to TB. Around 30,000

people are infected by Tuberculosis each year.

March 27: World Theatre Day

Initiated in 1961 by the International Theatre Institute, Paris it is

celebrated annually by ITI Centres and the international theatre

community across the world. Various national and international

theatre events are organized to mark this occasion.

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



Latest GK Bytes

APRIL 2020

1) Name the oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament that has been

scrapped for the first time since World War II due to havoc of

Corona. Wimbledon, London

2) The Union cabinet has approved a _____ percent cut in the

salaries of the Members of Parliament for one year wef April 1

this year. 30%

3) The Union cabinet has decided to suspend MPLADS funds for

two years from 2020-21 to 2022. What is the full form of

MPLADS? Member of Parliament Local Area Development

Scheme

4) Every MP gets how much funds every year under the

MPLADS? Rs 5 crore

5) The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has decided

to introduce three new subjects for class 11 from 2020-21

academic session. Name these subjects. Design Thinking,

Physical Activity Trainer and Artificial Intelligence

6) Which global agency has approved a fast-track $1 billion

support for “India Covid Emergency Response and Health

Systems Preparedness Project”? The World Bank

7) The Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef system has

suffered its worst mass coral bleaching in recent years. Where is

it located? In the sea around northeast Australia

8) Name the FIFA event that was to be held in India in November

this year, which has been postponed by FIFA due to the

worsening COVID-19 pandemic across the globe. The FIFA

Under-17 Women’s World Cup

9) The New Delhi _________ World Cup, which had already been

postponed from March to May, has now been cancelled due to

the Covid-19 pandemic. Shooting

10) The Central Government has approved a double-digit hike in

the wages of manual labourers under MNREGA. The letter G

stands for what? Guarantee

11) The World Health Day is celebrated around the globe on which

date? April 07

12) What is the name of the main mobile app launched for tracking



and fighting COVID-19, launched by the Central Government?

‘Aarogya Setu’

13) Name the British cricketer who co-invented the Duckworth-

Lewis Method, who died on April 1 at the age of 78. Tony Lewis

14) Who has been appointed the new Chairman of the National

Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom):

Pravin Rao

15) The World Homoeopathy Day is observed on which date? April

10

16) Who is known as the father of the Homoeopathic system of

medicines? Dr. Samuel Hahnemann

17) India celebrates National Safe Motherhood Day on April 11.

This day also commemorates the birth day of which great

Indian lady social worker? Kasturba Gandhi

18) Which organisation supports the celebration of the National

Safe Motherhood Day? White Ribbon Alliance India

19) Indian football team retained its ______ spot in the latest FIFA

rankings. 108th

20) Which ministry launched Bharat Padhe Online campaign on

April 11 to crowdsource ideas for improving the online education

ecosystem of India? The Union Ministry of Human Resources

Development

21) These days we hear a lot about providing PPEs to doctors and

medical staff. What is full form of PPE? Personal Protection

Equipment

22) Which funding agency has has assured $2.2 billion (about Rs

16,500 crore) support to India in its fight against the Covid-19

pandemic? The Asian Development Bank

23) Name the England’s all-rounder who has been named the

leading cricketer in the world 2020 by Wisden. Ben Stokes

24) Which national day is celebrated to commemorate the sailing of

first Indian ship from Mumbai to London? National Maritime

Day, April 5

25) Which global day is observed on April 2 to highlight the need to

improve the quality of life of those suffering with Autism?

World Autism Awareness Day

26) The Indian Air Force conducted ‘Operation Sanjeevani’ to air-

lift 6.2 tonnes of essential medical supplies to which country?

Maldives

27) The Olympic Council of Asia unveiled the official mascots of the



19th Asian Games-2022. Which city will host these games?

Hangzhou, China

28) Name the three animated robots selected as the mascots for the

19th Asian Games-2022: Congcong, Lianlian and Chenchen

29) What is the single name given to the three mascots of 19th

Asian Games-2022? The Smart Triplets

30) Who is the Chief of the Indian Air Force? Air Chief Marshal

Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria

31) In which state Baisakhi is celebrated as Naba Barsha? West

Bengal

32) Vishu is a famous festival of which state? Kerala

33) In Tamil Nadu festival of Baisakhi is celebrated by which

name? Puthandu

34) Which country has approved the sale of Harpoon Block II air

launched missiles and lightweight torpedoes worth $155 million

to India. USA

35) What kind of weapon is a Torpedo? A guided missile usually

fired from a submarine

36) M S Mahabaleshwara has been re-appointed as the MD and

CEO of which private sector? Karnataka Bank

37) World Art Day is celebrated with support from UNESCO on

which day of April? 15th

38) Which country has decided to stop funding for the World

Health Organization (WHO), accusing it of grossly

mismanaging and covering-up the spread of the novel

coronavirus? USA

39) Reserve Bank of India on April 17 announced several regulatory

measures aimed at boosting liquidity in the market. It slashed

which policy rate by 25 basis points? Reverse Repo Rate

40) RBI announced a booster package of 50,000 crore rupees for

supporting which sector of economy to recover from the

lockdown? Small and Medium-sized industries

41) The RBI Governor declared that the period of resolution plan

for NPAs will be extended by ____ days? 90

42) An Integrated Geospatial Platform named _________has been

rolled out by the Deptt. of Science and Technology, Govt. of

India, to help in decision making during the present COVID-19

outbreak. SAHYOG

43) The WWF (World Wide Fund) India has appointed veteran



world chess champion ___________ as its ambassador for the

environmental education program. Viswanathan Anand

44) World Hemophilia Day is observed on April 17 across the world.

Hemophilia is related to which ailment? Bleeding disorders

45) Fei Fei the bird has been unveiled as the mascot for which Asian

Para Games? Hangzhou (China) 2022 Asian Para Games

46) World Heritage Day is observed on which date? April 18

47) What is the name of the mobile app launched to facilitate

transportation of food grains and perishables like fruits and

vegetables, during lockdown? Kissan Rath

48) Which Indian two wheeler company has acquired the United

Kingdom’s most iconic sporting motorcycle brand ‘Norton’?

TVS Motors

49) Name the world's most famous cycling race, held every year in

France, which has been postponed in the wake of the

Coronavirus pandemic. Tour de France

50) April 19 is celebrated around the world to promote awareness

about one of the most complex organ in the body. Can you name

it? Liver

51) Which great Indian statesman termed civil servants as the ‘steel

frame of India’? Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

52) Which International day is observed on April 22 to create

awareness about pollution and to celebrate the environment of

our planet? The Earth Day

53) Social media and tech giant Facebook invested Rs 43,574 crore

for securing a 9.99 per cent stake in which Indian company?

Jio Platforms

54) ______________ became the first state on April 19 to geo-tag

community kitchens being run in the state. Uttar Pradesh

55) Name the creator of most popular animation characters Tom

and Jerry, Popeye the Sailor, who passed away at the age of 95

at his residence in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Gene Deitch

56) Kapil Dev Tripathi has been appointed as the new Secretary to

which apex authority? President of India

57) Which bank has rolled out a new feature of voice banking

services on Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for its

customers? ICICI Bank

58) HRD Ministry launched the national program named

_________ for inviting e-learning content contributions for both

school and higher education. VidyaDaan 2.0



59) April 23 is observed globally every year as English Language

Day to mark the birthday and date of death of which legendary

writer? William Shakespeare

60) The UNESCO has selected which city as the World Book

Capital for 2020. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

61) National Panchayati Raj Day is celebrated on which date?

April 24

62) Which amendment of Indian Constitution introduced the

Panchayati Raj Act in 1993? 73rd amendment

63) The Prime Minister launched which two major schemes for rural

areas on April 24? e-Gram Swaraj Portal and Swamitva

64) The World Bank has approved $82 million for the State Roads

Transformation Project of which state for upgradation of major

roads and modernization of the Public Works Department in the

state? Himachal Pradesh

65) Name the eminent theatre personality who died at her residence

in south Kolkata on April 23, at the age of 75. Usha Ganguly

66) The Global Press Freedom Index has ranked India at which

spot? 142nd

67) Which country topped the the Global Press Freedom Index?

Norway

68) Which institution has claimed to have developed a potential

COVID-19 vaccine, the first human trials of which began on

April 23, 2020? Oxford University, London

69) Who has been appointed as the new Chief Vigilance

Commissioner of India? Sanjay Kothari

70) Which international day is celebrated on April 25 to raise

awareness about a globally present disease? World Malaria Day

71) Malaria is a life-threatening disease which is caused by ________

Parasites. Plasmodium

72) The Plasmodium parasite is spread by which insect? Female

Anopheles mosquitoes

73) What is the theme for this year’s World Malaria Day? Zero

malaria starts with me

74) Government has declared banking industry as a public utility

service for six months till October 21 under the provisions of

which Act? Industrial Disputes Act, 1947

75) __________ has become the first state to have the requisite

infrastructure in all its courts for hearing cases through video



conferencing. Uttar Pradesh

76) Which country successfully launched its first-ever military

satellite named “Noor” into orbit? Iran

77) According to a Swedish research institute, Stockholm

International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India is the

____ biggest spender on military hardware. Third

78) As per SIPRI report, ___________ is the biggest spender of

military expenditure. USA

79) Which country has declared an end to the death penalty for

crimes committed by minors? Saudi Arabia

80) The Reserve Bank announced on April 27 a Special Liquidity

Facility of Rs 50,000 crore for which sector of economy? Mutual

funds

81) World Day for Safety and Health at Work is observed on which

day? April 28

82) Which UN agency supports the celebrations of the World Day

for Safety and Health at Work? International Labour

Organization (ILO)

83) The BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs summit was held

through a video conference on April 28, 2020. It was hosted by

which country? Russia

84) What is the full form of the UN special agency WIPO? World

Intellectual Property Office, Geneva

85) What is the theme of this year’s World Intellectual Property

Day? Innovate for a Green Future

86) Who has been appointed as the next Ambassador / Permanent

Representative of India to the United Nations? T S Tirumurti

87) The International Dance Day is celebrated on which day of

April? 29th

88) The 11th session of Petersburg Climate Dialogue with 30

countries including India was hosted by which country?

Germany

89) Who represented India at the 11th session of Petersburg Climate

Dialogue? Prakash Javadekar, the Union Minister for

Environment, Forest and Climate Change

90) Name the veteran Bollywood actor who passed away on Apri

30, losing his battle against Leukemia. Rishi Kapoor

MARCH 2020

91) The Central government approved Rs 1,340 crore



recapitalisation plan to help which type of banks? Regional

Rural Banks (RRBs)

92) Govt has planned recapitalization of RRBs to meet the CRAR

requirements. What is full form of CRAR? Capital to Risk

weighted Assets Ratio

93) What is the percentage of stake of the sponsoring bank in the

capital of the RRB? 35%

94) What is the percentage of stake of the central government in the

capital of the RRB? 50%

95) Rajyogini Dadi Janki, who passed away recently, was the

spiritual head of which world famous spiritual organisation?

Brahma Kumaris Sansthan

96) The World Theatre Day is observed on which day of March? 23rd

97) Which US defence force deployed its Advanced Extremely High

Frequency (AEHF) satellite to provide secure communications

for the US military and its allies? US Space Force

98) Government announced the ‘Garib Kalyan Package’ for helping

the poor people amidst the Corona crisis. What is its amount?

Rs. 1.70 lakh crore

99) Under which new government scheme 80 crore poor people will

be given 5 kg Wheat or 5 kg Rice and one kg pulse for 3 months?

Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana

100) Government has announced Rs.____ lakh per person insurance

cover for all employees working in the medical field for next

three months. 50

101) Indian scientists have developed ‘MACS 4028’, a biofortified

high-protein variety of which crop. Wheat

102) Which country hosted the firstever G-20 virtual summit

through video conference? Saudi Arabia

103) Name the doe-eyed star of 1950s and ‘60s Hindi movies such as

Aan, Barsaat and Deedar, who died recently after prolonged

illness. Nimmi

104) Name the artist and architect renowned for his versatility across

different mediums, who passed away recently in New Delhi.

Satish Gujral

105) Which global rating agency slashed its estimate of India's GDP

growth during the 2020 calendar year to 2.5 per cent, from an

earlier estimate of 5.3 per cent? Moody's Investors Service

106) The Monetary Policy Committee of RBI headed by its Governor

Shaktikanta Das announced on March 27 a cut in benchmark



interest rate, Repo Rate by _____ basis points to 4.40 per cent.

75

107) RBI reduced the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) of all banks by

______ basis points to 3 per cent with effect from March 28 for 1

year. 100

108) What is the new reverse repo rate under the LAF after a

reduction of 90 basis points? 4%

109) Which oil company has become the 1st Indian company to

begin supply of BS-VI fuel across its 28,000 petrol pumps?

Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.

110) The Reserve Bank of India has decided to extend the _________

_______ classification for bank loans to Non-Banking Financial

Companies (NBFCs) for on-lending, for FY 2020-21. Priority

sector

111) Which State Police has become the first to be equipped with

taser guns as a part of their modernization drive to ensure public

safety and security? Gujarat

112) Which gas is used in the Taser guns to fire the darts?

Compressed Nitrogen

113) Famous ‘Abel Prize’ is given for outstanding achievement in

which field? Mathematics

114) Government of which country has instituted the Abel Prize?

Norway

115) Japan's Prime Minister and the head of the International

Olympic Committee, Shinzo Abe announced to postpone the

Tokyo 2020 Games by how many months? 12

116) In the 124-year old history of the Olympics, the games have

been cancelled how many times? Three

117) World Tuberculosis Day is observed on which day of March? 24

118) World Tuberculosis Day is observed with the support of which

UN organisation? WHO – World Health Organisation

119) What is the theme for this year’s World Tuberculosis Day? It’s

Time

120) Name the scientist who discovered the Tuberculosis causing

bacteria? Dr. Robert Koch

121) Name the Indian mountaineer who entered ‘Limca Book of

Records’ for his extraordinary achievement of becoming the

first Indian to climb the highest volcanoes of each of the 7

continents. Satyarup Siddhanta



122) Who took the oath of Chief Minister for the fourth time in

Madhya Pradesh? Shivraj Singh Chouhan

123) March 23 is celebrated as Shaheed Diwas every year to pay

tribute to which three martyrs? Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar,

and Shivaram Rajguru

124) World Meteorological Day is observed on March 23 to highlight

which important issue? Climate related issues

125) What is the theme for this year’s World Water Day? Water and

climate change

126) On which day of March we celebrate World Water Day? March

22

127) For what purpose Small Industries Development Bank of India

(SIDBI) plans to start Swavalamban Express on June 05, 2020?

To promote budding business aspirants and entrepreneurs

128) Where are the headquarters of Small Industries Development

Bank of India (SIDBI)? Lucknow

129) Who is the current Charman & Managing Director of SIDBI?

Mohmmad Mustafa

130) When do we celebrate the International Day for the Elimination

of Racial Discrimination? March 21

131) What is the theme for this year’s World Down Syndrome Day

observed on March 21? We Decide

132) On which date we observe World Poetry Day? March 21

133) Which international day is observed every year to raise

awareness about the importance of the household sparrow and

the other common birds to urban environments, and the threats

to their populations? The World Sparrow Day

134) As per the World Happiness Report 2020 released by the United

Nations, India stands at which rank in world? 144th

135) Which country topped the rankings given by the World

Happiness Report 2020? Finland

136) Name the legendary Indian footballer who died in Kolkata after

battling prolonged illness. P K Banerjee

137) The Defence Ministry signed a capital acquisition contract with

which country for procurement of 16,479 Negev 7.62x51 mm

light machine guns (LMGs)? Israel

138) A bench of NCLAT has been established in Chennai to cater to

the needs of south based clients. Expand the term NCLAT.

National Company Law Appellate Tribunal



139) OFB -Ordnance Factory Board, the 2nd largest defence

equipment manufacturer in Asia, has its headquarters in which

city? Kolkata

140) What is the name of the OFB HQs in Kolkata? Aayudh

Bhawan

141) The Chameli Devi Award is conferred upon women for showing

excellence in which field? Journalism

142) A roll-on-roll off cum passenger ferry service, was recently

launched between Mumbai and which other city? Mandwa

143) Which apex authority recently ruled that women cannot be

denied permanent commission in the Navy? Supreme Court

144) A tiny island country in the South Pacific Ocean has become the

world’s first whole country to be recognised as a ‘Dark Sky

Place’. Name it. Nieu

145) Who has been appointed as the new MD and CEO of the Yes

Bank? Prashant Kumar

146) Which national day is observed celebrate delivery of the first

dose of Oral Polio Vaccine in India on March 16, 1995? National

Vaccination Day

147) Name the former Chief Justice of India who has recently been

nominated to Rajya Sabha. Justice Ranjan Gogoi

148) The Central Sanskrit University Bill 2019 was passed recently

by the Parliament to provide Central University status to how

many universities in India. Three

149) Name the ace Indian paddler who ended his decade-long wait for

a title by winning the ITTF Challenger Plus Oman Open (Table

Tennis) in Muscat, Oman. Achanta Sharath Kamal

150) Noted philanthropist and IT magnate, Bill Gates was in news

recently for what reason? He stepped down from Microsoft’s

Board of Directors.

151) Muhyiddin Yassin has been appointed as the Prime Minister of

which country? Malaysia

152) The First Khelo India University Games were hosted by which

state? Odisha

153) Indian Railways launched its first “Restaurant on Wheels” at

which railway station? Asansol, West Bengal.

154) On which date we celebrate Zero Discrimination Day? March 1

155) What is the name of the welfare programme launched to provide

good nutritional food tp pregnant mothers? Suposhit Maa



Abhiyaan

156) The United States recently signed a historic peace agreement

with which big militant group? Taliban

157) Which militant outfit is formally known as the Islamic Emirate

of Afghanistan? Taliban

158) DRDO in collaboration with Indian Institute of Science,

Bengaluru has developed a new explosive detection device

RaIDer-X for what purpose? To detect explosives from a

distance

159) Which International day is observed on March 3 for raising

awareness about flora and fauna and the dependability of

humans on their surroundings and the environment? World

Wildlife Day

160) The Government of India has declared the National Chambal

Sanctuary an eco-sensitive zone. It lies in which state? Madhya

Pradesh

161) Dr. Ajay Bhushan Pandey has been given charge of which

important office in the Finance Ministry? Finance Secretary

162) Which are the two places nominated by the government for

inclusion in the World Heritage List 2020, maintained by

UNESCO? Dholvira and Forts and Monuments of Deccan

Sultanate

163) Dholavira, an ancient site of Indus Valley Civilization is located

in which state? Gujarat

164) India bagged a $ 40 million deal to supply 4 indigenously built

radars (capable of locating weapons) to which European

country? Armenia

165) Assembly of which state went paperless on March 2 with the

implementation of National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA)?

Arunachal Pradesh

166) Which union ministry is responsible for implementation of

National e-Vidhan Application? Ministry of Parliamentary

Affairs

167) Who is the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs? Pralhad Joshi

168) What is the name of the scheme that aims to replace all level

crossings on National Highways with road over bridges or under

bridges? Setu Bhartam

169) Name the former UN chief, who led the world body during the

Iran-Iraq war and the civil war in El Salvador, who died

recently. Javier Perez de Cuellar



170) India observes National Safety Day on which date? March 4

171) Which hilly state of India has declared to shift its summer

capital to Gairsain? Uttarakhand

172) On March 1, we celebrate World _____ ______ Day to highlight

the importance of civil protection. Civil Defence

173) What was the theme for this year’s World Civil Defence Day?

Children’s safety, our responsibility

174) India celebrates Jan Aushadhi Diwas on which day of March?

7th

175) International Women's Day is observed on which date? March 8

176) Dhruv Batra Player of the Year Award is given for outstanding

performance in which field? Hockey

177) Who won this year’s Dhruv Batra Player of the Year Award for

men? Manpreet Singh

178) Who won this year’s Dhruv Batra Player of the Year Award for

women? Rani Rampal

179) Denys Shmygal was elected as the new _________ of Ukraine.

Prime Minister

180) Which country won the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020:

Australia

181) Finals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 were held in

which city? Melbourne, Australia

182) Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has launched a

mobile application ‘Sebi SCORES’ for what purpose? To

facilitate online filing of investors grievances through their

smartphones.

183) What is the full form of the acronym SCORES? Sebi Complaints

Redress System

184) Name the RBI Deputy Governor who announced his resignation

due to health problems: N S Vishwanathan

185) “Chapchar Kut” is the most joyful and biggest spring festival of

which Indian state? Mizoram

186) Which state government has asked the temple administrators

in the state to obtain a ‘BHOG’ certificate from FSSAI (Food

Safety and Standards Authority of India) for the ‘prasad’

distributed by them? Tamil Nadu

187) What is the name of the Mizoram’s popular bamboo folk dance?

Cheraw

188) NASA has named its Mars rover as__________ for the Mars



mission scheduled for July 2020: Perseverance

189) Which great Indian king was named as the 'greatest leader ever'

in the world in a survey conducted by BBC World History

Magazine? Maharaja Ranjit Singh

190) Pritzker Prize is given for outstanding achievement in which

field? Architecture

191) What is the amount of cash award given with the Pritzker

Prize? $ 1,00,000/=

192) What is one word that describes a disease that is spreading

between people in multiple countries around the world at the

same time? Pandemic

193) The World Kidney Day is observed on which Thursday of

March? Second

194) Who is popularly known as the Father of Green Revolution in

India? Dr M S Swaminathan

195) Dr M S Swaminathan award is given for outstanding

performance in which field? Agriculture

196) Which state has topped the list for domestic solar rooftop

installations, accounting for about 64% of the total 77,950

domestic solar installations in the country? Gujarat

197) Who is the winner of the first BBC Indian Sportswoman of the

Year Award – 2019? P V Sindhu

198) India is the world’s second largest arms importer. Which

country is at first spot? Saudi Arabia

199) The World Bank approved a $80 million loan to the

____________ government to improve water management

practices and increase agricultural productivity. Himachal

Pradesh

200) Name the legendary Golf player from California, USA who has

been elected into the World Golf Hall of Fame: Tiger Woods

201) The World Health Organization, WHO launched an emergency

task force “COVID Action Platform” in collaboration with

which other organisation? World Economic Forum

202) In a big decision towards "Customer First Approach '', which

bank waived minimum balance requirement for its savings bank

customers? State Bank of India

203) The 4th Inclusive Internet Index 2020 compiled by the

Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), London has placed India at

which rank? 46th



204) The government has announced to hold a CET for recruitment

in railways, banks and lower levels of the Central government.

What is the full form of CET? Common Eligibility Test

205) Which International Day is observed on March 15 to promote

basic rights of consumers and to ensure that these rights are

respected and protected? The World Consumer Rights Day

206) For the first time in India, the Department of Posts introduced

a free digital parcel locker service in __________ to enable

customers to collect their consignment from specified post

offices at their convenience. Kolkata

FEBRUARY 2020

207) Which International Day is observed on Feb 28/29 to raise

awareness about rare diseases and their impacts? The World

Rare Disease Day

208) What was the name of the Joint Airforce exercise of India and

UK held in last week of February? Exercise Indradhanush 2020

209) Exercise Indradhanush 2020 was held at which place in India?

Air Force Station Hindan, near Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh

210) Which apex organization has recently launched "UPI Chalega"

campaign to promote UPI as easy, safe, and instant mode of

payment? National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)

211) Which film won the best film award at the Dadasaheb Phalke

International Film Festival Awards 2020? Super 30

212) Who is the director of the award winning film Super 30? Vikash

Bahl

213) Name the five-time Grand Slam winner tennis player from

Russia, one of the highest-paid sportswomen for 11 years, who

announced her retirement? Maria Sharapova

214) The Reserve Bank has directed banks to link all the new floating

rate loans to __________ enterprises with external benchmark,

with effect from 1st April 2020: Medium

215) What is the full form of the MSMED Act, 2006? Micro, Small

and Medium Enterprises Development

216) Name the noted Indian-American business executive who has

been named the new executive Chairman of Mastercard: Ajay

Pal Singh Banga

217) The 6th National Ice Stock Sports Championship was held at

which place? Gulmarg (J & K)

218) Mohammed Hosni Mubarak, who died recently, ruled which

country as President for 30 years? Egypt



219) US President Donald Trump was given a grand public reception

at which stadium in Ahmedabad? Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera

220) During his India visit, US President signed a $3 billion deal to

supply which helicopters to India? MH-60 Romeo Helicopters

221) What type of helicopters are the MH-60 Romeo Helicopters?

Advanced anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare helicopter

222) ndia celebrates Central Excise Day on which date? February 24

223) What is the name of the Hindi version of Artificial Intelligence-

based chatbot launched by the Indian Railway? ASKDISHA

224) __________ has become the first Indian Football Club to qualify

for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League

group stage? FC Goa

225) India’s first floating jetty has been inaugurated at which place

in Goa? Vasco

226) Government has formally announced the constitution of the

_____ Law Commission: 22nd

227) India celebrates National Science Day on February 28 to honour

the scientific achievement of which Nobel laureate? Sir C V

Raman

228) What is the popular name of the discovery made by Sir C V

Raman for which he was awarded the Nobel prize in Physics in

1930? Raman Effect

229) D Gukesh, the 13-year old ChessGrandmaster from Tamil Nadu

emerged champion in the 34th Cannes Open in which country?

France

230) According to the Commerce Ministry data for 2018-19, which

country was India's top trading partner? USA

231) Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared open the first-ever

Khelo India University Games at _______ in Odisha on Feb 22:

Cuttack

232) ________________selected as the new Chief Information

Commissioner to head the Central Information Commission:

Bimal Julka

233) What is the name of the autobiography of Yashwant Sinha,

veteran BJP leader and former Minister of Finance and

External Affairs? Relentless

234) What is the title of the recent book written by Jaggi Vasudev,

popular as ‘Sadhguru’, noted Yogi and spiritual leader? Death-

An Inside Story



235) 'Amnesty' is a popular novel written by which author? Aravind

Adiga

236) What is the title of the new novel of Colum McCann released in

February 2020? Apeirogon

237) Which two Union Territories recently hosted the Khelo India

Winter Games 2020? Ladakh and J&K

238) As per the Sustainability Index 2020 brought out by the World

Health Organization (WHO), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

and the Lancet medical journal, India has been ranked at which

place? 77th

239) Who has been appointed as per the new Central Vigilance

Commissioner - CVC of India? Sanjay Kothari

240) The Northeast Frontier Railway Construction Organisation has

built India’s tallest railway pier bridge — 100 m tall in which

state? Manipur

241) Name the veteran New Zealand batsman who became the first

player in the world to play 100 matches each in all three formats

of cricket: Ross Taylor

242) Divya Kakran won gold in the 68 kg category in an Asian

championship in which sports? Wrestling

243) ESPN Sports Awards are given by which organization? ESPN

TV Network, USA

244) What is the full form of ESPN? Entertainment and Sports

Programming Network

245) Who has been named ESPN Female Sportsperson of the Year:

PV Sindhu (Badminton)

246) Who has been named ESPN Male Sportsperson of the Year:

Saurabh Chaudhary (Shooter)

247) Which day is celebrated across the globe with support from

UNESCO, Paris to celebrate the linguistic diversity that exists

in the world? International Mother Language Day, Feb 21

248) What is the theme for this year's International Mother

Language Day? Languages without borders

249) The World Social Justice Day is observed on Feb 20 with

support from which UN organization? International Labour

Organization, Geneva

250) Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation recently

announced to run a special tourist train covering important

places linked with Lord Rama. What is its name? Sri Ramayana

Express



251) Which National Day is celebrated to commemorate the launch

of the Soil Health Card Scheme in 2015? Soil Health Card Day,

Feb 19

252) Which zone of the Indian Railways has become the 1st zonal

railway in the country to have functional “energy neutral”

railway stations? South Central Railway Zone, Secunderabad

253) Which global finance agency has agreed to give a $450 million

loan to promote Atal Bhujal Yojana? World Bank

254) The 3rd edition of the Global Ministerial Conference on Road

Safety was held in capital of which country? Sweden

(Stockholm)

255) Name the corporate businessman who recently secured second

rank in the list of richest persons of India? Radhakishan Damani

256) What is the popular name of the retail super market chain being

run by Damani? D-Mart

257) What is the official motto of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics? United

by Emotion

258) The International Hockey Federation has granted hosting rights

for the Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup 2021 to which country?

India

259) As per IMF World Economic Outlook Report, India emerged as

the world's ________ largest economy: Fifth

260) Which International Airport in India was recently declared free

from single-use plastic usage? Delhi's Indira Gandhi

International Airport

261) Koneru Humpy claimed her second title in the last two months

by winning which tournament? Cairns Cup chess tournament,

USA

262) The Laureus World Sports Awards - 2020 were announced

recently at which place? Berlin, Germany

263) Who won this year's Laureus Sportsman of the year award:

Lonel Messi

264) Who is Simone Biles, winner of this year's Laureus

Sportswoman of the year award? Star Gymnast with highest ever

number of Olympic and World Championship medals

265) Which state government has declared the Cauvery delta region

as a Protected Special Agriculture Zone? Tamil Nadu

266) Indian Railways started on Feb 20 a special train by the

name___________ , linking Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh with

Indore in Madhya Pradesh: Kashi Mahakal Express



267) Which Indian city hosted the 65th Filmfare Awards? Guwahati

268) Which film won the Filmfare Award for the Best Film? Gully

Boy

269) Name the famous film director who was honoured with the

Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award: Ramesh Sippy

270) A recent global study showed that Hindi is the ________ most

spoken language of the world in 2019 with 615 million speakers:

3rd

271) Who has been re-elected as the President of Afghanistan? Ashraf

Ghani

272) Debasish Panda has been appointed to which important post in

the Ministry of Finance? Finance Secretary

273) The famous Dan David Prize is supported by which university?

Tel Aviv University, Israel

274) Who won the men's singles title at the 77th Senior National

Squash Championship held in Chennai? Saurav Ghosal

275) The women's singles title at the 77th Senior National Squash

Championship was won by which player? Joshna Chinappa

276) World SnowShoe Championships were recently held in which

country? Japan

277) The 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on the

Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals was hosted

by which city? Gandhinagar, Gujarat

278) Which animal / bird has been named as the mascot of the above

event? Gibi - The Great Indian Bustard

279) Supreme Court directed the union government to grant _____

commission to all women officers who opt for it. Permanent

280) Which bank topped the list of 'Highest increase in brand value'

among the banks around the world, according to 'The Banker's

Top 500 Banking Brands 2020' report: IndusInd Bank

281) The external affairs ministry has decided to rename the Pravasi

Bhartiya Kendra and Foreign Service Institute after which

veteran political leader? Late Sushma Swaraj

282) The central government launched the “School Health

Ambassador Initiative” for what purpose? To spread awareness

about the preventive health aspects

283) The “School Health Ambassador Initiative” has been launched

as a part of which bigger programme? Ayushman Bharat

284) India celebrates national women's day on Feb 13 in the honour



of which great woman leader? Sarojini Naidu

285) On account of her excellence in poetry, Sarojini Naidu was

known will which nick name? Bharat Kokila (Nightingale of

India)

286) Which state hosted “ClimFishCon 2020”, a four day

international conference on the impact of climate change on

‘hydrological cycle, ecosystem, fisheries and food security?

Kerala

287) The seven nation BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise -

2020 was hosted by the National Disaster Response Force

(NDRF) in which city? Bhubaneswar, Odisha

288) What is the full form of the acronym BIMSTEC? Bay of Bengal

Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation

289) Headquarters of the BIMSTEC are located in which city?

Dhaka, Bangladesh

290) President Ram Nath Kovind presented ‘President’s Colour’ to

the INS Shivaji. It is located at which place? Lonavala,

Maharashtra

291) What type of naval establishment is INS Shivaji? It houses

Naval College of Engineering

292) What is the name 200-km strike range supersonic tactical

ballistic missile being developed by DRDO? Pranash

293) Supported by UNESCO, the World Radio Day is observed on

which date? Feb 13

294) What is the theme of this year's World Radio Day? Radio and

Diversity

295) The National Property Day celebrations on Feb 12 are

promoted by which Union Ministry? Ministry of Commerce and

Industry

296) Name the noted environmentalist, former chief and founder of

TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute), New Delhi, who

passed away recently? Dr. R K Pachauri

297) Which Indian boxer has been ranked number one in the 52

kilogram category for Olympic Qualifiers: Amit Panghal

298) Which Indian player was named Player of the Year for 2019 by

the International Hockey Federation? Manrpreet Singh

299) President of __________ Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa arrived in

New Delhi on a four-day visit: Portugal

300) AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal secured a landslide victory in Delhi



assembly elections, becoming Chief Minster for the ________

time? 3rd

301) According to the PSU Survey 2018-19, which PSUs is the

highest profit earning organisation? Oil and Natural Gas

Corporation (ONGC)

302) Name the cueist who defeated multiple-time world champion

Pankaj Advani 6-2 to win the National Snooker Championship

in Pune? Aditya Mehta

303) Who is the current national title holder of women's and snooker?

Vidya Pillai

304) Which international team has been awarded ICC Women’s

Championship Trophy 2020: Australia

305) Ajeya Warrior-2020: 5th edition of joint military exercise of

India was held with which other country? United Kingdom

306) The IOC Coaches Lifetime Achievement Awards for Men has

been won by whom? Malcolm Arnold from Uganda, for training

athletes

307) Who won the women's IOC Coaches Lifetime Achievement

Award? Ulla Koch from Germany, for training gymnasts

308) Where in India a glass floor suspension bridge, the first of its

kind in the country, is to be constructed? Rishikesh,

Uttarakhand

309) Lalremsiami, 19 year old Hockey player from __________ has

been named as the “2019 FIH Women's Rising Star of the

Year”: Mizoram

310) The World Health Organization (WHO) has given what formal

name to the disease caused by the new coronavirus: Covid-19

311) The roots of Unani medicine system can be traced to which

modern country? Greece

312) India celebrates Unani Day on which date? Feb 11

313) The Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers

delivered “INS Kavaratti” to the Indian navy recently. What

type of ship it is? Anti-submarine warfare stealth corvette

314) African Union Summit 2020 was held on Feb 10-11 in which

place? Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

315) Who is Cyril Ramaphosa, the current chairman of African

Union? President of South Africa

316) Which Indian badminton coach, was awarded an "honourable

mention" at the IOC Coaches Lifetime Achievement Awards



2019? Pullela Gopichand

317) Which state won the 10th Hockey India Senior Women

National Championship 2020 (A Division) title at Kollam,

Kerala? Haryana

318) Team of which country lifted the ICC U-19 World Cup:

Bangladesh

319) What is the popular name for the prestigious Academy Awards

given for outstanding excellence in cinema? Oscar

320) Who made the documentary American Factory, the film that

won the Oscar for the best documentary? Barack and Michelle

Obama

321) Name the South Korean director, who won the Oscar for the

best director for the film Parasite? Bong Joon-ho

322) Which film won the Oscar for the best film: Parasite

323) The largest exhibition for the world's defence companies to

display their land, sea and air capabilities was held at which city

in India? Lucknow, UP

324) _________ of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, arrived in New

Delhi on Feb 8 on a five day state visit? Prime Minister

325) Which Union Ministry organises the National Deworming Day

on Feb 10? Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

326) Which medicine is administered to the children on the National

Deworming Day? Albendazole

327) Who created three new records in the men's 109kg category in

the National Weightlifting Championships at Kolkata?

Chandrakant Mali

328) The International Intellectual Property (IP) Index which

measures the intellectual property environment of 53 economies

of the world, placed India at which rank? 40th

329) Britain's Prince Charles unveiled a new children's protection

fund for which country as part of British Asian Trust? India

330) India replaced which country to become 2nd largest producer of

steel in the world in 2019? Japan

331) Which country is the largest producer of steel in the world?

China

332) Who has been awarded the International Gandhi Awards for

Leprosy? Dr NS Dharmashaktu

333) Name the longest-serving Kenyan President, who passed away

on February 04? Daniel Arap Moi



334) India’s biggest rural technical festival titled ‘Antahpragnya

2020’ was held in Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge

Technologies, in which state? Telangana

335) Union Cabinet has decided to bring __________ banks under the

regulatory mechanism of Reserve Bank of India: Cooperative

336) Ajay Bisaria has been appointed as the next High Commissioner

of India to which country? Canada

337) The Indian Navy conducted a coastal security exercise named

‘Malta Abhiyan’ in which place? Sunderban delta waters near

Kolkata, West Bengal

338) M Ajit Kumar has been appointed as the chairman of the

Central Board of _______________: Indirect Taxes and Customs

339) Which country has introduced a new system for collecting fee

from regional tourists, called ‘Sustainable Development Fee?

Bhutan

340) Which cinema award are popularly known as the Oscars of

Europe? BAFTA Awards

341) What is the full form of BAFTA? British Academy Film and

Television Arts

342) Which film secured the BAFTA award for the best film? 1917

by Sam Mendes

343) Who won the BAFTA award for the best leading actress? Renee

Zellweger (Judy)

344) Name the actor who won all the three top global awards viz

Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA for the best actor? Joaquin

Phoenix (Joker)

345) RBI has enhanced the insurance cover on bank deposits to

_____ lakh rupees from one lakh rupees wef Feb 04: Five

346) The Insurance cover on the bank deposits of individuals is

provided by which RBI owned company? Deposit Insurance and

Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC),

347) Which International Day is celebrated on Feb 2 to raise

awareness about the importance of wetlands in maintaining

ecological balance? World Wetland Day

348) Which Island country recently re-joined the commonwealth,

after having left in 2016? Maldives

349) What is the number of member countries of the Commonwealth

after joining of Maldives? 54

350) Who has been chosen as the “Central Banker of the Year” for



the Asia Pacific Region by the London based global financial

magazine - The Banker? Shaktikanta Das

351) What is the theme of this year's World Cancer Day observed on

Feb 04? "I am and I will"

352) The Supreme Court has directed the states, which are yet to

come out with notifications for establishing Village Courts by

the name of ___________: Gram Nyayalayas

353) The Gram Nyayalayas are to be established under the provision

of which law? Gram Nyayalayas Act, 2008

354) Which global technology giant announced a dollar one million

grant to promote news literacy among Indians? Google

355) 10th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship was held

at which place? Jhansi, UP

356) Mary Higgins Clark, the long-reigning "Queen of Suspense", one

of the world's most popular writers, died recently. She hailed

from which country? USA

357) Name the former communication minister of Iraq who has been

appointed as the Prime Minister of Iraq? Mohammad Allawi

358) India and which other country held the 14 day joint military

training exercise SAMPRITI-IX? Bangladesh

359) The bilateral military exercise SAMPRITI-IX was held at

which place? Umroi, Meghalaya

360) The 36th edition of the National Games will be held in ________

from 20th October to 4th November 2020: Goa

361) What is the name of the flame-throated Bulbul, that has been

unveiled as the official mascot for the Games? Rubigula

362) The finals of the first grand slam of the year Australian Open

were held in which city? Melbourne

363) Who won her first grand slam title by winning the Australian

Open? Sofia Kenin, USA

364) Men's Singles title in the Australian Open was won by which

player? Novak Djokovic, Serbia

365) Which state bagged the first position for the implementation of

Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana? Madhya Pradesh

366) On January 31, Britain officially left the European Union after

________ years of membership: 47

367) Name the British political leader who successfully led the

Britain's exit plan from the European Union? Boris Johnson

368) Billed as the world’s largest meditation facility, an imposing



meditation centre was inaugurated in ‘Kanha Shantivanam’

near which city? Hyderabad

369) Which country created a new Guinness World Record for

organizing the highest altitude Fashion Show on the earth?

Nepal

370) President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the 34th Surajkund

International Crafts Fair on February 1 at Surajkund in which

place? Faridabad, Haryana

371) Which was the partner country for this year's Surajkund

International Crafts Fair? Uzbekistan

372) Which player won the prestigious 'World Games Athlete of the

Year' award given by the International World Games

Association? Rani Rampal

373) Who is Rani Rampal? Captain of Indian Women's Hockey

Team

374) Tyler Prize, often described as the ‘Nobel Prize for

Environment’ was awarded to whom this year? Pawan Sukhdev

375) Who has been elected as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of

the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), Mumbai for the year

2020? Sunil Mehta

376) Which state launched a virtual police station where people can

lodge complaints online from their respective districts, without

visiting the Police Station? Odisha

377) Oxford University Press named which word as the “Oxford

Hindi Word of 2019” saying it received widespread attention in

the year? Samvidhaan (Constitution)

378) Esow Alben of India is a leading sports star of which sports?

Cycling

379) Taranjit Singh Sandhu, 1988 batch IFS officer has been

appointed as India’s ambassador to which country? USA

JANUARY 2020

380) Who has been appointed as the new Foreign Secretary of India?

Harsh Vardhan Shringla

381) The death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi is also celebrated as

which day on January 30: Anti Leprosy Day / Martyrs Day

382) Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi took place in which year?

1948

383) What is the title of the book recently written by Mukhtar Abbas

Naqvi, Union Minister of Minority Affairs? Balwa (uprising)



384) American Dirt is a popular novel released in January 2020. Who

is its author? Jeanine Cummins

385) Which Ministry launched online portal ‘GATI’ for monitoring

major projects of the National Highways Authority of India

(NHAI)? Union Road Transport Ministry

386) Which stat government launched the Shiv Bhojan Scheme to

provide a regular meal in just Rs. 10 to commoners?

Maharashtra

387) The 62nd annual Grammy Awards were presented at the Staples

Center in Los Angeles. They recognize the outstanding

excellence in which field? Music

388) Name the artist who created history by sweeping all the four top

Grammy Awards 2020? Billie Eilish (USA)

389) According to the recent data released by the Agriculture

Ministry, which state topped in the production of vegetables?

West Bengal

390) State of ____________ produced the largest quantity of fruits in

2018-19? Andhra Pradesh

391) The central govt. signed a peace accord on January 27 with the

insurgent tribal groups of which state? Assam

392) This accord was sign with which tribal groups? Bodos

393) Bodos occupy which part of Assam? Western Assam, north of

Brahmaputra

394) The Coronavirus wreaked havoc in China. Which Chinese city

suffered the most? Wuhan

395) The Coronovirus generally causes which kind of illness? Acute

respiratory syndromes

396) The Supreme Court granted how much reservation to persons

with disabilities in all public sector jobs? 3%

397) Name the veteran American basketball player who was killed in

a helicopter crash in California, USA? Kobe Bryant

398) The World Bank approved a loan of $210 million for

Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project of which state?

Maharashtra

399) Out of George Fernandes, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and

Manohar Parrikar, whose name does not figure in this year's

Padma Vibhushan Awards? Manohar Parikar

400) Name the only sports person who has been considered for award

of Padma Vibhushan this year? MC Mary Kom



401) Shuttler PV Sindhu andindustrialist Anand Mahindra were

selected for which Padma award this year? Padma Bhushan

402) World Leprosy Day is observed on which date? Last Sunday of

January

403) The Leprosy disease affects which parts of the body? Skin and

nerves

404) At which Indian airport a special all women taxi service named

'Women with wheels' was launched recently? Indira Gandhi

International Airport, New Delhi

405) President of which country was the Chief Guest at the 71st

Republic Day Parade ceremony at Rajpath, New Delhi? Brazil

406) What is the name of the first ever humanoid unveiled recently

by the ISRO? Vyomitra

407) The DRDO successfully test-fired its K-4 nuclear capable missile

recently from which launch pad? Submarine

408) Which is the first telecom company to provide UPI-powered

payments service for its subscribers? Reliance Jio

409) What is the full form of UPI? Unified Payments Interface

410) UPI is an instant real-time payment system developed by

___________ and regulated by _________: National Payments

Corporation of India; RBI

411) What is the name of the debit / credit card launched by NPCI?

RuPay

412) Which day is observed on January 25 every year to spread

awareness about the necessity of voting and to encourage young

generation towards the voting rights? National Voters Day

413) Why January 25 has been selected to celebrate National Voters

Day? The Election Commission of India came into existence on

this day in 1950

414) Headquarters of Election Commission of India in New Delhi are

known by which name? NirvachanSadan

415) What was India's rank in the recently released Global Talent

Competitive Index (GTCI) 2020? 72nd

416) _______ secured the first place in the GTCI 2020: Switzerland

417) Celebration of International Day of Education is supported by

which UN organization? UNESCO

418) International Day of Education is observed on which date?

January 24

419) India observes National Education Day on which date?



November 11

420) Which Union Ministry supports the celebration of National Girl

Child Day: Ministry of Women and Child Development

421) India celebrates National Girl Child Day on which date?

January 24

422) Which organization launched a blockchain-technology based

payment system ‘Vajra Platform’? National Payments

Corporation of India (NPCI)

423) Customers of which bank will now be able to withdraw cash

from ATMs without their debit cards? ICICI Bank

424) As per the World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP)

2020 report released by the United Nations, India’s GDP

growth rate has been lowered to ____ %for 2019-20, from 7.6%

projected last year: 5.7%

425) __________ has become the 1st state in the country where the

government has made a policy to lease out agricultural land

available under the government's control: Uttarakhand

426) As per the Corruption Perception Index 2020 India slipped two

spots to ______ place: 80th

427) Which NGO compiles the Corruption Perception Index?

Transparency International

428) Which two countries shared equal marks to secure top position

in the Corruption Perception Index? New Zeeland and Denmark

429) Airpocalypse, a study of air pollution level in 287 Indian cities

declared which 2 coal mining cities as the most polluted? Jharia

and Dhanbad

430) Jharia and Dhanbad are located in which state? Jharkhand

431) Crystal Awards are associated with which field? Social Work by

exceptional artist

432) Which organization is associated with Crystal Awards? World

Economic Forum

433) Name the Indian celebrity who won the Crystal Award this

year? Deepika Padukone

434) January 22 the Prime Minister chaired the first PRAGATI

meeting of the year 2020. What is the purpose of meeting? To

review the progress of various ongoing mega projects

435) What is the full form of the acronym PRAGATI? Pro-Active

Governance and Timely Implementation

436) EkateriniSakellaropoulou has been elected as the first woman



President of which country? Greece

437) In which metro city shops and business establishments like

multiplexes and malls have been allowed to remain open 24x7?

Mumbai

438) The 3rd Khelo India Youth Games were held in _________ from

Jan 10 to 22: Guwahati

439) Which state won the Champions trophy in the 3rd Khelo India

Youth Games? Maharashtra

440) India dropped 10 places to ________ rank in the latest

Democracy Index 2019: 51st

441) Which organization compiles the Democracy Index? Economist

Intelligence Unit, London

442) Which country topped the Democracy Index 2019? Norway

443) Arjun Munda elected as the President of Archery Association of

India. Who is he? Union Minister for Tribal Affairs

444) With which neighbouring country India opened an ICP at

Biratnagar? Nepal

445) What is the full form of ICP? Integrated Check Post

446) Which is the Indian counterpart city for the Biratnagar ICP?

Jogbani, Bihar

447) India secured which rank on the annual Carbon Disclosure

Project (CDP) 2019 report? 5th

448) Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) 2019 report placed which

country at the top spot? USA

449) Which senior BJP leader has been elected as the 11th President

of the party? Jagat Prakash Nadda

450) Sanjiv Chadha has been appointed as the MD & CEO of which

Bank? Bank of Baroda

451) Which international organization lowered India’s economic

growth forecast to 4.8 percent for 2019-20, from 6.1 percent

projected in October? International Monetary Fund

452) The World Economic Outlook report is brought out by which

International Body? International Monetary Fund

453) Which global NGO held its annual meeting at Davos attracting

some 3,000 leading business/political leaders, economists,

celebrities and journalists? World Economic Forum

454) Davos is located in which country? Switzerland

455) Who is the founder chairman of WEF? Klaus Schwab

456) The World Economic Forum is based at which city in



Switzerland? Geneva

457) At which place the Indian Air Force has inducted its first

squadron of Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft carrying the supersonic

BrahMos missiles? Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu

458) Which country has shared technology with India to make

Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jets in India? Russia

459) Sania Mirza won the women’s doubles title of the WTA

International trophy at _____________, Australia: Hobart

460) In a list of 130 cities across the world, surveyed by the US based

global property consultant JLL, __________ has emerged as the

world’s most dynamic city: Hyderabad

461) India has been ranked very low at _______ place out of 82

countries on a new Social Mobility Index: 76th

462) The Social Mobility Index is topped by which country?

Denmark

463) Which organization is responsible for bringing out the Social

Mobility Index? World Economic Forum

464) Who won the women's singles title at the Indonesia Badminton

Masters 2020: RatchanokIntanon of Thailand

465) The 9th International Children's Film Festival was held in

__________ from Jan19 to 26: Kolkata

466) What was the name of the joint exercise of Indian Coast Guard

and the Japan Coast Guard held recently? Sahyog-Kaijin

467) The joint exercise Sahyog-Kaijin was held at which place? Off

the Chennai coast

468) Mikhail V. Mishustin has been elected by the Russian

Parliament as the country's new __________ .Prime Minister

469) Arunachal Pradesh became the first Indian state to sign a MoU

with IUCN for red-listing of _______ in the state: Orchids

470) What is the full form of IUCN? International Union for

Conservation of Nature

471) What are Orchids? Attractive flowering plants

472) What is meant by red listing of species? It is listing of

threatenedspecies that need conservation

473) _________ approved a $88 million loan for Assam Inland Water

Transport Project to modernize the Assam’s passenger ferry

sector: WorldBank

474) The first edition of Krishi Manthan- the largest Food, Agri-

business and Rural Development Summit of Asia was held at



which place? Ahmedabad

475) VineshPhogat, Anshu Malik are the top ______ of India?

Women wrestler

476) __________ became the fastest Indian spinner and overall third

bowler to claim 100 wickets in ODI: Kuldeep Yadav

477) Name the senior Indian Advocate who has been appointed as

the Queen's Counsel (QC) for the courts of England and Wales?

Harish Salve

478) Which neighbouring country of India suffered a setback in GDP

growth, sinking down to 6.1%, lowest in 3 decades? China

479) RobertAbela elected as the new Prime Minister of Malta. Where

is Malta? A tiny island country in the Mediteranean Sea

480) Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy is associated with outstanding

performance in which field? Cricket

481) Who won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for Best Cricketer of

the Year 2019, awarded by the ICC? Ben Stokes, England

482) The Government of India signed an historic agreement with the

governments of _______ and ___________ and representatives

of Bru-ReangTribals: Tripura, Mizoram

483) As per the agreement, the Bru-Reangtribals will now be settled

in _______ state of India? Tripura

484) ISRO’s high power communication satellite GSAT-30 was

successfully launched onboard Ariane 5 rocket from which

place? French Guiana

485) The GSAT-30 satellite will be used for improving services in

which field? Telecommunication and broadcasting

486) The prestigious literary award 'SaraswatiSamman' is conferred

for outstanding contribution to literature in which language? 22

languages listed in Schedule VIII of the Constitution of India

487) Who won the SaraswatiSamman for 2019? VasdevMohi

488) VasdevMohi won the SaraswatiSamman for which book?

Chequebook, a collection of short stories

489) What is the cash award component of the SaraswatiSamman?

Rs.15 lakh

490) VasdevMohi is a prominent writer associated with which

language? Sindhi

491) Which organization awards the SaraswatiSamman? K K Birla

Foundation, Delhi.

492) Which Indian monument has been included by the Shanghai



Cooperation Organization in its list of eight wonders? Statue of

Unity

493) Name the Indian Army officer who became the first woman

parade adjutant to lead the Republic Day parade 2020: Captain

Tania Shergill

494) Which day is celebrated on January 15 to mark the taking over

of command of Indian Army by then Lt Gen K M Cariappa, the

first Indian Commander-in-Chief, from the British General?

Army Day

495) The 23rd National Youth Festival 2020 was held from 12-16

January in_______, Uttar Pradesh: Lucknow

496) The 23rd National Youth Festival 2020 was held from 12-16

January. It is associated with which great personality of India?

Swami Vivekananda

497) What is the linkage of Swami Vivekananda with the National

Youth Day? It is the birthday of Swami Vivekananda

498) The National Youth Day is celebrated on which date? January

12

499) Who has been appointed as the new Director General of CRPF?

A P Maheshwari

500) What is the full form of CRPF? Central Reserve Police Force

501) Which city hosted the World Future Energy Summit? Abu

Dhabi

502) Recently we read about 'Raisina Dialogue' in the news

headlines. What is it all about? Itis theflagship global conference

of India on geopolitics and geo-economicsissues

503) Which Indian city hosted the 'Raisina Dialogue' from January

14 to 16? New Delhi

504) Which is the popular festival of North India associated with end

of winter solstice and beginning of summer solstice? Makar

Sankranti

505) The Makar Sankranti is celebrated popularly as Magh Bihu in

which state? Assam

506) People in Tamil Nadu celebrate occasion of Makar Sankranti as

_________ festival? Pongal

507) In which state Makar Sankranti is celebrated as Uttarayan

festival? Gujarat

508) The Reserve Bank released a report titled “National Strategy

for Financial Inclusion: 2019-2024”. The report has identified



how many pillars to achieve financial inclusion? Six

509) The award for Best International Cricketer is given by BCCI in

the honour of which great cricketer? Polly Umrigar

510) Who won this year's Polly Umrigar award for the best cricketer

in Men's category? JaspritBumrah

511) The DilipSardesai Award for highest runs was given to

________ by BCCI: ChetaswarPujara

512) The DilipSardesai Award for taking highest wickets was given

to ______ by BCCI: JaspritBumrah

513) JaspritBumrah is specializes in which field of cricketer? Right

arm fast bowling

514) The Polly Umrigar award for the best womencricketer - has

been won by? Poonam Yadav

515) Poonam Yadav excels in which roll in the Indian Cricket Team?

Leg Spinner

516) What was the formal name of Swami Vivekananda? Narendra

Nath Datta

517) What is the name of the popular spiritual and educational

institution founded by Swami Vivekananda? Ramkrishna

Mission

518) Henley Passport Index 2020 has ranked Indian passport at

which rank in the world? 84th

519) Which country tops the Henley Passport Index 2020 for

providing visa-free access to 191 countries? Japan

520) Which country recently became the first one to declare its exit

from the European Union: Britain

521) How many countries are there in European Union? 28

522) According to recent World Bank report, India’s growth rate is

projected to come down to _____ % in 2019-20 amid enduring

financial sector issues: 5%

523) The RBI has amended the KYC norms allowing banks to use V-

CIP. What is its full form? Video based Customer Identification

Process

524) Which international day is observed on January 10 to promote

Hindi language around the world: World Hindi Day

525) India celebrates Rashtriya Hindi Divas on which date?

September 14

526) Indian-origin writer JasbinderBilan won which international

award for her debut novel “Asha and the Spirit Bird”? UK



Children's Book Award

527) The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved

'Viability Gap Funding' worth Rs.5559 crores to set up a natural

gas pipeline grid in which part of the country? North East

528) Which company has been selected to set up a natural gas

pipeline grid in North East? Indradhanush Gas Grid Limited

529) The 31st International Kite Festival was held in which city in

the second week of January? Ahmedabad, Gujarat

530) What was the name of the joint maritime exercise held by India

and Oman navies? ‘Naseem Al Bahr’

531) Which country began a mass culling of up to 10,000 camels as

their “extremely large” herds have been encroaching on rural

communities? Australia

532) Which bank has announced a 'residential builder finance with

buyer guarantee' (RBBG) scheme, to improve home buyers'

confidence? SBI

533) PravasiBharatiya Divas is observed on which date? January 09

534) PravasiBharatiya Divas celebrates the home coming of which

great Indian leader on this day in 1915? Mahatma Gandhi

535) NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) recently

discovered an earth-sized planet named TOI 700d. What is its

specialty? NASA expects this planet to be habitable

536) The Reserve Bank has decided to recruit ___ % of the

specialised supervisory and regulatory cadre from the market:

35%

537) Pedro Sanchez has been re-elected as the Prime Minister of

which country? Spain

538) The 5th Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI) National Ice

Hockey Championship -2020 was held in which place? Leh,

Ladakh

539) Which State / UTs won both, Men's and Women's title in the

National Ice Hockey Championship -2020? Ladakh

540) Marine ecosystems are aquatic ecosystems whose waters possess

a high _______ content? Salt

541) The 3rd international symposium on Marine Ecosystems

Challenges & Opportunities (MECOS-3) was hosted by which

city? Kochi, Kerala

542) Which Indian paramilitary force has decided to observe 2020 as

the ‘year of mobility’ to focus on various welfare measures for



its troops? CISF-Central Industrial Security Force

543) Which country recently formally approved setting up of its

special Space Force? USA

544) The first edition of Khelo India University Games is scheduled

to be held at which university? KIIT University in Bhubaneswar

545) Prof. Suresh Chandra Sharma has been appointed as the

chairman of which apex professional body? National Medical

Commission

546) C K Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award is given for

recognizing one's outstanding contribution to which field?

Cricket

547) Who has been selected for the C K Nayudu Lifetime

Achievement Award 2019 in Men's category?

KrishnamachariSrikkanth

548) Who has been selected for the C K Nayudu Lifetime

Achievement Award 2019 in Women's category? Anjum Chopra

549) India has extended a line of credit (LoC) of $ 75 million (over Rs

500 crore) to ________ to finance solar parks in their country:

Cuba

550) Which Indian city hosted the 63rd National Shooting

Championship: Bhopal

551) Name the Indian all-rounder who announced his retirement

from all forms of Cricket? Irfan Pathan

552) The Golden Globe Awards are associated with recognition of

excellence in which field? Cinema and TV

553) Which picture won the Golden Globe for the best picture? 1917

554) Malavath Poorna,the 18-year-old mountaineer from Telangana

recently scaled Mt. Vinson Massif. It is the highest peak of

which continent? Antarctica

555) Recently KVIC open its first “Patola” silk processing plant at

Surendranagar in Gujarat. What is full form of KVIC? Khadi

and Village Industries Commission

556) “Patola” silk is famous for which product? ExpensiveSilkSarees

557) Patola sarees from which place enjoy the GI tag for their

exclusivity? Patan, Gujarat

558) Name the star table Tennis player from UP who jumped nine

places to become the world no. 1 in the Under-21 men’s singles

category? Manav Thakkar

559) What was the name of the person who developed Braille



language for the visually handicapped persons? Louis Braille

560) Braille language is based on _____ convex dots that form all the

letters and symbols. Six

561) The Indian Railways has renamed its security force RPF

(Railway Protection Force). What is the new name? Indian

Railway Protection Force Service

562) What was the theme of this year's New Delhi World Book Fair?

‘Gandhi: The Writers’ Writer’

563) Kota, the coaching capital of India in Rajasthan was in news

recently for what reasons? Over 100 infants died in city’s J K Lon

Hospital

564) Which institution hosted the Indian Science Congress, the

biggest annual gathering of scientists in India and abroad?

University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru

565) What was the theme of this year's Indian Science Congress?

Science and technology: Rural Development

566) The World Health Organisation (WHO) selected the year 2020

as the “Year of the Nurse and Midwife” to commemorate the

birthday of which person? Florence Nightingale

567) Florence Nightingale was famous nurse, statistician, and social

reformer from which country? Britain

568) What was the popular name given to Florence Nightingale?

Lady with the lamp

569) India for the first time has been ranked among the top ten in the

Climate Change Performance Index. What is India's rank? 9th

570) Which country has been ranked at the top for best efforts in

climate control as per the Climate Change Performance Index:

Sweden

571) The Reserve Bank launched mobile app ‘MANI’ for what

purpose? To help the visually challenged identify the

denomination of currency notes

572) What is the full form of acronym MANI: Mobile Aided Note

Identifier

573) Can the MANI app be used for detecting the fake currency? No

574) As per the Swachh Survekshan League 2020 for assessing the

cleanliness level of 4,372 cities, which city topped the survey?

Indore

575) Which bank has decided to introduce a one-time password for

every cash withdrawal of Rs. 10,000 and above from its ATMs



between 8 am and 8 pm? State Bank of India

576) Who are the only two Indians in Wisden’s T20 International

team of the decade? Virat Kohli and JaspritBumrah

577) What is the name of the e-auction platform launched to

facilitate online auction of assets attached by banks: eBkray

578) Name the NASA Astronaut who created a new record for

thelongest single spaceflight by a woman. Christina Koch

579) Which organization recently released its biannual report “India

State of Forest Report 2019”: The Forest Survey of India

580) As per recent data, forest and tress cover roughly _____ per cent

of the total geographic area of the country: 25 %

581) Areawise, _______ has the largest forest cover, followed

by ArunachalPraesh and Chhattisgarh: Madhya Pradesh

582) In terms of forest cover as a percentage of total geographical

area, with 85.41% area under forest, _________ is at the top:

Mizoram

583) General Bipin Rawat has been named as India’s first

___________ of India, a post created for the first time in India:

Chief of Defence Staff

584) As Chief of Defence Staff, General Rawat will also head the new

Department of _________: Military Affairs

585) Which apex organization released the Sustainable Development

Goals (SDGs) Index for the year 2019-20? NITI Aayog

586) SDGs Index developed by NITI Aayog is based on 17SDGs

formulated by which global organization?UNO-United Nations

Organization

587) Which state topped the SDGs index? Kerala

588) Government has decided to waive the MDR w.e.f. Jan1, 2020 on

all digital transactions using RuPay or UPI platform to

promote digital payments. What is full form of MDR? Merchant

Discount Rate

589) Govt. has clarified that MDR charge on credit cards

transactions will continue to be up to ___________% of the

transaction amount: 2%

590) Which country recently launched the world’s heaviest and most

advanced communications satellite, weighing more than eight

tonnes? China

591) Name the 32 year old Grandmaster from Andhra, who won the

Women’s World Rapid Championship 2019 in Moscow: Koneru



Humpy

592) Rohtang Tunnel, one of the longest high altitude tunnels, was in

news recently for what reasons? It has been renamed as Atal

Tunnel

593) The Atal Tunnel passes through which range of Himalayas?

PirPanjal

594) The Atal Tunnel connects _______ in Himachal Pradesh with

_________ in Ladakh? Manali, Leh

595) Which country deployed recently its hypersonic missile

Avangard, capable of catching speeds up to 33,000 kmph?

Russia

596) Which railway station recently was in news for offering its

passengers the facility of an Oxygen Parlor? Nashik

597) As per the statistics compiled by the US National Science

Foundation, which country contributes largest number of

scientific articles, accounting for 20.67 per cent of their total

publications? China

598) What is India's rank in terms of its contribution in the

publication of scientific articles? 3rd - 5.31%

599) What is the full form of FICCI? Federation of Indian Chambers

of Commerce & Industry, Sangita Reddy, elected as the new

President of the FICCI for 2019-20.

600) Where are the headquarters of FICCI? New Delhi

601) Which Indian district won the UNICEF 2019 Award for

effective implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission in water

sanitation and hygiene sectors? Kamareddy district of Telangana

602) Niranjan Hiranandani has been elected as the new President of

which apex trade and industry organization? Assocham

603) Niranjan Hiranandani is associated with which industry? Real

estate

604) What is the full form of Assocham? Associated Chambers of

Commerce & Industry of India

605) India’s first long-distance CNG bus fitted with CNG

(compressed natural gas) cylinders will run from New Delhi to

which other place? Dehradun

606) American Academy of Ophthalmology has selected which

Indian doctor for its "Life Achievement Honour"? Dr Santosh G

Honavar

607) Indian Railways has started “Him Darshan Express”, a glass-



enclosed vistadome train on which heritage route? Kalka -

Shimla route

608) The National Tribal Dance Festival was held in which place in

Chhattisgarh? Raipur

609) Who was declared as the ‘Most Famous Teenager in the World’

by the United Nations in its 'Decade in Review' report? Malala

Yousafzai

610) Who has been elected as the new Chief Minister of Jharkhand?

Hemant Soren

611) The country’s first university for transgender community will be

opened in Kushinagar district of which state? Uttar Pradesh

612) As per the recently release “Good Governance Index”,

___________ secure the first position among the Indian states?

Tamil Nadu

613) Government launched which scheme aimed at improving the

groundwater management in seven states? Atal Bhujal Yojana

(ATAL JAL)


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